Congrats, ISRO. Jai Hind, folks! :-)

 https://www.isro.gov.in/index.html

A powwow: Sugar and I :-)

Dictionaries are giving me a very feeble meaning of (ideological) soulmate! LOL ROFL -- I just imagine bumping into her -- and my knees begin to buckle -- I know I'd just stand there dumbfounded -- Unable to utter a single word...But here's a seriocomical dialog(s) between Duckling and me:

Hello! Miss ABC! 

Hello! Mister Blah-blah-blah! 

<She thinks I'm mousy and docile!>

Er-Ahem-Tooke eh? Miss? John Something yeah yeah that English political radical and philologist? Yeah yeah, I've read him: The Diversions of Purley! 

<White lie!>

I've read about Anthropomorphism too!

<Half-truth!>

Excuse me! 

Nothing Miss...most unkindest cut of all...You too, Brutus?

Excuse me! Are you alright?

Yeah yeah Miss...I was just quoting: Shakespeare!

Oh okay

You're fairly well-read huh?

Oh, I just try Miss

So, who's your favorite author?

You, miss!

Really?

Yep, miss!

I've browsed through your Blog quite a few times....you've eclectic interests! 

<OMG! Don't say it...it sounds so foppish!>

Thank you so much, Miss

So you're THE Hunchbacked Whirling Dervish huh?

I've a dervish-like temperament, Miss!

To be continued...

Like Doctors Without Borders, I love people irrespective of (their) race, religion, gender, or political affiliation. -- I'm pretty comfy amongst people who are below the poverty line -- The underprivileged. -- I don't know any who's who -- in the first place -- And I don't hobnob with 'em either -- I mean: rich and powerful people -- I'm not into social climbing -- even when I was in Abu Dhabi -- Believe me -- You know folks: Sometimes I think my idealism is pseudo -- Nevertheless, I love this girl to bits -- And I wanna marry her -- in spite of -- inevitable hurdles! -- Wish she'd write back to me -- It's been seven years or so -- And I've been waiting..... To be continued...

The Steadfast Tin Soldier by Hans Christian Andersen -- You know folks though I love it but I don't want her to read such stories -- tearjerkers -- I'd urge her to read something funny instead. For instance: Paul Jennings' Thirteen Unpredictable Tales -- Paul's stories are funny, weird and wacky with surprising endings -- Any type of fiction with multiple endings -- The Lady, or the Tiger? by Frank R. Stockton -- Or epistolary novels like Daddy-Long-Legs -- That's my favorite -- I love writing letters to her; and I want her to write back to me.

 

I wanna write a libretto for her like Vikram Seth -- though I don't know anything about operas and all that -- or a travelog just for her -- Has she read: From Heaven Lake? But I'm not a jet-set traveller or a globe-trotter either -- I'm barely above the poverty line -- she's a writer par excellence -- I'm a wannabe Colin De Silva -- By the way: Does she love Historical Fiction like me? The first book I wanna give to her is: The Founts of Sinhala. -- Wish I were well-read like her -- or had a milieu like her -- I'm a mediocrist -- a nobody -- a functionally illiterate Blogger. -- Nevertheless, I just love writing to her -- writing about her. My most favorite fantasy is to take her on a flying date -- in a Cessna -- but that means soloing: Hello! Miss ABC. It's me, Richard Bach's fair-haired boy Mister Blah-blah-blah! I'm a barnstormer. Would you like to go for a ride eh? LOL ROFL Someday: I'd get my wings! To be continued....

Stream of consciousness: Duckling and I :-)

Stream of consciousness

Writing about her isn't an easy task -- Existing words are not really succinct -- I need new words -- But there're no new words -- Unless someone coins 'em --  Who's gonna coin 'em? -- Nobody! -- Duh! obviously I'll have to coin (new) words -- For her -- Maybe just one word -- That portrays her completely -- That tells her everything I wanna tell her eh? -- Would I be able to coin such a word? -- I'd have to come up with its meaning too, right? duh! -- I'm going bonkers with bewilderment LOL ROFL -- Am I being incoherent? -- Not making sense? -- Let's say: I just wanna tell her that I love her very much; and I wanna spend the rest of my life with her -- but this is very trite and hackneyed -- I want something you know pathbreaking -- something unprecedented -- and, one more thing: It'd sound plausible too! -- She's a Psychologist: Professionally speaking -- If I tell her that magic is real; and I'm an occultist -- She'd surely brush me off -- It's to be logical -- rational -- I think she's a staunch skeptic unless proven otherwise! LOL ROFL -- But she'd be willing to listen to me if I tell her that I study: The paranormal i.e. all the things that are impossible to explain by known natural forces or by science.

Hello, Duckling! My name is Mister Blah-blah-blah and I study The paranormal! :-)

How do you do?

Duckling: Hello! Mister Blah-blah-blah! But we're not meeting for the first time! 

Me: (Completely nonplussed by the question!)

Me: Oh I'm such a schnook!

Duckling: Excuse me?

Me: Nothing. Never mind...Miss ABC! :-)

Me: BTW, Miss ABC: What're you doing these days eh?

Duckling: Oh I'm researching and filming a documentary on schizophrenics! What about you?

Me: Um...social work....NGO...you know...helping The underprivileged..

Duckling: Oh that sounds great! 

To be continued.... :-)

Stream of consciousness stream of consciousness, in literature, technique that records the multifarious thoughts and feelings of a character without regard to logical argument or narrative sequence. The writer attempts by the stream of consciousness to reflect all the forces, external and internal, influencing the psychology of a character at a single moment. The technique was first employed by Édouard Dujardin (1861–1949) in his novel Les Lauriers sont coupés (1888) and was subsequently used by such notable writers as James Joyce, Virginia Woolf, and William Faulkner. The phrase stream of consciousness to indicate the flow of inner experience was first used by William James in Principles of Psychology (1890). The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2023, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. See more Encyclopedia articles on: Literature: General

Happy Independence Day, folks! :-)

Reprint: WEDNESDAY, JULY 12, 2023 Hello! This is Prince of Persia! Is that really you eh Miss....What's your name? You sent me a SOS signal...er..I mean Distress Signal.....Where're you right now eh? Your exact location? Please turn on your radio beacon....Is an evil, tyrant vizier keeping you in a dungeon? I'm your knight in shining armor....don't let 'em give you a fright....LOL ROFL Just goofing around with you ma'am.....you're a girl who shuns beauty pageants....perhaps you raise the dead with your big, bright, starry surreal eyes and hypnotic voice....BTW, why did you leave your native place so hurriedly: Venus? You're so brainy you know....You've this girlishness in your voice and angelic innocence on your face....you speak impeccably chaste Persian....obviously duh....BTW, you know my last girlfriend was from Iran....we ended amicably.... she'd a very difficult, unpronounceable Persian name...Of course...duh.....but I still remember her....she's like you...your doppelganger...believe me...I met her in Kish Island.....you remind me of her.....anyways, still making super bright whizzes, astrophysicists and nuclear scientists feel like brain dead zombies? LOL ROFL I'm so terribly sorry...I lost my flair and tempo...Wish I'd do justice to you....I mean...there're no such words....no such words exist...to write about someone like you...so no offence okay....don't get mad at me.....and don't get me wrong....I've many Iranian friends here....in India.....I love you guys so much....And of course I'm crazy about you. Bye for now. Your comrade-in-arms: Hunchbacked Whirling Dervish! :-) One more thing: Please feel free to page me IF any evil creature DARES to bother you again. :-) LOL ROFL Just kidding. I NEVER say good-bye because there's no word for good-bye in Navajo. :-)

 

Major Gaurav Arya (Retd): is an Indian Army veteran. He left the army in 1999 and started his corporate career. He has worked with top corporates like Wipro, Hutch (now Vodafone) and Ernst & Young. He was CEO and President in a Singapore based MNC before he joined the media in 2017. He is currently Senior Consulting Editor – Strategic Affairs for a leading Indian media conglomerate. Major Arya is a writer and public speaker. He frequently speaks at corporate and other events. In 2017 he was invited to speak at the UK Parliament. Major Arya is founder of Chanakya Forum.

 

The effect of sihr on the marital relationship: Praise be to Allah. The saahir (person who practises sihr) does things by which he affects people with sihr. Sometimes this is by illusion or making things appear to be something else, as Allaah said concerning the sorcerers of Pharaoh (interpretation of the meaning): “and their sticks, by their magic, appeared to him as though they moved fast” [Ta-Ha 20:66] They do actions that change how things look in people’s eyes, so that they see things other than they really are, as Allaah says in Soorat al-A’raaf (interpretation of the meaning): “So when they threw, they bewitched the eyes of the people, and struck terror into them, and they displayed a great magic” [al-A’raaf 7:116] So they do things to bewitch people’s eyes, so that they see a rope as a snake or a stick as a moving snake, when it is not a snake at all but only a stick or a rope. They may also bewitch people in other ways, so that a man becomes hateful to his wife, or vice versa. They may do this by bewitching their eyes, or by giving them evil potions which they get from the shayaateen, or by tying knots on which they blow and pray to the shayaateen instead of to Allaah, and seek their help in harming people. So a man may imagine that his wife is not the wife he knows, and she may appear ugly or hateful to him, or a wife may imagine that her husband is not the husband that she knows, and she sees him as something ugly and terrifying, because of what these criminals have done. So their sihr may be of two types, one of which involves illusions and tricking the eyes, so that they do not see things as they really are. The other kind includes that which is called al-sarf and al-‘atf (spells aimed at creating hatred or love), which is done by tying knots and blowing on them, and using potions which they make by inspiration of the shayaateen. This second kind may make a man love or hate his wife, or a woman love or hate her husband. It may also affect a person's relationship with people other than his or her spouse. Hence Allaah has commanded us to seek refuge with Him from the evil of those who blow onto knots, and to seek refuge with Him from every evil.

Can sihr (witchcraft, magic) kill? Praise be to Allah. Yes, there is sihr that can kill. When discussing different forms of murder the scholars have mentioned that the person who kills another by means of a kind of sihr that usually kills should be executed (qisaas – retaliation), because he has killed by means of something that usually kills. Ibn Qudaamah said in al-Mughni (9/330): “The sixth kind: if he killed him by means of a kind of sihr that usually kills, then he has to be executed, because he has killed by means of something that usually kills, like killing by use of a knife. If he killed by means of something that does not usually kill or something that sometimes kills and sometimes does not, then he has to pay diyah (blood-money), but qisaas is not required, because he intended to do harm, and it is akin to beating someone with a stick (which may or may not kill).” The ruling concerning the saahir (practitioner of sihr) in al-Mawsoo’ah al-Fiqhiyyah (24/267) says that in the case where he killed a person by means of his sihr… the majority say that killing by means of sihr may be done deliberately, in which case qisaas is required. According to the Maalikis, evidence or a confession is required. According to the Shaafi’is, if the person whom the practitioner of sihr killed was his equal , then qisaas is required if the killing was deliberate, which may be proven by a confession on the part of the saahir, such as his saying “I killed him by means of my sihr”, or “I killed him with this type of thing”, supported by the testimony of two reliable witnesses who have practised sihr in the past but have now repented, who can confirm that this kind of sihr usually kills. If it is a type that does not usually kill, then the matter is more akin to manslaughter. And Allaah knows best.

