Ayodhya Dispute Judgement Details

Full details emerge from Ayodhya Bench of Allahabad High Court. (This is the gist of the 8000 Page Judgement)

1.  Of all Judges Justice Dharma Veera Sharma, has given more details about the historicity and possession. We should certainly, memorise his words, giving out the essence of Indian Philosophy.
   

{This Court is of the view that place of birth that is Ram Janma Bhumi is a juristic person. The deity also attained the divinity like Agni, Vayu, Kedarnath. Asthan is personified as the spirit of divine worshipped as the birth place of Ram Lala or Lord Ram as a child .}

Spirit of divine ever remains present every where at all times for any one to invoke at any shape or form in accordance with his own aspirations and it can be shapeless and formless also.

Judges Khan and Sudheer also concur about the location of Rama Janma Bhoomi and advocate Trifurcation of the 2.77 Acre Site and allocation of one piece each to

Central Portion of Temple Area - Rama Lalla

Platform and Kitchen Area - Nirmohi Akhara

Other Area - Moslem Worshippers as Both Hindus and Moslems had been worshipping together for many decades.

Ayodhya Judgement: What are the points to be decided?

There is much more to the Ayodhya verdict than just the settlement of 'who owns the disputed land' issue. 

The much-awaited judgment to decide the title suit on ownership of the land on which the Babri Mosque stood in Ayodhya until its demolition on December 6, 1992 involves 28 issues framed by the special Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court.

• Whether the demolished structure was a mosque as claimed by the plaintiff Muslim organisations;
• If so, when was it built and by whom -- Mughal emperor Babar or his Awadh governor Mir Baqi Tashqandi;
• Was it built on the site of a demolished Hindu temple?
• Whether Muslims prayed in the Babri mosque from time immemorial;
• Whether they possessed the property openly and continuously from 1528 when it was allegedly built;
• Whether they possessed it till 1949 when they were dispossessed;
• Whether the suit was filed too late;
• Whether the Hindus have earned the right to pray at the site through adverse and continuous possession;
• Whether the plot is Ram's birthplace;
• Whether Hindus have worshipped the site as Ram's birthplace from time immemorial;
• Whether the idols and other objects of worship were placed in the structure on the night of December 22-23, 1949, or whether they had been there before.

• Whether the Ram chabutra -- the raised platform adjacent to the disputed structure -- as well as the Bhandar and Sita Rasoi were demolished along with the main structure;
• Whether the land adjoining the structure on its east, north and south housed an ancient graveyard and a mosque;
• Whether the structure is 'landlocked' and cannot be reached except by passing through Hindus' places of worship around it;
• Whether no mosque can come into existence on the plot in view of Islamic tenets (because idols have been placed there);
• Whether the structure could not legally be a mosque since it did not have minarets;
• Whether it could not be a mosque as it is hemmed in by a graveyard from three sides;
• Whether, after the demolition, it can still be called a mosque;
• Whether Muslims can use the open ground at the site as a mosque to offer prayers following the demolition of the structure;
• Whether and what relief, if any, the plaintiffs (Muslim organisations) are entitled to.

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 The court may not rule on each of these issues, but it seems to have left no avenue unexplored, even directing excavation of the site to unearth evidence.

There are actually five title suits before the court that it has to decide on even though its ruling will also dispose of dozens of other petitions for access, right to worship or pray, write petitions and the like.

It is to be seen whether the court can settle issues that are historical or mythological, as back in 1994, the Supreme Court had refused to go into these very aspects while returning a Presidential reference on the matter.

The first suit goes back to 1885 when Mahant Raghubar Das filed a title suit in a Faizabad court to build a chabutra (raised platform) on the outer courtyard of the disputes structure, but his suit was dismissed on the ground that the event (alleged demolition of an original Ram temple in 1528) had occurred over 350 years earlier, and so it was 'too late now' to remedy the grievance.

It was revived in December 1949 when some people broke open the structure's locks and installed a Ram idol and articles of worship and the administration ordered the status quo that led to two separate civil suits filed on January 16, 1950 by Hindu Mahasabha member late Gopal Singh Visharad and Paramhansa Ramchandra Das, keeper of the Digambar Akhada in Ayodhya.

Friday's judgment will not be a final verdict on the dispute that has been raging for decades as to whether there was the Ram mandir at the site that was pulled down to build the mosque, as it can be appealed in the Supreme Court by either side.

Even the Supreme Court ruling can be challenged for a review by the same bench or by a 5-judge bench through a curative petition.

All the same, the issues that the judges framed for ruling try to cover every possible aspect under the legal system.

The much-awaited judgment on Friday to decide the title suit on ownership of the land on which the Babri Mosque stood in Ayodhya until its demolition on December 6, 1992 involves 28 issues framed by the special Lucknow [ Images ] bench of the Allahabad high court.

The court may not rule on each of these issues, but it seems to have left no avenue unexplored, even directing excavation of the site to unearth evidence.

There are actually five title suits before the court that it has to decide on even though its ruling will also dispose of dozens of other petitions for access, right to worship or pray, write petitions and the like.

