An early historic inscription in Tamil language

An early historic inscription in Tamil language and in Tamil Brahmi script, dateable to c.200 BCE, has been found in the archaeological excavations by a German team at Tissamaharama in the down south of the island of Sri Lanka. The inscription deciphered by I. Mahadevan as ‘Thira’li Mu’ri,’ which means ‘written agreement of the assembly,’ was incised on an early historic Black and Red Ware pottery. The last letter of the inscription, which is retroflex Tamil ‘Ri’, is very clearly a Tamil phoneme in Tamil Brahmi script, academics commented. The Tamil Brahmi inscription is also found mixed with megalithic or early historic graffiti marks, which were probably the symbols of the guild, they further said. Tissamaharama or ancient Mahaagama is located close to Kathirkaamam (Kataragama), a famous pilgrim centre for Tamils as well as Sinhalese. (Black and Red Ware pottery inscribed in Tamil Brahmi found in the archaeological excavation of Tissamaharama.)

Prakrit and Tamil were the earliest written languages of South Asia.

The first evidences in these languages, in phonetic writing, appear from c.3rd century BCE.

Sinhala, as an identifiable language appears in the inscriptions from c. 8– 9th century CE onwards.

The following is what I. Mahadevan, doyen of the study of Tamil Brahmi, wrote on Tissamaharama potsherd inscription in The Hindu, Thursday:

“Tamils have been living in the northern and eastern parts of the island from time immemorial. Several small fragments of pottery with a few Tamil‐Brahmi letters scratched on them have been found from the Jaffna region. However, a much more sensational discovery is a pottery inscription from an excavation conducted at Tissamaharama on the southeastern coast of Sri Lanka. A fragment of a high‐quality black and red‐ ware flat dish inscribed in Tamil in the Tamil‐Brahmi script was found in the earliest layer. It was provisionally dated to around 200 BCE by German scholars who undertook the excavation. The inscription reads tiraLi muRi, which means “written agreement of the assembly” The inscription bears testimony to the presence in southern Sri Lanka of a local Tamil mercantile community organised in a guild to conductmaritime trade as early as at the close of the 3rd century BCE”.

Writing on “An Epigraphic perspective on the Antiquity of Tamil.” Mahadevan cited the American scholar Thomas Trautman and said: “The three ‘fundamental discoveries’ in indological studies are the discovery of the Indo-European language family (1786); the discovery of the Dravidian language family (1816), and the discovery of the Indus civilization (1924). It is significant that two of the three ‘fundamental discoveries’ relate to the Dravidian, though the latest one is still being ‘debated’ for want of an acceptable decipherment of the Indus Script.”

Mahadevan continues: “Part of the problem in the delayed recognition accorded to Tamil in Indological studies was the non‐availability of really old literary texts and archaeological evidence for the existence of Tamil civilisation in ancient times. The critical editions of the earliest Tamil literary works of the Sangam Age, especially by U.V. Swaminathaiyar from 1887, have led to a radical reassessment of the antiquity and historicity of Tamil civilisation. What Swaminathiyar did for Tamil literature, K.V. Subrahmanya Aiyer accomplished for Tamil epigraphy. He demonstrated (in 1924) that Tamil (and not Prakrit) was the language of the cave inscriptions of Tamil Nadu..”

Eezham Tamil academics sadly commenting on the repeated assertions of Mahadevan in giving exclusive credit to Swaminathaiyar for the publication of Changkam literature and not giving due credit to the efforts of Eezham Tamils, said scholars from Jaffna did the pioneering work decades before Swaminathaiyar.

The first ever Changkam text that saw the light of print was Thirumurukaattuppadai of Paththuppaaddu (one of The Ten Idylls), which was brought out by Arumuga Navalar of Jaffna in 1851.

The first of the Eight Anthologies (Edduththokai) of the Changkam classics that got printed was Kaliththokai (1887). This was brought out by C.W. Thamotharam Pillai of Jaffna, who was an old student of the Jaffna College and was the first graduate of the University of Madras.

Swaminathaiyar brought out his first edition of the Changkam classics Paththuppaaddu in 1889.

