Astrological yogas on monogamy.

Ramavathara is considered to be a model avathara for human excellence.

A number of ‘the bests’ are attributed to Rama.

Monogamy is one among the ‘bests’ or the dharmas exhibited by Rama.

Rama is better known as ‘Eka patni vrathan’.
This is an adjective for Rama.

The expression is ‘Rama is eka patni vratha:’

He is eka patni aavruththa:

This means he is always with (committed to) one patni.

Eka means one and also refers to the first one.

It is because of this, there used to be controversies that Rama had other wives too.

Eka patni vratham is interpreted as commitment to the first wife!

The exponents of this claim used to point out Sita’s lamentation in Ashoka vana.

The exile period was nearing its end. She was abducted in the last year in exile.

She had already spent 10 months in Ashoka vana.

Only 2 more months were left for the return to Ayodhya.

But there was no sign of Rama coming to rescue her.

Having lost the hope that Rama could find her whereabouts,

Sita was lamenting that Rama would have to go back to Ayodhya without finding her

After going back, he would be coronated and live happily with beautiful women!

(sarga 28, Sundhara khanda, Valmiki Ramayana)

This is seen by some as an indication that Rama had other wives too.

This controversy had always existed in the past and had been countered well.

The most popular argument is that why did Rama have the golden image of Sita beside him in doing the Ashwamedha homa, if he had other wives.

But then, sastras say that only the first wife has the right to take part in homas or in any activity where the wife’s presence is needed. The second wife has no role while the first wife is still alive.

As per Vaastu sastra, even if a person has many wives, only the first wife has the right in poojas done for or done at the house.

The dimensions of the house that is to be built also must take into account the ‘amgula- pramana’ of the husband or his first wife or the eldest son born of the first wife. Even if the other wives were to live in that house, no importance is given to them in any Vaastu related activities or in poojas.

Viewed from this perspective, it can be argued that even if Rama had other wives, he could not have had any of them with him in doing the yajna when Sita was still alive. That could have prompted him to make the image of Sita to accompany him in the yajna.

This controversy can be resolved only by taking recourse to Jyothisha!

By analyzing the horoscope, it is possible to say if a person will have only one wife, or devoted to only one wife or will have many wives or will have many broken marriages.

Eka patni vratham is the highest attitude which one can not have unless one has done good deeds in the previous births.

The action and re-action cycle that is manifest as Karma cycle deals with the issues of the same category. That means, the attitude towards wife in one birth will have its reactionary karma manifest in the next birth only in the issues around wife. That means if one treats his wife well, he is bound to get a good wife or a happy matrimonial life in the next birth.

Another causative factor for this is worship of Narayana or Lakshmi or Gowri in a birth. This will also make one lead a happy married life with a good wife and children – provided one has not committed any offence with reference to wife in the previous birth. In addition the goodwill of parents that one gains in a birth will result in a happy married life with a single wife and virtuous kids.

These are manifest as planetary yogas in the horoscope.

I will write here about two such yogas which indicate loyalty to ‘eka patni’ in the previous birth and in the current birth.

These yogas are in Rama’s horoscope showing him as the eka patni vrathan.

He had not married nor even looked at any other woman.

This yoga also shows his inseparability from Mahalakshmi always!

One such yoga is ‘KaakaLa yoga’ which is formed when the lord of the sign in which the 7^th lord is placed, exalts or is in own house which happens to be a trine or quadrant from Lagna.

In Rama’s horoscope, the 7^th lord is Saturn. It exalts in 4^th. The lord of that sign is Venus. Venus exalts in 9^th from lagna. This suffers no affliction indicating single wife and extreme loyalty to wife. The previous karma for this yoga is indicated by Brahma in ‘Brahma rishi Vaakhyam’ – as fidelity or Eka patni vratham.

Another yoga for eka patni vratham is ‘Kaama yoga’.

This is formed when the 7^th house receives benefic aspects while the 7^th lord exalts in a sign other than 6,8 or 12.

In Rama’s horoscope, the 7^th house receives the benefic aspects of exalted Jupiter and Moon in own house. The 7^th lord Saturn exalts in 4^th.

This is indicative of eka patni vratham and not thinking of any other woman at any time.

Though it is rare to come across horoscopes with these yogas, the import of this yoga is that one can practice this vratha at least in the current birth. This would give one a hassle-free after birth at least with reference to harmony and happiness in married life.

Monogamy is a dharma by itself in one’s journey to moksha or Final emancipation.

Moksha is attained after one crosses artha and kaama in a dharmic way.

The 4 purushaarthas are Dharma, artha, kaama and moskha.

The middle two are the testing grounds.

The first and the last are the links.

It is dharma that takes one to moksha.

But one must cross artha and kaama to reach moksha.

For this one must know what is the dharma in artha and kaama.

Artha is about the material life – the money and materials and the ways of attaining them.

Dharma must be adhered to in material acquisition.

Next is Kaama which is about personal life.

Dharma must be adhered to even in personal, sex life.

If not, one will be pulled back into the quagmire of unhappy re-births.

When a person adheres to dharma in material life and personal life,

Moksha is at a reachable distance.

That is why Sanatana dharma or Hindu dharma has laid clear cut rules for personal life too.

Monogamy is a virtue or a dharma of Kaama that helps one evolve better towards Final Emancipation!

Related posts:-

http://jayasreesaranathan.blogspot.com/2009/03/polygamy-in-hinduism.html

http://jayasreesaranathan.blogspot.com/2008/05/pati-patni-aur-vivaha.html

Belief in God cuts stress – a survey

 

 

 

 

From

 

http://www.dc-epaper.com/DC/DCC/2009/03/06/ArticleHtmls/06_03_2009_013_015.shtml?Mode=0#

 

 

Belief in God helps reduce anxiety and minimise stress, says a new Canadian study.

