Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening.
- Robert Frost.
Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village, though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
My little horse must think it's queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.
He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there's some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.
The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
--
This is one of my favourite poems, after John Milton's "On His Blindness"
Monday, August 14, 2006
Friday, August 11, 2006
The Gayatri Mantra
It has been just a couple of days since UPAKARMA. So, many Brahmins must have spent a good part of their morning chanting the Gayatri Mantra thousands or lakhs of time.
I did a search to find the meaning/ translation of this mantra. Here is what I came up with:
Gayatri mantra has been bestowed the greatest importance in Vedic dharma.This mantra has also been termed as Savitri and Ved-Mata, the mother of the Vedas. The literal meaning of the mantra is:
O God! You are Omnipresent, Omnipotent and Almighty.You are all Light. You are all Knowledge and Bliss.You are Destroyer of fear, You are Creator of this Universe, You are the Greatest of all. We bow and meditate upon Your light. You guide our intellect in the right direction.
And now the meaning of the mantra step by step:
Om bhur bhuvah swah:
Bhur the earth, bhuvah the planets (solar family), swah the Galaxy.[ We observe that when an ordinary fan with a speed of 900 RPM (rotations Per minute) moves, it makes noise. Then, one can imagine, what great noise would be created when the galaxies move with a speed of 20,000 miles per second. This is what this portion of the mantra explains that the sound produced due to the fast-moving earth, planets and galaxies is Om. The sound was heard during meditation by Rishi Vishvamitra, who mentioned it to other colleagues. All of them, then unanimously decided to call this sound Om the name of God, because this sound is available in all the three periods of time hence it is set(permanent). Therefore, it was the first ever revolutionary idea to identify formless God with a specific title (form) called upadhi. Until that time, everybody recognized God as formless and nobody was prepared to accept this new idea.
In the Gita also, it is said, "Omiti ekaksharam brahma", meaning that the name of the Supreme is Om, which contains only onesyllable. This sound Om heard during samadhi was called by all the seers nada-brahma a very great noise), but not a noise that is normally beyond a specific amplitude and limits of decibels suited to human hearing. Hence the rishis called this sound Udgith musical, sound of the above, i.e., heaven.
Tat savitur varenyam:
[Tat that (God), savitur the sun (star), varenyam worthy of bowing or respect. Once the form of a person along with the name is known to us, we may locate the specific person. Hence the two titles (upadhi) provide the solid ground to identify the formless God, Vishvamitra suggested. He told us that we could know(realize) the unknowable formless God through the known factors, viz., sound Om and light of suns (stars). A mathematician can solve an equation x^2+y^2=4; if x=2; then y can be known and so on. An engineer can measure the width of a river even by standing at the river bank just by drawing a triangle.So was the scientific method suggested by Vishvamitra in the mantra in the next portion as under:-
Bhargo devasya dheemahi:
Bhargo the light, devasya of the deity, dheemahi we should meditate. The rishi instructs us to meditate upon the available form (light of suns) to discover the formless Creator (God). Also he wants us to do japa of the word Om (this is understood in the Mantra). This is how the sage wants us to proceed, but there is a great problem to realise it, as the human mind is so shaky and restless that without the grace of the Supreme (Brahma) it cannot be controlled. Hence Vishvamitra suggests the way to pray Him as under:
Dhiyo yo nah prachodayat:
Dhiyo (intellect), yo (who), nah (we all), prachodayat (guide to right Direction). O God! Deploy our intellect on the right path.
Full scientific interpretation of the Mantra: The earth (bhur), the planets (bhuvah), and the galaxies(swah) are moving at a very great velocity,the sound produced is Om, (the name of formless God.) That God (tat), who manifests Himself in the form of light of suns (savitur) is worthy of bowing/respect(varenyam). We all, therefore, should meditate (dheemahi) upon the light (bhargo) of that deity (devasya) and also do chanting of Om.
May He(yo) guide in right direction (prachodayat) our (nah) intellect (dhiyo).
I did a search to find the meaning/ translation of this mantra. Here is what I came up with:
Gayatri mantra has been bestowed the greatest importance in Vedic dharma.This mantra has also been termed as Savitri and Ved-Mata, the mother of the Vedas. The literal meaning of the mantra is:
O God! You are Omnipresent, Omnipotent and Almighty.You are all Light. You are all Knowledge and Bliss.You are Destroyer of fear, You are Creator of this Universe, You are the Greatest of all. We bow and meditate upon Your light. You guide our intellect in the right direction.
And now the meaning of the mantra step by step:
Om bhur bhuvah swah:
Bhur the earth, bhuvah the planets (solar family), swah the Galaxy.[ We observe that when an ordinary fan with a speed of 900 RPM (rotations Per minute) moves, it makes noise. Then, one can imagine, what great noise would be created when the galaxies move with a speed of 20,000 miles per second. This is what this portion of the mantra explains that the sound produced due to the fast-moving earth, planets and galaxies is Om. The sound was heard during meditation by Rishi Vishvamitra, who mentioned it to other colleagues. All of them, then unanimously decided to call this sound Om the name of God, because this sound is available in all the three periods of time hence it is set(permanent). Therefore, it was the first ever revolutionary idea to identify formless God with a specific title (form) called upadhi. Until that time, everybody recognized God as formless and nobody was prepared to accept this new idea.
In the Gita also, it is said, "Omiti ekaksharam brahma", meaning that the name of the Supreme is Om, which contains only onesyllable. This sound Om heard during samadhi was called by all the seers nada-brahma a very great noise), but not a noise that is normally beyond a specific amplitude and limits of decibels suited to human hearing. Hence the rishis called this sound Udgith musical, sound of the above, i.e., heaven.
