Slow Down

What a thought-provoking message! Here's a philosophical note with an apt title: _"The Pace of Peace: Cultivating Patience in a Fast-Paced World"_ In today's rapid-fire culture, we often find ourselves stressed, bored, or isolated, despite being more connected than ever. The irony lies in our lack of genuine human interaction, replaced by machines and virtual communication. "Patience is the companion of wisdom." (Saint Augustine) The antidote to this chaos is patience – a virtue rooted in love, respect, and attention. By embracing patience, we create space for meaningful connections, active listening, and true understanding. "In the stillness of the quiet, if we listen, we can hear the whisper of the heart giving us direction to move forward." (Unknown) May we slow down, cultivate patience, and nurture our relationships with empathy and compassion. In doing so, we'll rediscover the peace that eludes us in our frenetic pace. _Happy Sunday! May God bless us with the gift of patience, guiding us toward a more harmonious and peaceful existence._

Julius Caeser

At 23, Julius Caesar was a junior politician on the way up. But he had an advantage: confidence and brains. Sailing across the Aegean Sea, he was captured by Sicilian pirates. They demanded a ransom: 20 talents of silver. (That’s about 620kg, worth about $600,000.) Caesar told them they were being ridiculous. He couldn’t possibly allow himself to be ransomed so cheaply. The pirates hesitated, they were confused. Caesar insisted the ransom must be raised to 50 talents of silver. (Around 1,550kg, worth about $1.5 million.) Now the pirates didn’t know what to make of this. Normally, their captives tried to escape as cheaply as possible. They didn’t understand what was going on. But if he said he would double the ransom, why argue? They let Caesar’s men go back to Rome to raise the money. And in Rome, in his absence, Caesar suddenly became very famous. No-one had ever been ransomed for such a vast sum before. He must be very special, he must be incredibly important. That ransom demand put Caesar on the political map. He had just invented the Veblen effect. Although Thorstein Veblen wouldn’t give it that name for another 2,000 years. The Veblen effect is when consumers perceive higher-priced goods to be worth more, simply because they cost more. Like Rolex, Cartier, Bentley, Rolls-Royce, Aston Martin, Louis Vuitton, Christian Louboutin, Harrods, Cristal Champagne. None of them are actually any better than the cheaper alternatives, but the price alone makes them seem more desirable. Caesar had effectively made himself a Veblen brand. He’d placed a value on himself greater than anyone in Rome. But, as far as anyone in Rome knew, it wasn’t him who had done it. It was an independent valuation. So it must be true. And because Caesar was now so highly valued, his men had little trouble raising the ransom money. They returned to the island and freed him. But Caesar wasn’t going to allow the pirates to keep that sort of money. As a now important and famous man, it was easy to raise a force. He hunted down the pirates and took back all the money, plus everything else they had pillaged, then executed them all. So Caesar was now both very rich and very famous. And in time, with that same combination of confidence and brains, he became ruler of all Rome. And he presided over the golden age of the Roman Empire. Expanding it from Spain to Germany, from Britain to the Middle East. Because Caesar knew that reality begins in the mind. So the most important piece of real estate in which to stake a claim is the human mind. How you stake a claim in the mind is by creating a perception. And how you create that perception is by controlling the context. Control the context and you control the mind. Control the mind and you control reality.

To Have an Empty Mind

https://www.dailypioneer.com/2024/columnists/strive-to-have--an-empty-mind.html

SUCCESSFUL CONCENTRATION

SUCCESSFUL CONCENTRATION Around the Year with Emmet Fox September 19 I do not give exercises to develop concentration. Concentrate on what you are doing at any time, that is the best exercise I know. I remember when I was a boy about twelve years old somebody gave me a perfect peach of a jackknife. It probably weighed a quarter of a pound and there was a little saw in it, a little screwdriver, a corkscrew, a thing for getting stones out of horses' hoofs, and several blades. I carried it for about a year thinking how handy it would be for certain cases that never came up, but it never lost its interest. I could always find, when I was bored, new interest when I took out the jackknife. If you make your search for God your jackknife in that sense, you will get your concentration and you will get your success. “Thus, will I bless thee while I live. . . and meditate on thee in the night watches” Psalm 63:4, 6

What are the stories of Lord Krishna that give you goosebumps?

What are the stories of Lord Krishna that give you goosebumps? There was once a Krishna Devotee who passed a jungle chanting Narasimha mantra. A tribal cheif's son came before him and befriended him. He asked him to do puja for his Shivling as he has some other work to do. But the devotee told he will not worship any god other than Narasimha and called Shiva a demigod which made the Cheif's son angry that he threatened the devotee with a sword that if he doesn't worship Shivling he will kill him. The poor devotee who doesn't even know how to worship Shivling. He prayed Narasimha to help him and surprisingly saw Narasimha in the Shivling. He applied the Vaishnava Tilak and poured milk over the shivling with a Shankha and did Krishna rituals to the Shivling. When the Cheif's son came back he got angry and drew his sword to kill the devotee for worshipping the Shivling as Krishna. At the moment… . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Shivling split and Narasimha came out of the Shivling and killed the cheif's son. The devotee got shocked and felt sorry for calling Shiva a demigod and realized Hari and Hara are same. This place came to known as Lingasphota and here the Shivling is worshipped as Narasimha or Krishna. Jai Shree Krishna. Har Har Mahadev.

What does Siddhartha Gautama Buddha mean when he says that a human is not a being and doesn't own a soul?

What does Siddhartha Gautama Buddha mean when he says that a human is not a being and doesn't own a soul? That is because 99.99 % of the people believe that there is a permanent soul inside. Most of the religions are based on the view that there is a permanent soul. So, such soul is created by God and the soul will be united with God in eternity and blah blah stuff. And the religious people impose people to follow certain set of rules as if they are the medium of god or somehow they have connection with God. 2,600 years ago, Buddha said there is no permanent soul. There are five aggregates or Khanda. They are appearing and passing away. The speed is too fast that we are mistaken as if we have soul. If you want to know details, you need to learn Buddhism especially Abidhamma, dependent origination and insight meditation. There is theory and there is a practice to prove the theory. That doesn’t mean that we have to abandon our parents and social stuff. There are two kind of truths - conventional truths and ultimate truths. Buddhuism is going towards ultimate truths. It observes fundamental and basic building blocks of us. But, since we are living in this world, we also need to follow conventional truths. They are also true at some level. Although they are not true at absolute level. When you pick up the book of other religion, you will see the difference. The view based on there is a soul, self, god, permanent being, eternity.

Why does Lord Vishnu always take incarnations in the upper castes only?

Why does Lord Vishnu always take incarnations in the upper castes only? Not True. Only four incarnations of Lord Vishnu are said to have been born in upper castes. ( The system which exist only in material world and if you consider it on the basis of birth) Lord Vamana (Brahmin) Lord Parsurama (Brahmin) Lord Rama (Kshatriya) Lord Buddha (Kshatriya) Lord Krishna, on the other hand, who is Paramavatar of Bhagwan is casteless (again if you take it on the basis of birth) because he is birthless. Being unborn, eternal Krishna is beyond any kind of classification. He is class apart. Further, God has not fixed number of incarnations.. The number of his incarnation is innumerable. O brāhmaṇas, the incarnations of the Lord are innumerable, like rivulets flowing from inexhaustible sources of water. (Bhagavatam 1.3.26) Some incarnations got immense popularity so the author of Puranas enlisted them in a set. That's it. So Do you really think in these innumerable incarnations God had only thought to descend as dvija. ( privileged class) You talk about human, what human He appeard even in animals, and how can you forget his third avatar which is of a Boar. (In the sequence of ten incarnations). I hope you know the fact that Boar is usually considered as lowest in animals. And you say God incarnates only in upper castes.He too discriminates. NO……..!!!! For God everyone is equal. He himself states so. I am equally disposed to all living beings; I am neither inimical nor partial to anyone. But the devotees who worship Me with love reside in Me and I reside in them. (Gita 9.29) Don't you believe on God's words ?? .. Thankyou. Edit : Balrama 19th incarnation of Lord ( In the sequence of 22 avatars - Bhagavat Purana) is not from upper caste. He belonged to yadav clan the the community mainly engaged in animal husbandry & farming at that time. Thankyou. Jai Sri Hari…!!!

MAKING AMENDS

Good Morning!!! God grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change; Courage to change the things I can; and Wisdom to know the difference. Thy will, not mine, be done. *~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~ *~*~*~* September 11, 2024 MAKING AMENDS Above all, we should try to be absolutely sure that we are not delaying because we are afraid. TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 87 To have courage, to be unafraid, are gifts of my recovery. They empower me to ask for help and to go forth in making my amends with a sense of dignity and humility. Making amends may require a certain amount of honesty that I feel I lack, yet with the help of God and the wisdom of others, I can reach within and find the strength to act. My amends may be accepted, or they may not, but after they are completed I can walk with a sense of freedom and know that, for today, I am responsible.

