Warrier's Collage October 4, 221

Welcome to Warrier's COLLAGE On Monday October 4, 2021 Health Wealth & Happiness https://youtu.be/A0rvRF8BKGo (Affirmations) Morning Prayers https://youtu.be/v1USBWCGd_s Good Morning Nice Day M G Warrier A Messages 1) Dr Charan Singh charan singh (@CharanSingh60) Tweeted: Unity in Diversity - 28 Fighting vices: Armour of deep consciousness, riding horse of spiritual wisdom, bow of righteousness, arrow of devotion/ good conduct Bhat Salh, 1396, SGGS पहिरि समाधि सनाहु गिआनि है आसणि चड़िअउ ध्रम धानखु कर गहिओ भगत सीलह सरि लड़िअउ https://twitter.com/CharanSingh60/status/1444432769497505795?s=20 2) C V Subbaraman Mysuru Hope Bill Gates does not send his Bill to those who had access to the Gates of his diary. Subbaraman (Expecting him to include all Collage Readèrs in his Will. Hope finally there'll be something left after paying debts and taxes🙏-Warrier) 3) Dr Prabha Ramadurai Cheñnai After perusing Mrs. Vathsala's write-up on fear, I wanted to write about various types of fear as per my perspective and experience of tackling them through counselling and Bach flower remedies. What is fear? There is a Chinese proverb. “Fear knocked on the door, faith opened it and there was no one.” F E A R has two expansions: Forget everything and run --- or Face everything and rise. Generally most of us follow the first one only and avoid taking challenges. (Continued at H2) B Current Affairs Tatas & Air India : Life comes Full Circle https://www.businesstoday.in/latest/trends/story/life-comes-full-circle-netizens-express-joy-over-tata-sons-winning-air-india-bid-308188-2021-10-01 Excerpts : "Netizens expressed their joy and happiness as ‘life came a full circle’ for Air India after the Mumbai-based conglomerate Tata Sons won the bid for debt-ridden Air India by pipping SpiceJet’s Ajay Singh. While some users were happy that Tata Group was finally able to take back the reins of Air India almost 68 years after its nationalisation in 1953, others shared funny memes." C Life Destiny's Intervention : V Babusenan Thiruvananthapuram When I say that Dame Destiny often intervenes to save from death some persons, to whom she has assigned certain tasks, some may raise their eye brows. Take, for example, the Polish youngster Josef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski whose brain was pierced clean by a bullet. He would have died instantly, but did not. It was not an accident. The young fellow tried to kill himself out of frustration in life. Having miraculously escaped death, he took a job in a commercial vessel and rose to the position of a captain. Until the age of 23 he did not know a single word of English. He learned that language and started writing novels in it. Realising that he could be successful in that venture, he gave up the job and settled in England. Most of his novels had the salty smell of the sea and were popular. 'The Heart of Darkness' that dealt with the misdeeds of Belgium in their African colony Congo, was his best novel. English literary critics placed him among the top novelists. It is difficult to believe that his best admirer as a novelist and a person was the great thinker Bertrand Russell. He was so much impressed by the novelist that he gave his third child by his third wife the name Conrad Sebastian Robert Russell (The novelist was known as Joseph Conrad) Let us take the case of Russell himself. Dame Destiny intervened twice in his case. The first occasion was when in China in 1921 he was on the verge of death owing to an attack of typhoid. He was brought back to life by an American nurse although, being a devout Christian, she privately wished the death of this godless man! Bertrand Russell was a multi-faceted personality but he is gratefully remembered for his untiring effort to ward off a nuclear catastrophe. This would not have happened had he died in a plane accident in late1949 when he was engaged in a lecture tour in Norway on democratic values. The seaplane that carried him from Oslo to another Norwegian town capsized in the dead of night killing many people including the person who was to preside over the meeting. Russell escaped drowning as he kept himself afloat. He was 77 at that time. One mischievous journalist asked him whether he thought about philosophy while struggling in the water. Russell replied : "No, no. I thought about the bitter cold." Russell lived two more decades, devoting every moment for