This is a discussion space for "Grassroots KM through blogging", an article from elearningpost.

You can access the article here:
http://www.elearningpost.com/elthemes/blog.asp

After reading through umpteen blog posts for this article, I am totally convinced that this is a movement that is all set to make it into prime time. But how, and in what form, is still quite hazy. There is something very ephemeral about blogs – they seem to be thriving around simplicity. And this could backfire on organizations that try to make it any more complex that what it is now.

Anyone implement blogs in organizations?

It’s online!

The May issue of Brill’s Content carried a cover story on the blogging revolution. Titled "Human Portals", this story looks at the growing popularity of blogs and their implications.

Nice quote from the article:

"Blogs are a loose reflection of their readers, which is how we get hooked in the first place: They're small, intimate, and enormously wide-minded. In other words, people-size."

The article is at:

http://www.brillscontent.com/2001may/features/web_portals.shtml

Edited by author 05-14-2001 11:03 PM
Blogs and broadcasting

Great article, It certainly helped to put blogs into perspective and has a fine colection of links. I think blogs are over-rated as KM tools, they are content tools and in my book, content is not yet knowledge. Most blogs offer a filtered view, collect and comment on links and provide an awareness service. eLearningPost is a daily stop for me to catchup on the distance learning and KM world, like my early morning coffee, a must have, a quick fix!

Knowledge seems to emerge from interaction, from dialog, from making new connections, from surfacing and validating assumptions and it here, that I find blogs are thin. For greater knowledge generation there has to be a balance between 'voicing' (which blogs do very well) and reciprocity (not much happening in this department), so blogs fail to deliver on the whole spectrum. They are great for awareness, for pointing, for pouting, and for building identity, but they just do not deliver on persistent conversation, they lack the context for creative abrasion and so they miss a major leverage point for knowledge work. True they make web publishing easier and may lower flaming, but static content remains static content!

If human portals allowed more interaction, encouraged deeper dialog, supported conversations, they could deliver the best of all worlds and become a great vehicle for building both meaning and memory

Thanks for a great article.

http://www.voght.com/cgi-bin/pywiki?KmBlogger

Congratulations on a great article!

I have long felt the mechanics that were inherent in weblogging mated well with the intentions of KM.

Like Denham though, I feel this is only the case to the degree that "interaction and communication" is fostered by the weblogger and the community of "readers" the weblog happens to influence. I do however make a positive distinction for the form that Denham seemly does not- 'as a writing exercise, weblogging makes an excellent vehicle for the "writer" to crystallize and develop knowledge as an internal process.'

I have made mention of your article (and hopefully promulgated meaning information) in my own weblog -
http://www.3c3art.com/tyelmene_knowledgeer-at-large/

re: corporate blogs... wasn't Cisco working on a big internal Blogger install? I don't know if that actually went anywhere...

Yes, Cisco has an internal Blogger install. I was working on it up until a few weeks ago when I was laid off. The internal dynamics of putting blogging into a culture that's very heavily Powerpoint (sales) and e-mail (engineering) and voice mail (executive) focussed is interesting -- the piece of the corporate structure that picked up on it quickly was the project management people.

thanks

Ed

emv@monkey.org

Interesting commentary on NUblog at: http://www.contenu.nu/article.htm?id=1152

More posts on KM and blogs

Seems to be the theme of the week!

Brint (thread):
http://www.brint.com/wwwboard/messages/9705.html

Engelbart's Colloquium unrevII (and sequence):
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/unrev-II/message/2687

Edited by author 05-18-2001 10:07 AM
What do you think of Quick Topic as a source for grassroots KM? Imagine it in the corporate setting: any substantial group discussion goes to QT. QT has an open database that's linked to search engines on the corporate intranet portal, etc.

This is quite a good article and captures some of the essential elements of blogs (or as they are more properly called, weblogs). I have been blogging for years (see http://www.newstrolls.com and http://www.downes.ca/news/OLDaily.htm ) and have very deliberately focussed on using them as a knowledge management tool (see http://www.munimall.net/scripts/links/newsletter.htm )

Some aspects of blogs which are developing:

- Blog newsletters: again, I've been doing this for a long time, but it won't be long before blog newsletters sent by email to a loyal group of readers will be all the rage. We'll see strories about family
blogs, corporate blogs, affinity blogs.

- Blogs and community: traditional (if I can use the term) discussions of online communities have focussed on elements such as personal home pages, discussion boards and chats. But the blog will be seen as at the center of an online community, providing the content that draws people back day after day.

- Syndicated blogs: an effort has been under way for some time now to create an XML specification for blogs. The specification is called RSS and is used in some popular tools already, such as Radio Userland. Syndicated blogs allow one person's blog to be displayed in another person's website.

- Blog Searching: blogs are temporary but a blog library is a valuable research tool. I log all my blogs in a
database and access that database through search and retrieval routines. You can search my blogs by using the search tool on my home page at http://www.downes.ca I also use predefined searches as a means for creating interesting content categories on my website; you'll see the list on my home page

Forgive me, I'm compelled to plug my favorite blog software not mentioned: Greymatter (http://noahgrey.com/greysoft/).

Maish and Venkat - great summary - many thanks for the effort that goes behind these monthly features.

Why few blogs in large organisations? Probably for the same reason that there aren't many (any? please prove me wrong) robust, open discussion sites in large organisations.

People have lost their voice. Their capacity to reason and reflect out loud has withered and atrophied. Their simple ability to voice an opionion is constrained by the corporate environment they operate in either for regulatory reasons in the external market, or for political reasons internally. One deft summary from a 1999 essay on Olu Oni's website that chris locke from the Cluetrain manifesto pointed to:

"...Many traditionally companies who claim to get it, get nothing at all...It is not to say that all these companies are full of thick people
(on the contrary they are often full of very bright people) but that one
consequence of being in a controlled, rigid environment for a long time is often an unconscious seeping away of qualities that are sustained only
in a more libertarian free-thinking environment. Those qualities cannot be switched back on in an instant, they need to be rediscovered in a
libertarian free-thinking environment."

http://www.members.home.net/onis/articles/feature1.htm

I think blogs offer a great way to at least practice thinking out loud. I found the paragraph in Rebecca Blood's essay on weblogs quite wondeful for her insight that she valued her point of view more highly over time. With that confidence building, she can hold her own and be an active contributor in any online forum/media.

With the groundswell of km shifting from managing the 'stocks' to guiding the 'flows' (can't put my finger on where I saw that - probably elearning post), good conversations must be centrall, and Denham's points about the limitations of blogging - not interactive enough, no discussion/reciprocation are well put. Blogs go only part of the way - but its a really useful part in building the skills to participate more skillfully. In corporate environments, I feel they could be a 'doable' first step to shaking up the organisation. Finding the few that can begin to develop a voice - at least this models reflection/enquiry/curiosity/insight for the rest.

Edited by author 05-25-2001 12:45 PM
Right on Sue. Getting to know this better when I look at "knowledge as conversations" as written in books such as The Cluetrain Manifesto, The Dream Society, and The Springboard.

Nice sites:

http://www.cluetrain.com
http://www.stevedenning.com

> Right on Sue. Getting to know this better when I posit
> "knowledge as conversations" as written in books such as The
> Cluetrain Manifesto, The Dream Society, and The Springboard.

At the risk of blatant self-promotion, may I posit once more that Quick Topic is great for capturing knowledge as conversations? Do you think it's potentially more effective for grassroots KM than blogs in the corporate context?

When the initial frame *is* a conversation, and all are equal participants, does that result in better knowledge exchange? Assume that someone emails an introductory message to a group, and the conversation continues at QT (by email or web interface). That push-style audience selection is one possible differentiator from a blog; the other is that the conversation doesn't necessarily have a central figure.

What do you think? I didn't get a reaction last time, so someone should at least tell me to shut up :-)

Hi Steve,

QT is a fantastic tool - I have no doubt about that. But I don't think that it is a more effective than blogs. To understand the reasons, we should look back at the evolution of blogs. How did the blogs come about? Why did they happen all of a sudden? What makes them so popular?

Sure there have been discussion boards all along - much longer than the Web itself. But they don't provide the kind of protection that blogs provide. A discussion board is so exposed. Vulnerable to flame. Or simply one's post can get ignored, like yours have been. That is not very conducive to sharing. If I get ignored on a discussion forum, there is very little motivation for me to post again and yet it might be nothing to do with the quality of one's post. It might be that people just don't have anything to say at the moment - that's all!

Blogs on the other hand strip way all these expectations and provide you with a protected environment. Refer to the comparison table 'Stories Vs Blogs' in the article for the quote by Jon Katz on the nature of blogs (the 'table' to me is the highlight of the article - wonderful comparisons!)

Since KM is about letting people talk without inhibitions and share their stories without having to worry if they have been wrong, blogs are ideal vehicles. Weinberger said it nicely, "The conversants implicitly acknowledge that they don't have all the answers (or else the conversation is really a lecture) and risk being wrong in front of someone else". From this perspective, I feel that discussion forums aren't as effective as blogs for grassroots KM.

Personally, I feel that it is the intimate storytelling aura around the blogs that gets people interested in them. Even if this storytelling is essentially of a broadcast nature. And Larry’s "protection" factor has much to do with it.

But, if one were to consider the "knowledge as conversations" meme, then having two-way communication becomes imperative. This means, as Denham says, having both voice and reciprocity. Take my example here. I am learning stuff from this QT conversation that would be difficult for me to know if this conversation didn’t take place at all!

Btw, we now have tools like BlogVoices, which are primarily created to bridge this gap – to enable conversations around blog entries, to factor in the missing reciprocity element.
http://www.blogvoices.com

But I’ve had some motivational, and a times frustrating, problems using sites having discussion wrappers around blogs entries. And this has to do with the temporal nature of the blog entries themselves.

For example, if there is a blog entry today that encourages me to voice my thoughts, I would. And so would other readers as well. But, the moment this blog is eclipsed by a new and fresh entry, it looses its charm, even though the conversations may seem to be highly engaging, and stimulating. This is frustrating, like having the power go off during the last set of a Wimbledon final broadcast on TV. And this is discouraging too, especially when I know that the same sequence might repeat the next time I voice my thoughts.

So, how does one climb over such hurdles? New design?

This one just flew over my head: What if I could initiate QT discussions around blog entries. This would metaphorically (and psychologically) take the conversations from the central hall (the main blog page), and take it to a small room in the alleyway (the QT page), where those interested can continue their conversations. But, as this is the Web we are talking about—where physical constraints don’t apply—nothing stops those in the room to simultaneously gaze over conversations in the hall too. There could also be an activity list, which lists down the most active blog entries, from where newcomers can choose to enter— kind of a notice board placed next to the front-desk.

And, to add to this, here’s an interesting afterthought: What if I could continue the conversations around blog entries through e-mail? (Love this feature in QT)

E-mail/web powered QT conversation wrappers around blog entries. Hmmm…

"I risk being wrong in front of someone else"

Edited by author 05-26-2001 03:27 PM
As David Weinberger says, blogs are excellent for filtering and highlighting valuable (presumably external^*) information, with a personal spin on it. It might be interesting to discuss in greater detail (with specific examples) the blogger's role in the enterprise setting.

My scenario for QT in the enterprise environment is that ad-hoc group discussions occur around many things (and blog entries are a great example). The discussions, which are the gathering and vetting of group knowledge, are where the collective stories emerge.

Maish, I think you're on to something regarding QT discussions around blog entries. In the enterprise, I think there could be an easily created discussion directory in the company portal (like the QT Shared Topics page -- see My Topics and go from there) that would have sections -- one for blogs, one for documents, one for open topics etc -- for ongoing public discussions. (You'd actually want to be able to sort it many ways). Maybe it'd be on the same page as the blog directory you outlined.

BTW, I'm really excited to see you using QT so effectively like this and peterme using it in his blog with the same great participatory results. And your article and site are fascinating. I actually found it through my referrer log, so it's a great discovery for me.

Larry, regarding exposure and vulnerability to flame, I need to clarify and expand the scenario I was thinking of: the topic initiator chooses her audience via her initial email. It's not a public board -- it's a closed group conversation that would ordinarily be conducted via email -- but it's captured in QT (for KM knowledge "reaping") with the advantage of opt-in email. When the conversation is finished, the creator can choose to add it to the knowledge base (maybe with some keywords?) if she deems it KM-worthy. What do you think of that scenario?
In any case, I think there's less likelihood for flaming in corporate setting -- I've seen lots less of it than in public forums where people don't know each other.

---

*I say external, though it could be internal. Might a blogger do an entry on the marketing strategy for product A?

Jon Udell in BYTE.com has written an article, "Telling A Story: The Weblog As A Project-Management Tool" (http://www.byte.com/column/BYT20010524S0001).

He says he is convinced, more than ever, of the value of weblogging as an important new form of business communication and goes on to say, "Blogging as a form of mainstream Web entertainment, with its star performers and its popularity ratings, may or may not be a passing fad. What will endure, in any case, matters more: a powerful new way to tell stories that refer to, and make sense of, the documents and messages that we create and exchange in our professional lives."

And another spotting in the free newsletter from Esther Dyson's outfit, blurb below, the real thing unfortunately needs to be paid for.

Triumph of the Weblogs
By Kevin Werbach

A Weblog (also known as a blog) is a personal Website that offers
frequently updated observations, news headlines, commentary,
recommended links and/or diary entries, generally organized
chronologically. Thanks to tools such as Blogger and Userland's
Manila, there are now tens of thousands of living Weblogs, with
more being created daily.

Weblogs reduce the friction in creating and finding quality
content. They allow people to express themselves and their
personalities, and to serve as human filters making sense of the
vast stream of information available online. For that reason, they
are becoming a valuable resource for individuals and a powerful
tool for businesses looking to connect better with their
communities.

ORDER THIS ISSUE OR SUBSCRIBE ONLINE AT <http://www.release1-0.com>;

> What do you think of that scenario?
> In any case, I think there's less likelihood for flaming
> in corporate setting -- I've seen lots less of it than in
> public forums where people don't know each other.

This is in reponse to Steve's reply to my earlier comments:

I agree that conversing in a closed/private board is a lot better than a closed group conversation that would ordinarily be conducted via email. But what I am trying to get at is; blogs are better than discussion boards.

I work for a large corporation and we have have tried unsuccessfully to encourage conversations through discussion forums. One of the main reasons for this, we found out was that, forums tend be very reactive in nature. They breed a lot of "me too" or "I agree" kind of remarks or just plain indifference, if one has nothing to say on the topic. The second big reason is that, posts to forums almost always come with some expectation from the poster. Absence of any reaction to a post may cause confusion/disappointment/indifference/anger in the poster - which may not be good for virtual teams. Yes, we don't have flamers in closed coporate groups, but we do have a lot of indifferent people.

Here is where I think blogs may come in handy. They seem to solve both the above mentioned problems. QuickTopic is a lot less like traditional threaded discussion forums and lot more like blog space, but somehow the format and terminologies remind me of discussion forums. Perhaps a redesign is needed - I don't know.

Edited by author 05-31-2001 04:55 PM
Steve wrote:

> My scenario for QT in the enterprise environment is that ad-hoc
> group discussions occur around many things (and blog entries are
> a great example). The discussions, which are the gathering and vetting
> of group knowledge, are where the collective stories emerge.

Steve, we've got to stop meeting like this :-)

Anyway, as we've discussed, email is an ongoing discussion, the problem being it has no shape, or editorial focus, or selectivity. The step I described in my column this week -- promoting certain emails to URL-addressable documents, and then blogging them -- would be made much easier if not just messages, but whole threads, could be referenced in-situ.

QT is promising in this regard, though (as we've also discussed endlessly) it'd be better if email natively had this property of being always URL-addressable, and of always understanding threads as complete objects. Because, if the notion is that you'll promote an email message or thread into a QT topic "when necessary" then, it seems, the problem is that you don't often see the necessity until after the fact.

Agreed, Jon. And a standard for representing message threads that made its way to the email client vendors would be fanTAStic.

Edited by author 06-02-2001 10:58 AM
Hi all, my first blog contribution.

I am interested in any information or examples of ways developed of sending messages to blogs direct from mobile devices in form of SMS etc. As mobility of knowledge workers increases this form of contribution method may become more important and attractive in a corporate environment.

Regards

Martin Silcock

Doc Searls, senior editor of Linux Journal, one of the four authors of The Cluetrain Manifesto and an eminent blogger (and who, for some inexplicable reason got left out in our article), writes in his blog today about blogs and KM (http://doc.weblogs.com/2001/06/06#releaseEarlyReleaseOften).

He essentially says the same thing that we have said in our article, but says it a lot more eloquently.

Quote: "They (blogs) are about us. They organize themselves around whatever topic gets us going, for as long as the topic stays interesting. Then we — whoever we are — move on, keeping safe in the tacit what those who operate only in the explicit will never understand, much less "manage"."

Martin:
You might like this:

--webLog for Palm OS--
http://www.handx.net/index.phtml?page=products&subpage=weblog

OK, admittedly I am a little slow. The article in the elearning post that referred me to this QT site is now more than a year old, and I have just read it for the first time today. In the article, you ask readers:

"Now, there could be blogs operating inside very large corporations, it's just that we haven't heard of any (anyone know of such blogs? Share it with us)."

I would be VERY curious to know if you have heard of any (success) stories about the use of blogs within large corporations. Did you get any replies last year (or within the last year) that help to identify good working models of better KM through blogging?

I happen to be working on a KM initiative within a global firm, and I have been frustrated by our formal databases and other mechanisms for "managing" knowledge. As it happens, last week I started thinking about the fact that a blog would be a natural tool for genuine knowledge sharing -- I'm not so sure about the managing part -- and I need to come up with some talking points to convince my boss that we should give it a try! A good friend of mine referred me to your article "Grassroots KM through Blogging," and I would like to thank you (and him) for it. It will certainly help me to make the arguments for why this could work... But, I still would love to be able to point to some examples that demonstrate the spirit of blogging as a knowledge sharing tool, within a corporate setting. Any advice, suggestions, pointers, lessons learned, "take aways," etc., that fellow readers can provide would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

From a KM perspective associated functionalities have the potential to make blogs even more useful. You can now add the ability to search past posts - so information isn't buried over time. Readers can now add comments - allowing in effect peer to peer reviewing; other viewpoints/additional knowledge or ideas to augment the original post.

Teoti.com - And you thought you were going outside today -http://www.teoti.com

Excellent article, and I am sorry I didn't see it until now. Maybe I wasn't ready to see it until today.

In thinking about how blogs might work in a larger organization, a la the diagram included in the article, I completely agree with Phrej (/m29) that some of the newer search tools could make blogs truly useful.

Entopia offer a tool called Quantum (http://www.entopia.com) that could bridge a gap here. The interesting aspect of Quantum is the "semantic search" engine that looks at a whole document or other large chunk of text to match against searches. The tool also builds profiles of its users, based on what they submit to the system. [This is unlike the Tacit (http://www.tacit.com) tool which sits in the background to watch what you do.]

I could imagine blogging or reading someone else's blog and asking the question, are there other people interested in this topic? Are there entries related to this topic in our repository?

What have you seen?

Small mistake: Radio Userland is not a free product

Blogs definitely appear to be a creative and effective type of self-directed learning. The writer provides a knowledge-based storyline and the reader takes in usable content and acts on it. Learning as storytelling fits the type of model we are using at http://www.mentorshiponline.com. We're looking into creating a blog to share industry insights of the coaches in a journal form.

Why Married Women become more social
 
 Disclaimer:This article is not a work of fiction and bears no resemblance to the married women reading it; It has direct bearing on the married women I interact in my daily, boring, adult life. Last but not least, not all married women are like the ones portrayed in this article. There are zillions of smart married women out there but I am yet to meet any of them.

What’s with these married women? Seriously, the minute they get married they act different, they look different, they think different. At my age, all my friends are married and some even have kiddos. But for me it’s an ordeal even trying to talk to them without smoke coming out of my ears. Of course not all married women are silly, but the ones I am acquainted to are.

I have this childhood friend M. Till she got married, she was still my best pal. Later as I told u, dunno why the drastic change in her personality. So she was reed thin before marriage, we both never crossed 40 kgs and we were always comparing our weights if not our wits. Now that she’s a mommy and all, she’s less fatter than a cow (I know I’ll be one when I am a mommy, nobody can change that). So whenever we do meet, which is lesser than never, she can’t stop her claptrap on how young I still look, and how she looks like my aunt, and how onlookers will never believe that we are of the same age. She bets that I can still get into my school uniform. Hello! Who’s stopping you from using the treadmill your husband gifted you last year. So instead of getting flattered at those insincere remarks, I resolve never to meet her again for she makes me feel miserable.

Now I have this bunch of married women at my workplace. Can’t help but they seem to be everywhere. So I am the only unmarried lady, and they do their best to make me feel like scum for still being single without a boyfriend or a husband. Like I care! The more I look at these ladies, the more obscure the idea of marriage seems to me.

All they discuss is in-laws, jewelry, or Kyonki….Kahani ghar…and other stupid K-factor soaps. Hey did you know there is another Savitri, poor Tulsi, lucky Jessi, all these mothers-in-law should be killed, my sis-in-law did this, did that, my hubby got me this, didn’t get me that… and the balderdash continues. I cannot even turn a deaf ear as they are so loud while I sip my coffee in silence. Then they ask me to get married soon so that we can all bitch about our various in-laws and gripe about our married lives like I care to wash my dirty linen in public.

Next they drool over the handsome guys after appraising every guy who has passed us by. I remind them that they are married and that they should not be ogling at guys. So one lady quickly retorts: A thing of beauty is a joy forever! Trust her to speak this dialog in front of her hubby dear. Then she gets J if she finds any guy checking me out. She says that since I am the only one single, they will only mingle with me. That still does not stop her from flirting with them. Sometimes I wonder if they think that marriage is a license to flirt with men and boys alike. The younger the flirtier is their mantra.

So we just came back from lunch and continued our chit-chat in the corridor pulling each other’s legs, when one said “You get married and then you will change drastically.” OMG! I am a cursed soul now (boo hoo). Now whom do I find who will break the spell. Definitely not my Prince Charming

Are +2 grades worthless??
 
 
 Hue and cry is raised when the Plus 2 grades are announced in Chennai but they seem to be worthless when considering them for college admissions. The professional and non professional colleges have a blast during admission time making more profit on application forms and entrance exams rather than their normal fees.
Why are entrance exams needed when the +2 students have a harrowing time preparing for their finals and come out with flying colours? The non professional colleges charge heavily for the application forms and also have separate forms for individual courses. Thus the students are forced to shell out huge sum for apllication fees alone. Added to it are the subsequent charges and fees.

The admission in all colleges should be based on order of merit depending on the + 2 grades thus relieving students from the enormous tension which they face because of these entrance exams.

Is there no other way out ?

Can you decode this? Its mind-blowing :))

 
 This is a forward mail I received asking me to decode the sentences below and find the names of the team members involved. Have a try!

Two individuals proceeded towards the apex of a natural geologic protuberance,

The purpose of their expedition being the procurement of a sample of fluid hydride of oxygen in a large vessel, the exact size of which was unspecified.

One member of the team precipitously descended, sustaining severe damage to the upper cranial portion of his anatomical structure;

Subsequently the second member of the team performed a self rotational translation oriented in the same direction taken by the first team member.

Scroll down and check :
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

Jack and Jill went up the hill
To fetch a pail of water
Jack fell down and broke his crown
And Jill came tumbling after

A glowing and beautiful skin is everyman's dream..
 
 But is it enough? Beauty is skin deep..they say.
"If you're lookin' for a lover
Don't judge a book by its cover
She may be fine on the outside
But so untrue on the inside.."

It basically means that the only thing that should matter about a person is their personality. Not what they look like. Because just because they are "beautiful" on the outside doesn't mean they are on the inside; the way they act.

This was something which I came across in a magazine..

Question: How do you convince a 10 yrs old child that bringing an old, not-so-appealing violin to school practice is better off than a flashy new violin? Even the old one sounds better and might be even more expensive.
Reply :Have you explained this concept, that beauty is only skin deep to her/him? and that they should be playing violin because of the way it sounds, not the way it looks? and that if she/he sounds better than everyone else, everyone will want a violin that looks like hers/his??

Doesnt it apply to humans too?

Beauty is an obsession of women of all ages for many centuries . It worsens when one notices a streak of grey hair and literally pounce on it with the hair dye and try to cover up the age.

A woman who participted in a pageant show expressed that as she entered the contest she was confident that she is the most beautiful. But the opinion of beauty changed after the show was over. She says the long drawn process to present herself was tiring ..for 3 days she had to to live, off nothing more than a tonic made up of molasses, warm water, lemon juice and maple syrup. Then she had to pamper herself with lotions and creams .

On the pageant day the makeup artist "carved and chiseled a work of art on her face, topped only by a team of hairdressers fussing and spraying her locks into a perfect statue."

Then when all was over she peeled off the eyelashes, fell off the heels, pried away the makeup and had the clothing surgically removed and only then her natural loveliness struck her.

Audrey Hepburn, the famous actress was quoted as saying, ‘to improve your smile, speak kind words to all, to maintain a good body, feed the hungry, to improve your skin, feel the soul of a disappointed person, allowing yourself to feel good, and the good feeling makes you more lively, ultimately making you glow".....

How the sibling war starts !
 
 "Annu ma..shall we play chess?"
This is how Nandu calls her sis Anitha.

The next door neighbour had come in to talk to their mom.

" How are they passing time Meena? Isnt it tough to keep them at home?"

Meena thinks "As if she is going to offer to look after these brats.."

The neighbour looks at them both and says . "hmm..see how they play together? My son and daughter are always at loggerheads with each other"

Meena looks at her kids.."Mami , you just wait and watch them playing..I have some work in the kitchen..will finish it and be back in a jiffy" Mami starts watching..

" Annu, you play first"

Annu moves her pawn forward. Then again she places it back. "No No I will make some other move."

"Annu, You are not supposed to move it back da."

"ok..akka..I wont do it"

Now Nandu moves her horse..now its Annu's turn.

Mami watches wirh interest. The game is getting interesting..

Annu does it again. Moving it in front and keeps it back.

" Di Annu, you are cheating" Nandu shouts,,but still moves her coin.

Again Annu does it ..and smiles mischievously..

" Youuuuu ! You dont know the rules of the game and u go on cheating" Nandu has lost her patience and pulls Annu's hair.

Mami is wondering what to do. Should she interfere or not? There is no sign of Meena coming backMeena is busy inside..mami wipes her face with her hanky..

" Annu" shouts Nandu.."this is the 10th time you are doing it! Now she jumps forward, pinches and slaps Annu and Annu starts wailing loudly.. " Ammaa ..aa..aa"

Meena rushes to her. "What happened , dear?"

"Nandu hit me, slapped me and pinched me..wahhhhhh "

"Nandu , you are grown up, is it the way to behave???" Meena shouts..

Meena gives a whack to Nandu. Nandu turns her face and goes to her room..Annu follows her with a victorious smile..

Mami is still watching..open mouthed..

Why is it that the elder one is always blamed ? :)

Next day she goes to the house for her usual round of gossip..and she hears Nandu saying " Annu, its boring , di ! Can we play chess?"

" Only yesterday you fought and you want to play again?" mami asks..

" I love my akka..mami..it wasnt a fight ..we were just kidding.."

Mami just nods her head and goes in to talk to Meena :)

In a house with more than one kid, there are bound to be some problems. Sisters borrow clothes and get stains on them; brothers borrow the bikes and get a scratch on them. Younger siblings sometimes feel like the older kids get to do whatever they want. Older brothers and sisters think that the baby of the family gets more attention. These are typical problems found in any family. The sibling gets more attention..

Sibling rivalry is not a bad thing so long as one is fair and supportive to the other at the appropriate time, isnt it?

The mystery of the missing veggies !

 
 
 " I dont trust amma to look after our baby..she is old and she is ignorant of our modern hygienic way of bringing up children. I will look for a baby sitter." Raji says to Ramesh.
The baby sitter arrived the next day. A teenage girl ..unkempt hair..shabbily dressed ."Nalaiku nalla dress panikitu va" ( Come neatly dressed from tomorrow)

Next day this girl arrives . with oily plaited hair wearing a skirt and a blouse. Amma turns her face at her. She feels highly insulted but stays silent..A baby sitter.. a total stranger is being trusted than a woman who has brought up many children and well experienced in life..

A few days pass by..

Raji opens the milk powder tin..she had bought that tin only a day before and it contained only half the tin? Has the company cheated?
No..it cant be..it was a trivial matter for her at that time. So she didnt care..

Then a few more days pass by..she opens the fridge..to take the carrots and make salad..she remembered buying 5 to 6 carrots .only three are there.." Amma, i got carrots from the market yesterday..did u make anything ? " " No I didnt even touch those carrots" Amma feels Raji is asking deliberately as if she has made something and eaten all of it..Raji is puzzled about the missing veggies day by day..She wonders..

Next day she comes from office early as she had to go for a wedding ..Amma is in the next flat talking with her neighbour, the door is ajar and she goes in. What a site ! The baby sitter has 4 tomatoes on her lap and eating away to glory. Raji silently watched the show. After the tomatoes ..as if its not enough..she took a spoon and as she started eating the milk powder hurriedly , she saw Raji coming in and the powder stuck to her mouth and she was blinking and all she could say was ' ush bsh bsh" and nothing else.

Now amma takes care of the child..she goes to office in peace..

Spending time with in-laws to "BOND"???
 
 When we got married after a very long enagement, it was decided that I would come to US with my husband as against joining him a little later so as to get to know the family and bond.
Anyway, bcoz it didnt happen to me I didnt think twice about it...but I always wondered why was thsi tren so prevelant in India.....was it not common sense to fir letting the the newly wd couple bond with each other? Also, which girl in her right mind willingly agrees to part with her husband so early after being united, to live in a new place, among new people(no matter how loving and caring) all alone. I will never understand this and so will the families who dont realise that the bonding itself starts with such a weak foundation when it separates the newly wed...and the girls only hope in an entirely new place.

Anyway, when I had to go to India after one and half years, I was looking forward to meeting my parents but I was well aware that I had to live with my in-laws for a long time beforemy husbnad would join me there. My in-laws I must state here are very loving and caring but they too like every in-laws were not untouched by the concept for the necessity of the girl to bond with the family. Though I had no problem staying with them but I didnt understand why after 1 1/2 they still felt that I had not bonded? Didnt I write to them , talk to them share everything with them regularly...and just things but I took over the resposibilty of finding a match for my s-i-l too, happily. Why couldnt they understand that had I not bonded with the family, i would never have taken this on me.

So, after spending a month at my parents place I came back to my in-laws place..my place. My m-i-l told me that it was important for all of us to stay and live together for sometime so that 'ek doosre se sankoch door ho jaye aur ek doosre ko achche se samhaj len'. I didnt pay much attention to her then, and I just thought that I will never understand what I will have to do to show them that I had bonded ample enough and that I could be trusted.

But as I stayed on, I realised, that there was indeed a little hint of formality or a cover when we were together. Nothing major but little things like we were not feeling very free to say things to each other...and found ways of saying simple things after a lot of rehearsal..atleast I found myself rehearsing before I spoke up a couple of times. Slowly, things started changing. I assumed resposibilties and began feeling comfortable and very much at home. I thought I was at-home already when I first came but after having lived with them for a couple of days more I realised I was infact not as comfortable then as I was now and it was improving everyday, till suddenyly i found myself in love with all of them so much that I was ready to bear a lot more than I would have before. Due to some change in plans my husband had to cut short his visit and we had to come back to US. I readily agreed to stay on for another month as my f-i-l and m-i-l and s-i-l were all in a shock that we had to leave 3 months earlier than planned...and believe me I could have come back with him...but my love for the family and their love for me prompted me to let my husband go, with whom I couldnt bear to part for a day in normal days.
I had bonded more in 1 month with them than I could in one and half years living in here in US. I completely understand my m-i-l wisdom and loving heart when she talked to me that day.
I agree that I was able to bond because of my capacity to love and my i-l ability to love back. And when my s-i-l got married I quoted my m-i-l and told her what a difference that one month had made in our relationships so that she can begin bonding from day one without wondering like me that why cant the bonding take place without her having to live with the i-ls .
I'm lucky to have four parents so loving and so completely caring and giving...and when I miss home I miss both homes equally.
Bonding is infact a great thing which can come only by letting yourself love without expecting and the love comes back to you. I do completely understand that one needs to be lucky like me too but I do believe that letting yourself love despite all odds will let love come back to you even if it comes a little late.
Miss you all at home in India...

Does Love happen more than once in life?
 
 I was watching an episode of ' THE BACHELOR' and it was time for him to say goodbye to one out of the three beautiful girls left in the game.
He said he was sorry to let her go but he had fallen in love with two girls and wants to go ahae and see if he can find his true love in them
This third girl was sad and said so but she also said that she will ge over it because she knows that 'love doesnt happen just once in life' and I began to think.

Is it true with everyone of us? Does really love happen more than once in life. I discussed this concept with my husband and he gave me another enlightening point of view. According to him LOVE CAN HAPPEN MORE THAN ONCE, whether we choose to pesue it or let it go is another thing. He says that LOVE is a beautiful spontaneous feeling which is not aurded by rights or wrongs or anything to do with the thinking process. Once we attach it with our brains ie think about the consequences, assess the pros and cons it doesnt remain love anymore.

LOVE can happen but what we do about it is the real thing. That would mean then that a married man/woman can fall in love too. Yup they could...if the above concept holds true.....and maybe thats the reason so many extr marital affairs happen, so many marriages break, and particularly for the western culture here in US - there is no certainity and stability of relationships.

When you are looking for a perfect match, I guess u can keep looking all your life and you'll find more than one matches. You choose the one which best matches you and then some years later you find someone who matches more closely...what do u do then? Which was love then? the first one or the second one?

This brings us to conclude that to decide whether love can happen more than once in life or not, we need to first agree on ''what love actually is?''

There can be so many levels and so many ways of getting to know love...
1. Physical attraction
2. Compatibilty (again a little dubious)
3. Wavelength match
.
.
.
.
and so many such levels when we feel drawn towards someone and think it is love.

According to me, all this can happen more than once in life....you can meet more than one person to whom you are pysically attracted, who understands you and what you want, whose wavelength matches yours, who wants the same things as you do.....but there is just one just one person who might have a little of all this or little of some of this but whom you love despite it, and whom you love with all his negative points , whom you love even when he is at his worst, and for whom you can give the things dearest to you without a blink just to make him/her smile............and not even expect him/her to give it back....thats love...and once you have found such a thing...thats it....other things can happen to you then more than once but not this love.....it will happen once..........

This leads us to another question...if THIS LOVE that I am talking about...HAPPENS or we make it happen?........I guess all other things can happen to us but we can work to make this LOVE happen with them...and once it does...it is like LOOK NO FURTHER......

For us Indians, where marriage is a done deal, you might think LOVE will definitely happen.......but it does not. All married couples have the potential to find such precious LOVE but it demands a lot of selflessness to be in such LOVE and even if one is married I believe this LOVE does not happen to all and we all strive to get there........But once we get there.......its beautiful...we know then that every other thing can happen numerous times but LOVE happens just once...and CONGRATS TO ALL THOSE to whom it has already happened...........count me in.:)

How long is long enough?
by
 
 I have been married for two years now and I find the changes in my relationship with my husband simple intriguing. As an unmarried young girl I used to vocalise the concept that it helps if you get to know the person you are going to marry, before you actually tie the knot. Remember, I was in India then and it was nothing like a test drive but just a little time between the engagement and the marriage so that the two people who will be spending their whole lives together, can see what to expect and see how they can live happily ever after.
Anyway, God gave me the perfect opportunity. I had a long 15 month courtship period before we finally got married. I like to call it courtship...even though we were separated by miles and a 10 hr time difference.

The point is that together we saw a lot of life in those 15 months. There were great times, there were tough times, there were times when we questioned our trust for each other...but we endured all and our relationship evolved and happily married 15 months later. I thought then that we have seen it all and we know each other like a book, but it was just the beginning. What we were then, we are not now, and I'm sure we wont be 5 years later.

Now 2 years later and a couple of happy times and a lot of very difficult times, I still see scope for evolution. Also having understood the way relationships happen here in US i often think if we are lucky to have a system of arranged marriages and not that open to separation or divorce.

Not that people here dont have a long happy marriage,but there are many who want one but dont know how and where to find it. I personally feel that there is a great thing about our culture. We learn to adjust and compromise and have stable long happy marriages. But again, it also is a negative in extreme cases. Also, there might be cases when compromise is what becomes the major part of ones marriage with the love draining out.

The one thing which I firmly believe in is that two people who have to live together will have differences, will want different things but if there is love you begin to love what you want and need and also what ur partner wants and needs. Often it is one party compromsing a little more than the other but thats the beauty of it all. you dont keep measuring and weighing all the time.

I read somewhere that all marriages have the capacity to endless potential to culminate into a divorce, the big thing is to find endless things which would hold it together. the underlining concept - PERSEVEARANCE, ENDURANCE, COMPROMISE GUIDED BY LOVE AND SELFLESS GIVING.

So though it helps to know a person for a long time before you get mariead and start living together, but the reality doesnt come into being until you actually do live together. Its not just boys who are different, the girls too change. The best thing is to realise that its gonna happen and that both the lives will be changed once the marriage happens. The sooner we understand this the happier our lives will be.

I have talked to so many couples who have complained that its not the same as before and I tell them how can it be? The time is not the same, the people are evolving all the time there is bound to be changes but accepting those and welcoming what each one is - is the true essence of life.

We are not same as we were in high school. not the same when we were bachelors, will not be the same on our 5th anniversaries as we were on our first anniversaries. Marriage doesnt stagnate life, it still keeps changing us and our lives. So its a little difficult to say that the person you are going out with now will be exactly the same 10 years into marraige....you know what, we all read and quote that true love is selfless and that we should love a person in totality...accepting him with his worst shortcomings...and anyone who can love somebody like this...will have a long lasting fulfilled realtionship and marriage......and we Indians do it well...the strength of our customs, culture or whether it is something else it really works.

At times i really feel sad when I see people in this country trying to find their perfect match and waste so much of their time looking so hard that there is so much precious time lost......

Men and women are different, people evolve all the time and if you can love someone with their worst shorcomings and give anything to see them smile - you are in luck, you will have a beautiful life..coz there might be ups and downs but you will have someone to bear it all with.

So if you can love someone so much, it doesnt matter how long you test drive with him/her you will be happy ever after.

I know I am.......Thanks to my DH for loving me so.

Quran 9:11
 
 Well, I for one am VERY glad that the Quran doesnt fortell of an event in the 21st century which pits USA or Christianity for that matter against the mighty ISLAM... I for one am VERY happy to know that this is a hoax..that in deed this verifies for me that it couldnt possible be real because of course the Quran/Koran is a lie in itself..that the truth cannot be predicted out of a lie. The Quran is nothing but lies and violence, God, the one true God never revealed himself to Muhammed, or if he did, it sure got mighty twisted. As one Christian and one American, I'm happy that you all proved this a hoax so that we can never point to a bit of revelation coming from a rag like the Quran!!!
Thank you Jesus

Haircuts
 
 Haircuts -- Women's version:
Woman1: Oh! You got a haircut! That's so cute!
Woman2: Do you think so? I wasn't sure when she gave
me the mirror. I mean, you don't think it's too fluffy
looking?
Woman1: Oh God, no! No, it's perfect. I'd love to get
my hair cut like that, but I think my face is too
wide. I'm pretty much stuck with this stuff I think.
Woman2: Are you serious? I think your face is
adorable. And you could easily get one of those layer
cuts -- I think that would look so cute. I was
actually going to do that except that I was afraid it
would accent my long neck.
Woman1: Oh, that's funny! I would love to have your
neck! Anything to take attention away from this
two-by-four I have for a shoulder line.
Woman2: Are you kidding? I know girls that would love
to have your shoulders. Everything drapes so well on
you. I mean, look at my arms -- see how short they
are? If I had your shoulders I could get clothes to
fit me so much easier . . .

...
...

