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 |   As the first blog entry got exhausted. My second book |
| Evolution of Love Part 2 |
| This is alarming ! *Whiskey produces female hormones in men !* 🥃🥃🥃 Yes, that's right, FEMALE hormones! Montreal University scientists revealed this. Men should take a concerned look at their Whiskey consumption. The theory is that Whiskey contains female hormone producing agents (it contains phytoestrogens) and that by drinking enough Whiskey men turn into women. To test the theory, 100 men each drank 8 cups of Whiskey each within a one (1) hour period. It was then observed that 100% of the test subjects, yes, 100% of all these men: 1) *Argued over nothing.* 2) *Refused to apologize when obviously wrong.* 3) *Gained weight.* 4) *Talked excessively without making sense.* 5) *Became overly emotional.* 6) *Couldn't drive.* 7) *Failed to think rationally,* and 8) *Had to sit down while urinating.* No further testing was considered necessary 🥃🍻😂😂😂 |
| A seven-year old boy challenged a court ruling over who should have custody of him. The boy has a history of being beaten by his parents and the judge initially awarded custody to his aunt, in keeping with child custody law and regulation requiring that family unity be maintained to the highest degree possible. The boy surprised the court when he proclaimed that his aunt beat him more than his parents and he adamantly refused to live with her. When the judge then suggested that he live with his grandparents, the boy cried and said that they also beat him. After considering the remainder of the immediate family and learning that domestic violence was apparently a way of life among them, the judge took the unprecedented step of allowing the boy to propose who should have custody of him. After two recesses to check legal references and confer with the child welfare officials, the judge granted temporary custody to MUMBAI INDIANS, whom the boy firmly believes are not capable of beating anyone. |
Matri Lila in foreign countries Foreigners hailing from Germany, Italy, France, Hungary, Mauritius and Israel came for Mataji's darshan and some of them to talk to Her. It is not possible to say how many bhaktas there are all over the world and in what way Mataji chose to reveal Herself to them and still does so, even after taking mahasamadhi. To our own surprise letters are received occasionally not only from Europe and America, but also from such out-of-the-way places as British West Indies, British Cameroons, the Gold Coast in Africa, Isle of Bali, etc., enquiring about Mataji, full of eagerness and burning interest. Although She never travelled beyond Cape Comorin in the South and Mount Kailash in the North, there is now undeniable evidence that She lived and still lives in the hearts of many devotees in Australia, China and Japan as in Europe, the two Americas and Africa. Is it not thought-provoking when, as it once happened, in European lady came for Mataji's darshan and told us : " it is exactly ten years to the day that I first heard about Mataji. She has been an inspiration to me ever since, in fact it was She who gave me my first spiritual impulse." Or when a gentleman, who is obviously a very serious seeker after truth, said : " The moment I heard about Sri Anandamayi Ma when still in Europe, I felt that I must contact Her." Perhaps it is not out of place to quote here what an Indian devotee wrote home when she had all by herself gone to foreign countries on an educational trip. " Ma has always been in my thoughts. I do not think I have ever thought of Her or relied upon Her as much as I have done during the last few months. I feel very strongly that She has been guiding and helping me all along. There have been such almost miraculous incidents. Just when I felt everything was uncertain and I was apprehensive of what might happen, a helping hand was stretched out from the dark. Help came from the most unexpected quarters. I feel so humble when I think of this all-protective, all-guiding Power which envelopes one on every side --- I have never thrown myself upon it so much as I have done now and never have I profited more than now. And yet one feels so stupidly proud." A devotee who suddenly had to undergo a major operation in a foreign country of the Far East wrote : " I was thinking so intensely of Ma, it never occurred to me to feel nervous or afraid. I was completely unconcerned when doctors and nurses prepared for the operation." On returning from the U. S. A. where a devotee had met with unusually adverse and depressing circumstances in which he seemed caught for the rest of his life, he said : " I have never felt Mataji nearer than at that time. There seemed to be no way out of the difficulty. I had already resigned myself to it, when somehow the whole trouble resolved itself and I found myself free to return to the life I wanted to live. To this day however I cannot understand how this could have been made possible." These are only a few stray examples. Yet, just as a sailor know that land must be near when he notices a blade of straw floating on the water, so do we feel justified in surmising that we can have no idea of the magnitude and universality of Mataji's Lila. |
