771. Is It Correct To Blame God for Everything???

The western thoughts have made us to believe that if anything good happens we need to praise the Lord. In the same lines the atheist questions if the Lord is praised for the good is it not logical to blame the same Lord for the bad that is happening?

True, theoretically it is right. If the team leader is appreciated for the successful completion of the project, he will be blamed for anything that goes wrong. This is the thought that prevails in corporate world. So the praise and blame is just the use of the words to vent out the emotions.   

What does the Sanatana Dharma say about this?

A firm believer of Karma Siddantha will neither attribute the Good or Bad to Absolute. Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi in his Upadesha Saram starts thus:

   “Karthuragnayaa Prapyathe Phalam”

Actions yield fruits, for so the Creator ordains it.

Further goes on to say:

   “Karma Kim Param Karma Tad Jadam”

How can Actions which are inert be beyond limits?

Here it is clear that the actions we perform will yield resultant fruits, and Absolute is just the conferrer of those resultant fruits.

We could understand this with an example; let’s suppose I, Sreeram Manoj Kumar am organising a football match between the two localities in my vicinity. I ask for the participants from the respective localities to take part. 

Firstly, I will not let an ace cricketer or a Kabbadi player to take part if he has not played football at all. Only if the player is knowledgeable to play football game I ask them to be a part of the game.

Secondly, I am just an organiser who wants to encourage the football players and would love to see them excel. What they do on the ground is entirely their prerogative.  

Thirdly, as soon as the coin is tossed and one player reads it correctly the opportunity to kick the ball is provided, I as an organiser have to sit and watch the game. I cannot decide who has to kick the ball first.    

There could be False Start, Offside, Holding, Pass Interference, Facemask, Intentional Grounding and Roughing to which as an organiser I do not have any say. My only interest is to watch which team performs better.

I am not entitled for the praise if there is a goal scored or take the blame for a missed penalty kick. I am just an organiser. Amazingly (in the lighter vein) some of the spectators will never who this Sreeram Manoj Kumar, the organiser is, to blame him.    

Now imagine what position the Absolute would be. He has just let us, the players to play the game of life. It was our choice to play it. Absolute never ever wanted or force us to play in the same way as Sreeram Manoj Kumar, the organiser I would not let players of other game into the football match. He just wants us to excel and is not at all intervening in the moves we make. Just as the center-back could fail at making the ball sail into the post there could be failure in the game of life to which neither Organiser of the football game nor the Absolute could be held responsible respectively.          

I am sole responsible for my destiny. Though it would be a good gesture to attribute whatever success I experience to others, it would be my stupidity to entrust my failure on others. And moreover a person who understands Karma Siddantha will never get entangled in the success failure debate, he just does what he needs to do and move on……What say???       

770. Equality or Justice.....!!!!

Sanatana Dharma endorses a particular Dharma which has its traces in the concept of Ritam. Ritam is that which is definitively responsible for the proper functioning of the natural, moral and sacrificial orders in this entire universe. 

Dharma is conceived as the course of action which if followed would benefit the person both socially and spiritually. The failure to follow Dharma would result in Adharma which is social and spiritual fall. If Dharma is followed, the society we live in is in harmony.

However it is not only the harmonious living that could be the criterion. We find Dharma as one of the vertex in the triangle alone with Artha and Kama to realize Moksha. While Dharma stands for the idealism, Artha is for profits and Kama for pleasure. It is human tendency to fail to act on account of Dharma alone by sacrificing Artha or Kama. Since ages there is a great debate on which vortex should be given primacy in deciding what the correct course of action is. Every philosophy tells that for pleasure and profits one should not breach idealism. 

Dharmic system is predicated on a universal view of a system which decides the ideology of every person on his behaviour and his work. That ideology happens to be the Svadharma which unfurls as the basis of that persons Dharmic ideals in the society he is living.

In Vyadha Gita we have a butcher teaching Dharma to a Sanyasi. The episode which appears in Mahabharata describes the importance of performance of Swadharma (prescribed duty). According to the story, a Vyadha (Butcher) who is engage in mincing meat which is his Swadharma is capable of teaching a Sanyasi on how to attain liberation by the performance of Swadharma. In Dhramic system there is nothing which can be pointed out as “Idam Ittam” (definite rule)  

After the advent of British to my country the Dhramic system was disturbed. They had this conception that justice system has to be based on certain definite rules. The law was amalgamated to Anglo-Hindu system which was against the grain of our ancient Dharmic system. Thus the legal system and thereby our Indian Constitution is a peculiar continuation of the strange world of Anglo-Hindu system. This peculiar system is trying to make sense in a “modern” western way of the very ancient Dharmic society. Hence our Constitution tries to address the problems of “Jati” through westernized system of reservations not realizing that it would in effect entrench the system further.

