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The very idiom “chink in one’s armour’ refers to an area of vulnerability. There is no denying the fact that each one of us has a ‘chink in our armour’. Even the most powerful person on earth has a chink in his armour. Destiny bestows a chink in everyone’s armour that subjugates a Vardan (boon) if the person becomes immoral. This is when the armour reveals the chink. Traditionally the idiom is used to refer to a weak spot in a figurative suit of armour. The usual meaning is similar to that of the ‘Achilles heel’.
There was once an asura who with his marathon tapasya and devotion was able to please Lord Shiva. In return, he obtained from him the powerful ‘Vardan’ to burn anyone to ashes the moment he placed his hand on his head. The asura came to be known as Bhasmasur because he could reduce anyone to ashes by his mere touch.
Bhasmasur was indeed delighted by this vardan of Lord Shiva. So he decided to try out, his newly acquired power, on Shiva himself. When Shiva learnt of his intention he fled in horror and sought the help of Lord Vishnu, who transformed himself into Mohini the renowned apsara to distract Bhasmasur. Overwhelmed by lust, Bhasmasur begged Mohini to marry him. Mohini agreed but laid down a condition that only if, Bhasmasur could dance like her. Bhasmasur agreed to her condition. During the dance, Mohini touched her head. The deluded Bhasmasur, blinded by desire, copied her, and he put his hand on his head too and was burnt to ashes, much to the delight of Lord Shiva.
Achilles, in Greek mythology, is the hero of the Trojan War, a central character in Homer’s Iliad. He is the son of Peleus, the king of the Myrmidons, and the Nereid, or the sea nymph, Thetis. Achilles was brave, handsome, and the greatest warrior of the army of Agamemnon in the Trojan War. According to Homer, Achilles was brought up by his mother Thetis at Phthia a city in Greece with his inseparable companion Patroclus. Thetis the mother of Achilles dipped Achilles as a child in the waters of the River Styx, which made him invulnerable, except for the part of his heel by which she held him—which is called the proverbial “Achilles’ heel.” Achilles was invulnerable all over except for one heel that remained untouched by the water of the River Styx.
According to the legend, after the Trojan War, the Trojan prince Paris at the request of his sister Polyxena ambushed Achilles. Paris shot a fatal arrow into Achilles’ vulnerable spot … the heel. Paris was avenging his brother, Hector, whom Achilles had killed.
In the Mahabharat, Gandhari made a single purposeful exception to her blindfold when she removed it to shield her eldest son Duryodhana. She poured all her power into her son’s body in one gaze, rendering Duryodhana’s entire body, except his loins, as strong as a rock. But Krishna foiled Gandhari’s plan by asking Duryodhana to cover up his private parts before meeting his mother. Later on their decisive encounter on the eighteenth day of the Kurukshetra battle, Bhima smashed Duryodhana’s thighs, a move both literally and figuratively below the belt, breaking the rules to kill him.
In the Lanka War in Ramayan, Vibhishan’s knowledge about the secrets of Lanka proves invaluable to Ram. Vibhishan freely divulges many secrets that become key to the success of Ram’s attack. In the climactic battle between Ram and Ravan, when Ram is unable to kill Ravan, he reveals the secret of Ravan’s invulnerability to Ram. He tells Ram that Ravan has stored the nectar of immortality (amrit) in his belly and it is necessary to dry it first and then kill him. With this knowledge, Ram is finally able to kill Ravan.
A boon is not an easy object to handle. It comes with a lot of responsibility. Use your brains if you need to copy someone. And if your karmas are immoral no amount of boon, Raksha or Suraksha Kavach or armour will be able to save you.