| How flawed military planning causes a mess It appears that no effort was made to gain intelligence about the Ukrainian forces, their weapons, staying power and tactics of war fighting. Taking Crimea as a template, Russia underestimated the resistance of its adversary and the scale of operations required — a clear case of imitation of success despite the changed circumstances. Even a limited war has to be planned in terms of total national resources, factoring in the contingency of escalation to total war. Russia may have overestimated its capabilities and the force level required to capture Ukrainian capital Kyiv. The stalled Russian offensive in Ukraine and last year’s messy withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan have brought into focus the role of military planners in conceptualising and fleshing out operational plans. While military planning cannot be carried out in a vacuum and has to be predicated on political directions or national objectives, mistakes are costly and result in avoidable loss of lives. By its very chaotic nature, conflict is impossible to anticipate precisely. The challenge for military professionals is to make a reasonable assessment, not to be too off the mark so as to align policy with resources in the planning process. Invariably in war, plans seldom match the reality on the ground. However, a wide knowledge base, experience and reflection can reduce the probability of plans going horrifically wrong. In the Ukraine conflict, while the information from both sides has been sketchy and exaggerated so far, Russia apparently failed to follow its own doctrine. Many Indian Army officers used to be sent to Russia in the 1980s to attend courses on mechanised warfare and operational manoeuvre theory. It appears that no effort was made to gain intelligence about the Ukrainian forces, their weapons, equipment, force levels, staying power and tactics of war fighting. Taking Crimea as a template, Russia underestimated the resistance of its adversary and the scale of operations required — a clear case of imitation of success despite the changed circumstances. Even a limited war has to be planned in terms of total national resources, factoring in the contingency of escalation to total war. The around 60-km-long Russian convoy stalled on the road to Kyiv for days showed military incompetence and utter disregard for the conduct of operations at the tactical level. Similarly, Russia may have overestimated its own capabilities and the force level required to capture Kyiv. It is reported that Russian forces went into battle with only two to three days’ worth of supplies, and a lack of transport led to difficulties in replenishing supplies on the ground — a poor example of logistic planning and sustainment. Instead of controlling the operational space, drawing out Ukrainian forces from built-up areas, degrading the communication set-up, destroying fire control and command and control centres, the Russian effort to capture cities by direct attacks facilitated the hit-and-run tactics of the Ukrainian forces. This led to heavy casualties on the Russian side and the killing of an unusually high number of senior commanders in the war, provoking further attacks on the cities. In the case of Afghanistan, the US President’s decision, announced in April 2021, to withdraw American troops by the symbolically significant date of September 11 left inadequate time for ensuring an orderly exit. The issue was not the decision to withdraw but the manner in which it was planned and executed. Gen Kenneth McKenzie, the then Commander of the United States Central Command, said the civilian evacuation ended about 12 hours before the final withdrawal. Some equipment was brought out on the final flights, but other equipment — such as the counter-rocket artillery and mortar (C-RAM) system and various aircraft and vehicles — was left behind permanently disabled. The Senate Foreign Relations (SFR) Committee issued a report which was a scathing critique of the Biden administration’s failures that allowed for a quick Taliban takeover of Afghanistan and an inept withdrawal that left thousands of Americans and Afghan interpreters and guides behind. The SFR report claims that 4,000 to 9,000 American citizens were left behind in Afghanistan on August 31, 2021. The report states that officials were still formulating a withdrawal plan a day before Kabul fell to the Taliban, despite the fact that President Biden had announced the withdrawal from Afghanistan four months earlier. Also, there was a failure of coordination between the State Department and the Defence Department. Early abandonment of the Bagram air force base was inexcusable. In fact, in mid-August, 6,000 troops had to be sent back to Kabul to bolster the protection of the airport. This clearly indicates a faulty appreciation of force requirement till the final exit from Kabul. Allowing weapons, helicopters, classified material and ammunition to fall into the hands