Space Defence – The Game of Three Levels of Attack

 

The Domain of Space as we Know Today

For any well-read and reasonably aware individual, it is well known that many countries have satellites and missiles, fewer have missile defence and space programs and extremely few have sent humans to space or have anti-satellite weapons. In this article, we'll concentrate on anti-satellite warfare before placing it the diplomatic context.

There are three parts to taking out any satellite in orbit - (1) Identification of target (2) Monitoring and forecasting trajectory (3) Attack

Anti-Satellite (ASAT) Warfare 

You need to have eyes at space to identify and track down the target satellite. These are typically electro-optical telescopes, ground based radars, space based telescopes and radio frequencies. Technical capability is a major constraint here as the space assets / satellites can be positioned at any altitude between LEO and GSO/GEO with varying velocities and different inclinations, eccentricity and synchronicity of orbits. Vast space requires higher resolution images that are best supported by X band radars. X band radars are the most contentious part of the THAAD battery and the S 300 missile defence as they enable deep surveillance capabilities.

The ARES Orbital Debris Program Office of NASA JSC monitors all space debris. US is able to perform risk assessment with help of Standards, Practices, Procedures and Software. It also conducts Hyper Velocity Impact Technology experiments at their Houston facility with a lot of other scientific research through their civilian arm of the space program. The United States SSN, a part of USSTRATCOM, monitors all space objects (~8000 of which ~560 are satellites) larger than 10 cm/10 pounds orbiting the earth. The same objective of monitoring is also a part of the mandate for NORAD-USNORTHCOM. As you can see, a unified combatant command with additional military hardware like AWACS are deployed by for the stated purpose of monitoring illegal air movement of drugs and homeland defence.

Once the target's orbital path is forecasted, the decision to attack the target is made using one of the five possible techniques. Three of the techniques involve kinetic kill warheads and two use electromagnetic beams. Let us consider them one by one.

ASAT Techniques

The first method and the earliest method is ground / sea based ballistic missiles as kinetic kill warheads. China successfully tested this method on a LEO satellite from a mobile Transporter-Erector-Launcher (TEL) in 2007. This is similar to the Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicle concept of the US where the boost missile launches the kill vehicle in an intercept trajectory at speeds of about 10 km/s. This is a high velocity head-on collision with the target satellite. The US has successfully used RM161 SM3 in 2008 and Russia has successfully tested PL19 Nudol in 2016 for the same purpose. In terms of classification though, these are anti-ballistic missiles that were used.

The second method is the use of fighter or cargo aircraft to launch similar kinetic kill vehicles. The ALBM technique was tested during late 50s and early 60s by the US with limited success. The PGM-17 Thor program of launching IRBM from cargo aircrafts as a stop gap measure by USAF were more successful but had competitive rivalry with Jupiter missiles developed by US Navy. The intention was also to carry thermonuclear warheads as a second strike capability from UK. The US Vought ASM135 launch from a modified F15 was successful in 1985 but the program was later abandoned.

The third technique is the use of a space based asset to launch a kinetic kill warhead. The idea originated in the 1960s with IS fighter satellite program started by the USSR as a co-orbital weapon that would approach close enough to the target and explode shrapnels to destroy it. The 14F11 Naryad system is believed to be space based battle stations being pursued by Russia. The US has also pursued similar projects like XSS-11, NFIRE and Space Based Interceptor for space launched ASAT warheads.

The fourth technique is the use of lasers, either launched from ground or orbital space stations. The Soviets brought together all research under one umbrella in their 12th five-year plan that ended up in launching the unsuccessful SkifDM/Polyus station. The Soviets were responding to the four stage US ASAT initiative starting with deploying over 4500 kinetic interceptor satellites better known "Brilliant Pebbles" in LEO.

The fifth technique is the use of satellite jamming typically from ground based devices with electromagnetic waves. While this is not as destructive as kill vehicle, it still requires the three steps of identification, forecasting trajectory and jamming a particular group of channels / introducing malware from an exposed port. The speciality of this technique is that it can be deployed terrestrially near receiving stations at marginal cost.

