Importance of a calm mind with the help of meditation

In everyday life, the daily works, jobs, actions and thoughts that we come across for our living and for the importance to keep our living meaningful is very extensive. Most of these daily life events cause high blood pressure, stress and most commonly a restless mind. Where does quality time for one’s self come in? In most cases we are too busy running past everything such that one forgets the most important person in the world; themselves! How should one be able to cope with the daily life activities that keep us engaged at all times and spending time with you? The answer actually is very simple, to spend time with yourself and understand how your day went, what went excellent, what went bad, what went okay etc. are the simple things we should reflect on, which can be supported with one of the strongest tool in the universe; meditation.

Many people often are confused about what mediation actually is. Meditation is simply an art of self-realization and purification in which a mind with proper concentration can attain this. In life, humans are basically running behind things that are temporary forgetting that we come and go empty handed.  With the help of meditation people do realize that there is a life beyond material objects and that happiness is not set in the daily life things we run behind but rather a calm, peaceful and purified mind. Meditation is basically making yourself aware to the surrounding environment and also realizing your true self and who you really are. Somebody may ask you are and you may reply your name but that is not who you are, you are somebody much deeper and thoughtful with the help of your mind, intellect and conscience. All in all meditation is an art of concentration to calm your mind and seek all answers to any confusion you have in the structure of the universe.

Now, one may ask that there are so many other methods for stress busting so what’s so special about meditation. My answer (and perhaps all those who really do find meditation important) would be that it is the strongest art of living in which this one art provides a range of benefits. Meditation firstly and most obviously helps with stress relieving not only because you are calm and staying away from physical and mental activities but also reduces the production of certain chemicals in the mind. During meditation the chemicals that contribute and cause stress such as cortisol stop getting produced straightaway while chemicals that enhance a good mood are produced such as serotonin.  Furthermore this causes happiness in life, better emotional and mental stability and best of all positive thinking. Actually people rather prefer to meditate rather than visiting counselors as they enjoy it much more and are able to realize their issues and correct themselves.

Apart from that a major benefit that meditation provides is that it improves health. It strengthens the immune system, reduces blood pressure, lowers cholesterol levels etc. Meditation is also used for serious life threatening diseases, people having cancer turn to meditation as it is an art which creates miracles when medical treatments are unsuccessful.  Lastly one of the main benefits meditation throws upon people is that people become successful and have a quality life. This seems to be very indirect however it is a key idea to what life actually is. Everything you achieve in life is the result of your thoughts and actions. Meditation is the way in which one can change their thoughts for the good such that their thoughts are kept optimistic and impact their life.

Well, how can one meditate? There are many good alternatives to meditation because I am personally aware that meditation is not that easy (as the mind is so unstable and jumping from one thought to another). I have learnt from my scriptures of Hinduism especially from two of the greatest people that Earth has ever seen: Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and Swami Vivekananda the best ways of meditation for starting. There are three to four main ways of conducting meditation for beginners, firstly by listening and noticing all the sounds in the environment. Another major way is by chanting AUM countlessly and noticing what effects it has on the body (the word AUM is divided into three letters for three parts of the body A referring to the stomach where all major bodily processes occur, U referring to the chest where the heart is and M referring to the mind and the combination of the three is a peaceful word for the entire body). Also one could conduct meditation simply by staying quiet for as long as you want which people find really difficult at first but later eventually they meditate in silence focusing on one thought for hours.

                                                                                                                        However in the past few years there have been alterations in how meditation can be conducted. Some people also prefer to do Reiki which is also another art for piece from Japan which actually originated and started in India but later was opted by Japan. Also there have been other organizations such as The Art of Living, Shivyog, etc. that have also spread meditation by having interesting ways of conducting it.

In terms of my opinion I am really fond of meditation however I am not so particular. I do meditate sometimes but I do get distracted as my thoughts keep changing time to time. Therefore, when I first started following Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and Swami Vivekananda my way of looking and doing meditation changed significantly and that was the first step for me to learn the strongest power of the universe. I learnt many ways of meditation and later I also started following Reiki which is another great alternative to meditation for complete positivity of the body, mind and soul. The most recent method of meditation that I am also really fond of is the Secret that my sister had gifted me. I never really understood the Secret at first however since my dear and sweetest mother influenced into meditation that is when she helped me learn the Secret. Thanks so much dear mamma, I love you for all that you have taught me especially guiding me to a right life and keeping myself positive with meditation techniques. The Secret also is an amazing tool that talks about the mind controlling the universe with the help of the Law of attraction.

All in all this has been my encounter with meditation and I believe it is the ultimate way of keeping happy, positive and successful in life no matter what goes around you. I hope this has influenced you into a positive life.

Enjoy!

A UWC Holi experience

On the 7^th of March 2015 our school; UWC Waterford Kamhlaba celebrated a major Hindu festival called Holi. Being a Hindu I have always celebrated Holi with my family members (in which my elder sister dear Sanskriti Didi I think is the heart of this celebration that the Hindu society of Botswana conducts) and a few friends. However this year I have come to boarding school in Swaziland (UWC Waterford Kamhlaba) and the South Asian group of the school came together to celebrate this wonderful festival.  It really was an amazing experience.

Firstly you must be wondering what Holi actually is? Well, Holi is a festival celebrated by Hindus every year during the month March or April and it is the festival of colors. There is no specific day as the Hindu calendar is based on the lunar system and that is how the dates are confirmed. This year Holi was on Friday the 6^th of March and so the entire school came together to celebrate it on Saturday.

The festival Holi has three major significances in terms of social, cultural as well as health implications. Firstly it has a social meaning as it is a festival that doesn’t consider how people are as everybody comes together no matter what class, caste, creed, gender etc. they are. It implies that as the color is splashed and thrown across to everyone, we all unite and treat everyone as family members. The festival Holi is also significant in terms of our culture as well.

This story is from the ancient times where there was a demon king named Hiranyakaship and being very arrogant he wanted everyone to talk well of him and never praise the Lord. It so happened that he was blessed with a son named Prahlad. However Prahlad was completely opposite as compared to his father and most of the time he would be lost and meditating on the Lord. Hiranyakaship got extremely angry and could not believe that his own son worshipped the Lord while everyone else praised him. He tried convincing Prahlad to change his mind however it had no effect on him. It got to such a great extent that Hiranyakaship thought of ways to get rid of his son; however Prahlad’s devotion was so strong such that nothing had any effect on him. One day the demon king went to his sister and asked for ways to get rid of him and she suggested that she would take him lovingly into the fire and he would burn and die. She would not die because she was granted a special boon that fire would not affect her. Therefore the next day she lovingly took little Prahlad into the fire but surprisingly since Prahlad was so devoted and lost in thought of the Lord he attained the boon while she burnt and died. Thus the festival of Holi is celebrated because it is a day that marks the victory of good over evil. Generally this bonfire is firstly conducted and then the festival of colors is celebrated the next day.

Lastly Holi also has health benefits to the people. The colored powder that is thrown around is made of a special kind of flower such that when the pores of the skin absorb the color, the skin will appear to be very nice and is also good for skin. Also the color together with the water creates a cooling effect not only for the body but also for the surrounding environment and so Holi thus marks the start of a new season spring from the ending of winter.

My experiences of Holi have always been wonderful and I personally enjoy them a lot. Randomly splashing bright colors with buckets filled with water is just an amazing scene and feeling. Yesterday’s experience at Waterford as well was really fun and for the first time I had celebrated Holi not only with people from my country or region but even people that are non-Hindus. This is what makes Holi and perhaps all Hindu festivals so charming and inspiring such that there is no boundary for anyone and everybody is welcome to join the fun. The Holi yesterday was a bit different because we had a countdown of 10 seconds and when it ended everybody threw their colors up in the air that they had filled in both their hands. After that we enjoyed the fun with splashing people with water here and there, throwing colors everywhere and not forgetting to capture the memories of our messy but colorful selves.

Just for an addition or an interesting fact, the best Holi celebrated in the world (obviously found in India) is the Braj ki Holi. Braj is the area and language of one of the most fun filled states in India; Uttar Pradesh. People from all over the world come to experience the wonderful and unique ways of how it is played. The main reason Braj ki Holi is considered a specialty of Indian festivals is because the way everyone plays Holi actually originated from there and so the best always lies in the original. The main places that the best Holi can be experienced in Uttar Pradesh are Mathura and Vrindavan (two very sacred towns perhaps in the entire world; where Lord Krishna spent his childhood and early teenage hood), Agra, Hathras, Aligarh, Barsana and Nandgaon.

Therefore I hope my Holi definitely goes better next year but I also hope that all whom have viewed this blog are inspired to go out there and have fun with bright colors, buckets of water and the main thing vibrant and enthusiastic people to enjoy and share your memories and fun filled times with.

HOPE YOU ENJOY AND GOOD LUCK FOR NEXT YEAR!!!!!!!!!

HAPPY HOLI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What is the significance of Yagnopavit in the life of teenage boys?

What is this special ritual named the Yagnopavit? This specific ritual is conducted in the Hindu religion for boys aged from the age of 9-10 years to about 15-16 years. The Yagnopavit is an occasion of extreme happiness for all those that are connected to the ritual. The ritual basically is conducted for teenage Hindu boys for them to start a new life and another chapter of deeper and self-motivated education. In this rite of passage there are mainly three people in relation to this rite of passage. The boy, the boy’s family including extended relatives such as grandparents, uncles, aunts etc. and the main person who actually conducts this ritual known as the guru or the teacher. With the help of the guru this ceremony is able to occur and the boy is able to be guided into a life of responsibility and discipline.

Lord Agni, The God of Fire

How is the ritual conducted? Well, looking at the word Yagnopavit, Yagno or in other words Yagya is the sacred fire in which all major Hindu ceremonies are conducted. Lord Agni or the God of Fire is always given great importance and in all major prayers Lord Agni is worshipped first and is asked to make himself accept any offering that will be provided at the beginning of the ritual. Since he is the God that accepts sacrifices he is a messenger who can send messages to all the other deities of which the universe is composed of. Lord Agni is known as the ever young as fires are lit every day and is immortal. In the Rig Veda which is the first out of the four Vedas Lord Agni being an extremely important god is worshipped first since he accepts all sacrifices and purifies with the help of fire and samagri (Samagri is a very purifying and aromatic mixture of items which when put together make any surrounding very pure without any trace of pollution).

For further knowledge of the Vedas I have written below:

“The Vedas are the ultimate knowledge of any occurrence in the universe teaching man how to become a balanced together with spiritual person. The Vedas are the ancient Hindu scriptures which contain any knowledge in terms of arts, sciences, mathematics, literature, cosmology and spiritual knowledge. They are the greatest texts till date ever since the Earth has been created and has got all the answers for how mankind should live a decent and responsible life. There are four Vedas:

1. Rig Veda
2. Yajur Veda
3. Sama Veda
4. Atharva Veda”

The other part named Upvitam is the sacred thread called the Janeu itself. So the entire word Yagnopavit means the sacrificial ceremony composed of the sacred fire in which sacrifices are initiated in which the Janeu is the reminder of this initiation.

The ritual is conducted by the guru of the teenager in the presence of the sacred Lord Agni (fire) where the guru explains the responsibilities of the phase of education which ends at around 25 to 26 years. He explains the do’s and don’ts of life, what life will become after the sacred Janeu has been placed on the body (the Janeu wraps around from back to front where it rests on top of the left shoulder and under the right arm from the back of the body).  The Janeu is the sacred thread that will remind the boy of what his goals and objectives are in life and remember what his dear guru has taught him to do in the section of the life of his Bramhacharya life (period of education).  This amazing ritual is based on the sacred Janeu that will teach a boy discipline not only in his education part of life but the rest of his existence.

What should or should not the boy do when the sacred Janeu is placed on them? The sacred Janeu as I had said earlier is an objective of discipline and responsibility in all the four stages of life. In Hinduism we classify our existence into four stages. These are:

1. Bramhacharya (Education or student life)
2. Grihastha (Life of Household/family/settling down)
3. Vanaprastha (Retired Life and concentration on Social service)
4. Sannyasa (Renunciation and peaceful life)

Therefore the ritual of Yagnopavit involving the Janeu occurs in the period of Bramhacharya where the student at an early age obtains the Janeu through this purifying rite of passage. When the boy gets the Janeu he must never take any sort of substance or any medium that causes harm to the body. Things like alcohol, smoking etc. are strictly forbidden. Also the boy must not intake any meat and the only animal product they are permitted to is the divine Amrit; milk. Milk is known as Amrit (nectar) due to all the health benefits it provides for the human body and also cow milk is much more significant because of Cows being extremely important and worshipped in the Hindu religion. Whenever the boy needs to go to the bathroom they must wrap the Janeu three times around the right ear. The scientific reason behind this is that when the Janeu is wrapped around I avoids any contact with excretions and also when wrapped around the ear, there is a nerve around the ear which helps in proper digestion and clearing of the excretory systems. If the boy fails to cover any of these criteria then they have to take off the Janeu while chanting Mantras preferably the Gayatri Mantra (which is the strongest and most powerful hymn in the universe according the peaceful and positive vibrations they provide for any person and their surroundings) and bath once in the Holy Ganga. Since the Ganga is not available to everyone they may just bury the Janeu and put a new one on.

After all this explanation why is this ritual actually conducted? Well, as I had said before this Janeu being the main part of this entire rite of passage is a reminder for the teenage boy to remember what his objectives, goals, responsibilities and duties are for the rest of his life depending on the stage of his life. The Yagnopavit however is not a rite of passage in which only the boy and his relatives are part of, the guru is also a very major part and perhaps as important as is the presence of the boy and his parents. In Hinduism we respect four types’ people very much and believe that they are an equivalent to the Almighty. Firstly the main person that is referred to as God is the beloved mother and especially on such an occasion and for every part of life the mother is the main success behind their child’s achievements. After the mother comes the father and so the parents are referred God by the children. Next comes the Acharya or Guru, the Guru is also named God because they are method in which the child gets rid of his ignorance and is able to proceed with a better life. Lastly, the guest is also treated as God since the guest should be delighted with the host’s hospitality and should leave having a good impression about them. The Sanskrit equivalents of these are

1. Mathru Devo Bhava; Mother is God
2. Pitru Devo Bhava; Father is God
3. Acharya Devo Bhava; Teacher is God
4. Atithi Devo Bhava; Guest is God

In the Yagnopavit the main God’s involved are the beloved Mother, the father and the teacher. That is why at the end of the rite of passage the boy touches Mother’s feet first, then Father’s and then teacher’s for blessings and promises them that they will be responsible young men and do all those teachings that the guru has taught him.

My experience with the Yagnopavit ritual was just amazing. I learnt so much just in that one hour of teaching not only in terms of religion but also in terms of life. What I liked about the Yagnopavit in terms of my opinion is that I felt like an educated pandit in which I learnt about the benefits of living a well-balanced, disciplined and responsible life. I also liked the fact that when my Yagnopavit was being conducted it was a very auspicious day since that day was Purnima when there is a full moon. According to the Hindu calendar the lunar system is used only and a full moon day is very auspicious. Therefore since it was such a positive day pundits and gurus were chanting ancient Sanskrit Mantras while my ritual was going on. Lastly, I also liked that my dress style was the traditional Indian Hindu method of dressing with a simple dhoti and angavastra. Overall that day was an amazing and very positive day and I had also learnt many lessons that I might encounter and how the Janeu being so sacred will always be there to remind me about my goals and objectives.

A picture of me when my ritual was completed and I was garlanded by Malas (the flower garlands). I am also wearing an orange Angavastra and a white Dhoti.

The importance of applying and learning mathematics in today’s world

Mathematics? What are the reactions of most people of the world when they hear this particular word? “I have to finish my math homework or else I will get detention tomorrow.” “This math work is so difficult why was the subject ever invented?” For a typical calculus student, they might always be mad at the person who had discovered the subject (Interesting fact; Newton discovered Calculus way after the Vedic scholars of India had already implemented it in their civilization). Looking at the world’s reactions in terms of the subject mathematics there are very few that readily do accept this complicated art of numbers.

However, the way the subject is looked at and thought of is quite biased and I think that this pure art of numbers really is a great opportunity for perhaps every man on this Earth. In an ordinary math class teachers are much focused on their students passing math exams rather than letting them understand what great discoveries math holds in nearly all fields of focus.

Starting with simple examples mathematics is around us and quite obviously right in front of us. I personally really enjoy observing different geometric and linear patterns on floors with tiles. Estimating the height of trees, or counting the numbers of athletes at your basketball practice are all examples of daily practices in the subject. Therefore the spark and interest in the subject begins from within but there are definitely many who unknowingly are using mathematics for a certain cause.

On the other hand however mathematics is available in every choice of major field. The financial sides of the world including economics, financial management, handling a business are using mathematics at every hour of their life. The prediction of stock markets, estimating risks through probability, calculating profits, GDP’s and GNP’s are the works of these certain jobs in which like it or not they have to use the main topics of the subject.

Another interesting fact is that mathematics adds a lot of value to many art works. Visual art uses mathematics in the form of drawings, estimating the size required for a certain art piece. Geometrical drawings unknowingly are generally used for art pieces. In terms of music math plays a huge role in terms of beats for drums, songs etc. Recently I was watching a very interesting video based on Manjul Bhargava in which he stated that the binomial theorem is used in playing drums. The reason behind this is that when trying to create different beats with the use of the Tabla which is an Indian drum there are mainly 2 beats. The whole beat is equal to 8 but these are supported by 1 or 2 beats and so there are around 34 different combinations one can make with these one or two beats to create a whole. Another art that uses mathematics daily is through cooking because measurements are needed for a good dish. However the list goes on forever because there are so many uses of math relating to art.

The last and most major method of the subject mathematics being such a key concept is due to its amazing role it has played in science department. Starting with the medicine department mathematics plays a major role in terms of the equipment and machinery of how to represent biological and biomedical processes. To represent these processes there is a high demand of applied mathematics and now with the great medical discoveries on a daily basis classroom subjects such as calculus and algebra are being used for better understanding and good analytic skills for biological processes.

Mathematics is also being commonly used in the chemical section in terms of chemistry. Starting with the simplest examples such as balancing chemical equations, solving for the relative atomic mass or even calculating the rate of reaction use math in chemistry. Looking at the bigger picture of mathematics in chemistry many day to day chemistry breakthroughs in terms of molecular thermodynamics, structure and reactivity etc. are all using high profile mathematical analogies and solving techniques. Finally the most known and obvious use of mathematics in terms of the sciences is Physical science. Perhaps all topics in physics would be completely nothing without mathematics. Classical mechanics, Newton’s laws, gravitation, forces are all the basic ways in which this amazing subject is widely used in. However there is never really a time where physics does not depend on mathematics because even to the extent of quantum and nuclear physics math is used. This includes the wide discoveries and known occurrences in the universe that are all supported by mathematical reasoning including one of the greatest formulas that defines a universal phenomenon known as Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity.

All in all the usage of mathematics is really very extensive and does not only begin and end in the classroom. Great Vedic scholars from India who were the first people to discover mathematics and sciences did not have any education but came up with all the theorems. By the time these amazing Vedic scholars and philosophers had already developed civilizations only then the discovery of mathematics occurred in the West. Therefore these Vedic scholars from India were the first to discover all possible known theorems including Calculus before Newton was even born.  Therefore to enjoy mathematics one does not need to start in the classroom but rather develop their own enjoyment of the subject at their own rate.

Good Luck to all those Mathematicians who have an interest in the subject and just watch how far the subject will take you!

Hello world!

Well it is high time I get into the world of blogging, my sister tells me all about it, but I have yet to experience the perks of being a blogger.

I have read some blogs, and I get the general outline that most blogs follow a specific theme or topic, be it health or sport or really just whatever, I feel I am lacking in that department because even if I have started this blog, I do not have a definite common topic as of yet.

So basically this will be me, throwing words on topics that appeal to me.

This will be me, writing the words that belong to me.

Hello world!

Well it is high time I get into the world of blogging, my sister tells me all about it, but I have yet to experience the perks of being a blogger.

I have read some blogs, and I get the general outline that most blogs follow a specific theme or topic, be it health or sport or really just whatever, I feel I am lacking in that department because even if I have started this blog, I do not have a definite common topic as of yet.

So basically this will be me, throwing words on topics that appeal to me.

This will be me, writing the words that belong to me.