" Missiles vs Truth "

" Ballistic Missiles "

The modern world has the capability to launch a nuclear war and the big powers can press a button for an ICBM to attack any targeted identity. These facilities existed in somewhat crude form according to mythology, and what ballistic missiles were in use in Purans follows :-

' Brahmastram ', is a weapon given as a boon by Lord Brahma when He is pleased by the severe penance undertaken by a person to appease Him. Similarly Lord Narayana bestows " Narayanastram " and Lord Siva who is also known as Pasupathi grants " Paasupathastram ". Pasupathi gets the name as protector of all " PASUs".

Arjuna, one of the ' pancha pandavar ', obtained from Siva " Paasupathastram ". Aswathama obtained " narayanastram "; and Indrajith " Brahmastram ".

Brahmastram has a unique power to destroy all lives that exist as a result of creation by Brahma. The quality factor of Narayanastram will be to destroy all those who stand with a weapon in their hands. In other words Narayanastram renders shelter to those who face their enemy armed by a weapon in hand. The Astras, whatever may be, if used wrongly will attack those who attempted the aim wrongly. Further, they can be used only one time.

In Kurukshethra war, Aswathama made use of " Narayanastram ". Sensing danger, Lord Krishna cautioned the Pandavas to put down the weapons in their hands immediately. Narayanastram came near the Pandavas who appeared in a state of surrender without any Astra in their possession. Narayanastra simply circumbulated the Pandavas and went straight to ' Vaikuntam '. No harm to Pandavas !

When Rama - Ravana Battle commenced, Indrajith was sent by Ravana and Lakshmana led the battle from Rama's side. Indrajith took the " Brahmastram " in his hand for use. Lakshmana, the IlayaPerumal, immediately brought in his hand also the ' Brahmastram ' which is technically correct and in line with the rules of war. But Rama stopped Lakshmana form using the weapon as it would destroy everybody else for no faults. Lakshmana realized his mistake and put down the ' brahmastram '.

There is one more Astra is that of Cupid or Manmatha. The bow and arrow of manmatha or Cupid when used would create infatuation in others. Manmathan was deputed by Devas to target Lord Dakshinamurthy to disturb His penance so that He would marry Parvathy and ' Kumara - Sambavam ' would result in. But Manmatha was exhumed and was brought to a dust state by Dakshinamurthy by the power of HIS third eye, who was performing a severe penance. However he was brought to life as ' Bandasura '. Rathi, the wife of Manmatha pleaded with Parvathy Devi to bring her partner to life. She pleaded that " Siva - Parvathy " marriage had taken place at the end of ' Daksha Yangyam " but Manmatha had been destroyed. Ambal gave a boon to Rathi that Manmatha will always appear to her eye alive. Ambal convinced Rathi that She had no powers to grant Manmatha a fresh life as it would go against the action of Siva who had destroyed Cupid for using his bow and arrow for wrong reasons. Rathi got satisfied by Ambal's compassion to make Manmatha alive for her ever. Ambal gets the name " KAMA SANJEEVANAUSHADHI " after this episode.

Manmatha's bow and arrow is now in Ambal's hands for right use and in right direction for good. No one wants another war and United Nations came into being to prevent a third world war. Truth, by definition, is that which causes unity , oneness and beneficial to humanity. Some get annoyed at the wrong doings of others, and they cry and complain for the lies, bad acts committed. though they speak the truth of the wrong doings of others, there is no sanctity nor it serves any purpose. Such versions can not be referred as truth. One may admit his bad thoughts or wicked intentions. It can not become Truth as it will be no use. Truth is that which renders peace and wholesome to to all. "Sarve Janaha Sukino Bhavanthu " . Let there be prosperity to every one and let there be no war.

Life of Douglas Bader - a case study for " Foot Prints of Success "

" Reach For Sky " - the Life story of Douglas Bader :-
I wrote about ' Foot Prints for Success ' on March 17, 2007. It will be fitting to follow the essay with a real life case history. Douglas Bader's life is an example of courage and conviction. " Reach for Sky " is an apt title of the best seller. A film with the same title was released in 1956 starring Kenneth More, followed by a popular TV Serial. I presume this introduction is good enough to create an interest in you as well as in me to continue, though, many would be aware of Douglas Bader's biography.