Earlier to bringing out Kaliththokai, Thamotharam Pillai started publishing post-Changkam classics such as Choo'laama'ni, Tholkaappiyam etc right from 1860's.

The pioneering work of translating the Changkam classics into English, to the awareness of the outside world, was also done by Eezham Tamil scholars.

J V Chellaiah of Jaffna College did the entire translation of Paththuppaaddu in 1945. This was decades before A K Ramanujan or Hart translating parts of the Eight Anthologies.

Swami Vipulanandar of Batticaloa who made arrangement for the publication of Chellaiah’s translation painfully notes how the then Madras government or the Annamalai university didn’t give any help to the venture even though they admired the translation, and how he finally brought it out as a publication of the government press of then British Ceylon.

Ref https://sites.google.com/site/primordiallanguage/inscriptions-and-epigraphy

 — with Bhagat Singh Kranti Sena, Badsha Arass, Shamila Navarathnam, Mussanthini Utha

Study finds herbal extract may curb binge drinking

An extract of the Chinese herb kudzu dramatically reduces drinking and may be useful in the treatment of alcoholism and curbing binge drinking, according to a new study by McLean Hospital and Harvard Medical School researchers.

"Our study is further evidence that components found in kudzu root can reduce alcohol consumption and do so without adverse side effects," said David Penetar, PhD, of the Behavioral Psychopharmacology Research Laboratory at McLean Hospital, and the lead author of the study. "Further research is needed, but this botanical medication may lead to additional methods to treat alcohol abuse and dependence."

In the study, published in the current issue of Drug and Alcohol Dependence, researchers in the Behavioral Psychopharmacology Research Laboratory at McLean Hospital looked at one of the major components of the kudzu root—the isoflavone puerarin—to determine whether it would reduce alcohol consumption in a laboratory simulation of an afternoon drinking session.

According to Penetar, puerarin was selected over other kudzu root components because its safety and efficacy have already been established in humans, particularly in China where it is approved for intravenous injection to treat coronary heart disease, myocardial infarction and angina. Puerarin is also less potent than other parts of the kudzu plant, so it has few side effects and has none of the estrogenic activity found in other components, making it safe for women.

In the study, Penetar and his colleagues looked at 10 men and women, all in their 20s and all reporting regularly consuming alcohol weekly. A laboratory at McLean Hospital was set up as an apartment, with TV, DVD player, reclining chair and other amenities. The unit was also stocked with a refrigerator full of each subject's favorite beer and other non-alcoholic beverages.

In an initial 90-minute session in the "apartment," each subject was allowed to consume as many beers as he or she wanted—up to a maximum of six. After the session, each was given either puerarin or a placebo and told to take it daily for a week. Then, each returned to do the experiment again. Two weeks later, the subjects returned for a third session to see if they had returned to their baseline drinking levels. After that, each subject was given the pill he or she didn't get the first time and told to take it for a week. Each then returned for a fourth and final drinking session.

The study showed that subjects taking puerarin drank significantly fewer beers—dropping from 3.5 beers on average to 2.4.

"This was a simulation of a binge drinking opportunity and not only did we see the subjects drinking less, we noted that their rate of consumption decreased, meaning they drank slower and took more sips to finish a beer," explained Penetar. "While we do not suggest that puerarin will stop drinking all together, it is promising that it appears to slow the pace and the overall amount consumed."

The Behavioral Psychopharmacology Research Laboratory at McLean Hospital has been involved in a series of research projects for more than 10 years, looking at the ability of extracts of the kudzu root and its components to reduce excessive drinking with very encouraging results.

Provided by McLean Hospital

"Study finds herbal extract may curb binge drinking." May 17th, 2012. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-herbal-curb-binge.html

Posted by
Robert Karl Stonjek

Pain relief through distraction -- it's not all in your head

This figure shows pain-Related BOLD responses during the Low Working Memory Load Condition. (A and B) Pain-related BOLD responses are overlaid on the mean structural image of all participants and display the spinal level of pain-related responses (segment C6, approximately at the border to C5). The white box indicates the sagittal section (B) and the blue line indicates the transverse section (C). Credit: Sprenger et al. Current Biology

Mental distractions make pain easier to take, and those pain-relieving effects aren't just in your head, according to a report published online on May 17 in Current Biology.