Our Option(s)

We need to relate the economic and cultural context while looking at our options. Many developing nations forego their cultural identity and traditional wisdom in the great race to achieve economic parity. It is not that the western powers have better stories or morals, they use technology to capture and fashion the imagination of any bright young mind. These stories wire coming generation into the societal beliefs, ethics and norms of the west, emboldening their economic prowess. In economics, the primary driver of GDP growth is technology and this is a gap that is increasingly widening in favour of the west. Choosing between ASAT and not is like choosing between the gun and sword. The sane smaller guy would always go in for the gun. 

My article is neither a deep dive into the cost benefit analysis of any of these techniques nor an opinion on the superiority of one over the other and also not a critique of ASAT programs. The only question worth asking is, when do we decide to have our own ASAT? We may not be attacking but we sure need to be defending across all of them. Any such layer of defence needs to have an ecosystem that makes it self-sustaining. The domain of space science and technology is immense and we need to invest wisely. While the core R&D is confidential, a partnership with our academic institutions and industry players may play a pivotal role in accelerating our growth journey. 

Is it pre-emptive attack the only viable defence option available in Space? The rest of this article attempts to answer this very question. 

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Our Typical Imagination of Space

“To boldly go where no man has gone before” is perhaps the most well-known dialogue from “Star Trek”. Space makes us want to explore the unknown frontiers, discover mysteries, explain phenomenon and to many take photos, talk to far off friends and send videos. The utilization of space with assets has been mostly to the same effect as the imagination I mentioned. All this silently presumes that humanity is united and is run like an efficient one-party communist style leadership. And that there are the heroes in men that lead this space race. This dream is not a vision, but more wishful thinking.

CubeSats take away the immense cost and technological might required for space presence and show how space is being democratized. Space where growth is happening for each and it would happen most probably in the manner we have grown most, i.e. by competition. But let’s come back to this towards the end. This article’s focus is to lay the philosophical foundation of the new realm of defence in space.

The Imperative of Security in Any Idea of a Nation

We humans are still a species that is still tribal in mindset. Our rapidly increasing population has further entrenched this feature, in spite of ever strengthening opposing force of technology. Animals have territories, and educated Homo Sapiens have borders. Yet we progressed exponentially. It happened not because borders were removed but because they were negotiated.

A collection of humans called a nation tries to preserve and perpetuate its way of living. Since it is the judged making the judgement, we ourselves won’t ever agree on which nation deserve to take over the world on its merit and the rest should cease to exist. We’ll play the game of international trade and politics. What keeps us busy growing and negotiating is our confidence in our security, military if I had to state it narrowly. Now we are crossing the decades of “soft powers” where the word military is replaced by culture, though again it defines security narrowly.

The narrow definition of security is the reason why it ends up being reactive and never enough. The alternative is strength, which is best defined as heightened state of alertness + scalpel precision moves at favourable inflexion points. Let’s go through how the world looks from the lens of alertness, which for a species that still fighting for survival, I would call “level of attack”.

A vicious cycle exists in the current geopolitical landscape where more power means more money and more money means more power. But there is another corollary to this that I’ll come to towards the end.

The Low Level of Attack – Hibernate Mode

In this mode we choose to actively grow when the environment is suitable and we choose to hold on to the status quo till the bad environment blows over. The massively complex space programme grows in good times through authentic intentions of a few despite the bureaucracy. We seek to grow for our own needs and aspirations with our limited means and are not willing to know too much about our neighbours, let alone the other side of the globe. Our rockets can launch our satellites so that we can watch our crops grow well and provide better forecast before disasters. In the worst case of a battle, our armed forces and planes may use our own navigation system but that’s all there is to it. We close our eyes to what is visible but is not our concern. This mode is better known as “Strategic Restraint”. In the animal world, it is better known as hibernation of the reptiles. The reptiles did rule the earth, but those dinosaurs one day went extinct.

High Level of Attack – Dominate Mode

This is the mode of existence where the nation chooses to push its way by requests, coaxing, hard bargaining, sabre rattling and all-out war. In geopolitics this translates to trade treaties, economic unions, sanctions, war games, human rights and militancy elimination. In space, it means active use of spy satellites, blocking satellite communication, listening to all communication routed through hardware and if required, spreading misinformation and computer viruses. Anti-Satellite (ASAT) weapons have been successfully operationalized by US, Russia and China. While the discussions continue over the choice of method (laser/missile ground/air launched), the feasibility of hitting targets at variable altitudes given redundancy and space debris causing collateral damage, ASATs continue to be developed as a retaliatory if not offensive tactic.

Note that there is unrestricted use of all traditional means of warfare with impact multiplicatively increased by using space tech as the fulcrum. Space is utilized seamlessly with military, IT, diplomacy and trade & finance as it is with movies, telephones, education, medicine and video conferencing. Each opportunity that becomes available for increasing the nation’s might is exploited. Superpowers would typically be in this mode to sustain their hegemony, even though it is taxing on resources that can be more optimally utilized in the long run. US' proposed space force as a separate wing in the armed forces is the first move in of a superpower in this mode.

The Middle Level of Attack – Peace Mode

The middle path is usually the most balanced mode of living. Unlike the hibernation mode, we choose to see, hear and sense everything for everyone. And unlike the dominate mode, we act only in those cases with a minimum force when events and things would provide exponential extremely long run favourable returns. This means we understand and create all the cutting edge in science and technology, weaponize most of it, and yield hardly a few. It is important to note that in the Peace Mode we deploy means to protect our space assets. We are doing what our species did to become the masters of the earth – we stayed alert for the lion through generations, till finally we created our own jungle and forced the king lion to stay within the “national park” as we saw fit.

Foundation for Future Dominance in a No Man’s Land

Science fiction and artists’ imaginations have spoken a lot about what our future space world would be like. More often than not, they were reflections of freedom from their respective state of world. Perhaps a more actionable imagination would come if we can imagine a current nation with its citizens inhabiting different planets. The time gap between two parts of any nation and the globe would be large enough to make the theory of demand and supply in economics to fail. More simply said, goods produced on one planet would be sold after 20 years on another planet – so what drives a nation’s monetary / fiscal policy or target inflation/interest rate or its exchange rate and trade pacts?

The technology trend driving this growth is creating an engine to create and consume more data, way beyond what humans’ minds can manage. The only way left is to allow machines to manage growing needs of machines i.e. machines start taking over decision making over large data sets using Artificial Intelligence (AI). No prizes for inferring that automation via AI is a prerequisite for survival in space.

We had left two dangling points regarding competition and vicious circle of money and power in the beginning. Our biggest strength arguably lies in large scale cooperation across vast numbers of people. Competition between groups needs cooperation within the group. Competition exists to have more power and money. Money and power tend to concentrate not within people but organizations and institutions. Putting these together, we are looking at a space era where a nation would be philosophically defined as the group of homo sapiens living across planets that choose to create organizations and institutions best preserving and perpetuating their way of life. The components of that imagination are covered in a later article.

In conclusion, the peace mode of space age reverberates with thoughts of two of the greatest founding fathers of our nation. Gandhi once said quoting Shri Rabindra Nath Tagore, "I hope I am as great a believer in free air as the great Poet. I do not want my house to be walled in on all sides and my windows to be stuffed. I want the cultures of all the lands to be blown about my house as freely as possible. But I refuse to be blown off my feet by any". We need our vision of our sanatan civilization to preserve our way of life and at a tactical level this means we have our ASAT now.

Written on 25-Dec-2018

The first battle of WW3 has begun

I belong to a race that I may or may not believe is superior; my civilization is the perhaps ideal or not; governance of my nation is close to perfect or maybe far from it; people live in surreal harmony or as decreed by hierarchy. Whatever my nation is, it has enough land to be self sufficient and enough people to be productive or wage war. So when and how do I become the model state on earth. It is simple, I want the power of being the supreme state among mankind's nations and I will grab it whatever way I can. 

The western powers that created the steam engine owned the Industrial Revolution and defined the world order for centuries to follow. They held on to this mantle of supreme power more and more innovation came forth - in finance and markets, in electronics, in computing, in communication, in medicine and in artificial intelligence. I call this leadership in the Newtonian Realm. Then something came along where the western powers starting losing the grip - it was when technology of quantum world caught up with the science. China stole, copied, improved and innovated in this realm. They are the upcoming race / nation that seeks supremacy. And they declared the war on the world without saying a word.

