vsdprasad

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2002/20020622/windows/main3.htm IS rebirth possible? Are there any scientific bases for believing in rebirth? Since time immemorial, man has been struggling to find a solution to this mystery but conclusive evidence has thus far eluded him. Now, in probably the first-ever case of its kind, a Patiala-based forensic science expert has sought to scientifically prove the phenomenon. Putting forward for debate his research in a case involving the rebirth of a child who lived in Chakkchela village of Jalandhar district in his past life and now lives in Alluna Miana village of Ludhiana district, Vikram Raj Singh Chauhan claims to prove on the basis of the comparison between the handwriting of the child in his previous and present births, the theory that rebirth is possible. His findings have been hailed at the recent National Conference of Forensic Scientists at Bundelkhand University, Jhansi. A couple of months ago, a six-year-old boy Taranjit Singh of Alluna Miana village near Payal in Ludhiana claimed to remember his previous life. In fact, according to his economically weak parents, the boy had been claiming this since he was two years old and used to attempt to run away from home. The boy said he was born in Chakkchela village in Jalandhar district in his past birth and his real name was Satnam Singh and his father’s name was Jeet Singh. He said he was a student of Class IX in a school in Nihalwal village at the time of his death. On September 10, 1992, he was returning home on a bicycle from his school along with his friend Sukhwinder Singh when a scooter-rider named Joga Singh of Mirajwala village, Shahkot tehsil, hit him. He received serious injuries on his head and died the following day. His present father Ranjit Singh said as the boy became more insistent, he and his wife took him to Chakkchela village in Sangrur district. They could not find anyone resembling the people their son had described as his parents. When someone told them that there was a village called Chakkchela in Jalandhar district as well, they decided to go there. The boy’s father Ranjit Singh and his friend Rajinder Singh went to the government school in Nihalwal village in Jalandhar district where they met an old teacher who told that it was true that a boy named Satnam Singh had died in an accident and he was the son of Jeet Singh of Chakkchela village. Then the family reached the house of Jeet Singh and narrated the whole story. Ranjit Singh also said that his son claimed that the books he was carrying when the accident occurred had been soaked in his blood. He also had Rs 30 in his purse. On hearing this, the woman Taranjit claimed was his mother in his previous birth, started weeping and confirmed his claim. She said she had preserved the blood-stained books and Rs 30 as the last memory of her child. After few days Taranjit Singh’s brother in his previous life Kewal Singh, sister Lakhbir Kaur, friend Buta Singh, father Jeet Singh and mother Mohinder Kaur came to Alluna Miana village to meet Taranjit. Lakhbir Kaur showed the photographs of her marriage to Taranjit Singh and asked him to recognise himself in his previous birth. Taranjit Singh immediately recognised the same as also the photo of his parents in his previous birth. This story was carried in some newspapers. Vikram Chauhan told this writer that as a man of science, he refused to believe such a story but driven by curiosity, he decided to investigate. He visited the villages concerned a number of times. The boy and the parents of both the births repeated the same story. He spoke to a shopkeeper who told him that the boy had taken a notebook on credit of Rs 3 from him a few days before his death. When the shopkeeper went to the boy’s village, the boy immediately recognised him but said he owed him Rs 2 only. The shopkeeper admitted the fact and said he had only wanted to test the authenticity of the child’s claim. Thereafter to confirm the incident scientifically, Chauhan took samples of the writings of Taranjit Singh both in Gurmukhi and English and also of Satnam Singh from the notebooks kept by the family of Satnam Singh, in order to find out whether or not the handwritings of Satnam Singh and Taranjit Singh were similar. A basic theory of forensic science that the handwritings of two different individuals cannot be the same was the basis of his investigation. If Taranjit Singh and Satnam Singh were the same person, then their handwritings also had to be the same. The author explained that a person’s handwriting has specific characteristics, which are determined by one’s personality and hence no two persons write in the same manner. It is an applied science combining the study of optics, physiology and psychology. A person’s psychological makeup determines, to a large extent, his handwriting. Thus, the mind plays an important role in shaping a person’s handwriting and the hand only translates into action the dictates of the mind, which cannot be the same in two different writers. The author revealed he was amazed to find that the handwriting of Taranjit Singh corresponded almost exactly with that of Satnam Singh. The only difference lay in the muscular coordination of the two writers as Taranjit Singh was not accustomed to writing. This was quite unusual and suggested that something in the two boys was same. The author argued that if it is presumed that the soul is transferred from one person to another then it can be inferred that the mind will remain the same. Thus, if Satnam Singh’s soul was believed to have been transferred into Taranjit Singh’s body, then it stood to reason that the handwriting of Taranjt Singh would correspond with that of Satnam Singh. The scientist proved this in a conference. According to the minutes of the conference, a number of forensic experts examined the handwriting samples and found that these were similar. "I have some scientific basis to claim rebirth is possible", says Chauhan, "but I wish to research further on the subject and am closely monitoring the development of the child." According to Chauhan, another factor bolstered his conclusions. "In his present birth, Taranjit has never gone to school as he belongs to a poor family, but yet when I told him to write the English and Punjabi alphabet, he wrote them correctly." Taranjit is living with the parents of his present birth as they refuse to give him to his former parents, even though they are poorer than them. The parents of his previous birth have also not pressed their claim saying they understand the feelings of their counterparts. Note: A person by name Dr. Ian Stevenson researches and documents such evidences of Reincarnation. http://www.childpastlives.org More such links (FAQs,views,evidences proofs etc): http://directory.google.com/Top/Society/Religion_and_Spirituality/Reincarnation/

