A group of 39 prominent biologists and philosophers has released the New York Declaration on Animal Consciousness, a document that states that there’s a “realistic possibility” of consciousness in many animals. Dan Falk reports: quantamagazine.org/insects-and-ot…

It's Fossil Friday! Take a bite out of the weekend with Dilophosaurus wetherilli, a carnivore that lived ~194 mya during the Early Jurassic. Its name, which means “double-crested reptile,” comes from the paired crests on its skull—which were possibly used for display.

Features both in संन्यास सूक्तम् and त्रिसुपर्ण मन्त्र!

☘ Sadyojata ☘ This is the mantra for shvetakushtha nAshana as per indra rigvidhAna. I kno2 a real case where relief was seen due to its deployment.

Rudras, Vishvedevas, Ashvins, Agni, Soma, Vayu, Varuna, Yama, Kubera & the Dig Devatas, Pirtus, Raja Rishis, Gandharvas, Apsaras, were all rooting for Arjuna. Sanjaya describes how 'asceticism' & the 'sciences' too gathered to witness the battle - truly the whole cosmic order.

gems & precious stones too; so also the Vedas, the Upanishads and Itihasa were on the side of Arjuna. Vasuki, Citrasena, Takshaka, all the great Nagas too; Airavata and the children of Surabhi, various other auspicious animals & birds as well.

Among the Gods, the Vasus, Maruts,

differences & disputes, accompanied with revilings, arose among the creatures there... All inhabitants were heard to differ amongst themselves'

Those rooting for Arjuna included the spirits of the rivers, seas & mountains; the trees & herbs too were backing him. The spirits of

Let us look at who all aligned with Arjuna and whose sympathies even among the Gods & other beings were with the son of Radha.

Once the high souled Vrishasena was beheaded by Arjuna, it became clear that this would be the final fight to the death.

Sanjaya says: 'Then in the sky

☘ Sadyojata ☘ in some sampradayas this mantra is said during madhyanika arghya

A very rare Gandharan image of the marriage of Siddhartha.

There is so much that is fascinating in this image:
The couple joining hands & taking steps round the 🔥; Siddartha & Yasodhara's classy dresses, especially his turban; the priest tending to Agni, the kalashas;

2nd Cent

For more technical audience, here is the sun light transportation principle.

This helped the entire system to work flawlessly for the Surya Tilak to be carried out successfully. The device has been manufactured by Optica, Bangalore, and the implementation of the opto-mechanical system at the site is being done by CSIR-CBRI.

The IIAstrophysics team led the estimation of the size, shape and location of mirrors and lenses in the system for sufficient light to fall on the idol for about 6 minutes. Opto-mechanical design of the lens and mirror holder assembly, and manual mechanism were carried out to

The English calendar date of Sri Ram Navami festival changes every year as it follows Lunar Calendar. Therefore, the position of the sun on the sky changes every year on the day of Sri Ram Navami. Detailed calculations show that the English calendar date of Sri Ram Navami repeats

The final design of the Surya Tilak, with four mirrors and four lenses, will be implemented once the full temple is constructed by placing the mirrors and lenses in their permanent fixtures.

As the temple is not fully completed now, the IIA experts modified the design to suit the existing structure and performed image optimization. This design, with four mirrors and two lenses, was executed for the Surya Tilak.

The team led by IIAstrophysics carried out calculations of the Sun's position, designed and optimized the optical system, and performed the integration and alignment at the site.

Indian Institute of Astrophysics IIAstrophysics, an autonomous body under DSTIndia, has played a crucial role in the #SuryaTilak Project at #Ayodhya . Sunlight was directed onto the forehead of Sri Ram Lalla at 12 noon on April 17, 2024, on the occasion of Sri #RamNavami in the