Simple

There are frequently times in which a man has to think of things others cannot conceive of. There are things which one won't want to think of, or tell.. but some how people expect to hear them. Even if only to make fun and judge.

Theres a lot to write about this.. so far as my mind is concerned, but experience tells me I shouldn't. So I will just do this, let the experts speak..

Simple Man - Lynyrd Skynyrd


Mama told me when I was young
Come sit beside me, my only son
And listen closely to what I say
And if you do this it'll help you some sunny day

Oh, take your time don't live too fast
Troubles will come and they will pass
Go find a woman you'll find love
And don't forget son there is someone up above

And be a simple kind of man
Be something you love and understand
Baby be a simple kind of man
Oh, won't you do this for me son if you can?

Forget your lust for the rich man's gold
All that you need is in your soul
And you can do this, oh baby, if you try
All that I want for you my son is to be satisfied

And be a simple kind of man
Be something you love and understand
Baby be a simple kind of man
Oh, won't you do this for me son if you can? Oh yes, I will

Boy, don't you worry you'll find yourself
Follow your heart and nothing else
And you can do this, oh baby, if you try
All that I want for you my son is to be satisfied

And be a simple kind of man
Be something you love and understand
Baby be a simple kind of man
Oh, won't you do this for me son if you can?

Baby be a simple, be a simple man
Be something you love and understand
Baby be a simple kind of man.

The Problem of Evil in Religious Life

From: http://swami-krishnananda.org/total.thinking/total_4.html

From the book: The Art of Total Thinking

Excerpts; Chapter 4:

The beginning of our problem is our confrontation with the world itself. I pointed out to you in a few words yesterday that in our religious aspirations and spiritual pursuits we are really after the universal omnipresent mystery, the great Self of things, and every effort of ours is a movement towards the achievement of this goal. It is an impulsion from within ourselves towards the attainment of a wholeness which is the characteristic of the universal Self. But this wholeness is cut off and partitioned into a subjective percipient and an outside world. This is the point where we are standing now. Creation is only this much: a presentation of a world before a Creator who seems to be standing outside it. The Lucifer that is spoken of in biblical language is the world in front of us. He has become Satan because of warring with God, asserting an independence by his own self. He was an angel in the beginning; he became Satan afterwards because of his assertion of independence over and above the supremacy of God, the omnipotent Being.

The world was not originally an object of perception. It was an angel inseparable from the bosom of the Almighty. The universe so-called, the creation that we see before our eyes, was not this form which is before us at present. It was one with God’s almighty all-comprehensiveness. Similarly, Satan was an angel once upon a time. He was indistinguishable from God’s being. But something happened. Nobody knows how it happened and what actually happened. The angel began to feel a sense of intolerance; and to affirm an importance in the eyes of God or in the presence of the Almighty would be to defy the Almighty nature of God. Therefore, the world stood against God’s omnipresence when it asserted its objectivity and independence in that manner. Thus, the Satan of the Bible is the world that we see in front of us. He is not in hell, in the inferno, in fire and brimstone as literature will tell us. The very thing in front of our eyes is the Satan. And there is no use merely calling names and getting dissatisfied with the circumstances of life. “You idiot! Get away!” is not a solution to the idiocy of a person. You may say, “You wretched world, I kick you out in the name of God,” but it is not a spiritual solution. You may go on calling names, but the world is not going to listen to your abuses. It shall be what it is.

The great problem of spirituality is a reconciliation of ourselves with the evil which is standing before us and which has taken various forms of the so-called evils of the world. Originally it is a philosophical evil, a metaphysical evil in the form of the whole of creation outside consciousness. Then it becomes a cosmological evil, an epistemological evil, a psychological evil, a social evil, a political evil, a business evil, a moral evil, an ethical evil, every blessed evil. These are all the multitudinous children born to the original evil, the mother of all problems; and we are not going to be saved until we strike a balance between ourselves and this great foe in front of us. The foe happens to be reality, unfortunately for us. We do not struggle against an unreal foe.

The Deva and the Asura sampat mentioned in the sixteenth chapter of the Bhagavadgita are the moral and the immoral. But there is no use simply saying, “It is immoral. I shall not have anything to do with it.” We shall have something to do with it, if not today; we shall have to confront it and make it our own, and cannot brook it standing outside us as our enemy forever. It is not for nothing that the great Christ told us that we cannot make friendship with God unless we first make friendship with man. We must first make peace with our brother before we make peace with our Father in heaven. But we are always trying to make peace with the Father in heaven by condemning our brother, who is an evil before us.

Our religion, as it appears today, has to be shed. I have often been under the impression and am becoming convinced that it is high time that we abolished all the religions of the world and be without any religion. This idea arose in my mind because of the sorrow that I felt at the deceptive attitudes of religions and the camouflage which they put on in the name of morality and divinity, which is to their own ruin and the harm of society itself. We are grinning at God and mocking our own selves, and suffering a sorrow which has arisen because of our idea of morality, ethics, religion, spirituality, God-consciousness. This is the fate of religion today.

dvitīyᾱd vai bhayaṁ bhavati (Brihad. Up. 1.4.2). Whenever there is another near us, we are afraid of that ‘another’.
Such peculiar affirmations of a unitary existence manifests itself as the problem of the evil which is a problem in the scriptures of every religion. The moment we become religious, we close our eyes to the realities of life, condemning them as ungodly, irreligious, immoral, and unworthy of any consideration at all. Here begins our sorrow. That is why I said our sorrow begins the moment we start becoming religious. A wholly social, materialistic person is also happy in his own way. He doesn’t bother about anything. Everything is reconcilable to him. He is able to reconcile himself with everything, even with the worst of things in the world, and so he is happy in a way. But we are very virtuous persons, and our virtue is our sorrow. This is again something very unfortunate.

To be religious is to search for God, and to be spiritual is to affirm God’s originality of being.


Evil does not exist. Because it does not exist, it has become a problem. If it had really existed, it would not have been a confronting principle. Also, if it had been really existing, we would not be trying to overcome it.

But what is evil, again? Place this question before your own mind. It is a part of you struggling with another part of your own self. One part of you is the so-called present ‘I’ or ‘you’. The other part is what you are unable to reconcile yourself to. When you are attracted to anything in this world, you are pulled by a part of your own self that you see externally in the world of space and time. Otherwise, who can attract you in this world? How can a totally contrary being pull you in its own direction unless there is something akin to you in its character? Unless a feature belonging to yourself is present in the world outside, it cannot pull you, attract you and demand your attention. A part of you is present outside there. So you are seeing yourself in the things outside, and calling it an evil. You are trying to run away from a part of your own self. The evil of the world is a part of your own self, and therefore you cannot run away from evil. Just as you cannot say that you do not exist, you cannot say that evil does not exist. But at the same time, you cannot say that you are other than your own self. You cannot be something more than, or less than, or different from what you are. In the same way, the so-called principle of evil cannot be regarded as a feature totally alien to your own self.

Thus, the fight with evil is a fight with one’s own self.

When we take to religious practice or to the practice of yoga, we are in a terrible difficulty indeed. Very few can succeed in yoga or even religion or spirituality or anything worthwhile because the moral evil stares at us as an insoluble problem before us, and the ideas of the undesirable which have been implanted in our minds right from the various incarnations we have passed through obstruct our newly reoriented form of thinking, so even when we think religiously or in a so-called divine way, we are thinking in an old stereotyped fashion only.

