Tuesday, January 18, 2011

A case against Lord Krishna

A nun in Warsaw, Poland, filed a case against ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness). The case came up in court.

The nun remarked that ISKCON was spreading its activities and gaining followers in Poland. She wanted ISKCON banned because its followers were glorifying a character called Krishna “who had loose morals,” having married 16,000 women called Gopikas.

The ISKCON defendant to the Judge: “Please ask the nun to repeat the oath she took when she was ordained as a nun.”

The Judge asked the nun to recite the oath loudly. She would not.

The ISKCON man asked whether he could read out the oath for the nun.

Go ahead, said the judge.

The oath said in effect that 'she (the nun) is married to Jesus Christ'. The ISKCON man said, "Your Lordship! Lord Krishna is alleged to have 'married' 16,000 women. There are more than a million nuns who assert that they are married to Jesus Christ. Between the two, Krishna and the nuns (Christ), who has a loose character?”

The case was dismissed.

Is Celebrating new-year on January 1st is Scientific?

Solar year

  • Earth to Sun rotation of 360°, with 12 parts as month with 30°. Aries (Mesh) to Pisces (Meen).
  • April 13th / 14th / 15th because Punjab / Bengal / Assam / Kerala / Tamilnadu celebrate the new year day. (Solar Calendar) 

Lunar year

  • In one Solar year the moon completes 12 & one third rotation of earth. Amavasya or Purnima.
  • Normal lunar year is having about 355 days only. To maintain equilibrium between Lunar & Solar years every 3 years one additional month is added in Lunar year.
  • UGADI - Hindu New Year (Gudi Padwa / Ugadi / Varsha Praipada)
  • The festival marks the new year day for people between Vindhyas & Kaveri river (Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Goa)

 Muslim Year

  • 1st day of Moharram because Muslim celebrates the new year day. (Lunar Calendar)
  • The makers of Islamic calendar removed the concept of adding one month in every three years to maintain equilibrium with Solar Calendar and that is the reason their festivals come 10 days early as compare to previous year.

Christian Year

  • As per, Roman calendar, the year is starting from March 21st.
  • Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday following the full moon night after 21st March. i.e. 22nd March onwards
  • In 17 century AD one European king who wanted to do some different, sarcastically ordered to start the New Year from 1st January.This order was welcomed by poor Christians, who were not able to celebrate the festival of New Year after a month long celebration of X-mas (Christmas) i.e. 25th December.

General

  • As on 2022 - 2079th year since Rajyabhishek of Vikramaditya
  • As on 2022 - 5124th year since Rajyabhishek of Yudhishtthir (Kali Yuga)
  • The word Yugadi can be explained as; 'Yuga' (era) + 'adi' (beginning).
  • 4,32,000 years (1,200 divine years)= Kali Yuga (x 2 = Dwapara Yugam, x3 Thretha Yugam, x4 Kritha Yugam)
  • Vaivasvata Manvantara
  • April 1st because our Financial year starts from this date.
  • Academic Calendar starts in June / April
  • The next day of Diwali because many businessman starts their new ledger from that day.(Lunar Calendar)March (Marching in to the new year) being the first month January & February were 11th and 12th months respectively.
  • September, October, November & December which means 7th, 8th, 9th & 10th month respectively. Few examples are Octopus, Octogan, Decimeter, Decimal etc.
  • Julies and Augustus Caesar has changed 2 months for them as July and August
  • Indians (Hindus) celebrate the new day / year based on the sunrise time which is early morning between 5:30 to 6:30, which is actually 12 midninght in Britain.
  • Great Historian Shri PN Oak  claims - X-mas (Christmas) – 10th Mas (10th Month)
  • Hence, British (Europe) do celebrate newyear in midnight as India welcomes new sun in morning
  • April Fool – Those who celebrate new year in April

Monday, January 17, 2011

பொங்கலோ பொங்கல் செய்யும் முறை

பொங்கலோ பொங்கல்!

