Violence and Centralization

Views and Words - Dr K S Radhakrishnan 

 Effective communication is a necessary precondition for the maintenance of peace and harmony, because if one does not understand the other he is inculcating fear in the other. If the other inculcates fear in me, naturally I will be getting away from him and there cannot be effective cooperation. So if I want to cooperate with the other, I must be able to understand him. To understand means, there should be effective means of communication between I and him. If this effective communication is not possible, then naturally the other becomes an unknown continent; an unknown continent always creates fear and fear provokes one to conquer and the control the other. 
Anything that is unknown in the world creates fear and fear is the reason for the violence against the other. Violence really is the creation of fear and fear is due to lack of effective communication. If one is able to understand that there is nothing uncommon between I and you then naturally that person must be able to get in touch with the other because there is a level of identity between the two. If such a level of identity is not able to be experienced by the person, then such a person will naturally turn to weapons as a means of protection. What I am telling is that similar persons are in need of effective tools of communication and effective communication should be the essential precondition for the maintenance of peace in oneself as well as in others in the society. Only then a peaceful society can be a free society. 
Freedom can be attained only when one is able to practice non-violence and the moment one practises violence, he/she must be imprisoned by fear as well as the other entities which make anyone incapable of getting in touch with the other. So, a free man must be a man of non violence; non-violence in the sense that one should be able to make use of the minimum for himself as well as for others. So, the idea of sharing is the essential part of non-violence and freedom. A free man must be able to share everything with him with others. That’s why Jesus has once made it clear that if you have got two with you, you have to spare one to the other. This means that there is identity between one and the other. This identity has to be realized. That identity can be realized only by means of effective communication. The moment one is not able to understand the identity between oneself and the other he has to keep everything for himself because he never sees any reason to share whatever he has. The moment he sees that he has to keep everything for himself, he is centralizing them be it money or position. 
Centralization of money position etc. can easily be the necessary and the most explicit form of violence. Wherever there is centralization of power and money, such a place can never be free from violence. So, violence means centralization and decentralization means non-violence. If you want to share whatever be with you with others, then you have to realize that there is identical element in yourself and the other, just because one realizes that, one must be able to share whatever be with him, with the others. In a non-violent activity, a free man must be able to share whatever has. So a free man must be able to share money and food with others.  A society that shares everything with others can be treated as a free society. Advaita System firmly believes that a non-violent society can never be a society that believes in centralization of power, money etc. Power and money can be decentralized in the sense that it must be shared with the rest and such a sharing process alone will be able to guarantee freedom. This is the basis of pluralism. What I mean is that a pluralistic society must be a free society, a free society must be a non-violent society which does not believe in centralization of anything. Such a de-centralized society that is capable of sharing resources with the other alone will be able to maintain peace harmony. 

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Bhaje Govindam -

Health and Happiness - Dr Dwarakanath

The pleasures of worldly life, such as wealth, friends and youth, are deceptive appearances, do not boast of them. Understand that each one of these is destroyed within a minute by the unchangeable factor called ‘time’. Be detached and dispassionate from the illusion of the world of maya and cultivate renunciation and realise the state of Brahman. If fortune begins to frown on one, one should not, therefore, be proud of one's wealth, youth, health, etc. all the arrogance born out of these false attachments will change in a moment into shame, because of their instability. One invites problems when one maintains relationship with the world of objects, feelings and thoughts through one's body, mind and intellect.

Indulgence in sense enjoyment will lead to miseries, the desire to possess and enjoy will one day end in dissipation, as these sense objects will wither away with the time, wealth is neither constant nor stable. Many human beings are slaves to this aspect of maya, as the materialistic world is completely dependent on this. In the same way the other faces of maya are youth and friends. The youth of today will be an elderly person of tomorrow, one cannot escape from the kala-chakra, i.e., jaws of the wheel of time. With the passage of time, the body decays and perishes. Sankara, therefore, warns that one should not dissipate one's energies in these false vanities. instead, realising the illusory nature of these world of objects, one should concentrate and realise the state and true nature of Brahman, only that will give relief from the vicious cycle of birth-death-birth.

