Thursday, February 25, 2010

German students learning on waste management in TN

http://www.hindu.com/2010/02/26/stories/2010022650370200.htm

The students also planned to visit the waste disposal facilities at the Vellalore yard of the Corporation and the sewage treatment plants at Ukkadam.

Now these students are not INDIAN STUDENTS, but GERMAN...as mentioned foreigners will keep learning infinite lessons and sometimes they will also claim copy rights and claim its theirs(Basmati or Vaastu or Turmeric are few examples).

BUT HOW MANY INDIAN COLLEGES ARE SENDING THEIR STUDENTS to learn these...and more importantly WHY IS MEDIA NOT REPORTING SUCH NEWS IN HEADLINES?
IT CAN BE DONE ONLY BY YOUTH REALLY LOVING INDIA AND TAKING THE MESSAGE across using internet/emails...
Answer this below of Abdul Kalam, the scientist who later became President, but even he could not either change the media...to a better role…

Tell me, why is the media here so negative? Why are we in India so embarrassed to recognise our own strengths, our achievements? We are such a great nation. We have so many amazing success stories but we refuse to acknowledge them. Why? We are the second largest producer of wheat in the world. We are the second largest producer of rice. We are the first in milk production. We are number one in remote sensing satellites.
Look at Dr Sudarshan. He has transformed the tribal village into a self sustaining, self driving unit. There are millions of such achievements but our media is only obsessed with bad news and failures and disasters.

I was in Tel Aviv once and I was reading this Israeli newspaper. It was the day after a lot of attacks and bombardments and deaths had taken place. The Hamas had struck. But the front page of the newspaper had this picture of a Jewish gentleman who in five years had transformed his desert land into an orchard and a granary. It was this inspiring picture that everyone woke up to. The gory details of killings, bombardments, deaths, were inside the newspaper, buried among other news.
In India we only read about death, sickness, terrorism, crime. Why are we so negative?

http://www.carnatic.com/kishore/articles/art_0020.html

Let me also remind Albert Einstein who unlike Abdul Kalam refused the President post given to him for Israel, and also said 'Press controlled by vested interests'...
Now we know why Press is reporting 'negative'...and we can't get
anything better from something that’s controlled by 'vested interests' as Einstein said.


தெய்வத்தின் குரல் again tells how journalists could really contribute to country’s real development and peace using their writing skills and report skills.

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Mahatma Gandhi on Education




Check how the Swedish schools have learnt these lessons on the native language and its importance.
Wonder when the other countries where conflicts take place on any difference will begin to learn? Check out on Swedish Religious education too…..on how to understand and accept other religious values and how the different religions are taught in Swedish Schools.
It’s a matter left to Swedish educationists as to find why the children coming out of their school say they don’t believe in God after learning different religions in schools.

http://www.umea.se/download/18.eb59392124cc061fa280005772/Info+om+den+svenska+skolan_NY_enGB.pdf

http://www.gandhi-manibhavan.org/gandhiphilosophy/philosophy_education_aspergandhi.htm


I find daily proof of the increasing & continuing wrong being done to the millions by our false de-Indianizing education.
Education through a foreign Language entails a certain degree of strain, and our boys have to pay dearly for it.
We, the English educated people alone are unable to assess the great loss that this factor has caused.
The canker has so eaten into the society that in many cases the only meaning of education is Knowledge of English. All these are for me signs of our slavery and degradation.
The foreign medium has made our children practically foreigners in their own lands. It is the greatest tragedy of the existing system.

If I had the powers of a despot, I would today stop the tuitions of our boys and girls through a foreign medium and require all the teachers and professors on pain of dismissal to introduce the change forthwith. I would not wait for the preparation of Text books. They will follow the change. It is an evil that need a summary remedy.

Among the many evils of foreign rule, this blighting imposition of a foreign medium upon the youth of the country will be counted by history as one of the greatest. It has sapped the energy of the nation, it has estranged them for the masses, it has made education unnecessarily expensive. If this process is still persisted in, it bids fair to rob the nation of its soul. The sooner, therefore educated India shakes itself free from the hypnotic spell of the foreign medium, the better it would be for them and the people.

