Famous Festivals of India - From Google

https://traveltriangle.com/blog/famous-festivals-of-india/

*Om Namo Bhagavatey Vasudevaya*

*Om Namo Bhagavatey Vasudevaya* From the full moon of Bhadrapada to the new moon of Ashwin Krishna, there is a total of 16 days of Shradh. For these 16 days, our ancestors sit in our house in a subtle form After reading the greatness of the seventh chapter of Shrimad Bhagwat Geeta in Shradh, then the whole chapter should be read. The fruit of this lesson should be dedicated to the soul. भाद्रपद की पूर्णिमा से अश्विन कृष्ण की अमावस्या तक कुल 16 दिन तक श्राद्ध रहते हैं। इन 16 दिनों के लिए हमारे पितृ सूक्ष्म रूप में हमारे घर में विराजमान होते हैं। बताया कि श्राद्ध में श्रीमद्भागवत गीता के सातवें अध्याय का माहात्म्य पढ़कर फिर पूरे अध्याय का पाठ करना चाहिए। इस पाठ का फल आत्मा को समर्पित करना चाहिए। *Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare* *Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare*

Article in Free Press Journal , Mumbai

https://epaper.freepressjournal.in/c/63358502

Just drop the burden

Worth reading..... *A Crow and Garuda* 🙏 *- "Just Drop"..* Once a Crow, holding on to a piece of meat was flying to a place to sit & eat. However, a flock of Eagles were chasing it. The crow was anxious and was flying higher and higher, yet eagles were after the poor crow. Just then "Garuda" saw the plight and pain in the eyes of the crow. Coming closer to the crow, he asked: "What's wrong? You seem to be very "disturbed" and in "stress"?".. The crow cried "Look at these eagles!! They are after me to kill me". Garuda being the bird of wisdom spoke "Oh my friend!! They are not after you to kill you!! They are after that piece of meat that you are holding in your beak". Just drop it and see what will happen. The crow followed the instructions of Garuda and dropped the piece of meat, and there you go, all the eagles flew towards the falling meat. Garuda smiled and said "The Pain is only till you hold on to it" Just Drop" it. The crow just bowed and said "I dropped this piece of meat, now, I can fly even higher.." There is a message for us from this story too: 1. People carry the huge burden called "Ego," which creates a false identity about us, that we create for ourselves saying "I need love, I need to be invited, I am so and so.. "etc..." Just Drop .... 2. People get irritated fast by "others actions" it can be my friend, My parent, My children, My colleague, My life partner... and I get the fumes of "anger "..."Just Drop.... 3. People compare themselves with others.. in beauty, wealth, life style, marks, talent and appraisals and feel disturbed... We must be grateful with what we have ... comparisons, negative emotions .." Just Drop... Just drop the burden It is this logic From dust to dust *That is why in temples ash (vibuthi) is given to constantly remind we are nothing but dust.*

MAHASWAMIGAL

Once a devotee asked Mahaswamigal, why do we keep food for crows during mahalayam? Are our ancestors taking forms of crows? Why do they come as this low bird? Why not a high standard bird? With a gentle smile Mahaswamigal answered, we call crow kaka in Tamil. Do we address any other creature by its sound? Do we call cat meow? Because a parrot says kiki, do we call it kiki? A crow is called by its sound that makes it special. Ka means kaapathu or protect me. ..so when you keep food for a crow and say "kaa kaa", you are asking your ancestors to protect you! You say a crow is lowly, because it is freely available and it eats anything! .. .. But let me tell you *a crow is beautiful.* Why? It wakes up at brahma muhurtham. ..it caws and wakes you up .....even cocks may not wake up on time many days as they are moody...but a crow is on time...it says "kaka" and wakes you up at brahma muhurtham apt to do japam. It is such an amazing guide for pooja no? Further, it calls other crows when it gets food...not seen in other creatures, teaching humans to share their food. Then in the evening before it sleeps, it again says "kaka" to thank god for all that happened that day! Also crows don't eat after sunset which is according to shastras...how many people follow this? Hence, I feel a crow is not lowly...it teaches us so much. Hence *pitrus come as crows.* And one more... *keep food for crows everyday not only during mahalayam.* Crow also teaches *Advaitam!* When a crow sees the food you have kept, it gets happy and eats it. Seeing it eat, you get happy too. So both of you get happy... *both of you are Bhagawan!* Are our sages mad? Why did they made us feed crows, if we have to give it to our ancestors? *The sages had strategic consideration.* This is the real reason. Have you grown a peepal or banyan tree someday? Have you seen anyone grow it? Can you get seeds of peepal or banyan tree? The answer is no. Peepal or banyan tree will not grow out of sapling Because nature has made a separate arrangement for growing these two useful trees. The seeds sprout only after they have been processed in the gastrointestinal tract of the crows. These tree grow, wherever the crows eat it and wherever it does its excretion. Peepal are the only tree in the world that releases oxygen round the clock and the medicinal qualities of Banyan is also immense. If these two trees have to survive, it is not possible without the help of crows. It is in this period, crows do mating. To get healthy new generation of crows, they need to get healthy food. Hence our ancestors *made a ritual to feed the crows.* *Next time, you see peepal or banyan tree or a crow remember our intention of our ancestors.*

