Mother Madalasa - Lullaby

A Lullaby by Queen Madalasa worth reading.

शुद्धोऽसि रे बाल न तेऽस्ति नाम कृतं हि वै तत कल्पनयाधुनैव ।

पञ्चात्मकं देहमिदं न तेऽस्ति त्वं वास्य रे रोदिषि कस्य हेतोः ॥ (१)

O  Child ! For what reason you are crying? Don’t cry. Thou Art ever Pure and 
Eternal, devoid of Names and Forms. You are the form of Bliss, 
untouched by Sorrow.  You have superimposed the sorrow upon yourself
and owing to ignorance, are wailing.  The sorrow arose owing to the
false identity with body and hence experiencing sorrow which is
the cause of your cry.  Since, Thou Art Existence, Knowledge, Bliss 
Absolute and not the body consisting of 5 elements, 
where is the point in crying.  All these names and forms are ephemeral 
and are imaginary. .  So, don’t cry.

न वै भवान रोदिति विश्वजन्मा शब्दोऽयमासाद्य महीसमूहम ।
विकल्प्यमानो विविधैर्गुणार्थैः गुणाश्च भूताः सकलेन्द्रियेषु ॥ (२)

Don’t Cry ! Thou Art Ishwara – the Creator and Lord of the Universe.  
As the creation is a “vikalpa” born out of ignorance, 
where is the point in wailing and crying?  Hence, don’t cry.

भूतानि भूतोपरि दुर्बलानि वृद्धिं समायान्ति तथेह पुंसाम ।
अन्नाम्बुदानादिभिरेककस्य न तेऽस्ति वृद्धिर्न च तेऽस्ति हानिः ॥ (३)

Just as the gross elements with combination among themselves,
is subjected to increase (वृद्धि) and decrease (क्षय), 
similarly, this body, made of gross elements, too, is 
subjected to change and decay.  The Inner Self (Atman) is 
beyond these attributes, untouched.  And, Thou Art That.  
Hence, don’t cry.

त्वं कञ्चुके सज्यमानो निजेस्मिन्नस्मिंश्च देहे मूढतां न व्रजेथाः ।
शुभाशुभैः कर्मभिर्देहमेनं मदाभिमूढैः कञ्चुकेऽस्मिन्पिनद्धः ॥ (४)

Thou, having worn this armor called “body”, becoming deluded, 
are identifying with it.  Thou Art the Witness but out of ignorance 
and under the influence of “I-ness” and “My-ness” are 
trapped in the meshes of samsAra.  
Hence, don’t cry.

तातेति किञ्चित्तनयेति किञ्चित अम्बेति किञ्चिदपितेति किञ्चित ।
तवेति किञ्चिन्न ममेति किञ्चिद्भौतेषु सर्वं मुहुरालयेथाः ॥ (५)

By getting entangled in the mesh of Ignorance called samsAra,
this “body” is identified sometimes with father, sometimes with son, 
sometimes with mother, sometimes with brother, sometimes as a 
relative, as a friend as a foe etc. in several births down the line. 
All these are due to false identity of attachment with the 
body owing to Ignorance.  This ignorance is due to non-awareness 
of the identity with the Supreme Innermost Self which is of the form of Bliss.

दुःखञ्च दुःखोपशमं शमाय भोगाय जानाति विमूढचेताः ।
तान्येव दुःखानि पुनः सुखानि जानाति विद्वानविमूढचेताः ॥ (६)

In order to do away with sorrows, the ignorant fool runs after 
momentary pleasures.  The intelligent, having endowed with 
power of discrimination, would strive to do away with 
both pleasures and pains.  For him, just as pain is an obstruction, 
so as the pleasure.  Such a person is called “vidvAn”.  
Thou Art That.  Hence, don’t cry.

सहोत्थितं दर्शनमक्षियुग्मं अत्युज्ज्वलं तत्कलुषं वसायाः ।
कुचोऽति पीनं पिशितं घनं तत्स्थानं ततः किन्नरकं न योषित ॥ (७)

Upon careful observation of the anatomy of a woman, one comes
to the conclusion that it is made up of flesh.  Not knowing this,
the deluded men run after them and thus, thus, end up in 
getting entangled in pain and  cycle of birth and death.

यानं क्षितौ यानगतं च देहं देहेऽपिचान्यः पुरुषो निविष्टः ।
ममत्वमथ्याॅन्न तथा यथा स्वे देहेऽतिमात्रं च न मूढतैषा ॥ (८)

On this earth, take birth several bodies endowed upAdhis.  
These are subjected to change (called yAna) (यान). But, there is a 
Supreme Self called “Purusha” who is seated inside the body
who is Eternal and Witness.  Thou Art That, O Child!  Don’t identify 
yourself with the yAna but Thou Art that Supreme Purusha.  
Hence, don’t cry.