Douglas Bader was born on Feb 21 in the year 1910. Very early in his life , he lost his father. He was then 12 years only. He evinced interest at the young age of 18, to join the Royal College of Airforce, but his mother declined on the grounds of ' no money'
Hard work earned Bader a cadet ship. He flew solo within a few hours of instructions. He excelled in sports , especially Golf.

He was posted as a fighter Pilot at Kenly where he showed immense progress. Alas ! a tragic accident, he met with when he was 21. On Dec 14, 1931, when he took off , something went wrong and soon the Air Craft began rolling and the propeller and cowling exploded and the Engine tore out. An ambulance carried the unconscious pilot Douglas to Royal Berkshire hospital. No one blinked with a hope for his survival. Bader survived but he had to lose both his legs which were amputated.

" Never Say die " was Douglas' s spirit which made him to practice walking with artificial legs. Days and days passed but Bader didn't lose hope. Though he stumbled with the artificial fittings for sometime, he brought himself to walk without the aid of the sticks. He appeared before R.A.F. for an interview and passed the tests in Flying. But the Ministry rejected him on grounds of certain regulations. Douglas was heart-broken to see his name on the list of retired employees. His disability pension was so mean that he had to take up a posting in Asiatic Petroleum co.

The World War II broke out in 1935 and the dauntless spirit in Douglas made him to write to RAF, offering himself to work as a fighter pilot. He was back in RAF in 1939 where he earned a promotion as a Fighter Commander soon. Two years went by and Douglas Bader saw himself promoted as a Wing Commander.

His contribution in the Battle of Britain was commendable which was a decisive air conflict during World War II. German believed once RAF was destroyed, they can invade England. 60 German Aircrafts attacked the Ships in the English channel, simultaneously extending the battle to all the Air Bases in the South of England. Britain employed high quality fighter aircrafts, Spit Fires and Hurricanes and beat as many as 850 German Aircrafts. The air battle spread over the whole of southern England. Douglas Bader showed courage in fighting for England's cause.

Tragedy and Douglas go together and Germans shot his plane while flying and took Douglas Bader as a prisoner of war. Bader made an attempt to escape from the prison by tying bedshhets as rope from the hospital where he was undergoing treatment. He was caught at the final moment and was sent to KOLDITZ where difficult prisoners were housed. He was released in 1945 when the W.W.II ended.

Bravery of Royal Air Force was praised by none less than Winston Churchill who wrote " Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few ".

Douglas left RAF after the war ended to join again in the Asiatic Petroleum Co. He flew in an Aircraft given to him by the company all over the world to do business for the SHELL Co. Douglas Bader's life , though pitted with tragedies, is a source of inspiration and courage. Douglas Bader has left an impeccable foot prints in the ' path way of success '.

Post War :-

In June 1945, Bader was given the honor of leading a victory fly-past of 300 aircrafts over London. In 1976, Bader was knighted for his invaluable services to amputees and disabled. Border's artificial legs are on display at the RAF Museum at Stafford, though the museum is restricted to the public. Douglas Bader has a road named after him in Elm Park and in Birmingham. ' BADER WaY " is a few minutes of walking from the Royal Air Force Base. The place where he met with the tragedy and lost both his legs is also named as " BADER WAY ".

Douglas Bader died on Sep 5, 1982 at the age of 72. His memory continues and we stand in homage as we read his life history.




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Stepping Stones For Success :- ( 17 stones )

The seat of Success is at an elivated level. it is imperative that a person has to put his best foot forward to climb the stones.
The seekers loook for the foot-prints of successful campaigns. The nature of success carves out 17 salient characteristics, which are highlighted, as you read on :-

1) Discover the Power of Belief :-

Behind me is infinite Power
Before me is endless Possibility
Around me is boundless opportunity
Why should I fear ?

2) Live with Passion :-

The wave of Passion can become an unstoppable force

3) Pursue What :-

Many things will catch your eyes.
But a few will ctch your heart. Pursue these !

4) Knowledge Power :-

Knowledge is like a climbing a mountain.
The higher you reach, the more you can see and appreciate.

5) Set Realistic Goals :-

Use your imagination, nothing happens, but first a dream
Set Realistic Goals, Inch by Inch, as Life is a Clinch
And then yard by Yard as Life is Hard
The Most important thing about a Goal is HAVING ONE.

