Warrier's Collage May 2, 2021: Chanakya Niti

Welcome to Warrier's COLLAGE ON Sunday, MAY 2, 2021 Chanakya Niti https://www.brilliantread.com/chanakya-neeti-in-english-lessons-thoughts-and-quotes/ https://www.speakingtree.in/blog/chanakya-niti-moral-values-for-a-successful-life/m-lite (Links selected by: M G Warrier Mumbai) Good Morning Collage is aware, many are not waiting for Collage today, as the day's discussion will be about election news. Read on Monday and Tuesday. Next regular issue of Collage is scheduled for Wednesday, May 5, 2021. Nice Day M G Warrier M A Interaction 1) R Jayakumar Mumbai Dr Joseph Murphy - About Life I saw the video attached to today's College. The talk by the speaker stresses the point that ' You are what you believe you are' and god's hand in it is only to fulfill what you believe. I received another video today giving some points to understand God, which I liked. Link: https://youtu.be/aBUYuCOjo9Q R Jayakumar 2) Mythology/Symbolism Bull* & The Cow : V T Panchapagesan Chennai The worship of The Bull and The cow means worshipping the principle of sacrifice and service which they represent ... We, the worshippers could imbibe this great principle into their own living... Today the basis of worship is lost but these animals are merely worshipped without understanding the basic principles of Sacrifice and Service.... The head of the Bull is turned towards the shrine in the temple. This indicates that the bull’s actions are dedicated to God, an absence of Ego And ego centric desires..By worshipping the Bull , we invoke its spirit Of dedication to higher values and service to fellow beings.. This is the spirit of karma yoga... Lord Krishna refers to Arjuna as a Bharatarishibha meaning Bull among The Bharatas...To be Bull in Society... The cow is also considered a sacred animal revered and worshipped... Milk is a universal food consumed by one and all ,the new born, the child, the youth, the middle aged man and the old man, the invalid and healthy —- All drink milk...The cow gives something valuable to the society and takes hardly anything in return.. Life is to give, not to take. This high principle has to be imbibed when we worship The cow.. We say God is MANLY, BUT GODDESS IS NOT WOMANLY BUT MOTHERLY... THE BULL AND THE COW PRESENT THESE TRUTHS TO HUMANITY FOR A BETTER LIVING......... V. T. Panchapagesan.. (* The concept of Nandi: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Nandi-Hindu-mythology) B Election Process in C-Times https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/readersblog/ajayamitabhsumanspeaks/election-time-in-corona-time-31461/ Posted online comments: "overall a realistic assessment factoring in the common man\'s concerns and suggesting possible steps that could have been taken. but the flip side is each limb of the governance apparatus and each individual looks at the situation from the narrow perspective of self-interest similar to the unfortunate perceptions of the five blind men about the elephant. sometimes one is amused also listening to the views of politician, beaurocrat, judiciary, lawyers, doctors, statisticians and activists in various disciplines. god must be smiling, regretting about the additional ingredient called intelligence he used..." C Book Review The Last Question: Isaac Asimov https://literative.com/literary-analysis/symbolism-last-question-isaac-asimov/ Excerpts: " There is plenty of symbolism in this story, perhaps more than just what people automatically assume, judging by the ending: The entire course of the story, depicted by several stories, are meant to represent one stage closer to divinity for humanity. In the first story, humans are on Earth. In the next, they’re in space. Then outside the galaxy, then disembodied (minds), and finally, as merging with the AC and becoming the ultimate computer. By this, Asimov could argue that to reach divinity, one has to leave their humanity behind. But then again, he could also be arguing that the cycle of existence itself begins and ends with a bang. We’ll touch more on this next. “Let there be light” are words famously found in the Bible. Only this time, it’s not in the way you’d expect. In the story, God is really a mixture of humanity, and the technology it created, meshed together as one, after years and years of evolution. Upon finding an answer, AC begins the universe once again, with the Big Bang, knowing well that everything will end once again, in some distant future, and then repeat the cycle. To Asimov, this is the cycle of existence, the explosive beginning, and the reflective end. Judging by the fact that Humanity merged with AC, who then made the Big Bang, we’re both the creator, and the created. This is a prime example of the saying “the end is only the beginning.” To Asimov, the ending of something was always the beginning of something else. It can also be taken as we must all try and fail, succeed only to lose it all in the end, then do it again, as we are destined. We are all one and the same – Humanity – and as one collective being, we are in