Understanding Gita

Health and Happiness -  Dr. Dwarakanath

 ‘To understand Gita, we must understand Krishna!’

In Gita, Krishna says, ‘Be immaculately yourself’. He says us, ‘Find your self-nature, our intrinsic individuality, our primal being, our authentic face and to be it’. He does not mince his words even when he advises Arjuna, “It is better to die upholding your true nature than to live on a borrowed life, which is nothing less than horror. You die as a warrior, rather than live as a renegade. Then you live a dead life. And a living death is better than a dead life”. This statement of Krishna is extraordinary and of tremendous significance. No Guru, master can have the courage to say this. Only a true friend can say this, “Be immaculately yourself!”

Krishna was a friend to Arjuna, an equal. Though Arjuna thought of Krishna as his teacher some times, Krishna felt just friendship - nothing more and nothing less. We must remember no Guru will be a charioteer to his disciple, only a friend will. The whole of Gita is to remind us who we are. Some misinterpret Mahabharata, thinking Krishna imposed his will on Arjuna. This is travesty of the truth. Krishna has no desires of his own; he is totally desireless. His desirelessness is superb and self-evident. In Mahabharata, Krishna is with Pandavas and he allowed his whole army with the opposition (Kauravas) fighting against Pandavas. This type of incident never happened, in the history of war. A belligerent’s mind does everything to see that all of his resources are used to help him win the war. This is an extraordinary situation in which Krishna puts himself, his structure of make-up, his individuality, is unique. And what is most amazing is that Krishna sends, Pandava brothers the victorious ones to the enemy general, Bhishma, at the end of the war to take a lesson on Peace. That is the reason Krishna calls this war in Gita as ‘Dharma Yuddham’ - the righteous war. Entire Gita is just a process of uncovering. It reveals the pristine possibilities of us- human.

The other greatest misunderstanding about Krishna’s birth has to be corrected in us to understand Gita fully. We always think, Krishna was born to respond to the needs of the times, because the times were terrible. It is as if a flower blooms by the wayside and a passerby thinks it has bloomed for his sake and its fragrance is meant for him. No awakened person, an enlightened soul takes birth in a time which he may call his time. On the contrary, he moulds time in his own way. Time follows him and he does not follow the time. Krishna is such an enlightened soul. Krishna does not come under the cause & effect; we must come out of utilitarian thinking to understand this. Flowers bloom for the sheer joy of blooming. Krishna like enlightened ones, are born out of their own joy and bliss and for the love of it. It is different if others like to and partake joy out of the fragrance.

Krishna also says, ‘I will incarnate when there is need’. He alone can make a promise who has attained the supreme freedom. Krishna has the courage to make such a promise for the reason that he lives without the cause & effect of karma, he lives with abandon, he lives just for the joy of living. And anything can spring out of this cause less bliss. Only a free consciousness is capable of giving such an assurance. And when Krishna comes, he comes, not because of a particular situation, but because of his freedom. It is very difficult understand language of freedom, because, we don’t know what the real freedom is. It will be paradoxical to read the words of Krishna, in Gita, if we try to see it superficially. (Analysis on Krishna and Bhagawat Gita continues…..)

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Conflict of a Sarovar

Smart Plus - Rakesh Mittal I A S

Calcutta is a crowded city. Its traffic jams, congested bazars and teeming streets are well known. An outsider, visiting Calcutta for a few days, normally does not have a good impression of the city. Naturally, when on promotion I was offered a posting in Calcutta, I was in a dilemma as I was very comfortably settled in Delhi. An early riser, I like to go either to play tennis or for a long walk in the morning, and in Delhi, I had good amenities for both. The tennis courts were at my doorstep and playing tennis had become a part of my routine. I was not sure of these facilities in Calcutta. Anyhow, considering all the pros and cons, I decided to accept the offer. All my family members also supported the decision, thus reducing my conflict to some extent.

My flat in Calcutta, though very comfortable, was located in a very busy area where it was difficult to find open spaces for morning walks. Though my tennis was arranged within a week of my shifting to Calcutta, I preferred occasional walking. On the very first day, I ventured out on a morning walk and took the direction suggested by the security staff of the building. After walking for about half a kilometre, the area opened out and I found a large number of morning walkers enjoying the fresh air. Soon after, I came across a big sarovar and learnt that it was the famous Rabindra Sarovar. On one side of this sarovar, there stretched a very good road with multistorey buildings all along, as well as a swimming and a rowing club. By all standards, it was a clean and developed area with no sign of the Calcutta crowd. The air was quite unpolluted and I was happy at the discovery of such an area which totally eliminated the conflict in my mind about my decision.

For a few days I tried several routes and soon established a pleasant walking route of about forty-five minutes which included a complete round of the sarovar. I followed this direction whenever I went for a morning walk and never felt the need for any change.

I am very contemplative during my walks and many subtle thoughts occupy my mind during this period, particularly, when I am alone. As mentioned earlier, on one side of the sarovar was a clean road lined by high-rise buildings. However, the opposite bank of the sarovar was a totally different picture. The road on that side was very pot-holed and dirty, and very few took this route. A number of people, including women and children, carried out their morning activities on that side of the sarovar, all of them being very poor. Whether they were bathing, washing clothes or utensils, brushing their teeth or excreting, they appeared to be in a state of bliss. They did not seem aware of the fact that the water being used by them was stagnant and its constant use was making it dirtier. Perhaps, they had been doing so for a long time, and the thought of infection or pollution was totally alien to them. I do not think it was easily possible to talk to them about this.

Well, leaving that job to the environmentalists and health workers, I looked at it from a different viewpoint. Here was a sarovar which faced conflicting scenes on its two sides. On one side there was a posh area where the residents tried their best to maintain cleanliness, while on the other side, people blissfully made the area dirtier. Between this conflict, the sarovar itself remained very neutral, allowing its use by the people, the way they did. It remained calm, serene and offered whatever nature ordained it to do.  In other words, it was perfectly harmonious in a situation of total conflict.

