Miseducation

Education is for learning formally or informally knowledge, skills, and culture of a community for purposeful living, and relating with others, and for transferring the best information for future generations. It is for cultivating virtues and values to actualize the human potentials fully, and thus to achieve our human destiny. It is for learning the best current available knowledge in arts and architecture, science and technology in order to become who we are meant to be. Proper education can impart wisdom to bring out the best in humanity for a kinder, gentler, and more compassionate world. It enlightens its recipients removing the darkness of superstitions and ignorance. It is not a mere coincidence that I am writing this piece on the feast of Ignatius of Loyola, who in the dark Middle Ages around mid-1600 revolutionized education through his Ratio Studiorum (the reason and purpose of studies/education). The order founded by him, the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) have provided the world an all-round education and character formation for about five centuries through the best educational system in the world that I know. It is interesting to note that Rabindranath Tagore studied in St. Xavier’s School, Kolkotta. I may also note that I was very closely associated with the Jesuits, being one of them for about 25 years, in training educators and spiritual leaders. It is in the context of what true education should be that I am going to narrate the pathetic story of miseducation or what education should not be.

Three days ago I was invited as a trustee of a School for a fare-well get-together for an out-standing headmaster of the school who provided unstinted service to the school for 10 years with very little or no remuneration. He came to our school after retiring from a private, aided school as a headmaster. I was touched by his simplicity, gentleness, humility, and over-all genial and unassuming attitude. His parents were farmers who migrated against all odds to the virgin lands of the High Ranges of Kerala for better financial opportunities for themselves and their children. They managed to give him a good education far away from home, undergoing many financial hardships. Speaking about his early and difficult years as a teacher, he said he had to go out of his native state to find a job as a teacher in a north-western state of India with a different language and culture. As he proved to be a good teacher there, he was invited by his home-parish to teach in the government-aided parish school managed by the corporate management of a Catholic diocese. In order for him to teach at that school, his parents had to shell out hard-earned money to build a class room for the school. I was appalled to hear his story. How can such a corrupt system teach any value, give any enlightenment? How can it teach a faith related to justice? How can it represent the teachings of Christ? Later on I came to know that it is not unusual to pay a large amount of money to get an admission into an educational institution or to get a job as a teacher. More than these corrupt and unjust educational institutions, I am grieved by the human status that is so desensitized, numb, and helpless not to question the unjust state of current educational system. Nothing good can come out of an unethical system. What is taking place currently is not education but miseducation.

Swami (Dr) Snehananda Jyoti 

“You Liar!”

The world always says, find good people and leave bad ones, but I have found that finding the good in people is more feasible and practical, because identifying a good person is not an easy thing as we assume it to be. Who is a good person? Perhaps it could even be a liar. Suppose you hear somebody screaming ‘You liar!’. Who needs to be explained that a bad person could be on the other end? It is what exactly I also would have guessed. A few classic stories on liars that I came across recently have changed my attitude to liars. A lie is a false statement. Liars come in various categories like pathological liars, compulsive liars, beautiful liars, habitual liars etc. Be it big or small, it is not an attribute to good moral standing. I don’t know how many lies an average person hears each day. The biggest liar could be the market economy. It says, Kareena has dandruff problem, Katrina has dry hair problem, Shilpa has hair fall problem and Priyanka has chip-chip. If we believe advertisements, the only reason why men use deodorant is to get girls; nobody uses motorbikes for commuting, it’s only to pick up girls. Media comes next. They are more dangerous than a violent anaconda. Politicians are best liars as the public interprets them. Religious leaders, who are experts in meticulously twisting Holy verses for personal/group interests are not anywhere down.

In spite of all these, frankly speaking, I yearn for best liars in my life because what I believe is that best lies come from the most loving. Siddhartha Buddha once told his disciples the parable of a merchant and his children. Whenever the merchant in the parable came home after long business journeys, his children used to hang around him asking for a chariot and horses, which he could not afford. The merchant was a very pious man who never opened his mouth for a lie. One day, when he came home, he was shocked to see that his house was on fire. He could also hear his children playing inside. With all his might he shouted, ’fire, fire!’  The children did not respond. The fire was quickly spreading all over and he hesitantly shouted ‘chariot, chariot’ and the children came out running. Buddha asked his disciples, how on the earth this merchant is a liar?

Nobody is going to blame this liar merchant for the false statement he made. It is clear that he spoke so only because of his intense concern for his children. Sometime back, I happened to hear the story of great liar. This lady liar was a poor widow with an intelligent hardworking son. The son many times asked her to get married. She said that she can’t love one more. She raised money to educate her son by working in a toys factory. Many nights she was found assembling toys at home, and when asked she used to say that she doesn’t feel sleepy. Whenever she cooked fish at home, she took only the bones; she used to say that she likes it very much. Sometimes she skipped meals. If asked, she would say that it is fasting for her. The son passed the grades with distinction and quickly got a job abroad. He wanted to take her too along with. But she said that she is happier at home. As days passed by, she fell seriously ill; the son hurried home and found her abed in a public hospital for the poor. He learned that she is in heavy pains struggling in her final phase. She but told him that she is okay. However, she passed away the other day. When the son reeled back through his memory, he understood that she was a big liar. She worked overtime to fetch the necessary money for his tuition; she fasted because there was not enough for her too. The son understood that all that she spoke was big lies only, all with an intention to up bring him appropriately. As she lay motionless, the son bent his head and whispered in her dump ear, “You Liar!”

Joseph Mattappally

Krishna, Buddha & truth- 3

By the Time of Buddha, the tradition of Vedas and Upanishads had almost degenerated except in some pockets of families scattered around the country. The whole region was really corrupt and rotten. To say a word in favour of these old scriptures was tantamount to providing support to a decadent and rotting tradition. Knowing well that the Vedas too contained the same truth, Buddha could not take their support. He just kept quiet about them. But it often happens in the history that when a new Buddha comes he has to uproot many old truths, because being old they get so badly mixed up with falsehoods that to support them would automatically strengthen those lies. 