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/xml/uncomp/articleshow?artid=39834641 NEW YORK: Both boys and girls who watch a lot of violence on television have a heightened risk of aggressive adult behaviour including spouse abuse and criminal offences, no matter how they act in childhood, a new study says. While the results may not be surprising, experts say the study is important because it included hundreds of participants and showed the effect in females as well as males. The participants were interviewed at ages 6 to 9 and again in their early 20s, making the study one of the few to follow children into adulthood to gauge the long-term effects of televised violence. The findings are presented in the March issue of the journal Developmental Psychology by psychologists L Rowell Huesmann and colleagues at the University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research. Huesmann said televised violence suggests to young children that aggression is appropriate in some situations, especially when it is used by charismatic heroes. It also erodes a natural aversion to violence, he said. He recommended that parents restrict viewing of violent TV and movies by young children and pre-teens as much as possible.

They are inviting their own self destruction. vinasha kale viparitha buddhi .

Listen to The Bhagavad-Gita As It Is: http://www.karamsad.com/bgita.m3u (contains only translations of all verses in english). Download from [http://www.karamsad.com/bg*.mp3] , *= 1 thru 18. -Prasad

Perfect Vaisnava culture is prevalent mostly near the 108 divya desams (temples where sri vaisnava azvars sung the glories of the lord)- mostly in Tamilnadu, although other vaisnava cultures are prevalent in rest of the states. The divya desam in Andhra Pradesh (state where I was born and grew up:)- TIRUMALA 'Sri Venkateshwara temple' is the World's richest temple. The temple on top of Tirumala hills is very magnificent. People of AP and the rest of India go for a default pilgrimage to tirumala. Do visit this place. Unfortunately some people in the holy places lack things like civic sense, integrity etc except devotion, So be watchful/images/graemlins/ooo.gif! -Prasad.

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(The following was posted by a member in Bhakti List ): [ Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri Vedanta Desika Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama: Clean Bowled! The World Cup fever has gripped everybody and all we hear at home these days are about the venues of matches between different countries, India's own (usually) dismal performance, hot debates about the batting styles of Sachin Tendulkar and Saurav Ganguly, the disappointing disqualification of Shane Warne, disputes about the authorities' decisions about "Man of the Match" awards, etc. If somebody doesn't know cricket or takes no interest in the proceedings, he is treated with the contempt and pity he deserves. Old and young, the active and the infirm, well read and the unlettered, man and woman-everyone's thoughts are focussed on cricket. Even the ears of the babe in arms pick up at the cry of "Six!". The home resounds with the cacophony of the commentary, the frenzied voices of the onlookers raised in excitement and that of the Grandma pleading to somebody to raise the sound output of the television. Even the mistress of the house, nearing fifty, stops by amidst her domestic chores, with a derisive comment or two about the bowling or fielding. The vegetable vendor on the street rings the doorbell to inquire about the score. The names of the players are more on everyone's lips than those of the Lord. Where usually people used to perform archanAs to the Lord in temples for specific requirements such as a pass in the exams, now they have started seeking improvement in the fortunes of individual players or whole teams. ArchakAs are no longer surprised to receive requests for performance of archanAs in the names of Mohammed Kaif or Harbhajan Singh, though they tactfully omit asking for the relevant GOthra or nakshatra. Gone are the days when matinee idols used to rule the billboards as well as the minds of young women, which are now filled with the dashing images of the new Centurions. Marriage dates are fixed so that they don't clash with crucial one-day matches. On this, there is a rare unanimity among the bride's side, the Groom's and that of the officiating priest. Not only are they personally interested in watching the match, but are also sure that most of the invitees wouldn't turn up if the wedding were to clash with cricket. Even Cabinet meetings are postponed, if there is the slightest possibility of their falling on the same day as a popular match. After all, politicians only reflect the will of the people. The English, who used to colonize the world a century ago using their firepower, are doing it now with the game of Cricket, which after all originated in England. If their tall claim was that the Sun never set in the British Empire, it is now replaced by the averment that the Sun never sets on the Cricket Ground, what with the game being played in some part of the world or the other throughout the day and all the time. The pity, however, is that the originating country has now lost its monopoly over and even primacy in the game and has been reduced to an "also-ran" team. Thus the only entities appearing unaffected by Cricket fever are the Sun and the Moon, who rise and set as per their usual schedule, whether or not there is a fixture. Even here, one does have sneaking doubts- one feels that on occasion, the Sun deliberately hides behind rain clouds and induces a downpour too, to favour the team of his choice. When we reflect on it, we feel that the popularity of Cricket is perhaps due to its marked resemblance to life itself. For, as everyone recognises, Life is itself a game, as absorbing, enthralling and unpredictable as Cricket. For the most part, people play a game all the time to outwit their counterparts in business or profession. They play games feigning love and affection in their personal relationships and more games with the Government in the matter of paying taxes. Politicians play the confidence game on the unsuspecting public and more games on one another, games of Grab-the-Chair and the toppling game. And all of us play a confidence trick on the Lord, inducing Him to believe in the sincerity of our devotion and grant us all that we need. And the Lord too plays an unending game of Hide and Seek with us. Thus the "Games People Play" are varied. Coming back to Cricket, there are several similarities between this game and Life. Every innings represents a lifetime. Just as every batsman is given the opportunity to amass as many runs as he can, everybody in life if free to make the best of its opportunities and exploit it to the hilt. While some hit centuries, some get out cheaply, as in life too, some make good while some just languish economically, socially, spiritually and otherwise. Just as there are eleven people of the opposing team trying to get the batsman out, in life too, our five faculties (pancha indriyAs), apart from the six sworn enemies, viz., KAma, KrOdha, MOha, lObha,Mata and MAtsarya are constantly trying their best to get us down and out. One has to constantly dodge these rivals and keep them under strict surveillance, in the manner of a batsman who keeps close track of field placements, and hits balls to unmanned locations, if we are to emerge victorious in the game of life. Just as a bowler has a variety of balls in his armoury, life too hurls at us a fast ball first, a slower one next, an inswinger later, to be followed by an outswinger. You never know what the next ball has in store for you, so unpredictable is life's bowling. Sometimes things you are sure of turn out to be diametrically opposite, just like a Googly. It is the batsman who faces the hostile bowling while the runner at the other end does little except to watch the former's performance and providing running support. The Lord too is like a runner, never participating in the proceedings but watching the Jeevatma battle with the slings and arrows of fortune, according to its accumulated Karma. The only important difference is that while the runner too has to take his turn at batting, the Paramatma remains an observer always and never comes to the batting crease. The Crease represents to the batsman a safe haven, within which he is secure and after crossing which he is on his own, liable to be run out. Similarly, Shastras represent the Crease to the Jeevatma. As long as he stays within its confines, he is safe and secure. Once he crosses this line, he is out on a limb and liable to be floored by the eleven enemies, who are always alert for the slightest transgression to take advantage of. The pitch is something over which the batsman has no control, and if he has to play on a queer one that gives an unpredictable bounce to the ball, his innings would be short and miserable. In life too, one's baggage of good and bad deeds is the pitch one has to play on. While some inherit a sunny pitch and blaze their way into Wisden's Cricketers' Almanac or the pages of history, some fail miserably even to open their account and form part of the unremarkable, unsung and nondescript masses, who "also lived". The Dharma DEvata is the Umpire in our lives, judging all our actions impartially, keeping count of the balls, overs and runs (the seconds, minutes and hours of our life and our various acts of commission and omission). He is the final authority on all matters on the field and if one is given out, one just leaves the ground without even a semblance of protest, irrespective of his own feelings in the matter. On the field of life too, the Yamadharma Raja is the final arbiter of when we leave the field. His ruling is final and there is no use arguing with him, irrespective of whether the moment and manner of exit are convenient to us or not. Runs represent the years of our life. We may hit a century or get out for a duck, depending on whether fortune (or our own Karma) favours us or not. Some batsmen, though they may hit a hundred, might do it all in undistinguished singles and may take an unconscionably long time doing it, while some others may blaze their way to a century, all hit in fours and sixes. In life too, we find brilliant people achieving a lot within a very short life span, while others may live to be a hundred and have nothing remarkable to show for it. Winning the Cup is not a matter of mere luck or chance, but requires careful planning, coordination among the team, excellence in all departments of the game, impeccable execution of carefully considered strategies with clockwork precision. For success in life too, all these elements are indispensable. One cannot depend on Lady Luck to smile on one always, and has to plan for everything, implement the chosen strategy with focus and dedication. This is especially true of our spiritual lives, where careful control of the senses, sustained focus on the Lord and His attributes and adoption of a suitable strategy for Moksha, are indispensable. The Team's Coach plays a vital role in the personal and professional development and performance of the players, and is often the real reason for the team's victory. He points out the pitfalls that await each batsman, the trick of avoiding them, and the ball-by-ball strategy for ensuring a win. In our spiritual life too, the Acharya guides us carefully through the heavily-mined and dangerous field of life and puts us through the process of Prapatti, so that we reach SriVaikuntam safely. There may be any number of trophies, instituted by all and sundry, ranging from "The Ashes" to the "Wills Trophy" to the Fourth Junior League played under the aegis of the ACC (accharappAkkam Cricket Club). Though these may have their own votaries at the different levels of the game, the World Cup represents the Ultimate Victory in the cricketing world, the crowning glory for which every team and every cricketer aspires and toils ceaselessly for. The winning team represents the cream of the cricketing fraternity and is held in high esteem by one and all the world over. Life too offers any number of minor trophies in the form of flashy new vehicles, palatial mansions, riches, fame and acclaim, social positions and political power. However, the discerning seeker is never satisfied with these baubles and trinkets, and aspires only for the ultimate trophy of Liberation and service to the Lord at Sri Vaikuntam. He is never tempted by other minor rewards and keeps his sight steady on the target of Paramapadam and achieves it by adopting the strategy of Bhakti or Prapatti. Come, let's play for the World Cup! Srimate Sri LakshmINrsimha divya paduka sevaka SrivanSatakopa Sri Narayana Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama: Dasan, sadagopan ]

two good jokes on september 11 incidents in USA The Prime Minister of China called President Bush to > console him after the attack on the Pentagon: > I'm sorry to hear about the attack. It is a very big > tragedy. But in case you are missing any documents > from the Pentagon, we have copies of everything." > > 2. > Musharraf calls Bush on 11th sept: > Musharraf: Mr President, I would like to express my > condolences to you. It is a real tragedy. > So many people, such great bldgs... I would like to > ensure that we had nothing in connection with > that...It was not us..... > Bush : What buildings? What people?? > Musharraf: Oh, and what time is it in America now? > Bush : It's eight in the morning. > Musharraf: Oops...Will call back in an hour!

Fascinating, Jim!! Did Ramanujan by chance reincarnate as Gary? /images/graemlins/smile.gif -Prasad.

you are welcome. Can those people who have no direct descendants (immediate sons/grandsons) be offered gifts in their favor by other people? If not, this too seems to be a valid reason for people esp in India having children till a male child is born. Or they may become vaishnavas to avoid hell and yamaraja. Also this verse may indicate that Jehadis are heading towards becoming future yamadutas by incuring sins. -Prasad.

this is tricky but simple. every number you get (by adding the digits of a 2 digit number and subtracting this from the number)is a multiple of 9. and all of these multiples of 9 have the same symbol. the symbol changes when you try again but all the multiples of 9 have the same symbol. /images/graemlins/cool.gif -Prasad.

http://www.cyberglass.co.uk/assets/Flash/psychic.swf Anybody knows how this magic works?? I could figure it /images/graemlins/cool.gif . -Prasad.

Religion without philosophy is sentiment or sometimes fanaticism. Philosophy without religion is speculation.

Indian politics? huh! Its like people driving a mercedes car without knowing how to drive it! The largest democracy is being handled by people who serve only for their own selfish interests w/o any concern for the people. There is nothing like a single majority party. They form coalitions with their own rivals just to form the quorum and occupy the seat. You will find political parties in every street/village you go!. some are listed here. You can see enough nepotism, redtapism, corruption, caste based reservation, and what not?anyway, the major political parties are BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) and Congress . Every small thing is a big issue in India. /images/graemlins/smile.gif In anycase, it seems to change for better with the introduction of technology in the governance. It is happening now in some states. Change has started from Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka etc... The last one to change will be BIHAR (may be at the end of this yuga !) -Prasad.

</p> Srila Prabhupada Photo Gallery: http://www.stephen-knapp.com/srila_prabhupada_photo_gallery.htm Eternally indebted to SP: -Prasad.

<p align="center"> <font size="2">First cloned sheep Dolly dies at 6</font> </p> http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/europe/02/14/cloned.dolly.dies/index.html Friday, February 14, 2003 Posted: 1:45 PM EST (1845 GMT) LONDON, England -- Dolly, the world's first cloned sheep, has been euthanized after being diagnosed with progressive lung disease, the Roslin Institute has said. The decision was taken to end her life at the age of 6 after a veterinary examination confirmed the lung disease, a statement from the institute said. "Sheep can live to 11 or 12 years of age and lung infections are common in older sheep, particularly those housed inside," said Dr. Harry Griffin, head of the institute. "A full post-mortem is being conducted and we will report any significant findings." Dolly, a Finn Dorset named after the country-western singer Dolly Parton, made headlines worldwide in 1996 when she became the first mammal to be cloned with DNA taken from an adult cell. A team led by professor Ian Wilmut of the Edinburgh-based Roslin Institute took Dolly's DNA from a ewe's udder. Her birth was heralded as one of the most significant scientific breakthroughs of the 1990s, but it also triggered furious debate about the ethics of cloning -- a row which has deepened with claims of human cloning. In January 2002, Dolly was diagnosed as having arthritis, a condition usually expected in older animals. It was not clear whether the cloning process led to the arthritis, but research in 1999 suggested that Dolly might be susceptible to premature ageing -- a possibility raised after a study of her genetics. A team from the Edinburgh-based biotech company PPL Therapeutics examined structures in Dolly's cells called telomeres. The team found that the structures were slightly shorter than would be expected in a sheep of her age which was born normally. "The real issue is what Dolly died from, and whether it was linked to premature ageing. She was not old by sheep standards to have been put down," human cloning expert Dr. Patrick Dixon told the UK Press Association. "The greatest worry many scientists have is that human clones -- even if they don't have monstrous abnormalities in the womb -- will need hip replacements in their teenage years and perhaps develop senile dementia by their 20th birthday. "This is why Dolly's health is so crucial and why scientists around the world will be waiting for the results of a post-mortem examination on her." Wilmut said last year that Dolly's arthritis showed their cloning techniques were "inefficient" and needed more work. Still, he said Dolly could live to be 10 years old. Under UK law, therapeutic cloning -- the duplication of human embryos for research aimed at developing new stem cell treatments -- is allowed, but the cloning of humans is not. Dolly's body has been promised to the National Museum of Scotland and will be put on display in Edinburgh in due course, a spokesman for the Roslin Institute told PA.

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Adventures of Mithun Chakraborty.... > > >ENSOY!!!! > >in a movie, Mithun Da is having Brain Tumor >which, according to the doctors can't be cured and his death is imminent. In one of the fights, Our great Mithun Da is shot in the head. To everybody's surprise , the bullet passes thru his head taking away the tumor along with it and he is cured. >Long Live Mithun Da and his "Assembly Line" >Productions !!! > >In one of the movies, Mithun da is confronted with 2 gangsters. >Mithun da has a Gun but unfortunately only one bullet. Guess, what he does....... > >He holds a knife in his hand and shoots the >bullet towards the knife. The knife cuts the bullet in 2 pieces and kills both the >gangsters. Then, Mithun da say the following >dialogue >"Apun ka naam hai HIRA, Apun ne sabko >Chiraa". > >In one of the other movies, Mithun da is >chased by a gangster. Apne Mihtun da ke paas gun hai par goli nahi hai. >Guess, what he does......... > >He waits for the gangster to shoot. As soon >as the gangster shoots, Mithun da opens the bullet compartment of his gun and catches the bullet. Then, he closes the bullet compartment and fires his gun. Bang... And the gangster dies.... > >What about this :- >can't recollect the movie name but scene is >like this - > >Our Mithun Da is put in a jail and he is wearing a cap .... then in the cell he sees here and there and suddenly puts his finger in a wall (uses his finger as drill machine) makes a hole .. then takes pen out of his pocket puts the pen in the hole .. >Then he takes off his Cap and hangs it on the Pen .... style hai >bhai .......... > > >Scene this..!!! > >In the movie "Watan Ke Rakhwale" apna Mithun Da is in jail and desperately wants to get out of that hell..What he does is simply unimaginable..!!!! >He crawls like a Spiderman over a wall...a >jail wall , that must be about 50-60 ft high and jumps over...!!! >truly amazing.. >This is a fine example of what a director can do when he has >nothing to think of.!! > -Prasad.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/html/comp/articleshow?artid=34569012 Following is the full text of the inaugural address by Dr Karan Singh on a symposium ‘Science and Beyond: Cosmology, Consciousness and Technology in the Indic Traditions’. As this symposium begins with cosmology, I would like to start my address by quoting the famous creation-hymn from the world's most ancient living scripture, the Rig Veda (X.IZ9/1-7- Griffith translation): Then was not non-existent nor existent: There was no realm of air, no shy beyond it: What covered it, and where? And what gave shelter? Was water there, unfathomed depth of water? Death was not then, nor was there aught immortal: No sign was there, the day's and night's divider. That one thing, breathless, breathed by its own nature: Apart from it was nothing whatsoever. Darkness there was: at first concealed in darkness All this was indiscriminate chaos. All that existed then was void and formless: By the great power of warmth was born that unit. Thereafter rose desire in the beginning. Desire the primal seed and germ of spirit. Sages who searched with their hearts' thought discovered the existent's kinship with the non-existent. Transversely was their severing line extended: What was above it then, and what below it? There were begetters, there were mighty forces, free action here and energy up yonder Who verily knows and who can here declare it, Whence it was born and whence comes this creation? The gods are later than the world’s production, who knows then whence it first came into being? He, the first origin of this creation, whether he formed it all or did not form it, Whose eye control this world in highest heaven, He verily knows it, or perhaps he knows not. It is indeed astounding that modern developments in science, particularly cosmology, seem to echo some of the insights of our great seers and sages which have come down to us for thousands of years through the long and tortuous corridors of lime. It is almost as if, like the background. Emanations from the Big Bang, the faint echoes of our ancient spiritual luminaries can still be heard in the background of all our post-modern discourses on the human condition. Some years ago, when I was ambassador to the United States, I called upon the great scientist Prof S. Chandrasekhar in Chicago, and asked him as to how it was that the seers of the Vedas and Upanishads had two astounding insights which have emerged in modern science only very recently. The first is the concept of Anantakoti Brahmanda – billions of galaxies or universe. The second is the concept of vast aeons of times through which creation passes, the single day of Brahma being of 4.32 million years with a night of equal duration, so that a year of Brahma closely approximates the age of planet Earth. He really had no explanation and when I suggested that perhaps this knowledge came to our seers in enhanced states of consciousness, he said that was quite possible. From cosmology, let us then move on to consciousness. In the Indic traditions, consciousness is not merely an epi-phenomenon of evolving matter, rather, it is the prime principle which calls forth these millions of worlds. The great icon of Shiva Nataraja, lord of the cosmic dance, beautifully portrays this kinetic universe in which all things, from the majestic movement of the great galaxies down to the persistent agitation of sub-atomic particles, are in a state of flux. The drum in Shiva's left hand represents creation – the original Big Bang if you like, or perhaps a continual series of Big Bangs, while the fire in his right hand represents their ultimate destruction in the great cycles of time. However, if there were only the Big Bangs and the Big Crunches, there would be little space for you and me. Shiva's other two hands, therefore, point to the possibility of individual realisation amidst the cosmic chaos in which we find ourselves. One hand is raised in a gesture of benediction, telling humanity not to fear while the fourth points to his upraised foot as the path of liberation. The whole question of consciousness and its evolution is one that has attracted some of the best minds in the world, including the great evolutionary philosopher Sri Aurobindo. In India, we have developed over the millennia systems of yoga which are surely the most profound and integral exploration of consciousness ever essayed by the human race. While we also developed path-breaking outer technology in such fields as metallurgy, medicine and mathematics; Indian civilisation took a turn probably unique in the history of thought. Our most creative minds turned the searchlight inwards towards the source of consciousness itself, and built up an entire science based upon this creative introspection. In his classic work on the yoga-sutras, the sage Patanjali has given us a seminal textbook for exploring the deeper recesses of our being. Post-Freudian movements in psychology in the West have also gradually developed these deeper insights, notably with C.G. Jung and the post-Jungians, and moving on to Transpersonal Psychology. The study of consciousness has now become a fully respectable and challenging area for intellectual and experiential exploration. I have personally had the privilege of discussing the nature of consciousness with some of the most creative minds of the 20th century – Stanislav Grof with his extended cartography of the mind, Rupert Sheldrape with his theory of morphogenic resonance, llya Prigogine with his chaos theory, Jonas Salk, the great biochemist whose book Survival of the Wisest is a classic, Carl Sagan, who brought the mysteries of the cosmos into the minds and hearts of millions, Arthur Clarke, the astonishingly creative space author, and many others. Indeed, the study of consciousness is now one of the most fertile fields for research and experimentation. Years ago, when I was minister for health and family planning, I had started in Bangalore in the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro-Sciences (NIMHANS) a programme entitled ‘Project Consciousness’ in which I had assembled some of the most creative scientific minds in India as well as involving Pandit Gopi Krishna whose books on Kundalini awakening are known throughout the world. Unfortunately, as so often happens, the project was wound up almost immediately after I left the ministry, evidently considered a mild eccentricity not worth pursuing. It has always struck me as tragic that we in India, with our unique spiritual and intellectual background in this field, should still be lagging behind. Had the project continued over the last quarter of a century, we could well have produced the first Nobel laureates in the field of consciousness research. Albert Einstein's famous remark that "science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind", makes a very important point. Before him, the Cartesian-Newtonian-Marxist paradigm of thought postulated an unbreachable dichotomy between matter and spirit. This concept dominated Western civilisation for several centuries and did produce spectacular results. However, with the Einsteinian revolution and Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle, Quantum mechanics and extra-galactic cosmology, the situation has now changed considerably. Science itself is in one of its great creative periods where old barriers are breaking down and some of us — perhaps a trifle optimistically — are beginning to discern the outlines of a convergence between science and spirituality. I use the term 'spirituality' advisedly, because 'religion' carries a lot of baggage, much of it positive but some of it negative also, despite the work being done by interfaith organisations around the world, including the temple of understanding of which I happen to be chairman, whereas spirituality transcends theological divisions, and cuts across barriers of race and creed, religion and nationality. The seers of all the great faiths of the world have, in their utterances, sought to describe what is essentially an indescribable experience, whether it is the Beatific Vision of the Christians, the Bodhichitta of the Buddhists, the Noor-e-llahi of the Muslims, the Ek Onkar of the Sikh gurus or the Self-realisation of the Hindus. Clearly, there are states of higher consciousness which transcend all barriers and which are the heritage of the entire human race. This flows from the persistent tradition of the light that illuminates the universe – the light of consciousness itself, and it is ultimately an awareness of this light in all human beings that alone can become the cornerstone of a sane and harmonious global society. What is needed today, as the watchword of the emerging global society, is a new global renaissance, an integration between apparently conflicting concepts. We need to develop a benign symbiosis between the various elements of our personality — the inner and the outer, the quietist and the activist, the feminine and the masculine — and in the broader dimension between science and spirituality. It is my sincere hope that this international symposium on science and beyond will help to trigger the process of creative symbiosis whereby alone can the human race survive its own technological ingenuity. It is in this hope that I have the greatest pleasure in inaugurating this symposium.

