The Anushasana Parva of Mahabharata is essentially a “Civic” junk drawer where later redactors stored everything they wanted to legalize or preach. If the Bhagavad Gita is a philosophical interlude, the Anushasana Parva is a collection of dharmic manuals containing a code book designed to turn the Mahabharata into an instrument of social control, as the language shifts significantly from the “Heroic” style to a “Smriti” style (legalistic).

In the “Heroic” layer of Jaya, Bhishma’s death might have been a solemn, warrior’s exit. But in this final “Civic” expansion, he is kept on a bed of arrows for thousands of verses to deliver the Anushasana Parva (The Book of Instructions). This book is focused about the patronage to the priesthood and volumes of sermons on random subjects.

1. The “Chatty” Misogyny:

One of the most jarring “seams” in this Parva is the sudden shift into “random chatty discussions” regarding the nature and character of women.

• The Narada-Panchachuda Dialogue

This is widely cited by scholars like V.S. Sukthankar and Bibek Debroy as a prime example of “Misogynistic Interpolation”.

• Yudhishthira asks Bhishma about the character of women. Bhishma quotes a conversation between the celestial nymph (Apsaras) Panchachuda and the sage Narada.
• The Apsaras gives a scathing, highly generalized critique of women’s “lustful and fickle nature.”
• One of the observations is that the women do not care for lineage, beauty, or age, and are driven solely by desire.
• In DhanaDharma (Upa) Parva, Bhsihma answers Yuthishthira thus:
  

  “There is no one who is more evil than women. A woman is the flame of a fire. She is Maya’s maya. She is the sharp edge of a razor. She is the poison of a snake. A woman is all these, and death, come together. Men are incapable of ever restraining them.”

The Scholarly Critique: V.S. Sukthankar noted that these sections are “later encrustations” reflecting a shift toward a more ascetic, patriarchal social order. By putting these words in the mouth of an Apsaras, the redactors tried to give the critique “internal authority”—as if women themselves were admitting to these flaws.

2. “Kama-shastra” interpolation:

Yet another major point of “dissonance” is the dialogue found in the Anushasana Parva on the question of who derives more please from a sexual intercourse – male or female!

It is a narration of the story of King Bhangashvana, who was transformed into a woman and thus could speak from both perspectives who concluded that the pleasure of the woman is greater!

In the BORI Critical Edition, this episode is found in Anushasana Parva, Chapter 12.

The Critical View: Why it’s “Ridiculous”

• The Setting: Bhishma is lying on a bed of arrows (Sharashayya), slowly dying while waiting for the winter solstice (Uttarayana).
• The Topic: Discussing the mechanics of sexual pleasure in this setting feels “out of character” for both the grieving Yudhishthira and the celibate Bhishma.
• The Interpolation Theory: Scholars like M.A. Mehendale and V.S. Sukthankar viewed such passages as “Kama-shastra” (Erotology) interpolations. Since the Mahabharata was being expanded into an “Encyclopedia of Everything,” the redactors felt it must include a discourse on sexual pleasure (Kama), alongside Dharma, Artha, and Moksha.

The Scholar’s Critique (Romesh Chunder Dutt):

R.C. Dutt was particularly scathing about these types of additions. He argued that:

1. They destroy the “Virarasa” (Heroic Sentiment) of the epic.
2. They turn a Great War Hero (Bhishma) into a “wandering storyteller” who lacks the dignity of his situation.
3. They reflect a period of cultural decadence where the focus shifted from the “Hard Truths of War” to “Curiosities of the Bedchamber.”

Beyond the misogynistic ramblings and the sex-pleasure debate, there are several other “ramblings” one could find in the Anushasana Parva.

•  Dietary preferences (Meat Debate):

  Yudhishthira asks Bhishma about the consumption of meat, leading to a long, often contradictory discourse. The text swings between acknowledging that warriors eat meat and arguing for total Ahimsa (non-violence). Likely influenced by the rise of Jainism and Buddhism.

• Oblations to the departed & their periods of validity (DhanaDharma Parva):

  “If sesamum, rice, barley, kidney beans, roots and fruits are given at funeral ceremonies, the ancestors are satisfied for a month. Fish for two months; Lamb for three months and rabbit meat for four months; Meat of goats for five months. It is six months with the meat of boar and seven months with the flesh of birds. With the meat of buffaloes, for eleven months. The product from a cow would last for an entire year.”

