Monday 29 April 2024

Sooprabhat Saprem Namaskar

 Sooprabhat Saprem Namaskar Yazdaan Panaah Baad Have a great week ahead of you and wishing you tons of loveand miles of smiles!!!                           *This is a hilarious and  factual story...*


"Mumbai is amazing due to the helping nature of its people! 
D
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 the local train slows down passing Malad, you can step out of the running train." 

"As long as you hit the platform start 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-travelers asked me to jump out of the running 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 Borivalli.

 
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. 
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A GREAT PARADOX

  

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^*~*~*~*~*

 

April 30, 2024

 

A GREAT PARADOX

 

These legacies of suffering and of recovery

are easily passed among alcoholics,

one to the other.

This is our gift from God,

and its bestowal upon others like us

is the one aim that today

animates A.A.’s all around the globe.

TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 151

 

The great paradox of A.A. is that I know

I cannot keep the precious gift of sobriety

unless I give it away.

My primary purpose is to stay sober.

In A.A. I have no other goal,

and the importance of this

is a matter of life or death for me.

If I veer from this purpose I lose.

But A.A. is not only for me;

it is for the alcoholic who still suffers.

The legions of recovering alcoholics stay sober

by sharing with fellow alcoholics.

The way to my recovery is to show others in A.A.

that when I share with them,

we both grow in the grace of the Higher Power,

and both of us are on the road to a happy destiny

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NO PRICE TOO GREAT

 Good Morning!!!

 

NO PRICE TOO GREAT

 

Around the Year with Emmet Fox

 

April 30

 

“And if thy right eye offend thee,

pluck it out, and cast it from thee:

for it is profitable for thee

that one of thy members should perish,

and not that thy whole body

should be cast into hell.

And if thy right hand offend thee,

cut it off, and cast it from thee:

for it is profitable for thee

that one of thy members should perish,

and not that thy whole body

should be cast into hell”

Matthew 5:29-30

The soul's integrity

is the one and only thing that matters.

And so, Jesus insists

that positively no sacrifice

can be too great

to ensure the integrity of one's soul.

Anything that stands in the way of that,

must be given up.

Whatever is standing between us

and our true contact with God—a sin,

an old grudge left unforgiven,

stark greed for the things of this world—must go.

Such things, however, are so obvious

that at least the transgressor is aware of them;

it is the subtle things like self- love, self-righteousness,

and spiritual pride;

that are most difficult for the self to exercise.

 

* From “The Sermon on the Moun

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Dhoni and Rahul

 Dhoni, walked into a bar around 9:58 pm.


He sat down next to Rahul Gandhi at the bar and stared up at the TV.

The 10 pm news was coming on.

The news crew was covering the story of a man on the ledge of a large building preparing to jump.

Rahul looked at Dhoni and said, "Do you think he will jump ?"

Dhoni said, "You know, I bet he will jump."

Rahul replied, "Well, I bet he won't."

Dhoni placed Rs. 1000 on the bar and said, "You're on !"

Just as Rahul placed his money on the bar, the guy on the ledge jumped off the building, falling to his death.

Rahul was very upset, but willingly handed his Rs.1000 to Dhoni, saying, "Fair is fair. Here's your money."

Dhoni replied, "I can't take your money. I saw this earlier on the 5 pm news, and so I knew he would jump."

Rahul replied, "I did too, but didn't think he would do it again.

This time Dhoni took the money..
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*Magic of the Mind*

 *Magic of the Mind*


*Instagram Reviews*


*Amazon Reviews*
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Bombay Review and Other Stories

[28/04, 21:02] Ravi Valluri: *Bombay review and other stories Review* 

*goodreads* 

*amazon* 

*insta* 
[28/04, 21:02] Ravi Valluri: Insta-

Az-

Form ✅


Upi id: shifalir@ybl




Az posted





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Upi: kanchan.bisht89@icici


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The Power of Mind

 https://www.dailypioneer.com/searchlist.php?search=Ravi+Valluri+

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PasshupatraAstra

 

What is the significance of Pashupatastra belonging to Shiva instead of Vishnu?

