India the wonderland

India, the eternal

2011-12-24T16:42:00.004+05:30

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

2011-08-05T19:10:00.027+05:30

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

2011-07-23T17:25:00.009+05:30

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?

2011-04-25T20:23:00.006+05:30

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

2011-01-26T20:42:00.016+05:30

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

2010-11-12T20:21:00.026+05:30

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. ]

Netaji..

2010-01-22T15:38:00.007+05:30

The history of India has seen great Heroes who laid down their lives for the Liberation of the Country from British Tyranny. Beyond doubt, the role of Subash Chandra Bose in reviving India's lost Freedom, is highly significant. Rightly called the "Netaji", Bose was highly feared by the British Rulers. Subhas Chandra Bose's eloquence and unmatched Courage had won him thousands of followers. His words- "Remain faithful to India, and do not, for even a moment, waver in your faith in India's destiny", even today, cause great sensation in the young and the old, alike.

Born on 23rd Jan, 1897, Bose was strongly influenced by the teachings of Swami Vivekananda, like many of his contemporaries, and he accepted him as his Spiritual Guru. In 1916, Subash Chandra Bose thrashed a British Professor by name, F E Otten, who had made racist comments against Indians. This marked his entry into India's freedom struggle. Though he stood Fourth in the civil services exam, which enabled him work as a civil servant of India (under the British, though), he had, by then made up his mind to not serve the British in any way. He immediately returned to India and joined the Indian National Congress. He was strongly influenced by C. R. Das, another freedom fighter, whom he accepted as his Political Guru.

When in Vienna, he happened to get acquainted with Vittalbhai Patel, who was very much impressed with Bose's plans for India. Together they chalked out schemes of bringing the British tyranny to international notice and gaining the support of anti-British Nations. He then visited various foreign nations, and held discussions with eminent political leaders. While still abroad, he was elected as the President of the Indian National Congress(INC). As Bose would resort to aggressive methodologies, he was often in altercations with the non-aggressive leaders, who, unfortunately, formed the majority. Despite Gandhi's opposition of his re-election as the President, he got successfully re-elected as the President of the INC defeating the Gandhi-supported candidate Dr. P. Sitaramayya. Considering the possibilities of a world war breaking out, he brought out a proposition forcing the British to grant India independence within 8 weeks. But, owing to protests from Gandhi and his supporters, he resigned from the post of the President, saying that he didn't have any desire to be a "dummy president". He then founded the Forward Bloc party, and as world war broke out, he was arrested by the British and then put under "house-arrest". In spite of the tight security, he escaped to Germany. It is in Germany that Bose founded the Azad Hind Fouj, which later on came to be known as the Indian National Army(INA). He was wrongly labelled as a Nazi by the western media. However, it is clear from the evidences of history that his support to the Germans was limited to their fight against Britain. He not only 'Not supported' the Nazis but was also involved in Anti-Nazi activities. Seeing that defeat was inevitable to the Germans, he moved to South East Asia, on the lookout for better options of liberating India. He joined hands with two other influential leaders, Ras Behari Bose and Captain Mohan Singh in Singapore, and with their help strengthened the INA. He allied with the Japanese, and succeeded in acquiring the Andaman and Nicobar islands to the Provisional Govt. of India, setup by him. In 1944, the INA, commanded by Bose attacked India from the Burmese border and successfully captured a significant part of Indian Territory. However, owing to extreme climatic conditions prevalent, the INA had to retreat. Following the defeat of Japan to the allied forces of the British, the INA was left with no choice. History has it that, on August 17, 1945, the plane with Bose on board, crashed, thereby killing him. On the contrary, many historians claim that it was not Bose who was aboard. Many even allege that he lived incognito, for many decades after independence. However, owing to lack of evidence, nothing is certain in this issue.

Bose played a very important role in awakening the youth of the country and moulding them into great leaders. He shall always be remembered as a man of infinite Courage and will. It is highly unfortunate that Bose could not live to see India Independent (assuming the official statement of his death to be true, as a last resort), but his ideals shall eternally live in the hearts of every Indian. Hats off to Netaji!!!

The cyclonic monk of India...

2010-01-12T20:39:00.006+05:30

"Sisters and Brothers of America".....This magical assortment of words, solely with the aid of which, a great Indian Sanyasin had conquered the hearts of the not-so-easy-to-conquer Americans, at a time, when the the people of India, which is considered the mother of religions, themselves had lost hope in religion. This great man, Swami Vivekananda, who, even a century after his exit from "our-world"(Mahasamadhi), continues to motivate millions of people, directly or otherwise and therefore needs no introduction. Any blog on India is not complete without delving into the teachings of Swami Vivekananda, who was rightly called the "Cyclonic monk of India" or the "Patriotic Monk of India". Today being the birthday of Swami Vivekananda, it is time to fulfill my long-awaited wish of penning a post on this sage. Therefore, the next few posts (in addition to the current) shall be dedicated to Swami Vivekananda.

This sage who had not a penny in his possession, nor a "popular-name", upon repeated persuasion from his devotees in India, the Maharaja of Rameshwaram being notable among them, sailed to the USA, to attend the "Parliament of World Religions" to be held in Chicago.
Swamiji, who was stolen off all his little possessions, soon after his arrival in Chicago, was invited by the few kind-families of America, in turns, to take shelter in their homes. The organisers of the Parliament of Religions, had plans of letting only delegates with bonafide credentials to participate. Little did they know that here was an effulgent man ready to conquer the world with love. An eminent professor from the Harvard university, who, awestruck with his association with the monk, is said to have exclaimed (and written to the Chairman), "Here is a man who is more knowledgeable than all our professors put together. To ask Swami Vivekananda for credentials is no different from asking the sun, its right to shine". Thus Swamiji was entitled to participate in the World Parliament of Religions.

