First Recorded public version in Gramophone Plate….First Sloga of Rig Veda in Sanskrit

 

‘His Masters Voice’ (HMV) had once published a pamphlet giving the history of gramophone record.

Gramophone was invented by Thomas Alva Edison in the 19th century.

Edison, who had invented many other gadgets like electric light and the motion picture camera, had become a legend even in his own time.

When he invented the gramophone record, which could record human voice for posterity, he wanted to record the voice of an eminent scholar on his first piece.

For that he chose Prof. Max Muller of England (a German by ethnicity), another great personality of the 19th century.

He wrote to Max Muller saying,

“I want to meet you and record your voice. When should I come?”

Max Muller who had great respect for Edison asked him to come on a suitable time when most of the scholars of the Europe would be gathering in England.

Accordingly, Edison took a ship and went to England. He was introduced to the audience. All cheered Edison’s presence.

Later at the request of Edison, Max Muller came on the stage and spoke in front of the instrument.

Then Edison went back to his laboratory and by afternoon came back with a disc & played it on the gramophone.

The audience was thrilled to hear the voice of Max Muller from the instrument.

They were glad that voices of great persons like Max Muller could be stored for the benefit of posterity.

After several rounds of applause and congratulations to Thomas Edison, Max Muller came to the stage and addressed the scholars and asked them,

“You heard my original voice in the morning. Then you heard the same voice coming out from this instrument in the afternoon. Do you understand what I said in the morning or what you heard in the afternoon?”

The audience fell silent because they could not understand the language in which Max Muller had spoken.

It was ‘Greek and Latin’ to them as they say.

But had it been Greek or Latin, they would have definitely understood because they were from various parts of Europe.

It was in a language which the European scholars had never heard.

Max Muller then explained what he had spoken.

He said that the language he spoke was Sanskrit and it was the first sloka of Rig Veda, which says “Agni Meele Purohitam”

This was the first recorded public version on the gramophone plate.

अग्निमीळे पुरोहितं यज्ञस्य देवं रत्वीजम।
होतारं रत्नधातमम।।
(Rig Veda 1.001.01)

Why did Max Muller choose this?

Addressing the audience he said,

“Vedas are the oldest text of the human race. And “Agni Meele Purohitam” is the first verse of Rig Veda.

In the most primordial time, when the people did not know how even to cover their bodies and lived by hunting and housed in caves, Indians had attained high civilization and they gave the world universal philosophies in the form of the Vedas.”

When “Agni Meele Purohitam” was replayed, the entire audience stood up in silence as a mark of respect.

The verse means :

“Oh Agni, You who gleam in the darkness, to You we come day by day, with devotion and bearing homage. So be of easy access to us, Agni, as a father to his son, abide with us for our well being.”

Source….Input from a friend of mine
Natarajan

Do You Know that Glass takes one million years to decompose …? !!!

 

Do You Know ….?

Glass takes one million years to decompose, which means it never wears out and can be recycled an infinite amount of times!

Gold is the only metal that doesn’t rust, even if it’s buried in the ground for thousands of years.

Your tongue is the only muscle in your body that is attached at only one end.

If you stop getting thirstyyou need to drink more water.
When a human body is dehydrated, its thirst mechanism shuts off.

Zero is the only number that cannot be represented by Roman numerals.

Kites were used in the American Civil War to deliver letters and newspapers.

The song Auld Lang Syne is sung at the stroke of midnight in almost every English-speaking country in the world to bring in the new year.

Drinking water after eating
reduces the acid in your mouth by 61 percent. Drinking a glass of water before you eat may help digestion and curb appetite.

Peanut oil is used for cooking in submarines because it doesn’t smoke unless it’s heated above 450F.

The roar that we hear when we place a seashell next to our ear is not the ocean, but rather the sound of blood surging through the veins in the ear.

Nine out of every 10living things live in the ocean.

The banana cannot reproduce itself. It can be propagated only by the hand of man.

Airports at higher altitudes require a longer airstrip due to lower air density.

The University of Alaska spans four time zones.

The tooth is the only part of the human body that cannot heal itself.

In ancient Greece ,tossing an apple to a girl was a traditional proposal of marriage.
Catching it meant she accepted.

Warner Communications paid 28 million for the copyright to the song Happy Birthday, which was written in 1935!

Intelligent peoplehave more zinc and copper in their hair.

A comet’s tail always points away from the sun.

The Swine Fluvaccine in 1976 caused more death and illness than the disease it was intended to prevent.