Pongal

பொங்கல் என்றால் சர்க்கரைப் பொங்கலும், தித்திக்கும் கரும்பும், தேங்காய்த் துருவலும்தான் நினைவுக்கு வரும். பொங்கல் பண்டிகையின்போது செய்யப்படும் சில வகை உணவுகளின் பட்டியல், அதைச் செய்யும் முறை இதோ...

சர்க்கரை பொங்கல்
தேவையான பொருட்கள்:

பால் : 2 லிட்டர்
பாதாம் பருப்பு : 10
அரிசி : ஒன்றரை கப்
பாசிப்பருப்பு : கால் கப்
முந்திரிப் பருப்பு : 15
தூள் செய்யப்பட்ட வெல்லம் : ஒன்றரை கப்
காய்ந்த திராட்சை : 30
குங்குமப்பூ : கால் டீஸ்பூன்
தூள் செய்யப்பட்ட ஏலம் : 1 டீஸ்பூன்
நெய் : 2 டேபிள் ஸ்பூன்

செய்முறை:

பாதாம் பருப்பையும், முந்திரிப் பருப்பையும் தூள் செய்து கொள்ளவும்.உலர்ந்த திராட்சையை சுத்தம் செய்து கொள்ளவும்.அரிசியையும், பருப்பையும் நன்றாக கழுவி தயாராக வைத்துக் கொள்ளவும்.

பாலை சூடு செய்யவும். பால் நன்கு கொதிக்க ஆரம்பித்தவுடன் அரிசியையும், பருப்பையும் அதில் போடவும். அரிசியும் பருப்பும் நன்கு வெந்தவுடன் அதில்வெல்லத்தையும், நெய்யையும் சேர்க்கவும். இது மிதமான சூட்டில் சிறிது நேரம் கொதிக்க வைக்கப்பட வேண்டும்.

இதனுடன் பொடி செய்து வைக்கப்பட்ட பாதாம் பருப்பையும், முந்திரிப் பருப்பையும், குங்குமப் பூ மற்றும் ஏலக்காய் பொடியையும், உலர்ந்த திராட்சையையும்போடவும். சிறிது நேரம் சூடு செய்யவும். பதம் வந்தவுடன் இறக்கி வைத்து சூடாக பரிமாறவும்.

இதை பொங்கல் பானைக்கான மண்பானையில் செய்தால் சுவையும் கூடுதலாக இருக்கும், உடல் ஆரோக்கியத்திற்கும் நல்லது.

--

வெண்பொங்கல்:

தேவையான பொருட்கள்:

அரிசி : 2 கப்
பாசிப்பருப்பு : ஒன்றரை கப்
நெய் : 2 டீ ஸ்பூன்
வறுக்கப்பட்ட முந்திரிப்பருப்பு : 10
உப்பு : தேவையான அளவு

செய்முறை:

அரிசியையும், பருப்பையும் நன்றாக கழுவி தயாராக வைத்துக் கொள்ளவும். இதை நல்ல குழிவான பாத்திரத்தில் கால் லிட்டர் நீரில் கொதிக்கவைக்கவும். மற்றொரு பாத்திரத்தில் நெய்யையும், முந்திரிப் பருப்பையும் சேர்த்து வைக்கவும்.

இதை அரிசி, பருப்பு, உப்பை சேர்த்து கலக்கி கொதிக்க வைக்கவும். இந்த கலவையை அவ்வப்போது கிளறி வரவும். நன்கு வெந்தவுடன் இறக்கி நெய்போட்டு சூடாக பரிமாறவும்.

