Tilaka

“That country is looking so beautiful, and the Vedas have described its purity. Known in the three worlds, Tirahut [Janakpur] is the tilaka of the earth.” (Janaki Mangala, Svayamvara Ki Taiyari, 4)

desa suhāvana pāvana beda bakhāniya |
bhūmi tilaka sama tirahuti tribhuvana jāniya ||

For the Vaishnava, the tilaka is the sacred marking on the body representing the link to Lord Vishnu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. More than just an enigmatic figure to be contemplated on within the mind, the person who is the reservoir of all energies has features that are identifiable through accessing authorized information passed on in a chain of disciplic succession. The highest form of worship is to concentrate on those attributes and become attracted to them. The devotee of Vishnu wears a tilaka on several parts of the body, and most prominently on the forehead, to indicate the various marks of Vishnu, to show that there is a dedication to worshiping Him, in any of His non-different forms. For Goswami Tulsidas, the sacred mark on the earth, the place where Vishnu’s impression is very nicely felt, is Tirahut, or the ancient kingdom of Janakpur where Vishnu’s incarnation of Rama married the beloved daughter of King Janaka, Sita Devi.

Why this land over others? Why not declare Ayodhya to be the tilaka, or even Vrindavana, where Vishnu appeared as Krishna? In the Janaki Mangala, the poet is mentally travelling back in time to when Lord Rama was about to win the hand of Sita Devi. The marriage of the Supreme Lord to His eternal consort is as anticipated for devotees as the marriage of a close friend or relative is for the average person. A wedding is a time to come together, an excuse for people who haven’t seen one another in a long time to meet up. The event itself focuses on the shared love and commitment of two people.

Since the wedding already has purity built into it, the higher the character of the participants, the more important the event will be. With Sita’s marriage, there was an air of uncertainty, as it was to be a self-choice ceremony, or svayamvara. No one knew going in who the groom was going to be. The reason for this was that the king giving away Sita’s hand in marriage had no idea who Sita’s parents were. He had found her as a child one day while ploughing a field. Based on her characteristics, the king knew that he couldn’t just give her away to any man when the time for marriage arrived. After feeling helpless, like a man stuck in an ocean without a raft to get him across, he decided to hold a contest, where the person who could lift Lord Shiva’s illustrious bow would win his precious adopted daughter’s company for life.

“Knowing me to be one not born of any mother's womb, the king, after great thought, was unable to find a suitable husband for me.” (Sita Devi speaking to Anasuya, Valmiki Ramayana, Ayodhya Kand, 118.37)

Based on Sita’s spotless character, there could only be one match for her. Though at the time of writing, the poet was well aware of who would win the contest, for the pleasure of his mind he still travelled back to that fateful day and relived the events. The land that hosted the contest is known as a tilaka, or most important mark on the earth, because of Sita and Rama’s presence there. Another benefit of the tilaka is that it immediately reminds others of Vishnu. Just as we can recognize a police officer by their uniform and a priest by the type of shirt they have on, a Vaishnava, a devotee of Vishnu, can be easily spotted by the tilaka mark on the head or the tulasi beads around the neck. Even if these things should be absent, the person who always chants the glories of Vishnu stands out as a Vaishnava.

What is the significance in noting the tilaka? For the person immersed in Rama-lila, just hearing the word Tirahut or Janakpur immediately brings to mind the time Rama lifted up Lord Shiva’s bow and married Sita. What better image could there be for the mind to contemplate on? The sacred places on this earth are marked with the footprints of Vishnu during His several descents in avatara forms. The places of pilgrimage are those where noteworthy events relating to the Lord took place. Janakpur was certainly one of those places.

Tirahut also brings to mind King Janaka and his pious character. He was very famous throughout the world during his time, for his dedication to piety was unmatched. He was also an expert mystic, which meant that he was above the influence of the senses. For a king that is a very rare accomplishment, for the appeal of being king is that you get to enjoy heavenly delights and opulence while still on earth. The President of the United States flies around on Air Force One and can eat whatever he desires at any time of the day. He even gets to vacation in wonderful places. Kings similarly are supplied with whatever they desire at a moment’s notice. How then could a king like Janaka be above the influence of the senses, especially when his desires could be met so easily?

Let’s think of it this way. Imagine being known for your control over eating. You meticulously measure the portion sizes of the food you are going to eat, and you never indulge in anything that will be bad for you. Thus you maintain a slim physique and never suffer from illness. Keeping the internal airs of the body in balance, you never put stress on yourself from eating. Surely you are not that rare, as many people aren’t overweight. But what about if we said that you did this while sitting in front of a buffet cart for eight hours a day? Let’s say that you worked in a place where you could eat whatever you wanted at any time of the day, at no charge. These circumstances make your controlled eating all the more impressive.

Take the example of getting to eat whatever you want and extend it out to every sensual pursuit, and you have what the average king’s lifestyle is like. Yet Janaka was so dedicated to piety, so knowledgeable of dharma and how to maintain one’s essential characteristic, that he was known as Videha, or bodiless. The senses had no influence on him. What’s more is that he even advanced past the stage of mystic yoga and became a full-fledged devotee, someone so devoted that he is today known as one of the twelve mahajanas, or authorities on devotional service.

“Lord Brahma, Bhagavan Narada, Lord Shiva, the four Kumaras, Lord Kapila [the son of Devahuti], Svayambhuva Manu, Prahlada Maharaja, Janaka Maharaja, Grandfather Bhishma, Bali Maharaja, Shukadeva Gosvami and I myself know the real religious principle.” (Yamaraja, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 6.3.20)

A mahajana is a great soul because of their qualities exhibited in dealings with others and also their ability to teach others about the right path in life. The twelve mahajanas relating to devotional service are listed in the Shrimad Bhagavatam, or Bhagavata Purana. It should be noted that not all the personalities mentioned are direct worshipers of Lord Vishnu. For instance, Prahlada Maharaja was a devotee of Vishnu, but he got to offer prayers to the Lord in His half-man/half-lion form of Narasimhadeva. Lord Shiva especially prefers to worship Vishnu as Lord Rama. Regardless of who was specifically worshiped, their interactions with Vishnu and their staunch devotion to him made them eligible to be known as authority figures, people that others can look to for guidance.

What did Janaka specifically do to be listed as one of the authorities on devotional service? For starters, his Videha position did not preclude him from picking up the baby in the ground and harboring affection for her. Janaka, though above the influence of the senses, immediately harbored parental affection for this precious little girl found in the field. As if the keepers of heaven knew what was in his mind, a voice in the sky then came upon the scene and said that this girl was Janaka’s daughter in all righteousness, or dharma. Janaka needed to hear this because he never did anything outside the bounds of piety. The voice basically gave him the okay to love this girl as his daughter and take care of her.

From the events described in the Janaki Mangala, we learn that Janaka would also get a tremendous thrill upon meeting Shri Rama and His younger brother Lakshmana. Vishnu is not alone in the spiritual world. God has a family like we do. His eternal consort is Lakshmi Devi, who is Sita. His protector, His number one servitor, is Ananta Shesha Naga, who is Lakshmana. Janaka did not break his high position of being desire-less when meeting Sita, Rama and Lakshmana for the first time. Rather, his mastery over mystic yoga and his pious nature made him eligible for experiencing the transcendental bliss that comes with God’s association.

That same thrill can be felt by those who hear of Sita and Rama’s glorious activities. The stage for one of their most memorable interactions was the land of Tirahut, which thus made it worthy of being called a tilaka. Just as Janaka’s kingdom is sacred for its rich history and the pious people who lived there, the incomparably brilliant works of the saint Tulsidas are forever sacred. He wrote the Janaki Mangala to stay connected in the mind with Sita and Rama, and we read his works so that we can gain his association. No other benefit in life can compare with the company of the saints, who are like travelling tirthas, bringing auspiciousness and good cheer wherever they go. The pages that house the words born in their minds thus also become sacred, like tilaka, for they immediately remind one of Vishnu and devotion to Him.

In Closing:

Tilaka is the sacred mark to treasure,

Reminds one of Vishnu, reservoir of pleasure.

The tilaka on the head Vaishnavas do show,

So that their link to Vishnu others can know.

