Mouse Fire

Life's Lessons - Joseph Mattappally

Two small industrialists were sharing their difficulties of running their business. "I started a new practice last year," one of them said. "I insist that each of my employees take at least a week off every three months." "Why in the world would you do that?" asked the second. "It's the best way I know of to learn which ones I can do without," the first one answered. 

This joke did not strike me at all just because I already knew that the way people think and react these days have become surprisingly odd. I don’t know how each of you might assess this recent story of a state government office in India. The good news of sanctioning seventeen crores of Rupees as part of draught relief in Karnataka should have pleased the drought affected poor villagers struggling hard to find something eatable. The story but goes on telling that the whole amount was spent on poojas (religious services), in 34,000 temples across the state, all to please the rain God. I was shocked to hear this spirituality trick of the temple priests. Do these sole distributors of heavenly attributes go out of mind? Similar senseless spirituality is found almost in every religions. May be because of the amusing decisions of a few, the whole community concerned is put to shame. The priests are not bothered about the suffering many. But they cannot at all admit a cut or break in the tithe or a periodical donation on some name. 

I don’t know if we have reached the climax of the game, at least in India. If so, the time for an equal and opposite reaction is not that far. Who says that the laity is so weak for an up rise? See, how a little mouse took revenge on a householder. The story is as narrated by the Associated Press. A man caught a mouse at his house and tossed it into a garden bonfire of burning leaves. The burning mouse ran back into the house setting fire to it. The whole house burned to the ground. Just like the young industrialist, why don’t we at least try finding the rigid expensive religious practices, without which we can continue in peace? 

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Don't be Alienated

Views and Words - Dr K S Radhakrishnan 

In every process of rejuvenation there is an act of self actualization or self regulation, because the moment one creates something one has to ensure full participation in the act of creation. That full involvement occurs only when one is able to exercise free will. Otherwise, a person who is not involved in a particular activity will naturally be alienated from the action as well as the context in which he is acting. This process of alienation is a very serious one and the person who himself alienates from the context, as well as the action, will never be able to make anything novel or anything creative. It is the total involvement of the person in the context as well as in the action that makes him really free and such a person should be able to create something, in the sense that he must be able actualize whatever be the potentialities in him. The range of the actualization as well as the range of the potentialities may be changing from person to person or place to place. A person who is actualizing something alone need not be great – this rule is applicable to a great writer and a great craftsman.

A person who is able to actualize whatever he has with him must be able to produce something and such an act of creation must be able to surpass the test of times. The test of times means that an act of creation must be able to survive irrespective of the temporal changes. This is what is meant by the term novelty. So the act of creation is a novel action and in that novel action the person actualizes whatever he has with him in the potential form. If there is a cent percent involvement in that actualization that can be treated as self-realization in the context in which one acts. So, self-realization is the aim of a creative artist. The moment one feels that he has actualized whatever he has with him then he can be sure of the fact that act has been a creative one. Such an act of creation really leads the whole nation to prosperity and progress. A progressive society is one that gives maximum opportunity to its members for the actualization of their talents. This is one of the reasons why the fascist societies are not able to survive the test of the times. Such a society will never be able to preserve the right of its individuals to create with maximum involvement in the said context. This is one of the reasons why the fascist maxims are failing in due course. Fascism will never be able to entertain the free will of the individual and since they are not able to do that they won’t be able to help those members of the society to actualize their capacities; it can be in any form.

A man can be creative in a business field just like genuine artist. So we cannot say that only artists and writers are creative and business men are not. This style of thought never makes any sense. Business men can also be creative provided they also blossom into full. This is applicable to every area of action including religious service. Take for example any business man or an industrialist, who is making money and he cannot enjoy the total of his creation for himself alone. That is another characteristic of the art of creation. The art of creation guarantees its enjoyment not to the creator alone but to other persons who need not be gifted to live in a particular favour. Take for ex. Ford. The Ford industry has made money, and whatever Ford has made, that money is utilized also by the persons who are not directly linked to him. This is the case of a businessman in India too. My point is that whatever be the art of creation, one of the aims is that any activity of creation is not exclusively meant for the creator alone; it is meant for the whole public in the sense that it also includes the generations to come. 

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Desire

Health and Happiness - Dr Dwarakanath

Sankara is a guru who never left any stone unturned, he saw not just the problems in a situation, and he also found the solution to it. He says, free yourself from desire (or lust), anger, greed, and delusion. Meditate on who you are. Ask for yourself, who am I? The fools who fail to understand the self are caught even here in this life, in hell-fire and suffer torture. From the hierarchy of things, the sloka starts with kamam, krodham, lobham and then moham. So, it is clear that the root cause of all other evil things is the desire. All these are various forms of the evil known as desire. Desire is the root cause for forcing one to hanker for sense-satisfaction. Desire in itself is not wrong, but which is contrary to dharma and induces one to achieve the desired object by any means is dangerous. Without hope, which is another form of desire, there is no life. We should assess genuinely of the desire that crops up in our mind through discrimination, before deciding when, how and where to fulfil it. The first step every human being has to take is to get rid of the desire from its roots. It is not that easy, because, if one desire is satisfied, another wells up. And the life passes by fulfilling one desire after another and there is no end to it. All of us think that we can be happy if the first desire is satisfied and with that starts the endless chain of desires and one does not find an end to it and it goes on till one leaves the body. That is the reason, we must be ever ready to eschew the desire the moment it springs in the mind, especially when such a desire it unreasonable and inconceivable. The mind must be diverted to something else, preferably to good thoughts or spiritual thoughts. The beauty of the mind is that there is no room for two thoughts in the mind at the same time. So, if one succeeds in engaging the mind by lodging and entertaining it with good thoughts always, there is no room for bad thoughts at all. Otherwise, the mind will become a slave to thoughts and schemes to fulfil them one way or the other. A sinful thought pollutes the pure heart, even if it is in dormant state, as it springs up at an opportune moment. Since anger gives birth to hatred, one should take maximum care and precaution to keep away all kinds of desires from the mind.

