Wisdom of the Bhagavad Geetha -Song of the Lord

For all the human beings suffering from delusion, depression, self doubt , anger , arrogance and all other illusions to come out of it , here is some wise words

Lord Krishna Says :

"Fix your mind in Me only, place your intellect in Me only , then you shall no doubt live in Me alone "

This can be achieved by meditating on the Lord .Meditation is not a physical act but it is an art developed by the inner personality in human beings .Every one who seeks divine wisdom will be experiencing a situation in which what his intellect accepts the heart do no accept , what  heart accepts the intellect do not accept.To bring both the head and the heart to the divine feeling of satisfaction will happen if we harness our inner selves to the spiritual effort .

Worst power outage-How not to respond

We witnessed  the worst power outage of the world which affected the 60 crore people of the country.Many parts of the country is still struggling for power even now .People across India suffered as their life came to a grinding halt suddenly.We are frustrated , we do not know when this to end and how the Govt is going to respond and tackle the problem.

And what a response it was!!! The power minister casually stated that the outage was caused as some some stated drew more power than allowed. There was an outage the previous day ,so the knew what was causing the problem what did he do to prevent it happening again ? Nothing !!! told the media that he had instructed the officials to work on it . We were facing an emergency situation and see the way the minister responded. There was no ownership of the problem and no will to resolve it .Why ? because he was moving to home ministry . He was moved because he is capable of it ? no he was loyal to the family .He made of a mess of the power ministry still he is rewarded with a promotion .

The so called spoke persons of the party who appears on media with sound bites whenever there is an option to comment against Anna Hazare , Baba Ramdev or Narendra Modi are no where to be seen.The explanation of the crisis to media is given by an official of Powergrid Corporation and no body was there with him .The new power minister is also a person who made a mess of his allotted department and now he is also rewarded for it  because he is loyal to the family.

If the states were overdrawing power why did the centre prevent it ? .The main culprits are congress ruled states of Haryana , Rajasthan followed by UP and Punjab .Haryana drew 51% more than its allotted share from the pool and Rajasthan 18 % followed by UP 5% and Punjab 1% .What prevented the Govt from stopping it .The answer is simple no one have a clue of what is happening.All the ministers are busy to make sure their chairs are safe in cabinet reshuffle coming up .They have no time for all this .

The young leader of the Congress who is projected as  the future prime minister of the is nowhere to be seen or heard. If you aspire to take a higher positing you should respond to situations like this and show the nation how capable you are .Just propaganda won't do .

There is no guarantee that the outage will not happen again as no one is ready to take responsibility of the crisis and tackle it . I am sure this will happen again and we will hear the same lame excuses again.

The patience of the people are running out as we are already suffering from high prices, shortage of water ,power , increase in crime , irresponsible politicians and a looming drought in large parts of the country .I can see very hard times for us in the coming days.

Olympics and India

Olympics is the ultimate test for an athlete where they compete against opponents from all over the world. To win in an Olympics needs years of planning and preparation . You need to work hard and should have determination to achieve glory for your country and for yourself . Here always your country comes first .

Most of the countries start preparing for it years ahead and encourage their athletes by providing them top facilities and coaches .The athletes are also very determined to win glory for their country.This has been going for years and most of the top athletes are known for their heroic deeds in Olympics.

Look at India there is no preparation for it , most of the sports bodies are controlled by politicians or their cronies for years .Promotion of sports and winning glory for their country is least of their priorities.same goes for the athletes ,barring a few they are not interested in bringing glories for the country nor they are ready to work for it. Even some one wants to work for it there is no facilities.Most of them aim to land a cushy job in government companies and enjoy life .

The current Olympics is not different ,most of them are going to  London for sight seeing will not even go beyond the first round of their events .They are promised jobs by the government just for going to London .

The focus is on cricket which generates money for the controlling body and players are also get paid well .The IPL also gives a lot of money even for the under performers.In cricket also we are tigers at home or in the sub continent and if we go abroad we stand no chance .The tours of Australia and England are prime examples. They days of Indian cricketers dominating overseas is almost over and it will be over completely once Sachin retires from the game .

We do not have a culture of excelling in sports or any games nor our education system do not encourage it.
We do not believe in bringing glory for the country in sports and games .
We just a nation of couch potatoes who are happy cheering some accidental heroes in sports and games .
We are a nation who follows film stars whose lives arefar from reality, have no values to give to the next generation and we tend to believe that whatever they do is the right thing

The rains – no sign of it !!