Tat savitur varenyam:
[Tat that (God), savitur the sun (star), varenyam worthy of bowing or respect. Once the form of a person along with the name is known to us, we may locate the specific person. Hence the two titles (upadhi) provide the solid ground to identify the formless God, Vishvamitra suggested. He told us that we could know(realize) the unknowable formless God through the known factors, viz., sound Om and light of suns (stars). A mathematician can solve an equation x^2+y^2=4; if x=2; then y can be known and so on. An engineer can measure the width of a river even by standing at the river bank just by drawing a triangle.So was the scientific method suggested by Vishvamitra in the mantra in the next portion as under:-
Bhargo devasya dheemahi:
Bhargo the light, devasya of the deity, dheemahi we should meditate. The rishi instructs us to meditate upon the available form (light of suns) to discover the formless Creator (God). Also he wants us to do japa of the word Om (this is understood in the Mantra). This is how the sage wants us to proceed, but there is a great problem to realise it, as the human mind is so shaky and restless that without the grace of the Supreme (Brahma) it cannot be controlled. Hence Vishvamitra suggests the way to pray Him as under:
Dhiyo yo nah prachodayat:
Dhiyo (intellect), yo (who), nah (we all), prachodayat (guide to right Direction). O God! Deploy our intellect on the right path.
Full scientific interpretation of the Mantra: The earth (bhur), the planets (bhuvah), and the galaxies(swah) are moving at a very great velocity,the sound produced is Om, (the name of formless God.) That God (tat), who manifests Himself in the form of light of suns (savitur) is worthy of bowing/respect(varenyam). We all, therefore, should meditate (dheemahi) upon the light (bhargo) of that deity (devasya) and also do chanting of Om.
May He(yo) guide in right direction (prachodayat) our (nah) intellect (dhiyo).
Thursday, August 10, 2006
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
One way trip
A pitched battle has been ongoing for 8 months now.The millions, led by N are a beaten lot. The once sizeable lot is now hugely diminished. They are fighting for a lost cause. But their pride does not allow them to sit back and be beaten. If at all they are going down, it wont be without a fight to the bitter end.
It all began innocuously enough. A few dead and uprooted in the dead of night when N was off duty (sleeping). He dismissed these stray incidents as routine happenings. Exposed to the harsh climes of the battlefields, some footsoldiers are bound to fall prey to the enemy, he said. The large number of young and upright members of the clan showed signs of weakening more than a couple of years ago. Some of the members got old too early(blame it on the stressful conditions they encountered), others fell away from the mainstream rather suspiciously. N suspected that his clan had been infiltrated. He dug out the offenders. It was easy enough at first,as they stood out from the teeming crowd of N's clan. Unfortunately, physical removal of the traitors did not improve the situation for N. The traitors grew in number. Hidden among the natives, the traitors worked their evil, weakening the faithfuls who began to wilt. It was in Jan '06 that the battle truly reached a flash point. N's troops have declined alarmingly quickly. There is no signs of a let up. The battle field which was earlier filled to the very edge [resembled the hair on grizzly bears :D ], now sports a bare look.The losses on either side have been extensive.But the natives have lost more. Large patches of terrain are left unoccupied. It has been ravaged by the battle, and rendered uninhabitable for the natives. This is a sign of things to come. The rest of the terrain will meet the same fate. Finally what will be left is large tracts of empty terrain, with a story to tell, for those who will care to listen.
:-)
It all began innocuously enough. A few dead and uprooted in the dead of night when N was off duty (sleeping). He dismissed these stray incidents as routine happenings. Exposed to the harsh climes of the battlefields, some footsoldiers are bound to fall prey to the enemy, he said. The large number of young and upright members of the clan showed signs of weakening more than a couple of years ago. Some of the members got old too early(blame it on the stressful conditions they encountered), others fell away from the mainstream rather suspiciously. N suspected that his clan had been infiltrated. He dug out the offenders. It was easy enough at first,as they stood out from the teeming crowd of N's clan. Unfortunately, physical removal of the traitors did not improve the situation for N. The traitors grew in number. Hidden among the natives, the traitors worked their evil, weakening the faithfuls who began to wilt. It was in Jan '06 that the battle truly reached a flash point. N's troops have declined alarmingly quickly. There is no signs of a let up. The battle field which was earlier filled to the very edge [resembled the hair on grizzly bears :D ], now sports a bare look.The losses on either side have been extensive.But the natives have lost more. Large patches of terrain are left unoccupied. It has been ravaged by the battle, and rendered uninhabitable for the natives. This is a sign of things to come. The rest of the terrain will meet the same fate. Finally what will be left is large tracts of empty terrain, with a story to tell, for those who will care to listen.
:-)
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
Wonder Years
Growing up happens in a heartbeat.
One day you're in diapers, the next day you're gone.
But the memories of childhood stay with you for the long haul.
I remember a place ... a town ... a house like a lot of houses ...
A yard like a lot of other yards ...On a street like a lot of other streets.
And the thing is ... After all these years,I still look back ... with wonder.
Happenings around me in the past few days brought back memories ....memories archived in remote parts of my brain. These made me smile, laugh quietly and brought tears to my eye in the knowledge that I would never again see the person who helped create all those memories.
I see an older generation passing by, bidding goodbye to this world,( I pray ) headed for a peaceful afterlife. Some are gone, few are left...and will cause the inevitable feeling of loss to those they leave behind. We are like the green leaf, watching the old leaves wither away, reminding us of our own mortality and reminding us to enjoy life to the fullest.
One day you're in diapers, the next day you're gone.
But the memories of childhood stay with you for the long haul.
I remember a place ... a town ... a house like a lot of houses ...
A yard like a lot of other yards ...On a street like a lot of other streets.
And the thing is ... After all these years,I still look back ... with wonder.
Happenings around me in the past few days brought back memories ....memories archived in remote parts of my brain. These made me smile, laugh quietly and brought tears to my eye in the knowledge that I would never again see the person who helped create all those memories.
I see an older generation passing by, bidding goodbye to this world,( I pray ) headed for a peaceful afterlife. Some are gone, few are left...and will cause the inevitable feeling of loss to those they leave behind. We are like the green leaf, watching the old leaves wither away, reminding us of our own mortality and reminding us to enjoy life to the fullest.
Wonder years
Growing up happens in a heartbeat.
One day you're in diapers, the next day you're gone.
But the memories of childhood stay with you for the long haul.
I remember a place ... a school ... a school like a lot of schools ...
A building like a lot of other buildings ...On a street like a lot of other streets.
And the thing is ... After all these years,I still look back ... with wonder.
