Human Gestures-Part-II

Gestures are a way to express feelings and thoughts non-verbally. They can also be used together with words to provide more emphasis. Gestures allow individuals to express a variety of feelings, "from contempt and hostility to approval and affection," according to Gesture.com. Most gestures are made with the hands, from the thumbs-up sign to the disapproving finger wag. Gestures can be made with other parts of the body as well.

Emblematic Gestures

The most well-known of gestures are the types that are emblematic representations of words or thoughts, such as the peace sign. These kinds of gestures can mean one thing in one culture, and something entirely different in another. Certain types of emblem gestures, within a culture, can be highly offensive.

Iconic Gestures

Often, iconic gestures accompany words, as an effort to further illustrate the point that is being made. One common example of this is the demonstration of how tall someone is, as in, "he's about this height." You might make a gesture that adds a comedic element to what is being said. An iconic gesture is often well understood in a given culture.

Metaphoric Gestures

• There are different types of gestures that are considered less specific and cultural and more metaphoric. That is, gestures can convey an idea in a general way, such as waving the arms in the air when describing something complex. These kinds of gestures add spice and emotion to what is being said. Some metaphoric gestures may seem overly dramatic.

Affect Gestures

• Some gestures convey unconscious feelings or desires. These are considered "Affect" gestures, relating to the emotions. Rubbing the eyes, touching the hair, or covering the mouth, are affective. You may notice a child rubbing her eyes when tired. Certain kinds of grooming, like stroking the hair, may indicate a desire to be liked or noticed.

Beat Gestures

• Beat gestures are short taps or rhythmic emphasis used to drive a point home.

  "A beat is a staccato strike that creates emphasis and grabs attention. A short and single beat can mark an important point in a conversation, while repeated beats can hammer home a critical concept," according to the Changing Minds website. Professional speakers can learn to use beat gestures to add special emphasis to certain words.

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Nachiketa a story of little strong boy

Nachiketa

  

A while ago, there once lived a little boy named Nachiketa. He was the son of Rishi Udalak. Once, Rishi Udalak organized a yagna (a type of puja) to please the gods and gain a heaven. It was a custom in those days to donate cows to Brahmins at the end of the yagna. Udalak was a miser and he donated old and weak cows to the Brahmins. Since the cows were old and weak, they hardly yielded any milk. Nachiketa was puzzled by his father's action. “What does he mean  by all this?” he said to himself. “What happened to all the useful cows? What does my father gain by gifting such useless cows? This is no, less than committing a sin. It is actually cheating. He should be gifting the things which are dear-ones. He intends to gain heaven by performing the sacrifice. But he will go to Hell instead through such actions.”
He asked his father about this, “Father, to whom will you give me to as charity or gift?” This made his father very angry, but he decided not to say anything and got engaged in preparation of gifting ceremony. When Nachiketa repeated the question, Udalak lost his temper and said, “Get away from here. I will give you to Yama, God of Death.” Yama is the king of Yamapuri and also the God of Death. “I should fulfill his wish,” thought Nachiketa, even if it means leaving home and embracing death. Obeying his father, Nachiketa went to Yama's kingdom. It would not be proper for him to disobey his father.

His father, however, realized his mistake, but it was too late. He muttered, “Shame upon my anger! I should never have uttered those words. What will befall me now? I have asked death for my son!” With a blank head and a heavy heart he sat down and tried to stop Nichaketa.

But Nachiketa did not stop. He said, “Father! I must see Yama to obey your order.” He reached Yama's kingdom but was told by Yama's guards that he had gone out for three days. Nachiketa decided to wait at his doorstep until he returned. He waited for three days without any food or water. He basically fasted for three days!

Finally, Yama returned on the fourth day and saw little Nachiketa at his doorstep. He was saddened that he kept a Brahmin waiting without welcoming him and not giving him food and water. It was very bad not to welcome an atithi (guest) at the doorstep. He yelled at his wife, Yami for not welcoming him. The both of them rushed around the house to serve little Nachiketa. One of them went to fetch water while the other brought a mat for him to sit on.

Yama still did not feel completely satisfied in serving him, so he told Nachiketa, “Dear child, I have offended you by keeping you waiting for three days. To wash my sin I request you to ask for three boons.”

Nachiketa answered to Yama by saying, “My first wish is that when I return home, may my father welcome me lovingly. My second wish is to grant me the knowledge so that I can be worthy of living in the heavens. My third and last wish is to grant me Atma-vidya (knowledge of the atma).”

Yama granted Nachiketa the first two boons immediately but tried to convince Nachiketa to give up his third wish. He offered Nachiketa gold, pearls, coins, horses, elephants and even the happiness of Swarg (heaven) instead. But Nachiketa firmly said, “No, I do not wish for anything else.” Finally, Yama granted him the third boon too, and Nachiketa was enlightened with the  knowledge of the atma (soul).

Nachiketa returned back to his parents. His father embraced his son with open arms and said, “My dear son, please forgive me.” Mother overwhelmed with joy, enquired, “Dear child! How did you acquire this luster on your face?” Nachiketa narrated the entire story to all those assembled. Praise was showered on Nachiketa for his achievement.

The story of little Nachiketa teaches us to be kind to all creatures, to respect one's parents and to be strong willed to do something that has been decided. Even if it means facing difficulties and obstacles, one should stick to their decision. It always  teaches to search for eternal happiness.