Haircuts -- Men's version:

Man1: Haircut?
Man2: Yeah.

cricket's music

 
 Music for me has always been closely related to emotions. Its hard to imagine how a region of alternating low and high pressure can have such effects on our mood.
You must be thinking about the role of cricket in music. For this I'll take you down your ageline. Remember the time when you had heard the ants and the cricket story. Where the cricket enjoyed music all summer and then had to suffer the harsh winter. While the ants worked hard all summer and then sustained through winter. But if i ask you to comapare the happiness the cricket had while his musical summer and the ants had eating and whiling away there time in winter, i am sure it will make you think. Nobody can comapare a very happy moment to a year without any event of sadness.

There is so much depth in our fables and allegories. Its pretty much like our shlokas in the vedas which have three levels of understanding in them, but everyone of them is complete in themselves.

So now if someone asks you the benefit of air, you could answer them better than, "it allows us to breathe".

Floating stones found in Rameshwaram
Author:
Publication: Sify News
Date: May 29, 2004
URL: http://headlines.sify.com/news/fullstory.p...ound~in~Rameshwaram
Do stones float in water? The answer would be a certain no.

But in the island of Rameshwaram in Tamil Nadu, stones, it seems, do float in water.

Difficult to believe-but it's a reality.

Floating stones of Rameshwaram have a mythological twist to it. According to the Hindu mythological epic Ramayana, which was supposed to have taken place over 17 million years ago, Lord Rama and his army of monkeys used stones to build a bridge across the Palk Strait to link Rameshwaram to Sri Lanka.

Legend as well as archaeological findings indicate the first signs of human inhabitation in Sri Lanka date back to the primitive age and it is assumed that the bridge's age is also almost equivalent.

G. Mohan Das, a local historian and caretaker of the stones in the temple, said that these stones could have been the kind used to build the mythological bridge.

"The history of these floating stones is that when Lord Rama made a bridge to trek to Lanka to bring back his consort Sita, these were the same stones used. But today's educated people do not agree to it. They believe it is a coral that is found in Australia, in small islands. We believe there is no difference in these stones. Both the stones do not have air in them. The composition is the same and it has 40 kinds of chemicals," he said.

Space images taken by NASA reveal a series of rock outcrops in the Palk Strait between India and Sri Lanka. Some historians say these could be the part of the mythological bridge linking Indian peninsula with Sri Lanka island.

May Month Articles
Mufti lets forces down
by The Statesman
The killing of militants and security forces has become a routine feature in Jammu and Kashmir. But what is not routine is the fact that the chief minister of India's most sensitive state does not bother to attend the funerals of securitymen killed battling militancy. Instead, he attends the funerals of terrorists slain by the security forces, undermining the latter's morale. .....
  
Breeding Terror
by Michelle Malkin
While the media remain fixated on the plight of Muslim prisoners in Iraq, they have largely ignored the danger that radicalized Muslim prisoners pose here at home. .....
  
Sonia Gandhi as Prime Minister: re-examining the issue
by The Hindu
While the `nativity' as a criterion for eligibility is not a legally sustainable issue, though an emotional one on which the electorate can be swayed, other issues merit re-examination as they appear to be germane to a political and legal debate on the eligibility and suitability of Sonia Gandhi as Prime Minister. .....
  
Sonia: Canards and conundrums
by Sandhya Jain
Indians who believe White is right may be shocked to learn that as the June 17 deadline for finalising the European Union constitution approaches, the continent stands ruptured over God. Europe is deeply divided over whether its constitution should include a reference to its Christian heritage, a major impact on its history and culture. .....
  
La Duce, caro Raul and funny-verita (1)
by www.vigilonline.com
Thoughts on issues of current interest [my comments - as an Indian citizen - within square brackets], including instances of some double standards of our public figures, especially in the construction of Indian identity (all those Macaulayan myths, and the hypocrisy that is Nehruvian secularism) .....
  
When the rains washed away a village’s shame
by Sourav Sanyal
India is shining—at least here. A unique rainwater harvesting programme in this non-descript village launched three summers ago has achieved what seemed impossible: weeding out the casteism and untouchability that had been plaguing the village for years. .....
  
Al-Qaeda claims 10 Indians killed in Saudi
by Press Trust of India
A website, speaking on behalf of Al-Qaeda terror network, on Monday claimed that the gunmen who stormed a luxury apartment in Saudi Arabian city of Al-Khobar killed 10 Indians. .....
  
Pastor arrested for trying to convert Hindus
by Yahoo News
Police in Orissa have arrested a pastor and his associate for allegedly trying to convert Hindus to Christianity, officials here said Sunday. .....
  
Thanks, Mehbooba, for lifting the veil
by Arvind Lavakare
When, on April 26, Mehbooba Mufti lifted the veil of a woman's burkha in an attempt to expose a bogus voter at a polling booth in the Srinagar parliamentary constituency, the president of the People's Democratic Party unveiled a few other issues as well, which have remained largely concealed even from the thinking man. Below is an enumerated exposition of these issues. .....
  
Can Manmohan Singh be Manmohan Singh?
by T J S George
It is well known that no Indian politician ever gets punished for criminal acts. See Sukh Ram. No criminal gets punished either if he joins politics. See Shahabuddin, lodged in Siwan jail, but re- elected to Parliament nonetheless. .....
  
The CMP horror show
by Swapan Dasgupta
Devi Lal, Haryana stalwart and former Deputy Prime Minister under V P Singh, had a very earthy wisdom. Confronted by an abstruse exercise in ideological hair-splitting before the 1989 poll, he asked: "Who reads manifestos?" .....
  
Stealth Islamist: Khaled Abou El Fadl
by Daniel Pipes
Those who have Al-Qaeda connections or deal in terrorism are relatively easy to classify, once they are found out. The state has ways to investigate and punish illegal activities. In September 2003, for example, Taysir Alony, a star reporter for the Al-Jazeera television network, was arrested in Spain on charges of belonging to Al-Qaeda. .....
  
Old grooms sweep Hyderabad brides
by The Times of India
Many Arabs wanting to marry a young Hyderabadi woman or two for a price slip into the city on the pretext of seeking medical treatment. That's how 73-year-old Mohammed Jaffer Yakub Hasan came to be in the old Arab quarter of Barkas, where he mar­ried three young women over a period of a few days. He is now in police custody. .....
  
Mythology in National-Building
by Kashmir Sentinel
India faces three challenges in Kashmir. One, to defeat the Pakistani game which seeks secession of Kashmir on religious principle. Secondly, to defeat the local forces of Muslim communalism and fundamentalism and lastly, to see that no group feels discriminated against. The way the Indian state tackles the challenges in Kashmir will have profound bearing both on Kashmir's future as a secularist society and also as a part of India. .....
  
An Outline of Instructions Regarding Marrying Those of Another Faith
by Msgr.Willie Nazareth
In a society where people of various faiths live and work side by side, it is only natural that such association should lead to strong and enduring friendships between members of the complementary sex belonging to different faiths. .....
  
Maoists Use Terror to Subvert Education in Nepal
by Keshab Poudel
In a bid to control education in Nepal, Maoist rebels are abducting hundreds of teachers from far-flung rural areas to indoctrinate them, causing many terrorized educationists to flee their posts. .....
  
Math-a-Magician
by Lavina Melwani
You could have heard a pin drop. After all, the event was one of awe-inspiring pomp and circumstance in that blue-chip, Ivy League temple of higher learning--Harvard University. Manjul Bhargava stepped up to the microphone, clad underneath his graduation gown in his Indian kurta and pajama. .....
  
An uninspiring lot
by The Free Press Journal
As each day passes, you get fresh evidence of the arduousness of the task confronting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Sonia Gandhi, who nominated him as PM in the first place, did well to opt out considering the hazardous nature of the job keeping a coalition of diverse and enormously ambitious elements going in a semblance of order. .....
  
The Inner Voice Of Sonia
by Swapan Dasgupta
Otherwise a very private individual, Sonia Gandhi made an uncharacteristic admission in a pre-election TV interview. Her sense of duty, she said, also stemmed from the silent expectations of all those past generations of Nehrus and Gandhis whose portraits graced her home. Their eyes seemed to follow her, prodding her to her duties. .....
  
The spectre of religious freedom
by Swami Dayanand Saraswati
The recent Papal contention that there is prohibition of religious freedom in India is an allegation to be taken seriously by the State as well as the Indian people. Addressing the Bishops of India during their ad limina visit to the Vatican, the Pope charged that the “free exercise of the natural right to religious freedom” is prohibited in India. .....
  
AI Report
by The Daily Star
The Amnesty International Report 2004 has pinpointed certain human rights abuses in Bangladesh. That includes police excesses, attack on Hindus and Ahmadiyyas and violence against women. .....
  
Floating stones found in Rameshwaram
by Sify News
Floating stones of Rameshwaram have a mythological twist to it. According to the Hindu mythological epic Ramayana, which was supposed to have taken place over 17 million years ago, Lord Rama and his army of monkeys used stones to build a bridge across the Palk Strait to link Rameshwaram to Sri Lanka. .....
  
Ministers to stay on till convicted: PM
by The Economic Times
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday defended the tainted Bihar biggies in his ministerial team saying that “till they are convicted, they would be presumed to be innocent.” .....
  
Repealing POTA may attract hundreds of 9/11 & Spain type blasts in INDIA
by Dr Pravinbhai Togadia
When the world is preparing itself to protect its civilians from Jihadi Terrorism, Indian Govt is repealing the Anti Terrorism act (POTA). After 1989, in just one decade, over 10,000 Army & Police jawans & over 40,000 civilians were killed by Jihadi terrorists in J & K. Thousands of Terrorists were arrested but not a single one was convicted due to insufficient legal provision to deal with terrorism. Later on our Parliament was attacked and the Jihadi attackers were convicted only due to POTA. .....
  
Hide some, declare others
by Navin Upadhyay
As if the tainted history-sheets of the past were not enough, controversial Union Minister of State for Food and Agriculture Mohammad Taslimuddin could also land in trouble for making false declarations before the Election Commission. .....
  
Who will mourn our martyrs?
by B Raman
The report is about the shocking insensitivity of the political class in Jammu & Kashmir and in New Delhi in failing to express their solidarity with over 30 members of our Border Security Force and their families, who were killed by Pakistan-sponsored terrorists through an improvised explosive device on the Jammu-Srinagar highway on May 23. .....
  
Politicians’ silence stuns men in uniform
by Praveen Swami
Morale has plummeted in the Border Security Force as a result of the political neglect of the victims of Sunday's Lower Munda bombing. Twelve soldiers and 17 civilians, including six women and children, were killed in the bombing, which targeted a bus carrying combat troops returning home on vacation along with their families. Five survivors are now battling for their lives in the Safdarjang Hospital in New Delhi. .....
  
Left Won’t Sign On Final CMP, To Unveil 4 Versions
by The Financial Express
The Left has decided not to sign the common minimum programme (CMP) but only endorse it if its “viewpoint is adequately represented.” .....
  
Say no to violence
by M.V. Kamath
Are we at that stage in our history when Hindu-Muslim riots will henceforth become a thing of the past and both communities will live happily at peace with each other? Cross your fingers, but it just seems possible. In howsoever a measured way, Muslims are coming to trust Hindus. And credit, perhaps, should be given to Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee. .....
  
Sniffing out trouble
by Chitra Ragavan and Mark Mazzetti
The chatter was persistent--and alarming. In the weeks after the deadly March bombings of four commuter trains in Madrid by al Qaeda operatives, the supersecret U.S. surveillance network, Echelon, intercepted a number of messages from suspected terrorists suggesting planning for a massive, multipronged assault on the United States. .....
  
Arab marries, then ditches Hyderabad girl 54 years younger
by The New Indian Express
Police here have arrested a 73-year-old Arab for deserting his teenage wife after spending only two days with her and prevented him from marrying for the sixth time. .....
  
Mumbai police gag hinduunity.org
by Priya Ganapati
Key Internet service providers, including Videsh Sanchar Nigam Limited, India's largest ISP with more than 800,000 subscribers, have blocked access to a web site, www.hinduunity.org .....
  
Evangelicals Give U.S. Foreign Policy An Activist Tinge
by Peter Waldman
Michael Horowitz was named one of the 10 most influential Christians of the year in 1997 by a Southern Baptist magazine. The only catch: He's Jewish. .....
  
Her Mastermind’s Voice?
by Balbir K Punj
Sonia Gandhi employed most charitable terms to explain her abrupt disengagement from Prime Ministerial race. Yet, she stopped short of providing any precise or objective reason. She avowedly never had a fascination for that august office; and now abided by her ``inner voice'' or ``voice of conscience'' to stand apart. .....
  
Red Star over South Block
by G. Parthasarathy
National security and foreign policy issues attracted little attention during the agonisingly long electoral process. This was not surprising. Successive governments have adopted policies that have enjoyed a broad national consensus. .....
  
Terror suspect responsible for attacks in China killed
by Khaleej Times
President Pervez Musharraf said yesterday that a top terror suspect responsible for several attacks in China has been killed by Pakistani security forces in the northwestern tribal region. .....
  
Hindus ready to celebrate temple work
by Karen Vance
Next weekend, the Cincinnati Hindu Temple will host a weekend of celebrations marking the completion of the congregation's building. .....
  
Arresting Godhra absconders? In God’s hands, says SIT
by Stavan Desai
So will the Special Investigating Team (SIT) probing the Godhra train carnage be able to arrest the 45 accused still absconding? Not without divine intervention, the team would have you believe. That's why the SIT says that its failure to arrest the absconding accused, despite the "best of efforts," because "it's God who ultimately grants success." .....
  
NDA enters God’s Own Country through P C Thomas
by Arun Lakshman
The NDA has finally entered Kerala's political firmament, hitherto dominated by either the Congress-led UDF or the CPM-led LDF. For the first time in the state's electoral history, the voter exercised a third political option in the figure of NDA candidate PC Thomas, Union Minister of State for Law and Justice in the Vajpayee Cabinet. .....
  
Vatican Discourages Marriage With Muslims for Catholic Women
by Alan Feuer
In an official church document released Friday, the Vatican discouraged marriage between Catholics and Muslims, especially Catholic women and Muslim men. .....
  
“A Cabinet Secretary Looks Back” (PP219/220) - Excerpts
by B.G.Deshmukh
"That the PRIME MINISTER'S HOUSE (of Rajiv Gandhi)had access to funds from abroad,I became aware of in a very curious way.After Arun Singh was shifted from the PMO to the Ministry of Defence,the cabinet secretary supervised the Prime Minister's special security force in a rather loose fashion and I became associated with this. .....
  
We Have Lost But India Has Won, Says Vajpayee
by A B Vajpayee
Elections to the 14th Lok Sabha are over. The voters have given their verdict. I accept the verdict. This evening, I submitted my resignation to respected Rashtrapatiji. India is the worldâ?Ts largest democracy. It is always with the will of the people that governments have been formed - and changed. .....
  
Il Italiano viene! Il Italiano viene!
by www.vigilonline.com
Thoughts on issues of current interest [my comments - as an Indian citizen - within square brackets], including instances of some double standards of our public figures, especially in the construction of Indian identity (all those Macaulayan myths, and the hypocrisy that is Nehruvian secularism) .....
  
Does oppression cause homicide bombings?
by Alan Dershowitz
Dispelling one of the most-repeated myths with hard, cold facts As suicide bombings increase in Iraq, in Saudi Arabia, and in Israel, more and more people have come to believe that this tactic is a result of desperation. They see a direct link between oppression, occupation, poverty, and humiliation on the one hand, and a willingness to blow oneself up for the cause on the other hand. .....
  
Some politically incorrect questions
by Colonel Anil Athale (retd)
The 'right' tone was, of course, set by The New York Times, that doyen of American wisdom, when it editorially castrated Indians opposing Sonia Gandhi as prime minister for being xenophobic nationalists, conveniently forgetting that US law prohibits a foreign-born citizen from becoming president. .....
  
30 BSF soldiers, family members killed on highway
by Ahmed Ali Fayyaz
Militants have carried out their deadliest ever strike on security forces in Jammu & Kashmir a day after Dr Manmohan Singh’s Congress-led coalition Government assumed office at the Centre. In a landmine blast, unprecedented in 16-year-long insurgency, a BSF vehicle has been blown up near Lower Munda on Srinagar- Jammu highway, killing as many as 30 soldiers and their family members. .....
  
Islam and democracy: the impossible union
by Amir Taheri
Iranian Muslim Amir Taheri says his faith cannot embrace western liberalism because our notions of equality are antithetical to the basis of Islam. .....
  
Alerting Naked Emperors in an Age of Academic Arrogance
by Narayanan Komerath
"Although there seem to be no myths or folktales in which Ganesa explicitly performs oral sex, his insatiable appetite for sweets may be interpreted as an effort to satisfy a hunger that seems inappropriate in an otherwise ascetic disposition, a hunger having clear erotic overtones." .....
  
Pallone expresses concern over persecution of Hindus
by Vasantha Arora
Leading US Congressman Frank Pallone, founder of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans, has expressed his deep concern over the persecution of Hindus in Bangladesh. .....
  
Persecution Of Hindus In Bangladesh
by http://thomas.loc.gov
Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I rise this evening to express my deep concern over the persecution of Hindus in Bangladesh. The coalition government of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, BNP, which came to power on October 1, 2001, has initiated a violent campaign. .....
  
How did Nehru feel about foreign origin?
by
In1950 the then Maharaja of Indore, Yashwant Rao Holkar, wanted his son Richard, born of his American wife, to succeed him as the ruler of Indore. .....
  
Dalai Lama’s UK visit sparks diplomatic row
by The Times of India
China has threatened to strip Liverpool of its twin city status with Shanghai if officials from the British city meet exiled Tibetan leader the Dalai Lama next week, a report said on Sunday. .....
  
Verdict of the providence
by Ravindra Dani
There is a 'Bakul' tree just at the entrance of Rashtrapati Bhavan to the right. It is silent witness of all the events taking place in the closed halls of Rashtrapati Bhavan. .....
  
Why the NDA lost
by Swapan Dasgupta
During the counting of votes for both the 1998 and 1999 general election, I was in the studios of Doordarshan for two full days helping the presenters with the political and statistical analysis of the results. Let me assure you there is no better place than a TV studio to scrutinise both the exhilaration and the despondency of the main political players. .....
  
Kashmir Bus Explosion Kills 33, Wounds 10
by Mujtaba Ali Ahmad
A bomb struck a bus carrying vacationing soldiers and their families on Sunday, killing 33 people and wounding 10 in Indian- controlled Kashmir (news - web sites), officials said, just a day after the new Indian prime minister was sworn in. .....
  
Laloo’s secret demand
by Yogesh Naik
Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Laloo Prasad Yadav has rattled the Congress with a sensational demand. .....
  
Italy’s Hindu Controversy
by Hinduism Today
We have to overcome a misunderstanding asserted by Italian scholars that one has to be born in India to be a Hindu. Our Sangha also hopes to spread the authentic Hindu culture among Italians who take yoga as just a sweet gymnastic," stated Swami Yoganandagiri. His December invitation to Hinduism Today outlined plans for a June international conference in Milan on the controversial subject of conversion to Hinduism, among other subjects. .....
  
Divide And Conquer
by Sumer Singh Chauhan
The argument that Sikhs are not distinct from Hindus, or simply they are Hindus will be assessed on teachings contained in the Shri Guru Granth Sahib, certain characteristics of the Sikhs, the Sikh Gurus, the beliefs and practices of the Sikh nobility, and a brief comparison of ritual. The ritual aspects of the Sikh tradition can be discussed briefly to demonstrate the Hindu origins remaining in the scriptures. .....
  
Maharana Pratap
by
May 22 2004 is Maharana Pratap Jayanti - Jyeshtha Shuka Tritiya, 2060. Even I did not know about it till I saw my calendar. We may or may not know about Maharana Pratap outside of the stories we were told in our childhood, but considering the times we are in, it is only befitting that we remember this eternal patriot who is credited as having fought the first war of Independence. .....
  
Pakistani ‘Bin Laden’ banned from Europe
by Sify.com
The chief of Pakistan's Jamaat-e-Islami party, Qazi Hussain Ahmed, has been refused entry into Europe as most Jewish organizations in the region see him as a 'terrorist'. .....
  
Uncle Sam may frown at your ‘pappa’
by Paul John
The next time you introduce yourself as "myself D Patel" to a visa officer at the US consulate, don't be surprised if he stares at you. He might ask you to read a few paragraphs from an American novel. Your ordeal may not end there. He will then ask you to explain what you read, with proper grammatical inflections. .....
  
Relations with Israel may be affected
by B Raman
Israel does not figure in the Congress document at all. As already mentioned in Part II of this series, it was under Indira Gandhi in the late 1960s that channels of communication and mutual security assistance with Israel were opened. .....
  
India Says 3,000 Militants Ready to Infiltrate Kashmir
by Reuters
India's army chief said on Friday that more than 3,000 Muslim militants were ready to slip into Indian Kashmir from Pakistan. .....
  
Pak national gets death penalty for killing CRPF jawan
by Press Trust of India
Almost three years after armed ultras attacked a CRPF camp on the outskirts of the national capital killing a soldier, a Delhi court on Friday awarded death sentence to a Pakistani national for his role in the attack. .....
  
UK envoy hurt in Bangladesh blast
by BBC News
The top British diplomat in Bangladesh has been wounded in a bomb attack in the north-eastern town of Sylhet, police have said. .....
  
Militants behead two brothers
by The Pioneer
In a gruesome incident, militants beheaded two sons of a retired Army officer in Baramulla district of north Kashmir Thursday, official sources said. .....
  
Surveillance grids along LoC jam ultras’ infiltration efforts
by Pradeep Dutta
With surveillance grids and fencing along the border ensuring a "zero infiltration syndrome", militant trainers at the launch pads in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir are forcing the militant groups to experiment with new ways to enter into Indian territory. .....
  
The beauty of democracy
by Ayaz Amir
India goes to the polls and the world notices. Pakistan plunges into another exercise in authoritarian management and the world notices but through jaundiced eyes. Are we so dumb that the comparison escapes us? .....
  
Justice or judicial activism?
by Devendra Swarup
A two-member Bench of Supreme Court delivered an important ver-dict on April 12 in the widely publicised Best Bakery case of Vadodara (Gujarat). The 69-page verdict delivered by Justice Doraiswamy Raju and Justice Arijit Pasayat was written and read out by the latter. .....
  
Berkeley Prof Slithers on Call for “Intifada” in America
by Jonathan Calt Harris
O’Reilly. The subject was comments Bazian had made at a left-wing rally in San Francisco on April 10, 2004, calling for an “intifada” in the United States. .....
  
The definition of ‘secular’
by Arvind Lavakare
It is on record that 'at least twice in the Constituent Assembly efforts were made to make a specific mention of the principle of secularism in the Constitution. For example, an amendment had sought to ensure that no law could be made which discriminates between man and man on the basis of religion, or applies to adherents of any one religion and leaves others untouched. .....
  
Memories To Be Stored For Future Generations
by Liz Hawley
More than 100 first-generation Hindus in the city are taking part in a new project to record their memories of emigrating to Britain. .....
  
House Guest: Can Sonia Gandhi Be An MP?
by N H Hingorani
The earlier controversy as to whether Sonia Gandhi, a naturalised citizen of India, is eligible to become the Prime Minister of India is now followed by the question whether she can, under our Constitution and parliamentary statutes, even be the leader of the Opposition in Parliament, and for that matter, a Member of Parliament. .....
  
Of the stuff Sonia is made
by Arvind Lavakare
It is Sonia Gandhi's latest gender gem: ''The day I became the daughter-in- law of Indira Gandhi's house, I became an Indian. The rest is all technical.'' By that logic, one Louis de Raedt can be considered to have had even better credentials to be regarded as an Indian. .....
  
The New French Revolution
by CBS Broadcasting
For almost half a century, Europe has depended on imported labor to do the kind of menial jobs its own people don't want to do -- so much so that, today, the population of France is almost 10 percent Muslim. .....
  
Church to remove Moor-slayer saint
by BBC News
A statue in a Spanish cathedral showing St James slicing the heads off Moorish invaders is to be removed to avoid causing offence to Muslims. .....
  
The Summer of Our Discontent
by Rajeev Srinivasan
I must admit that the taste of humble pie eaten cold is particularly bracing to the soul. I was wrong; no, I was comprehensively wrong about the outcome of Election 2004. Fortunately, every other member of the chatterati, including the die-hard Old Left windbags who are now preening, also had accepted as a fait accompli the return of the NDA to power. But that's cold comfort. .....
  
Dirty laundry at the Times of India
by Raja M
It's official: the world's largest-circulated English daily has been involved in some shady business. Exposing a long-known trade fact, a leading Mumbai English tabloid, Mid-Day, last week published the "rates" for purchasing editorial features in the Times of India. The Times has not issued a denial, and the rogue rate card seems to be the latest indicator of rotting media ethics and tolerance in India for corruption. .....
  
A story of grit, courage, triumph
by The Times of India
In the last five years, 23-year-old Prashant Chadha has battled blindness, paralysis and even death. Yet next month he will walk into the portals of one of the world's top B-schools. .....
  
Europe’s Threat to the West
by Daniel Pipes
With the exception of the Oklahoma City bombing of 1995, notes Al-Qaeda authority Rohan Gunaratna, all major terrorist attacks of the past decade in the West have been carried out by immigrants. A closer look finds that these were not just any immigrants but invariably from a specific background .....
  
Mythology in 2004
by Ajoy Bose
Several myths perpetuated by political strategists and media pundits have been blown apart by the astounding outcome of the 2004 Lok Sabha polls. For instance, everyone now acknowledges the hollow basis for glib assertions made in the past about "India Shining" and the impossibility of a foreign born to gain acceptance as the Prime Minister of the country. .....
  
Plight of Hindus in Sindh and Balochistan
by Khaled Ahmed
The Commission sent a team to the province, which observed the Hindus of Kalat, Mastung, Machh and Kolpur and discovered that the Baloch and Brahui tribes kept them to do jobs (musicians, carpenters, merchants) considered below their honour by the Muslims. .....
  
The legitimate concerns of the Hindus
by Sandhya Jain
Sushma Swaraj expressed the deep anguish of thousands of Indians with her threat to resign from the Rajya Sabha if the Italian-born Sonia Gandhi seizes the country's top executive post. Ms. Gandhi had pointedly withdrawn from the prime ministerial stakes in the course of the election campaign in order to facilitate the rise of a non-BJP grouping at the Centre. .....
  
The case against Sonia Gandhi
by Sheela Bhatt
A senior bureaucrat, who had served Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi and is now retired, argued passionately against Sonia Gandhi's candidature for the prime minister's post. .....
  
The case for Sonia Gandhi
by Sheela Bhatt
As a surprised India watches Atal Bihari Vajpayee walk away into likely retirement, the debate over his likely successor Sonia Gandhi has intensified. While those opposing India's first foreign- born prime minister have been loudly stating their views, the Congress president does have her supporters too. .....
  
City favours change, but wary of Sonia
by The Times of India
The pollsters and political pundits may be red faced over predictions gone awry, but TNN found that people on the street were more blase. .....
  
Morocco Connection Is Emerging as Sleeper Threat in Terror War
by Elaine Sciolino
They speak in an ever changing code. The word for prison might be hospital. Passport becomes book, or sometimes djellaba, the simple robe worn by men in North Africa. Explosives is honey or sneakers. .....
  
No mandate for Left hijack
by Swapan Dasgupta
There is a school of romantics who uphold the view that the Indian electorate is so amazingly canny that it should get honorary membership of the Mensa club for earthly geniuses. Its unceasing ability to either quietly reject existing rulers or boisterously endorse new claimants for governance has won it many admirers. .....
  
Why did the lotus wilt?
by The Pioneer
Some days ago during a discussion on CNBC, Karan Thapar asked me, "Are you suggesting that the BJP has run a perfect campaign?' This was in the context of my having defended the party's decision to call an election a few months ahead of schedule. .....
  
“The historian as mischief-maker”
by Krishen Kak
Thoughts on issues of current interest [my comments - as an Indian citizen - within square brackets], including instances of some double standards of our public figures, especially in the construction of Indian identity (all those Macaulayan myths, and the hypocrisy that is Nehruvian secularism). .....
  
Along The Heart’s Flow Chart
by Ashis K. Biswas
Vinayak Lohani, 26, always knew boardroom brainstorms were not his cup of tea. In fact, long before campus recruitment began at the Indian Institute of Management, Joka, he had found his true calling-educating and sheltering abandoned street children. .....
  
Chinaman Off Spin
by Seema Sirohi
The geopolitical triangle to watch this century: India, China and the United States. The interplay of the world's two most populous nations and the sole superpower is a strategist's dream, complete with civilisational competition and shifting interests. .....
  
Blasts rock 3 Thai temples, no casualties
by The Times of India
Bomb blasts rocked three Buddhist temples in Thailand 's restive Muslim-dominated south within an hour late on Sunday, damaging the buildings but causing no injuries, police said. .....
  
Congress considering inclusion of SP in Government
by The Hindustan Times
Congress was seriously considering the inclusion of Samajwadi party in the coalition government led by it at the Centre, party leader Salman Khurshid said on Saturday. .....
  
Thailand’s gold rush for God
by David Fullbrook
Missionaries are working hard to bring salvation to tribal people in Chiang Rai's highlands. Concerned about nefarious activities, the Thai government is quietly investigating. About time too, many would say: missionaries are accused of destroying traditional cultures and societies, exploiting highlanders' ignorance and spurring conflict. .....
  
Limits of Tolerance
by Prafull Goradia
It is extraordinary that Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav, who has often been endearingly addressed as Maulana, should now face the odium of the Muslims. The provocation has been an advertisement by the Samajwadi Party which compares his sacrifices with those of Imam al Husayn at Karballa. On behalf of the ulema in UP, Maulana Kalbe Jawwad has asked the party to apologise for hurting the sentiments of Muslims. .....
  
Akbar, Padgaonkar resign from KC
by Daily Excelsior
Noted journalists M J Akbar and Dilip Padgaonkar have resigned from the Ram Jethmalani-led Kashmir Committee which was appointed by the Government to facilitate talks with seperatist groups in Kashmir. .....
  
Militants in Europe Openly Call for Jihad and the Rule of Islam
by Patrick E. Tyler and Don Van Natta Jr.
In this former industrial town north of London, a small group of young Britons whose parents emigrated from Pakistan after World War II have turned against their families' new home. They say they would like to see Prime Minister Tony Blair dead or deposed and an Islamic flag hanging outside No. 10 Downing Street. .....
  
India’s remarkable dance of democracy
by Narasimhan Ravi
India, Seen variously as a country with massive poverty, an information technology power, and more recently as an outsourcing destination taking away jobs, is over the next two weeks staging the dance of democracy. .....
  
University of Guyana Hindu Society Holds Symposium on Hinduism
by Hinduism Today
The University of Guyana Hindu Society (UGHS) is scheduled to hold a symposium on April 29 and 30 on the theme "The Message of Hinduism: Its Relevance in Conflict Ridden Times." A release from the society said that prominent Hindu leaders would make presentations on various sub-themes and social issues of contention at the symposium which would be held at the Turkeyen Campus lawns. .....
  
Inviting trouble!
by Newstodaynet.com
Gate-crashing into a function is a common phenomenon. But have you heard about the reverse of it: Including popular persons in the guest list of a function without their consent? .....
  
Rape of Unbelievers in Islam
by Abul Kasem
This re-count starts when I was in Thailand in 1973 to do my post graduate studies in Engineering. The Institution was AIT and being an international institution for post graduate study there were students from many parts of the world, though the majority were from the Asian countries. .....
  
Islamic militant website ‘shows’ beheading of American
by The Hind
A video posted Tuesday on an Islamic militant Website appeared to show a group affiliated with al-Qaida beheading an American contractor in Iraq, saying the death was revenge for the prisoner- abuse scandal. .....
  
Muslim writer embroiled in dispute at Morgantown mosque
by Ann Rodgers and Bill Schackner
One of the last friendly faces Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl saw before he was kidnapped and murdered in Pakistan in 2002 was that of Asra Nomani, an American Muslim who was a close friend and Journal colleague. .....
  
Muslim Europe
by Daniel Pipes
“Europe becomes more and more a province of Islam, a colony of Islam.” So declares Oriana Fallaci in her new book, La Forza della Ragione (The Force of Reason). And the famed Italian journalist is right: Christianity’s ancient stronghold of Europe is rapidly giving way to Islam. .....
  
Iran academic gets death for blasphemy
by Rediff on Net
The death sentence on a liberal Iranian academic who was charged with blasphemy has been upheld, say agencies. .....
  
Forced conversion to Islam fatal for Christian boy
by AsiaNews
Outrage at the death of a Catholic boy forced to convert to Islam at the hands of torturous abductors has prompted the Pakistan Catholic Bishop’s Commission of Justice and Peace, to take up the legal case. The Christian youth died of injuries inflicted by a teacher and students at an Islamic school. .....
  
The Chittagong armoury
by Indian Currents
Seizure of an enormous quantity of sophisticated arms at the Chittagong port in Bang­ladesh is most sensational and gravely portentous. The cache could be worth around a thousand crore and a convoy of lorries was lined up to transport it. .....
  
How Do I Know?
by Dr. Babu Suseelan
In public meetings, professional conferences, in interfaith discussion groups, Muslim fundamentalist leaders frequently ask the question: "Are you a Muslim? Do you have any Islamic religious experience? If you don't have any experience with Islam, how can you tell me about Islamic Jihad, Koranic dictates and Islamic history?" Everything is Islamic religious "experience so many Muslim leaders would have us believe. .....
  
‘The presiding officers were punching votes’ (Interview with Prakash Jha)
by Rediff on Net
Director Prakash Jha's films highlight society's underbelly. Whether it is the exploitation of women and their eventual uprising in Mrityudand, or the realistic Gangajal, they are a stark contrast to the fluffy kind of movies that most of Bollywood generally churns out. .....
  
Other films on Kashmir a letdown
by www.musicindiaonline.com
A Kashmiri Hindu exiled from his home and roots, Ashok Pandit waited for years to make his first feature film "Sheen". .....
  
If We Can’t Even Name the Enemy
by Beth Goodtree
Israel, the United States, the European Union, India and parts of Africa, as well as Jews, Christians, Buddhists, Hindis, Animists and many others all have a common problem. Actually three common problems: they are all in a state of war with an organized global entity numbering in the many millions, they refuse to accept this reality, and they cannot even name the enemy. .....
  
Raising Voices
by Stephen David
At 39, Ramesh Ramanathan couldn't have asked for more. As managing director of Citibank, Europe, he had scaled the peak of a rewarding career in a short span of time. His wife Swati was equally accomplished-a trained architect from Pratt Institute, New York-and together they made for an enviable couple, a point that was often talked about in the high-profile society dos that they were invariably invited to. .....
  
How time flies: Government funds documentary on RSS!
by Anand Bhisey
It is indeed surprising how times change. Once strictly taboo in the corridors of power, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and things connected with it now have official sanction. Well, practically so, with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) of the Government of India actually funding a 30 minute documentary on Dr Keshav Balirampant Hedgewar, the founder of the RSS. .....
  
We rebuffed US: Atal
by S P Singh & Utpal Kumar
Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on Friday evening stated that after the Kargil war, the United States had pressurised India to give away some land to Pakistan before making peace moves, "but we stood firm and did not give in to the American pressure". .....
  
Cheetah Camp tense over a religious row
by Afternoon Despatch & Courier
Heavy deployment of the State Reserve Police (SRP) has been made at Cheetah Camp where around 23 persons, including eight policemen, were injured when members belonging to two different communities clashed for two successive days, yesterday. .....
  
Ruling Party Cadres Unleash Terror On Minorities In Kalicahar Village, Bangladesh
by HRCBM
Kalia in the district of Norail, Bangladesh is burning from the vengeful terror attacks of ‘Alliance” party cadres and their supporters. These terrorists stuck at a minimum of four small villages where minorities live. All night long on Thursday, they attacked and ravaged more than one hundred homes. .....
  
Trouble brews at Trombay
by The Indian Express
The incident occurred when some members of the minority community protested against the percussion instruments used during a procession held when it was passing in front of a place of worship, according to the police. .....
  
London school is first in Europe to introduce Bharatnatyam
by www.nri-worldwide.com
Bharata Natyam and Kathak are among the South Asian dances that have been introduced as part of the B A undergraduate dance curriculum at the prestigious London Contemporary Dance School (LCDS). .....
  
Brutal gang rape of Minority women at Motbaria, family held hostage
by HRCBM
It is being reported that some ruling party leaders are involved in misdemeanor with police, they are excerpting pressure on police to release the criminals those has been arrested. The corrupted politicians have also warned victims those who are under police custody at a jossore jail to withdraw the case or they will face the dire consequences. .....
  
Bollywood’s Terror Compassion
by IndiaCause.com
Most civilized people, rarely apologize to, or pay allegiance to the flag of, a people that are openly killing their countrymen in the thousands, but Shilpa Shetty did it. She had to go that extra mile to prove her loyalty to the terrorist cause. In Lahore, she showed her allegiance to the Pakistani flag by kissing it and apologized profusely to the denizens of the terrorist state for "unintentionally hurting Pakistani sentiments". .....
  
Forgotten day in Kashmir’s history
by Arvind Lavakare
Except for the inaugural Mumbai Marathon, February 15, 2004 passed off in the country as usual -- with controversies about this or that, with corruption cases and with episodes of rape and riots and robberies. .....
  
In Pakistan: national holiday, Kashmir Day...nationalists burn effigy of India’s PM
by www.pbs.org
"Kashmir is not just the cause of extremists," says FRONTLINE/World's Obaid. "It's a deeply felt issue, embedded in Pakistan's identity." There's even a national holiday, Kashmir Day, and Obaid sees angry Pakistani nationalists burning an effigy of India's prime minister." .....
  
300 Million Hindus to Convert to Christianity?
by www.gfa.org
The Gospel for Asia and the All-India Christian Council issued the following press release today. No other information has appeared in the press reports monitored by HPI, and there no independent confirmation of what might simply be wishful thinking from The Gospel for Asia, a zealous evangelical organization run by an Indian Christian out of Texas. .....
  
Hizb chief Gazi Shahab-ud-din killed
by Ahmed Ali Fayyaz
In a major achievement, Jammu & Kashmir Police has killed Hizbul Mujahideen’s "chief commander of operations" Abdur Rasheed Pir alias Gazi Shahab-ud-din in a brief shootout in Maharaj Ganj area of Srinagar interior today. .....
  
Left Moves In For A Share Of Split Verdict
by The Times of India
Buoyed by exit poll results, Left Front partners are planning an active political career. A meeting in Delhi on May 15 and 16 will discuss what role they can play in ministry-making. Regional parties and the Left would have a much greater role to play, they feel. .....
  
Up Against Fanaticism
by Phil Lucas
If straight talk of savagery offends you, if you believe in ethnic and gender diversity but not diversity of thought or if you think there is an acceptable gray area between good and evil, then turn to the funny pages, and take the children, too. .....
  
Pakistan To Re-Write Anti-India, Hindus Curricula
by Asif Farooqi
The minister said the aim was to "bring objectivity and truth to our books rather than hate material or terror tales." .....
  
ISI plans major attack; red alert sounded
by Sify News
The Centre sounded a red alert in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal and ordered sealing of international borders in these states following intelligence reports of an ISI plan to destabilise the country. .....
  
Commanding respect - or demanding it?
by Krishen Kak
Thoughts on issues of current interest [my comments - as an Indian citizen - within square brackets], including instances of some double standards of our public figures, especially in the construction of Indian identity (all those Macaulayan myths, and the hypocrisy that is Nehruvian secularism) .....
  
Pakistan’s Real Bulwark
by Alfred Stepan and Aqil Shah
Amid the turmoil in Iraq and signs that Afghanistan still lacks a viable state, it's not surprising that doubts about the ability of the United States to support democratization are growing in the Middle East and even in the United States. .....
  
SC rejects plea against Astrology courses
by The Hindu
In an endorsement of HRD Minister Murli Manohar Joshi's campaign, the Supreme Court today found no fault with the decision of the University Grants Commission to introduce "Vedic Astrology" courses in universities and dismissed a petition challenging it. .....
  