“They said: ‘O Musa! Either you throw first or we be the first to throw?’ Musa said: ‘Nay, throw you (first)!’ Then behold! their ropes and their sticks, by their magic, appeared to him as though they moved fast.” [Ta-Ha 20:65-66] It appeared to the onlooker as if these sticks and ropes were snakes, moving fast in the valley. They were only sticks and ropes, but the magicians, through what they had learned, made what they demonstrated before the people look different in their eyes to what it really was. Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): “by their magic, appeared to him as though they moved fast.” [Ta-Ha 20:66] And in Surah al-A’raf Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): “He [Musa] said: ‘Throw you (first).’ So when they threw, they bewitched the eyes of the people, and struck terror into them, and they displayed a great magic.” [al-A’raf 7:116] But in fact their sticks and ropes did not change; it was the people’s sight which changed because of the sihr, so they thought they were snakes, because of the illusion brought about by the magicians. Some people call this taqmir, which is when the magician does things to make a person not sense reality as it really is, so his eyes do not see what is really there and things may be taken from his shop or his home without him realizing it, i.e., he does not know what is really happening. So he may see a rock as a chicken or as an egg, and so on, because reality has been changed in his eyes because of the confusion wrought by the magician, and because his eyes have been bewitched. There are things that the magicians do with certain substances to make people’s eyes not see what is really happening. This is the kind of magic which Allah describes as “great” [i.e. serious, powerful] in Soorat al-A’raf (interpretation of the meaning): “… So when they threw, they bewitched the eyes of the people, and struck terror into them, and they displayed a great magic.” [al-A’raf 7:116] Reference: Majmu’ Fatawa Wa Maqalat Mutanawwi’ah by Sheikh ‘Abd Al-‘Aziz Ibn Baz, p. 65. And Allah knows best.

I.e., this magic and any harm that results from it is subject to the prior decree and will of Allah, for our Lord cannot be overwhelmed and nothing can happen in His Dominion against His Will. Nothing happens in this world or in the Hereafter except by His prior decree and His great wisdom, as He wills. So some people may be tested by sihr, and others may be tested by sickness, or by being killed…etc. Allah is All-Wise in all that He wills and decrees, and in all that He prescribes for His slaves. Hence Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): “but they could not thus harm anyone except by Allah’s Leave.” [al-Baqarah 2:102] I.e., by His universal (kawni) will and decree, not by His legislative (shar’i) will [i.e., He wills that it should happen but He does not enjoin it and He is not pleased by such actions]. For shari’ah does not allow such things, indeed it forbids them, but by His universal leave He already knows and has already decreed that So and So will do sihr, and that So and So will be affected by sihr, just as He already knows and has already decreed that So and So will be killed, or afflicted with a certain sickness, or will die in a certain land, and will receive such and such provision, or will be rich or poor. All of that happens by the will and decree of Allah, as He says (interpretation of the meaning): “Verily, We have created all things with Qadar (Divine Preordainments of all things before their creation as written in the Book of Decrees, Al-Lawh Al-Mahfooz.") [al-Qamar 54:49] “No calamity befalls on the earth or in yourselves but it is inscribed in the Book of Decrees (Al-Lawh Al-Mahfooz) before We bring it into existence. Verily, that is easy for Allah.” [al-Hadid 57:22] The evils that come at the hands of the magicians or others do not happen because our Lord is ignorant, for He knows all things and nothing at all is hidden from Him, as He says (interpretation of the meaning): “Verily, Allah is the All-Knower of everything.” [al-Anfal 8:75] “that you may know that Allah has power over all things, and that Allâh surrounds all things in (His) Knowledge.” [al-Talaq 65:12] So Allah knows all things, and nothing happens in His Dominion that He does not will, but He has perfect wisdom and good aims in whatever He decrees should happen to people of honour or humiliation, losing or gaining power, sickness or health, magic and other things. Everything that happens to people happens by the will of Allah and in accordance with His prior decree. These magicians may perform their illusions, as stated in the verse quoted above (interpretation of the meaning):

And it may involve other things which they manage to do through the shayatin (devils), so they do things that may affect a man's reason or make him sick; they may cause division between a man and his wife, resulting in her looking ugly to him, or by making her hate her husband or be put off by him. This is blatant kufr as the Quran states. Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): “They followed what the Shayatin (devils) gave out (falsely of the magic) in the lifetime of Sulayman (Solomon). Sulayman did not disbelieve, but the Shayatin (devils) disbelieved, teaching men magic.” [al-Baqarah 2:102] Allah informs us that they (the shayatin) committed kufr by teaching men magic. Then He says (interpretation of the meaning): “and such things that came down at Babylon to the two angels, Harut and Marut, but neither of these two (angels) taught anyone (such things) till they had said, ‘We are for trial, so disbelieve not (by learning this magic from us).’”[al-Baqarah 2:102] Then Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): “And from these (angels) people learn that by which they cause separation between man and his wife, but they could not thus harm anyone except by Allah’s Leave” [al-Baqarah 2:102]

As Allah said concerning the magicians of Pharaoh (interpretation of the meaning): “They said: ‘O Musa! Either you throw first or we be the first to throw?’ Musa said: ‘Nay, throw you (first)!’ Then behold! their ropes and their sticks, by their magic , appeared to him as though they moved fast. So Musa conceived fear in himself. We (Allah) said: ‘Fear not! Surely, you will have the upper hand. And throw that which is in your right hand! It will swallow up that which they have made. That which they have made is only a magician’s trick, and the magician will never be successful, to whatever amount (of skill) he may attain.’” [Ta-Ha 20:65-69] Sihr may involve things that the magician does when tying knots on which he blows, as is referred to in the Quran (interpretation of the meaning): “And from the evil of those who practise witchcraft when they blow in the knots.” [al-Falaq 113:4]

Sihr and Its Types: https://islamqa.info/en/answers/9432/sihr-and-its-types

Who's That Girl eh? LOL ROFL It's a joy to see her looking so elegant . . . . IF you don't know her please try Visual Search! I snipped her picture...Hope Joy Alukkas' people won't sue me or something! LOL ROFL hehehehehehehe

 

Mandrake is a magician whose work is based on an unusually fast hypnotic technique. As noted in captions, when Mandrake "gestures hypnotically", his subjects see illusions, and Mandrake has used this technique against a variety of villains including gangsters, mad scientists, extraterrestrials, and characters from other dimensions.[1] At various times in the comic strip, Mandrake also demonstrates other powers, including becoming invisible, shapeshifting, levitation, and teleporting.[1] His hat, cloak, and wand, passed down from his father Theron, possess great magical properties, which in time Mandrake learns how to manipulate.[citation needed] Although Mandrake publicly works as a stage magician, he spends much of his time fighting criminals and combatting supernatural entities. Mandrake lives in Xanadu, a high-tech mansion atop a mountain in New York State. Xanadu's features include closed-circuit TV, a sectional road which divides in half, and vertical iron gates.[1]

The I Ching or Yi Jing (Chinese: 易經, Mandarin: [î tɕíŋ] (listen)), usually translated Book of Changes or Classic of Changes, is an ancient Chinese divination text that is among the oldest of the Chinese classics. Originally a divination manual in the Western Zhou period (1000–750 BC), the I Ching was transformed over the course of the Warring States and early imperial periods (500–200 BC) into a cosmological text with a series of philosophical commentaries known as the "Ten Wings".[1] After becoming part of the Five Classics in the 2nd century BC, the I Ching was the subject of scholarly commentary and the basis for divination practice for centuries across the Far East, and eventually took on an influential role in Western understanding of East Asian philosophical thought.[2] As a divination text, the I Ching is used for a traditional Chinese form of cleromancy known as I Ching divination, in which bundles of yarrow stalks are manipulated to produce sets of six apparently random numbers ranging from 6 to 9. Each of the 64 possible sets corresponds to a hexagram, which can be looked up in the I Ching. The hexagrams are arranged in an order known as the King Wen sequence. The interpretation of the readings found in the I Ching has been endlessly discussed and debated over the centuries. Many commentators have used the book symbolically, often to provide guidance for moral decision-making, as informed by Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism. The hexagrams themselves have often acquired cosmological significance and been paralleled with many other traditional names for the processes of change such as yin and yang and Wu Xing.

Yin and yang (/jɪn/ and /jæŋ/), yinyang,[1][2] or yin-yang[3][2] is a Chinese philosophical concept that describes opposite but interconnected forces. In Chinese cosmology, the universe creates itself out of a primary chaos of material energy, organized into the cycles of yin and yang and formed into objects and lives. Yin is the receptive and yang the active principle, seen in all forms of change and difference such as the annual cycle (winter and summer), the landscape (north-facing shade and south-facing brightness), sex (female and male), the formation of both men and women as characters, and sociopolitical history (disorder and order).[4] Taiji or tai chi (simplified Chinese: 太极; traditional Chinese: 太極; pinyin: tàijí; lit. 'great pole') is a Chinese cosmological term for the "Supreme Ultimate" state of undifferentiated absolute and infinite potential, the oneness before duality, from which yin and yang originate. It can be compared with the old wuji (無極, "without pole"). In the cosmology pertaining to yin and yang, the material energy which this universe was created from is known as qi. It is believed that the organization of qi in this cosmology of yin and yang has formed many things.[5] Included among these forms are humans. Many natural dualities (such as light and dark, fire and water, expanding and contracting) are thought of as physical manifestations of the duality symbolized by yin and yang. This duality lies at the origins of many branches of classical Chinese science and philosophy, as well as being a primary guideline of traditional Chinese medicine,[6] and a central principle of different forms of Chinese martial arts and exercise, such as baguazhang, taijiquan (tʻai chi chʻüan) and qigong (chʻi kung), as well as appearing in the pages of the I Ching. The notion of duality can be found in many areas, such as Communities of Practice. The term "dualistic-monism" or dialectical monism has been coined in an attempt to express this fruitful paradox of simultaneous unity and duality. Yin and yang can be thought of as complementary (rather than opposing) forces that interact to form a dynamic system in which the whole is greater than the assembled parts.[7] According to this philosophy, everything has both yin and yang aspects (for instance, shadow cannot exist without light). Either of the two major aspects may manifest more strongly in a particular object, depending on the criterion of the observation. The yin and yang symbol (or taijitu) shows a balance between two opposites with a portion of the opposite element in each section.[citation needed] In Taoist metaphysics, distinctions between good and bad, along with other dichotomous moral judgments, are perceptual, not real; so, the duality of yin and yang is an indivisible whole. In the ethics of Confucianism on the other hand, most notably in the philosophy of Dong Zhongshu (c. 2nd century BC), a moral dimension is attached to the idea of yin and yang.[8]

