816 GLOBAL BOASTING/BRAGGING - INDIAN BOASTING/BRAGGING

Here is a beautiful article from IndiaTimes.Com, Sunday Times Print Edition dated 9th October 2016, special supplement. Title of the article: "WE ARE BRAGGARTS", penned by ​Ms. Nona Walia. Though the article, initially refers to Donald Trump's braggings, ultimately it landed on Indians. True, Self-criticism is always better than criticizing others. For the benefit of my readers, I furnish here, a link to the TOI article: Click to go to http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/relationships/love-sex/We-are-braggarts/articleshow/54714951.cms But, yet, there is a Telugu proverb which is worth quoting: "urumu urimi mangalamu mIda paDDaTlu!". Approx. English gist: As though, the thunder thundered, and fell on the stove. (In those days, in India, people sometimes, used to cook in open places. Mangalam is a sort of open kiln often used for sotting corn / jowar grains / rice to make them popped / popcorn or make roasted bengal gram lentils.) Anyway, thunders, and thunderbolts are mainly phenomena of sky. When a thunder thunders, and its bolt falls on a kiln on the earth, a sort of unexpected calamity / disaster may take place.

Here the analogy which 'ybrao-a-donkey' is trying to make is: Trump's boasts and brags, have not only thundered in American skies, but also landed on Indian Brags.

We shall see some precious quotes from this TOI article:

SEMANTICS OF BRAGGING

Braggadocious
Braggadocio is not only to brag but brag about something that’s not true
Humblebrag
The Oxford English Dictionary added the word recently and defines it as “an ostensibly modest or self-deprecating statement whose actual purpose is to draw attention to something of which one is proud”
Underbrag
The New Humblebrag who doesn’t care what anyone thinks, so he brags about his own disaster or a situation that’s not brag-worthy.
Facebrag
The art of boasting on social media and telling everyone how great you are

At the end of the article, there is a quote from a psychologist, Ms. Bhawna Monga:-

Bragging is the new feel-good factor. You brag to feel good about your life on an every day basis, because other people’s lives are staring at you from your phones and laptops, and they all look super ‘cool’ — Bhawna Monga, psychologist

ybrao-a-donkey's humble comments. वैबीराव एक गधे के विनम्र राय . వైబీరావ్ గాడిద వినమ్ర వాణి. You have every right to differ with me. I respect your right. आपको मेरे मत से भिन्न राय रखने के संपूर्ण हक है। मै उस अधिकार को परिपूर्ण रूप से गौरव देता हुँ. మీకు, మీ భిన్నమైన అభిప్రాయాన్ని కలిగిఉండే సంపూర్ణ హక్కు ఉంది. దానిని ఎంతో నేను గౌరవిస్తాను. However, pl. examine this donkey's views also. परन्तु एस गधे के दृष्टिकोण को भी अनुशीलन कीजिये. కానీ ఈ గాడిద దృష్టికోణాన్ని కూడ ఓర చూపుతో కంటజూడుమీ, క్రీగంట జూడమీ.

There may also be a factor of compulsive need of release of 'dopamine' in our brains. This 'dopamine' chemistry, we shall takeup on some other day.

While it is true that Indians brag/boast profusely, we can't say that Euro-Americans, Australians, Canadians, et al, lag behind? aho! bata! ayyo!

The dividing line between 'boasting-bragging' and self-revealing/self-mirroring/self-reporting is very thin. Like 'beauty is skin-deep', the seer's/listeners perceptions of the degree/extent of other person's boast/brags may depend on 'beholder's eye'. It is a question of interpretation. There is a Telugu proverb: 'tana kampu tanaku impu. Para kampu tananu campu'. Approx. English: One's own odor/scent pleases the person. But the odors/scents of others may kill the opposite-man.

SOME GEM QUOTES OF SWAMI VIVEKANANDA

We shall see some golden gems of Swami Vivekananda, the Great Philosophical Ambassador and Nation-Lifter of India:

Swami Vivekananda wrote to Ms. Albert Sturges from his ship on Dec. 5, 1895:

"...In your country, Alberta, the Vedantic thought was introduced in the beginning by ignorant "cranks", and one has to work his way through the difficulties created by such introductions ..."

Swami Vivekananda wrote to Shri Pramada Das Mitra, on May 30, 1897 from Almora.

"... Ramanuja, Shankara etc., seem to have been mere Pundits with much narrowness of heart. Where is that love, that weeping heart at the sorrow of others? — Dry pedantry of the Pundit — and the feeling of only oneself getting to salvation hurry-scurry! ..."

