Health Benefits of Consuming Dates

1) Dates are free from cholesterol and contain very low fat. Dates are rich in vitamins and minerals.

2) They are rich source of protein, dietary fiber and rich in vitamin B1, B2, B3 and B5 along with vitamin A1 and C.

3)It helps improve the digestive system as it contains soluble and insoluble fibers and different kinds of amino acids.

4) Dates are great energy boosters as they contain natural sugars like glucose, sucrose and fructose. To get more advantage add dates to milk and make it a very nutritious snack.

5)Dates are very low in calories and are extremely suitable for health conscious people.

6) Dates are rich in potassium and reduced in sodium. This helps regulate a healthy nervous system. Researches have revealed the fact that potassium intake up to a certain extent can reduce risk of stroke.

7) Dates also help in lowering of the LDL cholesterol.

8) Dates have high iron content and are very useful in treating anemia. The patients can eat many dates for better advantages.

9) Dates also have fluorine that slows down the process of tooth decay.

10) It helps people suffering from constipation. Soak dates overnight and take it along with water to have added advantage.


11) Dates help in weight gain and are beneficial for those who suffer from over slimming problem.

12) Dates are excellent for alcoholic intoxication.Cures abdominal cancer.

13) It also helps in improving eye sight and helps in curing night blindness as well.


"The best thing is that it does not have any side effect on the body and is completely natural as well as it works better than medicine."

NAILS IN THE FENCE

There once was a little boy who had a bad temper.  His Father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, he must hammer a nail into the back of the fence.


The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence.  Over the next few weeks, as he learned to control his anger, the number of nails hammered daily gradually dwindled down.  He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence.  Finally the day came when the boy didn't lose his temper at all.


He told his father about it and the father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper.



The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone.
 

The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence.  He said, 'You have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence.  The fence will never be the same.  When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one.  You can put a knife in a man and draw it out.  But It won't matter how many times you say I'm sorry, the wound will still be there.  A verbal wound is as bad as a physical one.

The role of GURU in Indian culture

The role of GURU in Indian culture:-

Meaning of the word GURU:

The word ‘Guru’ is derived from the Sanskrit language and has a deep spiritual meaning. Its two syllables Gu and Ru stand for the following:

Gu denotes the spiritual ignorance that most of humankind is in.
Ru represents the radiance of spiritual knowledge that dispels the spiritual ignorance.
In short, the Guru is the One who dispels the darkness of spiritual ignorance in humanity and bestows upon them spiritual experiences and spiritual knowledge.

In the Aapastambgrah Sutra it is said:
“The mother and father give birth to physical self. It is the Guru who gives true birth. Wise people call it a special birth.
Wise people say that without Guru nobody can be successful in his spiritual life.

The human soul, even though initiated in the spiritual path, cannot love an abstract power; and it is for this reason that the scriptures advise us to venerate those who lead us to God and to love their physical presence as the Divine manifesting itself in human form. The Guru's physical body is just a receptacle of the mighty Divine, and as such worthy of the utmost devotion and reverence.
God as the abstract Creator eludes our imagination, but when a human temple enshrines divinity we begin to understand through this familiar medium the purpose of our own ultimate destiny. Thus, when God assumes a human form, He establishes Himself as the Guru. Guru is manifested God- this is perhaps the most succinct and satisfying definition of the word, and eliminates the false claims of some so-called Gurus who are ready to assume the mantle of spiritual authority without the true manifestation of the divine principle.The Guru as manifested God soon becomes the Light, the inspiration and the great exemplar.

The Guru and God are one because the Almighty and his medium of manifestation cannot be different. The Guru embodies not only the Saguna (characteristics) but also the Nirguna(quality) of the Supreme Being, and so to that extent the Guru is approachable and accessible to man's needs and comprehension.

Once a contact between the Guru and the bhakta(disciple) is established, the relationship between master and disciple becomes a thing of beauty. This leads us to consider the principle of reciprocity which operates in this relationship. In return for the innumerable demands which a bhakta makes on the Master, it is but natural that the Guru too should impose a few conditions on the bhakta. The Guru expects total surrender, absolute obedience ,and, the last and most important, supreme effort.

||Guru Brahma Guru Vishnu Guru Devo Maheshwara
Guru Sakshath Parambrahma Tasmai Shri Gurave Namaha||

Meaning: The guru is the creator, the guru is the preserver, and the guru is the destroyer. The guru is the Absolute. I bow before you!
by: Bharatiya samskruthi/Indian culture

The Law of the Seed

Take a look at an apple tree. There might be five hundred apples on the tree, each with ten seeds. That's a lot of seeds. We might ask, "Why  would   you need so many seeds to grow just a few more trees?" Nature has something to teach us here. 

 

 It's telling us: "Most seeds never grow. So if you  really  want to make something happen, you had better try more than once.

 

This might mean:

 

You'll attend twenty interviews to get one job.

You'll interview forty people to find one good employee. You'll talk to

Fifty people to sell one house, car, vacuum cleaner, insurance policy,  or   idea. 

And you might meet a hundred acquaintances to find one special  friend.

When we understand the "Law of the Seed", we don't get so disappointed.

We  stop feeling like victims. Laws of nature are not things to take  personally.

We just need to understand them - and work with them.

 

IN A NUTSHELL

 

Successful people fail more often. They plant more seeds.

 

When Things Are Beyond Your Control Here's a recipe for permanent  misery...

 

a) Decide how you think the world SHOULD be.

b) Make rules for how everyone SHOULD behave.

Then, when the world doesn't obey your rules, get angry! That's what  miserable people do!

 

Let's say you expect that:

Friends SHOULD return favours.

People SHOULD appreciate you.

Planes SHOULD arrive on time.

Everyone SHOULD be honest.

Your wife/husband SHOULD remember your birthday.

 

These expectations may sound reasonable. But often, these things won't  happen! So you end up frustrated and disappointed.

 

There's a better strategy. Have less demands.

 

Instead, have preferences!

 

For things that are beyond your control, tell yourself: "I WOULD PREFER "A",

 

BUT IF "B" HAPPENS, IT'S OK TOO!" This is really a game that you play in your head. It is a shift in attitude, and it gives you more peace of  mind.

 

You prefer that people are polite ... but when they are rude, it doesn't  ruin your day. You prefer sunshine ... but rain is ok!

 

To become happier, we either need to

a) change the world, or

b) change our thinking. It is easier to change our thinking!

 

IN A NUTSHELL

It's not what happens to you that determines your happiness. It's how you  think about what happens to you.

 

Everything is okay in the end. If it's not okay, then it's not the end.

What a man!

Man O Man !
 

When he is without money, he eats vegetables at home;
When he has money, he eats vegetables in a fine restaurant.

When he is without money, he rides bicycle to work;
When he has money, he rides bicycle to exercise.

When he is without money, he walks to eat food;
When he has money, he walks to burn food.

When he is without money, he wishes to get married;
When he has money, he wishes to get divorced.

When he is without money, his wife becomes secretary;
When he has money, his secretary becomes wife.

When he is without money, he acts like a rich man;
When he has money, he acts like a pauper.

He says share market is bad but he keeps on speculating;
He says money is evil but he keeps on craving for it.

He says high positions are lonely but he keeps on struggling for it;
He says gambling & drinking is bad but he keeps on indulging in it.

Man O Man !
He never means what he says and never says what he means !
He simply cant tell a simple truth !!!

Murungai Elai Essence – Drumstick Leaves Juice

Pluck a few branches from the Murungai Maram – Drumstick Tree.

Wrap them in a wet towel and leave the roll overnight. 

The leaves will fall of the branches.

Gather a fistful of leaves.

Wash and rinse the leaves in plain water.

Boil plain water in a vessel.

Put the leaves in boiling water. Boiling will stop.

Let the water with the leaves boil again.

Remove the vessel from the fire and let it simmer for few minutes.

Strain the leaves and throw the leaves away.

Do not add any salt or sugar or any other item to the essence.

The warm essence of drumstick leaves is ready for you to drink and enjoy the taste.

Generally Murungai Leaves are readily available in most localities. If the leaves are tender, the colour of the drink is pale yellow, if the leaves are more mature, then the colour is dark yellowish green. The drink is refreshing, tasty and very healthy.

The juice is very easy to prepare, very good to drink and is very nice to serve to guests at any time.

If you do not get fresh leaves, then you can buy the powder of Murungai Leaves from authentic herbal shop.

The powder is prepared by sun drying the leaves. The leaves will have to be separated from the stem. Only leaves can be used to make a dry powder, not with the stalk/stem or twigs.

You can use 2 teaspoonful powder to prepare 2 glasses of the drink. After boiling the water, add the powder, let it boil again, then take the vessel off the fire, let it simmer for a few minute, then strain/filter through thin clean cloth and drink the warm juice.

Benefits of this healthy drink:

Enhances your body strength, stamina and energy.  

Helps your eyes, bones and nerves.

Helps normalize, balance and maintain blood pressure and corrects Hypertensiveness.

What is so special about a drumstick tree?

Most of you may know that even if you plant a twig of this tree in a good soil, it will take roots and grow very fast. This tree knows only growth. It grows very straight and strong. The essence that pervades its tiny multitude of leaves is very good for giving you strength and stamina.

Since the twigs/stalk and stem are not fit for human consumption, the leaves must be properly separated.

In olden days, the home makers were using Muram to sift the leaves and separate the unwanted twigs/spikes from the bare leaves.

It is very interesting to note that in many plants, one part will be edible and some other part will not be edible/poisonous. For example in betel leaves, the Kambu is to be discarded. In Arugan Pul, the white stem must be discarded and only the green blade of grass must be used to powder it and use as  medicine. Likewise in Murungai, the kutchi has to be discarded and only clean leaves must be used when you make a dry powder.

The authentic source of medicinal values of most plants can be studied from Dravya Guna Shastram.

A Conversation With: E. Sreedharan

Conversation of The New York Times correspondents Heather Timmons & Pamposh Raina with Sreedharan in question-answer form is reproduced below. It is an interesting read.

 

A Conversation With: E. Sreedharan

By HEATHER TIMMONS AND PAMPOSH RAINA

 

E. Sreedharan, on the platform of the Indraprastha station of the Delhi Metro.

At a time when corruption seems to stalk nearly every corner of the Indian government, the Delhi Metro’s star shines brighter than ever. Under Elattuvalapil Sreedharan, the 9-year-old Metro provides stellar service, completes projects on time and under budget, and is making a profit, despite having the lowest fares of any metro system in the world outside of Kolkata.

The Delhi Metro’s more than 200 clean, comfortable trains now carry 2 million passengers a day, and it has embarked on a third phase of expansion, a new line that will ring Delhi, connecting suburbs like Gurgaon with Dwarka.

Mr. Sreedharan, 79, a life-long bureaucrat with more than three decades in the country’s railways, has been the architect of this Metro’s success, building a 7,000-person organization that, to all appearances, is corruption-free, from the ground up.

Ahead of his retirement at the end of this year, he spoke to India Ink about how Indian society and government need to change, and the ways his spirituality makes him a better manager.

Q.  The Delhi Metro has continued to be a success at a time when many other agencies are mired in corruption. What did you do to keep this agency on the straight and narrow?

 

A.  That’s a big question that cannot be answered in one or two sentences.

When we wanted to build the Delhi Metro, we said we would do it in a different way, creating a new organization and a new company with a lot of freedom for taking decisions.

The board of directors is supreme in taking decisions, we depend on the government only for only two or three items like funding and land acquisition, and the rest is entirely left to us.