Both pleasure and pain must be borne with equanimity. A person leading a dharmic life must also submit to sorrows as willingly as one accepts pleasures. Following the words of Sankara sincerely, one shall acquire the courage to bear the sorrows of life unperturbed. In the silent march of the wheel of time, days and nights and with it the age slips unnoticed and unrealised. One may escape any or all other hardships, but death and the parting of ways are inevitable. Time will never stop for any person and under any circumstances. Present will become past and the future will become present. While the past disturbs the present, the future worries it. It is true with almost all human beings that when the luck is not in favour, any amount of manoeuvre will not yield desired results and all plans get defeated and routed. One must acquire the true knowledge to bear these vicissitudes of time and life with fortitude.

Sankara is teaching and preaching, Nachiketa's exchange of words with Yamaraja (lord death), rejecting all gifts that he offers to him for learning the same true knowledge, which Sri Adi Sankaracharya is preaching, will bear the true testimony. Time cuts off the days of life and the death snatches away the life. The jiva will ultimately depart with painful bundles of vasanaas acquired in one's desire-ridden selfish life. The mind makes one to believe that all objects of glitter with an illusory beauty will give happiness, but time proves it otherwise. Life steadily ebbs away, but the desires only grow due to sense gratifications. Although with the age, human being becomes infirm from disease ridden body, desires and sense-enjoyments, worries and anxieties still haunt one. It is not too late to realise the truth and follow the path shown by Shankara to reap the benefits in this birth and in the forthcoming ones.

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HAH 34 250612 - Bhajagovindham - An Analysis - 6

Renunciation does not lie in external appearance, but in inward thought, feeling and attitude. One has to renounce everything; surrender does not mean barter system, and it has to be total. As the head and body bows before the deity, the mind and the words should also portray the same attitude and this attitude should continue to grow deeper and deeper, till one completely forgets what the negative feeling is.

Swami Vivekananda beautifully expresses this while describing his Guru, Sri Ramakrishna Paramahansa. He says that, "In the presence of my master, I found out that man could be perfect, even in this body. Those lips never cursed anyone, never even criticised anyone. Those eyes were beyond the possibility of seeing evil, that mind had lost the power of thinking evil. He saw nothing but good. That tremendous purity, that tremendous renunciation is the secret of spirituality". That is the pinnacle of surrender or complete surrender to God and with such a one-pointed spiritual practice, nothing becomes impossible. When the desires for materialistic pleasures burning in the heart are not weeded out, these external forms mean nothing.

In another sloka, Sankara elaborates, whatever activity one may be engaged in, that should be governed by the spirit of renunciation in the heart. The mind should always be kept pure; whatever may be the external form, to give up truly is to abandon the desires that work up the mind. It is possible by only one method, i.e., by keeping the heart and mind pure. the only possible way out is that one should become pure in heart and mind by meditating on the all-pervasive almighty in whatever form one likes or closer to ones heart with love and devotion. One should cry for god as incessantly as a small child cries for her mother.

As one progresses, one will get enlightenment and acquires power in some measure to ward off desires. The state of renunciation cannot be attained and one will not get enlightenment by mere book learning without having devotion and complete surrender to god. The power of desire to enjoy through sense objects is irresistible. As we learnt in before, we spent our energies in games and play when we are children, in youth, we waste our energies on sense-passions and when we grow old, we keep thinking about the children and their welfare and the life in the old age. In spite of dilapidated physical form with tottered age, hair grown grey, toothless mouth, leaning on a stick for support, we still cling on to desires. The mind does not get controlled, as it never learnt, when the body was young, the intellect plans for future still, but unfortunately the body does not support these. Thus, suffering from the ravages of time, one leads an agonising life.