Letter to Ministry of External affairs
by Dr. Gautam Sen
We write to express dismay and outrage at the Channel 4 documentary on Kashmir broadcast on the 8th April 2004, which was filmed despite the fact that the GOI had declined permission to sanction it. The Channel 4 journalist, Sandra Jordan, apparently entered the country on a tourist visa and proceeded to film, in contravention of her status as a tourist. .....
  
Irshad Manji: Islam’s marked woman
by Independent
The death threats began six months ago. One morning, Irshad Manji opened her e-mail and read the first of many pledges to kill her. "It contained some pretty concrete details that showed a lot of thought had been put into the death-threat," she explains now, unblinking. She can't say how many she's received - "The police tell me not to talk about this stuff" - but she admits that "they are becoming pretty up-close and personal." .....
  
Spain seeks to control what imams preach
by Ben Sills
The Spanish government is considering censoring the sermons of Muslim imams in an attempt to control the spread of radical Islamic ideas - a move that has been criticised as a lurch towards authoritarianism. .....
  
Holy See Says That a Church Should’t Be Used by Muslims
by Zenit.org
The answer is no, according to Archbishop Michael Fitzgerald, the president of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue. .....
  
Why blame parties and voters?
by Swapan Dasgupta
Before the first round of voting in the general election, President A. P. J. Abdul Kalam broadcast to the nation a very simple but heartening message: please vote in large numbers and vote positively for the candidate or party of your choice. .....
  
Controversial dam defies criticism to green villages
by Yahoo News
In a crisp blow to its critics, India's most controversial irrigation project has brought life back to hundreds of drought-prone villages in Gujarat. .....
 
Thaksin hits out at foreign interference over southern Thailand violence
by www.channelnewsasia.com
Thailand has defended its handling of violence in the Muslim south and rejected growing international calls for an investigation into the deaths of more than 100 militants. .....
  
Serious human rights violations in POK
by Samuel Baid
The focus of debates on Kashmir at the annual meetings of United Nations Human Rights Commission in Geneva (UNCHR) has certainly changed over the past about 10 years. .....
  
Muslim women exempt from ID card photos
by Kamal Ahmed
Thousands of Muslim women will be exempted from having to show their faces on identity cards as the Government moves to allay fears among British Muslims that the new cards will be used to target them in the 'war on terror'. .....
  
SIMI front in poll fray
by Tapan Das
Both the Congress and the Left Front have reportedly begun courting the outlawed Student Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) in a bid to win over the Muslim votebank. .....
  
Criminals Recruited for ‘Islamic Army’ in America
by Arnaud de Borchgrave
A jury consists of 12 persons chosen to decide who has the better lawyer. Robert Frost's cynical view of the law found a dramatic echo in the land of Magna Carta this month. The defendant's Web site called it "The Ultimate Jihad [Holy War] Experience." Nothing less than a two-week firearms course in the U.S. Cost: $4,700. .....
  
Democratic Rights and the rehabilitation of Riang refugees
by Patheya Kan
A number of resolutions were passed by Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh All India Representative Conference held at Jaipur. The first one concerned about the Jammu Kashmir Permanent Resident (Illegal) Act 2004. An excerpt about the 2nd resolution is given below. .....
  
Saudi halo over US academia
by Sandhya Jain
As Iraq gets murkier and Uncle Sam loses credibility in the war on terror, American analysts are waking up to the extent to which Saudi funds have penetrated the nation's soft underbelly. .....
 
Nehru’s or India’s Papers?
by Claude Arpi
The current Lok Sabha election campaign has not generated much heat on "foreign affairs"; indeed, there has been more on the foreign origin of one of the candidates. Not having had the good karma to be born Indian, however, it will not be proper for me to comment on that. .....
 
Kalam to visit LoC today
by The Daily Excelsior
Within a month of his historic trip to the world’s highest battlefield Siachen, President A P J Abdul Kalam will tomorrow visit the Line of Control in the Rajouri-Poonch sector in Jammu and Kashmir. .....
 
Failing to prove rape, Pak women end up in jail
by The Hindustan Times
An estimated 80 per cent of women prisoners in Pakistan are in jail because they failed to prove rape charges, and found themselves locked up on adultery convictions, according to a 2004 report by the National Commission on the Status of Women. .....
 
Soccer team’s dark secret
by Nirmal Ghosh
When the Su So village football team won the local league championship last Sunday, the players were the pride of the small community in Songkhla's Saba Yoi district. .....
 
Maharashtra Day celebrated in Israel
by Free Press Journal
The Indian Jewish community from Mumbai, commonly referred to as Bene-Israel, celebrated Maharashtra Day by organizing a series of cultural programmes in Marathi and pledging to strengthen ties with their country or origin, reports PTI. .....
 
Holy See Says That a Church Shouldn’t Be Used by Muslims
by Zenit.org
The answer is no, according to Archbishop Michael Fitzgerald, the president of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue. .....
 
India was worst victim of terror in 2003: US report
by S. Rajagopalan
Despite a drop in number of incidents and casualties, India has continued to be the worst victim of terrorism during 2003 as well, according to figures collated by the US's latest report on global terrorism. .....
 
A call to prayer - by loudspeaker
by Amanda Paulson
In this working-class town surrounded by Detroit, every street corner is a meeting of nations. Kosinski Hardware sits across from Aladdin Sweets. Olga and Ania's Beauty Salon is next door to a Bosnian restaurant, and the local King Video advertises movies in Albanian, Arabic, Polish, and Hindi. Conversations on the street are as likely to be in Bengali or Polish as in English. .....
 
Call For Incorporating Sharia Into International Law
by Sobhy Mujahid
World Muslim scholars meeting in Cairo urged incorporation of Sharia into the International Law to avoid eruption of more crises or other forms of injustice. .....
 
African-Hindu tension a vestige of colonialism
by Mohan Ashtakala
It was disappointing to read Pius Kamau's comments regarding Hinduism in Thursday's Denver Post, not only for the lack of knowledge about this religion that he displayed, but also because he confuses the reader on the whole issue of racial tension between Asians and Africans in Africa. .....
 
Moderate Muslims March in Phoenix
by Daniel Pipes
When the American Islamic Forum for Democracy organized “A Rally against Terror” on April 25 in Phoenix, its head, an Arizona physician named Zuhdi Jasser, said his goal was to give Muslim moderates “an opportunity to speak out publicly.” And Jasser presented the rally as a robust response to the many criticisms that American Muslims had not produced a “groundswell of condemnation” against terrorism. .....
 
France Struggles to Curb Extremist Muslim Clerics
by Craig S. Smith
This town's largest mosque is temporarily leaderless, its chief cleric having been expelled from France last week for advocating wife beating, stoning and other medieval Islamic views at odds with the principles of the modern French state. .....
 
Serious human rights violations in POK
by Samuel Baid
The focus of debates on Kashmir at the annual meetings of United Nations Human Rights Commission in Geneva (UNCHR) has certainly changed over the past about 10 years. .....
 
Zamfara Government Orders Demolition of All Churches
by P.M. News
Governor Ahmed Sani of Zamfara State, has ordered the demolition of all churches in the state, as he launched the second phase of his Sharia project yesterday. .....
 
Yoga: the heart of the matter
by Sharmistha Chatterjee
"Yoga cures heart prob­lems." Such assertions have been heard long enough. But when it came to substantiat­ing these claims one has only been met with silence. .....




http://www.hvk.org/articles/0504/main.html

Latest Articles :

Stealth Islamist: Khaled Abou El Fadl
by Daniel Pipes
Those who have Al-Qaeda connections or deal in terrorism are relatively easy to classify, once they are found out. The state has ways to investigate and punish illegal activities. In September 2003, for example, Taysir Alony, a star reporter for the Al-Jazeera television network, was arrested in Spain on charges of belonging to Al-Qaeda.......

Maoists Use Terror to Subvert Education in Nepal
by Keshab Poudel
In a bid to control education in Nepal, Maoist rebels are abducting hundreds of teachers from far-flung rural areas to indoctrinate them, causing many terrorized educationists to flee their posts. .......

Old grooms sweep Hyderabad brides
by The Times of India
Many Arabs wanting to marry a young Hyderabadi woman or two for a price slip into the city on the pretext of seeking medical treatment. That's how 73-year-old Mohammed Jaffer Yakub Hasan came to be in the old Arab quarter of Barkas, where he mar­ried three young women over a period of a few days. He is now in police custody. ......


The Inner Voice Of Sonia
by Swapan Dasgupta
Otherwise a very private individual, Sonia Gandhi made an uncharacteristic admission in a pre-election TV interview. Her sense of duty, she said, also stemmed from the silent expectations of all those past generations of Nehrus and Gandhis whose portraits graced her home. Their eyes seemed to follow her, prodding her to her duties. ......

The CMP horror show
by Swapan Dasgupta
Devi Lal, Haryana stalwart and former Deputy Prime Minister under V P Singh, had a very earthy wisdom. Confronted by an abstruse exercise in ideological hair-splitting before the 1989 poll, he asked: "Who reads manifestos?" ......

Pastor arrested for trying to convert Hindus
by Yahoo News
Police in Orissa have arrested a pastor and his associate for allegedly trying to convert Hindus to Christianity, officials here said Sunday. ......

Mythology in National-Building
by Kashmir Sentinel
India faces three challenges in Kashmir. One, to defeat the Pakistani game which seeks secession of Kashmir on religious principle. Secondly, to defeat the local forces of Muslim communalism and fundamentalism and lastly, to see that no group feels discriminated against. ......

we think we are the super power of the earth's living beings.
No......there are a few who thinks of the same.......Listen.
One day a stout lady was sleeping. In her sleep she had a nice dream.
In the dream, she is the queen of a palace and So many servants were there for her.
Everyone greets her and gives respects her with great admiration. She
feels proud of herself. I can kill anyone in this world if i think so..
she thinks and gives a stare at the palace premises with lot of pride.
ooops...! Suddenly she wakes up and finding herself lying in a rugged house with lots of rubbish items sorrounded around her. Oh what a dream..she felt and she wanted to know..who spoiled her dream......oh... this little creature! she tries to kill it and tries and tries again...but in vain...that little creature is nothing but a mosquito. Oh..what a great dream i was on...just in one slap i can kill 1000 people...but with 1000 claps i am not able to kill this creature......hmmmmmmmm........this is my fate....... she feels and
tries to continue the dream.

Never under estimate!!!!!!!

Bhaja govindaM is one of the minor musical compositions of the great Hindu saint Jagadguru Sri Adi Shankaracharya. This describes the constant struggle of Man gainst this Maya (Illusion), the trials and tribulations one has to go through to break away from the cycle of "Life and Death" by seeking the Lotus feet of the Lord Govinda (Sri Maha Vishnu). BhajaGovindam was a sponteneous recital by shankara. It consists of 33 verses. (Some texts say 31 verses. In essense it teaches us that NaamaSmarana and refuge in the Lotus feet of the Lotus eyed Lord is the only tool available with us to cross the ocean of Samsara.
Verses of Bhaja GovindaM
bhajagovindaM bhajagovindaM
govindaM bhajamuuDhamate .
saMpraapte sannihite kaale
nahi nahi rakshati DukRiJNkaraNe .. (1)

Worship Govinda, Worship Govinda, Worship Govinda. Oh fool ! Rules of Grammar will not save you at the time of your death.

mUDha jahiihi dhanaagamatRishhNaaM
kuru sadbuddhiM manasi vitRishhNaam.h .
yallabhase nijakarmopaattaM
vittaM tena vinodaya chittam.h .. (2)

Oh fool ! Give up your thrist to amass wealth, devote your mind to thoughts to the Real. Be content with what comes through actions already performed in the past.

naariistanabhara naabhiideshaM
dRishhTvaa maagaamohaavesham.h .
etanmaaMsaavasaadi vikaaraM
manasi vichintaya vaaraM vaaram.h .. (3)

Do not get drowned in delusion by going wild with passions and lust by seeing a woman's navel and chest. These are nothing but a modification of flesh. Do not fail to remember this again and again in your mind.

naliniidalagata jalamatitaralaM
tadvajjiivitamatishayachapalam.h .
viddhi vyaadhyabhimaanagrastaM
lokaM shokahataM cha samastam.h .. (4)

The life of a man is as uncertain as rain drops trembling on a lotus leaf. Know that the whole world remains a prey to disease, ego and grief.

yaavadvittopaarjana saktaH
staavannija parivaaro raktaH .
pashchaajjiivati jarjara dehe
vaartaaM ko.api na pRichchhati gehe .. (5)

So long as a man is fit and able to support his family, see the affection all those around him show. But no one at home cares to even have a word with him when his body totters due to old age.

yaavatpavano nivasati dehe
taavatpRichchhati kushalaM gehe .
gatavati vaayau dehaapaaye
bhaaryaa bibhyati tasminkaaye .. (6)

When one is alive, his family members enquire kindly about his welfare. But when the soul departs from the body, even his wife runs away in fear of the corpse.

baalastaavatkriiDaasaktaH
taruNastaavattaruNiisaktaH .
vRiddhastaavachchintaasaktaH
pare brahmaNi ko.api na saktaH .. (7)

The childhood is lost by attachment to playfulness. Youth is lost by attachment to woman. Old age passes away by thinking over many past things. But there is hardly anyone who wants to be lost in parabrahmam.

kaate kaantaa kaste putraH
saMsaaro.ayamatiiva vichitraH .
kasya tvaM kaH kuta aayaataH
tattvaM chintaya tadiha bhraataH .. (8)

Who is your wife ? Who is your son ? Strange is this samsara. Of whom are you ? From where have you come ? Brother, ponder over these truths here.

satsaNgatve nissN^gatvaM
nissaNgatve nirmohatvam.h .
nirmohatve nishchalatattvaM
nishcalatattve jiivanmuktiH .. (9)

From Satsangh comes non-attachment, from non-attachment comes freedom from delusion, which leads to self-settledness. From self-settledness comes Jeevan Mukti.

vayasigate kaH kaamavikaaraH
shushhke niire kaH kaasaaraH .
kshiiNevitte kaH parivaaraH
GYaate tattve kaH saMsaaraH .. (10)

What good is lust when youth has fled ? What use is a lake which has no water ? Where are the relatives when wealth is gone ? Where is samsara when the Truth is known ?

maa kuru dhana jana yauvana garvaM
harati nimeshhaatkaalaH sarvam.h .
maayaamayamidamakhilaM hitvaa
brahmapadaM tvaM pravisha viditvaa .. (11)

Do not boast of wealth, friends, and youth. Each one of these are destroyed within a minute. Free yourself from the illusion of the world of Maya and attain the timeless Truth.

dinayaaminyau saayaM praataH
shishiravasantau punaraayaataH .
kaalaH kriiDati gachchhatyaayuH
tadapi na muJNcatyaashaavaayuH .. (12)

Daylight and darkness, dusk and dawn, winter and springtime come and go. Time plays and life ebbs away. But the storm of desire never leaves.

dvaadashamaJNjarikaabhirasheshhaH
kathito vaiyaakaraNasyaishhaH .
upadesho bhuudvidyaanipuNaiH
shriimachchhankarabhagavachchharaNariH .. (12a)

This bouquet of twelve verses was imparted to a grammarian by the all-knowing Shankara, adored as the bhagavadpada.

kaate kaantaa dhana gatachintaa
vaatula kiM tava naasti niyantaa .
trijagati sajjanasaM gatiraikaa
bhavati bhavaarNavataraNe naukaa .. (13)

Oh mad man ! Why this engrossment in thoughts of wealth ? Is there no one to guide you ? There is only one thing in three worlds that can save you from the ocean from samsara. Get into that boat of satsangha quickly. Stanza attributed to Padmapada.

jaTilo muNDii luJNchhitakeshaH
kaashhaayaambarabahukRitaveshhaH .
pashyannapi cana pashyati muuDhaH
udaranimittaM bahukRitaveshhaH .. (14)

There are many who go with matted locks, many who have clean shaven heads, many whose hairs have been plucked out; some are clothed in saffron, yet others in various colors --- all just for a livelihood. Seeing truth revealed before them, still the foolish ones see it not. Stanza attributed to Totakacharya.

aNgaM galitaM palitaM muNDaM
dashanavihiinaM jataM tuNDam.h .
vRiddho yaati gRihiitvaa daNDaM
tadapi na muJNcatyaashaapiNDam.h .. (15)

Strength has left the old man's body; his head has become bald, his gums toothless and leaning on crutches. Even then the attachment is strong and he clings firmly to fruitless desires. Stanza attributed to Hastamalaka.

agre vahniH pRishhThebhaanuH
raatrau chubukasamarpitajaanuH .
karatalabhikshastarutalavaasaH
tadapi na muJNcatyaashaapaashaH .. (16)

Behold there lies the man who sits warming up his body with the fire in front and the sun at the back; at night he curls up the body to keep out of the cold; he eats his beggar's food from the bowl of his hand and sleeps beneath the tree. Still in his heart, he is a wretched puppet at the hands of passions. Stanza attributed to Subodha.

kurute gaNgaasaagaragamanaM
vrataparipaalanamathavaa daanam.h .
GYaanavihinaH sarvamatena
muktiM na bhajati janmashatena .. (17)

One may go to gangasagar(ganes), observe fasts, and give away riches in charity ! Yet, devoid of jnana, nothing can give mukthi even at the end of a hundred births. Stanza attributed to Sureshwaracharya.

sura ma.ndira taru muula nivaasaH
shayyaa bhuutala majinaM vaasaH .
sarva parigraha bhoga tyaagaH
kasya sukhaM na karoti viraagaH .. (18)

Take your residence in a temple or below a tree, wear the deerskin for the dress, and sleep with mother earth as your bed. Give up all attachments and renounce all comforts. Blessed with such vairagya, could any fail to be content ? Stanza attributed to Nityananda.

yogarato vaabhogaratovaa
saN^garato vaa saNgaviihinaH .
yasya brahmaNi ramate chittaM
nandati nandati nandatyeva .. (19)

One may take delight in yoga or bhoga, may have attachment or detachment. But only he whose mind steadily delights in Brahman enjoys bliss, no one else. Stanza attributed to Anandagiri.

bhagavad.h giitaa kiJNchidadhiitaa
gaNgaa jalalava kaNikaapiitaa .
sakRidapi yena muraari samarchaa
kriyate tasya yamena na charchaa .. (20)

Let a man read but a little from Gitaa, drink just a drop of water from the ganges, worship murari (govinda) just once. He then will have no altercation with Yama. Stanza attributed to dR^iDhabhakta.

punarapi jananaM punarapi maraNaM
punarapi jananii jaThare shayanam.h .
iha saMsaare bahudustaare
kRipayaa.apaare paahi muraare .. (21)

Born again, death again, birth again to stay in the mother's womb ! It is indeed hard to cross this boundless ocean of samsara. Oh Murari ! Redeem me through Thy mercy. Stanza attributed to Nityanatha.

rathyaa charpaTa virachita kanthaH
puNyaapuNya vivarjita panthaH .
yogii yoganiyojita chitto
ramate baalonmattavadeva .. (22)

There is no shortage of clothing for a monk so long as there are rags cast off the road. Freed from vice and virtue, onward he wanders. One who lives in communion with God enjoys bliss, pure and uncontaminated, like a child and as someone intoxicated. Stanza attributed to Nityanatha.

kastvaM ko.ahaM kuta aayaataH
kaa me jananii ko me taataH .
iti paribhaavaya sarvamasaaram.h
vishvaM tyaktvaa svapna vichaaram.h .. (23)

Who are you ? Who am I ? From where do I come ? Who is my mother, who is my father ? Ponder thus, look at everything as essenceless and give up the world as an idle dream. Stanza attributed to surendra.

tvayi mayi chaanyatraiko vishhNuH
vyarthaM kupyasi mayyasahishhNuH .
bhava samachittaH sarvatra tvaM
vaaJNchhasyachiraadyadi vishhNutvam.h .. (24)

In me, in you and in everything, none but the same Vishnu dwells. Your anger and impatience is meaningless. If you wish to attain the status of Vishnu soon, have samabhava always. Stanza attributed to medhaatithira.

shatrau mitre putre bandhau
maa kuru yatnaM vigrahasandhau .
sarvasminnapi pashyaatmaanaM
sarvatrotsRija bhedaaGYaanam.h .. (25)

Do not waste your efforts to win the love of or to fight against friend and foe, children and relatives. See yourself in everyone and give up all feelings of duality completely. Stanza attributed to medhaatithira.

kaamaM krodhaM lobhaM mohaM
tyaktvaa.atmaanaM bhaavaya ko.aham.h .
aatmaGYaana vihiinaa muuDhaaH
te pachyante narakaniguuDhaaH .. (26)

Give up lust, anger, infatuation, and greed. Ponder over your real nature. Fools are they who are blind to the Self. Cast into hell they suffer there endlessly. Stanza attributed to bharativamsha.

geyaM giitaa naama sahasraM
dhyeyaM shriipati ruupamajasram.h .
neyaM sajjana saNge chittaM
deyaM diinajanaaya cha vittam.h .. (27)

Regularly recite from the Gita, meditate on Vishnu [thro' Vishnu sahasranama] in your heart, and chant His thousand glories. Take delight to be with the noble and the holy. Distribute your wealth in charity to the poor and the needy. Stanza attributed to sumatira.

sukhataH kriyate raamaabhogaH
pashchaaddhanta shariire rogaH .
yadyapi loke maraNaM sharaNaM
tadapi na muJNchati paapaacharaNam.h .. (28)

He who yields to lust for pleasure leaves his body a prey to disease. Though death brings an end to everything, man does not give up the sinful path.

arthamanarthaM bhaavaya nityaM
naastitataH sukhaleshaH satyam.h .
putraadapi dhana bhaajaaM bhiitiH
sarvatraishhaa vihiaa riitiH .. (29)

Wealth is not welfare, truly there is no joy in it. Reflect thus at all times. A rich man fears even his own son. This is the way of wealth everywhere.

praaNaayaamaM pratyaahaaraM
nityaanitya vivekavichaaram.h .
jaapyasameta samaadhividhaanaM
kurvavadhaanaM mahadavadhaanam.h .. (30)

Regulate the pranas, remain unaffected by external influences and discriminate between the real and the fleeting. Chant the holy name of God and silence the turbulent mind. Perform these with care, with extreme care.

gurucharaNaambuja nirbhara bhakataH
saMsaaraadachiraadbhava muktaH .
sendriyamaanasa niyamaadevaM
drakshyasi nija hR^idayasthaM devam.h .. (31)

Oh devotee of the lotus feet of the Guru ! May thou be soon free from Samsara. Through disciplined senses and controlled mind, thou shalt come to experience the Indwelling Lord of your heart !

muuDhaH kashchana vaiyaakaraNo
DukRiJNkaraNaadhyayana dhuriNaH .
shriimachchhamkara bhagavachchhishhyai
bodhita aasichchhodhitakaraNaH .. (32)

Thus was a silly grammarian lost in rules cleansed of his narrow vision and shown the Light by Shankara's apostles.

bhajagovindaM bhajagovindaM
govindaM bhajamuuDhamate .
naamasmaraNaadanyamupaayaM
nahi pashyaamo bhavataraNe .. (33)

Worship Govinda, worship Govinda, worship Govinda, Oh fool ! Other than chanting the Lord's names, there is no other way to cross the life's ocean.

Calvin's Philosophy On...(mine too)

 
 >>Self
I'd hate to have a kid like me.
>>Life
I know, but why isn't it ever unfair in my favor?
-- To dads statement: The world is not fair calvin!

>>Swear Words
Life's disappointments are harder to take when you don't know any swear words.

>>Weekends
Weekends don't count unless you spend them doing something completely pointless.

>>Moms
Moms and reason are like oil and water.

>>Expectations
I find my life is a lot easier the lower i keep everyone's expectations

>>Girls
1) Girls are like slugs;they probably serve some purpose, but it's hard to imagine what.

2) Leave it to a girl to take all the fun out of sex discrimination.

>>Learning
Why waste time learning, when ignorance is instantaneous?

Draupadi has five husbands - but she has none -
She had five sons - and was never a mother .
The pandavas have given Draupadi .
No joy, no sense of victory
No honour as wife
No respect as mother -
Only the status of a Queen .
But they all have gone
And I'm left with a lifeless jewel
And an empty crown .
My baffled motherhood
Wrings its hands and strives to weep".

A long poem "Kurukshetra", written by Amreeta Syam,
conveys this angst of Panchali (Draupadi), born
unasked for by her father, bereft of brothers and sons
and her beloved sakha (friend) Krishna.

Draupadi was a heroic princess of the Hindu epic of
Mahabharata. One who was firm and a woman with an
unbending will. The Proud and angry heroine of the
epic Mahabharata, Draupadi has remained an enigmatic
woman of substance.

Draupadi was the daughter of Drupad, the king of
Panchala, and the wife and queen of the five great
Pandavas, renowned alike for her loveliness and her
granite will. Volcanic, she reduced her enemies to the
ashes. This fiery princess bent on vengeance could be
compassionate and generous, too. Draupadi had
developed the strength to bear the trials of life. She
had resolved firmly not to harm the good people, and
not to bend before the wicked. Draupadi was a woman,
but she became as famous as the heroic Pandavas
because of such determination. Her personality was one
of lightning and thunder. This unforgettable heroine
is in no way less than Bheema or Arjuna in strength
and spirit, valour and virtue. Her story is a saga of
suffering and disgrace but she took everything in her
stride and vanquished each one of the perpetrators of
her humiliation and agony. Draupadi finds her five
husbands discarding her repeatedly: each takes at
least one more wife; she never gets Arjuna to herself
for he marries Ulupi, Chitrangada and has Subhadra as
his favourite. Yudhishthira pledges her like chattel
at a game of dice; and finally, they leave her to die
alone on the roadside like a pauper, utterly rikta -
drained in every sense.

Draupadi, meaning daughter of Drupad, was known by
several other names as well. As the princess of the
kingdom of Panchal she was known as Panchali. As the
grand daughter of Prushata she was known as Parsati.
Draupadi is ayonija, not born of woman. Draupadi is
born of fire and therefore, often referred to as
Yagnyaseni. She is also called Krishnaa because she
was copper skinned, fiery eyed and had long, black
hair. She was gifted with blue-lotus fragrance wafting
for a full krosha (2 miles) and hence was called
Yojanagandha (she whose fragrance can be felt for
miles). Draupadi alone enjoys the unique relationship
of sakhi (female-friend) with her sakha (male-friend)
Krishna. She was a true virgin, and has a mind of her
very own.

For many years Drupad, king of Panchal, had no
children. So, to have children he performed tapas
(rigorous rituals); he thought only of God day and
night and prayed to Him. God blessed him, and two
children were born out of the haven fire lit by Drupad
to fulfill his determination of vengeance against
Dronacharya, his enemy, through his death. The first
to emerge out of the holy pyre was a son, called
Dhrishtadyumna, and the second, a daughter called
Draupadi. Thus Draupadi was born from the fire of
vengefulness, anger and passion. Actually she arrives
as a bonus because Drupad was performing the yajna for
obtaining a son who would take revenge on Drona and
had not asked for a daughter at all. Draupadi springs
from the fire full grown, in the bloom of her youth,
from the yajna vedi - the holy pyre - not requiring a
human womb, ignoring the absence of Drupad's queen who
was unable to respond to the priest's summons because
her toilet was incomplete.

Draupadi was extremely beautiful, intelligent and
virtuous woman, with her body smelling like a fresh
bloom lotus. There are few women in Hindu mythology
who were aggressive and who spoke their mind in a
world of men. Draupadi was one of them. She is
considered by many as the first feminist of Indian
mythology. At the time of her birth, a celestial voice
had proclaimed: "This unparalleled beauty has taken
birth to uproot the Kauravas and establish the rule of
religion". The circumstances leading to her birth
began to take shape while her father was yet young.

Drupad was the prince of Panchal. His father King
Prushta sent him to the hermitage of sage Agnivesh for
his education. There Drupad got acquainted with a
brahmin, Drona, the son of sage Bharadwaj. In a moment
of camaraderie Drupad swore that they would equally
share whatever the two owned. Both went their
different ways after completing their education.

In due course Drupad became the king of Panchal. But
life was not good to Drona and he was steeped in
poverty. In despair he turned to Drupad, in hope for
help, based on the promise once made by Drupad.
However, Drupad insulted Drona and told him that
friendship took place only between equals and he could
help Drona only if he came begging for alms, instead
of quoting the promise of Drupad based on friendship.
Drona left but the insult festered in his soul,
waiting for an appropriate time to burst out.

In time, Drona was appointed the instructor in warfare
to the royal princes of Hastinapur, the sons of Pandu
and Dhritarashtra. However, time could not douse the
flames of revenge still burning within him. As
gurudakshina (fees that were due to an instructor,
after the students' education was complete) he asked
the princes to get Drupad to him as a prisoner. The
princes being skilled in the art of warfare
successfully brought King Drupad bound in chains to
Drona. The brahmin laughingly said to the king, "Once
you had promised me half your wealth, but had refused
to redeem the pledge. Today I own all your wealth, but
I will honor our childhood bond, I will give half to
you and let bygones be bygones."

But Drupad was not willing to let bygones to bygones.
It was now his turn to nurse the insult. He was too
old himself to take revenge. None of his three sons,
Shikhandi, Satyajit and Vikra, were skilled enough to
defeat Drona. In order to obtain such an offspring he
requested sage Yaja to conduct a sacrifice. Yaja was
assisted by his younger brother Upayaja (some text say
that Yaja assisted Upayaja) and hence two offerings
were prepared. From his first offspring to the
sacrificial fire a full-grown son emerged, armed with
a sword and a bow. He was Drishtadyumna, destined to
slay Drona. From the second offering a full-grown
daughter emerged, whose dazzle blinded the eye. She
was Draupadi. When Draupadi emerged from the fire
there was an oracle that she would side with God
against the evil Kauravas.

Draupadi is the only instance we come across in epic
mythology of a sati becoming a kanya. It is stated
that in an earlier birth as Nalayani (also named
Indrasena), she was married to Maudgalya, an irascible
sage afflicted with leprosy. She was so utterly
devoted to her abusive husband that when a finger of
his, dropped into their meal, she took it out and
calmly ate the rice without revulsion. Pleased by
this, Maudgalya offered her a boon, and she asked him
to make love to her in five lovely forms. As she was
insatiable, Maudgalya got fed up and became an
ascetic. When she remonstrated and insisted that he
continue their love-life, he cursed her to be reborn
and have five husbands to satisfy her lust. Thereupon
she practiced severe penance and pleased Lord Shiva
with her prayers. He granted a boon to her. Nalayani
said that she wanted a husband and to ensure that her
request was heard, she repeated it five times in all.
Shiva then said that in her next life she would have
five husbands. She obtained the boon of regaining
virginity after being with each husband. Thus, by
asserting her womanhood and refusing to accept a life
of blind subservience to her husband, Nalayani, the
sati, was transformed into Yajnaseni, the kanya. Some
sources have a slightly different narration. Draupadi
made her request only once but she added a long list
of qualities that she wanted in her husband. Lord
Shiva said that it would be impossible to find one man
with all these qualities. Hence she would have five
husbands in her next life. All of them together would
posses the qualities she had enumerated. According to
Brahmavaivarta Purana, she is the reincarnation of the
maya Sita (shadow Sita - wife of Lord Rama, an
incarnation of Lord Vishnu, and hero of Ramayana) who,
in turn, was Vedavati, reborn after molestation at
Ravana's hands, and would become the "Lakshmi of the
Indras" (one of the forms of Goddess Lakshmi, eternal
consort of Lord Vishnu) in heaven.

Draupadi and Lord Krishna shared a very special
relationship. As is known to admirers of the great
epic poem Mahabharata, Draupadi always considered Lord
Krishna as her Sakha or beloved friend and Krishna
addressed her as Sakhi, this as symbolic of the
platonic love existing between the fiery Draupadi and
the eighth incarnation of Lord Vishnu, Krishna.
Draupadi is the instrument of Lord Krishna. Using her,
he realized his mega-plan of annihilating the evil
Kauravas. The choice of Draupadi as the instrument,
which caused his actions, explains the special place
she had in his scheme of things, Draupadi was put
through severe tests in her life. The only true
friend, who validated her persona and came to her
rescue each time she found herself in dire
circumstances, was Krishna, whose divine presence she
experienced constantly in her life.

Plant "death" is different than animal or human death. Plants do not die,
because they are not "alive" in the Bibical sense of the word.

Plants do not have a central nervous system, nor do they have blood.
According to scripture only organisms with blood in them are "alive".

Humans and animals also posses a state of conciousness that plants can not.

The Hebrew word "nephesh" is the word used in the Bible for consciousness.
Nephesh is only used in application to man and animals. Plants are not
concious creatures.

Sin brought death to man and animals only. Plants do not truly die in the
sense that humans and animals do. Though they are alive in a biological
sense, they do not have a spirit, consciousness or soul, but feelings..

Plant grow again when the branch is cut.
When the fruit fall or decayed, it is replaced with another fruit..
Plucking of vegetables from the plant and leaves from spinach actually spur
more growth?

Man, the crown of creation, has set himself apart from other life-forms,
regarding animals and plants as dumb and insentient. .

Do animals feel pain?
The weight of scientific evidence shows they do. Mammals have languages of
their own to transmit inner feelings-aggression, fear-to their fellows.
Birds show astounding cognitive ability, conductingelaborate courting
rituals and displaying great passion and devotion to lifelong partners.
Within each species, whether insect, fish, plant, or even microbes, life
exists inglorious and surprising variety, rich in sensation and creating a
marvelously complex web of interaction with its surroundings.

Another angle from the Creator.

What did animals who appear today as carnivorous eat in the Garden of Eden?

The Bible tells us that they all ate plants. We look at the animals in the
world today and see that many of them have teeth for eating meat. How, and
when did this change?

God changed the diet of humans in Genesis 9 when Noah got off the ark. I
believe that one of the reasons God did this was that many of the plants
that had nourished man before the flood had now died off (or were not as
plentiful after the flood). Plant degeneration would also effect the
nutritional value of plants.

If animals were created to eat plants then why do many of them have
structures that appear to be created to cause harm? Like Tigers, dogs, Etc.?
None of these harmful things existed prior to the curse God placed on the
earth when Adam sinned.

Spiders did not spin webs to catch insects. This is one of the many changes
that occured after "the fall".

I believe that this is how carnivorous behavior began, with a distortion or
breakdown of the genetic messages in tooth and jaw formation. Some
herbivorous creatures became carnivorous and were transformed similar to the
caterpillar/butterfly transition. The radioactive elements probably made an
even more disastrous debut on earth as they were spewed forth at the flood
when the earth was torn asunder and "all the fountains of the deep burst
open.

As animals became carnivorous some were (and others became) better adapted
to prey on a particular other kind of animal. The tongue of an ant-eater
could be the result of natural selection (a biblical concept) those with
longer thinner tongues (if that is what is needed to get the ants) would be
more likely to reproduce and pass the genes for a long tongue onto their
offspring. This is not evolution. They are did not become fish, or birds.
And the tongue is still a tongue.

Vegetarian Piranha-There is evidence that Piranha were once vegetarian as
well.
Were Dinosaurs once vegetarian?
Anytime we see a movie about dinosaurs they are shown in battle with another
dinosaur. Why would God create such vicious creatures? There is no question
that God created the dinosaurs , he did not create them to be monsters.
Take the Tyrannosaurus for example. This enormous dinosaur is seen as a
savage hunter, ripping apart everything he sees. But since the bible says
that all animals were created to be vegetarian (until death came into the
world), many Christians have been confused about the teeth of dinosaurs.
There are some people who believe that T-rex used its strong teeth and
powerful jaws to eat vegetation. And while I am in agreement that dinosaurs
were created to eat plants, the teeth of the t-rex that we see in movies
were not suitable for eating vegetation.

Did God give them sharp teeth to eat plants? -I believe that the fossilized
T-rex skulls we find today have different teeth than the ones God originally
gave them.

Incisivosaurus gauthieri" -The January 2003 issue of National Geographic
reports that the remains of a dinosaur with "beaver-like incisors" has been
found in China's Liaoning Province. The find, named Incisivosaurus
gauthieri" belongs to the theropods (a group of meat eating dinosaurs which
includes Tyrannosaurus rex). It is clear from finds such as this, and others
(such as Heterodontosaurus) that many dinosaurs started as vegetarian, and
degenerated enough in their dentition to develop teeth for eating meat.

The animals in the Garden of Eden were far more complex than our minds could
fathom. A degeneration from this perfect state would still be a very complex
creature, it does not have to be an impoverished one as you say. We do not
know if all animals degenerated at the same rate, it is my guess that they
did not. Each would degenerate in different ways and at different rates.
The Bible has the answer. Animals and man lived together peacefully in the
beginning, and will do so again in when Christ returns.

The lion who wouldn't eat meat -A lion that would only eat cooked grain,
raw eggs and milk. He cites this as evidence that lions once ate only
vegetation. While I agree this is a clear biblical teaching..

Why are some animals still vegetarian?-I do believe in the bible and what
God created. But you say that all animals were meant to vegetarians. Why are
their still some vegetarians today and some carnivores?You go into quite a
treatise on how carnivores degenerated from the fall to the flood, but why?
Could not God have simply transformed them when He pronounced the curse on
Adam and Eve? Or failing that, just "tweaked" their DNA so all their
offspring were born with the appropriate attributes? If it took hundreds of
years for animals to degenerate into carnivores, will it take hundreds of
years for them to become vegetarians again after Christ returns? I think
not.No the change back to a vegetarian diet will be miraculous and instant.
But this does not preclude that the transformation to carnivous did not
occur over time. Adam did not physically die instantly, it was a process.
But the ressurection of his body when Christ returns will not be a process,
it will be instant.

Hinduism a study
 
 It is the true culture of Indians in India. Many call it "A way of life." It is not an organized religion like Christianity or Islam. It has no founder. It has no Pope. It has no hierarchy. Just a lot of scriptures. In Hindu scriptures, you are actually studying about the history and culture of India, like in 66 books of the Holy Bible you are actually studying about the culture and history of the Jews.
Hinduism and Judaism are mothers of all modern religions in the world. Buddhism, Sikhism and to some extent Jainism and Zoroastrianism came from Hinduism. Of course, Jainism existed during Rig Vedic Period. Statues of Rishabha, the first Thirthankara and founder of Jainism was found in the Mohenjadaro, Harappa excavations. Islam and Christianity came from Judaism. Judaism, Islam and Christianity have Abraham as the common father figure. All three have many common prophets. There is even mention about Jesus Christ many times in the Holy Koran.

Coming back to Hinduism, C.S. Lewis, the great author and theologist wrote, finally it will come to two religions. Hinduism and Christianity. The first [Hinduism] will grow absorbing ideas and concepts from everywhere and later [Christianity] will keep away from everything that is foreign to it. What C.S. Lewis wrote is very true.

Hinduism cannot be destroyed, even if we burn every Hindu scripture and kill every Hindu theologian on earth. Hinduism or Hindu Culture is a very dynamic living, breathing Reality. Strength of Hinduism lies in its most amazing ability to adapt to different circumstances and different ages while maintaining its very strong continuity with the past. How does it do that? That is a billion dollar question.


Who is the founder of Hinduism?


No body in particular. It is the research output of countless learned men called Rishis who were Christ like masters, through centuries.

Who is a Hindu?

I believe anyone who search after truth is a Hindu. There is One and only God and One Truth. The very first book of Hindus named Rig Veda proclaim, "Ekam Sat, Viprah Bahudha Vadanti". (There is only one truth, only men describe it in different ways). So a Jew or a Christian or a Moslem who is in search after truth is automatically a Hindu. There are about 800 million Hindus in the world. There are more than 800,000 Hindus in the U.S., and about 160,000 in Canada.


What Attracts One to Hinduism?

