Prayers

ॐ नमः शिवाय!

A reckless driver drives a bus with bus load of passengers, on that fateful day, due to heavy rain, the bus driver finds it very difficult to steer the bus through the twists and turns of a mountain strip and his reckless passion is something he can not change, while struggling on a fine turn near the river, he slips his grip on the steering and the bus falls in the river, eventually everyone is liberated.


They all reach a gate with white light, where a saint hands over the ticket to the Heavens to the bus driver and tickets to the hell to the passengers.


A passenger argues that it was they who were praying and not the driver.


Saint: Yes! each one of you were praying for your own life, but the driver was praying for all of you while he was driving through that rain.

Moral: Selfless service is far more rewarding than self service.
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A family lives on top of a tree, one day a child slips out of his house and takes a stroll towards the plains, there he finds something very scary and frightening, he decides to return home and after reaching home he narrates the whole story to his parents.


The parents grew curious to have a look at those scary things in the plains away from their forest home, they reach the plains and there they face two lanky creatures with two stands and two arms with a mush on the top and blunt teeth, soft skin and no fur or horns or fangs or nails, but they do have some sort of stick in their hands and a bag.


The parents immediately recognize those scary things, they say," they are human poachers and the stick in their hands is a Gun, they shoot painful darts at anything and everything, then they burn it and eat with dancing and singing".


Boy: do they eat us also?


Parents: No, but we ghosts should be very careful with them and next time you see them try to hide, do not cross their path.


The two shadows pass away without seeing the ghosts.:-)


Contributed by a friend...
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A priest dies and is waiting in line at the Pearly Gates. Ahead of him is a guy who's dressed in

sunglasses, a loud shirt, leather jacket and jeans.


Saint Peter addresses him, "Who are you, so that I may know whether or not to admit you into the Kingdom of Heaven ?"


The guy replies, "I'm Joe Cohen, taxi driver, from New York,"


Saint Peter consults his list. He smiles and says to the taxi driver, "Take this silken robe and golden staff and enter the Kingdom of Heaven ."


Now it's the priest's turn. He stands erect and booms out, "I am the Right Reverend Joseph Snow, pastor ofSaint Mary's for the last forty-three years."


Saint Peter consults his list. He says to the priest,"Take this cotton robe and wooden staff and enter the Kingdom of Heaven ."


"Just a minute," says the priest. "That man was a taxi driver. Why does he get a silken robe and golden staff?"


"Results!," shrugged Saint Peter. "While you preached, people slept. When he drove, people prayed." :-))))))))))))


Moral: It's Performance, Not Position that Counts....


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Contributed by Friends

ॐ नमः शिवाय!

Sianala, Montreal, July 2007

Mysticism - Part II

ॐ नमः शिवाय!

In my previous posts I have already discussed about many hidden powers and abilities of a human being, which can be realized with shear devotion and discipline, at the same time I have also discussed what we all are busy doing, which has turned us into mere pieces of furniture, due to which, some people who think they have natural contract to control other human beings, decide, "hmmm.... where can I place this chair, may be in that corner", and using little science and technology we have achieved few powers like flying, gadgets of electronics, Internet but all these again depend on some or other man made power like electricity, gadgets, airplanes etc one human error and pop goes the Human.

Deep in the unconscious there is a mine of talents and abilities, as per Shri Krishna in Srimad Bhagvatam, Shri Krishna : "For a sage who has conquered his senses, breathing and mind, who is self-controlled and always absorbed in meditation on me, what Mystic perfection could possibly be difficult to achieve?, he is referring to all those Siddhis which can make a human being a super human being and take him or her very close to the supreme energy and also understand h0w the nature works.

The human being can progress through the various levels of spirituality progress from the bondage of birth and death, from the ignorance to knowledge.

While narrating about Siddhis, Shri Krishna states that there are nine main Siddhis, eight primary and ten secondary Sddhis, and five additional Siddhis for yogis, there may be many views and opinions regarding these Siddhis, some might say that by focusing on these Siddhis the spiritual progress suffers etc some feel that it is OK to realize them but one thing very important to understand is, that by the time the human reaches these levels, he is no more a ordinary, selfish, accumulative, manipulative, vanity ridden, superficial spirit, he had already got ridden of everything worldly before he/she had attained the Godly features, so there is never a doubt that these powers will be used for wrong purposes and the focus should be towards attaining the supreme spirit, this discussion is like duality and non duality, a person with Evil mentality can never reach those levels at first place, period.

Siddhi is a Sanskrit word that literally means accomplishment, Siddhis can occur in two ways, naturally, or as a result of extended practice of austerities. the ways to obtain the siddhis are Devotion, Pranayama, Meditation, Control of senses, Herbs, Mantras, etc and above all the most important thing is a good birth, One very good example to see if your birth is Very Good, Good, fair, OK, Bad or Very Bad is to check your Horoscope, see what is your Ascendant and what planets are occupying the Sign or House with Ascendant, 5th and 9th house.

No birth can be better than Shri Ramachandra, his Ascendant is in Karkataka (Cancer) with beneficial exlated Jupiter and Shukla Paksha Moon (waxing Moon), both being natural benefics, this is the best combination for a character like Shri Rama Chandra, then follows Ascendant with Jupiter is Moon, then others , this is one of the qualifications if one is having then it is like one is having a reserved ticket for spirituality.

Nine main Siddhis are:

Parkaya Pravesha: Ability to enter some other body and to bring back any dead body to life.

Haadi Vidya: Ability to stay without nourishment for a long time.

Kaadi Vidya: Ability to withstand adverse climatic conditions like extreme cold or blazing fires, for him/her the surrounding will remain ambient.

Vayu Gaman Siddhi: Ability to fly with body and move from place to place with in a flash of thought.

