Indian.Community Podcast
Rediscovering Bharat with Kalyan Gullapalli : Bharat Origin, GDP, Culture & more #26
India was the number one GDP country in the world. There is GDP data. And about at one time, 33%, one third of the world's GDP came from India. This happened till about 1300, after which time we decline.
rahul-mehra_1_04-19-2024_184308:Welcome to the Indian Community Podcast. I am your host Rahul Mehra and along with me, my co host Amit Gupta. Today, we are excited to have Kalyan Gulapalli with us. Kalyan is a seeker of truth, deeply connected to his roots in Bharat. Despite an illustrious career in the BFSI industry and an academic background in metallurgical engineering and business management, Kalyan's true passion lies in exploring and sharing the rich heritage of Bharat. His initiative Rediscovering Bharat is a vibrant project aimed at bridging the gap between scholarly research and the general populace. Through innovative ideas like turning ancient text into interactive gems and educational tools, Kalyan seeks to make the profound knowledge of Bharat. accessible and engaging for everyone. Join us as we delve into Kalyan's journey and his vision to reconnect Indians with the essence of Bharat. Welcome to the Indian Community Podcast.
kalyan-gullapalli_1_04-19-2024_184307:Thank you so much. Thank you so much for that lovely introduction. Thank you so much.
amit-gupta_1_04-19-2024_091306:thank you, Kalyan, and welcome once again to the Indian Community Podcast. We're so excited. I follow you on LinkedIn and every other day. I'm amazed at the amount of research that you put in to bring us a story. About about Bharat and very rich heritage, right? So I'm really grateful to you. We're going to put a link to your LinkedIn profile in the description of this video. So a lot of people should start following you. In fact, everybody from from Bharat slash India should be following you and listening to your insights about about our country.
kalyan-gullapalli_1_04-19-2024_184307:Thank you so much.
amit-gupta_1_04-19-2024_091306:so Kalyan, let me start with the first question. Um, what is Bharat and why do you think it needs to be rediscovered?
kalyan-gullapalli_1_04-19-2024_184307:Very interesting. Bharat is who we are. Okay. We are not the United States of America. We are not Russia. We are not China. We are not the Middle East. We are not the Far East. Okay. We are India. We are Bharat. We need to know who we are. We need, if you do not know who we are, how are we going to shape our future? It is for us to have a vibrant future. We need to be rooted in ourselves, in our own identity. And for that, we need to know who we are. And hence we need to understand Bharat. We have forgotten who we are. Okay. And it is very important for us that we reconnect back with our roots. It is important that, and it is particularly important in a geopolitical world that is you know, that is, there is almost one world, you know, economically It is very important for us to understand who we are. See, as individuals, if we do not know ourselves, how do we engage with the world? It is not that I am special, but it is that I am unique. I need to understand and embrace my uniqueness. If I don't understand and embrace my uniqueness, I will not be able to engage authentically with another person or with the world around us. Similarly, as a nation, as a idea, as a concept, as a, um, you know, as a land, if you do not know who we are, how we are unique, you know, and this is not to say that we are better or worse. It is simply that we are unique. Okay. And unless we embrace our uniqueness, okay, we will not be able to find our true place. And, you know, march on towards the future and hence it's very important that we understand this idea.
amit-gupta_1_04-19-2024_091306:So,
rahul-mehra_1_04-19-2024_184308:Great.
amit-gupta_1_04-19-2024_091306:so if I understand this correct you're alluding to Bharat is not a country. Bharat is us, right? So Bharat is the Bhartiya and it is the individual and collective individuals. So you're not necessarily talking about Bharat in a geographical, is that correct?
kalyan-gullapalli_1_04-19-2024_184307:No, so, so that's not what precisely I'm saying. See, and I'm not too concerned about the geography today. Okay, so geography is a changing you know, identity. Okay. It can be less, it can be more you know, some other times, you know, sometime we were larger, sometime we were smaller. Now we are smaller, you know, so, so that's basically, you know, a geopolitical context. But what is Bharat? What is the idea of. Bharat Why was this land so different? What is so unique about this land? See this land out of the entire landmass on, on this earth, this is the only land that said, Hey guys, the physical material world that we see around us is simply a reflection of who we are from within, who we are from within shapes our outer world and not the other way around. And hence. It is very important to turn inwards and understand this thing within, okay? If we understand within, we conquer without, okay? So that is the only land that clearly lay emphasis on this simple point that you know that it is very important. For a human being to turn inwards and to understand the inner world. Okay. And by conquering the inner world, the outer world can be conquered and to put together tools and technologies and ideas and philosophies. of how to conquer the inner world. Okay. The emphasis was on conquering the inner world. Okay. And hence shaping the outer world as a consequence, as a result. Okay. So this is unique. You know, this is unique to this landmass. Okay. Between the Himalayas. And the Hindu Mahasagar, this piece of geography was the pioneer of the art and science of seeking. Okay. And and we should understand that more than the geography, it is this approach towards life. That is what makes us special.
amit-gupta_1_04-19-2024_091306:Kalyan, you mentioned conquering, um, and that, um, that reminds me of a question that I had in my mind, which was there's always this argument that India was never one country. Um, we were actually split into multiple countries. We had multiple rulers in the north and southern Deccan had different rulers. Um, a lot of people give credit to the Britishers in one way for uniting us as one country. Right. And then eventually dividing us again. But then what is the origin of the term Bharat in that case? Right. And if you look at it from a definition, was Bharat and when was it called Bharat?
