Worshipping martyrs will be futile

Back to Contents" MATERIALISTIC OUTLOOK - SPIRITUALISTIC OUTLOOK

MATERIALISTIC OUTLOOK The materialistic outlook says that body and "the feeling of 'I'" are inseparable. The feeling of I cannot be represented by the word 'soul'. Soul is an imaginary concept. When we die, the activities and functions of the body cease. Systems fail to work. Mind is not an integral part of the body. We get a feeling of having a body and a life, because our body organs and the senses perceive the forces and things outside the body and respond to the external stimuli. Thus birth, life and death are nothing but a natural cycle and there is nothing SPIRITUAL in it. SPIRITUAL OUTLOOK The Hinduism, particularly the Bhagavad Gita, the Sankhya Vedanta and the Upanishads dealt with spirituality in length. Gita preached that just as a man changes his old clothes and adorns new ones, the spirit (atma) sheds its old body and assumes a new body. Thus, the spirit has no birth, maturity and death. It is the body which germinates when the spirit enters the zygote-fetus, matures and emerges out of the womb and continue to grow and perish, while the spirit within the body continues its tryst with its own destiny. Body is only an instrument. Adi Shankara propounded the Advaita philosophy. Advaita = Not two. According to this the human spirit and the God are one and the same. Madhvacharya propounded the Dvaita philosophy. Dvaita = two. The human spirit and the God are different. They can never unite. Ramanujacharya propounded the Visishtadvaita philosophy. The human spirit at the end of its adventure merges with the God. This reunion is emancipation or mooksha or saayujyam (being one with the God). The materialistic outlook reflects the hard realities. The spiritual outlook is only a figment of imagination. Is the SPIRITUAL OUTLOOK totally useless? It urges us to think that "we and our body are not same. Being the spirit we command our body." This helps us to be more active, instead of being fatalistic or passivised. If we can really free ourselves from the confines and contours of our body, we get freed from certain prejudices which we acquire from our family, friends and teachers. The self-persuasion that a person is different from his body, is self-deceptive. Yet, it is a useful tool to gain freedom. (A belief that a man is not free, may also be a figment of imagination). What is the object of this post? Do you want to spread Hinduism or its philosophy? 1. Certainly not to spread HInduism. 2. To examine if there may be something good in pagan philosophies also. 3. Also religious philosophies treat us as ignoramuses and make us ignoramuses, if we are not one. We have to examine the precepts from time to time, to prevent such contingencies.

Back to Contents ISLAMIC TERRORISM

PROBABLE CAUSES OF ISLAMIC TERRORISM Illiteracy Perception of threat to one's own God and religion Misguidance by clerics Excessive missionary activities Conversions by using foreign funds Perception of US and Euro oil companies robbing Islamic Nations Loss of confidence in the "justice" administered by World bodies dominated by Christian Nations. FORCES WHICH STRENGTHEN ISLAMIC TERRORISM Funds from Non-resident Muslims Open market for sophisticated weapons and explosives Sophisticated safe communication channels like TV and Internet Encouragement by Islamic Terrorist Nations Survival of some parties in Islamic Democracies only by supporting fundamentalism FAILURE OF GOVERNMENTS Deliberate failures Acquiescenses and inefficiencies Terrorism funds as source of survival to Govts. SOLUTIONS WHICH HAVE NOT WORKED SO FAR Help to Islamic Govts. hoping that they will fight terrorism. Massive air rides and parachuters --Civilians died. The children of the civilians get recruited to terrorist organisations. This is the greatest danger. --Alien soldiers cannot distinguish between innocent citizens and terrorists --This has begun to be identified as CHRISTIAN TERRORISM. Dividing Islamic people into Shias, Sunnies and others tribes, and RULE. --Intensified sectoral and tribal wars. --Fissions cannot solve. CONSTRUCTIVE SOLUTIONS HIGHLIGHT ON INTRA RELIGIOUS TERRORISM -- Suppression of women in Islam: burkha, triple talaq, polygamy etc. -- Denial of access to technological education. Islamic Clerics believe that their hegemony will be broken once the members of the religion start using the principles of science and start challenging what the clerics preach. EDUCATING PEOPLE -- Publish more books on children's education, science -- Start more English AND local language newspapers. The papers should be free from obscene advertising and crass commercialisation. -- More scholarships to students from Islamic countries. (Important: They should be treated with honour and not with suspicion. Otherwise, they will save and fund terrorists.) CLOSE SURVEILLANCE ON THE ACTIVITIES OF ARMS -- EXPLOSIVE MANUFACTURERS CLOSE RECONNAISSANCE ON ARMS TRADE -- LEGAL AND ILLEGAL. RESEARCH ON ALTERNATIVE ENERGY SOURCES Euramstranz should allocate large funds on exploiting non-conventional energy --Particularly Sea Wave, Solar, and Wind. If alternative energy dominates, role of oil will fall. -- Euramstranz Oil Companies can withdraw from Islamic Nations. -- Excess Proud Islamic OIl Nations will start fresh lives. -- Perception of Euramstranz Oil Companies robbing will also go. NEED TO REDUCE ROLE OF RELIGION IN HUMAN LIVES This may have to start with the Christianity and the Bible. Higher role to science and rational thinking. NEED FOR MORE WORLD RATIONALIST INSTITUTIONS Universities have to sponsor and financially support. NEED FOR WORLD COURTS FOR SETTLEMENT OF DISPUTES BETWEEN INDIVIDUALS Well administered system of justice minimises resort to terrorism SUMMARY > No shortcuts. Terrorists will stay for sometime to time. Frisking, interrogating, suspecting every non-white, suspecting every person with Islamic names, every person with beard will not solve the problem.

