Today's GK

Mahela Jayawardene, with Shikhar Dhawan's catch, is the first fielder to complete 200 catches in ODIs.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday issued notice to the Centre on a PIL seeking a direction for fixing the age of consent of a wife at 18 years for having sexual relations with her husband. Agreeing to hear the PIL, a bench headed by Justice K S Radhakrishnan sought response from the Centre on the issue. The court passed the order on a petition filed by an NGO, iThought, seeking its direction for amendment of section 375 (rape) of the Indian Penal Code which makes an exception on age of consent of the wife for sexual relations with her husband. The exception in section 375, which was recently amended by the Criminal Law Amendment Act of 2013, states that "sexual intercourse or sexual acts by a man with his own wife, the wife not being under 15 years of age, is not rape.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday pulled up the Centre for not formulating a policy to regulate/ban retail sale of acid across the country, even as it expressed serious concern over acid attacks taking place everyday.

New advanced weather satellite Insat-3D. The 3000-kg satellite will be launched from French Guiana on a European Ariane-5 vehicle in the wee hours of July

Two years and one week after he was given charge of the Indian men’s hockey team, chief coach Michael Nobbs has been removed from post

michael nobbs

The Election Commission has welcomed the Supreme Court verdict declaring ultra vires Section 8 (4) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 that allowed convicted MPs, MLAs and MLCs to continue their membership if they had appealed against their conviction/sentence within three months of the date of judgment.

The strategic TAPI pipeline project, which will transport gas from Turkmenistan to Afghanistan, Pakistan and India, has gathered momentum with the Petroleum and Energy Ministers of the four nations agreeing to form a company by end-September . Asian Development Bank has been appointed as legal-technical consultant, and it will soon identify a company which will drive the project.

zubin mehta

Zubin Mehta, western classical music conductor of Indian-Parsi origin, will be felicitated with the Tagore Award for Cultural Harmony.

Portuguese President Anibal Cavaco Silva on 10 July 2013 approved a reshuffled ruling coalition Government, ending a 10-day crisis over hated strict policies that nearly overthrown the government.

United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) estimated on 11 July 2013 that World cereal production is set to increase by 7 per cent in year 2013, to a record 2.479 million tonnes, predicting it would help stabilise prices in 2013-14.

Jainism

 Life of Mahavira

Born in 540 BC at Kundagrama near Vaisali. Siddhartha was his father: Trisala his mother, Yasoda his wife and Jameli was the daughter. Attained Kaivalya at Jrimbhikagrama in eastern India at the age of 42. Died at the age of 72 in 468 BC at Pavapuri near Rajagriha. He was called Jina or Jitendriya, Nirgrantha and Mahavira.

Way to Nirvana

(Three Ratnas)
Right faith (Samyak vishwas),Right knowledge (Samyak jnan), Right conduct (Samyak karma)

The Principles of Jainism as Preached by Mahavira

Rejected the authority of the Vedas and the Vedic rituals.
Did not believe in the existence of God.
Believed in karma and the transmigration of soul.
Laid great emphasis on equality.

Five Main Teachings

(i) Non-injury (ahimsa)
(ii) Non-lying (saryai)
(iii) Non-stealing (asateya)
(iv) Non-possession (aparigraha)
(v) Observe continence (Bralmmcharya).
(The first four principles are of Parsavanath and the fifth Bramacharya was included by Mahavira).

Sacred Literature

The sacred literature of the Svetambaras is written in a form of Prakrit called Ardhamagadhi, and may be classified as follows:
The twelve Angas
(b) The twelve Upangas
(c) The ten Parikarnas
(d) The six Chhedasutras
(e) The four Mulasutras.

Jaina Philosophy

Syadvada: All our judgements are necessarily relative, conditional and limited. According ‘ to Syadvada (the theory of may be) seven modes of predication (saptabhangi) are possible. Absolute affirmation and absolute negation both are wrong. All judgements are conditional.
Anekantavada: The Jaina metaphysics is a realistic and relativistic pluralism. It is called Anekantavada or the doctrine of the ‘manyness of reality’. Matter (Pudgala) and Spirit (Jiva) are regarded as separate and independent realities.

