SatVidhya August 2014 by SatVidhya Ezine

E D I NS A I T’s DHY 14 A I WH ATV t 20 S us g Au

1. A Delightful Time of the Year

2. Where Rama Washed His Sin…

3. Poignant Intelligence

4. From My BookShelf

5. Attributes and Beneﬁts of Garlic

6. Proud to be an Indian

7. Reader’s Editor Winner

8. From My Heart

9. Ganesh Chaturthi

10. Relationship with Grandparents

11. From Kali to Krishna : A Love Song

12. From YouTube

SatVidhya August 2014 Lotus 1, Petal 11 Editor-in-Chief : Charukesi Viswanathan Deputy Editor : Ramesh Siva Managing Editor : P Venkatesh Creative Designer : Vivek M

Editorial & Advertising Oﬃce SP-75 (Dexterity Building), SIDCO Industrial Estate, Ambattur, Chennai - 600058, Tamil Nadu, India.

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A Delightful Time of the Year - Ganapati Bappa Morya

A Delightful Time A Delightful Time of the the Year Year of Ganapati Morya Ganapati Bappa Bappa Morya

Lalitha Devi Ganesha’s name usually comes to mind with a smile, whether we are in New York, Tokyo, Paris or Chennai. If you ask a Christian like me, Ganesha’s charm can reach unlikely masses of devotees. Like the time in 1995, when I woke up one morning and felt an unexplainable love for him. At that time, all I knew about Ganesha was his name, and that his childlike, plump human form was topped by an elephant head. This feeling of deep love for a foreign god persisted throughout the day, so as I drove to work and various other places, I listened to a Ganesha bhajan on a cassette a friend had sent me from France. The next morning, the New York Times’ front page article jolted me into an altered state of consciousness—not only had Ganesha statues been drinking milk worldwide the day before, but his mysterious appearance in my life had made me an overnight devotee. Perhaps the reason for Ganesha’s unique inﬂuence on our soul can be found in our own human predicament. Because his super abilities include the removal of unseen obstacles—and we all face obstacles—we are more likely to relate to him than to other divine beings. But Ganesha embodies many other surprising attributes—so we learn that he is a dapper dancer—and he is more intelligent than his Pleiadian brother Muruga, teacher of OM, who tutored even Shiva on the sacred sound of creation.

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A Delightful Time of the Year - Ganapati Bappa Morya

In fact, Ganesha outsmarted his younger brother by winning a contest set by Lord Shiva and arriving first in a race with barely any effort, while Muruga instead, traveled painstakingly around the entire Earth. Ganesha is said to have written down the sacred scriptures dictated by sage Vyasa, the writer of the Mahabharata and organizer of the four Vedas—the written form of thousands of years of higher knowledge. In Hindu iconography, the elephant-headed God represents the annihilation of the ego because Ganesha’s appearance doesn’t appeal to the rationalist. Something about him changes our consciousness in subtle ways that can’t usually be translated into known terms. Dr. Pillai explains that by visualizing Ganesha’s orange-red color we can bring his superpowers into our lives. This claim is also supported by extensive scientific studies on the brain by Andrew Newberg, M.D. and fellow researcher Mark Robert Waldman. As illustrated in their book How God Changes Your Brain—Ballantine Books—they observed that prayers and visualizations of various images of God “lastingly change numerous structures and functions in the brain, altering your values, and the way you perceive reality”. This explains my first experience of Ganesha. In September 1980, I traveled to Bombay (now Mumbai). By the Gate Way of India I encountered a crowd whose clamor made me stop in my tracks. Though their voices were loud, their slow movements and demeanor denoted an altered state of consciousness. They seem blissful, I thought. Then I saw him—a life-size statue of a boy with an elephant head twice as large as those of the four men who carried him. I asked my friends and traveling companions who he was. “Ganesha, a Hindu God”. I felt a strange desire to know more about this Ganesha, but then forgot all about Him for many years. Ganapati Bappa Morya—O God return soon next year—says the common Marathi (the language of Maharashtra, the Mumbai region) chant for Ganesha’s birthday.Indeed, return soon and remove all our problems. We love you. Wish you a delightful and miraculous Ganesha Chaturthi!

Author Bio Italian born Lalitha Devi (Donatella Riback) is a yogini and writer. Since 1993, she has been learning Vedic Sciences, furthering her studies while living in India for five years. After resigning in 2003 from an executive level position in PR, she has been teaching yoga and Ayurveda. Lalitha is a certified yoga teacher and Reiki master. She has studied Ayurveda with Dr. Deepak Chopra, Dr. David Simon and Dr. Vasant Lad. Lalitha is also a certified Vedic astrologer from the American Academy of Vedic Arts and Sciences (AAVAS) and her Jyotish gurus include: Sam Sadasiva Geppi, founder of AAVAS, Dr. Pillai, founder of AstroVed, Dr. K S Charak, and AstroVed astrologer Valli Wells.

