tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79925792024-03-08T07:52:24.752-08:00Wake up, NeoThe life and times of Ravi Srinivasan (where are the publishers already?)ravi srinivasanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00537517167395007845noreply@blogger.comBlogger67125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7992579.post-38392183241035680472011-08-01T21:52:00.000-07:002011-08-01T21:56:44.794-07:00naav chali (from Ashirwaad - voice of Ashok kumar)<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; "><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; ">(heard this for a friend and extended the lyrics found on the net - how much learning is this song giving!)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; "><br /></span></div>Naav Chali<br />naani Ki Naav Chali<br />nina Ke Naani Ki Naav Chali<br />lambe Safar Pe<br /><br />saamaan Ghar Se Nikaale Gaye<br />naani Ke Ghar Se Nikaale Gaye<br />idhar Se Udhar Se Se Nikaale Gaye<br />aur Naani Ki Naav Mein Daale Gaye<br /><br />(kya Kya Daale Gaye)<br />ek Chhadi Ek Ghadi ek Jhaadu ek Laadu<br />ek Sanduk ek Banduk ek Talwaar Ek Salwaar<br />ek Ghode ki jeen, ek Dholak ek been<br />ek Ghode Ki Naal ek Jiwar Ka jaal<br />ek Lahsun Ek Aalu ek Tota Ek Bhaalu<br />ek Dora ek Dori, ek Pora ek Pori<br /><br />ek Jhanda Ek Handa ek Anda<br />ek Kela Ek Aam Ek Pakka Ek Kachcha<br />aur<br />tokari Mein Ek Billi Ka Bachcha<br />(myaauun म्याऊँ Myaauun)<br /><br />phir Ek Magar Ne Pichha Kiya (whaaaaaaaoooo)<br />naani Ki Naav Ka Pichha Kiya<br />nina Ke Naani Ki Naav Ka Pichha Kiya<br />(phir Kya Huwa)<br />chupake Se Pichhe Se<br />upar Se Niche Se<br />ek Ek Saamaan Khinch Liya<br />ek Billi Ka Bachcha<br />ek Kela Ek Aam Ek Pakka Ek Kachcha<br />ek anda Ek Handa ek Jhanda Ek Danda<br />ek Bori ek Bora, ek Dori ek Dora<br />ek Tota Ek Bhaalu ek Lahsun Ek Aalu<br /><br />ek Jiwar Ka Jaal ek Ghode Ki Naal<br />ek Dholak ek been ek Ghode ki jeen<br />ek Talwaar Ek Salwaar ek Sanduk ek Banduk<br />ek Jhaadu ek Laadu ek Jhhadi Ek Ghadi<br />(magar Naani Kya Kar Rahi Thi)<br />naani Thi Bichaari Buddhi Bahari<br />nina ki nani thi buddhi behari<br />naani Ki Nind Thi Itani Gahari<br />itani Gahari (kitti Gahari)<br /><br />natakhat Gahari<br />din Dopahari<br />raat Ki Raani<br />thanda Paani<br />garam Masaala<br />pet Mein Daala<br />saade Sola<br />Pandrah ke Pandreh<br />sona tees<br />tia tetaalees<br />chouki barah?<br />Panah Pachattar<br />Chhakke Nabbe<br />Chaati pislan<br />Aati Peesan<br />Number Teesra<br />gale Mein Rassa Aa Aa<br />(ha ha ha ha)</span>ravi srinivasanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00537517167395007845noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7992579.post-61112385228507331862010-03-01T03:28:00.000-08:002010-03-01T03:29:03.220-08:00Refuge Prayer by Thich Nhat-Hanh<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 18px; "><p><b>Refuge Prayer </b><strong>by Thich Nhat-Hanh</strong></p><blockquote><blockquote><p>At the foot of the Bodhi tree, beautifully seated, peaceful and smiling,<br />the living source of understanding and compassion, to the Buddha I go for refuge.<br />The path of mindful living, leading to healing, joy, and enlightenment,<br />the way of peace, to the Dhamma I go for refuge.<br />The loving and supportive community of practice, realizing harmony, awareness, and liberation,<br />to the Sangha I go for refuge.<br />I am aware that the Three Gems are within my heart, I vow to realize them.<br />I vow to practice mindful breathing and smiling, looking deeply into things.<br />I vow to understand living beings and their suffering, to cultivate compassion and loving kindness,<br />and to practice joy and equanimity.<br />I vow to offer joy to one person in the morning and to help relieve the grief of one person in the afternoon.<br />I vow to live simply and sanely, content with just a few possessions, and to keep my body healthy.<br />I vow to let go of all worry and anxiety in order to be light and free.<br />I am aware that I owe so much to my parents, teachers, friends and all beings.<br />I vow to be worthy of their trust, to practice wholeheartedly,<br />so that understanding and compassion will flower,<br />and I can help living beings be free from their suffering.<br />May the Buddha, the Dhamma, and the Sangha support my efforts.</p></blockquote></blockquote></span>ravi srinivasanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00537517167395007845noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7992579.post-41581809190831373972009-12-01T02:47:00.001-08:002009-12-01T02:47:57.459-08:00let there be spaces<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); "><blockquote style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 60px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; background-image: url(http://s2.wordpress.com/wp-content/themes/pub/journalist-13/images/quote.gif); background-repeat: no-repeat; background-attachment: initial; -webkit-background-clip: initial; -webkit-background-origin: initial; background-color: initial; font-style: italic; min-height: 50px; background-position: 0% 0%; "><p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 25px; ">. . . let there be spaces in your togetherness<br />And let the winds of the heavens dance between you<br />Love one another, but make not a bond of love<br />Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls<br />Fill each other’s cup but drink not from one cup<br />Give one another of your bread but eat not from the same loaf<br />Sing and dance together and be joyous but let each one of you be alone<br />Even as the strings of a lute are alone though they quiver with the same music<br />Give your hearts, but not into each other’s keeping<br />For only the hand of Life can contain your hearts<br />And stand together yet not too near together:<br />For the pillars of the temple stand apart,<br />And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other’s shadow.</p></blockquote><p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 25px; text-align: right; ">- <em style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Kahlil Gibran</em></p></span>ravi srinivasanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00537517167395007845noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7992579.post-70269026644638485632008-09-02T06:06:00.000-07:002008-09-02T06:07:53.612-07:00Don't go back to sleep.For years, copying other people, I tried to know myself.<br />From within, I couldn't decide what to do.<br />Unable to see, I heard my name being called.<br />Then I walked outside.<br /><br />The breeze at dawn has secrets to tell you.<br />Don't go back to sleep.<br />You must ask for what you really want.<br />Don't go back to sleep.<br />People are going back and forth across the doorsill<br />where the two worlds touch.<br />The door is round and open.<br />Don't go back to sleep.