What is God?

I count. I am.
Many Gods are.

I count one. I am this or that.
One God is.

I count nought. I am not.
Only God is.

I don't count. Who am I?
What is God?

Bunch of Thoughts

I quote the first few lines of the Bunch of Thoughts. How wide and deep was Guruji's canvas of vision! Quote "Many people in our country hold the view that any venture that we undertake should be based on a grand world-thought capable of rendering good to the whole of humanity eschewing all narrow limitations of the country, community or religion. In support of this view, some proclaim that in this age of missiles and rockets distance has vanished, boundaries of countries have become meaningless and the whole world has shrunk. They, therefore, feel that the very concept of country, nation, etc., has become outdated, that the spirit of world unity alone should inspire all our activities. They conclude that the modern ‘isms’ which have taken up ‘internationalism’ as their watchword can alone lead us to that cherished goal.Now, the question that naturally poses itself before us is how far is the task of reorganising the national life of Hindus taken by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, in conformity with the spirit of world unity and human good? The First in the Field At the very outset, let it be made clear that it is not the modern thinkers who are the first in the field to think in terms of world unity and universal welfare. Long long ago, in fact, long before the so-called modern age had set in, the seers and savants of this land had delved deep into this vital question. The ideal of human unity, of a world free from all traces of conflict and misery, has stirred our hearts since times immemorial. Our one constant prayer all through the ages has been : Let everyone be happy, let everyone be free from all ills. While the present-day West has not been able to go beyond the motto of ‘the greatest good of the greatest number’, we have never tolerated the idea of a single human being – why, of even a single living organism – being miserable. ‘Total good of all beings’ has always been our glorious ideal."

Commercialisation of Hindu festivals

09.08.06 I am afraid the festival of Raksha Bandhan as observed by the public at large has become hostage to commercial culture, where you are obliged to buy a flashy and costly rakhi to express your bond with your brother. Is a symbolic rakhi really required? A bond is always reinforced when one is in the presence of the other. The Ganapati season is coming up and so would Ganapati Mandals. The other day I passed by a place where annually the Ganapati Mandal comes up. I saw another mandal had already come up displaying motorcycle, fridge, television etc. Contribute to Ganapati Mandal and win prizes! To invoke Ganapati, we have only to recite mantras, but we have commercialised the whole thing to such an extent that we now feel that we are unable to perform pujas without a lot of money! For running a shakha you do not need any money. Only an open ground. Swayamsevaks must ensure that we do not slip into the commercial route by conducting our festivals with unnecessary pomp and grandeur. We need to be so simple that expenses for conducting our festivals would be NIL, shakha-like.

Conversion

08.08.06 Christians might wonder what is wrong in asking people to convert to Christianity. Christians should admit that conversion is based on the concept that Christianity is the only true religion. To Hindus the idea that only one religion is true is sheer ignorance. Everyone should accept all religions as sincere attempts to discover the divinity in us and everywhere. Any vision less than this would only pit everyone into different antagonist religious camps.

Middle East crises

05.08.06 The latest Middle East crisis highlights a singular fact about Islam and the consequences of it becoming the dominant religion in a society. Here is Israel attacking Lebanon and the Lebanese army is a bystander. It is Hezbollah that is engaging Israel. This signifies just one fact – there is no such thing as a national spirit in a nation where Islam is the dominant spirit. When Muslims become the dominant community in a country, they regard their community as the nation. Whatever remains of the traditional nation has to fend for itself.

Muslim conscience keepers

27.07.06 This article gets it bang right on. Arjun Singh’s brothers-in-arms Laloo Prasad Yadav, Mulayam Singh Yadav and last but not least V.P. Singh also deserve the honour of Greatest Muslim conscience keepers.