Spread of Jainism

Jainism received patronage from the kings of the time, including Chandragupta Maurya. In the south, royal dynasties such as the Gangas, Kadambas. Chalukyas and Rashtrakutas patronized Jainism. In.Gujarat, patronage came from wealthy merchants. The concrete expression of Jainism’s religious zeal is seen all over the country in works of art and architecture. The 57-foot high statue of Gomateshvara at Sravanabelagola in Mysore, erected in 983 or 984 AD is a marvel of its kind. The temples at Mount Abu and those at Palithana in Gujarat and Moodabidri and Karkala in the south make a rich contribution to the Indian heritage.

Jaina Councils

By the end of fourth century BC, there was a serious famine in the Ganges valley leading to a great exodus of many Jaina monks to the Deccan and South India (Sravana Belgola) along with Bhadrabahu and Chandragupta Maurya.
They returned to the Gangetic valley after 12 years. The leader of the group, which stayed back at Magadha was Sthulabahu. The changes that took place in the code of conduct of the followers of Sthulabahu led to the division of the Jainas into Digambaras (sky-clad or naked) and Svetambaras (white-clad).

First Council was held at Pataliputra by Sthulabahu in the beginning of the third century
BC and resulted in the compilation of 12 Angas to replace the lost 14 Purvas.
 

Second Council was held at Valabhi in the 5th century AD under the leadership of
Devaradhi Kshamasramana and resulted in final compilation of 12 Angas and 12 Upangas.

Today's GK

PV Sindhu reaffirmed her status as the rising star of Indian badminton as she lifted her maiden Grand Prix Gold title in Malaysia after getting the better of Juan Gu of Singapore in a gruelling final on Saturday

Olympic-bound Indian badminton ace Saina Nehwal displayed nerves of steel to clinch her third Indonesia Open Super Series title after beating China's Xuerui Li in a see-saw summit clash in Jakarta on Sunday. 

Graeme McDowell produced a final round four-under-par 67 to lead home the field by four strokes and become the first Northern Irishman to win the French Open on a thrilling final day at Le Golf National on Sunday

Congress-ruled Delhi and Karnataka will take the lead in kicking off the populist food security law, starting with the poll-bound national Capital on August 20, the birth anniversary of Rajiv Gandhi,he also defended the decision to promulgate an ordinance for the ambitious welfare programme championed by Sonia Gandhi. He said the government had no choice as BJP, which had obstructed Parliament in the past when the bill should have been discussed, was neither prepared to advance the next session of Parliament, nor could it guarantee a discussion on the matter when the House is convened.

Lajja Goswami on 9 July 2013 won silver medal in women's 50-metre Rifle 3 Position event at the ISSF World Cup in Granada, Spain.

The Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy on 8 July 2013 sanctioned central financial assistance of 4.4 crore rupees for distribution of 20000 solar lanterns in the flood affected areas of Uttarakhand. The full cost of the lanterns, which would be distributed among the people in the flood affected areas of the state will be met by the Ministry itself. Each lantern costs approximately 2200 rupees.

The Imperial Household Agency of Japan on 9 July 2013 announced that the Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko of Japan will make their visit to India on 30 November to 6 December 2013. This visit of the Royal Couple of Japan will be their first visit to India since the Emperor took over the thrown in 1989. During their stay in India, they will visit Delhi and Chennai.

Dr. H.A.B. Parpia, an acknowledged food scientist and the former Director of the Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI) died on 9 July 2013 after a brief illness. Dr. Parpia is now survived by his wife Carolyn Wilkes, two sons and two daughters. After death, his body was donated to Mysore Medical College and Research Institute.

Lt Gen (Retd) AK Singh, on 8 July 2013 took over as the new Lieutenant Governor of Andaman and Nicobar Islands.  AK Singh was administered oath by the Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court Arun Mishra at a formal swearing-in-ceremony at Raj Niwas in Port Blair.

India’s External Affairs Minister, Salman Khurshid, visited Nepal on 9th July 2013 at the invitation of the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Nepal, Madhav Prasad Ghimire. Minister of both the nation held official talks covering all feature of bilateral relations and issues of mutual interests.