Warrier's Collage 10082020 : Sanskrit and Science
Inspiring discourse :
https://youtu.be/OUg3UiiikVI
Swami Chinmayananda* at UN (1992)
Warrier's Collage 10082020 : Sanskrit and Science
Good Morning
We will try to reduce the size of Collage, gradually!
*Was Chinmayananda talking about the world in 2020, while addressing the United Nations in December 1992?
Listen and you decide.
Nice Day
M G Warrier
M 134
A Interaction
1) Dr T V Surendran
Doctor's dilemma , expect the unexpected!
"The other day, came to me with a cake, one of my regular patients, a late teenage girl.
She got A plus in 12std.
One may be thinking , what is special about it? Not unusual for a patient going to her family doctor, to celebrate the victory in exam.
My memory dates back to 2002. Attended a pre-term twins , weighing 800-850 GRAMs, born to a mother who had 2 previous abortions.
Even in advanced centres with tertiary care facilities, the chances of survival of such LBW( low birth weight) babies, were negligible. While arrangements were made to transfer the babies to Calicut Medical College Hospital, one baby died. And the poor parents and relatives were not prepared to take the baby to Calicut (100 km away).
So I had to revive the baby with the minimal facilities in ManaƱthavady.
My apprehension was, even if the baby survived, the probability of getting a mentally retarded child, was almost certain.
To my surprise and relief, the baby had a normal development, and now it was she who came to me to share her Plus two success with flying colours.
Here, had I left the baby untreated.... ?
Did I SAVE the girl?
I feel I was only instrumental in the hands of some super-human power!!!"
( All of us believe in some Super-Power, or situations not in human control. My problem is with the rich and the powerful trying to establish ownership rights or taking advantage of man's helplessness and selectively patenting and marketing them. God and Poverty are the no-loss-no-investment businesses today- Warrier)
2) Dr Prabha Ramadurai
" I feel happy to be a small part of our beautiful collage. My first schedule in the morning is to open the Collage and overall viewing of the messages.
As most of the messages are very long, (May be I don’t have patience to read word by word) I grab the main points and save them for future reading.
Most of my day, I keep myself engaged in giving consultation and counseling over phone to those who need (Of late persons with panic, tension and stress are increasing everywhere). Just talking to them and make them understand that I am 78+ also a part of this situation and that these are only passing clouds, console them a lot and relax them mentally and emotionally. There is no time limit so sometimes it takes hours to feel the calmness from the other side, which gives me immense pleasure as if I have earned a treasure.
My sincere thanks to you for making me a part of your great work of uniting veterans from different walks of life with their articles and views on various subjects.Best wishes, Prabha Ramadurai." (Collage is open to all. Though still in experimental stage. I share it with many of my contacts who are from 20 to 80 plus age groups. Many Thanks for the encouraging words. You're welcome to share anecdotes from your counseling experience ensuring the anonymity of persons you support-Warrier)
3) R Jayakumar
" Pets are good friends and also good time pass.
I have experienced this with many pet birds and animals.
I felt like responding for friendship with pets because my neighbour's pet, a dog died today.
The boy who owned this dog is an Airlines employee. He possessed this for about ten years.
When he went to office he had a dog handler to take it out twice a day. After returning from office he took it out daily.
During this lockdown he was himself taking care of the dog. It was too big in its look so no one else tried to make friendship with it.
Last week I saw my neighbour taking his dog somewhere in an auto. I could make out that the dog was sick and he was taking it to a vet.
Today also in the morning he took the dog in an auto, but it was kept in large cloth bag.
When asked he said that his pet died today and he was taking it to the cemetery for cremation.
He said he arranged it by giving extra money to someone.
The other neighbours washed the floor outside their doors and staircase where the dead body was carried through.
The other friendship story is that my granddaughter's pet dog a Siberian Husky became one year old on 10 July. She wanted to celebrate his birthday in spite of the lockdown.
She took her pet to a Pet Parlour got his hair trimmed and bathed and perfumed. Invited two of her friends with their pets for a birthday party and specially made a cake for him.
His name is Zorro.
A photo of Zorro's birthday party is @ "https://drive.google.com/file/d/1D4b0BA8fKCtf-MJ4z6aDvj2JPENSTVFD/view?usp=drivesdk - R Jayakumar"
B Sanskrit and Science
1) Justice Markandeya Katju's 2009 speech :
https://www.outlookindia.com/website/story/sanskrit-as-a-language-of-science/262393
Justice Katju has referred to his own "Kalidas Ghalib Academy" speech of 2008 here which can be accessed at
https://www.outlookindia.com/website/story/kalidas-ghalib-academy/238977
2) Golden Ratio
https://swarajyamag.com/news-brief/fibonacci-sequence-the-connection-to-vedas-role-of-sanskrit-and-a-look-into-what-drove-science-in-ancient-india
3) Sanskrit and Computer Science
https://www.speakingtree.in/blog/sanskrit-an-ancient-computer-science-language
4) Greatness of Sanskrit
https://www.speakingtree.in/blog/greatness-of-sanskrit
5) Vilomakavyam
https://i-heart-hinduism.tumblr.com/post/156918565180/ramakrishna-viloma-kavyam-palindrome-when-read
Enjoy the beauty of the language.
C Readers Write
1) Vathsala Jayaraman
a) Bhakthi
Bhakthi with Saadham ( rice) Becomes Prasaadham
Starvation with Bhakthi becomes a Vratha.
Water mingled with Bhakthi gets transformed into holy Theertham
Travel with Bhakthi is holy yatra.
Music with Bhakthi gets transformed into Keerthan.
A home reverberating with bhakthi is a temple.
Any selfless activity done with devotion is a service.
Any work undertaken with Bhakthi gets imprinted as good karma.
Gruhasthasram with real bhakthi will lead one to spirituality.
When a person is immersed in Bhakthi he becomes a full fledged human being.
Bhakthi in totality makes a man a Gnaani.
b) Sambar
Though Sambar is now treated as a Tamil cuisine, we understand that its origin is maratha.
Shivaji's son Sambhaji, when he was a ruler, tried his hand in the kitchen when the chef was away. While cooking lentils he added a little bit of tamarind juice and the dish took the name 'Sambar' after his name.
Slowly when Maharashtrians settled in Tanjore they brought the dish here and after some modifications it became Tamilnadu sambar.
Tanjore style is different from what they do in karnataka. Taste also differs from people to people. Never once we can pat ourselves as having done full justice, if the people are from different states. The proof of pudding is in the eating. When we have a pure calm mind, normally the dishes cooked will be okayed by all. If we have sambandhis from Tiruchi, Thanjavur, Palakkadu and Karnataka-you know the difficulty of satisfying the guests. There are a few women who will complain however nice sambhar you make. Some criticize dry powders and others criticize use of fried pasted ingredients.
During bigger weddings when they prepare Sambar in giant vessels, the assistant will be holding salt in a winnow ( muram ) and in the presence of the chief chef he would go on adding the salt by winnowing and as he hears,the word' stop ( niruththu) he will just stop. The salt will be just correct, not a spoon more not a spoon less.
Sambar, that is most popular of south Indian curries, has been proved to prevent colon cancer and medical experts say that it is the mixture of spices in the sambar powder that contributes to its effectiveness.
Soon we may expect 'sambhar in the tablet or capsule form from pharma companies doing research in medicines relating to oncology.
The divinity associated with sambhar and the titles such as 'sambhar king' may vanish giving place to a NOBEL puraskar to the Chemist for formulating new molecular formula to sambhar.
The word 'Sambar' brings many memories to many.
For Tamil Scholar Ki. Vaa. Jagannathan, it is never a dish to be tasted, but he prefers to split the word into 'Saam and Paar' meaning the other world one reaches after death.
