Category Archives: Google AI Studio

Borderline Professionals and the AI-Powered Kriya Shakti

image by author and ChatGPT

Most people assume creativity belongs only to experts. But a silent category exists between amateurs and full-fledged professionals—the borderline professionals. These are individuals who have the desire to create, and just enough basic skill to understand what they want, yet they struggle to execute.

Today, AI changes that equation.


The Ancient Framework That Explains Modern AI

In the Lalita Sahasranama, creation is rooted in three forces:

  1. Ichha Shakti — the deep desire or will
  2. Jnana Shakti — the knowledge or understanding
  3. Kriya Shakti — the power to execute

In my book Directing Business, I highlighted how these three powers capture the entire arc of creation. Most people possess the first, many have some version of the second, but very few have the third.

This is where AI steps in—not as a replacement for human skill, but as the missing Kriya Shakti that unlocks execution.


Who Are Borderline Professionals?

Borderline professionals are not amateurs. They are not novices. They are people who:

  • Have a genuine desire to create
  • Possess basic foundational knowledge
  • Can articulate what they want
  • But get stuck when it’s time to execute

They often sit on ideas for years—songs they wanted to compose, books they wanted to write, companies they wanted to start, designs they always imagined but never completed.

Their limitation is almost always Kriya Shakti—the ability to translate intent and knowledge into a finished creation.


AI Completes the Creation Triangle

If you possess:

  • Ichha (desire)
  • Jnana (basic understanding)

AI now gives you:

  • Kriya (execution superpower)

This shifts the creative world in a fundamental way. AI does not magically inject expertise into you.
Instead, it amplifies your minimum viable expertise.

In other words:
If you can imagine it and understand it at a basic level, AI can help you build it.


Real Examples of Borderline Creators Becoming Real Creators

1. Writing & Storytelling

People who always wanted to write but struggled with structure or flow can now produce full essays, chapters, and scripts. AI becomes the co-author that takes their intent and shapes it into polished work.

2. Music & Composition

A person who can hum a tune or grasp rhythm but lacks musical training can now generate full compositions, lyrics, and studio-quality tracks.

3. Entrepreneurship

Someone with a startup idea but no experience in planning, pitching, or prototyping can now generate:

  • business plans
  • branding
  • pitch decks
  • landing pages
  • even early product mockups

In short, AI provides the scaffolding for company creation.

4. Multimodal Creativity

Text → Images → Video → Audio → Apps
With modern multimodal AI, the entire pipeline of creativity becomes accessible—even if the individual has never been trained formally.


The Big Insight: Skill Is Not Dead—It Is Amplified

You still need some Jnana Shakti—some grasp of your domain. AI cannot replace absolute ignorance.

But the amount of knowledge needed to start has dramatically dropped.

Earlier, you needed 100% skill to get 100% output.
Now, even with 20–30% knowledge, AI multiplies your ability to produce a finished work.

This is the true empowerment.


Why This Is the Best Time for Borderline Professionals

For the first time in history:

  • You don’t need a studio to compose.
  • You don’t need a publisher to write.
  • You don’t need a team to launch a startup.
  • You don’t need a design degree to create visuals.
  • You don’t need a production crew to make videos.

If you have deep desire (Ichha) and basic understanding (Jnana), AI gives you Kriya at a never-before scale.

This makes today the most powerful era for borderline professionals—those who were always “almost there,” waiting for a catalyst.


Conclusion

Creativity no longer belongs only to the trained elite. It belongs to anyone with the will to create and the willingness to learn just enough to guide AI.

AI completes the Ichha–Jnana–Kriya triad.
It transforms borderline professionals from dreamers into doers, and from doers into creators.

The door is open wider than ever.
And if you’ve always stood just outside it—this is your moment to walk through.


