Tuesday, December 19, 2006

Can one sell Geeta?

For the past many days ISKON people are selling Translation of Geeta by Srila Prabhupada in train stations of Mumbai. They are shouting as though they are selling some ware. The speaker blare loudly offering fifty percent discount on the Geeta.
It leaves a very bad taste in my mouth.
Firstly what they are selling is a translation with commentary (with the original verses) by somebody, how so ever he may be respectful, but they shout on top of their voice,"Geeta, fifty percent discount, discounted rate, buy now!"

What people of other religious affiliation may be thinking?
Is this the way we treat the Song of lord Krishna to Arjun, recorded by Lord Ganesh, dictated by Veda vyasa, described by Sanjay to Drithrastra and then commented upon by so many illustrious people starting from the Adi Shankara himself?
Can one sell the Geeta and that to at a discounted price?
It happens only in India.


Monday, December 18, 2006

Your seal on life or God's seal on you?

 Indian palmistry – Samudrika shastra as it is called. There are very few books published on this in the English language.
Indian palmistry has many systems.

The major one is the Samudrik (purported to come from Samudra- Ocean) it may also mean Sa + Mudra i.e. with mudra. Mudras are special gestures made with the palm in Indian classical dances, during Pooja, mantra and Tantra sadhana and also in Yog sadhana. Mudra also means a seal.
So in a way your fate is sealed or you may leave your seal on life.
Like that song in Karma (Hindi movie).
The second is popular in Southern India called the Kartikeya system, named after the warrior son of Lord Shiva.

Then there is the third system followed by Nadi system.

Few of the books published on these different systems that I have come across dealing with the above systems are

1) Bhat’s treatise on Indian school of palmistry.

2) Samudrika Shastra by K.C.Sen (Taraporewala publications)

3) Sariraka shastra by Iyer (Taraporewala publication)

4) Shri R.G.Rao’s books on Nadi system.



The first book was published in 1938. It is a small book and I believe is out of print.

It was written by B. R. Bhat an advocate from Mumbai who was also an editor of the Coimbatore Times.



Samudrik Shastra gives much importance to the various auspicious figures found on the palm; Let me list a few of them.

Trident, wheel, elephant goad, Flag, Swastika, bow, umbrella, Sun, moon, houses, horse, elephant, mountains, lotus, chariot, sword, rosary, conch, fish, pot, arrow, serpent, scorpion, eye, ear ring, creeper, grain of barley, hand held mirror and many more.



People who study this for the first time are at a loss as to how to locate these in the palm, especially those who have studied the western palmistry books. Many are turned off by these description and hence do not take seriously these symbols (it doesn’t look scientific enough - whatever that means).

But there is a new type of palmistry introduced in the west by Judith Hipskind (google it) which is reading of the lines on the knuckles of fingers at the back of the hand (the nail side). She also talks of many such figures found therein and believe me this is latest type of Palmistry. So obviously our ancestors knew what they were talking and it is just that we don’t understand properly.





 

Monday, December 04, 2006

Submerged in Air.

I wonder if the fishes and other aquatic creatures are aware of the water they are submerged in.
For them it will be very much like air is for us.
Even we don't give a second thought to the fact that we are submerged in air.
This air that we breath in and out and on which our life is dependent is shared by all air breathing animals plants and sundry.
In fact it connect us to everybody else not only from the present but also from the future.
When I inhale air iam infact inhaling the world and when i exhale i spread out into the world.