We all often face such conflicts in life. Some people are happy to see our purity and help us to maintain or increase it, but others exploit us to the hilt and in the process, also try to drag us down. The people in the first category live for higher causes and do not want to hurt anyone or waste their time and energy in skirmishes with baser types. At times, the process is painful but they try to harmonise the two conflicting situations with the help of higher natural forces. Thus, they are able to maintain their harmony, notwithstanding the fact that many keep trying to disturb it.

This is what happened in the case of the sarovar, a symbol of detached high-mindedness. Despite being polluted by many, it maintained its purity. In this process, nature helped greatly as did those people who cared for its purity and cleanliness. Let us hope that this balance will be maintained and the sarovar will continue to remain pure, thus serving the needs of well-wishers as well as neutralising the depredations by exploiters.

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The Long Awaited Pilgrimage

Message of Peace - Hon. Justice P K Shamsuddin

It was during on this occasion when punishment for false accusation on adultery was promulgated through the following verse, “Those who falsely accuse the chaste women for adultery and do not bring forth four witnesses to this effect shall be stroked with eighty strikes and their witness shall never be admitted as evidence in any matter thereafter.”  Sent this Quranic intention, Mistah Ibn Athathah, Hassan Ibn Tariq and Hanna who spread this accusation about Aisha in the market place were stroked with eighty strikes each and Aisha returned to her rightful place in the house and in the heart of Mohammed. Many historians have commented on this episode and they agree to say that the incidents changed the life of Aisha, who continued to be honest and innocent. Aisha’s health improved rapidly. Hussan Ibn Taliq repented and made peace with Mohammed and was able to regain Mohammed’s friends. Mohammed asked Abu Bakr not to deny Mitah Ibn Athathah with the kindness he used to extend to him, in the name of the false accusations he spread against Aisha.

Six years had passed since the migration of Mohammed and his companions from Mecca to Medina. During this time Mohammed and his companions were prevented from entering into the Mosque at Mecca. The Muslims were very much hurt on that. The Meccans permitted the entry to all people of Arabian Peninsula except the Muslims. However, the Muslims firmly believed that the day in which God unlock for them the gates of Mecca was not far off and they would be able to perform the religious duty of pilgrimage in Mecca. According to the old story of capturing Mecca, Mecca belonged to all the Arabs together; the Meccan privilege was limited to the right of service attached to it. The Meccans feared that if Mohammed and his companions were permitted to enter Mecca and Kaba they would persuade the majority in their favour. The Meccans had not forgotten the truth that Mohammed and his companions had destroyed their faith and blocked their trade route to Syria.

Muslims were eager to visit Kaba and perform the pilgrimage and Umrah. One day morning when they were in the mosque, Mohammed informed them the vision he had according to which they should enter the holy sanctuary of Mecca unarmed and without fear for their safety. The overjoyed Muslims praised God and this news spread throughout Medina. But no one was clear as to how it would be achieved. Mohammed proclaimed that there would be no war or fighting and it would take place in the holy month itself. He sent a messenger to the tribes, Muslims or otherwise, inviting them to participate with the Muslims in their pilgrimage to Mecca. Apparently he wanted to make this group visit Mecca first. His objective was to let the whole peninsula know that the visit was only for performing pilgrimage and there was no intention whatsoever, of conquering Mecca. In spite of all these, the Meccans insisted on fighting even during the holy month and preventing the followers of Mohammed from performing pilgrimage. Pilgrimage to Mecca was the duty commonly held by all Arabs regardless of their diverse personal faith. The Meccans were worried and found themselves in trouble as they heard about the Muslims and other Arab tribesmen coming over to Mecca. They also found the other Arabs unwilling to join them in fighting out the Muslims.

One of the tribes rejected Mohammed’s proposal but all others accepted his suggestion. The total number of people who joined him was about one thousand four hundred men. They took with them their camels and wore the garb demanding the ritual of Umrah. When they reached near Mecca, the Muslims purified themselves as the ritual demanded and isolated their cattle as was necessary for the pilgrimage. 

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Freedom of Humanity

Blooming Stars - Swami (Dr) Snehanand Jyoti

(Autocracy, Rituals, and Spirituality – 1)

For our psychological, mental, and spiritual growth, it is of paramount importance to examine autocracy, rituals, and spirituality. We need to look at civil societies, religions, and religious institutions for the all-round development of the human being.  God or the Supreme Intelligence created humans with full freedom. Whether one believes in God or theistic or atheistic evolution, freedom is the most distinguishing characteristic of all humans.  From freedom flows  informed choice and consent that only humans can make. The quality of one’s decision to choose a certain course of action is determined by the degree of freedom one has. The merit of one’s action as well as responsibility for it is also judged on the extent of one’s freedom. Purest action is characterized by purest intention. As pure intention can only be exercised in a milieu of unfettered freedom, complete freedom also constitutes the best and the purest action. In short, the basic premise is that autocracy diminishes humanity.  Spirit holds the primary position in humans composed of spirit, mind, and body.  Body and mind serve the spirit. Therefore autocracy also markedly diminishes spirituality. Moreover, an autocratic climate does not foster higher levels of human consciousness. Rituals are important observances or behaviors that humanity in general and certain communities or societies in particular employ to convey a certain meaning or attitude. Rituals may be used in human and cultural transactions or religious worship. While certain rituals can help, others do harm as most rituals are devised by prior generations of human beings in their specific context of their living.  Subsequent generations may consider these rituals to be sacrosanct, and are likely to automatically repeat them  rendering them utterly meaningless.  Most people also do not know the origin of certain rituals. For instance, let us take a simple ritual like a handshake. Originally at a time when most men were generally armed long ago, one’s extending one’s right hand to another person meant that his hand was not going to be on his sword. Therefore there was no hostility. There was friendship, at least truce. Now we think of a handshake as a gesture (ritual) of friendship or welcome. The kind of handshake also might indicate the extent of warmth or cordiality.  Traditions invariably comprise of rituals that, while at one time had a certain meaning, may be irrelevant in this day and age.

