Podcasts about Varanasi

In this episode of Shift with CJ, I step into the guest seat on Dr. Jameel Rizwana Hussain's podcast Let the Soul Speak. Riz is a spiritual and manifestation coach, and together we explore what it really means to “upgrade your human”—going beyond biohacking tools and into purpose, spirituality, and inner fulfillment.We talk about how my journey into health didn't start with supplements or saunas. It started with pain. Growing up obese and being bullied pushed me toward martial arts, then fitness, CrossFit, and physical mastery. From the outside, things looked great—but inside, I felt hollow. That gap led me to search for happiness, peace, and meaning beyond the body.Biohacking gave me the science and language to understand longevity, energy, and performance. But over time, I realized something important: spirituality begins where biohacking ends. Biohacking can optimize sleep, HRV, and physical health, but it can't fill what I call the “eternal hole in the heart.” That's where spirituality comes in.RZ and I revisit a powerful idea we shared years ago: we are not human beings having a spiritual experience—we are spiritual beings having a human experience. This perspective reframes how we approach health, success, and suffering.We also dive into the meaning of my name, Chiranjivi, which in Sanskrit means “eternal” or “one who works toward longevity and well-being.” Once something I resisted, it later felt like a calling. I share my most spiritually transformative experience at the Maha Kumbh Mela and during Mahashivratri in Varanasi, where I experienced deep inner calm, heightened intuition, and a profound connection to Krishna.A key theme throughout the episode is moderation. Extremes—even in wellness—eventually backfire. The middle way, as taught by the Buddha, is what sustains health, clarity, and peace.Looking forward, my mission is to simplify biohacking, make optimization accessible to more people, and personally go much deeper into the spiritual path.Key TakeawaysBiohacking optimizes the body, spirituality fulfills the soul.Physical fitness alone doesn't guarantee inner peace.We are spiritual beings having a human experience.Moderation is the foundation of long-term wellness.Inner anchoring leads to clarity, joy, and fulfillment.5 Things You Can Start Doing TodaySpend time on inner work and find your spiritual anchor.Practice moderation in food, training, work, and habits.Wake up earlier and move your body daily.Connect with people and spend time outdoors.Get sunlight, ground yourself, and prioritize quality sleep.

We speak with, Dr. Anil Kumar Maurya, Associate Professor, Faculty of Law, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India. Anil is currently a visiting researcher at the department.We discuss recent trends in (Asian) cybercrime and cyberscams and how to deal with them.Links:https://id.univie.ac.at/team/gastforscherinnen/maurya-anil-kumar/https://in.linkedin.com/in/anil-kumar-maurya-483938312

Anil Varanasi is the co-founder and CEO of Meter, which provides full-stack networking infrastructure as a service for businesses. Since founding Meter with his brother Sunil in 2015, Anil has been playing a distinctly long game in one of the most entrenched markets in technology, betting on vertical integration, business model innovation, and a multi-decade time horizon. In this conversation, he unpacks Meter's origin story, from four-plus years of heads-down R&D, and shares how his unconventional approach to planning, management, and pace keeps him excited to run the company for decades. In today's episode, we discuss: Why Anil thinks in 25-year horizons How operating in a monopolistic market shaped Meter's approach Why Meter scrapped a year of OS work during the R&D phase How Meter is rethinking networking's business model Surviving COVID, Apple's M1 transition, and “a thousand bad days” Anil's contrarian views on planning, OKRs, and management How founders can build companies they'll want to run for decades Where to find Anil: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anilcv/ Twitter/X: https://x.com/acv Where to find Brett: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brett-berson-9986094/ Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/brettberson Where to find First Round Capital: Website: https://firstround.com/ First Round Review: https://review.firstround.com/ Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/firstround YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FirstRoundCapital This podcast on all platforms: https://review.firstround.com/podcast References: ADT: ⁠https://www.adt.com⁠ Alex Honnold: ⁠https://www.alexhonnold.com⁠ Alex Tabarrok: ⁠https://x.com/ATabarrok⁠ ⁠alarm.com⁠: ⁠https://www.alarm.com⁠ Andreessen Horowitz (a16z): ⁠https://a16z.com⁠ Apple: ⁠https://www.apple.com⁠ Bloomberg: ⁠https://www.bloomberg.com⁠ Bryan Caplan: ⁠http://www.bcaplan.com/⁠ Cisco: ⁠https://www.cisco.com⁠ Coca-Cola: ⁠https://www.coca-colacompany.com⁠ George Mason University (GMU): ⁠https://www.gmu.edu⁠ Intel: ⁠https://www.intel.com⁠ Julia Galef: ⁠https://x.com/juliagalef⁠ Martin Casado: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/martincasado/⁠ Meraki: ⁠https://meraki.cisco.com⁠ Meter: ⁠https://www.meter.com⁠ Michela Giorcelli: ⁠https://x.com/M_Giorcelli⁠ Nicholas Bloom: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-bloom-stanford/⁠ Raffaella Sadun: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/raffaella-sadun-3a182225/⁠ Sanjit Biswas: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/sanjitbiswas/⁠ Sunil Varanasi: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/sunil-varanasi-662a01253/⁠ Tyler Cowen: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/tyler-cowen-166718/⁠ Twitch: ⁠https://www.twitch.tv⁠ Timestamps: (01:27) Meter's unusual timeframes (04:06) “We don't do OKRs” (06:32) How to plan without planning (08:31) Track your unhappy customers (11:43) How Meter's journey began (15:02) Dissecting the 2010s SaaS boom (17:06) The networking industry trap (21:44) Meter's first roadblock (22:07) Why Shenzhen accelerated Meter's progress (26:29) The process to get a sales-ready product (31:02) Why you should own the full stack (32:45) The surprising thing you should innovate (35:03) Avoiding the one-trick pony trap (37:39) The secret to finding an excellent market (43:48) How COVID's constraints propelled growth (48:25) Why founders need to know their customers (49:34) Why Meter didn't sell via traditional channels (51:44) You need “seller-market fit” (54:51) The danger of meta-work (56:25) Decoupling management from authority (1:02:17) When the person is the problem (1:05:05) The inherent value of going slowly (1:09:41) Running a company for as long as possible

Fluent Fiction - Hindi: Unplanned Adventures in Varanasi: Lost and Found Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/hi/episode/2025-12-09-23-34-02-hi Story Transcript:Hi: कड़कड़ाती सर्दी की सुबह थी।En: It was a bone-chilling winter morning.Hi: वाराणसी की मसालों की बाजार अपनी चिरपरिचित धूमधाम में रंगी हुई थी।En: The spice market of Varanasi was painted with its usual hustle and bustle.Hi: हर कोने से मसालों की तीखी खुशबू उड़ रही थी।En: The sharp aroma of spices wafted through every corner.Hi: छोटे-छोटे गलियों में दुकानदारों की तेज आवाजें गूंज रही थीं।En: The loud voices of shopkeepers echoed in the narrow lanes.Hi: उसी भीड़-भाड़ के बीच, काव्या और रजत, परिवार की शादी के लिए खरीदारी करने आए थे।En: Amidst this crowd, Kavya and Rajat had come to shop for a family wedding.Hi: काव्या के मन में लिस्ट थे - हर छोटी-छोटी चीज़ की सूचि, जिसे खरीदना था।En: Kavya had a list in her mind—a checklist of every little thing they needed to buy.Hi: पर रजत ने उसे आराम से लेने का सुझाव दिया।En: But Rajat suggested she take it easy.Hi: "रिलैक्स, काव्या," उसने मुस्कुराते हुए कहा, जब वह गली में दिखाए गए नृत्य कलाकार की ओर खिंचता चला गया।En: "Relax, Kavya," he said with a smile, as he got drawn towards a street performer dancing in the alley.Hi: काव्या अपने काम में डूबी रही और खरीदारी करती रही।En: Kavya remained engrossed in her task and continued shopping.Hi: अचानक उसने महसूस किया कि रजत कहीं गुम हो गया है।En: Suddenly, she realized Rajat had gone missing.Hi: "रजत!En: "Rajat!Hi: तुम कहां हो?En: Where are you?"Hi: " उसने भीड़ के बीच पुकारा।En: she called out amidst the crowd.Hi: लेकिन कोई जवाब नहीं आया।En: But there was no response.Hi: उसके हाथों में खरीदे गए सामान के थैले थे जो भारी होते जा रहे थे।En: The shopping bags in her hands were becoming heavier and heavier.Hi: वह सोच में पड़ गई।En: She was perplexed.Hi: क्या उसे रजत का इंतज़ार करना चाहिए या अकेले ही खरीदारी पूरी करनी चाहिए?En: Should she wait for Rajat or finish shopping alone?Hi: वह सोच ही रही थी तभी उसने देखा कि एक छोटी बच्ची अपनी माँ को खोजते हुए रो रही है।En: While pondering, she noticed a little girl crying, searching for her mother.Hi: काव्या के मन में कुछ हलचल हुई।En: A stir surged through Kavya's heart.Hi: उसने बच्ची के पास जाकर पूछा, "क्या तुम खो गई हो?En: She approached the girl and asked, "Are you lost?"Hi: " बच्ची ने सिर हिलाया।En: The girl nodded.Hi: काव्या ने उस बच्ची की मदद करने का निर्णय लिया।En: Kavya decided to help her.Hi: बच्ची का हाथ पकड़ कर उसने उसके परिवार को खोजने में उसकी मदद की।En: She held the girl's hand and helped her find her family.Hi: कुछ देर बाद, बच्ची की माँ मिल गई और बच्ची उससे मिलकर बहुत खुश हो गई।En: Soon, the girl's mother was found, and the girl was overjoyed to reunite with her.Hi: वह देख काव्या को एक अजीब सा सुकून मिला।En: Seeing this brought an inexplicable peace to Kavya.Hi: और फिर भीड़ में उसे रजत दिखा—उसकी ओर आता हुआ, मुस्कुराते हुए।En: And then amidst the crowd, she saw Rajat—coming towards her, smiling.Hi: "सॉरी, कहीं और खो गया था," रजत ने हंसते हुए कहा।En: "Sorry, got lost somewhere else," Rajat said, laughing.Hi: "कोई बात नहीं, देखो, मैंने भी कुछ नया अनुभव कर लिया," काव्या ने मुस्कुराते हुए जवाब दिया।En: "No worries, look, I've had a new experience too," Kavya replied with a smile.Hi: इन अनपेक्षित घटनाओं ने काव्या के दिल में एक नई सीख छोड़ी।En: These unexpected events left a new lesson in Kavya's heart.Hi: उसने जाना कि ज़िंदगी में थोड़ी अप्रत्याशिता और दूसरों की मदद का मज़ा भी अलग होता है।En: She realized that a bit of unpredictability and the joy of helping others adds a different flavor to life.Hi: वह यह जान चुकी थी कि ज़िम्मेदारियों के साथ-साथ कुछ मनमर्जी के पल भी जुटाए जा सकते हैं।En: She understood that alongside responsibilities, there can be moments of spontaneity too. Vocabulary Words:bone-chilling: कड़कड़ातीhustle and bustle: धूमधामwafted: उड़ रही थीechoed: गूंज रही थींengrossed: डूबी रहीperplexed: सोच में पड़ गईpondering: सोच ही रही थीstir: हलचलinexplicable: अजीबunpredictability: अप्रत्याशिताspontaneity: मनमर्जीaroma: खुशबूperformer: नृत्य कलाकारheavier: भारीcrying: रो रहीreunite: मिलकरsmiling: मुस्कुरातेdrawn: खिंचताoverjoyed: बहुत खुशlesson: सीखunderstood: जानाresponsibilities: ज़िम्मेदारियोंalongside: साथ-साथchecklist: सूचिunanticipated: अनपेक्षितfinish: पूरी करनाcrowd: भीड़-भाड़narrow lanes: छोटे-छोटे गलियोंshopping bags: थैलेrealized: महसूस किया

Fluent Fiction - Hindi: A Heartfelt Tribute: Priya's Journey to Honor Her Father's Wish Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/hi/episode/2025-12-08-23-34-02-hi Story Transcript:Hi: सर्दियों की बात है।En: It was the time of winter.Hi: वाराणसी की प्राचीन नगरी मकर संक्रांति के पावन अवसर पर श्रद्धालुओं से खचाखच भरी हुई थी।En: The ancient city of Varanasi was bustling with devotees on the auspicious occasion of Makar Sankranti.Hi: गंगा के किनारे जिधर नजर जाती, रंग-बिरंगे कपड़ों में घिरे हुए भक्त दिखते थे।En: Wherever one looked along the banks of the Ganga, there were devotees clad in colorful clothes.Hi: गंगा की पवित्र लहरें ठंडी हवा के साथ ताल से ताल मिलाती थीं।En: The sacred waves of the Ganga were in harmony with the chilly breeze.Hi: प्रिया ने अपने पिता की अंतिम इच्छा पूरी करने की ठान ली थी।En: Priya had resolved to fulfill her father's last wish.Hi: वह ठंड और भीड़ के बावजूद अपने भाई सुमन और चचेरे भाई अर्जुन के साथ गंगा घाट पर पहुंची थी।En: Despite the cold and the crowd, she arrived at the Ganga Ghat with her brother Suman and cousin Arjun.Hi: प्रिया के मन में एक ही धुन थी - अपने पिता की शांति के लिए गंगा में उनके लिए पूजा-अर्चना करना।En: Priya had one goal in her heart - to perform rituals in the Ganga for her father's peace.Hi: अर्जुन से रोमियो की तरह रहता था, लेकिन वह भी इस काम के लिए वहां आया था, क्योंकि वह प्रिया के निर्णय का सम्मान करता था।En: Arjun, who usually behaved like Romeo, was also there for this task because he respected Priya's decision.Hi: सुमन को कोई विशेष लगाव नहीं था, परंतु अपने बहन का साथ देने के लिए वह भी आया था।En: Suman didn't have a particular attachment, but he came along to support his sister.Hi: घाट पर पहुँच कर, प्रिया का मन थोड़ा हिचकिचा गया।En: Upon reaching the ghat, Priya felt a bit hesitant.Hi: भीड़ देखकर उसे चिंता होने लगी कि कहीं वह इस शोर में अपने मन की शांति खो न दे।En: Seeing the crowd made her worry that she might lose her peace of mind amidst the noise.Hi: परंतु यह उसके पिता की अंतिम इच्छा थी, जिसे पूरा करना उसका कर्तव्य था।En: However, it was her father's last wish, which she saw as her duty to fulfill.Hi: चारों ओर हंगामा और शोरगुल था।En: There was commotion and noise all around.Hi: प्रिया ने अर्जुन से मदद मांगी।En: Priya asked Arjun for help.Hi: उसने घाट पर थोड़ी जगह बनाने की विनती की, ताकि वह पवित्र जल में पूजा कर सके।En: She requested him to create a little space on the ghat so she could perform rituals in the holy water.Hi: अर्जुन ने धैर्य और समझदारी से लोगों को थोड़ा जगह देने के लिए कहा।En: Arjun patiently and wisely asked people to make some room.Hi: इस बीच सुमन ने पूजा की सामग्री तैयार की।En: Meanwhile, Suman prepared the materials for the rituals.Hi: जब आखिरकार जगह मिली, प्रिया ने गंगा की ओर मुंह कर अपने पिता के लिए प्रार्थना शुरू की।En: When they finally found a spot, Priya faced the Ganga and began praying for her father.Hi: वह गंगा जल में कुछ पुष्प चढ़ाने लगी।En: She started offering some flowers to the Ganga water.Hi: ठंडी हवा उसके चेहरे पर लगी, और तभी उसे महसूस हुआ कि उसके दिल में एक अजीब सी शांति छा गई।En: The cold wind hit her face, and at that moment, she felt a strange peace envelop her heart.Hi: वह पल सचमुच अविस्मरणीय था।En: That moment was truly unforgettable.Hi: प्रिया ने महसूस किया कि उसे अपने पिता के साथ एक गहरा संबंध मिल गया है।En: Priya felt a deep connection with her father.Hi: उन अराजक स्थितियों में भी उसे उनके आशीर्वाद का अनुभव हुआ।En: Even in those chaotic situations, she felt his blessings.Hi: पूजा समाप्त होने के बाद, तीनों ने वहां से लौटने का निश्चय किया।En: After the rituals concluded, the three decided to head back.Hi: उन सब के मन में असीम शांति और संतोष था।En: They all felt immense peace and contentment.Hi: परिवार और परंपरा के अहसास ने उन्हें और करीब ला दिया था।En: The sense of family and tradition brought them closer.Hi: वाराणसी से वापस लौटते समय, प्रिया को अपने पिता की विरासत का अर्थ समझ में आने लगा।En: On the way back from Varanasi, Priya began to understand the meaning of her father's legacy.Hi: उसने इस अनुभव के माध्यम से सीखा कि परंपराओं का सम्मान करना और आंतरिक संदेह के साथ इनका सामंजस्य करना किस प्रकार संभव है।En: Through this experience, she learned how it is possible to respect traditions and reconcile them with inner doubts.Hi: परिवार के साथ इस यात्रा ने प्रिया के मन में नए जोश के साथ पुनः विश्वास जगा दिया था।En: The journey with her family reignited a new sense of confidence within Priya. Vocabulary Words:ancient: प्राचीनbustling: खचाखच भरी हुईdevotees: श्रद्धालुओंauspicious: पावनoccasion: अवसरsacred: पवित्रharmony: ताल से ताल मिलातीresolved: ठान लियाfulfill: पूरी करनेchilly: ठंडीrituals: पूजा-अर्चनाhesitant: हिचकिचाcommotion: हंगामाholy: पवित्रwisely: समझदारी सेpraying: प्रार्थनाoffering: चढ़ानेstrange: अजीबenvelop: छा गईunforgettable: अविस्मरणीयchaotic: अराजकblessings: आशीर्वादconcluded: समाप्तimmense: असीमcontentment: संतोषlegacy: विरासतtraditions: परंपराओंreconcile: सामंजस्यconfidence: विश्वासchaos: शोरगुल