The world has been a dear object. It has been dear, but it has been an object. That is the pitiable part of it. It is very good that it has been dear; everything has to be dear, but it is an object. How can an object be dear? Only the Self can be dear, says the Upanishad. Na vᾱ are sarvasya kᾱmᾱya sarvam priyam bhavati, ᾱtmanas tu kᾱmᾱya sarvam priyam bhavati (Brihad. Up. 2.4.5): Only the Self can be dear, and nothing else can be dear.

Unfortunately, the world is contending before us as an independent existence, and we have never felt that it is a part of us or we are a part of it, though in our loves for things we have unconsciously accepted a participation of ourselves in it and its participation in us, though we have spoken to the world with tongue in cheek or a little bit of salt in our mouths, not accepting it fully. We have not fully accepted that the world is a part of us, nor have we completely rejected it. We cannot reject it because we love it, but we cannot make it a part of ourselves because it asserts its independence. Even one’s wife, one’s son are independent individuals. They would not like to merge in us. The wife asserts her independence, the husband asserts his independence, the son and the daughter assert their independence. Though we may say they are ours, they are ours in some way only, under some conditions. Wholly they are not us. When even the dearest of objects has an independence of its own and it would not like to get absorbed in us totally and lose its individuality, the world would also not like it. So much love it cannot evince in regard to us. The world does not want from us so much love as to lose its independence totally and get absorbed into us. That is not possible. “No. I am what I am.”

Guru

From: Krishnananda


The reason why we have been told again and again that a Guru is necessary is this: we have to be deconditioned in our brains, or rather, I would say, we have to be dehypnotised. We are in a hypnotic condition today by the conditions imposed upon us due to the existence of racial factors embedded in our psyches and the impressions formed by experiences of our past through the various incarnations of our own individualities. We have not started life just now, a few years back when we came from our mother’s womb. Our life began, we do not know when. We have been living for centuries, for aeons. We have passed through many forms, entering new forms in our struggle to overcome this evil of an ‘other’ than God’s being. As a soldier may declare a temporary truce to regain his strength and take rest in his camp only to resume the battle the next morning, we are shedding this form of the present personality as soldiers in the battle of life and entering into a camp of unconsciousness for the time being, in order to resume the battle of the very same existence, the confrontation with evil, in another form which we have to assume whether we want it or not.

Thus, the impressions formed in our psyche, which pursue us wherever we go through the various incarnations, stand as obstacles for a totally reoriented form of thinking. The reason why we require a Guru or a teacher or a superior in this task is because we cannot enlighten ourselves qualitatively in a new manner as long as we are capable of thinking only in the old fashion, conditioned by the psyche which has been impressed with the various forms of experience through which it has passed in the earlier incarnations of life. Hence is the need for a Guru, to reiterate.

Don't think twice, it's alright

It ain’t no use to sit and wonder why, babe
It don’t matter, anyhow
An’ it ain’t no use to sit and wonder why, babe
If you don’t know by now
When your rooster crows at the break of dawn
Look out your window and I’ll be gone
You’re the reason I’m trav’lin’ on
Don’t think twice, it’s all right

It ain’t no use in turnin’ on your light, babe
That light I never knowed
An’ it ain’t no use in turnin’ on your light, babe


I’m on the dark side of the road
Still I wish there was somethin’ you would do or say
To try and make me change my mind and stay
We never did too much talkin’ anyway
So don’t think twice, it’s all right

It ain’t no use in callin’ out my name, gal
Like you never did before
It ain’t no use in callin’ out my name, gal
I can’t hear you anymore
I’m a-thinkin’ and a-wond’rin’ all the way down the road
I once loved a woman, a child I’m told
I give her my heart but she wanted my soul
But don’t think twice, it’s all right

I’m walkin’ down that long, lonesome road, babe
Where I’m bound, I can’t tell
But goodbye’s too good a word, gal
So I’ll just say fare thee well
I ain’t sayin’ you treated me unkind
You could have done better but I don’t mind
You just kinda wasted my precious time
But don’t think twice, it’s all right

- Bob Dylan
Copyright © 1963 by Warner Bros. Inc.; renewed 1991 by Special Rider Music

Cycle

When the first atom was split successfully, in the Manhattan project(rivaled only by the NASA's moon mission in terms of investment of resources - money, manpower, intellect;) the lead scientist Dr. Robert Oppenheimer quoted a verse from the Gita, which the lord Shri Krishn says to Arjun after having revealed his true form. It goes - "I've become death, the destroyer of the world's."



The cycles of creation and destruction are pretty much the cause as well as consequence of all things humane, for example: emotions. Strangely, the preprogrammed mind automatically thinks of consequence as a form of suffering, as against the reason preceded by cause, because we look forward to the future so as to hedge against disapproval from what our current level of intellect perceives our society to be.

The similarities of intellect between what Arjun thought and even felt, are no different than what we feel today! We are still as foolish as we were ~5000 years ago. Man is still confounded by what lies within himself just as much as what lay beyond his imagination. If you find it hard to believe this, just try to imagine and come up with something completely new, intoto! You just can't.

All drama about ideation is just a flawed notion of copying what is already there in an aspect which seemingly has not been used before. All that is created must perish then all which has perished should be recycled, isn't it? If we were to value the total life on this planet earth and think of a root for all of them, call them souls, then I suspect the resultant over all sum is likely to be a constant forever. Maybe not a universal constant, but a constant in the world we are aware of.

If S=soul, E=earth, X=value\# imagined, T=defined quantum of time, K=constant
then x(s).e/t=k

Which is why, when the total sum of all parts breaks the equilibrium of the constant, everything has to be reset back to original and history repeats itself.

The collective sum of all conscious parts of life(species) is always constant in any given realm of a complete world with a full mutation life cycle.

Be

Of all the questions which have troubled an individual on the path towards salvation and coming to terms with whatever life generally tends to offer, "who am I?" - is probably the biggest, most uncomfortable and at the same time, the primary question to be answered. It is only when a man is willing to  that he does not matter, his entire existence is in vain and the struggles, benefits, victories and the emotional turmoil is in vain and going to end up being nothing more than a memory which is bound to be forgotten sooner than later - that he truly begins to start understanding what  humble means.

~ Do we live in order to fulfill a purpose or is it the purpose itself which gives us life?

~ Are we thinking because we are able to and can afford to do so or is it the additional brain power which causes thought itself to arise?

~ Animals, either domestic or wild, are living creatures too. It is said they have a soul., but they don't seem to be bothered about such mundane issues.

~ As a species, there is no evidence to suggest they are self-aware or are bothered about extinction.

~ Humanity seems to have yet to come to terms with the idea of it's own ignorance and appears to get distracted pretty easily by the notion of self worth.

~ Why would there be any dispute or difference of opinion if one knew that it's all coming down to zilch in the end.

~ Is time real? Is God real? Have we created both of them or have they created us?

~ What is life itself? And why do we need to find a purpose to be fulfilled?

~ Critically speaking, if one removes the social obligations and expectations of people, literally meaning ALL kinds of expectations - moral, societal, parental, professional and personal, from ALL sorts of people - parent, guardians, spouse, colleagues, friends, relatives etc., then what is left for you to do?

~ what would the Devnagri word - dharm, mean if you were the last man standing on the earth?

A wise man, long time ago, had reasoned about possibilities of a probable God and the consequences of encountering him\her\it after death:

$ if there was no God to be answerable to and you did not believe in him during your lifetime, there's little to be bothered about or lost.

€ if there is a God and you've been appeasing him during your lifetime in some manner, by following any religion(path) and it's teachings, then you are doing alright.

¥ if there wasn't any God but you followed something out of blind faith, even then you wouldn't have to worry about any of your misgivings or transgressions.

£ now the real issue to be worried about is, if there ended up being a God whom you must be answerable to, after death, and you had neither cared nor acknowledged., only then you'd have reason to be concerned!