Caffeine increases the power of aspirin and other painkillers, that is why it is found in some medicines.

The military salute is a motion that evolved from medieval times, when knights in armor raised their visors to reveal their identity.

If you get into the bottom of a well or a tall chimney and look up,
you can see stars, even in the middle of the day.

When a person dies,hearing is the last sense to go. The first sense lost is sight.

In ancient timesstrangers shook hands to show that they were unarmed.

Strawberries and cashews are the only fruits whose seeds grow on the outside.

Avocados have the highest calories of any fruit at 167 calories per hundred grams.

The moon moves about two inches away from the Earth each year.

The Earth gets 100 tons heavier every day due to falling space dust.

Due to earth’s gravity it is impossible for mountains to be higher than 15,000 meters.

Mickey Mouse is known as “Topolino” in Italy.

Soldiers do not march in step when going across bridges because they could set up a vibration which could be sufficient to knock the bridge down.

Everything weighs one percent less at the equator.

For every extra kilogram carried on a space flight, 530 kg of excess fuel are needed at lift-off.

The letter J does not appear anywhere on the periodic table of the elements.

Source….Input from one of my friends…

Natarajan

வாரம் ஒரு கவிதை …” நிழல் தேடி …”

 

நிழல் தேடி …
—————-
நிழல் தேடி உன்   நடைப்பயணம் நிஜத்தைத்
தொலைத்த பிறகா ? இது கண் கெட்ட பின்
சூர்ய நமஸ்காரம் போல  அல்லவா !
விளை நிலத்தை நீ கூறு போட்டு விற்றது நிஜம் !
மீதம் இருக்கும் விளை நிலத்திலும் மீத்தேன்
வாயு தேடி ஓயாமல் உன் மண்ணை நீ புண்ணாக்குவதும்
நிஜம் !….நிலத்தடி நீரையும் கடைசி சொட்டு வரை
உறிஞ்சி உன் மண்ணை  நீ ஒரு பாலைவனம்
ஆக்குவது நிஜம் !
நீர் வற்றா ஆற்றுப் படுகையிலும் மணல் அள்ளி
ஒரு ஆற்றின் ஓட்டத்தையே நீ தடுப்பதும் நிஜம் !
அடுக்கு மாடி கட்டிடக் குவியலுக்காக மரமும்
செடியும் வெட்டப்பட்டு தரையில் குவிக்கப்பட்டது நிஜம் !
மழை நீர் நிரம்பும் ஏரி குளத்தில் கல்லும் மண்ணும் சேர்த்து
கட்டிடம் பல நீ கட்டியதும் நிஜமே !
தன் வினை தன்னையே சுடும் … உன் வினை
உன்னை சுடும் உண்மை உனக்கு புரியாதா?
விண்ணில் வீடு கட்ட நினைக்கும் நீ உன் சொந்த
மண்ணை நேசித்து அதை கட்டிக் காக்க  முடியாதா ? சற்றே
யோசிக்க வேண்டும் நீ மனிதா ! நிஜம் இல்லையேல்
நிழலும் இல்லை ! நிஜத்தைத் தொலைத்து விட்டு
நிழலை நீ  தேடுவதில் எந்த அர்த்தமும் இல்லை !
Natarajan  in http://www.dinamanai.com  dated 20th march 2017

வாரம் ஒரு கவிதை…” வீர மங்கை “

 

வீர மங்கை
———–
முறம் கொண்டு விரட்டினாள் ஒரு புலியை  அன்று
வீர மங்கை ஒருத்தி …புலி புற முதுகு காட்டி ஓடியது
முறம் பார்த்து அல்ல !… முறம் பிடித்த
மங்கையின் முகம் பார்த்து ! மங்கையரின்
வீரம் தெரியும் அவர் முகத்தில் …செயலில் ! விண்வெளியில்
பயணித்த முதல் பெண்ணும்   அந்த விண்ணுக்கு
விண்கோள் ஏவும்  நம் பெண்மணிகள் வரை
ஒரு ஒரு மங்கையும் வீர மங்கையே !
இல்லறத்தை ஒரு நல்லறமாக உருவாக்கி
நல்ல ஒரு சந்ததியை இந்த உலகுக்கு
கொடுக்கும் ஒரு ஒரு இல்லாளும்
ஒரு வீர மங்கையே !  வீர தீர செயல்
தேவையில்லை ஒரு பெண்ணுக்கு   வீர மங்கை பட்டம் பெற !
தன் கண் முன்னே கருகும் பயிர் கண்டும்
தான் வாடாமல் தன் பிள்ளைக்கும் தன்
குடும்பத்துக்கும் அரை வயிற்று கஞ்சி
கொடுக்கும் ஒரு உழவனின் இல்லாள்
ஒரு வீர மங்கையே !
படிப்பு வாசனையே இல்லாமல் ஒரு
குடிகார கணவனுடன்  குடும்பம் நடத்தி
தான் பெற்ற குழந்தைகளை இந்த அவையத்து
முந்தி இருக்க செய்யும் இலக்கில்  நாளும் உழைக்கும்
ஒரு ஒரு தாயும்  வீர மங்கைதான் என்  பார்வையில் !
Natarajan   in http://www.dinamani.com  dated 13th march 2017
Natarajan