Saturday.... Am at home on a saturday morning after a longggg time. Coz our Marketing guru had some work and could not make it to the lecture.I remember getting up at around 9AM and being subjected to some light banter from dad for oversleeping(and I went... oh c'mon...9AM is too early esp. on a weekend ). I decided, I want to spend as little time as possible today, on my feet. I wanted to put my feet up and take it eazeee.
Now!! I am adept at 'appearing' busy doing nothing. But to to be seen as not doing anything and still not be asked by someone to do some work around the house...that is something I am yet to master.
Then I thought...........I can laze away an entire morning and afternoon too, if I somehow manage to push all the chores ( if any) onto my bro.(uhhh...maybe promise him a game of Age of conquerors so that he can beat me black n blue and take out all his frustrations on me). I hoped for a lazy saturday evening too, but was booked for a family outing. So had to make most of the morning(whatever was left of it) and the afternoon.
But what do you know, surprisingly I had no chores all day. So I did not have to offer myself for an AOC massacre. But that did not stop him from pulling me in for a quick game later that night and trashing me not once but twice, leaving me completely annoyed and irritated with him and my ego completely bruised.I expected to last atleast for an hour...and not lose in 20 mins flat!! :-D
I managed to lay my hand on a couple of books 'How opal mehta got kissed......'
and an yet to be released novel by Abbot ( one advantage of having a sis who is Sr.Manager in the marketing div. of a large chain of bookstores).It was my dream day!
Then in the late afternoon, by 3 or 3.30PM, I got a call on my cell phone....
Caller(female with shrill voice vaguely familiar):"hi Nagesh, I am your friend here.Can you come to xyz?"
Me: "who is this?"
Caller:I am your friend here.Can you come to xyz?
Me:(thinks 'this HAS to be a prank' what girl in her right mind will call me!):"sry, I'm busy now.Cant come anywhere."
Caller: I am XXX.
Me: whoa! You!? When did u change your phone number!!
Caller(seemingly in a hurry to hang up): Will you come to xyz?
Me: alrite... will get there in another 10
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
No I did not go to xyz and become the bakra.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
A couple of incoming calls; one from the same female, one from a school friend(why did HE call!!. If not for him, I might yet have fallen for
this ;-) ) roused my suspicion further.Then an outgoing sms confirmed the identity of the callers..aahh thankfully!! Else, the embarassment would have been ultmate.
I saved myself the blushes.When they realised, I was not taking the bait, they owned up. I met them later and then pushed off for my family outing.
It was my friends from school, on an unannounced get-together. The kids from KK, now all grown up and working or going abroad for higher studies.
Unexpected, it spoiled my plans for a lazy afternoon, but a pleasant surprise nevertheless. Seeing some of them after 6-7 years brought back some amazing memories.
One day you're in diapers, the next day you're gone.
But the memories of childhood stay with you for the long haul.
I remember a place ... a school ... a school like a lot of schools ...
A building like a lot of other buildings ...On a street like a lot of other streets.
And the thing is ... After all these years,I still look back ... with wonder.
Saturday.... Am at home on a saturday morning after a longggg time. Coz our Marketing guru had some work and could not make it to the lecture.I remember getting up at around 9AM and being subjected to some light banter from dad for oversleeping(and I went... oh c'mon...9AM is too early esp. on a weekend ). I decided, I want to spend as little time as possible today, on my feet. I wanted to put my feet up and take it eazeee.
Now!! I am adept at 'appearing' busy doing nothing. But to to be seen as not doing anything and still not be asked by someone to do some work around the house...that is something I am yet to master.
Then I thought...........I can laze away an entire morning and afternoon too, if I somehow manage to push all the chores ( if any) onto my bro.(uhhh...maybe promise him a game of Age of conquerors so that he can beat me black n blue and take out all his frustrations on me). I hoped for a lazy saturday evening too, but was booked for a family outing. So had to make most of the morning(whatever was left of it) and the afternoon.
But what do you know, surprisingly I had no chores all day. So I did not have to offer myself for an AOC massacre. But that did not stop him from pulling me in for a quick game later that night and trashing me not once but twice, leaving me completely annoyed and irritated with him and my ego completely bruised.I expected to last atleast for an hour...and not lose in 20 mins flat!! :-D
I managed to lay my hand on a couple of books 'How opal mehta got kissed......'
and an yet to be released novel by Abbot ( one advantage of having a sis who is Sr.Manager in the marketing div. of a large chain of bookstores).It was my dream day!
Then in the late afternoon, by 3 or 3.30PM, I got a call on my cell phone....
Caller(female with shrill voice vaguely familiar):"hi Nagesh, I am your friend here.Can you come to xyz?"
Me: "who is this?"
Caller:I am your friend here.Can you come to xyz?
Me:(thinks 'this HAS to be a prank' what girl in her right mind will call me!):"sry, I'm busy now.Cant come anywhere."
Caller: I am XXX.
Me: whoa! You!? When did u change your phone number!!
Caller(seemingly in a hurry to hang up): Will you come to xyz?
Me: alrite... will get there in another 10
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
No I did not go to xyz and become the bakra.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
A couple of incoming calls; one from the same female, one from a school friend(why did HE call!!. If not for him, I might yet have fallen for
this ;-) ) roused my suspicion further.Then an outgoing sms confirmed the identity of the callers..aahh thankfully!! Else, the embarassment would have been ultmate.
I saved myself the blushes.When they realised, I was not taking the bait, they owned up. I met them later and then pushed off for my family outing.
It was my friends from school, on an unannounced get-together. The kids from KK, now all grown up and working or going abroad for higher studies.
Unexpected, it spoiled my plans for a lazy afternoon, but a pleasant surprise nevertheless. Seeing some of them after 6-7 years brought back some amazing memories.
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
Mirror mirror on the .......
Give the world the best you have, and the best will come back to you. This world of ours is like a mirror. It merely mirrors and gives back to every man the reflection of his own thoughts and actions. Frown at it and it will scowl back at you, laugh at/with it, and you will find it a jolly good fellow.
No doubt, our success or failure is of our own making, but others can contribute significantly to our success/happiness or otherwise.i.e it is closely linked to the attitudes and actions of others around us. Usually such actions and attitudes turn out to be a reflection of our own attitudes and actions towards them.