Initially nervous, as he had never addressed a public gathering before, he opted to be the last of the delegates to deliver his speech. In response to his starting words, "Sisters and Brothers of America", believe it or not, the crowd, over 7000 in number, responded with a full three-minute-long standing ovation with thunderous clapping. It is indeed amazing that Swamiji earned such a rapturous response, that too, having uttered less than half a dozen words. Moreover, it is a clear indication of the abilities of Swamiji. Many claim that it is merely the usage of the words "Sisters and Brothers" which made the crowd rise in joy. Little do they understand that the same words had been used extensively in the earlier part of the parliament of religions, by almost every other speaker. What then, made this crowd give the kind of the applause they did, that too for the mere 5 words uttered by this man, that all the remaining speakers put together had not earned for their complete speeches? The answer lies in the deep-love and the compassion Swamiji had for humanity. This historic event made Vivekananda a (True) Hero, overnight! The newspapers, the following day, were flooded with lines in praise of this "Orange Monk". The Newyork Times remarked thus, "Vivekananda is indeed the greatest figure in the parliament of religions. After hearing him we feel how foolish we had been in sending missionaries to this learned land." As a result of the amazingly huge number of followers that he had gained, he had to spend four years, lecturing in America.

Swamiji used to say, "The west has solved the problem of how much a person can have, and we (in India) are trying here to solve the problem of how little a man can have". Very much true indeed!. On one occassion, referring to the Christian missionaries funded by the British government, he burst forth, "Let England teach us the fine art of government, for in that art Britain is the leader of the nations, let America teach us agriculture and science and your wonderful knack of doing things, for here we sit at your feet; but let no nation presume to teach India religion, for here India shall teach the world."

Till his last breath, Swamiji tried to revive the lost glory of India. His fire-like words greatly inspired the youth of India, to plunge into the freedom struggle. No wonder, leaders like Subash Chandra Bose, Mahatma Gandhi dedicated their lives for India's freedom from the british, having been motivated by the teachings of Vivekananda. Perhaps, Swamiji's love for the country, shall never have a match, nor shall he. Upon returning from the west, he brushed the Indian soil on his head and exclaimed, "India I loved before I came away. Now the very dust of India has become holy to me, the very air is now to me holy; it is now the holy land, the place of pilgrimage, the Tirtha!".

Swamiji had immense love and respect for his Guru, Shree Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. He describes his Guru, in a discussion with Shree Yogananda thus, "Thousands of Vivekananda's may spring forth through one gracious glance of his (Shree Ramakrishna's) eyes". Indeed, it is harder to even estimate the greatness of this holy master, who was totally responsible for blessing this world with Vivekananda.

Lord Shree Krishna asserts in the Gita,

I come, and go, and come. When Righteousness Declines, O Bharata! when Wickedness Is strong, I rise, from age to age, and take Visible shape, and move a man with men,

(http://sacred-texts.com/hin/gita/bg04.htm)

Swami Vivekananda's life stands in support of this. India is blessed a million-times-over by the birth of Swami Vivekananda. Vivekananda's life itself is a vindication to the world, of the fact that "India is the only country which never went outside of itself to conquer" and that the contribution of India to the world shall always be, great teachers who conquer by love rather than barbarians who conquer by power.

Jaago Bharath again...

2009-12-27T03:43:00.006+05:30

One "Jaago Bharath" after my previous Jaago-Bharath post, it is once again my fortune to have been a part of the Jaago-Bharath, which under the able leadership of Shree Chakravarthy Sulibele, once again rocked the huge crowds of Mangalore. Infinite infinitely-valuable thoughts emerged out from this amazing orator, and soon the otherwise-silent streets of Kodialbail, were roaring with the fire-like words of Shree Sulibele, and the continuous thunder of claps resonated with the melodious songs played by the Jaago Bharath team. It would be a mission-impossible to blog out every thought that radiated during the course of this programme. Hence, I dedicate this post to one heart-touching incident in our History, which perhaps, is more-or-less hidden from the common-man.

We all know very well, that the Rajput King Prithviraj Chouhan defeated Mohd. Ghori in the first Battle of Tarain. However what remains hidden from the most of us is that, Mohd. Ghori surrendered completely to Prithviraj Chouhan on losing the battle and pleaded mercy for his life. Prithviraj Chouhan, proved himself a true Kshatriya, by letting go Mohd Ghori, who promised not to intervene ever again. It was not much later that Mohd. Ghori bribed some of the prominent ministers of Prithviraj Chouhan and attacked him, this time with the additional support of many of Chouhan's men including Jaichand, Prithviraj's father-in-law. As this attack was least expected, and as Mohd Ghori resorted to cheap means, King Pritviraj lost the battle and was taken hostage, along with his friend Chandbardai. In the court of Ghori, where they were imprisoned, Ghori barbarically plucked out both the eyes of Chouhan. Thus blind, Chouhan was many a time ridiculed by Ghori. Chouhan, ever since he was a prince, had this rare ability of shooting at any target blind-foldedly, merely based on the instructions( rather, poems) rendered by Chandbardai. On one occasion during the course of his imprisonment, Ghori who was anxious to be sight to this, gave Chouhan an oppurtunity to showcase this rare skill. Though blind, and almost at his end, Prithviraj Chouhan thus shot at every single target, leaving the courtiers and Ghori dumbstruck. Ghori unconsciously jumped from his throne, shouting "Wonderful, Prithviraj, Wonderful", in amazement. This was enough for Chouhan to locate Ghori and taking aim he shot directly at Ghori, very much in the presence of his courtiers, killing him in one stroke, thus bringing an end to the tyranny of the moghuls to some extent. This incident even today is a matter of pride to every Indian.

