Whole Dude – Whole Day – World Tibet Day

The Supreme Ruler of Tibet celebrates his 89th birthday in exile

Whole Dude – Whole Day – World Tibet Day. The Supreme Ruler of Tibet celebrates his 89th birthday in exile
Whole Dude – Whole Day – World Tibet Day. The Supreme Ruler of Tibet celebrates his 89th birthday in exile

On Saturday, July 06, 2024, the Living Tibetan Spirits greet His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama on his 89th birthday to acknowledge him as the Supreme Ruler of Tibet. For Tibetans, the title Dalai Lama is all about the Institution of the Dalai Lama that rules and governs Tibet. No other institution of government can replace Supreme Ruler of Tibet during his lifetime.

The Living Tibetan Spirits offer their prayers for a safe return of the Supreme Ruler of Tibet to the Potala Palace for a happy reunion with Tibetans living in his Land.

Rudra Narasimham Rebbapragada
SPECIAL FRONTIER FORCE-ESTABLISHMENT NO. 22-VIKAS REGIMENT

Whole Dude – Whole Day – World Tibet Day. The Supreme Ruler of Tibet celebrates his 89th birthday in exile

Celebrating His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s 88th Birthday

Whole Dude – Whole Day – World Tibet Day. The Supreme Ruler of Tibet celebrates his 88th birthday in exile
His Holiness the Dalai Lama being presented with the traditional ‘Chema Changphu’ on his arrival at the Main Tibetan Temple courtyard to attend celebrations to mark his 88th birthday in Dharamsala, HP, India on July 6, 2023. Photo by Tenzin Choejor

Thekchen Chöling, Dharamsala, India – This morning, His Holiness the Dalai Lama stepped into the temple courtyard adjacent to his residence, a radiant smile on his face. He was presented with the traditional ‘Chema Changphu’ as artistes from the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts (TIPA) sang their welcome to him on his birthday. He took his seat below the temple at the head of the courtyard with members of his family sitting directly behind him and members of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), past and present, behind him on either side.

Sikyong Penpa Tsering speaking at the celebrations marking His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s 88th birthday at the Main Tibetan Temple courtyard in Dharamsala, HP, India on July 6, 2023. Photo by Tenzin Choejor
Khenpo Sonam Tenphel, Speaker of the Tibetan Parliament in Exile, addressing the crowd at the celebrations marking His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s 88th birthday at the Main Tibetan Temple courtyard in Dharamsala, HP, India on July 6, 2023. Photo by Tenzin Choejor
Children from the TCV Day School in McLeod Ganj performing during the celebrations marking His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s 88th birthday at the Main Tibetan Temple courtyard in Dharamsala, HP, India on July 6, 2023. Photo by Tenzin Choejor

At this point the moderator invited His Holiness to address the gathering.

“Today,” he responded, “I’d like to tell all my friends that my daily prayer is as follows:

As long as space endures,
And as long as sentient beings remain,
Until then, may I too remain
To help dispel the misery of the world.

“As long as there are living sentient beings who want happiness, I will come in life after life to help them.

“Due to karma and prayers I have made in the past, I was born in Amdo and since then I’ve done the best I could to help all sentient beings.

“Today, you are celebrating my 88th birthday, but when I look in the mirror, I feel I look as if I’m still in my 50s. My face doesn’t look old, it isn’t wrinkled with age. What’s more I still have all my teeth so there’s nothing I can’t eat or chew.

“I was born in Tibet and I bear this name Dalai Lama, but in addition to working for the cause of Tibet, I’ve been working for the welfare of all sentient beings. I’ve done whatever I could without losing hope or allowing my determination to flag. I’m angry with no one, not even those Chinese leaders who have adopted a harsh attitude towards Tibet. Indeed, China has historically been a Buddhist country as witnessed by the many temples and monasteries I saw when I visited that land.

“I believe there is knowledge within Tibetan culture and religion that can benefit the world at large. However, I also respect all other religious traditions because they encourage their followers to cultivate love and compassion.

“According to indications in my own dreams and other predictions, I expect to live to be more than 100 years old. I’ve served others until now and I’m determined to continue to do so. Please pray for my long life on that basis.

“At our last meeting Mao Zedong praised my scientific outlook but criticized religion as poison. I think the point of religion isn’t just to say prayers but to engage in helping and serving others. I believe there’s a resonance of this even in the communist way of thinking and I sometimes wonder if I met Mao today whether I couldn’t talk him round. Religion is about living a good life in the service of others.

“As I already mentioned, there are indications that I will live for another 15 or 20 years and in that time, there is hope for change in the world—for the elimination of weapons and the use of military force. May people learn to live in peace and friendship.

“The scriptures suggest that eventually the world may be consumed by fire, but until that happens, we must learn to live in a more peaceful, friendly way. If we practise well now while we can, in due course we will take our message to other world systems.