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Where Rama Washed His Sin…

Where Rama Washed His Sin… P Venkatesh “The car can go only so far. You have to walk through the forest to reach. Nobody goes there”, our driver Ganesh told us when I shared my plans to see Jada Theertham, one of the many holy tanks near the town of Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu, South India. Familiarity is good. When you visit places others have visited before, there are no surprises. You can read online reviews, ask the local people, and generally know what to expect. But, the driver’s words were enough to make my parents anxious. Spirituality is like venturing into the unknown, and the unknown can be uneasy. There is a thin line between ‘sacred ’ and ‘scared ’, and to my parents’ dismay I was about to cross that. Anticipating this, I started preparing them during our car journey from Rameswaram. I regaled them with a story about the glory of Jada Theertham. Rama, the hero of the epic Ramayana, had visited this place after killing the demon king Ravana. ‘Karma’ does not spare you, even if you happen to be the 7th Avatar of Vishnu, the Preserver God in Hinduism. Even though Ravana’s act of abducting Rama’s wife was unpardonable, Rama was tainted with the sin of killing a great devotee of Shiva such as Ravana. To purify himself, Rama washed his ‘Jada’ or hair here, hence the name Jada Theertham. Only after that he proceeded to install the main Shiva Linga at Rameswaram. Tamil Siddhas, the enlightened beings from South India, prescribe that a mere bath here can spiritually evolve you faster than countless hours of

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Where Rama Washed His Sin…

meditation. Such is the power of the water in Jada Theertham. On the road to Dhanushkodi, our car made a detour where the signboard read ‘Jada Theertham’. By now, the driver Ganesha had got the confidence to drive through dense, thorny thrubs on a stony path leading to our destination. Very soon, we were greeted by a vast ocean of sand. I got out of the car and hurriedly plodded through the sand to reach the holy water tank of Jada Theertham. I sprinkled some water from the tank over my head three times, a sort of quick substitute for bathing. I was delighted by the rare sight of several eagles sitting near the tank. It was perhaps a blessing from Jatayu, the king of birds, who had valiantly given up his life here while fighting Ravana in order to free Sita. My parents, who seemed annoyed at my rushing ahead without them, joined me. There was a small shrine close to the water tank, with a statue of the elephant god Ganesha and two Shiva Lingas. Though the shrine was locked, we could see the deities through the Iron gate. There was no sign of any human settlement around. But, there were some flowers strewn near both the Shiva Lingas which meant that someone had visited earlier. As per the Siddhas from the Agasthia lineage, one of the Shiva Lingas was worshipped by the planetary deity Rahu and has the power to remove ignorance. The other Shiva Linga was worshipped by the planetary deity Ketu and has the power to grant wisdom. The Ganesha statue itself can bless one with rapid progress on the spiritual path. All I was carrying were two tiny copper cups filled with the holy Ganges water from North India, which I offered to these two Shiva Lingas that are said to be in existence for thousands of years and more. I felt utterly mortal and totally blessed to be on this revered ground.

Who on earth would know that right at the tail end of the Indian subcontinent is such a power-packed

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Where Rama Washed His Sin…

vortex? Obscured in time and hidden from public imagination, Jada Theertham promises to “do the undoable” – the sacred water here can spring the fountain of wisdom within you. Our feet and eyes will perhaps remember the sojourn. But, nobody else would ever know that we had visited Jada Theertham that day, for sands leave no trail. Hopefully, we pray that we had left behind all trails of our karma too.

Author Bio

As a communications expert and creative consultant, Venkatesh has designed and executed web campaigns, organized transformational seminars, andproduced radio documentaries for global audiences. He has consulted respected NGOs on national-level projects on community radio,climate change and education. He has written over 50 articles ondiverse subjects for leading publications.

http://www.nallisilks.com

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Poignant Intelligence

P. S. Guru Emotional Intelligence involves understanding your own emotions and also the emotions of people around you. Emotions affect people twenty-four hours a day, regardless of where they live and what they do. It goes without saying that emotions have a significant impact on people’s behavior as individuals and as members of groups. Emotional intelligence also known as poignant intelligence is the intelligence people have, when they are in tune with their emotions. People with stimulating awareness use this knowledge, as they manage their own behaviors and they cooperate with others. Researches indicate that people with a high degree of emotional astuteness are more likely to be successful. They are more likely to recognize their strengths and weaknesses and focus their energies on projects, which are important to them. They also have a knack of engaging socially with others and building relationships that allow them to draw the abilities of the people around them. The foremost quality of an emotionally intelligent person as well as helpful strategy for using emotional intelligence is to calm down, when you’re upset, interpret other people’s body language, and even while dealing with people you don’t like in the workplace. People with a high level of poignant intelligence or EQ (emotional intelligence quotient) harness the wisdom of emotions better than others. They successfully manage difficult situations. They also express themselves clearly and gain respect from others. They influence other people, entice others to help them out, keep cool under pressure and know how to say the ‘right’ thing to get the right result. Managing effectively when negotiating with others comes easily for them. Motivate them to get things done. They

