Ram & Hanuman - The Evidence

After receiving an email forward with photographic evidence of the events and people of the Ramayan, I thought I'do a bit of research and found the following. Zee TV apparently did a story on what evidence is out there and the results seem conclusive... (not that I had any doubts to begin with!) Hanuman made his impact in Lanka and Lord Rama truly went over and recovered Mata Sita.

See links below for full story and photos:

Mil Gaye Ram Part I
Mil Gaye Ram Part II
Mil Gaye Ram Part III

Proof of Ramayan Photographs

Gandhi’s Top 10 Fundamentals for Changing the World

"You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty."

"The difference between what we do and what we are capable of doing would suffice to solve most of the world's problem."

"If I had no sense of humour, I would long ago have committed suicide."

Mahatma Gandhi needs no long introduction. Everyone knows about the man who lead the Indian people to independence from British rule in 1947.

So let's just move on to some of my favourite tips from Mahatma Gandhi.

1. Change yourself.

"You must be the change you want to see in the world."

"As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world - that is the myth of the atomic age - as in being able to remake ourselves."

If you change yourself you will change your world. If you change how you think then you will change how you feel and what actions you take. And so the world around you will change. Not only because you are now viewing your environment through new lenses of thoughts and emotions but also because the change within can allow you to take action in ways you wouldn't have – or maybe even have thought about – while stuck in your old thought patterns.

And the problem with changing your outer world without changing yourself is that you will still be you when you reach that change you have strived for. You will still have your flaws, anger, negativity, self-sabotaging tendencies etc. intact.

And so in this new situation you will still not find what you hoped for since your mind is still seeping with that negative stuff. And if you get more without having some insight into and distance from your ego it may grow more powerful. Since your ego loves to divide things, to find enemies and to create separation it may start to try to create even more problems and conflicts in your life and world.

2. You are in control.

"Nobody can hurt me without my permission."

What you feel and how you react to something is always up to you. There may be a "normal" or a common way to react to different things. But that's mostly just all it is.

You can choose your own thoughts, reactions and emotions to pretty much everything. You don't have to freak out, overreact of even react in a negative way. Perhaps not every time or instantly. Sometimes a knee-jerk reaction just goes off. Or an old thought habit kicks in.

And as you realize that no-one outside of yourself can actually control how you feel you can start to incorporate this thinking into your daily life and develop it as a thought habit. A habit that you can grow stronger and stronger over time. Doing this makes life a whole lot easier and more pleasurable.

3. Forgive and let it go.

"The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong."

"An eye for eye only ends up making the whole world blind."

Fighting evil with evil won't help anyone. And as said in the previous tip, you always choose how to react to something. When you can incorporate such a thought habit more and more into your life then you can react in a way that is more useful to you and others.

You realize that forgiving and letting go of the past will do you and the people in your world a great service. And spending your time in some negative memory won't help you after you have learned the lessons you can learn from that experience. You'll probably just cause yourself more suffering and paralyze yourself from taking action in this present moment.

If you don't forgive then you let the past and another person to control how you feel. By forgiving you release yourself from those bonds. And then you can focus totally on, for instance, the next point.

4. Without action you aren't going anywhere.

"An ounce of practice is worth more than tons of preaching."

Without taking action very little will be done. However, taking action can be hard and difficult. There can be much inner resistance.

And so you may resort to preaching, as Gandhi says. Or reading and studying endlessly. And feeling like you are moving forward. But getting little or no practical results in real life.

So, to really get where you want to go and to really understand yourself and your world you need to practice. Books can mostly just bring you knowledge. You have to take action and translate that knowledge into results and understanding.

You can check out a few effective tips to overcome this problem in How to Take More Action: 9 Powerful Tips. Or you can move on to the next point for more on the best tip for taking more action that I have found so far.

5. Take care of this moment.

"I do not want to foresee the future. I am concerned with taking care of the present. God has given me no control over the moment following."

The best way that I have found to overcome the inner resistance that often stops us from taking action is to stay in the present as much as possible and to be accepting.

Why? Well, when you are in the present moment you don't worry about the next moment that you can't control anyway. And the resistance to action that comes from you imagining negative future consequences - or reflecting on past failures - of your actions loses its power. And so it becomes easier to both take action and to keep your focus on this moment and perform better.

Have a look at 8 Ways to Return to the Present Moment for tips on how quickly step into the now. And remember that reconnecting with and staying in the now is a mental habit - a sort of muscle - that you grow. Over time it becomes more powerful and makes it easier to slip into the present moment.

6. Everyone is human.

"I claim to be a simple individual liable to err like any other fellow mortal. I own, however, that I have humility enough to confess my errors and to retrace my steps."

"It is unwise to be too sure of one's own wisdom. It is healthy to be reminded that the strongest might weaken and the wisest might err."

When you start to make myths out of people – even though they may have produced extraordinary results – you run the risk of becoming disconnected from them. You can start to feel like you could never achieve similar things that they did because they are so very different. So it's important to keep in mind that everyone is just a human being no matter who they are.

And I think it's important to remember that we are all human and prone to make mistakes. Holding people to unreasonable standards will only create more unnecessary conflicts in your world and negativity within you.

It's also important to remember this to avoid falling into the pretty useless habit of beating yourself up over mistakes that you have made. And instead be able to see with clarity where you went wrong and what you can learn from your mistake. And then try again.

7. Persist.

"First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win."

