Does it ring a bell?

For thousands of years, temples have played a significant role in our history, than have anything else in the history of any country. Very often, we hear people criticize the various customs and rituals of ancient-India. But, with a little investigation into the origin of most of these practices, what we dismissed to be cheap superstitions, reveal, yet again, the high intellect of our ancestors. Temples are no exception to this.

Not many of us would have cared to bother about the significance of the vastly abundant bells in our temples. Are they mere invocations to God or are they something more? Physics answers this question. The sound produced by the striking of bells, decays in an exponential manner; to speak in a layman's language, this sound keeps decreasing (in amplitude) at rates that diminish with time. Theoretically, the sound exists for infinite duration, very feebly, though.

The main purpose of the bells has been to facilitate meditation. A person who wishes to meditate (that used to be the motive behind a person's visit to the temple) simply has to bong the bell and tune to it, concentrating on its chime. This chime, steadily diminishing in amplitude, is capable of absorbing a person into deep meditation. The more intensely the person concentrates, the longer will he be able to keep track of this diminishing sound. This fact is very easy to verify, individually. Moreover, it is not difficult to deduce that these bells were traditionally designed to generate sound waves within a particular frequency-band, researched to be the most suitable for meditation.

This purpose, unfortunately, stands defeated in most crowded-temples, where, the striking of the bell by one devotee is immediately followed by that of another, giving the former hardly any time to meditate on it.

Acknowledgement: I would like to thank Dr. Gururaj S. Punekar of NITK for throwing light on these otherwise veiled facts.

India, the eternal

In 1897, exactly 50 years before independence, Swami Vivekananda had predicted that "India would be free in the next 50 years in unforeseen circumstances". This prophecy was made at a time when the idea of an independent India never even crossed the minds of Indians. Far from fighting for freedom, many Indians were even convinced that British rule was a symbol of justice, peace and prosperity. Many of them even thought it was a blessing. No one attached any importance to Swamiji's words. Today, even after 60 years of Independence, Swamiji's teachings are as relevant as they would have been way back then. Noted below are extracts from Swamiji's descriptions of India. To avoid diluting the flavour in Swamiji's words, they have been reproduced as it is from the book, "My India- The India eternal"*.

"If there is any land on this earth that can lay claim to be the blessed punyabhumi, the land where humanity has attained its highest towards gentleness, towards generosity, towards purity, towards calmness, above all, the land of introspection and of spirituality-- it is India."

"The debt which the world owes to our motherland is immense. India has given to anitquity the earliest scientific physicians, and, according to Sir William Hunter, she has even contributed to modern science by the discovery of various chemicals and by teaching you how to reform misshapen ears and noses. Even more it has done in mathematics, for algebra, geometry, astronomy, and the triumph of modern science-- mixed mathematics-- were all invented in India, just as much as the ten numerals, the very cornerstone of all present civillization, were discovered in India, and are in reality, Sanskrit words. In music, India gave to the world her system of notation, with the seven cardinal notes and the diatonic scale. In philology, our Sansksrit language is now universally acknowledged to be the foundation of all European languages. India has given to the world the fables of Aesop, which were copied from an old Sanskrit book; it has given the Arabian Nights, yes, even the story of Cindrella and the Bean stalks. Last but not the least, she invented the game of chess, cards and the dice."

"So great, in fact, was the superiority of India in every respect, that it drew to her borders the hungry cohorts of Europe, and thereby indirectly broughtt about the discovery of America."

"India I loved before I came away. Now the very dust of India has become holy to me, the very air is now holy to me; it is the holy land, the place of pilgrimage, the tirtha!"

"This national ship, my countrymen, my friends, my children-- this national ship has been ferrying millions and millions of souls across the waters of life. But today, perhaps through your own fault, this boat has become a little damaged, has sprung a leak; and would you therefore curse it? Is it fit that you stand up and pronounce malediction upon it, one that has done more work than any other thing in the world? If there are holes in this national ship, this society of ours, we are its children. Let us go and stop the holes. Let us gladly do it with our heart's blood; and if we cannot, then let us die. We will make a plug of our brains and put them into the ship, but condemn it never. Say not one harsh word against this society. I love it for its past greatness." [...to be continued in future posts.]

