Festival of Light and Reflection
The ten nights of Goddess Durga which is celebrated as Gollu in the South, Durga Puja in Bengal and Navaratri across India—the story of Goddess Durga’s battle with the buffalo demon Mahishasura unfolds as a timeless reminder of the human struggle between virtue and vice. The festival, rich in symbolism, teaches that light and awareness must constantly battle the darkness within.
In India’s cyclical calendar, when the earth’s axis tilts between the northern and southern poles, we mark Uttarayan and Dakshinayan. After Vinayaka Chaturthi, a celebration that venerates Lord Ganesha, festivals in the Dakshinayan phase become increasingly radiant—perhaps because daylight grows shorter, urging us to seek inner illumination.
Exploring the Seven Sins across Faiths
Let me now turn towards the idea of the Seven Human Sins as understood through Hinduism, Christianity, and Buddhism—the three traditions that have shaped my understanding of human nature.
I am born and a practicing Hindu, educated in Christian institutions, and deeply moved by Buddhist teachings. My inclination has always been to absorb wisdom from any path that preaches peace and humility. Across these three faiths, I discovered a remarkable unity in how they identify and warn against human weaknesses—lust, anger, greed, pride, envy, ignorance, and ego.
Seven Sins / Root Defilements across Three Faiths
I take the three spiritual paths that I have traversed and found common grounds in them. The similarity of the religions can be seen if one approaches their scriptures with an open-mind.
The three religions have taught me about seven cardinal sins and which was given importance by each of them.
| Sanātana Dharma (Sapta Pāpa-pravṛtti) | Christianity (Seven Deadly Sins) | Buddhism (Seven Defilements / Root Causes of Suffering) |
| Kāma (Lust / uncontrolled desire) | Lust – Excessive sexual desire | Rāga / Lobha – Craving, attachment, greed |
| Krodha (Anger / wrath) | Wrath – Rage, hatred, vengeance | Dosa / Krodha – Hatred, ill-will, anger |
| Lobha (Greed / covetousness) | Greed / Avarice – Hoarding wealth | Rāga / Lobha – Greed, grasping |
| Moha (Delusion / ignorance) | Sloth – Neglect, apathy | Moha – Delusion, ignorance of reality |
| Mada (Pride / arrogance, intoxication) | Pride – Arrogance, self-love | Māna – Conceit, arrogance |
| Mātsarya (Jealousy / envy) | Envy – Resentment of others’ good | Diṭṭhi – Wrong views, or Jealousy (in some lists) |
| Ahankāra (Ego, self-centeredness) | Gluttony – Overindulgence | Thīna–middha – Sloth, spiritual dullness, inertia |
Reflections on Shared and Divergent Teachings
What fascinated me was how closely these faiths align. Desire, anger, pride, envy, and ignorance are condemned in all three, revealing a shared moral compass guiding humanity.
Christianity adds Gluttony, warning against material indulgence, while Buddhism highlights Wrong Views and Paralysing Doubt, emphasising inner clarity as the path to liberation. In contrast, Sanātana Dharma gives prominence to Ahankāra (ego) and Moha (delusion) as the twin barriers to dharma and moksha.
Despite differing expressions, all agree on one truth: man’s downfall begins when the mind forgets humility and self-awareness.
A Householder’s Inner Pilgrimage
For nearly three decades, I have wrestled with these seven human tendencies while walking the path of a householder. Each flaw—lust, anger, greed, delusion, pride, jealousy, and ego—has tested my endurance and understanding.
The Bhagavad Gita calls the seeker a sādhaka, one who strives to overcome these impulses through constant awareness, self-restraint, and devotion. Festivals and rituals in Hinduism serve not as mere customs, but as reminders to centre the mind, body, and spirit on the Divine.
Books that Awakened the Mind
My first fascination was the Moon. As a child, I often sat under its calm light, sometimes on our kitchen rooftop made of asbestos sheets. That serene companionship opened a reflective space within me.
Books soon became my silent teachers—Jiddu Krishnamurti’s Significance of Education, T. Lobsang Rampa’s mystical writings, Dr. Deepak Chopra’s The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success, and Thich Nhat Hanh’s Buddhist insights. Each one stirred me to question the self, the world, and the purpose of learning beyond textbooks.
The Lamp and the Gita
When my mother discovered my moonlit vigils, she wisely gave me the task of lighting the evening lamps. What began as reluctant obedience turned sacred when I started reading a pocket-sized Bhagavad Gita afterwards. Gradually, I began to savour its verses, later moving on to the Ramayana during my college years.
I had questions about some of its episodes and interpretations, but I lacked guidance. Then came an unexpected teacher, Sri U Ve Velukkudi Krishnan swami. His talks were part of Vijay TV’s early morning devotional segments, where stories of scholars saints were offered in moving storytelling and insightful reflections. Their words often answered what my heart sought.
Namasankeerthanam: The Joy of Divine Storytelling
I have always loved stories—whether narrated by saints, sung in bhajans, or dramatized in pravachanams. Through Namasankeerthanam, I discovered the healing rhythm of devotion. Listening to divine tales of compassion and grace slowly transformed my understanding of right and wrong.
For me, storytelling became both prayer and meditation. The music, rhythm, and bhakti of Namasankeerthanam invited me into a space of peace where the heart could listen more deeply than the mind.
Learning through Karma Yoga
I believe that every place where I either studied or worked held divine inner purpose for me. My favourite path is Karma Yoga—the yoga of action. Though my understanding may be simple, I practise it through service and sincerity.
Each new role I’ve taken has also tested me with Mada (pride) and Ahankāra (ego). Recognising and releasing them has been my hardest lesson. Every challenge has been a mirror, reflecting what still needs purification within. Over time, I realised that even ordinary work can be a path to self-realisation when performed with awareness and detachment.
A New Chapter: Divine Employment
After a long creative pause, my post-US journey brought me to a turning point. Through family connections, I was introduced to RASA, an institution dedicated to the service of Sri Ramana Maharshi. Strangely, it felt predestined.
I had often planned to visit Thiruvannamalai for Girivalam, but it never materialised. Instead, life brought the mountain’s spirit to my workplace. Now, every task feels infused with grace. I realise that employment, too, can be a form of worship when done in awareness and love.
Reflection: The Ongoing Journey
Each lesson in life repeats itself until its wisdom is understood. As I continue to serve, write, and reflect, I recognise that humility is not an achievement but a continual practice.
The essence of every faith I have studied—Hinduism, Christianity, and Buddhism—reminds me that the true conquest is not over others, but over one’s own mind.
To live the spirit of The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success is to realise that service, awareness, and compassion are the real triumphs. In this realisation, I find myself profoundly humbled—and deeply blessed.
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Itinerant Storyteller 