Krishna's Secrets for success...

On the occasion of Janamshtami i.e. Lord Krishan's birth anniversary, sharing few secrets of success that will improve the decision making ability.

Results(2.47): Nishkam Karma mentioned in Gita is often referred by most of us. You have control over your actions while performing your duties, but have no control over the end result. The end result should not malign or deviate you from your motto to achieve your goal. Just put the sincere efforts with great conviction.

High standards (3.21): Set high standards to your efforts and your goals, and push yourself harder to achieve them. The scholars and successful people usually set a very high standards for themselves. You can set your own standards to master in your field without worrying about the failures or consequences and achieve your goal. This high standards goals will inspire you and others.

Equality (6.09): Treat every being at par i.e. not getting influenced by people who are closer to you (such as friends, family, companion, saints) or far (such as opponents, enemies sinners)...

Your decision should be not be influenced by your emotions and you must treat everyone with same dignity. A son shouldn't take over father's business/profession by virtue of being his son, but by his ability as a competent individual.

Peace of mind (6.35): Lord Krishan preached Arjuna the value of peaceful mind through mediation and other spiritual practices. Restless mind can not think properly or objectively that is the key to the effective decision making process.

Change(14.13): Change is inevitable. Be prepared for the change in your life. If you ignore this law, you will become inactive, delusional and carelessness. So, accept it and be part of the change. This will generate dynamism that will influence your actions.

Stress (12.15): The stress is the result of our response to others actions. You can remain detached to joy, sorrow, fear, happiness and anxiety. You must maintain your equanimity. Hey Arjuna, I love a person who is not affected by others' actions and others' are not negatively affected (stressed) by a person's actions.

Conviction(17.28): Any action without conviction or faith will not bring required value. Throw yourself into action and achieve your goal.

Knowledge(18.63): Knowledge is more powerful secret that would guide you in your action in achieving your goal.

Perseverance: Along with the conviction, you need to have perseverance to  achieve your goal in your life.

Truth will find its place when People wish to Evolve and your goal will be achieved ultimately.



Krishna Preaching

Home made vs off-the-shelf food

I wrote this last year during Maggie row....

Let us see following criteria to understand the difference.

Preservatives: It is an open secrete that most of the processed and fast food has some amount of chemicals to preserve the food longer or increase it's shelf life...Some of them are GMO with or without labeling. This includes the regular flour (atta) we buy at store. Do you want to check the quality of flour which is used to make burger or noodles or pizza base or many more items...why it remains unaffected whereas the homemade flour at home doesn't last more than 2-3 weeks...

Salt: The salt content is very high in ready made that is used for flavor, addiction and preserving the food longer. We usually don't use this amount of salt in freshly cooked food.

Oil: Most of the oil we buy are refined or super refined that is bad for heart. The Indian style unrefined oil is not used by anyone (except in rural area) anymore. 

Are you aware that the oil in fast food resultants...most of them change once in a week. The oil once changed is heated for whole day for entire week, restaurant workers just add additional oil when the quantity is reduced. Do you want to check the quality of oil which is over heated several times on continuous basis???

Meat: Ever though of what kind of meat is used and how it is produced and processed? If you ever see the videos how sausages are made, will you be able to consume them?

Pickles and sauces: Pickles (Indian) or sauces in store are overloaded with oil, salt and preservatives. 

Calories: There is huge difference in the calories you consume when you eat food at home or outside. The home food may have average calaries (400-600) per meal considering moderate diet of lentil (dal), rice, vegetables, and salad. However, the same could be twice if you eat meal in the restaurant and unknowing about hygiene and other criteria.

What we can do?

I remember, my grandma and even my mother did for while....used summer vacations to prepare all those papad, pickles, noodles/simaya and many more items for the entire year.

Now, girls will say - it is outdated and time consuming process...but well, NO. Because there are modern equipments available... There are latest technology based grinder, atta makers and other equipments...one don't have to spend so much time in the kitchen.

I was talking to one of my friends in Mumbai. She mentioned about making atta, besan, masala at home using mini-chakki atta...she is doing it once in a week. 10min work. Masala / bensan once in month...why don't we use the latest technology to ease out daily stress instead of giving-in to outside poor quality food...

I make chivada, namkin, mysor pak, kheer (not using MTR), many sweets and namkin at home whenever I get time. I enjoy doing it too...No matter how much you are busy, you can always spend an hour or two in a week for this.

Indian street snacks made by smaller vendors are better as most of them consume what they cook for the day before closing the shop. Next day they start with new preparation like vada pav, samosa, chat kachori. Most of them do not know how to preserve the food longer using chemicals, so, they are cautious about the quantity. Only part you need to check is - water source.

Eating good food is a part of happiness...so enjoy your life with good food not with disease that will bother you and your finances during old age....