Reservation has pulled my country down. Appraising of certain caste in the name of equality has brought disaster to justice system. We have applicants faking the caste certificates to have a lick at the reservations provided. The main reason to have reservation was not to promote inequality but to promote equality. It is statistically proven that the reservation based on the caste system created imbalance in society and hence there are castes which do not get fair and equal opportunity to grow and participate in economy and social activities. This reservation system does not look at justice but caters only equality and hence it does not account for the upper caste poor and unfortunately hold good even for the lower caste rich.

On the 67^th Republic Day of India I keep hopes that the Constitution of India will be amended to give better social justice to all my siblings who are under the motherly care of my country INDIA.

Wish you all A Happy Republic Day…..!

769. The amalgamation of the Five Vayu in Hanuman............!

When we inhale we take in the life vital breath called Prana Vayu and when we exhale we breathe out air expelling carbon dioxide and this is Apana Vayu. These two vayus are normally known to us but there are three more namely Vyana Vayu, Udana Vayu and Samana Vayu. Vyana is in the blood which helps the blood circulation. Udana is the air which operates in the throat and helps us talk and swallow food. Samana is in stomach which takes care of digestion.

Prana vayu is the most important of the five and hence it is called “Mukhya Prana.” 

Hanuman is called Mukhya Prana in Dvaita Philosophy. He is termed “Jeevottama” the best among Jeevis. Why is he called Muhkya Prana? If contemplate deep there are Abhimana Devathas for all our organs. Sun is the devatha for sight, Ashwini twins for smell, Varuna for taste, Saraswathi for speech, Kubera for touch, Bruhaspathi for hearing, Maha Rudra for mind and so on. If either of the devathas leaves the body the physical body does exist but if Mukhya Prana leaves the body Sri Hari who is the Consciousness in us depart.

We have noticed the five faced Hanuman image. Is there any link to the five face and five pranas? Yes, the mention of the Panchamukha Hanuman can be found in Yuddha Kanda of Srimad Ramayana.

Mahiravana, the brother of mighty Ravana was expert in Mahendrajala, Indrajala, Vashikarna and types of black magic. At the time of the Great War between Shri Rama and Ravana, Mahiravana tried to kidnap both Shri Rama and Lakshmana to Patala loka (Nether World) to offer them as sacrifice for his rituals. Vibhishana the other brother of Ravana who joined the Shri Rama sena gets to know about it and intimate Hanuman. Hanuman forms a fortress with his elongated tail and keeps guard. Mahiravana disguised as Vibhishana eneters the tail fortress takes away Shri Rama and Lakshmana who are in deep sleep to Patala Loka.

Hanuman goes to Patala Loka encounters Mahiravana and learns that the way to kill Mahiravana is to extinguish 5 flames glowing in five differnt lamps in different directions. It is here that Hanuman takes the form of Panchamukhi, the five faced amalgamation of Hanuman as prana vayu towards east, Narasimha as udana vayu to the south, Garuda as samana vayu to the west, Varaha as apana vayu to the north and Hayagriva as vyana vayu towards the upper side (central). By blowing of the five flames simultaneously Mahiravana is vanquished.    

It is said that adoration of Panchamukhi Anjaneya confers purity of mind and there by success by Hanuman, fearlessness and thereby victory by Narasimha, Garuda guards from negativity thereby positive attitude, Varaha takes care of prosperity thereby survival, and finally Hayagriva bestows wisdom and thereby perfect progeny.  

I bow to the amalgamation of the five vayu in Hanuman. 

kapi mukha purvam dakshine narasimham paschime garudancha uttare sukaracha urdvam hayanana

768. Oh! Mind you are different from what you were………!

A few decades ago the son of a deceased who had performed the final rites was advised to remain in the house for 11 days. He was restricted from going to a temple or let to attend any ceremonies. Understandable so in those times the son was lamenting the loss of his beloved parent. His mind would be preoccupied with those sweet memories which would recur to him in the absence of his beloved parent. The loss would be unbearable as the bond was so thick that he felt the void and knew there is nothing that can fill it……not even the thought of God. There is a saying “Time is the best healer” and as accordingly the 11 days had been allotted for the bereaved person to remain in silence. 

Our scriptures endorse a stable mind to be the precondition for self-realisation hence the ritual of Pranayama before Sandhyavandana. Mind and Breath are interconnected and hence it is said that to calm the mind the breath control is the key. A disturbed mind cannot concentrate on anything as it is very restless. Obviously a bereaved person was believed to have a disturbed mind and caught in the vagaries of mind hence he was told to keep away from the act of merger with Absolute.       

Off late there was chaos over restriction on menstruating women entering the famous shrine on the Sabarimala hill. In earlier days women who were experiencing the menstrual cycle were advised to take rest by not getting involved in the domestic chores. It was the time when their body needed enormous rest as the energy in them would be draining out. The pilgrimage to the holy shrine in the western ghat had 45 days votive and the menstrual cycle phase of a woman being 28 days it was impossible for them to undertake the votive. Though now even men now don't follow the 45 days votive.  

Now the time has changed we have seen the bereaved person inevitably attending his office or factory. Last year one person known to me had arrived from U.S to perform final rites of his mother and had applied 15 days leave. A practical person that he was, he thought of purchasing a property making use of his arrival to Bangalore. But his relatives objected to that, I wondered if the person does not feel the bereavement and is looking forward to purchase a property why, should one object in the name of rituals. Can the dogmas induce the bereavement? 

As far as the menstruating women is concern, when we have allowed her to go for work even on those menstrual period not letting her take rest, can restricting her to enter temples justified? The only reason mentioned in our scriptures is that she is “ashudha” (unclean) during that period. 

Hygiene was the matter and in those days women would bath either in the river, pond or near the well. It would be awkward to bathe together during the time when the woman would be menstruating and hence they were restricted. Now in the convenience of sophisticated bathrooms woman can take bath in private. So they can have entry to kitchen drawing room or even pooja room. This is physical purity and in recent times women are more concern with hygiene. There is mental aspect as well.

Psychiatrists talk of the menstrual syndrome, where a menstruating woman becomes more petulant because of a hormonal imbalance. They claim that there is a different aura around a women maybe again a chemical reaction. Segregating to pray requires a positive attitude and people tend to respond to the negative vibrations of a person standing with you; maybe that was the reason why a woman was asked to keep away from place of prayer during these days. 

Whatever the reason, women folk who used to work so hard during the month would get a well-earned rest during that period of time. Amazing in the name of equality they are happy to lose those comfortable days too.

767. How Why and What to write in a blog post

To write a blog any topic can be considered. It is left to the author to decide on what he has to write. The subject that is so selected has to generate interest in the readers and should bring in new dimension in thinking to both the author and the reader More importantly the author has to know more through the responses and get a better understand that what he had before he had selected the subject. This should be the purpose of the blog.

Every effort on the blog impacts the readers from content to the design and everything in between. The readers will read the blog if they like what is written about a specific subject and they appreciate the style of writing only if the author is not done with the blog to tell that what is written is ultimate. There has to be space to the readers to express their views and if a debate has to take place it has to be such that the reader and the author are benefited by it. It is a good gesture to keep it personable so as to invite interaction through blog comments from other bloggers who like what is written.

Writing blog posts which readers want to read is a matter of speaking honestly and openly about a subject that the author is passionate about. The authenticity of the topic is the life breath of the blog and the subject should not hurt the sentiments of the readers. The subject in the blog has to deliver some evident information there is no point in writing just blog where the subject is either prejudice or non-convincing. The blog posts needs to be dynamic, interesting and enjoyable. The selection of the subject play an important role, the author has to verify if the topic is going to be of any use to the readers in general and to him in particular.  The author has to understand that a wise reader will just ignore the blog if the contents are not apealing. It is foolishness to incorporate sensational stuff to make the blog attractive without pure authenticity in it. The author has to post blogs which has passed the “Test of Three”.

What is this TEST OF THREE??

One day Socrates, the great philosopher came upon an acquaintance, who ran up to him excitedly and said, “Socrates, do you know what I just heard about?”

“Wait a moment,” Socrates replied. “Before you tell me, I'd like you to pass a little test. It's called the Test of Three.”

“Test of Three?”

“That's correct,” Socrates continued. “Before you talk to me about that something you know about, let's take a moment to test what you're going to say. The first test is Truth. Have you made absolutely sure that what you are about to tell me is true?”

“No,” the man replied, “actually it is just what I heard about it.”

“All right,” said Socrates. “So you don't really know if it's true or not. Now let's try the second test, the test of Goodness. Is what you are about to tell me about something good?”

“No, on the contrary...”

“So,” Socrates continued, “you want to tell me something bad even though you're not certain it's true?”

The man shrugged, a little embarrassed.

Socrates continued, “You may still pass though because there is a third test - the filter of Usefulness. Is what you want to tell me about going to be useful to me?”

“No, not really...”