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Poignant Intelligence

know how to be positive, even during difficult situations. Hot emotions, such as anger and jealousy, tend to get you into trouble and it can be difficult to manage and control. You can use emotional intelligence to turn hot emotions into cool emotions and calm yourself down with the following distraction and coping techniques: Count up to ten numbers. Think of something contrary with the situation, such as a warm, sunny beach. Adapt to humor or think of a comical situation. Focus on your breathing, starting with air entering your body, down to your diaphragm and then exhale. Try to analyze the situation from someone else’s perspective. Take a more realistic look of your situation. Look at the situation as if it happened a long time ago, which removes some of the distress and intensity that occurs soon after the event. Focus on the situation and not the emotion. Try to see the situation realistically, not as unrealistically and impossibly bad. Be optimistic. At work, emotional intelligence can help you to deal effectively with difficult people and situations. If you’re in a delicate situation of working with people you don’t like, you can follow these tips to get the most out of the time spent with your co-workers: Know your work style: Determine whether certain people bother you or you are comfortable working alone.

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Poignant Intelligence

Know your feelings: Decide whether you prefer to work with some speciﬁc people (either employees or certain types of customers) and not all others. Structure your time to get more control over when you have to work with people with whom you have negative feelings. Pick a time of day: See if you're more open to dealing with others at a speciﬁc time of day. Choose a place: Check if you’re more comfortable working with others in a particular place (in a particular setup). Plan ahead: Plan your interactions (set goals for the interactions) in advance so that you can keep it short. Set the amount of time for your interactions in advance and try to stick to it. Be professional: Be pleasant, even if you don’t like the person you have to deal with.

Author Bio P. S. Guru also known as G V PAN has two and half decade work experience in Pharmaceutical Marketing and Hospitality industry. He has taken Management Classes for various professionals across the country in both Marketing and Management topics. He enjoys traveling to diﬀerent places.

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From My BookShelf

From My BookShelf Your God, My God by Dr. T.S. Ramaswamy

Charukesi

According to the author, Your God, My God is a journey of the quivering heart, as the subtitle proclaims. Dr. Ramaswamy’s attempt has been unique, in that he has given space to other religions like Islam and Christianity. The author’s 31 year old daughter collapses and dies when she returns from her office one evening. The 4 year old child is not satisfied when her grandfather says that ‘God has taken her away’ due to His affection or ‘Vatsalyam’ towards the mother. When the child asks in return, ‘Where is the God’s vatsalya?’ The grandfather has no answer. A perennial why has shadowed human history since first sharp realization that each of us must die. ‘Why should we suffer continuously the worst of the sorrows being the pain of death?’, asks the author. According to the author, it is ironic that religions seeking to remedy the sufferings of the mankind have also caused several wars and violence. Religion, therefore, cannot be defined although attempts have been made to explain several facets of it. What is the role of the religion, then? ‘Religion should provide tranquility and peace not terror. Today, however, people feel that religion has supplied the ideology, the motivation and the organizational structure for violence. Yet, strangely, it is claimed that the goal of all the religious violence is peace! Where does the problem lie?’, asks the author. The problem today, he says, is that in the midst of rituals, myths, dogmas, doctrinal viewpoints, subtle philosophical variations, we are blinded and grope in the dark, trying to find the needle of life in the haystack of the conflicting claims of religions. The author agrees that the justification of wars was disturbing him all these years, be it Mahabharata, Jihad or just war. In Christianity too, God is described as the man of war in the Old Testament. In chapters six and seven, Ramaswamy describes his way of picking up the essence of religions while he does investigate the root causes in chapters two to five on Hinduism. He states that he has used liberal quotations from scriptures from Bhagavad Gita, Mahabharata, Upanishads, and scholars like Dr. Radhakrishnan, Swamy Prabhupada and Annie Besant.

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From My BookShelf

Islam is an Arabic word that connotes submission, surrender and obedience. As a religion, Islam stands for complete submission and obedience to Allah. Another literal meaning, the author says, is peace. Jihad means struggle to the utmost of one’s capacity ‘physically and mentally’ in the cause of Allah. According to Imam Raghib, a Muslim is required to ﬁght three foes: the visible enemy, the devil and himself, says the author. Islam has forbidden wanton destruction of even enemies’ crops and properties at the time of invasion or at the time of conquests. The author states that name, ninety three chapters of the holy prophet, a messenger, a from God, the Messiah and the Spirit of God.

Jesus is mentioned by times in ﬁfteen diﬀerent Quran. He is called a servant of God, a word one inspired or aided by

In Chapter 4, the author deals with Christianity and begins with the quotation of Huston Smith: that Christianity is basically a historical religion. That is to say that it was not founded on abstract principles but in concrete events, actual historical happenings. The fundamental virtue of the ethics of Jesus Christ, according to the author, is love because love is the society-making quality. Human life originates in love. World was impressed with Jesus’ teachings of love and his prayer to God to forgive those who crucified him. The Christian theology of non-violence, ‘do not let yourself be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good’ is emphasized here. Although separate chapters have not been devoted to Jainism, Sikhism, Judaism and Baha’i Faith, they have been dealt with in a crisp form. Integration through compassion, the author stresses, and quotes the Shaiva poet Basavanna, who said, ‘Compassion is the essence of religion. Is there any religion without compassion, tell me?’ The author states that Albert Einstein was once asked, ‘what is the most important question you can ask in life?’. He replied, ‘Is the Universe a friendly place or not?’ to which, Harry Oliver raised a counter question: ‘How to love this world?’ The author adds: How to be compassionate to all creatures? The author is very clear in his perception. He says all religions function toward one goal – to transform human existence from self-centeredness to compassion-centeredness, from the unreal to real. While commenting upon the future of humanity, he says peace is meaningless without justice and non-violence; democracy is impossible without justice and non-violence and reason cannot function in the absence of justice, non-violence and democracy. The book has appendix on religions, glossary and bibliography. This is a book which clarifies many a point on various religions in general and a discerning reader would find it interesting.

Author Bio Charukesi is a freelance journalist based in Chennai. He has served a multinational pharma company in various capacities, in diﬀerent locations. He has translated books of Sudha Murty, Gurcharan Das, Devdutt Patnaik, R. Gopalakrishnan, R. Kannan, Peter Gonsalves and other writers into Tamil. He has won prizes for his short stories in competitions held by Tamil periodicals Kalki, Kumudam and Kanayazhi. Author of over a score of books on self-improvement, biography and travelogue, Charukesi has been writing for Economic Times Town Talk column on Sundays a decade ago. Currently, he writes articles and music & book reviews in The Hindu’s Friday Review column.

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Attributes and Beneﬁts of Garlic

Attributes and Beneﬁts of Garlic Dr. Kavitha Bharat Among the members of onion family, garlic has been considered as more potent due to its high medicinal value. It possesses strong odor and pungent taste like onion. When chewed, chopped or crushed, the cells of garlic being broken by these physical movements emit Allicin, a Sulphur compound, which gives anti-bacterial and anti-fungal eﬀect. This contributes a peculiar smell and taste to Garlic. After digestion, these compounds mix up with blood and move to lungs and skin for elimination. That is why garlic lovers emit bad breath and sweat, which can be easily removed by taking parsley, peppermint or coriander.

Synonyms Botanical Name: Allium Sativum Sanskrit : Rasona, Lasuna English: Garlic Hindi: Lahsun

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Attributes and Beneﬁts of Garlic

Garlic is a perennial bulbous plant, which is cultivated as an important condiment crop all over the world. Being the largest cultivator of garlic, China accounts for about 77 % of garlic production. Remaining percentage of garlic need has been fulfilled by cultivations from India and other countries. Garlic contains sub globular rhizome of about 4–6 cm diameter. Each contains 8–20 no of irregularly ovoid cloves, separated by thin papery and brittle layer. Cloves are sticky on removing the external layer. It emits a peculiar pungent and odious odour. Various chemical constituents have been identified from garlic such as Allyl disulphide, Diallyl disulphide, Allin and Allicin. It also contains Vitamins, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Potassium, Sodium, Phosphorus, Zinc and Selenium. Medicinal uses of Garlic: Protects vascular structures: Garlic prevents accumulation of cholesterol on the walls of blood vessels. It prevents vascular calcification. Controls blood cholesterol: Garlic supplements reduce serum total cholesterol and triglycerides and also controls liver protein level. Prevents blood clot: Garlic cloves reduce platelet aggregation, thereby lowers the risk of forming spontaneous blood clots. Anti-microbial: It is a bacteriostatic and bactericide agent, which provides immunity against respiratory and gastrointestinal infections. Its anti-fungal activity provides relief from thrush and fungal infections of ear. Carminative: It relieves flatulence (excessive stomach or intestinal gas) by expelling the intestinal gas and prevents its formation inside gastro intestinal tract. Digestive stimulant: Improves appetite and digestion. Home remedies: Garlic boiled with coconut oil can be applied externally in Arthritis. This oil can be instilled into the ears to reduce ear pain. Extract obtained by crushing the garlic cloves along with rock salt can be applied to relax muscle sprains. Garlic boiled in water along with milk can be taken every day to stop seizures and to get rid of sciatica, flatulence and heart diseases. Garlic paste applied inside the throat relieves respiratory infections and intestinal worms. Milk boiled with garlic cloves taken regularly, helps in reunion of fractured bone.

Author Bio Dr. Kavitha Barath B.A.M.S. serves as Manager, Quality Control Department with Vopec Pharmaceuticals Pvt. Ltd. She graduated from Dr. MGR Medical University with an excellent academic track record. She has profound knowledge and experience in Ayurveda and Panchakarma Therapy, and has eﬀectively treated various diseases during her tenure with Ayush Therapy Centre, Chennai. She is also an expert counselor in alleviating disease. During her professional career Dr.Barath has successfully treated many cases of Inter-vertebral disc prolapse, Sciatica, Arthritis and Psychological disorders.

www.thejus.com

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Proud to be an Indian

Proud to be an Indian Ramesh Siva On 15th of August of 2014, the World’s largest democratic country had celebrated its 68th Independence Day. The Journey from August 15, 1947 to August 15, 2014 has been a roller coaster ride for India with many highs & lows, achievements & failures, windfalls & disasters. Many selfless souls had sacrificed their lives during the country’s independence struggle. Youngsters like Chandrasekhar Azad, Bhagat Singh, Sukh dev and many others gave up their youth and life during country’s freedom struggles. The country achieved its independence through non-violence movement. India is remembered and recognized as a culturally rich country for its abundance of knowledge and contributions in the fields of Arts, Literature, Spirituality and Medicine. Many foreigners view India as a source of inspiration for its cultural riches, joint family life and artistic heritage. When North American, Latin American and many European nations were not even born, Bharat (earlier name of India) had versatile army and business treasures. Indian poets and writers have penned well-known literatures, when other languages in the world have just come in to existence. Such is India’s tradition and cultural riches. The whole world is amazed with some of India’s best policies like Unity in Diversity, Democratic rights, Press freedom and patronizing religious harmony. There could be some black spots or worries in the country’s progress path like huge population, corruption, prevailing health & sanitation conditions and infrastructure facilities. But, any developing nation is bound to face these hurdles.

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Proud to be an Indian

India is able to withstand and achieve, regardless of the global economic hurdles, inflation, communal violence and several other impending issues with a unique tool. Unity in Diversity is the tool or mantra. The country speaks different languages. Different religious faiths are observed here. The food habits and festivals differ from state to state, even district to district within a state. But, during crisis times, the country roars in unison. Many spiritual techniques, traditional medical treatment and meditation techniques have evolved in India. Today, the whole world enjoys the fruits of these systems. Yoga which has taken birth in India has traveled to many countries. India has the largest number of news channels in the world and largest newspaper market in the world. Media plays the role of a strong fourth pillar in the country. Weddings in India are celebrated in a unique way, which you cannot find anywhere in the world. Many Westerners visit India in seek of peace and knowledge enhancement. Of late, India’s rapid growth in the field of Medicine provides a golden opportunity for many people to obtain world class treatment at an affordable cost. The country’s rapid advancement in the fields of Information technology, Automobile industry, and electronics ultimately opens floodgates of business opportunities. India is playing a positive role in South Asian and Asian level.

I am proud to have born in a country, which has introduced and improvised many forms of arts, medicine and meditation to the world. I am proud that my country is contributing to global development as well as peace. Long Live India! Long live peace and Harmony!

Author Bio Ramesh Siva is an expert writer and avid reader and quizzer. His articles, short stories and poems have been published in several magazines. He is a keen observer of current aﬀairs and sports, and loves reading on diverse subjects, speciﬁcally arts, culture, modern day literature, and spirituality.

Dear Readers, We are delighted with the number of entries we received for Reader’s Editor. We appreciate the eﬀorts of all the contributors and their valuable suggestions to solve the biggest challenge faced by the World today. After many rounds of discussions and deliberations, we have selected Amruta Gadag’s entry as winning entry for SatVidhya’s Reader Editor. Congratulations to the winner and we acknowledge all the participants for their valuable contributions. Regards, SatVidhya Editorial Team.

Mindless Consumerism Amruta Gadag We live in a world where we are spoiled by choices. No matter how small or big a product that we want to buy, we have many options to choose from. Some of the products that we buy are sometimes not even required or has some extra unnecessary features which we will never use. This mindless consumerism is one of the big problems faced by the world today. Companies produce and advertise their products in such a way that we mindlessly go and buy them without actually thinking whether we really need them. The other reason for blind consumerism is our ego. We just want to show others that we own bigger and better things than them, be it clothes, accessories, mobiles or things such as vehicles, refrigerator, television etc. And if someone buys things which are better than ours, we strive hard to get even more superior things. As a result of this mindless consumerism and our need to appear superior, we exhaust the resources of mother Earth and also deprive our fellow human beings from getting their basic amenities. Countries have also started ﬁghting for the limited resources such as metals, petroleum and nuclear fuel. In order to save our Earth and its people, we need to be more careful while buying things. We need to ask ourselves whether the new product will really improve our life and is it at all necessary. As we begin to buy only the essential things, we will all be able to live happily and comfortably, too.

