Bhagavad Gita Quote of the Day

Jan 2011

Sever the ignorant doubt in your heart with the sword of self-knowledge.

 Observe your discipline. Arise.

~~~~~~~~

Delusion arises from anger.

 The mind is bewildered by delusion.

Reasoning is destroyed when the mind is bewildered.

 One falls down when reasoning is destroyed.

~~~~~~~~

Perform your obligatory duty,

 because action is indeed better than inaction.

~~~~~~~~

The power of God is with you at all times;

 through the activities of mind, senses,

 breathing, and emotions;

 and is constantly doing all the work using you as a mere instrument.

~~~~~~~~

The mind acts like an enemy for those who do not control it.

~~~~~~~~

One who has control over the mind is tranquil in heat and cold,

 in pleasure and pain,

 and in honor and dishonor;

 and is ever steadfast with the Supreme Self.

~~~~~~~~

The wise sees knowledge and action as one; they see truly

~~~~~~~~

A gift is pure when it is given from the heart to the right person at the right time and at the right place,

 and when we expect nothing in return.

~~~~~~~~

The disunited mind is far from wise;

how can it meditate?

How be at peace?

 When you know no peace, how can you know joy?

~~~~~~~~

Man is made by his belief. As he believes, so he is

~~~~~~~~

A person is said to have achieved yoga,

 the union with the Self,

when the perfectly disciplined mind gets freedom from all desires,

and becomes absorbed in the Self alone.

~~~~~~~~

The mind is restless and difficult to restrain,

 but it is subdued by practice.

~~~~~~~~

Little by little, through patience and repeated effort,

 the mind will become stilled in the Self.

~~~~~~~~

People will talk about your disgrace forever.

 To the honored, dishonor is worse than death.

~~~~~~~~

There is nothing lost or wasted in this life.

~~~~~~~~

Sever the ignorant doubt in your heart with the sword of self-knowledge.

 Observe your discipline. Arise.

~~~~~~~~

Delusion arises from anger.

The mind is bewildered by delusion.

 Reasoning is destroyed when the mind is bewildered.

One falls down when reasoning is destroyed

~~~~~~~~

Creation is only the projection into form of that which already exists.

~~~~~~~~

To the illumined man or woman, a clod of dirt,

 a stone, and gold are the same.

~~~~~~~~

One can become whatever one wants to be

[if one constantly contemplates on the object of desire with faith].

~~~~~~~~

A Karma-yogi performs action by body,

 mind, intellect, and senses,

without attachment (or ego),

only for self-purification.

~~~~~~~~

There has never been a time when you and I have not existed,

 nor will there be a time when we will cease to exist.

 As the same person inhabits the body through childhood

, youth, and old age,

 so too at the time of death he attains another body.

 The wise are not deluded by these changes.

~~~~~~~~

Fear not what is not real, never was and never will be.

 What is real, always was and cannot be destroyed.

~~~~~~~~~

Better indeed is knowledge than mechanical practice.

 Better than knowledge is meditation.

But better still is surrender of attachment to results,

                             because there follows immediate peace.         

~~~~~~~~

Knowledge, the object of knowledge and the knower are the three factors which motivate action; the senses, the work and the doer comprise the threefold basis of action.

~~~~~~~~

Whatever I am offered in devotion with a pure heart - a leaf, a flower, fruit, or water - I accept with joy.

~~~~~~~~

Consciousness is eternal it is not vanquished with the destruction of the temporary body.

~~~~~~~~

Whatever you do, make it an offering to me -- the food you eat,

 the sacrifices you make, the help you give, even your suffering.

~~~~~~~~

A man's own self is his friend.

 A man's own self is his foe.

~~~~~~~~

There is neither this world nor the world beyond nor happiness for the one who doubts.

~~~~~~~~

Moral Low / Philosophy Google

·        Vision : “ To Develop A Perfcf Search Engine”

·        Mission : “ To Organize The World’s Information. And Make It UniversallyAccesible And Useful”

·        Philosophy :

~ “FocusOn The User And All Else Will Follow”;

~ “It’s Best To Do One Thing Really, Really Well”;

~ “Fast Is Better Than Slow”;

~ “Democracy On The Web Works”;

~ “You Don’t Need To Be At Your Dsk To Need An Answer”;

~ “You Can Make Money Without Doing Evil”;

~ “There’s Always More Information Out There”;   

~ “The Need For Information Crosses All Borders”;

~ “You Can Be A Serious Without Asuit”;

~ “Great Just Isn’t Good Enough”

·        Code Of Ethics : “Lays Out Its Polocies On, Among Other Things, Conflicts Of Interest, Customer Service & Confidentiality.

