Thursday 30 August 2007

Sharpen your axe

Karan and Arjun were woodcutters working in a forest. Both were under a contract in which they were paid a lump sum amount for the period of 1 year for felling trees.

During the time of contract renewal, Arjun was paid an increment of 12% as his fees and Karan was given an increment of only 5%.

Karan went to the boss and questioned this.

The boss replied, "I agree. In the initial days, both of you used to fell 3-4 trees a day. Slowly you could fell only 2 trees and Arjun still continues to fell 3-4 trees."

Karan was furious and went out. He went with vigor and started felling trees however; he could not fell more than 2. He was surprised. How is that I cannot fell more than 2 while Arjun does.

In fact he even takes breaks during the day while I do not. He went to Arjun and asked the reason.

Arjun replied, "Yes. I do take breaks but during the breaks, I used to sharpen my axe! That’s why I could still fell 3-4 trees. When was the last time you sharpened your axe?"

Moral: Keep sharpening your axe (tool of earning). We stop studying after schools but our education starts only after employment. The man who stops learning stops progressing.

What is experience?

Once a successful Business tycoon was answering a press-conference on his success.

One of the young journalists asked enthusiastically, "Sir, what is the secret of your success?"

The businessman replied, "I took right decisions on right time"

The journalist not satisfied with the answer asked, "How is that you took right decisions at right time?"

The business man answered, "This comes by experience!"

The journalist not to be outdone asked, "how did you gain that?"

The businessman replied, "By taking wrong decisions at wrong time!"

Making mistakes is common. One who learns from the mistakes (not to repeat them) become successful. Learning is Experience!

Everyone is significant!

It was the final year in an MBA school and the professor gave the students a pop quiz. All of the students were conscientious and had breezed through the questions, until they read the last one: "What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?"

Surely this was some kind of joke. All of the students had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50s, but how would they knew her name? Almost all of the students handed in their paper, leaving the last question blank.

Just before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our quiz grade.

"Absolutely," said the professor. "In your careers, you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say hello'. Respect each and every individual"

This is an important lesson for those who aspire to be on the top post of an organization!

The one you feed

One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people.

He said, "My son, the battle is between two "wolves" inside us all.. One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego".

"The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith."

The grand son thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather: "Which wolf wins?"

The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."

20 Golden Rules for any Office

Rule 1: The Boss is always right.

Rule 2: If the Boss is wrong, see rule 1.

Rule 3: Those who work get more work. Others get pay, perks & promotions.

Rule 4: Ph.D stands for “Pull him down”. The more intelligent a person, the more hardworking a person, the more committed a person; the more number of persons engaged in pulling that person down.

Rule 5: If you are good, you will get all the work. If you are really good, you will get out of it.

Rule 6: When the Bosses talk about improving productivity, they are never talking about themselves.

Rule 7: It doesn’t matter what you do, it only matters what you say you’ve done and what you are going to do.

Rule 8: A pat on the back is only few centimeters from the kick in the butt.

Rule 9: Don’t be irreplaceable. If you can’t be replaced, you can’t be promoted.

Rule 10: The more crap you put up with, the more crap you are going to get.

Rule 11: If at first you don’t succeed, try again. Then quit. No use being a damn fool about it.

Rule 12: When you don’t know what to do, walk fast and look worried.

Rule 13: Following the rules will not get the job done.

Rule 14: If it weren’t for the last minute, nothing would get done.

Rule 15: Everything can be filed under “Miscellaneous”.

Rule 16: No matter how much you do, you never do enough.

Rule 17: You can do any amount of work provided it isn’t the work you are supposed to be doing.

Rule 18: In order to get a promotion, you need not necessarily know your job.

Rule 19: In order to get a promotion, you only need to pretend that you know your job.

Rule 20: The last person that quit or was fired will be held responsible for everything that goes wrong.

Story of an Ant & a Grasshopper..

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.

We all are aware of this old Story and the moral of "Think in advance and plan your life"

Now goes the modern 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, Star News, Aajtak, Tej, Headlines, 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.

Amnesty International and Koffi Annan criticizes the Indian Government for not upholding the fundamental rights of the Grasshopper.

The Internet is flooded with online petitions seeking support to the Grasshopper (many promising Heaven and Everlasting Peace for prompt support as against the wrath of God for non-compliance).

Indian Television channels conduct SMS survey on who is right and Ant wins with huge margin.

Opposition MPs stage a walkout. Left parties call for Bharat Bandh in West Bengal wuth Kerala demanding a Judicial Enquiry.

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.

Laloo Prasad 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' or POTAGA, with effect from the beginning of the winter.

Arjun Singh sets up Special Reservation for Grasshoppers in Educational Institutions & Government Services.

The Ant is fined for failing to comply with POTAGA and having nothing left to pay his retroactive taxes, has his home confiscated by the Government and handed over to the Grasshopper in a ceremony covered by TV News Channels and the media.

Arundhati Roy calls it A Triumph of Justice.

Lalu calls it Socialistic Justice .

CPM calls it the Revolutionary Resurgence of the Downtrodden.

Koffi Annan invites the Grasshopper to address the UN General Assembly .

Many years later...

The Ant has since migrated to the US and set up a multibillion dollar company in Silicon Valley .

Hundreds of Grasshoppers still die of starvation despite reservation somewhere in India ..

As a result of losing lot of hard working Ants and feeding the Grasshoppers, India is still a developing country!

This is not a story just to read and laugh. Please ponder over this. We all are, one of the reasons for this status to be present here. We simply read, laugh or comment and simply do not bother about this. We have a tool with us but we are not ready to use. We are not ready to spend even a single day in protest of what we feel is not right. Then, how can we change this? Please think about it !!!!

Wednesday 29 August 2007

Tribute to Indian Soldiers

December 13th. Five years ago on this same date, India was shook by the news and the so-called leaders of the country were trembling in fear that they skipped their beats, sleeps for a week's time.

I hope all of you would have got the idea on which this blog is being discussed. There was an attempted attack on the Parliament House of India that was thwarted by genuine soldiers of India who gave their lives and saved the so-called leaders of the country who were inside.

After 5 years, if one has to say that politicians have done something in this regard, then it must be - "Cook politics". This is what precisely is being done. All the soldiers were given posthumus awards. Leader after leader shed their tears, eloborated in eloquence about the sacrifice made by the soldiers, sang hymns and went by. THat's it! We can expect only these and not more than these from them.

Today, the Government is more concerned about the culprit who was sentenced to death by the Supreme Court of India. Government feels otherwise. They do not want to punish the culprit. These politicians have forgotten that if the soldiers, like these politicians, had given importance to their lives and not to their duty, what would have happened? Would these politicians be alive today?

Another shameful act is now they want to confuse the case by stating that there were 6 terrorists and only 5 were killed. What happened to the sixth one? If the Govt is so keen, let it find the 6th one instead of mudslinging!

They bring shame to the soldiers' efforts by recommending that the Death sentence be withdrawn. It is sheer politics and the Government thinks that by doing so, they can gain the goodwill of Muslims whose vote bank is critical in winning the elections.

The bereaved families have returned the medals to the President this morning and this is a slap on the face of the Government. The Government should put down their heads on shame.

Tributes were paid to all soldiers spending lakhs of money, conducting a cermony, etc., If the Govt wants to pay genuine tribute to these soldiers, let it not intervene in the death sentence of the culprit.

Meditation my way

Spiritual quotient is the buzz word of the modern day management.


No doubt Indian gurus mint money all over the world spreading the spiritual management to the corporates and also doing yeomen service.


Yoga, Pranayama, Meditation and list goes on and on. Newspapers, magazines, websites invariably all of them carry pages of reports on teh benefits of these to common people. More so, the bigger corporates insists on practicing this and are getting benefited in this.


"why dont you try it! its amazing!" my pal shared. I never dared to ask him whether had he tried it or not for what would he think about me! Perhpas this may be worth trying and i am a novice who is unaware of what meditation is let alone its benefits.


I have seen my boss used to go on a meditation spree after his lunch for 30 minutes in his cabin and we are not supposed to disturb him. My neighbor also persuaded me to join him in meditation. till then i never knew that meditation could be done in a joint venture.


Influenced by various temptations, i decided to give it a try. i started gathering books, cds on meditation. I wanted to try it myself initially before paying some one else. The fees were exhorbitant is another reason.


One fine sunday afternoon after a delicious dinner i spread the mat on the hall. My wife instructed me to use the Vaccum cleaner on which a spider had spun a web (while this was supposed to be remover of cob-webs). i said not now. some time later. i wanna meditate so dont disturb.


My wife was perplexed. "what meditation and you? how can you do that without proper guidance! its not as easy as you think. now shelf this idea and start using this vaccum cleaner!"

I thought she is more worreid about her house-hold chores and not allowing me to do meditation.


I ignored her advice and proceeded further. I sat in padmasana. (what a tough posture) as i could not sit in that position for no longer than a minute, i simply sat with my legs crossed. I closed my eyes and started to focus on the blank screen that i imagined.


I was distrubed by my son who was playing his key-board. I gave him exemption for that day and asked him to go and play. I started my exercise again. I tried to focus the blank screen. Now i drew an imaginary blot on the screen and tried to focus it. now i felt as if i am slowly entering meditation.


I did not know how long i meditated till then my wife shook me and said, "what happened to you! since when you started sleeping in afternoons that too in sitting posture?"

No need to mention that was the last day i tried meditating.

Returns to Dad

This is not my workpiece but worth a reading.

When you were 8 years old,
your dad handed you an ice cream.
You thanked him by dripping it all over your lap.

When you were 10 years old,
he paid for music lessons.
You thanked him by never even bothering to practice.

When you were 13,
he suggested a haircut that was becoming.
You thanked him by telling him he had no taste.

When you were 15 years old,
he warned you not to watch certain TV shows.
You thanked him by waiting until he left the house.

When you were 17,
he taught you how to drive his car.
You thanked him by taking it every chance you could.

When you were 18,
he was expecting an important call.
You thanked him by being on the phone all night.

When you were 19,
he paid for your college tuition, drove you to campus, carried your bags.
You thanked him by saying good-bye outside the dorm
so you wouldn't be embarrassed in front of your friends.

When you were 50,
he fell ill and needed you to take care of him.
You thanked him by reading about the burden parents become to their children.
And then, one day, he quietly died.

And everything you never did came crashing down like thunder on YOUR HEART.

Child Labor

It is one of the biggest issues faced by the entire world; Much is discussed about this topic. Invariably all magazines, NGOs, news channels devote some time or pages to cover this subject. I really used to wonder many a times that whether eradicating child labor is possible in India?