It is to be seen whether the court can settle issues that are historical or mythological, as back in 1994, the Supreme Court had refused to go into these very aspects while returning a Presidential reference on the matter.

The first suit goes back to 1885 when Mahant Raghubar Das filed a title suit in a Faizabad court to build a chabutra (raised platform) on the outer courtyard of the disputes structure, but his suit was dismissed on the ground that the event (alleged demolition of an original Ram temple in 1528) had occurred over 350 years earlier, and so it was 'too late now' to remedy the grievance.

It was revived in December 1949 when some people broke open the structure's locks and installed a Ram idol and articles of worship and the administration ordered the status quo that led to two separate civil suits filed on January 16, 1950 by Hindu Mahasabha member late Gopal Singh Visharad and Paramhansa Ramchandra Das, keeper of the Digambar Akhada in Ayodhya.

This judgment will not be a final verdict on the dispute that has been raging for decades as to whether there was the Ram mandir at the site that was pulled down to build the mosque, as it can be appealed in the Supreme Court by either side.

Even the Supreme Court ruling can be challenged for a review by the same bench or by a 5-judge bench through a curative petition.

All the same, the issues that the judges framed for ruling try to cover every possible aspect under the legal system. Pending settlement of the land title dispute, the Centre became the statutory receiver of all the disputed 67.7 acres of land since January 7, 1993, through the Acquisition of Certain Area at Ayodhya Act.

The Centre will, therefore, be ordered by the high court to implement its verdict in transferring land to the right owners, though it may hold back the immediate implementation, citing the law and order problem.

The Centre, however, cannot challenge the verdict before the Supreme Court since it is not a party to the case. It, however, has powers to enact a law to undo the court order as it had done in the Shah Bano case of 1986 to invalidate a Supreme Court judgment.

Legal experts, however, see a difference between the Shah Bano and Ayodhya cases. They argue the apex court's 1986 ruling on the maintenance due to divorced Muslim women was based on an interpretation of the Muslim personal law.

The Ayodhya ruling is expected to be based on the court's findings and not on interpretation.

The Uttar Pradesh [ Images ] government is one of the defendants, and as such it can certainly challenge the verdict and seek a status quo. The Centre will have to attach itself to any such petition the UP government moves before the Supreme Court.

The Hindu Mahsabha's late Visharad and Paramhansa Ramchandra Das, who were the first two people to file the title suits in 1950, are now represented in the case by the former's son Rajenda Singh Visharad, a retired bank officer, and Mahant Ram Das, Paramhansa Ramchandra Das's disciple.

Others party to the dispute are the Nirmohi Akhara, who filed the third suit in December 1959 wanting to take control of the property, and the Sunni Central Wakf Board, which sought in 1961 to hand over the plot to it, seeking declaration of the structure as a mosque and removal of idols and other articles.

All four suits were combined in 1964. A new dimension was added in July 1989 when retired Allahabad high court judge Deoki Nandan Agrawal filed yet another suit on behalf of the 'Ram Lalla' (young Ram) installed; his representatives are now party to the case.

The Vishwa Hindu Parishad, the Ramjanambhoomi Nyas and the Babri Masjid [ Images ] Action Committee, who have been agitating over the Ram temple versus Babri Masjid dispute, were never direct parties in the case though the BMAC became a litigant by proxy.

Minds work alike/ together

Vedic Verses preach - 

संगच्छध्वम्, संवदध्वम्, संवो मनांसि जानताम्।

(Let us move together, converse, let us know the minds of each other!)

 Especially in couples, known for their intimacy and amity, the meeting of minds, thinking alike is very common - says Bhatta Narayana in Veni Samhaara Treatise. (स्त्रीणां हि साहचर्यात् भवन्ति भर्तृसदृशानि चेतांसि) 

Many vows in the Marriage (Veda Mantras) correspond to these values, where minds work in tandem.

All these days, we thought that these are another set of prayer for blessings. Now scientists prove that is it a practical metaphor.

Telepathy/ Sixth Sense cannot be mere coincidence. 

Read on to learn the results of a scientific research.

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London: In a research that points to the existence of “sixth sense”, scientists claim to have found evidence that a couple can become physiologically aligned even without having physical contact with each other.

In fact, the study, led by led by Sydney’s University of Technology, has found that some couples are so in tune that their brains begin to work in synchronisation — with parts of their nervous systems beating in harmony.

The scientists studied the brains and heartbeats of 30 volunteers during counselling sessions by counsellors and found identical patterns of brain activity in those who had become so close they were “physiologically aligned”.

That means they had reached a state in which their nervous systems were ticking over in harmony, helping them to know each other’s thoughts and emotions, the Daily Mail newspaper reported.

The scientists believe the findings also shed light on the behaviour of couples, close friends or family members.
 

Psychologists have long known that some couples learn to think like each other — allowing them to “know” what their partner is thinking or about to say. But, this new study goes further by looking into the activity of the nervous system.

