This blog aims at bringing out the past glory and history of India, Hinduism and its forgotten values and wisdom. This is not copyrighted so as to reach genuine seekers of these information. Its my prayer that only genuine seekers - and not vandals & plagiarists - come to this site.
On yugas, in several places in Mahabharata it is said that Yuga is formed by the King / by the dharma.
The yuga classification of Surya Siddhantha is astronomy.
But in human life, dharma and danda neeti determine the Yugas.
Proof from Mahabharata:-
(Shanti parva -140)
'O bull of Bharata's race, that Krita, Treta, Dwapara, and Kali, as regards their setting in, are all dependent on the king's conduct.'
(Shanti parva – 68)
'Whether it is the king that makes the age, or, it is the age that makes the king, is a question about which thou shouldst not entertain any doubt. The truth is that the king makes the age.
The king is the creator of the Krita age, of the Treta, and of the Dwapara. The king is the cause of the fourth age called Kali. '
Krishna to karna (Udyoga parva 142)
'when thou wilt hear the twang of Gandiva piercing the welkin like the very thunder, then all signs of the Krita, the Treta, and the Dwapara ages will disappear but, instead, Kali embodied will be present.'
Kunti (Udhyoga parva -132)
'When the king properly abides by the penal code, without making any portion of it a dead letter, then that best of periods called the Krita Yuga sets in. Let not this doubt be thine, viz, whether the era is the cause of the king, or the king the cause of the era, for know this to be certain that the king is the cause of the era. It is the king that creates the Krita, the Treta, or the Dwapara age. Indeed, it is the king that is the cause of also the fourth Yuga viz, the Kali'
Markandeya (vana parva – 187) Yuga calculation very well detailed
Vana parva 148 – Hanuman also gives a good explanation on yuga
****************
I rely on Markandeya's version.
According to him the years of yugas are
400 + 4000 + 400 = 4,800
300 + 3000 + 300 = 3,600
200 + 2000 + 200 = 2,400
100 + 1000 + 100 = 1,200
= 12,000
Add 10-% sandhi for this before and after
1,200 + 1,200 = 2,400
Total = 12,000 + 2,400 = 14,400 years.
The ascending and descending of this = 14,400 + 14,400 = 28,800 years
15 times of this 28,800 = kali maha yuga duration at cosmic level (4,32,000 )
150 times this 28,800 = 1 chathur maha yuga
150,000 times this 28,800 = 1 kalpa.
On the other side, let us see the split up of 28,800 years = precession of the sun around the zodiac.
60 years is the basic unit.
This is equal to the years in one conjunction of the planets of dharma (Jupiter) and karma (saturn)
Jupiter's 1 revolution = 12 years
Saturn's 1 revolution = 30 years.
They conjunct in the same place in the same sign once in 60 years. So this is the basic life of dharma - karma of a man.
The ascending and descending part = 60 +60 = 120 years.
120 times 120 = 14,400
14,400 + 14,400 = 28, 800
THE Congress Party aided and abetted by communists and socialists has been steadily enacting rules and regulations to harm and hurt educational, employment and economic (E-3) interests of all Hindu youth. Recommendations of the Sachar Committee and the Ranganath Mishra Commission are on one hand based on total falsehood, and, on the other hand, are violative of Article 16(4) of the Constitution of India with aim to fulfill the core anti-Hindu agenda of the Congress Party to reduce percentage of all categories of Hindus in government jobs, educational institutions and in trade and commerce.
In furtherance of this conspiracy Hindus were under represented in composition of these two entities so that data could be easily cooked and manipulated.
As representation of Hindus in the Sachar Committee and the Rangnath Mishra Commission were below their demographic strength, it is obvious that like the infamous Simon Commission these too lack democratic legitimacy and democratic weight.
Newspapers are reporting that Hindus' percentage in job sector is falling but still many Hindus are not taking note of it. As per Hindustan Times of December 24, 2008 the Parliament was informed by the Congress Government that as a result of special efforts made by the UPA Government such as the Sachar Committee, PM's 15-Point Programme etc. the share of minorities in central sector jobs increased from 6.9 per cent in 2006-07 to 8.7 per cent in 2007-08. It increased from 7.6 per cent in 2006-07 in the financial sector (Banks, FIs, RBI) to 10.2 per cent; in the Armed Forces from 5.5 per cent to 8.9 per cent; and in the Railways from 2.7 per cent to 6.3 per cent during the same one year period.
In a full page advertisement in the Hindustan Times (February 18, 2010) the Ministry of Minority Affairs claimed credit for increasing trend in recruitment of minorities in government and public sector undertakings from 8.23 per cent to 9.18 per cent in 2008-09 as a result of the UPA guidelines.
These reports prove that percentage of Hindu Youth in job sector is declining and that the core agenda of the Congress Party to reduce Hindu percentage in government and public sector undertakings hook or by crook is materialising that too with help of Hindu voters.