CSR
No doubt, our success or failure is of our own making, but others can contribute significantly to our success/happiness or otherwise.i.e it is closely linked to the attitudes and actions of others around us. Usually such actions and attitudes turn out to be a reflection of our own attitudes and actions towards them.
CSR
Saturday, May 13, 2006
A poem
When I born, I Black,
When I grow up, I Black,
When I go in Sun, I Black,
When I scared, I Black,
When I sick, I Black,
And when I die, I still black..
And you White fella,
When you born, you Pink,
When you grow up, you White,
When you go in Sun, you Red,
When you cold, you Blue,
When you scared, you Yellow,
When you sick, you Green,
And when you die, you Gray..
And you calling me Colored ??
-written by an African kid.........
I came across this poem in my mail and felt like posting it.
When I grow up, I Black,
When I go in Sun, I Black,
When I scared, I Black,
When I sick, I Black,
And when I die, I still black..
And you White fella,
When you born, you Pink,
When you grow up, you White,
When you go in Sun, you Red,
When you cold, you Blue,
When you scared, you Yellow,
When you sick, you Green,
And when you die, you Gray..
And you calling me Colored ??
-written by an African kid.........
I came across this poem in my mail and felt like posting it.
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
I have had a lot of spare time, this past week or so.On one such lazy night, i decided to watch the tamil movie- Anniyan, having heard that it was a very well made movie.
I won't comment about the movie itself.....
I became particularly interested with the references to the Garuda Purana. All that i knew was that the Garuda purana is read at the time of death, before the cremation etc. I decided to dig a little for some more information.Here is some of the info i found about the various hells and the punishments meted out to sinners.
[Believe all that is written below, if u wish!!]
When a person dies, Yama’s messengers (yamaduta) come to take him to Yama. Yama’s messengers are terrible of appearance and they hold sticks and clubs in their hands. The atman leaves the dead physical body and adopts a very small form, as long as a finger. In this form, the dead person is taken to Yama’s abode. The actions performed in one’s life (karma) determine what is going to happen to a dead person thereafter. He is first sent to hell to serve out his sentence for the sins he has committed. Thereafter, he is born again. And what he is born as depends on the karma of the earlier life.
To take care of different types of sinners, there are different narakas.
The most important naraka is rourava, reserved for those who lie or bear false witness. The hell has a long expanse and is full of huge pits. These pits are full of burning coal. The sinner is let loose at one end of the hell and is made to walk to the other end. Naturally, he keeps falling into the pits and gets severly burnt. When he reaches the other end of the hell, he is released from rourava. He then goes to other hells if there are other sins to be accounted for.
Another hell is named maharourava. It is covered with burning sands. The fires that burn there are so bright that they hurt the sinner’s eyes. The sinner’s hands and feet are tied and he is thrown into the hell. There he burns. To compound his miseries, the hell is populated by fierce crows, vultures, wolves, mosquitoes and scorpions. These bite him and sting him and eat his flesh as he burns. After several years spent in maharourava, sinners are released.
Unlike rourava and maharourava, the hell named atishita is extemely cold. There is no light there and everything is in total darkness. The only heat that sinners can generate is by clinging on to each other’s bodies. There are hailstorms which make the skin smart. And there is no food to eat. To satisfy their hunger, the sinners end up eating each other’s flesh and blood and bones.
The hell named nikrintana is quite different. There sinners are tied to stakes and their bodies are sliced with sharp chakras. The slicing begins with the feet and then moved up the body to the head and then again starts with the feet. The tragic part of this is that the sinners do not die in the process. For as soon as a part of their body is join up again. Thus a sinner does not die, but continues to endure the misery. And so it continues for a thousand years before there is release.
A hell named apratishtha is a place where sinners are whirled round and round until they begin to vomit blood and their intestines come out of their mouths.
Asipatravana naraka is a huge expanse. The edges of the hell are extemely hot and there is a grove of trees in the centre. The centre is also cooler. The sinners are let loose at the edges and they suffer so much from the heat that they dash towards the centre. Asi means sword and patra is the blade of a sword. Vana is a forest. The hell is so named because the trees in the grove have leaves that are as sharp as the blades of swords. When sinners dash into the grove, their flesh is sliced with the leaves of the trees. And the grove is also full of fierce dogs which immediately eat up the torn flesh.
Next is the hell named taptakumbha. This has hot (tapa) pots (kumbha). The pots are full of boiling oil. The sinners are hung upside down inside these pots and roasted. And while they are being boiled in oil, vultures tear apart whatever portions of their bodies continue to be exposed.
There are many hells. But the seven major ones are the ones that have just been describedrourava, maharourava, atishita, nikrintana, apratishtha, asipatravana and taptakumbha.
All the hells are located under the earth. The hells are so terrible that a single day there seems like a hundred years on earth. Imprisonment in any naraka is for a fixed term. When all these tenures in different hells are over, it is time for the sinner to be born again. And what he is born as is determines by the karma of his earlier life. The greater the sins he committed in his earlier life, the more inferior the form he is born as . And so the cycle of birth, atonement and rebirth continues.
Rewards for punya are received in heaven. But these rewards are not forever. Once the term is over, the person has to be reborn.
The Garuda purana deals with not just on how the dead are punished for their sins. It deals with a whole lot more.
The Garuda Purana has nineteen thousand shlokas. It is a medium-sized Purana. The thousand shlokas of the Garuda Purana are divided into two parts, a purva khanda (first part) and an uttara khanda (subsequent part). Each khanda has several chapters (adhyaya). The purva khanda is much longer, it has two hundred and thirty-four chapters. The Uttara khanda has only forty-five.Garuda Purana is in the form of instructions by Lord Maha Vishnu to Sri Garuda (The King of Birds). This Purana deals with astronomy, medicine, grammar, and gemstone structure and qualities. In addition, the Garuda Purana is considered the authoritative Vedic reference volume describing the [Nine Pearls], which includes not only the well known Oyster Pearl, but also the Conch Pearl, Cobra Pearl, Boar Pearl, Elephant Pearl, Bamboo Pearl, Whale Pearl, Fish Pearl, and Cloud Pearl.The latter half of this Purana deals with life after death. .This link gives a lot more information about the Garuda purana. I have not yet read it completely[nor am i sure of its authenticity], but it does make for an interesting read.