<br /><br />- Rumiravi srinivasanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00537517167395007845noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7992579.post-44293541021258806712008-08-25T02:12:00.000-07:002008-08-25T03:23:30.458-07:00wabi sabi talk<span style="font-family: courier new;">Long time ago, I did a Teacher's Training Program with <a href="http://www.geniekids.com">GenieKids</a>. We discussed many theories in education - learning modes, Multiple Intelligences etc. Also, Ratnesh, our trainer, wanted us to point out some 'Habits of Mind' to the children. One of these was 'Be clear and seek clarity'.<br /><br />And while miscommunication is (rightly?) blamed for many problems we face, I do believe we can learn to appreciate imperfection in speech.<br /><br />This was reinforced in me by Manueles, who is in India teaching children how solar cookers are made, among other things. (I really must thank Dinesh and by assoc., Sky, for introducing me to such a variety of people!)<br /><br />Reinforced, because earlier, I had met Amal, a deaf and dumb artist at an art exhibition.<br /><br /><char.><br />He wore worn out jeans and sandals with a long </span><span style="font-family: courier new;"> blue kurta. A smile ran across his face, seeming happy to do so. He was thin enough to hug without a strain and tall enough for people to see his round, balding head easily. </span><br /><span style="font-family: courier new;"><br />A pinch of haughtinessarcasm diluted his child-like innocence, but if the Muses failed him, I felt he could easily be a con-artist. Drink in hand, he blended in smoothly.<br /><br /></cd><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family: courier new;">It was delightful talking to him - mostly gestures and a little writing took us a long way. He told me he taught painting and had travelled the world as an artist and that most people didn't really understand art - but you and me, mone', we are different, weren't we?<br /><br />When had I been more alert and happy when speaking with someone? Not since I was a babbling child, not understanding what people were saying to me.<br /><br />And so when Manueles, who is learning English, theorised that by talking in his broken English, he is probably conveying more, I readily agreed. It's because the listener, M. said, makes up more possible meanings in her head when listening to him speak in English, than she would when listening to someone who could articulate better.<br /><br />So true, inscalfen? How many times are we really intently listening to what someone says? And, how many times, in our non-professional lives, is it important that we 'be clear and seek clarity'?<br /></span>ravi srinivasanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00537517167395007845noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7992579.post-33265264810102524132008-08-17T11:12:00.000-07:002008-08-17T12:06:30.010-07:00what's this sabi-wabii noticed it first in Chennai. On my way to work with collegues in the minivan, we'd pass a plot of land that was being used for storing garbage. heck, if it was not being used, at least it was being refuse-d :)<br /><br />anyways, as we passed said plot, most of my co-commuters would whip out small cloth pieces and immediately cover their nostrils with it, evidently to avoid the 'stench'. The 5*5 inches of cotton was as indispensable as when they needed a place to store their mucus they couldn't spit out in public.<br /><br />I remembered that I used to hate the smell too, but just then I found myself not repulsed by it (recently read two uses of double negatives in two of my fav. authors' books - Chandler and Borges, so I had to...). My persuasions at getting co-comms to participate in any 'experiments' to detect areas in their brains which were stimulated by the smell didn't work.<br /><br />Turning attention to the other source for experiments, I hypothesised thus: 'my mind is beginning to rot - so it didn't equate rotten = bad'. And then in support without experimentation, i quoted to myself," We rarely accept our demons. Don't we know that Denial is the door to Despair and Doom? ". Then a voice said, "You considered the possibility, dude - so you are better off than most". Wasn't I?<br /><br />Soon, I found that I was attracted to what was considered as positively un-aesthetic. Even by me! Like in girls, for instance. The most 'ugly' looking girls, I was starting to like. What was going on here - Shallow Hal w/o Mr. Robbins? A friend said - "when one starts liking gadhis(female donkeys), one must marry". I let it pass.<br /><br />Luckily, I came across <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wabi-sabi">this article</a> about wabi-sabi. In short, it's the Japanese funda of finding beauty in transcience or imperfection. Ah-hah, so that's what's been happening to me (another lie for another day). Then I read 'Norwegian Wood' and parts of 'Remains of the Day'. Don't know why the former is considered great. It is good, no doubt. the latter was better but I couldn't finish it.<br /><br />As this post, unfini.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wabi-sabi"><br /></a>ravi srinivasanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00537517167395007845noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7992579.post-13090114885540950802008-08-07T00:12:00.000-07:002008-08-07T00:39:00.794-07:00fun in sin?I don't know about you - but as of now, I feel there is some fun in sin. or what we consider 'sin'. We can tell ourselves it is 'the society' that has these notions of sin - but if we agree to having 'sin' or 'wrong' in our minds at any level, we are in trouble.<br /><br /><a href="http://whoisbhauji.blogspot.com/2007/08/good-bad-and-ugly-inside-us.html">Earlier</a>, I spoke of how Sri Sri says to go beyond gold and good to find god. Today, I got a little more understanding of going beyond the 'good' part.<br /><br />My conjecture is, and this might very well be an established theory - we like ourselves when we repent. Repentance has a 'good' or 'holy' connotation in our minds. The outward form may be prayer/service to society - anything. As soon as we say to ourselves "I have repented", we are almost doomed to sin again - so we can repent again.<br /><br />The solution:<br /><br />a> not to have any doeship<br />b> not to fall into duality<br /><br />easier said than done. really.ravi srinivasanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00537517167395007845noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7992579.post-84862541959161548952008-06-27T07:34:00.000-07:002008-06-27T08:03:36.849-07:00compiled vs. dynamic<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><br />So this is how it is:<br /><br />All our thought is in terms of what we know. And in metaphors.<br /><br />And so my _question in life_ was: what should i do in life? I was hoping to get a nice, good answer. Something to shock me a little too. hey - i was different - wasn't i? :)<br /><br />Two assumptions to note about the question:<br /><br />1. it is linear - like the pc in a (micro)processor. it assumes that even if there are branches, there will be one taken.