"Soundarya Lahari ("waves of beauty") -- that seductive composition of short and poetic praise of Shakthi (the feminine form of spiritual power, per Indian thought) consists of two parts namely, Ananda Lahari ("waves of happiness," first 41 stanzas) and Soundarya Lahari (the next 59 stanzas).

It is believed that Lord Ganesha himself has etched the Ananda Lahari on Mount Meru(Some people believe that Sage Pushpa Dhantha did the etching).It was read from there by Sage Gouda Pada who taught it to Adhi Sankara. Adhi Sankara himself added the rest of the 59 stanzas and completed it.

These 100 stanzas are supposed to be the foremost among Manthra literature. It is also believed that by making suitable yanthras and reciting particular stanzas and worshipping the yantras almost anything can be obtained in the world .There are more thn 36 commentries to Soundarya Lahari written in Sanskrit itself."

The beginning of a long journey.

Shiva and Parvati were leading a quiet life on Mount Kailash, Shiva's habitual abode. In fact, life was too quiet and sedate for Parvati, who had nothing much to do all day as her chosen lord was mostly either immersed in deep meditation or obfuscated by the fumes of ganja (marijuana). For company there was Nandi, Shiva's bull, and his host of ghosts, who are said to inhabit Kailash and give Shiva company, especially when he smokes ganja and wants some song and dance to liven things up a bit. Of course, Parvati was feeling bored and wanted someone she could be more involved with. So she began to call upon Vishnu in prayer to grant her a son. Vishnu soon granted her wish and Parvati gave birth to a beautiful boychild she named Ganesha.

At birth, Ganesha was a perfectly normal boy, with perfect features and body parts, as befits one conceived by a goddess. How he got an elephant's head is another story. Parvati was so pleased at his birth and so proud of his beauty that she invited all the gods and goddesses to come to Kailash and admire him. All the celestial beings came and admired and blessed the boy except Sani (Saturn), Parvati's own brother. This was because Sani had been cursed by his wife and the impact of the curse was that as soon as he looked at someone that person was instantly reduced to ashes.

Naturally, Sani was somewhat reluctant to cause the incineration his own sister's newborn baby but Parvati was feeling so elated that she threw caution to the winds and pleaded with Sani to at least cast his eyes once upon the boy. Sani, perforce, to please his sister, came and, holding his newborn nephew in his arms, hesitatingly gave him one look. That was enough to do the damage. Ganesha's head flew off as soon as his uncle looked at him. Parvati started crying bitterly but Brahma, who was present at this time, comforted her and said that if the head of the first creature that was found would be cut off and transplanted on Ganesha's neck he would live. So Vishnu, who was also present, set off on Garuda in search of any animal he may find. He had to travel all the way down Mount Kailash before, at the foothills, he found an elephant dozing on a riverbank. He immediately cut off the elephant's head and came back.Thus, this is how Ganesha got his pachyderm head. That he is pot-bellied is not a sign of any particular ugliness. The Hindu idea of beauty portrays both men and women with pot-bellies as these are signs of well-fed prosperity.

The elephant's head that Vishnu brought for Ganesha was perfect in all respects, with two tusks, but the pot-bellied god is habitually shown with only one tusk. The story behind how he lost one tusk makes interesting telling.

Shiva was in the habit of intruding upon Parvati while she was bathing. This was rather infrequently, only when that god was not under the influence of ganja. Anyway, Parvati found this habit of her forgetful lord rather annoying. One day, when the beautiful goddess was about to get a bath in the water of a pool inside a cave, she took the precaution of positioning Ganesha, her favorite son, at the entrance of the cave. She strictly instructed him not to let anybody in while she was inside. So it was that Ganesha stood guard while his mother bathed inside till he spied his father ambling towards the cave. Coming up to the cave entrance, Shiva demanded admittance but Ganesha stood his ground bravely and refused to allow his father in.

Shiva was astounded at this. He protested that no-one had the right to keep him away from his rightful wife but Ganesha did not budge from his post saying that he would not disobey his mother's instructions. Shiva, hot-tempered as he was, flew into a terrific rage and attacked his own son. Ganesha parried his father's attack and both fought for quite some time. All this while Parvati unwittingly went on bathing inside, unaware that her ablutionary precaution was causing unforeseen dissension within her family. Son and father fought till, at last, Shiva hurled his trident, his supreme weapon, at his son. Ganesha would not parry this as, to do so, would be to show great disrespect for his father. So he took the blow from the trident on one tusk, which broke off. At this point in time, Parvati emerged from her bath and, perceiving what has been going on, hastened to bring amity back to her family. Since then Ganesha, benevolent initiator, has had one tusk.

There is another interesting story pertaining to Ganesha and his brother Karttikeya. Both wanted to marry Buddhi and Siddhi. So, at last, they decided between themselves that the first of them to circumnavigate the earth entirely would get their hands in marriage. Karttikeya set out on foot to circle the earth but Ganesha sat at home studying the scriptures. After long years of travel Karttikeya returned, only to find that his brother was already married to the two ladies. Ganesha had stayed at home and studied the scriptures and, through his studies, had gone round the earth in much lesser time than his more physical and less astute brother, Karttikeya, had on foot.

Sizes:-  46x60 cm

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]]> http://dokeoslead.wordpress.com/?p=116 Sat, 05 Jul 2008 04:43:27 +0000 ywarnier http://dokeoslead.wordpress.com/?p=116 I was playing around a little bit with a code metrics tool on the Ohloh website and, although I'm sure there's some kind of arguable element there as some included libraries add a lot of "noise" in code contributions, I was happily surprised to see that Dokeos isn't doing bad at all and is starting to get back at Moodle, in terms of code, contributors and global activity. I'll let you check that by yourselves (following the "code metrics tool" link, or just looking at the screenshots below).

Before you start thinking that this must be a distorted comparison as it is made by a Dokeos developer, I just want to let you know that Ohloh.net is totally independent in this case. I just ran a comparison because there was a tool to do that automatically, and thought the results were interesting and at the advantage of Dokeos and, as such, might be interesting to post here. I totally realise that there is no obvious conclusion to be taken out of these results.

In the screenshots below, Dokeos is marked as red, Moodle as green and ILIAS as blue. Claroline, which I have left out of the comparison because I can only compare three projects at a time, has about the same level in the three graphs as ILIAS (in blue).

The first graph is about the codebase (number of lines of code). The second is about activity in terms of code submissions. The third one is about the number of active contributors. As you will see, when Dokeos is not on top, it's getting there, slowly. Lines of code for the three projects are all increasing at about the same rate though...

The Dokeos position in that race is not surprising because I feel like crap, instead, it is surprising because it is generally much more heard of Moodle as an active open-source project than Dokeos, so theoretically, Moodle really ought to be on top of these three graphs... go figure!

From the graphs, it looks like 2006 has been a tremendous year for Moodle, and then it started slowing down a little. I don't know much about ILIAS' history, but I recently heard from a colleague that had had to compare Dokeos and ILIAS that ILIAS was no match (big flame wars starting here ;))

Anyway, the story of Dokeos still has a bunch of nice surprises to come as well. I hope the same is true for our competitors.

Just for the fun, if you want to compare Dokeos to Claroline and Ganesha, follow this link.

Chaque activité peut être associée à une ou plusieurs règles de séquencement. Ces règles vont permettre de personnaliser le parcours d'un apprenant en fonction de son avancement, de ses résultats et des compétences acquises.

Concrètement, une règle est définie par l'association d'une ou de plusieurs conditions (ruleConditions) et d'une action (ruleAction). Il existe 3 règles (preConditionRule, exitConditionRule et postConditionRule).

La création d'une condition est identique pour toutes les règles et peut se décomposer en 4 catégories :

• L'état : attemptLimitExceeded, timeLimitExceeded, activityProgressKnown
• Le statut : satisfied, completed, attempted
• Les objectifs : objectiveStatusKnown, objectiveMeasureKnown, objectiveMeasureGreaterThan, objectiveMeasureLessThan
• L'élément neutre : always

Par contre, les actions sont définies en fonction du type de la règle. Les règles sont évaluées lors de la navigation de l'apprenant :

• preConditionRule
  Règles à prendre en compte avant le lancement d'une activité. Si la condition est vérifiée, lors de la navigation, une activité peut être omise (skip), ou désactivée (disabled), ne pas être prise en compte (hiddenFromChoice) ou sinon s'arrêter sur le choix (stopForwardTraversal) de cette activité.
• exitConditionRule
  Cet élément permet de définir les règles à prendre en compte lors de la sortie d'une activité. La seule action possible est de forcer la sortie via l'action Exit.
• postConditionRule
  Cet élément permet de définir les règles à prendre en compte après l'exécution d'une activité. Si la condition est vérifiée, lors de la navigation, on peut forcer la sortie (exitParent, exitAll), forcer la réexécution de l'activité (retry, retryAll) ou tout simplement autoriser la navigation sans contraintes (continue, previous).

Ganesha - Elephant-Headed God Sri Ganesh

Ganesh is the Ever-Blissful, elephant-headed deva (god) who is lovingly worshipped and revered by millions of people worldwide. Although Ganesh is known through the Hindu religion, Shri Ganesh transcends religion and is loved by many non-Hindu's. Ganapati is worshipped by both Vaishnavas (devotees of Vishnu) and Saivites (devotees of Shiva). It is for this Transcendent, All-Embracing, Auspicious Lord of the Ganas, Sri Ganesh, for whom this site is dedicated. Enjoy and much Peace to you!

The son of Shiva and Parvati, Shree Ganesh, is the God of Good Luck and Auspiciousness and is the Dispeller of problems and obstacles. He is also worshipped as the God of wisdom, wealth, health, celibacy, fertility and happiness. In the panchayatana puja, Ganesh is glorified as one of the five prime Hindu deities (Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, Shakti and Ganesha) whose worship confers immortality and liberation.

Ganesh Chaturthi - Vinayaka Chaturthi
Devotees of Ganesha are known as 'Ganapatyas', and Ganesh Chaturthi (also known as Ganesha Chaturthi or Vinayaka Chaturthi) is the holy festival that celebrates His Glory through India by all Hindu's. Vinayak Chaturthi is celebrated on the 4th day of the bright half of Bhadrapad. This festival is honored as the birthday of Sri Ganesh. Ganapati transcends all sects and views and is equally worshipped by both Saivites and Vaishnavas because Ganesh is viewed as an Incarnation of both Vishnu and Shiva. Ganesha is even worshipped and revered among Buddhists and Jains.

Mystery of Ganesh
Once there was neither Being nor Nonbeing. There was neither Form nor Formlessness. Then, That which was hidden within Itself, That One, stirring, emerging, coming to be. From Itself to the Formless to the Form. Immutable, changeless, everywhere, pervading all, yet not physically such is the mystery. Suddenly an ancient note piercing the darkness. A song whose birth stirred the slumbering, summoning an eternal mystery to awaken. Emerging from deep within the hidden cave, the human heart, Ganesha's truth flows from the icecave of the infinite. Housed within our gated dwelling, Ganesha the guest loved and longed for. That which has no form, can take a form. That which has no name, can take a name. From the formless to form, and back again and again and again. The wheel of time gathers speed, and somewhere between fact and legend, vision and myth, we ask, "Who is Ganesha? There are those who lovingly sing his praises. There are those who worship and adore him. There are those who represent him in art and literature. There are those who tell stories about him. There are those who chant his glory. There are those who seek his darshana. There are those who invoke and invite his blessings. The thinkers think, the scholars scholasticise, the devotees worship. But what is Ganesha's hidden meaning? There is a long and hoary lineage of seekers, scholars, sycophants, who have attempted to plumb the mysteries of the elephant-headed one. Anthropologists, Artists, religious Aspirants, Historians, Indologists, Linguists, Philosophers, Religionists, Sociologists, and contemporary devotees of Ganesha are but some of the most recent representatives of this enquiry. Each group has attempted, and continues to attempt, to make sense of this enormously popular deity. Seemingly incongruous facts simultaneously coincide. Ganesha embodies: An enormous popularity that transcends sectarian and territorial limits; a seemingly rather late, yet dramatic, full-blown appearance into a religious pantheon; a confusing, conflicting, yet interesting and intriguing mythology; and an elephant's head atop a plump human body! To further complicate the picture is the fact that the physical representation of Ganesha offers more iconographic variations than does that of any other Indian deity. Couple this with the fact that Ganesha literature is rife with a seemingly endless number of stories on an unexpectedly limited number of themes. O Ganesha, who are you really? Tell the others what you want, tell them anything, but between you and me, who are you really?
(Couresty Professor Grimes)

What Ganesh Stands For
Ganesha has four arms which symbolize his status as the universal ruler and establish his power over the four categories of beings - those who can live only in water, those who can live in water and on earth, those who can live only on earth and those who can fly in air. Significance of four : It was god Ganesha who instituted the four castes and the four Vedas. One hymn in Sri Bhagavat Tattva , says: 'In heaven, this child will establish the predominance over gods, on earth over men, in the nether world over anti-gods and serpents. He causes the four principles of the elements to move and is therefore four armed. In one hand, he holds a shell, in another a discus, in the third a club or a sweet and in the fourth a lotus.' Thus, all aspects of Ganesh's form are filled with symbolic meanings.

The Vehicle of Ganesh
Sathya Sai Baba said:

"The mouse is the vehicle of Vinayaka. What is the inner significance of the mouse? The mouse has a keen sense of smell. The mouse is a symbol of the attachment to worldly tendencies (vaasanas). It is well known that if you want to catch a mouse, you place a strong-smelling edible inside the mouse-trap. The mouse also symbolizes the darkness of night. The mouse can see well in the dark. As Vinayaka's vehicle the mouse signifies an object that leads man from darkness to light. The Vinayaka-principle, thus, means that which removes all the bad qualities, practices and thoughts in men and inculcates good qualities, good conduct and good thoughts."

What does "Vinayaka" Mean
Sathya Sai Baba said:

"Who is Vinayaka? In the sloka beginning with the words, Suklaambaradharam Vishnum, only the form of the deity is described. But there is another inner meaning for the name "Vinayaka". Suklaambaradharam means one who is clad in white. Vishnum means he is all-pervading. Sasivarnam means his complexion is grey like that of ash. Chathurbhujam means he has four arms. Prasannavadanam means he has always a pleasing mien. Sarvavighnopasaanthaye means for the removal of all obstacles. Dhyaayeth, meditate (on him). Vinayaka is the deity who removes all bad qualities, instills good qualities and confers peace on the devotee who meditates on him Vinayaka means that he is totally master of himself. He has no master above him. He does not depend on anyone. He is also called Ganapathi. This term means he is the lord of the ganas - a class of divine entities. This term also means that he is the master of the intellect and discriminating power in man. He possesses great intelligence and knowledge. Such knowledge issues from a pure and sacred mind."

Ganesh's Intellect
Sathya Sai Baba said:

"What is the esoteric meaning of Ganesha's elephant head? The elephant is noted for its acute intelligence. Ganesha's elephant head symbolizes sharpness of intellect and the highest power of discrimination. Because of the purity of his intellect, Vinayaka is also called the giver of buddhi (intellect). He responds to the prayers of devotees and hence is known as Siddhi Vinayaka (the Vinayaka who grants what is sought). In a forest, when an elephant moves through the jungle, it clears the way for others to follow. Likewise, by invoking Ganesha, the path is cleared for our undertakings. The elephant's foot is so large that when it moves it can stamp out the footprints of any other animal. Here, again, the symbolic meaning is that all obstacles in the way will be removed when Ganesha is accorded the place of honor. The journey of life is made smoother and happier by the grace of Ganesha. When an elephant moves among the bushes, its path turns into a regular passage for all animals. It is thus a pacesetter for all animals."

