The Vedas are a large body of religious text originating in ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute the oldest layer of Sanskrit literature and the oldest scriptures of Hinduism. Vedas are considered as the earliest literary records of Sanskrit Literature, written by Rishi Vyasa. It is bealived to be the oldest book in hinduism. Vedas means knowledge.  It is a Sanskrit word from the root “Vid”, which means finding, knowing, acquiring, or understanding. The Vedas formed the earliest segment of Vedic literature. The Vedic literature had been evolved in the course of many centuries and was handed down from generation to generation by the word of mouth. The Vedas are the collection of hymns, prayers, charms, litanies, and sacrificial formulae. The ideas, teachings, and practices described in the Vedas formed the basis for the six major schools of Hindu philosophy – Nyaya, Vaisheshika, Samkhya, Yoga, Mimamsa, and Vedanta.

There are four Vedas: the Rigveda, the Yajurveda, the Samaveda and the Atharvaveda.and all of them together are attributed to as ‘Chaturveda’

• Rig Veda − It is the oldest Veda. It is a collection of hymns.
• Samveda − it is a collection of songs, which are mostly taken from Rig Veda.
• Yajurveda − It is a collection of sacrificial formulae.
• Atharvanaveda − it is a collection of spells and charms.

The Rig Veda serves as the principal one and all three but the Arthaveda agree with one another in form, language, and content. Each Veda has been subclassified into four major text types or four portions.

Rigveda

The Rigveda Samhita is the oldest extant Indic text. It is a collection of 1,028 Vedic Sanskrithymns and 10,600 verses in all, organized into ten books. The hymns are dedicated to Rigvedic deities.  Two Sanskrit words Rig and Veda constituting it translates to ‘praise or shine’ and ‘knowledge’ respectively

Like the other three Vedas, the believers of the Hindu dharma regard the Rig Veda too as Apauruṣeya; meaning, not of a man or impersonal and also not belonging to a particular author. The hymns and the verses were written by the Rishis (Sages) and as the ardent believers of the Sanatana dharma claim the revered Lord himself taught the Vedic hymns to the sages, who then handed them down through generations by word of mouth.

The Mandalas of the Rig Veda which are ten in number and were composed by poets from different priestly groups over a period of several centuries is structured based on clear principles The Rigveda is structured based on clear principles. The Veda begins with a small book addressed to Agni, Indra, Soma and other gods, all arranged according to decreasing total number of hymns in each deity collection; for each deity series, the hymns progress from longer to shorter ones, but the number of hymns per book increases. Finally, the meter too is systematically arranged from jagati and tristubh to anustubh and gayatri as the text progresses.

Rigveda, in contemporary Hinduism, has been a reminder of the ancient cultural heritage and point of pride for Hindus, with some hymns still in use in major rites of passage ceremonies.  Musicians and dance groups celebrate the text as a mark of Hindu heritage, and these have remained popular among the Hindus for a long time. However, the contemporary Hindu beliefs are distant from the precepts in the ancient layer of Rigveda Samhitas.

Sama Veda

The Samaveda Samhita consists of 1549 stanzas, taken almost entirely (except for 75 mantras) from the Rigveda. While its earliest parts are believed to date from as early as the Rigvedic period, the existing compilation dates from the post-Rigvedic Mantra period of Vedic Sanskrit, between c. 1200 and 1000 BCE or “slightly later,” roughly contemporary with the Atharvaveda and the Yajurveda.

The Samaveda samhita has two major parts. The first part includes four melody collections and the second part three verse “books”. A melody in the song books corresponds to a verse in the arcika books. Just as in the Rigveda, the early sections of Samaveda typically begin with hymns to Agni and Indra but shift to the abstract. Their meters shift also in a descending order. The songs in the later sections of the Samaveda have the least deviation from the hymns derived from the Rigveda.

In the Samaveda, some of the Rigvedic verses are repeated. Including repetitions, there are a total of 1875 verses numbered in the Samaveda recension translated by Griffith. Two major recensions have survived, the Kauthuma/Ranayaniya and the Jaiminiya. Its purpose was liturgical, and they were the repertoire of the “singer” priests.

Yajurveda

Yajur Veda, of Sanskrit origin, is composed of Yajus and Veda; the two words translate to ‘prose mantras dedicated to religious reverence or veneration’ and knowledge respectively. Third of the fourth canonical texts of the Hindu dharma, this liturgical collection is famous as the ‘book of rituals’. Of the ancient Vedic text, it is a compilation of ritual offering formulas or the prose mantras to be chanted or muttered repeatedly by a priest while an individual performs the ascertained ritual actions before the sacrificial fire or the Yajna.

The earliest and most ancient layer of Yajurveda samhita includes about 1,875 verses, that are distinct yet borrow and build upon the foundation of verses in Rigveda. Unlike the Samaveda which is almost entirely based on Rigveda mantras and structured as songs, the Yajurveda samhitas are in prose and linguistically, they are different from earlier Vedic texts. The Yajur Veda has been the primary source of information about sacrifices during Vedic times and associated rituals.

The Yajurveda is broadly grouped into Krishna Yajurveda and Shukla Yajurveda, also referred to as the Black Yajurveda and the latter as the White. In reference to the verses of the Krishna Yajurveda being un-arranged, unclear, and disparate or dissimilar, the collection is too often referred to as Black Yajurveda. In contrast, the well-arranged and imparting a particular meaning, the Shukla Yajurveda is known as the White Yajurveda.

Yajurveda, in contemporary Hinduism, has been a reminder of the ancient cultural heritage and point of pride for Hindus. The text is a useful source of information about agriculture, economic, and social life during the Vedic era. The verse, translated from the Shukla Yajurveda, for example, lists the types of crops considered important in ancient India.

Atharvaveda

The Artharvaveda Samhita is the text ‘belonging to the Atharvan and Angirasa poets. It has about 760 hymns, and about 160 of the hymns are in common with the Rigveda. Most of the verses are metrical, but some sections are in prose. Two different versions of the text – the Paippalāda and the Śaunakīya – have survived into the modern times. The Atharvaveda was not considered as a Veda in the Vedic era, and was accepted as a Veda in late 1st millennium BCE. It was compiled last, probably around 900 BCE, although some of its material may go back to the time of the Rigveda, or earlier.

The Atharvaveda is sometimes called the “Veda of magical formulas”, an epithet declared to be incorrect by other scholars. The Samhita layer of the text likely represents a developing 2nd millennium BCE tradition of magico-religious rites to address superstitious anxiety, spells to remove maladies believed to be caused by demons, and herbs- and nature-derived potions as medicine. The text, states Kenneth Zysk, is one of oldest surviving record of the evolutionary practices in religious medicine and reveals the “earliest forms of folk healing of Indo-European antiquity”. Many books of the Atharvaveda Samhita are dedicated to rituals without magic, such as to philosophical speculations and to theosophy.

The Atharva veda has been a primary source for information about Vedic culture, the customs and beliefs, the aspirations and frustrations of everyday Vedic life, as well as those associated with kings and governance. The text also includes hymns dealing with the two major rituals of passage – marriage and cremation. The Atharva Veda also dedicates significant portion of the text asking the meaning of a ritual.

The World Health Organisation defined suicidal act as “the injury with varying degree of lethal intent” and that suicide may be defined as “a suicidal act with fatal outcome”. Suicidal acts with non fatal outcome are called as “attempted suicide.” In recent times, attempted suicide has gained more importance than the suicide which is the successful act because for this there is no offender who can be brought within the purview of law. In India, attempt to suicide is made punishable under section 309[1] of Indian Penal Code, 1860. A lot of conflicting opinions have generated on retaining or deleting Section 309 of Indian Penal Code because of some differing judgments by the judiciary about whether right to life includes right to die within the meaning of article 21 of the Constitution of India.

One side is of the opinion that Article 21 of the Constitution of India is a provision guaranteeing protection of life and personal liberty and by no stretch of the imagination can extinction of life be read to be included in protection of life. By declaring an attempt to commit suicide a crime, the Indian Penal Code upholds the dignity of human life, because human life is as precious to the State as it is, to its holder and the State cannot turn a blind eye to a person in attempting to kill himself. Another set of people are of the opinion that the Section 309 of Indian Penal Code is cruel and irrational because it provides double punishment for a troubled individual whose deep unhappiness had caused him to try and end his life. It is cruel to inflict additional legal punishment on a person who has already suffered agony and ignominy in his failure to commit suicide.

Section 309 of the IPC was daunted with many controversies regarding its validity over the decades on the grounds of legality and morality. Finally, giving approval to the various Law Commission Reports and judgments of the Hon’ble High Courts and the Supreme Court, attempted suicide is de-criminalized (not punishable) after passage of The Medical Health Care Act, 2017.

 Section 309 of Indian Penal Code, 1860

Suicide has not been defined anywhere in the IPC. However briefly defined, ‘suicide’ is the human act of self-inflicted, self-intentioned cessation. It has been defined by various sociologists and psychologists in different ways. Suicide is killing oneself intentionally so as to extinguish one’s life and to leave this world. 

Suicide as such is no crime under the code. It is only attempt to commit suicide that is punishable under this section. If the person succeeds, there is no offender who could be brought within the purview of law. The section is based on the principle that the lives of men are not only valuable to them but also to the state which protects them.

Section 306

If any person commits suicide, whoever abets the commission of such suicide, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to ten years, and shall also be liable to fine.

S. 309 – Attempt to commit suicide: “Whoever attempts to commit suicide and does any act towards the commission of such offence shall be punished with simple imprisonment for a term which may extend to one year or with fine, or with both.”

Attempt must be intentional- The essence of suicide is an intentional self destruction of life.. Similarly, if a person because of family discord, destruction, loss of a near and dear relation or other cause of a like nature overcomes the instinct of self- preservation and decides to take his life, he should not be held guilty for attempt to suicide. In such a case, the unfortunate man deserves indulgence, sympathy and consolation instead of punishment. It is under very compelling adverse circumstances that a person resorts to taking the extreme step of attempting to commit suicide. Some of them are depressive illness, schizophrenic attitude, physical illness which is intolerable, poverty, unemployment, frustration, disappointment, dowry problems etc.

There are many ways in which suicide can be committed. The known methods are by drowning, hanging, poisoning, cutting throat, burning, shooting oneself, hunger strike etc. But it is difficult to generalize any and conceptualize particular theory because whenever we hear news about individuals committing suicide, we immediately come up with a conclusion that these people are depressed, dissatisfied, and unhappy with their lives. However, when popular and rich people commit suicide, we are left in confusion. Why would someone who is loved and idolized by many decide to kill himself? Depression may be the main culprit, but there are a lot of things to consider as well. These include overwhelming pain, grief, and stress; some use it as an escape for their failure and shortcomings like criminals who are about to be sentenced or caught. However, there are cases where suicide is an option that is mandatory or required. Thus, most people end up sacrificing themselves to save the lives of others in unbelievable circumstances. Heroes during the wartime generally belong to this category. 

The Indian constitution under Article 21 confers the right to Life as the fundamental right of every citizen. The Right to Life enriched in Article 21 have been liberally interpreted so as to mean something more than mere survival and mere animal existence. The Supreme Court has asserted that Article 21 is the heart of the fundamental Rights provided under part III of the constitution. The Supreme Court has clearly stated that in order to treat a right as a fundamental it is not mandatory that it should be expressly stated as a fundamental right. In India “The right to life” under Article 21 of the Constitution has received the widest possible interpretation under the able hands of the judiciary and rightly so. On the grounds as mentioned, Article 21 does not have a restrictive meaning and needs to be interpreted broadly. This affirms that if Article 21 confers on a person the right to live a dignified life, it should bestows the “Right to Die” also, but the inclusion of Right to die under Article 21 contradict the provision of Indian Penal Code under section 309. As according to section 309 of the I.P.C. “Whoever attempts to commit suicide and does any act towards the commission of such offense, shall be punished with simple imprisonment for a term which may extend to one year or with fine, or with both”. This section is based on the principle that lives of men are not only valuable to them but also to the state which protects them.

Section 309, Indian Penal Code [“IPC”] criminalises an attempt to suicide by any person. However, Section 115, Mental Healthcare Act, 2017 [“MHA, 2017”] states that any person who attempts to commit suicide shall be presumed, unless proved otherwise, to have severe stress and therefore, shall not be punished under the IPC.Therefore, Section 115, MHA, 2017 imposes a rebuttable presumption that the person who commits suicide is suffering from severe stress and, therefore, shall not be punished under Section 309, IPC. The result of the abovementioned provision of the MHA, 2017 is that Section 309, IPC is otiose. However, if the presumption of severe stress is rebutted, then such a person may be punished under Section 309, IPC. The MHA, 2017 has made Section 309, IPC redundant unless the presumption of severe stress is rebutted. However, there has been widespread use of the provision regarding cases of “hunger strikes” and “fasts unto death”, and to coerce public authorities. Nonetheless, retaining the provision to serve this purpose under its current language has unnecessary implications.The costs of retaining the provision is that there are several instances of police charging persons under the provision due to a lack of legislative awareness. The retention of the provision also makes attempted suicide a medico-legal case and prevents effective treatment to the person who has attempted such suicide at the “golden hour” for providing effective treatment.Since there is a clear intention of the Legislature to make Section 309, IPC redundant, its practical unwanted implications shall be done away with by removing such provision from the statute book. However, there is a need for a provision to take action against those who either intend to coerce public authorities by threatening to commit suicide, or attempt suicide to evade public authorities altogether. Nonetheless, since the cost of retaining the provision in its current form creates an unnecessary burden, the recommendation along the lines of the 42nd Law Commission Report to add Section 506A, IPC seems to be valid even now.

Web series usually refer to series that are available on the various platforms like netflix , amazon prime , youtube
etcetera. During the pandemic there has been a rapid increase in the veiws

orms, too .One third of 55-64-year-olds, and 15% of people aged 65+ used subscription
services in the early weeks of lockdown.

The majority signed up to Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, although Disney+ overtook Now TV as the third most
popular paid-for streaming platform .Older viewers, who typically watch more traditional broadcast TV, increased
their use of streaming platf

The study, entitled Media Nations 2020, suggested that as lockdown
measures eased towards the end of June, the uplift in streaming services held firm – 71% up on the same time last year.
This figure also included people viewing more non-broadcast content on platforms like YouTube and gaming sites.
And more than half of UK adults (55%) with new streaming subscriptions said they will keep them and spend the same
amount of time watching streamed content in future.Growth is slowing as consumers get through the initial shock of
coronavirus and social restrictions,” the company said.

Ah, Valentine’s day! The celebration many people love to hate and others to be the perfect excuse to get cheesy with their loved ones. No matter how you react to Valentine’s Day, there is no chance you can ignore it. It’s everywhere. In fact, once December ends and the Christmas decorations come down, all the brands get ready for the next big thing which is most definitely Valentine’s Day. And for good reason.

I’m sure we can all agree by now that what first started as a holiday celebrating love is now more about how much brands sell. Nothing wrong with this. Did you know that authors like Chaucer and Shakespeare popularized Vday and made it this gift-giving holiday it is today?

And have you ever wondered what goes beyond the famous February 14? How did Valentine’s Day become this huge, commercial holiday it is today? Let’s dig deeper into the history of Valentine’s Day and see how all this started.

A brief history of Valentine’s Day

This pink-hearted holiday wasn’t always pink. The origins of this cutesy day are kind of dark and bloody. As far as we could track its provenance, the history of Valentine’s Day goes back to the Roman Empire. A time when men literally hit on women by hitting them. And women literally stayed in line for this to happen, believing it would make them more fertile. Kinda crazy, right? Stick with me, it gets even crazier.