6) Never Putoff Action ;-

Procrastination is opportunity's natural assassin. a stitch in time will save nine.

7) Commit to Excellence :-

The quality of pursuit in life is directly proportional to the commitment to excellence, regardles of the chosen field or endevour.

8) Live with Integrity :-

A Quiet concience sleeps in Thunder - ' An English Proverb '

9) Wisdom vs Integrity :-

Wisdom is the right path to take, Integrity is taking it.

10) Take Risks :-

You can never dicover new oceans unless you have the courage to loose sight of the shore.

11) Be Disciplined ;-

To get what you never had, you must do what you have never done !

12) Embrace Change :-

Sometimes in the winds of change, we find the true direction !

13) Seek Peace :-

In the race to be better and best, we sometimes loose sight of " Just Being "

14) Fail Forward :-

Failure is the only opportunity to begin again more intellegently - ' Henry Ford '

15) Be Kind :-

The Best portion of a goodman's life. his little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and love - " Wordsworth "

17) Perseverence is the key :-

The miracle of the power that elevates the fewis found in their perseverence under the prompting of a brave and determined spirit . So Perseverance is the key -- " Mark Twain "

May it be said when the sun sets on your life
Many of your Dreams Came True and
You made a difference in the Lives of Others

It is time now to read again, but starting from para 1 above.

The Great Heritage Of India

India shines gloriously with its vast cultural and religious diversity. Each State has carved out its own cultural niche. Still India preserves its National identity because its civilisation is bound by common history. The religious flavour has a strong influence and pervades the whole world.

India is the birth place of Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism and Sikhism. Persian , Arabic, Turkic culture is also imbibed in
India's culture following Islamic invasion in India.

According to Mark Twain, India is great grand mother of Tradition. The cultural policy of India is to preserve the cultural heritage of India.

Literature: There are 415 living languages prevalent in India.
VEDIC culture is supreme and many foreigners come to India to learn and recite Veda Hymns. The epics like Mahabharata, Ramayana and Bhagavat Ge eta depicts the tradions and culture of India and Indians who hail this culture are held in esteem. Ge eta teaches the morals , behaviour science, rule of the land and meaning and purpose of life.

Poetry:- Kamba Ramayana in Tamil, Kalidasa's Shakuntalam, Magha Kavyam, Kabir's Poems, Rabindranath Tagore's Gitanjali, to mention a few, stand as literary master pieces.

Music and Dance culture of India is world renowned. The variety includes, Carnatic, Hindustani, Pop and fusion music besides rich traditional instrumental music like Nagaswara, Violin , Flute and Veena. Indian Dance forms like Bharatha Natyam, Kuchipadi, Kathakali, Yakshagana, and Mohini Attam takes the audience world over by wonder.

Theatre groups exist in every city and puppet theatre is famous in rural India.

CAVE PAINTINGS in Ajanta, Ellora, Sittanavasal, Rajput paintings and Mughal Arts earn a considerable foreign exchange.

Sculptures bring out the historical and Gothic culture in India. Pink Sand Stone culture in Mathura depicts Gupta's' period. Brahadeeswarar Temple in Tanjore carves out the niche of Chola period. Khajurah is a big attraction in India.

New sculptures in North west in Stucco, Schist or clay display very strong blending of Indian post Gupta mannerism and classical Architecture.

Architecture Beauty in Buddha Stu pa , Sri Ranganathar Temple in Srirangam, Hill Temple devoted to Ganesa in Tiruchi exhibit rich traditions.
Mughal Architecture style can be seen, in Tajmahal, Fatehpur Sikhri, Gol Gumbos, Red-fort.

Victoria Memorial in Calcutta, Vidhan Soudha in Bangalore are notable examples of European Gothic architecture.

VA-STA SASTRA serves as India's version of FENGSHUI and creates much curiosity to visitors abroad. Indus Valley civilisation was characterised by well planned cities and houses.

Indian Cuisine is loved by foreigners including the Queen of England. Its taste is unique in Dal's, curries, yogurts, Chutney, and achars. Street goods like panipuri, vada pav, Bhelpuri, Samosa are devoured with great appetite.

Popular Media is cinema, TV and Radio besides umpteen news papers and journals. India has produced Satyajit Ray , the famous Director Personality.

Amartia Sen is Asia's first noble prize winner.

