What's In A Name
By Lau Raj Kumar
According
to the Vedic Dharma there are sixteen sanskaars. Sanskaars are sacraments that
are performed at different stages of one's life for his/her physical, mental
and spiritual development. Out of the sixteen sanskaars the fourth one is the
naming sacrament called "Naamkaran Sanskaar". This sanskaar takes
place on the eleventh or the hundred and first day after the birth depending on
the physical health of the mother and the child.
In
this ceremony, family members and the educated are invited and a name is chosen
for the baby. A lot of thought goes into selecting the name of the child as
according to the Vedic philosophy the meaning of the name plays a very
significant role in determining the character, temperament and future success
of that child. Our western educated people, to a great extent, have rejected
this philosophy and started naming their children with fancy sounding names,
which very often has no meaning and in some cases has embarrassing meanings.
For an example some parents have named their daughters as Vilasni - meaning one
who actively seeks sexual pleasures.
The
article below was published in the New Zealand Herald on 30th of April 2007 and
highlights a recent research that shows that the character and success of a
child has a lot to do with the name the child is given. This proves that Vedic
philosophies are not wrong but it is us who do not understand the importance of
it.
The Article:
Rose is a rose but Alex does
maths
Children’s names have a strong influence on their success in life.
Children’s names have a strong influence on their success in life.
By Anushka Asthana
London
London
Girls
who are given feminine names such as Anna, Emma or Elizabeth are less likely to
study mathematics or physics after the age of 16, a study has found.
The finding has spurred a warning to parents to think long and hard when choosing names for their babies.
The finding has spurred a warning to parents to think long and hard when choosing names for their babies.
Both
subjects, which are traditionally seen as predominantly male, are far more
popular among girls with names such as Abigail, Lauren and Ashley, which have
been judged as less feminine in a linguistic test.
The
effect is so strong that parents can set twin daughters off on completely
different career paths simply calling them Isabella and Alex, names at either
end of the spectrum.
A study of 1000 pairs of sisters in the United States found that Alex was twice as likely as her twin to take maths or science at a higher level.
Part of the reason is that names provide a powerful image of a person and influence people’s reactions to them. The study says an Isabella is less likely to study maths because people do not expect her to.
“There are plenty of exceptions but, on average, people treat Isabellas differently from Alexes.” said David Figlio, professor of economics at the University of Florida and the author of the report. “Girls with feminine tames were often typecast”.
A study of 1000 pairs of sisters in the United States found that Alex was twice as likely as her twin to take maths or science at a higher level.
Part of the reason is that names provide a powerful image of a person and influence people’s reactions to them. The study says an Isabella is less likely to study maths because people do not expect her to.
“There are plenty of exceptions but, on average, people treat Isabellas differently from Alexes.” said David Figlio, professor of economics at the University of Florida and the author of the report. “Girls with feminine tames were often typecast”.
Figlio
pointed to the controversy that arose over the first talking Barbie’s phrase.
“Math is hard”.
“It
is a stereotype and girls with particularly feminine names may feel more
pressure to avoid technical subjects,” he said. Not that they were any less
capable. When the Isabellas, Annas and Elizabeths took on their tougher-named
peers in science, they performed just as well.
To
carry out the study, to be published in the Journal
of Human Resourees, Figilo calculated a linguistic “femininity”
score for each name.
It was arrived at by using 1700 letter-and-sound combinations that would be associated as either female or male and matching them against the names on 1.4 million birth certificates. He also showed how harmful giving your child a “chav” or lower’ status name can be.
It was arrived at by using 1700 letter-and-sound combinations that would be associated as either female or male and matching them against the names on 1.4 million birth certificates. He also showed how harmful giving your child a “chav” or lower’ status name can be.
In
a study of 55 000 children, the exam marks of those with “lower- status” names
— often spelled in an unusual way or including punctuation — were on average 3
to 5 percentage points lower than siblings with more traditional names.
One
of the reasons was teachers had lower expectations of them.
Edyta
Ballantyne, a primary school teacher in north London, said she would often be
given the names of children in her class before meeting them and admitted it
was hard not to form judgments.
In
his book, Baby Name Report
Cord, psychology professor Albert Mehrabiam, of the University of
California at Los Angeles, tested a host of names to see how attractive people
found them.
