HOW ARE YOU?

   

HOW ARE YOU? Whether asked in casual conversation or as an inquiry into one's state of being, it demands introspection. At the Institute of Doing Nothing, we fuse Vedic philosophy's Akarma—non-action as radical presence—with modern psychological insights, challenging the Western imperative of ceaseless productivity. True eudaimonia, or flourishing, arises not from hyper-agency, but from deliberate stillness, echoing Vedic wisdom's call to transcend the illusion of perpetual striving.



Central to this is the Upanishadic method of *neti neti* ("not this, not that"), via negativa that dismantles egoic attachments, much like Minimalism strips life to essentials. Yet Akarma elevates this beyond mere idleness: it embodies *nishkama karma* from the Bhagavad Gita (Chapter 3), action devoid of desire for results. Krishna advises Arjuna to perform duty without clinging to outcomes, aligning the will with cosmic *dharma*. Philosophically, this parallels Stoic *apatheia* in Epictetus or Heidegger's *Gelassenheit*—letting-be—fostering clarity amid chaos.


Psychologically, such practices validate mindfulness interventions (e.g., Kabat-Zinn's MBSR), which lower cortisol and silence the superego's tyranny. Regarding Antinatalism's pessimistic calculus (à la Benatar), Akarma offers respite: by suspending anthropocentric busyness, we confront suffering's roots, reframing existence as non-striving presence rather than futile procreation or accumulation.


☘️ SUDESH KUMAR

🌎 sudeshkumar.com

⏰ Kāla — The Eternal Rhythm of Existence

 

In the sacred hymns of the Vedas and the insights of the Upanishads, Kāla (Time) is revered as the eternal continuum—unborn, imperishable, and omnipresent. Time is not merely a sequence, but the very pulse of cosmic order.



Through following eternal revelations, the sages recognized Kāla as the ultimate law. To surrender to Time is to align with Truth itself, realizing that the spirit within transcends the marching moments and abides beyond the flow of past, present, and future.  


1. 📌 Atharva Veda (19.53.8)  

“काळः प्रजाः वि दधाति सर्वाः।”

 (Time creates and directs all beings.)  


2. 📌 Rig Veda (10.90.11)  

“तस्माद्यज्ञात्सर्वहुतः ऋचः सामानि जज्ञिरे।”

(From that sacrificial essence, time unfolded the hymns, the metrical order, and the rhythm of the universe, establishing the cycles of creation.)  


3. 📌 Shvetāshvatara Upanishad (6.2)  

“कालः स्वभावो नियतिर्यदृच्छा भूतानि योनिः पुरुष इति चिन्त्यम्।” 

(Time, destiny, nature, chance, and the eternal spirit are all reflections of the Supreme Reality.)  


4. 📌 Maitrī Upanishad (6.14)  

“कालो वै अस्य सर्वासां भूतानां नायको भवति।”

(Time indeed becomes the ruler and guide of all existing beings.)  


5. 📌 Bhagavad Gītā (11.32)  

“कालोऽस्मि लोकक्षयकृत् प्रवृद्धः।”

 (I am time, the mighty destroyer of worlds, engaged in dissolving all beings.)  


👨‍🏫 Sudesh Kumar  

🎯 Philosophy Circle  

👁️‍🗨️ philosophy.sudesh.org

🌸 Stop Animal Sacrifice in Durga Puja 🌸


The Goddess Durga is the eternal Mahishasuramardini. It means she destroys cruelty and darkness, not the seeker of innocent animal blood. True bhakti is never measured in violence, but in compassion and love.  


When we place a sword in one hand of Goddess Durga, we must also place a lotus in the other. The sword is for the protection of the weak and the destruction of Adharma—never for the slaughter of helpless animals.  


The ancient Vedas and Upanishads are crystal clear: Divine power is pleased not by killing, but by kindness. To kill in the name of the Goddess Durga is to go against Her very spirit. When we shed blood, we stain the festival of Shakti itself—a festival meant to awaken strength, purity, and protection for all.  


1. 📌 Rigveda (10.87.16) - “Let no one harm the innocent, neither the one who comes close nor the one passing by.”  


2. 📌 Yajurveda (36.18) -  “With the vision of divine friendship, I look upon all living beings.”  


3. 📌 Atharvaveda (19.48.5) - “Non-violence is the highest Dharma.”  


