Easily Find the Serial Number of your Computer

You’ve got a problem with your computer, you call their technical support team and the person on the other side requires the machine’s serial number (also known as the Service Tag) before he can even log your request. If you using a laptop computer, you can easily find the service tag by turning the machine upside but for desktops, especially the older models, the sticker that holds the service tag is often placed at a more harder-to-reach location.

There’s a alternate way to find the computer’s serial number without you having to slide beneath the table.

Open the command prompt (Start –> CMD) and type the following command:

wmic bios get serialnumber

Another command that will also print the model number (or make) of your computer is:

wmic csproduct get name, identifyingnumber 

The system model number can also be found using the System Information program available under All Programs –> Accessories –> System Tools.

The above commands should work on Windows 7, XP and Windows XP Pro machine as wmic.exe didn’t ship with the previous editions of Windows. Refer to this page to learn about all other system details that you can retrieve with the help of wmic.exe command.

How to Protect Images from ‘Casual Copying’

If you don’t want other people to download images from your website, don’t put them online because – the way the web works - it is almost impossible to prevent someone from copying or saving your images.

However there’s one little trick that may discourage the less-technical people from casually copying, or even hot-linking, to your web images. To give you an example, try saving the following image to your computer using the standard “save as” option.

The “save picture” option under right-click is still available for the above image but instead of downloading the actual photograph, all it would save is a blank image. Also, the URL for the image (under Properties) would appear as some junk characters (it’s called a data URI) and thus would deter the non-techies from hotlinking to that image.

Here’s how you may implement something similar for your own images:

The standard embed code for an image looks something like this:

<img src="photograph.jpg" width="500" height="250">

What you need to do is change the value of the src attribute to point to a blank image and then add a new style attribute to render the actual image. Also make sure that the value of the height and the width parameters are exactly the same as the actual image.

<img style="background-image:url(photograph.jpg);"

     src="data:image/gif;base64,

     R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAP///wAAACH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw=="

     width="500" height="250">

This is like overlaying a completely transparent screen over your photograph and anyone trying to save the image will end up downloading that screen instead of the image.

Obviously, there are simple workarounds to get around the above method. For instance, a copy of the full image will still be available in your browser’s cache. You may look at the HTML source or may even save the image using screen capture but again, these techniques may not always be known to the non-technical users of your website

Keep your Mobile Phone Safe at a Public Charging Station

This is not an uncommon problem. Your cell-phone is running out of battery, you need to make an urgent call but left the charger at home. What do you do next?

If you are at an airport or a shopping mall, it is not that big a problem because these places often have charging stations installed that can be used to charge the battery of almost any mobile phone. It doesn’t matter whether your phone requires a Micro-USB connector, a Mini-USB or a 2mm charger, the kiosk will have a suitable charging port for you.

Mobile charging stations are convenient but at the same time, there’s a level of security risk associate with them.

Security researchers have warned that public charging stations may be configured to upload malware on your phone and, at the same time, data can also be downloaded from the mobile phone while the battery is getting charged.

Keep your Phone Safe While Charging at a Public Kiosk

There are basically two ways to charge a mobile phone’s battery. You can either use a power cord that plugs directly into an electric outlet or you can use a USB based charger that draws power from a computer’s USB port. If a charging station internally uses the latter option, it may put your phone data at risk.

It is however relatively simple to keep your phone secure even while charging it at a public kiosk. Just remember to power off your phone completely before connecting it to the charging station and you should be safe.

The mobile charging stations installed at airports can be considered safe but the same may not always be true for other public kiosks that are operated by unknown people. If you have no option but to use such kiosks, do turn off the phone first.

Sex And The Single Gandhi

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, exalted to the realm of  Mahatma in 1920 by no less an authority than Rabindranath Tagore, became a convict for the second time in 1908. His crime was an appeal for self- respect in South Africa. Prime Minister Louis Botha justified the political decision to send Gandhi to Jail for two months by explaining that this was the only way to check Indian Fanaticism.

                                      On August 16 , Gandhi had inspired a gathering of some 3000 a the Hamidia mosque in Fords burg, near Johannesburg, to burn their residential permits I protest against new immigration laws. In October , he led a peaceful march into forbidden territory , Transvaal, and was arrested. This highly successful lawyer and leader of the community  was paraded through the streets in prison dress before being thrown into the native cell at Fort, a prison later to be distinguished by the presence of Nelson Mandela as well. On his first night, Gandhi was threatened with rape by first a black and then a Chinese inmate. A terrified Gandhi Stayed Awake all night, as the two went to a native lying in bed where they exchanged obscene jokes and uncovered each others genitals.

Gandhi a Modh Baniya from a distinguished Guajarati Family with a law degree from England. Gandhi had the courage to rise above secrecy in his sexuality. He shunned privacy. Gandhi had no secrets after celibacy, which is why shunned privacy. He did not sleep behind closed doors. Some of his preferences, like message, could be easily in terpreted to have sexual connotations, and there is little doubt that Kallenbach did massage him. But if every massage him. But if every massage were sexual, there would be no legitimate spa today.

Tips for Using Multiple Sign-in with Google Accounts

Google offers a handy multiple sign-in feature to help users toggle between their different accounts in the same browser without having to go through the sign-in / sign-out cycle. The facility is available in regular Google Accounts (that have @gmail.com address) as well as Google Apps accounts.

You may use multiple-signs with Gmail, Google Docs, Reader, Google Calendar, Web Search and couple of other Google products.

A: How to Switch Between Different Google Accounts?

Let’s say are signed into two separate Gmail accounts, using multiple sign-in, and would like to switch from one account to another? How do you do this?

The popular option is that you click your email address on the Google bar (see the screenshot above) and choose “Switch Account” from the drop-down menu to sign-in to your other Google / Gmail account.

