30 July 2009

Veer Savarkar v/s Gandhi

It is amusing how even accomplished people tend to think like the crowd. I was reading a paper in EPW by Rudolf C Heredia who is with the Indian Social Institute, Delhi and wrote in opinions regarding Hinduism of Veer Savarkar and Hinduism of M.K. Gandhi after his research.
http://www.epw.in/epw/uploads/articles/13616.pdf

He asks us what is Hinduism? He answers it by saying Hinduism refers to a religious faith tradition that is far easier to describe than define. There are three traditional Hinduism margs - jnana, karma and bhakti (path of knowledge, path of duties and path of devotion). Hindu academic, Arvind Sharma, opines that "the great challenge Hinduism faces in our times is to ensure for all Hindus an equal opportunity in determining what Hinduism should be for our times". Jyotirmaya Sharma says, "Every Hindu decides what is Hinduism. That space ought to remain inviolable. It is a space worth living for and dying for". Note this (1).

He goes on further to describe Gandhi’s Hinduism: Gandhi redifined hinduism by talking about the reality of god, the unity of all life and the value of ahimsa (the desire not to harm) as love. His profound redefinition of Hinduism gave it a novel reorientation with his seva marg (the path of service). Gandhi reworks Bhagavad Gita's nishkama karma (detached engagement), to become the basis of his ahimsa and satyagraha (truth-force)! Moreover, for Gandhi, truth (satya), is the ultimate reality, and violence is always a violation of this truth. He prefers "god is truth", and finally, even reverses this to "truth is god", where "truth" is the ultimate reality (satya). Ahimsa is my God and Truth is my God and realising this was his moksha. "What was the meaning of saying that the Vedas were the inspired word of God? If they were inspired, why not also the Bible and the Koran?" Gandhi integrates the Upanishads and the Tulsi Ramayan in his religious synthesis. When it comes to bridges across traditions, Gandhi brings the Gita together with the Sermon on the Mount and reads one into the other.

Note this (2): Logical consistency of Vedantic Hinduism diluted by making Jainism the base for its definition, detachment is linked to inaction which is contrary to the virtue of action glorified by Lord Krishna, and all this is garnished by a theoretical mirage of merging cultural guidebooks for intellectual satisfaction.

Dr. Radhakrishnan’s opined in his Hindu View of Life that "whoever calls himself a Hindu is a Hindu"! Belief was not relevant, though social customs were to be respected. It is a religion of orthodox practices, not of orthodox doctrine. Any attempt to homogenise such a rich and multifaceted tradition under a hegemonic hierarchy will impoverish it religiously and devastate it culturally." The result was that the opposite happened. The Ramakrishna Mission in West Bengal even filed a petition in the high court in 1981 claiming minority status as a religion, distinct from Hinduism, which the court upheld in 1985. But which was finally rejected by the Supreme Court in 1996. But by in personal law, everyone who is not of another religious community, is a Hindu by default unless they positively disown the religion. This is nothing new. Even Hinduism accepts atheists as a valued Hindus to provide it the chronological dynamism needed. Note this (3).

For Gandhi the unity of humankind was premised on the oneness of the cosmos. However, diversity was rooted in the fundamental Jain principle of anekantavada (nonabsolutism), the many sidedness of truth. For him "unity in diversity" was the integrating axis not just of Hindu, but of Indian culture, and of all humanity as well. Once conceded, this becomes a foundational truth, and tolerance a necessary consequence. Any encounter between religious traditions must be premised on equal respect for all religious traditions as the basis for mutual learning. Swami Vivekanada has said that Hinduism cannot live without Buddhism and Buddhism not without Hinduism...The Buddhists cannot stay without the brain and philosophy of the Brahmins, nor the Brahmin without the heart of the Buddhist... Let us join the wonderful intellect of the Brahmin with the heart, the noble soul, the wonderful humanising power of the Great Master. Note this (4) keeping in mind Note (3) above.

Let us take another perspective. Gandhi did not separate religion from politics for his personal ambitions. He was never a successful lawyer. To overcome his knowledge of lack of ability, he brought religious inaction in the name of tolerance to politics rather than political militancy into religious communities. Note this (5) where Gandhi used religion to further his political ambitions.

This is where we need to bring in Mr. Nathuram Godse. He had given a speech in the court while he was presenting his case during trial for murder of M.K. Gandhi. I will quote some portions here "Born in a devotional Brahmin family, I instinctively came to revere Hindu religion, Hindu history and Hindu culture. That is why I worked actively for the eradication of untouchability and the caste system based on birth alone. All the reading (of Swami Vivekananda, Dadabhai Naoroji, Socialism etc) and thinking led me to believe it was my first duty to serve Hindudom and Hindus both as a patriot and as a world citizen. To secure the freedom and to safeguard the just interests of some thirty crores (300 million) of Hindus would automatically constitute the freedom and the well being of all India, one fifth of human race. This conviction led me naturally to devote myself to the Hindu Sanghtanist ideology and programme, which alone, I came to believe, could win and preserve the national independence of Hindustan, my Motherland, and enable her to render true service to humanity as well. Gandhi in condemning history's towering warriors like Shivaji, Rana Pratap and Guru Gobind Singh as misguided patriots, has merely exposed his self-conceit. 'A Satyagrahi can never fail' was his formula for declaring his own infallibility and nobody except himself knew what a Satyagrahi is. Mahatma became the judge and jury in his own cause. All his experiments were at the expense of the Hindus. I thought to myself and foresaw I shall be totally ruined, and the only thing I could expect from the people would be nothing but hatred and that I shall have lost all my honour, even more valuable than my life, if I were to kill Gandhiji. But at the same time I felt that the Indian politics in the absence of Gandhiji would surely be proved practical, able to retaliate, and would be powerful with armed forces. My confidence about the moral side of my action has not been shaken even by the criticism levelled against it on all sides. I have no doubt that honest writers of history will weigh my act and find the true value thereof some day in future."

The above opinion of Nathuram Godse is bypassed by the author. Maybe the reason was assuming legal judgements, can be passed on as moral and value judgements. In the same tone, the author has called Savarkar’s ideology as narrow and exclusivist in its conflation of janma bhoomi (motherland) and punya bhoomi (holyland). Note (6).