kalyan-gullapalli_1_04-19-2024_184307:Yeah, so first let's understand the word Bharat, you know, and then we'll come to geography. So, the word Bharat is actually you know, consists of two syllables, Bha and Ratam, okay? The word Bha, You know, if you want to understand it, understand Bhaskara, which is Sun. It means light, okay? Bhanu, Bhaskara, Bha, light. And in the Indian context, this is the light of knowledge. Okay? Rata is, you know, if you want to understand Rata, please understand Ritu. Okay? Ritu is, you know, a continuum of seasons, right? You know, a continuum. This is the land where the quest for knowledge was eternal. The word Bharata is signifies a land where the quest for knowledge was eternal. eternal The idea of dogma,
rahul-mehra_1_04-19-2024_184308:so it is not the name of the king
kalyan-gullapalli_1_04-19-2024_184307:Sorry no, no, of course, of course, there are other connotations. Okay. Bharata was the name of Shakuntala's son and all that. So if you want to understand the idea of Bharata, Okay. It, the significance of of Bharat is a land which basically where the quest of knowledge is eternal. Of course you know, Bharata is the was the son of Shakuntala. Who was the daughter of Vishwamitra, you know, and the descendants of Bharata were called Bharatas. Okay. That's another way of looking at it. So which is why, you know, in Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna keeps calling Arjuna, Oh Bharata. which is descendants of Bharata, okay? So, our Bharatas, okay? So, so that is there.
rahul-mehra_1_04-19-2024_184308:That is basically one way of looking at it. The other way which is basically important for us to also understand is who are we? What is our DNA?
kalyan-gullapalli_1_04-19-2024_184307:Our DNA is our eternal seekers of knowledge. And once again, let me make this point. Even during Bharata's reign. Okay. Emperor Bharata's reign. The geography was, you know, was transient. It was sometimes small, sometimes large, you know, there was, there were wars, you know, the geographic So, Bharata is for me not so much a geographic identity, okay? But the identity which relates to the eternal quest, who are we? What is our DNA? Our DNA is that we were eternal seekers of knowledge, okay? So, and knowledge, what kind of knowledge? True knowledge, the truth. We always wanted, aspired to, you know, figure out, you know, those questions, who am I? Okay. What is there beyond this physical? Okay. So these are the larger questions of life used to bother us a lot. And we were not okay with, you know, um, superficial answers. We actually invested life, lifetimes. In in figuring out the answers, you know, that is who we are actually. And and, um, and that doesn't mean that we were not that we were materially failures No. In, um, instead. Our you know, our foundation in the inner world actually manifested in the outer world in such a way that we scaled peaks of excellence in mathematics, science, astronomy astrology, um, you know, architecture, art, philosophy, politics, literature, economics, you name it, whichever ever. of the material world that you named, we had scaled peaks of excellence. The quest was not you know, to conquer the material world. The quest was always to conquer the inner world and the material world, all the magnificent achievements were a by product of our inner journey. That's you know, that's the way I understand who we are.
rahul-mehra_1_04-19-2024_184308:That's a very unique perspective. Very, you know,
kalyan-gullapalli_1_04-19-2024_184307:Yeah.
rahul-mehra_1_04-19-2024_184308:a spiritual one, rather, you know,
kalyan-gullapalli_1_04-19-2024_184307:You know, so, so let me make it a little you know, material,
rahul-mehra_1_04-19-2024_184308:Yeah.
kalyan-gullapalli_1_04-19-2024_184307:then, okay? The rest of the world is outside in. In the sense that you understand yourself by understanding the outside world. But the Bharatiya life, the Bharatiya approach to life is inside out. You understand the world by understanding yourself. You know, one of the core principles of this, of Sanatana Dharma is Yatha Pinde Tatha Brahmande. Yatha Pinde means the body. Okay, the way to understand this, um, As is the microcosm, so is the macrocosm. Okay? So if you want to understand the universe, you don't have to build a spacecraft and go to Mars. You have to sit and understand this universe. If you understand this universe, you'll understand not just the Mars but the million galaxies in the million multiverses. You can understand the multiverses of the physical world by understanding this piece. Okay this Pind, this is the body, Yatha Pinde Tatha Brahmande, you can understand the Brahmande by understanding the Pind, which is why, you know, Rishis and Munis used to go to a cave and invest not multi millions, but multiple lifetimes to understand you know, the larger questions of life. Okay. That is who we are. Okay. And it is very important for us to understand who we are. We are not outside in people. We are inside out. Okay. And it is an important distinction. I'm not saying one is better than the other. That's not my point. I'm saying this is who we are. This is why we are unique. And it is important to understand why we are unique.
rahul-mehra_1_04-19-2024_184308:So, Kalyan, today we are living in a very material world, actually, you know, and Quite. I would say a lot of us are quite disconnected from what we are within ourselves. So, you know, in such a situation, what makes you think that ancient wisdom of Bharat will shape the future of India?