*Leaking Bucket*

*Leaking Bucket* ~ You wake up early morning trying to do your Pooja / Prayers /Yoga but your mind is elsewhere and before you know it, you're done with it, without being mindful of it. (A leaking bucket) ~ You're very kind to outsiders / people in general and speak with them gently, but with your own family you're always harsh / rude. (A leaking bucket) ~ You honour and treat your guests well but when they leave, you gossip about them and talk about their flaws. (A leaking bucket) ~ You try to read as much religious books, listen to Satsang /Keertan, participate in social services/ Sewa but you swear, insult, curse daily. (A leaking bucket) ~ You help others but you're doing it to gain something in return from them and not doing those acts of kindness selflessly. (A leaking bucket) ~ You frequently advice/preach others, but practice none yourself. (A leaking bucket) ~ You slander other devout persons out of hatred/spite when your views do not meet one another. (A leaking bucket) ~ You look down on others and feel more superior than them, judging their level of knowledge, based on external appearances (A leaking bucket) *We struggle to fill our "lives"(the bucket) with "earnings" of religion and knowledge (the water), hoping it will retain inside but it is leaked by the many flaws (the holes) that we commit daily.* An excellent reminder for all, including myself, to try and patch these holes up so we may progress further on this beautiful path of life...

*𝑺𝒉𝒊𝒗𝒂𝒋𝒊*

*𝑺𝒉𝒊𝒗𝒂𝒋𝒊* 𝑵𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒕 𝒎𝒖𝒄𝒉 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝑺𝒉𝒊𝒗𝒂𝒋𝒊 𝒊𝒏 𝒉𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒚 𝒊𝒏 𝑺𝒄𝒉𝒐𝒐𝒍. 𝑨𝒎𝒂𝒛𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝒐𝒇 𝒉𝒊𝒎: *"𝑭𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝑲𝒂𝒃𝒖𝒍 𝒕𝒐 𝑲𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒂𝒉𝒂𝒓 𝒎𝒚 𝑻𝒂𝒊𝒎𝒖𝒓 𝒇𝒂𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒚 𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑴𝒐𝒈𝒖𝒍 𝑺𝒖𝒍𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒆. 𝑰𝒓𝒂𝒒, 𝑰𝒓𝒂𝒏, 𝑻𝒖𝒓𝒌𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒎𝒚 𝒂𝒓𝒎𝒚 𝒅𝒆𝒇𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒇𝒆𝒓𝒐𝒄𝒊𝒐𝒖𝒔 𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒊𝒐𝒓𝒔. 𝑩𝒖𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝑰𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒂 𝑺𝒉𝒊𝒗𝒂𝒋𝒊 𝒑𝒖𝒕 𝒃𝒓𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒔 𝒐𝒏 𝒖𝒔. 𝑰 𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒎𝒚 𝒎𝒂𝒙𝒊𝒎𝒖𝒎 𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒓𝒈𝒚 𝒐𝒏 𝑺𝒉𝒊𝒗𝒂𝒋𝒊 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒃𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒉𝒊𝒎 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒌𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒔. 𝒀𝒂 𝑨𝒍𝒍𝒂𝒉, 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒈𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒎𝒆 𝒂𝒏 𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒎𝒚, 𝒇𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒖𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕, 𝒑𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒆 𝒌𝒆𝒆𝒑 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒅𝒐𝒐𝒓𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒐𝒑𝒆𝒏 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒉𝒊𝒎 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅'𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒍𝒂𝒓𝒈𝒆 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒊𝒐𝒓 𝒊𝒔 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒚𝒐𝒖."* -A𝒖𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒛𝒆𝒃 (𝑨𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝑺𝒉𝒊𝒗𝒂𝒋𝒊'𝒔 𝒅𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒉, 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒍𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑵𝒂𝒎𝒂𝒛) "𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒅𝒂𝒚 𝑺𝒉𝒊𝒗𝒂𝒋𝒊 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒅𝒊𝒅𝒏'𝒕 𝒄𝒉𝒐𝒑 𝒐𝒇 𝒎𝒚 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒂𝒍𝒔𝒐 𝒄𝒉𝒐𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒅 𝒐𝒇𝒇 𝒎𝒚 𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒅𝒆. 