Be persistent. In time the opposition around you will fade and fall away. And your inner resistance and self-sabotaging tendencies that want to hold you back and keep you like you have always been will grow weaker.

Find what you really like to do. Then you'll find the inner motivation to keep going, going and going. You can also find a lot of useful tips on how keep your motivation up in How to Get Out of a Motivational Slump and 25 Simple Ways to Motivate Yourself.

One reason Gandhi was so successful with his method of non-violence was because he and his followers were so persistent. They just didn't give up.

Success or victory will seldom come as quickly as you would have liked it to. I think one of the reasons people don't get what they want is simply because they give up too soon. The time they think an achievement will require isn't the same amount of time it usually takes to achieve that goal. This faulty belief partly comes from the world we live in. A world full of magic pill solutions where advertising continually promises us that we can lose a lot of weight or earn a ton of money in just 30 days. You can read more about this in One Big Mistake a Whole Lot of People Make.

Finally, one useful tip to keep your persistence going is to listen to Gandhi's third quote in this article and keep a sense of humor. It can lighten things up at the toughest of times.

8. See the good in people and help them.

"I look only to the good qualities of men. Not being faultless myself, I won't presume to probe into the faults of others."

"Man becomes great exactly in the degree in which he works for the welfare of his fellow-men."

"I suppose leadership at one time meant muscles; but today it means getting along with people."

There is pretty much always something good in people. And things that may not be so good. But you can choose what things to focus on. And if you want improvement then focusing on the good in people is a useful choice. It also makes life easier for you as your world and relationships become more pleasant and positive.

And when you see the good in people it becomes easier to motivate yourself to be of service to them. By being of service to other people, by giving them value you not only make their lives better. Over time you tend to get what you give. And the people you help may feel more inclined to help other people. And so you, together, create an upward spiral of positive change that grows and becomes stronger.

By strengthening your social skills you can become a more influential person and make this upward spiral even stronger. A few articles that may provide you with useful advice in that department are Do You Make These 10 Mistakes in a Conversation? and Dale Carnegie's Top 10 Tips for Improving Your Social Skills. Or you can just move on to the next tip.

9. Be congruent, be authentic, be your true self.

"Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony."

"Always aim at complete harmony of thought and word and deed. Always aim at purifying your thoughts and everything will be well."

I think that one of the best tips for improving your social skills is to behave in a congruent manner and communicate in an authentic way. People seem to really like authentic communication. And there is much inner enjoyment to be found when your thoughts, words and actions are aligned. You feel powerful and good about yourself.

When words and thoughts are aligned then that shows through in your communication. Because now you have your voice tonality and body language – some say they are over 90 percent of communication – in alignment with your words.

With these channels in alignment people tend to really listen to what you're saying. You are communicating without incongruency, mixed messages or perhaps a sort of phoniness.

Also, if your actions aren't in alignment with what you're communicating then you start to hurt your own belief in what you can do. And other people's belief in you too.

10. Continue to grow and evolve.

"Constant development is the law of life, and a man who always tries to maintain his dogmas in order to appear consistent drives himself into a false position."

You can pretty much always improve your skills, habits or re-evaluate your evaluations. You can gain deeper understanding of yourself and the world.

Sure, you may look inconsistent or like you don't know what you are doing from time to time. You may have trouble to act congruently or to communicate authentically. But if you don't then you will, as Gandhi says, drive yourself into a false position. A place where you try to uphold or cling to your old views to appear consistent while you realise within that something is wrong. It's not a fun place to be. To choose to grow and evolve is a happier and more useful path to take

Source: http://www.positivityblog.com/

Shiva, Shivaa and Shivalingam - Fact, Fiction & Philosophy

Ask the Pandit: We go to the temple and worship Shiva-lingam with devotion to Lord Shiva but we hear at school that Shivalingam represents Shiva-phallus. Is this true? A British Hindu Teenager

Answer: No, Shivalingam is a characteristic symbol of the formless supreme being with explanation as hereunder. It was the European Indologists of the colonial era who inflicted this translation onto the Shaivite Hinduism whereas in South India you will find noble surnames ending with the word...lingham, to denote not a phallus but their peity to the indivisible God Shiva, Shivaa and Shivalingham.

Introduction

A view that Shivalinga represents phallus and Shiva bhakta (devotee) Hindus are phallus worshippers is increasingly gaining ground among the Indian intelligentsia. It has direct relationship with the spread of English education and corresponding erosion of knowledge of Sanskrit in India. Originally the Colonial Christian missionaries in the 19th century floated this idea to malign the Hindu religion altogether but of late, attempts have been made by the Hindu intelligensia to rationalise and even eulogise phallus worship due to their dependence now on the English language. Another fall-out of predominance of English language is that non-Hindus, Hindu apostates and anti-Hindu scholars, having sketchy knowledge of Hindu scriptures and no knowledge of Sanskrit are relied upon more than the true exponents of Hindu dharma (religion) or the genuine scholars of Hindu scriptures. Commonsense demands that in matters of a religious belief or practice, the ruling or interpretation of its teachers should have precedence. However, that is not so in the case of Hindu religion. The root cause of this blasphemous thought about the Shivalinga was the Christian missionaries but now is the English language rendering of the Sanskrit word, “linga”, as “penis’ or “phallus”.

