Two weeks ago, I took two of my sons to the beach. Having checked the swell height online, I felt the conditions might be right for them to tackle waves a bit bigger than they were used to. As soon as we arrived and I saw that beautiful sight of wave after wave breaking left […]
असक्तिरनभिष्वङ्ग: पुत्रदारगृहादिषु। नित्यं च समचित्तत्वमिष्टानिष्टोपपत्तिषु॥
Withdrawing from desire for possessions and family bondages, a manager with steadfast mind towards the worldly happenings (pleasant & unpleasant), shall endeavour for supreme knowledge. (13.9)
पुत्र, स्त्री, घर और धन आदि में आसक्ति का अभाव, ममता का न होना तथा प्रिय और अप्रिय की प्राप्ति में सदा ही चित्त का सम रहना ॥9॥
Withdrawing from desire for possessions and family bondages, a manager with steadfast mind towards the worldly happenings (pleasant & unpleasant), shall endeavour for supreme knowledge. (13.9)
National Press Day – The 16th of November – is symbolic of a free and responsible press in India. This was the day on which the Press Council of India started functioning as a moral watchdog to ensure that not only did the press maintain the high standards expected from this powerful medium but also that it was not fettered by the influence or threats of any extraneous factors. Though there are several Press or Media Councils world over, the Press Council of India is a unique entity in as-much-as this is the only body to exercise an authority even over the instruments of the state in its duty to safeguard the independence of the press.
Recommending the establishment of Press Council in 1956 the Ist Press Commission had concluded that the best way of maintaining professional ethics in journalism would be to bring into existence a body with statutory authority, of people principally connected with industry whose duty it would be to arbitrate. To this end the Press Council of India was established and the body that was evolved since November 16, 1966 has not belied the objective.
November 16 therefore personifies a responsible and free press in the country. All those who cherish it, so commemorate the day. The National Press Day on November 16 every year is commemorated in befitting manner by the Council.
Bhai Dooj, Bhaubeej, Bhai Tika, Bhai Phonta is a festival celebrated by Hindus on the second lunar day of Shukla Paksha (bright fortnight) in the Vikram Samvat Hindu calendar or of Shalivahan Shaka calendar month of Kartika. It is celebrated during the Diwali or Tihar festival and Holi festival. The celebrations of this day are similar to the festival of Raksha Bandhan. On this day, elder brothers give gifts to their younger sisters. In the southern part of the country, the day is celebrated as Yama Dwitiya.
On the day of the festival, sisters invite their brothers for a sumptuous meal often including their favourite dishes/sweets. The procedure may be different in Bihar and central India. The whole ceremony signifies the duty of a brother to protect his sister, as well as a sister’s blessings for her brother.
Carrying forward the ceremony in traditional style, sisters perform arti for their brother and apply a red tika on the brother’s forehead. This tika ceremony on the occasion of Bhai Bij signifies the sister’s sincerest prayers for the long and happy life of her brother and treat them with gifts. In return, elder brothers bless their sisters and may treat them also with gifts or cash.
As it is customary in Haryana, Maharashtra to celebrate the auspicious occasion of Bhau-beej, women who do not have a brother worship the moon god instead. They apply mehendi on girls as their tradition.
The sister whose brother lives far away from her and can not go to her house, sends her sincerest prayers for the long and happy life of her brother through the moon god. She performs aarti for the moon. This is the reason why children of Hindu parents affectionately call the moon Chandamama (Chanda means moon and mama means mother’s brother).
क्षेत्रक्षेत्रज्ञयोरेवमन्तरं ज्ञानचक्षुषा । भूतप्रकृतिमोक्षं च ये विदुर्यान्ति ते परम्॥
An executive shall know the subtle difference between the field and its knower. One is a physical factor and the other, an intrinsic knowledge of the physical forces. By virtue of his deeper consciousness, he should also be aware of the flow of actions arising out of human nature. (13.34)
इस प्रकार क्षेत्र और क्षेत्रज्ञ के भेद को (क्षेत्र को जड़, विकारी, क्षणिक और नाशवान तथा क्षेत्रज्ञ को नित्य, चेतन, अविकारी और अविनाशी जानना ही ‘उनके भेद को जानना’ है) तथा कार्य सहित प्रकृति से मुक्त होने को जो पुरुष ज्ञान नेत्रों द्वारा तत्व से जानते हैं, वे महात्माजन परम ब्रह्म परमात्मा को प्राप्त होते हैं ॥34॥
An executive shall know the subtle difference between the field and its knower. One is a physical factor and the other, an intrinsic knowledge of the physical forces. By virtue of his deeper consciousness, he should also be aware of the flow of actions arising out of human nature. (13.34)
When it comes to creating a more balanced, happy life, we often look to massive lifestyle shifts as the only solution. (If you, like me, have ever set a New Year’s resolution to simply “be healthier”, you probably know what I mean).This mentality often results in overwhelm, lack of sustainability, and a huge sense of frustration when results don’t come as quickly or as easily as we’d like.