The essence is that when one is young, one should learn and put into practice the art of renunciation of desires, which is the basic reason for all sufferings, so that by the time one gets old, it becomes a habit to adjust oneself to the situation at that time and one retires with peace of mind and ultimately leaves the body in tranquillity and inner joy. Once, an aged gentleman approached Swami Vivekananda for his guidance in Vedanta and renunciation. Swamiji asked that person to go and play foot-ball and come back to receive the lessons. The aged person expressed his inability to do so, because of his old age. Swamiji explained to him that one should learn Vedanta, etc., when one is young enough to control the mind, body, senses, etc., as it is of no use even if Swamiji teaches him at that old age. The old habits will overtake the mind and it is difficult to control the mind at that age. 

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Refuse to Dislike

Smart Plus - Rakesh Mittal I A S 

          Once I went on an official tour to Assam and Meghalaya. In Shillong my colleague and I had some spare time and so we decided to drive up to Cherrapunji. The drive was very beautiful and we came across some rare natural beauty on the way. We ate our packed lunch on the way, sitting on a parapet wall on the roadside. The sight of the hillock on the opposite side was superb. So much so that despite being a steel man, I started thinking how beautiful the earth would have been without any steel. Anyway it was a momentary thought and after sometime we drove further.
At Cherrapunji we sat in a small restaurant, looking at the surroundings and tasting some local sweets. There we met a person who must have been in his fifties. By his looks and expression, he appeared to be an educated man hailing from North India. Perhaps he was the owner of or a frequent visitor to the restaurant. When asked he told us that he was from Punjab. One of our colleagues asked him how he had decided to settle down in Cherrapunji and how he liked the place. He did not like being asked all these questions saying these were personal matters and required a long time to explain. However, he told that he had retired from the BSF and most of his family members were settled in Canada. Since he did not like going there, he decided to stay back at Cherrapunji. He also said that he did not dislike anything except dishonesty and fraud. Though he did not hold a very good opinion about the locals, on the whole he liked the place.
This attitude of the man impressed me a lot. Obviously the matter was not so simple. He must have had deep wounds within him. Yet he had adopted a positive approach to life by refusing to dislike his environment. While driving back to Shillong we talked about him and we all appreciated his attitude. The whole thing set me thinking that there was a great lesson to be learnt from him. I, myself, believe in the same approach to life. When I decided to come to Calcutta, many friends and well-wishers asked me whether I liked the place. My answer had always been that I had never thought of disliking the place. And believe me I meant it too. I do not mean to say that there is nothing to dislike in Calcutta. In fact, there is plenty but what is the point in dwelling upon them? One can always identify so many likable things in any given situation and need not pay attention to others. If one can adopt this approach to life, life becomes much more beautiful.
To be fair in my assessment of the person we met at Cherrapunji, I would say that though he was apparently happy, there appeared to be some bitterness within him. That is why he did not like being asked about his personal life. This dislike was against his claim that he did not dislike anything. He also said that he did not like dishonesty and fraud. While he was correct from a worldly point of view, going a little deeper would reveal that even this dislike is negative. While things like dishonesty, fraud, ugliness, etc., are to be opposed, there is no point in disliking them. The thought of disliking adversely affects us and creates disharmony. This way we become the victim for no fault of ours. It is like saying, ‘hate the sin, not the sinner.’ If we follow this advice, peace will never be lost.
There is one more way of looking at things. The whole creation of God consists of opposites. In fact, without opposites, there will be no existence. For example, we can talk of the good only so long the bad also exists. Similarly, there is no meaning of pleasure without pain. This logic can also be extended to all other things. Beauty has to co-exist with ugliness. Piousness is to coexist with wickedness. Honesty is to co-exist with dishonesty, so on and so forth. If we accept this fact of life, we have no reason to dislike anything. All things have to be accepted as they are. The only freedom we have is to play our own role in the best possible way in given circumstances. Whatever way we approach, there is no point in our disliking a situation and by refusing to dislike it we can turn every situation into something we like.