kalyan-gullapalli_1_04-19-2024_184307:Let us look at it this way. Okay. Over the past few hundred years. Okay. Let us say, let us start with maybe you know, the British. Okay. From around 1600. Okay. To about 1900 United Kingdom was the most dominant nation in the world. Okay. For 300 years. Okay. The sun never set on the British empire and all that. Okay. From about 1900 to about 2000. Okay. Maybe a little more, but let's say 2000. The United States of America was the most dominant country in the world. Okay? Now now, you know, China is rearing its head, okay? But all of these modern materialistic civilizations for hundred years, for 300 years, they have lost gas. They have lost. Okay? But look at, okay, 5,000 years. Okay. Let us say we do not know when the origin was, but let us say 5, 000 BC to 1, 000 BC, even 1, 000, sorry, 1, 000 AD, 1, 300 AD, we were the most prosperous land on the world. 6, 000, at least 6, 000 years, I think even more, but we do not know. Okay. There is something in inside out wisdom that is lasting. Okay. That is much more fundamental, which is much more robust. Okay. And we can see it in outside in economies of the world. You look at the French, you look at the Greece, you look at the Roman civilizations, you look at, you know, United Kingdom, you look at America, all of them were on were on fast burn. Okay. They reach peaks of excellence and come down because they're not rooted. They're not rooted within. They're outside in. They're not inside out. Okay. And for whatever reasons we lost touch with our you know, with our uniqueness, but we are getting it back. You know, this podcast is a case in point. Okay. So, we are basically realizing that it is time for us to understand that something is unique. Okay, something is different about us. We are not the United States of America. We are not Russia. We are not Japan. We are not China. We are not the Middle East. We are not the Far East. You know, we are something different. And the quest to understand who we are and to articulate it and to be rooted in that uniqueness. is a quest that is taking seed in a lot more people than merely I
rahul-mehra_1_04-19-2024_184308:All right.
amit-gupta_1_04-19-2024_091306:there's also this concept of Vasudeva Kutumbakam, right? The world is one family and that has also originated from Bharat, right? Um, is your interpretation and why did they come up with something like that? Again, because, um, they were looking inward. And now there's a statement of saying everything outside is also one. So how did they come to that realization and do you have a, do you have an opinion on that?
kalyan-gullapalli_1_04-19-2024_184307:have an opinion. It is not a very scholarly opinion. It is a very commonsensical opinion. See, please understand. So let me consider my family. Okay. Me, my wife, my son, we are all different people. We all have different individualities. We have different personalities, but essentially we are one. Okay. We are one. We are one family. Similarly, if you look at the entire human species, though each one of us is genetically different, there is oneness amongst us. Not just the human species, the entire living world, the animals, the plants, we are all connected by a common consciousness. It is when you understand your uniqueness, that you understand the uniqueness of others, and you understand the interconnectedness between those uniqueness. And when you understand the interconnectedness, you realize I am another you are another me. Okay. And and through yogic practices and through inner journey, it is very it is basically you can experience this, not just intellectually understand, you can experience. See please understand this, the, look at the tree and look at a human being, okay. So the tree emits oxygen, which I intake. I emit carbon dioxide, which the tree intakes. So basically, 50 percent of my lungs are basically hanging in the tree. The tree is another me. And I am another tree. I cannot live without the tree. The tree cannot live without me. Okay. so these are the essential fundamental realizations. Okay. That culture had, okay. And which is why you know, at some point they might have realized. That the entire world is one family and by the world, it doesn't mean just the geographical land masses. Okay. The entire cosmos is basically one entity. Okay. So we can go further and further, but essentially the point is that when you, so basically when you dig deeper and deeper into yourself, okay. You realize that the basic construct of the entire universe is the same. It is just the complexity is different. The signature, the blueprint is the same and we can call it consciousness, we can call it whatever, you know, one
amit-gupta_1_04-19-2024_091306:is beautiful. Kalyan. In fact when we started off the Indian community or the Bhartiya community Right. We set up a website Raul and I, we were talking about it and we said that the world is one family. And especially with a lot of Bhartiyas who are outside of India especially immigrants who are living in In the West or you know, in Europe and in other parts of Asia, there is this feeling of being an outsider, or these are people who are different from us and things. And I think what we are trying to do with with our podcast or our our mission essentially is to make people feel more comfortable with wherever they are, right? It doesn't matter whether you are in one geography or not you can still be who you are. And still embrace other cultures and other people. Like I, I love how you said, I am one of you and you are one of me, right? So I am another version of you and you are another version of me. And that is essentially what we are also trying to, um, promote you know, especially for immigrants to feel comfortable in the, in their foreign lands to and still hold, true to their heritage and cultural values, right? It doesn't matter where you are living today, you can still be as Bhartiya as you were and still be, you know, comfortable living with as many other civilizations as you may encounter, So that's our core essence too, right? In fact, one of our first episodes, this is exactly what we were speaking.
kalyan-gullapalli_1_04-19-2024_184307:awesome,
rahul-mehra_1_04-19-2024_184308:you know, also
kalyan-gullapalli_1_04-19-2024_184307:awesome. Awesome.
rahul-mehra_1_04-19-2024_184308:is that you know, what, by whatever you said you know, moving back that we need to be mindful all the time, actually, in order to feel feeling of heartiness and, you know, within ourselves, you know, um, to be connected to our roots properly, that how we are connected. course, it is also for the, you know, the tree and the individual and the human being thing, but also with our,
kalyan-gullapalli_1_04-19-2024_184307:Yeah.
rahul-mehra_1_04-19-2024_184308:need to be mindful of that we often what happens is in the daily routine of life, we tend to forget that we are a
kalyan-gullapalli_1_04-19-2024_184307:Yeah.
rahul-mehra_1_04-19-2024_184308:being, and we belong to a certain community. And this is how we have been raised up. And these are our roots. So yes, I mean, listening to you for approximately, you know, 20 minutes, I'm already getting that feeling and which is great, which is actually great.
kalyan-gullapalli_1_04-19-2024_184307:Yeah.
rahul-mehra_1_04-19-2024_184308:and my next question to you is, you know, we often hear you use the word Indic wisdom. what exactly is Indic wisdom?