The concepts of utmost freedom of thoughts and actions. That's what attracts many to Hinduism. Hinduism never forbids any one to question its fundamentals. On one side, in Hinduism, you may come across people worshiping pests like rats, and still on other side you will come across concepts parallel to Quantum Physics and Neil's Bohr Theory of nuclear structure and reactions. On one side Advaita (There is only one) philosophy is discussed and promoted, still on other side Dvaita (Two - duality) philosophy is discussed and promoted. Hinduism never ever banished any one, since he or she wrote a wrong scripture or did not observe a particular ritual.

There was never a Salman Rushdie (author of Satanic Verses) in Hinduism and never will be there one. Mahatma Gandhi wrote, even atheists can call themselves as Hindus. That is very true. In fact the Charvaka philosophy or Nastika philosophy, (existed during the Vedic period) founded by Charvaka rejected the existence of God and considered religion as an aberration. Voltaire in Essay on Tolerance wrote: "I may disagree with what you say, but I will defend to the death, your right to say it." Hinduism is the symbol of what Voltaire wrote.

When did Hinduism Take Birth?

Nobody knows. If you go by Hindu mythological stories, Hinduism is trillions of years old. If you go by Max Muller, the German philosopher, it is at least 8000 to 9000 years old. Hinduism might have started as Dravidian civilization and later merged with Aryan civilization. Of course, my friend David Frawley has written a wonderful book, explaining that Aryan Invasion of India never happened and it is a myth.

However studying the relics of Mohenjadaro and Harappa excavations, I conclude, relics of the Indus civilization shows merging of many cultures and concepts. The Indus Valley was home to the largest of the four ancient urban civilizations of Egypt, Mesopotamia, India and China. Harappa and Mohenjodaro were cities in the Indus Valley civilization that flourished around 2,500 B.C. in the western part of South Asia. The roots of Hinduism can be traced to this civilization. The language spoken here is believed to be from Dravidian family, which includes Tamil.

Hinduism has the strange capability to absorb and grow from all quarters and that is why in it you can see relics of all other civilizations like Egyptian, Celtic, Mayan, Greek, Roman etc. To me it does not matter the exact date it was born, since nobody can prove or disprove the exact date. I am more concerned about what it has to give to the world.

What was the original name of Hinduism?

Sanatana Dharma or Righteousness Forever was the original name of Hinduism. It was Persians who invaded India during 6th century B.C. who gave the name Hinduism meaning the religion of people living near the Indus river. In Persian the letter H and S are pronounced almost the same so they mistook the word Sindhu (Sanskrit name for Indus) to H and then started calling Hindus and Hinduism.

What is the language in which the Hindu scriptures were written?

Sanskrit older than Hebrew and Latin. The first words in English language came from Sanskrit. The word mother came from Sanskrit word mata and father came from Sanskrit word pita as per the PBS video "The Story of English". Believe it or not the word geometry came from a Sanskrit word named Gyaamiti meaning 'measuring the earth'. The word trigonometry came from the word Trikonamiti meaning 'measuring triangular forms'. Sanskrit, which literally means "cultured or refined" was the classical language of India and is the oldest and the most systematic language in the world. Forbes Magazine, (July, 1987) wrote: "Sanskrit is the mother of all the European languages and is the most suitable language for the computer software."

How was Hinduism Started?

According to Hindu scriptures it started as Shruti - that which is heard. The great seers of ancient times called Rishis who had perfected themselves have heard in their hearts, eternal truths and they taught those truths to disciples by telepathy and later they wrote them in books. Vedas and Upanishads are known as Shruti literature rest is called Smriti - that which is remembered - literature.

All Hindu scriptures were considered as revealed truths of God. In fact Hindu scriptures say that all Hindu Scriptures were written by God. According Christian theologians Holy Bible is considered to be Holy Spirit inspired book. According to Mimamsa school of thought, all Shruti literature existed all through eternity in the form of sounds. Therefore those sounds of words of Vedas and Upanishads are very important to Hindus.

What are the Sacred Books of Hinduism?


The very first sacred books of Hinduism are called Vedas. Vedas means knowledge. There are four Vedas and they claim to teach men the highest aspects of truths which can lead them to God. Vedas and Upanishads are Shruti scriptures. The word Veda came from the root word "vid" meaning "to know". Vedas are the very first scriptures of Hinduism. Vedas as per scriptures was written by God. Vedas state "Self Ralization" is one and the goal of human life. Vedas also discuss in detail rituals and ceremonies to attain self-realization. There are 4 Vedas. They are:


Rig Veda - Knowledge of Hymns - 10589 verses

The Hindu Rig Veda is the foremost book of Hindus. It is the oldest book in the world. Nobody knows when Rig Veda was written. According to Bal Gangadhar Tilak it was written in 5000 BC. German philosopher Max Muller dates 1500 BC. According to some it took centuries to write this book from 1500 B.C. to 500 B.C. Rig Veda is older than Gilgamesh (2500 B.C) and the Old Testament.

The very first Veda, Rig Veda very clearly shows that it was written, when nomad man first settled down on the banks of rivers like Ganges, Brahmaputra, Indus etc. That is the reason why, in Rig Veda, you see, people are worshiping natural powers like lighting, rain, Sun, fire (Agni); water; air, that effects cultivation. It consists of 1028 hymns, comprising of 10,589 verses in 10 chapters known as Mandalas. 33 gods are worshiped in Rig Veda. There are 100 hymns addressed to Soma; 250 addressed to Indra; 200 hymns addressed to Agni; Many addressed to Surya. Few addressed to Ushas, Aditi, Saraswati, Varuna and Asvins. Lord Vishnu is a minor god in Rig Veda.

One of the most important statement came from the Rig Veda is "Ekam Sat, Viprah Bahudha Vadanti" -meaning "Truth is one but men describe it differently". Lord Vishnu has minor importance in Rig Veda. Name of Lord Siva is mentioned as Rudra. Soma in Rig Veda is intoxicating drink to gods. The word Sura came those who drink an intoxicating drink which I think is Soma. The word Asura came from those who do not drink that drink. Another word that caught my attention in Rig Veda is the word Rta which means some kind of cosmic order. I think the word Dharma originated from the word Rta.

One of the most prominent hymns of Rig Veda "Purusa-Sukta - Purusha (man) and the Primordial sacrifice of Purusha for the betterment of man and the world". Another one is "Creation Hymn.

Caste system started in Rig Vedic period. The Rig Vedic Hymn, known as Purusha-Sukta (Mandala-x, 19th hymn, 12th verse) states: "The Brahmin was Purusha's (cosmic man - the first principle of Sankhya Philosophy in Hinduism) mouth, the Kshatriya his arms, the Vaisya his thighs and Shudra his feet.

Yajur Veda - Knowledge of Liturgy - 3988 verses

Yajur Veda deals with knowledge of rites. This Veda is based on Rig Veda. It contains rules and regulations explaining how to conduct rituals. It consists of prose as well verse. This Veda is indeed a priestly handbook, even describing the details of how to make an alter. Sacrifice is one of the most important aspect of this Veda.

Sama Veda - Knowledge of Music - 1549 verses

Sama Veda deals with the knowledge of chants. Sama means "melody". The classical Indian music originated from this Veda. This Veda is also based on Rig Veda. Verses from this Veda is sung when "Soma Sacrifice" is performed. Sama Veda is similar to Psalms in Christianity. To some extent much of this Veda is a repetition of the Rig Veda sung in melodious format. Invocations of this Veda is addressed to Soma (moon or the narcotic drink Soma); Agni (fire); Indra (god of heaven). One of the Upanishads that came out of this Veda is Chandogya Upanishad.

Atharva Veda - Knowledge given by Sage Athrvana - 6000 Verses

Atharva Veda contains the knowledge given by sage Athrvana. Some state that sage Athrvana did not formulate this Veda but was the chief priest in the ceremonies associated with it. Atharvana who is mentioned in the Rig Veda was considered as the eldest son of Lord Brahma (God of creation). Atharva Veda is also known as Brahma Veda, because it is still used as a manual by Hindu priests and Brahmins. Ayurveda is a part of Atharva Veda.

A large number of Upanishads came from Atharva Veda. Belief it or not, much of Hindu exorcism of devils came from this Veda. At the same time, the oldest records on Veda do not talk about this Veda. There is absolutely no reference about this Veda in the Chandogya Upanishad or in the Brahmana tests or in the Jatakas or in the Bhagavad Gita. That very clearly shows Atharva Veda was non-existent when other 3 Vedas were composed.


Ayurveda


Ayurveda - The Hindu Medicine Scripture - consists of more than 100,000 verses initially. Still it is considered as a upa Veda of Atharva Veda.

More Books of Hinduism

Samhitas - basic texts for hymns to deities, formulas and chants. The Sanskrit word Samhita means "put together".

Brahmanas - description as well as directions for performance of rituals. The word originated from the word Brahmins. Brahmins are the original Hindu priests and they follow Brahmans to conduct rituals.


Aryanakasb contain Mantras and interpretations of rituals. This book also known as "the forest books" since book is used by saints who meditate in the forests.


Upanishads - texts revealing ultimate truths by different saints. Upanishads teach men that there is One and Only thing and that is BRAHMAN. You and I are just reflections of Brahman. Or we are indeed God... Upanishads teach us "Tat Tvam Asi" - That Thou Art. In fact, the word Upanishad can be broken down as upa (near) ni (down) shad (sit) meaning that teachings of Upanishads were conveyed from masters to students when students sat very next to masters and nobody overheard those teachings.


There are a total of 108 Upanishads. Principle ones 13. Some of the Upanishads are named after the sages who answered all questions. Some as per the first word in the Upanishad.


1. Isa Upanishad, 2. Kena Upanishad, 3. Katha Unpanishad, 4. Prasna Upanishad, 5. Mundaka Upanishad, 6. Mandukya Upanishad, 7. Aitareya Upanishad, 8. Taittirya Upanishad, 9. Chandogya Upanishad, 10. Brihad-Aranyaka Upanishad, 11. Kaushitaki Upanishad, 12. Shvetashvatara Upanishad, 13. Maitri Upanishad.

Smriti Literature consists of large number of books.


Vedangas - scriptures attached to Vedas.

1. Dharma Sutras - Codes of Manu, Yatnyavalkya etc

2. Jyotisha - Astrology and Astronomy

3. Kalpa - rituals and legal matters

4. Siksha - phonetics

5. Chhandas - measurements

6. Nirukta - Etymology

7. Vyakarana - Sanskrit grammar

Upa Vedas

1. Ayurveda - Hindu science of health and longevity

2. Dharnur Veda - Hindu science of archery and war

3. Gandharva Veda - Hindu science of Music

4. Artha Shastra - Hindu science of governing by Kings

Darsanans - Hindu Jnana Yoga - Path of Knowledge

1. Nyasa - Sage Gautama wrote Nyaya sutras

2. Vaisheshika - Sage Kanada wrote Vaisheshika sutra

3. Samkhya - Sage Kapila - Gita starts with this philosophy

4. Yoga - Sage Patanjali wrote Patanjali Yogasutra

5. Mimamsa - Sage Jaimini wrote Mimamsa Sutra

6. Vedanta - Sage Veda Vyasa

Vedanta (At the End of the Vedas) meaning it started at the end of Vedic age, has two parts : 1. Advaita Philosophy - One Only - great exponent Adi Sankara and 2. Dvaita Philosophy - Two - almost all Vaishnava Saints.

Itihasas or Epics : Mythological Scriptures


1. Ramayana - story of Rama, written by Valmiki. Ramayana is the story of Rama and princess Sita. Valmiki wrote the whole Ramayana as the narration of a crying dove (who just lost her lover to a hunter's wicked arrow) to him. This beautiful poem consists of 24,000 couplets. Lord Rama is one of the avatars of Lord Vishnu and Ramayana is a story which projects Hindu ideals of life. There are many versions of Ramayana. The Hindi version was written by sage Tulsi Das The Malayalam version (Kerala state) was written by Thuncheth Ezuthachan. The original text was written in very stylish Sanskrit language

2. Mahabharata - story of Pandvas and Kauravas 220,000 verses, 18 chapters Bhagavad Gita is part of this scripture. It is lengthier than Homer's ODYSSEY. It consists of episodes, dialogues, stories, discourses and sermons. It contains 110,000 couplets or 220,000 lines in 18 Parvas or sections or chapters.

Apart from 18 parvas there is a section of poems in the form of an appendix with 16,375 verses which is known as Harivamsa Parva. So in total there are 19 Parvas, even though many saints do not consider the last Parva as an important parva. The Bhagavad Gita is part and parcel of Mahabharata.

Is Bhagavad Gita the Hindu Holy Bible?

Bhagavad Gita is a part of the epic Mahabharata, appearing in the middle of the great epic. Many consider Bhagavad Gita as the most important scripture of Hindus. If the entire Upanishads can be considered as cows, then the Bhagavad Gita can be considered as milk. It is the essence of the Vedas.

Bhagavad Gita consists of 18 chapters and 700 verses. It deals with all type of Yogas, means of self-realization. It is in the form of a very lively conversation between the warrior-prince Arjuna and his friend and charioteer Lord Krishna, at the outset of the great Mahabharata war, in the middle of the battle field. Just before the beginning of the war, Arjuna refused to fight, when he found he had to kill thousands of his own kinsmen to be victorious in the war. Lord Krishna advised him on a very large variety of subjects in a question and answer format. At the end, Arjuna took Lord Krishna's advice and fought and won a very fierce war. Gita has an answer to every problem a man may face in his life. It never commands anyone what to do; Instead it discusses pros and cons of every action and thought. Throughout Gita you will not come across any line starting or ending with Thou Shalt Not. That is the reason why Gita is the darling of millions of seekers of truth throughout the world.

Versions of Gita

The very first English translation of Gita was done by Charles Wilkins in 1785, with an introduction by Warren Hastings, the British Governor General of India. One of the most popular translation was done by Sir Edwin Arnold, under the title The Song Celestial. There are many translations of the Gita and one of most descriptive translation on Gita was done by Swami Sri Prapupada of International Krishna consciousness. Almost all saints in India have published their versions of the Bhagavad Gita. Recently the Self Realization Fellowship, California have published an excellent translation of the Bhagavad Gita. Most intellectuals in the world go through Gita at least once in their life time. Aldous Huxley wrote: The Bhagavad Gita is perhaps the most systematic scriptural statement of the perennial philosophy" in his introduction of the The Song of the God by Swami Prabhavananda and Christopher Isherwood. Gita won the interest and admiration of great intellectuals such as Von Humboldt
of Germany and Emerson of America. It has influenced thinkers like Hagel and Schopenhauer.


Father of Atom Bomb and Bhagavad Gita


Robert Oppenheimer, the very first Chairman of Atomic Energy Commission and father of Atom bomb was a great admirer of the Bhagavad Gita. He learnt Sanskrit during Manhattan Project to understand the true meaning of Gita. He really shocked the world, when he quoted a couplet from Gita (Chapter 11:12) after witnessing the first Atomic Explosion in the state of New Mexico. Later when he addressed congress regarding Atom Bomb he said Atom Bomb remind him of Lord Krishna who said in the Bhagavad Gita, "I am death devourer of all".


Puranas -18 are most important


Mahabhagavatam is the most read important scripture of ISKCON (Hare Krishan). Puranas are religious stories which expound truths. Just like the parables told by Jesus Christ, these stories are told to common folk to make them understand the higher truths of life. According to Jesus Christ "Mysteries of the universe are revealed to those who are spiritually awake, but to others those mysteries have to be explained in parables". On that Puranas are called the Vedas of the Common folk, for they present the mysteries through myth and legend. Six puranas addressed to Lord Vishnu are 1-Vishnu Purana 2-Narada Purana 3-Srimad Bhavata Purana 4-Garuda Purna 5-Padma Purana 6-Varaha Purana. Six Puranas --addressed to Lord Siva are 1-Matsya Purana 2-Kurma Purana 3-Linga Purana 4-Vayu Purana 5-Skanda Purana 6-Agni Purana. SIX Puranas addressed to Lord Brahma are 1-Brahma Purana 2-Brahanda Purana 3-Brahma-Vaivasvata Puranaor Brahma-Vaivarta Purana 4-Markandeya Purana 5-Bhavishya Purana 6-Vamana
Purana . Apart from that we have 22 minor Puranas

Agamas - Sectarian Scriptures

They are a group scriptures worshipping God in particular form and they describe detailed courses of disciple for the devotee. Like Upanishads there are many Agamas. They can be broadly divided into three sets of Agamas.

Vaishnava Agamas - worship God as Lord Vishnu

Saiva Agamas - worship God as Lord Siva

Sakti Agamas - worship God as Mother Goddess.

Believe it or not there is no Agamas for Lord Brahma (God of creation). Saivates have 28 Agamas and 108 Upa Agamas (minor agamas). Saktiates recoganizes 77 agamas. I am not sure about the actual number of the Vaishna Agamas. Vaishanavates consider Pancha Ratra Agamas as one of the most important agamas. Each Agama consists of Philosophy, mental discipline, Rules for constructing temples and Religious practices.

Tantras


Started during Vedic age, Tantras consists of cosmology, erotic exercises etc. Tantra is very important and very vast. Sanskrit word Tantras means to expand. Tantrism researched into Astronomy, Astrology, Palmistry, Cosmology. Chakras and Kundalini power etc are the contributions of Tantras to the world. Of course Tantras also states salvation through sex. In any other religion scriptures like Tantra literature will not be tolerated. In Christianity, the first person William Tyndall who translated Holy Bible into English was mercilessly burnt at stake, and copies of his Bible burnt, since church did not like his version of the Holy Bible! That is why I take my hats off to Hinduism.

Charvaka - Hindu Materialism

Just like Tantras, Hinduism tolerated Chrvaka philosophy. Its founder was Charvaka. The most important book was Brihaspati Sutra. I am stating things in past tense since I am not aware if copies of this book are available in India. According to Charvaka, "Material world alone exists and our knowledge comes from sense perception". This philosophy openly propagated that there is no God, the Law of Karma has no basis and that the Vedas were written by clowns. It adds " Enjoy life while you can, for once cremated, you will never return to earth." There are still a lot more scriptures in Hinduism. I should say that there are more than 1000 scriptures in Hinduism.......We will now start discussing about each individual scripture....

What is the Hindu Concept of God?

Hindus believe in One and Only God - Brahman which expresses itself in trillions of forms. Hindus do not believe God has human form or any other form. God is nameless and timeless. But there is nothing wrong to worship a God with name and form (nama-roopa), since man cannot conceive anything without any name and form. In fact, in the Shruti scriptures of Hinduism, God or Brahman has been described as Saguna Brahman (God-Brahman with attributes) as well as Nirguna Brahman (God-without attributes. In the Upanishads, God is described as Neti-Neti (not this-not that) method. So first Hindus worshiped 33 natural gods in the Rig Veda. Then Hinduism came to the realization that there is one and only God - Brahman. Just like one and only Sun shines over the mountains of Afghanistan, dry deserts of Saudi Arabia; Penthouse of New York, there is one and only God which is present in the Hindu temple, Christian church, Moslem Mosque, Jewish synagogue, Buddha Vihars and Sikh Gurudwara.

If there is only One God, Why Hindus worship many God forms?

During the time of Upanishads, when the Hindu Rishis (scientists of that day) said there is only One God - Brahman, they found out that laymen could not understand that concept. So they wrote Itihasas (epics) and Puranas [mythological stories] filled with many gods, with the concept that when you worship any God form, you are actually worshiping one and only God Brahman. Lord Krishna reiterated that point by saying, "Call me by what ever name you like; Worship me in any form you like; All that goes to One and Only Supreme Reality." So a Hindu when worshiping any God form is actually worshiping One and Only God Brahman. In Christianity One God expresses himself in three forms, Father, Son and the Holy Ghost.

In Hinduism One God Expresses itself in trillions of forms. That is the reason why Hindus have no problem in calling Jesus and Buddha avatars (incarnations) of God, even though Buddha did not reorganize the authority of Vedas or belief in Brahman.

Believe it or not there is no word Trinity in the entire Holy Bible and it originated only after emperor Constantine became a Christian. He did that to fuse pagan Rome to Christianity. Only mention of Trinity concept of God in the Bible, is in the St. Matthew's account of Christ's last command to the apostles, "Go therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the son and of the Holy Spirit" [MAT 28:19.] According to Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia the Trinity doctrine was not established until 363 A.D. It says that Trinity is the result of three or four centuries of theological development. The New Catholic Encyclopedia also states that devotion to Trinity had begun in monasteries at Aniane and Tours, during 8th century.

Why Hindus Workshop Idols?

Show me any person [except may be Jews], who does not believe in an idol, image, or symbol and I will show you the greatest liar on earth. All religions have some concept of God with name and form, but Hindus alone have the courage to admit that fact.

The Cross in the Christian church, the picture of Jesus Christ, the statue of Mary, statues of patron saints, even the black stone in Kabba are all idols. If anyone bow in front of any of them, they are breaking laws of Old Testament [LED . . . 26:1, and EX 20:2-5.] Idol worship is every where and I never ever met a man who does not worship something or someone. In fact, the first sculpture of Christ was in the form of a small boy holding on to a sheep. Now, everywhere in the world, people have pictures of Christ according to their culture. A loving young white man in USA, a tough man looking like a judge in Russia, a nice black man in Africa and a man looking like a typical man from China with a sheepish beard in China.

I respect all those pictures. Believe it or not, all of them are idol worships. Once again, God is spirit...No word or image can describe or depict God or can encompass the greatness of God. God is neither the father nor the mother. Since man cannot conceive anything without name and form, man has the right to worship God with a form. At the same time, every worship leads to a God without any name and form in course of the development of the seeker in spirituality.

What are the Hindu Moral Codes?

Hindu moral codes are written a collection of books called Dharma Sutras. Hindu moral Codes are the integral part of Hinduism and they come under the big umbrella called Dharma. It is very difficult to translate the word Dharma. Some of the codes are Ahimsa (non-killing), Satya (truth), Dharma (duty), Karuna (compassion), Virya (fortitude), Dama (self-restraint), Saucha (Purity).

What is an Avatar?


An Avatar is an incarnation of God. Whenever God come down to earth in any form then Hindus call that an Avatar. According to that definition, Christ can be considered as an Avatar, even though there is no mention about Jesus Christ in any of the Hindu scriptures.

What is Salvation according to Hinduism?


Hindu salvation concept is different from Christian salvation concept. Hindu salvation is known as Self Realization. In Hindu salvation a person realizes that he is not the body, but the immortal soul (Adman) within. That is the reason why Hindu salvation is known as self realization or "Realizing that he is the Immortal self and not the perishable body. In Hindu salvation the identity of the soul is lost when it attains salvation. Hindu salvation can be compared to a pinch of salt trying to find the bottom of the ocean. The moment the pinch of salt touches the surface of the mighty ocean, it becomes part and parcel of the Ocean. Similarly, when a person seeks after God according to Hinduism, becomes One with God when he attains salvation. Hinduism never ever boasts monopoly on salvation. In fact, as per Hinduism, any one even an atheist can attain salvation. A Jew, Christian and Moslem can attain salvation, irrespective of whether they read any Hindu scriptural book.

What is the Law of Karma?

Hindus believe in life after death. They also believe in the Biblical concept "Whatever a man soweth, that shall he reap". That is the basis of karmic law. Every action and every thought has a result. Hindus believe that every thought and every action is weighed on the scale of eternal justice. The law of karma is one of cause and effect. Nobody can escape from the Karmic debt. I believe Christ took care of the Karmic debt of all the apostles so that he can make them fishermen of men.

What happens to us when we die?

According to Hinduism, the body alone dies. the soul within the body never dies, But the path the soul takes is decided upon the past actions which are known as karmas. So the actions of former body does not die with the body. Past actions are attached to the body and they decide what kind of body the soul takes in the next life. When an individual soul exhausts all its karmas and merges with God then Hindus say that soul has attained salvation.

Does that mean one has to take millions of lives to achieve salvation?

No, absolutely not. That question is the question many ask. Hindu scriptures, especially the Bhagavad Gita very clearly says that one can attain salvation in one life, provided one surrender his will to the will of God 100%. Lord Krishna said: "Those who surrender all actions to me and regard me as the supreme goal and worship me with whole hearted devotion, will be saved by me from repeated births and deaths." In another verse, Lord Krishna said: "Give up all your righteous and non-righteous actions and come to me; take refuge in me. Then I shall free you from all sins; grieve not." That me who is mentioned is not the Lord Krishna but the absolute soul or God. Krishna is one of the representations of that God. That God can appear in another form like Christ or without any form or name at all.

How can one attain Salvation?


Through four paths


1 Jnana Yoga - Path of Knowledge

2 Karma Yoga - Path of Selfless Actions

3 Bhakti Yoga - Path of Devotion

4 Raja Yoga - Path of Breath Control and Pranayama

Most of all religious devotees of all religions are Bhakti yogies whether they believe in Hinduism or not. Very good Christians go to church everyday and surrender themselves to the deity of Christ are Bhakti Yogis. So too Moslems. Hinduism is the only religion that explains the four paths very well.

What is Aum (Om)?

It is the Hindu word. It is a syllable that stands for absolute. It is uttered in the beginning as well as at the end of all Hindu prayers. To some extent it is the logos of the Holy Bible.

Do you believe that John 1:1 came from the Hindu Scriptures?


Yes, I think so. Long before JOHN 1:1 [70 AD] was written, Hindu Vedas [ at least 5000 BC] wrote the same thing "Prajapathi Vai Agre Aseet" In the beginning was Prajapati, The Brahman, The God "Tasya Vag dvitiya Aseet" with whom was the word: "Vag Vai Oarama Brahman" and the word was verily the Supreme Brahman - The God. John 1:1 states: In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God and the word was God."

Why do women wear a dot on their forehead?

That dot is supposed to be the meeting point of eye brows. That important point is called Angina Chara or spiritual eye. Everyone is supposed to protect that. In fact all saints protect that point with sandalwood paste. But later women alone started protecting that area.

What is Namaste'?

It is the popular Hindu greeting performed by pressing two hands together and holding them near the heart. The whole act communicate to the world 'You and I are one. I salute and worship the God within you, which is a mirror image of myself".

Do Hindus Practice Monogamy?


Hindus practice monogamy and Hindus have stopped "child marriages in India by SAADA Act (1929) under the British. It is the Moslems in India who are allowed to marry four wives and Moslem Sharia law allows child marriages for Moslems in India.

Do Hindu Scriptures Forbid Abortion?

Yes they do. Hindu scriptures forbid abortion. From time immemorial, Hindus consider children as gifts from God. In the code of Manu, Manu forbids abortion. One of the worst acts described in the scriptures is Sis-Hatya meaning destruction of the unborn fetus. There are prayers in the Rig Veda to guard a growing embryo. Only time abortion is allowed is when the fetus is known to be defective as per Susruta Samhita, the Hindu Ayurvedic book.

What is Caste System?

There is nothing in Hinduism as complex as caste system. It emerged as a part of division of labor among people during the days of Rig Veda. The greatest apostle of caste system, was Sage Manu. He laid down all provisions governing caste system in Manu-Smriti.

Brahmins - Priests

Kshatriyas - Fighters and warriors

Vaisya - Business men

Shudras - helpers of every one

Unlike in the Holy Bible, where Slavery is discussed and accepted even by St. Paul (Holy Bible verses Col. 4:11; Exodus 21:21 1: Lev. XXV:44- 55 Thessalonians 3:22), there is no statement in the entire Hindu scriptures to ill-treat lower castes, except Sage Manu's Code, where punishments of lower castes are severe comparing to punishments for the higher castes for the same offense. There is no word "untouchable" in the entire Hindu scriptures. Still caste system degenerated in India. It is indeed the greatest curse on Hinduism. It attacks the core of Hinduism. It resulted in large scale conversion of Hindus to other religions. I sincerely pray and hope, caste system eventually will go away, making it a relic of the history. Hindus should do what Christians did. Even though slavery is mentioned and accepted as a practice in the Holy Bible, even though during Civil war many such as Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederate States of America quoted from the Bible to support slavery,
Christians took it upon their chin and eliminated slavery completely.

Once upon a time, India had 3,000 castes and 25,000 sub-castes. Even there were 1,800 Brahmin castes in India. Even different Brahmin castes did not mingle themselves socially or otherwise, in ancient times. Last of all, ancient India, persecuted a large group of people called untouchables. Mahatma Gandhi said: "Untouchability is a crime against God and men." Ambedkar once wrote out of his own experience, "To the untouchables, Hinduism is a veritable chamber of horrors."

Why Hindus Practice Suttee (Sati)?

None of the Hindu scriptures mention about Sati. Suicide of the consort of Lord Siva, Sati, has nothing to do with Sati or Suttee. Suicide of queen Madri in the epic Mahabharata has nothing to do with Sati. Suicide of 16000 wives of Lord Krishna in the Srimad Bhagavatam has nothing to do with Sati. At the same time Suttee is the most horrendous way of widows jumping into the funeral pyre of their fallen husbands. It is an ancient ritual practiced by a warrior race of India called Rajputs. Nobody else in India, practiced Suttee. Once again, Suttee is never mentioned in any Hindu religious scripture. There is not even one episode of Suttee in the vast Hindu mythology.

Many state Hinduism is very Complex and Contradictory!


All religions are the result of the works of thousands of thinkers. Hinduism and Judaism are cultures and they are the mothers of all religions. New religions like Christianity and Islam took the best aspects of Judaism and made part of them. So too Buddhism and Jainism took the best aspects of Hinduism and made part of them. In Christianity, there were several housecleaning in its 2000 years of history. Hinduism on its part, never had any house cleaning in its history. Since Hinduism never tossed anything away, in it you will see in it primitive religion as well as very advanced thoughts.


I have repeatedly stated that Hinduism has the good, the bad and also the ugly aspects in it like any other culture or religion in the world. We have to boldly face facts and eradicate the bad and the ugly aspects, to better the lives of millions of Hindus, for years to come.

The greatness of Hinduism can be summerized in few words. "Freedom of Thoughts and Actions." That is what Hinduism stands for.

- Ed Viswanathan

June 2, 2002

Ed Viswanathan is the author of the international bestseller "Am I a Hindu"?

Is Cutting off the Head a Cure for Headache? from Hindu Dharma
Today everybody- from the top leader down to the man in the street- is asking: Why should there be caste? With a little thinking, you will realise that the division of society into various jatis is for the good of all. It serves in two ways. While, on the one hand, it contributes to the progress of the entire community, on the other, it helps each individual to become pure of mind and obtain ultimate liberation.

You do not have to accept this view because it comes from me or because it is that of the sastras. You may think that people like me are reactionaries opposed to progress. But consider the opinion of a man whose goal, all will agree, was the advancement of this nation. This man was determined to do away with all differences among the people, eradicate superstition and elevate the" backward classes" to the level of the rest of society. This man was Gandhiji who extolled the varnasrama system and whole-heartedly accepted it. I mention this because I thought, if not anything else, at least the views of Gandhiji would persuade you to accept the fact that the varna system has good features.

Gandhiji has written an essay entitled, "My Varnasrama Dharma". In it he says:"Varnasrama is a system that has happened on its own. It is natural and inherent in a man's birth. It is a natural law that Hinduism has systematised into a science. This system makes a fourfold division of labour and lays down the duties of each section but not its rights. For any individual to think himself to be superior to others and look down upon another as inferior to himself is against the very spirit of Hindu culture. In the varnasrama system each individual learns to discipline himself and the energies of society are prevented from being frittered away. I keep fighting against untouchability because I consider it an evil but I support varnasrama as healthy for society and believe that it is not the product of a narrow mind. This arrangement gives the labourer the same status as it does a great thinker". Gandhiji supported varnasrama with greater ardour than sanatanists.

It would be pointed out that Gandhiji's actions were such as to suggest that he was opposed to difference in society based on rites and customs. He supported even intercaste marriage. How is all this to be reconciled with the fact that he upheld varnasrama? Gandhiji thought that, though varna dharma was a worthy system, it had broken down and that it was not possible to revive it. What was the use of keeping the remains after the essence had been extracted from a thing, he asked. So he thought that retaining the outward differences in society was not justified after the principles on which these differences were founded were not longer in force.

I do not think like him. Varnasrama is the backbone of our religion. If it is to be abandoned on the pretext that it is beyond repair, we do not require either a matha or a man to preside over it. For any individual to run an institution labelling himself as its head [that is as the head of any matha] after the root of all dharma is gone, is tantamount to exploiting society. If the old system of caste is in reality extinct, there is no need for a matha and it should be disbanded. But I nurse the belief that such a thing has not happened yet. Nor do I think that caste will before long inevitably cease to exist. I am also confident that, if we are awake to the problem at least now and mobilise all our strength and resources to take the necessary steps, we shall be able to impart the varna system new life and vigour.

No matter how the varna system has become muddled with reference to other vocations, Vedic learning which is the life-breath of all occupations still survives in the pathasalas here and there. In these schools the scriptures are taught strictly in the traditional way. There is enthusiastic support for the efforts taken to spread Vedic learning. Students join the pathasalas in fairly large numbers. There is a small group committed to the cause of the Vedic tradition and to its continuance. My duty is the creation of more and more such groups and to work for their growth. If Vedic learning flourishes, a way will open up to counteract the veil consequences of the muddle created in the other varnas. And if Brahmins become an example and a guide- if not all of them, at least a few- by remaining true to their old ways of life, others will return to their hereditary duties.

Since Gandhiji believed that varnasrama dharma could neither be mended nor revived in its true form, he wanted it to be totally scrapped. I think otherwise. Though [the flame of] varna dharma has become dim it is not totally extinguished and I feel that there are some sparks still, left which could be fanned into a bright flame again. We must learn the lesson from our history during the past fifty years that our society will have to pay dearly if it gives up varna dharma. You will learn this lesson from the fate suffered by the great civilisations that flourished in the rest of the world where such a system did not obtain.

The disintegration of the old system of hereditary vocations must be attributed to the introduction of machinery and the establishment of big factories. There is not much scope for machines in a simple life. The old varna system could be saved if poeple live a simple life and are occupied with the old handicrafts and cottage industries. Gandhiji spoke untiringly of his ideal that all work must be done by human power. He was against monstrous machines and urged people to live a simple life, eschewing all luxury. In this respect his views are in conformity with the ideals of varna dharma.

Today the various schemes introduced by the government together with the changed outlook of the people militate against the ideal of a simple life and the system of handicrafts. But, ironically enough, politicians and others keep singing the praises of Gandhiji unceasingly without translating his ideas into action. Gandhiji was a reformer who ardently wished the good of society and worked in the cause of egalitarianism. He was not a hard-nosed sanatanist who tenaciously clung to the canonical texts merely because they were old. People had faith in one like him. I thought that the views of such a man on varnasrama should make a deep impression on you.

Why are people generally opposed to caste? Because they believe that caste is responsible for the differences and disparities in society and the quarrels arising from them. I have told you so often that in reality no jati is inferior to another or superior to it. However, critics of varna dharma argue that, whether or not in reality it has caused differences in society, an impression had gained ground that it has. As you can see for yourself, they add," There are quarrels arising out of them. We want to do away with the system of jatis because we don't want these fights to go on indefinitely and divide society."

To speak thus, however, is to suggest that we must cut of the head to cure headache. If the old dharma suffers from a headache in the form of quarrels in society, it is our duty to restore it to health. How? We must speak to the people concerned about the true principles and remove the misunderstanding that cause quarrels. This is the mode of treatment to keep the old system of varna healthy. It is preposterous to suggest that, because of the disputes, the dharma that is the root and source of our society should itself be done away with.

If there is something that is the cause of a dispute, it does not stand to reason to destroy this something itself. We cannot conduct the affairs of the world in this manner. There will naturally be people for this and against any question. Such differences are inevitable. Today there are two issues which have been the cause of a great deal of conflict. These are languages and ideology. It would be absurd to argue that we want neither any language nor any ideology because they are the cause of conflict.

Nowhere else in the world today do we witness the sort of clashes that we face in our own country on the question of language. The caste of quarrels are not of the same scale as these- the frenzy aroused by language is so intense. The Tamil and the Telugu keep quarrelling with one another, so too the Bengali and the Bihari, the Kannadiga and the Maharastrian. Then there is the English vs. Hindi controversy. People indeed come to blows on the language issue. How would you solve this problem? Would you suggest universal dumbness as a solution, that is abolition of all speech, all tongues? .

Disputes concerning political ideology, about the type of government wanted, are far too numerous. There is the big divide between communism and capitalism: it has been the cause of trouble throughout the world. Without any world war actually breaking out, thousands of people have perished in the clash of ideologies. Apart from the struggle between capitalism and communism you see other kinds of unrest in various parts of the world: monarchy giving way to republicanism; the rise of dictatorial governments. Large numbers of people become victims in these ideological wars. Although everybody claims that he is for democracy, at heart there are so many differences between one man and another on the question of political ideology and hence all the quarrels.

Would it be right to argue that all ideologies must be scrapped merely because they lead to quarrels? Any government is constituted on some ideologies basis or other, is it not? No ideology would mean no government- is it not so? Are we then to abolish the institution of governments and be alike animals [in the absence of any authority to enforce law and order]? If languages are not wanted because they are the cause of trouble and if governments are not wanted because they lead to ideological wars, it follows logically that religions and jatis also are not wanted since they too create disputes. Going a step further we may ask: Is it not because we human beings exist that we keep quarrelling among ourselves? So should we. . . . [the Paramaguru just smiles without completing the sentence].

Though there is a vociferous campaign carried on against caste, jati crops up as a crucial factor in elections. It is on the basis of caste that all parties conduct their electioneering. The cry," We don't want any jati", seems really to mean," we don't want a particular jati".

Maintaining the system of jatis on a nominal basis is not justified if each of the jatis does not have a special social responsibility to discharge. To assign a vocation to each group or jati on a hereditary basis is for the good of all society. It is particularly important that this country has a section of people whose lifetime work is to keep chanting the Vedas, the Vedas which bring happiness to all living creatures through the loftiness of their sound and the profundity of the truths contained in them. Performance of the rites that form part of the Vedic tradition is as much a duty of this section as that of learning the mantras.

Modernists think that it is the varna system that is responsible for quarrels in society over questions of"high" and" low" among the various jatis. On the contrary, I think it is precisely for the purpose of ridding society of feelings of differences in status that we need the caste system." If we are born in this jati, well, it is the will of Isvara. Our vocation has also been handed down to us in the same manner. Let us stick to it and do good to society as best we can. If somebody else finds that he has some other vocation, it is also according to the will of the Lord. Let each one of us do the work allotted to us in a spirit of dedication to Isvara". If such an attitude develops there will be no room to think or feel that one kind of work is better than another kind or worse.

We must try to cultivate this outlook and inculcate it in everybody. We must set an example through our own life- there is no better way of making people understand the true spirit of the system of jatis. Then even our "oral propaganda" will not be necessary. If there is ill-will in society, it is because the concept of varna dharma is not properly understood. We must resolve right now to practise this dharma in its true spirit so that there will be no cause for society to be raven by bitterness.

With the decay of jati dharma, livelihood has become a major problem for everybody. The obsession with money is a natural consequence of this worry. Until 70 or 75 years ago, nobody had any problem about his means of sustenance. The worry or concern then was about one's duty. If obtaining the means of livelihood were the only goal of life, the less well-off would be jealous of those who are affluent and occupy high places in the society. It would also lead to misunderstanding and quarrels. If each man is concerned only about his duty and about doing it well, questions of status will not arise. But if money and status are the objectives, it will naturally mean that the man who has more money and occupies a higher place is superior to the man who is less prosperous and occupies a lower position. The point is such differences do not exist in true varna dharma. Even if the social order of jatis were abolished and together with it the quarrels among the various communities came to an end, society would have to face another problem, that is class conflict. We see this phenomenon all over the world today.

Our society must be one in which there are no differences of high and low. All will then live in harmony as the children of Isvara without fighting among themselves. They will live as a united family helping one another and spreading a sense of peace and happiness everywhere. I ask you to follow the old dharma so that we may achieve such an ideal society. If we take a small step now towards such a goal, Isvara will give us a helping hand for us to go further ahead. I keep praying to him.