Madalasa Vidya: Ability to change the size of ones body.

Kanakdhara Siddhi: Ability to acquire immense wealth.

Prakya Sadhana: Ability to direct a soul or spirit to take birth from the womb of a barren woman.

Surya Vigyan: Ability to transform one substance into another using Sun rays.

Mrit Sanjeevani Vidya: This Vidya invented by Guru Shukracharya, ability to bring a dead person back to life.

The Asthasiddhis - eight siddhis of Sri Maha Ganadhipati Ganesha also called as Siddhi Vinayaka, in one of the Raja Ravi Verma's paintings these siddhis are depicted as eight women surrounding Lord Ganesha.

AsthaSiddhi

The eight siddhis as narrated by Shri Krishna are:

Anima: Ability to become smaller than the smallest.

Mahima: Ability to become larger than the largest.

Garima: Ability to manipulate weight.

Laghima: Ability to become lighter than the lightest.

Prapti: Ability of free access.

Prakamyam: Ability to obtain or perform whatever one desires.

Is'itva : Ability of lordship over all.

Vas'itva: Ability to control elements.

The Ten Secondary Siddhis as narrated by Shri Krishna are:

Anurmi-Mattvam: Ability to withstand hunger, thirst, and other bodily disturbances

Doora- Sravana: Ability to hear distant sounds.

Doora- Darshanam: Ability to foresee things from a distance.

Manah-Javah: Ability of Teleportation of body with thought

Kama-Rupam: Ability to attain any desired form.

Para-Kaya Pravesanam: Ability to enter bodies of other beings.

SvaChandaMrtyuh: Ability to leave the body when desired.

Devanam SahaKrida Anudarshanam: Ability to participate in Pastimes of Apasaras.

Yatha Sankalpa Samsiddhi: Ability to perfect the accomplishment of one's determination.

Ajna Apratihata Gatih: Ability or knowledge to unimpeded the flow of orders and commands.

As per Lord Krishna the Five Siddhis of Yoga and Meditation are described as:


Tri Kala Jnatvam: Ability to foresee the past, present and future.

Advandvam: Tolerance to Heat, cold etc.

Para chitta Adi Abhijanata: Reading the minds of others etc.

Agni Arka Ambu Visa Adinam Pratistambhah: Ability to check the Influence of fire, Sun, Water, Poison etc.

Aparajayah: Ability to remain unconquered by others.

The different names for almost same ability or accomplishments is due to the level of that accomplishment, the main accomplishment are of highest order.
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Joke:

There were four learned friends with spiritual powers to bring back any thing dead to life, one day they happen to take a stroll in a near by forest and they come across a dead Lion, the learned friends have been waiting for a long time to validate their powers, so the first friend repairs the skeleton of the dead lion, the second friend gives it a new flesh and mane, As the third friend is about to give life to the dead lion, the fourth friend a clever one climbs a tree and observes the experiment from there, the third friend gives life force to the dead lion, the lion springs back to life with hunger, and it finds three plump ready made preys right near its mouth, so the lion devours the three learned one's without hesitation, the clever one survives to learn a lesson, never use your powers without understanding the implications. :-)

More to follow......................

ॐ नमः शिवाय!

Sianala, Montreal, July 2007

Few good quotes to digest

Like there are two sides to every coin, there are two sides to every story sometimes they have multiple sides also, every human should make it a practise to look for both sides of any story, and mostly it will be found that the Truth lingers persistently in silence on the other side.

Few quotes from the History, see if we can digest.

"Believe nothing merely because you have been told it. Do not believe what your teacher tells you merely out of respect for the teacher. But whatsoever, after due examination and analysis, you find to be kind, conducive to the good, the benefit, the welfare of all beings — that doctrine believe and cling to, and take it as your guide." — Buddha (Siddhartha Gautama), Indian philosopher and founder of Buddhism (c. 563-c. 483 B.C.).

Truth resides in every human heart, and one has to search for it there, and to be guided by truth as one sees it. But no one has a right to coerce others to act according to his own view of the truth.--M.K.Gandhi.
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"I worship God as Truth only. I have not yet found Him, but I am seeking after Him. I am prepared to sacrifice the things dearest to me in pursuit of this quest. Even if the sacrifice demanded my very life, I hope I may be prepared to give it." M.K.Gandhi.
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"The greatest friend of truth is Time, her greatest enemy is Prejudice, and her constant companion is Humility." Charles Caleb Colton, British Clergyman (1780 - 1832)

"The man who fears no truths has nothing to fear from lies." Thomas Jefferson 3rd President of the United States (1801-1809).

"I have not observed men’s honesty to increase with their riches.” — Thomas Jefferson, Founding Father and third U.S. president (1743-1826), in a letter to Jeremiah Moor, 1800.

"Let the people know the truth and the country is safe." Abraham Lincoln 16th President of the United States (1809-1865).
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"If you tell the truth you don't have to remember anything." Mark Twain (1835-1910).
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"Truth is tough. It will not break, like a bubble, at the touch, nay, you may kick it about all day like a football, and it will be round and full at evening." Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. American jurist (1841-1935).
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"The truth is cruel, but it can be loved and it makes free those who have loved it." George Santayana, American philosopher and poet (1863-1952).
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"Don’t tell your friends their social faults; they will cure the fault and never forgive you." — Logan Pearsall Smith, American writer (1865-1946).

Truth exists. Only lies are invented." Georges Braque French painter (1882-1963).

"I don't give them hell. I just tell the truth and they think it is hell." Harry S. Truman 33rd President of the United States (1884-1972).
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Truth is incontrovertible, malice may attack it and ignorance may deride it, but, in the end, there it is. Sir Winston Churchill.