Its better for NASA to consult Vaimaanika Shastra and research its contents for spacecraft design that will be less susceptible to accidents and hence avert tragedies such as Columbia/Challenger etc. May be India shud apply for a patent before others know the details. -Prasad.

Tarunji, you r right. No denial from my side. Gandhiji definitely had good qualities some of which are relevant even today. I guess you shud've participated in 'NO WAR' rallies in New York /images/graemlins/smile.gif . just kiddin.!. -Prasad.

Do pickles come under tamasic food? - Because they are too much salty. Indians esp south Indians are very fond of Pickles and too much salt is added to avoid them from getting spoiled over long periods of time. Are they living in the mode of ignorance?? -Prasad.

http://gandhiexposed.hindujagran.com

http://headlines.sify.com/1600news1...Peace~Prize</p> New Delhi, Jan 29 Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948), the greatest icon of non-violence, was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize five times, even posthumously in 1948, as revealed by the diaries of former members and chairpersons of the Nobel Committee reveal. In fact, when the fifth nomination got mired in technicalities as there was no precedent of giving away the award posthumously, the Commmittee took the unusual step of not awarding the Peace Prize for anyone. The entries in the diaries make startling revelations regarding the thinking of the Nobel Committee on awarding the Prize to Gandhi. One such fact is that in 1947, he was not considered because he was a ''patriot''. Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated on January 30, 1948, two days before the closing date for Nobel Peace Prize nominations. The committee got six nominations in favour of Gandhi, but the matter got entangled in the technicalities as to whether the Prize can be given posthumously or not. That year the Nobel Peace Prize was not awarded to anybody with the official statement that, "there was no suitable living candidate". Gandhiji personified non-violence in the twentieth century and was the most natural choice for the Nobel Peace Prize. But, still the Nobel Peace Prize eluded him. Many questions have been raised on the issue, but there have been no convincing answers. Was the horizon of the Norwegian Nobel Committee too narrow? Was the committee unable to appreciate and take cognisance of the struggle for freedom among non-European people? Or were the Norwegian committee members perhaps afraid to award the Prize, which might be detrimental to the relationship between their country and Great Britain, at that time? Gandhi was nominated in 1937, 1938, 1939, 1947 and, lastly, a few days before he was assassinated in January 1948. The omission has been publicly regretted by later members of the Nobel committee, when the Dalai Lama was awarded the Peace Prize in 1989. The chairman of the committee said this was "in part a tribute to the memory of Mahatma Gandhi". Oyvind Tonnesson, Peace Editor, Nobel e-Museum on the official website of the Nobel committee, has mentioned that according to the Nobel Constitution, under certain circumstances, the Nobel Prize can be awarded posthumously. However, vague reasons were given in the case of Gandhi, that he did not belong to an organisation and that he left no property behind and no will, and as such who should receive the prize money? According to the web-site article, the director of the Norwegian Nobel Institute, August Schou, sought the opinion of Swedish prize awarding institutions in case Gandhi was awarded posthumously. The answers were negative. Posthumous awards, they thought, should not take place unless the laureate died after the committee's decision had been made. "Friends of India" associations in Europe and the US at that time were advocates of Gandhi's name for the Nobel. In 1937, a member of the Norwegian Parliament Ole Colbjornsen (Labour Party), nominated Gandhi for that year's Nobel Peace Prize. However, the Committee's advisor, Professor Jacob Worm-Muller, wrote a rather critical report on Gandhi. He admired Gandhi as a person but was critical of him as a statesman. He wrote, "He is, undoubtedly, a noble and ascetic person - a prominent man who is deservedly honoured and loved by the masses of India...", adding that there were, however, "sharp turns in his policies, which can hardly be satisfactorily explained by his followers... He is a freedom fighter and a dictator, an idealist and a nationalist. He is frequently a Christ, but then, suddenly, an ordinary politician." Gandhi had many critics in the international peace movement. The Nobel Committee adviser referred to these critics in maintaining that he was not consistently pacifist, that he should have known that one of his non-violent campaigns towards the British would degenerate into violence and terror. This was something that had happened during the first Non-Cooperation Campaign in 1920-1921, for instance, when a crowd in Chauri Chaura, the united provinces, attacked a police station, killed many of the policemen and then set the station afire. In his report, Prof. Worm-Muller expressed his doubts as to whether Gandhi's ideals were meant to be universal or primarily Indian. "One might say that it is significant that his well-known struggle in South Africa was on behalf of the Indians only, and not of the Blacks whose living conditions were even worse." In 1947, the nominations of Gandhi came by telegram from India, via the Norwegian foreign office. The nominators were B G Kher, Prime Minister of Bombay, Govind Ballabh Pant, Prime Minister of the United Provinces, and G V Mavalankar, the President of the Indian Legislative Assembly. The Nobel Committee's advisor, the historian Jens Arup Seip, wrote a new report that is primarily an account of Gandhi's role in Indian political history after 1937. "The following ten years," Seip wrote, "from 1937 up to 1947, led to the event which for Gandhi and his movement was at the same time the greatest victory and the worst defeat-India's independence and India's partition." From the diary of committee chairman Gunnar Jahn, it can be inferred that when the members were to make their decision on October 30, 1947, two acting committee members, the Christian conservative Herman Smitt Ingebretsen and the Christian liberal, Christian Oftedal spoke in favour of Gandhi. One year earlier, they had strongly favoured John Mott, the YMCA leader. It seems, they preferred candidates who could serve as moral and religious symbols in a world threatened by social and ideological conflicts. However, in 1947 they were not able to convince the three other members. The Labour politician Martin Tranmael was very reluctant to award the prize to Gandhi in the midst of the Indian-Pakistani conflict. Both Tranmael and Jahn had learnt that, one month earlier, at a prayer meeting, Gandhi had made a statement that indicated that he had given up his consistent rejection of war. Based on a telegram from Reuters, The Times, on September 27, 1947, under the headline "Mr Gandhi on 'war' with Pakistan" reported, "Mr Gandhi told his prayer meeting that, though he had always opposed all warfare, if there was no other way of securing justice from Pakistan and if Pakistan persistently refused to see its proved error and continued to minimise it, the Indian Union Government would have to go to war against it. No one wanted war, but he could never advise anyone to put up with injustice...If there was war, the Hindus in Pakistan could not be fifth columnists. If their loyalty lay not with Pakistan they should leave it. Similarly, Muslims whose loyalty was with Pakistan should not stay in the Indian Union." Gandhi had immediately sent a rejoinder that the report was correct, but incomplete. At the meeting he had added that he himself had not changed his mind and that "he had no place in a new order where they wanted an Army, a Navy, an Air Force and what not". Jahn in his diary quoted himself as saying, "While it is true that he (Gandhi) is the greatest personality among the nominees, plenty of good things could be said about him, we should remember that he is not only an apostle for peace; he is first and foremost a patriot... Moreover, we have to bear in mind that Gandhi is not naive. He is an excellent jurist and a lawyer."

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