Goa - Hindu Legends and Mythology

 [This is an article from local newspaper in Goa. ]


The origin of Goa or Gomantak as it is also known, is lost in the mists of time. In the later Vedic period (c.1000-500 BC), when the Hindu epic Mahabharat was written, Goa has been referred to with the Sanskrit name Gomantak, a word with many meanings, but signifying generally a fertile land.

The most famous legend associated with Goa, is that of the mythical sage Parashuram (the sixth incarnation of Lord Vishnu), who several thousand years ago created the entire stretch of Konkan coast by ordering the seas to recede. The Sea God gave up the lands on the the banks of the two main rivers of Goa viz. Mandovi and Zuari (then called Gomati and Asghanasini) for the settlement of the Aryans accompanying Parashurama.

Another legend, less well known, states that the coastal area of Konkan enchanted Lord Krishna, who was charmed by the beautiful ladies bathing in the area. The ladies in turn, were so taken up by the melodious music coming from his flute, that they kept dancing forgetting their daily chores. Lord Krishna, then named the land Govapuri after the cows (gov) belonging to the locals.

The history of the sacred land of Gomantak, 'land of the Gods' is well described in Sahyadri Khand of Skandha Purana, the ancient text of Hindu religion. According to this story narrated in the Chapter Shantiparva of Mahabharat, a Brahmin from the Saraswat family, Parashuram, annihilated the entire community of the warrior tribe Kshatriyas and gifted the conquered land to a sage named Kashyapmuni.

Unfortunately, the Kshatriya annihilation meant that the land was left unadministered and fell into anarchy and chaos. The worried sage Kashyapmuni, requested Parashuram to leave the area and settle elsewhere. Parashuram came south and reclaimed new land by ordering the sea to recede and give up the coastal land. This land known as "Aparant" or "Shurparak" is spread between the Sahyadri mountains and Sindhusagar.

The first wave of Brahmins to settle in Goa, were called Saraswats because of their origins from the banks of the River Saraswati, an ancient river that existed in Vedic times. The subsequent drying up of the river caused large scale migration of Brahmins to all corners of India.

A group of ninety-six families, known today as Gaud Saraswats, settled along the Konkan coast around 1000 BC. Of these, sixty-six families took up residence in the southern half in today's Salcete taluka which derives its name from the Sanskrit word "Sassast" meaning the number 66.

The other thirty families settled in the northern area in today's Tiswadi taluka which derives its name from the Sanskrit word for the number 30. The Saraswat Brahmins worked in partnership with the local indigenous people, the Kunbi tribals who still exist today. Around the year 740 AD, the Brahmins established their first Matha (religious centre of learning) at Kushasthali (present day Cortalim) .

An interesting sidelight in this legendary origin of Goa is that Lord Parashuram is supposed to have shot an arrow from the top of the western ghats into the sea to command the Sea God to withdraw till the place where the arrow fell and claimed that land to be his kingdom. The place where the arrow landed was called Bannali (in Sanskrit for 'where the arrow landed'; Bann: arrow, ali: village), or today's Benaulim.

Parashuram arrived in the new abode with other Saraswat Brahmins and sages in order to perform the Yadnya and other rituals. These Brahmin families of Dashgotras from Panchgoudas of Trihotrapura in northern India came along with their family deities and settled themselves in this land of Gomantak or the land of the Gods as it came to be known thereafter.

They initially settled at Mathagram (Margao), Kushasthal (Cortalim) and Kardalinagar (Keloshi). The main deities which also came along with them were Mangirish, Mahadeo, Mahalaxmi, Mahalsa, Shantadurga, Nagesh, Saptakoteshwar besides many others. According to local legend, the ash found at Harmal beach in Pernem Taluka is cited as the ash of the Yadnya or holy ritual performed in Goa.

Today a temple of Parashuram exists in Painguinim village of Canacona Taluka in South Goa. There is no concrete proof to determine the exact date of the arrival of Saraswats or Parashurama in the area, nor is it conclusively proved that Saraswats or other Aryans were the first to arrive in Konkan.

Even if the legends are considered as only myths, the residence of Saraswat Brahmins in Goa since ancient times along with their family deities is an undeniable fact. And most probably they arrived in Goa under the leadership of a towering personality named Parashuram.

The Art of Delegating - I

The Art of Delegating

When we talk of delegating, our thoughts mainly turn to work, and yet all areas of your life--personal and professional--can benefit from delegating. You can delegate numerous tasks and responsibilities, ranging from hiring someone to do your paperwork, to asking your children to help with household chores, to using a computer to automate certain processes.

What are the benefits of delegation?

You have certain skills and qualities in which you're especially gifted. When you delegate the remainder, you'll increase your effectiveness.

Positive results of delegation include:

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   You'll have more time and energy for the most important things.

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   You'll have less to do, less clutter and less pressure.

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   You'll be supported by responsible people working together.

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   You'll benefit from others' experience, wisdom, thoughts and perspectives.

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   The people you spend time with will feel more confident and increase their skills.

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   You'll demonstrate to others your professionalism and effectiveness.

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   You'll get tasks done rather than adding them to your to-do list.

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   You'll achieve your results in less time.

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   You'll create a win-win situation.

Why aren't you delegating?

What's keeping you from delegating? Probably, it's either believing you're the only one who can do a task correctly, feeling like you need to be in control, attempting to address unmet needs, desiring the adrenaline rush of being busy or feeding your ego.

Have you ever said, "No one can do it as well as I can." The truth is, there are many experienced people who can perform certain tasks as well as, or even better than, you. Another statement would be more effective: "I can find someone who can do it as well as me." When you stop trying to do everything, you can focus more on your true gifts.

Sometimes your need to be in control stops you from delegating. When you need to be in control, you're effectively giving away much of your personal power. You can reclaim this power when you let go of your need to be in control. Then you'll be able to delegate more easily.

If you really want to free up some space and time, look at the areas in which you're controlling and see how you can change. You'll know if you're trying to control others if you try to take over, have your own personal agenda and get other people to do what you want whether it's right for them or not. You're wanting to control when you believe that it has to be done your way and aren't open to other suggestions or possibilities. What will it take for you to let go of being in control?

Delegating can also be difficult for people who have unmet needs, such as the need to please everyone, to keep people happy, to be liked by everyone, and to do everything. You'll be able to delegate better when these needs are satisfied. When you resist delegating, ask yourself, "What is my need in this situation that's stopping me from delegating?" If, for instance, your answer is the need to please everyone, consider in what other ways you can meet this need and free yourself to delegate the task.

Another reason you might avoid delegating is that you enjoy having lots to do and are always pushing yourself. You end up relying on adrenaline to keep going. This is unhealthy. Using adrenaline to get through life causes lots of ups and downs. You need to shift from adrenaline to a healthier and steadier source of energy.

Your ego may also be stopping you from delegating. When you expect other people to agree with you, when you stop listening to feedback, when you have disregard for people, and when you need time, money and attention from others to feel fulfilled, your ego's getting in the way. You need to set aside your ego and start living from your true self. Invest in your mind, body and spirit for a healthier life. You'll receive what you really want in your life in a healthy way without demanding from other people. Where in your life is your ego getting in the way of delegating? What will it take for you to shift from your ego to your true self?

How to delegate effectively

Now that you've identified what's stopping you from delegating, you need to learn how to delegate. Before you decide to delegate a task, make sure it's not one that could be eliminated or automated instead. Also, don't delegate tasks that you're really good at. You want to continue handling the tasks that call on your brilliance.

Great delegation is about delegating an outcome rather than dumping a problem on someone else. So, when you're delegating a task to someone else, give them plenty of information about your desired results. Offer clear and measurable objectives. When you're discussing how the task can be achieved, listen to the other person. They may have different ideas on how this can be handled fairly for everyone involved.

To whom should you delegate? Choose a person who would really enjoy the task and who has the appropriate skills or willingness to learn them. Also, select people that you trust rather than choosing just anyone and hoping it'll work out okay. Trust them to do their best and leave them feeling an important part of the process.

Be available to receive reports on how the delegated task is going and let the person know that you're there to discuss any problems early on, rather than letting the problem get out of hand.

Start by delegating small tasks and when these have been done correctly, increase the tasks. Teach the person the tasks and assist them in discovering the best way to carry them out for themselves. Allow yourself three times as long with this, so that you can really be with the person, understand their concerns or challenges, and assist them as fully as possible. Encourage them to set goals as they progress with the task. This will increase their ownership of the process. Let them know you confidence in them. Establish a deadline to build responsibility in the other person and to allow them to see the importance of the task. Communicate fully the consequences to everyone involved if the task is not carried out successfully. Let them see the end understand the bigger picture. Celebrate with and acknowledge each person's contribution. We all like to hear that we've done well.

Did you know that delegation doesn't just make your life easier--it also helps those to whom you delegate? Consider what you give to other people when you choose to delegate:

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   Responsibility

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   A sense of achievement

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   Enjoyment and fun in the sharing process

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   Income

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   Trust

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   An opportunity to grow, learn and contribute

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   An opportunity to be part of a team

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   The chance to increase their skills and self esteem.

Okay, so now you know the benefits of delegating, you've unblocked what's been stopping you delegating in the past and you know how to delegate effectively. What's the next step? My suggestion is to just take that next step, the action that's going to move you towards delegating more. This step will be different for all of you as you are individuals. It may be making a list of what you could delegate, thinking about what you would want in your life when you delegate more or finding someone to support you in this process. What are you now willing to delegate or automate in your life? You can all get to the place of delegating effectively and it's up to you to make that choice.

The Gift of leadership

The Gift of leadership

 
1.       “Leadership does not happen, it is taught, learned and developed,-I don’t know whether foot ballers are born or made. But, I do know the more I practice, the better I become

2.       Leaders relentlessly upgrade their teams, using every encounter as an opportunity to evaluate, coach, and build self-confidence

3.       Leaders make sure people not only see the vision, they live and breathe it

4.       Leadership has 3 dimensions and is product of: Vision x Inspiration x Momentum

5.       Vision is the positive image that Leader possesses of what organization could become and its path towards destination.
 

6.       Inspiration for individuals, team and what moves people to take action.

7.       Momentum to carry organization to its destination and meet goals with successful projects, initiatives

8.       Leaders get into everyone’s skin, exuding positive energy and optimism

9.       Leaders enroll, Leaders have a shine in their eyes

10.       Leaders establish trust with candor, transparency and credit-Leaders create an environment where every member is able to speak out his/her thoughts honestly, sincerely and without any reservations- Leaders work with a focused group of individuals to establish trust with candor, transparency and credit and encourage the group to take forward the values to every member in the team

11.       Leaders prefer to include every members opinion in a decision making process on critical issues faced by team

12.       Leaders believe in promoting the strength of every individual, rather than enforce members to be a well groomed professional in every aspect

13.       Leaders are principles centered and they live by principles or interchangeably values. One of the principles is “being proactive”. Leader knows if he is proactive when he has full control on whatever he wants to achieve. It makes him predictable and as planned. He enjoys joy and peace. If he is not proactive, things fall on him and he becomes reactive. This is stressful leading to no control and no predictability.

14.       Leaders have the courage to make unpopular decisions and gut calls

15.       Leaders probe and push with a curiosity that borders on skepticism, making sure their questions are answered with action.

16.       Leaders inspire risk taking and learning by setting the example

17.       Leaders celebrate