What is the purpose of a Miracle?

The common man is drawn by external pomp and apparent motives. So he judges the leelas (Divine sport) as common and even low. The inner meaning and purpose are not easily patent to all.  But the Lord can never engage Himself in purposeless and paltry activities. His advent is for the uplift of the world from the morass of wickedness and unrighteousness, for fulfilling the needs of those devoted to Him, for the reestablishment of righteousness and morality, and for the revival of the Vedas. He has to take into account the merit acquired by each in previous lives and shower His grace accordingly. His leelas or Divine activities are so shaped that they suit the time, the person, the aspiration and the compassion which cause each shower of grace!

What is the need of the hour?

Education should be used for promoting the welfare of the nation. Knowledge gained through education should be used selflessly for promoting the well-being of humanity. What we need today areUttama-purushulu (noble and ideal men and women). The nation will prosper only when there are such persons. And people like these will emerge in society only when there is purity of mind and morality in society. Only a society with a moral foundation can foster such noble persons. Spirituality is the only means for redemption.

How can we be loved by all?

It is a matter of great bliss to be loved by many. To win over the hearts of so many is a sign of Divinity. I love everyone and all love Me.  Do not hurt anyone by your harsh words and enter into any evil paths. Recognise the truth that God pervades everything from microcosm to macrocosm. With Shraddha and Vishwasa (sincerity of purpose and faith) and self-confidence, you can achieve anything in the world. Love God from the depths of your heart.  Follow Swami’s commands and you will attain everything and be victorious in all your endeavours!

Why is singing the glory of the Lord, a powerful tool to our growth?

There are many snakes of wicked qualities in the anthill of your heart. When you do Naamasmarana(remembering the divine name) all the ‘snakes’ of bad qualities will come out. Naamasmarana is like the musical wind instrument (Nadaswaram) which attracts snakes and brings them out of anthills. ThisNadaswaram is your Jeevana swaram (music of your life) and Prana swaram (breath of your life). One has to repeat God’s name in order to get rid of evil qualities. Today there are many who do not attach any importance to Naamasmarana. It is a great mistake. In this Age of Kali only chanting of the divine name can redeem your lives. There is no other refuge. Singing the glory of the Lord is highly sacred!

What is the power of the choice of our words? How should we leverage it?

a person something which upsets their balance or shocks them into grief; the words then completely drain off their physical strength and mental courage. They fall on the ground, unable to stand. On the other hand, when through speech, we communicate something happy, or cheer them, they get the strength of an elephant. Words do not cost anything, but they are priceless. So they have to be used with care. They must be employed not for gossip, which is barren, but only for pure and productive purposes.  The ancients recommended the vow of silence in order to purify speech of its evils. A mind turned inwards towards an inner vision of G od and speech turned towards outer vision - both of these will promote spiritual strength and success.

What are the challenges that spiritual seekers must overcome? Why?

The farmer, intent on cultivation, ignores even food and sleep, for he is too busy ploughing, levelling, scattering seeds, watering, weeding, guarding and fostering the crop. He knows that his family will have to subsist on the harvest that he brings home and that if he fritters away the precious season in idle pursuits, his family will be confronted with hunger and ill-health. So, he sets aside or postpones other pursuits and focuses all his attention on farming alone. He puts up with difficulties and deprivations, toils day and night, watches over the growing crops and garners the grain. As a consequence, he is able to spend the months ahead, in peace and joy, with his happy family. Students and spiritual seekers have to learn important lessons from the farmer. The stage of youth is the season for mental and intellectual culture. These years should be intensively and intelligently cult ivated irrespective of difficulties and obstacles. The clamour of the senses has to be silenced; hunger and thirst have to be controlled; the urge to sleep and relax has to be curbed.T

Clean out the closets of your life?

Clean out the closets of your life. Have you ever looked at the clothes in your closet with a critical eye: the bargain shoes in the wrong colour; the expensive suit you got on sale that never fit; the "great" shirt that was a gift from someone you love?



I had all of those items in my closet. Then a wardrobe consultant friend came over and made me clean out the clothes that didn't fit or that no longer represented my self-image. It was an exhilarating feeling. Now the clothes I wear make me feel and look great, and project the image I like.