Fluent Fiction - Hindi: Bonds and Ashes: A Family Journey by the Ganga Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/hi/episode/2025-12-03-23-34-02-hi Story Transcript:Hi: गंगा नदी के किनारे, वाराणसी में, सूरज की किरणें सुनहरे रंग में बिखरी हुई थीं।En: On the banks of the Ganga River, in Varanasi, the rays of the sun were scattered in a golden hue.Hi: पतझड़ का मौसम था।En: It was the season of autumn.Hi: गंगा का जल मंदिरों और घाटों के बीच शांति से बह रहा था।En: The waters of the Ganga flowed peacefully between the temples and the ghats.Hi: अनाया, राजीव और तारा एक साथ वहाँ पहुँचे थे।En: Anaya, Rajeev, and Tara had arrived there together.Hi: उन्हें अपनी दादी के अंतिम संस्कार की राख गंगा में बहानी थी।En: They needed to immerse the ashes of their grandmother's last rites into the Ganga.Hi: अनाया वहाँ खड़ी थी, ध्यान से नदी के पानी की ओर देख रही थी।En: Anaya stood there, gazing intently at the river's water.Hi: उसकी आँखों में आंसू थे।En: Tears were in her eyes.Hi: उसकी दादी उसके दिल के बहुत करीब थीं।En: Her grandmother was very close to her heart.Hi: वह जानती थी कि यह पल उसके लिए कितना महत्वपूर्ण था।En: She knew how significant this moment was for her.Hi: राजीव, उसका भाई, उसके पास खड़ा था।En: Rajeev, her brother, stood beside her.Hi: वह जानता था कि उसे अब परिवार की जिम्मेदारी उठानी होगी।En: He understood that he now had to take up the responsibility of the family.Hi: तारा, उनकी चचेरा बहन, हमेशा की तरह उत्साह और समझदारी के साथ उनके साथ थी।En: Tara, their cousin, as always, was with them with enthusiasm and understanding.Hi: अनाया की मन में एक उथल-पुथल चल रही थी।En: There was a turmoil inside Anaya's mind.Hi: क्या यह पूजा उसे शांति देगी?En: Would this ritual give her peace?Hi: क्या यह उसकी दादी के प्रति सही श्रद्धांजलि होगी?En: Would this be the right tribute to her grandmother?Hi: राजीव चाहता था कि वे परंपराओं के अनुसार करें, जबकि तारा का मानना था कि भावनाओं को सबसे पहले रखा जाना चाहिए।En: Rajeev wanted them to follow traditions, while Tara believed that emotions should be prioritized.Hi: आखिरकार, तीनों ने नदी के किनारे की ओर कदम बढ़ाया।En: Finally, the three of them stepped towards the riverbank.Hi: अनाया ने राख का पात्र उठाया।En: Anaya picked up the urn of ashes.Hi: उसके हाथ कांप रहे थे।En: Her hands were trembling.Hi: उसने राजीव और तारा की ओर देखा, दोनों ने उसे साहस दिया।En: She looked at Rajeev and Tara, who both gave her courage.Hi: उसने एक गहरी सांस ली, और धीरे से राख को गंगा के निर्मल जल में बहा दिया।En: She took a deep breath and gently released the ashes into the pure waters of the Ganga.Hi: उसी समय, उसने अपने आंसुओं को भी बहा दिया, अपनी अंदरूनी भावनाओं को छोड़ दिया।En: At that moment, she also let her tears flow, releasing her inner emotions.Hi: नदी के पानी ने उसकी सभी शंकाओं को अपने बहाव में बहा दिया।En: The river's water washed away all her doubts in its flow.Hi: अनाया के चेहरे पर अब एक शांत मुस्कान थी।En: A tranquil smile now adorned Anaya's face.Hi: उसकी दादी की यादें, उसकी शिक्षाएँ, और उसका प्यार सब उसके साथ थे।En: Her grandmother's memories, teachings, and love were all with her.Hi: उसने अपनी दादी के जीवन की खुशियों और दुखों को स्वीकार किया।En: She accepted the joys and sorrows of her grandmother's life.Hi: तीनों भाई-बहन वहाँ बैठकर अपनी दादी के बारे में बातें करने लगे।En: The three siblings sat there, talking about their grandmother.Hi: उन्होंने किस्से सुनाए, हंसी-मजाक किया और अपनी यादों को ताजा किया।En: They shared stories, joked, and refreshed their memories.Hi: सूरज जब आसमान में डूबने लगा, तो वह पल अनाया के दिल में हमेशा के लिए बस गया।En: As the sun began to set in the sky, that moment was etched forever in Anaya's heart.Hi: वह समझ चुकी थी कि उसकी दादी की विरासत न केवल उसकी यादों में बल्कि उसकी आत्मा में भी थी।En: She had realized that her grandmother's legacy was not only in her memories but also in her soul.Hi: गंगा के किनारे उस शाम, अनाया ने न केवल अपने दिल को हल्का महसूस किया बल्कि उसके और राजीव और तारा के बीच का बंधन भी और मजबूत हो गया।En: That evening on the banks of the Ganga, Anaya felt not only her heart lighten but also the bond between her and Rajeev and Tara strengthen.Hi: तीनों ने महसूस किया कि परिवार का प्यार सबसे बड़ी ताकत होती है, जो हर मुश्किल समय में सहारा देता है।En: They all realized that the love of family is the greatest strength, providing support in every difficult time. Vocabulary Words:banks: किनारेscattered: बिखरीhue: रंगautumn: पतझड़temples: मंदिरोंghats: घाटोंimmersed: बहानीintently: ध्यान सेsignificant: महत्वपूर्णresponsibility: जिम्मेदारीenthusiasm: उत्साहturmoil: उथल-पुथलritual: पूजाtribute: श्रद्धांजलिurn: पात्रtrembling: कांप रहेcourage: साहसpure: निर्मलdoubts: शंकाओंtranquil: शांतadorned: सजीteachings: शिक्षाएँsorrows: दुखोंrefreshed: ताजाetched: बस गयाlegacy: विरासतrealized: समझ चुकीlighten: हल्काstrengthen: मजबूतsupport: सहारा

Send us a textVARANASI to the WORLD Reaction! Telugu | Mahesh Babu | Priyanka Chopra | SS Rajamouli | Cinemondo! #varanasi #varanastrailer ##varanasitrailerreaction #ssrajamouli #trailerreaction Kathy and Mark react to Varanasi To the World! Varanasi (stylised as Vāranāsi) is an upcoming Indian Telugu-language action-adventure film directed by S. S. Rajamouli, who co-wrote the screenplay with V. Vijayendra Prasad. T the film stars Mahesh Babu, Priyanka Chopra and Prithviraj Sukumaran. Rajamouli conceived the film as a globetrotting action adventure rooted in Indian cultural themes, drawing inspiration from the structure and emotional tone of classic adventure cinema. #varanasi #varanasitrailer#varanasitrailerreaction #varansitotheworld#ssrajamouli #maheshbabu #priyankachopra#mmkeeravaani#trailer#trailerreaction#globetrotter#globetrottereventSupport the show

Fluent Fiction - Hindi: Diwali Magic: Finding Peace at the Ghats of Varanasi Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/hi/episode/2025-11-28-08-38-20-hi Story Transcript:Hi: गंगा किनारे सूर्य की पहली किरणें अपनी गोल्डन आभा बिखेर रही थीं।En: The first rays of the sun were spreading their golden aura along the banks of the Ganga.Hi: वाराणसी घाट अपने भव्य रूप में था, और आज का दिन खास था - दिवाली।En: The Varanasi ghats were in their magnificent form, and today was special - Diwali.Hi: हवा में दीयों की हल्की महक और मंत्रों की ध्वनि गूंज रही थी, पूरा वातावरण एक आस्था और शांति की आभा से भरा हुआ था।En: The air was filled with the mild scent of lamps and the sound of mantras echoing, the entire atmosphere was enveloped with an aura of faith and peace.Hi: मंदिर के पास, एक बैठक में मेहरा बैठी थी।En: Near the temple, Mehra was sitting in a gathering.Hi: वह बीते कुछ महीनों से दिल की बीमारी से परेशान थी, लेकिन इस दिवाली उसने ठान लिया था कि वह घाट पर आएगी।En: She had been troubled by a heart ailment for the past few months, but this Diwali, she had decided that she would come to the ghats.Hi: उसने सुना था कि दिवाली का ये विशिष्ट पर्व आत्मा को नवजीवन देने वाला होता है।En: She had heard that this special festival of Diwali rejuvenates the soul.Hi: उसके दिल में एक आशा की किरण थी कि शायद यहाँ की आध्यात्मिकता उसे कुछ राहत दे सके।En: In her heart, there was a ray of hope that perhaps the spirituality here could offer her some solace.Hi: उसके मित्र, अर्जुन, हमेशा की तरह उसके साथ था।En: Her friend, Arjun, as always, was with her.Hi: अर्जुन जानता था कि मेहरा के भीतर कितनी मुश्किलें छिपी हैं, फिर भी वह चाहता था कि वह हमेशा खुश रहे।En: Arjun knew how many difficulties were hidden within Mehra, yet he wanted her to always stay happy.Hi: उसे अपनी भावनाएं छुपाने का अनुभव था, मगर आज के दिन वह उसे चुपचाप सपोर्ट करता रहा।En: He was experienced in hiding his emotions, but today he quietly supported her.Hi: तभी उसने देखा कि देव, घाट का एक परिचित गाइड, उनकी ओर आ रहा था।En: Just then he saw Dev, a familiar guide from the ghat, approaching them.Hi: "नमस्ते, अर्जुन!En: "Namaste, Arjun!Hi: नमस्ते, मेहरा!En: Namaste, Mehra!Hi: आप दोनों को यहाँ देखकर अच्छा लगा," देव ने मुस्कुराते हुए कहा।En: It's good to see you both here," said Dev with a smile.Hi: वह आध्यात्मिक ज्ञान में गहराई से विश्वास करता था।En: He deeply believed in spiritual knowledge.Hi: अर्जुन ने देव से पूछा, "देव, क्या कोई ऐसा तरीका है कि मेहरा यहाँ की ऊर्जा से अपने लिए शांति और शक्ति प्राप्त कर सके?En: Arjun asked Dev, "Dev, is there any way Mehra can find peace and strength from the energy here?"Hi: "देव ने सर हिलाया और कहा, "अगर आपका विश्वास मजबूत है, तो दिवाली की यह पर्यावरण शारीरिक कष्टों को भुला सकती है।En: Dev nodded and said, "If your faith is strong, then the environment of Diwali can make physical pains fade.Hi: जलाने वाले दीये, पसरी हुई आरती की ध्वनि, ये सब आत्मा के लिए राहत का मार्ग बन सकते हैं।En: The burning lamps, the expansive sound of the arti, all these can pave a path of relief for the soul."Hi: " अचानक, मेहरा के चेहरे पर एक गहरी थकावट छा गई।En: Suddenly, a deep fatigue fell over Mehra's face.Hi: उसका शरीर झुक गया और वह घाट की सीढ़ियों पर बैठ गई।En: Her body slumped, and she sat down on the steps of the ghat.Hi: अर्जुन घबरा गया।En: Arjun became anxious.Hi: "मेहरा!En: "Mehra!Hi: क्या हुआ?En: What happened?"Hi: " उसने कहा, उसकी आवाज किनारे की धीमी धारा से टकरा रही थी।En: he said, his voice meeting the gentle flow of the riverbank.Hi: देव ने तुरंत पहल की, "शांत रहें, अर्जुन।En: Dev quickly took initiative, "Stay calm, Arjun.Hi: उसे बैठने दें और गहरी सांस लेने के लिए कहें।En: Let her sit and tell her to take deep breaths.Hi: मैं कुछ मदद लाता हूँ।En: I'll bring some help."Hi: " कुछ ही पलों में, देव और अर्जुन ने मिलकर मेहरा को आरामदेह स्थिति में लाया।En: In moments, Dev and Arjun together brought Mehra to a comfortable position.Hi: उसी दौरान, दीपक की रोशनी और रंग-बिरंगी आतिशबाजी ने आकाश में अद्भुत चित्र बनाया।En: Meanwhile, the light of the lamps and colorful fireworks created an extraordinary picture in the sky.Hi: हवा में मंत्र और भजन की गूंज ने मेहरा के मन को एक नई दिशा दी।En: The echo of mantras and hymns in the air gave Mehra's mind a new direction.Hi: उसकी आंखें धीरे-धीरे खुलीं और उसने महसूस किया कि उसके भीतर की थोड़ी सी तकलीफ अब शांत हो रही थी।En: Her eyes slowly opened, and she felt that the little bit of distress inside her was now calming.Hi: नीला आकाश एक नई उम्मीद की तरह दिखाई दिया।En: The blue sky appeared like a new hope.Hi: उसकी स्थिति पूरी तरह ठीक नहीं हुई थी, लेकिन उसके चेहरे पर शांति की एक रेखा खिंच गई थी।En: Her condition had not completely recovered, but a line of peace had drawn over her face.Hi: उसने अर्जुन की ओर देखा और मुस्कराई।En: She looked at Arjun and smiled.Hi: अर्जुन समझ चुका था कि उसकी दोस्ती का मूल्य, दिल की भावनाओं से कहीं ज्यादा है।En: Arjun understood that the value of his friendship was more than the feelings of the heart.Hi: दिवाली की ग्लो में, मेहरा और अर्जुन दोनों ने महसूस किया कि जीवन अपनी छोटी-छोटी खुशियों से भरा हुआ है, और उसे महत्ता देना सबसे बड़ी बात है।En: In the glow of Diwali, both Mehra and Arjun realized that life is filled with small joys, and giving them significance is the greatest thing.Hi: घाट पर जीवन की जटिलताएँ भूलकर उन्होंने आध्यात्मिक संबंध का एक नया अनुभव किया।En: Forgetting the complexities of life on the ghat, they experienced a new spiritual connection. Vocabulary Words:rays: किरणेंaura: आभाghats: घाटmagnificent: भव्यmantras: मंत्रोंechoing: गूंज रही थीenveloped: भरा हुआailment: बीमारीrejuvenates: नवजीवन देने वालाspirituality: आध्यात्मिकताsolace: राहतdifficulties: मुश्किलेंexperienced: अनुभव थाemotions: भावनाएंfamiliar: परिचितguide: गाइडspiritual: आध्यात्मिकknowledge: ज्ञानpains: कष्टोंfade: भुला सकती हैexpansive: पसरी हुईinitiative: पहलcomfortable: आरामदेहfireworks: आतिशबाजीextraordinary: अद्भुतhymns: भजनdistress: तकलीफcalming: शांत हो रही थीhope: उम्मीदspiritual connection: आध्यात्मिक संबंध

In this podcast we will be talking about how to deal with suffering in life from the philosophy of the Buddha. Gautama Buddha was a philosopher, a spiritual leader and is credited as the founder of Buddhism.   The teachings of Buddha revolve around Duhkha, which means suffering, and the end of Duhkha, which is regarded as the state of Nirvana.  The philosophy's most essential teaching includes the Three Marks of Existence, which are as follows:  01. Annica which means that life is in a constant flux, we have already made a video on this, the link for this is in the description. 02. Duhkha which means that life is painful and causes suffering, and 03. Anatta which means that the self is always changing After the Buddha gained enlightenment, he traveled to Sarnath in the present-day district of Varanasi, where he met with five monks, he previously practiced with and gave his first sermon, the four noble truths. These four Noble Truths are the foundational tenets of Buddhism, which spark awareness of suffering as the nature of existence, its cause, and how to live without it. In this video we are going to talk about dukha, the second mark of existence, to better understand the suffering that we all go through and how we can use these 4 noble truths to deal with suffering in our modern day life. The four noble truths  are as follows -  01. The truth of Dukha  02. The truth of Samudaya 03. The Truth of Nirodha 04. The truth of Magga I hope you enjoyed listening to this podcast and hope these lessons from Buddha will help you in dealing with changes in your life.  The Buddha was a philosopher, meditator, spiritual teacher, and religious leader who is credited as the founder of Buddhism. He was born as Siddhartha Gautama in India in 566 BC into an aristocratic family and when he was twenty-nine years old, he left the comforts of his home to seek the meaning of the suffering he saw around him. After six years of arduous yogic training, he abandoned the way of self-mortification and instead sat in mindful meditation beneath a bodhi tree. On the full moon of May, with the rising of the morning star, Siddhartha Gautama became the Buddha, the awakened one. The Buddha wandered the plains of northeastern India for 45 years more, teaching the path or Dharma he had realized in that moment. Around him developed a community of people, drawn from every tribe and caste, devoted to practicing this path. Nowadays, he is worshiped by most Buddhist schools as the enlightened one who has escaped the cycle of birth and rebirth, transcending Karma. Their main teachings focus on their insight into duhkha meaning “suffering” and into Nirvana, which means the end of suffering. 

Sarah Meikle has been travelling around India for more than 25 years and now runs small group tours for those really interested in life and culture in the world's most populous country. As the Director of All India Permit Tours, and visiting cities from Delhi, Kolkata and Varanasi in the north to Kerala in the south, she is well versed with the world famous cuisine in all its forms and regional variations - from street food to top rated restaurants. She joins Kathryn having just returned from a two month trip.

On this edition of On-Screen Live, we're reviewing the very popular new franchise entry, Predator: Badlands; checking in on Tim Robinson's hilarious new Max series, The Chair Company; reacting to the trailers for the new SS Rajamouli film, Varanasi, and the next ‘holiday weirdos' documentary, The Merchants of Joy; and we're also going over the weekend box office and skimming the trades for some Entertainment Newz. On-Screen live will return in December! Get your tickets to our 15th Anniversary show happening December 6th, where we're talking all things Arnold in Total Recall! It's gonna be a gas and we wanna see you there! Click through for tickets now, you don't want to get sold out! Throughout 2025, we'll be donating 100% of our earnings from our merch shop to the Center for Reproductive Rights. So head over and check out all these masterful designs and see what tickles your fancy! Shirts? Phone cases? Canvas prints? We got all that and more! Check it out and kick in for a good cause! Original cover art by Felipe Sobreiro.