Humanity went through phases of human trafficking, serfdom, slavery, caste system, indentured labor practice, feudalism, colonialism, monarchy, imperialism, aristocracy, dictatorship, and autocracy that were and still are oppressive and evil in varying degrees. Humanity suffered immensely under all of them. All these systems of controlling and managing humans and their relationships by brute might and weaponry suffocated them, and were a sheer affront to human dignity in one form or another. The simple, self-evident truth is that all human beings are created equal; they are all subjects; no human can be or should be an object to another human.  No human can be a commercial or consumptive good that can be enjoyed at another’s whim. Human trafficking, slavery, and caste system are universally declared to be illegal. There are still great pockets and remnants of monarchy and dictatorships in the global scene. They need to be ethically and legally outlawed and abolished from the face of the earth for the freedom and development of all humanity. (To be continued).

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Naturally Unnatural

Life's Lessons - Joseph Mattappally

Quite unexpectedly, I happened to hear an interesting Nazruddin Hodja story last week. The story goes telling that at a crossroad, Mulla Nasruddin Hodja saw a portly nobleman riding towards him. "I say, Mulla," said the man. "Which is the way to the palace?" "How did you know I am a Mulla?" asked Hodja. The nobleman had a habit of addressing every scholarly-looking man as ‘Mulla’, which was a title given to learned men and meant ‘master’, but he didn’t want to tell Hodja that. "How did I know?" he bragged. "Well, I’m a mind-reader, that’s how." "Pleased to meet you," said Hodja. "As to your question, read my mind and proceed."

This story compelled me to ponder on people usually rolling over the compliments they get; doesn’t matter it is true or false. Have you ever asked a friend, “Do you read?” Suppose his answer was, “Of course, a lot!” What could you make out? Do you then think that he has covered all classics and epics in this world? Certainly no. But such an answer may mean that too. That’s the technique. Such a partially covered answer shows that he is suffering from aloofness mania, a drama which many people around us play on a regular basis, which hides their true nature. Psychologically speaking, the purpose is taking an upper hand in a given situation, creating an impression that he is superior to the other. The sad thing is that this mostly happens when the leading aspiration within is inferiority complex. Such people also do not know that leaving such a false impression leads to great avalanches later. There could also be shrewd Mullas everywhere.

 People basically refuse to be natural; this tendency has grown into a curse slowly eating away that little sanctity of any society. People think that being natural is more or less suicidal. They but do not know that carrying unnecessary loads of aloofness is much more suicidal. See what happens if all the society play aloofness. I’m reminded of an old story of a king who wanted to show out the generosity of his people to all the royal guests who came on a visit from another country. The king placed a huge barrel in front of the palace and ordered that people fill the barrel with the goat milk they collect that morning. The king wanted to share it for the breakfast next day. However, n­o one wanted to give away all the milk he had. So everyone added some water in the milk and filled the barrel thinking that he would be the only one adding water. In the morning, a thin liquid was poured out for the king and his court that it had no taste than the taste of meanness and greed. Being natural and speaking with utmost clarity is always a good attribute, which makes any one different and unique. They make themselves perfect and also part takes in the regeneration of the world too.
 

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Sermon on the Mount

Joseph Vempeny

The guidelines to lead a life of holiness were given to us some 2000 years ago by Jesus in his teachings in the gospels, especially in the Sermon on the Mount. A few of these are enough for anyone to attain holiness.

·         Live like a child.  Trust in the Lord and love Him as a three-year-old trusts its father or mother and loves them. A child never worries about the future nor cry over the past.  Neither should you.

·         Live in selfless love.  Entertain only positive sentiments like love and compassion towards everyone.  There should be no place in your heart for negative sentiments like hatred, envy, anger or even indifference.

·         Forgive. Forgive anyone who has hurt you or your dear ones and ask forgiveness of any one you have hurt.

·       Be poor in spirit.  Do not be attached to wealth or material possessions.  Be content with what you have.

·         Remember that whenever you do something for the poor and needy you are doing it for the Lord.

Krishna and India

Health and Happiness - Dr Dwarakanath

Dr. Dwarakanath begins an introduction to Gita, the most respected Scripture in Hindu religious tradition.

Krishna, is a legend, reincarnation, God, teacher, friend, musician, dancer, master, lover, conspirer and much more in Indian History. Gita, widely known as Bhagvad Gita, is his teaching for humanity. Gita was preached some thousands of years back by Krishna and was written down by the poet and monk Veda Vyasa. The main analysis is to find its relevance to the present modern world. There are lots of treatises on Gita by numerous scholars like Shankara, Madhva, Ramanuja, etc. There are scores of poets and devotees of Krishna who wrote thousands of songs on Krishna. It is said that Gita when read, every time gives a new understanding to the reader on his own life and the perception on world in large.

Once my Guru said, ‘To understand Gita to our maximum possibility, we must understand Krishna’. Krishna was a realized person like Buddha & Mahavira. There is a big difference in their realization. Buddha & Mahavira attained partial realization and then lived in this world for decades. Once they attained complete Realization (Poorna Samadhi/ Maha Samadhi) they seized living in this world. In the case of Krishna, his life started with Samadhi. Krishna was a very difficult personality to understand at all. That is the reason; people take a shortcut in understanding Krishna. They choose one portion or aspect of his life and ignore all the other. For example, many of us will be surprised to realize that at the time of Kurukshetra (battle field) in Mahabharatha, While Krishna was teaching Gita, he was 80 years old. Due to our limitation in our thinking we see Krishna as a young warrior not an old man of knowledge.