everything we’ve created, asked, answered, and been." D Readers Write 1) V Babusenan Thiruvananthapuram A unique discussion In his 'History of Kerala' the reputed historian Sreedhara Menon begins his description of the land's social situation during the 18th and 19th centuries thus: "The social set-up in Kerala in those centuries was not at all based on principles of liberty or equality.The predominant feature of the social structure was a very ruthless caste system. There existed a wide and deep abyss between the upper and lower castes. Although power was focussed in the hands of the rulers of the Travancore and Cochin states and the Malabar area was directly governed by the English East India Company there was no decline in the special rights and privileges of the upper castes like Brahmins, Kshatriyas and Nayars.They were the land-owners. They, at their own sweet will, continued to ill-treat their serfs and tenants who were mostly Mappilas and Ezhavas. Under the British authorities, the rich lords and landlords actually acquired more power, the reason being that the former needed the active support and cooperation of the latter to retain power." During the opening quarter of the 20th century, some top leaders of the Ezhava community thought in terms of en masse conversion to casteless other religions to escape oppression by the upper caste Hindus. They, however, did not want to do so without the permission of Sree Narayana Guru, the great spiritual leader, but were reluctant to broach the subject themselves to him. So they entrusted the delicate task to a young disciple of the Guru. His name was Aiyappan. Aiyappan was generally known as 'Sahodaran' Aiyappan and 'Pulayan' Aiyappan.The former appellation was on account of his running a paper in the name 'Sahodaran' as he was a staunch believer in the middle motto of the French Revolution. The latter nickname was a derisive term conferred on him by the conservatives in his own community for taking initiative to eat along with members of the Pulaya community, the lowliest stratum in the caste system, which they could not tolerate. He was a bold and dynamic young man, well educated and brimming with modern concepts about social set-up. He later became a great social reformer, a minister and writer, credited with a totally unsullied public and private life. Guru had a special affection for Aiyappan who opened the topic of mass conversion, presumably at the Advaita Ashram, Alwaye. Excerpts from the discussion are given below: Guru:"What is Kumaran's* view about conversion?" Aiyappan: "He thinks that, taking recourse to conversion without seeking Swami's view in the matter, would be like ignoring Swami." Guru:"Is it so?" Aiyappan: "Asan says, in this matter, we should not proceed without seeking Swami's opinion." Guru: "Do they not know our view till now? All right. Aiyappan, do you know our view?" Aiyappan: "Yes, I know. Swami has no dislike for any religion. Swami is of the opinion that ,irrespective of differences in religion, attire, language,etc., men should live as one society." Guru: "Yes, that is our opinion.The word 'Matam' means 'opinion'. Whatever be the matam, men can live together. But there should not be any distinction in terms of caste. That is what is needed. It is possible. Certainly it is possible....What is wrong with the Hindu religion?Aryasamaj and Brahmasamaj have no caste distinction. Still they are Hindus". Aiyappan: "They are not Hindus, Swami. They say so to increase their numbers. The Aryasamaj people accept the Vedas, but they give them their own interpretation before accepting them as their tenets." Guru:"Is it so?" Aiyappan: "Reverence of many persons to Swami has increased when they hear that Thiyyas are going to change their religion." Guru:(Smiling) "Naturally." Aiyappan: "They ask 'Why do you change your religion? Is Sree Narayana matham not enough? 'But, if you ask them to accept Sree Narayana matham, they don't like that suggestion very much." Guru: "Why should they? Everyone has the freedom to choose the religion he likes, whatever be it." Aiyappan: "That used to be Swami's view" Guru: Our present view is the same. If one wants to change one's religion, one should do so forthwith. One should have the freedom to do so. One's religion is according to one's liking. Son may not like his father's religion. Man should have freedom to choose his religion. That is our opinion. Do you people agree with that?" Ayappan: "Yes,Swami. Recently, in a document, I indicated my religion as Buddhism." Guru: "(smiles) But you didn't have to mention your caste. Good. Caste shouldn't be there. It shouldn't be anywhere. Men should live as a single caste. Let this opinion spread far and wide.Leave that for the time being. Tell me, what objections do those, who want to abandon the Hindu religion, find in it?" One disciple: "They say that the Hindu religious literature is not that good. The Vedas and the Gita are said to favour animal sacrifice, worship of multi-deities and caste system." Guru: "The Vedas may be like that. But they contain