Back to Contents RELIGION CONVERSIONS

STOP CONVERSIONS - RELIGIOUS INTOLERANCE WILL STOP There is a direct proportional relationship between religious conversions and intolerance. The years 1001 to 1757 AD of the Indian history is splattered with the blood strains of conversions of Hindus into Islam by Delhi Sultans, Bahamany Sultans and Moghul emperors. Women and children were abducted by invading armies and forcibly introduced into Islam. The years 1707 to 1947 were filled with conversion of HIndus into Christianity by missionaries working under the guise of operating schools, hospitals, orphanages and old age homes, with open encouragement from the WHITE rulers. The independence of the country in 1947 raised hopes that there will be respite, but unfortunately there is no such recess. Hinduism does not proselytize. Islam today has lost its invasive verve. Why the Christianity is hell bent on converting people? The Christianity's focus is on converting people. The WHITE WORLD of Europe and North America sends funds to Africa and Asia ostensibly for social work and help the poor with a hidden link to the number of people attracted to the faith. More and more people in India are taking up the proselytisation as a money-making occupation because it is very much remunerative. Every religious head preaches on stage that God is one. That He can be worshipped in any name and in any form. That He is omnipresent. That He treats every object of his creation equally. That He filled this world with fragrance and elegance of love and there is no place for hatred. If all these are true, and if every religious preacher believes in these, there will be no need for canvassing and converting, simply because there is only one kingdom of God in which all the people of all religions are children. A person can pray any God of his liking without going through the process of being converted. Anybody can go to any place of worship whether it pertains to his birth religion or not. Ignoring these facts, today conversions are going on a large scale promising people that prayers will be made for sick persons and cure is ensured by attending svasthatha kuutams and conversions. Unfortunately, people are argument-shy, gullible, helpless, ignorant, illiterate, miserable, obliging, poor, sick and unable-to-say no type. When people are in absolutely hopeless position financially, healthwise, and socially, a promise of help will receive ready acceptance. Conversions taking place as a mercenary business cause communal disharmony and strain among relatives, neighbours. The fights which take place between the RSS, VHP and the converting missionaries are attributable to the expansion of the business empire of Selling the God. During the last two months, I received at my home two teams of women on a door to door campaign to convince women inquiring whether there are any sick persons in the house and whether they can pray for the sick. The first is at Guntur. The second is at Amalapuram where I went to see my son. When they started their sales talk (they seem to have been well trained), offering well designed and neatly printed hand outs, I raised them a few questions which they could not answer. !) Why the Church collaborated with the slave trade engaged by the Europeans with State patronage? 2) Why the Kingdom of God did not help the negros from 1565 to 1865 when they were fettered like animals and sold at markets, though they were converted to Christianity from African religions. 3) Why the whitemen engaged on slave trade on Hughly river in India and went on stealing Indians using nets, lassos and baskets? The canvassers have no historical perspective. Nor they are interested in knowing history. This is because, they have been fed with only a particular set of literature. It is true that social inequalities and untouchability was rampant in India also for rampant and lower castes were exploited. But it is clear that changing God did not solve and will not solve their problems. Even reservations did not solve their problems because solution is not in conversions. Hindus also have a lot to blame themselves for the mass conversations taking place. Hindu temples like TTD, Sabarimalai are busy collecting money, gold. They learn little from history. Caste distinctions and social ostracisation continues. The plethora of the God business which is going on in Hinduism creates a fertile ground for conversions. They or the Heads of Peethams have no sincere desire for reformation as their own earning power and authority will be at stake and if other well wishing Hindus suggest the need for reforms a hue and cry is made. Politicians work on the minds of people, keeping the vote bank in mind and acquiesce conversions or instigate people against conversions depending on the calculations of votes. Should n't people have a right to chose a God to worship? -- Certainly, they have. -- But not under undue influence. == Not under high pressure salesmanship. Will it be better to continue birth religions? -- yes. == with freedom to worship Gods of all religions. == to read books of all religions. Should conversions be banned? -- Conversions will have to be banned as they make no sense when God is ONE. -- Status quo ante is necessary till people become philosophicaly aware of what is what.

