The Power And Greatness Of Gayathri Mantra

He who stops chanting Gayathri Mantra for 3 generations seizes to be a Brahmin.  He cannot enter Brahmanism thereafter. That is the power and richness of Gayathri Mantra.   Gayathri Mantra is like a spark which should not be ignored.  A spark is not useful by itself, but gets immense power when it becomes a fire.  At the time of Brahmopadesa during Upanayanam, the Brahmin boy (Vatu) is bestowed with this spark by narrating the Gayathri Mantra into his ears by the Guru.  Through this narration, the spark enters the mind of the Vatu and remains there for ever.  It the duty of the Vatu to keep the spark ignited at all times.  That is done by reciting the Gayathri Mantra regularly.  In order to realize the power of this mantra, the feeble spark has to become fire and then a mighty flame.  This is possible by chanting Gayathri Mantra many many times.  

The Gayathri Mantra purifies our mind and the inner soul.  It is our responsibility to keep the mind clean and fresh.  In order to keep the body and mind pure, it is important to completely eliminate junk food.   The power of Gayathri Mantra could be realized only when the magical mantra resides in a purified non-contaminated mind.  Once you have started chanting Gayathri Mantra, it is important to stop eating junk food and outside food. 

"Sahasra Paramadevi Shatha Madhya Dasavara", means -  It is extremely auspicious to chant this mantra 1000 times (1008 precisely),  it is good to chant 100 times (108 precisely) and it is wise to chat atleast 10.  There is a difference between auspicious, good and wise.  Do chant 100 to 1000 times on Sundays and other holidays if you do not have time during the weekdays. 

Trikala Sandhya Vandhanam is a must for all Brahmins.  Chanting 10 Gayathri Mantra each time will enable you to chant 30 times daily.   Prathah Sandhya at dawn is the time when life is rising.   The mind is peaceful during that time. Sayam Sandhya (Dusk) is the time when we have completed our day job.  The mind is relaxed during this time too.   Madhyanmigam (noon) is the time when the position of the sun is at the center (on top of our head).  If you notice carefully, our mind is relaxed during this time too.  So, chanting Gayathri Mantra during these three periods gives the maximum benefit to our inner soul.

The Gayathri Mantra unifies the power of all Veda Mantras.  It gives the power to other Mantras too.  If it is not chanted,  there is no point in chanting other Veda Mantras.  We have heard about hypnotism in this material world.  Through hypnotism the mind is manipulated and controlled.  One who hypnotizes gains absolute control over other's mind.  Gayathri Mantra is the tool to hypnotize your mind in order to attain Moksha or Mukthi.  It is self-hypnotism.  It enables you to control your anger and greed from this materialistic world and helps you attain the real Moksha.  The more you blow this spark, the more bigger it becomes which gives better enlightenment.  When the fire becomes a mighty flame,  it becomes very difficult to diffuse it.  That is the time you attain Moksha.

In Sandhyavandanam, Argyam and Gayathri are the most important ones.  The importance of Argyapradhanam is described during the Kurukshetra war.   It is said that during war time, due to lack of water, the soldiers did Argyapradhanam using sand.   Such is the importance of Argyam.   So, while performing Trikala Sandhyavandanam, it is very important to perform Argyapradanam and Gayathri Mantram.  It is the karma of every Brahman. 

Kanchi Mahaswami describes the importance of Gayathri Mantra in a beautiful way.  When someone is affected by fever which is an indication of a problem in our body, it is important to take medicine to get cured.  Similarly, when we are born in this materialistic world, we are engulfed with another form of fever, the fever of greed and ego.  The only medicine prescribed for this fever is Gayathri Mantra.  It takes long time for us to get rid of the fever of greed and ego.  That is why one should continue to chant Gayathri Mantra for ever.

While other Mantras might need regular practice and hard work to understand, Gayathri Mantra is fairly easy and needs no physical exercise to practice.  It has been made easy for everyone to practice at ease.  All you need is little water for Argyapradanam.   Gayathri Matru Roopaya - The Vedas depict Gayathri in form of mother.  We would not have been what we are without our Mother.  She is the most merciful and most lovable for all of us.  Gayathri Mantra is given similar status equal to our mother. 

-Translated by Krishnan, Hosur

Winning And Being Successful

Winning and being successful are not one and the same.   The difference may not even be subtle.   Winning could be a short-term achievement, but being successful might need more than one wins with a mark of difference.

Today, I heard that the country's badminton pride, Sania Nehwal gifted her silver medal winning racquet to Modiji.  While I see no negative intent in she doing this and we should be proud of her achievements as a fellow citizen,  there is a key learning for high achievers here.