Meaning of Shivalinga and Vedi

The oldest available Sanskrit text on the worship of Shivalinga is the Linga Purana, followed by the Shiva Mahapurana. Both were compiled, in the 'present' form, during the great Gupta period of Indian history, from 4th to 7th century AD (as additions continued to be made up to the 10th century).The very first shloka of Section 2 of the Linga Purana, Part I, says: “The non-characterized (formless) one is the root of the characterized, (well formed) world. The manifest, characterized world, is called Prakriti (Nature), while the non-characterized, formless, one is called Shiva. Thus, the characterized one, namely, Prakriti (Nature) must be seen as the “linga”, meaning mark, of Lord Shiva.”

1. Shlokas 8 and 9 thereof further explain the theme: “As earlier said, Brahma Himself is the universe personified. Though non-characterized, He is the supreme lord. He is the seed (beej); He is the Womb (Yoni). And, the source of both of them is non-characterized Nirbeejo (Shiva). Thus, the Supreme Lord is both seed and womb and also the universe”.
[Incidentally a Yoni stone has been discovered near Allahabad dating back to c.14000 years.]

2. [Incidentally, in certain publications, like the English translation of the Linga Purana, published by M/s. Motilal Banarsidas, Delhi-Varanasi-Patna, under the title, “Ancient India’s Traditions & Mythology”, Vol.V, Section 2 of Part I, is shown as Section 3, because they have treated the Index also as a separate section.]
The above simile of seed and womb is also used in the Bhagvatgeeta, chap.14/3-4, where Lord Krishna says: “My womb is the great Brahma (Eternal,Cosmos); in it, I place the germ; thence cometh the birth of all beings, O Bharata (Arjuna). In all the wombs, where mortals are produced, O Arjuna, their principal base womb is the great Brahma, and I am their generating father.”

3. The Maitryopanishad, Prapathak 4, shlokas 1-2, explain how the word “yoni” meant the “source”. It says, fire, that does not get fuel is exhausted in its place of origin (yoni), so does mind calm down in its place of origin, when its passions get exhausted (in the absence of outside support)”.

4. According to Sanskrit dictionary, (Medini Koshakar), “Linga” means sign, (mark or characteristic), conjecture, a kind of Lord Shiva’s image, and rarely penis: the word is a neuter gender. In Sanskrit, the specific word for penis, is ‘shishna’ In the entire Sanskrit literature, especially in works on religion or spirituality, the word ‘linga’ has been used in the sense of a sign, a symbol, characteristic of something, and ‘yoni’ as source of origin. For example, the Brahmasutra,(Vedanta Darshan) says: “Aakaashastallingat”, (1.1.22), cosmos is the ‘linga’ (sign) of Brahma (Eternity). The Vaisheshik Darshan, (2.2.6), says, “Aparasminnaparam yugpat chiram kshipramiti kaal lingaani”, meaning, time’s ‘lingani’ (characteristics) are, before, after, together, swift, slow, in relation to somebody or something. If ‘linga’ wereto mean ‘penis’, how could ‘kaal’ (time) have five ‘penis’?The Brahmasutra (Vedanta Darshan) has used the word ‘linga’ 12 times and the Vaisheshik Darshan has used it 29 times. Every time, they have used it in the sense of formless God or a characteristic. The Upanishadas too have used it in the same sense.

In his well documented research work, Bharatiya Pratik Vidya, (Hindi), published by the Bihar Rashtrabhasha Parishad Patna, 1959, Dr. Janardan Misra has explained in great detail as to how, in their study of phallus worship, European scholars found out that in many countries of ancient Europe, (including England, Ireland, Greece), Egypt and Japan, certain people practiced witchcraft before the image of phallus: how some of them concluded that OSIRIS as God and ISIS as Goddess, worshipped by ancient Egyptians, were the corrupt forms of Hindus’ “ISHWAR” (God) and “ISHWARI” (Goddess): how two of the scholars assumed that the Hindus worshipped male and female sex organs. The question is, even if Shivalinga was mistaken as symbolising penis, following the vulgar meaning of ‘linga’, how the European (and even Indian) scholars got ‘vagina’ out of ‘vedi’ (pedestal) of Shivalinga. The only answer can be that once Shivalinga was assumed to mean Lord Shiva’s penis, the ‘vedi’ (pedestal) was automatically presumed to be vagina, being complementary to each other. It is noteworthy that in South India, the word ‘linga’ still continues to mean a mark or an indicator. Hence, many people there have their names like Ramalingam, Bhoothalingam, Mahalingam, or so. The Shivopanishad, 124, says: “Let it be understood that heart is the best abode of Lord Shiva. Hence, the Linga represents Him, that is ‘Omkar’, and the Vedi (Pedestal) represents the lotus like heart.”

