Friday, January 29, 2010

Cell Phone vs. Bhagvad Gita

CELL PHONE vs. GITA

Wonder what would happen if we treated our Gita like we treat our cellphone?
What if we carried it around in our purses or pockets?
What if we flipped through it several time a day?
What if we turned back to go get it if we forgot it?
What if we used it to receive messages from the text?
What if we treated it like we couldn't live without it?
What if we gave it to Kids as gifts?
What if we used it when we traveled?
What if we used it in case of emergency?
This is something to make you go....hmm...where is my Gita?
Oh, and one more thing. Unlike our cell phone, we don't have to worry about our Gita being disconnected because Krishna already paid the bill.
Makes you stop and think 'where are my priorities?
And no dropped calls!

ESSENCE OF BHAGVAD GITA
Whatever has happened, has happened for good.
Whatever is happening, is happening for good.
Whatever is going to happen, it will be for good.
What have you lost for which you cry?
What did you bring with you, which you have lost?
What did you produce, which has destroyed?
You did not bring anything when you were born.
Whatever you have, you have received from Him.
Whatever you will give, you will give to Him.
You came empty handed and you will go the same way.
Whatever is yours today was somebody else's Yesterday and will be somebody else's tomorrow.
SO WHY WORRY UNNECESSARILY?
Change is the law of the universe.

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Words of Wisdom... continued..

More Subhashitani (Quotable Quotes)...

1)
pusthakasTHA thu yA vidhyA parahasthagatham DHanam
kAryakAlEsamuthpannE na sA vidhyA na thadh Dhanam

Meaning: Knowledge that is contained only in books and your wealth that is in the hands of others, cannot be called true knowledge or real wealth, because they are not available when you need them.

2) shaile shaile na maanikyam, moukthikam na gaje gaje
saadhavo na hi sarvatra, chandanam na vane vane"

Meaning: Just as the precious stone (Maanikya) is not found on every mountain, just as the diamond cannot be found on every elephant (note: Indra's elephant, Airawata supposedly had a diamond on his forehead), and just as sandalwood is not there in every forest, so also good people cannot be found everywhere (and therefore the need to appreciate their worth and presence, wherever they are).

3) AyaM inaja: prao vati gaNanaa laGuchetasaam\
UdaarcharitaanaaM tu vasadaiva kuTumbakam\

Meaning: Consideration like "he is mine or he is another's" occur only to the narrow minded persons. To the broad-minded persons, the whole world is a family.

4) KshaNaSa: kaNaShchaiva vidhyaam artham cha Saadhayeth
KshaNe nashte kutho Vidhya KaNe nashte kutho Dhanam

Meaning: Every moment one should learn; from every bit one should earn.
If you waste a second (kshan) you can't get knowledge (vidhya), and if you waste a bit (Kan) u can't get money (Dhanam)

Monday, January 25, 2010

Subhashitani - Quotable Quotes, words of wisdom...

It was when I entered my 5th grade, that I was introduced to Samskrit. Until then we had been learning Hindi and Tamil as second language.. To begin with, it felt as though we were just boning up the verses, and thought it was just a challenge for our memory.. But gradually as we started learning complex grammer, poems, shlokas, stories from Ramayan, Raghuvamsha etc.., we were taught with the analysis, grammer and translation of some of those great compositions. I was fortunate to have experienced teachers (Pt. Sankara Shastri, Smt.Shyamaa Mukundan, and Pt.N.Srinivasan), who put in a lot of their time and energy in explaining the grammer and meaning. Even though we were learning Tamil and Hindi at school, Sanskrit became my passion.. When I switched from Matriculation to Stateboard in high school, I chose to pick Sanskrit as my second language. I simply fell in love with this wonderful language for the entire construct, rules of grammar, and juxtaposition of words.. Sanskrit is truly India's gift to the world (and not just in the context of it being touted as the best one for computers to understand). My personal interest stimulated me to study Sanskrit by taking up some after school programs. And with the motivation from my mom, I went thru Balabodh, Prarambha, Pravesha exams from Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. After my high school, I had to focus on my graduation, and slowly I had to drift away from my Sanskrit classes. Every now and then, when I browse through the web, it is amazing to see there are so many people out there who are contributing to the revival of this Language.
Quotable quotes, called as “Subhashitani”, are two-line Sanskrit verses that teach ethics and values, through the use of similies. Similies are extensively used in Sanskrit literature because it is easier to drive home the simple truths and facts of life, and they help break down complex philosophy in a manner that an ordinary person can understand. Even though I learnt them almost 20 years ago, I still remember some of theese verses, called as the "words of Wisdom". Some I had forgotten over the years, and I could gather the words/meanings from the web. Thanks to the internet world!
Here are some of the Subhashitani, with explanantion given below for each of them.

