Heavenly Blessings

Shree Radhey Suvikashram, Kurukshetra

2016-05-27T05:39:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

Greetings of the day!

We are pleased to announce establishment of Shri Radhey Suvikashram, a religious-cum-social trust. Shree Radhey Suvikashram at 1689, Sector – 7, off Shaheed Major Nitin Bali Road, in Kurukshetra – 136118 (Haryana) in India, is registered with the State Government of Haryana in India, under the Society Act. Society is created for the purpose of Religious Discourses; Satsang ; providing Solutions to the needy as per Astrological calculations through Satsangs, Yajanas/Havans &/or Beej Mantras; making Research in ancient Indian Sciences & Culture, to establish Shelters for Destitute and Elderly persons; Spread of Education among women & weaker sections of society; etc. and other socio-religious activities. Contributions received from devotees are used for these aforesaid activities. Thousands have taken benefit from the Shree Radhey Suvikashram, in resolving their physical, materialistic as well as spiritual problems. Problems may be due to malefic positioning of Planets in horoscope either at the time of birth or due to planetary movement or by paranormal activities. Treatment needs total devotion, complete faith and patience from the affected persons. Ashram is run by the Committee for the welfare of masses as per its mandate and is governed by trained & experienced Astrologers, Palmists & Reki Specialists. They have wide experience of over two decades and have travelled all over India and across the globe. Ashram has its followers, not only from various parts of India, but from various countries of the globe also.

Shree Radhey Suvikashram is established in Kurukshetra, the land of Shree Bhagwat Geeta and Mahabharta, because it is stated in Hindu scriptures and Puranas that any religious activity done in Kurukshetra, gives benefits to the performer devotee to the tune of 1,000 times than the benefits, the performer will acquire, if done in any other place.

Kurukshetra (in Hindi: कुरुक्षेत्र) is a city in the state of Haryana, India. It is also known as Dharmakshetra ("Holy Place"). It is written in Puranas that Kurukshetra is named after King Kuru of the Bharata Dynasty, ancestor of Pandavas and Kauravas.

The Vamana Purana tells how King Kuru came to settle here. He chose this land at the banks of Sarasvati River, for embedding spirituality with eight virtues: austerity (tapas (Sanskrit)), truth (satya), forgiveness (kshama), kindness (daya), purity (Shuddhi suchee), charity (daan) and brahmacharya. Lord Vishnu was impressed with the act of King Kuru and blessed him. God gave him two boons: one that this land forever will be known as a Holy Land after his name as Kurukshetra (the land of Kuru) and the other that anyone dying on this land will go to heaven. The land of Kurukshetra was situated between two rivers — the Sarasvati and the Drishadvati.

This land has been known as Uttravedi, Brahmavedi, Dharamkshetra and Kurukshetra at different periods. When King Kuru came on this land it was called Uttarvedi. Over the period this land has been ruled by many empires. The Bharata Dynasty came and settled here.

Later the Battle of Mahabharata (3102 BC) was fought on this land, during which Lord Krishna preached Bhagavad Gita to Arjuna, when Lord Krishna found Arjuna in a terrible dilemma.

It reached the zenith of its progress during the reign of King Harsha, during which Chinese scholar Hieun Tsang visited Thanesar. By the archaeological grounds it has been proved that Ashoka the Great made Kurukshetra a centre of learning for people from all over the world.

Thanesar or Sthaneswar is a historical town located adjacent to what is now the newly created Kurukshetra city. Thanesar derives its name from the word "Sthaneshwar", which means "Place of God".

A manuscript of Mahabharata depicting the war at Kurukshetra

Some of the Places of interest in Kurukshetra:

Brahma Sarovar: This is the Sarovar, where Lord Parshu Ram got cleaned of the sins of killing Kshatriya kings 21 times on this earth. Every year lakhs of people come to take a holy bath at Brahma Sarovar on the occasion of "Somavati Amavasya" (Sacred No-Moon Day that happens on a Monday) and on solar eclipse believing that a bath in holy sarovar frees all sins and cycle of birth-death. It is supposed to be the world's largest man-made pond. The world's largest chariot of bronze is placed in purushotam bagh in the center of Brahma Sarovar.

Sannihit Sarovar: This sarovar is believed to be the meeting point of seven sacred Saraswatis. The sarovar, according to popular belief, contains sacred water. Bathing in the waters of the tank on the day of Amavasya (night of complete darkness) or on the day of an eclipse bestows blessings equivalent to performing the ashvamedh yajna.

Jyotisar: The famous site where Bhagavad Gita was delivered to Arjuna. The Holy Peepal tree - witness to the Divine message of Sri Bhagavad Geeta by Lord Sri Krishna to Arjuna at this place during the Mahabharata war. Jyotisar Light and Sound Show is a newly built tourist attraction which highlights some aspects of Geeta Saar through lights and sound.

The Sthaneshwar Mahadev Temple: whose presiding deity is Lord Shiva, is believed to be the oldest temple in the vicinity.

Bhishma Kund at Naraktari: The kund believed to be created by Arjun's arrow to quench the thirst of Bheeshma while he lay on the bed of arrows.

Bhadrakali Temple: A temple that is one of the 52 Shakti Peethas. As per the story in Hindu mythology, the goddess Sati killed herself by entering the Yagna of Raja Daksha as a protest against the insult of Lord Shiva. Remorseful Lord Shiva wandered across the whole universe with the corpse of his beloved Sati on his shoulder. To bring him back to the original mood, it was necessary to destroy the corpse of Sati. Lord Vishnu cut the corpse in 52 pieces with his Sudarshana Chakra. The parts fell at different places where the temples of the goddess were later built by the devotees. One of them is in Kurukhsetra, where the ankle of the goddess fell.

Shri Durga Devi Mandir, Pipli: This temple is in Pipli as entrance of Kurukshetra as name of Gita Dwar. Here is a world famous temple that was founded in 1963 by late Pandit Shesh Mani Mishra after enlightenment by Goddess Shree Bala Sundari Devi Maa.

Shrikrishna Museum has some historical artifacts and paintings depicting the Mahabharata war.

Kurukshetra Panorama and Science Centre: A world-class panorama depicting the Mahabharata war with scientific explanations justifying every episode in the war. There are also several scientific exhibits designed to kindle a curiosity for science.

You may visit Kurukshetra or contact me for any of your problems or issues, materialist, religious or social to get proper solutions and remedies for achieving what you deserve.

With blessings,

Vinod Khurana

+91 96712 03198, +91 705302 6253; +91 94164 64980; +971 55714 9983

info@suvikashram.com; heavenlyblessings@suvik.ae;

www.navgrahpooja.org; www.suvikashram.com; www.suvik.ae

How To Save Precious Time

2015-06-14T02:51:00.003-07:00

How to Save Precious Time

Dear Readers,

Greetings of the day!

Whenever, I tell my disciples/followers/friends to do some mental exercise or physical exercise, I get normally this type of reply from number of them, “I do not have time” of “I am short of time”. You know that one cannot buy time for exchange of any quantity of money. Time once spent is gone and never comes back.

I will, therefore, give you some tips, which can help you take the first steps toward conquering your time crunched lifestyle find more time for "off the clock" fun.

First Step to save time is to begin by learning the difference between "Do I need to do this now?" and "Do I need to do this at all?" Just because you are busy and getting things done doesn’t mean you are actually achieving anything significant. As you plan your day or week, seriously think about the things you have to do as opposed to things you think you have to do. A lot of to do’s are not necessarily things we have to do. Often times the lines are blurred because we over commit or feel obligated to things that aren’t in line with our goals and rob us of valuable time.

Next step to save time is to organize future events as per months, in which the events come. Like celebrating birthdays and anniversaries of near and dear-ones, buying greeting cards, payment of school fees, payment of government taxes and even vacation brochures in the appropriate months for quick reference and retrieval.

Another step is to make a “just in case” box for the car trunk: umbrella, cheap rain ponchos, scissors, big black marker, tape, paper towels, plastic bags, extra kids’ socks and a one-size-fits-all T-shirt, sweatshirt and pair of sweatpants for adults, another for kids for travel or journeys.

With the advent of technology, I suggest you to go digital with record keeping: Instead of printing every report, article, recipe or document you think you might need or want some day, burn records onto CDs for storage. Using technology, you will be surprised over the amount of space you’ll save, not to mention printer ink and copy paper. You will also save time to search them, whenever required. And of course, as an extra bonus you’ll be saving LOTS of trees in the process!

5. Take control of managing your bill paying schedule: Rather than having to constantly trying to keep track of when various bills are due each month, ask creditors to shift your due dates to lump them all together or to split them between the two pay periods of each month.

Another step is to ensure that your home office is made an actual work space. Attempting to work at a cluttered table or desk may not be the sign of a cluttered mind, but piles of disorganized faxes, bills, receipts and mail are definitely off-putting when you're trying to work at home. You need not waste time in searching for a particular piece of paper. Getting your home office organized and keeping it that way prevents distractions and time-wasting. Keep all your relevant working materials in your work-space. Having to walk into another room to retrieve a file can be a serious waste of time.

Handling different items in different time instead of handling all the work in one go will surely help you save time. You may complete similar types of work all at the same time. For example if you typically field a large number of calls and or emails each day – instead of dropping everything to take each call as it comes in or each email as it arrives, set aside specific blocks of time dedicated to returning calls and responding to emails. It's more effective and a better use of energy, where possible, to accomplish similar tasks all together. Same goes for writing, scheduling clients, etc.

You should prepare yourself before making phone calls. Before picking up the phone, make a list of things you need to talk about and questions you need to ask. That way, you won’t waste time calling someone back because you forgot to ask an important question. I even do this when I call my relatives if I have a lot of things to tell them. This not only saves time, but also cost of making calls.

Using templates & swipe files certainly save time. You can use templates and swipe files for invoices, letters of introduction, client questionnaires, standard email responses, out of office notices and other documents you use on a regular basis. If you have a website or blog consider a FAQ page where readers can easily access answers to the most frequently asked questions about your product or programs. Keep a current copy of your online profile in your swipe file so when you register at a new forum or website you can simply cut and paste.

Creating easy access to your information is another step to save valuable time. You can use web applications or phone app to capture thoughts and ideas, store notes, swipe files and photos all in one place. These App, allow you to capture anything you want to remember where ever you are and instantly makes it available on all the computers and devices you use. This way, you spend less time trying to locate or transfer files & programs.

Lastly, you should also plan how you will use your “Spare or fun” time. As gratifying as it can feel to take control of your time and become more productive in the process. If you don’t make a plan for what you’ll do with your free time, it will be quickly lost to whatever pops up.

I, therefore, advise you to start using these tips today and enjoy all the free time you create.

With Greetings and Blessings,

Vinod Khurana

heavenlyblessings@suvik.ae

00971 55 714 9983

SECRETS OF HAPPINESS AND SUCCESS REVEALED

2014-08-25T00:39:00.001-07:00

Dear Readers,

Greetings of the day!

Let me share with you, some of the secrets, if followed would bring happiness to everyone.

During your lifetime, you might have made thousands of different goals. Just think about it. How many goals have you made for yourself in the past year?

Let me tell you that all of these goals will fall into one of the following four basic categories. Everything you do is an attempt to enhance the quality of your life in one or more of these areas.

The First Category

The first category of the goals is your desire for happy relationships with your near and dear ones. You want to love and be loved by others. You want to have a happy and harmonious life at home. You want to get along well with the people around you, and you want to earn the respect of the people you respect. Your involvement in social and community affairs results from your desire to have happy interactions with others and to make a contribution to the society you live in.

Second Category

The second category of your goals is related to enjoyment of your work. This includes your desire for interesting and challenging work atmosphere, irrespective of the field, where you work. You want to make a good living, of course, but more than that, you want to really enjoy your occupation or profession. The very best times of your life are when you are completely absorbed in your work.

