How mosquitoes left Kambara

Once long ago, a small island in the Pacific called Kambara was infested with mosquitoes. The island people were constantly at war with these pesky insects and grew weary of being bitten especially at night. All day long the women of the tribe pounded tree bark into fine-mesh screens to keep the mosquitoes out.

One day it happened that a prince from the island of Oneata sailed throughout the south Pacific in search of treasures for his people. He landed on Kambara and the chief welcomed him as an honoured guest. After a great feast, the prince was shown to a sleeping room. It was surrounded with beautifully painted mosquito screens.

Tell me, O chief of Kambara, said the prince, ‘’Why do you hang such wonderful cloth all around the room? ‘’.

  ‘’ For the mosquitoes ‘’, replied the chief.  Mosquitoes ? What are mosquitoes ?, asked the prince. ‘our little friends of night. They are small flying insects and they sing us to sleep every night,’ said the chief. He was too embarrassed to tell the truth.

 How nice, said the prince, ‘We have nothing like mosquitoes in our country’.

‘Too bad’, said the chief .We have more than what we need.

The prince yawned and just as he began to fall asleep, the night air was filled with hum and buzz of thousands of hungry mosquitoes flying outside the curtain. ‘Such a soothing sound, he muttered’, a rare treasure indeed. The next morning the prince asked the chief if he could take some mosquitoes back to his country with him. ‘You would have to take all of them ‘, replied the chief. ‘since they are a close knit family and could not stand to be separated’ . ‘But what about your people?’ asked the worried prince.’ Wouldn’t they be unhappy if I took all of your lovely mosquitoes?’.

Yes, they would replied the chief, ‘’ but if were to give us something in return I think they would be satisfied  “I have a magic conch shell in my ship, said the eager prince  “ you blow it like a trumpet and the fish swim to the shore and let themselves be caught.Your people will never grow hungry” . It is a bargain, said the chief of Kambara happily, “our mosquitoes for your magic shell”.

The people of Kambara set a trap for the mosquitoes, using a huge basket so tightly woven that even the smallest of the mosquitoes could not get out. They placed a freshly killed pig in the basket and the chief waited behind a nearby tree with the lid. The Sun began to set and the mosquitoes came out in droves in search of victims and it was not long before every mosquito on the island was in the basket enjoying the feast. The chief jumped out from behind the tree, popped the lid on the basket and tied it tightly with long vines.  With the basket in his ship, the prince sailed back to his country. He thought how happy his people would be with the beautiful sounds of the mosquitoes.The chief of Kambara was also happy. He blew on the conch shell and his people began gathering in the fish for celebrating a feast.

                                              

Divination

The magic art of viewing the unknown things is called Divination. From time immemorial man has always been curious to know about future. He knew that human knowledge is limited. So he devised various means to satisfy his curiosity .Virtually every object, sacred or everyday, and every type of natural phenomenon or event, has been utilized at some point by some group as an oracle. The astonishing variety of systems developed to this end and their similarity in many cultures of the world is remarkable.

 The most popular and common one is Astrology. It is believed that heavenly bodies (Nine planets) influence the child’s life events at the time of its birth. Hence a chart known as Horoscope is cast at the birth time of the child. The chart has twelve Houses with nine planets positioned in them. Every house and each planet signify different things. Accordingly events in his entire life are predicted. 
Palmistry -  The art of predicting future by reading lines in the palms is a very popular one.

Numerology – A complex system of divination by number. As practiced in the West and now everywhere today, based on the sum of numbers in a name, Numerology was found in ancient Egypt and other civilizations. It has its roots in folk belief. In nearly all cultures certain numbers are considered lucky or unlucky, and babies born at certain times are considered fortunate or not accordingly. Dates and letter values (each alphabet is assigned a number) are broken down and added together exhaustively, until a number from1 to 9 is obtained, and this number when used in conjunction with specific dates can be used to predict events and assess character.

Geomancy - A form of Divination, an ancient technique of reading messages from the earth. In Arabia marks made at random in the sand were studied, elsewhere a handful of earth was thrown up and the pattern in which it landed was examined carefully. The most systematic form of geomancy is that practiced in China, known as Feng Shui, in which landscape forms are studied so that tombs or houses may be positioned auspiciously in such a way as to receive maximum benefit from the male (yang) and female (yin) influence. Indian Vastu Shastra comes under this category.