Cc Madhya 25.105-221 https://vedabase.io/en/library/cc/madhya/25/advanced-view/ ------------------------------------------------------------ When we began distributing the message of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu in the Western countries, a similar thing happened. In the beginning we were very much disappointed for at least one year because no one came forth to help this movement, but by the grace of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, some young boys joined this movement in 1966. Of course we distributed Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu's message of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra without bargaining or selling. As a result, this movement has spread all over the world, with the assistance of European and American boys and girls. We therefore pray for all the blessings of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu upon all the devotees in the Western world who are spreading this movement. (Cc Madhya 25.170,purport) To connect with His Grace Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, please visit https://www.fanthespark.com/next-steps/ask-vaisesika-dasa/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Add to your wisdom literature collection: https://iskconsv.com/book-store/ https://www.bbtacademic.com/books/ https://thefourquestionsbook.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Join us live on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FanTheSpark/ Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sound-bhakti/id1132423868 For the latest videos, subscribe https://www.youtube.com/@FanTheSpark For the latest in SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/fan-the-spark ------------------------------------------------------------ #sricaitanyacaritamrita #govardhanreadings #spiritualawakening #soul #spiritualexperience #spiritualpurposeoflife #spiritualgrowthlessons #secretsofspirituality #vaisesikaprabhu #vaisesikadasa #vaisesikaprabhulectures #spirituality #bhaktiyoga #krishna #spiritualpurposeoflife #krishnaspirituality #spiritualusachannel #whybhaktiisimportant #whyspiritualityisimportant #vaisesika #spiritualconnection #thepowerofspiritualstudy #selfrealization #spirituallectures #spiritualstudy #spiritualquestions #spiritualquestionsanswered #trendingspiritualtopics #fanthespark #spiritualpowerofmeditation #spiritualteachersonyoutube #spiritualhabits #spiritualclarity #bhagavadgita #srimadbhagavatam #spiritualbeings #kttvg #keepthetranscendentalvibrationgoing #spiritualpurpose

Cc Madhya 223-283 https://vedabase.io/en/library/cc/madhya/25/advanced-view/ ------------------------------------------------------------ One should understand Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya and Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa from the six Gosvāmīs in the paramparā system. The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is following as strictly as possible in the footsteps of the Gosvāmīs. Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says, ei chaya gosāñi yāṅra, mui tāṅra dāsa: “I am the servant of the six Gosvāmīs.” The philosophy of Kṛṣṇa consciousness is to become the servant of the servant of the servant of the Lord. Whoever wants to understand the difficult subject matter of kṛṣṇa-kathā should accept the disciplic succession. If one is somehow or other able to understand Kṛṣṇa, his life is successful. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti so 'rjuna. A perfect devotee is able to understand Kṛṣṇa through the disciplic succession, and his entrance into the kingdom of God is thereby certainly opened. When one understands Kṛṣṇa, there is no difficulty in transferring oneself to the spiritual kingdom. (Cc Madhya 25.271,purport) To connect with His Grace Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, please visit https://www.fanthespark.com/next-steps/ask-vaisesika-dasa/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Add to your wisdom literature collection: https://iskconsv.com/book-store/ https://www.bbtacademic.com/books/ https://thefourquestionsbook.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Join us live on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FanTheSpark/ Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sound-bhakti/id1132423868 For the latest videos, subscribe https://www.youtube.com/@FanTheSpark For the latest in SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/fan-the-spark ------------------------------------------------------------ #sricaitanyacaritamrita #govardhanreadings #spiritualawakening #soul #spiritualexperience #spiritualpurposeoflife #spiritualgrowthlessons #secretsofspirituality #vaisesikaprabhu #vaisesikadasa #vaisesikaprabhulectures #spirituality #bhaktiyoga #krishna #spiritualpurposeoflife #krishnaspirituality #spiritualusachannel #whybhaktiisimportant #whyspiritualityisimportant #vaisesika #spiritualconnection #thepowerofspiritualstudy #selfrealization #spirituallectures #spiritualstudy #spiritualquestions #spiritualquestionsanswered #trendingspiritualtopics #fanthespark #spiritualpowerofmeditation #spiritualteachersonyoutube #spiritualhabits #spiritualclarity #bhagavadgita #srimadbhagavatam #spiritualbeings #kttvg #keepthetranscendentalvibrationgoing #spiritualpurpose

Cc Madhya 25.1-104 https://vedabase.io/en/library/cc/madhya/25/advanced-view/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Prabhupāda was especially keen on defeating atheistic science. And as you know, I'm keen on that. People aren't very philosophical or very scientific. Even scientists aren't. We've been talking to a few lately.In any case, the people in general just have a base, basic understanding of erroneous scientific theories, and I feel that what would be most helpful for them is to have a way to question those theories and think for themselves. Like you made that presentation about the Big Bang, and the way you presented it was to take people through the history of the theory itself and see how flimsy the evidence is and how it's all held together with rubber bands and Scotch tape and a few pieces of thread found here and there. And when people come to question materialistic scientists and the theories that are accepted a priori these days—for instance, if you read any self-help book, guaranteed, it could be in the first chapter, but at least the second chapter by the third page, somebody is going to say, "As everybody knows, we evolved into this." Some of that concept is going to come in, that we started in a primitive state, or as matter, and now somehow we've evolved into humans, and this is a phenomenon. Whatever they are describing is a result of this evolution, and whatever primal instincts we still have came from a time when we were less evolved. To be able to have a team of young people who are endowed with sattva-guṇa and above-average intelligences and access to sound arguments in order to untie people's attachments to science—not to disparage science outright, but just to take individual points and help people question them so they can open their minds to another epistemology that can guide them in their lives, rather than just accepting what modern science says. I think that Drutakarmā's approach is fantastic, because in Forbidden Archeology, he basically just shows people what's going on behind the curtain in academia: that people cheat all over the place, and they're self-motivated. They try to hold the levers of power through academia and control what information gets out there. You don't have to make anything up. You just have to show that human nature has entered into the academy, and that's what everybody believes in, because that's what gets into the textbooks for lower education, what to speak of higher education. So that's where I think we have to take a systematic approach and bring presentations that are understandable to the common person on the street, where they can take those and then say, "Aha, maybe there is another way." And a lot of scientists are thinking that way nowadays. They're talking about how consciousness can't be measured in the same way that we've thought we could measure the material nature, and to some degree, we can, through controlled experiments, but you can't control consciousness in the same way. So that's one place I think that we could contribute to the conversation that's going on. (0:30:36) (excerpt from the discussion) ------------------------------------------------------------ To connect with His Grace Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, please visit https://www.fanthespark.com/next-steps/ask-vaisesika-dasa/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Add to your wisdom literature collection: https://iskconsv.com/book-store/ https://www.bbtacademic.com/books/ https://thefourquestionsbook.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------

#realconversations #handcraft #transparency #India#PeaceCorps #artisans #supplychaiN #photographyCONVERSATIONS WITH CALVIN WE THE SPECIES hosted by CalvinSchwartzMeet SARA OTTO: “Once again, gratitude to the universe forthe connectivity with SARA OTTO.  I liketo think that, after writing three books, teaching at Rutgers, working for therichest Italian in the world for 25 years, and interviewing over 400 peoplearound the world, I'm relatively worldly. (that word again) But not. Sarafilled my senses with a special awe. I didn't know NEST existed.  Wasn't “up” on the intricacies and necessityof supply chains. There are ethical handcraft standards and legions of amazing,handcrafted artisans all over the world. Their work is pure art and needsvisibility and transparency. Sara spoke of how their art and craft make for amore prosperous and beautiful world. I've been down for this. When mygrandchildren were born, we found handmade stuffed animals in South America.But NEST makes it a safer, better journey to market. Sara fascinates with herdepth, passion, and commitment. She was a Peace Corps volunteer in TOGO, workedfor Righteous Babe Records, lived in India for four years, and radiates socialimpact. Our interview. As good as it gets.” Calvinhttps://www.youtube.com/c/ConversationswithCalvinWetheSpecIEs656 Interviews/Videos  9200 SUBSCRIBERSGLOBAL Reach. Earth Life. Amazing People.  PLEASE SUBSCRIBE** SARA OTTO; Chief Supply Chain Officer at NEST (connectingpeople, artistry & impact of craft); Peace Corp; Photography; State Univ.of NY: LIVE from BarcelonaYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jg5q9NvDXlYLINKS:  LinkedIn:Personal - www.linkedin.com/in/sara-otto Business - https://www.linkedin.com/company/nest-inc/Website https://www.buildanest.org/ethical-handcraftBIO:  Sara, Nest'sChief Supply Chain Officer, oversees the strategic partnerships andprogrammatic initiatives of the organization's supply chain-related portfolio.In this role, she drives the strategy, development, and execution of Nest'spioneering Ethical Handcraft Standard and comprehensive methodology program.She leads research initiatives to bring critical visibility and transparency toinformal supply chains. After residing in Varanasi, India, for 4 years, she hasgained a deep understanding of the specific needs and challenges that artisansand handworkers face, enabling her to create sustainable solutions for duediligence in this industry. Before that, Sara was a Small EnterpriseDevelopment Peace Corps Volunteer in Togo, assisting micro-enterprises andartisans. Graduating from the State University of New York at Buffalo in ArtsManagement and Marketing, Sara blends her passion for art and business. Hercareer began with Righteous Babe Records, where she worked for 9 years,eventually managing the company's performance and event venue. A dedicatedphotographer and traveler, Sara continues to explore the intersection ofcreativity, entrepreneurship, and social impact in her work and personalpursuits.**WE ARE ALSO ON AUDIOAUDIO “Conversations with Calvin; WE the SpecIEs”ANCHOR https://lnkd.in/g4jcUPqSPOTIFY https://lnkd.in/ghuMFeCAPPLE PODCASTSBREAKER https://lnkd.in/g62StzJGOOGLE PODCASTS https://lnkd.in/gpd3XfMPOCKET CASTS https://pca.st/bmjmzaitRADIO PUBLIC https://lnkd.in/gxueFZw

Sydney-based photographer Sabastian Giunta spent 15 days in India on his first visit to the country, capturing life along the banks of the River Ganga in Varanasi. His journey has now taken shape as a photo exhibition, featured as part of the Head On Photography Festival in Sydney. The exhibition showcases 13 photographs that depict the sacred river, the ghats and the vibrant life along the river. Listen to this podcast featuring the photographer, who says he was most struck by India's spirit of resilience.

Fluent Fiction - Hindi: Varanasi's Hidden Past: An Archaeological Diwali Revelation Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/hi/episode/2025-10-27-07-38-20-hi Story Transcript:Hi: वराणसी की प्राचीन गलियों में, जहां गंगा की लहरों की शांति और मंदिरों की धुनें गूंजती हैं, उनके बीच एक विशेष अभियान शुरू हो चुका था।En: In the ancient lanes of Varanasi, where the tranquility of the Ganga river's waves and the tunes of temples echo, a special expedition had begun.Hi: इस अभियान का नेतृत्व कर रहे थे अरुण। वे एक योग्य पुरातत्वविद् थे, जो प्राचीन सभ्यताओं के रहस्यों को खोजने के लिए कृतसंकल्प थे।En: Leading this expedition was Arun, a skilled archaeologist determined to unravel the mysteries of ancient civilizations.Hi: उनके साथ थीं कविता, जिन्हें इतिहास से वर्तमान जोड़ने का शौक था, और रिया, जो हाल ही में इस काम में मेघावी होकर शामिल हुई थीं।En: Accompanying him were Kavita, who had a passion for linking history to the present, and Riya, a bright new addition to the team.Hi: शरद ऋतु की इस सुहानी दोपहर में, कच्चे पत्तों की आवाज और मंदिर की घंटियों की गूंज शहर को संगीतमय बना रही थी।En: On this pleasant autumn afternoon, the sound of falling leaves and the chiming of temple bells made the city musical.Hi: आश्विन मास का यह विशेष पर्व, दीपावली, करीब आ चुका था, और उसके साथ ही अभियान से जुड़े समय की सीमा भी।En: The special festival of Diwali in the month of Ashwin was approaching, and with it, so was the deadline for the expedition.Hi: "हमें और मेहनत करनी होगी," अरुण ने अपनी टीम से कहा।En: "We need to work harder," Arun told his team.Hi: दीपावली के आने से उनके पास काम खत्म करने का समय कम होता जा रहा था।En: The arrival of Diwali meant they had less time to complete their work.Hi: उनका विश्वास था कि वे कुछ महत्वपूर्ण खोजने के बेहद करीब हैं।En: He believed they were very close to an important discovery.Hi: कविता ने कुछ पुराने दस्तावेजों और नक्शों के आधार पर एक स्थान की ओर इशारा किया।En: Based on some old documents and maps, Kavita pointed to a location.Hi: "यह जगह महत्वपूर्ण हो सकती है," उसने कहा।En: "This place could be significant," she said.Hi: वह उस क्षेत्र में खुदाई का प्रस्ताव रखती हैं, जहां उसके पुरखों का इतिहास छुपा हो सकता है।En: She proposed excavating in an area where her ancestors' history might be hidden.Hi: लेकिन अरुण की चिंता बढ़ रही थी; समय और वित्तीय दावों के दबाव का सामना कैसे करें।En: However, Arun was growing concerned about how to handle the pressure of time and financial constraints.Hi: बिना किसी को बताए, रिया एक बंद क्षेत्र की ओर खिसकी।En: Without telling anyone, Riya slipped towards a restricted area.Hi: उसकी जिज्ञासा ने उसे वहां खींच लिया, जबकि वह जानती थी कि ऐसा करना नियमों के खिलाफ है।En: Her curiosity led her there, even though she knew it was against the rules.Hi: वह अपने महत्व को साबित करना चाहती थी।En: She wanted to prove her worth.Hi: जैसे-जैसे दीपावली की रात नज़दीक आई, उनकी मेहनत रंग लायी।En: As the night of Diwali drew nearer, their hard work paid off.Hi: खुदाई के दौरान उन्हें एक विशेष कलाकृति मिली।En: During the excavation, they found a special artifact.Hi: यह कृति ऐसी थी, जो संभवतः वाराणसी के इतिहास को नए सिरे से लिख सकती थी।En: This piece could possibly rewrite the history of Varanasi.Hi: परंतु इसकी प्रामाणिकता पर सवाल उठने लगे क्योंकि इसकी बनावट असामान्य थी।En: However, questions arose about its authenticity because of its unusual craftsmanship.Hi: अंततः, जब दीपावली की रोशनी ने पूरे शहर को जगमगा दिया, तो वह कलाकृति प्रामाणिक साबित हुई।En: Ultimately, when the lights of Diwali illuminated the entire city, the artifact was proven to be authentic.Hi: अरुण की मेहनत और विश्वास का परिणाम सफल हुआ, कविता की शोध ने उसके पुश्तैनी जड़ों से उसे फिर जोड़ा, और रिया के रहस्यमय खोज ने इस कलाकृति के लिए आवश्यक संदर्भ प्रदान किया।En: Arun's hard work and trust paid off, Kavita's research reconnected her with her ancestral roots, and Riya's mysterious find provided the crucial context needed for the artifact.Hi: इस सफल खोज ने अरुण को सिखाया कि कभी-कभी सहयोगी प्रयासों और अंतर्दृष्टि से अधिक विश्वास करना चाहिए।En: This successful discovery taught Arun that sometimes trusting collaborative efforts and insights is necessary.Hi: कविता ने अपने अतीत के साथ गहरा संबंध महसूस किया।En: Kavita felt a deep connection with her past.Hi: और रिया को न केवल टीम का सम्मान मिला, बल्कि उसे यह भी एहसास हुआ कि खोज को समझने के लिए संदर्भ की कितनी अहमियत होती है।En: And Riya gained not only the respect of the team but also realized how important context is for understanding discoveries.Hi: तीनों ने मिलकर दीपावली के दीप जलाए, और गंगा के किनारे खड़े होकर अपने प्रयासों की सफलता का उत्सव मनाया।En: Together, they lit the lamps of Diwali and stood by the banks of the Ganga, celebrating the success of their efforts.Hi: वाराणसी की वह रात, इतिहास को नई दिशा देने वाली बन गई।En: That night in Varanasi became one that would steer history in a new direction. Vocabulary Words:ancient: प्राचीनtranquility: शांतिexpedition: अभियानarchaeologist: पुरातत्वविद्unravel: खोजनेmysteries: रहस्योंautumn: शरद ऋतुartifacts: कलाकृतियाँcraftsmanship: बनावटauthenticity: प्रामाणिकताconstraint: दबावchiming: घंटियों की गूंजexcavating: खुदाईcollaborative: सहयोगीcontext: संदर्भilluminated: जगमगा दियाcrucial: महत्वपूर्णheritage: पुश्तैनीinsights: अंतर्दृष्टिcuriosity: जिज्ञासाrestricted: बंदproven: साबितexceptional: विशेषfestival: पर्वsignificant: महत्वपूर्णdiscovery: खोजheritage: पुश्तैनीinsights: अंतर्दृष्टिancestral: पुश्तैनीreconnected: जोड़ा

'The institutional default is not the protection of students and staff, but damage control. You see it play out at SAU, IIT-BHU, RG Kar, and Durgapur. A sexual assault crisis is unfolding, across our higher educational institutions. It is bad enough that our campuses are demonstrably dangerous—as all public and private places in India tend to be. Some of the most prominent and horrifying cases of sexual violence over the last year have been reported from our colleges and universities, including the rape and murder of a junior doctor at RG Kar Medical College in Kolkata and the IIT-BHU gang-rape in Varanasi.' says ThePrint columnist Karanjeet Kaur----more----Read full article here: https://theprint.in/opinion/indian-universities-follow-the-same-template-on-sexual-assault-cover-up-blame-the-victim/2767603/

In the ancient alleys of Varanasi stands an abandoned photo studio — “Sharma Color Lab.” When a photographer named Amit enters it, he finds a camera that supposedly takes pictures by itself after midnight. Curious, he stays to witness the mystery. But each time the camera clicks, a ghostly figure appears closer in the photograph — until Amit himself disappears, and only the spirit remains. The next morning, a new picture emerges… waiting for its next subject.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hoy en Ferrolanos por el Mundo, hemos tenido el placer de viajar… sin movernos del estudio, gracias a María Xosé Vázquez, que acaba de regresar de su reciente aventura por India, ese fascinante país del sur de Asia lleno de colores, cultura y vida. María José nos contó cómo recorrió varias ciudades emblemáticas: Delhi, la capital; Agra, hogar del majestuoso Taj Mahal; Jaipur, la colorida capital de Rajasthan; y Bombai, la bulliciosa metrópolis de 25 millones de habitantes. Aunque no llegaron hasta Varanasi, cada lugar les ofreció experiencias inolvidables y un vistazo a la diversidad cultural que caracteriza a India. Entre los recuerdos más mágicos, María José destacó: La sonrisa de la gente local, que pese a las dificultades demuestra alegría y hospitalidad. El imponente Fuerte Amber en Jaipur. La impresionante estación Victoria de Bombai y la forma en que los trenes se llenan de gente en movimiento constante. El colorido de Jaipur, sus telas y mercados que nos transportan a otra época. María José también nos recordó que India no es solo un país de contrastes económicos, sino también de felicidad y riqueza cultural, un lugar donde la vida se vive de manera diferente y donde los turistas se sienten siempre bienvenidos. Tras este viaje de nueve días con un grupo de 26 ferroalterranos, ya se respira la ilusión de futuros viajes: un circuito por Andalucía en marzo, Nueva York en Semana Santa, y destinos tan atractivos como Estambul, Cappadocia, Egipto o Escocia. Gracias a María José por acercarnos la magia de India y demostrarnos que viajar no solo abre destinos, sino también corazones. 💛 #FerrolanosViajeros #India #MaríaJoséVázquez #ViajesConEncanto #CulturaYColor #TajMahal #Mumbai #Jaipur #Delhi #Agra

Querida comunidad hoy nos sumergimos en las aguas sagradas del Ganges para explorar Varanasi, la ciudad eterna de India. Gracias por estar aquí —¡ya superamos los 1,200 episodios y el millón de escuchas! Es pura magia gracias a ti, y me encanta compartirla.✈️ Recuerda, en mi web www.cesarsar.com propongo algunos viajes conmigo a diferentes lugares del mundo. Vámonos!

