Poem of the Day-2: ‘The Time to Die’ by Professor Cheriyan Jacob

When the twilight tempering the shadows
Soften the night’s approach
And the clouds I have admired often
Are silvered at the edges,
The leaves’ murmur dying away
In the soul’s infinite distance
Like the reverberations of my hopes,
When the leaves are hushed and the ocean
Sends its melodious requiem to the sky
And the copse sounds not with the wren’s chirp
Or the woodpecker’s whistle
When there is only the call of the blackbird to its mate
That is the time for me to die,
To pass into the primeval silence
When silence wraps the world around,
And not when a noisy parliament is in session
And politicians sling the mud at democracy.
(From the Library Week Souvenir of CECRI Club)

Poem of the Day-2: ‘The Time to Die’ by Professor Cheriyan Jacob

When the twilight tempering the shadows
Soften the night’s approach
And the clouds I have admired often
Are silvered at the edges,
The leaves’ murmur dying away
In the soul’s infinite distance
Like the reverberations of my hopes,
When the leaves are hushed and the ocean
Sends its melodious requiem to the sky
And the copse sounds not with the wren’s chirp
Or the woodpecker’s whistle
When there is only the call of the blackbird to its mate
That is the time for me to die,
To pass into the primeval silence
When silence wraps the world around,
And not when a noisy parliament is in session
And politicians sling the mud at democracy.
(From the Library Week Souvenir of CECRI Club)

Inspiring Lives-1: George Boole

George Boole (November 2, 1815 – December 8, 1864) was a British mathematician and philosopher. As the inventor of Boolean algebra, the basis of all modern computer arithmetic, Boole is regarded in hindsight as one of the founders of the field of computer science, although computers did not exist in his day.

Boole’s father was a tradesman of limited means. He taught his son mathematics and logic. His was an uneventful life, which was spent mostly in the teaching profession.

To the public Boole was known only as the author of numerous abstruse papers on mathematics.

Boole wrote two systematic mathematical treatises: The well-known “Treatise on Differential Equations” appeared in 1859, and “Treatise on the Calculus of Finite Differences” in 1860. These are his valuable contributions to mathematics.

The personal character of Boole inspired all his friends with the deepest esteem. He was marked by true modesty, and his life was given to the single-minded pursuit of truth. Though he received a medal from the Royal Society for his memoir of 1844, and the honorary degree of LL.D. from the University of Dublin, he neither sought nor received the ordinary rewards to which his discoveries would entitle him. On 8 December 1864, in the full vigour of his intellectual powers, he died of an attack of fever, ending in effusion on the lungs. (Excerpted from Wikipedia – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Boole)

As the algebra, Boole invented is the basis of PC, he deserves the gratitude of all of us who spend most of our working lives sitting before a PC. His contribution to computer science and his sterling qualities as described above have made me to chose him as a Role Model.

Journey through the Realm of Books by K.Chandran

(Mr.K.Chandran is a retired Scientist. He resides in Palakkad, Kerala, and is a well-known astrologer there. He wrote this article for a Souvenir we published some 25 years back. It reads well even now.)

Journey through the Realms of Books by K.Chandran

“To Produce a Mighty Book, You Must Choose a Mighty Theme”. Herman Melville, the author of Moby Dick was not far from the truth. One may safely presume that this holds good for whatever one writes. But budding writers who have no conceivable theme to write about must ignore such remarks and would do well to go right ahead and plunge into their literary fantasies or fallacies as the case may be.

The Itch to Write:
So here I am, on my own advice, on the threshold of such an adventure and hope to get away with it. The urge in me to write, as in others of my tribe, can be traced back to the college days. The craze for books had its origin during those days. Parthington or Mellor, the Bibles of Chemistry in those times never held any fascination for me, and it was to escape from them that I sought solace elsewhere.

Solace from Fiction:
What Parthington or Mellor denied me I got in full measure from Charles Dickens. First, it was David Copperfield. Next came Oliver Twist. Then it was a procession: Nicholas Nickleby, A Tale of Two Cities, the Great Expectations, the Pickwick Papers and many others. The thrill and enjoyment I experienced reading those classics was in marked contrast to the boredom in the classrooms and the taunts from the apparently infallible teachers during practicals. I could never relish such abstract topics as the structure of benzene or the wave theory of light. On the other hand, the captivating drama of the French Revolution poignantly recaptured by Dickens in his “Tale of Two Cities”, or the tiny Oliver Twist who had the temerity to ask for more, or the immortal Pickwickians, mitigated the monotony of studies to a great extent. It is with nostalgia that I recall those days when I followed the heroes of Alexander Dumas in their pursuit of adventure, the irrepressible Don Quixote, the famous knight errant of Cervantes, facing up to the challenges of windmills and herds of sheep, and the frolics of Mark Twain’s Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. I had a go at Walter Scott and Jane Austen too.

A Transient Phase:
Curiously enough, barring a couple of Perry Masons, detective fiction did not find any favour with me at that time. It was during my drifting from job to job with its inevitable long and short intervals of unemployment that I made a climb down from the classics to stories of crime. Earle Stanley Gardner, Peter Cheyney, Edgar Wallace and Arthur Conan Doyle were devoured with relish. But the honeymoon with crime thrillers did not last long. They were no match for Jawaharlal Nehru with his flamboyant ideas and elegant themes, or K.P.S. Menon who could cast a charm over you with his vast repertoire of diplomatic experiences and sparkling humour, or R.K. Narayan or O. Henry.

P.G. Wodehouse:
But, it was Wodehouse, the doyen of humour, who, at last, won over the others. Bertie, who has an uncanny knack for getting into trouble, his more popular butler Jeeves with his protruding Medulla Oblangata, the caricature of British aristocracy, Lord Emsworth who is always ill at ease expect in the company of his beloved pig, Sir Galahads, Pongo Twistletons, Finknottles and a host of aunts like Agathas and Dahlias, have many a time involved me in embarrassing situations. It is rather difficult to keep a dignified silence in the company of a Wodehouse. The chuckle is suddenly transformed in to a giggle which soon gives way to peals of laughter before you come to know of the austere looks of your co-passengers. Our educated unemployed need large doses if Wodehouses to keep frustration and disappointment at bay. Wodehousean characters can be depended upon to bring sunshine and hope into their lives in this otherwise inimical world.

Distractions galore:
My triumphant march through the realm of books received a setback in the recent past. Matrimony, I found out to my chagrin, is no promoter of book-reading. Still, I could resist with some success, the pesterings from my wife and sit up late at nights. But that was before the arrival of the third member of the family. With an authority which only children are capable of commanding, my two-year-old holds me to ransom. It is an enigma how even books with the most unimaginative and barren covers attract his attention, and the way he keeps guard over them is an unmistakable indication that he is going to have his way and not allow you to touch the precious contents inside. I resign myself to the inevitable, eagerly looking forward to the day he can be despatched to school. For, no schoolchildren have ever been found guilty of having even the slightest attachment to books. The thought suddenly makes me realize how great God is.

The tally of books I have read and enjoyed must be, though not staggering, impressive by all accounts. But, writing? By now you ought to have been convinced that it could wait!

Journey through the Realm of Books by K.Chandran

(Mr.K.Chandran is a retired Scientist. He resides in Palakkad, Kerala, and is a well-known astrologer there. He wrote this article for a Souvenir we published some 25 years back. It reads well even now.)

Journey through the Realms of Books by K.Chandran

“To Produce a Mighty Book, You Must Choose a Mighty Theme”. Herman Melville, the author of Moby Dick was not far from the truth. One may safely presume that this holds good for whatever one writes. But budding writers who have no conceivable theme to write about must ignore such remarks and would do well to go right ahead and plunge into their literary fantasies or fallacies as the case may be.

The Itch to Write:
So here I am, on my own advice, on the threshold of such an adventure and hope to get away with it. The urge in me to write, as in others of my tribe, can be traced back to the college days. The craze for books had its origin during those days. Parthington or Mellor, the Bibles of Chemistry in those times never held any fascination for me, and it was to escape from them that I sought solace elsewhere.

Solace from Fiction:
What Parthington or Mellor denied me I got in full measure from Charles Dickens. First, it was David Copperfield. Next came Oliver Twist. Then it was a procession: Nicholas Nickleby, A Tale of Two Cities, the Great Expectations, the Pickwick Papers and many others. The thrill and enjoyment I experienced reading those classics was in marked contrast to the boredom in the classrooms and the taunts from the apparently infallible teachers during practicals. I could never relish such abstract topics as the structure of benzene or the wave theory of light. On the other hand, the captivating drama of the French Revolution poignantly recaptured by Dickens in his “Tale of Two Cities”, or the tiny Oliver Twist who had the temerity to ask for more, or the immortal Pickwickians, mitigated the monotony of studies to a great extent. It is with nostalgia that I recall those days when I followed the heroes of Alexander Dumas in their pursuit of adventure, the irrepressible Don Quixote, the famous knight errant of Cervantes, facing up to the challenges of windmills and herds of sheep, and the frolics of Mark Twain’s Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. I had a go at Walter Scott and Jane Austen too.

A Transient Phase:
Curiously enough, barring a couple of Perry Masons, detective fiction did not find any favour with me at that time. It was during my drifting from job to job with its inevitable long and short intervals of unemployment that I made a climb down from the classics to stories of crime. Earle Stanley Gardner, Peter Cheyney, Edgar Wallace and Arthur Conan Doyle were devoured with relish. But the honeymoon with crime thrillers did not last long. They were no match for Jawaharlal Nehru with his flamboyant ideas and elegant themes, or K.P.S. Menon who could cast a charm over you with his vast repertoire of diplomatic experiences and sparkling humour, or R.K. Narayan or O. Henry.

P.G. Wodehouse:
But, it was Wodehouse, the doyen of humour, who, at last, won over the others. Bertie, who has an uncanny knack for getting into trouble, his more popular butler Jeeves with his protruding Medulla Oblangata, the caricature of British aristocracy, Lord Emsworth who is always ill at ease expect in the company of his beloved pig, Sir Galahads, Pongo Twistletons, Finknottles and a host of aunts like Agathas and Dahlias, have many a time involved me in embarrassing situations. It is rather difficult to keep a dignified silence in the company of a Wodehouse. The chuckle is suddenly transformed in to a giggle which soon gives way to peals of laughter before you come to know of the austere looks of your co-passengers. Our educated unemployed need large doses if Wodehouses to keep frustration and disappointment at bay. Wodehousean characters can be depended upon to bring sunshine and hope into their lives in this otherwise inimical world.

Distractions galore:
My triumphant march through the realm of books received a setback in the recent past. Matrimony, I found out to my chagrin, is no promoter of book-reading. Still, I could resist with some success, the pesterings from my wife and sit up late at nights. But that was before the arrival of the third member of the family. With an authority which only children are capable of commanding, my two-year-old holds me to ransom. It is an enigma how even books with the most unimaginative and barren covers attract his attention, and the way he keeps guard over them is an unmistakable indication that he is going to have his way and not allow you to touch the precious contents inside. I resign myself to the inevitable, eagerly looking forward to the day he can be despatched to school. For, no schoolchildren have ever been found guilty of having even the slightest attachment to books. The thought suddenly makes me realize how great God is.

The tally of books I have read and enjoyed must be, though not staggering, impressive by all accounts. But, writing? By now you ought to have been convinced that it could wait!

Foods that Heal-3: Cabbage

Cabbage combats cancer; Prevents constipation; Promotes weightloss; Protects your heart; Helps Hemorrhoids.

Gems from Buddha-1: ‘Living Wisely and Earnestly’

The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, nor to worry about the future, but to live the present moment wisely and earnestly – Buddha

Gems from the Quran-1: ‘Remembering God Always’

If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it. In Happy moments, praise God. In Difficult moments, seek God. In Quiet moments, worship God. In Painful moments, trust God. In Every moment, thank God.

(Courtesy: http://www.talkislam.com/iquotes/)
Grateful thanks to Talk Islam.

Gems from the Bhagavad Gita-1: ‘Yield not to unmanliness’

“Yield not to unmanliness; it ill becomes you. Cast off this faint-heartedness. Wake up!” (Lord Krishna to Arjun and, of course, to everyone of us)

Gems from the Bible-1 : Love, the Greatest Thing in the World!

Love is patient; love is kind
and envies no one.
Love is never boastful, nor conceited, nor rude;
never selfish, not quick to take offense.
There is nothing love cannot face;
there is no limit to its faith,
its hope, and endurance.
In a word, there are three things
that last forever: faith, hope, and love;
but the greatest of them all is love.

(Courtesy: http://en.thinkexist.com/quotes/bible/)

A Thought for Today-32 : July 26, 2007

When you are inspired by some great purpose,
some extraordinary project,
all your thoughts break their bonds;
Your mind transcends limitations,
Your consciousness expands in every direction,
And you find yourself in a new, great and wonderful world.
Dormant forces, faculties and talents become alive,
And you discover yourself
To be a greater person
By far than you ever dreamed yourself to be.
– Patanjali, c. First to Third century B.C.
Patanjali Bio: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patanjali
About “Yoga Sutras of Patanjali”: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoga_Sutras_of_Patanjali
Full Text of “Yoga Sutras of Patanjali”: http://www.dailyreadings.com/sutras_1.htm
‘Ashtanga Yoga of Patanjali (Eight-fold Path of Patanjali) – Article by Sherry Roberts: http://www.yogamovement.com/resources/patanjali.html

Q & A-4: How ought we to live in the world?

“Do all your duties, but keep your mind on God. Live with all – with wife and children, father and mother – and serve them. Treat them as if they were very dear to you, but know in your heart of hearts that they do not belong to you.

A maidservant in the house of a rich man performs all the household duties, but her thoughts are fixed on her own home in the village. She brings up her master’s children as if they were her own. She even speaks of ‘my Rama’ or ‘my Hari‘. But in her own mind she knows very well that they do not belong to her.

The tortoise moves about in the water. But can you guess where her thoughts are? There on the bank, where her eggs are lying. Do all your duties in the world, but keep your mind on God.

If you enter the world without first cultivating love for God, you will be entangled more and more. You will be overwhelmed with its danger, its grief, its sorrows. And the more you think of worldly things, the more you get attached to them.

First rub your hands with oil and then open the jack-fruit; otherwise they will be smeared with its sticky milk. First secure the oil of divine love, and then set your hands to the duties of the world.

But one must go into solitude to attain this divine love. To get butter from milk, you must let it set into curd in a secluded spot: if it is too much disturbed, milk won’t turn into curd. Next, you must put aside all other duties, sit in a quiet spot, and churn the curd. Only then do you get butter.

Further, by meditating on God in solitude the mind acquires knowledge, dispassion and devotion. But the very same mind goes downward if it dwells in the world. In the world, there is only one thought: “lust and greed”.

The world is water and the mind milk. If you pour milk into water they become one; you cannot find the pure milk anymore. But turn the milk into curd and churn it into butter. Then, when that butter is placed in water, it will float. So, practise spiritual discipline in solitude and obtain the butter of knowledge and love. Even if you keep that butter in the water of the world the two will not mix. The butter will not float.

Together with this, you must practise discrimination. God is the only Eternal Substance. What does a man get with money? Food, clothes, and a dwelling place – nothing more. You cannot realize God with its help. Therefore, money cannot be the goal of life. That is the process of discrimination. (The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna: Translated into English by Srimat Swami Nikhilanandaji Maharaj)

Q & A-4: How ought we to live in the world?

“Do all your duties, but keep your mind on God. Live with all – with wife and children, father and mother – and serve them. Treat them as if they were very dear to you, but know in your heart of hearts that they do not belong to you.

A maidservant in the house of a rich man performs all the household duties, but her thoughts are fixed on her own home in the village. She brings up her master’s children as if they were her own. She even speaks of ‘my Rama’ or ‘my Hari‘. But in her own mind she knows very well that they do not belong to her.

The tortoise moves about in the water. But can you guess where her thoughts are? There on the bank, where her eggs are lying. Do all your duties in the world, but keep your mind on God.

If you enter the world without first cultivating love for God, you will be entangled more and more. You will be overwhelmed with its danger, its grief, its sorrows. And the more you think of worldly things, the more you get attached to them.

First rub your hands with oil and then open the jack-fruit; otherwise they will be smeared with its sticky milk. First secure the oil of divine love, and then set your hands to the duties of the world.

But one must go into solitude to attain this divine love. To get butter from milk, you must let it set into curd in a secluded spot: if it is too much disturbed, milk won’t turn into curd. Next, you must put aside all other duties, sit in a quiet spot, and churn the curd. Only then do you get butter.

Further, by meditating on God in solitude the mind acquires knowledge, dispassion and devotion. But the very same mind goes downward if it dwells in the world. In the world, there is only one thought: “lust and greed”.

The world is water and the mind milk. If you pour milk into water they become one; you cannot find the pure milk anymore. But turn the milk into curd and churn it into butter. Then, when that butter is placed in water, it will float. So, practise spiritual discipline in solitude and obtain the butter of knowledge and love. Even if you keep that butter in the water of the world the two will not mix. The butter will not float.

Together with this, you must practise discrimination. God is the only Eternal Substance. What does a man get with money? Food, clothes, and a dwelling place – nothing more. You cannot realize God with its help. Therefore, money cannot be the goal of life. That is the process of discrimination. (The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna: Translated into English by Srimat Swami Nikhilanandaji Maharaj)

Q & A-3: How do we fix our mind on God?

“Repeat God’s name and sing His glories, and keep holy company; and now and then visit God’s devotees and holy men. The mind cannot dwell on God if it is immersed day and night in worldliness, in worldly duties and responsibilities; it is most necessary to go into solitude now and then and think of God. To fix the mind on God is very difficult, in the beginning, unless one practises meditation in solitude. When a tree is young, it should be fenced all around; otherwise, it may be destroyed by cattle.

To meditate, you should withdraw within yourself or retire to a secluded corner or to the forest. And you should always discriminate between the Real and the unreal. God alone is real, the Eternal substance; all else is unreal, that is, impermanent. By discriminating thus, one should shake off impermanent objects from the mind.” (The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, Translated into English by Srimat Swami Nikhilanandaji Maharaj)

Q & A-3: How do we fix our mind on God?

“Repeat God’s name and sing His glories, and keep holy company; and now and then visit God’s devotees and holy men. The mind cannot dwell on God if it is immersed day and night in worldliness, in worldly duties and responsibilities; it is most necessary to go into solitude now and then and think of God. To fix the mind on God is very difficult, in the beginning, unless one practises meditation in solitude. When a tree is young, it should be fenced all around; otherwise, it may be destroyed by cattle.

To meditate, you should withdraw within yourself or retire to a secluded corner or to the forest. And you should always discriminate between the Real and the unreal. God alone is real, the Eternal substance; all else is unreal, that is, impermanent. By discriminating thus, one should shake off impermanent objects from the mind.” (The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, Translated into English by Srimat Swami Nikhilanandaji Maharaj)

Q & A-2: Why the company of holy men?

It begets yearning for God. It begets love of God. Nothing whatsoever is achieved in spiritual life without yearning. By constantly living in the company of holy men, the soul becomes restless for God. Further, it helps one cultivate discrimination between the Real and the unreal. (From “The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna” : Translated into English by Srimat Swami Nikhilanandaji Maharaj)

Q & A-2: Why the company of holy men?

It begets yearning for God. It begets love of God. Nothing whatsoever is achieved in spiritual life without yearning. By constantly living in the company of holy men, the soul becomes restless for God. Further, it helps one cultivate discrimination between the Real and the unreal. (From “The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna” : Translated into English by Srimat Swami Nikhilanandaji Maharaj)

Q & A-1: What is the way (to spirituality) for householders?

“Prayer and the company holy men. Constantly seek the company of holy men.”(From “The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna : Translated into English by Srimat Swami Nikhilanandaji Maharaj)