When one desire is not fulfilled, it sows the seed of anger and it is the greatest enemy of man. Anger harms not only the self but also others. The more one feels hurt, the more the intensity of the anger. Anger reduces one's reasoning faculty by reducing one to an animal. Then lobham or greed signifies the profitless pursuit of things unaware of their real nature and lack of value. Lobham is such a desire that we are not entitled or eligible but still one wants to have it.

If we wish and do all such things to make others to believe so that we can get a good name in the society, such actions are mere pretentions, not born out of a noble thought or one really intends to serve other. Attachment to worldly things will make us to forget the actual source of pleasure. We should grow from the objective knowledge to the subjective knowledge to understand the real nature of the supreme source. The knowledge that we gain from the books may make our lives happy in a materialistic sense, but that knowledge does not teach us anything about our own self. The real knowledge, which makes us to realise what we are, is the spiritual knowledge. The spiritual knowledge is the key to discover one's self and once it is achieved, life will become crystal clear. The purpose of this life is to gain that self-knowledge (atma-gyaana), which dispels all types of desires, anger, greed and delusion. Aham Brahmmasmi!

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The Wealth of Nature

Smart Plus - Rakesh Mittal I A S 

I remained posted at Kanpur for full six years. This period marked a turning point in my life from many points of view. In this period I developed close relations with many people which led to the formation of the Kabir Peace Mission. Most of these contacts began in my official capacity but turned into personal relations. Some of them are now closer to me than my blood relations. One such relation is a nephew of mine who used to play tennis with me regularly. Naturally, he became very close to me. Apart from playing tennis, we used to exchange views on many subjects. As a result we developed a mutual liking.

This boy subsequently shifted to Mumbai for business. His father bought a flat for him in the posh area of Cuffe Parade costing over a crore of rupees. The flat is not very big and has only two bedrooms. I was very happy with this development and was keen to visit him in Mumbai at the earliest opportunity. And this opportunity came in March 1993 when I visited Mumbai on my way to Kudremukh. At Bombay I stayed in a Guest House which was located in a building adjacent to the one in which my nephew lived. In the evening I went to his flat. He very fondly took me to every corner of his flat and described its positive features. What amused me most was his statement that apart from other features, the good thing about the flat was that it had sunlight and also air. I lightly commented that if even after paying over a crore rupees, the flat would not have air and light then of what worth would it be to? Then he explained me that air and light were luxuries in a city like Mumbai and he was lucky to have such a flat. He also gave many examples where fresh air was not available even after paying larger amounts. The matter ended there.

I got another opportunity to visit Mumbai after a year or so. That time I stayed in our own Guest House which was located in Bandra. I reached there late in the evening. Mumbai remains quite warm even in the month of November and the use of air-conditioners is quite common. Since I was tired I also slept with the air-conditioner on and woke up a little later than my usual time. When I opened the windows of my room, I saw a cluster of multi storeyed buildings all around. Then I closely looked at the building opposite to ours. The sun had risen and for many it was the office-going time. What I saw was once again amusing. In some of the flats of the opposite building, the residents had tied ropes for drying washed clothes. Since the rope was outside the window, they were using special devices for putting clothes over the rope and the same exercise was being done for removing the dried clothes.

When I talked about it with my local officer over breakfast, he told me that the residents of that building were lucky to have sunlight at least on the outer walls of their flats. In his flat sunlight was not available at all. As a result the clothes had to be dried inside the rooms.

This set me thinking about the bounties which nature provides us in abundance. For most of us, things like air and sun go unnoticed and we take them for granted. We affix no value to them unless we live in places as mentioned above. Our whole value system is based on material acquisitions only and it is no wonder that we deprive ourselves of the wealth, nature has given us. In the process we also lose the pleasure of our material wealth to a great extent. In fact, a balance between these two aspects of wealth must be struck for a truly enjoyable life. So we should equally respect the wealth of nature and those who do not have much of the material wealth should not feel unduly poor. In all probability they enjoy a bigger share of nature’s wealth, though they may not be attributing any price to it. Even if we look into the subject purely from the economic point of view, it can be established that what nature provides is priceless. For survival, the gifts of nature are more essential than the creation of human beings. In fact, all wealth originates from nature including the wealth created by man.  Looking from this point of view a poor man is wealthier, since he enjoys a bigger share of the priceless wealth of nature.

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Ending in Confusion

Message of Peace - Justice P K Shamsuddin

The people of Medina were disappointed at the turn of events, while on the other hand the news of a new alliance highly boosted the Meccan morale. The Qurayaya horsemen Amar Ibn Abdul Wudd, Ikrima Ibn Abu Jhal and Minad Ibrahim khathar tried to cross the ditch through a point which was narrow and they succeeded in entering it and took position on its inner side near Hal. Abu Ibn Abu Talif ran to the side of the ditch where the Meccans tried to cross it. Amar Ibn Abdu Wudd challenged the Muslims to a duel. Ali answered positively to the challenge. Amar replied, “Oh my cousin, by God I do not want to kill you.” Ali then answered, “But I do.” The duel started and Ali killed Amar. His companions ran away. Noufal jumped into the ditch thinking only of their safety. Noufal Ibn Abdulla tried to jump over the ditch together with his horse but fell in the ditch and both were killed. Abu Sufian demanded one hundred camels blood money for the death of Noufel. Muhammed rejected the demand because Noufal was the aggressor. In order to frighten the Muslims the Meccans began to descend from their fortification and occupy the houses close to the Muslim quarters. Safyah the daughter of Abdul Mutalib was fari of the fortress of Hassan Ibn Khalid which was full of women and children. A Jew approached their house and began inspecting the sides with a view to storm it later, but the Muslims killed him.

Mohammed found that no purpose will be fulfilled by forcing a concentration with Ghatafan with the promise of one third of the total costs of Mediana if they withdraw and go home. Ghatafan army was already showing signs of exhaustion and disapproval of this long siege for which they were not prepared. As a matter of fact they joined the Meccans only to appease Huyayy and other Jewish companions. Mohammed sent Nuaym Ibn Masud to the Banu Qurayya who was their old friend and whose conversion to Islam was not known to others with the message that their army should not join the Meccans and fight with them until the Meccans would give them a concrete guarantee that they would not be left alone to the mercy of Mohammed if they face a setback in the battle. He warned them the disastrous consequences that had to follow since neither the Qurayyah nor the Ghatafan are likely to continue the siege for long.