Two styles of scimitars: an Egyptian shamshir (left) and an Ottoman kilij (right)

 

Burmese Sword (Dha) with scabbard; 19th century

 

Zhanyinbao, an Imperial bodyguard, wearing a sheathed dao. Notice the lanyard through the handle. (1760)

 

Chinese; Saber with scabbard and belt hook; Swords

 

Yama (Devanagari: यम) or Yamarāja (यमराज), is a deity of death, dharma, the south direction, and the underworld who predominantly features in Hindu and Buddhist religion,[1][unreliable source?] belonging to an early stratum of Rigvedic Hindu deities. In Sanskrit, his name can be interpreted to mean "twin".[2] He is also an important deity worshipped by the Kalasha and formerly by the Nuristani peoples, indicating his prominence in ancient Hinduism.[3][4][5][6][7][8][9] In Hinduism, Yama is the son of sun-god Surya[10] and Sanjana or Randal Mataji, the daughter of Vishvakarma. Yama is the brother of Sraddhadeva Manu and of his older sister Yami or Yamunaji, which Horace Hayman Wilson indicates to mean the Yamuna.[11] According to the Vedas, Yama is said to have been the first mortal who died. By virtue of precedence, he became the ruler of the departed,[12] and is called "Lord of the Pitrs".[13] Mentioned in the Pāli Canon of Theravada Buddhism, Yama subsequently entered Buddhist mythology in East Asia, Southeast Asia and Sri Lanka as a Dharmapala under various transliterations. He is otherwise also called as "Dharmaraja".

Immortal Lü Dongbin, painted by Gu Jianlong, first half of 17th century

 

Qing-era representation of Sun Tzu

 

Sun Tzu (/suːn ˈdzuː, suːn ˈsuː/ soon DZOO, soon SOO;[1][2] traditional Chinese: 孫子; simplified Chinese: 孙子; pinyin: Sūnzǐ) was a Chinese military general, strategist, philosopher, and writer who lived during the Eastern Zhou period of 771 to 256 BCE. Sun Tzu is traditionally credited as the author of The Art of War, an influential work of military strategy that has affected both Western and East Asian philosophy and military thinking. Sun Tzu is revered in Chinese and East Asian culture as a legendary historical and military figure. His birth name was Sun Wu (traditional Chinese: 孫武; simplified Chinese: 孙武) and he was known outside of his family by his courtesy name Changqing (Chinese: 長卿).[citation needed] The name Sun Tzu—by which he is more popularly known—is an honorific which means "Master Sun". Sun Tzu's historicity is uncertain. The Han dynasty historian Sima Qian and other traditional Chinese historians placed him as a minister to King Helü of Wu and dated his lifetime to 544–496 BCE. Modern scholars accepting his historicity place the extant text of The Art of War in the later Warring States period of 475 to 221 BCE – based on its style of composition and its descriptions of warfare.[3] Traditional accounts state that the general's descendant Sun Bin wrote a treatise on military tactics, also titled The Art of War. Since both Sun Wu and Sun Bin were referred to as "Sun Tzu" in classical Chinese texts, some historians believed them identical, prior to the rediscovery of Sun Bin's treatise in 1972. Sun Tzu's work has been praised and employed throughout the arc of East Asian military history since its composition. During the twentieth century, The Art of War grew in popularity and saw practical use in the Western world as well. It remains influential in many contemporary competitive endeavors across the modern world beyond military strategy and warfare, including espionage,[4] culture, politics, business, and sports.[5][6][7][8]

Citipati (Sanskrit: चितिपति), Chitipati or Shmashana Adhipati is a protector deity or dharmapala in Tibetan Buddhism and Vajrayana Buddhism of the Himalayas. It is formed of two skeletal deities, one male and the other female, both dancing wildly with their limbs intertwined inside a halo of flames representing change.[1] The Citipati is said to be one of the seventy-five forms of Mahakala.[2] Their symbol is meant to represent both the eternal dance of death as well as perfect awareness. They are invoked as wrathful deities, benevolent protectors of fierce appearance. The dance of the Citipati is commemorated twice annually in Tibet.[citation needed] The citipati should not be confused with the skeleton dancers of the Tibetan Buddhist cham dance tradition.[3]

The Citipati as depicted in a painting in the Gelugpa Monastery, Nepal.

 

Folks: You know: I believe that everything is connected. We're one big happy family. We explored and migrated to other / different continents. All of us are connected.

A protector of Buddhist dharma is called a dharmapala. They are typically wrathful deities, depicted with terrifying iconography in the Mahayana and tantric traditions of Buddhism.[3] The wrathfulness is intended to depict their willingness to defend and guard Buddhist followers from dangers and enemies. The Aṣṭagatyaḥ (the eight kinds of nonhuman beings) is one category of dharmapālas, which includes the Garuda, Deva, Naga, Yaksha, Gandharva, Asura, Kinnara and Mahoraga.[3] In Vajrayana iconography and thangka depictions, dharmapala are fearsome beings, often with many heads, many hands, or many feet. Dharmapala often have blue, black or red skin, and a fierce expression with protruding fangs. Although dharmapala have a terrifying appearance, they only act in a wrathful way for the benefit of sentient beings. The devotional worship of dharmapālas in the Tibetan tradition is traceable to early 8th-century.[3]

A dharmapāla (Sanskrit: धर्मपाल, Tibetan: ཆོས་སྐྱོང་, Wylie: chos skyong, Chinese: 達磨波羅, 護法神, 護法鬼神, 諸天鬼神, 護法龍天, 諸天善神, Japanese: 達磨波羅, 護法善神, 護法神, 諸天善神, 諸天鬼神, 諸天善神諸大眷屬[1], Vietnamese: Hộ Pháp) is a type of wrathful god in Buddhism. The name means "dharma protector" in Sanskrit, and the dharmapālas are also known as the Defenders of the Justice (Dharma), or the Guardians of the Law. There are two kinds of dharmapala, Worldly Guardians (lokapala) and Wisdom Protectors (jnanapala). Only Wisdom Protectors are enlightened beings.[2]

8th-century Nagaraja carving, Alampur, Telangana

 

Naga Panchami is a day of traditional worship of Nag (or Naja or Naga) or snakes (which are associated with the mythical Nāga beings) observed by Hindus, Jains, and Buddhists throughout India, Nepal, and other countries where Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist adherents live.[2][3][4] The worship is offered on the fifth day of bright half of lunar month of Shravana (July/August), according to the Hindu calendar.[5] Some Indian states, such as Karnataka, Rajasthan and Gujarat, celebrate Naga Panchami on the dark half (Krishna Paksha) of the same month.[6] As part of the festivities, a Naga or serpent deity made of silver, stone, wood, or a painting is given a reverential bath with milk and their blessings are sought for the welfare of the family.[3] Live snakes, especially cobras, are also worshipped on this day, especially with offerings of milk and generally with the assistance of a snake charmer.[7] In the Mahabharata epic, the sage Astika stops King Janamejaya from sacrificing and eventually decimating the serpent race (Sarpa Satra). This sacrifice was performed by Janamejaya to avenge the death of his father Parikshita, who was killed by Takshaka, the king of the snakes. The day that the sacrifice was stopped was on the Shukla Paksha Panchami day in the month of Shravana. During this sacrifice, the Mahabharata as a whole was first narrated by the sage, Vaisampayana.[8] That day has since been observed as Naga Panchami.[9]

Statue of Virūpākṣa. Jōruri-ji, Japan. Virūpākṣa (Sanskrit; Pali: Virūpakkha) is a major deity in Buddhism. He is one of the Four Heavenly Kings and a dharmapala. He lives on the western part of Sumeru. He is leader of the nāgas.[5]

 

A Nagaraja (Sanskrit: नागराज nāgarāja, lit. 'king of the nagas') is a king of the various races of the nāga, the divine or semi-divine, half-human, half-serpent beings that reside in the netherworld (Patala), and can occasionally take human form.[1] Rituals devoted to these supernatural beings have been taking place throughout South Asia for at least two thousand years.[2]e

My lifelong fascination with Snakes and Snake Charmers is inexplicable! :-) Hiss! LOL ROFL hehehehehehehehe

 

In this world: There're no strangers -- just unintroduced friends. Friends in the garb of adversaries. Ice-breakers. All you need.

https://islamqa.info/en/answers/11575/who-is-muhammad#battles-of-prophet-muhammad

In 5 AH the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) attacked Bani al-Mustalaq in order to repel their aggression. He was victorious over them, and took their wealth and their women and children as booty. Then the Jewish leaders tried to incite the Confederates (al-Ahzab) against the Muslims, in order to put an end to Islam in its heartland. So the mushrikun, al-Ahbash and the Jewish tribe of Ghatafan gathered around Madinah, but Allah foiled their plot and granted victory to His Messenger and the believers.

Our National Anthem in Hindi

 

"Jana Gana Mana" (lit. 'Thou Art the Ruler of the Minds of All People') is the national anthem of the Republic of India. It was originally composed as Bharoto Bhagyo Bidhata in Bengali by polymath Rabindranath Tagore[1][2][3] on 11 December 1911.[4][5][6] The first stanza of the song Bharoto Bhagyo Bidhata was adopted in its Hindi translation by the Constituent Assembly of India as the National Anthem on 24 January 1950.[7][8] A formal rendition of the national anthem takes approximately 52 seconds. A shortened version consisting of the first and last lines (and taking about 20 seconds to play) is also staged occasionally.[9] It was first publicly sung on 27 December 1911 at the Calcutta (now Kolkata) Session of the Indian National Congress.[10][11]

“And Allah drove back those who disbelieved in their rage: they gained no advantage (booty). Allah sufficed for the believers in the fighting (by sending against the disbelievers a severe wind and troops of angels). And Allah is Ever All Strong, All Mighty” [al-Ahzab 33:25 – interpretation of the meaning]

My victory is in my defeat....I win when I lose...I fight fiercely when I retreat....

Name of the Angel of Death: Is It ‘Azrael? Summary of answer 1. It is widely assumed that the name of the Angel of Death is ‘Azrail (Azrael), but there is nothing in the Quran or the Sunnah to indicate that this is his name. 2. Based on this, we cannot be certain whether this is his name or not. We should refer this matter to Allah and call him as Allah calls him, the ‘Angel of Death’.