Swamiji wrote to Brahmananda (Rakhal) from Reading, England, in 1895.

"...These are countries of gigantic scholars. Is it a joke to make disciples of such people? You are but children and talk like children. ...".

Here, apparent meaning: I made those gigantic scholars as my disciples. It is not a joke.

Swami Vivekananda wrote to Mr. Pramad das Mishra from Ghazipur on March 3, 1890:

"... What are you saying about difficulties there of keeping clean? Lack of water in the hills or lack of room!! Tirthas (places of pilgrimage) and Sannyasins of the Kali-Yuga — you know what they are. Spend money and the owners of temples will fling away the installed god to make room for you; so no anxiety about a resting-place! ..."

Swami Vivekananda wrote to Alasinga from Chicago, U.S.A. on 2nd Nov. 1893:--

"... I addressed the assembly as "Sisters and Brothers of America", a deafening applause of two minutes followed, and then I proceeded; and when it was finished, I sat down, almost exhausted with emotion. The next day all the papers announced that my speech was the hit of the day, and I became known to the whole of America. Truly has it been said by the great commentator Shridhara — "मूकं करोति वाचालं — Who maketh the dumb a fluent speaker." His name be praised! From that day I became a celebrity, and the day I read my paper on Hinduism, the hall was packed as it had never been before. I quote to you from one of the papers: "Ladies, ladies, ladies packing every place — filling every corner, they patiently waited and waited while the papers that separated them from Vivekananda were read", etc. You would be astonished if I sent over to you the newspaper cuttings, but you already know that I am a hater of celebrity. Suffice it to say, that whenever I went on the platform, a deafening applause would be raised for me. Nearly all the papers paid high tributes to me, and even the most bigoted had to admit that "This man with his handsome face and magnetic presence and wonderful oratory is the most prominent figure in the Parliament", etc., etc. Sufficient for you to know that never before did an Oriental make such an impression on American society. ..."

TODAY'S SANSKRIT VERSE आज का संस्कृत श्लोक ఈనాటి సంస్కృత శ్లోకం

Sanskrit Language Epic Valmiki Ramayan, Book 6, Book of War (Yuddha kAnDa), Chapter 21 (Sarga 21), Verse 14 & 15 (SlOka 14 & 15.).

avalEpam samudrasya
na darshayati yat svayam |
prashamaha ca kSamA caiva
Arjavam priya vAditA

asAmarthyam phalanti
Ete nirguNeSu satAm guNAH.

HINDI-DEVANAGARI SCRIPT
अवलेपम समुद्रस्य
न दर्शयति यत स्वयम
प्शमह च क्षमा चैव
आर्जवम प्रिय वादिता

असामर्थ्यम फलंति
एते निर्गुणेषु सताम गुणाः |

TELUGU-LANGUAGE SCRIPT
అవలేపమ్ సముద్ర్రస్య
న దర్శయతి యత్ స్వయం
ప్రశమః చ క్షమా చైవ
ఆర్జవమ్ ప్రియ వాదితా
అసామర్థ్యమ్ ఫలంతి
ఏతే నిర్గుణేషు సతామ్ గుణాః

CONTEXT IN VALMIKI RAMAYANA & ENGLISH GIST: Demon Ravana abducted the wife of Shri Rama, and hid her in his Kingdom Lanka. The vAnara Chief (According to the Epic, vAnarAs are monkeys. Converting forest-dwellers into monkeys, may be an aberration), Hanuman traced her. Shri Rama, Sugriva, and their vAnara forces went on an expedition to reach Lanka, crossing the an Ocean, 100 yOjanas wide (approx. 1500 km.). Shri Rama and his forces were camping on the Sea Coast, awaiting for the Sea God to give them way. Shri Rama spent there three days spreading sacred grass (darbha grass) on the sea shore, and lying down on it, with folded hands, in due respect to the Sea God. But , the Sea God did not respond. Then, Shri Rama seems to have got annoyed by the silence of the Sea God. The above verse is one of the verses spoken by Shri Rama to his brother Lakshmana, referring to the arrogance of the Sea God.

"...The arrogant (avalEpam) Sea God is not appearing himself before me. Calmness (praSamam), forbearance (kshama), straightforwardness (Arjavam), softspokenness (priya vAditA) of gentle persons will yield ineffective and inefficient (asAmarthyam) results (phalanti).

To continue. सशेष. ఇంకా ఉంది.