"Truth knows no color; it appeals to intelligence." James Cone Theologian (1938-).

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“The great enemy of the truth is very often not the lie — deliberate, contrived, and dishonest — but the myth — persistent, persuasive and realistic.” — John F. Kennedy, 20th-century American president (from the Yale Commencement address, 1962).

"Honesty is not a policy, it is a state of mind."— Eugene L’Hote, philosopher

It is only error which needs the support of the governament, Truth can stand on its own.

The trouble with lying and deceiving is that their efficiency depends entirely upon a clear notion of the truth that the liar and deceiver wishes to hide. In this sense, truth, even if it does not prevail in public, possesses an ineradicable primacy over all falsehoods. --Hannah Arendt

Truth indeed rather alleviates than hurts, and will always bear up against falsehood, as oil does above water.--Miguel de Cervantes

Truth is a deep kindness that teaches us to be content in our everyday life and share with the people the same happiness.--Kahlil Gibran

There are times when we must sink to the bottom of our misery to understand truth, just as we must descend to the bottom of a well to see the stars in broad daylight. --Václav Havel

The only way into truth is through one's own annihilation; through dwelling a long time in a state of extreme and total humiliation. --Simone Weil

It is not because the truth is too difficult to see that we make mistakes. It may even lie on the surface; but we make mistakes because the easiest and most comfortable course for us is to seek insight where it accords with our emotions- especially selfish ones. --Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn.

It takes two to speak the truth- one to speak and another to hear. --Henry David Thoreau

In order to swim one takes off all one's clothes- in order to aspire to the truth one must undress in a far more inward sense, divest oneself of all one's inward clothes, of thoughts, conceptions, selfishness etc. before one is sufficiently naked. --Soren Kierkegaard.

God offers to every mind its choice between truth and repose. Take which you please; you can never have both. --Ralph Waldo Emerson

Every truth is so true that any truth must be false. --F. H. Bradley

Closest to the truth are those who deal lightly with it because they know it is inexhaustible. --Golo Mann

Nothing is poorer than a truth expressed as it was thought. Committed to writing in such cases, it is not even a bad photograph. . . . Truth wants to be startled abruptly, at one stroke, from her self-immersion, whether by uproar, music or cries for help. --Walter Benjamin

If it were true what in the end would be gained? Nothing but another truth. Is this such a mighty advantage? We have enough old truths still to digest, and even these we would be quite unable to endure if we did not sometimes flavor them with lies. --G. C. Lichtenberg

The truth has never been of any real value to any human being- it is a symbol for mathematicians and philosophers to pursue. In human relations kindness and lies are worth a thousand truths. --Graham Greene

When something important is going on, silence is a lie.--A.M. Rosenthal

Truth is the secret of eloquence and of virtue, the basis of moral authority; it is the highest summit of art and of life ---Henri Frederic Amiel

“Truth is like the sun. You can shut it out for a time, but it ain't goin' away.” — Elvis Presley, American rock 'n' roll icon (1935-1977).

We know the truth, not only by the reason, but also by the heart.--Blaise Pascal.
"It is hard to believe that a man is telling the truth when you know that you would lie if you were in his place." - Henry Mencken

Truth is a personal experience one has to tune his/her mind to that experience.


SIanala, Montreal, July 2007

Food and Hell

Some laughter!

Four friends take their lunch regularly together,

the first guy opens his lunch box and he finds Bread and butter, he feels bad that his wife packs bread and butter almost daily.

The second guy opens his lunch box and he finds, Noodles, not again! he shouts!

The third guy opens his lunch box and finds Pizza, not again! he too shouts!

They all look at the fourth guy, he opens it and finds long sandwich,not again! all shout together!

That fateful day they all take a oath that if they find the same food in their lunch boxes, they will jump out of window and go to Hell.

Next day:

First guy: opens his lunch box, without a word he takes off from the window, thud!!

second guy and third guy also open their lunch boxes, they look at each other and jump out of the windows, thud!!

The fourth guy opens his lunch box, takes the sandwich and chews on it, it appears old and frozen, he also jumps out of the window, thud!!!

They all reach Hell!! the demon door man welcomes them and the demon in the reception asks them for the cause for ending their life before the actual expiry date.

All in chorus: we get same lunch day after day, we could not take it any longer.

Demon in the reception: who cooks your lunch anyway!

Three guys: My wife!!! in chorus. Fourth Guy remains calm.

Demon: What about you

Fourth Guy: I cook my own lunch.

:-)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

Contributed by friends.

A very old and agile looking person throws a party to the whole town, the reason for the party is he turned 100 that evening.

every one from the city drops in and they all ask him the secret of his long life.

The old guy: I did not smoke or drink alcohol, I did not waste my energy with women, I did not lie, I did not steal, I did not deceive anyone, I lived a very strict, simple and vegetative life.

One table in a corner with one chair is decorated with fresh water, lettuce and carrots.
The city folks ask the old man what are we being served, most of them strongly expect that they sure will get the same stuff in the corner.

Old Man leads them to a well decorated dining hall, where to the utter astonishment of the city folks, every living or non living thing is available to be devoured.

People ask him as you have turned 100 now, why not start taking everything now.

Old guy: My target is to live happily for ever. :-)))))))))))))))

contributed by a friend

A person is tired of his life and everything around him.

He finally calls upon the God to find a solution, after several calls, nothing happens.

He resorts to the final trick of ending his life,

GOD appears and stops him from doing so.

Person: I have been calling you since such a long time, why didn't you respond.

GOD: I did. first time I came as a bird, you shot the bird and ate it.
second time I came as a beggar, whom you pushed out of your home.
the third time I came as an new immigrant you got him in to the prison, now I have come to take you, let's go.

