E@zyVG’s Vichar::World Connected

We all know what avatar is …. don’t we. But, in real, a lot of people don’t know what and from where the word “avatar” came from, which today is used as synonym for icon or graphical representation of yourself, or a user, in a shared virtual reality, such as internet and video games.

Avatara (“descent”), in Hinduism

19th century Indian painting depicting the ten avatars of Lord Vishnu: Fish (Matsya), Tortoise (Kurma), Boar (Varaha), Man-Lion (Narasimha), Dwarf (Vamana), Rama with the Ax (Parasurama), King Rama, Krishna, Buddha, and Kalki

In Hindu philosophy, an avatar (also spelled as avatara) (Sanskrit: अवतार, avatāra), most commonly refers to the incarnation (bodily manifestation) of a higher being (deva), or the Supreme Being (God) onto planet Earth, and is an important concept within Hinduism, particularly the Vaishnavite tradition (which worships Vishnu as the supreme god). Basically, in Hinduism, a god made visibly present, a deity in human or animal form to counteract some particular evil in the world. The term usually refers to 10 appearances of Vishnu. For example the Buddha is considered an avatar of the god Vishnu. The word has also been used by extension to refer to the incarnations of God or highly influential teachers in other religions, especially by adherents to dharmic traditions when explaining figures such as Jesus. Often translated in English and used by its Christian equivalent as incarnation, the words have somewhat different connotations.

After a careful study of Indian religion, one contemporary Christian theologian found twelve basic characteristics in the avatar doctrines:

1. in Hindu belief the avatar is real, a visible and fleshly descent of the divine to the terrestrial plane
2. the human avatars are born in various ways but always through human parents
3. their lives mingle divine and human qualities
4. the avatars finally die
5. there may be a historical basis for some of the Hindu avatars Rama, Krishna, Chaitanya, Ramakrishna, for example
6. avatars are repeated: one appears whenever there is a catastrophic decline in righteousness
7. one avatar differs from another in character, temperament and worth
8. each comes with work to do: the restoration of harmony in human society and universe
9. avatars are not world-renouncing, and constantly advocate the importance of action rather than contemplation alone
10. avatars for Hindus provide “special revelation” as the self- manifestation of Godhead
11. they reveal a personal rather than impersonal God
12. avatars prove the existence of a God of grace, in Hindu eyes; as Ramanuja insisted, a man cannot maintain his existence without God and God cannot maintain Himself without man.”

- By Dr. Young Oon Kim (World Religions, Vol. 2)

So, now you know the word avatar originated from, and little more … just in case you didn’t know.

As most users on the internet, especially those that hang around different forums, use instant messengers, are into blogging and to some extent that use services such as Gravatar (idea of globally-recognized avatar), I also use an icon representation of myself, i.e. my avatar. For a long time, guess for past 3-4 years, I have been using the following avatar for myself:

As you can guess from the above pic, it is Williams-BMW Formual 1 car with AMD Athlon64 logo, using some colour effects. This avatar has become old, and I decided to go for another one, a new one, that will stay there for the near future. And here is what I came up with:

If you compare the two, they are quite different, though two common themes still prevail. Can you guess from the above pic what is it ……. 3,2,1 …. nops. OK, then let me explain you. The above is what you will find on a F1 2008 ForceIndia team car, it is the logo …. yes, again Formula1. Other than that you will also find a pic of a micro-processor die, in this case it being a Phenom X4 Agena die, just above my nick name … yes, AMD again. So I get a beautiful representation of Indian flag, in a silhouette of an eye, which I love; a piece of that tech, that I can’t live without; and a big fat number 1 which is always cool. Therefore:

Indian Flag + number 1 = nice F1 team logo in red + (Agena die + my nick + glassy look) = my new avatar

And I find it cool. I am no graphics designer, hence the simplicity :)

Geek fact: There are quite a few Unix computers on which the name of the superuser account is “avatar” rather than “root”. This quirk was originated by a CMU hacker who disliked the term “superuser”, and was propagated through an ex-CMU hacker at Tektronix.

I still wonder, why avatar, why not use the more familiar Western word, such as the Latin “incarnatus”, meaning “made flesh”? To expand further, ‘atman’ (Hindi) - soul remains same, though manifestations vary. Maybe the use of word ‘avatar’ had a deliberate intent, as the word implies a certain relationship between the “real” and the “virtual” world. Now to updating all those forum and messenger profiles and of course the Gravatar.