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Siddashram (Contd.)

Blooming Stars - Swami (Dr) Snehananda Jyoti

Siddhashram (Setting for Realization) Continued: A question that naturally rises in the mind is: What is realization or self-realization? Self-realization in general is attaining the ultimate end or the final goal. In Hinduism it is moksha (liberation from the chain of births and rebirths) or kaivalya (pure consciousness). It is ultimately atmajnana: the true knowledge that one’s atman (soul) is identical with Brahman (the Supreme Reality). In Christianity it is heaven or eternal life with God in beatific vision, that is viewing the very essence of God with perfect joy in endless happiness. In Islam it is paradise (firdaus) that is the ultimate pleasurable place after death. In Buddhism it is nirvana or full enlightenment. For our purpose it is understood as becoming all that one is capable of. It is living fully and actualizing one’s God-given or nature-placed potentials through conscious decisions made in complete freedom and in accordance with one’s conscience.

All the previous ashrams or stages are geared to the final stage of Siddhashram. Sathyashram – the initial training stage characterized by a search for truth – prepares the person for righteous living in this world, a gainful occupation, meeting obligations to family and community. In Sevashram –a stage guided by service to family and society - one puts into practice one has learned in Sathyashram even as further training and learning go on. Around 60 years of age one starts Paramarthashram – the penultimate stage where the focus is entirely on the final end – wherein one takes stock of everything and evaluates all that has happened in one’s life, retires from the life of the world,  and de-programs self keeping only what is necessary to live in an ideal democratic society. Everything that happened in one’s life has a message or reason whether one knows it or not. After a formal training period of twenty-two to twenty-five years in Sathyashram and informal and formal training in Sevashram one becomes a master of one’s own destiny. Sevashram especially is a living university where lived experience and experimentation prepare one for the final assault to the peak if a metaphor of a mountain-climbing expedition to the top of Everest is used. In Paramathashram lasting about five years one solidifies the gains from Sevashram and supplies all that is necessary for the final end - Siddhashram. In Siddhashram beginning around 65 years of age one’s authority of life is oneself. Steeped in truth, justice, fairness, unity of humanity, altruism, compassion, and love for all, one is even incapable of hating or harming anyone. That kind of person exudes goodness and love, and goes beyond all differences and distinctions.  

One is beyond all doctrines and dogmas. One does not look up to anyone for guidance. At this stage no one except the Almighty God or the Supreme Source of Energy is capable of guiding anyone. Here one is one’s own guide. Each one is on his/her own. Nobody has any special answers to questions related to after-life or the final end of humans.  Yet one in all humility learns from everyone till the very end. Here all are in unchartered waters. All are wayfarers. Persons who believe get engaged in their belief systems and immerse themselves toward the end of their life more deeply in rites and rituals more frequently than ever. Persons who do not believe also express themselves fully by actualizing their potentials. It is also important to note that St. Thomas Aquinas who is considered to be the greatest philosopher, theologian, and doctor of the Catholic Church stopped writing after some kind of supernatural experience of God. When the one who used to receive his dictation urged him to express his thoughts he said: “I cannot, because all that I have written seems like straw to me”. Shankaracharya, probably the greatest Indian philosopher, theologian, and spiritual leader, is reported to have stated before he died that the greatest mistake in his life was to attempt to define the undefinable. He further stated in his Nirvana Shatakam - the essence of all Upanishads and indeed Atma Jnana (self-knowledge) - that the aham or I or atman (soul) in all of us is beyond anything describable, conceivable, or imaginable, and that “I am  eternal knowing and bliss,  love and pure consciousness”. In Siddhashram one, whether he/she is a believer, doubter, non-knower, or unbeliever, is truly and fully dependent on one’s own inner resources, and is in one final and total offering or surrendering of self to the Supreme Being or the all-encompassing Cosmic Energy.

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Going Digital

Life's Lessons - Joseph Mattappally

The world has changed, trends too. I doubt, if this transformation is more digital than natural. A forwarding I recently received is just a sample. A lady writes, ‘Dear Technical support, last year I upgraded from Boyfriend 5.0 to Husband 1.0 and I noticed a distinct slowdown in the overall system performance, particularly in the flower and jewellery applications, which operated flawlessly under Boyfriend 5.0. Apart from this, valuable programs, such as Romance 9.5 and Personal Attention 6.5 are not working now and Housecleaning 2.6 simply crashes the system.....’  The message from the support desk read, ‘Dear Madam, First, keep in mind, Boyfriend 5.0 is an Entertainment Package, while Husband 1.0 is an operating system. Please enter command: ithoughtyoulovedme.html and try to download tears 6.2 and install the Guilt 3.0 update.’

The cyber world guarantees comfort but not safety and we are mercilessly imprisoned in a world of helpless netizens. Almost all relationships are tuned, just to the System requirements. Heart is uninstalled, everything is brain decided. Bill Gates has appropriately said, “Politically correct teachings have created a generation of kids with no concept of reality.” As a result, stress has now become the most dangerous of all killer diseases. Why all these stress? The answer is simple; we don’t care our body, we take in as much stimulants as possible, we have lost all self-confidence, we do not know the art of agreeing or disagreeing, we are not disciplined to schedule our day and finally we do not know how to relax. Don’t put off for another day, now is the right time to begin a new discipline in life. It might make you more natural. Somehow, let it not be like the two kings who went after attainment. 

Once upon a time, there was a great Indian sage who taught to give away everything he owns to attain liberation. Such a seeker should not have any desire on anything, he should not think of the next minute. He should not store anything for future. He should not tell who he is to anyone and should meditate in peace with no desire. Quite touched by his preaching, both the kings of Magadha and Kambhoja gave away their kingdoms and went to the forest. Both the kings met each other in the forests, but they did not tell to each other that they were kings. They both used to go out and beg their daily food. According to the rules, they used to eat the food that day itself without storing it for future. One day, they got only rice soup. The king of Kambhoja said to the king of Magadha that it would be better if there was some salt for the taste. Then the Magadha king told that he had some. Slowly they understood that in spite all these sacrifices they could not come up to the level of a sanyasi – one king stored some salt and the other king could not help rice soup without salt.