Winning and being successful are two different things.  You may win competitions through hard work, regular practice and devotion.  You may even see big and momentary successes.  If you want to create a legacy around you,  you need to do something different.   It has to be noticeable.  It has to be different.  So different that it creates visibility.

If that visibility can create a future that is secure even after you stop winning or stumble, you probably have created a mark for yourself.

India Has Lost Her Son - A People's President - Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam

 

I don't have the age and maturity to appreciate Kalamji.    I had the rare opportunity to see him in person when he visited a school near Hosur, Tamilnadu.  

The man who envisioned a developed India in 2020 is no more.   He orbited the sun 84 times and then reached heaven.   Our country has lost the most beloved president of all times.  So, how can I describe Dr. Kalam.  The following would be minimal to describe him

Great human-being
Great Statesman
Beloved friend
Excellent Leader
Great philosopher
Eminent Scientist
Down-to-earth person
Highly respected
Extremely hardworking
Loved by All
Excellent Orator
Postive Thinker
Writer
Poet
Social Reformer
Highly knowledgeable
Very skilled
Passionate
Above religion and politics
Very humorous
Highly spiritual
Very Strong
Affectionate
Visionary


I was listening to his interview he gave at Wharton School of management.  According to him any leader should demonstrate 6 traits

1.  A leader must have "Vision"
2.  A leader must be able to travel in an unexplored path
3.  A leader must know how to manage and own failures 
4.  A leader must have courage to take decisions
5.  A leader should have nobility in management and be transparent
6.  A leader should demonstrate Integrity

Dr. Kalam believed in youth power.  He had a dream.   Dream to see our country flourish,  dream to see our children prosper, dream to see technological and social advancement.   A dream where every citizen in this country could leave peacefully with love.

Jai Hind!

-Krishnan
 

IMPORTANCE OF GOAL SETTING

The following instrument would be very useful for goal settings.  It could be given to anybody who would like to set some SMART goals in life and identify methods to accomplish them.

GOAL SETTING

My goals for the year (Specific, Measurable, Accurate, Realistic, Time bound)

 

It is important that I achieve these goals because:

                                                                                                                                          

                                                                                                                                                      

Steps I need to take to achieve my goals:

1

2

                                                                                                                                          

The skills I need to be successful in the process:

 

                                                                                                                                          

How will I know when I have achieved success:

                                                                                                                                                      

                                                                                                                                                      

The quote or person who inspires me to stay motivated:

                                                                                                                                                      

                                                                                                                                                      

Costly KSRTC and BMTC - Down Down Bangalore!

I boarded a Volvo A/C Bus from Thiruvanmiyur Jayanthi to Kannagi Salai (near Triplicane).   For a distance of about 10 kms,  I was charged Rs 15/-.   For the same distance between Madivala to CV Raman Nagar in Bangalore, by a similar Volvo Bus,  they charge Rs 70/-.   The quality of the bus is same.   That is 5 times more in Bangalore than Chennai.   KSRTC and BMTC are minting money and cheating people.   This is none less than robbery.   The IT people in Bangalore could afford to pay that much but this is affecting non-IT  people.    The government has to reduce this imbalance.   I like the Chennai-model here.   Will the BMTC authorities take action and do something about it ?

Blog-A-Second

I feel completely disengaged and dejected today.   I hope writing this blog would take off some of the hard feelings and mental stress in my mind.  It happened last year to me when my manager called me to give me the bad news.   I was expecting a promotion and I hoped it would happen, but for the bad news that was opened up in front of me.   I felt horrible, broken, down and dis-engaged that day.   I was unable to talk to my own family members that evening.   I remember the saying, "If your mind is filled with commotion, then talk it over to someone whom you trust and feel close to your heart,  that commotion would reduce, it would de-stress you a bit".   That is when I decided to blog my feelings.   The blog came to me as my trusted companion and I could vent out all my feelings, share my opinion - good or bad.   You can read that blog here https://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20140729180255-239933340-your-career-development-is-in-your-hands?trk=prof-post

NOTION INK CAIN 2 - pros and cons

A quick view...

Firstly, I am extremely delighted to see an ALL-INDIAN-MADE windows 8.1-based ultra tablet.
I bought it via snapdeal some 2-weeks back.   I have started using it extensively at home and office  (well, my company is talking loud about BYOD, so thought I would try more rather than talking,  so far no concerns raised by my manager atleast ;-)

Some major positives about this desi-gadget

+Very light-weight indeed.  Just weighs 650 gms and goes pretty easy on my back giving no strain to my 40+ year old spinal cord.