There’s however a second option as well that is a lot quicker. Go to your browser address bar and simply change a digit in the URL. When you use multiple sign-in, Google appends a number to your Gmail URLs and you just have to change this number to switch accounts.

https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/ - Default account (n=0)

https://mail.google.com/mail/u/1/ - Second account (n=1)

https://mail.google.com/mail/u/2/ - Third account (n=2)

Alternatively, you may add the above URLs to your bookmarks bar to directly access the different mail account with the click without using that drop-down.

B: Set any Google Account as your Default Sign-in

When your open any of the Google websites that are enabled for multiple sign-in, like Gmail or Google Docs, it will automatically sign-in using your default account.

In some cases, this “default account” set by Google may not be your primary account and thus you have to switch to another account every time you open a Google service. Is there are workaround?

If you have multiple accounts, you can actually set the order on your own so that your main Google Accounts becomes the default (n=0), the next account you frequently use becomes the second account in the sign-in order (n=1) and so on. Here’s how:

Step 1. Open google.com/accounts/Logout to sign-out of all your Google accounts.

Step 2. Next go to google.com/accounts/b/0/MultipleSessions and sign-in using the Google Account that you want to set as default.

Step 3. Now go to google.com/accounts/AddSession and sign-in to your other Google account. Repeat this step until you are signed-in to all your other Google accounts.

That’s it. You have now set a custom signing order for all your Google Accounts and that should save you some time. See additional tips on using Gmail and Google Docs.

Keep your Online Accounts Safe and Secure

You probably use strong and unique passwords to prevent hackers from taking over your online accounts but is that enough? Maybe yes but I can’t say that with enough confidence because my Google and Facebook accounts have been compromised in the past despite using very complex passwords that can’t be easily guessed.

Like most other people, I have a few dozen online accounts now and have spent the last few days evaluating the security and recovery options for each one of them. In response, I have taken a few extra steps, listed below, that I think may help improve the overall security of these accounts. If you find anything useful in the list, do try implementing it in your own workflow for better piece of mind.

A Security Checklist for Online Accounts

#1. I have enabled the “Always use HTTPS” setting for Facebook, Twitter, Gmail, Google and all the other online services that support secure HTTP. This is especially important when accessing Internet over a Wi-Fi network because without HTTPS, anyone (and not just skilled hackers) can capture your login details using Firesheep, a simple Firefox extension.

#2. I have a few Google Accounts and they all use 2-step verification now. That means if someone tries to log into my Google account from a different computer, they’ll have to type an additional code that is sent directly to my mobile phone as an SMS text message or over a voice call.

#3. The 2-step verification can also alert you to potential hacking activity. If I ever get an SMS (or a voice call) from Google with the verification code but without requesting one, it is an immediate hint that someone knows my password though they won’t be able to get in without entering the verification code.

#4. I have connected my mobile number with my Facebook account. This is extremely important because I get an instant SMS and an email alert whenever my Facebook account is accessed from a different computer or another mobile phone.

#5. I carefully reviewed third-party sites that have access to my online accounts and revoked access to all the unwanted apps that I no longer use. In case you wish to do the same for your accounts, here are the direct links for Facebook, Google and Twitter.

#6. I maintain two email addresses – one is public that is displayed on the blog while the other email address is known to a select few. Why?

6a. The public email address is associated with services like Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, Foursquare, LinkedIn, Flickr, Tumblr, Posterous, Skype and a couple of other social sites where I want people to find me if they have my email address in their address book.

6b. I use the other “secret” email address with services like Dropbox, Amazon, Google Apps, my bank, my hosting service, Apple iTunes, PayPal and few other places where account security is even more critical and where I am not looking to get social.

#7. If I am testing a new online service, I almost always use a disposable email address to create a test account with that service. Some online services reject disposable addresses to prevent fake registrations but the one I use goes through as it is only an alias (or nickname) of my main email address.

#8. I prefer using a virtual credit card with shopping sites that I am either using for the first time or where the fine print is too long and there’s a risk that I could be billed again if I don’t cancel the account. This also helps keep my credit card safe from relatively unknown sites.

#9. Once in a while, I do mock drill with my most important online accounts to test the various recovery options I would have in case I forget my password or if I lose access to my secondary email address or misplace my mobile phone.

#10. The last point - how do I remember and manage so many different passwords?

Some people prefer to use password managers which are very convenient but at this time, all I use is a simple 1-page document (see sample) to store information of all my online accounts and the corresponding passwords. This file is password-protected and I put it on Dropbox so the information is available on all my computers.

This may surprise some but I also have a hard copy of this file that family members can refer to in case I am travelling and they need urgent access to any of my online accounts. Also, since they would need my mobile phone to access my Gmail or Google account, I have included backup verification codes in the printed document itself – thus the Google account can be used without requiring the phone.

One more thing. If you have two email accounts, never ever set one emails as the secondary (or recovery) email address of the other. That’s because if one of your email accounts gets compromised, the hacker can easily take over the other account as well.

How to Create a Custom Facebook Page in 5 Minutes

My previous guide on creating custom Facebook Pages is no longer relevant since it made use of Static FBML (Facebook Markup Language) and Facebook recently dropped support for FBML tags in favor of IFRAME based tabs.

This is actually good news for businesses and individuals who maintain Facebook Pages because you can now customize the design of your Pages without writing any code. You can create custom apps (or ‘tabs’) for your Facebook Page in any WYSIWYG editor and thus, anything that can be embedded in a HTML page can be easily added to your Facebook Pages.

Building Custom Tabs (Apps) for Facebook Pages

Before we get into the actual process of creating custom tabs for Facebook Pages, we need to decide a place where we’ll host the HTML, CSS and other associated files. If you already have a web host, you can use that to host your Facebook Pages but an even better, and simpler, option is Google Sites.

[*] The twentytech on Facebook also uses Google Sites.

There are several reasons why you may want to use Google Sites. Google Sites are easy to maintain, offer WYSIWGY editing tools and can be integrated with Google Analytics so you more easily track visitors to your Facebook pages.

