GRACIOUS IN DEFEAT - DISPLAY OF TRUE SPORTSMANSHIP BY THE SRILANKANS!

THIS IS WHAT IS CALLED TRUE SPORTSMANSHIP!

GRACIOUS IN DEFEAT!

WHILE GIVING COMPLIMENTS TO THE WINNERS (NOT ABUSING THEM) LOOKING TO THE FUTURE WITH GREATER CONFIDENCE!

SALUTES TO THE SRILANKAN CRICKET TEAM AND SRI LANKA'S SPORTIVE PEOPLE!


Courtesy: Hasini Wickramasingha

STOP COMPARING YOURSELF

Some years ago, I sat at this wedding and met a younger woman who had gone to two Ivy League schools and had a masters and a doctorate and had run marathons and traveled in countries like Cambodia and Vietnam. Not only that, but she was strikingly pretty, could belt out Hip Hop at the karaoke bar, had a disarming sense of humor and a sweet husband with buckets of money. Clearly, she’d gotten quite the package deal from the Big Cosmic Travel Agent in the sky. The encounter made me want to run home and win a Nobel Peace prize or at least clean up my basement.Where had my time gone? Why hadn’t I achieved more with my life?

“Let’s keep in touch,” she said breezily, as the evening ended. And I thought to myself that could get expensive for me, what with the therapy bills and all.

Comparison is such a nasty business. A complete stranger could stir up a hornet’s nest in me, just by being impertinently flawless and sitting next to me with good perfume. In the wisdom tradition of A Course in Miracles, it says, “Love makes no comparisons.” It says this, not because that’s a nice thing to do, but because comparison is impossible. We don’t know the journey someone else is on. We don’t know the journey we’re on. We don’t know the miracles that are right in front of us, when we choose to enter our current lives with no regrets and no holding back.

“I should have done more with my life by now,” is a comment I often hear from clients. They are filled with comparisons, regrets and wisps of dreams that tempt and sting them. They come home from work barren and restless. They have survived on autopilot and “survival” costs them peace of mind. They want sweeter days. They yearn for accomplishments that reverberate in their soul. But here’s the real secret. They don’t regret their past. They regret their present.

You only regret the past when you’re not in love with the moment before you. Change this moment, and you change how you feel about everything. You can’t be in the wrong life…if you’re in an enchanted moment.

Comparison will cost you enchantment. When I strain to see my neighbor’s garden, I’ve taken my eyes off my own. “My God, look at the size of those roses,” I despair, while my patch of land withers with neglect. Nothing grows without attention and love. Likewise, nothing remains the same when offered love and attention.

Want to live a life of no regrets, no matter what choices you’ve made in the past? Make these choices right now. Keep your eyes on your own roses and tend them with every thing you have. Plunge into accepting and blessing your own unique circumstances. Take a small step, a big step, a holy step in the direction that calls you right now. Trust that you are not alone and that you will have what you absolutely need. Diving into this moment with integrity answers everything. There is no past or future. There are no other choices. It doesn’t matter what anyone else has. You have this unbelievable moment.

Author:Tama J. Kieves

About the Author:

Tama J. Kieves is an honors graduate of Harvard Law School who left her practice with a large corporate law firm to write and to embolden others to live their most fulfilling lives.

SREE RAMA NAVAMI 12TH APRIL, 2011.

12TH APRIL 2011, Ram Navami.The festival of Ram Navami is dedicated to Lord Ram. The festival of Ram Navami marks the birthday celebrations of the Hindu Lord Rama, who is considered to be one of the incarnations of Lord Vishnu.
story behind Navami and Sri Rama:

Generally, we will not perform (or) start any new issues (or) work during Ashtami (the day Sri Krishnar is born) nor in Navami. And during this Navami thithi only, Sri Ramar was born.

There is a small and beautiful story behind this. Each and every thithi has karthaas (Head or Chief). Once, these two thithis - Ashtami and Navami went towards Sriman Narayanan and questioned that these two thithis are not being accepted by any of the person in the earth and thinks that these two were not used for any of the new business not new things being started during these days. But, on hearing this, Sriman Narayanan answered them that to explain the greatness of these thithis, he will be born in the earth, during these thithis. And as a result of this only, Sri Rama was born in Navami and Sri Krishna in Ashtami and the entire world is celebrating these two days as a great festival.

