Author: Natarajan

சதுர்த்தி காண வருகிறார் பிள்ளையார் !!!!!!!!

NatarajanLeave a comment
 source:::: ” DINAMALAR”…Tamil Daily…..Let all of us seek HIS Blessings from Pillayar on this Maha chaturthi day… Birth day of PILLAYAR…
Natarajan

ஆனை முகப்பெருமானை போற்றி பூஜிக்கும் திருநாளான விநாயகர் சதுர்த்தி வருகின்ற 19ம் தேதி புதன்கிழமை நடைபெற உள்ளது.

வரசித்தி விநாயகர், இஷ்டசித்தி விநாயகர், விக்ன நிவாரண கணபதி, வல்லப விநாயகர், சித்திபுத்தி விநாயகர் என்றெல்லாம் பல பெயர்கள் விளங்கினாலும் விநாயகரின் தத்துவம் ஒன்றே. ஈசன் மகனான கணபதியைத் துதித்த பின்பே எந்தச் செயலையும் தொடங்குகிறோம். கேட்ட வரம் தரும் பிள்ளைக் குணம் கொண்டு, என்றும் எவர்க்கும் பிள்ளையாகத் திகழ்வதால் பிள்ளையாராயினார் அந்த கணேசன்.

அந்த கணேசனை சதுர்த்தியன்று வீடுதோறும் களி மண்ணால் செய்த பிள்ளையார் சிலைகளை வண்ணக் குடையுடன் வாங்கி வந்து, எருக்கம் பூ அணிவித்து, அருகம்புல், செவ்வந்தி, மல்லிகை, அரளி போன்ற மலர்களால் அர்ச்சனை செய்வது வழக்கம். ஐங்கரனுக்கு விருப்பமான கொழுக்கட்டை, அப்பம், சுண்டல், வடை, அவல், பொரி என நிவேதனங்களும் நடக்கும். வாழை, திராட்சை, நாவல், விளாம்பழம், கரும்புத் துண்டுகள், ஆப்பிள் என மிகவும் பிரியமுடன் தும்பிக்கையானுக்கு அளித்து, அறிவு, தெளிந்த ஞானம் முதலிவற்றை அளித்து, எடுத்த செயல்கள் தடைவரா வண்ணம் காத்தருள வேண்டுவோம்.
இப்படி குழந்தைகள் முதல் பெரியவர்கள் வரையில் அனைவரையும் கவர்ந்துவிட்ட கணேசரை விதம், விதமாக உருவாக்கி வழிபடுவதில் இந்தியா முழுவதும் உள்ள அவரது பக்தர்கள் தீவிர ஈடுபாடுகாட்டி வருகின்றனர். சென்னையிலும் கொஞ்சமும், பஞ்சம் இல்லாமல் விநாயகரை வித்தியாசமாக உருவாக்கி வருகின்றனர்.
“வேஸ்ட் ‘என்று தூக்கியெறியப்படும் மினரல் வாட்டர் பாட்டில்களைக் கொண்டு உருவாகிவருகிறார் ஒரு பக்கம், சாதாரணமாக அரிசியை குவித்துவைத்து அதில் சில மலர்களை வைத்த மாத்திரத்தில் அபாரமாக உருவாகி நிற்கிறார் இன்னொரு பக்கம், கார்த்திகை தீப விளக்குகளால் கம்பீரமாக எழுந்து கொண்டு இருக்கிறார் ஒரு பக்கம், நானும் கிரிக்கெட் விளையாடுவேன் என்று கிரிக்கெட் மட்டையுடன் கிரிக்கெட் வீரராக பூம்புகார் கலைக்கூடத்தில் விற்பனையாகிக் கொண்டும் இருக்கிறார். கண்ணாடியில் அழகு காட்டுகிறார், அதே நேரம் எப்போதும் போல களிமண் மற்றும் வண்ண பூச்சுடன் தெருவிற்கு தெரு உருவாகி வருகிறார். ஒரு நல்ல விஷயம் என்னவென்றால் ரசாயன பூச்சு இல்லாத விநாயகர்தான் வேண்டும் என்று பக்தர்கள் கேட்டு வாங்குகின்றனர் ….

