Long post on Ram and the bhakti movement.
Since Ram has been a big topic in Indian circles over the last month, it seems only fitting to talk about the two contrasting views 15th-century bhakti movement poet Kabir has about him:
рдПрдХ рд░рд╛рдо рджрд╢рд░рде рдХрд╛ рдмреЗрдЯрд╛ , рдПрдХ рд░рд╛рдо рдШрдЯ рдШрдЯ рдореЗрдВ рдмреИрдард╛ !
рдПрдХ рд░рд╛рдо рдХрд╛ рд╕рдХрд▓ рдкрд╕рд╛рд░рд╛ , рдПрдХ рд░рд╛рдо рд╣реИ рд╕рдмрд╕реЗ рдиреНрдпрд╛рд░рд╛ !
My translation/ interpretation:
The first Ram -- entry-level Ram is the son of King Dashrath -- the mythological figure in which we get lost in discussing, never transcending, but rising above it; we get the second 'Ram' -- the one who is present in every being, who we fail to see, rising above that; we get the third 'Ram' -- the one who makes up the being and the non-being, embodies the chaos of the universe; and the fourth? The fourth is the rarest of them all, this is the Ram we must seek.
which is followed by the bhajan:
рд╕рдХрд▓ рд╣рдВрд╕ рдореЗрдВ рд░рд╛рдо рд╡рд┐рд░рд╛рдЬреЗ
(Ram embodies every being)
рд░рд╛рдо рдмрд┐рдирд╛ рдХреЛрдИ рдзрд╛рдо рдирд╣реАрдВ
(There's no destination but Ram)
рд╕рдм рднрд░рдордВрдб рдореЗрдВ рдЬреНрдпреЛрдд рдХрд╛ рд╡рд╛рд╕рд╛
(This light resides in the whole universe)
рд░рд╛рдо рдХреЛ рд╕реБрдорд┐рд░реЛ рджреВрдЬрд╛ рдирд╣реАрдВ
(Meditate on Ram, there is no other)
(The whole bhajan is here http://ajabshahar.com/songs/details/159/Sakal-Hans-Mein-Raam-Viraaje&title=Sakal-Hans-Mein-Raam-Viraaje)
My two favorite renditions of this bhajan are from Prahlad Singh Tipaniya:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVINBFFNWtU
and his student, Shabnam Virmani
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84RDvFIkc68
At the same time, Kabir himself offers a contrast to this vision of Ram, the divine in all of us,
рднрд▓рд╛ рд╣реБрдЖ рдореЛрд░реА рдорд╛рд▓рд╛ рдЯреВрдЯреА,
(I am glad my prayer bead necklace broke)
рдореИрдВ рддреЛ рд░рд╛рдо рднрдЬрди рд╕реЗ рдЫреВрдЯреА
(I got relieved from praying to Ram)
рдореЛрд░реЗ рд╕рд┐рд░ рд╕реЗ рдЯрд▓реА рдмрд▓рд╛тАж редред
(Avoided a big disaster)
рдорд╛рд▓рд╛ рдЬрдкреБ рди рдХрд░ рдЬрдкреВрдВ
(I will not pray with the prayer beads nor with my palms)
рдФрд░ рдореБрдЦ рд╕реЗ рдХрд╣реВрдБ рди рд░рд╛рдо
(nor will I utter Ram's name in prayer)
рд░рд╛рдо рд╣рдорд╛рд░рд╛ рд╣рдореЗрдВ рдЬрдкреЗ рд░реЗ рдХрдмреАрд░рд╛
(Kabir says, Ram should pray to me)
рд╣рдо рдкрд╛рдпреЛрдВ рд╡рд┐рд╢реНрд░рд╛рдо
(and I will get some rest)
This is one of my favorites. I have derived many meanings from this, which apply to many situations.
Kabir cafe has a great version of this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_Z7VG0c41M
Finally, if you understood Ram, you wouldn't do any of this stuff you are doing in his name.
