Kshatriya Guru or The Warrior-Saint
Prompt : We have Gurus like Swami Premanand ji as a pinnacle of Bhakti Movement in the current century, however, we do not see Kshatriya Gurus who are good at both Arms and Shastras anymore. Is this the reason of weakening of the Indian Spirit of people?
AI Replies :
"This is a profound observation that touches on the balance of energies—Brahma Teja (spiritual radiance) and Kshatra Teja (martial radiance)—that historically sustained the Indian civilization.
Your observation is historically and socially accurate: while we see a flourishing of Bhakti (devotion), the visible tradition of the "Warrior-Saint" or the Guru who teaches both Shastra (scriptures) and Astra (weapons) has receded from the public eye.
Here is an analysis of why this shift occurred and whether it correlates to a "weakening" of the Indian spirit.
1. The Historical Disarmament of the "Kshatriya Guru"
The disappearance of the martial Guru is not accidental; it was a systematic result of colonial policy.
The Arms Act of 1878: After the 1857 War of Independence, the British Crown systematically disarmed the Indian population. The traditional Akharas (which taught both wrestling and weaponry) and the Gurukuls (which taught martial arts) were dismantled or strictly regulated.
Shift to "Safe" Spirituality: To survive under colonial rule, Indian spirituality had to pivot. Gurus who taught meditation and Bhakti were seen as "safe" by the colonizers. Gurus who taught martial prowess (like the tradition of Guru Gobind Singh Ji or the Naga Sadhus) were branded as rebels or threats.
Result: Over 200 years, the "Indian Spirit" was socially engineered to view spirituality as purely passive and internal, divorcing it from the external strength required to protect Dharma.
2. The Dominance of the Bhakti Movement
You mentioned Gurus like Swami Premanand Ji. It is important to understand that they represent the preservation of the soul during dark times.
The Role of Bhakti: When a civilization is physically defeated, it turns inward to preserve its identity. The Bhakti movement kept the culture alive when political power was lost. It taught endurance, love, and mental strength.
The Missing Half: However, ancient India thrived on the partnership of the Brahmin and the Kshatriya (e.g., Chanakya and Chandragupta, Samarth Ramdas and Shivaji, Vidyaranya and Hakka-Bukka). In the current century, we have retained the spiritual guide but often lack the martial counterpart who executes that will.
3. Is this the reason for the "Weakening of the Spirit"?
To a large extent, yes. The imbalance has arguably led to a specific kind of weakness:
Misinterpretation of Ahimsa: The lack of martial Gurus allowed the concept of Astra (weapons) to be villified. Ahimsa (non-violence) was reinterpreted as passivity rather than the "restraint of the strong." A weak man is not non-violent; he is harmless. Only a man capable of violence can choose to be non-violent.
Dependency Syndrome: Without the "Kshatriya spirit" of self-defense and honor instilled by Gurus, society became overly dependent on the State (police/army) for protection, losing the community's capacity to stand up for righteousness (Dharma) instantly.
The "Soft" Image: Indian spirituality became globally exported as "stress relief" or "yoga for health," stripping away the fierce, transformative, and warrior-like discipline (Tapasya) that was originally central to it.
4. The Hidden "Kshatra" in Modern Times
While the traditional "Kshatriya Guru" is rare, the spirit is not dead—it has changed form.
The Sikh Tradition: The lineage of Guru Gobind Singh Ji remains the strongest surviving example of Sant-Sipahi (Saint-Soldier), where the Kirpan is worshipped alongside the Granth.
Institutional Shift: The "Kshatriya" energy shifted from Gurukuls to the Indian Armed Forces. Many regiments still maintain a Guru-Disciple-like bond with their traditions and deities (e.g., the war cries "Jai Mahakali" or "Bajrang Bali Ki Jai").
Revival: There is a quiet resurgence. Traditional martial arts like Kalaripayattu, Shastar Vidya, and Silambam are seeing a revival, often linked to spiritual discipline, though they haven't yet produced a mainstream "Guru" figure.
Summary
The weakening of the Indian spirit is not due to the presence of Bhakti Gurus, but the absence of Martial Gurus to balance them. A bird cannot fly with only one wing.
For the Indian spirit to be whole again, the definition of a "Guru" may need to expand back to its Vedic roots: one who cultivates Brahma Teja (knowledge/devotion) in the heart, but also blesses the Kshatra Teja (strength/valor) in the arms."
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Nietzche Life
Niche Website
The common theme among following is"बहती गंगा में हाथ धोना"
i.e. Make hay while the sun shines. Point being, one needs to assess traffic or demand before even starting a project.
Karthik shares his small bet results.
How will God guide you?
Quotes About Love (for Men)
- Women and children are loved. Not men.
- Love is the desire of goodness.