Tulsidas says that earth of Tirahut is the tilaka,

Place where Sita lived with father Janaka.

Hosted the greatest marriage of all time,

Brought princes from around the world, every kind.

Land earned tilaka status with Rama’s arrival,

His lifting of Shiva’s bow, secured Sita’s nuptial.

Works of the saints are like travelling pilgrimage place,

Its pages bring God’s company, put smile on the face.

Janaka forever celebrated for his pious nature,

His ceremony for Sita’s wedding mind’s treasure.

YOGA DOGS

RARE PHOTS ( OBAMA )

just have a look its very clear that Obama is so down to earth RARE SHOTS....what they didn't show you on national TV

A long life story depicted in a small picture!

Associated Risks

“My having glanced at the wives of others sleeping in their home will certainly do a great harm to my virtue.” (Hanuman, Valmiki Ramayana, Sundara Kand, 11.37)

para dāra avarodhasya prasuptasya nirīkṣaṇam ||
idam khalu mama atyartham dharma lopam kariṣyati |

Celibacy and sobriety of thought, two vital components in making progress in life’s most important mission, are difficult to maintain in the face of visual distractions that come at every turn, wherever one looks, even if they don’t mean to be searching for unwanted sights. Nevertheless, in the Vedic tradition, the ancient system of spirituality instituted at the beginning of time by Lord Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, there is heavy emphasis placed on the need to restrict both illicit sex and intoxication. Indeed, if we were to look around us and analyze major problems, we’d see that illicit sex is most commonly the root cause. The very existence of the phenomenal world, which guarantees heartache and separation pains with the arrival of each new temporary reward, continues on specifically because of the desire to enjoy sex life that bears no relation to spirituality. One who even looks at another woman that is not his wife does tremendous harm to his spiritual merits. One person in particular had no choice but to gaze upon others’ wives. Since he was engaged in the most sublime mission, he was able to maintain his clarity of thought, all the while becoming even more committed to pleasing the beloved lord of his life breath, Lord Rama.

What does the Vedic restriction on sex life actually involve? And is it meant to just be a punishment for sinners? If that’s the case, aren’t many people today considered sinners? To understand the restriction, one must first juxtapose it with the aim of human life. The spirit soul is the identity within any life form, large or small, human or nonhuman. Different desires cause a variety in species, with some being intelligent and others being rather stupid. What we consider to be stupid is just an intelligence that has yet to fully develop, a consciousness driven solely by sense desires. The hog is considered an ignorant animal because it will eat its own stool and have sex with its own relatives without any qualms. An unintelligent person is likened to an ass, because the animal itself takes on loads of gear on its back simply for the paltry enjoyment of a few blades of grass. The grass is already available to the ass even if it shouldn’t listen to the commands of its master. A human being who operates without intelligence is likened to the ass that doesn’t know any better.

Real intelligence comes when the individual can ask the question, “Who am I?” When the guaranteed nature of birth, death, old age and disease are noted and analyzed, the human mind can reach the higher stages of thought. “Why do I have to take birth? Why must I die? Why do I even exist?” The Vedas provide many answers, both short and detailed, to satisfy the inquisitive mind. The short answer to the question of identity is that the spirit soul is a part and parcel of God, who, among many other things, is the ultimate reservoir of pleasure. As pleasure is the guiding force to activity, operating in God’s interests would then have to be the most worthwhile activity. The mature human being no longer engages in childish activities because they don’t provide any pleasure. Similarly, the most developed consciousness finds the ultimate reservoir of pleasure and remains attached to His interests through every thought, word and deed.

The influence of the senses can be very detrimental. The mature human being has advanced past the stage in life where everything is driven by sense desires. The mature adult knows how to limit food intake, regulate sleeping habits, and refrain from harmful behavior. Again, these regulations are accepted with a purpose, to actually increase enjoyment in the future. Similarly, the Vedic restrictions placed on sex life are there to provide a future benefit. The unintelligent act simply off of their sense demands, so conversely, the intelligent act only off of their soul’s demands. The soul and the material senses are strange bedfellows made to cohabitate due to the initial seed of desire for material enjoyment.

