19th Dec, last year (y. 2010) He passed away due to cardiac arrest. He was a businessman, and politicio-- but for the world. to me he was the father of my old school time chum, who was my mentor too, someone who teach us but by showing the door to some subtle knowledge, to have the choice of walking along by our own enhanced options, through our own self-enquiries.
Someone who was more than my own father, someone the Guru of life. Someone who taught us Dharma-- someone who lifted us from the common man's domain of Morality-living, in to the domain of Ethical-living, where things are more cris-crossed and arguing. He was the Brahman of my life-- the one who introduced me the fact that understanding Brahma is most complex thing one can attempt -- and something which come only from one's constant Karma, no matter good or not-- the ethics. Dharma churns out as one proceeds along the path of karma. Ethics become the source for general prudence in the journey of life.
How else would a person from my set-up rise up to think of doing what none of my fellows do or accept. A personal self-awkening was a spontaneous process which happened way back after senior secondary education. But it needed a mentor to find its direction. It needed someone to let balance between the arts and science. The self-awakening was triggered by constant presuring in the field of sciences and logics. An observational and tatse-ful view into Arts was starving. He showed the door to the new long path of appreciation of Arts. That Nirmoh- or Objectvism is the key point to follow both Logics and the Arts is hard to understand until one meets his mentor. For emotions are so much in us that they are the hardest to overcome. Truest justice with Arts and Reason cannot happen without an elaborate view from the Ethical standpoint. Ethics-- a peak which is far above the Morality peak which most human dont even strive to achieve. Ethics don't judge actions to be good or bad. For Ethics are the consequence of Action. Ethics look for Intentions. Intentions which are then the outcome of the greatest gift to humans - the emotions. The whole round journey from Emotion-less-ness (Nirmoh, or Objectivism) to back to Emotional self.
It is upto this point that highest of peaks can a person climb, while on surface, he is busy doing the mundane works of life.
He was the Brahman on which depended my beliefs.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Re-searching Varanasi in my voyage
Re-searching Varanasi in my voyage:
1) Microsoft Encarta described Varanasi as one of the oldest surviving cities on Earth today. Its history is claimed to be over 3000years old. Also, it was City, not a village or Just another human settlements. Jericoh , in Israel , is the oldest Village.
2) Lord Shiva, one of chief gods of Hindu mythology, is said to have chosen Varanasi for his final settlement after his marriage with Parvati.
In equivalent terms, the story sounded to me like - a software engineer chosing to settle in Noida, or Newyork after doing lots of on-sites in many parts of the world. We know on what all basis a man decides all this. More, when he has married a rich beautiful girl for his wife, who comes from, say Uttranchal. :-D. The best and finest cities possible. That was Varanasi for a choice in those times of Lord Shiva.
3) Varanasi flourished as centre for arts ( there are two schools of Kathak dance as per Indian beliefs, Benares and Jaipur), Spirituality ( centre for religion, many of the oldest scriptures are suppose to have been written here, Tulsidas's Ramayan being one most recent ones among many) . Chandrakant Santati by Deviki nandan Khatri has its plot revolving around the fort of Ramnagar,and Chunar. Kabir was from this city.
4) Varanasi was a centre for accomplishments in art related fields. Bismillah Khan- the shehnai player is from Varanasi.
5) it was the centre for researches into philosophical matters. Lord buddha gave his first sermon at Sarnath in Varanasi. Buddhism and its philosophy are today treated as the first truest contribution to the field of some practical philosophy by Hindu religion. Buddha taught about the Middle path, and how to live a peaceful happy life. His language was of the common people.
Before him, most of the philosophical contributions by Vedic religion were slowly turned into story of some mystical gods, like Ramayan and Mahabharata, which the traders on the famous Silk Route did not take much interest in. That might help understand how Buddhism became popular in China, Korea and Japan in comparison with Vedic Dharma. Vedas and Bhagwad Gita did not make as strong impact outside Indian land as did Buddhism. Although Buddha's teaching can be said to be influentially borrowed from Vedas only. Maybe language barrier was the cause.
