Things I Ponder

October Hindu Calendar...

2006-10-03T03:31:00.001-05:00

October
Navaratri ends	Sunday	01-10-2006
Vijaya Dashami/Dusshera	Monday	02-10-2006
Gandhi Jayanti	Monday	02-10-2006
Valmiki Jayanti	Saturday	07-10-2006
Lakshmi Puja	Monday	09-10-2006
Karwa Chauth	Tuesday	10-10-2006
Dhanteras	Thursday	19-10-2006
Chhoti Diwali	Friday	20-10-2006
Kali Puja	Friday	20-10-2006
Diwali	Saturday	21-10-2006
Vikram New Year 2063 Govardhan Puja	Sunday	22-10-2006
Bhai Dooj / Bhai Phota / Bhav-Bij	Tuesday	24-10-2006

Gandhi Jayanti

2006-10-03T03:31:00.000-05:00

Gandhi Jayanti is a national holiday celebrated in India to mark the occasion of the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi, the "Father of the Nation". It is celebrated on October 2, every year. It is one of the three official declared National Holidays of India and is observed in all its states and union territories.

The day is marked by prayer services and tributes all over India, especially at Raj Ghat, Gandhi's memorial in New Delhi where he was cremated. Popular celebration includes prayer meetings, commemorative ceremonies in different cities by colleges, local government institutions and socio-political institutions. Painting and essay competitions are conducted and best awards are awarded for projects in schools and the community,[1] on themes of glorifying peace, non-violence and Gandhi's effort in Indian Freedom Struggle. Usually, Gandhi's favourite song, Raghupathi Raghava Rajaram is sung in memory of him.

Happy Navaratri to all...

2006-10-03T03:26:00.000-05:00

Hope you all enjoyed Navaratri...

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Navratri, Navaratri or Navaratra is a Hindu festival of worship and dance. The word Navaratri literally means nine nights in Sanskrit; Nava - Nine and Ratri - nights. The following 9 forms of godesses are worshipped during these nine days: Durga, Bhadrakali, Amba or Jagadamba, Annapurna, Sarvamangala, Bhairavi, Chandika or Chandi, Lalita, and Bhavani. The festival is celebrated for nine nights twice every year during mid-March and the beginning of October, although as the dates of the festival are determined according to the Hindu lunar calendar, the festival may be held for a day more or a day less depending on the calendar.

Navratri is divided into sets of three days to adore three different aspects of the supreme goddess or goddesses. On the first three days, the goddess is invoked as a powerful spiritual force called Durga in order to destroy all our impurities, vices and defects. During the next three days, the Mother is adored as a giver of spiritual wealth, Lakshmi, who is considered to have the power of bestowing on her devotees inexhaustible wealth. The final set of three days is spent in worshipping the consort of brahma as the goddess of wisdom, Saraswati. In order to have all-round success in life, believers seek the blessings of all three aspects of the divine femininity, hence the nine nights of worship.

During Navratri, some devotees of Durga observe a fast and prayers are offered for the protection of health and property. A period of introspection and purification, Navratri is traditionally an auspicious time for starting new ventures.

On the tenth day of October Navratri, the holiday of Dussehra, an effigy of Ravana is burnt to celebrate the victory of good (Rama) over evil.

Navratri is also significant in a large part of indian homes, for the nine nights of the mother goddess who appears in 9 forms, each one being worshipped for a day. The nine forms signify various traits that the goddess influences us with. The Devi Mahatmya and other texts invoking the Goddess who vanquished demons are cited.

Happy Janmashtami!!!

2006-08-16T09:35:00.000-05:00

"Yada yada hi dharmasya,glanirbhavatiBharatah,Abhiyutthanam dharmasya,tadatmanam srijamyaham! Paritranaya sadhunam, vinashaya cha dushkritam, Dharmasamsthapanarthaya, sambhabami yuge yuge!! " - Lord Krishna to Arjun (Shrimat Bhagavat Geeta)

Translation -
Whenever and wherever there is decline of dharma (righteousness) and ascendance of adharma (unrighteousness), at that time I manifest Myself in visible form. For the protection of the righteous and destruction of the wicked, and for the sake of establishing dharma again, I incarnate Myself on earth ages after ages.

This is what the Lord Himself gave his word in the Bhagvat Geeta. The Lord did not ever fail to keep His words down the ages. From His heavenly abode at the Vaikuntha, He incarnated down to the earth to protect His devotees. Just like ‘the waves in an ocean,’ Lord Vishnu, the Supreme Soul and the sustainer, appeared down to the earth in different, different forms, one after another. However, His Avatar (incarnation) is considered as the God Himself incarnated on the eighth day of the new-moon fortnight (krishnapaksha) of the month of Shrãvana, when Lord Krishna appeared on this earth. Lord Krishna was born in the DuaparYug, which came just before the Kal Yug.

Legends

According to the legends, the birth of Lord Krishna took place under bizarre conditions. Krishna is considered as an incarnation of Lord Vishnu who appears to the world to get rid of all evil demons. He was born at midnight stroke on a dark, rainy night to ‘Devaki’ and ‘Vasudev’ who was imprisoned by Devaki’s brother Kansa.

It had been prophesied that the eight son of Devaki would take the ghost out of the evil king Kansa. On hearing this prophesy, Kansa got his sister imprisoned and killed her seven children one by one but when Krishna was born, there was divine involvement to protect the life of baby Krishna. The guards had fallen into slumber and could not inform their master about the newborn child.

An echoing invisible voice powered Vasudev to carry the baby to Gokul and exchange with the newborn baby Nanda and Yashoda. The fetters and the jail gates were opened amazingly and Vasudev took the child in a tiny basket, through the waters of Yamuna. Being a dark stormy night, the waves of Yamuna water was in a fit of fury however parted to allow the carrier of the divine Krishna to pass. A gigantic snake recognized as Adisesha with 2000 hoods, glided behind them, its hoods made a shielding shelter over the child.

When Vasudev came back with Nanda’s child, the fetters fastened, the doors were closed and the guards awakened. Kansa came and lifted up the child to throw it to the wall and kill him however someway the baby slipped from his clutch and took the shape of a Goddess laughing at Kansa, she was nowhere to be found after revealing him that the one who would kill him had already been born and was elsewhere.

Krishna was the heartbeat of Gokul, as a small boy, a naughty prankster who was much loved amongst the Gopikas. He would steal curd and butter from the houses of gopikas. Though he was a child, yet he did numerous miraculous works. His exploits are now the everlasting legends of Braj. He killed a number of ‘asuras’(devils), vanquished the Kali Nag and later he killed Kansa as it had been predicted.

Janmashtami Celebration
The festival of Janmashtami (pronunciation: Janmãshtami) is celebrated as the birthday of Lord Krishna, the re-incarnation of Lord Vishnu, who gave us the vital message of the Bhagwat Gita. Janmashtami is now prevalently celebrated outside of India because of the unusual efforts of numerous Krishna-devotees and numerous Hindu organizations.

Krishna Janmashtami is observed on the eighth day of the dark half (Krishna Paksha) of the month of Bhadrapadha in the Hindu calendar, when the Rohini Nakshatram is ascendent. The Hindu calendar being lunar, these two events [the day being the eighth of the waning moon (Krishna-paksha Ashtami) and the Rohini Nakshatram being ascendent] may overlap for only a few hours. In such an event, the festival may be celebrated on different (but successive) days by different people, depending on their local or family traditions.

Mathura, the birthplace of Lord Krishna, where his parents remained in confinement of the wicked Kansa and He, as a little boy, came and vanquished his maternal uncle Kansa to lead the throne and get his parents freed, commemorates Janmashtami with great pomp and show. The major celebrations are made at the Dwãrakadhish temple, Mathurã in the form of Jhulanotsava and the Ghatas in the course of the entire month of Shrãvana.

The Ghatas are an exclusive feature of the celebrations that goes for a long month. At the time of ghatas of a specific color, the entire temple is engulfed with beautification in the matching color. Even the Lord clothed up in the same color. The twin cities of Mathura-Vrindavan takes on a celebratory look and spirit of devotion runs high amongst the people. It was on the banks of the Yamuna River, where Lord Krishna used to play during his childhood and pandered to pranks and tricks with his friends and the Gopies. There are nearly 400 temples devoted to Lord Krishna in this sacrosanct city, and the most important festivities are conducted at the Shri Krishna Balarãm temple, Gopinãth temple, Bãnke Bihãri and Rangaji. The Raslila of Braj is thematically the origin of numerous performing arts.

Info taken from indianpath.org

Happy Independence Day to all my fellow Indians...

2006-08-15T00:08:00.000-05:00

Interesting questions for smart people

2006-08-14T23:46:00.000-05:00

1. A murderer is condemned to death. He has to choose between three rooms. The first is full of raging fires, the second is full of assassins with loaded guns, and the third is full of lions that haven't eaten in 3 years. Which room is safest for him?

2. A woman shoots her husband. Then she holds him under water for over 5 minutes. Finally, she hangs him. But 5 minutes later they both go out together and enjoy a wonderful dinner together. How can this be?

3. There are two plastic jugs filled with water. How could you put all of this water into a barrel, without using the jugs or any dividers, and still tell which water came from which jug?

4. What is black when you buy it, red when you use it, and gray when you throw it away?

5. Can you name three consecutive days without using the words Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, or Sunday?

6. This is an unusual paragraph.

I'm curious how quickly you can find out what is so unusual about it. It looks so plain you would think nothing was wrong with it. In fact, nothing is wrong with it! It is unusual though. Study it, and think about it, but you still may not find anything odd. But if you work at it a bit, you might find out.

See the answers below....

Answers:

1. The third. Lions that haven't eaten in three years are dead.

2. The woman was a photographer. She shot a picture of her husband, developed it, and hung it up to dry.

3. Freeze them first. Take them out of the jugs and put the ice in the barrel. You will be able to tell which water came from which jug.

4. The answer is Charcoal.

5. Sure you can: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow!

6. The letter "e," which is the most common letter in the English language, does not appear once in the long paragraph.

Indian-in-law

2006-08-14T23:30:00.000-05:00

A young Indian man excitedly tells his mother he's fallen in love and that he is going to get married. He says, "Just for fun, Ma, I'm going to bring over 3 women and you try and guess which one I'm going to marry."

The mother agrees.

The next day, he brings three beautiful women into the house and sits them down on the couch and they chat for a while.He then says, "Okay Ma, guess which one I'm going to marry."

She immediately replies, "The one on the right." "That's amazing, Ma. You're right. How did you know?"

The mother replies, "I don't like her."

Contradicting quotes...

2006-08-14T23:27:00.000-05:00

Actions speak louder than words./The pen is mightier than the sword.

Look before you leap./ He who hesitates is lost.

Many hands make light work. (or) Two heads are better than one. / To many cooks spoil the broth.

A silent man is a wise one. / A man without words is a man without thoughts.

Beware of Greeks bearing gifts. / Don't look a gift horse in the mouth.

Clothes make the man. / Don't judge a book by its cover. (or) All that glitters is not gold.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained. / Better safe than sorry.

The bigger, the better. / The best things come in small packages.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder. / Out of sight, out of mind.

What will be, will be. / Life is what you make it.

Cross your bridges when you come to them. / Forewarned is forearmed.

What's good for the goose is good for the gander. / One man's meat is another man's poison.

With age comes wisdom. / Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings come all wise sayings.

The more, the merrier./ Two's company; three's a crowd.

The best things in life are free. / You get what you pay for.

It never rains, than it pours. / Lightning never strikes twice in the same place.

Better to ask the way than to go astray. / Ask no questions and hear no lies.

Never do evil, that good may come of it. / The end justifies the means.

Variety is the spice of life. / Don't change horses in the middle of a stream.

There is nothing permanent except change. / There is nothing new under the sun.

Never too old to learn. / You can't teach an old dog new tricks.

Everything comes to him who waits. / He who hesitates is lost.

Sher, shayari...in hindi

2006-07-25T23:04:00.000-05:00

Let me know if translations is needed...

Ek Sher sunata hu bade dhyan se suno
Ek Sher sunata hu bade dhyan se suno
Mujhe Sher nahi aata kisi aur se suno
Yeh mere aasu jinhe koi pochne wala bhi nahi,
Koi aanchal enhe milta to sitare hote.
Jise dil diya woh dilhi chali gayi..
Jise pyar kiya woh italy chali gayi...
Dil ne kaha khud kushi(suicide) kar le zalim...
Bijali ko haath lagaya to bijali chali gayi...
Duniya Se Jo Dare, Usse Kayar Kehte Hain,
Duniya Jisse Dare, Usse Shayar Kehte Hain,
Biwi Se Jo Dare, Usse Shohar Kehte Hain.
Aur bhi bahut si cheeze lut chu-ki hai dil ke saath
Ye bataya dosto ne ishq farmane ke baad
Is liye kamray ki ek ek cheez "ckeck" karta hoon main
"Ek tere aane se pehle, ek tere jaa-ne ke baad"
Hamne mana aapme hogi sabra ki takat hamse jyada,
Dekh lo lekin utri hogi aapki surat hamse jyada.
Mushkil ka meri unko mukshil se yeki aaya,
Samjhe meri mushkil ko magar badi mushkil se.
Andaz apne dekhte hai aaine me woh,
Aur yebhi dekhte hai ke koi dekhta n ho.
Dil na umid to nahi, nakam hi to hai,
Lambi hai gam ki shyam magar, shyam hi to hai.
Bahut roai hai us aasu ke khatir,
Jo nikalta hai khushi ki intaha per.
Zakhm kuch aaise huai phulo per soya n gaya,
Jisma jalkar khak aakho se raya n gaya.
Aab es hadd pe laya hai intazaar muzhe,
Woh aa bhi jaye to aaye na yaki muzhe.
Ek diya jo sare rah jalane nikle,
Aandhya bankar kai log buzane nikle.
Kamse kam maut se aisi mujhe ummid nahi,
Jindgi tune to diya dhoke pe dhoka

Latest tongue twister from Fanaa...

2006-05-09T19:22:00.000-05:00

Chanda chamke cham cham chikhen chaukanna chor
chiti chaate chini chatori chinikhor...repeat 4 times

khadaksingh ke khadakne se khadakti hain khidkiyaan
khidkiyon ke khadakne se khadakta hain khadaksingh...repeat 3 times

pakke ped par paka papita paka ped ya paka papita
pake ped ko pakde pinku pinku pakde paka papita...repeat 2 times

:)

Let see how smart you are...

2006-05-09T19:07:00.000-05:00

1. What is the easiest way to throw a ball, have it stop, and completely reverse direction after traveling a short distance?

2. What is at the beginning of eternity, the end of time, the beginning of every end, and the end of every place?

3. When things go wrong, what can you always count on?

4. What is always behind you but you can never touch it?

5. I am never the first to speak but I am always the last to be heard. Who am I?

6. Two fathers and two sons were seated round a table. There were four apples on the table. Each of them took one apple and ate it entirely yet there was still one apple left on the table. How was this possible?

7. Here everything is not always in order. For example, Friday comes before Thursday, the cart comes before the horse, the driver comes before the employer. Where are we?

8. When I am alive I stay where I am. It is only when I am dead that I move about here and there. Who am I?

9. How can you be behind a person when that person is also behind you? Answers To see the answers, drag your mouse from here to end of this posting (select/highlight it) and the answers will be relieved.

Ans 1: Throw the ball against a wall or throw it in upwards direction. Ans 2: The letter 'e'. Ekta ji aap kuch zyada hi complicated sochti hain..

Ans 3: Of course on ur fingers.Ans 4: Whoever has answered this as shadow they are wrong. Just imagine if the sun is behind you then your shadow falls in front of you.The correct answer is your past.Ans 5: ECHO.Ans 6: There were actually three persons DADA, DADDY aur POTA i.e A child, his father and his grandfather (father's father)

Ans 7: DICTIONARY.

Ans 8: Some one answered this as soul....this is totally wrong answer "Soul never dies"...the correct answer is leaf of a tree or plant. Ans 9: Two of them are standing back to back !

Bat vs Ball

2006-03-15T12:09:00.000-06:00

Doubtlessly one of the greatest matches of all time was played between Australia and South Africa on March 12, 2006, where the long-standing records were broken. Australian team against South African sqaud set a target of 435 in 50 overs. However, favor was returned by South Africans who handed Australians a defeat by making 438 for 9 in 49.5 overs at a dazzling run rate of 8.85. A match were 872 runs were made in 599 balls, approximately 1.5 runs a ball.
http://usa.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2005-06/AUS_IN_RSA/SCORECARDS/AUS_RSA_ODI5_12MAR2006.html

This match will be watched over and over again by cricket lovers. Will same happen if the game was dominated by ball, meaning low scoring game by both the sides? Will it go down as a great game of all time? Today, most of the rules are placed to help bat whether if its field restriction rule or no more than 2 bouncers in a over rule. Whenever there is doubt, decision always favors batsmen.

Is the game becoming too one sided? In series like TwentyTwenty, will bowler have a chance?

HAPPY PI DAY to all as well...

2006-03-14T23:28:00.000-06:00

National Pi day is March 14th for the unending pi value (3.14159265358979323846264...)

For the chronology of PI for geeks like my bro, please visit following site...
http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/HistTopics/Pi_chronology.html

HAPPY HOLI TO ALL...

2006-03-14T18:26:00.000-06:00

Khushiyan ho overflow,
Masti kabhi na ho low,
Tumhari HOLI ho ekdum number one,
Aur tum karo whole lotta  fun!!!

Gita applied to modern world...pretty interesting

2006-03-14T18:17:00.000-06:00

Krishna :
Arjun, Try to respect the e-mails of your colleagues.

Arjun:
But Vasudev, how dare I send junk mails to my honourable elders, who are logged on to honourable domains ?

Krishna :
Paarth, at this moment they neither are your friend nor your foes. They are mere mail-users. So follow your Net-dharma. Logon and send dozens of junk mails. This is your Karma and this alone is your Dharma.

Arjun:
Murari ! After seeing all this, I feel like resigning from the company itself.

Krishna :
Bandhu, it seems you are caught in a vicious circle of Maaya. In this material world you have none and you are commited to none. Junk mails have existed before you came to this world and shall remain long after you are gone. Rise above this Maaya and perform your duty. Just keep sending junk mails.

Arjun:
But Devaki Nandan...........!

Krishna :
....Victory or failure is not in your hands. So stop pondering about results. Don't waste your knowledge on the junk shastra bestowed by your Guru.

Arjun:
Hey Keshav, how is junk mail related to the 'system'?

Krishna :
Junk mail is just junk mail. It has no connection with Hardware. However, it is another matter that it overloads the system... fills up the hard disk....but you are not supposed to worry about it. Listen Kunti putra, the way Aatma leaves one physical body and moves onto another, likewise these junk mails move from system to system.

Arjun:
How can one define junk mail?

Krishna :
Neither fire can burn it.., nor air can dry it... neither it can be conquered nor it can be defeated. He who sends junk mails cannot be looked down upon even by Mahadev... Junk mails are immortal.

Arjun:
Hey Narayan! Now all my doubts on junk mail are crystal clear. You have opened my eyes Yashoda Nandan, or else I would have lost Myself in Maaya and read all the junk mails myself.

............ MAHAAABHAAAAARAT .............

Years have passed since then, generations have come and gone, seasons have cycled, technology advanced, but junk mails remain. So, go on, contribute something to the history by hitting that forward button yet again to send this junk mail to all !!!!!

Women driving...

2006-03-14T18:01:00.000-06:00

Following was email from my cousin Chirayu. It was hilarious...sorry ladies...couldn't resist.

Police cars

2006-03-05T23:19:00.000-06:00

Here are few police car...seeing this one might want to be police officer:

German: Lamborgini Gallardo, max speed 320 km/ hr

Japan: Lancer Evo IX, max speed 280 km/hr

France: Pegaut Sports GT

Spain: Audi TT, max speed 280km/hr

Now the ultimate, my personal favorite
India: Jeep, max speed not available for security reasons

Interesting dilemma...

2006-03-02T21:35:00.000-06:00

So I was studying with couple of friends yesterday and one of my friend is taking philosophy. She looks up to me and says,

"A couple were happily married for few years and they were expecting twins. Everything went well except the twins had only one heart, they were sharing a heart."

Now she asks me, "What will you do?"
My response "Dammmmm...wow. Is there a heart transplant possible?"
And ofcourse she says "No"

So the only option is only one child can be saved.

I hope this never happens.

Things to really wonder...

2006-03-02T21:32:00.000-06:00

Who came first egg or chicken?

Can you cry under water?

Why do doctors leave the room while you change? I mean they are going to see you naked anyways...so what's the point?

If a deaf person has to go to court, is it still called hearing?

Why does round pizza come in sqaure box?

If a 911 operator has a heart attack, whom does the operator call?

Why doesn't glue stick to the inside of the bottle?

And finally...

Superman, Spiderman, Batman
Were did they come up with this, was it from HANUMAN from Hindu epic Ramayana?

Programming language acronyms

2006-03-02T21:16:00.000-06:00

ADA: A Dumb Arrangement
ADA: A Dumb Acronym
ADA: A Dumb Annoyance

BASIC: Boring And Shamelessly Idiotic Coders
BASIC: Badly Assembled, Severely Illogical Code
BASIC: Beginner's Algorithms for Seemingly Infinite Confusion

C: Crud
C: Confusing

COBOL: Completly Outdated, Badly Overused Language
COBOL: Completly Overused, Badly Outdated Language
COBOL: Cowards Only Buy Outdated Languages
COBOL: Cowards Only Build Outdated Languages
COBOL: Crap Operated By Obsessed lunatics
COBOL: Crap Often Bothers Our Lethargy
COBOL: Crap Ostracized By Our Loathing
COBOL: Compiles Only Because Of Luck
COBOL: Cumbersome, Overdone, Badly Organized Language
COBOL: Coded Only By Obsessed Lunatics

FORTRAN: Files Only Run Through Right At Never-neverland

LISP: Lots of Insanely Stupid Parentheses
LISP: Lots of Irritating Superfluous Parentheses

PASCAL: Programmers Against Structured Code And Language

Interesting Acronyms

2006-03-02T21:09:00.000-06:00

STUPID Smart Talented Unique Person in Demand
DUMB Disasters Usually Motivate Backups
IDIOT I do Ishq Only Tumse

For more go to following website. It is great to find acronym and word meaning.
http://www.acronymfinder.com/

Islam - A monotheistic religion?

2006-02-21T19:57:00.000-06:00

I am taking an Intro to cultures of Asia class and we just finished Islam and Middle East. So if few of my first blogs are on Islam please don't get offended or jump to any conclusion. Here is the first question and probably will stir a lot of heat but here we go...

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Islam is a monotheistic religion meaning they believe in one and only one God, Allah. However, they are divided into many different sects. There are two main sects Sunnis and Shi'as. Both of these sects are devout follower of Islam. There are some minor differences like Shi'as are more conservative Muslims than Sunnis but one major difference is Sunni believe Abu Bakr while Shi'as say 'Ali Abu Taleb is successor to Prophet Muhammad. There are also other minor more conservative sects like Wahabism, founded by Mohammed Ibn Abd al-Wahhab. If a religion is monotheistic than why are there so many different sects? They all believe in Allah and Prophet then why does who succeeded Prophet matter? Why are caliphs given God like positions? Is Islam really a monotheistic religion?

Please share your prespective, be presice in what you are thinking and don't just leave a vague comment like its good/bad/agree/disagree...etc. etc.

Don't be offended...

2006-02-21T19:48:00.000-06:00

Sorry people I don't mean to offend you in any way, shape or form. I am just too curious. I am sure I will raise questions lot of people won't like, so before I begin I ask for your forgiveness if I offend any of you.

Please leave a comment if you agree or disagree with anything. Thank you.