the campaign to prevent a nuclear war. (Now, listen to Russell : https://youtu.be/xL_sMXfzzyA 1952 Interview) D Readers' Contributions 1) Divine Architecture : Vathsala Jayaraman Chennai Hens don't break their eggs when they sit on them. The secret lies in the shape of the egg. An egg is a great example of nature's excellent skills in packing. If you squeeze the ends of an egg between the palms of your hands, it won't break. However, if you squeeze it in the middle, it pops and creates a terrible mess. If we see the way eggs are sold in the market, we would have noticed that they are kept with their ends pointing up and are never left lying horizontally. Hens, too, incubate their eggs the same way, with the narrower end pointing upwards. For distorting or crushing an object, its shape is as important as the material it is made of. Although an eggshell is really fragile, its queer dome-shaped end makes it a 'tough nut to crack'. Many of us have seen the Taj Mahal or any mosque. We would have noticed that the roof is a huge dome. In earlier architectural forms, buildings had huge horizontal roofs which had to be supported by a large number of pillars. The dome is, however, a curved structure - it has no angles and no corners - and it can enclose an enormous amount of space without the help of a single column. What the dome essentially does is that it distributes the weight and the pressure applied on the top evenly to the entire structure. In fact, in architecture, the dome is one of the strongest designs for it supports the weight of the roof evenly so that no single point on the dome supports the whole load and gives way under stress. Similarly, the dome shape of each end of the egg distributes all the weight evenly and minimises stress and strain. An egg can easily bear the weight of a book/ books equal to the weight of a chicken if placed properly. The electrical bulb does not break easily even though it is made of a thinner glass, notwithstanding our pressure to insert/remove into/from the holder. The secret lies in the 'egg' shape. This is known as the 'egg' principle or Anda Siddhantham. Normally students get a zero or anda (muttai) when they copy from others. It is strange that the egg allows itself to be copied in so many architectural, building and mechanical designs and egg is nature's best architect to mankind. Vathsala Jayaraman E Mythology Salagramam* "शालिग्राम | शालिग्राम का महत्त्व | शालिग्राम के लाभ | क्यों पूजा जाता है शालिग्राम | What is Shaligram | Why Hindu Worship Shaligram | Importance of Shaligram" https://www.shaligram.com/about_shaligram_new_1.php The Shaligram is the most sacred stone worshipped by the Vaishnavas and is used to worship Vishnu in an abstract form i.e., God without form as a 'Saligrama'. The use of the Shaligram is similar to the use of 'Lingam' as abstract symbol of Lord Shiva. The stone is not an 'ammonite fossil' as written in many websites about the Shaligram. The Shaligram is found in river Gandaki near Muktinath in Nepal. *See H1 also F Leisure Story Books on Culture & History "Books That Introduce Indian Folktales, Culture, and History to Kids" https://www.readbrightly.com/books-that-introduce-indian-culture-history-to-kids/ One of the world's most populous countries, India is also home to a vast storytelling tradition. The energy and complexity of this melting pot of religions, languages, politics, and geographies have given rise to ancient epic poems, traditional fables, humorous tales, and fantastic new adventures. We hope these stories transport you to new experiences and pique your curiosity about this extraordinary country and the people who inhabit it. G Quotes about celebrations "Celebrate Quotes - BrainyQuote" https://www.brainyquote.com/topics/celebrate-quotes Like : Each day holds a surprise. But only if we expect it can we see, hear, or feel it when it comes to us. Let's not be afraid to receive each day's surprise, whether it comes to us as sorrow or as joy It will open a new place in our hearts, a place where we can welcome new friends and celebrate more fully our shared humanity. Henri Nouwen (Henri Jozef Machiel Nouwen was a Dutch Catholic priest, professor, writer and theologian. His interests were rooted primarily in psychology, pastoral ministry, spirituality, social justice and community) As we celebrate Labor Day, we honor the men and women who fought tirelessly for workers' rights, which are