MERCHANDIZE IF SO DESIRED, DO NOT INTRUDE

Some people believe that they can maintain their belief only through corporatization .Every one has the right to propagate his belief. If anyone believe that they can exist only through corporatization of their religion and merchandization of their belief, no Hindu ( Indian) will object to it, unless and until the attempt leads to an intrusion into his own belief . Other religions assert that their path alone is correct. Their vision is just like the limited vision of the folk in the valley. They can get better vision only when they elevate themselves in spiritually. This fact is known to each and every Indian and the diversity is accepted with due reverence by the Hindus. Their heritage foster reverence , not contempt. It is not cowardice , it is the inherent magnanimity of the vedic heritage of Indians/Hindus.

When the followers of a religion maintain the view that their path alone is correct ,such a secluded adamant view can be considered as a religious fundamentalism. Such fundamentalists get isolated from the universal truth. It can be compared to the position of an aquatic organism leaving the ocean and selecting to live in a pond or lake or backwaters, limiting their own environment without getting a chance to explore the eternal truth.

Embracing an organized religion is the option of an individual. When they try to convert others also by providing material benefits, it is an aggression on the all embracing universal Hindu belief and tantamounts to negation of the philosophy of peaceful co-existence . The ocean will never reject or discriminate a stream or well or pond or backwaters. Similarly Hinduism is sufficiently broad and deep like an ocean to accept the singularity of truth plurality of vision and diversity of belief. When one fails to accept the existence of the singularity of truth plurality of vision and diversity of belief it amounts to negation of Hinduism- Sanathana Dharma. An ocean can contain, but cannot be confined to a stream or well or pond or backwaters. A lake may receive and contain several streams and ponds to be a larger lake. But it can never be able to contain an ocean. If it tries to do so, naturally it may lose its identity and become a part of the ocean itself. Hinduism recognizes the singularity of truth plurality of vision and diversity of belief. It has no history of aggression of any kind on any religion. It could withstand many atrocities intrusions and aggressions because it is Sanathana Dharma. Adwaitha Philosophy is the core of Sanathana Dharma-that is the so called “Hinduism”

RELIGIOUS CONFLICTS

A person who attained higher planes in spirituality enjoys the bliss of self actualization. He can be compared to a man standing at the top of a hill. He virtually occupies a unique position.

He is above all. He will have better vision of each and every aspects of the nature of the space all around . He sees people all around the valleys of the hill, struggling to find out a path towards the top of the hill to experience the absolute bliss. Actually people from different sides of the hill are searching a path to the same destination.

The position of ordinary people are like the people in the valley of the hill. Unlike the person at the top, they have limited vision. Seeing the man at the top, the people in the valley ask him to suggest a path to reach the top. He simply tells each of them to proceed ahead, be confident , overcome the impediments, ultimately to reach there at the top, the position they are searching for. He gives the same direction to the people coming from the North , South , East , West etc. There is nothing wrong in it. Because all paths , the enlightened person knows , are leading to the top of the hill.

Now let us think of the position of the ordinary people. The leader of each group approaching the mountain from each direction who heard the message directly from the man at the top thinks their path alone is correct. Those from the North asserts that their leader got the message directly from the person standing at the top, therefore the path prescribed by their leader alone is correct. Such assertiveness comes from all sides from all groups and all sects. This is a crisis of belief evolving out of ignorance. Because of their limited knowledge , each group believe that their path alone is correct . This is the hard core superstition and biggest blunder in this world. The believers following each path under each leadership, institutionalized / corporatized their limited knowledge and merchandized their belief. The merchants of belief thus appeared in different forms in the society to market their products viz “RELIGIONS”

Our Rishis in ancient India had this enlightenment. They searched evaluated corrected proceeded and found that all paths are leading to the same destination. Their findings are not being shattered by the findings of modern scientists. On the contrary all findings of modern scientists are leading to the confirmation of Adwaitha siddhantha. according to which , the nature is a time-space continuum. The concept of time - space continuum is derived from the Naasadeeya Suktham in Rigveda. Modern scientists started thinking on this concept ,following Albert Einstein in early 20th centuary. When modern science explore the concept of time space continnuum, it can be considered as a step towards the explanation of Adwaitha Philosophy in Hinduism. Sri.Sankaracharya of Kalady has given scholarly interpretation to these vedic principles in his discourses on Adwaita Philosophy.
He explained the Adwaitha( Non-dual) Nature of Universe

Life is a cyclic phenomenon continued and completed over a period of several Yugas passing through several Manwantaras. The word manwantara indicates change of mindset. Our life depends on our mindset. Change in mindset is evolution. Evolution is taking place through several Rebirths / Reincarnations

The Hinduism or Indianism depicted in 4 vedas, 6 sastras, 18 puranas. 2 Ithihasas and more than 1100 Upanishads consider the universe as an expression of the one and the same eternal truth called Parabrahma, Paramatma or Parasakthi. Therefore, all sorts of worships are respected in Hinduism. In Hinduism, worship, rituals, belief etc are parts of his search for eternal truth and contentment. It is a continuous process in this time-space continuum.