Pashupatastra - An irresistible destructive personal weapon of Shiva and Kali, discharged by the mind, the eyes, words, or a bow.

Never to be used against lesser enemies or by lesser warriors, the Pashupatastra is capable of destroying creation and vanquishing all beings. In the Mahabharata, Arjuna and Bhishma, and in the Ramayana, only the sage Vishvamitra, Indrajit and Rama possessed the Pashupatastra.

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Award for BOMBAY REVIEW AND OTHER STORIES



It feels absolutely wonderful to share with the world that my latest collection of short stories, BOMBAY REVIEW AND OTHER STORIES published by eminent publisher LEADSTART has won the Sahitya Sparsh Awards 2024 (fiction/short stories/real life). You can read a short feature on me published by Sahitya Sparsh, using the link below:

In addition if you want to check out a very rich and descriptive review of the book before getting your copy, please use the link below: https://www.theliteraturetimes.com/a-review-of-sahitya-sparsh-awards-winner-bombay-review-other-stories-by-ravi-valluri/

I would also invite you read my interview with THE LITERATURE TIMES to know more about me, my background and my writing process. Here is the link: https://www.theliteraturetimes.com/an-interview-with-author-ravi-valluri-bombay-review-and-other-stories/

Last but not the least you can get your copy from Amazon.in using this link:

Incase you are reading this post outside India and want to get a copy, do reach out to me for the information and a link.

Happy Reading!!




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"Do you want to attract miracles into your life?

According to an old Native American legend, one day there was a big fire in the forest. All the animals fled in terror in all directions, because it was a very violent fire. Suddenly, the jaguar saw a hummingbird pass over his head, but in the opposite direction. The hummingbird flew towards the fire! Whatever happened, he wouldn't stop. Moments later, the jaguar saw him pass again, this time in the same direction as the jaguar was walking. He could observe this coming and going, until he decided to ask the bird about it, because it seemed very bizarre behaviour. "What are you doing, hummingbird?" he asked. "I am going to the lake," he answered, "I drink water with my beak and throw it on the fire to extinguish it." The jaguar laughed. 'Are you crazy? Do you really think that you can put out that big fire on your own with your very small beak?' 'No,' said the hummingbird, 'I know I can't. But the forest is my home. It feeds me, it shelters me and my family. I am very grateful for that. And I help the forest grow by pollinating its flowers. I am part of her and the forest is part of me. I know I can't put out the fire, but I must do my part.' At that moment, the forest spirits, who listened to the hummingbird, were moved by the bird and its devotion to the forest, miraculously they sent a torrential downpour, which put an end to the great fire. The Native American grandmothers would occasionally tell this story to their grandchildren, then conclude with, "Do you want to attract miracles into your life? Do your part." “You have no responsibility to save the world or find the solutions to all problems—but to attend to your particular personal corner of the universe. As each person does that, the world saves itself.’" - Author Unknown
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Courage and Prudence

