Aleph is the first letter

Aleph is the first letter

 

Aleph is the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

Alpha he first letter of the English, alphabet.

Alif is the first letter of the Urdu and Arabik alphabet,

Alpha is the first letter of greek alphabet

Anton is the first letter of the german alphabet.

A is the first letter of the latin alphabet.

A the first letter of the all the indian languages alphabet.

A the first letter of the sanskrit alphabet

A is the first letter of the first veda, ie rigveda, ak+nim, agnim, ''agnimile purohitham......., ''

A the first sound, aum, om

A is the first sound a new born makes ,
even animals, birds, insects

A is the beginning of manifest from unmanifest

A is when silence breaks up in speech

wisdom and words

wisdom and words
Our wisdom defines our personality, 
delineates our identity, makes us stay cognizable, now and for a long time, even for ever.
that is how saints, though of long past, continue to live in our hearts thru their wisdom

in st we express our wisdom, and share with all
this process is happening essentially thru --words-- 
words-- are extension of our personality, 
our personality is like a tree [ voordva moolam adha haakhaa ], rather a speaking tree 
Tree extends, expands, expresses in the form of many leaves, more flowers, 
Tree swings, with winds, , 
leaves contract if touched, fall if plucked, grow if untouched 
tree is talking, continuously, silently, it is it's silence that speaks 
in the same way , human expression is his expansion

expression happens in multy modes 
words is one mode of expression

with every expression human is conversing continuously with the universe
He expresses to reach the far distant horizon of the universe,

tries to reach and touch sun moon stars
wants to play with all 
wants to merge totally with all

words are the beginning of human's love story
one utters a word, creates flutters

disturbs the sleep, makes all to be wake
sends some into dream, makes some to do sleep walk

thru words, one creates wonders, heals wounds,
Words create new --worlds--
can change the trends of time
thru words human governs a nation
thru words human commands the universe
Unlimited is the power of words
words flow, it can be thin vapors, or mild drizzle, or torrent
it can be waterfalls, generating power

Words give the direction
words propel action
words can transform the earth into heaven
that is the power of speaking tree

wheel universal and unique

wheel universal and unique

many principles of beauty are structured in the conception of wheel,

the basic is circle

long before man invented the wheel, circle exists, circular motion exists,

it has a point at center

a point on a plane paper, in a empty space, is a basic unit of beauty,

infinity manifesting as a point , a finite point , within itself , on itself

it has a line, the point repeating, multiplying and stopping becomes a line, a radius,
the point repeating in reverse, results in a diameter
the point rotates about itself , the point repeating, multiplying and stopping becomes many lines, radii,

Points end on the circumference being equidistant

End Points take a turn, it is now a circle

From basic , the point, a line, a circle, a square, a triangle, a rhombus, a pentagon , polygons all are infinite possibilities

and the sphere, the integrated form of circle, exists, rotation exists
nearest example is the earth,

symmetry , mirror, lengthwise width-wise, depth wise

so

the point is basic

line is the next

plane is crated by lines repeating

solid is created by planes repeating

wheel is one product of the beauty of circle, circle is basic

also

if you take wheel as basic,

then we have the plethora of wheel forms –potters wheel, cart wheel, spinning wheel, bike wheel, gear wheel, belt wheel, car wheel, lorry wheel, bus wheel, aerooplane wheel, lathes, milling machines, diesel, petrol engines, water pump, fans, mixi, wash machine, countless specialties, from one universal the circle

and

if you take sphere as basic,

then we have again a plethora of sphericals—foot ball, ball bearing [ it is a combination of wheel and sphere.] balloon, moon, fruits, , even some trees,

eye balls,

from one unique many specialties are created

in every specialty, one unique is underlying

one unique manifesting as specialties

all specialties evolving as the basic one unique

as specialties grow in perfection, they reach the one unique in that proportion

every unique entity has several universalities

every unique entity has several universalities

-----------''-wheel is one product of the beauty of circle, circle is basic, universal 

also
if you take wheel as basic,

then we have the plethora of wheel forms –potters wheel, cart wheel, spinning wheel, bike wheel, gear wheel, belt wheel, car wheel, lorry wheel, bus wheel, aeroplane wheel, lathes, milling machines, diesel, petrol engines, water pump, fans, mixi, wash machine, countless specialties, from one universal the circle
and
if you take sphere as basic,

then we have again a plethora of spherical—foot ball, ball bearing [ it is a combination of wheel and sphere.] balloon, moon, fruits, , even some trees,
eye balls,

from one unique many specialties are created
in every specialty, one unique is underlying

one unique manifesting as specialties
all specialties evolving as the basic one unique

as specialties grow in perfection, they reach the one unique in that proportion

straight line is universal , a straight object like a scale is a unique, but when scale edge becomes a perfect straight, then it displays the truth of straightness, and rises to be a perfect straight line , -ie ---universal straight line becoming unique scale edge, , and that rising to again a true straight line , so coming back to its original universality

