What is Mythology?

Mythology refers to stories or explanations of the origin and meaning of the world and the universe and their relation to a particular culture of civilization.

Mythological stories differ from folk tales and legends. They tend to be integrated in the religious doctrine of a particular culture and are considered sacred and factual. Mythological stories also contain supernatural and divine subjects. Folk tales and legends, on the other hand are more lighthearted and entertaining. Though mythological stories are characteristic of the prescientific world, many aspects and beliefs of the modern world perpetuate the mythic tradition.

The most well-known myths in Western Civilization are those of ancient Greece. The historic sources for our knowledge of this mythology are the Theogeny by Hesiod and the Illiad and Odyssey by Homer. All the three works date from the 8th century B.C. Other significant mythologic systems are Teutonic, or Norse, mythology of Scandinavia and Germany. The sources for this mythology are the Eddas (1200B.C.). The source for the Hindu mythology of Asia and India are the Vedas (1200 to 600 B.C.). The basis of Irish Celtic mythology are three cycles of stories - the Mythological cycle, the Ulster cycle and Fenian cycle. Other significant mythological systems are those of Africa, Native America and the Pacific Islands.

Attitude Decides One's Altitude

"Work is the foundation of business, source of all prosperity and the parents of genius". With love, work makes life sweet, purposeful and fruitful. But it must be remembered that a person's interest in work comes from his 'positive' attitude towards it. The employee's 'Positive Attitude' helps an organisation to realise its goal effortlessly.

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The term 'attitude' has both positive and negative aspects. An incident that happened in the United States of America comes in handy to explain the difference between the two. A company, manufacturing slippers, wished to explore the market for the product in a little known island. The organisation deemed it fit to send a representative for the purpose. The employee proceeded to the place and found that non of the inhabitants was sporting slippers. Since he had a negative mindset, he reported that the chances of marketing the product are dim as no one wore slippers. Not pleased with the report, the management sent another representative to the island. This person reported that there was a great opportunity to market slippers since no one sported it. No wonder, the company implemented the second report and achieved creditable success. It is this positive attitude that is essential in all walks of life, to achieve any 'progress' worth the name.

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Former Indian Captain Sourav Ganguly has made a remarkable comeback after a gap of 10 months, which is by no means easy. The lefthander believed in himself and this positive attitude translated his hunger for runs into solid performances.

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Let us have the determination of a mirror which does not lose its ability to reflect even if it is broken into thousand pieces. Of course, it is positive attitude that is the driving force for grabbing opportunities, showing endurance and achieving success in any field.

Attitude along decides one's altitude.____S. Ramakrishnasayee..,,,,

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General Knowledge-1

1. Which bone supports the root of the tongue in the human body?
A. The Hyoid bone (lingual bone)
2. Of which Asian Country is Dushanbe the Capital?
A. Tajikistan
3. In which Indian State is the World Heritage Site town of Pattadakal?
A. Karnataka
4. Which Mughal Emperor's mother was the Rajput Princess Manmati?
A. Shah Jahan
5. Which city in Rajasthan is famous for its blue pottery?
A. Jaipur
6. Who gave the laws of electrolysis?
A. Faraday
7. Who discovered heavy hydrogen?
A. Urey
8. What is otherwise known as quick silver?
A. Mercury
9. Which Carbohydrate is used commercially in the silvering of mirrors?
A. Glucose
10. What is the study of vegetables known as?
A. Olericulture
11. What is the scientific name of Onion?
A. Allium Cepa
12. Which part of Asparagus is edible?
A. Stem
13. Where did the eggplant originate?
A. India
14. What are Collard greens rich in?
A. Calcium
15. What are used in blending of coffee?
A. Roots of Chicory
16. What causes the pungency in garlic?
A. Diallyl Sulphate
17. The continent of America gets its name from which Italian Merchant Explorer?
A. Amerigo Vespucci
18. Which activist of the Hindustan Socialist Republican Army coined the slogan 'Inquilab Zindabad'?
A. Bhagath Singh
19. Who is credited with the rebuilding after the Great Fire of London?
A. Christopher Wren - 17th Century
20. Razm-Namah is a Persian translation of which Indian epic?
A. Mahabharata

How to Manage Your STRESS?

A lecturer was giving a lecture to his students on stress management.

He raised a glass of water and asked the audience, "How heavy do you think this glass of water is?" The students' answers ranged from 20 to 500 gm.

"It does not matter on the absolute weight. It depends on how long you hold it. If I hold it for a minute, it is Ok. if I hold it for an hour, I will have an ache in my right arm. If I hold it for a day, you will have to call an ambulance. It is exactly the same weight, but eh longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes."

If we carry our burdens all the time, we will not be able to carry on, the burden becoming increasingly heavier. What you have to do is to put the glass down, rest for a while before holding it up again.

We have to put down the burden periodically, so that we can be refreshed and are able to carry on.

So before you return home from work tonight, pu the burden of work down.

Don't carry it back home. You can pick it up tomorrow. Whatever burdens you are having now on your shoulders, let it down for a moment. Pick it up again later when you have rested. Rest and relax. Life is short, enjoy it!

Adversity causes most men to break and a few to break records.,,,,????

Enrich Your Vocabulary-2

Chronology: Science of computing dates; arrangement of dates or times of occurence.

Cosmogony: Theory about the origin of Universe.

Epidemiology: Study of epidemics and their control.

Escapology: Techniques of escaping from confinement or box, esp. as entertainment.

Etymology: Branch of linguistic science that deals with formation of the word and development of meaning.

Ethnology: Science of human races and their relation to one another and their characteristics.

Fidus Achates: Faithful friend, devoted follower.

Gaff: To let out plot or secret; Public place of amusement.

Haberdasher: Dealer in small articles of dress etc.

Bigot: Intolerant and obstinate believer in a religion or political theory.

Coddle: To protect attentively; treat as an invalid.

Strength/Weakness

Stand and die in your own strength;

If there is any sin in the world, it is weakness;

Avoid all weakness, for weakness is sin, weakness is death.__Swami Vivekananda

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"Strength is life, weakness is death."__Swami Vivekananda

Secret of Successsssssss

---You have now to make the character of

----------Mahavira your ideal.

-------He was a perfect master of his

-----senses and wonderfully SAGACIOUS.

Obedience to the Guru without questioning,

--and strict observance of Brahmacharya--

--------this is the secret of success.


=============================Swami Vivekananda

TrUe EdUcAtIoN

What we want are

Western science coupled

with Vedanta.

Brahmacharya as the guiding

Motto and also Shraddha and

faith in one's own self.

------------------------------Swami Vivekananda

L a u g h-2

Let Us See The Menu First

House Wife: " I will give you dinner if you chop up that pile of wood", said the housewife to the beggar."

Beggar: "Let's see the menu first."

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District Attorney An honest citizen on jury:

"Your honour, I could not serve on the jury. One look at that man there convinces me he is guilty".

Judge: "Keep quiet ! that is the district attorney"

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Since I Was A Puppy

Psychiatrist: " You think you are a dog. How long have you been subject to this dangerous imagination?"

Patient: "Ever since I was puppy"

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Never Yawn All At Once

Actor: "When I came out on the stage the audience sat there open-mouthed", boasted the actor.

Rival said: "Oh", "audiences never yawn all at once".

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Watch The Clock

Boss: "What is the idea of coming late every morning?"

Employee: "You have trained me not to watch the clock in the office, now I am in the habit of not looking at it at home".

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Man Has No Power Over Others' Minds

------------------------------------------James Allen-----------

Within the area of his own mind man has all power, but in respect of others' minds his power is extremely limited. He can command his own mind, but he cannot command the minds of others. He can choose what he shall think.

Therefore, a man can reform his own mind. If not, he cannot avoid the results of his own thoughts and actions. It will be in the nature of his thought and action which produces painful or blissful result.

Knowing that a man can think and do as he chooses and that all others have the same liberty, a man should have consideration for others thoughts. To think and act, ignoring the consideration for others is violation of others liberty. One must harmonize oneself with others minds, acknowledging their freedom of choice.

Selfishness and oppression from the spiritual standpoint are one and the same thing. Every selfish thought or act is a manifestation of egoism and is an action of unfairness. It is met with suffering and defeat.

The unselfish man is he who, abondoning the "I" as the source of judgement, refrains from encroachment upon the boundless freedom of others, realizing the right to their choice.

He realizes that his duty lies in acting rightly towards them.

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Ayers' Rock Changes Colours Everyday

We have often heard about the Chameleon changing its colour, but any hill doing so seems to be a strange happening. There is a hill in South Australia called Ayers' Rock that changes its colour everyday and in every season. It also known as 'Uluru' in the aboriginal language.

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The hill was first discovered by an English traveller W.G. Gosse in 1873. Those days Henry Ayers was the Prime Minister of South Australia and hence this rock was named after him. It is an oval hill measuring 7 Km. in length and 2.4 Km. in width. Its height is 348m. Ayers' Rock is made of Sandstone which is also called Conglomerate.

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Ordinarily the hill is of red colour. The remarkable changes in its colour occur during Sunrise and Sunset. When the Sun's rays fall on it in the morning, it seems as if the entire hill is on fire and violet and deep red flames come out of it. In the same way, violet shadows appear on this massive red rock when the Sun sets. From the morning till evening, this hill changes colour from Yellow to Orange, then to red and at times to violet or even black. One might even think it a magic hill or there is some supernatural miracel about it. But the reason is that this rock's structure is such that it changes colour according to the change in the angle of the Sun's rays, weather and also because of special structure of the rock's sandstone.

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During the Sunrise and Sunset, the Sun's rays have more of Orange and Red colour, because the other colours are scattered by the dust particles present in the atmosphere.

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Tribal people living in that region believed it to be the abode of God and used to worship it in the caves at its base. The Australian government has set up Mount Olga National Park in an area of 487 Sq. Miles near the hill.

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What is a Doab?

A doab is the alluvial tract of land between two rivers. The best known tract is between Ganga and Yamuna. There are many doabs in the Punjab Plain. These doabs have maintained their clear identity ever since the first settlement of the Aryan Tribes in what was known as the Sapta Sindhu, the land of Seven Rivers.

Good Sayings-20

381. Habit is a man's best friend or his worst enemy.

382. Fasting is a very powerful regenerative tool.

383. The sound of a drum is pleasant only from a distance.

384. God is invisible mother. Mother is visible God.__Kavi Yogi

385. Give me work till my life shall end, and life till my work is done.__Wilfred Hottby

386. Do not let your schooling interrupt your education.__Mark Twain

387. Quest for excellence should be an eternal pursuit in the journey of life.

388. Every age refutes old errors and begets new.

389. It is good to think well; it is divine to act well.

390. Disappointment goes with avarice.

391. Better bend than break.

392. Your effort may fail but do not fail to make any effort.

393. We are made for cooperation - like feet, like hands - To act against one another is then contrary to nature.

394. Age is like love; it cannot be hid.

395. The money spent in gambling and drink and lust is doublt loss, for you lose your money and health. __Gandhiji

396. That which does not begin with God ends in failure.

397. What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us; What we have done for others remain and is immortal__Albert Pike

398. Anger harms you long before it harms others.__Vedhathiri Maharishi

399. A good memory is fine, but the ability to forget the wrong done to you is the true test of greatness.

400. Borrow trouble for yourself, if that is your nature, but do not lend it to your neighbour.__Rudyard Kipling

GoodSayings-19

361. To do easily what is difficult for others is the mark of talent.

362. Deeds are governed by their aims; that deed is great which has a great aim.__Anton Chekov

363. If we have no peace within ourselves, it is useless to seek it from outside sources.

364. Do not let yesterday use up too much of today__William Rogers

365. Treat people nicely on the way up, you liable to meet them again on the way down.

366. Old age seizes upon an ill-spent youth like fire upon a rotten house.

367. I believe in Hands that work, Brains that think and Hearts that love.__Elbert Hubbard

368. The trouble with opportunity is what it always comes disguised as hardwork.

369. Two is a Company, three is a crowd.

370. Do not be proud and inaccessible to the poor and the lowly when you sit on the seat of authority.__Zarathustra

371. True rights come as a result of duty done.

372. You can accomplish virtually any goal you set for yourself, as long as the goal is clear and you persist long enough.

373. Our character is what we do when we think no one is looking.

374. Pollution is to a country what tuberculosis is to man.

375. A true heart is that which loves without being loved in return.

376. If a man be gracious and courteous to strangers, it shows he is a citizen of the world.__Francis Bacon

377. The law which punishes us is the law which preserves us.__James Allen

378. We should not ask who is the most learned, but who is the best learned.__Montaigne

379. The only way to have real friends is to be one yourself.__Emerson

380. Consider the Postage Stamp. It secures success through its ability to stick to one thing until it gets there.__Josh Billings