Thought of the Day...

EVERYONE THINKS OF CHANGING THE WORLD,

BUT NO ONE THINKS OF CHANGING HIMSELF....

Snails On Face.....

She broke the world record by having 25 snails crawl over her face. Ugh. Ugh. Ugh.

On a separate note, apparently the trail they leave has anti-aging substances so it's often used in creams. You could try this to get the real deal. :-)

It's a great photo though. Full story here.

The Festival Of Ganesh Chaturthi

Ganesh Chaturthi (Lord Ganesh’s Birthday) is celebrated on the fourth day of the bright half of Bhadrapad (August / September). Chaturthi signifies that on this day Ganesh’s energy had reached the earth for the first time and He was born. It denotes Turyavastha - a state beyond Jagruti (The State of Waking), Svapna (Dream) and Sushupti (Deep Sleep).

Though this is popularly believed to be Lord Ganesh’s birthday but it is stated in mythologies that this is the celebration of one of Lord Ganesh’s many incarnations-Mayureshwar. This incarnation of the Lord is explained comprehensively in AshtaVinayak Yatra-Pilgrimage To The Eight Effigies Of Lord Ganesh. The rituals and worship during Ganesh Chaturthi helps mankind to get closer to Him.

The Origin:
This festival gained importance during the rule of Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the great ruler of the Maratha Empire (1627-1680). After him, the Peshwas took over the reigns under the guidance of Bajirao Peshwa (1721- 1740) and Lord Ganesh was their Ishta Devta (Family Deity). It is said that in 1815 when Bajirao II was in power that was the last time this festival was celebrated with great pomp. After the decline of the Peshwa rule (1818-1892) this celebration was restricted only to the families living in the state of Maharasthra.

The Sarvajanik Puja (Worship made available to people from every walk of life) of Lord Ganesh was started in 1893 by Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak in Pune. He was keen to form a self government and put an end to the British rule. “Swaraj (Home Rule) Is My Birthright” was his slogan and a way of keeping up the spirit of freedom. His newspaper Kesari helped to kindle the flame of independence among the common man. Tilak used Ganesh Chaturthi to unite people from different caste and community, and encouraged them to join in to liberate the nation. The history of freedom struggle cannot be complete until one recalls Tilak’s immense contributions – as the father of the National Movement and an uplifter of the downtrodden.
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Modern Times:
The idols for the festival are made of mud, then painted and adorned in beautiful clothes and jewels. Modernization has lead to mass production and the mud has been replaced in many places with plaster of paris for making them on a larger scale. The idol can bought and consecrated at home provided the family members follow correct Vidhi (Methods of Worship.) These vidhis are mentioned in the Mudgala Purana volume four, chapter seven, originally explained by Sage Kanva to King Dushyant. (This story can be read in the epic of Mahabharata. King Dushyant had married Shakuntala who was the foster daughter of Sage Kanva. The Mahaganapati deity at Titwala, Maharashtra was consecrated by Sage Kanva. It is said that King Dushyant and Shakuntala had married here.) This provides as a guideline for the appropiate understanding of the worship.
The idol is brought home a day prior to Chaturthi. This day is known as Hartalik where the women fast and pray to His mother, Goddess Gauri / Parvati as she is also known as the goddess of harvest. The families who bring home an idol do not consume non-vegetarian food and refrain from activities that stimulate the senses until the festivities end. The second day of Ganesh Utsav (Festival) is called Rishi Panchami. Rishi’s are the sages of India who led a simple life of growing their own food and spent the rest of their time in teaching, meditation and spiritual discourses. This day is celebrated to remind us of our ancient culture and heritage. The cattle are also revered on this day and the ones who work in the fields are given a day off. They are fed fruits and vegetables for their sincere and unconditional service. Lord Ganesh’s mouse, the divine attendant is not forgotten. Boiled gram is offered as Naivedyam to the Lord’s Vahan. As a symbolism, the rats in the vicinity are also fed with this.

Mission Green

Mission Green Earth Stand Up Take Action 08 is ONE Combined project ...a SINGLE World Wide Project (AOL-Sri Sri Institute for Agricultural Sciences & Technology And UNMC)

AOL's Take Action is Mission Green Earth (Tree Plantation with Effect from the 16th of July till the 16th October 08) and then We Stand Up on 17th, 18th and 19th October 08 for the global counts on tree plantation and the number of people standing up...our Sankalpa is 100 Million Tree Plantation and 100 Million People Standing Up..

www.standuptakeactionaolun.com

So all... Let us be a part of Guru ji's Mission and Plant as many Trees as we can..
Find Place near your area, and plant Trees ..

Contact Us:
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The Art of Living International Centre,
21st Km Kanakpura Road, Udayapura,Bangalore, India.
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Ganpati Bappa at my place....

hey this r few pics of Ganpati Bappa which i hav got at my place..... do come n meeet him once... he listens to every1... n u will b treated more specially as u r my frnd... so dont miss a chanece to meet my frnd.. he's here till sunday so do remove some time for him....
Ganpati Bappa Morya....

Love

Jatin

Bihar Flood Relief

As always Art Of Living has again come ahead to help the people who have suffered due to floods in bihar.... u can help them by donating clothes or cash which ever u want... u can deposit d clothes at andheri, bhandup and kems corner... cas to b deposited in axis bank a/c no 363010100005525... if ne problem u can call on 9920733136, 9223356400, 9892144252

Know more abt GANESHA !!!

There is a curiously interesting tale about the birth of Ganesha. It is believed that once while Parvati was bathing, she created a human figure from some unguent and balm, gave him life and asked him to guard the door while she bathed. After a long period of meditation on Mountain Kailash (Lord Shiva’s abode), Shiva chose that very moment to drop by to see his better half, but was abruptly stopped by the man-god Parvati had posted at the door. Outraged by the cheek of this stranger, Shiva cut off his head only to discover moments later that he had killed Parvati’s son! For fear of enraging his wife, Shiva immediately dispatched his ganas (attendants) to get him the head of the first living creature they could find. Well, the first living creature happened to be an elephant. As instructed, the head was chopped off and brought back to Shiva, who placed it on Parvati’s son’s body, bringing him back to life. This elephant-headed god was welcomed into the first family of the Hindu heavens and named Ganesha or Ganapati, which literally means the chief of the ganas, or the attendants of Shiva. Ganesha is the foremost god of the Hindu pantheon. This brave guardian of the door to Parvati’s bath is beheld today as the most auspicious God of new beginnings. He is worshipped during every festival and before people undertake a journey or embark upon a new venture. You will also see him carefully guarding entrances to temples and homes, peeping out of calendars and happily gracing marriages and other such occasions.

To get more info abt d Ganesha n Ganesh Chaturthi in detail click here