If anyone thinks English has given jobs and economic booms, please check on how Japan within a short period or Germany or Sweden or any Scandinavian country or Taiwan, Korea all got what you may call development. We have only been made to depend on English all these years and all failures of English are bound to come to us if we follow English.
Check how the Swedish schools have learnt these lessons on the native language and its importance.
Wonder when the other countries where conflicts take place on any difference will begin to learn?

Kanchi Mahaswamigal again in தெய்வத்தின் குரல் reminds on the true Indian education instead of what we now have a borrowed education from the past colonial masters, customized to India. He also make a dig at the Nehru’s remark on Kitchen religion, and says yes our religion is Kitchen religion to mean, what we eat influence our mind and our spiritual life and therefore cooking be also part of education. Again in Sweden cooking is part of school education, a compulsory one.

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Yoga Swamigal of Nallur – His Natchinthanai

Sri Lanka is definitely a blessed land to have Yoga Swami. The sage from Nallur has given நற்சிந்தனை (Good thoughts) a collection of prayer songs which he composed and made his devotees who came to him to sing.

In நற்சிந்தனை there is an appeal from Yogaswami to contribute 3 Rupees per year (it must be before 1950s) to do சிவதொண்டு . How many are aware of this? And how many make a contribution to do சிவதொண்டு ? Each and every Sri Lankan should think on these lines when they spend on their birthday parties or marriage parties or numerous other parties which they have invented out of the British ‘educational qualification’ they want to parade proudly . In this connection could remember how when a devotee introduced his daughter who came after completing M.A from an Indian (of another British system) University, Yogaswami had said I will give another letter for your studies which you can have and added D to her degrees(MAD).

In another song in நற்சிந்தனை, Yogaswami also says not to see any difference as Tamil or Sinhalese and also not to fight. Did Tamils and Sinhalese ever know of these lines? Instead they have lost thousands of lives and is there any effort to translate Natchinthanai to Sinhala? Even though the English have done much damage, they have learnt greatness of Yogaswami and Natchinthanai and there is a translation of many of Natchinthanai in English. Bharathiyar lines when he says, if there are great works of lines in any language it should be translated to Tamil and any greatworks in Tamil should be translated to other languages should be followed for Natchinthanai. Can not think of anything better than Natchinthanai produced from Sri Lanka. This should be translated to Sinhala and people should also translate Natchinthanai in action with many centers across Sri Lanka if people really want to live in peace.

Monday, February 22, 2010

Best social security through Hindu Caste system

Happen to read below lines and thought of sharing
"American business is about maximizing shareholder value," said Allen Sinai, chief global economist at the research firm Decision Economics. "You basically don't want workers. You hire less, and you try to find capital equipment to replace them."
http://finance.yahoo.com/banking-budgeting/article/108886/the-new-poor

Few years back as a student of Science, Technology and Society there was a professor who in one session gave an example(very proudly) on how a single machine in colonial times the British were able to produce what it took many hundreds or thousands of Indian laborers to produce the same.
I immediately put the question, is this an example of ‘creative destruction’ a term which was taught in another session of STS studies. The professor took a pause before shooting another question to me instead of answering my question. He shot back asking, Is this how you want to look at this?
I did not want to give an answer and kept quite, for that was not what I expected as an answer from professor. Had he been sincere, he would have accepted and acknowledge yes that’s another way how we exploit other countries where we sell our science/tech and make money.
I don’t think one should be a student of economics or STS to be aware of this, when watching பாண்டவர் பூமி , the mother played by மனோரமா tells the same point when her villagers are happy seeing the tractor ploughing the field, asks ‘will these people be happy if they know that this machine is going to take away their jobs?’.
Thus science, technology’s marriage with economics has brought its own price which still our English educated brains fails to accept/acknowledge.

Now will the Hindus caste system which is described in Swedish school books as
Security and gives determined roles be understood as the best social security any society could get or will it continue to be taught under English hypnotic brains as social evil which should be removed?
Thus people talk of win-win situation, this is not possible in creative destruction, instead its possible if Hindu’s caste system is rightly understood as ‘Division of Labour for society’s best social security for everyone in society’.
தெய்வத்தின் குரல் இன்னும் சிறப்பாக சொல்லியிருக்கிறது.

Charity shows – A Hippocratic society on the growth?