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^*~*~*~*~* April 29, 2024 GROUP AUTONOMY Some may think that we have carried the principle of group autonomy to extremes. For example, in its original “long form,” Tradition Four declares: “Any two or three gathered together for sobriety may call themselves an A.A. group, provided that as a group they have no other affiliation.” . . . . But this ultra-liberty is not so risky as it looks. A.A. COMES OF AGE, pp. 104-05 As an active alcoholic, I abused every liberty that life afforded. How could A.A. expect me to respect the “ultra-liberty” bestowed by Tradition Four? Learning respect has become a lifetime job. A.A. has made me fully accept the necessity of discipline and that, if I do not assert it from within, then I will pay for it. This applies to groups too. Tradition Four points me in a spiritual direction, in spite of my alcoholic inclinations. ***************************************************** Courage and Prudence When fear persisted, we knew it for what it was, and we became able to handle it. We began to see each adversity as a God-given opportunity to develop the kind of courage which is born of humility, rather than of bravado. Prudence is a workable middle ground, a channel of clear sailing between the obstacles of fear on the one side and of recklessness on the other. Prudence in practice creates a definite climate, the only climate in which harmony, effectiveness, and consistent spiritual progress can be achieved. "Prudence is rational concern without worry." 1. GRAPEVINE, JANUARY 1962 2. TWELVE CONCEPTS, P. 65 3. TALK, 1966 **************************************************** Being alone and feeling vulnerable. Like two separate themes, these two parts of myself unite in my being and sow the seeds of my longing for unconditional love. --Mary Casey How easily we slip into self-doubt, fearing we're incapable or unlovable, perhaps both. How common for us to look into the faces of our friends and lovers in search of affirmation and love. Our alienation from ourselves, from one another, from God's Spirit, which exists everywhere, causes our discontent. It is our discontent. When souls touch, love is born, love of self and love of the other. Our aloneness exists when we create barriers that keep us separate from our friends, our family. Only we can reach over or around the barriers to offer love, to receive love. Recovery offers us the tools for loving, but we must dare to pick them up. Listening to others and sharing ourselves begins the process of loving. Risking to offer love before receiving it will free us from the continual search for love in the faces of others. I won't wait to be loved today. I will love someone else, fully. I won't doubt that I, too, am loved. I will feel it.
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Who choose Kurukshetra place for the Mahabharata War?

Who choose Kurukshetra place for the Mahabharata War? The land of Kurukshetra was chosen by Lord Sri Krishna for the war, but why he opted for Kurukshetra for the war, there is a secret behind it. According to the scriptures, when the war of Mahabharata was decided, search of the land began soon. Lord Krishna wanted to eradicate the rising sins on earth through this war and wanted to establish religion. It is said that Lord Krishna was in fear that Kauravas and the Pandavas might make a pact on seeing each other dying in this war. So he decided to choose a land for war, where there is enough amount of anger and hatred. For this, Krishna sent his messengers in all directions and asked them to take stock of the events. Messengers took stock of the events and elaborated the same to Lord Krishna one after another. One of the messengers told an incident in which an elder brother in Kurukshetra asked his younger brother to stop the rainwater flowing as it was entering the farm, but he refused to do so. In fit of anger, elder brother got furious and killed the younger brother with a knife and dragged his corpse to stop the water from where the water was coming out. Hearing this true incident, Krishna decided that this land is suitable for the war. Sri Krishna was then quite convinced that the rites of this land will not allow the brothers to develop love for each other in the war. After this, he announced the venue of war as Kurukshetra.
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Sunday 28 April 2024

Sahitya Sparsh Awards - Bombay Review and Other Stories

Promotional Video: https://youtu.be/Ab0XIUQe0aI
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Sahitya Sparsh Awards - Bombay Review and Other Stories

Interview: https://www.theliteraturetimes.com/an-interview-with-author-ravi-valluri-bombay-review-and-other-stories/
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Saitya Sparsh Awards - Bombay Review and Other Stories

Book Review: https://www.theliteraturetimes.com/a-review-of-sahitya-sparsh-awards-winner-bombay-review-other-stories-by-ravi-valluri/
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Sahitya Sparsj Awards - Bombay Review and Other Stories

Featured article: https://www.theliteraturetimes.com/ravi-valluri-sahitya-sparsh-awards-winner-2024-author-feature/
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Sahitya Sparsh Awards - Bombay Review and Other Stories - The Print

The Print: https://theprint.in/ani-press-releases/sahitya-sparsh-awards-2024-official-winners-announcement/2058176/
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Sahitya Sparsh Awards - MidDay - Bombay Review and Other Stories

: https://www.mid-day.com/brand-media/events/article/sahitya-sparsh-awards-official-winners-announcement-2024-611
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Sahitya Sparsh Awards - Bombay Review and Other Stories

https://www.aninews.in/news/business/sahitya-sparsh-awards-2024-official-winners-announcement20240426150024/
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Saturday 27 April 2024