The other big reason is that Google Sites support both secure (https) and regular (http) connections. This is extremely essential because some users may have turned on “secure browsing” in their Facebook security settings. If you service your Page content from a regular (http) connection, all they’ll see is a “turn off secure browsing” warning messages.

You can easily avoid this issue with the help of Google Sites.

How to Create a Facebook App for your Page

Enough of theory, let’s now get our hands dirty and build a custom tab app for our Facebook Page.

Step 1: Open Google Sites and create a new site. Choose “Blank Slate” for the theme and set the width as 500px (the Facebook Pages canvas can be 520px wide). [#]

Step 2: Create a new page in Google Sites and add some content to this page using either the built-in WYSIWYG editor or switch to the HTML view for any custom code. You may insert images, maps, videos, and everything else just like a regular HTML page. [#]

Step 3: Switch to Facebook and search for the “Developer” app. Add this to your Facebook Profile and then click on the button that says “Create a new App”. Give your app a name and also add an icon since it will show up in your Facebook page. [#]

Step 4: Under Facebook –> Canvas Settings, set the URLs for Canvas and Tab the same as your Google Site’s URL. The regular Canvas /Tab URL should point to the http version of the Google Sites while the Secure Canvas /Tab URL should use the https version. [#]

Step 5: We are almost done. On the “Canvas Settings” page itself, click “View App Profile Page” followed by “Add to My Page” to add that app to any of your Facebook Pages as a new “tab.” If you wish to create more tabs for your custom Facebook Page, you just have to create new apps using the same steps.

How to Add Speech Recognition to your Website

Your website pages probably contain a few text fields that require user input. For instance, your site may have a search box where people type in search queries, a comment form (commonly found in blogs) while some sites have a contact form that visitors can use to quickly send a message to the author /webmaster.

The visitors to your website currently need to use the keyboard to enter text in the various input fields but wouldn’t it be nice if you could also offer them an alternate form of input where they can just speak instead of typing?

Well all you need to do is add an extra word – highlighted in red - to your existing search code and your site will able to accept voice based input.

Add Speech Input to your Search Box

<form method="get" action="http://www.google.com/search">

 <input type="text" name="q" size="30" x-webkit-speech />

 <input type="submit" value="Google Search" />

</form>

Try a live demo - click the microphone icon, speak and hit enter:  

 You may also find a live speech-enabled search box on the site’s homepage.
When you are done speaking, the audio is sent to Google servers where it gets
transcribed and delivered as plain text.

Currently, only Google Chrome supports the HTML speech input API and thus, the microphone icon will only be visible to users who are accessing your site through Chrome. If they are using a different browser, they’ll see the standard search box.

The speech input attribute that does all the magic - x-webkit-speech - works with <input> fields only but there’s an easy workaround that will help you enable voice support for any other text field the <textarea> tag.

Add Speech Input to any Textarea like Comment Forms

Speech input for textarea - click the microphone icon and talk:  

The code looks something like this:

<script type="text/javascript">

  function transcribe(words) {

    document.getElementById("speech").value = words;

    document.getElementById("mic").value = "";

    document.getElementById("speech").focus();

  }

</script>

<textarea cols="50" id="speech" ></textarea>

<input id="mic" onwebkitspeechchange="transcribe(this.value)" x-webkit-speech>

Internally, when you click the microphone icon and speak, the transcribed text still goes into the <input> field but with the help of a JavaScript function, a copy of that text is instantly sent to the textarea as well.

The above trick will come handy in case you wish to voice-enable the comment form or the email form of your website that accept long-form text.

Find the Perfect Mobile Plan and Save Money!

If you are based in India and carry a mobile phone, which you do for sure, here’s something that may help you pick the best (or most cost-effective) voice and text plan for your phone based on your current actual usage.
The service, known as 3gsimplified, is available as a mobile app for Android phones and also as a web app in case you are using a different phone or would like to compare mobile plans from the desktop.

Which is the Best Mobile Plan for you?

You install the app and choose your region (or circle) and also your existing cellular operator from the available options. The app will read the voice call logs from the phone and based on the local / national (STD) usage, it will recommend you a list of the most cost-effective plans from different operators in your region.

With mobile number portability (MNP) available across India, it has become so easy to switch operators now. Alternatively, you may configure the Plan Hound app to only show plans from your existing operator or from the preferred operators.

Then there’s the web app, available at 3gsimplified.com, for mobile users who are not on Android. Here you need to manually input your monthly voice usage for Local and STD calls and the service will use the exact algorithm to determine a more cost-effective plan for your mobile phone.

The idea is impressive and well implemented except for one limitation - the mobile app does not consider the roaming usage – calls you made while you were outside your circle – while recommending the voice plans. For frequent travellers, the roaming charges may often constitute the bulk of their monthly mobile bill.

The Plan Hound app was one of the shortlisted entries at the Nasscom Emerge contest and secured the third position. If you want to save on your monthly mobile bill but don’t have the time to analyze your call logs, get this app!

Yahoo! Brings Full-Length Bollywood Movies to your Computer Screen

A few months ago, YouTube India launched a new box office channel where one can watch popular movies from the Indian cinema every month. YouTube already had a huge library of Hindi and regional films online but the box office channel is more about showcasing the blockbuster hits.

Now Yahoo! is also getting into the online movie business in India.

They have introduced a new service called MoviePlex where you can enjoy full-length Bollywood movies on your computer screen anytime, anywhere. The movie collection at this is limited but does include some popular titles.

Unlike YouTube which streams movies in both standard and HD resolutions, the movies on Yahoo! are currently available only in SD. Also, Yahoo! uses Flash Video and thus you cannot watch the movies on iPad or other devices that do not support the Flash Player.

The movies on Yahoo! India are currently available for free and there are no in-stream ads to interrupt your experiences. I however doubt if people outside India can watch these movies.