I. LAYING PLANS

SUN TZU ON THE ART OF WAR
THE OLDEST MILITARY TREATISE IN THE WORLD

孫子兵法

Translated from the Chinese
By LIONEL GILES, M.A. (1910)

I. LAYING PLANS

 1. Sun Tzu said:  The art of war is of vital importance

    to the State.

 2. It is a matter of life and death, a road either

    to safety or to ruin.  Hence it is a subject of inquiry

    which can on no account be neglected.

 3. The art of war, then, is governed by five constant

    factors, to be taken into account in one's deliberations,

    when seeking to determine the conditions obtaining in the field.

 4. These are:  (1) The Moral Law; (2) Heaven; (3) Earth;

    (4) The Commander; (5) Method and discipline.

5,6. The Moral Law causes the people to be in complete

    accord with their ruler, so that they will follow him

    regardless of their lives, undismayed by any danger.

 7. Heaven signifies night and day, cold and heat,

    times and seasons.

 8. Earth comprises distances, great and small;

    danger and security; open ground and narrow passes;

    the chances of life and death.

 9. The Commander stands for the virtues of wisdom,

    sincerely, benevolence, courage and strictness.

10. By method and discipline are to be understood

    the marshaling of the army in its proper subdivisions,

    the graduations of rank among the officers, the maintenance

    of roads by which supplies may reach the army, and the

    control of military expenditure.

11. These five heads should be familiar to every general: 

    he who knows them will be victorious; he who knows them

    not will fail.

12. Therefore, in your deliberations, when seeking

    to determine the military conditions, let them be made

    the basis of a comparison, in this wise:--

13. (1) Which of the two sovereigns is imbued

        with the Moral law?

    (2) Which of the two generals has most ability?

    (3) With whom lie the advantages derived from Heaven

        and Earth?

    (4) On which side is discipline most rigorously enforced?

    (5) Which army is stronger?

    (6) On which side are officers and men more highly trained?

    (7) In which army is there the greater constancy

        both in reward and punishment?

14. By means of these seven considerations I can

    forecast victory or defeat.

15. The general that hearkens to my counsel and acts

    upon it, will conquer:  let such a one be retained in command! 

    The general that hearkens not to my counsel nor acts upon it,

    will suffer defeat:--let such a one be dismissed!

16. While heading the profit of my counsel,

    avail yourself also of any helpful circumstances

    over and beyond the ordinary rules.

17. According as circumstances are favorable,

    one should modify one's plans.

18. All warfare is based on deception.

19. Hence, when able to attack, we must seem unable;

    when using our forces, we must seem inactive; when we

    are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away;

    when far away, we must make him believe we are near.

20. Hold out baits to entice the enemy.  Feign disorder,

    and crush him.

21. If he is secure at all points, be prepared for him. 

    If he is in superior strength, evade him.

22. If your opponent is of choleric temper, seek to

    irritate him.  Pretend to be weak, that he may grow arrogant.

23. If he is taking his ease, give him no rest. 

    If his forces are united, separate them.

24. Attack him where he is unprepared, appear where

    you are not expected.

25. These military devices, leading to victory,

    must not be divulged beforehand.

26. Now the general who wins a battle makes many

    calculations in his temple ere the battle is fought. 

    The general who loses a battle makes but few

    calculations beforehand.  Thus do many calculations

    lead to victory, and few calculations to defeat: 

    how much more no calculation at all!  It is by attention

    to this point that I can foresee who is likely to win or lose.

II. WAGING WAR

SUN TZU ON THE ART OF WAR
THE OLDEST MILITARY TREATISE IN THE WORLD

孫子兵法

Translated from the Chinese
By LIONEL GILES, M.A. (1910)

II. WAGING WAR

 1. Sun Tzu said:  In the operations of war,

    where there are in the field a thousand swift chariots,

    as many heavy chariots, and a hundred thousand

    mail-clad soldiers, with provisions enough to carry them

    a thousand li, the expenditure at home and at the front,

    including entertainment of guests, small items such as

    glue and paint, and sums spent on chariots and armor,

    will reach the total of a thousand ounces of silver per day. 

