Troubleshooting Life 291, October 17 - Feed your inner flames with renewable energy for life
Chanakya in Daily Life 18 “Life Plan”
DR. RADHAKRISHNAN PILLAI:
Our ancient Indian Vedic culture had a broad vision of life.
Right from birth to death, it gave us a systematic way to lead our lives.
Chanakya, too, emphasizes the importance of planning one’s life in the Arthashastra.
He urges one to re-establish the Vedic life pattern by saying,
‘The law laid down in the Vedic lore (tradition) is beneficial, as it prescribes the respective duties of the four stages of life.’ (1.3.4)
The Indian tradition derived its wisdom from experiments carried out across generations and was intended to benefit mankind at large. This was done so that the following generations would not make the same mistakes.
And in the Arthashatra, Chanakya has bifurcated life into four phases and given us clear directions to follow in each phase if we are to live a fulfilling life.
What are those four stages of life?
Student life (Brahmacharya-ashram)
Householder’s life (Grihasta-ashram)
Retired (Vanaprastha-ashram)
Monk (sannyasa--ashram)
Reader, the king living a life of unrenewable rage could be profitable, but short lived.
The slow-burn, peaceful hermit could live long, but might not profit much.
It is a struggle navigating the grey area between spiritual and financial values for your kingdom.
Studying the Vedas, its four stages, is helpful to me.
ACTION POINT: Feed your inner flames with renewable energy for life