In the article - Nestle, PepsiCo and others 'use public funds to develop harmful snacks' Guardian mentioned Tim Lobstein, director of policy at the World Obesity Federation“While there may be good reasons to encourage companies to improve efficiency and reduce environmental impact, we also urge that the health impact of the products should be the first criterion for giving out public funds,” he said. “Why are we helping multinational corporations to make chocolate and snacks cheaper while obesity and diabetes rates are rocketing?” 

The most shocking part was the article by Dailymail, UK, "As obesity costs Britain £50bn a year and rising companies including Nestle and Pepsi given money to improve products" quoted Professor Philip James, chairman of the charity’s trustees, said: ‘Some of these grants are greater than the amounts spent by local health services tackling overweight in adults and children.’

In the paper - Biased, conflict of interest in Science controversial Industry funding of infant feeding studies by Lorretta Kopelman has alleged that it impacted the research (conducted by Popkin on infant mortality) in way of collecting, interpreting and reporting the work. It was also mentioned that Nestle promoted their baby food-formula during late 80s and early 90s...

Make health at home...with low cost, with less effort and with long lasting one...

‪#‎notomaggie‬ ‪#‎nestle‬ ‪#‎fastfood‬ ‪#‎processedfood‬ ‪#‎MaggieMuddle‬

Sanskrit Shlokas on Mothers Day

Here are few lovely Sanskrit shloka on MOTHER to share with you on Mother's Day! This will help us realize how we treated or expected to be treated 'mother' and 'women' in our society during ancient days.

1. आयु: पुमान् यश: स्वर्ग कीर्ति पुण्यं बलं श्रियं ।
    पशु सुखं धनं धान्यं प्राप्नुयान्मातृ वन्दनात् ।।

A man who serve mother truthfully will be blessed with long life, success, haven, fame, Laxmi, wealth, cattle, food grain, and everything.


2. जननि जन्मभूमिश्च स्वर्गादपि गरीयसि 

After Ravana's defeat, lord Rama said to Laxman, "Own Mother and birthplace are beautiful and greater than haven."
When Laxman, younger brother of Rama asked Lord Rama to acquire the kingdom (Sri-Lanka) after they had defeated and killed Ravana in the war, Lord Rama advised him to hand over the kingdom to Bibhishan, Ravana's younger brother, a rightful king as it was his mother land and Bibhishan inherited it after his elder brother's death. We must respect others' land or wealth (or women) without thinking of acquiring it in anyway. 

3. मातृपितृकृताभ्यासो गुणितामेति बालकः । 
    न गर्भच्युतिमात्रेण पुत्रो भवति पण्डितः ।।

Indian mother and father insist on studies so that their child gain adequate knowledge and skill to lead a respectable life. There is a saying - a king is respected within his kingdom, but a knowledgeable person is respected everywhere.

4. मातृवत परदारेषु परद्रव्येषु लोष्टवत्। आत्मवत् सर्वभूतेषु यः पश्यति स पंडितः।। 

A noble people treat and respect all the women (except his own wife) as mothers. They consider others' wealth as dust and have no intention of acquiring it in anyway. In addition, they also treat and love every living-being or creature and cause no harm to them in anyway.

5. माता मित्रं पिता चेति स्वभावात् त्रतयं हितम् |
    कार्यकारणतश्चान्ये भवन्ति हितबुद्धय: ||

Mother, father and friends are the only people who are interested in your well-being in real way. Thinking of 'good' about you is part of their nature and they do it without any condition or expectation or personal gain. So, value them as others in your life may have business/professional relationship based on certain spoken or unspoken terms and condition/benefits.

6. आदौ माता गुरौ पत्नी ब्राह्मणी राजपत्निका
    धेनुर्धात्री तथा प्रथ्वी सप्तैता मातरः स्मृतः

The ancient Indian tradition teaches us to respect our own mother first, then others in following order - teacher's wife (a brahmin lady), a queen, a cow, a foster mother and the mother earth.  We consider them as MOTHER and respect them at par...

7. मातृदेवीम नमस्तुभ्यं मम जन्मदात्रिम त्वम् नमो नमः ।
    बाल्यकाले मां पालन कृत्वा मातृकाभ्यो त्वम् नमाम्यहम ॥

I salute my mother who gave me birth; I also salute my other mothers (women) who added knowledge and wisdom to my actions and life to make me a good human being.

8. मातृ देवो भव् पितृ देवो भव्
    आचार्य देवो भव्, अतिथि देवो भव्

Let you be one who worships mother, father, teachers and guests as 'God'.

When we study our ancient scripture, we realize that there is profound respect given to mother and women in general. So, read the original scripture to know yourself.

