00493--canon photos//flowers//child

00492-- Nyaya//Define Nyaya System

Nyaya//Define Nyaya System

[means logic; axiom; logical reasoning; rule; method; syllogism]

1.  An orthodox (astika) school of Indian philosophy.  Its founder was Gautama; its varttika-kara was Uddyotakara; and its bhasya-kara was Vatsyayana.  It is primarily a school of logic and epistemology.  It has been defined as a critique of categories through means of valid knowledge.  It is also referred to by the names anviksiki and tarka.

2.  The Nyaya school holds a philosophy of logical realism.  The distinctive contribution of this school is its fashioning of the tools of enquiry and its formulation of the technique of argumentation.

00491--Brahman

Brahman

[the ultimate reality; the ground of the universe; the Absolute; the Divine; "great"(from the root brh = "to expand, greater than the greatest) ]

1. The Absolute Great; that which is greater than the greatest.   "That which puts an end to differences".  The Absolute Reality or all-pervasive supreme principle of the universe.  It has nothing similar to it and nothing different from it, and it has no empirical distinctions from the acosmic viewpoint.

2. Vedantic term for the Absolute Reality.  The Absolute or all-pervasive supreme principle of the universe.  The nature of Brahman is described in the Upanisads and in Vedantic philosophy as sat (Existence absolute), cit (Consciousness absolute), and ananda (Bliss absolute)

3. Advaita vedanta says that it is not possible to explain Brahman in words.  It transcends all ideas and concepts and is therefore nirguna - beyond conceptualization.  It is declared to be the only Truth.  Other Vedantas explain that words may not entirely define what Brahman is, but they do describe its glorious attributes and is therefore saguna-- "with glorious attributes".

4.  In the Upanisads it is conceived of in two modes; the Reality of which the universe is but an appearance (nisprapanca) and the all inclusive ground of the universe (saprapanca).  It is described positively as existence (sat), knowledge (cit), bliss(ananda) and infinite (ananta), and negatively as "not this, not this" (neti neti).  It has nothing similar to it and nothing different from it, and it has no empirical distinctions from the acosmic viewpoint.  According to Advaita Vedanta, Brahman is known in two forms; that as qualified by limiting conditions owing to the distinctions of "name and form" and as what is free from all limiting conditions whatever.  Both Visistadvaita and Dvaita Vedanta conceive of Brahman as endowed with auspicious qualities (saguna).

00490--Hiranyagarbha

Hiranyagarbha

means "golden egg"; gold germ; the cosmic form of the self; cosmic womb; creator of the subtle universe

It is the subtle vesture.  It is the form of all the individuals together or the only individual.  IT IS THE SEED OF THE UNIVERSE.  It is also known as sutratman.  The Rg Veda says, "Hiranyagarbha arose in the beginning; born, he was the one lord of things existing."

Its also a name of God, the Creator as born from a golden egg.  This egg was formed from the seed deposited in the primordial waters by the self-existent Brahman on the eve of creation.  The seed took the form of a golden egg, out of which Brahman was born as Brahma, the creator.  It also means the soul invested by the subtle body.  Various synonyms for this term include mahat, virat, Isvara and saguna Brahman.

00489--Atharva Veda

Atharva Veda

Means wisdom of  (the sage) atharva.

The Atharva Veda is comprised of formulas intended mainly to counteract evil, diseases, and other practical events.  It is meant for the Brahmana priest who is the general supervisor of the sacrifice.  The Atharva Veda contains the Prasna, the Mundaka, and the Mandukya Upanisads.

00488--Mandukya Upanisad / Indian philosophy

Mandukya Upanisad

This Upanisad is said to contain, in just twelve verses, the gist of all the other Upanisads.  It belongs to the Atharva Veda.  It consists of only twelve verses and is thus the shortest of the Upanisads.  Brahman (the Absolute) is identified with the term Om.  The sound Om consists of three parts-A, U, and M- which are identified with Vaisvanara, Taijasa and Prajna,  Unlike the other Upanisads, this one does not relate any anecdotes, imaginary dialogues, or stories to illustrate its teachings.  Also unlike the other Upanisads, it is silent about rituals and worship and plunges at once into a discussion of Atman and Brahman.  

00487-- FLOWERS///CANON PHOTOS//NIRMA UNIVERSITY CAMPUS

00486-- photos 3

Some of these photos are taken by my mobile; Galaxy s-4, and others by Canon SLR.  A long way to go to become a good photographer. :-)

From a nursery in Ahmedabad

These guys visit Nirma University campus often

NU Campus.  

The day after I got my Canon camera I went around to click some pics but here nothing much to delight you.  

Kankariya Lake, Ahmedabad

OK?

Got married recently?

OKKK?

Kankariya Karnival

Yep...Miles to go

00485--HEGEMONY//DEFINE HEGEMONY

HEGEMONY


Hegemony (from Greek hegemon, 'chief', 'leader', or 'ruler'), in sociology, political science and international relations, is generally used to describe dominance or control rather than leadership.  Thus 'hegemonism' describes the policies of states which control or bully those within their sphere of influence.

'Hegemonic control' refers to a system of ethnic domination in which the political elite controls subordinated ethnic community in such a way that it is incapable of effective revolt.  'Hegemonic party' refers to a political party which is the only effective party in control of a particular society.