Divine Moments with Mahaperiavaa….

NatarajanLeave a comment

SOURCE:::::INPUT recd. from one of my friends, an ardent devotee of Mahaperiavaa…..in this input a thrilling experience of a devotee of Mahaperiavaa is shared..

Natarajan

SRI PARAMACHARYAL of Kanchi was not only a great spiritual leader but
also a source of inspiration and hope to many. He has touched many of us
in personal ways and I count myself as one of those fortunate beings
whose life has been enriched by some amazing instances, unmistakably
brought about by HIM.

My first encounter with the Acharya dates back to my childhood when I
attended a sihiva pooja in chennai. I was awestruck by the godliness of
the Paramacharya when He offered the “MAHADEEPARADHANAI”.
Every time I paid homage with a thousand others, He would cast His eyes
around. All of us felt as if He had personally communicated with each
one of us and a sense of inner peace descended upon us. Each encounter
strengthened my belief in Him that He was a divine medium. On some
occasions, when certain miracul ous events happened in my life, I
believed they were guided by Him.
My late father-in-law was an ardent devotee of Maha Periyava and I was
told that he had approached the Acharya for guidance in selecting me as
a daughter-in-law. Apparently, he had identified me as the daughter of
so and so (my father was also a devotee of Acharya), and uged my
father-in-law to proceed with the alliance. I believe the Acharya had
some reason for having helped select me, which became manifest later
when my son (whom we believe is a re-incarnation of my father-in-law)
and later my daughter were born.
When we made a trip to India in 1990 to celebrate my son’s upanayanam, I
had wanted to pay homage to the Acharya, as I believed I would not get
this opportunity again. We went to Kanchipuram the day before my return
to the United States. At Kanchi, we gathered in the courtyard in front
of Paramacharyal’s small hermitage (or prayer room), trying desparately
to get a glimpse of the small, shrivelled figure crouched silently in
meditation. A disciple announced to the large throng of devotees of
different nationalities and backgrounds, that the Acharya had just begun
His after-noon prayers and that it would be quite a while before He
could be with us. Imagine my agony and frustration when I realized that
we had to head back to Bangalore in a
couple of hours as my children and I had to board the flight the next
morning.
I was very disappointed and my children, who had not recovered from the
gastro-enteretis and a fever since the day we arrived in India, too,
were impatient. I prayed, silently, to the Paramathma. Within a few
minutes, the disciple announced that the Acharya had decided to
interrupt His prayers as He felt He needed to bless His devotees.
“especially the ones who have come from afar”. During the next 30 mts,
we felt, an inner peace and happiness.
After a brief introduction, He enquired whether “Rajappa” was present.
This came as a complete surprise to us, as the Acharya, no doubt,
recalled my father-in-law, who was known as “Rajappa”. As my son, Raja,
prostrated before Him, He gently smiled at him and then closed His
eyesand offered a fruit as a blessing. My daughter followed suit and
she, too, received, a mango fruit, which, we all shared.While the
Acharya was answering questions and offering His blessings, I ventured
to the back of the crowd, hoping to get a final look at Him.
As I craned my neck and tried, the Acharya asked His disciple to request
the men in front of Him to move aside “so that He may have a look at the
lady standing at the back”. Imagine my surprise as all eyes turned
towards me. We looked at each other silently for a few minutes and
during that time, I was completely engrossed. The “man-god” raised His
right hand in blessing as if He were telling me that He was aware of my
devotion to Him and that He would always guide me.”
There are a few other similar experiences, but I wish to share the most
unforgettable of them all.
On the most auspicious afternoon when the Jagadguru attained the
“mahasamadhi”,it was during the early hours of the morning in the US and
I was suddenly awaken by a dream. I saw the image of the Paramathma
clearly adorned with garlands of flowers and where He raised His right
hand as if He were blessing me.
It so happened that instead os smiling I was overcome by uncontrollable
sobbing. I woke up with a start and it became impossible to fall asleep
thereafter as His image kept coming up repeatedly in my dreams. The
answer came next morning when my mother-in-law called me from Oklahoma
and informed me that she had just got the news from India that Shri
Paramacharyal had attained “mahasamadhi” at around 2.00pm local time the
previous day.
To this day, whenever I think of this dream and the Acharya, to whom I
continue to pray everyday, it humbles me but at the same time flatters
me, to think that I was one of the fortunate devotees who got His
“darshan” before His samadhi, even though I was many miles away. I am
sure there are others who might have had similar experiences and I do
know of a gentleman in Bangalore who had been actually touched and
blessed by the Acharya just before His samadhi.