Infographic based on this article (using Nana Banana Pro)

A Million Lights, One Offering: The Heart of Devotion at Kotideepotsavam

image by author, grok and perplexity.ai

Imagine a space as vast as a stadium, transformed into a celestial galaxy on Earth. A sea of humanity, their faces glowing with reverence, sit before a million flickering lamps. Each flame, a tiny prayer; together, a roaring testament to unwavering faith. This is the breathtaking spectacle of Bhakthi TV’s Kotideepotsavam, a divine celebration that immerses one in the profound spiritual energy of Lord Shiva.

But what does it truly mean to worship the Lord of the Universe? What can we, as mere mortals, offer to a being who is the source of all creation? This question has been explored for centuries by saints, poets, and sages. Two of the most powerful answers come from two very different, yet spiritually aligned poets: a profound philosopher of ancient India and a court poet who valued devotion above all earthly power.

The Philosopher’s Renunciation: A Lesson from Bhartṛhari

Long before the grand courts of medieval India, in the 5th century, lived a mind of immense intellectual and spiritual depth: Bhartṛhari. A master grammarian and one of the most important philosophers of language in Indian history, he authored the seminal text Vākyapadīya, which explores the deep connection between consciousness and language.

Yet, Bhartṛhari was not just a scholar of the abstract. Born in Ujjain and associated with the court of Valabhi, his life story is a powerful tale of inner conflict and ultimate spiritual victory. Legend paints him as a man who, despite possessing immense wealth and power, was repeatedly confronted with the bitter realities of human attachment and impermanence. After struggling to fully detach from worldly pleasures, he finally succeeded, renouncing his courtly life to live as a yogi in Ujjain until his death.

From this crucible of experience, he gifted the world the Śatakatraya—three brilliant collections of 100 verses on love, ethics, and, most powerfully, renunciation (Vairāgya). In his Vairāgya Śatakam, he crystallizes the ultimate goal of a devotee by describing the ideal ascetic, Lord Shiva:

The Shloka:

भिक्षाशनं तदपि नीरसमेकवारं,शय्या च भूः परिजनो निजदेहमात्रम् |वस्त्रं विशालकुशलं जलपानपात्रं,यस्यास्ति चेति वपुषा किमु तस्य कृत्यम् ||

Bhiks̱āśanaṁ tadapi nīrasamēkavāraṁ,śayyā ca bhūḥ parijanō nijadēhamātram |vastraṁ viśālakauśalaṁ jalapānapātraṁ,yasyāsti cēti vapuṣā kimu tasya kr̥tyam ||

The Meaning:

Bhartṛhari describes the ultimate state of detachment, embodied by Lord Shiva. He who has:

  • Food from begging (bhiksha), and that too, tasteless and only once a day;
  • The bare earth as his bed;
  • Only his own body as his attendant;
  • The vast expanse of the sky as his clothing;

…what need does such a person have for any other worldly possession?

This verse powerfully illustrates that Lord Shiva embodies ultimate freedom from material wants. For a devotee, this poses a profound question: if the Lord I worship desires nothing, what can I possibly give Him?

The Poet’s Devotion: The Unwavering Cry of Dhurjati

Centuries later, in the glorious court of Sri Krishnadevaraya, lived the poet Dhurjati. Though a celebrated member of the royal court, his heart belonged only to Lord Shiva of Kalahasti. His magnum opus, Sri Kalahasti Mahatyam, is a testament to his profound and unshakeable devotion. In one of his most famous verses, he makes his priorities crystal clear:

The Verse:

రాజ్యాంగ భోగములు రమణీమణుల కౌగిలింతలున్,రాజ్యాంగమందు భోగ సౌఖ్యములు కోరను నేనునీ పాద సేవయును, నిత్యము నీ నామ స్మరణయునునాకు దయచేయుమయా శ్రీకాళహస్తీశ్వరా!

Rājyāṅga bhōgamulu ramaṇīmaṇula kaugiḷintalun,Rājyāṅgamandu bhōga saukhyamulu kōranu nēnuNī pāda sēvayunu, nityamu nī nāma smaraṇayunuNāku dayacēyumayā Śrīkāḷahastīśvarā!