Note: समानेप्यभिमानविषये देहे एव दृढं अभिमानं कुर्वन्नति मूढ इत्याह यानं इति 
(ie., the Jiva abhimana is called yAna)

Source for the above Lullaby:

https://www.advaita-vedanta.org/archives/advaita-l/2016-March/040353.html

India - Avoid uncontrolled growth of Private Equity

The Public Sector Unit (PSU) banks are under Non Performing Assets (NPA) Mountain. 

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) noted:

"Macro-stress tests indicate that under the baseline scenario of current macroeconomic outlook, SCBs' (scheduled commercial banks) GNPA ratio may rise from 11.6 per cent in March 2018 to 12.2 per cent by March 2019”.

In this back drop of NPA and India’s future economic growth, even if NPA is resolved and banks are well capitalized by Government (Citizen) funding, following is inevitable post 2020:

·        Private Equity players will increase in India.

·        More MBA’s from IIM and other management institutes will work with PE

·        More growth to McKinsey and other management consultants (check video link):

I believe the Private Equity play will start in a big way post April 2020.

Let’s see the latest position in India:

Economic times article states “Private Equity industry in India: Bigger, bolder, better, brighter”.

Mint states "The private equity sector has seen robust growth in 2017 with average deal size doubling in the year although deal volume declined."

One of the biggest lie will be the contribution of Private Equity to the Indian Economy and towards job creation. 

Proof: McKinsey Report Indian Private Equity “Route to Resurgence” June 2015.

The executive summary states the following benefits:

·        Stronger job creation record

·        Superior financial performance.

·        Greater export earnings

·        More acquisitive and global

·        Better corporate governance and higher tax contribution

To have a proper picture of what Private Equity does please watch the below video:

Eminent financial authors have spoken how Private Equity players are reason for:

·        Higher debts

·        Commission based working

·        Job Loss

May be in coming months there will be great articles written praising role of Private Equity in India and its benefits. But this will be a ground work for the future NPA's. May be then the ones who will be struck will be Private Banks.

Mistakes to be avoided:

·        Creation of Bad Banks

·        Handing over of PSU banks to Private

India and Indians better be careful.

Source:

RBI note: https://www.businesstoday.in/sectors/banks/rbi-npa-situation-likely-to-worsen-further/story/279587.html

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/small-biz/startups/newsbuzz/private-equity-industry-in-india-bigger-bolder-better-brighter/articleshow/64009498.cms

https://www.livemint.com/Companies/BfqbFlxsx2z2bEcQQBXrvL/Private-equity-sector-sees-record-244-billion-inflow-in-20.html

McKinsey Report:

https://www.mckinsey.com/~/media/mckinsey/business%20functions/strategy%20and%20corporate%20finance/our%20insights/private%20equity%20and%20indias%20economic%20development/mckinsey_indian_private%20equity.ashx

My Learning - The Zurich Axioms

The book The Zurich Axioms by Max Gunther (1985) is a collection of Axioms. Axioms is “a statement or principle that is generally accepted to be true, but need not be so”. The book contains many statements which helps us in taking better decisions. 

Reading of the book is essential as they serve as practical advises nurtured over a long period. The book is worth reading:

My learning from the book is reproduced below:

About Investments

 “All Investments is speculation”

About bet what you can afford to lose

“If an amount is so small that its loss won't make any significant difference, then it isn't likely to bring you any significant gain either. The only way to win a big payoff from a small wager is to go for a long, long shot. You might buy a $1 lottery ticket and win a million, for instance. That is nice to dream about, but the odds against you, of course, are depressingly high.”. In short “Always play for meaningful stakes”

Best explanation about why not to diversify

“Most of us middle-class plungers, at the start of our speculative adventures, have only a limited amount of capital to play with. Let's say you have $5,000. You want to make it grow. What are you going to do with it? The conventional wisdom would say diversify. Make ten bets of $500 each. Buy $500 worth of GM because the auto industry looks lively, put $500 in a savings account in case interest rates go up, $500 into gold in case the bottom drops out of everything, and so on. There -- you're covered for all kinds of eventualities. Makes you feel safe, doesn't it? Safe from just about everything -- including the danger of getting wealthy.”