When I bring following facts to notice of educated Hindus most of them express shock on their being ignorant of these facts, and, blame media and Hindu politicians for this betrayal. But in my humble opinion Hindu voters are themselves responsible for this plight of their own and of their children who either abstain from voting or vote in favour of anti-Hindu parties like the Congress Party, JD(S), NCP, Communist parties, DMKs, TDP, Mayawati party, Mulayam Singh Yadav party and Lalu Yadav party etc.
(1) Harm to serving Hindu civil servants and Hindu aspirants for civil services First let us look at the harm which the Misra Commission Report would inflict upon all serving Hindu civil servants and all those Hindus who aspire for civil service careers.
Para 16.2.16 of the Misra Commission reads: "Since the minorities- especially the Muslims-are very much under-represented, and sometimes wholly unrepresented, in government employment, we recommend that they should be regarded as backward in this respect within the meaning of that term as used in Article 16 (4) of the Constitution-notably without qualifying the word 'backward' with the words "socially and educationally"-and that 15 per cent of posts in all cadres and grades under the Central and State Governments should be earmarked for them"
The Misra Commission and Sachar Committee have made false claims that Muslims are under-represented in services.
Supporters of Muslim reservation say that Muslims are about 13 per cent of population but in IAS etc their representation is about four per cent so there are under-represented in services so there should be reservation for them.
Vide its own table 3.6 Misra Commission reports that graduation percentage of Muslims is only 3.6 per cent and as only graduates can aspire for public services percentage of Muslims in services at four per cent is fair and already more than commensurate to their graduation percentage. So claim of Muslims under representation is totally false.
The Constitution of India as well as the Supreme Court have laid down that "social and educational" backwardness are essential to become eligible for getting reservation under Art 16(4). But Muslims as a community enjoy better literacy rate than Hindus in 11 states and better literacy rate than SC Hindus and ST Hindus on national level (Para 12.3 of Mishra and page 53 of Sachar) so they are not entitled for any reservation as they are not educationally backward. Muslims cannot be allowed to claim to be socially backwards as their ancestors ruled over India for many centuries.
According to the 2001 Census, the Sachar Committee and the Misra Commission (table 3.5, paras 12.3, 18.5 etc) Christians have higher literacy rate (80 per cent) as compared to other religious minorities as well as the national literacy percentage of 65 per cent. Christians have higher literacy rate than Hindus. Christians have higher per capita income too. So Christians too cannot claim to be backward in any sense and thus Christians are debarred by Article 16(4) for any type of reservations.
All the Hindu officers serving under the Central Government or any State Government should take note that the Misra Commission has recommended reservation of 15 per cent of posts for religious minorities in all cadres and in all grades under the Central and the State Governments. Ten per cent will be solely for Muslim officials/candidates and five per cent for other minorities.
As per Hindustan Times report quoted above Hindus still held 91.7 per cent of jobs in the Central sector in 2006-07 but after the Misra Commission Report is implemented Hindus' promotional avenues will get restricted to 85 per cent of posts so the pace of their promotions will get further slowed with worsening stagnations. But minority officials who constituted only 8.3 per cent in 2006-07 in civil services will fill up 15 per cent of posts in the central sector i.e. pace of their promotions will become much faster than their Hindu batchmates.
It is said that Muslims are about four per cent in services or wholly unrepresented but 10 per cent jobs in all cadres and grades are proposed to be reserved for them by Congress Party. It means that Muslim officers will have much faster pace of promotions vis-à-vis Hindu officers and will also occupy senior positions for longer periods than Hindu officers.
Under para 16.3.5 the Misra Commission has recommended to confer Scheduled Caste status on what are known as dalit Christians and Dalit Muslims. If Muslims and Christians are added into SC quota they would take lion's share because of their higher literacy rate further disadvantaging SC Hindu candidates leaving SC Hindus more high and dry.
(2) 15 per cent Shrinkage in educational seats for all Hindu students The Misra Commission Para 16.2.7 reads: "As by the force of judicial decisions the minority intake in minority educational institutions has, in the interest of national integration, been restricted to about 50 per cent, thus virtually earmarking the remaining 50 per cent or so for the majority community-we strongly recommend that, by the same analogy and for the same purpose, at least 15 per cent seats in all non-minority educational institutions should be earmarked by law for the minorities."
As and when it (Mishra Commission) is implemented, Hindu students with marks better than minority candidates may start getting admissions refused even in Hindu institutions managed by Hindu organisations such as Vidya Bharati, DAV Colleges etc. Till now Hindu students with better marks than a minority student are getting admissions refused only in minority run institutions.
