
Want To Get Rich, Happy And Spiritually Strong?
But it's not just about cash. Benefits to the donor extend beyond just money. The Rig Veda has devoted an entire section to daan, charity. It says that giving doesn't just make you rich. All givers are happy. It is the takers who are unhappy. Just watch children at school - the one who shares her chocolate is glowing. The one who clutches it? Frowns.
Giving helps you evolve spiritually, too. Givers rise. Takers stagnate. When you develop the attitude of giving up your desires, you grow into a magnificent personality. So, the next time you give, know you're also investing in your wealth, joy, and soul.
We forget how much we've already been given - for free. The air you breathe. The beating heart. The sunlight on your face. The laughter of a friend...None of these comes with a price tag. So, we ignore them...
Here's a simple check: Do you feel blessed or deprived when you wake up? It has nothing to do with wealth. Sudama, Krishn's friend, had nothing, yet felt full. A billionaire may feel empty. True richness starts with awareness of your abundance. When you feel full, you want to give. When you focus on what you have, something amazing happens. You feel blessed. You develop the irresistible urge to give. You start thinking beyond yourself.
Gratitude opens your mind. Sparks creativity. Makes you dynamic, driven, and destined for success. The more thankful you are, the more you grow. And the more you grow, the more you give. That's the cycle of abundance. Start it today - just by noticing how rich you already are. In which field should you give? In your zone of genius. Your talent, your passion. That's where you give - and shine. A musician contributes through music. An architect builds for the world. A businessperson creates value through enterprise. You don't need to change fields to make a difference. Just use your passion to uplift others. Give through your gift.
Want more happiness? Here's the secret: The more people you include in your
circle of love
, the happier you become. Feel one with your family and friends; you are happy. Connect with your community; you are happier. Love your country; your happiness multiplies 1.4 billion times. Feel one with the whole world; you experience limitless bliss. When your heart expands, so does your happiness.
When you become a giver, you stop obsessing over your wants, ambitions, and career. Instead, you start working for lokasangraha - well-being of all. Here's the twist. When you forget your desires, they start getting fulfilled in ways you scarcely imagined because the universe takes care of those who care for the universe.
Give with the feeling - thank you for giving me the opportunity to serve. Your income and money will start growing. You will have serendipitous experiences - sudden, unexpected moments of intense joy. You will steer clear of unnecessary indulgences and focus on the big picture. You will live a rich and happy life.
Authored by: Jaya Row
Why Arjun Was Chosen: The Untold Secret of Bhagavad Gita Chapter 4, Verse 3

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Indian Express
3 hours ago
- Indian Express
How buffalo is integral to India's cultural imagination
Buffaloes are found in ponds, rivers, marshes, and wetlands meant for rice cultivation. Cows, on the other hand, prefer drier jungle areas. India has both dry jungles and wet river basins. Dry areas are meant for wheat and millet cultivation, while wet areas are for rice cultivation. Cows and bulls thus represent two different ecosystems of India. Nomads move around with cows, while farmers are linked to buffaloes, who do not enjoy moving away from their watery habitat. Bulls are castrated and used as bullocks for pulling carts and for tilling hard soil. Male buffaloes do not need to be castrated. They can be controlled by nose rings. Some buffaloes can also be used as pack animals and used to till flooded rice fields. While most Indians focus on cows, we often overlook how important buffaloes are to India's economic ecosystem, and how they play a key role in rituals, art and culture. Buffaloes are depicted on Harappan seals, indicating they were domesticated and were part of the Harappan civilization over 4,500 years ago. This was the river buffalo, whose milk was curdled and churned into butter that was made into ghee. Buffaloes were also used for meat (even today India is a major exporter of buffalo meat), and their bones were used for making tools. The buffalo is found on the famous Pashupati seal facing the hermit who wears buffalo-horns on his head. Buffalo horns are also found on other seals, indicating power and virility. Around 3,500 years ago, in the Rig Veda (4.18.13), the mighty Indra, energised by the Soma drink, is equated with a wild buffalo. About 2,000 years ago, in Tamil Sangam poetry, Kuruntokai 65, the buffalo in a lotus pond is equated with an uncouth man who doesn't appreciate the refined girl he is about to marry. This indicates how integral the