A sacrifice done in ahimsa is the highest offering—a kind heart, a pure prayer, a compassionate deed. That is the offering Mother Durga accepts with joy.  


Let us reclaim Durga Puja as a festival of compassion, not cruelty. Let us show the world that our culture celebrates life, not bloodshed. May this Durga Puja/Navratri awaken a new strength—the strength to protect, not to punish; the strength to love, not to destroy.


🙏

– @vegansudesh

– @stopanimalsacrifice


The Global Campaign to Stop Animal Sacrifice

🏡 campaign.sudesh.org


📍facebook.com/stopanimalsacrifice  

📍instagram.com/stopanimalsacrifice  

True Human


The Rigveda, Atharvaveda, and Upanishads say that simply being born in a human body does not make someone truly human. A real human is one who disciplines the mind to walk on the path of righteousness and compassion — “Man follows the mind, therefore he is called Manushya.” That is why the Vedas clearly teach — “Manurbhava” (Rigveda 10.53.6) — meaning “Become a true human.”


☘️ VEGAN SUDESH

🪀🤳@vegansudesh

🏡 vegansudesh.com


In today’s context, this Vedic teaching connects directly with our lifestyle. When we cause suffering to animals just for taste or habit, our mind loses its compassion. But when we choose non-violence in what we eat, wear, and consume, we move closer to the ideal of the “true human” envisioned in the Vedas.


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Division of The Upanishads

 

The Muktikopanishad is a sacred Hindu text that serves as a spiritual roadmap for achieving liberation (moksha), featuring a dialogue between Lord Rama and Hanuman. Its primary significance lies in listing all 108 Upanishads, categorizing them by their respective Vedas, and emphasizing self-knowledge, particularly through the study of the Mandukya Upanishad, as the ultimate path to freedom. The text integrates paths of devotion (Bhakti), knowledge (Jnana), and Yoga, stressing inner realization over external rituals and the role of a guru.


As per the Muktikopanishad 108 Upanishads are divided according to four Vedas are as follows:


🎯 10 Upanishads from the Rigveda

 

🎯 19 Upanishads from the Shukla-Yajurveda


🎯 32 Upanishads from the Krishna-Yajurveda


🎯 16 Upanishads from the Samaveda


🎯 31 Upanishads from the Atharvaveda.


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The Principal 13 Upanishads, related to the Vedas are:


(A) Rigveda:


1. 📌 (1) Aitareya Upanishad


2. 📌 (2) Kaushitaki Upanishad


(B) Shukla-Yajurveda:


1. 📌 (3) Brihadaranyaka Upanishad


2. 📌 (4) Isha Upanishad


(C) Krishna-Yajurveda:


1. 📌 (5) Taittiriya Upanishad


2. 📌 (6) Katha Upanishad


3. 📌 (7) Shvetashvatara Upanishad


4. 📌 (8) Maitrayaniya Upanishad


(D) Samaveda:


1. 📌 (9) Chandogya Upanishad


2. 📌 (10) Kena Upanishad


(E) Atharvaveda:


1. 📌 (11) Mundaka Upanishad


2. 📌 (12) Mandukya Upanishad


3. 📌 (13) Prashna Upanishad


🌻 https://philosophy.sudesh.org

Fighting Stereotypical Mindsets

🧍‍♀️🧍🏾🧍🏻‍♂️🧍🏻‍♀️🧍🧍🏿‍♂️ 

What's comes to your mind first…!


🥾 1) A Spider? Crush it!

🍣 2) A Tuna? Belongs in Sushi.

🏇 3) A Horse? Someone should be sitting on it.

🛟 4) A Sea Turtle? Save the sea turtle.

🍳 5) A Chicken? Leg Piece? KFC?

😻 6) A Black Cat? Ominous?

🧀 7) A Cow? The holy animal of India, beef must be banned everywhere, but can’t live without cheese.


This list goes on when we talk about egoism versus veganism. All stereotypical mindsets that keep prejudices alive from generation to generation while having nothing to do with reality.


We humans are social creatures. Belonging to some community, adopting its behaviors and consuming opinions, which has been crucial to our survival. It’s simply part of us, and that is completely understandable. However, we must recognize that what is considered normal at one time and what our community claims to be normal is neither necessarily the truth nor the new generation bound to follow it.