Person: Where? to Heaven!!.

God: Nope!, your total accumulated points allow you a trip to Hell.Om Nama.H Shivaya!

Sianala, Montreal, July 2007

Dharma

ॐ नमः शिवाय!

यदा यदा ही धर्मस्य ग्लानिर्भवति  भारता 

अभ्युत्तनाम  अधर्मस्य  तदात्मानाम  सृजाम्यहम। 

परित्राणाय  साधुनाम  विनाशाय  च दुष्कृताम 

धर्मसंस्थापनार्थाय  सम्भवामि  युगे युगे।।

Meaning; When ever Dharma gets in trouble or meaningless, I am compelled to take birth or incarnate on this earth to re-estabilish Dharma, to protect saints and sages, to destroy evil.

There are ten instances of incarnations, Avatars of Shri Vishnu.

One such incarnation was Narasimha Swami- Half Lion Half Human, Ferocious form of Shri Vishnu.


The story starts with a Demon king named Hiranyakashipu, who tries to attain magical powers from Brahma after a long penance, the boon he asks is:

I should not be killed by GOD, HUMAN, DEMON, ANIMAL

I should not be killed on Earth or Space

I should not be killed in Fire or Water

I should not be killed during Day or Night

I should not be killed outside or Inside

I should not be killed by any other Animate or Inanimate weapon.

Lord Brahma is pleased with his penance and grants the boon.

Hiranyakashipu, hated the gods and most especially Vishnu, the followers of whom he began to torture. Hiranyakashipu's son, Prahlada, was a very devoted follower of Vishnu. Hiranyakashipu fails to convince his son to join him against Vishnu, and tries to kill Prahlada, but Prahlada was protected by Vishnu.



When asked, Prahlada refuses to acknowledge his father as the supreme lord of the universe (though he had used his boon to conquer the entire world) instead he claimes that Vishnu was omnipresent.

After lot of techniques Hiranyakashipu is unable to change his son's faith in Lord Vishnu.

Hiranyakashipu asks Prahlad: Is your GOD in this wall, door, floor, ceiling.

Prahlad: He is present everywhere, he is omnipresent.

Hiranyakashipu: I am GOD,

Prahlad: No you are not,

Hiranyakashipu: Is he in this pillar,

Prahlad: Yes he is,

Hiranyakashipu: Kicks the Pillar,

Out comes Narashima Swami in his full glory and manifestation, Half Lion Half Human, during the twilight ( Neither day nor night), he places him on his thighs between Earth and Space on the threshold of the entrance to a courtyard (neither inside nor outside) and using his nails (neither animate nor inanimate) as weapons he tears apart Hiranyakashipu, there by releasing the land from his evil shadow.

This story is repeated many many times in a miniature version on this earth, but every time we fail to acknowledge the presence of the omnipresent energy, History has recorded many such fools who think they are powerful, what goes up is bound to come down, but how it will land depends on the individual, the landing could be a smooth one or it could be an ugly thud.

The root cause of these Hiranyakashipu's who keep raising their ugly heads is Greed, Ignorance and above all Insecurity.

Knowledge and humility is the Key :-)

ॐ नमः शिवाय!

Sianala, Montreal, July 2007

A good Story

A good story...

An old man lived alone in a village. He wanted to spade his potato garden, but it was very hard work. His only son, who would have helped him, was in prison.

The old man wrote a letter to his son and mentioned his situation:Dear Son, I am feeling pretty bad because it looks like I won't be able to plant my potato garden this year. I hate to miss doing the garden, because your mother always loved planting time. I'm just getting too old to be digging up a garden plot. If you were here, all my troubles would beover. I know you would dig the plot for me, if you weren't in prison.

Love,

Dad

Shortly, the old man received this telegram:

"For Heaven's sake, Dad,don't dig up the garden!! That's where I buried the GUNS!!"

At 4 a.m. the next morning, a dozen FBI agents and local policeOfficers showed up and dug up the entire garden without finding any guns.

Confused, the old man wrote another note to his son telling him what happened and asked him what to do next.

His son's reply was: "Go ahead and plant your potatoes, Dad... It's thebest I could do for you from here."

Moral:NO MATTER WHERE YOU ARE IN THE WORLD, IF YOU HAVE DECIDED TO DO SOMETHING DEEP FROM YOUR HEART YOU CAN DO IT. IT IS THE THOUGHT THAT MATTERS NOT WHERE YOU ARE OR WHERE THE PERSON IS.

Have a nice day

Take care of your loved ones always.

Sent to me by a friend


sianala, Montreal, July 2007

The 90-10 Principle

Know the 90-10 principle.

Apply it and you will be amazed at the results. You will lose nothing if you try it.
The 90-10 principle is incredible. Very few know and apply this principle.

The result?

Millions of people are suffering from undeserved stress, trials, problems andheartache.

We all must understand and apply the 90/10 principle.

It CAN change your life!!! Read the attachment

Discover the 90/10 Principle.

It will change your life (at least the way you react to situations).

Author: Stephen Covey
What is this principle?

10% of life is made up of what happens to you.
90% of life is decided by how you react.

What does this mean?
It means we really have no control over 10% of what happens to us.

We cannot stop the car from breaking down. The plane will be late arriving, which throws our whole schedule off. A driver may cut us off in traffic.
We have no control over this 10%.

The other 90% is different. You determine the other 90%.
How? ---- By your reaction.
YOU can control how you react.

Let's use an example.
You are eating breakfast with your family. Your daughter knocks over a cup of coffee onto your business shirt. You have no control over what just happened.
What happens next will be determined by how you react.
You curse.
You harshly scold your daughter for knocking the cup over. She breaks down in tears. After scolding her, you turn to your spouse and criticize her for placing the cup too close to the edge of the table. A short verbal battle follows.