* "My India, the India eternal" a compilations of swamiji's messages on India published by the Ramakrishna mission institute of Culture, Kolkata. To purchase online, please visit: http://www.chennaimath.org/estore/my-india-the-eternal-india

The wonder Doctor

A patient was discharged from a well-known hospital, as the doctors considered his throat-cancer to be incurable. He was in such great pain that he had to take pain-killers thrice a day. He was then taken to a renowned Acupressurist in Mumbai and treatment commenced. Within 5 days, he could do without any pain-killers and within 45 days, his cancer was cured, much to the surprise of the doctors.

This is just one instance of the thousands of patients getting cured, who were earlier declared incurable. It is my privilege to write about my Guru, Dr. Devendra Vora.

Dr. Vora, the greatest Acupressurist humanity has ever known, came across this therapy in 1977 after which he dedicated his life to the service of humanity. He started with simple diseases and gradually took the challenge of curing Heart problems, Kidney problems etc. In the past 23 years, he has personally treated more than 2 lac patients, which include, interestingly, 2500 medical practitioners! In addition, he has trained more than 30,000 acupressure volunteers all over the world.

He treats patients at 4 centres in Mumbai, the details of which are given at the end of this post. It is thrilling to note that all his services are totally free of charge. He treats around 40 to 50 patients an hour, which gives him hardly a minute to diagnose and treat any patient! Without quizzing the patients about their problems, he intuitively presses various points on the patients' palms before arriving at a conclusion. Many doctors have testified that Dr. Vora arrives at the same diagnosis which they arrive only after carrying out complicated tests/Scans. Most patients go to him as a last resort, after all other therapies have failed, and in spite of all that, most patients are cured in no time. The remedies suggested by him include incorporating certain changes in diet, lifestyle and, in addition, pressing certain points on the palms. The testimonies to the efficacy of his treatment and in general, Acupressure therapy, are the thousands of patients cured from dangerously serious diseases and also the fact that many of his patrons are world renowned doctors.

He has successfully cured patients suffering from serious ailments like HIV/AIDS, Cancer, tumors, problems of Thyroid/Parathyroid, brain, kidney and heart, Hormonal imbalances, Cataract, Diabetes, High/Low BP, various forms of Fever/cold etc. He declares that “Any disease except death is curable” and throws an open challenge, "Give me one disease that is not curable by Acupressure". Jocularly, he remarks, “The only drawback of Acupressure is that it is completely free of cost”. He also guarantees, “It can be tried on any human, be it a one-day-old child or a hundred-years-old patient. So long as a person is alive, he can be given Acupressure treatment”.

Having treated more than 10,000 cancer patients in the last 10 years, he asserts that all types of cancer can be easily cured, and adds, “Cancer is the easiest to cure by Acupressure. Cancer patients show positive response to the treatment in just 15 days and are cured shortly thereafter”. For his research on Cancer and HIV/AIDS, the Open International University of Colombo bestowed the degrees of D.Sc., M.D and FRCP on Dr. Vora. He was also nominated for the Nobel prize for his services to mankind.

He points out, “We are not doctors. We are only bio-energic electricians”. He has written two books, “Health in your Hands Part-1 and 2”, which have been translated into 15 languages of the world and which have sold over 4 million copies worldwide.

He expresses deep concern over Modern medicine for blindly resorting to ECG/sonography/MRI scans etc., and neglecting some very obvious hints. He doesn't suggest his patients to undergo any tests. He can, from his rich experience, even deduce BP/Sugar levels merely by applying pressure on a few points of the palm.

Humanity is highly fortunate to have the selfless services of this 'Wonder Doctor', whose highest concern is to guarantee health to the world. Millions of patients have benefited so far. As I conclude this post, I earnestly hope that all the people of the world shall have the fortune to benefit from his services.

Click Here for information on Free Treatment Centres and contact details of Dr. Devendra Vora

Azaaad

1921, Benares(India):

Non-co-operation movement had just been launched under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi. A group of supporters were mercilessly subject to severe lathi-charge by a British police-man. A school-going boy, hardly 15 years old, seeing the incident from a distance, could not keep his temper within bounds. He grabbed a stone and, aiming it with perfection, struck the sub-inspector right on his forehead. It started bleeding and another police-man, in order to get hold of the boy, chased him. The boy, however, made his getaway. The police-man, after carrying out a rigorous search at the schools in the neighbourhood, finally located the boy in his room in a Dharamshala. To his surprise, the walls of the little room were totally covered with portraits of Gandhiji, Tilak, Lala Lajpat Ray and the likes.

The boy was put in a dark prison which was poorly ventilated. The unbearable cold assisted the police in making the lives of prisoners more miserable, as if it already weren't. In spite of all this, the boy, much different from the boys of his age, was not one to be shaken by such mundane problems. The sub-inspector, expecting the boy to be struck with fear and cold, paid a visit at midnight. He was shocked to see him busy exercising himself, shedding sweat despite the cold.

The next day the boy was produced before the magistrate, Khereghat, who was notorious for awarding cruel punishment to offenders. The boy, seemingly unaware of all this, boldly came to the accused-stand.

"What is your name?", the judge questioned.
"Azad (freedom)", was the bold reply.
Not sensing anything strange, the judge continued, "What is your Father's name?"
"Swadhinata (Independence)", was the immediate reply.
"Place of residence?".
"Jail".
Baffled, the judge proclaimed- "15 lashes by cane". Without any further questioning, he dismissed the case.

15 lashes is something that would make even a brave adult shudder. But the boy remained cool. He was tied to a plank. Sparing just a vest on his tender body, the jailer began the flogging. One after the other, the blows landed, each more devastating than the previous. There were tears in the eyes of the onlookers (the punishment was carried out in the presence of the public, to create fear). But, with every blow, the boy shouted- "Bharat Mata Ki jai", "Vande Mataram", "Mahatma Gandhiji ki Jai". His skin peeled out. But, there was no place either for tears or fear. People there were awestruck by his courage and patriotism. Ever since this incident, the boy, Chandrashekhar Tiwary came to be called as Chandrashekhar Azad" or simply "Azad". When he was released, he vowed that he would never be arrested by the British and would die as a free man.

Chandrashekhar was born in Jhabua District of Madhya Pradesh on July 23, 1906. Being inspired by leaders like Gandhiji, he plunged into freedom struggle at the tender age of 15. Deeply pained by the treatment infringed on the Indians by the British, he decided that fighting back with arms was the best solution. He, along with his friends Bhagat Singh, Rajguru became revolutionaries. In order to raise funds for their anti-British activities, the revolutionaries resorted to robbing the rich, sometimes even from their very homes. However, they sent each of them, receipts for the money that had been robbed and each pie of the loot was accounted for. Their amount would be returned after India became free, it was promised. Once, on being questioned by his friend about this practice, Azad replied,
"For me, first comes the freedom of the country. I don't consider the looting of the rich a sin. They grow rich on sucking the blood of the poor. The wealth amassed by them belongs to the country. It is no sin to use this money for the good of the country." There was nothing that he wouldn't do if the country would become free. Attempting to describe his patriotism with mere words would be foolishness.


It had been decided by the revolutionaries that during the process of robbing the rich, none would resort to maltreating, especially when it came to women. But during the second robbery, in which Azad too was involved, a member, overcome by lust, misbehaved with a girl notwithstanding Azad's requests not to do so. Azad shot him dead and then begged the lady's pardon for his colleagues misconduct.

To evade the police, Azad once took refuge at the home of an old widow. On knowing that she was in dire need of money for her daughter's marriage, Azad even requested her to bring him to the police and get the prize-money of Rs 5,000 that he carried on his head, to which the widow refused. When Azad left her home, he left a large part of the money he had.

The influence of the revolutionaries was such that, the owner of a store looted by them, on sensing that it was the handiwork of Azad and his team, asked the police to drop the case (garodia store dacoity).

He was unmarried and lived the austere life of a ‘Brahmachari’, till his last breath. For his ceaseless activities, he was rightly called quick-silver.
In February 1931, a close associate of Azad, in order to claim the price on Azad's head, double-crossed him (as has happened numerous times in our history) and tipped the police about his movements. Having been surrounded by nearly 100 police in a park (which now has a memorial in his name), he fought them single-handed, killing many policemen. When he realised that only the last bullet was left in his pistol and that there was no way to escape the British, he shot himself in the head, thereby keeping up his promise that he would never let the British arrest him, even at the cost of death.

Despite his sacrifice, Azad has sunk into the annals of history without much remembrance. Most school text-books only consider him a "Terrorist", which is highly unfortunate. Our current leaders are in a state of utter confusion. They declare great patriots as "terrorists", whereas, the real terrorists are happily looked upon as 'heroes'. What more.
A certain 'leader' of U.P has proposed to rename a college originally named after Azad, just because she thinks him a "terrorist". The same person can erect statues in her glory, at our expenses, but cannot tolerate a great leader, who sacrificed his life for the country. Isn't it shameful that such are our leaders?

Before I conclude, it is worth mentioning Azad's most popular quote-
“दुश्मनों की गोलियों को हम सामना करेंगे. आज़ाद रहे हैं, आज़ाद ही रहेंगे ” ( I shall not run away from the bullets of the enemies. Freedom was always mine, it shall always be.)

(Azad's photo after sacrificing himself at Allahabad )

References:1. "Chandrashekhar azad- An immortal revolutionary of india"

Superstition- A Superstition?

This post would not have been blogged down, had it not been for a post-dinner discussion, a few days back, somehow converging to philosophy. Group A thought that 'Samadhi', a state where a person can live without air, food, water was impossible and shunned it as a mere superstition, whereas, the other group thought that it might be possible. Much contrary to what Science teaches, our ancient scriptures, and the proponents of Yoga* claim that when a person reaches Samadhi, the last stage of Yoga, as mentioned in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, the body gets into hibernation and the person can live without food, air, water for infinite time.

* Please note that by the word Yoga, is meant the systematic procedure developed in India for the communion of the soul with the divine. It is, by no means, restricted to Asanas and Pranayama, which form a very small part of Yoga.

If there is one point I would like to make in this post, it is this: it is foolishness, in my opinion, for any person to declare that a certain belief is a superstition just because that person doesn't conceive it. I have never been to the USA. My mere knowledge of the existence of such a country is by virtue of the geography classes I had in High school and the books I read subsequently. It may even be so that the teachers who taught us, have never been to this country themselves. Now, just because I am oblivious of the existence of such a place, what right do I possess to claim that it doesn't exist? If I am to claim so, am I not making a fool out of myself? If I were really contemplative to find out the truth, I would have taken the pain to travel to this land and then deduce for myself. Then alone would I have the right to argue in this matter. Similar is the case with Yoga. I have no right to raise my voice against it unless I follow the conditions laid in it, practice it sincerely and even then, do not obtain the promised results in part or full.