Read on ‘English’ magazine, how the once Great ‘Bretainians’ organized charity shows for helping Swedish people. The writer was actually trying to talk of charity shows for the African poor and was recalling how the ‘English’ had done once to help the then poor Swedish people. Today the same once ‘Great’ Bretainians are learning from Swedish ‘school’ education system among others.

Now when I read on the former ‘slaves’ of the Great Breatainian countries how they want to organize the charity shows for helping poor/sick/orphans, etc it just makes me sad how these former slaves are still mental slaves of their rulers even now.

As long as these former slaves maintain their old colonialists education system, the people coming out of such system will always take pride and honor in showing their

Now do we need such a suffering people to be given money by charity shows? Is not our hearts bleeding when one hears about it? Do we need comedy and actors and other ‘entertainment’ to part away our ‘excess’ money?

Can’t we be generous to give our excess money without these so called charity shows in the name of ‘entertainment’?

If charity shows are conducted for fund raising to renovate an old temple or a temple tank or to protect cows (even this does not fit in since its again another life, but can add since our society is now using human lives suffering for their charity shows) which needs renovation, then it’s a different matter…but to raise funds for suffering of another human as a reason to do charity shows is nothing but a sign of ‘English’ hypocrisy that’s getting its fruits out of the English education maintained in the slave colonies.

In the same note, it’s another English hypocrisy to send old/used clothes and other stuffs (including things which are hazardous in their own country and can not be dumped and so they send it across the so called poor countries under the name of ‘help/charity/gift/etc’) to the poor countries. Will the rich people of the poor countries be generous to share what they have with their own country poor?

Once again like to remind the readers what Swami Vivekananda said more than 100 years ago,’ Open your eyes and see what a piteous cry for food is rising in the land of Bharata, proverbial for its wealth! Will your education fulfill this want? Never.’

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Life around the temple

கோவில் இல்லா ஊரில் குடியிருக்க வேண்டாம் .
Town without a temple, do not live there. A proverb in தமிழ் – This should be interpreted to mean our life should be centered around temple and not build a temple to make it a secondary leisure place while we have other works as primary. This is how I notice about new temples mushrooming in other parts of world, when back home many temples of old kings are left to ruin which could be renovated and well maintained.

Temple life is all about employment which provides the best social security.
Sculptors and builders – including dharma சத்திரம் /temple தேர் /வாஹனம் and temple water tanks both for temple festivals and as drinking/living places for animals
Music and Dance – Vocal and instruments (besides vocalists or instrumentalists, people who make instruments)
Bell and other metal instruments makers make a living.
Pottery makers for pots or any clay based items including lamps.
Cow protection with milk, ghee, curd and other dairy products and cow’s urine and dung as disinfectants/medicines
Horticulture with flowers and garlands
Agriculture – Rice, Fruits and Vegetables as prasadams and annadanams including coconuts.
Cloth industry – for gods and decorations including temple festivals, umbrellas and other needs.
Jewel industry - for gods ornament making
And the other numerous works associated with a temple and its festivals are giving employment in ‘Determined castes’ one does it with honour accepting as one’s holy duty(dharma) instead of thinking high or low and without giving rooms for exploitation or making fun of. Bhagavad Gita warns, it’s better to die doing one’s own duty even if one is unskilled in it than doing someone else’s duty.

Under cow protection
Besides the temples which have recently taken up cow protection in many places in தமிழ் நாடு and other states in India, Hostels in schools and colleges should have a separate place to rear and protect cows. It should be part of hostel inmates to look after cows. Besides getting the cow’s milk we will give children duty towards protecting cows. The children may belong to any religion, but protecting cows can be a good ethics which no true religious parents can deny.
The cow dung is an anti pollutant and protects from harmful radiations and there are many other numerous benefits to this if done. A country can be judged by the way it maintains and protects the cows, says Kanchi Mahaswamigal. More of this is mentioned in தெய்வத்தின் குரல் vol 7.

Songs of Kabir to unite all hearts

When Kabir was young he wanted Ramanand as his Guru, but since Kabir was a Muslim by birth (or brought up by Muslim parents), he was not sure how he will be accepted, so he laid on the steps of Ganga on the path way one early morning. Ramanand stepped on Kabir’s body and felt it’s on someone he had stepped, he says, ‘Ram Ram’ . Kabir took this as his Guru Upadesa.
What a glorious life/songs from Kabir to unite hearts if only we have the heart to read and accept, else we will still be struggling in the ocean of life.This is beautifully mentioned in தெய்வத்தின் குரல் by Kanchi Mahaswamigal.