--

வெண்பொங்கல் (தமிழக ஸ்பெஷல்)

தேவையான பொருட்கள்:

அரிசி : 2 கப்
பாசிப் பருப்பு : 1 கப்
மிளகு பொடி : ஒன்றரை டீ ஸ்பூன்
சீரகம் : 1 டீ ஸ்பூன்
முந்திரி பருப்பு : 10
சுக்கு : : 10 கிராம் (அல்லது 50 பைசாவுக்கு)
நெய் : தேவையான அளவு
உப்பு : தேவையான அளவு

செய்முறை:

பாசிப்பருப்பை பொன்நிறம் வரும் வரை வறுக்கவும் வறுத்து வைத்த பருப்புடன் அரிசியை போட்டு அதைப் போல் இரண்டரை பங்கு நீர் ஊற்றி அதை ரைஸ்குக்கரில் போட்டு வேக வைக்கவும்.

முந்திரி பருப்பை பொடி செய்து வைத்துக் கொள்ளவும். சுக்கையும் சிறு துண்டுகளாக வெட்டி வைத்துக் கொள்ளவும். முந்திரி பருப்பையும், இஞ்சியையும் நெய்யில்போட்டு வறுத்துக் கொள்ளவும். சீரகத்தையும், மிளகையும் இஞ்சி, முந்திரியுடன் சேர்த்து வறுத்து கொள்ளவும். இந்த கலவயை நன்கு வெந்துள்ள அரிசி பருப்புடன்சேர்த்து (பொங்கல்) கிளறவும்.

இத்துடன் தேவையான அளவு உப்பையும் சேர்த்து நன்கு கிளறவும். (சூடு குறைந்திருந்தால் லேசாக சூடு செய்து கொள்ளலாம். ரொம்பவும் வேக வைத்து விடவேண்டாம்)

சூடாக எடுத்து பொங்கலை நெய் ஊற்றி பரிமாறவும். பொங்கலுக்கு ஏற்ற சைட் டிஷ். தேங்காய் சட்னி அல்லது தக்காளி சட்னி. சுவையாக சாப்பிட்டுசுகமாக வாழுங்கள்.

--

ரவா பொங்கல்:

தேவையான பொருட்கள்:

ரவா : 1 கப்
பாசிப்பருப்பு : அரை கப்
மிளகு : 5
சீரகப்பொடி : 1 டீ ஸ்பூன்
பச்சை மிளகாய் : 1
பெருங்காயப் பொடி : சிறிதளவு
மஞ்சள் பொடி : சிறிதளவு
இஞ்சி : சிறிதளவு
உப்பு : அரை டீ ஸ்பூன்
எண்ணெய் : 6 டீ ஸ்பூன்
நெய் : 2 டீ ஸ்பூன்

செய்முறை:

அரை கப் பாசிப் பருப்புடன் 1 கப் நீர் சேர்க்கவும். இதை குக்கரில் போட்டு நன்கு வேக வைக்கவும். ரவையை 4 டீ ஸ்பூன் எண்ணெயில் வறுக்கவும். இரண்டுகப் நீரை ஊற்றி அதில் ரவையை போட்டு நன்கு வேகும் வரை கலக்கவும். வேக வைக்கப்பட்டிருந்த பருப்பை வெந்து கொண்டிருக்கும் ரவையுடன்போட்டு. அதனுடன் உப்பையும் போட்டு நன்கு கலக்கவும். (பொங்கல் ரெடி)

2 டீ ஸ்பூன் எண்ணெயில் மிளகை போட்டு வறுக்கவும். அதனுடன் பெருங்காய பொடியையும், மஞ்சள் பொடியையும் சேர்க்கவும். இதனுடன் சீரகப் பொடியையும்சேர்த்துக் கொள்வும்.

முந்திரிப்பருப்பை பொன்நிறம் வரும் வரை நெய்யில் வறுத்துக் கொள்ளவும். இதனுடன் வெட்டி வைக்கப்பட்ட மிளகாயையும், இஞ்சியையும் சேர்க்கவும். இந்தமுழுக்கலவையையும் பொங்கலுடன் சேர்த்து நன்கு கலக்கவும்.பொங்கலில் 2 டீ ஸ்பூன் நெய்யை ஊற்றி கலக்கவும்.

சூடான ரவா பொங்கல் ரெடி. ரசித்து சாப்பிடுங்கள்.

