The Past of the Present is in the Future of the Now

October 9, 2005, was a Sunday. I was serving as the officiating Commandant of my unit. We were en route to Jaisalmer when, about 10 km ahead of a village called Dechu, an oncoming car crashed into our vehicle at high speed. The impact was catastrophic—our vehicle was hurled into the air, rolling uncontrollably. Shaurya was thrown out, Madhuri and Ashita lost consciousness, and Jose, our driver, fell silent. Amidst the chaos, I remained fully conscious—my mind and heart clung to a single refuge. I began chanting the name of Shri Hanuman with unwavering faith. And by His divine grace, we all survived. A Muslim inspector who witnessed the accident was astounded. He had seen countless accidents, many less severe than ours, but rarely had he seen survivors emerge from such devastation. Shaken, he told me, "The Hand of Allah was upon you!" Months later, destiny led me back to that very place as I took command of 20 Lancers. As I drove past the accident site, I stopp...

The bells of the past now toll in the present and the whispers of history shall rise again in thunderous storms. The stars align as once they did in the days of the great schism of the New World and the burning fury of the old European throne. The march of time circles back, yet the hands on the celestial clock point to a new form of reckoning—one of shattered illusions, broken compacts and the reordering of dominions. The Cracks in the World The swelling tide of aspirations, untamed and feverish, rises like a great flood upon the earth. The young shall outnumber the old in lands once teeming with sages, while the wombs of once-mighty nations shall fall silent, their streets echoing with the cries of the forgotten. The great wheel of birth tilts and where one land teems with restless multitudes, another withers in the frost of barrenness. Rivers once worshiped now carry poison, their waters growing bitter as the air thickens with the breath of decay. The wrat...

Maha Shivratri, the night dedicated to Lord Shiva, is one of the most profound and spiritually significant occasions in Hinduism. As we approach this sacred night in 2025, it is an ideal time to reflect on the depth of Lord Shiva's role in not just our mythology and culture, but also in our day-to-day lives. Lord Shiva, a central figure of the Hindu Trinity, stands as an unparalleled symbol of the divine. His significance goes beyond the boundaries of time and space, transcending conventional definitions of godhood. To understand Shiva’s importance, we must recognise that he embodies two seemingly contradictory yet complementary aspects: the ascetic and the householder. The Renunciation and The Householder In his role as a renunciate, Shiva withdrew from the world, immersing himself in meditation and solitude. He resides in the Himalayan caves, far from the chaos of human existence, a life symbolising detachment and self-discipline. The Shiva Purana beautifully captures...

"Nātyaśnatas tu yogo 'sti na caikāntam anaśnataḥ, na cāti svapnaśīlasya jāgrato naiva cārjuna" (Bhagavad Gita 6.16) "Yoga is not for one who eats too much or too little, nor for one who sleeps too much or too little, O Arjuna." Since childhood, I have been a seeker—drawn to the mysticism of existence, the rhythm of Nature and the eternal truths woven into the cosmic order. The question, Who am I?   has echoed within me, not as a burden but as a doorway into the vastness of being. Nature has been my scripture, her elements my silent Gurus. The mountains have taught me stillness, the rivers—surrender, the sun—tapasya, and the moon—serenity. The trees stand as timeless witnesses, the birds carry the whispers of the unseen and the oceans remind me of the depth of silence within. In their presence, I have learned to stay unattached—to witness the dance of life without getting lost in its rhythm. As Sri Krishna reminds us, “Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ ...