Warrier's Collage 02072020 : Pancha Bhutas
Warrier's Collage 02072020 : Panchabhoothas
Watch "Agnihotra and Its Benefits to Human Kind By Mr. Arun Balwatkar HELP Talks Video"
Talk by Mr Arun Balwatkar, Ex-CGM, RBI (Retired in 2014) on "Agnihotra"
Please listen to Mr Balwatkar's talk on "Agnihotra". I was trying to understand how deftly our forefathers created rituals factoring in the essential ingredients of a disciplined healthy lifestyle. Practices would have different versions in successive generations and different geographies. Purpose remain the same.
Universal wellbeing.
I don't know whether the present generation which is continuing with the tradition is aware about the vedic prescriptions, but in my father's ancestral house (Illam) in Payyanur (Kerala), to my knowledge, "Agnihotra" is being performed daily, without break since around 1870's( when the Illam was constructed). This message goes to two members of that family also!
M G Warrier
A. Panchabhoota Temples
Watch "The Pancha Bhoota - Rgyan Video"
Our ancestors respected the roles of Panchabhootas
B. From TOI Reader's Blog
The following post is picked up at random from TOI Blog where recently I also have posted scores of blogs. It's interesting to read the views of new young bloggers :
Self motivation invokes my life with sophisticated thinking
Posted online comments:
| THE TIMES OF INDIA | |
| Dear Reader, | |
| Your comment on the article ' Self motivation invokes my life with sophisticated thinking' is now live on timesofindia.indiatimes. | |
| ' interesting thoughts. they say, \"well begun is half done\". interpret in the way you like. keep writing and any time you feel what you have written is a better piece than what you read in any mainstream publication, send your article to that publication. there are pages reserved for this kind of writing in newspapers also. e g. the hindu \"open page\". blogging mostly helps you to reach out to your friends and \"followers\". i post blogs here and at my own blog with a different purpose in addition to reaching out to public. i can look back and see my views on various issues and subjects occasionally to ensure that if i \"improve\" my thoughts, originally where i started. but expressing one\'s thoughts by talking to others or writing down has a \"cleansing\" or \"unburdening\" role which strengthens one\'s mind and increases one\'s horizon. best wishes.' | |
| To reply to this comment , or see the whole conversation, click here. | |
| Thanks for sharing your thoughts. | |
| Regards, | |
| Team TOI | |
C. Meditation on Panchabhootas
Power of Om
Experience it
D. Reference to Panchabhootas in literature
Who discovered Five Elements, Pancha Bhuta
Reference to a Research Paper
E. Relevance of Panch Bhutas
‘Yoga & Panch Bhutas: Cleansing of your five elements’ – Yoga : A Strategic Approach
Understanding more about the relevance of Panch Bhutas in our own life. Composition of body, role of each element.
F. What I read on June 30, 2020
1) How I Learned to Stop Comparing Myself to Others*
My friends were like a mirror. All I could see were my shortcomings staring back at me.
If I had to guess, I’d say that human beings have been comparing themselves to one another since the beginning of time.
I have no doubt that prehistoric man envied the size of his neighbor’s cave or coveted his admirable flint skills.
Sometimes these comparisons can be helpful. They can give you a blueprint for improvement and inspire you to change. Other times, they can be a means to pick yourself apart and see everything that you think is wrong with yourself.
Comparison has mostly been a fleeting experience for me. I’d note my friends’ successes or an influencer’s figure on Instagram and feel envious, but the pain was always short-lived. That was until a new girl joined my social circle.
She was everything I wasn’t. Or everything I thought I wasn’t. Bright, funny, outgoing. People adored her instantly, and luck always seemed to land squarely at her feet.
Lisa* quickly became one of my close friends. Despite our deep bond, her brilliance tore me apart.
She was like a mirror, but all I could see were my shortcomings staring back at me.
Everything I achieved felt tainted by her achievements, which, somehow, always seemed superior. I could never measure up, no matter how hard I tried. It crushed me on a daily basis.
I might have expected these feelings at 16, but I was 30, a grown-up, and someone who rarely felt threatened by another’s success. But Lisa brought my insecurities into sharp focus.
On an intellectual level, I knew there were things that were great about me. But emotionally, I just couldn’t get there.
By comparison, everything in my life seemed less than. I wasn’t as pretty nor as fun. I wasn’t as fearless nor as talented. I didn’t have as many friends, and I wasn’t as appealing to the opposite sex.
My confidence was taking a beating, and I felt truly worthless. All of these feelings were amplified by the guilt I had for feeling this way about a friend. I searched the internet far and wide for some practical advice I could use to help me get past these feelings.
I knew that I was going to need some serious help to get over this. With much trepidation, I put my fears to one side and enlisted the support of Sarah, a life coach who would eventually guide me out of this funk.
Over the course of several weeks, Sarah gave me a practical toolkit that would help me stop comparing myself to others and recognize the beauty and value of my own uniqueness.
Here’s what she taught me.
Name your inner critic
Sarah cut right to the chase on our very first session and explained something important to me: Naming something gives it less power.
Sarah had me give my inner critic — that critical voice inside that points out all of my perceived inadequacies — a name.
I settled on the name Ciara, and as we got better acquainted, I discovered she was particularly nasty. Ciara wanted me to think I was never good enough.
She liked to remind me that I often let fear get the better of me, that I could stand to lose a few pounds, and that I’m an awkward mess in big groups.
It was agonizing to hear how I’d let this voice in my head berate me. Now that I’d given her a name, I could recognize when she spoke up.
I could begin the next crucial step in freeing myself from the comparison trap: starting a conversation with her.
Be your own best friend
I’ve always considered myself a good friend, but Sarah pointed out that I wasn’t being a particularly good friend to myself.
“How would you comfort a friend in a crisis?” she asked me.
I replied that I would sit with her and discuss her feelings. I’d comfort her and remind her what a great person she is. I’d probably give her a great big hug.
Sarah told me that when Ciara gets in the driver’s seat, I need to speak to her with love and understanding.
When Ciara would pop up in my head, I started a dialogue. I’d ask Ciara how she was feeling and why she might be feeling that way. I’d empathize with her, offer her words of encouragement, and remind her of all the reasons she’s great.
Sarah had one simple rule: If you wouldn’t say it to a friend, don’t say it to yourself.
By following this rule, I started to understand where some of my insecurities were coming from. I was able to unpack why Lisa triggered these feelings in me.
I came to realize that both of us were at similar points in life and that she was excelling in the exact areas I felt I was failing.
Keep a record of achievements
When we compare ourselves to others, we focus on all of their strengths and achievements and ignore our own. That’s why Sarah encouraged me to keep a record of all the good things I had done.
It didn’t matter what they were: If it was something I felt proud of, I made a record of it. Soon, I had a bulging folder of things I had accomplished over the weeks.
If I aced a project at work, I recorded it. If I helped a friend in a crisis, in it went. If I dragged myself to the gym on a morning I really didn’t want to go, I wrote it down.
Looking at all I had achieved, both big and small, bolstered my self-esteem. I felt a swell of pride. Lisa was great, I realized, but in so many wonderful ways, so was I.
Practice self-care
Running a hot bath and pouring yourself a glass of wine can be great self-care, but we can take it even further. Self-care can involve honest and continuous introspection, according to Sarah.
It’s a process of looking inward and seeing what you find. Sarah encouraged me to keep a journal and jot down my thoughts, particularly when I was in a self-esteem spiral.
Once those thoughts were on the page, I had the power to observe them and decide whether or not they were true or just a result of me feeling inadequate.
I was able to unpack them and decipher where they may have come from, and it was incredibly freeing.
It wasn’t always easy. Confronting some of my darker feelings was hard, but looking them straight in the eye gave me the power to begin moving forward.
Be proactive
My comparison journey didn’t end after my last session with Sarah.
Yes, I felt clearer on my unique talents, skills, and qualities. I was much more confident, and I no longer saw Lisa as a rival. I felt lighter. Friends remarked that I seemed to be in a great headspace.
I wasn’t feeling burdened by feelings of inadequacy anymore or worrying about hiding my jealousy. I could celebrate Lisa’s successes, as well as my own.
Comparing myself made me feel lost. It had deprived me of joy and made me feel miserable. The self-doubt I was feeling played out in other areas of my life.
I wasn’t always present with friends because I was playing the comparison game in my head. Dates were doomed to failure because I didn’t feel good about myself from the start.
Once Sarah gave me the tools, I had a clearer focus on what I wanted in life and how I could get it. I didn’t feel burdened by the self-doubt that had held me back before. Shaking off comparison had allowed me to enjoy life again.
Working with these tools is an ongoing practice. Even now, I know I need to keep up that inner dialogue with Ciara and continue adding to my record of achievements. I know it’s important to regularly look inward to confront uncomfortable emotions.
Breaking free from comparison is not a linear journey. There are bumps in the road, moments of insecurity, and doubt. But maintaining the practice that Sarah taught me has helped keep my self-esteem on an even keel.
There will always be someone prettier, more talented, intelligent, bubbly, or outgoing. For me, the trick is knowing the unique value of what I bring to the table
* Received via Group email from Haresh Tarachandani, Ex-RBI
2) Work from home discipline*
Really a very good piece of advice.
(*Received by email from Prabha Ramadurai)
Good article I read.. sharing for all. 😊
*Granny’s Message On Work From Home*
A youngster was attending a video conference with his Manager and his Manager was upset over the background noises, the Youngster turned around and told his grandmother to keep quiet.
She walked towards the youngster to take a look into what he was doing, she saw a person on the Monitor & asked “who is he?”
The youngster muted his audio and video by stating that “he is my Manager”
She said “I want to talk to your Manager”, But the youngster denied by the time the Manager started pinging the youngster and the youngster unmuted to talk and his grandmother shouted “Manager I want to talk to you"
The Manager agreed and the youngster unmuted the video, the grandmother with a smile said “Namaste & she introduced herself” and the Manager also greeted her
She said “you look upset” The Manager said “yeah, some kind of work tension, a lot of noise around and we are not able complete the meeting in time”
The Grand Mother asked, “can I solve your problem?”
The youngster was stopping her and he was telling her to keep quiet
The Manager said “It’s ok, let her speak”
The Grand Mother Narrated “ Once there was an Youngman who sat under a tree for taking rest, he was continuously hearing a bird’s sound and lifted his head up and started chasing the bird, so that he can peacefully take some rest, the bird came closer to him and said *“ You are taking rest under my nest, I will not ask you to leave the place, you should learn to co-exist with us”*
The Grandmother looked at both of them and said *“ Your Home is your nest”* where you are supposed to take rest and bond with your dear and near ones. I do understand the Covid-19 situation, but you should also understand that a home is not your office. When we come to visit our family members at your office, we are expected to behave professionally or maintain decorum, similarly when you are using our home, you should understand the situation at the home.
There is nothing wrong with working from home, but remember, it is the family members benevolent nature, that is keeping the corporate functioning today and economy running
She looked at the manager and asked “Am I correct, the Manager’s mother peeped and said you are absolutely right”
*Be Safe At Home, But Maintain The Sanctity Of Home While Working At Home*
G. Response
Shri V Babusenan
Those among us,ex-rbites,who cared to read our Staff Regulation would have found it stated that we were round-the-clock servants of the institution.However,we did not bother much about it as we were left to ourselves between Saturday afternoon and Monday morning.If our special attention was needed in the family,we could take leave and again be left to ourselves.The disintegration of this happy situation started when tremendous progress in the field of communication technology enabled one to contact anyone else anywhere at anytime from anywhere. What is stated at the beginning of the theSR has become literally true now though ,as a class, we have narrowly escaped.The borderline between home and office started dimming sometime ago and now both have turned out to be an amalgam,mostly undesirable.Our institution is only an example.
As in this,so in all spheres of life,the Covid pandemic has acted as a catalyst of change,total change.Human values are to be changed and life styles reoriented.This being the truth,
it is with a tinge of anguish that I read the story where the granny expressed her annoyance at the Manager.What can the poor man do?/
Regards.
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