The “Approved” Redactions – When the Critical Edition still hides a Secret

There is a vital distinction to make. Just because a verse is “Critical” doesn’t mean it is “Original.” As Dr. Sukthankar himself noted, though the Critical Edition represents the oldest reachable version which is found uniformly in all available manuscripts, even that version had already been subjected to centuries of orthodox and devotional “polishing.”

The BORI Critical Edition is our most honest tool, but it has a limit. Some interpolations were so successful and so ancient that they achieved “Manuscript Consensus.” They are found in every version from Kashmir to Kerala, but when we apply a “Barbaric” audit, the seams still show.

1. The Bhagavad Gita: The Ultimate Strategic Insertion

The Gita is in the Critical Edition. It is ubiquitous. But many scholars, including Van Buitenen, argue it is a highly sophisticated “Sectarian Strike.”

• The Reason: It interrupts a high-tension battle narrative with 700 verses of refined Samkhya and Bhakti philosophy.
• The Seam: In the “Heroic” layer, a warrior’s hesitation is settled by an appeal to his pride or clan-duty (Kshatriya-Dharma). The Gita layers a “Civic” cosmic justification over a “Barbaric” moment of doubt.

2. The Shanti & Anushasana Parvas: The Post-War “Livelihood” Overlay

This massive book of instructions by Bhishma is part of the constituted text of “Critical” edition, yet it feels like an encyclopedia was dropped into a tragedy.

• The Reason: After the 18-day war, the story should logically move to the funeral and the fallout. Instead, it freezes for thousands of verses of law and statecraft.
• The Seam: This represents the period where the Mahabharata was being used as a Manual for Kings. The “Pundit’s Livelihood” (mandatory ‘Dhana’ to Brahmins) depended on making the epic a textbook, so they turned the dying Bhishma into a legal professor.
• Kisari Mohan Ganguli, the first translator of the whole epic into English (available online in Sacred-Texts web site), has observed as follows in his forward to the Santi Parva:

“The Santi Parva is a huge interpolation in the Mahabharata, in the genre known as ‘wisdom literature.’ The narrative progression is placed on hold almost from the first page. Instead we get a long and winding recapitulation of Brahmanic lore, including weighty treatises on topics such as kingcraft, metaphysics, cosmology, geography, and mythology. There are discussions of the Sankya and Yoga philosophical schools, and mentions of Buddhism. It is apparent that the Santi Parva was added to the Mahabharata at a later time than the main body of the epic.”

3. The “Divine” Nature of Krishna’s Missions

While the Critical Edition keeps Krishna’s divine status, the “Heroic” remnants show a man who fails.

• The Seam: In the Udyoga Parva, Krishna goes as a peace envoy and displays his Vishwaroopam (Cosmic Form) to intimidate the Kauravas, but it was in vain.
• An insight: A “Barbaric” chieftain being ignored makes sense; a God showing his cosmic form and still being ignored is a narrative seam that suggests the Vishwaroopam was a later “Sectarian” magnification.

The “Rejected” Layers – What BORI Left in the Footnotes

This is where our analysis gets gritty. These are the stories we grew up with, but they failed the “Forensic Test” of manuscript consensus. BORI moved these to the Appendix (Parishishta).

1. The Ganesha Myth: The Divine Stenographer

• The Rejection: This story is absent in almost all older Southern, Saradha, Nepali, Maithili and Bengali manuscripts.
• The Reason: It was a late “Civic” attempt to give the epic a divine “Vedic” status. If Ganesha wrote it, it must be infallible.
• The Auditor’s view: The original Jaya was transmitted through a bardic oral tradition since the written word was yet to be invented. A divine scribe was a later “Sectarian” promotion.

2. The “Endless Sari” Miracle (Draupadi’s Vastrapaharanam)

• The Rejection: In the oldest manuscripts, the miracle of the cloth is either absent or vague.
• The Reason: The oldest texts focus on Draupadi’s fierce legal interrogation of the Kuru elders.
• The Auditor’s view: Later redactors felt that a woman’s legal logic wasn’t enough to save her—she needed a Divine Rescue. By adding the miracle, they shifted the power from her intellect to Krishna’s grace.

3. The “Andhe ka Putra” (son of a blind man) Insult

• The Rejection: The famous line where Draupadi mocks Duryodhana’s blindness at the Maya Sabha is largely missing from the Critical Edition.
• The Reason: It was an interpolation designed to make Duryodhana’s subsequent rage look like a “Barbaric” overreaction to a petty insult.