Your clothes closet isn't the only hiding place for negative things in your life. You have a self-image closet too. Take a serious look at what you find there. Try cleaning it out. Throw out ideas that no longer fit your lifestyle or your experiences.



Clean your closet of certain old friends as well -- the ones who have become acquaintances. Too often we spend our energies with people whose interests have grown apart from ours.



Clean the negative people out of your life's closet. Some folks cannot accept your achievements, insisting it's only a "fluke" when you finally attain a great goal. Their own insecurities require them to shoot other people down. It is time to let them know you are proud of your achievements, and then move on to someone who will support you in your endeavours.



Closets may be hiding places for our outmoded clothes and ideas, but they are also where we store the building blocks for our daily lives. Don't let them get cluttered with outdated ideas.

What is the lamp we should light today?

Deepavali has to be observed as a day for getting rid of all the bad qualities in us, symbolised by the demon Narakasura. The inner meaning underlying the festival should be rightly understood. A whole array of lamps is lit by the light from one lamp. That one lamp symbolises the Supreme Effulgent Lord. The others represent the light in individual selves. The truth of the Vedic saying, "The One willed to become the many" is exemplified by the lighting of many lamps by the flame of one. Deepavali festival thus bears out the profoundest spiritual truth.  The lamp also points to another significant fact. Wherever it may be placed, the flame rises only upwards and never moves down. Likewise, the flame of Jnana(Spiritual Wisdom) leads one to a sublime level through the path of Righteousness.

Young and reckless: How stroke affects YOU

A sedentary lifestyle and smoking are two of the many causes that are leading to stroke among young Indians. Abhishek Mande finds out how real this health threat is, how to identify and avoid it.

Dr. Prabhakar Shetty found himself examining a 31-year-old comatose patient at the Columbia Asia Hospital in Yeshwantpur, Bengaluru. The young man had suffered a stroke. "The main artery going to his brain had developed blood clots," says Dr Shetty. "He had a history of previous blood clot formation in the legs and was prone to it. But his smoking habit had compounded the problem."

Young people suffering from stroke is not uncommon in India any more, says Dr Sheety. "The threat is quite real," observes Dr Shyamal K Das from the Bangur Institute of Neurology in Kolkata. Dr Das has conducted an extensive community-based study of stroke patients in Kolkata. He points out that over 8 per cent of the total stroke cases he has studied affect the young --  "largely men below the age of 40 years."

Neurologist Dr Sunanda Anand, who practices in Mumbai, agrees. "It is safe to say that one in every four stroke patients I treat are under 40," she says, adding that stroke is the most common cause of morbidity today.

All of them point to the drastic lifestyle of today's youngsters --  high-pressure jobs, smoking, alcohol and a sedentary routine among other things -- as the causes.

What is a stroke?

Simply put, a stroke or a brain attack is a sudden impairment in the functioning of the brain.

A blockage in the arteries or veins or the rupturing of a blood vessel can cause such a condition.

Dr Das says, "Strokes can be ischemic, caused by the lack of blood flow to the brain due to clots, or hemorrhagic, caused by a ruptured blood vessel."

Between the two, the more common type of stroke is ischemic, when a clot can be formed in the main artery of the brain, or if a clot or an air bubble formed in another part of the body is carried through the bloodstream into the brain.

 a.. Permanent or temporary loss of speech and/or hearing ability is one of the fallouts of a stroke. Says Dr Anand, "In case of a heart attack, you can still return to normal life. But a stroke patient does not always return to normal. It can be traumatic not just for the patient but also her/his family."

 b.. In extreme cases, a stroke can lead to paralysis. This means the patient can be either entirely bed-ridden or then largely dependent on other people.

 c.. Stroke patients are also always at risk of suffering a second attack. In a way, life can never be the same after you have been hit.

So far, strokes have usually been associated with the elderly. However, it isn't unusual for youngsters to be affected.

The causes of a stroke are many. While some of them can be genetic, others are largely self-created.

Says Dr Das: "Uncontrolled hypertension is the single most common cause for Hemorrhagic strokes. An Ischemic stroke, on the other hand, can be the result of a variety of factors:

Hypertension remains at the top of this list too.

Smoking comes a close second, because nicotine intake leads to hardening of the arteries and damages the lining of the blood vessels. This narrowing of the vessels and vessel walls leads to clots and results in a stroke.

Diabetes patients are also prone to ischemic strokes (since high blood sugar causes occlusions in small vessels), as are people with Dyslipidemia or high levels of fat or cholesterol.

According to Dr Sunanda Anand, "Strokes are not very common among young Indian women. However, this risk has increased with more of them taking to smoking or tobacco and consuming birth control pills. Young Indian women are more prone to venous strokes, or strokes that are caused by a clot in the veins, that drain the blood out of the brain (all other strokes are caused by a clot or a hemorrhage in the arteries that carry blood to the brain.) The oral contraceptive pill is one of the major contributors, as it causes blood clots in the veins," she points out.

Indians, with our apple-shaped bodies, are usually prone to obesity. Long work hours usually lead to a sedentary lifestyle. And an inactive life with little or no exercise and consumption of alcohol and smoking will only make things worse in the long run."

Add to this excessive intake of junk food and lack of fruits and veggies in the diet and you have a lethal combination.

According to some studies, sustained migraine attacks can also cause a stroke. A recent research in Iceland concludes that people suffering from a migraine problem are at a higher risk of dying from a heart or a brain attack.

As banal as it may sound, the only way you can avoid a stroke is by leading a healthy lifestyle.

Dr Puneet Saxena, an associate professor in the medicine department at the Sawai ManSingh Medical College, Jaipur, provides us with tips:

Watch your weight: High levels of fat and cholesterol are not good for your body.

Kick the butt: Smoking is one of the major reasons for stroke among young people. Besides, it isn't a healthy habit anyway.

Exercise regularly: Sedentary lifestyle can lead to multiple complications -- for stroke or otherwise.

Keep a check on your sleeping and eating habits: Adequate rest and a healthy diet are important.

Regular health check-ups: After a certain age, it is crucial that one goes in for regular medical check-ups. A routine check-up can sometimes throw up a shocker.

How we can lighten and brighten our lives from this holy day of Deepavali.

Do not get elated at the riches, status, authority, intelligence, etc., which you may possess. Consider that they have been given to you on trust, so that you may use it to benefit others. They are all signs of His Grace, opportunities for service, and symbols of responsibility. Never seek to exult over others' faults; deal sympathetically with the errors and mistakes of others. Seek the good in others; hear only good tidings about them; do not give ear to scandal. On this Deepavali day, resolve to light the lamp of Naamasmarana and place it at your doorstep, the lips. Feed it with the oil of devotion; have steadiness as the wick. Let the lamp illumine every minute of your life. The splendour of the Name will drive away darkness from outside you as well as from inside you. You will spread joy and peace among al l who come near yo

Principle of The One behind the diverse creation.

The One Divine Principle works through many forms in order to manipulate and complete the processSrishti (creation). All forms are fundamentally of the same essence. There is no higher or lower. All are equally divine. When God comes down assuming special form on special occasions for a specific purpose, He is known as Avatar. Each Avatar is born as a consequence of Divine Will and with the purpose of restoring Dharma and moral life.

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Credit cards can make money for you

Credit cards can make money for you

Use the bonus points that have accumulated on buying necessities (house hold appliances, clothes, groceries etc.) rather than using it on things (luxuries) that aren’t really important to you. Only if the bonus points are used practically, you are actually saving cash because had to now have the bonus points, you would have to anyways spend cash on buying the same. Credit cards of late have a negative connotation, and are pronounced as complete no-no by many, because of the high interest rates that are charged on late payments/defaults. Don’t let this negativity cloud perception of the product. You would be surprised to know that, if you are judicious in using this product, you stand to benefit monetarily, and of course it eliminates the need for you to carry cash everywhere. More often than not the problem is that people do not understand the product well and hence are not able to use it to their advantage. The credit card company offers you a ‘free credit period’ of around 50-55 days. The misconception most people have is that this free credit period is from the date of purchase. It is actually from the date of billing. E.g. Mr. Anand billing cycle date is 28th of December to 27th of Jan and his credit free period is 50 days. If his purchase was on 22nd Jan, he would enjoy credit for 25 days. However if he made the same purchase on say 01st Jan, he would enjoy credit free period of 47 days. So if you plan properly, you can enjoy maximum credit every month, which will help you manage your cash flows effectively, and will also help you earn the extra bit of interest on the cash that you have currently not spent on making the purchase. In addition to the free credit period, every purchase made on your credit card, earns you reward points which when accumulated to a big amount can be exchanged for a range of items such as electrical appliances, flight tickets, home ware etc. These rewards will differ from company to company. Also credit card companies offer discounts, promotional offers with respect to shopping, entertainment etc. E.g If you buy petrol from a particular brand of petrol pumps, you get a small percentage of money credited back to your account after a certain number of days. For the credit card to make money for you, two key things you need to keep in mind Cost of Default: The interest rate on defaults ranges from anywhere between 2%-3.5% per month. So in effect it is a whopping 24%-42% p.a. Also, the interest starts from the date of purchase and not the billing date i.e. you do not get any interest-free credit period and all future purchases also start attracting the interest charges from the date of purchase. So use the credit card if and only if you’re sure of having the means to pay the bills in time. Also, don’t forget that your credit score will get impacted too which will impact your future borrowing. Credit Limit: Keep a tab on your credit limit. Overshooting your credit limit will also have dire consequences for you with respect to the interest charged and your credit score. How do you ensure that your credit card makes money for you?  Widen the usage of your credit card (small and big purchases): You might as well earn bonus points and interest on the cash that you have not currently used, to make the purchase. You can use the credit card to pay monthly rentals, grocery bills, utility bills, gift expenses, subscription expenses etc. So the cash that you have not used to make the purchase will earn interest for you or will be used for fulfilling other immediate needs. E.g. Maitali purchased an electrical appliance for Rs. 28,000 using the credit card she possessed. The purchase was made such that she could enjoy a credit free period of 45 days. The cash that she would have used to purchase this appliance is now lying in her savings account which is earning her an interest of 3.5% p.a. So if she decides to pay the bill after enjoying 40 days of free credit, she earns an interest of Rs. 107 in her savings bank account. Not only that, she has also earned some reward points on the purchase. The other advantage of using the credit card is your payments are recorded which makes it easier for you to keep track of your expenses. Appropriate use of bonus points: Use the bonus points that have accumulated on buying necessities (house hold appliances, clothes, groceries etc.) rather than using it on using it on things (luxuries) that aren’t really important to you. Only if the bonus points are used practically, you are actually saving cash because had to now have the bonus points, you would have to anyways spend cash on buying the same. Conclusion Credit cards if used prudently will help you in managing your cash flow better, and at the same time, will provide you monetary benefits. That’s because you get interest free money for some period of time and you also earn reward/bonus points on the same. But if you use it without deliberation, it can prove to be disastrous as interest rates charged on payment delays are very high. Also, your credit rating will take a beating, as banks report these things to the credit rating agencies, which in turn will include it as part of your credit report. Don’t forget that credit score will not only determine whether you will get a loan but will also determine at what interest. Let not easy availability of credit and attractive rewards offered fool you into making impulsive purchases. It will prove to be rather costly.

The Two Choices We Face

The Two Choices We Face 

 

Each of us has two distinct choices to make about what we will do with our lives. The first choice we can make is to be less than we have the capacity to be. To earn less. To have less. To read less and think less. To try less and discipline ourselves less. These are the choices that lead to an empty life. These are the choices that, once made, lead to a life of constant apprehension instead of a life of wondrous anticipation. And the second choice? To do it all! To become all that we can possibly be. To read every book that we possibly can. To earn as much as we possibly can. To give and share as much as we possibly can. To strive and produce and accomplish as much as we possibly can. All of us have the choice. To do or not to do. To be or not to be. To be all or to be less or to be nothing at all. Like the tree, it would be a worthy challenge for us all to stretch upward and outward to the full measure of our capabilities. Why not do all that we can, every moment that we can, the best that we can, for as long as we can? Our ultimate life objective should be to create as much as our talent and ability and desire will permit. To settle for doing less than we could do is to fail in this worthiest of undertakings. Results are the best measurement of human progress. Not conversation. Not explanation. Not justification. Results! And if our results are less than our potential suggests that they should be, then we must strive to become more today than we were the day before. The greatest rewards are always reserved for those who bring great value to themselves and the world around them as a result of who and what they have become.

Super-rich investors buy gold by tonne

The world's wealthiest people have responded to economic worries by buying gold by the bar -- and sometimes by the tonne -- and by moving assets out of the financial system, bankers catering to the very rich said on Monday.

Fears of a double-dip downturn have boosted the appetite for physical bullion as well as for mining company shares and exchange-traded funds, UBS executive Josef Stadler told the Reuters Global Private Banking Summit. "They don't only buy ETFs or futures; they buy physical gold," said Stadler, who runs the Swiss bank's services for clients with assets of at least $50 million to invest.

UBS is recommending top-tier clients hold 7-10 percent of their assets in precious metals like gold, which is on course for its tenth consecutive yearly gain and traded at around $1,314.50 an ounce on Monday, near the record level reached last week. "We had a clear example of a couple buying over a tonne of gold ... and carrying it to another place," Stadler said. At today's prices, that shipment would be worth about $42 million.

Julius Baer's chief investment officer for Asia is also recommending that wealthy investors park some of their assets in gold as a defensive stance following a string of lackluster U.S. data and amid concerns about currency weakness. "I see gold as an insurance," Van Anantha-Nageswaran said. "I recommend 10 percent as minimum in portfolios and anything more than that to be used for trading purposes, to respond to short-term over-bought or over-sold signals."

Ultimate Bubble?

Billionaire financier George Soros, echoing comments from investment guru Warren Buffett, last month described gold as the "ultimate bubble" because it is costly to dig up and has no real value except its market price. But a rising price for the precious metal has in itself generated more and more demand from investors looking for a way to hedge against a fresh recession. Gold bears no yield and is uncompetitive in an environment of rising interest rates.

The uneasy outlook for inflation, hard currencies and global growth has triggered a five-fold increase in a physical gold fund launched by Pictet one year ago, the Swiss private bank said.  UBS's Stadler said the precious metal has become a staple of investors' portfolios, despite questions about whether it makes for a smart long-term investment. "If you talk to ultra-high net worth individuals, that level of uncertainty has never been higher in the last two, three, four years," he said. "If they ask me, 'Is inflation going up or are we entering a deflationary cycle?,' I don't know. But obviously nobody knows."

Anthony DeChellis, managing director of Credit Suisse's Americas private banking unit, said at the Reuters summit in New York that clients are more interested in capitalizing on the rise in gold prices than using the precious metal as a safe-harbor investment. "They're asking, 'If it's a bubble, how far can I ride that bubble,'" he said. "I cannot say we've seen a spike in gold interest, but there's an interest in the phenomenon of it."

Samir Raslan, Citigroup Inc's regional head for central, eastern and northern Europe, Africa and Turkey, said clients were not going overboard on gold. "I wouldn't say that clients are over-investing. It's part of an asset allocation, but it's not something that they are deciding all of a sudden," he said. And not all bankers are recommending exposure to gold. Andreas Wolfer, head of private banking at UniCredit Group, attributed the run-up in the price of gold to frayed investor nerves after the 2008 financial crisis as well as concerns about sovereign debt in the euro zone.

"We have seen it but we have not overweighted it in our asset allocation," Wolfer told the Reuters summit in Geneva, which has emerged as a major trading hub for precious metals as well as other physical commodities. "We strongly believe in an asset allocation having a clear and diversified portfolio, which sounds a bit boring but in the end it brings the best returns," Wolfer said.

SOCH VICHAR: How can we be happy even as evil minds try their b...

SOCH VICHAR: How can we be happy even as evil minds try their b...: "When the good are happy and living in peace, the bad cannot tolerate it; they develop intense headache! Unless the wicked contemplate on the..."

How can we be happy even as evil minds try their best to disrupt our peace?

When the good are happy and living in peace, the bad cannot tolerate it; they develop intense headache! Unless the wicked contemplate on the loss and hardships that the good undergo, they are never happy! The problems suffered by the good is the gain of evil minds. The sweetness of the cuckoo is bitter to the ear of the crow. The Kauravas tried their best to create dissension among the Pandava brothers and spread heinous scandals. But the five Pandavas respected Truth and abided by it, and so, nothing could separate them. No event could make a dent on the happiness of the five brothers.