Mother's Day

Aryabhat and his work in Mathematics

Most of us know the invention of zero ‘0’ by Aryabhat in India; but very few know about him or his real work in detail. Aryabhat was a famous Indian mathematician and an astronomer who lived between 476 – 550 CE. Most of his work was done towards end of 4th century CE.

He received his early education in Kusumpura, which is now known as Patna in Bihar.

He had done enormous work in mathematics and astronomy that is complied into two major works and few notes. One of the major works is known as “Aryabhatiya” that has survived the passage of time. 

However, his other work in astronomical computation that is known, as ‘Arya-siddhanta’ could not survive.

Aryabhatiya mainly focuses on mathematics and astronomy and it consists of 4 parts:

1. The Dasagitika Sutra: It has 33 verses that defines the basics of astronomical tables

2. Ganita – Mathematics: This section has 33 verses that give 66 mathematical rules.

3. Kalakriya – The measure of time: This section has 25 verses that describe time, its measurement and planetary models.

4. Gola – The spherics: This section has 50 verses those details on sphere and eclipses.

Here is the extract of some of his work for us to gauge the depth of knowledge that India lost over a period of time.

i. Most basic & famous example of binomial:

(a + b) ² = a² + 2ab + b²

Or

a X b = (a+b)2  - (a2 – b2)

------------------------

2

ii. Value of Pi:

abhi svav Rushtim madey ays yudhyato raghveeriva pravaNe samsrutaya: | indro yad vajree dhRuSHamANo andhasA behind valasya paridheemriva trita: ||

paridhi m. circumference Paridhih +iva+ tritah. Paridhih means circumference, iva means like or for example, tritah means by 3. Thus, like circumference by three.

haturadhikam śatamaṣṭaguṇam dvāṣaṣṭistathā sahasrāṇām
ayutadvayaviṣkambhasyāsanno vṛttapariṇāhaḥ.
"

Add four to 100, multiply by eight, and then add 62,000. By this rule the circumference of a circle with a diameter of 20,000 can be approached."

This implies that the ratio of the circumference to the diameter is:

((4 + 100) × 8 + 62000)/20000

= 62832/20000

= 3.14159265 i.e. the value of π is correct to 8 places

iii. The value of pie upto

गोपीभाग्य मधुव्रातः श्रुंगशोदधि संधिगः |

खलजीवितखाताव गलहाला रसंधरः ||

gopeebhaagya maDhuvraathaH shruMgashodhaDhi saMDhigaH

khalajeevithakhaathaava galahaalaa rasaMDharaH

ga-3, pa-1, bha-4, ya -1, ma-5, Dhu-9, ra-2, tha-6, shru-5, ga-3, sho-5, dha-8, Dhi -9, sa-7, Dha- 9, ga-3, kha-2, la-3, jee-8, vi-4, tha-6, kha-2, tha-6, va-4, ga-3, la-3, ha-8, la-3, ra-2, sa-7, Dha-9, ra-2

π  = 3.1415926535897932384626433832792...

iv. Measurement of earth:

About the circumference of the earth, Aryabhat measured as 4 967 yojanas (1 yojana = 5 miles) and its diameter as 1 5811/24 yojanas.

5 x 1 5811/24

= 24835

And, today it is measured as 24 902 miles (using all the advanced equipment, technologies)

Sine differences: The rules says each sine-difference reduced by quotients of all the previous differences and itself by the first difference.

d2 (sin x)

--------------   = - Sin x

dx2

For example, check the numbers - 51, 37, 22, 7

v. Earth and planetary light:

Aryabhat has mentioned that the Moon and planets shine by reflected sunlight.

vi. Rotation of earth:

In his golapada stanza 9, he wrote:

He also mentioned the unconventional discovery about the rotation of the heavens was due to the axial rotation of the Earth on daily basis; that apparently was accepted much later by the West.

Acknowledging Aryabhat’s contribution in mathematics and astronomy, India honored him by naming its first satellite as ‘Aryabhat.’

If the Indian government takes interest in teaching ancient languages and investing into ancient scientific scriptures, it can build stronger scientific base in future. Apparently, it was believed that Germans learned Sanskrit to rediscover Indian scientific and technological advancement in aeronautical field and they succeeded in building an advanced plane. That knowledge was eventually taken by NASA scientists after World War II and used in their research.

Image Credits: Wikimedia Commons

References:

J. J. O'Connor and E. F. Robertson, Aryabhata the Elder, MacTutor History of Mathematics archive

http://www.ms.uky.edu/~sohum/AAK/pdf%20files/aryabhatta.pdf_

Understanding (Third Edition). New York: W.H. Freeman and Company. p. 70. ISBN 0-7167-4361-2

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aryabhata

http://www-history.mcs.st-and.ac.uk/Biographies/Aryabhata_I.html