As long as sense demands man the helm and steer the ship, there is no chance of finding the reservoir of pleasure, whose form and beauty are so amazing that His most potent name is Krishna, which means all-attractive. As He is not lacking anything in the pleasure department, the same Krishna is also referred to as Rama, for He gives transcendental pleasure to whoever associates with Him. The urges for sex life and intoxication are driven by maya, which lacks Krishna’s personal presence. Maya is illusion, something that promises one thing but delivers something completely different.

The Vedic regulation is that one only indulge in sex life to procreate. Any other type of sex is considered sinful. By sinful we mean an act that is guaranteed to provide a future detriment. In this case the primary negative consequence is the further thickening of the cloud of nescience enveloping the otherwise pure soul situated within the heart. To realize God’s blissful nature and the need for accepting His service, a clear head is required, one which isn’t a slave to impulses instigated by maya. When the individual is given to illicit sex life, to cavorting with people they are not married to, there is every chance of fall down.

If we look around us, the major scandals we see revolve around sex life. One congressman is texting pictures of his nether region to women not his wife; another man is engaging in illicit affairs with other men; a man is cheating on his wife; a female teacher is seducing her young male students; a priest is molesting young children, etc. When sex life is not controlled, the results can be disastrous, even to those who are not explicitly seeking spiritual merits.

For these reasons the Vedic regulations on sex life are very strict. During ancient times when adherence to Vedic principles was high, men and women were never allowed to freely intermingle, and every woman except the wife would be addressed as “mother” by a man. A wife would only decorate herself nicely for the pleasure of her husband; otherwise what need would there be to look exceptionally attractive? The strippers in the night clubs dress attractively to please other men, but the men aren’t allowed to do anything beyond seeing. Thus there is really no purpose to the attractive attire.

The restrictions on male-female relations may seem antiquated and outdated today, but what do people lacking God consciousness know anyway? The Vedic prescriptions have passed all quality control tests and they needn’t be apologized for. While the modern practices seem to be more evolved, all they do is create more trouble. The age old question of, “Can a guy and a girl just be friends?” is answered with an emphatic “No” by the shastras. Sex life is the root cause for the material existence and the fueling of reincarnation, so how on earth is it expected to be controlled when one is constantly in the company of members of the opposite sex? The sex drive is especially strong in men, as it is typically easier for an innocent woman to view other men in her life as being platonic friends.

The Vedic regulations were weighing heavily on the mind of one of the most celebrated divine figures in history as he made his way through enemy territory. The same reservoir of pleasure meant to be the object of penance, sacrifice, charity and austerity descended to earth in a beautiful human form many years back. Known as Lord Rama, this prince of the Raghu dynasty was the same Supreme Personality of Godhead, but appearing in a spiritual form that allowed others to get a glimpse of what God looks like, what pleases Him, and what His nature is like. To provide real opportunities for service beyond simple adoration, Rama created situations where He could use some help. The most important of these situations related to the rescue of His wife, Sita Devi, who had been taken to the island kingdom of Lanka.

For the initial reconnaissance mission, Shri Hanuman, soon to be Rama’s most faithful servant, stepped up to the plate. Hanuman is an eternally liberated figure, forever devoted to God, but during Rama’s time on earth, he had not yet met the lord of his life. This fateful meeting would take place in Kishkindha, shortly after Sita had been taken away behind Rama’s back. Upon meeting Rama and His younger brother Lakshmana, Hanuman knew that he had found the person he would dedicate the rest of his life to. Though all of the monkeys living under the rule of Sugriva in Kishkindha were tasked with finding Sita, only Hanuman was capable of making it to the enemy city of Lanka, which was situated far away from the mainland.

Just getting to Lanka was a struggle, but now the real difficulties were starting for Hanuman. He was all alone in enemy territory; no one around to help him or guide his activities. All he had was his fervent desire to please Rama and his extraordinary skills given to him by the higher authorities. He was not known for having exceptional scholarship, expertise in yoga, or material wealth. Nevertheless, he could make use of the highest intellect and every mystic perfection, or siddhi, when the situation called for it. Taking shelter of his tools, Hanuman scoured through the city of Lanka in a very tiny form. Several times he felt dejected over not having found Sita, whom he had never met. He knew that she would stand out, though, for Rama’s wife must be the most beautiful woman in the world who would be tremendously aggrieved upon separation from her Lord.