Third Category

The third category is your desire for financial independence. You want to be free from worries about money. You want to have enough deposit and surplus funds in the bank so that you can make decisions without counting your pennies. You want to achieve a certain financial status so that you can retire in comfort and never have to be concerned about whether or not you have enough money to support your lifestyle. Financial independence frees you from poverty and a need to depend upon others for your livelihood. If you save and invest regularly throughout your working life, you will eventually reach the point where you will never have to work again.

Fourth Category

I am sure that the fourth and final category is your desire for good health, to be free of pain and illness and to have a continuous flow of energy and feelings of well-being. In fact, your health is so central to your life that you take it for granted until something happens to disrupt it.

SECRET for Achieving All GOALS

The secret to fulfill all of the basic desires is to attain complete Peace of Mind. Peace of mind is essential for every one of you. The greater is your peace of mind, the more relaxed and positive you remain, the less stress you suffer, better is your overall health.

Do you know that the more peace of mind you have, the better are your relationships with your near and dears. You become more optimistic, friendly and confident with everyone in your life. When you feel good about yourself inside, you do your work better and take more pride in it. You are a better boss and coworker at your desk. And the greater is your overall peace of mind, the more likely you are to earn a good living. This would lead to saving regularly for the future and ultimately achieving financial independence.

How to Achieve

You will be willing to know how to achieve Peace of mind. Life is very much a study of attention. Whatever you dwell upon and think about grows and expands in your life. The more you pay attention to your relationships, the quality and quantity of your work, your finances and your health, the better they will become and the happier you will be. Positive thinking is a must to achieve peace of mind to achieve all your goals and to fulfill your desires.

I suggest you to start immediately the followings steps to achieve the peace of mind:

First step is to daily spend some time, may be two to three minutes, on a regular basis to think about what would make you really happy in each of the four areas.
Second step is to set specific, measurable goals for improvement in your relationships, your health, your work and your finances. If you feel, you may write them down and put the paper on your writing table, so that you can see them daily.
Third step is to resolve to do something every day to increase the quality of some area of your life - and then keep your resolution.

May the Great Almighty be with you and help you get happiness and success in your life.

With blessings and Best Wishes,

Vinod Khurana

heavenlyblessings@suvik.ae

00971557149983

How to Get Inner Peace

2014-06-08T02:57:00.001-07:00

Dear Readers,

Greetings of the day!

Let me ask you some questions? Do you find daily that your life is filled with stress? Does it seem as if there is always something happening that encompasses your entire attention, and therefore drains positive energy from you?

Your answers to my questions would most probably be in affirmative. You all might have learnt by now that as our society grows more and more complex; finding true inner peace becomes more difficult. It is just like trying to find an oasis in the desert.

I, therefore, thought it might be helpful for you to share with you some of the methods that I use in my life to experience inner peace and disconnect from my hectic daily routine.

First Step:

The first step for inner peace is to accept what it is. There is only so much you can affect. What you cannot change, what you cannot influence, need not concern you. I have noticed with so many people that they focus and linger on things they have no control over. The major point here is why worry about something that all the worrying in the world will not change? Why you should care about what other people think of you when you are not even sure what it is they are actually thinking?

Second Step:

Second step is quieting your mind. Let me assure you that meditation is great way of quieting the mind. It is very important activity that can change your entire life. However, not everyone wants to meditate or knows how to do it. Meditating for just 10 minutes a day can have an enormous impact in all areas of your life. If you have a lot on your mind and feel as if your thoughts are driving you crazy, meditation can help you find inner peace. Meditating is not tough, rather it is very easy. To quiet the mind simply close everything, sit back, shut your eyes and you should clear your mind of every single thought. Focus on the emptiness. You will be surprised what a mere 10 minutes of quieting the mind can do to turn things around for you. Is it not very easy?

Third Step:

The next step, I would advise is to spend your time in nature. You would agree that you spend so much time confined in buildings either at work or at home that you have forgotten where you come from. It is natural for us to be in nature, and this is why it feels so good and it is so peaceful when you take a walk in a park, cycle on a trail in the forest or stand watching the waves roll in at the beach. Watching nature is stillness, observing nature nurtures us. Spending time with nature will help you naturally attune to the rhythm of the seasons and the vibration of mother earth.

Fourth Step:

Now let us learn the power of a smile. Whenever you laugh or smile, something happens on a chemical level to make you feel better, and stress and negativity are prevented from entering your psyche. Laughter yoga is a brilliant tool to use as a pattern interrupt. You will observe that a simple smile can make such a difference. You will quickly realize that inner peace finds its way much more easily to you when you smile and take yourself lightly.

Fifth Step:

Next step is to see the BIG picture of everything. You will agree that you are so consumed within your own problems that you can no longer see the wood from the trees. It's helpful to remind ourselves how big the world is. Take a moment and read up about some other countries, cultures or religions. Be aware that the world does not revolve around your problems. On hearing about a tsunami or an earthquake killing thousands of people it puts my small cares and worries into perspective. My problems aren't really "problems". Looking beyond ourselves is very important in finding inner peace.

Sixth Step:

Next step to get the inner peace is to Care about others, but don't become a rescuer. Inner peace is hard to find when being self-consumed and only worrying about your own needs and wants. When you begin to genuinely care about other people, miracles happen. However, choose to be empathetic, not compassionate. Empathy is putting yourself in someone else's shoes and treating them as you would wish to be treated. It brings with it infinite patience and grace. Compassion can easily turn into rescuer behaviour; it's insidious and can lead to trying to fix someone, which apart from being the height of arrogance, can also distract you from your own inner peace. An act of random kindness and goodwill allows you to ease your way towards inner peace.

Seventh Step:

On the ladder of getting inner peace is to embrace hope. Hope is what lightens your life. With hope you always have a path towards inner peace. Whenever you get stressed out and overwhelmed within your own life, you forget that hope. You forget that the sun always shines after a rainy day, and that this is merely a bump in the road. With hope, I know that whatever is seemingly terrible is only temporary and that soon enough, things will be just great. This lifts off all of that negativity and gross positive energy from my entire being, and I feel in tune instantly.

Eighth Step:

Learn to commit to yourself. You will agree that one thing that provides you with much stress in life is the fact that you always worry about not having all the answers. Just accepting that you do not know everything and that you are open to perpetual learning is a tremendous step to take towards achieving inner peace. I find great joy in learning all kinds of things, and just being aware that I am growing as a person each and every day provides me with great feelings of inner peace. Accept that life is one big journey of never-ending learning and you will find yourself closer to experiencing true inner peace.

Last Step:

Last step on the ladder for getting Inner Peace is to live in the here and now, i.e. in PRESENT. Most of the time, what you worry about is relating to something either in the past, or something that hasn't happened. Living in the here and now erases all such thoughts. Why worry about something in the past that you cannot change? Why worry about something that you are not even sure will happen or not? You know that past is history, future is mystery and PRESENT is GIFT. My advice, therefore, to you is to live in PRESENT.

May you be blessed with Real Long Lasting Inner Peace!

With Best wishes and blessings

Vinod Khurana

00 971 55 714 9983

heavenlyblessings@suvik.ae

How to Live and Enjoy the Present Moment

2014-06-03T03:50:00.001-07:00

Dear Readers,

Greetings of the day!

All of you know that we convince ourselves that life will be better once we finish our education, get a job or settle in business, are married, have a baby, then another. After fulfilling all these wishes, we get frustrated because our children are not old enough and that all will be well when they are older. Then we are frustrated because they reach adolescence and we must deal with them.

Thereafter, we convince ourselves that surely we will be happier when they grow out of the teen years.

We tell ourselves that our life will be better when our spouse gets his/her act together, when we have a good house, nice car, when we can take a vacation, when we finally retire.

Let me tell you the truth that there is no better time to be happy than right now.

If not, then when?

You all know that your life is always full of challenges. It is better to admit as much and to decide to be happy in spite of it all. For the longest time, it seemed that life, the REAL LIFE was about to start. But there was always some obstacle along the way, an ordeal to get through, some work to be finished, some time to be given, a bill to be paid. Then life would start.

I finally came to understand that those obstacles were life, but how many of us faced these challenges/obstacles with happiness?

This point of view helped me to see that there is not any road to happiness.

Finally, I came to know that Happiness Is the road to live a real life.

My suggestion, therefore, to you would be enjoy every moment.

Stop waiting for school to end, for a return to school, to lose ten Dollars, to gain ten Dollars, for work to begin, to get married, for Friday evening, for Sunday morning, waiting for a new car, for your mortgage to be paid off, for spring, for summer, for fall, for winter, for the first or the fifteenth of the month, for your song to be played on the radio, to die, to be reborn… before deciding to be happy.

Please remember that Happiness is a voyage, not a destination.

There is no better time to be happy than… Now And The Present!

As you know that the Past Is History, Future Is Mystery and Present Is Gift.

With Best Wishes and Blessings,

Vinod Khurana
heavenlyblessings@suvik.ae
00971 55 714 9983

Children Love Nature

2014-01-05T10:07:00.001-08:00

Children Love Nature

2013-12-18T08:45:00.002-08:00

Dear Readers,

Greetings of the day!

Please go through the most entertaining message full of expressions, by a child of just 18 months, to love nature and GO GREEN.

Children Love Nature

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6aVHfknAEqo

This short documentary is about the expressions of a child of 18 months old to show how the children love nature and gives a message to go green.

With best wishes,

Vinod Khurana
+971 557149983
heavenlyblessings @suvik.ae.

"Love Thy Neighbours" Explained Again

2013-09-30T00:53:00.001-07:00

Dear Readers,

Greetings of the day!

"Love Thy Neighbours" is a well known sentence to every body. Being a human being it is utmost need that we help each other and especially those, who in dire needs. Ignoring difficulties of others, sometime lends every body in difficulty. Let me narrate a story of a mouse, chicken, pig and cow, which all were staying together in a house of a farmer.

One day, the mouse looked through the crack in the wall to see the farmer and his wife open a package. "What food might this contain?" the mouse wondered. He was devastated to discover it was a mousetrap. Retreating to the farmyard, the mouse proclaimed the warning: "There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!"

Chicken clucked and scratched, raised her head and said to scared mouse "I can tell this is a grave concern to you, but it is of no consequence to me. I cannot be bothered by it." Chicken went on its normal routine.

Helpless mouse turned to the pig and told him "There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!" The pig heard, but said "I am so very sorry, but there is nothing I can do about it but pray. Be assured you are in my prayers." It went on enjoying its feed.

Now, the poor mouse turned to the cow for help and said "There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!" The cow said "I'm sorry for you, but it's not my burden." Cow slipped to the pond and enjoyed the cold water.

Finally, the mouse returned to the house, head down and dejected, to face the farmer's mousetrap alone and started making plans.

In the night a sound was heard throughout the house – like the sound of a mousetrap catching its prey. The farmer's wife rushed to see what was caught. Due to darkness, she could not see, it was a venomous snake whose tail the trap had caught. The snake bit the farmer's wife. The farmer rushed her to the hospital and she returned home with a fever.

Neighbours advised him to treat his wife's fever with fresh chicken soup, so the farmer took his hatchet to the farmyard for the soup's main ingredient. But his wife's sickness continued, so friends and neighbours came to sit with her around the clock. To feed them, the farmer butchered the pig. The farmer's wife did not get well; she died. So many people came for her funeral, the farmer had the cow slaughtered to provide enough meat for all of them.

The poor mouse looked upon it all from his crack in the wall with great sadness. The next time you hear someone is facing a problem and think it doesn't concern you, remember: "when one of us is threatened, we are all at risk. We are all involved in this journey called life. We must keep an eye out for one another and make an extra effort to encourage one another. Each of us is a vital thread in another person's tapestry."

