Sakshi-gopala

 

“The Lord heard the story of Sakshi-gopala with great pleasure because He wanted to impress upon the atheists that the worshipable Deities in the temples approved by the great acharyas are not idols, as alleged by men with a poor fund of knowledge.” (Shrila Prabhupada

 

, Shrimad Bhagavatam, Introduction)

Shri Krishna Chaitanya, the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself in the form of a preacher, a kind-hearted saint who did not discriminate when disseminating the universal peace formula that is bhakti-yoga, is extremely pleased to hear stories relating to Lord Krishna

 

 and interactions with His devotees. This is actually every person’s favored source of satisfaction, but without a sober mind, without the removal of distresses and distractions borne of material attachment, an imitation variety of that pleasure will be sought out through other avenues. The transcendental hearing process, however, is so strong that simply by giving it a little attention, applying some faith and dedication, the pure Krishna consciousness that belongs to the soul can be revealed. Of the many stories Lord Chaitanya

 

 liked to hear, the one involving Sakshi-Gopala, God as a witness in the form of a deity

 

, was one of His favorites.

The accounts of historical incidents found in Vedic literature seem too good to be true, so there may be a tendency to think that the information was mentally concocted, stories that are meant to have a symbolic importance, provide moral lessons more than anything else. From Lord Chaitanya’s personal example, however, we learn that both the wonderful historical incidents documented in the Vedas and the divine nature of the deity representation of the Supreme Lord are real. Every person has their own interpretations and viewpoints based on their personal understanding, but this doesn’t mean that authority should never be accepted. If the skeptical attitude were applied universally, there would be no such thing as crime. The cells in the prison houses would have to be opened, for if every person were an authority figure, then even the thief could claim to be pious. “You say that I am a criminal, but that is your interpretation. My opinion is that I am innocent. I had a right to take another person’s property. Since we are both entitled to our opinions, how can any person say who is right and who is wrong?”

When the thief applies this logic, the practice is laughed at, made fun of, and not taken seriously in the least bit. Yet these same arguments are put forth about spirituality and Vedic concepts by those with a poor fund of knowledge, and somehow they are taken seriously. The truth is that even skepticism represents an assertion. In the skeptical attitude, the person putting forth their opinions wants others to accept them. Yet in order to accept something as factual, even an opinion like skepticism, there must be some authority established. Without authority, why would anyone believe anything that anyone else says?

The Vedas are the ancient scriptures of India, and one of their most concise works is the Bhagavad-gita, which was sung on the battlefield of Kurukshetra some five thousand years ago by Lord Krishna, the Supreme Lord, the fountainhead of Vedanta philosophy. Veda means “knowledge” and anta means “end”, so Vedanta represents the summit of knowledge, the last word on information that really matters. Though the Gita delves into a variety of topics, the final conclusion is that Krishna is God and that the soul’s occupational duty is to willingly surrender unto Him through a mood of pure love. With this devotion comes happiness for every party involved. Krishna is God, but this doesn’t mean that the Lord takes only one form. There are many non-different expansions of Krishna, allowing for people to worship the Supreme in their mood of choice.

Only the personal expansions of Krishna are equal to the original. The list of the notable personal expansions is given in the sacred texts like the Shrimad Bhagavatam. Therefore those who worship Vishnu, Rama, Narasimha

 

 or other vishnu-tattva forms are worshiping the same Krishna. There are other expansions, but they are not full representations of Krishna. Even we living entities emanate from the Lord, but we are separated expansions. We can understand the difference by looking at our own body. The hands and legs are part of our form, but they can only do certain things. We can’t put headphones around our legs and expect the sound vibrations to enter our mind. We can’t put food into the hands and expect the nutrients to reach the stomach. The various aspects of the body each have their respective functional duties.

In a similar manner, the part and parcel expansions of Godhead have roles to play, but they are not the same as God. The guru is considered the empowered incarnation delivering the message of Godhead. The guru is treated the same as God, but nowhere is it said that he is equal to Krishna. Nevertheless, many mental speculators have commented on the Bhagavad-gita by saying that in His conclusion Krishna doesn’t really mean that one should surrender unto Him. Rather, one has to surrender to the “Krishna” residing within them. Since the guru is self-realized, he is the same Krishna.

Obviously, such theories are completely bogus and not based on authority. Yet when these conclusions are challenged by those who actually follow the Vedic teachings espoused by Shri Krishna Himself, the pretenders can only counter with skepticism. “Well, that’s your interpretation. How can you say that I am wrong?” To settle any doubts, to expose the pretenders and cheaters for who they are, the Supreme Lord personally descends to earth from time to time. Lord Chaitanya’s advent marked one such occasion. As Krishna in the guise of a devotee, Lord Chaitanya never insisted that others worship Him. He was Krishna, as is revealed in the end of the Shrimad Bhagavatam

 

, yet He never went around proclaiming to be God. Rather, He asked everyone to chant the holy names of the Lord found in the sacred maha-mantra, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare

 

”. When others would say that He was God, Lord Chaitanya would cover His ears and protest. Just from this behavior we see how foolish and dangerous the cheater gurus who claim to be God and thus worthy of a position equal to Krishna are.

Have the pretender gods ever lifted a gigantic hill and held it up over their heads for seven consecutive days without a problem? Have they displayed the universal form which is so awe-inspiring that the eyes can’t even look at it for too long because of the fear it instills? Have they saved a child in the womb from the attack of a deadly atomic weapon? Have they created this and many other universes through a simple exhalation? Have they provided pleasure to millions of devotees by playing their flute?

Lord Krishna is the reservoir of pleasure, for God is eternally situated in bliss. Knowledge acquisition, exhibitions of yogic siddhis, and possession of material opulence are but partial representations of the Supreme Lord’s glories, almost insignificant abilities that can only attract the attention of those not yet given towards bhakti-yoga, or devotional service

 

. To help us regain our constitutional position, the one practice that is most recommended is hearing, for the Vedas themselves were originally known as the shrutis, or “that which is heard”. Lord Chaitanya validated the superiority of hearing by regularly giving aural reception to wonderful accounts of Krishna’s pastimes and His interactions with His dearmost friends. The story of Sakshi-gopala was one of His favorite to hear.

A long time back two brahmanas, members of the priestly class, were travelling around India visiting pilgrimage sites. One brahmana was older and from a higher class while the other was younger and not very esteemed socially. The younger brahmana offered such nice service during this trip that the elder one became immensely pleased. He promised to give away his daughter’s hand in marriage to the younger brahmana. The younger brahmana was a little surprised, for he knew that the man’s family would not agree to the proposal. Therefore he made the elder man promise in front of the deity of Sakshi-gopala that was in the temple they were visiting. Swearing before a deity was a big deal. It was sort of like swearing to tell the truth before giving testimony in court, except that the oath was taken much more seriously.

When the elder brahmana returned home, he told his family what had happened. Not surprisingly, they objected to his idea. The brahmana knew that he had promised before the deity and that this would raise an issue. The man’s son suggested that his father simply say that he forgot what he said that day. This is the standard line used by lawyers and those trying to cheat. By saying you can’t remember, you technically aren’t lying, for you haven’t made an outright confirmation or denial.

When the younger brahmana visited his friend later on and asked what was going on with the marriage arrangements, he was surprised to learn that the deal was now off. Not only was he rejected, but the elder brahmana’s son started accusing him of poisoning his father and making him act in crazy ways. Reminding the older man of the promise he made in front of the deity, the younger brahmana hoped to save his friend from the sinful reaction of lying before Krishna. The elder brahmana said that if the same deity could be brought in their presence to testify to the oath, then he would give away his daughter. Obviously the thought was that the deity was simply stone and thus incapable of doing anything.

It’s interesting to note that for the elder brahmana the deity was important enough to make the oath in front of, but when it came time to back up his words, when things really mattered, the same deity was taken to be just material elements. Matter does not have Krishna’s personal presence, but when it is used in an authorized way to construct the worshipable figure, the archa-vigraha, it becomes spiritualized. How this is possible cannot be understood through mental exercise. The reality of the change must initially be accepted as fact based on the authority of the acharyas, those who lead by example.

The younger brahmana went back to the temple and asked the deity to help him out. Krishna always hears the pleas of His devotees, so He spoke to the brahmana through His deity form. He told the brahmana to proceed to his friend’s home, while He, as the deity, would follow from behind. The brahmana was not to look back to see if the deity was following. He was to know that Krishna was behind him by the sound of the Lord’s ankle bells. The brahmana would daily offer rice to the deity to keep the Lord satisfied.

Sure enough, the deity of Sakshi-gopala made the journey to the elder brahmana’s home. Astonished to see the witness standing before him, the elder brahmana was left with no choice but to agree to the original arrangement, which he had promised before the deity. Lord Chaitanya loved this story because it showed how the deity is not just a collection of material elements aimed at furthering realization of Brahman, or the impersonal light of Truth. Krishna’s deities are fully empowered because they are non-different from Him. They are worshipable, which means that they accept the obeisances made to them in full devotion and faith.

“If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, fruit, or water, I will accept it.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita

 

, 9.26)

In the Bhagavad-gita, Lord Krishna states that anyone who offers Him a leaf, flower, fruit, or some water with devotion will have their offering accepted and enjoyed by the Lord. Why would we want to offer anything to God? The question should really be why would we not? We offer so much to other people already, so why not take a little time to give attention to the source of every benediction in life? Even if we can’t sacrifice food or make an opulent offering to the deity, we can give some time to the hearing process.

Just sitting back and hearing about Krishna eventually reveals the knowledge necessary for enlightenment and gaining reinstatement into the eternal occupation that is devotional service. Just as Lord Chaitanya was delighted by hearing the story of Sakshi-gopala during His travels in India, we are warmed to the heart by hearing about Shri Gaurahari’s delight. He delivers the fallen souls of the Kali Yuga by distributing Krishna-prema freely, to anyone who wants it. In this marketplace, there is no scarcity, as the Supreme Lord has an endless supply of love to give to those who wish to cherish it and welcome it into their hearts. As Sakshi-gopala, Krishna vouched for the poor brahmana a long time ago, and as Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, He confirms the Lord’s promise in the Bhagavad-gita to deliver the surrendered souls.

In Closing:

Around India did Mahaprabhu travel,

At one story in particular did He marvel.

To the vow of the brahmana whose logic went amiss.

Did Sakshi-gopala testify, the deity as witness.

A long time ago, two brahmanas there were,

To a marriage arrangement did they both concur.

“To you my young friend will I give the hand of my daughter,

You have treated me well, as if I were your father.”

Since he was very poor, the younger was hesitant to accept,

“In stature you are superior to me, surely your family will object.”

The younger then made the elder swear before the deity,

Sakshi-gopala, Shri Krishna Himself, the reservoir of beauty.

But when he returned home, the elder’s family did not agree,

“What kind of deal have you made, this is crazy don’t you see?”

When the younger visited the elder to see if the marriage was set,

The elder replied, “There is no deal. What I said before I do forget.”

The younger then asked Sakshi-gopala for help, to the deity did he talk.

“I will testify to the truth. Do you go to his home, behind you I will walk.”

Thus on the road the young brahmana did Sakshi-gopala, the deity, follow,

After hearing the truth from Shri Krishna, his humble pie did the elder swallow.

By the mercy of the Lord did the elder finally give up his objection,

The deity is Shri Krishna Himself, so to the devoted it gives all protection.

In hearing this story did Shri Krishna Chaitanya always delight,

Reciting it now, we pray that He may shine His mercy upon us so bright.

IAS Exam Qs and clever answers

YOU MAY THINK THE ANSWERS ARE FUNNY. BUT THEY ARE THE CORRECT ANSWERS.

 

THINK BEYOND BOUNDARIES
                                                                           Awesome Answers In IAS(Indian Administrative Service)  Examination                                                                                                                                                               Q. How can you drop a raw egg onto a concrete floor without cracking it?

   
A. Concrete floors are very hard to crack! (UPSC Topper)                   
                                                                           
Q. If it took eight men ten hours to build a wall, how long would it take  
four men to build it?

                                                      
A. No time at all it is already built. (UPSC 23rd Rank Opted for IFS)      
                                                                           
Q. If you had three apples and four oranges in one hand and four apples and three oranges in the other hand, what would you have?