Similarly, Ganesha clears the path leading to Wisdom, Intellect, and Inner Peace.

Two Shaktis Of Ganesh
Ganesha has two Siddhis (symbolically represented as wives or consorts): Siddhi (success) and Riddhi (prosperity). Wherever there is Ganesh, there is Success and Prosperity~ Wherever there is Success and Prosperity~ there is Sri Ganesh.

Ganesh as the Scribe
Ganesha is accepted as the god of learning and the Patron Deity of letters and scriptures. Ganesh's tusk is used by him in the writing of the epic, the Mahabharata. When Vyasa wanted to compose the Mahabharata, Brahma suggested Ganesha be his scribe. Vyasa agreed and Ganesha brought his broken tusk as a writing quill. Vyasa dictated the entire epic in verse. Ganesha recorded every word for Gods and men alike.

32 Forms of Ganesha in Agamic Scriptures

1: Baala Ganapati - Red colored image of a four armed Ganesha.
2: Dharuna Vinayakar: Red colored image of an eight armed Ganesha.
3: Bhakti Vinayakar: Grey colored image of four armed Ganesh.
4: Veera Vinayakar: Red colored image of 16 armed Ganapati.
5: Shakti Ganapati: Red colored image of 4 armed Ganapati, seated with his consort to his left.
6: Dwija Vinayakar: White colored image of four faced Ganesha with 4 arms.
7: Siddhi Vinayakar: Golden colored image of four armed Ganapati.
8: Ucchishta Ganapati: Blue colored image of six armed Ganapati with his consort.
9: Vigna Vinayakar: Gold colored image of eight armed Ganapati.
10: Kshipra Ganapati: Red colored image of four armed Ganesha bearing a ratna kumbham.
11: Heramba Vinayakar: Black colored image of ten armed Ganesha with five faces, seated on a lion.
12: Lakshmi Vinayakar: White colored image of eight armed Ganesh with two consorts.
13: Makara Vinayakar: Red colored image of Ganesha with a third eye, 10 arms, bearing a ratna kumbham, with his consort.
14: Vijaya Vinayakar: Red colored image of 4 armed Ganesha on the mooshika mount.
15: Nritta Vinayakar: Gold colored image of Ganesh in a dance posture.
16: Urdhva Vinayakar: Gold colored image of six armed Ganesha with his consort.
17: Ekakshara Vinayakar: Red colored image of Ganesha with a third eye, seated on a lotus.
18: Vara Vinayakar: Red colored image of 4 armed Vinayaka with a third eye.
19: Dhryakshara Vinayaka: Gold colored image of four armed Vinayakar, decorated with Chaamara ear rings.
20: Kshipraprasaada Vinayakar: Red colored image of six armed Ganapati.
21: Haridra Vinayakar: Yellow colored image of four armed Ganapati.
22: Ekadhanta Vinayakar: Blue colored image of four armed Ganapati.
23: Srishti Vinayakar: Red colored image of four armed Ganapati seated on his mooshika mount.
24: Utthanda Vinayakar: Red colored image of 10 armed Ganesha with his consort to his left.
25: Ranamochana Vinayaka: Crystal image of four armed Vinayakar.
26: Dundi Vinayakar: Four armed image of Ganesh bearing a tusk, a garland, an axe and a gem studded vessel.
27: Dwimukha Vinayakar: Red colored image of Ganesha with two faces and four arms.
28: Trimukha Vinayakar: Red colored image of Ganesha with three faces and six arms seated on a golden lotus.
29: Simha Vinayakar: White colored image of Ganesh with eight arms (with an arm bearing a lions face).
30: Yoga Vinayakar: Red colored image of Ganesha in the posture of a yogi.
31: Durga Vinayakar: Red colored image of Ganesha with eight arms.
32: Sankatahara Vinayakar: Red colored image of four armed Ganesha clothed in blue, seated on a lotus peetham with his consort to his left.

Reference

L’avion vient de décoller, vous partez pour une destination de légende, l’Inde. Vous allez découvrir les saveurs, les parfums, les couleurs d’un des plus grands pays du monde, si riche en contrastes. Vous rencontrerez ses habitants, leurs coutumes, leurs modes de vie. Des animaux inhabituels vont croiser votre route.

Et puis, au cours de votre voyage, au détour d'une phrase, vous vous laisserez entraîner dans des contes traditionnels indiens des maharadjahs ou des gens du peuple, pleins de poésie, d'exotisme, d'humour. Histoires de l’éléphant blanc ou de l’enfant et le feu sacré, de la pièce d’or du saddhu, de l’oiseau à deux têtes… et bien d’autres encore très étonnantes ou pleines de sagesse.

Vous croiserez aussi les dieux indiens et découvrirez deux fabuleuses sagas : le Mahabharata et le Ramayana, sans doute les plus grandes épopées de l’histoire du monde.

