Diwali / Deepavali - Festival of Lights

Hello everyone,

Coming back after a month long hiatus with a post on probably the most celebrated festival in Hinduism, Diwali.

As you know, people from all parts of the country celebrate Diwali with the same gusto and splendour. It is a time to visit friends and family, exchange wishes, interact and bond. It is also a time of great rejoicement and festivities. Diwali is a more general form of pronouncing Deepavali, which means an array of Deeps (lamps).

When I was young, Diwali for me was a day when I had a holiday from school (very important!), could wear new clothes and burst sparkling fire-crackers. Slowly, the concept has changed. Now Diwali has a deeper and more profound impact on me, and that is exactly what I would like to share. So let us look at the legends behind Diwali:

The first one is from Ramayan, which describes Diwali as the day when Lord Ram returned victoriously to his kingdom of Ayodhya after defeating the demon king Ravan of Lanka. Lord Ram was given an arousing welcome, and the entire city dazzled with Diyas. This was later celebrated as an annual festival called Deepavali or Diwali.

The second reference is related to Lord Krishna. Once there was an evil demon called Narakasura, who was a tyrant and was forever oppressing the common people. All of them prayed to Lord Krishna to relieve them from his clutches. Thus, Lord Krishna came and after an intense battle, he killed Narakasura using his Sudarshan Chakra. The people rejoinced, lit the city with lamps, and this incident came to be annually celebrated as Diwali.

If you look at the common thread between these 2 legends, it portrays the victory of good over evil, of light eclipsing the darkness, and of righteousness holding forth against all odds. Thus, the Diwali festival is a very symbolic one that extols us to kill our inner demons (negativities) and purify our soul by lighting it up with goodness.

Now let me give a brief description of the festival. Diwali is celebrated across 4 days, starting from the 13th day of the month of Ashwin. This day is called Dhanteras, literally translated into wealth-thirteenth. Interestingly, though the number 13 has negative connotations in some other religions, this day is considered a very auspicious one. It is an age-old tradition to buy gold and other ornaments on Dhanteras. Also, if one sees a house-lizard on that day, he/she is considered to be lucky. So do look out for those slippery creatures tomorrow!

Why is it good to buy jewelery on Dhanteras? I don't think there is any specific reason, apart from instilling a sense of savings in the family. If you consider the price of Gold, it is forever on the rise. If one has cash, there will be a tendency to spend it even for wasteful/useless purposes. But on the other hands, a solid ornament of gold can be a form of a saving, and a good investment too. This might also be the reason why purchase of gold on Akshaya Tritiya is suggested to be very auspicious.

The next day is the Choti (Small) Diwali, while Diwali and Badi (Big) Diwali follow the smaller one. For us Marwadis, Diwali is of special significance because of the Lakshmi Puja conducted on the main Diwali day. Lakshmi, being the goddess of wealth, is requested to forever remain in our home and not desert us. Diwali is considered the beginning of the new financial year, and new account books are opened on Diwali. The books, pen and the ink-pot is also venerated.

The Puja is conducted in the evening, after which, it is time to burst crackers. This is probably the most exciting part of Diwali. Crackers of all shapes, sizes and varieties light up the sky, and provide a visual treat to all the spectators. Though earlier the crackers were just a symbolic representation of light illuminating our lives, these days it has become a contest among people to show off their wealth by spending a lot of money on crackers.

Not only does this one-upmanship contribute result in literal "burning" away of money, it also contributes a lot towards environmental pollution. Crackers that illuminate are understandable to be synonymous with Diwali, but why do we need ear-deafening bombs and Ladis? It is beyond my comprehension. Also, let us look back at what goes into making these crackers. Helpless child-laborours working in inhuman conditions by foregoing their education produce the fire-crackers. Do we really need to burst crackers to enjoy a few moments while our brethren suffer for years?

So this Diwali, I hope we can go for a pure Diya day or just a minimal amount of cracker-bursting. Let us focus instead on lighting up our lives by killing our inner defects and illuminate the lives of others with our goodness.

Happy Diwali !

- Nikhil Mundra

www.gandhistamps.com

15th October 2009

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Vedic Maths

Good Afternoon,

Another appaling newspaper headline - A person in the USA applies for patenting the Vedic Maths method! Similar to patenting the physical practices like Yoga and Thoppukaram (alias Super Brain Yoga), people in the USA have now begun to patent our intellectual concepts like Vedic Maths as well...