                  
A. Very large hands. (Good one) (UPSC 11 Rank Opted for IPS)               
                                                                           
Q. How can you lift an elephant with one hand? 

                            
A. you will never find an elephant with one hand. (UPSC Rank 14 Opted for
IES)                                                                       
                                                                           
Q. How can a man go eight days without sleep?

                              
A. He sleeps at night. (UPSC IAS Rank 98)

                        
                                                                           
Q. If you throw a red stone into the blue sea what will it become?

        
A. Wet (UPSC IAS Rank 2)                
                                                                           
Q. What looks like half apple ?

                                            
A: The other half. (UPSC - IAS Topper )                                    
                                                                           
Q. What can you never eat for breakfast?

                                   
A: Dinner.                                                                 
                                                                           
Q. Bay of Bengal is in which state?

                                        
A: Liquid (UPSC 33 Rank)                                                   
                                                                           
Interviewer said "I shall either ask you ten easy questions or one really difficult question. Think well before you make up your mind!" 

The candidate thought for a while and said, "my choice is one really difficult  question." "Well, good luck to you, you have made your own choice! Now tell me this.                                                              
"What comes first, Day or Night?" 

                                         
The candidate was jolted into reality as his admission depends on the correctness of his answer, but he thought for a while and said, "It's the DAY sir!"                                                                  
"How" the interviewer asked.                                               
"Sorry sir, you promised you will not ask me a SECOND difficult question!"                                                                 
He was selected for IIM!

5) Vijay Dashami @ Sri Shirdi Sai Baba Mandir-pb- servicemedia -islands...

Milky way home to ‘gas snakes’

University of Tasmania

The first published image of turbulent gas in our galaxy has been likened to a pit of writhing snakes. Image: B. Gaensler et al This is the Milky Way as you’ve never seen it before. The first published image of turbulent gas in our galaxy – based on data collected by a team which included the University of Tasmania’s Professor John Dickey  – has been likened to a pit of writhing snakes. The picture, published by the journal Nature today, shows that the space between the stars is filled with gas that continually swirls and churns. “This is the first time anyone has been able to make a picture of this interstellar turbulence,” said lead author Professor Bryan Gaensler of the University of Sydney. “People have been trying to do this for 30 years.” Using the CSIRO’s Australia Telescope Compact Array, tuned to receive radio waves, the team studied a region of the Milky Way about 10,000 light-years away in the constellation Norma. Prof Dickey, of the UTAS School of Mathematics and Physics and a co-author of the paper, says the data was taken 12 years ago, “but it has turned out to be a very rich and interesting area”. “The radio emission that is unpolarised presents a fairly normal picture of the Milky Way disk, with cosmic rays and magnetic fields causing bright areas, particularly where new stars are forming.  But when we studied the polarised emission, we saw structures that were completely different from the pictures that have been done before. It took several years for us to understand the physical processes that shape the linear polarisation at radio frequencies,” Prof Dickey said. “Professor Gaensler has led the work of interpretation and follow-up on the polarised images of this region.  The results in this Nature paper bring together the observations and the theoretical modelling to finally give a complete explanation for the images that we first saw those many years ago.” Editor's Note: Original news release can be found here.

