Winged Brothers

“Fly high” was always a dream of man and considered flying freely in the air like birds as the symbol of freedom. The Wright brothers realized this dream. They designed and built the first successfully controlled flying machine in 1903. Oliver and Wilburn, the Wright brothers of America were granted the U.S patent for the flying machine on 22^nd May (this month) 1906. This was actually a glider that did not turn right or left. The wright brothers flew the first powered and controlled aircraft in 1903. That was the bicycle time craze in America and the Wright brothers started the ‘Wright cycle company’. In a way the cycle instilled more confidence in Wright brothers who thought that the pilot can balance an aeroplane as a cyclist balances his cycle.

A toy helicopter designed and made of paper, bamboo, cork and rubber band by a French aeronautical engineer Alphonse Penaul attracted the Wright brothers’ father and he promptly gave a gift of paper helicopter to his sons who played with it endlessly. In days, months and years to come, the paper helicopter inspired the Wright brothers who finally succeeded in instilling life into the paper helicopter.

The Wright brothers had only completed their high school education. Design and invention was their aim. They designed and built their own printing press. The Cycle Company and printing press helped the brothers to design and build wings and propellers and put more emphasis on powerful engines. The Wright brothers focused on developing a pilot controlled aircraft.

The brothers conducted extensive glider tests and developed their skills as pilots. To keep the weight of the aircraft low, the brothers used aluminium for engine. They encountered a lot of problems throughout but with determination, they overcame all those hurdles and succeeded in pursuing their goal to design an aircraft and to put it in the air to……..        

     “Fly high”

Interesting Questions- Confusing Answers

Albert Einstein once remarked whether god had any choice in creating this universe. What do we know about this universe? Where did the universe come from? Did universe have a beginning? Mind boggling questions. Philosophers and scientists have tried to address this question in their own way. But their answers are equally mind boggling as the questions.

Hindu scriptures say that this universe did not come at any particular point of time but always has been there and always in a state of flux. Space and time being cyclic in nature, the universe is constantly changing and expanding. The continual creation and destruction of the universe is the outwards and inwards breathing of lord Vishnu.

Scientific community offered their own theory about the birth of the universe. Big bang theory is the scientists’ answer. According to this theory this universe had been created at a finite time in the past. Every second a faint glow of light which originated 14 billion years ago falls on earth from all the directions. Cosmic microwave background (CMB) is actually the heat of the creation, says science. This is the afterglow of the big bang. This radiation was the evidence for the big bang theory. CMB is the oldest light- the farthest back both in time and space.

Yet the question whether the universe is finite or infinite remains unanswered. This is a troublesome question. At this juncture Buddha enters for our aid. The monk Malunkyaputta approached Buddha for the answer. As an answer Buddha narrated a story to him. A man is struck by an arrow smeared with poison. When doctors rush to treat him, the man wanted to know who shot the arrow, the name of the fletcher who made the arrow which had no bearing on his survival.

Buddha said the man has to get his priorities straight. Buddha told the monk that his questions were not important as they are not relevant to the goal- cessation of dukkha. Even before Buddha many had stressed on meditation. Buddhist sadhanas and upanishiddhik methods have similar points. Hence man should attend to his problems instead of engaging his mind in irrelevant matters. This is a practical way of living according to Buddha.

Well we have three different approaches to our original question, “where did the universe come from?” Yet thinking mind keeps enquiring into the question-

“Is the universe finite or infinite”?

Space Gift Diplomacy

At 4:57 pm on Friday, the 5^th of this month, ISRO launched GSAT-9, the south Asia communication satellite from Sri Hari Kota. In 1981, late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi said APPLE (Ariana Passenger Payload Experiment) marked the dawn of India’s satellite communication era.  Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s Independence Day address from the Red Fort was carried live by APPLE. In 2014 SAARC summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi mooted India’s neighbourhood first policy. APPLE to GSAT-9 tells the story of India’s friendship with other countries of the world especially the SAARC countries.

GSAT-9 better known as the South Asia Communication Satellite embraced the space to give a platform for SAARC countries except Pakistan which refused to join in this adventure. India, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Maldives to help in natural resources mapping telecommunication, education, weather forecasting and disaster warning among other things.