The study by Toronto University researchers says that the brains of believers and non-believers work differently under stress.

 

Belief in God has a calming effect on the brain which helps it block anxiety and minimise stress easily, it says.

 

As part of their study, researchers led by psychology professor, Michael Inzlicht performed a Stroop task — a test of cognitive control — on participants while hooked up to electrodes that measured their brain activity, a university statement said.

 

Compared to non-believers, religious participants showed significantly less activity in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) of the brain. ACC is that portion of the brain that helps modify behaviour by signalling when attention and control are needed, particularly during events like making a mistake.

 

The stronger their religious zeal and the more they believed in God, the less their ACC fired in response to their own errors, and the fewer errors they made, the university statement said.

 

"We found that religious people or even people who simply believe in the existence of God show significantly less brain activity in relation to their own errors.

They are much less anxious and feel less stressed when they have made an error," said Prof. Inzlicht.

 

"These correlations remained strong even after controlling for personality and cognitive ability," he said, adding that religious participants made fewer errors on the Stroop task than their non-believing counterparts.

 

Why ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ clicked in the West?

Related posts on Slumdog Millionaire from this blog:-

http://jayasreesaranathan.blogspot.com/2009/02/ar-rahmans-choice-between-love-and-hate.html

http://jayasreesaranathan.blogspot.com/2009/01/slumdogs-or-indian-dogs.html

http://jayasreesaranathan.blogspot.com/2009/01/pchidambaram-on-slumdog-success.html

http://jayasreesaranathan.blogspot.com/2009/01/slumdog-no-this-is-not-india-i-would.html

********************************

From

http://francoisgautier1.blogspot.com/2009/02/india-poverty-and-cliches-slumdog.html

INDIA: POVERTY, AND CLICHES SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

by Francois gautier

Saturday, February 28, 2009

(Translated from original French article with GOOGLE TRANSLATE)

Why is the film Slumdog Millionaire, which conveys a negative image of India - slums, exploitation, poverty, corruption, anti Muslim pogroms – so successful in the West?

There are several answers:

1. When the missionaries began to evangelize India, they quickly realized that Hinduism was a religion that was not only practiced by a huge majority, but it was deeply rooted in the mentality of Indians. They therefore decided to blacken the 'defects' of the Hindu religion, by multiplying by one hundred: caste, poverty, child marriage, superstition, sort of widows, sati ... Today, these stereotypes persist and focus on the 'image we have of India

2. We, Westerners continue to suffer from a superiority complex in relation to peoples of the Third World in general and India in particular. Sitting in front of our television time information, a steak frites before us, we like to feel sorry for the misery of others, it flatters our ego. That is why books such as the City of Joy Dominique Lapierre, which give the impression that India is a vast slum, or a film Slumdog Millionaire, deftly handling the half-lies, have a such impact.

3. In this film, the enemies of India join hands. Today, billions of dollars that gullible parishioners give to charity used to convert the poorest in India. Once converted, they are taught to hate their culture, their religion, thus creating an imbalance in the Indian psyche. Islamic fundamentalism ruthlessly hounds also against India, as demonstrated by the recent bombings in Mumbai. Indian communists are in power in three states, made alliance with the Adventists (and other radical Protestant sects) and the fundamentalist Muslims against Hindus. And finally, the over-Americanization also seriously social and cultural capital of India. Slumdog plays on all these pictures of a misleading way.

4. Closer to home, in France, French Indian, played by researchers in South Asia of CNRS, and its affiliates such as EHESS, has often been the vehicle for misérabilisme: caste, poverty and of 'denial': the 'Hindu fundamentalism'. Can be done most glaring contradiction? Hinduism has shown throughout its history a remarkable tolerance to the Christians of Syria, Arab merchants, the Parsees of Zoroaster, the Jews of Jerusalem, persecuted at home, to settle in India and 'practice their religion freely. At the beginning of the film, Jamal's mother has throat cut by Hindu fanatics. But it is the Muslims who slaughter live a Daniel Pearl and broadcast the film on the internet - never the Hindus. Riots in India are always initiated by the Muslims: the anti-pogroms in Gujarat were triggered because 59 Hindus, including 36 women and children, were burned as in dogs in a train by a mob of Muslims.



5. And finally, it is true that the Indians, because they have been colonized for so long (unlike the Chinese) do not have a lot of national pride and are sometimes even proud of being criticized. Today much of the intellectual elite of India has lost touch with its cultural roots as well as spiritual and only look to the West to solve its problems, ignoring its own tools, which are very old and possess infinite wisdom . It is the eternal history of the colonized become more sectarian than the settlers.



How else that Slumdog Millionaire, which literally defecating on India from the first frame (a child who plunges into a sea of crap to get an autograph of Amitabh Bacchan), is a tobacco? Some scenes from the film are, however, in the perverted imagery of director Danny Boyle, because we can not find them in the book by Vikas Swarup, an Indian diplomat, whose film is based. The hero of the film (which is not Muslim, but many religions: Ram Mohammad Thomas) does not pass his childhood in Bombay, but in a Catholic orphanage in Delhi. Jamal's mother is not killed by "Hindu fanatics' in the book, but she abandons her baby, of unknown religion in a church. Jamal torture is not a television presenter, but an American who wants the Russian who bought the television rights of the game. The scene of tears three children abandoned in the rain is also not in the book. Jamal and his heroine from colliding when they are teenagers and they live in an apartment and not in a slum.

And finally, yes, there still exists in India of poverty and glaring gaps between rich and poor, but those who know something about the slums of Bombay, know that most of the inhabitants belong to the whole ' small 'middle class (relative to income in India) that every house in the slums has a TV antenna and most of the residents worked in the city.