Back to Contents GROUP WORSHIP: GODS' MARKETS

Different types of prayers and worships? -- solitary worship in private place -- solitary worship in public place -- group worship in private place -- group worship in public place. Advantages in solitary worship in private place? -- good concentration -- less expensive == no transport costs == no charges levied by places of worship -- saves time -- flexible timings Disadvantages -- mind is a monkey. surrenders to distractions. -- no guidance == from elders, seniors == from professionals -- cannot create impressions on outsiders. What are the advantages in solitary worship in a public place? -- create impressions on outsiders -- emulate others Disadvantages? -- look like a bigot/fanatic/fundamentalist. -- expensive -- needs use of transport -- timings and holidays for the place of worship What are the advantages in group worship in a private place -- restricted admission, hence privacy. -- guidance from elders, seniors, teachers. -- better concentration in a group. Disadvantages -- expensive, may have to provide transport to friends/relatives. -- laborious. -- time constraints. Advantages in group worship in a public place? -- better use of holidays -- guidance from professionals -- use govt. facilities -- image of piousness Disadvantages -- loss of concentration, in a carnival like atmosphere. -- instigation of communal hatred by the preachers/clerics/pastors/priests. -- rigid rules -- expensive -- sound, lumination pollution Advantages of visiting and praying at places of worship of all religions? -- harmonious relations. -- good for the country. Disadvantages? -- People of our own religion may disown us. -- Others may not allow. -- Very expensive. -- Unneessarily enlarged role for the places of worship and religious leaders (clerics/priests/pastors). Should a person worship/pray at all? -- No need. -- Doing one's own duty sincerely is adequate.

Back to Contents STORY OF EKALAVYA - TREACHERY BY TEACHER Eekalavya was a tribal youth. Wanted to learn archery. Approached Droon`a who was the archery teacher in Indian Epic Mahaabhaarata. Droona was in the royal court teaching princes. When E. approached, D. enquired from him whether he belonged to warrior caste. E. replied in negative. D. turned him down and sent him back to the forest. Disappointed, but E. was perseverant. He made a clay of D. and started practising archery. Effort did not fail, He became a good archer. One day Arjuna, the prime disciple of D. and the hero of Mahaabhaarata went hunting. Losing his way, he reached the area where E. was practising archery. The hounds accompanying the Prince barked and pounced on E. In self defence, E. killed some of the royal hounds with his arrows. Now A. was envious of the archery skills displayed by E. Arjuna enquired from E. who his teacher was. E. replied that it was Droon`a. Arjuna went back and expressed unhappiness before his teacher of having been betrayed. Droona said that he did not teach anything to E. D and Arjuna went to the forest. D found that E was practising archery before an earthen idol. E saw the teacher and fell at his feet. The teacher admonished E for learning archery without his consent, and at the same time asked for his fee. E requested the teacher to prescribe the fee, which he will pay joyfully. D asked E to cut E's thumb and gift him. This E did never expect. An archery strength is his thumb. If he loses it, he will be as good as a cipher. E without hesitation joyfully severed his thumb and placed it in the hands of the teacher. Arjuna was satisfied. D also went back to the royal city. Is this story not foul?