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Posted by Kamlesh Tripathi
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https://kamleshsujata.wordpress.com
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Shravan Charity Mission is an NGO that works for poor children suffering from life-threatening diseases, especially cancer. Our posts are meant for our readers, including children and adults, and have a huge variety in content. We also accept donations for our mission. Should you wish to donate to the cause? The bank details are given below:
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Kamlesh Tripathi’s Publications
GLOOM BEHIND THE SMILE
(The book is about a young cancer patient. Now archived in 8 prestigious libraries of the US which include Harvard College Library; Harvard University Library; Library of Congress; University of Washington, Seattle; University of Minnesota, Minneapolis; Yale University, New Haven; University of Chicago; University of North Carolina, at Chapel Hill University Libraries. It can also be accessed at MIT through Worldcat.org. Besides, it is also available for reading in libraries and archives of Canada; Cancer Aid and Research Foundation Mumbai; Jaipuria Institute of Management, Noida, India; Shoolini University, Yogananda Knowledge Center, Himachal Pradesh and Azim Premzi University, Bangalore).
ONE TO TANGO … RIA’S ODYSSEY
(Is a book on ‘singlehood’ about a Delhi girl now archived in Connemara Library, Chennai and Delhi Public Library, GOI, Ministry of Culture, Delhi; It is also available for reading in the Indian National Bibliography, March 2016, in the literature section, in Central Reference Library, Ministry of Culture, India, Belvedere, Kolkata-700022)
AADAB LUCKNOW … FOND MEMORIES
(Is a fiction written around the great city of Nawabs—Lucknow. It describes Lucknow in great detail and also talks about its Hindu-Muslim amity, which is the undying characteristic of Lucknow. The book was launched at the Lucknow International Literary Festival in 2014. It is included for reading in Askews and Holts Library Services, Lancashire, U.K; Herrick District Library, Holland and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Library, Mecklenburg County in North Carolina, USA; Black Gold Cooperative Library Administration, Arroyo Grande, California; Berkeley Library, University of California).
REFRACTIONS … FROM THE PRISM OF GOD
(Co-published by Cankids–Kidscan, a pan India NGO and Shravan Charity Mission, that works for child cancer in India. The book is endorsed by Ms Preetha Reddy, MD Apollo Hospitals Group. It was launched at the Lucknow International Literary Festival in 2016).
TYPICAL TALE OF AN INDIAN SALESMAN
(Is a story of an Indian salesman who is, humbly qualified. Yet he fights his way through unceasing uncertainties to reach the top. A good read not only for salesmen. The book was launched on 10th February 2018 at Gorakhpur Lit-Fest. Now available on Amazon, Flipkart and Onlinegatha)
RHYTHM … in poems
(Published in January 2019. The book contains 50 poems. The poems describe our day-to-day life. A few poems from the book have been published in Shillong Times, Bandra Times and Bhavan’s Journal. The book is available on Amazon, Flipkart and Onlinegatha)
MIRAGE
(Published in February 2020. The book is a collection of eight short stories available on Amazon, Flipkart and Notion Press)
AWADH ASSAM AND DALAI LAMA … The Kalachakra
(The story of the man who received His Holiness The Dalai Lama and his retinue in 1959 as a GOI representative when he fled Tibet in 1959. The book was launched on 21st November 2022 by His Holiness The Dalai Lama at Dharmshala. The title is archived in the library of the Department of Information and International Relations (DIIR) Government of Tibet, Tibet Policy Institute (TPI) and the personal library of His Holiness The Dalai Lama. The title is also archived in The Ohio Digital Library, USA. It was recently included in the digital library of the world-renowned company APPLE).