Folks: I've some sad news: My Psychiatrist (Late) Mister Tauseef sahib passed away recently....He's my shrink since Year 2000....I wrote that seriocomical Blog Post for him. Verily to Allaah We Belong Verily to Allaah We Shall Return. :( Disha Clinic, Red Hills, Hyderabad.

A Shrink turned Fisherman's Pep Talk: Bravo! You could overcome your Fear of the Unknown . . . . It is nothing but uncertainty of your fate! Don't think that you are doomed! Be optimistic, okay?

“No calamity befalls on the earth or in yourselves but it is inscribed in the Book of Decrees (Al-Lawh Al-Mahfuz) before We bring it into existence. Verily, that is easy for Allah” [al-Hadid 57:22]

When the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) returned from the battle of the Trench, and laid down his weapon and did ghusl – as narrated by al-Bukhaari (4117) – Jibreel (peace be upon him) came to him and said: Have you laid down your arms? For by Allah, we (angels) have not laid down ours; go out to them. He said: “Where to?” He said: Over there – and he pointed in the direction of Banu Qurayzah. So the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) went out to them, and besieged them with detachments of Muslims for umpteen days. Allah cast fear into their hearts and the siege became intense, until they agreed to accept the ruling of Sa‘d ibn Mu‘aadh, as they had been his allies. His verdict concerning them was in accordance with the ruling of Allah: their fighters were to be killed and their women and children taken captive.

The greatest of all the angels is Jibreel, upon whom be peace, who was described in the following report: "From ‘Abdullah ibn Mas‘ood (may Allah be pleased with him) who said: the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) saw Jibreel in his true form. He had six hundred wings, each of which covered the horizon. There fell from his wings jewels, pearls and rubies, only Allah knows about them." It was reported by Ahmad in al-Musnad, and Ibn Katheer said in al-Bidayah that its isnad (chain of narrators) is jayyid (good). The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, describing Jibreel: "I saw Jibreel descending from heaven, and his great size filled the space between heaven and earth." [Muslim].

The verses from Surat al-A’araf, which are as follows (interpretation of the meaning): “[Pharaoh] said: ‘If you have come with a sign, show it forth, if you are one of those who tell the truth.’ Then [Musa] threw his stick and behold! it was a serpent, manifest! And he drew out his hand, and behold! It was white (with radiance) for the beholders. The chiefs of the people of Pharaoh said: ‘This is indeed a well-versed sorcerer; He wants to get you out of your land, so what do you advise?’ They said: ‘Put him and his brother off (for a time), and send callers to the cities to collect — That they bring to you all well-versed sorcerers.’ And so the sorcerers came to Pharaoh. They said: ‘Indeed there will be a (good) reward for us if we are the victors.’ He said: ‘Yes, and moreover you will (in that case) be of the nearest (to me).’ They said: ‘O Musa! Either you throw (first), or shall we have the (first) throw?’ He [Musa] said: ‘Throw you (first).’ So when they threw, they bewitched the eyes of the people, and struck terror into them, and they displayed a great magic. And We revealed to Musa (saying): ‘Throw your stick,’ and behold! It swallowed up straight away all the falsehood which they showed. Thus truth was confirmed, and all that they did was made of no effect. So they were defeated there and returned disgraced. And the sorcerers fell down prostrate. They said: ‘We believe in the Lord of the ‘Alamin (mankind, jinn and all that exists). The Lord of Musa and Harun.’” [Al-A`raf 7:106-122] The verses from Surat Yunus, which are as follows (interpretation of the meaning): “And Pharaoh said: ‘Bring me every well-versed sorcerer.’ And when the sorcerers came, Musa said to them: ‘Cast down what you want to cast!’ Then when they had cast down, Musa said: ‘What you have brought is sorcery, Allah will surely make it of no effect. Verily, Allah does not set right the work of Al-Mufsidun (corrupters). And Allah will establish and make apparent the truth by His Words, however much the Mujrimun (criminals) may hate (it).’” [Yunus 10:79-82] The verses from Surat Ta-Ha, which are as follows (interpretation of the meaning): “They said: ‘O Musa! Either you throw first or we be the first to throw?’ [Musa] said: ‘Nay, throw you (first)!’ Then behold! their ropes and their sticks, by their magic, appeared to him as though they moved fast. So Musa conceived fear in himself. We (Allah) said: ‘Fear not! Surely, you will have the upper hand. And throw that which is in your right hand! It will swallow up that which they have made. That which they have made is only a magician’s trick, and the magician will never be successful, to whatever amount (of skill) he may attain’” [20:65-69]

Pharaoh, the king of ancient Egypt, is often depicted wearing the nemes headdress and an ornate shendyt. Based on New Kingdom tomb paintings.

 

Pharaoh (/ˈfɛəroʊ/, US also /ˈfeɪ.roʊ/;[3] Egyptian: pr ꜥꜣ;[note 1] Coptic: ⲡⲣ̅ⲣⲟ, romanized: Pǝrro; Biblical Hebrew: פַּרְעֹה‎ Parʿō)[4] is the vernacular term often used for the monarchs of ancient Egypt, who ruled from the First Dynasty (c. 3150 BC) until the annexation of Egypt by the Roman Empire in 30 BC.[5] However, regardless of gender, "king" was the term used most frequently by the ancient Egyptians for their monarchs through the middle of the Eighteenth Dynasty during the New Kingdom. The earliest confirmed instances of "pharaoh" used contemporaneously for a ruler were a letter to Akhenaten (reigned c. 1353–1336 BC) or an inscription possibly referring to Thutmose III (c. 1479–1425 BC). In the early dynasties, ancient Egyptian kings had as many as three titles: the Horus, the Sedge and Bee (nswt-bjtj), and the Two Ladies or Nebty (nbtj) name.[6] The Golden Horus and the nomen and prenomen titles were added later.[7] In Egyptian society, religion was central to everyday life. One of the roles of the king was as an intermediary between the deities and the people. The king thus was deputised for the deities in a role that was both as civil and religious administrator. The king owned all of the land in Egypt, enacted laws, collected taxes, and served as commander-in-chief of the military.[8] Religiously, the king officiated over religious ceremonies and chose the sites of new temples. The king was responsible for maintaining Maat (mꜣꜥt), or cosmic order, balance, and justice, and part of this included going to war when necessary to defend the country or attacking others when it was believed that this would contribute to Maat, such as to obtain resources.[9] During the early days prior to the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt, the Deshret or the "Red Crown", was a representation of the kingdom of Lower Egypt,[10] while the Hedjet, the "White Crown", was worn by the kings of Upper Egypt.[11] After the unification of both kingdoms, the Pschent, the combination of both the red and white crowns became the official crown of the pharaoh.[12] With time new headdresses were introduced during different dynasties such as the Khat, Nemes, Atef, Hemhem crown, and Khepresh. At times, a combination of these headdresses or crowns worn together was depicted.

The phalanx (plural phalanxes or phalanges)[1] was a rectangular mass military formation, usually composed entirely of heavy infantry armed with spears, pikes, sarissas, or similar pole weapons. The term is particularly used to describe the use of this formation in ancient Greek warfare, although the ancient Greek writers used it to also describe any massed infantry formation, regardless of its equipment. Arrian uses the term in his Array against the Alans when he refers to his legions. In Greek texts, the phalanx may be deployed for battle, on the march, or even camped, thus describing the mass of infantry or cavalry that would deploy in line during battle. They marched forward as one entity. The term itself, as used today, does not refer to a distinctive military unit or division (e.g., the Roman legion or the contemporary Western-type battalion), but to the type of formation of an army's troops. Therefore, this term does not indicate a standard combat strength or composition but includes the total number of infantry, which is deployed in a single formation known as a "phalanx". Many spear-armed troops historically fought in what might be termed phalanx-like formations. This article focuses on the use of the military phalanx formation in Ancient Greece, the Hellenistic world, and other ancient states heavily influenced by Greek civilization.

A conspiracy, also known as a plot, is a secret plan or agreement between people (called conspirers or conspirators) for an unlawful or harmful purpose, such as murder or treason, especially with political motivation,[1] while keeping their agreement secret from the public or from other people affected by it. In a political sense, conspiracy refers to a group of people united in the goal of usurping, altering or overthrowing an established political power. Depending on the circumstances, a conspiracy may also be a crime, or a civil wrong.[2] The term generally connotes, or implies, wrongdoing or illegality on the part of the conspirators, as it is commonly believed that people would not need to conspire to engage in activities that were lawful and ethical, or to which no one would object.[3][4] There are some coordinated activities that people engage in with secrecy that are not generally thought of as conspiracies. For example, intelligence agencies such as the American CIA and the British MI6 necessarily make plans in secret to spy on suspected enemies of their respective countries and the general populace of its home countries, but this kind of activity is generally not considered to be a conspiracy so long as their goal is to fulfill their official functions, and not something like improperly enriching themselves.[5] Similarly, the coaches of competing sports teams routinely meet behind closed doors to plan game strategies and specific plays designed to defeat their opponents, but this activity is not considered a conspiracy because this is considered a legitimate part of the sport. Furthermore, a conspiracy must be engaged in knowingly. The continuation of social traditions that work to the advantage of certain groups and to the disadvantage of certain other groups, though possibly unethical, is not a conspiracy if participants in the practice are not carrying it forward for the purpose of perpetuating this advantage.[5] On the other hand, if the intent of carrying out a conspiracy exists, then there is a conspiracy even if the details are never agreed to aloud by the participants.[5] CIA covert operations, for instance, are by their very nature hard to prove definitively, but research into the agency's work, as well as revelations by former CIA employees, has suggested several cases where the agency tried to influence events.[6] During the Cold War, the United States tried to covertly change other nations' governments 66 times, succeeding in 26 cases.[7] A "conspiracy theory" is a belief that a conspiracy has actually been decisive in producing a political event of which the theorists strongly disapprove.[8] Political scientist Michael Barkun has described conspiracy theories as relying on the view that the universe is governed by design, and embody three principles: nothing happens by accident, nothing is as it seems, and everything is connected.[9] Another common feature is that conspiracy theories evolve to incorporate whatever evidence exists against them, so that they become, as Barkun writes, a closed system that is unfalsifiable, and therefore "a matter of faith rather than proof."[10][11][12]

A depiction of the Padmavyūha or Chakravyūha formation as a labyrinth

 

The Padmavyūha is a multi-tiered defensive formation that looks like a blooming lotus (पद्म padma) or disc (चक्र chakra) when viewed from above.[1] The warriors at each interleaving position would be in an increasingly tough position to fight against. The formation was used in the battle of Kurukshetra by Dronacharya, who became commander-in-chief of the Kaurava army after the fall of Bhishma Pitamaha. The various vyūhas (military formations) were studied by the Kauravas and Pandavas alike. Most of them can be beaten using a counter-measure targeted specifically against that formation. In the form of battle described in the Mahabharata, it was important to place powerful fighters in positions where they could inflict maximum damage to the opposing force, or defend their own side. As per this military strategy, a specific stationary object or a moving object or person could be captured, surrounded and fully secured during battle. The formation begins with two soldiers standing back-to-back, with other such set of soldiers standing at a distance of three hands, drawing up seven circles and culminating in the end which is the place where the captured person or object is to be kept. In order to form the Chakravyuha, the commander has to identify soldiers who will form this formation. The number of soldiers to be deployed and the size of the Chakravyuha is calculated as per the resistance estimated. Once drawn, the foremost soldiers come on either side of the opponent to be captured, engage briefly and then advance. Their place is taken up by the next soldiers on either side, who again engage the opponent briefly and then advance. In this fashion, a number of soldiers pass the enemy and proceed in a circular pattern. By the time the rear of the formation arrives, the oblivious enemy is surrounded on all sides by seven tiers of soldiers. The last soldiers of the formation give the signal of having completed the Chakravyuha. On the signal, every soldier who so far has been facing outwards turns inwards to face the opponent. It is only then that the captured enemy realizes his captivity. The army can continue to maintain the circular formation while leading the captive away.