many good principles too. Don't forget that the religious practices of those who profess to own faultless religious literature, are not all that good. That means, despite possessing good religious literature, if man degenerates, it fails to serve the purpose. What is needed is that man should improve. There should be purity in his deeds, words and thoughts. That is what is needed. This is our opinion: Whichever be the religion one belongs to, if one improves as a human being, that will do." This is the second of the two famous sayings attributed to Sree Narayana Guru, the first being: "For man, there is one caste, one religion, one God." The move to leave the Hindu religion died away. *Mahakavi Kumaran Asan 2) Bhagavad Gita: Vathsala Jayaraman All the epics and works on literature are subject to critical review. No wonder Gita , which is considered as the spiritual core of the great epic Mahabharata, whose date is still uncertain, is under constant vigil by critics. The epic has been transferred by oral traditions resulting in lot of additions. In the first millennium BCE, there was a great spiritual awakening under way. People started questioning the validity of rituals and animal sacrifices and turned towards more abstract inner directed contemplations. The new terms SELF,SELF CONSCIOUSNESS, THOUGHTS, PERCEPTIONS etc started assuming importance. From this churn arose ideas like NON-DUALISM, BRAHMAM and so on. Some of these thoughts were incorporated in UPANISHADS, setting them qualitatively apart from Vedas. If we analyse Gita, the philosophy contained therein has no moral ambiguities as found in the original epic Mahabharata. Even commentaries on Gita compare the hidden ideas close to Upanishads of later period. Gita ends with Arjuna regaining his resolve to fight. The war ends catastrophically, with nearly everyone being killed. With Gita, in between,the epic has achieved its motive. Had there been no Bhagavad-Gita, perhaps we may tend to suspect Shri Krishna's wisdom and our sympathy will be more towards Arjuna and the reasoning behind his initial doubts. Even assuming that Gita was written by mere mortals in a political setting and projected as the voice of Lord Krishna, the greatness of Gita is all the more heightened. While Mahabharata story was in vogue for thousands of years, it certainly requires divine grace to compose 700 verses and set them in an appropriate place in the epic. Why battle field? There cannot be a more complex situation as that of a war track where decision cannot be postponed and a consultation is a must. Krishna comes handy. Bhagavad-Gita is literally a feast. Who can enjoy a feast? Only a person who is suffering from hunger of knowledge like Arjuna is in need of the food, the divine Gita. Whether Gita was composed by Veda Vyasa or any other Vyasa( the word 'vyasa' in Sanskrit means 'composer') Gita occupies a place more exalted than most other religious books. With Gita in mind, you can weave a smooth path whether it is family life, business, education, administration, law or Government. Nothing is as inspiring as Gita. Some of the verses just soar above us and hit the universal notes. They inspire everyone to see the journey as the reward and not the destination. Though Gita was an inspiration to Arjuna to start the fight, Mahatma Gandhi who has translated Gita into Gujarati saw Gita as an inspiration to his policy of non-violence. For Vivekananda, Gita awakened manliness. For Dr Radhakrishnan, pursuit of duty for duty's sake was a call of reasoning, that is, the voice of Krishna echoing in every man. whether Gita was composed by Veda Vyasa or not, whether it was taught by Krishna or not, Whether the teaching place inside the battle field or not, whether Gita is a later addition to Mahabharata or not, nothing can excel Bhagavat Gita in the entire universe. Vathsala Jayaraman E Blogs & Links 1) Idea of Gift https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/readersblog/warriersviews/the-idea-of-gift-31516/ Excerpts: " We know for sure, gifts that come to us as part of sales promotion campaigns are not “free” and their prices are concealed in the prices we pay for articles we actually buy. One wonders, what are the components of MRP (Maximum Retail Price) and what is withholding formulation and implementation of a transparent pricing policy. If you extend the thought, they say, “there’s no free lunch”. The value of the gift you get is directly proportional to your “paying capacity” or the estimated value of the expected “return gift”. That takes us to the relatively grey area of return gifts or more clearly stated, the art and science of recovery of the cost of gifts given." 