Professor Sethuramayya’s haiku, Avani and Ishaan

Partha Desikan

Do you know:

That in 7.5 hours of sleep, you will sleep lightly for 60% of the time and deeply for 18%. you will dream for 20% of the time.

That by the age of four, Kim Ung-Yong of Korea (1963-)could speak fluent Korean, English, Japanese, German,and even solve calculus problems.

The last beheading in UK was on 9 April 1747. 80-year-old Simon Fraser was beheaded for treason at Tower Hill, London.

A sequel to Shri Matsya Narayana

Partha Desikan

If we have read the story of the saving of the Vedas by the direct intervention of the Infinite in the Matsya form and are informed that there could be slightly different versions of the story, if we have learnt that at least for the Matsya manifestation of the Lord, the faithful have built two large temples in India at different times, and if we are able to visit one of these temples and offer our loving homage, then what?

Shri Matsya Narayana

Partha Desikan

Gururgurutamo dhaama satyah satyaparaakramah |
Nimisho (a)nimishah sragvee vaachaspatir udaaradheeh ||
Agraneer graamaneeh shreemaan nyaayo netaa sameeranah |

The above three lines constitute the full shloka 23 and the first half of shloka 24 of Sri Vishnu Sahasranama from the Anushaasanika parva of Maharishi Vedavyasa’s ancient epic. The fifteen names numbering 211 to 225 of the Lord are covered by these lines.

1. The first name consists of two words, Guruh and Gurutamah. Together it means the greatest of Gurus.

Take a handful of soil. Ask yourself, ‘Is it alive?’. Unless you are a poet the answer is anyone’s guess. You might remember your science teacher telling you about the various living organisms ranging from bacteria and virus to earth worms and caterpillar.

Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa's parables are famous and cherished. Little glimpses from the Master's life often read like parables themselves. One such, narrated as a Chinna katha (little story) by Sri Sathya Sai of Puttaparthi, has been republished in the Sai organization's Heart to Heart on line publication this morning. It is my privilege to share it with all of you.

Once in Calcutta (now Kolkata), in the Kali temple constructed by Queen Rasmani, an idol of Lord Krishna fell down and the foot of the Lord was broken a little.

The ultimate Sacrifice.

The vulture had casually watched as a fruit from that free fell down. A wild goat ate it and died. Its flesh tasted good.
This saintly looking man who came by was looking at the fallen goat and the vulture gorging bits of it, with great compassion. Did he understand its great hunger? Did he know how the goat had met its end?
God, is that another fruit being brought down by the breeze?
Vultures do not eat fruit.
But this one swooped down on the fruit and devoured it. And fell dead.
The man was in tears. He understood the ultimate sacrifice.

This blog of Murali's in BCIL blog deserves a good look even outside eco-specialist readership.
It says:

The Best Things in Life are Green -- and Local

* Trust for Public Land

Some days ago I was reviewing a marketing research presentation by a team that had spent over four weeks to analyze the target market position of a product. I was unusually silent during the entire course of the presentation. I didn't even bother to ask any questions even to seek clarification. To me the presentation was disaster as soon as I saw the first few slides. The team has never picked up the phone to call even one target client. They have never bothered to step out of the office to watch target clients in their natural settings.

To free children from playing roles

1. Look for opportunities to show the child a new picture of himself or herself.
“Every time you wanted to give a gift you always made a gift with waste materials at home. You can be enterprising if you applied your mind.”

2. Put children in situations where they can see themselves differently.
“Would you like to manage kitchen for today?”

3. Let children overhear you say something positive about them.
“She stood by me to support me through the day in the kitchen even though she was not feeling great physically herself.”