Author:
Publication: Media Centre
Date:
PANCHAAMRITAM - 30
ONE
Smt. Linda Johnsen quotes Professor
Subhash Kak of Louisiana State University (USA) in her book Yoga at the
speed of Light and writes: "The Surya Siddhanta is the oldest surviving
astronomical text in the Indian tradition. Some Western scholars date it
to perhaps the fifth or sixth century A.D., though the text itself claims
to represent a tradition much, much older. It explains that the earth is
shaped like a ball, and states that at the very opposite side of the planet
from India is a great city where the sun is rising at the same time it
sets in India. In this city, the Surya Siddhanta claims, lives a race of
siddhas, or advanced spiritual adepts. If you trace the globe of the earth
around to the exact opposite side of India, you'll find Mexico. Is it possible
that the ancient Indians were well aware of the great sages/astronomers
of Central America many centuries before Columbus discovered America? Does
this sound unlikely? Yoga Sutra 3:26-28 states that through, samyama (concentration,
meditation, and unbroken mental absorption) on sun, moon, and pole star,
we can gain knowledge of the planets and stars".
Courtesy: Yoga International, English
Bi Monthly.
TWO
1.Ammachatram is a village situated
at 4 kms from Kumbakonam on the Kumbakonam - Mayiladuthurai road
in Tamilnadu, Bharat. A signboard displayed at the `Madurai Subramanian
Saloon', a haircutting shop run by Sri. Selvaraj here, announces: "Free
haircut done here for orphaned children, handicapped persons and destitute
elders on the 10th, 20th and 30th of every month". On an average, 30 to
40 persons avail this offer every month. This seva has been going on for
the past 7 years. Last year (2003), Selvaraj has introduced an additional
offer. A 50 % concession in haircutting charges for bona fide persons living
below the poverty line in the village. A note from the ward member of the
Panchayat to that effect will be necessary to avail of the concession,
says Selvaraj (Source: Sri. A.Suresh Kumar, Kumbakonam). 2. In Erode, a
district place in Tamilnadu, lives Sri. Thangavel. He is employed in the
Maruti Haicutting Saloon in the town. During leisure hours, he flawlessly
recites slokas in Samskritam such as Lalita Trisati (a bunch of 300 verses
on Ambika), Saundarya Lahari by Adi sankara and Rajarajeswari Ashtakam.
He recites the Gayatri Mantra, the Mrityunjaya Mantra and Navagraha Stotram
in addition to Tamil hymns like Thevaaram and Thiruvachakam. All this he
learnt in 10 years. His dream: to compose a verse on a Devata in Samskritam
(Courtesy: Chennai Media Centre
News, June 19, 2003).
THREE
Internal security will be in danger
without the participation of the public. Bearing this in mind, the Mumbai
police have launched a project by name `Eagle Brigade'. Under this scheme,
a team of service- minded youth is organised in every locality. These youngsters
aged 15 to 30, patrol their neighbourhood in the nights. A constable of
the local police station accompanies the patrol team. Due to the strict
vigil of these unpaid sentinels, a majormishap was averted in the Vile
Parle area on February 2, 2003. A bomb blast occurred there at 6 pm that
very day injuring 26 persons. Senior police officials and politicians rushed
to the spot. Even as the inspection was on, they received a startling information:
Two young men of Vile Parle, Shri. Sunil Jadav and Shri. Mohan Devghare,
accompanied by police constable Shri. Pravin Baria, were patrolling a street
close to the scene of blast. They noticed a suspicious looking tiffin box
placed on the carrier of a bicycle on the roadside. They at once
alerted the police. Just a few minutes later, there occurred another blast.
But thanks to the courage of the two youngsters, there was no damage. In
commendation of this good work, the two young men and the police constable
were awarded Rs.5,000 each by the Mumbai police. Sunil and Mohan are Swayamsevkas
of the RSS. (Based on a report by Shri. Paresh Navinchandra Bhat
in the Panchajanya of March 9, 2003).
FOUR
Meet Shri. S.A.P.Varadhan. This
astrologer of Chennai, Tamilnadu, Bharat is 70 plus. He has this unique
practice: as soon as he reads a news item in the daily paper about anyone
who is honest, he sends a cheque for Rs.5,000 as gift to that person. Two
recent instances: 1. A bank employee lost a bag containing cash of Rs.
one lakh in Tirupur. Shri. R. Murugesan, 30, driver and Shri. K.Velan,
24, conductor of a mini bus, found the bag lying on Tirupur Kumaran Road,
when they drove that way on regular duty. They handed over the bag in tact
to the police. The bank employee got back the cash bag the next day from
the police. Varadhan promptly gave Rs. 5,000 each to Murugesan and Velan
as gift when he read a report in DINAMANI, Tamil daily, about their honest
act. This was in October 2003. 2. Shri. Nagarajan, a conservancy worker
with the Coimbatore Municipal Corporation, says he will be able to pay
the fees for his daughter Valarmathi's last semester out of the gift of
Rs. 5,001 that he received from astrologer Varadhan in appreciation of
his act of honesty. While on duty, Nagarajan found a bundle containing
ornaments worth Rs. 60,000 in the dust bin. He duly handed it over to the
authorities. This was reported in DINAMANI in August 2003. Valarmathi is
doing her III B.Sc. Computer Science. Nagarajan .has to work as a casual
labourer during off duty hours to earn more so that he could meet the educational
expenses of his daughter.
FIVE
This is one village where the police
won't be suspended or transferred if they are caught napping. After all,
what else will they do when there is no crime? In Seehmai Kari Rat
village, residents keep their doors unlocked. They believe their lives
and belongings are protected by Shiv Baba, whose shrine is situated in
this village on the Akbarpur-Faizabad (UP) road, about 5 km from the district
headquarters. The legend goes that about 300 years ago, an ascetic, Shiv
Deo Nath Tiwari stayed here for a day while on his way to Prayag to bathe
in the Sangam. A local talukdar, Khama Singh, went there while Shiv Deo
was meditating near the Veera pond. When the talukdar challenged the saint,
the latter threw his dhoti into the air. Shiv Deo told the talukdar that
he would have to give away the land over which the dhoti drifted and fell.
Subsequently, the talukdar was forced to gift 3,300 bighas of land to the
ascetic. Later when Khama Singh's sons tried to grab the donated property
the ascetic started a fast unto death and eventually died after 19 days.
He was cremated there. The pillars of the pyre turned into a large Vat
Vriksh (banyan tree) and began to be worshipped as Shiv Baba. The talukdar's
family all died in mysterious circumstances. Since then, natives of Seehmai
Kari Rat claim their ancestors were continuously directed through dreams
by the ascetic soul not to make doors while building houses. That tradition
continues even today. Surprisingly, no incident of loot or theft has been
reported in the village for the past 300 years. Based on a report by Shri.
Ravindra Kumar Singh in the HINDUSTAN TIMES of January 8, 2004.
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