The Brahmin and the Butcher

"Life is like this " reminds me of Suresh Chandrasekran (http://jambudweepam.blogspot.in/), who for quite some time I could  relate  only with  good humor until he wrote his first guest  post for me which gave me an insight of a philosophical brain that he is. Suresh Chandrasekrans astounding ability to write from anything and about everything not only amazes me but also has made me an ardent fan of him It has always been a pleasure to have him as a guest on my blog and I must thank him for sharing this beautiful,long forgotten story from Vyada Geeta  with all of us.  

The story , in Swami Vivekananda words –  represents the “highest flights of the Vedanta” – and the lessons in this story are some of the most brilliant and profound. It is very unfortunate that existence of such a beautiful story has never been a topic of most lectures and discussions in popular Hinduism. And Thank you Suresh for sharing this wonderful story 

#vyadageeta #guestpost #sureshchandrasekran #geeta #swamivivekananda 

"No duty is ugly, no duty is impure it is only the way in which the work is done, that determines its worth. "

A Brahmin was engaged in austerities in the forest. He was disturbed by the falling of a crane’s droppings on him. Enraged, he glared up at the crane and, by the power of his austerities, the crane dropped dead.

Proud though he was in the powers that his austerities had given him, he was saddened by the fact that his inability to control his anger had caused the death of the crane. He was musing about his shortcomings as he entered the nearby town, to beg for alms as befitted a renunciate, who had given up possessing worldly goods.

At the household where he stood for alms, the lady of the house requested him to wait as she was busy looking after her sick husband. The wait was too prolonged and the Brahmin lost his temper again. When the lady at last came out, he glared at her in anger and berated her for her negligence of a Brahmin sage.

The lady laughed and said, “I am no crane, Brahmin!”

The Brahmin was astounded. How did this ordinary housewife know of what befell him in the forest when such ability to know things from afar was only given to the enlightened sages? Humbled by the thought of being in the presence of a noble soul, the Brahmin beseeched her to teach him the path to enlightenment.

The lady said, “Anyone who does her duty, thinking of it as an offering to God and without any thought of personal benefit, attains enlightenment, O Brahmin! If you want to be set on the path to enlightenment, approach the butcher at Mithila and he shall guide you.”

The Brahmin wended his way to Mithila, wondering all the while about how a lowly butcher could be so enlightened as to guide him – a Brahmin. When he saw the butcher at his shop, heartlessly killing and cutting the meat of goats, he was even more aghast. His quest for enlightenment was a burning fire in him, however, and he told the butcher about the lady who had directed him and requested his guidance.

The butcher said, “Satya and Ahimsa are the way to enlightenment. He, who does his duty, with no thought in his mind but that of the greatest good that he can bring about, given his station in life, is true and non-violent. Violence lies in the mind, when it seeks to do injury, and not in the action. Truth lies in the heart – if the motives be pure, the action in in consonance with Satya.”

“How is it that you, a butcher, are more enlightened than me – a Bahmin?”

“What Society calls a Brahmin is one thing. What the divine teachings call a Brahmin is another. One does not become a Brahmin by birth; only by his thoughts and actions. He, who seeks to serve without any THOUGHT of recompense; he, who is never angered, even when he fearlessly fights injustice; he, who has no ego and only works for the enlightenment of all – only such a person can be called a Brahmin, regardless of where he took his birth.”

The full text of the discourse of the butcher is in the VyadaGeeta.

The idea, therefore, of teaching being the sole province of Brahmins is NOT that education is to be denied to the others BUT that education ought to be disseminated with the mind-set of a Brahmin – freely to all and not to only those who can afford it.

The VyadaGeeta is also a clear indication that the caste system was a division of people based on their natures and NOT based on birth. Else, how could a Brahmin by birth learn from a butcher?

Tales from the Mahabharat: Uttang Rishi

I am back again with "Tales of the Mahabharat " A guest post by one of my favourite blogger Suresh Chandrasekaran of " Life is Like This " http://jambudweepam.blogspot.in/ 

#mahabharat #mahabharata  #uttangrishi #lordkrishna

The reclusive Uttang Rishi stayed the forests for most of his life with little contact with the rest of the world. It was during one such long stay away from civilization that the war between the rift between the Pandavas and Kauravas ripened to enmity and ended in the calamitous war at Kurukshetra that resulted in the decimation of all the Kauravas.

On one of his peregrinations in the forest, Uttang Rishi met Krishna. As was the custom in those days, Uttang asked Krishna of the well-being of his family and, then, sought to know about Krishna’s relatives – the Pandavas and Kauravas. Krishna had the unpleasant task of explaining to the Rishi about the dreadful war between the two.

Uttang was enraged and said, “Krishna! You are the Lord of the universe and quite capable of stopping this destruction from happening. Yet, you allowed such disastrous violence. I, herewith, curse you…”

Krishna interrupted the powerful Rishi and said, “Even the Lord of the Universe may not tamper with destiny, once it is written, O sage, or else the very basis of all order shall be disturbed. Know you that this incarnation of mine was intended to destroy evil and the Kauravas, because of their thirst for power, were part of the evil that I sought to destroy.”

Uttang was pacified.

Krishna said, “I wish to grant you a boon, O most righteous sage! What would you ask of me?”

Uttang said, “I need nothing, Lord! The only thing that I, perhaps, may seek is that I may not lack for water wherever I am, since I travel in wild and inaccessible places.”

“Granted!”

After some time, while Uttang Rishi was traveling in the forest, he was afflicted by thirst and could not find any water to drink. He remembered the boon of Krishna and besought water. Whereupon a huntsman accosted him and offered him water from his deerskin container.

Uttang was aghast. How could he, a Brahmin, take water from this low-caste huntsman? Thrice the huntsman offered water and thrice the Rishi refused. The huntsman disappeared.

Uttang was surprised by this miraculous disappearance of the huntsman.  Clearly, he could not really be a huntsman but some divinity sent by Krishna as a test. Uttang felt dejected about the possibility of having failed the Lord, when Krishna appeared before him.

Uttang complained, ”Lord! You promised me water whenever I needed it. How could you send it in the hands of a huntsman?”

Krishna laughed and said, “O Sage! I asked Indra to give you divine nectar and make you immortal. Indra refused saying that Amrit was not for normal human beings. I said that you were a realised soul and deserving of immortality. Indra then said that if you truly were a realised soul, you would know that all differentiation between people were only the creation of mortals; that all people were the same in the eyes of a realised soul and, thus, if you accepted the nectar from Indra in the guise of s huntsman, you would deserve it. I agreed. You let me down!”

The great epic, thus, does not support differential treatment on the basis of caste. True, the social order of the times did differentiate between people but the epic clearly states that such differentiation is not the divine order of things but only man-made

It's All In The Mind - A philosophical post inspired by Mahabharata By Suresh Chandraskaran

 The moment I think of entertainment or humor the first name that hits my mind is Suresh Chandraskaran and I am sure you all will agree with me !  Suresh Chandraskaran needs no introduction , he has made  us all  laugh and at times think deep with his philosophy .  "It's All In The Mind " is a philosophical post inspired by Mahabharata and I am privileged to have Suresh Chandraskaran of " Life is Like This "  today as a guest blogger ,who after my humble request agreed to do the honors. 

TO READ MORE ON LIFE IS LIKE THIS PHILOSOPHY    http://jambudweepam.blogspot.in/p/philosophy.html

#philosophy #mahabharata #guestblogging #lifeislikethis #storytelling #humor #entertainment 

There is a beautiful story in the Mahabharata. After the Kurukshetra war, Yudhishtira conducts an AswamedhYagnaat the end of which he holds a grand feast and distributes wealth. Everyone is all praise for his generosity and the grandeur of the feast. A half-golden mongoose comes in and rolls in the left-overs and, then, bewails that the acts of charity and hospitality were less than nothing compared to the one he had seen. The incensed Pandavas ask the mongoose about what he considered the best. In reply to which he tells this tale.

There was a Brahmin who lived with his wife, son and daughter-in-law in the area of Kurukshetra. He adhered to the dharma of living only off his daily alms (UncchaVritthi). Due to a severe famine in the area he was unable to find alms for a few days. Then, one day, he got a handful of barley to feed his entire family. Just as the family was about to sit for their poor meal, a hungry stranger landed at their home as a guest. To feed the guest, the Brahmin sacrificed his portion. The guest still looked on hungrily and was offered the Brahmin’s wife’s portion as well. Still unsatiated, he was then offered the son’s portion and, then, the daughter-in-law’s portion as well. The satisfied guest then revealed himself to be the Lord of Dharma and said, “I am pleased by your unstinting adherence to your dharma. You are freed from the unending cycle of births.”

The mongoose continued, “Such was the magnificence of their sacrifice, that the small quantity of barley powder that had spilled around turned half my body to gold. In vain have I been going from sacrifice to sacrifice, hoping to turn my body fully golden but, alas, not even your sacrifice has matched up to the sacrifice of that Brahmin family.” The mongoose was the Lord of Dharma who had come down to keep his son, Yudhishtir from treading the path of arrogance.

To assume that the story is only about the fact that the extent of sacrifice is all about how much you deprive yourself of and not merely one of how much you give is to get but half the point. The point of the story is also about the fact that the Brahmin family had set its values well above their own needs to survive. If it were not that unswerving adherence to their dharma was so solidly set in their minds, it would not have been possible for them to hand over the last bit of food that was keeping them from starvation.

Virtue or sin does not lie in what you do. It lies in WHY you do what you do and THAT is all in the mind. We think of Bhishma and Karna as virtuous, even though they fought on the side of Duryodhan. It was not what they did but the reason why they did it that makes them virtuous. To be truthful, with an intent to use the truth to hurt someone, is no virtue and to lie, with the sole intent of saving lives, is no sin.

To adjudge another person’s virtue from his thoughts are not possible for you and, therefore, Social norms are all set based on action and not based on motives – though, where motives can be assessed from the WAY the actions are carried out, laws do treat people differently. THAT fact does not mean that we can absolve ourselves of sin based on our actions – we do know our motives and, if the motive is wrong, the act is sinful.

As with happiness, Sin and Virtue are also based on what is in the mind.

Significance Of No 3 In Ancient History

The useage of number three goes back very, very far into the earliest aspects of human history and is something that tries to gain our attention as if trying to tell us something. There are various such examples those have been cited in our history and its important to mention here The Three Jewels of Buddhism , The Hindu Trimurti and The Holy Trinity of Christianity.Throughout human history, the number three has always had a unique significance.But why? No matter what ancient culture you look at, the highest ones always came as threes.What is it about the number three that makes it play such a big role in religion, architecture and even the occult? #ancientaliens

"The Number 3 symbolizes the principles of growth. When the initiating force of 1 unites with the germinating energy of 2, there is fruitfulness = 3, the Trinity. 3 signifies that there is a synthesis present - that imagination and an outpouring of energy is in action. The 'thought' of 1 and the 'fertility' of 2 results in the 'creativity' of 3. The joy and happiness of the 3 vibration is to be shared with others."


Millions of people around the world believe we have been visited in the past by extraterrestrial beings.And the question has been raised over and over by Ancient Alien theorists about the possibility of an extraterrestrial connection with no 3 ? The number three according to them represents a portal, a gateway, into another realm. Once we understand this power of three, we ourselves will become like our creators, the gods. And there are various such examples that they cite and one of them is Newgrange, Ireland ,The walls of this 5,000-year-old passage tomb are decorated with mysterious designs made up of three connected spirals.The second such example is Yunnan Province, China.Three 1,100-year-old Buddhist temples known as the Three Pagodas form a triangle thought to protect the population from natural disasters.The third such example is Ancient Greece , according to myth, the destiny of gods and men is controlled by all-powerful beings known as the Three Fates.Various cultures across the world have long shared a belief that the number three represents something sacred, mystical, even divine.What if it were true? Did ancient aliens really help to shape our history? And if so, might the secrets of the universe be revealed by examining the incredible power of three? Well , that's a big question and for me to believe in the power of no 3 is not only that I have been watching Ancient Alien Mysteries without missing a single episode but because I could never find " The evolution Theory " convincing enough to believe what the scientists have suggested all along .

Gif Credits-Google Image Search Results

MH 730 And Stargates

 Stargates# The fictional Universe a self-consistent fictional setting with elements that differ from the real world. It may also be called an imagined, constructed or fictional realm or world " Within the Stargate fictional universe, Stargates are large rings composed of a fictional superconductive mineral called "naqahdah". Each Stargate has nine points (chevrons) spaced equally around its circumference which are used to determine the address being dialed. On the inner ring is a set of unique glyphs; on Milky Way and Pegasus gates, all but one of these represent star constellations, with the remaining symbol representing the planet or point of origin, while the meaning of the glyphs on Destiny-style gates is unknown "  #wikipedia "

The disappearance of flight no MH730 left me intrigued and left me  wonder whether the stargates really exist ?Well , it was on day 7 after the flight disappeared and no debris found I felt that it has been swallowed by a travel portal. I strongly believe Stargates are real or either there are several ancient civilisations inside the earth or stuffed under the sea floor as suggested by Ancient Alien Theorist . I may sound crazy and under the influence of Erich von Daniken (author of the famous book Chariots of the Gods )
according to whom " Legends from around the world speak of sacred entryways to the land of the gods. Gates that allowed instant passage not just beyond the confines of Earth, but beyond space and time. Are such passages–or stargates–just inventions of myth, or might this kind of interstellar travel have existed in the ancient world? In Turkey, researchers uncover a mysterious and toxic cave that the ancient Greeks described as a physical gateway to Hell. The Incas believed their empire began when divine beings stepped through portals in a mountain. In Northern Mexico, legends describe strange, otherworldly creatures appearing and disappearing within the remote ruins of an ancient civilization. As science continues its quest to create technology that would allow humans to travel to the stars, is it possible that these celestial pathways already exist? Ancient Aliens Season 6 Episode 12 (SE6E12) - See more at: http://www.educatinghumanity.com/2014/01/star-gates-and-ancient-aliens.html#sthash.2ZLKTIB3.dpuf

Not only that I have been watching each and every episode of " Ancient Alien Mysteries " but also I never could  believe in " Evolution Theories " I always felt there is a  missing link and strongly believed in " there is  something more to it " But  this programme on Discover Channel has  answered my unanswerd questions those intrigued my mind for several years. Even if we go by the history , nearly every ancient civilization refers to a place called the "underworld" and a place called the heavens, both of which appear to be more than simply metaphors for the planets and stars rising and setting into and over the horizon. According to ancient Hindus and some of the Buddhists " the only way to access the upper levels of heaven was via Mt. Meru (also called Mt. Sumeru), which wasn't an actual mountain but a reference to a ziggurat in ancient Sumer (this is the pivotal point. The ancient egyptians also believed in an entrance to the underworld and a boat which travelled on heavenly waters (et.al, a mode of transportation) which carried them into the heavens. The ancient Sumerians referred to otherworldly places which were accessed via gateways into the underworld, and gates up to the heavens.

I strongly believe the Govt. of various countries involved in the search of MH 730 are aware of the cause of its disappearance yet continue to search till the time the memories fade with the time.I will not be surprised if MH 730 becomes another secret like US military base  Area 51

Gif Credits Google image search results

Top Ten Ancient Alien Mysteries - The Giza Pyramids

In continuation with Top Ten  Ancient Alien mysteries

My inspiration behind writing this post is the show Ancient Aliens on History Channel .A slick production , so far the best show related to science I have ever watched . It simply sucks me in . The show is very adept at getting under your skin and making it crawl. They dig up these so-called experts, among them Erich von Daniken (author of the famous book Chariots of the Gods), who is either crazy as a loon or as sly as a fox. He has been promoting his theory of ancient visitations by the aliens for years, and this is the ultimate forum for him and others like him who want to stoke the fires of these theories. It forced me to go ogle information on the web and I found some interesting facts to support ancient alien theories or one can call it mysteries and #Pyramids of #Giza are one of them


"#Ancient alien theorists believe that visitors from other planets helped humans build architectural wonders like Egypt’s Giza Pyramid. Not only is Giza an incredible feat of engineering for its time, but it lies at the intersection of the longest lines of latitude and longitude. How is this possible? Did the builders of the pyramids already understand the Earth was round and its dimensions? "

The mind boggling facts that make me brood  over Ancient Alien theories that three pyramids of Giza are a perfect reproduction of the 3 stars of Orion’s belt: Like the pyramids, the three stars of Orion are not perfectly aligned, the smallest of them is slightly offset to the East.All three are slanted in a Southwesterly direction (Note the exact match in the animation).Their orientation to the Nile recreates Orion’s orientation to the Milky Way.The layout of the pyramids, and their relative sizes were a deliberate design plan, and not the result of three king’s enormous egos as been preached as dogma by the so-called Egyptologists.

Disclaimer I do not vouch for authenticity of the information and it has been gathered from the web.

Top Ten Ancient Alien Mysteries - The Flower Of Life

Flower of life
 "Modern science suggests elements and reality are tied together to the platonic solids, which comes from the Metatrons cube, which is formed from the fruit of life, which comes from the flower of life."

My inspiration behind this post is the show #Ancient Aliens on History Channel .A slick production , so far the best show based on science I have ever watched . It simply sucks me in . The show is very adept at getting under your skin and making it crawl. They dig up these so-called experts, among them Erich von Daniken (author of the famous book Chariots of the Gods), who is either crazy as a loon or as sly as a fox. He has been promoting his theory of ancient visitations by the aliens for years, and this is the ultimate forum for him and others like him who want to stoke the fires of these theories. It forced me to go ogle information on the web and I found some interesting information to support ancient alien theories or one can call it mysteries and Flower of Life is one of them

The flower of life symbol represents important meaning to many throughout history. The symbol can be found in manuscripts, temples and art throughout cultures around the world.

The most common form of the 'Flower of Life' is hexagonal pattern (where the centre of each circle is on the circumference of six surrounding circles of the same diameter), made up of 19 complete circles and 36 partial circular arcs, enclosed by a large circle.

In New Age thought, the Flower of Life has provided what is considered to be deep spiritual meaning and forms of enlightenment to those who have studied it as sacred geometry. There are groups of people all over the world who derive particular beliefs and forms of meditation based (at least in part) on the Flower of Life.

The #Flower of Life was also known around in ancient times, occurring in Temple of Osiris, Romania, Israel, China and many more places. Everything in the universe is Geometric, whether its people, trees, animals, planets, solar systems, stars, you name it. Everything in the universe comes out of this single pattern. The Metatrons cube forms from the Flower of life which forms the five platonic solids (Tetrahedron, Hexahedron, Octahedron, Dodecahedron, Icosahedron) which makes up the whole universe. Every element in the periodic table of elements has a geometric relation to one of the five platonic solids.which comes from the Metatrons cube, which is formed from the fruit of life, which comes from the flower of life.


Disclaimer I do not vouch for authenticity of the information and it has been gathered from the web.