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By:

Kaustubh Kale

10 September 2024 at 11:37:15 pm

Duss (10) Suron Ki Sunoge, Toh Sahi Kaise Chunoge?”

Dussehra may have passed a few days ago, but its lessons remain relevant throughout the year. The festival celebrates Lord Ram’s triumph over Ravana, who is famously depicted with ten heads. In the world of personal finance, these “ten heads” can symbolize the overwhelming number of opinions and advice people receive when managing their money. If you listen to every voice and follow every trend, you will struggle to identify the right path for yourself. Learn Personal Finance: Knowledge is...

Duss (10) Suron Ki Sunoge, Toh Sahi Kaise Chunoge?”

Dussehra may have passed a few days ago, but its lessons remain relevant throughout the year. The festival celebrates Lord Ram’s triumph over Ravana, who is famously depicted with ten heads. In the world of personal finance, these “ten heads” can symbolize the overwhelming number of opinions and advice people receive when managing their money. If you listen to every voice and follow every trend, you will struggle to identify the right path for yourself. Learn Personal Finance: Knowledge is Power In today’s fast-paced world, financial advice is everywhere - friends, family, colleagues, social media influencers, and unsolicited internet tips. Not all of it will be relevant to your unique financial situation. To navigate through the noise, it is important to take control of your financial education. Start by understanding key financial concepts like risk, return, liquidity, and time horizon for different investment products. Risk refers to the potential loss you might face with an investment. Return is the profit you can expect to earn. Liquidity indicates how easily an asset can be converted into cash. Time horizon is how long you plan to invest before needing to access the funds. Learning these basics will help you evaluate which products actually suit your goals and needs. By educating yourself, you will develop a critical eye that helps you distinguish between helpful advice and distracting noise. Whenever you analyse any instrument, all four criteria (risk, return, liquidity, time horizon) must be considered together and aligned with your financial goals - such as children’s education, marriage, buying a home, vacations, cars, or retirement. Having a foundational understanding of these concepts ensures that you do not fall prey to quick-fix schemes or misleading suggestions that often sound attractive in the short run but prove damaging over the long term. Have a Financial Advisor: Like a Family Doctor for Your Finances As you educate yourself, you will eventually realise that managing your finances can be challenging. This is where having a reliable financial advisor, much like a trusted family doctor, plays a crucial role. Wealth creation is a marathon, not a sprint. While basic financial knowledge helps you understand the dos and don'ts, a financial advisor handholds you throughout the journey, guiding you towards your financial destination. A financial advisor tailors their guidance based on your unique profile - your income, savings, risk tolerance, and future financial goals. A good advisor helps you stay focused on long-term objectives while steering you away from emotional or impulsive decisions. Hence, it is important to have a well-qualified, full-time financial advisor. The Dussehra Reminder The message remains: do not listen to ten heads. Choose wisely, stay informed, and have a trusted financial guide by your side. After all, it takes years of education, experience, expertise, and wisdom to write a prescription - so do not self-medicate when it comes to your wealth! (The writer is a Chartered Accountant and CFA (USA). Financial Advisor. Views personal. He could be reached on 9833133605.)

Bhagwan Mahavira’s Timeless Message

Writer: Dr. V.L. Dharurkar
Dr. V.L. Dharurkar
Apr 2
3 min read

In a world threatened by war and violence, Bhagwan Mahavira’s principle of Ahimsa Parmo Dharma is more relevant than ever. 

In his volume Our Oriental Heritage, Will Durant points out that the 6th century BC witnessed a protest against prevailing evils.


In that backdrop, Mahavira travelled throughout the country and preached in Ardhamagadi, the people’s language. His pravachanas truly manifest his ideas, and they were popular in Indian languages, enriching the Prakrit language, particularly in Maharashtra, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan, as well as in Tamil Nadu and Kerala.