<br />2. it is pre-compiled. i am a program, written by a programmer - pre-compiled and being run. there is no 'free will' - instead there is a way i have to go - of course as i traverse through life, branches will be taken (based on the environment) and this will give rise to 'me' - a doer - a living actor versus a puppet.<br /><br />With the emergence of dynamic languages, interpreted line by line, there seems to be more of 'free will'. Of course, unless it is a self-modifying program, there is really no change of the execution model at the processor level - but one can see that the characteristics are more visible at the program level - dynamic typing for one means that a variable doesn't have to be of one type in its lifetime... so my big question need not have only one answer :)<br /><br />need to think more on this!<br /></span></span>ravi srinivasanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00537517167395007845noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7992579.post-37515692953506111632008-06-02T05:01:00.000-07:002008-06-02T05:05:48.031-07:00www.paulgraham.com<span style="font-family: verdana;">Love his site. White background, Navigation + Content on the left.<br /><br />Love his writing. Go read.<br /><br /><br /></span>ravi srinivasanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00537517167395007845noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7992579.post-51391245396016085692008-02-01T05:24:00.000-08:002008-02-01T07:22:57.776-08:00Another one bites the dustThursday, 31 Jan<br /><br />First day of the SANGAM 2008 (The NGO Summit at AOL)- went with the idea of volunteering but i ended up attending more workshops than volunteering. I heard the famous Vandana Shiva talk. And she is good, no doubt. But she went on one extreme, criticizing almost everything without offering many solutions. But she did give this wonderful Native Indian quote:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color:#ecc0ae;">When all the trees have been cut down,</span><br /><span style="color:#ecc0ae;"> when all the animals have been hunted,</span><br /><span style="color:#ecc0ae;"> when all the waters are polluted,</span><br /><span style="color:#ecc0ae;"> when all the air is unsafe to breathe,</span><br /><span style="color:#ecc0ae;"> only then will you discover you cannot eat money.</span><br /></div><br />(Stop and cry now, before proceeding)<br /><br /><left><br /><br />The title alludes to a concept (a cherished one) that unfortunately has ended it's stay in my heart. I refer to the use of non-conventional energy sources. Dr. Girish, one of the speakers at the 'Sustainable Utilization of Energy' workshop in the Summit killed it. And I'm glad he did. Not for me the fascination of Reva or solar lighting in my building any more.<br /><br />Why, you ask, when all the world is talking about stopping the use of fossil fuels and go solar, go wind? Simple, more fossil fuel goes to make the current solar and wind systems than the amount they are able to offset. It will take more than 20 years of consistent use of a solar panel for it to generate the amount of electricity that would have been generated by the amount of fossil fuel that went to make it. And most solar panels don't last those many years nor are they used all the time.<br /><br />Not only solar/wind, the electric cars that we 'would buy if we have the money' are also not efficient. Electric batteries that drive mechanical devices are less than 25% efficient - which means they use up more fossil fuel than normal petrol cars. Yes, 'we' don't pollute - but the power station that make our electricity are still releasing the fumes!<br /><br />Shocked? I certainly was. I was really planning to look for a solar battery charged UPS for a single computer (or make one).<br /><br />The culprit is entropy. There are various definitions of entropy including the simple 'measure of randomness in a system' but the one I like is - 'The amount of energy unavailable for work.'<br />Solar and wind are high entropy energies - Not enough is available for conversion - at least with current technologies.<br /><br />Meanwhile, we are better using fossil fuels. Or using bio energy (walking/cycling) - will talk more about it soon.ravi srinivasanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00537517167395007845noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7992579.post-19069980072359135642007-11-29T09:06:00.000-08:002007-11-29T11:38:59.968-08:00Is there anybody alive out there?Very catchy, very anthemic, consequently very concert-friendly and ultimately *very* Boss is his new song _Radio Nowhere_, a song that I heard on <a href="http://radioindigo.fm">Radio Indigo</a> yesterday and again today, riding home after a really fun session with <a href="http://alexmoon.blogspot.com">Sky</a>, <a href="http://servelots.com">Dinesh</a> and <a href="http://absorb.it">Rene</a> at <a href="http://janaastu.org">Janaastu</a>.<br /><br />I met the abovementioned trio and <a href="http://ace.uci.edu/index.php/ACENEW/person/68">Kavitha</a>, at <a href="http://barcampbangalore.org">BarCamp Bangalore</a>. Well, actually I'd met Sky a day earlier at <a href="http://www.rangashankara.org/">RangaShankara</a>, where I acted in a play by David Horsborough called 'The Ungrateful Man'. More on David and the play sometime later.<br /><br />Sky is doing her Ph.D while not espousing Ubuntu, traveling on grants and in general, learning and teaching lots of things. She taught me to play <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capoeira">capoeira</a> at BarCamp and we play everytime conversation flags, which is often the case with me at one end :). She is interesting and vital, this Aussie, with a strong Padmanabha chakra. She doesn't believe in characteristics of blood groups, so I asked her to read <a href="http://www.bloodgivers.com/character.asp">this</a>, though there was a better site on the topic earlier.<br /><br />Kavitha is a professor at UCI. Very enthu about many things and very knowledgeable, K. is a one of the best orator/presenters I have heard. She gave a talk at <a href="http://www.iisc.ernet.in/nias/">NIAS</a> that I understood very little of - I was concentrating on the performance more than the content. She also gave me a couple of Sci/Fi books. I will read one of them before she returns :).<br /><br />Rene is a programmer from Germany - he has set up Community Wireless networks and gave a talk at BarCamp on the same topic and got folks in Bangalore very interested. Also got to know a little about German politics and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squatting">squatting</a> from him.<br /><br />TB Dinesh is probably the wackiest of the lot - he had us protesting against the Nandigram violence after BarCamp. We stopped people at Church Street, gave flyers and asked them protest visually, which meant people did some crazy stuff like kick imaginary balls, stare at the moon and dance. All this while the jazz band at JavaCity was playing great 60s/70s music for us. At other times, he runs a software company, an NGO and lectures on Principles of Programming. Whew!<br /><br />So I guess I can safely answer Springsteen - "Yes, Boss!"ravi srinivasanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00537517167395007845noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7992579.post-52440792617840012012007-10-12T04:42:00.000-07:002007-10-12T05:47:19.164-07:00That's music to my earsIt's what I have been listening to that makes me what I am.<br /><br />Two bands. Two different kinds of music. One outcome - exhilaration.<br /><br />Mili Bhagat<br />It's the most exciting sound to come from India since Indian Ocean. Techno-Sufi they like to call themselves. Find them on YouTube or Tyoogle for them.<br /><br />Emergence: A fusion band from Auroville. Fusion in more ways that one - Sri Lankan/American and many other nationalities form the band. They sing in atleast 3 languages - and they are groovy.<br />www.myspace.com/emergencemusic<br /><br />Happy Listening. I'll sign off with what a kiddo at Poseidon told me today - "However hot it be outside, you gotta be cool inside."ravi srinivasanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00537517167395007845noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7992579.post-18910575474721061892007-08-06T10:15:00.000-07:002007-08-06T12:02:16.574-07:00The Good, Bad and Ugly inside us<span style="font-family: lucida grande;">My Dad has told me a few things in life. Apart from bringing me to the Earth in this janma, he has told me some facts of life. Most were borrowed, I feel, not owned. But then he has told me stories.<br /><br />I don't remember much of my childhood other than the joy </span><span style="font-family: lucida grande;">on </span><span style="font-family: lucida grande;">listening to stories he told me. Most of the stories were from the Great Indian Epics. Then I contrived to learn to read :(. And that was the end of the bonding.<br /><br />However, sometime after my rebel-without-a-cause years, he told me something that I felt came like oil from a sea bed (Bad simile? I know:). He told me how the Mahabharata happens inside us. The Pandavas and Kauravas are reflections of our qualities. The bad ones do outnumber the good :). Like most things we truly understand, this didn't require any proof. I remember thinking 'Dad actually knows something'. Also, confronted with 'my' negativities, it was comforting to hear that at the time :).<br /><br /><a href="http://srisriravishankar.org">Sri Sri</a>, in his inimitable, wise and simple style, says, "You have to go beyond Gold and Good to find God". Offering our actions, thoughts and feelings, both Good and Bad, is not easy, but that is what we need to do. And I am always searching for affirmations of this truism. Luckily, when I went to <a href="http://twaddler-doodler.blogspot.com">VP</a>'s house after coffee with him on this particularly good non-productive day at office, I learnt about <a href="http://www.vedicscholar.com">www.vedicscholar.com<span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></a><br /><br />It's a great site - and offers a <span style="font-weight: bold;">lot </span>of free knowledge based on birth information, including a horoscope, probable career paths and planetary transitions likely to affect you in the coming future. And it told me that I could be </span><span style="font-family: lucida grande;"> And a pimp :). And </span><span style="font-family: lucida grande;">an astrologer! As if one needs a reason to look at the stars! Go find what's in store for you. The freedom you will feel is great - These bad qualities are not 'mine'. It's really liberating. Along with it also comes the humbling reality - The good qualities are not 'mine'. <br /><br />Some kind of Wonderful.<br /></span>ravi srinivasanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00537517167395007845noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7992579.post-30391855715694397302007-07-17T02:49:00.000-07:002007-07-17T03:02:43.015-07:00Ogden Nash rocks!<span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);font-family:trebuchet ms;" >On the basis of the quotations alone, he is on par with Shaw, Twain and Wilde.</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Simbly wonderful.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Enjoy :)</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);font-family:trebuchet ms;" >---------------------------------------------------------------</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);font-family:trebuchet ms;" >A family is a unit composed not only of children but of men, women, an occasional animal, and the common cold. </span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);font-family:trebuchet ms;" >The cow is of the bovine ilk; one end is moo, the other milk. </span><br /><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);font-family:trebuchet ms;" >(And some truths in palatable form)</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Do you think my mind is maturing late, or simply rotted early? </span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);font-family:trebuchet ms;" >I would live all my life in nonchalance and insouciance</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Were it not for making a living, which is rather a nouciance. </span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);font-family:trebuchet ms;" >-Ogden Nash</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);font-family:trebuchet ms;" >-------------------------------------------------------------------</span>ravi srinivasanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00537517167395007845noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7992579.post-61944058693137335122007-07-16T08:01:00.001-07:002007-07-16T08:08:56.755-07:00A good MondayWhat a wonderful Monday - heard a lot of Alan Watts - he is super cool. Search for him and listen! He is a wonderful speaker.<br /><br />In one of his talks he tells about the Yetzer Harra - the irreducible rascal as he calls it... Here is a great article on the same aspect.<br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Sum Of His Parts</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">A good word about the evil inclination.</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">........................</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">by David Holzel </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Beam back with me now to one of the early episodes of the original "Star Trek" series, "The Enemy Within." Pity poor Captain Kirk -- a transporter malfunction splits him in two. Kirk No. 1 is a wild, irrational brute -- pure </span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">id. Kirk No. 2 is gentle and compassionate. He is presumed the real captain, until the crew notice he is unable to make a decision -- fateful or otherwise -- and, in fact, is sinking into paralysis.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">All ends well, of course. The transporter is patched together. And so is Captain Kirk. He emerges unified, greater than the sum of his parts, and fit enough to survive three seasons of the TV series plus a half-dozen mostly forgettable movies.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Viewed through a Jewish lens, this episode is an allegory of a man whose yetzer hara, or evil inclination, is split from his yetzer hatov, or good inclination.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Philosophically, we're told we need yetzer hara, because our struggle to overcome it characterizes the Jewish belief that people are endowed with free will.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">But there is something more fundamental about our need for yetzer hara: Without it, we'd become the sniveling Captain Kirk, or a Paul McCartney who, liberated from John Lennon's dark scrutiny, is free to write "Silly Love Songs."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">"If not for the evil impulse," says the midrash, "no one would build a house, marry, have children, nor engage in trade."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">So maybe the evil inclination isn't so bad after all.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Far from a demonic force that needs to be destroyed, yetzer hara represents creativity, ambition and will. It is more morally neutral than its name suggests.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">"Yetzer hara is not necessarily evil," says Jeffrey Salkin, a Reform rabbi in New York and author of "Being God's Partner." "It has been called the selfish inclination, and yetzer hatov the selfless piece of us."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Rabbi Steven Lebow, of Temple Kol Emeth in Marietta, Georgia, describes yetzer hara as a person's "dark well of energy. It would be better if we understood it in the Freudian sense of the id," he says.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">The trick, according to Judaism, is what you do with what you've got.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">"Balance is an integral part of a Jewish lifestyle," Rabbi Salkin says. "Judaism doesn't believe in getting rid of the body, in getting rid of desire. The focus is sanctifying what you do. That's a profoundly humanistic way of looking at the world."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">That's why any meal can become a mirror of a service in the ancient Temple -- compliments of a few blessings.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">And that's why Judaism neither bans drinking nor encourages drinking freely. Instead, it encourages making kiddush -- the sanctification over wine.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Sexuality often is associated with yetzer hara. But sexuality is neutral, Rabbi Salkin points out. "It is sanctifiable. It includes marriage -- the holy of holies -- and it includes rape."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Others believe the dark well of yetzer hara represents a dread that we never can quite shake: our fear of death. In this view, yetzer hatov is our drive to connect with the eternal. Judaism says this is accomplished by our relation with God.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Yetzer hara is our sneaking suspicion, or out-and-out conviction, that this life is all there is. It pulls us from the holy to the corporeal. To defy death, our yetzer hara stirs us to build monuments to ourselves -- families, businesses, works of art. These, we know, will survive us. (Why else do captains of the starship Enterprise leave detailed mission logs? Why else are there reruns?)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">One thing more -- if it's all a question of balance, can there be too much yetzer hatov? Yes, Rabbi Salkin says.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">"Too much leads to premature saintliness. If one is overly righteous, one is likely to become suicidal."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">It was Rabbi Hillel who, 2,000 years ago, set the balance between the two warring impulses: "If I am not for myself, who is for me? And if I am only for myself, what am I?"</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">It's a lesson James T. Kirk learned early on. After he got himself together.</span>ravi srinivasanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00537517167395007845noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7992579.post-90636941186298181062007-05-18T01:42:00.001-07:002007-05-18T02:00:40.981-07:00Bug (ger)!This is a small post. Had a thought some time back that said "Software bugs and stress in life are connected". This is a brief elaboration of that thought's core idea.<br /><br />For those who don't know what a bug is - it is simply software not fuctioning as it should.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.soltechnology.com/robertkemble.htm">Bob Kembel</a> did trainings at HCL, where I used to work. During one of these, he told us that to solve a bug, we need to know two things:<br />1. What should happen (the correct flow)<br />2. What is happening (the 'buggy' flow)<br /><br />Stress is also a difference between 'What is' and 'What should'. We keep an idea of what should happen in our lives and when this is not in sync with what is happening, stress is created. This takes various forms: fear, anxiety and so many of the psychosomatic disorders that we see today.<br /><br />Is there a way that will solve the second problem (in our lives), that might give us insights into how to solve the first? Wait and watch!ravi srinivasanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00537517167395007845noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7992579.post-51441303374490637402007-05-07T03:00:00.000-07:002007-05-07T03:10:30.616-07:00Digg this!It's a nice Monday afternoon. I haven't got any work done yet and (therefore?) I'm feeling happy. And the coffee is making me put this blog down - something I'm doing after a long time.<br /><br />So, what I'll do is plug some sites that I've been visiting to keep me from work.<br /><br />1. <a href="http://www.coverville.com/archives/2007/03/coverville_299.html">Coverville</a> is a cool podcast by Brian Ibbott. Although I'm not a big fan of his voice, I really like the stuff he plays (most of the times :). Like this morning, I heard this cover of Def Leppard's 'Photograph' that is surely better than the orig. This was on his first edition of coverville.