𝑰 𝒇𝒆𝒂𝒓 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒆𝒆𝒕 𝒉𝒊𝒎 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒊𝒏 𝒎𝒚 𝒅𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒎𝒔." --𝑺𝒉𝒂𝒉𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒂 𝑲𝒉𝒂𝒏. "𝑰𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒏𝒐 𝒎𝒂𝒏 𝒍𝒆𝒇𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒅𝒆𝒇𝒆𝒂𝒕 𝑺𝒉𝒊𝒗𝒂𝒋𝒊 𝒊𝒏 𝒎𝒚 𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒅𝒐𝒎??" - 𝑭𝒓𝒖𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝑩𝒆𝒈𝒖𝒎 𝑨𝒍𝒊 𝑨𝒅𝒊𝒍𝒔𝒉𝒂𝒉. "𝑵𝒆𝒕𝒂𝒋𝒊, 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒓𝒚 𝒅𝒐𝒆𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒓𝒆𝒒𝒖𝒊𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝑯𝒊𝒕𝒍𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒘 𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝑩𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒔𝒉. 𝑨𝒍𝒍 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒉 𝒊𝒔 𝑺𝒉𝒊𝒗𝒂𝒋𝒊'𝒔 𝒉𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒚." -𝑨𝒅𝒐𝒍𝒇 𝑯𝒊𝒕𝒍𝒆𝒓 "𝑯𝒂𝒅 𝑺𝒉𝒊𝒗𝒂𝒋𝒊 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒃𝒐𝒓𝒏 𝒊𝒏 𝑬𝒏𝒈𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒅, 𝒘𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒓𝒖𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒉 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒐𝒍𝒆 𝑼𝒏𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒆." -𝑳𝒐𝒓𝒅 𝑴𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒃𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒏 "𝑯𝒂𝒅 𝑺𝒉𝒊𝒗𝒂𝒋𝒊 𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒂𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒆𝒏 𝒚𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒔, 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑩𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒔𝒉 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒔𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒂𝒄𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝑰𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒂." -- 𝑨 𝑩𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒔𝒉 𝑮𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒏𝒆𝒓 _𝑰𝒇 𝑰𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒂 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒎𝒂𝒅𝒆 𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒑𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒚 𝒐𝒖𝒕, '𝑭𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝑺𝒉𝒊𝒗𝒂𝒋𝒊'." --𝑵𝒆𝒕𝒂𝒋𝒊 "𝑺𝒉𝒊𝒗𝒂𝒋𝒊 𝒊𝒔 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒂 𝒏𝒂𝒎𝒆, 𝒊𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒂𝒏 𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒓𝒈𝒚 𝒔𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒄𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝑰𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒂𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒕𝒉, 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒉 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒃𝒆 𝒖𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝑰𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒂 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆." - 𝑺𝒘𝒂𝒎𝒊 𝑽𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒌𝒂𝒏𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒂. "𝑯𝒂𝒅 𝑺𝒉𝒊𝒗𝒂𝒋𝒊 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒃𝒐𝒓𝒏 𝒊𝒏 𝑨𝒎𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒂, 𝒘𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒏𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒍𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒉𝒊𝒎 𝒂𝒔 𝑺𝑼𝑵." - 𝑩𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝑶𝒃𝒂𝒎𝒂 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒂𝒎𝒐𝒖𝒔 𝒘𝒂𝒓 𝒐𝒇 𝑼𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓𝒌𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒔 𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑮𝒖𝒊𝒏𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝑩𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒐𝒇 𝑾𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅 𝑹𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒓𝒅𝒔: "𝑻𝒉𝒆 30,000 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒓𝒎𝒚 𝒐𝒇 𝑲𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒂𝒃 𝑲𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝑼𝒛𝒃𝒆𝒌𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒅𝒆𝒇𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒃𝒚 𝒎𝒆𝒓𝒆 1000 𝒎𝒂𝒘𝒂𝒍𝒂𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝑺𝒉𝒊𝒗𝒂𝒋𝒊. 