When the West lay there another way of looking at India, more just, free of prejudices still attached to this country that should supplant China in this century? But this will require a new generation of Indiana more sincere, less tied to outdated values, rises in France ...

fgautier26@gmail.com

francoisgautier.com

Read: Un Autre Regard sur l'Inde (Tricorne Publishing, 1999), François Gautier.

Caravan interior by Francois Gautier (Les Belles Lettres, 2005)

The French India (France Loisirs, 2008), by the same author.

ORIGINAL ARTICLE IN FRENCH

INDE : PAUVRETE, CLICHES ET SLUMDOG MILLIONNAIRE

Inde/ pauvrete/clichés/slumdog millionaire/francois Gautier
Pourquoi donc, un film comme Slumdog Millionnaire, qui véhicule une image négative de l'Inde – bidonvilles, exploitation, pauvreté, corruption, pogroms anti musulmans – rencontre-t-il tant de succès en Occident?

Par François Gautier, ancien correspondant du Figaro en Asie du sud, rédacteur en chef de la Revue de l'Inde (lesbelles.lettres.com)

Il existe plusieurs réponses :

1. Lorsque les missionnaires entreprirent d'évangéliser l'Inde, ils se rendirent rapidement compte que l'hindouisme était une religion qui était non seulement pratiquée par une énorme majorité, mais aussi qu'elle était fortement ancrée dans la mentalité des Indiens. Ils se décidèrent donc à noircir les 'défauts' de la religion hindoue, en les multipliant par cent : castes, pauvreté, mariages d'enfants, superstitions, sort des veuves, sati… Aujourd'hui ces clichés perdurent et s'attachent à l'image que nous avons de l'Inde

2. Nous, Occidentaux, continuons à souffrir d'un complexe de supériorité par rapport aux peuples du Tiers Monde en général et de l'Inde en particulier. Assis devant notre télévision à l'heure des informations, un steak-frites devant nous, il nous plaît de nous apitoyer sur la misère des autres, cela flatte notre ego. C'est pour cela que des livres tels que la Cité de la Joie de Dominique Lapierre, qui donnent l'impression que l'Inde est un vaste bidonville, ou un film comme Slumdog Millionnaire, qui manie adroitement les demi-mensonges, connaissent un tel retentissement.

3. Dans ce film, les ennemis de l'Inde se donnent la main. Aujourd'hui, les milliards de dollars que des paroissiens crédules donnent aux œuvres de charité servent à convertir les plus pauvres de l'Inde. Une fois convertis, on leur apprend à haïr leur culture, leur religion, créant ainsi un déséquilibre dans la psyché indienne. Le fondamentalisme islamique s'acharne également sans pitié contre l'Inde, comme l'ont démontré les récents attentats de Mumbai. Les communistes indiens qui sont au pouvoir dans trois états, ont fait alliance avec les adventistes (et autres sectes protestantes radicales) et les musulmans fondamentalistes contre les hindous. Et enfin, l'américanisation à outrance entame sérieusement le capital culturel et social indien. Slumdog joue sur tous ces clichés d'une façon mensongère.

4. Plus près de nous, en France, l'Indianisme français, incarné par les chercheurs d'Asie du sud du CNRS, ainsi que par ses affiliés tel l'EHESS, s'est souvent fait le vecteur de misérabilisme : castes, pauvreté ; et de 'négationnisme' : le 'fondamentalisme hindou'. Peut-on faire contresens plus flagrant ? L'hindouisme a fait preuve tout au long de son histoire d'une remarquable tolérance, permettant aux chrétiens de Syrie, aux marchands arabes, aux parsis de Zoroastre, aux juifs de Jérusalem, persécutés chez eux, de s'établir en Inde et d'y pratiquer leur religion en toute liberté. Au début du film, la mère de Jamal a la gorge tranchée par des fanatiques hindous. Mais ce sont les musulmans qui égorgent 'live' un Daniel Pearl et diffusent le film sur internet – jamais les hindous. En Inde les émeutes sont toujours initiées par les musulmans : les pogroms antimusulmans du Gujarat ont été déclenchés parce que 59 hindous, dont 36 femmes et enfants, furent brûlés comme dans chiens dans un train par une meute de musulmans.



5. Et finalement, il est vrai que les Indiens, parce qu'ils ont été colonisés si longtemps (contrairement aux Chinois), n'ont pas énormément de fierté nationale et sont même quelquefois fiers d'être critiqués. Aujourd'hui une grande partie de l'élite intellectuelle indienne a perdu contact avec ses racines culturelles ainsi que spirituelles et regarde uniquement vers l'Occident pour résoudre ses problèmes, en ignorant ses propres outils, qui sont pourtant très anciens et possèdent une infinie sagesse. C'est l'éternelle histoire des colonisés qui deviennent plus sectaires encore que les colons.



Commente expliquer autrement que Slumdog Millionnaire, qui littéralement défèque sur l'Inde dès les premières images (un enfant qui plonge dans une mer de merde pour obtenir un autographe d'Amitabh Bacchan), fasse un tel tabac ? Certaines des scènes du film n'existent pourtant que dans l'imagerie pervertie de Danny Boyle le réalisateur, car on ne les trouve pas dans le livre de Vikas Swarup, un diplomate indien, dont le film est tiré. Le héro du film (qui n'est pas musulman, mais à religions multiples : Ram Mohammad Thomas) ne passe pas son enfance à Bombay, mais dans un orphelinat catholique de Delhi. La mère de Jamal n'est pas assassinée par des 'hindous fanatiques' dans le livre, mais elle abandonne son nouveau né, dont on ignore la religion dans une église. Torturer Jamal n'est pas une idée du présentateur de télévision, mais d'un Américain qui en veut au Russe qui a racheté les droits du jeu télévisé. La scène larmoyante des trois enfants abandonnés sous la pluie n'est également pas dans le livre. Jamal et son héroïne ne se rencontrent que lorsqu'ils sont adolescents et ils vivent dans un appartement et pas dans un bidonville.