WICKED

KEY WORDS IN THE BIBLE WICKED Around the Year with Emmet Fox September 11 The word wicked occurs more than three hundred times in the Bible and is one of the most important terms to be found therein. In the Bible the word wicked really means "bewitched" or "under a spell." The Law of Being is perfect harmony, and that truth never changes, but man uses his free will to think wrongly, and thus, he builds up false conditions around him, and then believes them to be real. They look real, and so he forgets that it was he himself who made them, and thus, he bewitches himself, or throws himself under a kind of spell; and of course, as long as he remains bewitched he has to suffer the consequences. Nevertheless, it is only illusion, or a spell, and it can be broken by turning to God. The only way to break such a spell is to think of God. “O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you. . .!” (Galatians 3:1) said Paul, when he heard that some of his students had begun to believe evil in this way. “The wicked flee when no man pursueth” (Proverbs 28:1). Let us awaken from the spell under which the whole race lives, and know instead that God is all Power, infinite Intelligence, and boundless love. “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him...” Isaiah 55:7

Jai GuruDev

What is the big deal about your feelings, your mind’s likes, and dislikes? One who does not care about their feelings will reach the Self. Who cares about your feelings? They come for a moment and then pass away. Experience them, but don’t run away from them. Instead of focusing on your feelings, go by your dedication and commitment. Your life is dedicated to a cause on this planet. That brings out valor, vigor, peace, and stability from within you. Otherwise, you’ll feel good one moment and bad the next. Haven’t you experienced feeling miserable even in the best situations? When we don’t worry much about our feelings, we get established in wisdom. Being established in wisdom brings you to your Self, which is Peace, Joy, and Love. The Self is the Power. Your emotions can make you very weak or very strong. When your emotions are positive, they make you sensitive to the truth; they make you subtle, delicate, and take you into deep meditation.

Enjoy your own company instead of expecting someone else to make you happy.

Some people dream of success, while other people get up every morning and make it happen. Key to happiness is not that you should never get angry, upset, frustrated, irritated or depressed. It is how fast you decide to get out of it. Enjoy your own company instead of expecting someone else to make you happy. Don't take every challenge as a problem, instead, take every problem as a challenge. We are balloons filled with emotions in a world of pins.

Jai Gurudev

What is the big deal about your feelings, your mind’s likes, and dislikes? One who does not care about their feelings will reach the Self. Who cares about your feelings? They come for a moment and then pass away. Experience them, but don’t run away from them. Instead of focusing on your feelings, go by your dedication and commitment. Your life is dedicated to a cause on this planet. That brings out valor, vigor, peace, and stability from within you. Otherwise, you’ll feel good one moment and bad the next. Haven’t you experienced feeling miserable even in the best situations? When we don’t worry much about our feelings, we get established in wisdom. Being established in wisdom brings you to your Self, which is Peace, Joy, and Love. The Self is the Power. Your emotions can make you very weak or very strong. When your emotions are positive, they make you sensitive to the truth; they make you subtle, delicate, and take you into deep meditation.

Krishna’s words

If Duryodhana had chosen Krishna instead of his army during the Kurukshetra war, how would this decision have shifted the strategic balance and affected the ultimate outcomes for both the Kauravas and Pandavas? Krishna gave chosing option to Arjun first not to Duryodhan. So Duryodhan have no choice at all except to accept what Arjun left between the two. Krishna’s words But it is said that those who are junior in years should have the first choice. Therefore, Dhananjaya, the son of Kunti, is entitled to first choice. There is a large body of cowherds numbering ten crores, rivalling me in strength and known as the Narayanas, all of whom are able to fight in the thick of battle. These soldiers, irresistible in battle, shall be sent to one of you and I alone, resolved not to fight on the field, and laying down my arms, will go to the other. You may, O son of Kunti, first select whichever of these two commends itself to you. For, according to law, you have the right to the first choice.' VII Udyoga parva Krishna knew Arjuna will chose him. There is no chance of Duryodhan getting Krishna on his side. Krishna incarnated to remove the burden of the earth with Arjun being the tool as told by him in Gita . tasmat tvam uttishtha yasho labhasva jitva shatrun bhunkshva rajyam samriddham mayaivaite nihatah purvam eva nimitta-matram bhava savya-sachin BG 11.33: Therefore, arise and attain honor! Conquer your foes and enjoy prosperous rulership. These warriors stand already slain by Me, and you will only be an instrument of My work, O expert archer. So Krishna chose Arjuna to be the one who would carry out his purpose,not Duryodhan. My answer is based on Vyasa Bharat

Jai Gurudev

Ganesha is the Lord of Siddhi (perfection) and Buddhi (intelligence). He bestows all that one aspires for. Celebrate with devotion and dedication. Happy Ganesh Chaturthi!

Efficacy of Mantras

https://www.ehitavada.com/article.php?id=Mpage_2024-08-26_499952cf8be5aadc2d44e855e11b45c966decd08b4a13

RECOVERY BY PROXY?

Good Morning!!! God grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change; Courage to change the things I can; and Wisdom to know the difference. Thy will, not mine, be done. *~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~* September 10, 2024 RECOVERY BY PROXY? They [the Promises] will always materialize if we work for them. ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS p. 84 Sometimes I think: "Making these amends is going too far! No one should have to humble himself like that!" However, it is this very humbling of myself that brings me that much closer to the sunlight of the spirit. A.A. is the only hope I have if I am to continue healing and gain a life of happiness, friendship and harmony. ********************************************** Free of Dependence I asked myself, "Why can't the Twelve Steps work to release me from this unbearable depression?" By the hour, I stared at the St. Francis Prayer: "It is better to comfort than to be comforted ." Suddenly I realized what the answer might be. My basic flaw had always been dependence on people or circumstances to supply me with prestige, security, and confidence. Failing to get these things according to my perfectionist dreams and specifications, I fought for them. And when defeat came, so did my depression. Reinforced by what grace I could find in prayer, I had to exert every ounce of will and action to cut off these faulty emotional dependencies upon people and upon circumstances. Then only could I be free to love as Francis had loved. GRAPEVINE, JANUARY 1958 Copyright 1967 Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.

SALVATION

Good Morning!!! KEY WORDS IN THE BIBLE SALVATION Around the Year with Emmet Fox September 10 The word salvation appears more than 120 times in the Bible. It was in constant use among religious people of past generations, and while it is not so often heard today, the fact remains that it is one of the most important words in the Bible and among the least well understood. The word salvation in the Bible means perfect health, harmony, and freedom. These things are the will of God for man— for you personally; and the Bible was written to tell us how to attain them. We gain salvation by seeking God and letting Him work through us. “The Lord is my light and my salvation” Psalm 27:1 “He only is my rock and my salvation” Psalm 62:2 “He hath raised up a horn of salvation for us. . .” Luke 1:69 “And all flesh shall see the salvation of God” Luke 3:6 Such texts as these are typical of the Bible promises concerning salvation: Salvation comes to a few people gently and easily, but the majority have to work out their salvation with a certain amount of "fear and trembling" for the time being. The actual way in which it comes is not really important, for come it will—when we seek it with our whole heart.

What is the secret behind meditation as some can meditate for 6 hours continuously and others may not be able to even do it for 5 minutes?

What is the secret behind meditation as some can meditate for 6 hours continuously and others may not be able to even do it for 5 minutes? The secret is daily practice. We may start meditating and only be able to sit for 5 minutes because we have so much resistance to sitting still. This resistance is what separates us from meditation. This resistance is ego, the sense of being a separate “I.” We feel separate from this moment and this separation is uncomfortable. To be able to increase our time of sitting, we have to bring out minds and body into balance through proper diet, exercise and even practices like breathing techniques or chanting etc. This will make it easier to meditate, feel peaceful and be still. But even with this, we still have to surrender the one that is resistant to sitting. To do this we have to learn to allow our experience to be without resisting it or trying to change it. This is an important part of meditation. Because when we allow what is, we are surrendering ego. We are moving beyond ego perception into awareness. But if you start by forcing yourself to sit for 6 hours, you will probably run as far away from meditation as possible afterwards. Because its too much at first. In meditation you are stopping all of the distractions and ways you avoid this moment. So when you stop avoiding this moment, are confronted with your own resistance and mental insanity. All of the things you have been avoiding start to come up to the surface. So meditating through your resistance and all of your crazy thoughts, emotions, beliefs and memories is an on going process. But the more you meditate through it, your mind will become clearer, your attention will become clear and in that clarity you will begin to feel the essence of what you are, of what life is, which is profound peace, bliss, love, joy and goodness. So it is a gradual process. To push yourself a little to sit longer, to be able to sit when it is uncomfortable for a just a little bit longer but not too long where you want to pull your hair out. And gradually you will feel a sense of peace or goodness that makes you want be to sit longer. You also have to consider the quality of the meditation. We may be able to sit for 6 hours but if we are just lost in thinking that whole time it does not have a huge impact on us. Yes, just sitting still for that long has an impact, but if we are not still on the inside, then real meditation is not happening. So it is better to sit for an hour in awareness than for longer without. The last factor to consider is bliss. If you do not feel peace or bliss in meditation, you will not be very pulled to meditate every day. So the sooner you begin to feel a sense of peace and bliss in meditation, the more attracted you will be to meditation. This is where Shakti comes in. If you sit one what has realized the essence of life, then automatically you will start to feel peaceful and blissful and meditation starts to happen automatically. This is Shakti, the energy presence of enlightenment felt as peace or bliss. Listen to this music below that radiates Shakti and see if you feel a sense of peace or bliss while listening. If you do, then it makes it much easier to meditate. Once you feel the peace and bliss in the music, then meditating will be your favorite part of your day.

