Timshel Tattoos.

Meeta who is now becoming a regular feature in my blog posts sent me a link to a blog post on the word Timshel to share with me her awe at its meaning and intent.

I gather that the word Timshel in Hebrew means “Thou Mayest”. In modern language I suppose that it means, You may.  This indicates to me that  you have a free will.  As a Vedantin  my understanding is that “Karma is what will come to you in life and free will is what you choose to do with it.”  If this tattoo sported by many indicates the same, I have no quarrel with that and I hope that some of my readers will enlighten me further on this subject.

Here or two tattoos from the google images showing “Timshel”.


Talking about tattoos, my son and daughter in love are both fans and here are some tattoos that they sport.  The last two are sported by the DIL.

Both have tried to get me to sport a tattoo or two, and so far, I have resisted the idea. Should I go for it?

The Sky Is The Limit.

Today’s topic has been suggested by the youngest member of our group Sanjana who still has many miles to go before she sleeps. The rest of us six, except Maria who too still has some catching up to do, are all past or are on the proverbial three score and ten land mark and perhaps have other thoughts on the matter. Sanjana is also likely to write on technology and science, where there perhaps the sky is the limit whereas for me having been there and done that, goals are different and perhaps for my readers and fellow 6/1 bloggers, exotic. Maria is new to the group and it will be interesting to see her take on the subject.

I am a Vedantin. The core idea in that school of thought is “Brahma Satyam, Jagat Mithya, Jivo Brahmaiva Naparaha.” as so beautifully explained by Adi Shankara.

If you have gone to the article as given in the link you would have seen that Brahman is limitless and the Truth and that the Jiva, that is the individual is not different/apart from Brahman and therefore he too is limitless. The goal of the individual in this life is to ultimately REALISE that truth and be free and limitless. I have capitalised and highlighted the word REALISE to explain that it it the process of making something real that is only conceptual to start with. This is a matter for understanding.

This is my take on this week’s Friday 6 On 1 blog post topic. The other five bloggers who write on the same topic every Friday are Maria. Sanjana, PadmumRaju, Shackman and Conrad.  This week’s topic was suggested by Sanjana. Please do go over to their respective blogs to see what they have to say on the topic. Thank you.

Don’t Worry, Be Happy!

I am a practicing Vedantin. I am also in the stage of Aantara Sanyasa.  That blog post was written almost a year ago and since then I have only firmed up on my practice and can affirm that I hardly ever worry now.  I am also blessed with an innate happy frame of mind that I inherited from my mother.  For me, this topic is a living reality. I hope that this blog post will inspire my readers to also not worry and be happy.

This is my take on this week’s Friday 6 On 1 blog post topic. The other five bloggers who write on the same topic every Friday are Sanjana, PadmumRaju, Shackman and Conrad.  This week’s topic was suggested by me. Please do go over to their respective blogs to see what they have to say on the topic. Thank you.

Life’s Questions.

Who? Who Am I? is the biggest question that a Vedantin asks himself. Till he finds the answer to that question, he keeps searching through various studies, meditation and reflection.  The first stage in this quest is to understand that the subject I is different from the objects mind, body and intellect and finding out the reality of the subject and the impermanent nature of the objects.

What? What life has to offer will always be a mystery and to treat the future with a positive attitude without being afraid.

Where? Where life takes you to go cheerfully and with excitement will make you a wonderful person, ie, a person full of wonder.

Why? Why things happen should always be allowed to be a mysterious and accepted as the reason for our being here.

When? When life deals you with eggs, making omelettes will make you strong enough to handle all the other Ws in this list.

I have suggested this week’s topic. You can see what the other writers of the LBC have to say in their respective blogs.  Maria, Pravin, Ashok and Shackman.