Et finalement, oui, il existe encore en Inde de la misère et de flagrants fossés entre les très riches et les plus pauvres, mais tous ceux qui connaissent un peu les bidonvilles de Bombay, savent que la plupart de leurs habitants appartiennent à la toute 'petite' classe moyenne (par rapport aux revenus indiens), que chaque maison de ces bidonvilles a sa propre antenne de télévision et que la plupart de leurs habitants travaillent dans la ville.

Quand l'Occident jettera-t-il un autre regard sur l'Inde, plus juste, débarrassé des préjugés qui s'attachent toujours à ce pays qui devrait supplanter la Chine au cours de ce siècle ? Mais pour cela il va falloir qu'une nouvelle génération d'indianistes plus sincères, moins attachés à des valeurs périmées, se lève en France…

fgautier26@gmail.com

francoisgautier.com

A Lire : Un Autre Regard sur l'Inde (Editions du Tricorne, 1999), François Gautier.

La Caravane intérieure, par François Gautier (Les Belles Lettres, 2005)

Les Français en Inde (France Loisirs, 2008), par le même auteur.

Polygamy in Hinduism!

Polygamy in Hinduism!

This issue was in focus in Cho's discussion in yesterday's episode of

"YengE Brahmanan?" (Jaya TV at 8 pm from Monday to Friday).

This post is on the issues around this.

There two ways of looking at this issue.

One is about the dharma angle of it and

another about what people did.

Sanatana dharma does not support polygamy.

Marriage is for the sake of doing rituals and getting children.

Without a wife beside him as his better half, the husband can not do any yajna.

When one half is still with him, he can not create another half of himself,

to be shared with another woman.

He can marry another woman only after the death of his first wife.

The same is also applicable to woman.

Widow re-marriage was prevalent until Mahabharatha times.

After the death of Shanthanu, Satyavati was proposed by Ugrayudha,

according to Harivamsa purana.

Arjuna married Uloopi, the Naga princess who was a widow.

Like this many instances of woman re-marrying after the death of her husband

are found.

Dharma is equal to both genders in this respect.

We even come to know from Varahamihira that the couple not only shared life

but also the good and bad of their karmas.

Varahamihira mentioned this in Brihad samhita

by quoting dharma satras that are now extinct.

As per this, whatever the husband does, half of it goes to his wife.

Similarly whatever the wife does, half of it goes to the husband.

Based on this rationale, the injunctions were formed that a wife need not do any vedik karma such as doing homas or reciting Vedas, for, half of whatever that her husband gains by doing them anyway goes to her.

Similarly what ever dharma (like giving alms, feeding others etc)

that she as the head of the Home does is shared by her husband.

That is why a marriage done in Vedic way can not be broken by any law of the land. They remain as husband and wife as long as they live.

This is the highest dharma which was exhibited by Rama.

Eka patni vratham is a difficult one. But a man must adhere to it.

But marriage with another woman when the first wife is still alive

had happened in practice.

Since it was in practice, we can not say that taking more than one wife

has dharmic sanction.

In most cases of second marriage while the first one was alive,

the motive was to get a male child.

Though the desire of the Hindu marriage system was to get a male child –

for the purpose of paying off debts to the pithrus –

dharma does not say that one can marry a second woman for that purpose.

Instead one can opt for adoption.

And there is no need for adoption if a person has only daughters.

The eldest grandson (from the daughters) can pay off the pithru ruaNam.

Rig veda 3-31-1 authenticates this.

Though the desire for male child is there, one can fulfill the purpose of that desire without violating the marriage dharma.

The marriage vow is such that it is a commitment for mutual fidelity throughout their lives. Such a vow taken in the presence of Agni can not be violated.

Verses 9-101 and 102 of Manu smrithi state this.

But the same Manu smrithi goes on to state the conditions under which a man or a woman can take up another spouse.

These are the conditions where a man or a woman can not discharge the duties as a grahastha.

But there are times when one seeks another wife for sensual gratification.

This will invite a resultant karma.

Such karma can be known from Jyothisha sastra.

From astrology we come to know that a person who marries when the first spouse is still alive, hale and healthy, will have to face sufferings in the next birth.

The exceptional cases where a woman can give up the spouse,

have been given in smrithis.

For the woman in Kali yuga, she can give up her husband if he has abandoned her (similar to divorce in today's condition), had died, had become an ascetic, happens to be an eunuch and is an offender in the eyes of Law of the land. This is as per Parashara smrithi which is the dharma sastra for Kaliyuga.

But no such rules are given for man. It shows that as long the wife is alive, he has to take care of her and be with her. Parashara smrithi does not give injunctions for marrying another woman when the first wife is there.

In present day's condition of rising divorce cases, these laws seem not applicable.

However the core principle is not diluted.

The core principle is that one can not live with more than one spouse at any given time.

In other words, polygamy is not supported and

one is expected to be an 'eka-patni vrathan' of the one he has married.

Related post from this blog:-

http://jayasreesaranathan.blogspot.com/2009/03/astrological-yogas-on-monogamy.html

Harappan era burials unearthed near Delhi

New findings near New Delhi belonging to the 3rd millennium BC!
This is great news as this place was Indraprastha, the city of the Pandavas!
The period corresponds to post-mahabharatha.
This must further strengthen the Ithihasic narration about indigenous civilization that existed in Bharatham.

******************

73 Harappan era burials unearthed near Delhi

March 4th, 2009 - 3:58 pm ICT by IANS -

New Delhi, March 4 (IANS) At least 73 burials have been unearthed just 60 km from the Indian capital, pointing to the largest Harappan cemetery found till date. The excavations could clear many gaps in history, archaeologists said Wednesday.