By removing this, we could see a much darker reality: Duryodhana didn’t act because he was “offended” by a giggle; he acted because the Pandavas’ wealth represented a Biological and Political threat to his line. But he did complain about Droupadi’s giggle!

The Theological Coup – Demoting the Divine

This is perhaps the most “combative” layer of the epic Mahabharata. These interpolations were not just additions; they were Sectarian Strikes—territorial markings by rival priesthoods to establish their deity as the “Supreme CEO” of the universe.

In the original Jaya, the gods often functioned as primordial, distinct powers. But as the epic grew, it became a battlefield for “Sectarian Subordination.” Rival sects (primarily Vaishnavas) used the text to rewrite the hierarchy of the cosmos, demoting other deities to “Middle Management.”

1. The “Grandfather” Theory: Subordinating Shiva

In many later recensions (primarily the Southern & Northern versions), a blatant interpolation was inserted to foment the Shaiva-Vaishnava rivalry.

• The Interpolation: These verses claim that Brahma was born from Vishnu’s navel, and Shiva (Rudra) was born from Brahma’s forehead.
• This layer is found in the Dhana-Dharma Parva sub-section of Anushasana Parva. It is also spread across the epic at many instances attributed to various characters, including Lord Shiva himself!
• The “Civic” Goal: By making Shiva the “grandson” of Vishnu, the redactors stripped him of his primordial status. He was no longer the beginning; he was a derivative.
  ( Thus Vishnu is made a Grandfather of Shiva, not an equal! Since Brahma was called “Pitamaha” being the progenitor of all living beings, Vishnu is to be termed as “प्रपितामह” of Shiva!)
• The Audit: Scholars like R.N. Dandekar note that in the older “Heroic” core, Shiva and Vishnu are treated with mutual, almost equal, power. This “Genealogical Subordination” is a classic sectarian seam.
• Rejected: This redaction is not part of the “original” core text of the Critical Edition of Mahabharata (BORI), but relegated to the footnotes as it is not found in all manuscripts.

• Motives for the Insertion

  The motive behind such insertions was almost certainly Sectarian Consolidation. During the period when the Mahabharata was transitioning from an oral epic to a written scripture (roughly 200 BCE – 400 CE), various religious sects were competing for supremacy:

  • Vaishnava Appropriation: By incorporating Shiva into Vishnu’s genealogy, Vaishnava redactors could acknowledge Shiva’s divinity (satisfying his followers) while systematically placing him in a subordinate role. It turned a rival god into a family member—specifically a descendant.

  • Harmonization of the Trimurti: Some interpolations sought to create a unified “Project Management” view of the universe where Vishnu is the CEO (Source), Brahma is the Architect (Creator), and Shiva is the Specialist (Destroyer).

  • Counter-Interpolations: Interestingly, the Mahabharata also contains “Shaiva” interpolations (like the Shiva Sahasranama) where Vishnu is described as a devotee of Shiva who received his Sudarshana Chakra from him. Besides, there are many assertions in Mahabharata text praising the primacy and glory of Shiva attributed to Bhishma, Narada and even Krishna. These “dueling interpolations” reflect the historical dialogue between sects.

2. The Skanda-Kartikeya Takeover

The birth of the war-god Skanda is one of the most confused sections of the epic, with multiple contradictory accounts.

• The Reason: Skanda was an immensely popular folk deity. The “Civic” redactors struggled to “capture” him.
• The Seam: Different interpolations try to make him the son of Shiva, or Agni, or even the Pleiades (Krttikas). Each version represents a different sect trying to claim the “God of War” for their own lineage.

3. The “Avatar” Lens: Making the Hero a God

The greatest interpolation of all is the overarching Avatar Theory.

• The “Barbaric” Reality: In the oldest layers, the Pandavas are heroes and Krishna is a master strategist.
• The “Sectarian” Strike: The Narayaniya section (in the Shanti Parva) and other late additions “Vaisnavize” the entire war. They argue that the war wasn’t a family feud, but a divine cleansing of the earth (Bhu-bhara-harana).
• The Result: This “God-filter” turns every human mistake into a “Divine Play” (Lila), effectively silencing the “Barbaric” grit of the original ballad.