O SERVANT, where dost thou seek Me?
Lo! I am beside thee.
I am neither in temple nor in mosque: I am neither in Kaaba nor in Kailash:
Neither am I in rites and ceremonies, nor in Yoga and renunciation.
If thou art a true seeker, thou shalt at once see Me: thou shalt meet Me in a moment of time.
Kabîr says, "O Sadhu! God is the breath of all breath."


So long as man clamours for the I and the Mine, his works are as naught:
When all love of the I and the Mine is dead, then the work of the Lord is done.
For work has no other aim than the getting of knowledge:
When that comes, then work is put away.

ALL things are created by the Om;
What a way to describe the creation?

But that formless God takes a thousand forms in the eyes of His creatures:
What a way to describe the forms of God?

O SADHU! purify your body in the simple way.
As the seed is within the banyan tree, and within the seed are the flowers, the fruits, and the shade:
So the germ is within the body, and within that germ is the body again.
The fire, the air, the water, the earth, and the aether; you cannot have these outside of Him.
O, Kazi, O Pundit, consider it well: what is there that is not in the soul?
The water-filled pitcher is placed upon water, it has water within and without.
It should not be given a name, lest it call forth the error of dualism.
Kabîr says: "Listen to the Word, the Truth, which is your essence. He p. 94 speaks the Word to Himself; and He Himself is the Creator."



IF God be within the mosque, then to whom does this world belong?
If Ram be within the image which you find upon your pilgrimage, then who is there to know what happens without?
Hari is in the East: Allah is in the West. Look within your heart, for there you will find both Karim and Ram;
All the men and women of the world are His living forms.
Kabîr is the child of Allah and of Ram: He is my Guru, He is my Pir.


More in http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/sok/sok002.htm

Monday, February 15, 2010

Swami Vivekananda Narpani Mandram

Appoodi Adigal, one among the 63 Nayanmars is very unique. He has heard of Appar Swamigal and was so motivated by Appar’s உழவாரப்பணி (to clean temple premises wherever he visited to pray.) that Appoodi adigal started social services(in those times, social services means doing services to Siva devotees or pilgrims who visits different temples in different parts of the country, offering free food/shelters) in the name of Appar Swamigal even though he had not seen Appar in person.

The country declared Swami Vivekananda’s birthday as the National Youth day. It’s wonderful to see some motivated youth to do social service in Swami Vivekananda’s name and ideals. Few such Narpani manram is working for years under the support and blessings of Swami Virupakshananda of Chengalpat Sri Ramakrishna Mission.

In this direction, youths should start more Swami Vivekananda Narpani manrams in their villages and help the poor as real social service. As of now when I do google search on Swami Vivekananda narpani mandram I get below link first and rest are not really fitting the search results
http://rkmchengalpattu.org/activity.htm

Power of youth when channeled towards the National Youth’s ideal will do wonders to the country. Let’s wish and hope people and other mission centers take up Chengalpat mission branch as an example to motivate and help youths to form Swami Vivekananda நற்பணி மன்றம்.

Friday, February 12, 2010

Vegetarianism and animal's right to live

2,000 years ago, there was no proper teacher to teach Buddha on why animal sacrifices were performed says Kanchi Mahaswamigal in தெய்வத்தின் குரல் .

And so Buddhism spread across India and world, but soon Adi Shankarar and other teachers came and explained why its all part of Hinduism.(Explanations can be read in தெய்வத்தின் குரல் in detail). So in the land which gave birth to Buddhism had to once again return back to its Mother religion on Vedas as Hinduism.

Influenced by western ideas/education, now people want to talk of animal rights whenever animals are brought into any Hindu festival or rituals or traditions. But who is there to ask butchering animals’ meat and eating them to fill the stomach, is it not denying the right of animal to live? The Very basic right to live for animals is taken by these meat eaters and butchers, and no body wants to talk about animals’s right to live when people kill animals to fill their stomach?

The followers of Buddha might have stopped giving animal sacrifices meant to please devas (same way as how Zarathustra’s and its influenced mid east religions stopped) to get rain for everyone in world, including other animals to eat plants as Bhagavad Gita says. But have these followers stopped eating meat of animals? And what happened to compassion to animals which Buddha showed even for those sacrificial animals?