𝑵𝒐𝒕 𝒂 𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒍𝒆 𝑼𝒛𝒃𝒆𝒌𝒊 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒍𝒆𝒇𝒕 𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒓𝒆𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒏 𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒉𝒐𝒎𝒆." 𝑺𝒉𝒊𝒗𝒂𝒋𝒊 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒂 𝑲𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒇 𝑰𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝒇𝒂𝒎𝒆. 𝑰𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒑𝒂𝒏 𝒐𝒇 30 𝒚𝒓𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒆𝒓 𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝒕𝒘𝒐 𝑰𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒂𝒏 𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒊𝒐𝒓𝒔. 𝑨𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒐𝒖𝒕𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔: 𝑺𝒉𝒂𝒉𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒂 𝑲𝒉𝒂𝒏, 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒇𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝑺𝒉𝒊𝒗𝒂𝒋𝒊 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒊𝒏 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒅𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒎𝒔 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝑲𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒇 𝑨𝒃𝒖 𝑻𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒃𝒂𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑻𝒖𝒓𝒌𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏. 𝑩𝒆𝒉𝒍𝒐𝒍 𝑲𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝑷𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏, 𝑺𝒊𝒌𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒂𝒓 𝑷𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏, 𝑪𝒉𝒊𝒅𝒂𝒓 𝑲𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝑷𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒊𝒐𝒓 𝒔𝒂𝒓𝒅𝒂𝒓𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝑨𝒇𝒈𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏. 𝑫𝒊𝒍𝒆𝒓 𝑲𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝑷𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒈𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒊𝒐𝒓 𝒐𝒇 𝑴𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒐𝒍𝒊𝒂. 𝑨𝒍𝒍 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒎 𝒃𝒊𝒕 𝒅𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝑺𝒉𝒊𝒗𝒂𝒋𝒊. 𝑺𝒊𝒅𝒉𝒉𝒊 𝑱𝒐𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒓 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑺𝒂𝒍𝒂𝒃𝒂 𝑲𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝑰𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒂𝒏 𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒊𝒐𝒓𝒔, 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒈𝒐𝒕 𝒅𝒆𝒇𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒃𝒚 𝑺𝒉𝒊𝒗𝒂𝒋𝒊. 𝑺𝒊𝒅𝒉𝒉𝒊 𝑱𝒐𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒓 𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒏𝒆𝒅 𝒂 𝒔𝒆𝒂 𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒂𝒄𝒌. 𝑰𝒏 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒑𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒆 𝑺𝒉𝒊𝒗𝒂𝒋𝒊 𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒂 𝒏𝒂𝒗𝒚, 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒔𝒕 𝑰𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒂𝒏 𝑵𝒂𝒗𝒚. 𝑩𝒖𝒕 𝒃𝒆𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒄𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒂𝒔𝒌 𝑺𝒉𝒊𝒗𝒂𝒋𝒊 𝒍𝒆𝒇𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅. (𝑯𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒑𝒐𝒊𝒔𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒅.) 𝑮𝒐𝒐𝒈𝒍𝒆 "𝑺𝒉𝒊𝒗𝒂𝒋𝒊, 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑴𝒂𝒏𝒂𝒈𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝑮𝒖𝒓𝒖." 𝑰𝒕'𝒔 𝒂 𝒇𝒖𝒍𝒍 𝒔𝒖𝒃𝒋𝒆𝒄𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝑩𝒐𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒏 𝑼𝒏𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒊𝒕𝒚. 𝒀𝒆𝒕, 𝒘𝒆 𝑰𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒂𝒏𝒔 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒔𝒐 𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒍𝒆 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒉𝒊𝒎..... 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒂 𝒑𝒊𝒕𝒚.... *Nevertheless, sharing this with you with the Pride of staying in a Land, that once had such an illustrious Ruler..!!*

