Those who saw Final Destination, I am sure would have been intrigued by the self-doubt, as to’ why I have not thought of this ‘
As we enter a New Birth Day, we inch closer to Natural Death.
(As an aside, Hindus, till recently were not in the habit of celebrating the Birth Day;Ayush Homa is celebrated every birth day till the Fifth year of the child;then sixtieth Birth Day,Shastiapthapoorthy ,Sathaabhisekam, 80 Birth day and in rare case the completion of the hundredth year.It is of of interest to note that according to Hindu Sastras, the Human Life Cycle for the present Aeon,Kali Yuga, is 120 years;Shastiapthapoorthy being the exact half of this Life cycle is celebrated with pomp)
Life is the process of nearing Death every day,Biologically.
In essence it is a struggle to avoid death,Life is.
As essayed in Final Destination,Death catches up with you even if you try.(as though it were possible)
The incidence reproduced below reminds one of Final Destination.
Read it in her WordPress blog, though she is no more.
Ms.Ghawi
‘Ms. Ghawi, an aspiring sports journalist known professionally as Jessica Redfield, was at a Toronto mall in June 2012 when a gunman killed a 25 year old male and injured seven others. In a blog entry – the last she would ever write – she describes how she went to the mall to get sushi but changed her mind at the last minute and got a burger and fries instead. She then made a purchase and, according to the entry, ‘felt funny… a feeling that was overwhelming enough to lead me to head outside in the rain to get fresh air instead of continuing back into the food court to go shopping at SportCheck.’ Either event may have saved her life. The gunman started shooting at 6.23pm, minutes after Ms Ghawi’s purchase was made at 6.20pm. One of the victims was found in the same place where she would have been if she’d ordered sushi.
A month later, Jessica Ghawi was living in Denver and working as an intern for a local radio station. On July 20, 2012, she attended the ill-fated midnight screening of The Dark Knight and was killed when a gunman entered the theatre and opened fire. You can read her chillingly prophetic blog entry'( Listverse)
Following are from the Book ‘ Hindu Dharma” , a book which contains English translation of certain invaluable and engrossing speeches of Sri Sri Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswathi MahaSwamiji (at various times during the years 1907 to 1994).
Republished here with the Sri.Kanchi Mutt’s Permission.
May the Good Word Spread.
Kanchi Periyavar.
All religions have one common ideal, worship of the Lord, and all of them proclaim that there is but one God. This one God accepts your devotion irrespective of the manner of your worship, whether it is according to this or that religion. So there is no need to abandon the religion of your birth and embrace another.
The temple, the church, the mosque, the vihara may be different from one another. The idol or the symbol in them may not also be the same and the rites performed in them may be different. But the Paramatman who wants to grace the worshipper, whatever be his faith, is the same. The different religions have taken shape according to the customs peculiar to the countries in which they originated and according to the differences in the mental outlook of the people inhabiting them. The goal of all religions is to lead people to the same Paramatman according to the different attributes of the devotees concerned. So there is no need for people to change over to another faith. Converts demean not only the religion of their birth but also the one to which they convert. Indeed they do demean God.
“A man leaves the religion of his birth because he thinks there is something wanting in it,” so you may think. ‘Why does the Svaamigal say then that the convert demeans the new religion that he embraces? ” I will tell you why. Is it not because they think that God is not the same in all religions that people embrace a new faith? By doing so, they see God in a reduced form, don’t they? They presumably believe that the God of the religion of their birth is useless and jump to another faith. But do they believe that the God of their new religion is a universal God? No. No. If they did there would be no need for any change of faith. Why do people embrace a new faith? Is it not because that the continuance in the religion of their birth would mean a denial of the blessings of the God of the new faith to which they are attracted? This means that they place limitations on their new religion as well as on its God. When they convert to a new religion, apparently out of respect for it, they indeed dishonour it.
One big difference between Hinduism and other faiths is that it does not proclaim that it alone shows the path to liberation. Our Vedic religion alone has not practiced conversion and the reason for it is that our forefathers were well aware that all religions are nothing but different paths to realise the one and only Paramatman. The Vedas proclaim: “The wise speak of the One Truth by different names. ” Sri Krsna says in the Gita: “In whatever way or form a man worships me, I increase his faith and make him firm and steady in thatworship. ” And says one of the Azhvars: “Avaravar tamatamadu tarivari vahaivahai avaravariraiyavar“. This is the reason why the Hindus have not practiced- like adherents of other religions- proselytisation and religious persecution. Nor have they waged anything like the crusades orjehads.
Our long history is sufficient proof of this. All historians accept the fact of our religious tolerance. They observe that, an empire like Srivijayawas established in the East, people there accepted our culture and our way of life willingly, not because they were imposed on them by force. They further remark that Hinduism spread through trade and not through force.
In my opinion the Vedic religion was once prevalent all over the world. Certain ruins and relics found in various regions of the planet attest to this fact. Even historians who disagree with my view concede that in the past people in many lands accepted Indian culture and the way of life willingly and not on account of any force on our part.
All religions that practice conversion employ a certain ritual. For instance, there is baptism in Christianity. Hinduism has more ritual than any other religion, yet its canonical texts do not contain any rite for conversion. No better proof is needed for the fact that we have at no time either encouraged conversion or practiced it.
When a passenger arrives at a station by train he is besieged by the driver of the horse-cart, by the rikshavala, by the cabbie, and so on. He hires the vehicle in which he likes to be driven to his destination. It cannot be said with reason that those who ply different vehicles are guilty of competing with one another for the fare. After all it is their livelihood. But it makes no sense for the adherents of various faiths to vie with one another to take a man to the one and only destination that is God.
There is a bridge across a river, consisting of a number of arches, each of them built to the same design and measurement. To the man sitting next to a particular arch it would appear to be bigger than the other arches. So is the case with people belonging to a particular religion. They feel that their religion alone is great and want others to join it. There is in fact no such need for anyone to leave the religion of his birth for another.
That the beliefs and customs of the various religions are different cannot be a cause for complaint. Nor is there any need to make all of them similar. The important thing is for the followers of the various faiths to live in harmony with one another. The goal must be unity, not uniformity.
Note:
“Hindu Dharma” is a book which contains English translation of certain invaluable and engrossing speeches of Sri Sri Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswathi MahaSwamiji (at various times during the years 1907 to 1994).
For a general background, please see here
Every Hindu, while praying or performing a religious rite is reciting a Mantra.
This is done at the beginning after worshipping and getting the blessings of Lord Ganesha /Ganapathi.
Over a period of Time people have been doing it by rote with out being aware of the meaning, thinking it is something mystical and at times ridiculing it as nonsense.
The Sankalpa or Clear Resolution is a scientifically devised mode to pinpoint a location in the Universe and the individual with reference to it( as there are many worlds existing simultaneously at the same time, which , incidentaly is confirmed by Quantum Theory) who is seeking the Blessings of The Lord.
Sankalpa is Clear resolution as Resolutions are normally meant to be broken as in New Year Resolutions.
However, one is not expected to be flippant while seeking Guidance from The Almighty.
The Mind should be made up as to what we really want.
More often than not , at the time of Praying we get confused and vacillate what to ask for.
One should be clear.
Else ,one should make a general wish…
‘Sarve Janas Sukino Bhavantu’May All be Happy’
or slightly more specific
‘Sree Varchasvam Ayushyam Aarogyam Ma Vidhaa Chobhaa maanam Maheyante,
Dhaanyam Dhanam, Pasum, bahu Puthra Laabham ,
Satha Samvathsaram,
Dheergamaayuhu’
(May I Be granted (enveloped by)Wealth,Long Life,Health,Enough Food,Possessions, Good Children, 120 years of Life and Longevity _The Life , mentioned at first indicates the quality of Life,Second number of Years, and the third the years granted to a Man in this Kali Yuga)
When we want specific results, we need to be specific and we are to indicate where we are from not- that God does not Know you- this is form of address one has to follow and it is organised systematically).
Thought have a way of influencing events(read my blog ‘Thoughts change Events Proved-Data)
The Full Sankalpa Text.
Aadhya Brahmanah,
Dwdheeya Paraarthe,
Swetha Varaha Kalpe,
Vaivaswatha Manvantare,
Astavikum Sathi tha me.
Kali Yuge,
Pradhame padhe.
Jambooth Dweepe,
Bharata Varshe,
Bharata Kande,
Merooh,
Dakshine parsve for those south of India) Sahapthe,
Asmin,
Varthamane,
Vyavahaarike,
Prabhavaathi,
Shasti Savastharaanam,
Madhye …….(name of the year) nama samvathsare
Dakshinaayane /Uttarayane(movement of the SUN to Cancer to Capricorn),
…….(Name of the season among the six seasons), Ritau,
…..(Name of The Month),
…….pakshe(indicate the Waxing and Waning of the Moon)
..mention Gotra(your lineage ( there will be three in number-this is called ‘Pravaram- the details are posted separaetely)
..mention you christened Name”
Hindu Measurement of Time.
Upto ‘Pradhamme Paadhe’ reference is made to Time.
Next Space,Then it is followed by the Individual’s Identity.
What a Way of Time and Geo tagging!
Explanation.
Adhya Brahmanh-from the year of Brahma
Dweetheeya Paraarthe- second part of the Life of Brahma-Brahma has a Lifespan of 100 years, though not Man years-it is called Para;half of it is called Paraartha.
Swetha Varaha Kalpe, Vaivasvata Manvantare -in the Brahma Kalpa and in the manvantara of Vaivasvata Manu of the White Boar Kalpa.
This needs a detailed explanation.
Please refer Wiki and my blog Time-Cyclic Theory for further details.
However a short description from Wiki below.
Kalpa is a Sanskrit word (कल्प kalpa) meaning an aeon, or a relatively long period of time (by human calculation) in Hindu and Buddhist cosmology. The concept is first mentioned in the Mahabharata. The definition of a kalpa equalling 4.32 billion years is found in the Puranas (specifically Vishnu Purana and Bhagavata Purana).
Manvantara , or age of a Manu , the Hindu progenitor of mankind, is an astronomical period of time measurement. Manvantara is a Sanskritsandhi, a combination of words manu and antara, manu-antara or manvantara, literally meaning the duration of a Manu, or his life span .
Each Manvantara is created and ruled by a specific Manu, who in turn is created by Brahma, the Creator himself. Manu creates the world, and all its species during that period of time, each Manvantara lasts the lifetime of a Manu, upon whose death, Brahma creates another Manu to continue the cycle of Creation or Shristi,Vishnu on his part takes a new Avatar, and also a new Indra and Saptarishis are appointed.
Eventually it takes 14 Manus and their respective Manvantaras to create a Kalpa, Aeon, or a ‘Day of Brahma’, according to the Hindu Time Cycles and also theVedic timeline. Thereafter, at the end of each Kalpa, there is a period – same as Kalpa – of dissolution or Pralaya , wherein the world (earth and all life forms, but not the entire universe itself) is destroyed and lies in a state of rest, which is called the, ‘Night of Brahma’.
After that the creator, Brahma starts his cycle of creation all over again, in an endless cycle of creation followed by Destruction for which Shiva, Hindu God of destruction, and also renewal, is invoked towards the end of each such cycle
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