Human Gestures-Part-I

Open Formation Gesture

• People in most English speaking countries stand with their bodies oriented to form an angle of 90 degrees during ordinary social intercourse.
• The two men in are displaying similar status by holding similar gestures and posture and the angle formed by their torsos indicates that an impersonal conversation is probably taking place. The formation of the triangle invites a third person of similar status to join the conversation. When a fourth person is accepted into the group a square will be formed and for a fifth person, either a circle or two triangles. 

Closed Formation Gesture

• When intimacy or privacy is required by two people, the angle formed by their torsos decreases from 90 degrees down to 0 degrees. A man wishing to attract a female partner uses this ploy, as well as other courtship gestures, when he makes his play for her.
• To accept his approach, she need only orient her torso angle to 0 degrees and allow him to enter her territory.

Interviewing Two People

 Let us assume that you, person C, are going to interview or talk to persons A and B, and let us say that by either choice or circumstance you are sitting in a triangular position at a round table. Let us also assume that person A is very talkative and asks many questions and that person B remains silent throughout. When A asks you a question, how can you answer him and carry on a conversation without making B feel excluded? Use this simple but highly effective inclusion technique: when A asks a question, look at him as you begin to answer, then turn your head towards B, then back to A, then to B again until you make your final statement, looking at A (who asked the question) again as you finish your sentence. This technique lets B feel involved in the conversation and is particularly useful if you need to have B on side with you.

 Foot Pointing Gesture

• The foot indicates the direction in which a person would like to go, but they are also used to point at people who are interesting or attractive. Imagine that you are at a social function and you notice a group of three men and one very attractive woman. The conversation seems to be dominated by the men and the woman is just listening.
• You will also notice that she is giving a sideways glance to the man who is using the thumbs-in-belt gesture.

 Body Lowering Gestures

• Historically, lowering the height of one's body in front of another person has been used as a means of establishing superior/subordinate relationships. We refer to a member of Royalty as 'Your Highness', whereas individuals who commit unsavoury acts are called 'low'.
• Let us examine the non-verbal aspects of the situation in which you have been speeding in your car and are stopped by the policeman. In the situation,
  
  1.) The policeman approaches your vehicle, and a driver’s usual reaction is to remain in the car, wind the window down and make excuses for having exceeded the speed limit.
  
  2.) By remaining in your car, you create a barrier between yourself and the policeman.
  
  3.) Under these circumstances the police officer is obviously in a superior position to you, this type of behaviour only serves to make things go from bad to worse and your chances of being booked are increased.
  
  
• Instead, try this if you are flagged down:
  
  1.) Get immediately out of your car and go over to the police officer’s car.
  
  2.) Stoop your body over so that you are smaller than he is.
  
  3.) Lower your own status by telling the officer how foolish and irresponsible you are and raise his status by thanking him.
  
  4.) With your palms out, in a trembling voice, ask him not to give you a ticket.
  
  When this technique is used as directed, it can save you from being booked more than 50 per cent of the time.

 Copying the other person gestures

• This 'carbon copying' is a means by which one person tells the other that he is in agreement with his ideas and attitudes. By this method, one is non-verbally saying to the other, 'As you can see, I think the same as you, so I will copy your posture and gestures.'
• If an employer wishes to develop an immediate rapport and create a relaxed atmosphere with an employee, he need only copy the employee's posture to achieve this end. Similarly, an up-and-coming employee may be seen copying his boss's gestures in an attempt to show agreement. Using this knowledge, it is possible to influence a face-to-face encounter by copying the positive gestures and postures of the other person. This has the effect of putting the other person in a receptive and relaxed frame of mind, as he can 'see' that you understand his point of view.

 Territorial Gestures

• People lean against other people or objects to show a territorial claim to that object or person. Leaning can also be used as a method, of dominance or intimidation when the object being leaned on belongs to someone else.
• For example, if you are going to take a photograph of a friend and his new car, boat, home or other personal belonging, you will inevitably find that he leans against his newly acquired property, putting his foot on it or his arm around it. When he touches the property, it becomes an extension of his body and in this way he shows others that it belongs to him.

Ownership Gestures

• The position person in the chair reflects an easygoing, relaxed and carefree attitude, because that is in fact what it is. The leg-overchair gesture not only signifies the man’s ownership of that particular chair or space, but also signals that customary etiquettes may be relaxed.
• If the boss’s chair has no arms (which is unlikely, this is usually the visitor’s chair) he may be seen with one or both feet on the desk. If his superior enters the office, it is unlikely that the boss would use such an obvious territorial/ownership gesture, but would resort to more subtle versions such as putting his foot on the bottom drawer of his desk, or, if there are no drawers in the desk, placing his foot hard against the leg of the desk to stake his claim to it. 

To be Continue in the Part.......

 

Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu means "Old Peak" is a 15th-century Inca site located 2,430 metres (7,970 ft) above sea level. Machu Picchu is located in the Cusco Region of Peru, South America. It is situated on a mountain ridge above the Urubamba Valley in Peru, which is 80 kilometres (50 mi) northwest of Cusco and through which the Urubamba River flows. Most archaeologists believe that Machu Picchu was built as an estate for the Inca emperor Pachacuti (1438–1472). Often referred to as the "City of the Incas", it is perhaps the most familiar icon of Inca civilization.