And also those animal rights groups always want to bring protests only when Hindus do anything with animals…what about Muslims who also remember their Holy Prophet’s sacrificial act and sacrifice goats and other animals?

This is what happens when one try to follow a religion founded by single man however holy or spiritual that man may be. For over the years of hundreds and thousands of years, the same discipline shown by that founder can not be seen in its followers. The followers over the years might also misinterpret their founder. Thus the followers damage their own religions themselves by being far off in their discipline from what the founder personally shown and lived. This might even happen to any saint or sage’s message of any religion including Hinduism. But the greatness of Hinduism is it is not founded by a single sage or saint, but on Vedas, the eternal laws which are only discovered at different times.

Hinduism asks its people why do you need to kill another life to feed your stomach and emphasizes vegetarian food leads one to better spiritual life. (Killing an animal is not same as cutting vegetables…)Also in Tamil Vedam of Thiruvkkural also same idea is mentioned, how could God’s grace be there for one who grows his meat by feeding on another meat? (Thirukkural 251)

தன்னூன் பெருக்கற்கு தான்பிறிது ஊனுண்பான்
எங்கனம் ஆளும் அருள் (குறள் 251)

In தெய்வத்தின் குரல் , Kanchi Mahaswamigal tells more in details on Vedas and Yagnas or vegetarianism for one is interested to read more.

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Why Proud to be a Hindu?

Swami Vivekananda said long back, Proud to be a Hindu. But lets think what should make one proud to be Hindu.
When one reads Chicago address to parliament of world religions, one could easily get answers, why should one be proud as Hindu.
Not many knows who else spoke on the parliament, but the world even now knows of Swami Vivekananda and his message. Even for this single reason that everyone born as Hindu should be proud. While his colleagues who spoke on the same stage about their religion, have all been long lost or forgotten, Swamiji is still looked for answers by not merely Hindus but all religious people of the world. We as Hindus should be proud to have produced him.

To remember his lines,
‘I am proud to belong to a religion which has taught the world both tolerance and universal acceptance. We believe not only in universal toleration, but we accept all religions as true. I am proud to belong to a nation which has sheltered the persecuted and the refugees of all religions and all nations of the earth. I am proud to tell you that we have gathered in our bosom the purest remnant of the Israelites, who came to Southern India and took refuge with us in the very year in which their holy temple was shattered to pieces by Roman tyranny. I am proud to belong to the religion which has sheltered and is still fostering the remnant of the grand Zoroastrian nation.’

Every Indians (including those today might have converted to new religions) should be proud even now as people have been pouring to India as refugees from all over the world.

Materially progressed western countries are coming in large numbers, as refugees (in spiritual sense) to seek solace in the genius of India’s ancient religion and philosophies of Vedanta.
Lets not forget modern time refugees from Tibet in the north to Sri Lanka in south and all other countries as well. Even the woman writer from Bangladesh has to seek refuge in India at one time….Thus we all need to make sure that India is strong and ready to help its own people and people across the world when they need a refuge materially and spiritually.

So to be really proud of Hindu, one should read on Swami Vivekananda or தெய்வத்தின் குரல் among other works. But these two I have found as the most important ones, without reading these all the rest of reading might not give the knowledge and confidence to say ‘Be proud to be a Hindu’.
Ignoring we may learn and master and even teach the west new tricks on English science, Tech, Laws, courts, economics, medicines and feel proud of those knowledge which naturally keeps us without courage even to say am Hindu, forget to be proud of it.

But a time shall come when not only Hindus feeling proud but even people of other faiths learning Hindu philosophy once again if not already.

When one visits a Ramakrishna mission center one could find an image or picture of another religious prophet now can we imagine this in another religious place of worship to see a Hindu image or picture? Now read again the genius of Hindu religion which came through Swami Vivekananda inaugural speech in Chicago 1893 11th September and feel yourself the feelings which comes in.

Young boy’s interesting and important question

During my chat of few minutes with children of Sri Ramakrishna mission school I happened to listen to a question from a boy of 8th or 9th std.
His question had been in my mind for only few of years recently but his ability to think so young the same issue gave a pleasant surprise.
He asked ‘We are all studying in Sri Ramakrishna mission schools. Yet, why is it that, we have not got another Swami Vivekananda?’

