Category Archives: Miscellaneous
All about Music..
Important : Do not miss the end part of this post 🙂
General Definition of Music: The art of arranging sounds in time so as to produce a continuous, unified, and evocative composition, as through melody, harmony, rhythm, and timbre.
Western Definition: Art concerned with combining vocal or instrumental sounds for beauty of form or emotional expression, usually according to cultural standards of rhythm, melody, and, in most western music, harmony. Music most often implies sounds with distinct pitches that are arranged into melodies and organized into patterns of rhythm and metre. The melody will usually be in a certain key or mode, and in western music it will often suggest harmony that may be made explicit as accompanying chords or counterpoint. Music is an art that, in one guise or another, permeates every human society. It is used for such varied social purposes as ritual, worship, coordination of movement, communication, and entertainment.
Philosophical questions surrounding music include that of understanding the source of the pleasure music gives, and understanding its expressive, dramatic, and emotional power. Our aesthetic response to music is more than the passive reception of pleasure, since it involves elements of understanding and anticipation: does this imply that it is appropriate to talk of the meaning of a piece of music, or of a musical language?
The origins of Indian classical music can be found in the oldest of scriptures, part of the Hindu tradition, the Vedas. It has also been significantly influenced by Indian folk music, and Hindustani music has been influenced by Persian music. The Samaveda, one of the four Vedas, describes music at length. The Samaveda was created out of Rigveda so that its hymns could be sung as Samagana; this style evolved into jatis and eventually into ragas. Indian classical music has its origins as a meditation tool for attaining self realization. Bharat’s Natyashastra was the first treatise laying down fundamental principles of dance, music and drama. Read the rest of this entry
Dharma – Everything that is there to know about!
If there is one word in “Sanskrit” that pervades the entire physical & material universe on one side – and also the universe of Life & Spirit on the other side – it is “Dharma”. It is used very colloquially on one side by all and sundry – as much as with extreme poignancy and significance by the very learned to explain the esoteric truths of God’s creations.
Let us look at the Indian mythological connection to this word and I quote ….
Dharma: An ancient “Hindu Sage” – a Rishi, who married thirteen of Daksha‘s daughters. According to the Mahabharata, Daksha sprang from the right thumb of Brahma, and his wife from that god’s left thumb. Their numerous progeny, transparently personifications of virtues and religious rites, were married to – “Dharma” (meaning moral duty in Sanskrit); to Kashyapa – another ancient sage and the grandfather of Manu, the progenitor of mankind; and to Soma – the king of the Brahmins and the guardians of sacrifices. Dharma in Hindu religion is the doctrine of the duties and rights of each caste in the ideal society, and as such the mirror of all moral action.
Now we look at the religious interpretations and I quote ….
Anatomy & Physiology of “Selfishness”
What is selfishness? We tend to use this word very loosely. If some one desires something strongly and acquires it – which he is not prepared to share easily with others – we immediately tend to call him selfish. Is that actually selfishness? Working for wealth, larger income, greater comforts, additional possessions, sound financial security, stability in life, self preservation, emotional security, better education for children, better family welfare, more pleasures in life etc …. None of them can be classified as selfishness! They are all simple mechanisms of enhancing one’s own survival potential against the possible future challenges in life.
Some people argue that selfishness is the basic drive behind all human actions – that there is a selfish motive behind every simple action of a human – be it in friendship, marriage or even worship of God. Even falling in love has a selfish motive. A mother’s or parental love has hidden selfish motive to get back something in future from their children. All these arguments betray nothing but ignorance. Self preservation and self enhancement can never be called selfishness – as that is the basic instinct – the absence of which can be called unnatural. Ambitions and aims of life can never be classified as selfishness – as that is the purpose of life. Then what is selfishness?
12 principles for great grand success in life!
1. Communication
All indications are that willful decisions not to communicate were a significant part of the
original factors which caused us to deteriorate. In any situation where you are unsure as to whether to say something or not, your best course (lacking any other reasons) would be to communicate rather than to keep your mouth shut. One of Hubbard’s most famous quotes is – “When in doubt, communicate”. And if you do get in trouble for communicating, the solution is often to communicate more rather than to back down.
2. Confront
Flinching at things and backing down from them leaves them free to operate against you.
That which is not confronted tends to persist. That which is fully viewed tends to come back under one’s control and ceases to affect one adversely. And so it is generally better to face up to things rather than to suppress them or hide them.
3. Forgiveness
We have been at each others throats for a long time, in a mutually destructive tit for tat. We have taken turns for lifetime after lifetime playing good guys and bad guys. Both Jesus and Buddha saw this one and it is an important part of the road out. If you need more encouragement, then please realize that forgiving others lessens the weight of your own karma, for in forgiving them you forgive yourself as well. And we have all been around long enough to have tried every possible role and committed every dastardly deed at least a few times. The only way out is mutual forgiveness and an abandonment of vengeance and getting even.
What is EGO?
2. Aham Karam = Jovially – “adding spice” to Aham. This is the opinion on self – far far higher than past demonstrated – or demonstrable now, or in future! In short it is “Arrogance”.
There is none like me = Mera Jaisa Koi Nahee = Arrogance!
MSR Ayyangar's Blog 