Some authors were happy to write about his life in Mathura the adolescent Krishna. Some were not ready to move beyond his life at the age of 10, and wrote only about his childish pranks. Some others wrote about his life as a lover to Radha only. Few others took his time at Dwaraka, his kingdom as ruler. Most were happy analyzing only the Great War & Gita. These types of fragmentation certainly lead to distorted understanding of Gita. Those who understood Gita fully were so rejoiced that their explanations were even more confusing to simple minds like us. Krishna was a complete incarnation compared to all other incarnations prior to him. He lived his life to its fullest, was very bold and happy. His life is to be understood with an open mind or else we will miss the point itself. Krishna did not hesitate to contradict his own point, when it was needed. Krishna did not restrict his life with narrow doctrines. He did live his life with complete detachment from the fruits of action but with dedication to duties. Let us travel the coming days first analyzing and understanding Krishna then understanding Gita and its relevance to today’s world. My master guided me in the understanding of Gita in this way, it helped me and I hope it can be of help to all.

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When We Miss Our Wish

Smart Plus - Rakesh Mittal IAS

In December 1994, I stayed at the Tata Steel Plant at Jamshedpur in connection with a Joint Plant Committee meeting. The two days’ stay was very well organised by TISCO. Apart from the meeting, visits to the plant, township, social activity centres, etc., were also arranged. In fact, the social welfare aspect of the Tatas is worth seeing and gives an indication of the philosophy as well as the vision of the founder Tatas. At Jamshedpur, a museum named “Russi Modi Centre of Excellence” has been recently established. It gives a complete picture of the history of the Tatas. I liked this place most and it left a deep mark on my mind. At this centre, I came across a biographical work on J.R.D. Tata and subsequently a copy of the book was presented to me.

We all generally know about the great men and women of the nation and the world. However, going through their autobiographies and biographies one understands the real depth of their personalities. Somehow I like going through such works. I keenly glanced through the book on that day and subsequently read it closely. Naturally I learnt many things about the Tatas which were not known to me earlier. One such fact is that JRD had no child of his own. Despite this he had developed such a broad vision that this loss was hardly reflected anywhere. Occasionally in private conversation, he used to refer to this aspect of his life. But in no way did it constrain his vision or thinking. On the other hand, he treated all his employees as his family members and never considered his huge empire as a personal possession. As a matter of policy the Tatas provided suitable employment for at least one of the wards of their employees. This act developed so much feeling of belonging in the employees that they put their head and heart for the organisation and it is small wonder the Tatas have contributed so much in the field of industrial development. Not only this, they paid equal attention to the social side. Many prestigious institutions of the country in the field of fundamental sciences, medicines, engineering, management and social sciences were the result of this attention.

I was overwhelmed by this aspect of the Tatas and it made me draw some deep lessons which I am going to share in this write-up. It reminded me of an interaction of mine with a very senior officer who had retired from the Indian Administrative Service. He is a highly spiritual person and has played a great role in shaping my thinking.

One day I asked him whether at any time he had missed his wish in life and if so how he took it. I was conscious of the fact that missing one’s wish was something common and so was more interested in the second part of the question. To this he gave a very interesting reply. He said that on several occasions he did not get what he wished for but what he got in turn was better than what he had wished for. Then he added one condition, that the wish should be selfless and natural. The above principle applied only in case of such a wish. I was quite satisfied with the answer and found it greatly true in my life too.

It is commonly seen that many good people suffer for no apparent fault of theirs. Their natural wishes are also not fulfilled, be it getting a job, getting married, begetting a child, owning a house or winning a promotion. None of them are unnatural wishes. Everyone has a right to get them. But it does not always happen so. There are many instances when deserving persons miss these things in life. What to do in such a situation? One easier but of course defeatist way is to fret and fume over the missing part of the life. People may listen to them in the beginning but they end up making themselves as pitiable objects. They hardly find any helpers. At best, some people may show sympathy but most of them will turn out to be rejoicers.

The other way is to accept the reality gracefully and to grow larger than the wish. Such are the people who end up getting more than their wish. They expand their vision so much that their own problem becomes too small. They find delight in seeing others getting what they missed themselves.  There are numerous examples in the history of mankind when great persons rose above their narrow personal problems to pursue a higher cause.

In fact, all great men and women, we talk of, passed through such situations. J.R.D. was, of course, one of them. The fact that he had no child of his own did not stop him from expanding his vision and looking at the entire mankind as his children. No wonder he laid so much emphasis on the welfare of his employees. He must have always seen them as his children, getting delight in their growth. Who can say that he had no child? After all, one wants a child mainly to keep the family name going. By this criterion he has numerous children as the family name is not only going but is running smoothly. In fact, the holding company of the Tatas is named Tata Sons.

So when you miss your wish, expand your vision and rise above the wish. Surely you will end up getting more than what you had wished for.

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Innoense Revealed

Message of Peace - P K Shamsuddin

  News about the ongoing rumour and false allegations against her reached the ears of Aisha too. It really was a shock to her and it added to her illness. It was her mother who consoled her saying that her innocence will be proved. In the meanwhile Mohammed decided to ask Aisha the truth and so went to her. Her mother said to the prophet, “Oh prophet! Women are many, perhaps you might get some information about this from the servant of Aisha.” The servant was called and she repeatedly denied the allegation.

Finally, Mohammed went to the room where Aisha was staying and asked her to reveal the truth in the presence of her parents and another woman of Al Ansha. He found that Aisha and the other woman were crying. Aisha understood his suspicion from his own face and it hurt her heart deeply. Mohammed asked Aisha what people are saying about her. Mohammed further asked her to repent to God for God forgives His servant. On hearing this Aisha sprang to her feet, tears completely vanished; blood rushed into her face. She looked at her parents in the hope that they would speak out for her. However, they kept silent. She could not control herself. She asked her parents, “Won’t you speak out?” The parents replied that they have nothing to say. This troubled her beyond description. She broke out in tears. She turned to Mohammed and said, “By God, I will not repent to God because I did not do anything for repentance. God knows that I am innocent.” After a while she continued, “Rather I shall say the only self as did the father of Joseph of his lying sons. Patience and patience, God is my refuge against what you describe.”

There prevailed silence for a while. Mohammed had not moved from the spot. Then revelation came to him accompanied by the usual convulsion. Everyone except Aisha was frightened. Aisha knew very well that she is innocent and God will not do any harm to her. When Mohammed came out of his convulsion they all looked pale. Mohammed rose up and wiped his sweat from his forehead. He said that the revelation he got says that she is innocent. Aisha exclaimed, “God be graced!” Immediately Mohammed went to the mosque and shared to the Muslims the verse he was revealed just then saying that Aisha is innocent. 

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Options Please !

Life's Lessons - Joseph Mattappally

Everybody knows that just three apples were enough to change the world and our destiny; one of them Adam ate, next one fell on the head of Newton and part of the third one was with Steve Jobs. But, as of today no more apples are going to make any impact here, because the world has become either madly crazy or foolishly stupid. Tomorrow, ‘how do you do?’ might be replaced with ‘what are you, crazy or stupid?’ It is almost sure that the upcoming generation has got only these two choices to be.

I have heard the story of an executive who happened to be in a posh hotel just for something to drink. See the conversation in the restaurant. “Fruit juice, Soda, Tea, Chocolate, Milo or Coffee?" “Tea please.” "Ceylon tea, Herbal tea, Bush tea, Honey bush tea, Ice tea or green tea?" "Ceylon tea." “Black or white?” “With milk.” “Milk, Whitener or Condensed milk?" “Milk.” "Goat milk, Camel milk or cow milk?" “Cow milk.” “Freeze land cow or Afrikaner cow?"  The executive understood that questions are never going to cease; he said, "Um….., I'll take it black." “With sweetener, sugar or honey?" "With sugar." "Beet sugar or cane sugar?" “Cane sugar.” "White, brown or yellow sugar?" The executive was about to get mad. "Forget about tea, just give me a glass of water instead." He said. "Mineral water or still water?" "Mineral water" "Flavored or non-flavored?" “Wait a minute.” He said and slowly rose up to leave the restaurant.

Choices are there everywhere; it never ends. We know how much in trouble a plus two pass out is; there appears an ocean of choices for him. Look at any patient; the physician floods him with a long list of choices. Neither the farmer nor a business man is free of choices. Even a religious aspirant has got more than a hundred ways to choose for his road to Realization. It is choice food we eat, choice dress we wear, choice mobile we use …. so goes. One exception is perhaps the air we breathe.  Instead of asking someone who your father is, it has become much more pleasing to him/her to have some options and a few clues too. Options have become our very need. After a brief review of similar classic situations, I understood that it is options that are going to decide the destiny of the world; never any apple. I also found that there are only two choices to recommend, ‘allow the world go crazy and people remain stupid or …… or the other way round’. 

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How Poor Are We?

One day a rich father took his son on a trip to the countryside, with the firm purpose to show him how poor people can be.

They spent a day and a night in the farm of a very poor family. When they got back from their trip the father asked his son,

"How do you think was the trip, my son?"

"Very good Dad!" replied the son.

"Did you see how poor people can be?"

"Yeah !"

"And what did you learn?" the father asked.

The son answered,

"I saw that we have one dog at home, and they have four. We have a pool that is hundred meters long, they have a stream that has no end. We have fifty imported lamps in our garden, they have countless shining stars. Our terrace reaches to the front yard, they have a whole horizon."

When the little boy was finishing, his father was speechless.

His son concluded, "Thanks Dad, for showing me how poor we are!"

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Shankara Period

Health and Happiness - Dr Dwarakanath

Adi Shankara in his own exponential way treads the troubled waters with ease. Shankara outlined the problems of human’s path to realization and also gave the solution to it. Shankara says that the company of the good weans one away from false attachments; from non-attachment comes freedom from delusion, when the delusion ends, the mind becomes unwavering. From an unwavering and steady mind comes Jeevan mukti (liberation even in this life). It is very clear from what has been said so far that to live in attachment is, certainly, an ill rewarding existence. To waste one's life in lust is definitely dissipating oneself in all faculties. We have to withdraw from all such activities and spend the energy so conserved in seeking and serving god. The best, easiest and the only way for such a conduct is to associate our self with good and enlightened. This provides occasion for us to practice withdrawal from desire and attachment. As desires and attachments become less and less, the delusion diminishes and calmness and equanimity descends upon us. As we have understood from the earlier commentaries, desire and delusion wrap the mind and cloud the perception, obstructing the power to discriminate between the good and the bad, between the lofty and the low. Desire and attachment are the cause of delusion and delusion leads to confusion. As the mind ceases to agitate, internal purity ensues. At this stage, one reaches the state of equilibrium and enjoys divine peace. It is a step by step struggle like the elements of good slowly occupies the place vacated by the elements of bad and evil thoughts, as we occupy our self in satsang. So, we must always cherish the company of the devotees of God to attain salvation at the end.
 

More than 300 works—commentary, expository, and poetical—written in the Sanskrit, are attributed to Shankara. His masterpiece is the Brahma-sutra-bhashya, the commentary on the Brahma-sutra, which is a fundamental text of the Vedanta school. The commentary on the Mandukya-karika was also composed by Shankara himself. It is very probable that he is the author of the Yoga-sutra-bhashya-vivarana, the exposition of Vyasa’s commentary on the Yoga-sutra, a fundamental text of the Yoga school. Long live the works of Shankara.

We are coming to the conclusion of my perception and analysis of Shankara’s Bhajagovindham. It is said in Upanishads that it takes life after life for us to inch towards the Moksha- the realization. But the Upanishads were pre – Shankara period. Shankara like teachers, out of their love and compassion towards humanity have shown us a clear path for Moksha. The possibility for Moksha for us is brighter if we understand the meaning of life and the correct path to our destiny. Shankara’s other greater works will be analysed in future. I am waiting for my call, the next area of philosophy to analyse. As always when it is time the topic appears in the mind, we just have to be aware for the signs appearing and tread the path towards ‘Happiness’. Let us meet next week with a new area of analysis. 