At present, out of every 10,000 professional seats in non-minority institutions OBC Hindu students get 2700 seats reserved for them, 1500 seats for SC Hindus and 750 for ST Hindus. After Misra Report is implemented by Sonia Gandhi-Rahul Gandhi-Manmohan Singh 1500 seats would first get reserved for minority students, 27 per cent of remaining 8500 seats i.e. 1250 seats will be available for OBCs and 630 for STs. So mathematically speaking there shall be reduction of seats for all sections of Hindu students and all Hindu students irrespective of their political affiliations would suffer.
(3) Merits of all Hindu youth ignored Hindu students with better marks are being denied admissions into nurseries, schools, colleges and universities run by minorities, whether aided out of taxes collected from we Hindus or unaided.
Hindu youth are generally under-represented in the staff of minority institutions, and, posts of Principals etc. are generally reserved for non-Hindus. For example, the rule of St Stephan's College Delhi stipulates that a Hindu cannot be its Principal and Vice Principal though it receives annual grant of crores of rupees from the Government out of taxes collected from we Hindus.
Hindu candidates with better CVs are generally denied jobs in these institutions.
The minority institutions quote Supreme Court decisions to justify the second class treatment of all Hindu youth in matters of admission and employment. According to the Supreme Court Article 14 of the Constitution is not uniformly applicable everywhere and gets superseded by Article 29 and 30 in minority institutions. This is a flawed interpretation of Constitution by the Supreme Court which should be overturned like the Shah Bano case.
(4) OBC, SC and ST Hindus denied Constitutional rights The Articles 15 and 16 guarantee 15 per cent reservations for SC Hindus and 7.5 per cent reservations for ST Hindus but they are denied these constitutionally guaranteed rights in admissions as well as in employment in all minority institutions.
OBC Hindus have been given 27 per cent reservations in academic institutions but the Manmohan Singh Government has framed rules in such a way that OBC Hindus are denied this constitutionally guaranteed reservation all over India in all minority institutions.The point is that as the Constitution is in force on every square inch of India so these reservations must be available to SC, ST and OBC Hindus in all minority institutions all over India.
(5) Student loans to Hindu students at higher interest rates Hindu students get student loans at higher interest rate of about 10 per cent per annum but minority students get student loan at three per cent per annum from the National Minority Development & Finance Corporation under the Union Ministry of Finance. For confirmation and more details please visit www.nmdfc.org.
(6) Commercial loans to Hindus at higher interest rates Hindu youths get loans from commercial banks to start a new business at 15 per cent to 18 per cent interest and have to arrange 'margin money' of 15 per cent to 40 per cent of project cost from private sources, balance comes from the bank. But a minority youth has to put in only five per cent of project cost as margin money from his private source, other 35 per cent is given by the National Minority Development & Finance Corporation at three per cent interest, and remaining 60 per cent of finance is given by commercial banks at two percentage points less than general lending rate for Hindus.
On March13, 2007 the then Finance Minister Chidambaram had told the Rajya Sabha that of the total priority sector lending, loans to minorities had increased by 33 per cent to Rs 45,490 crores on March 31, 2006 as against Rs 34,654 crores when the UPA Government took office in May 2004. In a full page advertisement in the HT, February 18, 2010 the Ministry of Minority Affairs informed that Rs 2,31,223 crores was advanced by public sector banks to minorities under the priority sector lending during April 2007 to December 31, 2009.
Annual rate of growth of bank loans to minorities is much higher than growth rate of bank loans to Hindus. Hindus invite such ill-treatments of their own by giving their notes and votes to Sonia Gandhi-Rahul Gandhi.
(7) Hindu students pay more fees at IITS, IIMS etc. The UPA Government has directed that all minority students admitted into 70 top institutions of India like IIMs, IITs etc will get their total fees paid by the Government but Hindu students, whether leftist or Rightist, whether North Indian or South Indian, whether member of NSUI or SFI or ABVP have to pay their full fees.
If a minority student decides to join any coaching centre to prepare for admission into colleges or Public service examinations or jobs in government and private sectors he gets total fees of coaching centre paid by the government but a Hindu student or his parent has to pay the fees of coaching centre. Details of various schemes may be seen at www.minority affairs.gov.in.
In a full page advertisement in the HT, February 18, 2010 the Ministry of Minority Affairs informed that Rs 20.75 crore was released for free coaching of 14,966 minority candidates during April 2006 to January1, 2010.
(8) Hindus debarred for many posts under the state It may come as total surprise to many Hindus that there are many posts under the Government which are paid out of taxes collected from we Hindus but a Hindu howsoever liberal or Marxist he may be, he is legally debarred from holding such posts such as posts of the Chairman of National and Provincial Minority Commissions, Principals of St Stephan's Delhi (and similar minority institutions running into thousands and thousands all over India) etc.
Section 4 of the National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions Act 2004 passed by the Manmohan Singh Government stipulates that only persons from minority communities shall be eligible to be appointed as Chairman and members of this Commission. Hindus have been totally excluded from this Commission. It is like another Simon Commission.
(9) All Hindu students living in rural areas disadvantaged by Congress Party vis-a-vis minority students In pursuance of the 2004 Congress manifesto, on March 10, 2006, the Lok Sabha passed the National Commission for Minority Educational (Amendment) Bill according to which the provincial governments will have to give no objection certificate within 90 days of application for setting up an institution by religious minorities, or, else the government will have to specify reasons for refusal. The aggrieved party will have right to approach the Commission which, in turn, will take a final decision in consultation with the State. However, if no reasons are given by a State government for not giving the NoC within 90 days, it would be deemed as the approval of the State.
The Act also provides for the right of minority institutions to seek affiliation to any university of their choice listed in this Act. So, a Muslim or Christian institution in a far off place, say, Jhumari Talaian in Bihar can demand affiliation to any named central university of its choice and its students will get degrees of that central university and, thus, will enjoy better marketability in the employment market than Hindus as a Hindu student of the same region will have degree of a provincial university having less marketability in the employment market.
(10) Communal DPCs To reduce percentage of Hindus and to increase the percentage of minorities in government sector the UPA government has ordered inclusion of minority members in all Selection Boards and Departmental Promotion Committees. All selection panels recruiting ten or more vacancies must have one member belonging to a minority community. This circular instructs to give special considerations to minorities in all appointments, so danger bell is ringing loud and clear for all Hindu job seekers whether they are leftists or rightists, whether upper caste or as in the Selection Panel there is at least one member with clear mandate to favour minority candidates.
It is thus clear that as far as Hindus are concerned the Congress Party is actually the naukri-chchinwa party robbing all Hindu youth 15 per cent of jobs and educational seats.
Hindus who do not want to harm career prospects of their own or of their children and grandchildren must never cast their votes in favour of Congress Party or Communist parties or any Jaichandi party.
After the story of shifting Zodiac, we now have a new story from scientists that the earth is going to see a second sun! I have all respect for the scientists and I don’t mean to disregard them or ridicule them. In fact I subscribe to many science magazines and keenly read latest developments. But this particular information that has hit the headlines comes with a prediction – which if made by an astrologer would have invited severe censure. It gives a time period for the sighting of the second sun varying from as close as a year to millions of years!!
The celestial body under scrutiny for becoming a second sun is an astrologically important one which also happens to be an important entity in Vedic parlance thereby giving us a clear-cut idea of what possibly could happen to it and when.
This entity is none other than the celebrated God of the Trinity – Rudra!
Known as Thiruvadhirai or Arudra, this star in the constellation of Orion is a red giant nearing its end days.
But when the end will come is a matter of speculation to the scientific community. Usually they used to say that it would happen in the next few millions of years.
Now perhaps hyped by the Mayan date, they have started thinking of its end as early as 2012 itself!!
If this star explodes as a super nova, it will look bright and seen in the day time too. At night the brightness it emanates will be equal to that of Moon.
Will this happen in the near future?
Or will such a star, regarded as an important deity (remember Arudhra darshanam in the month of margazhi) come to an end?
Whether Arudra’s life will end or not is not a question in our dharma.
But if a second sun is seen in the sky, the world will come to an end – according to sakuna sastra.
At least a worst catastrophe will occur on earth wiping most of its inhabitants.
An explosion making it look like a sun will scorch the earth or affect the earth in worst ways.
The world will anyway come to an end when Rudra stirs up according to the principles of the respective duties of the Trinities.
But if we search for the answer for whether such an end will come now, it is not so. Vedic knowledge has answers for when the world for living beings came into existence and when it will die out.
The four faced Brahma did not start his work without a pre-plan.
The time and space determinants of how long this creation will go on have been stipulated.
As such we are at present in the day- kalpa of Brahma when life is brimming on the earth. The total duration of this period is 4,32,00,00,000 years.
Of this, nearly half the period is over now as we are in the 28th chathur yuga in the 7th manvantra.
By this year we have covered 196, 08,53,111 years so far.
Until we cover the rest of the period of the kalpa, no great danger will come to earth.
But human life might end much before that.
In this backdrop Arudra stands for destruction.
As long as Arudra keeps going, creative inputs will be there.
For instance Arudra stands for rains.
The day the sun enters the star Arudra is noted in astrology and predictions are made for the ensuing rainy season.
This is recorded in our almanacs as Arudra- pravesam.
So as long as Vedic dharma exists in some way and as long as some follower of Sanathana dhrama lives, Arudra will not disappear.
Its end can happen only when there is complete anarchy and Vedic dharma is completely forgotten – like how they used to say that Vedas were stolen by asuras and hidden somewhere.
So I don’t foresee the end of Arudra in the near future.
Some more info on Arudra:-
Rohini, Mrigashira and Arudra stand for the Trinity in that order.
In this figure of Orion, the pink arrow mark shows Arudra (Betelgeuse).
The green arrow shows Mrigashira.