It is sad that we learn history which aims to indicate that all Indian rulers were cowards and offerred no resistance to the attacks of the western rulers. In contrast, ours is the only country, which never gave birth to a single ruler who went abroad to extend his kingdom. At the same time there is no single intruder who could get into our country effortlessly and without opposition. It is not strange that foreign-rulers who had conquered most of the countries of the globe, had a very tough time in permeating the borders of India.

Kasab- Hero or villain?

2009-11-27T10:57:00.007+05:30

This post was originally intended to pay homage to our courageous soldiers and the victims who laid down their lives during the "26/11" attacks. However, it no more makes sense to do mere talking.

The bitter memories of the "Mumbai massacre" are still alive in the minds of the countless Indians throughout the world and so is Kasab, the lone captive-terrorist. We have again become the laughing stock of the world, not possessing the guts to punish the guilty. It is a shame on our part, not being able to punish straightaway, him, to whose cruel deeds, the entire world is a witness (literally). Till date, ludicrous court-sessions are being conducted regularly, with the final verdict being "the case has been adjourned for 'n' weeks", and a smiling-Kasab being taken back to custody, with hundreds of press-persons flocking behind him. It seems that Kasab has made the impression of a "Hero" rather than a villain on the government. It is astounding that India has already spent over Rs. 30 crores (Rs. 8.5 lacs/day) to keep Kasab safe and sound (data published in the 'Times of India'), while there are millions of poor people who strive to have even a morsel a day. " Dear government, we don't pay taxes for you to prove to the world the kind of Kshandas* that we are". If this is how our government plans to punish him, the Indians wouldn't at all mind him being let free once and for all. If such is the policy we follow against terrorists of the calibre of Kasab, then who woudn't be tempted to launch further attacks on our country? Perhaps, God alone can save our country from the clutches of the many "terrorists-within".

* The english counterpart doesn't seem to have the same "Punch"

The doctor with a hole..

2009-10-17T13:48:00.008+05:30

In India, wearing ornaments has been a custom, especially for women, since time immemorial. In fact, sculptures from the Indus-civilization-era too depict women wearing bangles and various other ornaments. Naturally, ornaments play an important role in augmenting the beauty of a human being. However, most of us fail to understand that these traditional ornaments have more to do, than simply rendering 'physical' glitter.

In India, Bangles are generally worn by women of all sects and age. As all of us, probably, already know, bangles are metallic or otherwise, worn around the wrists. These are so designed that, they are neither too tight to fit in one place, nor too loose to slide out of the arm. It must be noted that the theory of Accupressure (more on this in a later post), which is known to cure even dangerous diseases as AIDS, locates precisely 6 points on the wrist, which are associated with reproductive organs. In other words, applying periodic impulses of pressure at these points, can not only enable keeping these organs in shape, but also cure any ailments pertaining to the same. The movement of the bangles around the wrist, apply accupressure treatment on these points, thereby ensuring that the reproductive organs are in order. Bangles have, therefore, been silently doctoring the health of the millions of women who wear them. In villages, it is common for women to wear other ornaments like nose-rings etc, which serve similar purposes. It is not surprising that, there is also a tradition in India, to shatter the bangles of women, following the death of their husbands. It is truly incredible, how our customs have so much science embedded in them.

PS: Being an Electrical Engineer myself, I can't help guessing that the 'metallic' bangles have something to do with the induction of voltage and thereby current (as they are closed), to interact with the magnetic and electric fields, which are produced by the human body.

Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan...A tribute to the true gem of India

2009-10-02T11:29:00.009+05:30

While the entire world is celebrating the Birthday of Mahatma Gandhi, one person continues to remain backstage. He is the most humble, sincere, honest (the list is endless) Prime Minister India ever had (and perhaps, will ever have). On his birthday, this post is a tribute to Lal Bahadur Shastry, who despite his selfless service to the nation, is more-or-less forgotten by us.

Born on 2nd October, 1904 in Ram Nagar, Ahmedabad, Shastry immersed himself into the freedom struggle at a very tender age. He spent nearly a decade in jail, for various reasons. Perhaps the following 3 incidents suffice to depict the sincerity of Lal Bahadur Shastry.

When he was the Prime Minister, a poor man somehow managed to sneak into his office. Claiming that it was his daughter's wedding and that he was too poor to make the arrangements, he demanded financial help. Shastry, however, politely made known his inability to be of any help, pointing out that his bank-balance was only Rs 60 (the minimum amount to be in a bank account was then Rs 50). Not convinced(who would be? considering the huge fortunes our politicians have amassed), the poor man continued to urge him. Finally, he announced to Shastry that he would go and ask Mrs. Shastry for the money, and left his office. When Mrs Lalita Shastry heard his hue, she took no time to give him the only Rs 100 which she had in her possession. When Lal Bahadur Shastry learnt about this from the poor-man, he was shocked as to where she would have gotten this money from. When he questioned her, she told him how she had saved the money, rupee by rupee, from what money was given to her for groceries. The very next day, Lal bahadaur Shastry is reported to have written to the then President of India, requesting to reduce his salary by an amount of Rs 100 as he no longer felt it necessary. This letter still exists in official records, as a proof of the sincerity of Shastry.