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Leading a Simple Life

Smart Plus - Rakesh Mittal I A S

 ‘‘Simple living and high thinking” is a common phrase to describe many great persons of this country. In my childhood this phrase was commonly used for personalities like Dr. Rajendra Prasad, Pandit Jawaharial Nehru, Pandit Govind Ballabh Pant and many other living at that time. Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri fitted the description aptly and was greatly revered for his simple living. All these people occupied high positions at one time or another.  Naturally, they had all the perks and facilities attached to those high positions. And all such perks do not necessarily fall in the category of simplicity, seen from a common sense of the term.

One day in Kanpur in November 1994, I was sitting at the dining table in the company of good friends. The talk began with a discussion on simple food and we were trying to define it. Gradually the discussion shifted to the definition of a ‘Simple Life’. The point of discussion was whether simple life implied deprivation or renunciation of material comforts which one gets in natural course. From this point of view many of the great men known for their simplicity did not lead a simple life. There are many persons who travel all the time by air, stay in comfortable places and eat costly food. Nevertheless it could be unfair to keep them out from the category of simple people on this ground.  At the same time, there are many who do not get any of these facilities but still do not fall in the category of simple persons. All this led us to the conclusion that simplicity is something internal and not external. A person looking simple externally may not be so while a person appearing very comfortable may be quite simple within. Thus simplicity is in one way a state of mind.

To elaborate it further, it may be said that an effortless living falls in the category of simplicity. A person who neither rejoices over comforts nor mourns the lack of them is a simple person in true sense. Such a person does not hesitate to give up any article of comfort, when required to do so. Nor does he hanker after such objects, when he is not in a position to have them. If at all he uses certain facilities provided to him by virtue of his position and status, he does so with a detached state of mind. To an ordinary person he may appear to be living in luxury but is in fact above them. He looks upon them as something which helps him to discharge his duties efficiently.

In other words, a simple person is the same within and without. He does not boast about his surroundings nor does he hide anything. His life is very transparent. However, at times he has to use his discretion to decide whether certain facilities are actually required for discharging his duties or they have been added simply to raise his status. If so, such facilities should be done away with before he gets used to them. This is what is missing today. The holders of high office have made their environment luxurious from comfortable.  While comfort may be desirable, luxury is certainly not. At times the line between the two is thin and at this point the holder of the office has to use his discrimination with firmness. This not only keeps the sycophants away, it infuses greater confidence and regard in the common people.

Many great people whom we know for their simplicity fell in this category. Unfortunately the number of such people is coming down. Even some of very rich persons like G.D. Birla and J.R.D. Tata fall in the category of simple people. They accumulated no wealth for themselves. They worked for a higher pursuit and creation of wealth was just a natural process for them and they used it for the service of the nation at large. We need many more such persons today in every walk of life.

Simplicity has its own rewards. It gives tremendous inner strength to its possessor. A simple person is free from all kinds of fear, leading to a contented, healthy and meaningful life. He has nothing to boast about and nothing to hide. He is free from conflicts and achieves his goal effortlessly. Simplicity coupled with wisdom is a great strength. Thus from every point of view simplicity is a desirable quality.  Let us all try to lead a simple life.

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Rumors Never Cease

Message of Peace - Justice P K Shamsuddin

Juwayriyya, daughter of Al Harith was one of the captives from Banu Al Mustaliq. She was a noble and attractive woman and her lot fell on a member of Al Aws tribe. She sought to ransom herself but her captor who knew that she was the daughter of the leader of Banu Al Mustaliq demanded a very high price which he thought her people was capable of paying. Dissatisfied by this conduct, she sought the assistance of Mohammed to free herself from the captivity. Mohammed offered that he would ransom and marry her which was acceptable to Juwayriyya. This is one version; another version is that Al Harith came to Mohammed to ransom his daughter and after talking to Mohammed he believed in him, declared his conversion to Islam and Juwayriyya also embraced Islam. Here, Mohammed offered to marry her. A third version is that her father was not agreeable to the marriage and that one of her relatives came forward to help her and the marriage took place against the will of her father. Somehow everybody agrees that Mohammed married her.


It was during that time some people whispered about the delayed return of Aisha. Many people took it seriously and started spreading this gossip. Abdulla Ibn Ubayy considered this gossip to be of great value in dividing the community; he deliberately spread the news in the market. The tribesmen of Al Aws defended Aisha; they knew well that she was an example of nobility, chastity and purity. The gossip reached the ear of Mohammed and he felt deeply hurt. He could not believe for a moment that Aisha would violate her marriage vows. Aisha had not explained to Mohammed the reasons for leaving the camp and the circumstances in which she was forced to ride on the camel of Safwan. This caused some disturbance in the mind of Mohammed.
However, nobody dared to ask Aisha anything about this gossip. She noticed the great shift from the normal tenderness of Mohammed. She fell ill and was attended by her mother. One day she asked his permission to move to the quarters of her parents so that they could take care of her. Permission was granted and she remained bedridden for twenty days. People continued their gossip which annoyed Mohammed and he was compelled to mention this in one of his speeches. He said, “Why some of you are staining the reputation of my family by raising false accusations? By God, the members of my family have always been good.” Ubbay Syed Ibn Hydayrins rose up and promised to put a quick full stop to this through his tribesmen.  (Contd)

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Fate of Strikes

Blooming Stars - Swami (Dr) Snehananda Jyoti

Gandhiji expressed in his speeches, writings, and journals:  “Strikes are the order of the day. They are a symptom of the existing unrest……The labor world in India, as elsewhere, is at the mercy of those who set up as advisers and guides. The latter are not always scrupulous and not always wise even when they are scrupulous. The laborers are dissatisfied with their lot. They have every reason for dissatisfaction. They are being taught, and justly, to regard themselves as being chiefly instrumental in enriching their employers. And so it requires little effort to make them lay down their tools. The political situation too is beginning to affect the laborers in India. And there are no wanting labor leaders who consider that strikes may be engineered for political purposes.