Conquer Jealousy and you can Conquer Anything
by Bhattathiri iIdia
Posted on June 5, 2004 8:16 AM EST
Accessed 1 Times
Hot List Score: 4
 
 
 There is an ancient story of a devout woman who had a reputation of being completely equanimous and free of jealousy. Even her name meant 'without jealousy'. When the three aspects of divinity, Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, which are the creative, the preservative and the destructive principles of divinity, came to test her, her extreme purity of heart was able to win them over and turn them into little babies. She became like a mother to them. In her presence, they remained happily nestled in her arms.
The three aspects of divinity also represent the three qualities in nature, the active, the passive, and the cyclical, which govern all phenomenal life in the world. These three qualities make up our experiences in the world, and the three aspects of divinity are the substratum of these qualities. Therefore, the deeper meaning of this story is that when you are free of jealousy, everything in the world will be like a babe in your arms. You will be its mother, it will look up to you and follow you. Truly, once you are free of jealousy you will be able to conquer anything.

But it cannot be emphasized too strongly that when you have jealousy, it will destroy all your good qualities. You may think that it will destroy others but in fact it will destroy you, not the others. It will make you sick. You will not be able to sleep well. You will not be able to eat well. Even if you are totally healthy, once jealousy takes hold of you it will cause all kinds of physical ailments to sprout up in you. It is like an inner consumption. Just as tuberculosis creeps in and consumes, so also jealousy weakens you without your realizing it. It can get into you in any number of ways and will ultimately destroy you.

Jealousy is a vicious disease which must not be permitted to gain a foothold. You must feel that God will always bless you with his grace. Even if you are in a lesser position than you think you deserve, you should enjoy the happiness of others. You should be glad to hear of their accomplishments and not feel sad just because they have things which you do not have. Jealousy is all-pervasive in this immoral age. It is prevalent in all types of people, be they worldly or spiritually inclined. It is mostly because of jealousy that people lose their peace of mind and waste their lives. Along with jealousy, backbiting and hatred soon make their ugly appearance. If you are the target of these evil qualities in others, your best protection is the great virtue of forbearance. Here is a small story.

http://www.atmapress.com/saibabagita/saigita247.html


There is an ancient story of a devout woman who had a reputation of being completely equanimous and free of jealousy. Even her name meant 'without jealousy'. When the three aspects of divinity, Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, which are the creative, the preservative and the destructive principles of divinity, came to test her, her extreme purity of heart was able to win them over and turn them into little babies. She became like a mother to them. In her presence, they remained happily nestled in her arms.

The three aspects of divinity also represent the three qualities in nature, the active, the passive, and the cyclical, which govern all phenomenal life in the world. These three qualities make up our experiences in the world, and the three aspects of divinity are the substratum of these qualities. Therefore, the deeper meaning of this story is that when you are free of jealousy, everything in the world will be like a babe in your arms. You will be its mother, it will look up to you and follow you. Truly, once you are free of jealousy you will be able to conquer anything.

But it cannot be emphasized too strongly that when you have jealousy, it will destroy all your good qualities. You may think that it will destroy others but in fact it will destroy you, not the others. It will make you sick. You will not be able to sleep well. You will not be able to eat well. Even if you are totally healthy, once jealousy takes hold of you it will cause all kinds of physical ailments to sprout up in you. It is like an inner consumption. Just as tuberculosis creeps in and consumes, so also jealousy weakens you without your realizing it. It can get into you in any number of ways and will ultimately destroy you.

Jealousy is a vicious disease which must not be permitted to gain a foothold. You must feel that God will always bless you with his grace. Even if you are in a lesser position than you think you deserve, you should enjoy the happiness of others. You should be glad to hear of their accomplishments and not feel sad just because they have things which you do not have. Jealousy is all-pervasive in this immoral age. It is prevalent in all types of people, be they worldly or spiritually inclined. It is mostly because of jealousy that people lose their peace of mind and waste their lives. Along with jealousy, backbiting and hatred soon make their ugly appearance. If you are the target of these evil qualities in others, your best protection is the great virtue of forbearance. Here is a small story.

http://www.atmapress.com/saibabagita/saigita247.html
Only a moral life can be called sacred. Man is a sacred being. But when he indulges in selfishness, his sacred, divine life is undermined. The sacred Aatma is fundamental for every human being. This is also called Anthar-aatma. God as the Indweller guides and directs human life as Anthar-aatma, the inner-conscience of every human being.

In human life today selfishness and self-interest have assumed prodigious proportions. Whatever he does, whatever he sees, whatever he studies, man makes it subserve selfish interests. Human life has become a plaything in the hands of selfishness.

Only when selfishness is totally destroyed in the human heart, will man develop a broadmindedness that will promote unity and sacredness among mankind. When this selfishness grows continually, it takes the form of Kaama (lust), Krodha (hatred) and Lobha (greed). These three vices are demonic in nature. When these three demonic vices grow in them, human beings lose faith in God. Besides losing faith in God, they also develop enmity towards God. Worldly desires increase. The Divine quality declines.

- Sri Sathya Sai Baba
To regain the balance we must counteract Tamas by Rajas; then conquer
Rajas by Sattva, the calm beautiful state that will grow and grow until
all else is gone. Give up bondage; become a son, be free, and then you
can "see the Father", as did Jesus. Infinite strength is religion and
God. Avoid weakness and slavery. You are only a soul, if you are free;
there is immortality for you, if you are free; there is God, if He is
free.
Pradyumna: Translation: "At that time all his brothers followed him on beautiful chariots drawn by first-class horses decorated with gold ornaments. With them were Vyasa and rsis like Dhaumya, the learned priest of the Pandavas, and others."

Prabhupada: So one very important word is here: sadasvaih svarna-bhusitaih. Formerly the horses were used in military division. Horses, chariot, elephants and then infantry. So not one or two, but one division of military phalanx required sixty thousand horses. Aksauhini. So many horses, so many elephants, so many chariot, and so many infantry soldiers -- that will compose one division of soldiers. So "so many" means the, I exactly remember now, sixty thousand horses. So all the horses, when they are required for procession or for going to the fight, were well-decorated with golden ornaments, svarna-bhusitaih. So just imagine the, all the saddles of the horse, if they are golden ornamented, how many ounces you will require to decorate the horse. And what is the price of gold now?

Danavir: One hundred and twenty-eight dollars an ounce.

Prabhupada: Just see, at least fifty ounce will be required to decorate one horse. And one ounce is $120. So what is the price of fifty ounce?

Devotees: Five thousand dollars.

Prabhupada: Such sixty-thousand horses, how much it comes? (laughter) Where is that gold? They are very much proud, advancement of material civilization, but instead of gold, we find plastic. (laughter) And the nonsense, they are very much proud of their wealth. Just see. Even they cannot decorate their wives. And woman, they require also ornament. It is psychology. Manu-samhita, it has been recommended that "If you want to keep satisfied your wife, then you must give her good food, good sari and good ornament." This is the system. Therefore during marriage time, the girl is given by the father according to his means, as many saris, nice saris, beautiful costly saris, and as much as possible, golden ornaments. And those who are very rich, they, still in India, they give jewelries, means diamonds, pearls, sapphire, according to means. Those who are richer class, they don't touch gold. They must give jewelry. This is the system.

So this is the opulence. So much gold. When the Kuruksetra Battle was finished, so the treasury was also finished. The treasury of the Pandavas, that was also finished. Because war means expenditure. So many hundred thousands of pounds and dollars required daily to finance the running on of the war. So Yudhisthira Maharaja wanted to... (aside:) You have got that handkerchief?

Pradyumna: No.

Prabhupada: Never mind. ...wanted to perform sacrifice. So sacrifice means he requires money, so much grains, so many ornaments, so much gold and ghee, everything required. To perform sacrifice is not ordinary thing. Millions and millions of dollars required. In the Kali-yuga, because people cannot collect such costly things... Suppose ghee. Tons of ghee was being offered to the fire. Where is that tons of ghee? Not available. Then all utensils made of gold. The altar made of gold. Where is that gold? Therefore the, not many days before, five thousand years, the Indian history, or this world history... Now it is called India, but this whole world is Bharata-varsa.

So Yudhisthira Maharaja asked his brother Dhananjaya, Arjuna, "So bring some money from somewhere. Otherwise how we can perform the sacrifices? We have finished all our treasury." So Arjuna was little perplexed. The elder brother was king, and the younger brothers, they were commanders. So Krsna saw that His friend was little perturbed. So He immediately gave information. This is God, sarva-jna. He knows where to find out. He gave him information that formerly, one king, by the grace of Lord Siva, he got information of a big gold mine, or gold mine mountain. So that king used to manufacture so many things of gold. Especially in sacrifice he used to give immense dishes made of gold to the brahmanas. So at that time, the brahmanas were also not very greedy. So the king, during the sacrifice, gave them unlimited number of dishes of gold, made of gold. So they accepted it, but when they came out of the sacrificial arena, they thought, "Who is going to carry so much load? Throw it." Just see. This is opulence. As nowadays it is our system that the plate on which you eat, that should be thrown away... Formerly, people used to eat on golden plate, at least, the royal family, and after eating they used to throw away. Not for the second use. Just like India still, it is observed, earthen plate used, as here in your country, paper plate, in India, earthen plate -- once used, then it is thrown away. It cannot be used second time. Therefore in rigid Hindu family, they don't use these china clay plates. They don't use. Because it is made of earth. So when it is earthen pot, as soon as you eat, it becomes contaminated. It must be thrown away. You cannot use for the second time. That was...

So this system was formerly even for golden plates. Once used, then it cannot be used second time. It is thrown away. And "thrown away" means some poor man will collect. So there was no question of poverty. The rich men, they eat once and throw away. Their servants or other poor man... Just like these brahmanas, they threw away all these golden plates. Brahmanas were not required golden plate, but they were given in charity: "Brahmanas, you take." They accepted, but they thought it that "It is a load. Why should I carry? Throw it." So there were heaps of golden plate lying near Himalayan mountain. So Krsna was given information, er, Arjuna was given information by Krsna that "You go there and collect those golden plates. Then your purpose will be served." So Arjuna went there and collected and brought it to his brother, Maharaja Yudhisthira, for converting them into money for spending in the sacrifice. So this was the system. Therefore Arjuna's another name is Dhananjaya. Dhananjaya means "one who can conquer over riches." His brother was in need of money, and he brought money. Therefore, from that day, his name was Dhananjaya, "one can conquer over riches."

So actually, human opulence means not these tin cars. Once it is dashed with another car, it is finished, no value. Human opulence means the society must have enough gold, enough jewelry, enough silk, enough grains, enough milk, enough vegetables, like that. That is opulent. That is opulence. Formerly a person was considered rich by two things: dhanyena dhanavan. How much grain stock he has got at his home. A big, big barn, filled with grains. Still in India, if I am going to give my daughter to some family, to see the family's opulence, I go to see the house, and if I see there are many, many barns' stock of grains and many cows, then it is very good. It is opulent. Dhanyena dhanavan, gavyam dhanavan. A man is considered to be rich when he has got enough quantity of grains, enough quantity of, I mean to say, number, enough number of cows. Just like Maharaja, Nanda Maharaja, the foster father of Krsna. He was keeping 900,000 cows. And He was rich man. He was maharaja, king. But see the behavior. His beloved son, Krsna and Balarama, he has entrusted to take care of the calves or cows: "Go in the forest." He is well dressed with ornament, and nice dress, everything. All the cowherds boys, they are very rich. They have got enough grains and enough milk. Naturally they will be rich. But not that the cows and the calves will be taken care of by some hired servant. No. They would take care himself.

That was children's sport, to go to the forest, take the calves and cows and carry some tiffin. Eat there, dance there, play there, and again come in the evening. Then they will take bath and change their dress and take their meals and immediately go to sleep. This was the boy's, children's, engagement. So how they would grow healthy because they go outside and play and work and very happily, they enjoy the company. So there is no question of becoming contaminated. Yamuna-tira-vana-cari. Yamuna-tira, on the bank of the Yamuna... Just like we go to the seaside, the beach, similarly, there is bank of Yamuna, very nice river, and there are trees. So these boys, Krsna and His friends, with their cows they will go and loiter on the bank of the Yamuna and sport and frivolities, everything, so nicely. So there was no question of education at that time. After the child is grown up, healthy, nice, then he goes to school. Otherwise first of all eat sumptuously milk, butter and yogurt, and play sufficiently in open air with friends, take care of the cows. This is labor. But it is sporting, very nice. So these things were taught by Krsna Himself, although He was the son of king. Then when He was also grown-up, His real father took Him charge, Vasudeva. Then He was... As ksatriya... He belonged to the ksatriya family. All other education was given, how to fight, how to rule, everything.

So this ksatriya, this Maharaja Yudhisthira, they also ksatriyas. So when they were going to see Bhismadeva, they were going there in royal style, with chariots, with horse, and decorated with golden ornaments and the brahmanas, Vyasadeva and other. All the ksatriyas, kings, would be always accompanied by hoards of brahmanas. As soon as they required any instruction, immediately consult the brahmanas, and they gave good advice: "Do like this." This is the business of the brahmana. And the kings, they would not do anything without consulting. Don't think that because there was monarchy, they were all autocrat. No. If the brahmanas would not agree, then they won't do. The brahmana's community, all saintly persons and learned scholars, brahmanas... There was a committee, and the king would take their advice how to manipulate the political affairs or administration, and they would consult standard books. Just like nowadays the rascals, every day they are changing some law. Somebody told me, where? In Africa, every week there is change of the cabinet, every week. Means so full of rascals. So one rascal will fight with another rascal. So there is no stability of government. All these rascals, politicians, they are trying to occupy the post: "I shall become president, I shall become secretary, and then I shall exploit the state like anything." This is the motive. Their manifestation, that "I am going to give you heaven. If you select me president, then I shall give you heaven within three minutes." (laughter)

So these promises, they simply promise. Actually, there is nothing. But king was very responsible, as we are discussing. Now, Maharaja Yudhisthira was thinking of the woman: "Now their husbands and their sons or their fathers, so many have died. Now how to take care of them?" He was perplexed. So responsible, for children, for the brahmanas, those who are helpless. Women, children, brahmana and old men and cows, they must be taken first care. That was the king's duty. Children. And who is taking care of the children? Who is taking care of the women? And who is taking care of the brahmanas? There is no brahmana. Even there are some brahmanas, we are creating now, who is taking care of us? It was the duty of the government to see to this Krsna consciousness movement, "Oh, such an important movement is going on? Our first attention should be how this movement can go on." So nice character, so nice behavior, so nice knowledge, so nice consciousness of God, so pure, and the government has no attention. They are thinking it is something sentimental. And all the politicians, going to the brothel and drinking and dancing naked, they are all first-class men. This is the position of the society. No care for the living entities who are very important. Just like in this verse, vipra. Maharaja Yudhisthira is always accompanied by brahmanas. Without brahminical culture, what is the value of the society? There is no value. It is animal society.

Therefore Bhagavad-gita recommends, catur-varnyam maya srstam guna-karma-vibhagasah [Bg. 4.13]. Here you cannot find all one class of men. That is not possible. There is those rascals who are trying to have a classless society, no class, all one. That is rascaldom. That is not possible. There must be classes. That is scientific. Why? Because this material nature is being conducted under three modes: first class, second class, third class. Goodness, passion and ignorance. So how you can make classless society? There must be divisions. There must be classes, color, colorful. So it has to be scientifically arranged, how all classes can cooperate for one purpose and they develop very nicely in Krsna consciousness. Therefore Krsna says, catur-varnyam maya srstam [Bg. 4.13]. Maya srstam means anything created by God, you cannot nullify it, you cannot reject it. That is not possible. You have to accept it and possibly utilize it. Therefore devotees, they take it for granted, even there is distressed condition of life, they take it that "It is created by God. I am now in distress. It is creation of God. So why shall I hate it? Let me tolerate. Let me undergo this distressed condition of life."

Just like some of you are suffering from cough. Now there has been some hygienic law disregarded. So I have caught cold and cough. So why shall I deride upon it? It must be created either you say by bodily nature or by God. So so long it is there, let me suffer patiently. It has come, it will go. That is the instruction in the Bhagavad-gita: agamapayinah anityah. Distressed condition, or happiness also, so-called happiness... Here there is no happiness. Everything is distressed condition. But we are so fool that we consider distressed condition as happiness. This is called maya, distressed condition as happiness. For example, suppose you have to go to see a friend, and nowadays, friend or anything, not less than ten miles. So you have to go ten miles, and then see your friend, and then do your work. So I am taking the trouble of going ten miles to see a friend or thirty miles to see a medical practitioner, but I am very much proud of my car, that I have got a car. I don't consider that although I have got car, still, I have to waste so much time. I have to take so much trouble. And there is every possibility of accidents. So many calamities are awaiting me. But we think that "Now we have discovered this horseless carriage, we are advanced." Similarly, if you study every item, you will find that although you have created by the modern scientific advancement a little comfort of life, side by side, we have created many discomforts. That we do not find.

That is the ways of this material nature. The ways of material nature is that you cannot remain in comfort. That is not possible. By laws of nature... Tri-tapa-yatana, three kinds of miseries, adhyatmika, adhibhautika, adhidaivika, they must be there always. Just like I am your spiritual master. You have kept me very nicely, to your best capacity, but I am coughing. I am coughing. So even if we are situated in one kind of comfortable position, then another uncomfort will come and attack. That is called tri division. Adhyatmika, adhibhautika, adhidaivika. Or there is no cough, or there is no trouble, but you receive on very unsatisfactory letter from a friend; you become very sorry. This is called adhyatmika, pertaining to the mind, pertaining to the body. Adhyatmika. Adhibhautika: troubles offered by other living entities; and adhidaivika, trouble offered by the higher authorities. Just like excessive heat. You cannot control. Excessive cold.

So in this material world we have to work very hard under these three kinds of miserable conditions of life, and we are actually doing that. Still, we are thinking that we are happy. And after all, after doing this, we have to change this body. That means death. We cannot avoid it. But still, we are thinking that we are happy, and we have no sense to try to understand actually what is the standard of happiness, where that happiness can be had, if it is possible. These things are understood and answered by this Krsna consciousness movement. That is the importance of the Krsna consciousness. All-round. It is not one-sided, that we are thinking of Krsna. Thinking of Krsna means thinking of everything, because Krsna is everything. Without Krsna, there is no other thing. Aham krtsnasya, what is that...? There is that verse? In the Seventh Chapter? Prabhavah pralayas tatha.

Pradyumna: Aham krtsnasya jagatah...

Prabhupada: Ah, prabhavah pralayas tatha. In this world there two things, prabhava and pralaya. Prabhava means generation, generating, and pralaya means annihilation. Two things. Everything, whatever you take, it is generated at a certain point and it will end at a certain point. So Krsna says, aham krtsnasya jagatah prabhavah pralayas tatha. That is the ultimate cause. Janmady asya yatah [SB 1.1.1]. We don't take simply generation. Generation, maintenance and annihilation, three things. Just this body is born at a certain date, it remains for a certain period, and then it is annihilated. So everything material means it has a beginning, it is born or it is manufactured at a certain point, it keeps for some time, then it will be destroyed. Therefore the Vedanta-sutra says, janmady asya yatah. Janma-sthiti-pralaya [SB 1.1.1].

So to understand Krsna means to understand everything, how it is generated, how it is maintained, and how it is annihilated. That is full Krsna consciousness

SINGING HEART” – An expression of some stolen moment

 
 (Every person becomes a poet atleast once in a lifetime. Some pen down their feelings …….while others just let them flow……! It doesn’t matter whether it makes sense to others or not, but to u, they do!! So, that which gets penned down becomes an “expression of some stolen moments”. This is one among the few short poems I wrote in my teens…..mostly during 9th standard & 10th standard in school.)

SINGING HEART



In the cold breeze of the morning
My lonely heart slowly sings,
Of the days and hours spent together
With quarrels and love altogether.
And the golden memory of some stolen moments
Lost from world, far from ends
Which were tied in love but gone with the waves
Which touched the shore, beneath the shades.
But back again, when I was in the world of dawn
The castles of dreams were all gone.
And my heart cried out loud………
And also the dark silence broke with the morning cloud.


(9th November’2000)

Potentially Vs Realistically!!!

 
 Potentially
Father/Son

A son asked his father, "Dad, what's the difference between Potentially and Realistically?" The Father replied, "If you really want to know, go ask your mother if she'll sleep with Robert Redford for one million dollars, and then go ask your sister if she'll sleep with Brad Pitt for one million dollars. And then go ask your brother if he'll sleep with Tom Cruise for one million dollars, and then come back to me and tell me what you found out." So the son goes to his mom and says, "Mom, would you sleep with Robert Redford for a million dollars?" and the mom says "For a Million Dollars, Hell yeah I would, I've been wanting to forever!" So the son goes to his sister and asks her if she'll sleep with Brad Pitt for a million dollars and the sister says "Oh man, would I ever!!! I'd Love To!!" So then the son goes to his brother and says, "Would you sleep with Tom Cruise for a million dollars?" and the brother says, "Hmm...for a million dollars, well...a million dollars is a lot of money, so...yeah I guess I'd do it for a million dollars" So the boy goes back to his dad and the dad says to his son, "Well, what did you find out???" and his son replies, "Well, we're Potentially sitting on three million dollars, but realistically we're living with two sluts and a fag."

There are 7 messages in this issue.

Topics in this digest:

      1. Daily Thought.
           From: punmans <punmans@emirates.net.ae>
      2. Re: Why be a vegetarian!!!
           From: vagga venkateswarulu <venkat_vagga@yahoo.com>
      3. Who's A Guru?
           From: Arun Reddy <arunreddy_n@yahoo.com>
      4. Re: Eating & Drinking is the AGENDA OF THE MODERN SEEKER.
           From: MAHAJAN ANIL <mahajan_anil@yahoo.com>
      5. BABA CONVERTED SHRI BABA SAHEB BHATE A SCEPTIC INTO A DEVOTEE:
           From: "Leeladhar" <leedhar@rediffmail.com>
      6. Re: Why be a vegetarian!!!
           From: meggamoma@aol.com
      7. Weekly Group Prayers
           From: Om Sai Ram <shirdibabasaisharan@yahoo.com>


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Message: 1
   Date: Thu, 03 Jun 2004 12:20:42 +0400
   From: punmans <punmans@emirates.net.ae>
Subject: Daily Thought.


               Shraddha Om Sai Ram Saburi.
                                 

A very Unique scene on one of the Thursdays at Panvel Temple at3.25.am, where Sri Sai Baba is being given sanctified Abhishek with 2500 litersof water,108 liters of Milk with Honey, Ganges Water&Vibhuti.

        

                  Daily Thought of PUJYA GURUDEV SRI SAI NARAYAN BABA,

 

2004 T H O U G H T

28.05. Spiritual life remains and makes you Immortal, whereas worldly life perishes & is forgotten.
29.05. Faith and Silence lead an aspirant to his cherished goal.
30.05. He who totally depends on God is totally secured forever on the contrary he who depends on his wealth & worldly

              position shall stumble to repent forever.
31.05. An egoless man is a liberated man. Destroy your ego by humility before the ego destroys you.
01.06. Know thou that the Eternal Bliss that can be experienced from the Atma within is too great than the pleasure that you

             try to have from the external things.
02.06. Humility with Truth spiritualises Man to succeed in every sphere of Human life.

03.06. Safest is the person who ever remains under the shelter of God by following His ways.


 
            



                                                  Sri Sai Sevak
                                                  Sri Sai Narayan Baba.






[This message contained attachments]



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Message: 2
   Date: Wed, 2 Jun 2004 18:57:50 -0700 (PDT)
   From: vagga venkateswarulu <venkat_vagga@yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: Why be a vegetarian!!!

Dear Nicole Ji,
Sorry Anil ji for dragging this issue but Mr.Nicole ji
has started something which babas opinion is very
clear in satchritra.

Nicole ji, you wrote the following words in your mail.
"I always assumed it to be a part of thursday's...out
of respect to Sai". Those words strike me what baba
told to us "Every devotee have his own way to serve
HIM". baba never allowed others to mingle or come
between HIM and devotee.

There is a well known story about serving GOD ( BABA )
in south india. There is a place called SRI KALA
HASTI. That place got this name on behalf of a three
great devotees of Siva.

SRI ( Spider ) doesnt have strength to offer food,
flowers or clean Siva. Spider can make wonder and
beutiful net using threads. so it used to make
wonderful net around siva to show devotion.

KALA ( Snake ) doenst have much strenght but have more
than Spider. it used to come with small flowers
destroy spiders offerings then offer flowers.

Hata ( Elephant ) have more strength than others so
come with water clean siva, offer flowers and fruits.

It used to happen every day but inside they started to
feel angry on others. so desided to put to end and
offer their devotion only. They will kill themselves
infront of siva.

GOD sees things different way what we think. So GOD
given all mukti.

Whether we are vegitarian or non vegitarian doesnt
matter, the feeling to eat some thing come from HIM
and guide us to eat something. Baba wants us to
remember HIM on every action whether is small or big.
Whatever we eat the action and taste goes to HIM. So
it doesnt matter whether we eat meat, veg, pork, beef
etc...just we have to do a task ( Rememberring him)
given by BABA. Thats my feeling.

There is another story called "Bakta Kannappa". He
used to offer every day meat to GOD. To get that meat
he used to hunt different animals for different taste
and offer it to GOD SIVA.

Finally, I pray baba do not let me hurt others feeling
with this mail.

Om sairam,
venkat







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Message: 3
   Date: Fri, 4 Jun 2004 02:54:51 +0100 (BST)
   From: Arun Reddy <arunreddy_n@yahoo.com>
Subject: Who's A Guru?


Who's A Guru?

"Guru is Shiva sans his three eyes,
Vishnu sans his four arms
Brahma sans his four heads.
He is parama Shiva himself in human form"
~ Brahmanda Puran

Guru is the God, say the scriptures. Indeed, the 'guru' in Vedic tradition is looked upon as one no less than a God. 'Guru' is a honorific designation of a preceptor as defined and explained variously in the scriptures and ancient literary works including epics. The English word 'guru' has its etymological origin in the Sanskrit term. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Current English defines it as "Hindu spiritual teacher or head of religious sect; influential teacher; revered mentor".

Aren't gurus more real than the gods? Basically the guru is a spiritual teacher leading the disciple on the path of "god-realization". In essence, the guru is considered a respected person with saintly qualities who enlightens the mind of his disciple, an educator from whom one receives the initiatory mantra, and one who instructs in rituals and religious ceremonies. The Vishnu Smriti and Manu Smriti regards the Acharya (teacher), along with the mother and the father as the most venerable gurus of an individual. According to Deval Smriti there can be eleven kinds of gurus and according to Nama Chintamani ten. According to his functions he is categorized as rishi, acharyam, upadhya, kulapati or mantravetta.

The Guru's Role
The Upanishads have profoundly underlined the role of the guru. Mundak Upanishad says to realize the supreme godhead holding samidha grass in his hands one should surrender himself before the guru who knows the secrets of Vedas. Kathopanishad too speaks of the guru as the preceptor who alone can guide the disciple on the spiritual path.

Over time the guru's syllabus gradually enlarged incorporating more secular and temporal subjects related to human endeavor and intellect. Apart from usual spiritual works his sphere of instruction now included subjects like Dhanurvidya (archery), Arthashastra (economics) and even Natyashastra (dramatics) and Kamashastra (sexology).

Such was the ingenuity of the all pervading intellect of the ancient Acharyas that they perpetuated even shastra like thievery. Shudraka's celebrated play Mricchakatikam tells the story of Acharya Kanakashakti who formulated the Chaurya Shastra, or the science of thievery, which was further developed by the gurus like Brahmanyadeva, Devavrata and Bhaskarnandin.

From Hermitages to Universities
Gradually the institution of Gurukula or in-forest-hermitage, where disciples learnt at the feet of guru for long years was evolved. The great urban universities at Takshashila, Vikramashila and Nalanda essentially evolved from these tiny gurukulas tucked away in deep woods. If we have to believe the records of Chinese travellers who visited Nalanda at that time, there were more than 1,500 teachers teaching various subjects to more than 10,000 students and monks.

Legends of Gurus & Desciples
There were gurus as well as disciples of different hues to whom references were made in scriptures and literary works. The most popular legend is that of the amazing young tribal boy Ekalavya on being rejected by the ace trainer Dronacharya, raised his statue and with great dedication practised the art of archery and left behind Arjuna, the master archer, who actually learnt the art under the living guru. And the heartless guru asked for his thumb as gurudakshina or fees, and made him inferior before his royal disciple. In the Chandogya Upanishad, we meet an aspiring disciple Satyakama, who refuses to tell lies about his caste in order to get an admission in the gurukula of Acharya Haridrumat Gautam. And in the Mahabharata we come across Karna who did not bat an eyelid while telling Parashurama that he belonged to the Bhrigu Brahmin caste just to obtain the Brahmastra, the supreme weapon.

The Lasting Contribution
From generation to generation the institution of the guru has evolved various basic tenets of Indian culture and transmitted spiritual and fundamental knowledge. Gurus formed the axis of ancient educational system and ancient society, and enriched various fields of learning and culture by their creative thinking. Herein lies the lasting significance of gurus and their contribution to the upliftment of mankind.

Source:http://hinduism.about.com/od/gurussaints




Arun Reddy Nukala

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Message: 4
   Date: Thu, 3 Jun 2004 06:13:07 -0700 (PDT)
   From: MAHAJAN ANIL <mahajan_anil@yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: Eating & Drinking is the AGENDA OF THE MODERN SEEKER.

Very right punmans ji,
That's why it say's out of billion only one person is
of like that who actually reach to god I mean get
enlightment.Like Guru nanak dev,Sai baba,Kabir there
are many gurus.
I think it's nature and every body know Man is also a
animal but social he has mind he know how to control
other's and he is taking undue advantage.
jai satguru sai
Anil

--- punmans <punmans@emirates.net.ae> wrote:
> Sai Ram Romula,
> I am really delighted to meet my Pujya Gurudev &
> awaiting for that "D" day & I am glad that you are
> also seeing your beloved Lord
> Birds of same feather flock together. You and your
> husband are really doing a wonderful Service to
> Almighty by tuning up your mind in rehabilitant the
> poor soul with your tender aptitude of life. See the
> upbringing, your younger daughter is keen to
> dedicate her life towards the welfare of animals.
> Lots of opinions are being offered by various
> devotees about the egg being Veg or non Veg. I am
> not getting to any argument, each one has his own
> opinion to express, but would to like to devote a
> few minutes on the plight of these helpless
> creatures, who are put to such a hardship on account
> of human taste, who can't live without eating an
> egg.
>
> Lately debate is going on consumption of eggs:-
> There are about 32 million laying hens and 28
> millions of these hens are imprisoned in battery
> cages to maximize the profit . The hens are put into
> the battery cages at the age of 18 weeks, the time
> when they start laying eggs. These cages have a
> sloping wire floor and their measures are normally
> 46cm x 51 cm, while a hen has the wingspan of ca.81
> cm. Normally five of them are put in one cage. Since
> hens are normally very active and lively creatures,
> boredom, depression and frustration are normal
> psychic disorders during their lifelong confinement.
> Most battery hens get nearly naked due to feather
> pecking and rubbing up against the cage bars. Other
> physical damages are severe foot deformities and
> claw damages due to sloping wire floors or brittle
> bones that easily break because of the lack of
> daylight. Diseases are as well wide spread among
> battery hens : although there is a routine use of
> antibiotics many hens suffer from illnesses like
> liver and kidney disorders, prolepses, infectious
> bronchitis, egg-peritonitis, impacted eggs, brittle
> bones , different types of cancer and salmonella
> (Salmonella is type of disease, which can also be
> transmitted to humans through eggs) Since the
> battery cage systems are extremely overcrowded ill
> hens are normally not noticed . Statistics point
> out that two million hens die annually in their
> cages. On account unhealthy environment, the life
> expectancy of a hen is reduced from ten years down
> to ca 15 months. In this age they are called 'spent
> ' or 'end-of-lay-hens, & to have maximize profit,
> they are directly put to slaughter house & killed to
> get a better return. .
>
>
> There are a few areas, where the hens are under
> sunlight & are to move freely. When the chicks hatch
> there is an equal number of males and females, but
> since the male ones i.e Roosters aren't able to lay
> eggs and are not genetically bred to fatten up
> quickly enough for the meat production , they are
> killed brutally no sooner they are one day old & the
> method of killing them is very cruel and barbaric :
> Male chicks are put in a machine which mechanically
> crushes them to death, which kills 500 chicks per
> minute. Other methods are drowning, decapitation,
> neck dislocation, decompressing, gassing and
> asphyxiation with car exhausts. The cheapest and one
> of the most painful method is killing by suffocation
> , where thousands of chicks are put into sealed
> plastic bags, in which they suffer a slow death .
> Every year 32 million male chicks are killed..
>
> Are we human? Can you tolerate & imagine, if any
> your kith and kin is met with the similar
> harassment; will you not revolt back and take the
> fight to the street to get the justice. but for the
> innocent creatures, who could be their spoke man,
> only Baba. Wait & Watch, every one has to pay for
> their misdeeds, when time comes and some of them may
> be paying for it but are unaware of it.
>
> That is a reason why a great number of people have
> commenced listening to their inner voice & have
> begun to think more RATIONALLY about their
> consumption of meat , they don't eat or use any kind
> of product that is made out of animals , like meat ,
> fish , leather or fur or out of their exploitation ,
> for example milk and other dairy products, eggs,
> honey , silk or wool. Lately, people also try to
> boycott circuses and zoos or firms that do
> vivisection, etc. Rationality has set in & people
> are often seen as a bunch of radicals or as a kind
> of sect, who are more concerned with the feelings
> for animals than for humans. Kudos to them!!!
>
>
> Some one provoked me on this statement. "Do u know
> that in this Kaliyug milk is also considered as a
> non-vegetarian food?" & my feeling are:-
>
> Although drinking milk and producing milk doesn't
> kill the cow directly, but what right any human has
> to drink of an cow milk. Will any human will come
> forward to offer their own milk to calf which has
> just been born. As the modern women is busy with her
> physical appearance to be kept trim and fit to keep
> the world to appreciate her personal figure &
> beauty( 36-24-36) as the breast feed would disshape
> her..Many scandals are surfacing, where meat is
> involved a) hormone scandalb) Cruelty of mass
> animal husbandry,c) Mad cow disease.
>
> In order, to aggrandize more profit as high as
> possible, cows are held in prison like milk
> factories for their whole life. To have continued
> supply of milk, cows are being artificially
> inseminated , so that their udders are constantly
> full of milk & its supply is constant when they are
> pregnant or have born a calf . The calf is taken
> away from its mother after two or three days to end
> two weeks later as "delicious" veal. After the calf
> is gone the cow is inseminated again and the whole
> process repeats itself. Let us understand, did the
> Creator of the Universe evolved this cruelty to cows
> and calves to cater to the unreasonableness of
> human. Now milking has been mechanized and the
> machines are attached to udder, so that last drop of
> milk is oozed out & at times a few drops of blood
> of the cow also get mixed up with milk, which is
> consumed by human & those drops of blood may contain
> certain diseases, which get in the human system. The
> place where the cattle is kept is filthy and
> unhygienic & the entire area smells & their udders
> also are not cleaned due to either paucity of water
> or to economize the usage of water. Further, there
> is no area available for grazing, hence cattle is
> just surviving to meet the needs of its unscrupulous
> owner, who is basically interested in making money.
> So what you are getting milk is of substandard
> quality & there is no hygienic check any where,
> because money can buy anything..udd their uddar
>
> It is often said that vegans suffer from
> malnutrition, because of the lack of certain
> important food elements like calcium , protein and
> vitamin B12 . It can't be denied that Vitamin B12 is
> almost exclusively found in animal products. But it
> can also be found in fermented soy products like
> Tempeh, Miso and Shoyu and in dried figs,
> pecan-nuts, barley-malt, parsley, leaven and sprouts
> of every kind. It has been proved that
> non-vegetarians fear to have many modern
> civilization diseases, when they' mainly consume
> animal product, like heart disease , prostate cancer
> , breast cancer , indigestion , bowel cancer , colon
> cancer , asthma , arthritis , eczema, diabetes ,
> migraine , ulcerative colitis , salmonella , chronic
> fatigue , muscle cramps, lactose intolerance ,
> bronchitis , insomnia , high blood pressure ,
> osteoporosis , high cholesterol level , gall stones
> , kidney stones , BSE and many more.
>
>
> Besides, to cite an example of one country, if
> people of that country give up eating meat,
> groundwater would be spoiled less & consumed. In
> USA, cattle produces over one billion tons of
> organic waste , like urine , excrements and waste
> gasses. As a consequence of this, rivers, lakes and
> the oceans are polluted by ammonia and nitrate, what
> leads to an unnatural growth of algae, because the
> organic waste works like a fertilizer. Further, the
> atmosphere is polluted with methane that is produced
> mainly by sheep and cows while their digestion.
> Everyone knows today about the global warming that
> is caused by the greenhouse-effect, but most people
> don't know all reasons that lead to this
> catastrophe, like burning down the rain-forest to
> create new pastures for cattle, nitrous oxides
> released from artificial fertilizers & what almost
> nobody knows, methane given off by farm animals.
> Right after carbon dioxide (CO2) methane is the most
> destructive greenhouse gas. Ca.30% of all methane in
> the air has its origin in animal husbandry.
>
>
> Lots of people think of veganism as unnatural ,
> because humanity has always been drinking milk . But
> if you have a closer look at it, it doesn't look as
> natural as it seems to be . In the animal kingdom
> milk is nothing else but baby-food that is drunken
> while childhood. After the animal child is weaned
> off drinking mother's milk it will never drink milk
> its whole life, neither from his own species nor
> from another species. Humans are the only creatures
> on earth who continue drinking milk after babyhood
> and moreover it's milk from a different species. To
> assimilate milk , human body needs the enzymes
> rennin and lactase . But both can normally only be
> found in human bodies of children up to three years.
> Furthermore,
=== message truncated ===





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Message: 5
   Date: Fri, 4 Jun 2004 12:11:03 +0530
   From: "Leeladhar" <leedhar@rediffmail.com>
Subject: BABA CONVERTED SHRI BABA SAHEB BHATE A SCEPTIC INTO A DEVOTEE:

15. BABA CONVERTED SHRI BABA SAHEB BHATE A SCEPTIC INTO A DEVOTEE:

Shri Balasaheb Bhate and Shri Nanasaheb Chandor-kar were college friends. Shri Balasaheb Bhate was a sceptic. He first came to Shirdi in 1894. He was a Mamlatdar at SAKORI. A sant by name Bhau Maharaj came to Bhate. The Sant made Keerthan about KABIR and KAMAL. Bhate heard this attentively and patiently with keen interest. Afterwards he came to Shirdi and Baba has made him to stay in Shirdi for six months on leave and has not gone to duty even after six months. His Superior (Personal Assistant to the Revenue Commissioner) came to Shirdi and asked Bhate to rejoin duty. Bhate told him "that he puft down his per once and it has put down for ever. From that time, he left his post of Mamlardar. Kakasaheb Dixit, Nanasaheb Chandorkar and Madhava Rao Dehs-pande (Shama) requested Baba as they were very anxiety about his family after giving up his job. Baba told him to write an application. Bhate filled an applica­tion as he served for 13 years. By the grace of Baba, he got a pension of Rs. 29/- per month without trouble. This shows that a sceptic turned as a Ascetic and a staunch devotee of Baba.

Surrender Shrl Sai Completely \ Stupendous Delectations and Deliverance be there !

Om Sai Sri Sai Jai Jai Sai

( Adopted from AMBROSIA IN SHIRDI by Ramalingaswamy, Life Member of Shri Sai Baba Sansthan, Shirdi at Munja Baba Sthan, Shirdi)


for more literature on Sai Baba please visit www.saileelas.org


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Message: 6
   Date: Fri, 4 Jun 2004 17:43:17 EDT
   From: meggamoma@aol.com
Subject: Re: Why be a vegetarian!!!