What it means in terms of quantifiable metrics is that you have a 25% chance to be worried reasonably. 1\4th rate of success is a good ratio to have in the real world!

From dust you came and to dust you shall return. - Genesis

Krishna: History or Myth?

Rule-breakers and game changers

The idea of a rebellion, against either tyranny or hypocrisy, has always been rooted in discontent of some form or aspect either within or without. The possibilities offered by a single success, mostly at the cost of great sacrifice, is nothing logical or reasonable. No pragmatic view would have any endorsement even remotely related to an uprising against the system simply because of the insurmountable odds stacked against it.

Yet, there has never been an age in recorded human history, which can claim itself to be devoid of a revolt. The philosophy of harm preventing man from foolish pursuits is not just misunderstood, but mistaken in it's entirety. For instance, in today's day and age, majority of people would be aware of potential dangers of an addiction like smoking cigarettes or consuming copious amounts of alcohol. Does it mean people would stop smoking and drinking? No. The principle definition of the theory which presumes knowledge would and should prevent mankind's primitive urges from being indulged in, is completely flawed and incorrect.

Far from being preventive, a regulation\rule only serves to further enhance the desire to do the very thing which is prohibited. To add insult to injury, this is nothing new! What is the primary instinct prodding you to do, before the conditioned brain overrides, when you see the sign - do not touch - written on an artifact in a museum? You go right ahead and feel it!

So, for parents and people managers alike, the question still remains, how do you deal with a rebel in the camp? You can only ignore them so much, because their relentless questioning, keen observation and righteous influence spreads like a contagion breaking down the hierarchy and chain of command; wrecking havoc on productivity and efficiency or on the domestic front - peace of mind.

One thing is for certain, a rebel without a cause can be like a double edged sword and as such should be dealt with care as well as caution. It will certainly be easier to stick to reason and keep the dialogue going, even if there is no apparent progress. Because a harsh and strict reaction in the form of a punishment, however well designed to discourage other's from following suit, is certain to backfire when it comes to rebels simply because of it's intrinsic characteristics. Instead of enforcing, it'll reinforce the cause they fight for and make it all the more difficult to convince them of your authority and then convert them into allies who support your cause.

Remember, fundamentally speaking, rebellion always has its roots on a moral high ground. The basis of rebellion itself is born out of a compulsion to follow what is presumed to be an unjust act of governance which has to be fought and resisted. This in turn sows the seeds of desire which feeds suspicion on a regular basis. Every action taken from that point onwards, starts getting scrutinized with a specific bias and ends up being judged with a prejudiced notion, irrespective of it being mundane or critical.

What's more, if anyone from the group of rebels is punished, even lawfully, and out of sheer misfortune ends up losing their life, they will have their name glorified and be labelled a martyr!

In the end, the bottom line is to be delicate in handling the people and situation without letting emotional turmoil affect and ruin just decision.

Location : Address not available

Behave

Be blessed and extremely happy, not by getting the love of a woman, but by having better than the best of things on offer, just for the momentary feeling of an exalted emotion. Temporary as it maybe, at the very least, there won't be a regret on the death bed haunting the conscience with - 'what could have been?' Or - 'if only I had tried..'
--
Strangely, the age old saying - adversity will reveal the true feelings and friendships, appeared out of nowhere to ensure the difficult lessons are not just learnt but are also recalled.
--
Many a times, irony plays a wicked joke by making authenticity dependant on the support of the circumstance; without which disbelief and or surprise just won't budge.
--
Acknowledgement and acceptance are probably the most underused and undervalued concepts and as such, tend to be sparingly understood. By the simple association of ego and the nasty habit of being judgemental, the human nature binds itself to a false sense of honour, superiority and grandiose expectation of getting our desires fulfilled.

Desire

As cunning as the mind can be, its the so called heart, which is more difficult to satisfy and please. Unlike the mind, the heart knows no reason to accept, no rule to follow and most certainly has no qualms about proving itself to be plain stupid.

They say, best thing you can do in life is to follow your heart. So what is this thing called heart which is apparently supposed to automatically figure out the best solution? Is it separate from the creative processes of the mind we think we are aware of?

Whatever it might actually be in reality, the only truth we can actually account for, is that - which fulfills our core needs., thirst and hunger. All the rest is the result of having excess brain power left over and is just circumstantial.

Over all, during the ~17 years of conscious witnessing, torturous lessons and incessant but mostly unnecessary passion - there came a point of realization when certain aspects of living in a judgemental society, became apparent. Not only are wants wanted desperately, they are to be acquired in an acceptably pleasing manner.

The conditional response generated, by experiencing reality from an individually unique point of view, as a reflex is extraordinarily sensitive to how it is perceived irrespective of what it actually is. Simply put, there are no 0's and 1's with universally constant values. How much and what those 0's & 1's represent is not a result of logical deduction to be arrived at in principle but is dependent on what is already fed into the conscious. Simpler still, its not that 1+0=1, its the answer 1 we want, which forces us to create the 1+0!

'Half known is completely confused' said the realization., 'Still working on it..' replied the progression.

..and then some

[1] One should never attribute an action to malice when it can adequately be explained by sheer stupidity! - Max Igan

[2] The smart are more biased to think they are less biased - Robin Hanson

[3] Knowledge speaks, but wisdom listens - Jimi Hendrix

[4] To be happy, we must not be too concerned with others. - Albert Camus

[5] There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it's going to be a butterfly. - R. Buckminster Fuller

[6] If you're happy, don't worry you'll get over it. - Edward Murphy

[7] It is easier to forgive an enemy than to forgive a friend. - William Blake

[8] We may encounter many defeats but we must not be defeated. - Maya Angelou

[9] Relationships never die of natural causes and are always murdered by suspicion, ego or jealousy. - Someone

[10] It's a terrible thing to look over your shoulder(when you are trying to lead) and find no one there. - Franklin D.Roosevelt

[11] Adjustment with right people is always better than argument with wrong ones because, a meaningful silence is always better than meaningless words. - unknown author

[12] Getting married is very much like going to a restaurant with friends. You order what you want, then when you see what the other fellow has, you wish you had ordered that! - author unknown

[13] We fight with and scold the person whom we love a lot, but interestingly, we wont let others do the same to that very thing - author unknown

All glory is fleeting.

World of View

Glycerine - Bush

Must be your skin that I'm sinkin in
Must be for real cause now I can feel
and I didn't mind
it's not my kind
not my time to wonder why
everything's gone white
and everything's grey
now your here now you away
I don't want this
remember that
I'll never forget where your at
don't let the days go by
glycerine

I'm never alone
I'm alone all the time
are you at one
or do you lie
we live in a wheel
where everyone steals
but when we rise it's like strawberry fields

If I treated you bad
you bruise my face
couldn't love you more
you got a beautiful taste
don't let the days go by
could have been easier on you
I coudn't change though I wanted to
could have been easier by three
our old friend fear and you and me

I needed you more
when we wanted us less
I could not kiss just regress
it might just be
clear simple and plain
that's just fine
that's just one of my names
don't let the days go by
could've been easier on you
glycerine

b32/m80

As the realization of tolerance dawns, it becomes more and more clear why there could be a logical and completely acceptable reason to simply move on to the next phase of what can only be described to be - before time. Funnily, as difficult as it may seem to the non-transient beings around me in this physical life, going simply by their observation, I am pretty sure I have always been late. For the meetings, waking up, going to sleep, being energetic, wasting time for the sake of being just there in the moment, feeling my heartbeat rise if only for having imagined, smiling hopelessly, being lost.. Oh dear lord - so dark the con of man!