In my opinion, it will be a most serious mistake to make use of labor strikes for such a purpose. I don’t deny that such strikes can serve political ends. But they do not fall within the plan of non-violent non-cooperation. It does not require much effort of the intellect to perceive that it is a most dangerous thing to make political use of labor until laborers understand the political condition of the country and are prepared to work for the common good…..The conditions of a successful strike are simple…. 1. The cause of the strike must be just. 2. There should be practical unanimity among the strikers. 3. There should be no violence used against non-strikers.  4. Strikers should be able to maintain themselves during the strike period without falling back upon union funds and should therefore occupy themselves in some useful and productive temporary occupation.  5. Strike is no remedy when there is enough other labor to replace strikers. In that case in the event of unjust treatment or inadequate wages or the like, resignation is the remedy.”

Gandhiji laid down his conditions of work in the Young India of 1921 (India of My Dreams, pp 36-39, and p.41). Much as the labor leaders despise the Western principle of “Might is Right” they use that very principle to attain their ends. They conveniently disregard the Eastern principle: “Truth alone conquers”. Gandhiji insisted that all public sympathy should be withheld from unjust strikes, that the arbitration of impartial persons enjoying public confidence should be respected by all the parties, that economic betterment should never have a political end as an ulterior motive, and that political strikes must be open, and should never be led by goondaism, and must never lead to violence.

According to Gandhiji, economic betterment of workers, just cause, purity of intention, common good of the country, impartial arbitration binding all the parties, and non- violence were  essential requirements of strikes. In I942 with his Quit India movement Gandhiji employed strike as part of the civil disobedience against the British government. When the strike gaining some measure of success began to lead to violence, Gandhiji stopped it even against the strong protests of some of his staunch followers.    

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Rapids of Motu

Life's Lessons - Joseph Mattappally

Right attitude and right action make a life beautiful; this is an old advice I remember most. Who on this earth can forget the classic story of the two frogs which unknowingly fell in a vat of milk? After hours of struggle, one of them lost all hopes and decided to surrender to its’ fate. The other one but was different and it kept on paddling until finally it felt something solid beneath the feet. By the time it had churned the milk into butter and so it could hop out of the vat successfully.

Every moment in life we have the opportunity to taste experiences in distinct flavours.  Sometime back I happened to read the story of a few people rafting through the tumultuous river of Motu in New Zealand. One among the men on the raft narrates his distinct experiences with two guides. On his first expedition, the team was led by an American guide with a great deal of rafting experience. With him there was no reason to fear any of the great rapids on the river. He taught the men on expedition to develop team spirit and on being disciplined to commands. The strokes had to be mastered; when the leader bellowed above the roar of the water, an instant reaction was essential. The commands overheard were matched only by the fury of their paddles and they could take the raft exactly where he commanded to. At the end of the journey, they all felt powerful and good. The mystery and majesty of river Motu had been overcome.

When he went down the Motu the second time, the guide was a very softly spoken Kiwi. It seemed that it would not even be possible to hear his voice above the noise of the rapids. As they approached the first rapid, he never even raised his voice. He did not attempt to take command of us or the river. Gently and quietly he felt the mood of the river and watched every little whirlpool. There was no drama and no shouting. It seemed that he loved the river. They sped through each rapid with grace and beauty and, after a day, the river had become their friend, not their enemy. Laughter replaced tension. Like the quiet Kiwi, they listened to the river carefully for all those things they had not even noticed the first time. The second time it was very hard for the man to leave the banks of river Motu; he had become so close with the river. This is true with every situation; situations appear in the very attire we love to see it. Every morning, decide how you would like to see the rapids of the day – as a friend or a foe.

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Reveal the Self

Life's Lessons - Joseph Mattappally

In a small village, in the valley, lived a man who was always happy, kind, and well disposed to everyone he met. He always smiled, and had kind and encouraging words to say, whenever it was necessary. Everyone who met him, left feeling better, happier and elated. People knew they could count on him, and regarded him as a great friend. One of the village dwellers was curious to know what his secret was, and how he could always be so kind and helpful. He wondered, how is it that he held no grudge toward anyone, and always was happy.
Once, upon meeting him in the street he asked him:
"Most people are selfish and unsatisfied. They do not smile as often as you do; neither are they as helpful or kind as you are. How do you explain it?"
The man smiled at him and replied,
"When you make peace with yourself, you can be in peace with the rest of the world. If you can recognize the spirit in yourself, you can recognize the spirit in everyone, and then you find it natural to be kind and well disposed to all. If your thoughts are under your control, you become strong and firm. The personality is like a robot programmed to do certain tasks. Your habits and thoughts are the tools and programs that control your personality. Become free from being programmed, and then the inner good and the happiness that reside within you will be revealed."