The Incas built the estate around 1450, but abandoned it as an official site for the Inca rulers a century later at the time of the Spanish Conquest. Although known locally, it was unknown to the outside world before being brought to international attention in 1911 by the American historian Hiram Bingham. Since then, Machu Picchu has become an important tourist attraction. Most of the outlying buildings have been reconstructed in order to give tourists a better idea of what the structures originally looked like. By 1976, thirty percent of Machu Picchu had been restored. The restoration work continues to this day.

Since the site was never known to the Spanish during their conquest, it is highly significant as a relatively intact cultural site. Machu Picchu was declared a Peruvian Historical Sanctuary in 1981 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983. In 2007, Machu Picchu was voted one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in a worldwide Internet poll.

Machu Picchu was built in the classical Inca style, with polished dry-stone walls. Its three primary structures are the Intihuatana (Hitching post of the Sun), the Temple of the Sun, and the Room of the Three Windows. These are located in what is known by archaeologists as the Sacred District of Machu Picchu. In September 2007, Peru and Yale University almost reached an agreement regarding the return of artifacts which Yale has held since Hiram Bingham removed them from Machu Picchu in the early 20th century. In November 2010, a Yale University representative agreed to return the artifacts to a Peruvian university.

Machu Picchu was built around 1450, at the height of the Inca Empire. The construction of Machu Picchu appears to date from the period of the two great Incas, Pachacutec Inca Yupanqui (1438–71) and Tupac Inca Yupanqui (1472–93).It was abandoned just over 100 years later, in 1572, as a belated result of the Spanish Conquest. It is possible that most of its inhabitants died from smallpox introduced by travelers before the  Spanish conquistadors arrived in the area. The latter had notes of a place called Piccho, although there is no record of the Spanish having visited the remote city. The types of sacred rocks defaced by the conquistadors in other locations are untouched at Machu Picchu.

Hiram Bingham theorized that the complex was the traditional birthplace of the Incan "Virgins of the Suns". More recent research by scholars such as John Howland Rowe and Richard Burger, has convinced most archaeologists that Machu Picchu was an estate of the Inca emperor Pachacuti. In addition, Johan Reinhard presented evidence that the site was selected because of its position relative to sacred landscape features such as its mountains which are purported to be in alignment with key astronomical events important to the Incas.

Johan Reinhard believes Machu Picchu to be a sacred religious site. This theory stands mainly because of where Machu Picchu is located. Reinhard calls it "sacred geography" because the site is built on and around mountains that hold high religious importance in the Inca culture and in the previous culture that occupied the land. At the highest point of the mountain in which Machu Picchu was named after, there are “artificial platforms [and] these had a religious function, as is clear from the Inca ritual offerings found buried under them” (Reinhard 2007). These platforms also are found in other Incan religious sites. The site’s other stone structures have finely worked stones with niches and, from what the “Spaniards wrote about Inca sites, we know that these [types of] building[s] were of ritual significance” (Reinhard 2007). This would be the most convincing evidence that Reinhard points out because this type of stylistic stonework is only found at the religious sites so it would be natural that they would exist at this religious site. Another theory maintains that Machu Picchu was an Inca llaqta, a settlement built to control the economy of conquered regions. Yet another asserts that it may have been built as a prison for a select few who had committed heinous crimes against Inca society. An alternative theory is that it is an agricultural testing station. Different types of crops could be tested in the many different micro-climates afforded by the location and the terraces; these were not large enough to grow food on a large scale, but may have been used to determine what could grow where. Another theory suggests that the city was built as an abode for the deities, or for the coronation of kings.

Although the citadel is located only about 80 kilometers (50 mi) from Cusco, the Inca capital, the Spanish never found it and consequently did not plunder or destroy it, as they did many other sites. Over the centuries, the surrounding jungle grew over much of the site, and few outsiders knew of its existence.

On 24 July 1911, Hiram Bingham announced the discovery of Machu Picchu to scholars. As an American historian employed as a lecturer at Yale University, Bingham had been searching for the city of Vilcabamba, the last Inca refuge during the Spanish conquest. He had worked for years in previous trips and explorations around the zone. Pablito Alvarez, a local 11 year-old Quechua boy, led Bingham up to Machu Picchu. Some Quechuas lived in the original structures at Machu Picchu.

Bingham started archaeological studies and completed a survey of the area. He called the complex "The Lost City of the Incas", which was the title of his first book. Bingham made several more trips and conducted excavations on the site through 1915, collecting various artifacts which he took back to Yale. He wrote a number of books and articles about the discovery of Machu Picchu.

As Bingham's excavations took place on Machu Picchu, local intellectuals began to oppose the operation of Bingham and his team of explorers. Though local institutions were initially enthused at the idea of the operation supplementing Peruvian knowledge about their ancestry, the team began to encounter accusations of legal and cultural malpractice. Local landowners began to demand payments of rent from the excavation team, and rumors arose about Bingham and his team stealing artifacts and smuggling them out of Peru through the bordering country of Bolivia. These accusations worsened when the local press caught wind of the rumors and helped to discredit the legitimacy of the excavation, branding the practice as harmful to the site and claiming that local archaeologists were being deprived of their rightful knowledge about their own history because of the intrusive excavations of the American archaeologists. By the time Bingham and his team left Machu Picchu locals began forming coalitions in order to defend their deserved ownership of Machu Picchu and its cultural remains, while Bingham claimed the artifacts ought to be studied by experts in American institutions, an argument that still exists today.

The site received significant publicity after the National Geographic Society devoted their entire April 1913 issue to Machu Picchu.

In 1981 Peru declared an area of 325.92 square kilometers surrounding Machu Picchu as a "Historical Sanctuary". In addition to the ruins, the sanctuary includes a large portion of the adjoining region, rich with the flora and fauna of the Peruvian Yungas and Central Andean wet puna ecoregions.

In 1983 UNESCO designated Machu Picchu a World Heritage Site, describing it as "an absolute masterpiece of architecture and a unique testimony to the Inca civilization".

The World Monuments Fund placed Machu Picchu on its 2008 Watch List of the 100 Most Endangered Sites in the world because of environmental degradation. This has resulted from the impact of tourism, uncontrolled development in the nearby town of Aguas Calientes, which included a poorly sited tram to ease visitor access, and the construction of a bridge across the Vilcanota River, which is likely to bring even more tourists to the site, in defiance of a court order and government protests against it.

In 1912 and 1914–15, Bingham excavated treasures from Machu Picchu—ceramic vessels, silver statues, jewelry, and human bones—and took them from Peru to Yale University in the United States for further study, supposedly for a period of 18 months. Yale has retained the artifacts until now, under the argument that Peru did not have the infrastructure or proper conditions to take care of the pieces.

Eliane Karp, an anthropologist who is married to the former Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo, accused Yale of profiting from Peru's cultural heritage by claiming title to thousands of pieces removed by Bingham. Many have been on display at Yale's Peabody Museum since their removal. Yale returned some of the artifacts to Peru, but the university kept the remainder, claiming its position was supported by federal case law involving Peruvian antiquities.

On 19 September 2007, the Courant reported that Peru and Yale had reached an agreement regarding the requested return of the artifacts. The agreement includes sponsorship of a joint traveling exhibition and construction of a new museum and research center in Cusco about which Yale will advise Peruvian officials. Yale acknowledges Peru's title to all the excavated objects from Machu Picchu, but Yale will share rights with Peru in the research collection, part of which will remain at Yale as an object of continuing study.

On 19 June 2008, National Geographic Society's vice-president Terry Garcia was quoted by the daily publication, La República. "We were part of this agreement. National Geographic was there, we know what was said, the objects were lent and should be returned."

On 21 November 2010, Yale University agreed in principle to the return of the controversial artifacts to their original home in Peru.

La Casa Concha (The Shell House) located close to Cusco's colonial center will be the permanent site where the Yale University artifacts will be exhibited. Owned by the National University of San Antonio Abad Del Cusco, La Casa Concha will also feature a study area for local and foreign students.

Tandav Nratya

The Gods & Godesses pleaded Lord Brahma to create another veda which would be simple for the common man to understand. It is believed that considering this request Lord Brahma created thePanchamaveda, Fifth veda, Natyaveda, an essence of the other four vedas. It is believed that he has taken pathya (words) form the Rigveda, abhinaya (gesture) from the Yajurveda, geet (music and chant) from Samaveda and rasa (sentiment and emotional element) from Atharvaveda to form the fifth veda, Natyaveda.

After creating this natyaveda, Lord Brahma gave the same to sage Bharata and asked him to popularise this veda on earth. Following the words of Lord Brahma, sage Bharata wrote Natyashastra or the Science of Dramaturgy, a great, comprehensive work on the science and technique of Indian drama, dance and music.Bharatanatyam might have got its name from sage Bharata also.The dancers still follow this work to perform.

There is also another story which says that Godess Parvathi tought this dance form to Usha, daughter of Banasura, a demon. Usha taught the same to the Gopikas of the city of Dwaraka, Lord Krishna's birth place. Thus the divine dance form Bharatanatyam was introduced to the mankind. 

In Indian mythology,Lord Shiva is considered as the supreme lord of dance. This divine art form is performed by Lord Shiva & his wife Goddess Parvathi. The Dance performd by Lord Shiva is known as Tandava, which depicts his violent nature as the distructor of the universe. The tandava performed with joy is called Ananda Tandava and performed in violent mood is called Rudra Tandava. There are 7 types of Tandava. Namely Ananda Tandava, Tripura Tandava, Sandhya Tandava, Samara Tandava, Kaali tandava, Uma Tandava and Gauri Tandava. There are few people who believa that there are 16 types of Tandava. Tandava has vigourous, brisk movements.The dance performed by Goddess Parvathi is known as Lasya, in which the movements are gentle, graceful and sometimes erotic also. Some scholars call Lasya as the feminine version of Tandava. Lasya has 2 kinds. Jarita Lasya and Yauvaka Lasya. 

The art form has definitely gone through lot of changes over the years. In olden days it was performed mostly by female artists. They were called Devadasis, who would perform in the temples. These devadasis were accomplished artists who would sing, dance, play many instruments. They were well worsed in sanskrit & other languages which helped them to interpret compositions which they would perform. But this tradition came to an end as the devadasis lost their position in the society.
To know more about devadasis please click here 

Then dance entered the royal courts. Here the artists called Rajanartakis, performed in the courts of kings who gave them shelter.Even these were accomplished artists like devadasis. 

The next well-documented period of dance history is far more recent. In the first half of the 19th century the dance tradition was revitalized and defined anew through the contributions of four talented brothers (known today as the Tanjore Quartet)Chinniah, Sivanandam, Ponniah and Vadivelu. By coordinating their diverse talents, the four managed to organize all the basic dance movements of pure dance into a progressive series of lessons [adavu chapters]. Each adavu (basic unit of motion) was taught in systematic order and then combined with others to produce choreographed sequences based upon the rhythmic contour of a musical composition (Krishnamoorthy Pillai). In addition the brothers composed new music specifically for the dance, and introduced a different sequence of items which integrated the various aspects of dance and music into a carefully coordinated, aesthetically sound progression. This infusion of creative energy marks the early 19th century as one of the most innovative periods in the history of Indian dance. 

The contribution of Udayshankar, Rukminidevi Arundale and Balasaraswathi, in the 20th century, cannot be forgotten at this juncture. 

Even though Bharatanatyam has gone through lot of changes, it still has its roots deep into the religious and rich mythological heritage of India. In the modern day scenario it is performed by both male & female artists. Many learn as a hobby and few make it as a profession. Whether taken as a hobby or a profession it certainly needs lot of practice,concentration and dedication.

A Student and A Teacher

In 1902, a professor asked his student whether it was God who created everything that exists in the universe ?

Student replied: Yes

He again asked: what about evil ? Has God created evil also?

The student got silent....

Then the student requested that may he ask a question for him?

Professor allowed him to do so.

He asked: Does cold exist

Professor said : yes ! Dont u feel the cold dear

Student said: I'm sorry but ur wrong sir.

Cold is a complete absence of heat.. There is no cold, it is only an absence of heat.

Student asked again: Does darkness exist ?

Professor said: yes !

Student replied: ur again wrong sir.

There is no such thing like darkness. Its actually the absence of light. Sir ! We always study light & heat, but not cold & darkness.

Similarly, the evil does not exist.

Actually it is the absence of love, faith & true belief in God.

That student was Albert Einstien..

Complied by : Amit Gupta 

AIMUTTA MUNI

In the streets of Polaspur, a six years old child named Aimutta was playing with a few friends. He was the son of King Vijay and Queen Shrimati. While playing around, he saw a monk, Gautam Swami, bare-footed and bald, who was out to get food (alms). Aimutta ran to him, and invited him to come to his house to get food which would make his mother and him happy. Gautam Swami agreed to come to his house, and he went with the little boy to his house. His mother was pleased seeing Gautam coming to her house. She welcomed him with full devotion and uttered, "Maithen Vandami." She introduced Gautam Swami as a staunch disciple of Lord Mahavir to Aimutta. She asked Aimutta to go and get the food which he likes the most so he could offer it to Gautam Swami. He brought ladoos and started pouring them in a pot even though Gautam Swami said he didnt need this many. He felt so happy that he could offer food to the monk.
As Gautam Swami started going back, Aimutta said, "Your bag is heavy, let me carry it to your place."
Gautam Swami said, "Aimutta, I can not give it to you, because it can be carried only by those who have taken diksha."
Aimutta asked, "What is diksha?"
Gautam Swami explained to him that when someone wants to go on a spiritual path he must give up his house, family and all other social and economical ties, and then he becomes a monk like himself, is called diksha. People take diksha to avoid himsa (violence) involved in social life. Almost every step one has to hurt someone, lie or cheat for something, or become possessive. These all are the cause of accumulating sins, and by becoming a monk one must avoid all of these. There is even a life in earth, air, water, or vegetables beings. In our social life it would be hard to avoid violence towards such things.
Aimutta became curious and asked, "Gurudev, you do not do sins!!! Dont you need to eat? Dont you have a place to live? Do not all these cause sins?"
Gautam Swami was pleased with the childs interest to learn, so he explained, "We take food, but we do not accept food which is made for us. We stay in a place, but we do not own it, and we do not stay for more than a few days. We do not keep money, and we do not take a part in any business or any organizations. This way as a monk, we do not have to do any activities which cause sins.
Aimutta said, "Gurudev, in that case, I want to take diksha, because my mother, also, taught me that in our social life one can not avoids sins."
Aimutta went along with Gautam Swami to Lord Mahavira where he listened to sermons given by him. His desire to get diksha grew even stronger. Aimutta once expressed the desire to give him diksha. Gautam Swami said, "We can not give diksha unless your parents give permission." Aimutta said, "That is easy. I will go home and get their permission and come back." He ran towards home.
Aimutta went home. He told his mother, "Mom, Mom, I want to take diksha. Remember you used to say social life is full of violence, and the cause for more sins. Gautam Swami and Lord Mahavir, also, said the same. So, I want to be free of sins. Therefore, please give me permission to take diksha."
Aimuttas mother was surprised by his words. She was happy in her mind for his fear for sins, and the desire to take diksha because after all, she was also a religious woman. But she wanted to be sure that Aimutta understood what was meant by taking diksha, so she said, "My son, to take diksha is not a boys game. It is a very hard and disciplined life. There is no mother, or father to take care of you. So, how would you be able to take such suffering?"
Aimutta said, "Mother, this social life, also, has a lot of suffering. At least, we know that these sufferings will help to destroy karmas and lead to salvation."
Mother was very happy to hear this. But she wanted to test him more. She said, "Son, why are you in such a hurry. Wait for sometime. You need to take care of us, when we get old and have your family, too."
Aimutta said, "Mother, I learned from Lord Mahavir that no one is small, or no one is big. I, also, learned that no one knows what is going to happen tomorrow. No one knows who will die first, or who would die last. So, why wait and miss the opportunity which has come our way."
Mother felt very happy that her son had understood what diksha was, and what his goal was.
Mother said, "Congratulation my son. I am very proud of you. You will be a good monk. Do not forget what your goal to attain salvation, and be sure to observe ahimsa (nonviolence) throughout your life. We will give you permission to take diksha."
Aimutta said, "Thank you, Mom. I promise I will keep your advice."
Mother blessed the child, and wished him success in his new task. After a few days on an auspicious day, he was given diksha, and he became a young monk.
He became a "Balmuni Aimutta."
Some time went by. One day while coming back from the bathroom, on the way Balmuni Aimutta found some kids playing in a water puddle with a paper boat. He got excited about playing, and he forgot that as a monk he can not play with water. So, he ran towards the kids, and asked them if he play with them. The kids also, got excited for a monk to play with them and they said, "Yes, you can." He took the lid of utensil he had and started sailing it as a boat. He was saying, "Look, my boat is also sailing." Meanwhile, other monks came there, and they saw him playing with the water. They came to him and said, Balmuni, what are you doing? Did you forget that you are not an ordinary child anymore, and you can not play with water. By playing with such water, we cause harm to so many water beings. We have taken a vow not to hurt any living beings. This is bad. You have accumulated sins and you broke your vow."
Balmuni Aimutta realized his mistake. He started repenting, "Oh!!! What did I do? I promised my mother that I will not do any sinful activity. How sinful I am? How nice these monks were to remind me of my mistake. What would happened to me if these monks would not have noticed me?" He really started repenting for what he did. He went back with the other monks. Every monk has to recite "Iriyavahiyam Sutra" after they come into their place from outside. So, Balmuni was also reciting this sutra. When he came to the part, "Panakkamne, Beeyakkamne, Panag-daga-matti.(if I have hurt any living beings of water, clay then asking for forgiveness.)", his repentance had no bound. He was very sorry for what he had done. He started repenting, "What did I do? I destroyed so many living beings. How would I be free of these sins? How would I show my face to Lord Mahavir? My Lord forgive me of my sins. I will never commit these sins again." This sincere repentance turned good for him. All of his destructive karmas were destroyed. He became a Kevali. Heavenly angels came and celebrated this event.
After this, Kevali Aimutta muni came to Lord Mahavirs assembly, and started going towards other kevalis who were sitting there. Some senior munis noticed this, and they started telling him, "Oh, Aimuttaji!! Where are you going? That is the place for kevali to sit. Come on this side where other monks are sitting."
Lord Mahavir interrupted them and said, "Monks, you should not insult Kevali. Aimutta muni is no ordinary monk. While reciting Iriyavahiyam Sutra, he destroyed all the sins, and he has became a kevali."
These monks realized their mistakes and started thinking, "There is no age barrier to be a kevali."
After finishing, the rest of his life Balmuni Aimutta went to salvation.