+Windows 8.1 is a nice OS to put (although it is not touch-friendly and Microsoft has many miles to go before they make their OS touch-friendly).   But the good thing is that it just boots up in few seconds.   So, I don't have to wait for those many boring minutes for the system to boot up.

+The qwerty chirpy magnetic keyboard is a major plus.   It become a complete laptop with it.

+It is a 10.1 inch pad offering 1280x800 pixels of resolution max.   It would have been nice if they had done 1280x900 which is a minimal standard resolution for high-resolution graphics.   But for a business user, visually it is not bad at all.  I can read my documents and mails pretty easily.

+Taking the screen pad off the keyboard and putting it back is a child's play.   It just goes and sits pretty nicely on the keyboard with a magnetic pull.

+The capacitive-touch is very adaptable to your fingers and responds instantly.

+It offers a plethora of secondary interfaces - you can refer to their technical spec. from their website http://notionink.com/.

+The wireless mouse that comes with the pack is a nice offering.   The quality of the mouse is good.

+I was thrilled to get a 500GB Samsung USB hard disk free of cost with the whole bundle that costs close to 20k INR.  

+The battery is great.  It stays awake for close to 8 hrs straight provided you are not subjecting the device to high intensity CPU operations.

+The 2 GB RAM and 32 GB internal memory is sufficient for any business user.     Windows 8.1 comfortably sits there and you have sufficient free RAM space for your regular activity.   The additional 64 GB memory card slot is a wonderful addition.   That way you don't have to clutter your C:  drive with all data.

+The handwriting recognizer is just great.   I just can write with my finger and it recognizes it instantly and promptly.  Very handy while traveling.

...... and now comes the big thing...

+Being Windows 8.1, Microsoft is offering a free upgrade to Windows 10.   At the time of writing this blog, I am upgrading to Windows 10.   I hope I am taking the right decision to move.   My next blog will be about my experience of using this device with Windows 10.

Some drawbacks....that should be talked about  (Nobody is perfect in this world!)

-The keyboard leaves some easily-seen inprint traces on the screen which irritatingly disturbs your view.   Although they have given a screen guard,  you often have to change it and you do not get the exact size in the market.  So,  you have to buy a generic size screen gaurd and cut it to suite the size.   Somewhat unfriendly in my perspective.     As a workaround, I keep a plastic cover between the screen and the keyboard while closing - I hope I will always remember to do so,  if not, I would leave more keyb imprints on the screen.   It becomes very very difficult over a period of time.   The screen guard could have been of better quality.   I even doubt the quality of the screen here.   I guess, somewhere the company had to cut corners to bring down the cost and they sacrifised the quality of the screen which IMHO was not the right decision.

-Using the keyboard while in motion (say in a train or car) is a pain on my neck.   Athough it sits nicely on the angled bracket cover,  it just shakes because it has no hinges to hold it.   You will have to hold it with one hand while  you just can't type with the other hand.   I lost the purpose of buying this pad due to this inconvenience.

-You would see some lags with high resolution games.    This one is not ideal for gaming.   It is good for business use.

So far so good, I hope the service would be good if I start hitting problems.   Anyway, with this price tag, this is a nice alternative to those costly tabs and laps.   You may go for it  BUT take care of the screen - it is pretty nasty with impressions which you just can't erase once caught.

-Krishnan

Lily Camera - selfie redefined

Just now read about.

https://www.lily.camera/

The camera that follows you.

It is amazing to see how technology can work for you.   If this is going to the the way it is shown in the video, then I would probably call it SEFIE-REDEFINED.

Drink Plenty Of Water - Live A Healthy LIfe

Whatever you eat doesn't matter.   Drink plenty of water immediately after you eat.   It would mix with the chemical secretion inside the stomach and dissolve them leaving no room for unnecessary fat to accumulate.   If you do not drink water, then the fat out of the consumed food gets deposited.

The Most Debated One - Arranged Marriage vs Love Marriage

It is a controversial topic.  Something that has been debated many many times over many years in several languages.  For those who are less informed, let us define them

Arranged Marriage -  The man and the woman who do not know each other get married and are bound to live together for the next part of their life !

Love Marriage -  The man and the woman whose hearts and souls have merged as one.   The so called "marriage" for them is something like a public announcement that both of them are going to live together for the rest of their life.


Well, we all understand love marriage because it is obvious for all of us that those are the two minds who came together sometime back.  So, they getting married is not unique.  For non-Indians, the concept of an arranged marriage is unheard of.  So, let us dwell a bit deeper here.

The question here is, Who arranges and on what basis and why is it least understood ?   Let us understand what happens as a sequence of steps for an arranged marriage

1.   One of the families (boy or girl) searches for an appropriate partner by taking help from their relatives, friends, marriage brokers.  Today, there are dozens of matrimony websites such as shaadi.com, jeevansathi.com, bharathmatrimony.com which enables you to narrow down your selection through several options.

