PEOPLE RESCUED FROM NEPAL EARTHQUAKE

NEPAL: AMAZING RESCUE STORIES
TRAPPED IN EARTHQUAKE RUBBLE

www.people.com - As the death toll in the Nepal earthquake continues to climb, more amazing stories of survivors are emerging. A 4-month-old baby was rescued from the disaster – 22 hours after the earthquake struck, the Nepal newspaper Kathmandu Today reports (via The Independent). Soldiers searched the wreckage of the infant's collapsed home, but were unable to reach him and eventually left the site, believing him to be dead.
However, when they returned hours later, they heard the baby boy's cries and he was finally pulled from the rubble, covered in dust, but free of any serious injuries. Meanwhile, another man, Rishi Khanal, 27, was rescued from a collapsed hotel after being trapped for 82 hours.

"There was no sound going out, or coming in," he said. "I kept banging against the rubble and finally someone responded and came to help. I hadn't eaten or had anything to drink so I drank my own urine. "My nails went all white and my lips cracked," he added. "I was sure no one was coming for me. I was certain I was going to die." He was eventually saved by a French rescue team that was able to extract him from the rubble. "I am thankful," he said. 
Additionally, a 15-year-old boy was rescued five days after the quake. Pemba Lama, who was trapped in the rubble of a collapsed building, told the BBC he stayed alive by eating clarified butter and drinking water off wet clothes.

The final death toll could reach 10,000 as rescue efforts continued after the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that devastated Nepal. However,  after almost a week of heartbreaking news from earthquake-hit Nepal, there were rare moments of joy for rescue teams five days . A baby boy has been rescued from the rubble of the Nepal earthquake after being buried under a collapsed building for 22 hours. Then, a disaster team, pulled a 15-year-old boy from the debris of a seven-storey structure, five days after the earthquake. It was miraculous, and there are more cases of astonishing rescues. Our concept about life and death is always shaken when we face world events like this. In the most unexpected moments comes death, and when all is death around inexplicably life continues. We should remember that so long as there is birth there will also be death in this world. Unfortunately, whatever happiness we hope to attain from this material plane of existence is not real happiness. Our spiritual masters have taught us that we should inquire about these topics, “Who are you?” “Where were you before coming to this world?” “For what purpose have you come here?” “What activities have you performed in your life so far and have they made you happy?” “What activities will truly make you happy?” “Where you will go after death?" No doubt, in the holy lips of our spiritual guides we can get all the answers. Therefore, we must go to them with a humble spirit and ask them for enlightenment about the scriptures in order to understand the right purpose in this life. (Editor's note).

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

In this world, we are flanked by birth and death, and whatever we do in between these two is temporary. One poet has therefore written, "We are but actors on the stage of this world." [...] Therefore, in the scriptures on sanātana-dharma, the ārya-rsis have said:  “In childhood one is engrossed in playing, in youth he becomes captivated by the opposite sex, and in  age he becomes immersed in anxiety; thus he never  becomes absorbed in thoughts of the Supreme Truth.  In this world we pass our time eating, sleeping, defending and so on; rather, we should consider that the time allotted to us in this body is fixed.” - (Śrī Śankarācārya).

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Vāmana Mahārāja :
“Sanātana-dharma: The Solution to World Conflict”
Speech at Śrī Meghalaya Gaudīya Matha, Tura, India - 1/9/1983
Bhaktivedanta Memorial Library - http://www.bvml.org/SBVM/

Published by dasavatara das - “Vedic Views on World News”
http://www.vedicviews-worldnews.blogspot.com.ar/

TODDLER DIES MISTAKING GUN FOR WII CONTROLLER

THREE-YEAR-OLD GIRL FATALLY SHOOTS HERSELF
MISTAKING HANDGUN FOR VIDEO GAME CONTROLLER

TENNESSEE, USA - Cheyenne Alexis McKeehan, 3-year-old girl, shot herself Sunday night after mistaking handgun for Wii control. Cheynne's stepfather Douglas Cronberger, 32, heard a prowler outside the property. He fetched his gun, which he usually kept unloaded in a cabinet and went to investigate. After failing to find anyone, he left the loaded Smith & Wesson handgun in the living room. Cheyenne shot herself in the stomach with the .380 caliber, semi-automatic weapon after finding it lying on a table in the living room and probably mistaken the weapon for a Wii control. Her mother, Tina Ann, 32, was sitting at the computer just a few feet away while her three-month-old brother was also lying nearby. She told the child was used to playing a shooting game with the Nintendo Wii video game console and likely confused the real gun with the realistic-looking black toy gun.

“This Nintendo game called Wii had what looks like a solid black, basically automatic-looking type mechanism that operates the game,” Sheriff Ashe said. He displayed two guns taken from the home - one the Wii controller and the other the handgun which killed Cheyenne. 'You can see by the comparison of the toy weapon and the real weapon that there's little chance a three-year-old would differentiate between the two,' “The big message we're trying to tell parents is if you've got a gun, put it up, especially if you have children,” Sheriff Ashe said. “If you have a live handgun and a toy that looks the same - for parents some bells and whistles need to go off,” he said. At present no criminal charges have been laid but information collected by the Sheriff’s office in the investigation will be given to prosecutors.


In the grihastha āśrama, or the status of family life, the couple should take care of their children and also make them to develop transcedental qualities by training them in spiritual understanding, so that they can get liberated from the material world.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

Sri Rsabhadeva gives the following instruction to his sons: (ŚB.5.5.18) “One who cannot save his dependents from the impending face of death in the form of this miserable material world, cannot be considered as Guru. A father who cannot liberate his children is not a father and should not beget children. Similarly a mother, if she cannot rescue her children from illusion, should not bother to give birth to a child. A demigod should not accept worship and offerings from the votaries if he cannot deliver them. A husband should not be accepted in marriage if he cannot save the wife ... from the material illusory energy culminating in death.”

Śrīla Bhakti Promode Puri Mahārāja :
“Essence of Pure Devotion - Bhakti Siddhanta Sara”
Part II - ‘Guru Tattva’
Bhaktivedanta Memorial Library - http://bvml.org/SBPPG/

BELGIUM REPORTS HEAD-ON RAIL COLLISION

BRUSSELS TRAINS CRASH HEAD-ON, COST 25 LIVES
AND MANY INJURED AT BELGIAN DEADLY TRAIN CRASH

HALLE, Belgium (Reuters) - At least 18 people died and 162 were hurt when two trains collided in Halle on Monday, a government spokeswoman said. Two commuter trains crashed head-on near Brussels during the morning rush hour on Monday, killing at least 25 people. The trains collided in snowy conditions at the village of Buizingen, near Halle, 15 km (9 miles) southwest of the Belgian capital, causing the cancellation of services to France and Britain. Some passengers were still trapped inside one wrecked carriage in freezing temperatures several hours after the disaster, which occurred at about 8:30 a.m. Apparently, one of the trains, a local service from Leuven, had gone past a red light and plowed into an express train bound for Liege running about 10 minutes late. However, train operator SNCB said it was too early to speculate about the cause of the accident. It said between 250 and 300 people were traveling in the two trains at the time. The two trains were crushed against each other, their ends suspended in the air. Overhead power lines were badly damaged. The crash took place during morning rush hour when people were on their way to work.

The injured were being treated at a sports center near the scene of the accident. Fifty-five of the injured were taken to 14 separate hospitals in and around Brussels, while more than a hundred others had minor injuries. The crash caused disruption to parts of the wider rail network in northern Europe. Eurostar said its services between Brussels and Britain would remain suspended all day on Tuesday. It would operate a reduced service between Britain and Lille in France.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

There is no person in this world who doesn't fear. If you want to be fearless you must worship Krishna. You must serve Krishna. You must repeat the Namam of Krishna. And he will give you happiness. He will destroy all your calamities. He will destroy all your sufferings. He will destroy everything not wanted to you. So you repeat always, in day and night, in the summer, in the rainy season, in the cold season. Always. In day always. In night always. … Utilize your time, utilize your maximum time in the service of the Lord. … Because always there are dangers.

Śrīla Bhakti Vaibhava Purī Mahārāj :
Lecture: “Navada Bhakti”
Slovenia, summer 1998.
Śrī Krishna Chaitanya Mission.

AFGHANISTAN: AVALANCHES KILL 165

MORE THAN 160 PEOPLE KILLED BY MASSIVE
AVALANCHES NEAR SALANG MOUNTAIN TUNNEL

AFGHANISTAN (Reuters) - Heavy winds and rain set off 17 avalanches that buried more than two miles of highway at a high-altitude pass in the Hindu Kush mountain range, entombing hundreds of cars and cutting off Kabul’s heavily traveled link to northern Afghanistan, officials said Tuesday. Local officials said days of heavy snow led to avalanches that buried part of the mountain pass that connects Kabul to the northern city Mazar-i-Sharif. A series of massive avalanches have killed at least 165 people on Afghanistan’s busiest highway, officials said yesterday, as rescuers struggled to free more than 1,500 people trapped deep inside the Hindu Kush. Hundreds of cars, buses and lorries were jammed bumper to bumper in the path of the advancing snow, witnesses told The Times, after bad weather brought the two-mile pass to a halt before the avalanches struck. Dozens of cars were swept off a treacherous mountain pass on Monday when snowfalls caused more than three hours of avalanches near the Salang tunnel. Rescuers have already recovered 165 bodies from the Salang Pass and 135 have been injured. The calamity began Monday at the southern approaches of the 12,000-foot-high Salang Pass, just south of a tunnel through the mountains, which connects Kabul with northern Afghanistan. Officials said that snow buried more than two miles of road.

The interior minister, Mohammad Hanif Atmar, said a storm with heavy wind and rain blew in suddenly during the afternoon, setting off a series of avalanches above the highway, which is cut into mountainsides and often runs high above a river gorge. Nearly a mile of the highway remained buried as of Tuesday evening.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

The three modes of material nature is material energy called ‘Maha-Maya’ and is responsible for the material activities like creation and destruction. As long as the living entity is engrossed in sense gratification; till then he comes under this influence of illusory energy. He is able to escape from this abominable material energy only on realization of his innate blissful spiritual identity in relation with transcendence. ... Lord Krsna is the master of this material energy while the living entity can be subjugated by this material energy.

Śrīla Bhakti Promode Puri Mahārāja :
“Essence of Pure Devotion – Bhakti Siddhanta Sara”.
Part VIII – ‘Yoga Maya and Maha Maya’.
Bhaktivedanta Memorial Library - http://bvml.org/SBPPG/index.htm

PLANE CRASHED INTO THE SEA: NO SURVIVORS

BEIRUT: 90 DEAD AS ETHIOPIAN AIRLINES JET
PLUNGES INTO MEDITERRANEAN OFF LEBANON

BEIRUT (AP) - All 90 passengers aboard an Ethiopian plane that crashed into the Mediterranean Sea are feared dead, with more than twenty dead bodies recovered so far. Officials with the rescue operation said that by Monday morning 23 corpses were recovered from the crash site, the state-run Lebanese National News Agency reported. The Boeing 737-800 which was en route to the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, nose-dived into the Mediterranean Sea on Monday, just minutes after take-off from Beirut International Airport. Witnesses who live near Beirut's southern coast have reported seeing a ball of fire as the airliner plunged into the sea. Most of the 83 passengers aboard were Lebanese and Ethiopian nationals. The flight also had seven crew members. The cause of the crash remains unclear; however, Lebanon's president Michel Sleiman has ruled out the possibility of a terrorist attack. "We don't believe that there is any indication for sabotage or foul play," Sleiman said. It appears that the stormy weather and technical problems combined with a fuel overload have triggered fire on the plane leading to its eventual crash, aviation sources told Press TV.

Rescue efforts are still ongoing in the southern coast of Beirut as helicopters and rescue ships surround the crash scene in search for survivors. Beirut has so far requested for help from the Lebanese navy and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon. Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri announced a day of mourning for the victims of the crash, ordering all government departments to close, the news agency added. He also praised security forces and the Red Cross for their efforts, while urging patience until the recovery of the jetliner's black box.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

The living entity has been covered by illusion for a long time and have been suffering countless miseries but by receiving the mercy of the pure devotees, he takes to the devotional service of the Lord which frees him from the effects of the illusory energy. Seeing the bewilderment of the living entity, the compassionate Lord reveals the scriptures. Consequently, by this utility of scripture with the help of the external spiritual master and internal 'caitya-guru' (the Supreme Lord in the heart), he uncovers his real spiritual identity. This according to stages is the process of knowledge to Sri Krishna (sambandha), the devotional practice which is abhideya and finally devotion to the Supreme Lord.

Śrīla Bhakti Promode Puri Mahārāja :
“Essence of Pure Devotion”
Part VIII - ‘Yoga Maya and Maha Maya’
Bhaktivedanta Memorial Library - http://bvml.org/SBPPG/index.htm

NIGERIA RUNAWAY TRUCK KILLS NEAR 100

TRAILER CARRYING FERTILIZERS LOST CONTROL
AND RAN INTO A MARKET, KILLING MORE THAN 90

NIGERIA (BBC News) - Up to 100 people have been killed after a runaway truck ploughed into a crowded market in Nigeria. Kogi state police said the lorry hurtled down a hill at speed, smashing cars and motorcycles then crashing into the market, injuring up to 40 people. Eyewitnesses told that the market in Allo village in the Dekina area was filled to capacity when it was rammed by the lorry. A number of vehicles caught fire, burning people beyond recognition. Authorities informed that the accident was as a result of reckless driving on the part of the driver and brake failure. Governor Ibrahim Idris explained that the state government would take full responsibity for the medical bills of the 38 injured persons, stressing that the state government will also foot the burial expenses of those killed during the accident.

"I am very shocked that this accident is happening just towards the end of the year, this is my saddest day on earth to see my people that elected me in office to provide the much-needed dividend of democracy to them, been killed just like that as a result of a careless driver", Governor Idris said. He then appealed to the officers to do more by constantly carrying out proper test on both the drivers and their vehicles before leaving their parks and also the road, to reduce some of these accidents. Traffic accidents are common in Nigeria because vehicles and roads are badly maintained. Last week, more than 20 people burned to death when a bus carrying mourners to a funeral collided with a truck on a road in Oyo state, south-west Nigeria.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

Citraketu, a great devotee of the Lord Vishnu, praised the Lord: “Oh Lord, I don't want anything in this world. I don't want the throne of Indra or throne of Brahma. I don't want to be the master or the ruler of the whole world. I don't want even freedom from birth and death.” … “I want you. You are my wealth. And if you bless me I will be happy.” … Likewise, here in this world we are suffering. Always suffering, suffering, suffering. Nobody can say that I am not suffering. Suffering 1%, 200% and 1000%. There is no limit in suffering. Only we forget that suffering when the reaction comes and for a second we feel happy. But again we have to be dissatisfied. So, real satisfaction comes to us, real happiness comes to us through the association of a sadhu.

Śrīla Bhakti Vaibhava Purī Mahārāj:
“Lecture in Tivoli, Slovenia, on June,24 1999”
Śrī Krishna Chaitanya Mission.