You storm upstairs and change your shirt. Back downstairs, you find your daughter has been too busy crying to finish breakfast and get ready for school. She misses the bus.

Your spouse must leave immediately for work. You rush to the car and drive your daughter to school. Because you are late, you drive 40 miles an hour in a 30 mph speed limit. After a 15-minute delay and throwing $60 traffic fine away, you arrive at school. Your daughter runs into the building without saying goodbye. After arriving at the office 20 minutes late, you find you forgot your briefcase. Your day has started terrible. As it continues, it seems to get worse and worse. You look forward to coming home.

When you arrive home, you find small wedge in your relationship with your spouse and daughter.

Why? ---- Because of how you reacted in the morning.

Why did you have a bad day?
A) Did the coffee cause it?
B) Did your daughter cause it?
C) Did the policeman cause it?
D) Did you cause it?

The answer is “D".

You had no control over what happened with the coffee. How you reacted in those 5 seconds is what caused your bad day.
Here is what could have and should have happened.

Coffee splashes over you. Your daughter is about to cry. You gently say, "Its ok honey, you just need to be more careful next time". Grabbing a towel you rush upstairs. After grabbing a new shirt and your briefcase, you come back down in time to look through the window and see your child getting on the bus. She turns and waves. You arrive 5 minutes early and cheerfully greet the staff. Your boss comments on how good the day you are having.
Notice the difference?

Two different scenarios. Both started the same. Both ended different.

Why?
Because of how you REACTED.

You really do not have any control over 10% of what happens. The other 90% was determined by your reaction.

React properly and it will not ruin your day.

Remember the 90/10 principle.

Now you know the 90-10 principle. Apply it and you will be amazed at the results. You will lose nothing if you try it. The 90-10 principle is incredible. Very few know and apply this principle.

The result?

Millions of people are suffering from undeserved stress, trials, problems and
heartache.

We all must understand and apply the 90/10 principle.

It CAN change your life!!!

Enjoy….

Sent to me by a friend.

The Real Sadhu- Ego and God

ॐ नमः शिवाय!


Instead of rewriting everything which already had been written and said many many times by many great saints, here is a discourse from Shri Swami Sivananda ji on the real sadhu (Saint) Ego and God.

"If you find mercy and humility in a person, then alone can you know that he is a Sadhu.
His heart will melt at the suffering of others. 
Man has a sin-hardened heart. 
When it begins to melt.
 A Sadhu need not deliver lectures on the Panchadasi.

He need not necessarily be able to deliver eloquent discourses on the Gita (Discourse by Shri Krishna given to Arjun in the battle ground of Krukshetra-Sacred scripture of Hindus or Sanatana Dharma).

He may not be able to comment for three hours on a single verse of the Brahma Sutra, but a sweet aroma will always be emanating from him. This will attract you to him. It will give you peace and inner bliss when you approach him. All your worry and anxiety will disappear as you approach him. His very look will elevate you. His words will inspire you and engrave themselves on the tablet of your heart. Your nature will be transformed by his very look. You will turn a new page in your life. Such will be his power! Such is the glory of true mercy and humility!"
People have a hard heart, a heart harder than granite, harder than diamond, on account of wrong actions done life after life. This heart should melt. Only then can they have Self-realization. Note well that there is no short-cut to Self-realization. A man without mercy, love and humility cannot realize the Self. You must understand this clearly. You must engrave these words in your heart. You must write them in bold letters on placards and place them in your rooms and offices. The Shri cannot manifest Himself in a sin-hardened heart. It must melt like butter before He can reveal Himself."This melting is done by Kirtan and untiring selfless service rendered with the feeling that all are forms of Shri Narayana. Then you will develop a feeling of oneness with all. Listening to the scriptures and contemplation will be of no avail if there is no purification of the heart.

Vedantic Sadhana at this immature stage will only fatten your egoism and harden it. The bonds of worldliness will grow tighter and the veil of ignorance become thicker."Without purifying the heart no progress in Sadhana is possible. Therefore, practise Japa, sing Kirtan, do untiring selfless service. Be generous. Give, give, give. Kill vanity. Worldly people have their own vanity, but much harder is the egoism of a Sadhu. He thinks that he is superior to a householder because he knows the Gita by heart and he can deliver thrilling lectures for weeks on end on each verse of the Upanishads. This spiritual pride is extremely difficult to eradicate."Maya assumes many different forms.

The ego assumes various shapes. Just as water takes on the form of the vessel into which it is poured, so also the ego adjusts itself to all circumstances and persists in its work.

"You renounce the world so that you can get rid of the vanity of wealth and material desires. Now you acquire another vanity--the vanity of renunciation. In order to crush the ego you do scavenging, though you are highly educated. Now the ego assumes the subtle form of the vanity of service. You bow to all, you prostrate to all, in order to develop humility. This indefatigable ego comes up there also--you now have the most dangerous vanity of humility. You feel inwardly that you are humbler than others. This ego is your terrible enemy. It wages guerrilla warfare with you. Beware! Beware! Beware!".

If you are sincere you can eradicate this ego through Japa, Kirtan and selfless service. Sincere people are very rare in this world. You can count them on your finger-tips. Sincerity--it is a very rare virtue! It is a combination of several virtues--of truthfulness, straight-forwardness, simplicity, absence of vanity, courage, fearlessness, tenacity of purpose, love and humility. All these go to form sincerity. A sincere man is immediately respected and trusted by all. Only if you have this virtue will there be rapid spiritual progress. Only then will you realize the fullest benefits of the Japa, Kirtan and meditation that you practise daily.