Krishna did not have to face such a situation. In his time the tradition of Vedas and Upanishads was very much alive. It was really at the height of its glory. It was absolutely unpolluted and pure. For this very reason we say Krishna’s Gita is the quintessence of the Vedas and the Upanishads. In fact we can say Krishna himself is the embodiment of the great culture which had come out of these scriptures. Krishna reflects all that is essential and basic to that culture. Krishna comes at a time the Vedic civilization was at its Zenith. Buddha comes when it has touched its nadir. It was the same culture, but Buddha had to witness its utter decadence and degradation. It was the time Buddha saw when most of the Brahmins had ceased to be knowers of truth and instead was busy exploiting people in the name of God and religion. 

Krishna represents the summit of Vedic teachings. In his times the Upanishads and Vedas have touched the pinnacle of attainment and splendour. The light of truth and knowledge emanating from them is spreading in all directions and their perfume is everywhere in the air. The Upanishads are not a dead thing, they are fully and youthful and their music can be heard even in the bushes and shrubs of the land. So when Krishna talks about them, he is not talking about something old and dead; he is talking about something which is in the prime of its youth. But by the time Buddha comes much more than 2500 years after Krishna, the whole tradition is in its collapse. So we must understand that it is not out of his arrogance he is declaring his truth on his own. At the same time there is nothing egoistic about Krishna when he seeks the support of old seers and their sayings. 

It is important to understand Krishna to properly understand Gita. 

Wishing you all good health & happiness,

Dr. Dwarakanath, Director, Mitran foundation- the stressmanagement people

Everything is All Right

In 'Drops on a Lotus Leaf ‘ written by Sri Ramalu, also known as Sri Ram of Andhra Pradesh. This book was a collection of letters from seekers to Sri Ram and their replies by him. The letters as well as the replies were full of depth, the latter more so. This created a wish in me to meet him. The above mentioned book was published by my own book’s publisher and so I could get his details from him. 

The opportunity to meet Sri Ramalu came soon in early 1998 when I was appointed as an observer for the parliamentary elections in Andhra Pradesh. Sri Ramalu was then working in a polytechnic at Adilabad, a town nearly 200 kilometres from Hyderabad. He was a lecturer in the department of English. An IPS friend of mine arranged my visit to Adilabad and I got an opportunity of spending a few hours with Sri Ramalu. It was a very sublime meeting and we both liked the company of each other. I also noticed that Sri Ramalu was treated almost as a living God by those who knew him closely.

Soon after this, I received a letter from Sri Ramalu and apart from mentioning our meeting, he gave a very deep message through that letter which I am sharing here. In one of the paragraphs of the letter Sri Ramalu raised a question about ‘faith’. Normally, all those who have faith in God believe that everything will be all right in their lives. While apparently there is nothing wrong with this definition of ‘faith’, Sri Ramalu said that it was not faith but the lack of it. He explained further that when we say that the future is going to be all right, indirectly it implies that perhaps, the present is not all right. Since we live only in the present, according to this definition of faith the feeling of being all right becomes only an imagination of future, which soon becomes the present. Thus, it becomes a chasing game that goes on throughout our life. 

He further explained that the correct definition of faith is, ‘everything is all right’. As a matter of fact both definitions are the same; the difference is in the way of looking at them. What is future today becomes the present in due course. So if we shift our focus a little backwards, we can always believe that the present is the best possible as of now. Our endeavour would then become to make the future better by working for it today. 

Viewed from a different perspective, there can be no denial of the fact that the present could not have been better than what it is. It could be, had we thought of it yesterday and tomorrow could be better if we think of it today. But the present remains as it is and no purpose is served by complaining about it, even if there is reason to complain about it. Therefore, a person of true faith never laments about the present, never regrets the past and never worries for the future. He has complete faith in the laws of Nature and does his best in all circumstances. For him, everything is all right at all times and he lives in perfect harmony with Nature. Accordingly, for Sri Ramalu, this is what true faith is. 

Rakesh Mittal I A S

Globalization of Indifference

Recently referring to the plight of refugees from North Africa at the door steps of Europe, Pope Francis spoke about the globalization of indifference, an apt term to describe the callousness, insensitivity, and the growing lack of concern for others in suffering in our age. We have become so used to the news of unspeakable, atrocious crimes that we have become numb. The news hungry media has lost their moral role and social conscience to present news-worthy items in order to thoughtfully reflect, conscientize, and enlighten the public through pungent and thought-provoking editorials and articles about the pathetic condition and suffering of humanity to create changes for a better world. Instead they focus on anachronistic news items and sexy salacious, irrelevant reports to seduce the world to buy their publications and other wares. Today (July 24, 2013) the biggest item on the menu of the media headlines going around the world scene is the birth and the consequent naming of the child of prince William in England. That the news media cater to our voracious appetite for sensational news, and our penchant for titillation and momentary entertainment is itself a sad commentary on the status of humanity. In fact a good bulk of news is produced by the media. In a world where the medium is the message, to quote Marshall McLuhan, Pope Francis stands out as a beacon of hope to high-light the condition of the poor and the disadvantaged even though his message is not widely disseminated by the media.

What happened to the Parable of the Good Samaritan of Jesus Christ where every suffering human is our neighbor, our brother or sister who is desperately in need of our help for sheer survival. I remember years ago when I helped educate two very poor girls to become registered nurses in my village of origin. They belonged to a different religion and community from mine. One of the girls also had a severely alcoholic father who virtually abandoned the family. Their community at that time was in great tension with my relatively well-to-do community of origin in the context of a very dilapidated and abandoned little religious shrine (kavu) of theirs that happened to be in the property of a land-owner of my community. There was communal polarization in the village, and a contingent of police had to camp in the village to avoid violent conflicts. A few of my relatives did not appreciate my financial assistance for those girls in abject poverty in order to lift them out of the deep pit of poverty. They thought they could use that money themselves. They were not persuaded by my argument that those innocent girls needed a break in life, and it was not their fault that they were poor or one of them had an alcoholic father, who wasted whatever little money he had on alcohol, and that my mission in life was not to make my relatives, who had enough to live on, richer. They were like most others in the world were engrossed in their immediate needs and desire for more wealth. Then are we our brother’s/sister’s keepers? Are we so immunized from being affected by persons in dire need? Are we so insensitive, and indifferent to the precarious situation of others?!   

Swami Snehananda Jyoti / July 24, 2013

Love Unbound

There is a popular joke on Father’ Day. It is attributed to be the most confusing day for the Americans, because 80% of them don’t know whom to wish and 20% are scared that someone will come and wish them. No surprise, if this joke turns relevant in other parts of this great global village also. Relationships grow threats, quite a strange phenomenon; truly hard to believe. Some time back, I remember to have read the story of an Algerian husband from the town of El Eulma, 340 km east of the capital Algiers, who has been carrying his ailing wife for five years. Salim married his wife in 1996 and they lived a very happy life in a dormitory in the school premises, where he worked as a security guard, according to Algerian newspaper Sunrise. In 2007, his wife went into a state of paralysis and became unable to move, speak or eat. Salim became his wife’s principal care taker. Thereafter he used to get up early every morning to attend to his wife and son, giving them breakfast before going to work. He cleaned the house, prepared lunch, fed his wife and did almost everything a man could. I’m not sure of the motivating force behind his commitment to his family. It can be anything from love for his wife, love for his son, love for humanity as a whole, love of God or love for his purpose. 

This live story compelled me to differentiate between pain and suffering. The strange thing which marked a difference in Salim’s story was that he is reported to have said that he has gone through none of these, pain or suffering; he expressed no regrets in life. Are all sufferings painful? Do all sufferings end up in pains? However, this is not the first occasion I hear about suffering and pain consolidating into love. World Literature is filled with passionate real/fabricated stories of divine love staged in real lives. Read the live story given below and try to understand love in its true nature.

This story is from Thrissur, the cultural capital of Kerala state in India. Thrissur Pooram is one of the most popular temple festivals in South India. In the very centre of the city there is the famous Vadakkunnathan Temple, which is said to have been founded by Parashu Rama. The temple situates in a fortified area of 9 acres. Around this fortified area there is the famous Thekkinkad maidan with 65 acres of land in its’ name. The circular road around this maidan (Swaraj Round) is the biggest Roundabout in South Asia. I gave a brief account of the maidan just because the story took place mostly in and around this big ground. There are only just two characters in this story, a mother and her son. Both are known to almost all those who live in this city. Lakshmi Ammal and her son belonged to an upper cast Tamil Brahmin family. They lived in Kolkota until her son turned 16. Their life was upturned drastically as her son Raju became mentally disturbed. Things became beyond their control and they returned to their home city of Thrissur. 

Raju never liked to be within the walls anywhere; he roamed all over the city and mostly this great maidan. His mother followed him all the way. Slowly, following her son became the only thing in her daily chorus. She and her son were virtually abandoned by their relatives. In rain and storm, in hunger and pain she continued accompanying him for almost 47 years until at the age of 67 Raju passed away, that too lying in the lap of his mother. No fancies of life were acceptable for Lakshmi Ammal and she continued living in the very same scenario where she lived more than four decades. She lived as a pinch in the hearts of the city men. Lakshmi Ammal Passed away in 2005, after one year of Raju’s death. Till date, this story of love and care remains unexplained in my heart. What I understand is that love in its’ true nature is absolutely unbound, irresistible, inexplicable and undefined.

Joseph Mattappally

Leadership is Empowerment

If you head up any kind of organization- a business, club, church or family- learning to empower others is one of the most important things you’ll ever do as its leader. Empowerment has in incredibly high return. It not only helps the individuals you raise up by making them more confident, energetic, and productive, but it also has the ability to improve your life, give you additional freedom, and promote the growth of your organization. A leader is great, not because of his or her power, but because of his or her ability to empower others. Success without a successor is failure. A worker’s main responsibility is developing others to do the work. Loyalty to the leader reaches its peak when the follower has personally grown through the mentorship of the leader. As you empower others, you will find that most aspects of your life will change for better. We need leaders who empower people and create other leaders. The attitude of the leader, coupled with a positive atmosphere in the organization can encourage people to accomplish great things. And consistent accomplishments generates momentum.

According to  noted  medical missionary Albert Schweitzer, “Example is not the main things in influencing others …… it is the only thing”. Part of creating an appealing climate to grow potential leaders is modeling leadership. People emulate what they see modeled. Positive model - positive response. Negative model - negative response. As Lee Lacocca suggests, “The speed of the boss is the speed of the team”. A leader cannot demand of others what he does not demand of himself. Most good leaders want the perspective of people they trust. Good leaders want the truth-even if it hurts. The ultimate leader is one   who is willing to develop people to the point that they eventually surpass him or her in knowledge and ability. Leaders push boundaries.  They desire to find a better way. They want to make improvements. They like to see progress. Leadership is really a game of intangibles. What could be more intangible than influence? Leaders deal with things like morale, motivation, momentum, emotions, attitudes, atmosphere and timing.  How do you measure things before you do something? It’s all very intuitive. Leaders have to become comfortable- more than that, confident-dealing with people. 

Sr (Dr) Lilly THokkanattu SJL

Krishna Buddha & the truth-2

If a person goes to Buddha, he goes as a disciple, as one who has surrendered to him. Arjuna was Krishna’s friend, he has not surrendered to krishna. Much depends on particular situations and relationships. While Buddha’s disciples accept him, his own wife refuses to take him at his words. When Buddha returns home after 12 years- during which time he was widely known as Buddha, the awakened one, and people from all over have come to his feet in search of truth, he has known and proclaimed. His wife Yashodhara, on meeting him, refuses to accept him as Buddha. She takes him to be the same person, her husband who left home stealthily in the dead of night twelve years ago.  She resumes her argument from that very point. She was as angry as she was, on the day her husband left her deserted. She vehemently accuses Buddha for betraying her. Buddha’s wife had her own features. Buddha had to communicate with his wife differently, because she was altogether different from his devotes and other seekers. This was a very sensitive and delicate moment and Buddha’s response to it wa so human and beautiful. When Buddha’s disciple Ananda, who was also his cousin, reminds him that he has transcended all associations and attachments, no one is now wife or son to him, Buddha tells him, ”This is quite true as far as I am concerned but for Yashodhara I am her husband, and it is not in my hands to undo it.” 

When Buddha meets Yashodara, the expected thing happens. She bursted out crying with all pent up anger and agony that came out in torrent, and it was justifiable. So Buddha listens to it all. When she was settled down by herself, Buddha says, ”Yashodara, look at me attentively. I am not your husband who left you 12 years back, the husband is no more. I am altogether different. You talked so long to the departed one; now you can talk to me.”