Integrative pharmacist Dr. Swathi Varanasi-Diaz says many people eat right and take the “right” remedies but never feel the results because their energy is out of sync with what they're using. Enter Quantum Ayurveda — the future of energy-based wellness that resyncs your energy, allowing your body to respond faster and more effectively to food and nutrients, without needing to load up on a lot of supplements or caffeine to make it through the day.In an interview, Dr. Swathi can share:Why your aura (or body's natural rhythms) actually has a measurable, scientific signature — and how that impacts your health.How the future of energy-based wellness will help you feel the difference faster.Practical, FREE everyday ways to “retune” your body's energy now — no lab coat or crystals required (including: moment, music, breath, nature and stillness).This is a perfect fall wellness segment, especially as we shift seasons - and energy systems start to shirt. Dr. Swathi bio and media samples: https://pitchpublicitynyc.com/experts/swathi-varanasi-diaz-pharm-d/Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/arroe-collins-unplugged-totally-uncut--994165/support.

We're back to our normal programming and talking points with Jane celebrating the successful launch of her latest collection of paintings with a new perfume the best symolizes it. We also discuss some of the new Balenciaga collection, the magical releases from Sage and Salt, and Jeff decides that maybe you can't wear just any perfume to the bakery. Put on your boots and lets get riding 'cause it's all that, a few movie recs, and The Game.Scents Mentioned in this Episode:Le Dix, Extra, Incense Perfumum, Muscara, No Comment, and Twenty Four Seven by Balenciaga / Cognac Reign and Black Magenta by DS & Durga / Epona by Papillon Perfumes / Ambilux by Marlou /  Portrait of A Lady by Frederic Malle / Rosarine by Dusita / Philtre by Hiram Green / Estate Carnation by Solstice Scents / Patchouli Mania by Essential Parfums / Luna Absolute and Moon Ring by Sage and Salt / Kyoto by Comme des Garçons / Varanasi by Meo Fusciuni / Original Musk by Kiehl's / Rotano by Maison d'Etto / Viole Nere by Meo Fusciuni / Muscs Koublai Khan by Serge Lutens / Fumabat by Couteau de Poche / Signature by Aedes de Venustas / Philtre by Hiram Green / Oud Palao, Tempo, and Volutes by Diptyque / Reve D'ossian by Oriza L Legrand / Fille En Aiguilles by Serge Lutens / 31 Rue Cambon by Chanel /Salome, Anubis, Hera, Bengale Rouge, and Tobacco Rose by Papillon / Chromodoro by Astrophil & Stella / Halfeti by Penhaligons / JHL by AramisThe Game:Jardins d'Armide by Oriza L Legrand / The Cut by Penhaligons / Whip by Le Galion / Vetiver Tonka by Hermes / Dryad by Papillon Perfumes / Nabati by Astrophil & Stella(00:00) - - Intro, Balenciaga, and DS & Durga (09:17) - - Jane Gallops Her Way to Papillon Country (16:42) - - Sage and Salt's New Perfumes (24:10) - - Scents We've Been Wearing (37:22) - - The Game Featured House - Sage and Salt's New Perfume CollectionMovie References:All That Heaven Allows (1955)Fréwaka (2024)Pillow Talk (1959)Shoutouts:Joseph ColbourneMidnight StinksPlease feel free to email us at hello@fragraphilia.com - Send us questions, comments, or recommendations. We can be found on TikTok and Instagram @fragraphilia

Fluent Fiction - Hindi: Mysteries of Varanasi: Unraveling the Enigma at the Ghats Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/hi/episode/2025-09-17-22-34-02-hi Story Transcript:Hi: वराणसी के घाटों पर आई हुई शरद ऋतु की ठंडी हवा के बीच नदियों की लहरें धीरे-धीरे बह रही थीं।En: On the banks of Varanasi's ghats, amidst the chilly winds of autumn, the river's waves were flowing gently.Hi: एक शाम, जब सूरज डूबने को था और घाटों पर दीप जलने लगे थे, वहाँ एक रहस्यमयी पैकेज ने लोगों की जिज्ञासा बढ़ा दी।En: One evening, when the sun was about to set and lamps were being lit on the ghats, a mysterious package piqued the curiosity of the people there.Hi: अरजुन, जिनकी आंखों में हमेशा जिज्ञासा झलकती थी, एक किश्तीवाले थे, जिन्होंने बचपन से ही इन घाटों को जीया था।En: Arjun, whose eyes always reflected curiosity, was a boatman who had lived through these ghats since childhood.Hi: उनके लिए यह नदी केवल जलधारा नहीं थी; यह उनका घर, उनका जीवन थी।En: For him, this river was not just a water stream; it was his home, his life.Hi: मीरा, एक आस्थावान तीर्थयात्री, जो नवदुर्गा के पूजा के लिए वहाँ आई थीं।En: Meera, a devout pilgrim, had come there for the worship of Navdurga.Hi: उनकी आँखों में एक अनोखी चमक थी, जो उनकी आध्यात्मिक खोज को जैवंत करती थी।En: Her eyes had a unique sparkle that vividly reflected her spiritual quest.Hi: साहिल, एक संदेहवादी पत्रकार, जो एक फीचर स्टोरी के अनुसंधान में थे, खुद भी घाटों की भावनाओं में बहे जा रहे थे।En: Sahil, a skeptical journalist researching a feature story, was himself getting swept up in the emotions of the ghats.Hi: घाटों पर नवदुर्गा की उत्सव मनोहरता के बीच, उस दिन एक पैकेज नदी के किनारे दिखा।En: Amidst the festive grandeur of Navdurga, a package appeared on the banks that day.Hi: लोगों के बीच हलचल मच गई।En: It caused a stir among the people.Hi: अरजुन का मन उस पैकेज को देख कर और अधिक जिज्ञासु हो उठा।En: Arjun's curiosity about the package grew stronger.Hi: उन्होंने पैकेज के पीछे की कहानी जानने का निर्णय किया।En: He decided to uncover the story behind it.Hi: इसके लिए, अरजुन ने मीरा और साहिल के साथ मिलकर काम करने का निश्चय किया।En: For this, Arjun resolved to work together with Meera and Sahil.Hi: उनके यह कदम उन सभी के लिए नए अनुभवों से भरा था।En: This step was filled with new experiences for all of them.Hi: मीरा ने अपने आस्था का सहारा लिया, जबकि साहिल ने तथ्य आधारित खोज का सहारा लिया।En: Meera relied on her faith, while Sahil turned to fact-based investigation.Hi: अरजुन ने अपने अनुभव और परिस्थिति की जानकारी से कहानी के धागे को जोड़ने की कोशिश की।En: Arjun tried to weave the story together using his experience and knowledge of the circumstances.Hi: तीनों ने मिलकर जब पैकेज खोला, तो उसमें कुछ रहस्यमयी चिह्न पाए।En: When the three of them opened the package, they found some mysterious symbols inside.Hi: उन चिह्नों ने उन्‍हें प्राचीन काल की एक रस्म की ओर इशारा किया, जो सीधे नवदुर्गा से जुड़ी थी।En: These symbols pointed them towards an ancient ritual directly associated with Navdurga.Hi: इस खोज ने घाटों और उनके संस्कारों के प्रति उन सब का सम्मान और बढ़ा दिया।En: This discovery deepened their respect for the ghats and their traditions.Hi: अंत में, एकता के इस प्रयास ने अरजुन को यह सिखाया कि किसी भी रहस्य की गहराई में झांकने के लिए विविध दृष्टिकोणों की ज़रूरत होती है।En: In the end, this effort of unity taught Arjun that delving into the depths of any mystery requires diverse perspectives.Hi: उन्होेंने सहयोग और विश्वास का महत्व समझा।En: He understood the importance of collaboration and trust.Hi: वह जानते थे कि हर व्यक्ति अपने अनोखे दृष्टिकोण और समझ के साथ इस संसार में एक अनोखी पहचान रखता है।En: He realized that every person holds a unique identity in this world with their distinctive perspective and understanding.Hi: गंगा की शांति, दीपों की झिलमिलाहट और घाटों का अबाध प्रवाह, इन तीनों में नई ऊर्जा और आस्था का संचार करने में सफल रहा।En: The serenity of the Ganga, the flicker of the lamps, and the unbroken flow of the ghats succeeded in infusing new energy and faith into the three of them.Hi: और काशी के घाट, अपनी शाश्वत कहानियों के साथ हर आगंतुक की आत्मा को स्पर्श करते रहे।En: And the ghats of Kashi, with their eternal stories, continued to touch the soul of every visitor. Vocabulary Words:ghats: घाटोंchilly: ठंडीcuriosity: जिज्ञासाmysterious: रहस्यमयीpeeked: झलकतीdevout: आस्थावानpilgrim: तीर्थयात्रीskeptical: संदेहवादीfeature: फीचरstir: हलचलuncover: जाननेresolved: निश्चय कियाcollaboration: सहयोगritual: रस्मflicker: झिलमिलाहटserenity: शांतिinfusing: संचारdiverse: विविधperspectives: दृष्टिकोणोंdistinctive: अनुभवidentity: पहचानsparkle: चमकquest: खोजswept: बहेemotions: भावनाओंgranduer: मनोहरताsymbols: चिह्नancient: प्राचीनrespect: सम्मानunbroken: अबाध

The Globetrottresses Nicole @behindthesecret.bsky.social & Sarah @sarahcarradine.bsky.social bring you Race Across The World season 5 episodes 4, 5 & 6. For Silent Podcasts International. They manage not to fall to their deaths in a ravine on their way to Varanasi, chase the Beatles to Rishikesh, and get rewarded with cake. Watch the show on BBC iPlayer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Integrative pharmacist Dr. Swathi Varanasi-Diaz says many people eat right and take the “right” remedies but never feel the results because their energy is out of sync with what they're using. Enter Quantum Ayurveda — the future of energy-based wellness that resyncs your energy, allowing your body to respond faster and more effectively to food and nutrients, without needing to load up on a lot of supplements or caffeine to make it through the day.In an interview, Dr. Swathi can share:Why your aura (or body's natural rhythms) actually has a measurable, scientific signature — and how that impacts your health.How the future of energy-based wellness will help you feel the difference faster.Practical, FREE everyday ways to “retune” your body's energy now — no lab coat or crystals required (including: moment, music, breath, nature and stillness).This is a perfect fall wellness segment, especially as we shift seasons - and energy systems start to shirt. Dr. Swathi bio and media samples: https://pitchpublicitynyc.com/experts/swathi-varanasi-diaz-pharm-d/Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/arroe-collins-like-it-s-live--4113802/support.

In the basement of a haunted haveli in Varanasi, dozens of bells hang—yet each night, one falls silent. Legends whisper that every missing tone is a stolen voice, trapped forever in brass. Those who hear the next silence feel their breath turn into that very sound. And once their bell appears on the wall… it never stops waiting. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

⸻ Podcast: Redefining Society and Technologyhttps://redefiningsocietyandtechnologypodcast.com ______Title: Tech Entrepreneur and Author's AI Prediction - The Last Book Written by a Human Interview  | A Conversation with Jeff Burningham | Redefining Society And Technology Podcast With Marco Ciappelli______Guest: Jeff Burningham Tech Entrepreneur. Investor. National Best Selling Author. Explorer of Human Potential. My book #TheLastBookWrittenByAHuman is available now.On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-burningham-15a01a7b/Book: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Last-Book-Written-by-a-Human/Jeff-Burningham/9781637634561#:~:text=*%20Why%20the%20development%20of%20AI,in%20the%20age%20of%20AI.Host: Marco CiappelliCo-Founder & CMO @ITSPmagazine | Master Degree in Political Science - Sociology of Communication l Branding & Marketing Advisor | Journalist | Writer | Podcast Host | #Technology #Cybersecurity #Society

The evolution of tattooing has been profoundly shaped by artistic trends and public perception, particularly in recent years. As discussed in the podcast episode featuring one of the world's most prolific and respected tattoo artists, Filip Leu, there has been a significant shift towards realism in tattoo art, which has gained popularity among both artists and clients. Aaron Della Vedova and Filip reflect on their early careers, noting that while there were many skilled tattoo artists, the quality of art varied widely, with a considerable number of less experienced practitioners. Today, however, the standards have risen dramatically, making it increasingly challenging for newcomers to distinguish themselves. In this episode, sponsored by Bishop Tattoo Supply ( https://bishoptattoosupply.com/ ), we dive into Filip's inspiring journey, a groundbreaking figure in the tattoo world known for his large-format body suits. Aaron also shares a personal reflection on how discovering Filip's work transformed his approach to tattooing, shifting from traditional small designs to ambitious, expansive compositions that beautifully adorn the human body. The episode highlights Filip's influence on artists and enthusiasts alike, celebrating his role as a hero in the tattoo community. Additionally, the host discusses the Tattoo Heritage Project, founded by Good Time Charlie, which is dedicated to preserving American tattoo history. Listeners are encouraged to explore the project's initiatives, including a traveling tattoo museum and the newly debuted film "Dare to Dream." Tune in for an episode filled with passion, inspiration, and a deep appreciation for the art of tattooing. Chat Breakdown: 00:01:15 - Tattoo Heritage Project 00:03:06 - Art Techniques and Body Drawing 00:04:06 - Filip Leu's Tattooing Career and Workload 00:07:00 - Tattooing Techniques and Longevity 00:09:15 - Physical Challenges in Tattooing 00:11:25 - Realism in Tattooing and Its Longevity 00:16:02 - Challenges for New Tattoo Artists 00:20:01 - The Meaning and Motivation Behind Tattoos 00:23:16 - Facial Tattoos and Extreme Body Modifications 00:26:08 - Ignorant Style Tattoos and Full Black Arms 00:30:00 - Spiritual and Philosophical Reflections on Tattooing 00:37:00 - Robotics and the Future of Tattooing 00:39:31 - DNA and Human Progress 00:44:01 - Lessons from DMT and Life Reflections 00:54:03 - Life-changing experience in Varanasi. 01:02:30 - Energy exchange in tattooing. 01:21:06 - Tattoo machine technology and preferences. Quotes: "What's the colour that heals the fastest? And I didn't get it right, because the answer is skin." "Tattooing seems to me at this phase as this process of elimination almost. It's like we're spending our whole careers figuring out what we didn't need to do." “The public is steering where tattooing is going." "I was taken aback that I didn't have, until now, The fucking balls to do that to somebody's body, because it's so individual, so distinct, such a statement, artistically speaking." "It's all a way for me to, or a person to say, look at me. I'm a unique individual. I'm not just a number. I'm different." "That's the other side of tattooing, the big fuck you." "What's the point of worrying about shit you can't fucking change or control?" "I refuse to feel guilty for the way I want to waste my life. It's my life to waste." "I guess for each person would have to answer that question. I'm thinking about myself right now and being honest enough to admit a lot of it, I think it's my ego." "I walked out of that afternoon like, oh my god, I'm a meat puppet. I'm a meat bag. Like, wow, this is not permanent." "A very sensitive art student would never have made it. He couldn't survive that environment." "I went back and cried in the hotel that night, told my mom I couldn't go back the next day, because I realized how shit I was." "It's when it goes all wrong, right, it's all pear-shaped, and suddenly you realize just what a fucked up, job it is. It's so hard." "Let go of all these dragons and demons and skulls and samurais and all this shit and let's just get into the beauty of decorating." "You'll fucking blow a line out, like, on a shin bone or something, like, you know, quickly." Stay Connected: Chats & Tatts: Website: http://www.chatsandtatts.com⁠ Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@chatsandtatts  IG: http://www.instagram.com/chatsandtatts Chats & Tatts YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/chatsandtatts Connect with Aaron:⁠   Aaron IG:⁠ http://www.instagram.com/aarondellavedova⁠ Guru Tattoo: http://www.Gurutattoo.com Connect with Filip: IG: https://www.instagram.com/filipleu    

Check out BeerBiceps SkillHouse's YouTube 1O1 Course - https://youtube.beerbicepsskillhouse.in/youtube-101Share your guest suggestions hereMail - connect@beerbiceps.comLink - https://forms.gle/aoMHY9EE3Cg3Tqdx9BeerBiceps SkillHouse को Social Media पर Follow करे :-YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2-Y36TqZ5MH6N1cWpmsBRQ Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/beerbiceps_skillhouseWebsite : https://beerbicepsskillhouse.inFor any other queries EMAIL: support@beerbicepsskillhouse.comIn case of any payment-related issues, kindly write to support@tagmango.comLevel Supermind - Mind Performance App को Download करिए यहाँ से

Janmashtami - Why Krishna descends Varanasi youth Gita 4.8 - Chaitanya Charan by Exploring mindfulness, yoga and spirituality

fWotD Episode 3024: Rani of Jhansi Welcome to featured Wiki of the Day, your daily dose of knowledge from Wikipedia's finest articles.The featured article for Friday, 15 August 2025, is Rani of Jhansi.The Rani of Jhansi (born Manikarnika Tambe; 1828 or 1835 – 18 June 1858), also known as Rani Lakshmibai, was one of the leading figures of the Indian Rebellion of 1857. The queen consort of the princely state of Jhansi from 1843 to 1853, she assumed its leadership after the outbreak of conflict and fought several battles against the British. Her life and deeds are celebrated in modern India and she remains a potent symbol of Indian nationalism.Born into a Marathi family in Varanasi, Manikarnika Tambe was married to the raja of Jhansi, Gangadhar Rao, at a young age, taking the name Rani Lakshmibai. The couple had one son but he died young, and so when Gangadhar Rao was on his deathbed in 1853, he adopted Damodar Rao, a young relative, to be his successor. The British East India Company, the overlord of Jhansi, refused to recognise this succession and annexed Jhansi under the Doctrine of Lapse, ignoring the Rani's vigorous protests to the Governor-General Lord Dalhousie.In May 1857, the Indian troops stationed at Jhansi mutinied and massacred most of the British in the town; the Rani's complicity and participation in these events was and remains contested. She took over rulership of Jhansi and recruited an army to see off incursions from neighbouring states. Although her relations with the British were initially neutral, they decided to treat her as an enemy: Major General Hugh Rose attacked and captured Jhansi in March and April 1858. The Rani escaped the siege on horseback and joined other rebel leaders at Kalpi, where Rose defeated them on 22 May. The rebels fled to Gwalior Fort, where they made their last stand; the Rani died there in battle.After the rebellion, the Rani's name and actions became closely associated with nationalist movements in India. Her legend, influenced by Hindu mythology, became hugely influential because of its universal applicability. She was regarded as a great heroine by the Indian independence movement and remains revered in modern India, although Dalit communities tend to view her negatively. Rani Lakshmibai has been extensively depicted in artwork, cinema, and literature, most notably in the 1930 poem "Jhansi Ki Rani" and Vrindavan Lal Verma's 1946 novel Jhansi ki Rani Lakshmi Bai.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 00:20 UTC on Friday, 15 August 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Rani of Jhansi on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm generative Ruth.