Abhimanyu (Sanskrit: अभिमन्यु) is a warrior from the ancient Hindu epic Mahabharata. He was the son of Arjuna, the third of the Pandavas and the hero of the epic, and Subhadra, the younger sister of the revered Hindu deity Krishna. Abhimanyu is portrayed as a young, strong and talented warrior. He was also one of the few individuals, along with his father, who knew the technique to enter Chakravyuha, a powerful military formation. According to the Mahabharata, Abhimanyu was raised by his maternal family because the Pandavas had been exiled for thirteen years by their cousins, the Kauravas. After his father's return, his marriage was arranged with Uttarā, the princess of the Matsya Kingdom. Abhimanyu played a significant role on the Pandava side during the Kurukshetra War. The Kaurava soldiers banded together on the thirteenth day of the battle to build the Chakravyuha in an effort to defeat the Pandavas. Since Arjuna had been persuaded to move to another side of the battleground, Abhimanyu was able to burst through the formation and take on the Kaurava soldiers by himself. At that point, six powerful warriors launched simultaneous attacks on him, and he was unfairly killed at the age of sixteen. Abhimanyu's posthumous son Parikshit saved the Kuru lineage from extinction, and became a wellknown monarch celebrated both in the Mahabharata and the Bhagavata Purana.

A chakravarti (Sanskrit: चक्रवर्तिन्, cakravartin; Pali: cakkavatti; Chinese: 轉輪王, Zhuǎnlúnwáng, "Wheel-Turning King"; 轉輪聖王, Zhuǎnlún Shèngwáng, "Wheel-Turning Sacred King"; Japanese: 転輪王, Tenrin'ō or 転輪聖王, Tenrinjōō; Vietnamese: Chuyển Luân Vương or Chuyển Luân Thánh Vương) is an ideal (or idealized) universal ruler, in the history, religion, and mythologies of India. The concept is present in Hindu, Jain and Buddhist cultural traditions, narrative myths and lore.[1] There are three types of chakravarti: chakravala chakravarti, an emperor who rules over all four of the continents (i.e., a universal monarch); dvipa chakravarti, a ruler who governs only one of those continents; and pradesha chakravarti, a monarch who leads the people of only a part of a continent, the equivalent of a local king.[2] Dvipa chakravarti is particularly one who rules the entire Indian subcontinent (as in the case of the Mauryan Empire).[3]: 175 The first references to a Chakravala Chakravartin appear in monuments from the time of the early Maurya Empire, in the 4th to 3rd century BCE, in reference to Chandragupta Maurya and his grandson Ashoka. The word cakra-vartin- is a bahuvrīhi compound word, translating to "one whose wheels are moving", in the sense of "whose chariot is rolling everywhere without obstruction". It can also be analysed as an 'instrumental bahuvrīhi: "through whom the wheel is moving" in the meaning of "through whom the Dharmachakra ("Wheel of the Dharma) is turning" (most commonly used in Buddhism).[citation needed] The Tibetan equivalent Tibetan: ཁོར་ལོས་སྒྱུར་བའི་རྒྱལ་པོ་, Wylie: khor los sgyur ba'i rgyal po translates "monarch who controls by means of a wheel".[citation needed] 14 Ratnas of Chakravartin, 17th century manuscript In Buddhism, a chakravarti is the secular counterpart of a buddha. The term applies to temporal as well as spiritual kingship and leadership, particularly in Buddhism and Jainism. In Hinduism, a chakravarti is a powerful ruler whose dominion extends to the entire earth. In both religions, the chakravarti is supposed to uphold dharma, indeed being "he who turns the wheel (of dharma)". The Indian concept of chakravarti later evolved[citation needed] into the concept of devaraja – the divine right of kings – which was adopted by the Indianised Hindu-Buddhist kingdoms of Southeast Asia through Hindu Brahmin scholars deployed from India to their courts. It was first adopted by Javanese Hindu-Buddhist empires such as Majapahit; through them by the Khmer Empire; and subsequently by the Thai monarchs.[citation needed]

Brainwashing (also known as mind control, menticide, coercive persuasion, thought control, thought reform, and forced re-education) is the concept that the human mind can be altered or controlled by certain psychological techniques. Brainwashing is said to reduce its subject's ability to think critically or independently, to allow the introduction of new, unwanted thoughts and ideas into their minds,[1] as well as to change their attitudes, values, and beliefs.[2][3] The term "brainwashing" was first used in English by Edward Hunter in 1950 to describe how the Chinese government appeared to make people cooperate with them during the Korean War. Research into the concept also looked at Nazi Germany, at some criminal cases in the United States, and at the actions of human traffickers. In the late 1960s and 1970s, the CIA's MKUltra experiments failed with no operational use of the subjects. Scientific and legal debate followed, as well as media attention, about the possibility of brainwashing being a factor when Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) was used,[4] or in the conversion of people to groups which are considered to be cults.[5] The concept of brainwashing is not now generally accepted as a scientific fact.[6][7] In casual speech, "brainwashing" and its verb form, "brainwash", are used figuratively to describe the use of propaganda to persuade or sway public opinion.[8]

“Bismillaah, Allaahumma inni a’oodhu bika min al-khubthi wa’l-khabaa’ith (In the name of Allaah, O Allaah, I seek refuge with You from evil and from the male and female devils).”

Praise be to Allah. It is known that the jinn can see people, but people cannot see the jinn. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “Verily, he [Shaytaan] and Qabeeluhu (his soldiers from the jinn or his tribe) see you from where you cannot see them” [al-A’raaf 7:27]

In religion and theology, revelation is the revealing or disclosing of some form of truth or knowledge through communication with a deity or other supernatural entity or entities.[1]

the action of suggesting, without being direct, that something unpleasant is true: [ + that ] We resent these insinuations that we are not capable of leading the company forward. I reject the insinuation behind your question.

if something is implied, it is understood to be true or to exist, although it is not stated directly or in a legal agreement:

A flying saucer (also referred to as "a flying disc") is a descriptive term for a type of flying craft having a disc or saucer-shaped body, commonly used generically to refer to an anomalous flying object. The term was coined in 1947[2] but has generally been supplanted since 1952 by the United States Air Force term unidentified flying objects (or UFOs for short). Early reported sightings of unknown "flying saucers" usually described them as silver or metallic, sometimes reported as covered with navigation lights or surrounded with a glowing light, hovering or moving rapidly, either alone or in tight formations with other similar craft, and exhibiting high maneuverability.

Alien abduction (also called abduction phenomenon, alien abduction syndrome, or UFO abduction) refers to people reporting the experience of being kidnapped and subjected to physical and psychological experimentation by an alien figure.[1] People claiming to have been abducted are usually called "abductees"[2] or "experiencers". Most scientists and mental health professionals explain these experiences by factors such as suggestibility (e.g. false memory syndrome), sleep paralysis, deception, and psychopathology.[3] Skeptic Robert Sheaffer sees similarity between some of the aliens described by abductees and those depicted in science fiction films, in particular Invaders From Mars (1953).[4] Typical claims involve forced medical examinations that emphasize the subject's reproductive systems.[5] Abductees sometimes claim to have been warned against environmental abuses and the dangers of nuclear weapons,[6] or to have engaged in interspecies breeding.[7] The contents of the abduction narrative often seem to vary with the home culture of the alleged abductee.[4] Unidentified flying objects (UFOs), alien abduction, and mind control plots can also be part of radical political apocalyptic and millenarian narratives.[8] Reports of the abduction phenomenon have been made all around the world, but are most common in English-speaking countries, especially the United States.[4] The first alleged alien abduction claim to be widely publicized was the Betty and Barney Hill abduction in 1961.[9] UFO abduction claims have declined since their initial surge in the mid-1970s and alien abduction narratives have found less popularity in mainstream media. Skeptic Michael Shermer proposed that the ubiquity of camera phones increases the burden of evidence for such claims, and may be a cause for their decline.[10]

Independence Day is celebrated annually on 15 August as a public holiday in India commemorating the nation's independence from the United Kingdom on 15 August 1947, the day when the provisions of the Indian Independence Act, which transferred legislative sovereignty to the Indian Constituent Assembly, came into effect. India retained King George VI as head of state until its transition to a republic, when the Constitution of India came into effect on 26 January 1950 (celebrated as Indian Republic Day) and replaced the dominion prefix, Dominion of India, with the enactment of the sovereign law Constitution of India. India attained independence following the independence movement noted for largely non-violent resistance and civil disobedience. Independence coincided with the partition of India, in which British India was divided along religious lines into the Dominions of India and Pakistan; the partition was accompanied by violent riots and mass casualties, and the displacement of nearly 15 million people due to religious violence. On 15 August 1947, the first Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru raised the Indian national flag above the Lahori Gate of the Red Fort in Delhi. On each subsequent Independence Day, the incumbent Prime Minister customarily raises the flag and gives an address to the nation.[1] The entire event is broadcast by Doordarshan, India's national broadcaster, and usually begins with the shehnai music of Ustad Bismillah Khan. Independence Day is observed throughout India with flag-hoisting ceremonies, parades and cultural events. It is a national holiday.[2][3][4]

premonition noun [ C ] UK /ˌprem.əˈnɪʃ.ən/ /ˌpriː.məˈnɪʃ.ən/ US /ˌprem.əˈnɪʃ.ən/ /ˌpriː.məˈnɪʃ.ən/ Add to word list a feeling that something, especially something unpleasant, is going to happen: [ + that ] He had a premonition that his plane would crash, so he took the train. She had a sudden premonition of what the future might bring.

A doomsday cult is a cult that believes in apocalypticism and millenarianism, including both those that predict disaster and those that attempt to destroy the entire universe.[1] Sociologist John Lofland coined the term doomsday cult in his 1966 study of a group of members of the Unification Church of the United States: Doomsday Cult: A Study of Conversion, Proselytization, and Maintenance of Faith. In 1958, Leon Festinger published a study of a group with cataclysmic predictions: When Prophecy Fails: A Social and Psychological Study of a Modern Group that Predicted the Destruction of the World.[2][3][4] Festinger and other researchers have attempted to explain the commitment of members to their doomsday cult after the leader's prophecies have proven false. Festinger attributed this phenomenon to the coping method of dissonance reduction, a form of rationalization.[2] Members often dedicate themselves with renewed vigor to the group's cause after a failed prophecy, rationalizing with explanations such as a belief that their actions forestalled the disaster or continued a belief in the leader when the date for disaster is postponed.[2] Some researchers believe that the use of the term by the government and the news media can lead to a self-fulfilling prophecy, in which actions by authorities reinforces the apocalyptic beliefs of the group, which in turn can inspire further controversial actions. Group leaders have themselves objected to comparisons between one group and another, and parallels have been drawn between the concept of a self-fulfilling prophecy and the theory of a deviancy amplification spiral.

blow your own trumpet/horn idiom: to tell everyone proudly about your achievements.

Cult is a term, in most contexts pejorative, for a relatively small group which is typically led by a charismatic and self-appointed leader, who excessively controls its members, requiring unwavering devotion to a set of beliefs and practices which are considered deviant (outside the norms of society).[1] This term is also used for a new religious movement or other social group which is defined by its unusual religious, spiritual, or philosophical beliefs and rituals,[2] or its common interest in a particular person, object, or goal. This sense of the term is weakly defined – having divergent definitions both in popular culture and academia – and has also been an ongoing source of contention among scholars across several fields of study.[3][4]: 348–356 An older sense of the word involves a set of religious devotional practices that is conventional within its culture, is related to a particular figure, and is frequently associated with a particular place.[5] References to the imperial cult of ancient Rome, for example, use the word in this sense. A derived sense of "excessive devotion" arose in the 19th century.[i] Beginning in the 1930s, cults became an object of sociological study within the context of the study of religious behavior.[6] Since the 1940s, the Christian countercult movement has opposed some sects and new religious movements, labeling them "cults" because of their unorthodox beliefs. Since the 1970s, the secular anti-cult movement has opposed certain groups and, as a reaction to acts of violence, frequently charged those cults with practicing mind control. Scholars and the media have disputed some of the claims and actions of anti-cult movements, leading to further public controversy. Sociological classifications of religious movements may identify a cult as a social group with socially deviant or novel beliefs and practices,[7] although this is often unclear.[8][9][10] Other researchers present a less-organized picture of cults, saying that they arise spontaneously around novel beliefs and practices.[11] Groups labelled as "cults" range in size from local groups with a few members to international organizations with millions.[12] There are thousands of cults around the world.[13]

Adam's Peak is a 2,243 m (7,359 ft) tall conical sacred mountain located in central Sri Lanka.[1][2] It is well known for the Sri Pada (Śrī Pāda; Sinhala: ශ්‍රී පාද, "sacred footprint"), a 1.8 m (5 ft 11 in) rock formation near the summit whose name is also used for the mountain itself. In Buddhist tradition the print is held to be the footprint of the Buddha, in Hindu tradition that of Hanuman or Shiva (its Tamil name, Sivanolipaathamalai, means "Mountain of Shiva's Light") and in some Islamic and Christian traditions that of Adam or St. Thomas.[2][3][4] The mountain is also known as Mount Malaya in Buddhist sources, particularly the Mahayana Lankavatara Sutra, which states that the Buddha preached this sutra on top of the mountain. According to this sutra, the mountain was the abode of Rāvanā, overlord of the Raskshasas and ruler of Laṅkā.[5][6] Other names in Sanskrit sources include Mount Lanka, Ratnagiri (Mountain of Gems), Malayagiri (Mount Malaya) or Mount Rohana.[1] The mountain is also seen as the abode of the deity Saman and also goes by various names associated with this, including Sumanakūta ("Sumana's Mountain") and Samanalakanda ("Mountain of Saman" or "Mountain of the Butterflies").[1][2]

The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party or simply the Congress, is an Indian political party.[34] Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British Empire in Asia and Africa.[a][35] From the late 19th century, and especially after 1920, under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi, the Congress became the principal leader of the Indian independence movement.[36] The Congress led India to independence from the United Kingdom,[d] and significantly influenced other anti-colonial nationalist movements in the British Empire.[e][35] Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, along with its main rival the Bharatiya Janata Party.[39] It is a "big tent" party whose platform is generally considered to lie in the centre to centre-left of Indian politics.[21][16][40] After Indian independence in 1947, Congress emerged as a catch-all and secular party, dominating Indian politics for the next 20 years. The party's first Prime Minister, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, led the Congress to support socialist policies by creating the Planning Commission, introducing Five-Year Plans, implementing a mixed economy, and establishing a secular state. After Nehru's death and the short tenure of Lal Bahadur Shastri, Indira Gandhi became the leader of the party. In 1969, the party suffered a major split, with a faction led by Indira Gandhi leaving to form the Congress (R), with the remainder becoming the Congress (O). The Congress (R) became the dominant faction, winning the 1971 general election with a huge margin. However, another split occurred in 1979, leading to the creation of the Congress (I), which was recognized as the Congress by the Electoral Commission in 1981. Under Rajiv Gandhi's leadership, the party won a massive victory in the 1984 general elections, nevertheless losing the election held in 1989 to the National Front. The Congress then returned to power under P. V. Narasimha Rao, who moved the party towards an economically liberal agenda, a sharp break from previous leaders. However, it lost the 1996 general election and was replaced in government by the National Front (then the BJP). After a record eight years out of office, the Congress-led coalition known as the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) under Manmohan Singh formed a government post-winning 2004 general elections. Subsequently, the UPA again formed the government after winning the 2009 general elections, and Singh became the first Prime Minister since Nehru in 1962 to be re-elected after completing a full five-year term. However, in the 2014 general election, the Congress suffered a heavy defeat, winning only 44 seats of the 543-member Lok Sabha (the lower house of the Parliament of India). In the 2019 general election, the party again suffered a heavy defeat, winning only 52 seats in the Lok Sabha. In the 17 general elections since independence, it has won an outright majority on seven occasions and has led the ruling coalition a further three times, heading the central government for more than 54 years. There have been six Prime Ministers from the Congress party, the first being Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (1947–1964), and the last being Manmohan Singh (2004–2014). On social issues, it advocates secular policies that encourage equal opportunity, right to health, right to education, civil liberty, and support social market economy, and a strong welfare state. Being a centre-left party, its policies predominantly reflected balanced positions including secularism, egalitarianism, and social stratification.[21] The INC supports contemporary economic reforms such as liberalisation, privatisation and globalization. A total of 61 people have served as the president of the INC since its formation. Sonia Gandhi is the longest-serving president of the party, having held office for over twenty years from 1998 to 2017 and again from 2019 till 2022. Mallikarjun Kharge is the current serving President. The district party is the smallest functional unit of Congress. There is also a Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC), present at the state level in every state. Together, the delegates from the districts and PCCs form the All India Congress Committee (AICC). The party is also organized into several committees and sections, such as the Congress Working Committee (CWC).

The Illuminati (/ɪˌluːmɪˈnɑːti/; plural of Latin illuminatus, 'enlightened') is a name given to several groups, both real and fictitious. Historically, the name usually refers to the Bavarian Illuminati, an Enlightenment-era secret society founded on 1 May 1776 in Bavaria, today part of Germany. The society's stated goals were to oppose superstition, obscurantism, religious influence over public life, and abuses of state power. "The order of the day," they wrote in their general statutes, "is to put an end to the machinations of the purveyors of injustice, to control them without dominating them."[1] The Illuminati—along with Freemasonry and other secret societies—were outlawed through edict by Charles Theodore, Elector of Bavaria, with the encouragement of the Catholic Church, in 1784, 1785, 1787 and 1790.[2] During subsequent years, the group was generally vilified by conservative and religious critics who claimed that the Illuminati continued underground and were responsible for the French Revolution. It attracted literary men such as Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Johann Gottfried Herder and the reigning Duke of Gotha and of Weimar.[3] In subsequent use, "Illuminati" has been used when referring to various organisations which are alleged to be a continuation of the original Bavarian Illuminati (though these links have not been substantiated). These organisations have often been accused of conspiring to control world affairs, by masterminding events and planting agents in governments and corporations, in order to gain political power and influence and to establish a New World Order. Central to some of the more widely known and elaborate conspiracy theories, the Illuminati are depicted as lurking in the shadows and pulling the strings and levers of power. This view of the Illuminati has found its way into popular culture, appearing in dozens of novels, films, television shows, comics, video games and music videos.

The Golden Temple (also known as the Harimandir Sahib (lit. 'abode of God', Punjabi pronunciation: [ɦəɾᵊmən̪d̪əɾᵊ saːɦ(ɪ)bᵊ]), or the Darbār Sahib, 'exalted court', [d̪əɾᵊbaːɾᵊ saːɦ(ɪ)bᵊ] or Suvaran Mandir[2]) is a gurdwara located in the city of Amritsar, Punjab, India.[3][4] It is the preeminent spiritual site of Sikhism. It is one of the holiest sites in Sikhism, alongside the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur in Kartarpur, and Gurdwara Janam Asthan in Nankana Sahib.[3][5] The man-made pool on the site of the temple was completed by the fourth Sikh Guru, Guru Ram Das, in 1577.[6][7] In 1604, Guru Arjan Dev, the fifth Sikh Guru, placed a copy of the Adi Granth in Harmandir Sahib and is the prominent figure in the development of gurudwara who built it in the 16th Century.[3][8] The Gurdwara was repeatedly rebuilt by the Sikhs after it became a target of persecution and was destroyed several times by the Mughal and invading Afghan armies.[3][5][9] Maharaja Ranjit Singh, after founding the Sikh Empire, rebuilt it in marble and copper in 1809, and overlaid the sanctum with gold leaf in 1830. This has led to the name the Golden Temple.[10][11][12] The Golden Temple is spiritually the most significant shrine in Sikhism. It became a centre of the Singh Sabha Movement between 1883 and 1920s, and the Punjabi Suba movement between 1947 and 1966. In the early 1980s, the Gurdwara became a centre of conflict between the Indian government and a movement led by Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale.[13] In 1984, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi sent in the Indian Army as part of Operation Blue Star, leading to deaths of over 1,000 soldiers and civilians, as well as causing much damage to the Gurdwara and the destruction of Akal Takht. The Gurdwara complex was rebuilt again after the 1984 damage.[5] The Golden Temple is an open house of worship for all people, from all walks of life and faiths.[3] It has a square plan with four entrances, and a circumambulation path around the pool. The four entrances to the gurudwara symbolises the Sikh belief in equality and the Sikh view that all people are welcome into their holy place.[14] The complex is a collection of buildings around the sanctum and the pool.[3] One of these is Akal Takht, the chief centre of religious authority of Sikhism.[5] Additional buildings include a clock tower, the offices of the Gurdwara Committee, a Museum and a langar – a free Sikh community-run kitchen that offers a vegetarian meal to all visitors without discrimination.[5] Over 150,000 people visit the holy shrine everyday for worship.[15] The Gurdwara complex has been nominated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and its application is pending on the tentative list of UNESCO.[16]

 

Akal Takhat Sahib at Golden Temple Complex. The Supreme place from where all important decisions (by SGPC) related to Sikhism are issued.

 

The Akal Takht (Gurmukhi: ਅਕਾਲ ਤਖ਼ਤ, Punjabi pronunciation: [äːkäːl t̪akʰɛð]; lit. 'Throne of the Timeless One')[2] is one of five takhts (seats of power) of the Sikhs. It is located in the Darbar Sahib (Golden Temple) complex in Amritsar, Punjab, India. The Akal Takht (originally called Akal Bunga) was built by Shri Guru Hargobind Ji as a place of justice and consideration of temporal issues; the highest seat of earthly authority of the Khalsa (the collective body of the Sikhs) and the place of the Jathedar, the highest spokesman of the Sikhs. The position of the jathedar is disputed between the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee who appointed Giani Harpreet Singh as the acting jathedar in 2018, and the Sarbat Khalsa organized by some Sikh organizations in 2015. Due to the political imprisonment of Hawara, Dhian Singh Mand was appointed as the acting jathedar by the Sarbat Khalsa. The Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee however refused to accept its authority.[3][4]

Christ's raising of Lazarus, Athens, 12–13th century

 

Lazarus of Bethany (Latinised from Lazar, ultimately from Hebrew Eleazar, "God helped"), also venerated as Righteous Lazarus, the Four-Days Dead in the Eastern Orthodox Church,[4] is the subject of a sign of Jesus in the Gospel of John, in which Jesus restores him to life four days after his death. The Eastern Orthodox and Catholic traditions offer varying accounts of the later events of his life. In the context of the seven signs in the Gospel of John, the raising of Lazarus at Bethany – today the Palestinian town of Al-Eizariya in the West Bank, which translates to "the place of Lazarus" – is the climactic narrative: exemplifying the power of Jesus "over the last and most irresistible enemy of humanity: death. For this reason, it is given a prominent place in the gospel."[5] The name Lazarus is frequently used in science and popular culture in reference to apparent restoration to life; for example, the scientific term Lazarus taxon denotes organisms that reappear in the fossil record after a period of apparent extinction, and also the Lazarus sign and the Lazarus syndrome. There are also numerous literary uses of the term. A distinct character of the same name is also mentioned in the Gospel of Luke in Jesus' parable of the rich man and Lazarus, in which both eponymous characters die, and the former begs for the latter to be resurrected.

cry wolf idiom disapproving Add to word list to keep asking for help when you do not need it, with the result that people think you do not need help when you really need it: If you cry wolf too often, people will stop believing you. -- to ask for help when you do not need it, which may prevent people from helping you when you do need it: The administration has cried wolf so many times, it's difficult to know if there's a problem or not.

a wolf in sheep's clothing idiom: a person with a pleasant and friendly appearance that hides the fact that they are evil. -- someone or something that seems to be good but is actually not good at all: My grandfather was a wolf in sheep’s clothing – he looked like a sweet old man, but he was really mean.

Vocab break: pull the wool over someone's eyes idiom: to deceive someone in order to prevent them from discovering something. -- An example sentence: He doesn't have any special powers – he's just trying to pull the wool over your eyes. ;-)

Vocab break: Blinkers, sometimes known as blinders, are a piece of horse tack that prevent the horse seeing to the rear and, in some cases, to the side.[1]

Vocab break: Metaphorical use Both "blinker" and "blinder" are also used metaphorically to refer to people with an overly narrow focus or inability to see the larger picture. The term can be seen as implying "a limitation or obstruction to sight or discernment".[5]

. . . victory of brightness over darkness.

 

Do you have it in you? If you have it in you, we're looking for you. India's Armed Forces is looking for a few good men. For the best and the brightest amongst you.For men with intellect, idealism and courage.Men who can lead and inspire others. The Indian Army is looking for a few good men & women. A few of the best and the brightest. A few with fire in their belly. A few with intellect, idealism and courage. If you have it in you, we’re looking for you.

The National Emblem of India is derived from the time of the Emperor Ashoka. The emblem is a replica of the Lion of Sarnath, near Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh. The Lion Capital was erected in the third century BC by Emperor Ashoka to mark the spot where Buddha first proclaimed his gospel of peace and emancipation to the four quarters of the universe. The national emblem is thus symbolic of contemporary India’s reaffirmation of its ancient commitment to world peace and goodwill. The four lions(one hidden from view ) – symbolising power, courage and confidence- rest on a circular abacus. The abacus is girded by four smaller animals—Guardians of the four directions: The Lion of the North, The Horse of the West, The Bull of the South and The Elephant of the East. The abacus rests on a lotus in full bloom, exemplifying the fountainhead of life and creative inspiration. The motto 'Satyameva Jayate' inscribed below the emblem in Devanagari script means 'truth alone triumphs'.

 

The president of India (IAST: Bhārat kē Rāṣṭrapati) is the head of state of the Republic of India. The president is the nominal head of the executive,[a] the first citizen of the country, as well as the commander-in-chief of the Indian Armed Forces. Droupadi Murmu is the 15th and current president, having taken office from 25 July 2022. The office of president was created when India officially became a republic on 26 January 1950 after gaining independence on 15 August 1947, when its constitution came into force. The president is indirectly elected by an electoral college comprising both houses of the Parliament of India and the legislative assemblies of each of India's states and territories, who themselves are all directly elected by the citizens. Article 53 of the Constitution of India states that the president can exercise their powers directly or by subordinate authority (with few exceptions), though all of the executive powers vested in the president are, in practice, exercised by the prime minister (a subordinate authority) with the advice of the Cabinet ministers.[3] The president is bound by the constitution to act on the advice of the prime minister and cabinet as long as the advice does not violate the constitution.

 

https://pmonradio.nic.in/

Mann Ki Baat (Hindi: मन की बात, transl. Speaking from heart) is an Indian radio programme hosted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in which he addresses the people of the nation on All India Radio, DD National and DD News.[1][2][3] Since the first show on 3 October 2014, there have been 97 episodes. The 100th episode of Mann Ki Baat was broadcast on 30 April 2023 and it was a worldwide broadcast.[1] The main purpose of the program is to "establish a dialogue with the citizens on issues of day-to-day governance", according to a statement by the Information and Broadcasting Minister in the Rajya Sabha in July 2021.[4][5] The programme is India's "first visually enriched radio program".[5] As Modi’s ‘Mann Ki Baat’ approached its 100th episode on 30 April 2023, a survey conducted by the Indian Institute of Management, Rohtak shows that at least twenty-three crore people have ‘listened to or viewed’ Modi’s monthly radio broadcast regularly and over 100 crore people have listened to it at least once.[6] However, a study by Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS) released in November 2022 reported a very low listenership of the programme.[7]

Tetra-amelia syndrome (tetra- + amelia), also called autosomal recessive tetraamelia,[1] is an extremely rare autosomal recessive[2] congenital disorder characterized by the absence of all four limbs. Other areas of the body are also affected by malformations, such as the face, skull, reproductive organs, anus, lungs and pelvis.[1] The disorder can be caused by recessive mutations in the WNT3 or RSPO2 genes.[2][3]

Nicholas James Vujicic (/ˈvuːɪtʃɪtʃ/ VOO-itch-itch;[1] born 4 December 1982)[2][3] is an Australian American[4] Christian evangelist and motivational speaker of Serbian descent. Vujicic has tetra-amelia syndrome, a disorder characterised by the absence of arms and legs.

N. K. Senthamarai Kannan[1][2][3] is a Police Commissioner, and former Inspector General of Police in the Indian Police Service.[4][5][6] He is the first Tiruppur city police commissioner.[7][8] He has also served as a Special Task Force spy who headed the intelligence wing in the Operation Cocoon,[4][5] behind the encounter with the notorious bandit Veerappan under the leadership of K. Vijay Kumar. The 2016 film Killing Veerappan is based on the operation carried out by him.[9][10] Kannan is a 1997-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, who entered the State police service as a Deputy Superintendent of Police in 1989, and was later conferred IPS in 2003 with six years’ retrospective effect.[8] He studied Economics in The American College, Madurai and later became Asst Professor in Economics in the same college from 1985, worked there till he entered Tamil Nadu State Police service in 1989.

K Vijay Kumar, IPS (born 15 September 1952), is a retired IPS officer. He was the chief of the Special Task Force of Tamil Nadu that was involved in the death of the Veerappan during Operation Cocoon of 2004. He had also been the senior advisor to Home Ministry for the Left Wing Extremism areas. He served as the Advisor to the Governor of Jammu and Kashmir[1] with Home, Forest, Ecology & Environment, Health & Medical Education, Youth Services & Sports, Hospitality & Protocol, Civil Aviation, Estates and Information portfolios.[2] Currently he has joined back as senior security adviser in Ministry of Home Affairs in December 2019.