2.  Both the families call each other and discuss marriage prospects.

3.  On an auspicious day, the boy's family visits the girl's house where the boy and girl meet each other.  This probably the first time when they see each other.
This is a critical meeting where both of them have to decide and give a nod in 30 minutes!!!!.    Yeah.....30 minutes to decide your life partner and you are expected not to go wrong here!!!!!!.   Well, this happens in the modern Indian society with forthcoming families.  In rural or semi-urban India, it is normally the boy who has to give his nod.  The girl's acceptance is not considered.

4.  If there is a dis-agreement,  steps 1 to 3 is repeated till there is an agreement.

4.  If both the families agree, they arrange for a "betrothal" function or in simple terms, an engagement ceremony which is celebrated as a mini-marriage.   During the ceremony, they decide an auspicious date to conduct the wedding with the help of a priest.

It is important for the girl's family that the number of days gap between the engagement and wedding is less so that the wedding happens smoothly with no confusion.  It is seen as unauspicious if the wedding is broken due to any confusion after the engagement and often the girl's family has to face the brunt of the broken wedding.

5.  Everyone makes arrangements to mark a successful wedding.

After the marriage, whether you like it or not, you are supposed to live amicably with your new-never-seen-before life partner because you gave a nod in 30 minutes in step 3!!!!!.  

So, what is wrong with a system that has been working in India for so many years.   Why are we discussing this here ?   There are so many happy families created through the arranged marriage system.   Broken marriages (*Divorces*) are rare in this system.  Both the male and female have strong support system (their committed families) which may not be available in the other system.
Shall we conclude that the arrange marriage system is far superior to the system of love marriage ?  Oh! wait, this blog is just not over yet.   We are not concluding anything here.   Let me give you a perspective of what could have been the origin of the arranged marriage system.   Before that, I can tell you that in today's time, I see that many prefer love marriage over arranged marriage and I see an increasing trend in the formal than the later.

We still are living in a society where many women have no say in their marriage. They have to accept the man as their fate who is selected by their parents.  Parents see it as an insult when their daughter chooses a male of her own.  They see it as an insult because they give more importance to the abuse that they have to go through in their social circles which is very unfortunate.  Most of the woman take it as their fate, get adjusted and start living a regular life.  They are lucky if their husband turns out to wise, courteous and understanding.  Otherwise, they lead a miserable life.





A sneak-peek into the traditional society of India would reveal two things

a.  It was (is) a male-dominated society
b.  It was (is) a caste-dominated society
c.  It was (is) a religion discriminated society
d.  It was (is) a language discriminated society.

In a male-dominated society, a female was uneducated with no voice.  They were seen as child-bearing machine and their duty is to bring up families and be sheltered inside the house.   With no exposure to outside world, it obviously has to be an arranged marriage within the same society.

In a caste-dominated society, forget about women, even men cannot mingle with people of lower caste, however educated they were.  So, forget about inter-caste marriages.  It obviously has to be an arranged marriage within the same caste.

I think we need not talk about religion and language as it is evident from the above facts that women of in those days had to depend on their elders to get married.  This has been the culture for many many centuries and people believe in doing it this way.  They don't like if you question an age-old culture.  They see it as an insult to their society.  


Although my marriage was not a love marriage, I do give a lot of credits to the system of love marriage for a simple fact that two minds have to understand each other for a considerable period before they decide to lead the life together.  It doesn't make sense to be lip-locked for several years artificially just out of fear and compulsion for the sake of satisfying someone else in the family.   After all, it is your life,  so you are the one to decide whom you want to lead it with.

Jai Hind.

  

















 

The Unlearned Man

We make several mistakes in life.  Some of them could be reversed.  Many of them are unreversible.  God always gives you a second chance to correct your mistakes.  The reason he gives you another chance is an opportunity to not repeat them but do it better.  The interim period between the the time you made mistakes the second chance is the time for reflection.  This is the time you look back, recall, analyze and see what better you could have done.  How better you could have handled the situation.  The greatest mistake that a begger does is "Begging".  He knows that it is a mistake and he has a world of opportunities to correct it and lead a honorable life.  But, he goes on begging.  Do you know why ?   Is it because he is not learning from mistakes.  Did you ever think about it?  Give it a thought once again.  I feel that begging has given him the comfort feeling and the way to get some easy money without hard work.  It is not just he should be blamed for that, the society has equal share of the blame.  I feel that if you do not learn from your mistakes and repeat the same mistake, you are no lesser than a beggar.