Drive a Car Anywhere in the World on Google Maps-

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to drive a car on the congested streets of lower Manhattan in Now York or the scenic Transfăgărășan road in Romania?

Meet Mini Maps, a Google Maps based Flash mashup that lets you drive a car virtually anywhere in the world using the controls on the keyboard. Simply select a location on Google Maps – you can either type the address or choose a point on the map visually – and hit the car accelerator (the up arrow key) to start moving.

Unlike the other Google Maps based car-driving games, Mini Maps is smart enough to recognize the terrain and the roads in your driving area and adds virtual boundaries on either sides of the road as you drive. If the area you’ve selected for driving is too dark, the car headlights will turn on automatically or your can press the “N” key to turn-off the night mode.

There’s more. You can create your own track on Google Maps by clicking at different points on the map or you can invite your other Facebook friends to Mini Map for a quick game of car racing. The stuff is very nicely done and can be addictive!

How to Remove Passwords from your PDF Files

You have a bunch of PDF files on your computer that are protected by a long and complex password. You know the passwords but it still feels inconvenient and boring typing them each time you have to open a PDF file.

Is there a tool available that can remove password protection from PDF files? Someone asked me this question on Twitter the other day and the answer is obviously yes.

Removing Password from a PDF File

There’s a free Windows utility called BeCyPDFMetaEdit that can help you remove passwords from PDF files* but without make any other change to the document. (I am not sure why the developers picked such a complex name for this useful utility).

Here’s what you need to do:

1. Launch the program and it will ask your for the location of the PDF file.

2. Before you select and open the PDF, change the mode to “Complete Rewrite.”

3. Switch to the Security tab and set the “Security System” to “No encryption.” Click the Save button and your PDF will no longer require a password to open.

Various Fasts

A fast is a kind of vow, a solemn promise to please deity or God. It can even be regarded as a sacrifice, as the devotee pledge to the almighty that for a specific, period of time, he will not touch non- veg. food or a particular vegetable that is dear to him, or that he will fast on specific days of the week. In this imperfect and dualistic world, after incarnating in a physical body, one is subject to many temptations and wrong doings due to the influence of Maya (illusory and deceptive nature of things). The law of karma ensures that for all sins committed, one has to undergo misfortune and misery. One can tone down – and sometimes even nullify- the negative effect in one’s life by observing a vow, which acts as a penance. Observance of the rules postulated by the scriptures is called a vow. There are many kind of Fasts , there name will be given below-

1-    Ekadashi Fast

2-    Shivratri Fast

3-    Vara Lakshmi Fast

4-    Fasting during an Eclipse

5-    Pradosa Fast

6-    Nag Panchmi Fast

7-    Karva Chauth Fast

8-    Samvatsar Fast

9-    RamNavmi Fast

10-                       Janmashtami Fast

11-                       Dus Avatar Fast

12-                       Navratri Fast

Generally, people who takes a vow in order to fulfill some desire do not pay much attention to the concluding ceremony at the end of the Fast. Our scriptures say that it is very important that the number of fasts which one had taken to vow to do are completed. Also pray to the worshipped gods and deities to grant pardon for any mistakes committed knowingly or unknowingly during your vow.

The Universe and Lord Brahma-

Brahma is regarded as the supreme Being, the god of gods. And he is also called the creator, he is the father of gods and men. This universe was enveloped darkness – unperceived, undistinguishable, undiscoverable, unknowable, as it were, entirely sunk in sleep. The irresistible self existent lord, undeserved, creating this universe with the five element, and all other things, was manifested dispelling the gloom. He who is beyond the cognizance of the sense, sub tile, undiscernibly, eternal, who is the essence of all things, and inconceivable, eternal, who is the essence of all things, and inconceivable, himself shone forth. He, desiring, seeking to produce various creatures from his own body, first created the waters, and deposited in them a seed. Brahma is translated as abstract supreme spirit. Later on the question is asked how can creative agency be attributed to Brahma who as abstract spirit is without qualities, illimitable and free from imperfection? The answer is that the essential properties of existent things are objects of observation, of which no foreknowledge is attainable, and creation and hundreds of properties belong to Brahma as inseparable parts of his essence, as heat is inherent in fire. There are two states of this one with and one without shape, one imperishable, one imperishable. The imperishable is the supreme being and the perishable is all the world. In addition to the names of Brahma already referred to the following are those most commonly known- The self existent, The chief sacrifices, the god of the world , he who came from the golden egg., the husband of savitri , the first poet.

The Storm Deities – INDRA

As was noticed previously , Indra, together with Agni and Surya ,by means of scarifies obtained supremacy over the other gods and if we may judge from the number hymns addressed to him in the Vedas , he was the most popular deity. He is the god of the firmament, in whose hands are the thunder and lighting , at whose command the refreshing showers fall to render the earth fruitful. When it is borne in mind that in India for months together the earth, exposed to the scorching rays of sun, becomes so hard that is impossible for the fields to be ploughed or the seed to we shown, it will not  be regarded as wonderful that the god who is supposed to bestow rain should frequently be appealed to, and that the most laudatory songs addressed to him. To the poetic minds of the Vedic age, the clouds that the winds brought from the ocean were enemies who held there treasures in their fast embrace until conquered by Indra ,they were forced to pour them upon the parched soil. And very naturally when, in answer to the cry of worshippers, the genial rains descended, and the earth was thereby changed from a desert to a garden, songs of thanks giving and praise, couched in the strongest term, were addressed to him. The heaven of Indra must not be passed over without notice, as it is there the good on earth hope to go for a time as a reward of their holy lives. To go to heaven , is not the highest happiness a man can obtain, because he cannot remain there forever. The home of Indra is situated on mount meru it has beautiful houses for its inhabitants, and the splendors of its capital is unequalled in the universe. Its gardens are stocked with trees that afford a grateful shade, yield the most luscious.