Learn the true meaning of "Love Thy Neighbours". But how many of us know who are our neighbours?

With Best Wishes,

Vinod Khurana

00971 55 7149983

heavenlyblessings@suvik.ae

Amazing Facts About India: We should Feel Proud To Be An Indian

2013-08-29T08:49:00.000-07:00

Dear Readers,

Greetings of the day!

One of my Facebook friends has posted and I feel proud in sharing with my readers.

India is the world's largest, oldest, continuous civilization.
India never invaded any country in her last 10000 years of history.
India is the world's largest democracy.

Varanasi, also known as Benares, was called "the ancient city" when Lord Buddha visited it in 500 B.C.E, and is the oldest, continuously inhabited city in the world today.

India invented the Number System. Zero was invented by Aryabhatta.

The World's first university was established in Takshashila in 700BC. More than 10,500 students from all over the world studied more than 60 subjects. The University of Nalanda built in the 4th century BC was one of the greatest achievements of ancient India in the field of education.

Sanskrit is the mother of all the European languages. Sanskrit is the most suitable language for computer software - a report in Forbes magazine, July 1987.

Ayurveda is the earliest school of medicine known to humans. Charaka, the father of medicine consolidated Ayurveda 2500 years ago. Today Ayurveda is fast regaining its rightful place in our civilization.

Although modern images of India often show poverty and lack of development, India was the richest country on earth until the time of British invasion in the early 17th Century. Christopher Columbus was attracted by India's wealth.

The art of Navigation was born in the river Sindhu 6000 years ago. The very word Navigation is derived from the Sanskrit word NAVGATIH. The word navy is also derived from Sanskrit 'Nou'.

Bhaskaracharya calculated the time taken by the earth to orbit the sun hundreds of years before the astronomer Smart. Time taken by earth to orbit the sun: (5th century) 365.258756484 days.

The value of pi was first calculated by Budhayana, and he explained the concept of what is known as the Pythagorean Theorem. He discovered this in the 6th century long before the European mathematicians.

Algebra, trigonometry and calculus came from India. Quadratic equations were by Sridharacharya in the 11th century. The largest numbers the Greeks and the Romans used were 106 whereas Hindus used numbers as big as 10**53(10 to the power of 53) with specific names as early as 5000 BCE during the Vedic period. Even today, the largest used number is Tera 10**12(10 to the power of 12).

IEEE has proved what has been a century old suspicion in the world scientific community that the pioneer of wireless communication was Prof. Jagdish Bose and not Marconi.

The earliest reservoir and dam for irrigation was built in Saurashtra.

According to Saka King Rudradaman I of 150 CE a beautiful lake called Sudarshana was constructed on the hills of Raivataka during Chandragupta Maurya's time.

Chess (Shataranja or AshtaPada) was invented in India.

Sushruta is the father of surgery. 2600 years ago he and health scientists of his time conducted complicated surgeries like cesareans, cataract, artificial limbs, fractures, urinary stones and even plastic surgery and brain surgery. Usage of anesthesia was well known in ancient India. Over 125 surgical equipment were used. Deep knowledge of anatomy, physiology, etiology, embryology, digestion, metabolism, genetics and immunity is also found in many texts.

When many cultures were only nomadic forest dwellers over 5000 years ago, Indians established Harappan culture in Sindhu Valley (Indus Valley Civilization).

The four religions born in India, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism, are followed by 25% of the world's population.
The place value system, the decimal system was developed in India in 100 BC.

India is one of the few countries in the World, which gained independence without violence.

India has the second largest pool of Scientists and Engineers in the World.

India is the largest English speaking nation in the world.

India is the only country other than US and Japan, to have built a super computer indigenously.

Famous Quotes on India (by non-Indians)

Albert Einstein said: We owe a lot to the Indians, who taught us how to count, without which no worthwhile scientific discovery could have been made.

Mark Twain said: India is, the cradle of the human race, the birthplace of human speech, the mother of history, the grandmother of legend, and the great grand mother of tradition. Our most valuable and most instructive materials in the history of man are treasured up in India only.

French scholar Romain Rolland said: If there is one place on the face of earth where all the dreams of living men have found a home from the very earliest days when man began the dream of existence, it is India.

Hu Shih, former Ambassador of China to USA said: India conquered and dominated China culturally for 20 centuries without ever having to send a single soldier across her border.

May the blissful joy be with you at all times,

Vinod Khurana

+971 557149983

heavenlyblessings@suvik.ae

How to be Happy Day-by-Day

2013-08-20T12:09:00.001-07:00

Dear Readers,

Greetings of the day!

Everyone wants that every day in his life should bring him happiness. If you're not living each day in a way that brings you happiness, then take a look at following tips below, follow them and brighten up your daily routine: -

Thanks Giving:

Every morning take the time to list 10 things you're grateful for. You've heard it 1000 times before. And there's a reason for that. What we focus on expands. When we focus on what we have, we feel good. And we start looking for more things to appreciate. And we find more things. And we feel even better. When you make your list, and as you go about your day, try to include things you take for granted -- like being able to see, the car starting, running water, heat, having a bed, your child's creative mind. Say “Thank You” to everyone, who comes to you, irrespective of his status or role in your life.

Self-Inspiring:

If there is negativity out there in the world, you need to face it bravely. It's key to seek out the beauty and inspiration we want in our life. To consciously create our own sense of well-being; below are a few ways to inspire yourself:

• Spend just 10 minutes in the morning playing music, reading or writing poetry, laughing with your children, dancing, reading good fiction, or walking out in nature.

• Pay attention to messages you are hearing inside or outside of your head. Consciously turn your attention elsewhere when something negative crops up. Do this over and over and over. Feed yourself inspirational audio rather than the news.

· Spend minimum of 10 minutes daily for prayers.

Self-Energizing and Revitalizing:

There's no separation between our bodies and our emotional states. Make it key to be healthy. Eat well, sleep well, and exercise. Seek ways to feel energetic. Energy=joy. Here are a few:

• Play music you love and dance for three minutes.

• Do ten minutes of yoga.

• Take a 10-min walk and look at the sky.

• Deliberately drink Amazing Grass vs coffee at the afternoon low.

• Add a vegetable or leafy green to your lunch or dinner.

Creation of extraordinary Moments:

Consciously choose to make someone feel great or to create a beautiful moment for yourself.

• Send a thank you note to the everyone, he may be a clerk at the municipality, any office, an author, a teacher, etc.

• Look someone in the eyes.

• Deliberately compliment someone.

• Give someone a flower -- even a stranger.

• Start a conversation or share a laugh with a stranger.

• Creative, conscious gift giving.

• Write three things you love about someone and mail them.

Seeking an Adventure

One simple joy that we often forget about occurs when we break out of our rut and challenge ourselves, even in the smallest of ways. I have a coaching client who told me one day that he was dedicated to doing something differently every day for a week. Driving a different route, going someplace new for lunch, wearing clothes he didn't normally wear. Try the following: -

• Sign up for a new class.

• Pick up a book about something brand new.

• Meet someone new.

• At lunch today, take your lunch and sit somewhere brand new.

• Use a coffee mug you never use.

• Wear something you don't normally wear.

• Speak your mind in a new way.

Elevating the Ordinary:

Buddha said, "If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly, our whole life would change." Often what creates a real feeling of joy is simply that we are present to life. Try it, right now. You should stop reading. In the next two minutes, breathe deeply and focus on something in front of you. Really see it. Imagine this is the first time you are seeing this object or person. What happens? Record your experience and go on repeating this daily for two minutes only and see the changes it brings to you.

Celebrations:

At the end of the day, spend just 5 or 10 minutes making a list of everything that went right. What did you do that made someone smile? What electronics didn't break? Were you able to walk/see/think? Did you have a connection with your spouse or child? Did you make someone feel great or create an extraordinary moment for them? Don't let these things go unnoticed. Celebrate yourself and your life. You want more joy in your life? Celebrate the joy you do have. Celebrate the amazing person you already are. It is truly said, "Those who seek beauty are sure to find it." When you find it, celebrate it! Celebrations are the best way for getting happiness.

By following the above simple methods, May the Almighty fill your life with joy!

With Best wishes,

Vinod Khurana

00971 55 714 9983

heavenlyblessings@suvik.ae

Jashn e Azadi Grand Mela 2013: A Peace Initiative: 16th August 2013 and 17th August 2013

2013-08-11T02:20:00.002-07:00

Dear Readers,

Greetings of the day!

As you are aware, that in the Asian history of 66 years, it has never happened that the people of India and Pakistan have celebrated their Independence Day viz. 14^th August for Pakistan and 15^th August for India under one roof, anywhere across the globe. We had taken this initiative to bring two communities at one place and allow them to celebrate this great event with fun, fair and entertainment. On the occasion of Indian and Pakistani Independence Day, we were going to organize Jashn e Azadi Grand Mela 2013 for communities of both of these countries on 16^th and 17^th August 2013. The event, consisting of funfair and concert by Artists from India and Pakistan, would have taken place in Al Nasr Leisureland, Oud Metha, situated in the heart of Dubai. We were sure that this peace initiative started from Dubai, UAE would go a long way and become a catalyst of Peace between two nations and prove a landmark in the coming International History.

We are thankful to our various well-wishers and lovers of peace who have given us unexpected support and response for the event, which is much beyond our imagination.

However, due to certain vested interests, who do not want peace between two nations, the pressure started to mount to stop this peace initiative. To scuttle our planned and widely publicized peace initiative in the form of combined Jashn e Azadi Mela 2013, even some of the Groups have gone to the extent of holding separate events of same nature with individual country names to create the chaos.

After carefully reviewing the situation in the name of peace and with a heavy heart, we announce postponement of this peace initiative till next year.

We assure all the peace lovers that our efforts will nevertheless continue to bring peace amongst both the nations and would celebrate Jashn e Azadi in the coming years with the same motto and with more vigour.

Living Happily After Retirement

2013-08-09T11:21:00.000-07:00

Dear Readers,

Greetings of the day!

Please consider circulating the following speech attributed to Mr. P. P. Ramachandran of Reserve Bank of India on his retirement at the age of 60 years after serving for 40 years. It is witty and educative. A must read article ........... till the last line. Some humour and all of it is hard reality. I thought it to share it with my readers.

"I am thankful to the Chembur Senior Citizens’ Association for offering me a chance to be with all of you this evening. I regret that I shall begin with a funeral reference. Since death is but part of Life I shall recount this charming story. In a tiny village in Kerala, a devout Christian breathed his last and the local priest being out of station, a priest from an adjoining village was called upon to deliver the funeral oration.

“Ladies and Gentlemen”, began the venerable pastor with the dead body in a coffin before him, “Here lies dead before me a rare human being of this village with outstanding qualities. He was a gentleman, a scholar, sweet of tongue, gentle of temper and very catholic in outlook. He was generous to a fault and ever smiling”. The widow of the deceased stood up at the end of the Hall and screamed, “O! God! They are burying the wrong man”. A similar doubt can reasonably arise in my wife’s mind about the qualities of my head and heart eloquently praised by the previous speaker. Now, I will revert to the subject allotted to me, “Living Happily After Retirement”. Retirement is a problem peculiar to our generation. In the times of our fathers and grandfathers, retirement was not much of a problem.

There are three reasons for this.

First, Life Expectancy. Fifty years ago, the life expectancy at the age of retirement fixed at 55, was 60. A study of Government records revealed that very few people enjoyed pension for more than five years at that time. Most people died before sixty and consequently spending five years after retirement did not pose any major problem. Today Life Expectancy at retirement at 58 or 60, is 75 years which means half of your working life is still left after retirement. To give you an example two Senior Officers of RBI died at 93 years—35 years after retirement.

The second reason is the change in the family structure. Half a century ago most people were in a joint family. The day you laid down office, you still had a large family around you. Surely, in a large family there was always something you could do that was meaningful and made you feel you were contributing to the family. Today the family has become nuclear—husband, wife, children. By the time one retires, the children have gone away. In good old times, daughters used to get married and promptly go away. Nowadays sons get married and shift on and for First Night itself! What is left is the old couple—You for Me and Me for you. This is not particularly easy to accept and adjust to after retirement.

The third reason is the problem of “Roots.” In halcyon days, people used to have a “native place” and an “ancestral home”. They looked forward to going there and settling down after retirement. Today except for Leave Fare Concession purposes, there is nothing left in terms of native place. People often are confused as to where to settle.

These three problems make retirement planning a crucial item. If you have planned for retirement you can anticipate and tackle these problems. People are not accustomed to the idea of staying by themselves. If one asks an audience of prospective retirees and their wives “How many of you expect to stay after retirement with your children, hardly one hand goes up. If some husband raises his hand, his wife immediately slaps it down saying, “I’ll be damned if I am going to stay with my daughter-in-law!” So it is a tough problem to think about old people staying—just the two of them. This makes planning all the more significant.

The most difficult problem that we face after retirement is the psychological one. When an executive retires, he is at the peak of his career—his status, prestige and financial acumen. The moment he lays down office, all these desert him. He discovers that “Everything becomes Less and Less”. The first thing he notices is the way his status and prestige are affected. Even at home, the retired person is no longer the important person. If he demands of his wife an early breakfast, she will promptly admonish him, “You are retired now. So take it easy. Let those employed go first !”. He is no longer “Numero Uno”. A friend of mine who was a Senior Executive in RBI was getting 500 Greeting Cards and Diaries for the New Year. After one year of retirement it dwindled to fifty and this year he got ten. Greeting cards and diaries are surely an indicator of the respect you are held in.

The most immediate problem on retirement is time-arrangement. We all have twenty four hours at our disposal, whether we like it or not. When you are a Senior Executive you work for ten, twelve or even fifteen hours and you feel “Suppose I had two hours more how nice it would be!. Life would be easier.” After retirement we have twenty four hours and nothing to do! is one thing . Result – misery and this one he likes to spread! No man wants to be miserable alone. He will make as many people miserable as he can. A man who has nothing to do will harass people around him. Turning on head the Benthamite principle of maximization of welfare—maximisation of ill-fare!.

There are two solutions to this problem. One is to continue to do the same work one was doing at the time of retirement. The first option is very convenient but where is such an opportunity for the majority? There is the temptation to wangle out an extension but this does lead to compromising principles which many succumb to regrettably. I have seen Senior Officers accepting jobs as liaison officers and standing outside the cabin of their subordinates and seek favours from them. But how long-lasting is the solution. Extension merely postpones the problem. It crops up again quite swiftly. The second option is to do something different, i.e., option to get another job. An executive can get another job provided he is willing to sacrifice self-respect. Generally jobs are given by the previous employer’s suppliers. Cases are legion where army, navy, air force officers are caught for espionage in such employment. In commercial organizations Officers are employed to get orders and collect bills speedily from their erstwhile Employers. So you will agree that this is no solution.

All of you are aware that the Bard of Avon-- William Shakespeare wrote of the “Seven Stages of Man”. Modern psychologists have abridged it to four and these are thus.

Before finding a girl—Spiderman

After engagement------Superman

10 years after marriage-Watchman

20 years after marriage - Doberman

After this lighter side I revert to post-retired life. The retired official is likely to fall into four dysfunctional time options.

The first is “Withdrawal”. Many retired people, the day they retire from Office withdraw from Life and within a few months they just pass away. When you ask a Doctor he will tell you I can give a Medical term but this is case of “simple lack of will to live”.

The second time management option is “ritual”. A person can create a ritual for himself. He gets up at a specific time, does different activities at a specific time and this invariably results in misery for others if that specific time frame is not adhered to. While he has in essence nothing to do, he is trying to make his activities meaningful. This leads to a meaningless ritual.

The third option is Pastime. Many people get together and embark on a combined ritual which is called pastime. This too does not add to the meaningfulness of life.

The last option turns out to be even mischievous. It is playing games— not physical ones like badminton, tennis but psychological ones where you try to manipulate people, get into their problems, complicate them and generally enlarge the tension around you. Many a respectable person indulges in this and creates problems where none existed.

The alternative to these are Functional options. The first is become a Consultant. Lurking inside every executive is a Consultant. But for this considerable expertise is required. All are not Consultants.

The second option is to start your own Business or industry. But this calls for entrepreneurial qualities which an executive may lack. Many are the cases where lakhs of rupees have turned into thousands!.

The third option is to involve oneself in professional activities. For this one must build up one’s position even before retirement. Many cliques operate to prevent outsiders from encroachment.

The fourth is to get into spiritual activities. While nobody is required between you and God, nowadays, we find more and more godmen, swamijis, pseudo Gurus some even US returned. There is a temptation to follow some Swamiji or even become one yourself. This is a very slippery slope. Beware –there are more hoaxes in the religious field than anywhere else!.

The last and most meaningful option is to cultivate a Hobby. Use your creative abilities and do something that you enjoy doing. You should start this even while in service.

We live in three Boxes. First is the Box of Learning, which starts from birth and goes on till 20 plus. Second is the Box of Work which commences at 20 plus and goes on up to 58 or 60—the age of retirement. Third is the Box of Leisure. When we are in the Box of Work what is significant is Status, Prestige, Power—all these we aspire for and it is what we get from Life. The more we get ---the happier we are. The day we retire we move into Box 3—the one of Leisure.

If we have to enjoy this we have to change our psychological position and appreciate creativity, autonomy and integrity. When you were a small child of two or three did status or prestige or money mean anything? What you wanted was autonomy, creativity. A child is always creative. It enjoys creativity. One example. When visitors come you ask your child, “Sing 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star'”. She will not sing. You shout at her. You tell your visitors proudly she is three only and knows Twelve Nursery songs. The moment the guests are gone and your servant comes for cleaning, your daughter will sing to her all the twelve songs. The child has its own values!

By the time we enter the Box of Work values change. We are taught not to respect our autonomy but fall in line—conformity is the rule. If the son plays the violin his Mother will come and tell him, “Playing the Violin now?. Study now. Math’s is very scoring. If you get centum admission to IIT is easy. Life is competitive, dear son.” When we enter the Box of Leisure values change. Your psychological position has to be changed. New values of creativity, integrity and autonomy emerge. Hobbies are an excellent way of getting Leisure Value. Everybody must identify his hobby that he can enjoy. Not bother about Power, Prestige and Status. An individual can live in one box only or interchange or combine the boxes. You can have learning, work and leisure together. One can even take up a hobby that is financially productive. As time passes one learns.

The real problem of retirement is that people refuse to face the problem. The mantra is “Let us cross the bridge when we come to it.” This is not correct. Since we live in three Boxes we must prepare ourselves for crossing from one to the other. Structuring our time is the prime requirement. In the beginning you are contributing to Value. Think of Transfer Value. After retirement you can think of Leisure Value. Develop good hobbies which incorporate your creativity, autonomy and integrity. I have taken to Letter writing. (Rajaji , Kalam and H R F Keating.)

You will lead a happy life. Retirement is not adding “Years to your Life but adding Life to your Years”. Retirement is not a calamity but an opportunity. I shall advert to some basic qualities one must cultivate. There are two ways to look at every situation in life. Is the Cup half empty or is the cup half full. One man was not worried about his becoming bald. He declared “I have less hair to comb!” Another man in identical situation moaned, “I have more face to wash!” Always remember that you are loved, even when it does not seem like it. Believe in yourself and your values. Don’t sell out when things go wrong. Don’t let anything get you down. Always bounce back. Set goals for your future and never settle for anything less.

Realise that there are others in this world with bigger problems than you. Appreciate the good things of Life. Sunrise, Sunset, Flowers, Birds. Be thankful for the good times you have with your loved ones. Spend more time with your family and friends. Laugh as much as you can. Appreciate the simple things of Life and don’t get caught up in the material things of life. Be an Optimist and see the Cup as being Half Full. Before long your attitude will rub off on others. You can make the world a better place to live by simply by making yourself a happier person.

You will permit me to conclude with an allegorical story. First God created the Cow and said, “You must go with farmer daily to the field all day long and suffer under the Sun, have calves, give milk and help the farmer. I give you a span of sixty years.” The Cow said, “That’s surely tough. Give me only twenty years. I give back forty years.” On Day Two God created the Dog and told him, “Sit all day by the door of your house and bark at strangers. I give you a span of twenty years.” The Dog said, “Too long time for barking. I give up ten years.” On the third day God created the Monkey and said to him, “Entertain people. Make them laugh. I give you Twenty years.” The Monkey said to God, “How boring, Monkey tricks for twenty years. Give me only Ten years”. Lord agreed.

On the fourth day God created Man. He told him, “Eat, sleep, play, enjoy and do nothing. I will give you twenty years.” Man said, “Only twenty years. No way. I will take my Twenty and give me the Forty the cow gave back, the Ten that the Monkey returned, and the Ten the Dog surrendered. That makes eighty. O.K?”

O.K said God. That is why for the First twenty years we sleep, play enjoy and do nothing. For the next forty cow-years we slave in the Sun to support our family. For the next ten-monkey years we do tricks to entertain our grandchildren. And for the last Ten-dog years we sit in front of the house and bark at everybody.

Thank You All."

With best wishes

Vinod Khurana

+971 557149983

heavenlyblessings@suvik.ae

www.suvik.ae

www.vinodkhurana.info

www.royalsuvik.ae.

Forgiveness: the Best Attitude.

2013-08-07T08:37:00.001-07:00

Dear Readers,

Greetings of the day!

One of my Facebook friend has posted this story, which I felt to share it with my readers and request you to please go through this, as it contains a beautiful message.

A kindergarten teacher decided to let her class play a game.

The teacher told each child in the class to bring along a plastic bag containing a few potatoes.
...
Each potato will be given a name of a person that the child hates.

So the number of potatoes that a child will put in his/her plastic bag will depend on the number of people he/she hates.

So when the day came, each child brought some potatoes with the name of the people he/she hated. Some had 2 potatoes; some 3 while some up to 5 potatoes. The teacher then told the children to carry with them the potatoes in the plastic bag wherever they go (even to the toilet) for 1 week.

Days after days passed by, and the children started to complain due to the unpleasant smell let out by the rotten potatoes. Besides, those having 5 potatoes also had to carry heavier bags. After 1 week, the children were relieved because the game had finally ended…
The teacher asked: “How did you feel while carrying the potatoes with you for 1 week?”. The children let out their frustrations and started complaining of the trouble that they had to go through having to carry the heavy and smelly potatoes wherever they go.

Then the teacher told them the hidden meaning behind the game. The teacher said: “This is exactly the situation when you carry your hatred for somebody inside your heart. The stench of hatred will contaminate your heart and you will carry it with you wherever you go. If you cannot tolerate the smell of rotten potatoes for just 1 week, can you imagine what is it like to have the stench of hatred in your heart for your lifetime???”

Moral of the story:

Throw away any hatred for anyone from your heart so that you will not carry sins for a lifetime. Forgiving others is the best attitude to take!

This story is just not to be read, but to follow in your day-to-day behaviour and will help you live peacefully.

With best wishes,

Vinod Khurana

+971 557149983

heavenlyblessings@suvik.ae

www.vinodkhurana.info

www.royalsuvik.ae

www.suvik.ae

Never Let Your Dreams Shatter

2013-08-02T09:29:00.001-07:00

Dear Readers,

Greetings of the day!

I give below a story posted by one of my friend on Facebook and I found it fit to be shared with my readers.

This is one of the SADDEST stories ever told in Hollywood. His name is Sylvestar Stallone. One of the BIGGEST and Most famous American Movie superstars. Back in the day, Stallone was a struggling actor in every definition. At some point, he got so broke that he stole his wife's jewelry and sold it. Things got so bad that he even ended up homeless. Yes, he slept at the New York bus station for 3 days. Unable to pay rent or afford food. His lowest point came when he tried to sell his dog at the liquor store to any stranger. He didn't have money to feed the dog anymore. He sold it at $25 only. He says he walked away crying.

Two weeks later, he saw a boxing match between Mohammed Ali and Chuck Wepner and that match gave him the inspiration to write the script for the famous movie, ROCKY. He wrote the script for 20 hours! He tried to sell it and got an offer for $125,000 for the script. But he had just ONE REQUEST. He wanted to STAR in the movie. He wanted to be the MAIN ACTOR. Rocky himself. But the studio said NO. They wanted a REAL STAR.

They said he "Looked funny and talked funny". He left with his script. A few weeks later, the studio offered him $250,000 for the script. He refused. They even offered $350,000. He still refused. They wanted his movie. But NOT him. He said NO. He had to be IN THAT MOVIE.

After a while, the studio agreed, gave him $35,000 for the script and let him star in it! The rest is history! The movie won Best Picture, Best Directing and Best Film Editing at the prestigious Oscar Awards. He was even nominated for BEST ACTOR! The Movie ROCKY was even inducted into the American National Film Registry as one of the greatest movies ever!

And do You know the first thing he bought with the $35,000? THE DOG HE SOLD. Yes, Stallone LOVED HIS DOG SO MUCH that he stood at the liquor store for 3 days waiting for the man he sold his dog to. And on the 3rd day, he saw the man coming with the dog. Stallone explained why he sold the dog and begged for the dog back. The man refused. Stallone offered him $100. The man refused. He offered him $500. And the guy refused. Yes, he refused even $1000. And, Believe it or Not, Stallone had to pay $15,000 for the same, same dog he sold at $25 only! And he finally got his dog back!

And today, the same Stallone who slept in the streets and sold his dog JUST BECAUSE he couldn't even feed it anymore, is one of the GREATEST Movie Stars who ever walked the Earth!

Being broke is BAD. Really BAD. Have You ever had a dream? A wonderful dream? But You are too broke to implement it? Too tiny to do it? Too small to accomplish it? Damn! I've been there too many times!

Life is tough. Opportunities will pass you by, just because you are a NOBODY. People will want your products but NOT YOU. Its a tough world. If you are not already famous, or rich or "connected", You will find it rough. Doors will be shut on You. People will steal your glory and crash your hopes. You will push and push. And yet NOTHING WILL HAPPEN.

And then your hopes will be crashed. You will be broke. Damn broke. You will do odd jobs for survival. You will be unable to feed yourself. And Yes, you may end up sleeping in the streets. It happens. Yes, it does.

BUT NEVER LET THEM CRUSH THAT DREAM. Whatever happens to You, Keep Dreaming. Even when they crush your hopes, Keep Dreaming. Even when they turn you away, Keep Dreaming. Even when they shut you down, Keep Dreaming.

NO ONE KNOWS WHAT YOU ARE CAPABLE OF EXCEPT YOURSELF! People will judge You by HOW you look. And by WHAT You have. But please, Fight on! Fight for Your place in history. Fight for your glory. NEVER EVER GIVE UP!

Even if it means selling all your clothes and sleeping with the dogs, ITS OKAY! But AS LONG AS YOU ARE STILL ALIVE, Your STORY IS NOT OVER. TRUST ME.

Keep Up the Fight. Keep your dreams and hope alive. Go Get it.

May the blissful joy be with you!!

With wishes and blessings!!!!!

Vinod Khurana

+971 55 714 9983.

heavenlyblessings@suvik.ae

Mahashivaratri (12 Jyotirlingas)

2013-03-09T00:34:00.000-08:00

Dear Readers,

Greetings of the day!

On the occasion of Mahashivaratri, which is falling on Sunday, the 10^th March 2013; I congratulate you and wish you a healthy and wealthy year ahead. I pray to Almighty, let this Mahashivaratri may bring peace happiness, harmony in your life and you may enjoy the true purpose of your living on the mother earth planet.

Mahashivaratri is an auspicious and important festival of Hindus, especially for the devotees of Lord Shiva who celebrate the religious festival with great enthusiasm. The Mahashivaratri festival, also much popular as 'Shivaratri' or 'Great Night of Lord Shiva', is observed on the 13th night/14th day in the Krishna Paksha every year on the month of Phalguna or Maagh according to the Hindu calendar. Devotees on Mahashivaratri throng to temples and holy shrines to offer prayers and please Lord Shiva. Like each year, Mahashivaratri 2013 will be celebrated on Sunday, March 10 by decorating the Shiv temples in colourful ways.

According to Hindu mythology, Mahashivaratri is Lord Shiva's favourite day. Devotees on this day remain on fast or perform hour long spiritual meditation by following rituals to commemorate Mahashivaratri and be blessed with grace. In the early morning, they visit temples to offer cold water, milk and bael leaves on the Lingam, a symbol for the worship of Lord Shiva, after properly cleaning it. Many sadhus on Mahashivaratri visit shrines and offer prasadam to worshipers to spread the significance of the festival. Wearing a garland made from rudraksha and applying turmeric vermilion or holy ash on forehead symbolizes a holy ritual on this religious festival. Holy mantras are also recited and special puja ceremonies are held throughout the night to celebrate Shivaratri.

Numerous interesting and intriguing mythological stories are believed pertaining to the celebration to Mahashivaratri. In a version, devotees believe that Shivaratri is auspicious because it marks the marriage ceremony of Lord Shiva and Parvati. However, many believe that Mahashivaratri signifies the auspicious night when Lord Shiva performed the dance 'Tandava' that led to the creation, conservation and devastation of the universe.

Mahashivaratri is not only one of the magnificent festivals in India but also in Nepal and other regions where Lord Shiva is worshipped. Among the various popular shrines, Amarnath temple pilgrimage or Mount Amarnath (about 140 km from Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir) is believed to be the holiest in Hinduism. Surrounded by fascinating mountainous terrains and picturesque snowy mountains this shrine remains crowded by pilgrims throughout the year especially on Mahashivaratri.

For women, Mahashivaratri is an auspicious festival. They observe fast and offer prayers both to Lord Shiva and Parvati to shower their grace with a peaceful and blissful married life.

Amid celebrations, to share the excitement and spread the essence of the Mahashivaratri festival people send inspirational Mahashivaratri SMS and lovely Mahashivaratri messages to their dear ones. The collection of Mahashivaratri SMS gives individuals the privilege just to say 'Happy Shivratri' or to mark Shivratri 2013 as a special occasion.

In Hinduism, the Absolute is known as the Brahman and is formless and without attributes. But the human being has form and attributes so we need some form of the Absolute on which we can concentrate. The lingam which is a rounded, upright stone is used as a symbol of Shiva. Worship of the lingam is one of the most important aspects of the worship of Shiva. The word "lingam" actually means a sign or characteristic. So the Shiva lingam is a sign of Shiva and helps us to remember him in his formless aspect. The Shiva lingam is also considered to be the divine phallus, containing within it the seed of the universe. From it all life is created. Together with the yoni or seat on which it rests and which corresponds to the female vulva, the yoni-lingam represents the union of man and woman, Shiva and Shakti, the cosmic Spirit in union with the cosmic Prakriti, which brings everything into existence.

There are thousands of lingams all over India but some of them have a special importance. The most important of these are called Jyotirlingas and they are twelve in number. As given in the sloka, their names are Somnatha, Mallikarjuna, Mahakala, Omkara, Kedara, Bhimshankara. Vishvanatha, Tryambaka, Vaidynatha, Nagesha, Rameswara and Ghushnesha. Most of these are supposed to be self-formed or sprouted out of their own will. A few have been installed by human hands. Every Shiva worshipper dreams of doing a pilgrimage to all these twelve Jyotirlingas at least once in his lifetime.

Before we take a tour of all of them in turn, let us recite the famous sloka given in the Shiva Purana describing the 12 Jyotirlingas of Shiva.

"Saurashtre Somanatham cha, Sri Saile Mallikarjuna.

Ujjanyinyam Mahakalam, Omkare Malamleshwara.

Himalaye to Kedaram, Dakinyam Bhimashankara.

Varanasyam cha Vishweshwam, Tryambakam Gautameethate.

Paralyam Vaidyanatham cha, Nagesham Darukavane.

Sethu bande Ramesham, Grishnesam cha Shivalaya".

Somnath

Somnatha is the name of Shiva in the town of the same name situated in Prabhas Patan in Saurashtra in the state if Gujarat in India. Prabhas Patan is the place where the Yadava clan fought amongst themselves and came to an end as per Lord Krishna’s wish.

Somnatha is connected with the story of Daksha’s curse to Chandra or Soma who is the moon God in Hindu mythology. Daksha was one of the patriarchs and Soma was his son-in-law. However Daksha took a dislike of Soma and cursed him that he would wane away to nothing. Soma appealed to Lord Shiva to save him from this curse. Somnatha is the place where Soma prayed to Shiva. Shiva decreed that he would not wane away to nothing but would have only fourteen days of waning after which he would start waxing for the rest of the month.

Mallikarjuna

Mallikarjuna is the name of Shiva in the town of Sri Sailam near the town of Kurnool in the state of Andhra Pradesh in South India. The temple is rich in carvings and architectural wealth. Adi Shankara is supposed to have composed his great poem called "Shivananda Lahari" at this temple.

The legend concerning this temple is connected with Karthikeya, the son of Shiva. He had left Kailasa and gone to stay on a hill in south India. Parvati was bereft at the departure of her son and begged Shiva to take her there. Kartikeya refused to let them live on his own hill so Shiva and Parvati took up their residence on the hill at Sri Saila from which spot they could pay periodic visits to their beloved son. An interesting thing here is the sound of buzzing which seems to come from within the granite wall at the back of the temple. Bees are supposed to have made their home here but they have never harmed any of the devotees.

Mahakaleshwar

Mahakaleshwar is situated in Madhya Pradesh in the ancient and historic town of Ujjain or Avanti. It is situated on the river Kshipra which is one of the four places in which the Kumbha Mela takes place. It is mentioned in the Bhagavad Purana as being the place where the famous rishi called Sandeepany had his gurukulam or institute of learning where all the princes of the land went for their education. In fact Lord Krishna and his brother Balarama also did their course of studies in this institution. The temple here is situated beside the cremation grounds and it is said that the ashes of this cremation ground is taken for puja in the temple. Shiva is the Lord of destruction and ashes from the burning ghat signify the ephemeral quality of life.

The legend goes that four Brahmin brother were great devotees of Lord Shiva and used to worship him daily at that spot. However a demon wanted to put an end to their worship and went to kill them. The brothers were confident that their Lord would protect them and continued their worship undaunted. Suddenly the lingam burst open with a tremendous sound and Shiva leapt out brandishing the weapons of destruction. His form was that of Mahakala or the great destroyer in the form of Time. The demon was burnt to ashes. The brothers begged Shiva to stay there forever and so he did.

Omkareshwar

Omkareshwar is situated on an island in the middle of the river Narmada in Madhya Pradesh. The Shiva is here is also known as Mamaleshwara.

Once the celestial sage Narada had gone on a visit to the mountain known as Vindhya. The sage knew that the mountain was puffed up with pride so in his usual bantering fashion he told Vindhya that the mountain Sumeru was superior to it. Vindhya decided to become the equal of Sumeru and started doing tapasya to Lord Shiva. When Shiva revealed himself, Vindhya begged him to remain there all the time so that it would be the equal of Sumeru. Omkaresha is the place where Vindhya did tap

Kedarnath

Kedarnatha is the northernmost of the Jyotirlingas and nestles in the snow clad Himalayas. It is snow bound for six months of the year and opens only from May to October. The last twelve kilometers of the journey to Kedarnatha has to be made on foot or pony.

During the last part of their sojourn on earth the five Pandavas (heroes of the Mahabharata war) and their wife, Draupadi proceeded to the place in the Himalayas known as Kedarkanda. They went in search of their favourite deity, Shiva. They thought they saw him and gave chase but they were unable to catch him. Very soon they were joined by a wild looking dog and a noble buffalo. They came to realize that the buffalo was none other than their favourite deity. Once again they tried to catch it but it ran away. The Pandavas chased the buffalo and at last each of the brothers managed to catch one part of the animal. To their consternation it came apart into five pieces in their hands. They threw the pieces far and wide. Those spots where the pieces fell came to be known as the panch Kedars or the five Kedars and are important pilgrim spots in the Himalayas. The hump of the buffalo fell at a most auspicious spot and came to be known as Kedarnatha. The lingam at Kedarnatha is in the shape of the hump of a buffalo.

Bhimashankar

Bhimshankara is situated in the Sahyadri hills of Maharashtra. The easiest way to go there is via Pune. This is the spot where Shiva is said to have destroyed the three demons known as Tripurasuras. The legend connected with this place has to do with one of the brothers of the demon known as Kumbhakarna who was a brother of Ravana, the demon king of Lanka. His son was called Bhima. When he heard of the death of his father at the hands of Rama, he swore vengeance on all the devotees of Vishnu (Rama was an incarnation of Vishnu). His first target was the king called Kamarupa whom he captured and threw into a dungeon along with his wife. The couple started earnest prayers to Shiva to save them. When he heard this, Bhima rushed to the dungeon with upraised sword to kill him. At that moment Shiva split open the lingam and jumped out of it and killed the demon. The couple begged him to remain there and hence the lingam here is known as Bhimshankara.

Vishwanath

Vishwanath temple is situated on the banks of the holy river Ganga in Varanasi in the state of Uttar Pradesh. It is the most famous temple of Shiva in India and attracts thousands of pilgrims every year. The famous Manikaran ghat is the place where countless Hindus have been cremated. The fires of cremation have never been extinguished here since time immemorial since dead bodies are being constantly brought there. Anyone who sits for a few minutes at this ghat will realise the transitory quality of life and start looking deeper into the meaning of life.

The creator Brahma himself is supposed to have done tapasya in this spot. It is said that Varanasi will not be destroyed even at the time of the great deluge when the rest of the world goes into dissolution. Shiva will raise the city on the point of his trident and protect it while destruction rages all around.

There is another story connected with this city. Once Shiva and Parvati had gone to the world of Brahma. He began reciting hymns through all his five mouths in praise of Shiva. But one of the mouths was making mistakes and so Shiva, who was a perfectionist where music was concerned, plucked off the head which was making mistakes. But since this was a great crime, Shiva found that he could not shake off the head which had stuck to his back. For many years he went round with the head on his back. It was only when he went to the holy city of Varanasi that the head fell off. So Shiva decided that he would stay there in the form of a lingam. This lingam is called Vishwanatha or the Lord of the universe. The first humans to worship there were Swaymbhu Manu and his wife Shatarupa who were the first couple to be created by Brahma.

Tryambakeshwar

Tryambakeshwar is situated on the banks of the Godavari River. In fact the river has its origin on a hill above the temple. The temple is about ninety kilometers from the pilgrim city of Nasik in the state of Maharashtra.

The place is associated with the sage Gautama and his wife Ahalya. They had prayed to Shiva for a long time. At last the Lord appeared and asked them to choose a boon. He begged Shiva to allow the Ganga to flow beside his hermitage so that he could bathe in her purifying waters and expiate for his sin in having killed a cow by accident. Shiva granted the boon. However Ganga insisted that she would go there only if Shiva took up his residence there. This was agreed upon and Shiva stayed there in the form of a lingam. Ganga flowed beside him and took the name Godavari. To reach the source of the Godavari one has to climb some hazardous steps up the mountain near the temple. The steps lead you to a small shrine where water gushes out of a stone cow’s mouth. One can also trek up the mountain to the top where the river actually has her source.

Vaidyanath

The temple of Vaidyanatha is situated in the state of Bihar in the town of Deogarh.

Ravana, the demon king of Lanka, was a great devotee of Shiva. He practiced intense tapasya in the Himalayas, but still Shiva failed to appear, so he made a fire and decided to sacrifice all his ten heads. He started throwing them one by one into the fire. After the ninth, Shiva appeared and asked him what he wanted. Ravana prayed for superhuman strength and the restoration of his nine heads. Only Shiva could grant such a boon for he was Vaidyanatha, the Lord of all physicians. Shiva also gave him a wonderful Jyotirlinga and told him to take it straight to his capital city of Lanka. He warned him never to put it down. Ravana started back carrying the radiant lingam. The gods feared that if he took it to Lanka, he would indeed become invincible so they sent Ganesha to thwart him. Ganesha took the form of a young brahmachari and appeared before Ravana just as he felt a terrible urge to answer the call of nature. Ravana was forced to give the lingam to the boy who had so providentially appeared before him and warned him never to keep it down. Hardly had Ravana gone than Ganesha put the lingam down. When Ravana returned he found no trace of the boy and try as he would he was unable to budge the lingam which had become rooted to the spot! This is the lingam which is known as Vaidyanatha.

Nageshwar

The tenth Jyotirlinga is known as Nagesha and is situated near the pilgrim city of Dwaraka in Gujarat.

There was once a merchant who was a great devotee of Lord Shiva. During his travels he often had to cross a forest which was inhabited by a demoness called Daruka who kept harassing him. He begged Shiva to help him. Shiva came with his snakes or "nagas" and drove Daruka away. Daruka worshipped Parvati who gave her another forest to roam about without troubling anybody. The lingam which was worshipped by the merchant came to be known as Nageshwara, Lord of serpents. Parvati also took up residence here and is known as Nageshwari.

Rameshwaram

The huge temple of Rameshwaram is situated on the island called Rameshwaran in the state of Tamilnadu. This spot is the closest bit of land in India to the island of Sri Lanka.

Ravana, the demon king of Lanka had abducted Sita, the wife of Rama, king of Ayodhya and taken her to his island fortress. Rama came to rescue her but before he could cross the straits which separated the mainland from the island of Lanka, he made a lingam of Shiva and prayed to him to help him rescue his wife. Shiva appeared and blessed him with all success. Rama requested Shiva to stay in that spot forever. This is the lingam called Ramalingeswara and it is one of the most famous places of worship in India.

Ghrishneswar

Ghrishneswar is the twelfth and last of the Jyotirlingas. It is situated close to the famous caves of Ellora.

Once there was a Brahmin called Sudharma who had a wife called Sudeha. They had no children and so his wife asked him to marry her niece, Ghrishna in order to get a son. She was a great devotee of Lord Shiva and she made a vow that she would make one hundred and one lingams of Shiva daily and worship them. At the end of her puja she would immerse the lingams in the pond nearby. After having completed one lakh of pujas she conceived and got a lovely baby boy. As can be expected her aunt’s nature changed with the birth of the child and one day she killed the baby and threw the body into the pond in which the lingams were immersed. Next morning Ghrishna got up and started her daily ritual of worshipping Shiva. She refused to be distracted even when her husband announced the disappearance of the baby. At the end of her puja, Shiva who was pleased with her devotion restored the baby to her. When he raised his trident to kill her aunt, Ghrishna begged him to spare her life and asked for the boon that he would stay near the pond in the form of a lingam. He agreed and this lingam is known as Grishneswara.

Devotees of Shiva consider it to be a rare good fortune to be able to make a visit to all the twelve Jyotirlingas in one lifetime.

Aum Nama Shivaya

With blessings and best wishes,

Vinod Khurana

00971 557149983

heavenlyblessings@suvik.ae

Deepawali, the Festival of Lights

2012-11-13T01:13:00.000-08:00

Dear Readers,

Greetings of the Day on the Occassion of Deepawali!

Let me tell you that today is Deepawali, the festival of lights. It is being celebrated all over the world, particularly by Indians. Literaly, it means every one of us should light lamps, candles to remove darkness. However, spiritually it means, every one should light the lamp of Gnana (Knowledge) and fulfill himself/herself with love for all in his/her mind and spread it to others to remove haterd, illeteracy, poverty, illness, enmity and greed. We should learn from the lamp that it burns itself to spread light. We should also do every thing possible to spread the love and happiness in and around us. I should not sleep peacefully, if my neighbour is hungry and does not have enough food to fill his/her belly. If darkness is there in and around us, we should try to remove that by spreading the light of joy and happiness to everyone from our own resources.

Deepawali also reminds us of the return of Lord Rama to Ayodhya after an exile of 14 years and celeberations by the reasidents of Ayodhya. Now we should keep in our mind that the return of Rama is equal to return of good habits to our life. Every body from the child hood loves peace, happiness, bliss and respect! but how many of us do remeber this? We have to prode in our self to see whether we are not bitten by the darkness of the world? In this universe, on one side a few have millions and millions and is dumped in banks and in their lockers and in unknown countries, which is of no use either to them or to their near and dear ones. But on the other side, we have millions of people suffering from hunger and sickness, waiting for the death to come. No one is there to take care of these dying human beings.

On this Deepawali festival, the festival of lights let us take an oath that we will not waste a single penny and will spread lights to others and share our wellnesses with the needy ones.

May this Deepawali bring peace, prosperity, blissful joy and happiness to all of you in the coming days so that this universe can be a better living place for its inhabitants.

With blessings and best wishes!
Vinod Khurana
heavenlyblessings@suvik.ae
+971557149983.

Tips to Live A Healthy Life

2012-10-22T04:54:00.001-07:00

Dear Readers,

Greetings of the day!

One of my friend has sent me the following tips for living a healthy life, which I felt should share with my readers: -

Health:
1. Drink plenty of water.

2. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.

3. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.

4. Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm, and Empathy.

5. Make time to practice meditation, yoga, and prayer.

6. Play more games.

7. Read more books than you did in previous year.

8. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.

9. Sleep for 7 hours or more.

10. Take a 10-30 minutes’ walk every day, and while you walk, smile.

Personality:
11. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

12. Don't have negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.

13. Don't overdo. Keep your limits.

14. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

15. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip.

16. Dream more while you are awake.

17. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

18. Forget issues of the past. Don't remind your partner with his/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.

19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don't hate others.

20. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.

21. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

22. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class, but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.

23. Smile and laugh more.

Society:
25. Call your family often.

26. Each day give something good to others.

27. Forgive everyone for everything.

28. Spend time with people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6.

29. Try to make at least three people smile each day.

30. What other people think of you is none of your business.

31. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will Stay in touch,

Life:
32. Do the right thing!

33. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

34. God heals everything.

35. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

36. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

37. The best is yet to come.

38. When you awake alive in the morning, thank God for it.

39. Your Inner most is always happy. So, be happy.

Last but not the least:

40. Please Forward this to everyone you care about.

May the blissful joy be with you,

With blessings!

Vinod Khurana
heavenlyblessings@suvik.ae
00971 55 714 9983

Mind Power : As You Sow So Shall You Reap!

2012-09-08T03:53:00.001-07:00

Dear Readers,

Greetings of the day!

You might have observed in your life that majority of people always blame their circumstances for what they are. I don't believe in circumstances. The people who achieve higher positions in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want. If they can't find them, make them as per their wish. Such is the Power of our mind that we become what we think about.

You will agree with my view that a person who is thinking about a concrete and worthwhile goal is going to reach it, because that's what he's thinking about. And we become what we think about.

On the other hand, there are persons who have no goal, who don't know where they are going, and their thoughts must, therefore, be thoughts of confusion, anxiety, fear and worry. Their life becomes one of frustration, fear, anxiety and worry. If they think about nothing; they become nothing.