Terrorism

04.04.2004 Terrorism – its impact on the present day world. Terrorism is not a new phenomenon. If we take it to mean the use of violence to achieve one’s goals, we can see that it has always been an integral part of man’s existence. For how can we deny, whether it is war or an isolated incident of wife-beating, that violence is involved - violence which brings terror to the victim? But in today’s parlance, we would hardly call the wife-beater or a much-decorated war-veteran a terrorist. The definition of terrorism has been confined to the large-scale violent activities by secretive organisations against states and its citizens in order to bring to power governments after its own ideology. The LTTE, Irish Republican Army (IRA), Basque separatists, the various outfits in Kashmir and now, Al Qaida, are all universally recognised as terrorist organisations. But many of these organisations claim to be freedom fighters. In fact, these organisations work hard and ingeniously at winning over public support at grass-root level. So the saying, “One man’s terrorist is another’s freedom fighter” makes sense. Whatever the public perception, the terrorist eventually relies on wanton violence. It is here that the common man must pause to ask an all important question. What causes man to take to the path of violence? While many would believe that the New York Twin Towers’ destruction is a prime example of terrorism and the unfolding scenario of America avenging itself militarily against its perpetrators is the sort of answer that would solve the problem of terrorism. I think this is only a superficial response. We must realise that the root cause of all terrorism, nay violence, is a restless mind. Even if we liquidate all proven terrorists, today’s saviours may be tomorrow’s totalitarian regime. It is not difficult to imagine an anti-terrorist America tomorrow setting out to structure the world according to its vision, and backing it by its own form of terrorism (economic, maybe). An end to this vicious circle can come only at the individual level, when - if not all individuals, at least the most influential ones - take to the path of calming one’s restless mind. This brings us to the subject of spirituality, which is the art of self-realisation – meaning, we discover peace in the truth of our essential self. Unless we discover peace, it is a truism to say that we would be restless. So long as we are restless, we would be a breeding ground of all forms of perceived lack or hurt. Thereafter we, in our agitated state of mind, seek external causes for our problems of lack or hurt. We, in our hallucination, conjure up the enemy and thereby we are born again as a terrorist to avenge our hurt. Unless we understand that all the so-called macro (social) problems of this world have a solution only at the micro (individual) level, we would simply be beating around the bush attempting erroneous solutions to an imagined problem. Our relationship with today’s world, thereby, would become a violence-ridden one.

Writing

16.07.02 What prompts an individual to put pen to paper and what does he expect to come up with? In my case I would say that much reading maketh a man try the game of writing himself. Just a natural reaction to reading, you may say. Whatever, I do hope much writing, even those forced by reading, would finally result in the capacity to create literature. Do I have anything to sell, or, should my writing be purposeful? Or should it simply be a laisser faire sort of rumbling along, all in the hope that it would result, one day, in the capacity to purposeful writing, if need be? Would such need ever arise? Well, considering my background and the type of passion that flows within me, it is obvious that no sooner I feel I am able to churn words effortlessly, I would find myself dressed to go in for the kill. So there I have no doubt, whatever my motivations for reading (enjoyment what else?), my motivation for writing is not that innocent. It would turn out to be nothing less than activist writing. This being so, let me get right way into the act.

Meditative Hinduism

13.12.99 No one’s going to be wholly comfortable anywhere except in themselves. And no one’s going to be wholly comfortable with anything either – they would be comfortable only when they are within themselves, being free to truly observe the objects. Unfortunately, the observer becomes dependent or involved with the observed even before the observation truly beings. Happiness or lasting peace is the state only the free enjoy. And the sine-qua-non of freedom is the freedom from bondage (of relationships) and burden (of activities). Meditative Hinduism is all about unburdening the burdened. Meditative Hinduism is only one aspect of Hinduism, the Hinduism that prepares the ground for the manifestation of the Gnostic man. Popular Hinduism, meanwhile, evolves the Hindu to the meditative stage.

Kamla Das

13.12.99 Kamla Das’s is a last hurrah act. An urge to be once more in the limelight before the final curtain fall. Watch for Prasannarajan’s essay. He would bare it all. Kamla Das says she felt lonely and fearful that she would have to pay for her sins. Alas, she hasn’t seen that loneliness is a consequence of material living. And Islam, as a religion, does not have an answer for the soul’s loneliness. It can at best distract man from his loneliness through external comradeship or brotherhood of the believers. Till the problem is solved, the individual becomes restless, which is why the Muslim community is a restless community. Kamla Das’s disillusionment with Hinduism is probably because she could not go deeper than its ritualistic aspects. In fact, it appears that she has not understood even the basic aspects of either Hinduism or Islam. Hinduism has the inexorable law of Karma. This is not a reward/punishment law. It is simply the law by which life is organised. Actually, it is Islam, with its day-of-judgement belief, that sees Allah in the reward/punishment mode.