Sam Manekshaw On Officers, Then And Now …

Sam Manekshaw On Officers, Then And Now … This is from a Q/A Session with Field Marshal Manekshaw at the Staff College, some 25 years after he retired. Q – How has the Army changed/progressed over the years? Ans: Over the years, things have changed. In my time, my father used to support me until I became a Lieutenant Colonel. I used to get an allowance to be able to live. Today, the young officer has not only to keep himself but has to send money home. In my time, we did not have all these courses. Today the young officer hardly stays in his regiment. He is sent from one place to another to do this course and that course and he does not get a chance of knowing his men. We knew our men. Also, there wasn’t so much work in those days. We got up in the mornings, did Physical Training for half an hour, came back, dressed, had breakfast, then went to our company lines and spent all our time avoiding the Commanding Officer. Those Commanding Officers were nasty chaps. They did not give a damn for anybody. I will give an example of my Commanding Officer. I was made quartermaster of my battalion. The Commanding Officer sent for the Adjutant and myself. He said, I want to take the battalion out tomorrow morning for an exercise. So, I as quartermaster indented for a company of mules. He said we were going to leave for the exercise at 6:30, so I ordered the company of mules to arrive at six. At eleven o’clock at night, the commanding officer changed his mind. He said, “I will not go at 6:30, we will go at nine o’clock”. There was nothing I could do, so come morning I got on my bicycle, went off to the lines, where the mules had arrived. I told them to unsaddle, and go into the shade, when who should arrive on a horse but the General Officer with his daughter! I touched my hat. He said, “What are those animals doing here, young man?” I said that we were going out on an exercise. “When are you going?” “Nine o’clock.” He tore strips off me: “Going at nine o’clock, and you have the animals waiting here at six o’clock!” He was riding with his daughter on a horse. What could I say to a General officer: I had two pips on my shoulder. Suddenly, who should be coming on a bicycle, but the Commanding Officer! He touched his hat, said, “Morning, General.” Turning to me, he said, “What is the matter, Sam?” I said, “Sir, the General is angry with me because we are going out at nine o’clock and the mules are here at six.” He turned round to face the General, and said, “I will thank you, General, to know who commands this regiment. Me, and not this young man. I will not have you ticking him off in front of your daughter.” He turned back to me and said, “Have you had your breakfast, Sam?” “No.” “Go along. Have your breakfast.” I was delighted to go off. But when we came back from the exercise, at about eight o’clock in the evening, in my letter rack, was a letter from the General’s wife, inviting me to tea the next day. Now, I did not want to have tea with the General’s wife! But that’s the sort of thing that happens.” When I became a Field Marshal, I was the guest of Her Majesty in England. I had given a reception at India House, where the same Commanding Officer with his wife were also invited. He came in, shook hands with my wife, shook hands with me, and walked off. After about half an hour, when everybody had arrived, I walked up to him with a glass of whisky in my hand. He turned to me, “May I call you Sam?” “Please do, Sir. You used to call me ‘bloody fool’ before, and I thought that that was my Christian name.”
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TWO "MAGNIFICENT STANDARDS"