How far this could be achieved? Would this really do good or harm to the Indian Economy? i am not an expert to give comments on these but i can submit my views (my frank opinion and it may differ from person to person)

All these institutions suggest one thing that provide them primary education. I do agree that they have their own right to be educated. I just can’t imagine the amount of the problems faced by families under the poverty line. Are the parents not interested in getting their kids educated? then why they have to depute their kids to earn money by doing some job or other.

While we talk all rosy pictures, we fail to see the reality of those people who suffer from the poverty. Can any one assure that whoever studies would get a job in india? What is the surity that if this kid, if made study, would excel in study (or even pass the SSC) so as to make a decent earning? Is our education system so good (it is another subject that needs to be debated at length)

Even if i consider that this kid would one day make it big, who will bear the expenses for his study and other necessary things of life when the parents badly needed the money earned by them (even if this is too little).

I am not against these kids studying but would like to see the other side of the story. Let us imagine another scene. All these working kids are adapted by an NGO who made them pass SSC. These kids started working. In India, there are no child labor. Now that these kids have passed SSC, the competition is heating up and they naturally expect more perks.

Then a hotelier had to shell out double the amount what he pays to clean a table or to supply water; we may have to spend double the amount for the crackers we buy today, same is the story with our inner garments!

I would like to share another story from an NGO. An NGO gathered all the beggars (of course kids) from a city and brought them to a vocational training school. These kids were paid for the job they did. Surprisingly, after a month (once the euphoria receded) all the kids escaped from the place.

When they were contacted they replied, "we were earning around Rs 250/- a day on an average and during festive seasons, we used to earn even Rs 500 /- day whereas here after a months toiling, we are paid only Rs 750/- Why should i work here when i get ten times more outside without studying?"

I knew a kid worked in the auto-mechanic shop opposite to my house. Now he owns 3 such garage repairing cars. Even had done an automobile engineering, he would not be earning so much!

I do agree, the kids have to get educated but teach them in the evenings, allow them to work because they are winning the bread for their family. There are lots of families who rely on such kids working elsewhere! If you are keen on making these kids educated do it without spoiling their earnings.

I would like to recall Gandhijis words, "In India we have three million people who have to be satisfied with one meal a day. We have no right to anything we have until these three million are fed better. You and I, who ought to know better, must adjust our wants, and even undergo voluntary starvation in order that they may be nursed, fed and clothed.”

I am against starving. let us not starve but we can always pool in our wealth as to make these study without spoiling their earnings. One has to find an innovative way to do so. There are organizations doing such yeomen service to the society. Let us help them but please do not talk of stopping child labor. 'Coz this feeds many a families here.

Hang My Dad!

It is not an exaggerated statement if someone said that the Indian News channels provide more masala than these soaps. It has got every ingredient of an typical Indian film in its coverage and many a times they even better Indian masalas.


As usual that evening I was surfing the Indian news channels and stopped (rather shocked to stop) at one channel that ran a documentary(?) titled "mere papa to fansi do"


The news was pathetic one that the father sexually absued his own daughter (that too in front of her mother) and also had sexual relations with other girls in front of his daughter and wife. What a pervert he could have been? This news does not worth a coverage of 30 minutes. But these news channels kept on showing the photographs of the father with other girls and interviewed the daughter.


The small girl unknowing of what some people (in the name of the news) are making money and fun out their story, kept on telling what she was taught. I am not saying what the father did was right but this news did not need such a type of coverage. The father could have been punished silently.


Though i switched the channel immeidately, my 8 year old kid started questioning me. "why the girl was crying? Why she wanted her dad to be killed?" what was those photographs etc?" I had no convincing answers to him as he might not understand what was the truth. However, i convinced him giving some excuses.


This reminded me of one thing. When i was young, my dad used to scold me for watching "Oliyum Oliyum" (song and dance sequences from Tamil films) and not watching news. he used to tell me, "By watching news, ones IQ grows and GK improves. Even your English would improve. Whats the point in watching these hip gyrating numbers..."


But now i would prefer my son watching those filmi numbers than the news channels as they are more explicit than these hip gyrating numbers. In the name of sensation, news channels always go overboard!

10 Qualities for a Manager

 One who considers the Company expectations to be the base from which to build, rather than the ceiling to reach

 One who can maintain high operational standards through proper recruitment, team building, training, and delegation and follow up, and who is continuously trying to find a balance between control and growth.

 One who takes seriously Local Store Marketing and works hard to make time to get out into the community and get involved, rather than finding reasons why he/she doesn't have the time.

 One who develops a safe and friendly work environment by proper training and open, two-way communication.
One who challenges himself/herself and others to think outside the box when it comes to Customer service, Customer recovery, Local Store Marketing, etc.

 One who understands the difference between working hard and working smart, and who is open to new ways of doing things.

 One who can handle higher sales volume and still manage to take care of his/her administrative responsibilities.

 One who leads by example, communicates high expectations and standards to his/her team, and holds the team accountable for meeting those standards and expectations.

 One who takes a personal interest in the growth of his/her assistants, regardless of where or with whom the assistant began his/her training.

 One who works well with the rest of the management team and contributes his/her part while earning the respect of their peers.

Sunday 26 August 2007

Fun again with Engineers and Doctors

7 Engineers and 7 Doctors are going from PUNE to Mumbai. So they bothgather at Pune Station. Both groups are desperately trying to prove theirsuperiority.

SCENE 1 (PUNE- MUMBAI) :---------------------------------------
7 engineers take only 1 Ticket and 7 doctors buy all 7 tickets..Doctors are desperately waiting for TC to come......When TC arrives, All 7 Engineers get in one toilet SO when TC knocks , onehand come out with the ticket and the TC goes away....Doctors say "Dekhlenge"
NOW on return Journey All of them don't get a direct train to PUNE. So theyall decide to take a Passenger till Lonavala, from there they can easilyget a LOCAL to PUNE

SCENE 2 (MUMBAI - LONAVALA) :---------------------------------------------
Doctors decided, "this time we will prove that we too are equallySHAANE"....All 7 Doctors take 1 Ticket Engineers don't buy any ticket atall!!!!!..TC arrives.... ALL DOCTORS IN ONE TOILET.ALL ENGINEERS IN THEOPPOSITE ONE..

One engineer gets out and knocks the door of Doctors toilet, One handcomes with the tickets, he takes the ticket and comes in engg Bathroom...

TC DRIVES out ALL the doctors from the toilet and they are heavilyfined........ tai tai fissssssss..

SCENE 3 ( LONAVALA) :-----------------------------------------
SO now both the group r on LONAVALA station. Doctors planning their movefor last chance, they board the local to Pune.This time doctors decide that they will play the same (1 ticket) trick.

ALL Doctors take 1 tickets...Engineers BUY all 7 tickets this time... SOTC Comes.. All Engineers showed their tickets..... Doctors are stillsearching for toilet in the LOCAL train...........

Conclusion: WE technically intelligent ppl r geniuses, don't mess with us.

sher aur shayari

Arz kiya hai :
Woh jab chalti hai to raahon main 100-100 ke note bichhaa deta hoon
Woh jab chalti hai to raahon main 100-100 ke note bichhaa deta hoon
Uske jaane ke baad woh sab note utha leta hoon.. (wah,wah,wah, wah....... taaliyon ki gad-gadahat)

Jab tumne thaam lee hai mere jeevan ki dor,
Jab tumne thaam lee hai mere jeevan ki dor,
Yeh dil maange more..Yeh dil maange more.. (wah,wah,wah, wah....... taaliyon ki gad-gadahat)

Pyar mein kitne ghar doob gaye yaaron..
Pyar mein kitne ghar doob gaye yaaron..
Pyar mein pandrah-bees ghar doob gaye yaaron.. (wah,wah,wah, wah....... taaliyon ki gad-gadahat)

Tumko dekha to yeh khayaal aaya
Tumko dekha to yeh khayaal aaya
Ke kal raat maine itna kyon khaya? (wah,wah,wah, wah....... taaliyon ki gad-gadahat)

WOH SADAK KE IS PAAR THI,
HUM SADAK KE US PAR THE;
KUCH HUM AAGE BADHE, KUCH WOH AAGE BADHI;
HUM KUCH AUR AAGE BADHE, WOH BHI KUCH AUR AAGE BADHI;
HUM KUCH AUR AAGE BADHE, WOH BHI KUCH AUR AAGE BADHI;
AB HUM SADAK KE US PAR THE, AUR WOH SADAK KE IS PAR THI.

Aapne mere man se khela,
aapne mere tan se khela,
aapne mere dhan se khela
aapne mere tan, man, dhan se khela...
well played! well played! well played!!

Pyar ke sitaare jab gardish mein hote hai,
Laila ghar mein aur majnoo jail mein hote hai.

Mein tere pyar mein kitna pita chhaliye,
Mein tere pyar mein kitna pita chhaliye,
iodex maliye kaam pe chaliye,

Tum har raat mere khwabon mein aao,
Tum har raat mujhe yuunhi satao,
Melody khao khud jaan jao........

Door se dekha to kuchh dikha nahi,
Door se dekha to kuchh dikha nahi,
Paas jake dekha to kuchh tha hi nahi.

Dharti so rahi hai, Aasman so raha hai;
Dharti so rahi hai, Aasman so raha hai;
Nonsense! yeh sab kya ho raha hai?

Main hu yahan, tu hai wahan
Main hu yahan, tu hai wahan
Lifebouy hai jahan, tandurusti hai wahan

before marrige takdir hai magar kismat nahi khulti,
tajmahal banana chahata hoon,
lekin mumtaz nahi milti.
after marriage takdir hai magar kismat nahi khulti,
tajmahal banana chahata hoon,
lekin mumtaz nahi marti.

Aaj aasmaan mein taare aise chamak rahe hain,
Aaj aasmaan mein taare aise chamak rahe hain;
JAISE KAL CHAMAK RAHE THE !!!

kabhi kabhi mere dil mein khayal aata hai,
kabhi kabhi mere dil mein khayal aata hai,
ke kyon kabhi kabhi mere dil mein khayal aata hai??

Maine tumse pyar kiya, tere baap ne muzhe pita;
Maine tumse pyar kiya, tere baap ne muzhe pita;
Tan ki shakti, manki shakti, Bournvita.

Tum aa gaye ho, noor aa gaya hai;
chalo teeno movie chalen.