<br /><br />2. www.digg.com<br />(These guys were under pressure but they bow(i)ed to their readers' wishes. gotta love them. <br /><br />3. Wikipedia:<br />Ok <a href="http://twaddler-doodler.blogspot.com/">VP</a> I agree! Wiki is cool. <br /><br />Cheerio<br />I'll slog on the bug...ravi srinivasanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00537517167395007845noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7992579.post-90373927265691634942007-01-19T06:33:00.000-08:002007-01-19T06:35:33.698-08:00Words spoken by the Elders of Oraibi, Arizona Hopi Nation<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">"You have been telling the people that this is the Eleventh Hour. </span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">Now you must go back and tell the people that this is the Hour. </span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">And there are things to be considered: </span><br /> <br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">Where are you living? </span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">What are you doing? </span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">What are your relationships? </span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">Are you in right relation? </span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">Where is your water? </span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">Know your garden. </span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">It is time to speak your Truth. </span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">Create your community. </span><br /> <br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">Be good to each other. </span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">And do not look outside yourself for the leader. </span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">This could be a good time! </span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">There is a river flowing now very fast. </span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">It is so great and swift that there are those who will be afraid. </span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">They will try to hold on to the shore. </span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">They will feel they are being torn apart, and they will suffer greatly. </span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">Know the river has its destination. </span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">The elders say we must let go of the shore, push off into the middle of the </span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">river, keep our eyes open, and our heads above the water. </span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">See who is in there with you and celebrate. </span><br /> <br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">At this time in history, we are to take nothing personally. </span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">Least of all, ourselves. </span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">For the momnet that we do, our spiritual growth and journey comes to a halt. </span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">The time of the lone wolf is over. Gather yourselves! </span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">Banish the word struggle from your attitude and your vocabulary. </span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">All that we do now must be done in a sacred manner and in celebration. </span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">We are the ones we've been waiting for." </span><br /> <br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"> </span>ravi srinivasanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00537517167395007845noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7992579.post-63256461834835556282006-12-21T05:02:00.000-08:002006-12-21T05:35:42.408-08:00So much to say<span style="font-family: courier new;">One of the resolutions of the new year can be - be more consistent blogging - maybe once I get a net connection @ home and I stop surfing TV for something remotely interesting (or titillating), maybe this will happen. Actually, am reading </span><a style="font-family: courier new;" href="http://www.amazon.com/Psycho-Cybernetics-New-More-Living-Life/dp/0671700758/sr=1-1/qid=1166707360/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-4248251-5663232?ie=UTF8&s=books">Psycho-cybernetics</a><span style="font-family: courier new;">, which puts the self-image as the driving force of all actions rather than the Will. All this is so interesting!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: courier new;">Anyways, a lot happened and a lot of thoughts but didn't find time to put it down. Got to see Shivamani live in action and he blew me off my feet - literally. Was the only one dancing at Palace Grounds - was laughed at but not much time to ponder that when the root chakra was being pumped by the mad man playing the drums of the world and things from the kitchen and the bathroom. He was admirably complemented by a group of traditional temple drummers from Kerala I think - but not sure - could be K'taka though. But awesome stuff - it was part of Bengalooru Habba '06 (and to think I went thinking TAAQ would be playing!)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: courier new;">Also went for Shakti - very decent stuff and quite the showmen these guys are - but didn't come close to the madness that Shivamani chanelled into his playing... also caught Rajan/Sajan Mishra with Birju Maharaj. The old man wasn't able to move much but the jugalbandi that they did with the </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-family: courier new;">bols </span><span style="font-family: courier new;">was quite outstanding - surely a special form of super-sanity is required for such magic.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: courier new;">Neways, will post some more - soon enough, hopefully - and will tell about why the colour of the season is green!</span>ravi srinivasanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00537517167395007845noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7992579.post-1163663123285071852006-11-15T23:34:00.000-08:002006-11-15T23:45:23.296-08:00I heart LinuxReally - all you Windoze freaks are just that, you know - dozing your way in cyberspace - doing what the system tells you to do. How about doing it the other way for a change, eh? How about having u'r say on what the program should do - how the program should look and behave? And how about typing in commands for a change - or will u just be frickin-clickin all the time?<br /><br />Ok - have got sound, a 1024*768 and a keyboard shortcuts for the terminal - Nothing much needed, I'd say - well, Eclipse is good to have for dumb Java that doesn't work on Makefiles (one has to earn to eat!) - Actually I'm hoping MadWifi works too - and then pretty much don't need Windoze (which I unintentionally sent to long hibernation while installing linux). My stars are in ascencion ever since. <a href="http://www.freewillastrology.com">Read</a><br /><span class="down" style="display: block;" id="formatbar_CreateLink" title="Link" onmouseover="ButtonHoverOn(this);" onmouseout="ButtonHoverOff(this);" onmouseup="" onmousedown="CheckFormatting(event);FormatbarButton('richeditorframe', this, 8);ButtonMouseDown(this);"><br />Also, if you are a programmer, you might want to know if you the <a href="http://www.pbm.com/%7Elindahl/real.programmers.html">real deal :)</a><br /><br />Enjoy!