Reflections — JR Sandadi https://charaiveti.net/reflections.html Essays by JR Sandadi on faith, community, running, and the examined life. en-us Thu, 11 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT Faith and Freedom at 250 https://charaiveti.net/reflections.html#essay-faith-freedom-250 https://charaiveti.net/reflections.html#essay-faith-freedom-250 Thu, 11 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT A Hindu American Perspective on Religious Liberty and Democratic Pluralism Guru Vandana: The Teachers Who Lead Children from Darkness into Light https://charaiveti.net/reflections.html#essay-guru-vandana https://charaiveti.net/reflections.html#essay-guru-vandana Thu, 04 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT On an ancient tradition of reverence, the children who carry it across oceans, and what it asks of the teachers who receive it When the Himalayas Came to Me https://charaiveti.net/reflections.html#essay-himalayas https://charaiveti.net/reflections.html#essay-himalayas Thu, 28 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT On ancient mountains, living masters, and the stillness that finds you when you stop running from it Exploring the Healing Potential of Devotion and Kirtan: A Personal Journey into Spiritual Transformation https://charaiveti.net/reflections.html#essay-kirtan https://charaiveti.net/reflections.html#essay-kirtan Thu, 21 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT Growing up in a Hindu household in India, I was introduced to the path of chanting in the name of Bhagwan, which is known as the Bhakti yoga path. This tradition has been a part of my family's routine The Hindu Understanding of Charity — From Entanglement to Elevation https://charaiveti.net/reflections.html#essay-dana https://charaiveti.net/reflections.html#essay-dana Thu, 14 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT In the Hindu worldview, charity (dāna) is not merely a noble act — it is a spiritual responsibility. As householders, we naturally engage with the world: earning, spending, acquiring, building. In tha Shiv–Shakti: The Primordial Union of Consciousness and Energy https://charaiveti.net/reflections.html#essay-shiv-shakti https://charaiveti.net/reflections.html#essay-shiv-shakti Thu, 07 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT On the dance of consciousness and energy, the mystery of creation, and the timeless path back to oneness Murmuration: A Word That Became a Mirror for Community, Faith, and Shared Purpose https://charaiveti.net/reflections.html#essay-murmuration https://charaiveti.net/reflections.html#essay-murmuration Thu, 30 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT What a poetry reading, a rabbit hole of bird videos, and the science of starlings taught me about how communities truly move A Fortunate Bindu: Becoming Dharma Pracharaks https://charaiveti.net/reflections.html#essay-bindu https://charaiveti.net/reflections.html#essay-bindu Thu, 23 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT Devprayag, a sacred town in the Garhwal region of Uttarakhand, marks the confluence of two hallowed rivers — Bhagirathi and Alaknanda. Together, they merge to become the revered River Ganga. This holy Before You Argue, Prove You Understand https://charaiveti.net/reflections.html#essay-purva-paksha https://charaiveti.net/reflections.html#essay-purva-paksha Thu, 16 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT An ancient Hindu practice of understanding your opponent before you speak — and why it may be the most urgent intellectual skill of our time The American Left and Right Don't Include Me — Dharma Does https://charaiveti.net/reflections.html#essay-dharma-politics https://charaiveti.net/reflections.html#essay-dharma-politics Thu, 09 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT On why Sanatana Dharma doesn't map onto the American political spectrum — and what it asks of us instead Eternally Present: Where Time Collapses into Now https://charaiveti.net/reflections.html#essay-eternal https://charaiveti.net/reflections.html#essay-eternal Thu, 02 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT A friend of mine recently posed a question: What are your thoughts about the eternal present? Balance Is Not a Buzzword — It's a Reckoning https://charaiveti.net/reflections.html#essay-balance https://charaiveti.net/reflections.html#essay-balance Thu, 26 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT On reading Die with Zero, The Second Mountain, and The 5 Types of Wealth back-to-back — and what they forced me to see Later is a Fragile Plan https://charaiveti.net/reflections.html#essay-later https://charaiveti.net/reflections.html#essay-later Thu, 19 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT On the quiet lie we tell ourselves about time, and what it costs us in the end The Silence That Preserves Harmony — and Erodes Truth https://charaiveti.net/reflections.html#essay-civility https://charaiveti.net/reflections.html#essay-civility Thu, 12 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT On civility, the fire we bury, and the quiet courage it takes to remain whole in a polarized world A Yatra in Three Movements: Roots, Return, and First Darshan https://charaiveti.net/reflections.html#essay-yatra https://charaiveti.net/reflections.html#essay-yatra Thu, 05 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT Thirty days, fifteen cities, nineteen mandirs — and the slow recognition that some journeys carry you back to who you already were A Birthday in Kyoto: Where Tradition Holds Its Breath https://charaiveti.net/reflections.html#essay-kyoto https://charaiveti.net/reflections.html#essay-kyoto Thu, 26 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT On golden pavilions, ten thousand vermillion gates, and finding Hindu deities standing guard in a Buddhist temple Three Worlds, One Journey: Peru and the Art of Keeping Moving https://charaiveti.net/reflections.html#essay-peru https://charaiveti.net/reflections.html#essay-peru Thu, 19 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT On altitude, ancient stone, and what human beings are capable of when they build something in the belief that it matters Football, Food, and Faith: A Journey Through Spain https://charaiveti.net/reflections.html#essay-spain https://charaiveti.net/reflections.html#essay-spain Thu, 12 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT A 15-day sojourn from Barcelona to Madrid — and the Moorish thread that runs through it all