Another hilarious one !

Another hilarious one ! 👇🏼 Mumbai is amazing due to the helping nature of its people !!??!! I boarded a fast local train. I asked my co-passengers, "Which side will be the Malad platform I have to get down there." My co-passengers shook their head and told me, "Brother, this is a fast local. It will not stop at Malad." Seeing that I was getting nervous my co-travelers reassured me, ′Don't panic', the train always slows down every day as it passes Malad. As soon as it slows down passing Malad, you can step out of the running train." "So long as you hit the platform running hard in the same direction the train is moving you will not fall and hurt yourself." Once the train slowed down passing Malad the co-travellers asked me to jump out of the trundling train. As instructed, I jumped on to the platform and ran as fast as I could, so as to not fall and hurt myself. I ran so fast, I soon made it to the next coach ahead. The passengers from that other coach were equally helpful. Someone grabbed my arm, another grabbed my shirt and a third grabbed me by my trouser belt. Together they dragged me in to the local as it was picking up speed again as it sped towards Borivali. My new co-passengers all smiles, said to me, "Brother, you are lucky that we got you in time. This is a fast local. Malad is not a scheduled stop.′′ Mumbaikars are very helpful indeed !!??!!

An interesting read:

An interesting read: A man was travelling in a boat with his monkey. There was also a philosopher with other passengers in that boat. The monkey had never travelled in a boat before, so it was not feeling comfortable. It was going up and down, not letting anyone sit in peace. The boatman was troubled by this and was concerned that the boat would sink due to the panic of the passengers. If the monkey doesn't calm down it will drown the boat. The man was upset about the situation, but could not find any way to calm the monkey. The philosopher watched all this and decided to help. He said: " If you allow, I can make this monkey as quiet as a house cat." The man immediately agreed. The philosopher, with the help of two passengers, picked up the monkey and threw it into the river. The monkey started to swim desperately to stay afloat. It was now dying and struggled for its life. After some time, the philosopher dragged the monkey back into the boat. The monkey was quiet and went and sat in a corner. The man and all passengers were surprised at the changed behaviour of the monkey. The man asked the philosopher: "At first it was jumping up and down. Now it is sitting like a pet cat. Why?" Philosopher said: "No one realises the misfortune of another without tasting trouble. When I threw this monkey into the water, it understood the power of the water and the usefulness of the boat." Monkeys that are jumping up and down in India should be thrown in North Korea, Afghanistan, Somalia, South Sudan, Syria, Iraq, Palestine, Pakistan, Srilanka, Bangladesh or even China for 6 months, then on coming to India, they will automatically become calm as a pet cat and will lie in a corner. Dedicated to all monkeys Abusing 'India'

*Gurudev in Ras Al Khaimah yesterday*

*Gurudev in Ras Al Khaimah yesterday* ⭐ Snippets from the evening session ⭐ 😀 Cultivating habits If you smile then that get cultivated *Happiness is a practice to cultivate* Santosha is a practice There are people who keep themselves happy 🤷🏻‍♀️ There are some or the other excuses to be unhappy because nobody told them how to smile 🙈There are some who smile when someone falls down. We need to reverse this attitude *Niyama of life is to cultivate santosha like every baby is a yogi* Each one of us emits vibrations 🥳 When it's positive then it emits joy With some people you wanna sit and with some you wanna run away 😔 Either we blame ourselves or we blame others Then cortisol levels goes up Toxins getting produced Slowly builds up and you become sick *You are punishing yourself every time you get upset with others mistakes* ✅ You should not be goody goody all the time but the anger should be as long as a line stays on the surface of water ✅ Get back to simplicity Make your anger expensive One of the niyamas cultivate being natural, being santosha We create barriers between ourselves and others 🎊The time we spend on this planet is celebration 🫠 We are floating in an ocean of consciousness *The highest frequency is Bliss. It's there, we only need to open ourselves* Satchitananda chaaron aur he, bus we need to open up 😇 😳 Feeling of loneliness is as bad as smoking Can bring cancer also, it makes you feel Very closed When we give love, it comes back thousand times *What about me, what about me is the way you get depressed and lonely* 🪷 Meditation and Knowledge is to feel that connectivity with the entire creation 🪻🪻Trees, stars are speaking to you Creation is speaking Like for children, everything is alive As adults we only see as objects There is life all around us *Where is the life of the fish* You take out the fish from the water, it is dead Likewisw you are in the air One level beyond that is consciousness You are in an ocean of consciousness 🌹 Sat is truth Chitta is consciousness Ananda is Blissful Consciousness appearing in a female body we address as female and likewise it appears in male 😌 Mind is bigger than physical body Mind shrinks, then Depression and loneliness comes up When you are happy , you are expansion That sense of expansion comes with happiness When you feel crushed that's unhappiness *That which is expanding is worth knowing* ☀️☀️ Once you know this then nothing can take away your joy Nothing can shake you *Keep your mind clean* Don't harbour what has happened in the past Who is suffering when you don't forget ⭐ When water falls on a dog, it Shakes it off and moves forward Then new life begins, happy and content An individual Mind gets in touch with the spirit like fish experiencing the vastness of the ocean Sat naam that is the true name Ek omkaar There is one sound that is closest to the consciousness The issue of loneliness can be overcome by meditation *Passion* If you don't have passion then depression Passion to earn more money and that's quite ok but if it becomes obsession, then you loose sleep and if you loose sleep Then can you be productive *Then you need dispassion* Letting go If you don't have then start from today Otherwise you can't go sleep If you don't sleep then can you do things effectively *In between we need compassion* For yourself as well as others .

Mr. Harish Salve alerts.

Senior Lawyer Supreme Court Mr. Harish Salve alerts.🪷 Read carefully. Very very important msg. Pl don't skip. *Warning:* *BJP will get majority in Rajya Sabha in August and between 25 August and 31 March, 25 new bills will be passed along with the most important bill, Population Control Bill. Keep in mind that this will be the most difficult time of our lives.* I urge everyone to start preparing now. Be careful of the people around you. Explain to them that we should act very wisely and carefully at that time. *The most important thing is that at that time we have to protect our family and the people of the society. If it is not prepared in advance, then a big accident can happen.* When all these bills are passed, then a big civil war can break out in the whole country at once. Whether you are prepared or not, the preparation of the opponents is tremendous. Samples of their preparation have been seen in Delhi and Bengaluru. *At the same time, there is a strong possibility of war with China and Pakistan. The army will be busy at the border, which means it will not be in a position to do anything inside the country.* That's why there is advantage in our unity and understanding. *What to do? ,* Fix a day and time and sit somewhere in the community with 8-10 of your neighbors. Then in the next two days gather another 8-10 people and tell them that we will sit here every week. By repeating this process two or three times, your whole street will come to the weekly meeting. If they are gathering in temple, after worship, talk to them about religion, caste annihilation, cleanliness, cooperation, health, society, city and country that no one can do Jihad this time in this security circle. Don't come in Broadcast, propagate, work hard so that there is a good security system in every street and every temple in every street echoes with this slogan all over the country. Talk. Hindu unity in every street. *Understand from maths* *In 73 years of independence, the population of Muslims in India has increased from 3 crores to 30 crores, then what will be their population in the age of our son i.e. in the next 70 years (2090)? Think ten times then 300 crore more....* 1- What will happen to our property? 2-What will happen to our business? 3-What about our work? 4- What will happen to our temples? 5-What will happen to our school going daughter? 6-What will happen to our constitution? 7-What will happen to our reservation? 8-What will happen to our leadership? 9- What will happen to the people of our caste? *So can our selfish intelligence bring any solution?* No, then what happened to Kashmiri Hindus will happen. *He still had to seek asylum in India* What would you have. * That's why CAA, NRC, NPR and Population Control Bill are mandatory for the safety of future generations. , * I am ready and I am adding the next 5 groups and I will ask those five to try to add the next 5 people as well. *Forward to at least five groups and insist on forwarding to at least five groups Jai Hind*

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

*Today's knowledge from Mauritius:* "You know why a Guru comes to a place? To take away all the worries. So drop your worries here and go back today with this zeal and enthusiasm that you will spread happiness. Just like you have gyms for people to build muscles, we need Happiness centers. Like women walk into a beauty parlor to look beautiful, we can walk into a Happiness center and become more happy and more beautiful. What do you say? (Everyone claps) Drop your worries here and go back with this confidence that you are lucky, you are fortunate, and only the right thing will happen to you." ~Gurudev

Life is a one-time offer, use it well.