Vathsala Jayaraman"
2) V Babusenan
Vararuchi
" The most important sloka in Valmiki Ramayana is said to be the one starting with 'Ramam Dasaradham viddhi'.To a son accompanying his elder brother and wife to the forest to live there with them for many years,leaving behind his own dear wife ,a mother cannot give a better advice-especially 'maam viddhi Janakaatmajaam'(Think of Sita as me,your mother)This can be regarded as an expression of the highest moral sense,but unfortunately ,the man who announced this in Vikramaditya's Court didn't have that in him.I am referring to Vararuchi ,the great astronomer, who on the sudden realisation that he was destined to marry a Paraya girl used the king's influence to have all the Paraya children ,born on that particular date ,killed.But that child somehow escaped death and was brought up lovingly by a childless Brahmin couple elsewhere-the reverse of what happened to Karna in the Mahabharata.Vararuchi later married this 'Brahmin' girl,impressed by her wisdom and extra- ordinary intelligence,but when he came to know from her who she was, all his regards for her vanished.To the outside world she was a Brahmin girl and, if he wanted ,he could have continued in Ujjain without any problem.Apparently it was his own caste grudge that prompted him to leave with her to the deep South.
Their first child was born on reaching Kerala-on the banks of Bharathappuzha.They left the child where it was born and moved on.They must have been in Thrithala,Pattambi ,Shoranur-all in the present Palakkad district for many years,always on the move, during which period 12 children were born to them .Despite entreaties,she was not allowed to keep a single child.The last child was born without a mouth.Vararuchi deified it(There is a ' Vaayillaakkunnil Appan' temple in Palakkad) and the couple moved out of Kerala and nothing was heard about them later. Vararuchi was an intellectual giant, no doubt ,but as regards the qualities of heart, he seems to have been nothing more than a dwarf.
None of the children died.All the eleven of them were brought up by families belonging to different strata of society.The eldest one was brought up by a Brahmin family in Thrithala(Agnihothrees) There were upper castes and lower castes among them.One was a,Moslem- Uppu kuthan by name(He was an exporter of salt and cotton) All of them ,except one, lived closely in contiguous areas.The one that preferred to stay down south was the famous Perumthachan,the master Vaasthu Silpi.He stayed in a village called Uliyannoor near N.Parur inErnakulam District.The Siva temple in Uliyannoor bears testimony to the superb architectural skill of Perumthachan.
These eleven (one of whom was a supposedly mad person) knew that they were the children of one father on whose death anniversary they unfailingly gathered at the illam of their eldest brother in Thrithala.
Any study of the caste system in Kerala will have to reckon this' Parayi Petta Panthirukulam.'
The best among them, in all respects,was Pakkanaar,the Paraya."
3) C V Subbaraman
Inspired by Dinesh Gopalan's poem (August 8), CVS responded in verse :
" Livelihood – its sudden loss is great blow-,
But livelihood has meaning when there’s glow
Of life in body, and the limbs are strong,
Hence lockdowns were really right, and not wrong.
Life sans Corona is as uncertain
As now it's with this phenomenon on:
Now we are all more or doubly certain
About certainty of how this is Uncertain!
Everyone is well gripped with this fear
For now they perceive Death far too near,
Than ever before did we see or feel it,
Every face bares this fear largely lit.
The long lockdowns coupled with quarantines
And social distancing in the entwines
Might make life on Earth more miserable,
Yet their value is immeasurable
To save human lives in many billions
And to extend the species to more eons.
Ev’ry night is pregnant with a bright day;
So do hold these irritants of today
Brighter and safer life of the morrow
When pleasures of life will hopefully grow.
Rue not the rules of current restrictions;
They are the true life-saving prescriptions.
Subbaraman
08/08/2020
(Dedicated to Shri Gopalan who inspired me to pen these lines-CVS)"
D Madalasa
Markandeya Purana*
Story of Madalasa
https://medium.com/@madhavbahl10/the-lullaby-of-queen-madalasa-the-madalasa-upadesha-4e06e1813b10
Madalasa's advice to her son.
https://youtu.be/uDd3iupKUyI
Madalasa sings this lullaby to her son.
*After Markandeya Katju's speeches, relax with this episode from "Markandeya Puranam"
E Blogs etc
1) Post-Pandemic Needonomics
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/readersblog/indian-economic-policy/needonomics-as-revival-strategy-for-post-pandemic-global-economy-24237/
2) Concepts of God and Prayer : M G Warrier
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/readersblog/warriersviews/concepts-of-god-and-prayer-10725/
3) Dr Tiny Nair
https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/open-page/angels-in-white/article7194608.ece
This is a 2015 article. Worth a second read, in the current context.
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