6) Buddhism, later, some 2500 years later, is supposedly the influencing source for Christ's religion. In this sense Vedas can be said to be out-source point for many different religions.
7) Iran's original religion is supposedly a very close sister religion of the Vedic Dharma. A fact, which brings the archeologists to claim that Aryans migrated in two groups- one settled in iran and the other in northern India.
8) Philosophy continued to be the 'main thought' of dwellers of Ganges Basin. Perhaps so much so that the Maharashtrians today say that Biharis and Bhaiya have a tremendous 'Convincing Power'. Nevertheless, the shastrarth, a formal debate on Vedic knowledge and interpretations, became a forte of Varanasi dwellers. An annual round of debate is suppose to happen , organised by Maharaja Benares, between the six groups of Brahmins. Since the Maithali Brahmins have won it maximum number of times, they are suppose to be most intelligents of all sects of Brahmins ( refer Wikipedia search on topic Brahmins).
9) Benares generally host the Pandey, Mishra ,vajpayee, Dubey, Pathaks, Tripathi, Shukla , Dwivedi , Chaturvedi clubs of Brahmins. A Brahmin, by Vedic technicality is NOT a caste, but a concept which helps one know the consequences of action (Karma) later in time. In equivalent terms, it is the combined form of Rule 2 (responsibility) and Rule 6(safe speed) along with general Prudence , of the Colregs 1972. the british and the muslim invaders mis-interpreted Brahmanism, giving Brahmins also as a caste-form. Otherwise, it is but a philosophical research. Researcher from any caste would become a Brahmin ones his research was over. That also explains the reasons for these surnames among the Brahmins which is actually the Upadhi ( a status title) earned by them. Shastri is one more such title. Benares was one centre for these jobs.
A pandit , or a temple priest is different from a Brahmin, although essentially seen as one and same, by way of inter-marriages. Thus many other clubs, such as Vajpayee, Pandey, Shukla are only priest, taken as Brahmin, for knowledge on how to conduct a prayer ceremony.
10) Philosophy later attached with the Benares Hindu University became very popular study in the city. Dr S Radhakrishnan, the first Vice President, himself a 'Doctor of Philosophy in Philsosophy' was the vice chancellor of BHU from where he took over as the vice-president. His birthday is marked as Teachers Day in India.
11) B.K Matilal, another product from BHU, is the most read authors of study books on Indian Philosophy. His Nayay thesis( justice, -method of proving an argument) is supposedly the closest resemblance work of Indian Philosophy to the Aristotlean theories on the same topic. He is known for many other achievements.
12) Benares has got three different universities: BHU, sanskrit vidyapeeth, and one more( refer Wikipedia).
13) Pan chewing (beetle leaves) is a typical cultural habit of Varanasi dwellers. In this intense atmosphere of spiritual Philsosophy and debates, I can notice thyroid related problem to be immense. These problems are mostly of origin from emotional stresses one undergoes in this kind of atmosphere. Pan leaves with Chuna (lime) and tobacco maybe one of the locally found neutralizer for the bile juices produced from liver in higher stress conditions. Thyroid is the chief triggering hormones for such work. Thyroid in itself is impacted by Pitutatry Gland, which is master gland located in the brain. Ones thinking-center is located there too. Thus emotional stress show up as body disorders.
thyroid - hypo or hyper, shows up as losing hair, bulgy eyes, crumbled legs, weak bones, low energy level, high climate temperature intolerance, kidney or liver problem, calcium imbalances in bones, etc.
I noticed these problems in many life forms , including humans, cows, dogs.
Sports and Athletics maybe the most distant choice for Varanasi dwellers. Politics is naturally the closest.