“I’m not very concerned with the name Dalai Lama, what interests me much more is being of service to others. Of course, I need food and drink to survive, but not much else. My prime concern is to serve other beings—thank you.”

The Supreme Ruler of Tibet celebrates his 89th birthday in exile
WORLD TIBET DAY - MONDAY, JULY 06, 2015.
Whole Dude – Whole Day – World Tibet Day. The Supreme Ruler of Tibet celebrates his 89th birthday in exile

Whole Dude – Whole Day


Whole Dude – Whole Day: The Celebration of Birthday at Whole Foods, Ann Arbor.

At Whole Foods, Ann Arbor, the Celebration of Birthday got transformed into Whole Day Celebration.

Whole Dude – Whole Day: The Celebration of Birthday at Whole Foods

The Whole Dude brings the Whole Self to work and hence the Birthday Celebration is named as Whole Day Celebration.

Whole Dude – Whole Day: Whole Team – Whole Congratulations – Whole Gift: To give “Whole Congratulations” to my “Whole Team” Members, Whole Dude decides to spend “Whole Dough” to offer “Whole Gift” for the very special Celebration on Whole Day. Certain Terms and Conditions apply.

Birthday vs Whole Day Celebration:

Whole Dude – Whole Day: Whole Team – Whole Congratulations – Whole Gift: To give “Whole Congratulations” to my “Whole Team” Members, Whole Dude decides to spend “Whole Dough” to offer “Whole Gift” for the very special Celebration on Whole Day. Certain Terms and Conditions apply.

The Whole Day Celebration is unlike the routine Birthday Celebration. The following Terms and Conditions apply to the Whole Day Celebration to make the distinction between Whole Day and Birthday Celebration:

  1. Must be an eligible Whole Team Member and receive the specially designed Celebration Card just meant for You.
  2. Whole Team Members who want to participate in the Whole Day Celebration must sign on the Celebration Card to give the Birthday Greetings to the Whole Person who is Celebrating Birthday.
  3. The Whole Person celebrating Birthday spends Whole Dough to offer Whole Gifts to all the Whole Team Members who sign the Celebration Card joining the Whole Day Celebration.
  4. Whole Team Members transform the Birthday Celebration into Whole Day Celebration when they receive their Whole Gifts and the Whole Person gets no Gift on his/her Birthday.

Whole Dude – Whole Name

Bharat Darshan – The tradition of choosing names using the Science of Light called Jyotish.

Excerpt: The choice of my Name is predestined by the Date, Time and the Place of Birth and their relationship to the Science of Light called Jyotish. The people of Land of Bharat are extremely fond of choosing names. This fondness for selecting, using and remembering names is an important Cultural attribute which defines the Indian Identity. In my case, the choice of the Name is predestined by the Science of Light. Earthly events have celestial connections. For every name that appears in my blog post, there is a specific legend that describes the origin of that name.

The name ‘ Indian ‘ is related to the great river Sindhu which is also known as Indus. In 1492, Christopher Columbus sailed westwards towards setting sun to reach the shores of India. He discovered people living on islands whom he had mistakenly named as Indians. Apart from those island dwellers, the natives of the entire American continent, the so-called New World were named Indians. In spite of concerted efforts to rename them as Native Americans, the name Indian is still in use.  

Name is a very important tool to describe personal identity. The word name as a noun, describes a person, place or thing. It is also a word or words by which an object of thought is known. Indians did not choose the name India or Indian.

Kapaleeshwarar temple in Mylapore, Chennai.
Bharat Darshan: What’s in a Name? The Making of a Whole Name for the Whole Person. The Choice of the Name is predestined by the Science of Light called Jyotish .

The people of Land of Bharat are extremely fond of choosing names. This fondness for selecting, using and remembering names is an important Cultural attribute which defines the Indian Identity. In my case, the choice of the Name is predestined by the Science of Light. Earthly events have celestial connections. For every name that appears in my blog post, there is a specific legend that describes the origin of that name  

The Tradition of Giving Names:  

Bharat Darshan: The Making of a Whole Name for the Whole Person. Lord Shiva is known as Rudra, Neela Kantha, Pasupati and several other names. This fondness for selecting, using, and remembering names is an important cultural attribute which defines Indian Identity. The Choice of my Name is predestined.

The name ” Rudra ” is one of the earliest names known to humanity. According to legend, the Vedic God Rudra acquired His name from His Creator Brahma. As per the story, a boy was seen ‘crying’ and ‘wandering’. The father asked the boy the reason for his ‘howling’. The boy answered that he was ‘weeping’ for he was not given a name. So, the father created a name by bringing together two Sanskrit words which mean ‘crying’ and ‘wandering’. Thus the name Ru+dra was born. This legend is an example of our emotional dependence upon the need for names. The major Deities such as VISHNU and SHIVA that Indians worship are known by thousands of names and remembering those names is deemed as an act of devoted worship. The use of these names is a fundamental right and I understand the term religious freedom in the context of my freedom to choose the name that I want to worship. The religious experience that I gained while growing up in India relates to the use of names as an act of worship. Worship would have no meaning or purpose and would not give me a sense of direction if I do not remember the beautiful names that I have come to know.  

