My Random Essays

Sita 2023 " Enough is enough", Sita said to Ram. He had just come from spending the night listening to his subjects and had heard a comment made by a dhobi - a washerman - which made him visibly upset.  Sensing his state of mind, Sita asked what was wrong. But when she found out the source of his disturbed mood, she was furious. She lamented,  "Enough is enough. I have been your wife of many years, I have traveled with you to the forest, I have dealt with the wrath of Ravana, and I have slept in Ashok Vatika - a public park- for months. I even went through a burning fire to prove my purity and love for you. Tell me what have I not done for you?" "Even in our palace in Ayodhya, I have three mothers-in-law to keep happy. Life is challenging. And now when you just hear a random comment by a dhobi, a common man, you are willing to let all of my sacrifices go and are thinking of sending me to a forest -especially when I am pregnant with the future king of this ki...

It is the college admission time in Hastinapur! Everyone in Hastinapur is nervous. It is well known that the College of Archery, taught by Dronacharya, is the top in the country, and admission into that college guarantees success in warfare. But getting admitted there is no easy task. Among many other students - including Kuru princes, Dronacharya's own son Ashwathama, and a young boy Eklavya - Soot Putra Karna was desirous to learn archery from the celebrated and well-regarded Guru Dronacharya. Karna's adopted parents - Adhiratha and Radha - were keenly aware of their son's ambitions, but they also knew that there were many huge hurdles in his way. Not only was there a steep competition to get into the school, but they also feared that they could not afford the high fees even if he got in. (And they sure did not have money to pay for that "extra weight" to their application). Karna, the ambitious, highly virtuous, and talented young boy, wanted to hear none o...

Modern Krishna's Bad Day Today, Krishna was under a great amount of stress. He had just opened the registered letter that arrived in the mail. It was from Radha - his childhood friend. His joy to see the letter from Radha after such a long time was short lived when he found out that the letter was really from her lawyer who had filed a harassment case. He had not seen Radha for over twenty years by now, he realized. Between his demanding job as the head of Dwarka and other responsibilities of his family, he rarely thought of Radha or his Gokul days. But of course, whenever he did think of either, his heart was filled with warm, nostalgic thoughts. He knew that he missed those days. But now everything about Gokul was rushing back into his memory. Thanks to Radha and her letter - well, actually her lawyer friend who had helped her draft the letter. All the details of those days were brought back into his memory. The letter clearly mentioned that Krishna had harassed her by steal...

Modern Bhishma makes a decision King Shantnu was pacing the long hallway of his palace. His mind was somewhere else, actually far away onto the shores of Ganges. All he could see was that beautiful girl - Satyavati, emitting the most captivating fragrance that he has ever known. "What beautiful eyes! What captivating smile! What a special person she is!" He thought again and again. His heart was thumping. Only if he could marry her! But how? Not after all the conditions that her father has put forward for the marriage. And his mind once again heard the old fisherman's voice loud and clear. "Oh Respected King. It is truly an honor to have you as my son-in-law but I feel that as a father of Satyavati, it is my duty to insure my daughter's happiness for today and forever. I know that you have a young son from the previous marriage, who is a prince and he will become the future king. Of course, I am happy about that. But then what will happen to my daughter's ...

Bumping into a Stranger Hard as it may be to believe today, there was a time when the owner of the car in front used to be a stranger. Not anymore. Today, I can tell you everything about him or her in a few seconds - give or take a few. I would tell you what he does for a living and what he prefers to do in his free time. I know whether she is single (but looking) or married (but available, if I am rich). I know if he prefers blondes over redheads and smartphones over laptops. I know whom she voted for and why. I may even know her views on gun control, abortion, equal rights, and nuclear disarmament. Oh yes, last but not the least, I can tell you who is on board, who is at the wheel, and who is in the trunk. And to know all these, all I have to do is to read. That is read some half a dozen or so bumper stickers that crowd the rear end of his car. Even if the bumper of his car is not large enough to display all his opinions and love/hate lists, that is still not a problem. These me...

Arjun’s dilemma in the modern world Having learned the value of total focus all his life from teachers like Guru Dron and others, Arjun was pretty confident that he can always get desired results when he puts his minds to it-especially when it comes to archery. But what he did not realize was how those values were changed in the modern world filled with multi-taskers. His Guru Dronacharya had given a special test to his best students: to shoot the eye of a moving fish that was hung over the head while focusing on the mirror image of the fish. Though this was a very difficult task to perform - the task that would require his full attention - it was even harder given his cell phone nearby.  How can he keep his undivided attention on the eye of the fish moving in a circle while making sure that he is up to date with all of his text messages and tweets? Struggling to keep his smart phone in one hand, while trying to point his arrow on the fish can be a challenge he realized ...