The Human FactorTeam Building:

The Human FactorTeam Building:

Beneficiary of the Past Dr. Mohan Chandra Lal (Faculty Member, IIPM Chennai) highlights how the present can learn from the past, when it comes to team building, in the first of a two-part series
Michael Dell, the founder and CEO of Dell, once said that business is all about team building. A pool of talent in a team generates a spectrum of ideas to make better decisions in the organisation. At Dell, people work in teams to create more value for their customers. The hourly metrics displayed on the factory floor show how far their performances meet the company’s goals. A 360° performance appraisal and profit-sharing system keeps people busy on achieving their goals as a team. At Dell, teamwork is all about people who are interested in each other’s growth (ref: ICMR India).
Each individual has some strengths and weaknesses; hence, there is a need to form a team so that the collective strength and commitment will allow it to achieve a sustained high-level of performance. The Rig Vedic hymns extol the importance of team building
In Valmiki Ramayana, the hero of the epic, Rama built a task-oriented team and led it to conquer the King of Lanka, Ravana and his demonic forces, to rescue Sita, his consort, who was abducted by Ravana. Rama’s victory was the victory of his team.
Today, the success of the IT industry is due to the spectacular performance of its multi-disciplinary and cross-functional teams, powered by knowledge workers. Here, an attempt is made to take home the fact that team building has become the driving force of the present day IT industry; the way it was for Rama in Valmiki Ramayana. Team building has become the prime mover for many successful industries in India.
A team is a group of individuals with a complementary set of skills working together under a leader, with standards of excellence for a common objective. Katzenbach and Smith in their Wisdom of Teams (1993) point out that, while working, if all team players are “committed to a common purpose, goals and working approach for which they hold themselves mutually accountable”, and if they are deeply interested in one another’s personal growth and progress, it becomes a high-performing team (Team work In Practice: Pulling Together, by Alison Hardingham and Jenny Royal).
The last three hymns of the Rig Veda, in its 10th Mandala (ref: http://indigyan.blogspot.com) elucidate the fundamentals of team building for the progress of the society: sam gacchadhvam sam vadadhvam sam vo manaansi jaanataam |devaa bhaagam yathaa poorve sanjaanaanaa upaasati ||10.192.02 Let you all be united; let you all speak together clearly, conclusively and decisively; let your minds comprehend alike; let you all share the wealth like the Gods of the past accepted their portions of offerings.
samaano mantrah samitih samaanee samaanam manah saha citram esham | samaanam mantram abhi mantraye vah samaanena vo havisha juhomi II 10.192.03 Common be your prayers, common be the purpose of your assembly, common be the mind, so be their thought united. A common purpose do l place before you, and worship with your general oblation.
samaani va aakutih samaanaa hrdayaani vah | samaanam astu vo mano yathaa vah susahaasati || 10.192.04 Common be your intentions, common be the wishes of your heart. Let the commonness of your thoughts bring the co-operation of the highest order so that all attain the same goal and have peace and prosperity.
These hymns explain the basics of team building in lucid words, which have been repeatedly emphasised in various jargons, forms, and hues in the literature on team building for corporate success.
Larson and LaFasto identify compelling vision, fortified with standards of excellence, competency of the members, and their unified commitment in the climate of collaboration under principled leadership, result-driven structure, and external support, as the key features of a high-performing team (ref: http://www.ideachampions.com). These features provide an excellent chance for a team to deliver the goods. In the absence of one or more of them, there is a good chance that the team may go awry.
Team building is an uphill task. That is why the Vedic seers constantly reminded the people about the importance of team building for prosperity through many verses. Endowed with a myriad of talents, strong individuals prefer to work alone, or may function under compelling circumstances in a motley-defined federation of people working towards a common objective.
One of the reasons for the resistance is that team building calls for the sublimation of individual ego in favour of the greater good (ref: http://www.ideachampions.com). This task is more challenging for many corporate leaders. In team building, the team players have to be prepared to challenge assumptions, ask questions, refocus discussions, harmonise conflicts, and share information and ideas (Team Building: A Sourcebook Of Activities For Trainers, by Glenn M. Parker and Richard P. Kropp). Most leaders leave out this process-oriented learning, hoping that it will happen in due course on its own terms.
The process of team building has yet to undergo several transformations. The teammates must get to know each other as individuals and not as cogs in the system. The sooner this icebreaking happens, the greater are the chances that they will collaborate effectively during difficult times. Senior leaders must educate them about the compelling vision of the team so that they can own it by co-creating it with their teammates. Team leaders must motivate the high-fliers to play a pivotal role for each team value, so that, by the end of the team building process, they can make sure that their chosen values are lived by the team during the project and beyond it (ref: http://www.ideachampions.com)
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The teammates must jointly work out a plan of action with standards of excellence that serve as benchmarks. This will enable them to clearly know their specific roles and responsibilities and the time of their commencement. These will avoid wheel-spinning, duplicative efforts, missed opportunities and erosion of trust (ref: http://www.ideachampions.com)
Experiential challenges inspire teammates to collaborate with each other beyond boundaries, and see how their traditional mindsets and old assumptions affect team functioning. This fresh blow of breeze works wonders when teams need innovative solutions for problems in hand. The sharing of the team leader’s responsibilities by some team members often prepares the latter to accept higher roles beyond the call of duty (ref: http://www.ideachampions.com).
When projects progress, disconnect and dissonance emerge between the team leader and team player. Such task-oriented conflicts of opinion on the right course of action promote productive discussion and leveraged performance (ref: http://www.teambuildingportal.com)
However, when the war of words ruins the morale of the team, divides people, and polarises groups, such issues must be resolved at the earliest; so that there will be greater trust, alignment, and communication in the team. The complexity of the task and the resultant conflict within a team while performing that task can have a combined positive bearing on the team’s performance (ref: http://www.teambuildingportal.com).
When there is lack of trust between team members, and when they are suspicious of each other’s motives, team meetings will become unproductive, leading to conflict and confusion on tasks. Unclear goals, loss of focus of objectives, faulty analysis, flawed policies, and poor time management can increase the chances of team failures (ref: http://www.teambuildingportal.com). Only through communication and reciprocal understanding can teammates overcome the functional walls that create team failures

Valmiki Ramayana (ref: Ramayana, by C. Rajagopalachari, and Valmiki Ramayanam, by V Jothi) shows how Rama beautifully built a high performing team to defeat his archrival Ravana, the King of Lanka. Executive charisma, assertiveness, networking, socialisation, and public relation characterised his leadership qualities. On the very day of his coronation, to honour the words of his parents, he left the kingdom without any regret for a fourteen-year forest life to make way for his brother Bharata to become the King of Ayodhya. He endured the suffering of the forest life with grace and equanimity and converted every threat into an opportunity to save the righteous people from the tyranny of the demonic forces

Rama, with his wisdom and expertise, effectively used the seven canons of conflict management for building a high-performing team (ref: http://krishnabhakt.blogspot.com). He used Sama (the art of persuasion) to win the friendship of Guha, the chieftain of the Sarayu forest, and Danda (the use of force) to destroy the demons in the forest, and save the sages and the law-abiding people. He used Bheda (the art of selective discrimination) and Danda to slay Vali and save Sugreeva for his team; and Dana (motivation through praise, reward, etc.) to bring Sugreeva and Vibhishana on his side against the demonic forces, and all the four canons to defeat Ravana.

he employed Upeksha (ignore/be indifferent to sinful people), Maya (the use of illusions) and Indrajala (faking strength) in war while dealing with demonic forces, without sacrificing Dharmic (righteous) principles. It is no wonder that his team members and leaders cultivated a fatherly affection for him.

Assertive leaders never belittle the importance of others. In the Sarayu forest, setting aside the protocol, Rama patiently waited for the arrival of Guha and then upon his arrival, endearingly introduced him to Lakshmana as his great friend and the King of the Sarayu forest, and not as a hunter chieftain. Impressed by his compelling modesty, Guha offered him sturdy boats to cross the rivers and reach Chitrakutam. He proactively cultivated a delightful friendship with Jatayu, the eagle king who later became the only source of information about the abduction of Sita by Ravana.

With great insight and wisdom, he outsourced the army operations against Ravana to Sugreeva and Jambavan. He believed that others’ needs are as important as his own and was aware that no one controls anyone else. He cultivated patience and used his power and authority sparingly. He promptly distributed all the credit to his team members without owning anything for himself. He walked the talk. Hence, his team leaders, with their armies, walked with him through thick and thin.
Rama entrusted the right job to the right people and carefully monitored them. He tutored Lakshmana to politely remind the complacent Sugreeva of his promise of searching for Sita’s whereabouts. Accordingly, Lakshmana, Hanuman, and others counselled Sugreeva and brought him back to work. Hanuman, at his bidding, flew over the ocean, creating hope and confidence in Sita and preaching to Ravana of his duties with great diplomacy. When the demons set his tail on fire, Hanuman put Lanka on flames and forewarned Ravana of the impending danger.
With his charisma, Rama transformed his army of monkeys and bears into a well-oiled fighting machine. While interacting with his leaders, he broke down barriers erected by titles, power, and position. He reached out to them, literally. Hence, he always evoked positive responses from his army and its leaders.
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When Rama wanted to invade Lanka, his army, under the guidance of the architects Nala and Neela, immediately swung into action and constructed a bridge measuring 100 Yojanas (1Y=8 miles) in length and 10 Yojanas in width across the ocean in just five days. On the first day, the army completed 14 Yojanas of the bridge. Thrilled by the recognition and praise from their leaders, the army successfully completed 20 Yojanas on the second day. On the third and fourth days, the bridge grew by another 21 and 22 Yojanas respectively. On the fifth day, the bridge touched the seashore with an addition of 23 Yojanas. Even the celestial bodies appreciated the outstanding performance of the team (ref: http://www.india-forums.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=946462). Teamwork, devotion to cause, and sustained efforts powered by commitment to the objective created this miracle.

Rama was shrewd and smart while dealing with razor-edge issues. When he looked to his team leaders in a brainstorming session over the admission of Vibheeshana into his fold, everyone offered their views and felt happy that they were counted. Sugreeva and Jambavan suspected the integrity of Vibheeshana owing to his blood relation with Ravana. The less-experienced Angada was ambivalent. Sarabha and Mainda, the army generals, favoured spying on Vibheeshana for a few days before arriving at a decision. Hanuman welcomed Vibheeshana, who knew more about the mindset of the demons, Ravana’s fortifications, his magical prowess, his mystical weapons, his way of thinking, and the chinks in his army.

After giving a patient listening, when Rama expressed his conviction that he will never fail to protect those who surrendered to him, all concurred with their leader and Sugreeva brought Vibheeshana into Rama’s fold (ref: Google web research). Vibheeshana later went on to become a strategic asset to Rama’s team in countering the magical spell and mystical missiles of Ravana and his clans
Ramayana is all about team building. Rama used the infrastructure of the monkey-kingdom to defeat the all-powerful demons. Even under trying situations, Rama never violated the well-established norms and time-tested values. He was a role model for his team leaders and the army. His success was the success of his team.

Samadhi is the beginning,

Samadhi is the beginning, ....not the end of Yoga.
...maharishi mahesh yogi

quote
Patanjali. Yoga Sutras, the eight limbs of yoga are presented in the following order:

1) the five yamas or personal virtues, such as ahimsa or non-violence, and satya, truthfulness
2) the five niyamas or rules of life, including shaucha, purification, and swadhyaya, study
3) pranayama, the breathing practices
4) the asanas, the poses of yoga
5, 6, 7,) the three stages of mental practice, pratyahara, dharana, and dhyana or meditation.
8 ) Samadhi, the union of the busy thinking mind with its deepest, most silent level, the unified field of consciousness, the Self. Think of an individual wave settling down and experiencing the unbounded ocean.

However, despite the fact that Ashtanga translates
as eight LIMBS, and not eight STEPS or stages, ....
many have thought Patanjali meant that his eight-fold approach should be practiced only in this step-by-step, sequential order, starting with the personal virtues and observances, and culminating in meditation for the purpose of gaining samadhi.

Patanjali had, due to the long lapse of time, become badly misinterpreted.

The order of Patanjali’s famous eightfold yoga had, he said, become the reverse of what Patanjali intended.
“The practice of Yoga was understood to start with yama, niyama (the virtues), and so on,”

but Maharishi said, “whereas in reality it should begin with samadhi.

Samadhi cannot be gained by the practice of yama, niyama, and so on.

Proficiency in the virtues can only be gained by repeated experience of samadhi.”

In other words, it is mistaken to think that improved morality and behavior is required to reach samadhi;

rather, Maharishi said that better behavior and morality comes as a result of the experience of that most unified and blissful level of life
.
For example, Maharishi said, one can only truly progress in ahimsa or non-violence as one grows in the consciousness that there is a common unity of all things. This unified reality of life is directly experienced in samadhi.

Similarly, he said, asteya or non-covetousness can only be truly achieved when one feels fully contented, and the most stable inner happiness naturally comes through repeated experience of the eternal field of bliss-consciousness in samadhi.
unquote

so
Samadhi is the beginning, ....not the end of Yoga

human birth is the free gift

1 human birth is the free gift , god has gifted the universe to each one of us along with life, and a limited longevity

2 but how much we make use of it , he has left to us , with a definite package of wisdom 

3 this wisdom can be enhanced to unlimited extent to expand the range of our command

4 a few are able to command enormously and majority others remain as foot soldiers with very limited abilities 

5 guru guides , one rises in command, what is the limit ?
no limits in fact , 

6 the ultimate height is to be the commander of the universe, vishvanath, jagannath, lokanath, prabhu, [not just names, these are meant to be actualized in life, that is why such names, indicating the possibility and the goal of existence

7 this ability is possible, on the basis of one becoming a gnanamurthi, a know-all in one life time .

when he knows all, the laws of nature are just open book to him, from inside, not from outside
 

8 outside books are helpful to the extent of providing the language/medium to transact with all in the universe clearly unambiguously

9 the real, true, authentic knowledge of all the laws of nature comes from within , which he may express in book or speech, his words will be flawless, universal, true, these revelations are the essential part of inner knowledge , and this knowledge gets internally updated every moment as the whole universe is updating itself each moment , hence will not become obsolete

10 and such a person is able to impart that precious knowledge to others as per need and eligibility, and thereby commands the authority on the teaching of the total knowledge, and hence he raises to be a jagadguru 

11 those who come in to this path of raising their wisdom similarly start progressing , and start to acquire the ability to read their inner script , will be self sufficient, masters, and will not be wanting in any of the spiritual glories , not needing to look outside for any help. 

12 these abilities will not come overnight, but gradually in proportion with their spiritual assignments prescribed by guru.
 

13, so we find different levels of such aspirants with greater or lesser abilities around , mostly they will be in the process of trekking the path towards perfection .

14 if we come across any such aspirants, we need not be in haste in concluding either -that he is perfect or he is ignorant . he will be at some stage, difficult to assess exactly how much .

15 if one interacts sufficiently with such aspirant , one comes to know the reality of his level at least approximately 
 

16,but world is in a hurry, it is quick to conclude what ever, with scanty stray encounters and assign a label to him , and miss / skip any possible benefit from such individuals 
 

17 or over estimate to his embarasment,/ harassment and expect him to marvel them with miracles which he is yet to learn to perform, and he not doing it, they start ridiculing and discounting

18 they see trivialities, tv cinema news papers and spend the life wastefully , thus world will be left steeped in ignorance ad theere by in problems 

19, once a while great writers start speculating and write for money name fame popularity and general public statrts devouring what they dole out , and start parrotting their words as quotes blogs etc, knowing not that what their stuff learnt is not authentic but half cooked

20 we , so conclude wrong hypotheses such as -- the love is the basis of spirituality , neither knowing what love is, nor how it generates nor how it happens in life . it is not their fault 

they repeat what ''great'' thinkers have written in ''big'' books .
it is unfortunate , added to this the secondary readers advance their own opinions , with no regard to truth / precision 
and wrong practices of pretensions of love happen , with never reaching true great heights of spirituality

This takes me to another story of glow worms and monkeys A small episode in pancha thanthra , the great, moral teaching classic for children 

During a winter night, three monkeys caught hold of a glow worm 
(it glows in the night, I don’t know its name in English), 
kept it in middle and some dry leaves on it 
and started blowing it,
with a hope that it will end up in a flame 
and they can become warmer.

A crow sitting on a branch of a tree nearby watching the complete action 
advised the monkeys that “it is only a glow worm and no fire can be made” 
by blowing repeatedly. 

The moneys looked at the crow ferociously and started blowing again.

When the monkeys tired of the action, 
the crow advised them once again about the futility of blowing. 
The three monkeys looked at each other and caught hold of the crow 
and killed it by ripping its body open.

this is the fate of a a wise person teaching truth to the ignorant believers 

neither can they understand nor are ready to receive the true knowlege.
i observed that when i pointed out certain needed correction s in a half baked blog by a master here, the sincere followers attacked me saying i am arrogant , and master only is right .
i just felt pity for them , they are the losers, i lost nothing 

so popularity is not the measure to assess the truth , truth to be confirmed by its own standard 
only gem experts know , not all, the value of gems