It is in the direction of Mrigashira, our galaxy and Universe is progressing.
At present this constellation of Orion can be seen rising in the east after sun set.
Arudra stands at one end of our galaxy. In the visible sky, on the other side is the other olden star, Jyeshta. It is as though these oldies are keeping a watch on us.
In this picture, the green arrow on top points to the location of Arudra. The green arrow at the bottom points to the location of Jyeshta.
The further progression of the Universe will be in the direction of Mrigashira.
But then, for the duration of another Kalpa there will not be any creation of life.
The Universe will anyway keep moving.
By the time the day-kalpa of Brahma begins, life will be manifest at that time in that part of the Sky where the Universe has progressed.
To give the precise date according to Vedic knowledge, the next sighting of life can be seen in the direction of Mrigashira at a distance of 6,28,08,53,111 years ahead.
The Earth could soon have a second Sun when one of the brightest stars in the night sky explodes into a supernova. The cosmic phenomenon, which may happen as soon as this year and remain for at least a week or two, is expected to be the most stunning light show in the planet's history.
According to astronomers, the Earth will undoubtedly have a front row seat when the dying red super-giant star, called Betelgeuse, finally blows itself into oblivion. The explosion will be so bright that even though the star in the Orion constellation is 640 light years away, it will still turn night into day and appear like there are two suns in the sky for a few weeks, the Daily Mail reported.
The only real debate is over exactly when it will happen. In stellar terms, Betelgeuse is predicted to crash and burn in the very near future.
Brad Carter, of the University of Southern Queensland in Australia, claimed that the galactic blast could happen before 2012 -or any time over the next million years.
"This old star is running out of fuel in its centre," Dr Carter was quoted as saying. -PTI
**** UPDATE on 4th Jan 2020
Even after nearly a decade the same speculation about Betelgeuse is continuing! Read the article in Space.com
One of the brightest stars in the sky has been
dimming. But, while it might be signaling that it's ready to explode, it's
probably just fading because of strange, stellar physics.
Betelgeuse, a reddish star that's one of the brightest in
the night sky, has been noticeably "fainting," or getting dimmer. The
approximately 8.5 million-year-old star, which is part of the Orion
constellation, has been one of the most recognizable stars in the sky
because of its brightness and coloration. But this recent, dramatic fading has
prompted scientists to suggest that the star might be entering a pre-supernova
phase, dimming before it collapses and "dies" in a fiery supernova explosion.
If the star does become a supernova, Betelgeuse
would likely be as bright as, or even brighter than the moon for weeks or even
more.
At 642.5 light-years from
Earth, it would be the closest supernova observed and recorded by humans
(closer than the Crab Nebula, which is 6,523 light-years from Earth and is the
result of a supernova reported to have taken place in A.D.1054). This also
means that, if we see Betelgeuse explode tonight, the supernova really took
place over 600 years ago, we're only seeing it now.
"It'd be brilliant," the star would be so
bright that it would make it difficult to see other stars near it," Edward
Guinan, a professor of astronomy and astrophysics at
Villanova University who reported the dimming in an Astronomer's
Telegram, told Space.com. "It would be the brightest supernova ever
observed in our galaxy."
But … will we really see Betelgeuse explode?
A massive, dimming star
It's not surprising that the extremely massive star (which
is likely about 20 times the mass of the sun) has been dimming, because it's a
variable star — meaning its brightness naturally shifts, something that
scientists have observed for decades. The star has been classified a red
supergiant star because of its size. However, with this recent dimming, the
star's brightness "kept going down beyond the limits that we [scientists]
ever saw it … it went outside of its usual parameter or comfort zone,"
Guinan said.
"It's dimming a lot more than we've seen,"
Sarafina Nance, an astronomy graduate student who studies Betelgeuse and
stellar explosions at UC Berkeley, told Space.com. But, "does that dimming
foretell an explosion? We know massive stars like Betelgeuse will explode as
[a] supernova. The question is, when?"
"There really haven't been close observations
of them [supernovae] before they go off," Guinan said. He explained that,
while some think that there wouldn't be any visible, major changes in the star
until just hours before it blows up, others think that it would start to dim
about a year before exploding. "There's no true consensus."
While it's possible that the star could explode
anytime between now and 100,000 years from now, this dimming might not actually
be a sign that it's about to blow, both Nance and Guinan said.
A false alarm?
While he acknowledges that it could explode soon and
this dimming could be a sign that that explosion may happen relatively soon,
"I believe it isn't going to blow up now," Guinan said. "I hope
it does, but my bet is that it's not going to, it's gonna come back up [get
brighter] again."
Nance admits that "we could absolutely be
wrong," she said, referring to her theory that the dimming is not a sign
that the star is about to explode. That said, "I do think that this is
more indicative of really interesting physics that's going on with the star
rather than an imminent explosion."
"If it does explode and we're wrong, awesome —
I would love to be wrong, I would love to see that," Nance said.