Life is a one-time offer, use it well. You change the world by your example, not by your opinion. When money becomes your purpose, stress and depression becomes your path. Wish good for others. Their success will not limit yours. The adventure of life is to learn. The purpose of life is to grow. The nature of life is to change. The challenge of life is to overcome. The key secret to success is not excessive expertise, but the ability to use it. Knowledge is worthless unless it is applied. Sometimes your heart needs more time to accept what your mind already knows

If Buddha said not to have any desires, why did he desire for peace of mind and life in jungle?

If Buddha said not to have any desires, why did he desire for peace of mind and life in jungle? Your question is a bit wrong. It was not Buddha who had the desire to go into Jungle to search for the peace of mind. It was Siddhārtha Gautama. When he was enlightened, he became Buddha - the awakened one ! I will give it a try what he really wanted to do and why his approach was absolutely correct i.e., he was born to a king and lived a life of luxury. And then only he felt like the need to look for the real ecstasy and truth of life and not which is just limited to senses or materialism. You must have seen the above picture or heard of the quote. Initially, to anyone it may appear that the quote is trying to justify that Money is everything life. But wait, there is a hidden meaning in it. Suppose you're a beggar and I tell you money is not everything in life. Will you believe me ? Very unlikely. But once you have earned enough money in life, then only you will be able to accept or perceive money is not actually everything in life. As they say, some people are so poor that all they got in their life is money. Similarly, Siddhartha was like you and me till he was leading a life of luxury. Yet he had the desire which money was not able to satiate. This desire - this craving inspired him to look for peace. And then he became Buddha ! All desires for happiness. That is the goal of desire, isn't it? But how often your desire lead you to the goal ? Have you thought about the nature of desire? It simply means tomorrow, and not now. But joy is never tomorrow; it is always now. How can you have desires when you are joyful? And how can you be really joyful right now when you have desires? Desires appears to lead you to happiness but in fact it cannot. That is why desire is maya - illusion.

How can Lord Vishnu take Ram avatar and Parushuram avatar at the same time?

How can Lord Vishnu take Ram avatar and Parushuram avatar at the same time? Bhagavan Vishnu is all powerful. He is always everywhere. So what's suprising if he has two avatars at same time ? The eternal God is Omnipresent. Narayana Suktam - Whatsoever is seen or heard in this world, Narayana pervades and exists in all of them, which are both inside and outside. Narayana Suktam, Taittiriya Aranyaka , Krishna Yajurveda. 2. Valmiki Ramayana - You appear in all created beings in the cattle and in brahmanas. You exist in all quarters, in the sky, in mountains and in rivers. Chapter 117, Yuddha kanda, Valmiki Ramayana. 3. Harivamsa - Thus creating the entire universe, you pervade all of the universe. Pervading all these worlds, O keshava! you stay everywhere. Hence you have the name Vishnu, since you are seen to pervade all in the form of elements. Chapter 88, Bhavishya Parva, Harivamsa. 4. Vishnu Purana - You are everything, the beginning and the protector of the world. All beings exist in you. You are all that has existed and all that will exist. You are more subtle than the subtlest. You alone are Spirit, which stands apart from primal Nature.

*Notes from Teachers Meeting with Gurudev in Mauritius*

6 of 2,357 *Notes from Teachers Meeting with Gurudev in Mauritius* - Show the WCF video where the Pope's emissary and Muslim clergies are commending Art of Living. These testimonies are very good to cut through religious barriers - Sleep and Anxiety workshop - sleep quality has improved by 60%. We will do orientation for all teachers - Get intuition Scanning done for new people. It can inspire new people to get into the course - Don't keep thinking about what you cannot do. See what you can do and take a sankalpa for it. Finish it and then push a little bit more. In this way you preserve your energy and move forward - You must believe that your Sankalpa has power - First make the plan and then ask for support. In Art of Living we have some many resources, but you need to have the plan first and then ask for what you need - When you want to do something obstacles and rejections will come. Don't get frustrated by something not working out. You keep going - In Art of Living we don't have...

OPENING NEW DOORS

Good Morning!!! God grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change; Courage to change the things I can; and Wisdom to know the difference. Thy will, not mine, be done. *~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~ *~*~*~* September 9, 2024 OPENING NEW DOORS They [the Promises] are being fulfilled among us - sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly. ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 84 The Promises talked about in this passage are slowly coming to life for me. What has given me hope is putting Step Nine into action. The Step has allowed me to see and set goals for myself in recovery. Old habits and behaviors die hard. Working Step Nine enables me to close the door on the drunk I was, and to open new avenues for myself as a sober alcoholic. Making direct amends is crucial for me. As I repair relationships and behavior of the past, I am better able to live a sober life! Although I have some years of sobriety, there are times when the "old stuff" from the past needs to be taken care of, and Step Nine always works, when I work it. ********************************************** A Vision of the Whole "Though many of us have had to struggle for sobriety, never yet has this Fellowship had to struggle for lost unity. Consequently, we sometimes take this one great gift for granted. We forget that, should we lose our unity, the millions of alcoholics who still 'do not know' might never get their chance." "We used to be skeptical about large A.A. gatherings like conventions, thinking they might prove too exhibitionistic. But, on balance, their benefit is huge. While each A.A.'s interest should center principally in those about him and upon his own group, it is both necessary and desirable that we all get a larger vision of the whole. "The General Service Conference in New York also produces this effect upon those who attend. It is a vision-stretching process." 1. LETTER, 1949 - 2. LETTER, 1956

FEAR

FEAR Around the Year with Emmet Fox September 9 The Bible says that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, the beginning of knowledge. This has misled many people, because the truth is that fear is entirely evil and is indeed the only enemy we have. You can heal any condition if you can get rid of the fear attaching to it; or sickness is nothing but subconscious fear out-pictured in our surroundings. It is true at all times that "we have nothing to fear but fear." How then do we account for the texts quoted? The answer is that in the Bible the fear of God means reverence for God, fear in the usual sense of the word. Reverence for God is the beginning of wisdom. How do we show reverence for God? seeing God everywhere; refusing to recognize anything unlike Him; and by living the Christ life. Confidence is worship. You worship whatever you trust. Are you trusting more in fear or in God? Are you worshiping? That is the test. “Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace” Job 22:21

Do Buddhists believe in Vishnu?

Do Buddhists believe in Vishnu? Yes, most Buddhists believe in Vishnu. He is very much part of Buddhist tradition, both Mahayana and Theravada. Buddhists invoke Vishnu as a deity in several Mandalas. Here is a traditional Thanka painting of a Vishnu Mandala by Nepali Buddhists: In the Buddhist Karandavyuha Sutra, Vishnu is praised as Narayana Panchamahasamudranamaskrita, “Narayana worshipped by the Five Oceans”, and the story of Vamana Avatara and Bali is also given. The worship of Narayana is also described in the Shurangama Dharani. Narayana is often identified with Avalokiteshwara, as is Shiva. In Karandavyuha Sutra, Buddha says of Avalokiteshwara: “In whatever forms the beings are to be taught the Dharma, he instructs Dharma in those forms… He instructs Dharma in the form of Narayana for the beings who are to be taught by Narayana.” Incidentally, this passage strikingly reminds me of Bhagavad Gita 7.21, in which Krishna says: “Whichever Divine form a devotee desires to worship with faith, I assume that form which is firm and in accordance with their faith.” Similarly, the Buddhist Lokanatha Stotra says: “Thou art indeed Brahma, famous among the brahmins; and thou art Vishnu of the Vaishnava Matha, the leader of noble Dharma.” The Buddhist Ratnamala Stotra says: “Nārāyaṇo’pi Bhuvaneśvara eva tasmāt puṁsāṁ tvameva Paramottama eva nānyaḥ (Narayana indeed is the Lord of the World. Therefore, O Narayana, thou art indeed none other than the Supreme Person.)” In context, it is identifying him with Avalokiteshwara. The Buddhist Surangama Dharani says: “Homage to Vishnu, who is accompanied by Lakshmi, and is worshipped with the five Maha Mudras.” The Buddhist Nishpannayogavali Tantra describes Vishnu’s iconography: “On Garuda there is Vishnu with four arms. With two hands carrying the chakra and the shankha, he displays the Anjali Mudra atop his head. With the two other hands he holds the gada and the bow.” Vishnu is also praised in Theravada Buddhis