Yadaa Yadaa hi Dharmasya
Glanirbhavati Bharata
Abhyuttanam Adharmasya
Tadaatmaanam Srujamyaham
Paritranaya Sadhunaam
Vinaashaya ch Dushkritaam
Dharmasansthapanarthaya
Sambhavami Yuge Yuge

Whenever Dharma, or the situation of law and order, is endangered on this world, I incarnate onto this world to re establish Dharma (law and order), and to protect the Sadhus (saints) and to destroy the evil elements of the society.

-Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna

And once again continuing on the past topics of piracy, with another documentary that you should watch ……….

Good Copy Bad Copy is a great documentary discussing the current state of copyright, piracy and free culture.The film is directed by Andreas Johnsen, Ralf Christensen and Henrik Moltke, and aired on Danish television a few days ago.

Several people are interviewed in the documentary including Lawrence Lessig from Creative Commons, Tiamo and Anakata from The Pirate Bay, mashup artist Danger Mouse, a Russian street pirate, and many others.

Even MPAA CEO Dan Glickman makes an appearance, he briefly comments on their involvement with the raid on The Pirate Bay last year. Glickman also says that he knows that the MPAA will never stop piracy, but that they are trying to make it as difficult and tedious as possible.

A .torrent can be downloaded over at The Pirate Bay, for free of course. (~700 MB)

Why is it that so many of us cling to the misconceptions of the past? What is it that we are so afraid of that we must bluster on about being the best of everything? Or even worse, expect everyone to be like us. What does it really mean when our leaders say things like our values can be an example to the world?

Why is it whenever I hear someone use the word values I have the feeling they want to impose their way of thinking on the rest of the world? They never say what those values are, but everyone assumes it’s what they personally believe in, so that’s okay. The whole world should be just like me.

What is so wrong with people being different? Why can’t we just accept that others believe in different things than us and stop trying to impose our way of life on them? Whether it’s Muslims, Christians, Hindus, Jews, Capitalists or Communists, none of them seem to understand that our diversity is what makes humans so unique.

Instead of trying to fit everybody into one mold, we should be celebrating what we can offer each other. Even within our own culture there is diversity of belief, and opinion that makes our lives more interesting. If all of us thought the same, this site would be damn boring.

When we continue on with the past traditions of being ignorant of other people’s beliefs, and continue to espouse our superiority, we increase the chances for conflict. Colonial attitudes have proven unwieldy in the past and have caused nothing but trouble; don’t you think it’s time we tried something different?

So, how can you protect yourself from this “pact of evil”?

1. First of all — ignore the hardware and software using DRM techniques to restrict the rights of the user. Do not purchase music, movies and other content secured by DRM mechanisms. Instead, use alternative services recommended by the Defective By Design campaign — these are the tools and services DRM-free.
2. Secondly — talk, talk and once again, talk — make your family, friends, co-workers aware of the dangers connected with the use of DRM in the products. This is the best way to educate people what DRM really is and why they should care. Nobody wants to be restricted. When people become aware of the restrictions, they will not buy the products that restrict them. Simple enough

OK, and what if we have already legally purchased some content (like multimedia or text document) secured by some kind of DRM? Do not worry. Most of them has been broken a long time ago. For example, in order to play an CSS-encrypted DVD under GNU/Linux, you can use almost any player like VLC, MPlayer or Xine with libdvdcss2 enabled (this is a non-licenced library used to decrypt DVDs encrypted with CSS). If you posses music in AAC format (e.g. purchased at iTunes), you can easily convert them to a friendly format using JHymn without losing quality. The story repeats with each and every new introduced DRM technology, like encrypted PDFs, Windows Media, or recently HD-DVD (see the muslix64 post on BackupDVD) and BluRay.

Breaking the DRM restrictions is hard but always possible, due to the fact that all DRM mechanisms need to use symmetric encryption in order to work. This kind of encryption requires the keys to be hidden either in the hardware or software — in both ways it’s possible to access them by the hacker, analyze and find the way to decrypt the data streams. If you are interested in the details of DRM hacking, read the lecture of Cory Doctorow for Microsoft Research about the nonsense of DRM.