Hanuman finally made his way into the palace of the king of the Rakshasas, Ravana, who had taken Sita. Just as Hanuman is forever in the light of pure goodness, Ravana and the grossly sinful perpetually remain in darkness. What Hanuman saw in Ravana’s place was incomparable in beauty and also in dedication to the mode of ignorance, the lowest of the material modes of nature. The animal kingdom is considered to live in ignorance since it lacks the ability to think beyond the sense urges.

What Hanuman saw in this palace reserved for drinking was astounding. He saw beautiful woman after beautiful woman sprawled out in all sorts of positions. They had been drinking all night, and due to their inebriation they had passed out here and there. Some were too affected by drink to even make it into bed, so they fell asleep clutching various musical instruments. Some were so drunk that they didn’t even know who or what they were holding onto while sleeping. Every kind of animal flesh was laid out elegantly across the different rooms. Ravana, as a Rakshasa, had a voracious appetite for meat, as he even ate human flesh on a regular basis. The palace was not lacking anything in terms of meat. The various kinds of food were seasoned very nicely and just ready to be enjoyed. The increased appetites caused by the intoxicating beverages consumed made the meat eating even more enjoyable.

Seeing so many women asleep, with some even touching one another, Hanuman had to step back for a minute. He knew that he shouldn’t be gazing at them, for it is considered sinful to look at another man’s wife, especially while she is sleeping. These women weren’t wearing much either, and they were in vulnerable states. Any normal person would have become mentally agitated, thrown off of their righteous path, but not Hanuman. He is so kind, sweet, and pious that he even felt bad for having seen all of this.

And what could he do? Hanuman was not in Lanka of his own accord. He was looking for Sita, and even if he had to risk sin to find her, he would not stop. One can’t help but be inspired by Hanuman’s example. In the modern age especially the temptations of illicit sex are everywhere. It is practically impossible to avoid seeing beautiful women, some scantily clad and some not, unless one hides in a cave or gets locked up in a room. Despite the inauspicious conditions, if we can remain dedicated to the path of bhakti-yoga, ordevotional service, and chant, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”, there is every chance at success in spiritual pursuits.

Hanuman would forge ahead and continue his search for Rama’s wife. There exists no sin in Hanuman, as his mind can never deviate from the divine consciousness. He is always connected with Sita, Rama and Lakshmana in thought, word and deed. Therefore he was able to brush aside these unwanted visions and keep his eyes fixed on the prize. He would indeed find Sita, and eventually all would end well. The deityform of the Lord, which resides in the temple or the home, can be gazed upon every single day, giving the eyes something pleasant to look at. And the mind can always remember Hanuman and his dedication to Rama. These two practices can keep us on the righteous path and help us to avoid the pitfalls of sinful life.

In Closing:

Urges for sex most difficult to control,

Of otherwise sane man do they grab hold.

In every which direction is one led astray,

Just like the boat by wind carried away.

Thus Vedas on sex do provide limits,

So that no cap will be on soul's happiness.

Call mother to all women except the wife,

In this way restricted will be sex life.

No worry about sin or future pain,

From penance for the Lord comes real gain.

Yet Hanuman in Lanka saw so much,

Women affected by liquor's touch.

They were married and seen while vulnerable,

Yet Hanuman still of sin not capable.

Felt bad rules of propriety transgressing,

Yet on the march for Sita he kept progressing.

Who is greater than Hanuman who takes all risk?

The chance to please Sita and Rama he'll never miss.

Micromechanical Pixels Could Make Low-Power Displays

By Rebecca Boyle

RGB Pixels Wikimedia Commons

Organic light-emitting diodes, thin-film transistors, e-ink, and other display technologies get plenty of ink — er, pixels — on these pages. However a non-traditional mechanical approach could be even more efficient, according to a researcher in Taiwan. Mechanical pixels, made of teeny micro-machines, would be visible in bright sunlight and can use far less power than familiar LCD screens.

Wallen Mphepö of National Chiao Tung University in Hsinchu, Taiwan, proposes building microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) to make iridescent pixels, refracting and reflecting different wavelengths of light depending on their angles of tilt, according to a writeup in the Economist.