So what is Vedic Maths? It is a way of computing Mathematical quantities at an extremely fast rate and is based on 16 basic Vedic Slokas/Sutras. The list of Sutras as mentioned in the Vedic Maths Foundation are given below:

The method, found in the Vedas, was lost for centuries, but was brought to light by Sri Bharti Krsna (Krishna) Tirthaji Maharaj, Jagadguru of the Puri Mutt from 1925-1960. After painstakingly researching the Atharvana Veda to make a compendium of all the shortcuts involved to make maths simpler, the Jagadguru was shocked when his entire manuscript was found burnt in a house fire. But he didn't lose heart, and before breathing his last, he rewrote parts of the huge-resource, even though we will never get to know the entire list of formulas.

The most simplest and commonly used method of Vedic Maths is the multiplication of large numbers in a fast way. Consider you are multiplying 123 and 456. You can either go for the long multiplication method, or use the one I have stated below, which can be done mentally (The lines between numbers denote multiplication) :

Finally, the result is 56088, which is the actual answer. The beauty of this technique is that it can be extended upto n digits in both multiplicants, and we could still use a one-line or mental calculation method. Do try it out for other numbers as well as larger ones...

For those of you who are interested, you can check out the book "Vedic Mathematics", authored by Tirthaji Maharaj himself:

Apart from this multiplication technique, it contains several other techniques that can be used to simplify topics such as Quadratic and Cubic equations, fractional coefficients, geometric applications of equations, Hyperbolas, Asymptotes, etc. Unfortunately, there is only a small intro to Integral and Differential Calculus. If only these topics would have been dealt in detail, it would make the life of so many school-children and would-be engineers. It certainly would have made mine a lot better :-)

- Nikhil Mundra

www.gandhistamps.com

==================

Ganesh / Vinayaka Chaturthi - Surgery/Transplant & Moon-Waxing,Waning

Namaste,

I am a big fan of our Hindu traditions and our calender, simply because there is no month devoid of festivities! The basic background of celebrating so many times a year is that these festivals give us reasons to meet our relatives, interact with

them and share our joys and sorrows. Thus, we are forever in touch with our friends and family, and thus these festivals create a sense of bonding that unites us.

Why I particularly like them so much is that I get an excuse to gorge on the umpteen amounts of sweets that are prepared for each of these events :-)

This month (August) witnesses 2 biggies - The Krishna Janmashtami (celebrated earlier on the 14th of August), and the Ganesh or Vinayak Chaturthi, which falls tomorrow.

Lord Ganesha, also known as Ekdanta (one with a single tooth), Vinayaka, Vignaharta (remover of obstacles), etc., is the only mainstream God to have a non-human face. Legend has it that Goddess Parvati, wife of Lord Shiva, created a boy out of the cosmetic paste applied before her bath. The boy was beautiful and strong, and she instructed him to guard her home while she was bathing. Presently, Lord Shiva came and wanted to talk to his wife. The boy, unaware of who Lord Shiva was, refused to allow him inside. Even though Lord Shiva explained his relation, the young boy stood his ground, unwilling to waver from his mother's orders. Agitated, Lord Shiva ordered his army to attack him, but so brave was he that each of his Ganas bit the dust.

Unable to bear further humiliation, Lord Shiva resorted to a trick, where he confronted the boy from the front, while Lord Vishnu sliced off his head from behind with his Sudarshan Chakra. When Goddess Parvati came out, she was enraged to find her son dead. And when the mother Goddess, the source of all energy itself is angry, the world falls in a pall of gloom. The Devas realised that they had committed a huge crime, and tried to pacify her. But she would just not listen to them.

Finally, the Devas decided that the only way to create harmony was to bring back the child to life. But as the head had been mutilated, they could not use the same one. Thus, they went east, brought the head of the first baby elephant they encountered, affixed it on the boy's body, and brought him back to life. As an icing on the cake, the Devas agreed that from that day onwards, Lord Ganesha would always be the first God to be worshipped, and all Pujas would begin with him being venerated first.

Coming to the scienctific part, this legend indicates the first ever surgery/transplant taking place in history, with the head of the elephant being made a substitute for the slain boy's head. This would have involved a unique surgery, and we already know that our ancient Indians had a great knowledge of surgery from the books of Sushruta (More about his surgical brilliance in the future).