*Ant and Grasshopper

*Ant and Grasshopper - Indian Version of story - too good and a fact* *Original Story*:- The Ant works hard in the withering heat all summer building its house and laying up supplies for the winter. The Grasshopper thinks the Ant is a fool and laughs dances plays the summer away. Come winter, the Ant is warm and well fed. The Grasshopper has no food or shelter so he dies out in the cold. ......................... *Indian Version*: The Ant works hard in the withering heat all summer building its house and laying up supplies for the winter. The Grasshopper thinks the Ant's a fool and laughs dances plays the summer away. Come winter, the shivering Grasshopper calls a press conference and demands to know why the Ant should be allowed to be warm and well fed while others are cold and starving. ------ NDTV, Times Now, CNN IBN, BBC, CNN , Asianet show up to provide pictures of the shivering Grasshopper next to a video of the Ant in his comfortable home with a table filled with food. The World is stunned by the sharp contrast. How can this be that this poor Grasshopper is allowed to suffer so? Arundhati Roy stages a demonstration in front of the Ant's house. Medha Patkar goes on a fast along with other Grasshoppers demanding that Grasshoppers be relocated to warmer climates during winter . Mayawati states this as 'injustice' done on Minorities. The Internet is flooded with online petitions seeking support to the Grasshopper CPM in Kerala immediately passes a law preventing Ants from working hard in the heat so as to bring about equality of poverty among Ants and Grasshoppers. Railway minister allocates one free coach to Grasshoppers on all Indian Railway Trains, aptly named as the 'Grasshopper Rath'. Finally, the Judicial Committee drafts the 'Prevention of Terrorism Against Grasshoppers Act'[POTAGA] , with effect from the beginning of the winter.. Education minister makes 'Special Reservation' for Grasshoppers in Educational Institutions in Government Services. The Ant is fined for failing to comply with POTAGA and having nothing left to pay his retroactive taxes, it's home is confiscated by Government and handed over to the Grasshopper in a ceremony covered by NDTV, Times Now, CNN IBN, BBC, CNN. Arundhati Roy calls it 'A Triumph of Justice'. Railway minister calls it 'Socialistic Justice'. CPM calls it 'Revolutionary Resurgence of Downtrodden. Many years later... The Ant has since migrated to the US and set up a multi-billion dollar company in Silicon Valley. 100s of Grasshoppers still die of starvation despite reservation somewhere in India ,....AND As a result of losing lot of hard working Ants and feeding the grasshoppers, India is still a developing country...!!

Live in The Present

https://www.dailypioneer.com/2024/columnists/live-in-the-present-moment--it-matters-most-live-in-the-present-moment--it-matters-most.html

Unknown-- Time

A girl was raped in a neighborhood of Beijing, the capital of China. The matter reached the then chairman of that city,Mao Tse Tung. When he reached the girl's house to find out, he found out that it had been many days since the accident. He put his hand on the girl's head and asked with love, "Daughter,when you were forced, did you make noise?" The girl nodded "yes" then he asked again "Can you make such a loud noise now?" The girl again nodded in the affirmative, then Tung called the policemen and ordered them to stand within half a mile of the village. When everyone stood up, he asked the girl to shout as loudly as she had ,at the time of the accident. The girl screamed. When the soldiers were called back and asked about hearing any sound, each of them agreed to hear this cry. At the same time,Mao Tse Tung gathered the men living in all the houses within half a mile and ordered the soldiers to "spare them if within half an hour they will tell about the rapists." Otherwise, everyone should be shot dead." What happened was that the culprits were identified within ten minutes and they were shot dead on the spot in front of everyone. This whole operation was completed in just three hours. For the next fifty years, there was no rape in the whole of Beijing. That is why China has become the super power of the world even after becoming independent two years after us. If the victim girl is saved here, then the rest of her life goes to the courts to get justice and if she is killed by the rapists, nothing much happens. After a few days of candle march, people forget about it and after a few days, a new incident happens..!! Here people elect their leaders by voting for the rapists and after the rape is done, they ask them to punish the rapists !!!! Unknown-- Time Has Come For Young Indians To Rise Above Political Patronage, Value Human Lives Or Stop Calling Yourself As Educated

If Vishnu himself couldn't defeat Ravana with Sudarshan Chakra, how did his avatar (Lord Rama) do that?

If Vishnu himself couldn't defeat Ravana with Sudarshan Chakra, how did his avatar (Lord Rama) do that? The tale of Lord Rama defeating Ravana, despite Vishnu himself being unable to do so with the Sudarshan Chakra, is deeply rooted in devotion and divine blessings. While Vishnu’s might is unparalleled, his avatars often follow a different path, emphasizing the importance of dharma, devotion, and divine grace. Before the battle with Ravana, Lord Rama sought the blessings of Goddess Durga, recognizing the necessity of divine support. He performed an intense puja with deep devotion, offering 108 lotus flowers to the Goddess. However, during the ritual, he realized one lotus was missing. Without hesitation, Rama decided to offer his own eye, which was often compared to a lotus, demonstrating his unwavering devotion. Moved by his dedication, Goddess Durga appeared before him and blessed him with the strength and divine grace to defeat Ravana. It was this boon, along with his righteousness and devotion, that empowered Lord Rama to vanquish the mighty Ravana, fulfilling his avatar's purpose and restoring dharma. This story highlights that it was not just physical strength or weapons that led to Ravana's downfall, but the power of devotion, righteousness, and divine blessings.

"KASHMIR ISSUE"

"KASHMIR ISSUE" ****************** Rahul Gandhi has been advised by US agencies to join hands with National Conference, so their impending joint victory in the J&K elections can be presented as something more than a largely regional phenomenon. Regardless of who wins, regional pro Islamist political parties are likely to achieve a resounding collective victory. Pakistan is not going to disrupt the elections because the global conspiracy against India and Narendra Modi requires the J&K assembly election victory to have the legitimacy of significant popular participation. The J&K assembly will immediately repudiate the 2019 rescinding of articles 370 and 35A by India’s Lok Sabha, which the political parties likely to win the elections have promised to do. They will challenge their rescinding of 2019 by India’s Lok Sabha as unconstitutional because it did not have the consent of the J&K assembly as even former Foreign Secretary, Shyam Sharan and many others have suggested was envisaged. The national crisis precipitated will end up with India’s Supreme Court. Narendra Modi cannot acquiesce to this devastating challenge to India’s constitutional integrity and political credibility, especially owing to the multifarious practical consequences of the repudiation of articles 370 and 35A by parliament and after it has also been ratified by India’s Supreme Court. This is where rhe Supreme Court is likely to commit the most egregious act of national betrayal since Indian independence. It will fail to address to the issue with dispatch, allowing the political crisis to fester. The SC could potentially deprive the action of the J&K assembly legal validity by denouncing their resolution, but instead it will highly likely stall. It should be noted that it’s the CJI who has insisted the elections must be held in September, threatening the Election Commissioner with contempt of court if the EC does not do so. If the Modi government does nothing, as the horrifying consequences of the repudiation of the newly elected J&K assembly unfold, its authority will be in shreds and the legitimacy of the elected government in Delhi at a nadir. The next stage of the manufactured crisis (the occasion for regime change) will be widespread national protest against any decisive action undertaken by the Modi government. It will likely bring the country to a standstill. The unprecedented crisis may well be combined with a Khalistani assault on Delhi which is currently being prepared openly. The dire crisis may also be accompanied by bomb blasts and train derailments. At this juncture, Nitish Kumar and Chandrababu Naidu may threaten to abandon support for the NDA unless Narendra Modi resigns to defuse the crisis. Such a resignation will be a prerequisite for restoring articles 370 and 35A by fresh parliamentary legislation because the antecedent debacle will be blamed on Modi’s ill advised action in 2019. The ensuing crisis will be overcome by him admitting defeat and departing from politics. The global media will join in a massive chorus to support the ongoing regime change. For Modi, allowing the NDA to survive without him will be a better option than allowing it to fall and a new coalition cobbled together without the BJP. In addition, the continuance of the NDA will offer him some personal guarantees because there’s no country abroad for which he could depart. Finally, do recognise Modi has many enemies abroad and at home, including the bureaucracy, the entire political opposition and significant elements within the BJP itself and the RSS too. Most attach higher priority to Modi’s departure than the future of the country. His departure from political life will end the rise of India as a global player.

