ZOROASTRIAN FOLK STORY

 Spider to the rescue

It was a time of terror and confusion. Persia had been invaded and Zoroastrians were being put to the sword. 

A few important resistance fighters had eluded capture.

Weary and half-starved, they moved from one hiding place to another. 

Finally they came to the base of a tall mountain. 

They knew they could not scale it in their weakened state, and they prepared to make their last stand there.

Suddenly one of them espied a cave a little way up the face of the mountain. Summoning the last reserves of their strength they made their way to it, and entering, fell exhausted to the floor. Hardly had they recovered their breadth when they heard the enemy soldiers riding up the mountain. 

The men in the cave felt their end was near. 

They were trapped. 

All that they could do was pray, and that is what they began to do, silently but fervently. 

And then an amazing thing happened. 

A spider appeared at the mouth of the cave and began to spin a web. 

Within seconds it has spun a web so big that it covered the entire entrance.

The enemy soldiers saw the cave and were preparing to climb up to it when their leader saw the spider’s web strung across the entrance. 

He said, “The spider’s web is intact. That means no one has entered the cave. Let’s not waste time here!”

The soldiers rode away, to the great joy of fugitives. 

They gave thanks to God convinced that it was He who had sent the spider.

The story is part of Zoroastrian folklore, and tied to it is the tradition of never harming spiders.

12th January, National Youth Day

 Swami Vivekananda

“Sisters and brothers of America...” a swami in saffron clothes began his speech.

These words thrilled the audience in 1893 at the Chicago World Parliament of Religions.

It was Swami Vivekananda, who took Vedanta, the essence of Hinduism, to the Western world.

He was born as Narendranath Datta in Calcutta on 12 January, 1863.

He became a disciple of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and later came to be known as Vivekananda.

As a youth, he had gone through a spiritual crisis.

He doubted the existence of God. During this phase, he heard about Sri Ramakrishna.

In November 1881, he met Sri Ramakrishna at the Kali Temple in Dakshineshwar.

That was a turning point in his life.

Their talks led to a unique guru-disciple relationship.

Sri Ramakrishna helped clear Narendranath’s doubts.

He taught Narendranath about pure love and unselfish living.

Narendranath turned to the life of a sanyasi and changed his name to Vivekananda.

Thereafter, Narendra Datta was known as Swami Vivekananda. Swami travelled the length and breadth of India to understand what India is.

Vivekananda taught his disciples that to serve man is to serve God.

He established the Ramakrishna Math and worked with a mission.

He tried to reform Indian society and his writings are still relevant to the new generation.

Swami Vivekananda’s works are collected in ten volumes.

His birthday is celebrated as National Youth Day in India.

Swami Vivekananda died at the young age of 39 on 4 July, 1902.

His legacy remains even a century after his death.

Swami Vivekananda is a spiritual force in contemporary India.

The ‘DOSE’ of daily life

 

 The ‘DOSE’ here denotes four wonderful chemicals or hormones which regulate many important functions in our body.

These are Dopamine, Oxytocin, Serotonin and Endorphin, which act as messengers between among the neurons in the brain.

A peripheral knowledge about these neurotransmitters, their production and functions will give us a better mileage in our physical and mental well-being.

This will in turn, bring better results in our actions and relationships.

 

Dopamine helps regulate attention, motivation, learning and emotional responses.

Since it enables the arousal of motivation to do things and the sustenance of motivation to complete a given task, it becomes a decisive factor in deciding the academic as well as non-academic achievements. Low levels of dopamine may reduce motivation and enthusiasm.

 

Oxytocin is a powerful hormone that underlies an individual’s social skills such as interpersonal relationships, empathy, generosity, recognition, trust etc. It is also a preventive factor of depressive feelings.

 

Serotonin is the chemical that helps with sleeping, eating and digesting. It has an effect on one’s emotions and motor skills. It is considered as a natural mood stabilizer which can reduce depression, anxiety, confusion etc.

 

The endorphins are of at least twenty different kinds which are responsible for blocking pain and controlling emotions. They are also responsible for the feelings of pleasure.

 

Relatively high or low levels of these chemicals in the brain may cause behavioural challenges or disability. Lack of regular physical exercises, habitual use of fast food, junk foods etc. can cause risk in children. Getting proper sleep by consistent bedtime and waking up, daily exercises/yoga/meditation, listening to music, balanced diet, spending sometime in the sun, outdoor games etc. help boost the levels of ‘DOSE’ in daily life.

CHEEK DIMPLES

 

Cheek dimples are the result of a muscle in the cheek splitting in two.

Before birth, the zygomaticus major (a muscle that controls facial expression, drawing the mouth's angle upward and outward) splits into a superior bundle positioned above the corner of the mouth, and an inferior bundle below the corner of the mouth. This creates a hammock effect where skin hangs in slightly between the two bundles. When you smile, the muscles contract and the dimples are more prominent due to increased skin tension.

PLAN B

                            

Sometimes it is essential to have a Plan B as this would help you deal better in a given situation.

Say, for example, you have a desired goal that does not work out. Having a second back-up option will help you survive better here.

It is essential to never close all your options and goals at a fixed point.

Having a plan B will help you sail through a rough patch in life.

It will also give you more perspective which is not one-sided.

CURIOUS CORNER

 The balancing rock of Mahabalipuram

At Mahabalipuram in Tamil Nadu, a 20-feet- high and 2-metre wide granite stone on the slope of a hill is a major tourist attraction.

It is estimated to weigh over 250 tons.

The rock is balanced upon a 4-feet area of highly slippery slope of the hill, resting at an angle of 45 degrees.

It stands in a way that challenges all natural laws.

When we look at it, we get a frightening feel that the stone will fall down at any moment.

But it has been there sitting in that position for more than 1200 years!

The rock is called ‘Krishna’s Butterball.’

The name is said to be given by a tourist guide.

But it has been locally known in Tamil as ‘Vaan Irai Kal.’

In Tamil language the name means ‘Stone of Sky God.’

In 1908, the Governor of Madras State, Arthur Lawley, thought the rock was a threat to the houses nearby.

He ordered to move it from there.

Seven big elephants were used to push the stone away from the slope.

But they failed to move it even an inch from its place.

It was not the first attempt ever made.

The Pallava KingNarasimhavarman I (630-668 AD) had also made an effort to move the stone, but failed.

It is not a naturally formed stone as the rest of the hill is smooth and without rocks. The stone proved to be impossible to push down the hill.

Then a few questions arise in our mind.

How was the stone pushed up the hill?

 Is there something under it? Why has it been known as ‘the Stone of Sky God’ ?

Tamil Nadu is a place of many geological wonders.

In Rameswaram, there are heavy stones which float in water.

Many say they are pumice stones which contain many air bubbles enabling them to float.

 

 

OUR BEST FRIENDS

 Books

Life is not easy to live on without friends. When it comes to books, they can be our best friends forever. A good book enriches our mind with good thoughts and knowledge just like a good friend. We do not feel lonely in the company of books. Books written by good and experienced authors help us to become good persons and also teach us how to serve the society in the best possible way. When we are alone, we can always pick up a book and start reading it, to feel relaxed.

Books can be good or bad, but it is our responsibility to choose them wisely. Friendship with good books makes good persons, whereas friendship with bad books makes bad persons.

Books give us enormous amount of knowledge. We go to school and learn a lot of new things. But to understand the concepts completely in various subjects, we need to refer books.

We can refer books at any time and clear our doubts or remind ourselves of some points that we have forgotten or learn a point which we have not looked into so far.

Some books may be costly. But good books are worth more than the money.

When we are travelling and the duration of the journey is long, it is good to read books. Similarly, when we are at home and have nothing to attend to, it is better to read books.

Often people with disturbed mind, try to read sacred epics and holy texts, to keep their mind completely occupied and to regain peace of mind.

Books written by well-known authors generate noble thoughts in us. They give us analytical skills. They help in conceptualization of ideas and in solving problems.

It is important to be practical in applying the knowledge gained from books and not just remain as readers. Good use of books means meaning the appropriate knowledge, let it be technical or language skills or general knowledge or fun-related matters.

It is also very important to note down important points, thoughts or doubts when we read a book.

We should use books carefully without damaging them. We should keep them safe from wet environment and away from dust and insects.

One good advantage of books is that we can select what we want, read whatever we require, and whenever we wish.

In the modern world, books are also changing their appearances from hard copy in paperbacks to e-books on the internet. Whether we are comfortable reading a hard copy or a soft copy on the computer, depends on personal choice.