Once, when Shastry was out for a walk, some ruffians, bribed by some adversaries, to insult him, got hold of Shastry by his collar and threatened him. They continuously questioned him as to what good he had done to this nation. Shastry did not lose temper. Pointing at the hands gripping his collar, he humbly replied, "You see. Today you are free to get hold of the PM by his collar. This is the good I have done to India"

On being questioned by a friend, who seemed worried about Shastry not getting due credits for his accomplishments, Shastry replied "I would like to be the hidden-stones of the foundation, that support the Taj Mahal rather than the ones rendering beauty to it".

Shastry, who was unanimously elected the Prime Minister of India in 1964, regardless of the then pathetic economic condition of India, within a span of less than two years, achieved self-sufficiency of food-grains thereby bringing about the 'Green Revolution'. He is known to have introduced various (working) schemes for the farmers.

He was a perfect example for the old English proverb- "Filled vessels make no noise". Simple, humble by nature and at the same time daring, he did not think twice when the Pakistan army took pleasure in attacking the borders of India( Indo-Pak war, 1965). Within a short span of time, the Indian army not only succeeded in causing the Pakistan army to flee from our land, but also captured every square kilometre of land up-to Lahore. Had it not been for the intervention by U.N.O., Pakistan would not have lived to see this day. Shastry who had been to Tashkent to sign an agreement with the Pakistan PM, died a "Natural death" on 11th January, 1966. He was awarded the Bharata Ratna postumously. The whole life of Shastry is an ideal. Hopefully, one day our Politicians will learn a lesson from the life of Shastry.

Jaago Bharath..

2009-09-30T03:41:00.009+05:30

Tricolour flags, the melodious patriotic songs, the enthusiastic crowd who made their presence felt, even at this odd hour of the day(or I must say night), with their incessant rounds of applause, the continuous over-flow of valuable thoughts, ones which we had never attempted to give any thought, absence of the loud noise of the "Hodi maga Hodi maga"s or its likes, nor the miserable dance of the drunk, this is how one would best describe the penultimate day of the Dasara celebrations in the Shree Venkataramana Temple, Temple Square.

Today( to be precise, yester-night ) is one of the most memorable days of my life. The Indian tricolour was flying aloft amidst songs sung in praise of our motherland, during the Dasara celebrations. I had the rare fortune of being a part of the blessed happenings at the Shree Venkataramana temple. Though blaze lights, saffron buntings, bell chimes everywhere, indicated the pre-concluding day of dasara, the happenings at the premises of the temple indicated otherwise. The tricolour was flying high, with patriotic songs being sung every now and then. It wouldn't be surprising if a person mistook this festive atmosphere for the Independence day celebrations.

At an hour when everyone would be snoring in the warmth of their cozy homes, there was this team, all geared up to 'wake us up' in their unique style. This team which is a sister organisation of the "Samskara Bharati", rightly calls these programs "Jaago Bharath". This organisation strives to make us realise that its time we get up from our deep slumber of ignorance and work towards the development of the country. It has organised numerous such programs all over Karnataka and has gained huge success and popularity among the masses. For about three hours and a half, the crowd, awestruck by the words of Shree Chakravarty Sulibele ( popular Journalist, Orator, Social worker....), resonated to the rhythm of the team, with non-stop clapping. The much awaited Jaago Bharath program commenced soon after the offering of pooja to Goddess Saraswati. The fans of Mr. Sulibele were in for a huge surprise, as he began his address in Konkani, his mother-tongue. Those who were not fans of him already, took no time in becoming ones. One by one, thoughts from this highly knowledgeable Orator, sunk everyone in a totally amazed state. Perhaps discussing the almost-three hours of his address will take me a few months (if not more) to blog, such were the thoughts that emerged in the address. Those who had come to the program with no intentions of staying for long, too, were stuck to their seats till the end, which was only when they discovered that 3 hours had already passed. His address was supported by the patriotic songs sung by his team-mates and the slide-show. No sooner did the program subside than did the crowd of his fans flock to him for his auto-graph. I would consider it an honour to be able to blog at least few of the thoughts that emerged during this program, in near future. Hope there will be many such "Jaago Bharath"s coming up soon.

Please do not forget to visit the sites of Shree Sulibele....
http://vivekabharata.net/
http://yuvashakti.wordpress.com/

Also, watch these highly inspiring videos...

"Speed of Light" in the Rigveda...

2009-09-16T13:48:00.008+05:30

[ This post aims to dwell on yet another evidence for the brilliance of the ancient Indian Astronomers. ]

It was not until early 17th century that man had a clear-cut idea about the behaviour of Light. Many models to study light were then proposed, however, owing to the non-trivial behaviour of light, none of them survived for long. Isaac Beeckman, Galileo Galilei failed in their onerous experiments to measure the speed of light accurately. Their findings nevertheless zeroed down most of the myths about light. Finally in the year 1879, Michelson with his experiment using mirrors, obtained an estimate of the speed of light, which is accurate enough to be considered for all astronomical or otherwise calculations.