The author himself says Hindu nationalism is not particularly religious. In its present avatar it claims to be "cultural nationalism". Its founding father, Savarkar, was himself a rationalist atheist, who wanted his body cremated after his death without any religious ceremonies. Yet he was "fanatical" about Hindutva or Hinduness, which he first formulated in 1923, and deliberately set in opposition to other religious traditions not originating in India, such as Islam and Christianity. His Hindutva was articulated as a political ideology of ethno-religious nationalism to include culture and race. In 1941, his birthday wish was expressed in the slogan: "Hinduise all politics and militarise all Hindudom". Thus for him "Hinduism must necessarily mean the religion and the religions that are peculiar and native to this land and people". He defined Hindu in terms of "the three essentials of nation (rashtra), race (jati) and civilisation (sanskriti)". The first important qualification of a Hindu is that "the whole continental country from the Sindhu to Sindhu, from the Indus to the Seas", "is not only a Pitribhu but a Punyabhu, not only a fatherland but a holyland" as well. In his speech to the Hindu Mahasabha at Nagpur in 1938 he insisted that "India must be a land reserved for the Hindus". Justice J S Verma in his remarks in a Supreme Court judgment in 1995 concerning the political use of religion opined an explicit equivalence between the two: Hindutva is nothing but Hinduism. Hindutva is now projected as Bharatiyata, Indianness. The change in name proposed is merely to make it more acceptable to the unsuspecting. Note (7)

But all this written by the author above is untrue. Savarkar did make an exception to his own ideology and acknowledge Nivedita as a Hindu, even though her janma bhoomi (land of her birth), was not India, she made it her punya bhoomi, her holyland, because she adopted its culture and religion as her own. Anticipating the global-local dilemma she insisted: "Only the tree that is firm in its own soil can offer us a perfect crown of leaf and blossom...cosmo-nationality consists in holding the local idea in the world idea".

Coming to even Gandhi's view on caste. He said that "There is no calling too low and none too high. "If untouchability was a part of Hinduism it could only be a rotten part". He was saying exactly what Nathuram Godse was following. But he was doing it for political ambitions of being the only person acceptable to Muslims and the lower castes.

Now my opinion, which is as valuable as him in a democracy:
Note (1): Leave it to a Hindu to decide what Hinduism he follows. Don't counter your own statement and decide for us.
Note (2): Natural spring water is pure and so is distilled water. What would you call a person who tries to mix both? Natural spring water is good for human health and distilled water is good for car battery health. Do NOT mix religions.
Note (3): Hinduism is far more accomodating than what the author knows. No hindu kills another in the name of "jihad" or in the name of the Pope. All Hindus visit the same temple. He is yet to digest the inherent complexity and variety of our religion.
Note (4): "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam" i.e. the world is one family is a founding principle of Vedantic Hinduism. There was no need for redifinition by a mere mortal like Gandhi.
Note (5): Here Gandhi violates the fundamental law of life or teachings of the Bhagavad Gita by preaching inaction. It is what brings a sense of melancholy to the whole culture spoiling its pride in its heritage and also the motivation to work for greater heights. Just for the ego of being called the "Mahatma".
Note (6): I ask WHAT IS WRONG IN CALLING MY MOTHERLAND AS THE SACRED LAND? This doesnt show exclusivism of Veer Savarkar, but the inherently under-developed and insecure mindset of the author Mr. Rudolf Heredia.
Note (7): The author is calling "cultural nationalism" based on geography, native traditions of the race and a civilization older and more refined than the western one, as fanatical. I can smell bias here.

Keeping in mind all the notes above, I would like to make a statement. In my limited knowledge, the author has personally not faced any wrath of communal tension. He has no understanding of why a non-religious person can be a nationalist and takes the easier route of calling such people militarist and fanatical. He has never gone through the RSS mission charter. I sense jealousy when he sees the work of Christian missionaries being done far better by Hindus. So how can they get more converts? Moreover, the Sangh that he is denouncing was not only given due respect by the Supreme Court of the land and was called to be a part of the Republic Day parade by Jawaharlal Nehru. Gandhi only talked of seva ashram and it was the Sangh that is till date doing all the social work. It is not congress workers that reach a flood hit site, but the khaki shorts wearing missionary activist of the Sangh following Veer Savarkar's ideology. The congress workers of Gandhi only distribute money and get votes. All that the saffron brigade wants is a strong nation with its people having pride in their land, their customs and their forefathers. If he has a problem with that, we all have a problem with him. But inspite of calling us militarist, we spare him. Somehow, just like M.K. Gandhi he can just sit.

Neither Gandhi nor the author have the might to hit back. They only know how to lay low and find ways to make it seem honourable. It is us who have the might and still tolerate them. We all know who is the honourable worker and who is the lazy punching bag.

Today when i see the photograph of M.K. Gandhi, I am filled with indifference for him and pity for the generations of his followers. He made value judgements on the lives of patriots like Netaji Subhas Bose and Bhagat Singh who chose to sacrifice lives for us. He made us learn so-called novel and totally trash things like non-cooperation and civil disobedience which people do even today with their own goverment and PSUs. The discipline of an advanced culture of the race of the Indian nation was lost. Netaji was foresighted when he said that only a dictatorial rule would be able to cure this malaise. When he preached non-violence, he was teaching how to kill your fellow beings. The post-independence riots are enough proof. He earned freedom at the cost of the generations today.

12 June 2009

Sanatan is Eternal

A couple of days ago, i finished reading the graphic novel "The Watchmen" by Alan Moore... Today i finished watching the movie... The plot reminded me of another very well known story by Isaac Asimov, "I, Robot"... Asimov's VIKI, the super-intelligent and super-powerful robot had to be terminated in its initiative of bringing peace to human society... But Alan's super-intelligent Adrian Veidt "The Ozymandias" and super-powerful Jon "Dr. Manhattan" were allowed the same liberties of taking human lives for lasting peace... Ethics, is a word that then started to have a new meaning for me... Ethics is then a matter of the circumstance, situation, maybe perspective or just a matter of time...

It maybe just a matter of time that the communication revolution brings me to a point where the only information i need is the one i dont have... the information about my identity, knowledge about the importance of my identity to the human society, the harmony of my identity with the existence of humanity... I turn to the wisdom of the ages, the guiding lights of my life, Hinduism, the "Sanatan Dharma" Eternal Religion... Its the oldest religion of the human world and claims its superiority from its logical foundations...

Sanatam Dharma tells me my identity is defined by the nation and culture i live in... It tells me the only thing beyond my control is time and all things that are consequent to it and hence it is the omnipresence of God... And finally it tells me to maintain my character and control my senses so that one day i might just turn time in my favour... all to achieve the end... So i prepare myself for anything, absolutely everything that might come my way... Life is sorted out and there's a grand plan in my head... I strike at every opportune moment i can find... And one day, luck will be my say...

It is like the wish to fly... I am standing on a glass floor in an aircraft... I already feel like a bird... But i need to fly... I jump on the glass to break it... I keep jumping... I know it will break... I am prepared for the leap... The parachute bag is my plan on my shoulder... The glass beneath my feet breaks... I am literally falling from the sky... But i laugh as I am flying...