Another scientific connection related to Lord Ganesha is a legend associated with one of his early birth anniversaries and the waxing/waning of the moon. Baby Vinayaka, dressed up in all his finery was welcoming the various Devas for a grand celebration on his birthday. But he had not even touched a morsel of food since morning, and was feeling extremely hungry. On getting the first opportunity, he started eating all the dishes excitedly. This amused Chandradev (Moon), who openly ridiculed Lord Ganesha by laughing, thus making fun of his way of eating and his pot belly. All the Devas were shocked, as they knew that however childish Ganesha was, he was extremely knowledgeable, powerful and brilliant. Thus, the moon had incurred Ganesha’s wrath by insulting him like this.

Lord Vinayaka grew angry, and wanted to punish the moon for being proud and vain of his handsomeness. But Lord Shiva intervened and requested his son to be mild in his judgement. Ganesha then decreed that the moon would be confined to the night only, and would also lose some of its beauty. He added that the moon would not be visible in its full glory all the time, and would be waxing and waning in cycles. The moon, humbled by his offence, agreed to abide by these conditions. And Lord Ganesha went back to his merry eating.

Thus, we notice that the concept of the moon’s blemished surface (as seen from earth due to craters) have been mentioned in the texts of yore through this legend. Moreover, the phenomenon of the waxing and waning cycle of the moon has also been mentioned using this legend relating Lord Ganesha and the Moon.

Ganapati Bappa Moriya! Wishing all of you a Happy and Prosperous Vinayak Chathurthi.

-Nikhil Mundra

www.gandhistamps.com

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Jayadeva & Geeta Govinda - Stamps on Lord Vishnu's Dasavathars

Good Morning,

Though this post is slightly off-topic, it is related to the Dasavathars.

One of the things I am quite passionate about is Philately. I focus on all philatelic material (stamps,covers,etc.) related to Mahatma Gandhi. You would be surprised to learn that more than 90 countries have issued stamps on Mahatma Gandhi. The detailed scans are available on my website:

www.gandhistamps.com

India recently issued a set of 11 stamps (yes, 11!) on the 12th century epic "Gita Govinda" by Jayadeva. This is perhaps the largest single set of stamps issued on a single topic together. The scan is shown below:

The stamp on the top is that of the author Jayadeva, while the other 10 stamps depict the Dasavathars.

The Gita Govinda is written with the view of Lord Krishna as the supreme being, and the Dasavathars being incarnations of Lord Krishna. What is interesting is that all the Avathars (Mathsya, Kurma, Varaaha, Narasimha, Vamana, Parasuram, Ram, Balaram, Buddha, Kalki) are the same as those described to be Lord Vishnu's Dasavathars.

Thus, it can be termed as just a different view-point, with the Dasavthars being a common link for the different chapters of Hindu worship.

- Nikhil Mundra

14th August 2009

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Dhwaj (or) Dhvaja Stambha - Flag mast - Lightning Arrestor

Hello everyone,

Stambhas (pillars) play an important role in both Hinduism and our ancient history. Kirti Stambhas were erected by Kings to commemorate their famous victories. The most famous one among them is the Vijay Stambha in Chittor, Rajasthan (shown below).

Literally translated into "Tower of Victory", it was made by Rana Kumbha to celebrate his victory over the combined forces of Malwa and Gujarat led by Mahmud Khilji in 1442.

The other variety of Stambha is the Dhwaja Stambha, which is a very common feature in most of the Indian temples. It is a tall post-like structure, which is referred to as the flag-mast of the deity of the temple. The Dhwaja Stambha is different from the Kirti Stambha, as it is characteristically thinner. Also, it is made of metal or has a metal covering rather than the former, which is made predominantly of stone.

During festivities, the Dhwaja Stambha is decorated with different types of flags to commemorate and celebrate that particular event. The Dhvaja Stambha is present in a straight line from the deity, just before the Vahana of the deity, which is also in the same axial line.

It is referred to as being a medium for the Heavens to be connected to the earth, which would refer to it being a spiritual connector between us earthlings and the supreme being, God, above.