Origin and philosophy

In the Shiva Mahapurana, chapter 5, shloka 10-11 of the first (Vidyeswari) Samhita, sage Suta tells a gathering of other sages: “(Lord) Shiva is the supreme God. So, He is called formless, nishkala (non-characterized), but at times He also takes form, so He is also called characterized”.6
In support, sage Nandikeshwara narrates the following episode: In the ancient (pre-historic) period, (Shvet Varah Kalpa), when the earth was submerged in water, a fierce fight ensued between Brahman and Vishnu on the question as to who of the two was superior.
To teach them a lesson, the Supreme God (Lord Shiva) appeared between them in the form of a burning column (Shlokas, 27-28/Ibid).7 Emerging from the ocean, it rose on to go into the sky. A symbolic replica of that burning column is called Shivalinga, a mark of the formless God, Lord Shiva.
A similar account is given in chapter 17, Part I of the Ling Purana. Seeing this huge burning column, both Brahma and Vishnu exclaimed with astonishment: “What is this most wonderful fiery column, imperceptible to senses? What is there below it and above it? Let us first find it out”, (chap. 7, shloka 13-14/Ibid).8 Thus, Brahma went upwards and Vishnu went downwards into the ocean to find out the reality of the new phenomenon. After long years, both of them returned to their original place.
While Vishnu admitted his failure, Brahma falsely claimed that he had reached the summit. But, an Aaakashvani (celestial voice) exposed his lie for which he had to suffer the curse of Lord Shiva. Now, Brahma and Vishnu together prayed to the fiery column to reveal itself to them. In response, there was a big sound of ‘A U M’ – ‘A U M’. A little later, Vishnu saw AUM’s first syllable ‘A’ on the south of the column, syllable ‘U’ on the north, and syllable ‘M’ in the middle, denoting Brahma (god of creation), Rudra/Shiva (god of death or dissolution and regeneration) and Vishnu (god of maintenance, who keeps the world going), respectively.This very episode is narrated in greater detail by Brahma to his Manas (Intellectual) son, Narada, in chapters 6 to 10 of the 2nd (Rudra) Samhita’s first (Srishti) Khand, of the Shiva Mahapurana, relating to Creation. After first appearing in a non-characterized form of a fiery column, Lord Shiva assumed a characterised form and explained to Brahma and Vishnu how He Himself functions under three heads, namely, Brahma, Vishnu and Rudra, (chap.9, shloka 28). 9 Accordingly, Lord Shiva distributes the work of creation to Brahma, of sustenance of the world to Vishnu and of dissolution to Rudra. He also lets the Saraswati (Knowledge) part of His power (Uma) go to Brahma, the Lakshmi (beauty and wealth) part to Vishnu, and the Kali (strength) part to Rudra. Lastly, Lord Shiva directs Vishnu to always protect and remove the sufferings of the world, created by Brahma. He then directs both to work in close cooperation. Interestingly, Lord Shiva warns that, if a devotee of Rudra denigrates Vishnu, all his pious deeds shall go to waste. Having said so, Lord Shiva vanishes, (chap.10/shloka 36 Ibid).10 Soon after this, Brahma adds that “Vedi” (Pedestal) symbolises “Mahadevi”, meaning Uma or Parvati, (consort of Lord Shiva) and the “Linga” thereon symbolises Lord Shiva. It is called “Linga” because, after pralaya (total annihilation), the whole world gets absorbed in it, as the word ‘leen’ (in Sanskrit) means ‘absorption’, (chap. 10, Shloka 38/Ibid).11 ‘Vedi’, symbolising Mahadevi or Uma is obviously a later addition.

Concept of Ardhanareeshwara, (half-male, half-female god).

The above account, based on the original sources of the Linga Purana and the Shiva Mahapurana, shows a gradual march from the non-characterised (formless) God to three characterised functional gods, as off-shoots of the Supreme Lord (Shiva), namely, Brahma, Vishnu, and Rudra (also called Shiva). With the passage of time, we find the emergence of the concept of Ardhnareeshwara (half-male and half-female god). The origin of this concept seems to be Brahma’s above mentioned assertion that the ‘Linga’ represented Shiva and the Vedi represented Mahadevi (female Deity).
The connected story is given in chapters 2-3 of the Triteeya (Third) Shatarudra Samhita. It explains how, following Lord Shiva’s directive, Brahma started creating various subjects (through his mental faculty), in his own male form. But, he was sad to see that they did not multiply. He felt that there must be some way to make his creation multiply by itself, to be self-sustaining. In the process, he thought of procreation through a male-female combination, called “Maithuni Srishti”, (procreation through sexual co-habitation). The question arose, how to get the female partner? For it, Brahma needed help from the Supreme Lord, Shiva. Brahma did deep meditation (tapasya). Now, Lord Shiva appeared in the form of a half-male and half-female body. Granting Brahma’s wish, the Lord separated His female part, the Supreme Power, called Uma or Shivaa. Brahma made his submission to goddess Shivaaa, “I have been creating all beings, but they are not multiplying, because I am unable to create the female partner: kindly help me. Please, be the daughter of my (intellectual) son, Daksha. Goddess Shivaa created another female body through the middle of her eye brows. On behest of Lord Shiva, this new female body (Jagdambika) agreed to become daughter of Daksha. Thus started the process of sexual procreation, (Maithuni Srishti). How Brahma directed his (intellectual) son Daksha to marry a beautiful girl and to start procreation, do tapasya (meditative sacrifice) to get Jagadamba as his daughter Sati, married her to Rudra (Shiva), etc., are narrated in other chapters. Incidentally, according to Rudra Samhita (Second), Shrishti Khand, chap.16, Brahma divided himself into two parts – half- male and half-female. The male part became Brahma’s son, named “Manu” and the female part became Brahma’s daughter named “Shatroopaa”. The two got married and started the process of procreation of the human race. So, Manu is considered the original father of mankind and the first law-giver. Both the above versions, (Lord Shiva’s appearance of Ardhanareeshwara and Brahma himself creating Manu and Shatroopa), are repeated in the Seventh, (Vayaveeya), Samhita, part I, chapters 15-17. All these episodes make it clear that the basic purpose is to narrate, in allegorical form, various theories relating to the creation of the universe, origin and evolution of life on earth, of the human race since its beginning as a unisexual body and its later development into bisexual one. These theories of evolution and development seem to have simultaneously given rise to poetic imagination of seeing every god with a female consort, namely, Brahma with Saraswati, Vishnu with Lakshmi, and Rudra (Shiva) with Parvati. This phenomenon also brought with it, multiplication of gods and goddesses.The common Hindu prayer to God is, “Twameva Mata cha Pita Twameva…” (You are the Mother, You are the Father…)