Some one said - After silence that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music. Without music, life would be an error.
--
Apparently, post modernism says: there is no absolute certainty or truth in life, every persons view of life is as valid as everyone else's.

So dark the con of man.. letting go for the sake of holding on. I no longer belong. I know I am sane, so far.. I can consider, weigh out my options, conclude, survive, any which way sweet leaf, I seek you not, for you are already mine.

Still, better Mr. Late than Late Mr.
--
In other news, Stephen Richard Covey, a famed author, educationist, inspirational kind of guy(*limited to business and management afaik), went to a better place on 16 July 2012 at the ripe age of 80.
Never got myself to read any of his books in-spite of having many chances at various times and stages. Strangely, in a forwarded email highlighting his principles in simple list, I found two which I liked and agreed upon, one almost a revelation. Having sold an estimated 35 million copies, he must be giving out something right in his book! That's when I realized an age old lesson I had learnt during my late teens/early twenties - if everyone who bought Dale Carnegie's - How to make friends and influence people - with over 100 million copies sold(at least) the world would simply have been a whole lot more friendlier, understanding and happier - without any racial prejudice or intentional judgement and most certainly on a better economic parity between the rich and the poor! Sadly, that is not the case at all. If anything, the reality is far from being that simple. The rich would never want to just give away their power and money and the poor will always seek to get it for themselves with as little effort as possible - this remains irrespective of whether or not it is righteous. Also, it will serve well to know that Mr. Dale Carnegie is Mr. Andrew Carnegie's sibling. Yes, the same guys from Carnegie-Mellon Univ. and the vast steel empire, founded when railroads were privatized businesses and on an uptick only behind shipping. It's almost like the Rockefeller's and Rothschild's were giving lessons in grooming a horse, to a rancher, just because they can afford to gamble and lose big money without flinching a bit, on a horse race.

Anyways, having said things, I am also not the one to shy away from giving credit where it is due. And I am glad Mr.Covey cleared up a couple of fundamental things for me and for that, I am thankful indeed.

1. Maturity is when you accept that the person you've become is not necessarily the person you wanted to be.
2. There are three constants in life... Change, Choice and Principles.

Coming to think of it, am wondering, Steven Jobs and Stephen Covey., who could be the next Steve..?

How and why it matters - China

Whenever there is talk of world domination and a debate ensues around which country actually inherits the status of being a super power after the end of the second millennium and the post cold-war reshuffle, the topic of maximum interest has always gravitated towards China. Sure, USA has also been there as the undisputed winner of the cold war era competition, but it no longer holds the position of "undisputed" and overarching decider of any countries fate.

The debacle that ensued soon after the dissolution of communist Soviet states(Warsaw pact countries), the capitalist empire led by USA(NATO) fell into a crisis of its own making. Nobody realizes that if a champion who is used to compete, fight and win every step of the way, finally wins, the glory of having won a difficult fight soon fades away, as no challenger comes forward to seek the same glory. In essence a fighter always needs someone to fight with or else the very existence becomes meaningless. Ditto with the world order in the decade following the end of cold war(1991-2000).

The downfall of the victors started with what was then known as the Y2K bug and subsequent dot-com bubble bust and it has been a slippery and uncontrolled slide for economies ever since.

While all of this was happening and everyone, as usual, was focused on the first and second worlds., a silent but spectacular dragon was starting to breathe out fire, after being starved into submission for ~two millennia.

The aim or agenda of the PRC(Peoples Republic of China) seems to be:

1. to add the word - "Peoples" as a suffix to everything and anything related to and defined by the state. Like for example, Peoples Liberation Army of China - as their armed forces are actually called, The Great Hall of People - as their parliament is officially known etc., but jokes apart..
2. The governing body known as the Peoples Party, of the Peoples Republic of China - mainland China, recognizes and establishes the "[[One China]]" policy which can be interpreted as having the legal right to own and administer entire territories under former Ming/Qing dynasty rule(16th century).

Strangely, the general populace of the world does not seem to actually know that the resulting dispute between PRC and Taiwan is more or less like two cousins fighting for the throne and neither of them is the legitimate heir apparent. Its simply not about PRC claiming Taiwan! The official name of what we know as Taiwan is .. guess what? Republic of China! aka ROC. And further more the ROC claims the right to rule over the huge mainland China by claiming the right of succession. Who knew!!!

Anyways, having given the background of just the later half of the 20th century, let us see how and why, the first and second worlds, have snapped up to pay attention in today's age and making note of every little movement the dragons tentacles make. These few points are not just sensationalist in nature but are genuine concerns.

China has 19% of the world’s population, but consumes ...

1. 53% of the world's cement
2. 48% of the world's iron ore
3. 47% of the world's coal
4. .... and the majority of just about every other major commodity.
5. In 2010, China produced 11 times more steel than the United States.
6. New World Record: China made and sold 18 million vehicles in 2010.
7. There are more pigs in China than in the next 43 pork producing nations combined.
8. China currently has the world’s fastest train and the world’s largest high-speed rail network.
9. China is currently the number one producer in the world of wind and solar power, but they don’t use it themselves. 
10. While they manufacture 80% of the world’s solar panels, they install less than 5% and build a new coal fired power station every week. 
11. In one year they turn on more new coal powered electricity than Australia's total output.
12. China currently controls more than 90% of the total global supply of rare earth elements.
13. In the past 15 years, China has moved from 14th place to 2nd place in the world in published scientific research articles.
14. China now possesses the fastest supercomputer on the entire globe.
15. At the end of March 2011, China accumulated US$3.04 trillion in foreign currency reserves -- the largest stockpile on the entire globe.
16. Chinese people consume 50,000 cigarettes every second …
17. They are already the largest carbon dioxide emitter and their output will rise 70% by 2020.

Now, some more sobering facts about the same china, these are from considerably more reliable sources which I did mention at the end of the point definition.

• China has 150% more soldiers than America does, plus a high tech 'Kill Weapon' the U.S. can't deal with.
• China has about 3.4 million active military personnel compared to America's 1.4 million. Moreover, in some key spaces, China might even have a tech advantage:
• After years of conjecture, details have begun to emerge of a "kill weapon" developed by the Chinese to target and destroy U.S. aircraft carriers.
  
• "The size of the missile enables it to carry a warhead big enough to inflict significant damage on a large vessel, providing the Chinese the capability of destroying a U.S. super-carrier in one strike. Because the missile employs a complex guidance system, low radar signature and a maneuverability that makes its flight path unpredictable, the odds that it can evade tracking systems to reach its target are increased. It is estimated that the missile can travel at mach 10 and reach its maximum range of 2000km in less than 12 minutes."
• "If operational as is believed, the system marks the first time a ballistic missile has been successfully developed to attack vessels at sea. Ships currently have no defense against a ballistic missile attack.”

Source: U.S. Naval Institute

• By 2025, China will build TEN New York-sized cities.

"[By 2025,] 40 billion square meters of floor space will be built -- in five million buildings.
50,000 of these buildings could be skyscrapers -- the equivalent of ten New York Cities."
Source: Mckinsey, "Preparing for China's urban billion"

• By 2030, China will add more new city-dwellers than the entire U.S. population.

“[By 2030] China's cities will have added 350 million people—more than the entire population of the United States today.”        
Source: Mckinsey

• China already consumes twice as much steel as the US, Europe and Japan combined.

China is the steel market.
Even in 2010, as developed nation steel demand is expected to rebound, Chinese steel demand will still dwarf all other major economies.
This also means that China drives the seaborne iron ore and coking coal markets as well, as these commodities are key ingredients in steel.
Source: Posco Steel

• If the Chinese, one day, use as much oil per person as Americans, then the world will need seven more Saudi Arabias to meet their demand.
  