"Introspect and find out how you are progressing in the cultivation of these divine virtues. You are not practising introspection regularly. You have not the strength of mind or the power of discrimination to introspect. You think that you are very much advanced, but when a test comes you fail miserably. It is because there has been no real progress, no real spiritual advancement. It is vanity that makes you think that you are very advanced."

Apply this acid test on yourself: does your heart melt at the suffering of others? Has charity and generosity become your very nature? Your money belongs to the Lord. You have no business to keep more than you need. How can you accumulate wealth when your God in the form of a poor man is starving? How can you take food four times a day when the beggar--Lord Narayana--is starving outside the door? These are the tests of spiritual progress.

"Do you run to a poor man walking along the street and offer him food? Do you rush to the aid of a sick or injured man lying on the roadside and ask, 'My Lord, in what way may I serve thee?' If you do so, then you are really advancing on the spiritual path. You will soon develop cosmic love, which is the threshold of liberation."

If you really want God, then all these things must be done. You should have mercy. You should feel that you are only a trustee of your money; you are like a gatekeeper. God has given you money. You should share it with others. Purchase blankets in winter and distribute them to the poor lying on the roadside. What a joy you feel! The man who has not shared what he has with others has a poor heart indeed, though he may be a millionaire. Even the man who has nothing to eat is the richest man in the world if he has a large heart, if he shares what he has with others.

"The real Sadhu is one who has nothing to call his own except a large, magnanimous heart--not one who can skillfully argue about the existence of God or the falsehood of creation, who is an expert in intellectual acrobatics, who is proficient in the coining and use of a few phrases. You can discover him on the station platform. He will quarrel for half an hour with a porter for the sake of two annas!"

(Annas = 16 annas make One Indian Rupee)

If you are Ramprasad, feel that all are Ramprasad. One Divine Consciousness pervades all. It sees through all, It works through all. All ears are yours. Feel as such. What an expansion of heart you experience! All barriers are now broken down. Everywhere you behold the one Lord, one Krishna, the God who is both immanent and transcendent.

"The aspirant should be very careful. Not even an angry look or the slightest trace of irritability should arise in his heart. He should possess a sweet heart and a sweet tongue."

"May God bless you all with health, long life, peace, prosperity and eternal bliss!"
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"If you take one step towards God, He takes ten steps towards you." - Swami Sivananda

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I can only add to this great teachings is, to reach GOD one has to be like GOD, all the time and always and yet remain anonymous.

ॐ नमः शिवाय!

Sianala, Montreal, June 2007

God did come!

ॐ नमः शिवाय!

There was a very big Dam and was holding lot of water in a man made lake, after many peaceful years, one day a villager detects a crack on the Dam, for a moment his heart stops, he runs to the village head to inform about this crack.

The village along with all his men inspect the crack on the Dam and decide to call the govt. to get this rectified, the engineers arrive and to their utter disappointment it is found that the crack can not be repaired, so they raise a danger alarm and they request the Govt to evacuate all the villages with in the close proximity of the Dam, every villager leaves very early and then it is time for the Dam to rupture, water starts flowing in a huge stream.

Meanwhile the rescue team detect that a man is still living in his home.

The rescue team ask the man to get out, but the Man is adamant, no my GOD will save me, he will not let me down.

The rescue team leaves the scene keeping the condition of Dam in mind, the water now is flowing in the villages like a river and the man's house is effected.

Now the Rescue team in their last visit call out for the man, who is in his second floor.

The man: No my GOD will save me.

The rescue team leaves again, the water is higher now and the second floor is under water,

The Rescue team in a ferry reach this man's house and call him to get in the ferry.

The Man: No my God......................!

The Rescue team leaves and is replaced by the Army.

The water has submerged almost all the villages and the Man is on the roof top.

The Army in a Helicopter; Hey common we will take you up, catch this harness.

The Man: No my God will come..................

The Army leaves and the Dam breaks submerging everything.

The man is standing in a reception , appears like the abode of GOD.

GOD: There you are, How are you?

Man: I will not speak to you, you let me drown, I called you so many times and you did not come.

GOD: I did come, the people in Rescue team, The Ferry, The Helicopter, all were my men, but you did not come.

Moral: God is Omnipresent and everywhere.

I heard this story in Net GSC Chandanagar, Hyderabad, India, narrated by a indian software professional settled in US in the year 1999-2000.

ॐ नमः शिवाय!

SIanala, Montreal, July 2007

Fundamentals of Jyotisha ( Part IV)

ॐ श्री गुरावे नमः !

ॐ नमः शिवाय!

GRAHA/PLANETS characteristics and description continued......Apart from what we have discussed earlier about the Strength of Graha, there is a very beautiful system in Jyotisha called Shad bal or Shad bala (Six Strengths), it estimates and predicts the strength of Graha during its Transit and it also tells us the strength of Graha as a quantity, in addition to Shad bala there are few other related terms like Astakavarga bala, Ishta phala and kshta phala etc.

Shadbala is a method to evaluate the strength of Graha/Planets by calculating the points a Graha/Planet would get based on its position, direction, motion, time, and aspect, Naisargika (Natural strength) bala is common for all the tables so it is not very important, there are many variations for calculation of Shadbala, Table No 39 and 40 list these values in Virupas to call a Graha Strong, the values can be represented in Rupas and percentage.

Shadbala comprises of various types of strengths which are listed with all their
further classifications in the Table no 41.

Astakavarga meaning eight divisions it is a system of analyzing a chart with respect to a group of 8 reference points and it tells us the benefic positions of Lagna and seven planets with respect to each other, so using this system we can analyze the Natal and the Transit chart, transit chart is more important for day to day predictions.

The individual Ashtakavarga chart is known as the Bhinnashtakavarga, and the combined effect given in one chart is known as Sarvashtakavarga chart.

The total value of any house for any Graha/planet is = 8,
If Benefic points = x,
8-x = Malefic points.
7 Graha/planets x 8 points = 56

The house that gets less than 28 benefic points will give less result as indicated by that house. Similarly if any house contributes more than 28 points then the results denoted by that house will be greater, 28 is 50% of 56.

The individual points of each house if it is less than 4 the phala will not be favorable, a value of 4 is average phala and points above 4 are very favorable. The total is always 337.

The Rasis/signs which carry 7 or 8 points are the peak periods of the native in that particular sphere of his/her life and the houses with 5 or 6 points are periods with good results, at the same time Rasis/signs with values 0, 1 or 2 would give most unfavorable results, the above chart shows maximum points for two houses Aries and Scorpio and the lord of both these signs is Mars and these are 6th and 11th signs from Lagna, representing, Job, Enemies, disease, gain in everything, friends and elders as the prominent areas of his/her life, 7th and 8th house also carry good points, meaning better results in the areas represented by these two signs also.

Ishta and Kshta phala: Very simple translation of these two terms into English would be "results I like", and "results painful to me", to get these values first calculate the Uchch Rasmi and Chesht rasmi of Graha, then using these two calculate the subha rasmis (Auspicious) and asubha (Inauspicious) rasmis, further use these two and calculate the Ishta and Kshta phala.

Each Varga placement contributes a strength according to the placement in the planet's sign. Table No 43 lists the strength of each Graha as per their placement.


If Subhankas (Auspicious) is deducted from 60, Asubhanka (Inauspicious points) will emerge and in other Vargas these values are halved.

A Graha is considered auspicious in the first four of the said places, In the fifth place it is neutral, i.e. neither good nor bad and in the other two places it is inauspicious.
A typical Table showing Shad bala in virupas, in rupas, in percentage, Ishta and Kshta Phala is listed in the table no 44.

Conclusion: There are many versions of discussions on this particular topic every Astrologer had tried to peel a new skin from this fruit, but the most important thing is, it gives a direct methodology to label a Graha Strong, Very Strong, Weak, or Very Weak, I personally feel there is no need to go into details and dissect them to see if they give you repeatable results like a true physical scientist, these values are like indicators showing where exactly the Graha's are standing and with how many points each.

As the Graha/Planets are always on the move, only Saturn and Jupiter take little more time to than other Grahas, other wise in a day there always is a possibility for worst and the best time point.

ॐ नमः शिवाय!

SIanala, Montreal , June 2007.

Minor Lines of the Palm

ॐ श्री गुरावे नमः !

ॐ नमः शिवाय!

I have already dealt with the six Major lines of the palm, The Line of Fate, The line of Head, The line of Heart, The line of Life, The line of Health of Life and The line of Apollo, let us deal with the minor lines of the palm, which are not common lines present in every hand, few hands have very prominent minor lines, and few do not have these lines at all.

Minor lines of the palm: Line of Intuition, Girdle of Venus, Influence lines, Worry lines, Line of Marriage or Affection, Stress lines, Travel line, Rascettes,Via Lascivia, Line of Mars.

Line of Intuition: Fig P8A1 & P8B6, Look for this line on the percussion side of the palm, starting from the base of the palm to the little finger, the presence of this line is a indication that the Intuition of the person is active or awakened, because Intuition (Sixth sense as it is called) is a compulsory item that comes with this human body, other signs which enhance the Intuitive abilities are a whorl in the Ring finger third phalange, a mystic cross below the Saturn Finger and Ring finger, between the Heart line and the Line of intelligence, well formed mount of Luna or Moon.

Girdle of Venus: Fig P8A2, I am sorry I could not understand how someone called it Girdle of Venus, it is a arc between Little finger and Saturn finger, or Ring finger and Saturn finger or may be Index finger, I am not aware of its function or prominence and also it has nothing to do with Venus and love, only possibility is this line could be a secondary heart line, so it is in a way enhanced craving for love or affection, better not to have this.;-)

Influence Lines: Fig P8A3 & P8B5, Fine parallel lines emerging from the mount of Venus or Mount of Luna and flow towards the major lines of the palm, in a way to influence them in the life of the native, these lines are indication of influence of the family members on the native, each line indicates a member and if it cuts different major lines, it means they influence that sphere of the natives life in a positive or negative way, similar lines from teh mount of luna are influence from external circles.

Worry lines: Fig P8A4, Parallel vertical lines in the mount of Venus, more lines indicate more worries and absence of lines indicate lack of emotions.

Line of Marriage or Affection or Union: Fig P8A5, Small line on the percussion side of the palm, just below the little finger, here it is little tricky, because in a country like India where two opposite sex can only unite through marriage, then these lines should be called lines of marriage, and each line would indicate one marriage, and the health of that line directly indicates the health of marriage, but like in west, union of opposite sex is not necessarily through formal marriage, in that case this line should be called as line of affection or union.

The length of the line is normally up to 1 cm, a healthy line is a 1 cm horizontal line ending bluntly without any change in thickness and color of the line, with out any cuts or gaps, very fine hair like vertical lines on top of each marriage line indicate the number of children, thick straight lines indicate male and thin slant lines indicate females, but this area is not very clear in many hands and might not be visible to a naked eye, few hands I have seen have very clear patterns and the no of children living and dead match perfectly with the pattern, because of lack of clarity of this area, the scope of wrong prediction is very huge.

If the line of Marriage droops down towards the base of palm and ends somewhere below, little finger, Ring finger, Middle finger or Index finger or right into the mount of Venus indicate end of that marriage or union due to communications, ego, financial issues, understanding and respect for each other and influence of a family member respectively, if the line turn upward, it is a good sign, and if it bifurcates, it indicates flexibility in the union or more informal union.

The timing of marriage is determined by dividing the distance between the line of heart and the base of little finger in to four divisions, each division is equal to 10 years, the point on the line of heart will be 14 years and the base of the little finger 70 years, then determine the time of marriage or union, multiple healthy lines of marriage or union will indicate multiple partners.
Compatibility between the couple can be determined by looking at the health of the line of marriage.

Stress lines: Fig P8A6 Small vertical lines in the phalanges of the fingers, the upper, middle and lower phalange indicate soul, mind and body resp. the stress lines in these phalanges would indicate stress of the native in that part of his being, most people will have few lines in the lowest phalanges in almost all fingers, but few people have stress lines in the middle phalanges also, they are very stressed individuals, and people in deep perils have stress lines in almost all phalanges, they need a long vacation, any hand without any stress lines is rare.

Travel Lines: Fig P8B1, Small or long lines from the base of the palm on the percussion side of the palm and travelling towards the Mount of Jupiter or Index finger indicate the Travel the native had taken or will take in future, but I am not sure about this line either, I have seen only small lines from the percussion side reaching up to the middle of the palm, and these natives have traveled more than 15000 miles in one go.

So if there are few lines in this area you will travel or you have already traveled.:-)
Rascette: Fig P8B2, others names for Rascette are Bracelet or luck line, One, two or three single, double or triple plain or interwoven chain like lines on the wrist on the base of the palm are Rascette, these are like index of the life of the native, a plain line in this area would indicate uncomplicated life of the native, and a chained line indicate complex or complicated life due to hassles, a cross in this line would indicate a difficult period, each line indicates around 40 years of life, three lines account for 120 years of life, but this is not the only parameter for life calculation.

The first line on the Rascette if forms a deep curve towards the palm in the hands of women, would suggest possible delivery problems, and in the hands of men, possible delivery problems faced by their mothers during their birth and some believe weakness in reproductive system.
Via Lascivia: Fig P8B3, A horizontal line crossing the mount of Luna and might join the Fate line, as the Latin name suggests it was believed to be associated with Lust, drunkenness and debauchery, but actually this line has to do with spending capacity of a native, A person with this line is like a Natural accounts manager, with just 100$ he could feed many people, and a person with out this line might not be able to fill his of tummy with 100$, just an example.
Line of Mars: Fig P8B4, This line starts form the mount of mars between the Index finger and the Thumb and runs inside the line of Life, this adds to the vitality and life force of the Native, it is also called as sister life line.

There are other small and very minor lines not at all common, like sex line, money line, spirit line. do not worry about them they do not affect your life in any way.

More to follow............................marks and signs.

ॐ श्री गुरावे नमः !

ॐ नमः शिवाय!

SIanala, Montreal, June 2007

Meeting the God

ॐ नमः शिवाय!

A person frustrated starts praying in a very secluded places to appease GOD, after 25 long years of penance, GOD appears in the form of Lord Shiva and asks the ascetic why did you remember me, dear!


The person is used to consult his wife for every small or big decisions, so he requests GOD, please wait for a minute I will be back in a moment, I have to ask my wife what exactly she wants.


GOD: Okey Dokey!


Person returns with a long list: Please take this list.


GOD: OK, Please wait for a minute I will be back in a moment, even I have to ask my wife before I promise anything (and GOD vanishes).


A year passes GOD does not return, meanwhile seeing the plight of this person, ever roaming saint Narada appears and asks what happened.


Person tells the whole story.


Narada: Oh! O, dear! When GOD says 1 minute it is equal to 100 years of Earth time. I am sorry, instead of waiting,better start all over again! good luck and he too vanishes.

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Two neighbours ( N1& N2) ever competing with each other on every small and big things in their lives decide to call upon the GOD.


So the great penance starts, after 25 long years of penance, GOD appears before the first neighbour N1.


GOD: Hello dear! Let me know why you called me!


N1: Well I want many things but I would like you to do me a favour.

GOD: Ok! What is it.

N1: Are you going to answer my neighbours call also.

GOD: O' Yes, sure.

N1: Will it be possible if you find out what he is asking.

GOD: No problemo.

GOD appears before the other neighbour ( N2)


GOD: Hello dear, let me know why you called me!


N2: Thanks for coming, my lord! before I ask I would like to know what my Neighbour is asking, GOD says OK.


GOD returns to N1, like this GOD moves up and down for a couple of times, finally GOD is tired, I am sorry if you do not ask for anything, I am going, I have others calling.


N1: OK, Give me everything double the quantity of what ever N2 will ask.


GOD: Tathastu! ( Meaning, so be it).


God goes to N2 for the last time.


GOD: OK ask what do you want.


N2 is a persistent fellow, please let me know what did the N1 ask.


GOD: Oh my GOD! Ok, he wants everything two times of what ever you are going to ask.


N2: Ok! then cut my one hand, one leg, one ear and one eye.


GOD: Tathastu! and he leaves with a heavy heart, complaining, Why did I make Humans.

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A person in Europe is looking for GOD, he asks a saint, the saint points at a Telephone booth.
The person pick up the phone and calls a number written on the wall" God's PRIVATE NUMBER, please dial 011 before the no and it is a long distance call.
The person disconnects and travels to North America, even there he finds a Telephone booth with same no and same instructions, again it is a long distance call.
The person travels to China, Japan, Australia, Arctic, Antarctica, Middle east every where he finds the same telephone booth with same instructions and it is always a long distance call.
Finally he decides to travel to India and looks around for that telephone booth and he finds it with the same no, but as he dials the number, the recorded message says, please do not dial o11 before the number, it is a local call from here.;-)
Contributed by friends.
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ॐ नमः शिवाय!