The remains of the civilisation have been found in a 20-hectare-site at Farmana, in Haryana's Rohtak district, in the Meham region. Archaeologists from three universities have been at work for three seasons - three-odd months each season - excavating the site that could turn out to be a breakthrough in the study of the Harappan civilisation.

"We have found some 73 burials at the site at Farmana. This could possibly the largest such site. Harappan cemeteries are very rare and that too in such huge numbers," Osaga Uesugi, professor at the Research Institute for Humanity and Nature in Kyoto, Japan told IANS.

The Research Institute for Humanity and Nature, Kyoto, as one of the partners of the project, has financed it and provided technical expertise while the Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak and Deccan College Post Graduate and Research Institute, Pune under the aegis of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) are the local collaborators for the project.

"We have uncovered an entire town plan. The skeletal remains seem to be in the 2500 BC to 2000 BC period - this is when the civilisation prospered the most," said Vasant Shinde, professor of the department of archaeology in the Pune institute.

Shinde, who is also the director of the excavation project here, told IANS that the findings could resolve gaps and myths in history.

"The Harappans were thought to be homogenous but the findings here point to a different possibility. While the core principles of customs and town planning are similar to what we find in the main Harappan cities in Kutch region and Pakistan, there is still variety in pottery shapes, seals and other elements in the artefacts found buried with the skeletal remains," Shinde said.

The evidence of seven burials was discovered last year and should the work continue into another season, experts feel Farmana may throw up the evidence of a larger number of burials than even Harappa, the Pakistani Punjab town from which the civilisation of the Indus valley (3300 BC-1300 BC) takes its name.

"With a larger sample size it will be easier for scholars to determine the composition of the population, the prevalent customs, whether they were indigenous or migrated from outside," Shinde said.

A century-and-a-half after the great civilisation was discovered, historians still have no definite answers to a number of questions, including where the Harappans came from, and why their highly sophisticated culture suddenly died out.

"It was after 2000 BC that the civilisation began to fade out. We want to check if there was any climatic factor behind this. We will conduct scientific tests on skeletal remains, pottery and botanical evidence found at the site, to try to understand multiple aspects of Harappan life and the context of the site," Shinde added.

DNA tests on bones might conclusively end the debate on whether the Harappans were an indigenous population or migrants and even on their food habits.

"Trace element analyses will help understand their diet - a higher percentage of certain elements will prove they were non-vegetarians while larger traces of magnesium will suggest a vegetarian diet," Osaga explained.

Most chemical, botanical tests will be done at Deccan College while the more sophisticated and expensive DNA, dating tests and physical anthropology tests will be conducted in Japan.

http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/uncategorized/73-harappan-era-burials-unearthed-near-delhi_100162509.html

Astrological notes on Rohini!

Today moon is crossing Rohini in the sky
The star Rohini is special in the sky and in Jyothisha too.
Rohini is the only star which will be often occulted by Moon and planets in the sky. It is because it lies close to the ecliptic.
This has given rise to the story of Chandra being more fond of Rohini among his 27 wives (the 27 wives symbolize the 27 stars of the zodiac.)
Among other stars Revathy also lies close to the ecliptic.



Rohini, known as Aldebaran is something special.
It can not be missed in the autumn sky where the trapezium shaped Orion is a feast to the eyes.
Rohini lies close to Orion but it is part of the constellation Taurus, the Bull.
The V- shape of the bull’s face can not be missed, with a bright and orange tinted Rohini in one of the arms of the V -shaped formation of stars.






On the other arm, that is, on the other side of Rohini, a two star formation must be noted to confirm that you are indeed looking at the bull’s face.


The other important star in this part of the sky is the Krittika (Pleiades), a hazy cluster of stars which in fact is a galaxy by itself.


From Puranic lore and Sangam texts (Paripaadal) we can establish that this galaxy of Kritthika had come closer to our galaxy in the past, causing some disturbance in our system. The result was the loss of 6 companion stars of the Saptha rishi Mandala (Ursa Major) while the 7th one, namely Arundhathi alone managed to remain ‘with us’ – I mean with the star ‘vasishta’ of the saptha rishis.

http://jayasreesaranathan.blogspot.com/2008/08/chastity-and-stellar-links-of.html


Restoration of the equilibrium of our system of stars from this melee is connected with Lord Kaarthikeya!






Yet another important star close to Rohini is Arudra, known as Betelgeuse.
This can be easily identified as the bright red star at one of the corners of the Orion.
This is one of the oldest stars in the final ‘days’ of its life. It is a very important one from astrological point of view. The only other oldest star in the 27 star system is ‘Jyeshta’ (Antares) or ‘Kettai’.


It is interesting to note that the two oldest stars namely Arudra and Jyeshta lie opposite to each other in the sky.


Another interesting information is that while Jyeshta is close to the galactic centre (near Sagittarius or Dhanush), Arudra is seen beyond the outer edges of our galaxy.


A deeper study must be done in astrology and puranas to find out whether any greater relevance had been there to Arudra.
For, Arudra is the lorded by Rudra or the Destroyer God.
It was of importance to olden Tamil people.

The Pandyas of the submerged southern lands had Rudra as their Progenitor.
They followed this star as their God.
Arudra is known as “Adhirai” in olden Tamil texts.
This word “Adhirai” is derived from Adi + Irai.
This means ‘God of the Beginnings’.
Adhirai became Thiruvadhirai in Tamil lexicon.

I guess that the present galaxy of ours has something to do with this star in its formation. I am looking for supportive evidence from texts and will share them once I get a better idea about this.


For this post, I am going to concentrate on Rohini only.

Though this star looks as a part of the constellation of Taurus, it is indeed not a part of it.
It is moving in a southerly direction and in 50,000 years from now, the bull’s face would have become distorted and Rohini may have moved away from its present place.


The direction as I mentioned here is about planes.
There are only two planes once we go outside our earth – above us and below us.
The plane above our system of existance is North or uttar and the plane below is South or dakshin. Rohini is seen moving towards the dakshin part of the sky.