BHAVANS JOURNAL
Short stories, Book reviews and Articles published in Bhavan’s Journal: 1. Reality and Perception, 15.10.19; 2. Sending the Wrong Message, 31.5.20; 3. Eagle versus Scholars June, 15 & 20, 2020; 4. Indica, 15.8.20; 5. The Story of King Chitraketu, August 31 2020; 6. Breaking Through the Chakravyuh, September 30 2020. 7. The Questioning Spouse, October 31, 2020; 8. Happy Days, November 15, 2020; 9. The Karma Cycle of Paddy and Wheat, December 15, 2020; 10. Power Vs Influence, January 31, 2021; 11. Three Refugees, March 15, 2021; 12. Rise and Fall of Ajatashatru, March 31, 2021; 13. Reformed Ruler, May 15, 2021; 14. A Lasting Name, May 31, 2021; 15. Are Animals Better Teachers? June 16, 2021; 16. Book Review: The Gram Swaraj, 1.7.21; 17. Right Age for Achievements, 15.7.21; 18. Big Things Have Small Beginnings, 15.8.21; 19. Where is Gangaridai?, 15.9.21; 20. Confront the Donkey Within You 30.9.21; 21. Know Your Strengths 15.10.21; 22. Poverty 15.11.21; 23. Top View 30.11.21; 24. The Bansuriwala 15.1.22; 25. Sale of Alaska 15.2.22; 26. The Dimasa Kingdom 28.2.22;27. Buried Treasure 15.4.22; 28. The Kingdom of Pragjyotisha 30.4.22; 29. Who is more useful? 15.5.22; 30. The White Swan from Lake Mansarovar 30.6.22; 31. Bhool Bhulayya 15.9.22; 32. Good Karma 30.9.22; 33. Good Name vs Bad Name 15.10.22; 34. Uttarapath—The Grand Trunk Road 1.12.22; 35. When Gods Get Angry 1.1.23; 36. Holinshed’s Chronicles 15.1.23; 37. Theogony 15.2.23; 38. Poem: Mother 14.5.23; 39. THE NAG MANDIR 30.6.23; 40. The Story of Garuda 30.7.23; 41. Janmabhoomi vs Karmabhoomi 31.8.23; 42. The Ghost Town of Kuldhara 15.9.23; 43. The Tale of Genji 15.10.23; 44. The Soul Connection 1.12.23; 45.Book review: Jungle Nama … a story of the Sundarban 16.3.24;
THE SHILLONG TIMES
ARTICLES & POEMS: 1. POEM: HAPPY NEW YEAR 8.1.23; 2. POEM: SPRING 12.3.23; 3. POEM: RIGHT AND WRONG 20.3.23; 4. THE GUSH OF EMOTION—WRITING, 26.3.23; 5. THE NAG MANDIR, 7.5.23; 6. POEM: MOTHER 7.5.23; 7. POEM: RAIN RAIN 9.7.23; 8. POEM: YOU COME ALONE YOU GO ALONE 6.8.23; 9. RAIN RAIN (SECOND TIME) 10.8.23; 10. POEM: GURU TEACHER 10.8.23; 11. POEM: AUTUMN … THE INTERIM HEAVEN 15.10.23; 12. POEM: HAPPY DIWALI 12.11.23; 13. OVERCOMING BLINDNESS: LEARN IT THE JOHN MILTON WAY 10.12.23; 14. THE HAPPY PRINCE AND THE HAPPY MAN’S SHIRT 31.12.23; 15. ANNUS MIRABILIS 2024 7.1.24; 16. GANDHI TO MAHATMA GANDHI- Incidents that Shaped Gandhi in South Africa 28.1.24; 17. POEM: TOGETHER BUT NOT MADE FOR EACH OTHER, 11.2.24; 18. THE BIRDS BEES AND THE SPIDERS OF NICHOLAS GUILDFORD AND JONATHAN SWIFT 25.2.24; 19. THE OVERCOATS OF NIKOLAI GOGOL AND RUSKIN BOND 10.3.24; 20. THE ETHNIC COLOURS OF HOLI 24.3.24
THE ASSAM TRIBUNE
ARTICLE: 1. THE MAGIC OF READING 11.12.23; 2. GANDHI TO MAHATMA 29.1.24;
BANDRA TIMES, MUMBAI
ARTICLES & POEMS: 1. POEM: SPRING, 1.4.23; 2. POEM: MOTHER, 1.6.23; 3. POEM: RAIN RAIN, 1.8.23;
ARTICLES IN THE DIGITAL MAGAZINE ESAMSKRITI
29.12.2020: INDICA BY MEGASTHENES; 14.3.22: ABOUT THE DIMASA KINGDOM ASSAM; 10.12.22: GRAND TRUNK ROAD-UTTARAPATH; 5.10.23: THE GHOST TOWN OF KULDHARA NEAR JAISALMER;
(ALL THE ABOVE BOOK TITLES ARE AVAILABLE FOR SALE ON AMAZON, FLIPKART AND OTHER ONLINE STORES OR YOU COULD EVEN WRITE TO US FOR A COPY)
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