“But don't diversify just for the sake of diversity. You then become like a contestant in a supermarket shopping contest, in which the object is to fill your basket fast. You go home with a lot of expensive junk you don't really want. In speculation, you should put your money into ventures that genuinely attract you, and only those. Never buy something simply because you think you need it to round out a "diversified portfolio."

As some say around Wall Street, "Put all your eggs in one basket, and then watch the basket." This is one old financial bromide that stands scrutiny. Whoever first said it was obviously not a diversification fan. It is much easier to watch one or a few baskets than a dozen. When the fox comes around to steal your eggs, you can handle him without whirling around in circles.”

Importance of knowing when to stop or book your profits

“There are many kinds of human endeavors in which starting and ending positions are clearly seen, felt, and understood. Athletics, for instance. When a runner comes to the end of a mile race, he or she knows it's the end. There is no question of racing on for another mile in the hope of winning two gold medals instead of one.

All energies are exhausted. The tape is broken; the winners are on the record books.

It's all over. It is time to quit, rest, gather new energies for another day.”

The philosophical Truth

An ending is a time when you withdraw, breathe a sigh of relief, and briefly relax.

Problem on Greed of holding stocks for higher returns

“But how do you arrive at such a clearly seen stopping place in a world where there are no finish-line tapes, no end-of-the-round bells? Especially when each succeeding position feels like a new starting position? You've bought a handful of Union Carbide stock, let's say. Or you've invested in gold. Or you own a house. These are races that aren't going to "finish" in any ordinary future that you can foresee. Such a race is open-ended. No arbitrarily chosen measure of time or distance, no judge or referee will tell you when you can stop striving and flop down on the grass. You are required to do that yourself -- you alone. The race ends when you say it ends.”

About forecasting – How to be correct

If you can't forecast right, forecast often.

The stock market, for example, is a colossal engine of human emotion. Prices of stocks rise and fall because of what men and women are doing, thinking, and feeling.

The price of a given company's shares doesn't rise because of abstract figures in an accounting ledger, nor even because the company's future prospects are objectively good, but because people think the prospects are good. The market doesn't slump because a computer somewhere determines selling pressure is on the rise, but because people are worried, or discouraged, or afraid. Or simply because a four-day weekend is coming and all the buyers are off for the seashore.

ON PATTERNS – How to avoid pattern trap in Stocks (Best Axiom)

Fate let him ride high for a while so he would have farther to fall.

Clinging to his illusion of order, Fisher was unprepared for his streak of luck to end.

(Pattern in stock markets help you to ride high for a while, they create illusion that steak of luck will never end. On the contrary it takes high to give us a higher fall)

A truth which is in practice even today i.e. a prediction valid even today:

The trap that caught Professor Fisher, the illusion of order, has caught millions of others and will go on catching investors, speculators, and gamblers for all eternity.

Everybody is looking for this Formula. Unfortunately, there isn't one.

The truth is that the world of money is a world of patternless disorder, utter chaos. Patterns seem to appear in it from time to time, as do patterns in a cloudy sky or in the froth at the edge of the ocean. But they are ephemeral. They are not a sound basis on which to base one's plans. They are alluring, and they are always fooling smart people like Professor Fisher. But the really smart speculator will recognize them for what they are and, hence, will disregard them.

On charts and signals

Making charts of stock prices is like making charts of ocean froth. You'll see each pattern once, and then it will be gone. Only by blind chance will you ever see it again. If you do see it again it will have no significance, for it predicts nothing.

On Human Mind and searching for co-relations

The human mind is an order-seeking organ. It is uncomfortable with chaos and will retreat from reality into fantasy if that is the only way it can sort things out to its satisfaction. Thus, when two or more events occur in close proximity, we insist on constructing elaborate causal links between them because that makes us comfortable.

When chaos is dangerous

Always remember that you are dealing with chaos and conduct your affairs accordingly. As the Axiom says, chaos is not dangerous until it begins to look orderly.

On Making Money

When it comes to money, they must all stumble around in the dark the way everybody else must.

In handling your money, assume you are entirely on your own. Lean on nothing but your own good wits.

Optimism and Pessimism

"Never make a move if you are merely optimistic," says the Axiom. Seek confidence instead. Confidence comes not from expecting the best, but from knowing how you will handle the worst.

The poker pro knows what he is going to do if the cards fall against him. Of course, he hopes they won't, but he doesn't let his fate ride on that hope. He goes into the game trained and prepared to act sensibly in case his luck of the draw is bad. That’s what is meant by constructive pessimism.

In poker, if a pro arrives at a situation in which the odds say he shouldn't bet, he doesn't. He folds. This means he must abandon what he has so far contributed to the pot, but it saves him from a bigger loss.