In fact, Dr Trisha Stratford, who led the study, identified a crucial moment when the counsellor and patient’s brains started to work in sync in an “altered state”.

She said: “When this happens we can read each other’s brains and bodies at a deeper level — a sixth sense.” During the “altered state”, the part of each person’s brain that controls the nervous system began to beat together.

Camphor Usage - A deterrent to Mosquitos/ Flies/ Bugs ???

Camphor

Shiva is extolled as Karpoora Goura. (As white as Camphor). Karpoora is an intergral part of Indian way of life. It is associated with many deities either as a Simily (Comparison) or Worship. The idea of our elders was to promote it in our regular life stream.

In the past, Indians would light diyas and burn camphor on a regular basis at least twice a day, as a part of daily puja. These helped to purify the air and keep harmful bacteria, viruses and mosquitoes away! We can definitely have a better and healthy environment with the use of camphor.

Camphor or Kapur is a waxy, white substance extracted from the wood of the Camphor Laurel tree found in Asia. (More details are provided in the link).

Camphor has many known medicinal uses-

• It relieves nasal congestion and cough when rubbed on the chest as anoil. Processed Camphor is used as an ingredient in throat lozenges and cough syrups and in Vicks.
• Camphor is also used in some anti-itch ointments, creams and cooling gels because it is can be absorbed through skin and is effective at treating pain locally. 
• It has an analgesic effect which makes it a favorite oil to be used in pain relieving massage blends forsore muscles and arthritic pain.
• A special variety of Camphor called Pachcha Karpooram is used in Laddu/ other sweets). (Internal Consumption of Camphor directly, should be avoided.)
• Camphor is known to improve the quality of air making it a better for our lungs and heart.(Odour permeating closed rooms/ halls/ apartments/ flats, without adequate ventilation can be alleviated with the usage of Camphor.)

Many people are not aware of the Mosquito repellent power of Camphor - a simple solution without side effects and very cost effective. 

CAMPHOR IS A NATURAL MOSQUITO REPELLENT With effect round the clock! You do not need to burn it for that. There are three easier ways to do it -

1. Put 2 tablets of commercially available camphor on any warm surface the device shown in the picture serves the purpose well. Plug it for an hour and see the results! You can do it twice a day- morning and in the night as well! 
2. Place 2 tablets of camphor on different corners of the room or at places where mosquitoes seem to love to stay! Leave them there and they will evaporate in a day or so keeping the air purer and mosquito free. 
3. Take a wide opened cup or plate with water. Drop 2 tablets of Camphor into the water. Keep the cup with water and camphor in your sleeping room. The quantity of water and camphor may differ from room size. Water evaporate at normal temperature. Camphor slowly started dissolving in water. The water evaporates with Camphor smell. Adding little bit hot water gives instant action. 

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• Try this and share the results with others! If satisfied, spread these healthy tips to other people! 

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More Information about Camphor

(Some of the above mentioned tips are sent to a forum by Dr.V Subrahmanyam, Hyderabad).

Hemp/ Bhang/ Ganja/ Jute - Its Modern Usages will include Car Manufacture too

• Sage Veda Vyasa, categorically stated (about materials and acts/ deeds).
• There is nothing called good or bad. It is only contextual and relational depending on the intention of the doer/ inventor.

( A knife can be used to cut fruit, remove a tumour or kill a person)

Here, we apply the principle for the plant Hemp/ Bhang/  Ganja/ Jute.

• Traditionally, Hemp/ Bhang/  Ganja/ Jute was used as Resin, Coolant, Stimulant, Medicine etc.  (Some people say, all of them are different varieties)
• Its variants are now explored for usage in the manufacture of Cars by Canadians, for Ecological conservation.

More than a dozen Canadian companies have joined hands to produce a 'green' car made of hemp. 

To be run on electricity, the prototype design of the car - to be called Kestrel - will be unveiled at the Electric Mobility Show here next month.

A consortium of 15 Canadian companies will design the green under Project Eve which aims to build environmental friendly cars on the long-term basis. The four-seater will have bio-composite body made of hemp - which is the name for cannabis (bhang) plant. It will run on batteries with 4.5 to 17.3 kilowatt hours of energy. The car will reach a top speed of 90 kilometres per hour.

It will have a range of 40 to 160 kilometres before needing to be recharged, depending on the type of battery, it was reported here Monday.

The first 20 cars will be delivered next year.

Hemp-fibre is said to be as strong as fibre-glass - used currently to make car bodies - but much lighter and less expensive. Henry Ford had built his first car made of hemp fibre and resin more than half a century ago.

"It's not an original idea (to use hemp-fibre)," Nathan Armstrong, president of Calgary-based Motive Industries which will test the prototype, told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) on Monday. 

He said the the idea wasn't developed much further as car manufacturers favoured steel. In subsequent decades, fibre-glass and carbon fibre-based composites gained popularity as they are strong.

But producing these composite is very energy intensive whereas hemp-fibre grows in a field using the energy of the sun. Further, it is twice as strong as any other plant fibre, he said.