Khud ko kar buland itnaa Ke,
Himaalay ki choti pe jaa pahunche Aur khuda tumse puche,
Abe sale gadhe. ab utrega kaise?

Jise dil diya woh dilli chali gayi,
jise pyar kiya woh italy chali gayi;
dil ne kaha khud-kushi(suicide) kar le jalim,
bijali ko haath lagaya to bijali chali gayi.

Humne bhi pyar kiya tha jindgi main, badi joshh ke sath;
Humne bhi pyar kiya tha jindgi main, badi shhor ke sath;
Aab hum pyar karenge badi soch ke sath,
Kyon ki usey kal shamko dekha kisi aur ke sath.

kaaash ke tere chehre par Chickenpox ke daag hote.
kaaash ke tere chehre par chickenpox ke daag hote.
chand to tu hai hi, sitaare bhee saaath hote...

Ladka bola

kash ein hasinao ke baap mar jate, bahana gam ka hota,
hum inke ghar to jaate. Ladki boli Bewkoof,
Yeh sochana bhi paap hoga, kisi din tu bhi kisi hasina ka baap hoga.

Irshaad.Irshaad
Ladki boli: Chandni chaand se hoti hai, sitaron se nahi,
Mohabbat ek se hoti hai, hazaaron se nahi.

Ladka bola: Chandni agar chaand se hogi to sitaron ka kya.hoga, Mohabbat agar ek se hogi to hazaron ka kya hoga.

Irshaad.Irshaad
Bewafa sanam se to cigrattee achi hai,
Bewafa sanam se to cigrattee achi hai,
Dil jalati hai, par hoto se to lagti hai

Ho gayi galti humse, Click ho gaya mouse
Duniya ki parwaah chhodo, ban jaao meri spouse!
***********************************
Tumse mila main kal to,
Mere dil mein hua ek sound,
Lekin aaj tum mili
To kehti ho: Your file not found!
**********************************
Aysa bhi nahin hai ke,
dont likeyour face
Par dil ke computer mein,
Nahin hai enough disk space

**********************************
Tum jabse meri zindagi,
mein aayi ho banke female,
Yaad raha na ab kuch, Na postman , Na e-Mail

Quotable Quotes

Only when a tree has fallen can you take the measure of it. It IS THE same with a man. -- Anne Morrow Lindbergh

It's discouraging to think how many people are shocked by honesty and how few by deceit. -- Noel Coward

What some people mistake for the high cost of living is really THE COST of living high. -- Doug Larson

No man was ever wise by chance. -- Seneca

Habit, if not resisted, soon becomes necessity. -- St. Augustine

He who praises everybody praises nobody. -- Samuel Johnson

One of the nice things about problems is that a good many of them DO not exist except in our imaginations. -- Steve Allen

Real courage is when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what. -- Harper Lee

Everywhere is walking distance if you have the time. -- Steven Wright

Happiness is a conscious choice, not an automatic response. -- Mildred Barthel

The food that enters the mind must be watched as closely as the food that enters the body. -- Patrick J. Buchanan

Just remember, when you're over the hill, you begin to pick up speed.-- Charles Schulz

Other things may change us, but we start and end with family. -- Anthony Brandt

Summer ends and autumn comes, and he who would have it otherwise would have high tide always and a full moon every night. -- Hal Borland

One man practicing sportsmanship is far better than 50 preaching it. Knute K. Rockne

Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect. -- Mark Twain

The safest road to hell is the gradual one the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts. -- C.S. Lewis

Look out how you use proud words. When you let proud words go, it is not easy to call them back. -- Carl Sandburg

Standing in the middle of the road is very dangerous; you get knocked down by the traffic from both sides. -- Margaret Thatcher

The chains of habit are generally too small to be felt until they are too strong to be broken. -- Samuel Johnson

It's not true that nice guys finish last. Nice guys are winners before the game even starts. -- Addison Walker

Question authority, but raise your hand first. -- Bob Thaves

It is awfully easy to be hard-boiled about everything in the daytime, but at night it is another thing. -- Ernest Hemingway

Always fall in with what you're asked to accept. Fall in with it and turn it your way. -- Robert Frost

Be careful of your thoughts; they may become words at any moment. -- Iara Gassen

The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings. -- Eric Hoffer

You're never too old to grow up. -- Shirley Conran

A country free enough to examine its own conscience is a land worth living in, a nation to be envied. -- Prince Charles

The pyramids will not last a moment compared with the daisy. -- D.H. Lawrence

All things are possible until they are proved impossible -- and even The impossible may only be so, as of now. -- Pearl S. Buck

The principal mark of genius is not perfection but originality, the opening of new frontiers. -- Arthur Koestler

Jokes Again -

A sardar sees lot of guys running on the highway. Asks a bystander as to why are the guys doing what they are doing.
The bystander: A Marathon race is going on
Sardar: What do they get from that?
Bystander: The winner will get a prize.
Sardar: Then why are the others running

A sardar and an American were walking outside when the American said
"Oh, look at the dead bird."
The sardar looked towards the sky and said "Where, where?"

Sardar: I was born in the Punjab.
Friend: Oh really, what part?
Sardar: All of me, silly.

Sukhbinder : Tell me five FEROCIOUS animals you can think of...
Yoginder: 3 Lions and 2 Tigers.

Q: How can you recognize a sardar in a submarine?
A: He is the one with the parachute on his back.

Santa Singh got up in the middle of the night to answer the telephone."Is this one one one one?", says the voice.
"No, this is eleven eleven."
"Are you sure it isn't one one one one?"
"No, this is eleven eleven."
"Well, wrong number. Sorry to have woken you up on the middle of the night."
"That's all right, mister. I had to get up to answer the telephone anyway."

A Sardarji goes to a hotel and eats heartily. After eating he goes to wash his hands but starts washing the basin instead.
The manager comes running and asks him, "Prahji, aap kya kar rahe ho?"
To this the man replies, "Oye,tumne hi to idhar board lagaya hai, 'Wash Basin'

Santa Singh with two red ears went to his doctor. The doctor asked him
What had happened to his ears and he answered, "I was ironing a shirt and the phone rang but instead of picking up the phone I accidentally picked up the iron and stuck it to my ear."
"Oh Dear!" the doctor exclaimed in disbelief.
"But...what happened to your other ear?"
"The scoundrel called back."

Santa and Banta are in a bar. Santa points out a girl and says, "you know! she is a lesbian!"
Banta walks upto her and says, "hi!, which part of lesbia you are from?"

Jokes - Some more lighter moments

The prime Minister of China called President Bush to console him after the attack on the Pentagon: “I’m sorry to hear about the attack. It is a very big tragedy. But in case you are missing any documents from the Pentagon, we have copies of everything."
=============================================

Vajpayee and Bush are sitting in a bar. A guy walks in and asks the barman, "Isn't that Bush and Vajpayee?"

The barman says "Yep, that's them." So the guy walks over and says, "Hello, what are you guys doing?"

Bush says "We're planning world war 3"

The guy says, "Really? What's going to happen?"

And Vajpayee says, "Well, we're going to kill 14 million Pakistanis and one bicycle repairman."

And the guy exclaimed, "A bicycle repairman?!!!"

Vajpayee turns to Bush and says, "See, I told you no-one would worry about the 14 million Pakistanis!"
============================================
Pakistani on the moon:
Q: What do you call 1 Pakistani on the moon?
A: Problem...
Q: What do you call 10 Pakistanis on the moon?
A: Problem...
Q: What do you call a 100 Pakistanis on the moon?
A: Problem...
Q: What do you call ALL the Pakistanis on the moon?
A: ...... Problem Solved!!!!!

=================================================================

A policeman was interrogating 3 SARDARS who were training to become detectives. To test their skills in recognizing a suspect, he shows the first SARDAR a picture for 5 seconds and then hides it.

"This is your suspect, how would you recognize him?"
The first SARDAR answers, "That's easy, we'll catch him fast because he only has one eye!"
The policeman says, "Well...uh...that's because the picture I showed is his side profile."

Slightly flustered by this ridiculous response, he flashes the picture for 5 seconds at the second SARDAR and asks him, "This is your suspect, how would you recognize him?"
The second SARDAR smiles, flips his hair and says, "Ha! He'd be too easy to catch because he only has one ear!"

The policeman angrily responds, "What's the matter with you two?? Of course only one eye and one ear are showing because it's a picture of his side profile! Is that the best answer you can come up with?"

Extremely frustrated at this point, he shows the picture to the third SARDAR and in a very testy voice asks, "This is your suspect, how would you recognize him? He quickly adds, "Think hard before giving me a stupid answer."

The SARDAR looks at the picture intently for a moment and says, "The suspect wears contact lenses."

The policeman is surprised and speechless because he really doesn't know himself if the suspect wears contacts or not.
"Well, that's an interesting answer. Wait here for a few minutes while I check his file and I'll get back to you on that."

He leaves the room and goes to his office, checks the suspect's file in his computer, and comes back with a beaming smile on his face.

"Wow! I can't believe it. It's TRUE! The suspect does in fact wear contact lenses. Good work! How were you able to make such an astute observation?"

"That's easy," the SARDAR replied. "He can't wear regular glasses because he only has one eye and one ear."

bolo ta ra ra ra*...

Jokes - Lighter moments

A timeless lesson on how consultants can make a difference for an organization...

Last week, we took some friends out to a new restaurant, and noticed that the waiter who took our order carried a spoon in his shirt pocket. It seemed a little strange, but I ignored it. However, when the busboy brought out water and utensils, I noticed he also had a spoon in his shirt pocket, then looked around the room and saw that all the staff had spoons in their pockets.

When the waiter came back to serve our soup I asked, "Why the spoon?"

"Well," he explained, "the restaurant's owners hired Anderson Consulting, experts in efficiency, in order to revamp all our processes. After several months of statistical analysis, they concluded that customers drop their spoons 73.84 percent more often than any other utensil.

This represents a drop frequency of approximately 3 spoons per table per hour. If our personnel is prepared to deal with that contingency, we can reduce the number of trips back to the kitchen and save 15 man-hours per shift."

As luck would have it I dropped my spoon and he was able to replace it with his spare spoon. "I'll get another spoon next time I go to the kitchen instead of making an extra trip to get it right now."

I was rather impressed. The waiter served our main course and I continued to look around. I then noticed that there was a very thin string hanging out of the waiter's fly. Looking around, I noticed that all the waiters had the same string hanging from their flies.

My curiosity got the better of me and before he walked off, I asked the waiter, "Excuse me, but can you tell me why you have that string right there?"