Why do you harbour hate ?

You came naked, You will go naked. You arrived weak, You will leave weak. You came without money and things, You will leave even without money and things. Your first bath? Someone washed you, Your last bath? Someone will wash you. This is life!!! So why so much malice, so much envy, so much hate, so much resentment, so much selfishness and so much pride?why, when we have to go empty handed?

Accumulated Karma

After Shri Krishna killed Kansa, he went to the jail to release Vasudev and Devki, his mother and father. Devki mata asked eagerly, "Child, you are God yourself, and you have divine powers; then, why did you wait fourteen years to kill Kansa and release us"? Shri Krishna replied, ′′ Respected mother, forgive me. But why did you send me to the jungle for fourteen years in my last birth? Devki was very surprised and said, ′′ Krishna, how is this possible? Why are you saying this?" Shri Krishna replied, ′′ Mother, you will not remember anything about your previous birth. But you were Kaikayi in your last birth and your husband was Dashrath". Devki was very surprised and asked curiously, ′′ Then, who is Kausalya now?" Shri Krishna replied, ′′ Mother Yashoda. The fourteen years of mother's love that she was deprived of in her last life, she got it in this life ′′ Everyone has to bear the fruits of their karma, even the gods cannot escape from it. Keep an eye on what karma you want accumulate.

Let water flow

A Saint was sitting on the bank of the river since a long time, watching the water flow by, Someone asked "what are you doing Sir?" The Saint replied: I am waiting for the whole river to flow, then I will cross it. That person said, ′′ Holiness, you will never be able to cross the river like that, while waiting for the whole water to flow. That can't happen , the flow will never stop, the water will just keep on coming!" The Saint said, "this is what I want to explain to you : you people always say ,that once the responsibilities of life are fulfilled, Once I finish this task, then I will have fun." Just like the water of the river will never end, the responsibilities of life never end. Have fun, roam around, meet everyone, share and care, give and serve. Find a way to cross the water while it is flowing. Enjoy your weekend despite your responsibilities and stay blessed forever.

KEEP YOUR LEGS ACTIVE AND STRONG

KEEP YOUR LEGS ACTIVE & STRONG !! ▪️As we put on years & keep getting old on a daily basis , our feet must always remain active & strong. As we are constantly ageing / get aged, we should not be afraid of our hair turning grey (or) skin sagging ( or) wrinkles on face. ▪️Among the signs of *longevity*, long fit life as summarized by the popular US Magazine " Prevention ", strong leg muscles are listed on the top, as *the most important & essential one.* Please walk daily. ▪️If you don’t move your legs for just two weeks, your real leg strength will decrease by 10 years. *Just walk* ▪️A study from the University of Copenhagen in Denmark found that both old & young, during the two weeks of *inactivity*, the legs muscle strength can *weaken by a third* which is equivalent to 20-30 years of ageing !! *So just walk* ▪️As our leg muscles weaken, it will take a long time to recover, even if we do rehabilitation & exercises, later. WALK. ▪️Therefore, *regular exercise like walking, is very important*. ▪️The whole body weight/ load remains and rest on the legs. ▪️The *feet are a kind of pillars*, bearing the entire weight of the human body. *Walk everyday.* ▪️Interestingly, 50% of a person's bones & 50% of the muscles, are in the two legs. *Do walk* ▪️The largest & strongest joints & bones of the human body are also in the legs. *10K steps / day* ▪️Strong bones, strong muscles and flexible joints form the *Iron Triangle* that carries the most important load i.e. *the human body."* ▪️70% of human activity and burning of energy in one's life is done by the two feet. ▪️Do you know this ? When a person is young, his/ her *thighs have enough strength , to lift a small car of 800 kg !* ▪️The *foot is the center of body locomotion*. ▪️Both the legs together have 50% of the nerves of the human body, 50% of the blood vessels and 50% of the blood is flowing through them. ▪️ It is the largest circulatory network that connects the body. *So walk daily.* ▪️Only *when the feet are healthy then the convention current of blood flows , smoothly, so people who have strong leg muscles will definitely have a strong heart.* Walk. ▪️Aging starts from the feet upwards ▪️As a person gets older, the accuracy & speed of transmission of instructions between the brain and the legs decreases, unlike when a person is young. *Please walk* ▪️In addition, the so-called Bone Fertilizer Calcium will sooner or later be lost with the passage of time, making the elderly more prone to bone fractures. *WALK.* ▪️Bone fractures in the elderly can easily trigger a series of complications, especially fatal diseases such as brain thrombosis. ▪️Do you know that 15% of elderly patients generally, will die max. within a year of a thigh-bone fracture !! *Walk daily without fail* ▪️ *Exercising the legs, is never too late, even after the age of 60 years.* ▪️Although our feet/legs will gradually age with time, exercising our feet/ legs is a life-long task. *Walk 10,000 steps* ▪️Only by regular strengthening the legs, one can prevent or reduce further aging. *Walk 365 days* ▪️ Please walk for at least 30-40 minutes daily to ensure that your legs receive sufficient exercise and to ensure that your leg muscles remain healthy. *You should share this important information with all your 40+ friends & family members, as everyone is aging on a daily basis*