Humans are just modified fish

Monash University

A white variation of the Australian Lungfish, neoceratodus forsteri. Image: hidesy/iStockphoto Three Australian fish – including the iconic lungfish – have provided an insight into the evolution of human beings. A team of scientists led by Professor Peter Currie, Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute at Monash University and Dr Nicholas Cole, University of Sydney, have discovered how the muscles controlling the pelvic fins of some fish have cleared the way for the evolution of back legs in higher animals. This innovation gave rise to the tetrapods, or four-legged creatures, along with our distant ancestors who made the first steps onto land some 400 million years ago. Professor Currie said the genetics of a fish are not vastly different to our own. “We have shown that the mechanism of pelvic muscle formation in bony fish is transitional between that in sharks and in our tetrapod ancestors. “By examining the way the different fish species generated the muscles of their pelvic fins we were able to uncover the evolutionary forerunners of the hind limbs. Humans are just modified fish,” said Professor Currie. Scientists have long known that the ancient lungfish species are the ancestors of the tetrapods. These fish could survive on land, breathing air and using their pelvic fins to propel themselves. Australia is home to three species of the few remaining lungfish – two marine species and one inhabiting Queensland’s Mary River basin. There have been big gaps in the knowledge of these fish until now. Most of the conclusions have been drawn from fossil skeletons, but the muscles critical to locomotion cannot be preserved in the fossil record. The scientists used fish living today to trace the evolution of pelvic fin muscles to find out how the load bearing hind limbs of the tetrapods evolved. To find differences in pelvic fin muscle formation, the researchers compared embryos of the descendants of species representing key turning points in vertebrate evolution. They studied primitive cartilaginous fish: Australia’s bamboo shark and its cousin, the elephant shark; and three bony fish: the Australian lungfish, the zebrafish and the American paddlefish. The scientists genetically engineered fish to trace the migration of precursor muscle cells in early developmental stages as the animal’s body took shape. These cells in the engineered fish emitted red or green light. The team found that the bony fish had a different mechanism of pelvic fin muscle formation from that of the cartilaginous fish, a mechanism that was a stepping stone to the evolution of tetrapod physiology. The full research article, Development and Evolution of the Muscles of the Pelvic Fin can be viewed at PLoS Biology. Editor's Note: Original news release can be found here.

Traffic pollution: smaller babies

The University of Western Australia

"This is the first time we have seen a specific link between normal suburban traffic pollution and its effect on the fetal growth." Image: HannamariaH/iStockphoto Traffic emissions have been linked to reduced fetal growth in a study led by Researchers at The University of Western Australia and its affiliate The Telethon Institute for Child Health Research. The research, led by Assistant Professor Gavin Pereira, monitored traffic emission levels in a region with relatively low industrial activity, and compared it with the birth records of over 1,000 mothers over a period of six years between 2000 and 2006. The results published today in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health show that a neonate who would have otherwise attained an optimal birth weight of 3.5 kg would be expected to be born 58 g lighter.  The results reflect about half of the effect observed for maternal smoking during pregnancy among this group. Assistant Professor Pereira, whose research interests are in traffic, air pollution and childhood health, said the results were surprising because these effects were observed when air quality guidelines met national standards. "International studies have found some associations but this is the first time we have seen a specific link between normal suburban traffic pollution and its effect on the fetal growth." He said while the results should not cause alarm, the warning signs should not be ignored. "There is a message to be taken from this research.  We all have a responsibility to keep emission levels down - drive less, catch public transport, cycle more, walk more.  The health benefits of active travel add to the health benefits of not contributing to traffic emissions," he said. Assistant Professor Pereira's work is now looking into the influence of the built environment on physical activity and chronic disease across the life course.  Informing urban design might be one strategy to lessen the burden of some of the major diseases like obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and asthma. Editor's Note: Original news release can be found here.

Shirdi Sai Baba's Birthday Celebration In SSF 9 29 2011

The Airbag's New Angle

It's got your side.

DAVID ZAX

The airbag, which recently turned 30, is estimated to have saved something on the order of 30,000 lives in the U.S. alone. But that doesn't mean there isn't room for improvement. The traditional, steering-wheel-embedded airbag does wonders in preventing fatalities in head-on collisions. But there's no rule of the highway that says accidents have to be head-on.

GM recently announced "the industry's first front center airbag"--upon collision, it shoots out from the side of one of the front seats. The idea is to protect the driver in case of a "far-side crash," that is, a collision in which someone else's vehicle strikes your car on the opposite side from where the driver is sitting. The statistics on far-side crashes are grim: GM says that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Fatality Analysis Reporting System database reveals that such crashes account for 11% "of the belted front occupant fatalities in non-rollover impacts between 2004 and 2009 involving 1999 model year or newer vehicles."

"The front center airbag has real potential to save lives in side crashes," Adrian Lund, theInsurance Institute for Highway Safety's president, said.

GM developed the new airbag together with Takata over a period of three years. A video from GM shows the difference the new airbag can make in the life of a test dummy in the event of a far-side crash.