An Interesting Read …

 

A very interesting read!!

It is said in the texts that 80% of the fighting male population of the civilization was wiped out in the eighteen days Mahabharata war.

Sanjay, at the end of the war went to the spot where the greatest war took place; Kurukshetra.

He looked around and wondered if the war really happened, if the ground beneath him had soaked all that blood, if the great Pandavas and Krishna stood where he stood.

“You will never know the truth about that!” said an aging soft voice.

Sanjay turned around to find an Old man in saffron robes appearing out of a column of dust.

“I know you are here to find out about the Kurukshetra war, but *you cannot know about that war till you know what the real war is about*.” the Old man said enigmatically.

“What do you mean?”

*The Mahabharata is an Epic, a ballad, perhaps a reality, but definitely a philosophy*.

The Old man smiled luring Sanjay into more questions.

“Can you tell me what the philosophy is then?” Sanjay requested.

Sure, began the Old man.

*The Pandavas are nothing but your five senses*,
sight,
smell,
taste,
touch
and sound…,

and do you know what the *Kauravas* are? he asked narrowing his eyes.

*The Kauravas are the hundred vices that attack your senses everyday but you can fight them*… and do you know how?

Sanjay shook his head again.

“When Krishna rides your chariot!”

The Old man smiled brighter and Sanjay gasped at that gem of insight.

*Krishna is your inner voice, your soul, your guiding light and if you let your life in his hands you have nothing to worry*.

Sanjay was stupefied but came around quickly with another question.

“Then *why are Dronacharya and Bhishma fighting for the Kauravas, if they are vices*?”

The Old man nodded, sadder for the question.

It just means that as you grow up, your perception of your elders change. *The elders who you thought were perfect in your growing up years are not all that perfect. They have faults. And one day you will have to decide if they are for your good or your bad.  Then you may also realize that you may have to fight them for the good. It is the hardest part of growing up and that is why the Geeta is important*.

Sanjay slumped down on the ground, not because he was tired but because he could understand and was struck by  the enormity of it all.

*What about Karna*? he whispered.

“Ah!” said the Old man. “You have saved the best for last. *Karna is the brother to your senses, he is desire, he is a part of you but stands with the vices. He feels wronged and makes excuses for being with the vices as your desire does all the time.*

*Does your desire not give you excuses to embrace vices*?”

Sanjay nodded silently. He looked at the ground, consumed with a million thoughts, trying to put everything together and then when he looked up,  the Old man was gone….
disappeared in the column of dust………leaving behind the great philosophy of Life!

Found it quite inspirational…hence circulating…just  to make us think…..

Source….Input from my friend
Natarajan

வாரம் ஒரு கவிதை …” நிலா விடும் தூது “

 

நிலா  விடும்  தூது
——————
நிலா சோறு சாப்பிட்ட நீ கால் பதித்தாய் என் மண்ணில்
ஒரு நாள் … நிலவு எனக்கு அன்று ஒரே பெருமை !
 பூமித்தாயின் பிள்ளைகள் வருவார்கள் என் வீட்டுக்கு !
 ஆட்டமும் பாட்டமும் இருக்கும் என் வீட்டிலும் ! நான் அவருக்கு
ஊட்ட வேண்டும் சோறு பூமி காட்டி என் நிலவு வீட்டில்!
இந்த நிலவின் கனவு அது !இலவு காத்த கிளி போல ஆனதே
இந்த நிலவின் கனவு !நானும்  தூது விட்டுப் பார்க்கிறேன்
என்னைத் தாண்டி செல்லும்  விண்கலத்தில் எல்லாம்!
வழி மேல் விழி வைத்து தேடுகிறேன் உன்னை
மனிதா  என் மேலே வட்டமிடும் விண்கலத்தில் ! இரக்கமே
இல்லையா உனக்கு ? என் மண்ணில்  இறங்க மறுப்பது ஏன் ?
உயர உயர பறப்பதுதான் உன்  இலக்கா ? புதுப்புது
மண்ணை விண்ணிலும் தொட்டு முத்தமிட்டு உன் வீட்டுக்கே
திரும்பி செல்வது மட்டும்  உன் அறிவியல் விளையாட்டா ?
உன் மண்ணில் நீ விளையாட இடம் இல்லாமல் இந்த
விண்ணில் நீ விளையாட நானும் இந்த விண்மண்டலமும்
ஒரு விளையாட்டு திடல் மட்டுமா  உனக்கு ?
புதுப்புது அறிவியல் செய்தி உன் வசம் கொண்டு  சேர்க்கும்
உன் விண்கலம்  இந்த நிலா விடும் தூதை மட்டும் உன்னிடம்
கொண்டு சேர்க்காத காரணம் என்ன சொல்லு மனிதா?
நிலா நான்  காத்திருக்கிறேன் உன் கால் என் மண்ணை
மீண்டும் முத்தமிட்டு  என் மண்ணில் நீ ஓடி ஆடும்
அந்த நல்ல நாளுக்காக !
Natarajan  in http://www.dinamani.com dated 27th Feb 2017
Natarajan

இந்த வாரக் கவிதை ….” அரியாசனம் “

 

அரியாசனம்
————–
அரியாசனம்  கொள்ளவேண்டும் பெருமை தன்
மேல் அமரும் தலைவன் முகம் பார்த்து !
தலைவன் அவனும்  சிந்திக்கவேண்டும் இந்த
அரியாசனத்துக்கு  தானும் பெருமை
சேர்க்க வேண்டும் தன் நன்னடத்தையால் என்று !
தலைவனுக்கு அரியாசனம் தரும் பொது சனம்
ஏதும் அறியா சனம் அல்ல ! ஒரு ஜடமும் அல்ல !
அரியாசனம் ஒரு தலைவனுக்கே  நிரந்தரமும் இல்லை !
புரிய வேண்டும் ஒரு உண்மை தலைவனுக்கு ..
அவனை அரியாசனத்தில் அமர்த்துவதும்  பொது ஜனம்
அரியாசனம் அவனுக்கு சரியாசனம் இல்லை என்றால்
சரியான தருணத்தில் தலைவன் அவனை கீழே
இறக்கி விரட்டி அடிப்பதும் அதே பொது ஜனம்தான் என்று !
இதை மறக்காமல் இருந்தால் சிறக்கும் ஒரு தலைவனின்
நல்லாட்சி !
K.Natarajan  in http://www.dinamani.com
Natarajan

Red Letter Days…

 

Why are Special Days Called “Red Letter Days”?

While it’s commonly stated that the practice of marking important dates in red didn’t begin until the Middle Ages, in fact, in ancient Rome red ink was sometimes used on calendars to identify significant dates, as well as occasionally used on important text in documents, with the underlying reason in both cases seemingly being the same as today- to make the text stand out, in the case of the calendar marking a noteworthy day.

Through the years this practice continued, and in particular with medieval scribes who used red ink in much the same fashion for initial capital letters and certain important words (called rubrics) in their illuminated manuscripts.

As writing became more widespread, others quickly adopted the use of red ink in their writing, too, as noted by John Trevisa in Polychron (1387): “we writep capital letters wip reed colour.”

Likewise, particularly important days, such as a saints’ feast or one of the holy days, were identified on medieval church calendars with the color red. It was first identified in English by William Caxton in The boke yf Enyeydos (1490): “We wryte yet in oure kalenders the hyghe festes wyth red lettres of colour of purpre.”

In 1549, the first Book of Common Prayer included a calendar with the holy days marked in red, thus spurring use of the phrase; however, the first print reference to red-letter day is not seen until 1663, when Edmund Gayton wrote in The religion of a physician: “the Red-letter daies being the Ornament of her Year.”

Using the term in reference to a secular day is first seen in The Journals of Madam Knight in which Sarah Kemble Knight (1666-1727) wrote: “Their Chief Red Letter day is St. Election, wch is annually Observed according to Charter, to choose their Govnr.”