Axiomancy -   Divination by means of an axe is known as Axiomancy. A semi-precious stone such as an agate is placed on a red-hot axe blade and watched carefully, as its movements indicate the identity of a guilty person. This method was used by the ancient Greeks. Other forms of divination include driving the axe into wood and examining the result to gain an oracular answer, or throwing the axe into water to establish an answer by its floating or sinking.

Empyromancy -   A method of Divination depends on the observation of objects when placed upon a sacred fire and the art of drawing prophetic conclusions from their behavior. Common objects used in this way include incense, eggs, nuts and flour.

Dowsing - Divination applied to search for hidden objects, most usually underground water. It is usually performed with a rod or pendulum which indicates by its movement the presence of the desired object.

Gyromancy - Form of Divination, in which the inquirer walks round in a circle until he or she falls from dizziness. The direction and nature of the fall are then examined for their significance.

Oneiromancy - A form of Divination based on the interpretation of dreams. This practice is found throughout the world. Dreams being the product of the individual’s sub-conscious mind are taken as direct instruction or symbolic warning to coming events.

Bibliomancy - Divination by means of books, particularly sacred text, also known as Sortes. Virgil’s Aeneid was the favoured book in classical times and in the Middle Ages, but the Bible and The Quran have also been utilized among others. Ramcharit Manas of Tulsidasa is used in India. In essence, this technique involves opening a book at random and selecting a verse by pointing at it blindly. The advice, prophecy or warning contained in that passage is then the oracular truth to be applied to the state of the one seeking guidance.

Alomancy – Divination by means of salt. In this ancient technique, a handful of salt is thrown on to a fire and the resulting flames are scrutinized for messages.

Belomancy - Divination by means of arrows. This ancient custom, known to have been practiced by Babylonians, Arabs and others, consisted of messages attached to a number of arrows, all of which were fired. The inscription on the arrow travelling the furthest was accepted as the answer, and its advice was acted upon.

Dr. Mrs. Lalita Kuppuswamy

Do you Know?

     Rings-  The strength of the circle as an enclosing shape accounts for the protective significance of rings, which are still sometimes credited with semi-magical powers.The supposed force-field created by a ring was considered more powerful if it contained a precious stone, as gem-stones were once thought to be of super natural origin.

The symbolism of the rings given in engagement and marriage is not only union in love but also publicly avowed commitment. Diamond is the most popular of engagement stones for its durability made it a natural choice as a symbol of sincerity ,constancy and lasting love.The custom of wearing a wedding ring on the fourth finger originated in the 16th century when physicians claimed that a vein on this finger ran directly to the heart.

     Crescent - The moon goddesses Hecate was credited with protecting Byzantium in 341 BCE when a crescent moon suddenly broke through clouds above the city as hostile Macedonian forces were approaching it under the cover of darkness.Defenders manned the walls and the attack was repelled. To commemorate Hecate, a crescent and star image was stamped on the city's coinage. This decorative design continued to be popular and was adopted centuries later by the Turks and by many Islamic nations, with protective and other symbolic meanings.

     Bell - the bell is linked in many religions with exorcism or banishing of evil.Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims and Christians have all taken the sound of a bell symbolically as a divine protective voice.

    Wishing well- Wishing well into which coins are thrown for wish-fulfillment can be traced back to Celtic rituals in which gifts were cast into water to invoke the help of water deities.