Blog on A TALE OF PARALLELS

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https://preethathoughts.blogspot.com/2021/09/author-ravi-valluri-interview.html

CHITTER CHATTER session with Shweta Rohira

 Incase you missed the instalive session of CHITTER CHATTER with @shwetarohira follow the link below to tune-in to a lively, fun session where we discussed my books, A TALE OF PARALLELS, MAGIC OF THE MIND and HEARTBREAK AT COFFEE SHOP, my writing process and lots more.

https://www.instagram.com/tv/CTukTNTF_Dy/?utm_medium=copy_link

Don't miss the rapid fire round at the end!

It's called the Paul Newman Effect!!

 

It's called the Paul Newman Effect!!

Only women of a certain era will fully appreciate this true story.     

A Michigan woman and her family were vacationing in a small new England town where Paul Newman and his family often visited. 

One Sunday morning, the woman got up early to take a long walk.  After a brisk hike, she decided to treat herself to a double-dip chocolate ice cream cone. 

She hopped in the car, drove to the village and went straight to the ice cream parlor. 

There was only one other patron in the store. Paul Newman, sitting at the counter having a doughnut and coffee. 

The woman's heart skipped a beat as her eyes made contact with those famous baby-blue eyes. 

The actor nodded graciously and the star struck woman smiled demurely. 

Pull yourself together!  She chides herself. You're a happily married woman with three children, you're forty-five years old, not a teenager! 

The clerk filled her order and she took the double-dip chocolate ice cream cone in one hand and her change in the other. Then she went out the door, avoiding even a glance in Paul Newman's direction. 

When she reached her car, she realized that she had a handful of change but her other hand was empty. Where's my ice cream cone? Did I leave it in the store? Back into the shop she went, expecting to see the cone still in the clerk's hand or in a holder on the counter or something.  No ice cream cone was in sight. 

With that, she happened to look over at Paul Newman.

*His face broke into his familiar warm friendly grin and he said to the woman, _"You put it in your purse."!!!_*

*A Monk & a Prostitute - The magic of inner self-talk*

 

*A Monk & a Prostitute - The magic of inner self-talk*

A prostitute and a monk lived in an ancient Japanese city. They had never met before. They didn't even know each other. Nonetheless, each of them was profoundly inspired by the other. Their lives were inextricably linked.

Every evening, on her way to earn a night's wage, the prostitute would pass by the Buddhist temple where this monk lived. Every evening, the young monk would sit outside in the temple garden and meditate.

As she walked through the monastery, the young prostitute would notice the monk seated in meditation and thought to herself, "What a remarkable young man. What a noble existence he leads. Such a pure existence, free of the world's problems and concerns. What a rare and fantastic find!"

These thoughts sustained the young woman and gave her strength to endure her life.

Just to know that someone was leading such a pure life gave her both hope and encouragement, even though she knew that such purity could never be her own. She always felt blessed just walking by the temple and being in the presence of such sacred energy.

Despite claiming to be in profound meditation, the monk couldn't help but notice the woman.

As the young woman strolled by the temple every evening, the monk became pre-occupied and thought to himself, "What a depraved woman she is. What chance does she have of making a living doing what she does? How low can a person go? Selling her body! Where is her dignity and self-respect?! What a squandered existence. It would be better if she died!"

*Consequences of hidden motivation...*

This inspiring story points out the consequences of our inner-motivations and self-talk. *Inner self-talk* has the power to turn a "Monk" into a "Prostitute" & a "Prostitute" into a "Monk". It isn't the outer garments that count.

In the company of the young woman, the monk lost all peace of mind, whilst the young woman experienced a peace of mind she had never imagined possible. What a turn of events! The prostitute, not the monk, was the one who tapped into true meditation power!

Where did the true power come from, despite the fact that the monk and the prostitute were major influences in each other's lives? What was the true cause of the monk's anguish and the woman's tranquilly? It was their *inner self-talk* that was at the root of the problem in each case.

In the presence of the monk, the young woman's inner monologue was pure and unselfish. In the presence of the woman, the monk's inner-talk was polluted and severely disturbed.

And each of them had to deal with the immediate implications of their self-talk. The woman grew extremely calm, whereas the monk became extremely upset. Their *self-talk* had resulted in this.