Conversions

13.12.99 Conversions are anathema to the Hindus because the only ‘conversions’ the Hindus believe in is the conversion from the materialistic to the spiritual. But for Islam and Christianity, conversions mean ‘adding to the flock’. Religions ought to be lessons towards spiritualism, not a means of political mobilisation.

The sensitive one

13.12.99 The temptation to flee from a place where there is uncouthness is natural. Particularly when one is sensitive. Yet the real victor is one who remains unaffected and cool. For is it not the fate of the materialistic to ever be in fragments? In any case it would be well to remember that one is in this place only for the money. One does not depend on the external for any other security. Do not expect any sort of comfortable behaviour towards you. You are already comfortable by virtue of your presence within. You have no ego to be hurt. You have a ego only if you place yourself outside. When you are within, where’s there a place for an ego? When you say you are here for money, it doesn’t mean you are bothered abut it al all. Once the salary has been agreed upon, why bother about it ever again? So, in short, during your work here, you would have no problems. Be fearless. That is, don’t fear losing your job.

Materialist's happiness

13.12.99 Don’t be fooled by the materialist’s happiness or good mood. It’s eminently transient. We would say, they have no hope, except that they turn spiritual.

Naming

13.12.99 Who am I? I am not any of the identities I gain through intercourse with society, primarily because man cannot gain knowledge except by labelling or naming differences. If there were no differences in what man perceives, he wouldn’t need the use of his mind. His mind comes into play only when he notices differences in what he perceives. The first thing he does about those differences is to name each difference differently. Thus as he keeps on naming the various differences he perceives in nature around him, his vocabulary burgeons. But we must realise that naming a thing is not necessarily knowing that thing, except that he knows it the way he understands it. It is this understanding that become the naming of words given in dictionaries. But often, the understanding could turn out to be a misunderstanding.

The resolution experiment

13.12.99 The resolution experiment. We have heard of resolutions when talking of PC monitors. We of course are familiar with table fan resolutions. Viewed against normal background, we cannot differentiate the reaction of the three blades of a table fan, but when viewed against switched on PC motor, we can easily differentiate the slow-moving’ blades. Why?

Materialists

13.12.99 The materialists are moved by power and the less ‘educated’ among them kow-tow to power. In fact, they can be moved only by power and not their innate sense of righteousness. They lose their sense of righteousness when power ‘shines’ on them. For example, when the boss is around, they fail to see others in their blind subservience to the boss. They are on their toes and blanketed by fear when ‘serving' boss. Why? Lack of spiritualism, of course.

Hindu vs. Islamic terrorism

24.07.06. The time has come for the Hindus to rise to the occasion. Hindu institutions are under attack, both from within and without. The time has come for the ordinary to show the world that he or she has the will, determination and ingenuity to protect its institutions and attack its enemies so that it is no longer under any threat. 20.07.06 Vis-à-vis Islamic terrorism and the need to go into its roots to exterminate it, it is time we differentiated between the Muslim and his religion Islam. I feel that we should not make Muslims in general the villains of the piece as far as Islamic terrorism is concerned. The ordinary Muslim has grown up to believe that the tenets of Islam are Allah’s words and they are inviolable.

On Islam

20.07.06 Dear Anwar Hussain saab, I read your letter in the Asian Age of 19th July where you said all are Muslims who want to follow Islamic teachings and calling some Islamists who want to live according to the Islamic Shariah would suppose there are Muslims who are non-Islamists. What you say is, by experience, true. All consider themselves Muslims, including Ahmediyas who are not allowed to consider themselves so by the Pakistani government. Then again there are the Sunnis and Shias, all Muslims but who still consider each other different. So probably the writer sought to call the more conservative Muslims Islamists. These are nomenclatures and could be useful to differentiate the heterogeneity that Islam has actually turned out to be. If you would be kind enough, I request you to please enlighten me on why Prophet Mohammad had to cleanse Mecca of its idols in order to begin his religion? Does this not prove that Mohammad was intolerant of other religions? (You might say that he only reclaimed the Grand Mosque, which was defiled by the idols, for Islam. This implies that Islam existed before Mohammad taught it. If it indeed existed and traces its origin to Prophet Ibrahim, all I have to say is that Prophet Ibrahim too was an iconoclast, who started off by breaking the idols his father worshipped. Anyways, intolerance!). Awaiting your comments.

