TYPES OF FRIENDS (Post No.3595)

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Date: 1 FEBRUARY 2017

 

Time uploaded in London:-  9-32 am

 

Post No. 3595

 

 

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Who is your reliable friend?

At home your wife is your reliable friend

In a foreign country, your knowledge or your wisdom is your best friend.

For a sick person, his or her medicine is the friend.

When you are dead Dharma is your best friend. Nothing else can accompany you. Whatever you have done good when you are alive will help you.

This is what our forefathers have found in course of thousands of years and have summarised their wisdom in two beautiful lines:-

Pravaase vidyaa- Knowledge in foreign country

Grhe bhaaryaa – Wife at home

Vyaadhitah ausadam- Medicine for the sick

Mrtasya dharma- Dharma for the dead

 

Vidyamitram pravaseshu bharyamitram Genesis ca

Vyaditasyausadam mitramdharmo mitram mrtasya ca

—-Sushasita Ratna Bhandagara159-287

xxx

How do you get Friends?

 

Aurasa-Born of same parents

Krtasambhandha-Related by marriage

Vamsa-Lineage

Rakshaka-Protector in suffering

 

Aurasam krtasambandhamtatha vamsakrmaghatam

Rakshakam vysanebhya ca  mitral njeyam caturvidham

—Kamandakiya Nitisastra

 

The protector in suffering is a very interesting one. In Tamil and Sanskrit literature, we come across several poems where in a girl falls in love with someone who protected her. This is a theme widely used in feature films as well. It may be saving someone is who is drowning or someone who is attacked by a tiger or someone dying in poverty.

 

Xxx

 

Tamil Wisdom

Tamil saint Tiruvalluvar has summarised the good things about friendship in ten couplets in the Tail Veda ‘Tirukkural’

 

Valluvar compares good and friends with the moon in one of his couplets:

The friendship of the worthy develops day by day like like the waxing crescent moon,

but foolish alliances deteriorate as the waning thereof –(Kural 782)

 

He says good friends are like great books:

As one sees greater beauty and derives enhanced pleasures, from the deeper study of a great book, Noble friendships gain in worth and grace day by day (783)

Swimmer Flavia Zoccari’s wardrobe malfunction (valluvar used this as a simile)

He adds,

Friendship is not for laughing and merry making. It is to hit at wrong movements by harsh advice.(784).

But Valluvar is at his best when he talks about how quick one should help one’s friend in distress:

Like the hand that, that goes to the rescue when a garment slips, stepping into help

When a friend faces adversity, is true friendship (788)

This is reflex action. When one’s garments slips, the hand picks it up quickly. We have seen many such awkward moments in the public events. Valluvar must also have seen such slips!

 

There are beautiful quotations about Friendship in Panchatantra and Valmiki Ramayana. I will give them in another post.

 

–subham–

 

What is Happiness? Where is Happiness? (Post No.3592)

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Date: 31 JANUARY 2017

 

Time uploaded in London:-  6-04 am

 

Post No. 3592

 

 

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Following verses are available in Sanskrit literature. The verses and the proverbs are the summary of our ancient wisdom.

 

1.Santosah kartavyah/ Contentment to be had

 

Svadaaraa–With one’s own wife

Bhojana–In eating

Dhana–With one’s own wealth

 

Santosastrishu kartavyah svadare bhojane dhane

Subaashita ratna bhaandaagaaram

 

Xxx

 

2.Aagame sukh am, nirgame praanasankatam/ Happiness during association , sorrow in separation 

Adhikaaram–Rulership

Garbham–Pregnancy

Vittam–Wealth

Svaanamaithuna–Copulation of dogs

 

Adhikaram ca garbham ca Vitaminwater ca svaanamaithunam

Agame sukhamapnoti nirgame praanasankatam

 

Xxxx

 

3.Types of Bliss

Visayaananda–Worldly happiness

Yogaananda–Bliss through yoga

Advaitananda–Non dual bliss

Videhaananda–Bliss beyond body

Brahmaananda–Supreme bliss

 

Vishaye yoganandau dwavadvaitananda Eva ca

Videhanando vikyata brahmanandasca pancamaah

XXX

4.Dance is the climax of delight –Granthasthagaathegaaku

5.To reside in the same place for long, is unconducive to pleasure Mahabharata 3-36-36

6.Whom does not soothing speech console? Bharata Manjari

 

7.If contented, who then is rich or poor? Vairagya Sataka.53

 

8.The wise must make others happy – that itself is the worship of the Divine

(santosam janayepraajnaah tadaiva Isvara puujanam)-Sanskrit Proverb

 

9.No wealth equal to Happiness – Pancatantra 2-162

(santosa tulyam dhanamasti naanyat)

 

10.The happy achieve, the weeping scorch others—Sanskrit Proverb

(hasadbhih kriyate karma rudadbhih paripacyate)

 

–subham–

 

 

 

28 Beautiful Quotations of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa—Post No. 3587

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Date: 29th January 2017

 

Time uploaded in London:-  6-17 AM

 

Post No.3587

 

 

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February 2017 Good Thoughts Calendar

 

Festival Days and Holidays:- February 3-Rata Saptami; 9-Thai Pusam;  24-Maha Shivaratri

 

Ekadasi- 7,22

New Moon Day-26

Full moon Day- 10

Auspicious Days-1, 2, 6, 9, 16, 17, 23.

February 1 Wednesday

There are pearls in the deep sea, but you must hazard all the perils to get them. If you fail to get at them  by a single dive, do not conclude that the sea is without them. So also in the quest for the Lord, if your first attempt to see him proves fruitless, do not lose heart. Persevere in the attempt, and you are sure to realise Him at last.

 

February 2 Thursday

As a lamp, does not burn without oil, so a man cannot live without God.

 

February 3 Friday

As the water of the ocean is now calm and next agitated into waves, so are Brahman and Maya. Th e ocean in the tranquil state is Brahman, and in the turbulent state, Maya.

February 4 Saturday

The snake itself is not affected by the poison in its fangs; but when it bites, the poison kills the creature bitten. Likewise, Maya is in the Lord but does not affect Him, while the same Maya deludes the whole world.

February 5 Sunday

Women and gold keep men immersed in worldliness. Woman is disarmed when you view her as the manifestation of the Divine Mother.

 

February 6 Monday

Snakes are venomous reptiles. But the man who has learnt the art of snake charming can play even with seven snakes coiled around his snake. Similarly a man of realisation is immune from the dangers of worldly life.

February 7 Tuesday

A Brahmana’s son is no doubt a Brahmana by birth; but some of these born Brahmanas grow up into great scholars, some become priests, others turn out cooks, and still others roll themselves in the dust before courtesans’ doors.

 

February 8 Wednesday

There are some who boast of their wealth and power, of their name and fame, and high status in society; but all these are for some time only. None of these will follow them after death.

February 9 Thursday

If  I hold this cloth before me you cannot see me anymore, though I am still as near you as ever. So also though God is nearer to you than anything else, because of the screen of egotism, you cannot see Him.

February 10 Friday

Hanuman was blessed with the vision of God both with form and without it. But he retained the ego of servant of a God.  Such was also the case of Narada, Sanaka, Sanandana and Sanatkumara.

 

February 11 Saturday

In the Kingdom of God, reason, intellect and learning are of no avail. There the dumb speak, the blind see, and the deaf hear.

February 12 Sunday

To explain God merely after reading the scriptures is explaining to a person the city of Banaras after seeing it only in a map.

 

February 13 Monday

Utter the word Gita, in quick succession, several times. It is then virtually pronounced as Tagi, Tagi, which means one who has renounced the world for the sake of God. Thus, in one word, Gita teaches, RENOUNCE. Renounce everything, and fix the mind on Lord.

February 14 Tuesday

As the water under a bridge enters from one side and passes out at the other, so religious advice given to the worldlings enters the mind thorough one ear and goes out by the other, without leaving any impression.

 

February 15Wednesday

Iron appears as red hot in the furnace, but becomes black soon after it is taken out. In the same way, worldly men are full of religious emotion if they are in a temple or in the society of the pious; but no sooner do they leave these associations the flood of devotion in them subsides.

 

February 16 Thursday

Out of the myriads of paper kites that are seen flying in the air, one or two get free by snapping of the string. So out of hundreds of aspirants practising spiritual disciples only one or two get free from worldly bondage.