buffalo was to India's cultural imagination, from North to South India. The Mahisha Jataka, illustrated on the walls of Ajanta, speaks of a gentle buffalo who tolerates the mischief of a monkey. He refuses to punish the monkey for his irritating and incorrigible behaviour, even though he is advised to do so by the tree spirit or yaksha. One day, the gentle buffalo is away and his place is taken by another buffalo. The monkey, without realising it is another buffalo, plays the same tricks and is trampled to death. In Jain mythology, the buffalo is the emblem of the 12th Tirthankara Vasupujya. The Jain Yakshi Jwalamalini is shown riding a buffalo. As per one story, the Yakshi was a devout Jain in her previous life, who fed Jain monks, but her husband treated her badly. So she was reborn as a Yakshi and she rides a buffalo who was her husband reborn. The buffalo plays a very important role in Hindu mythology. It is the vahana (vehicle) of Yamraj, the god of death. The buffalo is also popular as the demon Mahisha who is slain by the many-armed goddess Durga. The oldest image of this goddess killing the demon was found in Rajasthan and dated to 100 BC. Many terracotta images from the Kushan age show the goddess killing the buffalo with her bare hands. Later, the image gets more elaborate. The goddess is shown riding her lion and killing the buffalo by pinning him down with her feet. Such images are found in the Gupta, Chalukya, and Pallava temples. Now they are part of the Navaratri celebrations held every autumn across India. In folk festivals across Deccan, a young male buffalo (reda) is offered to the goddess as a sacrifice. The offering of buffalo to the goddess is also meant to make her happy so that the children are safe from tiger attacks. When one buffalo is sacrificed, its leg is put in its mouth and presented to the goddess. This practice is found in Nepal, too. At the same time, a new male calf is chosen and fattened up the whole year to be offered to the goddess the following year. Such rituals ensure the fertility of the earth: with new life replacing old life. In Kerala, the local god Ayyappa, son of Hara (Shiva) and Hari (Vishnu), defeats Mahishi, the sister of Mahisa. In Maharashtra, there is worship of Mhaso-ba the buffalo-god, husband of the village goddess. It seems that while the buffalo suitor of the goddess is killed, she chooses the bull-riding Shiva as her husband. Many folk goddesses of the Deccan region have young male priests called Potraj or the buffalo king, who lead processions in honour of the goddess. The Potraj is dressed like a fierce man with whips, and found in processions such as Bonalu, celebrated in the Telangana region of Andhra Pradesh. This figure is sometimes identified as the son of Kali, and sometimes as her husband, while he calls himself her servant. What does the depiction of buffaloes on Harappan seals and on the famous Pashupati seal indicate? How does the buffalo feature in Jain and Hindu mythologies, and how does it indicate that buffaloes are integral to India's cultural imagination? What does the changing depiction of the buffalo in Hindu mythology – from a demon killed by the many-armed goddess Durga to being part of Navaratri celebrations – tell us? How does the ritual of buffalo sacrifice in folk festivals across Deccan reflect beliefs about fertility and protection? How do the stories of Mahishi in Kerala and Mhasoba in Maharashtra reflect regional variations in the portrayal of buffalo? (Devdutt Pattanaik is a renowned mythologist who writes on art, culture and heritage.) Share your thoughts and ideas on UPSC Special articles with Subscribe to our UPSC newsletter and stay updated with the news cues from the past week. Stay updated with the latest UPSC articles by joining our Telegram channel – IndianExpress UPSC Hub, and follow us on Instagram and X.


Time of India
2 days ago
- Time of India
Before the United States, there was Harvard: The story behind America's oldest university
The United States didn't exist. George Washington wasn't even born. Yet in this fledgling colony by the Charles River, a handful of English Puritans dared to dream of something revolutionary: not a nation, but a college. One that would 'advance learning and perpetuate it to posterity,' as they put it. And thus, Harvard was born: the oldest university in America, older even than the country that would later claim it. Today, Harvard University stands as an emblem of academic excellence and global prestige. But this towering institution, with its $53.2 billion endowment, Nobel laureates, and presidents among alumni, began humbly as a wooden building and a bold idea, nestled in the wilds of colonial New England. The Puritan Experiment: A college in the wilderness Harvard's story begins not with grandeur but with religious urgency. 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Economic Times
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- Economic Times
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