The Meaning:

Dhurjati declares to his Lord:

  • “I do not desire the pleasures of kingship, nor the embraces of beautiful women, nor any comforts that royalty can offer. All I ask for, O Lord of Sri Kalahasti, is the blessing to serve at your feet and the grace to chant your name eternally!”

Like Bhartṛhari, Dhurjati places divine service above all worldly treasures. He understands that the joy of devotion far surpasses the fleeting pleasures of the material world.

A Modern Echo: Kotideepotsavam and the Ultimate Offering

This timeless stream of devotion, flowing from ancient philosophers to medieval poets, found its vibrant, modern expression at the Kotideepotsavam. The event itself was a pilgrimage through the sacred geography of Shaivism. The audience was taken on a spiritual journey to the Panchabhuta Kshetras, the five holy sites where Lord Shiva is worshipped in the form of the five elements:

  • Water (Jala Lingam): Jambukeswaram
  • Sky (Akasha Lingam): Chidambaram
  • Earth (Prithvi Lingam): Kanchipuram
  • Wind (Vayu Lingam): Srikalahasti
  • Fire (Agni Lingam): Arunachalam (Tiruvannamalai)

The theme of the evening was centered around the magnificent Arunachalam, the abode of the Agni Lingam. The celestial wedding (Kalyanotsavam) of Lord Arunachaleswara and Goddess Apeethakuchambika Devi was performed, a sight that left the tens of thousands of devotees in a state of spiritual bliss.

The philosophical heart of the event was the profound discourse by the revered Padma Shri Dr. Garikapati Narasimha Rao. He eloquently answered the very question posed by our poets, titling his talk “Sivudiki Manaki Ram Ram”—a look at the unique relationship between the devotee and Lord Shiva.

He drew upon two powerful shlokas from Adi Shankaracharya’s Sivananda Lahari:

  1. The Devotee’s Dilemma: Dr. Garikapati explained that a devotee is at a loss for what to offer Shiva. How can one offer wealth to Him when He holds the golden Mount Meru in His hand and His closest friend is Kubera, the treasurer of the gods? How can one offer precious gems when His very abode is adorned with Chintamani (the wish-granting jewel), or fine silks when He is served by Kalpavriksha (the wish-granting tree)? Realizing this, the devotee concludes that the only unique, personal thing he can offer—something the Lord doesn’t already possess—is his own mind.
  2. Shiva’s “Offerings”: In return, what can the devotee ask for? Dr. Garikapati humorously pointed out that Shiva’s possessions are of little use to us. His food is deadly poison, His ornaments are slithering snakes, His clothes are animal hides, and His vehicle is an old bull. Therefore, the devotee does not ask for these. Instead, he makes a simple, profound request: “I have given you my mind. In return, please fill it with unwavering devotion (Bhakti) for your lotus feet.”

This beautiful exchange is the essence of true devotion. It is not a transaction of material goods but a surrender of the ego, the mind, in exchange for divine grace and love.

The Kotideepotsavam, with its million lights and massive gathering, is a physical manifestation of this very principle. Each lamp lit is a symbol of the devotee offering their inner light, their consciousness, to the Supreme. It’s a powerful reminder that beyond all rituals and grandeur, the greatest offering we can ever make is a heart full of pure, unshakeable devotion.

Om Namah Shivaya.

References:

కోటి దీపోత్సవంలో గరికిపాటి గారి ప్రవచనామృతం| Garikipati Narasimha Rao | Koti Deepotsavam| NTV Telugu

Igniting the Soul: The Profound Wisdom of Koti Deepotsavam

image by author and nano google

Under a vast night sky, amidst the shimmering glow of countless lamps, a sea of devotees gathered for the sacred Koti Deepotsavam. The atmosphere was thick with devotion, but it was the profound wisdom shared from the stage that truly illuminated the evening. A revered seer from the illustrious Sringeri Sharada Peetham delivered a discourse that transformed the beautiful ritual into a deep spiritual lesson, guiding every soul present from outer light to inner awakening.