The average intelligence of the human society decreases as population increases... On top of it we are doing away with all natural resources we were gifted... What is the end we seek??? Where is the plan??? Are we really preparing ourselves??? Or is it that we are still struggling to find our identity simply because we cant find time from fulfilling our dear infinite unsatiable wants??? The answers are there in front of us, in my daily life, in our Sanatan Dharma... No, I am not afraid that tenets of Hinduism will die... 1 billion is too huge a number... But things get diluted and dulled... From our solution books, i fear losing some important pages... With time people would rediscover logic and the Sanatan Dharma... Or maybe humanity might not get the chance to know its too late... They were not so smart at all... The calamity struck when the humans were "still evolving"..... Still, the Buddha is Smiling...

'OM'

21 April 2009

Narasimha Prachand

The movie ‘Gulaal’ by Anurag Kashyap has an unsettling plot with stirring songs by Piyush Mishra.  The focus of this post is not the movie or the plot, but how the songs can be strung together to bring forth the message that is being conveyed to us.  It is not about what you and I see in this world, it is about the comprehending the complete picture.

Here are snippets from four songs that convey the story of each today:

Aye ek waqt ki baat bataye,
Ek waqt ki,
Jab sheher hamara so gayo tho,
Wo raaj gajab ki

Jab sheher hamara sota hai, to maloom tumko,
Haan kya kya hota hai,

Nashe mein doobe sehan se khoonkhaar chutkulo ki paidaaish hoti hai,
Adh nange jismo ki dekho, lipi putti se lagi numaaish hoti hai,
Laar tapakte chehro ko kuch shitaani karne ki khwahish hoti hai,
Wo pooche hai hairaan hokar, aisa sab kuch hota hai kab,
Wo batalo to unko aisa tab tab tab tab hota hai,
Jab sheher hamara sota hai

Jis raat gagan se khoon ki baarish aayi re,
Jis raat sheher mein khoon ki baarish aayi re

***

Maana Ki Jo Hua Hai

Wo Tune Bhi Kiya Hai
Inhone Ne Bhi Kiya Hai
Unhone Ne Bhi Kiya Hai

Maana Ki Tune..Haan Haan
Chahaa Nahi Tha Lekin
Tu Jaanta Nahi Ki Ye Kaise Ho Gaya Hai

lekin tu phir bhi sunn le, nahi sunega koi,
Tujhe yeh saari duniya khaa jaayegi nigal ke

Insaan ke sheher mein insaan khoj le tu

Dekh Teri Thokar Se
Raah Ka Wo Patthar

Maathe Pe Tere Kaske Lag Jaaye Na Ucchalke.

O Raat Ke Musafir
Tu Bhaag Na Sambhalke
Potli Mein Teri Ho Aag Na
Sambhalke

***

Oh ri duniya, Oh ri duniya,
Aye duniya, aye surmayee aankhein ke pyaalo ki duniya oh duniya,

Alsaayi sejo ke phoolon ki duniya oh duniya re,
Angdaayi tode kabootar ki duniya oh duniya re,

Khwahish mein lipti zaroorat ki duniya oh duniya re,
Heyyy insaan ke sapno ki niyat ki duniya oh duniya,

Mamta ki bikhri kahani ki duniya oh duniya,
Behno ki siski jawani ki duniya oh duniya,
Aadam ke hawaas rishte ki duniya oh duniya re,

Yeh duniya agar mil bhi jaaye to kya hai?

Jalta makaan mein basera wo dhoondhe,
Jaisi bachi hai waisi ki waisi, bacha lo yeh duniya,
Apna samajh ke apno ki jaisi utha lo yeh duniya,
Chitput si baaton mein jalne lagegi, sambhalo yeh duniya,

Magar falsafa yeh bigad jaata hai jo,
Wo kehte hai…aalim yeh kehta wahan ishwar hai,
Faazil yeh kehta wahan allah hai,
Kabur yeh kehta wahan issa hai,
Manzil yeh kehti tab insaan se ki,
Tumhari hai tum hi sambhalo yeh duniya,

***

Aarambh hai prachand,
Bole mastako ke jhund,
Aaj jung ki ghadi ki tum guhar do

Aan baan shaan ya ki jaan ka ho daan,
Aaj ek dhanush ke baarn pe utaar do,
Aarambh hai prachand…

Ishr ki pukaar hai yeh bhagwat ka saar hai,
Ki yudh hi to veer ka pramaan hai,
Kauravo ki bheed ho ya pandavo ka neer ho,
Jo lad saka hai wo hi to mahaan hai,
Jeet ki hawas nahi, kisi pe koi vash nahi,
Kya zindagi hai thokaro pe maar do,
Maut anth hai nahi to maut se bhi kyu dare?
Yeh jaake aasmaan mein dahaad do,
Aarambh hai prachand,

Ho daya ka bhaav ya ki shaurya ka chunaav,
Ya ki haar ka wo ghaav tum yeh soch lo

jis kavi ki kalpana mein zindagi ho prem geet,
Uss kavi ko aaj tum nakaar do,

Rang kesari ho ya mridang kesari ho ya ki,
Kesari ho laal tum yeh soch lo..

Bheegti nasso mein aaj, phoolti rago mein aaj,
Aaj aag ki lapat ka tum baghaar do,
Aarambh hai prachand,
Bole mastako ke jhund,
Aaj jung ki ghadi ki tum guhar do

********

Now let us see what is being conveyed to us in this lyrical story in parts:

Let me tell you a story of a time when the town slept sound
Do you know what happens when the town sleeps?

Adulterated and deadly jokes are born in drunkenness, Half naked bodies with make-up are exhibited, Drooling lusty faces show their evil desires
And they ask astonishedly when does this all happen
Someone tell them that all this happens when the town sleeps 

It is that night when the sky sends rain of blood on the town, that night when the night slept it received the rain of blood

 

I agree that whatever was done was done by you, by these people and by those people… 
I agree, yes i agree, that you did not want this to happen… you do not know how all this happened…

But listen to me, nobody will listen to you… this world is out there to eat you alive…
Go and search for a human in this town of humans… 
Be careful lest your kick on the rock on the road does not jump at hit you back on your head

Hey traveller in the dark, please run cautiously, be careful that you dont carry a spark of fire in your belongings

 

O my world, O my world, Hey world, hey dream-filled eyes of this world… hey world of flowers of the lazy bed… hey yawn-breaking world of the pigeons,

Hey world of needs wrapped in desire, hey world, hey world of the the intent of the dreams of humans… 
hey world of a scattered story of motherhood, hey world of scared-crying young sisters, hey world of the lustful relations of humanity…

So what even if I get this so called entire world ???