4. The primacy of the Vaishnavite Pundit

Why does this matter? Because the sect that “owned” the epic “owned” the patronage of the Kings. By making Vishnu (and his avatar Krishna) supreme, the Vaishnava partisans ensured their social and financial dominance for centuries.

The Mahabharata is often called the “Fifth Veda”. When we open the Mahabharata, we often assume we are reading a single, static, sacred book. But what if I told you that you are looking at a literary metropolis built over thousands of years?  It is less a static scripture and more a living, growing organism. Over millennia, it has breathed and expanded, growing from a core heroic ballad of 8,800 verses into a massive “Sata-Sahasri Samhita” (the 100,000-verse collection).

The Three Stages of Expansion – From Ballad to Encyclopedia

As scholars like V.S. Sukthankar of the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute (BORI) have highlighted, the epic has grown in three distinct historical phases, though the boundaries remained porous for centuries:

1. Jaya (Victory) c. 8800 Verses: The raw, “Barbaric” core, “knotted” or “difficult” verses (Kuta-shlokas) attributed to Vyasa, focused strictly on the gritty reality of the Kuru-Pandava war.

अष्टौ श्लोकसहस्राणि अष्टौ श्लोकशतानि च ।

अहं वेद्मि शुको वेत्ति सञ्जयो वेत्ति वा न वा ॥

(Adi Parva, 1.1.81)

Translation: “Eight thousand and eight hundred verses I (Vyasa) know; Shuka knows them, and Sanjaya may or may not know them.”

2. Bharata: Expanded to c. 24,000 Verses: This layer introduces the “Sectarian Strike,” where the “Upabrahmana” (expansion of the Vedas) begins. Krishna starts his transition from a brilliant diplomat to a central divine figure.

चतुर्विंशतिसाहस्रीं चक्रे भारतसंहिताम् ।

उपाख्यानैर्विना तावद्भारतं प्रोच्यते बुधैः ॥

(Adi Parva, 1.1.101)

Translation: “He (Vyasa) compiled the Bharata Samhita consisting of twenty-four thousand verses. Without the secondary tales (Upakhyanas), this is called the Bharata by the learned.

3. Mahabharata:  c. 100,000 Verses. The final “Civic” encyclopedia, credited to Ugrashravas Sauti (Bard) at the 12-year Yagnya in Naimisharanya being conducted by Rishi Kulapathi Shaunaka. Traditionally, such itihasas and puranas were propagated only by the bards.  Massive amounts of moral, ethical, and legal discourse (Dharma) were layered onto the war story to turn it into a social textbook.

लक्षं श्लोकसहस्राणां भारतस्य महात्मनः ।

इदं तु चतुर्विंशतिसहस्रं भारतं विदुः ॥

(Adi Parva, 1.1.101-106)

Translation: “The Great Bharata consists of one hundred thousand verses… but the Bharata known to the learned is twenty-four thousand.”

The Anatomy of Interpolation

As the epic traveled via oral tradition, it became a “fluid text.” Bards reciting in different regions were influenced by local pundits, grammar, and sectarian pressures. These interpolations weren’t just “filler”; they were deliberate “Sectarian Strikes” or “Didactic Overlays” designed to update the epic for its time.

• Philosophical Padding: The Bhagavad Gita is the most famous example. While seamlessly woven in at the start of the war, its linguistic and philosophical depth marks it as a later, distinct, refined layer compared to the surrounding battle narrative.
• The Law Manuals: The Entire books, like the Shanti and Anushasana Parvas, were inserted to detail priestly duties, charity (Dana) to Brahmins, and law codes, thus transforming a story of war into a manual for kingship and ethics with discourses on statecraft, social conduct etc.
• Geographical Fingerprints: As the epic migrated along diverse oral trajectories, bards integrated localized rituals and geography as well as local influences in sectarian devotional biases, evolving the narrative into an elastic fluid text. The BORI Critical Edition spent decades meticulously “pruning” these regional overlays to recover the “common ancestor” of the text.
• The Appendix (Khila): The Harivamsa was added later to integrate the complete biography of Krishna into the Kuru cycle.

The Quest for the “Original”: The Sukthankar Audit

In 1919, Dr. V.S. Sukthankar and his team of scholars took up the gargantuan task of compiling the Critical Edition. By comparing 1,259 manuscripts from across South Asia, his team used a “stemmatic” method to peel back the layers.