Here are the key insights from his enlightening address.

The True Meaning of the Lamp

The seer began by reminding everyone of the special significance of the holy Karthika month, a time dedicated to spiritual practices. He explained that the act of lighting a lamp, or Deepam, is far more than a mere tradition. It is a powerful symbol.

“The lamp’s flame,” he elaborated, “dispels the physical darkness around us. In the very same way, the light of knowledge (Jnana) dispels the inner darkness of ignorance (Ajnana).” This timeless practice, a cornerstone of Sanatana Dharma, serves as a constant reminder of our life’s purpose: to journey from the shadows of confusion to the brilliant light of self-realization.

The Two Lights: The Lamp in Your Hand and the Light Within You

The discourse beautifully distinguished between the external lamp (Bahya Deepam) and the internal one (Antara Deepam). While we celebrate by lighting countless lamps in the physical world, the ultimate goal is to kindle the lamp of wisdom within our own hearts.

This inner light is the knowledge of our true nature. It is the flame that burns away doubt, fear, and ego, revealing the eternal truth that lies within. The Koti Deepotsavam, therefore, is an annual inspiration for us to begin this inner journey and make our human birth meaningful.

The Unquenchable Flame of Adi Shankaracharya

A significant portion of the discourse was dedicated to the enduring legacy of Jagadguru Sri Adi Shankaracharya, whom the seer described as an incarnation of Lord Shiva himself. Over 1200 years ago, Shankaracharya traveled the length and breadth of India, reviving Sanatana Dharma and establishing four great centers of learning, the Amnaya Peethams, to ensure its eternal protection.

The seer explained that the vibrant traditions we witness today, from the grand Kumbh Mela to the very Koti Deepotsavam event, thrive on the strong spiritual and philosophical foundation laid by Shankaracharya. He was the one who lit an unquenchable lamp of knowledge that continues to guide humanity.

“Who Are You?” A Simple Path to a Profound Truth

Perhaps the most captivating part of the speech was a simple yet profound explanation of Advaita (non-dualism) philosophy, drawn from Adi Shankaracharya’s “Eka Sloki Prakaranam” (A Treatise in a Single Verse). The seer narrated the enlightening dialogue between a Guru and his disciple:

  • Guru: “What is the light by which you see?”
  • Disciple: “The sun during the day, and a lamp at night.”
  • Guru: “What is the light that allows you to see even the sun and the lamp?”
  • Disciple: “My eyes.”
  • Guru: “And when your eyes are closed, what is your light?”
  • Disciple: “My intellect, which allows me to think and perceive.”
  • Guru: “But what is the light that knows your intellect and its thoughts?”
  • Disciple: (After a moment of deep introspection) “I am.

This “I am” is the Atman, the Self—the ultimate, self-luminous consciousness that is the witness to everything, including our own mind. The seer explained that this is the final destination of all spiritual seeking, the ultimate light that needs no other light to be seen.

A Mantra for a Blessed Life

To help the devotees carry this wisdom in their hearts, the seer concluded with a powerful blessing and a simple mantra:

“Namah Shankaraya”
(Salutations to Shankara)

He explained that “Shankara” means “the one who bestows auspiciousness and well-being.” By chanting this mantra 108 times daily, he said, one can invoke the grace of both the divine and the great Jagadguru Adi Shankaracharya, clearing the path to spiritual progress and worldly peace.

The Koti Deepotsavam is a breathtaking spectacle, but as the seer so eloquently reminded us, its true beauty lies not just in the lights we see, but in the light it inspires us to find within ourselves. It is a call to honor our tradition, seek true knowledge, and realize the divine flame that is our eternal essence.

References
1. శృంగేరి శారదా పీఠం జగద్గురు శ్రీశ్రీశ్రీ విధుశేఖర భారతి స్వామి వారి అనుగ్రహ భాషణం..! #bhakthitv