How does it work? Why do we become what we think about? Well, I'll tell you how it works, as far as I know. To do this, I want to tell you about a situation that parallels the human mind and its great power.

Suppose an agriculturist in a village has some good fertile land. The land gives him a choice; he may plant in that land whatever he chooses. The land doesn't care. It's up to the farmer to make a decision. I am comparing the human mind with the land because the mind, like the land, doesn't care what you plant in it. It will return what you plant, but it doesn't care what you plant.

Now, let me say that the farmer has two seeds in his hand; one is a seed of wheat, the other is tobacco. He makes the land ready for plantation and he plants both seeds; one wheat, the other tobacco. He waters and takes care of the land as per his experience. You know very well that what will happen? Invariably, the land will return what was planted.

That is why it is said, "As you sow, so shall you reap."

Remember, the land doesn't care. It will return tobacco in just as wonderful abundance as it will return wheat. Let me share with you one my real life experience.

On an official trip, I was travelling in the Khera district, which is an interior part of Gujarat State in India, in 2004, about 8 years back. On the left side of the road, the plantation was having fence, whereas on the right side of the road, the crop did not have fencing. I became eager and asked the person, with whom I was travelling that why the crop on the right side had not been fenced to protect it from animals. The answer came that the crop on the right side was of tobacco and even the animals do not eat this and there was no worry for the farmers to protect it. Quite good number of us chew tobacco &/or inhale the smoke. Whereas even animals do not like to eat its leaves. I do not want to make any comment on them, but they can understand the affects of tobacco on our body very well.

Similarly, the human mind is far more fertile than the land. It is far more incredible and mysterious than the land; but it works the same way. Human mind does not care, what the owner of mind plant? It may be success or failure. A concrete worthwhile goal or it can be confusion, misunderstanding, fear, anxiety, and so on. But whatever we plant it will surely return to us.

I hope now it is fully clear that whatever one sows, he/she reaps the same. As you know that human mind is the last great, unexplored continent on earth. It contains riches beyond our wildest dreams. It will return anything we want to plant.

I would therefore, request you to please keep always positive thoughts in your mind and as the farmer removes the weed, moment it comes up to protect his crop, you also should kill the evil thoughts of negativity in their buds itself, so that you can enjoy the fruits of your efforts.

May the Almighty give you happiness and Blissful Joy forever!

With Blessings and wishes from

Vinod Khurana

00971 557149983

heavenlyblessings@suvik.ae

Companion For Ever

2012-09-03T01:08:00.000-07:00

Dear Readers,

Greetings of the day!

One of my colleagues has written this small but touching story with a deep message and this touched my heart. I thank him for sharing this. I thought I may also share this with my readers, which may be beneficial to all of us, if we understand its message and try to implement in our life.

A ticket collector in a train found an old worn out wallet in a compartment full of many people. He looked inside to find the name of its owner. There was no clue. All that there was in it, was some money and a picture of Lord Shri Krishna. He held it up and asked, 'Who does this wallet belong to?'

An old man said, 'That's my wallet, please give it to me.' The ticket collector said, 'You'll have to prove that it is yours. Only then I can hand it over to you.' The old man smiled a toothless smile and said. 'It has a picture of Sri Krishna in it.' The ticket collector said, 'That is no proof; anyone can have a picture of Shri Krishna in his wallet. What is special about that? Why is your picture not there in it?'

The old man took a deep breath and said, 'Let me tell you why my picture is not there in it. My father gave this wallet to me when I was in school. I used to get a small sum as pocket money then. I had kept a picture of my parents in it.

When I was a teenager I was greatly enamored by my good looks. I removed my parent's picture and put in, one of my own. I loved to see my own face and my thick black hair. Some years later, I got married.
My wife was very beautiful and I loved her a lot. I replaced my own picture in this wallet with a picture of her. I spent hours gazing at her pretty face.

When my first child was born, my life started a new chapter .I shortened my working hours, to play with my baby. I went late to work and returned home early too. Obviously, my baby's picture occupied the prized position in my wallet.'

The old man's eyes brimmed with tears as he went on.. 'My parents passed away many years ago. Last year my wife too left her mortal coil. My son, my only son is too busy with his family. He has no time to look after me. All that I had ever held close to my heart is far, far away from my reach now.

Now I have put this picture of Shri Krishna in my wallet. It is only now that I have realized that He is the eternal companion. He will never leave me. Alas! If only I had realized this before. If only I had loved the Lord Krishna all these years, with the same intensity as I loved my family, I would not have been so lonely today!'

The ticket collector quietly gave the wallet to the old man. When the train stopped at the next station, the ticket collector went to the book stall at the platform and asked the salesman, 'Please give me a small picture of Shri Krishna? I need one to put in my wallet!'

In this universe no blood relation is going to stay with us throughout our life, only He is going to stay with us and our karmas. Please, therefore, have some time spared in your day to day routine and ensure that you remember Him every day.

May the Blissful Joy be with you.

With blessings and wishes from

Vinod Khurana

heavenlyblessings@suvik.ae
00971 55 714 9983.

Legend of Krishna Janmashtami

2012-08-09T01:52:00.000-07:00

Dear Readers,

Greetings of the day!

I congratulate all of you today on the Birthday of Lord Krishna, which is known as Janmashtami.

Krishna Janmashtami, one of the most popular festivals of Hindus celebrates the birth of their beloved God, Sri Krishna. Detailed story of Janmashtami or Lord Krishna's birth has been narrated in Puranas. Please read on to know more about the various fascinating aspects of the legend of Janmashtami as stated in Puranas. Mathura, a prominent town of Northern India and the birth city of Sri Krishna was ruled by King Ugrasen, a Yaduvanshi (Belonging to the Community of Yadavs). He was a great king loved by his subjects. He had two children, a son Kansa and a daughter Devki. Kansa was quite cruel by nature, his wickedness knew no bounds when he jailed his father and forcefully became the king of Mathura.

Army of Demons

King Kansa had an army of demons who helped him spread fear and accomplish his evil tasks. Putana, Bakasura, Aghasura were his close aides.

Love for sister Devki and Brother in law Vasudev

Though Kansa was hard hearted, but he loved his sister immensely. He married her off to Vasudev, one the high ranking officers in his army. However on the day of wedding, as a result of a heavenly prediction that Devki’s eighth child will be born to kill him, Kansa decided to kill his sister. On Vasudev's pleading, he put both of them in Jail and let them live but with a promise that they will hand over all their children to Kansa, only to be killed by him.

Birth of Balram

Kansa succeeded in killing all the six new born babies of Devki and Vasudev, however the seventh child was saved by divine intervention as the child was transferred from Devki’s womb to that of Rohini's, Vasudev's other wife. Thus Balram, the elder brother of Krishna was born but Kansa thought that Devki had a miscarriage.

Birth of Krishna

The birth of the eighth child of Devki, Lord Krishna was followed by a chain of dramatic events. Soon after the birth of the child, as if by a sheer miracle, all the soldiers guarding the couple fell asleep and the gates of the Jail flew open themselves. Vasudev decided to smuggle the child safely in a basket to his friend Nand in Gokul. Since it was raining heavily, River Yamuna was all swollen and Vasudev feared that both he as well as his child will drown if he tried to cross it, however, as soon as the feet of the infant touched the river, the flow of water became normal and Vasudev was able to cross it easily. Sheshnag, the five headed serpent of Lord Vishnu protected the child with its fangs. Vasudev knew that his son was not an ordinary child but a divine being. After handing his child, to his dear friend, Nand, Vasudev returned back safely with a girl child and no one got to know about it.

Yogmaya’s prediction

On hearing the news of the eighth born child, Kansa rushed to kill the girl. He paid no heed to Devki’s plead of sparing the girl. He held the child by her legs and just as he was about to bang her against the wall, the girl vanished into thin air and told Kansa that his slayer had been born and was safe in Gokul. The girl child was none other than Yogmaya (divine illusion).

Ongoing Efforts to Kill the Child

Soon, after getting to know that the eighth child of his sister was born and safely growing in another village, Kansa ordered his soldiers to kill all the one-day old male infants in and around Mathura. He made quite a few unsuccessful attempts to kill the child.

Episode of Putana-The Demoness

King Kansa, sent one of his reliable servants to kill on the infants in the village by feeding them poisonous milk. She killed many infants but in the end she was killed by baby Krishna who sucked her life while being fed poisonous milk.

Episode of Overturning the Cart by Lord Krishna

As per folklore, during one of the birth ceremonies of Lord Krishna, Mata Yashoda kept fast asleep Krishna under a cart full of milk. Lord Krishna started crying for milk after getting up, but Mata Yashoda didn't hear his cries so Lord Krishna kicked the cart with his feet and overturned it. The pots were shattered and milk started flowing into his mouth. When the story of overturned cart was narrated to Mata Yashoda, she could not believe it.

Episode of Displaying the Cosmos to Mother Yashoda

Legend has it that one day Mata Yashoda was cuddling Lord Krishna and playing with him. The child lying on his mother's lap yawned and opened his mouth. Mata Yashoda saw the whole universe in his mouth, the sun, the moon and all the stars, the sky, mountains, rivers, islands, oceans, all the continents, all living as well as non-living beings.

Killing of Demon Trinivarta

On hearing the death of Putana, King Kansa, sent his another servant- demon Trinivarta to kill Sri Krishna. Trinivarta took the form of a whirlwind, and carried the young Krishna away with itself, in the hope of throwing him away. Lord Krishna increased his weight which made the demon unable to move any further. After some time, the weight of Lord Krishna became too heavy for the demon to handle, so he fell on Ground and died.

End of Bakasura

At the instigation of Kansa, his friend Bakasura, changed his form to that of a crane, and went to kill Young Krishna, He hit him with his beak but Lord caught hold of his beak and tore it apart, killing him instantly.

Episode with the Fruit Seller

According to another famous folklore, Lord Krishna went to a woman fruit seller and asked her to give him some fruits in exchange for a handful of grains. The woman took the handful of grains from Lord Krishna and put in her basket and left. On reaching home, the woman was astonished to see her basket full of precious stones and gems instead of grains.

Episode of Omnipresent Lord Krishna

Bal Gopal was very mischievous and found great pleasure in playing pranks on gopis. He would steal their milk, butter; break their earthen pots to get butter. One day Lord Krishna broke all the earthen pots of a gopi in order to get butter. On being caught red handed, the gopi went to mother Yashoda to inform her of her son's mischievous deeds. She was shocked to see the Lord standing next to his mother; Feeling embarrassed she left the place.

Slaying of King Kansa

King Kansa, tired of the killing of all his servants, invited both his nephews, Balram and Krishna for a wrestling match in Mathura. He made use of elephant Kuvalyapeeda to kill Krishna at the entrance of the arena; Krishna killed him followed by killings of Charuna and Toshalaka- chosen athletes of Kansa. Krishna went to Kansa, took him by hair and threw him on the ground; finally killing him. The slaying Of Kansa ended his tyrannical rule and people rejoiced and celebrated his death.

Sri Krishna's Lifetime Chart

Given here is a chronological list of Lord Krishna's lifetime achievements. Relevant aspects of Lord Krishna's life from birth to renunciation have been presented in a tabular form.

Age of Lord Krishna Description

Birth : In the month of Shravana, around July 19th 3227 BC in a prison cell in Mathura city to Vasudev and Devki.

0 to 3 years: Lived in the neighboring town of Gokul with Nand and Yashoda, performed bal-leela, including killing of demons Putana, Trinivatra etc.

3 to 7 years: Started living in Vrindavan, Killing of Demons Bakasura, Aghasura and Dhanuka.

7-10 years: Lifting of Govardhan hill, played rasleelas with Gopis, Invited for a wrestling match by Kansa which resulted in his killing.

