Thought of the Day (19): Having a Sense of Belonging!!

Organisations with people having a "SENSE OF BELONGING" to it succeed and grow. What should the organisations do to achieve this in their people?

Give a thought to it. And, do your best in whatever the position you are to bring about that sense of belonging in your team.

To your SUCCESS,

With love,

Siva

Sloka No. 22) of Sri Vishnu Sahasra Nama Stotram

om namo bhagavate vasudevaya!

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amrityussarvadriksimhah sandhaataa sandhimaan sthirah I

ajo durmarshaNaSSaastaa viSrutaatmaa suraarihaa II

अमृत्युस्सर्वदृक्सिमहह सन्धाता सन्धिमान स्थिरः I

अजो दुर्मर्षणश्शास्ता विश्रुतात्मा सुरारिहा II

అమృత్యుస్సర్వదృక్సిమ్హః సంధాతా సంధిమాన్ స్థిరః I

అజో దుర్మర్షణశ్శాస్తా విశ్రుతాత్మా సురారిహా II

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The sloka No. 22 has 11 names described in it. They are listed below and the meanings of each of the names will be posted in the forthcoming posts.

200) amrityuh (अमृत्युः) (అమృత్యుః)

201) ssarvadrik (सर्वदृक्) (సర్వదృక్)

202) simhah (सिंहः) (సింహః)

203) sandhaataa (सन्धाता) (సంధాతా)

204) sandhimaan (सन्धिमान) (సంధిమాన్)

205) sthirah (स्थिरः) (స్థిరః)

206) ajah (अजः) (అజః)

207) durmarshaNah (दुर्मर्षणः) (దుర్మర్షణః)

208) Saastaa (शास्ता) (శాస్తా)

209) viSrutaatmaa (विश्रुतात्मा) (విశ్రుతాత్మా)

210) suraarihaa (सुरारिहा) (సురారిహా)

om namo narayanaya!

Monday Motivation for Success from Siva (38): Is it 'Like father like son?' Not necessarily.

Hi,

Can we correctly make out what the son is by looking at his father? Not necessarily? A son may or may not be like his father. A father who is physically challenged may have a well-built son. An illiterate father may have a highly educated son. A son may be an atheist while his father is a staunch believer in god. A son may be full of character and righteousness while his father may not. So, a father and his son need not necessarily be alike. They may be different from each other quite a lot. Thus, it would be wrong to judge a person by looking at his parent. Let us look at this story of Ashtavakra, son of Kagola and how he was different from his father.

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 Is it 'Like father, like son?' Not necessarily.

Once there was a person by name Kagola who was a disciple of the great sage Uddalaka. Though Kagola was not a great learner of the vedas, Uddalaka liked him very much for his sincerity and good conduct. So, he gave his daughter Sujata in marriage to him. They were blessed with a son Ashtavakra who mastered the vedas even when he was still in his mother's womb. His learning of the vedas was so good and that of his father was so bad that he twisted his body with pain while he was in the womb whenever he heard his father making mistakes in reciting the vedas. In the process, he developed 8 crooks (deformities) in his body when he was born, hence the name Ashtavakra.

Kagola's poor knowledge of the vedas did not help him much. It even led to his death. He had to drown himself as he lost a contest with Vandi, the court scholar of the Kingdom of Mithila. But his son Ashtavakra became a great scholar and completed the study of all the vedas and vedanta by the age of 12 itself. In due course of time, the young boy Ashtavakra went to Mithila and wanted to meet the court pandit Vandi. Then the king warned him, "You are an young boy. Vandi is a great scholar and a highly learned man. He had earlier defeated a number of people and those losers had to drown themselves. Do you still want to contest and take such a dangerous risk?"

Ashtavakra replied to the king very confidently, "I heard from my mother that Vandi had defeated my father and made him to drown himself. My father was a good man though he was not a great scholar. I came here to meet with Vandi and I shall conquer him. Please call him for the contest."

The two - Ashtavakra and Vandi - met in the presence of the king and other scholars in his court. They engaged in a highly intellectual debate countering each other with arguments and wits. The whole assembly witnessed with astonishment the immense knowledge of the young Ashtavakra and his superiority over the arrogant Vandi. They declared Ashtavakra the winner. Vandi accepted his defeat and drowned himself.
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If that was the case during those days, what to say now in the world that is galore with opportunities for learning and advancement? There is no more 'Like father like son or Like mother like daughter.' Genes may play a role. But it is the person's effort that grooms him or her much more. It is the endeavour that leads one to become what he or she wants to become. The children of today have a much greater opportunity to achieve and become much greater than their parents.

To your success,
With love,
Siva
PS: Source of the Story: Mahabharata by C. Rajagopalachari.

Thought of the day (18): Life is a melody when it is harmonious.

“There is no better way to earn money than to do the things that you love to do. Money can flow into your experience through endless avenues. It is not the choice of the craft that limits the money that flows, but only your attitude toward money.”

 ~ Esther and Jerry Hicks from Money, and the Law of Attraction

You have a nature that is specific to you. Identify it and understand it. Bring about a harmony between that nature and what you do. Life will become a sweet melody. 

