Guru Purnima 2018: Why the festival is celebrated, legend, history and all you need to know

Guru Purnima marks the appearance day of Srila Vyasadeva. It falls every year on the day of Ashadha Shukla Purnima. This year, the festival dedicated to teachers will be observed on July 27.

Written By Saumyaa Vardhan | New Delhi

In Pic : Guru Purnima 2018: The festival is celebrated in countries like India, Nepal and other countries of Buddhist and Jain influence. (Source: Getty Images)

Guru Purnima 2018: It is believed that a person is blind without a teacher to guide him. A mother is the first teacher of a child, but after that, the guru becomes his or her second mother.

The shastras proclaim that a human being is born twice or dvija, first by the union of the father and mother, and second when he is accepted by a bonafide guru, whereby he acts as a father and delivers him with the help of mother Gayatri, which is a personification of Vedic knowledge.

It is the teacher who teaches us how to live this life and become a human being. There is nobody in this material world who can save us from the dangers of material miseries unless we have received proper guidance from our teachers, preceptors and well-wishers.

According to Kathopanishad (1.2.12), tad-vigyananartham sa gurum evabhigachchhet, samit-panih shrotriyam brahma-nishtham. This Vedic injunction means, “In order to learn the transcendental science, one must approach the bona fide spiritual master in disciplined succession, who is fixed in the Absolute Truth. Thus, it has been enjoined herewith that in order to receive that transcendental knowledge, one must approach the guru.”

The scriptures discuss the absolute necessity to accept a spiritual master and take guidance from them to know about the realities of this material world, transcend them and become eternally situated in happiness.

The Vedic system of education or the Gurukula had a provision of nitya acharya upasana — the daily routine of worshipping the guru — since he only used to be the parent of the child for the entire duration of his education and graduation. By worshipping him and offering him respects, the sincere disciple would progress in his active education.

Guru Purnima marks the appearance day of Srila Vyasadeva. It falls every year on the day of Ashadha Shukla Purnima. This year, Guru Purnima will be observed on July 27.

Guru Purnima: The appearance of Srila Vyasadev

Srila Vyasadeva was the son of Parashar Muni and Devi Satyavati. According to scriptures, Parashar Muni was once travelling across the lands of Bharatvarsha and happened to stay for a night on the banks of river Yamuna. He stayed at the house of fisherman chieftain Dusharaj and asked his daughter to ferry him across the river to his next destination.

The name of his daughter was Matsyagandha, or one who smells like fish. During their journey, Parashar was fascinated by her beauty. Using his mystic powers, he created an island in the midst of the river and asked her to land him there. But, she refused. So, he created an impenetrable mist in the river and then, blessed her with a son.

The boy with a blackish complexion (Krishna), was born on an island (Dwaipayana) and would divide the Vedic literature into four parts (Vyasa). Therefore, they named him Krishna Dwaipayana Vyasa.

It is said in Srimad Bhagwatam(1.3.21), “Thereafter, in the seventeenth incarnation of Godhead, Sri Vyasadeva appeared in the womb of Satyavati through Parashara Muni, and he divided the one Veda into several branches and sub-branches, seeing that the people in general were less intelligent.”

Srila Vyasadeva: The original spiritual master

Srila Vyasadeva is considered to be the spiritual master of all the acharyas or teachers of Vedic wisdom since he made them available to the entire world.

Originally, the Veda is one. But Srila Vyasadeva divided the original Veda into four, namely Sama, Yajur, Rig, Atharva, and then again they were explained in different branches like the Puranas and the Mahabharata. Vedic language and the subject matter are very difficult for ordinary men to understand, therefore, Vyasadeva divided them and wrote appendices like Puranas and Upanishads to allow common men to understand them and follow them practically.

You will be surprised to know about his intellect of division.

Original Veda

Detailed them into four Vedas — Rig, Sama, Yajur and Atharva

Explained them further in 18 Puranas

Explained them further in 108 Upanishads

Summarised them into highly condensed Vedanta Sutra

Explained it thoroughly in Srimad Bhagwatam

For others, he went on to produce Mahabharata, which is also termed as the fifth Veda.

Guru Purnima: The day of Guru Puja

The festival of Guru Purnima is celebrated in countries like India, Nepal and other countries of Buddhist and Jain influence. On this day, people belonging to spiritual culture and tradition worship their spiritual preceptors or gurus and give them gifts. They visit their temples and offer them respect and seek their blessings.

Most people observe fast on this day to show their respect to their Guru and surrender to him. Fasting is a symbol of loving exchange and prayers for the long life of Guru in order to get his regular guidance.

Those who wish to serve the Lord out of love and affection, the lord being more eager, sends them to his real representative, the bonafide spiritual master.

Source : The Indian Express

Sanju actor Manisha Koirala: I never thought I could look so much like Nargis ji

Sanju: Manisha Koirala opens up about how she prepared herself for the changes that followed her comeback and her role in Sanju.

After being lauded for her performance in Netflix anthology Lust Stories, Manisha Koirala will be seen playing Nargis Dutt in Rajkumar Hirani’s Sanju. In this interview with indianexpress.com, the actor opens up about how she prepared herself for the changes that followed her comeback and her role in Sanju.

“I was very nervous. I didn’t know if I’d be able to play this role or not, given her health history and mine. But then Raju (director Rajkumar Hirani) sir told me that he doesn’t want to dwell too much into that phase of Nargis ji’s life. When I came to know the entire character sketch, I was very keen and excited to do it. I am glad I did it,” said Manisha Koirala.

After watching the trailer of Sanju, fans were impressed by Manisha’s resemblance to late actor Nargis Dutt. The actor gives all the credit to Hirani as he was the one who researched and made sure that the look and feel of the character was right. She said, “I never thought I could look so much like Nargis ji. However, when we started working on the character and when I saw her pictures so closely, I realised I could play her role and that felt very good. When you have a good director, everything is taken care of. Raju sir did thorough research and he told me about the character graph. So, it became easy and I give all the credit to him.”

Manisha Koirala made a comeback in 2017 with Maya. She was also seen in Netflix anthology Lust Stories. On the kind of films she is choosing and the changes in the industry, the actor said, “Choosing good directors is the first step. Since I love my work, I have to also keep a tab on what today’s trends are like. I don’t want to be stuck in my zone. What I did when I was 20, I can’t repeat it now. I have to see what the younger generation is doing. What kind of acting, cinema and quality of narrative they are consuming. With changing times, you have to change yourself. Everything and everyone is evolving. Nothing gets stuck in time. Only we do! So you have to shake yourself, be constantly agile and up your game in the market. A lot of things have changed from before to now and I am still adjusting. I have not yet 100% adjusted, but it’s a work in progress.”

About the kind of changes that she is still adjusting to, she said, “The industry has become very professional. It is a good change. This generation is more focused and disciplined. There is high competition and hence everybody is striving to do their best. Everybody is looking so good. They are at the gym and working out so much. There is a lot of hard work going on everywhere, which doesn’t allow you to slow down. In our times, it was more relaxed. People worked at their own pace. People were more forgiving. But today, there is no space for a bad film or a bad performance. But I don’t miss what has passed, I am enjoying the present, I am not one of those people who live in the past.”

In Lust Stories, Manish plays Reena, a middle-aged woman clandestinely sleeping with her husband’s best friend. On portraying this character, the actor said, “This is the good thing about how things have changed today. Women have started speaking their minds and men have graciously started accepting that. I love this. If I had done the same kind of movie before, I would be condemned. But today I am appreciated. So, I feel it has to do with this generation’s women standing up for themselves.”

On her experience of working with director Dibakar Banerjee, she said, “Dibakar is a new age intellectual director. He is well-versed with cinema and knows his medium too well. So, we did a lot of workshops before shooting the film. He would be confident enough to come on sets without a bound script. He clearly told me that this was a movie where he could experiment as it didn’t have huge budget issues. So, we had lot of conversations and debates. We were free to explore what we wanted to achieve. It is a good time for me, I am enjoying every bit of what I am doing.”

Source : The Indian Express

एक शौर्य गाथा वीरों के वीर गोर्खा की....

- सुमित्रा तमांग

जाने कब से
जाने कब तक
ये बलिदानी राह चलेगी.
पता नहीं है साथी हम को
अपनी मंजिल कहां मिलेगी.
कुर्बानी की गाथा देखो
पूरा जगत गर्व से गाता
हम को अपने हक़ की लेकिन
अपनी भूमि कहां मिलेगी.
हमने अपने शीश चढ़ाकर
कितने देशों का मान बढ़ाया
अपना हो सम्मान जहां
वह धरती हमको कहां मिलेगी
मुल्क हमारा कहां है साथी
कहां मिलेगी आजादी
जाने कब से जाने कब तक
झेल रहे हैं बर्बादी
अधिकारों की बात करी तो
लाठी, गोली, जेल मिली
इन्कलाब और आन्दोलन भी
अभी तलक बस फेल मिली
कहो शौक से बस इतना कि सारा जहां  तुम्हारा है...
जिस मिट्टी में दफन पूर्वज
उस पर नही अधिकार तुम्हारा है
सरहद पर जब मिले शहादत
तब तिरंगे मे लिपटे
पंजाबी भाइ पंजाब चले,
बिहारी भाई बिहार चले,
राजस्थानी राजस्थान चले
और तुम..!
तुम्हे अपना अंतिम सफर
गुमसुम तय ही तय करना है
मेरे शहीद तिरंगे में लिपटे गोर्खा कहां चलें...?
तुम्हे यह सवाल पूछना भी मना है..
ओ मेरे प्यारे स्वाभिमानी गोर्खा
तुम्हारी परवाह किसे है..
तुम्हारा स्वाभिमान से जीना मना है...
बंधक बनाकर रखे गए हो तुम
ये बंधन खोलजे के लिए कोई नही आएगा..
तुम्हे खुद ही यह बंधन खोलने होंगे
आजादी पाने के लिए
अपनी जमीं अौर अपना आकाश
तुम्हे खुद ही बनना होगा
साथ ही तलाश करने होंगे
संगठित होने के
नये अौजार
तभी तुम
अपनी धरती
अपना देश
अौर
अपने पुरखों कि पहचान
अक्षुण रख सकोगे
वरना इधर उधर यूँ ही
भटकते रहोगे
यूँ ही
भटकते रहोगे...

"असार-पन्ध्र"

   - नीरू बिन्दु

दुख्दो जीवनलाइ
खेतको आलीमा राख्छ
दुख्दो आँसुलाइ
रुमालमा पोकोपारी कटेरोमा झुण्ड्याउछ
दुख्दो पिरलाइ
मुटुमा गाँठै-गाँठो पार्छ
अनि उत्रिन्छ मैदानमा
जंग जितेको मुस्कान बोकेर
टिका लगांउछ माटोको
होली खेल्छ माटोको
विगतलाइ दही-चिउरामा घोल्छ
वर्तमानमा झुल्छ
अनि बाँडछ खुसी
आज सबथोक भुल्छ उस्ले
नाचेर साइनो जोडछ
हाँसेर साइनो जोडछ
धर्म-कर्म निभाउछ किशानको उस्ले...!!

Swachh Survekshan 2018: Here Are India's Top 3 Cleanest Cities

The Swachh Survekshan 2018 increased its scale by surveying 4,203 cities from 434 cities surveyed last year.

The results for Swachh Survekshan 2018 have been announced and Indore in Madhya Pradesh has retained its title of being India's cleanest city.

The results were announced by Hardeep Singh Puri, Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs. Swachh Survekshan 2018, which was the first pan Indian exercise to assess cleanliness in urban India, surveyed 4,203 cities from January 4 to March 10, 2018.

Bhopal has been ranked as India's second cleanest city for two years in a row and Chandigarh was ranked as the third cleanest city, moving up from Rank 11 in 2017.

Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh found a special mention as the fastest moving big city of the Swachh Survekshan 2018,  moving up to Rank 36 from the previous 351, in 2017.

Jharkhand has been declared the best performing state, followed by Maharashtra, in this year's Swachh Survekshan.

Among other highlights of the Swachh Survekshan 2018:

Cleanest State Capital: Greater Mumbai
Best city in Innovation and Best practices:Nagpur
Best city in Solid Waste Management: Navi Mumbai
India's Cleanest City Zone-Wise -
North: Bhalso, Punjab
East: Bundu, Jharkhand
North-East: Kakching, Manipur
South: Siddipet, Telangana
West: Panchgani, Maharashtra

As a part of the Swachh Survekshan 2018, total marks for assessment was increased to 4,000, from 2,000 in last year's survey. Category wise assessment of open defecation free (ODF) progress, collection and transportation of solid waste and processing of solid waste saw their respective weightages being increased in this year Swachh Survekshan. Similar to last year's survey, the results for Swachh Survekshan 2018 involved data submitted by civic bodies on cleanliness and sanitation, as well as feedback from the citizens.

Son of the soil Indian Gorkha Rfn Bikas Gurung Indian Army got martyred during ceasefire violation by Pakistan in Nowshera area of Jammu & Kashmir today

Bikash was a #Gorkha Jawan From Manipur

"Pakistan Army initiated unprovoked and indiscriminate firing of mortars on routine Indian Army patrol, 700 metres inside Indian territory in Naushera sector along the Line of Control (LoC) Saturday morning," a senior army officer told PTI.

In the exchange of fire, Rifleman Bikas Gurung of 2/1 Gorka Rifles was grievously injured and succumbed to injuries. The 21-year-old soldier belonged to Khunka Khuki village of Manipur, and is survived by his mother.

May his soul rest in peace and may God give strength and courage to his family and friends.

RIP Brother

#JaiHind #JaiGorkha

Kim Jong-un shakes hands with Donald Trump after a signing ceremony at the end of their summit in Singapore.

Historic handshake

(New York Times News Service and Reuters)

US President Donald Trump shook hands with Kim Jong-un of North Korea on Tuesday and offered a major concession during their nations' first summit meeting, a momentous step in an improbable courtship between the world's largest nuclear power and the most reclusive one.

Brash, impulsive leaders who only a few months ago taunted each other across a nuclear abyss, Trump and Kim set aside their threats in a gamble to show that for now, at least, personal diplomacy can counteract decades of enmity and distrust.

Emerging from a day of talks in Singapore, Trump said he was suspending joint military exercises with South Korean forces.

Asked if Kim had agreed to denuclearise, Trump said he expected the process to start "very, very quickly" and it would be verified by "having a lot of people in North Korea".

He said Kim had announced that North Korea was destroying a major missile engine-testing site, but the economic sanctions on Pyongyang would stay in place for now.

Trump's decision to suspend the war games - which he described as "very expensive" but also "very provocative" given the continuing negotiations - appeared to take South Korea by surprise.

It was the latest twist in the international drama over the fate of the North's nuclear programme and a complete reversal by the Trump administration, which had previously said the exercises were important to defend an ally and not negotiable.

It was also a remarkable bet by Trump that he can persuade Kim to follow through on pledges to surrender his nuclear weapons that are almost identical to those the North had made - and broken - in the past.

"We're very proud of what took place today," Trump said. "I think our whole relationship with North Korea and the Korean Peninsula is going to be a very much different situation than it has in the past."

In a televised ceremony in which the two leaders signed a joint statement, Kim thanked Trump for making their face-to-face talks possible. "We had a historic meeting and decided to leave the past behind. The world will see a major change," he said.

In the statement, Trump "committed to provide security guarantees" to North Korea and Kim "reaffirmed his firm and unwavering commitment to complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula".

But the statement did not go much further than previous ones and was short on details, including any timetable or verification measures.

It said the two nations would hold "follow-on negotiations" led by secretary of state Mike Pompeo and a high-level North Korean official "at the earliest possible date, to implement the outcomes" of the summit meeting.

It said the two countries would "join their efforts to build a lasting and stable peace regime" on the divided peninsula, meaning talks to reduce military tensions that could eventually lead to a formal peace treaty to end the Korean War.

The day had begun with a carefully choreographed encounter in which Trump and Kim strode towards each other, arms extended, in the red-carpeted reception area of a hotel.

Trump put his hand on the younger man's shoulder. Then the two, alone except for their interpreters, walked off to meet privately.

Later, as they reconvened with top aides, Trump declared of the nuclear impasse: "Working together, we will get it taken care of."

Kim responded: "There will be challenges ahead, but we will work with Trump."

Their negotiators had failed to make much headway in working-level meetings before the meeting, leaving Trump and Kim with little common ground ahead of what could be months or even years of talks.

But this was a negotiation that followed no known playbook: Two headstrong men - one 34 years old, the other 71, products of wealth and privilege but with lives so dissimilar they were practically from different planets - coming together to search for a deal that had eluded their predecessors.

American and North Korean diplomats were, however, struggling to bridge gaps on some of the most basic issues dividing the two sides, including the terms and timing under which the North would surrender its nuclear arsenal.

South Korea's President, Moon Jae-in, who had worked intensely to broker the meeting, said: "Even after the two heads of state open the gate, it will take a long process to achieve a complete solution. We don't know how long it will take: one year, two years or more."

Several experts said the meeting had failed to secure any concrete commitments by Pyongyang towards denuclearisation. Nor did the joint statement refer to human rights in one of the world's most repressive nations.

Trump said he had raised the issue of human rights with Kim, and he believed the North Korean leader wanted to "do the right thing".

He added that US college student Otto Warmbier did not die in vain, for his death had helped initiate the process that led to the summit. Warmbier died last year, days after he returned to the US in a coma after being released from North Korean custody.

Courtesy : The Telegraph