15 contes illustrés parés de tout l’exotisme et de toute la magie de l'Orient

Pour tous les âges.

Contes de la Planète bleue

une collection qui allie un voyage à la découverte d’un pays, aujourd’hui, à travers la vision subjective d’un auteur voyageur et une plongée dans ses contes traditionnels adaptés dans une langue contemporaine. Pour rêver et découvrir d’autres horizons.

Dans la même collection : « Contes inuit de la banquise », par Jacques Pasquet.

L’auteur, Xavier Armange a fait des études de lettres et a travaillé dans la communication. Il est auteur d’une vingtaine de livres et albums pour les jeunes et les adultes. Il dirige une petite maison d’édition qu’il a créée près de la mer.

Il sillonne le monde dès qu’il le peut, particulièrement l’Asie. Ses voyages et ses interventions dans les écoles et ailleurs lui permettent souvent de parler de sa passion du voyage et de ses découvertes d’autres civilisations. 

De Haridwar à Kanyakumari, de Calcutta à Puri en passant par Hampi, Amritsar, Gwalior, Dharamsala, Goa, Jaisalmer, Diu ou les îles Andaman, il a effectué de nombreux séjours aux quatre coins de l’Inde. C’est Bénarès qui a sa préférence. Il a découvert un monde différent, des amis, rapporté des milliers de photographies, une moisson de souvenirs, de textes et d’anecdotes. Il pense parfois qu’il est devenu - sinon un peu plus sage - du moins que sa vision du monde a changé en approchant l’« Incredible India ».

CONTES INDIENS DU SEIGNEUR ÉLÉPHANT

par Xavier Armange. Collection « Contes de la Planète bleue », illustré de photographismes.

12 x 18 cm - 160 pages - 8 euros - ISBN 978-2-84238-101-1

LIRE DES EXTRAITS

Bonnes pages : Contes indiens du Seigneur Éléphant

OÙ TROUVER CE LIVRE ?

Chez les libraires de France, Québec, Belgique, Suisse, à défaut :

Chez le diffuseur : Littéral-Pollen  Tél. 02 51 98 33 34 (Dilicom)

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Au comptoir de vente de Paris : Soleils diffusion  Tél. 01 45 48 84 62 (Dilicom)

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Sumber gambar-gambar:

http://www.arch.nus.edu.sg/casa/projects/tropical_ind/bandung/ganesha15a/ganesha_main.htm

( btw sayang gambar2 rumah ini malah dibuat oleh NUS hi...hi...hi...)

We came up with the idea of using Ganesha, who is a widely known god, on their place settings and table plan. So watch this space for photos in the future; of course we can't publish until after the event as we don't want to ruin the surprise for anyone (least of all us as we haven't done the research yet!)

Little mouse

fresh and cute

jump around

fast and innocent

helping out

(place: ganapatipule, 2004)

Deities:

Location: Jaipur, Rajasthan

Best time to visit: October to March

STD Code: 0141

Jaipur is quite famous for the tourists for its mind blowing location and excellent beauty. It is situated almost in the centre of the pink city. In the middle of Jaipur rises a small hill Moti Dungri meaning pearl hill, because it looks hilla drop of pearl.

An exotic palace is parched which is a replica of Scottish castle once occupied by Maharaja Madho Singh's son. From There on remained as a private property of the ruling family. In the recent past it served as a home for Rajmata Gaytri Devi and her estranged son Jagat Singh. The mere view of this castle is exotic enough. The highlight of this place is the famous and auspicious temple of Lord Ganesh, which is frequently visited by almost whole of Jaipur and people from outside.

This ancient temple serves as a tourist attraction for the scenic view it offers. Moti Dungri Temple is significant from the religious point of view. People from far and near often come to this sacred temple to pay their homage to Lord Ganesha.It is a large, modern marble edifice. Stained glass widows depict the scenes from Hindu scriptures. Ganesh the protector of households, is above the lintel, and the fine quality of marble is evident when you enter the temple and look back at the entrance way - Ganesh can be made out through the marble, which is almost transparent. The images of Lakshmi and Narayan were carved from one piece of marble. Many of the deities of the Hindu pantheon are depicted inside the temple, and on the outside walls great historical personages and figures from all religions are shown, including Socrates, Zarathustra, Christ, Buddha, and Confucius.

Keeping in mind the secular nature of the country, the temple has three domes, which represent different approaches to religion. It is a beautiful white marble temple, which seems to glow at night. The architectural style in which the temple is built is a pleasing amalgamation of Western, Hindu and Muslim architectural traits.

Close to the Temple, there a beautiful Palace on the hill, this is known as Moti Dungri Palace. The Palace is an imitation of a Scottish Castle. In the ancient times, it was occupied by Maharaja Madho Singh's son. Still, the enchanting Palace belongs to the royal family. Today, it makes home for Rajmata Gayatri Devi and her son, Jagat Singh. However, the palace is not open for public.