Some names immediately aroused images of
success, others of popularity or kindness. On the whole, people judged to have
more traditional names such as Rachel and Robert did extremely well. More
alternative names scored badly. Breeze was given 16 out of 100, while
Christopher received full marks. “A name is part of an impression package,’’
said Mehrabian, “Parents who make bizarre names for their children are
ignorant, arrogant or just foolish.”
Figlio said people should be more aware of the power of names.
“In ways we are only beginning to understand, children with different names but the exact same upbringings grow up to have remarkably different life outcomes,” he said.
”If you want to give your child a name that connotes low status, then you need to be aware of the consequences.”
Figlio said people should be more aware of the power of names.
“In ways we are only beginning to understand, children with different names but the exact same upbringings grow up to have remarkably different life outcomes,” he said.
”If you want to give your child a name that connotes low status, then you need to be aware of the consequences.”
Motherhood in Vedic Culture - Mother's Day
By Sunanda Kumar
This is the transcript of a radio pravachan presented on 13 May 07 by Arya Veeraangana Sunanda Kumar Ji on the Arya Pratinidhi Sabha of NZ's radio programme called "Arya Sandesh". This programme plays on Radio Tarana 1386am (New Zealand's leading Hindi Radio Station) on every Sunday at 08:30am NZ Time.
According
to the Western World, today is mother’s day. Taking into account the importance
of this event I have decided to talk in English so that I can reach all the
members of our younger generation and relay to them what is this so called “
mother’s day” according to the Vedic culture. At the moment we are celebrating
mother’s day once a year. Does this mean our mothers performed the mother’s
duty on only one day per year? Definitely not, our mothers perform mother’s
duty 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and 52 weeks a year. So if you think that
going and meeting your mother today and giving her a gift has fulfilled your
duty towards your mother then you are wrong. Remember your mother’s absolute
love for you is totally unconditional. She doesn’t want gifts or words of
praise; all she wants is your welfare, your success, your progress and your
happiness. No one in this world can give you this much unselfish love but your
mother. Can you as a child do anything to hurt this pure heart and the soul of
your mother? This is where the Vedic culture stands out like a beacon and tells
the world what a mother is worth. So let me relay the sentiments regarding a
mother.
The
mother is the panacea for all kinds of calamities. The existence of the mother
insures one with protection; the reverse deprives one of all protection. A
person whose mother exists, even if hehappens to be possessed of sons and
grandsons and even if he himself is hundred years old, in his mother’s eyes he
is still a two year old. Whether the mother is able or disabled, lean or
robust, the son is always protected by the mother. No one else is a better
protector of the child. When the child is deprived of his mother, then does he
realize he is grief stricken and the world empty. There is no shelter like the
mother. There is no refuge like the mother. There is no defense like the
mother. There is no one so dear as the mother. For having borne him in her womb
the mother is the son’s “dharti”.
For having been the chief cause of his birth, she is his “jannani”. For having
nursed his young limbs, she is called “amma”.
There
is no mode of life that is superior to serving one’s mother.
When
a woman is being transformed into a mother three miracles happen at once.
The
first miracle
is the miracle of childbirth.
The
act of giving birth is the only moment when both pain and pleasure converge in
a moment of time and work in unison. This
is the second miracle.
Before
the childbirth, the lady was only a woman. After the childbirth, the woman has
transformed into a mother. This
is the third miracle.
This
experience of transformation into motherhood is a privilege reserved
exclusively for women. Motherhood is another name for devotion. The selfless
love and devotion towards the child are grown from the seeds of innocence; no
cunning, scheming, selfish motives are involved here, this is pure love which
only mothers are blessed with.
The
future happiness and well being of the child is absolutely dependent upon the
proper preservation and functioning of the family unit. The future well being
of the society, of the community and of the nation and ultimately of the world
is absolutely dependent upon the proper preservation and functioning of the
family unit. The measure of the level of happiness and well being of a nation
is measured by the happiness and well being of each family in the country.
Family is a pious phenomenon productive of goodness that acts as a shield
against the eroding influences that distort and destroy the culture and noble
values. A well functioning family is essentially a temple that transforms a
house into a home.
And
who is in control of this home? It is the mother.
Mother’s
time with children, guided by wisdom and properly utilized, lays the proper
foundation for nation building. A well-balanced individual with solid
psychological foundations is the quality thread that goes into making the fabric
of the nation. So the root of the nation building is the mother.
The
proper understanding of this fact and its implementation will be the
fourth miracle.
Motherhood
is a spiritual transformation of wifehood. The wife may and does demand and
take; but the mother feels it is her privilege to give. If woman as wife is
socially significant, than woman as mother is spiritually glorious. The Vedic
culture trains every man to look upon all women as forms of the one Divine
Mother. The mother is more worthy of reverence than father or teacher according
to our scriptures.
According to Manu Smriti I quote:-
According to Manu Smriti I quote:-
"From the
point of view of reverence due,
a teacher is ten fold superior to a mere lecturer,
a father is a hundred fold superior to a teacher,
and a mother is a thousand fold superior to a father."
a teacher is ten fold superior to a mere lecturer,
a father is a hundred fold superior to a teacher,
and a mother is a thousand fold superior to a father."
The
performance of domestic duties, the management of her household, the rearing of
children, the economising of the family means- these are a mother’s forte. She
is already endowed with divine love and power. She already governs the world by
her power of gentle love and affection. To make noble citizens by training her
children, to form the character of the whole human race is undoubtedly a power
far greater than that which a woman could hope to exercise as a voter, a
law-maker, a president, a prime minister or as a judge.
A
woman’s natural sphere of activity is the home. She can be the greatest patriot
by living in a simple homestead, raising noble, cultured citizens.
Unfortunately, nowadays babies are born and brought up in nursery schools and
maternity homes. They do not know the health giving, affectionate and tender
soul-expanding caress of their mothers. They do not know what it is to sleep in
the warm embrace of a loving mother. Brought up in the atmosphere of bargain
and economics, they develop even in their teens, an unceasing devotion to the
dollar and material wealth. The inspiring force of the home is the mother. The
home is the origin and beginning of every form of social organisation. It is
the nursery of the nation. It is the sweetest place wherein children are
trained for the future citizenship. The woman illuminates the home through the
glory of motherhood. Good habits, right conduct and formation of good character
are created in children in a well regulated home under the personal influence
of the mother. The loving kindness and the cultured gentleness of the mother
help the children to unfold their natural talents and dormant capacities
quickly. Children absorb ideas by suggestion and imitation. Early training and
impressions formed at an early age are ever lasting. The mother at home can do
the formation of character very effectively. Therefore, home is the most
beautiful training ground for character building in children under the personal
guidance of the mother.
Vedic
culture recognises the ideal of motherhood as the highest for a woman. There is
so much talk in the West about the emancipation of women. Scrutinise her
closely and you will find her a slave of appetites, fashions, and the dollar.
In our Vedic period women enjoyed an honourable and exalted position. They
still occupy a high position now. The object of marriage is mutual happiness of
the parties, the raising of children, and worship and service of the Lord.
Coming to the forefront in her profession is certainly not the test or
criterion of the true greatness of a mother.
The
happiness for a woman lies not in catering for carnal passions, not in
challenging man in his own field by forgetting her natural course of duties,
but in leading the ideal life as taught in the sacred scriptures; the crowning
glory of womanhood. Then alone will woman be restored to the original dignity
of the Universal Mother, which she is to every Arya now.
Women
are the backbone or bedrock that sustain dharma and national strength, peace
and prosperity.
Manu
declares:
"The
woman who always does good, who is efficient in work, sweet in speech, devoted
to her duty and service of mankind, is really no human being but a
goddess."
A
woman is essentially not the object of a man’s lust, but is the mother, the
maker, and the leader. It is the privilege of a mother to bring up her
children, to help them to develop their distinctive natural gifts. Our
scriptures say “Matra
devo bhava”- treat your mother as a goddess.
Mothers
are the greatest conservers of our culture. They adhere to the household
ritual, lullabies and popular poetries. A definite philosophy of life is bound
up with these. By the very quality of their being, mothers are the missionaries
of civilization. With their immense capacity for self-sacrifice they are the
unquestioned leaders of mankind.
According
to Mark Twain:
“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.”
If
this is true we must honour and give the due respect to our mothers and look
after them with same love and affection as she did when you were young. You
will never be able to repay her debts but you will make her happy. If your
mother is happy, then you have a happy home and a happy nation.