The Purans- Chief Source of Information

The chief source of information respecting the modern mythology of the Hindus are the two great epic- the Ramayana and the Mahabharata- the purans vow old stories. There is nothing definitely known as to the date Epics, beyond the fact that they are later than the Vedas, and earlier than the puranas. It is almost difficult to determine the date of the purans. It is however believed that none of them are older than the eighth century, through some of legends incorporated in them may have come from much earlier times. That they are considerably later than the two great Epics is evident from the fact that many, who are described as- Those which are devoted to the praise, the creation of the universe, it’s destruction and re-creation , the genealogy of gods and patriarchs, the reigns and period of the rulers over long periods of time and the history of the two great races of kings, the solar and the lunar. The Purans , as at present known, omit some of these great questions and introduce others. Great discrepancies, too, are found in the different genealogies. The word signifies a means of faith and they teach that faith in the revelations they record will save from greatest sin. The date of these works is involved in great obscurity , but as far as can be known they probably are not earlier than the sixth century of our era. The doctrines, or at least a part of the doctrines of these sects is kept secret and communicated to those only who receive solemn into the mysteries. I shall describe those who are regarded as their incarnations, or descendants, and than proceed to speak of others who have no formal connection wih any of them. It will be seen that most of the principal deities are connected with one or other.

The Puranic Division of Time

The three main divisons of time employed in the Hindu Scriptures. These will now be described-There are four yugas, which together extend to 12000 divine years. The dissolution of exciting beings is of three kinds; incidental, elemental and absolute. The first is occasional , incidental, the destruction of creatures, though not of the substance of the world, occurring during the night. The second is the general resolution of the elements into their primitive source, and occurs at the end of Brahma life. The third, the absolute or final is individual annihilation for ever from future existence. The process of destruction is described as follows: At the end of a thousand periods of four ages the earth is for the most part exhausted. A total death then ensues, which lasts a hundred years, and in consequence of the failure of food all beings become languid and examinate, and at last entirely perish. The eternal Visnu then assumes the charcter of Rudra, the destroyer, and descends to reunite all his creatures with himself. He enters into seven rays of the sun, drinks up all the waters of the globe, and causes all moisture whatever, in living bodies or in the soil, to evaporate, thus drying up the whole earth. The seas, the mountain- torrents, and spring are all the waters of patala the regions below the earth. Thus fed, through his intervation, with abundant moisture, the seven suns, whose radiance glows above, below and on every side, and sets the three worlds on fire. The three worlds, consumed by three suns, become rugged and deformed throughout the whole extent of their mountains, rivers, and seas; and the earth, bare of verdure and destitute of moisture , alone remains, resembling in appearance the back of a tortoise.

The Puranic Account of Creation

Before passing on to the inferior deities, an account of the creation will be given. It is not at all easy to make out a consistent one from the scriptures, because the imaginations of the writers seems to have run wild on this subject; not having authority, each writer has written what seemed good to himself. The following hymn from the rgveda describes the primal conditions of things before the creative power of the Deity was exercised – There was neither aught nor naught, nor air, nor sky beyond. What cover all? Where rested all? In watery gulf profound? Nor death was then, nor deathlessness, nor change change of night and day. The one breathed calmly, self- sub stained; nougat else beyond it lay. Gloom, hid in gloom, existed first- one sea, eluding view. That one, a void in chaos wrap, by inward fervor grew. Within it first arose desire, the primal germ of mind, which nothing with existence links, as sages searching find. The kindling ray that shot across the dark and dear abyss- was it beneath? Or high aloft? What bard can answer this? There fecundating powers were found, and mighty forces strove- A self- supporting mass beneath, and energy above. Who knows, who ever told, from whence this vast creation rose? No gods had then been born- who then can the truth disclose? Whence sprang this world, and weather framed by hand divine or no- Its lord in heaven alone can tell, if heaven alone can tell. This hymn contains perhaps the earliest speculations of the Hindus respecting the creation that have come down to us; and the wise conclusion was arrived at the God alone knew how the world came into being. But as time went on this confession of ignorance did not satisfy the cravings of the human mind hence succeeding ages sought by its conjectures, which are given with the assurance of exact knowledge, to throw light upon the unknowable.   

The Planet-

At the great festivals of the Hindus a small offering is made to all the planet at once; but excepting on these occasions, they are never worshipped together. They are however, frequently worshipped separately by the sick and unfortunate who suppose themselves to the under the baneful influence of one or other of them. At these times they are worshipped one after the other in regular succession. Seven of the planets give names to the days of the week, the other two represent the ascending and descending nodes. These names are sun, which represent the day of Sunday. And second one is Moon which represent the day of Monday. And the third one is Mangla is represent the day of Tuesday. The forth one is Budha represent the day of Wednesday. The fifth one is Brahaspati was the preceptor of the gods and represents the day of Thursday. And sixth one is Sukra represent the day of Friday. And the seventh one is Sani is said to be the son of Surya and represent the day of Saturday. and last two are Rahu And Ketu which both are in ascending and descending nodes. Surya and Chandra have already been noticed at length among the Vedic deities , they are again described briefly along with the planet, under the name they bear in this connection. The image of Surya is round piece of mixed metal twele fingers in diameter; of Chandra, a piece like a half moon, a cubic from end to end, of mangla, a triangular piece six finger in width; of Budha, a golden bow two fingers in breadth, of Brhaspati , a piece like a lotus, of Sukra, a piece of silver; of Sani, an iron scimitar; of Rahu, an iron a fabulous animal, half stag and half fish, and Ketu a iron snake.

The Jain Deities-

As there are considerable numbers of jains, chiefly in the north and north- west of India, some account should be given of their objects of worship. The origin of this sect is obscure, especially as their chronology is so wild and extravagant. Hindu notions of time are reasonable compared with those of the jains.