  
  
• There are already more Christians in China than Italy, and China is on track to become the largest center of Christianity in the world.

Due to the extremely rapid expansion of Christianity in China, there are now an estimated 54 million Christians in the country comprised of about 40 million Protestants and 14 million Catholics.
Meanwhile, Italy has just 60 million people in total, of which only 79% are Christian these days. Which means Italy has 47.4 million Christians, a full 12% less than China. It's partly because 16% of Italians are now irreligious.
Source: Vatican

• Chinese internet users are five times as likely to have blogs as Americans.

Yet these prolific bloggers are under the watchful eye of an internet police army:
"Although the existence of an internet police force - estimated at more than 30,000 - has been known for some time, attention has previously focused on their work as censors and monitors.
Countless critical comments appear on bulletin boards of major portals such as Sohu and Sina only to be erased minutes, or sometimes just seconds, later. In the most recent case, all postings that blamed corrupt local officials or slow-moving police for the deaths of 88 children in floods last Friday were removed almost as soon as they appeared."
Source: The Guardian

Well, where do you think India stands in comparison?

Collective granary

The result of following - in order to explore the rationale behind someone drilling the reality, so as to gain an understanding and clarify, our own follies. These few things are most certainly not the end of it all. Thank you - Mark(C) - for making me realize.

1. The perceptions of an arrogant mind eventually led to certain conclusions. This is in no possible manner, strange or unexpected. If you prick a bull, it will go berserk.
2. The acquisition of knowledge doesn't mean you’re growing. Growing happens when what you know changes how you live.
3. Always remember, results are more important than the time it takes to achieve them. Sometimes we do things that are permanently foolish simply because we are temporarily upset or excited.
4. True perfectionists have a hard time starting things and an even harder time finishing them, always.
5. Sadly, an abundance of choice often leads to complication, confusion and inaction.
6. Respect is earned, honesty is appreciated, trust is gained, and loyalty is returned.
7. You don’t need a certain number of friends, just a number of friends you can be certain of. The terrible truth is that there are some people who will only be there for you as long as you have something they need. When you no longer serve a purpose to them, they will leave.
   The good news is, if you tough it out, you’ll eventually weed these people out of your life and be left with some great people you can count on.
8. We rarely lose friends and lovers, we just gradually figure out who our real ones are. So when people walk away from you, let them go. Your destiny is never tied to anyone who leaves you. It doesn't mean they are bad people; it just means that their part in your story is over.
9. Treat everyone with kindness and respect, even those who are rude to you – not because they are nice, but because you are.
10. Don’t live your life with hate in your heart. You will end up hurting yourself more than the people you hate.
11. Forgiveness is not saying, “What you did to me is okay.” It is saying, “I’m not going to let what you did to me ruin my happiness forever.”
12. Sometimes, a lack of concern hurts more than angry words.
13. Live by choice, not by chance. The only challenge greater than learning to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes, is learning to walk a lifetime, comfortably in your own.
14. Past mistakes should teach you to create a wonderful future; not cause you are afraid of it.
15. Life is actually pretty simple, but we insist on making it complicated.
16. Give what you want to receive. Making one person smile can change the world. Maybe not the whole world, but their world.
17. You must accept the fact that life is not perfect, that people are not perfect, and that you are not perfect. And that’s okay, because the real world doesn't reward perfection. It rewards people who get GOOD things done.
18. Don’t walk away from negative people, RUN! Life is too short to spend time with people who suck the happiness out of you. Never create an unnecessary drama and keep away from people who do.
19. Forget what everyone else thinks and wants for you. One of the greatest freedoms is simply not caring what everyone else thinks of you. Don’t let small minds convince you that your dreams are too big. They aren’t.
20. Oftentimes walking away has nothing to do with weakness, and everything to do with strength. We walk away not because we want others to realize our worth, but because we finally realize our own worth.
21. Putting something off instantly makes it harder and scarier. If you feel like your ship is sinking, it might be a good time to throw out the stuff that’s been weighing it down. The next time you decide to un-clutter your life and clean up your space, start with the things that are truly useless, like old regrets, shame, and anger. Let it go.
22. You can’t start the next chapter of your life if you keep rereading your previous one.
23. Do not live life trying to fool yourself into thinking wealth is measured in material objects. Don’t censor yourself. Speak the truth – your truth – always.
24. Never let a bad day make you feel like you have a bad life. Its better to have a life full of small failures that you learned from, rather than a lifetime filled with the regrets of never trying.
25. The mind must believe it can do something before it is capable of actually doing it.
26. Being hurt is something you cant stop from happening, but being miserable is always your choice. Your mistakes and failures should be your motivation, not your excuse. Failure is not falling down; failure is staying down when you have the choice to get back up.
27. To be upset about what you don’t have is always a waste of what you do have. The happiest of people aren’t the luckiest, and they usually don’t have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes their way.
28. The reason so many people give up is because they tend to look at what’s missing, and how far they still have to go, instead of what’s present, and how far they have come.
29. Don’t let someone who gave up on their dreams talk you out of going after yours.
30. Don’t allow your temporary wounds to permanently transform you into someone you aren’t. A strong person is not the one who doesn’t cry. A strong person is the one who cries for a moment openly, and then gets up and fights again for what they believe in.
31. Even in the most peaceful surroundings, the ungrateful heart finds trouble. Even in the most troublesome surroundings, the grateful heart finds peace. Choose to see the world through grateful eyes; it will never look the same again.

TrueBlue

Its not a smell, its a fragrance

All of this is definitely not my content but its important enough to paste it here in the hopes of clarifying certain essentials, most of which no-one even thinks about.

"Eau de" is simply French for "Water of." Phonetically, it's like saying: O-dee.

Most perfumes are complex combinations of natural materials, such as essential oils from plants, and synthetic products that increase the lasting power and heightens the senses. Alcohol is used as a liquid base for perfume, and the ratio of alcohol to scented perfume concentrates determines what the final concoction is labeled as. Most frequently it's a nice little marketing gimmick to extract the most from an ignorant little guy, trying to impress a girl. Or at the very least, how it starts!

From highest concentration to the least, the different forms of perfume essentially consist of:

1. Perfume, also called extract or extrait perfume, can include 15-40% perfume concentrates. This is the purest form of scented product and is the most expensive as a result.
2. Eau de parfum contains about 7-15% perfume concentrates. This is the most popular and common form of perfume. It provides a long-lasting fragrance and generally doesn't cost as much as extract perfume.
3. Eau de toilette has around 1-6% perfume concentrates. This makes for a light scent that doesn't linger as long as the more intense versions. It was originally intended to be a refreshing body splash to help people wake up in the morning.
4. Eau de cologne is sometimes used interchangeably with the term eau de toilette. However, the concoction began as the name of a light, fresh fragrance mixed with citrus oils and was made popular by Napoleon. Some perfumers today have a version of this called eau fraiche.

While these are the main classes of perfume, other products are frequently scented with perfume concentrates too. Lotions, creams, powders, body splashes, aftershaves, soaps, and other cosmetic products may contain variable (though usually small) amounts of fragrance.

Passing

One of the most humbling experiences, by virtue of being a human is to witness miracles as they happen. It is an equally benevolent vice which only occurs to the human mind, to think that one can affect change by merely working for it.

None of this has ever happened; as the default disclaimer goes..

There have always been times when the wits of the most educated eloquent have been pitted against the raw standards of experienced artisans. The debate between wanting and needing has neither been won nor lost. It rages on for ever either in the form of being populist or an opportunist.