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From My Heart

From My Heart Shiv Shankar When I flipped through some of my videos during a boring Sunday afternoon,I realized that I have earlier made a video about the popular cuisines and culinary skills of Hyderabad city. When I decided to make a video about this city, mouth watery food of Hyderabad struck my mind as the first idea. Without adoring and talking about food, not a single day in my life had passed. Food also has religious connections throughout the world. Especially in India, food is considered as a part of religious observance in all faiths. Food plays a vital role in and Holy places in India, temples, Prasad is devotees as holy of the temple. While temples, you could hear ‘Hanuman Chalisa’ in the this temple is the offered to the deity. Vadas temple are believed to Grace of Lord Hanuman. while talking about Tirupati laddoo attracts reputation. I remember insights and sweet

many religious ceremonies as well as abroad. In Hindu offered by priests to offerings from the deities entering the Hanuman the piously chanted air. Another uniqueness of Vadamala (Vada garland) offered as Prasad in Hanuman possess the courage and Divine One cannot ignore Tirupati laddoos, Prasad. Three centuries old traditional many people for its uniqueness and many Christians and Muslims sharing their memories with Tirupati laddoo.

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From My Heart

The food served at the Christian baptism celebration is one of the most important aspects of the ceremony. During the Holy month of Ramadan, followers of Islam observe fast from sunrise to sunset. Two meals are served during this month, one before Dawn and another after Sunset. Both meals contain fresh fruit, vegetables, halal meats, breads and sweets. In India, they serve Haleem, a porridge made of wheat, meat and lentils during Ramadan. Hyderabad’s Haleem was granted Geographical Indication status (GIS) by the Indian GIS registry office to honor its cultural value and reputation. In Hyderabad, Vegetarian Haleem is too made by substituting vegetables and dry fruits instead of meat. In fact, Haleem unites people across different faiths and religions. Been to Sri Guru Nanak Gurudwara in Chennai, how could I forget the Holy Prasad offered there? Chapattis along with traditional Karah Prasad (made of Wheat, Ghee and Sugar) are served there. It is served to all visitors of Gurudwara in a most pleasing and satisfying manner. Elaborating about food and prasads offered for religious ceremonies and at different holy places, a question arises. How exactly is food connected with God and Divinity? I do not know, precisely & technically. But, I know that every human being would pray God to bless them always with the basic need, ‘The Food’. Prasad is a powerful blessing of the God and intake of it is believed to acquire God’s sanctity. Food feeding is prescribed as a powerful remedy in all religions. After all, serving man kind is the first step to seek the blessings of God. Going by the popular saying ‘Work is Worship’; Workalcohis strongly consider that ‘Work is Divine’. For some people, their ‘Mother is Divine’. Any artist or an art follower would swear that ‘Art is Divine’. Earth lovers would say, ‘Nature is Divine’. Few would argue that ‘Love is Divine’. But, everyone in this world, irrespective of their social quo, wealth, academic qualification, wisdom would accept that ‘Food is Divine’ at some stage of their life. Of the three basic needs, food, clothing & shelter, food occupies the first place. I pray God that every living being in this world be blessed with food. Also, devotees should acquire the blessings of their respective God or Goddesses through Prasad or special food made for the religious occasion.

Author Bio A native of Chennai, Shiv Shankar moved to Hyderabad in his teen years to enhance his knowledge and skills. He is deeply interested in philosophy and video creation. He was running his own business for several years. Later, he joined AstroVed.com due to his expertise in video creation and interest in spirituality. He enjoys travelling very much.

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Ganesh Chaturthi

Vijayalakshmi

Lord Ganesha, the elephant headed God is the lord of success and destroyer of obstacles. He is known for his spontaneity and intelligence, and he is worshipped for knowledge and wisdom. He is the origin of spontaneity and intelligence and His worshippers are bestowed with knowledge and wisdom. Any rituals done, it is He, who is called upon ďŹ rst. Lord Ganesha is the only one Do-it-yourself deity. He is the easiest form of God who can be molded using a material as simple as clay where no craftsmanship is required. This is symbolic of the truth that the Creator gives full liberty to us to create Him in whichever form we desire to. The blend of human and animal form of Lord Ganesha indicates one should possess wisdom and discriminating intellect to attain perfection in life. The strong trunk enables to lift a heavy object as much as to pick up something as thin and simple as a needle. The elephant head God urges his devotees to be enduring in facing the ups and downs in their external world, while remaining calm and cool in their inner world. The big ears indicate listening to others and assimilating ideas. On His special day of Ganesh Chaturthi, He removes the worries and obstacles of His devotees and blesses with auspiciousness, success and happiness to all the people who worship him.

Author Bio Vijayalakshmi has acquired Master Degree in Astrology. With 12 years experience in Vedic Astrology, she is deeply devoted to God and Spirituality. She is passionate in counselling and helping others.