I was surprised only because of his age, but not the question itself. Since I myself have been spending last years of life in trying to find such answers, I immediately told him to read on what Swami Vivekananda himself said about ‘education’ and whether what he mentioned is followed in schools now. I specifically told him the book ‘My Idea of Education’ Published by Advaita Ashram Mayavati for only Rs 32. This book got published only recently shows the world is slowly waking up to what Swami Vivekananda thought 100 years ago. When one reads one would come to see that all what we now have in the name of education will have to be changed completely to a new vision. Though it’s a new vision its not new to India when one looks into the history of கடிகை in Tamil nadu as how education was taught in those ancient கடிகை or kind of gurukula set up which is mentioned in தெய்வத்தின் குரல் .
We are too afraid to talk on our present education system’s failures on moral/ethical or spiritual values, as we ourselves are products of such a wrong system for over 200 years. But if one reads this book and what Swami Vivekananda mentioned then we will have to agree to his thoughts and then we will know why we still have not produced another Vivekananda.

From another point of view, it may not be possible to produce someone like Swami Vivekananda again, and then we may need another Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and all others who shaped and produced Swami Vivekananda. But we all need to agree still the country is to see someone of Swami Vivekananda’s capability to address the issues of society and religion. We should also remember how Narendra’s father stopped him from going to school as he learnt that which is not supposed to be learnt and brought the teacher to home. It was this decision by his wise father which must have had the great influence on the young mind later to be groomed by his spiritual guru Sri Ramakrishna paramahamsa.

However, it could be a point for dedicated Swamijis of Sri Ramakrishna mission schools to think over this question and come up with explanations and answers. Also it could be now the time to analyze the system/syllabus/methods of teaching if it fits what Swamiji mentioned and re-produced under ‘My idea of Education’.

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

American beauty and Maya and Freedom’s 1896 speech relevance

Whats the relevance between a film by some social thinkers about America’s(or perhaps many countries included) plight of affairs and Swami Vivekananda’s more than 100 year old speech on ‘Maya and Freedom’.

The message conveyed by Swamiji, had it been listened 100 years ago, then message of American beauty is not relevant. But because Swamiji’s message was not heard enough, the message makes another round of appeal even now, after 100 years it was delivered.

What prompted me to write on this was, below lines read couple of days back.
‘Modern life, starting in the West and now spreading around the world, makes a deceptive promise with cruel results.’
‘..it’s especially common in the West to see people trying desperately to look happy, to look excited. It takes time before we can see the sadness behind the smile, the desperation behind the excitement. Not that it is better to go about looking depressed and hopeless. When we are depressed, we can make ourselves feel better by forcing ourselves to smile, to be pleasant. That is therapeutic. But this ebullience covering desperation is a mask which keeps us from dealing with our situation. Even in the midst of difficulties we can find a quiet happiness by changing our
attitude and expectations. That is growth. But this show of mirth covering a wail of unhappiness
is a tragic loss of integrity.’

These are from the Vedanta Kesari of 2008 December issue under ‘Gita’s Way to Self-fulfillment’ by Swami Atmarupananda, Sri Ramakrishna Monastery, California.
For complete reading http://www.sriramakrishnamath.org/magazine/Displaymagazine.aspx?month=12&year=2008&Lang_Type=Eng


How identical and relevant it is with the speech on ‘Maya and Freedom’ more than 100 years ago delivered in London, 22nd October 1896.
Swamiji says clearly,

"It may be very true, but do not think of it. `Make hay while the sun shines,' as the proverb says. It is all true, it is a fact, but do not mind it. Seize the few pleasures you can, do not look at the dark side of the picture, but always towards the hopeful, the positive side." There is some truth in this, but there is also a danger. The truth is that it is a good motive power. Hope and a positive ideal are very good motive powers for our lives, but there is a certain danger in them. The danger lies in our giving up the struggle in despair. Such is the case with those who preach, "Take the world as it is; sit down as calmly and comfortably as you can and be contented with all those miseries. When you receive blows, say they are not blows but flowers; and when you are driven about like slaves, say that you are free. Day and night tell lies to others and to your own souls, because that is the only way to live happily." This is what is called practical wisdom, and never was it more prevalent in the world than in this nineteenth century; because never were harder blows hit than at the present time, never was competition keener, never were men so cruel to their fellow-men as now; and, therefore, must this consolation be offered. It is put forward in the strongest way at the present time; but it fails, as it always must fail. We cannot hide a carrion with roses; it is impossible. It would not avail long; for soon the roses would fade, and the carrion would be worse than ever before. So with our lives. We may try to cover our old and festering sores with cloths of gold, but there comes a day when the cloth of gold is removed, and the sore in all its ugliness is revealed.”
For complete speech
http://www.rkmath.org/vl_mayaandfreedom.aspx?pid=221