 

February 17 Friday

When a certain quantity of milk is mixed with double the quantity of water it requires good deal of time and labour to condense it. The mind of a worldly man is diluted with the filthy water of impure thoughts and he has to work long and hard to purify it.

 

February 18 Saturday

Butter churned early in the morning is the best; that churned after sunrise is not so good. Addressing his young disciples, Master used to say, “You are like butter churned in the early morning; my householder disciples are like butter churned late in the day.

February 19 Sunday

The young bamboo can be bent easily , but the full-grown bamboo breaks when it is bent with force. It is easy to bend the young heart towards God.

February 20 Monday

The love in the heart of a boy is whole and undivided. When he gets married in time, half of his heart or more, is given away to his wife, and when children are born to him, he loses another quarter there off, while the remaining quarter is divided among father, mother, honour, fame, pride, dress and the rest; therefore, he has no love left to offer to God.

 

February 21 Tuesday

It is the nature of the winnowing basket to reject whatever is light and useless, and whatever is weighty and good. Such is the nature of all pious souls.

February 22 Wednesday

Wherein is the strength of a devotee? He is a child of God, and his devotional tears are his mightiest weapon.

February 23 Thursday

The man whose hair stands on end at the mere mention of the name of God, and from whose eyes flow tears of love – he has indeed reached his last birth.

February 24 Friday

A boat may stay in the water, but water should not stay in the boat. An aspirant may live in the world, but the world should not live within him.

February 25 Saturday

When you are engaged in devotional practices, keep aloof from those who scoff at them, and from those who ridicule the piety and the pious.

 

February 26 Sunday

If a white cloth is stained even with a small spot, the stain appears very ugly indeed. So the smallest fault of a holy man becomes painfully prominent.

February 27 Monday

Trust not a Sanyasin (ascetic) who practises medicine, uses spells and incantations, receives money and displays his piety with sign boards of elaborate external marks.

February 28 Tuesday

The oyster that contains the precious pearl is of very little value, but it is essential for the growth of the pearl. The shell is of no use after securing the pearl. So, ceremonies and rites may not be necessary for him who has attained the highest truth, namely, God.

–Subham–

 

 

Know these Ten “J”s (Post No.3584)

Picture of River Ganga (Jahnavi)

Compiled by London swaminathan

 

Date: 28 January 2017

 

Time uploaded in London:-6-59 am

 

Post No.3584

 

 

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Five “J” s difficult to obtain

 

Jananii- Mother

Janmabhuumi-Motherland

Jaahnavii- Ganga, river Ganges

Janaardhana- Lord Vishnu

Janaka- Father

 

Jananii janmabhuumiscajaahnavii ca janaardhanah

Kanaka pancamascaiva jakaaraah Pancha durlabaah

-Subaashita ratna baandaakaaram157-170

 

Five “J” s who never attain contentment

 

Jaamaataa-Son in law

Jatharam-Stomach

Jaayaa – wife

Jaatavedas-Fire

Jalaasaya-ocean

 

Jaamataa jatharam jaayaa jaatavedaa jalaasayah

Puuritaanaiva puuryante jakaaraah panca durbaraah

-Subaashita ratna baandaakaaram157-169

 

If you think deeper on each J you will know why our forefathers compiled this list of J-s. When they say Janaka=Father they mean an illustrious father who is praised as an example for other fathers. When they say Jananai= Mother , they mean an illustrious mother like Jeejabhai, who created a hero like Veera Shivaji.

–subham–

 

Voltaire, Churchill’s Wife and Max Beerbohm Anecdotes (Post No.3582)

French Poet Voltaire

 

Compiled by London swaminathan

 

Date: 27 January 2017

 

Time uploaded in London:-19-44

 

Post No.3582

 

 

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Fatness Anecdotes continued…………..

 

Chesterfield and Voltaire were once attending a ball in London. A celebrated beauty was there , much berouged and painted. This lady concentrated a great deal of her attention very flattering ly upon the renowned French man Chesterfield accosted Voltaire and cautioned jokingly

“Sir, take care that you are not captivated.”

 

“My old friend, said Voltaire, I scorn to be taken by an English craft with French colours”.

 

Xxx

Churchill’s Wife in Election Campaign!

Lady Randolph Churchill was canvassing among the voters of Woodstock on behalf her husband, the then chancellor of the exchequer . Interviewing a workman, she asked for his support. No, certainly not, he replied. I should never think of voting for a I unity lazy fellow who never leaves bed until dinner time.

