About Arundhati (Genre - Life and Living)

I always wondered about this concept of showing the Arundhati nakshatram during hindu marriages especially in the south. I never understood the significance of the custom which is followed without fail, until today. Read the following article which clarified it. Nice to know, there are people who know the significance and kind enough to share it.

We look up to virtuous people as role models. But, sometimes it happens that those who are virtuous are proud of their good conduct and proud of their devotion to God too. When they display such pride, God does not fail to take them down a peg or two. This was seen in the case of the Saptarishis too, Sarala Rajagopalan said, explaining the significance of the star Arundhati.

The story goes that the Saptarishis became arrogant because they felt that no one could perform penance better than they. Their wives had the idea that there were no women more virtuous than they, and there could be no wives so loyal as they were. Such pride would be inexcusable in anyone, and for sages and their wives to have such pride was unthinkable. So Lord Siva decided to teach them a lesson. So He took the form of Bikshandar. Lord Narayana joined Siva by taking the form of a beautiful woman Mohini.

Since the sages claimed that they were steadfast in their devotion to God and they had no thoughts except thoughts of the Divine, Lord Narayana, as Mohini, decided to test their will power. So He went to the place where the sages were involved in worship. The sages took a look at Mohini's beauty and forgot themselves, and about their penance. They forgot that they should be beacon lights to others through their own upright conduct. They were taken in by Mohini's beauty!

As for their wives, the moment Siva as Bikshandar made His appearance before them, they too began to admire His good looks, forgetting that they had not so long ago claimed that they were among the most virtuous in the land! But among the sages, Vasistha was not tempted by Mohini. And among the women, Arundhati was not tempted by Bikshandar. That is why Arundhati was granted an exalted position. She was made part of the Saptarishi mandalam (the Great Bear constellation), and is seen next to Vasistha in the constellation. At the time of marriage, the bride is asked to see the Arundhati to indicate to her that she should at all times be loyal to her husband. The presence of Arundhati near her husband Vasistha also shows that a husband and wife must always remain united.

The Monk Who Ate His Meat (Genre - Trivia)

I was a little surprised to learn that a particular monk is a non-vegetarian and is trying to quit. Well normally it would not have attracted my attention other than the coincidence that, from time to time I contemplate quitting it too.
The fact which caught my attention was that he was head of the pack.
Yes, his holy highness the "Dalai Lama" is a non-vegetarian !!
Well I was intrigued by the paradox of this man, trying to figure out his moral state of mind where he is the leader of the Tibetan Buddhism which teaches "Karuna" (compassion) and "Ahimsa" (non-voilence) as one of their foremost principles of leading ones life. He goes on record to say that being a "NV" is bad for the body and has ordered his monasteries not to cook meat.But still could not fathom his "Trying to Quit" line !
I admire him for his candid talks and open sessions. He is a leader who is knowledgeable and popular without a doubt.But I was not able to put a finger as to what this had to do with me....until I sensed a bit of a revelation within my own mind.
At some level (read as trying to quit eating meat) my mind was drawing stupid solace for not being strong enough to put my convictions before my desires similar to this renowned Nobel Laureate. Strange equation in my mind !! :)
Its a beautiful mind ...ain't it ?? !!

The Neo Economy

I read an interesting story today about recession, economy and an unwitting act of unsaid generosity by an unkown man.

This reminded me of a non-detailed text story called "The man who saved Pumblestop" during my school days. Its a story about a runaway lunatic who pretends to be a Prince and orders 2 Rolls Royce cars (never intending to take delivery) in the town called Pumblestop and the entire town opening up their purses to celebrate the order and eventually beating recession during the great economic depression of 1929.

Makes for an interesting read.

The Neo Economy:

It is a slow day in the east Texas town of Longview. It is raining, and

the little town looks totally deserted.

Times are tough, everybody is in debt and everybody lives on credit.

On this particular day, a rich tourist from the East is driving through

town.

He enters the only hotel in the sleepy town and lays a hundred dollar

bill on the desk stating he wants to inspect the rooms upstairs in order

to pick one to spend the night.

As soon as the man walks up the stairs, the hotel proprietor takes the

hundred dollar bill and runs next door to pay his debt to the butcher.

The butcher takes the $100 and runs down the street to pay his debt to

the pig farmer.

The pig farmer then takes the $100 and heads off to pay his debt to the

supplier of feed and fuel.

The guy at the farmer's co-op takes the $100 and runs to pay his debt to

the local prostitute, who has also been facing hard times and has lately

had to offer her "services" on credit.

The hooker runs to the hotel and pays off her debt with the $100 to the

hotel proprietor, paying for the rooms that she had rented when she

brought clients to that establishment. The hotel proprietor then lays

the $100 bill back on the counter so the rich traveler will not suspect

anything.

At that moment, the traveler from the East walks back down the stairs

after inspecting the rooms.

He picks up the $100 bill and states that the rooms are not

satisfactory, pockets the money and walks out the door and leaves town.

No one earned anything. However the whole town is now out of debt and

looks to the future with a lot of optimism.