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^*~*~*~*~* April 28, 2024 TWO "MAGNIFICENT STANDARDS" All A.A. progress can be reckoned in terms of just two words: humility and responsibility. Our whole spiritual development can be accurately measured by our degree of adherence to these magnificent standards. AS BILL SEES IT, p. 271 To acknowledge and respect the views, accomplishments and prerogatives of others and to accept being wrong shows me the way of humility. To practice the principles of A.A. in all my affairs guides me to be responsible. Honoring these precepts gives credence to Tradition Four– and to all other Traditions of the Fellowship. Alcoholics Anonymous has evolved a philosophy of life full of valid motivations, rich in highly relevant principles and ethical values, a view of life which can be extended beyond the confines of the alcoholic population. To honor these precepts, I need only to pray, and care for my fellow man as if each one was my brother. *************************************************** Self-Respect through Sacrifice At the beginning we sacrificed alcohol. We had to, or it would have killed us. But we couldn't get rid of alcohol unless we made other sacrifices. We had to toss self-justification, self-pity, and anger right out the window. We had to quit the crazy contest for personal prestige and big bank balances. We had to take personal responsibility for our sorry state and quit blaming others for it. Were these sacrifices? Yes, they were. To gain enough humility and self-respect to stay alive at all, we had to give up what had really been our dearest possessions – our ambition and our illegitimate pride. A.A. COMES OF AGE, P. 287 **************************************************** Crying only a little bit is no use. You must cry until your pillow is soaked. Then you can get up and laugh . . . —Galway Kinnell Many of us were raised to deny our feelings; that is, we might have been allowed to describe them politely, but we were not allowed to express feelings on the spot by wailing, jumping for joy, or dancing. This is often considered rude. In a proper home, we often hear, if people have feelings, they have them quietly. But many of us have suffered living this way. We need a full and thorough expression of a feeling in order to know it, experience it, and move beyond it. This is the way we let go of sadness, for instance. Feelings come and go. If we are not afraid to let them have their moment, we will not be afraid to express them. What am I feeling right now? ***** When you are conscious you cannot judge, and to not judge is to express forgiveness. Then, you have forestalled the infectious nature of hate. Allow awareness to dissolve those forces in the light of consciousness within. Danny Schwarzhoff **************************************************** "The greatest enemies of us alcoholics are resentment, jealousy, envy, frustration, and fear." “Alcoholics Anonymous” Every so often we might come across certain good-natured people, who recognize how harmful resentment, anger, these negative emotions are. Often, these are spiritually egoistic folks. You may encounter them in a variety of settings like self-help groups, group therapy, Twelve Step fellowships, Bible classes and churches. Yet despite the profound acknowledgment that something is wrong, they somehow remain enslaved to a malevolent energy. They intuitively sense that negative emotions aren’t proper for humans. But rather than allowing God to save them from it, they remain caught up in a struggle to manage the conflict within themselves. It’s a heck of a rut in which they find themselves. These aren’t evil people. They are simply folks who struggle because they don’t know that resentment doesn’t stem from spiritual illness. No one explained to them how it’s the other way around. They don’t realize that spiritual illness is the result of resentment. You must not be angry or judgmental with these people. Seeing the wrong in others does no good if you’re still wrong yourself. In the longer run, self-righteousness will allow you to become sick and even more corrupt than those you condemn as the exchange of justified negative energies dominates. If you’ve been one of these people yourself, it’s crucial you not become upset by this description. Solve the problem you have with resentment. First, get free from anger. Then become instantly well. This isn’t hyperbole. I mean right then, in that moment. Unless we get free from anger, we won’t ever have a life worth much. Perhaps this is your time, right now, to overcome the alcoholic's greatest enemy. “Alcoholics Anonymous”, 4th edition, Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, 145:3 ************************************************ Letting go of the Need to Control The rewards from detachment are great: serenity; a deep sense of peace; the ability to give and receive love in self-enhancing, energizing ways, and the freedom to find real solutions to our problems. Letting go of our need to control can set others and us free. It can set our Higher Power free to send the best to us. If we weren't trying to control someone or something, what would we be doing differently? What would we do that we're not letting ourselves do now? Where would we go? What would we say? What decisions would we make? What would we ask for? What boundaries would be set? When would we say no or yes? If we weren't trying to control whether a person liked us or his or her reaction to us, what would we do differently? If we weren't trying to control the course of a relationship, what would we do differently? If we weren't trying to control another person's behavior, how would we think, feel, speak, and behave differently than we do now? What haven't we been letting ourselves do while hoping that self-denial would influence a particular situation or person? Are there some things we've been doing that we'd stop? How would we treat ourselves differently? Would we let ourselves enjoy life more and feel better right now? Would we stop feeling so bad? Would we treat ourselves better? If we weren't trying to control, what would we do differently? Make a list, and then do it. Today, I will ask myself what I would be doing differently if I weren't trying to control. When I hear the answer, I will do it. God, help me let go of my need to control. Help me set others and myself free.
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