Philosophy in India is a big Tourist Attraction. There are repute Ashrams set up by Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Vivekananda, Dr.Ravi Shankar., Guru Ramdev, Saibaba, Sankara Mutts, Bhagvan Ramana Maharishi Centre for Learning, which conduct seminars, exhibitions, lectures on Indian philosophy , traditions and culture and they include visiting faculty from abroad in addition to foreign guests who attend these classes.

Indian Tourism has emerged as an instrument for earning foreign exchange and plays a vital role in achieving the national objectives of promoting socio-cultural integration and cultural cohesion. Besides organising FESTIVALS IN INDIA FAIRS abroad, they host Trade Fairs in a India and abroad.

PUSHKAR fair on Karthik Pournima is gigantic and is held in Pushkar, 11 k.m. from Ajmer. Sacred dip in Pushkar Lake is believed to cure all ills. It is also a biggest venue for camel market, besides horses and bullocks.

The SONEPUR fair in Bihar is the venue for Asia' biggest
Cattle Fair.

The Bhavnath fair in Gujarat highlights the series of cultural programs presented by leading exponents of Bhajans, kirtans, bhavai, folk songs on all five days and takes place in Feb./ march months.

Sarkhej Fair is the most important Muslim Fair conducted in Ahmadabad which is attended by an estimated 25000 people. It is held in the vicinity of mausoleum of Shah Ahmed Khaltu Gunj Baksh, saint and mentor of Ahmadabad.

Trade Fair of India in Pragati Maidan in Delhi has become a major annual event in promoting Indian Trade and Culture.

Cultural Institutions promote the software in a rich manner. Allahabad Museum, Archaeological Survey of India, New Delhi, Birla Industrial and Tech. Museum Calcutta, Connemara Library in Chennai, Indian Museum in Calcutta, La lit Kala Academy in Delhi, Visveswaraya Industrial tech. Museum in Bangalore, Nehru Science Centre , Mumbai - to cite a few majors.

The essay, facts and figures enumerated above portays vividly the credibility of India's Soft Power in Culture and has immense scope to guide the India's conduct in world affairs.

The Elixir of Life

The Elixir of Life

The supreme advantage of the birth of a human being lies in his ability to be friendly with the other human beings. No other activity gives as much satisfaction as we derive by being nice and kind to fellow beings.

May be one enjoys by presenting himself either well dressed or fashionable. Some derives happiness by possessions of wealth, and some others by attaining fame and status in the society. However, people in these categories, we find, are not contented heart of hearts. Their happiness seems to be short lived. Where as people who love every other human being derive satisfaction of their existence, even though , they may under go certain difficulties in living up to their motto of being nice to people. Some may have to give money, render physical help, or endure certain situations in the process. The end result, in seeing/making others happy, is what they believe as the purpose of being born as a human being.

They also believe that if it hurts it is not love. Love does not make demands or grow tired or weary. Love does not seek to change the other person. If it is conditional, it is not love. When you judge some people as worthy of your giving , then it is you who is undeserving , not because you have been judged by love but because you have forgotten love's law.

They also realize that love is the simple recognition that the same spirit that dwells in them also dwells within the other person. The heart is a garden - it can grow compassion or fear or resentment or .. LOVE .. what seeds will you plant there ?

We don't become sad when we love, but the person whom we love can breath his last one day or the other which may be unbearable. It is also possible, we may leave this world before him. Does it mean that there is no sanctity in being nice to others ? But the question appears to be putting the cart before the horse. The underlining fact and emphasis lies in when we don't love the fellow beings, we don't live a life which gives happiness, probably it renders to a state of living like a wood or stone.

Wisdom may dawn one day that if we can love someone who will never depart from us, we may also remain happy through out our living span. The only person who exist every where at all times is the Almighty, omnipotent and omnipresent. Gopikas loved Krishna. The cows also loved Krishna in a similar way. Paramathma never leaves us. When life departs from our body, it does not go any where but fuses into ' 'Paramathma ' itself. Faith in Paramathma only lasts for ever.

" The SOUND " theory

' Sound ' and ' Slow Motion ' occur simultaneously. The motions become the base for producing inanimate forms. The Sound makes the way for procreation. This is a traditional theory of procreation and gets accepted by logistics and science.

' The Sound Waves ' , which are responsible for all modes of genesis , get spread in the sky and remains there itself.