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Novelty in Creativity

Views and Words - Dr K S Radhakrishnan 

It is the self regulated mechanism of freedom that really leads a society to creativity. Creativity in its ideal form must be novel and noble. By novelty, it means rejuvenation of oneself - that is the most important feature of novelty. Novelty invariably rejuvenates a person to new dimensions and it also leads one to new horizons. It is in this sense that a creative activity becomes the best form of expression that makes every society healthy and wealthy. If a society is not wealthy, it simply means that such a society doesn’t utilize its’ resources in a creative manner. Rejuvenation intends to make use of whatever one has with him/her in tune with the contextual demands and never anything from external sources. Rejuvenation for a person is not through extraction of any sort of energy from external agencies, but that person or the body of that person due to its metabolic mechanism makes use of whatever it has in a more organized manner, to make the body more strong in that context. It is what is called the adaptability of the body mechanism. When novelty rejuvenates oneself, then he/she must be able to produce the best from them. 

There is rejuvenation of economy and health. The best of a nation or of a person can be made only through the process of rejuvenation. In that process, an individual, society or a state makes use of its economic energy in a convergent manner to make it more and more useful. To make a nation wealthy, it is not proper to invade other nations or rob off other’s wealth. Instead, they have to depend upon whatever they have with them. This is how creativity is made novel and noble. The very idea of invasion and exploitation of others is not at all creative because such an idea never makes a person free. A person who is engaged in any sort of exploitation will naturally be living in a world of slavery. It is in this sense that Mahatma Gandhi made it clear that the British people who were establishing colonies in Asia and Africa were not enjoying freedom. He knew that free people never exploit others, they always rejuvenate their own resources. This rejuvenation of one’s own resources must be the source of an economic force according to the Indian concept. Mahatma Gandhi who followed the Advaita system in socio-political life, insisted that Swaraj must be the dictum to govern the socio political and economic forces in India. It is the Swaraj that gives one freedom nobility and novelty; it is the Swaraj that makes one happier. This must be the dictum for everyone who is engaged in a creative activity. 

In literature, plagiarism has totally been treated as unethical. There is no creativity in imitation. Here, no one can enjoy freedom or happiness. A plagiarist cannot also utilize his own talents. This is applicable to the nation also. The case of a nation or a society which exists exploiting others might cease to be wealthy one fine morning. Same is the case with an artist, an industrialist, layman or a family man. While addressing a writer’s conference, Gandhiji made it clear that as an Indian one has to depend on India. The writers who are trying to follow the footsteps of the western authors will never be able to make their attempts a successful one. For ex. one cannot imitate Shakespeare and create an identical play in India. In the history of the literary movements in India, we are not tracing the history of all imitators but we are after the original writers who made exclusive use of local resources, the literary history of India begins with Vyasa and Kalidasa. So, originality depends on creativity and creativity means rejuvenating oneself and rejuvenating oneself means using one’s own resources in the given context. 

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The Only One

Health and Happiness - Dr Dwarakanath

           One must attain liberation by gradually reducing and ultimately getting rid of attachments and complaints. From attachment, flows grief and delusion. In our dealings every day, one should develop equanimity and try to see the divinity in everyone and everywhere. It is possible only when one cultivates a sense of impartiality, as friendship. Enmity only perpetuates the impediment of attachment. Obviously, it is a very difficult task to achieve in worldly life. It is no use to pretend to be calm externally when anger burns inside in the heart. It is no doubt that it is a tall order to ask the human beings who are totally immersed in worldly affairs. Hate can come only when one sees the other as something different from one. One does not hate one's own body, though it is stinking due to some disease, but the person hates even one's own most loved person, if the body of that person has the same problem. The reason is that one thinks that a person is different from the self. If we think about it, can one hate or get angry if one's teeth bite one's tongue? It is but natural that one forgives the teeth without giving any punishment to it. When the whole universe is born out of one, whether one calls it mother, father, God, reality or with any other name, how can one afford to hate or get angry with the other. When all are one and there is no second, where is the question that one is different from the other, as all are his/ her manifestations alone? Sankara has provided an easy remedy to overcome the feeling of duality. One should nurture pure, untainted by selfish intentions - love while constantly reminding oneself and firmly believing in the truth that God resides in everybody.
The way to control and overcome anger and aversion is to keep remembering oneself, how many times one was guilty of one's own lapses and how many are the evils that lodge in one's heart concealed from the gaze of others. It explains that others are also like me and there is no right for a person to get angry and aversion about the other person? The lapses of others are also has to be looked like that of self and realize that we have no genuine right to get angry on others. Precisely for this reason, our elders keep telling us to remember god's name or the God always, so that one day the heart is filled with his love and it will be lifted up to him. Instead of eliciting & removing ones countless sins and defects, we should never ever indulge in wasting time thinking of the vices of others?
As counting the lapses of others will only add to one's misery. Life after life will be wasted in such pursuits. Therefore, there should not be any doubt in one’s mind that the first and foremost task to accomplish is to quickly go about purifying ones heart and that is possible only when one takes refuge in the lotus feet of God. After one's duties are over every day or for that matter even while doing one's duties, try to lift up one's thoughts up to God. Contemplation on God is the most effective means of purifying one's heart. We should always remember the truth that one can be a friend or foe of one's own self. It is important to recognise the truth that one eternal source, as expressing through all the names and forms, is to change the very nature of our environment, the very vision of our world around. When one experiences oneness everywhere, no sorrow, anger, hatred or any other evil can reach us. It is only the duty of a ‘Guru’ (Master who is in pursuit of guiding the disciple to realization); finding the fault of their disciple & making them come out of it. This is a great sacrifice of the masters for the sake of their disciples. That is the reason why a ‘Guru’ is always respected equal to God!