But who did they declare was against? The established western dominion - no way! China is not stupid to wage war against the west that pays it the most money. It is the same west where they hold their largest investments. They simply need to take control of almost all resources (i.e. land) and tame energy. So who are their principal enemy?

Let's take a step back here and look at the kind of leadership that is running China, what have they learnt and how do they operate. China was always a collection of feudal provinces, ruled by a single monarch with "Tianmeng" (Mandate of Heaven). It changed into communism that united China's warring tribes under one Flag. But there is a subtext there - the Han ethnic race forms almost 92% of the population of China but Mandarin (boosted by Simplified Chinese language by CPC) was spoken by only 71% of Chinese. Centralized power of communism ushered in the wave of standardization in the name of "One China" unification - an idea they wanted to use for achieving their fascist ideals. {Oxford dictionary defines fascism as "an extreme right-wing political system or attitude that is in favour of strong central government, aggressively promoting your own country or race above others, and that does not allow any opposition."}. Communist Party of China left principles of communism back in 1978 during Deng Xiaoping's days ("Under socialism, there can also be a market economy"). 

If you are no. 2 by a distant margin and possibly a lone wolf - how would you defeat a bigger rival with large number of supporters. Lao Tzŭ articulated the fundamental philosophy of Tai-Chi when he wrote, "The soft and the pliable will defeat the hard and strong." You never fight the No.1, you allow him to destroy himself in an attempt to hurt you (Feminine Yin defeats Masculine Yang). This martial art philosophy found the tactics of execution in communist thinking of Marx and Lenin - the idea of subversion. Understand how it operates in this beautiful video by an ex KGB agent Yuri Bezmenov: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9TviIuXPSE

In short, China used characteristics of democracies to weaken them.

So what is China's plan of global domination and owning all resources (including energy and money)? Let's come from the final state till today and then go into history, opposite to the direction of time.

1. Move into Masculine role and organize the world into two spheres of Yin (Non-Chinese as female) and Yang (Chinese race as Male) - as decreed in Mandate of Heaven. To get there -
2. Defeat the Power No. 1 on earth controlling most resources at that time in future. To do this -
3. (Don't) Declare war and remove the old aging behemoth power of today and take over its source of power (technology) through Tai-Chi + Communist Subversion. Before that -
4. Secure your land and people - food, water, healthcare, financial well being, education and good standard of life. In this process, become the No. 2 or 3 you need to be to declare war. But how do you know what will succeed, you first need to -
5. Identify the philosophy, learn from the past mistakes and anoint the leadership with Mandate of Heaven

Let us go in reverse order (the normal direction of time) and understand how we are in the middle of step 3 (the undeclared World War 3 that has begun).

5. "A Century of Humiliation" is the patriotic Chinese narrative that says China was weak that is why Britain could come in and infect it with Opium (China was sick man of Asia) and even Japanese could rule it. They have the National Humiliation Day when Japan defeated it on 18 September 1931 (Refer: https://www.thechinaagenda.com/sep-18-2020-national-humiliation-day/). “Never Forget National Humiliation, Join up for National Rejuvenation”. Weakness is the sin and Power is the Justice, and China would have it at whatever cost. Then come along Marx followed by Lenin that gave China the weaponise-able tool is was searching for. But Communism failed in the nation where it had one of its founder, in Lenin's USSR. The western principles of democracy and freedom were at fault, but who gained? What is that power that can defeat China's ultimate weapon and break up the largest nation in the world? Let's see:

Simple isn't it - Communism was defeated by the "Opium of the People", one religion in particular known as Islam.

Did it happen elsewhere as well in another massive country? Yes, just 2 years before Communist China was born it happened to Bharat. Look at it here:

Islam had won that time too. This was the real enemy communist China has to defeat, while pushing the old bully of the West to kill itself (Tai-chi philosophy implemented by communist-led subversion) and redeem China of its humiliation.