A few people claim that these things are absurd because they cannot be proved by modern science. When a person is hungry, he helps himself to the available food. Does he even bother if Science has proved that food satisfies hunger or not? Does he care to find out what reactions undergo in his body when he eats. He knows from his own experience that food satisfies hunger and that is all that really matters to him at that point of time. Similarly, Yogic practices are based on the experiences of people who strived their entire lifetime and found that it was true. We, common people, do not know if their experiences were true or whether all of them were illusioned to believe so. But still, we have no right, whatsoever, to say that it is mere fallacy. Can we declare that a certain thing does not exist because its presence has still not been proved. Wasn't there a time when Science believed that the planets and the Sun revolved around the Earth? When Galileo tried to prove it otherwise, not only was his idea widely condemned but he was detained for the rest of his life. But now, even a school-going child will laugh at that old idea. It is not right to say that the people of those times were foolish in believing that Earth was the planetary centre. But, in arguing that there could be nothing beyond their ideas, they were indeed foolish to the core. Thus, we conclude from history that even science goes wrong at times. Even those hundreds of theories which were widely accepted yesterday, as the ultimatum, are being dismissed as utterly wrong, today. I would like to bring to your notice that, of late, many yogic theories are being proved and accepted by modern science. [I shall make an attempt to pen down some of them in my future posts.] After all, is science the ultimatum? Can there be nothing beyond science? Aren't there numerous happenings in the world that defy science? There are times when a scientist dismisses a certain idea as false just because his set of laws, which he calls modern science, cannot prove it. Doesn't this also suggest that his set of laws are very limited and needs to be consolidated. Verification is also an acceptable proof for any theory. As in many accepted facts of Science, Yoga's sole proof is in its verification (as claimed by the exponents of yoga). But, as the yogis themselves opine, it is a herculean task to achieve the goals of Yoga. Our world has seen many saints, in India and beyond, who claim to have reached the goals of Yoga. There could be some truth in it, or, it may be another heap of nonsense. I don't mean to say that we need to accept it just because certain people said so. Let us follow it and find out for ourselves. But if we do not will to verify, and yet criticize it, then in what way are we different from the 'foolish frog of the well'? The same applies to all other practices which are mocked in the name of superstition. Perhaps, many of them really are. But it is not wise to reject everything as superstition.


Again let me make my point clear if my post has not, unfortunately, already done. I do not support accepting something merely because it was said so or certain people believe so. But at the same time I consider it foolishness to discard something as superstition just because it does not fit in our ideas. Let us try our best to dig out the truth from it and then accept it or reject it. But before we make a sincere attempt, we have no right to shun it. In my opinion, both are equally irrational- the ones that blindly accept something and their counterparts, the ones that blindly reject something as superstition without any justification. In that context, isn't Superstition itself a Superstition? To the people who mock our practices as superstition, our sages would say "Look, your world in itself is a superstition". This being said, I dedicate my upcoming posts to some practices considered superstition, which in reality are in very much agreement with modern science. Again, as already declared in my maiden post, if any thing fails to convince you, it is solely because of my poor convincing skills rather than due to the insignificance of the actual topic under consideration.

SewaKunj

Swami Vivekananda had exclaimed, "If the poor cannot come to education, education must go to them". The Sewakunj Ashram of the Akhila Bharatiya Vanavasi Kalyana Ashram is in the endeavour of bringing this dictum to practice. I was highly fortuitous to celebrate republic day here, and, justice is not done if a post in this blog is not dedicated to Sewakunj.

Not very far from Varanasi is a district (in Uttar Pradesh), Sonebhadra, that is home to a large number of tribals. Notwithstanding its vicinity to this ancient city which is considered to be the seat of learning, the number of poor illiterates in this district has reached shocking figures, the literacy rate among the people being only around 40%*. Despite the vast industrial development in this region, the economic conditions of people have hardly improved. To most of the poor tribals, getting 2 square meals a day is the greatest comfort they can ever think of. For many parents, education of their children doesn't seem more worthy than the petty rupee notes that their children earn if they are sent out to do odd jobs. Thus, convincing the parents that education of their children was more important, was by itself a herculean task. Owing to the persistent efforts of a group of philanthropists the SewaKunj Ashram was setup in 1998, at a remote place- Chapki, situated nearly 200 kms from Varanasi. Ever since, Sewakunj has been catering to the educational needs of poor students of this area. The students are given not only quality education totally free of cost, but are also given free accommodation and food.

( A routine class)**

At sewakunj, the day dawns at 4 a.m. After offering their routine prayers, the students assemble in the classrooms for their lessons. The students, almost 65 in number, belong to classes 2-9. Sewakunj caters to classes upto 6, whereas the remaining students have to attend classes at a High school about 7 kms from Sewakunj. The children cook food for the ashram, in turns and also take care of the cleaning and other activities at the ashram. They are also engaged in music, dance, gardening and sports like football, archery etc. It is indeed an appreciable achievement that every year, 10-12 students from here get selected for Training in Archery by the National Sports Authority of India. Some students also succeed in obtaining seats for B. Ed and Engineering.