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Be Dangerously Honest

Smart Plus - Rakesh Mittal I A S 

In April 1994, when I was living in R.K.Puram at New Delhi, an elderly friend of mine came to stay with us for a few days. I consider him to be like my elder brother. During his stay, he desired to visit Shri Dharam Veera, an ex-ICS officer who had occupied many important positions including the Governorship of West Bengal and Karnataka. They hailed from the same village. In all his assignments, Dharam Veera had done remarkably well. A man of courage and integrity, he never compromised in matters of principles. In our student days, we used to hold him in high esteem. So when my friend expressed a desire to visit Dharam Veera, I also became interested and we both went to see him one evening.
We found him quite active even at his advanced age. He kept himself involved in many important activities. It was a matter of privilege to spend some time with him. He narrated several interesting events of his life, which gave me a lot of inspiration. Perhaps, he also developed some liking for me during our brief meeting. When our discussion was coming to an end, I asked him for a message for those who want to work with honesty and sincerity. He very happily gave me two points of advice.  First of all he said, an honest person should be fearless. Not only this, he should instill fear in the wicked and confidence among the good. He used the words ‘Dangerously Honest’ while explaining what he meant. His second piece of advice was that an administrator should be as helpful as possible.  He advised for positive interpretation of the rules so long as no self-interest was involved. According to him serving people is a rare opportunity and one should not lose it by looking too much into rules and regulations. I took his advice seriously and contemplated over it. I am going to share here my contemplation over the first advice.
I feel pained when people say that honesty does not pay in the present circumstances. This feeling prevails not only among civil servants but among all classes. What is more painful is that such a feeling exists even among some of already handful honest people. These so-called honest people display this feeling when they present a gloomy picture of their lives before others. This damages the system all the more. I feel that such people are either not honest in the true sense or are ignorant of the full dimensions of honesty. A person with an integrated view of honesty has no occasion to complain. For him honesty remains a source of strength and he finds no clash between his ways and the working of the system. I will give here two examples to explain what I am trying to say.
I met a businessman on board a plane while travelling from Calcutta to Delhi. He appeared to be a very simple man. He was carrying a cloth bag containing tea packets. He was a big businessman with an income running into crores. He owned tea-gardens and several other businesses. He told me that about 50 years back, he started his career on a meager salary of rupees eight per month. When asked the secret of his success, unhesitatingly he told me that it was on account of his honest hard work.
The second interaction was on Rajdhani Express when I was travelling from Calcutta to Kanpur.  There I met a senior advocate of Allahabad. He had been in the legal profession for about 40 years and was one of the leading lawyers of the town. When asked whether it was possible for an honest and sincere law graduate to set up a good legal practice, he replied in the affirmative. He added that honesty and sincerity were the secrets of his success.
While it may be too simplistic to establish the strength of honesty on the basis of these two examples, they do establish my point to a great extent. There is no doubt that there are many aberrations in the system but to say that they can be taken care of by dishonest means is not at all correct. Such an approach only adds to the aberrations and least wonder that today we find ourselves in a situation which appears to be hopeless. If corrections are to be made, it is possible only through honest means. What is, perhaps, required in addition to honesty, is practical wisdom. The problem with many honest persons is that for them honesty becomes an end and not the means. After all, one has to be honest for some purpose and if the purpose is not achieved, the honesty becomes meaningless. At times an honest person may become a victim of the system but to condemn honesty on this ground is not at all justified. If we go by this criterion, surely the chances of falling victims are much more on the path of dishonesty. If we take an integrated view of life, I am sure the path of honesty will turn out to be more rewarding than the path of dishonesty.
This is perhaps what persons like Dharam Veera, the businessman I met on the plane, and the advocate I came across on the train had in mind when they advocated the path of honesty in the closing years of their lives. It is not that these persons had seen only success in life. Surely there must have been ups and downs but they grew steadily with them and refused to bow down in adverse situations. Perhaps, it is not possible for a dishonest person to understand the strength of honesty. I do not think a truly honest person has any regret in following the path of honesty. It is only those who do not take an integrated view of honesty that find themselves in pitiable conditions despite being honest. The need is to understand the difference between being honest for the sake of honesty and being honest for the sake of a cause. In the first case, honesty becomes the end while in the latter it is the means. Those who are honest for a cause gain strength and have no complaints. Not only this, they are considered to be dangerous by the dishonest. The advice of becoming ‘Dangerously Honest’ is thus literally true.

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Hit from the Back

Message of Peace - Justice P K Shamsuddin

         Hurayyah went to the quarter of Banu Qurayzah to meet Kabh Ibn Ahkle, who was their leader.  Banu Qurayzah knew well that treason would bring certain advantages in case of defeat of the Muslims but it would also result in terms of extermination in case of Muslim victory. He asked Kabh to listen to his warning and told him that he had come with assured greater army ever gathered in Arabia. He said that the army consisted of the Meccans, Ghatafan and all other leaders and noble men. Kabh hesitated, remembering Mohammed’s loyalty to him and the covenant. However, Kabh could not resist the persuasion attempts of Huyayy and questioned, what would be the faith of Banu Qurayzah in case the Meccan army and their allies had to withdraw. Huyayy answered that he and his people would then join Banu Qurayzah in their own quarter and share with them the fate. At this, Jewish fury could be aroused, and he agreed to accept the demand, repudiate the covenant with the Muslims and to join their rank. 

The news of this betrayal of Banu Qurayzah reached Mohammed and it shook him greatly. Sad Ibn Muadh the leader of the tribe of Aws and Sad Ibn Ubadh the leader of the tribe of Khazrag, Abdullah Ibn Rawhah and Khawab Ibn Jubyer were asked by Mohammed to ascertain the correctness of the news. Mohammed instructed them to report him the findings and not to announce it, if the news is correct, apprehending that it might affect the morale of the Muslims. The delegation who came to the Jew’s quarter found that the news is correct. The delegates tried to bring back them to honour their covenant with Mohammed. Kabh insisted that the Muslims should be prepared for the return of the Jewish tribe of Banu Al Nadir to Medina. Sad Ibn Muadh tried to convince that the fate of Banu Al Nadir would befall them if they persisted in their treason. Instead of listening to his good advice, the Jews started to pour insults on Mohammed. Kabh asked, “Who is this so called prophet of God? There is neither nor covenant nor peace between us and him.” Hearing this comment, the delegation left the scene.  They reported what was heard to Mohammed. The Muslim leaders were greatly apprehensive. They thought that the side of Hubayayy would now be open for the Meccans and the allies and they would enter the city and root out them. Banu Qurayzah immediately cut off all the supplies to the Muslims. The Meccans were rejoicing when Huayayy Ibn Aktab reported them of the treason of Banu Qurayzah. Naturally, the morale of the Meccans also enhanced. Banu Qurayzah requested them to wait ten days before attacking Medina to get sufficient time to prepare themselves, to keep constant pressure on the Muslims and to prevent the Muslim attack on them before military preparations were completed. 