The widespread popularity of the concept of hegemony in the 1970s and 1980s derived from the western Marxist rehabilitation of the PRISON NOTEBOOKS of the Italian Communist leader Antonio Gramsci, who died at the hands of Mussolini's Fascists.  Drawing upon the work of Machiavelli and the elite theorist Pareto, Gramsci used the concept of hegemony to describe the way in which he believed the bourgeoisie established and maintains its control even in a democratic system in which workers and peasants might make up an electoral majority.  The dominance of the bourgeoisie was not based upon their control of the coercive power of the state, but rather rested upon their ability to exercise moral and political leadership, and to win consent for their vision of what was possible and worthwhile.

Gramsci

In Gramsci's thought, each successful political system requires the creation of an 'historic bloc', unified around an 'hegemonic project', in which the dominant class builds alliances beyond itself, and wins consent for its institutions and ideas.  The appeal of this idea for western Marxists was two fold; it helped account for the failure of revolutionary Marxism in western Europe, and it suggested that intellectuals played a key role in building hegemony for a historical bloc.  By implication the role of western Marxist intellectuals was to create a 'counter-hegemonic project', that is, an alternative form of political and moral leadership.

                                                    END 

00484-- WHAT IS NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION? //kinesics//proxemics// chronemics

WHAT IS NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION?

Non-verbal communication refers to all communication that occurs without the use of words spoken or written. Non-verbal communication is concerned with body movements (kinesics), space (proxemics), chronemics (time) and vocal (paralinguistic) features.  It includes all unwritten and unspoken messages, both intentional and unintentional.  

Personal appearances, facial expressions, postures, gestures, eye contact, voice proximity, and touch are all non-verbal signals that influence the way in which a message is interpreted and understood.

1.KINESICS [body movements]

Kinesics is the study of the body's physical movements.  It is the way the body communicates without words, i.e., through the various movements of its parts.  






Personal appearance play an important role in communication because people see before they hear.  Appearance includes clothes, hair, accessories, cosmetics and so on.   

Posture comes under Kinesics.  Posture generally refers to the way we hold ourselves when we stand, sit or walk.  

1. Slumped posture = low spirit
2. Erect posture = high spirits, energy and confidence
3. Lean forward = open, honest, and interested
4. Lean backward = defensive or disinterested
5. Crossed arms = defensive and not ready to listen
6. Uncrossed arms = willingness to listen

Gesture is the movement made by hands, head, or face.  Skillful and appropriate gestures can add to the impact of verbal communication.  
Facial Expression  plays an important part in non-verbal communication.
The face is the most expressive part of our body.  A smile stands for friendliness, a frown for discontent, raised eyebrows for disbelief, tightened jaw muscles for antagonism, etc.


Eye contact  Eyes are considered to be the windows of the soul.  Eye contact is a direct and powerful form of non-verbal communication.  Eyes are also a rich source of feed back.  

2. Proxemics [study of physical space]

Proxemics is the study of physical space in interpersonal relations.  Space is related to behavioural norms.  The way people use space communicates a lot.  In a professional setting, space is used to signal power and status.  For instance, the head of a company has a larger office than junior employees. 

Like kinesics, proxemics also has cultural variations.  Edward T. Hall (1996) divides space into four distinct zones.


a) Intimate Zone starts with personal touch and extends just to 18 inches (one and half feet).    Members of the family, lovers, spouses, relatives, and parents fall in this zone.  The best example is the mother child relationship.


b) Personal Zone stretches from 18 inches (one and a half feet) to 4 feet.  Close friends, colleagues, peers, etc. fall in this zone.  

c) Social Zone Social events take place in the radius of 4 feet to 12 feet.  In this zone relationships are more formal and official.  People are more cautious in their movements.

d) Public Zone starts from 12 feet and may extend to 25 feet or to the range of eyesight and hearing.  Events that take place in this zone are formal.  Here the audience views what is happening as an impartial observer.  The degree of detachment is very high.  Public figures like the prime minister of a country, for example, have to maintain this distance for security reasons. 


3. Chronemics [use of time]

Chronemics is the study of how human beings communicate through their use of time.  In the professional world, time is a valuable resource.  If we are late for an appointment, people react negatively.  If early, we are considered either over eager or aggressive.  So one must be on time.  By valuing someone else's time, we communicate our professionalism or seriousness both subtly and explicitly.

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00483--Translation Theory/ Define/What is Translation Theory?

Translation Theory

Linguists have been concerned for centuries with the problems encountered when translating a message from one language into another.  The knowledge and skills required to translate both written and spoken texts do not differ markedly.  The so-called semiotic status of texts does vary, though, since writing texts are held in much higher regard than their spoken counterparts.  Consequently, fidelity to the author's original communicative intentions is more likely to be preserved in the case of written texts.

Linguistics theories of translation, influenced by transformational grammar, argue for a three-phase translation process.  First, the surface form of the source language message undergoes a back-transformation into a set of kernel structures.  The relatively simple kernel structures at this deep level of analysis are then translated into kernel structures in the target language (TL).  Finally, a forward-transformation converts the kernel structure into recognizable TL surface forms.

Linguistic theories of this kind have been criticised for neglecting many other factors, beyond the transliteration of words and structures, which contribute to the meaning of a message.  Other theories have emphasized that the overall effect of the words in a message are at least as important as the words themselves.  Additionally, consideration must be given to the potential conflict between the cultural assumptions of the message-producer and the intended recipients. 

[reference; KEY IDEAS IN HUMAN THOUGHT]