The lady assured him that he was wrongly informed, adding,

As I happen to be his wife, my evidence ought to be conclusive.

“Lor, madam”, he at once replied,

“If you were my wife I should never want to get up”.

 

Xxx

British Painter Sir Joshua Reynolds

Signature for the Posterity!

 

One of the finest compliments ever offered was the compliment by Sir Joshua Reynolds to Mrs Siddons, the Queen of Tragedy, whose portrait he painted. When it was finished Mrs Siddons noticed a peculiar brocaded effect upon the corner of the robe, and found on closer examination that it was the painters name inscribed upon it. Turning to the artist she was met with a stately bow.

“I could not resist the opportunity, sir Joshua explained, of sending down my name to posterity on the hem of your garment.”

 

Xxx

 

Picture of Max Beerbohm

Discovered sudden beauty!

It was one of those Selfridge election parties that Max Beerbohm was heard to make one of his delightful remarks. He and his wife had been asked to come to the party, which was attended by nearly all London. There were beautiful girls from the stage , striking ladies from the film studios and others both beautiful and striking from addresses Mayfair.

He looked gravely round at the faces near him. All were painted, not with the art that conceals art, but with the determination to gain attention. This elderly exquisite looked again and shuddered, then he turned to his wife,

“My dear, you are looking so charming tonight that I simply must talk to you”.

—Subham–

Stubbornness and Vanity Anecdotes (Post No.3579)

Compiled by London swaminathan

 

Date: 26 January 2017

 

Time uploaded in London:- 19-28

 

Post No.3579

 

 

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General Grant was known for his tenaciousness. Having once taken a place he never surrendered it.  Abraham Lincoln once commented on this to General Butler, saying,

“When General Grant once gets possessed of a place he seems to hang on to its if he had inherited it”.

 

Xxx

How to control Mules?

A man who was extremely successful in dealing with mule teams was once was asked by General Booth of the Salvation Army, how he managed the stubborn creatures

Well, General, explained the man,

“When they stop and won’t go on I just pick up a handful of soil and put it in their mouths. Of course, they spit it out, but as a rule they start on”.

Why do you think it has the effect?, asked the General.

“Well, I don’t know, but I expect it changes the current of their thoughts”, the mule driver replied.

 

Xxx

Vanity anecdotes

Byron’s vanity

Scrope Davies was on very intimate terms with many great men of the period, and he had such admiration for the author of Don Juan, Byron, that he could gain admission to his rooms at all hours . On one occasion, he found the poet in bed with his hair “en papillote”, upon which Scrope cried in great glee.

“Ha, ha, Byron , I have at last caught you acting the part of the Sleeping Beauty.”

Byron, in a rage, exclaimed ,

“No Scrope; the part of a damned fool, you should have said”.

Upon which Scrope answered ,

“Anything you please, but you have succeeded admirably in deceiving your friends, for it was my conviction that your hair curled naturally” .

“Yes, naturally every night; but do not, my dear Scrope, let the cat out of the bag, for I am as vain of my curls as a girlfriend sixteen.”

 

–Subham–

 

Stinginess Anecdotes (Post No.3576)

Compiled by London swaminathan

 

Date: 25 January 2017

 

Time uploaded in London:- 20-17

 

Post No.3576

 

 

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Good Man, but……………..

Jock said to his wife one night,

“Weel, Maggy, I think I will go and pay my respects to the new neighbour”.

Upon his return sometime later, Maggie said,

“Weel, Jock, what kind of a mon is the new neighbour?”

“He is a guid mon”, replied Jock

“A guid mon and verra liberal with his liquor. But verra bad quality. In fact, Maggie, it was that bad, I nearly left some.”.

 

Xxx

 

Funeral Speech!

The story is told of the hard-bitten old Quaker who had died. At the funeral service, those who had gathered were standing silently by, waiting, as was the custom, for anyone who might wish to do so, make some tribute to the departed. At last one old man spoke and said,

Well, I can say one good thing about William. He wasn’t always as mean as he was sometimes.

 

Xxx

'You have to spend money to make money, and Walter just HATES it.'

Mountain of Gold

Two friends were walking down the street .