                       KURMA Avatar

KURMA Avatar, Lord Vishnu incarnates himself as a tortoise. It is an interesting story involving both the gods (Devtas) and rakhas (demons). In the ongoing saga of battle between the gods and rakhas, on one occasion the gods suddenly lost all their strength due to a curse by the short-tempered sage Durvasa. The sage had once presented a garland of flowers to Indra,king of gods, who carelessly gave it away to his elephant which trampled it. 

The Devtas approached Vishnu for help. Vishnu then asked them to churn the ocean of milk after adding medicines into the ocean. Mount Mandara could be used a the churning stick he said. He requested them to ask them help of rakhas in lifting the mountain in exchange for offer of the share of nectar of immortality that would ensue from the churning. Both the devatas and the rakhas churned the ocean using the serpent Vasuki as the rope. At the start, playing a Machiavellian trick, Indra, king of the gods asked the rakhas for the head end of vasuki. But rakhas suspecting foul play, took the head end, only to be deceived as the poison from Vasuki was slowly weakening them. But as churning was proceeding the mountain was sinking and then Lord Vishnu took the form of the tortoise KURMA and kept the mountain afloat. As soon as the bowl of amrita, the nectar of immortality was out, the rakhas grabbed it. Then Lord Vishnu took the form of an apsara, a beautiful maiden, and seduced the rakhas into letting her distribute the nectar and also to abide by her order of distribution. As soon as the devatas were served the maiden disappeared thus totally deceiving the rakhas and making them totally weak.

A short story based on Hindu mythology regarding creation of Earth

Before the world, Sky or stars were made, there was darkness. It was everywhere, and it was empty; but for all its emptiness it was neither dead nor cold. It was warm, damp and lively, endless ripping and eddying throughout the universe. If people had existed and been able to see it, it would have seemed like a giant creature without shape, breathing softly as it slept. And if they had been able to listen, they would have heard its ripples gradually transform themselves to sound. A word began. At first it was no more than a whisper, but it swelled and grew to a billow of sound, a gentle syllable endlessly repeating itself, folding back on itself, coiling and twisting till it filled all space. OM ... OM ... OM... .

As the word unfolded and speared, calm as a heartbeat, it turned the rippling universe into an endless, unfathomable ocean. Deep in the water bobbed a seed as the ocean currents ebbed and flowed, they carried it to the surface to become a glowing golden egg. The egg rocked on the water, and wave tips reflected its radiance to every corner of the darkness round about. As it rocked, the sacred word “OM” went on cradling it, enfolding it the way rose-petals enfold the flower-heart deep inside. The sound was in and out and roundabout, and inside the eggshell, it formed itself into Brahma, the First Father, Creator of Worlds.