kalyan-gullapalli_1_04-19-2024_184307:Very simple. Indic wisdom is inside out. You know, it is inside out wisdom, not outside in this. Anything that begins with you is absolutely authentic to you. Okay. It is being your authentic self being in the world, living in this world, walking in this world, doing stuff in this world, which is authentic you. Why? Because it begins from within. It is inside out. It is not outside. That is indic wisdom.
rahul-mehra_1_04-19-2024_184308:Can you explain with an example, it will be more clear to, you know, us also. And to the viewers.
kalyan-gullapalli_1_04-19-2024_184307:So a few months back I was looking at a report. Okay. I forget who made the report, but the report actually stated that the most sought after skills in the next 20 years, There's a survey done, you know, the survey was, you know, the top companies in the world not just in India, but across the world you know, talking to the CEOs and CXOs and CHROs. Trying to figure out what are the skills required to excel at work in the next 10 years, 15 years, 20 years, 25 years and so on, you know, out of the top 10, you know, five were inside out skills, empathy, okay, mindfulness. Self awareness. Being being self aware. Okay. Um, you know, I don't recall the others, but let us take one skill, self awareness. Okay. What does it mean? It means. That the more aware I am about myself, the more aware I will be about the world around me, okay? The more aware I am, in the sense that the more comfortable I become with myself, with my strengths and my so called weaknesses. This is what I'm good at, this is what I'm not good at. The more comfortable, the more I accept myself, the more I'll accept you, okay? With all your strengths and with all your limitations. Okay. The more I judge myself, you know, if I'm judgmental, yeah, you are. You're not good at this, you're not this, you're not good at this. The more I'll be judgmental about you, I'll say, the more I accept myself that I'm imperfect, the more I'll accept you that you are also imperfect and it's okay to be imperfect in spite of your obvious limitations. You have some strengths and that are enough for us. To basically have a meaningful relationship. And this is one of this is apparently one of the top five required skills in the 20 in the in the 21st century. Who is saying this? The CEOs and the CXOs and CHRs of the world. Okay. What is this? This is being self-aware. Self-awareness is an inside out skill and thrive from, you know, you know, our um, Google Days. This was a skill that was imparted. The more you know yourself, okay, and how you will know yourself, just understand that you're not the body and you're not the mind. You're not you're a little, you're a little different from the body mind complex that you carry. I am not my body. I am not my mind. Then who am I? I am something deeper within, and hence, this body and my mind is something that I've accumulated, that I've acquired from outside. If I've acquired from outside, okay, I've acquired basis the circumstances, okay, they are not who I am. Who I am is a lot different. When I understand, when I contemplate, when I become mindful of who I am, I become mindful of who you are. You know, and your, what is obvious you know, what looks obvious to me not your Ferrari car or not the wrinkles on your face, both of them are a little agnostic and I'm trying to figure out who is this guy really, beyond beyond the nice shirt he's wearing or the moles on his face. Okay. What is he? Who is this guy? And when I developed that implicit interest, I developed empathy and empathy is one of the most important skills required you know, to thrive or to survive and do well, even in a cutthroat corporate environment.
rahul-mehra_1_04-19-2024_184308:Great. True.
amit-gupta_1_04-19-2024_091306:So, Kalyan, um, can our spiritual heritage or Bharat's spiritual heritage become, integral to our economic strength in the future?
kalyan-gullapalli_1_04-19-2024_184307:Yes, of course, it was.. So, like I said, um, if you look at our previous 5, 000 years of history. Okay. And there is data from one century AD to 1300 century AD 1300 AD. Okay. The first 1300 years of this millennium, India was the number one GDP country in the world. There is GDP data. Okay. And about at one time, 33%, one third of the world's GDP came from India. This happened till about 1300, after which time we decline. Okay? So we kept coming back 25%, 20%, 10%. By the time we, you know, the Britishers left us, we were 3% of the world's g Okay. From 33%, okay? When we were 33%, our entire focus was inside out, okay? The focus was Who am I was the most important question in you know, in, in a person's life. Okay. And people were willing to sacrifice life, not just life, lifetimes to answer that question, that fundamental question who the hell am I? Why was I born? What is my place in the world? Okay. And what is this world around me? Okay. In spite of this so called fundamental spiritual inside out question, India was the number one country in the world economically. And we have data from one century to 1300 80 before that we do not have data and we know for a fact okay, not for a fact, but we know that we were extremely good. We were one of the four or five civilizations in the world. Okay. Four, five of civilizations in the world. Yeah. Huh.