Posted on July 21, 2012 by msrksl

There are no rains this time the seasons has started about a month back. We used to wait eagerly for the rains, giving us relief from the summer which was always enjoyable as it coincides with our holidays.Once it starts it will rain day and night for days together with no breaks and everything will be drenched in the rains .The ponds , the wells , the canals will be over flowing .We will go fishing in canals and catch small fish and put it back in our ponds ( we never eat it , we are vegetarians). The sky will remain dark no sign of the sun ,we will go every where with umbrellas and once we reach home we will be served hot foods like tapioca or things like that .The pond will be full of water and we will have a gala time swimming in it .The nights will be noisy with the frogs doing their mating song it was great time sleeping listening to the song of the rain.
But now it is way past the season no sign of rain , every one tells different reasons for it. Most of the country is in the grip of a drought and some north eastern states are suffering from floods.It looks like in the coming years the amount of rains will be diminishing and we are going to suffer . Look at our politicians they are least bothered about it and they are going playing on games to make sure that their power and positions are intact .The centre is using all its energy to elect one of its leaders as president which is a post of no significance and trying to hoist a reluctant young family member as the future ruler of the country.Here in Karnataka they are haggling for cabinet berths ,posts and houses when most of the state is reeling under drought. They are also planning foreign trips to “study” the system over there .But politicians will be like that always .
What we can do is to implement ways preserve water , reduce the wastage of water , install rain harvesting systems in our houses,participate in plans to protect our environment , help to plant and grow more trees.
When I look out of the window the dark clouds are looming in the sky ,hope it will rain so that i can enjoy it and relive the old memories with it !!

Do we need Rahul ?

One general secretary of the congress party recently announced that Rahul Gandhi is going to assume a bigger role  in the party soon and only he will be able to salvage the party .This is the typical sycopanthic statement from a functionary of  a party in which proximity to the leader makes one important not ability.
Do we really need Rahul Gandhi as a leader ? I really doubt that people of india have taken him seriously yet.People are used to politicians who are pro active ,always expressing opinions on all issues ,who has charisma in wooing them and used to listen to them and judge them. Rahul is projected as a youth icon but we have not seen him in any public forum expressing his opinions .He is a member of the parliament but hardly participate in any debates of importance.
We had a great debate on Lokpal in the loksabha Rahul was hardly seen . The country is reeling with numerous problems like price rise, inflation,corruption, scandals, pollution , farmer suicides to name a few , but do not know what Rahul thinks about these issues . He tried to mount a revival campaign for the party in UP but failed miserably. He is surrounded and advised by a group of  people who has no idea of the real state affairs .
We need a leader who express his opinions correctly ,have the right grasp of the issues and offer right solutions. He should able to fight effectively against corruption , price rise ,inflation with clear cut plans. , should be able to build an administration where positions are given to people on merit not on the basis of loyalty .If some one can do it he will emerge as an effective leader .In the present state of things it does not seem that Rahul has these abilities and even he takes some high position in the party or the government he will be lead through  the blind path by his sycopanthic advisors which will be disastrous for him ,the party and the country.

The month of rejuvenation- Karkidaka

The showery dance and the rhythmic beat of the raindrops are here again. The monsoons are back, and with it a hoard of health problems.
Ayurveda recommends 'Rithu Charya', which is specific observance of diet and life style suitable for each season to protect us from the harmful effects of changing seasons. Ayurveda recommends a strict routine to be followed during the rainy season to cancel out the effect of the sudden transition from the scorching summer to the monsoons.
Karkidaka Masam or Karkatakam month is the last month according to a traditional Kerala Malayalam Calendar. Karkidakam month is celebrated as Ramayana Masam in Kerala. The sacred Hindu epic Ramayan will be read throughout the month in temples as well as homes.
 