"As a structural material, hemp is about the best. Plus, it's illegal to grow it in the US, so it actually gives Canada a bit of a market advantage,'' Armstrong told the network.

The Canadian auto industry is the eighth largest in the world, with major US and Japanese automakers having assembly plants in Ontario province.

Benefits of learning Sanskrit by Students ... Western Perspective

Why does my child do with Sanskrit?

by Rutger Kortenhorst 

(Rutger Kortenhorst, a Sanskrit teacher in John Scottus School in Dublin, speaks on the value of teaching Sanskrit to children, based on his own experience with the language.)

Good evening Ladies and Gentlemen!

We are going to spend an hour together looking at the topic ‘Why does my child do Sanskrit in John Scottus?’ My bet is that at the end of the hour you will all have come to the conclusion that your children are indeed fortunate that this extraordinary subject is part of their curriculum.

Firstly, let us look at Why Sanskrit for my child? We are the only school in Ireland doing this language, so this will need some explaining. There are another 8 JSS-type schools around the world that have made the same decision to include Sanskrit in their curriculum (they are all off-shoots from the School of Philosophy).

Secondly, how is Sanskrit taught? You may have noticed your son or daughter singing Sanskrit grammar songs in the back of the car just for the fun of it on the way home from school. I’ll spend some time telling you HOW we approach teaching Sanskrit now since my year in India.

Why Sanskrit?

But first of all: why Sanskrit? To answer that we need to look at the qualities of Sanskrit. Sanskrit stands out above all other languages for its beauty of sound, precision in pronunciation and reliability as well as thoroughness in every aspect of its structure. This is why it has never fundamentally changed unlike all other languages. It has had no need to change being the most perfect language of Mankind.

If we consider Shakespeare’s English, we realize how different and therefore difficult for us his English language was although it is just English from less than 500 years ago. We struggle with the meaning of Shakespeare’s English or that of the King James Bible. Go back a bit further and we don’t have a clue about the English from the time of Chaucer’s ‘Pilgrim’s Progress’ from around 700 AD. We cannot even call this English anymore and now rightly call it Anglo-Saxon. 

So English hadn’t even been born! 

All languages keep changing beyond recognition. They change because they are defective. The changes are in fact corruptions. They are born and die after seven or eight hundred years –about the lifetime of a Giant Redwood Tree- because after so much corruption they have no life left in them. Surprisingly there is one language in the world that does not have this short lifespan. Sanskrit is the only exception. It is a never-dying constant. 

The reason for the constancy in Sanskrit is that it is completely structured and thought out. There is not a word that has been left out in its grammar or etymology, which means every word can be traced back to where it came from originally. This does not mean there is no room for new words either. Just as in English we use older concepts from Greek and Latin to express modern inventions like a television: ‘tele [far] – vision [seeing]’ or ‘compute –er’. 

Sanskrit in fact specializes in making up compound words from smaller words and parts. The word ‘Sams – krita’ itself means ‘completely – made’. So what advantages are there to a fundamentally unchanging language? What is advantageous about an unchanging friend, say? Are they reliable? What happens if you look at a text in Sanskrit from thousands of years ago?

The exceptional features of Sanskrit have been recognised for a few centuries all over the world, so you will find universities from many countries having a Sanskrit faculty. Whether you go to Hawai, Cambridge or Harvard and even Trinity College Dublin has a seat for Sanskrit –although it is vacant at present. May be one of your children will in time fill this position again?

Although India has been its custodian, Sanskrit has had universal appeal for centuries. The wisdom carried by this language appeals to the West as we can see from Yoga and Ayurvedic Medicine as well as meditation techniques, and practical philosophies like Buddhism and most of what we  use in the School of Philosophy. It supports, expands and enlightens rather than conflicts withlocal traditions and religions.

The precision of Sanskrit stems from the unparalleled detail on how the actual sounds of the alphabet are structured and defined. The sounds have a particular place in the mouth, nose and throat that can be defined and will never change. This is why in Sanskrit the letters are called the ‘Indestructibles’ [aksharáni]. 

Sanskrit is the only language that has consciously laid out its sounds from first principles. So the five mouth-positions for all Indestructibles [letters] are defined and with a few clearly described mental and physical efforts all are systematically planned: [point out chart]After this description, what structure can we find in a, b, c, d, e, f , g…? There isn’t any, except perhaps that it starts with ‘a’, and goes downhill from there.

Then there is the sheer beauty of the Sanskrit script as we learn it today. [Some examples on the board]

You may well say: ‘Fine, but so why should my son or daughter have yet another subject and another script to learn in their already busy school-day?’ In what way will he or she benefit from the study of Sanskrit in 2010 in the Western world?

The qualities of Sanskrit will become the qualities of your child- that is the mind and heart of your child will become beautiful, precise and reliable.

Sanskrit automatically teaches your child and anybody else studying it to pay FINE attention due to its uncanny precision. When the precision is there the experience is, that it feels uplifting. It makes you happy. It is not difficult even for a beginner to experience this. All you have to do is fine-tune your attention and like music you are drawn in and uplifted. 