1) Microsoft Encarta described Varanasi as one of the oldest surviving cities on Earth today. Its history is claimed to be over 3000years old. Also, it was City, not a village or Just another human settlements. Jericoh , in Israel , is the oldest Village.
2) Lord Shiva, one of chief gods of Hindu mythology, is said to have chosen Varanasi for his final settlement after his marriage with Parvati.
In equivalent terms, the story sounded to me like - a software engineer chosing to settle in Noida, or Newyork after doing lots of on-sites in many parts of the world. We know on what all basis a man decides all this. More, when he has married a rich beautiful girl for his wife, who comes from, say Uttranchal. :-D. The best and finest cities possible. That was Varanasi for a choice in those times of Lord Shiva.
3) Varanasi flourished as centre for arts ( there are two schools of Kathak dance as per Indian beliefs, Benares and Jaipur), Spirituality ( centre for religion, many of the oldest scriptures are suppose to have been written here, Tulsidas's Ramayan being one most recent ones among many) . Chandrakant Santati by Deviki nandan Khatri has its plot revolving around the fort of Ramnagar,and Chunar. Kabir was from this city.
4) Varanasi was a centre for accomplishments in art related fields. Bismillah Khan- the shehnai player is from Varanasi.
5) it was the centre for researches into philosophical matters. Lord buddha gave his first sermon at Sarnath in Varanasi. Buddhism and its philosophy are today treated as the first truest contribution to the field of some practical philosophy by Hindu religion. Buddha taught about the Middle path, and how to live a peaceful happy life. His language was of the common people.
Before him, most of the philosophical contributions by Vedic religion were slowly turned into story of some mystical gods, like Ramayan and Mahabharata, which the traders on the famous Silk Route did not take much interest in. That might help understand how Buddhism became popular in China, Korea and Japan in comparison with Vedic Dharma. Vedas and Bhagwad Gita did not make as strong impact outside Indian land as did Buddhism. Although Buddha's teaching can be said to be influentially borrowed from Vedas only. Maybe language barrier was the cause.
6) Buddhism, later, some 2500 years later, is supposedly the influencing source for Christ's religion. In this sense Vedas can be said to be out-source point for many different religions.
7) Iran's original religion is supposedly a very close sister religion of the Vedic Dharma. A fact, which brings the archeologists to claim that Aryans migrated in two groups- one settled in iran and the other in northern India.
8) Philosophy continued to be the 'main thought' of dwellers of Ganges Basin. Perhaps so much so that the Maharashtrians today say that Biharis and Bhaiya have a tremendous 'Convincing Power'. Nevertheless, the shastrarth, a formal debate on Vedic knowledge and interpretations, became a forte of Varanasi dwellers. An annual round of debate is suppose to happen , organised by Maharaja Benares, between the six groups of Brahmins. Since the Maithali Brahmins have won it maximum number of times, they are suppose to be most intelligents of all sects of Brahmins ( refer Wikipedia search on topic Brahmins).
9) Benares generally host the Pandey, Mishra ,vajpayee, Dubey, Pathaks, Tripathi, Shukla , Dwivedi , Chaturvedi clubs of Brahmins. A Brahmin, by Vedic technicality is NOT a caste, but a concept which helps one know the consequences of action (Karma) later in time. In equivalent terms, it is the combined form of Rule 2 (responsibility) and Rule 6(safe speed) along with general Prudence , of the Colregs 1972. the british and the muslim invaders mis-interpreted Brahmanism, giving Brahmins also as a caste-form. Otherwise, it is but a philosophical research. Researcher from any caste would become a Brahmin ones his research was over. That also explains the reasons for these surnames among the Brahmins which is actually the Upadhi ( a status title) earned by them. Shastri is one more such title. Benares was one centre for these jobs.
A pandit , or a temple priest is different from a Brahmin, although essentially seen as one and same, by way of inter-marriages. Thus many other clubs, such as Vajpayee, Pandey, Shukla are only priest, taken as Brahmin, for knowledge on how to conduct a prayer ceremony.