"Oh, certainly!" he answered, lowering his voice.

"Not everyone is as observant as you. That consulting firm I mentioned also found out that we can save time in the restroom."

"How?"

"See," he continued, "by tying this string to the tip of you know what, we can pull it out over the urinal without touching it and that way eliminate the need to wash the hands, shortening the time spent in the restroom by 76.39 percent."

"Okay, that makes sense, but . . . if the string helps you get it out, how do you put it back in?"

"Well," he whispered, lowering his voice even further, "I don't know about the others, but I use the spoon."

Time is Precious

To realize the value of one year,
Ask a student who has failed in examination.

To realize the value of one month,
Ask a mother who has given birth to a premature baby.

To realize the value of one week,
Ask an editor of a weekly.

To realize the value of one day,
Ask daily wage laborer.

To realize the value of one hour,
Ask the lovers who are waiting to meet.

To realize the value of one minute,
Ask the person who has missed the train.

To realize the value of one second,
Ask the person who has survived in an accident.

To realize the value of one milli - second,
Ask a runner who has lost a Gold medal in Olympic.

Classic Definitions - funny quotes

Cigarette: A pinch of tobacco rolled in paper with fire at one end & a fool at the other.

Love affairs: Something like cricket where one-day internationals are more popular than a five day test.

Marriage : It's an agreement in which a man loses his bachelor degree and a woman gains her master

Divorce : Future tense of marriage

Lecture: An art of transferring information from the notes of the lecturer to the notes of the students without passing through "the minds of either".

Conference: The confusion of one man multiplied by the number present.

Compromise: The art of dividing a cake in such a way that everybody believes he got the biggest piece.

Tears: The hydraulic force by which masculine will-power is defeated by feminine water-power ..

Dictionary: A place where divorce comes before marriage.

Conference Room: A place where everybody talks, nobody listens & everybody disagrees later on.

Ecstasy: A feeling when you feel you are going to feel a feeling you have never felt before.

Classic: A book which people praise, but does not read.

Smile: A curve that can set a lot of things straight.

Office: A place where you can relax after your strenuous home life.

Yawn: The only time some married men ever get to open their mouth.

Etc.: A sign to make others believe that you know more than you actually do.

Committee: Individuals who can do nothing individually and sit to decide that nothing can be done together.

Experience: The name men give to their mistakes.

Atom Bomb: An invention to end all inventions.

Philosopher: A fool who torments himself during life, to be spoken of when dead.

Diplomat: A person who tells you to go to hell in such a way that you actually look forward to the trip.

Opportunist: A person who starts taking bath if he accidentally falls into a river.

Optimist: A person who while falling from Eiffel Tower says in midway "See I am not injured yet."

Pessimist: - A person who says that O is the last letter in ZERO, Instead of the first letter in word OPPORTUNITY.

Miser: A person who lives poor so that he can die rich.

Father: A banker provided by nature.

Criminal: A guy no different from the rest... except that he got caught.

Boss: Someone who is early when you are late and late when you are early.

Politician: One who shakes your hand before elections and your Confidence after?

Doctor: A person who kills your ills by pills, and kills you with his bills.

Building Structure - Employment tips

If your Company has a problem in recruiting the right person for the right chair!!!!! Then, try out this simple experiment!!!!!!

Put around 100 bricks in some particular order in a closed room with an open window. Then send 2-3 candidates into the room and close it from outside. Leave them alone and come back after 6 hours, and then analyze the situation:

If they are counting and recounting the number of bricks
PUT THEM IN CASH

If they have messed up the whole place with the bricks
PUT THEM IN THE CLEARING DEPT

If they are arranging the bricks in some other order
PUT THEM IN PLANNING

If they are throwing the bricks at each other
PUT THEM IN OPERATIONS

If they are sleeping
PUT THEM IN SECURITY

If they have broken the bricks into pieces
PUT THEM IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

If they are breaking all the bricks in order to check which one
is strong PUT THEM IN CREDIT & MARKET RISK

If they are sitting idle
PUT THEM IN HRD

If they have thrown the bricks out of the window
PUT THEM IN THE LOANS SECTIONS

If they are clinging onto the bricks
PUT THEM IN TREASURY

If they are talking to each other and not a brick has moved
PUT THEM IN MANAGEMENT

If they say they have tried different combinations, yet not a
brick has moved PUT THEM IN SALES

Friday 24 August 2007

Geography of a Woman and a Man

Between 18 and 20 a woman is like Africa, half discovered, half wild, naturally beautiful with fertile deltas.

Between 21 and 30 a woman is like America, well developed and open to trade - especially for someone with cash.

Between 31 and 35 she is like India, very hot, relaxed and convinced of her own beauty.

Between 36 and 40 a woman is like France. Gently aging but still a warm and desirable place to visit.

Between 41 and 50 she is like Yugoslavia, lost the war - haunted by past mistakes. Massive reconstruction is now necessary.

Between 51 and 60, she is like Russia, very wide and borders are unpatrolled. The frigid climate keeps people away.

Between 61 and 70, a woman is like Mongolia, with a glorious and all conquering past but alas, no future.

After 70, they become like Afghanistan. Most everyone knows where it is, but no one wants to go there.


Geography of a Man:

Between 15 and 70 a man is like Iraq - ruled by a dick!

14 ways to control your anger

1. Count to 10, slowly

2. Take deep breaths and repeat ... relax, relax

3. Walk away

4. Change your thoughts from negative to what can I learn from the experience

5. Decide ahead of time that you won’t let anyone’s anger control your emotions.

6. Practice meditation or pray for self control so you can stay calm under stress.

7. Anger causes stress, isolation and anxiety. Ask yourself...is it worth it?

8. Self control is a powerful tool to self empowerment. Use self discipline to handle anger.

9. Don’t speak out of anger because you may regret the moment. Bite your tongue.

10. Write out your anger issues. Work on forgiving others and giving up anger. Anger gives other people power over you. Do it for yourself.

11. Get involved in sports to relieve frustrations.

12. Talk to a trusted adult.

13. If you are mad and you write an angry letter, don’t send it until you
have a chance to reflect on it’s contents. The next day, you may decide not to send it.

14. Don’t act on impulse. Practice controlling your emotions. Out-of-control behavior keeps individuals from becoming successful at
anything.

GOD WANTS

Maybe God wants us to meet a few wrong people before meeting the right one so that when we finally meet the right person, we will know how to be grateful for that gift.


When the door of happiness closes, another opens, but often times we look so long at the closed door that we don't see the one which has been opened for us.

The best kind of friend is the kind you can sit on a porch and swing with, never say a word, and then walk away feeling like it was the best conversation you've ever had.

It's true that we don't know what we've got until we lose it, but it's also true that we don't know what we've been missing until it arrives.

Giving someone all your love is never an assurance that they'll love you back! Don't expect love in return; just wait for it to grow in their heart but if it doesn't, be content it grew in yours. It takes only a minute to get a crush on someone, an hour to like someone, and a day to love someone, but it takes a lifetime to forget someone.

Don't go for looks; they can deceive. Don't go for wealth; even that fades away. Go for someone who makes you smile because it takes only a smile to make a dark day seem bright. Find the one that makes your heart smile.

There are moments in life when you miss someone so much that you just want to pick them from your dreams and hug them for real!

Dream what you want to dream; go where you want to go; be what you want to be, because you have only one life and one chance to do all the things you want to do.

May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human, enough hope to make you happy.

Always put yourself in others' shoes. If you feel that it hurts you, it probably hurts the other person, too.

The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way.

Happiness lies for those who cry, those who hurt, those who have searched, and those who have tried, for only they can appreciate the importance of people who have touched their lives.

Love begins with a smile, grows with a kiss and ends with a tear.

The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past, you can't go on well in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches.

When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling. Live your life so that when you die, you're the one who is smiling and everyone around you is crying.

I am thankful..

For the husband who snores all night,
Because he is at home asleep with me
And not with someone else!

For my teenage daughter who is complaining about
Doing dishes, because that means she is at home
And not on the streets!

For the taxes that I pay,
Because it means that I am employed.

For the mess to clean after a party,
Because it means I am not alone and
Have been surrounded by friends!

For the clothes that fit a little too snug,
Because it means I have enough to eat.

For the windows that need cleaning,
and gutters that need fixing,
because it means I have a home.

For all the complaining I hear about the government,
because it means that we have freedom of speech.

For the parking spot I find at the far end of the parking lot,
because it means I am capable of walking
and that I have been blessed with transportation.

For the noise I have to bear from my neighbors,
because it means that I can hear.

For the pile of laundry and ironing,
because it means I have clothes to wear.

For weariness and aching muscles at the end of the day,
because it means I have been capable of working hard.

For the alarm that goes off in the early morning
hours, because it means that I am alive.

Phrases to Use in Any Report

"It has long been known."
...I didn't look up the original reference.

"A definite trend is evident."
...This data is practically meaningless.

"While it has not been possible to provide definite answers to the questions..."
...An unsuccessful experiment, but I still hope to get it published.

"Three of the samples were chosen for detailed study."
...The other results didn't make any sense.

"Typical results are shown."
...This is the prettiest graph.

"These results will be in a subsequent report."
...I might get around to this sometime, if pushed or funded.

"In my experience..."
...Once.

"In case after case..."
...Twice.

"In a series of cases..."
...Thrice.

"It is believed that."
...I think.

"It is generally believed that."
...A couple of others think so too, like my wife and mother.

"Correct within an order of magnitude."
...Wrong.

"According to statistical analysis."
... Rumor has it.

"A statistically-oriented projection of the significance of these findings."
...A wild guess.

"A careful analysis of obtainable data."
...Three pages of notes were obliterated when I knocked over a glass of Coors beer.

"It is clear that much additional work will be required before a complete understanding of this phenomenon can be explained."
...I don't understand it at all.

"After additional study by my colleagues."
...They don't understand it either.

"A highly significant area for exploratory study."
...A totally useless topic selected by my PhD committee.

"This field is open for further study."
...I quit!

No Hard Work but SMART work is required

Why Smart working is preferred nowadays and not Hard work? The two stories found below gives you the answer:

STORY # 1

One of the most memorable case studies on Japanese management was the case of the empty soap box, which happened in one of Japan's biggest cosmetics companies. The company received a complaint that a consumer had bought a soap box that was empty. Immediately the authorities isolated the problem to the assembly line, which transported all the packaged boxes of soap to the delivery department. For some reason, one soap box went through the assembly line empty.

Management asked its engineers to solve the problem. Post-haste, the engineers worked hard to devise an X-ray machine with high-resolution monitors manned by two people to watch all the soap boxes that passed through the line to make sure they were not empty. No doubt, they worked hard and they worked fast but they spent whoopee amount to do so.

But when a rank-and-file employee in a small company was posed with the same problem, he did not get into complications of X-rays, etc but instead came out with another solution. He bought a strong industrial electric fan and pointed it at the assembly line. He switched the fan on, and as each soap box passed the fan, it simply blew the empty boxes out of the line.

STORY # 2:

When NASA began the launch of astronauts into space, they found out that the pens wouldn't work at zero gravity (Ink won't flow down to the writing surface).In order to solve this problem, it took them one decade and $12 million. They developed a pen that worked at zero gravity, upside down, underwater, in practically any surface including crystal and in a temperature range from below freezing to over 300 degrees

And what did Russians do...? The Russians used a Pencil!!!

Moral of the story: Always look for simple solutions. Devise the simplest possible solution that solves the problem. Or you can say KISS (Keep it Simple (you) Stupid)

Conclusion: - Learn to focus on solutions not on problems

Thursday 23 August 2007

Who is a Karma Yogi!!

Do we ever realize that most Westerners are Karma Yogi’s par excellence! They may not be aware of the subject meaning of the word (or the word “Karma Yogi” itself) ... Yet they have practiced and followed Karma Yoga since times immemorial, not willingly but inherently. They were not even aware of the purport of it! To be or not to be is not the question but inherently following a form of Yoga best suited to needs of today, what more could a person of the present Materialistic World ask for!!

Karma Yoga stands for doing your duties towards your own self, family, society and masses without a feeling of doubt, obligation or lust but as a duty one has to perform in the service of God. Karma denotes one’s capability to think (invoke positive or negative thoughts) followed by action (thoughts in crystallized form). None can perform even a single act without a thought preceding it! Can you?

The correct approach towards the path of Karma Yoga is living in the present. The fleeting seconds passing by are the true actual moments within your grasp. You have absolutely zero control over the past events. You can exercise 100% control over the future by controlling your present!!.

Yoga denotes trying to communicate with the almighty through various means. Means or paths are only three ... Jnana Yoga, Bhakti Yoga or Karma Yoga. When you try to follow the Karma path ... you are called a Karma Yogi for, in fulfilling the requirements of self, family and society you are doing an act of his (God). Satisfaction obtained by such deeds is thus, a prayer completed!!

Those who make prayers as their only solace of life like Priests, Swamis, Sadhus and Munis etc. ... are called Bhakti Yogis. Those who embrace Jnana as their chief aim of life ... through introspection and Self-Realization reach their destined goal of life are followers of the Jnana Yoga path.

The path of karma Yoga is simpler and easy to follow for you neither have to leave your family and more so enjoy all comforts of life but via this path you can never reach the goal in one life span (Who knows what we shall be in our next life! It is always desirable to divert ourselves from the path of Karma Yoga to Bhakti Yoga or Jnana Yoga in this very life).

At every stage of life you also invariably follow the path of Bhakti Yoga while making your prayers (though inherently). Bhakti Yoga alone is capable of taking you towards God but in Jnana Yoga you have the added advantage of solving all your queries before you realize God. A Jnana Yogi is competent enough to guide the whole Humanity towards the Ultimate goal of life ... The culmination of all your prayers ... God - Realization!!!

The Ego is needy, but never the soul

The person who has acquired the qualities of the soul, lives for universal expansion; only giving - like Nature, without asking for returns.

Ego is knowing and believing what you are not. Use ego as a driving force for growth but not for the pride of 'doer-ship'. When inertia, hurt, anger, depression, pain, violence dominate us then we are not in the right state of being. Some other self comes in between our true self and divinity.

That is Ego. Ego is a weakness; it limits growth and creates stagnancy. It seeks constant approval from others and is energy consuming in it maintenance.

But the person who lives in the attributes of the soul and has acquired the gunas or qualities of the soul, her existence is for universal expansion, just giving and giving like Nature, without asking for returns.

Such a person’s karma is to spread joy. She does not aspire for any sort of approval and is beyond all worldly demands. This happens due to a supreme state of non-attachment. In this state a form of sacred love comes into force which is above all mundane worldly selfish motives.

The desire to control, possess, resent or use disagreements to trigger off personal imagination or opinions never reflects pious love. It gives rise to attachment. In attachment, needs cover the soul. It creates layers of ignorance which hampers growth and blossoming into our true self.

The soul is above fear and attachment. It has an eternal quality of spreading truth, love and light.

We have trouble letting go of things and happenings due to the ego of doer-ship, little realizing that separation is not something to be feared. It is a test of time given to us to realize how strongly we are connected to our true self.

The state of being away from our soul surfaces in separation, and the pain experienced is attachment. So it is also a form of fear. The soul is above fear and attachment. It has an eternal quality of spreading truth, love and light for which it requires no external support.

If we are out of doer-ship and ego then we are centered in our true self and no fear can affect us, we stop analyzing others whether they live up to our expectations or not, resist to control situations, correcting others mistakes and advising and instructing others. This is the first step towards realizing the guna s of the soul. So leave the desire to control and aspire for freedom. Resentment arises with a need to control, letting free or letting go is love.

This is the truth.

Energize Yourself Every Morning

Morning is the best time for all meditative methods. It is the time when the whole existence is waking up and one can try different methods. It is the time when the whole existence is waking up and one can try different methods of meditation.

The moment you wake up, get connected with your being. And the best way to get connected is to become aware of your breath. Watch your breath – coming in, going out. Watch it. Don’t breathe, just watch. Passive watching. Listen to the soft and subtle sound of the movement of your breath.

Listen to the birds chirping outside your house, sound of breakfast being made in the kitchen. The newspaper boy has dropped the paper outside your door. You can hear the sound of vehicles on the roads. These are situations you have no control over. You can listen passively and there is no need to get involved with them or judge them. Just listen to them in their totality without choosing anything.

This can be the best method of relaxation and acceptance. Later in the day you can stand somewhere on the footpath and watch the constant traffic go by. You have nothing to do with the traffic. So many things are happening and you are not involved. You are simply watching.

Now doing the same passive listening in the morning in your bed is a good start of the day to experience relaxation. One develops patience and slowly and consciously you will be free from any kind of rashness or roughness in your behavior.

Listening passively in all its totality – the sounds coming from kitchen and street, the aroma of food being cooked, everything is reaching your senses. This something that you have not created – it is just there. You can just accept it without any involvement.
Now move the arrow of your consciousness within. There is traffic of all kinds of thoughts. They are there. You have not invited them.

They are not your consciousness creation. As you watch the traffic on the road by standing aloof, watch these thoughts too, but don’t get involved. Your mind is broadcasting thoughts. You can hear them, they are so loud, and they have their own sound and visuals. Just watch and listen to the talk going on inside your head and look for the gaps. You will notice the small gaps in between.

Be alert and stay in the gap, it may not happen on the very first day. It might take several days to find gaps. But there’s nothing to worry about and no need to get impatient. Just enjoy this passive listening and watching and stay in your being.

Now, after this you can get up and walk to your bathroom. Remember to remain inside your body with full awareness when you get out. Stay tuned as you walk. In the shower, let every cell of your being feel the wonderful sensation of water. Be a child, play with water, but always remain alert inside.

Let water fall, alternatively on different parts of your body. Feel them tingling, refreshed! And then finally let there be a feeling of liveliness in your whole body.

This feeling is not only delightful, it is divine. Remember to enjoy this whole exercise. Be playful. Being playful is part of meditation.

Tuesday 21 August 2007

The Three Laughing Mystics Of China

In one of his discourses, Osho tells a remarkable story.

I have heard about three Chinese mystics. Nobody knows their names now, and nobody ever knew their names. They were known only as the "Three Laughing Saints" because they never did anything else; they simply laughed.

These three people were really beautiful - laughing, with their bellies shaking. And then it would become an infection and others would start laughing. The whole marketplace would laugh.

These three people were really beautiful - laughing, with their bellies shaking.
When just a few moments before, it was an ugly place where people were thinking only of money, suddenly these three mad people came and changed the quality of the whole marketplace. Now they had forgotten that they had come to purchase and sell. Nobody bothered about greed. For a few seconds a new world opened.

They travelled all over China, from place to place, from village to village, just helping people to laugh.

They travelled all over China, from place to place, from village to village, just helping people to laugh. Sad people, angry people, greedy people, jealous people - they all started laughing with them. And many felt the key - you can be transformed.

Then, in one village it happened that one of the three died. The village people gathered and they said, "Now there will be trouble. Now we have to see how they laugh. Their friend has died; they must weep."

But when they came, the two were dancing, laughing and celebrating the death. The village people said,

"Now this is too much. When a man is dead it is profane to laugh and dance."

They said, "The whole life we laughed with him. How can we give him the last send-off with anything else? We have to laugh, we have to enjoy, we have to celebrate. This is the only farewell that is possible for a man who has laughed his whole life. We don't see that he is dead. How can laughter die? How can life die?"


Then the body was to be burned, and the village people said, "We will give him a bath as the ritual prescribes." But those two friends said, "No, our friend has said, 'Don't perform any ritual and don't change my clothes and don't give me a bath. You just put me as I am on the burning pyre.' So we have to follow his instructions."

Laughter is eternal, life is eternal, celebration continues. Existence is continuous, it is a continuum.

And then, suddenly, there was a great happening. When the body was put on the fire, that old man had played the last trick. He had hidden many fireworks under his clothes, and suddenly there was a festival! Then the whole village started laughing. These two mad friends were dancing, then the whole village started dancing.

Osho concludes by saying that it was not a death - it was a new life. He says:

Laughter is eternal, life is eternal, celebration continues. Actors change but the drama continues. Waves change but the ocean continues. You laugh, you change - and somebody else laughs - but laughter continues. You celebrate, somebody else celebrates, but celebration continues.


Existence is continuous, it is a continuum. There is not a single moment's gap in it. No death is death, because every death opens a new door - it is a beginning. There is no end to life, there is always a new beginning, a resurrection.

If you change your sadness to celebration, then you will also be capable of changing your death into resurrection. So learn the art while there is still time.

Saturday 18 August 2007

Whose fault is this?

My car was speeding on the road as if the wet soap slipped from my hand slide in the bathroom. The sun was bit harsher today - is what the feeling I got as the AC in my car was proving ineffective to cool the small place!

I told my driver to switch off the AC and i wanted to have a feel of fresh air and saying this i slid down the glasses. "Ghosh!" it was too hot for the month of Feb. What will be the status in May if this continued". I wondered within myself.

The highway was totally empty today and i was entering into the ever-crowded Mumbai roads. I was telling myself, "It took only 120 minutes to reach here from Vapi but seems it would take another 90 minutes to reach the airport!" As usual the traffic was packed on the roads and literally every vehicle was inching forward.

My driver switched off the engine and suddenly sprang two innoncent faces on the windows of my car. They must be hardly 7 or 8. They were bare-footed. The hair was dry and it seemed they combed last at least a year back. The clothes were too old and i could also make out they had not taken bath for at least 4 days. Yes. they were asking for alms.

What a pity? Why should these kids beg? for whom are they working? Is this a type of employment or really they are helping their parents? What was the sin these kids would have made? Why they are made to suffer like this? they were supposed to play without any feel of a problem! But why? Just because it gave a momentary pleasure to their parents who were thrived off any other sort of entertainment, these kids are suffering?

I am not a social-worker to ask these kids whether they would prefer education to begging. Nor i can assure them that i can sponsor their studies. Even if they study, what is the guarantee that they would get a decent job? I sponsored their study but who will feed them, guide them in their daily lessons and make them pass in the exams? I cannot go against the Government and give them some employment in the name of helping them. I was shattered when i just imagined for a second my kid in place of those kids!

I simply put my hand into my purse, took a leaf (i was not sure whehter it was 10 or 50 or 100) and simply thrusted that in small soft palms of those kids and told my driver to switch on the AC and rolled up the windows. I am not sure how many more kids I would come across till i reach the airport.

Hindi poem on an Engineer

Engineer woh hain jo aksar phasta hain
Interviews ke sawaal mey
Badi companiyon ke jaal mey
Boss aur client ke bawaal mey

Engineer woh hain jo pak gaya hain
Meetings ki jhelai mey
Submissions ki gehraai mey
Teamwork ki chataai mey

Engineer woh hain jo laga rehta hain
Schedule ko failane mey
Targets ko khiskaane mey
Roz naye-naye bahaane banane mey

Engineer woh hain jo
lunch time mey Breakfast karta hain
Dinner time mey Lunch karta hain aur
Commutation ke waqt soya karta hain

Engineer woh hain jo paagal hain
Chai aur samose ke pyaar mey
Cigarette ke khumaar mey
Birdwatching ke vichaar mey

Engineer woh hain jo khoya hain
Reminders ke jawaab mey
Na milne waale hisaab mey
Behtar Bhavishya ke khwaab mey

Engineer woh hain jise intezaar hain
Weekend nights par dhoom machaane ka
Boss ke chutti par jaane ka
Increment ki khabar aane ka

Engineer woh hain jo sochta hain
Kaash padhaai par dhyaan diya hota
Kaash teacher se panga na liya hota
Kaash ishq na kiya hota.... Kaash....

WATER PURIFICATION AND SOIL CONSERVATION

The root of the solution

Vetiver grass plants, vetiveria zizanioides (in Tamil, the word means 'dug up root') have long been known to provide economical protection against soil and water loss, and more recently they have also been found to be useful for water purification. However, the bone of contention is, while other nations have rapidly embraced it, in India its adoption remains rare.

In 1987, noting that soil erosion is the most serious agricultural problem in the world, Richard Grimshaw and John Greenfield, two agricultural scientists of the World Bank decided this had to be tackled on war footing. During their visits to different states of India, they chanced upon the solution they were so eagerly looking for in a sleepy village near Gundlupet in Karnataka. "We learnt from these farmers that they have been successfully growing vetiver against soil erosion for centuries. It reduced rainfall runoff by as much as 70%, recharged groundwater (villages that use vetiver have much higher water levels in their wells), and improved ephemeral stream flow."

In the hilly terrains where tea is grown, soil erosion is a big problem. The tea estates established by the British didn't have permanent soil and water conservation measures. As such, during replanting, a lot of expenditure has to be incurred for this. In the past, our company too spent heavily to construct stonewalls (revetments) across the slope. Depending on the gradient, normally two or three walls (top, middle and bottom) will be needed. On an average, stone revetments for a hectare of tea garden would require 350 man-days. Instead, 100 man-days would be sufficient if you opt for vetiver hedges."

Subsequent studies prompted the World Bank to launch The Vetiver Network (TVN), which has been disseminating vetiver technology to the world with a missionary zeal. Now there are more than 20 vetiver networks in the world and newer ones are being formed every year. In China alone, vetiver is so popular that the country now has a Chinese Vetiver Network and 6 corporations for the implementation of vetiver systems for environmental protection.

Best candidate for 'earth repair' :
What makes vetiver so popular? It's perennial and requires minimal maintenance. It's both xerophyte and hydrophyte. Once established, it can withstand drought, flood and long periods of water logging. It will grow in all types of soil regardless of fertility, pH or salinity. It is highly tolerant to toxic levels of aluminium, manganese, arsenic, cadmium, chromium, nickel, copper, mercury, lead, selenium and zinc. It will grow in a wide range of climates, survives in areas with average annual rainfall between 200 and 6000 millimeters and with temperatures ranging from 1 to 45 degree C. It is a climax plant and therefore even when drought, flood, pests, diseases, fire or other adversity destroys all surrounding plants, vetiver will remain to protect the ground from the onslaught of the next rains. It has a strong fibrous root system that penetrates and binds the soil to a depth of three meters and can withstand the effects of tunneling and cracking.

The vetiver system is low cost and extremely effective system for soil and water conservation, infrastructure stabilization, pollution control, wastewater treatment, mitigation and prevention of storm damage and many other applications.

Vetiver grass, vetiveria zizanioides, is central to all vetiver system based bioengineering and conservation applications. It can be used in the tropics and semi tropics, and areas outside the latter (such as Italy and California that have a Mediterranean climate) where there are hot summers, and winters that do not include permanently frozen soil conditions.

The roots of the grass have an average tensile strength of Mpa 75 (one-sixth the strength of Mild Steel), and improve the shear strength of soil by between 30 and 40%. Engineers liken them to a "living soil nail". (for more details see: http://www.vetiver.com/)

Crutch for rain-fed farmers

Richard Grimshaw, now President of TVN recalls "When I was introducing the vetiver system in areas, I introduced it by saying 'We have a technology that can improve your yields by 15-50%, that is permanent, once established, costs nothing and will drought proof your crops'. Then I go on with the explanation of how vetiver hedges conserve runoff and increase the moisture in the soil. Farmers are not interested in spending money on "soil conservation". Vetiver hedges providing moisture conservation are of course preventing soil erosion; you just don't need to mention it."

Are these vetiver hedges in any way better than contour bunds? "A bund diverts runoff to the drainage network, thus denying the rainfed farm the full benefit of the rainfall it gets. The area immediately in front of the bund rarely gets sufficient moisture for crop growth. The vetiver hedge holds the rainfall back, spreads it out and gives it a chance to soak in to the ground as stored moisture. Excess runoff filters through the hedge and carries on down the slope at greatly reduced speed, but wetting all the ground as nature intended it to do."

"In a particular case in Karnataka," he recalls, "the farmers had planted their Ragi, received six millimeters rainfall, enough to germinate their seed but then no more rain for over a month, the seedlings died. Their neighbors who had planted vetiver hedges retained enough moisture in the soil to carry their plants over and produce very good yields."

"Soil moisture is essential for crop growth", analyses John Greenfield, "So, it is no use talking about the benefits of 'drought tolerant' and especially 'drought resistant' (which don't exist) crop varieties, as without sufficient moisture none of these will survive. Therefore it is essential that the rain fed farmer controls runoff to enhance moisture conservation - controlling runoff also control soil loss. The only efficient way to control runoff is with the use of vetiver hedges."

Apart from its value for soil and water conservation, vetiver can check weed invasion too. It can block the spread of other grasses including some of the world's worst creeping grasses. In Zimbabwe tobacco farmers reportedly plant vetiver around their fields to prevent invasion of other tough grasses. In Mauritius sugar cane growers rely on vetiver to prevent Bermuda grass from penetrating their fields from adjacent roadsides. In High Range, for example, a vetiver plot established at Kundaly in the early 1990s kept Kikyu grass (Pennisetum clandestinum) from creeping in. Obviously establishing vetiver hedges along the periphery of tea fields could prevent invasion of deep rooted tough grass weeds. "

Water ponds and tanks that are being cleaned and desilted would benefit from surrounding vetiver hedgerows to prevent future siltation, and floating platforms of vetiver on the ponds would significantly increase water quality. Springheads can also be very effectively protected by vetiver.

Water purification

One recently discovered attribute of vetiver is its capacity to purify water, and thus to help in wastewater treatment. Vetiveria zizanioides, a species widely present in India, can absorb many heavy metals, nitrogen and phosphorous from water. In studies conducted in China using vetiver to treat effluents from piggery farms, the results were quite encouraging. Using vetiver to purify water bodies is easy, too. Being hydrophyte, the plants don't require a separate medium to grow in water. The only arrangement required to make vetiver plants survive in water properly is a float to maintain the balance between roots and shoot and to make the plant stand erect. Cut pieces of bamboo make a good float.

TVN has been awarding certificates to individuals who have been doing good work and demonstrating a high level of knowledge in specific areas of the vetiver System technology. Only one person from India Mr. Haridas, to get this recognition so far, and is one of 14 persons from around the world.

While more and more countries are embracing vetiver technology, it is quite ironic to see that in India itself, vetiver is a sort of 'touch me not' plant, despite having its origins here! A few months ago, a report in an English daily stated that upon hearing a success story of railroad stabilisation in China courtesy vetiver, Konkan Railways approached the railway authorities of China to know more about this while the technology has in reality originated from our own country.

The link with soil conservation is also a strong motivator. "To get the water stored properly you need a medium, which is the earth - hence our soil too has to be protected from erosion. Let us work on SOS (Save our Soil)".

Cauvery - not a perennial river but a perennial issue

It is an irony that this river of life remains a bone of contention. Unlike what people say, “It does not happen only in India but also in many other places around the world."

Shortage of water is a global phenomenon, an ever-growing problem. With ever-increasing population and the demand of water, opinion differences are bound to happen among people. As to understand what makes Cauvery problem of such a magnitude, one needs a run-through of its history.

The Cauvery River originates in the Talacauvery ranges of Kodagu (Coorg) district flows through large parts of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and also some parts of Kerala and Pondicherry. No attempt was made to utilize its waters for irrigation in Karnataka until 1883. Then the Diwan of the princely state of Mysore launched a scheme. This move was objected by the then Madras presidency under the British rule. This gave birth to the dispute of the century which is yet to be solved.

The Cauvery row had a sigh of relief on two ocassions - two rounds of talks between the Mysore state and Madras presidency in 1892 and 1924. Mysore was permitted to construct a dam in Kannambadi village to impound 44.8 thousand million cubic feet of water. Madras appropriated to itself the right to construct a dam in Mettur in Salem district to impound 93.5 tmc ft. Madras had what is called prescriptive rights over the upper riparian state of Mysore. Malabar district was then part of the Madras presidency. Malabar is now part of Kerala, and Kerala too has joined the Cauvery fray.

The 1924 agreement was valid for 50 years, after which there was to be a review. It stipulated that Mysore could undertake any extension of irrigation by impounding Cauvery waters only with the prior consent of the Madras presidency.

Unfortunately, after British rule, this issue was politicized and till date it created more confusions than a settlement. Twelve years after Independence and 15 years before the expiry of the pact, Mysore, by then rechristened Karnataka, wrote to Tamil Nadu, inviting its attention to several clauses, and suggesting changes. Tamil Nadu turned down the plea. It said any changes would be possible only after the expiry of the pact in 1974.

The central government began an initiative soon after, but the entire issue was given the appearance of a bilateral dispute between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, the other two riparian states, namely Kerala and Pondicherry, having been left out until the 1970s.

Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu had expanded its irrigation by leaps and bounds. Its acreage increased from 1.665 million in 1924 to 2.82 million by 1971. Karnataka's score showed a rise from 314,000 to 682,000 acres. The agreement had stipulated that Madras was entitled to increase its irrigation land to only 300,000 acres. Mysore's quota was 110,000 acres. Both States had violated the agreement.
Countless rounds of talks have taken place to resolve the issue, but without success. According to a study conducted by the central government in 1972, the utilization of water from Cauvery in Tamil Nadu was 489 tmc ft against Karnataka's 177 tmc ft. Now Karnataka wants to utilise 465 tmc ft, against its present usage of 312.32 tmc ft. It is against this background that Tamil Nadu went to the Supreme Court.

The Cauvery Water Tribunal, in its interim award of June 1991, ordered that Karnataka release 205 tmc of water to Tamil Nadu during one water year, that is from May to June. It also stipulated a weekly quantum of flow, much to the chagrin of Karnataka. This led to large-scale violence on Tamils living in Karnataka.

Karnataka has followed the interim order and has released much more than 205 tmc ft of water every year except during the year 1995-96. This led to the Supreme Court coming down heavily on Karnataka.

The tribunal which had been investigating the issue for 16 years finally came out with its verdict on February 5, awarding 419 tmc ft for Tamil Nadu and 270 tmc ft for Karnataka. Kerala was awarded 30 tmc ft and Pondicherry 7 tmc ft.

It is obvious that a purely legalistic approach can never provide an amicable solution in such sensitive issues. Much depends on the quantification of the terms, surplus and available waters. Only a mutual representation and understanding apart from political tangles from either sides can give this a solution. In litigation, there can be no winner. Even if a court order is secured, it would be counter-productive to try and coerce a state into compliance. That would create further bitterness resulting in untold damage to our fragile federal system.

It is also to be hoped that in the dust of the present controversy, both administrations will not overlook long-term problems which are fraught with important consequences. They must see the Cauvery as a whole and look at the forests, environment, and water-sheds in the two states to forestall any diminution of future water supplies. On the distribution side, the two states must pursue economical methods of transmission (minimizing seepage and evaporation), maximum efficiency in utilization and scope for varying the existing crop patterns.

We must look to science for our salvation, not to law. The two states must consider setting up a joint scientific committee on the Cauvery, comprising forest experts, hydrologists, civil engineers and agronomists to monitor the state of the river regularly and to make periodic recommendations which should be implemented in a spirit of co-operation. Ultimately, it should be noted that the people of both states are the children of Mother Cauvery and must learn to share her gifts on a fraternal basis. One has to realize that the Cauvery, like all rivers, faces a bigger threat from overexploitation and pollution.

Since 1968, many more factories have sprung up in the Mettur area and downstream. There is more than one paper mill functioning, and derricks are going up in the Thanjavur delta in search for oil. Pipelines for natural gas and crude may soon be laid across Thanjavur and its agricultural economy may undergo a total transformation.

If industrialization proceeds apace, and more oil wells are drilled both on and off shore, propelling Thanjavur into an unprecedented oil boom, then more factories and power-houses may arise using the energy thus made available. Perhaps even an oil refinery and petrochemical or fertilizer plants may rise on the landscape.

The Cauvery that our ancestors saw in 1968 is disappearing and by the first decade of the 21st century it may vanish for ever.

Friday 17 August 2007

Timely help

One night, at 11:30 PM, an older African American woman was standing on the side of an Alabama highway trying to endure a lashing rain storm. Her car had broken down and she desperately needed a ride. Soaking wet, she decided to flag down the next car.

A young white man stopped to help her, generally unheard of in those conflict-filled 1960s. The man took her to safety, helped her get assistance and put her into a taxicab. She seemed to be in a big hurry, but wrote down his address and thanked him.

Seven days went by and a knock came on the man's door. To his surprise, a giant console color TV was delivered to his home. A special note was attached. It read:

"Thank you so much for assisting me on the highway the other night. The rain drenched not only my clothes, but also my spirits. Then you came along. Because of you, I was able to make it to my dying husband's bedside just before he passed away. God bless you for helping meand unselfishly serving others.

Sincerely,
Mrs. Nat King Cole."

A tamil kural defines timely help as bigger than this universe. (kaalathinal seida nanri sirideninum gnalathil maana peridu)

Giving when it counts

Many years ago, at a hospital, a little girl was suffering from a rare and serious disease. Her only chance of recovery appeared to be a blood transfusion from her 5-year old brother, who had miraculously survived the same disease and had developed the antibodies needed to combat the illness.

The doctor explained the situation to her little brother, and asked the little boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister. I saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a deep breath and saying, "Yes, I'll do it if it will save her."

As the transfusion progressed, he lay in bed next to his sister and smiled, as we all did, seeing the color returning to her cheeks. Then his face grew pale and his smile faded. He looked up at the doctor and asked with a trembling voice, "Will I start to die right away?"

Being young, the little boy had misunderstood the doctor; he thought he was going to have to give his sister all of his blood in order to save her.

You see understanding and attitude, after all, is everything.

Remeber those who serve you

It was those days when ice-cream sundae was not costing so much.

A small kid entered the parlor and took his seat. His dress was soiled and it was evident that he is a child labor. He poiltely asked the waitress, "Is icecream sundae availableaa?"

The waitress replied, "yes dear!"

the kid asked, "How much does it cost?"

THe waitress replied, "forty-five cents"

The kid took out nickels and started counting. Then again he asked the waitress, "how much does a normal icecream cost?"

The waitress is now losing patience as the que is getting longer. She replied with little anger, "35 cents"

The boy ordered for normal icecream. The waitress promptly brought the bill and left the table. The kid paid the cashier and left. When the waitress went to the table she was moved to tears.

All she could see was 2 five cent coins. The kid could have taken icecream sundae which he was fond of but he chose otherwise as to pay her the tip.

Moral: Remember those who serve you!

Hear the Unheard

Once lived a king. he was getting aged and wanted his son to inherit the throne. However, he wanted him to be qualified full enough for the job. Though the Prince was quite qualified for the seat, the King thought otherwise.

He sent his son to a sage as to evaluate whether he qualified for the job. The sage, in turn, sent the Prince to a forest asking him to spend there a week and return. The Prince was also asked to report the sage on what all he heard during the week.

Promplty after a week the prince returned and told the sage, "I heard the sound of birds, sound of branches cracking, leaves brushing, animals roaring etc.,

"The sage said, "No you have to listen more! Go back now and come after a week!"

The Prince got puzzled and had no other option but to go back. This time after 3 weeks, he returned. This time he replied, "Oh! Muni var (var means shresht - special), i learnt to listen to the sounds of flowers bloom, fall of grass, evapooration of dew, travelling of sun-rays..."

The sage satisfied with his answer, "Now you qualify to be the king"

When the disciple of the sage asked the reason, the sage said, "A king should be the one who could listen to the problems that are untold by his people".

Possession and Application

Once lived a rich man however was a miser. He hardly spent money. He used to keep all his money in the form of gold bars and have them buried in a secluded place.

Every morning, he used to take a long walk from his house to his farm and by afternoon when every one retires for lunch, he used to dig his earthern pot out and count these golden bars. He used to get satisfied with this exercise.

One fine day, while doing his routines, he found several of the golden bars were missing. he became restless. he couldnot sleep. He decided to approach an hermit who was on a visit to his village.

he approached the sage and reported his problem. The sage gave him a brick and said, "bury this in lieu of gold bars and count them everyday"

The rich man was surprised. "how can a brick and gold bar be equal?"

The sage replied, "if the gold bar is of no use to you so is this brick. thus they are equal"

One can have knowledge or intelligence, but if not applied then that knowledge is useless. Application if knowledge is called the ability.

MORAL: It is the not the number of books you read counts to your knowledge, its application counts!

Essence of Gayatri Mantra

Om Bhur Bhuvah Suvah - Tat Savithur Varenyam - Bhargo Devasya Dheemahi - Dhiyo yonah Prachodayat

We meditiate upon that spiritiual Effulgence of That Adoroable supreme Divine Reality the source of the physical, the Astral and the Heavenly Spheres of Existence. May that Supreme Divine Being enlighten our Intellect.

In short it is a prayer to the Divine Mother . "O Divine Mother, our heart are filled with darkness. Please make this darkness distant from us and promote Illumination within us".
How the Gayatri mantra be translated?
OM --Para Brahman
BHUR -- Physical Plane - It also refers to the body made up of five elements - which constitute Nature.
BHUVA -- The middle world. Bhuva is also Prana Sakthi. It is the presence of Prajnana that enable the Prana Sakthi to animate the body. It is on this account that the Vedas have declared - "Prajnanam Brahman" - Constant Integrated Awareness is Brahman.
SVAHA -- Heaven - the land of the Gods
TAT -- Paramatma, God or Brahman
SAVITUR -- That from which all this is born.
VARENYAM -- Fit to be worshipped.
BHARGO -- The Radiance, the Spiritual Effulgence, the Light that bestows Wisdom.
DEVASYA -- Divine Reality.
DHEEMAHI -- We meditate.
DHIYO -- Buddhi, Intellect.
YO -- Which.
NAH -- Our.
PRACHODAYAT -- Enlighten.