This precision of attention serves all subjects, areas and activities of life both while in school and for the rest of life. This will give your child a competitive advantage over any other children. They will be able to attend more fully, easily and naturally. Thus in terms of relationships, work, sport– in fact all aspects of life, they will perform better and gain more satisfaction. Whatever you attend to fully, you excel in and you enjoy more.

By studying Sanskrit, other languages can be learnt more easily; this being the language all others borrow from fractionally. The Sanskrit grammar is reflected in part in Irish or Greek, Latin or English. They all have a part of the complete Sanskrit grammar. Some being more developed than others, but always only a part of the Sanskrit grammar, which is complete in itself.

What Sanskrit teaches us that there is a language that is ordered, following laws unfailingly and as they are applied your child gets uplifted, not only when they grow up, but as they are saying it! This means they get an unusual but precise, definite and clear insight into language while they are enjoying themselves.

They learn to speak well, starting from Sanskrit, the mother language of all languages. Those who speak well run the world. Barack Obama makes a difference because he can speak well. Mahatma Gandhi could move huge crowds with well-balanced words. Mother Theresa could express herself with simple words which uplift us even now. 

The language of the great Master Teachers of mankind from times past is all we have got after centuries and millennia, but they make all the difference. We can enter the remarkable mind of Plato through his words. If your daughter or son can express themselves well through conscious language they will be the leaders of the next generation.

Sanskrit has the most comprehensive writings in the world expressed through the Vedas and the Gítá. The Upanishads –translated by William Butler Yeats have given people from all over the world an insight into universal religious feelings for more than one century now. To know these well expressed simple words of wisdom in the original is better than dealing with copies or translations as copies are always inferior to originals. 

We really need clear knowledge on universal religion in an age faced with remarkable levels of religious bigotry and terrorism arising from poorly understood and half-baked religious ideas.

Culture

Vivekananda, a great spiritual leader from India revered by all in the World Religious Conference of 1880 said:

You can put a mass of knowledge into the world, but that will not do it much good. There must come some culture into the blood. We all know in modern times of nations which have masses of knowledge, but what of them? They are like tigers; they are like savages, because culture is not there. Knowledge is only skin-deep, as civilization is, and a little scratch brings out the old savage. Such things happen; this is the danger. Teach the masses in the vernaculars, give them ideas; they will get information, but something more is necessary; give them culture.

Sanskrit can help your child to express universal, harmonious and simple truths better. As a result you will really have done your duty as a parent and the world will reap the benefits in a more humane, harmonious and united society. Sanskrit can do this as it is the only language that is based in knowledge all the way. Nothing is left to chance.

Just think for the moment how confusing it is for a child to learn to say ‘rough’, but ‘dough’. And why does the ‘o’ in ‘woman’ sound like an ‘e’ in ‘women’? How come the ‘ci’ in ‘special’ is different from the ‘ci’ in ‘cinema’? Teachers may well say ‘Just learn it’ as there is no logical explanation, but it only demonstrates to a child that it is all a bit of a hit-and-miss affair. What else does this randomness in the fundamental building-blocks of language teach a child about the world? That it’s just a confusing, random chance-event? How can this give anyone any confidence?

Now go to a language where everything is following rules. Where nothing is left to chance from the humble origin of a letter to the most sophisticated philosophical idea. How will that child meet the world? Surely with confidence, clarity and the ability to express itself?

I have seen myself and others growing in such qualities, because of our contact with Sanskrit. I have just spent a year in India. Though it felt a bit like camping in a tent for a year, it was well worth it. For many years, we taught Sanskrit like zealots i.e. with high levels of enthusiasm and low levels of understanding, to both adults in the School of Philosophy and children in John Scottus School. 

We did not perhaps inspire a lot of our students and may have put a number of them off the study of Sanskrit. It felt to me like we needed to go to the source. Sanskrit teachers worth their salt need to live with people whose daily means of communication is in Sanskrit. I had already spent three summers near Bangalore doing just that and becoming less of an amateur, but it really needed a more thorough study. 

So I moved into a traditional gurukulam for the year. This meant living on campus, eating lots of rice  and putting up with a few power-cuts and water shortages, but by December 2009, I made up my mind that I would step down as vice-principal of the Senior School and dedicate myself to Sanskrit for the rest of my teaching life. It felt like a promotion to me as quite a few could be vice-principal but right now which other teacher could forge ahead in Sanskrit in Ireland? [Hopefully this will change before I pop off to the next world.] 

With Sanskrit I’m expecting my mind to improve with age even if my body slows down a little. Sanskrit is often compared to the full-time teacher, who is there for you 24/7 whereas the other languages are more like part-timers. 

The effects of studying Sanskrit on me have been first and foremost a realistic confidence. Secondly, it meant I had to become more precise and speak weighing my words more carefully. It also taught me to express myself with less waffle and therefore speak more briefly. My power of attention and retention has undoubtedly increased.