Search for the home in the burning house, whatever is left of this world, please someone save it…
Look at everything and everyone in this world as your own and pick up your world… else it will start burning down on the most trivial of issues… please someone take responsibility of this world…

This story of this world gets spoiled when they say there is Bhagwan, when they say there is Allah, when they say there is Jesus…
That is when the destination of God’s heaven tells us : This is your world, go and save it yourself if you can

 

The time has come that the terrible dance of Lord Shiva (Nataraj) begin, the group of sensible heads calls out for the declaration of war… 
Be ready to sacrifice your self, your ego, your dignity, your wealth on the tip of the arrow… because the terrible dance of Lord Shiva is beginning…
It is the call of God and the essence of the Bhagawad Gita that the proof of bravery is war… whether it is the crowd of the Kauravas (considered evil) or the family of Pandavas (considered good), only the one who could fight can stake his claim to greatness…
There is no lust for victory, no wish to control anyone… boot out this whatever so called life that you have…
If death is not the end of life then why should we be afraid of dying??? Go and roar this out in the sky above!!!!!
The terrible dance of Lord Shiva has begun…

The emotion of pity or the courage or the wound of defeat… think about these and choose now…
If there is a life of love and feelings in the imagination of a poet, ignore him today…
The colour is saffron or the beat of the drums is saffron or the saffron should be red (with passion of blood)… choose today and right now…

In those wet blood vessels, in those expanding nerves, fill up blazes of fire… 
The terrible dance of Lord Shiva has begun, the groups of wise heads call for the declaration of war to save humanity today…..

*****************

 We have been told the story when an innocent boy Prahlaad (representing future) is being killed by his own devil father (representing the present) for his greed and selfishness and ego. That is when Lord Vishnu also takes his most deadly form of Lord Narasimha, he takes the form of an animal and kills the devil like an animal with his bare claw-like hands. Now is the time that we need to prepare the ground for Lord Narasimha to come again… 

Here are two Narasimha prayers that we invoke today:

1. Tvayi Rakshathi Rakshakai: Kim Anyai:,
     Tvayi Cha Arakshati Rakshakai: Kim Anyai:,
     Ithi Nischita Dhee: Srayaami Nityam,
     Nruhareh: Vegavathee Tataasrayam Tvam!

“O kamasikha Narasimha! you are sarva sakthan. When you are resolved to protect some one, where is the need to seek the protection of anyone else? When you are resolved not to protect some one, which other person is capable of protecting us?. There is no one. Knowing this fundamental truth, I have resolved to offer my saranagati at your lotus feet alone that rest at the banks of Vegavathi river.” (Kamasika Ashtakam by Vedanta Desika)

2. ito nrsimhah parato nrsimho, 
     yato yato yami tato nrsimhah,
     bahir nrsimho hrdaye nrsimho,
     nrsimham adim saranam prapadye

“Lord Nrsimha is here and also there. Wherever I go Lord Narasimha is there. He is in the heart and is outside as well. I surrender to Lord Narasimha, the origin of all things and the supreme refuge.” (Narasimha Pranama)

 

The Narasimha Maha-Mantra

Om Ugram, Viram, Maha-Vishnu,
Jwalantam, Sarvato Mukam,
Nirshimham, Bhishanam, Bhadram,
Mrityor-Mrityur namam yaham.

“O’ Angry and brave Maha-Vishnu, your heat and fire permeate everywhere. O Lord Narasimha, you are everywhere. You are the death of death and I surrender to You.”

 

If I dont fight for the future today, and I dont fight today’s war now, there will be no future….. In my country of Bharat, the Hindu is the BIG brother, and I being a Hindu will not let the younger brothers destroy the future of neither my motherland nor my own future… It needs to be accepted that when an elder brother takes a stern step against you, its for your benefit, its right… Even if it means acting with an iron hand of responsibility and may be looked upon as evil but I will do it simply because it is necessary to save OUR BIGGER HOME…

08 April 2009

Jana Gana Mana

There are words floating around saying UNESCO has declared "Jana Gana Mana" to be the best national anthem in the world. This post is not regarding the veracity of that news. This post is to make us know the anthem closest to our hearts better.

You will find here the entire poem of our national anthem with its translation.




Below is the translation of the national anthem in the handwriting of Gurudev Shri Rabindra Nath Tagore himself:


The entire poem is also given in hindi below:


The bengali text of the first stanza of the poem which forms our national anthem is given below:
Jôno gôno mono odhinaeoko jôeô he
Bharoto bhaggo bidhata
Pônjabo Shindhu Gujoraţo Môraţha
Drabiŗo Utkôlo Bônggo
Bindho Himachôlo Jomuna Gôngga
Uchchhôlo jôlodhi toronggo
Tôbo shubho name jage
Tôbo shubho ashish mage
Gahe tôbo jôeogatha
Jôno gôno monggolo daeoko jôeô he
Bharoto bhaggo bidhata
Jôeo he, jôeo he, jôeo he,
jôeo jôeo jôeo, jôeo he



Please refer to the following link for more details: http://india.gov.in/knowindia/national_anthem.php

(I wish to thank the following site for giving authentic research about our prestigious national anthem: http://satyashodh.com/janaganaman/index.htm )

Rebirth of Hindustaan

Swamy Vivekananda foresaw the dangers of Globalization as early as in 1893 when he spoke at the Parliament of World Religions in Chicago. To quote his soul-stirring words: “Shall India die? Then, from the world all spirituality will be extinct, all sweet-souled sympathy for religion will be extinct, all ideality will be extinct ; and in its place will reign the duality of lust and luxury as the male and female deities, with money as its priest, fraud, force, and competition its ceremonies, and human soul its sacrifice. Such a thing can never be”. 

 

Swami Vivekananda said: “Arise, Awake and Go Forth as Proud Hindus”. This message forms the basis of Dr Subramaniam Swami’s definition of the following five maxims which should constitute the fundamentals of Hindu Unity today: 

1. A Hindu, and those others who are proud of their Hindu past and origins, must know the correct history of India. They must learn the concept of India as Hindustan.

2. According to Hindu belief, all religions equally lead to God, and not that all religions are equal in the richness of their theological content. Respecting all religions, Hindus must forcefully demand from others that such respect is a two-way obligation. Muslims and Christians shall be part of the Hindustani parivar or family only if they accept this truth and revere it.

3. Hindus must prefer to lose everything they possess rather than submit to tyranny or terrorism.

4. The Hindu must have a mindset to retaliate when attacked. The retaliation must be massive enough to deter future attacks. 

5. All Hindus to qualify as true Hindus must make an earnest effort to learn Sanskrit and the Devanagiri script in addition to their own mother tongue and must pledge that one day in the future, Sanskrit will be India’s link language since all the main Indian languages have large percentages of their vocabulary in common with Sanskrit. 

 

Dr Swami declares with majestic aplomb: “These five fundamentals constitute the concept of VIRAT HINDU UNITY”.

 

Even reknowned people in the west like Arthur Schopenhauer has said, ”It is my belief that the philosophy and knowledge of the Upanishads would become the cherished faith of the people in the West.” 