The Officer of Heaven

One day a Tiger was walking through the jungle in search of food. Soon he met a Fox .Even though the Fox looked thin, the Tiger decided to eat him. “Prepare to die, little Fox, for I rule the jungle and I am hungry”.  Fox was clever and said, “You are joking, Brother Tiger, you cannot eat me. I am too important”. “What do you mean important?’’ demanded the hungry Tiger. “ I am an officer of Heaven .I have been appointed to watch over all the animals., that includes you as well, Brother Tiger”.“ You, watch over me? Why would you have to watch over me?” growled the Tiger. “To keep the evil spirits away. Heaven has given me special powers to keep all the jungle animals safe”. “How do I know that you are telling the truth?” asked the skeptical Tiger “you may be playing a trick just to save your skinny bones.” “If you want a demonstration of my power, we have to merely walk through the jungle”, said the Fox. “Very well", said the Tiger, but you must walk in front of me so that I can keep my eyes on you. I know how tricky you are”. “As you wish,” said the Fox with a sly grin. Through the jungle they walked, little Fox in front and the big Tiger closely behind. They soon came upon a small herd of deer. The deer ignored the Fox, but the moment they saw the Tiger, they leaped into the air and fled for their lives. “Hmm”, thought Tiger, “it requires great power to make an entire herd run; perhaps Fox is truly an officer of Heaven.” Just then they met Water Buffalo, one of the largest of the jungle animals. Realizing that Tiger was near, she turned and ran away  leaving a trail of broken trees. The Tiger thought that an officer of Heaven deserves respect. They walked further and saw an elephant. The elephant saw the Fox first and completely ignored him. The Tiger snarled “Elephant does not fear you, little Fox”. Hearing upon the Tiger’s angry growl, the elephant began to panic. He raised his trunk high in the air, trumpeted loudly and ran away. For the first time in his life, Tiger grew afraid and said to the Fox” My friend, truly you are an officer of Heaven and have the powers to keep the evil spirits away. Never would I eat such an important person”. “Heaven is pleased with your wise decision, friend Tiger” said the Fox. Under his breath he muttered," And so am I.” 

      It is the presence of mind that saves one from an unexpected difficult situation. 

Inspiration Byte

                                                       Do you know ?




              Albert Einstein was one of the most brilliant scientists.Einstein in German language means ' one stone'. Because of his incredible achievements ,the word Einstein stands for genius in any language. The theories he developed about time, light and gravity have changed how we look at the world and resulted in many new inventions.His famous equation, , has led to nuclear power, radiation therapy and many more.
Do you know that Einstein once said,' It's not that I'm so smart, it,s just I stay with problems longer.'
Also,' Any one who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.'

• The first time Einstein took the Entrance examination to the Institute of Technology in Zurich,he failed.
• He was so absent minded that he once forget where he lived.
• Although he was an advocate of world peace,his work led to the creation of atom bomb.
• Research done after his death showed that his brain was only slightly different from an average man's.

                                Do you know?


     Archimedes was a famous Greek scientist for his discovery of the principle of buoyancy. But do you know that he was also a mathematician? It was he who came up with the first reliable figure for pi - symbolized by the Greek letter π - which is used in calculating the area of a circle. Pi, typically rendered as 3.14159, is an irrational number, meaning that there is an apparently infinite amount of digits following the decimal point,with no repeating pattern.

        Now everyone aware of the celebration of day on March 14th ,every year as 3.14 can be represented as the third month and fourteenth day.

 

                                     Greatness of Indian Culture


 Max Muller,the German Philosopher and Indologist , deeply impressed by Indian Culture,said, "If I were to look over the whole world to find out the country most richly endowed with all the wealth, power and beauty that Nature can bestow, in some parts a very paradise on earth, I should point to India ."
" If I were asked under what sky the human mind has most fully developed some of its choicest gifts, has most deeply pondered on the greatest problems of life and has found solutions to some of them which deserve the attention of even of those who have studied Plato and Kant , I should point to India."
" And if I were to ask myself from what literature we in Europe, we who have nurtured exclusively on the thoughts of the Greeks and Romans and of the Semitic race, the Jewish, may draw that corrective which is most wanted in order to make our inner life more comprehensive, more universal, in fact a more truly a human life, not for this life only, but a transfigured and eternal life, again I should point to India."



Arnold Toynbee, an eminent British historian, foresaw a surge in oriental values that would lead to the revival of the West. He said, " It is already becoming clear that a chapter which had a Western beginning will have to have an Indian ending if it is not to end in the self-destruction of the human race.At this supremely dangerous moment in human history, the only way to salvation for mankind is the Indian way."

So up lifting ! No one can read this and not come away revitalized.