They looked for “Manuscript Consensus.” If a story—like the famous myth of Ganesha writing the epic—appeared only in later regional versions, it was moved to the footnotes. What remained in the main body was the “common ancestor” of all Indian versions.

Fingerprints of a Civilization

To remove these interpolations is to find the “original” story, but to keep them is to witness the evolution of a civilization. However, as M.A. Mehendale and Bibek Debroy have noted, some additions are overtly partisan or prejudiced, inserted into the flow like rough patches on a fine silk cloth.

Conclusion: The Auditor’s Path

In this series, we aren’t just reading the story; we are auditing it. We will wade through the maze of Upa-parvas and partisan narratives to find the “Heroic Core” that lies beneath the “Civic” polish.

But one makes a presentation almost every minute in his real life at all time. Almost every interaction or transaction that one makes with his fellow human beings, nay, even with non-human species like a pet dog or a stray dog you encounter on every street corner during your morning constitutional.

Each of us make a presentation every minute – an idea, a pitch, an opinion, a POV – every exchange is a presentation! Sometimes, your very presence, make an entry – the way you present yourself sends a powerful message. The result of your endeavour is mostly decided at that moment itself! That’s why the cine heroes are very particular about the way they make an entry in a movie  the attire, the gait, the background, the music at that moment of entry into the scene.

So everyone must plan and work on their presentations meticulously to achieve success!

Your success in life depends on the scores you make in your presentations!

Is every event in your life including your birth and death divinely preordained? Does that mean you don’t possess any free will to change such a destiny? Are you just a puppet in the hands of some unknown cosmic power? What about the good deeds that you perform in this birth? What is the effect of devotion to god, the various pujas you perform, mantras and stotras that you chant? Are they powerless to militate against any adverse eventualities? Before we start looking up an answer to this existential question, let us first find the source from where this very question arose.

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 11  “Vishwa Roopa Darshana Yogam” – The Yoga of the vision of the cosmic form of God.

In this chapter Arjuna asks Krishna after getting awed at the Vishwaroopa, “Who really are you?” and seeks elucidation for all the weird visuals he witnessed in the cosmic form. “I see all the sons of Dhritarashtra, along with their allied kings including Bheeshma, Dronacharya, Karna, Salya etc.,  all the generals and the multitudes of soldiers from both sides rushing headlong into your fearsome mouths. I could see their heads smashed between your terrible teeth! But they are all still alive in front of us.”

Arjuna perhaps thought that Krishna was playing some magic tricks on him by showing fake imagery. Now let us look at the answer that Krishna provides to those questions. Krishna starts by describing himself as the veritable destroyer of the world – “Kālaḥ asmi” and added that a massive destruction was going to take place and Krishna was going to execute it by proxy through Arjuna!

An ocean of humanity was annihilated in the 18-day Kurukshetra war. Yes, 166 crores of men (all men, mind you!) pwrished with a handful remaining alive. It was a holocaust of gargantuan proportions! May be all those “astras” that find mention in the epic were very efficient weapons of mass destruction! (I wonder what became of them later!) Hence Mahabharata is termed as a “Doomsday Epic” by Prof. P. Lal, a renowned Mahabharatha researcher and translator.

But Krishna justifies this genocide of such a magnitude stating that he had already finished the job of killing them in principle since their end was per-destined. And that Arjuna was a mere tool. He was given that opportunity to be an instrument in this destruction and enjoy fame and glory of winning the battle, though it’s all a staged act. The following verse in Gita (11-33) says this:

तस्मात्त्वमुत्तिष्ठ यशो लभस्व
जित्वा शत्रून्भुङ् क्ष्व राज्यं समृद्धम् |
मयैवैते निहता: पूर्वमेव
निमित्तमात्रं भव सव्यसाचिन्

“Therefore, arise and attain honor! Conquer your foes and enjoy prosperous kingdom. These warriors stand already slain by me, and you will only be an instrument of my work, O expert archer (Savyasachin = ambidextrous archer).”

The operative line is “निमित्तमात्रं भव” (Nimiththa mathram bhava) which means “You are only an instrument”. That is a conclusive statement by Krishna that the fate of human beings have been pre-determined as per the Karma (Prarabhdam) by a superior cosmic force who is maintaining a database of the good and bad deeds of humans over their various births.

Is it not summarily a fatalistic view?