    Such is the cost of raising an army of 100,000 men.

 2. When you engage in actual fighting, if victory

    is long in coming, then men's weapons will grow dull and

    their ardor will be damped.  If you lay siege to a town,

    you will exhaust your strength.

 3. Again, if the campaign is protracted, the resources

    of the State will not be equal to the strain.

 4. Now, when your weapons are dulled, your ardor damped,

    your strength exhausted and your treasure spent,

    other chieftains will spring up to take advantage

    of your extremity.  Then no man, however wise,

    will be able to avert the consequences that must ensue.

 5. Thus, though we have heard of stupid haste in war,

    cleverness has never been seen associated with long delays.

 6. There is no instance of a country having benefited

    from prolonged warfare.

 7. It is only one who is thoroughly acquainted

    with the evils of war that can thoroughly understand

    the profitable way of carrying it on.

 8. The skillful soldier does not raise a second levy,

    neither are his supply-wagons loaded more than twice.

 9. Bring war material with you from home, but forage

    on the enemy.  Thus the army will have food enough

    for its needs.

10. Poverty of the State exchequer causes an army

    to be maintained by contributions from a distance. 

    Contributing to maintain an army at a distance causes

    the people to be impoverished.

11. On the other hand, the proximity of an army causes

    prices to go up; and high prices cause the people's

    substance to be drained away.

12. When their substance is drained away, the peasantry

    will be afflicted by heavy exactions.

13,14. With this loss of substance and exhaustion

    of strength, the homes of the people will be stripped bare,

    and three-tenths of their income will be dissipated;

    while government expenses for broken chariots, worn-out horses,

    breast-plates and helmets, bows and arrows, spears and shields,

    protective mantles, draught-oxen and heavy wagons,

    will amount to four-tenths of its total revenue.

15. Hence a wise general makes a point of foraging

    on the enemy.  One cartload of the enemy's provisions

    is equivalent to twenty of one's own, and likewise

    a single picul of his provender is equivalent to twenty

    from one's own store.

16. Now in order to kill the enemy, our men must

    be roused to anger; that there may be advantage from

    defeating the enemy, they must have their rewards.

17. Therefore in chariot fighting, when ten or more chariots

    have been taken, those should be rewarded who took the first. 

    Our own flags should be substituted for those of the enemy,

    and the chariots mingled and used in conjunction with ours. 

    The captured soldiers should be kindly treated and kept.

18. This is called, using the conquered foe to augment

    one's own strength.

19. In war, then, let your great object be victory,

    not lengthy campaigns.

20. Thus it may be known that the leader of armies

    is the arbiter of the people's fate, the man on whom it

    depends whether the nation shall be in peace or in peril.

III. ATTACK BY STRATAGEM

SUN TZU ON THE ART OF WAR
THE OLDEST MILITARY TREATISE IN THE WORLD

孫子兵法

Translated from the Chinese
By LIONEL GILES, M.A. (1910)

III. ATTACK BY STRATAGEM

 1. Sun Tzu said:  In the practical art of war, the best

    thing of all is to take the enemy's country whole and intact;

    to shatter and destroy it is not so good.  So, too, it is

    better to recapture an army entire than to destroy it,

    to capture a regiment, a detachment or a company entire

    than to destroy them.

 2. Hence to fight and conquer in all your battles

    is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists

    in breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting.

 3. Thus the highest form of generalship is to

    balk the enemy's plans; the next best is to prevent

    the junction of the enemy's forces; the next in

    order is to attack the enemy's army in the field;

    and the worst policy of all is to besiege walled cities.

 4. The rule is, not to besiege walled cities if it

    can possibly be avoided.  The preparation of mantlets,

    movable shelters, and various implements of war, will take

    up three whole months; and the piling up of mounds over

    against the walls will take three months more.

 5. The general, unable to control his irritation,

    will launch his men to the assault like swarming ants,

    with the result that one-third of his men are slain,

    while the town still remains untaken.  Such are the disastrous

    effects of a siege.

 6. Therefore the skillful leader subdues the enemy's

    troops without any fighting; he captures their cities

    without laying siege to them; he overthrows their kingdom

    without lengthy operations in the field.

 7. With his forces intact he will dispute the mastery

    of the Empire, and thus, without losing a man, his triumph

    will be complete.  This is the method of attacking by stratagem.

 8. It is the rule in war, if our forces are ten

    to the enemy's one, to surround him; if five to one,

    to attack him; if twice as numerous, to divide our army

    into two.

 9. If equally matched, we can offer battle;

    if slightly inferior in numbers, we can avoid the enemy;

    if quite unequal in every way, we can flee from him.

10. Hence, though an obstinate fight may be made

    by a small force, in the end it must be captured

    by the larger force.

11. Now the general is the bulwark of the State;

    if the bulwark is complete at all points; the State will

    be strong; if the bulwark is defective, the State will

    be weak.

12. There are three ways in which a ruler can bring

    misfortune upon his army:--

13. (1) By commanding the army to advance or to retreat,

    being ignorant of the fact that it cannot obey. 

    This is called hobbling the army.

14. (2) By attempting to govern an army in the

    same way as he administers a kingdom, being ignorant

    of the conditions which obtain in an army.  This causes

    restlessness in the soldier's minds.

15. (3) By employing the officers of his army

    without discrimination, through ignorance of the

    military principle of adaptation to circumstances. 

    This shakes the confidence of the soldiers.

16. But when the army is restless and distrustful,

    trouble is sure to come from the other feudal princes. 

    This is simply bringing anarchy into the army, and flinging

    victory away.

17. Thus we may know that there are five essentials

    for victory:

    (1) He will win who knows when to fight and when

        not to fight.

    (2) He will win who knows how to handle both superior

        and inferior forces.

    (3) He will win whose army is animated by the same

        spirit throughout all its ranks.

    (4) He will win who, prepared himself, waits to take

        the enemy unprepared.

    (5) He will win who has military capacity and is

        not interfered with by the sovereign.

18. Hence the saying:  If you know the enemy

    and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a

    hundred battles.  If you know yourself but not the enemy,

    for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. 

    If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will

    succumb in every battle.

IV. TACTICAL DISPOSITIONS

SUN TZU ON THE ART OF WAR
THE OLDEST MILITARY TREATISE IN THE WORLD

孫子兵法

Translated from the Chinese
By LIONEL GILES, M.A. (1910)

IV. TACTICAL DISPOSITIONS

 1. Sun Tzu said:  The good fighters of old first put

    themselves beyond the possibility of defeat, and then

    waited for an opportunity of defeating the enemy.

 2. To secure ourselves against defeat lies in our

    own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy

    is provided by the enemy himself.

 3. Thus the good fighter is able to secure himself against defeat,

    but cannot make certain of defeating the enemy.

 4. Hence the saying:  One may know how to conquer

    without being able to do it.

 5. Security against defeat implies defensive tactics;

    ability to defeat the enemy means taking the offensive.

 6. Standing on the defensive indicates insufficient

    strength; attacking, a superabundance of strength.

 7. The general who is skilled in defense hides in the

    most secret recesses of the earth; he who is skilled in

    attack flashes forth from the topmost heights of heaven. 

    Thus on the one hand we have ability to protect ourselves;

    on the other, a victory that is complete.

 8. To see victory only when it is within the ken

    of the common herd is not the acme of excellence.

 9. Neither is it the acme of excellence if you fight

    and conquer and the whole Empire says, "Well done!"

10. To lift an autumn hair is no sign of great strength;

    to see the sun and moon is no sign of sharp sight;

    to hear the noise of thunder is no sign of a quick ear.

11. What the ancients called a clever fighter is

    one who not only wins, but excels in winning with ease.

12. Hence his victories bring him neither reputation

    for wisdom nor credit for courage.

13. He wins his battles by making no mistakes. 

    Making no mistakes is what establishes the certainty

    of victory, for it means conquering an enemy that is

    already defeated.

14. Hence the skillful fighter puts himself into

    a position which makes defeat impossible, and does

    not miss the moment for defeating the enemy.

15. Thus it is that in war the victorious strategist

    only seeks battle after the victory has been won,

    whereas he who is destined to defeat first fights

    and afterwards looks for victory.

16. The consummate leader cultivates the moral law,

    and strictly adheres to method and discipline; thus it is

    in his power to control success.

17. In respect of military method, we have,

    firstly, Measurement; secondly, Estimation of quantity;

    thirdly, Calculation; fourthly, Balancing of chances;

    fifthly, Victory.

18. Measurement owes its existence to Earth;

    Estimation of quantity to Measurement; Calculation to

    Estimation of quantity; Balancing of chances to Calculation;

    and Victory to Balancing of chances.

19. A victorious army opposed to a routed one, is as

    a pound's weight placed in the scale against a single grain.

20. The onrush of a conquering force is like the bursting

    of pent-up waters into a chasm a thousand fathoms deep.

V. ENERGY

SUN TZU ON THE ART OF WAR
THE OLDEST MILITARY TREATISE IN THE WORLD

孫子兵法

Translated from the Chinese
By LIONEL GILES, M.A. (1910)

V. ENERGY

 1. Sun Tzu said:  The control of a large force

    is the same principle as the control of a few men: 

    it is merely a question of dividing up their numbers.

 2. Fighting with a large army under your command

    is nowise different from fighting with a small one: 

    it is merely a question of instituting signs and signals.

 3. To ensure that your whole host may withstand

    the brunt of the enemy's attack and remain unshaken--

    this is effected by maneuvers direct and indirect.

 4. That the impact of your army may be like a grindstone

    dashed against an egg--this is effected by the science

    of weak points and strong.

 5. In all fighting, the direct method may be used

    for joining battle, but indirect methods will be needed

    in order to secure victory.

 6. Indirect tactics, efficiently applied, are inexhaustible

    as Heaven and Earth, unending as the flow of rivers and streams;

    like the sun and moon, they end but to begin anew;

    like the four seasons, they pass away to return once more.

 7. There are not more than five musical notes,

    yet the combinations of these five give rise to more

    melodies than can ever be heard.

 8. There are not more than five primary colors

    (blue, yellow, red, white, and black), yet in combination

    they produce more hues than can ever been seen.

 9. There are not more than five cardinal tastes

    (sour, acrid, salt, sweet, bitter), yet combinations

    of them yield more flavors than can ever be tasted.

10. In battle, there are not more than two methods

    of attack--the direct and the indirect; yet these two

    in combination give rise to an endless series of maneuvers.

11. The direct and the indirect lead on to each other in turn. 

    It is like moving in a circle--you never come to an end. 

    Who can exhaust the possibilities of their combination?

12. The onset of troops is like the rush of a torrent

    which will even roll stones along in its course.

13. The quality of decision is like the well-timed

    swoop of a falcon which enables it to strike and destroy

    its victim.

14. Therefore the good fighter will be terrible

    in his onset, and prompt in his decision.

15. Energy may be likened to the bending of a crossbow;

    decision, to the releasing of a trigger.

16. Amid the turmoil and tumult of battle, there may

    be seeming disorder and yet no real disorder at all;

    amid confusion and chaos, your array may be without head

    or tail, yet it will be proof against defeat.

17. Simulated disorder postulates perfect discipline,

    simulated fear postulates courage; simulated weakness

    postulates strength.

18. Hiding order beneath the cloak of disorder is

    simply a question of subdivision; concealing courage under

    a show of timidity presupposes a fund of latent energy;

    masking strength with weakness is to be effected

    by tactical dispositions.

19. Thus one who is skillful at keeping the enemy

    on the move maintains deceitful appearances, according to

    which the enemy will act.  He sacrifices something,

    that the enemy may snatch at it.

20. By holding out baits, he keeps him on the march;

    then with a body of picked men he lies in wait for him.

21. The clever combatant looks to the effect of combined

    energy, and does not require too much from individuals. 

    Hence his ability to pick out the right men and utilize

    combined energy.

22. When he utilizes combined energy, his fighting

    men become as it were like unto rolling logs or stones. 

    For it is the nature of a log or stone to remain

    motionless on level ground, and to move when on a slope;

    if four-cornered, to come to a standstill, but if

    round-shaped, to go rolling down.

23. Thus the energy developed by good fighting men

    is as the momentum of a round stone rolled down a mountain

    thousands of feet in height.  So much on the subject

    of energy.