But what astounds me is that there exists a shloka in the Rigveda which says,

" तरणि: विश्व दर्शतो ज्योतिश्कुदसि सूर्य |
विश्वमाभासी रोचनम "

"The sun quickly pervades the whole world."

Sayanacharya (a celebrated saint) comments on the above text thus,

"तथा च स्मर्यते योजनानां सहस्रं द्वे द्वे शते द्वे च योजने एकेन निमिशार्धेन क्रममाण नमोऽस्तु ते इति"

"It is to be remembered that the sunlight travels 2,202 yojanas in half a nimisha"

On converting the various units to our modern units, we get the speed of light to be 1,85,016.169 mile/s which is very close to the modern value of 1,86,000 mile/s ( now which of these is more accurate is again a debateable question ).

It is to be noted that the composal of the Rigveda dates back to 1700 BC, long long before Modern-Science even knew what light was.

Acknowledgement: The shlokas and translations penned down in this post are a more-or-less reproduction of the "Speed of Light" article in the "Science in Sanskrit" book published by "Samskrita Bharati". Readers are hence requested to check out the original book here.

Is Education really educating us ?

2009-07-11T21:48:00.016+05:30

When I read through the papers about the various terrorists , I am amazed to learn that most of them happen to be well "educated". Perhaps, a purist would consider my previous statement self-contradicting, considering the fact that education enlightens one to not indulge in activities that may, in any way, cause harm to others, living or otherwise. In a recent terrorist attack, it was observed that a majority of the involved were Doctors and Engineers. If Education, the main purpose of which is to facilitate living, itself becomes a weapon to grab lives of the innocent, then one question definitely starts haunting our mind- "Is Education really educating us?"

Until the invasion of the country by the numerous rulers from the west, including the British, the Gurukulas served the educational needs of the masses. It is to be noted that, the Gurukula system was a wonderful system wherein, unlike the present system, a disciple learnt virtually everything. Gurukula, in sanskrit means Family(kula) of the Teacher(Guru). Unlike the present day institutions, no fee was demanded and the student was free to give anything of his choice as Guru-Dakshina at the end of his education in the gurukula (education, as such is never ending). The gurus prepared their pupils not in any particular discipline, but in every aspect necessary to face the challenges of the world. There was no fixed period of study, and the students were deemed to have completed their studies when the Guru felt that the student was versed enough. Knowledge was the driving force of the Gurukula, in constrast to Money being the driving force of its modern counterpart. The knowledge of the student itself served as a certification of his completion of studies. India is known to have mastered every possible disciplines viz. Mathematics, astrology, astronomy, ayurveda, philosophy, warfare* to name a few. Many sciences developed in India, render even the scientists of the present day dumbstruck. Many evidences of the razor-sharp wit of the Vedic-Indians, exist even today.

India which prospered in the presence of these Gurukuls, began to notice first signs of terror, when the western-rulers, submersed in their lust for wealth, attacked India. As India, which always ( and still continues to) prayed for the peace of the entire world**, least anticipated such attacks, it had to give way to the treachery of these rulers. These rulers, apart from looting wealth from India, began ill-treating Indians, by shutting down gurukulas and forcibly restraining people from their millenniums-old practices. People were threatened to get converted to other religions. Those who revolted were killed, if not massacred to death . The entire backbone of the country was ruptured. The worst was yet to happen. In the eighteenth century the British, attracted by the wealth of India, finally succeeded in establishing their reign in India. The British mercilessly tortured the Indians, depriving them off their land and property. In an attempt to completely wipe off Indian culture from this land, the British scrapped the ancient system of education and introduced the English Education. Incidentally Lord Macaulay is reported to have written to the British parliament, after visiting India, thus,

"I have travelled across the length and breadth of India and I have not seen one person who is a beggar, who is a thief. Such wealth I have seen in this country, such high moral values, people of such calibre, that I do not think we could ever conquer this country, unless we break the very backbone of this nation, which is her spiritual and cultural heritage, and therefore, I propose that we replace her old and ancient education system, her culture, for if the Indians think that all that is foreign and English is good and greater than their own, they will lose their self esteem, their native culture and they will become what we want them, a truly dominated nation."
[ A copy of the manuscript of this letter was recently displayed in a central-government organised demonstration. ]

Western Education was then Introduced in India, sowing the first seeds of hatred among the people. The culture of India which had, for thousands of years, boldly stood undismayed, began to decline. An Indian, who had considered crossing the oceans a great taboo, began to develop a great liking for western culture. Indians began replacing their age-old styles with their so-called modern counterparts. However, the modernisation which was supposed to make the lives of people easier, happened to work in exactly the counter-sense. It is a disgrace that it took more than a century for our people to realise that they were leading lives in slavery. Revolts against the british were ignited at various corners of the country. As they lacked unity, the british found it simple to suppress them. Finally in 1947, the british realised that the they could no longer sustain the attacks (and also that it was no longer worth dominating India, for they had already looted everything possible) and decided to leave the country. In order to cause a permanent dent in the future of India, they split the country into two, based on religion. 15th August, India became free from the british officially, however, the seeds sown by them continue to subsist in our midst. It is to be noted that only Power transfer from the "White English" to the "Black English" took place, otherwise the country saw no change. Whatever policies used to be followed during the time of the british, still continue in Indian Administration. The penal code and other laws which owe their origin to the british continue to prevail. Education didn't stay behind in following the trails of the british. The text books hardly saw much difference in their contents except that the British Lords(who were the major Attention grabbers in the textbooks) were replaced with the, equally demagogue, Indian people, then in power. It is such a shame that, in our text books, there is hardly any mention of leaders like Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Bhagat Singh, Chandrashekar Azad. Whatever little mention has been made of the latter, is sufficient enough to create the notion that they were mere terrorists. While most of the history text book is dedicated to the Akbars and Aurangazebs, hardly any mention is made of the Brave Indian rulers like Rana Pratap, Shivaji Maharaj, Jhansi Rani Laxmi Bai, Kittur Rani Chennamma, Guru Gobind Singh, who courageously fought them.