Mid-term elections?

15.06.06 Mid 2006 - The state of affairs in Indian politics. The UPA government keeps going only to keep the BJP out. The most intent in keeping the BJP out are the leftists. So long as the left sees any possibility of a BJP comeback, they will continue backing the UPA under all circumstances. The moment they are sure that the BJP is down and out, they will withdraw support to the UPA government and force a mid-term election, hoping thereby to become the main opposition party. They can then aim to be the ruling party in the subsequent election, by which time they would have hustled up a third-front. The Congress, on the other hand, is concerned only about regaining power all by themselves. Their OBC-minority appeasement policy vis-à-vis reservation is part of their strategy to get a thumping majority and form a single-party government. The moment they are confident their calculations won’t go awry, they will call for snap elections, regardless of whether the opposition slot is occupied by the Left or BJP. Thereby hangs the tale of the ‘support-withdraw support’ politicking by the CPM. The Congress may, from the Left point of view, call for an election prematurely. That is, they might call for an election when the BJP is not totally down and out and may beat the CPM to the opposition spot. Unless the BJP is completely in disarray, the CPM would not want the Congress to think of mid-term elections. This is the state of affairs of Indian politics mid 2006.

Rahul's Press Conference

16.06.06 Rahul’s press conference. Rahul Mahajan’s press conference highlights the fact that he is not a run-of-the mill charge-sheeted accused. All men are equal, but some are stars in their own right. Those around him obviously see a political role for him. Otherwise why was a press conference necessary? The most important thing for a politician or a budding one is image. Since Rahul’s image has been tarnished, he has to take steps to re-burnish it.

Childhood memories

24.07.02 The earliest vivid memory I have of myself is of my waking up one morning and looking for the gun on the table by my bedside and then crying because it was not there. There I was, confused between dream and reality. I am unable to date it but such memories in Beraddin Estate would have been before I was seven. I remember Thomas, my class master and me rushing towards Teachers’ Room to exclaim, upon meeting him midway, that some had “bell ringing” and then being embarrassed that I was not able to properly express myself. How quaint, I remember him tucks my palm into his hands and leading me back to where the action was. Then there was a period when I was in the house of Mrs. Mathews and I remember the day I was hit by a car and thrown off to a drain by the road. Nothing happened to me and it must have relieved the driver of that car.

Dr. Kalam's inauguration

27.07.02 Today Dr. Kalam is taking over as India’s President. It would be great if we can hear his speech live on T.V. Could it be the first time a president is addressing the nation so quick after inauguration? I feel deeply that this president would do a lot through his speeches and interactions, to enlighten the masses about the need to have a spiritual view about religions and thus would in fact be rooting for perennial Hinduism – the vision of truth being one and expressed variously.

Quran and Shariat

27.07.02 To: ib@I-g.org Dear Mr. I.A. Ibrahim, I have just read your book “A Brief Illustrated Guide to Understanding Islam (2nd edition) brought out by Darussalam, Houston. I am impressed by its contents. However, you have not mentioned anything about shariat. I have the following query: Is shariat that which is culled only from the Quran or does it also include texts which are from sources other than the Quran? I ask this question because I see that on matters like talaq, some countries have altered its interpretation under certain circumstances. I doubt if any injunction from the Quran can be tampered with and therefore I was wondering if some injunctions in the Shariat could be from sources not as sacrosanct as the Quran. Please clarify or guide me to a site on the internet where I would get the answer to my query.

Shoot on sight anti-nationals

29.07.02 I think India is restraining herself vis-à-vis Pakistan because of America’s pleading: Give time and opportunity for Mushraff to deliver. However, that chap is not going to deliver - he will have his own agenda. Maybe I am being simplistic, but why can’t India simply have a policy of shooting on sight anti-India nationals? Maybe there is a genuine fear that in this guise innocents might be killed. Moreover, any leader ought to know that real victory is the winning over of hearts. It must be noted however that if India is going to be victorious, we can’t have anyone and everyone strut about as if they are the arbitrators of India’s destiny. The arbitrators of India’s destiny ought only to be those who love Mother India and are determined to live for Mother India.