How to reach:

by Air: Jaipur Airport is located near Sanganer at a distance of 13 kms from the city of Jaipur. Many domestic airlines connect the city to all the major cities of India including Udaipur and Jodhpur as well.

by Rail: Jaipur Railway Station is a central main station of the state of Rajasthan. The vast rail track of Indian Railways connects Jaipur station with all other cities of India. There are numerous trains which run on a regular basis to and from Jaipur.
by Road: Jaipur is well connected by road to major cities in India. Excellent road network serves people to enjoy a comfortable journey to and from Jaipur. This mode of travelling is quite easy and comparatively cheap. Regular bus services from nearby cities connect Jaipur to the other cities.

Visit www.eTirth.com for more information on Temples, Ashrams, Gurus, Festival and Daily Panchangam (Hindu ephemeris).

In Gokarna, I was a hippie for Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with nothing to do except lounge around on the beach, lie down on the sand in the heavy rain, waiting for the waves to come crashing into me, a bottle of cold beer by my side and a packet of cigarettes handy. We left Bangalore at 9 pm on Friday night and the first sign that this was going to be pleasant journey was that the bus was a sleeper AC coach, with long beds where I could stretch my 6'1" frame comfortably and plug in my music and go to sleep. :)

A clear, blue sky with a spectacular sun gave way to dark clouds that bore ominous signs of a wet weekend. And wet it was - the skies opened up a few hours after I entered Gokarna, and didn't let up for the three days. It rained intermittently and heavily and at one time, it rained for half a day continuously. This was perhaps the best part of the whole trip. Waves six feet high crashing on to the rocks made a spectacular view.

Imagine this: you're sitting on a piece of rock that doubles as a chair in a beach-side restaurant, you have a cup of piping hot tea next to you, you're sitting under an asbestos sheet that barely covers your outstretched legs, the sound of the rain thumping down on the roof is deafening, this sound has been masked by the crashing of the waves right in front of you, waves that rise to astronomical heights, spraying you with a fine, cold mist of salty sea water every time it does, you sit there from morning till evening watching the tide ebb and rise, and at the highest tide, the waves almost come up to the rock on which you're sitting, instilling in you a faint fear of being washed away, but sitting there with the confidence that the place has been built there to withstand the highest tides, struggling to light your cigarette because the wind is blowing with all its fury, adding to the harmonic noise, and finally, just when the ancient clock in the café strikes six and the tiny lights go on, you see similar lights turning on all along the beach, hundred yards away from each other, and throwing a magnificent view of the entire beach in twilight, corresponding to the distant lighthouse and the small specks of light on the horizon among the waves.

I made friends with a nice, cute dog there, who had a striking resemblance to Balto, and I christened him Murthy. This was because he had only three front teeth, and I couldn't think of any better name for him. I was having a conversation about existentialism with him and I asked him, "Do you believe if the whole concept of existentialism holds water, no puns intended?" He gave me the most logical answer I've ever heard on this topic: he scratched his head, sniffed his balls and trotted away. :D

Gokarna town is a rustic village, located twenty minutes away from Om Beach, and is famous for its historical temples. There's one very famous Mahabaleshwar temple here and legend has it that Lord Ganesha tricked the demon Ravana into leaving behind a Shivalinga here. In spite of the might exerted by Ravana (Maha Bala), the Shivalinga stayed fixed, hence the name Mahabaleshwar. The pull exerted by Ravana, is said to have caused the Shivalinga to resemble the shape of a cow's ear and hence the name Gokarnam (literally means "cow's ears" in Sanskrit). I had a nice time at the temple with the crowd of people thronging there, braving the rain to offer their prayers.

I started reading Roland Barthes during the journey, a French thinker who had been on my list for a long time. His book Mythologies is quite fascinating, and most of his essays are really intriguing. A good read for any occasion. But the most excitement came in the form of Italo Calvino.

I fell in love with this book called If on a winter's night a traveler, which is perhaps THE best book I've ever read in my life! Thanks Anushree for getting the book for me!! I could not put the book down and once I finished it, started kissing the book all over until it was sloppy. I really suggest this book. I love Italo Calvino! You have to, have to read it!! :D

Caught the bus back on Sunday night and reached this morning, thus bringing to a close one of the most beautiful journeys in my life. As I said earlier, if anyone hasn't been to Gokarna, please do. It's one of the most breathtaking places you can ever go.

Getting there is not much trouble - buses leave from Bangalore every night at 9 pm, and the tickets cost around 500 bucks. I don't know about buses from other places, but I'm sure it's well connected. Any bus going to Goa stops at Gokarna. From Gokarna town, catch an auto to Om Beach for 120 bucks and stay there at Namaste Café, at 150 bucks a night! That simple! :D

Part of me wants to go back there and part of me knows that it'll not happen again for at least a few more months. I guess I can wait! :)

Om du klickar på bilden av Ganesha, kommer du till YouTube och Sheyba-låten "Ganesh" från 1995.

Läs även andra bloggares åsikter om Psychedelic trance, Techno, Ganesha, Sheyba, YouTube, Wikipedia, Egoorienterat, Allmänbildning, Musik, Norge, Psykedeliska effekter, Språk, Windows, Apple, Datorer

This Ganesha seems to be in a better premise, by the OMR, near VHS Hospital. The temple has got a fresh coat of paint and well maintained.

I watch quite a few passersby stop for a second and offer a prayer always near these temples on the streets.

Ganesha: Kallas även Ganpathy, Ganpati, Ganesh och Gajanana och är son till Shiva och Parvati.
Enligt legenden fick han sitt elefanthuvud efter en incident då Shiva kom hem efter en lång resa. Shiva kände inte igen sin son som under resan vuxit från barn till ung man. I vrede trodde Shiva att han var en älskare till Parvati och högg av hans huvud. När Shiva sedan upptäckte sitt misstag skickade han ut sina tjänare för att hämta det första huvud de kunde finna. Detta råkade sitta på en elefant.
Det är också anledningen till att Ganesha är den gud som tillbes allra först, Parvati tvingade Shiva att lova att sonen skulle tillbes först av alla gudar. Kanske som en liten kompensation för att få leva med ett elefanthuvud?
Läs mer om Ganesha (och hans övriga 32 namn) :) här!

Läs även andra bloggares åsikter om Ganesha, Indiska gudar, Allmänbildning, Hinduism, Religion, Indien

The Ganesha temple in front of the Mother & Child hospital, Egmore (opp Prince plaza).

Yes like a fellow commentator said earlier, the God is everywhere .......

This was the second time
He spanned the world
So quickly. . . In telecast
miracles that occurred from
Michigan to Manila to Madras
Whether He was in plastic, ceramic,
Fire-burnt clay or stiff black stone
The Elephant-Headed, the Pot-Bellied,
The Remover of Obstacles, Ganesha,
The God had his fill as he sucked
The spoonfuls of creamy milk. . .

I am not willing to listen to
Capillary Action Rationalism
Or any scientific explorations. . .

Instead I am hunting for some
Silly girl’s bizarre secret, to know if
The Son of Shiva had let himself
To be breastfed, to be suckled. . .
And if she, having tasted success
At His having tasted her,
Moved on to younger,
Charming Gods,
With their mouths
Full of white teeth.

After Cooking Master Boy and Yakitate Japan, Addicted to curry gives you the plot full of delicious food.

Curry is originally comes from India. But, it is one of the most common food in Japan. There are so many mangas talking about food lately.

Dreaming of making delicious curry, Makito and Sonezaki promised to work together in Japan by opening a curry shop. But, when Makito finally find Sonezaki's shop, it’s almost too late. The pressure is too high to keep the business on. Makito and Yui, Sonezaki's daughter, are giving their best effort to pull this up!

I must warn you, the food drew in this manga looks very delicious that makes you hungry. And there are also some recipes of great curries.

You can read it online in mangafox

My Rating:

nirvighna kuru me deba sarva kayeshu sarvada !!

Child: "I know the difrinz! Heaven is where you have lots of love and fun, and hell is where everybody just stays serious."

]]> http://samanui.wordpress.com/?p=302 Mon, 12 May 2008 10:23:26 +0000 SAMAN UI http://samanui.wordpress.com/?p=302

Hari menjelang siang, terik matahari kian menyengat di terminal Luwi Panjang. Perjalanan menuju Ciembeuleut akhirnya berakhir di gerbang belakang kampus ITB. Sambutan dari syedara-syedara UKA ITB memberikan udara segar setelah dua jam perjalanan dari Depok ke Bandung.

Terpampang di sebuah pengumuman bahwa UKA ITB kedatangan tamu di SAMAN UI, ternyata tak disangka begitu sederhana persiapan yang diberikan oleh UKA memberikan sebuah semangat yang luar biasa bagi SAMAN UI dalam penjamuan tersebut. Mahasiswa Aceh di ITB ternyata cukup banyak dan tidak seberapa bila dibandingkan dengan mahasiswa Aceh di UI yang kini aktif di SAMAN UI.

Sambutan oleh ketua UKA ITB Aldi Afriansyah yang diawali dengan jalan-jalan di kampus Dewa Ganesha ini akhirnya tepat pada jam 17.00 WIB di terowongan (tunnel sungken) menjadi tempat pilihan favorit anak-anak UKA ITB dalam penjamuan anak-anak SAMAN UI. Ditemani dengan sebotol minuman dingin dan brownies khas Bandung membuat suasana perkenalan antara SAMAN UI dan UKA ITB semakin terasa.

Sharing program kerja dan kegiatan lainnya juga memberikan berbagai pandangan yang kami dapat dari UKA dan sebaliknya. UKA yang akan merayakan Milad (ulang tahun) ke-19 di bulan Agustus ini juga menjadi bahan bagi SAMAN UI untuk ikut berkontribusi dan bekerjasama dalam kegiatan tersebut.

Di usia yang semakin dewasa UKA telah banyak memberikan dan mengharumkan Aceh ke kancah nasional melalui program-program kebudayaan yang mereka miliki ternyata membuat SAMAN bertekad untuk mengikuti jejak mereka.

Tidak hanya itu selain kebudayaan dan seni UKA juga berpartisipasi dalam kegiatan saweu gampoeng ke Aceh, walaupun hal ini beririsan dengan program kerja SAMAN yang paling fenomenal dengan SAMAN UI Saweu Gampoeng (SSG) yang saat ini telah menjadi program kerja unggulan selama 3 tahun kepengurusan.

Tak lekang dari ingatan, tarian Likok Pulo dari personel laki-laki (aneuk agam) UKA juga mewarnai atas kedatangan SAMAN UI. Sebuah pesan yang sangat singkat dengan sarat makna ini memberikan sebuah semangat yang luar biasa yang selama ini sangat jarang kami (SAMAN UI, -red) lihat di Jakarta.

Apresiasi yang luar biasa kami berikan kepada mereka anak-anak UKA yang telah turun temurun menjaga tarian Aceh ini untuk tetap lestari di kancah dunia kesenian nasional bahkan sampai internasional. Tidak hanya itu dengan semangat yang luar biasa mereka telah mampu membuat kesenian tradisional Aceh ini tetap lestari walaupun kenyataan yang kita lihat sekarang kebangkitan Aceh semakin hari semakin luput dari kehilangan identitas diri (pesan ini disampaikan oleh Ferdiyansyah - Endatu UKA ITB).

Bertepatan dengan kedatangan SAMAN UI, malam minggu itu ternyata pihak endatu UKA ITB juga melaksanakan sebuah acara sederhana plus bakar-bakar ayam yang diawali dengan games yang membuat sebuah keakraban antara sesama mahasiswa yang melibatkan 10 orang mahasiswa SAMAN UI juga ikut terlibat bersamanya.

Setelah permainan demi permainan yang berlalu, acara penyampaian nasehat singkat juga disampaikan oleh pihak endatu UKA ITB oleh Ferdiyansyah seperti yang telah diuraikan diatas juga memberikan sisi flashback bagi semua peserta yang hadir untuk kembali membawa Aceh dalam indentitas diri yang tidak lepas dari kemerosotan akhlak dan akidah dari pengaruh budaya yang masuk pada pemuda-pemudi Aceh saat ini.

Uraian singkat dalam tempo singkat 15 menit tersebut, mempunyai sarat makna pesan dan ajakan yang seharusnya masih banyak yang harus dilakukan mahasiswa dan pemuda Aceh yang berada di luar Aceh untuk mengembalikan kembali bukti identitas pribadi mereka dengan masalah-masalah kecil seperti berbusana, berbicara, pergaulan dan lain-lain sebagainya.

Hal yang paling mengesankan bagi kami yang datang ke UKA ITB adalah penampilan (performance) terakhir dari acara keakraban malam minggu tersebut yakni tarian khas (inoeng ngon agam) yang melibatkan hampir 20-an massa untuk tampil dengan iringan khas rapa'i yang menggemakan tunnel sungken di malam yang makin dingin.

Dan akhir dari acara malam keakraban ditutup dengan makan malam bersama secara lesehan di depan sekretarian UKA ITB dengan sepatah dua patah kata dari panitia acara endatu UKA ITB, perwakilan SAMAN UI dari Maftuh Ihsan dan dari alumni 2001 UKA ITB.

Akhir kata kami mewakili SAMAN UI mengucapkan terima kasih kepada UKA ITB atas sambutan dan sharing pendapat dalam rangkain acara Studi Banding Kekeluargaan SAMAN UI kali ini ke Unit Kebudayaan Aceh ITB di Bandung. Semoga silaturrahmi ini menjadi awal bagi terciptanya persaudaraan antara Depok dan Bandung untuk masa depan Aceh yang lebih baik nantinya.[red]

(image credits:lpf.com/adventure/india/images/ganesha.jpg)

Diabetes or Madhumeha as it is known in hindi/sanskrit is a dreadful disease characterised by disorder in metabolism, which in turn is due to lack of body's capacity to produce 'Insulin'-a hormone which converts sugar intaken by our body; Its symptoms often go un-noticed in the beginning. The three main types of diabetes are : type 1, type2, and gestational diabetes. The main symptoms are: Frequent urination, excessive thirst, extreme hunger,unusual weight loss, increased fatigue, blurry vision and irritabilty.....

But why am I writing this any way when there's so much info available online?! :-P read my blog title 'diabetic CONNECTION' , this is with respect to lord Ganapati yes him, the remover of obstacles, the embodiment of wisdom I'm not cynical; what we need to see that he was once a victim to diabetes!! shockingly yes. Have you read the hymn:

Om Gajananam, bhootagaNadi sevitam; KAPITTHA JAMBU phalasara bhakshitam

Uma sutam shokavinasha karaNam, namami vighneshwara paada pankajam

Ganesha who represents OMkara is flanked by bhoota gaNas and is the one who relishes the nectar of guava and berries; the son of Uma ,the remover of obstacles accept my salutation at your lotus feet.

This is an interesting hymn for it says lord Ganesha relishes the nectar of Kapittha and jambu - (guava, berries- wood apple,rose apples) these are known and effective cure for diabetes in ayurveda.

The diet of shri Ganesha , lifestyle and appearance also provide a clue- he is 'Mahakaya' 'Lambodara'/'Mahodara' huge bodied and huge belly as well, he is the embodiment of wisdom thus an intellect which means his work is mind based which does not require travel. His diet? We all know he has a sweet tooth, his favorite dish is 'Modaka' a sweet which he eats lovingly. So his diet and lifestyle contribute to this illness that is why he always relishes the nectar of guava and berries to keep the disease(obstacle) at bay!

So next time you offer loads of Modakas to your favorite god , don't forget to give him kapittha-jambu as well :-)