How to Celebrate Deepavali as per Smriti

Happy Deepavali to all.

Let us see how the smritis instruct us to celebrate Deepavali.

In Bhavishya Purana

कार्तिके कृष्णपक्षे तु चतुर्दश्यां विधूदये |
तिलतैलेन कर्तव्यं स्नानं नरकभीरुभिः ||

In the month of Kartika, during the dark fortnight on the fourteenth lunar day, before sunrise with Sesame (Gingely or Til) oil, the one who is afraid of naraka, should take bath.

In Brahmapurana

तैले लक्ष्मीर्जले गङ्गा दीपावल्यां चतुर्दशी |
प्रातस्नानं तु यः कुर्याद्यमलोकं न पश्यति ||

During Deepavali, on chaturdashi (fourteenth lunar day) in the til (sesame) oil is Lakshmi and in the water is Ganga and the one who takes bath early morning will not see yamaloka (avoids naraka).

Further for special results (to get rid of paapa) while taking bath, one can take the apaamaarga stem or branch with thorns and leaves along with a clod of earth from a furrow and ritually rotate it over one's head.
सीतालोष्ठसमायुक्त सकण्टक दलान्वित |
हरपापमपामर्ग भ्राम्यमाणः पुनः पुनः ||

अपामार्ग - In Hindi चिडचिडी, चिरचिटा, चिचड़ा, लटजीरा, In English Prickly chaff Flower, In Tamil நாயுருவி and Biological name - Achyranthes aspera Linn.

After taking this bath one is supposed to do tarpana for Yama. Yama is both a devata and a pitr. So one has to do this Yamatarpanam as both Devatarpanam (yajnopaveeti) and Pitrtarpanam (praacheenaaveeti). Also Yamatarpanam and Bheeshmatarpanam has to be done by everybody i.e. even by the one whose father is alive.

During pradosha (thirteenth day) and amaavaasya (new moon day) in this period, one has to do deepadaanam (donation of lamps) to temples, mathas, gardens, public water bodies, animal shelters etc.

In Skandapurana

ततः प्रदोषसमये दीपान्दद्यान्मनोहरान् |
ब्रह्मविष्णुशिवादीनां भवनेषु मठेषु च ||

Finally Fireworks - उल्कादानं.

In Jyotirnibandha it is said

तुलासंस्थे सहस्रांशौ प्रदोषे भूतदर्षयोः |
उल्काहस्ता नराः कुर्युः पितृणां मार्गदर्शनं ||

When the sun is in tula rashi, during the month of kartika, on the 13th, 14th and 15th days of Krishnapaksha, men with fireworks in their hands, should show the path to their pitrs / ancestors.

The mantras to be chanted in this process are mentioned as follows, in the praachyanibandha:

शस्त्राशस्त्रहतानां च भूतानां भूतदर्शयोः |
उज्वलज्योतिषा देहं दहेयं व्योमवन्हिना ||

1) those (ancestors) who were killed by weapons or by other means, I burn/cremate their bodies with the bright light of this fire in the sky

अग्निदग्धाश्च ये जीवा येप्यदग्धाः कुले मम |
उज्वलज्योतिषा दग्धाः ते यान्तु परमां गतिं ||

2) all those beings of my kula / family, who were burnt by Agni or not burnt by Agni, may they get burnt / purified through this bright light and get an exalted state (paramagati).

यमलोकं परित्यज्य आगता ये महापथे |
उज्वलज्योतिषा वर्त्म प्रपश्यन्तो व्रजन्तु ते ||

3) Those ancestors who left the yamaloka and have come to this earth (during Mahalayapaksha), may they return in the path guided by this bright light.

So let us indulge in fireworks with this attitude. Om.

(All references taken from the book Smritikaustubha) ... Courtesy My friend Srikanth, Muscat. 

@swamy64

I joined Twitter in 2010, but rarely tweeted.

I was never comfortable with FB, Instagram etc. I do use Whatsapp but strictly for one to one communication. I am not part of any group, and bluntly discourage people from send me forwarded messages, audios or videos. Made some enemies that way.

I had always felt that I am reasonably good at quips, one liners and have a fair sense of humour. I have always looked at the lighter side of life. This makes me suitable for Twitter.

Finally, I decided to plunge into Tweeting since the beginning of this month, and am finding it quite a nice way to get my point of view across on many issues facing the Nation.

You can follow me on Twitter  @swamy64  ( https://twitter.com/swamy64 )

Since I am building my followers from ground up, you wont see much original tweets in my Timeline. I reply to those whom I follow. Hence you can see more tweets of mine under Tweets & Replies tag in my Home Page.

Blogging here will continue.

Why do people buy gadgets with features that they don't need or will not be able to use fully?

I have always wondered why PC/Laptops prices dont come crashing down. Both products are in declining stage in the Product Life Cycle, and have skimmed the market for a long time. The Prices should be really low. This is exactly true of Mobile Phones too.

Instead, the manufacturers, add unwanted features and keep the price artificially high, whereby inducing 'Solace Spending' by Consumers.

Why do people buy gadgets with features that they don't need or will not be able to use fully?

For many years, marketers and salespeople have realised there is money to be made selling people features they do not need and may never use. Many people when asked about the intricacies of their Mobiles or the complexities of their digital cameras are not sure whey they did indeed buy. Most sport-utility vehicles with complex off-road traction systems are rarely driven on anything but paved roads.

So if people don't use expensive high-end features, why do they pay more to get them? A series of experiments that explored this question found that people buy unnecessary features because of two cognitive errors: 1) they overestimate the risk that a product without such features will become obsolete, and 2) they overestimate the likelihood that they will learn to use the new features.

Consumers, especially those buying expensive electronic items, fear that if they don't buy this feature and a new product launches on the market, then they may have to rebuy everything again. Because features introduced more recently feel as though they are less likely to become obsolete, consumers who buy them experience less anxiety. The money they pay is really not for the feature but for the psychological solace it purchases .

Another experiment found consumers tend to think of new features as a kind of investment—something that costs money but will pay for itself as they learn to use and love it. Of course, most people never do learn to figure out the technology, meaning the investment is largely a bust.

Cognitive errors, of course, are not the only reason people buy things they cannot afford. A Sociological study found that parents, especially poor parents, tend to buy products they cannot afford because they are acutely focused on whether their children are fitting into peer groups. Parents are acutely sensitive to how certain consumer products influence their children's search for dignity.

There is one last reason people pay more than they should for products: They mistakenly believe a product has more value because it costs more money.

So the next time you buy a fancy gadget at a premium price, reflect for a moment you are getting value for money

Historic Day

Modi, in his first term, shook up everyone by going for the demonetization of high denomination notes. But after that he went with the tide. There were many, including me, who felt he missed out on taking important political decision on Jammu & Kashmir, Ram Madhir, freeing Hindu Temples from Governmental Control or revamping the Education System.

But, in his second term, he has bit the bullet on J&K with a master stroke. This was on the cards the moment Amit Shah became the Home Minister.

It has always been that Modi proposes, Amit Shah disposes. Their friendship goes back a long way. Add to this the brilliant Ajit Duval, and considerable goodwill in the form of a resounding election victory, and we have the blue print for taking tough political decisions.

Bifurcation of J&K and abrogation of Article 370 ( technically not abrogation, but in effect Article 370 is redundant, as is Article 35A) was a master stroke. The signs were there, much before the massive troop movement in J&K. BJP worked overtime to get close to majority by getting first 4 TDP MPs to switch over, then got a few MPs of opposition to resign their position as MP, with a promise to elect them back on BJP Tickets. Congress, the main opposition party, and the stumbling block in the Rajya Sabha to many well meaning Laws from being passed, is currently headless. 

And then BJP struck and how.

J&K politicians were caught napping. They thought Government wont do anything till Amarnath Yathra was over. 

But Duval created a threat scenario, moved troops, cancelled the Yathra, evacuated tourists and yathris from the Valley, implemented Sec 144, put Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti etc on house arrest, and then the legal ingenuity of BJP took over.

Instead of taking the Parliamentary route, which would have meant the need for Constitutional Amendment to be passed with 2/3rd majority, BJP used the provisions of Article 370 itself to have it amended through a Presidential Declaration, which doesnt require a Constitutional Amendment

It was a Masterstroke!

And Modi, allowed Amit Shah to take the limelight, and how. Amit Shah had a field day in the Rajya Sabha today (It is noteworthy that the announcement and voting were made in Rajya Sabha first, where BJP do not yet have a majority, and not Lok Sabha) and got the Bill passed hands down.

While every one was talking about trifurcation of J&K, which would have left Kashmir alone, BJP did some out of the thinking, gave UT status to Ladakh, and created another UT combining Jammu and Kashmir, albeit with an Assembly, but with limited powers. Law and order remains with Centre, and all bills have to get the Central nod before being implemented. With delimitation likely to add another 7 seats to J&K, and most of it coming from Jammu Region, it is likely that the new UT will have a Hindu CM. That will be the icing on the cake.

And the special status that made Kashmiris think they are some special people is gone forever, and the doors are open for any Indian to buy land in Kashmir now, as it should be. This could see industrialist opening new factories there leading to overall development. 

Congress was reduced to a sorry state of being alone with Kashmir Parties, as all the opposition parties stood by BJP. Only JDU objected. Even AAP was forced to support, as otherwise it would have been suicidal for them with Delhi Elections looming large.

And it is the beginning of the end of the two dynasties in J&K, who are corrupt to the boot. Less said about the Hurriyat the better. They are all on the run or behind the bars for money laundering and terrorist funding. And our Brilliant Army has almost neutralized the Pakistan sponsored terrorists. 

Kashmir Parties and Congress always held that Kashmir will burn if Article 370 or 35 A is abrogated. Well 12 hours have passed and nothing has happened. Nothing will. Bullies are Cowards!

History has been made today. And we all lived to see this. 

Nehruvian blunder which cost us billions and thousands of lives, and atrocities on Kashmiri Pundits over the years, loss of our Jawans, has been corrected.

Now let us build that temple in Ayodhya!

What happens when Karma Dharmam is not followed

The suicide of V G Siddhartha, The Cafe Coffee Day founder has been, unfortunately, used as a stick to beat the Central Government, who has been ruthlessly hunting down tax evaders.

The murky dealings that led to VGS's suicide clearly indicates that, though he was an entrepreneur with vision, his Business Model was akin to a Ponzi scheme. Borrow to fund unsustainable growth, borrow more to manage the debt, and borrow yet more at high interest rates to service the previous debts. Throw in shady money from Politicians and Private Investors, the picture is complete.

VGS owned assets worth thousands of crores. His share in MINDTREE, a software company, was sold recently to L&T for Rs 3200 crores, and  his CCD franchisee model of Business can never lose money. In fact Cafe Coffee Day balance sheet indicate it has been making profits.

So how did he pile up the Rs 7,000 crore debt?

Did he borrow money (or laundered money) from Indian Politicians (Black Money) and Private Investors to fund his hundreds of Hectares of Farm Land in South America? Did it not generate enough revenues to pay off his debt?

Where the Private Investors or Politicians involved tighten the noose around his neck to do a hostile take over?

The Tax Raids were in 2017 and unearthed massive tax evasion.

If you evade taxes, you have to face the consequences. 

I hear many businessmen crying hoarse that it was Tax Terrorism that led to VGS' suicide and want Government to go easy on the errant Businessmen, giving the laughable reason that Economy needs a revival and hence Tax Evading, Crooked Businessmen should be allowed to operate freely, violating the law, so that they will pump in more Black Money into the Economy. This was the model followed by UPA under Chidambaram, as FM. And we know where it took the Country to.

Long and short of it is that VGS was a visionary entrepreneur, created jobs to thousands, but he had very poor Business Ethics, had shady characters as Business Partners, and borrowed heavily violating basic Debt:Equity laws, got himself neck deep in debt, evaded taxes, indulged in money laundering and took his own life.

Let us not cry crocodile tears over his death, and use it as a stick to beat the Government that is trying to bring the Jungle Raj of Business World to follow the law.

VGS did not follow his  karma dharmam, and paid for it when it bit back. 

England and New Zealand Should have been declared Joint Winners

The 50 over Final of World Cup is Tied

The Super Over is Tied

England declared winner because they scored more Boundaries than New Zealand?

As if Singles, Twos, Threes don't matter in Cricket?

It would have been appropriate and fair if both the Teams were declared as Joint Winners

Good Riddance - Non Performing Ministers

Modi is in full control in his Second Term. 

Doubts were cast on him when he took oath in 2014 as PM. He was a Delhi outsider, and had to make compromises to be nominated as BJPs PM Candidate. People questioned his lack of experience in the area of Foreign Affairs, while grudgingly admitting his administrative abilities as Gujarat CM.

I have always felt Modi was forced to accommodate Arun Jaitley, Sushma Swaraj and Rajnath Singh as three of his Senior most Ministers and allot them the most important portfolios of Finance, External Affairs and Home.

Of the three, Rajnath Singh acquitted himself well as Home Minister, albeit with a lot of help from Ajit Duval. He strengthened the Internal Security Situation  and almost destroyed the Naxal problem, which was spreading like cancer. Demonetization helped Rajnath Singh a lot in cutting off the flow to terrorists and naxals, and that was not his doing. Also, it one has to give a major share of the credit to the National Security Advisor Ajit Duval, who was the brain behind beefing up the Internal Security. But at least Rajnath Singh allowed him to do his job. So let us give the man his due. Where he was a failure was in not initiating long term plans to reform our Police System, which is a disgrace to India.

Arun Jaitley was a disaster as Finance Minister, whatever his cheerleaders say. He soft pedaled the inquiries on many a scandal, and almost lost Modi the elections, because the common refrain was that Modi couldnt get the corrupt punished. At times it looked like the Finance Minister was shielding many crooked Congress leaders, including Sonia Gandhi, Robert Vadra, P Chidambaram, Karti Chidambaram and a host of other politicians like Raja, Kanimozhi, Mulayam Singh Yadav, Mayawati, or even Mamta Bannerjee. Vijay Mallya and Nirav Modi absconded during his vigil, and only some deft work by Modi and the lawyers saved the situation. Chidambaram and his cronies had laid many a mine field in the Finance Ministry before they left, and Arun Jaitley, instead of defusing, added his own.  Whatever little progress that happened in these cases was during the period Piyush Goyal was standing in for Arun Jaitley, which forced Arun Jaitley to cut short his recovery period and take over the Ministry to reverse many a good decision Piyush Goyal made. There have been whispers about his closeness to Congress leaders, especially P Chidambaram. Karma is a bitch. It hit him back towards the end of the tenure affecting his health, which made him decide to not be part of the Modi 2 Government. For me it is Good Riddance.

Less said about Sushma Swaraj, the better. She never wanted Modi to be the PM, but was accommodated to pacify L K Advani. Modi superbly sidelined her by placing S Jayasankar as the Foreign Secretary, and he himself taking the lead in developing International Relationships. As Modis stature grew, Sushmas diminished. She was reduced to responding to tweets from NRIs seeking trivial help (which is not her job, in any case), and granting Medical Visas to Pakistanis, which was hated by the Core BJP Voters. She decided not to contest again, and hence would have to be accommodated in the Rajya Sabha, if she were to be made Minister again. Her health is also questionable like Jaitleys. Maybe she will be sent to US or UK as an Ambassador. This was another non performer who doesnt fit with Modis style of functioning.

Am happy to see Maneka Gandhi kicked out. If ever there was an undeserving talentless Minister, it is Maneka. And she is burdened with an arrogant sulking son, who thinks he is to be anointed as UP Chief Minister because of the Gandhi surname.

A few of the apple polishing non performers like Radha Mohan Singh, Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore has been eased out. The message is clear, Ship up or Shape Out.

I am really sorry to see the biggest failure in Modi 1 Government Pakash Javedkar continuing in Modi 2. This guy was an absolute disaster as HRD Minister. Likewise Ravishankar Prasad. A late inductee in Modi 1, Alphonse Kannamthanam is shown the door for not being able to deliver Christian Votes in Kerala, and justly so. The guy created controversies whenever he opened his mouth, which was far too often.

This post is about those who were deservedly show the door. About the new Cabinet, we will discuss in another post, once the Portfolios are announced