I won't comment about the movie itself.....
I became particularly interested with the references to the Garuda Purana. All that i knew was that the Garuda purana is read at the time of death, before the cremation etc. I decided to dig a little for some more information.Here is some of the info i found about the various hells and the punishments meted out to sinners.
[Believe all that is written below, if u wish!!]
When a person dies, Yama’s messengers (yamaduta) come to take him to Yama. Yama’s messengers are terrible of appearance and they hold sticks and clubs in their hands. The atman leaves the dead physical body and adopts a very small form, as long as a finger. In this form, the dead person is taken to Yama’s abode. The actions performed in one’s life (karma) determine what is going to happen to a dead person thereafter. He is first sent to hell to serve out his sentence for the sins he has committed. Thereafter, he is born again. And what he is born as depends on the karma of the earlier life.
To take care of different types of sinners, there are different narakas.
The most important naraka is rourava, reserved for those who lie or bear false witness. The hell has a long expanse and is full of huge pits. These pits are full of burning coal. The sinner is let loose at one end of the hell and is made to walk to the other end. Naturally, he keeps falling into the pits and gets severly burnt. When he reaches the other end of the hell, he is released from rourava. He then goes to other hells if there are other sins to be accounted for.
Another hell is named maharourava. It is covered with burning sands. The fires that burn there are so bright that they hurt the sinner’s eyes. The sinner’s hands and feet are tied and he is thrown into the hell. There he burns. To compound his miseries, the hell is populated by fierce crows, vultures, wolves, mosquitoes and scorpions. These bite him and sting him and eat his flesh as he burns. After several years spent in maharourava, sinners are released.
Unlike rourava and maharourava, the hell named atishita is extemely cold. There is no light there and everything is in total darkness. The only heat that sinners can generate is by clinging on to each other’s bodies. There are hailstorms which make the skin smart. And there is no food to eat. To satisfy their hunger, the sinners end up eating each other’s flesh and blood and bones.
The hell named nikrintana is quite different. There sinners are tied to stakes and their bodies are sliced with sharp chakras. The slicing begins with the feet and then moved up the body to the head and then again starts with the feet. The tragic part of this is that the sinners do not die in the process. For as soon as a part of their body is join up again. Thus a sinner does not die, but continues to endure the misery. And so it continues for a thousand years before there is release.
A hell named apratishtha is a place where sinners are whirled round and round until they begin to vomit blood and their intestines come out of their mouths.
Asipatravana naraka is a huge expanse. The edges of the hell are extemely hot and there is a grove of trees in the centre. The centre is also cooler. The sinners are let loose at the edges and they suffer so much from the heat that they dash towards the centre. Asi means sword and patra is the blade of a sword. Vana is a forest. The hell is so named because the trees in the grove have leaves that are as sharp as the blades of swords. When sinners dash into the grove, their flesh is sliced with the leaves of the trees. And the grove is also full of fierce dogs which immediately eat up the torn flesh.
Next is the hell named taptakumbha. This has hot (tapa) pots (kumbha). The pots are full of boiling oil. The sinners are hung upside down inside these pots and roasted. And while they are being boiled in oil, vultures tear apart whatever portions of their bodies continue to be exposed.
There are many hells. But the seven major ones are the ones that have just been describedrourava, maharourava, atishita, nikrintana, apratishtha, asipatravana and taptakumbha.
All the hells are located under the earth. The hells are so terrible that a single day there seems like a hundred years on earth. Imprisonment in any naraka is for a fixed term. When all these tenures in different hells are over, it is time for the sinner to be born again. And what he is born as is determines by the karma of his earlier life. The greater the sins he committed in his earlier life, the more inferior the form he is born as . And so the cycle of birth, atonement and rebirth continues.
Rewards for punya are received in heaven. But these rewards are not forever. Once the term is over, the person has to be reborn.
The Garuda purana deals with not just on how the dead are punished for their sins. It deals with a whole lot more.
The Garuda Purana has nineteen thousand shlokas. It is a medium-sized Purana. The thousand shlokas of the Garuda Purana are divided into two parts, a purva khanda (first part) and an uttara khanda (subsequent part). Each khanda has several chapters (adhyaya). The purva khanda is much longer, it has two hundred and thirty-four chapters. The Uttara khanda has only forty-five.Garuda Purana is in the form of instructions by Lord Maha Vishnu to Sri Garuda (The King of Birds). This Purana deals with astronomy, medicine, grammar, and gemstone structure and qualities. In addition, the Garuda Purana is considered the authoritative Vedic reference volume describing the [Nine Pearls], which includes not only the well known Oyster Pearl, but also the Conch Pearl, Cobra Pearl, Boar Pearl, Elephant Pearl, Bamboo Pearl, Whale Pearl, Fish Pearl, and Cloud Pearl.The latter half of this Purana deals with life after death. .This link gives a lot more information about the Garuda purana. I have not yet read it completely[nor am i sure of its authenticity], but it does make for an interesting read.
Thursday, May 04, 2006
Mediocrity!!
It was supposed to be a day spent in relief,after completing the end term exams with only one project demonstration remaining.I hardly slept the previous night despite being sleep deprived for over a week.By around 5 in the morning, I had managed to complete the remaining work in my project and went to bed, with the intention of speaking to my prof later in the morning to get some feedback about the work.A careless mistake while demonstrating resulted in unexpectedly bad result from my program. So the prof decided to take a look at the code to identify the cause of the anomaly. Having taken one look at it, came a most surprising comment," There is no good in just getting a code from somewhere, you gotta understand how it works atleast, before demonstrating it."
This comment shocked me !!Being a mediocre programmer, i usually start my coding work, from a template and build on it, seldom starting any programming from scratch.However, this was one occasion where i wrote every line of code, with meticulous commenting and following almost every trivial Software Engineering ritual, maintaining the date of creation of code, date of modification, versioning scheme, a few lines of introductory comments about how to run the code, etc.[This was something that this very prof espoused in class saying,"maintaining good documentation is very important, even if your code is not working, these rituals must be followed-will help in debugging and maintaining the code later on!"]
This sort of organised method of working is probably best confined to speeches and not practice and was probably not expected of us..