Is it legal? ………………….. >the right question is< ………………………. DO I CARE!

Ученые выяснили, что перец чили лечит бессонницу, рак и выпадение волос. Кроме того, специя помогает бороться со стрессом:

Любителей острой пищи принято ругать за безрассудное отношение к своему организму. Считается, что такая еда плохо влияет на желудок и ухудшает самочувствие. Однако последние исследования показали, что перец чили способен исцелить от многих недугов.

Агентство “Рейтер” сообщило вчера об открытии, сделанном австралийскими учеными. Группа исследователей из Тасманского университета обнаружили, что перец чили помогает людям справиться с бессонницей. В эксперименте принимали участие 10 добровольцев, страдающих расстройством сна. В течение полутора лет профессор Доминика Джерати со своими коллегами наблюдали за реакцией людей на перец чили. Результат оказался ошеломляющим. Стручок чили в день помогал людям заснуть крепче и быстрее.

Восстановление сна - вовсе не единственная польза, которую может принести эта специя. Считается, что перец чили предупреждает развитие раковых опухолей. Об этом сообщили ученые из Питтсбургского университета. Но то, что люди, употребляющие в пищу много овощей и фруктов, реже страдают от онкологических заболеваний - давно известный факт. Гораздо интересней информация, полученная от сотрудников университета Кумамото (Япония).

Они считают, что на основе перца чили можно создать лекарство, которое произведет сенсацию. Оно будет способствовать росту волос. Этот овощ содержит соединения капсайцина, который не только придает остроты перцу, но и повышает активность генов кальцитонина (CGRP), стимулирует сенсорные нервы. Ген CGRP, в свою очередь, дает толчок стимулятору роста, отвечающему за рост волос.

Чили богат витаминами А, В и С, необходимыми для нормального развития и функционирования организма. В сыром перце витамина С содержится в 2 раза больше, чем в лимоне. Кроме того, чили способствует выработке эндорфинов, которые подстегивают иммунную систему, улучшают кровообращение, ослабляют боль и снижают стресс. Именно эти “гормоны счастья” заставляют любителей остренького снова и снова кусать этот плод. Их мозг получает информацию о том, что организм находится в опасности и выбрасывает в кровь эндорфины для того, чтобы уменьшить шок и стресс. Но поскольку опасности для здоровья нет, люди просто получают вольствие.

Представители многих южных культур просто не мыслят свою жизнь без чили. Мексиканцы считают, что перец помогает их разуму стать светлее, они говорят, что, съев перец, можно почувствовать голову отдельно от тела. Жители Индии, славящиеся отменным здоровьем, обязательно добавляют в пищу чили. Но самая перченая еда у тайцев. Они едят перца больше, чем любая нация в мире.

Слабость к горькому перцу питал знаменитый Джордж Вашингтон. Он был знаменит не только как первый президент США, но и как успешный огородник, его перечные плантации внушали уважение всей Америке.

Situated between India and China, Southeast Asia has been the birthplace of several cultures, some of which rank among the world’s greatest civilizations. Among the Indianized kingdoms which sprang up in Southeast Asia before the Common era, the great Khmer civilization and its capital, Angkor, in modern day Cambodia. The advent of Indians in Southeast Asia has hardly a parallel in history. In view of the ethnic affinities between the prehistoric Austro-Asiatic races of India and those of Suvarnabhumi, contact between the two regions may well go back to the remotest antiquity. Most of the countries of Southeast Asia came under the cultural and religious influence of India. This region was broadly referred to by ancient Indians as Suvarnabhumi (the Land of Gold) or Suvarnadvipa (the Island of Gold). Vedic Indians must have charted Java, Yawadvip, thousands of years ago because Yawadvip is mentioned in India’s earliest epic, the Ramayana. The Ramayana reveals some knowledge of the eastern regions beyond seas; for instance Sugriva dispatched his men to Yavadvipa, the island of Java, in search of Sita.

Southeast Asia was often called by many British, French and Indian scholars as Farther India, Greater India, L’Inde Exterieure, and the Hinduized or Indianized States. The whole area was so influenced by India, that according to a European scholar who wrote in 1861, that “the Indian countries situated beyond the Ganges hardly deserve the attention of History.” The various states established in this region can therefore be called Indianized kingdoms. Invasion nor proselystism was by no means the main factor in the process of Indianization which took place in the Indian Archipelago. International trade was very important.