Origin:-

When the evil forces reign supreme, the Lord will come to the rescue and set things right. Sri Rama Navami marks the birth of Lord Rama, the seventh incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Sri Rama Navami the birthday of Lord Sri Ram, is observed on Chaitra Shukla Navami, the ninth day in Shukla Paksha during Chaitra month. Sri Ram Navami date is April 12, 2011. Rama Navratras, the nine-day worship dedicated to Lord Sri Ram, starts on Chaitra Shukla Padyami and ends on Chaitra Shukla Navami (Ram Navami). Sri Rama Navami marks the culmination of Sri Rama Navratri. Different procedures will be followed, in north and south.

How to celebrate:-
During this day, performing pooja for photo of Sri Rama Pattabhishekam and after that you can chant some of the slokams from Sri Ramayanam.The offering Prasad are Vadai, Payasam, butter milk (diluted water) etc. and along with this, the great Sri Rama Nama it is 100% evident that wherever the great Sri Rama Nama is expressed, Hanuman will enjoy that Nama and along with Sri Rama, and he will also bless us with his grace. More to this, by chanting the Sri Rama Nama, it is said that bhaktas will get the favour equivalent to that of the favour got by fasting. Not even on this day, even daily we should atleast say the Sri Rama Japa for 108 times (or atleast for 28 times) and we can a lot of positive changes on our life.

While performing Puja at home, you can always be flexible. The strict rituals are meant for Vedic priests. All you need be careful is to perform the puja with a clean body and clean mind. What is more important is your devotion and faith. It is said that lord Sri Rama showers all his blessings on people, who remember him with an honest and true heart. So anybody who worships the Lord sincerely could get blessed with Its Grace irrespective of the caste, creed, race, power, status and qualities.
The birth of Rama (Ram Navami), explains guidelines that need to be followed by each ad every person in this world. Rama occupies a very reverential place in the religious life of India and in the religious history of the world. He is the embodiment of righteousness and is believed to be the incarnation of the solar aspect of Vishnu. Numerous temples are scattered all over India for Rama, Lakshmana & Sita. In all images, Rama is depicted to be having two arms which emphasizes the character of Rama as a human being because God Vishnu preferred to adopt this form to re-establish the golden age of justice & happiness. The expression “Rama Rajya”, even today, means the reign in which peace and prosperity prevail.

Rama: An Ideal son
Lord Rama was the ideal son, who always obeyed His parents;
At times even advised the elders.

The Ideal brother:
Rama-Lakshman's love is cited as the ideal of brotherly love.

The Ideal friend:
He helped Sugreev, Vibhishan and many others during their difficult times.

The Ideal Enemy:
Vibhishan refused to perform the last rites of Ravan, his brother. Lord Rama said to him, ''If you do not do it, I will. He was my brother too!'' He was also the true embodiment of humanity.

The Ideal King:
A righteous King who followed all codes of conduct for Kings as laid down in our scriptures. A king has to be like Rama, representing your will, your goodwill, your sense of proper judgement, fair play and righteousness. Shri Rama not only propounded what was good but he followed that. He sacrificed for that and he established his own symbol as a pure symbol of that righteous will which is within the people, which is the collective righteous will“.
An Ideal of True patriot:

A Patriotism for One's Own Country at all times.

Lord Rama had tremendous patriotism for his own kingdom Ayodhya! After the death of Ravana, Vibhisana fell at the feet of Rama and said, "Swami, I never aspired to be the King of Lanka. I only wanted my brother to give up his bad qualities. I pray to you to take over the Kingdom of Lanka."All the rakshasas also came and prayed to Rama that he should become King of Lanka.Lakshmana also supported them saying, "O brother, Bharatha is already ruling over Ayodhya. Even if you return to Ayodhya, you may not be crowned as the King. So, I request you to take over this kingdom and transform all the rakshasas.Lanka is full of golden mansions. Where else can you find such a beautiful place? I will be very happy if you rule over this Kingdom."Rama lovingly took Lakshmana close to him and said."Lakshmana, how could you get such a silly desire? Just because one's mother is ugly, can he call any other beautiful woman as his mother? Even though my country is poor compared to Lanka, I still consider it as my mother. Lanka may be full of gold, but I don't want it"!!
An Ideal husband:
An Incident in Ramayana is an example to this:

After killing Ravana, Lord Rama is resting on a rock. He notices a shadow approaching him. He realises that the shadow is that of a woman. He does not lift His eyes to see who it is, for, Lord Rama never looks at any woman other than Sita. As the shadow nears Him, Lord Rama pulls His feet up, and sits with His legs folded. This is to avoid even the shadow of the unknown woman touching His feet. So careful is He that none other than His wife should touch Him. Lord Rama is particular that even the shadow of another woman should not touch Him. The shadow is then seen to recede. Lord Rama wonders who it is; who had come so close to Him and had yet retreated. So He enquires who the person is. The shadow is that of Mandodari, and she discloses who she is. Lord Rama asks her why she is there. She says she heard that Ravana was killed in battle. Ravana had been a king who had struck fear in the hearts of his enemies. Everyone believed him to be invincible. And yet, he had been killed by someone. She had come to the battlefield to look at the man who killed her husband. She wanted to know what quality He had that her husband did not have. Lord Rama then asks her whether she found what that quality was. Mandodari says she has found that quality. Lord Rama is particular that even the shadow of a woman other than his wife should not touch Him. Ravana, on the other hand, was willing to sacrifice so many lives in his attempt at making another man's wife his. Therein lies the difference. That one quality of Lord Rama has led to His victory. Lord Rama was the one whose thoughts and words never went astray.

Message:-

The Lord incarnated as Rama and led a human life just to show all of humankind and how we should lead our lives. Ram Navami is a therefore a special reminder of the noble ideals for which Lord Rama stood. Lord Rama is portrayed as carrying his bows and arrows all the time. This symbolizes his alertness and readiness to fight against unfairness and thus establish justice and peace. Wickedness or injustice will always be existent. By his example, Rama gives mankind the strength and conviction to fight it. Man ought not to be weak and accept passively what is unrighteous. He must rise actively against inconsistency and unrighteous or immoral actions. This is called aggressive goodness.

Valmiki has symbolized Rama as an ideal of perfection. The human personality consists of different facets functioning in different aspects of life. Only in the life of Rama, each facet of human personality is seen projected to absolute perfection. He underwent many problems in his life just to show us how we should handle difficulties without getting frustrated. Through all the hurdles in His life, he remained as the perfect son, an ideal king, a true husband, a real friend, a devoted brother, a perfect student, and above all a noble enemy! Each and every one of His actions is a lesson to us and thus He is the perfect teacher of humankind to this day. This exemplary incarnation of perfection is the ideal every human should look up to. Lord Rama was a star amongst humans and His name is a star amongst mantras.

Live like him, think like him and act like him and you will become one with him.

Sakrudaeva prapanaaya thavaasmithi cha yaachathae
Abhayam sarvabhoothaebhyO dadaami aethath vratham mama

The meaning is: Rama says -
Whoever utters to me "I belong to you", it is my vow to protect them. This manthra will shield you against all sins if chanted regularly and will give prosperity to all who recite or write this great Mantra!

TOO LATE SOMETIMES

It is too late to undo a damage done in a relationship, sometimes. Most people, after perpetrating unfairness or hurt, actually expect the other party to forgive. They expect that they will sweet-talk their way back into the relationship. The person who has been hurt is often emotionally blackmailed into accepting the perpetrator back. She is lectured about forgiveness being divine and so she should forgive and forget the pain caused to her. The pain-causer and his back-up support system are excellent in this act. However, very conveniently, there are quiet about the fact that unfairly hurting someone (their part) is anything but divine. They seriously expect the other party to be emotionally weak and accept all sorts of abuse or indifference because he makes her believe she is dependent on her ‘love’ for him.

What should the hurt person do in such a case? In my opinion, she should move on. The individual is too precious to live a life of pain and hurt. If she can afford to, she ought to let go and now make herself her number one priority.

Never be good to an abuse and never love someone who does not respect you as a person.

(Both the “he” and the “she” pronouns have been used in this article in order to avoid confusion like, ‘He said to him’. No gender-issue has been intended.)

COURTESY:SOUL TALK

--
Aano bhadra krtavo yantu vishwatah.(- RIG VEDA)
"Let noble thoughts come to me from all directions"

REGARDS
Miss.Shaija Vallikatri Bhaskaran

THE HERMIT'S MIND

As understood from the hermit’s diary:

“There are times when I have an overpowering desire to leave behind all and become a hermit. Nothing but solitude appeals to me then; my ‘friends’ say that I am turning away from the challenges of life but I know that is not so. The core of the matter is that I find not much of what I understand by life, in my day-to-day interactions with people. Most of the people I come across love to hurt others deliberately. If I protest, I am called ultra-sensitive. When I speak my mind out, I am called a rebel; as I choose to stay chaste, I am labeled ‘unnatural’. To be honest, there is nothing having any semblance to freedom and respect in the world dominated by the human race.