so critical to our strong and successful labor force. Elizabeth Esty (Elizabeth Esty is an American politician who served as a U.S. Representative from Connecticut's 5th congressional district from 2013 to 2019.) H 1) SALAGRAMAM* INFORMATIONAL POST: SHALIGRAMA/SALIGRAMA/SHALAGRAMA : RELIGIOUS SIGNIFICANCE VERSUS GEOLOGIC AND SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE This post is about the reverential objects namely the Saligrama. BELIEF AND SCIENCE ARE SEPARATE AND ALTHOUGH MANY RELIGIOUS LEADERS TRY TO TIE THE TWO, IT IS UNNECESARY TO ATTRIBUTE SCIENTIFIC JUSTIFICATION TO OUR BELIEFS. WHAT ARE THE SHALIGRAMA/SALIGRAMA/SHALAGRAMA SHILA? These are global or oval or a variety of stones with various markings collected from riverbed or banks of the Kaligandaki or Krishna Gandaki River in Nepal worshipped as an non-anthropomorphic representation of Lord Vishnu by Hindus hailing from South Asia. Every Saligramam is considered as an incarnation of Vishnu like Rama, Krishna, Santanakrishna, Ananthapadmanabha, Narasimha, Lakshminarayana, Hiranyagarbha, Chathurbhuja, Hari and others. (Continued at H1) *Received from S Thyagarajan via Group mail 1) Continued from D1 The markings on these stones ( on the shell stone or inside the hollow cavity) are varied but generally looked rangoli like /conch like / wheellike /or circular/wheel . These markings were considered by many Hindus to be markings of the presence of the God Mahavishnu and are considered holy because they bear symbols associated with Vishnu, without any human intervention. Many puranas were developed and elaborated and ritualized and many properties were attached to the ritual saligrama abhisheka and puja. The stones were collected and preserved by many particularly priestly families as objects of worship. These stones are black, but Salagrama stones also come in different colors such as red, blue, yellow, green, and gold. Of these, the yellow, blue, and black varieties are considered more sacred. Similar stones of same origin are found in Madagascar, Morocco, Indonesia etc and are given local names. THUS, SALIGRAMA WORSHIP IS A RITUALISTIC DISCIPLINE FOLLOWED BY MANY IN THE HINDU BRAHMANICAL PANTHEON. But What does Science say? SCIENCE : SO, WHAT EAXCTLY ARE THESE SALIGRAMA ? The Salagrama are actually FOSSILIZED SHELLS of ancient marine dwelling creatures called Ammonites which lived about 100 million plus years ago and became extinct about 65 million years ago. The closest living creatures now are the mollusks. The Ammonite shell has chambers in which the soft animal tissue existed and when they died, they left markings in the chamber and when they crawled out left markings outside the shells. The animal used the air chambers inside to rise and sink in the water and to propel itself by squirting water. HOW DID THESE MARINE LIVING CREATURES END UP IN THE GANDAKI RIVER IN NEPAL IN THE HIMALAYAN VALLEY? CONTINENTAL DRIFT AND FORMATION OF THE HIMALAYAS Around 200 million years ago , an extensive sea stretched along the latitudinal area presently occupied by the Himalayas. This sea was named the Tethys. The Sea was shallow. The landmass consisted of a supercontinent known as PANGEA ( Wrongly referred as the imaginary Lemuria ). Pangea split into several land masses . As a result, rivers from both the northern EURASIAN land mass (called Angara) and the southern Indian land mass (CALLED GONDWANA ) started depositing large amounts of sediments into the shallow Tethys Sea. There were marine animals called ammonites living in the Tethys Sea at the time. The two land masses, the Eurasian, and the Indian sub-continent, moved closer and closer. This continental drift resulted in the collision of the Indian subcontinent portion of GONDWANA colliding with the Eurasian ANGARA and closed up the Tethys Sea and valleys and mountains arose (The Himalayas). Thus, the ammonites were trapped , became fossilized and these fossils came to be known as shalagramas and divinity was attached. Several puranas were built around it. Because these fossils exhibited markings like that of Sudarshana chakra, Vana mala etc they came to be associated with Mahavishnu. Hindus were not the only ones to associate these Ammonite fossils with religious significance but ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and the Bible (St Patrick) referred to elongated fossils of Ammonites as Serpent stones/Snake Stones and attributed curative