Teaching method

Now, let me explain for a few minutes, HOW Sanskrit is taught. To my surprise it is not taught well in most places in India. Pupils have to learn it from when they are around age 9 to 11 and then they give it up, because it is taught so badly! 

Only a few die-hards stick with it, in time teaching the same old endings endlessly to the next generation. This is partly due to India having adopted a craving to copy the West and their tradition having been systematically rooted out by colonialism.

For learning grammar and the wisdom of the East, I was well-placed in a traditional gurukulam, but for spoken Sanskrit I felt a modern approach was missing.

Then I found a teacher from the International School belonging to the Sri Aurobindo Ashram in Pondicherry. His name is Narendra. He has developed a novel, inspiring and light method to teach grammar, which doesn’t feel like you do any grammar at all. At the same time it isn’t diluted for beginners so you don’t end up with partial knowledge. I also followed a few Sanskrit Conversation camps, which all brought about more familiarity.

Narendra says he owes his method to Sri Aurobindo and his companion The Mother who inspired him to come up with the course we now follow in Dublin. This is one of the many things The Mother said to inspire him:“Teach logically. Your method should be most natural, efficient and stimulating to the mind. It should carry one forward at a great pace. You need not cling there to any past or present manner of teaching.”

This is how I would summarize the principles for teaching Sanskrit as we carry it out at present:

• 1. Language learning is not for academics as everyone learns to speak a language from an early age before they can read and write and know what an academic is. So why insist in teaching Sanskrit academically?
• 2. The writing script is not the most fundamental thing to be taught. A language is firstly made of its sounds, words and spoken sentences. [The script we use -though very beautiful- is only a few hundred years old.]
• 3. Always go from what is known to what is new.
• 4.  Understanding works better than memorisation in this Age. Learning by heart should only take up 10 percent of the mental work, rather than the 90 percent rote learning in Sanskrit up to the recent present.
• 5. Don’t teach words and endings in isolation; teach them in the context of a sentence as the sentence is the smallest meaningful unit in language.
• 6. Any tedious memory work which cannot be avoided should be taught in a song.
• 7. Do not teach grammatical terms. Just as we don’t need to know about the carburetor, when we learn to drive a car.
• 8. The course should be finished in two years by an average student according to Narendra. This may be a little optimistic given that we are a little out of the loop not living in India, which is still Sanskrit’s custodian. At present I would say it is going to be a three-year course.
• 9. Language learning must be playful. Use drama, song, computer games and other tricks to make learning enjoyable.

We have started on this course since September and it has certainly put a smile on our pupils’ faces, which makes a pleasant change. I now feel totally confident that we are providing your children with a thorough, structured and enjoyable course. 

Our students should be well prepared for the International Sanskrit Cambridge exam by the time they finish –age 14/15- at the end of second year. We will also teach them some of the timeless wisdom enshrined in various verses. At present we are teaching them: “All that lives is full of the Lord. Claim nothing; enjoy! Do not covet His property”- in the original of course.

The future

Let us look at the 500 – year cycle of a Renaissance. The last European Renaissance developed three subjects: Art, Music and Science to shape the world we live in today. It had its beginning in Florence. The great Humanist Marsilio Ficino made Plato available to the masses by translating it from Greek to Latin. We live in exciting times and may well be at the beginning of a new Renaissance. It also will be based on three new subjects: Some say that these will be Economics, Law and Language.

Language has to become more universal now as we can connect with each other globally within seconds. NASA America’s Space Program is actively looking at Sanskrit in relation to I.T. and artificial intelligence.

Sri Aurobindo said “…at once  majestic and sweet and flexible, strong and clearly-formed and full and vibrant and subtle…”.

What John Scottus pupils have said:

It makes your mind bright, sharp and clear.

It makes you feel peaceful and happy.

It makes you feel BIG.

It cleans and loosens your tongue so you can pronounce any language easily.

What Sanskrit enthusiasts have said:

• It gives you access to a vast and liberating literature.

It can describe all aspects of human life from the most abstract philosophical to the latest scientific discoveries, hinting at further developments.

Sanskrit and computers are a perfect fit. The precision play of Sanskrit with computer tools will awaken the capacity in human beings to utilize their innate higher mental faculty with a momentum that would inevitably transform the mind. In fact, the mere learning of Sanskrit by large numbers of people in itself represents a quantum leap in consciousness, not to mention the rich endowment it will provide in the arena of future communication. NASA, California

After many thousands of years, Sanskrit still lives with a vitality that can breathe life, restore unity and inspire peace on our tired and troubled planet. It is a sacred gift, an opportunity. The future could be very bright.

Rick Briggs [NASA]

You may well have a few questions at this stage after which I would like to introduce you to a plant in the audience. A parent turned into a blazing ball of enthusiasm over Sanskrit grammar: John Doran. I would like him to wrap up.

I’ll give NASA’s Rick Briggs the last word from me:

One thing is certain; Sanskrit will only become the planetary language when it is taught in a way which is exiting and enjoyable. Furthermore it must address individual learning inhibitions with clarity and compassion in a setting which encourages everyone to step forth, take risks, make mistakes and learn.