10) Philosophy later attached with the Benares Hindu University became very popular study in the city. Dr S Radhakrishnan, the first Vice President, himself a 'Doctor of Philosophy in Philsosophy' was the vice chancellor of BHU from where he took over as the vice-president. His birthday is marked as Teachers Day in India.
11) B.K Matilal, another product from BHU, is the most read authors of study books on Indian Philosophy. His Nayay thesis( justice, -method of proving an argument) is supposedly the closest resemblance work of Indian Philosophy to the Aristotlean theories on the same topic. He is known for many other achievements.
12) Benares has got three different universities: BHU, sanskrit vidyapeeth, and one more( refer Wikipedia).
13) Pan chewing (beetle leaves) is a typical cultural habit of Varanasi dwellers. In this intense atmosphere of spiritual Philsosophy and debates, I can notice thyroid related problem to be immense. These problems are mostly of origin from emotional stresses one undergoes in this kind of atmosphere. Pan leaves with Chuna (lime) and tobacco maybe one of the locally found neutralizer for the bile juices produced from liver in higher stress conditions. Thyroid is the chief triggering hormones for such work. Thyroid in itself is impacted by Pitutatry Gland, which is master gland located in the brain. Ones thinking-center is located there too. Thus emotional stress show up as body disorders.
thyroid - hypo or hyper, shows up as losing hair, bulgy eyes, crumbled legs, weak bones, low energy level, high climate temperature intolerance, kidney or liver problem, calcium imbalances in bones, etc.
I noticed these problems in many life forms , including humans, cows, dogs.
Sports and Athletics maybe the most distant choice for Varanasi dwellers. Politics is naturally the closest.
I am dweller upon the banks of river Ganga
Back to the city of varanasi. After a long sojourn. after a journey through the oceans of this world. How does it feel ? Being back to your roots. Being back to ur religion. Being back to ur ancestors. Being back to your ownself. I have come around. Quite literally. But only literally . Not psychologically. There, one only advances up. Only a little more closer than before, I am. To what? Read the first few lines to learn that. Then what took me so far from them. ? The job , or the time-space continuum, or the History which is but a huge volume of time.
This same river, river ganga, this same heat, these summer seasons, these same lanes, the narrow cow dung laden smelly dirty ones, - they seem to become dear to me. I wonder why and how. I feel so peaceful. I try to reason out why. As I write this blog, I attempt to put my account of explorations yet again for my friends and my generation to read. To think, and to know, and to tell me,- how did we as a member of one religion, member of same native lost away our true self in our yearn to know more, and become more determined when it was the confusion which is actually supreme. Confusion, which some entropist also call as the chaos. The chaos of this universe even when the factor of time works on it momentarily to give it it's Dharma, the Ethics. A knowledge which we call the Brahma. and yet we get confused , literally to resolve out the effect of time on the changing nature of Dharma, ending up creating our own chaos in this already chaotic universe. The formula for finding peace and happiness for the human live that we mortals souls are living today is to not add more man-made chaos to this already chaotic universe. To know the dharma and to live by it.
This theme takes me to one sunk in oblivion conversation with my ship's agent in the port of skikda, algeria , last year. It was on 17 july 2010, I recall. We were talking about the religions , Hinduism and Islam. He wanted to know from me as to what my religion is about , what are my ethos, what are my beliefs, what does my religion teach me. He was surely well-read about my religion , as I was about him. He saw the gold ring in my finger and told me that honest muslim men never wear gold on their bodies, only women do.
I thought for a while. So much of arguments and so much of reading that I kept abreast with on Orkut came on my mind. it all downpoured heavily. Rained cats and dogs. I controlled myself.
