Friday, November 28, 2008

Mumbai : Seize fire or Cease fire !!!!

Stunned into silence, numbed by the pain, muted by the carnage, Mumbai is struggling to breathe back to life. A bunch of 20 odd youngsters (horribly misled) create mayhem in the heart of the business capital of the country. So macabre has been the design, & so blatant has been the attack that it has left everyone dumb……..the city of Mumbai is under seize!!!!..........and not for the first time.
Its scary to envisage a situation, where, we are all living in constant fear of a terror attack lurking around. Anything can happen…. Death is stalking each one of us, every day, in the dark shape of terror…the source unknown…the magnitude only imagined, till it takes shape in reality. And every time, our so called protectors are caught unaware, our security system is caught napping, our defenses are caught with their pants down, literally.

Why did we have to lose so many soldiers & policemen in this dreaded attack?? When the terrorists are able to walk in freely through all our surveillance systems, laden with AK 47 & other modern weaponry, we were trying to show resistance with simple revolvers, basic rifles & poor bullet proof jackets, hanging loosely over the body. These terrorists look professionals…trained to take on the best of the defense systems, & we appeared taking them quite lightly till the matters got out of control.
And as a rearguard action, we see the army, the police, the NSG struggling to get situation under control, to bring out the hostages to safety, to nab or neutralize the terrorists at large, to sanitize the target areas. However, our top drawer politicians are busy gathering brownie points….shameful & despicable would be too polite a word to describe all this.

The PM comes out with an address to the nation almost 20 hours after the carnage has begun, a stupid, boring, rhetoric which is read out from a piece of paper, possibly drafted out by someone else for a politically correct statement. The Home minister (better known for his ironed dress & rehearsed statements) says in a sleepy voice that “We are sad about the incident. Our police is taking steps to control the situation”. Control, my foot !!!….You feel like rushing onto him & shaking him to life & action. How we wish, there was a someone who could make iron statements, instead of ironed clothes,….take strong & decisive steps towards controlling the situation. Some words of praise for our worthy Home Minister from the US intelligence on a TV channel. “ You have a totally incompetent home minister, and why he isn't removed is beyond me, he really doesn't know how to get the bureaucracy organized to have some sort of coordinated planning." The Chief Minister takes his own sweet time to return from a tour down south & makes statements as if its just a trivia. These are the people on whose shoulders rest our safety !!!!
The opposition is no better. One would have expected that in such critical times, they would keep political agenda & differences aside, show solidarity & visit the terror stricken area along with the PM to oversee & suggest corrective measures. But instead, Mr Advani ji (someone I had high regards for even till recently) reaches Mumbai along with Jaswant Singh & immediately is out to say that the Govt has failed, the Intelligence has failed, etc, etc. We all are tired of listening to the same old words. Can there be some decisive action.

“Enough is Enough”, screamed Shobha De on NDTV, when questioned by Barkha Dutt..She voiced the sentiments of the Mumbaikars….she told how & what we all think of our spineless PM & his useless rhetoric, and the other politicians in line. There was no mincing of words.
I salute you Shobha De, for being so vocal, so passionately in love with this city. It takes courage to say that the first thought that crossed your mind was the safety of our own kin, your family….selfish alright, but blatant truth. It takes courage to speak of your tryst with Taj, how you got courted & later married at the Taj. Your plans to get your daughter married at the same place, ten days from now, come what may. “Burnt, but not bowed”. I sincerely wish it all comes true…..because it is Love that will emerge stronger & take us out of all this mindless chaos & destruction. How I wish people like you come up as leaders for the cause of our Nation. You have our full support.
There was also the fiery Suhel Seth, along with Alec Padamse & Farooq Shaikh, on Times Now, who tore down on the Centre for being so inept & unorganized. It was heartening to see such characters coming out in the open to speak on our behalf. The angst, the despair, the pain was so evident, so much from the heart. They all implored the channels to start some sort of a campaign against these spineless politicians. I felt Arnab Goswami also spoke from his heart & said clearly that they were tired with all this.