சூடான பொங்கலையும், தித்திக்கும் கரும்பையும், கூடவே தேங்காய்த் துறுவலையும் சேர்த்து பொங்கல் பண்டிகையை சுவையாக கொண்டாடுங்கள்.

Pongal / Sankranti Festival

Pongal / Sankranti Festival

Pongal (Sankranti) is a National Harvest Festival in India. The word is derived from 'sat' and 'kranti', meaning "good movement".....

Pongal has astronomical significance: it marks the beginning of Uttarayana, (The transition of Sun from 'Dhanu' Rasi (Sagittarius) to 'Makara' Rasi (Capricorn) marks the starting of Uttarayana (Dakshanayanam to Uttaryanam), the Sun's movement northward for a six month period which is treated as Auspicious.....)

In Hinduism, Uttarayana is considered auspicious, as opposed to Dakshinaayana, or the southern movement of the sun. All important events are scheduled during this period. Makara Sankranthi refers to the event of the Sun entering the zodiac sign of Makara or Capricorn.

Pongal signals the end of the traditional farming season, giving farmers a break from their monotonous routine. Farmers also perform puja to some crops, signaling the end of the traditional farming season. It also sets the pace for a series of festivals to follow. In fact, four festivals are celebrated in Tamil Nadu for four consecutive days in that week. 'Bogi', 'Pongal' , 'Maattuppongal' and 'Thiruvalluvar Day'.

A festival called Jalli katthu is held in Madurai , Tiruchirapalli and Tanjavur,all in Tamil Nadu, on this day. Bundles of money are tied to the horns of Pongal ferocious bulls which the villagers try to retrieve. Everyone joins in the community meal, at which the food is made of the freshly harvested grain. This day is named and celebrated as Tamiliar Thirunal in a fitting manner through out Tamil Nadu.

Thus, the harvest festival of Pongal symbolizes the veneration of the first fruit. The crop is harvested only after a certain time of the year, and cutting the crop before that time is strictly prohibited. Even though Pongal was originally a festival for the farming community, today it is celebrated by all. In south India , all three days of Pongal are considered important. However, those south Indians who have settled in the north usually celebrate only the second day. Coinciding with Makara Sankranti and Lohri of the north, it is also called Pongal Sankranti.


Meaning & Significance
Thai Pongal is an occasion for family re-unions and get-together. Old enmities, personal animosities and rivalries are forgotten. Estrangements are healed and reconciliation effected.

Indeed, Thai Pongal is a festival of freedom, peace, unity and compassion crystallized in the last hymn on unity in the Indian spiritual text the Rig Veda. Thus, love and peace are the central theme of Thai Pongal

Pongal is a four day long harvest festival celebrated in Tamil Nadu, a southern state of India. For as long as people have been planting and gathering food, there has been some form of Harvest Festival. Pongal, one of the most important popular Hindu festivals of the year. This four-day festival of thanksgiving to nature takes its name from the Tamil word meaning "to boil" and is held in the month of Thai (January-February) during the season when rice and other cereals, sugar-cane, and turmeric (an essential ingredient in Tamil cooking) are harvested.


Mid-January is an important time in the Tamil calendar. The harvest festival, Pongal, falls typically on the 14th or the 15th of January and is the quintessential `Tamil Festival'. Pongal is a harvest festival, a traditional occasion for giving thanks to nature, for celebrating the life cycles that give us grain. Tamilians say `Thai pirandhaal vazhi pirakkum', and believe that knotty family problems will be solved with the advent of the Tamil month Thai that begins on Pongal day. This is traditionally the month of weddings. This is not a surprise in a largely agricultural community -- the riches gained from a good harvest form the economic basis for expensive family occasions like weddings.

Inspite of immense urbanization, the traditions and customs attached to the harvest festival of Pongal has not diminished. Though the nature of these tradition and customs has changed, the glitter of this festival has not dimmed. The fast changing times notwithstanding, certain things do not change. The way we celebrate the festivals, for instance. The festival of Pongal captures the quintessence of south Indian culture in all its entirety and traditional practices and customs continue to hold their own even today.

The spirit is alive and Pongal is still treated as a time to discard the old and welcome the new. The new crop that is harvested is cooked and offered to the Almighty. Celebrated for four days, the various traditions and customs of this harvest festival are:


The
First Day


This first day is celebrated as Bhogi festival in honor of Lord Indra, the supreme ruler of clouds that give rains. Homage is paid to Lord Indra for the abundance of harvest, thereby bringing plenty and prosperity to the land. Another ritual observed on this day is Bhogi Mantalu, when useless household articles, the old clothes and materials are thrown into a fire made of wood and cow-dung cakes. Girls dance around the bonfire, singing songs in praise of the gods, the spring and the harvest. The significance of the bonfire, in which is burnt the agricultural wastes and firewood is to keep warm during the last lap of winter. All the time, boys beat little buffalo-hide drums known as 'Bhogi Kottus'. The houses are then cleaned till they shine and are decorated with Kolams painted using rice four. There are yellow pumpkin flowers are set in cow-dung balls in the middle of these designs.

The Second Day

In Hindu temples bells, drums, clarinets and conch shells herald the joyous occasion of Pongal. Some of the rituals performed in the temple include the preparation of rice, the chanting of prayers and the offering of vegetables, sugar cane and spices to the gods. Devotees then consume the offerings to exonerate themselves of past sins.


On the second day of Pongal, the puja or act of ceremonial worship is performed when rice is boiled in milk outdoors in a earthenware pot and is then symbolically offered to the sun-god along with other oblations. All people wear traditional dress and markings, and their is an interesting ritual where husband and wife dispose off elegant ritual utensils specially used for the puja. In the village, the Pongal ceremony is carried out more simply but with the same devotion. In accordance with the appointed ritual a turmeric plant is tied around the pot in which the rice will be boiled. The offerings include the two sticks of sugar-cane in background and coconut and bananas in the dish. A common feature of the puja, in addition to the offerings, is the kolam, the auspicious design which is traditionally traced in white lime powder before the house in the early morning after bathing.

People also prepare savories and sweets, visit each other's homes, and exchange greetings.

The granaries are kept full on this day and Sun God with his rays are painted on a plank as he is worshiped with the birth of the new auspicious month of Thai. Since the word 'Ponga' means 'to boil' representing plentiful and excess yield, a special dish is cooked on this day in a new mud-pot that comes in innovative shapes and have artistic designs on them called 'Pongapanai'. The special dish is called 'Sarkkarai Pongal' and is offered to Sun God with sugarcane sticks. It is said that Lord Sundareshwar performed a miracle on this day in the Madurai temple and breathed life into a stone elephant who ate sugarcanes. One can see the depiction of the event in the Meenakshi temple

The Third Day

Maattu pongal' OR 'MAGHI' OR 'Kanuma'
(Is for worship of the cattle and celebrations with the Family)


The third day known as 'Mattu Pongal' is dedicated to the cattle as cowherds and shepherds pay thanks to their cows and bulls as they are used to plough the lands., paint their horns and cover them with shining metal caps. They are fed 'Pongal' and tinkling bells are tied around their neck. Lord Ganesha and Goddess Parvati are also worshiped on this day. At some other places, this day is celebrated as Kanu Pongal when girls feed colored balls of cooked rice to the birds and crows and pray for their brothers' happiness and that they always remember them.