amit-gupta_1_04-19-2024_091306:changed then? So
kalyan-gullapalli_1_04-19-2024_184307:Tough one. Very tough. Okay. And there are a lot of scholars who are doing some really good scholarly work in trying to figure out. See, it is tempting to say that we lost because of outsiders and invaders. It is a certain element of truth. Okay. It is a fact that, you know, People came from outside and they destroyed you know, a lot of our Okay. But in my opinion, okay, there are two factors. One is we ourselves were responsible. Okay. We are um, reaping the karma phala of the karma of the karmic seeds that we sowed in the sense that if you look, because the quest for the journey within is does not have one route. There are multiple routes. So, you see, there are multiple schools of thought, multiple schools of practice, multiple, you know, ideas. In fact you know, Dr. Amartya sen called us the argumentative Indians, okay? Because we never agreed on anything. Okay? There were so different, various divergent routes, you know, to the one universal truth. There's so, so many divergent paths that we became so many different streams. And at one particular point, we lost unity and opposiveness. Okay? If you look at you know, Prithviraj Chauhan, Mohammed of Ghori comes to you know, attack him, and his own father in law, Jaichand takes the side of you know, the outside. Okay. Um, and the battle of Plassey, the very recent one, which the decisive battle where, you know, the British took over from the Nawaab of Bengal. Okay. Siraj Dola had an army that was multiple times larger and stronger than what was the guy? Robert Clive, I think. Okay. The you know, the East India Company commander, but they were people from our side who are you know, on the payroll of the enemy. We were not one unit. And because we didn't have unity, we had intern assigned quarrels and battles, which is why an outsider could come in and, take advantage. Okay. So to a large extent, we ourselves. You know, our responsibility and when the time was right, the foreigners came and they ravaged us. Okay. So, so I think to a large extent, we have to accept responsibility and learn from that. Even today there can be multiple viewpoints. You and I may not agree on everything, but we should focus on our points of convergence, not quarrel about our points of divergence. We will never agree on everything, but we should focus on what are the two or three things out of ten that we agree on. And we should basically maintain peace on those two or three points and not quarrel on the two or three points that were absolutely divergent. So this is point number one. Point number two is slightly philosophical. It is philosophical in the sense that, Yes, that I believe that everything in life is cyclical, okay? So there is an up and there is a down and then there is a up again and then there is a brilliant up again and there is a down. So it is cyclical. So we are basically going through our own cycle. So at one time we were you know, at the peak and when we were at the peak we did fantastic things. And then we declined, we started declining when we started declining, you know, because we had momentum, we carried forward, but then, you know, all the you know, battles and, you know, lack of unity and cohesiveness and all that. And then we you know, the foreigners came, they attacked us, ravaged us, took advantage of us, exploited us, they conquered us, we became And today, once again, we are entering the upward curve. I think Um, you know, there is a certain amount of cyclicity to all civilizations, okay? And we have gone through our cycle, okay? Even the cycle is a result of our own karma, okay? All things in nature happen as cycles, okay? So cycles are nature's way of ensuring perpetuity, okay? And we've gone through that cycle and we're just coming out of our cycle. I think sometimes when I'm lost within myself I sort of cling to this cyclicity theory. And say there is something in this that everything in nature happens in cycles. Our civilization also went through a cycle and we've seen the nadir and now we go to where we are taking an upward climb once again, you know, so, and Kalyan, can you be a small cog in that upward climb? You know, can you be a small lubricant in that upward climb? So that's basically. You know, the way I look at it.
amit-gupta_1_04-19-2024_091306:Kalyan, there were some things that I was picking up while you were saying, you know, sharing all of this wisdom. The first one was, we are the original AI, argumentative Indian. And then that also stems from the concept of Bharat, where you're the seeker of knowledge. And when you seek knowledge you ask questions and those questions may seem to be argumentative. As the parent of a teenager, when they ask me questions, I am like, don't argue with me. Right. And, that, that kind of connects the dots there. and you also mentioned about. One very important thing, which is also rooted in the wisdom that has been shared with us over centuries, which is the ghar ka bhedi lanka dhai you know, how some of these um, Historical events have already tried to tell us that, hey, this, if you're not united, um, at the roots, right, then things can happen and people can make you fall apart and break you up. Right? And that is
kalyan-gullapalli_1_04-19-2024_184307:yeah.
amit-gupta_1_04-19-2024_091306:In these texts that we have or we've been granted. Access to. So, I think this, there's so much that we can learn from all the stories that we have, um, and sometimes I feel, um, offended with the term mythological stories, right? So some of our texts are called mythological and and I don't understand why. They're called mythological because they're not myths. The, there is, there's ample evidence a label around, um, especially the
kalyan-gullapalli_1_04-19-2024_184307:Yeah. Very,
amit-gupta_1_04-19-2024_091306:Right? And instead of calling them the sacred text, um, some people end up calling them mythological stories. What is your opinion on that term, mythological?
kalyan-gullapalli_1_04-19-2024_184307:very simple. So I, you know, this is one of my earlier questions and, you know, I, so I contemplated, I did a lot of, you know, studying and listened to a lot of opinions and this is where I have arrived. See, itihasa for us, itihasa is, it happened this way. It actually means, it happened this way. Itihasa. It happened this way. Ithasa. It happened this way. Okay. Which in other words is history. Okay. It happened this way. Okay. So, but there is one twist to it. Itihasa for us is not simply the study of the past. Itihasa for us is the study of the cyclical patterns that this world has already seen. Is the study of the cyclical patterns that the world has already seen. And hence, if you study the cyclical patterns the world has already seen. You will be able to extrapolate and understand that the cyclical patterns the world will see and therein lies of wisdom. When you study itihasa, you become wiser because you know that things happened this way before and hence they're likely to happen this way again. Okay. Not in the exact same sequence, but you know, you get, you gain wisdom, you get perspective and you know. That study of it is to make us better people in the present so that we can shape our future in a better way in a more conscious coordinated way and hence the and puranas are, you know, though they basically seem like like, you know, extraordinary stories. Okay. They're basically life truths. Okay. Hidden inside them, codified inside them, which you can understand when you transcend this so very overrated thing called logic. And when you put in an element of faith, okay, just surrender. These days I'm reading the Bhagavata Purana. Okay. It is a vast subject. Initially when I started the ana, I thought it was, you know, a mythological story, okay? About the life of a God called Krishna. These days, I understand that it is a scientific document. You know what Ana says? It says that this world has 8.4 million species, out of which the human species is one. 8. 4 million species. They have recorded 8. 4 million species. Okay. It is one. The earth goes through multiple life cycles. There are multi verses, you know, the idea of multi verses probably came sometimes after 1950, but in the Bhagavad Purana, there are multi verses. Okay. So, so these Puranas, they are basically, they contain hidden gems, which are scientific, but in order to understand it, you will have to use an element of intelligence that is slightly beyond logic. You'll have to use a little bit of faith. Okay. And that is where the modern mind. Which is conditioned to say that faith is a inferior form of intelligence. And the most superior form of intelligence is logic. That is where you know, the Bharatiya Wisdom, okay. Another example of Bharatiya Wisdom, you know, is basically that faith is the highest form of intelligence, not blind faith. Faith is not to avoid logic. Faith is to transcend logic. Faith means there are certain things that I cannot understand using my five senses. And hence I should surrender. And when I surrender, I will understand. And then my five senses will also work accordingly. So, it is to transcend logic, okay? Not to avoid logic, it is to transcend logic, okay? So, so that's that's my you know, my understanding and my take on the Puranas and you know, say the word mythology. is not so important. Okay. It can mean multiple things to multiple people. I'm not worried about the word I'm worried about. I'm basically my thing is how do I approach the text? Okay. What should my approach towards the text? That's more important.
amit-gupta_1_04-19-2024_091306:No, absolutely. I the reason I asked this is because. Um, one thing leads to another, right? When we start calling itihasa as mythology, right, generations start looking at the definition of the literal definition of the word mythology. So, which is based in myth, right? So, automatically, itihasa becomes you know, there are questions raised over itihasa, saying, yeah, that really is the case. It's a myth,
kalyan-gullapalli_1_04-19-2024_184307:Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
amit-gupta_1_04-19-2024_091306:so it's not like it has happened before. Oh, it is probably somebody's dream and somebody has written it down. And now that's why so that that's my problem with the word mythology is that there's also a literal connotation because if you look at the Oxford definition of the word mythology, it says it is rooted in myth. And that's where some of the problems originate.
kalyan-gullapalli_1_04-19-2024_184307:Yeah. Understood. Understood. I understand where you're coming from. The reason why I'm basically not taking Hmm. For example, in Bha Pana, okay? For example, in Bha Pana, there is a there is a segment of the story where after the Maha War, ASRA Tamma is now pissed off that he has lost the war. His father has been killed by deceit, by pans, and now he wants to he attempts to kill the pans, but accidentally kills the pans. Five sons drop these five sons. And now he's like, yeah I made a mistake, but now I need to I can't kill the Pandavas because now they're aware of my intentions. So what I will do is. I will kill Uttaras womb um, by throwing the brahmastra into ra. Um, okay, so he throws the brara into RA's, um, to kill the fetus of Parikshit, who's supposed to be the future emperor. Now, Krishna gets to, realizes that this is what Ashwatthama is doing. So he enters the fetus and creates a protective layer around Parikshit fetus, okay? And thus Parikshit is saved and Ashwatthama is cursed, okay? When you read this, how are you going to explain this? Will you say this is mythology or will you say this is not mythology? It is tough to say. It is mythology. It is tough. Not to say it is not mythology, which is why I decided in my mind not to worry about mythology, but to worry about what is, Vedvyasa trying to say, what is it trying to say? What is the message that he is trying to instill into us. What is the power of Lord Krishna that his, you know, that there was a time when we had a Brahmastra. We could use a Brahmastra not to kill a person, but to kill a fetus within the person. And then there was somebody who was supposed to have so many power, that kind of power that he can enter a fetus, create a protective layer and ensure that the Brahmastra is ineffective. You know, how are you going to explain this? Mythology or not? You, how can you say this is not mythology? And how can you say this is mythology? Both ways, it is a double edged sword. So my point, I realized that beyond a particular time, there are words. Mythology is a word. Let me try and understand what is Veda Vyasa trying to say. Okay. So, and there, this is just one example. There are you know, thousands of such examples, thousands of such examples. In one Purana, you read some of the Purana, Shiva Purana, Garuda Purana you'll say, boss, how is this even possible? Logically, you cannot understand. You cannot say this is not mythology and you cannot say this is mythology. So, Okay. So, which is the dichotomy?
amit-gupta_1_04-19-2024_091306:Yes, it is.
rahul-mehra_1_04-19-2024_184308:Let's,
amit-gupta_1_04-19-2024_091306:It is a very
rahul-mehra_1_04-19-2024_184308:yeah,
amit-gupta_1_04-19-2024_091306:subject for sure. And I think it is, um, it is something that you understand over a period of time when you spend time with it and you go behind the why, right? So going
kalyan-gullapalli_1_04-19-2024_184307:Yeah.
amit-gupta_1_04-19-2024_091306:is this being said? What is the core message here? I think that is where people have to start focusing.
kalyan-gullapalli_1_04-19-2024_184307:And the important point here is, which is something that I cautioned myself long time back. Kalyan, don't get into dogma. Okay. Don't think we were perfect. We were the best. There was nobody superior to us to possibly make 10, 000 mistakes. Okay. Why? We were human. Okay. So, don't get into it. Try and understand what is happening behind the scenes. Okay. So that is an important you know, that is something that has held me in good stead. Okay. That I'm balanced. It is not one side of the pendulum or the other side of the pendulum. It is there basically to have a balanced point. It's important.
rahul-mehra_1_04-19-2024_184308:let's move from mythology to metallurgy, right? I think it's time. So Kalyan, could you share a bit about your journey from metallurgical engineering to become, to becoming a cheerleader of Bharat's heritage? What actually sparked this transition?
amit-gupta_1_04-19-2024_091306:What is your itihasa? So,
rahul-mehra_1_04-19-2024_184308:Yeah.
kalyan-gullapalli_1_04-19-2024_184307:Yeah. So this is what happened. So I did my engineering from NIT Rourkela and then I did my MBA from, and then I worked in the corporate world. And you know, Roti, Kapda, Makaan became very important. And once we transcended Roti, Kapda and Makaan, You know, a bigger roti, a bigger, you know, flashier looking kapde and a bigger makan, okay, became important and that the thing called ambition, okay drove me for a long time, okay? And I reached a particular stage wherein you know, I began to question my ambition and there are certain things that happened. I started, you know, a business of my own and I, um, ran it for three, four years and a stage came when I was you know, the business went bust and I was bankrupt. Okay. Now I realize that was probably the most. Significant phase of my life, because, you know, all of us. Our sense of self esteem comes from two things. One is who I am. And second is what I have. Okay. What I have can be, you know, a bank balance or, you know, my positions, or it could be psychological, you know, my designation in the company or, you know, my status and recognition that I get in the society and so on and so forth. When I failed and failed with time, what I had becomes zero. So I had nothing. So the only thing left was, who am I? Okay. And without realizing, okay, I turned inwards because I took the question very serious. That who am I? Okay. Why did I fail? Okay. Most importantly at that time, did I simply fail or am I a failure? Okay. So, these questions became very important. It was like standing in front of the mirror, buck naked. Looking at myself for the first time in my life, of course, not liking what I saw, because, you know, I just come out of, you know, not so great experience, but over time, when I started accepting, you know, that this thing happened to me. I started getting to know myself like never before, okay? And before I realized I had turned inwards. And those big questions of life started haunting me. And it took them very seriously. that I wanted answers. I went back to the corporate world to earn a to earn a living. And you know, got back to even feet, but these questions and the quest, you know, um, took me from one place to another milestone, you know, a lot of unbelievable experiences.
rahul-mehra_1_04-19-2024_184308:I
kalyan-gullapalli_1_04-19-2024_184307:you know, um, a guru coming into my life, me starting kriya yoga,
rahul-mehra_1_04-19-2024_184308:the
kalyan-gullapalli_1_04-19-2024_184307:and then at the right appropriate moment, um, getting into, you know, the knowledge side of things, then getting into bhakti, you know, introduce, introduct, getting introduced to bhakti, which is actually, I think, one of the toughest things for, you know, a 21st century human being, you know, To transcend logic and say, I surrender, okay, to somebody you have not seen, okay, and you do not know exists, okay, so, um, so all of these things happened and the more I began to discover myself, the more I realized that this land of ours that we called Bharat, which is today called India, is the pioneer. of the art and science of seeking. Okay. We have done this before. We have not one person, but millions of people have done this before. And at least tens of thousands of people have actually you know, achieve the ultimate goal. And as I went inwards and inwards, I started reading up and understanding on various aspects of Bharat. And I began to fall heads or heathens. And today, rediscovering Bharat is simply an expression of my own inner journey. As long as I am continuing my inner journey, I will keep rediscovering Bharat. You know, to some or the other extent. That's that's my story.
amit-gupta_1_04-19-2024_091306:You're a man of a million stories, right? They're all packed in your brain. Um, is there a one particular story that sparked you and still inspires you and is your favorite? Which is your favorite story?
kalyan-gullapalli_1_04-19-2024_184307:Yes. Yes. So, unbelievable story and something that inspires me again and again. There are, of course, a lot of stories, but this one is you know, top of the lot. So this is a story from the Upanishads. Okay. Those were days of the guru shishya parampara, okay? So a shishya used to go to a gurukul and stay as a part of the family of the gurukul for 10 years, 12 years, 14 years and so on and so forth. So this is the story of one such shishya who has spent 14 years in the guru's gurukul, you know. And today is his let us say convocation day, last day, graduation day, okay? So he goes to his guru and says Gurudev, I'm leaving. Any parting message or thoughts. The Guru looks at him and says, my dear son, in the past 14 years, what all have you learned? So the Sishya says, Gurudev, by your grace, I've learned the Vedas, I've learned the Puranas, I've learned the Itihasas, I've learned the Shastras, I've learned whatever you've taught me, I've learned all of it. The Guru nods his head and says, my dear son, great, but through all of this, have you learned something about yourself? The sishya hangs his head in shame, thinks about it, and hangs his head in shame, and he says, I've not learned completely about myself. So the guru says, all this knowledge that you acquire from outside has only one purpose to make you get to know yourself better and better and better. Otherwise, that knowledge has not served it purpose. The knowledge is not meant to be applied in the outside world. The knowledge is meant to know yourself better and better. Because it's only when you know yourself better, okay, that you know the world. Because all that I experienced in the world is through myself. My experience in the world is very different from yours. And yours and somebody else's. Okay. So the more you know yourself, the richer your experience in the world will be. There are different words for that. They called it Paravidya and they called it Aparavidya. Paravidya is transcendental knowledge. Paravidya, you know, the real, who am I? Aparavidya is all the mathematics, the science, the, you know, literature, arts, all of them are Aparavidya. The real quest, okay, in Bharat, was the Paravidya. Transcend. Who am I? Okay. Yeah. So that is basically, you know, the day I I read it actually you know, I goosebumps and I said, boss, you know, if you ever think Kalyan that you're ambitious. Okay. Then why don't you divert your ambition into this direction and see where it takes you. Okay. Because even if you fail, okay, you have succeeded, you know, so that that thrills me a lot. This this story.
rahul-mehra_1_04-19-2024_184308:Great. So, Kalyan, for our listeners who are interested in exploring Bharat's cultural and historical richness, do you recommend they start?