                                                            In some respect, there is much in the tents of this religion that closely resembles those of Buddhism. Both reject the divine origin and authority of the Vedas; though when a Vedic text agrees with his own belief, a learned jain will not scruple to employ it to buttress his own teaching. Both may be regarded as heretical sects of Hinduism. Both reject the divine institutions of caste, and profess to believe in the social and religious equality of man; though the jains are not regarded as outside the pale of Hinduism. For when, as it sometimes happens, a jain wishes to worship as an orthodox Hindu, a place is found for him in the caste system. He is not treated as outcast. Both acknowledge in a general way the more common and modern of the Hindu deities, and very much of the worship of the both is very  similar to that which prevails amongst the Hindus. In both systems a number of saints have been raised to the dignity of deities and have largely taken the place of the inferior gods of the Hindu Pantheon. In fact , at one time it was a commonly received opinion that the jains were the present day representatives of the Buddhists. But fuller and more correct knowledge has shown that two religious , though strikingly similar have distinct and separate origins.

The Incarnations of Vishnu-

The earliest account of what was afterwards regarded as an incarnation of Vishnu. This transfer of work from one deity to another is not a matter of surprise, when we remember how frequently it is declared that all the various gods are but forms of one supreme  being. The Incarnations of Vishnu are 13.are described below-

1-   The Matsya or Fish Avatar-  There lived in ancient time a holy man called Manu, who, by penances and prayers.

2-   The Tortoise Avatar- This incarnation was necessitated by the fact that the gods were in danger of losing their authority over the demons.

3-   The Varha Avatar- There is the same conflicting account of this as of the two preceding incarnations.

4-   The Man – Lion Avatar- In the account of the preceding incarnation, it was stated that Vishnu, ere he raised the earth on his tusk, slew a demon.

5-   The Dwarf Avatar- It was in the second age, that this incarnation is supposed to have occurred.

6-   The Parasurama Avatar- The incarnation of Parasurama with axe, was undertaken for the purpose of exterminating the warrior caste.

7-   The Ramcandra Avatar- In northern India this is perhaps the most popular of all the incarnations.

8-    The Krsna Avatar-  This is the most interesting incarnation of Vishnu, both on account or the opportunity which it affords to trace in Hindu antiquity the gradual transformation.

9-   The Buddha Avatar-  This incarnation is originally foreign to the cycle of Avatars.

10-                      The Kalki Avatars- This is in hope of Hindu.

11-                      The Jagannatha- This deity is not reckoned in the list.

12-                      Caitanya- He is mostly worshipped in Bengal.

13-                      Kamdeva- The Indian cupid regarded as the son of Vishnu.

The Demi- Gods of the Mahabharata-

As these are so intimately connected with each other, a separate account of each would necessitate frequent repetition, they will therefore be noticed together. In the fifth generation from the moon, the progenitor of the Lunar race, who reigned at Hastinapur, came two sons, Pura and Yadu, from whom proceeded two branches of the Lunar line. In the account of Krishna and Balarama, who were born in the Yadu tribe, we have seen the end of that branch of family. Sixteenth from Puru, the founder of the other branch, came Bharata, from whom India takes it name Bharatvarsa in the present day. Twenty- third from Bharata came Santanu. This Santanu had two sons, Bhisma, by the goddess Ganga (the Ganges) , and Vicitravirya, by Satyabati. Now it happened that Vicitravirya died childless, and Satyavati was therefore obliged to ask her son Vysa to marry the childless widows. The result was that the one wife Ambika, had a son who was born blind, named Dhrtarastra. This blindness is said to have been caused by the fact that Vysa, coming in from his ascetic life was so repulsive in appearance that Ambika kept her eyes closed all the time he remained with her. The other wife, named Ambalika, had a son who was born of a pale complexion, and named Pandu; this paleness was result of the fear that Vysa caused to the mother. Satyabati, not satisfied with either of these children, wished for another and perfect child. But Ambika, dressing up one of her slaves , sent her to Vysa in her stead; the result was that girl had a son who was called Vidura. After fulfilling his mothers commands, Vyasa returned tohis ascetic life in the forest.

The Birth of Krishna-

The circumstances under which Krishna was born are as gripping as the various tales and events that occurred in the life of his blue-god. Krishna maternal uncle Kansa was an evil king, who had a list of atrocities to his name, the most famously infamous of which was his imprisoning his own father, King Ugresena, and ascending the throne. When Kansa sister Devaki (who was Krishna’s mother) was married to Vasudeva, a divine voice prophesied that their eight child would kill Kansa. Furious and secretly terrified, Kansa immediately imprisoned them both in the dungeon, and subsequently killed the first six infants born to them, within a minute of their birth. The seventh child who grew up to be Bal ram, was mysteriously transferred to Gokul, Where Vasudeva’s other wife, Rohini, lived and was brought up by her. At the time of the birth of the eight child, both Deviki and Vasudeva were severally hand cuffed and chained by their ankles to the ground and the cellar gates too had numerous locks and bolts, with several well- secured gates leading to the main cellar. The number of guards too had been doubled. However, when Krishna was born- late at night- not only did the infant not make a single sound. The guards too were deep in slumber land to pose any threat. Carrying Krishna in a basket , Vasudeva walked miles and miles in the dark of the night, in a thunderstorm and placed the basket on his head when he had to cross the river Yamuna at its full spate. Finally , Vasudeva reached Gokul, wher he quietly kept the baby Krishna to be raised in the house of Nanda and Yashoda. It was in here Gokul Krishna spent her childhood. Temple of Krishna abound in India, and one is sure to come across one is in Mathura.  