The relationship between Krishna and Arjuna also was radically different, they were friends. They had played and gossiped together as pals. If Krishna had told him only this much, “I speak about the truth that I have known,” Arjuna would have retorted, “I know you and your truth.” So he has to say, “What I say is the same truth that has been said by many seers. Don’t take it amiss because it comes to you from a friend. What I say is really significant.” Gita is a product of a particular situation and this has to be borne in mind, otherwise there could be much room for misunderstanding. Buddha’s situation was very different from Krishna’s. Buddha could afford to say, ”What I say is the truth. I am not concerned with what others say about it. And I also urge you not to accept it on my authority. You need to come to it on your own.” And it was not an egoistic statement. We are aware that what Buddha said had been said by others in Vedas and Upanishads also. But why didn’t Buddha say so? There were reasons for it too and they were inherent to the time of Buddha’s period of time. It is not that Buddha was not aware of Vedas and other Seers’ words. 

More analysis will continue in the following weeks to come..... 

Let us understand Krishna to understand Gita. 

Wishing you all good health & happiness,

Dr. Dwarakanath, Director, Mitran foundation- the stressmanagement people

Spiritual Journey

While I was studying at the University of Roorkee (now an IIT) from 1966 to 1970, our dean of students was a professor named Jagdish Narain. He was from the civil engineering department and was known in his field, academically. He was a reserved kind of person and had little interaction with the students. As a result, he was not very popular as the dean of the University. During his period, there was some agitation by the students, which he did not handle firmly and the situation turned ugly. At that time as well as in retrospect, I felt that had he reprimanded us at the right point of time, the situation would not have become ugly.

With this background, I left the University in the year 1970. Though I kept in touch with the University, there were no personal contacts with Prof. Jagdish Narain. After a few years, he retired from there and I never heard of him after that. It was only in the year 2006 when a meet of distinguished IITians was organised in Delhi, that I saw him again. We both were attending the meet and when I introduced myself to him, I learnt that he was living in Sai Baba’s ashram at Puttaparthy as his devotee. This was very surprising to me and I became keen to know about his journey to spirituality. Going by his ways at the University, it was difficult for me to believe that he could turn so spiritual, though I myself had become so. Anyway, there was no occasion to talk on this issue during the meet and the matter ended there.

Few months later, in December 2006, I had gone to Bangalore for two days and on one of these days, I planned a visit to Puttaparthy along with a friend of mine. I had been wishing to visit this place for long and this time, it worked out smoothly. A friend of mine from Hyderabad made the necessary arrangements for the Baba’s darshan at Puttaparthy and I took my seat at a prominent place quite before Baba was to arrive for the darshan. While waiting there, I was remembering Prof. Jagdish Narain and silently expecting him to also arrive there. And to my pleasant surprise, I immediately noticed him coming there slowly and taking his seat just adjacent to mine. Since he had met me only a few months back, he recognised me at once and I was also very happy at this divine coincidence. 

Incidentally, Baba’s arrival got delayed and so I got some time to talk to him. This time I could ask him about his journey to spirituality and he narrated it very affectionately. He told me that a few years after his retirement he had come to the ashram in connection with technical advice on some building matter. As soon as he met Baba here, a mutual bond was established and thereafter he became a devotee of Baba. Not only that, he also shifted to the ashram and started living here. He himself was surprised by this sudden change in him but he had no doubt that now he was on the right path. This interaction of mine with Prof. Jagdish Narain gave me great joy and I remember it fondly. 

This is what life is. Our ultimate aim is to know our spiritual nature and to realise it. Nobody knows when and how it will happen but there is no doubt that one day it has to happen. Fortunate are those who get an early opportunity. Let us all strive for it.

Rakesh Mittal I A S 

Revisiting Anarchy

A few days ago I decided to drive my vehicle on the day of a strike (harthal) to do some urgent business. The leader who knew me and stopped me said: “Swamiji, do you have no sense to drive on the day of a harthal?! I replied: “The problem is I have more than enough sense to assert my freedom of using a public road which no one has a right to stop me from using it”. Gandhiji (the father of the nation) would never allow it. This is violence you are engaging in. Violent stopping of all work and movement, and the virtual shut-down of the entire state cannot take place in a democracy.” Of course his argument was that he had a right to strike precisely in the name of democracy and force the strike on others and paralyze the entire state no matter what others who disagree with him think, no matter if his demands are reasonable. As his followers surrounding my jeep were getting antsy and restless, and as their leader was as irrational, arrogant, and prone to violence as his leaders in the legislative assembly who declared the strike to begin with were, I had no non-violent choice but to turn my jeep around, park it, and walk to my destination hoping the jeep would be safe when I return.  This time I was not as lucky as the time a few years ago when I had arrived from the US after a long stay (thirty-two years), and drove gleefully across the state without anyone stopping me on a day of harthal for about four hours on traffic-free roads to keep an inauguration and chief guest function I was invited for. Last night (July 17, 2013) I was forced to drive at night on ghat (mountain) roads in heavy monsoon down-pour to reach my head quarters in Munnar as the following day is a day of another harthal. In a country that is reeling from poverty, diseases, floods and other devastations, do we need these mad harthals dominated by anti-social hoodlums?!

In my recent journey across the state I heard another painful but true story. In a devout Catholic Christian family in Kerala there were five sisters and a brother. The brother was much younger in age as he was born very late and unexpectedly. The parents did not think they would have a male child. Some years after he attained majority, he expressed his desire to get married. Now his mother is gone, only his very aged father alive.  His sisters and their husbands colluded to get him declared mentally insane so they could share the entire ancestral property among themselves. They did not think he was fit to marry. He went to the parish priest to get the necessary document (kuri) for a Catholic marriage. The priest denied it.  He asserted that he would go for a registered court marriage. The priest gave a veiled threat cautioning him against it as he has a very old father who needs to be buried in the church cemetery according to church regulations and Catholic customs of the area. I have personally known a young man with some mental problems living in a structured but physically free environment tell me that his home visits even are not welcome because his family thinks that his visits would come in the way good matches for the marriages of his siblings. I was appalled to hear about this dark, cruel, medieval situations.