A Personal Name and a Personal Story:

Bharat Darshan: What’s in a Name? The Making of a Whole Name for the Whole Person. The Choice of the Name is predestined by the Science of Light called Jyotish.
This landmark Temple of Kapaleeswara binds me to my birthplace of Mylapore, Madras(Chennai). The Presiding Diety of this Temple is chosen as my personal Protector and hence I am given the name of "RUDRA".
Bharat Darshan: The choice of my Name is predestined. This landmark Temple of Kapaleeswarar binds me to my birthplace Mylapore, Madras (Chennai). If my birthplace had been different, my Name would have been different. The Presiding Deity of this Temple is chosen as my personal Protector and hence I am given the name of RUDRA.

My personal name is very much a part of my personal story. If my birthplace had been different, my Name would have been different. My Name is chosen entirely due to the circumstances of my birth and I remain connected to the persons and the places for the rest of my life. I describe Mylapore, Madras city (Chennai) as my birth place and I describe Rajahmundry of East Godavari District as my native place.

Bharat Darshan: MY IDENTITY AND MY CONNECTION. I CALL MYSELF AS ‘REBBAPRAGADA’; MY MOTHER BELONGS TO THE ‘KASTURI’ FAMILY. THIS IS A PICTURE OF KASTURI BROTHERS. FROM LEFT TO RIGHT, 1. DR. KASTURI NARAYANA MURTHY, M.D. (MY MATERNAL GRANDFATHER), 2. KASTURI. SESHAGIRI RAO (MARRIED TO MRS. RUKMINI, DAUGHTER OF DR. SARVEPALLI RADHAKRISHNAN), 3. KASTURI NARASIMHA RAO, 4. KASTURI KRISHNA RAO, 5. KASTURI SOMESHWARA RAO, 6. KASTURI RAMACHANDRA RAO, AND 7. KASTURI SIVAPRASADA RAO (FAR RIGHT).

My mother gave birth to me at my maternal grandfather’s residence 2/37  Kutchery Road in Mylapore during the month called Dhanurmasam that represents Sun’s transit in Sagittarius.

Bharat Darshan: What’s in a Name? The Making of a Whole Name for the Whole Person. The Choice of the Name is predestined by the Science of Light called Jyotish.
Bharat Darshan: What’s in a Name? The Making of a Whole Name for the Whole Person. The Choice of the Name is predestined by the Science of Light called Jyotish.
Bharat Darshan: What’s in a Name? The Making of a Whole Name for the Whole Person. The Choice of the Name is predestined by the Science of Light called Jyotish.
Bharat Darshan: What’s in a Name? The Making of a Whole Name for the Whole Person. The Choice of the Name is predestined by the Science of Light called Jyotish. Mylapore subdivision of Madras (Chennai) City.

I am born on a Friday night, at 4:30 A.M or the early morning hours of Saturday as the day begins at Sunrise. My grandfather’s residence on Kutchery Road is located at a short distance from Santhome Cathedral on the East, and Kapaleeswarar Temple on the West.

Bharat Darshan: What’s in a Name? The Making of a Whole Name for the Whole Person. The Choice of the Name is predestined by the Science of Light called Jyotish. A view of Kutchery Road with the spire of Santhome Cathedral.

The Corporation of Chennai, Public Health Department entered my birth in the Birth Register and issued a certificate which records my gender, the date and time of my birth, the place of my birth, the names of my father and mother, the registration number and it does not show my name as my parents did not give me a name while reporting my birth. Much later, while living in the United States, I contacted the City Corporation requesting the City Public Health Officer to add my name to my own birth record and my request was not granted for the City requires the signatures of two witnesses.

Bharat Darshan – The Making of a Name by the Science of Light. The performance of Rudra Puja at Kapaleeswarar Temple, Mylapore, Madras, Chennai was predestined.

I spent the years of my early childhood at my paternal grandfather’s mansion in Innespeta, Rajahmundry, East Godavari District of Madras Presidency and later Andhra Pradesh, India.

As per the traditional belief and the practice of Vedic Astrology known as Jyotish (Science of Light),  my Birth Star Moola predicted and warned about some forthcoming inauspicious events.

Bharat Darshan: The Making of a Whole Name for the Whole Person. The Key Themes of Birth Star Moola Nakshtra.

The astrological calculations suggested that remedial action is needed to counter the negative aspects of the Moola Birth Star.

Bharat Darshan – The Making of a Name by the Science of Light.

Accordingly, my father performed a ritualistic worship popularly known as Rudra Abhishekam  and worshiped Lord Shiva at the beautiful Kapaleeswarar Temple of Mylapore.

Bharat Darshan: What’s in a Name? The making of a Whole Name for the Whole Person. The choice of the Name is predestined by the Science of Light called Jyotish.

To ensure that I would always enjoy the blessings of Lord Shiva, my father decided to name me as Rudra. Hence, the name of Rudra instantly connects me to my birth place of Mylapore and to Lord Kapaleeswarar who was chosen as my personal protector.

Bharat Darshan: What’s in a name? My paternal grandfather. The family astrologer who had prepared my horoscope predicted an inauspicious event and the prediction came true five months after my birth. But the prediction did not deter my grandfather in any manner. My grandmother whose name I had acquired told me that my grandfather had loved me with all his heart without any concern about the astrological prediction.

My birth star also forewarned about consequences that impact my paternal grandfather. There was no easy escape from the influences and the second part of my personal name was carefully chosen as Narasimham to please my paternal grandmother, Lakshmi Narasamma. Because of the gender variation, her name Narasamma got transformed to Narasimham. This name immediately connects me to the Laws of Karma.

Bharat Darshan: The Making of a Whole Name for the Whole Person. The choice of the Name is predestined by the Science of Light called Jyotish.

The names Rudra and Narasimham are well-known and particularly in the southern States of India, the name Narasimham and numerous variations of that name are frequently used. As long as I remain a conscious entity, my grandparents live in my consciousness.

Bharat Darshan – The Making of a Name by the Science of Light. Moola Star belongs to the Sagittarius constellation.

Astrology or Jyotish may not be a perfect Science. Horoscopes may not precisely predict the future course of events in a person’s life. I exist in this world and I am known by a name which was specifically selected for me because of the predictions cast by my horoscope and the predictions came true and  I find enough justification for this Indian Cultural Tradition called Jyotish.   

Bharat Darshan: The Making of a Whole Name for the Whole Person. The Rebbapragadas Group describes people related to this group of people and others connected to Rebbapragadas.

 A unique name and a unique perspective:  

Bharat Darshan – The making of a Whole Name for the Whole Person: The decision to serve in the Indian Army Medical Corps was made at Kurnool and I was granted Short Service Regular Commission in the rank of Second Lieutenant after an interview conducted at the Principal’s Office in the Administrative Block of Kurnool Medical College. Dr. Bhasker Reddy, Principal conducted this interview along with a team of Army Medical Corps Medical Officers.

In 1965, I joined Kurnool Medical College after I obtained a Bachelor of Science degree from Osmania University, Hyderabad. At Kurnool, a batch of B.Sc., degree students were directly admitted into the second year of the medical education program that awards the M.B.B.S degree. Professor Rama Murthy of the Anatomy Department was very fond of knowing and recognizing each of his students by their personal names. On the first day of our Anatomy class, the attendance register was not ready and Professor Rama Murthy decided to call out names from the list of selected candidates. He very solemnly announced to the class that the roll call begins with a very angry and fiery name. We were intently listening to know what that name could be. Apparently, the list of selected students was prepared according to merit and my name was placed at the top of the list. He called my name and expressed his sense of disbelief. He asked me to verify my name and told the class that it was the first time in his life that he encountered a person with the personal name of Rudra Narasimham. His statement appears to be right and I have not met any other person who may have the same name. It is one of its own kind and is unique and special and these two names were put together to establish me as a Whole Person. 

Bharat Darshan: The Making of a Whole Name for a Whole Person. Socrates implored people to ‘know thy self.’ He had stated that the unexamined life is not worth living. Understanding life involves understanding personal identity and name is a word by which an object of thought is known.

The name Rudra, the first part of my first name is related to Lord Shiva who is recognized as the God of Learning. Shiva is like Socrates. Socrates of 5th century B.C. is claimed to be the father of western thought. He implores people to “know thy self.” Socrates states that the ‘unexamined life is not worth living’. Shiva guides me to reflect upon life. Shiva encourages introspection, reflecting upon your own mind and thoughts. Shiva defines that the purpose of learning is to acquire the ability to think for oneself.

Bharat Darshan: What’s in a Name? The Making of a Whole Name for the Whole Person. The Choice of the Name is predestined by the Science of Light called Jyotish.

The name Narasimham represents to me a Whole Person who defends my right to choose the Name for my worship. The story about  Prince Prahlad of Bhagavata Purana, the epic poem called Bhagavatam, represents the cultural importance attached to personal choice in matters of religious worship. Names of persons, places and the legends form a part of Cultural Legacy of our Land and define the Indian Identity described by the Name Bharat. 

Bharat Darshan – The Making of a Whole Name for the Whole Person by the Science of Light. Moola Star of Sagittarius constellation.