2) Creating critical thinkers: https://thg.page.link/JySHyRqgZczQ7WjU8 Excerpts: "Despite the pandemic unleashing in full force, the debate over the last month has entailed a mindless conversation over holding or postponing board examinations instead of exploring alternatives. Rather than viewing this unprecedented situation as a unique opportunity for re-imagining educational assessments and evaluations in a world that no longer looks the same, the government insists on the possibility of holding exams in person and posing a further threat to the lives of loved ones. Alternative ways of thinking Students and parents have valid concerns about the future, which include admissions to higher educational institutions. Nonetheless, considering we are in a worldwide crisis where India cannot afford to have gatherings of small/big groups, why aren’t virtual educational committees being organised to rethink approaches on assessing student learning? For instance, one of the challenges is deemed as students ‘cheating’ if the exams were to be conducted online. However, if question papers were designed in a way that encouraged students to critically engage with the material, contest perspectives and build opinions, no book would be able to provide all the answers." 3) Hope https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/readersblog/kittu-says/hope-the-need-of-this-junction-of-time-31529/ Excerpts: "They might be fighting with something what they are unable to share to their ones thinking of they all won’t understand…… But can’t we win their trust being a stranger & be the one in front of whom they can light their heavy heart…. Guys, we never know how helpful our few softly spoken words could be helpful to a person who’s fighting with something really deep in his/her heart…." F Leisure 1) Horse and the Donkey* Long before he became famous for Sherlock Holmes stories, Arthur Conan Doyle was very poor, struggling hard to make both ends meet. He mustered courage and approached an already famous writer and told him-“Sir, I have written some detective stories sure to make a big splash but can’t find a publisher. Why don’t we get them published in your name and we can share the profits? I’d definitely soon be recognized” The other man haughtily told him-“No chance. How can a horse and a donkey cohabit?” Doyle was quite disappointed but stayed cool. He said “O.K. But I am sorry you called me a horse” *Forward received from A P Ramadurai via Group mail 2) Warriers or Variyars or Variars*? Notable people called Variar, Variyar, or Warrier include: Unnayi Variyar - poet, writer, scholar, dramatist who lived in Kerala during the later part of the 17th century. Ramapurathu Warrier -pioneer of the "Vanchipattu" or Boat-song form of poetry in Malayalam language. Ikkanda Warrier (1890–1977) - the first and the last Prime Minister of the state of Cochin, India, beginning in 1948.[1] Sankara Variyar - an astronomer-mathematician of the Kerala school of astronomy and mathematics. N. V. Krishna Warrier - an Indian poet, journalist, scholar, academician and political thinker. P. K. Warrier - Indian Ayurvedic physician. P. K. R. Warrier - a cardiothoracic surgeon, author and social activist. Manju Warrier - an Indian film actress and dancer in the Malayalam film industry. Sankarankutty Sandeep Warrier - an Indian first-class cricketer. Sachin Warrier - playback singer and composer in the Malayalam cinema industry. Mridula Warrier - playback singer. Rajashree Warrier - Bharata Natyam dancer. Shashi Warrier - author. Madhu Warrier - actor and producer. Gopi Warrier - pseudoscientist specialising in Ayurvedic medicine, playwright and poet. CBC Warrier - Ex-Member of Legislative Assembly (Kerala) Dr.GK Warrier - Famous physician, diagnostician , Prof of Medicine- Alopathy Chowallur Krishnan kutty- Poet, Journalist, lyricist, Script writer, actor 🙏🙏🙏 *Forward received from Sudha Warrier Mumbai ( A Google Search for these surnames gave more results 🙏-Warrier. Like: "The term Variyar has its origin in the Dravidian word 'Variyam' (Malayalam: വാരിയം /വാര്യം; Tamil: வாரியம், romanized: vāriyam), which refers to a committee or a board. Variyam refers to an office of supervision. Thus variyar is a supervising officer or a member of a supervisory board or committee. The word is commonly used in the plural form as Variar (Varian + -ar) to denote respect. The feminine equivalent of Variar is Varassyar. It is a combination of Variacchi/Variyassi/Variaththi (வாரியச்சி) and the plural suffix -ar." *** Thirumuruga Kirupanandha Variyar was a Shaivite spiritual teacher from India. He was a Murugan devotee who helped rebuild and complete the works on many of the temples across the state. He is known for his discourses on various Shaivite legends. *** Search results for Warrier/Author included M G Warrier also!-🙏-Collage) G Quotes about Democracy https://www.brainyquote.com/topics/democracy-quotes Like: "There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there has always been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge." -Isaac Asimov ( Isaac Asimov was an American writer and professor of biochemistry at Boston University. He was known for his works of science fiction and popular science. Asimov was a prolific writer, and wrote or edited more than 500 books. He also wrote an estimated 90,000 letters and postcards. Asimov wrote hard science fiction. )

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