Rick Briggs [NASA]

Helium: Is it finite?

Helium is formed on Earth as rocks steadily decay and nearly all of our reserves have been formed as a by-product of the extraction of natural gas. 

The only way to obtain it will be to capture it from the decay of tritium — a radioactive hydrogen isotope, which the US stopped making in 1988.

This means that the Earth's resources of helium are being depleted at an astonishing rate because it is too cheap to recycle. Thus, Earth's helium reserves will run out by 2030, a leading expert has claimed. 

According to Nobel laureate Prof. Robert Richardson of Cornell University, the US supplies 80 per cent of the helium used in the world at a very cheap rate and these supplies will run out in 25 to 30 years' time. And, once the helium reserves are gone, there will be no way of replacing it, the Professor of physics said. 

"There is no chemical means to make helium. The supplies we have on Earth come from radioactive alpha decay in rocks. Right now it's not commercially viable to recover helium from the air so we've to rely on extracting from rocks. 

"But if we do run out altogether, we will have to recover helium from the air and it will cost 10,000 times what it does today," Prof Richardson told the 'New Scientist'. 

A US law states that the biggest store of helium in the world — in a disused airfield in Texas — must be sold off by 2015 and is being sold at far too cheap a price. 

 So what should the US do? "Get out of the business and let the free market prevail. The consequence will be a rise in prices. Party balloons will be US dollars 100 each but we'll have to live with that. We will have to live with those prices eventually anyway," he said.

Hospitality - Collectively Practiced in India?

Indian Hospitality – A Specialty

• ·         If you cross the American Border from Mexico (Or Latin America) illegally, police will question inspite of objections from human rights activists. (Canadians need not cross).
• ·         If you cross the   " The North Korean "   border illegally,  you get ..... 12 years hard labour in an isolated prison .....
• ·         If you cross the   " Iranian "    border illegally,  you get ..... detained indefinitely .....
• ·         If you cross the   " Afghan "   border illegally,  you get ..... shot .....
• ·         If you cross the   " Saudi Arabian "   border illegally,  you get ..... jailed .....
• ·         If you cross the   " Chinese "   border illegally,  you may get ..... kidnapped and may be never heard of - again .....
• ·         If you cross the   " Venezuelan "   border illegally,  you get ..... branded as a spy and your fate sealed .....
• ·         If you cross the   " Cuban "   border illegally,  you get ..... thrown into a political prison to rot .....
• ·         If you cross the   " British "   border illegally,  you get ..... arrested, prosecuted, sent to prison and be deported after serving your sentence .....
• ·         Now ..... if you were to cross the   " Indian "   border illegally,  you get the following.....

 1.   A ration card

2.   A passport  ( even more than one - if you please ! )

3.   A driver's licence

4.   A voter identity card

5.   Debit/ Credit cards

6.   A Haj subsidy

7.   Job reservation                   

8.   Special privilages for minorities                   

9.   Government  housing on subsidized rent                   

11. Free education                   

12. Free health care at Primary Health Centre

 13. A lobbyist in New Delhi, with a bunch of media scribes and a bigger bunch of human rights activists promoting your  " cause "                   

14. The right to talk about secularism, which you have not heard about in your own country  !
15. And of-course ..... voting rights to elect politicians who will promote your community for their selfish interest in securing your votes  !!!      

Hats off   ..... to the .....              

A.      Corrupt and communal bent of mind of politicians who devise the inefficient and corrupt system.

B.      The silly pseudo-secularists in India,  who promote illegal immigrants

C.      The amazingly lenient Indian courts and legal system

D.      The selfish citizens,  who are not bothered about the dangers to their own country

E.       The illogically brainless human-rights activists, who think that terrorists deserve to be dealt with by archaic laws meant for an era, when human beings were human beings.

==============================================================

Epilogue

Why this peculiarity?

• ·         We, Indians have imbibed thru our generations, the Vedic Philosophy and preachings. However, we selectively apply it only on the macro level; (where there is no collective responsibility), seldom on the micro level (where one’s personal interests are affected).
• Is this a possibility?
• Yes, We are practising Atithi Devo Bhava; even though, we tend to forget many more important tenets such as Satyam Vada, Dharmam Chara, Matru Devo/ Pitru Devo/ Aacharya Devo Bhava.
• ·         Atithi is the one, who comes without a prior intimation and appointment. It is our duty to treat him with all posisble affection and courtesy. 

Our Politicians are practising this system? Police are helping the same system. Courts abett that, by letting the cases languish for at least a decade on an average, to say the least.

Bengal , Assam and Bihar are the worst affected states, with an infiltration levels of upto 25%, at some blocks. Change of Demographics can alter anything in the democracy.

Should we disrupt the politicians, police, courts in the hospitality policy?

Or do something to change this?

Jai Hind

Want Cheaper tickets?? - Japanese Mathematic Formula offers help

Japanese economists have come up with a formula that will help you bag the cheapest holiday flights. It is simple - buy tickets exactly eight weeks in advance and book in the afternoon.