Education has mainly become a means of propaganda for the political parties in power. It is a pity that we learn a lot about other countries in our text books, that we hardly know anything about our own. We learn how to design huge machines, but nowhere do we learn that it is wrong to hurt others, physically or otherwise. We fail to understand that we ought not damage the property of this country. As rightly said by our former President Dr.A.P.J. Abdul Kalam(in one of his speeches, the salient points of which have been forwarded across the country as e-mails),

[ Am sure, those who have had the patience to read through this post would have a few minutes to go through the following lines from the "Living Great".]

Why are we, as a nation so obsessed with foreign things? We want foreign T.Vs, we want foreign shirts, we want foreign technology.Why this obsession with everything imported. Do we not realize that self-respect comes with self-reliance?

YOU say that the municipality does not pick up the garbage.YOU say that the phones don't work, the railways are a joke. The airline is the worst in the world, mails never reach their destination. YOU say that our country has been fed to the dogs and is the absolute pits.YOU say, say and say. What do YOU do about it?

Take a person on his way to Singapore . Give him a name - 'YOURS'. Give him a face - 'YOURS'. YOU walk out of the airport and you are at your International best. In Singapore you don't throw cigarette butts on the roads or eat in the stores. YOU are as proud of their Underground links as they are. You pay $5 (approx. Rs. 60) to drive through Orchard Road (equivalent of Mahim Causeway or Pedder Road) between 5 PM and 8 PM. YOU come back to the parking lot to punch your parking ticket if you have over stayed in a restaurant or a shopping mall irrespective of your status identity… In Singapore you don't say anything, DO YOU? YOU wouldn't dare to eat in public during Ramadan, in Dubai . YOU would not dare to go out without your head covered in Jeddah. YOU would not dare to buy an employee of the telephone exchange in London at 10 pounds (Rs.650) a month to, 'see to it that my STD and ISD calls are billed to someone else. 'YOU would not dare to speed beyond 55 mph (88 km/h) in Washington and then tell the traffic cop, 'Jaanta hai main kaun hoon (Do you know who I am?). I am so and so's son. Take your two bucks and get lost. YOU wouldn't chuck an empty coconut shell anywhere other than the garbage pail on the beaches in Australia and New Zealand . Why don't YOU spit Paan on the streets of Tokyo ? Why don't YOU use examination jockeys or buy fake certificates in Boston ??? We are still talking of the same YOU. YOU who can respect and conform to a foreign system in other countries but cannot in your own. You who will throw papers and cigarettes on the road the moment you touch Indian ground. If you can be an involved and appreciative citizen in an alien country, why cannot you be the same here in India ?In America every dog owner has to clean up, after his pet has done the job. Same in Japan .Will the Indian citizen do that here?' He's right. We go to the polls to choose a government and after that forfeit all responsibility. We sit back wanting to be pampered and expect the government to do everything for us whilst our contribution is totally negative. We expect the government to clean up but we are not going to stop chucking garbage all over the place nor are we going to stop to pick up a stray piece of paper and throw it in the bin. We expect the railways to provide clean bathrooms but we are not going to learn the proper use of bathrooms.We want Indian Airlines and Air India to provide the best of food and toiletries but we are not going to stop pilfering at the least opportunity.This applies even to the staff who is known not to pass on the service to the public.
When it comes to burning social issues like those related to women, dowry, girl child! and others, we make loud drawing room protestations and continue to do the reverse at home. Our excuse? 'It's the whole system which has to change, how will it matter if I alone forego my sons' rights to a dowry.' So who's going to change the system?What does a system consist of? Very conveniently for us it consists of our neighbours, other households, other cities, other communities and the government. But definitely not me and YOU. When it comes to us actually making a positive contribution to the system we lock ourselves along with our families into a safe cocoon and look into the distance at countries far away and wait for a Mr.Clean to come along & work miracles for us with a majestic sweep of his hand or we leave the country and run away.
Like lazy cowards hounded by our fears we run to America to bask in their glory and praise their system. When New York becomes insecure we run to England . When England experiences unemployment, we take the next flight out to the Gulf. When the Gulf is war struck, we demand to be rescued and brought home by the Indian government. Everybody is out to abuse and rape the country. Nobody thinks of feeding the system. Our conscience is mortgaged to money.
Dear Indians, The article is highly thought inductive, calls for a great deal of introspection and pricks one's conscience too…. I am echoing J. F. Kennedy's words to his fellow Americans to relate to Indians…..
'ASK WHAT WE CAN DO FOR INDIA AND DO WHAT HAS TO BE DONE TO MAKE INDIA WHAT AMERICA AND OTHER WESTERN COUNTRIES ARE
TODAY'

Having said thus, the question still remains, "Is Education really educating us?".

