Why is Lord Vishnu called Mahavishnu?

Why is Lord Vishnu called Mahavishnu? Maha Vishnu is usually referred to his multiversal form when he breathes and creates infinite universes in vaikunta : As a garbhavishnu expansion he enters each universe he created as Brahma Life of Brahma is equal to one inhalation of Vishnu's breath . Universes gets created and destroyed by Vishnu's exhaling and inhaling of the universes . Mahabharata describes it that existence and non existence are a part of Vishnu consciousness : “He is Iswara (Supreme Lord). It is from me, that the entire mobile and immobile universe springs. It is from me, O Narada, that the indestructible and destructible, the existent and the non-existent, flow. They that are devoted to me enter into me and become emancipate. I am known as Purusha.” Krishna /Rama are no different than Mahavishnu

*Biodialogue*:

*Biodialogue*: It actually happens, amongst the vital organs of the human body !!! Unless you just ran a marathon or climbed Mount Everest, there is simply no way that the body can successfully handle the junk food we gobble - the samosa, bread pakoda, doughnut etc that we munch in the canteen. The vast majority of all this is sugar, fats and refined starch. When this flood of glucose hits the bloodstream, alarms go off in the liver and pancreas. At the genome level a metabolic "switchboard" lights up. The *biodialogue* goes like this: *Liver to pancreas* : Glucose levels are skyrocketing! What’s your plan? *Pancreas* : I’m exhausted from handling the aloo paratha from breakfast. And that super sweet milky masala chai and egg at 9:00. You’ve got to take this load. *Liver* : I’ve got no room. [hits panic button. Sirens going off] *Genome* : Come on liver, convert the glucose to glycogen. *Liver* : I’m bursting with glycogen. Let me call the muscles. See if they need any energy. *Muscles* : zzzzzzz wha? Energy? No we have no need for energy. We haven’t moved much in weeks. *Genome* : Well, Liver. What’s your plan? *Liver* : I’ll convert the glucose to triglycerides and stash it in the bloodstream. *Bloodstream* : No howlin way! Blood is so thick already, circulation through capillary beds is down to critical levels. We’ve got billions of starving and suffocating cells in the toes, eyes, brain and kidneys. *Genome* : That can only mean one thing, Liver, you know what to do. *Liver* : Okay! It’ll take a few hours, but I can send these triglycerides to adipose tissue. Let me see …. belly, butt, thighs … back of the arms, a little under the chin. That’ll have to do. And that's how *Our Clothes do not Fit now!!!* As we see some such food, first it starts with an argument between the tongue and brain. *Brain* says " don't touch it, you already have enough of it in your system, instead take fresh fruits and vegetables". *Tongue* " I: Cannot resist the temptation, please keep quiet" 😅

A beautiful story - all of us have the power to be the light.

A beautiful story - all of us have the power to be the light. 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 as they did this, some teared up but everyone did it. The driver repeated the same lovely ritual at the next stop, too. And the next. All the way to the river. We live in a hard world. We can sometimes become an 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.

