Comparison of the upanishads and the vedas

Comparison of the Upanishads and the Vedas

Although the Vedas and the Upanishads express common themes of the aryan world view, they differ greatly in genre and emphasis. Underlying both texts are the core ideas of the religion: the ubiquitousness of atman, Brahman's origins of non-being, the non-existence of physical reality, and the subtle, intangible existence of ultimate reality. But while the Vedas is mythical and ritualistic, the Upanishads is theological and devalues ritual.

The major reoccurring theme of the Upanishads is understanding the inner real self, the attainment of atman. Through parable and narrative, the Upanishads repeatedly teaches of the atman and the path to atman. The favored type of parable is that of the teacher and student, such as in the case of uddalaka Aruni and his son shvetaketu. The father patiently details example after example of the nature of ultimate reality: the lump of clay, and the ingot of iron, the fig seed, the salt in water. He uses these examples to illustrate an esoteric point, the key to attaining enlightenment. "Believe me, my dear, that which is the subtle essence" this whole world has that essence for its self; that real; that is the self; that art thou, shvetaketu. Here, the author uses simple examples to cater to the mind of the general audience, a technique not used in the Vedas. The author also touches upon the nature of man, "that art thou" and his connection with the real self.

In every passage of the Upanishads man and his place in the universe is the subject. The five sheaths metaphorizes the different stages of being, from unreal to real. Brahman holds the same significance as he does in the Vedas, but is presented out of the supernatural realm. Nonexistent, verily, does one become if he knows that Brahman is non-existent. If one knows that Brahman exists, such a one people thereby know as existent. Brahman is apart of every man as every man is in Brahman; one cannot be without the other. Unlike that which is purported in the Vedas, ritual and sacrifice is superfluous. The gods are rarely mentioned and tales of their greatness are untold. Those who delight in the sacrificial ritual are fools, like 'blind men led by one who is blind himself.' Most important are understanding and the desire for understanding, of the nature of the universe, the nature of man.

The Vedas and Upanishads have distinctively different approaches to the same goal. The Vedas focus on the gods and elaborate sacrifice and ritual makes Brahman seem supernatural. The Upanishads emphasizes the relationship between Brahman and man, making the religion and reaching enlightenment more tangible to all.

The Art of Feng Shui

The art of Feng shui

Feng shui (pronounced fong sway) is an ancient science based on the belief that everything in the universe is either positive or negative energy. ( yin and yang) This energy is called chi, and the science/art of Feng shui is the use and arrangement of positive objects to counteract the negative objects in your environment. It has been practiced for thousands of years in China. The Forbidden city was the largest Feng shui project ever constructed. Every detail of the palace complex was studied and approved by the finest Feng shui priests of the time. In fact, because there was no mountain behind the palace, they built one.

All over the world there has been a boom in interest in Feng shui and contrary to popular belief, the application of Feng shui need not be oriental. Traditional people all over the world have observed, recorded and reached an understanding of the ways in which different places and homes affect one's well being and fortune.

Urban life everywhere, and particularly in the west, has become a remote controlled, instant food and push- button society. As a result we have become alien to the natural world, thereby exposing ourselves to increasing levels of toxicity, pollution and cramped living environments Feng shui is all about movement of energy and balance. The underlying principle of Feng shui is that everything in your overall and immediate surroundings which can be as basic as the smallest details of furnishing and decor, can either work in favor of your well being and your aims and goals, or go against you.

The human body is a measure of all things in the universe. A structure cannot be put up without a plan or design. The importance of aligning rooms and corners, and applying calculations that will be in harmony with nature, is the fundamental concept of Feng shui. There are subtle currents of energy called 'Chi' which flows through our body and through everything in the universe. If we understand the chi, we can arrange our living and working environments to help us to achieve our goals.

However we should bear in mind the fact that energy is not just about aligning the space and place of dwelling. It also relates to the energy of the individual. This is referred to as the "inner Feng shui." It goes without saying that it is vital to maintain the food energy balance for healthy living. The character chi represents the fundamental energy of the universe. We are all born with plentiful supply of chi, but as we grow, it is used up. It needs to be restored and the source of that essential replenishment is food.

In today's era in which everything is just whirl and go, everyone has become obsessed with speed. Most people view food as a mere facility and that is why so many people suffer from digestion problems. A cook needs basic elements like water, fire, air, metal and earth. The earth is the basic platform on which nearly all activities take place, and this includes cooking as well. Any contemporary kitchen consists or must consist of the same five fundamental elements. The best Feng shui advice is to prepare and cook food in a room that is separated from the rest of the living space. Chinese cooking methods range across a spectrum that embraces the polar energies of yin and yang. When we classify food further on the basis of their preparations, we get yin food and yang food.

Plants and the position in which they are placed contribute to the positive feel of any space. In Feng shui, plants have an important role. It is said that they bring life force or prana into the home and keep the air clean. Plants should be strong and healthy. Sick plants and plants which shed their leaves profusely should be avoided. The energy in the plants varies depending on its shape and size. Upright plants with slightly pointed leaves are considered 'yang' and are generally used in the south corners and in narrow areas to move the energy.

Round leaves and drooping leaves are used to calm down strong energy and are preferred for the north corners. When we arrange our rooms and space, we must de-clutter the space to create the physical space for energy to flow. An important aspect of good Feng shui is placements. Take care to position objects in a way that it does not block energy flow. When positioning sofa or furniture ensure that you always have a clear view of the door. In Feng shui, locating the right place to sleep or sit is called locating the 'power spot.'

This is the place where you feel you have the most control and visibility. But this should not be in line with the door receiving the strongest flow of chi. Remember, that we need space to live and move and certain guidelines based on sound commonsense, should govern the allocation of space and objects in it and this balance is what Feng shui is all about.

The many uses of computers

The many uses of computers

Computers are helpful because they offer a wide range of functions and services that are not available anywhere else. There are four main uses: word processing, internet/ communications, digital video / audio composition, and desktop publishing. Although one can create a typed paper with a typewriter, the computer has more features to do it with. Internet and communications, digital video and audio composition, and desktop publishing are all features that are only offered on computers. With these tools human society has progressed exponentially.

The word processing capabilities of computers are amazing. They can automatically correct your spelling and grammar mistakes. The cutting and pasting features are incredibly simple and very useful for revision. Plus it is easier to read a word-processed document than one written by hand. Having a digital backup is an added benefit. All of these things help writers get the job done. If you want to add pictures to your writing, numerous software titles are available for desktop publishing. With desktop publishing, you can create page layouts for entire books on your home computer. For example, high school yearbook classes now use desktop publishing software for the creation and design of their yearbooks. Most of this cannot be done by hand, and if so, then it is painstakingly laborious.

The internet is one of the greatest inventions of humanity. It is a massive network of computers, each with the ability to access any of the others. Ungodly amounts of information can be found on the internet. It is the ultimate form of media, a combination of newspaper, radio, and as the average bandwidth is increasing, television. Using the internet, any two people anywhere can communicate for free, whether it is with text or voice. Video conferencing tools are becoming readily available to the public. New uses are being found for the internet every day.

Audio/ video editing and composition have been made much easier by computers. Cutting and pasting is no longer comprised of using scissors and tape on large reels of film. It no longer costs thousands of dollars of equipment to make a film or to compose music. Now emerging musicians have the ability to compose their own songs and publish them without having to obtain a record contract. Amateur filmmakers can produce work from their own homes. Graphics engineers can use computers to create three-dimensional models, or even to generate short or full-length films. Anybody who owns a computer can now enter the field of media production.

Computers have so many uses that cannot be found anywhere else. Word processors are the perfect writing device because you can compose quickly and make changes easily. The internet provides a fast, free, and unique way to get information or to communicate with others. Computers supply an affordable solution to nonprofessional audio and video composition. These reasons are why computers are so helpful in modern society. With the aid of computers, humankind is entering a new era of enlightenment.

The importance of english

The importance of English

The British had to leave bag and baggage and for good following the long drawn struggle for freedom. Now, India is a free and sovereign country with Hindi as its national language. And the importance of English as a second official and a link language continues. No doubt the British imposed English on India but now it is not a foreign language as are German, french. Chinese or Russian. It continues to play an important role within the country and outside in dealings with foreign countries.

 

For more than 2 centuries English has been in India and indian writers and authors have made generous contribution in the development of English language and literature. Indianwriters in English include such well-known signatures as Sarojini Naidu, Aurobindo Ghosh, dom moraes, nissim Ezekiel, p. Lal, A.K. Ramanujan, kamla Das, R. Parathsarthy, Mulk Raj Anand, R.K. Narayan, RaJa Rao, G.V. Desai, Bhavani Bhattacharya, Manohar Malgonkar, kamla Markendeya, Anita Desai, Khushwant Singh, Nayantara Sehgal, Salman Rushdie, sreenivas lyengar, vikram Seth, sashie tharoor, Amitav Ghosh, vikram Chandra etc.

 

Among great political leaders Mahatma Gandhi, Pt. Nehru etc. have been prolific writers in the language. Though the percentage of English speaking people in India is very low, yet it is most widely used among the educated urban people. It is also the medium of instruction in the institutions of higher learning and education. Hindi in devnagri script is the official language of the union and it was stipulated in the indian constitution that English shall continue to be used for all official purposes of the union till January 25, 1965 but a complete switch over to Hindi was not found practicable within the stipulated date and English in addition to Hindi continues to be used for all official purposes.