<br /></span><span class="" style="display: block;" id="formatbar_CreateLink" title="Link" onmouseover="ButtonHoverOn(this);" onmouseout="ButtonHoverOff(this);" onmouseup="" onmousedown="CheckFormatting(event);FormatbarButton('richeditorframe', this, 8);ButtonMouseDown(this);"></span>ravi srinivasanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00537517167395007845noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7992579.post-1159804130577760082006-10-02T07:54:00.000-07:002006-10-02T09:21:34.320-07:00Agar tune mera (iodized) namak khaaya hai OR Common salt and the Bhagvad Gita<span style="font-family: courier new;">So let's get down straight to it - how is salt connected to the Gita? It started when </span><a style="font-family: courier new;" href="http://www.srisriravishankar.org">Sri Sri</a><span style="font-family: courier new;"> told us some time back about the </span><a style="font-family: courier new;" href="http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/india_27575.html">The Government of India ban on non-iodized salt in the country</a><span style="font-family: courier new;">. In fact, </span><a style="font-family: courier new;" href="http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/india_30012.html">Roger Moore came as a rep from UNICEF</a><span style="font-family: courier new;"> for promoting iodization of salt. Sri Sri, a wise man by any standard, was very serious and has taken up this issue with a lot of vigour after a deliberation of 3 months and has asked all of us to protect our right to choose which salt we want to use.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: courier new;">There are many levels to this issue, something that I found out a little talk with my friend Dr. Kunal and then browsing the universal mind (WWW :). Let us consider the problem at the different levels:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: courier new;">1. Health</span><br /><span style="font-family: courier new;">The enforcers of the ban say that Iodine deficiency causes lack of brain development and will lead to goitre and that salt fortification is a cheap and easy way to ensure that this problem is solved. Universal Salt Iodization(USI) is the term used and you don't need to be a conspiracy theorist to see the reference to Big Brother. For the history and effects of USI, the </span><a style="font-family: courier new;" href="http://saltinstitute.org">Salt Institute</a><span style="font-family: courier new;"> is a good site - but hey, it is obviously industry driven.</span><br /><span style="font-family: courier new;">Those against the law say that Indians have a high salt diet (ahh Mom's pickles) and forced iodization will make people </span><a style="font-family: courier new;" href="http://www.mythyroid.com">hyperthyroid</a><span style="font-family: courier new;">. An endocronologist </span><a style="font-family: courier new;" href="http://www.thesouthasian.org/archives/2005/the_salt_debates_and_another_b.html">argues quite well against</a><span style="font-family: courier new;"> the usefulness of USI - </span><a style="font-family: courier new;" href="http://www.unu.edu/Unupress/food/V193e/ch06.htm">Iodine is quickly lost on cooking and due to high moisture in salt</a><span style="font-family: courier new;">. Hyperthyroidism definitely seems to be a problem, especially in urban areas. But the greatest threat of Iodine seems to be AIDS - if you believe </span><a style="font-family: courier new;" href="http://wonder-cures.com/art2.htm">this awesome site</a><br /><br /><span style="font-family: courier new;">2. Economy</span><br /><span style="font-family: courier new;">Pro-USI: Iodization of salt is cheap - "only the cost of a cup of tea a year per person". This seems patently false. Iodized salt manufactured by biggies like Tata and HLL are Rs. 10 a packet and 'common' salt that I bought in Bangalore is Rs. 5 (was this shopkeeeper plainly ignoring this law?). In villages, the iodized version is almost three times the vanilla version. No wonder then, that talks of the salt lobby being behind this law are commonplace. But there is an </span><a style="font-family: courier new;" href="http://archive.salon.com/tech/feature/2001/08/20/salt/index2.html">Agent Smith</a><span style="font-family: courier new;"> to the Neo here too. (take that article with a pinch of salt, however - it uses the same method that it argues against - emotion - to pitch USI!) </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: courier new;">3. Effected populace</span><br /><span style="font-family: courier new;">The figures are also inconsistent - the pro-USI people say that 254 out of some 350 surveyed districts had goitre problems - and this they say is not limited to the Himalayan belt that is known for the goitre problems. The doctor however says that only 2.5% of Indians are iodine deficient. It seems like you can find what you are looking for :)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: courier new;">4. Values</span><br /><span style="font-family: courier new;">Sri Sri is now talking of a second salt Satyagraha. Basic freedom (at least in matters of food!) and </span><span style="font-family: courier new;">self reliance are at stake. Next, there will be iron fortified wheat - which again might have to imported - our villagers will not be able to eat what the neighbouring village produces! Of course, the job of the government is not easy, given that many of the </span><a style="font-family: courier new;" href="http://www.indianpediatrics.net/march-293-295.htm">educated doctors</a><span style="font-family: courier new;"> feel that there is no substitute to iodization of salt. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: courier new;">It seems to me that both parties are well-balanced and this is not an easy matter to decide. Of course, there is the mandatory third option - </span><a style="font-family: courier new;" href="http://www.rawfoods.com/articles/kicksalt.html">don't eat salt altogether</a><span style="font-family: courier new;">:) What I love is that I am taking a side knowing fully well that this is not a cut-and-dried issue. I even have a friend on the other side (Dr. Kunal). And herein lies the fun - I am going to go full out and protest against the ban - And that is what I think the Gita exhorts us to do.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: courier new;">This is a blog that I loved thinking about. I can consider my </span><a style="font-family: courier new;" href="http://www.nrilinks.com/india/festivals/Dussehara.htm">Vijay Dasami</a><span style="font-family: courier new;"> well-spent :)</span><br /><br />Cheerio All - Have a good fight :)ravi srinivasanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00537517167395007845noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7992579.post-1158821333300751742006-09-20T23:38:00.000-07:002006-09-20T23:48:53.310-07:00Some crap before linux boot please!So here we were, trying to install Fedora Core 4 so we can get some decent development going in our <a href="http://www.reinventsoft.com">new office</a>, and we get a kernel panic immediately.