மந்திர பிரயோகம்

 தெய்வீக சக்தியை நம் பக்கம் சுலபமாக ஈர்க்கக் கூடிய ஒரு வழி தான் மந்திர பிரயோகம். கோவிலுக்கு செல்லும் பொழுது வெறுமனே சாமி கும்பிடாமல் உங்களுக்கு தெரிந்த மந்திரங்களையும், ஸ்தோத்திரங்களையும் உச்சரித்து பாருங்கள், அதற்குரிய பலனே தனிதான். சித்தர்கள் ஒரு விஷயத்தை உருவாக்க அதிசக்தி வாய்ந்த மந்திரங்களை பிரயோகிப்பது உண்டு. ஆக ஒரு பொருளுக்கு சக்தி கிடைக்க மந்திரம் தேவை, அதே போல நம் மனதிற்கு சக்தி கிடைக்க மந்திரங்களை உச்சரிப்பது சிறந்த பலன்களை கொடுக்கும். அந்த வகையில் எந்த மந்திரத்தை? எந்த நேரத்தில் உச்சரித்தால் நமக்கு சிவனருள் கிடைக்கும்? என்பதைத் தான் இந்த பதிவின் மூலம் நாம் தெரிந்து கொள்ளவிருக்கிறோம், வாருங்கள் பதிவிற்குள் போகலாம்.

சிவ பக்தர்கள் சிவ சிவ என்கிற நாமத்தை தொடர்ந்து உச்சரித்து கொண்டே இருப்பார்கள். ‘ஓம் நமசிவாய’ என்கிற இந்த எட்டெழுத்து மந்திரம் எவர் ஒருவர் தன் வாழ்நாளில் அதிகமாக உச்சரித்து வருகிறார்களோ, அவர்களுக்கு மோட்சகதி நிச்சயம் உண்டு என்கிறது புராணம். அது போல விஷ்ணு பக்தர்களுக்கு, ‘ஓம் நமோ நாராயணாய’ எனும் எட்டெழுத்து மந்திரம் நற்கதியை பெற்றுக் கொடுக்கும். இப்படி ஒவ்வொரு மந்திரத்திற்கும், ஒவ்வொரு சக்திகள் இருக்கும் பொழுது காலையில் எழுந்தது முதல் இரவு உறங்க செல்லும் வரை சொல்லக்கூடிய சிவ போற்றிகள் என்னென்ன?

காலையில் நீங்கள் எழுந்திருக்கும் பொழுது, ‘அண்ணாமலை எம் அண்ணா போற்றி, கண்ணார் அமுதக் கடலே போற்றி!’ என்கிற இந்த போற்றியை சொல்லிவிட்டு பின்னர் எழுந்து பாருங்கள் சுறுசுறுப்பு தன்னாலே வரும். அதே போல குளிக்க செல்லும் பொழுது நீங்கள் ‘சடையிடைக் கங்கை தரித்தாய் போற்றி!’ என்று சொல்லிக் கொண்டே குளிக்கலாம். இதனால் கங்கையில் குளித்த பலன் உங்களுக்கு கிடைக்குமாம்.

கோவிலுக்கு செல்லும் பொழுது கோபுர தரிசனத்தை கட்டாயம் செய்ய வேண்டும் என்று கூறுவார்கள். கோபுர தரிசனம் கோடி புண்ணியம் ஆகும். அந்த கோபுர தரிசனத்தின் போது, ‘தென்னாடுடைய சிவனே போற்றி, எந்நாட்டவர்க்கும் இறைவா போற்றி!’ என்று உச்சரித்துக் கொண்டே தரிசனம் செய்வது சிறப்பு! நீங்கள் வீட்டை விட்டு வெளியில் செல்ல போகிறீர்கள் என்றால், ‘காவாய் கனகக் குன்றே போற்றி, ஆவா எந்தனுக்கு அருளாய் போற்றி!’ இந்த மந்திரத்தை சொல்லிவிட்டு செல்லுங்கள்.

நல்ல நண்பர்களை காணும் பொழுது, ‘தோழா போற்றி, துணைவா போற்றி!’ என்றும், நீங்கள் தரையில் சம்மணம் போட்டு அமரும் பொழுது,’பாரிடை ஐந்தாய், பரந்தாய் போற்றி!’ என்றும், தண்ணீர் குடிக்கும் பொழுது, ‘நீரிடை நான்காய், நிகழ்ந்தாய் போற்றி!’ என்றும் சொல்லிவிட்டு அந்தந்த வேலைகளை செய்யலாம். ஒவ்வொரு அணுவிலும் ஈசன் நிறைந்து காணப்படுகிறார். ஒவ்வொரு விஷயத்திலும் அவரை போற்றி புகழ்ந்தால் புண்ணியம் பெருகும்.

கடை வைத்திருப்பவர்கள் கடையைத் திறக்கும் பொழுது, ‘வாழ்வே போற்றி, என் வைப்பே போற்றி!’ என்று உச்சரிக்கலாம். அதே போல சமையலறையில் அடுப்பை பற்ற வைக்கும் பொழுது, ‘தீயிடை மூன்றாய், திகழ்ந்தாய் போற்றி!’ என்று உச்சரிக்க வேண்டும். சாப்பாடு சாப்பிடும் பொழுது, ‘தென்தில்லை மன்றினுள் ஆடி போற்றி, இன்றெனக்கு ஆரமுதம் ஆனாய் போற்றி!’ என்று கூற வேண்டும்.

திடீரென உங்களுக்கு மனதில் ஒரு விதமான அச்சம் குடி கொள்ளும் பொழுது, ‘அஞ்சேல் என்றிங்கு, அருளாய் போற்றி!’ என்று உச்சரித்தால் வந்த பயம் தன்னாலே ஓடிப் போய்விடும். அதே போல நீங்கள் தூங்க செல்லும் பொழுது, ‘ஆடக மதுரை அரசே போற்றி, கூடல் இலங்கு குருமணி போற்றி!’ என்று சொல்லிக் கொண்டே நீங்கள் தூங்கி பாருங்கள், சட்டென உறக்கம் வந்துவிடும். எல்லாமே இங்கு சிவ மயம் தான் எனவே அந்த ஈசனை இவ்வாறு ஒவ்வொரு விஷயத்திலும் நீங்கள் துணைக்கு அழைத்துக் கொண்டால், உங்களை வெல்ல எவராலும் முடியாவே முடியாது.

Ref: dheivegam.com/mrng-to-ngt-sivan-potri-tips/?amp

Indian railway online booking - Physics and Math behind the scene

How the berths are booked in Railways?

Why IRCTC does not allow you to choose seats?

Would you believe that the technical reason behind this is PHYSICS.

Booking a seat in a train is far more different than booking a seat in a theatre.

Theatre is a hall, whereas train is a moving object. So safety concern is very high in trains.

Indian railways ticket booking software is designed in such a way that it will book tickets in a manner that will distribute the load evenly in a train.

An example to make things more clear : Imagine there are sleeper class coaches in a train numbered S1, S2 S3... S10, and in every coach there are 72 seats.

So when some one first books a ticket, software will assign a seat in the middle coach like S5, middle seat numbered between 30-40, and preferably lower berths (Railways first fills the lower berths than upper one so as to achieve low centre of gravity.)

And the software books seats in such a way that all coaches have uniform passenger distribution and seats are filled starting from the middle seats (36) to seats near the gates i.e 1-2 or 71-72 in order from lower berth to upper.

Railways just want to ensure a proper balance that each coach should have for equal load distribution.

That is why when you book a ticket at the last, you are always allotted an upper berth and a seat numbered around 2-3 or 70, except when you are not taking a seat of someone who has cancelled his/her seat.

What if the railways book tickets randomly ? A train is a moving object which moves around at a speed of around 100km/hr on rails.
So there are a lot of forces and mechanics acting on the train.

Just imagine if S1, S2, S3 are completely full and S5, S6 are completely empty and others are partially full. When the train takes a turn, some coaches face maximum centrifugal force and some minimum, and this creates a high chance of derailment of the train.

This is a very technical aspect, and when brakes are applied there will be different braking forces acting at each of the coaches because of the huge differences in weight of coach, so stability of train becomes an issue again.

Good information worth sharing, as often passengers blame the Railways citing inconvenient seats/ berths allotted to them

Want To Be A Leader? Read The Mahabharata

 

Want To Be A Leader? Read The Mahabharata.

'It is important to understand that when it comes to setting examples of truth, honesty and ethical conduct, leaders need to be true to their principles or values 100 per cent of the time'.

Paradoxes refer to events that consist of 'contradictory yet interrelated elements -- elements that seem logical in isolation, but absurd and irrational when appearing simultaneously'.

The task of leaders is filled with contradictions in goals.

Leaders need to possess the capability to manage multiple paradoxes and the success of their organisation depends on their ability to manage inconsistencies in their goals.

One of the most significant paradoxes that Bhishma faced time and again in the story of the Mahabharata was that of 'loyalty (to an individual) versus loyalty to truth'.

Every leader comes across situations where a choice has to be made between loyalty to externalities like reputation, wealth or fame, and deeper (inner) values of truth and honesty.

The actions and decisions that leaders take at such times play a major role in determining the future of their organisations.

If the leaders decide that their allegiance lies with external objects rather than values of truth and honesty, then they end up compromising the values of the organisation.

Be it the wilful abduction of Amba from the swayamvara in Kashi or staying quiet during the incident of Draupadi's disrobing, Bhishma comes across as a character so caged by his vow of allegiance to the throne of Hastinapura that he considered it to be more important than authenticity (staying true to his inner conscience).

Of the two incidents that remained the most critical incidents in Bhishma's life, one (Draupadi's disrobing) became the cause of the war between the Kauravas and the Pandavas. The second (the incident regarding Amba) led to his death.

On both these occasions, Bhishma failed to decide which of the two goals in front of him was right and should be pursued.

He ended up choosing the goal of being loyal to the throne of Hastinapur even if it came at the cost of the value of truth and authenticity.

The second paradox that Bhishma faced was of 'short-term versus long-term thinking'.

This paradox can also be understood as a conflict between 'means and ends'.

One of the dilemmas faced by leaders is deciding if they should focus on the means (the process or the path to achieve the goals) or the ends (the goals themselves).

Goals are attained in the long term, while the decisions on the processes have to be taken in the present and hence are related to short-term thinking.

Leaders have to balance their short-term and long-term orientation.

Whenever there are contradictory goals to choose from, leaders have to decide what is more important for them, short-term loss but long-term gain or short-term gain but long-term loss.

It may so happen that given the situation, if the leaders take a call to stand with the truth, they may have to deviate from some principles related to the process that they have set for themselves (leading to short-term losses).

But it is important to recognise that the losses are only short-term and the values that the leaders are establishing, by staying true to the goals that they want to achieve, can lead to long-term gains.

In moments of dilemma, Bhishma decided to choose the short-term over the long-term.

When injustice was being meted out to the Pandavas and when Draupadi was dragged to the court, Bhishma decided to remain quiet.

It is possible that he stayed silent because of his allegiance to the throne and the ruling king.

It is possible that he remained quiet in the name of dharma (his own understanding of it).

Whatever be the reason, this short-term thinking led to the setting of an extreme example of deceit that neither he nor the Kauravas could ever undo.

Bhishma's short-term orientation came to be seen as his support for something that was wrong and that led to the fall of the Kaurava empire in the long-term.

The third paradox that Bhishma faced was of 'sometimes versus always'.

Curiously, Bhishma was a character who oscillated between the extremes of virtuousness in the story.

When it came to the incident of taking a vow of celibacy and reaffirming his loyalty to the king of Hastinapur, Bhishma came across as a paragon of virtuousness.

However, the same Bhishma considered it perfectly right to abduct princesses, forcefully marry two of them to his brother, and to sit quietly and watch a conspiracy being hatched against the Pandavas.

It is important to understand that when it comes to setting examples of truth, honesty and ethical conduct, leaders need to be true to their principles (values) 100 per cent of the time.

In leadership, there is no scope or room for not being true to one's inner conscience for even once.

As our societies (and organisations) become more competitive, global and complex, these competing goals often lead to individuals facing the conflict between dharma and adharma, which permeates through the entire Mahabharata.

The word dharma is mentioned frequently by various characters in the Mahabharata.

Dharma has been used to denote a normative action or an abstract quality of compassion, righteousness, goodness, justice and truth in the Mahabharata.

It is linked with norms, laws, ethics as well as righteous execution of obligations, responsibilities and duties.

The underlying expectation is that the person following dharma will operate within the boundaries of justice, and will in word and deed, act with honour and appropriateness.

Alternatively, the word adharma can be understood as an action that violates the norms.

Life lessons from the Mahabharata

 

      --Life lessons from the Mahabharata--                            'The Mahabharata's lessons are eternal'

As an epic tale, the Mahabharata remains unrivalled in length and complexity, weaving stories within stories with aplomb.

While its historical context is debatable, there can be no disputing that it contains a wealth of spiritual and philosophical material.

It has life lessons to offer that are relevant in the contemporary world today.

Though characters in Indian epics are revered and given a divine status, they are completely humanised by their own struggles.

Krishna may have revealed his Vishwaroopa to Arjun, but he was a wily strategist and steered the Pandavas to success in the war of Kurukshetra, with a carefully orchestrated master plan.

Personally, I have always felt that winning the war came at a tremendous cost for the Pandavas.

But it was what they set out to achieve and they were annihilating in their success.

So what lessons in success can we learn from this motely bunch of heroes and villains?

•  It's imperative to have the right mentor

The Pandavas considered Krishna their mentor from the time they met him -- their faith in him was absolute, and his word was their command.

He was a mentor who understood their weaknesses and strengths, someone who could advise, criticise when required and hold their hand and show them the right and more importantly, righteous path.

Duryodhana, on the other hand, had Shakuni -- a corrupt, conniving and scheming man who made it his business to bring out the worst in Duryodhana.

The Kaurava prince was not without good qualities. He was a brave warrior, a loyal friend and a just king.

He is commonly vilified as the personification of evil, but it is to be remembered that when the time came for the kings to choose sides in the war, Duryodhana had 11 akshauhunis versus the Pandavas seven.

He crowned Karna the King of the Angas just to remove the stain of sutaputra from his name, and remained his loyal friend until the end.

But in the hands of Shakuni, Duryodhana let the worst side of himself come to the fore.

It is important to have a mentor that sees your true potential and helps you achieve it instead of leading you down the road of negative emotions and revenge.

• When in dire situations, bend the rules and think outside the box

In the first few days of the war, the Pandavas had a difficult time facing the onslaught of their grandfather Bheeshma, who was the commander to the Kaurava army.

He was unbeatable, and was creating mayhem in the Pandava army at Duryodhana's behest.

The Pandavas knew that he could not be killed by ordinary means.

They made a warrior known as Shikhandi face Bheeshma, and the Pandavas along with other maharathis stood behind Shikandi.

They knew Bheeshma would not attack Shikhandi because he had once been a woman -- in this convoluted way, they were able to injure Bheeshma and get him out of the war.

Similarly, when Drona became too hot to handle, the Pandavas killed an elephant in their own army by the name of Ashwatthama.

Drona's son too was called Ashwatthama, and when Yudhisthira announced that Ashwatthama was dead, Drona was too disheartened to fight any more, and the Pandavas were able to kill him.

These two are instances of bending the rules, but were a means to an end in a dire situation.

• Focus on your objective without distractions

When Drona was teaching the Pandava and Kaurava boys archery, he was accused by Duryodhana of favouring Arjuna.

To prove why he thought Arjuna was the most superior warrior of them all, Drona placed a wooden bird on a branch and asked the boys what they could see when they took aim at the bird.

All of them replied in the same vein, that they could see the bird, the branch, the sky, the tree, etc.

When it came to Arjuna's turn, his reply was, "I see only the eye of the bird."

Arjuna's unerring focus was the secret arsenal from which his greatness stemmed.

With his eye focused only on the prize, he was leaps and bounds ahead of those who were distracted by everything around them.

In the modern world, distractions are many, and when you take your eye off the ball, it can be detrimental to your success.

• Make your choices smartly -- don't be dazzled by the seemingly bigger prize

When the Pandavas and the Kauravas were canvassing for support before the war of Kurukshetra, both Arjuna and Duryodhana came to ask for Krishna's support.

Krishna gave them a choice;  one of them could have his army, the fearsome Narayani Sena, and the other could have just him -- unarmed and not fighting.

But since he had awoken and seen Arjuna first, Arjuna would choose first.

Arjuna chose the lone, non-fighting Krishna without hesitation.

Krishna was their mentor, he was everything to them.

Duryodhana smiled, thinking he had got the best of the deal -- what use was one unarmed man against an army of skilled warriors!

But Arjuna knew that even the best of resources, such as the Narayani Sena, were useless without the strategic vision of Krishna.

It transpired that the lone Krishna, serving as Arjuna's charioteer, was all the Pandavas needed to win the war of Kurukshetra, and Arjun had chosen wisely.

So we learn that even if something looks brighter on the surface, it's not necessarily the right choice for us.

Look beneath the surface of the offer and choose what’s right for you, no matter how attractive the other option may look.

• Think about the consequences of your actions -- don't make emotional decisions!

The biggest mistake you can make is taking and important decision in an emotional state.

Shantanu was blinded by love for a fisherwoman, and he allowed his son Bheeshma to take a vow of celibacy.

In his  eagerness to marry an avaricious woman, he unleashed a series of events that led to the catastrophic war of Kurukshetra.

Pandu too made a rash decision -- when he was cursed by Rishi Kindhama, he was so distraught that he gave up his throne to Dhritarashtra and went to the forest to lead a retired life.

Had he thought it through, he may not have taken such an unwise decision, which led to the uncertain future of his five sons and their calamitous enmity with the Kauravas.

The lesson to be learned is, hasty decisions lead to our downfall.

All decisions should be analysed with a clear mind, while being cognisant of any future repercussions.

• Don't focus on the fruit of your labour

The Bhagvad Gita, an intrinsic part of the Mahabharata, has life-lessons hidden on every page, but the one that is most commonly taught is that we should do our work without hankering after the reward.

Many spiritual and philosophical explanations for this abound, but I like to look at it from a more practical point of view.

I believe that all work is meditation; whether you are making a paratha or populating a spreadsheet, if you are focusing as you should be it is a form of meditation.

If thoughts are clouding your mind about whether your husband will complement you on dinner tonight, or your boss will give you a promotion detract from that meditation.

I truly believe that when we are not attached to the fruit of out actions, we are able to focus on our efforts in entirety, and consequently achieve better results.

Hard and focused work always bears fruit, more so if we don't obsess about it.

• Be adequately prepared before you act -- half knowledge is dangerous

Abhimanyu knew how to enter the Chakravyuha, but he didn't know how to come out of it.

That didn't stop him from breaking the vyuha and facing the wrath of the Kaurava maharathis alone -- it says a lot for his bravery, but not much for his strategic planning.

His death at the hands of six great warriors was one of the more tragic and unrighteous acts committed on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, but it does teach us that in order to be successful, one needs to be prepared.

Whether it's an examination or a presentation, being armed with all the facts is mandatory if one wants to succeed.

Being properly prepared for the task at hand is one of the crucial steps to success.