Our world's peace or suffering is determined by these inner dynamics, internal motivation and *self-talk*.

Some rise by sin and some fall by virtue.

Have a great Day!

*Camaraderie? Fuggedit!*

 *Camaraderie? Fuggedit!*

Like the Buddha sat *Mohammed Tamim.* In the middle of the road, literally. Not on the tarmac. But inside the truck with fresh bricks from Baghbat. He and his crew were on their way to Dadri and then the rear tire burst due to overload or whatever in the middle of the night of September 1, 2021 - the day after the American troops vacated from the soil of Afghanistan after 20 long years. 

"Just five kilometers to my destination and then this," quipped the smiling tall single time namazi daily told me from the "conductor" seat on the Noida-Greater Noida Link Road. I noticed two pairs of legs jutting out from the blanket behind the beard-sporting Tamim. He was engaged watching some Hindi film song video on his handset when I halted during my morning walk spotting the truck in the middle of the highway. Trucks, cars, and two-wheelers were whizzing past unmindful of the road obstruction. 

Tamim's truck tire burst half-past one. He had no stepney. "Jaroorat nahi hai," said he because "hamare gaddi kabhi taqleef nahi deti hai!" Great hopes. Calls for assistance had gone and help awaited. How soon? Tamim has no clue. But he is patient and stoic. Like the Buddha. Waiting uncomplainingly is part of truck drivers' DNA perhaps. Help may come in two ways: a spare tire may be brought to replace the burst one; or, the load may be shifted to another truck which may proceed to the delivery point and Tamim's gaddi may be pushed to the side of the road for repair. All in the realm of possibility. 

What piqued me was the recalcitrance of fellow truckers and other passers-by. Why none stopped to help the stranded truck driver? Have we lost the basic human touch? Forget about non-truckers. Why even are fellow truckers not coming to the rescue of Tamil and company? I am baffled.

A week ago, I ran into another truck accident between Beawar and Sirohi in Rajasthan on my way to Ankaleshwar, Gujarat. The coal-carrying truck turned turtle in the early hours 24 hours ago. No human loss but the vehicle was badly damaged. Surveyors came to assess the damage to decide the insurance payout to the fleet owner. Another truck came to shift the coal load to complete the business. 

The owner was on the site to oversee the damage-control ops. The driver assistant who was sleeping behind the driver at the time of the accident narrated: "no passing truck stopped. Everyone was in a hurry. No cars stopped. Driverbhai was bleeding and I had no idea of what to do. Mobiles were stuck in the heap and unable to trace. I was crying. After 10 minutes, a motorbike stopped. That person took pity on the driver and rode him to the nearest hospital." Yes, the driver is safe. 

The same story as that of Tamim in Greater Noida. No help to the accident victim. Heard of the "Good Samaritan" campaign? You and I had, but not other road users, it appears. 

January 2020, a similar story on the Palanpur crossing in Gujarat when my car was hit by an empty Tata truck and no passing truck came to the truck driver's assistance to sort out the problem. Why do we behave the way we do?  

One more display of a hearlessness episode of road users. Let me take you to October 2011. Again a past midnight story where I was physically present. It was raining cats and dogs on the Satara-Pune stretch and I was a co-passenger in the Mercurio Pallia Logistics car carrier with ten Hyundai i10 cars from Chennai to Gurgaon. 

All of a sudden, our 22-meter long carrier died in the middle of the two-lane national highway. Engine died. Short circuit and therefore no lights. Driver assistant Pinto Sahu jumped out to pick up the reflective yellow and red triangle safety alert and placed it at the rear of the vehicle to divert zooming vehicles of all types. He was also flashing his mobile phone light. Wise move. Meanwhile, driver Umesh Rana tried to figure out the electric fault and fix it. 

Yes, you've guessed it right. None stopped to assist. Thirty minutes, Rana fixed the problem marginally. The Engine started, but none of the lights at the front or rear worked. He managed to steer the 22-meter long car carrier to the service lane a kilometer away. Even a cyclist would have outrun us. 

Yes, when in trouble on highways, no one comes to help particularly the truck drivers. Day or night. Pity, they are called the backbone. Pure wordplay. No sympathy.

💐 *HAPPY JANMAASHTAMI* 💐

  *HAPPY JANMAASHTAMI* 

Excellent information about Bhagwan Shri Krishna

1) Krishna was born *5252 years  ago* 

2) Date of *Birth* : *18 th July,3228 B.C*

3) Month : *Shravan*

4) Day :  *Ashtami*

5) Nakshatra : *Rohini*

6) Day : *Wednesday*

7) Time : *00:00 A.M.*

 Shri Krishna *lived 125 years, 08 months & 07 days.*

9) Date of *Death* : *18th February 3102BC.*

10) When Krishna was *89 years old* ; the mega war *(Kurukshetra war)* took place. 

11) He died *36 years after the Kurukshetra* war.

12) Kurukshetra War was *started on Mrigashira Shukla Ekadashi, BC 3139. i.e "8th December 3139BC" and ended on "25th December, 3139BC".*  

12) There was a *Solar eclipse between "3p.m to 5p.m on 21st December, 3139BC" ; cause of Jayadrath's death.*

13) Bhishma died on *2nd February,(First Ekadasi of the Uttarayana), in 3138 B.C.*

14) Krishna  is worshipped as:

(a)Krishna *Kanhaiyya* : *Mathura*

(b) *Jagannath*:- In *Odisha*

(c) *Vithoba*:- In *Maharashtra*

(d) *Srinath*:  In *Rajasthan*

(e) *Dwarakadheesh*: In *Gujarat*

(f) *Ranchhod*: In *Gujarat*

(g) *Krishna* : *Udupi in Karnataka*

h) *Guruvayurappan in Kerala*

15) *Bilological Father*: *Vasudeva*

16) *Biological Mother*: *Devaki*

17) *Adopted Father*:- *Nanda*

18) *Adopted Mother*: *Yashoda*

19 *Elder Brother*: *Balaram*

20) *Sister*: *Subhadra*

21) *Birth Place*: *Mathura*

22) *Wives*: *Rukmini, Satyabhama, Jambavati, Kalindi, Mitravinda, Nagnajiti, Bhadra, Lakshmana*

23) Krishna is reported to have *Killed only 4 people* in his life time. 

(i) *Chanoora* ; the Wrestler

(ii) *Kansa* ; his maternal uncle

(iii) & (iv) *Shishupaala and Dantavakra* ; his cousins. 

24) Life was not fair to him at all. His *mother* was from *Ugra clan*, and *Father* from *Yadava clan,* inter-racial marriage. 

25) He was *born dark skinned.* He was not named at all throughout his life. The whole village of Gokul started calling him the black one ; *Kanha*. He was ridiculed and teased for being black, short and adopted too. His childhood was wrought with life threatening situations.

26) *'Drought' and "threat of wild wolves" made them shift from 'Gokul' to 'Vrindavan' at the age 9.*

27) He stayed in Vrindavan *till 10 years and 8 months*. He killed his own uncle at the age of  10 years and 8 months at Mathura.He then released  his biological mother and father. 

28) He *never returned to Vrindavan ever again.*

29) He had to *migrate to Dwaraka from Mathura due to threat of a Sindhu King ;  Kala Yaavana.*

30) He *defeated 'Jarasandha' with the help of 'Vainatheya' Tribes on Gomantaka hill (now Goa).*

31) He *rebuilt Dwaraka*. 

32) He then *left to Sandipani's Ashram in Ujjain* to start his schooling at age 16~18. 

33) He had to *fight the pirates from Afrika and rescue his teachers son ;  Punardatta*;  who *was kidnapped near Prabhasa* ; a sea port in Gujarat. 

34) After his education, he came to know about his cousins fate of Vanvas. He came to their rescue in ''Wax house'' and later his cousins got married to *Draupadi.* His role was immense in this saga. 

35) Then, he helped his cousins  establish Indraprastha and their Kingdom.

36) He *saved Draupadi from embarrassment.*

37) He *stood by his cousins during their exile.*

38) He stood by them and *made them win the Kurushetra war.*

39) He *saw his cherished city, Dwaraka washed away.* 

40) He was *killed by a hunter (Jara by name)* in nearby forest. 

41) He never did any miracles. His life was not a successful one. There was not a single moment when he was at peace throughout his life. At every turn, he had challenges and even more bigger challenges. 

42) He *faced everything and everyone with a sense of responsibility and yet remained unattached.*

43)  He is the *only person, who knew the past and future ; yet he lived at that present moment always.*

44) He and his life is truly *an example for every human being.*

*Jai  Shri Krishna*

 Happy Gokulashtami.