Source:

http://neif.org Financial literacy

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/axiom

For Voter - Voters' Vote Protection Act

As a voter I am bombarded with rights of a citizen to vote. Voter is questioned for his role in democracy, if he is not voting.

However, after voting, the political parties start making permutation and combination for formation of Government in the State (i.e. Karnataka, India) based on their conveniences.

I voted (a scenario for discussion) to Janata Dal (Secular). I may have my opinion that Janata Dal (Secular) should not be associated with Congress / Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Clarity: there was no pre poll alliance with either parties.

Post election, Janata Dal (Secular) received minor mandate.

Nevertheless, to form a Government and teach BJP a lesson, Congress with 78 seats supported JD (S) with 37 seats. BJP could not form since they lacked the mandate for forming Government.

Objective was simple, Congress wanted to remind BJP about Goa and Meghalaya.

Final Tally (Karnataka 2018 elections):

Party	Seats
BJP	104
INC	78
JD(S)	37
BSP	1
K P Janatha Party*	1
Independent	1
Total	222

    K P - Karnataka Pragnyavantha

My question:

I vote based on the pre-poll standing / alliances.

If there is a post poll alliance which was not declared to me as a voter, I should have the right to decide whether my vote still goes to the party.

As a voter for me, if, leader of a political party to whom I voted goes into post poll alliance that will tantamount to anti-defection. Because I voted based on conditions prevailing till election date.

The politicians for safeguarding their interest came out with Anti Defection Law vide 52^nd Amendment in 1985. The Law states:

“A member would incur a disqualification under paragraph 2 (1) (a) when he “voluntarily gives up his membership of a party” and under 2 (1) (b) when he/she votes (or abstains from voting) contrary to the directive issued by the party.”

Similar provisions should be there for voters when there is a post poll alliance, based on the need for forming the Government.

Voter should have right to ask election commissioner and consider his vote null and void.

In other words we want "Voters' Vote Protection Act".

In the case of Karnataka, I borrow this question of Nikhil Wagle, “Will the voter now accept their post-poll alliance?”

Let me answer Mr. Wagle many voters will not accept such post poll alliances?

The political party leaders will not give a dime of consideration to the voters. Proof is the below arrogant statement from H D Kumaraswamy (JD (S) Karnataka Chief Minister):

“The people of the state rejected me and our party. I had sought an absolute majority. I have heard the statements of farm leaders too and how much they supported me,” he said. “Mine is not an independent government. I had requested the people to give me a mandate that prevents me from succumbing to any pressure other than you. But today I am at the mercy of the Congress. I am not under the pressure of the 6.5 crore people of the state.”

Now question to the leaders of political parties:

“Why are we bombarded with our rights to vote?”

I reiterate my earlier stand in my blog, citizens please vote but press NOTA (None Of The Above) button.

Clarification: I am a voter from Maharashtra. The above is a food for thought.

 Source:

http://www.thehindu.com/elections/karnataka-2018/karnataka-assembly-elections-2018-results-counting-of-votes-live-updates/article23880687.ece

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/What-the-Anti-Defection-Law-says/article15777794.ece

https://www.dailyo.in/politics/karnataka-verdict-karnataka-elections-jds-congress-bjp-siddaramaiah-rahul-gandhi-deve-gowda/story/1/24180.html

https://www.financialexpress.com/india-news/at-mercy-of-congress-not-people-of-karnataka-kumaraswamy-says-on-farm-loans-ahead-of-delhi-visit/1183437/

My Learning - On The Shortness of Life

On reading "On The Shortness Of Life" by Seneca (translated by John W Basore) left me wondering and reflected on importance of time. Time which we always rate highly and let it go lightly.

My learning from the "On The Shortness Of Life" is listed:

Chapter 1

"life is short, art is long;"

“It is not that we have a short space of time, but that we waste much of it.”

Chapter 2

"The part of life we really live is small."

Chapter 3

“Men do not suffer anyone to seize their estates, and they rush to stones and arms if there is even the slightest dispute about the limit of their lands, yet they allow others to trespass upon their life—“

"I see that you have reached the farthest limit of human life, you are pressing hard upon your hundredth year, or are even beyond it; come now, recall your life and make a reckoning. Consider how much of your time was taken up with a moneylender, how much with a mistress, how much with a patron, how much with a client, how much in wrangling with your wife, how much in punishing your slaves, how much in rushing about the city on social duties. Add the diseases which we have caused by our own acts, add, too, the time that has lain idle and unused; you will see that you have fewer years to your credit than you count. Look back in memory and consider when you ever had a fixed plan, how few days have passed as you had intended, when you were ever at your own disposal, when your face ever wore its natural expression, when your mind was ever unperturbed, what work you have achieved in so long a life, how many have robbed you of life when you were not aware of what you were losing, how much was taken up in useless sorrow, in foolish joy, in greedy desire, in the allurements of society, how little of yourself was left to you; you will perceive that you are dying before your season!"

“You have all the fears of mortals and all the desires of immortals.”

Chapter 4

“You will see that the most powerful and highly placed men let drop remarks in which they long for leisure, acclaim it, and prefer it to all their blessings.”

Chapter 7

“And so there is no reason for you to think that any man has lived long because he has grey hairs or wrinkles; he has not lived long—he has existed long. For what if you should think that that man had had a long voyage who had been caught by a fierce storm as soon as he left harbour, and, swept hither and thither by a succession of winds that raged from different quarters, had been driven in a circle around the same course? Not much voyaging did he have, but much tossing about.”

Chapter 9

“The greatest hindrance to living is expectancy.”

Chapter 10

“The present offers only one day at a time, and each by minutes; but all the days of past time will appear when you bid them, they will suffer you to behold them and keep them at your will—a thing which those who are engrossed have no time to do. The mind that is untroubled and tranquil has the power to roam into all the parts of its life; but the minds of the engrossed, just as if weighted by a yoke, cannot turn and look behind. And so their life vanishes into an abyss; and as it does no good, no matter how much water you pour into a vessel, if there is no bottom to receive and hold it, so with time—it makes no difference how much is given; if there is nothing for it to settle upon, it passes out through the chinks and holes of the mind. Present time is very brief, so brief, indeed, that to some there seems to be none; for it is always in motion, it ever flows and hurries on; it ceases to be before it has come, and can no more brook delay than the firmament or the stars, whose ever unresting movement never lets them abide in the same track. The engrossed, therefore, are concerned with present time alone, and it is so brief that it cannot be grasped, and even this is filched away from them, distracted as they are among many things.”

Chapter 11

“In a word, do you want to know how they do not "live long"? See how eager they are to live long! Decrepit old men beg in their prayers for the addition of a few more years; they pretend that they are younger than they are; they comfort themselves with a falsehood, and are as pleased to deceive themselves as if they deceived Fate at the same time. But when at last some infirmity has reminded them of their mortality, in what terror do they die, feeling that they are being dragged out of life, and not merely leaving it. They cry out that they have been fools, because they have not really lived, and that they will live henceforth in leisure if only they escape from this illness; then at last they reflect how uselessly they have striven for things which they did not enjoy, and how all their toil has gone for nothing. But for those whose life is passed remote from all business, why should it not be ample? None of it is assigned to another, none of it is scattered in this direction and that, none of it is committed to Fortune, none of it perishes from neglect, none is subtracted by wasteful giving, none of it is unused; the whole of it, so to speak, yields income. And so, however small the amount of it, it is abundantly sufficient, and therefore, whenever his last day shall come, the wise man will not hesitate to go to meet death with steady step.”

Chapter 16

“But those who forget the past, neglect the present, and fear for the future have a life that is very brief and troubled; when they have reached the end of it, the poor wretches perceive too late that for such a long while they have been busied in doing nothing.”

Chapter 17

“For everything that comes to us from chance is unstable, and the higher it rises, the more liable it is to fall.”

Chapter 20

“And so when you see a man often wearing the robe of office, when you see one whose name is famous in the Forum, do not envy him; those things are bought at the price of life.”

Source:

https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/On_the_shortness_of_life

Power of Meditation

I was inspired by below statement:

“Body like a mountain. Mind like the sky. Breathe like the wind.”

 Source: Ymirson999 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMHmwHJJGZE).

Please listen to the music it transports you:

The search took me to a website https://thebuddhistcentre.com/coogee/body-mountain-heart-ocean-mind-sky where writer Dharmalata had guided to the website https://www.huffingtonpost.in/entry/meditation-mind-body-spirit_n_5291361.

In that article a chart displaying The Mighty Powers of Meditation was well drawn and displayed the benefit derived from meditation.

Hence I decided to re present it over here:

Please read the info-graphic. 

Source: https://big.assets.huffingtonpost.com/MEDITATION1.png 

Daan or Dakshina

A very interesting video is attached where a dialogue between Emperor Chandragupta and Wise Chanakya is worth watching.

The dialogue brings out:

1. Difference between Daan and Dakshina

2. Role of emperor

3. Difference between Tax Payer and Tax Evader