While it would be pretty amazing to witness the
ultrabright transformation of such an enormous and close star into a supernova,
Guinan said, it seems more likely that this dimming does not indicate a
pre-supernova phase and can be explained in another way.
According to Nance, while no one is exactly sure why
this stellar fainting is happening, it could be caused by instabilities within
Betelgeuse. She explained that different parts of stars can have different
densities, and this density instability can cause energy to rise and fall
within a star, moving energy from its inside to its outside. This, in turn, and
can cause changes in brightness, cause the star to get bigger, to contract and
much more.
Nance added that this extreme dip in brightness
could also be attributed to magnetic activity on the star, but it is difficult
to model that activity through simulations, so they do not yet know if that is
a definite factor. She even added that it's possible that matter ejected from
the star is creating "a sort of dust fog" that's currently obscuring
and "dimming" the star.
The likely lack of a nearby explosion might make
this star seem less interesting, but Nance thinks just the opposite. "I
think that this is really interesting to watch and really interesting from a
physics perspective of trying to better understand how massive stars experience
periods of variability," she said.
You should still look up!
Now, while both Nance and Guinan think that it's
most likely that Betelgeuse is just displaying a dimmer appearance because of
some interesting stellar physics, they also agree that an explosion in our
lifetime is still possible, and it's worth it to look up and look for the
dimming star in the night sky.
While "I don't think it's going to explode
anytime soon," Nance said, "I'll keep my eye on it, just in
case."
"We don't know what's going to happen. There
are absolutely limits to our models," she added. "I'm gonna look up
at the night sky and check that it's still there every time I go outside."
Even if it is in a pre-explosion phase, it's
exciting to watch the star now as it dims. It's "kind of neat to see
astrophysics or astronomy and stellar evolution in action," Guinan said.
These "changes are usually so slow that you can't observe them."
UPDATE on 11th Jan 2020 that Betelgeuse might have gobbled up its companion star, the signs of which are mistaken as that of a dying star
HONOLULU —The giant red star Betelgeuse might be harboring a gruesome secret in its past. A new model posits that the prominent night-sky object was once two stars, until the larger star ate its smaller companion. And that could explain several of Betelgeuse's peculiar properties.
Betelgeuse is a whopper of a star, with a diameter of 600 million miles (965 million kilometers), bigger than the orbit of Mars, according to the National Radio Astronomy Observatory. At a relatively close distance of 520 light-years from Earth, Betelgeuse is also one of the few stars whose surface features can be resolved with telescopes.
By closely monitoring Betelgeuse's surface, different researchers have calculated that the star's rotational rate is somewhere between 11,000 and 33,000 mph (17,700 to 53,000 km/h), Manos Chatzopoulos, an astronomer at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, said during a session on Monday (Jan. 6) at the 235th meeting of the American Astronomical Society here.
This is surprising because as a star ages and enters the red giant phase of its life, like Betelgeuse has, the star expands and its rotation typically slows down, much like an ice skater pushing out their arms to slow their spin, Chatzopoulos told Live Science.
Betelgeuse is also a runaway star, meaning that the object is zipping along at a mind-boggling speed, in Betelgeuse's case, 67,000 mph (108,000 km/h) relative to background stars in the Milky Way, he added.
"For such a famous star that everyone knows and loves, nobody has tried to explain the combination of these two things," Chatzopoulos said, referring to its odd rotation rate and speed. "So how do you put together these two facts?"
A clue might come from where Betelgeuse is thought to originate, a star-dense region known as the Orion OB1a association. Along with colleagues, Chatzopoulos has suggested that gravitational interactions with the many stars in that region could have flung Betelgeuse away at high speed millions of years ago, explaining the star's hyper-velocity.
Betelgeuse might have also had a smaller companion, the researchers posited, which got tossed out along with it. As Betelgeuse aged and expanded, it might have engulfed this partner, which would have stirred up Betelgeuse's outer layers "like stirring up coffee with a stick," Chatzopoulos said, and increased its rotation rate.
He and his collaborators have run sophisticated stellar-evolution computer models incorporating all these ideas. The results that best fit Betelgeuse’s observed features suggested it was once two separate stars, one with 16 times the sun's mass and another with four times the sun's mass. The researchers are preparing to submit their research to The Astrophysical Journal.
The researchers' models were also able to match the amount of nitrogen seen in Betelgeuse's atmosphere, which is unusually high. This is a potentially corroborating piece of evidence, because the stirring of a companion star might have dredged up nitrogen from Betelgeuse's center, Chatzopoulos said.
Earlier work by Chatzopoulos' former Ph.D. advisor offered the idea that Betelgeuse was formed as the merger of two stars. Chatzopoulos said that his new research expands on that prior idea and adds in specific simulations to account for the red giant star's rotation and speed.
"I think it's interesting," said Andrea Dupree, a senior astrophysicist at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics who was not involved in the work. Dupree and her colleagues previously proposed that Betelgeuse may have swallowed exoplanetary companions. But she said it would be useful to take a closer look at Betelgeuse's properties, some of which haven't been measured in as long as 30 years, before saying anything definitive.
Betelgeuse has lately been in the news over the possibility that it could imminently burst as a spectacular supernova. Should Chatzopoulos' research provide the new explanation of Betelgeuse's birth, does it mean anything about the star's death?
Chatzopoulos doesn't have an answer to that. But if his idea is correct, he said it could mean Betelgeuse was rejuvenated at some point in the past with fresh material from the companion that the star consumed. That could have led scientists to underestimate Betelgeuse's age, meaning it's not set to explode anytime soon.
As an astronomer specializing in supernovas, he finds this perhaps a bit disappointing, he said. "All of us who study supernova wish it would happen in our lifetime," he said.
Editor's Note: This story was updated to remove mention of spots on Betelgeuse's surface being used to measure rotational speed; not all measurements relied on these spots.
A landmark observation has been made by the judges of the Supreme Court in the Stainesmurder case. The judges have said that religious conversion is grossly unconstitutional. The cause of the murder of Mr Staines, the Christian Missionary was his conversion activity. The court has heavily come down on conversion activities and denounced it in a secular nation like ours. Unfortunately no new channel, no news paper (as far as I know) publicized this view of the judges. It is a shame on the 5th estate to have behaved like this. But for the vigilance of independent writers, we would not have come to know of this. One such report can be read in the following website.
Some excerpts from the SC observation on conversion:-
·"We hope Mahatma Gandhi's vision of religion playing a positive role in bringing religions and communities together into an integrated prosperous nation will be realised. There is no justification for interfering in someone's belief through force, conversion or false premise that one religion is better than the other."
·"It is undisputed that there is no justification for interfering in someone's belief by way of 'use of force', provocation, conversion, incitement, or upon a flawed premise that one religion is better than the other."
The Congress government which is covertly and overtly allowing the flow of funds for conversion activities must take up a lesson on what Mahatma Gandhi said on conversion.
Here is compilation of Gandhian opposition to conversion done by Swami Aksharananda, produced by Vidya Bharati, New Yorkand posted by Stephan Knapp.
I call myself a Sanatani Hindu, because I believe in the Vedas, the Upanishads, the Puranas, and all that goes by the name of Hindu scripture, and therefore in avataras and rebirth; I believe in the varnashrama dharma in a sense, in my opinion strictly Vedic but not in its presently popular and distorted crude sense; I believe in the protection of cow. I do not disbelieve in murti puja. (Young India: June 10, 1921)
Why I am Not a Convert
Hinduism as I know it entirely satisfies my soul, fills my whole being. When doubts haunt me, when disappointments stare me in the face, and when I see not one ray of light on the horizon, I turn to the Bhagavad Gita, and find a verse to comfort me; and I immediately begin to smile in the midst of overwhelming sorrow. My life has been full of tragedies and if they have not left any visible and indelible effect on me, I owe it to the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita. (Young India: June 8, 1925)
I Disbelieve in Conversion
I disbelieve in the conversion of one person by another. My effort should never to be to undermine another's faith. This implies belief in the truth of all religions and, therefore, respect for them. It implies true humility. (Young India: April 23, 1931)
Conversion: Impediment to Peace
It is impossible for me to reconcile myself to the idea of conversion after the style that goes on in India and elsewhere today. It is an error which is perhaps the greatest impediment to the world's progress toward peace. Why should a Christian want to convert a Hindu to Christianity? Why should he not be satisfied if the Hindu is a good or godly man? (Harijan: January 30, 1937)
No Such Thing as Conversion
I believe that there is no such thing as conversion from one faith to another in the accepted sense of the word. It is a highly personal matter for the individual and his God. I may not have any design upon my neighbour as to his faith which I must honour even as I honour my own. Having reverently studied the scriptures of the world I could no more think of asking a Christian or a Musalman, or a Parsi or a Jew to change his faith than I would think of changing my own. (Harijan: September 9, 1935)
No Conversion Designs Upon Me
I am not interested in weaning you from Christianity and making you Hindu, and I do not relish your designs upon me, if you had any, to convert me to Christianity. I would also dispute your claim that Christianity is the only true religion. (Harijan: June 3, 1937)
Conversion
Conversion must not mean denationalization. Conversion should mean a definite giving up of the evil of the old, adoption of all the good of the new and a scrupulous avoidance of everything evil in the new. Conversion, therefore, should mean a life of greater dedication to one's country, greater surrender to God, greater self-purification. (Young India: August 20, 1925)
Aping of Europeans and Americans
As I wander about through the length and breath of India I see many Christian Indians almost ashamed of their birth, certainly of their ancestral religion, and of their ancestral dress. The aping of Europeans by Anglo-Indians is bad enough, but the aping of them by Indian converts is a violence done to their country and, shall I say, even to their new religion. (Young India: August 8, 1925)
Why Should I Change My Religion
I hold that proselytisation under the cloak of humanitarian work is unhealthy to say the least. It is most resented by people here. Religion after all is a deeply personal thing. It touches the heart.