BUILDING A NEW LIFE

Good Morning!!! God grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change; Courage to change the things I can; and Wisdom to know the difference. Thy will, not mine, be done. *~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~* September 3, 2024 BUILDING A NEW LIFE We feel a man is unthinking when he says sobriety is enough. Alcoholics Anonymous, p.82 When I reflect on Step Nine, I see that physical sobriety must be enough for me. I need to remember the hopelessness I felt before I found sobriety, and how I was willing to go to any lengths for it. Physical sobriety is not enough for those around me, however, since I must see that God's gift is used to build a new life for my family and loved ones. Just as importantly, I must be available to help others who want the A.A. way of life. I ask God to help me share the gift of sobriety so that its benefit may be shown to those I know and love.

" Satyam, Shivam, Sundaram."

In ancient India, they said, " Satyam, Shivam, Sundaram." "Satyam" is truth. When you feel the truth strongly, energy arises. Only when a lie confronts you, does truth come up strongly. When you see that everything is changing, something inside you stands up and says, "No ! I am not changing." That force within you is truth. It's always there. "Shivam" is infinity. Shivam is that, which is comforting. Comfort comes from the consciousness and is experienced by the consciousness. When the consciousness relaxes itself to a degree, it is called comfort. If you have worked all day, until you are very tired, and you lie down in bed and take a deep breath, then there is a sense of your whole consciousness expanding in some manner. One's perception and expression of life change in the spiritual dimension. The small " I" and " mine" disappear. You see life as a phenomenon - you are here, and you are part of the river, the trees, the mountains and the whole of nature. Such soothing comfort comes with this knowledge ! "Sundaram" is beauty. God is ever youthful, ever young. To me, God is very naughty ! God loves fun ! That is why He created so much fun around, including all the worry and everything else; the whole rat-race that goes on, is also fun. Life is fun ! Recognizing beauty, loving beauty, surrendering to beauty .... Life can never be dull. As you move into spiritual dimension of your life, you come to know your true nature - Satyam, Shivam, Sundaram. *Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Ji*

*A SOLDIER’S FATHER*

If I do not share this post, I will be ashamed to call a Patriotic *A SOLDIER’S FATHER* By : WING COMDR VENKI IYER The helicopter appeared over the late morning horizon. We were to receive Mr Lachhman Singh Rathore who was visiting our Flight Unit to perform the last rites of his son, Flying Officer Vikram Singh. Only the day before, I had sent the telegram, “Deeply regret to inform that your son Flying Officer Vikram Singh lost his life in a flying accident early this morning. Death was instantaneous.” It was the first time for me- to meet and manage the bereaved next of kin, in this case the Father of the brave officer. While most of the desolate family members insist on seeing the body, many a time there isn’t a body to show !! Flying Officer Vikram Singh’s remains were only a few kilos –scrapped from what was left in the cockpit. We had to weigh the wooden coffin with wood and earth. The pilot brought the helicopter to a perfect touchdown. Soon Mr Lachhman Singh Rathor was helped down the ladder.A small and frail man he was, maybe of 80 years, clad in an immaculate dhoti. As I approached him, he asked in a quiet and dignified whisper, “Are you Venki, the Flight Commander?” “Yes Sir.” “Vikram had spoken to me about you. I’d like to speak to you alone for a minute.” We walked to the edge of the concrete apron. ‘I have lost a son, and you have lost a friend. I’m sure that you have taken great care in arranging the funeral. Please tell me when and where you want my presence and what you want me to do. I’ll be there for everything. Later, I would like to meet Vikram’s friends, see his room and, if it is permitted, visit his work place. I then would like to return home tomorrow morning.” A commander couldn’t have given me clearer instructions. The funeral, with full military honours, was concluded by late afternoon. After the final echoes of the ‘Last Post’ faded away, Lachhman Singh spent the evening talking to the Squadron Pilots. Vikram’s roommate took him to see Vikram’s room. Lachhman Singh desired to spend the night in his son’s room instead of the guest house we had reserved for him. Early next morning after a tour of the squadron area, my boss took him to his office. A while later, the staff car took Lachhman Singh to the civil airfield two hours away. As the car disappeared round the corner, I remarked to my Boss, “A brave man he is. Spoke to me like a General when he told me exactly what he expected from us during his stay here. I have never seen a more composed man on such an occasion. I admire him.” “Yes, Mr Lachhman Singh Rathore is a warrior in his own way. He sired three sons and has laid to rest all three of them. -His 1st son Captain Ghanshyam Singh of the Gurkha Rifles was killed in Ladakh in 1962 War. His 2nd son, Major Bir Singh, died along the Ichogil Canal in 1965 in an ambush. His youngest, the 3rd, Vikram Singh, who had the courage to join the Air Force, is also gone now, more to our country’s defence than All of us combined.” Yes, he is indeed a brave Indian ; in fact HE is MORE INDIAN than anyone else - His sacrifice can never ever be repaid by the Country !! He is almost a Martyr himself !! But our Great Nation does Not know this simple Giant -- India only knows that Super Rich Cricketers need to be conferred BHARAT RATNA while a bunch of media personal or actors & actresses need to be conferred PADMA VIBHUSHANs and PADMASHREEs ! But what about the ' Losers ' ? Those who have SIMPLY LOST their EVERYTHING to the Nation & to its Citizens? Like this Father of Three Brave Soldiers! ---------------- ( PLEASE DO PASS THIS ON TO EVERY SINGLE POLITICIAN, BUREAUCRAT AND EVERY SINGLE INDIAN CITIZEN WHO DOES NOT HAVE A FAMILY MEMBER IN THE ARMED FORCES -- THAT's THE LEAST WE CAN DO AS OUR ONLY TRIBUTE TO THIS FATHER) A story to be included in the school syllabus. A brave father of brave sons. How the country could repay its debt to him. We do not know.but We only pray. Those who support stone pelters should read this. Print & circulate to all our MPs & JNU scholars. Jai Hind

What is the dark side of the Lord Rama according to the Ramayan?

What is the dark side of the Lord Rama according to the Ramayan? What is the dark side of Lord Rama according to the Ramayana? That’s the original question. I am assuming that that the OP has asked this question purely out of intellectual curiosity and hence I am answering it. Well, the only dark side of Lord Rama (not just in the Ramayana but also otherwise) is the complexion of his skin! Lord Rama has no other dark side except for the color of his skin! He is the ultimate embodiment of goodness. See this answer of mine to know about some of the qualities of Lord Rama: Niranjan Mudholkar's answer to Can you list all the qualities of Lord Rama? Should all men try to be like him for he is called the 'ideal man'? Is there any flaw in him? If yes, what? Image courtesy: Detechter In fact, I find it quite ironical that the two of our greatest Gods (described as avtar varishthya by Adi Shankaracharya), both Lord Rama & Lord Krishna are dark skinned. Ironical, because ours has become a culture that is obsessed with the fairness of skin! Here is Sage Valmiki’s description of Lord Rama in Ramayana - Sundara Kanda Sarga 35 Sloka 16. (There are other instances as well but I am providing just one for reference). Original Sanskrit shloka in roman script:“dundubhi svana nirghoShaH snigdha varNaH prataapavaan | samaH sama vibhakta ango varNam shyaamam samaashritaH” || 5-35-16 Translation English: “He has a voice like the sound of a kettle-drum. He has a shining skin. He is full of splendour. He is square-built. His limbs are built symmetrically. He is endowed with a dark complexion.” Sage Valmiki is clearly calling him as the one with Shyam Varnam (Dark Complexion). Source: http://www.valmikiramayan.net/sundara/sarga35/sundara_35_frame.htm

IAF Devon

In the early fifties, an IAF Devon aircraft carrying five Generals had engine problem and made a forced landing while flying from Lucknow to Delhi. There were no casualties. Sometime later, the Prime Minister called all the Generals to a party and asked them what their thoughts were at the crucial time. One said he thought this and another said he thought of that. Lt Gen Thimayya, who always spoke with the PM with the same dignity and friendliness as he did with anyone else, said he kept thinking of Mr Bhavani Shankar Rao. “Who is Bhavani Shankar Rao.” asked Nehru. “He is Financial Adviser in our ministry, who has sent a circular that Lieutenant Generals are not entitled to State funerals.” The order was cancelled the next day. “It is hoped that there will be no undue haste to make use of the facility,” was a typical sentence that the Finance Ministry would add.. As received

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Sukha (pleasure), dukha (sorrow), logic, and feverishness — these four reins pull you backward. You dream of pleasure; this is so amazing! Even after experiencing different pleasures, you think there is pleasure somewhere else. You are pulled by the rein of pleasure. Every pleasure has been so momentary, leaving your hands empty, depleted, and drained. Yet, one hopes for more pleasure, some unknown, unseen pleasure. Sukha is pleasure, and dukha, the fear of sorrow. What is the sorrow that you are afraid of? What is going to happen to you? You have gone through many problems. As a child, you cried so many times when a toy broke. But what happened? You passed through that. You have passed through many stumbling blocks in life that you thought were impossible. Yet, you remained untouched by any of them. Nothing could ever shake you. It appeared to have shaken you at that moment, but later on, you found that you are as complete as you were before. And then there is desire for more, wanting more and more. We burn with desire; and this burning in desire does not allow you to relax into the peace of your being. Unless you let go of desires, you can never find peace, you can never rest in divine love. Love is the process of dissolving, of giving, of offering, of serving. When you are able to let go, you blossom. Wait for the blossoming. Wait for the time; don’t be in a hurry. Every bud takes its own time to bloom; don’t force a bud to become a flower.