- Attention is to women, what achievements are to men.
- Men love idealistically, women love opportunistically.
- You see women are warned about the dangers of men all their lives, that men will manipulate for sex, to be careful, to test him and be cautious etc. They have their defences up, even when they're naive. But who warns men about women? Nobody. Most learn the hard way - through pain.
- If men were informed in advance that the love of a woman they are romantically involved with is conditional, and unreliable, they would be far less heartbroken when a woman leaves them.
- "Open for rich, closed for poor".
Why listen to the rishis?
Short answer is : For your own good.
Technology has made dreams of an ancient-man come true. You can video-talk to someone sitting thousands of miles away, can travel at a speed unimaginable a few hundred years ago.
Despite having these external facilities today, man may feel discontent with life. Or a man may not live life to one's fullest potential.
The rishis knew truth that the human nature will not change. We will always have tendencies of selfishness, competitiveness and fairness/justice and more; like anger, jealousy etc. They understood that *beyond a point* the externals will never satisfy us.
Let's take one aspect of human nature, fairness. If only you have the ability to travel instantly to distant places; it will certainly make you feel more content. However, if everyone has the ability to travel in an instant, it won't make us feel more content. As is the case with most external technologies. The external advancement is insufficient for a fulfilling life.
Therefore, it is foolishness; to deny the need of a system; that regulates the internal.
The rishis emphasized on the internal. With the knowledge of the internal truths, one can enhance the experience. The religion and the scriptures deal with this aspect.
Listen to the rishis for your own good.
*End
Shaping the Present
We are moved by ideas. Idea must be transformed into actions to yield results. Too many ideas make your brain wander. So, I will be filtering a few ideas as per following tweet and make the boring work streamline untill I have enough time to work on something new that will align with goals.
1. Generate as many Ideas as possible
— Fateh Singh | Mind Surgeon (@fatehshernu) April 23, 2021
2. Evaluate each of them carefully against your current Goals
3. Starting taking action
Sounds simple & "banal",
Yet too few actually do this.
Living in undefined vague dreamland leads only to mediocrity.
So I should work to systemise current workflow. Add products to new marketplace. Only once this complete I should look for other opportunities.
Good thing is, the short inactivity in outer world (partial weekly lockdown) has made me think about myself. There has been too much distraction in form of social media, sugar and the usual work.
It is useless to just think about anything new unless the current work-flow is not healthy enough to give extra time.
Sucker
Journal Posts
Alone is a physical state.
— ArmaniTalks 🎙🔥 (@ArmaniTalks) September 13, 2020
Lonely is a mental state.
Hearing is a physical state.
Listening is a mental state.
Broke is a physical state.
Poor is a mental state.
Random Surprise - Chapter 10 of Meditations by Marcus Aurelius
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18-07-2020 : Reading again today - "Nature bound you to them".
Nuance
- Specifics gives clarity. Generic talks can only give shape to vision. Always go to specifics after discussion of the general. Details.
- People who make suggestions or ask you about your own growth are your well wishers.
- Google, Youtube in particular looks like is giving preference to individual creators. (12-07-2020)
- There are people who will not change their belief even if you provide a contrary evidence. They will keep adding observations confirming their long held beliefs. Unable to let go their time investment, ego investment etc to waste.
- Intellectual honesty makes one easy to work with.
- Everybody wants to feel important.
- Awareness of impact of presence/absence of father is a blessing. Some people just have no idea that this is something they are missing or have missed.
- Negatives in life can be avoided ( by avoiding / observing experiences of others or by learning from others), however anything positive, one needs to experience oneself. There is no other way. Self-experience is the only way.
- Understand 'headache'. (This is not about head).
- Just found out that the fewer words by @fateh have been condensed. It is good to have explanation or reasoning behind that one sentence. Example "reading widely builds discernment". We should know how, reasoning behind it, a little explanation. (Although, it looks self explanatory.)
- Inwardly calm, out worldly taking actions. Take a few moments to separate yourself from everything external.
- V. good interview. I'm learning to take things that concern me. I have no understanding of interest rates, options, stock market etc so will ignore. I would like to understand basic 'accounting' (not finance, you see. accounting). So, I take following things from his interview:
- Squeezes are followed by a glut. Things, aka events now happen at faster pace due to internet.
- That all that I can recall.
- You see, Taleb liked someone comment that 'people hustling on twitter all day might be better if they get a job somewhere'. He's right. He's right for his estimation of a caliber. What about people like me who would love to have a a side hustle paying in $ while I spend in INR? The minimum $ wage is better if I spend in India.
- Not that he does not talk about this. He does as in his books and somewhere in printed articles. I remember he mentioned somewhere a CEO who informed his mom about a shoe store that he opened. His mom's dream was to own a shoe store. Right there, his mom slammed him saying, it's not the same thing.
