While we Indians keep talking about cricket and its stars we forget that we have probably achieved far more in some other sports with far less resources! One of the sport where we have done well recently, thanks to one man Army, is Chess. Vishwanathan Anand is the World Chess Champion. Today he successfully defended his title against Vladimir Kramnik. The defeat to Kramnik was fairly comprehensive - 6.5-4.5 in a 12 game match. Read more
The Indian Government is a complete failure when it comes to Internal national security! Yesterday, in as many as 11 bomb blasts 48 people were killed and 300 injured in Assam! In Guwahati (Ganeshguri area, Panbazar, Fancy Bazar and Paltan Bazar) alone 25 people were killed at least! 11 people were killed in three explosions in Kokrajhar district, 12 in Barpeta district. All the blasts happened within an hour and began around 11.20 am. While so many lives were lost, the politicians use the same platitudes: Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said: "This is an act of cowardice and we shall deal with the situation firmly. A red alert has been sounded across the state. It is a designed and planned attack carried out to spread terror," he said. Same words, same sentences that one has been hearing since the 1980s! No change. Everything happens after the fact. Read more
Diwali's celebrations start two days before the day we all do Lakshmi Pujan and go on two days after that as well. In total, throughout India 5 days are celebrated as part of the larger festivities. What are these 5 days? They have a regional flavor as well. Let's take a look at them. I have listed the different flavors under the more popular name. 1st day: DHANTERAS Dhanatrayodashi | Yamadeepdaan | Dhan Teyras | Asweyuja Bahula Thrayodasi / Dhantheran Dhanteras is the first day of the five-day Diwali Festival. Dhanteras Festival, also known as "Dhantrayodashi" or "Dhanwantari Triodasi", falls on the auspicious thirteenth lunar day of Krishna Paksha in the Hindu month of Ashwin (October/November). In the word Dhanteras, "Dhan" stands for wealth. On Dhanteras, the "Owl" form of the Goddess Laxmi is worshiped to provide prosperity and well being. Dhanteras holds special significance for the business community due to customary purchases of precious metals on this day A very interesting story about this day is of the sixteen year old son of King Hima. As per his horoscope he was doomed to die by a snake-bite on the fourth day of his marriage. On that particular fourth day of his marriage his young wife did not allow him to sleep. She laid all the ornaments and lots of gold and silver coins in a big heap at the entrance of her husband's boudoir and lighted innumerable lamps all over the place. And she went on telling stories and singing songs. When Yam, the god of Death arrived there in the guise of a Serpent his eyes got blinded by that dazzle of those brilliant lights and he could not enter the Prince's chamber. So he climbed on top of the heap of the ornaments and coins and sat there whole night listening to the melodious songs. In the morning he quietly went away. Thus the young wife saved her husband from the clutches of death. Since then this day of Dhanteras came to be known as the day of "YAMADEEPDAAN" and lamps are kept burning throughout the night in reverential adoration to Yam, the god of Death. Read more
This requires a great deal of insight, inquiry. Don't agree with me, but go into it, meditate, tear your mind apart to find out the truth or the falseness of all this. Does knowledge, which is the known, bring about change? I must have knowledge to build a bridge; but must my mind know towards what it is changing? Read more
Sitting down on any park bench is the nearest thing to be in contact both with Nature and with other human beings. A lot can be learned if we just being attentive to everybody and everything, but it would be great if we discipline our mind by using a very kind and subtle suggestion instruct it to just pick out a color, or a shape, or a reflection, or a specific type of movement.It is really amazing how much we have lost regarding appreciating many wonderful simple things. That's the reason of my invitation to spend as little as seven minutes with a committed action in our minds; five minutes spend with wide open eyes detecting and computing the chosen action, and just two more minutes spent recalling with shut eyes the observed things or people. As you get convinced of this now useful habit you will surely add different sounds, different smells, even the wind on your face and body it will be like relearning to see, hear,smell and touch. Read more
Creativity is when the paranormal becomes normal. God in His infinite wisdom planted in each us, His Beloved children a powerful creativity seed. In each of us this seed will become a very beautiful tree. Like on His creation, this planet, there are many different kinds of trees, the same principle applies to us, His children where there are an infinite number of useful trees.Some of these trees will be used due to the excellent timber qualities, other will bear delicious fruits, the branches of many trees will be used, the tree tops, like our traditional Christmas trees, there are also the roots of some trees, not to mention the herbal medicines extracted from their leaves. Grass, shrubs and trees, especially their leaves help release the so much needed oxygen. As man needs Nature; Nature needs man. Unfortunately we've forgotten this fact. So what do I think we human beings lack regarding being more creative on a daily basis? As the Doctor Rollo May expressed in one of his books, we lack the courage to create. Read more
Today is Diwali. It is by far the most celebrated of the Hindu festivals in the country. It is the celebrated as the event when Lord Ram came back to his Kingdom after 14 years of exile... after winning against the demon king Ravan. So, in that sense it is symbolic of victory of good over evil. On this day, I would like to remember a Ram that has inspired me in the last few years. The Ram of Yoga Vasistha. In that book, Ram is taught by his Guru of what the truth of creation is. And in that discussion, Ram, who is 16, explains the principles of attachment and detachment with a maturity of sages. He is also not afraid to drill his own Guru when he sees seemingly conflicting messages. Similarly, the Guru (Vasistha) also does not spare him any admonition when he feels Ram is not getting the point. The frank-ness and the profound-ness of the dialog is eye-opening and intriguing. That Ram, was a Ram who had grown detached to the world and saw the world as illusion or as a play as it was. A lot of what goes on in Ramayana can be understood much easily when we have that backdrop. The conflicts of morality - which is what some use when they critique some of his actions in Ramayana. Now, there is another Ram. Read more
Ok.. Let's continue with our love with Sarah Palin. Here in an answer to a kid's question as to what is the job of a US Vice-President, she tells Brandon (the kid) that the VP is "Incharge of the Senate"! REALLY?!!! She never had much of brains - despite the $150k wardrobe to gloss over it - but I hope IF she wins, she can show up in the RIGHT BUILDING... but then if she DOES actually, God Forbid, lands in the correct office.. she would have NO IDEA on what to do there! She, as an American, was ever taught what the democracy really means! That she is running for the VP here is just an accident. Read more
Today I feel compelled to enhance the amazing attributes of movement in our every day lives. As you follow with your eyes the words from left to right a great miracle is taking place, usually unappreciated by us. Our hearts are working harmoniously, our breathing in and breathing out is carried out easily without stress, our blood circulating through our arteries and blood vessels, our brain computing all our external perceptions plus our internal thoughts, our imagination always a step ahead of our current reality. Let’s start being very curious, like the curiosity of a two year old child, first observing everything that moves from left to right spending at least five minutes doing this, remember any movement from left to right do this for at least five minutes, then close your eyes for a couple of minutes trying to recall as much as you can, our next step would be now to be conscious of everything moving from right to left for the same amount of time. I strongly suggest that the next day now concentrate in everything moving farther from where you are, everything moving away. Spend just five minutes then close your eyes spending a couple of minutes bringing to mind as many objects as possible. On our third day of movement observations please spend five minutes observing things that elevate, in other words everything going up from your point of view do this for five minutes, then close your eyes and spend a couple of minutes remembering your experience. Rest for a few minutes, now you are ready to be conscious of everything coming down relative to the place you are, everything descending. On our fourth and final day of observations please detect everything moving away, but now from left to right. Read more
One thing for sure.. our guy McCain seems real hungry. I won't get into his culinary indulgences on this blog though.. but it doesn't sound very appetizing! Any comments? Read more
Drishtikone
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