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Bhaje Govindam - Conclusion

Health and Happiness - Dr Dwarakanath

Shankara is also widely known as Sri Adi Shankara Bhagawath Pada. His philosophy was based on the Jnana Yoga, the path of knowledge, analysis and logic. His works were an exceptional essence of Meta- physics. To this day physicists around the world are analysing and conducting research on his teachings. The Swiss institute of Physics recently discovered and confirmed the words of Shankara in laboratory that the sound rhythm of ‘Aum’ the pranava mantra resonates and creates the design of ‘Sri Chakra’. The Sri Chakra was designed by Shankara and he said that the design is the primordial one.Shankara is the founder of ‘Advaita’ philosophy. Advaita philosophy was always considered as a revolutionary one. Shankara’s Advaita gives the theory of ‘non- dual’. It explains the highest ever possibility ever, that the Jeevathma (Human Soul) given possibility and serious effort in right path can become Paramathma (Godliness itself!). Though it was widely debated against even during the age of Shankara himself, he convinced the scholars and religious heads of his time that his teaching is correct and possible too.Shankara in this composition, ‘Bhajagovindham’ is taking a total different approach from his usual intellectual path of ‘Jnana Yoga’. He is even seems like contradicting his all previous teachings. He says, “Do not bother analysing the Vedas and its meanings!” He even goes one step further, saying, “just chant the name of God from the heart, nothing much is needed!” He even criticises the people calling them ‘Oh fool! Sing the song of the divine’.
To understand Shankara and this philosophy, we must understand the context. We are lucky here, because, unlike much other Indian philosophy, we have the time line and the words of his direct disciples in Shankara’s teachings. This song was composed by Shankara in his period of life which was coming to a grand conclusion. Shankara had scores of disciples and his works were well recorded by then. He was giving a great outlet for the lesser fortunate like very old people who never had chance to tread the path of Moksha- the liberation. Shankara is giving hope and a true chance for the people who were ignorant or were crossing the ocean of life just toiling for their daily bread. Shankara is also explaining here the true possibility, though rare, the power of dropping the ‘Ego’ and surrendering to God. These teachings in the ‘Bhajagovindham’ are a great lesson to his primary disciples, who were the one who took the teachings of Shankara all around India and world. Shankara’s Advaita philosophy always puts him in a pedestal, where we all feel that it is for selected few. This ‘Bhajagovindham’ is the one teaching, which makes the whole human society, a possibility for reaching the ultimate reality- the Moksha (liberation/ realization). Analysis will continue and conclude soon. Sri Guru Pada Sharanam!-surrendering to the holy feet of the teacher. 

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I Have No Enemy

Smart Plus - Rakesh Mittal I A S

The incident relates to the year 1984. In the month of January, I had gone to Varanasi where I visited the DIG of Police in his home. There I met an elderly person, Mr. Kejriwal, who had good business at Varanasi and Bombay. His son was settled in Varanasi while he himself lived in Bombay.  During our brief meeting, we developed a liking for each other. Incidentally, I was to visit Bombay in the following month only. He invited me to visit his place and I promised to do so.

I spent about an hour with him in Bombay at his residence. His flat was quite big and was located on the main Marine Drive. I had not been much exposed to Bombay at that time, so I was quite impressed. However, his lifestyle appeared to be quite simple. During our talks, I asked him about his friends. To this he gave a very unusual reply. He said that he didn’t know the number of his friends but definitely he had no enemy. Though impressed by this reply, I was not able to understand the depth of his answer. Subsequently I contemplated over this reply of his for a long time and understood its depth. This is what I am going to share in this write-up.

First of all I am of the view that friendship as well as enmity are only the states of mind. There are different qualities of them which depend upon the growth of mind. Generally the quality of friendship or enmity is determined by the motive we have in mind. The lower motive leads to lower quality of friendship and vice versa. There are different degrees of this quality. As we grow internally and expand our vision, the feeling of enmity starts disappearing and a time comes when one reaches the state Mr. Kejriwal had attained. An ordinary mortal may not find it easy to reach this state but there can be no doubt that all of us should strive to reach this state. A scientific analysis of the subject will be helpful to expedite the process.

At this point an incident of Shri Ishwarchandra Vidyasagar’s life comes to my mind. He was a very learned person and at the same time very humble. He always tried to be helpful to others.  Most of us must have read about the incident when he worked as a coolie for someone who considered it below his dignity to carry a small suitcase at a railway station. Once a well-wisher of him brought to his notice an adverse comment made by someone about him. Shri Vidyasagar responded in a very strange manner. He said that he was unable to understand the cause of the adverse comment because he had never helped that person. The message was that only those whom we help criticise us and it is up to us how we respond to that criticism.

A person with a lower mind will immediately develop a feeling of enmity towards such a person and the friendship will turn into enmity. Naturally such friendship is of a lower kind where the motives are selfish. In order to avoid such situations, one has to rise higher and develop a friendship without any motive. Nothing should be expected in return. Only such a friendship can stand the test of time.  It is not that there is no worldly return from such a friendship. In fact, from the worldly point of view also such a friendship is very rewarding. The only difference is that a selfless friendship always gives joy and the situation of pain does never arise.

Well, if this becomes the criterion of our friendship where is the question of enmity? Thus we can say that only a lower kind of friendship or relationship changes into enmity. Numerous examples can be given to establish that most of the enemies were good friends at one time. It was only the lower nature of their friendship that turned them into enemies. Therefore, the best way to avoid such a situation is to develop only a higher kind of friendship where the motive is only to offer and not to receive. Having reached this stage, one not only enjoys the joy of friendship, one also gets rid of the pain of the enmity. A single thought of enmity may give us more pain than many thoughts of friendship. From this point of view also it becomes more important to have no enemy than to have many friends. Therefore, a ‘no enemy situation’ automatically means a state of universal friendship.

Friendship being a state of mind has no physical connotation. Others may consider you as their enemy but you will not do so. In such a state of mind, even killing becomes a friendly act. We all know that when Lord Rama killed Ravana, he had no feeling of enmity towards him. This was proved by the reverence shown by Him towards Ravana during his last moments. Our target should be to reach this ‘No Enemy’ state in order to enjoy life. Perhaps Mr. Kejriwal had reached it when he said ‘I have no enemy’.

Golden Rules of Friendship

    Be slow to give your friendship, but when you have given it strive to make it lasting.

    Counsel of good friends is useful when your own self-love impairs your judgment.

    Friends are made by many acts, but are lost by one act.

    It is chance that makes brothers but hearts that make friends.

    Success depends on your ability to make and keep friends.

    The ornament of a house is the friends who frequent it.

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