The findings based on high-resolution spinal fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) as people experienced painful levels of heat show that mental distractions actually inhibit the response to incoming pain signals at the earliest stage of central pain processing.

"The results demonstrate that this phenomenon is not just a psychological phenomenon, but an active neuronal mechanism reducing the amount of pain signals ascending from the spinal cord to higher-order brain regions," said Christian Sprenger of the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf.

Those effects involve endogenous opioids, which are naturally produced by the brain and play a key role in the relief of pain, the new evidence shows.

The research group asked participants to complete either a hard or an easy memory task, both requiring them to remember letters, while they simultaneously applied a painful level of heat to their arms.

When study participants were more distracted by the harder of the two memory tasks, they did indeed perceive less pain. What's more, their less painful experience was reflected by lower activity in the spinal cord as observed by fMRI scans. (fMRI is often used to measure changes in brain activity, Sprenger explained, and recent advances have made it possible to extend this tool for use in the spinal cord.)

Sprenger and colleagues then repeated the study again, this time giving participants either a drug called naloxone, which blocks the effects of opioids, or a simple saline infusion. The pain-relieving effects of distraction dropped by 40 percent during the application of the opioid antagonist compared to saline, evidence that endogenous opioids play an essential role.

The findings show just how deeply mental processes can go in altering the experience of pain, and that may have clinical importance.

"Our findings strengthen the role of cognitive-behavioral therapeutic approaches in the treatment of pain diseases, as it could be extrapolated that these approaches might also have the potential to alter the underlying neurobiological mechanisms as early as in the spinal cord," the researchers say.

More information: Sprenger et al.: "Attention modulates spinal cord responses to pain." Current Biology, DOI:10.1016/j.cub.2012.04.006

Provided by Cell Press

"Pain relief through distraction -- it's not all in your head." May 17th, 2012. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-pain-relief-distraction-.html

Posted by
Robert Karl Stonjek

Research shows how to increase mental wellbeing and feel happy

Why is it that some people seem to waltz through life in a bubble of happiness, when for others each day is a struggle? Should we just accept the personality we're born with? Or can we act and think ourselves to happiness?

Victoria University PhD researcher Dr Erica Chadwick spent three years examining 'savouring strategies'—the thoughts and behaviours people use to create, maintain or enhance positive experiences—to ascertain what strategies were most effective for overall wellbeing and happiness.

While past research has examined how people savour major but fleeting events, such as going on holiday or receiving a high mark at school, Dr Chadwick investigated the impact of the minor, everyday positive events that make up life.

"I wanted to know not only what increased the feeling of happiness for a moment, but what made a difference to mental wellbeing over time. I also wanted to examine how savouring strategies changed from adolescence to adulthood."

Her research gathered the actions and thoughts of more than 400 young New Zealanders in the Bay of Plenty and 1,500 adults from across New Zealand and overseas, and grouped them into four overall strategies.

Actively boosting feelings of happiness involved physical actions such as celebrating by jumping up and down, high fiving or rushing over to a friend to share good news.

Subtle actions included being more mindful of your surroundings, living in the moment and paying greater attention to your enjoyment of minor events—such as savouring a meal.

Self-focused actions included thinking about being a lucky or fortunate person. They also included congratulating oneself after an achievement and actively realising a moment would be a memory to enjoy again in the future.

Dampening or "keeping things low key" had a negative effect on mental wellbeing.

"What I found interesting as I analysed my research results was that while subtle strategies such as mindfulness positively influenced adult wellbeing, they had a negative effect on adolescents. Instead, self-focused actions were the most powerful savouring strategies for youth," says Dr Chadwick.

"They may be the most effective because teenagers are naturally inward-looking, or it might be because New Zealanders' humble attitude and tall poppy syndrome thwart the effectiveness of more public behaviours."

Dr Chadwick says that for everyone, regardless of age, research clearly shows that meaningful social connections with family and friends remains the most valuable tool for feeling happy and mentally well.