When many politicians are indulging in anti-social activities, when some priests are callous to the plight of ordinary people and are helpless and even anti-social themselves, are we far away from anarchy? When the ordinary persons I meet with have lost faith in their political and religious leaders, and suffer from a pernicious kind of depression coming from “learned helplessness” to use the expression of a famous psychologist, I see the powerful ingredients of a violent revolution. Now many politicians do not have the value system or the stamina for politics with principles. The corruption-ridden politics is in disarray. Many religious leaders do not have the credibility.  Moreover, they do not have the willingness to come out of their narrow vested interests to join hands with persons of good will for an ethical, moral, and spirit-guided society to effect a minimum plausible program in a multi-cultural, multi-religious society. The judiciary has the bark but not the bite. When the chief minister or the prime minister is constantly challenged, and when civil parliamentary procedures are mercilessly and violently disrupted, the nominal executive, that is the governor or the president, sits helpless tied down in bureaucracy. Looks like we are on a slippery slope to anarchy. I, for one, strongly believe, the dark forces in the horizon cannot snub out the bright rays behind the dark clouds. Let us all work together before it is too late. Let us instill hope; let us wipe out fear from our face. Arise and awake literate Kerala! Arise and awake India. Your time has come to awake into a new awareness.

Swami Snehananda Jyoti / July 18, 2013

The dead Sea Life

A decade back, when team Indian Thoughts first thought of initiating a moral lessons online sharing service, we unanimously decided to call the mission, ‘Share and Learn’. We had learned from our own experiences that sharing is the key to complete growth. People generally believe that giving and receiving are only optional activities in life, but the truth is that a being that is not shared is psychologically dead. Dr Deepak Chopra, a famous thinker, once wrote that an electric bulb cannot glow, simply because a good number of electrons rushed into its filament. He said that the filament glows smoothly, only if it lets out all the electrons that roll in.

We hear about two water reserves, the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea. They are different; one is considered living and the other is known ‘dead’. Why the difference? Both are fed by the same river of Jordan. Unlike the Dead Sea, the Sea of Galilee is pretty rich with marine life. They share similar geographic and climatic conditions; still, one is dead and the other is alive. Why? The only reason is that Galilee apparently flows out, a factor that keeps it ever vibrant. As we all know, the Dead Sea is much below the Mean Sea Level and it has no way out. Naturally, it grew stealthy and virtually unfit for marine life. The Dead Sea holds what it receives. A life of receiving only ends up being a Dead Sea.

None of us is under the Mean Level of anything. However, we see a lot of partially dead people all around. The tragedy is that we generally choose to remain stagnated, clinging to a list of ‘our own’. Are we consciously misinterpreting Providence? I share the story of a farmer who lived by the side of a forest. The farmer used to see a fox, which had lost both its front legs in an attempt to escape from a trap, roaming by the sides. He wondered how in this world it manages to earn its food. One day, the farmer decided to watch the disabled fox closely. As the sun grew hot, he saw a tiger approaching the place with a pretty big catch held in its claws. After filling its stomach, the tiger left the place leaving the remaining portion there. It was more than enough for a crawling fox. He saw the same thing repeated the next day too. He said to himself, ‘If this fox is taken care of in this mysterious way, why don't I just rest in a corner and have my daily meal provided for me?’

He let the days pass, waiting for food. Nothing happened. He just went on losing weight and strength until he was nearly a skeleton. Close to losing consciousness, he heard a Voice which said: "O you, who have mistaken the way, see now the Truth! You should have followed the example of that tiger instead of imitating the disabled fox."

Joseph mattappally 

True Happiness

Happiness depends upon what you give, not what you can receive”. Gandhiji 

Happiness is one of the most sought-after goals in life. Of course all of us want to be happy and there are many ways to be happy in life. Happiness is a choice. Simple things make us happy and bring harmony. Sharing what you have can make a difference. You can give somebody enjoyment by sharing your abilities and time. Indeed, the joy of giving is one of the finest way to be happy.  Happiness is a feeling of inner peace and satisfaction. Mother Teresa found happiness in serving the blind, orphans, disabled and aged people. World believed that she was an extremely happy person. Florence Nightingale found happiness in nursing the wounded soldiers. So if you want to be happy, make others happy. The truth is that the source of real happiness is in one’s own inner self and not in the outside world.

About ninety percent of the things in our lives are right and about ten percent are wrong. If we want to be happy all we have to do is to concentrate on the ninety percent that are right and ignore the ten percent that are wrong.

During the days when India was divided into numerous kingdoms, a king visited the kingdom of another king. When he traveled through the kingdom, he found that there was peace everywhere and the people appeared to be living in happiness. The visiting king enquired about the reasons for this excellent situation. The host replied, “This is because of my four reliable guards”. The visitor asked who are these guards? “My first guard is Truth. Everybody in my kingdom speaks the truth and they are reliable. The second guard is Justice. Everybody therefore feels satisfied. My third guard is Non-attachment. My people are not attached to their wealth or possessions; hence they are not greedy. The fourth guard is Love. I love my people and they love one another. This promotes fellow feeling, mutual trust and happiness.

No self centered person and no ungrateful soul can ever be happy, much less make anyone else happy. Life is giving, not getting. Happy are they who cultivate the habit of seeing best in others, who takes no pleasure in telling evil things, but in forgetting them; who magnify all that is excellent and overcome evil with good. When life seems to beat you down, dare to fight back. When a new day begins, dare to smile gratefully. When there is darkness, dare to be the first to show a light. When love hurts you, dare to love again….. this will  bring true happiness.

Sr (Dr) Lilly Thokkanattu SJL

Krishna, Buddha & Truth

Truth is beginning less. The Upanishad  word ‘Anadi’ means ‘beginning less’. Anadi means that which has no beginning. It does not mean ancient as many of us seems to think. However old and ancient a thing may be, it has a beginning, but truth has no beginning. And that which becomes old cannot be truth, because truth is now, in this moment and yet eternal. Or we can say that which is eternal, is truth. When Krishna says in Gita, “I teach the truth that is anadi,” it does not mean that he talking about some old and ancient. Krishna means to say that which is, is truth. He says, “I teach you the eternal truth.” Those who knew it in the past- knew the truth that is eternal. And those who know it today- know the same eternal truth. And those who will know it in future, if they really know, it will be the same truth that is without beginning and without end. Only falsehood can be old and new; truth cannot be old and new, it can only be eternal. 

