लीवींग वीत नैचर

"And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years"- Abraham Lincoln

How many times have you wished that someone grant you extra hours in a day ? Hectic life style and mechanized way of living has made us forget to sit and enjoy the simple things in life. We more often worry anticipating the future and contemplating our past.

Good living is to learn different things & ways from life and people which can make us happy and content. You can find many articles related to good living in Different Strokes.

Be Optimistic, independent, live uncluttered & simple life, cultivate positive thinking and most of all learn to enjoy those simple things that make you happy.

महर्षि गौतम

Gautama Maharishi (Hindi: गौतम महर्षि) is one of the Saptarishis (Seven Great Sages Rishi of the current Manvantara (seventh) [1]. He was one of the Maharishis of Vedic times, known to have been the discoverer of Mantras -- 'Mantra-drashtaa', in Sanskrit. The Rig Veda has several suktas (Sanskrit: 'hymns') that go with his name. He was the son of Rahugana, belonging to the line of Angiras. The Devi Bhagavatam says that the river Godavari is so named because of its association with Gautama. He had two sons by name Vamadeva and Nodhas, both themselves discoverers of Mantras. There is a hymn called Bhadra in the Sama Veda which again is ascribed to Gautama Maharishi.

Personal life

His wife is Ahalya, herself the mind born daughter (manasa putri) of Creator Brahma. The Puranas speak of the story wherein it is described how Gautam won the hand of Ahalya by perambulating the divine cow in order to fulfill the stipulation of Brahma that whoever first goes round the whole Earth will win the hand of Ahalya. The Chief priest of King Janaka of Mithila, by name Shatananda, was the son of Gautama and Ahalya. Gautam's sixty-year long penance is mentioned in the Shanti parva of the Mahabharata. The Narada purana describes the story of the 12-year famine during which Gautam fed all the Rishis and saved them.

Gautama was one of the famous seven rishis termed Saptarshi. He was the progenitor of the Gautam gotra. He was the son of Rahugana.

With Bharadvaja, Gautam shares a common ancestry as they are both descended from Angirasa, and sometimes they are both bracketed together under the name Angirasa.

The sons of Gautam are Vamadeva and Nodha. The 4th book of the Rigveda is that of the Vamadeva Gautam family.

Legends

The descent of Lord Shiva as Tryambakeshvar, that constitutes the source of the Jyotirlinga nearby, happened for the sake of Gautama. The Brahmaanda-purana mentions that one of the sub-branches of the Raanaayani branch of Sama Veda was initiated by this Gautam. Some famous disciples of Gautam were Praachina-yogya, Shaandilya, Gaargya, and Bharadwaja.

According to the Ramayana, Rishi Gautam once went to take bath in the river Ganges early morning. The king of the devas, Indra, was fascinated with Gautam's wife, Ahalya. Indra came in the form of Gautam and made love to Ahalya. As he was escaping, he was caught by Rishi Gautam who was returning to the Ashrama from his bath. Gautam cursed Ahalya and Indra both for this act. Ahalya was converted to stone, while Indra was cursed with one thousand female genitals (Sahasrayoni). Later, taking pity on both, Gautama converted both these curses to boons. Indra's female genitals (yonis) became eyes, and he came to be known as Sahasraaksha. As for Ahalya, Gautam granted her the boon that she would be brought back to human form by the touch of the feet of Lord Rama and would reunite with him.

Author of the earliest Dharma-sutra

Gauatam was also the author of Dharma-sutra known as Gautam Dharma sutra It is in fact the earliest Dharma Sutra. It contains 28 chapters with 1000 aphorisms. Almost every aspect of the observances of Hindu dharma - including the rules for the four Ashramas, the forty sanskāras, the four varnas, kingly duties, the punishments for various offences, the obsequies for the dead, do's and don'ts of food consumption, the dharmas of women, the rules for Praayaschitta (atonement for sins), and the rules of succession of property. In this sense Gautama's Dharma Shastra may perhaps be considered the oldest law book of the world.

Akṣapāda Gotama, the 2nd century founder of the school of philosophy that goes by the name of 'Nyaya' (Logic), is not to be confused with Gautam Maharishi.

from wikipedia

ब्रह्मन्

Brahman (Devanāgarī: ब्रह्मन् bráhman) is the eternal, unchanging, infinite, immanent, and transcendent reality which is the Divine Ground of all matter, energy, time, space, being, and everything beyond in this Universe.^[1] The nature of Brahman is described as transpersonal, personal and impersonal by different philosophical schools. In the Rig Veda, Brahman gives rise to the primordial being Hiranyagarbha that is equated with the creator God Brahmā. The trimurti can thus be considered a personification of Brahman as the active principle behind the phenomena of the universe।

The word "Brahman" is traditionally derived from the verb ((brh)) (Sanskrit: to grow), and connotes greatness and infinity. The Mundaka Upanishad says:

Om- That supreme Brahman is infinite, and this conditioned Brahman is infinite। The infinite proceeds from infinite। Then through knowledge, realizing the infinitude of the infinite, it remains as infinite alone।

taken from Wikipedia

Warren Buffett

"I always knew I was going to be rich. I don't think I ever doubted it for a minute" - Warren Buffett

आत्मा की विशेषतायें

विषय: आत्मा की विशेषतायें

नैनं छिन्दन्ति शस्त्राणि नैनं दहति पावकः।
न चैनं क्लेदयन्त्यापो न शोषयति मारुतः॥२३॥

अच्छेद्योऽयमदाह्योऽयमक्लेद्योऽशोष्य एव च।
नित्यः सर्वगतः स्थाणुरचलोऽयं सनातनः॥२४॥

Neither the weapons can cleave it (the soul), nor can fire burn; water can not drench it, nor can air dry.

This (soul) can not be broken or burnt or dried-up. Soluble indeed, it is everlasting, all pervading, and immovable, stable and primeval.

इस आत्मा को शस्त्र नहीं काट सकते, इसको आग नहीं जला सकती, इसको जल नहीं गला सकता और वायु नहीं सुखा सकती।

क्योंकि यह आत्मा अच्छेद्य है, यह आत्मा अदाह्य, अक्लेद्य और नि:संदेह अशोष्य है तथा यह आत्मा नित्य, सर्वव्यापी, अचल, स्थिर रहने वाला और सनातन है।

आत्मा की प्रकृति

विषय: आत्मा की प्रकृति


आश्चर्यवत्पश्यति कश्चिदेनम्

आश्चर्यवद्वदति तथैव चान्यः।
आश्चर्यवच्चैनमन्यः शृणोति

श्रुत्वाऽप्येनं वेद न चैव कश्चित्॥२९॥

One perceives the soul as a miracle; and the other hears it as a wonder; and another describes it as a surprise. Yet, having heard about this, none understands what the soul is.

कोई एक महापुरुष ही इस आत्मा को आश्चर्य की भांति देखता है और वैसे ही दूसरा कोई महापुरुष ही इसके तत्व का आश्चर्य की भांति वर्णन करता है तथा दूसरा कोई अधिकारी पुरुष ही इसे आश्चर्य की भांति सुनता है और कोई-कोई तो सुनकर भी इसको नहीं जानता। ॥२९॥

Lesson: Perceive the soul as a reality; not as a miracle.

Subject: The Imperishable

देही नित्यमवध्योऽयं देहे सर्वस्य भारत।
तस्मात्सर्वाणि भूतानि न त्वं शोचितुमर्हसि॥३०॥

O Bharat, this soul, which dwells in the body of all beings, is such that it can not be slain. Therefore, it does not behove of you to grieve for all the beings.

हे अर्जुन! यह आत्मा सबके शरीर में सदा ही अवध्य (जिसका वध नहीं किया जा सके) है। इस कारण सम्पूर्ण प्राणियों के लिए तू शोक करने योग्य नहीं है। ॥३०॥

(क्षत्रिय धर्म के अनुसार युद्ध करने की आवश्यकता का निरूपण)

Lesson: The soul is imperishable and eternal; do not grieve for the perishable beings

निष्काम कर्म

एषा तेऽभिहिता साङ्ख्ये बुद्धिर्योगे त्विमां शृणु।
बुद्ध्या युक्तो यया पार्थ कर्मबन्धं प्रहास्यसि॥२-३९॥

This knowledge I have given to you in the context of samkhya yoga. Now listen to the knowledge related to Nishkam Karma Yoga (Yoga of Desire less Action). Having exposed to this, O Partha, you shall break the bondage-of- action.

Lesson: The desire less action (Nishkam Karma Yoga) helps in breaking the bondage- of- action.

हे पार्थ! यह बुध्दि तेरे लिए ज्ञान योग के विषय में कही गई और अब तू इसको कर्मयोग के (श्लोक 3 की टिप्पणी में इसका विस्तार देखें।) विषय में सुन- जिस बुध्दि से युक्त हुआ तू कर्मों के बंधन को भली-भांति त्याग देगा अर्थात सर्वथा नष्ट कर डालेगा। ॥३९॥

***

नेहाभिक्रमनाशोऽस्ति प्रत्यवायो न विद्यते।
स्वल्पमप्यस्य धर्मस्य त्रायते महतो भयात्॥२-४०॥

Even a little practice of Nishkam Karma Yoga would liberate you from the fear of birth and death. Neither the initiations made in this regard would be lost, nor would you be blamed for any of their counter-affects.

Lesson: Desire less action liberates a person from fear and the stigma if initiation.

इस कर्मयोग में आरंभ का अर्थात बीज का नाश नहीं है और उलटा फलरूप दोष भी नहीं है, बल्कि इस कर्मयोग रूप धर्म का थोडा-सा भी साधन जन्म-मृत्यु रूप महान भय से रक्षा कर लेता है। ॥४०॥