Vidhya Subrahmanyam: Mr Rahul Gandhi ji,

Very nicely drafted letter by veteran ex-service lady to Mr. Rahul Gandhi (Leader of Opposition). Pl read and circulate. Vidhya Subrahmanyam: Mr Rahul Gandhi ji, Heartiest Congratulations on assuming the post of Leader of the Opposition in Parliament (LOP). This is your 1st Govt job at the age of 54. At your age I superannuated from the Army. My 1st job I was on an Out Post at 15,500 ft height, where the borders between India, China and Bhutan meets (Trijunction). You were lucky to be born in a family, where you could apply and directly get post of an MP. I am a nonpolitical Veteran and therefore my views are that of a grass root common man with expectations, for a better future of Bharat. The people of India voted and gave your Party 99 seats. Was it not the democratic process which almost doubled your party’s seat share and made you eligible for the post of LOP? Then why do you feel that the democracy has been compromised and need to be saved? Does Democracy to you mean only for interest of your Party and Family? Please do not insult the verdict of the people of India. The country has voted for Modiji and he has been chosen as the Leader by the NDA and thus took oath of office as full-fledged PM. Do you actually feel that the Constitution of India is in danger, from its own people? Do you really believe that the Constitution of India should be always in your pocket, like the pocket version you keep displaying? Perhaps that thought prompted you on 28 September 2013, to tear off the Ordinance of your own Govt? I don’t have to reiterate how the Constitution has been treated, amended and manipulated time and again by the Congress. I happened to read a ‘Thought for the Day’ outside a Church in Delhi, which said, “We worry about things which are not there”. How true. Assumed fears and Modi phobia seems to be driving the Opposition, not your leadership. After your 3rd attempt at the chair of the PM, you could at least come second and get the rank of LOP. During the recent Parliamentary session, one expected fireworks in the form of intellectual debate from you. After all it was your debut to be remembered for posterity as a Parliamentarian and a leader of the entire Opposition. Alas, it was not to be. Did you assume LOP to be the ‘Leader of Protest’? It was deplorable to see your leadership was nothing more than that of a mob leader who has neither authority nor responsibility. Is this the outcome of your 54 years in a political family which has given the country three Prime Ministers? Or was it your experience of 20 years as MP in the Parliament? Your concern and that of your party for the Armed Forces, does not sound authentic and genuine. It was PM Pandit Nehru who sent the Army to fight the Chinese in 1962 with no ammunition and no winter clothing. It was PM Smt Indira Gandhi who reduced the pension of soldiers in 1973. It was she again who repeatedly humiliated FM Sam Manekshaw. He deserved the Bharat Ratna for the 1971 victory, but was even denied a dignified farewell. It was your father Shri Rajiv Gandhi who sent soldiers into Sri Lanka, without any intelligence back up. It was the Congress, under stewardship of your mother Smt Sonia Gandhi, who denied OROP to the soldiers. You yourself have always tried to humiliate the Armed Forces by questioning their death-defying acts of valour and loyalty. Will the Armed Forces ever salute you with respect and pride, even if you ever become the PM? As a man born in the most revered political family of India, with so much experience and now as LOP, it was expected of you to bring-in the much-desired level in parliamentary discussions and debate. With your first speech as LOP, you missed the opportunity and lost the debate. Your refusal to listen to the PM and instigating the Opposition MPs to go into the Well of the House and create ruckus was not what we expected of you. You have the audacity to term all Hindus as violent but not the moral courage to stand by your own words. False promises, lies and rhetoric can take you this far but not beyond. Your role as LOP must be constructive, for the Nation. An LOP in the System is for ‘Checks & Balances’ and not in the literal sense opposing every move of the Govt. Remember, you can enhance your rank, but no amount of rank can enhance you as a man. Being a Prime Minister is not in your hands but being a good man and a good statesman you can be. The elections are over, now please let the democratically elected Govt function. *Open letter by a veteran*

What roles do imaginary games have in story-telling?

What roles do imaginary games have in story-telling? Why do fiction authors outline the rules of a game that the audience will never play? Combining perspectives from philosophy, literary theory and game studies, this book provides the first in-depth investigation into the significance of fictional games within fictional worlds. Drawing from contemporary cinema and literature, from The Hunger Games to the science fiction of Iain M. Banks, Stefano Gualeni and Riccardo Fassone introduce five key functions that different types of imaginary games have in worldbuilding. First, fictional games can emphasize the dominant values and ideologies of the fictional society they belong to. Second, some imaginary games function in fictional worlds as critical, utopian tools, inspiring shifts in the thinking and political orientation of the fictional characters. Third, a few fictional games are conducive to the transcendence of a particular form of being, such as the overcoming of human corporeality. Fourth, imaginary games within works of fiction can deceptively blur the boundaries between the contingency of play and the irrevocable seriousness of “real life”, either camouflaging life as a game or disguising a game as something with more permanent consequences. And fifth, they can function as meta-reflexive tools, suggesting critical and/or satirical perspectives on how actual games are designed, played, sold, manipulated, experienced, understood and utilized as part of our culture. With illustrations in every chapter bringing the imaginary games to life, Gualeni and Fassone creatively inspire us to consider fictional games anew: not as moments of playful reprieve in a storyline, but as significant and multi-layered expressive devices.

Curious Minds Engineer A Change

https://www.dailypioneer.com/2024/columnists/curious-minds-engineer-change.html

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Your body is like a hard shell. And your mind, the inner self is like water. You are like water inside. Nature of water is cooling and flowing. But when the innermost, which is like water, is burning with jealousy, anger, frustration and all the fires you put inside, then the water boils and its cooling nature disappears. Then how does one cool the water? Just imagine a pot and underneath are all these burning sticks. To cool the water you have to remove these sticks. All emotions are linked with people, objects and events. Catching on to objects, people or relationships hinders freedom, liberation. You are hankering for some greater joy that is not there, not going to be there. I will have greater joy if I have a better companion or if I have lot of money or if I have lot of freedom. Money gives you a hallucination that you have better freedom. Your mind tells you that with more money one could have more freedom; could travel anywhere; do whatever you wanted; these illusory ideas come into the mind. And when this idea comes in the mind, it binds you. When you feel bound, you feel very stiff and there is no freedom. The moment you become soft and non-resisting inside, the stiffness drops, the feeling of being bound leaves you and everything else including wealth, comfort and prosperity follow. So, remove all this firewood and the water will become cooler. Because “cool” is the nature of water. When all these other negative stresses, burning sticks are removed, water will possess all its natural qualities — humility and naturalness — just like the nature of water which flows down. Don’t ever think deep inside you is any negativity, sorrow, anger or jealousy. In the Bhagavad Gita Lord Krishna talks about all the good qualities. And then He adds that they are already in you. Just like in an atom, the core is positive and the negativity is peripheral. Your nature is calmness and coolness. If it wasn’t your nature, you would never feel at home in it!