Mphepö’s mechanical pixels are made from 30-micron pieces of zirconium dioxide coated with a 1.23-micron layer of silver. A thin-film transistor supplies a voltage that tilts the pixels to various angles. Depending on the angle, some wavelengths of light — read: colours — are amplified or dampened.

This is very similar to the technology behind a display system developed by Qualcomm that is just starting to be integrated into products like cell phones and caller-ID-enabled Bluetooth headsets. Mirasol’s MEMS is an interferometric modulator (IMOD), a sandwich design involving a thin-film transistor on a glass substrate and a reflective membrane. The plates remain separate when there’s no voltage and pull together in the presence of a small voltage. Each pixel consists of three sub-pixels in red, green and blue, which contract at varying degrees to allow specific wavelengths of light to pass through. But this quadruple-pixel design uses more transistors and, therefore, more power than Mphepö’s design.

Mphepö’s pixels’ 1.23 micron width isn’t arbitrary, but represents twice the value of the average wavelength of visible light, the Economist’s aptly named Babbage blog notes. This size enables a wide range of angular differences to account for the entire color spectrum — so each pixel doesn’t need three RGB sub-pixels to work. They would also shine in bright sunlight, unlike other display screens, according to Mphepö.

[Economist]

Passive-Walking Robot Can Stroll Downhill Forever With No Power Source

By Rebecca Boyle

Perpetual Perambulation via DigInfo News

When I was your age, to get to school I had to walk uphill both ways, frequently during snowstorms. (It was good exercise.) Imagine walking downhill both ways — how easy that would be! Gravity would be a friend and not a foe! It’s so simple, even this bodyless robot can do it. Its golf club legs can amble in perpetuity, powered by nothing but its own forward momentum.

This robot has only mechanical parts, which have been designed to mimic the lower limbs of a human in both form and function. It has thighs, shins and ankles, and it tips the scale around the weight of an average human. It was designed at Nagoya Institute of Technology’s Sano Lab, which put it through some impressive paces in a walking test — it set a Guinness World Record by walking continuously for 13 hours, taking 100,000 steps and covering 15 kilometers, according to the video news site DigInfo.

This type of forward falling motion is not exactly a new concept — when I was your age, I had a Slinky, too — but it’s an interesting reminder that robotic technology doesn’t necessarily need tons of servos and articulated limbs to accomplish a complex task. Three simple joints are enough to keep the robot moving almost perpetually, as long as it has a slight downward grade on which to walk. There are no computer chips or electronics at all, other than those on the treadmill.

The designers envision deploying the robot’s walking strategy in sporting equipment, according to DigInfo. We can also imagine it doing quite well in games of robotic endurance, in which competitive bots walk a marathon and kick soccer balls around. The design might also someday be used as a prosthetic device or artificial legs. Check it out:

[DigInfo]

Self-Contained Soft Robot Powered By On-Board Battery

By Rebecca Boyle

Soft Robot, Rolling Robot This rolling robot is completely self-contained, unlike its tethered predecessors. via YouTube

Soft robots would be useful for a variety of things — they could grip objects with precision and sensitivity, and they could roll along more quietly than their counterparts with metal exoskeletons. Here is a new one that could do such tasks purely on its own, without any external power source or command center.

This soft robot, developed at MIT’s Distributed Robotics Lab, uses inflatable silicone actuators to push itself along. The actuators work somewhat like a flipper, pushing the robot into a forward roll. They deflate once the robot has rolled over, and the next one inflates to continue the forward motion, like inflatable cogs in a set of gears. It employs a pneumatic battery and electropermanent magnets, which only require a power input to change their states — they don’t use up any power once they are in the desired state.

The pneumatic battery uses hydrogen peroxide and a catalyst to generate gas, which inflates the silicone flaps, as explained by roboticist and blogger Travis Deyle. The benefit here is that the entire system is self-regulated, so the battery uses the minimal amount of hydrogen peroxide required, which is both efficient and safe, because there would be no excess pressure buildup. The whole system requires no external cables or tethers that could get in the way of a smooth robotic roll. Watch it move in the video below.

[via Hizook]