Once again sky is going to get filled up with rain clouds, like a veil that hides the sizzling dancer. Yes.. the malayalam month of Karkidakam is back again with the mighty dancer-the monsoon rain with the hues and hushes of the wind. The Karkidakam Month, is the last month in the traditional Malayalam calendar followed in Kerala. Karkidakam also known as the Ramayana month (July-August)is a relief to scorching heat of summer. The month is also known as the Ramayana Masam because the epic Ramayan is read in this month in homes and temples. The monsoon rains are at its peak in Karkidakam month. But it is the month of diseases and infection. The rapid change of climate leaves us with low resistance. So its always best to take precautions than to treat the disease after getting infected.
Long back , it was the month of difficulties or scarcity. People who depended mainly on agriculture turn jobless. To ward of evil and nature's fury people read the Hindu epic Ramayana. People also followed Ayurvedic style of life as a precaution against hoard of health problems. It includes consuming Karkidaka kanji or medicinal porridge. This herbal rice soup has magical powers to ward off diseases and to purify body and soul.
Ayurveda recommends 'Rithu Charya', which is specific observance of diet and life style suitable for each season to protect us from the harmful effects of changing seasons. Ayurveda recommends a strict routine to be followed during the rainy season to cancel out the effect of the sudden transition from the scorching summer to the monsoons.
Karkidaka Masam or Karkatakam month is the last month according to a traditional Kerala Malayalam Calendar. Karkidakam month is celebrated as Ramayana Masam in Kerala. The sacred Hindu epic Ramayan will be read throughout the month in temples as well as homes.

Karkidaka Kanji or Medicinal Porridge Preparation

5 grams each of Malli, Vizhalari,Chrupunnayari, Kutakapalayari, Karkokilari, Jeerakam, Perumjeerakam, Ayamodakam, Uluva, Aashali, Putharichundaveru, Varattumanjal, Katuku, Chukku, Sathakuppa, Naruneendikizhangu, Karimjeerakam, Elam, Thakkolam, Karayampoovu, Jathikka is added along with 1 liter of water, 250 ml of cow milk, and 80 gram of rice. Boil these ingredients and now kanji is ready. Alittle amount of jeerakam and chuvanna ulli is fried in ghee. This is mixed with kanji. And now the Karkidaka Kanji is ready and can be served hot.

Other than having this medicinal porridge we must also follow some other healthy habits as well. It is in the monsoon season all the Tridoshas namely Vata, Pitha, Kapha aggravatesin our body. It is the ideal time to flush out all impurities and to bring back all the tridoshas to balanced state. For that our ancestors adopted Ayurvedic style of life. Ayurvedic oil therapies like Abhyagam (Full body massage with medicated oil), Dhara (application of a continuous stream of mildly warm oil to the body parts), Pizhichil (medicated warm oil used in a continuous stream for a definite period for the whole body), Njavarakizhi (integral part for keeping the balance between "vatha", "pitha" and "Kapha". In "Pindasweda" the Njavara rice is boiled in "Kurunthottikazhayam", which is a decoction of sida root and milk. It is taken in cloth bags (Kizhis) and is used for massaging.), Elakizhi and Panchakarma treatments are recommended during the season for cleansing the body systems.

It is always advisable to take only boiled food and water. Do not drink excess water in this season. Add items such as Jeerakam, dry dinger, Thippalli, elakka etc. which have medicinal property in drinking water. Since it enhance digestive power. Taking oil bath is good for health in this season.Its better to fumigate rooms and surroundings every day, in dusk. This helps in killing or driving away insects like mosquitoes. Avoid wearing damp clothes. As this is the Ramayana month try taking part in religious activities like reading Ramayana or other religious epics. This is because reading the epics enrich our knowledge and morality.

The Thunder bolt for the common man -Price hike of Diesel

The diesel price hike-new thunderbolt for the common man

Posted on July 16, 2012 by msrksl

 

Once the new president is elected the prices of diesel and LPG is going to be increased to improve the economy!. This is one of the steps recommended by the so-called experts to improve the Indian economy.For the common man this is a thunderbolt which will make life more difficult.The rise in the price of diesel will have a cascading effect on the prices of so many things , the family budget is going for a toss and make day-to-day living difficult.Already we are suffering from high prices for most of the commodities , above all we pay very high amount of tax too.Our salaries do not increase according to the price rise, most of the companies not giving a pay hike to the employees citing difficult economic times.

Why is the prices are increased? it is supposed to bring down fiscal deficit of the government .The government is spending more than its revenue collection.Most of the money is spend on schemes like job guarantee schemes and the benefits never reaches the right person.Most of the money is siphoned off by the politician official nexus .The government is not ready to implement measures to check the corruption on its departments and spend more money on populist programs like food security where most of the money will be going to line the pockets of undeserving people.

Why should we suffer this silently ? we should not. We should rise our voices whenever possible and support those whistle blowers,anti corruption crusaders and other activists who point out how money is wasted by the Govt and how we can prevent it.Because this is going to be  a never-ending thing as prices go up and our incomes never match up.The experts who regularly appears on various news channels suggest various remedies for the economy but no body is sure whether these measures work. The so-called reforms suggested by these experts are implemented by countries like Greece, Spain ,Portugal,Italy and these countries are in dire straits now.There is no guarantee these will work for india.Over 2,00,000 farmers committed suicide in various parts of India in the last 10 years and no body offers a remedy for it. Our infrastructure is collapsing , no one have an idea how to improve it.