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Plots on Mohammed

Message of Peace - Justice P K Shamsuddin 

After the evacuation of Banu Al Nadir from Medina and the campaigns of Ghatafan and Dawmat Al Jandal, Muslims restored to security. Their preoccupation with the city and war prevented them from carrying on their trade and agricultural works. However, Mohammed was always vigilant about the possible attack from Meccans, at any moment. He therefore had to maintain a channel for communication throughout the peninsula of Arabia, in order to secure information on the movement of the tribes, for they had to prepare defense in case of an emergency.

The Meccans under the tribes of Banu Qaynuqa and Banu Nadir, together with the tribes of Ghatafan and Hudylu were all trying to reach for Mohammed and his companions. The leaders of Banu Al Nadir and others together with Hawdah and Abu Anian went to Mecca for consultation with the Meccan leaders. The Meccans asked Huyayy about his tribe. Huyayy told them that he had left them between Khybr and Medina awaiting the arrival of the Meccans. He asked the Meccans to join them in this battle against Mohammed and his companions. When the Meccans asked about Banu Qurayzah, he said that they were still living in Medina, in order to attack Mohammed and his men from behind, once the Meccans launch attack on Muslims. The Meccans however was reluctant to move. They thought that there was no difference between them and Mohammed except in the nature of Mohammed’s routine.

The Meccans asked the Jews to tell them whether the religion of Mohammed was better than that of the Meccans. The Jews answered that the Jews give preference to the religion of Meccans. Doctor Israel Wahtnhon wrote: “The Jews in Arabia, it was the duty of the Jews not to allow themselves to get involved in such a scandalous mistake that would have never declared to the leaders of Quraysh than the worship of idols was better than Islamic monotheism ….. The Jews who had for centuries raised the banner of monotheism in the whole world, among the pagan nations, remained true to the tradition of their fathers, who had to suffer throughout history the greatest misfortunes, misdeeds and persecution for the sake of their faith in the one god, stood, in loyalty to this end have sacrificed greatly to bring about the down fall of paganism. Furthermore, they aligned themselves with the pagans. But they were fighting themselves contradicting the teachings of Torah which commands them otherwise.” 

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Chathurashram for a New Age – 3