4. The sick man of Asia needed to survive and grow strong. It failed miserably in its endeavours till they again copied the concept of capitalism from the west. But they were careful not to let freedoms and democracy to come in. It worked and they saw the growth they were seeking. They annexed the largest source of fresh water other than Arctic and Antarctic - Tibet as it was next door. It controls the currently democratic Mongolia by buying over 90% of its exports.

They first secured the Atomic Bomb and got the Veto power at the security council. They started selling everything they could make and the blind consumerism of the west brought them huge profits. They bought over every natural resource they could to manufacture everything that sells. Suddenly the CPC is the international monopoly that could Veto any military move against it. They made sure they attained the standard of life ad reserves to fight a long drawn war.

3. They began sowing the seeds of subversion in the power that humiliated them - the west. Every democratic nation fell to the subversion of the KGB, something which was replicated and scaled brilliantly by the CPC. They tried and tested destabilizing each country by various movements - all described in Yuri Bezmenov's video. Perhaps they have a desk to destabilize each constituent state of all other countries.

Sadly, their true enemy exploited this and kept growing stronger. In fact, while China consolidated material resources and followed "One Child Policy" to control expenditure of what it earned, Islam outpaced every other demography feeding itself on snatching / alms from the rich.

What can kill your enemy manpower without waging war - chemical and biological warfare. Collateral manpower loss is acceptable if material wealth increases. In comes SARS-Coronavirus-2, also known as Covid-19. from China. It pushes the west into a survival mode by putting their economies in recession and eventually governments and western society cuts down spending on cutting edge research - its weapon of domination. This is where we are headed.

If by chance the west comes out of the crises - it power is reduced; WHO, United Nations, Security Council, World Bank and IMF fade into a thing of the past.

2. The (un)declared war on the world isolates the west and in the vacuum comes in the true enemy to fill the gap. Loosely centred around the Organisation for Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Islamic countries suddenly take centre stage with the largest population and land area under its control. Its economies are not as affected as the west and they are looking for new buyers of their natural resources. It's a win-win for both but strictly for business. Perhaps the Islamic world gets a unifying leader or maybe not, the final conflict is certain. Both have the goal of ultimate power for global domination - Islam with the animal instinct need and Chinese with the fear of being humiliated again by another power to its west (middle east). How this phase will play out is something we need to wait and watch, but the most probable course is a small conflict blowing out into a full scale global war. That is something China can easily win, even if the weakened west intervened (after itself fighting Islam for centuries).

1. The final phase would be most ruthless, as it subjugates basic human nature itself - eliminate the yin and all is peaceful in the rigid power structure of yang. Islam would come back in full force - using jehadis, using nuclear weapons and using its intelligence - almost all of it held by Pakistan. They have already begun the process of colonizing Pakistan through CPEC as a pre-emptive move.

The advanced mathematics (which is stalled for decades) and sciences that lead to tangible technologies are being pursued vigorously even today in total secrecy. They are creating the "holy grail" of future power - something other's won't be able to pursue given their lack of ownership of resources, lack of money and lack of freedom. The language of power, growth and knowledge would be Simple Chinese - Mandarin. The vengeance for humiliation would be over.


Where do we fit in as Indians? We are geographically in the centre point of Beijing to Mecca: New Delhi to Beijing is 3778 km while Delhi to Mecca is 3830 km. Crush the rebellions of both Islam and Communists. We stay focused, we stay put and become what we were and what we truly are - embodiment of the human spirit that seeks the right questions for divine intelligence to answer. Like always, we live Sanatan Dharma in land of Bharat.

Earning money to reach God – Salary to do Yoga

Yoga is a spiritual path, a path to enlightenment and a path to God. We try to incorporate Yoga-asanas into our life because they make our bodies healthier. But Yoga to reach God is always considered a path that can be taken only when we leave the path of our household lives. This may not be true.

Have you ever wondered how the work you do every day to earn your daily bread can the same work of Yoga to reach God? Is it even possible? The answer, with a little effort is an obvious yes! The same job that gives you salary is the same work that will make you realize God and on top of it earn respect in everyone’s eyes.