* It is to be noted that in India Warfare was learnt for self-defence rather than for aggression. It is not surprising that history reveals no instances of an Indian ruler raising attack on a foreign country. All battles in India were an invited result of the aggression of foreign rulers.

** In India, even today, it is a common practice to chant the "Shanti Mantra" proceeding every prayer.

ॐ असतो मा सद्गमय ।
तमसो मा ज्योतिर्गमय ।
मृत्योर्मामृतं गमय ।।
ॐ शान्तिः, शान्तिः, शान्तिः ||

(Brihadaranyaka Upanishad — I.iii.28)

ॐ Lead me from untruth to truth,
Lead me from darkness into light,
Lead me from death to immortality. "

ॐ Peace Peace Peace

Mahabharata War- A nuclear War???

2009-06-20T10:26:00.028+05:30

Years have rolled by since India detonated its first Nuclear weapon to join the league of the so-called "Nuclear Power"s. However a little research on the Mahabharata indicates that India could have been a Nuclear Power milleniums before the rest of the world even came to know of the existence of atoms. Incidently, Oppenheimer, the inventor of the atom bomb, on being interviewed by the media, gave a surprising reply referring to the atom bomb which he had just invented, as- " not the first nuclear weapon, but the first one of modern times".

A few excerpts from the Mahabharata have caused doubts in the minds of historians, indicating the possibility of nuclear weapons being used in the Mahabharata war or post-war. This fire of suspicion has further been fuelled by the recent discoveries of green glass and many radioactive samples in certain excavations, in India, which apparently were associated with the Mahabharata war. Green glass is said to form when sand melts at very high temperatures prevalent in Nuclear Explosions . The following is an excerpt found in many websites, reproduced as it is.

"Gurkha, flying a swift and powerful vimana (fast aircraft)hurled a single projectile (rocket)
charged with the power of the Universe (nuclear device). An incandescent column ofsmoke and
flame, as bright as ten thousand suns, rose with all its splendor.
It was an unknown weapon, an iron thunderbolt, a gigantic messenger of death, which reduced
to ashes the entire race of the Vrishnis and the Andhakas.
The corpses were so burned as to be unrecognizable.Hair and nails fell out; Pottery broke
without apparent cause,and the birds turned white. After a few hours all foodstuffs were infected...
to escape from this fire the soldiers threw themselves in streams to wash themselves and their
equipment."
"Dense arrows of flame, like a great shower, issued forth upon creation, encompassing the enemy.
A thick gloom swiftly settled upon the Pandava hosts.All points of the compass were lost in
darkness.Fierce wind began to blow upward, showering dust and gravel.
Birds croaked madly... the very elements seemed disturbed.The earth  shook,  scorched  by the
terrible violent heat of this weapon.Elephants burst into flame and ran to and fro in a frenzy.
over a vast area, other animals crumpled to the ground and died.From all  points  of  the
compass  the  arrows  of  flame  rained continuously and fiercely."

This description matches very well with the modern Nuclear explosions and it is quite logical to confess that the explosions being talked about in the Mahabharata indeed refer to Nuclear explosions.But the story doesn't end here. On making a rigorous search of various versions of the Mahabharata, I noticed the following facts.

1. There aren't any (at least, not many) Texts of Mahabharata which account for a character called Gurkha. A search on the net for Gurkha reveals the fact that this word is found only in sites which fell prey to the sites containing the above story.
2. There isn't any official evidence of Oppenheimer saying the above, though there are enough evidences of him quoting the Gita.
3. Most of the excerpts given above, are truly found in the Mahabharata, in parts, but not with reference to a single context. Descriptions of various happenings, unrelated to each other, from various nooks of the epic have been intelligently jigsawed together to weave the story. Whoever did so, tried to club many truths together to build a Fallacy. Surprisingly this Fallacy still has some truth in it.

The excerpt "An incandescent column of smoke and flame, as bright as ten thousand suns,
rose with all its splendor" actually appears in the section 34 of the Karna Parva of the
Mahabharata( http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m08/m08034.htm ), as follows.

"The universe is similarly said to consist of Vishnu. Vishnu is, again, the Soul of the
holy Bhava of immeasurable energy. For this the touch of that bow-string became unbearable
to the Asuras. And the lord Sankara cast on that arrow his own irresistible and fierce wrath,
the unbearable fire of anger, viz., that which was born of wrath of Bhrigu and Angirasa.
Then He called Nila Rohita (Blue and Red or smoke)--that terrible deity robed in skins,
looking like 10,000 Suns, and shrouded by the fire of superabundant Energy, blazed up with
splendour. That discomfiter of even him that is difficult of being discomfited, that victor,
that slayer of all haters of Brahma, called also Hara, that rescuer of the righteous and
destroyer of the unrighteous, viz., the illustrious Sthanu, accompanied by many beings of
terrible might and terrible forms that were endued with the speed of the mind and capable
of agitating and crushing all foes, as if with all the fourteen faculties of the soul awake
about him, looked exceedingly resplendent".

"It was an unknown weapon, an iron thunderbolt, a gigantic messenger of death, which reduced
to ashes the entire race of the Vrishnis and the Andhakas." is actually found in Section 1 of
Mausala Parva.( http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m16/m16001.htm).