properties . QUESTION : SINCE SCIENCE SAYS THAT SHALAGRAMA ARE ONLY FOOSILISED MARINE ANIMALS SHOULD WE DISMISS OUR CIVILISATIONAL BELIEFS? MY VIEW: NO, BELIEFS GIVE US SOMETHING TO LOOK FORWARD TO AND GIVE US A SENSE OF DISCIPLINE AND THERE IS NO NEED TO DESTROY ANY BELIEF BECAUSE SCIENCE SAYS SOMETHING DIFFERENT. THE TWO CAN EXIST TOGETHER . SCIENCE IS BASED ON TODAYS INFORMATION AND IT CAN CHANGE. S. Thyagarajan 2) Continued from A3 Fear is our most dangerous enemy. An unwarranted emotion caused by the belief that something dangerous is about to happen. In short, fear is just a signal and has ability to recognise danger and can be classified into major 3 types: 1. Known 2.Unknown (vague, inexplicable) 3. Terror, panic, horror or fright. I am trying to briefly explain about each type. Known Fear: The fear that can be defined clearly is known fear. This always has some concrete origin behind it. They may be anticipatory fears such as crossing the road, fear of darkness, being alone, fear of heights, health, hospital, doctors, injection and so on. Even fear of dog or autowala charging high comes under this category. Unknown Fear: This is experienced but cannot be explained. It is called vague fear, free-floating anxiety. Even though the sufferer shares it with their family members, the listeners won’t believe that there is something to be afraid of. Apprehensions, terror on awakening from a bad dream, fear of going back to sleep, fear of death or disasters are some of the vague fears. Sometimes if others don’t understand the root cause of such fear, the sufferer becomes depressed and in a vexation tries to commit suicide. I came across such a case 20 years back. I feel happy that it could be solved through me and that the lady whose fear could not be understood by her family members is now happily married and has two children. Terror, Panic or Horror is third category of fear: This refers to acute response of terror of a severe kind, such as fear of death, panic due to natural diseases, natural calamities, disasters, shock from fright and long lasting panic complaints, such as nervousness, sense of humiliation, phobias, nightmares, post-traumatic stress disorder etc. I have come across case of a Coast Commander from Cochin who while travelling in a car would get panic as if all the vehicles coming from opposite side were going to dash against his car. He used to sit in the back seat, throughout his travel with eyes closed. People having positive trait of this type are persons (fearless) who are always ready to take rescue work or act spontaneously at the time of acute emergency. It is said that at the time of such situations these persons immediately plunge into action because their mind gets shut and the soul starts taking action. Just for example if you take interview of a boy who has received President’s gallantry award and ask him “Do you know swimming? How could you save an elderly man from drowning?” His answer would be a “No” but when he saw a person in emergency, suddenly something inside him incited him to jump and save. Mind has all type of calculation about advantages and disadvantages. Soul is free from all such things. Persons working in fire brigade service also come under this category because though they are doing their duty but when they jump into action, their only aim at that time is to save. Self is forgotten (All spontaneous actions are graceful) There are two more types of fear, one from over- anxiety due to concern or over-concern about loved one’s welfares and the other is fear of losing control over situation, emotion, anger, doing something which they know to be bad for them or which is considered to be wrong. The general fear about something can be due to lack of self- confidence. Self- confidence and confidence are two major pillars of success which encourage taking any type of task or challenges and getting success. If one lacks self confidence, he/she will lose confidence of success, and fear of failure will emerge. Sometimes they withdraw from taking the challenge or even making an attempt. When you attend an interview if you enter the room with full self confidence, 50% selection is over. Your eyes and the way you walk make all the difference. Bach flower remedy system had taught me many things. Especially to analyse various types of fear and give proper solutions to those who suffer and unable to come over them. Prabha Ramadurai