Map showing relations and Sea routes between India and Greater India.

(Long after Indian ships were able to strike out boldly across the open seas, Chinese ships were still forced, thus not bringing much influence on Indo-China region of that time)

Angkor Wat is often hailed as one of the most extraordinary architectural creations ever built, with its intricate bas-reliefs, strange acoustics and magnificent soaring towers. Angkor Wat, originally named Vrah Vishnulok - the sacred abode of Lord Vishnu, is the largest temple in the world. It was built by King Suryavarman II in the 12th century. The Sanskrit Nagara (capital) was modified by the Cambodian tongue to Nokor and then to Angkor. The word Angkor is derived from the Sanskrit word ‘nagara‘ meaning ‘holy city‘. Vatika is Sanskrit word for temple. “The city which is a temple,” Angkor Wat is a majestic monument, the world’s largest religious construction in stone, and an architectural masterpiece. The Khmers adhered to the Indian belief that a temple must be built according to a mathematical system in order for it to function in harmony with the universe. Distances between certain architectural elements of the temple reflect numbers related to Indian mythology and cosmology. The sheer size of the place leaves visitors in awe and the complex designs illustrate the skills of long gone priest architects. Every spare inch has been carved with intricate works of art.The sculptures of Indian icons produced in Cambodia during the 6th to the 8th centuries A D are masterpieces, monumental, subtle, highly sophisticated, mature in style and unrivalled for sheer beauty anywhere in India says Philip Rawson. The scale of Angkor Wat enabled the Khmer to give full expression to religious symbolism. It is, above all else, a microcosm of the Hindu universe.

It is frequently said that Angkor was ‘discovered’ by the Europeans but his is patently nonsense and simply reflects a Eurocentric view. The Khmer never forgot the existence of their monuments. French naturalist Henri Mouhot stumbled across the city complex of Angkor Wat while on a zoological expedition. He was overwhelmed by the magnificence of these ruins hidden in the jungle and wrote: “One of these temples – a rival to that of Solomon, and erected by some ancient Michael Angelo - might take its place besides our most beautiful buildings – Grander than anything left to us by Greece or Rome …it makes the traveler forget all the fatigues of the journey, filling him with admiration and delight, such as should be experienced on finding a verdant oasis in the sandy desert.”

The grandeur of this ancient civilization is truly astounding. Covering an area of one square mile, Angkor Wat is one of the largest temple complex in the world. The temple is dedicated to the Lord Vishnu from whom the king was considered a reincarnation. Essentially a three-layered pyramid, Angkor Wat has five distinctive towers, 64 meters high. On the outer wall are eight panels of bas-relief depicting scenes of Hindu epics Ramayana and Mahabharata. These relics of past grandeur bear mute testimony tone of the least known yet most glorious chapters in the history of mankind: that of the classical culture of ‘Greater India.’

Unlike other countries, Cambodia does not minimize Indian influence on the local culture. On the contrary, the people of the country generously acknowledge it. Prince Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia recalled the close cultural ties that have existed for two thousand years between India and Cambodia. He said: “When we refer to 2000 year old ties which unite us with India, it is not at all a hyperbole. In fact, it was about 2000 years ago that the first navigators, Indian merchants, and Brahmins brought to our ancestors their gods, their techniques, their organization. Briefly India was for us what Greece was for the Latin Occident.”

“Angkor Wat, with its soaring towers and extraordinary bas-reliefs, is considered by many to be one of the most inspired and spectacular monuments ever conceived by the human mind. It was built by King Suryavarman II reigned 1112-52) to honour God Vishnu…

Magnificent statue of Lord Vishnu - located in the entrance of Angkor wat.

Lord Vishnu, considered the preserver of the Cosmos in the Hindu Trinity, characteristically stands upright and balanced. As the preserver, Vishnu embodies compassion, which is considered the self-existent, pervasive power maintaining the universe and cosmic order (Dharma). Vishnu holds his attributes, the discus and conch.

King Suryavarman II (reigned from 1113 - 1150 AD) dedicated the temple to Lord Vishnu.
On his death the great king took the posthumous name Paramavishnulok (he who has gone to the paradise of the supreme Vishnu).

er the centuries, numerous different groups - including Thai and Vietnamese invaders, French colonizers and Khmer Rouge guerrillas - have trampled over Cambodia’s Ancient Sacred sites, each contributing to the damage.