(The students cook food on rotation basis)**

(Republic Day Celebrations - 2011 )

Thus says the elderly Mr. Veerendra Narayan Shukla, one of the important member in the group, "We have taken the help of the government in the setting up of the ashram. However, our recurring expenses are managed solely using the generous funds collected from people". He adds, "people are ever ready to contribute, provided that the right use of their money is guaranteed". Indeed, of what better use can money be put to, than educating a poor child!

(Lunch being served)

Mr. Anand, who is the person responsible for the smooth running of the ashram seems to have a wonderful rapport with the students. Mr. Shantakumar, an enthusiastic social worker and Engineer at NTPC, opines that, "This is also a silent, positive war against Naxalism. People who joined naxalism with a sense of adventurism, now want to exit. They themselves cannot come out, so they desire that at least their children should have a better life. Such avenues give them a way for better life".

(The students enjoy doing odd jobs in the ashram)**

Here, nothing could be more appealing than the discipline of the kids. In contrast to modern education, where money is the driving force, in Sewakunj, it is Discipline and Moral upliftment that finds more importance. I am of the firm opinion that our education system shall fare better if its prime focus is shifted from money to intellect and discipline. I hope that in the years to come, Sewakunj shall brighten the lives of more deserving students and that it shall be a benchmark for other organizations working towards the same goal.

(Archery @ Sewakunj)

Readers are requested to also visit the blog of the Ashram.


* As per the data issued by the govt. of Uttar Pradesh based on 2001 census.
** Image Courtesy of Mr. Shantakumar.

Aham Brahmanaasmi

The title of this post, 'Aham Brahmanasmi' (I am a Brahmin) may remind many of you of a similar aphorism 'Aham Brahmasmi'. The latter, which shall no more be a topic of discussion in this post, is in accordance with the vedanta philospophy of India and literally translates to 'I am Brahma', meaning that every person is an embodiment of god. The former, in contrast, has been used in this post to indicate the 'Aham'kara (conceit) of a few Brahmins of modern day who consider their birth in a so-called Brahmin family sacrosanct. It pains me more than I can ever express, to criticize that very same 'Brahmin' (in the context of modern India), the original ideals of whom, as have been laid down in our ancient scriptures, I highly revere.

I decided to blog down this post after having a first-hand experience of caste-fanaticism from a priest, highly conceited of the fact that he was a Brahmin. It was decided quite some time back that we (our family) would have to offer a puja to Lordess Durga, and based on the availability, a priest was chosen for the same. For reasons unknown to us, he constrained us to have the puja ceremony held at his residence. The puja commenced at dusk. However, we were made to watch the puja and perform all the rites from a small-room outside the puja-room. Apparently, it was because we belong to a class of 'Gouda Saraswat Brahmins' (a brahmin class that doesn't consider meat-eating anti-religious, for its own historical reasons ), that we were not let into the main puja hall. Not only did he try to keep distance from us, but also made sure that the aarathi was served to us only after it was served to all the other Brahmins present there. However the same person who considered touching or letting non-brahmins into his puja-room unholy, didn't regard accepting (huge sums of) money from the same to be sacrilegious.

I hereby make a humble attempt to bring to the kind attention of all such brahmins, the real-caste-system as was prevalent in ancient India in contrast to the one of the present. Caste of a person was determined purely based on his way of living and was in no way based on his birth. Lord Shree Krishna in the Bhagavadgita (Ch. 18, verses 41-44), explains the various qualities of the 4 castes.

• A brahmin is one who subjugates the activities of the mind and the senses, teaches the others the vedas and the other scriptures and himself is an adept realizer of god (Verse 42).
• A Kshatriya exhibits valour, fearlessness, cleverness in battle and is a protector of his people(Verse 43).
• Agriculture, rearing of cows and honest exchange of merchandise make a vaishya and, Service to the other castes is the natural duty of the shudra (Verse 44).
  