We have built up a team here drawn from the Indian Railways which is highly motivated and professionally competitive, a very competent team. The whole credit should go to the team backing me.

Q.  How did you pick the team?

 

A.  I was with Indian Railways for 36 years so I knew a lot of people. So I could hand pick, choose the right person for the right job and then get him trained.

The main thing was the reputation for integrity, then the reputation for hard work, professional competence and the knowledge and the aptitude to work in a team. If they work as a lone worker, that is not going to help us.

Q.  Could you apply these same principles to an existing organization? If someone said to you, “Go fix Air India,” would that be possible?

 

A.  It is possible. What is required is the right work culture of the organization, the values of the organization, the way the team is built up and the way they are motivated. You need to define the roles and the goals, very precisely.

 

Q.  What’s the best way to motivate people? Is it praise, or salary or something else?

 

A.  The best way to motivate people is to set an example for them. I can’t sit in an air-conditioned room and make others do all the work. Here I try to set an example in all manners, everything, whether it is punctuality or inspections or the standards for specifications, finishing of the work, anything.

 

Q.  Does this organization pay more than other government jobs?

 

A.  We pay exactly the same, these are government salaries. What is a motivation is the good work environment that they have, and a good environment for learning things. Once people work in Delhi Metro for five or six years, their market value is so high, they are in demand by everyone afterwards.

 

Q. Yet, many say a reason for corruption in government agencies is that salaries are too low?

A. It is not true. No one can say that government salaries are low, so they have to be corrupt. It is totally wrong. Today the government salaries are very decent. It may not compare well with the private sector, but it is very, very comfortable.

Corruption has become a part of public life in this country mainly because of a lot of black money going around.

There are many laws, regulations, agencies and institutions already set up to prevent corruption, but they are not effective. We have an anti-corruption bureau, a vigilance organization, a big strong audit organization, we have got a huge police force, but the police themselves are corrupt, so what is the use?

Q.  How do you fix that?

 

A.  Some basic transformation is required. I would start with the police themselves. We have been talking about police reform in this country for the last so many years. The Supreme Court has given a directive to the governments in 2001 to implement these reforms, but not even one state government or central government has implemented these reforms.

Why? Because it does not suit the politicians, it does not suit the police, themselves.

Corruption has somehow spread into the national fabric, and it takes time to get rid of it.

People want to make easy money, particularly the politicians, and they are the people who are breeding corruption in this country.

Q.  What is one rule or regulation that should change to curb black money, and hence corruption?

 

A.  A simple thing — most of the black money is coming today through property dealings. The government knows very well that a particular property has a certain market value, but it is registered at one-third the market value, so two-thirds goes as black money. Why can’t the government insist that the registration be at the market value?

And when people are caught for corruption, why are they not punished immediately? It takes years and years. It takes years to get justice.

But this has nothing to do with the Delhi Metro. We have had tried to have a very clean organization. When we suspect anybody is indulging in unethical matters, immediately he is sacked.

Q.  Can you tell us about bringing spirituality into this organization – you give copies of the “Bhagavad Gita” (a Hindu scripture) to all managers. How does that help you and them?

 

A.  You see, spirituality has no religious overtones. The essence of spirituality is to make a person pure in his mind and his thoughts.

When I started reading our old scriptures, like the “Baghavad Gita,” I found it was useful for day-to-day life, so I started practicing it.

I consider it an administrative gospel, one that will help you in doing things like running an organization like this.

Q.  Do you have a favorite quote you share with employees?

 

A.  Mainly I tell them “Do your work without expecting any return out of it.” It is called Asangathu Vaa*. You do it for the sake of the society, of the organization you work for.

 * I think there is an error in  reproducing the word

Q.  You’ll be serving as an adviser on the Indian Railways safety committee. What else is in your future after you retire?

 

A.  No particular plan, except to retire really and spend more time on spirituality.

 

Q.  Would you sit on the Lokpal board if asked?

 

A.  No, no I would not like to take up any of these responsibilities. I am in the fag end of my life.