Back to Contents story of MADHAVI This is a grotesque, obnoxious story of women trafficking. It is shameful that we find it in an Epic of great fame like Mahabharata. Where in Mahabharata: 5th book : Udyoga Parva : At the request of Dhritarashtra, three sages try to convince Duryodhana about the need to avoid a war. Gaalava was a disciple of Visvamitra. G completed his education. Customarily, G approached the mentor to stipulate the fee he should pay. V asked G to present 600 perfectly white horses with no black spots. G was a poor fellow. He did not not have the horses. He went to Dyu looka (The world of the Sun God)in the skies. (How did he fly in the sky, this question cannot be asked in a mythical story of superstitions). Could not find the horses, or somebody who can fulfil his desire. Garud`a, (A small God KITE who happens to be the carrier of the bigger God Vishn`u) was a friend of G. G narrates his problem to Garud`a. Garud`a says that such pure white horses are not found in the sky. Cleverly, he advised G to approach kings on the Earth for a gift of the 600 white horses. G thanked Garud`a. He first approached the King of Ayodhya seeking a gift of 600 white horses. The king did not have the horses. He was afraid that G would curse him. He asked G to take his own daughter Madhavi (king's daughter) as a gift and offer her to somebody who gifts 600 pure white horses in exchange. G took Madhavi, thanked her father. G went to the King of Kasi City and sought the 600 spotlessly white horses in exchange for the girl. The King of Kasi desperately needed sons. But he had only 200 white horses. A bargain was struck between G and the King that he would use Madhavi for begetting one child in exchange for the 200 horses and return her to G thereafter. G took 200 white horses. Left Madhavi with the king. The king got a son through Madhavi after spending one year with her. G took back M. G approached this time, the King of Malva. He was also childless. He too had only 200 white horses. G struck a bargain. Left Madhavi there for one year and took the 200 horses. Madhavi gave birth of one son to the King in one year. G took back Madhavi. G could mobilise only 400 horses, so far in the two years. In spite of best efforts, he could not trace another king who can give the remaining 200 hearses. G was worried terribly, afraid of being cursed by his Guru V. Garud`a (kite God) reappeared before G and advised him to approach the Guru V. with the 400 hearses and pray him to accept them and also to take Madhavi for the balance. G approached the Guru V and prayed him to accept the 400 white horses + Madhavi. V. accepted them as fees and relieved G. Madhavi gave a son to V. also. Thereafter, she was vexed. She went to forests. She died in the forest in due course.

Back to Contents STORY OF PUNASSEETA Parents sold their son! STORY A king by name "Raja Harischandra" did not have children for a long time. He prayed the God of Rain (Varuna) for children and hastily promised to gift the boy to the God. Varuna came to collect the boy soon after his birth. The king went on postponing the gifting of the boy to Varuna, under one pretext or the other. When the boy reached sixteen, the God Varuna felt vexed that the King would not honour his word. He insisted upon a clear reply from the king of "YES or NO!". The king came out openly and prayed the God for forgiveness. The God as an atonement suggested to the king to offer sacrifice of a boy of an equal age. The kind accepted. The king tom-tomed over a wide geographical area requesting parents to offer one of their son as sacrifice animal and promising in return a reward of 100,000 cows. Punasseeta was the middle son among three brothers. His parents were very poor. They were tempted by the offer of 100,000 cows made by the king and wanted to send their middle son to the altar. The father loved the eldest son. The mother loved the youngest. Thus the middle son emerged as the oddman out and scapegoat and was asked to go to the king. Punasseeta was a very much worried youth. He approached a sage called "Visvamitra" for refuge. Promising to save the life of Punasseeta, the sage asked one of his 100 sons to go to the king in lieu of Punasseeta. The sons thought that their father was either too selfish or too foolish and refused to carry out his word. Visvamitra, annoyed with his sons, cursed them to become vagabonds and bandits and move in dense forests. He saved the life of Punasseeta using a different technique. (There are different versions of this story in circulation with minor changes).

