Socrates's House

                                          Socrates' House


Socrates , the great classical Greek philosopher, one of the founders of Western ethical philosophy was the most sober and most chaste of all men. He lived content upon very little or nothing, that entirely commanded his passions, and that his reasonings were so persuasive that he drew all men to his side.
No man ever taught to live well, like Socrates, for in his whole life, he was an example of untainted probity and in his discourses he spoke of virtues and of all the duties of man in all spheres of life in a manner that made him admired of all his hearers.

In the entire world literature and in all languages, there is always depiction of atleast one anecdote from his inspiring life.

It is said, once a house of a modest size was built for the wise philosopher. On every side, people shouted and cried. Each of them found a fault to tell of the house he had built up so well. All the so called friends commented that the house was so small, so mean and so miserable that one could not move at all. It was so narrow and so tight one could not budge to left or right. His so called friends went on criticizing and ended up saying that it could hardly be called a residence appropriate to his eminence. As the philosopher heard them cry, he laughed aloud,and replied, ' Friends, it is wrong on your part to criticize like this. This is not wise and proper.'
He added, " Though my small cabin is little worth,
                    It's everything I require on earth,
                    All I pray is, that it may be
                     Filled with friends who are true to me."

In this, the cream of Socrates's philosophy is reflected. According to him that to have need of nothing at all is a divine perfection, and that to have need but of little is to approach very near the Deity, and hence it follows that,as there is nothing more excellent than the Deity, whatever approaches nearest to it is likewise most near the supreme excellence. The philosopher's main delight was to be with his virtuous friends, to teach them all the good he knew, and recommend them to all whom he believed capable to assist them in the way to perfection.

Glorious past

                                        Glorious past



    In the history of man's social evolution, there is an inexhaustible and interesting store of facts and beliefs pertaining to various practices and customs.

• .The practice of shaving began in ancient times as a defence against enemies grabbing and pulling soldiers by their beards during battle.
• Crushed charcoal and stones were sometimes used as tooth powder for brushing teeth in ancient times.
• The Greeks invented ' Worry Beads' as a tool for relief from distress. While many cultures and faiths created beads for religious purposes. Greeks carried and played with them to relax.
• Hippocrates, the ' father of medicine ' prescribed pigeon poop as a cure for baldness.
• Sap from the roots of the marshmellow plant has been used in sore throat-soothing candies since the time of the ancient Egyptians.
• Hair braiding has historically been a method of socializing and passing on community traditions through generations of family members especially in African culture.
• Throughout history, Earrings have been effective amulets worn to ward off evil spirits and bring good fortune. Sailors believe that wearing earrings protect them from drowning, and that it helps their eye sight.Earrings were worn by both men and women. Ear piercing is quite a ceremony. A gold ring was believed to be a cure for all kinds of ear-troubles, although other metals, jewels and all sorts of materials were prevalent among primitive and among sea-faring men later. The ear was believed to be the center of intelligence. The custom of pulling a child's ear to make him remember his school lessons comes from that ancient belief.
• Ancient Egyptian ladies painted their mouths or lips red for magical purposes. It was believed in those days that by emphasizing the natural red circle of the mouth, they were well protected, as the good spirit of life was safe within them and could not escape from the body. At the same time, the bright red circle kept evil spirits from slipping in to cause troubles, the least of which were soreness, dryness of the tongue, and chopped lips. Red was the color of magic and was the 'stop' signal or danger sign, to any garrison of invaders that would cause fevers and plagues, a condition much dreaded in early times.
• Rice throwing is a very old custom believed to be a survival of the ancient religious rites of the Hindus and Chinese. Rice throwing symbolizes blessings from the elders. Among the orientals, rice is the symbol of fruitfulness and prosperity. Rice throwing symbolizes the bestowal of fertility, heath, wealth and happiness on the bridal pair and the youngsters. From time immemorial, rice has been the main dish of most orient people. They must have been aware of its nutrient values. Beneath the gesture of throwing rice, there lies deep in the nature of man , an unconscious knowledge of what is good for him. A symbol is merely convenient substitute for the real knowledge.