Of course, there are two ways of saying the truth. When Buddha speaks of truth, he knows truth of his own; he need not produce witnesses in his support. Witnesses are not going to add any more value to it, even if thousand names of people who have known truth will not add an iota to the measure of Buddha’s truth, nor will they add to the glory and grandeur of truth itself. And throughout his life, Buddha insisted his disciples who were seekers of truth, that unless someone knows truth on his own, he should not accept it as true on the authority of others- including Buddha. It is essential for a master to ask his disciples, the seekers of truth, not to believe just because he says it. If they something as truth in the beginning of the quest itself, they cannot go on the quest for truth.

And Buddha’s seekers are very different from Krishna’s solitary listener, Arjuna. Yes, Krishna speaks to an altogether different kind of person in Gita, his listener is not in an adventure to seek truth, he is confused and deluded. The situation of imminent war has overcome Arjuna with weakness and fear. So, Krishna is not interested in unveiling and exposing truth to its roots- he only tells him what truth is. Therefore Krishna says that, ‘what he is saying has been said by many others in the past’. Arjuna wants only to understand what reality is; he is not prepared to go in search of truth. That is why Krishna explains to him the long tradition of truth so that Arujuna can grasp it properly. Truth will continue to blossom in the weeks to come …

Let us understand Krishna to Understand Gita!

Wishing you all good health & happiness,

Dr. Dwaraka, Director, Mitran foundation- the stress management people

Diversity in Unity

India is a vast country with a mind-boggling variety in terms of its people, food, dress, customs, language, social practices and ethos. Though I have been very fortunate to have widely travelled all across the country, I have no hesitation in admitting that my knowledge about this country is not even the tip of the iceberg. All that I have realised as a result of this travelling is that the diversity of our country is overall a matter of strength and not weakness. Those who feel otherwise are mistaken and need to understand the reasons of India’s unity in such diversity. 

While one comes across many write-ups, books, lectures, etc., on this subject, the one which gave me maximum conviction and clarity was by Mr Shashi Tharoor, an ex-UN diplomat from India. The occasion was the IITian Meet at Mumbai in December 2006 in which about 5000 delegates participated from various parts of the world. He beautifully explained the diversity of India in respect of all the parameters and also the factors, which bind Indians together. While we may quarrel with each other on several local issues, when it comes to a larger national interest, we show solidarity with each other. This is something which is not easily found elsewhere. While this contention may be a matter of debate among some, the fact cannot be denied that India has survived many crises and not only survived but risen above them. Whether it is a matter of communal riots, natural calamities, accidents or terrorist activities, the nation has, by and large, faced them gracefully. If so, it becomes a matter of contemplation as to what is the underlying strength behind this.

Mr Tharoor tried to explain this very convincingly. He said that in India we are not to seek unity in diversity but the other way round. India is basically one culture or a united nation with a lot of diversity. Our plurality emerges from a single composite culture and therefore unity is our primary nature. What is to be appreciated is the diversity in its unity instead of seeing unity in its diversity. This very fact is the secret of India’s survival through the ages. 

The question arises that if such is our underlying strength, why do we look so disjointed in our day to day existence. It has been said that one Indian is equal to ten Japanese but ten Indians are equal to one Japanese. There is sense in this statement. While Indians perform very well individually, collectively we lose our strength. This is perhaps due to the long period of foreign rule in India, as a result of which we seem to have forgotten our strength. All these foreign rules tried to attack our ancient heritage and culture and in the process divided our society. The present state of affairs is a legacy of the same. 

India has now completed more than six decades of its independence. This is a long period. We are also marching towards development in many areas and have made our name in the world. Yet there are many gaps and the major one is the lack of patriotism in our people. We still see governance as something alien to us and all our anger is directed towards governmental machinery. This is a losing proposition for all. We must realise now that we are the makers of our destiny and no outside help can do it. And if we are able to realise this fact and act on it, then only the underlying unity of India will prove to be its real strength. 

Rakesh Mittal I A S

Genealogy

A recent report in a local news paper about the genealogy of Prince William’s child to be born amused me, to say the least. The report traced the child’s ancestors. Interestingly, the child even has a woman ancestor in India with whom one of Princess Diana’s ancestors had an affair. This in turn excited some Indians enough to trace their “proud” connection with the British royalty. The high-sounding word liaison, often used instead of affair in royal circles, to indicate an illicit sexual relationship, sometimes forced, and therefore a rape, does not mollify the fact that it is an affair, and hence out of wed-lock. Noteworthy is the fact that the British royalty itself had at least one maid-servant and several commoners as their ancestors. It is not that I consider maids or servants any lower in status than others. At least they are honest enough to work for their living while others calling themselves royals, nobles and such mooch from others’ labor solely on the basis of their birth status. Fortunately I came to the realization, late though in life, that everyone is a worker, a servant,  a maid, a commoner, a king and a queen. And everyone needs to work and earn his/her keep from the sweat of one’s brow. And no one needs to have a special status on the basis of birth.  No one has any kind of special blood, blue or otherwise. Nobody needs to take pride in high or noble birth. Every birth is a noble birth, whether in poverty or wealth.

It is also important to note that kings all over the world sent for beautiful girls in their realms to have sexual relations with them. Muslim and Hindu royal palaces had places designated as harems to accommodate their wives or concubines. The Biblical King David, who is believed to have written the sublime psalms, had many wives and multiple concubines from whom he had unaccounted-for children. He even brought about the murder of his favorite general in battle so he could get his beautiful wife whom he lusted.  Abu Ja’far ibn Muhammed Jarir al-Tabari, a prominent historian, scholar, and an exegete of Quran, calculated that Prophet Muhammed had 15 wives and four concubines. The concubines were all slaves. Some Popes in medieval times had their mistresses and liaisons. Why am I presenting all these historical facts? It is just to make clear that some of the important personalities in history, whether secular or religious, were only a man or woman away for an affair. This is the ground reality even now. This is not to denigrate anyone or deny that there were and are still many decent and moral religious and secular leaders. Now more than ever it is important to demythologize the royalties and celebrities in order to be aware of our own nobility and roots that are not better or worse than anyone else’s. We need to level up with everyone so that we do not put today anyone high on a pedestal, who needs to be pulled down tomorrow. It is also important for the dignity and unity of humanity. 