Then, I said , my religion is all about endorsing 'confusion' as the supreme law of the universe. He looked baffled, ... I was also. I continued, we are the oldest religion on the planet. So much that either we are not a religion, or else we are its only religion while others are sects. We began with the beginning of humans on this planet. I come from varanasi, the holy seat of this religion. Microsoft Encarta says that Varanasi is one of the oldest surviving city on this planet. It is over 3000 years old. It was what Mumbai is today. Commerce is the business today. Spirituality was business then. It happend from there. Ram, shanker, swaminarayan- they all came from the ganges valley.
We have our believes. but so do we have the opposites also in our fold of believes. U may believe Ram, so may u believe in Ravana. U may believe in Shanker , but so u may do in Vishnu. We are polytheist. U always remain a hindu. Some orkut friends say that only ur respect for Vedas defines that one is a hindu or not.the religion turely is the vedic dharma, while there are no universal rules, no universal good and evil, the local beliefs are allowed to happen. That adds to it's confusion, or say that, that pushes further wide its boundaries of encompassing. U can perhaps do anything u feel like, as a true vedic believer.
He asked me, then, that how do hindus find their peace of mind then? How do they know what's right and what 's wrong? It is too much complicated to practice hinduism as ur guiding thought of mind.
His cross examination for once really got me adopt his believes. So did I do, from inside, to atleast admit that it is so much non-sense and complicated for ordinary humans to live with immense self-contradictions, and yet call some of them a hypocrisy and others as valid ones. Isn't it like that? U call some things as Dharma and yet u allow the opposites to happen by some indistinct remote application of some weird philosophy and call that dharma too. And yet you apply again some philosophy to call somethings Adharma.
Anybody will question- What are you, mister? What are your beliefs ? Do u say that only what u say is correct and the others are incorrect? What I say is incorrect? Is that what is ur religion? Boo to it , and boo to u.
Hinduism is also about being close to nature, I thought. And doesn't the nature encompass the mutually contradicting laws? U want to live , but death is inevitable. U want to love, but it fades away, u want to live peacefully, but there is always struggle. Some creatures can live only on land, some only on water and some on both. Some only in air. Nature always held exceptions to prove its rule. Infact the rule of death also seems to be violated in case of sharks and viruses.
Islam and other Abrahamic faiths are so easy, so less confusing, he suggested to me. In these relatively newer faiths , U know clearly what to do and what not to do. U have ur set of practices.
In my religion, there is only Dharma which in itself is so complicated to understand. One man's dharma can be other man's Adharma. Only knowledge and experience gained from your constant Karma, can teach u what are dharma. It is so complicated.
I sat down to think, is it my confusion again, or my religion the epithet for confusion; but which allows me to endorse change , the law which is an anti-thesis of peace and tranquility. or is it the steadfastness of Islam, it's simplicity which has been attempted to weed out all confusions which makes it , although a fundamentalist in one sort, but also a religion of peace in the other.
I felt confused. That was my religion. I am a vedic dharma practitioner. I am ever-assimilating, ever-flowing. I reason, I argue. It is through my flow (that one wave crushes against another wave or the river banks, and thus) I find my dharma, the method to get rid of the muck which I take in with everything that comes to me. I am a dweller on the banks of river Ganga.
This same river, river ganga, this same heat, these summer seasons, these same lanes, the narrow cow dung laden smelly dirty ones, - they seem to become dear to me. I wonder why and how. I feel so peaceful. I try to reason out why. As I write this blog, I attempt to put my account of explorations yet again for my friends and my generation to read. To think, and to know, and to tell me,- how did we as a member of one religion, member of same native lost away our true self in our yearn to know more, and become more determined when it was the confusion which is actually supreme. Confusion, which some entropist also call as the chaos. The chaos of this universe even when the factor of time works on it momentarily to give it it's Dharma, the Ethics. A knowledge which we call the Brahma. and yet we get confused , literally to resolve out the effect of time on the changing nature of Dharma, ending up creating our own chaos in this already chaotic universe. The formula for finding peace and happiness for the human live that we mortals souls are living today is to not add more man-made chaos to this already chaotic universe. To know the dharma and to live by it.