It was in this same spirit of reform that, in India, Bhagwan Mahaveer and Bhagwan Gautam Buddha protested the established orders of Vaidik religion, which was losing grace as several defects had crept into the system. A contemporary of Lord Buddha, Mahavira belonged to the great age of spiritual reform in ancient India. The yagya system had become violent, and animal sacrifices had begun.


After the criticism of these new prophets, all these defects in the Indian religious system were slowly minimised.


Both the new religions were based on the principles of truth and nonviolence. Protest against evils, while remaining rooted in the original, was an important feature of these reform movements.


In today’s world, when the United Nations appears redundant and the threat of war and violence looms large, the relevance of Mahavira’s ideas grows stronger.


The Russia-Ukraine war and the Hamas-Israel conflict are pushing humanity towards the danger of a third world war. Against this backdrop, Mahavira’s ideas acquire renewed meaning.


The Path of Enlightenment

Mahavira’s entire life was dedicated to philosophical enlightenment, based mainly on the two principles of truth and non-violence.


In his autobiography My Experiments with Truth, Mahatma Gandhi rightly accepted that he was deeply influenced by the life and vision of Lord Mahavira.


Born in 599 BC to King Siddharth and Queen Trishala, Mahavira left home at the age of 30 for meditation. After 13 years of severe penance, he attained Keval Dhyan and revitalised Jainism, founded by Rishabhdev.


Among the 24 Tirthankaras, Mahavira holds a supreme place and is often described as the real founder of Jainism, responsible for socialising its philosophy.


Truth and Non-Violence

Mahavira attained Keval Gyan, or final truth, after 13 years of hard penance. That marked the beginning of his enlightenment.


After this, Mahavira toured India extensively and propagated his ideas in a dynamic and robust manner, receiving a tremendous response across the country.


The philosophy of Mahavira was mainly based on the three jewels, or Ratnatraya — Samyak Gyan (right knowledge), Samyak Darshan (right vision) and Samyak Charitra (right conduct).


He also believed in the principles of Panchsheel, especially Satya (truth) and Ahimsa (non-violence). He proclaimed, 'Ahimsa Parmo Dharma' – non-violence is the supreme principle of religion.


He developed the theory of Anekantvad, or many-sided reality, and stressed balance between man and nature, the animal cycle and the life cycle, with non-violence as the fundamental principle of the cosmos.


Legacy of Mahavira

Mahavira consolidated Jain philosophy and, through his samavasaran, crystallised Jain doctrine on humanitarian values. Though Jainism later developed into Digambara and Shwetambara traditions, Mahavira remained the central spiritual force for both. He believed Jain religion and culture formed a fully developed religious system.


The three basic objectives of Jain art were vivek, soundarya and utkarsh. During his travels, he is also believed to have met Lord Buddha. Both had common aims, and thus Jainism and Buddhism grew side by side in ancient India, widening the tradition of truth and non-violence.


Centres of Jain art and culture developed across India. It is interesting that Chandragupta Maurya, the first great empire builder of India, is said to have embraced Jainism at the end of his life. After a drought in Magadha, he travelled to Karnataka. Dr V. A. Smith said this royal ascetic migration was not a myth but based on solid facts.


The study of Mahavira’s life, philosophy and iconography reveals the enduring power of his ideas and helps us understand his contribution in a more systematic and scientific manner. In ancient India, Jainism developed an independent lifestyle, and its values shaped agriculture, industry, education, medicine, yoga and even aesthetics.


The study of Mahavira’s life and work was first undertaken by the German scholar Hermann Jacobi, whose writings helped secure worldwide recognition for Mahavira’s greatness.


Mahavira was a great spiritual communicator whose ideas remain immortal and relevant even today. His message of truth and non-violence gave a new direction to society. In a world threatened by war and violence, his principle of Ahimsa Parmo Dharma is more relevant than ever. His message of peace and non-violence will continue to inspire India and the world.


 (The writer is a researcher and expert in foreign affairs.  Views personal.)

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