Mythology

The Four Ages

Most ancient cultures talk about the four ages or yugas. In Hinduism, the yugas are divided based on virtue and it is believed that we are headed into the worst age, called Kalyug. In Greek mythology, the ages are divided by colour and we are currently in the Black Age. Let's look at the similarities and differences in the ages or yugas as described by different mythologies.

 There is a story in the Mahabharata that goes like this once Draupadi asked Bheem to bring her the celestial lotus from the garden of Kuber, the God of Treasures. Bheem hastened towards the divine forest and rushed forwards like a whirlwind, scattering the wild animals and making the Earth tremble.

 Hanuman was resting in the forest under a tree and was awakened by the hubbub. He stretched his long tail until it obstructed Bheem's path. When Bheem came across the tail, he asked Hanuman to move it, without recognising who he was. Hanuman said, "Move it aside." Bheem tried to lift Hanuman's tail but could not move it, no matter how hard he tried. When Bheem gave up, Hanuman revealed his identity. Being sons of Vayu, the God of Wind, the two started chatting like brothers. Hanuman told Bheem about the four yugas or ages. Here's what Hanuman said.

The first yug was the Sat Yug or Krita Yug. It was the perfect age. There was only one religion. Everybody was saintly and so there was no need to perform religious ceremonies. There were no Gods and no demons. Nobody was rich or poor. Everything was obtained by the power of will. There were no diseases. There was no sorrow, no fear, no hatred, no evil of any kind. Narayana was the universal soul, and he was white in colour. The identification of the individual soul with the universal soul was the only religion in the world.

The second yug was the Treta Yug. The universal soul in this yug was red in colour. Virtue lessened by a quarter so religious sacrifices were needed.

The third yug was called Dwapara Yug. At this time, virtue had further lessened by one half and now it was just one-fourth from the time of the Treta Yug. The universal soul was yellow in colour. Truth had declined and there was a prevalence of sin. There were diseases and calamities.

 The fourth yug was Kali Yug or Kalyug. The universal soul had become black in colour. Less than one-fourth of the virtue now remained. Men became wicked. There was misery and disease all around. Even performing holy rites did not have the desired result.

Greek mythology also talks about four ages with similar characteristics but with different colours. The first age was the Golden or Yellow Age. Men lived like gods under the rule of Kronos. They did not grow old and never lost their strength. The whole world was prosperous and there was peace and security.

The second age was the Silver or White Age. In this age, men were inferior. Children had to be reared for a century and did not survive for long afterwards. Sacrifice and worship were neglected. In the end, Zeus, the son of Kronos, destroyed the silver race.

 The third age was the Bronze Age. The colour of this age was red. In this, men sprang from ash. They had great strength, but they were takers of life. In the end, they were all removed by black death to Hades.

The fourth age was the Iron Age. The colour of this age was black. The men in this age were created by Zeus.

 A similar division of time into four ages is found in several other cultures around the world. An interesting comparison is seen in Celtic (Irish) mythology, where the colours of the four ages match those given in the Mahabharat story. The first Celtic Age is Partholon, the Silver Age, which is white; the second is Nemed's, the Bronze Age, which is red; the third is the Tuatha de Danann, the Golden Age, which is yellow; and the fourth is the Age of the Dark Milesians, which is black.

 

PAINTING PICTURES

 

Painting Pictures

There was once a king who had just one eye and one leg.

One day he asked all the painters in his court to draw a perfect portrait of him.

The painters were perplexed.

How could they possibly paint a stunning picture of him with his defects of having just one eye and one leg?

The king was however persistent.

One of the artists eventually agreed, and drew a fabulous picture of the king.

It was a painting which totally surprised everyone.

He had ingeniously painted a side angle picture of the king aiming for a hunt with bow and arrow; targeting with one eye closed and one leg bent.

Thus it turned out to be a perfect painting with no deformities visible.

At school you are surrounded by classmates and others who are different in attitude and behaviour, complexion and shape, weight and height, etc. Realize that you are all flowers of the same garden, and that each one contributes to making the garden beautiful. No one is perfect. But everyone is necessary.

Strive to be more understanding and outgoing from this school year. Live, learn, and relate by seeing the positive aspects in everything and everyone.

Remember the saying, “Lifting others while weak is true strength”. In this way you will succeed, and can contribute to making the world a better place to live and learn for everyone.

Motivational

 

Secret of success

 

Once there were two great friends.

The first friend used to work hard throughout the day but hardly achieved anything.

Whereas, the other friend worked for four hours, used to help the needy and then meditate the rest of the time.

When they met after a long time, they discussed their life styles with each other.

The first friend asked the other, “Why is it that you get success and money after working for just four hours and I remain poor even after working the whole day?”

After hearing his friend’s grievance, the other friend smiled and asked him a question, “What do you have in mind while you do your work?”

The first friend replied, “I keep thinking about ways and means of earning more wealth.”

At this, the second friend replied, “That is the reason behind your unhappiness and failure.”

He explained, “One does not attain success by just working hard. Success is a state of mind. What is the purpose of working hard when you stay unhappy? Mental happiness is very important for a successful life.”

He advised his friend to stay happy and calm under all circumstances. After hearing his friend’s advice, the first friend started following the same and soon he too became successful in life.

Thoughts and quotes

 

Let us rise up to be thankful,

for if we didn’t learn a lot today,

at least we learned a little,

and if we didn’t learn a little,

at least we didn’t get sick,

and if we got sick,

at least we didn’t die;

so let us all be thankful!

~Buddha

 

A blind man once asked a wise man, “Can there be anything worse than losing one’s eye sight?”

The wise man replied, “Yes, losing one’s vision.”

~Anonymous

 

How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant of the weak and strong. Because, someday in your life, you will have been all of these.

~George Washington Carver

 

There are only two lasting gifts we should give our children, one of these is roots, the other is wings.

~Anonymous

 

Success is not final, failure is not fatal; it is the courage to continue that counts.

~Winston Churchill

 

Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.

~Rumi

 

May we think of freedom not as the right to do as we please, but as the opportunity to do what is right.

~Peter Marshall

Thoughts and quotes

 

Children are like buds in the garden and should be carefully and lovingly nurtured, as they are the future of the nation and the citizens of tomorrow. Only through right education can a better order of society be built up.

~Jawaharlal Nehru

 

Look at the sky. We are not alone. The whole universe is friendly to us and conspires only to give the best to those who dream and work.

~APJ Abdul Kalam

 

The best thing to give an enemy is forgiveness

To an opponent, tolerance

To a friend, your heart

To your child, a good example

To a father, reverence

To your mother, conduct that will make her proud of you

To yourself, respect and to all, charity.

~Benjamin Franklin

 

For to be free, is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.

~Nelson Mandela

 

Remember your mind is your greatest asset, so be careful what you put into it.

~Robert Kiyosaki

 

Success is not final, failure is not fatal, it is the courage to continue that counts.

~Winston Churchill

Science

 

Natural Gas

Compressed natural gas CNG) is methane stored under high pressure. It is made by compressing methane to less than 1% of its volume. It is a non-toxic and relatively safe form of energy. It is mainly used in vehicles. This is important because as the world progressed, more petrol started to be consumed, which has proven to be toxic to the environment. In this context, CNG offers a more eco-friendly alternative to petrol.

History

In about 500 BC, the Chinese discovered places where natural gas seeped to the surface. They built crude pipelines using bamboo to transport the gas and used it to boil seawater. This separated the water from the salt, making the water potable and providing salt to season food.

 

The first commercial experiments with CNG took place in France in the 1850s. It eventually grew in popularity and during World War I, it was used as fuel for transport vehicles. By the 1960s, tests were being conducted by the Columbian government to see if the gas could power large carrier ships. The ships were to carry CNG in vertical pressure bottles. However, this design failed because of the high cost of the pressure vessels. In the following years, there were several attempts to develop CNG that could be used commercially. Once these attempts succeeded, CNG started to be transported across the world for commercial use.

The Process

Natural gas is usually found under the Earth’s surface. Sometimes, the pressure underground is high enough that the gas can flow naturally to the surface in liquid form. However, in most gas reservoirs, a pump helps extract the gas to the surface. The most common form of these pumps has a long rod attached to a deep piston well. The rod is pushed upwards and downwards, causing a difference in pressure, in which the gas fills. This eventually causes the gas to reach the surface. This gas usually contains some dirt and other impurities, which are filtered. After it has been filtered, the gas may be sent to a compression machine and transported via pipelines.

Sometimes, the gas may contain gas impurities such as butane or propane that are filtered and sold separately. This is done by bubbling the raw gas in a closed tower containing a cold absorption oil, which condenses the other unneeded gases and traps them. This absorption oil is then distilled and separated into individual components and sold. At this point, the purified gas is injected with a strong-smelling odour, which allows it to be easily identified in case of a leak. The gas is then transported through pipelines.

Applications

Natural gas can be used at home as well as in industry. It can be used to produce electricity by burning the natural gas, which helps spin turbine generators to produce electricity. In some cars, CNG can be used as a substitute for petrol.

It can also be used for heating as it is more effective than electric heating pumps. The heat from natural gas is delivered from forced-air systems at temperatures between 50 and 60°C. The air from an electric heating pump is typically delivered at 30 to 35°C, which is warm enough to heat a room, but much cooler than the average human temperature of 36 to 37°C. CNG can also be used for cooking at home and heating water.

 Advantages

Natural gas is a cleaner fuel as compared to other fossil fuels, which are detrimental to the planet.

It is cheaper and safer to use. It is also extremely abundant.

Nine out of 10 chefs prefer to cook on natural gas stoves as they have even heat distribution and accurate temperature control, helping food cook more evenly.

 Disadvantages

Natural gas is highly combustible, which means it could be potentially dangerous. However, a strong odour is added to it, which helps detects leaks.

It is extremely difficult to mine.

Even though natural gas is easier to store and transport, it has one significant disadvantage. Its volume happens to be four times that of petrol, which makes it more expensive to store since more needs to be spent on additional storage.

 

BELIEVE IN YOURSELF

 Believe in Yourself

Some college students once asked their professor who his role model was.

After some moments, the professor replied, “The honey-bee!”

“You must be joking, sir,” the students blurted out in one voice.

“No, I am serious. The honey-bee is indeed my role model,” the professor said again, and went on to elaborate.

“Scientists say that as per aerodynamics, the honey-bee cannot fly; its wings are not proportionate to the shape and size of its body. And so, scientifically it is not possible for the bee to fly. But we all know that the bee flies ever so effortlessly. It does not know the above fact, and is not conditioned by it. The bee is aware of only one thing. It can, and is sure to, fly; and it does! This is what I admire most in the bee; its firm belief in its ability to fly that too in open defiance of science, if I may say so!”

It is said that the first secret of success is to believe in oneself. Therefore, firmly believe in yourself and your abilities. You are better than you think; more talented than you know; braver and more capable than you imagine. Follow your dreams, believe in yourselves, and don’t ever give up your efforts. Take cue from this quote from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam: “Look at the sky. We are not alone. The whole universe is friendly to us, and conspires only to give the best to those who dream and work.”