of the Taliban was unpardonable. Moreover, there are reports that the equipment used by the US-led allied forces during the war in Afghanistan has found its way to terror groups in Jammu and Kashmir, including iridium satellite phones and WiFi-enabled thermal imaging devices. Military common sense would have indicated to any professional army officer the sequencing of the operation — evacuation of civilians and allies followed by the withdrawal of combat forces. In such a situation, phased withdrawal of troops from various bases and the evacuation from the US embassy with alternative secure lines of communication should have been evident from the planning process. What could be the reasons for unprofessional military planning in these two cases? Perhaps, the roots lie in their respective military education systems. While attending the Staff Course at Camberley (UK) in 1992-93, the writer observed that participants from Europe and America had more experience and practical knowledge about generic strategic issues such as application of force, coalition force operations, force projection and inter-agency coordination. Their comprehension of conduct of specific operations on varying terrains was restricted. This could be directly attributed to their operational experiences in the NATO environment in Western Europe and the first Gulf War (1990-91). Furthermore, these countries largely had stable borders and most of them did not face any direct territorial threat, obviating sustained deployment of defence forces along the borders. |
| *When you have nothing better to do* *Just try answers for these* 1. If Poison expires; is it more poisonous or is it no longer poisonous? 🤔 2. Which letter is silent in the word "Scent," the S or the C? 🤔 3. Do Twins ever realize that one of them is "Unplanned"? 🤔 4. Why is the letter W, in English, called double U? Shouldn't it be called double V? 🤔 5. Maybe Oxygen is slowly killing you and It just takes 75-100 years to fully work. 🤔 6. Every time you clean something, you just make something else dirty. 🤔 7. The word "swims" upside-down is still "swims" 🤔 8. 100 years ago everyone owned a Horse and only the rich had Cars. Today everyone has Cars and only the rich own Horses. 🤔 9. If you replace "W" with "T" in "What, Where and When", you get the answer to each of them. 🤔 *Still have time for fun..?* *Let's try this* Six Great Confusions Which are still unresolved 😄😂 1. At a movie theatre, which arm rest is yours? 2. If people evolve from monkeys, why are monkeys still around? 3. Why is there a 'D' in fridge, but not in refrigerator? 4. Who knew what time it was when the first clock was made? *Well Try this now* Vagaries of English Language! Enjoy.!!! 😀 •Wonder why the word "Funeral" starts with FUN? •Why isn't a Fireman called a Water-man? •How come Lipstick doesn't do what it says? •If Money doesn't grow on Trees, how come Banks have Branches? •If a Vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a Humanitarian eat? •How do you get off a non-stop Flight? •Why are goods sent by *Ship* called CARGO, and those sent by *Truck* SHIPMENT? •Why do we put cups in the "Dishwasher" and the dishes in the "Cupboard"? •Why do Doctors "Practice" Medicine? Are they having practice at the cost of the patients? •Why is it called "Rush Hour" when traffic moves at its slowest then? •How come Noses run and Feet smell? •Why do they call it a TV 'set' when there is only one? •What are you vacating when you go on a "Vacation"? We can never find the answers Can we❓ 😀😂😅🤣🥵 If you have the *Spirit* of understanding everything in a positive manner - You’ll enjoy every moment in LIFE, whether it’s *PRESSURE or PLEASURE* So just Enjoy the PUN and FUN of the English Language. 😀😂😅🤣 |
It was 5:30 am in the morning at Drill grounds at Officer’s Training Academy, Chennai! Fresh 134 GCs, men and women, were all lined up for their first address by the Academy Adjt, the beginning of their journey to become a ranked officer in one of the most elite forces of the world, the Indian Army. The Drill SM, announced the arrival of the Adjt and the entire batch of GCs were put to attention. The Adjt got off his car and from the back seat, jumped out a German Shepherd dog, to utter disbelief of the gathered GCs! They were already looking at each other from the corner of their eyes. What’s a dog supposed to do at an induction speech? The Adjt stepped up to the GCs, and the dog followed his footsteps, and sat right next to where he was standing! The Adjt proceeded with the induction: “Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the OTA Chennai. I have got a special guest with me today whom I would like you all to meet. This is Oliver, and he has come all the way today to help me in inducting you all to this institution and its values”. The GCs were even more confused than before, and it showed on their faces! “Confused”?? asked the Adjt, and gave a little grin. “This dog was picked up from a forward troubled location at the age of 2 months, was fed, treated and trained in our facility for more than 1 year and then he became part of the team. Throughout his life, he has been a part of many operations and in one such operation, he took 2 bullets upfront to save me and my team from insurgents and fractured his leg in such a way that he had to be retired, and I adopted him”. “We didn’t give him anything except food and shelter, and that was enough for his loyalty to take a bullet to his chest. I learnt three lessons from Oliver, and those would be your first lessons of induction: 1. Loyalty is not Red, Pink or Grey! Its Black or White! its either there or its not! 2. Loyalty always and always comes from the heart! No other organ in your body can manufacture loyalty! 