If any work which is done with diligence can be met with such reproach, no wonder we are content to do amateurish work and be satisfied with it, coz that is what is expected of us. Going the extra mile to do things in an organised manner only lands us into trouble, resuting in comments from well meaning peers," Why did you need to do it that well, they will obviously suspect that you flicked it from somewhere".
I guess, there is some truth in these comments afterall.
My first time doing a decent programming job and i get this!!I can only say "Idu yentha lokavayyah" where mediocrity is the norm and hardwork and effort count for nothing and leads to suspicion.
Lesson from this incident: NEVER FOLLOW SE practices. If you do, then you will land in trouble. I always knew that the profs were only Bull Shitting us in the weekly 4 hours of SE lectures every week .But now, speaking from experience, i can be certain!!
This comment shocked me !!Being a mediocre programmer, i usually start my coding work, from a template and build on it, seldom starting any programming from scratch.However, this was one occasion where i wrote every line of code, with meticulous commenting and following almost every trivial Software Engineering ritual, maintaining the date of creation of code, date of modification, versioning scheme, a few lines of introductory comments about how to run the code, etc.[This was something that this very prof espoused in class saying,"maintaining good documentation is very important, even if your code is not working, these rituals must be followed-will help in debugging and maintaining the code later on!"]
This sort of organised method of working is probably best confined to speeches and not practice and was probably not expected of us..
If any work which is done with diligence can be met with such reproach, no wonder we are content to do amateurish work and be satisfied with it, coz that is what is expected of us. Going the extra mile to do things in an organised manner only lands us into trouble, resuting in comments from well meaning peers," Why did you need to do it that well, they will obviously suspect that you flicked it from somewhere".
I guess, there is some truth in these comments afterall.
My first time doing a decent programming job and i get this!!I can only say "Idu yentha lokavayyah" where mediocrity is the norm and hardwork and effort count for nothing and leads to suspicion.
Lesson from this incident: NEVER FOLLOW SE practices. If you do, then you will land in trouble. I always knew that the profs were only Bull Shitting us in the weekly 4 hours of SE lectures every week .But now, speaking from experience, i can be certain!!
Saturday, April 22, 2006
Motivation
Things are tough- You enjoy the challenge, Work hard and reap the rewards.
Things become easy- So no longer challenging! Slack off, start going downhill.
That describes my present situation.
Things become easy- So no longer challenging! Slack off, start going downhill.
That describes my present situation.
Thursday, April 13, 2006
Dr.Rajkumar
Dr. Rajkumar: Incredible Actor, magnificent singer, simple person, honoured for his genourisity
RIP 1929-2006
Date of Birth - 24/4/1929 at Gajanur.
First Movie - Bedara Kanappa in 1954
200th movie-Devatha Manushya
Raj sung his first song in Mahishasura Mardini(Tumbitu manava...).
However, his singing career started when he sung'yaare kugadali..' in sampathige savaal.
His films which created history in Kannada Cinema Industry: Bangaradha Manushya, Kastoori Nivasa , Babruvana, Bhakta Prahalada, Shankar Guru, Gandhadha Gudi, Jeevana chaitra, Aakasmika etc.,
Awards of significance:
He received the Padma Bhushan award from the Government of India and the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 1995, in recognition of his contributions to the Kannada film industry.
His fans have conferred him the title "Nata Saarvabhowma" (The Emperor of Acting).
Thursday, March 23, 2006
Sunday, March 05, 2006
The F1 Gazette
Hi, I will put my ramblings on the new F1 season which gets underway in a week's time, in another blog.
http://thef1gazette.blogspot.com/
[edited]
http://thef1gazette.blogspot.com/
[edited]
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
Saturday, January 28, 2006
what is patriotism?
Jan 26, Aug 15 . . .. what do these dates mean to us.
We all know the significance of these Anniversaries, but has it lost all meaning to us?
We just enjoy a holiday, away from work, studies etc. Do we ever stop and wonder!
Now what to wonder about? I really don’t know. But I can’t help feeling that we are all not doing something right. On festival days most of us do some sort of puja to god, eat a good meal and probably buy clothes, jewellery etc even if we don’t know/understand the significance of those festivals.
But what do we do on I Day and R Day? Hoist a flag, sing the Anthem and then enjoy the rest of the day?!!..... Shouldn’t we be doing something special on these days? Because we all know AND understand the significance of these two anniversaries. IS THERE ANYTHING WE CAN DO TO MARK THIS DAY, apart from the monotonous activities of flag hoisting and Anthem singing?
There is a special day for many things: there is a fathers day, mothers day, teachers day, Valentine’s Day friendship day, etc. Though these are often dismissed as a western conception and as marketing gimmicks, it atleast has given us an occasion to express our feelings. It is true that one loves his father/mother/teacher/girlfriend/ boyfriend every living moment. But it is not every day that you have the time and inclination to express your love to them. Such occasions as fathers day, mothers day,teachers day etc provide this opportunity.
In a similar way I Day and R Day are supposed to be anniversaries when we express our feelings or do some introspection. I Day and R Day are days on which we show or feel love for our country. It is true that we love out country every living moment (atleast most of us do), but how do we go about showing patriotism for the country?
We all know the significance of these Anniversaries, but has it lost all meaning to us?
We just enjoy a holiday, away from work, studies etc. Do we ever stop and wonder!
Now what to wonder about? I really don’t know. But I can’t help feeling that we are all not doing something right. On festival days most of us do some sort of puja to god, eat a good meal and probably buy clothes, jewellery etc even if we don’t know/understand the significance of those festivals.
But what do we do on I Day and R Day? Hoist a flag, sing the Anthem and then enjoy the rest of the day?!!..... Shouldn’t we be doing something special on these days? Because we all know AND understand the significance of these two anniversaries. IS THERE ANYTHING WE CAN DO TO MARK THIS DAY, apart from the monotonous activities of flag hoisting and Anthem singing?
There is a special day for many things: there is a fathers day, mothers day, teachers day, Valentine’s Day friendship day, etc. Though these are often dismissed as a western conception and as marketing gimmicks, it atleast has given us an occasion to express our feelings. It is true that one loves his father/mother/teacher/girlfriend/ boyfriend every living moment. But it is not every day that you have the time and inclination to express your love to them. Such occasions as fathers day, mothers day,teachers day etc provide this opportunity.