Fluent Fiction - Hindi: Rediscovering Trust: A Rainy Morning in Varanasi Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/hi/episode/2025-07-31-22-34-02-hi Story Transcript:Hi: वाराणसी के मशहूर मंदिर के प्रांगण में सुबह की धूप मोती की तरह चमक रही थी।En: In the courtyard of the famous temple in Varanasi, the morning sunlight was sparkling like pearls.Hi: चारों तरफ से गंगा की बहती धारा के बीच आस्था का माहौल था।En: All around, amidst the flowing stream of the Ganga, there was an atmosphere of devotion.Hi: अचानक बादल घिर आए और बारिश होने लगी।En: Suddenly, clouds gathered and it started to rain.Hi: बारिश में लोग तीव्रता से छतरियों के नीचे सिमट गए।En: In the rain, people quickly huddled under umbrellas.Hi: मीरा, जो एक सम्मानित महिला थी, मंदिर में पूजा करने गई थी।En: Meera, a respected woman, had gone to the temple to pray.Hi: उसके गले में उसके दादी का आशीर्वाद दिया हुआ नेकलेस था, जो पीढ़ियों से उनके परिवार की विरासत का प्रतीक था।En: Around her neck was a necklace blessed by her grandmother, which symbolized her family's heritage for generations.Hi: परंतु, भीड़ के बीच वह नेकलेस गायब हो गया।En: However, amid the crowd, that necklace disappeared.Hi: मीरा हैरान हो गई।En: Meera was astonished.Hi: उसके दिल ने धड़कना बढ़ा दिया।En: Her heart began to race.Hi: उसने तुरंत अपने दोस्तों आरव और कबीर को यह बात बताई।En: She immediately shared the incident with her friends Aarav and Kabir.Hi: आरव एक सतर्क और दृढ़ युवक था।En: Aarav was a vigilant and determined young man.Hi: वह बचपन से ही मीरा के साथ बड़ा हुआ था और उससे गहरे प्रभावित था।En: He had grown up with Meera since childhood and was deeply influenced by her.Hi: यह मौका आरव के लिए था, उसके दिल की भावनाओं को साबित करने का।En: This was an opportunity for Aarav to prove his feelings for her.Hi: कबीर, जो परम्परागत मान्यताओं पर शक करता था, बावजूद इसके, उसने अपने दोस्तों की मदद करने का निर्णय लिया।En: Kabir, who was skeptical about traditional beliefs, nonetheless decided to help his friends.Hi: मंदिर की भीड़ में आरव ने कबीर से हाथ मिलाया।En: In the crowded temple, Aarav shook hands with Kabir.Hi: कबीर ने उसे सुझाव दिया कि वे हर किसी से उनके इरादों के बारे में पूछें ताकि कोई संदेहास्पद व्यक्ति पहचाना जा सके।En: Kabir suggested that they ask everyone about their intentions so that any suspicious person could be identified.Hi: बारिश तेज हो रही थी।En: The rain was intensifying.Hi: लोग इधर-उधर दौड़ने लगे।En: People began to run here and there.Hi: उस बीच, आरव ने देखा कि एक छोटा बच्चा मंदिर के गलियारे में भाग रहा था।En: Amidst this, Aarav noticed a small child running in the temple corridor.Hi: उसकी गतिविधियाँ संदिग्ध थीं।En: His actions were suspicious.Hi: आरव और कबीर उसके पास गए और उससे पूछताछ की।En: Aarav and Kabir approached him and interrogated him.Hi: बच्चे ने थोड़ी झिझक के बाद माना कि वह और उसके दोस्त खेल-खेल में नेकलेस उठा कर चले गए थे, यह समझते बिना कि उसका महत्व क्या है।En: After a bit of hesitation, the child admitted that he and his friends had picked up the necklace while playing, not understanding its significance.Hi: फिर, आरव, मीरा और कबीर उस बच्चे के साथ उसके दोस्त के पास चले गए।En: Then, Aarav, Meera, and Kabir went with the child to his friend's place.Hi: वहां, वे मुस्कान के साथ नेकलेस पाकर राहत महसूस करने लगे।En: There, they felt relieved upon receiving the necklace with smiles.Hi: मीरा का गुस्सा जल्द ही खुशी में बदल गया।En: Meera's anger soon turned to happiness.Hi: उसने नेकलेस वापस गले में पहना और आरव की ओर देखने लगी।En: She wore the necklace around her neck again and looked at Aarav.Hi: उसकी आँखों में अब आरव के लिए विशेष सम्मान था।En: There was now a special respect for him in her eyes.Hi: यह घटना आरव, मीरा और कबीर के बीच के बंधन को और गहरा कर गई।En: This incident further deepened the bond between Aarav, Meera, and Kabir.Hi: आरव ने आत्मविश्वास पाया और मीरा ने उसकी भावनाओं को समझना शुरु कर दिया।En: Aarav found confidence, and Meera began to understand his feelings.Hi: वहीं, कबीर का मन भी संस्कृति की मान्यताओं के प्रति सम्मान से भर गया।En: Meanwhile, Kabir's mind was also filled with respect for cultural beliefs.Hi: बारिश थम गई थी, लेकिन गंगा की लहरों के साथ बहा मीरा का विश्वास था, जो न केवल उसके नेकलेस को वापस पा चुका था, बल्कि उसके दोस्तों के प्यार और समर्थन को भी।En: The rain had stopped, but along with the waves of the Ganga, Meera's trust flowed, having not only regained her necklace but also her friends' love and support. Vocabulary Words:courtyard: प्रांगणsparkling: चमक रही थीhuddled: सिमट गएastonished: हैरानvigilant: सतर्कdetermined: दृढ़skeptical: शकintentions: इरादोंintensifying: तेज हो रही थीinterrogated: पूछताछhesitation: झिझकadmitted: मानाrelieved: राहतrespect: सम्मानbond: बंधनconfidence: आत्मविश्वासheritage: विरासतamidst: बीचdisappeared: गायबgathered: घिर आएintensifying: तीव्रता सेcorridor: गलियारेsignificance: महत्वdoubtfully: संदेहास्पदintentions: इरादोंhappiness: खुशीadmitted: मानाamid: बीचinterrogated: पूछताछemotions: भावनाओं

Being a pharmacist is exciting–as long as you're willing to try new things. These are wise words from my returning guest on today's podcast, who has been paving the way for integrative pharmacy. Dr. Swathi Varanasi is an award-winning pharmacist passionate about the intersection of personalized medicine, patient outcomes, and innovation. With experience spanning patient care, biotech, research, academia, and consumer product goods, Dr. Swathi has paved the way for healthcare professionals to pursue non-traditional career paths through creating postdoctoral training programs, industry internships, and online educational programs. She co-founded and serves as Chief Scientific Officer of the Life Sciences Division at Element Apothec, and serves as a Principal Investigator at contract research organization, Citruslabs. Dr. Swathi received her Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) at the Medical University of South Carolina and Bachelor of Arts (BA) at Carleton College. She was the first-ever pharmacist in the United States with formal residency training to specialize in integrative medicine and preventative health. She also completed a postdoctoral fellowship in Medical Affairs in biotech and has training in nutrition from Cornell University. Dr. Swathi has served as faculty and guest lectures at colleges and universities across the country. She is an advisor and consultant for a number of for-profit and nonprofit organizations aiming to make the world a healthier place for us to live–and thrive. She has been published in peer-reviewed academic journals and featured in Yahoo, mindbodygreen, Well+Good, Entrepreneur, Forbes Health, and more. In 2023, Dr. Swathi was voted one of the 50 Most Influential Leaders in Pharmacy. Connect with Dr. Swathi via: Email: swathimvaranasi@gmail.com  FB: Doctor Swathi  IG: @drswathivaranasi Linked In:Dr. Swathi Varanasi  Check out our earlier episode here: https://www.marinabuksov.com/s03e03-paving-the-unconventional-path-with-integrative-pharmacist-dr-swathi-varanasi/ 

What if your spine holds the blueprint to your entire spiritual journey? What if every trauma, every breakthrough, every stage of awakening creates a specific energetic pattern that can be read like a map? In this profound conversation, we explore the revolutionary concept that your nervous system's capacity for safety directly determines how far you can travel on the path of consciousness.Meet Dr Alec Verkuilen-Brogan, founder of Geometry of Grace and master practitioner of the transformational arts. With decades of study under traditional teachers from Varanasi, India, Alec has developed the rare ability to read the energetic patterns stored in your spine and translate them into precise spiritual development maps. His work bridges ancient wisdom with modern nervous system science, helping people understand exactly where they are on their awakening journey and what specific work is needed to progress to the next stage.What You'll Discover:Why your spine is actually the most physical expression of the spiritual world – and how this changes everything about how you approach inner workThe shocking truth about why psychedelics create states but not stages – and what you actually need to build lasting spiritual developmentHow to identify your specific "geometry of trauma" – the precise energetic patterns that keep you stuck and exactly where they're stored in your bodyWhy most people can't access bliss even when they desperately want to – and the specific interference patterns that block your natural sensitivity to life's beautyThe safety paradox that determines your spiritual ceiling – how your nervous system's capacity for safety literally controls how much awakening you can handleHow to read the developmental map of consciousness – understanding exactly which stage you're in and what paradigm shift is needed to evolve to the next levelWhy chasing spiritual highs actually keeps you stuck – and how to identify where you're spiritually bypassing your real workThe moment when personal will becomes divine will – recognizing when you've developed enough coherence to trust your desires as cosmic guidanceThis conversation is a masterclass in understanding the precise mechanics of consciousness. If you've ever felt stuck on your path, wondered why some practices don't create lasting change, or sensed a deeper map to awakening no one has shown you, this episode will shift how you approach inner work. Alec reveals the hidden geometry behind spiritual growth and gives you tools to read your energetic blueprint. Your spine holds the records of your soul's journey – it's time to learn how to read them.Connect with Alec:Email contact: geometryofgrace@gmail.comInstagram: @geometryofgraceLegal Disclaimer: The information and opinions discussed in this podcast are for educational and entertainment purposes only. The host and guests are not medical or mental health professionals, and their advice should not be a substitute for seeking professional help. Any action taken based on the information presented is strictly at your own risk. The podcast host and their guests shall have neither liability nor responsibility to any person or entity with respect to any loss, damage, or injury caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by information shared in this podcast. Consult your physician before making any changes to your mental health treatment or lifestyle. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest today is someone I'm lucky enough to have known personally for many years, so getting the chance to interview him today was a real treat. Aastish Taseer is a writer and thinker who straddles many cultures – Indian, American, British – and this cultural journey infuses his writing with refined and penetrative insights. I first met him in India, when I was living in Delhi and he took me under his wing and introduced me around & gave me some great tips on how to navigate this massive city. In the past, I've really appreciated his work and always recommended it, such as his novel “The Way Things Were”, a multi-generational Indian family saga, and his non-fiction work, like “The Twice Born” where he wrote about contemporary challenges to the ancient ways of the Brahmin caste in the holy city of Varanasi in India. When I heard that he had a new book out called “A Return to Self”, where his travels to sacred and remote sites around the world would be viewed through his own complex sense of identity, I could not wait any longer and immediately called him to get an interview.   In our chat today, we dig into some questions surrounding belonging, identity, exploration and exile. I hope you enjoy listening to it as much as I enjoyed recording it.Lit with Charles loves reviews. If you enjoyed this episode, I'd be so grateful if you could leave a review of your own, and follow me on Instagram at @litwithcharles. Let's get more people listening – and reading!Aatish Taseer's four books were:Survivors in Mexico, Rebecca West (2011)In Light of India, Octavio Paz (1995)A Bend in the River, V. S. Naipaul (1979)My Friends, Hisham Matar (2024)

En este episodio conversé con Juliana Aldana, líder en tecnología y producto, que decidió detener su carrera hace unos meses para emprender un viaje interior: migración, yoga, burnout y el Mahakumbh Mela en India, el festival espiritual más grande del mundo.

Fluent Fiction - Hindi: Rainy Night Courage: A Tale from Varanasi's Sacred Ghats Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/hi/episode/2025-07-01-22-34-02-hi Story Transcript:Hi: वाराणसी के घाटों पर गंगा की पवित्र लहरें तटों से टकराकर अपनी अमृतमय ध्वनि से लोगों के मन में श्रद्धा का संचार कर रहीं थीं।En: On the ghats of Varanasi, the holy waves of the Ganga collided with the shores, emanating a divine sound that instilled devotion in people's hearts.Hi: गुरु पूर्णिमा की इस विशेष रात्रि में, हर ओर भक्ति का माहौल था।En: On this special night of Guru Purnima, the atmosphere everywhere was filled with devotion.Hi: बारिश का मौसम अपने साथ मौन और शांति लेकर आया था, जब बारिश की बूंदें घाट की पत्थरीले सीढ़ियों पर टपक रहीं थीं।En: The rainy season had brought along with it silence and peace as raindrops were falling on the stone steps of the ghat.Hi: रोहन, एक स्थानीय गाइड, अपने दो मेहमानों - मीरा और अंजलि को घाटों का महत्व समझा रहा था।En: Rohan, a local guide, was explaining the significance of the ghats to his two guests - Meera and Anjali.Hi: मीरा एक वैज्ञानिक थी जो दुर्लभ पौधों के नमूने इकट्ठा करने आई थी।En: Meera was a scientist who had come to collect rare plant samples.Hi: अंजलि अपने आंतरिक डर को दूर करने की इच्छा लेकर यहाँ आई थी।En: Anjali came with the desire to overcome her inner fears.Hi: घनघोर बारिश के बीच, घाटों की ओर जाते हुए अचानक मीरा चिल्ला उठी।En: Amidst the heavy rain, while heading towards the ghats, suddenly Meera screamed.Hi: किसी ने ध्यान नहीं दिया, पर रोहन ने देखा कि मीरा के पैर पर सांप ने काट लिया था।En: No one paid attention, but Rohan noticed that a snake had bitten Meera's foot.Hi: बारिश और आधी गीली सड़कों के कारण पास के अस्पताल तक पहुंचना मुश्किल हो रहा था।En: Due to the rain and the half-wet roads, reaching the nearest hospital was becoming difficult.Hi: रोहन ने बिना सोचे समझे निर्णय लिया कि वह मदद लाने जाएगा।En: Rohan made a quick decision to go for help without hesitation.Hi: वह त्वरित कदमों से दौड़ पड़ा।En: He ran with swift steps.Hi: उधर अंजलि, जिसका सामना सांपों से होने से भयभीत करती थी, ने अपना डर दूर करते हुए मीरा की देखभाल करने का निश्चय किया।En: Meanwhile, Anjali, who was terrified of encountering snakes, decided to take care of Meera while overcoming her fear.Hi: उसने अपने पास मौजूद प्राथमिक चिकित्सा जानकारियों का उपयोग किया और मीरा को संभालने की कोशिश की।En: She used her available first aid knowledge and tried to manage Meera.Hi: बारिश की हर बूंद के साथ समय की मूल्यता बढ़ रही थी।En: With each drop of rain, the value of time was increasing.Hi: मीरा की हालत बिगड़ने लगी, पर रोहन हार नहीं मानी।En: Meera's condition started deteriorating, but Rohan did not give up.Hi: वह थके हुए शरीर और गीले वस्त्रों के साथ एक स्थानीय चिकित्सक को लेकर वापस आया।En: He returned with a local doctor, despite his tired body and wet clothes.Hi: चिकित्सक ने तुरंत इलाज़ किया और मीरा की स्थिति में सुधार होने लगा।En: The doctor immediately provided treatment, and Meera's condition began to improve.Hi: घाट की सीढ़ियों पर बैठे हुए, तीनों ने राहत की सांस ली।En: Sitting on the steps of the ghat, the three of them breathed a sigh of relief.Hi: अंजलि ने पाया कि उसे आत्मविश्वास और साहस मिला था।En: Anjali found that she had gained confidence and courage.Hi: मीरा ने स्थानीय ज्ञान की अहमियत को समझा और रोहन ने एक गाइड के रूप में अपने कर्तव्य पर गर्व महसूस किया।En: Meera understood the importance of local knowledge, and Rohan felt proud of his duty as a guide.Hi: बारिश अब रुक चुकी थी।En: The rain had now stopped.Hi: गंगा की शांत लहरों ने जैसे सबके दिलों में नई आशा भर दी हो।En: The calm waves of the Ganga seemed to fill everyone's hearts with new hope.Hi: तीनों ने घाट पर बैठकर एक-दूसरे के साथ कहानी साझा की और भविष्य की योजनाओं पर बात की।En: The three of them sat on the ghat sharing stories with each other and talked about future plans.Hi: एक साधारण सी रात ने उनके जीवन में स्थायी बदलावा लाकर उन्हें और भी मजबूत बना दिया।En: An ordinary night had brought a lasting change in their lives, making them even stronger. Vocabulary Words:ghats: घाटोंholy: पवित्रcollided: टकराकरemanating: संचारdivine: अमृतमयdevotion: श्रद्धाinstilled: भराsignificance: महत्वsamples: नमूनेscreamed: चिल्लाbite: काटhesitation: बिना सोचे समझेswift: त्वरितterrified: भयभीतovercoming: दूर करनाavailable: मौजूदdeteriorating: बिगड़नेsigh: सांसrelief: राहतcourage: साहसproud: गर्वcalm: शांतwaves: लहरेंconfidence: आत्मविश्वासimportance: अहमियतhopes: आशाlasting: स्थायीknowledge: ज्ञानplans: योजनाओंduty: कर्तव्य