And if one watches the film ‘American beauty’ then one could see ‘the sore in all its ugliness is revealed’ as mentioned in ‘Maya and Freedom’ more than 100 years ago.

Thus message delivered in London 1896 if not listened by ‘English’ educated ones, even ‘Indian beauty’ version might come out.

Sunday, February 7, 2010

Stans and Sanskrit benefits

There are many countries which end with Stan like Pakistan, Afghanistan or one which people want to have as ‘Kurdistan’ and yet these countries have forgotten Sanskrit and have embraced religion which does not want to keep Sanskrit. In fact listening to some of their words in their languages one could easily get so many Sanskrit words….as Swami Vivekananda said or as Kanchi Mahaswamigal said that Sanskrit is the root/mother of all languages.

Also some people especially so called pure Tamil lovers, do not want to keep Sanskrit (Not knowing how those great Tamil kings looked upon Sanskrit and Tamil as their two eyes). Such people might even ask why wouldn’t God understand Tamil? Why should Sanskrit mantras be used (Detail explanation why it should be Sanskrit or what is Mantras and why a special caste for preserving all are mentioned in தெய்வத்தின் குரல் ).. if one is really interested they will turn as mentioned to தெய்வத்தின் குரல் , but if one is on a lighter note questions these, then I could ask on a lighter note, why not they ask the same to religions which have come to India from other countries using a far distant language, a foreign language to India in their prayers? Even to say ‘God is great’, they will not use the regional language but a foreign language to India? Can we ask why God wouldn’t understand if one say ‘Kadavuley Periyvar’.

In Swedish Stan means the same as in Sanskrit, the town. Quite sure there should be many languages like Swedish to mean, stan to town.

Now one could easily guess that Boston and Houston must be actually Bostan and Houstan.

The root of all these stans must be the Sanskrit root which we call in temples as ‘mulastanam’. The root/origin of seat/place, meaning God.Meaning that we are all from same one God.

Indians must make every effort to learn Sanskrit and the world too should once again learn this great language in which all great ancient wisdom is recorded. As Swami Vivekananda said, Why can’t we spend few lakhs to teach Sanskrit to all in India, irrespective of caste?

Swami Vivekananda also said, that if Buddha's teachings had been taught in Sanskrit in stead of Pali, Buddhism would have stayed a bit longer in India…how true it is, even now, Nibbana is not much known or used but it is well known under Sanskrit word as Nirvana.

In short learning Sanskrit will unite all people of the world (once again) and make us all respect each other and help each other to spiritually progress towards the same common goal.Instead of fighting over languages for narrow interests, lets see and act to set up Sanskrit learning centers for a wider benefits for all.

Saturday, February 6, 2010

Lessons from Bhopal

While the lesson that we not allow the country to be a place of dumping of old unproven and inefficient managers/technologies to the country to pollute and kill innocent people there is another lesson, most important not many might be aware.

But this lesson has not fully got into our hearts but soon will take our hearts and brain as the country begins to re-discover its glories.

First I came across this in தெய்வத்தின் குரல், where Kanchi Mahaswamigal mentions on how power of mantras and yagnas can be an anti pollutant and how it can be useful to everyone not merely in India but the whole universe(Its also here I read how a British wise one tells that ‘Discovery of Vedas is more important than the discovery of Americas’)

It’s the news reported about how families keeping up vedic rituals performing regular yagnas were not harmed during that fateful accident. Check it in internet by searching for ‘Bhopal gas yagnas’.