Blooming Stars - Swami (Dr) Snehananda Jyoti

The four ashrams presented here neatly order the life of a person, indicating the tasks and duties characteristic of each ashram. They are not exclusive of one another; they amply overlap.  While elements of all ashrams may be present in any one ashram, the focus or emphasis is on one predominant aspect. The revised and modified Chathurashram parampara (the traditional four stages of life) is described here. They are:
1. Satyashram: Especially in the modern culture of lie, bribe, corruption and ridiculous pretensions, that is universal and spreading ever ingeniously for gaining material wealth and advancement, and special privileges and considerations, sathyashram focusing on truth and integrity can play a vital role. This focus really is the need of the day before our current civilization turns us all into barbarians and monsters literally killing and devouring one another as the recent (May 2012) revelations of political murders in Kerala have indicated. In this stage preparation and training for life are given by parents, teachers, religious preceptors, and other important family members. The person is trained in necessary requirements and skills. In olden days a person is supposed to have ideally lived especially after the age of five with others in a gurukulam (the household of a guru) in strict supervision. Right living was modeled by the guru. It was truly an apprenticeship to life. In this very important impressionable and imprinting stage, a child or youth is well-protected from harmful influences causing confusion and distraction. Basic education comprising of reading, writing, and computing (arithmetic) is given; basic skills for a meaningful and holistic life are imparted. Nutritional eating, basic hygiene, clean and healthy environment are taught. A value system that can benefit individuals and society is instilled. A special emphasis is placed on common good and social obligations. A work ethic that combines adequate fun and leisure is emphasized. Great importance is given to the formation of a conscience guided by dharma (righteousness, duty), that can not only discern what is right and wrong for oneself but also enable for all persons the enjoyment of the fundamental rights of equality, liberty, fraternity/sorority, justice, and freedom of expression and association. Persons are trained in self-esteem leading to acceptance of themselves and others as they are, unconditional positive regard for others as members of the human family, human relations, non-violent conflict resolution, scrupulous avoidance of violence and abuse, tolerance of healthy differences in belief systems, customs and manners, clothing styles and food habits in a multi-cultural society. In this ashram one is provided opportunities for the full development of the body, mind, and spirit. A person emerging out of this ashram has a good grasp of the golden rule: “Do to others what you like others to do to you”. This person is committed, positive, and full of zest. He/she is able to work and have fun, to enjoy and celebrate life, and to love and be loved. He/she, above all, is characterized by an intense search for truth and respect for others. This person is a gentleman/gentlewoman always professional and ethical in conduct and business affairs. One is discrete, respects others’ rights, keeps boundaries and personal space, does not take advantage of others, is reliable, and trustworthy. One also honors trust entrusted to him/her. In this ashram one masters a solid value system, virtues, and skills necessary for a meaningful, purposeful, peaceful, and happy life.
From three years to twenty years of age may be considered to be the critical years in terms of forming and solidifying one’s personality. During these years, life is modeled in terms of the best humanity can offer. One gets a clear grasp of one’s purpose in life. One makes a suitable election of state in keeping with one’s abilities, interests, and aptitude. Thus one gets clarity with regard to one’s vocation. One is trained to discern with regard to pros and cons, and make critical choices in life. In a world of consumerism, onslaught of violence, and exploitation of sex one is able to stand on one’s own solid ground. In a culture of allurements constantly bombarded by television, world-wide web (internet), and mobile, one lives according to one’s own values. The age-old sathyam vada (speak the truth) and dharmam chara (walk the righteous path) become so ingrained in oneself that these two become one’s second nature. To these two I might add a good measure of sneham bhava (be love), a love that casts out all fear. A solid spirituality indicative of unity of humanity under one God or Supreme Truth will color everything one does. The duration of this ashram may be from 3 and half years up to 22 to 25 years. (To be continued).

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Chancellor of Nalanda

Life's Lessons - Joseph Mattappally

I have heard many Indians say that they are proud of India. Slowly, I realized that their love is confined to just some degree of slavish patriotism or to the best attachment to that religious environment in which they were brought up. To a great extend, this is true of people from all over the world. How nice it would have been if people clearly knew their rich heritage and had chosen to follow the values and life style of the great forefathers of that country and tried to create a richer heritage.

If we take India for example, it can easily be said that it is a land of Great Masters. Aryabhat of India, the man behind ‘pi’, was the first to proclaim that the earth is round and it rotates on its axis, orbits the sun and is suspended in space – one thousand years before Copernicus published his heliocentric theory. Nagarjuna was an extraordinary Indian wizard whose dedicated long research contributed greatly to Chemistry and Metallurgy. It was Nagarjuna who discovered the alchemy of transmuting base metals into gold. He also made significant contributions to the field of curative medicine. Because of his profound scholarliness and versatile knowledge, he was appointed Chancellor of the famous University of Nalanda. Again, Bhaskaracharya of India was the first to invent the secrets of gravity, centuries before Newton. Acharya Kanad founded the atomic theory two thousand five hundred years before John Dalton did it. T.N. Colebrook once said, "Compared to the scientists of Europe, Kanad and other Indian scientists were the global masters of this field."  Acharya Charak is called the Father of Medicine. His renowned work, the "Charak Samhita", is considered an encyclopedia of Ayurveda. He revealed the facts on human anatomy, embryology, pharmacology, and blood circulation. Varahamihir was an eminent astrologer. He has also given cures for various diseases afflicting plants and trees. Acharya Bharadwaj is precisely a pioneer of aviation technology. He has given astonishing and outstanding discoveries in aviation science, space science and flying machines (Yantra Sarvasva). Maharshi Patanjali is the Father of Yoga; the list continues....., and J C Bose is not the last of the series. Almost in every faculty, Indians have contributed greatly.