Dr Chadwick graduated with a Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology at Tuesday's Graduation ceremony.

How to feel happier and improve your mental wellbeing:

1. Activate your mind:  savouring is a conscious process so look for opportunities to make more of an experience or event, but don’t over think it.

2. Share positive news with other people, especially with those who’ll be happy for you too.

3. Acknowledge your achievements: although this might be anathema to New Zealanders, the research showed taking a moment to congratulate yourself, even silently, greatly improves your wellbeing.

4. And for adults particularly, slow down to more mindfully appreciate day to day activities. Be in the moment.

Provided by Victoria University

"Research shows how to increase mental wellbeing and feel happy." May 17th, 2012. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-mental-wellbeing-happy.html

Posted by
Robert Karl Stonjek

Suspicion resides in two regions of the brain

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice. Shame on my parahippocampal gyrus.

Scientists at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute have found that suspicion resides in two distinct regions of the brain: the amygdala, which plays a central role in processing fear and emotional memories, and the parahippocampal gyrus, which is associated with declarative memory and the recognition of scenes.

"We wondered how individuals assess other people's credibility in simple social interactions," said Read Montague, director of the Human Neuroimaging Laboratory and the Computational Psychiatry Unit at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute, who led the study. "We found a strong correlation between the amygdala and a baseline level of distrust, which may be based on a person's beliefs about the trustworthiness of other people in general, his or her emotional state, and the situation at hand. What surprised us is that when other people's behaviour aroused suspicion, the parahippocampal gyrus lit up, acting like an inborn lie detector."

The scientists used functional magnetic resonance imaging, or fMRI, to study the neural basis of suspicion. Seventy-six pairs of players, each with a buyer and a seller, competed in 60 rounds of a simple bargaining game while having their brains scanned. At the beginning of each round, the buyer would learn the value of a hypothetical widget and suggest a price to the seller. The seller would then set the price. If the seller's price fell below the widget's given value, the trade would go through, with the seller receiving the selling price and the buyer receiving any difference between the selling price and the actual value. If the seller's price exceeded the value, though, the trade would not execute, and neither party would receive cash.

The authors found, as detailed in a previous paper that buyers fell into three strategic categories: 42 per cent were incrementalists, who were relatively honest about the widget's value; 37 per cent were conservatives, who adopted the strategy of withholding information; and 21 per cent were strategists, who were actively deceptive, mimicking incrementalist behaviour by sending high suggestions during low-value trials and then reaping greater benefits by sending low suggestions during high-value trials.

The sellers had a monetary incentive to read the buyers' strategic profiles correctly. Yet, they received no feedback about the accuracy of the information they were receiving, so they could not confirm any suspicions about behaviour patterns. Without feedback, the sellers were forced to decide whether to trust the buyers based on the pricing suggestions alone. "The more uncertain a seller was about a buyer's credibility," Montague said, "the more active his or her parahippocampal gyrus became."

The authors believe a person's baseline suspicion may have important consequences for his or her financial success. "People with a high baseline suspicion were often interacting with fairly trustworthy buyers, so in ignoring the information those buyers provided, they were giving up potential profits," said Meghana Bhatt, the first author on the research paper. "Recognizing credible information in a competitive environment can be just as important as detecting untrustworthy behavior."

The findings may also have implications for such psychiatric conditions as paranoia and anxiety disorders, said Montague. "The fact that increased amygdala activation corresponds to an inability to detect trustworthy behavior may provide insight into the social interactions of people with anxiety disorders, who often have increased activity in this area of the brain," he said.

The research appeared in the early online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) on May 10 in the article "Distinct contributions of the amygdala and parahippocampal gyrus to suspicion in a repeated bargaining game" by Meghana Bhatt, PhD, an assistant research professor at the Beckman Research Institute of the City of Hope Hospital in Duarte, Calif.; Terry Lohrenz, PhD, a research assistant professor in the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute; Colin F. Camerer
, PhD, the Robert Kirby Professor of Behavioral Economics at the California Institute of Technology; and Montague, PhD, the corresponding author, who is a professor of physics at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute and in the College of Science at Virginia Tech. The research was supported by grants to Read Montague from the Wellcome Trust and the National Institutes of Health.

Provided by Virginia Tech

"Suspicion resides in two regions of the brain." May 17th, 2012. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-suspicion-resides-regions-brain.html

Posted by

Robert Karl Stonjek

Old Indian Temples

Temple at Bhaniyar, Kashmir - 1880's

Martand Sun Temple - Kashmir 1900's

Hoysaleswara temple, Karnataka - 1870's

 Hoysaleswara temple is a temple dedicated to Hindu God Shiva. It was built in Halebidu (in modern Karnataka state) during the Hoysala Empire rule in the 12th century by King Vishnuvardhana. The construction was completed in 1121 CE. During the early 14th century, Halebidu was sacked and looted by Muslim invaders from northern India and the temple fell into a state of ruin and neglect. 

 One of Seven Pagodas of Mahabalipuram - Tamil Nadu Early 19One of Seven Pagodas of Mahabalipuram - Tamil Nadu Early 1900's00's

One of Seven Pagodas of Mahabalipuram Early 1900's

Rock Temple - Somewhere in India 19th Century Photograph

Kailash Temple of Ellora, Maharashtra - Vintage Photograph 1880's

Hathee Singh Jain Temple - Ahmedabad c1868

Hathee Singh temple is a famous Jain temple. It was constructed in 1850. The temple was named after its founder Seth Hathee Singh. He was a wealthy Jain merchant. This temple was built in the dedication of the 15th Jain Trithanakara Dharmnath. The temple is famous for its architectural styling and designing that consists of intricate carvings. 

 

Temple Decorated with Terracotta Designs - Circa 1900's

Beach Candy. Mahaluxumee Temple - Bombay (Mumbai) - 19th Century Photograph

Walkeshwur Temples & Tanks - Bombay (Mumbai) - 19th Century Photograph

Vintage Photograph of Temples in the Suburbs of Calcutta (Kolkata) - Mid 19th Century (between 1858 - 1861)

Shiv Temples at Dakshineswar Kali Temple - Albumen Photograph Calcutta (Kolkata) 1880's

Golden Temple of Amritsar, Punjab - c1860's

Golden Temple or Harmandir Sahib Sikh Gurdwara in Amritsar Punjab - 1880's

Shankaracharya temple on Takht-e-Suleiman hill - Srinagar Kashmir 1880's

Splendid Beauty Of Desert Life photography

Taj Mahal - Corinna (1968)

Ed Odel
Henry Saint Clair Fredericks (born May 17, 1942), who uses the stage name Taj Mahal, is an American Grammy Award winning blues musician. He incorporates elements of world music into his music. A self-taught singer-songwriter and film composer who plays the guitar, banjo and harmonica (among many other instruments)...

From the album Natch'l Blues - what a beauty!

Album credits:
* Taj Mahal - harmonica, Mississippi "National" steel bodied guitar, vocals

* Jesse Ed Davis - guitar, piano, brass arrangements
* Gary Gilmore - bass
* Chuck Blackwell - drums
* Al Kooper - piano
* Earl Palmer - drums

• 
  

Wow

Health Benefits of " Spinach "

                                                                                          

1 ) Anti-Cancerous Property: Spinach made up of various important constituents is promising in various kinds of cancer. These include Bladder, Prostate, Liver and Lung Cancer. Different constituents in spinach like folate, tocopherol, and chlorophyllin act via different mechanisms to treat and protect patients suffering from cancer. İt can repair the damaged genes to some extent thereby preventing Skin Cancer in the long run.

2 ) Atherosclerosis and Heart Attack: Atherosclerosis is caused due to hardening of arteries. A pigment named lutein found in spinach has been shown to reduce the occurrence atherosclerosis, heart attack as well as stroke. This is because spinach proteins tend to reduce the cholesterol and other fat deposits in the blood vessels.

3 ) Immunity: spinach contains Antioxidants ( vitamin C, vitamin E, beta-carotene, manganese, zinc and selenium) vitamin A that not only protects and strengthens "entry points" into the human body, such as mucous membranes, respiratory, urinary and intestinal tracts, but is also a key component of lymphocytes (or white blood cells) that Fight İnfection. 

4 ) Blood Pressure: Spinach has high content of potassium and low content of sodium. This composition of minerals is very beneficial for high blood pressure patients as potassium lowers and sodium raises the blood pressure. Folate present in spinach contributes in reducing hypertension and relaxes blood vessels, maintaining proper blood flow.

5 ) Anti-Ulcerative: It has been found that spinach and some other vegetables can protect the mucous membrane of stomach thereby decreasing the occurrence of gastric ulcers.

6 ) Neurological Benefits: Several components of spinach like potassium, folate, and various antioxidants are known to provide neurological benefits. According to Neurology, folate which reduces due to the occurrence of Alzheimer's Disease can be revived by spinach.

7 ) Bone Mineralization: Spinach is a good source of Viatmin K, which functions in retaining calcium in the bone matrix thereby leading to bone mineralization. Apart from this, other minerals like manganese, copper, magnesium, zinc and phosphorus also help in building up of strong bones. This in turn can prevent an individual from osteoporosis of bones.

8 ) Pregnant Women : 

a ) Foetus Development: Folate found in spinach is needed by the growing foetus for proper development of new nervous system. Defects like cleft palate or spina bifida may occur due to deficiency of folate. Vitamin A offered by spinach is advised to be consumed in more quantities by the mother. Vitamin A is required in lung development of foetus as well as during Breast Feeding.

b ) Protein Rich for Infant’s Proper Growth: ‘Popeye’, the sailor man is known for his obsession for spinach. The cartoon was deliberately shown to eat spinach and get strong. Infants are advised to be fed with spinach which is a rich in protein, vitamins minerals and phytonutrients. These will result in proportionate development in there growing stages.

9 ) Eye Health : 

a ) Cataract: Lutein and zeaxanthin present in spinach act as strong antioxidants thus preventing the eyes from harsh effects of UV rays that lead to cataract.

b ) Good Eyesight: Spinach is a rich source of beta carotene, lutein and xanthene, all of which are beneficial for eyesight. Beta carotene is supplied to the eyes by cooked spinach. It can prevent one from vitamin A deficiency disease, itching eyes, eye ulcers and dry eyes

சிவப்பழமான ஆஞ்சநேயர்...!

,

     அனுமார் மிக சிறந்த ராம பக்தர் என்பது உலகறிந்த சங்கதி ஆனால் அவரை சிவ அம்சம் பொருந்தியவர் என்று சிலர் கூறுவது ஏன்? 

சங்கரநாராயணன்,வில்லிவாக்கம் 

   வைஷ்ணவ சம்பிரதாயத்தில் கருடாழ்வாரை பெரிய திருவடி என்று அழைப்பார்கள் அதே போலவே ஆஞ்சநேயருக்கும் சிறிய திருவடி என்ற சிறப்பு பட்டம் உண்டு ராம அவதாரத்தில் பகவானுக்கு தொண்டு செய்து தாசானுதாசனாக வாழ்ந்ததனால் இந்த சிறப்பை அனுமன் பெறுகிறார்

அத்தகைய அனுமன் சிவ அம்சம் பொருந்தியவர் என்பது அதியசயமான உண்மையாகும் திரேதா யுகத்தில் குஞ்சரன் என்ற மகாசிவபக்தன் வாழ்ந்தான் அவனுக்கு வெகுநாட்களாக குழந்தைகள் இல்லை குழந்தைவரம் வேண்டி அதுவும் ஆண் குழந்தை வேண்டுமென்று சிவபெருமானை நோக்கி அவன் கடுதவம் மேற்கொண்டான்

குஞ்சரனின் தவத்தை மெச்சிய கைலாச நாதன் அவன் முன்னால் தோன்றி உனக்கு என்ன வரம் வேண்டும் என்று கேட்டார் தனக்கு அழகான ஆண்குழந்தை வேண்டுமென்று அவன் சொன்னான் அதற்கு சிவபெருமான் உனது கர்மப்படி ஆண்குழந்தை பெறுகின்ற பாக்கியம் உனக்கில்லை ஆனால் மகாபதிவிரதையாக ஒரு மகளை பெறுவாய் அவள் மூலம் என் அம்சத்தில் உனக்கொரு பேரன் பிறப்பான் என்று வரம் கொடுத்தாராம்

குஞ்சரன் மிகவும் சந்தோசபட்டான் குழந்தை இல்லையே என்று வருந்துவதை விட பிள்ளை கலி தீர்க்க பெண் குழந்தையாவது பிறக்கட்டுமென்று தவத்தை முடித்து வீட்டுக்கு போனான் அவனுக்கு சில நாளில் அஞ்சனா என்ற அழகான மகள் பிறந்தாள்

கன்னிபருவம்' எய்திய அஞ்சனா தேவி கேசரி என்ற வானர வீரனை காந்தர்வ முறையில் மணம் முடித்தாள் அஞ்சானா தேவி முன் குறத்தி வடிவாக வந்த தர்மதேவதை திருவேங்கட மலைக்கு சென்று தவம் செய் அதன் பயனாக தேஜசும் வீரியமும் நிறைந்த மகன் பிறப்பான் என்று சொன்னாள்

அஞ்சனா தேவியும் திருமலை சென்று தனது தவத்தை துவங்கினாள் பக்தி சிரத்தையோடு அவள் செய்த தவம் வாய்வு பகவானுக்கு மிகவும் பிடித்துவிட்டது அவள் தவத்திற்கு தன்னால் முடிந்த உதவி செய்யவேண்டும் என்று விரும்பி தினசரி ஒரு பழத்தை அவள் அறியாமல் அவள் முன்னால் வைத்து போனான் ஒருநாள் சிவபூஜைக்காக வைத்திருந்த பழம் ஒன்றை எடுத்து அவள் இருந்த இடத்தில் வைத்து விட்டான்

கண்விழித்து பார்த்த அஞ்சானா தேவி தன்முன்னால் இருந்த பழத்தை வணங்கி சாப்பிட்டாள் அப்போதே அவள் கர்பவதியானாள் சிவனுக்கான பழம் என்பதனால் சிவ அம்சத்தோடும் வாயு பகவான் அதை கொடுத்ததினால் வாயு புத்திரனாகவும் அஞ்சனா தேவிக்கு பிறந்த அனுமான் கருதபடுகிறார்

எனவே ஆஞ்சநேயர் சைவ வைஷ்ணவ ஒற்றுமை சின்னம் என்றே கருததக்கவர் ஆவார் அவரை பக்தியோடு வணங்கினால் பக்தர்கள் வேண்டி விரும்பி கேட்கும் நியாயமான கோரிக்கைகள் எதை வேண்டுமென்றாலும் நிறைவேற்றி வைப்பார்.

Parents are happier than non-parents, new research suggests

New research by psychologists at three North American universities, including the University of British Columbia, finds that parents experience greater levels of happiness and meaning from life than non-parents.

The findings, which contrast sharply with recent scholarship and popular beliefs, suggest that parents are happier caring for children than they are during other daily activities. The research also suggests that the benefits of parenthood appear more consistently in men and older and married parents.

To be published in the journal Psychological Science, the findings are among a new wave of research that suggests that parenthood comes with relatively more positives than negatives, despite the added responsibilities. The research also dovetails with emerging evolutionary perspectives that suggest parenting may be a fundamental human need.

"This series of studies suggest that parents are not nearly the 'miserable creatures' we might expect from recent studies and popular representations," says UBC Psychology Prof. Elizabeth Dunn, who co-authored the study with colleagues at the University of California, Riverside and Stanford University. "If you went to a large dinner party, our findings suggest that the parents in the room would be as happy or happier than those guests without children."

Over three studies, the researchers tested whether parents are happier overall than their childless peers, if parents feel better moment-to-moment than non-parents, and whether parents experience more positive feelings when taking care of children than during their other daily activities. The consistency of their findings, based on data and participants in both the U.S. and Canada, provides strong evidence challenging the notion that children are associated with reduced well-being, the researchers say.

The study identifies age and marital status as factors in parental happiness. "We find that if you are older (and presumably more mature) and if you are married (and presumably have more social and financial support), then you're likely to be happier if you have children than your childless peers," says co-author Sonja Lyubomirsky, a professor of psychology at UC Riverside. "This is not true, however, for single parents or very young parents."

Fathers in particular expressed greater levels of happiness, positive emotion and meaning in life than their childless peers. "Interestingly, the greater levels of parental happiness emerged more consistently in fathers than mothers," says Dunn. "While more research is needed on this topic, it suggests that the pleasures of parenthood may be offset by the surge in responsibility and housework that arrives with motherhood," she says.

The researchers also found that the stresses associated with single parenthood did not wipe out the greater feelings of meaning and reward associated with having children.

"We are not saying that parenting makes people happy, but that parenthood is associated with happiness and meaning," Lyubomirsky says. "Contrary to repeated scholarly and media pronouncements, people may find solace that parenthood and child care may actually be linked to feelings of happiness and meaning in life."

Provided by University of British Columbia

"Parents are happier than non-parents, new research suggests." May 17th, 2012. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-parents-happier-non-parents.html

Posted by
Robert Karl Stonjek

Research shows how to increase mental wellbeing and feel happy

Why is it that some people seem to waltz through life in a bubble of happiness, when for others each day is a struggle? Should we just accept the personality we're born with? Or can we act and think ourselves to happiness?

Victoria University PhD researcher Dr Erica Chadwick spent three years examining 'savouring strategies'—the thoughts and behaviours people use to create, maintain or enhance positive experiences—to ascertain what strategies were most effective for overall wellbeing and happiness.

While past research has examined how people savour major but fleeting events, such as going on holiday or receiving a high mark at school, Dr Chadwick investigated the impact of the minor, everyday positive events that make up life.

"I wanted to know not only what increased the feeling of happiness for a moment, but what made a difference to mental wellbeing over time. I also wanted to examine how savouring strategies changed from adolescence to adulthood."

Her research gathered the actions and thoughts of more than 400 young New Zealanders in the Bay of Plenty and 1,500 adults from across New Zealand and overseas, and grouped them into four overall strategies.

Actively boosting feelings of happiness involved physical actions such as celebrating by jumping up and down, high fiving or rushing over to a friend to share good news.

Subtle actions included being more mindful of your surroundings, living in the moment and paying greater attention to your enjoyment of minor events—such as savouring a meal.

Self-focused actions included thinking about being a lucky or fortunate person. They also included congratulating oneself after an achievement and actively realising a moment would be a memory to enjoy again in the future.

Dampening or "keeping things low key" had a negative effect on mental wellbeing.

"What I found interesting as I analysed my research results was that while subtle strategies such as mindfulness positively influenced adult wellbeing, they had a negative effect on adolescents. Instead, self-focused actions were the most powerful savouring strategies for youth," says Dr Chadwick.

"They may be the most effective because teenagers are naturally inward-looking, or it might be because New Zealanders' humble attitude and tall poppy syndrome thwart the effectiveness of more public behaviours."

Dr Chadwick says that for everyone, regardless of age, research clearly shows that meaningful social connections with family and friends remains the most valuable tool for feeling happy and mentally well.

Dr Chadwick graduated with a Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology at Tuesday's Graduation ceremony.

How to feel happier and improve your mental wellbeing:

1. Activate your mind:  savouring is a conscious process so look for opportunities to make more of an experience or event, but don’t over think it.

2. Share positive news with other people, especially with those who’ll be happy for you too.

3. Acknowledge your achievements: although this might be anathema to New Zealanders, the research showed taking a moment to congratulate yourself, even silently, greatly improves your wellbeing.

4. And for adults particularly, slow down to more mindfully appreciate day to day activities. Be in the moment.

Provided by Victoria University

"Research shows how to increase mental wellbeing and feel happy." May 17th, 2012. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-mental-wellbeing-happy.html

Posted by
Robert Karl Stonjek