Querida comunidad hoy viajamos a India una verz más para explorar Diwali, la Fiesta de las Luces, que ilumina calles y corazones, este año desde el 21 de octubre. Descubriremos qué es, cómo se celebra en Varanasi y Jaipur, y su importancia cultural. Hablaremos de curiosidades, como récords de lámparas, y daremos consejos para disfrutarlo en 2025. De todo esto te hablé en la primera temporada de la serie, pero me he animado a dedicarle un podcast monográfico. Espero que sea de tú interés. Gracias por estar aquí escuchando este podcast —¡ya vamos por más de 1,000 episodios juntos! Somos una comunidad que no para de crecer, rozando las 900,000 escuchas al mes, y eso es pura magia, ¡gracias a ti! Esto es una locura y me encanta compartirlo contigo. Por cierto, si viajas y quieres estar conectado tengo un código de descuento de 5% para tí en tu próxima eSim de HolaFly https://holafly.sjv.io/N94mdN el código de descuento es ELTURISTA Que lo disfrutes. Todavía no he pulsado el botón de ‘monetizar' porque quiero que nada interrumpa esta aventura: ni anuncios, ni pausas, solo tú y yo explorando el mundo. Pero te necesito: ¿me echas una mano? Dame 5 estrellas y deja una reseña, son 30 segundos para ti y un empujón enorme para mí.  Tú también puedes ser parte activa: ¿tienes ideas para futuros episodios? Envíame un audio de hasta 1 minuto por Instagram o Facebook —puedes mandar varios si necesitas más tiempo—. Búscame como https://www.instagram.com/cesarsar_elturista/ , CesarSar en FB  https://www.facebook.com/CesarSar/  o suscríbete a mi canal de YouTube  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC55ZMnqfOlSc7uWbIEM4bDw ¿Prefieres escribirme? Mándame un correo a viajes@cesarsar.com , y si quieres, incluye una nota de voz.  Si sueñas con un viaje perfecto, déjame ayudarte. Como viajero consultor, pongo a tus pies mis 135 países recorridos y tres vueltas al mundo —¡eso son muchas historias que contar! Escríbeme al mismo mail y organicemos juntos tu próximo gran viaje, para que vivas, disfrutes y sueñes a lo grande, porque un buen viaje es pura vida. Además, he vuelto a lanzar viajes en grupo, así que estate atento a mis redes: ¡podríamos explorar el mundo juntos!  Y si te mola este podcast y quieres darme un extra de apoyo con la serie de tv, deja un comentario en mi post de BuenViaje en IG: https://www.instagram.com/p/CrKqoyzubKZ/?  Un abrazo enorme, comunidad. Compartir es vivir, ¡y contigo esto cobra sentido!Aquí algunas de las plataformas donde está disponible el podcast. Apple Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/es/podcast/c%C3%A9sar-sar-el-turista/id1592890080Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/14Gs7rhzsYoaQe5Nh05SsI?si=HMPa8pfqSKWSSf0ZtIQGKgIVOOX https://go.ivoox.com/sq/1396585#Viajes #ViajesBarartos #Viajes #Viajessostenibles #Consejosdeviajes #Viajesfelices #Podcastdeviajes #Vueltaalmundo #Diwali #India #Festivales #Hiduismo

Garima Arora is the India born chef of the two Michelin star restaurant Gaa in Bangkok, Thailand. She is the only female Indian chef with two Michelin stars. Garima has been working tirelessly to awaken the transformative potential of Indian cuisine both in India and abroad for many years. She developed a non-profit called Food Forward India, that documents, discover and catalogue the diversity and complexity of Indian food and the culture surrounding it, and is also a judge on MasterChef India, one of the most wide-reaching culinary television shows on earth.In our conversation, we speak of how the perception of Indian food has changed since she opened the restaurant. I spent two months in the country when I was 25, traveling on 3rd class trains everywhere, going from the Himalayas in the north to Goa in the south, and the border with Pakistan in the west to Varanasi in the east. Aside of being one of the most impactful periods of my life, I tasted so many things that were new to me and I haven't seen since. Indian food, the cuisine of a massive landscape with hundreds of ecosystems and more people than any other country on the planet, was, for many years, reduced to a handful of curries and breads outside of the country. It's so vast and rich and has been bottled up within India for so long, but suddenly it's starting to spread. This is very much a big moment for Indian food outside of India. Tresind Studio in Dubai was just awarded 3 Michelin stars. Semma in New York was named the best restaurant in the city by The New York Times. And within India there is a lot going on too, not just with fine dining restaurants, but at the street level there is an energy there that is growing by the day. This is a cuisine, sorry not a cuisine, but thousands of them, that have been overlooked for far too long.Aside of trying to juggle parenting with chef life and her early career as a journalist, Garima talks about her work at Gaa. She tells us about the historic Thai house that was moved in pieces to Bangkok and reassembled with the help of a modern architecture firm to create the setting of the restaurant. She tells us how she cooks the Thai fruit durian on a tandoor oven as her main course, which sounds like one of the most delicious things ever.READ MORE at NEW WORLDER.

Fluent Fiction - Hindi: Holi's Transformative Hues: A Tale of Spiritual Awakening Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/hi/episode/2025-05-26-22-34-02-hi Story Transcript:Hi: गंगा नदी के तट पर, प्राचीन वाराणसी में, होली का त्योहार पूरी रौनक पर था।En: On the banks of the Ganga River, in the ancient city of Varanasi, the festival of Holi was in full swing.Hi: वसंत ऋतु की ठंडी बयार में भक्त जन रंगों में डूबे हुए थे।En: In the cool breeze of spring, the devotees were immersed in colors.Hi: हर ओर गुलाल उड़ रहे थे।En: Gulal was flying in every direction.Hi: आकाश में हर रंग के चिह्न बन गए थे।En: Symbols of every color appeared in the sky.Hi: वहीं गंगा के किनारे पर, एक साधारण से दिखने वाले विद्वान, आरव, ध्यान में बैठे थे।En: There, by the banks of the Ganga, sat a seemingly simple scholar, Aarav, in meditation.Hi: आरव अपनी जिंदगी का अर्थ और गहरे आध्यात्मिक सत्य खोज रहे थे।En: Aarav was searching for the meaning of his life and deeper spiritual truths.Hi: दूसरी ओर थी इशिता, एक प्रतिभावान कलाकार।En: On the other hand, there was Ishita, a talented artist.Hi: इशिता को नई प्रेरणा और स्वतंत्रता की तलाश थी।En: Ishita was in search of new inspiration and freedom.Hi: रंगों के इस उत्सव में, वो अपनी रचनात्मकता को पंख देने को तैयार थी।En: In this festival of colors, she was ready to give wings to her creativity.Hi: समाज की बेड़ियों को चुनौती देना चाहती थी।En: She wanted to challenge the chains of society.Hi: आरव और इशिता का पहली बार इस पवित्र मौके पर मिलना था।En: It was for the first time that Aarav and Ishita were meeting during this sacred occasion.Hi: आरव ने सोचा कि इस रंगीन त्योहार के पवित्र अनुष्ठानों में भाग लेने से उसे अपने आध्यात्मिक लक्ष्य को पा सकने में मदद मिलेगी।En: Aarav thought that by participating in the sacred rituals of this colorful festival, he would be helped in achieving his spiritual goals.Hi: वहीं, इशिता ने खुद को नए अनुभवों के लिए खोला।En: Meanwhile, Ishita opened herself to new experiences.Hi: जब आरव और इशिता का पहली बार सामना हुआ, तो उनके भीतर एक अनकही पहचान जाग उठी।En: When Aarav and Ishita encountered each other for the first time, a silent recognition awoke within them.Hi: जब आरव और इशिता ने होली के रंगों में एक-दूसरे को रंग दिया, तो मानो दोनों के मन का बोझ हल्का हो गया।En: When Aarav and Ishita colored each other in the hues of Holi, it was as if a weight was lifted from their minds.Hi: आसमान में जो रंग बिखर रहे थे, वे उनके भीतर भी फैल गए थे।En: The colors that were spreading in the sky also spread within them.Hi: ऐसा लगा जैसे जीवन की किसी नायाब खुशी को उन्होंने छू लिया हो।En: It felt as if they had touched a rare joy of life.Hi: रंगों की उस बारिश ने उनके अंदर के बंधनों को मिटा दिया।En: The downpour of colors erased the bindings inside them.Hi: इस चकाचौंध भरे अनुभव ने आरव को उसकी किताबों और पुरानी धारणाओं से बाहर निकलने का साहस दिया।En: This dazzling experience gave Aarav the courage to step out of his books and old beliefs.Hi: उसने महसूस किया कि जीवन का अर्थ पन्नों से परे, अनुभवों में छिपा है।En: He realized that the meaning of life lies beyond the pages, hidden in experiences.Hi: इशिता ने तय किया कि यह नया अनुभव उसकी कला में नई दिशा और ऊंचाई देगा।En: Ishita decided that this new experience would give a new direction and height to her art.Hi: उसने अपने जीवन को स्वतंत्रता से जीने का संकल्प लिया।En: She resolved to live her life with freedom.Hi: इस तरह, होली ने आरव और इशिता को उनकी जंजीरों से आजाद किया।En: In this way, Holi liberated Aarav and Ishita from their chains.Hi: आरव ने अनपेक्षित रास्तों को अपनाया, और इशिता ने आजादी की सच्ची परिभाषा को अपनी कला में उतारा।En: Aarav embraced unexpected paths, and Ishita imparted the true definition of freedom in her art.Hi: गंगा की लहरों की तरह, दोनों के जीवन में भी तरंगें उठने लगीं, जो उन्हें आनंद की ओर लेकर गईं।En: Like the waves of the Ganga, waves began to rise in both of their lives, leading them towards bliss.Hi: और वाराणसी के उन पवित्र घाटों पर, होली ने एक नई कहानी लिख दी।En: And on those sacred ghats of Varanasi, Holi penned a new story. Vocabulary Words:banks: तटancient: प्राचीनfestival: त्योहारdevotees: भक्तimmersed: डूबेbreeze: बयारdirection: दिशाseemingly: साधारण सेmeditation: ध्यानtruths: सत्यinspiration: प्रेरणाfreedom: स्वतंत्रताchains: बेड़ियोंrituals: अनुष्ठानोंencountered: सामनाhues: रंगोंsilence: अनकहीrecognition: पहचानdownpour: बारिशbindings: बंधनdazzling: चकाचौंधcourage: साहसembrace: अपनायाwaves: लहरेंbliss: आनंदsacred: पवित्रpen: लिखdevotee: भक्तजनrare: नायाबresolve: संकल्प

Albert Aur Uska Jahaz | Writer Keith Waterhouse | Translated in Hindi by Sudha Arora | Narrator Sushil Suman**Born in 1987 in the village of Dharampur Jarang in Bihar's Vaishali district, Sushil's early education began in his hometown before he moved to the historic city of Varanasi. There, he pursued his BA, MA, and Ph.D. in Hindi literature from Banaras Hindu University, residing in the city's vibrant literary and cultural milieu from 2004 to 2015. Since 2016, he has been serving as an Assistant Professor in the Hindi Department at Koch Bihar Panchanan Burma University in West Bengal.Sushil's fascination with the world of sound traces back to his childhood days, spent listening to BBC's news broadcasts and Vividh Bharti's entertainment programs on the radio. Though traditional radio gradually gave way to digital platforms like YouTube and Spotify in his life, his enduring love for voices and narratives remained constant. Over the years, he has often read his favorite poems among friends, but this marks his first formal foray into storytelling.We're thrilled to have him as part of our collective, and we look forward to hearing the textures of his voice and the stories he chooses to share. Curator: IrfanJoin the Art of Reading:Do you have a passion for reading literature or narrating captivating prose? Here's your chance to shine! I'm thrilled to announce a new collaborative series, Art of Reading, on my podcast channel, Listen with Irfan.If you love bringing stories to life, I'm offering you a platform to showcase your talent.Record a short story of your choice (maximum 8 minutes) and share it with a community of like-minded narrators and listeners. This is a free, non-commercial initiative to connect aspiring narrators, promote storytelling, and build a creative community. No monetization, just pure love for the art of narration.How to Participate:- Choose a short story or piece of prose you're passionate about.- Record it with clear audio using a mobile phone or audio recorder. Do not include your name or the story's title in the recording.- Background music is optional, but avoid copyrighted tracks to prevent hosting issues.- Send your recording via email to ramrotiaaloo@gmail.com or WhatsApp at +91 9818098790.Submission Guidelines- -Submit only MP3 files. - Include:1. Name2. Current City3. Profession4. Brief bio (max 80 words)5. Photograph (if requested after review)  Full credit to the writer and narrator will be given on the Listen with Irfan podcast channel. Cover: IrfanWe respect creative ownership. If you believe this is your work or if appropriate credit hasn't been given, kindly get in touch at ramrotiaaloo@gmail.comBECOME A PATRON : Work on Listen with Irfan takes time, money and hard work to produce. As of now it is being done voluntarily with the family, friends and listeners who came forward for hand holding from its inception.  If you like the Podcasts, admire it, and benefit from its content, please consider awarding us an honorarium to make the future of this Podcast Channel robust and assured.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠यहाँ आपको मिलती हैं वो दुर्लभ आवाज़ें खुद बोलती, गाती और बहस करती। मनोहर श्याम जोशी, कमलेश्वर, कृष्णा सोबती, बी वी कारंत, शमशेर बहादुर सिंह, बलराज साहनी, अज्ञेय, रसूलन बाई, निर्मल वर्मा, मंगलेश डबराल, राजेंद्र यादव, चंद्रकांत देवताले, भवानी प्रसाद मिश्र, इस्मत चुग़ताई, सत्यदेव दुबे, त्रिलोचन, अमरीश पुरी, इब्राहीम अल्क़ाज़ी, मोहन उप्रेती, गोरख पांडेय, नैना देवी, वीरेन डंगवाल, मन्नू भंडारी, भीष्म साहनी, देवकी नंदन पांडे आदि के अलावा अनगिनत भारतीय और विदेशी समकालीन विचारक, कलाकार, लेखक, कवि और सांस्कृतिक लड़ाके। किताबों पर चर्चा के पॉडकास्ट, संगीत, फिल्म रिव्यू और स्ट्रीट रिकॉर्डिंग्स का एकमात्र पॉडकास्ट मंच। Details to support this Podcast Channel Bank Name: State Bank Of IndiaName: SYED MOHD IRFANAccount No:32188719331Branch: State Bank of India, Vaishali Sec 4, GhaziabadIFSC–SBIN0013238UPI/Gpay ID irfan.rstv-2@oksbi

Neale invites Kev to street photograph and adventure with him in Kolkata and Varanasi as he prepares for the next 2026 Photowalk adventure in India, but will he say yes. Also on the show a VERY special offer from our wonderful sponsor Pictime, called 72, plus an invite to come and join us on a special Pictime Zoom show on Wednesday 14th May at 6pm UK time, invite URL below. Questions into the show about lost custom settings, website picture layout nightmares, finding a discreet camera system for shooting unobtrusively, the classic Fujinon lens line-up for the X-system, protecting gear from bangs and knocks in the bag, ChatGPT accuses Neale of stealing Kev's 35mm, a 500mm beast, and battery talk.  THE BIG ZOOM INVITE for 14th March 6pm UK time: https://www.fujicast.co.uk/pictime  Email the show with your questions: click@fujicast.co.uk  Pic Time: https://www.pic-time.com/ - use FUJICAST when creating an account for discount offers to apply For links go to the showpage.

In this episode of Cyrus Says, we sit down with rising MMA star Siddharth Singh, who hails from Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, and began his martial arts journey at just 18, transitioning from a strong base in wrestling and boxing. Now training at Soma Fight Club, Bangkok, Siddharth has honed a powerful hybrid style of aggressive striking and technical grappling, under elite international coaches. With an impressive professional record of 8 wins and 2 losses, Siddharth fights in the Welterweight division (77 kg) and has made his mark as a former SFL Welterweight Champion, defending his title twice before stepping into the cage with Brave Combat Federation in 2022, notably facing Algerian contender Malik Bara. Known for his rear-naked chokes and devastating overhand right, he brings a calculated, crowd-pleasing style to every fight. He was named SFL Fighter of the Year in 2021, and his talent has earned him partnerships with Under Armour India and NitroX Sports Nutrition. This fun and insightful conversation also features hilarious takes on emotional strength, patience versus Delhi traffic, charm overload, and sibling rivalries.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Being a pharmacist is exciting–as long as you're willing to try new things. These are wise words from my returning guest on today's podcast, who has been paving the way for integrative pharmacy. Dr. Swathi Varanasi is an award-winning pharmacist passionate about the intersection of personalized medicine, patient outcomes, and innovation. With experience spanning patient care, biotech, research, academia, and consumer product goods, Dr. Swathi has paved the way for healthcare professionals to pursue non-traditional career paths through creating postdoctoral training programs, industry internships, and online educational programs. She co-founded and serves as Chief Scientific Officer of the Life Sciences Division at Element Apothec, and serves as a Principal Investigator at contract research organization, Citruslabs. Dr. Swathi received her Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) at the Medical University of South Carolina and Bachelor of Arts (BA) at Carleton College. She was the first-ever pharmacist in the United States with formal residency training to specialize in integrative medicine and preventative health. She also completed a postdoctoral fellowship in Medical Affairs in biotech and has training in nutrition from Cornell University. Dr. Swathi has served as faculty and guest lectures at colleges and universities across the country. She is an advisor and consultant for a number of for-profit and nonprofit organizations aiming to make the world a healthier place for us to live–and thrive. She has been published in peer-reviewed academic journals and featured in Yahoo, mindbodygreen, Well+Good, Entrepreneur, Forbes Health, and more. In 2023, Dr. Swathi was voted one of the 50 Most Influential Leaders in Pharmacy. Connect with Dr. Swathi via: Email: swathimvaranasi@gmail.com FB: Doctor Swathi IG: @doctorswathi Linked In:Dr. Swathi Varanasi Check out our earlier episode here: https://www.marinabuksov.com/s03e03-paving-the-unconventional-path-with-integrative-pharmacist-dr-swathi-varanasi/ Visit https://marinabuksov.com for more holistic content. Music from https://www.purple-planet.com. Disclaimer: Statements herein have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Products listed are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any diseases.

