A smaile costs nothing, but gives a lot.
It enriches those who receive it
Without making poorer those who give it.
A smile takes only moment, but
The memory of it can last for ever.
No one is so rich, or so mighty, that
They can get along without a smile.
And no one is so poor that
They cannot be made richer by a smile.
A smile brings rest to the weary,
Cheer to the discouraged, Sunshine to the sad,
And is nature's best cure for trouble.
This is also from the collection of Prof.S.Raghunathan.
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
A Thought for Today-24: July 18, 2007
All the secret of success is this: to pay as much attention to the means as to the ends.- Swami Vivekananda
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Sri Ramakrishna Math and Mission
I am a devotee of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Holy Mother Sarada Devi and Swami Vivekananda (Swamiji). Like many, through Swamiji I came to know about the other two. My lukewarm interest was kindled and rekindled by my friend, Dr.R.Janakiraman. During our bachelor days, he used to take me to Sri Ramakrishna Tapovanam, near Trichy, Tamilnadu, to see Srimat Swami Chidbhavanandaji Maharaj, a revered monk and a great soul. Because of him there are more than 100 institutions (schools, colleges, maths etc) in Tamilnadu today. He was a very great scholar. He has written many books, which are a real treat to the spiritually inclined. Again because of Janakirman, I went to Sri Ramakrishna Math, Mylapore, Chennai and Madurai. He used to present me on occasions like birthday books published by Sri Ramakrishna Math. After his departure from Karaikudi, when I was very much depressed, I happen to open a book presented by him: The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna. That was a turning point in my life. I started going to the Madurai Math every month regularly. The then President of the Madurai Math, Srimat Swami Chidghananandaji Maharaj used to shower love and affection on me. Thus drawn by him, I started staying overnight at the Math for doing spiritual practices. I have posted my feelings about him elsewhere in this blog.When Srimat Swami Gahananandaji Maharaj visited Madurai for laying foundation stone for the Temple of Sri Ramakrishna, I had the good fortune receive spiritual initiation from him. Then in a spiritual fervour, I visited Belur Math(near Kolkatta) and stayed there for nine days. This was purely a spritual trip and hence I had no time for anything else at Kolkatta. I could visit holy places mentioned in the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna like the Dakshineshwar Temple and the various centres of the Math at Kamarpukur, Jayarambati, Shyampukur, Cossipore, Baranagore, Antpur, Baghbazar, Kankurgachhi and Gol Park. It was a wonderful and unforgettable experience.
For those who do not know much about the Math and Mission:
"Ramakrishna Math is a monastic order for men brought into existence by Sri Ramakrishna (1836-1886), the great 19th century saint of Bengal, who is regarded as the Prophet of Modern Age.
Ramakrishna Mission is a registered society in which monks of Ramakrishna Math and lay devotees cooperate in conducting various types of social service mainly in India. It was founded by Sri Ramakrishna's chief disciple and religious leader, Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902), who is regarded as 'one of the main moulders of the modern world', in the words of an eminent Western scholar.
These twin organizations have set in motion a non-sectarian, universal spiritual movement which has been silently working for more than a hundred years to catalyze the spiritual regeneration of humanity. The chief catalyst in this ongoing transformation is India's ancient religious philosophy known as a Vedanta...... In modern times, this ancient system of thought has been purified, unified and energized by Sri Ramakrishna, and expounded in the modern idiom by Swami Vivekananda and thus made available all over the world without any distinctions of caste, creed or race.
......
The ideology of Ramakrishna Math and Mission consists of the eternal principles of Vedanta as lived and experienced by Sri Ramakrishna and expounded by Swami Vivekananda. "
Some of the basic principles:
1. God realization is the ultimate goal of life.
2. Potential divinity of the soul.
3. Synthesis of the Yogas.
4. Morality based on Strength
5. Harmony of Reglions
6. All Work is Sacred.
7. Work as Worship.
8. Service to Man is Service to God.
Motto: "For one's salvation and for the welfare of the world"
Courtesy: "Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission - Their History, Ideals & Activities
Websites: http://www.belurmath.org/ and http://www.sriramakrishna.org/
My Favourite Short Story-4 : 'The Gift of the Magi' by O.Henry
This charming tale of love and mutual sacrifice of husband and wife is one of my favourites. Actually, this is the first story of O.Henry I read. This prompted me to read his other stories. A thoroughly enjoyable story in today's troubled times and broken homes. I induced my daughter to do a comparative study of 'The Gift of the Magi by O.Henry' and 'Where Love is, God is' by Leo Tolstoy for her M.A.dissertation.
To read the story: http://www.online-literature.com/o_henry/1014/
Works of O.Henry at Project Gutenberg: http://www.gutenberg.org/browse/authors/h
Discussion on the story: http://classiclit.about.com/cs/articles/a/aa_giftofmagi.htm
Bio of O.Henry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O._Henry
To read the story: http://www.online-literature.com/o_henry/1014/
Works of O.Henry at Project Gutenberg: http://www.gutenberg.org/browse/authors/h
Discussion on the story: http://classiclit.about.com/cs/articles/a/aa_giftofmagi.htm
Bio of O.Henry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O._Henry
My Favourite Poem-5: 'The Ladder of St.Augstine by H.W.Longfellow '
We have not wings, we cannot soar;
But we have feet to scale and climb
By slow degrees, by more and more,
The cloudy summits of our time.
.....
The heights by great men reached and kept
Were not attained by sudden flight,
But they, while their companions slept,
Were toiling upward in the night.
This is from Prof.Raghunathan's collection of favourite poems. This is my favourite too. For the full poem, click: http://rpo.library.utoronto.ca/poem/1330.html
Longfellow's bio: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Wadsworth_Longfellow
Poetry of Longfellow: http://www.everypoet.com/archive/poetry/Henry_Wadsworth_Longfellow/longfellow_contents.htm Longfellow's Works in Project Gutenberg: http://www.gutenberg.org/browse/authors/l#a16
But we have feet to scale and climb
By slow degrees, by more and more,
The cloudy summits of our time.
.....
The heights by great men reached and kept
Were not attained by sudden flight,
But they, while their companions slept,
Were toiling upward in the night.
This is from Prof.Raghunathan's collection of favourite poems. This is my favourite too. For the full poem, click: http://rpo.library.utoronto.ca/poem/1330.html
Longfellow's bio: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Wadsworth_Longfellow
Poetry of Longfellow: http://www.everypoet.com/archive/poetry/Henry_Wadsworth_Longfellow/longfellow_contents.htm Longfellow's Works in Project Gutenberg: http://www.gutenberg.org/browse/authors/l#a16
A Thought for Today-23: July 17, 2007
Choose the highest ideal and live your life up to that - Swami Vivekananda
Monday, July 16, 2007
My Photo Album-7: "My son Vinod"
Vinod is my only son. He will be shortly completing his postgraduation in chemistry. I am glad to post three of his photos: one taken as a babe, the second as a kid and the third recently. In the second one, he poses in front of my bookshelf.My Photo Album-6: "The Late Dr.T.Anandarajan"
Dr.T.Anandrajan was a versatile and highly talented scientist, who passed away at the young age of 39. I used to admire him greatly for his keen, analytical mind and pleasant manners. To borrow the words of Robert Kennedy, he loved and lived his life entirely. Unexpectedly and suddenly death snatched him away from us. He left behind him his young wife (who used to call me "appa" (father), one-year-old son and a few days old daughter. I would like to cherish his memory always and hence this posting.
My Favourite Short Story-3 : 'The Blind Man' by Guy de Maupassant
This is a short story of Maupassant from 'A Comedy of Marriage and Other Tales'. Thanks to Project Gutenberg, I could read and enjoy it and now am able to share with everybody. It is the ninth tale in the book. You may want read this book, which is just a click away: http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/etext05/8cmar10.txt
Bio of Maupassant: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guy_de_Maupassant
Bio of Maupassant: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guy_de_Maupassant
My Favourite Poem-4: 'Little Things' by Mrs.J.A.Carney
Little drops of water
Little grains of sand
Make the mighty ocean
And the beateous land
Little deeds of kindness,
Little words of love,
Make our earth an Eden,
Like the heaven above.
This poem came to know through my respected friend, Professor S.Raghunathan. He has been a source inspiration for me for a long period now. I must thank for this poem, and many other goods things. Thank you, Sir, thank you very much!
Little grains of sand
Make the mighty ocean
And the beateous land
Little deeds of kindness,
Little words of love,
Make our earth an Eden,
Like the heaven above.
This poem came to know through my respected friend, Professor S.Raghunathan. He has been a source inspiration for me for a long period now. I must thank for this poem, and many other goods things. Thank you, Sir, thank you very much!
A Thought for Today-22: July 16, 2007
If a man has not discovered something that he will die for, he is not fit to live - Martin Luther King Jr.
A Thought for Today-20: July 14, 2007
All the secret of success is this: to pay as much attention to the means as to the ends - Swami Vivekananda
Friday, July 13, 2007
My Favourite Short Story-2 : 'Vanka' by Anton Chekhov
I am a great admirer of Anton Chekhov. I have read his short stories and plays many times. He is one of the greatest short story writers of the world. I have read only the English translations. To those who can read them in the original Russian version, his writings should be even more enjoyable. I am in total agreement of the following views on Chekhov's writings by Thomas Seltzer.
"Chekhov's works show an astounding resourcefulness and versatility.There is no monotony, no repetition. Neither in incident nor in character are any two stories alike. The range of Chekhov's knowledge of men and things seems to be unlimited, and he is extravagant in the use of it. Some great idea which many a writer would consider sufficient to expand into a whole novel he disposes of in a story of a few pages. Take, for example, 'Vanka', apparently but a mere episode in the childhood of a nine-year-old boy; while it is really the tragedy of a whole life in its tempting glimpses into a past environment and ominous forebodings of the future--all contracted into the space of four or five pages. ... He reveals things that no author before him has revealed. It is as though he possessed a special organ which enabled him to see, hear and feel things of which we other mortals did not even dream the existence. Yet when he lays them bare we know that they are not fictitious, not invented, but as real as the ordinary familiar facts of life. This faculty of his playing on allconceivable objects, all conceivable emotions, no matter how microscopic, endows them with life and a soul. .....the magic touch of this strange genius.... Chekhov divines the most secret impulses of the soul, scents out what is buried in the subconscious, and brings it up to the surface. ... He is equally at home everywhere. The peasant, the labourer, the merchant, the priest, the professional man,the scholar, the military officer, and the government functionary, Gentile or Jew, man, woman, or child--Chekhov is intimate with all of them. His characters are sharply defined individuals, not types. In almost all his stories, however short, the men and women and children who play a part in them come out as clear, distinct personalities." [ Thomas Seltzer: Introduction to Best Russian Short Stories]. Link to Best Russian Short Stories: http://www.gutenberg.org/files/13437/13437-8.txt. Biography of Chekhov: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anton_Chekhov. Link to Chekhov's works: http://www.gutenberg.org/browse/authors/c#a708
My Favourite Poem-3: 'Stopped by Woods' by Robert Frost
Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
WHOSE woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.
He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
WHOSE woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.
He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
This is a beautiful poem. The last four lines of this poem have become unforgettable to me. After his passing, these were the lines found on the bedside of Jawaharlal Nehru , written in his own hand. I learnt about this poem only then. As it appealed to Jawaharlal Nehru, it appealed to many people, including ordinary people like me. For the critical appraisal of the poem, click: http://www.english.uiuc.edu/maps/poets/a_f/frost/woods.htm
For Robert Frost's Biography: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Frost
North of Boston (Selected Poems of Robert Frost): http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/etext02/nobos10.txt
A Thought for Today-19: July 13, 2007
Take up one idea. Make that one idea your life – think of it, dream of it, live on that idea. Let the brain, muscles, nerves, and every part of your body, be full of that idea and just leave every other idea alone. This is the way to success, that is the way great spiritual giants are produced - Swami Vivekananda
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