Sometimes all is takes is a quick adjustment in our daily routine to change our lives. Here are a few habits that make your life better :
Put One things in a Pile for Donation – Most of us have too much stuff. When you’re getting dressed, find that one item of clothing you never wear and put it in a pile for donation. Repeat every few days, then start checking other spots (kitchen cabinets, bookshelves, kid’s playrooms). Then find your nearest…
Govardhan Puja as it is also known, as a Nature worship Hindu festival in which devotees Workship Mountains like Govardhan parvat and prepare and offer a large variety of vegetarian food to Bhagwan (God) Shri Krishna as a mark of gratitude. For Vaishnavas, this day commemorates the incident in the Bhagavata Puran when Bhagwan Shri Krishna lifted the Govardhan Hill to provide the villagers of Vrindavan shelter from torrential rains. The incident is seen to represent how God will protect all devotees who take singular refuge in him. Devotees offer a mountain of food, metaphorically representing the Govardhan Hill, to God as a ritual remembrance and to renew their faith in taking refuge in God. The festival is observed by most of Hindu denominations all over India and abroad. For Vaishnavas this is one of the important festivals. For the Vallabh Sampradaya (Pushtimarg), the Gaudiya Sampradaya of Chaitanya, and the Swaminarayan Sampradaya etc. among others. The Annakut festival occurs on the first lunar day of Shukla Paksha (bright fortnight) in the Hindu calendar month of Kartik, which is the next day of Deepawali (Diwali), the Hindu festival of lights.
Krishna spent most of his childhood in Braj, a place devotees associate with many of Krishna’s divine and heroic exploits with his childhood friends. One of the most significant incidents, described in the Bhagavata Purana, involves Krishna lifting Mount Govardhan (Govardhan Hill), a low hill situated in the middle of Braj. According to the Bhagavata Purana, forest-dwelling cowherds living close to Govardhan used to celebrate the autumn season by paying respect to Indra, the God of rain and storm. Krishna did not approve of this since he desired that the villagers worship Mount Govardhan with the reason that Mount Govardhan is the one that provides natural resources to the villagers for their livelihood. Trees provided oxygen, the grass provided food for the cattle and provided natural beauty. The mountain was responsible for the natural phenomena that occur in the city of Gokul. Indra got angry with this advice.
Shri Krishna, though being younger than almost everyone in the city, was respected by everyone due to his knowledge and immense power. So, the people of Gokul agreed with Shri Krishna’s advice. Indra was angered upon seeing the villagers’ devotion diverted away from him and toward Krishna. Indra decided to initiate thunderstorms and heavy rains in the city in reflex of his egoistic anger. To protect the people from the storms, Shri Krishna lifted the Govardhan mount on his little finger and provided shelter to all the people and cattle of the city. After 7–8 days of continuous storms, seeing the people of Gokul being unaffected, Indra accepted defeat and stopped the storms. This day is therefore celebrated as a festival that paid respect to Mount Govardhan by preparing a ‘giriyajna’ – a “great offering of foods and delicacies to the mountain” Krishna then assumed the form of a mountain himself and accepted the villagers’ offerings. Indra, after causing torrential rains for seven days, ultimately gave up and bowed to Krishna’s superiority. This story is one of the most recognizable in the Bhagavata Purana.
Govardhan has since become a major pilgrimage site in Braj for devotees of Krishna. On the day of Annakut, devotees circumambulate the hill and offer food to the mountain—one of the oldest rituals in Braj. The circumambulation consists of an eleven-mile trek dotted along the way with several shrines, before which devotees place flowers and other offerings.
Families create an image of Giriraj Govardhan (the mountain) from cow dung, adorning it with miniature cow figures as well as grass as twigs, representing trees and greenery. In the days leading up to Annakut, fifty-six food items (chappan bhog) are typically prepared and offered in the evening. Someone from a cow-herding caste officiates the ritual, circling the hill with a cow and a bull, followed by families in the village. They partake in the sanctified food after offering the food to the hill. The festival often draws a large crowd, including the Chaube brahmins of Mathura.
Annakut is celebrated on the fourth day of Diwali. Therefore, the rituals surrounding Annakut are closely linked with the rituals of the five days of Diwali. While the first three days of Diwali are days of prayer to sanctify wealth and invite greater wealth into the devotee’s life, the annakut day is a day of offering gratitude for Krishna beneficence.
All around you, look And see, what’s hidden Beneath the sea of tranquility,
Bathed in a light so bright And responsive to A plight, that’s right, Which lives beyond the night Of everlasting daylight,
Shining on
You and me, and all that see What’s already there, just stare Off into the distance, A common affair, so don’t beware
Rather take care Of yourself in this instance, For the perspiration of your inspiration Takes root there
It’s lives inside you, and me, And the common tree, Asunder not, One Full of thunder, and A distant and harmonic wonder
Believe in that which you see, A mirror of Mind, You and me, and yes, The uncommon tree, both, One And the same, playing the same game, Amidst the same flame, so
Breathe deep, and take in All there is to keep close to heart A majestical…
Have you ever fall for expectations?
No, not normal but huge expectations?
Then you are trapped behind your knowledge
Trapped in the race of unending expectations.
Life is dynamic, life is vast
Everything you expect cannot be fulfilled at all!
You must admit it and thank to the life
Trying to give back what life can expect from you.
Without establishing this mutual connection,
Expectations are illusions that lead only to destruction.
Thus, don't fall for the trap that is around
Expectations come and go, your self-esteem not.
B +Ve!! 
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