HABITS

What is meant by the term habit?A habit is the repetitions of an action or thought several times.Once we perform an action,it leaves an impression on our consciousness.Consequently ,we repeat that action.After several repetitions,that inclination is so strengthened that the action becomes a habit.In some people, just one act is enough to form a habit, because of latent predisposition from past lives.

 Habit, indeed is tenacious.It is very very difficult to give up a habit.most people who make up their minds to quit smoking or to put a ban on swigging alcohol or to stop devouring so many sweets will continue with those actions in spite of themselves.They do not change because their minds ,like blotting paper, have soaked up habit of thought.Habit means that the mind believes it can not get rid of a particular thought.

   Though mind tells that you can not get unentangled from a particular habit,yet you have the capacity to change as the habits are nothing but repetitions of your own thoughts.All that you have got to do,is to resolve firmly to give up the habit and act accordingly.

                          ----- DEVENDRA SRIVASTAVA  

FORGET AND FORGIVE
 We are advised and preached by our elders to follow the advice,"Forget &forgive."It means we should forget the wrong perpetrated upon us and forgive the wrong doer.According to this,we should do nothing and sit yammering with unbridled fury.Though it is pretty difficult to do it, yet it is possible to let go of our sense of anger and resentment.If we brood over the situation,it is possible to feel the past is past,that continuing to feel anger and hatred serves no purpose.Instead of changing the situation,they give rise to further disturbance within our minds which is a source of our continued unhappiness.
 We may still remember what happened,but forgetting and forgiving are two entirely different things.Simply remembering what happened is not harmful,but with the development of forgiveness,it's possible to let go of the negative feelings associated with what took place.This is why forgiveness brings us freedom.
 Forgiveness is not about letting off the perpetrator of some evil,it is about freeing the victim.If you can forgive,you no longer have to concern yourself with who did what to you and how you are going make them pay for it.You will be free of that entire burden
                               DEVENDRA SRIVASTAVA
























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THE GREATEST SACRIFICER

The greatest sacrificer in the whole universe is none other than LAKSHMAN.He sacrificed all his comforts and luxuries,all his enjoyments and pleasures in order to to serve his elder brother lord Rama and mother Sita.He guarded them unflinchingly day and night during their banishment.Fourteen years of unsnapped Brahmacharya gave him such a tremendous power that he could wallop Meghnath alias Indrajit who had defeated Indra.Sri Lakshman had a wonderful character!During his 14 years stay with themnot once did he glance at the face of Sita even by mistake.When Sugriva showed the upper garment and ornaments of Ma Sita,Ram cried out in great grief,and asked Lakshman to identify them.Lakshman response to this appeal for confirmation is well known.He said,"I know only some;I have never raised my eyes and looked her in the face.I always saw her feetto which I bowed in reverence.I can't identify the armlet or the earrings---I can see the nupura."
    Has anyone made such a sacrifice since the creation of the universe? I bow my head in reverence to lord Lakshman.

Decline of human values

It is really deplorable and lamentable that in the name of secularism,we have carefully avoided long-cherished values which our ancestors lived for and practised.Gone are the days when people used to be compassionate and full of morality.They nursed no ulterior motives to grind their own axe and were ever ready to extend a helping hand to the needy.But ironically enough, the human values nowadays have tumbled down to an unfathomable depth.
 Every year we are spawning thousands of Doctors,Engineers, Lawyers,Managers,Administrators but not real human beings.Human values such as love,compassion,peace,happiness,truthfulness,honesty,sincerity,contentment,non-violence,patriotism,fearlessness,confidence,courage,self-restraint are replaced by hatred,cruelty,deceit,greed,dishonesty,lust,anger,fear,cowardice,selfishness,violence,self-indulgence,etc.which has created a vacuum in the hearts of people.We have never seen in the history of India such degration of human values.
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                  GANGA : THE GREAT RIVER 

                                     By Devendra Srivastava

Ganga is the only river in the whole world to be given the appellation of 'Mother'(Ganga ma) by the people.

          Since the  first human settlement  in the Ganga Basin that began around 45000 B.C. , the river has been a cradle and a silent spectator of virtually every human activity - from the early nurtur of rice gained and introduction of iron, to the second urbanisation of India after Harappas.Its very name evokes the panorama of Indian history.Religious creeds like Jainism and Buddhism evolved on its bank while kingdoms like Magadh, dynasties like Gupt and Harsh emerged, flourised and perished here.Technology and Engineering joined hands to enhance the life giving function of Ganga - water tanks were made for irrigation at Shringverpur as early as 1 B.C. ,And during Colonial period Sir Proby Cautley developed the largest irrigation system in the world, re-routing the bulk of her waters into the Upper Ganga Canal.Streams of knowledge flowed unhindered along its bank - King Suchi of Magadh wroye 'Jyotish Vedanga' and Shushrut wrote treatises covering pulse diagnosis,hernia,cataract,toxicology,psychiatry and other aspects of medicines.The current of Bhakti movement surged to produce poets libke Tulsi, Kabir, Chaitanya, Ravidas and Dadu.The literary movement cointinued to grow with Bhartendu, Harishchandra, Permchanda Shukla,Sumitranandan Pant, Nirala, Mahadevi Verma and the like.

FRIENDSHIP

-------------------------------------DEVENDRA SRIVASTAVA

Friendship is a kind of happiness
which inspires us for our aim.

Friendship is a kind of power
which is an addition in our life.

Friendship is a special kind of lamp
which burns with the oil of remembrance.

Friendship is a special kind of stairs
which makes us reach the zenith of success.

Friendship is a special kind of shadow
which never leaves us alone.

"Always make new friends
but never forget old,
because new is silver,
but old is gold."

IRRATIONAL BELIEFS

A large number of people comprising the educated ones believe the sight of a black cat as dangerous.If a cat crosses our path,we consider it as a bad omen.Why a cat in general and a black cat in particular are believed dangerous?
 This is a thousand years old belief. The ancient Egyptians worshipped the cat.They had a goddess called pasht whose head resembled that of a cat.They believed that this goddess had nine lives.Whenever a black cat died in Egypt, its dead body was preserved as a mummy.Remains of thousands of cat have been recovered from a cemetry of Egypt.Killing a cat then was consideredas an offense,punishable with a death sentence.Thus people feared a black cat.During the middle ages witches and doctors always used the skull of black cat to prepare mysterious medicines. As a result people started thinling that a black cat was a bad omen.The truth is that no cat is dangerous. The cat is a pet animal that was domiscated about 5000years ago.
 Other superstitions are: If you hear a dog whining, get ready to start mourning because someone close to you is going to die.
   If you are leaving the house and someone calls you back for something, you had better give up your programme for that day.If you go ahead with it, you will fail and flounder.
  If an owl lives somewhere near your house,block your ears. If you hear the hooting of an owl, someone will fall sick.
 Some people believe that starting out on a journey on a saturday is bad luck.So they miss some interviews even when they could almost certainly land some very good jobs.The people of Randikarna in Orissa do not clip their nails because they believe that this protects them from a certain disease.
  These irrational beliefs are simply superstitions. Needless to say superstitions make us afraid.These fears do serious harm to us by limiting our possibilities for growth.
                                  DEVENDRA  SRIVASTAVA