<br /><br />Google is mostly a dont-wanna-use-brain-so-will-just-look-it-up device. Denial is pointless. So we look up <a href="http://www.linuxquestions.org">this</a> site first and there is all this talk about SATA and initrd and all other logical BS.<br /><br />Then I find this solution in <a href="http://www.fedoraforum.org">fedoraforum</a> - just type a nonsensical word first and then boot as usual. Like type 'this is crazy' first - and then linux mediacheck - and no kernel panic, no nonsense. The idea probably being - all garbage out first, then it's all smooth cruising. And you thought such things happened only in Windoze and Harry Potter.ravi srinivasanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00537517167395007845noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7992579.post-1157037588118992232006-08-31T08:13:00.000-07:002006-08-31T08:19:48.130-07:00Hammerspace!<span style="font-family:courier new;">...and there might be an MC before that too. Just Hammerspace. Was reading the Wiki for Manga (came to this through a forward, initially from a girl who loves Anime) when this delightful concept of Hammerspace jumped out of nowhere. As defined in Wiki:</span><br /><br />Hammerspace draws its name from a semi-common <a title="Cliché" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clich%C3%A9">cliché</a> in humorous <a title="Anime" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anime">anime</a> and <a title="Manga" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manga">manga</a>: Male character Y offends or otherwise angers female character X. X then draws a wooden mallet—ranging in size from large to downright ludicrous—out of nowhere and bashes Y with it. <br /><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;">NOw you see where the MC might have come from? :). And in India it might be Belanspace!</span>ravi srinivasanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00537517167395007845noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7992579.post-1155797499466023352006-08-16T22:39:00.000-07:002006-08-16T23:51:39.490-07:00Krishna stories and Janmashtami (double meaning!!)The past three days I have been going to the Art of Living Ashram and every day there is something new to learn. Yesterday was Krishna Janmashtami. Apart from a nice dance and skits by children, there was a lot of learning. We heard a recitation of the Gita and were exhorted to just read the Bhagvad Gita with its simple translation.<br /><br />A lot of our stories have multiple levels of meaning. Or atleast two :). Like some of the stories of Krishna seem to be plain simple fun but experts say that the essence of Vedanta is distilled into them. The story of Janmashtami and its meaning as told by Sri Sri (all mistakes are mine):<br /><br />Krishna was born to Devaki (body) and Vasudev(Prana). Krishna stands for Ananda or bliss while his Uncle Kamsa is ego or (dur)Ahamkara. The jail where Krishna was born is the world and the sentries are the five senses. When the senses are asleep (i.e. not involved in the world), Ananda is born. To save Krishna from Kamsa, you have to cross Yamuna or love. On the other side is Go-kul, where knowledge permeates. Go means knowledge or the senses, depending on context.<br /><br />A sure sign of a wise man is the light (but not disrespectful) manner that very high knowledge rests upon him. A Swamiji from Rishikesh, regular visitor to the Ashram and wonderful orator is a case in point. Regaling us with stories of Krishna as a child, he himself became childlike and innocent. He told the story of Krishna and his friends causing havoc by having peeing competitions in the <span style="font-style: italic;">aangan </span>of a house and of course the stealing butter. In the middle, and you'd have missed it if you were distracted by a bee buzzing, he told about birth and death:<br />Death is only the Big Sleep, but what we are really afraid of is not dying, but our possessions not remaining with us when we awake. <br /><br />Much like why we lock our houses when we sleep, i guess. But is that bad?ravi srinivasanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00537517167395007845noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7992579.post-1153395936030751202006-07-20T04:04:00.000-07:002006-07-20T04:45:36.126-07:00MLM schemes and Dan BFirst, let's get over the sad part. One Art Of Living member told me she had a business oppurtunity when I told her I was a software engineer looking for a change of job. I went to her place at the appointed hour and found another AOL member sitting near a Mac Powerbook. She asked me to help opening a document and I was quite excited - maybe these guys are real novices and somehow have chanced upon a technical venture for which they don't have expertise. The sight of an IIT engineer enthused me even more - although we have never been great friends.<br /><br />The second slide she showed brought me to the ground. I was soon to go under. It was an MLM. Multi-level marketing. Searching for 'making money online' or 'home business' should give you examples of these. However, read through this blog before you do that.<br /><br />So, I sat and heard how I can be financially free - I would have to make $3000 a day for that, according to the presentation. The product was a 2gm gold coin - it really doesn't matter - it can be personal hygiene to personality development. The actual cost, she claimed, was Rs. 8000 (not really, but i'll humour her). And the joining fee, was Rs. 32, 000. Anyway, after I found that she was quite dumb, I left - however, I didn't make some scathing remark that I ought to have. It was a shock that these people who I admired were perpetrating such offenses. Thankfully, however, I think these are a minority - Sri Sri still makes a lot of sense and the Sudarshan Kriya is really good!<br /><br />Anyways, I looked up the internet for some facts on such 'organizations' and here are a couple for you to ponder:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.mlmwatch.org/01General/10lies.html">Robert Fitzpatrick's 10 lies of MLM</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.celcee.edu/publications/digest/Dig98-2.html">Center for Entreprenuerial leadership</a><br /><br />In fact there are so many ways to make money online that <a href="http://aboutweblogs.com/makemoney/">this blog</a> is making money online talking about making money online. Man, I should do something like this...<br /><br />And in a close by land, not so far ago...<br /><br />Bhauji was reading Dan Brown. Although he seems to copy a lot of his material, he at least doesn't dupe people. I read Digital Fortress and Angels and Demons recently - and both were quite fast and gripping. It's not great literature - but hey, it keeps the mind occupied.<br /><br />Another book I shouldn't be reading is 'Perfect sight without eyeglasses'. All such books preach the Bates' Method. Bates was a doc who found that glasses were not the method to correct bad sight - instead they worsen vision by 'helping' us form bad habits. Compulsive reading against reading.ravi srinivasanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00537517167395007845noreply@blogger.com0