Airbag technology has had a way of proliferating lately. According to the IIHS's site, "[a]irbag technology is continuously developing." Ford has even developed "an inflatable safety belt," whose torso portion inflates in the event of a crash, thereby "distributing crash forces across the torso and chest."

The Toyota iQ microcar, called Scion in the U.S., has a "rear window curtain airbag" that deploys right in front of the rear windshield if someone strikes the microcar from behind. (Autoblog Green has a picture of the device, which looks something like a monstrous neck pillow.) Toyota has also made rear center airbags to prevent rear passengers from smashing into each other in the event of a crash, and the IIHS even reports that engineers have developed airbags for the exteriors of cars--to protect pedestrians.

Read up enough on airbag technology, and you begin to view cars in a different light. That tough aluminum exterior is just a façade--inside, the modern car has gone all soft.

Low-Cost Tablet Runs on Three Watts of Power

Tablet power: Krishna Palem holds a prototype I-slate.
Rice University

COMPUTING

Designed to teach math to students in poor countries, the device will be the first to use a new energy-efficient computing strategy.

• BY KATHERINE BOURZAC

Audio »

After a year of testing in a remote village in India, researchers are ready to scale up production of an ultra-low-power $35 tablet called the I-slate.

The I-slate is designed to teach math and other subjects to students whose schools lack electricity or to students who don't have access to teachers at all. The device will enter full-scale production next year, and will be the first device to apply a low-power technology calledprobabilistic CMOS (complementary metal-oxide semiconductor) to achieve a longer battery life.

The probabilistic CMOS approach is simple: run an ordinary microchip less stringently, sacrifice a small amount of precision, and get huge gains in energy efficiency in return. Probabilistic CMOS (CMOS refers to the technology behind most of today's chip technologies) works particularly well in graphics and sound processing, since human vision and hearing aren't perfect, and small errors are therefore undetectable.

Krishna Palem, a professor at Rice University and director of the Institute for Sustainable Nanoelectronics at Nanyang Technological University, first demonstrated probabilistic CMOS in 2006. Palem is now working on getting the technology into applications including a low-power hearing aid. In the educational tablet device, Palem says, probabilistic chips will enable huge power savings: the educational tablet will require just three watts of power, meaning it can be powered entirely by small solar cells like those on a pocket calculator.

The I-slate looks similar to an iPad, with a seven-inch liquid-crystal touch screen display. But it's not a full tablet computer—in fact, unlike other hardware supplied to disadvantaged children through efforts such as One Laptop Per Child, it's not a computer at all, and does not have an operating system. "It's an elaborate, single-function device," says Palem. Kids can read from a preloaded textbook or take notes and work out math problems using a stylus on a "scratch pad" to one side of the screen. The device can store a few pages of notes.

Palem's group at Nanyang Technological University is developing the I-slate in collaboration with the Indian nonprofit organization Villages for Development and Learning Foundation and the Los Angeles design firm Seso. Last year, the group tested prototype I-slates loaded up with a math textbook and exercises at a school in Mohd Hussainpalli, a village about 70 miles southwest of Hyderabad. In this region, electricity is unreliable, and some villages don't have teachers.

Marc Mertens, the CEO of Seso, designed the I-slate interface. The challenge, he says, has been to figure out "what is the ideal way to work with students, while making sure the device does as little as it can." That approach keeps hardware costs and power consumption low. Animations and other complex, media-rich tools are just not possible. The math program is based on the standard textbook used in the region and allows students to move at their own pace. They can skip problems if they get stuck. Teachers can download information from each student's device to monitor their progress.

The field tests, which showed that the students' math skills improved when they used the I-slate, were done using prototypes based on conventional chips. Next year, the researchers will begin producing the three-watt, solar-powered model.

"We keep chewing the hardware down, then evaluating the effectiveness of the interface and the lessons on it," says Palem. "Once we are comfortable with the user interface, we will switch in the [probabilistic] chip."

As Palem's team works on upgrading the hardware, Mertens is working on broadening the curriculum that can be put on the I-slate. It's much easier to design a program to grade math tests than written work, he says. "We're exploring how this device could go beyond math and support more creative curricula," he says.