The Meccans were divided itself into three main brigades, one led by Ibn Al Awaval Sulami which was expected to attack the Muslims from across the valley, the second led by Uyayyah which was expected to attack the Muslims from front and the third one was led by Abu Sufyan which was expected to attack the Muslims from across the ditch.

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Chathurashram - 6

Blooming Stars - Swami (Dr) Snehananda Jyoti

With persistent hard core programming, obscurantism, and vested institutional interests, the prevalent thinking is that the state of celibacy and virginity is higher than that of marriage. What needs to be kept in mind is that celibacy is a discipline that can change. Persons who have committed themselves to celibacy by their own free will or certain mandates may choose to change their status and get married with proper discernment and guidance. Holiness consists in free and conscious decision that everyone makes on an on-going basis. Holiness cannot exist without full mental and emotional freedom. The relationship between husband and wife is closest to the best model of the relationship between the Church as the Bride of Christ and Christ himself for Christians.  In this connection it is important to note that the Bible translation officially  approved by the Catholic church in Kerala (India) and commonly used in homes and churches is not even able to use the word wife  and uses instead sisterly woman (sahodariyaya sthree – 1 Corinthians Chapter 9: 5).  In the Hindu setting, Sri Rama and Sri Krishna, the most popular avatars (incarnations) of God were married. Sri Krishna is reported to have 16008 wives. Besides all the important Gods, and the Trimurtis (Triune Gods) - Brahma, Vishnu, Maheshwar - and the prominent maharshis (sages) were married. In Judaism there is no history of celibacy. In Islam lifelong celibacy is forbidden. The strong contention here is that celibacy in itself (per se) does not add anything more to holiness than marriage,  and that celibacy and marriage are states wherein doing only God’s will in one’s proper and sincere discernment is what matters as far as holiness is concerned. All are called to holiness. It is of paramount importance that a husband and wife start paramarthashram preparing for sanyasa (stage of renunciation) together in siddhashram (stagte of realization).  
4. Siddhashram (Stage of Realization): This is the final setting which is geared for the attainment (siddhi) of perfection - the ultimate goal. This is the final stage of traditional sanyasashram. In this stage of life one is solely concerned about spiritual life. Everything that promotes spiritual life is embraced. Everything that detracts from spiritual life is abandoned.  In this ashram only spiritual pursuits are followed. Materialistic pursuits are engaged only in view of the spirit-life. It is important that one takes good care one’s body as long as one lives. One is detached from material things. One strives only for spiritual treasure as one’s heart is where one’s treasure is. One devotes oneself fully to the kingdom of God where truth, justice, equality, unity, and reconciliation reign supreme.  One comes to this ashram after going through prior ashrams successfully. One has known life in all its dimensions, tried to change things that could be changed, and accept things that could not be changed. There is peace and serenity. There are no regrets. There is no unfinished business. One has learnt from one’s mistakes. Everything has been for the good, and continues to be for the good. There is a deep sense of surrender. One’s life history has been and continues to be one’s own history of salvation. This is the final stage in the eight stages of life described by Erick Erickson where one experiences and enjoys integrity and wisdom. In this stage one operates at the highest possible level of Post-Conventional moral development that may be understood in terms of Lawrence Kohlberg’s Universal Ethical Principles guided by a fully Formed Conscience (stage 6) or Transcendental Morality or Morality of Cosmic Orientation (stage 7). In this ashram one lives in Universalizing Faith described by J. Fowler, spending one’s life in love grounded in the unity of humanity. (To be Continued)

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Project Smile

Life's Lessons - Joseph Mattappally

I was through the final words of some individuals sentenced to death. There I could find a man (Harrison Gibson - hanged in 1917), who smiled to death. He said, ‘‘They can’t kill a smile!’’ Those were his last words. Most statements, of the convicted, according to Robert K. Elder (Last Words of the Executed,) fit somewhere into some stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. The Gibson theory that a smile can never be killed kept scratching my thoughts for a while. I asked myself, ‘what is so special with this expression?’

There is the story of few people who were asked to share what they love to hear others speak of them, while they are packed in coffins. There came in different opinions. A bright guy is said to have stated that he wants to hear somebody say, “Look, he is breathing….!” There spread a smile, easing the tension hovering there. As I grew more and more enthusiastic to learn about the possibilities of a smile, I could learn that even a simple gesture of it changes the nature of the moment into something pleasant. Like a wild fire, a powerful smile transforms the whole environment into a distinct mood, in no time. I remember the story of a college student. The last project of a Sociology Degree class was ‘Smile’. All students were asked to go out and smile at three people and document their reactions. A lady student but documented her own reaction of a big smile, a very poor guy offered her, as she gave him a free breakfast. Any smile, if it is the true expression of genuine passions within, is as powerful as a dynamite. But how many of us use this powerful weapon to scare off the stress and tension in and around. A smile can change things …… a smile can create things …… A smile is neither paid nor taxed; what if we consider this as part of our daily chorus? 