10 – 28 years: Lived in Mathura and protected it from many Demons. Took the lessons in all the sixty four arts from Muni Sandeepani in Ujjain and perfected all the arts.

29 – 125 years: Established kingdom in the city of Dwarka with Brother Balram. Lord Krishna Married Rukmini and 16000 other princesses. Helped Pandavas win the battle of Mahabharata, explains teachings to Arjuna later written down by Rishi Vyas as Bhagwad Gita.

125th Year: Fall of Yaduvanshi dynasty due to fraternal killing. Disappearance of Lord Krishna on 18th February 3102 BC.

May the Lord Krishna fill your life with Joy and Blissfull Happiness!

With Blessings and wishes from

Vinod Khurana
heavenlyblessings@suvik.ae
+971 55 714 9983.

Tips to Increase Mind Power - Part - 1

2012-07-04T00:19:00.000-07:00

Tips to Increase Mind Power

Dear Readers,

Greetings of the day!

Let me today discuss with you some of the tips, if you use in your daily schedule will certainly increase your mind power’

I request you to please don't look down with disrespect at anybody. Looking down is no achievement, it requires no skill. The only thing it gives is an acid-filled mind and a stiff painful neck. Learn to look up. There's generosity there. It's a beautiful exercise too. Not only the throat and neck-muscles get a wonderful stretch, but it also helps the double chin gets ironed out.

You may ask me why this talk of looking up? Well, you know that many of us, who are well-settled in life often, become self-satisfied and sort of dead and empty. We feel flat with no sparkle in our life. Energy dips, enthusiasm… what's that??

Wouldn’t you agree that it's frightening, like being in a psychological paralysis. The situation may bring Scorn, pessimism, and spiral out of this fear. I'm in a bad state, and I want to see others in a bad state too — such currents weave insidiously in a mind that has become progressively smaller and narrower in scope and lost its great ability to wonder.

Now just examine your thoughts and you'll find this phrase repeating itself: ‘I have to'. I have to go to work today. I have to pick up the kids. I have to finish this evaluation. I have to submit this report. I have to go to market to buy this and that and so on and so forth.

‘I have to' hangs like devil's sword over our head. The threat is implicit. Every time I think I have to, there is a corresponding ‘or else' lurking below the surface. After some time, that word of ‘or else' eats away confidence, self-esteem, liveliness and causes depression amongst majority of us.

It leads us to think that, we don't want the ‘or else' vapour in our mind that constantly kicks up cortisol's stressful dust in our body. So, the question comes, what to do.

Now is the time to think smart. Drop the ‘I have to' and usher in the more amicable ‘I could'. I could go to work today. I could pick up the kids. I could finish this evaluation. I could go to market. I could bring some refreshments for my near and dear ones sitting at home. I could go for a walk, before the night etc. You will start feeling relaxed, because there is no choice ‘not to'. How liberating it is to be doing everything voluntarily. We feel in control, breathe easier and do our duties without self-pressure. We even bear some indignities with dignity.

Now, I would suggest you to do practice with the words “I could” in place of “I have to” for some days, before I take you to next steps.

Keep reading as I would be sharing with you more steps to increase your mind power.

May the Almighty be with you and bless you with Blissful Joy and Happiness.

With blessings from,

Vinod Khurana

heavenlyblessings@suvik.ae
00971 55 714 9983

Let Us Enjoy the Gift of Life!

2012-06-04T04:16:00.001-07:00

Dear Readers,

Greetings of the day!

I give below some tips, if you follow in your day-to-day affairs, you will find a sea-change in your life. I know it is very difficult to follow all these. Let me help you in this. Write down all these and serially number them at your own choice. Let us practise the first one for one day; the second one for second day, third one for third day and so on for all the ten tips for you to follow on ten days. The turn of the first will come after ten days only. Is it difficult to follow for a day one step? Slowly slowly, you would be habituated to these. If you have strong urge to find true meaning of yourselves, you will do it. If you are reading this, that itself shows that you have a strong mind power and will to enjoy the gift of life.

Today before you say an unkind word - Think of someone who can't speak.
Before you complain about the taste of your food -Think of someone who has nothing to eat.
Before you complain about your husband or wife -Think of someone who's crying out to GOD for a companion.
Today before you complain about life -Think of someone who went too early to heaven.
Before you complain about your children -Think of someone who desires children but they're barren..
Before you argue about your dirty house someone didn't clean or sweep - Think of the people who are living in the streets.
Before whining about the distance you drive Think of someone who walks the same distance with their feet.
And when you are tired and complain about your job - Think of the unemployed, the disabled, and those who wish they had your job.
But before you think of pointing the finger or condemning another - Remember that not one of us is without sin.
And when depressing thoughts seem to get you down - Put a smile on your face and think: you're alive and still around.

May the Blisful Joy be with you!

With Blessings from
Vinod Khurana
heavenlyblessings@suvik.ae
00971 557149983.

"How to Control Anger"

2012-05-13T02:06:00.001-07:00

Dear Readers,

Greetings of the day!

Today let me discuss with you a very simple, but complex word “Anger”. In this universe, who is the person who has not got angered or has not seen others angry? From the childhood onward, one has been seeing parents getting angered, teachers getting angered on petty things, but no one taught us how to control anger. The big question, you may ask me - why one should control anger? When one is angered, his/her Blood Pressure increases, heart beats go up and heart requires more blood. All these reactions affect our body physically and mind mentally. For a fraction of second, we are not able to control our thoughts and whatever comes, we do speak, without realizing how many bad words or thoughts have come to us. Before we hurt others, we ourselves have got hurt by our own words or our thoughts.

Before, I tell you very secretive and the easiest method of controlling anger, let me share with you a small story, which I had read when I was a primary school student.

One day Buddha was walking through a village. A very angry and rude young man came up and began insulting him. "You have no right teaching others," he shouted. "You are as stupid as everyone else. You are nothing but a fake."

Buddha was not upset by these insults. Instead he asked the young man "Tell me, if you buy a gift for someone, and that person does not take it, to whom, the gift belongs?"

The man was surprised to be asked such a strange question and answered, "It would belong to me, because I bought the gift." The Buddha smiled and said, "That is correct. And it is exactly the same with your anger. If you become angry with me and I do not get insulted, then the anger falls back on you. You are then the only one who becomes unhappy, not me. All you have done is hurt yourself."

"If you want to stop hurting yourself, you must get rid of your anger and become loving instead. When you hate others, you yourself become unhappy. But when you love others, everyone is happy."

Now these are the lessons:

If you are right then there is no need to get angry!!!

And if you are wrong then you don't have any right to get angry!!

Patience with family is love, Patience with others is respect,
Patience with self is confidence and Patience with GOD is faith.

Never Think Hard about the PAST, It brings Tears... Don't think more about FUTURE, It brings Fears... Live this Moment with a Smile.

To control anger, the secretive and the easiest way is that whenever you feel that a situation is arising or has arisen and you are going to lose temper, take deep breath three times with attention on both your hands and touching the first finger with tip of thumb. Count five and see the electrifying effect of this very secretive exercise. Do not forget to write me on this exercise.

May the happiness and blissful joy be with you!

With blessings!

Vinod Khurana

00971 55 714 9983

heavenlyblessings@suvik.ae

Dreams Coming True

2012-04-16T08:29:00.004-07:00

Dear Readers,

Greetings of the day!

Let me today discuss with you the word 'Dreams'. A person having good dreams during night shows that he/she is physically fit and has a good sound sleep. If one is sick, he can not have sound sleep, thus can not have dreams during sleeping. That is why, it is said that the Dreaming during night is GOOD. The dreams coming to a person during his sleep may be as per his thoughts or his memories, not only for the present birth, but for his/her past birth also. One may see in dreams, such distant places, which one might have not gone. Some persons' dreams come true, if the time of the dreams is early morning at about two hours before the Sunrise. If you want to experiment, just see the watch, if you get up from the dreams and see the time and if my calculation is correct, you may respond to me. Persons having awakened their Chakras, particularly, the 6th Chakra have the power to visualise the future of his/her/others' through dreams.

Are you aware that the day-dreaming is BETTER than night-dreaming? Because the origin of any innovation or new work is day dreaming. How many of us have day-dreaming? Almost all, is not so? Everyone wants to be rich, everyone wants to achieve the highest ladder of ones' career, everyone wants to be THE MASTER of UNIVERSE in one's day-dreams. But there are some, who day-dream about their misfortune and lo, in reality it comes true after some time. Such is the power of day-dreaming.

Do we actually work to attain our goals seen through day-dreams? Not many of us put in the efforts, required to achieve these our dreams. BEST are those, who work hard in a systematic way to achieve their goals seen through day-dreams. Thus do not feel shy of day-dreaming. If some one says, you are day-dreamer, laugh at his/her poor knowledge about dreams. Become a good Day-dreamer and try to make them true. Make calcultive move, put sincere efforts consistently till the dreams become reality. Otherwise, how we could have got Metro, aeroplanes, rockets, mobiles, live telecast of matches/important events. These all are the results of day-dreams taken by few and the fruits of these are eaten by all of us. So go ahead and start day-dreaming.

May your Dreams come true and you may also achieve your Goals!

With blessings from

Vinod Khurana

00971 55 714 9983

heavenlyblessings@suvik.ae

The Secret of Success: Try & Try Again

2012-04-10T00:57:00.000-07:00

Dear Readers,

Greetings of the day!

Have you ever thought over, what makes one positive thinker? You may ask why this questioned is being asked to you and what relevance it has with you. You will agree that now-a-days, society is full of people, who are running after each other and are not happy with their own achievements. They feel zealous of others' prosperity, instead of looking in to the reasons for their own failure. If they think positively, they would analyze the reasons of their own failure and try to get success and become Prosperous and Happy. This reminds me of a small inspirational story, which I read when I was a school student. I request you to read the story as follows: -

HUNDREDS of years ago there was a king of Scotland and his name was Robert the Bruce. It was a good thing that he was both brave and wise, because the times in which he lived were wild and dangerous. The King of England was at war with him, and had led a great army into Scotland to drive him out of the land and to make Scotland a part of England.

Battle after battle he had fought with England. Six times Robert the Bruce had led his brave little army against his foes. Six times his men had been beaten, until finally they were driven into flight. At last the army of Scotland was entirely scattered, and the king was forced to hide in the woods and in lonely places among the mountains.

One rainy day, Robert the Bruce lay in a cave, listening to the rainfall outside the cave entrance. He was tired and felt sick at heart, ready to give up all hope. It seemed to him that there was no use for him to try to do anything more.
As he lay thinking, he noticed a spider over his head, getting ready to weave her web. He watched her as she worked slowly and with great care. Six times she tried to throw her thread from one edge of the cave wall to another. Six times her thread fell short.

"Poor thing!" said Robert the Bruce. "You, too, know what it's like to fail six times in a row."

But the spider did not lose hope. With still more care, Spider became ready to try for a seventh time. Robert the Bruce almost forgot his own troubles as he watched, fascinated. She swung herself out upon the slender line. Would she fail again? No! The thread was carried safely to the cave wall, and fastened there.

"Yes!" cried Bruce, "I, too, will try a seventh time!"

So he arose and called his men together. He told them of his plans, and sent them out with hopeful messages to cheer the discouraged people. Soon there was an army of brave men around him. A seventh battle was fought, and this time the King of England was forced to retreat back to his own country.
It wasn't long before England recognized Scotland as an independent country with Robert the Bruce as its rightful king.

And to this very day, the victory and independence of Scotland is traced to a spider who kept trying again and again to spin her web in a cave and inspired the king of Scotland, Robert the Bruce.

May the Almighty bless you Blissful Joy and Happiness!

Vinod Khurana
+971 55 714 9983
heavenlyblessings@suvik.ae