Look at this verse composed by some fatalist:

हरिणापि हरेणापि ब्रह्मणापि सुरैरपि।
ललाटे लिखिता रेखा परिमार्ष्टितुम् न शक्यते।।
Harinaapi Harenaapi Brahmanaapi surairapi
Lalaate likhitaa rekhaa parimaarshtitum na shakyate.

Meaning, neither lord Vishnu, nor lord Shiva, nor Brahmadeva nor any other devatha will be able to erase/change what is written on your forehead (தலையெழுத்து).

This is the way many people look cynically at their lives. Astrology claims that our Karma (Prarabhda) is indicated by the planetary positions at the time of birth that are depicted in our horoscope. So everything that happens in our life is predestined!

To accept that every action of ours is as per God’s wish and as a consequence of our own deeds in the past births, isn’t it a logical fallacy (or self-contradictory)? Where is the question of our accumulated Karma, sins or Prarabdha, when no action has been committed by us in any birth by our own free will?! God is the veritable doer or Karta and we are mere puppets in his hand!

This is not the only verse which denies the free will. In 2nd chapter too (Verse 47) Krishna says “karmaṇyēvādhikārastē mā phalēṣu kadācana” meaning you have a choice over action alone; never over results! This is bizarre since there can be no action without effect. Every action is performed by a living being either by instinct or by choice only aiming at a result. So this dictum that you have no right, control or authority over the result of your action is against nature. At best it can be said one doesn’t possess full control over a desired result since there may be so many extraneous factors that would come into play which may influence the outcome. But by employing the term “Never” (kadhachana), Gita delivers an emphatic averment (not a postulate) that the benefit should not be a cause for action!

This fatalistic view concludes that everything is in the hands of Bhagavan Krishna only and he decides the outcome of all efforts by all humans and all must surrender to him to get a positive result! The fundamental principles of cause and effect have no role here!

Is such a destiny-oriented view correct? Do all our scriptures iterate such a fatalistic conclusion? Our Dharma Shastra talks about “a-karta, a-bhokta” approach. To wit, you must perform your actions thinking that you are neither the doer nor the enjoyer of the fruits of your actions. Then who is the doer and enjoyer? The God! How is it possible to set your mind that way? May be it was possible to the yogis of yore (not the self-styled ones that you find around you!).

Fatalism is the alibi of the weak and imbecile. It’s impractical to say the least.

Reductio ad absurdum!

All this will look ok only if you look at Gita as a text of hagiography and not as one of practical code of ethics.

Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff – and it’s all small stuff by Richard Carlson, Ph.d.

Often we allow ourselves to get all worked up about things that, upon closer examination, aren’t really that big a deal. We focus on little problems and concerns and blow them way out of proportion. a stranger, for example, might cut in front of us in traffic. Rather than let it go, and go on with our day, we convince ourselves that we are justified in our anger. We play out an imaginary confrontation in our mind. many of us might even tell someone else about the incident later on arther than let it go.

Why not simply allow the driver to have his accident somewhere else? Try to have compassion for the person and remember how painful it is to be in such an enormous hurry. This way, we can maintain our sense of well-being and avoid taking other people’s problems personally.

There are many similar “small stuff” examples that occur every day in our lives. Whether we had to wait in line, listen to unfair criticism, or do the lion’s share of work, it pays enormous dividends if we learn not to worry about little things. So many people spend so much of their life energy “sweating the small stuff” that they completely lose touch with the magic and beauty of life. When you commit to working to ward this goal you will find that you will have far more energy to be kinder and gentler.

Here are some of the nuggets of wisdom found in the book:-

• Make peace with imperfection
• Don’t interrupt others or finish their sentences
• Learn to live in the present moment
• We allow past problems and future concerns to dominate our present moments
• The aim for perfection and desire for inner tranquility conflict with each other
• If someone throws you a ball, you don’t have to catch it
• Choose your battles wisely
• Trust your intuitive inner voice

But one trend of his advice to lead one’s life is something I am unable to fully agree with since it is not consonance with the real world and the way people’s mind works. He advocates universal love like a preacher! Many of his axioms are fit only for an Utopia! He champions a sense of altruism, which will practically make you a perpetual sucker in this man-eating-man world!

Look at this piece of advice in his book:-

If in doubt about whose turn it is take out the trash, go ahead and take it out.

Well, if you follow this wise counsel, you will end up carting trash throughout your life and other folks may even palm of their further fatigues on you!