It is also not out of place to comment on the genealogy of Jesus Christ as the son of King David. That Jesus is connected in some convoluted way to David through Joseph who had nothing to do with Mary for the conception of Jesus is beyond anyone’s ken (Refer to Matthew, chapter 1).  To me genealogy is based on blood relationship and not on legality. Whether Christ, who was born in such abject poverty, is connected to David or not is irrelevant for my belief in him. Character alone and the nature of a person’s mission determine the greatness of that person. Barrack Obama, President of the United States, is born of a black father and a white mother. His wife, Michelle, the First Lady of the USA, has black and white ancestors. India had a dalit (low caste) President and a dalit Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. That is the magic of India and the USA, two great democracies. It is certainly good to know about our ancestors, but it is time to do away with our fascination and obsession with blue blood. It is time to burst the myth of genealogy.

Swami (Dr) Snehananda Jyoti  

Anxiety for the Less Fortunate

Anxiety, according to authentic reports, is going to be the biggest problem of the future. It is co-brother to fear, worry, tension and stress. How to escape from its’ clutches is still a question. Anxiety is an unpleasant state of inner turmoil and apprehension, often accompanied by nervous behavior, somatic complaints and rumination. Anxiety is feeling unrealistic fear, worry, and uneasiness, usually generalized and unfocused. Experts suggest that celebrating each moment is a cure. Some others advise us to get energized through service of the society. Yoga and meditation are other recommended practices. Living in faith and worships is the choice of some. Readiness to meet the worst, being unpredictable and trusting the universe also are practical options to settle anxiety related personality problems. However, there are disputes among rich and poor, men and women, children and grown up, yogi and the lay regarding who is most anxious. This quarrel of wits continues unsettled. In between, I found a mighty reason for being anxious and cautious. 

A few years back two rich NRI guys settled in USA decided to live a month in India at the rate of poor Indians. They wanted to understand an average Indian living on an average income. They found that the Mean National Income was Rs. 150 a day. They also knew that 75% of Indians are under this MNI line. They spend most of the day in the tiny apartment they chose, organizing their food. Eating out was out of question. Milk and yogurt turned quite expensive; days went on without meat, ghee, butter and bread. They passed through the streets looking at things they can’t afford to buy. It was then that they noticed that the Planning Commission assessment of a villager’s income is only Rs. 26 a day; city and village are different. They walked to a known Kerala village, determined to live on Rs 26 a day. They were through official poverty. 

As their days in exile came to an end, their hosts arranged a sumptuous meal in celebration. They later wrote to their friends, “Wish we could tell you that we are happy to have our ‘normal' lives back. Wish we could say that our sumptuous celebratory feast two nights ago was as satisfying as we had been hoping for throughout our experiment. It probably was one of the best meals we've ever had, packed with massive amounts of love from our hosts. However, each bite was a sad reminder of the harsh reality that there are 400 million people in our country for whom such a meal will remain a dream for quite some time. That we can move on to our comfortable life, but they remain in the battlefield of survival - a life of tough choices and tall constraints or in other words, a life where freedom means little and hunger is plenty.”  

I strongly feel that it is only on this aspect of human life that we all need to be anxious and concerned. When we decide to be anxious only over the less fortunate, I think the solution is found.
 

Joseph Mattappally

Humour

A sense of humour is the lubricant of life’s machinery.

Humour is the salt of personality. Its’ presence is an evidence of good nature, of an appreciation of real values of life, and of the lack of tenseness that characterizes some people. It is the most effective means of easing a difficult situation. Here it is important to differentiate between wit and humour: wit is of mind and humour is of the heart. Learn to laugh. And most of all learn to laugh at yourself. Honest good humour is the oil and wine of merry meeting and there is no jovial companionship equal to that where the jokes are rather small and laughter abundant.

The essence of humour is that it should be unexpected, that it should embody an element of surprise, that it should startle us out of the responsible gravity which, after all, must be our habitual frame of mind. God made both tears and laughter, and both for kind purposes; for as laughter enables mirth and surprise to breathe freely, so tears enable sorrow vent itself patiently. Cheerfulness is the great lubricant of the wheels of life. It lightens labour, diminishes difficulties, and mitigates misfortunes. Cheerfulness gives a creative power which pessimism never possesses. A sunny, hopeful, optimistic disposition sweetens life, lightens its’ inevitale drudgery, and eases the jolts along the road.

“Common sense and a sense of humour are the same things, moving at different speeds. A sense of humour is just common sense, dancing”.

One searching test of character is: can you take an insult without taking offence? When someone called George Bernard Shaw an ass, far from taking offence, he took it as a compliment. He pointed out the qualities we associate with the humble donkey: modesty, hard work, contentment with plain food and under estimation by the public. No one could be offended by having such qualities ascribed to him.

Humour is the harmony of the heart.

Sr (Dr) Lilly Thokkanattu SJL

Atheism & Krishna

One who is a profound theist is a profound atheist too. It is a skin deep atheist, who fight among themselves. Fight always happens on the surface, there is no fight at the deepest levels of life. Understanding, from whatever source it comes, unites. It always leads to Advaita source- the one without the other. What does a theist say? He says God is. But when theism deepens, there is no God but me, I myself become God. A wise theist says God is here. An atheist claims there is no God. He says, “There is no God than that which is: what is, is.” And he calls it Prakriti, the pre-created, or nature. There is a significant saying in this context of a profound atheist, “If there is God I won’t be able to tolerate him, because then, where will I stand? What will happen to me?” He means to say if God is, he as a man will be reduced to nothing. Then he has no ground to stand on, and he could not tolerate it. He says, “If God has to be, why not me? Why can’t I be that God?” Nietzsche is an atheist, and he says there is no God but existence. That which is, is God. Why think in terms of any additional God? Even a profound theist says the same thing that which is, is God. There is no other God.

In reality, while a theist uses positive terms in his description of reality, an atheist uses negative terms. The difference is just limited to that. That is why positive theists think Buddha and Mahavira to be atheists. But neither Buddha nor Mahavira will agree with this description. To superficial theists, both Sankya and Yoga seem to be atheistic, but they are not. They are not atheistic in the sense they are thought to be. Their fault, if it is a fault, is that they use negative terms. But the difficulty is that there are only two ways of voicing reality- the positive and the negative. There have been people who use both positive and negative together when they explain reality. The seers of Upanishads (Vedanta) have their own special term: neti-neti, which means it is neither this nor that, and that which is cannot be said. In fact, truth is inexpressible. And therefore they remain silent after saying neti-neti. 