3. Loyalty is most simple! It always remembers what was done in the past, but never cares what would be done in future! “Always embrace the three rules of loyalty in war, peace, life, family, friendship and elsewhere required! They would define your character, always!" "Dispersed!!!” |
| I counted my years and realized that I have less time to live by, than I have lived so far. I have more past than future. I feel like that boy who got a bowl of cherries. At first, he gobbled them, but when he realized there were only few left, he began to taste them intensely. I no longer have time to deal with mediocrity. I do not want to be in meetings where flamed egos parade. I am bothered by the envious, who seek to discredit the most able, to usurp their places, coveting their seats, talent, achievements and luck. I do not have time for endless conversations, useless to discuss about the lives of others who are not part of mine. I no longer have the time to manage sensitivities of people who despite their chronological age, are immature. I hate to confront those that struggle for power, those that ‘do not debate content, just the labels’. My time has become scarce to debate labels, I want the essence. My soul is in a hurry … Not many cherries in my bowl, I want to live close to human people, very human, who laugh of their own stumbles, and away from those turned smug and overconfident with their triumphs, away from those filled with self-importance. The essential is what makes life worthwhile. And for me, the essentials are enough! Yes, I’m in a hurry. I’m in a hurry to live with the intensity that only maturity can give. I do not intend to waste any of the remaining cherries. I am sure they will be exquisite, much more than those eaten so far. My goal is to reach the end satisfied and at peace with my loved ones and my conscience. And per Confucius “We have two lives and the second begins when you realize you only have one.” |
| TRANSCENDING CHRISTIANITY The French Catholic monk Swami Abhishiktananda, the time he spent at Arunachala - leading to a deep enlightenment experience towards the end of his life. He had darshan of Bhagavan in 1949, and in the early 1950s, he came back to Arunachala to spend time meditating in its caves. An account of his meeting with Bhagavan (who made a huge and very positive impression on him) and the months he spent meditating in the caves of Arunachala can be found in his book ‘The Secret of Arunachala’ which was published in the late 1970s, a few years after its author had passed away. Before coming to India Swami Abhishiktananda had spent more than twenty years as a Benedictine monk in a French monastery, where he was known as Father Henri le Saux. After some time in India, he adopted the robes and lifestyle of a Hindu sannyasi and called himself ‘Swami Abhishiktananda’. Despite the change of outfit and name, for many years he clung tenaciously to the basic tenets of the Catholic faith that he had been brought up in, feeling that the highest Christian experience and teachings were superior to their Hindu counterparts. In 1973 he had a heart attack on the streets of Rishikesh that left him unconscious and temporarily paralyzed. When he finally recovered his faculties, he instantly became aware that the Abhishiktananda who had held tightly to Catholic doctrine throughout his life had vanished, leaving just an impersonal experience of the underlying ‘I am’. This is how he wrote about it in letters to friends: ‘Who can bear the glory of transfiguration, of man's dying as transfigured; because what Christ is I AM! One can only speak of it after being awoken from the dead … . ‘It was a remarkable spiritual experience … While I was waiting on my sidewalk, on the frontier of the two worlds, I was magnificently calm, for I AM, no matter what in the world! I have found the GRAIL!’ In addition to writing several books that attempted to bridge the gap between Hinduism and Christianity, Abhishiktananda had been a regular contributor to seminars and conferences on the future development of Indian Christianity. After his great experience, he received an invitation to attend a Muslim gathering in France to give a Christian point of view. In declining the invitation, he revealed how all his old ideas had been swept away, and how he no longer felt able to expound a specifically Christian viewpoint: ‘The more I go [on], the less able I would be to present Christ in a way which would still be considered as Christian … For Christ is first an idea which comes to me from outside. Even more after my “beyond life/death experience” of 14.7 [.73] I can only aim at awakening people to what “they are”. Anything about God or the Word in any religion, which is not based on the deep “I” experience, is bound to be simple “notion”, not existential. ‘I am interested in no Christology at all. I have so little interest in a Word of God which will awaken man within history … The Word of God comes from/to my own “present”; it is that very awakening which is my self-awareness. What I discover above all in Christ is his “I AM” … it is that I AM experience which really matters. Christ Is the very mystery “That I AM”, and in the experience and existential knowledge all Christology has disintegrated.’ (‘Swami Abhishiktananda’, by James Stuart, ISPCK, 1989, pp. 348-9) Then, confirming that a lifetime’s convictions had been dropped, he went on to explain that the final Christian experience of ‘I am’ could not differ from its Hindu equivalent: ‘What would be the meaning of a “Christianity-coloured” awakening? In the process of awakening all this coloration cannot but disappear … The coloration might vary according to the audience, but the essential goes beyond. The discovery of Christ’s I AM is the ruin of any Christian theology, for all notions are burned within the fire of experience … I feel too much, more and more, the blazing fire of this I AM in which all notions about Christ's personality, ontology, history, etc. have disappeared.’ (‘Swami Abhishiktananda’, by James Stuart, ISPCK, 1989, p. 349) After a lifetime of meditation and research he had finally conceded that no explanation or experience could impinge on the fundamental reality, ‘I am’. Years before he had predicted that this standpoint would be the inevitable consequence of a full experience of ‘I am’: ‘Doctrines, laws, and rituals are only of value as signposts, which point the way to what is beyond them. One day in the depths of his spirit man cannot fail to hear the sound of the I am uttered by He-who-is. He will behold the shining of the Light whose only source is itself, is himself, is the unique Self … What place is then left for ideas, obligations or acts of worship of any kind whatever?’ (‘Saccidananda’ by Abhishiktananda, ISPCK, 1974, p. 46) ‘When the Self shines forth, the “I” that has dared to approach can no longer recognize its own self or preserve its own identity in the midst of that blinding light. It has, so to speak, vanished from its own sight. Who is left to be in the presence of Being itself. The claim of Being is absolute … All the later developments of the [Jewish] religion - doctrine, laws and worship – are simply met by the advaitin with the words originally revealed to Moses on Mount Horeb, “I am that I am” |
| Jesus said that the bread taken in the 'last supper' was his flesh, and the wine His blood. He meant that all beings alive with flesh and blood are to be treated as He Himself and that no distinction should be made between friend or foe, we or they. Everybody is His Body, sustained by the bread; every drop of blood flowing in the veins of every living being is His, animated by the activity that the wine imparted to it. That is to say, every man is divine and has to be revered as such. Jesus washed the feet of His disciples. When they asked Him why He was doing so, Jesus answered: “I am washing your feet as your servant, so that you may learn to serve the world." Jesus knew that God Wills all. So, even on the cross, when He suffered agony, He bore no ill-will towards any one and He exhorted those with Him to treat all as instruments of His Will. "All are one; be alike to everyone." Practise this attitude in your daily lives. |
| A very learned professor, who had traveled widely in India and Europe,remarked “The Ganges is said to be pure, but on visiting Varanasi I found the drains emptying themselves into the river, and a few yards away someone drinking the water; I was disgusted. I can’t bathe in the Ganges, it makes me feel sick.” Mataji: "The very nature of the Ganges is to purify. Whatever is immersed in the Ganges becomes absorbed by its purity, just as fire purifies. No matter what you throw into it, it will be burnt to ashes. You think tap-water is cleaner than Ganges-water, but tap-water at Varanasi also comes from the Ganges. It is a matter of point of view. From your angle of vision you are right. Yet, fundamentally purity and impurity are of the mind. There is only one Atmã. Filth and sandalpaste are both the ONE, there is neither purity nor impurity. The pure food you eat today will by tomorrow have turned into excrement, into filth. Nevertheless, some creatures feed on it. A dead body which is putrid floats on the Ganges. Vultures swoop down and eat.of its flesh. It is the vulture’s natural food, the bird thrives on it. Life is one. What is dirt to one creature, may be sustenance to another We must reach the state where we know the ONE alone and everything as His forms. There is only One Brahman, without a second." |
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