Praful Bidwai

04.07.06 Hear Praful Bidwai, the great secularist. [Here’s what Praful Bidwai, the Frontline columnist, had to say in the vein of secularism.] The party’s (BJP’s) gut-level instincts remain deeply Islamophobic and hawkish on questions of security.An instance is Mr Vinay Katiyar’s offer of a Rs 1 lakh reward to anyone who kills a terrorist in Kashmir. This was no different from Uttar Pradesh minister, Mr Yaqoob Qureshi’s offer to anyone who kills the Danish cartoonists who insulted Prophet Mohammed. [Only an avowedly Marxist Islamist like Praful Bidwai can say that Katiyar’s sentiments and Qureshi’s sentiments are alike. Katiyar’s was a sentiment of nationalistic frevour whereas Qureshi’s was a display of Islamic intolerance. While the former mindset will strengthen India, the later will destroy India – as it did partially in the creation of Pakistan.] It must be condemned equally strongly.

Consciousness

18.10.98. The quality of an individual’s life depends on the level to which he has been able to raise his consciousness. All individuals are endowed with consciousness. This consciousness comes to each individual at birth at a pre-set level, which level may be determined by his previous births. Or could be, his consciousness finds its level in the first 3 years or so of his current life – his pre-memory period. From this ‘level’ his consciousness can either rise or plunge. Rises and plunges would occur under positive or negative external influences (often internalised) respectively. But dramatic rises can begin to occur only when the individual seeks to be conscious of consciousness itself.

Anti-national Kashmir leaders

18.08.06 Mirwaiz Umar Farooq: We are more than willing to discuss all available options to arrive at a negotiated settlement, but no solution within the framework of the Indian constitution is acceptable, nor would we settle on the division of the state. Why is such an anti national, anti constitutional idiot being treated as a legitimate leader of Kashmir by the Indian government? Also note, he will not allow the division of Kashmir but he has no qualms about dividing India. And he is glossing over the fact that two regions in Kashmir are Hindu/Buddhist majority and his writ does not run there.

Chalo Kashmir

[This is a would-have-been e-mail to a blogger who was my collegue. Unfortunately I could not mail him this.] Dear Manvendra Vartakji, I read your blog CHALO KASHMIR on NDTV's Blog. I have commented on it. I think we have actually met. My name is Venugopal and I was at Desert Line in Azaiba (the camp near Seeb airport) in Oman around the early 90s. If I remember correctly, when you arrived in Desert Line we stayed together for some time in the container-type accommodation in Desert Line. You told me then that you were staying in Shankar Peth in Pune. Subsequently I think you were sent to one of the sites in the interior and we may not have met after that. I left Desert Line and joined Al Hassan Corp. in Ruwi and then altogether left Oman around 1996. Have been in India since (my village is in Kerala) and for the past 9 years I have been in Mumbai working as stenographer in a CA firm in Fort . How did life go with you since we last met? Please do write. It would be good that we keep in touch. You may visit my blog site. It is at: http://www.kaikulath.blogspot.com/ There is no doubt that we are on the same wavelength as far as the situation in our country today goes. Regards Venugopal My e-mail id: venu1005@hotmail.com

Let the dogs bark but the caravan goes on.

[This is a comment following new reports about swayamsevaks in government services being banned from participating in Shakha.] Swayamsevaks, no doubt, will continue participating in the shakha and other activities of Sangha, whether they are in government service or out of it. Let the government start its persecution and we will see what the courts have to say. I am reminded of the proverb: THE DOGS BARK BUT THE CARAVAN GOES ON. Let anti-RSS folks do their utmost, but Sangha will continue its Dharmic mission.

Corruption-free living

The following is an unsolicited comment I gave a person who had e-mailed and asked me to format an introduction letter of an NGO that had last conducted a seminar titled "Corruption-free Education". Corruption in education, or elsewhere for that matter, will end only if a child starts with proper education - an education awakening him (or her) to the truth of himself - that he is a perfect being in a perfect creation. Any teaching less than this is only training, training to run along with the crowd - a sure invitation to corruption!