Krishna need not pass through any kind of atheism, because he is not interested in superficial theism. Krishna knows and accepts reality at a depth where names don’t matter. Call it God, call it prakriti, or nature, call it non-God, or whatever we like, it makes no difference. What is, is. The trees will continue to grow as ever, the flowers will continue to blossom. Stars will move, life will continue to appear and disappear, waves will rise and fall. Weather God is or not is a debate, in which only fools participate. That which is, is utterly unconcerned about it all. This is what I learned by knowing Krishna and there by understanding Gita. 

Let us understand Krishna to understand Gita!

Wishing you all good health & happiness,

Dr. Dwaraka, Director, Mitran foundation- the stress management people

Rich Man’s Diwali

India is a country of many festivals, celebrated by various communities in various parts of the country. Going by the Hindu calendar, almost each day is a festival in one way or the other. However, major festivals of various communities are few and celebrated with great joy and participation.

One of the major festivals of Hindus is Diwali. It is a festival of lights and sweets. It is celebrated on the dark night of Kartika and generally falls in the second half of October or the first half of November. On this day, Lord Rama had returned to his kingdom of Ayodhya after completing 14 years of exile and destroying countless demons during this period, including the powerful Ravana. Thus, this festival signifies the victory of light over darkness and of virtue over evil. That is why lamps are lit all around and sweets are distributed among friends and relatives. People visit each other carrying sweets and gifts as a mark of goodwill. They also enjoy fireworks and crackers in the night. With materialism on the rise, this exchange of sweets and gifts has assumed huge proportions and has become an expensive affair. Even the fireworks and crackers have become very expensive. In this way, this great festival has gradually become an extravaganza for the rich while the poor try to celebrate it with their limited resources, quite often envying the rich. 

I have been observing this phenomenon since my childhood. I still remember the joy of buying a few kilograms of sweets in an open utensil in the company of my father. In those days, there was no packing and the prices were low. So we could buy lots of sweets within one hundred rupees and thereafter distributed them among friends. Not only this, eating sweets was a matter of great joy and each piece was enjoyed thoroughly. The whole community participated in each other’s celebration with hardly any comparisons.

Today, things have changed greatly. I have watched this change more keenly as a member of the Indian Administrative Services. While in the initial years of service one pack of sweets was enough to show respect, currently it has no meaning. A good number of people, particularly the neo-rich, feel that respect is directly proportional to the price of gifts or the number of packets. They load their expensive cars with expensive sweets and gifts and pass them on to those whose pleasure can benefit them or displeasure may harm them. Quite often, their Diwali passes in running around the town or sending couriers to other towns. As a member of the Indian Administrative Services, I have also been a beneficiary of their charity. It is a different matter that most of them developed a personal relationship in due course and I share their gifts with many others. 

But what about the rich man’s own Diwali? While they distribute lots of sweets and dry fruits, I have not seen any of them enjoying even one piece of sweet. Whenever they are offered sweets, they beg to be excused with folded hands and say that during Diwali sweets are a taboo for them. And I very amusingly watch this, thinking that if they cannot even see sweets in Diwali, what kind of Diwali would they be celebrating. On the other hand, the lesser mortals enjoy sweets thoroughly and anything passed onto them is a matter of joy for the giver as well as the receiver. At least from this point of view, Diwali has no meaning for the rich; it is the poor who enjoy the festival the most. Surely, the poor need not envy the rich for their extravaganza. 

Rakesh Mittal I A S

The Tribal Debate

A True account on the origin and growth of Islam (Contd.)

The domestic problem did not in any way affect the administration of the affairs of the state. The surrender of Mecca and the conversion of its inhabitants to Islam, increased the responsibilities of Mohammed. The mosque at Mecca was a holy place of the entire Arabia and they were conducting pilgrimage to Mecca from generations. Now, its’ custody and administration came into the hands of Mohammed and the new religion. Along with this the expenditure of administration also increased. To meet this contingency, a levy of ten percent of agricultural produces was imposed on the Muslim farmers. Later, this levy was made applicable to persons belonging to other faiths also. The tribes in Mecca generally accepted this levy, and readily discharged their obligation. The only exception to this was the tribe of Mustalac and the grant tribe of Banu Thanebm. 

Mohammed endorsed a man to collect the share of levy from the sub tribes. Then some persons belonging to Banu Khamsa a sub tribe of Banu Khanim armed themselves with weapons, confronted him and forcefully expelled him from the locality. It was done before levy was demanded fromsub tribe Banu Amu Hanwar. On knowing this, Mohammed sent fifty horsemen under the leadership of Unaina Bin Hisisn in order to meet the attackers. They attacked them and made some of them captives. Others ran away for their lives. Among the tribes, there were some Muslims belonging to Banu Talib. They had fought with Mohammed in the battle of Umain and also they had participated in the conquest of Mecca. There were others who remained in the old religion. They came to know about the calamity that was faced by the members of their tribes at the hands of the horsemen.

They sent a delegation consisting of the chieftain of the tribe to Mohammed. They entered the Mosque and shouted, ‘Mohammed come out down’, standing behind the room of Mohammed. Mohammed did not like this behavior. It is at that time the calls for the mid day prayers came and Mohammed came out of the room. On seeing him they complained about the treatment meted out to the members of their community by the Muslim army. They mentioned about their participation in the battle of Umain and they stated that they have come to enter into a debate with Mohammed and his followers. They sought the consent of Mohammed for that. The orator among them by name Uthuwaria Bin Khajiu stood up and presented his argument. When he finished Sabit Bin Quais stood up to make his argument with him. Thereafter the poet among them Hibri Khan Nin Baday stood up and recited a poem. Hasman Bin Sabit replied to him. The debate came to an end. Aqrat Bin Habis said, “By my father, the resource of Mohammed and his companions is wonderful. It outstands far greater than that of ours and their poet is far greater than our poet.” All the members of the delegation agreed to that. Mohammed released all the captives as requested by them.  

Justice P K Shamsuddin