May
God give all of us the strength, courage and wisdom to give our mothers the
respect they rightfully deserve. May God bless all the mothers of the world.
Famous Quotes on Vegetarianism & Ahinsa
Compiled By Lau Raj Kumar
Ali
McGraw (Actress) -
"I have always felt that the way we treat animals is a pretty good indicator of the compassion we are capable of for the human race."
"I have always felt that the way we treat animals is a pretty good indicator of the compassion we are capable of for the human race."
Hippocrates (Philosopher) -
"The soul is the same in all living creatures, although the body of each is different."
"The soul is the same in all living creatures, although the body of each is different."
Benjamin Franklin (Scientist & Inventor) -
"When about 16 Years of Age, I happened to meet with a Book written by one Tryon, recommending a Vegetable Diet. I determined to go into it.... My refusing to eat Flesh occasioned an inconveniency, and I was frequently chid for my singularity...."
"When about 16 Years of Age, I happened to meet with a Book written by one Tryon, recommending a Vegetable Diet. I determined to go into it.... My refusing to eat Flesh occasioned an inconveniency, and I was frequently chid for my singularity...."
Thomas Edison (Inventor) -
"Non-violence leads to the highest ethics, which is the goal of all evolution. Until we stop harming all other living beings, we are still savages."
"Non-violence leads to the highest ethics, which is the goal of all evolution. Until we stop harming all other living beings, we are still savages."
Charles Darwin (English Naturalist) -
"There is no fundamental difference between man and the higher animals in their mental faculties... The lower animals, like man, manifestly feel pleasure and pain, happiness, and misery."
"There is no fundamental difference between man and the higher animals in their mental faculties... The lower animals, like man, manifestly feel pleasure and pain, happiness, and misery."
Pythagoras
(Mathematician) -
"For as long as men massacre animals, they will kill each other. Indeed, he who sows the seed of murder and pain cannot reap joy and love."
"For as long as men massacre animals, they will kill each other. Indeed, he who sows the seed of murder and pain cannot reap joy and love."
Leonardo da Vinci (Artist & Scientist) -
"The time will come when men such as I will look upon the murder of animals as they now look on the murder of men."
"The time will come when men such as I will look upon the murder of animals as they now look on the murder of men."
Robert Louis Stevenson (Novelist & Poet) -
"Nothing more strongly arouses our disgust than cannibalism, yet we make the same impression on Buddhists and vegetarians, for we feed on babies, though not our own."
"Nothing more strongly arouses our disgust than cannibalism, yet we make the same impression on Buddhists and vegetarians, for we feed on babies, though not our own."
Romain Rolland (Author, Nobel Prize 1915) -
"To a man whose mind is free there is something even more intolerable in the sufferings of animals than in the sufferings of man. For with the latter it is at least admitted that suffering is evil and that the man who causes it is a criminal. But thousands of animals are uselessly butchered every day without a shadow of remorse. If any man were to refer to it, he would be thought ridiculous. And that is the unpardonable crime."
"To a man whose mind is free there is something even more intolerable in the sufferings of animals than in the sufferings of man. For with the latter it is at least admitted that suffering is evil and that the man who causes it is a criminal. But thousands of animals are uselessly butchered every day without a shadow of remorse. If any man were to refer to it, he would be thought ridiculous. And that is the unpardonable crime."
George Bernard Shaw (Playwright, Nobel Prize 1925) -
"If a group of beings from another planet were to land on Earth -- beings who considered themselves as superior to you as you feel yourself to be to other animals -- would you concede them the rights over you that you assume over other animals?"
"If a group of beings from another planet were to land on Earth -- beings who considered themselves as superior to you as you feel yourself to be to other animals -- would you concede them the rights over you that you assume over other animals?"
Jeremy
Bentham (Philosopher) -
"What is it that should trace the insuperable line? ...The question is not, Can they reason? nor, Can they talk? but, Can they suffer?"
"What is it that should trace the insuperable line? ...The question is not, Can they reason? nor, Can they talk? but, Can they suffer?"
Sir Paul McCartney (Singer & Former Beatle) -
"If slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be a vegetarian."
"If slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be a vegetarian."
Isaac Bashevis Singer (Author, Nobel Prize 1978) -
"In their behavior toward creatures, all men are Nazis. Human beings see oppression vividly when they're the victims. Otherwise they victimize blindly and without a thought."