Saving Angor - India’s Responce

After the Vietnamese supported government took control in 1979, the few Khmer conservation officials who had survived the holocaust, were assigned to take stock of the state of affairs at Angkor. The then Cambodian Government launched an international appeal for help in the restoration of Angkor monuments. This came to the notice of the then Indian Prime Minister, the late Mrs. Indira Gandhi, in April 1980

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) was then tasked to make a preliminary report of the works involved. Mrs. Gandhi, nevertheless, was not discouraged by the thought of huge costs, and cleared way for a full scale Survey Mission. Meanwhile, a package of immediate assistance to help the remaining handful of Cambodian archaeologists carry out damage control activity on their own.

There was intense international activity in the intervening period for securing the restoration of Angkor Wat which perhaps was another contributing factor for delay in accepting the ASI’s report. But the two most important factor that weighed heavily in the Cambodian Government’s decision to finally invite India in the face of many international competing forces with better financial standing were:

1. the better placement of the Indians to understand and respect the cultural heritage of Angkor…
2. the competence of ASI in handling the work since they had undertaken similar restoration work in India for many decades.

The reality was that the ASI moved in to save Angkor Wat at a time when no one else was prepared to do so due to political compulsions of the East-West Cold War. The civil war was raging in the surrounding regions of Angkor and the security situation in Siem Reap was precarious. The unskilled labor had to be trained for this specialized work. There was no electricity, no health facilities, no communication with outside world. In short, the working conditions were extreme. But, for seven to eight months at a stretch for seven consecutive years from December 1986, the ASI experts spend all their energies in saving Angkor Wat, shoulder to shoulder with their Khmer brethren.

Southern Central entrance: Before and After restoration by the Indian team

Samudra Manthan (Churning of the Milky Ocean) gallery before restoration which was dismantled by the French.

Samudra Manthan (Churning of the Milky Ocean) gallery after restoration by Indian team.

Conclusion

So, here I have shown you guys (my friends from Combodia) that I wasn’t wrong in my presumptions and knowledge that I shared with you about Angkor, and the impact the Indian civilization had at that time, including in architecture, culture and religion.

Angkor wat on the flag of Cambodia.

To the Cambodians Angkor wat symbolizes the soul of the nation.

It is surprising that the Hindu temples and traditions in Cambodia are so meagerly mentioned while discussing the Hindu history in India and in the West.

If stones can speak, the sculptures in Cambodia will tell the story of glory, when Hindu kings built grandiose temples, the times when the precincts were crowded with devotees, art lovers and the sad tale of loot and plunder and mining they are subject to now. The Hindu temples were built in Cambodia between the ninth and 12th Century and are strikingly similar to the temples in Tamil Nadu and Kalinga (Orissa) areas, in India. It is surprising that the Hindu temples and traditions in Cambodia are so meagerly mentioned while discussing the Hindu history.

The ‘reverse-reclining’ Vishnu, i.e, Vishnu whose head is on the right (commonly it is on the left) and the eight-armed Vishnu are found in abundance in Cambodia. These two figures are prominent in the three temples—Vaikunta Perumal, Tiru Vekha and Asahta-bhujakaram—in Kanchipuram.
According to Dr Vasudha, the eighth century three-storied Vaikunta Perumal temple is the prototype for the 12th century three-storied west-facing temple at Angkor Wat, built by Suryavarman II.

Angkor wat is a spectacular structure of astronomical significance that has ever been built in the world. Astronomy and Hindu cosmology are inseparably entwined at Angkor Wat. Nowhere is this more evident than in the interior colonnade, which is dedicated to vast and glorious carved murals, bas-reliefs illustrating the scenes from the Hindu epics the Ramayana and Mahabharata. Rarely in history has any culture given rise to a structure that so elaborately and expansively incorporates its concept of the cosmos. Angkor Wat stands as a striking and majestic monument in honor of the Universe and our place in it.

One day I will visit this marvel of the ancient world, as simply standing in front of the colonnade of intricate and exquisitely carved walls and reliefs from the Sanskrit epics of Ramayana and Mahabharata provides one with the true meaning of Eternity.