Once when we went to Udupi temple, inside the sanctum sanctorium, a man pinched me on my behind. I slapped him hard, but sadly he got lost in the afternoon lunch crowd before my husband and father could attend to him. The heartbreaking part is that this man could not stop himself from doing such a mean act inside the temple. It is not that such an act is acceptable anywhere else, but somehow this mean incident happening inside a temple, is deplorable. This shows to what levels an unashamed man can stoop. When another fanatic brushed his hands against my behind in a local theater, I could give him a hit on his back with my umbrella, which I sure do hope hurt him immensely. Now, must I be happy that my back attracts so much attention?

The announcement of the candidature of APJ Abdul Kalam for the Presidential post evoked a spate of reports in the print media. All of them wallow on his spartan lifestyle simplicity and commitment to his profession.

When an ordinary person comes across broken shards of glass along the road, he simply adjusts his path and continues on his way without another glance. He does not stop to think about what their history is, or how they happened to make their way to the road, or what their future use might be. Every once in a while, however, a man like Sir David Brewster comes across these neglected shards and sees in them the potential to be something beautiful. He then takes these fragments and combines them with a few mirrors and some mathematics to create the first kaleidoscope.

Hari Sri MahaGanaPathaye Namah:
Avighnamasthu:
Sri Maha Saraswathye Namahe:

It is our tradition and custom to start with Vigneshwara Puja and so I will start with my thoughts on Him.

Our Mythology tells us that 'Elavratha Varsha' is the Loka where Sri Parvathi lives and there are only ladies living with her. Even the great Lord Siva, the consort of Sri Parvathi, lives there as ArdhaNareeswara. Male species is not permitted into that territory. One day Maha Sakthi decided that she needs someone to guard the place and prevent even inadvertent entry of males or any one without specific permission. Goddess ParaSakthi creates from her own body (clone as we understand today) an all- powerful Robot "Maha Kaya". The Divine Mother decided that there would not be anything more powerful than her creation in the whole universe or 14 lokas. Instruction was also given to the Maha Kaya to stop anyone trying to enter the Elavratha Varsha.

A program on the Discovery channel got me thinking about a possible link between Hindu Mythology and scientific reasoning behind the Gothra concept. That Discovery channel program referred to claims made by Jewish families of they being direct descendants of revered Jewish saints from a pre-Christian era. The interesting paradox was that families from different parts of the world, (Africa, Europe, Far east and South Asia) and each belonging to a different race were claiming to be descendents of same Jewish Saints.

It is customary to follow the Maha GanaPathy Vandanam with Saraswathy Vandanam. Having written about Lord Vinayaka in my previous article, I now seek Sree Saradambal's Blessings. Goddess Saraswathy is the Adhi Devatha for knowledge as well as for all modes of transmission of knowledge. The Mythological stories, both western as well as Oriental, give some insight into the past. The western Mythology does not talk much about the process or steps through which Universe was created. They simply say that God created all beings. Hindu mythology gives some insight into the different stages.

The Black hole theory states that the power of attraction of the black hole is so high that all stars and Galaxies will get absorbed into it and will disappear giving no trace. There is even today a black hole some where in the Universe and some stars are getting absorbed into it. The black hole slowly gets bigger. As this gets larger and larger, more and more stars and galaxies get absorbed and one day the whole Universe will disappear.

"Bhagbai, childless for nine years, had atlast conceived after endless prayers to Mariaai. The high caste village priest had advised to name the baby KACHARU, meaning dirt, so the devil would stay out of sight and the baby thrive." - excerpt from OUTCASTE by Narendra Jadhav