The mind-boggling maths formula "A = gUG + min(k - g, (1 - g)(1 - r)" has been prepared by Makoto Watanabe and Marc Moller and published in the latest edition of The Economic Journal.
 

Japanese economists said that to get the most for your money, book exactly eight weeks in advance and buy the tickets in the afternoon.
 

Daily Mail reported that when we book our flight weeks ahead, we have to account for the possibility of unforeseen events which make our trip impossible.
 

In order to make consumers take their chances, airlines have to offer advance purchase discounts. 

As a consequence, ticket prices increase as the travel date approaches.

If buying tickets more than eight weeks ahead look like the best option, it could, however, mean that the consumer risks having to pay to alter booking if the plans change.
 

But, if one leaves it for later, there's an increased risk that prices may go up or the flight could be fully booked.
 

Regarding booking the ticket in the afternoon, economists explained that business travellers, who are less concerned about price, tend to book trips from the office earlier in the day.
 

They suggested that holidaymakers will book at home later on.
 

The report states: "The purchase of airline and theatre tickets are both examples where individual demand uncertainty and rationing risks interfere.
 

"However, there is empirical evidence which shows that airline ticket prices typically increase over time while theatre tickets are often sold at a discount on the day. When we purchase our theatre ticket last minute, there exists the possibility that the event has sold out. In order to make consumers bear this risk, theatres implement a clearance sale by offering last-minute discounts."

Migraine: Prevention of the glutamate build-up, possibility for cure?

• Migraine affects the routine lives of many people.
• Migraine caused Foreign Accent Syndrome in a British Woman (Which is a rare disorder, where as the woman spoke in French Accent).
• Migraine affects one in six women and one in 12 men, arguably the most expensive brain disorder in the European Union and the US.
• A US report measures its economic costs - mainly from time lost at work - as similar to those of diabetes, and WHO lists it as one of the top 20 diseases with years lived with disability.

What is the hope?


Scientists have for the first time pinpointed genes that are linked with migraine.

The researchers, examining the genetic profile of more than 50,000 people, came up with new insights into what triggers the attacks, opening the door to new treatments.

The international team found that patients with a particular DNA variant between two genes on Chromosome 8 - PGCP and MTDH/AEG-1 - have a significantly greater risk for developing migraine, reports the Telegraph.

The results suggest that such patients accumulate a chemical known as glutamate in nerve cell connections of the brain, which may trigger migraine attacks, according to the journal Nature Genetics.

Prevention of the glutamate build-up may provide a promising target for new treatments to ease the burden of the disease.
"This is the first time we have been able to peer into the genomes of many thousands of people and find genetic clues to understand common migraine," said Aarno Palotie, chair of the International Headache Genetics Consortium at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Britain, which spearheaded the study.

Note:
Glutamate is a neuro transmitter, its involved in conduction of nerve impulses to the brain.

Using Shoes? These methods of tying the lace could help you

Sri Krishna Ashtami

Sri Krishna Para Brahmane Namaha.
Let us chant the Dwaadasaakshari Mantra.  This one Composition (in Telugu Language) rendered in Dwaraka, Gujarat during Sri Krishna Charitra by Sri Ganapati Sachchidananda Swamiji, gives the synopsis about the great Incarnation.

(I am Sorry that the English Translation is not provided now)

(Dwaadasha Akshari Mantra)

pallavi -      

kr̥ṣṇuḍi caritaṁ janurālā                 
bhāvana cēddāṁ manasārā

 paramātmanu paritōṣantō         
paripari vidhamula bhajiyiddāṁ
 
1.    viśvaṁ tānē ayivunnā        
mullōkālaku prabhuvainā

rājyaṁ hōdā kōrakanē           -      
nirliptaṅgā vunnāḍē

 
2.    yajñapu modaṭava tāmbūlaṁ   
kaurava sabhalō avamānaṁ

civaraku bōya śarāghātaṁ         
samamuga en̄cina dataḍēgā

 
3.    tana upadēśapu māṭalakū     
nija jīvitamē nidarśanaṁ

sthitaprajñuḍai vibhuḍai śrī               
saccidānanda jagadguruvē

-- 

పల్లవి -       
కృష్ణుడి చరితం జనురాలా                 
భావన చేద్దాం మనసారా

పరమాత్మను పరితోషంతో         
పరిపరి విధముల భజియిద్దాం

1.    విశ్వం తానే అయివున్నా        
ముల్లోకాలకు ప్రభువైనా

రాజ్యం హోదా కోరకనే           -      
 నిర్లిప్తంగా వున్నాడే

2.    యజ్ఞపు మొదటవ తాంబూలం   
కౌరవ సభలో అవమానం

చివరకు బోయ శరాఘాతం         
సమముగ ఎంచిన దతడేగా

3.    తన ఉపదేశపు మాటలకూ     
నిజ జీవితమే నిదర్శనం

స్థితప్రజ్ఞుడై విభుడై శ్రీ              
సచ్చిదానంద జగద్గురువే