When we clap both hands together, ' Sabhdha ' or SOUND is produced. What happens to the sound that gets produced ? It does not die. It stays in the sky itself or we can say it dwells in the sky itself. For every action, good or bad, there is a back up by a particular SOUND followed by a movement. When once the SOUND gets generated, either good or bad acts follow depending upon the nature of the sound. The thoughts and multitude of activities that go along with the act of procreation are the result of the " Sound Waves " in the atmosphere.

Should noble thoughts pervade the atmosphere, the cause behind it is some particular Sound. To put it differently, we can generate noble thoughts in people by creating certain back ground sound. When good thoughts prevail in the subjects, their actions will be definitely wholesome. This is the theory behind " YOGAKSHEMAM VAHAM YAHAM " or "UBHAYA KUCHALOPARI ", meaning ' welfare state' between living beings.

The ' sound ' which generate the welfare state are " Vedas " or ' Vedic Recitations '. Good music also generate good thoughts. " Nama Sangeerthanam " is the best accepted and easy mode of worship in today's world.

In places of worships, Vedic chanting takes place and these sound stay there itself, When we worship the God in temples, we get good thoughts because of the vibrations prevailing there and which are caused by the sound waves of Vedic chanting, bhajans and prayers. We then make our moves or movements, naturally, in the right direction.

" What makes humanbeings come together but yet allows us to keep our individuality ' ?

I came across recently, an open question, " What makes humanbeings together, yet allows us to keep our individuality " ?

I begin my answer with a popular quote " It is an universal truth that birds of a feather flock together ". The flock, ofcourse, relates to company of animals or congregation and the word does not adjunct with humanbeings. But the evolution theory of humanspecies has a bearing but what sets apart the humanbeings as a class above the rest is their 6th sense, the power of thinking and computing.

As we trace back the history of humans, we learn that the true humans appeared around two million years ago. During ' Stone Age' , the humans led a barbaric and uncivilized life. Their speech was rude without fineness. They made fire by rubbing the stones. They lived in groups only. They had to protect themselves from the wild animals, storms and other natural calamities. Like the chimpanzees , humans also lived with their offspring.

As civilization progressed, co-existence became more prevalent. The Moslow's hygiene theory of " hierarchy of needs " viz (1) the basic needs, (2) the security needs, (3) the belonging needs, (4) the esteem needs and (5) the self actualizing needs explains why and how the humanbeings started living together. Human bonding is very sensitive and emotional. A man and a woman establish a bond through marriage and live together. A child born out of this bondage gets attached to the mother. The family interacts with the outside world for establishing a liveli-hood .

As we travel in a train, we become friendly with co-passengers. We shed our inhibitions and communicate with them to establish a temporary link. In a similar way, the human beings as long as they exist, interact with others as they derive satisfaction in keeping in touch with other human beings. Psychological and biological aspects are the causes for the chemistry of togetherness in human beings.

Human Kind has to interact with ' Time '. This they have to do for ' lifetime ' . ' Time ' is intangible and hence human kind has to interact with the outside world to make a living and to kill ' Time '. Coming together is the beginning, keeping in touch is progress and working together is success. The whole world can be viewed as an integrated family of humans.

" What allows us to keep our individuality " ?

An individual is an individual and can not be different. People may look alike , may be similar in nature but their mind is different. They may agree or concur on matters but still they act differently. Roger Federer remains always as Federer as No1, reigning Tennis hero. His game plans , ideas on the court, his self esteem and his individual qualities make him as a different individual. In other words, he keeps his individuality. He will not budge to go down in the ranking. But Federer's views abut the ball game of Tennis may be common to that of many.

Homi Baba is known as an individual for his scientific temper. Thomas Alwa Edison, Einstein are celebrated Scientists. We remember Mahatma Gandhi for his ' Non-violence ' and " Truth". Tendulkar, Sunil Gavaskar are better known as individuals holding cricketing records.

Like wise, all individuals have some quality in themselves for others to recognize and appreciate. We love our neighbors .We respect others because we respect their individuality. A child is possessive of his or her mother, possessive of his play dolls and so on. A child keeps his or her individuality and differs from other children of the same age. We can see boys fighting with each other to establish what they want and there is no end to site such examples.


In short, the family background, the society norms, the environment, the special qualities or attributes of a person are the factors that contribute to keep ones individuality.