When Ganga takes birth in the feet of Lord Vishnu

When Ganga takes birth in the feet of Lord Vishnu, then why is Lord Shiva held in his hair lock? Is it an insult for Shiva? Hare Krishna! I will give you the best answer. Lord Shiva keeps Ganga in his matted hair means that he is keeping Sri Vishnu’s feet on him. So Lord Shiva is Sri Vishnu’s devotee that’s why he does like that and not because it is an insult. Ok some people are saying it is fake. Well here is the proof that Ganga originated from Sri Vishnu’s feet only. Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: My dear King, Lord Viṣṇu, the enjoyer of all sacrifices, appeared as Vāmanadeva in the sacrificial arena of Bali Mahārāja. Then He extended His left foot to the end of the universe and pierced a hole in its covering with the nail of His big toe. Through the hole, the pure water of the Causal Ocean entered this universe as the Ganges River. Having washed the lotus feet of the Lord, which are covered with reddish powder, the water of the Ganges acquired a very beautiful pink color. Every living being can immediately purify his mind of material contamination by touching the transcendental water of the Ganges, yet its waters remain ever pure. Because the Ganges directly touches the lotus feet of the Lord before descending within this universe, she is known as Viṣṇupadī. Later she received other names like Jāhnavī and Bhāgīrathī. After one thousand millenniums, the water of the Ganges descended to Dhruvaloka, the topmost planet in this universe. Therefore all learned sages and scholars proclaim Dhruvaloka to be Viṣṇupada [“situated on Lord Viṣṇu’s lotus feet”]. -ŚB 5.17.1 Pls don’t say that Srimad Bhagavtham is fake when it is even mentioned as destroyer of miseries in Padma Purana!!!!! Thanks Om Namo Narayanaya!

*Beni Madhab Ray* *of Bengal*

*Beni Madhab Ray* *of Bengal* ...and meanwhile I discovered on this Saturday that Bangladesh is now counting on the Pakistani army for their defence - the very army that killed millions of Bangladeshis in 1971, here are a few point of views, few stray thoughts & a few random observations (all my own work): That once again the newsrooms across the country continue to speak in muffled voices this week, as Breaking News keep pouring in only from Bengal, which most media orgs want to suppress in a bid to cover up for Mamata. Although Rahul Baba desperately went overboard with his clowning act, wanting to seek Dalit reservation in Miss India pageants, but the news-media refused the bait… Mamata too threatened to burn down the country, but one image that caught the fancy of the social media & the country at large was that of a lone sanyasi in saffron robes, waving the tricolour in face of the watery onslaught of Mamata’s rogue police… One sanyasi, just one? And people are already seeing a resurgence of Sanatan in Mamata’s sharia badlands? How’s that even possible? For starters, meet Balaram Bose, the lone sanyasi to square up to Mamata’s despotism. He’s the grandson of Kamal Bose - the former mayor of Kolkata, and the great grandson of Bhupendra Bose, a former President of the Indian National Congress… Strong lineage apart, Balaram Bose also holds a M.Tech. degree & is passionate about teaching Maths. And despite being a millionaire landlord, Bose chose to relinquish it all a decade ago & become a sanyasi… Yeah, he’s literally that monk who sold his Ferrari… Fine, but why is it that this image of a lone Sanyasi sends such shivers down the spines of Mamata’s jihadis? I mean what can a Sanyasi pull off in Bengal anyways? Well, the British too once thought the same in the 1770s & after a bitter famine, imposed severe taxes on Bengal, including a Pilgrimage Tax on sanyasis & hermits wanting to travel to their holy temples… Then, the sanyasis of Bengal were mainly Shaivite - from the Giri & Dashnami orders, who were also engaged in farming. They answered only to God & immediately rebelled against the British. Warren Hastings writes, “In 1772 sanyasis defeated a company of sepoys and killed captain Thomas. In 1773, captain Edward also suffered a disastrous defeat. Further encounters between British and sanyasis took places all over Bengal and Bihar.” The British tried every ugly trick in the book, but the sanyasis battered the Brits for around 2 decades. Hastings was frustrated, “they appeared in the heart of the province, as if they dropped from heaven. They are hardy, bold and enthusiastic to a degree surpassing credit. such are the Senassies, the gipsies of Hinduism.” Soon the sanyasi rebellion organised itself under the Brahmin nayab of a zamindari, Pandit Bhavani Pathak & the feisty Devi Chowdhurani, and unleashed hell on their British tormentors. And it was only through deceit & duplicity that the Brits finally quashed the sanyasi rebellion… Yeah, I know what y’all might say here: this history too was buried by the Left… Indeed, 1857 too was buried until Veer Savarkar brought forth the true history & although Bhavani Pathak & Devi Chowdhurani were immortalised in Bankim Chandra Chatterjee's novels of ‘Anandmath’ & ‘Devi Chowdhurani’, the stories remain largely buried… Mind you, Anandmath also gave us ‘Vande Mataram’ & I’ve personally seen small temples of Bhavani Pathak & Devi Chowdhurani outside Siliguri. All said, the Sanyasi rebellion may not be celebrated today, but today’s dictators like Mamata understand their significance… One Sanyasi standing up against her autocratic machinery might bring in millions more who’ve nothing to lose & that’s scaring all the mlecchas of Bengal… And as Benjamin Franklin says: Rebellion against tyrants is indeed obedience to God… That speaking of rebellions, Pandit Bhavani Pathak & Devi Chowdhurani at least got their due in Bengali literature, but there’s one giant that Bengal forgot - or rather, Bengal was made to forget, and that is BeniMadhab Ray. Lemme tell you his tale… It was the 16th century & jihadis were wreaking havoc everywhere in Bengal. From destroying temples to defiling vigrahas to stealing Hindu women - they were raping the land, unchallenged & unquestioned… Enter BeniMadhab Ray; he was a typical practising Brahmin of those days, a Sanskrit scholar to boot… But when jihadis abducted his wife, Ray knew that the only answer to this problem was to become a Kshatriya. Bingo, so he joined warrior Gobindo Singha & became a feared swordsman. And after Singha’s death, Ray assumed leadership of his group & became known as Pandit Dakat aka the pandit dacoit… Beware, his claim to fame was that he used to offer bali (sacrifice) of Jihadis on every Amavasya night at the feet of his worshipped goddess, Maa Yavanamardini Kali & dump their bodies in the water around his island hideout afterwards. Whoah… Ray kept those heads & made a mound from them, but never touched any Hindu - be it a peasant or a landlord. Hindus understood that dacoity was not Ray’s profession & would voluntarily put money, clothes & food in front of their homes, for his benefit. But then he was a terror to Islamists & that prompted the Mughal emperor Akbar to send Raja Man Singh to battle him… However, the zamindars advised Man Singh to make peace with Ray, as his support base was very wide. Eventually, Man Singh had to promise peace & respect to all the Hindus in Bengal, alongwith curbing all Islamist terror activities. The trick he used to convince Ray was the ruse of how “Akbar was a Hindu in his past life”... The hostilities ceased & Ray retired to Brahmacharya… The island in Chalan Beel where he lived is still known as the “Pandit Dakater Bhita” (পণ্ডিত ডাকাতের ভিটা), although the Pathans called it “Shaitan ka Bhita” خانه شیطان (Residence of the Devil)... Wow… Four centuries later, Bengal is yet again facing the dark nights of Amavasya, although there’s no Pandit Dakat to save the land… You can imagine the level of emasculation of Bengali Hindus that four centuries later, the Ray that they know is not BeniMadhab Ray, but Siddharta Shnakar Ray, a Congress bootlicker who pushed Indira G into imposing Emergency & who kinda birthed the current monster of TMC via his prodigy in Mamata, who’s now hellbent on squashing down everybody standing in front of her - be it an old Sanyasi bearing the tricolour… Ahh, she better remember what JFK had warned about: Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable… That while on forgetting our history, it’s now very crucial for the Hindus to understand which history of ours is being whitewashed & why it's done so. For every chapter of our glorious history that’s been torn off by the Leftist historians, you gotta do a deep dive to understand the reason why & only then y’all might understand the devious manner in which Hindus are being short-circuited from their own lands… So why’s the history of BeniMadhab Ray not on the tip of the tongue of every Bengali Hindu? Why no tomes or films on BeniMadhab Ray exist? Because if every other Hindu Bengali kid grew up glorifying Yavanamardini Kali, then every other perp of Sandeshkhali would’ve lost his head for merely casting an evil eye on the Hindu womenfolk… Every other Hindu woman in Bangladesh would’ve walked safe today, had BeniMadhab Ray been lionised for centuries now… Also, every other Congress-Left politician would’ve fared badly in the absence of a pampered Islamist vote-bank… There; that’s the reason… Tales of such heroic values have implications for generations. Remember how Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s glorious yet short reign kept Marathas motivated for centuries later… Yeah, so every piece of our obliterated illustrious history helps the Left to give a free pass to their beloved mlechchha vote-bank… Remember how we keep talking of how the Ahom history of Assam never got its due? Yup, the kingdom that even the Mughals couldn’t topple is nowhere to be found in our history books… Why? Well, the reason to hide everything about Ahoms is even more sinister… To begin with, Ahoms were not Indians & never Hindus… They came from a region which is Southwestern China today & they followed their local animistic religion. When they rose to power in the 13th century, it was only their religion that was followed in the kIngdom, their language that was used for administration & only their co-religionists were treated as royals and assigned top-posts in their reign… Yup, if a local Hindu had to rise in their reign, he had to convert to their faith. Although, all that changed in the 16th century, when the Ahoms realised that their kingdom now had more Hindus than Ahoms & that enforcing their religion in this new land that they called home now was not fair anymore… Ergo, they converted wholesale into Hinduism, took up Hindu names & practices, and even adopted the entire Hindu gods pantheon… Yup, all those foreigners chose to become Hindus, as this became their new motherland… And that’s exactly why their history was whitewashed from our textbooks… Uhh, but why? C'mon... Because Islamists as foreigners also came to this land during the same time, launched their kingdoms here & yet refuse to call this country their motherland, 10 centuries later… If the Ahom example had gained traction in this country, everybody would’ve turned around & questioned the morality of Islamists who even today proudly declare how they’re still Afghans or Turks, despite several generations being born in Bharat… Yup, the more y’all understand Ahom history, the more y’all might question the Islamic history, and again that’s bad for the vote-bank, no? Too bad that the gory Islamist history couldn’t stay hidden behind the veneer for too long… Or as the Chinese proverb goes: A whitewashed crow soon shows black again… The chaiwallah feels that the Mamata’s government has tarnished down the Bengali image into a profanity: “