Conclusion

Coming back to the subject of origin of the concept of Shivalinga, let us recall that the burning column, as the first mark of the formless God, had arisen from the ocean. The ‘Vedi’ (Pedestal) of the image of that burning column, (Shivalinga), must necessarily be the mark, symbol or ‘Linga’ of the ocean. To call it Lord Shiva’s consort, Mahadevi (Uma or Parvati) is illogical. To say or think that the Shivalinga and the Vedi represent the male and female sex organs, respectively, is all the more absurd. Here is what the renowned (late) Swami Sivananda, founder of the famous ‘Divine Life Society’, has said in his book, “All About Hinduism”, (p.270): “Linga represents the formless Shiva – Shivalinga speaks to you in the unmistakable language of silence, ‘I am one without a second. I am formless….’ A Curious, passionate, impure foreigner of little understanding or intelligence says sarcastically, ‘Oh, the Hindus worship the phallus or sex-organ, ….’ Linga is only the outward symbol of the formless being, Lord Shiva, who is the indivisible, all-pervading, eternal, auspicious, ever-pure, immortal essence of this vast universe, who is the undying soul seated in the chamber of your heart, who is your Indweller, innermost Self or Atman and who is identical with the Supreme Brahman.”

[Incidentally, the Mahasivapurana is a huge compilation of seven Sections, called ‘Samhitas’. Each Samhita has 20 to 55 chapters. Some Samhitas are divided into Parts, called ‘Khandas’. There is a lot of repetition. With slight variation, the same episodes are repeated in other chapters or another Samhita. Many episodes describing the origin of minor ‘Lingas’ defy the very philosophy of the Shivalinga. Such episodes abound in later Samhitas. The European Indologists had their own ideas of the European paganism and Greek mythology which corrupted the original meaning into sometimes base translations. The Colonial Christian missionaries used the base translations to malign the heart of Hindu Dharma and as a result the confusion has become almost endemic at its core. Its removal is a gigantic task. Perhaps an apex Hindu religious body, adequately funded by rich Hindu religious endowments and donations from others, can undertake it by engaging true scholars on this work.]

(Ram Gopal)(Author can be contacted at e-mail : ramgopal_94@yahoo.com )

References:
1. Alingo lingamoolam tu avyaktam lingamuchyate. Alingah Shiva ityukto lingo Shaivamiti smritam.(1). (Linga Purana, Part I, Section 2).
2. Yathavatkathitaashchaiva tasmaad-Brahma swayamjagat: Alingi Bhagvan Beeji, sa eva Parmeshwarah.(8) Beejam yonishcha nirbeejam, nirbeejo beejamuchyate; Beejyoni pradhananamatmakhya vartate twiha. (9). ( Ibid).
3. Mam yoni-r-mahad-Brahma tasmingarbham dadhamyaham: Sambhavah sarvabhootanam tato bhavati Bharata.(3) Sarvayonishu Kaunteya moortayah sambhavanti yah; Taasaam Brahma mahadyoni-r-aham beejpradah Pita.(4). (Geeta, chapter 14).
4. Yatha nireendano vanhi swa-yonishu-upshamyati; Tatha vrittikshaya chitta swa-yonishu-upshamyati. (Matraiyopanishad, Pra. 4, Shlokas 1-2)
5. Hridyantahkarnam jnyeyam Shivasyaayatanam param ; Hritpadmam vedica tatra Lingamonkaramishyate. (Shivopanishad , Shloka 124).
6. ShivaikoBrahmaroopatvannishkalahparikirtitah.(10).Roopitvaatsakalaastadvattasmaatasakanishkalah: Nishkalatvaanniraakaram lingam tasya samaagatam. (11). (Shiva Mahapurana, First (Vidyeshwari) Samhita, chap. 5)
7. Puraa Kaaley mahaakaaley prapanney lokavishrutey: Ayudhyatam mahaatmaanau Brahmaa-Vishnu parasparam. (27) Tayormaanam niraakartum tanmadyey Parmeshwarah, Nishkalastambharoopen swaroopam samdarshyat. (28). (Ibid)
8. Kimetad-adbhud-aakaaram-ityooscha parasparam;/ Ateendriyamidam stambham-agniroopam kimutthitam. (13) Asyordhvamapi cha-adhascha aavayorlakshmeya hi .(14). (Ibid, chap. 7 ).
9. Tridhaa bhinno hiam Vishno ! Brahma-Vishnu-Harakhyaya;/Sargrakshaalayagunair-nishkalo-aham sadaa Hare. (28). (Ibid, Second, (Rudra), Samhita, First, (Srishti), Khand, chap. 9 ).
10. Tatah sa Bhagwan-Shambhuh kripya Bhaktvatsalah: /Drishtya sampashyatoh sheeghram tattraivantardheeyat. (36). (Ibid, chap. 10)
11. Lingavedirmahaadevee lingam saakshaat-Maheshwarah :/ Layanaallingamityukta tattraiva nikhilam jagat. (38). (Ibid)

Source: http://www.hinducounciluk.org/newsite/circulardet.asp?rec=80

Ego and Spirit

Imagine this scene if you will.