As I was writing a review of this book, I just came to know he is no longer with us. With a poignant note, I stopped the critical review and wanted to remember the man as one who loved humanity and wanted to make everyone’s life a better one.

The Memorial message on him ends with this solemn observation:-

Richard Carlson left his own trail as he walked the earth and lived a life devoted to peace, love, and the betterment of humanity.

Let me end this with the cardinal message from Mr. Carlson:-

“Treasure yourself and the Gift of Life!”

I was naive

Full of ignorance

Easy to joy

Quick to tears

Entranced by nature

Infatuated with anything

That was beauteous

and fantastic

I believed that

All good things in life

came free.

I was wrong.

Terribly wrong.

Nothing comes free.

Not even life.

That was my fist lesson

And I haven’t stopped learning

Knowledge that turned

the carriage into a pumpkin

But then

I had changed

It has dawned on me

One has to pay for

everything one gets

in direct proportions.

Period.

Money is not static. The same amount of money spent three or times will distribute three or times as many goods. There is an intriguing story of a man who wrote a cheque for a hundred dollars without having any money in the bank. With it he bought a certain article. The man from whom he bought the article took the cheque and without cashing it at the bank, used it to purchase certain goods (endorse / sign over / made over). These goods he sold for one hundred and twenty dollars, making a profit of twenty dollars on the deal. The person to whom he gave the cheque did likewise.

This happened ten times each person making a profit of twenty dollars in the process, after which the cheque finally reached the bank where it was dishonoured. The ten people who had handled it got together and decided that to avoid trouble, each of them would contribute ten dollars to cover the cheque. This was done; the amount of hundred dollars was paid; and each of them was richer by ten dollars!

This story illustrates that circulation of money from one hand to another for trade enables everyone to make wealth. Credit is the engine that sustains the process of economic activity.

But communists and bleeding liberals can’t fathom this process.

(Source: “You can trust communists” by Dr. Fred Schwarz.)

But the coal-fired steam engine is becoming a thing of the past since it has given way to more-powerful and less maintenance-intensive diesel and electric locomotives to meet the ever-increasing demand for more haulage and speed. But you lose the emotional attachment to the contraption that is a mere distant phut-phut or a whirr.

The allure of steam trains is enduring to many who have seen the black brutes in action! Not to them alone, even kids of the time for whom it is a novelty, feel some kind of attraction – the whistle, the clang, the rattle, the smoke, the heat – all make it a very romantic spectacle! You feel the power happening on the engine that works in front of you with all the attendant racket!

I happen to grow up in the company of steam locomotives in India where it is no longer in active service. They remain only in certain mountain railways as tourist attraction.

My visit to the US during summer is never complete without a trip through the Black River & Western Railroad service from Flemington, NJ. They run summer specials hauled by the historic “# 60” steam engine.

My recent trip from Flemington to Ringoes & back on 28th May, 2016 was one such nostalgic journey back in time! Standing before the majestic Great Western #60 locomotive which was built in 1937, I was transported to a bygone era when railway was the primary form of transportation in which steam engine powerhouse ruled!

The train ride was about 25 minutes from Flemington to Ringoes, followed by a 10-15 minute stop at Ringoes and back to Flemington. It was not the time of travel nor the destination that matters.

The beauty is in the journey in the grand company of the steam beast!

One major problem that I encounter while shopping online is the humongous amount of choices and options displayed on the e-Commerce web sites. It is mind-boggling and you are too fatigued to clearly analyse all the parameters and arrive at a well-reasoned decision that you won’t regret later.

Flashing colours, distracting pop-ups, annoying entreaties, ambiguous discount announcements, confusing price options, multifold pages to scroll through – all this render the shopping experience too tiresome. Besides you tend to become too undecided and tentative that you never get a satisfactory outcome of choice. Out of sheer fatigue, you would ultimately zero in on one, but with a nagging regret that you could have done a better choice!

We always tend to believe that it is ideal to have a variety of alternatives to facilitate decision making. But in real life it actually paralyses the process. It is a veritable “Paradox of Choices”.

We humans are never fully satisfied until our choices are accepted and appreciated by our peers, neighbours and critics, albeit grudgingly.

You may like to read my earlier article on “Less is More” where I have discussed this phenomenon at length.

Meanwhile Happy online (apparently) discount Shopping!