This theme takes me to one sunk in oblivion conversation with my ship's agent in the port of skikda, algeria , last year. It was on 17 july 2010, I recall. We were talking about the religions , Hinduism and Islam. He wanted to know from me as to what my religion is about , what are my ethos, what are my beliefs, what does my religion teach me. He was surely well-read about my religion , as I was about him. He saw the gold ring in my finger and told me that honest muslim men never wear gold on their bodies, only women do.
I thought for a while. So much of arguments and so much of reading that I kept abreast with on Orkut came on my mind. it all downpoured heavily. Rained cats and dogs. I controlled myself.
Then, I said , my religion is all about endorsing 'confusion' as the supreme law of the universe. He looked baffled, ... I was also. I continued, we are the oldest religion on the planet. So much that either we are not a religion, or else we are its only religion while others are sects. We began with the beginning of humans on this planet. I come from varanasi, the holy seat of this religion. Microsoft Encarta says that Varanasi is one of the oldest surviving city on this planet. It is over 3000 years old. It was what Mumbai is today. Commerce is the business today. Spirituality was business then. It happend from there. Ram, shanker, swaminarayan- they all came from the ganges valley.
We have our believes. but so do we have the opposites also in our fold of believes. U may believe Ram, so may u believe in Ravana. U may believe in Shanker , but so u may do in Vishnu. We are polytheist. U always remain a hindu. Some orkut friends say that only ur respect for Vedas defines that one is a hindu or not.the religion turely is the vedic dharma, while there are no universal rules, no universal good and evil, the local beliefs are allowed to happen. That adds to it's confusion, or say that, that pushes further wide its boundaries of encompassing. U can perhaps do anything u feel like, as a true vedic believer.
He asked me, then, that how do hindus find their peace of mind then? How do they know what's right and what 's wrong? It is too much complicated to practice hinduism as ur guiding thought of mind.
His cross examination for once really got me adopt his believes. So did I do, from inside, to atleast admit that it is so much non-sense and complicated for ordinary humans to live with immense self-contradictions, and yet call some of them a hypocrisy and others as valid ones. Isn't it like that? U call some things as Dharma and yet u allow the opposites to happen by some indistinct remote application of some weird philosophy and call that dharma too. And yet you apply again some philosophy to call somethings Adharma.
Anybody will question- What are you, mister? What are your beliefs ? Do u say that only what u say is correct and the others are incorrect? What I say is incorrect? Is that what is ur religion? Boo to it , and boo to u.
Hinduism is also about being close to nature, I thought. And doesn't the nature encompass the mutually contradicting laws? U want to live , but death is inevitable. U want to love, but it fades away, u want to live peacefully, but there is always struggle. Some creatures can live only on land, some only on water and some on both. Some only in air. Nature always held exceptions to prove its rule. Infact the rule of death also seems to be violated in case of sharks and viruses.
Islam and other Abrahamic faiths are so easy, so less confusing, he suggested to me. In these relatively newer faiths , U know clearly what to do and what not to do. U have ur set of practices.
In my religion, there is only Dharma which in itself is so complicated to understand. One man's dharma can be other man's Adharma. Only knowledge and experience gained from your constant Karma, can teach u what are dharma. It is so complicated.
I sat down to think, is it my confusion again, or my religion the epithet for confusion; but which allows me to endorse change , the law which is an anti-thesis of peace and tranquility. or is it the steadfastness of Islam, it's simplicity which has been attempted to weed out all confusions which makes it , although a fundamentalist in one sort, but also a religion of peace in the other.
I felt confused. That was my religion. I am a vedic dharma practitioner. I am ever-assimilating, ever-flowing. I reason, I argue. It is through my flow (that one wave crushes against another wave or the river banks, and thus) I find my dharma, the method to get rid of the muck which I take in with everything that comes to me. I am a dweller on the banks of river Ganga.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)