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Relationship with Grandparents

h t i w p ts i h en s n r o a i p t a nd l e R Gra

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SATVIDHYA

Relationship with Grandparents

Relationship with grandparents, according to me, is something that everyone should experience in life. It is a very amazing relationship filled with love, fun, care, delightful moments besides great moral lessons. Today if I am a reasonably good cook, the credit goes to my grand mom. She never took classes, but the way I learnt cooking was funny. She used to create an interest in me to learn cooking. According to her, a woman should know how to cook, while pouring her love and care into the preparation. If she does that, then the family becomes happier, healthier and a strong bonding would indeed develop. Today, it is a fast moving world. The parents go out for work and in many households there is hardly time for cooking and therefore resort to readymade or instant fast foods. This is also one of the reasons for mushrooming of restaurants in and around residential localities. Over a period of time this kind of lifestyle leads to health issues. If grandparents are at home, it is a different story. The gap that is developed between the working parents and children, the grandparents bridge it and make the children feel that they are being cared for. It is said that, “Grandparents make the world...a little softer, a little kinder, a little warmer”. Many times children are more comfortable with their grandparents rather than their own parents. “Grandparents are similar to a piece of string - handy to have around and easily wrapped around the fingers of their grandchildren as a protective cover”. Right from the time of childhood till adolescence, children do enjoy the company of their grandparents. Many continue to enjoy it even when they grow into adults. Grandparents have so much to share with their grandchildren. Their rich experiences in life have great moral values and would be a guiding factor in our lives. Charles W. Shedd has said, “Some of the world's best educators are grandparents”. My husband and I are working. Both of us are very passionate towards our job that many times, we miss to realize that we have a daughter waiting for us at home. When my daughter was small, I was totally engrossed in my work and my household activities that I did not even think that I had to spend time with my daughter. She is a single child. This gap was bridged by my mother-in-law as she understood my situation and she never gave room for my daughter to even feel that she misses her mom. Till my mother-in-law was alive, my daughter used to score cent percent in mathematics. My mother-in-law passed away when my daughter was 11 years old. Now even today, after entering the college, every time she gets her maths marks, she used to say, “Grand ma, till you were alive, I used to get cent percent. I really miss you”. I feel guilty and I feel sad, too. Similarly, grandparents also enjoy life a lot with their grand children. They cherish their mischief, they laugh with them and they dance to the tune of their grandchildren willingly. The grandparents recollect the childhood days of their children while they share stories and love. They forget their pain and sorrows in the company of their grand children. Henry Old Coyote has beautifully expressed the feeling of grandparents for their grandchildren, “Our children are dear to us; but when we have grandchildren, they seem to be dearer than our children were”. Isn’t this a relationship that every child should enjoy?

SATVIDHYA

From Kali to Krishna: A Love Song

From Kali to Krishna: A Love Song Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik In one of the many Tantrik mystic traditions of Bengal, the goddess Kali, often addressed as Tara, is identiﬁed with Krishna, locally known as Keshto. Both share the same dark-complexion, Shyam-ranga, and their partners, Shiva in case of Kali, and Radha in case of Krishna, are fair as camphor, Karpura-gaur. The stories that connect these two very distinct traditions – the blood sacriﬁce demanding Tantrik tradition of Kali and the vegetarian Brahmanical Vaishnava tradition of Krishna – come through in phrases and couplets. The emotion that overrides all others in these stories is of pure love, which transcends the demands and limitations imposed by customs and law. They say that Shiva never spoke a single word until Shakti came into his life as Parvati. She became not only his wife, but also his student, asking questions and deliberating with him, till he revealed to the world the mysteries of life. So one day, she asked him, “What is love?” All he did then was look at her and smile. “Tell me, please, what is love?” she asked, turning away to hide her blush. This is what he said. “When you come to me as Annapoorna, the goddess of food, and feed me and ask for nothing in return, I feel love. For you have taken care of my hunger unconditionally. When you come to me as Kamakhya, the goddess of pleasure, and hold me intimately as no one does do, I feel love. This is bhog, one kind of love. But there is another kind of love”. “When you come to me as Gauri, demure and delicate, and allow me to dominate you, demand things of

SATVIDHYA

From Kali to Krishna: A Love Song

you, take you for granted, knowing fully well that you cannot be dominated by anyone, I feel love. You made me play dice, laugh at the simple pleasure of games. When you come to me as Durga, bearing weapons in your hand, and protect me, I feel secure and safe, and cared for, I also feel love. This is Shakti. This is power. By granting me power over you, by defending me, protecting me, empowering me, you make me feel loved. This is the second kind of love. But there is yet another kind of loveâ&#x20AC;?. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When you dance atop me as Kali, naked with hair unbound, unafraid to be yourself, unafraid to be powerful and vulnerable and unafraid of being judged and mocked, I feel love. You make me open my eyes. I realize that Lalita, the beautiful one, is also Bhairavi, the fearsome one. I realize Mangala, the auspicious one, is