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A Simple Solution for a Big Problem

Freedom and Creativity

Views and Words - Dr K S Radhakrishnan 

A very false concept on creativity is that it amounts to anarchy. Take for ex. music; anarchical expression of various sound waves can never be able to create music. Music can be created only if the musician regulates his vocal cord to produce a specific range of sound with all required features. A musician also needs consistent practice for effective utilization of all supporting equipments. Like this, a poet has to make rigorous practices to make his selections proper. After all, poetry is diction; but how to use the words appropriately is the question. Words can be connected properly in a poetic manner only if one is able to make discrimination between what the poet needs in a particular poetic context and what he does not need. So the ‘need’ and ‘does not need’ are to be assessed properly, where one has to exercise one’s power to regulate his capacity to select words. Words are flowing like a river but we have to get what we need. This proper form of selection is to be done by proper regulation. This is applicable to the administration also. A good administrator is the one who is able to regulate himself as well as his establishment. Administration is nothing but an act of exercising freedom, in the sense that he regulates himself and the whole establishment. Regulation can never be confined to the financial matters alone, even though every finance manager gives the warning that one has to regulate one’s expenditure. If one is not able to regulate expenditure, such an institution will end up in bankruptcy because unregulated spending of money will definitely take an institution to financial crisis. So, regulation is essential even for a good administrator. One cannot become a management expert without having regulation. 

These rules of regulation are not restricted to either a good politician or a good academician. Wherever we exercise our free will, there we need regulation. There cannot be any creation or creative activity without having proper regulation. This universal theory can no way be ignored by any person whatever be his area of activity, irrespective of a laymen and an expert. Take the case of a lady who is cooking. Cooking is an activity which needs a high level of attention and concentration. In every minute segment of the process the one who is engaged in cooking has to exercise accurate self-regulation mechanism. She should invariably know the proportion of all ingredients used in a dish – from salt to spices. In short, wherever we are placing ourselves, we essentially need self-regulation. My point is that self-regulation is not merely the concern of Rishis and sages alone but of every person who is engaged in any sort of activity. The moment one wants to transform ones activity as an act of creation, such an act can never be able to ignore the role of self regulation. At the very beginning of this discussion itself, I had made it clear that freedom is self-regulation. Advaita Vedanta clearly gives the idea that any person in any field can be creative only when he exercises his free will with a regulative mechanism that has been designed by the person himself. 

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Equanimity of Mind

Health and Happiness - Dr Dwarakanath

This sloka explains the path to reach oneness in life, which is the root to come out of the influences of Maya. From time immemorial, in the Indian tradition, it has been taught to us by the sages that Vishnu (God) is the all-pervading power in me, in you and everywhere. This Vishwam (universe) is nothing but Vishnumayam, i.e., the all-pervading reality. How to believe this truth? There is no short-cut for this. Every student of spirituality has to understand this reality in one's own heart, till then, it is a kind of repetition, which is necessary to emphasise that one point, which says that the multiplicity is the nature of the world, but the realised soul sees only oneness in and through all. It means, there is only one, without second and that one is appearing in multiple facets, because of one's ignorance. As long as one does not realise that oneness in all, one keeps getting doubts and requires answers too. When one has reached the perfection or realised the truth, then the feeling of imperfection will automatically give way to completeness or complete satisfaction. 

The first step to reach the ultimate or to realise the truth, it is to be-equal-minded in all circumstances. It is a tall order, as most of us are in the grip of moods and momentary pleasures. No amount of study of scriptural literature will help one to realise the truth, unless one applies the knowledge learnt in search of that truth. Theoretical knowledge to know how the "sweet" tastes is fine, but the experience will be altogether different if one really tastes "sweet". Likewise, the acquired knowledge should help us to realise the truth and make us to resolve not to take rest till we achieve the ultimate. The ultimate is nothing but "atma-saakshaatkaaram (self-realization)", which is possible to be accomplished by making our mind receptive to the truth, such as, first one has to make a concerted effort to remove all the cobwebs that have been formed over a period of time, erase all likes and dislikes from the mind, be equal minded for anything and everything. We should position and treat oneself as mere witness to the whole drama that is unfolding in front of one. As one succeeds in this Sadhana, the subtle influence from the higher planes of consciousness starts emanating and the mind has to be made to listen to these influences to progress and to reach the ultimate reality - samachittatvam i.e., equanimity of mind, is an important ingredient in the whole sequence of things, which makes one to lead a life of a witness rather than a participant. This equanimity or even-mindedness should not get disturbed or shaken by the world of external objects and either positive or negative happenings in one’s life. One has to be solid and strive to filter away from one's mind the influences of life in order to develop the mental equipoise. All this is possible with Sadhana, dedicating the action, devotion to the lord, service to the mankind, constant introspection, and contemplation on the highest. Samatvam, i.e., equal vision on all things and beings and in all circumstances is, therefore, an essential part of Sadhana to attain the ultimate.

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Peace at any price is cheap

Smart Plus - Rakesh Mittal I A S 

I had a cousin who passed away in April 1991 at the age of 58 when he underwent a second bypass surgery in U.K. We were very close to each other with deep mutual respect. When I passed my engineering examination from the University of Roorkee, he advised to join private sector. I followed his advice but subsequently providence brought me into the I.A.S. and he was one of the happiest persons on this development. In the later years, he changed his opinion about government service and wanted his son to join the I.A.S. The reason why he changed his opinion was perhaps his adoption of an integrated view of life. He himself had had a brilliant career as a chartered accountant and served in some very good private companies where he worked with great dedication. Unfortunately he developed a coronary problem and underwent a bypass surgery in U.K. Thereafter he continued to live cheerfully for years until he was advised to undergo another operation. He left India for his second surgery on 8 April, 1991. On that day I spent about an hour with him in the morning.  When I was taking leave of him, he gave me a word of advice saying, “Rakesh, remember one thing — Peace at any price is cheap.’’ Obviously it was the essence of his life which I took with great reverence and emotion.

After a week or so, we got the news of his passing away but his last message still keeps ringing my ears. The more I contemplate over the message, the more I find it true and relevant. Only about a year before his passing away, I had founded a mission called ‘Kabir Peace Mission’. In the preamble of its aims and objects, the word ‘Peace’ was defined as ‘Integrated Development. I am of the view that any development should lead to peace and if it does not happen, it is not real development. Similarly, when we think of progress or development in life, peace should be its natural corollary. If it is not so, there is something wrong in the so-called progress or development.

Today peace eludes most of us despite all our achievements. I know several friends and relatives who have everything to make an impressive bio data but do not have peace of mind. The question arises — what is it that goes wrong? The intention here is not to discuss the subject from a very philosophical point of view but to establish the fact that even from the materialistic point of view, it is necessary to understand certain facts of life. There is no doubt that we all need material progress. The error most of us commit is that we make this progress the end and not the means. I look at material progress only as a means to achieve the ultimate aim, which is peace of mind. Very few are able to discriminate between the two and no wonder that peace eludes most of us.