It was with much enthusiasm that they all worked for global welfare. It is this sort of enthusiasm and quality of intention that the world misses now; most people live limited to a small society of spouse and children. What we have in full is curiosity, which is perhaps the only sin, according to me. I wish, if all the Indians would have first learned about those great forefathers, before choosing to continue blind worshippers of an unknown heritage. It only creates more chancellors and Nalandas. 

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Tools of Communication

Views and Words - Dr K S Radhakrishnan 

            Everyone accepts a fact that we are living in a multi-cultural, multi-religious and multi-formal world where plurality is a reality. There are cultural plurality, religious plurality, political plurality, economic plurality and even plurality in food, dress habits etc. The question that arises is how it is possible to get an effective means of communication in a pluralistic world. Is no meaning in saying that a monolithic or a uniform world is better than a pluralistic world because nature never provides a uniform world or a monolithic world; there are differences and diversities. All such differences and diversities mean proper means of communication. How is it possible to make communication effective? The modern philosophical trend in philosophy, literature and media etc. have got a very firm opinion that  communication is something that is different from what it is intended by the author. The text here is a different entity and the author has no role to play in the text or the intention of the author need not be considered as a proper element in communication, whatever be the intention of the author, the intention that has been explained explicitly or implicitly there in the text. We, the readers or the hearers have got full freedom to understand it in a way which is in tune with our context. It is well and good that if a particular term has been written by a particular author, has a specific meaning. This theory gives us the right that it can be understood in a different meaning. Suppose a term ‘mother’ has been used to explain the lady who has given birth to me, the meaning can be interpreted as mother-in-law, who is the mother of my wife. So, mother cannot be mother-in-law. That is a very serious aspect. But they simply says that any term be interpreted in any manner. This   results in anarchy in the very experience of communication. 
In an anarchical state where there is no communication at all, there must be some specific order communication and communication can be easy only we are able to establish some common elements between ‘I’ and ‘you’. Where there are no common elements, there is no communication. The post-modern trend says that there is similarity but nothing common between them; this makes communication ineffective or it creates chaos in the field of communication. Hence, what makes us more difficult is that the other remains as a mysterious entity as far as I am concerned. Such a trend in philosophical life as well as in cultural life really creates a serious problem. In his context it is essential to look into all possibilities to overcome this crisis and establish a dialogue between ‘I’ and ‘You’. Take for example the inter-religious dialogues. The Western Christianity developed based on a trend given by the Greek philosophers especially by the Aristotelian logic.
Thomas Aquinas was instrumental to make it possible to adopt the Aristotelian logic in Christianity through his theology. He said that the Aristotelian logic is enough to incorporate Christ experience. But it is a proven fact that one cannot be able to understand Christ with the tool provided by the Greek forefathers, especially Aristotle. Hence, we have to find out a new tool. When we make a comparison between Hinduism and Christianity, there is the question, ‘should we follow the tool as developed by either Hinduism or Christianity’. With Hindu tools, your assessment of Christianity need not be correct and vice versa. So, whenever we are in need of an effective communication system, we have to develop a new epistemology which is able enough to keep up identity at every level. Such a logical identity can be developed by the Advaitic System of logic. Advaitic System says that differences are not deficiencies but are the marks of nature; hence, we can be sure of the fact that there are diversified objects and all such diversified objects have something in common and it is that common element which helps us to make communication, more easy and possible. If we are not able to realize and recognize that common element then it is not possible to establish a meaningful dialogue in a pluralistic world.
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