Which brings me to question the media on their true character & social responsibility. A couple of so called worthy channels, a few days ago displayed the symbol OM along with saffron flag against the backdrop of the Malegaon blast news, using the word SECULAR & speaking about Hindu Terrorism.... Would they now have similar courage to show a green flag with cresent moon & star now to describe Islamic Terrorism???? Talk of freedom of press & freedom of speech!!!

In the end, let us all bow down to the brave soldiers, who laid down their lives to protect us, to smoke out the terrorists. They ensured that we live to see another day. As a mark of respect for the departed souls, I implore upon all who read this to come forward generously & share the grief of the devastated families. Let us make every effort to reinstate the families in the mainstream. Whether it is money, or social support, whatever it takes, let us all contribute. The children should not feel insecure, the women should not feel helpless, the elders should not feel homeless. It is our responsibility to take care of them. We need to send the message that we are one family. And in our family, everyone has a right to rise & shine.
Jai Hind.

Friday, November 21, 2008

King Parikshit & The beginning of Kali Yuga : (Part -2)

One day King Parikshit, decided to go hunting. It was one of the games he loved dearly. He was brave & also an excellent archer. While getting ready, he suddenly felt like dressing up differently. So he went to the treasury chamber to select some decoratives for himself. Like magnet, his attention was dragged towards a beautiful golden crown(one of the gold items he had collected from his Kingdom to protect his subjects from the ire of Kali), & he immediately put in on his head. It suited his personality well & he felt nice & proud.
This was the effect of Kali, who had been lurking around for so many years, waiting for an opportunity to take revenge of his defeat in hands of this mighty King. Kali had the powers to possess the bodies of the living beings & could enter the minds of men in their weak moments.
Kali was residing in that golden crown quietly for so long. Now he could enter the mind of the King & pollute it to do something wrong & evil.

The King set out for hunting & carried on with the sport till quite late in the day. By the end of it he was very tired & hungry & thirsty. Completely exhausted, he trudged along the jungle looking for some food & water. The setting sun & the cool breeze made him hungrier & he felt drained of energy.
After a while, the King came upon the hermitage of Rishi Shamik, who was alone & in deep meditation. The King asked the Rishi to give him some water to drink, but since the Rishi was in deep meditation & in silence, he did not respond. The king tried to draw the attention of the Rishi towards him, but the only response was Silence. Normally, the King would’ve understood & respected this, but, Kali had already entered his mind through the golden crown. The King (under the negative influences of Kali), felt neglected & humiliated. Out of anger, he picked up a dead snake with an arrow & placed it on the neck of the Rishi. There was still no response. Frustrated, exhausted & angry, the King returned to his palace.
Shringi, the son of Rishi Shamik was out during this whole incidence. When he returned home, he came to know about the dead snake on the neck of his father. Through his spiritual powers, he came to know that the King had done this & he became extremely angry(he was known for his short temper). Using his ascetic powers, he took some holy water in his hand & cursed the King. “Since King Parikshit, out of arrogance of his powers, has put a dead snake on my father’s neck, on the seventh day from now, Serpent king Takshak will bite King Parikshit to death. The king will pay for his sins by this untimely death.”

On return to the palace, once the King removed the golden crown, he came to his senses, & realized that he had done something very unworthy of a King. He was very repentant. He also knew that Kali had finally managed to take his revenge.
Meanwhile, the Rishi Shamik, came out of his meditation & silence & got to know the whole incidence. He became very sad at hearing about his son’s curse. He knew that King Parikshit had managed the kingdom very well till now, and all this had happened due to the influence of Kali. He summoned his son Shringi & and said, "Son, When I myself have forgiven King Parikshit for the insult offered, why did you curse him? Do you not know that he is a just and illustrious king? He was tired and hungry, and committed this venial offense in a fit of rage. This happened due to the influence of Kali, from whom he has been saving us & the people in the kingdom for all these years. Except for this one instance, he has been an exemplary ruler. Thanks to his just rule, the Rishis can continue their penances without fear of interruption. A Brahman should always keep his anger and passion under strict control. It is evident that you are yet to reach the mental maturity required to become an ascetic. Your education is, therefore, incomplete. Go to the forest and learn to control your anger by indulging in constant penance.”
Having said so, the Rishi called one of his disciple, Gurumukha & told him, “go to the palace of King Parikshit immediately & inform him about the curse in details. Tell him that there is a slim chance to thwart the curse, & the King must try his best to do so. Ask the King to take adequate precautions.”
Gurumukha carried the message to the King, who was already repenting for his folly. He thanked the messenger & asked him to carry back his greetings & regards for the Rishi, who inspite of being insulted, had been so helpful & caring. The king then called all his courtiers & informed them about the curse. At the behest of everyone & based on the suggestions sent by the Rishi, a tall tower with only a single entry was constructed for the King overnight. The King shifted in here. An announcement was made across the kingdom that anyone who could save the King from the snake bite of Takshak, would be suitable rewarded. The tower was heavily guarded & no one was allowed near it without appropriate permission.