 

I wonder whether we have become so “secularized” to the extent that we are prepared to forget our civilization ethos! What a pity. In this context I would like to quote these immortal words of Shri Aurobindo in his last political speech at Uttarpara on 30 May 1909: “I say it again today, but I put it in another way. I say no longer that nationalism is a creed, a religion, a faith; I say that it is the Sanatan Dharma which for us is nationalism. This Hindu nation was born with the Sanatan Dharma, with it it moves and with it it grows. When the Sanatan Dharma declines, then the nation declines, and if the Sanatan Dharma were capable of perishing, with the Sanatan Dharma it would also perish. The Sanatan Dharma, is indeed nationalism. This is the message that I have to speak to you”. If India is held together, it is because of SANATANA DHARAMA.”

 

(Inspired by blogs of Mr. V Sundaram (Retd IAS) at www.ivarta.com)

04 April 2009

Vande Maataram!!!

Vande Mataram!!!!!

Its our national song, humara raashtra gaan… The reason I write it here is that we need to know our national song, the lyrical beauty of it and the pristine content of it…

Sanskrit Version by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee:

“Vande Mataram!
Sujalam suphalam malayaja shitalam
Sasyashyaamalam Mataram!

Shubhrajyotsna pulakitayaminim
Pullakusumita drumadala shobhinim
Suhaasinim sumadhura bhashhinim
Sukhadam varadam Mataram!

Koti koti kantha kalakalaninada karale
Koti koti bhujarudhurat kharkarvaale
Abalaa keno ma eto bale
Bahubaladharinim namami tarinim
Ripudalavarinim Mataram!

Tumi vidyaa tumi dharma
Tumi hapirana tumi marma
Tvam hi pranah sharire
Bahute tumi ma shakti
Hridaye tumi ma bhakti
Tomara i pratima gadi
Mandire mandire!

Tvam hi durgaa dashapraharanadhaarini
Kamalaa kamaladala vihaarini
Vani vidyaadaayinii namaami tvaam
Namaami kamalam amalam atulam
Sujalam suphalam Mataram!”

English Version: (As translated by Sri Aurobindo)

Mother, I bow to thee!
Rich with thy hurrying streams,
bright with orchard gleams,
Cool with thy winds of delight,
Green fields waving Mother of might,
Mother free.

Glory of moonlight dreams,
Over thy branches and lordly streams,
Clad in thy blossoming trees,
Mother, giver of ease
Laughing low and sweet!
Mother I kiss thy feet,
Speaker sweet and low!
Mother, to thee I bow.

Who hath said thou art weak in thy lands
When swords flash out in seventy million hands
And seventy million voices roar
Thy dreadful name from shore to shore?
With many strengths who art mighty and stored,
To thee I call Mother and Lord!
Thou who saves, arise and save!
To her I cry who ever her foe drove
Back from plain and sea
And shook herself free.

Thou art wisdom, thou art law,
Thou art heart, our soul, our breath
Though art love divine, the awe
In our hearts that conquers death.
Thine the strength that nerves the arm,
Thine the beauty, thine the charm.
Every image made divine
In our temples is but thine.

Thou art Durga, Lady and Queen,
With her hands that strike and her
swords of sheen,
Thou art Lakshmi lotus-throned,
And the Muse a hundred-toned,
Pure and perfect without peer,
Mother lend thine ear,
Rich with thy hurrying streams,
Bright with thy orchard gleems,
Dark of hue O candid-fair.

In thy soul, with jewelled hair
And thy glorious smile divine,
Loveliest of all earthly lands,
Showering wealth from well-stored hands!
Mother, mother mine!
Mother sweet, I bow to thee,
Mother great and free!

Isnt it now easy to see how our national song easily makes nation worship come so smoothly to our souls?

23 March 2009

Hindu education teaches Motherland worship

Chandragupta Maurya, who deposed Alexander's ruling representatives from the soil of India shared a vision common with his teacher, Acharya Chanakya. It was the vision of an India where irrespective of language or dress or region, everyone shared a common culture of the land. That is what defines this great nation. Everyone is bound by the one word of Hinduism that is an integral part of Indian culture, 'OM'.

This is a song from the TV series 'Chanakya', where all students led by Chandragupta offer a song is praise to their motherland:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRThD56doKw

The lyrics are as given below:

(HINDI)
---------
hum kare rashtra aradhan, hum kare rashtra aradhan,
tan se mann se dhan se, tan mann dhan jeevan se hum kare rashtra aradhan

antar se mukh se kriti se, nischal ho nirmal mati se
shraddha se mastak nat se, hum karein rashtra abhivaadan

apne haste shaishav se, apne khilte yauvan se
praudhtapoorn jeevan se, hum karein rashtra ka archan

humne ateeth ko padhkar, apna itihas ulatkar
apna bhavitavya samajhkar, hum karein rashtra ka chintan

hai yaad hamen yug yug ki, jalati anek ghatanaaye,
jo maa ki sewa path parr, aayee bannkarr vipadaaye,
hamane abhishek kiyaa thaa, jannani ari-shonit se,
hamane shringaar kiya tha, mata ka ari-mundo se,
hamane hi use diya tha, sanskrtik uchcha sinhaasan,
maa jiss parr baithi sukh se, karati thi jag ka shaashan,
abb kaal-chakra ki gati se, jab toot gaya wo sinhaasan,
apana tan mann dhan dekarr, hamen kare punar-sansthaapan,
hum kare rashtra aradhan, hum karen rashtra aradhan

(ENGLISH translation)
------------------------
We worship & respect our nation, We worship & respect our nation,
by our body, by our mind, by our wealth, by body mind wealth and life we worship our nation

by our soul mouth deeds, by steadiness from our calm conscience,
with heads bent by our faith, we humbly request our nation

by our joyful childhood, by our emerging youth,
with the life of our adulthood, we pray to our nation

by studying our past, by turning pages of our history
by understanding our potential, we think about our nation

we remember numberous age-old glowing incidents
which came as obstacles in the path of service of my mother(land)
we anointed our foreheads for war with our mother(land)'s vermilion (sindoor)
we adorned ourselves with weapons of our mother(land)'s words/language
it was we who had given her the high cultural throne
sitting on which she peacefully ran the affairs of the earth
the wheel of time has broken that throne of hers
we will reinstate that throne sacrificing our body mind wealth
as we worship & respect our nation, we worship & respect our nation


Today we have to pause and think, can we recite even two lines of our national song 'Vande Mataram'? Do we understand the meaning of the lyrics of our national anthem? We feel proud to call ourselves secular just like we love to wear fashion. But are we sure we are not forgetting our patriotism as we are becoming more and more secular??? Difficult questions, hence easily avoided and forgotten.





17 March 2009

The Bhagavad Gita (Summarised)

It is time we start getting into the text which guides us on how to lead life. People may wonder why we need to get into scriptures for guidance. If anyone of you has faced the mid-twenties problem of being lost in a crowd and not being able to ask anyone for guidance, or faced a mid-life crisis of your own worth, you know why you need wisdom of the ages. The people who collated and put into context the thought, knowledge and wisdom of the forefathers have been looked upon as Gods and gurus. It doesn’t harm any of us to get a gist of what all is contained in those voluminous and definitely useful texts. Today we start with a brief of what all is there in the Holy Bhagavad Gita, through the words of Lord Shri Krishna.


The Bhagavad Gita is a dialogue on dharma. It enshrines the essential values of the Vedic and Upanishadic traditions of shruti (the revealed) and smriti (the remembered). Its structure is informal question and answer; its mode is enquiry and search; its goal is self-discovery and illumination. It offers the student the two subtlest concepts of Upanishadic philosophy: Purusha (Male/Soul) & Prakriti (Female/Matter) and Kshetra (Field) & Kshetrajna (Knower of the Field). Both concepts are linked and the clear awareness of their meaning and implications is the knowledge that must be known

 

Is it reasonable, is it practical to expect Arjuna, trained as a Kshatriya, expert in the arts of war, to fight without the desire to win?

 

The Gita consists of eighteen chapters in total:

  1. Chapter I. The Yoga of Arjuna’s Despair (Arjunavishadayoga)
    Arjuna requests Krishna to move his chariot between the two armies. When Arjuna sees his relatives on the opposing army side of the Kurus, he loses courage and decides not to fight.

 

Arjuna gives three reasons for his pacifism:

1)      Sva-jan (one’s own people) are to be respected and loved not wasted

2)      Even if others are blinded by greed, mutually assured destruction is not the civilized way of responding to aggression

3)      Killing is the ultimate crime, it is better to be killed weaponless.

 

It is told that family dharma disappears when family breaks up, adharma takes over. That is when women are corrupted and heritage is destroyed.

 

Krishna says, without action, no life is possible. Three kinds of action are possible:

1)      Ritual action (for the physically inclined)

2)      Spiritual action (for the religiously inclined)

3)      Reasoned action (for the intellectually inclined)

 

  1. Chapter II. The Yoga of Knowledge (Sankhyayoga)
    After asking Krishna for help, Arjuna is instructed that only the body may be killed, while the eternal self is immortal. Krishna appeals to Arjuna that as a warrior he has a duty to uphold the path of dharma through warfare.

 

Krishna tells Arjuna not to be a hridaya-durbala (coward) referring to his indecisiveness resulting from confusion and an erroneous sense of insecurity. It is a moral paralysis of will. He should shake off his weakness and rise. Do not mourn those who do not deserve mourning. The man who is steady in ephemeral pain and pleasure with time and age, is the man who achieves serenity. You have no reason to grieve for any creature if you think of your own dharma and do not hesitate from action. Shame is worse than death to a man of honour. Equating pain & pleasure, loss & gain, defeat & victory there is no blame and this dharma removes all fear. A single-minded will without attachment is the stability of Yoga which releases you from good and evil.

 

Arjuna responds by wrapping it up in sthita-prajna (the steady minded person). Arjuna asks, “Who is the man of poise”. Krishna responds, “The man without desire is steady.” Meditation on objects breeds attachment, attachment leads to covetousness, which in turn breeds anger. Anger leads to confusion that kills discrimination because of which making a choice is impossible. When moral choice is gone, man is doomed.

 

  1. Chapter III. The Yoga of Action (Karmayoga)
    Arjuna asks why he should engage in fighting if knowledge is more important than action. Krishna stresses to Arjuna that performing his duties for the greater good, but without attachment to results is the appropriate course of action.

 

Arjuna argues, “If a steady minded person is superior because he thinks clearly, and mind, reason, thought, knowledge are so superior why fight? Why not just think?” Krishna answers as shreyam-svadharma (one’s own dharma is best). No one reaches perfection through inaction. Except disciplined deeds, all deeds are traps as they are not selfless. People will always imitate a superior. One’s own dharma, however imperfect, is better than another’s, however perfect. In a conflict, a man is caught in four dharmas:

1)      Sva-dharma (self preservation)

2)      Kula-dharma (family preservation)

3)      Yuga-dharma (spirit of the age preservation)

4)      Sanatana-dharma (mankind’s eternal values preservation)

 

Krishna’s advice is to remember the hierarchy – lowest is the flesh, then come senses, then the mind/emotions, the intellect/the atman. Steady yourself with your self and choose – that is the right choice. First control the senses as greed destroys judgement and kills knowledge. Strengthened by pure consciousness, destroy the great enemy called kama!

 

  1. Chapter IV. The Yoga of Knowledge, Action, and Renunciation (Jnanakarmasanyasayoga)
    Krishna reveals that He has lived through many births, always teaching Yoga for the protection of the pious and the destruction of the impious and stresses the importance of accepting a guru.

 

Since there are four dharmas simultaneously operating with no guarantee that people will make the right choice, ups and downs in the course of overall Dharma are inevitable. However, the cosmos is fitted with a self-correcting mechanism. Karma plays through the effect of Maya. There is always a divine presence for anyone ready to receive spiritual guidance. Important thing to realize is that all action must be treated as yagna (ritual) not as sensual. The secret is to see inaction in action (ritual unselfconscious action brings no good or bad fruits) and action in inaction (selfish knowledge brings both good and bad fruits). Discipline shows the face of Brahma, the product of action. There is no purifier like knowledge in this world. Find strength in discipline and rise.

 

  1. Chapter V. The Yoga of Renunciation (Karmasanyasayoga)
    Arjuna asks Krishna if it is better to forgo action or to act. Krishna answers that both ways may be beneficent, but that acting in Karma Yoga is superior.

 

Krishna says, “Renunciation and activity both liberate, but to work is better than to renounce.” He asks to abandon greed. Restlessness is the product of sensual joys that are impermanent. The wise commands his senses, mind and intellect rid of lust, anger and greed. Krishna brings in the Upanishadic concepts of the Witness and the Participant. Watch life detachedly. Enjoy it coolly. Savour your deeds as you would the performer of an actor in a play. Be involved, yet be free.

 

  1. Chapter VI. The Yoga of Meditation (Dhayanayoga)
    Krishna describes the correct posture for meditation and the process of how to achieve samadhi.

 

Krishna says, “What matters in Yoga, is not success but sincere effort. Peace of mind is not a goal but a process. To begin with the aspirant must discipline desire, discover the pleasures of solitude, perform daily physical yoga to discipline his body, practice principle of golden mean in every activity and he must look on delight and suffering of everywhere as his own. Such effort and empathy characterize the true Yogi. Success comes by slow degrees. Without determination, no man can reach Yoga. A Yogi has to persevere. The supreme bliss is not a product of the determined seeking after it, but a by-product of the honest yogic effort to improve the quality of one’s humanity.”

 

  1. Chapter VII. The Yoga of Knowledge and Specialized Knowledge (JnanavVijnananyoga)
    Krishna teaches the path of knowledge (Jnana Yoga).

 

Earth, water, fire, air and ether/sky; mind, intellect and egoism – these eight constituents make up Nature. The  three gunas (states) of sattva, rajas and tamas  deceive the world through maya. The reward for men of small intelligence is small as the wise men are closer to God.

 

Only the wise man is secure in the knowledge that wisdom is an end in itself. He has seen through the four dangling carrots of sex, money, power and fame. It is wisdom through reason to know the Adhyatman, the Adhibhuta, the Adhidaiva, and the Adhiyagna.

 

  1. Chapter VIII. The Yoga of the Indestructible Brahman or God Supreme (Aksharabrahmayoga)
    Krishna defines the terms brahman, adhyatma, karma, atman, adhibhuta and adhidaiva and explains how one can remember him at the time of death and attain His supreme abode.

 

Adhyatman is the pervader of the atman, Adhibhuta is the pervader of all creatures, Adhidaiva is the pervader of the gods, Adhiyagna is the pervader of ritual deeds. This quartet constitutes the quintessence of natural and supernatural knowledge which, intelligently filtered in a receptive mind, becomes wisdom. The Brahman is the energizing principle behind the individual atman, the fire of which the atman is the spark.

 

Brahman is the supreme indestructible and its existence in separate persons is Adhyatma, the destructible is Adhibhuta, the male principle is Adhidaiva, and God is the Adhiyagna in the human body. Purusha, the male principle is all-knowing, lord of all, the ancient, smaller than an atom, incomprehensible of form, dazzling as the sun, and free from the veiling darkness of maya. The Brahman explained in the Vedas is achieved through the self control of brahmacharya and the power of Yoga. ‘OM’ is the symbol of Brahman.

 

  1. Chapter IX. The Yoga of Royal Knowledge and the Royal Yoga (Rajavidyarajayoga)
    Krishna explains panentheism, "all beings are in Me" as a way of remembering Him in all circumstances.

 

Logic, reason, discussion, dialogue, question and answer go as far as the limits set by the human brain. At a certain point, the queries stop, the imagination falters, the heart remains unsatisfied. The conviction is partial, not total, because the analytic method has not been fulfilled by the mystic vision and intuitive insight. The magical word is shraddha, of which the closest English equivalent is faith. But shraddha has associations with darshan, and worshipping a physical image of a non-physical divinity is a form of darshan provided it is done with shraddha. No shraddha is refused.

 

Brahman vitalizes the Prakriti and the swarm of beings is evolved, all subordinate to Prakriti. But Brahman is to be pursued with single minded devotion as the goal of knowledge, as OM and the three Vedas. Brahman is what is and what is not.

 

  1. Chapter X. The Yoga of Glory of Greatness of God (Vibhutiyoga)
    Krishna describes how He is the ultimate source of all material and spiritual worlds. Arjuna accepts Krishna as the Supreme Being, quoting great sages who have also done so.

 

Ladder of reason is a prelude to the leap of faith and devotion. What faith provides is an experience that reason can only indicate or describe. Connected with shraddha (faith) is bhakti (devotion). Bhakti is the very opposite of desire. When faith and devotion join hands, compassion is born like a glowing lamp of wisdom scatters the ignorant darkness of any.

 

Intellect, knowledge, vision, perseverance, truth, renunciation, gentleness, joy, sorrow, birth, death, awe, fearlessness, equanimity, penance, charity, fame and sense of shame – these states arise from Brahman alone. Brahman is the source of everything and nothing. Brahman is the germ of life, nothing animate or inanimate has existence without it. Of the faculties, Brahman is intelligence and the consciousness of the world’s creatures. Among the wisdoms, Brahman is the knowledge of the atman and is truth among disputes. The man who knows the difference between illusion and reality is the yogi.

 

  1. Chapter XI. Revelation of the Cosmic Appearance of God Himself (Vishwadarshanayoga)
    On Arjuna's request, Krishna displays His "universal form" (Visvarupa), a theophany of a being facing every way and emitting the radiance of a thousand suns, containing all other beings and material in existence.

 

To many, the Vishva-rupa-darshan is the pinnacle of the Gita, the poem’s dazzling hard-core truth, its quintessence. To others it is a betrayal of confidence, with Krishna stunning Arjuna with magic when all that Arjuna wanted was logic. To each his own. The stepping stone of reason has led to the threshold of faith.

 

Arjuna asks Purushottama to give him revelation. What he sees is nothing less than everything. Arjuna saw the separate universes united and resting. Were a thousand suns to explode suddenly in the sky, their brilliance would approximate the glory of the sight. Brahman is the supreme reality, then end of knowledge, the protector of dharma, the ancient Purusha without start or growth or end, deathless, omnipotent. Brahman fills the interworld space and all things else, he is time, Kala, real and unreal and what is beyond these. Brahman is the first god, the primal Purusha, the knower and the known, the ultimate end, the Prajapati, the all. Krishna gave Arjuna peace. Krishna tells him to destroy the enemies without desire or anger for their death is ordained and he is just the immediate cause.

 

  1. Chapter XII. The Yoga of Devotion (Bhaktiyoga)
    Krishna describes the process of devotional service (Bhakti Yoga).

 

Krishna describes the good points of an ideal devotee (Bhakta): compassion for all creatures, absence of egotism, patience, fortitude, equanimity, freedom from jealousy, fear and worry, self-sufficiency, indifference to ups and downs, self-control, determination, decisiveness, impartiality to friend and foe, equal-mindedness in devotion, praise and blame, silence, satisfaction, single-mindedness in devotion.

 

Those who follow the Vedas and worship the Brahman, they subdue their senses and seek the welfare of all but their problems are greater as is it difficult for the finite beings to attain the infinite. If the art of good habit is difficult, learn to do everything for God’s sake as that will suffice. Knowledge is superior to good habit, meditation is superior to knowledge, and giving up the fruits of actions is superior to meditation.

 

  1. Chapter XIII. The Yoga of the Field and Knowledge of the Field (Kshetrakshetrajnavibhagayoga)
    Krishna describes nature (prakrti), the enjoyer (purusha) and consciousness.

 

Krishna offers the two subtlest concepts of Upanishadic philosophy: Purusha (male/spirit/soul) & Prakriti (female/nature/matter), and Kshetra (field) and Kshetrajna (knower of the field). Purusha informs, permeates, energizes and shines through Prakriti. Prakriti is primordial, undifferentiated nature. Under the spiritual influence of Purusha, Prakriti produces the universe, the raw and the refined, teeming, variegated life of the cosmos. However, Purusha, the activating agent remains unaffected and pure. Though involved in Prakriti, Purusha is detached, supreme witness and not participant.

 

Another way of looking at it is to describe Prakriti, in its differentiated form as the Kshetra, the field, the body, the ground of Karma’s fruits. The Kshetrajna is the knower of the body, the atman, the witness, the uninvolved participant, always pure, always free, so long as it knows the truth about itself and Prakriti. Prakriti and Purusha are without any beginning, and all the interplay of the senses is the result of Prakriti. Purusha is the light of lights, shining through darkness, it is the only knowledge worth knowing, it is the end of knowledge, and it exists in everyone’s heart.

 

The qualities of the field are – elements, egoism, intellect, invisible mind, ten senses, lust, anger, pleasure, pain, intelligence, patience and the sum of all these. Knower of the field consists of – humility, non-pride, dignity, tranquility, homage, chastity, self-control, steadfastness, abandonment of sensual desires, absence of egoism, meditation, non-attachment, single-minded faith in God, pilgrimage to places of quiet, persistence in spiritual struggle, awareness of the end of knowledge, the opposite of all ignorance. What must be known is neither being nor non-being, it is outside and inside life, it is animate and inanimate. His vision is clear who sees Brahman as equal in all beings, as the non-material in material. He sees all actions as the work of Prakriti, and the atman as unaffected and becomes the Brahman himself.

 

  1. Chapter XIV. Yoga of the Qualities of Goodness (Gunatrayavibhagayoga)
    Krishna explains the three modes (gunas) of material nature.

 

Prakriti, both crude and subtle, consists of three gunas or qualities which in unite the body to the atman – sattva, rajas and tamas. Very simply, sattva is the quality of light, goodness, knowledge, vitality. Rajas is the quality of grayness, amorality, curiosity, physical strength. Tamas is the quality of darkness, immorality, ignorance, laziness. The permutations and combinations are endless and each person is dominated at different times by one or the other of these gunas, which provide the unique stamp of individuality, of character and of personality. But this personality is Prakriti-based, it is grounded in a mix of raw and refined tendencies, inclinations, proclivities, behaviour patterns. They are not the real person, the Purusha. He who behaves detachedly, knows the gunas are working and remains steady is the one who is said to have transcended the gunas.

 

  1. Chapter XV. The Yoga of the Supreme Soul (Purushottamayoga)
    Krishna describes a symbolic tree (representing material existence), its roots in the heavens and its foliage on earth. Krishna explains that this tree should be felled with the "axe of detachment", after which one can go beyond to his supreme abode.

 

Krishna introduces the concept of the cosmic fig-tree Ashvattha with roots above, shoots mid-space, and fruits below. The network of Karma produced by Prakriti involves Kala. He asks Arjuna to cut down this tree with the sword of detachment and stand up!

 

Krisha explains the Purusha Trinity. One Purusha is embedded in the body and is the perishable spirit. The second Purusha is the imperishable atman which enters the body but leaves it like a breeze carrying the fragrance of flowers. The third Purusha is Paramatma Purusha which is attained when the tree of Karma is sliced with the sword of non-attachment. It is the light living in the sun which illuminates the world, nourishing the earth energy, sustaining life and also in the fire. Brahman/Purusha is the knowledge of the Vedas and the knower of the Vedas.

 

  1. Chapter XVI. The Yoga Dividing the Virtuous and the Wicked; a Code of Morals (Daivasurasampathvighagayoga)
    Krishna tells of the human traits of the divine and the demonic natures. He counsels that to attain the supreme destination one give up lust, anger and greed, discern between right and wrong action by evidence from scripture and thus act rightly.

 

This sermonizing seems to be a bit of an anti-climax. But the practical reason for meticulous detailing of the divine nature and anti-divine nature is to calm Arjuna who is wondering if there is any hope left for him for attaining the highest Purusha. The Hindu hell is temporary and very easy to enter. It has three gates of lust, anger and greed which can be avoided by giving up all three and getting absorbed in self improvement. What really matters is whether a person is well meaning or not. This is the ultimate, and only signification distinction.

 

Courage, compassion, patience, purity are the signs of divine nature. Pride, obstreperousness, vanity, anger, boorishness, ignorance are the marks of anti-divine nature. The anti-divine neither have virtue, nor good conduct, nor truth and say the world is false and immoral, godless and born of lust. With these beliefs, these unfortunate people become the world’s enemies and potential destroyers. The scriptures tell you what should be done and what avoided, your actions should conform to the truths of the scriptures.

 

  1. Chapter XVII. The Triad of Beliefs; The Faith Makes the Man (Shradhatriyabibhagayoga)
    Krishna tells of three divisions of faith and the thoughts, deeds and even eating habits corresponding to the three gunas.

 

A man is what his faith is. The sattvika man gives for the sake of giving, the rajsika  is reluctant in giving and expects return, the tamsika gives with contempt and without concern. But is faith enough? No, says Krishna. More important is the Truth That Is (OM TAT SAT). OM is the all-embracing sacred syllable, TAT is that which is mysteriously vague, SAT is IS, ‘Isness’. Brahman, Vedas and rituals proceed from Truth That Is. Chant OM TAT SAT and put feeling in the faith and the chanting. Giving without feeling, action without feeling, discipline without feeling is unreal and useless.

 

  1. Chapter XVIII. The Yoga of Renunciation for Emancipation (Mokshasanyasayoga)
    In conclusion, Krishna asks Arjuna to abandon all forms of dharma and simply surrender unto Him. He describes this as the ultimate perfection of life.

 

The Gita is a gospel of action to be a karma-yogi. No action is complete or desirable without knowing why, how and when to act. Krishna places a very high value on knowledge that crystallizes into wisdom. The Gita is a gospel of knowledge to be a jyana-yogi. But knowledge is not complete or desirable without shraddha, spontaneous feeling, which in its best form becomes bhakti. The Gita is a gospel of faith and devotion to be a bhakti-yogi.

 

There is nothing that is not the product of the three gunas. Each following his conscientious duty finds perfection when he dedicates his work to Brahman. Conscience is what matters. Follow your duty surrendering the ego and selfishness as they can lead to moral ruin. ‘I’ and ‘mine’ disappear and peace is attained as preconditions for achieving Brahman.

 

One must act, but act only after learning from the Sankhya philosophy that work is ruled by five causes – matter, agent, motive, motion, fate. And finally have faith in Brahman. That is the secret which enables a person to discover true self dharma. This is the subtle wisdom. Think it over. You are free to choose. If the ultimate goal is freedom, the means to it must be freedom to choose. I am convinced that where Krishna, lord of yoga is, where Arjuna the weilder of the bow is, are victory, success, prosperity and law.

 

(Sources:

1.      Overview of chapters from http://www.freebooknotes.com/wiki/Bhagavad-Gita & http://www.kamat.com/baba/geeta/ ;

2.      Summary from ‘The Bhagavad Gita’ by Dr. P. Lal.)

 

As the last part says, think over what you have read. You are free to choose. Maybe choose those parts that you like and try to bring them to your life each day. The parts you don’t like or understand fully, leave them for a later day. Take a step ahead and the Gita will help you outrun far ahead of the maddening crowd.

 

OM