India is the only SAARC member capable of launching satellites, thus enhancing India’s image as the regional power. This also counters increasing influence of China not just in the region but also in the space. India is a space power now. In the month of February, this year ISRO set a record by launching 104 satellites from a single rocket.

The satellite is designed to facilitate the member countries of SAARC with  their own ground setup for broadcasting their television channels e-governance, ATM’s etc. the launch proves, said Prime Minister Modi that choices of India is co-operation, not conflict, development not destruction and prosperity, not poverty.

Dial I (India) for friendship and

Space Gift.

“Hello. What Is Your Number......”

“Number is the ruler of forms and ideas, and is the cause of Gods and Demons”.

--Pythagoras

I am not a numerologist.  But have only nodding acquaintance with the occult subject –numerology.  I wish to discuss the subject numerology with you with the hope that one of you might possess more knowledge about the subject or might take a deep interest and go deep into the subject.

Kabala is jewish mysticism and occult lore. This helps us understand the connections between our apprehensions of things as facts of experience and the cosmic laws which underlie those facts, says Sepharial, an English man who mastered the ancient Hindu system of Astrology and later devoted his life to the study of science of Numbers.

Behind the cosmos lies the intelligence which manifests to us through nature.  The universe is but the crystallized idea of God. It is a divine thought form. By the study of numbers we may learn the laws of divine expression. What we call an event is but a displacement and rearrangement of the parts of the sphere of reality. There is an analogy between the laws of matter and those of mind. This arises from a common cause. We learn from numerology that all forces are moving and are in vibration.

The philosophers of ancient Greece believed that the numbers possessed some mysterious power. The ancient seers Hindu, the Greeks and Hebrews assigned certain power or occult power to each number. For example, No 5 stands for reason, logic, ethics, commerce and utility.

In the astrological series each of the 9 numbers from 1 – 9 and 0(Zero) have their value, a symbol which is associated with the Sun and members of the Solar System. Each number has its characteristics. The number’s planetary vibration are No 1 Sun positive, No 4 Sun Negative, No 7 Moon positive, No 2 Moon negative, No 8 Saturn, No 3 Jupiter, No 9 Mars, No 6 venus and No 5 Mercury.

So much lies hidden beneath the simple numbers. This is the bird view of Numerology. Matter is the ultimate expression of spirit. There is an analogy between laws of matter and mind. The key to the both is the science of

Occult Number.

Two Great “May Souls”

Life is full of sufferings. These sufferings are mainly of two kinds. The first type is about birth, aging, disease, and death and the second type is exploitation of man by man.  While the first one is nature made, the other one is man made. Is it possible to extinguish sufferings? YES. Say Buddha and Marx. They provided two distinct visions for mankind. (utopian visions?)  Grief rather than happiness dominates the life of man. Buddha and Marx dedicated their lives to eradicate the sufferings of man. They were born at different periods but both were two great “May souls”. Marx was born on 5^th May and Buddha poornima (Buddha's birth) falls on 10^th of May. 

There are many similarities between these two great souls. Buddha was a unique psychotherapist the world has ever seen. Marx was a socialist revolutionary. Buddha left the palace life  and went to forest in search of answers to the sufferings of man. Marx became “stateless” and mostly lived in London. Buddha and Marx have been described as the most influential figures in human history.

Marx argued for the primacy of matter over idea and believed that large scale changes in economic system can bring about real change in the society. “Philosophers have only interpreted the world in various ways. However, the point is to change it” said Marx. Marx is typically cited as one of the principal architects of modern sociology. Marx’s view of history is historical materialism. Marx dedicated himself to try to alter the world. 

Buddha said that sufferings is due to attachment. Buddhist concept of “Nirvana” is the answer says the Buddhist philosophy. The very essential conditions of life appeared to be fraught with birth, old age, disease and death. Buddha disliked metaphysical discussions devoid of practical utility. “Nirvana” is the state of being wherein all clinging and all the sufferings can be extinguished. 

These two visions may seem ethically and intellectually uncertain. However, both Marx and Buddha provided their vision to the mankind to put an end to  .........

“SUFFERINGS”. 

PS : your feedback will be  highly appreciated.