TOLERANCE TOWARDS INTOLERANCE

This refers to Mr. Fali S. Nariman's piece "To sing or not to sing" in the Deccan Chronicle of 16.9.2006.
Mr. Nariman did not write anything about the intolerance of the Jehovah Witnesses towards the duties of a citizen to the country in which they reside. He did not examine the question of religions and religious denominations exerting undue influence on their members and their children and preventing them from exercising their national obligations. Nationhood is a two-way affair consisting both of rights and obligations. Why these religions speak of freedom of conscience, when they themselves do not allow their members to examine the issues and decide them on their own? Prohibiting members (children) from performing their school chores and interfering into their personal affairs, is a negative restraint imposed by religions infringing personal freedom.

Religions have to be reasonable in making codes of religious discipline. They cannot place undue restrictions. A simple test of natural justice is sufficient to check whether a particular restraint is reasonable or unreasonable. We have glaring examples of burkha, talaq, sati, child marriages, prevnting girls from wearing bindi calling it pagan, etc. fall under unreasonable restraints. If courts refuse to interfere into thesee injustices on the grounds of "tolerance", it becomes "tolerance towards intolerance." Tolerance towrds intolerance, tantamounts to intolerance. To that extent, justice is denied.

Religions should try to identify their proper place in society. Though God and worship are private matters, there is place for group worship. And this group worship, a person inherits because of acquisition of religion by birth. The religion takes it for granted that the child has accepted all its rigid rules, simply because the parent accepted them. The preachers forget that children have to mature. The religions forget that they have to develop into more accommodative, liberal and participative societies. Today religion is imposed by clerics and preachers taking themselves granted as being the representatives of the God or his representative or the founder of the religion. The founders of the religions themselves have no locus standi to stake a claim of being the sole representatives of God. Where is the question of preachers claiming supremacy? The holy scriptures themselves consist of a number of interpolations which do not have any historical authenticity except vague claims of being taught by the founder.

Mr. Nariman – a legal luminary, has to ponder over all the issues on a wider canvass. There is a need to take into consideration the question of human rights, the existence of a country, nationality and the State, apart from the religion. Supreme Court or High Courts in this country revise their judgements so often that there is no finality. The lawyers who continuously file this revision petition or that revision petition quoting this section or that article tirelessly, simply because their client pay lacs of Rupees know this more. Even in science, there is no finality. When new evidence comes in and new points arise, a need for a relook may arise.

About non-implementation of the Supreme Court judgement, by the School authorities, it is not clear, why the parents of children, abandoned the enforcement part after winning the case. If they were seriously interested, they would have again approached the Supreme Court.

FACETS OF POLYTHEISM

POLYTHEISM is belief in a number of Gods. Looked down world over. Though polytheism is not a virtue to practice, we can coexist with it.

MERITSLet us assume that monotheism is correct. A river can have several names. Same way a God can have several names. A hammer is called 'hathood`i' in Hindi. 'Sutti' in Telugu. By whatever name, a hammer is called and used, the function is same. It hits with equal force. The real question is whether there is God or Not? And not which God? God is actually a common noun. By giving Proper Nouns to it, we are restricting the purview of the God. Humans have proper names. They respond only if called by a single name. If God is also like human (because he is created by human), and responds only if called by a specific name, then he(she) is as weak as we are. Another advantage is, if we are dissatisfied with one God, because he is not fulfilling our desires or removing our hardship, we can shift to a different God (or different name of the same God). Anyway, heshe may or may not respond. Polytheism adds variety and reduces bordeom. The prayer literature can expand. A number of places of worship an be built.

DEMERITSOn the flip side of polytheism, we find that it can lead to confusion and disunity within the same religion. Resources are wasted for building numerous temples.

VENERATION OF SAINTS AND MARTYRS
Though veneration of saints and martyrs does not serve any useful purpose, we can coexist with it.

MERITS: We can try to identify if they have done some good deeds and learn from their lives. The veneration is to be more practice oriented, rather than ritual oriented.

DEMERITS: When reduced to cults, veneration results in wastage of resources. Can even lead to conflicts. For example: Shirdi Sai Baba died around 1925 A.D. In 75 years, temples have proliferated in every street of every village, town and city in India, obstructing traffic.