“Well,” concluded Socrates, “if what you want to tell me is neither true nor good nor even useful, why tell it to me at all?”

The man was defeated and ashamed and said no more.

A blog has to send great messages not just a have an issue on an individual, community, society, religion to discuss. The blog has to take us front not drag us back.

766. Symptoms of approaching Kali Yuga – A Story from Bhagavatam.

After the Great War Lord Krishna left Dwaraka to Paramapada, King Yudhisthira was ruling Bharathavarsha. His mighty brother Bhimasena was in charge of the welfare of the citizens in the kingdom. He used to help in solving the problems of people; hence people would come to him with grievances.

One day a person came and told Bhima that he noticed a strange thing that day. The fence he had erected around his filed had gained momentum and had ventured into other persons field. He requested Bhima to help him find out why it was happening so. Bhima had never heard a thing like that so he asked him to approach Yudhisthira in the evening durbar.

On the same day, another person came and told that he came across with a strange thing. He had a big pot with full of water and he had poured that water into small pots, amazingly when he tried to pour back the water from the small pots to the big one only half of the big pot was filled. The person was wondering what had happened to the other half quantity of water. Bhima not knowing what to say, he asked him to contact Yudhisthira.

Yet another person came to Bhima that day with a complaint that he happened to see a strange thing. A huge elephant could pass through the eye of the needle but to his surprise its tail got stuck in that hole. Bhima again referred him to Yudhisthira.

Another person came to Bhima and said that he saw big rock in the street and huge wrestlers in the locality could not move it an inch but a Sadhu who was passing by just waved his Palasa Danda (the staff of Palasa tree) and astonishingly the boulder moved. Bhima thinking that it has been a bad day for him since he could not any find solution to the weird happening, he referred them to Yudhisthira.

They all went to Yudhisthira and asked about these questions, then Yudhisthira said that, all these qualities shows that Dwapara Yuga is ending and Kali Yuga is near approaching and he explains ......

The first symptom is one of the fence is moving into other persons filed shows that people are not satisfied with what they have and are more interested to know about what others have and think of a way to acquire them either hook or crook.

The second symptom is the big pot with full of water when it is poured into small pots and pour back into big pot fills only half this means that a person can expect only 50% of love or affection or help from a person to whom he had shown love affection and had helped.

The third symptom of big elephant is going through a needle but the tail getting stuck, it means that henceforth people are ready to spend a lot of their earnings on sensual satisfaction but when it comes to philanthropy they do not spare even a little.

The fourth symptom is, big rock not moved by persons who are having lot of strength but a Sadhu could move it just by waving his Danda. This means that one can get rid of all their enormous and vast problems just by contemplating on the holy name of the Lord.

765. Love is Universal.....

“I love my husband a lot but I can’t stand my mother-in-law” says a young woman. With such a thought, will there be peace and harmony in a family. Will the young woman’s husband be happy to be with a person having such thinking? How can a person love a person and can’t stand another unless he is infatuated by the person whom he thinks he loves. It is like saying I love that red rose but I don’t like the thorn. One has to admit that the love for the red rose is only because the thorns in it did not allow the cattle to gulp the flower. Can there be a rose without thorns? Yes rose is good but that flower would not be without the plant and the plant would not be without the soil.   

All aspects of love can coexist with the personality. With that personality the identity is maintained. There is one aspect of love where the personality and identity loses its ground that is called Universal Love or Divine Love. When our being-ness manifests as Universal Love the identity vanishes and there is no personality. It is this love that spiritual gurus refer to when they say that as long as there is ego, there is no love. They are talking about the Universal Love.

Love is a universal feel it is an expression of the harmony of the totality. Nothing is excluded as everything is in harmony with everything else. It is a unification of all aspects of the essence. When I experience Universal Love I do understand the action of love as well. Love in action is when I am gentle when gentleness is required or compassionate when being compassionate is the need of the minute or to yield when yielding becomes necessary. In total whatever emotions are required it is present and most importantly in correct balance depending on the situation. That is Sama Bhava (Balanced Emotion).

Off late we have seen a few political leaders talking about serving their community and pleading their life for the up-liftment of their particular community. With the lack of Universal Love we have confined to colonisation and the unity of my country has received a blow. My country was practicing Sama Bhava there was never “divide and rule” policy here. We had the thought of Sarva Dharma Sama Bhav (Equal respect to all Religion). We had no differences even though our ideologies and philosophies had difference in opinion. Earlier a family was united and the neighbourhood was united and the locality was united and the region was united and province was united and the whole nation stood united.

Unfortunately now there is no unity in a family and the talk on Universal Love is too big if there is no love among the family members……What say???