In a message dated 6/4/2004 3:53:34 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
venkat_vagga@yahoo.com writes:

dear venkant ji
thankyou for your wonderful e-mail.It has left the option open to every
individual to their discretion.
Allah Mallik
Nicole M





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Message: 7
   Date: Fri, 4 Jun 2004 16:28:36 -0700 (PDT)
   From: Om Sai Ram <shirdibabasaisharan@yahoo.com>
Subject: Weekly Group Prayers


Om Sai Ram Shirdi Sai Baba

Lord Sainath is Ultimate !

 

Dear Sai Bandhus, Sai Brothers and Sai Sisters,

 

We request all our Sai Members to take part in our Weekly Group Prayer for this Sunday at US Time zone 9 am EST - June 6th 2004.

 

If someone would like to do with US Time Zone in India it would be 6:30 pm... Please pray for 15 mintues and do Baba's Naam jaap and keep the members in prayers ..

 

We Thank Baba from the bottom of our hearts for the prayers answered so far .

 

* Thanks from Sai Brother Ankur that Baba has helped his friend's wife to cure the brain tumour without undergoing the surgery..Thanks to Lord Sainath and all our Sai Sharan Group Prayer Team.

 

* Thanks from the little new born boys family - Baba has helped to cure and he is doing well and has been discharged from the hospital. Thanks to Jai Sainath.

 

* Thanks from Sai Brother Mohan for the prayers in his new job are being fulfilled.

 

* Thanks from Sai Sister Mallika ji for the prayers being answered by Baba.

 

* Thanks from Sai Sister Kavitha Sriram for getting her wish fulfilled by Baba.

 

* Thanks from Sai Sister Mrs.Sheetal Arora for the prayers being answered and her husband has got a job.

 

* Thanks from Sai brother Devesh Bhatia for getting his internship and his leg injured was minimized and cured. He wish to thank Baba.

 

Adding on to our Weekly request ..

   Please pray for Sai Sister Hemali Desai. Baba, please bless her to get a suitable match and give her strength to understand and please provide her with lot of blessings.
   Please keep in prayers for Sai Sister JK on her personal as well as on her future life.
   Please pray to Baba for Sai Sister Sheetal Arora to get her Green Card processed fast so that she can visit her parents.
   Please pray for Sai Brother Krishna Murthy to get an increase in his salary.
   Please pray for Sai Sister Indira's Mom's health who is diabetic and also for peace, happiness and understanding in their family.
   Please pray for Sai Sister Samatha's husband to get a good job and that his Visa problem gets solved soon.
   Please pray for Vijendran Rao ji as he's undergoing the eye surgery on June 14th.
   Please pray for Sai Sister Neeru to get a good job soon and also for her friend Madhvi from Hyderabad who has just been diagonised of Autoimmune Hepatitis Liver problem.
   Please pray for the well being of Sai Sister Neeraja's husband , her kids and the entire family. Please pray Baba to grant them good health and mind. Kindly include in the prayers for her parents, in laws , brother and sisters families.
   Please include in the prayers for Sai Sister Kavitha's friend who had three miscarriages in the past and is expecting a baby now. Also pray for one of her other friend's who is expecting the baby too.
   Prayers to one of our Sai devotees to get more peace who is running into lot of mental tensions in their life.
   Please pray for a Sai devotee to recover fast from ill health in North Carolina state..
   Please include in the prayers for Sai Brother Bhasker Reddy's father.
   Please pray for Sai Sister Priya to relieve tension and get more peace on her job front.
   Please pray for Sai Brother Natarajan.
   Please pray for Sai Brother Santosh Rao's mother at Banglore. She is undergoing chemotherapy.
   Please pray for Sai Sister Ashwini's dad's health. He is highly diabetic and high B.P patient.
   For.Sai Sister Suneeta to get a job soon and her son Vicki in San Francisco to get cured quickly and to give her son Vishal a peaceful and happy life for ever.
   For Thana Sister's mom who is very much worried after her dad passed away.
   Please pray for Thanas dad's soul to rest in peace. She is really undergoing lot of turmoils continously one after another. We pray for her sister-in-law to get cured quickly. She is undergoing lot of test and Baba is testing the whole family. Thana sister is undergoing continuos issues for the past two years. Please pray for her.
   For Sai Sister Mrs.Sheetal arora's Brother-in-law who has no job for last one year and for her sister Sapan to get marry fast as her mother is really worried about her. Please pray for her.
   Mr.Agnel who has gone back to India -Student of Rollins college (Orlando) He is requesting to add in our prayer.
   For the health of Abhay ,may Baba bless him with very good health.
   For Vijendranraoji's daughters well being and happy life.
   One of our family friend-Shanmugham's brother has passed away .He is really young and survived by his wife and two kids in Chennai, India.Please pray for his soul to rest in peace and please pray to Baba to give strength for the entire family...
   Please pray for Sai Sister Prema to get marry fast by Baba's grace.
   Please pray to Baba for one of our Sai brothers to relieve tension and get more peace and happiness. May Baba bless and guide him always.


     Please take part, participate and contribute in prayers to Baba and get the Blessings of Lord Sai Nath.

 

                       ! Om Sai Sri Sai Jaya Jaya Sai !

 

 Thanks again,

 

 Sairam Sri

 Sai Seva and Sai Brother

 Servant to Lord Sai nath and Sai Devotees.

                                                 **********



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http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/3757843.stm


'Compassionate capitalism' urged for India

Indian entrepreneur Narayan Murthy, founder of global software giant Infosys, says "compassionate capitalism" is the only solution to poverty in the country.

Narayan Murthy: One of the world's most admired business leaders
Debate is currently raging throughout India over the economic policy of the new government, following a lukewarm media response and stock market jitters.

But Mr Murthy told BBC World Service's The Interview programme that more had to be done to drive entrepreneurial activity.

"We believe that if India has to solve its problem of poverty, we have to embrace capitalism, ensure that jobs are created, and make sure that market-driven policies are accepted," he said.

"However, to do that, the people who are the evangelists of capitalism, must conduct themselves in a manner that will appeal to the masses.

"People must be able to relate to them easily. They must lead a normal life, a simple life, and people must be able to say, 'look, if these jokers can do it, we can do it better'."

Mr Murthy is one of the world's most admired business leaders, who gives much of his company's wealth to charity.

Hard-nosed approach

A growth rate of 7%-8% a year has been targeted by India's Finance Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram.

Mr Murthy said the only way to do this was to encourage a new set of entrepreneurs.

"I believe that is the only hope we have. We have tried socialism and it has not worked. We tried Communism, it didn't work," he said.

I wanted to come back to India and conduct an experiment in creating wealth legally and ethically, and creating jobs, because I thought that was the best way of eliminating poverty

Narayan Murthy, Infosys
"I think this is the only hope we have."

But he warned this would not happen if the approach was too hard-nosed.

He urged "compassionate" capitalism, with an ethical and genuine appeal.

Mr Murthy pays himself less than $50,000 a year, and said his company stresses ethical use of profits, 96% of which come from business outside of India.

He recalled that when India had bordered the old Soviet Union it had been very difficult to establish his company in 1981.

He told of the time when he had travelled to Bulgaria in the 1970s and encountered the Communist system.

It "convinced me very clearly , definitively and once and for all, that that's not the system that I would enjoy being part of", he said.

"I wanted to come back to India and conduct an experiment in creating wealth legally and ethically, and creating jobs, because I thought that was the best way of eliminating poverty. That's how Infosys was born."

Hi-tech game

Infosys develops customised software operations. It was quoted on the Nasdaq exchange in 1999.


Infosys develops software systems for a number of global giants
Mr Murthy said that when he set up the company, it took seven days of approval to travel outside India, and he waited a year to obtain a telephone for his office.

But he said the economic reforms of 1991 had "changed the equation in our favour."

Most importantly, they allowed foreign companies 100% equity in hi-tech companies in India.

"That meant these great multinationals came to India - IBM, Digital, Texas Instruments, Microsoft," he said.

"Once they came to India, we learned a lot of good things from them - human resources policies, the importance of physical infrastructure, technology, a market-driven approach.

"We played the game their way, and we have not looked back since then."

Narayana Murthy

THE Public Warchest
Outlookindia.com - UK
... The truth, however, is that if this reform is implemented wholeheartedly,
it will begin the cleansing of Indian politics that the poor, in particular,
had ...
<http://www.outlookindia.com/full.asp?fodna...n+Prem+(F)&sid=1>;

TWISTS and turns ahead - By Afzaal Mahmood
Hi Pakistan - Lahore,Pakistan
... have been different. How the Indian voter will behave in the next election
is one of the great imponderables of Indian politics.
<http://www.hipakistan.com/en/detail.php?ne...D=&f_type=source>;
See all stories on this topic:
<http://news.google.com/news?ie=utf8&oe=utf...6f_type%3Dsource>;

THE Return Of Page One
Outlookindia.com - UK
... Ever since the first Mrs Gandhi gave the finger to Richard Nixon and
smashed the Pakistani army whilst storming Dhaka, Indian politics has
become a spectator ...
<http://www.outlookindia.com/full.asp?fodna...nion+Kersy&sid=1>;

INDIA News: Kanshi Ram's family to move court for custody
Keralanext - Kerala,India
... A formidable force in Indian politics and the messiah of the underprivileged
masses at one time, Kanshi Ram was said to be bedridden, unable to even
talk ...
<http://www.keralanext.com/news/index.asp?id=38283>;

GROOMING Rahul
Indian Express - New Delhi,India
... ka bhi president hai.'' That last qualification is sure to come
useful when he gets down to managing the LS - the ultimate akhara of
Indian politics. ...
<http://www.indianexpress.com/full_story.php?content_id=48351>;
See all stories on this topic:
<http://news.google.com/news?ie=utf8&oe=utf...ntent_id%3D48351>;

GOOD Politics, Bad Economics
Financial Express - New Delhi,India
These days, the directors of the six Indian Institutes of Management find
themselves busy trying to arrive at a uniform fee ... Clearly, politics
is in command here ...
<http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_st...content_id=60630>;

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Of this being who is in the solar orb, the syllable Bhuh is the head,
for there is one head and there is this one syllable; the word Bhuvah
is the arms, for there are two arms and there are these two syllables;
the word Svah is the legs, for there are two legs and there are these
two syllables. His secret name is Ahar. He who knows this destroys evil
and leaves it behind.

Yajur Veda, Brihadaranyaka Upanishad V, V-In Praise of Satya Brahman, 3


Of this being who is in the right eye, the syllable Bhur is the head,
for there is one head and there is this one syllable; the word Bhuvar
is the arms, for there are two arms and there are these two syllables;
the word Svar is the legs, for there are two legs and there are these
two syllables. His secret name is Aham. He who knows this destroys evil
and leaves it behind.

Yajur Veda, Brihadaranyaka Upanishad V, V-In Praise of Satya Brahman, 4


This being identified with the mind and resplendent by nature is realized
by yogis within the heart as of the size of a grain of rice or barley. He
is the lord of all, the ruler of all and governs all this-whatever
there is.

Yajur Veda, Brihadaranyaka Upanishad V, VI-Meditation on Brahman as the
Mind, 1


They say that lightning is Brahman. It is called lightning (vidyut)
because it scatters (vidanat) darkness. Whosoever knows this-that
lightning is Brahman-scatters the evils that are ranged against him;
for lightning is indeed Brahman.

Yajur Veda, Brihadaranyaka Upanishad V, VII-Meditation on Brahman as
Lightning, 1


One should meditate upon speech (the Vedas) as a cow. She (speech) has
four teats: the sounds Svaha; Vashat, Hanta and Svadha. The gods live
on two of her teats, Svaha and Vashat; men, on Hanta; and the Manes on
Svadha. Her bull is the vital breath (prana) and her calf, the mind.

Yajur Veda, Brihadaranyaka Upanishad V, VIII-Meditation on the Vedas as
a Cow, 1




Forward the Vedas to a friend! To subscribe they may write to
gurudeva-vedas-subscribe@gurudeva.dynip.com
Everyone is welcome.

                                ~~~~~~~~~

To un-subscribe write to
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There are 2 messages in this issue.

Topics in this digest:

      1. sri sai padhuga trust
           From: "saipadam1" <saipadam1@eth.net>
      2. Swami's Quotes on Devotional Singing [Bhajans]
           From: saidevotees_worldnet@yahoo.co.in


________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

Message: 1
   Date: Sat, 5 Jun 2004 17:52:56 +0530
   From: "saipadam1" <saipadam1@eth.net>
Subject: sri sai padhuga trust

Jai Sai Ram
Om Sri Sai Ram

Dear Sai Brother/Sister,

        Trust this will find you and your family in good health coupled with happiness thanks to the showering of the choicest Blessings of our Gracious Bhagawan.

          We are happy to receive the Swamy's message upon Love all concept, which brings forth the philosophy, involved behind the exposition of Love.

          Bhagawan says the highest type of Love see the divine shining in all. This shining never wares. It that is Love does not differentiate men of different faiths nations or classes or castes. Love sees all of them as the very embodiment of divinity.

          Bhagawan preaches to us cultivate Love sow the seeds of Love in all hearts and pour the Love of showers so that the seed of Love grows. Up as a big tree of Love the shedding lovely flowers and luscious fruits leading to the sweet harvest of the nectar of divinity.

Thus the divinity mankind cherish upon the divinity of God by instilling Love showing Love cultivating Love, Love to help others and Love to the Almighty. Bhagawan asks us to start the day with Love end the day with Love to teach the way to God.

          Bhagawan says that there is only one religion the religious of Love. There is only one language the language of the heart. The God is the omnipresent God. Without cultivating Love for others we cannot Love ourselves. Love awakens our soul and blossoms our heart to out pour spoon tenuous Love towards all.

          Bhagawan humorously says that Love is like ice cream it is sweet as ice cream. Love gives joy like ice cream Love is cool as ice cream Love is pure as white ice cream.

Our hearts should be filled with Prema. Then the path to follow the destination becomes clear. Bhagawan says my message to you is to be embodiment of Prema neither hate nor feat any one.

Develop Love towards all share the joy and grief of others through the exercise of Prema. Be happy when others are happy. This is the sinquanon of Love. Love is like sugar. We can mix this Love with any material. But the essence of this sugar of Love is the essence of divinity. Whit out this value of love no other values could be cultivated.

Love should not be qualified on the basis of caste greed economic status or the intellectual obtainment of the recipient of our Love.

Let us follow Bhagawan's quoting upon Love.

 


Thanking You,

                                                  Ever in Sai Padha Seva, P.S.A.S.Srinivasan,
                                                  President.

Kindly note our administration office new phone Nos. 2322574, 2322576, 2330863, Fax no. 0452 - 2322576.

Email ids:
saipadam1@eth.net

(Please give me your Member No in all your correspondences)



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Message: 2
   Date: Sat, 5 Jun 2004 10:24:17 -0700 (PDT)
   From: saidevotees_worldnet@yahoo.co.in
Subject: Swami's Quotes on Devotional Singing [Bhajans]

Om Sri Sai Ram

SWAMI'S QUOTES ON DEVOTIONAL SINGING (BHAJANS)

[Collected from various discourses]

Sing aloud the glory of God and charge the atmosphere with divine adoration.This is why I insist on group singing of the names of the Lord. (SSS, VI, 239)

Devotional singing (Bhajans) is the process of singing that originates in the heart, not from the lips or the tongue. It is the expression of the joyous thrill that wells up from the heart when the Glory of God is remembered. It is the spontaneous manifestation of inner ecstasy. No attention is paid to the blame or praise that others may give. It does not seek the admiration or the appreciation of the listeners. (SSS X, 84)

Devotional singing (Bhajan) is one of the processes by which you can train the mind to expand into eternal values. Teach the mind to revel in the glory and majesty of God; wean it away from petty horizons of pleasure... Devotional singing induces in you a desire for experiencing the truth, to glimpse the beauty that is God, to taste the bliss that is the Self. It encourages man to dive into himself and be genuinely his real Self. (SSS VII, 497-498)

Remember, every song sung in praise of the Lord is a sword that cuts the knots of laziness. It is a fine piece of social service to remind all of their duty to the Almighty, who watches over them. (The Holy Man and the Psychiatrist, by Sam Sandweiss, 134)

People say that when you go to Sai Baba, there is nothing but devotional singing (Bhajan). Realize that there is nothing greater than Bhajan. What bliss is there in Bhajans! What a demonstration of oneness is it when a myriad throats join in uttering the name of God! The vibrations emanating from them make the heart vibrant. If you sing alone in your shrine, the vibrations return to you as a reaction. But in community singing, what you have is not a reaction but a wave of vibrations. They enter into the atmosphere and purify the polluted air. The atmosphere today is polluted by bad thoughts and feelings. When you sing the glory of God, the bad germs in the air are destroyed and the air gets purified by a treatment of anti-biotics, as it were. SS, Jan. 1995, 26)

Those who sing Bhajans get what can be called a 'double promotion', for they derive joy and distribute joy. (SSS X, 101)

God is omnipresent. He is the in-dweller of every heart and all names are His. So you can call Him by any name that gives you joy. You must not cavil at other names and forms, nor become fanatics, blind to their glory. When you sing Bhajan songs, dwell on the meaning of the songs and the message of each name and form of God and roll on your tongue its sweetness. (The Holy Man and the Psychiatrist, by Sam Sandweiss, 134)

Some people ... question the propriety of calling God by means of ... a multiplicity of names. But each name is indicative of only one aspect of Divinity. It denotes a single part of the Supreme Personality ... Every name is but a facet, a part, a ray of the Supreme. The spiritual discipline consists in recognising and becoming aware of the One that supports and sustains the many. That is the precious gem of wisdom that one must secure and treasure. (SSS X, 87)

The procession to the cremation ground starts immediately on birth and the beating of the heart is the drum beat for the march towards that place. Some take a longer route, some reach quickly, but all are on the way. Therefore, devotional singing (Bhajan) has to start in the childhood and has to continue. It must be the constant companion of man, his solace and strength. Do not postpone it to old age, for it is essential food for the mind. (SSS I, 123)

Devotional singing (Bhajan) must become an unbroken stream of bliss on your tongues and in your hearts; it must confer on you the uninterrupted awareness of soham, of the unity of I and He. (SSS IX, 41-42)

The tongue is the post, devotional singing (Bhajan) is the rope; with that rope, you can bring God Almighty near you and tie Him up so that His grace becomes yours. (SSS VII, 52)

Desire and anger are... two enemies. Devotional singing ... is a good disciplinary process by which these two can be kept away. (SSS X, 100)

Take for example, there is a tree. It is full of birds. They make a mess all over. How to get rid of these noisy ones? You should clap loudly. Similarly, in this tree of life, there are birds of desire. The heart therefore becomes dirty. In order to cleanse it, do devotional singing (Bhajans). (Kodaikanal Discourse, April 12, 1996)

Think of devotional singing (Bhajan) as a part of spiritual training to be seriously taken for reducing the attachment to fleeting objects, and purifying and strengthening you, liberating you from the cycle of birth and death and consequent misery. It may appear a frail cure for such a dreadful malady. Nevertheless, it is a panacea. (The Holy Man and the Psychiatrist, by Sam Sandweiss, 132)

Let your whole life be a spiritual song. Believe that God is everywhere at all times, and derive strength, comfort, and joy by singing His glory in His presence. (SSS X, 94)

Have the Bhajans on as many days as possible or at least once a week. Have them in a central place where all can come. (The Holy Man and the Psychiatrist, by Sam Sandweiss, 132)

You cannot insist that in the Bhajans only songs on Sathya Sai should be sung! Fanaticism of that kind I very much dislike and condemn ... You betray your ignorance of the truth when you stick to any one of my names and avoid the rest. (SSS VIII, 75)

Bhajan must spread good-will, love, ecstasy; it must cleanse the polluted atmosphere; it must invite all to share in the joy and peace. The Nagarsankeerthan (congregational singing of Bhajans) must be radiating devotion and love. The Ananda (bliss) I derive from Bhajan I do not derive from anything else. That is the reason I am emphasizing these points. Fill every moment with energy, enthusiasm, and effort. (SSS VIII, 47-48)

Some persons attending Bhajans do not move their lips at all. They may say that they are singing the songs mentally within themselves. This is not proper ... You must sing the names aloud, full-throated, as far as the voice can reach. Only then the Divine will respond in full measure and shower His grace. No one will go to the rescue of a drowning man if his cries are feeble. (SS, 35, April 1992, 70)

Bhajan must be a felt experience. Do not sing with one eye on the effect the song makes on the listeners and the other on the effect it makes on God. (SSS VIII, 60)

Bhajans have to be sung and offered to God in an attitude of utter humility; they are not to be taken as exercises in an exhibition of talents or as competitions for mastery of musical skill. They have to please the Lord, not your fans. (SSS IX, 177)

Bhajans should be sung with complete obliviousness to the body. Devotional fervor is more important than musical skill. (SS, June 1996, 156)

Let your heart pant for God, then the raga (rhythm) and tala (beat) will automatically be pleasant and correct. (SSS VII, 60)

Do not monopolize the time in Bhajans by singing one song for six or ten minutes, repeating the same line often. Repeat each line twice and no more. Have only two speeds; one slow and the other, fast. In this way you can have in one hour of Bhajan, more songs on more forms, more tunes and more variety, giving more people a chance. (SSS VII, 438)

Let those with a good voice and musical talent lead; the keertan (singing the name of God) must be pleasant, it should not jar on the ear. If your voice is grating or out of tune, do not disturb the melody, but, repeat the namavali (song reciting the name of God) in your mind. (SSS VII, 177-178)

Have Bhajans as simple as you can and without competitive pomp or show; reduce expenses to a minimum, for God cares for the inner yearning and not the outer trappings. Even this small unavoidable expenditure must be silently shared, spontaneously... not collected by means of a plate ... or a subscription or donation list. (SSS VI, 220)

Devotional singing (Bhajan) is one of the processes by which you can train the mind to expand into eternal values. Teach the mind to revel in the glory and majesty of God; wean it away from petty horizons of pleasure... Devotional singing induces in you a desire for experiencing the truth, to glimpse the beauty that is God, to taste the bliss that is the Self. It encourages man to dive into himself and be genuinely his real Self. (SSS VII, 497-498)

Devotional singing (Bhajan) is a spiritual practice (Sadhana) for all who share in it. (Sai Bhajana Mala, 30)

When all the participants in a Bhajan sing in unison, what sacred vibrations are produced and what Divine energies are released! When these vibrations fill the world, what changes cannot they bring about! When one sings alone, the heart is merged in the song. But when many sing together, it acquires a Divine power. (Sai Bhajana Mala, 30)

In this busy age of fear and anxiety, the remembrance of God and repetition of His name is the one means of liberation that is accessible to all. (Sai Bhajana Mala, 30)

Any devotional song, in any language can be sung as long as all can follow. (Sai Bhajana Mala, 29)

Sing familiar Bhajans, so that all can share in Ananda (bliss). (Sai Bhajana Mala, 29)

When you sing Bhajans, dwell on the meaning of the song and the message of each name and form of God. (Sai Bhajana Mala, 30)

Bhajan has to be a thrilling experience, which must leave the participants full of pure energy and elevated enthusiasm. (Sai Bhajana Mala, 29)

Together with melody and rhythm, you have to impart feeling to your singing to make the Bhajan a sacred offering to the Divine. A tune without feeling is an infliction. Giving up conceit and exhibitionism, you must sing the Bhajans in a spirit of humility and devotion. That is the right way to perform Bhajans. (Sai Bhajana Mala, 30)

Pay attention to the tune, the meaning, the variety, the voice, the raga (rhythm), the tala (beat), and other fine points of the Bhajans. (Sai Bhajana Mala, 30)

If your voice is not pleasant or sweet, keep quiet; that is the best service you can do. (Sai Bhajana Mala, 31)

Do not cause discontent or disharmony, insisting on singing because you are an office-bearer. (Sai Bhajana Mala, 31)

After Bhajans... there should be meditation for five to ten minutes. (Sai Bhajana Mala, 31)

People should return from Bhajan carrying the elevated, uplifted and sublime mood created by the atmosphere at the Bhajan. Therefore, after the Bhajan people should disperse quietly, maintaining silence. Then the joy and peace derived at the Bhajan will linger and abide in the heart. (Sai Bhajana Mala, 31)



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There are 3 messages in this issue.

Topics in this digest:

      1. NYT on Who Tests Voting Machines?
           From: "vrnparker" <vrnparker@yahoo.com>
      2. Tantras
           From: Bhattathiri <mulavana@asianetindia.com>
      3. VHP for `dharmic councils'
           From: "krk4568" <krk4568@yahoo.com>


________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

Message: 1
   Date: Sat, 05 Jun 2004 08:50:07 -0000
   From: "vrnparker" <vrnparker@yahoo.com>
Subject: NYT on Who Tests Voting Machines?

--- In indicjournalists@yahoogroups.com, Vaidyanathan R
<vaidya@i...> wrote:
MAKING VOTES COUNT
NYT on Who Tests Voting Machines?
Who Tests Voting Machines?

NYT
Published: May 30, 2004
Whenever questions are raised about the reliability of electronic
voting
machines, election officials have a ready response: independent
testing.
There is nothing to worry about, they insist, because the software
has been
painstakingly reviewed by independent testing authorities to make
sure it is
accurate and honest, and then certified by state election officials.
But
this process is riddled with problems, including conflicts of
interest and a
disturbing lack of transparency. Voters should demand reform, and
they
should also keep demanding, as a growing number of Americans are, a
voter-verified paper record of their vote.
Experts have been warning that electronic voting in its current form
cannot
be trusted. There is a real danger that elections could be stolen by
nefarious computer code, or that accidental errors could change an
election's outcome. But state officials invariably say that the
machines are
tested by federally selected laboratories. The League of Women
Voters, in a
paper dismissing calls for voter-verified paper trails, puts its
faith in
"the certification and standards process."
But there is, to begin with, a stunning lack of transparency
surrounding
this process. Voters have a right to know how voting machine testing
is
done. Testing companies disagree, routinely denying government
officials and
the public basic information. Kevin Shelley, the California
secretary of
state, could not get two companies testing his state'########## to
answer
even basic questions. One of them, Wyle Laboratories, refused to
tell us
anything about how it tests, or about its testers' credentials. "We
don't
discuss our voting machine work," said Dan Reeder, a Wyle spokesman.
Although they are called independent, these labs are selected and
paid by
the voting machine companies, not by the government. They can come
under
enormous pressure to do reviews quickly, and not to find problems,
which
slow things down and create additional costs. Brian Phillips,
president of
SysTest Labs, one of three companies that review voting machines,
conceded,
"There's going to be the risk of a conflict of interest when you are
being
paid by the vendor that you are qualifying product for."
It is difficult to determine what, precisely, the labs do. To ensure
there
are no flaws in the software, every line should be scrutinized, but
it is
hard to believe this is being done for voting software, which can
contain
more than a million lines. Dr. David Dill, a professor of computer
science
at Stanford University, calls it "basically an impossible task," and
doubts
it is occurring. In any case, he says, "there is no technology that
can find
all of the bugs and malicious things in software."
The testing authorities are currently working off 2002 standards that
computer experts say are inadequate. One glaring flaw, notes Rebecca
Mercuri, a Harvard-affiliated computer scientist, is that the
standards do
not require examination of any commercial, off-the-shelf software
used in
voting machines, even though it can contain flaws that put the
integrity of
the whole system in doubt. A study of Maryland's voting machines
earlier
this year found that they used Microsoft software that lacked
critical
security updates, including one to stop remote attackers from taking
over
the machine.
If so-called independent testing were as effective as its supporters
claim,
the certified software should work flawlessly. But there have been
disturbing malfunctions. Software that will be used in Miami-Dade
County,
Fla., this year was found to have a troubling error: when it
performed an
audit of all of the votes cast, it failed to correctly match voting
machines
to their corresponding vote totals.
If independent testing were taken seriously, there would be an
absolute bar
on using untested and uncertified software. But when it is expedient,
manufacturers and election officials toss aside the rules without
telling
the voters. In California, a state audit found that voters in 17
counties
cast votes last fall on machines with uncertified software. When
Georgia's
new voting machines were not working weeks before the 2002 election,
uncertified software that was not approved by any laboratory was
added to
every machine in the state.
The system requires a complete overhaul. The Election Assistance
Commission,
a newly created federal body, has begun a review, but it has been
slow to
start, and it is hamstrung by inadequate finances. The commission
should
move rapidly to require a system that includes:
Truly independent laboratories. Government, not the voting machine
companies, must pay for the testing and oversee it.
Transparency. Voters should be told how testing is being done, and
the
testers' qualifications.
Rigorous standards. These should spell out in detail how software and
hardware are to be tested, and fix deficiencies computer experts
have found.
Tough penalties for violations. Voting machine companies and election
officials who try to pass off uncertified software and hardware as
certified
should face civil and criminal penalties.
Mandatory backups. Since it is extremely difficult to know that
electronic
voting machines will be certified and functional on Election Day,
election
officials should be required to have a nonelectronic system
available for
use.
None of these are substitutes for the best protection of all: a
voter-verified paper record, either a printed receipt that voters
can see
(but not take with them) for touch-screen machines, or the ballot
itself for
optical scan machines. These create a hard record of people's votes
that can
be compared to the machine totals to make sure the counts are
honest. It is
unlikely testing and certification will ever be a complete answer to
concerns about electronic voting, but they certainly are not now.
 
------------------------------------


 
 
 
 


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
--- End forwarded message ---




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Message: 2
   Date: Sat, 05 Jun 2004 09:44:27 +0530
   From: Bhattathiri <mulavana@asianetindia.com>
Subject: Tantras

Tantras


Started during Vedic age, Tantras consists of cosmology, erotic exercises etc. Tantra is very important and very vast. Sanskrit word Tantras means to expand. Tantrism researched into Astronomy, Astrology, Palmistry, Cosmology. Chakras and Kundalini power etc are the contributions of Tantras to the world. Of course Tantras also states salvation through sex. In any other religion scriptures like Tantra literature will not be tolerated. In Christianity, the first person William Tyndall who translated Holy Bible into English was mercilessly burnt at stake, and copies of his Bible burnt, since church did not like his version of the Holy Bible! That is why I take my hats off to Hinduism.

Charvaka - Hindu Materialism

Just like Tantras, Hinduism tolerated Chrvaka philosophy. Its founder was Charvaka. The most important book was Brihaspati Sutra. I am stating things in past tense since I am not aware if copies of this book are available in India. According to Charvaka, "Material world alone exists and our knowledge comes from sense perception". This philosophy openly propagated that there is no God, the Law of Karma has no basis and that the Vedas were written by clowns. It adds " Enjoy life while you can, for once cremated, you will never return to earth." There are still a lot more scriptures in Hinduism. I should say that there are more than 1000 scriptures in Hinduism.......We will now start discussing about each individual scripture....


[This message contained attachments]



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Message: 3
   Date: Sat, 05 Jun 2004 14:11:26 -0000
   From: "krk4568" <krk4568@yahoo.com>
Subject: VHP for `dharmic councils'

VHP for `dharmic councils'

By Our Staff Reporter

NELLORE, JUNE 4. The all-India secretary of the Viswa Hindu Parishad
(VHP), G.Raghavulu, has demanded constitution of autonomous
`dharmic councils' to ensure spending of income belonging to Hindu
religious institutions only for a specific purpose.

He told reporters here on Friday that it was unfortunate that the
income of the Tirumala Tirumala Devasthanam (TTD) was being spent on
what he described as other purposes. He wanted the proposed `dharmic
councils' to be modelled on Wakf Boards and Christian religious
committees to ensure that the income was spent on the promotion of a
specific cause.

Mr. Raghavulu said the VHP had been taking special steps to provide
education, health and other ethical values for 40 crore people, who
live on the edge of poverty and insecurity.

He said 12,000 single-teacher schools were set up all over the
country by recruiting locals and imparting them with necessary
training. In Andhra Pradesh, there were 730 such schools and it was
being planned to take their number to one lakh within the
next three years.

Mr. Raghavulu said the VHP had constituted `protective committees'
(surakasha samitis) by imparting training in culture, service
and imbibing a spirit of security among countrymen.

The VHP functionary expressed concern over religious conversion and
claimed that more than eight lakh Hindus were being converted
annually all over the country.

He said funds to a tune of Rs. 18,000 crores were pouring into the
country from abroad for religious purposes, without any
accountability.

http://www.hindu.com/2004/06/05/stories/2004060505040300.htm



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One young man went for an IAS Interview.

"When did India get independence?" He was asked.

"The efforts began many years earlier and final result
was in 1947" He replied.

"Who was responsible for our independence?".

"There were so many. Whom to mention?. If I name one
it will be a injustice to another. " he replied."

Is corruption the number one enemy in our country?".

"Some research is going on the subject and I can
answer with certainty only after seeing the report" He
replied.

The interview board was very pleased with his
original and thoughtful answers and asked him not to
reveal the questions to others, since they were
planning to ask the same questions. When he went out
naturally others were curious to know what was asked.
He politely declined, but one persistent Sardar would
not leave him.

"At least tell me the answers" he pleaded, and our
friend obliged.

Then it was the turn of this Sardar. When he went
inside, since his resume was slightly illegible, the
board member asked him."By the way, what is your date
of birth?" He replied,

"The effort began many years earlier and final result
was in 1947."

Somewhat puzzled, they asked another clarification.

"What is your fathers name?" He replied, "There were
so many. whom to mention. If I name one it will be
injustice to another."

The interviewer was incensed. "Hey! are you mad or
what?"

He replied. "Some research is going on the subject. I
can answer with certainty only after seeing the
report."

Regards
 
K.B.Balmurali
 




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Determination and Persistence ...
In 1883, a creative engineer named John Roebling was inspired by an idea to build a spectacular bridge connecting New York with the Long Island. However bridge building experts throughout the world thought that this was an impossible feat and told Roebling to forget the idea. It just could not be done.It was not practical. It had never been done before.

Roebling could not ignore the vision he had in his mind of this bridge. He thought about it all the time and he knew deep in his heart that it could be done. He just had to share the dream with someone else. After much discussion and persuasion he managed to convince his son Washington, an up and coming engineer, that the bridge in fact could be built.

Working together for the first time, the father and son developed concepts of how it could be accomplished and how the obstacles could be overcome. With great excitement and inspiration, and the headiness of a wild challenge before them, they hired their crew and began to build their dream bridge.

The project started well, but when it was only a few months underway a tragic accident on the site took the life of John Roebling.Washington was injured and left with a certain amount of brain damage, whichresulted in him not being able to walk or talk or even move.

    "We told them so."
    "Crazy men and their crazy dreams."
    "It`s foolish to chase wild visions."

Everyone had a negative comment to make and felt that the project should be scrapped since the Roeblings were the only ones who knew how the bridge could be built. In spite of his handicap Washington was never discouraged and still had a burning desire to complete the bridge and his mind was still as sharp as ever. He tried to inspire and pass on his enthusiasm to some of his friends, but they were too daunted by the task. As he lay on his bed in his hospital room, with the sunlight streaming through the windows, a gentle breeze blew the flimsy white curtains apart and he was able to see the sky and the tops of the trees outside for just a moment.
                                                  
It seemed that there was a message for him not to give up. Suddenly an idea hit him. All he could do was move one finger and he decided to make the best use of it. By moving this, he slowly developed a code of communication with his wife. He touched his wife's arm with that finger, indicating to her that he wanted her to call the engineers again. Then he used the same method of tapping her arm to tell the engineers what to do. It seemed foolish but the project was under way again.
                                                  
For 13 years Washington tapped out his instructions with his finger on his wife's arm, until the bridge was finally completed.

Today the spectacular Brooklyn Bridge stands in all its glory as a tribute to the triumph of one man's indomitable spirit and his determination not to be defeated by circumstances. It is also a tribute to the engineers and their team work, and to their faith in a man who was considered mad by half the world. It stands too as a tangible monument to the love and devotion of his wife who for 13 long years patiently decoded the messages of her husband and told the engineers what to do.
                                                  
Perhaps this is one of the best examples of a never-say-die attitude that overcomes a terrible physical handicap and achieves an impossible goal.
                                                  
Often when we face obstacles in our day-to-day life, our hurdles seem very small in comparison to what many others have to face. The Brooklyn Bridge shows us that dreams that seem impossible can be realised with determination and persistence, no matter what the odds are.



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A Beautiful World
 
 
It’s a beautiful world
Where smiles dry tears,
Where kindness rules the rude
Of which every part is a paradise;
Where peace reigns over bloodshed
Where the only religion is love.
That’s a beautiful world,
But pity that the world I live in is not

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There are 3 messages in this issue.

Topics in this digest:

      1. AMMA SAYS - STORIES & JOKES
           From: "chembalacnair" <chembalacnair@yahoo.com>
      2. What is a / (Mother's) Sankalpa ?
           From: "Rick" <rickiesharma@hotmail.com>
      3. What is a / (Mother's) Sankalpa ?
           From: "Rick" <rickiesharma@hotmail.com>


________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

Message: 1
   Date: Sat, 05 Jun 2004 02:25:40 -0000
   From: "chembalacnair" <chembalacnair@yahoo.com>
Subject: AMMA SAYS - STORIES & JOKES

OM AMRITESWARYAI NAMAH

AMMA SAYS - STORY

Running Away from Death

There once was a king who wanted to know when he would die. He
summoned an eminent astrologer who could predict the future. In
studying the king's horoscope, he found that the king was going to
die that very evening at dust. One can easily imagine the great
dismay of the king when he heard this, for naturally he did not want
to die. He wondered how he could escape death. Now, this is not
surprising. Who wouldn't try to save his life if it were threatened
or if he learned that he were to die at a particular time? The king
acted quickly. He immediately summoned all the great scholars in his
land and ordered them to find a way to overcome death.

The scholars convened and began discussing and disputing. They
searched many different scriptural texts to find a way to save the
king's life. When one learned being suggested something - a way, a
ritual or a mantra - another scholar would refute it and recommend
another method. Thus it went on and on without reaching any
conclusion. Afternoon fell and still no conclusion had been reached.
The king became very restless. He yelled at the scholars, 'Hurry up,
hurry up! Quick! It is getting late.' But the scholars, as usual,
were caught up in the words of the scriptures. They could not move
beyond the rhetoric and their dispute. Finally a wise elderly man of
the court whispered to the king, 'Sir, do not rely on these people.
They will not find a solution. If you want to save your life, take
the fastest horse you have and go as far as you can away from the
palace before dusk falls. Don't waste any time. Start right now. Go!'

To the desperate king this sounded like a good idea. Soon he was
flying on the best horse from the royal stables. Before dusk fell he
had travelled hundreds of miles away from the palace. Exhausted, the
king wanted to rest, so he dismounted and lay down under a tree.
Lying there on his back, he began thinking about the events of the
day and was feeling happy that he had tricked death by leaving the
court before nightfall. Since he felt safe, he glided into sleep.
Soon dusk fell and all of a sudden, death jumped out from nowhere.
Its thirsty eyes fell on the king as it declared victoriously, 'I
knew you would come here. I have been waiting for you here by this
tree. I was beginning to get worried, thinking that you would not
make it in time. Anyhow, you got here just in time. Thank you.' In
no time the helpless king was in the grip of death.

"My Children, death always follows us like a shadow. Knowing and
understanding the inevitability of death, one should strive hard to
realize the eternal truth before the body falls off. Nobody knows
when death will come. Nobody can predict it."
::
AMMA SHARANAM




________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

Message: 2
   Date: Sat, 05 Jun 2004 19:56:26 -0000
   From: "Rick" <rickiesharma@hotmail.com>
Subject: What is a / (Mother's) Sankalpa ?


Hi,

I am just wondering if anyone can explain the word Sankalpa, i have a
rough idea of what it means and is, but i don't know exactly. I am
31, and single and have been so for a long time, and on my last year
when I visited Mother in Holland i was told that She would help me,
later I asked again and was told that Mother was going to make a
Sankalpha for me so that i would be successful in finding a
girlfriend. I recently asked Swami Ramakrishaji about it again as 6
months past and i am still single, and he said he would ask Mother to
bless me when I see her in San Ramon in June this year.

So i am wondering what a Sankalpha is exactly and how long i might
have to wait for it to come into effect ? Until then....i think its
going to be a long unhappy, lonely time for me !