However, deep inside, the King knew that his end was imminent. So he called upon his eldest son, Janmajay & declared him as the next King of his empire. He then called upon Swami Sukhdev and asked him to recite the entire Bhagvatam. Parikshit was at peace with himself. He listened to the sacred chantings for the next six days, confined to the tall tower that had been constructed for him. He would eat only fruits that were brought up by the Brahmans.

Meanwhile, impelled by the curse, serpent king Takshak(disguised as a Brahman) was on his way to the tower, where Parikshit was residing. On his way, in the jungle, he met Kashyap, a poor Brahman, who was also going to the same destination, but with an altogether different purpose. They got talking, & Kashyap revealed that he was well versed in removing snake poison, & was sure he could save the King from his imminent death. He was poor & needed money badly to improve the state of his family. Takshak tried to impress upon the Brahman to return back, offering him bribe, but it did not work.
Takshak, now came into his real form & told the poor Brahman, “I doubt, if there is anyone who can thwart my poison. I am Serpent king Takshak, & I possess the maximum venom. No one has ever escaped from my bite.” Kashyap took up the challenge & proposed a trial of strength. Takshak, then looked at a banyan tree nearby & bit into the trunk of the tree. Immediately the big banyan tree was reduced to ashes. Kashyap, quietly went around the burnt ashes of the tree, & chanted his mantras & then took a little water from his kamandal (a vessel used by Rishis & Brahmans to carry holy water, meant for sacred rituals). He chanted some more mantras & sprinkled the holy water on the ashes. The banyan tree came back to life in full bloom almost immediately.
Takshak realized that he had met with his match. So he told Kashyap about the curse of King Parikshit . He said “ Oh worthy Brahman, you have humbled me. But I have to do my duty & bite Parikshit to death, as he has been cursed. This is due the sins committed by him in his previous birth. He has ruled the kingdom with valor till now, but his time is up & he needs to leave this mortal world. If you are trying to save Parikshit to obtain, wealth, I shall provide you with the same. This way, I would have taken care of your needs, & also I would be able to complete the curse, thereby free Parikshit of his earlier sins.
Kashyap, who was very learned & wise, used his Yogic powers to see the truth. He saw that the end of Parikshit was very near, & he did not want to use his knowledge to go against the Laws of Nature. He accepted the wealth given by serpent king Takshak ( who gave him double of what Kashyap asked for) & went back.

Having overcome the hurdle of Kashyap, Takshak now hurried towards the tower, where Parikshit was residing. On reaching there & seeing the heavily guarded tower, Takshak transformed himself into a small insect & entered an apple. He then got some of his fellow snakes to disguise as Brahmans & carry the apple along with some other fruits in a basket for the King. At the base of the tower, the fake Brahmans managed to impress the guards on their need to meet the King. It was the seventh day & almost twilight time, & the King thought, that he had managed to escape the curse. It has been said in our scriptures, that twilight zone is a very weak moment, when most of our guards are down. That is why, it has been advised, that we should involve in Satsangs at that time & think & pray to God. This way most of the miseries are averted. So as the sun was setting for the seventh day, once again, Kali had managed to enter the mind of the King & make him proud & vain. As fate would have it, King Parikshit chose the same apple in which Takshak was hiding. He took one bite & the insect came out. Under the influence of Kali, the King was not humble….he was proud. He placed the insect mockingly on his neck & said, “ Let the curse work. I think this tiny insect is serpent king Takshak. May he bite me & send me to my death.” In the next moment, Takshak assumed his real form of a serpent & bit Parikshit on his neck. As fate had ordained, the king fell down dead, & was charred to ashes by the potency of the venom.