We do not know the amount of money we need, the size of the house we require, and the number of clothes we should own. Most of our time and energy are wasted in increasing them rather than using or enjoying what we already possess. The result is that while we may be in a position to afford very good food, we have no time or appetite to enjoy it. We may be having a big house with lawns, but have no time or mood to relax. We may have a large number of friends and relatives but have no time to spend with them. My cousin had seen life closely and God had given him the wisdom to understand it fully. In giving his advice on the choice of career, his intention was not to compare jobs but to emphasis the fact that life was to be seen as a package. Any package which offers greater peace of mind was to be preferred over the others. Perhaps, he realized that a government job was a better package because of its stability and well defined limits. Irrespective of all these, the message given by him is an important fact of life. Those who understand and absorb it can hope to lead a happy life. Peace will come to them without paying any price.

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Stuck by the Ditch

Message of Peace - Justice P K Shamsuddin

           The news of this huge mobilization of men and arms against Medina instilled fear in the minds of the Muslims. Not much help was possible from outside and their only option turned out to be fortification of the city. Halmanal Farra, who was familiar with war ethics, advised digging of a dry mot around Medina and fortification of buildings within. The mot was dug and Mohammed worked with his hands alongside his companions. All the Muslims participated in this endeavor with picks and tools borrowed from the Qurayzah Jews, who remained true to their covenant with Mohammed. The work was completed within six days with great effort. The walls of the buildings facing the enemy were reinforced and the inhabitants were evacuated. They reserved these buildings for the use of the army.

            The Meccans and their allies marched forward, expecting to see the Muslims somewhere on the way, but they couldn’t find any. They further marched towards Medina, where they found to their great surprise, a ditch surrounding the whole city. They accused the Muslims for resorting to such an unusual technique of war. The army finally encamped at a place called Rumah and the forces of Ghatafan and its allies encamped at a place called Dharab Naqana. Mohammed gathered there, thousand Muslims on the side of Hal mountain in Medina. Only the ditch separated the Muslims from the enemy. The Meccans and the allies realized the impossibility of crossing the ditch and were forced to restrict their military activity just to the extent of Javelin. Abu Sufian was convinced that they have to wait for a very long time before they could storm it. The season was winter and the cold was unbearable. Wind and storm continued without break, adding more woe to the situation. To the Meccans, it became amply clear that a victory was impossible, as long as the Muslims under Mohammed controlled the other side of the ditch and Banu Utarayya supplied Medina with enough food provisions to enable them to hold on to their positions for months or even for years.

Some of the Meccan allies began to think of returning home. However, the leaders of the Meccan force knew that another mobilization would be difficult once if they were allowed to disperse. Abu Sufian pondered over and weighed all the conciliations. He finally decided to use his last trump card. He told the Meccans that he would persuade Banu Qurahah to violate their covenant with Mohammed  and bring him to his camp and thus cut off supply of food to Muslims, for ever. 

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Chathurashramam - 5

Blooming Stars - Swami (Dr) Snehananda Jyoti

All ashrams are meant for married couples as well as celibate persons who have freely and consciously committed themselves to that way of life, and as long as they choose to stay in that way of life. Marriage is seen as a lasting commitment as it involves one’s spouse and progeny. Celibacy on the other hand becomes a lasting or permanent commitment through ongoing conscious choice and commitment. No institution in this world has the power to make laws related to fundamental human rights such as marriage or celibacy. To get married and to stay celibate are fundamental human rights that like any other fundamental human right need to be exercised in full freedom and discernment without any kind of family or societal coercive influence. It might be noted that voluntary celibacy freely chosen for all for a period is highly recommended as it will help better appreciate one’s marriage, and deepen one’s commitment. The period of sathyashram certainly is a time of celibacy. Intentional and conscious celibacy for a period during the transition period as a preparation for marriage and sevashram can also be immensely helpful. The three years between 22 and 25 can be a very appropriate time. The traditional brahmacharyashram (literally, the stage of moving in God later came to be understood as the stage of a celibate student preparing for other ashrams) life envisaged celibacy. Interestingly people who continued celibacy or those who became sanyasis or sanyasins or joined religious congregations and took the vow of chastity came to be known as brahmacharis, i. e., those who move in the Lord. The question then is: “What about those who marry?” Are they moving in the Lord any less? Absolutely not. That is why the term brahmachari should not be appropriated by celibates. Besides, marriage also needs to be marked by chastity. Because a person is married he or she cannot do anything he or she wishes; marriage is not a license for uncontrolled sex or lust or imposition of one spouse’s desires on the other through coercion or manipulation.
Any relationship with another human being including the most sacred relationship that can be had in marriage needs to be guided and marked by God’s plan and will. Celibacy in itself is not an end. It is good if one is called to it, and if it helps oneself to work better for God’s kingdom. One needs to be able to stop being a celibate through discernment of God’s will without institutional penalties and social stigmas. Traditionally sanyasa (­­­­the life of renunciation) was meant for celibates only. Sanyasa for committed couples proposed here is much more difficult as it involves a man and a woman as a husband and a wife committed in marriage. The strongly held opinion that celibacy is a prerequisite for sanyasa is dated and biased. According to Judeo-Christian scriptures marriage is very important as, for instance, in the creation story of Genesis God wanted male and female to complement each other in mateship, union and communion. In the New Testament section of the Bible, Paul of Tarsus, one of the most prominent disciples of the Lord, loudly complains of the poor treatment the celibates (Paul himself and Barnabas) were receiving in comparison to most of the apostles and Disciples of Christ including Peter, the first Pope, who were married. All the apostles and disciples except Paul and Barnabas were accompanied in the ministries by their wives (1st Corinthians, chapter 9). This situation was reversed when celibacy was mandated for priests. Gradually celibacy and virginity acquired a preferred and superior status fetching higher respect in modern times till the shift in the second Vatican Council, the supreme body of the Catholic Church, held from 1962 to 1965. (To be continued).

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