Rohini has been accorded a high place in Mururtha astrology.
It is a Dhruva star or a fixed star.
This means any auspicious action done on the day of moon in Rohini will last long. It must be recalled that marriages in Tamil lands were timed on Rohini days only.



Both Arudra and Rohini were closely watched by our ancient seers who formulated a pattern for prediction of rainfall based on them.




Even today the yearly predictions for rainfall given in Panchangas are based on Arudra.
The time, the sun enters Arudra is indicative of the yearly rainfall. The details of this prediction are exhaustive that I am not elaborating on them.


Arudra is important on another count too. Full moon in Arudra is an auspicious time for starting religious austerities. The ancient Tamils started the famous ‘paavai- nOnbu’ on Full moon in Arudra, wishing a bountiful rainfall in the next year.



But the issue is different with Rohini.

Moon’s movement in the constellation of Rohini has to be observed every month.

Here we must understand what is considered as a star in Jyothisha.

The 360 degrees of the zodiac is divided into 27 equal parts.
Each of this part is a distance of 13-20 degrees.
Each of this distance exhibits some characteristics.


Each of this 13-20 degrees is further divided into 4 equal parts called ‘pada’ .
Each ‘pada’ also is found to exhibit some finer characteristics.
These divisions are identified with the constellations spread across them.
They are named by a specific star present in that distance.



When the moon moves in a particular distance we say that it is the day of that star.
When moon crosses the distance of Rohini we say that Rohini is the star of the day.

The sun, the moon and the planets move around these 27 parts of the sky.
Accordingly, a number of combinations occur which are interpreted in astrology.



In mundane astrology, the day of Rohini with moon crossing it will indicate rainfall prospects and the general prosperity of the country where it is viewed.
Usually, the moon crosses the sky near Rohini.


If the moon crosses or touches the Rohini from South and moves to the North after that, the result is mixed. There will be good rainfall but some natural disasters also can be expected.


If the moon crosses to North from South without touching Rohini, then that is a good sign.
There will be good rainfall and all round prosperity.


If the moon crosses the Rohini, parallel to it, that is a very bad indicator of troubles ahead. There will be famine and people would suffer.


MOON occulting Aldebaran on 22 March 1999





If the moon crosses Rohini straight across it, thereby occulting it, there will be troubles to the ruler of that country. The ruler may even die.


If on the day of Rohini, the sky is overcast thereby hiding both Rohini and moon from sight, that is not a good sign. There will be diseases though there will be plenty of water available to the people.



At the outset these predictions may look absurd. But if we connect them to the movement of moon with reference to earth we will know how precariously we (earth) are moving in space with reference to other celestial objects. Particularly moon in closer vicinity wields an influence on all water bodies and thereby on cloud formation. Plant life and animal behavior are closely connected to moon’s influence and movement. Moon’s movement in the particular part of the sky identified with Rohini has a more direct bearing on rainfall and the resultant prosperity.


Rohini is watched for an additional purpose too.
This happens in the Krishna paksha of the lunar month of Ashada.
Usually for prediction of rainfall, the star Swathi must be observed in the Sukla paksha of that month while the star Rohini is to be observed in the Krishna paksha of the same month.


On the day of Rohini in the Krishna paksha of Ashada. our ancients had the tradition of conducting a homa to Rohini.


After the homa, they used to tie a soft white cloth on a flag post at a certain height. The cloth which acts like a flag will be observed continuously for the full duration of Rohini. The day of Rohini will be divided into 8 parts and the flutter of the white cloth will be observed on all 8 parts of the day.


The windiness or breeziness is observed by this.
A gentle breeze is a good indicator of rains in the ensuing Rainy season.
The 8 parts of the day correspond to each fortnight (paksha) starting from a month after, that is, from Krishna paksha of Shravana until sukla Kaarthiga.


Those parts of the day that experienced gentle breeze as observed from the cloth in the post, are indicative of good rainfall in the corresponding fortnights.



Like this our ancestors had methods of predicting rainfall by some simplistic ways.
In this modern times of scientific temper, these can be analyzed and utilized to further our knowledge of climate and rainfall.
This knowledge can even prepare us better to face the exigencies –
similar to how our ancients did by getting fore-warned about the seasons ahead.

Rightly said, Mr Modi!

Dear Mr Modi,

I never thought that your memory is too short.

In addition to the Oscars for Slumdog and the begging calls at Pakisthan as the ‘action-plan’ for Mumbai Terror, have you forgotten the other successes for which Congress deserves to be applauded?

Just turn south and north to see the wonder-works of the Congress party

-for making Tamilnadu a fiefdom for Karunanidhi & Family

-for allowing the outsourcing of LTTE terror propaganda into Tamilnadu

-and for planting two successful “yes-Madam”

at the Rashtrapathy Bhavan and Nirvachan Sadan!

*************************

http://in.news.yahoo.com/48/20090303/814/tnl-oscar-credit-for-slumdog-should-go-t.html

Oscar credit for 'Slumdog' should go to Congress: Modi

Tue, Mar 3 03:49 AM

At his maiden public rally in Thane on Monday, Chief Minister Narendra Modi said the Congress had a big role to play in Slumdog Millionaire sweeping the Oscars.

Modi, who is also the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Maharashtra election in-charge said that the 60 years of Congress reign in the country had given rise to slums. "Without Congress there would not be slums and without slums there would not be any Slumdog Millionaire and no Oscars," he said at his public rally at the Thane's Central Ground.

He said the only way Maharashtra can save itself from the clutches of terrorism, poverty, unemployment, load shedding and farmer suicides is to follow in the steps of Gujarat.

"Gujarat has become a benchmark for development in the country. Gujarat and Maharashtra were one state till 1960; if Gujarat can achieve then so can Maharashtra," said Modi.

Wearing his trademark half-sleeve khadi Kurta, Modi's speech was in essential a battle cry to vanquish the Congress rule at the Centre, however his target of ridicule was not Sonia Gandhi but Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar. Referring to the remarks made by Pawar during a public meeting at Nashik the day before, Modi said : "Leaders like Pawar and others from the Congress know that to win the election they have to mention my name. Pawar says that the path followed by Gujarat is not needed in Maharashtra. Pawar fears Gujarat's progress and the fact that Gujarat has 24 hour power even in the villages."

Replying to the Pawar's remark at Nashik that people of Gujarat want Gandhiji's and and not Modi's Gujarat, Modi said: "Pawar has insulted Gandhi, one of greatest leaders, by comparing him with a small person like me."

He added that Gujarat was fulfilling Gandhiji's dream of Ram Rajya by empowering the villages. "For Pawar, Gandhiji is only a medium of attaining power," he quipped.

Speaking about on the Mumbai terrorist attacks, he said, India's answer to Pakistan was to collect video footage, news clippings and statements and hand it over to US and beg for justice.

"When Delhi was burning with bomb explosion Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil was busy changing his dress and playing with his grandchild as per his own admission," Modi said.

Harping on the success of his Vibrant Gujarat Global Investors Summit 2009, Modi said that investment agreements worth 12 lakh crore were inked. "Even if they (Pawar and the Congress) burn their night oil they will not learn to count how many digits are there in 12 lakh crore," he retorted.

N Ganesh

************

http://deshgujarat.com/2009/03/02/bjp-rally-in-thanenarendra-modi-answers-back-pawar/

Adding a twist to the war of words between Nationalist Congress Party president Sharad Pawar and Narendra Modi, the Gujarat Chief Minister today said the former had insulted Mahatma Gandhi by equating him (Modi) with the Father of the Nation.

“Modi is a ‘bachcha’ (boy). Pawar has insulted Gandhiji by comparing me with him,” the chief minister said at a public rally here tonight.

Pawar had yesterday lambasted Modi saying “people of Maharashtra want Gandhiji’s and not Modi’s Gujarat.” “Gujarat is Maharashtra’s small brother. We changed everything and put our state on path of progress. Why couldn’t you in Maharashtra do it,” Modi said.

Stating that the agricultural growth rate of Gujarat in the last five years has been 14 per cent, he said the country’s farm sector, during Pawar’s tenure as agriculture minister had gone downhill.

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi today launched BJP’s campaign for the Lok Sabha polls in Maharashtra, asking voters to enthrone senior party leader L K Advani as India’s next Prime Minister.

“From this land that gave the country leaders like Lokmanya Tilak, let us pledge to make Advani as Prime Minister,” Modi said.

Lambasting Congress over its “lack of a credible leader for the top job in the country”, Modi said “Congress doesn’t have even a single leader who is ready to accept the current Prime Minister as leader of the country. How will this country run”.

“Congress is one party which has neither a leader nor a policy,” Modi said.

Modi also ridiculed NCP chief Sharad Pawar’s prime ministerial ‘ambitions’, saying “Pawar has been standing on the pitch for the last 15 years, wanting to become PM. Sometimes he gets out lbw (leg before wicket) and sometimes he gets himself self-out.” “No leader of UPA can aspire to win election without invoking my name at least once a day,” he said, referring to his criticism by Congress leaders.

Praise of ‘Ram’ in Kalaingar TV!

A big Jai Ho to Ramayana in Kalaingar TV yesterday!!


Unbelievable?


Yes, I could not believe it happening
when I heard the panelists of Maanada Mayilaada programme
showering praises not just on the dance piece on Ramayana, but on Ramayana itself –
on how the story of Rama is needed to be taken to the masses!


Actress Ramba, one of the panelists,




waxed eloquent on the message of Ramayana and
how we have to understand the events of Ramayana in the right perspective.
It was heartening to hear her talk so well on the evergreen Hero of the Hindus for all ages
by taking inputs from Tulsidas Ramayana.


As she said it is true even till this day the desire of any Indian woman is get a husband in the likes of Rama.


Kushboo also spoke on how the younger generation must be told of Ramayana
It was a big surprise to hear the 3 panelists shower full marks for that piece.


What was palpable is that Rama and Ramayana or for that matter,
Hinduism and Bhakthi are very much part of the minds of people.
It is only a miniscule population that harps on agnostism
spewing venom on Hindu Thought.
By and large most people of Tamil nadu are religious and revere Hindu ideals.


But it was a surprising to see this fearlessly done on Kalaingar TV.


It used to be said that this episode was named by Mr Karunanidhi only
and he takes keen interest on the contents delivered in this TV.


Is this an indication that he is in the verge of changing spots?
Any saffron smell luring him to re-do his electoral arithmetic?

No support from Genetics for Aryan Invasion Theory!

http://www.dc-epaper.com/DC/DCC/2009/03/02/ArticleHtmls/02_03_2009_001_020.shtml?Mode=0#

Common genetic traits - Aryan theory demolished

An internationalteam of genetic scientists has ruled out the theory of Aryan invasion of the Indian sub-continent.

“The age old argument that there was an Aryan invasion of the sub-continent is simply bunkum.

Scientific studies prove that there is no such thing as Aryan Indian or Dravidian Indian. Genetic high resolution studies carried out by us prove that all Indians are derived from same grandgrand parents who arrived here 60,000-70,000 years ago from Africa,” Dr Gyaneshwer Chaubey, a scientist of the team, told Deccan Chronicle.

Dr Chaubey, a member of the scientific community at the Instituteof Molecular an d Cell Biology, University of Tartu, Estonia, said the research also proved that all Indians had common genetic traits irrespective of the regions to which they belonged.

“It took us four years to complete the study and we analysed 12,200 samples to reach this conclusion,” said Dr Chaubey.