“If you could have any wish”, asked one of them.

“What would it be ?”

“A mountain of gold, said his friend.”

And, said his questioner,

“If you had your mountain of gold , surely we are such old friends , you would give me half?”

“I would not, said the other firmly , Nothing would I give.”

His friend was deeply hurt.

“What?, he demanded, all these years our friendship  and this is what I get?”

“Look, the other said practically, “wish yourself a mountain of gold and leave me alone.”

 

 

Xxx

Wordsworth Vs Godwin

When Godwin in 1822 was on the point of being sold out to his creditors a fund was started for him, to which Lamb, Crabbe, Byron, Robinson and Scott contributed, Wordsworth refused to subscribe. The inference is that, while generous enough to inferiors who would be duly grateful, Wordsworth was indifferent to an equal, however needy, especially an arrogant equal like Godwin from whom no gratitude was expected.

 

Xxx

Duke Cigarettes

James Duke, founder of the tobacco fortune, was one of those eccentrically miserly character s whose accumulation of wealth is a vast storing up and no giving out. When he already begun to earn an income of more than $50000 a year he took pride in living in the cheapest hall bedroom in New York and eating his meals at a Bowery restaurant. At that time he would permit no one associated with the Duke tobacco business, other than himself, to earn more than $1000 a year.

XxxSubhamxxx

 

Age Anecdotes (Post No. 3549)

Image of Cicero, Roman emperor

Compiled by London swaminathan

 

Date: 16 January 2017

 

Time uploaded in London:- 20–17

 

Post No.3549

 

 

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Fabia Dollabella saying she was thirty years of age.
Cicero answered:”it must be true, for I have heard it these twenty years.

Xxx

 

92 year old man after a young girl!

When Oliver Wendel Holmes was still on the Supreme Court bench, he and Justice Brandeis took walk every afternoon. On one of the occasion s, Holmes, then 92, paused to gaze in Frank admiration at a beautiful young girl who passed them. He even turned to look at her as she continued down the street. Then, turning to Brandeis, he sighed, “Oh! what I wouldn’t give to be 70 again!

Xxx

A farmer called out to Colonel Thomas Hart Benton and inquired to know his age. The Colonel replied, “According to the calendar my age is seventy four, but when anything is to be done I am thirty five years old, sir”.

Xxx

 

Bernard Shaw on Youth!

Youth, said Bernard Shaw , ” is a wonderful thing. What a crime to waste it on children “.

Xxx

I do not approve of shadows in painting “, said Queen Elizabeth to Daniel Meyers. ” You must strike off my likeness without shadows.

The queen was near sixty when she said this and the shadows, as she charitably called them were wrinkles big enough to have had a straw in them.

Xxx

I am 38, only my Mum is 41!

Stirred by the patriotic fervour that swept over the country, an Irish man of 41 tried to enlist in
the army. Although the recruiting sergeant saw that this man would make a good soldier, he could not accept any man over 38.

“Listen, fella”, said the sergeant, ” are you sure of your age? Suppose y ou go home and think it over, and then come back tomorrow.”

Next day the Irish man returned.
“Well,how old are you now? Asked the sergeant.
“I was wrong yesterday “,said the hopeful recruit. ” Sure , I am 38. It’s e old mother who is 41″.

Xxx

Ex President of USA

In his e extreme old age John Quincy Adams was slowly and feebly walking down a street in Boston. An old friend accosted him and shaking his trembling hand asked, ” and how is john Quincy Adams today?

“Thank you “, said the ex-president, ” John Quincy Adams is well, quite well, I thank you. But the house in which he lives at present is becoming quite dilapidated. It is tottering upon its foundations. Time and the season s have nearly destroyed it. Its roof is pretty well worn out . Its walls are much shattered, and it tremble s with every wind. The old tenement is almost uninhabitable, and I think John Quincy Adams will have to move out of. It soon. But he himself is quite well, quite well “.

SUBHAM

 

Business is Business!(Post No.3545)

Written by S NAGARAJAN

 

Date: 15 January 2017

 

Time uploaded in London:-  5-47 am

 

 

Post No.3545

 

 

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Business is Business and How to win the game

by S. Nagarajan

 

The nature of the world is to find fault with everybody. You have to bear these comments and you have to sail smooth against the rough waves.