I've been warned said the high priest, and you have been promised - replied the willing.

Walked by

There isn't a single nation today, on our planet - Earth, which defines itself by using bullet points, to draw up its constitution. Digression is therefore not just a matter of fact, but is an essential tool, used to get as close to perfection, as is possible. - snt7650

Every limited period of a certain number of revolutions of earth around the sun are given a name, in terms of calling it an 'age.' The thing of interest in this kind of a system, trying to draw a conclusion, is to calculate the realization of an era gone by.

Just to be clear, this is not an attempt to categorize certain periods of time with regards to talking about it's specialties so as to clarify or add to already existing generalizations. Instead, the purpose of this essay is to delve into the reality of time on a completely different but intensely personal differentiation which affects the daily routine of any random creature, on earth at least, which is capable of holding a conscious thought.

The scientific community(in this age and at this time), generally tends to agree on certain principles supposedly governing the universe we know of. Discounting the theories which are as yet only suppositions and do not have practical proof for the purpose of creating a base on which we build upon certain presumptions - only to extend our understanding of the universe we exist in, it's relatively easy to understand that the reality of our existence, on an intrinsically molecular level, lied in just two theories which have consistently been proven, repeatedly so, for the benefit of skeptics.

The two theories are:
1. The general theory of relativity(as against the special theory of relativity) and
2. Quantum physics(rarely referred to as quirky mechanics, which probably was slang for fooling the religiously suppressive christian bishops who eventually ended up jailing and sometimes even burning alive, people like Galileo).

Damn it, looks like I lost it again.. must be getting old but don't feel any bit wiser. (Of course the photo is mine! Wasn't it typical?)

Wishlist

After about a decade of trying to find the answer to the question - "what do you want?" - finally figured it out.

Ask and you shall receive was really a terrible predicament. It might seem like a rich kid trying to decide what to choose from the options available, each of which would hold a value greater than what a needy person might want in 8 generations! The true issue with this line of thought is that everyone presumes everybody else's value systems are the same. No matter how similar the portion of a circle may actually be, it's always the other half we wish we'd chosen. In addition, the feeling of being inadequate always seems to arise after the choice has been made. Strangely, this behavior only seems to affect the humans, as every other creature so far observed, seems to have lost its appetite, the moment it's need is fulfilled.

Another thought which predominantly supersedes the selection of a particular want is the knowledge of a conditional prize. Historically speaking, most of mythology from the ancient world is filled with examples of a blessing or a boon eventually being broken. For instance, one of the most well known stories is that of the king Hiranyakashyap having obtained a sort of shield against getting slain by - either a man, woman or an animal, neither in day or at night. Eventually, out of arrogance of having acquired a great power, he asks his devotee son Prahallad 'why do you pray to an unknown God when I am the all powerful being right in front of you?' Seeing a devout and pious kid in trouble, God decides to help and comes over in the form of a human body with a lions head, at dusk and shears the cruel kings abdomen causing him to die without breaking the boon/blessing.

Regardless of the factual basis of the story, the thing to learn is - there's always a workaround and nothing is really foolproof. There is always a catch! Having gained such wisdom, what could you possibly ask for, knowing for certain that you'll somehow or the other have to pay for? And if you are going to pay for it, wtf bother asking in the first place, especially when its going to generate an obligation?

Allow me to give an example. Popularly speaking, one of the most frequently desired 'wants' of an employee is a raise/hike in pay. The thing which none of these employees bargained for is the expectation of the employer to expect at least as much more work as is deserving of the hike. Obviously, this ends up translating into additional work load in addition to what was being delivered before the hike, we know only too well that it ends up translating to longer work hours and increased peer pressure, in the end the demands at home in terms of spending quality time increases and there comes a time when you don't know where the additional money went or it may just be uselessly sitting in a bank account because you gotta work the weekends or late nights to cover up the added responsibilities. Your health starts to deteriorate as the body struggles to cope and keep up with the demands it was never designed for!

All of this translates to one thing - stress. And that my friend is how you end up paying for that raise you thought you got just because you asked for and got. Try again tomorrow, after you have had a chance to sleep over it and ask yourself again - what do you really want? Add the disclaimer too - what & how are you willing to pay for it?

There will come a point when you'll start understanding this - God's dynamic - as I like to call it. That is the real deal. That is when the conversations, discussions and emotional arguments start. Fun times in flashback, but devilish hell while going through it.

Knowing it, is in itself a kind of relief because it's reassuring to find out you aren't the only one. As much as the inner voice of an egoistic winner may complain about being #1, the fact remains that being the only one of a kind, ahead of all others - is a very lonely place. Moreover, the concept of ranking in itself arises out of striving to continually improve "as compared to others." In simpler terms, if there are no others, there won't be any #1., it'll remain the only one!
Eventually, all of it seems to come down to the quintessential - society. The one thing that folks are ideally not supposed to do, is to compare. That is supposedly one of the universally accepted ideals. Yet, at every instance of physical and mental change in an individual's life, aka growth from infancy-adolescence-maturity, the only measure used to asses the performance till that point, is comparison.

Btw, did you really think I'd actually mention what it truly is, for me, that I wanted? Okay, here's a clue - you already know it! ;-)

Flaming Telepath's and Astronomy

Some of the most intriguing and explosive poems.. very brave, deep and difficult.

The construction of the song itself seems so natural with Eric Bloom's voice stirring up feelings stowed away since ages past. The way the synthesizer feeds into the piano and then into the guitar solo is just flat out perfection.

Well I've opened up my veins too many times

And the poison's in my heart and in my mind

Poison's in my bloodstream

Poison's in my pride

I'm after rebellion

I'll settle for lies

Is it any wonder that my mind's on fire

Imprisoned by the thoughts of what to do

Is it any wonder that my joke's an iron

And the joke's on you

Experiments that failed too many times

Transformations that were too hard to find

Yes I know the secrets of the iron and mind

They're trinity acts, a mineral fire

Yes I know the secrets of the circuitry mind

It's a flaming wonder telepath

--

Clock strikes twelve and moondrops burst 

Out at you from their hiding place 

Like acid and oil on a madman's face 

His reason tends to fly away 

Like lesser birds on the four winds 

Like silver scrapes in may 

And now the sand's become a crust 

Most of you have gone away 

Come susie dear, let's take a walk 

Just out there upon the beach 

I know you'll soon be married 

And you'll want to know where winds come from 

Well it's never said at all 

On the map that carrie reads 

Behind the clock back there you know 

At the four winds bar 

Four winds at the four winds bar 

Two doors locked and windows barred 

One door to let to take you in 

The other one just mirrors it 

Hellish glare and inference 

The other one's a duplicate 

The queenly flux, eternal light 

Or the light that never warms 

Yes the light that never, never warms 

Or the light that never 

Never warms 

The clock strikes twelve and moondrops burst 

Out at you from their hiding place 

Miss carrie nurse and susie dear 

Would find themselves at four winds bar 

It's the nexus of the crisis 

And the origin of storms 

Just the place to hopelessly 

Encounter time and then came me 

Call me Desdinova 

Eternal light 

These gravely digs of mine 

Will surely prove a sight 

And don't forget my dog 

Fixed and consequent 

Astronomy...a star

Leaving the crutch, for now

Gotten off of Facebook day before yesterday, at least for now.

Part of an experiment to figure out how difficult announcing events and getting information about the people you care to know about, is going to be.
Almost silly really. But considering the amount of dependence on a website which hardly anyone knew of even a decade ago is astonishing. Right from accessing my own data to using apps for which fb's login credentials are used - vanished without trace.

I've ceased to exist.