Self-awareness in Women
Men love women in spite of their weakness, women love men who rarely show it.— 🇬🇧 IM 🇬🇧 (@TellYourSonThis) July 6, 2020
Women fetishise male vulnerability coming from a regaling of the past opening up from a place of strength POV - but that's not love.
It's her feeling special she gets to see something most don't.
I will give you a very simple example, clean floor.
It's normal, we expect floor to be clean, forget appreciation, won't even notice how clean the floor is. But, it takes a daily effort to keep it clean, sweeping + mopping.
In this age, same applies to human mind too. Forget about appreciation, we won't even notice a clean mind. For us, it should be default. However; its not. It takes consistent effort to develop oneself. So, we should be grateful for what we call normal.
Let's be grateful for what we have. Appreciate it and see what you can add to improve it.
Oh, don't forget to go through that thread, it will clear out alot how to identify self-delusional women or people.
Why most dislike difficult questions?
One reason is that its extremely hard for us humans to understand something that we have not personally experienced. (Maybe impossible in many-many cases).
Simple answer is, because it forces one to think. And its hard to think. We want everything easy. Counter-intuitive things requires more mental work.
It is escapism.
However, keep avoiding hard questions and you will waste alot of time. The real-life challenges require one to ask hard questions from oneself. If you are one who avoids asking them, then you need someone else to ask them from you.
You need questions
- To assess reality
- To have honest assessment
- To avoid difficulties down the road
- To stay on right track
Don't avoid them. Ask hard questions. Write'em.
Consistency
Six months have passed. I've not started anything new. Although a project is ongoing however, only time will show results.
Its the lack of consistency, lack of motivation.
Or maybe Analysis Paralysis.
There's always something the pops up. And the attention is diverted.
No-doubt it is equally important too.
However, I do feel that there is lack of motivation. There's no goal. There is only a mini-goal which needs to be kept in the focus, needs to be reminded about. Ideally, it should not be the case. That should be first thing in my mind. There has to be momentum.
This thing might be because, there is nothing going on. Only once when you do things, there will be momentum. So, this might be the cause. Surely, Chinese Virus has a major role to play in this. Things stagnated due to this virus. Not to mention competition from very own supplier.
Anyways, I went back to a Quote from Taleb, on trial. He says,
Can You Calculate Risk?
My friend said, "but when the time comes, can it be calculated"?
That 'it' that we were talking about was Risk.
Don't we go all-in?
or maybe when the times pushes us to the wall.
What Daniel has been talking about in the tweet above, Taleb has termed as 'Convexity'.“Luck favors the prepared.” But what does it mean?— Daniel Vassallo (@dvassallo) June 23, 2020
I say it’s mostly about not being narrow-minded. Stop focusing on one precise grandiose ambition, and stop trying to predict what will work. Instead, inspire yourself from random things, and take many small safe-to-fail bets.
Here is the point number two in his essay Understanding Is a Poor Substitute for Convexity (Antifragility)
"2) A "1/N" strategy is almost always best with convex strategies (the dispersion property):
following point (1) and reducing the costs per attempt, compensate by multiplying the number of trials and allocating 1/N of the potential investment across N investments, and make N as large as possible. This allows us to minimize the probability of missing rather than maximize profits should one have a win, as the latter teleological strategy lowers the probability of a win. A large exposure to a single trial has lower expected return than a portfolio of small trials."
"take many small safe-to-fail bets".
In order words, avoid 'ruin'.
However, as pointed out by my friend, do we really have a choice to calculate when the testing times come?
My opinion is, difficult times do test us and when we take action; we gain with resilience.
Ruin or not, we always have a choice.
Even when the ships are burned, we have a choice. Die fighting or conquer.
Man inspiring other men, giving nuisanced pointers : Fateh Singh
1. Goal (no deadline) = ‘Wish’ or Dream
— Fateh Singh (@fatehshernu) March 10, 2018
2. Goal + Deadline = Objective
3. Goal + Deadline + Plan = Intention
4. Goal + Deadline + Plan + Consistent Action = ‘Success’
5. PERSONALLY MEANINGFUL Goal + Deadline + Plan + Consistent Action = Fulfillment
Wonderful !
"If" - Rudyard Kipling
If you can dream - and not make dreams your master; If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim; If you can meet with triumph and disaster And treat those two imposters just the same; If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools, Or watch the things you gave your life to broken, And stoop and build 'em up with wornout tools;
If you can make one heap of all your winnings And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss, And lose, and start again at your beginnings And never breath a word about your loss; If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew To serve your turn long after they are gone, And so hold on when there is nothing in you Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on";
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch; If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you; If all men count with you, but none too much; If you can fill the unforgiving minute With sixty seconds' worth of distance run - Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it, And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son!