SUN OR LIGHT DEITIES

Surya and Savitar are two names by which the Sun is commonly addressed in the Vedic hymns. Some time one name is used exclusively, sometimes they are use interchangeably, and sometimes they are used as though they represented quite distinct objects. It is supposed that Satvir refers to Sun when invisible, while Surya refers to him when he is visible to the worshippers. This at any rate gives some reason for the two names being employed , though it may not explain the case satisfactory in every instance. Although the hymns in which Surya is addressed are not every numerous, his worship was most common in the olden time, and has continued to the present hour. It is to him that the Gayatri, the most sacred text of the Vedas, is addressed at his rising by every devout. Simple in its phraseology, this short verse is supposed to exert magical powers. We can addressed Surya as- Behold the rays of dawn, like heralds, lead on high The sun that men may see the great all knowing god. The stars slink off like thieves, in company with night, Before the all seeming eye, whose beams reveal his presence gleaming like brilliant flames, to nation after nation. With speed, beyond the ken of mortals, thou O Sun dost ever travel on, conspicuous to all .The changing colures of the dawn are compared to many colored robes, the golden tipped clouds that appear sun shines in his strength. And the last four lines of the material sketch it will be noticed that she was believed be able to bestow upon her worshippers cattle, horse sons, health joy and length of days.

Sons of Siva and Parvati- Ganesha

Ganesha is usually regarded as the elder son of Siva and Parvati . All sacrifices and religious ceremonies, all serious compositions in writing, and all worldly affairs of importance are begun by pious Hindus with an invocation to Ganesa, a word composed to Isa, the governor of leader, and gana, a company. Instances of opening business auspiciously by an ejaculation to him might be multiplied with ease. Ganesh is the Hindu god of Prudence and policy. He is the reputed eldest son of Siva and parvati alone declares that he was the actual child of these deities, and is represented with a elephant head- an emblem of sagacity- and is frequently attended by, or is riding upon a rat. He has generally four hands, but sometime six, or eight, or only two. He is always described as being very corpulent, and pictures or images of him are seen over the doors of many shopkeepers. It is not easy to see why Ganesa has become so universally worshipped, as there are few legends attesting his divine power. Ganesa has only one tusk, and hence is called Ekdanta. The reason of this is – Parasurama who was a favorite disciple of Siva, went to visit his master. On arriving at the inner apartment, his entrance was opposed by Ganesa, as his father was asleep Parasurama never the less urged his way, and, after a long dialogue, the two came to blows. Ganesa had at first the advantage, seizing in his trunk, and giving him a twirl that left him sick and senseless. On recovering, threw his axe at Ganesa, who , recognizing it as his father’s weapon. Hence  Ganesa has one tusk.

Siva As A Destroyer-

Siva is the third person of the Hindu triad. As Brahma was creator, Vishnu was preserver in order to complete the system, as all things are subject to decay, a Destroyer was necessary and destruction is regarded as the peculiar work of Siva. This seems scarcely in harmony with the form by which he is usually represented. It must be remembered , however, that according to the teaching of Hinduism, death is not death in the sense of passing into non- existence, but simply a change into a new form of life. He who destroys, therefore , cause beings  to assume new phases of existence- the Destroyer is really a re – creator , hence the name Siva , the bright or Happy one, is given to him, which would not have been the case had he been regarded as the destroyer in the ordinary meaning of that term. Siva adopted the grab, and lived the life of an ascetic. Though generally worshipped under the form of the ling, he is represented in human form, sometimes in the act of trampling on or destroying demons, wearing round his black neck a serpent, and a necklace of skulls, and furnished with a whole apparatus of external emblems, such as white bull on which he rides, a trident, tiger’s skin. He has three eyes, one being in his forehead, in allusion either to or three Vedas. The home life of Siva and his Spouse does not appear to have been of the happiest. As they could each bestow gifts upon their worshippers, it sometimes happened that the one wanted to bless those whom the other wished to curse. Each god is represented as having special fondness for some bird or animal, on which he is supposed to travel, which therefore called vehicle.

Significance of Donation in Vedic Culture-

To offer wealth with devotion and purity of mind is called donation. Our scriptures mention as a part and a parcel of Vedic culture, discussing the importance and need for donating articles and other products so what we can lead a blissful life. Donation offers enjoyment in this world. But the wealth for donations much be earned through honest means and through ethical ways. All donations do not produce results. The donation should be a genuine one, in the sense that one should not accept anything in return. Some amount of good feeling and healthy thoughts should be there when donating, and not only of what one will receive in return while giving donations and only such donations produce results. The donation should not come attached with terms and conditions, and the donor should bequeath freely, without any hesitation while giving away something as donation. For the forgiveness of a sin, people donate wealth to those who are engaged in social welfare activities. Donations given away for begetting a child, for attaining victory, prosperity and Heavenly abode is called dharmavetta daan. To provide education to disadvantaged people is a very pious act, and one can ensure a place in brahamlok by offering education to such people, he will be able to wash off all sins he has committed in that life.

           A person who does not have knowledge or perseverance should not accept any donation. If a person without knowledge accepts donations it degenerates his personality. It does not produce any result for the donor. Donation should be given to a suitable person only. On some incident showing bad omen more donations should be given to negate the evil effects.

Saraswati- The Goddess of Wisdom

Saraswati, the goddess of wisdom and science, the mother of Vedas and the inventor of Sanskrit letters. She is represented with four arms . with one of her right hands she is presenting a flower, and other hand she holds a book of palm-leaves, indicating that she is fond of learning. In one of her hand she has a string of pearls, which serve as a rosary, and in other is a small drum. Saraswati having been produced from Brahma, was regarded as his daughter; she is celebrated both as a river and a goddess. She is primarily a river deity, as her name, the water, clearly denotes, and in this capacity she is celebrated in a few separate passages. Saraswati is frequently invited to the scarifies along with several other goddesses, who however, were never ,like her river nymphs , but personifications of some department of religious worship, or sacred science. She is frequently invoked along with other deities. In many passage where she is celebrated, her original character is, as I have intimated , distinctly preserved. Thus in two places she is mentioned along with rivers, or fertilizing waters.; Yo goddess opulent waters, command riches; ye posses excellent power and immortality; ye are mistresses of wealth and progeny; may Saraswati bestow this vitality on her worshippers. And she is mentioned with the other well-known streams the Sindhu and Ganges. In another place she is said to surpass all other rivers, and to flow pure from the mountains. She pronounced this curse on the wives of the gods collectivity. As goddess of learning, she is regularly worshipped once a year on Vasant Panchmi.