Thanks,

Rick





________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

Message: 3
   Date: Sat, 05 Jun 2004 19:58:29 -0000
   From: "Rick" <rickiesharma@hotmail.com>
Subject: What is a / (Mother's) Sankalpa ?

Hi,

I am just wondering if anyone can explain the word Sankalpa, i have a
rough idea of what it means and is, but i don't know exactly. I am
31, and single and have been so for a long time, and on my last visit
to see Mother last year in Holland i was told that She would help me,
later I asked again and was told that Mother was going to make a
Sankalpha for me so that i would be successful in finding a
girlfriend. I recently asked Swami Ramakrishaji about it again as 6
months past and i am still single, and he said recently he would ask
Mother to bless me when I see her in San Ramon in June this year.

So i am wondering what a Sankalpha is exactly and how long i might
have to wait for it to come into effect ? Until then....i think its
going to be a long unhappy, lonely time for me !

Thanks,

Rick





________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________


Aum Amriteswarayai Namaha!
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“It’s a girl” squealed Rani in excitement when her sister delivered her first baby. “ You don’t know how hard I’ve prayed for this” she said, “ boys are so boring.” Girls are such fun, isn’t it? With those adorable lace frocks, tiny pigtails and dolls that are dearer than their lives. A whiff of fresh air, the fragrance of a million roses, what parallels can you draw? I think it isn’t possible to describe the feeling but I can certainly tell you it is wonderful to be a woman.
Now, I don’t mean to take off on a feminist lecture here. I am just briefly exploring the positives and the pleasures of being a woman. Agreed, it is still a man’s world in many ways and women continue to bear the brunt of it. But I do not mean to discuss that at the moment. The average Indian woman has a wheel below her feet; she has a million jobs to do at just about the same time. She needs to work to keep her self mentally and financially sound and at the same time needs to devote quality time to her family and home. That makes her a brilliant juggler. So, where is the time for her? I rarely hear that a woman has taken off on a vacation on her own. It still sounds bizarre in our society.

But yet I feel there are some things only women get to do. Like loads of make-up. You have such a variety to choose from. Nail paints, lipsticks, eyeliners to much more. So much variety in clothes. Ranging from a sari to a bikini, just pick and choose. That’s why there is so much to shop when you are a woman. The biggest gift however is that of motherhood. (Minus the labor pains of course). The power to create life within life. I know it’s not single-handed magic, but she gets to experience it more than he does. She gets to connect with her baby instantly. And not to miss all the juicy gossip.
Men gossip too. But they can’t keep pace with us women.

Women are said to be suckers for emotions. But what is life without them? Whether it is the tears or endless giggles. A woman is never afraid to express them and I think that therefore she is more open in a way. A woman has been described in many ways, more often as a goddess or a mystery.

There are many cribs that every woman has. After all, no one’s life is perfect. But everyone gathers the courage to handle things that come their way, don’t they?
No matter what the odds are, I feel it is a great feeling to be a woman because of the sheer strength and magnanimity of the gender. Now, I don’t need to explain that because every woman who’s reading this will know.
Enjoy woman hood. It’s a wonderful gift.

P2P Potential to Perform. Perform to Potential
Unleash The Unlimited In You

Chinmaya Yuva Kendra (CHYK-Mumbai) the global youth wing of Chinmaya Mission is
organizing a 6 days residential workshop on Personality Enrichment Programme
to unleash the genius in you by making you aware of your potential and perform to perfection.

Programme Highlights:

Physical Fitness,
Emotional maturity,
Intellectual alertness,
Spiritual Strength,
Yoga,
Meditation,
Mantra-Power,
Workshops,
Group Discussions,
Debates
& more...

P2P will not only make you aware of your potential 2 perform,
but also equips you to perform 2 potential through time-tested techniques.
It will be an amazing exploration into the potentials of the 4 layers
of our personality resulting in a metamorphosis of the personality.

Date: 20th - 26th June 2004
Venue: Sandeepany Sadhanalaya, Powai
               opp Hotel Renaissance
For Further Assistance Contact: 22814646/ 22884646
 

Please note: Pass this on to someone whom you know is looking for SUCCESS
 




Hari Om



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There are 2 messages in this issue.

Topics in this digest:

      1. Re: Church
           From: "Bruce Benefield" <brucebenefield@bellsouth.net>
      2. Re: Can someone explain the 'Trinity' to me please?
           From: "Bruce Benefield" <brucebenefield@bellsouth.net>


________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

Message: 1
   Date: Thu, 3 Jun 2004 21:18:18 -0500
   From: "Bruce Benefield" <brucebenefield@bellsouth.net>
Subject: Re: Church

The 'problem' with most religions is the miss-guided people in various stages of social power who would use said 'religion' as a weapon, or wanton tool, with which to deceive and control the minds of mankind. 'Religion', itself, is neither good, nor evil, actually...only God is good!

(Bruce Benefield)
  ----- Original Message -----
  From: Bhattathiri
  To: jesus-christ@yahoogroups.com
  Sent: Wednesday, June 02, 2004 10:07 PM
  Subject: [ Jesus ] Church


  It is almost impossible for the modern mind to comprehend some of the actions of the early Companions. When the Caliph 'Umar heard that a church had been demolished by a group of Muslims in the distant Syrian mountains and a mosque erected in its stead, he grew angry and issued an order for the demolition of the mosque, and commanded the renegade tribesmen responsible to rebuild the church with their own hands. The Christian clergy wrote in astonishment of the new spirit of brotherhood which filled the East after the retreat of the Byzantines, who were long resented for their extortionate taxes and religious intolerance towards the Monophysite and Arian churches. The Muslim world became a place of refuge for all manner of religious dissent in Europe: Arians, Cathars, Jews. In the same vein, that the Mongol/Tartar invaders of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries ended up adopting the religion of the conquered, attests to the natural appeal and strength of Islam.
  http://www.salaam.co.uk/themeofthemonth/june02_index.php?l=3


  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/jesus-christ/messages
  http://a1.nu/christian/


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[This message contained attachments]



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Message: 2
   Date: Thu, 3 Jun 2004 21:15:31 -0500
   From: "Bruce Benefield" <brucebenefield@bellsouth.net>
Subject: Re: Can someone explain the 'Trinity' to me please?

The purest explaination...and arguably the simplist one of all time...issued
out of the mouth of The Master Teacher, Himself, Jesus of Nazareth, when He
said:

--"I and my Father are One...I am in The Father, and The Father is in
Me...and The Father in Me is also in You...our Heavenly Father, which must
be worshiped in Spirit, and in Truth".--

In terms of an explaination of the true "I-Am" (or, "The-Trinity-of-One"),
my dear brother, could you need more than this?

(Bruce Benefield)


----- Original Message -----
From: "boytonstu" <stu@aaronj.com>
To: <jesus-christ@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Thursday, June 03, 2004 4:51 PM
Subject: [ Jesus ] Can someone explain the 'Trinity' to me please?


> Is God = Jesus = Lord?
>
> Are all the terms interchangeable?
>
> Is God = Trinity?
>
> Does Trinity = Father + Son + Holy Ghost?
>
> Is one part (1/3) of the Trinity always in agreement with the other
> two parts?
>
> I have always wanted someone to explain all of this to me.
>
>
> Please give me your references if possible.
>
>
> BoytonStu
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/jesus-christ/messages
> http://a1.nu/christian/
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>
>
>




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Title: The Spiritual dimension of life
...on flight announcement,"I have good news and bad news. The good news is that we are going very fast and the bad news is that we don't know where we are going!"

Title: Made Just For You
...Surveying the available evidence, George Smoot, Professor at the University of California at Berkely, states in unambiguous terms,"It's like looking at God".

Title: Made For Each Other
...Thus modern science is slowly and painfully rediscovering what all the religious scriptures have been teaching since time immemorial: the living being and God are made for each other.

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There is 1 message in this issue.

Topics in this digest:

      1. Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.9.2 Los Angeles, May 16, 1973 Social System Created By God
           From: "omd01788@wvnet" <omd01788@wvnet.edu>


________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

Message: 1
   Date: Sat, 5 Jun 2004 00:07:23 -0400
   From: "omd01788@wvnet" <omd01788@wvnet.edu>
Subject: Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.9.2 Los Angeles, May 16, 1973 Social System Created By God

text-204
      "Social System Created By God"
      Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.9.2
      Los Angeles, May 16, 1973

      listen


--------------------------------------------------------------------------


      Pradyumna: Translation: "At that time all his brothers followed him on beautiful chariots drawn by first-class horses decorated with gold ornaments. With them were Vyasa and rsis like Dhaumya, the learned priest of the Pandavas, and others."

      Prabhupada: So one very important word is here: sadasvaih svarna-bhusitaih. Formerly the horses were used in military division. Horses, chariot, elephants and then infantry. So not one or two, but one division of military phalanx required sixty thousand horses. Aksauhini. So many horses, so many elephants, so many chariot, and so many infantry soldiers -- that will compose one division of soldiers. So "so many" means the, I exactly remember now, sixty thousand horses. So all the horses, when they are required for procession or for going to the fight, were well-decorated with golden ornaments, svarna-bhusitaih. So just imagine the, all the saddles of the horse, if they are golden ornamented, how many ounces you will require to decorate the horse. And what is the price of gold now?

      Danavir: One hundred and twenty-eight dollars an ounce.

      Prabhupada: Just see, at least fifty ounce will be required to decorate one horse. And one ounce is $120. So what is the price of fifty ounce?

      Devotees: Five thousand dollars.

      Prabhupada: Such sixty-thousand horses, how much it comes? (laughter) Where is that gold? They are very much proud, advancement of material civilization, but instead of gold, we find plastic. (laughter) And the nonsense, they are very much proud of their wealth. Just see. Even they cannot decorate their wives. And woman, they require also ornament. It is psychology. Manu-samhita, it has been recommended that "If you want to keep satisfied your wife, then you must give her good food, good sari and good ornament." This is the system. Therefore during marriage time, the girl is given by the father according to his means, as many saris, nice saris, beautiful costly saris, and as much as possible, golden ornaments. And those who are very rich, they, still in India, they give jewelries, means diamonds, pearls, sapphire, according to means. Those who are richer class, they don't touch gold. They must give jewelry. This is the system.

      So this is the opulence. So much gold. When the Kuruksetra Battle was finished, so the treasury was also finished. The treasury of the Pandavas, that was also finished. Because war means expenditure. So many hundred thousands of pounds and dollars required daily to finance the running on of the war. So Yudhisthira Maharaja wanted to... (aside:) You have got that handkerchief?

      Pradyumna: No.

      Prabhupada: Never mind. ...wanted to perform sacrifice. So sacrifice means he requires money, so much grains, so many ornaments, so much gold and ghee, everything required. To perform sacrifice is not ordinary thing. Millions and millions of dollars required. In the Kali-yuga, because people cannot collect such costly things... Suppose ghee. Tons of ghee was being offered to the fire. Where is that tons of ghee? Not available. Then all utensils made of gold. The altar made of gold. Where is that gold? Therefore the, not many days before, five thousand years, the Indian history, or this world history... Now it is called India, but this whole world is Bharata-varsa.

      So Yudhisthira Maharaja asked his brother Dhananjaya, Arjuna, "So bring some money from somewhere. Otherwise how we can perform the sacrifices? We have finished all our treasury." So Arjuna was little perplexed. The elder brother was king, and the younger brothers, they were commanders. So Krsna saw that His friend was little perturbed. So He immediately gave information. This is God, sarva-jna. He knows where to find out. He gave him information that formerly, one king, by the grace of Lord Siva, he got information of a big gold mine, or gold mine mountain. So that king used to manufacture so many things of gold. Especially in sacrifice he used to give immense dishes made of gold to the brahmanas. So at that time, the brahmanas were also not very greedy. So the king, during the sacrifice, gave them unlimited number of dishes of gold, made of gold. So they accepted it, but when they came out of the sacrificial arena, they thought, "Who is going to carry so much load? Throw it." Just see. This is opulence. As nowadays it is our system that the plate on which you eat, that should be thrown away... Formerly, people used to eat on golden plate, at least, the royal family, and after eating they used to throw away. Not for the second use. Just like India still, it is observed, earthen plate used, as here in your country, paper plate, in India, earthen plate -- once used, then it is thrown away. It cannot be used second time. Therefore in rigid Hindu family, they don't use these china clay plates. They don't use. Because it is made of earth. So when it is earthen pot, as soon as you eat, it becomes contaminated. It must be thrown away. You cannot use for the second time. That was...

      So this system was formerly even for golden plates. Once used, then it cannot be used second time. It is thrown away. And "thrown away" means some poor man will collect. So there was no question of poverty. The rich men, they eat once and throw away. Their servants or other poor man... Just like these brahmanas, they threw away all these golden plates. Brahmanas were not required golden plate, but they were given in charity: "Brahmanas, you take." They accepted, but they thought it that "It is a load. Why should I carry? Throw it." So there were heaps of golden plate lying near Himalayan mountain. So Krsna was given information, er, Arjuna was given information by Krsna that "You go there and collect those golden plates. Then your purpose will be served." So Arjuna went there and collected and brought it to his brother, Maharaja Yudhisthira, for converting them into money for spending in the sacrifice. So this was the system. Therefore Arjuna's another name is Dhananjaya. Dhananjaya means "one who can conquer over riches." His brother was in need of money, and he brought money. Therefore, from that day, his name was Dhananjaya, "one can conquer over riches."

      So actually, human opulence means not these tin cars. Once it is dashed with another car, it is finished, no value. Human opulence means the society must have enough gold, enough jewelry, enough silk, enough grains, enough milk, enough vegetables, like that. That is opulent. That is opulence. Formerly a person was considered rich by two things: dhanyena dhanavan. How much grain stock he has got at his home. A big, big barn, filled with grains. Still in India, if I am going to give my daughter to some family, to see the family's opulence, I go to see the house, and if I see there are many, many barns' stock of grains and many cows, then it is very good. It is opulent. Dhanyena dhanavan, gavyam dhanavan. A man is considered to be rich when he has got enough quantity of grains, enough quantity of, I mean to say, number, enough number of cows. Just like Maharaja, Nanda Maharaja, the foster father of Krsna. He was keeping 900,000 cows. And He was rich man. He was maharaja, king. But see the behavior. His beloved son, Krsna and Balarama, he has entrusted to take care of the calves or cows: "Go in the forest." He is well dressed with ornament, and nice dress, everything. All the cowherds boys, they are very rich. They have got enough grains and enough milk. Naturally they will be rich. But not that the cows and the calves will be taken care of by some hired servant. No. They would take care himself.

      That was children's sport, to go to the forest, take the calves and cows and carry some tiffin. Eat there, dance there, play there, and again come in the evening. Then they will take bath and change their dress and take their meals and immediately go to sleep. This was the boy's, children's, engagement. So how they would grow healthy because they go outside and play and work and very happily, they enjoy the company. So there is no question of becoming contaminated. Yamuna-tira-vana-cari. Yamuna-tira, on the bank of the Yamuna... Just like we go to the seaside, the beach, similarly, there is bank of Yamuna, very nice river, and there are trees. So these boys, Krsna and His friends, with their cows they will go and loiter on the bank of the Yamuna and sport and frivolities, everything, so nicely. So there was no question of education at that time. After the child is grown up, healthy, nice, then he goes to school. Otherwise first of all eat sumptuously milk, butter and yogurt, and play sufficiently in open air with friends, take care of the cows. This is labor. But it is sporting, very nice. So these things were taught by Krsna Himself, although He was the son of king. Then when He was also grown-up, His real father took Him charge, Vasudeva. Then He was... As ksatriya... He belonged to the ksatriya family. All other education was given, how to fight, how to rule, everything.

      So this ksatriya, this Maharaja Yudhisthira, they also ksatriyas. So when they were going to see Bhismadeva, they were going there in royal style, with chariots, with horse, and decorated with golden ornaments and the brahmanas, Vyasadeva and other. All the ksatriyas, kings, would be always accompanied by hoards of brahmanas. As soon as they required any instruction, immediately consult the brahmanas, and they gave good advice: "Do like this." This is the business of the brahmana. And the kings, they would not do anything without consulting. Don't think that because there was monarchy, they were all autocrat. No. If the brahmanas would not agree, then they won't do. The brahmana's community, all saintly persons and learned scholars, brahmanas... There was a committee, and the king would take their advice how to manipulate the political affairs or administration, and they would consult standard books. Just like nowadays the rascals, every day they are changing some law. Somebody told me, where? In Africa, every week there is change of the cabinet, every week. Means so full of rascals. So one rascal will fight with another rascal. So there is no stability of government. All these rascals, politicians, they are trying to occupy the post: "I shall become president, I shall become secretary, and then I shall exploit the state like anything." This is the motive. Their manifestation, that "I am going to give you heaven. If you select me president, then I shall give you heaven within three minutes." (laughter)

      So these promises, they simply promise. Actually, there is nothing. But king was very responsible, as we are discussing. Now, Maharaja Yudhisthira was thinking of the woman: "Now their husbands and their sons or their fathers, so many have died. Now how to take care of them?" He was perplexed. So responsible, for children, for the brahmanas, those who are helpless. Women, children, brahmana and old men and cows, they must be taken first care. That was the king's duty. Children. And who is taking care of the children? Who is taking care of the women? And who is taking care of the brahmanas? There is no brahmana. Even there are some brahmanas, we are creating now, who is taking care of us? It was the duty of the government to see to this Krsna consciousness movement, "Oh, such an important movement is going on? Our first attention should be how this movement can go on." So nice character, so nice behavior, so nice knowledge, so nice consciousness of God, so pure, and the government has no attention. They are thinking it is something sentimental. And all the politicians, going to the brothel and drinking and dancing naked, they are all first-class men. This is the position of the society. No care for the living entities who are very important. Just like in this verse, vipra. Maharaja Yudhisthira is always accompanied by brahmanas. Without brahminical culture, what is the value of the society? There is no value. It is animal society.

      Therefore Bhagavad-gita recommends, catur-varnyam maya srstam guna-karma-vibhagasah [Bg. 4.13]. Here you cannot find all one class of men. That is not possible. There is those rascals who are trying to have a classless society, no class, all one. That is rascaldom. That is not possible. There must be classes. That is scientific. Why? Because this material nature is being conducted under three modes: first class, second class, third class. Goodness, passion and ignorance. So how you can make classless society? There must be divisions. There must be classes, color, colorful. So it has to be scientifically arranged, how all classes can cooperate for one purpose and they develop very nicely in Krsna consciousness. Therefore Krsna says, catur-varnyam maya srstam [Bg. 4.13]. Maya srstam means anything created by God, you cannot nullify it, you cannot reject it. That is not possible. You have to accept it and possibly utilize it. Therefore devotees, they take it for granted, even there is distressed condition of life, they take it that "It is created by God. I am now in distress. It is creation of God. So why shall I hate it? Let me tolerate. Let me undergo this distressed condition of life."

      Just like some of you are suffering from cough. Now there has been some hygienic law disregarded. So I have caught cold and cough. So why shall I deride upon it? It must be created either you say by bodily nature or by God. So so long it is there, let me suffer patiently. It has come, it will go. That is the instruction in the Bhagavad-gita: agamapayinah anityah. Distressed condition, or happiness also, so-called happiness... Here there is no happiness. Everything is distressed condition. But we are so fool that we consider distressed condition as happiness. This is called maya, distressed condition as happiness. For example, suppose you have to go to see a friend, and nowadays, friend or anything, not less than ten miles. So you have to go ten miles, and then see your friend, and then do your work. So I am taking the trouble of going ten miles to see a friend or thirty miles to see a medical practitioner, but I am very much proud of my car, that I have got a car. I don't consider that although I have got car, still, I have to waste so much time. I have to take so much trouble. And there is every possibility of accidents. So many calamities are awaiting me. But we think that "Now we have discovered this horseless carriage, we are advanced." Similarly, if you study every item, you will find that although you have created by the modern scientific advancement a little comfort of life, side by side, we have created many discomforts. That we do not find.

      That is the ways of this material nature. The ways of material nature is that you cannot remain in comfort. That is not possible. By laws of nature... Tri-tapa-yatana, three kinds of miseries, adhyatmika, adhibhautika, adhidaivika, they must be there always. Just like I am your spiritual master. You have kept me very nicely, to your best capacity, but I am coughing. I am coughing. So even if we are situated in one kind of comfortable position, then another uncomfort will come and attack. That is called tri division. Adhyatmika, adhibhautika, adhidaivika. Or there is no cough, or there is no trouble, but you receive on very unsatisfactory letter from a friend; you become very sorry. This is called adhyatmika, pertaining to the mind, pertaining to the body. Adhyatmika. Adhibhautika: troubles offered by other living entities; and adhidaivika, trouble offered by the higher authorities. Just like excessive heat. You cannot control. Excessive cold.

      So in this material world we have to work very hard under these three kinds of miserable conditions of life, and we are actually doing that. Still, we are thinking that we are happy. And after all, after doing this, we have to change this body. That means death. We cannot avoid it. But still, we are thinking that we are happy, and we have no sense to try to understand actually what is the standard of happiness, where that happiness can be had, if it is possible. These things are understood and answered by this Krsna consciousness movement. That is the importance of the Krsna consciousness. All-round. It is not one-sided, that we are thinking of Krsna. Thinking of Krsna means thinking of everything, because Krsna is everything. Without Krsna, there is no other thing. Aham krtsnasya, what is that...? There is that verse? In the Seventh Chapter? Prabhavah pralayas tatha.

      Pradyumna: Aham krtsnasya jagatah...

      Prabhupada: Ah, prabhavah pralayas tatha. In this world there two things, prabhava and pralaya. Prabhava means generation, generating, and pralaya means annihilation. Two things. Everything, whatever you take, it is generated at a certain point and it will end at a certain point. So Krsna says, aham krtsnasya jagatah prabhavah pralayas tatha. That is the ultimate cause. Janmady asya yatah [SB 1.1.1]. We don't take simply generation. Generation, maintenance and annihilation, three things. Just this body is born at a certain date, it remains for a certain period, and then it is annihilated. So everything material means it has a beginning, it is born or it is manufactured at a certain point, it keeps for some time, then it will be destroyed. Therefore the Vedanta-sutra says, janmady asya yatah. Janma-sthiti-pralaya [SB 1.1.1].

      So to understand Krsna means to understand everything, how it is generated, how it is maintained, and how it is annihilated. That is full Krsna consciousness.

      Thank you very much. (end)

       To find out more about Srila Prabhupada
               Please Look at Krsna Consciousness the Matchless Gift
                                 http://krsnajoe.tripod.com Or to go to
              my Home Page, where you can go to any Krsna Web site,
                               I have made,,,,just click here
                                Krsna the Matchless Gift
                          http://www.angelfire.com/ks2/jaikrsna

                                                  Your Humble Servant, Jaya Kesava Dasa
                            All my Obiesances and thanks to
                         Pragosh Das for making this Possible
       
             ALL GLORIES TO SRILA PRABHUPADA,AND ALL OF THE
                             VAISNAVA DEVOTEES OF KRSNA
                                     HARE KRSNA-HARI BOL
      >>> Ref. VedaBase => Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.9.2 -- Los Angeles, May 16, 1973



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© 2001 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International. Used with permission.

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I was in deep love with him

 
 I was in deep love with him. He was the most handsome man in our village, the land of great natural beauty. Infact, he was the most handsome man in the whole world. He was dark skinned like the monsoon cloud, large lotus like eyes, dark curly hairs, handsome, a perfect man, irresistibly appealing and a smile playing on his lips. He sang well like no one else could sing. All in our village loved him. He was a god specially made for women. All the girls were head over heels for him. Me too. I was also considered the most beautiful and loveliest girl in our village. I was the fairest of the lot and that made me feel lucky that he too will love me. Of course, he too loved me. We became the best friends. Since our childhood we used to play together, sit together, eat together and wanted to be together for the whole life. He used to sing very good songs for me, play beautiful notes in his flute. Everybody from my village was jealous to see our love, our friendship. He was from a rich family and I was from a poor family, but that did not stop him from meeting me. Everybody told that I was made for him and I too felt that I was made for him. He loved me a lot. He would do anything to make me happy. My love to him was like a legend. I knew every lonely spot of my village. I spent hours together with him, talking, sitting besides each other, my head over his shoulder, his head in my lap. We danced, we fought, we sang, we laughed.
I started noticing that he was also in love with other girls of my village too. I never believed what I saw. He had unlimited desires to make love. He was born in prison. He once killed his uncle and was a hero amongst everybody. But I still loved him from the bottom of my heart. I was his favorite and that made me feel happy. After all, what I had for him was love, passion, and devotion. I was his worshipper as well as his deity to be worshipped. Compared to my ocean of love for him, the love of the other girls was just a pool. And then the war started. He was called. He had to go. He had to leave me and go. He had to break my heart and go and he left. I was devastated. I could not eat, I could not sleep, I could not think, I could not wait. My mind wandered like a lost deer. My heart shrunk like a dead flower. My eyes looked for him like a fish out of water. During the long war I kept waiting for him to return and marry me. I waited for him to return and make him mine. I waited and waited while he traveled to places and married women at those places, had children and lived happily. In spite of this, my love for him never decreased. I kept waiting for him thinking he would come one day and take me with him and we would live happily ever after. He did not come and my father got me married off to a nice person from our village. I served my husband like any dutiful wife. I served my in-laws like any good daughter-in-law. I lived like a flower without nectar, a wind without smell, a rain without drops. Meanwhile, my heart bled with his blood. My nights were in his dreams and the dreams were around him. The prayers were filled with my illicit love for him and my love shadowed with secrecy. My prayers were answered one day and he came back. He called me. I was caught in a turmoil of being socially censured, humiliated. I was confused, I was ashamed of my inappropriate love for him. I had to decide between my love and my duties. Maddened with desire I left my father in disgrace and my husband in shame. My love compelled me to ignore my family honor and disregard my husband and I left everyone for him. I was in his arms when his feet touched my village.
I am Radha and he was Krishna.

Should Criminals be allowed to vote

 
 Criminals are the people who have no concern about law and order. They dont care anything about the society. Do you think such people should be allowed to participate in creating a government ? I think they should not be allowed nor allowed to stand in elections. These are the people who have failed as citizens and their interests are not in line with the interest of common man. Then why should they be allowed to vote

The heart of a six year girl
 
 
 A small girl who is just six years old and she is a daughter of a lady whose is divorced and married again to the person who is very loving and loves the girl like his own daughter .............. but noone knows what the little girl has gone thru her own self ... maybe she has asked herself many times is this my own mother or my daddy like every other girl and boy in the neighborhood. Why God has done this to me, why?
I just think sometimes why is that this girl had to go through this ordeal in her life, she has done nothing wrong in her life. "Why is that God so Bad to me ?" Mumma she asks to her mother, See how XYZ is happy with his daddy, Mumma. Why Mumma WHy?

The small things which happens around her keeps so much importance to her. Being so small she likes playing, laughing , running around like everybody else but somewhere at the corner of her mind this thought is troubling her. Why can't be i happy like all others as she very well knows that her father is not her real father.

She tells her Mumma, " Mumma, you are the most wonderful mother, but why did u do that with me?"
Her mother cannot explain what she had to go through before. " God please help me "she says

How can i help this little one ?????????

WHY SOME CHILDREN ARE SHY
 
 
Some children are born with a predisposition toward shyness and inhibition. They are usually temperamentally slow to warm up to strangers. Most shyness is temporary in each new situation; however, shy children often tend to be somewhat shy as adults.
Allow time for your shy child to observe each new situation or person.
Do not force interaction, but when your child feels more comfortable, draw him or her into interacting by doing so yourself.
Remain near to your child until he/she feels comfortable.
Never make fun of or scold a child for being shy.
Some children prefer playing alone or with one or two friends, but this does not mean they are overly shy.
It is important that children are able to tell you when they want to play with others and when they want to play alone.
If the situation calls for playing with others, you can:
Prepare your child by telling him or her what is expected or about to happen.
Provide play situations that require cooperation such as pulling and riding in a wagon.
Remind children of previous successes.
Help your child feel confident in what he/she does.
If you think your child's shyness is extreme, speak with your child's early care and education teacher or doctor.

Today's Stories:
1. Mauni Baba Attains Maha Samadhi in Allahabad
2. Hindu Scout Wins Dharma Award of Boy Scouts of America
3. Ayurvedic Medicine: Better By the Capsule?
4. Christian Missionary Organization Delighted with India's New
Minister of Tribal Affairs

1. Mauni Baba Attains Maha Samadhi in Allahabad
http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/holnus/002200406040376.htm

ALLAHABAD, June 4, 2004: Swami Ramnaresh Das widely known as 'Mauni
Baba' died here on Thursday at an age of 102 years, his disciple and
successor said. He died on Wednesday night at the Hanuman temple in
Sangam, where he had been living since 1936, his follower Mahant
Vishambhar Das said. An ardent devotee of Hanuman, he had observed
silence for a considerably long period and had communicated to his
disciples only through writing, he said. He had left the worldly life
at the age of ten years and became associated with the Hanuman temple,
he added.

2. Hindu Scout Wins Dharma Award of Boy Scouts of America
The Commercial Appeal, Inc

MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE, May 30, 2004: Rajiv Heda was awarded the Dharma
Award, a Hindu medal of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA), in a ceremony
at India Cultural Center and Temple (ICCT) in Eads on May 18. Click
http://www.scouting.org/awards/religious/awards/12.html to see the
award. Rajiv is a fourth-grader at Chimneyrock Elementary School. Ken
Kimble, district director of Chickasaw Council of the BSA, said Rajiv
is the first child in the Chickasaw council to receive the Hindu
Religion Award. In a congratulatory message, Kimble expressed his
happiness over people of many denominations participating in BSA and
working toward their religious awards. The requirements for this award
include exercises about learning principles of religion, requiring the
involvement of two additional adult supervisors. Rajiv's Dad, Dr.
Ghanshyam Heda, a scientist, served as his Dharma-Saati (mentor), and a
priest at ICCT, Sri Keshavacharyulu served as his Dharma-Bhakta
(counselor). Rajiv had three long sessions with his mentor and
counselor to complete a variety of exercises required by North American
Hindu Association (NAHA). NAHA is an official appointee of BSA that
provides the syllabus, review, and makes the final decision on this
award. Pack 365 leader Denton Pearson said, "We were proud to learn
Rajiv had completed the requirements for the Hindu Religious Award and
thoroughly enjoyed both the ceremony and the tour of the temple." "The
priest was very helpful in explaining the tenants of the Hindu religion
and the Weeblo Cub Scouts and their parents were impressed with the
intricate details of the temple," he added.

3. Ayurvedic Medicine: Better By the Capsule?
http://www.hindu.com/lf/2004/05/31/stories/2004053100810200.htm

KERALA, INDIA, May 31, 2004: Kashayam, choornam and lehyam are some of
the more popular names by which people identify ayurveda medicines.
While most of these formulas are considered good for health, people
generally are hesitant to make use of such a treatment procedure, says
this article. One reason is the taste. That may change as ayurveda
medicines are now available in capsules. However, the effectiveness and
acceptability of these medicines available in tablet and capsule forms
are yet to be known. Ayurveda is so ingrained in Kerala society that
there is no community or religious group which does not have an
ayurveda physician. Yet, less than seven percent of people make use of
ayurveda as the first option of treatment. Nagarjuna Herbal
Concentrates Ltd. in a study with help from experts in the Indian
Institute of Management, Bangalore, found that the industry is not
producing drugs for treatment as such. Different ayurveda physicians
prefer to formulate their own concoctions or dried herbs or prescribe
the various formulations available in the market. According to the
study, inconvenience in taking ayurvedic formulations is cited as one
of the major reasons for not opting for the ayurvedic treatment.

V. G. Devadas Namboothiripad, Managing Director of Nagarjuna, points
out that conservative thinking and tradition should not be confused.
Since the Indian philosophy allows a change with times and ayurveda is
a part of the philosophy, such changes can be assimilated and this
would make ayurveda more meaningful to more people. Another professor
of ayurveda in the Tripunithura college, T.P. Sarsa, says that the mode
of intake might be convenient for people but it is likely that it may
not bring the desired results. Since the treatment is also based on
different rasas, like the bitter or the sour taste of the herbal
mixture, the effect of taking a capsule cannot be gauged, she adds.

4. Christian Missionary Organization Delighted with India's New
Minister of Tribal Affairs
http://www.persecution.net/country/india.htm.

CANADA, June 5, 2004: The following report appeared on a Canada-based
Christian Missionary Support Organization: "The Voice of the Martyrs
was delighted to learn this week that India's new Prime Minister,
Manmohan Singh, has appointed P.R. Kyndiah from northeast India to
become his Minister of Tribal Affairs. Kyndiah is known to be a strong
Christian and his appointment, it is hoped, will help stem the rising
persecution of Christians that has marked India over the last five
years. The electoral defeat of the ruling pro-Hindu BJP government and
the appointment of India's first non-Hindu Prime Minister are hopeful
signs that religious minorities can expect greater protection than they
have in recent years. Thank God for recent developments in the India
government. " HPI adds: The abundant missionary activity in the tribal
areas of India has resulted in many conversions and, in northeast
India, several armed successionist movements.


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Does one create one's own hell, marital or otherwise?
 
 
 I was reading Dr.Wayne Dyer's book "Power of Intention" the other night and something he writes really stuck with me. He says we are where we are today as a result of billions of decisions we made along the line, therefore we only have ourselves to blame for our own successes or failures..while that thought seems pretty generic...the other follow-up concept he puts forward is that we make our own hell and we make our own paradise..Does that translate into marital harmony and disharmony as well...

A Scientific Basis for Love?

We have all experienced love in some form or other. Many have different definitions of what love is. Now there is research being done to determine what, if any scientific basis there is for Love. According to the Kalamazoo Gazette, a conference dedicated to this very subject takes place in Washington D.C. The conference is sponsored by the Fetzer Institute located in Kalamazoo. For more information about the conference, see the article in the Kalamazoo Gazette. (Click here for more information on the Fetzer Institute.)


http://www.brainrespiration.com/brainrespi...newsview.asp?idx=34

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There is 1 message in this issue.

Topics in this digest:

      1. Q&A - Left or right side imbalances
           From: "yogani99" <yogani99@yahoo.com>


________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

Message: 1
   Date: Mon, 07 Jun 2004 02:48:59 -0000
   From: "yogani99" <yogani99@yahoo.com>
Subject: Q&A - Left or right side imbalances

New Members: It is recommended you read from the beginning of the web
archive, as previous lessons are prerequisite to this one. The first
lesson is, "Why This Discussion?"


Q: Three weeks ago I had an intuitive flash while meditating. I was
in the attic of a very large and luxurious house. I had been cleaning
this house from top to bottom until it was immaculately clean. It
sparkled! It was perfect. Then when I reached the attic I found a
door. When I opened the door I discovered that there was an entire
wing of the house that I had not know about. It was in horrible
disarray. Everything was covered with an inch of dust. Wood rot,
water damage, mildew, broken windows... It was bad! I just wanted to
close the door and forget what I had just seen.

The house is me and the attic in my third eye. At that moment I
realized that the right side of my body is very energetically strong
but my left side in thin, weak and blocked. I was floored!!! The
magnitude of this was like looking in the mirror for the first time
and realizing that I have been walking around for the past 30 years
with an elephant strapped to my back! How could I have missed this?
For the next few days I felt as if I was two different people joined
together at the center of my body.

With effort I have been able to direct energy to the left side of my
body, at first with great physical pain on the left side of my third
eye. I can tell that this balance from right to left is going to take
some time.

What does this indicate?


A: The obstructions in the nervous system can take nearly any form
and sometimes can be skewed to the left or right side of the body. It
is difficult to know how it got that way, but yoga practices can
gradually dissolve it all at its source, and bring us back into
balance. The fact that you are seeing these things more clearly now
is an indicator of purification going on from your practices,
particularly in the third eye. The thing to do is continue with your
practices as you have been doing them and let the process carry
forward naturally.

Generally speaking, it is not a good idea to try and direct the
purification process in a specific direction outside the third eye to
root spinal nerve, or the well-rounded (global) effects of deep
meditation and samyama. We just can't know intellectually what the
natural order of purification will be, whereas, inner silence and our
ecstatic energies will find the purification channels of least
resistance. How the purification happens will depend on so many
karmic factors unique to each person. It can all be taken care of in
a balanced way by eliciting the natural processes of purification
from within with our advanced yoga practices.

If we think we have an imbalance on the left side and focus attention
on fixing that, we could cause more imbalances. Better to use
meditation, spinal breathing, mudras and bandhas, yoni mudra, spinal
bastrika, chin pump, and so on. All these work up and down the
central nerve and will not lead to left or right side imbalances,
which can be destabilizing. If you have a left or right side
imbalance, the best way to resolve it is to do practices in the
middle. That is the focus in the lessons. If you go the middle way
with spinal breathing, meditation, and the other practices, you will
find increasing balance from top to bottom and from left to right.
The spinal nerve (sushumna) between the third eye and root is the
master key. All is balanced by purifying that.

The practices that have brought you to this level of seeing are the
same ones that can safely clear out the obstructions that are
becoming more visible.

Remember the guideline on visions - if we see something, we do not
try and push it out or become overly attached to it by engaging in it
excessively. We just easily go back to the practice we are doing and
continue the purification process.

By staying with a twice-daily routine of advanced yoga practices,
balanced with an active life in line with our interests, we will be
moving steadily toward enlightenment.

The guru is in you.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/advancedyogapractices






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There are 6 messages in this issue.

Topics in this digest:

      1. Urey/Miller Experiment - Life from chemicals?
           From: Ajeet K Mall <ajeetmall@hotmail.com>
      2. The Material World is a Big Stage
           From: Ajeet K Mall <ajeetmall@hotmail.com>
      3. Re: DOUBT: AVATARAS OF LORD SHIVA
           From: bharat mohan tiwari <krsna_bmt@yahoo.co.in>
      4. link to download devotional songs
           From: Dilip.Sundar@philips.com
      5. Sanskrit
           From: Bhattathiri <mulavana@asianetindia.com>
      6. A Thought for Today
           From: Ajeet K Mall <ajeetmall@hotmail.com>


________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

Message: 1
   Date: Mon, 31 May 2004 13:54:23 +0530
   From: Ajeet K Mall <ajeetmall@hotmail.com>
Subject: Urey/Miller Experiment - Life from chemicals?



[This message is not in displayable format]



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Message: 2
   Date: Thu, 03 Jun 2004 13:53:55 +0530
   From: Ajeet K Mall <ajeetmall@hotmail.com>
Subject: The Material World is a Big Stage



[This message is not in displayable format]



________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

Message: 3
   Date: Thu, 3 Jun 2004 11:19:05 +0100 (BST)
   From: bharat mohan tiwari <krsna_bmt@yahoo.co.in>
Subject: Re: DOUBT: AVATARAS OF LORD SHIVA

                                    hare krsna
i just wished to humbly inform that Lord Hanuman is accepted as the Eleventh INCARNATION OF LORD SIVA or RUDRA,even amongst the FOUR VAISNAVA SAMPRADAYAS..i'm sorry,i don't have verses to quote,but let'a analyse it this way---
          LORD SIVA is accepted as the best amongst the devotees of Supreme Personality of Godhead--vaisnavanam yatha shambho.and it's common knowledge that Lord Hanuman is THE ideal devotee of Lord Sri Ramcandra.which living entity,of the jiva tattva, can take the position of Lord Siva away from Him?besides,The Ramayana quotes Lord Siva HImself describing this avatar of His to Mother Parvati.so by simple logic,we can understand how LORD Hanuman,the dearest amongst the parikar or inner circle of the devotees of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is Lord SIVA Himself.
Anyone will certainly find this,if he can find a copy of RAMAYANA,either by Srila Valmeeki or by Gosvami Sri Tulasidasji Maharaj
Ajeet K Mall <ajeetmall@hotmail.com> wrote:

Dear Dilip;
Hare Krsna!!!
Some professor at allahabad university after reading all hindu scriptures
and koran throughly has concluded this that Prophet mohhamad is an
incarnation of Lord Shiva. However, I don't have the exact reference now.
As far as Lord Shiva being the greatest of all the demigods, it simply
imlies from one of his name, that is Mahadeva (Greatest of all the
demigods).