(Courtesy of "The song divine", Gita Press, Gorakhpur)

The lord also proclaims that a person, no matter which caste he belongs to, can reach god by the devoted discharge of his natural duties as described above. In ancient India, under no circumstance, was one caste held above the other and all castes had their own importance in the society. So a person would be regarded as a Brahmin, not by virtue of his lineage, but by his spiritual advancement. So the son of a Brahman would not necessarily be a brahmin. Also, a Shudra could transcend into a brahmin, if his conduct qualified him so and similarly a brahmin would no longer be considered so if his lifestyle defied the rules set for a brahmin. It is relevant to mention here that the 'Gayatri Mantra', considered holy by brahmins, was given by Sage Vishwamitra who was originally a Kshatriya, who later turned himself into a Brahmin by rigourous penace.

Our vedas (Rig veda 10.90) say thus,

The Brahman was purusha's* mouth, of both his arms was the Kshatriya made.

His thighs became the Vaiśya, from his feet the Śūdra was produced.

(Translation- Courtesy http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/rigveda/rv10090.htm)

* Here 'Purusha' can be thought of as the all-pervading god

This is a widely misinterpreted mantra of the Rigveda. What could have only been meant was: 'The brahmins being a source of (realized) knowledge enlighten the lives of others by spreading the same by way of reciting them, hence their association with the mouth. Similarly Kshatriyas are a source of physical strength and therefore are considered to be the shoulders of god. The vaishyas, mainly engaging themselves in business, act as pillars of the economy, therefore their association with the thighs. The shudras being the labour class have been associated with the feet thereby indicating physical labour.'

Please note that this shloka, in no way, indicates that any class is superior to the other. Now, will it not be foolish to consider the body self sufficient with just the face and without the shoulders and legs, or the other way round. So in reality, all castes are equally important as are the various parts of the human body. It is highly unfortunate that a shloka with a message as clear as a crystal has been misinterpreted to form an absolutely senseless caste-system based on birth and on mundane matters of life like eating habits etc. It is an irony that the very same brahmins who claim to have mastered the vedas fail to understand this simple truth contained in them.

Suppose that there arose a system in our modern-day society where the son of a medical doctor would be considered a doctor by default and that of an engineer, an engineer and so on, and moreover, if the doctors were to claim that they were superior to the rest and should be considered as the masters, would it not be considered foolish? So, are we not fools if we still find the prevailing fallacy of the caste system sensible? Even now it is a custom in a few temples to have two separate, isolated houses to offer prasada to devotees belonging to the different castes. The same people who refuse to accept food or water from the so-called lower classes, do they refuse to accept blood from a donor belonging to a lower class, in case of a medical emergency? When it is the same blood which flows through us all, how can the mere bearing of a certain thread or the inane chanting of a few mantras, make a person supreme and more godly? As Swami Vivekananda rightly puts it, 'Our religion is in the kitchen. Our God is the cooking-pot, and our religion is, "Don't touch me, I am holy"'. Our mythology narrates: when Kanakadasa, a devotee of Lord Krishna belonging to a lower class, was not granted admission into a shrine in Udupi by the local priests, his selfless devotion caused the idol of Krishna, originally facing east (as is generally the case with any other temple) to turn around, following the collapse of the western wall to grant Kanakadasa the fortune of Darshan.


It is very unfortunate that a country that taught the world "vasudhaiva kutumbakam" (the entire world is one family) refused to accept a few people in its family owing to the fact that they were born in a certain clan. Let us hope that at least in the years to come, this horrible demon- the caste system in its present form- shall undergo complete refinement, in accord with the ideals actually laid in our scriptures.


[ Disclaimer: Please note that I don't intend to criticize any person or belief and have no personal hatred of any form against any person or sect. The above mentioned incident was merely personal and I, therefore, have no right to criticize any sect. My sole intention was to bring to light, certain truths about our present India. ]