Fire under the ocean - A natural wonder

   

                         Fire under the ocean - A natural wonder

     Hindu mythology has many stories about the mysterious submarine fire that is hidden at the bottom of the sea. 

Puranas, epics and sanskrit literary works term this fire as ' Vadavanala or Vadavagni ' , vadava meaning ' mare ' and anala or agni denoting fire.

Vadavanala is a mare which breathes fire and stands on the ocean floor or it is fire found in the shape of a mare under the ocean. This submarine fire causes the sea water to evaporate and turn into mist, thus preventing the sea from overflowing on to the land. It is said that at the time of pralaya or deluge, vadavagni will stop doing this, causing the ocean to expand and submerge the earth. The fire of the submarine mare will burst forth in the form of volcanoes. Everything will be destroyed by lava and water. Thus there could be an interesting link between sea-level changes and mass extinction. Infact, oceans are the cause of both creation and destruction of the universe. Scriptures all over the world bear testimony to this fact.

Ancient wisdom is revealed through stories, symbols and rituals. The origin of fire-breathing mare is interesting. According to one story, Kamadeva, the cupid, the god of love, once tried to arouse desire in the mind of Shiva, the ascetic. Shiva opened his third eye, released a missile of fire anddestroyed the god of love and desire. The world cannot function without desire and love. Hence, Vishnu, the protector of the universe caught the fire of Shiva's third eye, turned into a mare and hid her under the sea. Thus the mare could be a symbol of fertility, movement and power.

According to Harivamsha purana, Aurva the grandson of the sage Bhrgu and the son of the sage Urva, gained great power by his austerities . He was requested by the gods to beget children to perpetuate his lineage. He agreed but warned them that his offspring would be so powerful that they would consume the world. So from his thigh he created a devouring fire which would have destroyed the world. But before that Brahma, the creator of the universe put the fire into the ocean as its habitation and water as its food, thus preventing the destruction of the world.

In the Mahabharata , a different version is seen. Aurva was the son of sage Chyavana. He wanted to take revenge upon the kings who persecuted brahmins. Even after the kings begged for forgiveness, Aurva continued to harbour his anger and hatred against the kings. His ancestors appeared before him and asked him to forgive his enemies. Aurva then discarded the flames of anger and hatred into the sea. Incidentally 'Arvan' means horse in sanskrit. So the fire and horse has relation.

This story may be a hint to the scientific fact. Most of the water in the deep ocean is extremely cold, almost close to freezing. There is another type of extreme environment found in the deep sea known as Hydrothermal vents. The water at the hydrothermal vents is very hot. It is heated by volcanic activity at tectonic spreading ridges. The hot water spews from holes in the crust called vents, looking like dark smoke because of dissolved chemicals it picked up from the underground. Certain types of Archaea and Eubacteria microbes are able to turn the chemicals from the hot water into the energy they need to survive. Many other types of living things including fish, shrimp, giant tubeworms, crabs and clams thrive in this environment as well. Underneath the earth geothermal current is present.
What a beautiful convergence of ancient wisdom and modern science !

From the Archives

 

                                        From the Archives

•     In 1796, a cow was elected MP ( British member of parliament ) to the house of commons in protest against the king.
• Charlie Chaplin once entered a Charlie Chaplin look alike contest and lost.
• Charles Dickens kept the head of his bed aligned with the North pole, believing the earth's magnetic field would pass longitudinal through his body and ensure him a good sleep.
• Mark Twain did not graduate from elementary school
• Adolf Hitler was a vegetarian.
• Florence Nightingale's 1860 Notes on Nursing was the first text book for nurses.
• Benjamin Franklin never patented any of his inventions, feeling that they should be shared freely for the public good.
• King Henry VIII slept with a gigantic axe beside him.
• Choclate was once used as Currency.
• Rene Descartes came up with the theory of co-ordinate geometry by looking at a fly walk across a tilted ceiling.

Life- A beautiful kaleidoscope

                             Life - A beautiful kaleidoscope

•      Life is a festival, celebrate it
•       Life is a blessing, accept it
•     Life is joy , enjoy it.
• Life is an opportunity, benefit from it 
• Life is beauty, admire it.
• Life is a dream, realize it .
• Life is a challenge, meet it.
• Life is a duty , compete it.
• Life is a game, play it.
• Life is a puzzle, solve it.
• Life is a promise, fulfill it.
• Life is sorrow, overcome it
• Life is a song, sing it  .
• Life is a struggle  , face it
• Life is a tragedy  confront it.
• Life is an adventure, dare it.
• Life is luck, make it.
• Life is too precious, do not destroy it .
• Life is life, fight for it.
• Life is love  , love it .
• Life is a lamp  , light it .
• Life is sacred, worship it.
• Life is divine, adore it.
• Life is consciousness, realize it  .

         Then the Nature will open her treasure-chest .

       Everything is yours  , everywhere you are only.

       There is joy, joy, joy alone, no sorrow at all .

        

The concept of Immortality - Teachings from a Crow

Immortality as a trait is only possessed by gods and spirits.
Desire to live for ever is ever ingrained in human beings since the dawn of civilization.
Alchemy is a type of chemistry studied in the middle Ages that has three main goals namely to change ordinary metals into gold, to discover a medicine to cure all diseases and to discover how to live for ever. Now a days also Anti-aging techniques and biological Immortality are key areas of research.

A poem on ' Eagle ' throws light on this subject. An eagle became sorrowful when he grew old and the season of his youth had faded away. He took another road, to another land to find some elixir rare and wonderful to ease his mortal sickness. There far off below, a flock of sheep grazing in the pasture   , suddenly looking above at the eagle startled and bleated. The fearful shepherd ran away, letting all his prey go. The eagle came to a tree. A raven had his nest. The eagle espied him as he perched upon his twig.The raven surrendered himself to the eagle.

The eagle spoke, ' Alas, what is this life to me but a bubble upon waters ? My pomp and show gone. This black raven, my father's father's chase escaped with cunningness.' " Oh filthy raven, what is the source of your great longevity? A secret is hidden here. You filthy raven is yet the same that he ever was ! My life is fading. Unfold the secret." There upon the raven invited the eagle for a feast where he could eat things sweet and rare. The raven took the eagle to a dung hill. Left over food and meat were spread there with flies hovering over them.A horrible stench spread far and wide. The spot was disgusting to the soul and heart. The eagle could not sit there at all. The raven pointed out that such dirt and decay are behind the longevity of his life where as the eagle had passed his royal life in the sky breathing freash air and with every beast obeidient to his command, and had the breast of partridge, quail, pheasant as a warm and succulent meal. That he should fall upon carrion and decay, base and learn from a raven so disgusting.
The eagle sprang into air telling the raven, " unworthy I am to share your wonderful hospitality. I welcome my fate to die in heaven's zenith,death I await, I could never live on such dirty things aspiring for longevity."
The king of birds flew, poised in the topmost skies, with freedom limitless.
                       
There is another interesting angle to the wisdom of a crow. Alexander, the Great felt that body is perishable and he should find something essence which if drunk once would make him immortal. He came across a wise sage who had neither allurement to riches nor was afraid of death. The king expressed his desire and the means to attain immortality. The sage told him about a cave where there was an eternal fountain of water. It was said that if a person drunk water from that spring, he would be free from death. Alexander reached the cave. The spring water was pure and attractive. As he bent down to drink water , he heard a voice from a crow sitting on the other side who warned him thus," Wait ! don't drink the water from it. I have drunk and I am very sad.Because of this , I have become immortal and been sitting here for centuries. I am fed up with this life and I want to die.But death does not approach. Whatever I wanted to know, learn in life I have learnt everything and now nothing remains to be known. What can I do ? To remain in this body looks a waste and there is no enjoyment.I tried to take away my life even then I have remained alive. I had a lot of birds as friends and I was their king. They all respected and loved me. All of have died but I am alive and I am fed up with this long life without any companion. So before drinking this water, think for a while whether you would like to become miserable like me without any hope."
Hearing these words of the crow , Alexander became alert and returned to his kingdom. If he had meditated over the matter properly, he would have understood the truth. He would have realized that the body made up of matter is perishable and the consciousness which impart life to the body is imperishable.To realize this, there is no need to go to a cave in search of water.the cave is your heart only which is the fountain-source of immortality.
In Ramacharitamanasa of Tulasidasa, the famous Hindi poet, Kakabhushundi , a self-realized sage tells Garuda ( Eagle,vehicle of Lord Vishnu ) that he took the form of a crow to enjoy the playful activities of child Rama. In Literature and even in the daily life of the Hindus, the bird crow is associated with Yama, the god of death. Even now food offerings are given to crows as a symbolic ones to the departed ancestors in ceremonies.It is narrated in the puranas that once when the gods were attacked by a demon,Yama assumed the form of a crow and escaped. So he conferred the boon of longevity on the crow and made the bird his vehicle.

It is daily seen and is an experienced fact that whoever is born whether man or a plant or an animal or anything is created like pot ,also dies or perishes oneday. This is the law of Nature. As a remedial measure to overcome the fear of death only, religions were propounded. All religions formulate values and ethical codes for leading a happy , peaceful life pointing out that there is immortal soul in the form of consciousness inside the body and only physical body made up of matter is perishable.Without proper understanding, man aspires for physical immortality in this life which is against the law of nature.
In Harry Potter, Voldemort's obsession with conquering death and his quest for impossible immortality make him lead a cursed life loosing all the values essential for a worthy human existence.He does not succeed in his mission and ultimately meets his own end.

Does immortality mean only to live a longer or eternal physical life? In reality, the implied meaning of immortality is something deep. Some people while living become immortal ( famous ) by their deeds and works.Many great men of yesterday are physically no more, but they are alive ( still remembered even now and in future also) for their valuable contributions to the welfare of the world.Even in Nature ,the same thing is seen. A flower blooms in the morning, spreads fragrance, helps bees in making honey, makes everyone happy and withers away.The flower may fade away but it still remains in the memory of people.So the real import is enshrined in the vedic mantras that as long as we live, we should have a healthy life with healthy organs dedicating ourselves to the welfare of humanity, leading a worthy life memorable to ourselves and to others.
Life is a blessing and a precious gift from the Almighty.Life itself is so beautiful and has so many secrets to unfold before us with its canvas of rich, vast,varied, novel and beautiful flora and fauna to learn from. When we find joy in life and Nature around us, slowly we will look for something beyond physicality. We will read sermons in stones,books in brooks, songs in springs. We will find joy and love everywhere- flora,fauna, Nature and human world.All will have a new coloring to us.The spiritual process will become a natural process of growth for us. This is the goal for which our life here is intended for.

Great men - Great are their ways

                                        Great men - Great are their ways.

•     Albert Einstein was offered the presidency of Israel in 1952 but he turned it down stating, " I cannot accept as I do not have the head for solving problems."

   

•      Abraham Lincoln refused a case because he believed that some things are legally right are n't morally right.

•   Artist Leonardo da Vinci would buy caged animals and set them free.

•      There is no Nobel prize for Mathematics. Alfred Nobel did n't want one  .

•        Rudyard Kipling refused to write with anything other than black ink.

•  Beethoven was a passionate coffee lover and always counted out exactly 60 beans for every cup he brewed.

•  Before fame, the impoverished Pablo Picasso burned his own paintings to keep himself warm against cold.

•  When Alexander the Great was a child, his tutor rebuked him for wasting so much incense during a sacrifice to the Gods. Years later, Alexander conquered Gaza and sent back 18 tons of spices to his old tutor with a note telling him not to be stingy with the Gods.