Be it a manager, or a CEO, or a club president, nobody could satisfy all.

 

If he begins on time,                        He is a tyrant

If he waits for late-comers               He is too tolerant

If he requires constant attention       He is a despot

If he does not care                            He makes himself foolish

If he assumes the spokesman’ role   He becomes a bore

If he yields                                        He becomes unnecessary

If he calls for silence                         it is an abuse of power

If he permits disorder                        He falls in authority

If he is firm                                        He takes himself too seriously

If he is good-natured                          He does not maintain his rank

If he expounds his own ideas             People are perforce against him

If he asks for a choice                        He is irresolute

If he is dynamic                                 He is worked up

If he remains cautious                       He is inefficient

If he does everything on his own      He is conceited

If he delegates                                   He is lazy

If he is attentive to the ladies            He is obsequious

If he is not                                         He is a snob!!!

 

I.P.Guillon, Rotary Club of Marmande, France has written the above  under the caption The Club President  in French.. This has been translated in English by Wallace Flint, Rotary Club of Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, U.S.A  The Rotary Club magazine ‘The Rotarian’ has published it in its July 1982 issue.

 

Well, let us formulate and plan our own good principles and action plan to achieve our goal.

 

What is business? There is an internet joke as to how one should win the game of business.

 

Father:  I want you to marry a girl of my choice

Son   : I will choose my own bride

Father: But the girl is Bill Gates’ daughter

Son    : Well in that case…. OK

 

Next father approaches Bill Gates.

 

Father: I have a husband for your daughter

Bill Gates : But my daughter is too young to marry!

Father: But this young man is a vice – president of World Bank

Bill Gates: Ah! In that  case… Ok

 

xxx

Finally father goes to see the president of the World Bank.

Father : I have a young man to be recommended as a vice-president

President : But I already have more vice-presidents than I need!

Father : But this young man is Bill Gates’s son-in-law.

President : Ah! In that case… OK

 

xxx

 

This is how good business is done.

 

Manipulate intelligently supply and demand and win the game without harming anybody but to the satisfaction of all concerned.

Keep the secret in your heart and start playing.

 

GOOD LUCK!

 

*******

 

Poet Byron’s obsession with Body Weight (Post No.3532)

Compiled by London swaminathan

 

Date: 10 January 2017

 

Time uploaded in London:- 19-47

 

Post No.3532

 

 

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Taft and Byron Fatness Anecdotes

W H Taft, 27th President of US, always relished humour at his own expense. He liked to tell of a small boy who had had a habit of biting his nails. His nursemaid, seeking to frighten him out of it, told him that if he did not stop he would swell up like a balloon. Considerably impressed, the boy desisted from that habit.

 

A few days thereafter Taft appeared at his home for a luncheon. Marching straight up to the President, the boy accused, ” You bite your nails”.

 

Xxx

 

Lord Byron (1788-1824)

According to his friend Trelawney, Byron’s terror of getting fat was so great that he reduced his diet to the point of absolute starvation. When he added to his weight, even ‘ standing was painful, so he resolved to keep down to eleven stone, or shoot himself. He said everything he swallowed was instantly converted into tallow and deposited on his ribs. He was the only human being I ever met with who had sufficient self -restraint, and resolution to resist his proneness to fatten.

 

As he was always hungry, his merit was the greater. Occasionally he relaxed his vigilance, when he swelled space. I remember one of his old friends saying Byron how well you are looking! If he had stopped there it had been well, but he added, “you are getting fat”, Byron’s brow reddened, and his eyes flashed,” Do you call getting fat looking well, as if I were a hog?” and turning on to me he muttered, “The beast, I can hardly keep my hands off him”. I don’t think he had much appetite for his dinner that day, or for many days, and he never forgave the man. He would exist on biscuits and soda water for many days together, the, to allay the eternal hunger gnawing at his vitals, he would make up a horrid mess of cold potatoes, rice, fish or greens, deluged in vinegar, and gobble it like a famished dog. Either of these unsavoury dishes, with a biscuit and glass or two of Rhine wine, he cared not how sour, he called feasting sumptuously.

 

Upon my observing he might as well have fresh fish and vegetables instead of stale, he laughed and answered: I have an advantage over you , I have no palate; one thing is as good as another to me .

 

–Subham–