Friday, February 5, 2010

Parthasarathy temple and Swami Vivekananda

Parthasarathy Temple in Triplicane,Chennai is sung by the Alwars thousands of years ago. Its no wonder that recently Swami Vivekananda and Bharathiyar were attracted and guided by Parthasarathy, just as how he guided Arjuna to victory.Swami Vivekananda mentions this in his letter saying that Parthasarathy is not only the sarathy for Arjuna but for all Indians to do the work ahead which Swami Vivekananda started and sought blessings for.

I wonder if there is any other temple to where Swami Vivekananda asked his friends (when he was in America) to visit and pray. Many might know that Swami Vivekananda wrote asking his friend to go and fall at Parthasarathy.

Similarly National poet Bharathiyar also spent his last days in Triplicane visiting Parthasarathy temple.

The Indian and Tamil film industry is yet to pay a real honour and respect to these youths. A film of the kind of Veerapandya Kattabomman is needed.

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Indian Hospitality - Dharma chatrams

Sometime back happened to listen to an interview in TV Channel and the person is one who had returned back to India from India. He had set up star hotel and some educational institutions and is considered a successful business man to be interviewed.During the interview he mentioned, it was natural for an Indian to do in these areas as Indians are known for 'hospitality' and 'education'.

Now this is what is the alarming and dangerous situation arising in the new times...

Demanding money for food,education,medical care/justice is not the real Indian ways in its rich traditions.Indians need not learn these 'English' version of Indian hospitality/education/medical care/justice.

Dharma Chathrams(Free accomodation) and Anna Dhanam(Free meals) are the real Indian hospitality. Ayurvedic treatment is now given way to English medicines and treatment business.

Long back Mahatma Gandhi warned of these medical/education/laws&courts are getting unnecessary expensive and is robbing the ethics and moral values of society.

In தெய்வத்தின் குரல் there is a question on 'What is Swaraj?' in Volume 1 and Kanchi MahaSwamigal answers it more brilliantly than one could imagine...Are we listening to those தெய்வத்தின் குரல்? இன்று இல்லையேல் என்றோ ஒரு நாள் தெய்வத்தின் குரல் நம் காதுகளுக்கு கேட்கும்.

புண்ணிய பூமியான பாரத தேசத்தில் தெய்வத்தின் குரலை கேட்டு அவர் கூறியது போல் நடப்பவர்கள் பலர் இருக்கிறார்கள் என்பதில் சந்தேகம் இல்லை.அனால் இன்னும் பலருக்கு தெய்வத்தின் குரல் கேட்க வேண்டும் என்பதே விருப்பம்.

Chengalpat people stopped train to listen Swami Vivekananda

Since the train had to pass through Chengalpattu before reaching Chennai, and there was no official stop at Chengalpattu, the people gathered and requested the station master to stop the train at Chengalpattu station. When the request was denied, the people layed flat on the railway track and made the train stop. Swami Vivekananda delivered a speech for 10 minutes and the people were happy. This incident became the seed for the development and growth of Swamiji’s ideologies.

When I read these above from http://rkmchengalpattu.org/history.htm
it strikes to me how our தெய்வ தமிழ் நாடு people have been now converted to do what is called rail roko or to stop trains.Roots of these what could be now termed as disturbing acts are actually actions in a very high spiritual thoughts of the past.

When one reads on how Chengalpattu people were spiritually thirsty and hungry to listen to words from Swami Vivekananda its really wonderful.Lets hope once again the same people will lead on the spiritual seeds sprouting again as and when it is needed in the country and world.

Monday, February 1, 2010

Lords and Namas and Namaste

For sometime been wondering why Warren Hasting, Dalhousie are given 'Lord' titles? How ignorant we are to use and how hypnotized we are? Is it not time we call these people Warren Hasting or Dalhousie without Lord?

Calling Krishna or Rama with Lord and also these people with Lord really makes us, a society still in the grips of colonial slave mind set.

Word of Namas as the Muslims use and the Namaste of Hindus is interesting. The Namas of Namaste is to say the same meaning as what Muslims mean I guess ‘to bow’. The 'te' of Namaste is to mean 'to you'. So Namas means 'bow' while Namaste means 'bow to you'. I guess because Hindus (religion of Vedas) accepts God in All, and so when they say Namaste, they really mean bow to you (God in the person to whom namaste was said/done)....while am not sure if Muslims have that concept of accepting God in All. Do they?

In தெய்வத்தின் குரல் (Volume 7), one could read a lot on this topic of Namaste…