A agree with your view that Lord Brahma came immediately after Lakshmi, and
who is the first living entity of the material world and this is supported
by all the scriptures. but where do scriptures say one who came first is
greatest. In fact lord Brahma is in jiva tattva catagory. A living entity
can take the post of Lord Brahma while no living entity can take the
position of Lord Shiva. He comes into Shiva tattva catogary.

It's clear from the verse 45 of 'Sri Brahma Samahitam' .

"kSIraM yathA dadhi vikAra vizeSa yogAt
saJjAyate na hi pRthag asti hetoH
yaH zambhu tAm api tathA samupaiti kAryAd
govindam AdipuruSaM tam ahaM bhajAmi"

Just as milk itself is transformed into curd (yogurt), but yet they both are
neither SAME nor DIFFERENT from each other, so also I adore my Beloved
primeveal Lord Govinda, Who has transformed Himself into Lord Shiva for the
performance of divine lilas.

I have another quote from Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.32.12-15,
#257;dyah#803; sthira-car#257;n#803;#257;m#803; yo
veda-garbhah#803; sahars#803;ibhih#803;
yoge#347;varaih#803; kum#257;r#257;dyaih#803;
siddhair yoga-pravartakaih#803;
bheda-dr#803;s#803;t#803;y#257;bhim#257;nena
nih#803;sa#324;gen#257;pi karman#803;#257;
kartr#803;tv#257;t sagun#803;am#803; brahma
purus#803;am#803; purus#803;ars#803;abham
sa sam#803;sr#803;tya punah#803; k#257;le
k#257;lene#347;vara-m#363;rtin#257;
j#257;te gun#803;a-vyatikare
yath#257;-p#363;rvam#803; praj#257;yate
ai#347;varyam#803; p#257;rames#803;t#803;hyam#803; ca
te 'pi dharma-vinirmitam
nis#803;evya punar #257;y#257;nti
gun#803;a-vyatikare sati

My dear mother, someone may worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead with
a special self-interest, but even demigods such as Lord Brahm#257;, great
sages such as Sanat-kum#257;ra and great munis such as Mar#299;ci have to
come back to the material world again at the time of creation. When the
interaction of the three modes of material nature begins, Brahm#257;, who
is the creator of this cosmic manifestation and who is full of Vedic
knowledge, and the great sages, who are the authors of the spiritual path
and the yoga system, come back under the influence of the time factor. They
are liberated by their nonfruitive activities and they attain the first
incarnation of the purus#803;a, but at the time of creation they come back
in exactly the same forms and positions as they had previously.

In the purport Srila Prabhupada explain:
Bheda-drstya means that Brahma sometimes thinks that he is independent of
the Supreme Lord, or he thinks of himself as one of the three equally
independent incarnations. ["Three equally independent incarnations" means
Vishnu, Shiva and Brahma... but actually Brahma is not independent, because
he is a jiva (fragmental soul, a constitutional servant of God), whereas
Vishnu and Shiva are both classified as isvara (Lords).] Here the word
bheda-drstya occurs because Brahma has a slight inclination to think that he
is as independent as Rudra.
Your servant.....

>From: dilip.sundar@philips.com
>To: vedicvisions@yahoogroups.com, spiritual-group@yahoogroups.com
>Subject: Re: DOUBT: AVATARAS OF LORD SHIVA
>Date: Mon, 10 May 2004 18:35:26 +0530
>
>!! Harihi Om !!
>
>
>Dear Ajeet prabhu,
>
>Who told you that Prophet Mohammed is also an incarnation of shiva ?
>shankarAchArya was an incarnation of shiva. Agreed.
>But who told you about Mohammed ??
>
>2nd thing is, shiva is NOT the greatest of all demigods, as you have
>mentioned.
>It is Brahma n Mukhya PrANa. Both, who come immediately after LakshmI.
>There are thousands of proofs for this in almost all scriptures.(VEdhas,
>RAmAyaNa, MahAbhAratha etc...)
>
>Now, coming to Sandeep....
>Dear Sandeep prabhu, You are really confused.
>You said--"I haven't heard of any Incarnations of Lord Shiva other than
>Lord Hanuman
>and Lord Veerabhadhraswamy".
>
>Tell me, where from did u come to know that HanumAn is shiva's incarnation
>???
>Somewhere it is mentioned as--"Rudhra vIrya samudhbhavaha..." I dont
>remember where exactly.
>I think, this is the phrase that is misleading you. Am I right ??
>
>HanumAn is Mukhya PrANa's(PraDhana VAyu's) incarnation.
>HanumAn/BhIma is the most misunderstood personality.
>Also, many are of the conception that HanumAn is the son of the presider
>of air(vAyu).
>HanumAn is the son of vAyu. Correct. But which vAyu ???
>It is PraDhAna vAyu(Mukhya PrANa) & NOT Pravaha vAyu.
>Mukhya PrANa HIMSELF incarnated as his own son, in the womb of
>AnjanAdhEvi.
>This is the secret.
>Mukhya PrANa has 3 incarnations on earth, as mentioned by AchArya MaDhva,
>in the begining of his "MahAbhAratha thAthparya nirNaya".
>"Yasya thrINi rUpANi udhithAni vEdha vachanaE........".
>I'll mail you about his 3 births someother time.
>
>Last thing...
>I'm not aware, iff VeeraBhadhra svAmI is also an incarnation.
>Yet to find out.
>Are you referring to VadhirAja svAmI's disciple ??
>
>FYI....
>There are many incarnations of shiva like- 1) dhurvAsa muni 2)
>ashvathThAma 3) shuka muni(Parikshith's Guru) etc...
>
>Lots to share,
>Ever ur spiritual pal,
>dilip
>
>- Orignal Message --
>
>From: Ajeet K Mall
>To: radhe_krishna@yahoogroups.com, spiritual-group@yahoogroups.com
>Cc: vedicvisions@yahoogroups.com, jayshreekrishna@yahoogroups.com
>Subject: Re: DOUBT : AVATARAS OF LORD SHIVA
>----- Message from Ajeet K Mall on Unknown -----
>To:
>radhe_krishna@yahoogroups.com, spiritual-group@yahoogroups.com
>cc:
>vedicvisions@yahoogroups.com, jayshreekrishna@yahoogroups.com
>Subject:
>Re: DOUBT : AVATARAS OF LORD SHIVA
>
>Prophet muhammad and Sankaracharya are also the incarnation of Lord Shiva.
>The following verse from the Padma Purana (Uttara khanda 25.7) reveals the
>hidden identity of Shankaracarya:
>
>mayavadam asac-chastram
>pracchannam bauddham ucyate
>mayaiva vihitam devi
>kalau brahmana-murtina
>
>"The Mayavada philosophy, Siva informed his wife Parvati, is covered
>Buddhism. In the form of a brahmana in the kali-yuga, I teach this imagined
>philosophy."
>
>Shankaracarya is thus widely accepted as an incarnation of Shiva. The
>incarnation of Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva is not one and the same. Lord
>Vishnu is The Supreme Personality of Godhead while Lord Shiva is a
>demigod. Ofcourse he is greatest of all the demigods, no wonder then he is
>also called Mahadev. In the Padma Purana it is said that one who considers
>the Supreme Lord Vishnu in the same category with demigods - be they even
>Brahma or Shiva - becomes at once an atheist.
>
>--- In radhe_krishna@yahoogroups.com, Sandeep Kodali
>wrote:
> > Hello All,
> > I have a small doubt. Only the Avataras or Incarnations
>of Lord Vishnu are very famous. Why aren't the Avataras or Incarnations of
>Lord Shiva not very famous? I haven't heard of any Incarnations of Lord
>Shiva other than Lord Hanuman and Lord Veerabhadhraswamy. Are there only
>two Incarnations of Lord Shiva? Does Lord Veerabhadhraswamy has any
>spouse?
> > Did GoddessParvathi follow LLord Shiva in His each and
>every Incarnation as Goddess Lakshmi followed Lord Vishnu in His
>Incarnations?
> > Sandeep.

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Message: 4
   Date: Sat, 5 Jun 2004 12:28:47 +0530
   From: Dilip.Sundar@philips.com
Subject: link to download devotional songs

!! Harihi Om !!

Hi pals,

Check this link.
 http://www.ecse.rpi.edu/Homepages/shivkuma...al/music/index.html

It has lots n lots of devotional songs.
U can pick VaiShNavite songs selectively.

Ever ur spiritual pal,
Dilip S
********************************************************************
Philips Software Centre Pvt. Ltd.,
1&2, Philips Innovation Campus, Murphy Road, Ulsoor,
Bangalore - 560008, INDIA
Tel: +91 80 557 9000, Ext:5147
Pager: 9624- 537483
Fax: +91 80 556 0580
E-Mail: Dilip.Sundar@philips.com
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Message: 5
   Date: Fri, 04 Jun 2004 14:34:36 +0530
   From: Bhattathiri <mulavana@asianetindia.com>
Subject: Sanskrit

 
a.. Sanskrit still blooming in a tiny village in Karnataka
  a.. by The Free Press Journal
  Sheeghram Dhave" (run fast), shouts a little boy in chaste Sanskrit to his fellow batsman while running between the wickets holding the bat on a nondescript maidan in this village, where the country's ancient language still remains alive and spoken among the rustic folk, reports UNI. .....



[This message contained attachments]



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Message: 6
   Date: Fri, 04 Jun 2004 17:52:38 +0530
   From: Ajeet K Mall <ajeetmall@hotmail.com>
Subject: A Thought for Today



[This message is not in displayable format]



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There are 5 messages in this issue.

Topics in this digest:

      1. Some development in Gilgit.
           From: "Bipin Patel" <xbp.16@virgin.net>
      2. Re: [media_monitor5] FW:Partial List of Anti-Hindu.....
           From: "Bipin Patel" <xbp.16@virgin.net>
      3. What are these loonies doing at OCHS
           From: "Bipin Patel" <xbp.16@virgin.net>
      4. An assessment of how New Delhi now looks at US-India relations
           From: "Ram Narayanan" <ramn_one@adelphia.net>
      5. Yes Madam, No Madam, All right Madam: PM
           From: "Bipin Patel" <xbp.16@virgin.net>


________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

Message: 1
   Date: Sun, 6 Jun 2004 11:48:08 +0100
   From: "Bipin Patel" <xbp.16@virgin.net>
Subject: Some development in Gilgit.

Meanwhile a large number of Shia protesters are still reported to be
blocking the main Karakoram highway in Gilgit which links Pakistan with
China.

More at
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/3772331.stm

Bipin
===



________________________________________________________________________
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Message: 2
   Date: Sun, 6 Jun 2004 13:59:27 +0100
   From: "Bipin Patel" <xbp.16@virgin.net>
Subject: Re: [media_monitor5] FW:Partial List of Anti-Hindu.....

Add:

Chetan Bhatt, Goldsmith College, London and see his anti Hindutwa comments
at
http://www.awaazsaw.org/c4script.htm

Amartya Sen of Harvard University (let Pakistan have J&K and no atrocities
against Hindus in Bangladesh; stories invented by Indian government).

Kaushik Basu of Cornell University (rebuild Babri Masjid - he is prepared
to contribute financially).

Romila Thapar (Hindus do not have any common past, all inhabitants in India
were invaders at some point in the past; Mahmud of Ghazni did not destroy
Somnath. Islam best option for India, but took up prestigious appointment in
US Congress library, which cannot happen without US State Department
approval).

Bipin
===

----- Original Message -----
From: "MJ" <mahendrajoshi@worldnet.att.net>
To: <media_monitor5@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Saturday, June 05, 2004 6:39 PM
Subject: [media_monitor5] FW:Partial List of Anti-Hindu.....


Partial list of Hindu haters was published on Sulekha. Something is wrong
with these (mostly) Hindus.... Why so much hate against mother India......
http://www.sulekha.com/hoppercomments.asp?cid=336323



Partial List of Anti-India , Anti-Hindu activists and personalities , every
Indian has to keep a watch on their activities and what they talk .These
thugs are suffering from a virus which is common among Pseudo Seculars
Called SLIM = SELF LOATHING INDIAN MENTALITY .....




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Message: 3
   Date: Sun, 6 Jun 2004 14:33:27 +0100
   From: "Bipin Patel" <xbp.16@virgin.net>
Subject: What are these loonies doing at OCHS

Dear Shaunaka

I honestly appreciate your efforts in changing the name from Oxford Centre
for Vaishnava &Hindu Studies TO Oxford Centre for Hindu studies. Congrats.

However, on just checking your website I have now learnt that at your
Academic Advisory Council you have Dr Rohit Barot and Prof. Lord Bhikhu
Parekh. What are these loonies doing at OCHS?

May be, and only if you have heard of Dr Koenrad Elst, then perhaps you
would invite him to replace the two loonies. I am sure it will make a big
difference if you indeed mean to propagate the concept of Dharma. More
latter.......

Bipin
===




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________________________________________________________________________

Message: 4
   Date: Sun, 6 Jun 2004 13:23:51 -0700
   From: "Ram Narayanan" <ramn_one@adelphia.net>
Subject: An assessment of how New Delhi now looks at US-India relations


Dear Friends:

The following article in THE WASHINGTON TIMES looks at how the new Indian Foreign Minister, Mr K Natwar Singh, views US-India relations. Some American scholars think the appointment of Mr Singh means "a long learning curve, both for him and for us."

Certainly there will be a learning curve, but I doubt it's going to be long if the US plays ball.

Ram Narayanan
US-India Friendship
http://www.usindiafriendship.net/


http://www.washingtontimes.com/world/20040604-105137-3807r.htm

THE WASHINGTON TIMES, JUNE 5,2004

Vote bodes shift in New Delhi


By Ashish Kumar Sen
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
 
Last month's change of government in New Delhi and the appointment of a straight-talking external affairs minister could portend the beginning of tense times in U.S.-Indian relations.

Two weeks ago, a Congress party-led coalition unexpectedly came to power, toppling the right-wing Hindu party-dominated government.

In its election manifesto, the Congress party noted that "a great country like India has been reduced to having a subordinate relationship with the USA, where the USA takes India for granted."


It blamed former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee's willingness to adjust to American priorities and policies "without giving due attention to India's own vital foreign policy and national security interests."

Analysts say what began as pre-election posturing could translate into changes in how bilateral relations are handled.


On May 23, Manmohan Singh, India's first non-Hindu prime minister, announced portfolios for his Cabinet. Prominent on the list is K. Natwar Singh, who was put in charge of the coveted External Affairs Ministry.


Mr. Natwar Singh's outlook on foreign affairs is founded largely on a Cold War-era suspicion of the United States and a yearning for a multipolar world. Writing in the Indian magazine Frontline in March last year, he noted: "The world is now faced with a situation without precedents. Let me put down the brutal facts.

"1) The U.S. believes in the doctrine of 'regime change.'

"2) The U.S. believes in pre-emptive military action without approval of the U.N. Security Council.

"3) Articles 39, 40 and 41 of the U.N. Charter are of no value.

"4) Sovereignty of nations does not matter.

"5) International law could be flouted."


"Natwar Singh has traditionally looked at the U.S. through a nonaligned lens and has been far more critical [of the United States] than any other person," said Ashley J. Tellis, senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.


Mr. Tellis, a former adviser to Ambassador Robert Blackwill at the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi, said Mr. Singh's appointment means "a long learning curve, both for him and for us." (Mr. Blackwill left the embassy in New Delhi late last year and was succeeded as U.S. ambassador by David C. Mulford in January.)

But, Mr. Tellis added, "You're going to see quite a bit of a difference between Natwar the minister-in-waiting and Natwar the minister of external affairs. The first thing he will have to confront is the fact that India has certain interests with the U.S. that cannot be abridged, no matter what his own proclivities may be."

Sumit Ganguly, professor of political science at Indiana University, voiced concern about the future of U.S.-Indian relations.


"There are some Congress party stalwarts who still hold a candle for the detritus of the Soviet Union and dream of a multipolar world with India being one of the key poles," he said.


In a May 2003 speech in Bangalore, India, Mr. Natwar Singh suggested that it was in India's interest to engage the United States "in friendly discussions and try to strengthen the forces of multilateralism and to reduce the influence of unilaterialism."

Advocating "Pax Planetica" and not "Pax Americana," he said, "It is essential that the United Nations be strengthened."

Philip Oldenburg, senior lecturer in the government department at the University of Texas at Austin, predicts a "return to Indira Gandhi's policy of making India as European as possible."


"It means being more like the French," he elaborated. "Being distant from the U.S., being outspoken about U.S. policies, being jealous about one's perceived prerogatives."


In a section devoted to foreign policy, the Congress party manifesto said Secretary of State Colin L. Powell's elevation of Pakistan to "a major non-NATO ally" - a day after he visited top leaders in New Delhi - "exposed the [Bharatiya Janata Party's] claim of a 'paradigm shift' in Indo-U.S. relations."

Despite this skepticism, Mr. Tellis of the Carnegie Endowment said U.S.-Indian relations would, through a period of trial and error, "come closer to where [Mr. Vajpayee's] Bharatiya Janata Party left them."

The fall of the BJP-led government came as a surprise to the United States and Pakistan.


Husain Haqqani, a scholar at the Carnegie Endowment and a former adviser to Pakistani Prime Ministers Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto, makes the point that both the Bush administration and the Pakistani military leadership will need to "build the kind of personal relationships that were built [with the Vajpayee administration] in the last several years."


Francine Frankel, director of the Center for the Advanced Study of India at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, offered a different opinion. She said the U.S.-Indian relationship "is now more institutionalized and based on mutual interests," regardless of which party is in power in either country.


Analysts agree, however, that apart from the ongoing cooperation on counterterrorism and military exchanges, any new initiatives are not likely to move decisively until after the U.S. presidential election in November. The Bush administration's preoccupation with Iraq and the Middle East also makes the Indian subcontinent less of a priority for now.


Anupam Srivastava, executive director of the India Initiative at the University of Georgia at Athens, said discussions relating to the next steps in strategic partnership, the Proliferation Security Initiative, missile defense, export controls and counterterrorism are likely to continue.


Since India's partition in 1947, rival claims over the Himalayan state of Kashmir have led to two wars between India and Pakistan and several tense moments on the subcontinent.

Successive governments in New Delhi have treated Kashmir as an internal matter of India's, and U.S. offers to mediate in the dispute have been publicly rebuffed. The Congress party document accused Mr. Vajpayee's government of having failed to dispel concerns that India had accepted a mediator role for the United States.

In his Bangalore speech, Mr. Natwar Singh said: "The complexity of Indo-Pak[istani] relations needs an intuitive understanding, which in my judgment, the United States lacks."


The Congress document outlines the party's intention to fashion a "stable, working, cooperative relationship" with Pakistan, while remaining alert about India's defense requirements, and being firm in responding to any threats emanating from across the border.


Mr. Haqqani predicted that the peace process between the neighbors "will last longer, and the peace will come much later."

Mr. Vajpayee, he said, wanted to make peace with Pakistan his personal success.

"For him there was a payoff - a rise in his stature, the ability to go beyond thorny issues and probably a domestic payoff - the Congress does not have any such" incentive.


More significant, Mr. Tellis added, the Congress party doesn't have much more to put on the table. "Indian bottom lines do not change with respect to who is in power in Delhi."


But, he added, "at the end of the day, this discussion on India-Pakistan relations will be conducted under the ground rules of realpolitik ... and the freedom for maneuver is considerably limited."

As for a future role for the United States in bringing about a rapprochement on the subcontinent, Mr. Tellis predicted the Congress government would be averse to "facilitation," with one caveat - "if they could be assured that U.S. mediation and/or facilitation is ultimately directed toward bringing Pakistan to accepting the status quo at the end of the peace process."

"It's all driven by what they perceive to be U.S. objectives in the game," he said.


[This message contained attachments]



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Message: 5
   Date: Sun, 6 Jun 2004 21:43:02 +0100
   From: "Bipin Patel" <xbp.16@virgin.net>
Subject: Yes Madam, No Madam, All right Madam: PM

The de facto Mr Prime Minister

Tavleen Singh

http://www.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?...adline=Yes~Madam,~N
o~Madam,~All~right~Madam:~PM
6th June 2004

Though Sonia so graciously handed the reins of power to Manmohan, we still
see more of her than we do of him

Are you as confused about who rules India as I am? Puzzled that although
Santa Sonia, our Lady of Renunciation, so graciously handed the reins of
power to her chosen subordinate, we still see much more of her than we see
of him. Since the new government took office we have had two foreign
ministers visit Delhi and where did they head? Number 10 Janpath. They
appear not to have noticed that the Prime Minister of India is a man by the
name of Dr Manmohan Singh. When our friendly neighbourhood military dictator
wanted to continue the dialogue initiated by the Vajpayee government, he
also seemed not to notice that it was bad protocol to invite the Congress
president to Pakistan when the Prime Minister is someone else.

Our new Minister of External Affairs saw nothing wrong with the invitation
and announced, in Jodhpur of all places, that Signora was indeed likely to
accept. When Rahul and Priyanka went to Pakistan, said faithful flunky
Natwar, there was a crowd of 50,000 people to receive them. So imagine what
will happen if Mrs Gandhi goes.

It's not just in matters of foreign policy that you notice the Prime
Minister's absence. It is everywhere. When the DMK went into a sulk, it was
to 10 Janpath they turned, when the Left parties have something to discuss,
it is there they go, when the common minimum programme is to be proclaimed,
it is Sonia who we see waving it at us on television.

Alas, us political pundits are equally absorbed with everything that she
does down to every last unimportant detail. When was the last time you read
a piece about Dr Manmohan Singh's sartorial tastes? Me, I read 20 newspapers
a day and in not a single one have I come across references to how neatly
pressed his white kurta-pyjama is or how carefully starched his blue turban.
But on a daily basis I read about Sonia's ''immaculate'' attire and
sickening passages like the following description of the Gandhis on their
first day in the new Lok Sabha: ''Dressed in simple cotton kurta-pajama,
Rahul sat amongst not so well known Congress MPs wearing the most
matter-of-fact look studying the ambience in the House. His brown leather
Hawaian sandals matched the brown tinge in his hair. Sonia and her son are
going to be a memorable feature of this Lok Sabha.''

There is something about the Gandhis that has always (except briefly during
the Emergency) inspired this kind of sycophantic drivel in even seasoned
hacks, but I have to say that there has been more around lately than ever
before. It's as if every major newspaper has assigned their gossip
columnists to cover politics. What is worse is that nearly every serious
political columnist has also bombarded the reading public with paeans of
praise to our Lady of Renunciation. My problem is that I appear to be among
a small handful who do not see any renunciation. Quite the opposite. It
seems to me that Sonia has managed to put herself in the wonderful position
of being all powerful without any accountability. In legalese, her position
would be described as an ''extra-constitutional authority''.

This leads already to ugly gossip and rumours in the corridors of power.
They say that senior bureaucrats are trotting off to 10 Janpath to brief
her. If this is true and if they get found out, they could be sacked for
breaching their oath of office. They say also that the ''renunciation'' was
inspired not so much by that inner voice but by cold calculation and that
elections will be held in the next two years, when if the new saintly image
and another spate of 'road-shows' work and the Congress pulls in more than
200 seats, renunciation will be reconsidered for the sake, of course, of
saving India.

It is about the only interesting thing about the new government. The rest is
a movie we have all seen before. Natwar Singh talks as if the Cold War never
ended and the Soviet Union was still there to protect us from the evil
Americans. He talks of reviving NAM (Non-Aligned Movement) when the word
alignment has itself become irrelevant to foreign policy.

From Arjun Singh we have had the expected noises about ''saffronisation''
without anyone telling us what exactly the Vajpayee government did other
than kick out a club of leftist historians who had a monopoly on history
textbooks. If Marxists can write textbooks according to their worldview in
West Bengal, why should the BJP not be entitled to do the same?

On economic matters we hear the same voices that we heard in our bad old
socialist days. They are as confused as ever. So privatisation is again a
dirty word and we talk instead of restructuring loss-making public sector
companies on which the last government already spent more than Rs 40,000
crore and failed. If the new government succeeds then they will not be sold
anyway because of the decision not to sell profitable companies. We have the
worst airports in the world but they will not be sold either even if selling
them improves their functioning and earns the government some desperately
needed money to invest in the social sector.

Speaking of which it is once more back to ''socialist'' business as usual,
which means there will be constant talk of ''the poorest of the poor''
without anything being done ever to improve their wretched lot. As I said it
's a movie we have seen before except for the interesting situation of
having a de jure prime minister and a de facto one. Now that is truly a new
idea.





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There are 7 messages in this issue.

Topics in this digest:

      1. Diet by Sanatana Sai Sanjeevinis Swami's quotations and other notes. 8
           From: "Reet Priiman" <reet.priiman@neti.ee>
      2. New book online: Not Guilty, by Yaani
           From: saibabanews <saibaba_news@yahoo.com>
      3. Sai Baba Gita - Behind Jealousy and Hatred is Egoism
           From: saibabanews <saibaba_news@yahoo.com>
      4. 108 Quotations on Faith in God [31]
           From: saibabanews <saibaba_news@yahoo.com>
      5. Thought for the Day - 7th June 2004
           From: saibabanews <saibaba_news@yahoo.com>
      6. Swami Arrived in Puttaparthi today 07Jun2004
           From: karthikeyan <karthikeyan@naturesoft.net>
      7. A devotees mail to us
           From: Jatindar Shad <egreatindia@yahoo.com>


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Message: 1
   Date: Sun, 6 Jun 2004 11:44:35 +0300
   From: "Reet Priiman" <reet.priiman@neti.ee>
Subject: Diet by Sanatana Sai Sanjeevinis Swami's quotations and other notes. 8


     Light and Love
 
     The final part of the serial is about culture of dietary, what in general is in accordance with explanations by modern science. There is a tiny collection of Swami's quotations on this theme. As there was sent to 'saibabanews' several mails about experiences and Swami's explanations and advices concern to the food, I tried not to repeat them and therefore little changed the construction of serial.
 
     Eating is a sacred action for everyone. Every human being from whatsoever nation has to eat in silence with awareness to be grateful for food to God. Healthy eating is starting by prayer to God.
    Sanatana Sai Sanjeevinis recommend chewing food properly. Juices, buttermilk etc. must be had very slowly drink and moved around in our mouth so that they combine well with the saliva and then swallowed. Solids, on the other hand, must be first be liquefied by chewing well, and then drunk. A great deal of digestion, especially of starches, takes place in our mouth.
    It is healthy to eat only half a stomach. The remaining space is for the "cooking" of food with digestive juices.
    When one is ill or down - it is healthy either to abstain totally from eating or eat only fruits (fruits are better than juices because we chew them) and to drink only lemon and water with honey added. Food uses up energy for digestion - valuable energy that we need for recovering and recouping.

    The note: What has given in this chapter is one of the points of views. Please accept it only if it appeals to your common sense - otherwise reject it. These recommendations are only a beginning in one's quest for being in accordance with Nature. Health is in everyone's own hands.

    There are many arguments about whether human being is herbivore (vegetarian), carnivore (meat-eater) or omnivore (one who can eat and digest both). In fact, there is mounting evidence to suggest that a human being was a fruitivore! It is possible to live only on a combination of fruits and nuts and never suffer any malnutrition.
 
    Most people eat fruits:
    A. after food,
    B. combined with milk for dessert,
    C. cooked, stewed, or baked.
 
    This is not right.
    Fruit must eat on an empty stomach.
    Fruit must never combine with milk or grains.
    Fruit must eat uncooked.
 
     After being chewed well in the mouth, fruit enters the stomach for 15 -20 min, 30 min for bananas and then proceeds to the intestines where it digests itself with its own enzymes. If it is eaten after a meal it sits on top of the food and ferments because it does not get a clear passage to go down to the intestines. Not only is the fruit rendered useless - it can become a cause of acidity, indigestion, gas, colic, constipation and other diseases.
 
    For this same reason, it must not be combining with any other foods. The other foods need to sit in the stomach for several hours for digestion.
    Cooking the fruit destroys its self-digesting enzymes and it becomes a burden for the body.
 
    In fact acidity, colic, indigestion, constipation can all be helping substantially by eating fruits at least 1/2 hour before food. Chronic sufferers of these problems should abstain from having any cereal, bread, roti or paratha for breakfast - they must have only fresh fruits.
 
     Fruits are the best bet when there is a severe hunger. They provide energy very quickly and efficiently without using up valuable energy reserves of the body. Other foods use massive amounts of energy in the process of digestion.
  
 
     1. "It is the best to preserve one's health by good thoughts and good deeds. It is best to be vigilant about food habits. Coconut kernel, coconut water, sprouting pulses, cooked or half cooked vegetables, and greens are good for health." (Sri Bhagawan Sathya Sai Baba. SSS. Vol.15, Chapter 21).
 
     2. "Food habits are of primary importance when health has to be secured and maintained. When these are not regulated, health suffers...Among the eight million four hundred thousand species of living beings, all except humans live on food as provided by Mother nature.... one should realise that food materials, as offered by nature, are really more beneficial." (Sri Bhagawan Sathya Sai Baba. SSS. Vol.15, Chapter 54).
 
     3. "The mother must herself prepare food for the home; for food, that is prepared with love and served with a smile is much more sustaining and strengthening than food cooked by a hired woman and served by a disgruntled refractory kitchen boy." (Sri Bhagawan Sathya Sai Baba. SSS. Vol.9, Chapter 13).
 
 
     4. "The food consumed by man should be proper, pure and wholesome. But nowadays people eat whatever they get and wherever they get it, and thereby spoil their health. Food plays a major role in the preservation of health. Care should be taken to see that the food consumed does not have much fat content, for the fats consumed in large quantity are detrimental not only to one's physical health but also to one's mental health." (Sri Bhagawan Sathya Sai Baba. SSS. Vol.27, Chapter 3).
 
 
     5. "By regulating your diet and avoiding certain bad habits, you can preserve health. Moderate food, and food of the Saathwik type, will promote mental poise and also physical happiness... Many people consume more than necessary quantity of rich food and such have to practice moderation." (Sri Bhagawan Sathya Sai Baba. SSS. Vol.1, Chapter 28).
 
     6. "But I hope you learn also about the distinction between the Saathwik (calmness promoting), the Raajasik (emotion producing) and the Thamaasik (sloth encouraging) types of food and of the effect of these on character. The mind is the key to health and happiness and so, food must be chosen that it does not affect the mind adversely, along with Saathwik food, the mind must also be given special diet like Dhyaana, Japa, Naamasmarana, etc. to keep it sound and steady." (Sri Bhagawan Sathya Sai Baba. SSS. Vol.9, Chapter 13).
 
 
     7. "The type of food that you consume decides the degree of concentration you can command; its quality and quantity decide how much your self-control is lessened or heightened. There are four pollutions against which man has to be vigilant - of the body (removable by water), of the mind (removable by truthfulness), of reason (removable by correct knowledge) and of the self (removable by yearning for God)...God is the doctor. Seek Him, rely on Him, you will be free from disease." (Sri Bhagawan Sathya Sai Baba. SSS. Vol.14, Chapter 31).
 
     8. "Though men are all equally subject to birth, life and death, though all are one kind, why they allow the Aanandha which is the right of each to slip away through hatred and conflict? Why is the demon prevailing over the Divine in man? The answer has been deluding man for ages.
    Well! Aham (ego) is the cause. The narrow limited self, the ego, is the root of the evil. Probing the problem a little deeper, I would say that the nature of the food relished is primarily responsible. Food is of three qualities Saathwik, Raajasik, and Thaamasik (leading to purity, passion and inertia)... Since food alleviates or arouses, prevents or promotes emotions and passions, it moulds the behaviour, conduct and attitudes of men." (Sri Bhagawan Sathya Sai Baba. SSS. Vol.16, Chapter 19).
 
     By Swami (it is in accordance with modern science) the food plays significant role for mental and spiritual life of humanity. Therefore, the science about qualities, properties and technology of food would be a part of ecological and spiritual culture. For spiritual development, it is not enough to study spiritual scriptures, Swami's Works, to meditate, have the faith to the God: the results are poor when one forgets about Saathwik diet of food as sustainer the body, adobe of Atma. It seems, one of the purposes why ecological and social problems are so sharp and demonic today, is the production of 'technological' food with artificial additives where pictorially to say, has done all to kill the natural properties of food. Is it lacking of spiritual and ecological consciousness?
   Seems, it is the the purpose why Swami in many His works repeatedly pointed to the significance of humans food habits and culture of dietary.
 
     
     9. A simple, clear and brief explanation about forms of food by Swami is in the book: Sri Bhagawan Sathya Sai Baba. SSS. Vol.11, Chapter 8, "Forms of food."

     Reference:
     http://www.saisanjeevini.org/frames.htm
 
     Namaste - Reet
 
    
     


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Message: 2
   Date: Sun, 6 Jun 2004 09:09:27 -0700 (PDT)
   From: saibabanews <saibaba_news@yahoo.com>
Subject: New book online: Not Guilty, by Yaani

New book online
 
Not Guilty - Undoing the Illusion of Separate Existence
by Yaani
 
The author is a devotee of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba.
 
URL: http://notguiltybyyaani.com/


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Message: 3
   Date: Sun, 6 Jun 2004 11:46:29 -0700 (PDT)
   From: saibabanews <saibaba_news@yahoo.com>
Subject: Sai Baba Gita - Behind Jealousy and Hatred is Egoism


Sai Baba Gita
June 6, 2004
---------------------------------





Behind Jealousy and Hatred is Egoism

There was a devout religious man who took great joy in cultivating a garden full of beautiful flowers and fruits. Even though he was steeped in spiritual knowledge, he had developed a strong touch of egoism within him. The moment egoism developed, jealousy also entered. When egoism and jealousy make their appearance, hatred automatically joins them. God took a personal interest in this errant devotee. God saw that this person, although he had all the proper religious outer trappings, had nevertheless, filled his heart with poison. God decided to correct him by teaching him a lesson. The Lord manifested himself in the form of an old mendicant and took a stroll by that garden.

The old mendicant went to a recently planted tree and greatly extolled the beauty of that tree. Noticing the garden owner nearby he asked him, "Who is the gardener responsible for cultivating such a fine tree?" The proud owner puffed himself up and said, "Sir, it is I who have brought up this entire garden. I grew this tree and I raised all the other trees that you see here, as well. By my own efforts I developed all these pleasing paths and made this beautiful garden. I alone look after everything here. There is no hired gardener. I am the one who draws the water. I spread the manure. I pull the weeds and I remove the pests. I clean the paths. I am developing these beautiful flowers and fruits, doing all these things for the sake of giving joy to others." In this way he went on repeating I... I... I.

Appearing to appreciate the beauty of the garden, the old mendicant continued to dwell there for awhile, while the owner busied himself nearby, grooming his garden. After some time the mendicant left. A little bit later a cow entered the garden. She was so weak that she was about to fall and destroy the plants that were there under her body. The owner of the garden saw that this cow was about to spoil his beautiful garden. So he took a small stick and threw it at the cow to chase her out. But the moment the stick touched the cow, the cow fell down and died. Now, in his religion, cows are considered very sacred, and should never be molested or harmed. Having thrown the stick from which the cow dropped dead, he would now have to suffer the great sin of killing a cow. He was aghast at this terrible turn of events.

It was not very long afterwards that the same old mendicant came back into the garden. Walking along the path where the cow had strayed, he saw the dead cow and was shocked. He sought out the owner and urged him to quickly come to the spot. The mendicant asked, "Who killed this cow? Who committed this outrage?" When the owner did not answer immediately, the old mendicant asked more directly, "Tell me, do you know who killed this cow?" The owner replied, "Surely it was the will of God. Without the will of the Lord, would she have died just like that? Unless she was meant to die, would she fall down and expire just because a little stick touched her?"

The moment the old mendicant heard this he told the man, "Previously you told me how it was you alone who was responsible for raising this whole garden, how you alone planted and nurtured all these plants and put in all the paths. You were taking credit for all the good things that have happened here. But for anything that is wrong and inauspicious you put the blame on God. You are an arrogant, self-serving fool, so puffed up with your own importance that you won't even acknowledge the Creator's hand in bringing forth all the beauty that is here. You are taking credit for that which belongs to God. You are even jealous of God. If not for the will of God, there would be nothing in your garden."

At this point, the old mendicant revealed his true identity. He said, "I am the Lord himself. I have come to destroy your egoism." The erring devotee fell at the Lord's feet in contrition. The devotee realized how ego had stolen into him, had gained a foothold, and then had completely taken him over. Now, he understood the deeper meaning of the spiritual teachings that he had been mouthing for so long. He realized that everything is imbued with the divinity, and therefore, he should see the divinity everywhere and live his life with the knowledge that down to the minutest detail, everything is under the control of the divinity.

http://www.atmapress.com/saibabagita/saigita249.html

---------------------------------



Sai Baba Gita, Compiled and edited by Al Drucker - Published by Atma Press - http://www.atmapress.com - ISBN: 0963844903
Online Edition: http://www.atmapress.com/saibabagita/index.html
 



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Message: 4
   Date: Sun, 6 Jun 2004 13:00:28 -0700 (PDT)
   From: saibabanews <saibaba_news@yahoo.com>
Subject: 108 Quotations on Faith in God [31]

108 Quotations on Faith in God
From Sri Sathya Sai Baba's Divine Discourses

- 31 -



   The one who leads a godly life experiences divine bliss. He is ever blissful. He enjoys real happiness. Hence every man should realise the truth that he is a spark of the Divine.

     This means that everyone should seek to experience God as the indweller in the heart. Once Arjuna was troubled in mind over the state of things around him and asked Krishna why this should happen to him when he had such faith in Krishna. Krishna then explained to him that it was not enough to remember God occasionally when one felt the need to remember him. This kind of remembrance is a matter of convenience and expediency. What is required is Anusmarana, constant remembrance. Only that will relieve the devotee of his troubles and worries. Anusmarana calls for remembrance at all times, in all situations. Krishna told Arjuna that he is thinking of God only on some occasions and for some specific purposes. This is not the proper way. "If you remember Me at all times, I am always with you," said Krishna. Krishna's injunction to Arjuna was- "Remember Me at all times and carry on the fight. That alone will help you. It will confer success on you."

- Sri Sathya Sai Baba



From: Sri Sathya Sai Baba's Divine Discourse on 25.8.1997
Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume XXX, Chapter 19: The spark and the source,
Section: Every one is a spark of the Divine
Online: http://sathyasai.org/search/volume30/sss30-19.pdf



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Message: 5
   Date: Sun, 6 Jun 2004 13:38:18 -0700 (PDT)
   From: saibabanews <saibaba_news@yahoo.com>
Subject: Thought for the Day - 7th June 2004


Source: Radio Sai web site
 


In order to promote harmony, the first rule you must follow is the control of the tongue. Do not give immediate expression to all your thoughts; select, ponder and then speak out. Speak softly, sweetly and without malice in your heart; speak as if you are addressing the Sai who resides in everyone.

- Baba

Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam today
7th June 2004
 
 

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Message: 6
   Date: Mon, 07 Jun 2004 09:19:57 +0530
   From: karthikeyan <karthikeyan@naturesoft.net>
Subject: Swami Arrived in Puttaparthi today 07Jun2004

Sairam all of u,

Swami has reached puttaparthi today. Shedule your trips accordingly.

JAI SAIRAM

--
Regards
Karthikeyan.S
Technical Project Sr.Associate
NatureSoft Pvt. Ltd.
11/20 Appu Street 2nd Lane, Mylapore
Chennai 600004
India
tel: +91 44 2461 7193
fax: +91 44 2494 1474
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Message: 7
   Date: Sun, 6 Jun 2004 20:03:23 -0700 (PDT)
   From: Jatindar Shad <egreatindia@yahoo.com>
Subject: A devotees mail to us

Sai Ram
 
As you all - brothers and sister, elders and seniors and equals and juniors - are aware that on Sanskar TV our ad comes after Prasanthi Program, we receive mails from devotees - which are prayers to Bhagwan, some seek help and some are seeking Babas intervention in worldly problems.