Notably, even today in England there remains an official practice of recognizing certain special days as “Red Letter days,” such as the Queen’s birthday and some saints’ days, at least with its High Court; on these days, all High Court judges wear scarlet robes, while on ordinary days, only judges hearing criminal cases wear the long red garments.

Bonus Fact:

  • Because the rest of the calendar was written in black ink, ordinary days used to commonly be referred to as black-letter days; for example, Tobias Smollett wrote in The tars of old England. A Comedy (1757): “O! the month of November, She’ll have cause to remember As a black letter day all the days of her life.”

Source….www.today i found out .com

Natarajan

Gold Fish do not have a ” three second memory “…

 

Myth: Goldfish have a three second memory.

In fact, goldfish actually have very good memories for fish. They can be trained to respond various ways to certain colors of light; different kinds of music; and other sensory cues. Not only that, but they seem to be able to remember things they are taught as much as a year later. Researchers have successfully taught goldfish to play fetch, push levers, do the limbo, and even play soccer. If they are fed around the same time of day, they also remember that and will anticipate the feeding leading up to that time, which implies they have a very good sense of time.

Goldfish also have been shown to be able to recognize their masters and even pick their favorites (usually the one who feeds them). Around certain people the goldfish is very familiar with, they will often be much more active when they see the person and even sometimes stop considering the person any sort of threat, including if that person sticks their hand in the water and tries to touch them. Around strangers, on the other hand, the goldfish will often hide. Blind goldfish also exhibit this same type of behavior, except they respond to the voice of their owner, similarly to how the non-blind goldfish respond to the sight of their owner.

In one experiment, researchers even got the goldfish to learn that if they pressed a certain lever at a certain time of day (for a span of about an hour), they would get food for this action. If the lever was pushed any other time of day, nothing would happen. In very short order, these goldfish learned to only bother pushing the lever during the time of day it would produce food; the rest of the time, they ignored it.

In another experiment, researchers trained young goldfish to associate a certain sound with feeding time. They then released these fish into the sea. About half a year later, when the fish were fully grown, the researchers broadcast the sound over a loudspeaker and the fish swam from wherever they were in the sea, back to where they were released. This has been proposed as a method to cut down the cost of raising fish for consumption. Teach them to come when they are young and then release them into the ocean and lakes to grow to adulthood naturally. Better for the environment; less cruel to the fish (relatively speaking); and cuts down on costs of raising the fish drastically.

Researchers have also recently taught carp (goldfish are a type of carp) to distinguish between classical music and blues music, as well as to be able to distinguish between whether a particular song is being played forwards or backwards.

Surce….www.today i foundout.com

Natarajan

வாரம் ஒரு கவிதை …” நீதியைத் தேடி …” !!!

 

நீதியைத் தேடி …
——————
 ஒரு நதியின் நீருக்காக நீதி  தேடி ஓடிய எங்கள்
 ஓட்டம் ஒயவில்லயே இன்னும் ! மீண்டும் ஒரு
 ஓட்டம் ..நாங்கள் ஓடுகிறோம் உன்னைத்
 தேடி நீதி தேவதையே ! இந்த ஓட்டம்
 எங்கள் நாட்டு மாட்டின் ஓட்டத்தைத்
 தடுக்க நினைக்கும் ஒரு கூட்டத்தின்
 கொட்டம் அடக்க !…ஒரே குரலில்
 கேட்கிறோம் ஒன்றே ஒன்று மட்டும்
 உன்னிடம் நீதி தேவதையே !
 “இழைக்கப்பட்ட அநீதி அழிக்கப்பட்டால்
  கிட்டும் ஒரு சரியான நீதி எங்களுக்கு “
 நீதி தேடி மீண்டும் உன் கதவு தட்டும்
 காலம் இனி வேண்டவே வேண்டாம்
 எங்களுக்கு நீதி தேவதையே !
 நம்புகிறோம் நாங்கள் உன்னை !
 வெல்வது நீயாக இருக்கட்டும் ..உன்
 வெற்றியில் தழைத்து செழிப்பது எங்கள்
 நாட்டுக் காளை இனமாகட்டும் ! எங்கள்
 ஆவினம் குலம் தழைக்க நீ பெறும் வெற்றி
 எங்கள் தமிழ் தாய்  உள்ளம் குளிரும் வெற்றி !
 நீதி தேடி நாங்கள் ஓடியது   போதும் ! நியாயம்
 இருக்கும் இடம் தேடி நீ ஓடி வா நீதி தேவதையே !
K.Natarajan