The death of Parikshit, was what Kali was waiting for. He had no fear now & slowly, but surely engulfed the whole world with his negative influence. The age of Kali Yuga had begun…..

Thursday, November 20, 2008

King Parikshit & The beginning of Kali Yuga : (Part -1)

After Parikshit took over from Yudhisthir as the King of Hastinapur, he began his rule under the instructions of the Brahmans. Kripacharya, the Acharya for the Kauravs, was appointed as his counselor. The Emperor married Iravati, the daughter of King Uttara, who was the son of Virata. Although she was Parikshit’s cousin-sister, the marriage was allowed because she was not of the same gotra (family). Iravati gave birth to four sons- Janmajay, Srutasen, Ugrasen and Bhimsen II. Under the direction of his spiritual master, Kripacharya, Maharaj Parikshit performed three horse sacrifices on the banks of the Ganga, (also known as the Ashwamegh Yagya). The objective was to get the world under one reign & control.
Parikshit used to travel into the country & mix with common man (in disguise) to understand their needs & problems. The tell tale signs of Kali Yuga was showing up in his kingdom. He could clearly see that some of his subjects had taken up meat-eating, illicit sex, gambling and intoxication, which are the root-causes of all kinds of quarrel, thereby leading to misery.

As a true kshatriya, the king decided to fight the miscreants. After mounting upon his chariot, which was marked with the flag of a lion and which was drawn by black horses, Maharaj Parikshit left Hastinapur, surrounded by his army, for the purpose of conquering the world. Of course, his grandfather, Maharaj Yudhisthir, had already formally declared Maharaj Parikshit the emperor of the world. Still, it was necessary for him to practically establish his supremacy and exact taxes. He gradually subjugated all of the kings within the nine varshas of Jambudvipa (the ancient name of the Indian subcontinent according to our scriptures). Wherever he travelled, Maharaja Parikshit was welcomed with speeches that were full of the glories of his illustrious forefathers and Lord Krishna, and with great pleasure he would amply reward the reciters. Indeed, by hearing of how Lord Krishna had obliged his grandfathers by becoming their chariot driver, messenger, friend, spiritual master and servant. Maharaja Parikshit became overwhelmed with feelings of devotion to the lotus feet of the Lord Krishna.

During this travel, King Parikshit, one day, came to the banks of river Saraswati, where he witnessed a strange scene. There was a bull, who was wobbling on only one leg (all the other three legs were severed) & trembling badly. There was also a cow, who looked like having lost her calf & therefore immersed in sorrow. There was also a dark, mean & beastly looking man (dressed, like a king), who was using his mace(a club, called Gada, used those days), to beat the helpless animals. The King was deeply moved by the pitiable condition of the animals. Because he was very learned, Parikshit knew that this was not an ordinary situation & there was more than what met the eyes. He asked all of them to identify themselves.
On interrogations Parikshit came to know that the bull represented Dharma. In Satya Yuga, the four legs were established by the practice of austerity, cleanliness, mercy and truthfulness. In each of the next Yugas (Treta Yuga & Dwapar Yuga), one by one a leg got severed. Three of the legs had been broken due to rampant irreligion in the form of pride, prostitution, and intoxication. Right now, standing upon the last leg of truthfulness Dharma somehow managed to still hobble along. Yet, since Kali is known to be quarrel personified and flourishes by deceit, he would also destroy the last remaining leg, unless the King takes up the charge of protecting.
The cow represented Mother Earth. After Lord Krishna left this mortal world for his heavenly abode in Vaikunth, Kali has spread his dark influence everywhere & that has aggrieved the Mother Earth.
The beastly man, was Kali. He was the embodiment of all evil incarnates. (Will attempt to write on Kali separately later).