"When then next day came, Samva actually brought forth an iron bolt through which all the
individuals in the race of the vrishnis and the andhakas became consumed into ashes.
Indeed, for the destruction of the Vrishnis and the Andhakas, Samva brougt forth, through
that curse, a fierce iron bolt that looked like a Gigantic messenger of death. The fact
was duly reported to the king. In distress of mind, the king (Ugrasena) caused that iron
bolt to be reduced to a fine powder.Men were employed to cast the powder into the sea."

The term "10000 suns" and "Super-abundant" perfectly fit into today's description of Nuclear Energy. In fact what is depicted as an Iron bolt could actually have referred to Radioactive Iron (Iron-59 is known to be radioactive). Perhaps the usage of Iron-59 as a nuclear weapon was known to man in ancient times. The last sentence " to cast the powder into sea", is in good terms with the fact that water is a very effective shield for nuclear radiations. Perhaps that was the intention in casting the iron powder into the sea.
The section 2 of the Mausala parva also has,

"The streets swarmed with rats and mice. Earthen pots showed cracks or broke from no
apparent cause. At night, the rats and mice ate away thehair and nails of slumbering men"

and

"Fires, when ignited, cast their flames towards the left. Sometimes they threw out flames
whose splendour was blue and red. The Sun, whether when rising or setting over the city,
seemed to be surrounded by headless trunks of human form. In cook rooms, upon food that
was clean and well-boiled, were seen, when it was served out for eating, innumerable
worms of diverse kinds."

The above passage too reminds us of the effects of a nuclear explosion, as foodstuffs get infected in the aftermath of a nuclear explosion. In section 3, there is also a mention of the vaishnis taking shelter close to the sea coast. This might have as well meant that the vaisnis took shelter in the sea. As mentioned earlier, water is a natural shield to Nuclear radiations.

Further, in the second section of the Mausala Parwa ( http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m16/m16002.htm ), there stands a shloka which (on translation ) says

"Asses were born of kine, and elephants of mules. Cats were born of bitches, and mouse
of the mongoose."

Perhaps, this could be an indication of genetic disorders created on account of exposure to lethal nuclear radiations.

These above facts make us really wonder if the Mahabharata was indeed a nuclear war. In aid to the above mentioned facts, India, from times immemorial knew the existence of atoms and the atomic energy. The following shloka is evidence to the statement.

anor aniyan mahato mahiyan
atmasya jantor nihito guhayam
tam akratuh pasyati vita-soko
dhatuh prasadan mahimanam atmanah
(Katha 1.2.20)

(http://www.asitis.com/2/20.html)

indicates that the greatest of the great is hidden in the smallest of the small. This forms the basis for the atomic energy.

Test Tube Babies in the Vedia Era !!!

2009-06-08T19:00:00.009+05:30

सत्रे ह जाताविषिता नमोभिः कुम्भे रेतः सिषिचतुः समानम |

ततो ह मान उदियाय मध्यात ततो जातं रषिमाहुर्वसिष्ठम ||

- A hymn from the Rig Veda (7-33-13)

If you suppose this is another shloka sung in praise of some god or goddess, then you are totally mistaken. Surprisingly, this contains valuable information as regards the medical practice during the Vedic period, as we proceed to unravel in this post. This hymn on translating into English yields- "Pleased by the sacrifice and the praises, Mitra deva( Sun ) and Varuna deva(Air) effused into the Vasativara vessel the "Fluid of Birth" from which arose Agasthya and Vasishtha".

Under the impression that this is one of those old fairy tales, wherein a magician brandishes a wand and voila, a rabbit pops out, we hardly try to see the hidden logic in it. This process certainly refers to the creation of the "Test tube baby" wherein, (in this case) the semen (only!) is processed to develop an infant without, in fact, the need for its counterpart. Our sages had achieved, several thousand years ago, what our modern scientists are still a long way. Modern science is still not able to develop test tube babies from semen or ovum alone.This clearly shows the brilliance of the Vedic Indians. It is highly probable that most instances in our history wherein a person was gifted a child by a deity could have followed the same technique. In fact the well known Dronacharya too was born off such a strange process. Sage Vedavyasa narrates in the Mahabharata that "Sage Bharadwaja who had gone to the forest for his routine ablutions, happens to see a beautiful Apsara (Apsaras are by default, beautiful). Unable to keep his desires for her in control, he drops his Fluid of Birth into an earthern pot which later develops into Drona(Droni in sanskrit means "pot"). Naturally, the intricate details as to how the process is carried about is not discussed in the Mahabharata. However it is very certain that the same could have been ciphered into the vedas, which as we shall see, in future posts, are a massive source of knowledge in encrypted form.

Prolegomenon

2009-06-07T21:56:00.007+05:30

As I scribble my maiden post on this blog I would like to quote the Ramayana,
"जननी जन्मभूमिश्च स्वर्गादपि गरीयासी"(Mother and motherland are greater than heaven itself). In this blog, I intend to dwell on the incredible ideas and findings of the ancient Indian sages, who by their amazingly sharp wit and astounding knowledge have fascinated the world from times immemorial. Whatever follows in this blog is my miniscule attempt to compile facts that throw light on various aspects which we (the people of present India) fail to appreciate, as far as the contributions of our ancestors are concerned. If any of the following posts fails to convince you in this regard, it is solely on account of my poor literary skills rather than the insignificance of the actual topic under consideration.

Well, I believe I have penned down everything destined to be in this maiden post and hope to get back soon with another post.