We live in a hard world, my friends.

“Some years ago, I was stuck on a crosstown bus in New York City during rush hour. Traffic was barely moving. The bus was filled with cold, tired people who were deeply irritated with one another, with the world itself. Two men barked at each other about a shove that might or might not have been intentional. A pregnant woman got on, and nobody offered her a seat. Rage was in the air; no mercy would be found here. But as the bus approached Seventh Avenue, the driver got on the intercom. . "Folks," he said, "I know you have had a rough day and you are frustrated. I can’t do anything about the weather or traffic, but here is what I can do. As each one of you gets off the bus, I will reach out my hand to you. As you walk by, drop your troubles into the palm of my hand, okay? Don’t take your problems home to your families tonight, just leave them with me. My route goes right by the Hudson River, and when I drive by there later, I will open the window and throw your troubles in the water." It was as if a spell had lifted. Everyone burst out laughing. Faces gleamed with surprised delight. People who had been pretending for the past hour not to notice each other’s existence were suddenly grinning at each other like, is this guy serious? Oh, he was serious! At the next stop, just as promised, the driver reached out his hand, palm up, and waited. One by one, all the exiting commuters placed their hand just above his and mimed the gesture of dropping something into his palm. Some people laughed, some teared up but everyone did it. The driver repeated the same lovely ritual all the way to the river. We live in a hard world, my friends. Sometimes it is extra difficult to be a human being. Sometimes you have a bad day. Sometimes you have a bad day that lasts for several years. You struggle and fail. You lose jobs, money, friends, faith, and love. You witness horrible events unfolding in the news, and you become fearful and withdrawn. But what if you are the light? What if you are the very agent of illumination that a dark situation begs for?. That’s what this bus driver taught me, that anyone can be the light, at any moment. This guy wasn’t some big power player. He wasn’t a spiritual leader. He wasn’t some media-savvy influencer. He was a bus driver, one of society’s most invisible workers. But he possessed real power, and he used it beautifully for our benefit. "No matter who you are, or where you are, or how mundane or tough your situation may seem, I believe you can illuminate your world. In fact, I believe this is the only way the world will ever be illuminated, one bright act of grace at a time, all the way to the river."~~

AN OUNCE OF PREVENTION

AN OUNCE OF PREVENTION Around the Year with Emmet Fox September 2 The old adage, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure," is just as true in the spiritual life as it is in the material world. A great many people wait to make their contact with God until a serious difficulty is upon them and then they hasten to find a spiritual solution. Of course, it is better to seek God under such circumstances than never to find Him at all. But why wait for trouble? Many a difficulty could be prevented or lightened if we were to make our contact with God now. The Bible says now is the day of salvation. Now is the accepted time. If you will put your life in God's hands now through daily prayer and meditation and complete willingness to do His will, you will find that your problems will grow less as time goes on, and you will have acquired that serenity and poise that only God can give. Then, come what may, nothing shall disturb you. “And now, Lord, what wait I for? My hope is in thee” Psalm 39:7

Ant and Grasshopper

Ant and Grasshopper - Indian Version of story - too good and fact(Very interesting and worth sharing) 😜😜😜 Original Story: The Ant works hard in the withering heat all summer building its house and laying up supplies for the winter. The Grasshopper thinks the Ant is a fool and laughs dances plays the summer away. Come winter, the Ant is warm and well fed. The Grasshopper has no food or shelter so he dies out in the cold. .......................... Indian Version: The Ant works hard in the withering heat all summer building its house and laying up supplies for the winter. The Grasshopper thinks the Ant's a fool and laughs dances plays the summer away. Come winter, the shivering Grasshopper calls a press conference and demands to know why the Ant should be allowed to be warm and well fed while others are cold and starving. NDTV, Times Now, CNN IBN, BBC, CNN , Asianet show up to provide pictures of the shivering Grasshopper next to a video of the Ant in his comfortable home with a table filled with food. The World is stunned by the sharp contrast. How can this be that this poor Grasshopper is allowed to suffer so? Arundhati Roy stages a demonstration in front of the Ant's house. Medha Patkar goes on a fast along with other Grasshoppers demanding that Grasshoppers be relocated to warmer climates during winter . Mayawati states this as 'injustice' done on Minorities. The Internet is flooded with online petitions seeking support to the Grasshopper CPM in Kerala immediately passes a law preventing Ants from working hard in the heat so as to bring about equality of poverty among Ants and Grasshoppers. Railway minister allocates one free coach to Grasshoppers on all Indian Railway Trains, aptly named as the 'Grasshopper Rath'. Finally, the Judicial Committee drafts the 'Prevention of Terrorism Against Grasshoppers Act'[POTAGA] , with effect from the beginning of the winter.. Education minister makes 'Special Reservation' for Grasshoppers in Educational Institutions in Government Services. The Ant is fined for failing to comply with POTAGA and having nothing left to pay his retroactive taxes, it's home is confiscated by Government and handed over to the Grasshopper in a ceremony covered by NDTV, Times Now, CNN IBN, BBC, CNN. Arundhati Roy calls it 'A Triumph of Justice'. Railway minister calls it 'Socialistic Justice'. CPM calls it 'Revolutionary Resurgence of Downtrodden' . . . . Many years later... The Ant has since migrated to the US and set up a multi-billion dollar company in Silicon Valley , 100s of Grasshoppers still die of starvation despite reservation somewhere in India , ....AND As a result of losing lot of hard working Ants and feeding the grasshoppers, India is still a developing country.

What are the 16 kalas of Krishna?

What are the 16 kalas of Krishna? The 16 Kalas of Lord Krishna are considered to be the various divine qualities or attributes possessed by Lord Krishna. These 16 Kalas are mentioned in the Bhagavata Purana and other scriptures. They include: 1. Swarupa (Divine Form) 2. Rupa (Beauty) 3. Bala (Strength) 4. Smarana (Remembering) 5. Guna (Virtues) 6. Manana (Contemplation) 7. Vijnana (Transcendental Knowledge) 8. Aishwarya (Opulence) 9. Virya (Heroism) 10. Shri (Divine Beauty) 11. Yasha (Fame) 12. Satya (Truthfulness) 13. Daya (Compassion) 14. Kanti (Radiance) 15. Jnana (Wisdom) 16. Vairagya (Renunciation) These 16 Kalas highlight the multifaceted and divine nature of Complete