 

Operation Cocoon was an operation launched by the Special Task Force of Tamil Nadu Police to capture the forest brigand Veerappan and his associates, who were dominant in Sathyamangalam Forest in the South Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala. The operation was headed by K. Vijay Kumar, and N. K. Senthamarai Kannan.[1][2][3][4] Veerappan was killed on the final day of the operation, 18 October 2004. Three of his associates, Sethukuli Govinda, Chandre Gowda and Sethumani, also died, and four policemen were injured.[3] Veerappan defied the state governments of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala and Indian Border security paramilitary forces, and maintained a small army, which at one point numbered hundreds of people. He was wanted for killing approximately 184 people, about half of whom were police officers, including senior police and forest officials. He was also wanted for poaching about 200 elephants and smuggling ivory worth US$2,600,000 (₹16 crore) and about 10,000 tonnes of sandalwood worth approximately US$22,000,000 (₹143 crore).[5] The joint Special Task Force operation to capture Veerappan, was constituted in 1991 by the state governments of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. It is considered one of the most expensive operations of its kind in Indian history, costing ₹1 billion over the years.[5]

Greyhounds is a police special forces unit of the Andhra Pradesh and Telangana Police departments in India. Greyhounds specialises in counter-insurgency operations against Naxalite and Maoist terrorists.[6][7][8] Several Indian paramilitary and police officers have described the Greyhounds as among the best anti-insurgency forces that specialises in anti-Maoist operations and as experts in jungle warfare.[9]

Eunuchs in China: A eunuch is a castrated man. Castration has had a social function in history. In China, castration included the removal of the penis and the testicles (emasculation). A knife removed both organs at the same time.[1] Eunuchs have existed in China since about 146 AD, during the reign of Emperor Huan of Han[2] and were common as civil servants by the Qing dynasty.[3] From ancient times to the Sui dynasty, castration was a traditional punishment (one of the Five Punishments) and a means of gaining employment in the imperial service. Some eunuchs, such as the Ming dynasty official Zheng He, gained power that superseded that of the Grand Secretaries. Self-castration was not uncommon, although it was not always performed thoroughly and was later banned. Eunuchs were employed as high-ranking civil servants because they could not have children, so they were not tempted to seize power and begin a dynasty. They were also used to guard the Emperors wives and concubines. In addition, many in the palace considered eunuchs more reliable than scholar-officials. Finally, as a symbolic assignment of divine authority in the palace system, a constellation of stars was designated as the emperor's; west of the constellation, four stars were known as his "eunuchs."[4] The tension between eunuchs in the service of the emperor and virtuous Confucian officials is a familiar theme in Chinese history. In his History of Government, Samuel Finer writes that reality often needs to be clearly defined. The emperor valued capable eunuchs as advisers, and resistance from "virtuous" officials often stemmed from jealousy. Ray Huang says that eunuchs represented the personal will of the Emperor, and the officials represented the political will of the bureaucracy; a clash between them would have been a clash of ideologies or political agendas.[5] The number of eunuchs in imperial employment fell to 470 by 1912. The Chinese government abolished the eunuch system on November 5, 1924. The last imperial eunuch, Sun Yaoting, died in December 1996.[6]

The Five Punishments (Chinese: 五刑; pinyin: wǔ xíng; Cantonese Yale: ńgh yìhng) was the collective name for a series of physical penalties meted out by the legal system of pre-modern dynastic China.[1] Over time, the nature of the Five Punishments varied. Before the time of Western Han dynasty Emperor Han Wendi (r. 180–157 BC) they involved tattooing, cutting off the nose, amputation of one or both feet, castration and death.[2][3] Following the Sui and Tang dynasties (581–907 AD) these were changed to penal servitude, banishment, death, or corporal punishment in the form of whipping with bamboo strips or flogging with a stick. Although the Five Punishments were an important part of Dynastic China's penal system they were not the only methods of punishment used.

Third gender is a concept in which individuals are categorized, either by themselves or by society, as neither man nor woman. It is also a social category present in societies that recognize three or more genders. The term third is usually understood to mean "other", though some anthropologists and sociologists have described fourth[1] and fifth[2] genders. The state of personally identifying as, or being identified by society as, a man, a woman, or other is usually also defined by the individual's gender identity and gender role in the particular culture in which they live. Most cultures use a gender binary, having two genders (boys/men and girls/women).[3][4][5] In cultures with a third or fourth gender, these genders may represent very different things. To Native Hawaiians and Tahitians, Māhū is an intermediate state between man and woman known as "gender liminality".[6][7] Some traditional Diné Native Americans of the Southwestern US acknowledge a spectrum of four genders: feminine woman, masculine woman, feminine man, and masculine man.[8] The term "third gender" has also been used to describe the hijras of South Asia[9] who have gained legal identity, fa'afafine of Polynesia, and Balkan sworn virgins.[10] A culture recognizing a third gender does not in itself mean that they were valued by that culture, and often is the result of explicit devaluation of women in that culture.[11] While found in a number of non-Western cultures, concepts of "third", "fourth", and "some" gender roles are still somewhat new to mainstream Western culture and conceptual thought.[12] The concept is most likely to be embraced in the modern LGBT or queer subcultures.[citation needed] While mainstream Western scholars—notably anthropologists who have tried to write about the South Asian hijras or the Native American "gender variant" and two-spirit people—have often sought to understand the term "third gender" solely in the language of the modern LGBT community, other scholars—especially Indigenous scholars—stress that mainstream scholars' lack of cultural understanding and context has led to widespread misrepresentation of the people these scholars place in the third gender category, as well as misrepresentations of the cultures in question, including whether or not this concept actually applies to these cultures at all.[13][14][15][16]

A eunuch (/ˈjuːnək/ (listen) YOO-nək)[1] is a male who has been castrated.[2] Throughout history, castration often served a specific social function.[3] The earliest records for intentional castration to produce eunuchs are from the Sumerian city of Lagash in the 2nd millennium BCE.[4][5] Over the millennia since, they have performed a wide variety of functions in many different cultures: courtiers or equivalent domestics, for espionage or clandestine operations, castrato singers, concubines or sexual partners, religious specialists, soldiers, royal guards, government officials, and guardians of women or harem servants. Eunuchs would usually be servants or slaves who had been castrated to make them less threatening servants of a royal court where physical access to the ruler could wield great influence.[6] Seemingly lowly domestic functions—such as making the ruler's bed, bathing him, cutting his hair, carrying him in his litter, or even relaying messages—could, in theory, give a eunuch "the ruler's ear" and impart de facto power on the formally humble but trusted servant. Similar instances are reflected in the humble origins and etymology of many high offices. Eunuchs supposedly did not generally have loyalties to the military, the aristocracy, or a family of their own (having neither offspring nor in-laws, at the very least). They were thus seen as more trustworthy and less interested in establishing a private "dynasty". Because their condition usually lowered their social status, they could also be easily replaced or killed without repercussion. In cultures that had both harems and eunuchs, eunuchs were sometimes used as harem servants.

Chanakya as depicted on the cover of R. Shamasastry's 1915 translation of Arthashastra

 

Chanakya (Sanskrit: चाणक्य; IAST: Cāṇakya, pronunciation (help·info); 375–283 BCE) was an ancient Indian polymath who was active as a teacher, author, strategist, philosopher, economist, jurist, and royal advisor. He is traditionally identified as Kauṭilya or Vishnugupta, who authored the ancient Indian political treatise, the Arthashastra,[3] a text dated to roughly between the fourth century BCE and the third century CE.[4] As such, he is considered the pioneer of the field of political science and economics in India, and his work is thought of as an important precursor to classical economics.[5][6][7][8] His works were lost near the end of the Gupta Empire in the sixth century CE and not rediscovered until the early 20th century. Around 321 BCE, Chanakya assisted the first Mauryan emperor Chandragupta in his rise to power and is widely credited for having played an important role in the establishment of the Maurya Empire. Chanakya served as the chief advisor to both emperors Chandragupta and his son Bindusara.[9]

 

Sanskrit (/ˈsænskrɪt/; attributively संस्कृत-, saṃskṛta-;[15][16] nominally संस्कृतम्, saṃskṛtam, IPA: [ˈsɐ̃skr̩tɐm][17][d]) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages.[19][20][21] It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late Bronze Age.[22][23] Sanskrit is the sacred language of Hinduism, the language of classical Hindu philosophy, and of historical texts of Buddhism and Jainism. It was a link language in ancient and medieval South Asia, and upon transmission of Hindu and Buddhist culture to Southeast Asia, East Asia and Central Asia in the early medieval era, it became a language of religion and high culture, and of the political elites in some of these regions.[24][25] As a result, Sanskrit had a lasting impact on the languages of South Asia, Southeast Asia and East Asia, especially in their formal and learned vocabularies.[26] Sanskrit generally connotes several Old Indo-Aryan language varieties.[27][28] The most archaic of these is the Vedic Sanskrit found in the Rigveda, a collection of 1,028 hymns composed between 1500 BCE and 1200 BCE by Indo-Aryan tribes migrating east from what is today Afghanistan across northern Pakistan and into northwestern India.[29][30] Vedic Sanskrit interacted with the preexisting ancient languages of the subcontinent, absorbing names of newly encountered plants and animals; in addition, the ancient Dravidian languages influenced Sanskrit's phonology and syntax.[31] Sanskrit can also more narrowly refer to Classical Sanskrit, a refined and standardized grammatical form that emerged in the mid-1st millennium BCE and was codified in the most comprehensive of ancient grammars,[e] the Aṣṭādhyāyī ('Eight chapters') of Pāṇini.[32] The greatest dramatist in Sanskrit, Kālidāsa, wrote in classical Sanskrit, and the foundations of modern arithmetic were first described in classical Sanskrit.[f][33] The two major Sanskrit epics, the Mahābhārata and the Rāmāyaṇa, however, were composed in a range of oral storytelling registers called Epic Sanskrit which was used in northern India between 400 BCE and 300 CE, and roughly contemporary with classical Sanskrit.[34] In the following centuries, Sanskrit became tradition-bound, stopped being learned as a first language, and ultimately stopped developing as a living language.[9] The hymns of the Rigveda are notably similar to the most archaic poems of the Iranian and Greek language families, the Gathas of old Avestan and Iliad of Homer.[35] As the Rigveda was orally transmitted by methods of memorisation of exceptional complexity, rigour and fidelity,[36][37] as a single text without variant readings,[38] its preserved archaic syntax and morphology are of vital importance in the reconstruction of the common ancestor language Proto-Indo-European.[35] Sanskrit does not have an attested native script: from around the turn of the 1st-millennium CE, it has been written in various Brahmic scripts, and in the modern era most commonly in Devanagari.[a][12][13] Sanskrit's status, function, and place in India's cultural heritage are recognized by its inclusion in the Constitution of India's Eighth Schedule languages.[39][40] However, despite attempts at revival,[8][41] there are no first language speakers of Sanskrit in India.[8][10][42] In each of India's recent decennial censuses, several thousand citizens have reported Sanskrit to be their mother tongue,[g] but the numbers are thought to signify a wish to be aligned with the prestige of the language.[6][7][8][43] Sanskrit has been taught in traditional gurukulas since ancient times; it is widely taught today at the secondary school level. The oldest Sanskrit college is the Benares Sanskrit College founded in 1791 during East India Company rule.[44] Sanskrit continues to be widely used as a ceremonial and ritual language in Hindu and Buddhist hymns and chants.

Chanakyaniti (written 4th–3rd century BCE) is a collection of aphorisms written by Chanakya.[1][2] Its first European translation was done in Greek language in the 19th century.[3]