According to the legend, what happens next is some sort of ancient version of “The Bachelor”. They had this tradition where all the young, fertile women in the city would have their names in a big urn. Then, the city’s single men would each pick a name and make a couple with that girl for the upcoming year. When the match was right, often these couples would end up getting married. This crazy ritual was called the Festival of Lupercalia.

Who was Saint Valentine? 

Well, it seems like there was more than just one St. Valentine. Or at least, the history is mixed up a little bit. Because there are, at least, two different stories about who St. Valentine was. According to the first legend, Valentine was a Christian priest who was imprisoned and fell in love with his jailer’s daughter. Before he died, he left a love letter signed with the words “from your Valentine.”

The second one features, yet again, a priest who ignored the orders of Emperor Claudius of not officiating marriage for young men in his army. He continued to marry couples who were deeply in love and so, the priest got executed exactly on February 14th in the third century of Rome. The history of Valentine’s day tells us that this priest wore a ring with a Cupid on it – one of the well-known symbols of this holiday – so that soldiers would recognize him. He also liked to share paper heart cards to remind Christians of their love for God. 

While St. Valentine’s story established this holiday to be a romantic one, what truly solidified the connection between St. Valentine and love was a poem by medieval author Geoffrey Chaucer in 1381. Historians consider this poem as being the origin of the “modern” celebration of Valentine’s Day.

Why do we celebrate Valentine’s Day?

As we’ve already mentioned before, Chaucer and Shakespeare had a great impact on the history of Valentine’s Day. They both romanticized this holiday in their work that much that it gained popularity throughout Great Britain and the rest of Europe. Soon, people began writing and exchanging love letters to celebrate Valentine’s Day. The common folk even started to beg divinations to reveal their future romantic partners. 

In 1913, a well-known American company called Hallmark began distributing official “Valentine’s Day cards”. And the celebration of this popular and romantic holiday continued even more: flowers, candies, teddy bears, paper hearts, jewelry, romantic dinners… and the rest is history. February has not been the same since. 

Valentine’s Day nowadays. How people celebrate it

The celebration of Valentine’s Day still goes on nowadays all over the world, in many various ways. Many will break the bank buying jewelry, perfumes, or other expensive gifts, while others will prefer the simplest gifts: romantic dinners, flowers, chocolate, and Valentine’s Day cards. Did you know that people exchange millions of Valentine’s Day cards every year? Looks like Hallmark really revolutionized the history of Valentine’s Day! And also the tradition of offering red roses on Valentine’s Day is a special one. These flowers are associated with the Greek goddess of love, Aphrodite, that’s why people choose to give red roses instead of other types of flowers to express their love.

No matter how you choose to celebrate Valentine’s Day, keep in mind that there are no rules. It’s a totally new era, so you can feel free to celebrate the way you want. A dreamy dinner out, some champagne, going out to the movies, cooking a fancy meal, offering a nice Valentine’s Day card, or even hosting a Valentine’s Day party…it’s up to you to pick the best option.

Legendary Bollywood actor Dilip Kumar passed away today. He was one of India’s earliest and most famous film actor. His age was 98 years and died in Mumbai. Dilip Kumar acted in more than 65 films over nearly five decades and is known for his iconic roles in movies like ‘Ganga Jamuna’ (1961), ‘Kranti'(1981), ‘Karma'(1981), ‘Naya Daur'(1957), ‘Mughal-e-Azam'(1960). He was last seen in ‘Quila’ in 1998. The actor had been recuperating from age-related health issues for the last few days and had been admitted to the hospital multiple times. He was admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) of Mumbai’s Hinduja Hospital on June 30 after he complained of breathlessness. He had been frequently ill for months. Kumar’s wife Saira Banu had been with throughout. His family friend Faisal Farooqui tweeted through the actor’s handle “With a heavy heart and profound grief, I announce the passing away of our beloved Dilip saab, few minutes ago. We are from God and to Him we return”

Many Bollywood celebrities including filmmaker Vidya Balan, Sidharth Roy Kapoor, Shabana Azmi, arrived at Dilip Kumar’s house to pay their last respects to the legendary actor Dilip Kumar.