Friends’ put up acts; spouses cheat: since this is the bottom-line of relationships, I am happier alone. Moreover, there is no guarantee that a friendship or a marriage will be happy for life, and almost no one believes in love surviving death. The talents I express give me no satisfaction for often the less-talented are more applauded. The funnier part is, having understood the ephemeral nature of human-praise, I don’t hunger for it any more. My happiest moments are when I am with myself for then I feel God as I understand Him. There is His presence as I watch the sunset; He is there when I walk in the woods. I feel torn away from Him when I am under some lustful gaze in ‘civilized’ society.

The people I leave behind will perhaps call me an escapist. Let them do so. The ones who envied me secretly will wonder how I could break all the bonds, give up all the privileges. They may react the way they want to. I have made my choice; so I am happy: at last I am free. This, the last page of my diary, is my last communication, albeit indirect, with the ‘civilized’, ‘social’ world. May God’s mercy be upon anyone who reads it by chance.”

COURTESY:SOULTALK.

--
Aano bhadra krtavo yantu vishwatah.(- RIG VEDA)
"Let noble thoughts come to me from all directions"

REGARDS
Miss.Shaija Vallikatri Bhaskaran

RAMA NAMA(AKBAR BIRBAL STORY)

Birbal was a minister in the court of Akbar. Birbal, apart from his sharp intellect, was also a devotee of Sri Rama. Akbar had a special regard for Birbal. Akbar used to openly ask Birbal to clarify his impulsive - and very often strange doubts. Birbal never failed to give an immediate and a fitting reply to such questions. Wherever Akbar went, he used to take Birbal along with him. During one such instance, when they travelled for some official purpose, they had to take a route through a dense forest. In the course of the journey, both were totally exhausted and famished. So they decided to rest under the shade of a tree for a while before continuing their journey. Since Akbar was very hungry, he wanted to look around the place to see if he can find a house to get some food. He induced Birbal to follow suit. But Birbal who was in the midst of Rama Nama Japam (Repetition of Rama Nama), turned down Akbar's request.

Akbar looked at Birbal. 'Mere chanting of the names of the Lord would not fetch you food. You have to put in your efforts.... You cannot achieve anything without self effort...'

Akbar left Birbal in the pursuit of pacifying his belly. In a little while he spotted a house. The inmates of the house were overjoyed to see their King coming to their very doorstep for food. They treated him to the best of their capacity. Akbar finished his meal and took a little food for Birbal too and left the house to meet Birbal. He met Birbal and gave him the food.

'See Birbal, I told you... I took some efforts for the food and I got it. You were just sitting and chanting Rama Nama , and you did not get any food.'
Birbal ignored his scoffing and partook the food given by Akbar. After he finished the meal, he looked up at Akbar and said, 'I have just now experienced the power of Rama nama, like never before.You are the ruler of the land. But today even the King had to beg for food. But you look at me. I was just chanting Rama Nama here and the Rama Nama made the king himself to get me food, that too by begging. So I got the food, just by sitting here and chanting Rama nama without any other special efforts. Such is the power of Rama Nama!!'

--
Aano bhadra krtavo yantu vishwatah.(- RIG VEDA)
"Let noble thoughts come to me from all directions"

REGARDS
Miss.Shaija Vallikatri Bhaskaran

MAKE SPACE FOR THE BEAUTIFUL

Often we are afraid to let go of dysfunctional relationships or painful situations. One of the reasons is that usually, a person is afraid that there would be a big void in his or her life after the relationship is over. This makes a person continue to be in that miserable, unhealthy situation.

If we can be strong and brave enough to let go of false-friends and false-loves, temporarily there might be an emotional vacuum, but in the long run, we are giving ourselves a chance to fill it up with positive energy. Focus on the creativity in you and reach out to those who appreciate you genuinely. This time, if love or friendship comes, you will be better able to evaluate it because you are not dependent on it.

But, first and foremost, when needed, weed out all that chokes the garden of your beautiful feelings. This is necessary in order to preserve your best asset: self-respect.

Make space for the beautiful, be it solitude or true love or a dear friend or a burst of creativity.

As Ralph Waldo Emerson has said, “When the half-gods go, the gods arrive.” (the word ‘gods’ here signify beautiful, positive experiences and does not convey any concept of divinity.)

COURTESY:SOUL TALK.

Aano bhadra krtavo yantu vishwatah.(- RIG VEDA)
"Let noble thoughts come to me from all directions"

REGARDS
Miss.Shaija Vallikatri Bhaskaran