рд╢рд┐рдВрдЧрд░реВ рдореЗрд▓рдВ рд╣реЗрд▓рдкрд╛рдЯреНрдпрд╛рдирдВ, рдЕрд╕рдВ рдирд╛рд╣реА рдЪрд╛рд▓рд╛рдпрдЪрдВтАж
"Forgiveness is giving up all hope for a better past"
цЧаф╕║
Today I learned there are more than 40 English names for the mountain lion, a Guinness world record. Yet I couldn't quickly find a list of all of them, so I dug them up:
Names for Mountain Lions:
American Lion
American Panther
Bender
Black Puma
Brazilian Cat
Brown Tiger
Catamount
Cat-o-mountain
Cougar
Cougare
California Lion
Deer Cat
Deer-killer
Deer Tiger
Florida Panther
Great Panther
Ghost Cat
Indian Devil
King Cat
Lion
Lyon
Mexican Lion
Mountain Cat
Mountain Demon
Mountain Devil
Mountain Tiger
Mountain Screamer
Painted Cat
Painter
Pampas Cat
Panther
Panthere
Poltroon Tiger
Puma
Purple Panther
Purple Feather
Red Lion
Red Panther
Red Tiger
Rocky Mountain Lion
Silver Lion
Sneak Cat
Swamp Screamer
Tiger
Tyger
Tyger of America
Varmint
Wild Cat
Sources:
https://www.theanimalfiles.com/mammals/carnivores/mountain_lion.html
THE COUGAR OR MOUNTAIN LION BY CLAUDE T. BARNES, F. Z. S. https://hdl.handle.net/2027/coo.31924002895989?urlappend=%3Bseq=17%3Bownerid=27021597768386814-21
Why has Google search gotten so bad?
In this article are will explore why Google search has gotten so bad. When people need to look something up, they use a search engine to look it up. Google was founded in the year 1998. Yet in recent times you may have noticed how top results are low quality articles with a lot of repetition.
Why Google search has gotten so bad:
Google search uses its page rank algorithm to rank pages in your searches. ThatтАЩs why Google has the ability to deliver thousands of results in less than a second.
Google Search Basics:
Search engines like Google rank pages on keywords and relevant domain research, this has given rise to search engine optimization techniques which can boost a page that meets certain characteristics
Is search engine optimization why Google search has gotten so bad?
Search engine optimization makes many pages game this ranking system, trying to go up in the rankings, frequently repeating a phrase or having related phrases is a part of it
Has Google search gotten worse in recent years?
You may have observed that Google searches in the recent years have pushed up lower quality pages to the top. This is due to search engine optimization by these website, trying to get clicks for advertisements.
Unable to get useful results on Google search?
Search engine optimization means that you may be unable to get useful results on Google search. This is caused by the page rank algorithm, which looks for certain features, and can be made to prefer certain pages over others
Technical Writing Resources (for Shubham!) (some links may be US specific):
Of course The Chicago Manual of Style https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Chicago_Manual_of_Style
Style Guide by the Economist https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/the-economist/style-guide/9781610399869/
Nature: English communication for Scientists https://www.nature.com/scitable/ebooks/english-communication-for-scientists-14053993/contents/
Write the paper first https://www.cs.jhu.edu/~jason/advice/write-the-paper-first.html
Style: Toward Clarity and Grace https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/246853.Style
Even a Geek Can Speak: Low-Tech Presentation Skills for High-Tech People https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/7960467-even-a-geek-can-speak
Influence: Science and Practice https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Influence:_Science_and_Practice
Writing for Computer Science https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/117973.Writing_for_Computer_Science
Air & Light & Time & Space: How Successful Academics Write https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/32336647-air-light-time-space
Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8600.Eats_Shoots_Leaves
Why do all these goddamn chickens keep coming home to roost. Shoo filthy birds.
Have a nice tan and it is only Feb
Submitted!
Right proper windy
Amazed at the ability of human mind to invent issues to worry about when none exist
Gotta celebrate the small joys in life, light getting electricity back in your room after weeks
Thermoses still freak me out. How is it still scalding!! It has been 5 hours!!!
Will never get tired of the setting sun rays hitting the tops of redwoods
If there is one advice I can give for anyone doing a PhD is that minimize your dependency on things out of your control, like experimental hardware
Thinking about how тАЬI got you babeтАЭ could mean either тАШIтАЩve got your backтАЩ or тАШYouтАЩve got my backтАЩ
Coffee shops will be like, тАЬwe cater to a wide and diverse audienceтАЭ and then stay open 6am-12pm.
ЁЯТн [any kind of housing which houses a lot of often vulnerable non-land-owning people (student housing, homeless shelters, trailer parks, halfway houses, farmworker housing, elder care facilities) is not eligible for the four rapid tests]
Have been in a weird headspace lately, unsubscribed from a bunch of podcasts, twitter folks etc. have been exclusively listening to audio books.
The vibes are absolutely okay today
I now have thoughts.page set up on thoughts.sincerely.dev!
I want all the joy of posting without any of the despair of replies, engagement, retweets, or likes
Hello World!
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