When Brahma was ready to be born, he hatched like a chick from the golden egg. From half the shell he made the sky; from the other he made the earth; he set air between them to keep them apart. The sky-shell twinkled in the smoke of space like a myriad stars, or life water-drops glistening in an upturned bowl. The earth-shell bobbed on the sea, until Brahma anchored it with rocks and mountain-peaks. The air between the shells sometimes took its form the golden light above, and was clear and pure; at other times it gathered dampness from the sea below, and blanketed the earth with storms.

When the earth was ready, Brahma drew out of himself six elements: thought, hearing, sight, touch, taste and smell. He blended the element to make living things of every kind. He sowed the earth with plants, and gave them two gifts; the sense of touch and the power to remark themselves with seeds and fruits. He stocked the land with animals and the sea with fish, and set the air whirring with birds and insects-and to each of them he gave seven gifts: the sense of touch, taste, hearing, sight, and smell, the power to reproduce themselves and the power of movement. The world throbbed with life, as its new creatures squawked, hissed, chattered, buzzed, yelped, whistled and barked on every side.

So Brahma created all living things, and gave them gifts. One thing only he kept from them: though. The world was their playground, and they had senses to enjoy it-why should they need thought as well? Until the time came when he made a creature worthy of possessing intelligence, Brahma locked it inside himself. Many age passed, and he spent them roaming the world delighting in his own creation. Sometimes he rode a lotus-boat. With his hands he picked up all kinds of objects and carried them: a pink lotus-flower, a string of prayer, a sacred book, golden pot.

After a time, Brahma divided himself and made another being, Saraswati. As soon as she existed, Brahma fell passionately in love with her. He gazed fondly at her, and she lowered her eyes and modestly stepped to one side, out of his gaze. At once a second head appeared on Brahma’s neck, gazing at her lovingly as before. She stepped behind him, and a third head grew; she stepped to his other side, and a fourth head grew; she soared into the air above him, and a fifth head grew, looking up. Brahma said, “Come down, Saraswati. Help me make angles to live in light, demons to live in darkness, and the human race to live on earth.” Saraswati swooped back down to earth and married him.

Saraswati is the goddess of knowledge and of all the arts, especially music. She holds: Flowers, prayer-beads, finger-drum or palm-leaf book; she plays a wire-stringed veena, and her music fills the world with sweetness of the gods.

The Saraswati Vandana which is sung in some schools is a most beautiful and melodious composition in praise, basically, of the idea of education.

Every day is a new beginning.  But in life, sometimes you have to stop before you can truly begin.  So starting today…

Stop caring about everyone’s opinion of you.

For the most part, what other people think and say about you doesn’t matter.  When I was younger I let the opinions of my high school and early college peers influence my decisions.  And at times they steered me away from ideas and goals I strongly believed in.  I realize now, many years later, that this was a foolish way to live, especially when I consider that nearly all of these people whose opinions I cared so much about are no longer a part of my life.

Unless you’re trying to make a great first impression (job interview, first date, etc.), don’t let the opinions of others stand in your way.  What they think and say about you isn’t important.  What is important is how you feel about yourself.

Stop caring about being politically correct.

I had a discussion with a friend yesterday about censorship and how speaking a certain way simply to please others contributes to the loss of one’s true inner voice.  During the discussion I watched him closely, and I could actually pinpoint the heated moment when he was about to give me a piece of his mind, but stopped himself.  It was so obvious!  So I called him out on it.  “You just censored yourself, didn’t you?”  He laughed and nodded.

Everyone has this little watchdog inside their head.  It’s always there watching you.  It was born and raised by your family, friends, coworkers, bosses and society at large, and its sole purpose is to watch you and make sure you stay in line.  And once you become accustomed to the watchdog’s presence, you begin to think his opinion of what’s acceptable and unacceptable are absolute truths.  But the watchdog’s views are not truths, they’re just opinions – forceful opinions that have the potential to completely brainwash you of your own opinions if you aren’t careful.

Remember, the watchdog is just a watchdog, he just watches.  He can’t actually control you.  He can’t do anything about it if you decide to rise up and go against the grain.

No, you should not start randomly cussing and acting like a fool.  But you must say what you need to say when you need to say it.  If it isn’t politically correct, so what.

Don’t censor yourself.  Speak the truth.  Your truth.

Stop caring about looking a certain way.

There is no right way to dress or right way to wear your hair.  No, I’m not saying to you should dress like a clown simply to rebel either.  Everyone who purposely tries to look different ends up looking the same.

Be you, just the way you are, in the unique way only you know how.  Wear clothes and styles you feel comfortable wearing.  Dress the way YOU dress.

You’re a one of a kind.  Trying to look like someone else is a waste of your own beauty.  In this crazy world that’s trying to make you like everyone else, find the courage to keep being your awesome self.

Stop caring about what everyone else wants for you.

Unfortunately, just before you take your first step on the righteous journey to pursue your dreams, people around you, even the ones who deeply care for you, will usually give you awful advice.  It’s not because they have evil intentions.  It’s because they don’t understand the big picture – what your dreams, passions and life goals mean to you.  They don’t understand that, to you, the reward is worth the risk.