kalyan-gullapalli_1_04-19-2024_184307:Yeah. So in my experience, different people started different places. Okay. Some people start by reading, some people start by watching, some people start by listening, some people start by traveling, some people start by merchandise, you know, so different people have different places. Okay. There's some people who start wearing t shirts, wear Bharatanatyam and move around. That is their way of you know, getting in touch with bharat okay. So there are different ways. The point is, Where are you and what is your question? What is the question that is bothering you today? If there is no question that is bothering you, no amount of podcasts are going ahead. Okay. There should be there should be something, there should be an inherent dissatisfaction in you. That is inspiring you, motivating you to ask a more fundamental question than how much money am I going to earn this month or this week? And I'm not saying there's anything wrong in earning money because I, you know, I consider myself to be an extremely ambitious person. Okay. But the point is, What is the one fundamental question that is bothering you? Because if you know what your question is, the book will appear. The video will appear. You know that, that tour or that travel trip will manifest into your life. Because your energies are getting concentrated on that question. And the universe is going to send you some or the other medium so that your, that question is answered and which will begin the next question. Okay. So, so what is fundamental is, otherwise, you know, I can tell you, these are the five books you can read. These are the 10 videos you can, these are the 10 websites they're not going to, you know, um, beyond a particular, beyond the next 24 hours, you know, they're not going to help. The real deal is. What is the fundamental question that is bothering you, that is not allowing you to sleep? If there is no such question, sleep. At one time, you will get the question and when the question will come into your life, no, you don't need somebody else. You know, yeah. Some video will manifest into your life or some resource will manifest, you know? So, what is that question? What is bothering me? You know, that's the starting point.
amit-gupta_1_04-19-2024_091306:I love how you said you know, there has to be a question and the question will automatically manifest itself. These days it is my phone which does this for me. I I think of something or if I'm speaking to my family about something, the next moment I see an advertisement about that of my phone, showing me that product or showing me that service. so somehow, um, AI and technology these days is is doing that. So, yes, I would encourage more people to think of those questions, maybe ask Google about those questions and automatically the world is going to manifest and find you answers to those questions. Kalyan, this is excellent. My last question for you today is, is your vision for the future of Bharat? You said this is cyclical, this is turning around and now you're seeing it go back to its glorious days. So it's a two part question. One, Why do you think this is happening? And where do you think this is going?
kalyan-gullapalli_1_04-19-2024_184307:Yeah. The first part is very simple. So, it is cyclical. See I'm not demeaning human endeavor. I'm not saying that, you know, people are not important. I'm saying the cycle is a natural cycle. Okay. So our phenomenal success was natural. Our decline was natural. Our coming back is natural and our phenomenal rise is natural. Um, so this cycle is a natural cycle and there are rules and laws of nature far beyond your and mine You know, interference or or, but our effort should go on, you know, our effort should always go on irrespective and our effort is also a natural. So we are a part of an overall scheme of the Bharatiya cycle going towards an upswing. Okay. So, so that's basically, you know, so it's an upswing the next, you know, the next yeah, should I say 200 years or should I say 500 years? I do not know. You know, the next 200, 500 years is basically you know, the Bharatiya time, you know. So we're going to see phenomenal things happening. Okay. Resurgence of Bharat already. I can see already. I can see, you know, so when I started my LinkedIn journey about 12 months back, I used to regularly keep getting messages. Are your messages for LinkedIn? Okay. Isn't LinkedIn a professional platform? Okay. But I continued these days. You know, you know, I meet people like you. Okay. So, there is a resurgence. Okay. So, it is bound to happen. You and I are instruments of the karmic hand. Okay. It's simply going to happen. Um so, if today you and I retire, it is still going to happen. Okay. But we are doing our bit and we should do our bit. And great things are going to happen. I'm supremely optimistic about the next, you know, maybe a millennium. Okay. So, about bharat. So it's great times coming backwards.
amit-gupta_1_04-19-2024_091306:That's a phenomenal answer, Kalyan, because you're attributing to the rise of Bharat again is the organic cycle, of nature and not necessarily crediting an individual or an organization. We are all part of that cycle. nature's plan for us to be there. Right. And it is something that is um, you know, springing up and I think it has always been there. It, and it's like you said, it's cyclical. When I was growing up, I wasn't thinking about it in this way. But the seed was there. I would ask these questions. I would also be called the argumentative Indian in that sense, because I would ask you know, why is this like this? Yes. I Q. Bouldering. Yes. I Q. Hand, you know, why should I do this? And why are we doing this ritual or why are we doing that? So we would ask those questions and debate it. And now over a period of time, we are realizing, okay, there is, um, there is some logic to it. There is some peace involved, right? So not every ritual is because you're going to get something out of it, but there's also, there's an element of. Peace and satisfaction about going through that cycle in one way, right? So I loved everything that you said on this episode, Kalyan. We would definitely want to see you come back for more share more stories with us and our audience and In fact, we've been speaking about doing more special episodes which would be focused on certain stories and certain learnings. So, on behalf of the entire Bhartiya community I would like to thank you for the time and all the insights that you've shared with us and you continue to share with us on LinkedIn and other platforms, right? So, we are very grateful for the work that you do. And we are also. cheering for your endeavors to Bharat. So thank you so much, Kalyan.
rahul-mehra_1_04-19-2024_184308:Thank you, Kalyan.
kalyan-gullapalli_1_04-19-2024_184307:Thank you so much. I'm grateful. It's been a pleasure. And I'll be glad to come back.
rahul-mehra_1_04-19-2024_184308:Sure. Sure.