Keep talking

Ever since the first communicating humans grouped together, to turn the odds of survival in the wilderness of an unforgiving nature, there must have existed feelings of imposing ones will on others in the group. In the current times, our civilization, full of presumed freedoms and perceived choices, uses plenty of different words essentially meaning the same thing i.e., 'dominating in order to enforce a personal opinion and will.'

Statewide policies dictate a law in the name of justice. On an individual level, it turns to greed and jealousy, in terms of appetite, it becomes hunger and lust. Any which way you look at it, it'll always remain the single most important commonality, amongst humans from different lands and equally different cultural backgrounds.

Defining the inherent flaw of even basic understanding, its relatively easy to conclude, that communication was invented out of the need to transfer ones thoughts, without changing its meaning. Of course, other reasons are there too, like coordinated hunting for instance, which was essential to survive but was also about whose idea to follow in order to kill most efficiently. But all of that comes later.

At best, this post itself is likely to be considered a stupendous example for the above mentioned theory. At worst, no harm will be done out of being unknown.

Prevalence

1. Once you know you actually want something badly, you'll eventually get it; if you have the patience to learn to live without yearning for it. The only caveat being - time.
2. As a species, having developed a level of understanding nature/environment better than other creatures, we do not tend to be any bit more forgiving or tolerant of weakness than what our wild and savage cohabitants on earth are. That means there's no mercy when it comes to survival.
3. Too often we end up being blinded because of our expectations. It'll serve us well to actually be cautious of what we want from those who are closest and matter the most. Others will come and go.
4. Good and bad are contextual. Do not go about thinking they are fixed things to be sworn by and sacrificed for - its what will lead to fanaticism.
5. Develop some ideas on the basis of personal ideology and socially acceptable morals to guide your - thoughts, responses & behavior - simply by 'agreeing in principle' to have them.
6. Don't panic if you have't thought about this ever before, most people spend their lifetimes without realizing its missing.
7. If you feel like someone is just coaxing you to do something you don't want to do, just say so! Its alright to be rude once than to hold a grudge for a lifetime.
8. The more reasoning you give describing a problem, the higher the number of solutions people will return!
9. The more reasoning you give for your argument, the lesser the probability of convincing.
10. A familiar character who has achieved a 'perceived success,' either by living in a particular manner or simply by daring to have a means to an end - will most certainly be unacceptable, for no discernible reason, other than some unknown person, who's achieved a greater amount of similar success.
11. Give others a chance to speak and voice their opinion, just like you expect yourself to be heard. As simple and doable as it may seem, very often, we do not even realize how we end up defending a point of view, just for the sake of having said so!
12. There are always, at the very least, two ways of doing. Simple and complex. They are not right or wrong, but are just the way it was meant to be. One is 'get to the point' while the other includes 'how to.'
13. If you ever get thinking about "simple v/s complex" - know for sure that precision and details are inclusive of each other in order to be complete, and are not mutually exclusive.
14. No professional manuals are ever concise. A book of law or medical operational procedure for instance.
15. Always know one thing for certain - its more and then even more! Being satisfied with nothing and feeling empty with everything is simply a matter of choice.
16. There are never any compulsions in life except the ones you create.
17. Superstition is only a manner in which weakness manifests itself in the form of saving grace. It's like an oxymoron - hope against hope, shattering silence etcetera.
18. Superstition is also another one of those tricks designed to maintain differentiation and to enforce limits - without being questioned.
19. If in case there ever exists an entity called God, all powerful, all mighty, all forgiving and what not, he/she/it is certain to have a lot better things to think of and create, than to keep a count of everything everyone does. Certainly not as much and in the manner as the pundits have us believing.
20. In the world of tiny ants, if they could imagine and communicate like we do, would they think of humans as humans think of Gods?
21. In the unlikely event of really getting questioned about the (mis)deeds of having lived in a certain way, how would the decision be made and the judgement passed in an unbiased way, when one man's fight for freedom is another man's terror?
22. Its certainly more fulfilling to ask for forgiveness than to request for a permission.

The first guards of time

Narayana Shastry(1869-1918) A great scholar from erstwhile Madras with a keen interest in learning the truth of the Vedas and scriptures decided to find out, study and transcribe an extensively well researched work on the life of Shankaracharya and the history of the kings of Kaliyug. Having spent 20 years of his life searching, studying and collecting material(evidence) from maTh's(spiritual centers), libraries and other places of archaeological importance, he ended up collecting ~50,000 manuscripts, magazines and book for his personal library. (Ref: page 1 - intro - Age of Sankara.) His research was primarily directed towards establishing accurate chronological order of the dynasties/kings/satraps/jhagir's and forever lay to rest the dispute between western and eastern scholars on the matter of who ruled when, in the Indian subcontinent. He wrote a book of 800 pages in two volumes, detailing the sequence of events of 'All' the kings/major rulers, ascending to and descending from the thrones, since., guess what? 3102 BC! He also established the year of birth of Shankaracharya as 509 BC. Of course, all this was written along with material, circumstantial and archaeological evidence. The volumes could not be published at one go, in those times due to lack of funds and hence it was to be released in eight parts. The first book - The Age of Sankara, was published in 1916. A year later, in 1917, his other book - The kings of Magada, was published. It extensively quoted verses from - Bhavishotter puran aka Kaliyug Rajvrittant. Both these books along with 20 years of written material along with the huge personal library disappeared mysteriously ~8 months after being published! Less than a year after this incident, even Mr. Narayana Sastry died.

Coincidence? I think not!

Eventually, his son, T. N. Kumaraswamy collected some leftover material and published the second episode of 'The Age of Sankara' in 1971 with some additional information. It was printed by B. G. Paul & Company, Madras. In the preface, he directly states "as was originally promised by my father, all the supplements could not be brought to fore. The manuscripts containing all the valuable matter simply vanished, leaving no trace behind."

In the 800 page volumes, 14 chapters and 10 appendixes, there was information along with proof of one of the most contentious issue affecting India and its growth even today. It contained the correct chronology of all the kings of Kashmir.

The race for the worlds biggest bomb

The image below is a screen grab from a documentary I was watching and thought I should share it.

After the WWII ended, the cold war started and so did the arms race, the space race, the race to conquer the oceans, the race for the north and south poles, the race in cartography[accurately mapping out entire ocean surface(sea bed)] on the world, the speed race, so on and so forth., This was obviously between the USA and Russia primarily. As the tensions started initially, entire masses of known as well as unknown countries had to pick a side like kids in a primary school saying - if you talk to X, I wont talk to you!

Anyways, one of the most important races among the ones mentioned above, was the race for owning the loudest bang and the biggest buck - race to build, own and show off the biggest bomb ever built by mankind. The USA had gotten a head start in the race but it was not the one to finish it. Russians ended up building something so huge, that when it was tested in a remote Siberian territory of the vast Russian landmass, the shock-wave generated circled the entire earth three times!

The picture posted below was taken in 1946 when the USA kicked out the 165 islanders of an island called Bikini Atoll situated to the south-west of Hawaii in the Pacific ocean. Very frequently when we see the video of a nuclear explosion, we fail to realize the enormity of the mushroom cloud, the stem and the burst area because there is nothing around to compare it with. That is where this picture come in. If you see closely enough, you will find an entire flotilla of 93 ships used for testing the true effect and power of the atomic explosion and its scale.

The longest ship visible in the snap below is something called a battle-cruiser and is the biggest class of fighting ship with a displacement of 40,000tons and above. This single ship during WWII had 18 BIG guns simultaneously firing shells/bullets which were ~1 meter or more in length and 5.5" thick. The ship must have been easily around 170mts in length. Think how long 170 meters is in terms of the street you live on. And then, look at the stem of the explosion below the mushroom cloud for comparison.

None amongst equals - thieves of history

Max Müller institute aka Goethe Zentrum in India exists/remains an institute associated with great learning and spreading cross-cultural diversity. But very few people, if hardly any, know about the high scholarly ability of the person himself or about the hobby of studying, he cultivated from childhood.
Albeit, with a certain prejudice which only manifests itself unknowingly and gives rise to a sense of superiority which should ideally crumble under the weight of experience. But that only happens if 'time' ends up being kind and allows the realization of ones follies, giving at the very least a chance, to sincerely ask for forgiveness. That in itself, would need a lot of good karma to come to bear.

Being under employment of the brits, factually speaking, his extensive writings on the Veda's were following the exact pattern prescribed by the british, using which India was to be ruled.

The british policy, discussed in another post, elsewhere on this blog, was to:
1. Gain an entry/foothold in every state and establish a presence in the courts of regional princes/rulers/heirs by whatever means necessary including bribing, insulting, conniving, enticing, encouraging rebellion and creating of fake titles to appease and flatter small time local rulers.
2. Once an entry has been gained, start demeaning the existing culture and create rifts between the local sects.
3. Propose/provide a better alternative to all the existing Ancient philosophies by creating associations of guilt amongst natives about their forefathers and proving their own cultures were not just better but were indirect sources of inspiration for the native culture!
4. Thus having divided everyone into smaller and more manageable sects, rule!

The role Max played in this 4/5 point agenda to rule India was in points 2 & 3 listed above. This was in addition to the immensely huge campaign run by the Asiatic Society to study mainstream cultures and its influences in the South-East Asian continent. The HQ of the society was based in Calcutta where the East India Company had their first point of entry into the country and had setup the Asia-Pacific regional head quarters.

Before reading ahead, try to calm yourself down and think of all the bed time stories from mythology and ancient times which you may have heard from grandma or father or whoever else.. keep that in mind and then read this..

max muller and his contributions:(sic)

1. The Vedas are like the 'twaddles of idiots' and the ravings of madmen. Their downright absurdity can hardly be matched anywhere.

2. In former times, all kinds of victims were offered(as sacrifice). We know for certain, in the cases of horses and oxen.(he claims this for Ashwamedha yagnya)

3. The Vedas are intended from the beginning for "an uncivilized race of heathens and savages."

4. Sacrifice was a natural occupation for the vedic savages.

5. That Vishnu in India, became in time, an independent deity just as Apollo and Dionysus were in Greece.

6. The Greek and Indian Gods were not beings that ever existed.

7. Sanskrit and English are the varieties of one and the same language.

8. Sanskrit of Vedas is no more distinct than the Greek of Homer.

9. The meaning of Vedas adopted by Sayan was too absurd.

10. Chandragupta Maurya was the contemporary of Alexander and Seleucus.

11. The Veda's contain a great deal of what is childish and foolish. Its a strange religion of such strange creatures.

12. Vikramaditya certainly didn't live in first century BC.

13. The vedic hymns were created c.1500-1000BC.

14. Writing was unknown in India before fourth century BC.

15. Even the killing and eating of a cow must have been recognized during these feasts when the Sutra's were written.

16. The Aryans migrated into the land of the seven rivers(saptasindhu) and composed the hymns of the Ved.

17. Its easy to call these utterances(of the Vedas) as childish and absurd.

References:
Books written by max muller; Name of book, year of print, city, reprint, where. Chapter # & page #.

- A history of ancient Sanskrit literature(the primitive religion of Brahmans), 1860 - London, 1978 - USA. Ch. II, p.389, p.420,p.525.

- The Vedas, speeches of max muller from 1865-1882. Printed 1969, Delhi. Ch. I, p.4,5. Ch. II, p.12,19 Ch. III, p.48,52,54,55,66,74,76. Ch. IV, p.82

- Chips from a German workshop, essay on science of religion. 1869, New York, 1985,USA. Ch. I - lecture of Vedas, p.12,21,26,37,48.

- India, what it can teach us, first print 1882, Ch. I, p.30, Ch. III, p.99,117,119,121. Ch. VII, Ved and Vedant, p.217,218,230,253,266.

- The sacred books of the east, volume I, The Upanishads, part I. First published by Oxford University Press in 1900, sixth reprint Delhi 1993. p. LXIV & XXX of the intro.

- Physical religion, first print 1890, reprint 1979 New Delhi. Lecture III,V,VIII,XIV. p.50,51,86,91,102,203,364.

None the wiser

The stuff in this write-up, if read at once, is easily very admirable and forgotten with equal ease. It's like something you have but never use. The one who truly follows these is the one really happy and content, peaceful and probably even divine. Then again, who knows?!

Thank you Mark Chernoff, for having read all the books in the world and getting it all together.

_-^

The acquisition of knowledge doesn't mean you’re growing. Growing happens when what you know changes how you live.

Always remember, results are more important than the time it takes to achieve them.

Sometimes we do things that are permanently foolish simply because we are temporarily upset or excited.

True perfectionists have a hard time starting things and an even harder time finishing them, always.

Sadly, an abundance of choice often leads to complication, confusion and inaction.

Respect is earned, honesty is appreciated, trust is gained, and loyalty is returned.

You don’t need a certain number of friends, just a number of friends you can be certain of.

The sad truth is that there are some people who will only be there for you as long as you have something they need. When you no longer serve a purpose to them, they will leave. The good news is, if you tough it out, you’ll eventually weed these people out of your life and be left with some great people you can count on. We rarely lose friends and lovers, we just gradually figure out who our real ones are. So when people walk away from you, let them go. Your destiny is never tied to anyone who leaves you. It doesn't mean they are bad people; it just means that their part in your story is over.

Treat everyone with kindness and respect, even those who are rude to you – not because they are nice, but because you are.

Don’t live your life with hate in your heart. You will end up hurting yourself more than the people you hate.

Forgiveness is not saying, “What you did to me is okay.” It is saying, “I’m not going to let what you did to me ruin my happiness forever.”

Sometimes, a lack of concern hurts more than angry words.

Live by choice, not by chance.

The only challenge greater than learning to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes, is learning to walk a lifetime, comfortably in your own.

Past mistakes should teach you to create a wonderful future; not cause you to be afraid of it.

Life is actually pretty simple, but we insist on making it complicated.

Results are always more important than the time it takes to achieve them.

Give what you want to receive.

Making one person smile can change the world. Maybe not the whole world, but their world.

You must accept the fact that life is not perfect, that people are not perfect, and that you are not perfect. And that’s okay, because the real world doesn't reward perfection. It rewards people who get GOOD things done.

Don’t walk away from negative people, RUN!

Life is too short to spend time with people who suck the happiness out of you.

Never create an unnecessary drama and keep away from people who do.

Forget what everyone else thinks and wants for you. One of the greatest freedoms is simply not caring what everyone else thinks of you.

Don’t let small minds convince you that your dreams are too big. They aren’t.

Oftentimes walking away has nothing to do with weakness, and everything to do with strength. We walk away not because we want others to realize our worth, but because we finally realize our own worth.

Putting something off instantly makes it harder and scarier.

If you feel like your ship is sinking, it might be a good time to throw out the stuff that’s been weighing it down. The next time you decide to unclutter your life and clean up your space, start with the things that are truly useless, like old regrets, shame, and anger. Let it go. You can’t start the next chapter of your life if you keep rereading your previous one.

Do not live life trying to fool yourself into thinking wealth is measured in material objects.

Don’t censor yourself. Speak the truth – your truth – always.