“Genetic studies help us to establish relations between populations. We focussed on the paternal (Y chromosomes) and maternal DNA genealogies. The data which we generated does not support any major influx to the subcontinent other than the earlier arrival of migrants from Africa,” he said.

“The present day caste/creed/religion is of indigenous origin,” said Dr Chaubey.

Some related posts from this blog:-

http://jayasreesaranathan.blogspot.com/2009/01/de-falsify-indian-history-dr.html

http://jayasreesaranathan.blogspot.com/2008/11/genetic-study-supports-india-centric.html

http://jayasreesaranathan.blogspot.com/2009/01/mankinds-date-with-indian-land-mass.html

http://jayasreesaranathan.blogspot.com/2008/04/from-adicchanallur-to-sembiyankandiyur.html

http://jayasreesaranathan.blogspot.com/2009/01/genetic-study-on-aryan-non-invasion.html

http://jayasreesaranathan.blogspot.com/2008/06/first-man-originated-in-manaali-hp.html

Research on Sindhu-Saraswati civilization.

http://sites.google.com/site/kalyan97/la-conference

Fascinating journey through

Sindhu-Saraswati Civilization at LMU

Date Submitted: Fri Feb 27, 2009

http://www.indiajournal.com/images/1235780473-IMG_1124.JPG

By K.B.NAIR

LOS ANGELES, CA - A copious quantity of scholarly information was exchanged and shared between researchers, scholars and several interested members of the public, on the intriguing debates which loom over the origins, locations and the cultures of the ancient Indian Civilization which existed in the Sindhu-Sarasvati Valley, at an International Conference conducted at the Loyola Marymount University over two days on February 21 and 22.

The conference underway with an introduction by Christopher Chapple, Conference Co-Director and Doshi Professor, LMU in which he expressed it was most appropriate the event was being conducted in LMU , a historical and archeological site which had been the home of the original settlers, the Tongva tribe. The beauty of archeology he added was that " we learn about those who went before and we learn a little about ourselves. He thanked Nalini Rao, Conference Director and Prof of Art History , Soka University for collecting the best group of people to speak at the event. He was pleased that her father , the reputable Indian archeologist, Dr. S.R.Rao was present to share his experiences and interpretations of the various discoveries during his several decades of excavation in Lothal. He expressed his deep gratitude for the continued support of Navin and Pratima Doshi in activities relating to India and to the speakers who had gathered, for their commitment and for sharing their knowledge.

Conference Director Nalini Rao set the tone for the conference with an explanation on the title of the event. She said there was sufficient evidence of the existence of the Sarasvati which dried up around 1500 BC , on the banks of which was the cradle of Indian Vedic civilization and its links with the Harappan society which flourished on the Sindhu or Indus River. The aim of the meetings she added was a reappraisal of the place of the Sindhu and its vedic culture and to reexamine the shared identity between the Sindhu and Sarasvati communities in the light of interdisciplinary studies like theological, linguistic , anthropological literary, mythological, religious and historical. Yet she said there are ambiguities in the chronological, geographical, cultural features which need to be examined and she hoped the scholars assembled would be able to objectively discuss the subject and arrive at some sort of consensus on the people of the Sindhu Sarasvati Valley.

Navin Doshi in his remarks added that the conference was meant to get to learn more of our ancestors and our roots in India and hoped presentation would be made without any bias. In closing he said that after the presentations "there will not remain any doubt into an undisputed coherent truth of our ancestors who had settled on the banks of the Sindhu and Sarawati Rivers" - the very same who are the children of the tribes of Homo-Sapiens originating from Ethiopia. Speaking to India Journal Doshi stated that he had not been happy with the Indus conference he had organized a few years ago. At that meeting he stated that there was far too much discord and conflict and the competence of some of the presenters was questionable. So it had been his wish to conduct another one and was excited it had materialized thanks to the efforts of the remaining members of the advisory committee, namely Nalini Rao, Damodar Sardesai, Christopher Chapple and Debashish Banerji.

The first papers presented were on the "Intellectual History of the Debate" by Edwin Bryant followed by the " Harappan Diaspora and South Asian Archeology by Jim Shaffer. At the conclusion of this session the Chair and Professor Emeritus of History at UCLA making references to the presentations remarked that politicizing of the debate over the origins of the ancient Indian civilizations was inevitable. He pointed out that the British reveled in the principle of creating a sense of inferiority by creating divisions and have all along tried to deny the identity of the Indian people which is perhaps their worst legacy. He said they feared that if the it could be established the Vedas and the Valley civilizations existed long before the Christian era , there would be a big question mark over the superiority of the British race. Showing his obvious dislike of the Raj he said a subject that had not come up at the conference till then was the genetic theory which has evolved tracing the migrational path of the human race through human genes , and sincerely hoped that his ancestory would not lead back to the British!

Several panels followed with question and answer sessions for the rest of the day and into half of the following day when the event came to an end with closing and appreciations by Nalini Rao and Debashish Banerji.

During a brief overview of the formation, history and activities of Taksha , its Chairman, Board of Trustees Adarsh Deepak awarded Navin Doshi and Rajinder Gandhi MD a memento and a Certificate of Induction in the Education Philanthropy Hall of Fame at the Institute in honor and recognition of their sustained support for constructive education and research in Indic traditions.

The conference also included a tour of the LMU Archaeology Center and the viewing of Indus artifacts in the collection.

The event was sponsored by the Doshi Bridgebuilder Endowment, Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts, the Departments of Theological Studies,Classics and Archeology - LMU, Soka University and the Southern California Consortium for International Studies.

India Journal is the leading Indo-American Newspaper in Southern California, having been printed weekly for the last 20 years, we are the oldest and most trusted name people turn to when they need up to date information on the Indo-American community.

http://www.indiajournal.com/pages/event.php?id=6116