Vedic Wisdom Behind Eating With Your Hands….

Natarajan2 Comments

source::::unknown… input recd. from one of my friends….. an interesting read ….

Natarajan

Eating food with the hands in today’s Western society can sometimes be perceived as being unhygienic, bad mannered and primitive. However within Indian culture there is an old saying that,
” Eating food with your hands feeds not only the body but also the mind and the spirit”.

In the Big Brother series some years back, an English participant complained about an Indian participants use of her hands during food preparations and her eating habits, “They eat with their hands in India, don’t they? Or is that China? You don’t know where those hands have been.” Within many Indian households nowadays, the practice of eating food with the hands has been replaced with the use of cutlery.

Have you ever thought of why previous generations in India ate with the hands? There is a reason for their this. The practice of eating with the hands originated within Ayurvedic teachings. The Vedic people knew the power held in the hand.

The ancient native tradition of eating food with the hands is derived from the mudra practice, which is prevalent in many aspects within Hinduism. Mudras are used during mediation and are very prominent within the many classical forms of dance, such as Bharatnatyam

The hands are considered the most precious organ of action. This is linked to the Vedic prayer of
“Karagre vasate Laksmih karamule Sarasvati Karamadhye tu Govindah prabhate karadarsanam”

(On the tip of your fingers is Goddess Lakshmi, on the base of your fingers is Goddess Saraswati; in the middle of your fingers is Lord Govinda), which we recite whilst looking at our palms. Thus, this shloka suggests that all the divinity lies in human effort.

Our hands and feet are said to be the conduits of the five elements. The Ayurvedic texts teach that each finger is an extension of one of the five elements. The thumb is agni (fire) (you might have seen children sucking their thumb, this is nature’s way of aiding the digestion in children at an age when they are unable to do an physical activity to aid the digestion), the forefinger is vayu (air), the middle finger is akash (ether – the tiny intercellular spaces in the human body), the ring finger is prithvi (earth) and the little finger is jal (water).

Each finger aids in the transformation of food, before it passes on to internal digestion. Gathering the fingertips as they touch the food stimulates the five elements and invites Agni to bring forth the digestive juices. As well as improving digestion the person becomes more conscious of the tastes, textures and smells of the foods they are eating, which all adds to the pleasure of eating.

You may have noticed that elders in the family hardly ever use utensils to measure all the different type of masala, and would instead prefer to use their hands to measure the quantity instead. As each handful is tailored to provide a suitable amount for the own body. Overall there are 6 main documented forms that the hands take when obtaining a measurement a certain type of food ranging from solid food to seeds, and flour.

This is one of the examples of how many things within our Hindu culture may seem weird and unusual at first glance, but once a closer look is taken it is surprising, but a vast amount of knowledge is revealed.

Vinayaka…Master of HIMSELF

NatarajanLeave a comment

On the eve of GANESH POOJA , this article on Ganapathy or Vinayaka is shared with you all ….Let us all pray to Ganapathy for the prosperity of our town, city, country and all our neighbours ….when everybody”s welfare is taken care of by Pillayar , automatically , our family will also prosper. no doubt in it. let us all invoke our prayers to Pillayar accordingly on this Ganesh Pooja….

Natarajan

If you want to lead a life of happiness, free from troubles and difficulties, you have to pray to Ganapathi, the remover of all obstacles. There is no need to go to any temple. Vighneswara dwells in each one of you as your intelligence (buddhi) and wisdom (vijnaana). When you make proper use of your inherent intelligence and wisdom, you will be successful in life.

Vinayaka (Ganesha) drives away all sorrows, difficulties, and miseries. He is the enemy of all obstacles. He will not allow any obstacles to come in the way. He is the destroyer of obstacles. He confers happiness and peace (on his devotees). He is the master of all these powers (intellect (buddhi) and fulfillment (siddhi, self-realization). What is this siddhi? When there is purity of mind, you achieve peace (which is siddhi). Vinayaka is thus the Lord of the intellect and self-realization. Hence, every human being should acquire control over the mind … .
Vinayaka is the Lord of all learning (vidya). Does learning mean bookish scholarship? No. Everything pertaining to the cosmos is included in the term learning (vidya). Walking, talking, laughing, sitting, eating, strolling, thinking –every kind of activity is related to learning. Vinayaka is the master of every kind of learning. Today, learning is identified with acquisition of information. But apart from knowledge of the physical world, we have many other kinds of knowledge, relating to chemistry, the fine arts and other skills.
Vinayaka is the master of every kind of knowledge. Learning is related to the intellect (buddhi). It is not mere scholarship. Familiarity with books is not knowledge. One’s entire life is a continuous process of learning. Any process of inquiry is related to learning. But basically our inquiry should be concerned with finding out what is transient and what is permanent. This is true knowledge.
Hence, today, students worship Vinayaka with zeal. Vinayaka is not the one who merely comes to the aid of those who read their books. He helps everyone at every step in life’s journey.

Who is Vinayaka? In the verse (sloka) beginning with the words Suklaambara- dharam Vishnum, only the form of the deity is described. But there is another inner meaning for the name Vinayaka. Suklaambaradharam means one who is clad in white. Vishnum means he is all-pervading. Sasivarnam means his complexion is grey, like that of ash. Chathurbhujam means he has four arms. Prasannavadanam means he has always a pleasing mien. Sarvavighnopasaanthaye means for the removal of all obstacles. Dhyaayeth means meditate (on him). Vinayaka is the deity who removes all bad qualities, instills good qualities, and confers peace on the devotee who meditates on him.
However, the Vinayaka-principle has only one meaning, which is relevant to everyone regardless of whether he is a believer or a non-believer. Vinayaka means that he is totally master of himself. He has no master above him. He does not depend on anyone. He is also called Ganapathi. This term means he is the lord of the ganas –a class of divine entities. This term also means that he is the master of the intellect and discriminating power in man. He possesses great intelligence and knowledge. Such knowledge issues from a pure and sacred mind. This knowledge leads to wisdom (vijnaana). Because he is the master of intelligence (buddhi) and wisdom or realisation ( siddhi), he is described as the Lord of Buddhi and Siddhi. Buddhi and Siddhi are referred to as the consorts of Vinayka.
The mouse is the vehicle of Vinayaka. What is the inner significance of the mouse? The mouse is considered as the embodiment of the sense of smell. The mouse is a symbol of the attachment to worldly tendencies (vasanas). It is well known that if you want to catch a mouse, you place a strong-smelling edible inside the mouse-trap. The mouse also symbolises the darkness of night. The mouse can see well in the dark. As Vinayaka’s vehicle, the mouse signifies an object that leads man from darkness to light. Thus, the Vinayaka-principle means that which removes all the bad qualities, bad practices, and bad thoughts in men and inculcates good qualities, good conduct and good thoughts.
Another name for Vinayaka is Vighneswara. Easwara is one who is endowed with every conceivable form of wealth –riches, knowledge, health, bliss, beauty, etc. Vighneswara is the promoter of all these forms of wealth and removes all obstacles to their enjoyment. He confers all these forms of wealth on those who worship him. Vinayaka is described as “the first deity who should be worshipped (prathama vandana)”. Since everyone in the world desires wealth and prosperity, everyone offers the first place for worship to Vighneswara.

What is the meaning of the name Ganapathi? Where are the ganas? What is their form? When you investigate this, you find that the five organs of perception and the five organs of action (jnaanendriyas and karmendriyas) are the ganas. The mind is the master over these ten organs. The intellect (buddhi) is the discriminating faculty above the mind. The ten senses, the mind, and the intellect together constitute the ganas.
In the word gana, ga stands for intellect (buddhi) and na means Vaijnaana (the higher knowledge or wisdom). Ganapathi is the Lord of the intellect and higher knowledge. The question may be asked, Are the intellect and higher knowledge present in the external world, or are they to be found within man? The answer is that he is present within each human being. There is no need to seek for him in the outside world. Ganapathi dwells in every human being in the form of intellect and wisdom.
When Ganapathi is described as “Parvathee thanaya”, who is this Parvathee? Parvathee signifies Prithvi, Mother Earth. Everyone is a child of Mother Earth.
The meaning of “son of Parvathee (Parvatheethanaya)” is that Ganapathi, who is the Lord of the Ganas, is the son of Parvathee, who symbolizes the divine energy (sakthi).
The adoration of Parvathieeand Ganapathi is not of recent origin. Ganapathi is lauded at several places in the Rig Veda. This clearly shows that Ganapathi is as ancient as the Vedas.
In several places, Ganapathi is mentioned both in the Vedas and the Upanishads. Many prayers are addressed to Ganapathi in the Narayanopanishath. There are also prayers to him in the Thaithiriya Upanishads. The Ganapathi Gayathri Mantra also figures in the Upanishads.
Ganapathi is called Vinayaka because there is no master above him. He is all powerful and independent. Without recognizing the esoteric significance of the Vinayaka Principle, people look only at the external form and offer worship in mundane terms.
What is the inner significance of worshipping the elephant-faced deity? The elephant is a symbol of might and magnitude. The elephant’s foot is larger than that of any other animal. The elephant can make its way through the densest jungle. In this way, it signifies the quality of a leader who shows the way for others. The elephant is also known for its fidelity and gratitude. In any circumstance, it will not forget its master. Even in its last moments, if it hears the voice of its master, it will open its eyes and look for him. It will sacrifice its life for its master. These are the lessons man should learn from the elephant. Intelligence without gratitude is valueless. Every man should be grateful to those who have helped him.

courtesy: international sai organisation…..

Mahaperiavaa… Jagat Guru….

NatarajanLeave a comment

SOURCE::::Input from one of my friends who is a devotee of kanchi mahapriavaa…. good to read and great to share…

Natarajan

This story dates back to the year 1933, when MAHA PERIYAVAA was in Varanasi. Periyavaa was received in the palace of the Kasi King. Many important personalities
and learned men (Pundits) were also present. In Pundits’ mind there was an element
of jealousy. How can he Periyavaa have the title of JAGAT GURU. (जगत् गुरु).

One of the Pundits thundered, “Who is this Jagat Guru”?

Periyavaa politely replied: “I am”

The Pundit then remarked sarcastically: “So you are the Jagat Guru”

Periyavaa replied: जगतां गुरुः न When I say I am Jagat Guru, I Did’t mean to say,
I am The Guru of this Jagat. जगति पद्यमनाः सर्वे मम गुरवः All living beings in this
world are my Gurus.

The Pundits were completely taken aback by this simple yet great explanation.
Periyavaa did not stop with that.

In that hall where this debate was going on there were some nests built by sparrows. Periyavaa pointed to one of them and asked the Pundits किं इदं? What is this?

The Pundit replied: नीडः Nest

Periyavaa asked: केन निर्मितं? By whom was this built?
The Pundit Replied: चटकैः By the sparrow.

Periyavaa continued:This nest is built by birds which do not hands or legs.We have hands and legs.Yet we are unable to build a nest like the sparrow.The sparrow has Kriya Shakti (क्रिया शक्ति) But I do not have that Shakti.

Hence this sparrow is my GURU!!!

Refrigerator sans Electricity!!!!!…..Mitticool….

NatarajanLeave a comment

Source::::: ‘The Hindu’…..
Natarajan

Besides Mitticool, Gujarat villager Mansukhbhai has developed a range of products in terracotta — such as pressure cooker (with a whistle), non-stick pans, a 0.9-micron water filter etc

The Mitticool achieves something that no modern, high-tech and supposedly energy-efficient refrigerator does — it works without electricity! And this rustic wizardry is just one of the many exciting innovations of Mansukhbhai Prajapati.

A traditional potter from the small village of Wankaner in Gujarat, this unassuming innovator was in the city to receive the 2011 Villgro Grassroots Innovator Award at IIT-Madras. For someone who failed in his Class X examination, Mansukhbhai now holds a patent for Mitticool, besides several national awards. While the Forbes magazine listed him the ‘Most Powerful Rural Entrepreneur’ in 2010, the likes of Massachusetts Institute of Technology and techno-giants such as Bosch and Siemens Hausgeräte have shown interest in Mitticool, and he has received orders for his products from 41 countries around the world, so far.

Not just the Mitticool, Mansukhbhai has developed a range of products in terracotta — such as pressure cooker (with a whistle), non-stick pans that can be used over a normal LPG flame, a 0.9-micron water filter, etc. It took many years of experimentation and labour to arrive at each of his extraordinary products.

It all began when Mansukhbhai decided to make a non-stick pan for his wife, as he couldn’t afford the ones in the market. “After a while, I quit my job as a terracotta tile-maker, took a loan of Rs. 30,000 and set up a small factory to shape terracotta gadgets. “At one point, it looked as if we would have to sell our house to keep the factory going,” Mansukhbhai shares. That was when IIM-Ahmedabad professor and vice-chairman of National Innovation Foundation, Anil K. Gupta stepped in with monetary help. Mansukhbai repaid the loan with interest eventually, and now is working to develop the ‘Mitticool House’ — a house that would keep itself cool without consuming energy!

All from the earth

The Mitticool keeps things cool because of the nature of the mitti (clay) it is made with. The structure is double layered, and water poured into the chamber just beneath the top of the Mitticool trickles down between its double layered walls, taking heat from the inside and evaporates, leaving the storage chambers cool. Cool water can be drawn out through a tap provided near the top, and used as drinking water, if drinking water is poured.

“I wouldn’t advise people to store milk in it, considering our city’s climate, but it can keep vegetables and fruits fresh for up to a week,” says Nadeera Harris, who stocks Mitticool refrigerators at her outlet Desi Basics.

Mitticool’s chief charm remains its electricity independence. Well, looks like terracotta technology is an idea whose time has come. Again!

MORE ON MITTICOOL

A refrigerator that doesn’t consume electricity

Keeps vegetables and fruits fresh for a week

Retains nutritive value of the vegetables

Serves as a water cooler too

Keywords: Mitticool, Mansukhbai Prajapati, terracotta products, Rural Entrepreneur

Humour …..Happy Trading!!!!!!!!!!!!!

NatarajanLeave a comment

source:::unknown

Welcome to the ‘Stock’ Market!!!!!….Enjoy the joke on share trading….with so much stocks around amidst equal number of share market tips , situation today is almost like this one !!!!
Simply enjoy the joke on the lighter side !!!!

Natarajan

Once upon a time in a village, a man appeared and announced to the villagers that he would buy monkeys for Rs10 .

The villagers seeing that there were many monkeys around, went out to the forest and started catching them .

The man bought thousands at Rs10 and as supply started to diminish, the villagers stopped their effort .

He further announced that he would now buy at Rs20 .

This renewed the efforts of the villagers and they started catching monkeys again .

Soon the supply diminished even further and people started going back to their farms .

The offer rate increased to Rs25 and the supply of monkeys became so little that it was an effort to even see a monkey, let alone catch it!

The man now announced that he would buy monkeys at Rs50!

However, since he had to go to the city on some business, his assistant would now buy on behalf of him .

In the absence of the man, the assistant told the villagers .

Look at all these monkeys in the big cage that the man has collected .

I will sell them to you at Rs35 and when the man returns from the city, you can sell it to him for Rs50 . ‘

The villagers squeezed up with all their savings and bought all the monkeys .

Then they never saw the man nor his assistant, only monkeys everywhere!! !

HAPPY TRADING!!!!!!!!

Positive Thinking…..

NatarajanLeave a comment

A Motivational story about Positive Thinking

source:::Unknown….But an interesting read ….

Natarajan

Read this, and let us think it over… Then, let us see how we all start our day tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jerry is the kind of guy you love to have his friendship.. He is always in a good mood and always has something positive to say. When someone would ask him how he was doing, he would reply, “If I were any better, I would be twins!” He was a unique restaurant manager because he had several waiters who had followed him around from restaurant to restaurant.

The reason the waiters followed Jerry was because of his attitude. He was a natural motivator. If an employee was having a bad day, Jerry was there telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation.

Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up to Jerry and asked him, I don’t get it! You can’t be a positive person all of the time. How do you do it?” Jerry replied, “Each morning I wake up and say to myself, Jerry, you have two choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood or you can choose to be in a bad mood.

I choose to be in a good mood. Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or I can choose to learn from it. I choose to learn from it. Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or I can point out the positive side of life. I choose the positive side of life.

“Yeah, right, it’s not that easy,” I protested. “Yes, it is,” Jerry said. “Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you react to situations. You choose how people will affect your mood. You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood. The bottom line: It’s your choice how you live life.”

I reflected on what Jerry said. Soon thereafter, I left the restaurant industry to start my own business. We lost touch, but I often thought about him when I made a choice about life instead of reacting to it.

Several years later, I heard that Jerry did something you are never supposed to do in a restaurant business: he left the back door open one morning and was held up at gun point by three armed robbers. While trying to open the safe, his hand, shaking from nervousness, slipped off the combination. The robbers panicked and shot him. Luckily, Jerry was found relatively quickly and rushed to the local trauma center. After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, Jerry was released from the hospital with fragments of the bullets still in his body.

I saw Jerry about six months after the accident. When I asked him how he was, he replied, “If I were any better, I’d be twins. Wanna see my scars?” I declined to see his wounds, but did ask him what had gone through his mind as the robbery took place. “The first thing that went through my mind was that I should have locked the back door,” Jerry replied. “Then, as I lay on the floor, I remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live or I could choose to die. I chose to live.”

“Weren’t you scared? Did you lose consciousness?” I asked. Jerry continued, “…the paramedics were great. They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the ER and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared. In their eyes, I read ‘he’s a dead man.’

I knew I needed to take action.” ” What did you do?” I asked. “Well, there was a big burly nurse shouting questions at me,” said Jerry. “She asked if I was allergic to anything. ‘Yes,’ I replied. The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply. I took a deep breath and yelled, ‘Bullets!’ Over their laughter, I told them, ‘I am choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead.'”

Jerry lived thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude. I learned from him that every day we have the choice to live fully. Attitude, after all, is everything.

படித்து ரசித்தது ….இழப்பின் மறுபக்கம் !!!!!

Natarajan2 Comments

SOURCE::::UNKNOWN… an wonderful conversation between GOD and a person ..what an apt reply from GOD to the appeal of the person….That is why it is said..”count your blessings and not the troubles”!!!!!

Input recd. from one of my contacts …worth sharing with you all…

Natarajan

இழந்ததெல்லாம் திரும்பத் தா
இறைவா!

இழந்ததெல்லாம் திரும்பத் தா எனக் கென்றேன்

இழந்த தெவை என இறைவன் கேட்டான்!

பலவும் இழந்திருக்கிறேன்,கணக்கில்லை

பட்டியல் ஒன்றிட்டுச் சொல்லவா
இயலும்?

கால மாற்றத்தில் இளமையை இழந்தேன்

கோலம் மாறி என் அழகையும் இழந்தேன்

காதலித்து அவளிடம் இதயமிழந்தேன்

காணாமல் போனாளே அவளை இழந்தேன்

வயதாக ஆக உடல் நலமிழந்தேன்

எதை என்று சொல்வேன் நான்

இறைவன் கேட்கையில்?

எதையெல்லாம் இழந்தேனோ

அதையெல்லாம் மீண்டும்தா என்றேன்.

அழகாகச் சிரித்தான் பரமன்

”கல்வி கற்றதால் அறியாமை இழந்தாய்

உழைப்பின் பயனாய் வறுமையை இழந்தாய்

நல்ல பண்புகளால் எதிரிகளை இழந்தாய்

சொல்ல இன்னும் பல உண்டு இதுபோல

தரட்டுமா அனைத்தையும் திரும்ப என்றான்.

திகைத்தேன்!

இழப்பின் மறுபக்கம் எதுவென்று உணர்ந்தேன்

வாழ்க்கையின் ஓட்டத்தில் இழப்பும் பேறும்

இணைந்ததை அறிந்தேன் இதயம் தெளிந்தேன்

இறைவா !!!!!!

Simple Guide to Getting Lucky!!!!!

Natarajan1 Comment

Source::::bbc news net…. Natarajan

“The loser’s guide to getting lucky”
By Professor Richard Wiseman
University of Hertfordshire

Why do some people get all the luck while others never get the breaks they deserve? A psychologist says he has discovered the answer.
Ten years ago, I set out to examine luck.

I wanted to know why some people are always in the right place at the right time, while others consistently experience ill fortune.

I placed advertisements in national newspapers asking for people who felt consistently lucky or unlucky to contact me.

Hundreds of extraordinary men and women volunteered for my research and, over the years, I have interviewed them, monitored their lives and had them take part in experiments.

Professor Wiseman’s top tips

The results reveal that although these people have almost no insight into the causes of their luck, their thoughts and behaviour are responsible for much of their good and bad fortune.

“Those who have succeeded at anything and don’t mention luck are kidding themselves”….Larry King

Take the case of seemingly chance opportunities. Lucky people consistently encounter such opportunities, whereas unlucky people do not.

I carried out a simple experiment to discover whether this was due to differences in their ability to spot such opportunities.

I gave both lucky and unlucky people a newspaper, and asked them to look through it and tell me how many photographs were inside.

Professor Wiseman’s formula came too late for some…
I had secretly placed a large message halfway through the newspaper saying: “Tell the experimenter you have seen this and win £250.”

This message took up half of the page and was written in type that was more than two inches high.

Anxiety

It was staring everyone straight in the face, but the unlucky people tended to miss it and the lucky people tended to spot it.

“Everything in life is luck “……Donald Trump

Unlucky people are generally more tense than lucky people, and this anxiety disrupts their ability to notice the unexpected.

As a result, they miss opportunities because they are too focused on looking for something else.

They go to parties intent on finding their perfect partner and so miss opportunities to make good friends.

They look through newspapers determined to find certain types of job advertisements and miss other types of jobs.

Self-fulfilling prophecies

Lucky people are more relaxed and open, and therefore see what is there rather than just what they are looking for.

“Luck is believing you’re lucky” …. Tennessee Williams

My research eventually revealed that lucky people generate good fortune via four principles.

They are skilled at creating and noticing chance opportunities, make lucky decisions by listening to their intuition, create self-fulfilling prophesies via positive expectations, and adopt a resilient attitude that transforms bad luck into good.

Towards the end of the work, I wondered whether these principles could be used to create good luck.

I asked a group of volunteers to spend a month carrying out exercises designed to help them think and behave like a lucky person.

Dramatic results

These exercises helped them spot chance opportunities, listen to their intuition, expect to be lucky, and be more resilient to bad luck.

” I am a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it”…..Thomas Jefferson

One month later, the volunteers returned and described what had happened. The results were dramatic: 80% of people were now happier, more satisfied with their lives and, perhaps most important of all, luckier.

The lucky people had become even luckier and the unlucky had become lucky.

Finally, I had found the elusive “luck factor” .

Here are Professor Wiseman’s four top tips for becoming lucky:

1.Listen to your gut instincts – they are normally right
2.Be open to new experiences and breaking your normal routine
3.Spend a few moments each day remembering things that went well
4.Visualise yourself being lucky before an important meeting or telephone call. Luck is very often a self-fulfilling prophecy