What makes it holy to get really stoned? This is an unavoidable question in India, where smoking cannabis is banned but done by dreadlocked devotees. Meanwhile, weed smoothies are frequently drunk at religious festivals.The writer Karan Madhok investigates this paradox – along with many others – in his new book Ananda, subtitled “An Exploration of Cannabis in India”. It also covers lots of other subjects, including cultural history, indigenous medicine, politicised religion, the pleasures of travel and the charms of Varanasi.As we discuss, references to cannabis date back to the Vedas, though the custom of smoking it is relatively recent. Like criminalisation, that came from outsiders – and ironically countries that promoted prohibition, such as the United States, have since been at the forefront of legalisation.Things are now changing in India with commercialised hemp and Ayurvedic remedies, but recreational use is illegal. Our conversation considers the benefits as well as the drawbacks of cannabis consumption, and asks if the bliss to which Ananda refers might be found more sustainably by other means.

Once on the brink of extinction, Varanasi's ancient wooden toy industry has made a spectacular comeback, thanks to the relentless efforts of artisans like Padma Shri awardee Godavari Singh, who passed away earlier this month. His exquisite handcrafted toys not only preserved a centuries-old tradition but also gained national recognition, featuring in the New Delhi tableau during the Republic Day celebrations, where he was honoured for his contributions. In this episode of Padma Pride, we explore how Singh, along with new-age entrepreneurs, steered this centuries-old craft into a flourishing industry. About Padma PridePadma Pride is an inspiring audio series by The Good Sight and Rise Against Hunger India, celebrating Padma Awardees and their extraordinary impact. Every Sunday, webring you the story of a changemaker shaping India's future. (Narration: Shalini Singh, The Good Sight).

This episode we will finish up the travels of Xuanzang, who circumnavigated the Indian subcontinent while he was there, spending over a decade and a half travelings, visiting important Buddhist pilgrimage sites, and studying at the feet of learned monks of India, and in particular at Nalanda monastery--a true center of learning from this period. For more, check out our blogpost page:  https://sengokudaimyo.com/podcast/episode-122 Rough Transcript Welcome to Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan.  My name is Joshua and this is episode 122:  Journey to the West, Part 3 The courtyard at Nalanda was quiet.  Although hundreds of people were crowded in, trying to hear what was being said, they were all doing their best to be silent and still.  Only the wind or an errant bird dared speak up.  The master's voice may not have been what it once was—he was definitely getting on in years—but Silabhadra's mind was as sharp as ever. At the front of the crowd was a relatively young face from a far off land.  Xuanzang had made it to the greatest center of learning in the world, and he had been accepted as a student of perhaps the greatest sage of his era.  Here he was, receiving lessons on some of the deepest teachings of the Mahayana Buddhist sect, the very thing he had come to learn and bring home. As he watched and listened with rapt attention, the ancient teacher began to speak….   For the last two episodes, and continuing with this one, we have been covering the travels of the monk Xuanzang in the early 7th century, starting around 629 and concluding in 645.  Born during the Sui dynasty, Xuanzang felt that the translations of the Buddhist sutras available in China were insufficient—many of them had been made long ago, and often were translations of translations.  Xuanzang decided to travel to India in the hopes of getting copies in the original language to provide more accurate translations of the sutras, particularly the Mahayana sutras.  His own accounts of his journeys, even if drawn from his memory years afterwards, provide some of our most detailed contemporary evidence of the Silk Road and the people and places along the way.  After he returned, he got to work on his translations, and became quite famous.  Several of the Japanese students of Buddhism who traveled to the Tang dynasty in the 650s studied under him directly and brought his teachings back to Japan with them.  His school of “Faxiang” Buddhism became known in Japan as the Hosso sect, and was quite popular during the 7th and 8th centuries.  Xuanzang himself, known as Genjou in Japan, would continue to be venerated as an important monk in the history of Buddhism, and his travels would eventually be popularized in fantastic ways across East Asia. Over the last couple of episodes we talked about Xuanzang's illegal and harrowing departure from the Tang empire, where he had to sneak across the border into the deserts of the Western Regions.  We then covered his time traveling from Gaochang, to Suyab, and down to Balkh, in modern Afghanistan.  This was all territory under the at least nominal control of the Gokturk empire.  From Balkh he traveled to Bamyan, and then on to Kapisa, north of modern Kabul, Afghanistan.  However, after Kapisa, Xuanzang was finally entering into the northern territories of what he knew as “India”, or “Tianzhu”. Here I would note that I'm using “India” to refer not to a single country, but to the entirety of the Indian subcontinent, and all of the various kingdoms there -- including areas now part of the modern countries of Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka.  The Sinitic characters used to denote this region are pronounced, today, as “Tianzhu”, with a rough meaning of “Center of Heaven”, but it is likely that these characters were originally pronounced in such a way that the name likely came from terms like “Sindhu” or “Induka”.  This is related to the name of the Sindh or Indus river, from which India gets its name.  Xuanzang's “Record of the Western Regions” notes that the proper pronunciation of the land should be “Indu”.  In Japan, this term was transmitted through the Sinitic characters, or kanji, and pronounced as “Tenjiku”.  Since it featured so prominently in the stories of the life of the Buddha and many of the Buddhist sutras, Tenjiku was known to the people of the Japanese archipelago as a far off place that was both real and fantastical. In the 12th century, over a thousand stories were captured for the “Konjaku Monogatarishu”, or the “Collection of Tales Old and New”, which is divided up into tales from Japan, China, and India.  In the famous 9th or 10th century story, “Taketori Monogatari”, or the “Bamboo-Cutter's Tale”, about princess Kaguya hime, one of the tasks the princess sets to her suitors is to go to India to find the begging bowl of the Buddha.  Records like those produced by Xuanzang and his fellow monks, along with the stories in the sutras, likely provided the majority of what people in the Japanese archipelago knew about India, at least to begin with. Xuanzang talks about the land of India as being divided into five distinct parts—roughly the north, south, east, west, and center.  He notes that three sides face the sea and that the Snow Mountains—aka the Himalayas—are in the north.  It is, he says, “Wide in the north and narrow in the south, in the shape of a crescent moon”.  Certainly the “Wide in the north and narrow in the south” fit the subcontinent accurately enough, and it is largely surrounded by the waters of what we know as the Indian Ocean to the west, the east, and the south.  The note about the Crescent Moon might be driven by Xuanzang's understanding of a false etymology for the term “Indus”, which he claims comes from the word for “moon”.  Rather, this term appears to refer to the Indus River, also known as the Sindh or Sindhus, which comes from an ancient word meaning something like “River” or “Stream”. Xuanzang also notes that the people of the land were divided into castes, with the Brahman caste at the top of the social hierarchy.    The land was further divided into approximately 70 different countries, according to his accounts.  This is known broadly as the Early Medieval period, in India, in which the region was divided into different kingdoms and empires that rose and fell across the subcontinent, with a total size roughly equivalent to that covered by the countries of the modern European Union.  Just like Europe, there were many different polities and different languages spoken across the land – but just as Latin was the common language in Europe, due to its use in Christianity, Sanskrit was the scholarly and religious language in much of India, and could also be used as a bridge language.  Presumably, Xuanzang understood Sanskrit to some extent as a Buddhist monk.  And, just a quick note, all of this was before the introduction of Islam, though there were other religions also practiced throughout the subcontinent, but Xuanzang was primarily focused on his Buddhist studies. Xuanzang describes India as having three distinct seasons—The hot season, the rainy season, and the cold season, in that order.  Each of these were four month long periods.  Even today, the cycle of the monsoon rains is a major impact on the life of people in South Asia.  During the rainy season, the monks themselves would retreat back to their monasteries and cease their wanderings about the countryside. This tradition, called “Vassa”, is still a central practice in many Theravada Buddhist societies such as Thailand and Laos today, where they likewise experience this kind of intensely wet monsoon season. Xuanzang goes on to give an in depth analysis of the people and customs of the Indian subcontinent, as he traveled from country to country. So, as we've done before, we'll follow his lead in describing the different locations he visited. The first country of India that Xuanzang came to was the country of Lampa, or Lamapaka, thought to be modern Laghman province in Afghanistan.  At the time it was a dependency of Kapisa.  The Snow Mountains, likely meaning the Hindu Kush, the western edge of the Himalayas, lay at its north, while the “Black Mountains” surrounded it on the other three sides.  Xuanzang mentions how the people of Lampa grow non-glutinous rice—likely something similar to basmati rice, which is more prevalent in South Asian cuisine, as compared to glutinous rice like more often used in East Asia. From Lampa he headed to Nagarahara, likely referring to a site near the Kabul River associated with the ruins of a stupa called Nagara Gundi, about 4 kilometers west of modern Jalalabad, Afghanistan.  This was another vassal city-state of Kapisa.  They were still Mahayana Buddhists, but there were other religions as well, which Xuanzang refers to as “heretical”, though I'm not entirely sure how that is meant in this context.  He does say that many of the stupas were dilapidated and in poor condition. Xuanzang was now entering areas where he likely believed the historical Buddha had once walked.  In fact, Lampa was perhaps the extent of historical Buddha's travels, according to the stories and the sutras, though this seems unlikely to have been true.  The most plausible locations for the Historical Buddha's pilgrimages were along the Ganges river, which was on the other side of the subcontinent, flowing east towards modern Kolkatta and the Bengal Bay.  However, as Buddhism spread, so, too, did stories of the Buddha's travels.  And so, as far as Xuanzang was concerned, he was following in the footsteps of the Buddha. Speaking of which, at Nagarahara, Xuanzang mentions “footprints” of the Buddha.  This is a Buddhist tradition found in many places.  Xuanzang claims that the Tathagatha, the Englightened One, or the Buddha, would fly, because when he walked the land itself shook.  Footprint shapes in rock could be said to be evidence of the Buddha's travels.  Today, in many Buddhist areas you can find footprints carved into rock conforming to stories about the Buddha, such as all the toes being of the same length, or other various signs.  These may have started out as natural depressions in the rock, or pieces of artwork, but they were believed by many to be the actual point at which the Buddha himself touched down.  There are famous examples of these footprints in Sri Lanka, Thailand, and China.  Of course there are also traditions of creating images of the footprint as an object of worship.  Images of footprints, similar to images of the Great Wheel of the Law, may have been some of the earliest images for veneration, as images of the Buddha himself did not appear until much later in the tradition.  One of the oldest such footprints in Japan is at Yakushiji temple, and dated to 753.  It was created based on a rubbing brought back by an envoy to the Tang court, while they were in Chang'an. Like Buddha footprints, there are many other images and stories that show up multiple times in different places, even in Xuanzang's own narrative.  For example, in Nagarahara Xuanzang also shares a story of a cave, where an image of the Buddha could be just barely made out on the wall – maybe maybe an old carving that had just worn away, or maybe an image that was deliberately placed in the darkness as a metaphor for finding the Buddha—finding enlightenment.  This is not an uncommon theme in Buddhism as a whole.  In any case, the story around this image was that it had been placed there to subdue a naga. Now a naga is a mythical snake-like being, and  we are told that this particular naga was the reincarnation of a man who had invoked a curse on the nearby kingdom, then threw himself from a cliff in order to become a naga and sow destruction.  As the story went, the man was indeed reborn, but before he could bring destruction, the Buddha showed up and subdued him, convincing him that this was not right.  And so the naga agreed to stay in the cave, where the Buddha left an image—a shadow—to remind the naga any time that its thoughts might turn to destruction. Later in his travels, at a place name Kausambi, Xuanzang mentions another cave where the Buddha had subdued a venomous dragon and left his shadow on the cave wall.  Allowing for the possibility that the Buddha just had a particular M.O. when dealing with destructive beings, we should also consider the possibility that the story developed in one region—probably closer to the early center of Buddhism, and then traveled outward, such that it was later adopted and adapted to local traditions.  From Nagarahara, Xuanzang continued to the country of Gandhara and its capital city of Purushapura, aka modern Peshwar.  This kingdom was also under vassalage to the Kapisan king.  Here and elsewhere in the journey, Xuanzang notes not only evidence of the historical Buddha, but also monasteries and stupas purported to have been built by King Kanishka and King Asoka.  These were important figures who were held in high regard for spreading Buddhism during their reign.  Continuing through the region of Gandhara, he also passed through Udakhand and the city of Salatura, known as the birthplace of the ancient Sanskrit grammarian, Daksiputra Panini, author of the Astadhyayi [Aestudjayi].  This work is the oldest surviving description of classical Sanskrit, and used grammatical and other concepts that wouldn't be introduced into Western linguistics for eons.  Daksiputra Panini thrived around the 5th or 4th century BCE, but was likely one of the reasons that Sanskrit continued to be used as a language of scholarship and learning even as it died out of usage as the day to day language of the common people.  His works and legacy would have been invaluable to translators like Xuanzang in understanding and translating from Sanskrit. Xuanzang continued on his journey to Kashmira, situated in the Kashmir Valley.  This valley sits between the modern states of Pakistan and India, and its ownership is actively disputed by each.  It is the namesake of the famous cashmere wool—wool from the winter coats of a type of goat that was bred in the mountainous regions.  The winter coat would be made of soft, downy fibers and would naturally fall out in the spring, which the goatherds harvested and made into an extremely fine wool.  In the 7th century and earlier, however, the region was known not as much for its wool, but as a center for Hindu and Buddhist studies.  Xuanzang ended up spending two years in Kashmira studying with teachers there.  Eventually, though, he continued on, passing through the country of Rajpura, and continuing on to Takka and the city of Sakala—modern day Sialkot in the Punjab region of modern Pakistan.  Leaving Sakala, he was traveling with a group when suddenly disaster struck and they were accosted by a group of bandits.  They took the clothes and money of Xuanzang and those with him and then they drove the group into a dry pond in an attempt to corral them while they figured out what they would do—presumably meaning kill them all.  Fortunately for the group, there was a water drain at the southern edge of the pond large enough for one man to pass through.  Xuanzang and one other went through the gap and they were able to escape to a nearby village.  Once they got there, they told the people what had happened, and the villagers quickly gathered weapons and ran out to confront the brigands, who saw a large group coming and ran away.  Thus they were able to rescue the rest of Xuanzang's traveling companions.  Xuanzang's companions were devastated, having lost all of their possessions.  However, Xuanzang comforted them.  After all, they still had their lives.  By this time, Xuanzang had certainly seen his fair share of life and death problems along the road.  They continued on, still in the country of Takka, to the next great city.  There they met a Brahman, and once they told him what had happened, he started marshalling the forces of the city on their behalf.  During Xuanzang's stay in Kashmira, he had built a reputation, and people knew of the quote-unquote “Chinese monk”.  And even though the people in this region were not necessarily Buddhist—many were “heretics” likely referring to those of Hindu faith—the people responded to this pre-Internet “GoFundMe” request with incredible generosity.  They brought Xuanzang food and cloth to make into suits of clothes.  Xuanzang distributed this to his travel companions, and ended up still having enough cloth for 50 suits of clothes himself.  He then stayed at that city a month. It is odd that they don't seem to mention the name of this location.  Perhaps there is something unspeakable about it?  Still, it seems that they were quite generous, even if they were “heretics” according to Xuanzang. From the country of Takka, he next proceeded to the kingdom of Cinabhukti, where he spent 14 months—just over a year—studying with the monks there.  Once he had learned what he could, he proceeded onwards, passing through several countries in northern India until he came to the headwaters of the sacred Ganges rivers.  The Indus and the Ganges rivers are in many ways similar to the Yellow River and Yangzi, at least in regards to their importance to the people of India.  However, whereas the Yellow River and Yangzi both flow east towards the Pacific Ocean, the Indus and Ganges flow in opposite directions.  The Indus flows southwest, from the Himalayas down through modern India into modern Pakistan, emptying into the western Indian Ocean.  The Ganges flows east along the base of the Himalayas and enters the eastern Indian Ocean at Kolkatta.   At the headwaters of the Ganges, Xuanzang found a Buddhist monk named Jayagupta and chose to spend the winter and half of the following spring listening to his sermons and learning at his feet. From there he continued his travels, and ended up being summoned by King Harshavardhana of Kanyakubja, known today as the modern city of Kannauj.  Harshavardhana ruled an immense state that covered much of the territory around the sacred Ganges river.  As word of this strange monk from a far off land reached him, the King wanted to see him for himself.  Xuanzang stayed in Kannauj for three months, completing his studies of the Vibhasha Shastra, aka the Abhidarmma Mahavibhasha Shastra, known in Japanese as the Abidatsuma Daibibasharon, or just as the Daibibasharon or the Basharon, with the latter two terms referring to the translations that Xuanzang performed.   This work is not a sutra, per se, but rather an encyclopedic work that attempted to speak on all of the various doctrinal issues of its day.  It is thought to have been authored around 150 CE, and was influential in the Buddhist teachings of Kashmira, when that was a center of Orthodoxy at the time.  This is what Xuanzang had started studying, and it seems that in Kannauj he was finally able to grasp everything he felt he needed to know about it in order to effectively translate it and teach it when he returned.  That said, his quest was not over.  And after his time in Kannauj, he decided to continue on. His next stop was at the city of Ayodhya.  This was—and is—a city of particular importance in Hindu traditions.  It is said to be the city mentioned in the epic tale known as the Ramayana, though many argue that it was simply named that later in honor of that ancient city.  It does appear to be a city that the historical Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama, visited and where he preached.  It was also the home of a famous monk from Gandhara who authored a number of Buddhist tomes and was considered, at least by Xuanzang, a proper Boddhisatva.  And so Xuanzang spent some time paying homage to the places where the Buddha and other holy figures had once walked. “Ayodhya” appears in many forms across Asia.  It is a major pilgrimage center, and the city of “Ayutthaya” in Thailand was named for it, evoking the Ramayana—known in Thai as the Ramakien—which they would adopt as their own national story.  In Silla, there is a story that queen Boju, aka Heo Hwang-ok, wife to the 2nd century King Suro of Geumgwan Gaya, traveled to the peninsula all the way from the foreign country of “Ayuta”, thought to mean Ayodhya.  Her story was written down in the Gaya histories and survives as a fragment found in the Samguk Yusa.  Members of the Gimhae Kim, Gimhae Heo, and Incheon Yi clans all trace their lineage back to her and King Suro. From Ayodhya, Xuanzang took a trip down the Ganges river.  The boat was packed to bursting with some 80 other travelers, and as they traveled towards a particularly heavily forested area, they were set upon by bandits, who rowed their ships out from hiding in the trees and forced the travelers to the shore.  There the bandits made all the travelers strip down and take off their clothing so that the bandits could search for gold or valuables.  According to Xuanzang's biography, these bandits were followers of Durga, a Hindu warrior-goddess, and it is said that each year they would look for someone of particularly handsome features to sacrifice to her.  With Xuanzang's foreign features, they chose him.  And so they took him to be killed.  Xuanzang mentioned that he was on a pilgrimage, and that by interrupting him before they finished he was worried it might be inauspicious for them, but he didn't put up a fight and merely asked to be given time to meditate and calm his mind and that they perform the execution quickly so that he wouldn't even notice. From there, according to the story, a series of miracles occurred that ended up with Xuanzang being released and the bandits worshipping at his feet.  It is times like this we must remember that this biography was being written by Xuanzang's students based on stories he told them about his travels.  While being accosted by bandits on the river strikes me as perfectly plausible, we don't necessarily have the most reliable narrators, so I'm going to have to wonder about the rest.  Speaking of unreliable narration, the exact route that Xuanzang traveled from here on is unclear to me, based on his stated goals and where he was going.  It is possible that he was wandering as opportunities presented themselves —I don't know that he had any kind of map or GPS, like we've said in the past.  And it may be that the routes from one place to another were not always straightforward.  Regardless, he seems to wander southeast for a period before turning again to the north and eventually reaching the city of Shravasti. Shravasti appeared in our discussion of the men of Tukhara in Episode 119.  With the men of Tukhara there was also mentioned a woman from Shravasti.  While it is unlikely that was actually the case—the names were probably about individuals from the Ryukyuan island chain rather than from India—it is probably worth nothing that Shravasti was a thriving place in ancient times.  It was at one time the capital city of the kingdom of Kosala, sharing that distinction with the city of Ayodhya, back in the 7th to 5th centuries BCE.  It is also where the historical Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama, was said to have spend many years of his life.  This latter fact would have no doubt made it a place of particular importance to Xuanzang on his journeys. From there he traveled east, ending up following the foothills of the Himalayas, and finally came to some of the most central pilgrimages sites for followers of the historical Buddha.  First, he reached Lumbini wood, in modern Nepal, said to have been the birthplace of Prince Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha.  And then he visited Kushinagara, the site where the Buddha ascended to nirvana—in other words, the place where he passed away.  From there, he traveled to Varanasi, and the deer park monastery, at the place where the Buddha is said to have given one of his most famous sermons.  He even visited the Bodhi tree, the tree under which Siddhartha Gautama is said to have attained enlightenment.  He spent eight or nine days there at Bodhgaya, and word must have spread about his arrival, because several monks from the eminent Nalanda Monastery called upon him and asked him to come to the monastery with them. Nalanda Monastery was about 80 km from Bodhgaya.  This was a grand monastery and center of learning—some say that it was, for a time, the greatest in the world.  It had been founded in the 5th century by the Gupta dynasty, and many of the Gupta rulers and others donated to support the monastery, which also acted as a university.  After the fall of the Gupta dynasty, the monastery was supported by King Harsha of Kannauj, whom Xuanzang had visited earlier.  It ultimately thrived for some 750 years, and is considered by some to be the oldest residential university—meaning that students would come to the temple complex and stay in residence for years at a time to study.  According to Xuanzang, Nalanda hosted some 10,000 monks. Including hosts and guests.  They didn't only study Buddhist teachings, but also logic, grammar, medicine, and divination.  Lectures were given at more than 100 separate places—or classrooms—every day.  It was at Nalanda, that Xuanzang would meet the teacher Silabhadra, who was known as the Right Dharma Store.  Xuanzang requested that he be allowed to study the Yogacharabhumi Shastra—the Yugashijiron, in Japanese.  This is the work that Xuanzang is said to have been most interested in, and one of the works that he is credited with bringing back in one of the first full translations to the Tang dynasty and then to others in East Asia.  It is an encyclopedic work dedicated to the various forms of Yogacara practice, which focuses on the mental disciplines, and includes yoga and meditation practices.  It has a huge influence on nearly all Mahayana schools, including things like the famous Zen and Pure Land schools of Buddhism.  The Yogacharabhumi Shastra is the earliest such encyclopedic work, compiled between the 3rd and 5th centuries—so even if the monk Faxian had brought portions of it back, it was probably not in the final form that Xuanzang was able to access. Silabhadra, for his part, was an ancient teacher—some put his age at 106 years, and his son was in his 70s.  He was one of the few at Nalandra who supposedly knew all of the various texts that they had at the monastery, including the Yogacarabhumi Shastra.  Xuanzang seems to have been quite pleased to study under him.  Xuanzang stayed at the house of Silabhadra's son, Buddhabhadra, and they welcomed him with entertainment that lasted seven days.  We are told that he was then given his own lodgings, a stipend of spices, incense, rice, oil, butter, and milk, along with a servant and a Brahman.  As a visiting monk, he was not responsible for the normal monastic duties, instead being expected to spend the time in study.  Going out, he was carried around by an elephant.   This was certainly the royal treatment. Xuanzang's life at Nalandra wasn't all books: south of the monastery was the city of Rajagrha, the old capital of the kingdom of Magadha, where the ancient Gupta kings had once lived, and on occasional breaks from his studies, Xuanzang would venture out to see the various holy sites.  This included the famous Mt. Grdhrakuta, or Vulture Peak, a location said to be favored by the historical Buddha and central to the Lotus Sutra, arguably the founding document of Mahayana Buddhist tradition. After all, “Mahayana” means “Greater Vehicle” and it is in the Lotus Sutra that we see the metaphor of using different vehicles to escape a burning house.   We've already talked a bit about how the image of Vulture Peak had already become important in Japanese Buddhism: In Episode 112 we talked about how in 648, Abe no Oho-omi had drums piled up at Shitennoji in the shape of Vulture Peak. But although the sightseeing definitely enhanced his experience, Xuanzang was first and foremost there to study.  He spent 15 months just listening to his teacher expound on the Yogacarabhumi Shastra, but he also heard expositions on various other teachings as well.  He ended up studying at Nalandra Monastery for 5 years, gaining a much better understanding of Sanskrit and the various texts, which would be critically important when it came to translating them, later. But, Xuanzang was not one to stay in any one place forever, and so after 5 years—some 8 years or more into his journey, he continued on, following the Ganges east, to modern Bangladesh.  Here he heard about various other lands, such as Dvarapati—possibly referring to Dvaravati, in modern Thailand, as well as Kamalanka and Isanapura.  The latter was in modern Cambodia, the capital of the ancient Chenla kingdom.  Then Mahacampa—possibly referring to the Champa region of Vietnam—and the country of Yamanadvipa.  But there was still more of India for Xuanzang to discover, and more teachings to uncover, and so Xuanzang decided instead to head southwest, following the coast.  He heard of the country of Sinhala, referring to the island of Sri Lanka, but he was urged not to go by ship, as the long journey was perilous.  Instead he could stay on relatively dry land and head down to the southern tip of the subcontinent and then make a quick hop from there across to the island.  He traveled a long distance, all the way down to Kancipuram, the seat of the Pallava dynasty, near modern day Chennai.  From the seaport near Kancipuram, it was only three days to Sinhala—that is to say Sri Lanka—but before he could set out, he met a group of monks who had just arrived.  They told him that the king of Sinhala had died , and there was a great famine and civil disturbances.  So they had fled with some 300 other monks. Xuanzang eventually decided not to make the journey, but he did talk with the monks and gathered information on the lands to the south, on Sri Lanka, and on the islands south of that, by which I suspect he may have meant the Maldives.  While Sri Lanka is an area important to Buddhist scholarship, particularly to the Theravada schools, this likely did not impress Xuanzang, and indeed he seemed to feel that his studies in Nalanda had more than provided him what he needed.  Sri Lanka, however, is the source of the Pali canon, one of the most complete early canons of Buddhism, which had a huge influence on Theravada Buddhism in Southeast Asia and elsewhere. So Xuanzang took plenty of notes but decided to forego the ocean voyage and headed northwest, instead.  He traveled across the breadth of India to Gujarat, and then turned back east, returning to pay respects once more to his teacher in Nalanda.  While there he heard of another virtuous monk named Prajnabhadra at a nearby monastery.  And so he went to spend several months with him, as well.  He also studied with a layman, Sastrin Jayasena, at Stickwood Hill.  Jayasena was a ksatriya, or nobleman, by birth, and studied both Buddhist and non-Buddhist texts.  He was courted by kings, but had left to continue his studies.  Xuanzang studied with him for another couple of years. Xuanzang remained at Nalanda, learning and teaching, expounding on what he had learned and gathering many copies of the various documents that he wished to take back with him, though he wondered how he might do it.  In the meantime, he also acquired quite the reputation.  We are told that King Siladitya had asked Nalanda for monks who could refute Theravada teachings, and Xuanzang agreed to go.  It isn't clear, but it seems that “Siladitya” was a title, and likely referred to King Harsha of Kannauj, whom we mentioned earlier.  Since he was a foreigner, then there could be no trouble that was brought on Nalanda and the other monks if he did poorly.  While he was waiting to hear back from Siladitya's court, which was apparently taking time to arrange things, the king of Kamarupta reached out to Nalanda with a request that Xuanzang come visit them.  While Xuanzang was reluctant to be gone too long, he was eventually encouraged to go and assuage the king. Kamarupta was a kingdom around the modern Assam region, ruled by King Bhaskaravarman, also known as King Kumara, a royal title.  This kingdom included parts of Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Nepal.  Bhaskaravarman, like so many other regents, seems to have been intrigued by the presence of this foreign monk, who had traveled all this way and who had studied at the famous Nalanda Monastery in Magadha. He invited Xuanzang to come to him.  Xuanzang's teacher, Silabhadra, had exhorted him to spread the right Dharma, and to even go to those non-Buddhists in hopes that they might be converted, or at least partially swayed. King Bhaskaravarman was quite taken with Xuanzang, wining and dining him while listening to him preach.  While there, Xuanzang learned about the country of Kamarupta.  He also learned about a path north, by which it was said it was a two month journey to arrive at the land of Shu, in the Sichuan Basin, on the upper reaches of the Yangzi – a kind of shortcut back to the Tang court.  However, the journey was treacherous—possibly even more treacherous than the journey to India had been. Eventually word reached the ears of King Siladitya that Xuanzang was at the court of King Bhaskaravarman, and Siladitya got quite upset.  Xuanzang had not yet come to *his* court, so Siladitya demanded that Bhaskaravarman send the monk to him immediately.  Bhaskaravarman refused, saying he'd rather give Siladitya his own head, which Siladitya said he would gladly accept.  Bhaskaravarman realized he may have miscalculated, and so he sailed up the Ganges with a host of men and Xuanzang to meet with Siladitya.  After a bit of posturing, Siladitya met with Xuanzang, who went with him, and eventually confronted the members of the Theravada sect in debate.  Apparently it almost got ugly, but for the King's intervention.  After a particularly devastating critique of the Theravada position, the Theravada monks are blamed for trying to use violence against Xuanzang and his fellow Mahayana monks from Nalanda, who were prepared to defend themselves.  The King had to step in and break it up before it went too far. Ultimately, Xuanzang was a celebrity at this point and both kings seem to have supported him, especially as he was realizing it was about time to head back to his own country.  Both kings was offered ships, should Xuanzang wish to sail south and then up the coast.  However, Xuanzang elected to take the northern route, hoping to go back through Gaochang, and see that city and its ruler again.  And so the Kings gave him money and valuables , along with wagons for all of the texts.  They also sent an army to protect all of the treasures, and even an elephant and more – sending him back in style with a huge send-off. So Xuanzang retraced his earlier steps, this time on an elephant.  He traveled back to Taxila, to Kashmir, and beyond.  He was invited to stay in Kashmira, but because of his retinue, he wasn't quite at leisure to just go where he wanted.  At one point, near Kapisa—modern Bagram, north of Kabul—they had to cross a river, and about 50 of the almost 700 documents were lost.  The King of Kapisa heard of this and had his own monks make copies to replace them based on their own schools.  The King of Kasmira, hearing that he was in Kapisa, also came to pay his respects. Xuanzang traveled with the King of Kapisa northwest for over a month and reached Lampaka, where he did take some time to visit the various holy sites before continuing northwest.  They had to cross the Snow Mountains—the outskirts of the Himalayas, and even though it wasn't the highest part of the range it was still challenging.  He had to dismount his elephant and travel on foot.  Finally, after going over the high mountains and coming down, he arrived back in the region of Tukhara, in the country of Khowst.  He then came to Kunduz, and paid his respects to the grandson of Yehu Khan.  He was given more guards to escort him eastward, traveling with some merchants.  This was back in Gokturk controlled lands, over a decade later than when he had last visited.  He continued east to Badakshan, stopping there for a month because of the cold weather and snow.  He eventually traveled through the regions of Tukhara and over the Pamir range.  He came down on the side of the Tarim Basin, and noted how the rivers on one side flowed west, while on the other side they flowed east.  The goings were treacherous, and at one point they were beset by bandits.  Though he and the documents were safe, his elephant panicked and fled into the river and drowned.  He eventually ended up in the country of Kashgar, in modern Xinjiang province, at the western edge of the Taklamakan desert. From there he had two options.  He could go north and hug the southern edge of the Tianshan mountains, or he could stay to the south, along the northern edge of the Himalayan range and the Tibetan plateau.  He chose to go south.  He traveled through Khotan, a land of wool and carpets.  This was a major trade kingdom, and they also grew mulberry trees for silkworms, and were known for their jade.  The king himself heard of Xuanzang and welcomed him, as many others had done.  While he was staying at the Khotanese capital, Xuanzang penned a letter to the Tang court, letting them know of his journey, and that he was returning.  He sent it with some merchants and a man of Gaochang to deliver it to the court. Remember, Xuanzang had left the Tang empire illegally.  Unless he wanted to sneak back in his best hope was that the court was willing to forgive and forget all of that, given everything that he was bringing back with him.  The wait was no doubt agonizing, but he did get a letter back.  It assured him that he was welcome back, and that all of the kingdoms from Khotan back to the governor of Dunhuang had been made aware and were ready to receive him. With such assurances, Xuanzang packed up and headed out.  The king of Khotan granted him more gifts to help see him on his way.  Nonetheless, there was still a perilous journey ahead.  Even knowing the way, the road went through miles and miles of desert, such that in some places you could only tell the trail by the bleached bones of horses and travelers who had not been so fortunate.  Eventually, however, Xuanzang made it to the Jumo River and then on to Dunhuang, from whence he was eventually escorted back to the capital city. It was now the year 645, the year of the Isshi Incident in Yamato and the death of Soga.  Xuanzang had been gone for approximately 16 years.  In that time, the Tang had defeated the Gokturks and taken Gaochang, expanding their control over the trade routes in the desert.  Xuanzang, for his part, was bringing back 657 scriptures, bound in 520 bundles carried by a train of some 20 horses.  He was given a hero's welcome, and eventually he would be set up in a monastery where he could begin the next part of his journey:  Translating all of these books. This was the work of a lifetime, but it is one that would have a profound impact on Buddhism across East Asia.  Xuanzang's translations would revolutionize the understanding of Mahayana Buddhist teachings, and students would come from as far away as the Yamato court to study under him and learn from the teacher who studied and taught at none other than Nalanda monastery itself.  His school would become popular in the Yamato capital, and the main school of several temples, at least for a time.  In addition, his accounts and his biography would introduce many people to the wider world of central and south Asia.  While I could go on, this has already been a story in three parts, and this is, after all, the Chronicles of Japan, so we should probably tune back into what is going on with Yamato.  Next episode, we'll look at one of the most detailed accounts we have of a mission to Chang'an. Until then, I hope that this has been enjoyable.  Xuanzang's story is one of those that isn't just about him, but about the interconnected nature of the entire world at the time.  While his journey is quite epic, there were many people traveling the roads, though most of them didn't write about it afterwards.  People, artifacts, and ideas traveled much greater distances than we often consider at this time, well before any kind of modern travel.  It was dangerous, but often lucrative, and it meant that various regions could have influence well beyond what one might expect. And so, thank you once again for listening and for all of your support. If you like what we are doing, please tell your friends and feel free to rate us wherever you listen to podcasts.  If you feel the need to do more, and want to help us keep this going, we have information about how you can donate on Patreon or through our KoFi site, ko-fi.com/sengokudaimyo, or find the links over at our main website,  SengokuDaimyo.com/Podcast, where we will have some more discussion on topics from this episode. Also, feel free to reach out to our Sengoku Daimyo Facebook page.  You can also email us at the.sengoku.daimyo@gmail.com.  Thank you, also, to Ellen for their work editing the podcast. And that's all for now.  Thank you again, and I'll see you next episode on Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan