Author: Natarajan

The Unfinished Obelisk of Aswan…

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The granite quarries located along the Nile, in the city of Aswan, supplied some of the finest quality stones for the construction of temples, sculptures and monuments in ancient Egypt. The famous Cleopatra’s Needle, now located in London, as well as several structures in the pyramids of Khufu, Khafre and at Giza were constructed from stones quarried in Aswan.

In the northern region of Aswan’s stone quarries lies an Unfinished Obelisk, resting on its side. It was supposed to be the tallest and the largest obelisk ever erected in Ancient Egypt. Unfortunately, the obelisk was never completed. While carving, cracks began to appear in the granite causing the project to be abandoned. Because the carvers had carved it directly out of the bedrock, it can be found exactly where it was 3,500 years ago—its bottom side still attached to the bedrock.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is believed that the obelisk was constructed and abandoned during the reign of Queen Hatshepsut in the 15th century BC. The obelisk was commissioned perhaps to complement the Lateran Obelisk which originally stood at Karnak Temple in Egypt but was later taken to Rome by the Romans. If completed, it would have stood approximately 137 feet, and would have been the heaviest obelisk ever erected in Ancient Egypt.

The unfinished obelisk offers unusual insights into ancient Egyptian stone-working techniques, as the scratches made by the workers’ tools can still be seen clearly on its rock surface. Some ocher-colored lines were also found on the surface, which were probably drawn to mark the places where the workers were supposed to carve out the granite. Archeologists believe that the Ancient Egyptians used small balls of Dolerite, which is a type of rock harder than granite, to cut through the rock. Once the sides were cut down into the rock, the obelisk had to be separated from the bedrock. For this, they dug small cavities in the body of the rock along the line of desired detachment and those cavities were filled with wood spikes. The wood was then thoroughly wetted with water until it expanded causing the rock to crack along the drawn lines and finally got detached from its base.

The entire quarry is now an open museum and arranged to preserve these structures as archaeological treasures of the country.

Source….Kaushik in http://www.amusingplanet.com

Natarajan

Message for the Day…”Develop self confidence. Where there is self-confidence, there will be self-satisfaction. Where there is self-satisfaction, there will be self-sacrifice. And through self-sacrifice comes self-realisation.”

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Source: http://media.radiosai.org/

Do not be carried away by others’ opinions – either good or bad. Develop your own line of thinking, based on your conscience. Develop self confidence. Where there is self-confidence, there will be self-satisfaction. Where there is self-satisfaction, there will be self-sacrifice. And through self-sacrifice comes self-realisation. Self-confidence is the foundation for the building; it remains below the surface of the earth. Self-satisfaction represents the walls, self-sacrifice is the roof, and the life in this house is self-realisation. Without the foundation of self-confidence, self-realisation cannot be achieved. Therefore, build up your self-confidence slowly. In this process, start early, drive slowly and reach your goal of self-realisation safely. First and foremost, develop love. It is easier to cultivate love than all other qualities. There is nothing in this world which cannot be achieved with love.

Message for the Day…”On this auspicious day, Paramatma destroys the evil propensities with the active collaboration of the individual self! Remember, the individual self can defeat evil with the active grace of the Lord.”

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Source:  http://media.radiosai.org

Narakasura is present in everyone as lust, hate, greed and as fear and grief, which are against the very nature of humanity. Just as an umbrella with a silk cover cannot protect you from rain but the one with a waterproof cover can, so too in this storm-driven world incessantly flushed by torrential rain, an umbrella with desire-proof and anger-proof coating is very essential. There is great latent power inherent in every­one, and when that power is made explicit (vyakta), a human being deserves to be called individual (vyakti). When the latent qualities from within you manifest, the demons will automatically be destroyed. Your reality is Atma; your quality is bliss (ananda). Krishna is the Super or Omni Self (Paramatma) and Satyabhama (Krishna’s consort) represents the individual self (jiva). On this auspicious day, Paramatma destroys the evil propensities with the active collaboration of the individual self! Remember, the individual self can defeat evil with the active grace of the Lord.

The Buddhas of Bamiyan….

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On the cliff face of a sandstone mountain, visible from the ancient Silk Road near the town of Bamiyan in Afghanistan, are two massive voids left by two monumental statues of Buddha that once stood there. In 2001, the nearly 1,500 year old statues were blown to bits by the Taliban in an act of violence that shook the entire world, and set a disturbing precedent which has been imitated in recent years by Islamic State fighters in the Middle East.

For a long time, Buddhism was an important religion in the Indian subcontinent and Central Asia, having been introduced during the early Kushan period, in the 1st century. Along the Silk Road, on which Bamiyan lies, are several Buddhist monasteries, chapels and sanctuaries constructed inside caves carved into the mountains. In several of the caves and niches, often linked by galleries, there are remains of wall paintings and seated Buddha figures.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The 175 feet high Buddha statue in Bamiyan, Afghanistan, destroyed in 2001. Photo credit: Afghanistan Embassy

The two most prominent figures were the giant Buddha statues destroyed in 2001. The larger of the two stood 175 feet tall, and was one of the largest standing Buddha carvings in the world. The second figure was also enormous and measured 120 feet in height. Both figures were carved into niches of the cliff side in high relief. The main bodies were hewn directly from the sandstone cliffs, but details were modeled in mud mixed with straw, coated with stucco. This coating had worn away a long time ago, but in the early days, it served to enhance the expressions of the faces, hands, and folds of the robes. Both statues were originally painted—the larger one in carmine red and the smaller one in multiple colors. The area near the heads of both Buddha figures and the area around the larger Buddha’s feet were carved in the round, allowing worshippers to walk around as a form of worship.

Much of what we know about the monumental Buddha sculptures comes from the travelogue of the Chinese monk Hsuan-Tsang, who traveled to Bamiyan in the 7th century. Hsuan-Tsang described Bamiyan as a flourishing Buddhist center “with more than ten monasteries and more than a thousand monks”. He also noted that both Buddha figures were decorated in “dazzling golden color and adorned with brilliant gems”. Historians believe that the monumental Buddha sculptures were carved into the cliffs between the 3rd to 6th centuries A.D. They were perhaps the most famous cultural landmarks of the region attracting numerous pilgrims from all around.

After the Islamic invasion in the 9th century, the presence of a large Buddhist cultural icon in Afghanistan greatly disturbed the Muslim rulers. The 17th century Mughal emperor, Aurangzeb, and the 18th century Persian king Nader Afshar, both tried to destroy the statues by using heavy artillery but failed to inflict any noticeable damage. It was the Afghan king Abdur Rahman Khan who eventually managed to destroyed its face.

In 2001, the leader of the Taliban movement ordered that all statues and non-Islamic shrines in the different areas of the Islamic Emirate must be destroyed. Accordingly, in March the same year, Taliban fighters laid explosives at the base and the shoulders of the two Buddhas and blew them to pieces.

Later in an interview, the Taliban supreme leader Mullah Omar defended his actions by saying:

I did not want to destroy the Bamiyan Buddha. In fact, some foreigners came to me and said they would like to conduct the repair work of the Bamiyan Buddha that had been slightly damaged due to rains. This shocked me. I thought, these callous people have no regard for thousands of living human beings – the Afghans who are dying of hunger, but they are so concerned about non-living objects like the Buddha. This was extremely deplorable. That is why I ordered its destruction. Had they come for humanitarian work, I would have never ordered the Buddha’s destruction.

The only silver lining in the cloud was, that after the destitution, several new caves and wall paintings were discovered, including fragments of a previously unknown 62-foot long reclining Buddha.

Sources: Wikipedia / Khan Academy

Source…. Kaushik in www. amusingplanet.com

Natarajan

Message for the Day…”Understand that none should lead a self-centred life. Wherever a good activity is taking place, wherever a prayer meeting is held, take part in them with enthusiasm. The scriptures guide us, “Give up bad company. Join the company of the noble. Perform meritorious deeds day and night.””

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Source:  http://media.radiosai.org/

When the qualities of an asura (demon) enter nara (man), he becomes Narakasura. In such a person, you find only bad qualities and evil feelings. Such a person does not join the company of the noble and does not make efforts to reach God, but makes friendship with only wicked people. Such a mentality is the consequence of evil deeds over a number of births. Ravana had acquired all types of knowledge like Rama. But unlike Rama, he joined bad company, entertained bad thoughts, and indulged in wicked deeds. Hence, people revere Rama and abhor Ravana. One is revered or ridiculed on the basis of one’s conduct. Understand that none should lead a self-centred life. Wherever a good activity is taking place, wherever a prayer meeting is held, take part in them with enthusiasm. The scriptures guide us, “Give up bad company. Join the company of the noble. Perform meritorious deeds day and night.”

வாரம் ஒரு கவிதை… ” நிசப்த வெளியில் …”

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நிசப்த வெளியில் …
———————
கருவறை வாசம் மட்டுமே   நிசப்த வாசம் ஒரு சிசுவுக்கு
இந்த மண்ணில் வந்து பிறந்த  நேரம் முதல் சத்தம்
சத்தமே எங்கும்  எதிலும் !
சப்தம் தவிர்த்து நிசப்தம் தேடி ஓடுவது எங்கே ?
வாழ்வில் ஒலியும்  சப்தமும்  தேவைதான்
ஆனால் வாழ்வே சப்தமாகலாமா ?
ஒளி மயமான எதிர் காலம் தேடும்  குழந்தைக்கு
கிடைப்பது ஒலி மயமான இரைச்சலும் அலைச்சலும்தான் !
அண்ட வெளியிலும் இல்லையே இன்று நிசப்தவெளி !
நாளும் பல  விண்கலம் அண்டவெளியில் சுற்றி சுற்றி
நிசப்த வெளியின் தனித்துவமே தகர்ந்து விட்டதே !
சப்தம் மறந்து நிசப்தம் தேடி ஓடுவது எங்கே ?
நிசப்தம் தேடி நாம் ஓடிட வேண்டாமே  …நம் வீட்டைத்
தேடி ஓடி வரும் நிசப்த வெளி நாம் நினைத்தால் !
வாரம் ஒரு நாள் …ஒரே ஒரு நாள் …கொடுப்போம்
விடுமுறை நம் வீட்டு தொலைக் காட்சிப் பெட்டிக்கு !
எப்போதும் சிணுங்கும் கைபேசிக் குழந்தைக்கும்
தப்பாமல் தர வேண்டும் ஒரு நாள் ஓய்வு !
இரைச்சல் இல்லாத ஒரு ஒரு வீடும்  நிசப்த
வெளியே !  அலைச்சல் இல்லாத வழியும்
இதுதான் நிசப்தம் தேடி ஓடுவோருக்கு !
My Kavithai in http://www.dinamani.com dated 16th oct 2017
Natarajan

Message for the Day…”Avoid factions, quarrelling, hating, scorning and fault-finding; they recoil on you. Remember everyone is a pilgrim towards the same goal; some travel by one road, some by another”

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Source: http://media.radiosai.org/

Now, engage yourself in spiritual discipline, spiritual thoughts and spiritual company. Forget the past. At least from now on, seek to save yourself. Never yield to doubt or unsteadiness. That is a sign of ignorance. Have faith in any one Name and the Form indicated by that name. If you revere Shiva and hate Vishnu, the plus and the minus cancel out and the net result is zero. I will not tolerate the slightest hatred of any Name or Form. The wife has to revere the husband, but that does not mean that she has to hate his parents, brothers or sisters. You can never attain the Lord through hatred of one or more of His many Forms and Names. If you throw contempt at the God that another reveres, the contempt falls on your own God. Avoid factions, quarrelling, hating, scorning and fault-finding; they recoil on you. Remember everyone is a pilgrim towards the same goal; some travel by one road, some by another.

Message for the Day…”Through our own bad qualities, we lose peace. With truthful thoughts, you will have peace. With untruthful thoughts, you lose peace. It is only when you are free from all thoughts that you can have true peace. Your own bad thoughts are responsible for all your pain and sorrow.”

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Source: http://media.radiosai.org/

God loves the flower of peace (Shanti). This flower of peace should not be interpreted to mean that you should be silent towards whoever is attacking you or blaming you. It is not that at all! If you are unmoved and unperturbed in spite of anyone finding faults in you, that is real Shanti. If you can fill your heart with love, you will always be peaceful. Through our own bad qualities, we lose peace. With truthful thoughts, you will have peace. With untruthful thoughts, you lose peace. It is only when you are free from all thoughts that you can have true peace. Your own bad thoughts are responsible for all your pain and sorrow. Through good thoughts and ideas, you will become a sadhu (saint). Sadhudoes not mean one who merely wears an orange robe, shaves the head and wears holy beads (Rudrakshas). Every person who has good thoughts and good ideas is a sadhu.