Tributes have been pouring in on social media for the actor- Politicians, Bollywood stars and even historians have tweeted.

When stress hits hard as it has during the pandemic, many of us eat more, and less-than-healthy comfort foods may be the treats we reach for first. But an unhealthy response to stress can be hard on your body, especially your heart. That’s why it’s smart — at the top of the New Year, or anytime — to try to eat more foods that nourish. It’ll make your heart happier, and maybe trim your waistline, too.Don’t know where to start? Let the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) help.”We have many recipes for healthy and really tasty dishes, plus an award-winning eating plan called Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, or DASH for short,” says Charlotte Pratt, Ph.D., M.S., R.D., a nutrition expert at NHLBI. For years, the DASH eating plan has ranked among the U.S. News & World Reports’ best diets for healthy living and heart health. Its secret, says Pratt: “Eating nutrient-dense foods and meals that are lower in sodium and saturated fat, rich in fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy, and legumes.”Some of the recipes NHLBI has developed to support the plan feature healthy versions of comfort foods, such as oven-baked french fries, chicken chile stew, and sweet potato custard. The recipes are easy to make and family-friendly. They include traditional African American, American Indian/Alaska Native, Vietnamese, Latino, and Filipino dishes. You can find these recipes, along with tips about safe cooking, what to stock in your kitchen online The DASH eating plan is scientifically proven to lower your blood pressure and cholesterol levels,” says Pratt. And NHLBI research shows that increasing your physical activity and watching your calories while following DASH will also help you lose weight.DASH requires no special foods, and it helps you set daily and weekly nutritional goals using these simple guides:

• Eat vegetables, fruits and whole grains
• Include fat-free or low-fat dairy products, fish, poultry, beans, nuts and vegetable oils
• Limit foods that are high in saturated fat, such as fatty meats, full-fat dairy foods and tropical oils such as coconut, palm kernel and palm oils
• Limit sugar-sweetened drinks and desserts

To make it easier to follow the DASH for life, these tips can help:

• Change gradually. Add one more serving of vegetables a day. Read nutrition labels to choose the food lowest in saturated fat, sodium or salt and added sugar.
• Vary foods high in proteins. Try a mix of lean cuts of meat. Remove the skin from chicken. Eat fish once or twice a week. Eat two or more meals without meat each week.
• Select healthy, tasty snacks. Have a piece of fruit, a few unsalted snacks such as rice cakes, fat-free or low-fat yogurt or raw vegetables with a low-fat dip.
• Find substitutes. Try whole-wheat bread or brown rice instead of white bread or white rice. Try beans or seeds such as flax or sunflower seeds, if you’re allergic to nuts.

Combining healthy eating habits with other self-care activities can help you reduce stress and take care of your heart. Top of the list: move more throughout the day, get 7 to 8 hours of sleep, and try relaxation exercises such as meditation or yoga. If you smoke, try quitting, and develop a strong social-support system to help keep you motivated. Delicious Oven-Baked French Fries Baking instead of frying these potatoes reduces the fat while keeping them crispy.Prep time: 10 minutes.
Cook time: 35 minutes.
Makes 5 servings.
Serving size: 1 cup.Ingredients4 large potatoes (2 lbs.) (regular or sweet potatoes)
8 C ice water
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp white pepper
1/4 tsp allspice
1 tsp hot pepper flakes
1 Tbsp vegetable oilDirections

1. Scrub potatoes and cut them into long 1/2-inch strips. Place the strips in the ice water, cover and chill for 1 hour or longer.
2. Remove potato strips and dry them thoroughly. Preheat oven to 475 degreeF.
3. Place garlic powder, onion powder, salt, white pepper, allspice and pepper flakes in a plastic bag. Toss the potato strips in the spice mixture.
4. Put the potato strips in a shallow baking pan and brush them with oil.
5. Cover the baking pan with aluminum foil and bake at 475 degreeF for 15 minutes.
6. Remove the foil and continue baking, uncovered, for an additional 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Turn fries occasionally to brown on all sides.