In a similar way I Day and R Day are supposed to be anniversaries when we express our feelings or do some introspection. I Day and R Day are days on which we show or feel love for our country. It is true that we love out country every living moment (atleast most of us do), but how do we go about showing patriotism for the country?
Sunday, December 25, 2005
"Friendship has no expiry date".
This was part of a text message i received on my mobile phone, from a close friend.It set me thinking. Is it really true? Is a good friendship something that lasts forever and grows better with age? Many of us would have tales of how we have nurtured a friendship over a long period of time. But for each such special friendship that is spread over a decade or more, how many broken friendships are strewn along the path? Even people perceived as being very close to eachother have drifted apart/cant stand each other's presence.
My opinion on this is thus: Human beings always seek some gain in whatever they do. The gain need not always be something materialistic. The friends we make at any point in our life depend on our circumstances. Though one does not befriend someone having only ulterior motives( that is not friendship anyhow!), quite unconsciously almost all of us tend to be friends with people who will at some point of time be useful to us. We befriend those who share some common activity.So friends are mostly circumstantial. Once the common thread that held the friendship together, no longer exists or is no longer strong enough, the friends tend to drift apart i.e the friendship reaches its expiry date.
This was part of a text message i received on my mobile phone, from a close friend.It set me thinking. Is it really true? Is a good friendship something that lasts forever and grows better with age? Many of us would have tales of how we have nurtured a friendship over a long period of time. But for each such special friendship that is spread over a decade or more, how many broken friendships are strewn along the path? Even people perceived as being very close to eachother have drifted apart/cant stand each other's presence.
My opinion on this is thus: Human beings always seek some gain in whatever they do. The gain need not always be something materialistic. The friends we make at any point in our life depend on our circumstances. Though one does not befriend someone having only ulterior motives( that is not friendship anyhow!), quite unconsciously almost all of us tend to be friends with people who will at some point of time be useful to us. We befriend those who share some common activity.So friends are mostly circumstantial. Once the common thread that held the friendship together, no longer exists or is no longer strong enough, the friends tend to drift apart i.e the friendship reaches its expiry date.
Tuesday, July 26, 2005
Are Rule changes the cause for Ferrari decline?
Fernando Alonso’s win in Germany has all but ensured his championship victory. The performance of Ferrari and McLaren [the lack of it] also signals a likely constructor win too for Renault. When this happens, it will signal the end of an era in F1: An end of the long rein of domination by Ferrari and Schumacher.
However, many are claiming that this result is unfair, as the rules were changed to handicap Ferrari and advantage other teams.
On the contrary, the rules should have strengthened Ferrari and not weakened them. Here is why.
Ferrari had developed their car to a pinnacle - but the room for improvement for other teams was higher and they were just beginning to gain ground - when the rules were changed.
If you say that the rule changes were aimed solely at Ferrari - then it should be clear how the changes affect Ferrari more than other teams or help other teams more than Ferrari - having done this exercise on the rules after 2002 - a number of times now - the reality is that the overall result was either neutral or actually in Ferrari's favour.
Let's take a look at when the decision was made for the rule changes: end of the 2004 season. The three major changes that took place were:
1) 2 race engines;
2) One set of tires for qualifying and the same set for the race;
3) Aero changes (a general summation, but I trust you get the point).
Now let's look at what Max was seeing while he was coming up with these rules:
1) Ferrari had the best / reliable engine on the grid;
2) Bridgestone was more durable, and infact seemed to improve with wear;
3) A team was needed to test the effects of the aero changes he had in mind (whom did they pick to do the testing . . . that's right, Ferrari).
And which team was it that wanted V8 engines? And what engines will we have next year? Yes, you guessed right. It is Ferrari.
Ferrari already had the most reliable engine in the history of F1 when a rule was brought in to reward reliability - so who does that favour? Ferrari more than anyone else!
Single lap qualifying - well, let's see - drivers with proven records of being consistent and able to do near their best immediately (MS) - versus others who often needed a few shots to do their best (JPM, less experienced drivers).
When tyres became an issue - guess what - the scrutineering rules were changed - and it certainly was teams other than Ferrari who were affected.
On paper, the rule changes SEEMED to favour Ferrari. Unfortunately, someone dropped the ball and the other teams (mainly Renault and McLaren) upped their game.
It's long been said that rule instability is better for teams with more technical resources, as they have the ability to respond to the changes. Rule stability is better for the smaller and less technically equipped teams as they have a chance to catch up. Ferrari is not exactly one of the teams with poor technical resources- - the teams most able to deal with rule changes are those with the most resources. And if one team is already on top of key rule changes (such as for engine reliability) then it lets it focus on other changes.
I'm not saying that all the rule changes have advantaged Ferrari against the other teams, but certainly they've done relatively well out of them. It has just happened that this year, they dropped the ball. If Ferrari has had bad results this season, it has nothing to do with the rules. It just means that other teams did a better job than them. Period.
However, many are claiming that this result is unfair, as the rules were changed to handicap Ferrari and advantage other teams.
On the contrary, the rules should have strengthened Ferrari and not weakened them. Here is why.
Ferrari had developed their car to a pinnacle - but the room for improvement for other teams was higher and they were just beginning to gain ground - when the rules were changed.
If you say that the rule changes were aimed solely at Ferrari - then it should be clear how the changes affect Ferrari more than other teams or help other teams more than Ferrari - having done this exercise on the rules after 2002 - a number of times now - the reality is that the overall result was either neutral or actually in Ferrari's favour.
Let's take a look at when the decision was made for the rule changes: end of the 2004 season. The three major changes that took place were:
1) 2 race engines;
2) One set of tires for qualifying and the same set for the race;
3) Aero changes (a general summation, but I trust you get the point).
Now let's look at what Max was seeing while he was coming up with these rules:
1) Ferrari had the best / reliable engine on the grid;
2) Bridgestone was more durable, and infact seemed to improve with wear;
3) A team was needed to test the effects of the aero changes he had in mind (whom did they pick to do the testing . . . that's right, Ferrari).
And which team was it that wanted V8 engines? And what engines will we have next year? Yes, you guessed right. It is Ferrari.