Hearing all this King Parikshit became very concerned for the welfare of his kingdom & decided to teach Kali a lesson & kill him to end all this negative influences around. He raised his sword & challenged Kali, who immediately realized that he had no option but to surrender. So he fell at the feet of the mighty King and begged for mercy. Kali said “Oh mighty Emperor, since you rule the entire world, wherever I may go I will see you with sword in hand, ready to punish me for my sinful activities. Even though I am your enemy, because I have surrendered unto you, you should allot me a place of residence where I can live peacefully under your protection.” Parikshit thought for a while & then allowed Kali to live where gambling, intoxication, prostitution and animal slaughter were being indulged in. However, since such places practically did not exist within Maharaj Parikshit’s kingdom, Kali felt cheated and so he begged for something more. He also mentioned to the King that, though he is an embodiment of all evil, he still possessed a very good quality. The quality of bestowing Moksha to people without even performing severe austerities, that they had to do in the previous three Yugas. People in this Yuga, could attain Moksha, by just chanting the name of the Lord. (this is how the chanting of Vishnu Sahashtranaam, Lalita Sahashtranaam etc have become so powerful & popular, today). Pleased by this quality of Kali, King Parikshit allowed him to occupy & reside in one place of respect – that is Gold.
Also Maharaj Parikshit finally agreed that Kali could live where gold was being kept, for in such places there is invariably falsity, intoxication, lust, envy & enmity. (Here one might wonder how Kali can live in Gold, when Lord Krishna has declared in Bhagwat Gita that Gold is the supreme among all the metals. Well, one explanation for this would be that, people wearing Gold, should wear it as a benediction received from the Lord. Those, who wear Gold without such humble thoughts, would be inviting Kali to reside in their minds.) Thereafter, Maharaj Parikshit carefully re-established the lost legs of Dharma within his kingdom. Then, for encouraging activities meant to improve the condition of the earth, he collected all of the illicitly held gold that had been kept for furthering the activities of Kali and put them all in the state treasury. Later he engaged it in the Sankirtana-Yagya. This was to ensure that Kali could not spread his influence over his people.
Kali meanwhile, decided to maintain a low profile & attempt to infiltrate the mind of people quietly. He realized that this was very difficult as the King had a very strong control over his subjects. He also realized that to succeed, he will have to somehow influence the mind of the King, which looked as good as impossible as of now. He therefore decided to keep quiet & wait for the opportune moment to strike.

Parikshit ruled his kingdom ably for more than sixty years. Peace & prosperity was restored.

More on Kali Yuga to continue..... keep reading....

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Birth of Parikshit....heir to Pandavs !!!

It was the 15th day of the Kurukshetra war in Mahabharata. Guru Dronacharya was in charge of the Kauravs & he was in a fiery mood. The Pandavs were helpless in front of him & tens of thousands of soldiers were getting killed. Krishna told Yudhisthir that if Dronacharya was not stopped, he would finish the whole of the Pandav army. The only way to stop him was to make him lay down his weapons & that would happen only if he came to know that his son Aswatthama is dead.
So a plan was hatched & Bheem killed an elephant called Ashwatthama & started shouting “Ashwatthama is dead….Ashwatthama is dead”….for everyone to hear. Dronacharya could not believe this, as his son had the boon of Lord Shiva to be Chiranjeevi (immortal). Since everyone from the Pandavs were rejoicing the death of Ashwatthama, he was uncertain. He then turned to Yudhisthir to enquire about the truth. Yudhisthir was known to speak the truth at all times. That is why he was called the Dharmaraj. So Yudhisthir said “ Yes Ashwatthama is dead…… but it’s an elephant”. The last part of the sentence was uttered as almost a whisper, which Dronacharya could not hear, as there was a lot of noise & din around. The Pandavs were blowing trumpets & conchshells, as advised by Krishna.
Shattered & full of grief, Dronacharya, laid down his arms. Seeing this, Dhristadhyumn (Draupadi’s brother & son of Drupad) took his sword & killed Dronacharya by beheading him.

When Ashwatthama came to know how his father was brutally killed, using deceit, he was furious. Out of sheer anger, he killed Dhristadhyumn, even after the war was over & promised a dying Duryodhan that he would finish the Pandavs. He then proceeded to attack the Pandav camp in the night & ended up killing all the five sons of Draupadi in their sleep.
When Pandavs came to know about this, they were beyond grief & anger. Arjun chased Ashwatthama & they had a fight. During the fight Ashwatthama invoked the extremely powerful Bhramhaastra against Arjun. However, Arjun also invoked the same weapon. With such a powerful weapon being used from both sides, the Rishis & Sages feared destruction of the whole world & asked both the warriors to revoke & take back their respective weapons. While Arjun could do so, Ashwatthama could not (as he had lesser skills than Arjun in weapons) & had to choose a single target to destroy. Out of sheer anger & frustration at losing the battle, he directed the weapon towards the womb of Uttara, the widow of Abhimanyu, who was pregnant at that time. Ashwatthama wanted to annihilate the dynasty of Pandavs by killing the future heirs of the kingdom. The Bhramhaastra was a potent weapon to do so.
When Krishna came to know about this, he was very angry with Ashwatthama. He used his divine powers to instill life in the stillborn baby & then cursed Ashwatthama with leprosy & to roam the world till the end of Kali Yuga, as a unloved loner & castaway. It is believed, that Ashwatthama is still living in the jungles doing penance for his sins to Lord Shiva.

Lord Krishna, thus brought to life, the heir of the Pandavs, & the dynasty continued. This child grew up to be known as Parikshit. The chief priest Dhaumya predicted to Yudhisthir that Parikshit would a great devotee of Vishnu, & since he was saved by Krishna, he would also be known as Vishnurat (one who is always protected by the Lord Vishnu). He would be devoted to virtues, religious principles & truth & would be a wise ruler. He would take very good care of his kingdom & would expand the fame of the family.

When Krishna left his mortal body for Vaikuntha (heavenly abode of Vishnu),the Pandavs decided to make Parikshit the king of their vast empire, Hastinapur & embark on their last journey to heaven. This was the end of Dwapar Yuga & beginning of the Kali Yuga.

More on Kali Yuga to continue…… keep reading….

Advent of Kali Yuga !!!!

After the Kurkshetra war was over, Yudhisthir was crowned as the king of Hastinapur. He was righteous & known for his honesty. He was called, Dharmaraja (the bearer of Dharma & Truth). He became the unbeatable Emperor of the world & ruled the kingdom very well & people were peaceful & prosperous. He ruled for around 36 years & the kingdom prospered & became large.

Towards the end of his tenure as an emperor, one day, two farmers came to his court asking for justice.
The first one said, "Maharaj….. I had sold my field to him. While he was tilling the soil yesterday, he found treasure underneath the soil. He came to me & says that he bought only the field from me and hence the treasure should be mine. I say that I sold out entire field to him and whatever he finds under that is also his own property. How can I take that treasure? It will prove to be a sin if I do so”.
The second farmer said, "Maharaj…. I paid only for the land & not for this gold. I have no money to pay for gold now as well. So it should naturally go to him as he sold the land without knowing that this treasure is there underneath".
Listening to the argument of the two, Yudhisthir is puzzled and is unable to give any solution. Incidentally Lord Krishna was in the court when this argument was going on. So Yudhisthir seeks the help of Lord Krishna. Krishna smiles knowingly & asks Dharmaraj to postpone the judgement by a week.

After a week, the two farmers come again to the court. But this time their statements are completely opposite of what they had said last week.
The first one says, "Maharaj……. I sold land to him but not the gold. The gold was discovered later. I am the rightful owner of that gold & hence it should be handed over to me.”
The other one says, "Maharaj……I bought land from him and I'm fortunate enough to find gold under that. One can say that he is unlucky and I'm lucky. But now he claims the gold out of greed. The gold is rightfully mine & I should be allowed to keep it."
Yudhisthir is completely surprised & taken aback by this change of minds of the two farmers. Not knowing what to say, he looks at Lord Krishna who is smiling knowingly.

Finally at the behest of Yudhisthir, Krishna gives the judgment saying, "The treasure belongs to neither one of you. Any treasure or gold found under the soil that is unclaimed or disputed should belong to government from now onwards". (incidentally even today, by law, any property/gold found under the soil goes to government)
So the pot of gold is taken away by Yudhisthir & kept with the state treasury.