SATVIDHYA

From Kali to Krishna: A Love Song

also Chandika, the violent one. I see you totally, without judgment, and I realize I am capable of seeing the truth. Thus you become the mirror, the Parvati darpan, which reflects who I am. You help me discover myself. You become my Saraswati. You reveal the true meaning of ‘darshan’. In joy, I dance. I become Nataraj”. “Thus there are three kinds of love: love for the body that grants satisfaction, love for the heart that grants security and love for the head that grants wisdom. Animals can give the first and the second, only humans can give the third because they have the third eye hidden inside the head. The first two loves spring from Kama, god of desire, and they sustain life on earth. But the third kind of love springs from Kamantaka, from the destruction of desire, unmotivated by fear of death”. Shakti smiled and she offered Shiva a boon for this wonderful answer. And he said, “As Shyama, the dark Goddess, who is Kali and Shakti, you have taught me love. You have danced atop me, forced me to open my eyes, turn from shava (corpse) to Shiva. Grant me the chance to do the same to you”. So, the Goddess asked Shiva to descend on earth as the fair Radha whose love and pining would make her descend as the dark-one Krishna. And it is Radha who taught Krishna the meaning of love as Shakti had once taught Shiva. Until he met her, he was a butter-loving cowherd who fought demons and teased milkmaids, but the presence of Radha changed it all. Just as Kali transformed Shiva into Nataraj, Radha made Krishna take up the flute and make music. Just as Kali had made Shiva give up his autonomy and understand the value of the not-so-autonomous other, the pining beloved, Radha helped Krishna understand the limitations of society, the struggle between faith in divinity and fidelity for the husband. Radha was demanding, as Kali once had been. Radha sat on Krishna as Kali stood on Shiva. The two thus mingled in merged in roles and thoughts and feelings. But there was one crucial difference. Kali had made the wandering hermit, Shiva, into a rooted hermit, Shankara. Radha did the very opposite. She remained a flower stuck to the branch of a tree while Krishna became the bee that moves on after enriching himself with the nectar. And so fulfilled by Radha’s love, Krishna left Madhuban for Mathura. Kali had revealed love through shringara, romance, as only Krishna can. Radha revealed love through vairagya, renunciation, as only Shiva can. (Reprinted from Devdutt.com with the permission of the author)

Author Bio Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik writes and lectures extensively on the relevance of mythology in matters related to leadership, entrepreneurship, branding, management and governance. He is inspirational speaker at many conferences where he ‘opens the minds’ to a very Indian approach of business. His columns on management and culture appear in Economic Times while his shows are popular in CNBC and CNBC Awaaz. He has written over 25 books and 400 articles on mythology for people of all age groups.

Satvidhya Photo Contest Contest Theme: ‘Ganesh Chaturthi’ Send the photo and caption, with your name, email and country to:

satvidhyaezine@gmail.com

The Photo Contest is open to everyone, everywhere. Only one digital photo is allowed per person. Take a photo of Ganesha idol at your home during Ganesh Chaturthi festival. Or, you can send a picture with you worshipping Lord Ganesha. Best photo will receive a Special Certiﬁcate of Excellence. Top 3 entry names will be featured in the e-Magazine. Last date for submissions is August 31st, 2014.

Disclaimer: By submitting the entry, the participant certiﬁes that the photo has been clicked by him/her. Please do not submit any photo available on the net or any other source. By submitting the entry, the participant permits the Publisher or Editorial Team to use the photo and caption on any media belonging to SatVidhya, including e-Magazine, website, and social media. The Publisher or Editorial Team of SatVidhya Ezine holds the rights to cancel the Photo Contest anytime without assigning any reason whatsoever.

SATVIDHYA

From YouTube

Dr. Baskaran Pillai, Founder, AstroVed

Transcending False Identity It is diﬃcult to maintain individuality. It is easy and natural to be part of group consciousness. You are characterized by your family, religious identity, class identity, race identity. There are so many identities that come along with you as a tag. They are often carried by group consciousness. It is, therefore, diﬃcult to be an individual or retain individuality. Karl Marx said that I can be an individual, yet in the society, Chinese, Japanese, Italian, American, British or Indian, all represent the ethnic geographical consciousness that we have inherited that we do not really express the individual consciousness. When you are able to completely get beyond ethnic, racial, group identity and be able to function as individual, then life will be rewarding. You have to be really conscious about the decision you make whether the decision comes out of expectation from society or I have become another member of the society that I want to live exactly like other people live. Something has to be transcendent. In order to do that you have to become very conscious, one of the ways to become conscious is not to allow mundane thoughts. Allow expectation that come from living in the group consciousness. To take an overview, you should be totally individualistic and totally be aware of how you are going to intelligently use this time. This comes with the association with the divine beings through worship, so the divine being can protect you from falling into the unconscious behavior of the masses. The enlightened people are really afraid of the mob, because the mob has its own psychology. Shakespeare has a tremendous understanding about it. In Julius Caesar, Brutus murders Caesar and then gives a talk during the start. Brutus gives explanation to the mob as to why he killed Julius Caesar. He said there was no one in the crowd dear to Caesar as Brutus and he swore to murder him, because he loved Rome more than Caesar. Because Caesar is becoming autocratic, the mob was convinced and the entire crowd shouted. Shakespeare puts the words beautifully, “Let him be Caesar!” The mob does not have the ability to think. They just want simply a leader but Brutus did not want to be Caesar. So, he does not want to be an authoritarian. What is the fun of making Brutus a Caesar? That is mob consciousness.

Ganesh Chaturthi Wishes