Ferrari already had the most reliable engine in the history of F1 when a rule was brought in to reward reliability - so who does that favour? Ferrari more than anyone else!
Single lap qualifying - well, let's see - drivers with proven records of being consistent and able to do near their best immediately (MS) - versus others who often needed a few shots to do their best (JPM, less experienced drivers).
When tyres became an issue - guess what - the scrutineering rules were changed - and it certainly was teams other than Ferrari who were affected.
On paper, the rule changes SEEMED to favour Ferrari. Unfortunately, someone dropped the ball and the other teams (mainly Renault and McLaren) upped their game.
It's long been said that rule instability is better for teams with more technical resources, as they have the ability to respond to the changes. Rule stability is better for the smaller and less technically equipped teams as they have a chance to catch up. Ferrari is not exactly one of the teams with poor technical resources- - the teams most able to deal with rule changes are those with the most resources. And if one team is already on top of key rule changes (such as for engine reliability) then it lets it focus on other changes.
I'm not saying that all the rule changes have advantaged Ferrari against the other teams, but certainly they've done relatively well out of them. It has just happened that this year, they dropped the ball. If Ferrari has had bad results this season, it has nothing to do with the rules. It just means that other teams did a better job than them. Period.
Sunday, July 24, 2005
The last month has been pretty slow. After the rush of completing final semester project, then going through the chore of giving the exams.... life has been pretty slow. Though i have been out of staion already a couple of times i find myself with nothing to do and am looking forward to the day i can begin a new chapter in my life at iiit and my first experience of hostel life.
It has not been too long since i stopped going to MSRIT, but i already misss the place. Not because i loved the "education" imparted there, but for other reasons which i will elaborate soon.
Education must have two aspects embedded in it
1. Imparting knowledge
2. Building character to mould students into good citizens and human beings.
The "knowledge" aspect is what is empasised in most educational institutes.However, in my opinion the process of building character is much more important. We can aquire knowledge even without teachers(anyhow, that has been the case for the last 4+2 years--more self study than any class room teaching). What is regrettable is that these days the "teachers" are unable to impart knowlwdge let alone build the character of their wards.
Now that i have got that small rant on education out of the way, let me elaborate why i will/am missing MSRIT already. I never did hang out in the college canteen or other favoutite hangouts. However, one of the places in college that i will miss is the college library. Not because of the books ( i never read any of them completely anyway---the photo-copied stuff from Krishna Xerox was more than enough), but because the library gave me an opportunity to observe lots of people and learn a lot about human behaviour.
I will miss the hours of cricket we played on weekend's..
The endless battles for supremacy in Age of Empries(Conquerors)..the week long startegies..discussions.. only to get the better of the guys in the other section of the class [for the record..My class beat the other more often ]
The long winded discussions and arguments with some of my classmates on a wide ranging number of topics.
I will miss the ever present smile of MSS(J), the nonsensical talk of HOD, the inspirational speeches from KM.
I will also miss SL..(but for exactly opposite reasons as the others already mentioned ).
Most of all i will miss the three other members of The Fantastic Four.....Hari,Badari and Girish.Each of us is going our own way....IISc,Job,IIT......
If i never forget MSRIT, it will be because of all my friends there. I learnt more from them than possibly any sort of formal teaching could ever teach me.
I learnt from them the natural way. i.e watch - imitate -learn. I have watched a lot of really amazing people.......... I have picked up a few things from each of them (mostly unknown to them). I learnt to work hard, to Chill out, to work out a balance between my various activities.... i have benifitted immensely from all these people.
Now all these experiences of over 4 years will be memories which i will surely cherish. I am thankful that i have not made any enemies or hurt anyone's feelings during my time in MSRIT.I am sure i will be happy to meet up with all my classmates or teachers anytime in the future and i guess the feeling will be mutual.
Now it is time to move on............ new place, new challenges, new friends,new experiences...i hope it is as rewarding as the last few years have been.
It has not been too long since i stopped going to MSRIT, but i already misss the place. Not because i loved the "education" imparted there, but for other reasons which i will elaborate soon.
Education must have two aspects embedded in it
1. Imparting knowledge
2. Building character to mould students into good citizens and human beings.
The "knowledge" aspect is what is empasised in most educational institutes.However, in my opinion the process of building character is much more important. We can aquire knowledge even without teachers(anyhow, that has been the case for the last 4+2 years--more self study than any class room teaching). What is regrettable is that these days the "teachers" are unable to impart knowlwdge let alone build the character of their wards.
Now that i have got that small rant on education out of the way, let me elaborate why i will/am missing MSRIT already. I never did hang out in the college canteen or other favoutite hangouts. However, one of the places in college that i will miss is the college library. Not because of the books ( i never read any of them completely anyway---the photo-copied stuff from Krishna Xerox was more than enough), but because the library gave me an opportunity to observe lots of people and learn a lot about human behaviour.
I will miss the hours of cricket we played on weekend's..
The endless battles for supremacy in Age of Empries(Conquerors)..the week long startegies..discussions.. only to get the better of the guys in the other section of the class [for the record..My class beat the other more often ]
The long winded discussions and arguments with some of my classmates on a wide ranging number of topics.
I will miss the ever present smile of MSS(J), the nonsensical talk of HOD, the inspirational speeches from KM.
I will also miss SL..(but for exactly opposite reasons as the others already mentioned ).
Most of all i will miss the three other members of The Fantastic Four.....Hari,Badari and Girish.Each of us is going our own way....IISc,Job,IIT......
If i never forget MSRIT, it will be because of all my friends there. I learnt more from them than possibly any sort of formal teaching could ever teach me.
I learnt from them the natural way. i.e watch - imitate -learn. I have watched a lot of really amazing people.......... I have picked up a few things from each of them (mostly unknown to them). I learnt to work hard, to Chill out, to work out a balance between my various activities.... i have benifitted immensely from all these people.
Now all these experiences of over 4 years will be memories which i will surely cherish. I am thankful that i have not made any enemies or hurt anyone's feelings during my time in MSRIT.I am sure i will be happy to meet up with all my classmates or teachers anytime in the future and i guess the feeling will be mutual.
Now it is time to move on............ new place, new challenges, new friends,new experiences...i hope it is as rewarding as the last few years have been.
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