The word "Gayatri" is derived from "GAYAntam TRIyate Iti". Gayatri protects and redeems the one who chant it.. This mantra will save you from being caught up in the coils of this wordly life which is filled with death, grief and pain. Because Gayatri is Annapurna, the Mother, the Force that sustains all life and hence when we are under her protection she looks after us just as the mother looks after her new born child.

The Gayatri Mantra is the elaboration of the Pranava Sabda or Om. Gayatri Mantra is expanded from the word Om and Om is included in the Gayatri Mantra to give more effect to the Mantra. This Gayatri Mantra is also known as "Sabda Brahman". It contains in itself the spirit and energy of all the Vedic Mantras.

It is the greatest of all Mantras. There cannot be any other Mantra more effective than Gayatri Mantra since Gayatri resides in the heart of Mahavishnu. This divine Mantra came out from the Divine face of Mahavishnu at the time of the creation of the universe The Vedas are the very breath of God and the Gayatri Mantra is the very basis of the Vedas. It is also known as the Mother of the Vedas.

The Gayatri Mantra is the Universal Prayer enshrined in the Rig Vedas.. Thus the great Gayatri Mantra is ETERNAL, EVERLASTING AND ENDLESS.

There is no better japa or dhyana than reciting the Gayatri Mantra, since this Mantra has infinite potentiality. It is a vibrant formula. It has immense powers, powers that are truly amazing, for the sun is its presiding Deity. As Bhagavan Baba says that "The Gayatri Mantra has been given to us as the 'Third Eye' (the Agna Chakra) to reveal the inner vision to us so that we can realise the Brahman". One therefore has to approach with humility, reverence faith and love towards the Mantra.


It is the key to open the doors of Cosmic Consciousness. It blesses us with Liberation. It has four core declarations enshrined in the four Vedas.

Prajnanam Brahman Consciousness is Brahman Aitareya Upanishad - Rig Veda
Aham Brahma Asmi I am Brahman Brihadaranyaka Upanishad
Tat Twam Asi That Thou Art Chandogya Upanishad - Sama Veda
Ayam Atma Brahma This Self is Brahman Mandukya Upanishad - Atharva Veda

Gayatri Mantra was discovered by Sage Viswamitra. It was the same sage who initiated Sri Rama into the mysteries of Sun worship through the mantra Aditya Hrudayam. The Rishi for Gayatri Mantra is Viswamitra himself.. The Gayatri Mantra enabled Sage Viswamitra to use rare weapons which bowed to his will when the Mantra was repeated with faith. Through the powers he attained in this way, Viswamitra was able to create a counterpart of this Cosmos.

VISVAMITRA

King Viswamitra once while hunting in Himalayan forests reached a hermitage of Vasistha. The king’s troops were hungry and tired. Vasistha welcomed the king and requested Kamadhenu, his wish-cow, to feed the king and his men. The king was amazed to see that the wish-fulfilling cow provided all the food needed by him and his army. King thought that such a cow could meet the needs of his army and palace staff. He therefore asked Sage Vasistha to give the wish-cow to him. Inspite of all the commands of the king, Sage Vasistha refused to give the Kamadhenu, saying this cow-of-plenty could be given only to that person who had realized Brahman or Truth. The King’s ego was hurt and he flew into a rage. He ordered his troops to forcible take Kamadhenu along. At the behest of Sage Vasistha the wish-cow produced thousands of celestial armed bodies that drove away the kings men. Kings powerful arrows were stopped by the Sage’s staff ( brahma-danda). King realized that all his position, power, wealth, army, weapons were of no consequence in front of the yogic powers of a Brahmrishi. Viswamitra decided to become Brahmrishi himself, renounced his kingdom and went to jungles in Himalayas for deep meditation on Cosmic Self.

He did severe penance, tapasya and meditation and obtained great yogic powers. Indra, the head of the celestials, got frightened, thinking that Viswamitra might attempt to occupy his throne by his powers, sent a beautiful celestial nymph named Menaka to lure him and break his meditation. Viswamitra fell victim to passion and a female child names Shakuntala was born to them. Viswamitra soon realized that lust had consumed all his yogic powers. He renounced Menaka and the child and once more started deep meditation.

Viswamitra attained now higher spiritual powers. Indira once again sent another celestial nymph named Rambha , who tried to entice Viswamitra. Vishwamitra’s meditation was broken. Being aware of his past mistake, he became very angry on Rambha, and he uttered a curse, which turned her into a rock. But alas, Viswamitra consumed all his yogic powers in a moment of anger. First lust and now anger made him loose all his yogic powers. Indefatigable, he went higher in Himalayas and started doing severe tapasya (penance).

During that time another King, named Trishanku approached family guru Sage Vasistha to perform a great fire-sacrifice which could help him reach the heaven with his earthly body and consciousness which the Sage refused. The king was angry and approached Viswamitra,. Viswamitra, who wanted revenge, took this as an opportunity to display his yogic powers. Viswamitra performed the fire-sacrifice and sent King Trishuku in body to the celestial region of Indira. They pushed him back. While falling to earth Trishunku cried and prayed to Viswamitra to save him. Viswamitra stopped Trishunku’s fall and created a new stellar system for him. Viswamitra consumed all his yogic powers for his ulterior gain. Once agian he felt dejected and decided not to move from his meditation.

When Viswamitra’s tough penance became successful, the Lord Bramha appeared before him and told him the He was pleased with his penance and he was now a Maharishi. However, to become Brahmrishi, Viswamitra had to be blessed by Sage Vasistha. Saying this Brahma disappeared.

Now crowned as Maharshi, Viswamitra was frustrated at the very thought of going to Sage Vasistha for getting his blessings. Thinking that if he killed Vasistha, he could become Brahmrishi, he sneaked near the hermitage of Sage Vasistha and carried a huge rock to hurl on Vasistha’s head. While waiting for an opportune moment, he heard Arundhati, wife of Sage Vasistha saying to her husband that since Viswamitra was such a great man, he should be blessed to attain the status of Brahmarishi. Sage Vasistha replied that he would do so once Viswamitra comes to him. Hearing this conversation, Viswamitra felt ashamed and threw the rock away and rushed towards Sage Vasistha and fell prostrate at his feet.

Sage Vasistha told to Viswamitra " You have shown to the world that the human spirit is invincible and accepts no defeat. You conquered lust, anger, greediness, attachment and arrogance one by one through your austerities and meditation. The last barrier was jealousy. Now you have conquered that enemy also. Hail Brahmrishi Vishvamita!"

As Sage Vasistha touched the brow center of Vishvamitra, his third eye opened and he saw the seven rhythms with which the cosmos was created. The sacred Gayatri-mantra with its seven vpahrti’s or rhythms was revealed to him at that time.

The Mantra has all the three elements that figure in the adoration of God - Praise, Meditation and Prayer. the first nine words represent the attributes of the Divine. "Dheemahi" pertains to Meditation. "Dhi yo yonah Prachodayat" is the Prayer to God to "confer on us all powers and talents" or "Awaken my Discrmination my Lord and guide me".

The purpose of Gayatri Mantra is to illumine the intellect, since every human being is gifted with Reasoning Faculty which has to be kept alert and guarded from evil ways so that one can continue spiritual practices without hindrances and with faith and confidence in our journey to self realisation. Darkness is driven away and the Buddhi unfolds itself for spiritual advancement. Hence it sharpens the knowledge-yielding faculty in man.

The aspirant is advised to chant the Gayatri Mantra during dawn, noon and dusk. At the dawn Gayatri appears as BRAHMSWAROOPINI - as Saraswati attributes - and wisdom is granted to the aspirant. During noon Gayatri appears as RUDRASWAROOPINI - as Durga attributes - and the aspirant is relieved of his distress. During dawn, Gayatri appears as VISHNUSWAROOPINI - and grants wealth and prosperity to the aspirant.

Her three names are Gayatri, Savitri and Saraswati. These three are present in each one of us. Gayatri is the master of senses, Savithri is the master of Prana or Life Force and Saraswati is the presiding deity of Speech. These three represents Purity in Thought, Word and Deed. One who practices purity and Harmony of Thought, Word and Deed will have Gayatri, Savitri and Saraswati residing in him.

It can be recited with devotion for for one's spiritual and material benefit in all times by any human being in any part of the world. We do not have to be bound by three periods of time to chant the Gayatri Mantra. Besides when we chant this Mantra during taking bath, we clean not only our bodies but are minds and intellects at the same time. After we finish chanting the Gayatri Mantra we should repeat "Santhi" three times because it will give us peace of mind to the three entities in us - body mind and soul. Each word of the Gayatri should be pronounced clearly and distinctly, without undue haste or hurry. It is also recommended that Gayatri Mantra should be chanted before meals as our food becomes an offering to the Divine, and also when we wake up from bed and when we go to bed.

Gayatri Mantra must be mentally repeated with faith and love and without lip movement or sound. The benefit one derives is just beyond any calculations. Body and minds are cleansed. One develops peace of mind. Good health and good fortunes are also derived from chanting this Maha Mantra.

In short it confers wisdom, prosperity, purity and liberation ... removes fears, wards off all misery and fulfills all desires. It is the bestower of all that is beneficial to the person who chants it with faith. Hence it should not be treated casually. To absorb the Mantric power, purity of life and an abstemious diet are essential. Brahmaprakasa (the effulgence of Brahman) will descend on us and will illumine our spiritual path since it embodies all the Divine Potencies.

Bhagavan Baba has declared to his students" "You may or may not chant any othe Mantra but do remember that by chanting the Gayatri Mantra, the benefits are there for you to see. By continuously chanting the Gayatri Mantra you yourself will reach the state of fulfillment, a sense of feeling that you have achieved something.

Hence Gayatri Mantra is essential to the Self and its Japa must not be given up at all time. The Chitta Suddhi - cleansing of the Mind is the direct result of Gayatri Japa.

Start regular daily Gayatri Japa and feel for yourself the wondrous power that you derive therefrom. Fix a particular time for the Japa and stick to it permanently. At least one mala of japa you must do daily without a break. It will guard you from all dangers, give you infinite strength to overcome all obstacles, and take you to the very pinnacle of splendour, power, peace and bliss.
Let us all pray to the Lord that the fire of the Mantras is never extinguished in us and that it will keep burning brighter and brighter.

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புதுமை புதிர்: குணா - பார்த்த விழி

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