"In their behavior toward creatures, all men are Nazis. Human beings see oppression vividly when they're the victims. Otherwise they victimize blindly and without a thought."
Albert
Einstein (Scientist) in a Letter to 'Vegetarian Watch-Tower', 27 December 1930
-
"It is my view that the vegetarian manner of living by its purely physical effect on the human temperament would most beneficially influence the lot of mankind."
"It is my view that the vegetarian manner of living by its purely physical effect on the human temperament would most beneficially influence the lot of mankind."
Plutarch (Essayist and Biographer) -
"Can you really ask what reason Pythagoras had for abstaining from flesh? For my part I rather wonder both by what accident and in what state of soul or mind the first man did so, touched his mouth to gore and brought his lips to the flesh of a dead creature, he who set forth tables of dead, stale bodies and ventured to call food and nourishment the parts that had a little before bellowed and cried, moved and lived. How could his eyes endure the slaughter when throats were slit and hides flayed and limbs torn from limb? How could his nose endure the stench? How was it that the pollution did not turn away his taste, which made contact with the sores of others and sucked juices and serums from mortal wounds?"
"Can you really ask what reason Pythagoras had for abstaining from flesh? For my part I rather wonder both by what accident and in what state of soul or mind the first man did so, touched his mouth to gore and brought his lips to the flesh of a dead creature, he who set forth tables of dead, stale bodies and ventured to call food and nourishment the parts that had a little before bellowed and cried, moved and lived. How could his eyes endure the slaughter when throats were slit and hides flayed and limbs torn from limb? How could his nose endure the stench? How was it that the pollution did not turn away his taste, which made contact with the sores of others and sucked juices and serums from mortal wounds?"
Albert Einstein (Scientist) "Bite-Size
Einstein" pg 10 by Mayer & Holms QC16.E5A25 -
"Nothing will benefit human health, and increase the chances for survival of life on Earth, as much as the evolution to a Vegetarian Diet"
"Nothing will benefit human health, and increase the chances for survival of life on Earth, as much as the evolution to a Vegetarian Diet"
Abraham Lincoln (16th U.S. President) -
"I am in favour of animal rights as well as human rights. That is the way of a whole human being."
"I am in favour of animal rights as well as human rights. That is the way of a whole human being."
Ralph Waldo Emerson (Essayist) -
"You have just dined, and however scrupulously the slaughterhouse is concealed in the graceful distance of miles, there is complicity."
Leo Tolstoy (Russian Author, Essayist & Philosopher) -
"As long as there are slaughterhouses, there will be battlefields."
"You have just dined, and however scrupulously the slaughterhouse is concealed in the graceful distance of miles, there is complicity."
Leo Tolstoy (Russian Author, Essayist & Philosopher) -
"As long as there are slaughterhouses, there will be battlefields."
George Bernard Shaw (Playwright, Nobel Prize 1925) -
"While we ourselves are the living graves of murdered beasts, how can we expect any ideal conditions on this earth?"
"While we ourselves are the living graves of murdered beasts, how can we expect any ideal conditions on this earth?"
Mahatma Gandhi (Statesman and Philosopher) -
"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated."
"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated."
Mark
Twain (Author) -
"I am not interested to know whether vivisection produces results that are profitable to the human race or doesn't...The pain which it inflicts upon unconsenting animals is the basis of my enmity toward it, and it is to me sufficient justification of the enmity without looking further."
"I am not interested to know whether vivisection produces results that are profitable to the human race or doesn't...The pain which it inflicts upon unconsenting animals is the basis of my enmity toward it, and it is to me sufficient justification of the enmity without looking further."
Mahatma Gandhi (Statesman and Philosopher) -
"To my mind, the life of a lamb is no less precious than that of a human being."
"To my mind, the life of a lamb is no less precious than that of a human being."
Om Tat Sat
(Continued...)
(Continued...)
(My humble salutations to Arya Pratinidhi Sbha, Sree Lau Raj Kumar, Ms.Anushka Asthana, and Sri Sunanda Kumar for the collection)
(The Blog is reverently for all the seekers of truth,
lovers of wisdom and to share the Hindu Dharma with others on the
spiritual path and also this is purely a non-commercial blog)
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