1) aho durjana sa.nsargAt.h mAna hAniH pade pade |
pAvakaH loha sa.ngena mudgaraiH abhitADyate ||

Meaning :
O, in the company of evil men, one's respect is hurt at every step. Gold in the company of iron gets struck by the mallet.

2) aachaaryaat.h paadam.h aadatte, paadaM shishhyaH svamedhayaa |
paadaM sabrahmacharibhyaH, paadaM kaalakrameNa cha ||

Meaning
A fourth of knowledge is obtained from the teacher, a fourth
due to the student's own intellect, a fourth from his friends and
classmates, and the remaining fourth from experience.

3) Vajradapi kthorani mRidani kusumadapi

lokoktaraNaam chetansi ko hi vijnaatumarhati


Meaning : The minds of the great ones cannot be easily judged because it is harder than diamond and softer than flowers.


4)praarbhyate na khalu vighna bhayena niicheeha

aarabhyavighna vihataaha virmanti madyaha

vighnai puna punarpi pratihanyamaanaa

praarabhyamuktamajanaa na parityajanti


Meaning : The people of lower category willnot start the work at all because of obstacles, where as the middle category people will start the work and leave when the obstacles come, but the people of upper category will never leave the work in between what so ever the obstacles that will come in the way and they will finish the work at any cost.


5) naabhisheko na sanskara singhasya kriyate vane

vikramarjita satvasaya svameva mRigendrataa

Meaning : Nobody has crowned the lion in the forest formally as a king, the lion has acquired this position by virtue of its power.

6) SulabhaaH puruuShhaH loke satatam priyavaadinaH
apriyasya ch pathyasya vakataa shrotaa ch durlabhaaH

Meaning : In this world there are many people who talk pleasingly always.
but people who admonish sternly for well being are rare and listeners are rare too.

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Positive attitude...

"When God leads you to the Edge of the Cliff, Trust Him fully and Let Go,
Only One of Two Things will happen, Either He'll Catch You When You Fall, Or He'll teach You How to Fly!"

Sometimes we must be hurt in order to grow,
Sometimes we must fail in order to know,
Sometimes we must lose in order to gain,
Because some lessons in life are best learned through pain.
Have a cheerful day!!!

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Five Finger prayer...



This is beautiful - and it is surely
worth making the 5 finger prayer a part of our lives.
1. Your thumb is nearest you. So begin your prayers by praying for those closest to you. They are the easiest to remember. To pray for our loved ones is, as C. S. Lewis once said, a 'sweet duty.'
2. The next finger is the pointing finger. Pray for those who teach, instruct and heal. This includes teachers, doctors, and ministers. They need support and wisdom in pointing others in the right direction. Keep them in your prayers.
3. The next finger is the tallest finger. It reminds us of our leaders. Pray for the president, leaders in business and industry, and administrators. These people shape our nation and guide public opinion. They need God's guidance.
4. The fourth finger is our ring finger. Surprising to many is the fact that this is our weakest finger, as any piano teacher will testify. It should remind us to pray for those who are weak, in trouble or in pain. They need your prayers day and night. You can pray too much for them.
5. And lastly comes our little finger - the smallest finger of all, which is where we should place ourselves in relation to God and others. Your pinkie should remind you to pray for yourself. By the time you have prayed for the other four groups, your own needs will be put into proper perspective and you will be able to pray for yourself more effectively.