To yours Success,
With love,
Siva

Namam No. 199) prajaapatih (प्रजापतिः) (ప్రజాపతిః)

om namo prajaapataye namah (ओं प्रजापतये नमः) (ఓం ప్రజాపతయే నమః)

prajaa = people

patih = leader

As He is the leader of all the people including the Brahma who emerged from the lotus that came out of the naval of Lord Vishnu, He is called prajaapatih.

Thus these last 5 names are related to recreation and the ananta padmanaabha murthy.

Om namo bhagavate vasudevaya!

Saturday Story from Siva (56): Naba kalebara utsav of Lord Jagannatha and the transformational message to the (im)mortals.

Hi,

This is a special year filled with the excitement of something that is happening after a gap of 19 years. That is the nabakalebara, a festival of the celebrations of Lord Jagannath leaving his old body and entering a new body. The entire process of replacing the old deities of Lord Jagannath and his brother - Balabhadra and his sister - Subhadra with those of the new which includes many events starting from the identification of the trees that are used for obtaining the wood required for making the deities till the time the new deities are installed on the ratna singhasana in the sanctum sanctorum of the temple. 

It is performed in all the temples of Lord Jagannath all over the world. This happens once in 12 -19 years as it is performed only in the year in which the aashaadha month (of the Hindu calendar) comes twice (known as adhika maasa). The devotees are allowed to have the darshan of the new deities just a couple of days before the annual rath yatra that happens on the dvitiya tidhi (2nd day) of shukla paksha (waxing phase of the moon) in the month of aashaadha. Let us explore and learn about the significance of this divine event - naba kalebara.

The paramaatma - Lord Jagannatha leaves his body and enters a new body; so too his siblings Balabhadra and Subhadra; and also his Sudarshan Chakra. And, he is there always - before, during, and after the transformation. There is not even a moment of his absence. He leaves the old body and enters the new body. As he enters the new body in the form of the new deities, the old deities are buried in the temple premises itself. And this ritual of naba kalebara is said to be performed since times immemorial, perhaps from the time the very first temple of Lord Jagannatha was built in Puri by the King Indradyumna.

 

Just wondering if the lord himself is transforming once in a while in this manner, why are we resistant to change and transformation? Can't we leave our old habits that are limiting our success, identify the new habits that could harmonise our life and aptitude in tune with each other, and acquire them? I have made up my mind now to make the list of old habits that I want to discard from my system and also prepare a list of new habits that I would like to cultivate to make my career as a Trainer and an Author a success. I will develop an action plan and execute it to acquire the chosen new habits. And, I will be a transformed man soon.

Also, can't we throw away many of our old material possessions like clothes, household goods, and other domestic items (at least those of them that are either hardly used or hard to use) and replace them with the new ones to make our lives more beautiful? I am personally lacking in this power and lagging behind in it thus far. I resolve on this day to quickly start cleaning up my home by clearing many of such goods, and replace them with the new ones sooner than later. And, I will have a more beautiful home soon. 

Then, it strikes me to think about the transformational requirements pertaining to the aspect of learning. It may be time to unlearn many of the things that we learned so as to find a room for the things to be learned. Times are changing. New technologies are emerging at a pace faster than ever. I will acquire new tech tools that will make me faster, more productive, well connected, and better explored. And, I will soon find myself in sync with the new world order.

Lastly, in order to achieve all the above transformation and perhaps more that has not been listed above, I know that it is the transformation of my mindset that I have to address at first. I must first win all of that in my mind in order to bring about the transformation that I desire to see in myself. And, I shall. I could see that happening in me as I started writing this post and my mind began visualising the new me.

Finally, the naba kalebara utsav of Lord Jagannatha, is reminding me with a soul-searching message that god wants all of us to learn and understand that the aatma continues to live forever. As such there is no death to the aatma. It only moves from one body to the other. The aatma lives on. And, the paramaatma pervades in all. With his blessings, it is important that we live our lives giving our best in what we choose to do and enjoying every moment of our existence in the present body before it shifts itself to another.

With love,

Siva

PS: I would like to request you to write your comments on this post. Please write your comments in the comments option available below.

Thought of the day (17): Get comfortable being uncomfortable.

"We will receive not what we idly wish for but what we justly earn. Our rewards will always be in exact proportion to our service."

 - Earl Nightingale

Want to grow and live the life you deserve? Think beyond your self-limiting beliefs. Stretch yourself till your body and mind ask for your mercy. Get comfortable being uncomfortable. REWARDS come to those who are willing to move out of their comfort zone.

To yours Success,
With love,
Siva

Namam No. 198) padmanaabhah (पद्मनाभः) (పద్మనాభః)

om namo padmanaabhaaya namah (ओं पद्मनाभाय नमः) (ఓం పద్మనాభాయ నమః)

The meaning of this padmanaabha namam and the same namam that appeared earlier as the 48th namam is same. But that was referred to aniruddha murthy and here it is referred to seshasai murthy - the one lying adisesha.

The slokas in puraanaas suggest that the earth itself emerged from the naval of the lord Vishnu and the Mount Meru that is there in the centre of the earth is nothing but the golden bud (as revealed in the earlier hiraNyanaabha namam).

This padmannabha namam will appear again as the 348th namam.

Om namo bhagavate vasudevaya!

Thought of the day (16): Ignite Your Mind

“The most important body part is the mind. With the will and know-how, you can perform near miracles.”

  -Stuart McRobert

To yours Success,
With love,
Siva