So they try to protect you by shielding you from the possibility of failure, which, in effect, also shields you from the possibility of making your dreams a reality.

As our friend Steve Jobs says:

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.  Don’t be trapped by dogma, which is living with the results of other people’s thinking.  Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice, heart and intuition.  They somehow already know what you truly want to become.  Everything else is secondary.”

Stop caring about the boundaries others set up.

No matter how much progress you make there will always be the people who insist that whatever you’re trying to do is impossible.  Or they may incessantly suggest that the idea or dream as a whole is utterly ridiculous because nobody really cares.  When you come across these people, don’t try to reason with them.  Instead, forget that they exist.  They will only waste your time and energy.

Try what you want to try.  Go where you want to go.  Follow your own intuition.  Don’t accept false choices.  Don’t let others put a cage around you.  Definitely don’t listen to the watchdog.

Whenever somebody discredits you and tells you that you can’t do something, keep in mind that they are speaking from within the boundaries of their own limitations.  Ignore them and press on. 

Stop caring about what everyone else has.

When you catch yourself comparing yourself to a colleague, neighbor, friend, or someone famous, stop!  Realize that you are different, with different strengths – strengths these other people don’t possess.  Take a moment to reflect on all the awesome abilities you have and to be grateful for all the good things in your life.

The problem with many of us is that we think we’ll be happy when we reach a certain level in life — a level we see others operating at – your boss with her corner office, that friend of a friend who owns a mansion on the beach, etc.  Unfortunately, it takes awhile before you get there, and when you get there you might have a new destination in mind.

Instead, appreciate where you are and what you have right now.  Try comparing yourself to those who have less, those who are dealing with tragedy, and those who are struggling to survive. Hopefully it opens your eyes to all the things you should be grateful for.

Stop caring about the imaginary state of perfect.

Perfect is the enemy of good.

Many of us are perfectionists in our own right.  I know I am at times.  We set high bars for ourselves and put our best foot forward.  We dedicate copious amounts of time and attention to our work to maintain our high personal standards.  Our passion for excellence drives us to run the extra mile, never stopping, never relenting.  And this dedication towards perfection undoubtedly helps us to achieve results…  So long as we don’t get carried away.

But what happens when we do get carried away with perfectionism?

We become disgruntled and discouraged when we fail to meet the (impossibly high) standards we set for ourselves, making us reluctant to take on new challenges or even finish tasks we’ve already started.  Our insistence on dotting every ‘I’ and crossing every ‘T’ breeds inefficiency, causing major delays, stress overload and subpar results.

True perfectionists have a hard time starting things and an even harder time finishing them… always.  I have a friend who has wanted to start a graphic design business for several years.  But she hasn’t yet.  Why?  When you sift through her extensive list of excuses it comes down to one simple problem:  She is a perfectionist.  Which means she doesn’t, and never will, think she’s good enough at graphic design to own and operate her own graphic design business.

Remember, the real world doesn’t reward perfectionists.  It rewards people who get things done.  And the only way to get things done is to be imperfect 99% of the time.  Only by wading through years of practice and imperfection can we begin to achieve momentary glimpses of the perfection.

So make a decision.  Take action.  Learn from the outcome.  And repeat this method over and over and over again in all walks of life.  Also, check out Too Perfect.  It’s an excellent read on conquering perfectionism.

Stop caring about being right all the time.

We all dance to the beat of a different drum.  There are few absolute ‘rights’ and ‘wrongs’ in the world.  What’s right for you may be wrong for me, and vise versa.  People need to live their lives their way – the way that’s right for them.

When it comes to life choices and opinions, not much is worth fighting about.  Step back from arguments with your spouse, family members or neighbors.  When you feel anger surging up and you want to yell that vulgar remark on tip of your tongue, just close your mouth and walk away.  Let mind calm down.  You don’t have to be right or win an argument.

Instead, open your mind to new ideas and opinions.  Don’t just concentrate on what others are doing, spend time figuring out why they are doing what they’re doing.

Stop caring about mistakes.

Mistakes teach you important lessons.  The biggest mistake you can make is doing nothing because you’re too scared to make a mistake.  So don’t hesitate – don’t doubt yourself.  In life, it’s rarely about getting a chance; it’s about taking a chance.  You’ll never be 100% sure it will work, but you can always be 100% sure doing nothing won’t work.  Most of the time you just have to go for it!

And no matter how it turns out, it always ends up just the way it should be.  Either you succeed or you learn something.  Win-Win.  Remember, if you never act, you will never know for sure, and you will be left standing in the same spot forever.

Stop caring about things you can’t control.

Some forces are out of your control.  Accept this fact of life.  Wasting your time, talent and emotional energy on things that are beyond your control is a recipe for frustration, misery and stagnation.

The smartest thing you can do to compensate for the things you can’t control is adjusting your attitude.  Your attitude has a profound effect on your overall potential.  Consuming yourself with the negative aspects of a circumstance gets nothing productive accomplished.  But if you instead look at the circumstance productively and positively, coming from the standpoint of “What’s my next best move?” you put yourself back in the driver’s seat.

Bottom line:  As someone said, “Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.”  You can’t change what happened, but you can change how you react to it.  If you awake every morning with the thought that something wonderful will happen in your life today, and you pay close attention, you’ll often find that you’re right.  The opposite is also true.  The choice is yours to make.