Sacred Tree-

Several trees are regarded as sacred; they being representative of or peculiarly dear to some of the deities. It is a meritorious act to plant and water them, and such is the respect cherished for them, that even their withered branches are not allowed to be burnt, The same ceremonies are observed at the planting of these trees or when they have been taken care of for sometime, at their consecration, as are observed at the setting up of an image. The following are the some sacred trees-

1-    The Pipal- as Ficus religiosa

2-    The Bel tree- as Aegle Marmelos

3-    The vakula- as Terminilia chebula

4-   Phyllanthus emblica

5-   The nim tree- as Melia azadirachta

6-   The Tulsi- as Ocimum gratissimum

7-   Indian fig tree

                                       The tulsi is very commonly worshipped by the followers of Vishnu; and the plant is most carefully tended as his representative . Every morning the ground near it is cleansed with cow- dung and water; at night a lamp is hung before it. During the two hottest month of the year , a vessel of water is hung over it so that it constantly recives moisture. When a plant dies, it is cast into River. the same honor is being given to it as to an image as soon as the worship of it is concluded. It is a common custom to place it a sprig of tulsi near the head of dying person. In a addition to the these trees there are many trees and grass which are be very useful for beneficial for us.

Sacred Animal and Birds-

Some of the animals regarded as sacred have already been mentioned in connection with the deities to whom they are specially dear, and in whose worship they participate. They are regarded as vehicle upon which these Gods and goddess travel. Thus Indra rides upon the Elephant Airavata, Siva on the bull Nandi ; Yam on a Buffalo, as Durga on a Tiger; Agni on a ram; Vayu on an antelope; Ganesa on a rat. Virbhadra, ,the emanation of Siva which destroyed Daksa’s sacrifice, rode on a dog, and Kamadeva traveled either on the monster or a parrot. The jackal is regarded as a representative of Durga, who in this form assisted in preserving Krsna, on the night of his birth, from kamsa’s anger. Monkeys, as a representatives of Hanuman, are very commonly worshipped by some, by others is regarded as unclean.

                        Amongst birds, the goose is the vehicle of Brahma, the peacock that of Kartikya, Sani rides upon a vulture; the wagtail, represent Vishnu , because the mark on its throat is thought to resemble the Salagrama; the owl, too, is worshipped at the festivals. The cow, though not regarded as the vehicle of any deity, is worshipped too. Brahma is said to have created cows at the same time; cow is used to provide milk, as offerings, whilst cow- dung is necessary for various purifying ceremonies. Regular worship of the cow takes place yearly, at employed at the worship of images; the horns and bodies of the cows are painted, and they are then bathed in the rivers. Some people are said to worship the cow Dailey. Where as Suparna is a mythical beings, half- man and half eagle, of Vishnu, Though not strictly divine, he worshipped together with his lord.

Rama- Ideal Human Being

Depicted as the ideal human being in all the roles of his life, Rama is the seventh avatar of Lord Vishnu. He is very epitome of perfection: the perfect son, the ideal ruler, a loving brother, a good husband, and a noble enemy, who consist Ely puts duty above all else, even his personal liking and disliking, Many believe that Rama did exit history as one of the successful kings of Ayodhya. Born as the son of the Dashratha, Rama faced many trials and tribulations, and was successful in over coming all of them. His life and activities are detailed in Ramayana. The eldest son of the Dasharatha, Rama readily agreed to spend 14 years in exile as demanded by his stepmother, Kaikeyi. Kaikeyi once saved Dashratha life, nursing him back to health. Pleased with her dedication, he had asked her to ask two wishes from him which he had readily grant. She had told him that she will take her two wishes when the time came. So, when Rama’s coronation was announced, she demanded that firstly, Rama be banished for 14 years in the forest, and Bharat, her son be made the king. While everyone was aghast and shattered, Rama agreed cheerfully and along with his younger brother and with his wife, left the kingdom to spend the next 14 year in the forest. Here , they came face to face with Shoopanakha, a demons, and Ravana, the King of Lanka’s sister. She admired Rama ever since they had entered forest , and finally she changed her shape into that of beautiful woman, and approached Rama and proposed to him. Rama politely refused, saying that he was married and was accompanied by his wife Sita. She annoyed this refusal, then charged at Sita with the intention of killing her, when Laxman intervened and sliced off her nose.

Miscellaneous Minor Deities

1-    Sitala-  Sitla is the Bengali name for the small- pox , and for the deity who is supposed to have charge of that disease. The meaning of the word is She who makes cold. This goddess is represented as a golden- complexioned woman sitting on a lotus, or riding on ass, dressed in red clothes. Before an image of this kind, or more and more commonly a pan of water merely.

2-    Sasthi-  Sasthi is peculiarly the goddess of married woman, she is the giver of children, assist at child birth, and is the guardian of young children. She is represented as a golden complexioned woman with a child in her arms, riding upon a cat.

3-    The Salagrama-  Salagrama is regarded as a most sacred object. It does not derive its sacredness from consecrating rites, as images and other representatives of deities , but is believed to be inherently holy.

4-    Mansa- the King of snakes , a sage and being the queen of the snakes is regarded as the protectors of men from those reptiles.

5-    The Dhenki- The Dhenki is a log of wood fixed to a pivot, used for husking rice, pounding bricks for mortar etc. It is generally worked by women, who, by standing on the one end, raise it to a certain height and then let it fall by its own weight

6-      Ka? Who?- The Athenians were not alone in worshipping the unknown god. At the time of the great grammarian, this word had acquired such legitimacy as to call for a separate rule explaining its formation.