However, over 44 crore of people speak Hindi and it is their mother tongue followed by Bengali and Tamil. The regional languages are the official languages of the states. There are 18 statutory recognised languages in India. Many people are over-enthusiastic about removing English and replacing it completely with Hindi and regional languages.

They argue that English is a symbol of slavery and colonialism. But they forget that English is an international language and Hindi or regional languages just provide translated material in higher learning and training. Without English it would not be possible to keep pace with the rapid advancements and researches in science and technology. The mother tongues are impartact and so is Hindi and it is desirable that the students are imported instructions and education in their mother tongue's. But it does not mean that English is no more important or can be completely replaced by Hindi or other indian languages.

The time is not ripe yet to see that happen. Total abolition of English would leave India far behind other countries in the fields of medicine, engineering, communication, business, space technology, agriculture etc. It would be suicidal to remove it completely from the scene. Moreover southern states in particular would never tolerate it and there would be a sort of chaos. Discretion is the better part of valour and it is advisable that English retains its present position and status for some more time to come. English is a link language and a means of communication between different educated linguistic and regional groups.

It is a language of learning, higher studies, business, science and technology and opportunities. Even those who advocate its removal in public send their sons and daughters to English medium schools. English is very rich, powerful, varied and widely understood language. It is spoken by the majority of the educated people all over the world. It can be called a window upon the world of business, science and culture. As such, more and more Indians are learning English and there is a flood of shops and institutions teaching Indians how to speak English. English is still an important instrument which provides us access to a wealth of knowledge and information of the world.

It was English which helped indian renaissance beginning, from the time of raja rammohan Roy and Rabindranath Tagore. English helped leaders and people come together inspired by patriotism and national feelings. It gave our great leaders like bapu, Nehru, Aurobindo, Dr. Radhakrishnan and many others a tongue and voice to protest against repression, exploitation and foreign domination. It is this vehicle which carried their ideas, dreams and cries to the other peoples the world. Without English it would not be possible to complete; with other nations of the world in international relations, politics business and technological progress and also at home in learning, education and training.

English has come to stay for longer time than many people think. It would be premature and unwise to drive English away at this juncture. Removal of English would cut off India from other countries and international affairs. If we want to grow and develop, we will have to keep close contacts with the other nations of the world. It would be unwise to discontinue the use of English because it was imposed by the British or we learnt it at the time of the raj. We cannot lose the expertise, efficiency and advantage of English gained after many decades of efforts and exercise because we have inherited it from the British.

The importance of education

The importance of education



According to Bacon "Reading maketh a full man; writing an exact man and conference a ready man.' And if someone asks what reading, writing and conference make together, anyone would say that they stand for education. In other words, we can say that education makes anyone complete, Accurate and worldly wise. It means that noone is complete without education.

 

Thus we can confidently say that education is necessary for the all-round development of the personality of a human-being. He cannot hope for success, name, fame and prosperity in life without it. Even a nation would be devoid of any progress, if its citizens fail to have the benefits of education. H.L. Wayland has correctly said,"Universal suffrage, without universal education, would be a curse." For the success of any democracy, education is a must. Imagine a country with illiterate ministers voted to power by illiterate people !

 

Unfortunately, there are many people who downgrade the value of education and say that it has never benefited anyone. But this is not correct. Knowledge is too far advanced today for a man to gain without its specialized branch. Trade, industry, agriculture, medicine, the I.T. and all other areas have become so complex that no one can take up any job without being educated.

 

An educated man will never find himself stranded in the midst of any difficulty. His brain, developed by serious-thinking during his academic years, will unfailingly arrive at some solution to the problem that besets him. This is what education prepares us for. And most of all, education gives us not only the mental but also physical strength necessary to face any challenges of life with dignity.

 

An illiterate person simply gropes in the dark, leaving result to chance or fate. He is ultimately dependent on others. Farmers in India, in olden times, who could not read or write, were cheated out of their land and willingly suffered exploitation and injustice only because they had no education. They were deprived of their rights by unscrupulous landlords, moneylenders and middlemen who made them put their thumb impressions to false documents of possession. Women in India had been suppressed, dominated and ill-treated only because they had no education. But now with their having been educated to a certain extent, the old situation has started changing quite fast.

 

Now they have come out in the open to fight for their rights. They are now not dependent on others, nor do they silently submit to whatever cruelty is meted out to them. Education liberates a man's mind from wrong thinking, ignorance, superstitions and prejudices. It frees him from evil influences and vices. It equips him with knowledge and skill which would enable him to make a good living, culminating in his being an ideal citizen.

 

With the spread of education, gone are the days of bonded labour, economic slavery, pangs on account of being an untouchable and being misled by black magic. Thus it can be boldly claimed that education has awakened the masses all over the world.