However, Dharmaraj Yudhisthir is quite confused with all this. He asks Krishna to explain the incident.
Krishna explains, "This is the affect of Kali Purush who is going to take the mantle of time shortly. With the advent of Kali, Dharma would get diluted. Adharma would rule the world. In your time you gave so many judgments as a righteous King & people saw Dharma strongly established. But now you are found unable and restless. Its becoming difficult for you to uphold Dharma. That is the affect of Kali Purush. Even I said that the property should go to government. Nobody is selfless in this Kalipurusha's influence. Everybody is becoming greedy. Even I was affected by Kali purusha's shadow. The time is changing. Dwapar Yuga is coming to an end shortly. Kaliyuga is going to start and this is a herald for that. Till now Dharma was strongly established. But even that is vanishing now. Adharma is going to rule the time ahead. Rulers will be greedy, selfish and cruel from now onwards. People will fight for money all the time. The unity among own brothers will vanish. The life span of people will reduce. The strength, potency levels, energies and morals of people will go down tremendously. People will not stand on promise. New diseases would see light. People will assume that they are growing and advancing, but in reality they will be morally degrading. It will be tough to get moksha for the people who live in Kaliyuga. The people will not have concentration to perform yagnas and tapas. They have only one way to keep away from sin. That is reciting 'Narayana Mantram' and thinking only about God. Whenever they come out from the thought of God, Kalipurusha will play with their mind and make them do all sins, thereby hindering their way to moksha. Oh dearest Dharmaraj Yudhisthir, we have completed our time. We need to leave our bodies".

Hearing this Yudhisthir was deeply saddened, but he realized that his time was up & he needed to hand over the reins of his kingdom to the next worthy successor.
Soon after, Lord Krishna leaves his mortal body (hit on his toe by the arrow of a hunter), & after that the Pandavas decide to leave their kingdom & embark on their last journey to heaven. Yudhisthir appoints Parikshit as the Emperor of his vast kingdom. The advent of Kali Yuga had begun…………

More on Kali Yuga in my next blogs……. So keep reading !!!!

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

English is a funny Language......

It's really difficult to learn English !!!


Various expressions in English that one comes across :

1) The bandage was wound around the wound.

2) The farm was used to produce produce.

3) The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.

4) We must polish the Polish furniture.

5) He could lead if he would get the lead out.

6) The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.

7) Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the
present.

8) A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum.

9) When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.

10) I did not object to the object.

11) The insurance was invalid for the invalid.

12) There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row.

13) They were too close to the door to close it.

14) The buck does funny things when the does are present.

15) A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line.

16) To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.

17) The wind was too strong to wind the sail.

18) After a number of injections my jaw got number.

19) Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear.

20) I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.

21) How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?


English is a crazy language... otherwise how do you explain the following :

a) There is no egg in eggplant,
b) Ham in hamburger;
c) Apple nor pine in pineapple,
d) English muffins weren't invented in England,
e) French fries weren't invented in France,
f) Sweetmeats are candies,
g) Sweetbreads, which aren't sweet, are meat.

Just look at the paradoxes ....

Quicksand can work slowly;
Boxing rings are square;
Guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.

And why is it that writers write but fingers don't fing, grocers don't
groce and hammers don't ham?

If the plural of tooth is teeth, why isn't the plural of booth beeth?
One goose, 2 geese. So one moose, 2 meese? One index, 2 indices? Doesn't it
seem crazy that you can make amends but not one amend, If you have a bunch
of odds and ends and get rid of all but one of them, what do you call it?
If teachers taught, why didn't preachers praught? If a vegetarian eats
vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat?

Sometimes I think all the English speakers should be committed to an
asylum for the verbally insane.

In what language do people recite at a play and play at a recital? Ship
by truck and send cargo by ship? Have noses that run and feet that smell?
How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wise
guy are opposites?

You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language in which your house
can burn up as it burns down, in which you fill in a form by filling it out
and in which an alarm goes off by going on. English was invented by people,
not computers, and it reflects the creativity of the human race (which, of
course, isn't a race at all). That is why, when the stars are out, they are
visible, but when the lights are out, they are invisible.