Inspiration Bytes: Origin of Logic

Origin of Logic

A deer came running into the hut of sage Utathya when he was performing a homa (havan). A hunter came there a little later and asked the sage whether he had seen his prey . While the sage was caught in a fix between saving the deer and telling the truth , the hunter requested him to reveal at least the direction the deer had taken .

Instantly the sage replied ,” O Great one ! Which direction should I show you ? The function of sight is performed by the eyes while it is the mouth that speaks . You question the organ of speech whether it has seen your prey . That which cannot see , how will it answer your question ? That which cannot speak how will it tell you the answer ? Hence I am unable to answer you “.

The hunter left the hut not knowing the whereabouts of the deer. And a new science , the science of Logic , was born from the words of the sage .

Inspiration Bytes: Acres of Diamonds

Acres of Diamonds

There is a famous Victorian lecture that was known as ‘Acres of Diamonds ‘ . Russell H. Conwell , a former newspaper correspondent and minister , delivered his speech more than 6000 times between 1877 and 1925 . When it was published it became an immediate best – seller and a classic in inspirational literature .

‘Your diamonds are not in far distant mountains or in yonder seas; they are in your backyard, if you but dig for them.’

Russell H . Conwell .

The story that Conwell told in his lecture had enormous appeal . It recounted the life of a Persian farmer named Ali Hafed who sold his farm and left his family to travel the world in search of wealth . He looked everywhere but he could not find the diamonds he wanted . Finally , alone and in despair as a homeless pauper , he ended his own life . His search for riches outside consumed him . In the meantime , the man who bought the land from Hafed was grateful for every blade of grass that was now his and lavished love and hard work on his farm . At night , surrounded by his family and eating the fruits of his labour , he was a contented man . Finally one day he made a remarkable discovery . In the back yard that Ali Hafed had abandoned was a diamond mine literally an acre of diamonds . The simple farmer became wealthy beyond his wildest dreams .

Conwell used this parable to illustrate an extraordinary and wonderful message . Within each of us lie a well spring of abundance and the seeds of opportunity .For each of us there is a deeply personal dream waiting to be discovered and fulfilled. When we cherish our dream and then invest love , creative energy , perseverance and passion in ourselves , we will achieve an authentic success .
We all have an acre of diamonds waiting to be discovered , cherished and mined . We all have a place from where to begin . Let you imagination soar , for it is your soul ‘s blue print for success . On the simple abundance path you will discover that your own opportunity for personal success , authentic happiness , and financial serenity is as close as your back yard .

Inspiration Bytes : Foot Prints

Foot Prints

A man saw in his dream that he was walking along the beach with the Lord . He also saw the events in his life and two sets of foot prints on the sand , one belonging to him and the other to the Lord .

He found that , on certain occasions which coincided with periods when he faced adverse situations and calamities , there were only one set of foot prints . He felt depressed and questioned the Lord why he was deserted even by the Lord during his troublesome periods .

The compassionate Lord said : I was always with you . Wherever you saw only one set of foot prints , they belonged to me only , because I carried you in times of distress .

Moral – God is always with his children .If man remembers and realises this truth , each moment of his life will be a moment of joy for him.

Inspiration Bytes : Gift of God

Gift of God.

Once Beethoven , the celebrated composer and musician , concluded his concert and was surrounded by friends and admirers . Struck with wonder at his obvious skill , they stared at him , wide – eyed . They were too overwhelmed by emotion to express themselves in words. They had all been carried away by the sweetness of his music . The solemn silence was broken away by the words of an enthusiastic lady : ‘ If only God had given me this uncommon gift of music . . . . . ‘.
Beethoven replied : you say the uncommon gift you find in me is the gift of God . Remember that you too can get this gift .Do you know what you should do ? . Play on the piano eight hours a day for forty years . That’s enough .You will be as good as I am .’

Inspiration Bytes

Inspiration Bytes

To my Inspiration Bytes.

Ashwin, Ayush, Aruna and Arvind.

Preface

Traditional stories endure generation after generation because – although some of them are not literal they resound in truths on a human scale. These stories all over the globe are mines of wisdom. Similarly the inspiring anecdotes from the lives of great men supply curiosity, confidence, courage and constancy. So there are no heights that cannot be scaled by a person who knows the secret of making his dreams come true which lies in these four c’s namely curiosity, confidence, courage and constancy.

I always find these stories and anecdotes offer a joyful resort among our busy daily life. Age and time is no bar. We can help the growing children and even adults at any stage of life gain a grasp and appreciation of basic virtues like honesty, compassion, courage, truth and perseverance by giving materials to read about them. So writing these inspiring stories and anecdotes is the permanent platform which they can have at their disposal a stock of examples illustrating what is morally right and wrong and thus these can be known and promoted .These stories are fascinating and help anchor our children in ethical life making their life a blessed one on this earth. Through these stories and anecdotes I welcome my grandchildren and others to a common world, a world of shared ideals, to a community of moral persons where we can dream and make our dreams come true.

Lalita Kuppuswamy

How Lord Ganesha protects his devotees?

There is story connected with Avvaiyar, a saint from Tamil Nadu.once two devotees of Lord Shiva started their journey to the mountain Kailasha , the abode of Shiva. They wanted to take Avvaiyar with them . Avvaiyar was engaged in performing puja to Ganesha .They asked her to hurry up with the puja and accompany them . But she told them , ‘ you may go as you please. Just to join you I will not hurry up with my worship . Worship to Ganesha is to me Kailasha’. They left . Avvaiyar completed her prayers . Lord Ganesha appeared before her , lifted her by his trunk and reached her to Kailasha in one swing . The other two persons reached Kailasha only after Avvaiyar.

Ganesha is the Lord who grants great benedictions with effortless ease .

Footnote: The next series of posts would be more stories for "Inspiration Bytes."

Inspiration Bytes

                                   Foot prints

 A man saw in his dream that he was walking along the beach with the Lord . He also saw the events in his life and two sets of foot prints on the sand , one belonging to him and the other to the Lord .
He found that , on certain occasions which coincided with periods when he faced adverse situations and calamities , there were only one set of foot prints . He felt depressed and questioned the Lord why he was deserted even by the Lord during his troublesome periods .
The compassionate Lord said : I was always with you .Wherever you saw only one set of foot prints , they belonged to me only , because you are my own child and I carried you in times of distress . How could I leave you like that ?

Moral - God is always with us ,his children . If man remembers and realises this truth , each moment of his life will be a moment of joy and worth living for him .

The key to good health

In keeping with the views of the renowned Ayurvedic physician Charaka , World Health Organization also defines that a perfect good health is the state where there is a harmony of the vibrations of body, mind and soul . Disease is the state where this harmony gets disturbed. All healthcare attempts to preserve these vibrations undisturbed.

Of all the stimuli like sound, music, colors of light, heat ,electricity and magnetism the most effective is music which is able to restore the harmony among the vibrations of body , mind, and soul because it can affect function at a basic level of sensory response. A proper music is enriched not only with cosmic energy for the purpose of healing our body and mind but also with divine and spiritual power.

The great healers have existed in the past who worshipped gods and believed the efficacy of prayers along with medical treatment. Among them were Hippocrates, the legendary Greek father of western medicine and the great Persian physician Avicenna. Charaka also recommended the recitation of Vishnu Sahasranama in addition to medicines for alleviation of diseases especially fever. It was Plato who said “ No attempt should be made to cure the body without treating the soul”.

The ancient art of chanting is recognized as a path to healing and enlightenment as sound can unfurl the inmost petals of feeling and transport the mind to calmness. Now the modern medical science also recognizes its therapeutic effects on the body and mind. It highlights the co-relation between science and spirituality. In the words of Dr. Norman Vincent Peale,”God inspired inner peace produces well-being mentally and physically and is thereby the greatest boon to health     ‘.