Two babies are in utero confined to the wall of their mother's womb, and they are having a conversation. For the sake of clarity we'll call these twins Ego and Spirit.

Spirit says to Ego, "I know you are going to find
this difficult to accept, but I truly believe there is
life after birth."

Ego responds, "Don't be ridiculous. Look around you. This is all there is. Why must you always be thinking about something beyond this reality?

Accept your lot in life. Make yourself comfortable and forget about
all this life-after-birth nonsense."
Spirit quiets down for a while, but her inner voice
won't allow her to remain silent any longer. "Ego, now
don't get mad, but I have something else to say. I
also believe that there is a Mother."

"A Mother!" Ego guffaws. "How can you be so absurd?
Youv'e never seen a Mother. Why can't you accept that
this is all there is? The idea of a Mother is crazy.
You are here alone with me. This is your reality. Now
grab hold of that cord. Go into your corner and stop
being so silly. Trust me, there is no Mother."

Spirit reluctantly stops her conversation with Ego,
but her restlessness soon gets the better of her.
"Ego," she implores, "please listen without rejecting
my idea. Somehow I think that those constant pressures
we both feel, those movements that make us so
uncomfortable at times, that continual repositioning
and all of that closing in that seems to be taking
place as we keep growing, is getting us ready for a
place of glowing light, and we will experience it very
soon."

"Now I know you are absolutely insane," replies
Ego. "All you've ever known is darkness. Youv'e never
seen the light. How can you even contemplate such an
idea? Those movements and pressures you feel are your
reality. You are a distinct separate being. This is
your journey and you're on your own. Darkness and
pressures and a closed-in feeling is what life is all
about. You'll have to fight it as long as you live.
Now grab your cord and please stay still.
Spirit relaxes for a while, but finally she can
contain herself no longer. "Ego, I have only one more
thing to say, and then I'll never bother you again."
"Go ahead," Ego responds impatiently.

"I believe all of these pressures and all of this
discomfort is not only going to bring us to a new
celestial light, but when we experience it, we are
going to meet Mother face-to-face and know an ecstasy
that is beyond anything we have ever experienced up
until now."

"You really are crazy, Spirit. Now I'm truly
convinced of it."

-by Dr. Wayne Dyer in his book "Your Sacred Self"

DFID India - Resources

Useful reading to get a background on the development side of India, published by the UK Department for International Development.

These can be mainly accessed via the India 'country profile' section of the DFID website.

See http://www.dfid.gov.uk/pubs/files/Transforming-RL-India.pdf for Transforming Rural Livelihoods in India.
See http://www.dfid.gov.uk/pubs/files/india-factsheet.pdf for the 2008 India factsheet.
See http://www.dfid.gov.uk/pubs/files/hiv-india.pdf for Our story and responses to HIV/AIDS in India .

The India Country Plan from 2004 is on the website at http://www.dfid.gov.uk/pubs/files/capindia.pdf but will soon be replaced by a new CAP - see http://www.dfid.gov.uk/consultations/past-consultations/india-cap.asp for the consultation exercise (now closed) for the new strategy for the period up to 2015.

'Supporting security, justice and development - lessons for a new era' is at http://www.dfid.gov.uk/Pubs/files/security-justice-development.pdf

Also, Rough Guide to a Better World - great easy to read publication giving an outline to poverty in the world and what you can do about it.

Ignited Minds – unleashing the power within India

By APJ Abdul Kalam

Book Review and Summary/Quotes

From the back cover:

Ignited Minds: Unleashing the Power within India examines why, given all our skills, resources and talents, we, so obviously capable of being the best, settle so often for the worst. What is it that we as a nation are missing? At the heart of Ignited Minds, is the belief that the people of a nation have the power, by dint of hard work, to realise their dream of a truly good life.

Kalam takes up different issues and themes that struck him on his pilgrimage around the country as he met thousands of school children, teachers, scientists, saints and seers in the course of two years. The result is a book that motivates us to get back on the winning track and unleash the energy within a nation that hasn’t allowed itself full rein.

Purchase Ignited Minds on Amazon.


Chapter 1 – The Dream and the Message

Dream, Dream, Dream
Dreams transform into thoughts
And thoughts result in action.

SUMMARY
Spirituality must be integrated with education. Self-realisation is the focus. Each one of us must become aware of our higher self. We are links of a great past to a grand future. We should ignite our dormant inner energy and let it guide our lives. The radiance of such minds embarked on constructive endeavour will bring peace, prosperity and bliss to this notion.

Chapter 2 – Give us a Role Model

Men often become what they believe themselves to be. If I believe I cannot do something, it makes me incapable of doing it. But when I believe I can, then I acquire the ability to do it even if I didn’t have it in the beginning. – Mahatma Gandhi

You always give a message to dream. Tell me, why dream?

AK: “Dream, dream, dream. Dreams transform into thoughts. Thoughts result in actions. Friends, if there are no dreams, there are no revolutionary thoughts; if there are no thoughts, no actions will emanate. Hence, parents and teachers should allow their children to dream. Success always follows dreams attempted though there may be some setbacks and delays”

Which are your favourite books that you loved and which have shaped your mind?