We have all come across auto-rickshaw and taxi drivers who do not have enough change, even two rupees to settle the transaction. I have also come across Auto-rickshaw drivers who keep magazines with a good luck blessing written to engage their customers while they travel. Will you have a quarrel with such a driver for two rupees? Are you not going to trust him more when he says he’ll take you through the shortest route? Did he not end up getting more respect from you while doing his daily job? And didn’t he seem like a person who takes care of his customers and is worthy of what he is doing? Isn’t he already doing a form of “Karma-Yoga” that makes him closer to God? Perhaps, he is closer to God with more peace of mind than you?

We are all so engrossed and addicted in the thought of being SOMEONE. It is our mental idea that we can’t let go of. When we compare ourselves with others, we always find targets we have not met. We always have such targets that we didn’t achieve. We remember them and make our lives bitter. But aren’t our best memories of times we enjoyed together with family and friends? They are the ones who see the potential in us we can’t see when we compare ourselves with others. And they are the people for whom we must change our mindset. This is where God helps us.

The God I am talking of is the one who keeps guiding me and telling me, “You can do it better”, “Did you think of the people affected by your action”, “Are your decisions and actions making you happy?” As Narendra Modi ji said, the key is not in being someone to others, but doing something for others. Possibly failing, but doing everything you can. This gives you respect that comes from love, not fear. Love always trumps fear and puts you on the way to God. Did we keep our commitment of working the way it work was to be done? Did you put your heart and mind and soul to it? This is the path of Yoga to God. Will you smile at all strangers you come across? Will you smile at the next person you meet?

Yes you will!

~S. N. Ray
30-May-2014

Reply to a pseudo-intellectual blog article

Have you ever tried smelling a Lotus in the wild?

Chances are that you have not, because it is deep in mud, sometimes filled with stinking water.

In a country where taboo has unfortunately made masturbation more common than sex, we end up masturbating intellectually and screwing it up than thinking rationally.

Perhaps you should read the last verse of the Hymn of Creation in the Rig Veda. Here is goes:
"That out of which creation has arisen,
whether it held it firm or it did not,
He who surveys it in the highest heaven,
He surely knows - or maybe He does not!"

Read religion as guidelines not set of rules and you will start having answers. Sage Kapila propounded the Samkhya philosophy to LOGICALLY PROVE GOD DOES NOT EXIST. Swami Vivekananda went further to show how Advaita Vedanta filled the gaps in the conclusion to make it a perfect logical argument to show GOD EXISTS. But I guess you are still getting ready to reach the intellectual level required to understand that logic.

In a small family, parents talked about how solving of differential equation and state space problems lead to the development of rocket and mankind's leap into new era. How propulsion system improved the speed and helped us achieve escape velocity. There small child of 4 years, with eyes full of innocence looks at them and ask them can this technology bring me "Dairy milk bar"?

When your bliss lies only in lying down in green field with mangoes in your hand, the need of religion become as absurd as the rocket science to that small child. Your arguments do not go beyond your material need of senses of soothing shade, delicious taste which above child ask for in Dairy milk bar.

Regarding the utility of sadhus and all, I would like to begin with the ultimate aim of man in his life? Why I asked this question is to understand the utility to you of a true sadhu. Consider the above example, if this small child goes to his science teacher and ask him I want my dairy milk and this teacher, just to please his "customer" takes out eclairs and give him for time being. This child is happy. So are we treated by so-called Babas. But does this act of teacher undermines the actually utility which is he designed for in universe? Similar is case with a Sadhu, if you feed garbage question, you will get garbage out.

Coming to the question of Hanuman taking large size, Krishna Bhagwan doing rass lila, why do think they have described in our religious texts so beautifully and are these stuff in real or more symbolic in nature to make lesser fools like us to understand the deeper meaning. Its just because our mind can think in terms of dimensions. Thats precisely why the reason we hindus propagated both fields of worship (sagunaa and nirgunaa bhagwan). After all small child has every right and to love his own god with folded hands before his hanuman ji.

It is for a purpose that almost all Hindu gods have blue skin and yellow robes. Each man is born different. Each needs answers he wants to hear.

There are two principles: All people are not equal. And this world is "Will to Power" not "Will to Survive"....

Before commenting on religion, read it, understand it. After all, you need something to keep order in the filled with idiots.

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.

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'

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…