Why can't we look at every animal neutrally, and feel inside what we truly feel about them, instead of just listening to what our society says? The pointing to discriminatory practices among humans has thankfully been becoming viral media contents and appearing in a mainstream news stories, now we just need to take it one step further and extend this to other species.


Every animal has their life and their role on this earth. They were not born to be placed in our culturally adopted cruel practices. The moment human animals realize this, we will start treating other animals (and each other) nicely. 

— Prof. Sudesh Kumar 

— Founder @ Vegan Mumbai Foundation 

— Email to: help@veganmumbai.org

Go to the Website: veganmumbai.org


Ban the Gadhimai Animal Sacrifice Festival

 

The Gadhimai Festival is about to take place on 2nd December in 2024. We need to open the eyes of the Nepal Government to put a stop to the mass murder of animals!


The Global Campaign to Stop Animal Sacrifice needs your support to spread a message of kindness to ensure that the estimated 5 million devotees attending the festival will hear the message not to bring animals but to bring flowers and fruits to offer to the goddess Gadhimai instead of Sacrificing innocent animals.



The origins of the Gadhimai Animal Sacrifice Festival date back around 270 years, when the founder of the Gadhimai Temple, Bhagwan Chowdhary (A Local Goon), had a dream that the Goddess Gadhimai wanted blood in return for freeing him from prison, protecting him from evil and promising prosperity and power. The goddess asked for a human sacrifice, but he successfully offered an animal instead, and this has been repeated every five years since.


Every five years, the world’s largest animal sacrifice takes place at the Gadhimai Temple in the Bara District of Nepal, about 200 KM south of the capital city, Kathmandu. Following a big “Mela - A Grand Hindu Fest" the festival culminates in the ritual slaughter of more than tens of thousands of animals. It is the largest animal sacrifice event in the world and has previously involved the sacrifice of nearly half a million animals, of which more than 60-70% are illegally transported from India. 


In September 2019, the Supreme Court of Nepal ruled in favour of ending live animal sacrifice at the festival, directing the relevant agencies to create an action plan. But the idea of animal sacrifice is so ingrained in the minds of the millions of traditional devotees they have been ignoring the law of the land, turning Nepal into one of the most cruel countries for animals.


☘️ Vegan Sudesh

The Global Campaign to Stop Animal Sacrifice


🩷 instagram.com/stopanimalsacrifice

💁🏻‍♀️ facebook.com/stopanimalsacrifice


The importance of Brahmamuhurta


What is 'Brahmamuhurta'?

In Hinduism, Brahma means the supreme element or the Supreme Soul. Muhurta means favourable time. There are 30 Muhurtas in 24 hours. There are 8 Prahars in 30 Muhurta. Brahmamuhurta is the fourth prahar of the night. The fourth prahar is called Usha.


Names of Eight Prahars -

 Day Time -

🔖 Purvahna (AM)
🔖 Madhyavahna (Noon)
🔖 Apranha (PM)
🔖 Saymkaal (Evening)



Night Time -

🔖 Pradosh
🔖 Nishith
🔖 Triyama
🔖 Usha.

There are two Muhurtas in the prahar before sunrise. The first of them is called Brahmamuhurta. The 30th part of the day and night is called Muhurta, which means, the period of 48 minutes is called Muhurta. According to our clock, the time of 4.24 am - 5.12 am is Brahmamuhurta.


What to do in Brahmamuhurta?

You may do any one of the 4 tasks or any other suitable things you feel right in Brahmamuhurta:

🔖 Meditation
🔖 Prayer
🔖 Study
🔖 Worship


What not to do in Brahmamuhurta?

Negative thinking, arguments, conversations, sexual activities, sleeping, eating, travel, any kind of noise, etc.


Scientific importance of getting up in Brahmamuhurta

At this time, the amount of oxygen (pranavayu) in the atmosphere is highest, which is important for the purification of the lungs. By getting pure air, the mind and brain also remain healthy. The air flowing at this time is said to be nectar. Waking up during the Brahma Muhurta and taking a walk provides life-giving energy to the body.

This time is also said to be the best for study because when we wake up in the morning after resting at night, there is energy and freshness in the body and mind as well. As the oxygen level is higher in the morning, it provides extra energy to the brain, due to which the study things are easily grasped by our memory.


Prof. Sudesh Kumar

Follow √  @vegansudesh