Multi-colored beads, tinkling bells, sheaves of corn and flower garlands are tied around the neck of the cattle and then are worshiped. They are fed with Pongal and taken to the village centers. The entire atmosphere becomes festive and full of fun and revelry. Arati is performed on them, so as to ward off the evil eye. According to a legend, once Shiva asked his bull, Basava, to go to the earth and ask the mortals to have an oil massage and bath every day and to eat once a month. Inadvertently, Basava announced that everyone should eat daily and have an oil bath once a month. This mistake enraged Shiva who then cursed Basava, banishing him to live on the earth forever. He would have to plough the fields and help people produce more food. Thus the association of this day with cattle.
The resounding of the cattle bells attract the villagers as the young men race each other's cattle. Cattle races are conducted and in the game called 'Manji Virattu' groups of young men chase running bulls. Bull fights called 'Jallikattu' are also arranged at some places where young men have to take the money bags tied to the horns of ferocious bulls single-handedly and without the use of arms.


The Fourth Day

The Fourth day is known as Knau or Kannum Pongal day. On this day, a turmeric leaf is washed and is then placed on the ground. On this leaf are placed, the left overs of sweet Pongal and Venn Pongal, ordinary rice as well as rice colored red and yellow, betel leaves, betel nuts, two pieces of sugarcane, turmeric leaves, and plantains. In Tamil Nadu women perform this ritual before bathing in the morning. All the women, young and old, of the house assemble in the courtyard. The rice is placed in the centre of the leaf, while the women ask that the house and family of their brothers should prosper. Arati is performed for the brothers with turmeric water, limestone and rice, and this water is sprinkled on the kolam in front of the house.

On this day, people travel to see other family members. On this day, the younger members of the family pay homage to the elders, and the elders thank them by giving token money. Another thing many do is leave food out on banana leaves for birds to take. Many South Indian people will take the first bit of rice cooked in any given day and set it outside for the crows to take, so this is not necessarily a habit only for Pongal.

Report by Shri. P. Sudhakar in THE HINDU, May 19, 2007

Jaggery and Tamils cannot be separated as it has been used for several hundreds of years to prepare `Sarkarai Pongal' on the first day of Tamil month of `Thai' and celebrate happy occasions. A 400-year-old stone sugarcane press found in a farm at Srivaikuntam off the Tirunelveli - Tiruchendur highway by a team of archaeologists here has confirmed the association. Though sugarcane presses had been found by archaeologists on several occasions, the latest one is unique as it carries inscriptions. The neatly carved groove and the cavity of the press demonstrate the Tamils' expertise in designing stone articles with exceptional skill. Since the press has been lying in the farm for several centuries, the ranch is popularly known as `chekkadi vayal.' The owner of the press is Sri Kailaasanathar, the presiding deity of a nearby temple. Inscriptions found on the press say: "This sugarcane press should be used only to meet the jaggery requirements of the Sri Kailaasanathar Temple. If people use it for other purposes, they should give one `thulaam' (nearly 2 kg) of jaggery to the temple. Otherwise, it will be a great sin."

Names of Sankranthi celebrated with some regional variations:

In Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra it is called Sankranthi
In Tamil Nadu as Pongal
In Uttar Pradesh as ‘Khichiri’
In Himachal Pradesh and Punjab as "LOHARI"
In Bundelkhand and Madhya Pradesh as ‘Sakarat’
In Assam as 'Bhogali Bihu'
In Bihar as 'Sankranti'
In orissa and West Bengal as 'Makara Sankranti'
Makara Vilakku Festival in Sabarimala Temple
In Gujarat and Rajasthan as 'Uttarayan' (Kite flying festival)
Other parts of India as 'Makara Sankranti' OR 'Maghe Sankranti' or 'Maghe Sakrati'


" Pongalo Pongal...!!! Pongalo Pongal...!!! Pongalo Pongal...!!! "

" Pongidum Mangalam Engum Thangugha...! "

" Inbamey Soolgha , Ellorum Vaalgha...! "


Friday, January 7, 2011

Drink water to avoid Heart Attacks

But who knew the timing effected things.

Drinking water at the correct time, Maximizes its effectiveness on the Human body:

  • 2 glasses of water after waking up helps activate internal organs

  • 1 glass of water 30 minutes before a meal - helps digestion

  • 1 glass of water before taking a bath - helps lower blood pressure

  • 1 glass of water before going to bed - avoids stroke or heart attack