But can this explanation have a deeper significance? Now what could be the reason behind constructing a metal pillar in the precincts of the temple? I believe that the Dhavaja Stambha is basically an ancient lightning arrestor. The principle of the arrestor is pretty simple, which can be understood from the below figure:

Whenever lightning strikes, the metal arrestor, placed such that it is the highest point of the region, induces the charge to conduct through it. The Arrestor then conducts the heavy electrical impulse directly to ground, thus preventing the building from getting damaged.

It can be noticed that the top of the Dhwaja Stambha is the highest point of the temple, and thus, whenever lightning would strike, the temple would be saved from the devastating damage that could have been caused. This is what could be meant from the explanation that it connects "Heaven to earth" (i.e.) it conducts the charges from the clouds above during lightning to earth or ground, which is the electrical term for a no-potential area.

It's really wonderful how our ancient Indian Hindus have incorporated this principle in order to safeguard the most important place of their social setting, the temples.

Till next time,

- Nikhil Mundra

www.gandhistamps.com

1st August 2009

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Turmeric (Haldi, Curcumin) - The Magical Spice/Herb of India

Good Evening,

There are a lot of other discoveries and findings made by Aryabhatta, but I am taking a break for now. Will come back to Aryabhatta's scientific discoveries sometime later. This post deals with the various beneficial properties of Turmeric, one of the most important herbs of our tradition that has been used in India since time immemorial.

I am sure you would agree that there is no home in India which does not use Turmeric. Called Haldi in India, it is utilised for a variety of purposes in our daily lives.

Turmeric has been part of our cooking since aeons, and is used both as a spice as well as for natural colouring. Ayurveda cuisine refers to the use of turmeric in it's dishes, and that practice has been passed down the generations.

Get ready for a long post loaded with links, because Turmeric (Haldi) has a plethora of medicinalproperties due to the presence of the chemical Curcumin. Some of these are:

1) Prevention or Slowing down Alzheimer's disease. Please refer links below to understand the medical background:

http://www.bio-medicine.org/medicine-news/Chemical-Compound-in-Turmeric-Helps-to-Fight-Alzheimers-23139-1/

http://www.annalsofian.org/text.asp?2008/11/1/13/40220

One important point being mentioned is that because we have turmeric as a staple inclusion in our diet, Indians are found to be less vulnerable to Alzheimer's disease.

2) Turmeric (Curcumin) blocks Brain tumour activity:

http://www.mdlinx.com/hemeonclinx/news-article.cfm/2663688

3) Curcumin is helpful against pancreatic ailments:

http://www.research.ucla.edu/tech/ucla02-427.htm

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7060733.html

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12488237

4) Curcumin is anti-inflammatory, and thus is helpful in diseases like rheumatoid arthiritis and other autoimmuno diseases:

http://seniorjournal.com/NEWS/Nutrition-Vitamins/6-10-30-AsianSpiceTurmeric.htm

http://autoimmunedisease.suite101.com/article.cfm/turmeric

5) Turmeric helps in digestion by inducing bile juice, and is thus good for the liver too. That's why it's subscribed whenever someone in India has jaundice:

http://www.articlesbase.com/alternative-medicine-articles/liver-detox-benefits-with-turmeric-276694.html

http://patient-research.elsevier.com/patientresearch/displayAbs?key=S0271531700800305

6) A summary of the anti cancer properties of Curcumin, the chemical in Turmeric (Haldi) is given below. It is observed that Curcumin aids the cell-cycle arrest, which, if allowed to continue, would help in the mutation of cells and development of cancer:

http://www.goodhealth.nu/News_Articles/050111-curcumin-anti-cancer-US.htm

Detailed medical analysis of Curcumin is provided in the below link:

http://www.inchem.org/documents/jecfa/jecmono/v35je09.htm

Apart from this, Turmeric (Haldi) has been used since time immemorial in India as a Grandma's cure for skin infections, cuts, wounds and lesions. Recent studies prove that Curcumin inserts itself into cell membranes, making them more stable and thus healing them. Refer the below link:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090420123051.htm

Turmeric (Haldi) has also been used in India as a cosmetic. People, especially the women-folk are advised to use it to get a glowing and radiant skin.

It is also a common ritual to apply turmeric paste on the to-be bride and groom before marriage in the traditional Hindu ceremony. Studies show that Turmeric helps fight Melanoma, a deadly form of skin-cancer. Refer below link:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/07/050712232338.htm

I remeber my mother giving me a glass full of "Haldi ka doodh", or Turmeric dissolved in milk, whenever I had a cold/cough/fever, was feeling weak or was having body-pain. Turmeric seems to be a natural pain-killer and is seen to be helpful against all these symptoms. Please refer below links:

http://www.streetdirectory.com/travel_guide/110924/rheumatology/turmeric_as_arthritis_joint_pain__inflammation_treatment.html

http://www.curing-colds.com/articles/alternative-cold-remedies/turmeric.php

Another nice article summarizing Turmeric's benefits:

http://www.infinityfoundation.com/mandala/t_es/t_es_tiwar_turmeric.htm

Phew! When I started this post, I frankly knew only about Turmeric's beneficial properties for Alzheimer's and Body pain. But even after so much of research and new benefits that I have learnt, I am sure there are still many things which have been left out. I think Turmeric (Haldi) does deserve another post in the near future.

So, the bottom-line is that Turmeric (Haldi), an inseparable part of Indian cuisine and Indian tradition, has been proclaimed and accepted as a wonder-herb for it's array of Medicinal properties. No wonder that it has been used in India for ages. Our ancestors had identified it's beneficial properties and made sure that it is both consumed on a daily basis and used for the specific ailment when required...

Till next time,

- Nikhil Mundra

www.gandhistamps.com

25th July 2009

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Rare Triple Eclipse, Aryabhatta and End of World?

Good Afternoon,

Astronomers are in for a rare treat with a triple eclipse occuring in the span of a month starting from tomorrow. The schedule has a Solar Eclipse on July 22nd sandwiched between two Lunar eclipses on July 7th and August 6th.

The first recorded triple eclipse took place in 3067 BC, hovering around the Kurukshetra war period. Another one in 3031 BC oversaw the collapse of the Golden city of Dwarka. This was a turbulent time and signalled the end of the Dwapar Yuga and the beginning of the KalYuga, which is currently going on.

Interestingly, the Mayan Long calender ends on December 29th, 2012. Lord Krishna had predicted that approximately 5000 years after the onset of KalYuga, there will be a lot of problems on the earth...

Triple eclipses have also been seen to coincide with both the World Wars. So is this a premonition of something dangerous about to happen? We will just have to wait and watch...

Eclipses have mystified the human race from millenia. In ancient China, a dragon was thought to be swallowing the sun whenever an eclipse occured. Records from ancient Greece attribute the eclipses to Zeus, the king of Gods. The eclipses also form an important observation subject of the Mayans and the Incas.

However, the concept of the eclipse has been woven into a story in ancient Hindu texts, and a very famous one at that. It is connected with the churning of the milky ocean (Samudramanthan). I have already mentioned this episode in my series on Lord Vishnu's Dasavathars. The post is on the 2nd Avatar, the Tortoise form of Kurma:

http://scienceofhinduism.blogspot.com/2008/05/kurma-avatar.html

The last item to come out of the great milky ocean was the pot of nectar (Amrit). A fight ensued between the Sevas and Asuras on who should have a go at it first. Then Lord Vishnu appeared in the form of Mohini, an enchantress, and volunteered to distribute the potion. Blinded by lust, the Asuras gullibly agreed. Mohini began doling out the potion to the Devas first, and an intelligent Asura named Rahu saw through her plan. Taking the form of a Deva, he sat between Chandra (Moon God) and Surya (Sun God).

Chandra recognized Rahu as one different from them, and tried to inform the same to Lord Vishnu. But the damage had already been done. By the time Lord Vishnu's Sudarshan Chakra took care of Rahu, the Asura had drunk the Amrit. Though the divine Chakra sliced him into two, both his head and his body remained alive. Since he too had become immortal, Lord Vishnu ordered Rahu (the head) and Ketu (the body) to remain in the company of the sun and moon, and thus they complete the Navagraha along with the other planets. The significance of the 7 planets + Rahu and Ketu will be discussed in another post...

It is said that the eclipse occurs whenever Rahu tries to engulf the moon or come between the moon and the sun. It is important to note the reference of Rahu sitting between the Sun and Moon, thus creating a barrier or shadow, which is the principle of the eclipse. This is how the concept of eclipses was passed down from generation to generation in ancient India.

Meanwhile, I came across a Shloka in which Aryabhatta, India's great mathematician and astronomer of the ancient age, has lucidly explained the concept of both the Solar and Lunar eclipses. This Shloka, from his famous work Aryabhatiyam, was stated in 499 AD, and is given below:

Translated into English, it says "The moon covers the sun and the great shadow of the earth covers the moon."

Thus, in a single line, Aryabhatta has described both the eclipses. Truly a blessed and great soul!

I recently read reports that 2 places in Bihar, known to be the birthplace of Aryabhatta, are called "Taregna" and "Khagoul". Clearly, both are in honour of their most famous son, Aryabhatta's astronomical expertise, as both of them are corruptions of Astronomical terms. Taregna relates to "Tare" (Stars), while "Khagol" is Astronomy in Hindi. Isn't it wonderful that Bihar will be under the spotlight and witness to this once-in-a-lifetime spectacle?

- Nikhil Mundra

www.gandhistamps.com

11th July 2009

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Aryabhatta - Planetary Motion

Namaste Everyone,

I've been away from my PC for a long time now. Had my 6th semester exams, and as you know about us would-be engineers, we open our books only the night before each dreaded paper. Add an eye infection to this already precarious scenario, and you can understand why there's no post for about a month.

This is the 2nd instalment in the series of posts on India's most famous Mathematician, Aryabhatta. He was also a renowned astronomer, and this post gives credance to the fact that he formulated some very important laws based on his observations.

Our curriculum teach us that theory on Planetary motion was propounded by Johannes Kepler, a German Astronomer and Mathematician. This was done as late as the 17th century AD. But as usual, India had an answer to the same question way back in the 5th Century AD. The following Sloka from Aryabhatiyam-Kalakriyapada gives Aryabhatta's version:

The meaning of this Sloka is as follows:

"The mean planets move on their orbits and the true planets move in eccentric circles. All such planets move with their own motion, anti-clockwise from their apogees and clockwise from their perigees."

So it took around 1200 years for the Western "Civilization" to re-discover something that Aryabhatta had stated in the 5th Century! Truly Amazing!

- Nikhil Mundra

www.gandhistamps.com

www.nikhilloids.blogspot.com

6th June 2009

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Aryabhatta - Astronomer, Mathematician, Scientist

Hi,

The post on Thoppukaranam alias "Super Brain Yoga" seems to have garnered a lot of interest. These days your blog is averaging 50+ hits a day! Sadly, this also goes on to show that when our ancient practices are marketed by the west, they receive a tremendous response... But my belief is that if people are going to be benefited by it, there is no harm in whichever method the publicity comes...

With this post I am starting a series on possibly ancient world's greatest mathematician and astronomer, Aryabhatta.

Aryabhatta was born around 475 AD, and had already published his most significant work, "Aryabhatiyam", by the age of 23.

Though Aryabhatta has made innumerous contributions to both mathematics and astronomy, in this post, I would like to specifically elucidate how he was the first person to identify the irrationality of possibly the most enchanting and intriguing of numbers, Pi.

Aryabhatiyam is also referred to as Ashtamkara and also as Aryashastasashta (108 verses), but is now popularly called Aryabhatiyam. The Sanskirt verse describing Pi is given below:

The English interpretation of the above Shloka would be:

Add 4 to 100, multiply by 8, then add 62000, then divide by 20000. The result is "approximately" circumference of a circle of diameter 20000.

The answer of the above calculation is 62832/20000 = 3.1416.

By using the word "Asanna" (last word in the Sanskrit verse), Aryabhatta clearly states that the value so found is not exact, but an "approximate" one, something that was "approaching" the exact value. So he is referring to it being irrational.

This is quite a significant contribution, as it was not until the 17th century that Pi was proved to be irrational in Europe.

Keep watching out in the forthcoming weeks for more such interesting stuff on Aryabhatta...

- Nikhil Mundra

www.gandhistamps.com

www.nikhilloids.blogspot.com

=====================

Thoppukaranam (alias) Super Brain Yoga

Hi there,

Recently, my friend sent me a video link on Youtube about a special kind of exercise called "Super Brain Yoga":

Almost immediately, I read an article about the same in one of our National Dailies:

http://www.dc-epaper.com/DC/DCC/2009/03/08/ArticleHtmls/08_03_2009_001_025.shtml?Mode=0

As you can understand, this exercise, called "Super Brain Yoga" by the Americans, is nothing but the simple "Thoppukaranam", the reverential practice done by Hindus in front of Lord Ganesha's temple.

As per the medical research and subsequent report, doing these special kind of situps while holding the opposite earlobes help stimulate brain power and remember things better.

Hindus have been doing "Super Brain Yoga" for ages in front of temples devoted to Lord Ganesha. In fact, I have observed that while crossing a Ganesha temple on road, most people stop, take off their footwear, perform "Thoppukaranam", and then resume their journey. Lord Ganesha is associated with Knowledge/Memory, a point which is now proved by this research. 

But what is saddening is that many of our traditions are being copyrighted by the western world, and the latest point in this case is "Thoppukaranam" being copyrighted as "Super Brain Yoga"...

- Nikhil Mundra

www.gandhistamps.com

www.nikhilloids.blogspot.com

10th March 2009

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Baudhayana Part - 2 + Darwin Evolution

Hi there,

Posting after a more than a month! Life is getting pretty busy these days, due to a hectic college schedule... In the meantime, I take pleasure in informing that this blog now has 6 followers and has just crossed 3000 unique visits. Thanks a lot for your support !

Check out the other contributions by Baudhayana in this post, apart from a note on the widely publicised 200th birth anniversary and 150th Anniversary of the Theory of Evolution by Charles Darwin celebrated recently.

From what I have learnt about him, Baudhayana was basically a priest who designed "Yagnas" (fire-altars). While formulating the design, he wrote down his observations that have become important geometrical laws.

In fact, the word "Geometry" itself is derived from ancient Indian "Giamity", and Trignometry is similarly derived from "Trikonamity". Of course, we have studied that these words have Greek and Latin roots, which, as usual, seems to be wrong.

Moving on, Baudhayana devised an interesting method to determine the square root of numbers, which is given by the following Sutra:

samasya dvikaraNI. pramANaM tritIyena vardhayet
tachchaturthAnAtma chatusastriMshenena savisheShaH.

The method can be explained by the following example, which yields an amazingly close solution:

Another of Baudhayana's findings is the procedure to circle a square (i.e.) find a circle whose area is the same as the given square:

Draw half its diagonal about the centre towards the East-West line; then describe a circle together with a third part of that which lies outside the square.

Explanation:

• Draw the half-diagonal of the square, which is larger than the half-side by .
• Then draw a circle with radius , or , which equals .
• Now , so this turns out to be  which is about a².

Apart from stating the "Pythagorean" theorem, Baudhayana also found some "Pythagorean" triplets like (5.12,13), etc.

All the above discoveries were made when Baudhayana was devising different Yagnas (fire-altars). Though only this information is available, one can only imagine what else he would have discovered but the references to which are not available to modern-man...

Moving on, the month of February this year marked the twin-celebrations of Charles Darwin's 200th birth anniversary and the 150th anniversary of his "Theory of Evolution". As we al know, Darwin is recognised all over the world for ahving developed the concept of Evolution, about how man has grown from the animal he was earlier. 

But if only Darwin had come to India instead of going to Galapagos, he would have discovered that his "theory" has already been stated in our Vedas in a different form - Lord Vishnu's Dasavathars. Starting from the 1st Avatar (Matsya - fish - aquatic), Lord Vishnu tranforms step-by-step into an Amphibian (Kurma - Tortoise), then into a Mammal (Varaha - Boar), half-man half-animal (Narasimha), Pygmy (Vamana), and then into a man. Indians have known this theory for ages, while the world came to know it only in 1859. Jai Hind !

- Nikhil Mundra

www.gandhistamps.com

www.nikhilloids.blogspot.com

2nd March 2009

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Baudhayana (Pythagoras) Theorem

Hi there,

As promised earlier, I am starting a series of posts that will explore the brilliance of ancient Indian scholars. There are many discoveries that have been made by them, but have subsequently been wrongly attributed to western scholars and others. Most of this stuff is already available on various websites, but I'm trying to make a compilation of everything so that this blog can have a consolidated list of Ancient Indian Scientific discoveries.

Let's start with something that nobody escapes during his/her Schooling - Pythagoras Theorem.

I'll state it below graphically just to refresh your memory:

This theorem is used almost by everybody in some point of life. But do you know that it was stated by an Indian priest and Mathematician, Baudhayana, several centuries before the western mathematician?

Referring the Sulbha Sutra, circa 800 BC, we get the following verse:

"A rope stretched along the length of the diagonal produces an area which the vertical and horizontal sides make together."

This is the earliest explanation to what we familiarly refer to as the Pythagoras theorem. Though this discovery was made atleast 500 years before Pythagoras, the world still refers to this important mathematical axiom as the "Pythagorean" theorem rather than Baudhayana's theorem.

Baudhayana made several other important discoveries, some of which we use regularly, while others are used in higher level maths. I will list them out in the next post.

- Nikhil Mundra

http://www.gandhistamps.com/

http://www.nikhilloids.blogspot.com/

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Not sipping the Glass

Hi there,

I've opened another blog to voice my views on current affairs and other stuff. Have a look:

http://www.nikhilloids.blogspot.com/

In most cases of throat infections, your tonsils get swollen up. At this point, most doctors suggest that you get them removed as they cause unnecessary pain and discomfort. They consider it another "useless" organ like the Appendix, and thus want to get it out of the way.

Rather than being a cause for concern, the tonsils actually act as a barrier. They prevent whatever infection you have incurred from entering your digestive system, thus keeping any serious problems at bay. But they get swollen up in return.

Now, you must have noticed that in India, it is considered bad manners to sip the glass/tumbler. Such a glass would be called "Jhutha", and become invalid for further use unless it is properly washed. The basic reason that will come to your mind is that why should someone drink from a used glass? But there is a deeper significance...

Though, the primary reason is to avoid any infections to be communicated from one person to the other, another factor that must be considered is the regular cleansing of your tonsils. When you drink water bending your neck and let it flow from top, it obviously flows over your tonsils and cleans them. Thus, it will wash away unneccasary food particles and maintain your throat in order.

- Nikhil Mundra

http://www.gandhistamps.com/

http://www.nikhilloids.blogspot.com/

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Immortal Serpant/Snake Skin

Hello Everyone,

Just came across a nice short story that shows how ancient Vedic Indians have described the periodical shedding and recurrence of a snake's skin.


Maharishi Kashyap had 2 wives - Kadru and Vinita. Vinita was the mother of the great eagle Garuda (Lord Vishnu's Vahana or vehicle), while Kadru was the mother of Serpants/Snakes. There was always a great rivalry between the two of them.

One day, Kadru won a wager, and seizing the oppurtunity, asked Vinita to work as her slave. Kadru wanted the nectar, or Amrit, in return for Vinita's freedom so that all her children, the serpants, could become immortal. Garuda, unable to bear his mother's plight, went to procure the Amrit for Kadru.

While bringing back the pot full of Amrit, Lord Indra, the King of the Devas, stole it back from him. In the struggle that ensued, a few drops of the divine potion fell on the grass on which the serpants were slithering...

Thus, the serpants/snakes are endowed with the capacity to cast off their old skin and grow a new one in place of it !

- Nikhil Mundra
www.gandhistamps.com
www.nikhilloids.blogspot.com


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Why no Janehu/Upanayanam for women?

Hi,

Something or the other has kept me delayed from posting for a long time. Just when I though exams were over and I could relax, college reopened after a blink-and-you'll-miss-it vacations ! So it took some time for me to settle in. Hopefully won't keep you waiting from now on...

Getting back to business, this post has been pending for a long time. As promised, I wanted to tell you why the Janehu/Upanayanam ceremony for the Sacred thread/Yagnopavitam is performed only for male children, and not for females...

One thing that every woman loves is jewellery. You can see it all over them, from head to toe. Women love to wear ornate pieces of jewellery, and this is especially true in the Indian subcontinent.


Now, if you observe keenly, the traditional jewellery that adorn a woman's ear consist not only the basic earrings, but also other pieces that are worn on different parts of the ear. This can be noticed during any important family function/festival/occasion, where it seems as if every lady tries to outdo the other by being elaborately dressed :-)

Jokes apart, as you will understand from the 2 previous posts on the same subject, applying pressure on our ears has an effect on the pituitary gland, which in turn facilitates the functioning of the urinary system.

So, even with the basic earrings, there is a certain effect on the urinary system, and it is more dominant when we take into account all the other jewellery on the other parts of the ear.

This is why there is no need of having the sacred thread/Yagnopavitam, as earrings and other pieces of jewellery on the ear carry out the same function...

- Nikhil Mundra

http://www.gandhistamps.com/

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