AK: “Four books in my life have been very close to my heart. I cherish reading them. The first is Man the Unknown by Dr Alexis Carrel, a doctor-turned-philosopher and a Nobel Laureate. This book highlights how the mind and body both have to be treated in an ailment as the two are integrated. You cannot treat one and ignore the other. In particular, children who dream of becoming doctors should read the book. The will learn that the human body is not a mechanical system; it is very intelligent organism with a most intricate and sensitive feedback system. The second book, one I venerate, is Tiruvalluvar’s Thirukkural, which provides and excellent code of life. The third is Light from Many Lamps by Lillian Eichler Watson which has touched me deeply. It illuminates how we live and has been an invaluable guide to me for fifty years. And the Holy Quran is, of course, a constant companion.”

Who is our enemy? (Question by School boy in Gujarat) “Our enemy is Poverty” – an answer which came from a school girl, to whom the book is dedicated.

Ancient India was a knowledge society and a leader in many intellectual pursuits, particularly in the fields of mathematics, medicine and astronomy. A renaissance is imperative for us once again to become a knowledge superpower rather than simple providing cheap labour in areas of high technology.

SUMMARY
A nation’s wealth is the young generation of the country. When they grow up, who can be the role models? Mother, father, and elementary school teachers play a very important part as role models. When the child grows up, the role models will be national leaders of quality and integrity in every field including politics, the sciences, technology and industry.


Chapter 3 – Visionary Teachers and Scientists

Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now. - Goethe

Albert Einstein – “We owe a lot to the Indians who taught us how to count, without which no worthwhile scientific discover could have been made”

Quoting C.V. Raman, who said in 1969 while addressing young graduates:

“I would like to tell the young men and women before me not to lose hope and courage. Success can only come to you by courageous devotion to the task lying in front of you. I can assert without fear of contradiction that the quality of the Indian mind is equal to the quality of any Teutonic, Nordic, or Anglo-Saxon mind. What we lack is perhaps courage, what we lack is perhaps driving force, which takes one anywhere. We have, I think, developed an inferiority complex. I think what is needed in India today is the destruction of that defeatist spirit. We need a spirit of victory, a spirit that will carry us to our rightful place under the sun, a spirit which can recognise that we, as inheritors of a proud civilisation, are entitled to our rightful place on this planet. It that indomitable spirit were to arise, nothing can hold us from achieving our rightful destiny.”

AK: “The one thing I have learnt after more than forty years of working in three departments is various projects and programmes is that you will succeed as a project leader as long as you remember that the project is bigger than you. When the project leader tries to make himself out to be bigger than the project, the enterprise suffers”

SUMMARY
Vision ignites the minds. India needs visionaries of the stature of J.R.D. Tatam Vikram Sarabhai, Satish Dhawan and Dr Verghese Kurien, to name a few, who can involve an entire generation in the mission-driven programmes which benefit the country as a whole.

Chapter 4 – Learning from Saints and Seers

For the society to prosper there are two important needs. They are: prosperity through wealth generation and cherishing the value system of the people. The combination of the two will make the Nation truly strong and prosperous.

Conversation with Pramukh Swami:
AK: “…what can be our vision now [since Independence]? Since the last fifty years, India has been a developing country. It means economically it is not strong, socially it is not stable, in security aspects it is not self-reliant, and that is why it is called a developing country… TIFAC (Technology Information, Forecasting and Assessment Council) have give thought to what should be the next vision for India. How do we transform a developing country into a developed country in the next twenty years? We have identified five important areas to transform India – education and healthcare, agriculture, information and communication, infrastructure and critical technology… How do we create people with values to carry out such a big vision?”

Swamiji: “Along with these five, you need a sixth one – faith in God and developing people through spirituality. This is very important. We need to first generate a moral and spiritual atmosphere…

…the stronger the spiritual wealth, the stronger will become all other forms of wealth. We rarely provide what is really needed. We provide everything else, clothing, food, shelter, but with all this we should also provide spiritual wealth.

The unification of science and spirituality will be essential to take benefit of science and technology to mankind. In 1911, Sri Aurobindo wrote in the Song of Humanity: “A time will come when the Indian mind will shake off the darkness that has fallen upon it, cease to think or hold opinions at second and third hand and reassert its right to judge and enquire with perfect freedom into the meaning of its own culture and tradition.”

Rig Veda: ‘Aano bhadrah kratavo yenthu vishwathaha’ – ‘Let noble thoughts come to us from everyside’

SUMMARY
Our spiritual wisdom has been our strength. We survived as a nation the onslaughts of invaders and the numbing effects of colonialism. We have also learnt to adjust to the rifts and divisions in our own society. But in the process of all adjustment, we also lowered our aims and expectations. We must regain our broad outlook and draw upon our heritage and wisdom to enrich our lives. The fact that we advance technologically does not preclude spiritual development. We need to home-grow our own model of development based on our inherent strengths.

Chapter 5 – Patriotism beyond Politics and Religion

I do not care for liberation, I would rather go to a hundred thousand hells, ‘doing good to others (silently) like the spring’, this is my religion. – Swami Vivekananda

For great men, religion is a way of making friends; small people make religion a fighting tool.

I call to my people to rise to greatness. It is a call to all Indians to rise to their highest capabilities. What are the forces which lead to the rise or fall of nations? And what are the factors which go to make nations strong? Three factors are invariably found in a strong nation: a collective pride in its achievements, unity and the ability for combined action… all nations which have risen to greatness have been characterised by a sense of mission. It is because our sense of mission has weakened that we have ceased to be true to our culture and ourselves.