We need a balanced approach to the economy by which we can control inflation, improve infrastructure ,improve agriculture and these will improve the lives of the people.The rising prices of diesel and LPG is  not a solution but it will make things worse for the government .There is going to be  a big popular backlash and government will find it difficult to face it .Let ‘s us hope wise counsel will prevail and decisions will not be taken in haste .

We have suffered enough and do not want more agony piled on us

Political Circus

what is going in Karnataka ? it is just circus with no respect to the feelings of the people. The politicians are only interested in power and make money through it .The people should teach them a lesson in the next election.

The same happens in the central government.No one knows what is happening and no one is capable of taking a decision and provide direction. It is full of corrupt ministers. The problem here is power without accountability which is centered on some individuals. This should stop immediately. The country is in a bad shape in all fields , some thing should be done to stop.It is a responsibilty of all of us .

Summer and How to enjoy it

The summer is here.In our part of the country summer normally sets is after
Shivarathri.In the north Holi heralds the begginning of the summer.Along with this so many things happen.Hectic preparations for the exams have started which is only a few weeks away.All students will be looking forward for the summer vacations where they will have a lot fun playing , travelling and watching TV and movies.It is also the begginning of new year in most of the states once the harvest season is over.In south india it is celebrated as Ugadi,Gudi Padwa and Vishu , in north india it is celebrated as Baishaki and in the east as Bihu.We indians have celebrations for all seasons and we do it in style than any other country. Normally summer months are time for travelling, playing and relaxing for the young ones. Others toil day in and day out irrespective of the season as the jobs have become round the clock affairs and with a big work load .Still most people find out time to short vacations with their families and travel to new places if possible. Hill stations and beaches will be crowded during these times.For kids there will be lot of free time but now most kids cannot enjoy it as they will be send to summer camps to learn various skills or spend most of the time in front of the TV watching cartoons, movies or playing violent games in playstation or watching mindless wrestling matches. It is looks like we have forgotten how to enjoy life as we live mostly in a virtual world of social media networks, apps etc.We often forget to enjoy the world around us like how beautiful the sunrise is, how the night sky looks, how refreshing it is to see a tree full of flowers.As summer grows in intensity we will be looking for relief and it will come in the forms rains which is another great season the nature unflods for us.

Here are some suggestions for making the summer more enjoyable for the young one during vacations

Spend some time reading –will help keep  your skills you have acquired during the academic year

Follow current events -Be sure to read the paper and follow what is going on both locally and globally which will help you in your studies later .

Stay fit-To be able to stay in great shape and stay fit can be a great advantage , it will benefit you to have focus, persistence and stamina. It will keep you healthy, and exercise can be a great outlet for stress.

Continue networking-Be sure to spend time networking and meeting new people.

Have fun and visit friends and family-be sure to take time over the summer to relax and spend time with your friends and family. If it's traveling, playing, reading or spending time relaxing, whatever your passion is, spend time doing it!!

I  remember the summers I have spent in Kerala which was full of playing crikcket, eating mangoes , jack fruits,learning swimming in the ponds, going long rides in the bicycle with friends and watching movies .I also remember that summers in mumbai which comes with water shortage , stuffy ride in the local trains, the mad scramble to get train tickets to go to native places. The summers in Chennai where the heat is unberable and there is no relief from it as there will be no monsoon rains.The summers in Bangalore is getting warmer by the year as we cut down more tress to “develop” roads to reduce traffic congestion which  it will never do, neglecting  lakes and mind less contructions of high rises .It is high time that we take responsibilty for preserving out environment so that our coming generation can enjoy it.

Shivarathri and Lord Shiva

To every one wishing a pious Shivarathri celebrations.We should celebrate all festivals it is a great way of spending time with your family, friends , relatives and will help you to reduce stress and tension.As life becomes more hectic and stress full all these festivals will help us to relax .

On the eve of Mahashivarathri a few thoughts on Lord Shiva and his Thandava ( Dance )
This falls on the 13th (or 14th) day of the dark half of Phalgun (February-March). The name means "the night of Shiva". The ceremonies take place chiefly at night. This is a festival observed in honour of Lord Shiva. Shiva was married to Parvati on this day.
People observe a strict fast on this day. Some devotees do not even take a drop of water. They keep vigil all night. The Shiva Lingam is worshipped throughout the night by washing it every three hours with milk, curd, honey, rose water, etc., whilst the chanting of the Mantra Om Namah Shivaya continues. Offerings of bael leaves are made to the Lingam. Bael leaves are very sacred as, it is said, Lakshmi resides in them.
Hymns in praise of Lord Shiva, such as the Shiva Mahimna Stotra of Pushpadanta or Ravana's Shiva Tandava Stotra are sung with great fervour and devotion. People repeat the Panchakshara Mantra, Om Namah Shivaya. He who utters the Names of Shiva during Shivaratri, with perfect devotion and concentration, is freed from all sins. He reaches the abode of Shiva and lives there happily. He is liberated from the wheel of births and deaths. Many pilgrims flock to the places where there are Shiva temples.

Shiva Tandava
bLord Shiva is also known as Nataraj, the Dancing God. This divine art form is performed by Lord Shiva and his divine consort Goddess Parvati. The dance performed by Lord Shiva is known as Tandava. Shiva’s Tandava is a vigorous dance that is the source of the cycle of creation, preservation and dissolution. Tandava depicts his violent nature as the destroyer of the universe.Characteristics of Tandava DanceAccording to scholars, ‘Characteristics of the Tandava Dance’ have been described in the fourth chapter of Bharat Muni’s Nata Shastra, which is referred to as fifth Veda and an expression of Lord Shiva’s eternal dance - Tandava. It says that Shiva’s Tandava is embellished with 108 karanas and the 32 anghaharas - the composite parts of the dance. Bharat Muni further says that Lord Shiva conceived the dance, as he was very much fond of dancing every evening. Shiva further mentioned that 108 karnas included in tandava could be employed in the course of dance, fight, and personal combats and in other special movements like strolling. Types of TandavaSome scholars believe that there are seven different types of Tandava. The tandava performed with joy is called Ananda Tandava and that which is performed in violent mood is called Rudra Tandava. The other types of tandava identified are Tripura Tandava, Sandhya Tandava, Samara Tandava, Kaali Tandava, Uma Tandava and Gauri Tandava. However, there are few people who believe that there are 16 types of Tandava. Significance of Shiva's Tandava NrityaAccording to religious scholars, the cosmic dance of Shiva, called 'Anandatandava,' meaning, ‘the Dance of Bliss’ symbolizes the cosmic cycles of creation and destruction, as well as the daily rhythm of birth and death. The dance is a pictorial allegory of the five principle manifestations of eternal energy - creation, destruction, preservation, salvation, and illusion. According to learned scholar, Coomerswamy, the dance of Shiva also represents his five activities namely,
'Shrishti' - creation, evolution
'Sthiti' - preservation, support
'Samhara' - destruction, evolution
'Tirobhava' - illusion
'Anugraha' - release, emancipation, grace
The overall temper of the image is paradoxical, uniting the inner tranquillity, and outside activity of Shiva.LasyaThe dance performed by Goddess Parvati is known as Lasya. In Lasya, the movements are gentle, graceful and sometimes erotic. Some scholars call Lasya, the feminine version of Tandava. Lasya is of two kinds - Jarita Lasya and Yauvaka Lasya. According to the Puranas, Shiva dances a wild and vigorous (tandava) dance in the cremation grounds at night but dances a soft and graceful (lasya) dance in the tranquillity of the twilight.
MAHA MRITYUNJAYA MANTRAॐ त्रियम्बकं यजामहे, सुगन्धिं पुष्टिवर्धनंउर्वारुकमिव बन्धनान् मृत्योर्मोक्षिय मामृतात्
We worship Shiva - The Three-Eyed (tryambakam) Lord (yajamahe);Who is fragrant (sugandhim) and nourishes (pushti) and grows (vardhanam) all beings.As the ripened cucumber (urvarukamiva) is automatically liberated (bandhanaan) from its bondage from the creeper when it fully ripens;May He liberate us (mokshiya) from death (mrityor), for the sake of immortality (maamritaat).

Indiantreasuretrove: To write or not to write

Indiantreasuretrove: To write or not to write: I always wanted to write about so many things about life, arts, music and many other things .But some how I was holding it back for a long t...

To write or not to write

I always wanted to write about so many things about life, arts, music and many other things .But some how I was holding it back for a long time now. Now I have decided to start writing down my thoughts whether it is relevant or not .I found it a great way of de stressing. Will try to write meaningful things .There are so many things I  have experienced in life to wrote about. Will also write about current events arond us . This is a small beginning towards that