Why should I change my religion because the doctor who professes Christianity as his religion has cured me of some disease, or why should the doctor expect me to change whilst I am under his influence? (Young India: April 23, 1931)
Missionary Aim: Uprooting Hinduism
My fear is that though Christian friends nowadays do not say or admit it that Hindu religion is untrue, they must harbour in their breast that Hinduism is an error and that Christianity, as they believe it, is the only true religion. So far as one can understand the present (Christian) effort, it is to uproot Hinduism from her very foundation and replace it by another faith. (Harijan: March 13,1937)
Undermining People's Faith
The first distinction I would like to make between your missionary work and mine is that while I am strengthening the faith of people, you (missionaries) are undermining it. (Young India: November 8, 1927)
Physician Heal Yourself
Conversion nowadays has become a matter of business, like any other. India (Hindus) is in no need of conversion of this kind. Conversion in the sense of self-purification, self-realization is the crying need of the times. That however is never what is meant by proselytization. To those who would convert India (Hindus), might it not be said, "Physician, heal yourself." (Young India: April 23, 1931)
Missionaries: Vendors of Goods
When the missionary of another religion goes to them, he goes like a vendor of goods. He has no special spiritual merit that will distinguish him from those to whom he goes. He does however possess material goods which he promises to those who will come to his fold. (Harijan: April 3, 1937)
If I had the Power and Could Legislate.
If I had the power and could legislate, I should stop all proselytizing. In Hindu households the advent of a missionary has meant the disruption of the family coming in the wake of change of dress, manners, language, food and drink . (November 5, 1935)
The Only Begotten Son of God?
I regard Jesus as a great teacher of humanity, but I do not regard him as the only begotten son of God. That epithet in its material interpretation is quite unacceptable. Metaphorically we are all sons of God, but for each of us there may be different sons of God in a special sense. Thus for me Chaitanya may be the only begotten son of God. God cannot be the exclusive Father and I cannot ascribe exclusive divinity to Jesus. (Harijan: June 3, 1937)
Western Christianity Today
It is my firm opinion that Europe (and the United States) does not represent the spirit of God or Christianity but the spirit of Satan. And Satan's successes are the greatest when appears with the name of God on his lips. (Young India: September 8, 1920)
I consider western Christianity in its practical working a negation of Christ's Christianity. I cannot conceive Jesus, if he was living in flesh in our midst, approving of modern Christian organizations, public worship, or ministry. (Young India: September 22, 1921)
Christianity and Imperialistic Exploitation
Christianity in India has been inextricably mixed up for the last one hundred and fifty years with British rule. It appears to us as synonymous with materialistic civilization and imperialistic exploitation by the stronger white races of the weaker races of the world. Its contribution to India has been, therefore, largely negative. (Young India: March 21, 1929)
No Room For Them
In the manner in which they are working there would seem to be no room for them. Quite unconsciously they do harm to themselves and also to us. It is perhaps impertinent to say that they do harm to themselves, but quite pertinent to say that they do harm to us. They do harm to those amongst whom they work and those amongst whom they do not work, i.e., the harm is done to the whole of India. The more I study their activities the more sorry I become. It is a tragedy that such a thing should happen to the human family. (Harijan: December 12, 1936)
Outrage!
Only the other day a missionary descended on a famine area with money in his pocket, distributed it among the famine stricken, converted them to his fold, took charge of their temple, and demolished it. This is outrageous. (Harijan: November 5, 1937)
Let the Hindu be a Better Hindu
I came to the conclusion long ago that all religions were true and also that all had some error in them, and whilst I hold by my own, I should hold others as dear as Hinduism. So we can only pray, if we are Hindus, not that a Christian should become a Hindu. But our innermost prayer should be a Hindu should be a better Hindu, a Muslim a better Muslim, a Christian a better Christian. (Young India: January 19, 1928)
Welcome Them Back
If a person through fear, compulsion, starvation, or for material gain or consideration goes over to another faith, it is a misnomer to call it conversion. Most cases of conversion have been to my mind a false coin. I would therefore unhesitatingly re-admit to the Hindu fold all such repentants without much ado. If a man comes back to the original branch, he deserves to be welcomed in so far as he may deem to have erred, he has sufficiently purged himself of it when he repents his error and retraces his steps. (Collected Works: Vol. 66, pp. 163-164)
NOTE: As a Hindu courtesy, please acknowledge Swami Aksharanandaji who compiled this information and Vidya Bharati, New York who produced it. Please circulate as widely as possible.
