Thirupallandu by Periyalwar, from Nalayira Divya Prabandam

SING PALLANDU TO  LORD SRINIVASA!!!!!

naathamunikaL aruLich cheythathu taniiyan

gurumuha manadheethya praaHa vEdhaana @sEshaan^
narapathi parikluptham @soolka maadhaathu kaama:
@sva@sura mamaravandhyam raNGgan^aathaSya Saakshaath
dhvijakulathilakamtham vishNuchiththam namaami||

paaNdiya pattar aruLich cheythavai

minnaar thadamathiL soozh villipuththoor enRu oruhaal*
sonnaar kazhaRkamalam soodinOm* - munnaaL
kizhiyaRuththaan enRuraiththOm keezhmaiyiniRchErum*
vazhiyaRuththOm neNYjamE! vandhu

paaNdiyan koNdaadap pattar piraan vandhaan enRu*
eeNdiya shankam eduththoodha* - vENdiya
vEdhaNGgaL Odhi viraindhu kizhiyaRuththaan*
paathaNGgaL yaamudaiya paRRu.

periyaazhvaar thiruvadikaLE charaNam.

sri:
srimadhE raamaan^ujaaya nama:

periyaazhvaar aruLichcheydha
thiruppallaaNdu----------------translati­on

1: Many years, many years, many thousands of years and many hundred thousands more. Gem-hued Lord with mighty wrestling shoulders, your red lotus feet are our refuge.

2: To the bond between us, many and many a thousand years. To the dainty lady resting on your manly chest, many and many a thousand years. To the fiery orb discus adorning your right shoulder, many and many a thousand years. To the conch Panchajanya that strikes terror in the battlefield, many and many a thousand years.

3: You that stand and suffer life, come! Accept talc paste and fragrances. We shall not admit into our fold those who are slaves of the palate. For seven generations, pure hearted, we have sung the praises of Kodanda Rama who launched an army and destroyed Lanka, the demon's haunt.

4: Before you place your trust on infirm ground, come! Join us! O, Like-hearted man, give up your temporal aims and join us quickly! Let town and country resound with the chant 'Namo Narayanaya'. Ye Devotees, who wish to sing, come! Join us in singing Pallandu.

5: Asseting his supremacy over all creation, as Hrisikesha, he destroyed the clannish Asuras and Rakshasas. O Devotees, revere his feet, chanting the thousand names. Give up your old connections and ways and sing 'Many thousands of years Pallandu'.

6: my father's father's father's father and his grandfather before him, over seven generations have performed service to the Lord. In the asterism of sravanam, at dusk, the Lord came as the man-lion and tore apart the foe. End your suffering, join us! Sing 'Many years, many thousands of years Pallandu'.

7: Branded with a shape of the radiant discus blazing with the brilliance of fire we stands and serve, generation after generation. For him who swirled the discus over Banasura-- who was waging a war of illusion,-and made his thousand shoulders bleed, we sing Pallandu.

8: The Lord gives me good rice food with Ghee, and privileges of attendance, Betel leaf and Areca nut, ornaments for the neck and ears and fragrant Sandal paste to smear. He purges my soul. He has the Garuda bird,-foe of the hooded snakes, - on his banner; for him I sing Pallandu.

9: we wear the yellow vestments you wear and discard. We eat the food offered to you. We wear the woven Tulasi flowers you wear and discard, and rejoice. Keeping watch over the ways of the world, you appeared in the asterism of Sravanam. O Lord reclining on the hooded snake,To you we sing Pallandu.

10: My Lord! The day we became your bonded serfs, that very day our entire clan found its refuge and salvation, see! You appeared on that auspicious day in Mathura city, destroyed Kamsa's arsenal and danced on the head of the five hooded snake, Pallandu to you.

11: My Lord Tirumal! Like the faultless chief of Kottiyur Selvanambi, a mountain of respectability, I am an old faithful servant of yours, Chanting Namo Narayanaya and other names in myriad ways with all my power, O Pure One, I sing Pallandu to you.

12: These words were uttered with love by Villiputtur's Vishnuchitta, wishing 'Pallandu' for the pure Lord, the large-hearted one, wielder of the Sarnga bow. Those who enjoy singing this surround the Lord at all times chanting 'Namo Narayanaya', for them too, this god year Pallandu.

Audio obtained from vedics.org---website of sri velukkudi krishnan.
Lyrics in any language can be obtained from prapatti.com

Angkor Vat

http://www.hinduwisdom.info/Sacred_Angkor.htm

Sikhism

"Realisation of Truth is higher than all else. Higher still is truthful living"

Sikh teaching emphasizes the principle of equality of all humans and rejects discrimination on the basis of caste, creed, and gender. Sikh principles do not attach any importance to asceticism as a means to attain salvation, but stresses on the need of leading life as a householder.

The origins of Sikhism lie in the teachings of Guru Nanak and his successors.

God


In Sikhism, God—termed Vāhigurū—is shapeless, timeless, and sightless: niraṅkār, akāl, and alakh.

The beginning of the first composition of Sikh scripture is the figure "1"—signifying the universality of God. It states that God is omnipresent and infinite, and is signified by the term ēk ōaṅkār. ੴ Ik Onkār is the first phrase in the Mul Mantra referring to the existence of "one God

ik ōnkār satināmu karatā puraku nirabhǎ'u niravèr akāl mūrat ajūnī sèbhang guraprasād

One Universal Creator, the Name is Truth, Creative Being (personified), Without fear, Without hatred, timeless Image, beyond birth, Self-existent, by the Guru's Grace.

onkār brahamā utapata
From Onkār, the Creator Brahma was created

Sikh Gurus


Nanak Dev · Angad Dev · Amar Das · Ram Das · Arjan Dev · Har Gobind · Har Rai · Har Krishan · Tegh Bahadur · Gobind Singh · Granth Sahib

Guru Nanak

Nanak (1469–1538), the founder of Sikhism, was born in the village of Rāi Bhōi dī Talwandī, now called Nankana Sahib (in present-day Pakistan). His parents were Khatri Hindus of the Bedi clan. In fact, all ten Sikh Gurus were Khatri.

In his early teens, Nanak caught the attention of the local landlord Rai Bular Bhatti, who was moved by his amazing intellect and divine qualities. Rai Bular was witness to many incidents in which Nanak enchanted him and as a result Rai Bular and Nanak's sister Bibi Nanki, became the first persons to recognise the divine qualities in Nanak.

Both of them then encouraged and supported Nanak to study and travel. Sikh tradition states that at the age of thirty, Nanak went missing and was presumed to have drowned after going for one of his morning baths to a local stream called the Kali Bein. One day on his arival, he declared: "There is no Hindu, there is no Muslim". It was from this moment that Nanak would begin to spread the teachings of what was then the beginning of Sikhism.

He is widely acknowledged to have made four major journeys, spanning thousands of miles, the first tour being east towards Bengal and Assam, the second south towards Tamil Nadu, the third north towards Kashmir, Ladakh, and Tibet, and the final tour west towards Baghdad and Mecca.




http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sikhism

7 Elements for a WoW Presentation

I’ve been thinking about presentations as I begin to prepare for our upcoming seminars. I want to insure that everyone is engaged and is passionate about creating WoW moments even before they leave. When you think about seminars how many do you recall when you walked out saying WoW!? If you are like me, even though you may be very selective, the WoW sessions are few and far between.

During my years as a training manager I had the opportunity to not only speak to many audiences, but also watch many presentations, those with educational content and those delivering a message. I believe these 7 steps can help everyone deliver a WoW presentation. As you prepare write these steps down and then write how you will accomplish each step.

1. Know your audience! Always remember you are not the star, you’re audience is. They have come to learn from you, but in order for your message to resonate it has to be relevant. Focus on one topic and have three key takeaways. Engineers typically need visuals and diagrams, sales people need energy and movement.

2. Prepare! No matter how professional and experienced you are you must know your content inside and out. Once you understand your audience research their demographic and be able to weave it into the presentation. Practice and hone your delivery. No one wants to listen to a scripted presenter and if you know your content you can move through with the tempo needed for any given audience. Body language matters! If you are most comfortable standing behind a podium insure you have movement in the tone of your voice & presentation. If you like to “dance” on the stage find marks to stand for at least 2 – 3 minutes. Dancing around on stage is distracting and takes away from your message.

3. Connect! Every presentation that I remember started with an emotional connection. A moving or funny story, a connection to the association or group you are speaking to, a mention of the city or company. Find a way to connect. Always remember why would someone sit up and WANT to listen. Be interactive with your audience as appropriate. A show of hands in the middle of a presentation can really break things up. This gains ownership and keeps the audience thinking, maybe he is going to ask another question.

4. Be Passionate! If you are not passionate about your topic, don’t present. You must show emotion and be passionate. If the topic you’ve chosen or have been given is simply boring, mix in a relevant story or anecdote. If you are tired, do five minutes of aerobic activity and deep breathing prior to starting.

5. Stay Focused! Share your agenda with the audience up front; let them know what you are going to talk about and what your key points will be. This keeps you honest as you must deliver. Keep a list of bullet points you must address, and in order, on a note card or on the podium. You need to know this like the back of your hand. Do not rely on Microsoft PowerPoint™. Use a flip chart if this keeps you on track. Have someone in the front row flash time cards in fifteen, then ten, then five minute intervals with a time is up card to insure you finish on time.

6. Q&A! If time permits always end with at least two or three questions. The most important thing about Q&A – repeat the question! This not only insures the audience hears the question, but more importantly it lets you hear the question once again to insure you answer the question. At all costs do not go into a long story or answer. Be as succinct as possible so you can stay focused and so others can ask questions as well.

7. Thank you & Contact Information! Always remember to thank those who’ve invited you and the audience. Remember to direct everyone to a place where they can find your contact information.

It is amazing, isn't it? The elements of creating a WoW Presentation are actually very similar, if not the same, as creating WoW moments in any envirornment! Remember it is always about the customer - in this case the audience!

Terrie Rolwes

Wow Customer Experience Group

Every Moment Can Be A WoW Moment!

http://www.wowcustomer.com/blog-post/12/7-Elements-for-a-WoW-Presentation.html

The Hindu Concept of God

First and foremost, let me clarify that unlike most people think, Hinduism is not a religion in strict sense. It is more of a culture than a religion.

So what is the difference between a culture and a religion?

Religion centers around the God. Where as a culture centers around the way of living. Which is why you find in India for instance Chrisitian or Muslims following the Hindu culture! Even in Bangladesh you can find hindu cultures in muslim life! Chrisitians of Velankani in Tamilnadu follow the hindu culture. Velankanni is a Christian pilgrimage center, here Mother Mary is worshipped by Puja like how hindus do, Chariots are pulled like in hindu temples, there is the concept of prasadam (divine food) in the church like how Hindus give prasadam in the hindu temples.. etc

All other major religions of the world have a propounder, a person who founded the religion. Hinduism has none! Which is why it is called Sanaathana Dharma meaning eternal religion! No debate is blasphemous in Hinduism! Customs can be questioned any time! It does not dictate terms to people saying what woman or men should wear as dress etc. It is always open to debates. There has never been a ‘holy war’ in Hinduism in the name of God! The very existence of God can be debated in Hinduism. Many ancient Indian Hindu texts contain such debates!

Coming back to the concept of God in Hinduism, unlike other religions like Christianity or Islam, it does not talk about a God who stays outside the universe and creates/destroys this universe. Instead here Universe itself is the God! Universe is a self aware Paramaatma (the universal soul) and everything else in the universe is a part of this God! We are all Aatma (souls) whose goal is to realize and unite with this Paramaatma (Universal Soul). Even quantum mechanical physicists like Bohr,Heisenberg, Shcrodinger etc got interested in Vedic texts and Hinduism when they saw that quantum level consciousness of particles was already explained in Hinduism!! For more details read the books like The Dancing Wu Li Masters, The Tao of Physics etc

The Vedas compare creation to a spider’s web, that the spider creates and then lies within. God is both the container of the universe and what is contained in it.

Which is why the sacred vedic texts of Hinduism say ‘Aham Brahmasmi’ which means I am God. This is because I, you and all are a part of this Universal God! Which is also the reason why you find 33 crore Gods in hinduism!! Since Universe itself is the God, everything else and everybody else in the Universe is also a form of God! Which is why Hindus worship water, rain, thunder, earth, moon, sun, stars, sky, humans, trees, plants, animals, air, father, mother, elders, light, wealth, knowledge, anything and everything that you find in this universe as God!

Which is also the reason why a Hindu if by accident happens to touch an animal or a person or a book etc by feet accidentally, then immediately he/she will do a symbolic gesture by hand asking to be forgiven for having shown disrespect to the God in that animal/person/book or whatever by accident…

The hindu prayer that has to be recited every day early morning as soon as one gets up ends saying “…paadasparsham kshamasva me” which means “Oh Mother Earth, Please forgive me for I will be touching you with my feet for the rest of the day!”. Such a nice concept. Can a culture get any more beautiful than this?

Now comes an even more beautiful part of the Hindu Concept of God. The sacred Vedic texts say “Ekam Satya Vipro Bahuda Vadanthi” which means “God is one. Learned scholars call him/her with different names”. This simple yet so wonderful concept makes it unique among all religions! You cannot be a Christian and say I will worship Vishnu or Allah! Christianity doesn’t allow that. You cannot be a Muslim and say I will worship Shiva or Jesus!! Islam doesn’t allow that.

But you can be a Hindu and still say that I will worship Jesus or Allah! Hinduism has no objection. In fact it says you can worship God in any name! Which is why you can find Hindus in India going to Churches, Jain temples, Buddhist temples, Sikh Gurudwaras etc. If all religions were as open minded as Hinduism there would have been no religious fanaticism or religious hatred on this planet and Earth would have been a better place to live in! There would have been no terrorism either!

Which is also the reason why unlike other religions you will find no missionaries or evangelists in Hinduism who promote Hinduism and want to convert entire world into Hinduism! Hinduism does not believe in religious conversions either by force or by bribing or by appeasement. You can be a Hindu and still be a Christian or Mulsim at the same time! You can even be a Christian or Muslim and say that you dont believe in Hinduism, and still Hinduism looks at you as a great soul! It does not say that you will be punished or sent to hell or will become a sinner for not believing in Hindu God! You can even be an atheist! You can say that you don’t want to call the Universal soul as a God! In fact Atheism is like a subclass of Hinduism! Charvaka who lived in 600 BCE was an atheist and pioneered a materialistic movement within Hinduism and even Madhavacharya (he was a 14th century philosopher who wrote a wonderful book Sarva darshana sangraha with a lot of material on atheism, dont confuse him with Madhvacharya of udupi) etc were Atheists and still followed the Hindu Culture!

Infact, the sacred Hindu texts, the Vedas talk more about humans and life than about God! They say, ‘Vasudaiva Kutumbakam’ which means ‘The entire world is a single huge family’! Look at the beauty, they don’t differentiate between people of this religion or that religion, entire Earth is a single family! The vedas also say ‘Sarve Jana Sukhino Bhavantu’ which means ‘May all the people live happily’. Again here all humans are considered equal, there is no differentiation between Hindus and others!!

God if exists, is after all one and the same. You call a Rose by any name, and still it continues to be a Rose. Why should we fight for the name? It doesn’t make any real sense, does it?

By the way, if you are interested, you can also read about the role and status of women in the ancient Indian vedic culture here.

The Hindu Concept of God � Art of Celebrating Life! – by Gurudev � 2005-2008

Yajñopavītam - the "Sacred Thread"

Brahmins, Kshatriyas and Vaishyas are called dvijas meaning twice born. A man of these castes is born once in the womb of his mother and again during the Upanayana when he learns the Gayatri Mantra.

Upanayanam in a Tamil Iyer household.

The hallmark of having gone through the Upanayana ceremony is the wearing of the Yajñopavītam (Sacred Thread) on the body. The thread is circular, being tied end-to-end (only one knot is permissible); it is normally supported on the left shoulder(savya) and wrapped around the body, falling underneath the right arm. The length of the thread is generally 96 times the breadth of four fingers of a man, which is believed to be equal to his height. Each of the four fingers represents one of the four states that the soul of a man experiences: waking, dreaming, dreamless sleep and knowledge of the absolute.

Yajñopavītam has three threads (actually only one thread, folded three times and tied together) each consisting of three strands. These threads represent

• Goddess Gayatri (Goddess of mind),
• Goddess Saraswati (Goddess of word) and
• Goddess Sāvitrī (Goddess of deed).

It denotes that one who wear the sacred thread should be pure in his thought, word and deed. The sacred thread reminds a Brahmachari to lead a regulated life with purity in his thought, word and deed. These threads also represent the debt that is owed to the guru, parents and society.

The knot in the middle represent the formless Brahman, the pure form of energy which pervades all. The three threads again represent the manifestation of Brahman as Srishti, Sthithi and Vinasa. The sacred thread illustrates the fact that everything in the universe emerge from and then merge with Brahman.

Ancient texts refer to the wearing of the Yajñopavītam in three forms:

• One is Upavītam, where the Yajñopavītam is worn over the left shoulder and under the right arm. This is for Gods. Upavītam is also called savya (Katyayana Shrauta Sutra &c.).

• The Second is Nivītam, where the Yajñopavītam is worn around the neck and over the chest. Nivīta form is to be used during Rishi Tharpana, sexual intercourse, answering the calls of nature etc. (-Shadvimsha Brahmana, Latyayana, etc.).

• The third, Prachīnavītam is where the Yajñopavītam is worn above the right shoulder and under the left arm. This is for Spirits and is used by men when performing the death ceremonies of an elder. Prachīnavītam is also called apsavya (Katyayana Shrauta Sutra, Manusmriti, &c.).

In some communities, later, at the occasion of wedding, a further three threads are added to make for a 6-thread bunch. In some communities, the custom exists of one thread more being added at the birth of every child. In some interpretations, these threads are intended to constantly remind the man of his worldly responsibilities. 3 original threads (each consisting of 3) make up 9 threads, to which 3 are added for wife and 1 for children, making a total of 13 individual threads in some communities.

Ancient Hindu texts specify an age for the Upanayana ceremony based on the caste (7 for Brahmins, 11 for Kshathriyas etc.) Upanayanam marks the start of learning of "Brahman" and Vedic texts. The age for Upanayanam supports this as Brahmins devote their life in pursuing the knowledge of "Brahman" and hence makes sense to start early and continue for a longer time. Kshathriyas on the other hand study additional skills and only go through "Brahman 101". In the communities where three threads are added at the time of wedding, there is another interpretation.

Once a student achieves a certain level of Brahma knowledge ("Brahma Vidya"), the guru adds 3 more strings signifying "Graduation" and the student goes on to study. In South Indian wedding ceremony, the addition of the 3 more string is followed by "Kashi Yatra". This signifies the Yatra student intends for advanced study. At this point, the father of the bride, convinces the youth to get married and then go to Kashi(Varanasi) with his new bride. In modern days, the entire ceremony is packaged within the wedding ceremony.

The sacred thread is supposed to be worn for the rest of one's life after the ceremony has been performed. A new thread is worn and the old thread discarded every year; the change-over ceremony is held on a specific date calculated as per the Hindu lunar calendar. Among Brahmins, this date varies depending on which of four Vedic Shakhas one belongs to.

The sacred thread has close and essential connection with the concept of pravaras related to brahmin gotra system, which reflects the number of most excellent Vedic rishis belonging to that particular gotra to which the wearer of sacred thread belongs. Generally, there are either three or five pravaras. While tying the knots of sacred thread, an oath is taken in the name of these excellent sages. The full affiliation of a Vedic brāhamana consists of (1) gotra, (2)sutra (of Kalpa), (3) shakha, (4) pravaras. (Example :) A brahmana named 'X' introduces himself as follows: I am 'X', of Shrivatsa gotra, of Āpastamba sutra, of Taittiriya shākha of Yajurveda, of five pravaras named Bhārgava, Chyāvana, Āpnavan, Aurva and Jāmdagnya (This example is based upon the example given by Pattābhirām Shastri in the introduction to Vedārtha-Pārijata, cf. ref.)

Mantra - Instrument of Thought

Mantra - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia