SMOKE-FREE LEGISLATION REDUCES CHILDREN'S ASTHMA

CHILD HOSPITAL ADMISSIONS FOR

ASTHMA SLUMP AFTER SMOKING BAN

www.dailymail.co.uk - The number of children being admitted to hospital to be treated for asthma attacks has dropped sharply since the smoking ban came into effect. Experts believe the law may have made smokers more aware of the dangers of second-hand smoke at home. This is despite the fact that the legislation only applies to work and public spaces. Researchers at Imperial College London found NHS hospital admissions for children under 14 for asthma attacks fell by 12.3 per cent in England in the year after July 2007, when the ban came in. In the two subsequent years, admissions were 3.4 per cent lower. 
Experts say law change may have made adults more aware of dangers of passive smoking. The study, published in the journal Pediatrics, found that the total fall in the three years to July 2010 was equivalent to 6,802 hospital admissions. The drop was found in both boys and girls, in homes across all social classes and in both cities and rural areas.

Admissions for severe child asthma attacks had previously been rising from 2002 by 2.2 per cent a year, peaking at 26,969 admissions in the year before the ban. Asthma affects approximately one in every 11 children in the country. In other research, experts have found that hospital admissions for childhood asthma fell after legislation banning smoking in public spaces was introduced in Scotland and North America, before the law in England. Dr Christopher Millett, of Imperial College’s School of Public Health, said: ‘Previous studies have suggested the smoke-free law led more people to abstain from smoking voluntarily at home and in cars. 
‘We think exposing children to less second-hand smoke in these settings probably played an important role.’ Immediately following the ban, experts found a 10 per cent fall in heart attacks in England and it was suggested that older people who never smoked benefited the most.

Research shows there was a 12.3% fall in admissions in the first year after the law came into place in July 2007, and these have continued to drop in subsequent years, suggesting that the benefits of the legislation were sustained over time. Previous studies have shown hospital admissions for childhood asthma fell after smoke-free legislation was introduced in Scotland and North America. “As a society we must keep moving forward in ensuring that we protect our children from passive smoking. The next logical step would be to see a ban on smoking in cars when children are present, as the concentration of smoke caused by smoking within the small enclosed space of a car can be significantly greater than we used to see in pubs before the smoking ban,” said Dr Penny Woods, Chief Executive of the British Lung Foundation. We must protect our children and support the smoking ban all over the world!

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

An average cigarette contains 401 poisons and 43 cancer-causing chemicals, there are around 1.1 billion smokers in the world (about one-third of the global population aged 15 and over) and we have quite a sobering picture of the world around us.  The statistics about other self-destructive behavioral patterns – alcoholism, substance abuse and suicide - are equally, if not more, alarming. And even among so-called normal people, practically everyone is victimized by some form of self-destructive behavioral pattern - unwarranted expression of anger that turn out to be disastrous, unintentional use of caustic words that break hearts and ruin lives and so on. ... Chanting (the Holy Names of God) enables one to experience within oneself continuous happiness, which is absolutely independent of the state of the body and the external world.

Śrīpad Caitanya Caran das (BE E&TC) :
“The Tragedy of Self-Destruction”
“The Spiritual Scientist” - Vol. 1 Issue 16.
Bhaktivedanta Academy for Culture and Education (BACE), Pune
http://thespiritualscientist.com/

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

TIPS TO KNOW ABOUT YOGA

FIVE THINGS YOU SHOULD 

KNOW ABOUT PRACTICING YOGA

http://indiawest.com - US Researchers from the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) have put out a list of five things people should know about yoga. I have reprinted it here as a public service notice. Yoga typically combines physical postures, breathing exercises, and meditation or relaxation. If you’re thinking about practicing yoga, here are 5 things you should know: Studies suggest that yoga may be beneficial for a number of conditions, including pain. Recent studies in people with chronic low-back pain suggest that a carefully adapted set of yoga poses can help reduce pain and improve function. 
Other studies also suggest that practicing yoga (as well as other forms of regular exercise) might have other health benefits such as reducing heart rate and blood pressure, and may also help relieve anxiety and depression.

Studies show that certain other health conditions may not benefit from yoga. Research suggests that yoga is not helpful for asthma, and studies looking at yoga and arthritis have had mixed results. Yoga is generally considered to be safe in healthy people when practiced appropriately. However, people with high blood pressure, glaucoma, or sciatica, and women who are pregnant should modify or avoid some yoga poses. 
Practice safely and mindfully. Everyone’s body is different and yoga postures should be modified based on individual abilities. Inform your instructor about any medical issues you have, and ask about the physical demands of yoga. Talk to your health care providers about any complementary health practices you use, including yoga. If you’re thinking about practicing yoga, also be sure to talk to your health care providers. Give them a full picture of what you do to manage your health. This will help ensure coordinated and safe care.

Each year, up to one-quarter of U.S. adults experience low-back pain. It is a challenging condition to diagnose, treat, and study. Researchers from the NCCAM - which belongs to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services - are studying how yoga may be used to help improve health and to learn more about its safe use and give suggestions to the public about yoga practice, says the author of the article, Meena Modi, a yoga and meditation specialist. One of the most relevant tips to take into account is: "Carefully selecting an instructor who is experienced and is attentive to your needs is an important step toward helping you practice yoga safely." The 2007 National Health Interview Survey found that yoga is one of the top 10 complementary health practices used among U.S. adults.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

Yoga prescribes physical, mental and spiritual disciplines which will free one from mental and physical diseases. ... Asana -”bodily postures”: This process of various exercises and bodily postures brings physical and mental steadiness as well as health and vigor.  Pranayama - “control of breath”.  Prana means life air and yama means to control.  It involves controlling the inhalation, exhalation and the retention of the air we breathe. ... Yoga practices are also meant for the holistic upliftment of mind, body and spirit.  By regularly practicing Yoga, Pranayana (breathing exercises) and by maintaining a natural life style in one’s eating, resting, work, etc., a person can be fully relaxed and free from tension and anxiety.  When a person maintains these practices properly, he or she will be free from heart diseases and mental anxiety.

T.D. Singh, Ph.D. - Śrīla Bhaktisvarupa Damodara Mahārāja :
“Science and Religion - Present and Future” - “Yoga”
Bhaktivedanta Institute - http://www.scienceandscientist.org/
http://www.krishnascience.com  -  http://www.bhaktisvarupadamodara.com/

Published by dasavatara das - "Vedic Views on World News"
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SHOES TO APPEAR HIGHER

SHORTIES LATIN AMERICAN OUTWEIGH

WITH SHOES WITH INCREASE HEIGHT

AFP - "I'm a new self" since I use these shoes, confesses - while shopping online - a follower of the ingenious line of footwear for men that increases the height of its users thanks to a hidden platform, which is traded in America by a Mexico-Chilean firm. "The trick is that nobody knows I'm a very short guy," said an agent bank, who refused to give his name. This Mexican, 35 years old, is 1.59 m high, that is below the average height of the men of his country, which is around 1.67 m according to the National Chamber of the Apparel Industry.
Like him, many men in Latin America are self-conscious about his short stature, "especially if your partner is higher," says Dr. Patricia Valladares, a psychologist, working as program coordinator to violence and gender studies at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma of Mexico. The market of personal appearance care, which was almost exclusively aimed at women, little by little has become masculine.

This phenomenon caused the apparition in society of the men called "metrosexual", which devote much time and money on their appearance than the average of the gentlemen. But not only men want to be higher. Claudia Lezaeta, who founded the shoe store Massimo Rando, a footwear specialist in increasing up to 7cm height by a seamless platform, also knows this longing by herself. "I'm short, I was the shortest at my school and always wanted to be tall, then one day I found shoes to seem higher and learned that they already existed in Europe and the U.S., but no in Latin America. Therefore, besides buying shoes for me I decided it would be good business in Latin America," says the entrepreneur. 
Men "do not want people to know" they are wearing shoes that increase their height, "for that reason the shoes do not shows the brand on the outside," he says, while the man responsible of her store in Mexico City, explained that the store "is very closed, windowless, as a matter of discretion."

Each time it has become more common for American men, and especially Mexicans, wear shoes with hidden platform to look taller. This is "a contradiction to what was the machismo's ideology of Mexico. Now, consumer stereotypes dictate that it is no longer enough to be macho and strong. Now, besides being macho and strong, one must be tall, thin, rich smell, use creams and do not allow the hair to fall out," says psychologist Valladares. Even women are reluctant to transform cultural canons, they say: "I do not want him to have more creams or to spend more time in the mirror than me," she explains. The businesswoman Lezaeta, who is about to open a store in Miami (Southeastern United States) and whose leather shoes can cost up to 1,399 pesos (about $ 110), was able to well understand this delicate situation and take advantage of it.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

The human form of life is called arthada because the body can very nicely help the embodied soul to achieve the highest perfection. Prahlāda Mahārāja said that even though temporary, the body can give us the highest perfectional achievement. In the process of evolution from the lower to the higher grade of living, the human form of life is a great boon. But māyā is so strong that in spite of achieving this great boon of the human form of life, we are influenced by temporary material happiness, and we forget our goal of life. We are attracted by things which will cease to exist. The beginning of such attraction is the temporary body. In this horrible condition of life there is only one way of liberation - to engage in the activities of transcendental chanting and hearing of the holy name of the Supreme Lord: Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare / Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare.

Śrīla A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda :
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 4.7.44
Canto 4: "Creation of the Fourth Order"
Chapter 7: "The Sacrifice Performed by Daksha"
Bhaktivedanta VedaBase Network 

Published by dasavatara das - "Vedic Views on World News"
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DOG TURNS UP TO DEAD OWNER'S CHURCH EVERY DAY

LOYAL DOG ATTENDS CHURCH MASS

DAILY AS HE MOURNS LATE OWNER

www.huffingtonpost.co.uk - A dog whose owner died two months ago visits the church where her funeral was held every day in the hope she will return. Ciccio, a 12-year-old German Shepherd, attends Mass at the church of Santa Maria Assunta in San Donaci, in the southern region of Puglia, every day. Ciccio heads to the church as soon as the bells begin to ring each afternoon, just as he did for years when his owner was alive. The woman, who was known in local dialect as "Maria tu lu campu" - "Maria of the fields" - died suddenly in November. Ciccio attended the funeral, following his mistress's coffin as it was carried into the church. 
The dog's devotion has so impressed villagers that they have adopted him as their own, giving him food and water and letting him sleep in a covered area outside the church. The local priest, Donato Panna, allows him to sit in front of the altar during Masses, baptisms and other services.

According to Sud Italia News, the grieving hound mourns daily for his former owner who was known in the area for her love of animals. The paper says: "As a sign of gratitude, Ciccio goes to church every morning, sitting beneath the altar, near the priest. "His hope to see his beloved Maria, the person he accompanied everywhere, even in church, moves the faithful." It adds the parish priest "does not dare" to chase him away.
Father Donato Panna told the Daily Mail: ''He's there every time I celebrate Mass and is very well behaved - he doesn't make a sound, I've not heard one bark from him in all the time he has been coming in. 'He used to come to Mass with Maria and he was obviously devoted to her - I let him stay inside as he was always so well behaved and none of the other parishoners ever complained to me." A Facebook page for The Church in Malta features pictures of Ciccio and his story - and has been shared more than 3,500 times.

Call him "Ciccio" the Faithful. This 12-year-old German shepherd, who has attended church every day since his owner died in November, used to escort her to church every afternoon when she was alive. Now he heads to Santa Maria Assunta church in San Donaci, Italy, the moment the bells start chiming. Ciccio last accompanied his owner when bearers carried her coffin into the church. The priest doesn't have the heart to shoo him away, letting him sit by the altar during services. Compassionate villagers feed and water him, but the priest hopes he'll find a real home soon. Ciccio's history has already become famous and there is no other topic of conversation in the village, showing that the bond created between a dog and his master is so strong that it does not break even after death. He would be a great friend of Captain, the Argentine dog who sleeps on his owner's grave, and of Hachiko, the Japanese dog who for years waited in the train station for his dead owner.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

Affection, attraction, sympathy - these things are all the outcome of having a heart.  The scientists feel that animals have no real brain, no intelligence. Yet we see that even without much of a brain, an animal can live, but without a heart, none can live. As the brain is a representation of a computer, the animals have no real computer to calculate. Animals may follow intuitive knowledge, and so they can work unconsciously. And we can see that intuition can go above brain calculation. So many birds and beasts can understand that an earthquake is coming, but so far, no human calculation can understand precisely when an earthquake will come. There are many things that our brain cannot feel, cannot catch, whereas even the animals can get some clue about them beforehand.

Śrīla Bhakti Raksaka Sridhara Mahārāja :
“The Loving Search for the Lost Servant”
Seventh Chapter: “Knowledge-Free Devotion”
http://www.scsmath.com/docs/books.html
http://www.scsmath.com/docs/loving_search_excerpt.html

Published by dasavatara das - "Vedic Views on World News"
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INDIA, SUGARCANE AND HARVEST FESTIVAL

SIGNIFICANCE OF SUGARCANE

DURING HINDU FESTIVALS

www.boldsky.com - Hindu Festivals are an exuberant celebration of peace and harmony, and Makar Sankranti (Thai Pongal) is no exception. It is an amalgamation of spirituality and science with great pageantry. Makar Sankranti is a major harvest festival celebrated in various parts of India. According to science, the winter solstice comes to an end where the transition of sun from the Tropic of Capricorn to the Tropic of Cancer or from Dakshinayana to Uttarayana commemorates the beginning of the harvest season. 
Makar Sankranti identifies a period of enlightenment, peace, prosperity and happiness followed by a period of darkness, ignorance and viciousness with immense sorrow. The significance of sugarcane is also marked by a fact that life is a mixture of both good and bad, agony and ecstasy, bitter and sweet so on, which epitomizes that life is an assortment of balances and the great balancing act is what makes an individual attain self-actualisation.

Makar Sankranti or Pongal in Tamil Nadu is celebrated in myriad ways. Since Sankranti marks the harvest season, the crops and grains that are grown signify prosperity and happiness. Sugarcane is usually distributed on this day along with sweets made of Til (sesame seeds), jaggery and groundnut. Til is said to be a nourishing agent for the body, while jaggery which is rich in minerals helps in digestion. Sugarcane has many medical properties which is known to prevent cancer and strengthen the stomach, kidneys, liver and the reproductive organs. 
Sugarcane is considered spiritual on harvest festival at any part of India. You can find sugarcane in Tamil Nadu (Pongal), Northern states (Sankranti), Punjab (Lodhi) to name a few. Sugarcane being the most important harvest of the season signifies prosperity and well being. Besides, due to the spiritual significance of sugarcane, Makar Sankranti and Pongal decorations and celebrations are incomplete without sticks of sugarcane.

Apart from these various aspects of the significance of sugarcane, the author of the article explains that on the spiritual side, sugarcane is seen in the hands of Goddess Lalitha Tripura Sundari, who holds a goad, a noose, an arrow of flowers, a sugarcane and a bow, which represents the mind and the five sense objects, that controls the kama - lust, krodha - anger, lobh - greed, moha - emotional attachment, mada or ahankara - pride, matsarya - envy, jealousy. The sugarcane which is firm and straight symbolises a stern and a balanced mind that is controlling the five senses and fostering positive thought in one's being. In the Vedic/Hindu tradition, there are many festivals that are observed throughout the year, and Makara Sankranti is one of the most important Indian harvest festival.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

Makara Sankranti: Hindus consider the sun king of the planets. Makara Sankranti is the celebration of the sun's journey to the Northern Hemisphere. Makar means Capricorn and Sankranti means transition. So you could say there is one sankranti every month when the sun moves from one sign of the zodiac to the next. However, the most important ones are the Mesh (Aries) Sankranti and the Makar (Capricorn) Sankranti. So the transition of the sun from Sagittarius to Capricorn during the winter solstice in the northern hemisphere is known as Makar Sankranti. This is when the sun moves from the Da-kshinayana (southern) route to the Uttarayana (northern) route. The Uttarayana route begins on January 14 and lasts till July 14. This time is accepted as a special or auspicious time. It is believed that those who die in this period attain moksha or liberation from samsara, the cycle of birth and death.

Stephen Knapp (Śrīpad Nandanandana dasa) :
"Hindu Festivals"
http://www.stephen-knapp.com  -  http://www.stephenknapp.info/
http://www.stephen-knapp.com/hindu_festivals.htm

Published by dasavatara das - "Vedic Views on World News"
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RULING ON CHRISTIAN'S RIGHT TO WEAR CROSS

EUROPEAN COURT TO RULE ON 

UK CHRISTIANS' DISCRIMINATION CLAIMS

www.guardian.co.uk - Secular groups have welcomed a Strasbourg court ruling that religious freedoms do not trump other human rights as a victory against discrimination. Keith Porteous Wood, the executive director of the National Secular Society, described the court's decision that a British Airways check-in worker should have been allowed to wear a cross at work was only a "limited" right that needed to be balanced against other interests. 
Three other UK Christians, who appealed to the European court of human rights (ECHR) claiming that their religious liberties had been infringed, lost their challenges. Nadia Eweida, the BA check-in worker, won her appeal but Lilian Ladele, a local authority registrar who also lives in London, Shirley Chaplin, a nurse from Exeter, and Gary McFarlane, a Bristol marriage counsellor, all had their claims dismissed. Porteous Wood said the ECHR rulings confirmed there was no need to change UK equality law because it had been found to be "fully compatible" with the European convention on human rights.

John O'Doherty of the Rainbow Project, a gay and lesbian organisation, said: "Religious belief cannot be used as a smokescreen for discrimination, and all service providers must recognise that they may not pick and choose which members of the public are worthy of accessing services. "While we had always supported Nadia Eweida's right to wear her cross, as a symbol of her faith, in the workplace, we were adamant that the McFarlane and Ladele claims of discrimination must fall." 
But the Archbishop of York, the Most Revd Dr John Sentamu, insisted that courts should not have any power to prevent individuals wearing religious symbols. "'Christians and those of other faiths should be free to wear the symbols of their own religion without discrimination," he said. "Christians are not obliged to wear a cross but should be free to show their love for and trust in Jesus Christ in this way if they so wish. Shami Chakrabarti, from the human rights group Liberty, said: "[This] judgment is an excellent result for equal treatment, religious freedom and common sense.

In its judgment the European Court of Human Rights said that manifesting religion is a "fundamental right". "[This is because] a healthy democratic society needs to tolerate and sustain pluralism and diversity; but also because of the value to an individual who has made religion a central tenet of his or her life to be able to communicate that belief to others." Defending the right of Christians and believers of other faiths of wearing the symbols of their own religion without discrimination, the Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, said: "The Equality Act 2010 encourages employers to embrace diversity - including people of faith. "Whether people can wear a cross or pray with someone should not be something about which courts and tribunals have to rule." Rather than having a religion, we need to develop spirituality. As we are spiritual souls our true happiness lies in attune with God and not discriminate the faith of others.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

Communal conflicts make some people feel that the world would be better off without religion. But the plight of a godless modern world is poignantly caught by Martin Luther King Jr. in his comment several decades ago, "We have guided missiles and misguided men". While science and technology have helped us to control the external world to some extent, control of the inner world is sadly lacking, as can be seen from the alarming increase in depression, hypertension and other mental health disorders as also in addictions, criminality, violence, suicides and homicides. It is genuine spirituality alone that can provide the inner strength and fulfillment that can lead to lasting morality and real character in the individual. ... When people harmonize themselves with the essential principles of their respective religion, they learn to live harmoniously.

Śrīpad Chaitanya Charan das :
“The Spiritual Scientist” - Vol 4 Issue 15 
“Seek Spiritual Unity Amidst Religious Diversity” 
http://nitaaiveda.com/Soul_Science_God_Philosophy/Spiritual_Scientist/Volume_04/Spiritual_Unity_in_Religious_Diversity.htm

Published by dasavatara das - "Vedic Views on World News"
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THE MAGIC OF INDIA'S KUMBH MELA

A DAY AT THE HINDU

KUMBH MELA FESTIVAL

www.bbc.co.uk - Monday marks the opening day of the Hindu festival of Kumbh Mela in the northern Indian city of Allahabad. Tens of millions of pilgrims are expected to visit to bathe at the Sang am - the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati rivers. The festival is scheduled to continue until 10 March and is billed as the biggest religious gathering in the world. The festival has been held on the banks of the Ganges for thousands of years. It is at its largest once every 12 years when it attracts tens of millions of people. The BBC's Geeta Pandey is in Allahabad, giving regular updates on how the day progresses.
At 5am, Sangam is a hub of frantic activity. Thousands of pilgrims have already taken a dip in the holy waters, thousands are lining up for their turn and thousands more are walking towards the river front. Although the sky is still dark, the bathing ghats are lit up with thousands of electric bulbs. The air here smells smoky from all the fires which people have burned overnight to stay warm. Among the early bathers was Manidatt Panda from Nepal. "I've washed off my sins," he said, laughing.

At 07am, the first group of Naga sadhus (ascetics) arrived in a colourful procession. Led by naked ash-smeared men with marigold garlands around their necks, they sprinted into the chilly waters of Sangam. Dip over, some came and stood before us in the media enclosure, rubbing coarse river sand onto their bodies. At 07:30 the sadhus from the Niranjani akhara (camp) arrive in a huge procession and get 45 minutes to bathe. 
The group, which has several hundred naked ascetics, has a reputation for being rather unfriendly and they are accompanied by the elite commandos of the RAF (rapid action force). As waves of naked ash-smeared ascetics continue to arrive and sprint towards the river, thousands of bathers in nearby enclosures watch in awe. In a departure from tradition, a large number of women ascetics have also come for a bath at Sangam. Dressed in bright saffron-coloured saris and robes, they seemed to be enjoying all the attention. Meanwhile, in the next enclosure, thousands of ordinary pilgrims - men and women, old and young - are moving in orderly lines for their bathing rituals.

The Kumbh Mela is a mass pilgrimage in which Hindus gather in specific locations along the holy rivers Ganges, Yamuna and the mythical river Saraswati. "India is a land of spectacles, it is a land of teeming millions and a land of an ancient culture and civilisation. I have seen vast crowds assemble but none as big as the millions who flocked to the north Indian city of Allahabad to bathe at the confluence where the cloudy waters of the river Ganges meet the blue waters of the river Yamuna on the most auspicious day of those Melas," says Mark Tully, former BBC India Correspondent. "Faith is the key to the Kumbh Mela. There would be no Kumbh Mela were it not for the faith that draws millions of pilgrims to the Sangam in Allahabad," he explains.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

To bathe in the sangam on the peak days is said to especially purify one's existence and relieve one from the continued cycle of birth and death in the material world after this life. Thus, the importance and good fortune for those who can do this is taken very seriously. This is actually the significance of the Kumbha Mela: It offers the chance to transcend, to reach beyond the endless suffering of material existence and reincarnation and enter the level of liberation, salvation, and immortality. It promises to purify us in the spiritual sense, and merge or become connected with the Divine in all of us. ... In this way, the Kumbha Mela provides a means for the spiritual upliftment of all mankind. It is a time to remember the time honored spiritual knowledge found in the Vedic texts and customs. It is a time when everyone can renew their spiritual unity and values, based on mutual love, brotherhood, compassion, tolerance, and devotion to God.

Stephen Knapp (Śrīpad Nandanandana dasa) :
“The Traditional Legend of the Kumbha Mela”
http://www.stephen-knapp.com  -  http://www.stephenknapp.info/
http://www.stephen-knapp.com/legend_of_the_kumbha_mela.htm

Published by dasavatara das - "Vedic Views on World News"
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PONGAL: TAMIL HARVEST FESTIVAL

PONGAL: THE 4 DAYS HINDU

FESTIVAL IN TAMIL NADU, INDIA

www.boldsky.com - Pongal is a very important Hindu festival which is celebrated with great joy in Tamil Nadu, India. Also known as the Tamil harvest festival, Pongal is a four day long festival for thanking the nature. Pongal falls in the harvesting month of January-February (season when rice, sugarcane, other cereals are harvested). The four days of the Tamil harvest festival commences with Bhagi festival and goes till Knau or Kannum Pongal day . Now, lets brief out the four days of the Pongal festival. 
First day: On the first day of Pongal, people pay homage to the supreme ruler or lord of weather (thunder, rain and storm), Lord Indra. Tamilians worship Lord Indra and thank him for the abundance of harvest that happened due to rain and air. Devotees pray for prosperity of the land for the next harvest. Even Bhogi Mantalu is observed on the first day of Pongal (when people discard old things and focus on new belongings). Waste household items are burned in a bonfire (made with cow dung cakes and wood).

Second day: On the second day, the Puja is performed. Rice is boiled in a pot of milk. This is done outdoors in an earthenware pot. A turmeric plant is tied up around the pot. The place is decorated with Kolam. Rice, two sticks of sugarcane, bananas and coconut are then offered to Lord Sun. After worshiping the Sun, the utensils that were used to prepare the offerings are disposed out of the house. 
Third day: Commonly known as Mattu Pongal, it is the day for cows. The cows are decorated with tingling bells (tied around the neck), flower garlands and colourful beads and then worshiped. The cows are offered the pongal (the dish which has been prepared) and then taken to nearby areas. After offering Pongal, women perform Aarti to ward off evil eyes. Fourth day: This last day is known as Knau, Karinaal or Kannum Pongal day. On this day, people meet their relatives and friends. People gift each other, especially workers and farmers are gifted and appreciated for their hard work.

Pongal is a Hindu harvest festival which is a four days long celebrations. Typically, Pongal falls on 14-15 January and apart from thanking the nature, it is also a month of weddings. The place where Puja is performed is decorated with "Kolam", the traditional white lime powder used outside the house every morning after bathing. As regards the Mattu Pongal or day for cows, it is believed that Lord Shiva once asked his bull (Basava) to go to the earth and ask the mortals to eat once in a month and have an oil massage followed by bath regularly. But, Basava told people they should eat every day and bath once in a month. According to Amrisha Agarwal, author of this article, Lord Shiva cursed Basava and banished him to live on earth forever. Since then, Basava should plough the fields and help the farmers. Onam, Pongal, Makar Sankranti, and Baisakhi are regional festivals, mainly associated with their respective harvest season in India.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

Regional festivals are many in the Hindu culture. In addition to the common national festivals, Hindus have many festivals that are unique to their own regions. These regional celebrations are often associated with the harvest season and also mark the beginning of the New Year. As the harvest season differs in various parts of the country, the regional New Year days are also many and, as such, have no official sanction. The importance of agriculture in Hindu society is clearly visible on such occasions. The diversity of the festivals is based on the original ethnic variety of Hindu culture. ... Pongal is celebrated with much fanfare in Tamil Nadu. It is held in the month of January or February to coincide with the harvest of rice. Baisakhi in the northern state of Punjab is its equivalent.

Dr. Hiro Badlani :
“Hinduism - Path of the Ancient Wisdom”
Chapter 54: "Hindu Festivals"
http://hinduismpath.com/
http://hinduismpath.com/book-contents/chapter-54/

Published by dasavatara das - "Vedic Views on World News"
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SOCIAL MEDIA INDUSTRY DRIVEN BY NARCISSISM

WE ARE RAISING A GENERATION

OF DELUDED NARCISSISTS, ANALYSIS

www.foxnews.com - A new analysis of the American Freshman Survey, which has accumulated data for the past 47 years from 9 million young adults, reveals that college students are more likely than ever to call themselves gifted and driven to succeed, even though their test scores and time spent studying are decreasing. Psychologist Jean Twenge, the lead author of the analysis, is also the author of a study showing that the tendency toward narcissism in students is up 30 percent in the last thirty-odd years. 
This data is not unexpected.  I have been writing a great deal over the past few years about the toxic psychological impact of media and technology on children, adolescents and young adults, particularly as it regards turning them into faux celebrities. On Facebook, young people can fool themselves into thinking they have hundreds or thousands of “friends.”

Youngster can delete unflattering comments and block anyone who disagrees with them or pokes holes in their inflated self-esteem. They can choose to show the world only flattering, sexy or funny photographs of themselves, and publicly connect to movie stars and professional athletes and musicians they “like.” Using Twitter, young people can pretend they are worth “following,” as though they have real-life fans, when all that is really happening is the mutual fanning of false love and false fame. 
Using computer games, young people can pretend they are Olympians, Formula 1 drivers, rock stars or sharpshooters. On MTV they can see lives just like theirs portrayed on reality TV shows fueled by such incredible self-involvement and self-love that any of the “real-life” characters should really be in psychotherapy to have any chance at anything like a normal life. These are the psychological drugs of the 21st Century and they are getting our sons and daughters very sick, indeed.

False pride can never be sustained. The bubble of narcissism is always at risk of bursting.  That’s why young people are higher on drugs than ever, drunker than ever, smoking more, tattooed more, pierced more and having more and more and more sex, earlier and earlier and earlier, raising babies before they can do it well, because it makes them feel special, for a while. They’re doing anything to distract themselves from the fact that they feel empty inside and unworthy. Distractions, however, are temporary, and the truth is eternal. Watch for an epidemic of depression and suicidality, not to mention homicidality, as the real self-loathing and hatred of others that lies beneath all this narcissism rises to the surface, explains the author of the article, Dr. Keith Ablow, psychiatrist and member of Fox News' "Medical A-Team". We should try to enlight young people's heart in order to combat this greatest epidemic.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

Narcissism is a material condition (a psychological illness) wherein one suffers from: 1) a grandiose sense of self-importance, 2) a preoccupation with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty, and ideal love, 3) a belief that he is special and unique and can only be understood by, or should associate with, other special or high-status people, 4) a requirement for excessive admiration and worship, 5) a sense of entitlement - unreasonable expectations of especially favorable treatment or automatic compliance with his expectations, 6) a despotic mentality, repressing and exploiting others, 7) a lack of empathy, unwilling to recognize or identify with the feelings or needs of others, 8) envy of others, also believing that others are envious of him, 9) an arrogant or haughty attitude.

Śrīla Bhakti Gaurava Narasingha Maharaja :
Anuvrtti Commentary of "Prakrta-rasa Sata-dusani"
by Sri Srimad Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Prabhupada
Sri Narasingha Chaitanya Ashram
Jun 22 2011 - Krishna Talk 125.
http://gosai.com/writings/prakrta-rasa-sata-dusani-part-1

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

CANTICLE OF ST. FRANCIS

"BROTHER SUN, SISTER MOON"

A GREAT CANTICLE OF HEALING

www.bettendorf.com - Be praised, my Lord, for our sister, mother earth, who nourishes us and watches over us and brings forth various fruits with colored flowers and herbs. - from the Canticle of St. Francis of Assisi. 
As we attempt to make our way through human-made "fiscal cliff" issues, another much more serious disaster looms on the horizon. It is the likely warming of our planet by as much as six degrees in the near future because of our reliance on carbon-based fuels. Earth along with all her creatures, will suffer as a result. It is in the context of these immediate fiscal problems, and our long-term environmental crisis, that I turn to the wisdom of St. Francis of Assisi for a light to lead us out of the darkness that is of our own making. The Canticle of St. Francis begins with offering praise to God. This praise, though, is presented to the “Lord” not in isolation, but within the context of the whole environment in which life exists.

Praise arises out of the heart and soul of all creation. Francis goes on to name the many living creatures that, with the Saint, praise God. They are brother sun and sister moon, along with the stars of the heavens. They give light to both the day and the night. They are brother air and wind and sister water, along with all the moods of weather. They express God’s love for all of creation.
Brother fire provides light and warmth to the night and is beautiful, joyful, robust and strong. Our sister, Mother Earth, sustains us with both nourishment and beauty. Not to be forgotten or denied praise also flows from sister death. No living thing can escape from her, yet even she is a blessing and a vital part of the rhythm of life. If we recognized our familial relationship with the earth and all of her creatures, we would live in harmony and balance with her. Instead, because we find ourselves alienated from the natural order of the world, we exploit her (our sister Earth).

All of the devastating cliffs we face, whether they are economic or ecological, they are the result of living life in denial of our brotherhood and sisterhood with one another and with the earth. If we recognized one another in both our nation and our world as truly family, we would arrange the economic order in a balanced and sustainable way, says Thomas Raphael-Nakos, the author of the article. "The Canticle of St. Francis shows us a way toward repentance. It is a way out of the darkness that we have created for ourselves. ... Only a spiritual enlightenment can bring peace and healing to our souls,to society and to the world," he explains. Many dangerous cliffs are created out of our own spiritual blindness.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

Free will is not fully manifest in other beings but in human beings it is fully developed. We have the choice of acting rightly or wrongly, morally or immorally. As the dominant species, the human race has an obligation to protect and guide not only mankind but also all lower forms of life. We can either destroy ourselves and other life forms or we can act in a way to uplift and benefit the world, thus making a meaningful use of our human form of life. The future of humanity depends on how we choose to act, either individually / selfishly or collectively / holistically. Such a choice should be guided by divine wisdom. ... Hence the understanding of causality in connection with the manifestations of living beings, the cosmic children, is of fundamental importance and free will is closely linked with the divine nature of life. ... This is the foundation of bhakti in the Vaisnava Hindu tradition. Saint Francis of Assisi was also a symbol of bhakti in the Christian tradition.

T.D. Singh, Ph.D. - Śrīla Bhaktisvarupa Damodara Mahārāja :
"Science and Religion, Present and Future"
http://www.binstitute.org/
http://www.bhaktisvarupadamodara.com/
http://www.bhaktisvarupadamodara.com/lang1/pg002.html

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