SUMMARY
There are success stories among failures. There is hope among chaos, promise among problems. We are one billion people with multiple faiths and ideologies. In the absence of a national vision, cracks at the seam keep surfacing and make us vulnerable. There is a need to reinforce this seam and amalgamate us into one national forum.

Chapter 6 – The Knowledge Society

Wisdom is a weapon to ward off destruction; It is an inner fortress which enemies cannot destroy. – Thirukkural 421 (200 BC)

Maharishi Patanjali said in the Yogasutra, “When you are inspired by some great purpose, some extraordinary project, all your thoughts break their bounds: Your mind transcends limitations, your consciousness expands in every direction, and you find yourself in a new, great, and wonderful world. Dormant forces, faculties and talents become alive, and you discover yourself to be a greater person by far than you ever dreamed yourself to be.”

That is something addressed to all of us. It is the people of a nation who make it great. By their effort, the people in turn become important citizens of their great country. Ignited minds are the most powerful resource on earth, and the one billion minds of our nation are indeed a great power waiting to be tapped.

SUMMARY
Ancient India was a knowledge society that contributed a great deal to civilisation. We need to recover that status and become a knowledge power. We must learn from our mistakes to achieve a better standard of life. A developed India will supplant a spirit of defeat with the spirit of victory.

Chapter 7 – Getting the Forces Together

Determine that things can and shall be done, and then we shall find the way. – Abraham Lincoln

SUMMARY
We need to adapt the implementation of our programmes and policies into a mission mode to succeed. Progress cannot be swift and far-reaching if the path is full of potholes. The abundant national resources, human and material, remain to be fully utilised.

Chapter 8 – Building a New State

If I were to look over the whole world to find out the country most richly endowed with all the wealth, power and beauty that nature can bestow – in some parts a very paradise on earth – I should point to India. – F Max Muller

…the upshot is that India is poor as a nation in spite of its enormous wealth because it does not focus on value addition, be it in the mineral or biodiversity products or even grain or fish. (AK sites example of beryllium metal)

I realised then that if something is at stake, the human mind gets ignited and working capacity gets enhanced manifold. Challenges throw up opportunities… start risking your own position for a mission. Either I deliver or I go. With effort and perseverance you will succeed. There is always a risk involved when we venture into something new. After all, the process of birth itself is a risky affair. But then the infant starts breathing … and life follows, with all its hopes and aspirations. Breathe in thoughts of success and you will be a success.

SUMMARY
The way to development is through purposeful activity. The young especially have to be guided properly, so that their lives find a proper direction and their creativity is allowed to flower. To facilitate this, certain educational reforms must be initiated.

With regard to improving the pace of development, Centre-state efforts should be coordinated in a few key areas and efforts across sectors and organisations integrated and taken up in a mission mode. The mindset must change, showing a willingness to take pragmatic risks. Success will follow.


Chapter 9 – To My Countrymen

Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high,
Where knowledge is free,
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments…
My father, let my country awake.
- Rabindranath Tagore

What I have tried to tell you in this book is that we must be aware of our higher self and view ourselves as citizens of a developed nation. We are a great civilisation and each one of us born here must trust in the wisdom of this civilisation. Our scriptures tell us that there is no barrier between us and the world, that we are the world just as the world is in us. It is for you to put yourself in tune with the music of the universe.

Students should get ready to transform India into a developed nation. Ignite your minds and think big.

A teacher once said, “Give me a five-year old child. After seven years, no God or Devil will be able to change the child.’ Will all teachers be such gurus?

And to God the Almighty! Make my people sweat. Let their toil create many more Agnis that can annihilate evil. Let my country prosper in peace. Let my people live in harmony. Let me go to dust as a proud citizen of India, to rise again and rejoice in its glory.

Song of Youth:

Other books by Abdul Kalam:
Wings of Fire - Amazon
India 2020: A Vision for the New Millennium - Amazon

Websites:

www.abdulkalam.com - Abdul Kalam's official homepage - check out "Billion Beats" e-paper
www.indiavision2020.org - This site is meant for discussing strategies for building a strong India by 2020, the vision of Dr A P J Abdul Kalam ; and for creating an awareness about India's Vision 2020.

TED Talks - Excellent

What is TED?
TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) is an invitation-only event where the world's leading thinkers and doers gather to find inspiration. The website publishes the talks from these events.
Here are just a few ones I liked:

Richard Branson: Life at 30,000 feet
Richard Branson talks to TED's Chris Anderson about the ups and the downs of his career, from his multibillionaire success to his multiple near-death experiences -- and reveals some of his (very surprising) motivations.




Amy Tan: Where does Creativity hide?
Novelist Amy Tan digs deep into the creative process, journeying through her childhood and family history and into the worlds of physics and chance, looking for hints of where her own creativity comes from. It's a wild ride with a surprise ending.



Stephen Hawking: Asking big questions about the universe
In keeping with the theme of TED2008, professor Stephen Hawking asks some Big Questions about our universe -- How did the universe begin? How did life begin? Are we alone? -- and discusses how we might go about answering them.




V.S. Ramachandran: A Journey to the Centre of your Mind
V.S. Ramachandran explores how brain damage can reveal the connection between the physical brain and the mind -- focusing on three startling delusions.





For a complete list of talks click here.