When someone try to assert that his belief alone is correct , problem arises.

Let the people enjoy the freedom of their vedic heritage and continue to maintain their nobler belief that all paths are leading to the same destination. Let the singularity of truth plurality of vision and diversity of belief prevail for the growth, development and sustenance of mankind.

HAPPINESS AND CONTENTMENT

SELF ACTUALIZATION AND CONTENTMENT ARE THE OBJECTIVES OF ALL HUMAN BEINGS. To achieve this we do many things and get discontented. This happens due to mis- understanding on ( i ) nature of self ( ii ) nature of contentment ( iii ) path to actualization. Thus, maladies associated with life is the result of one’s ignorance on himself his destination and path . The Jeevaatma overcome this ignorance by evolution through re-incarnations. Learning from own experience is good. Learning from guru is better. Destined objective of human life is attainment of Purushartha, namely Dharma Artha Kaama and Moksha.


“Dharmah evam hatho hanthi, Dharmah Rakshathi Rakshithah:” The Dharma destroy its destroyer and save the saver. Therefore :

Practice your dharma , do not practice another’s dharma , do not abstain from dharma , - it will give you everything required for the fulfillment of your life namely artha kaama and moksha, through the process of several incarnations - evolutions.

The word deed and thought that lead to promotion of wellbeing and sustenance of all organisms in the universe is considered as Dharma. Identification of one’s own Dharma is the most important task of each individual. Swadharmah nidhinam sreya , Paradharmah bhayavaha. Life of one who perform his/ her own destined dharma will be meaningful and that of one who deviate from own dharma is dangerous. In either case, the performer will have to meet the consequences if the performance is made with attachment. Therefore Hinduism advocates for performance of Dharma without attachment. It is called Nishkaamakarma. Mahatma Gandhi was a real Hindu. Jesus Christ ,Gautama Buddha, SreeNarayana Guru, Ramana Maharshi, Sant Jnaneshwar , Swami Vivekananda, Aurabindo, Sri Sathya Sai Baba, Sri.Chithira Thirunal Balaramavarma( Mahraja of earstwhile Travancore ) Dr.A.P.J.Abdulkalam and Mata Amritananda Mayi Devi , all these dhanyatmans ( divine souls - great people) shows the Hindu way of life.

They considered spirituality purely as a tool for personal development, and their life as an opportunity to serve the humanity.

LIFE IS A JOURNEY IN SEARCH OF HAPPINESS - PARAMAPURUSHARTHA

The life is a journey as depicted by many poets .The journey commences in search of happiness and without knowing the ways and means to acquire the same. Each Jeevaatma spends several , probably several thousands , incarnations in search of artha and kama from which he / she expects happiness. During this search he invents and discover many things which add to his convenience and improve his worldly conditions of life.
This journey in wilderness in search of happiness is not unwarranted. It is necessary for the sustenance of the universe. But the problem is that Jeevaatma during its search for artha and kama forget about dharma. Practice of Dharma is possible only if people follow the paths of Non-violence ( Ahimsa - annihilation of himsa ) , Truthfulness ( Sathyam ) , Sacrifice ( Thyagom ) and Self Control (Indriyanigraha ). Nobody can escape from this world without acquiring these qualities and practicing Dharma. The position of an individual who acquired these qualities and realized the fact that happiness is not attached to artha and kama can be compared to the position of the individual nearing his actual destination. In the next incarnation he / she may travel straightaway from the very beginning to the end of life without deviating from the path of Dharma and he / she will have all the qualities of a Perfect Human being or “Sthithaprajnan”. Lord Krishna explains the qualities of a ‘Sthithaprajnan ‘ in Chapter II of Bhagavat Gita .He is not inactive .He is aggressive in performing his duties without expecting anything in return , other than. the well being of the entire universe. He/She enjoys the highest level of happiness and contentment This is “ Self Actualization “. This state of mind itself is Moksham or liberation from this 4 dimensional world. But it is not the end of everything. Still there are several worlds to pass through. With a view to facilitate the process Hinduism always advocates for the practice of Nishkamakarma.

CASTE SYSTEM

The Caste System as it is practiced in India is the result of misinterpretation of vedic tenets by vested interests Bhagavan Sri.Krishna said “ Chathurvarnyam Mayaa srushtam, gunakarma vibhagasa.” I have created four types of people based on their qualities of Karmabandham” -it is based on the permutation combinations of trigunas. Brahmins are those who possess Satwaguna in large quantities. Kshatriyas are those who possess rajoguna in abundance. Vaisyas are those with a balanced proportion of trigunas. Sudras are those who possess higher proportion of thamoguna.These qualities may or may not have a bearing on the parentage. Caste of an individual need not necessarily be linked to the parentage of an individual. It is to be linked to the “samskara” of the individual

If a person has more than 80 % of Satwa guna he is a Brahmin even if born in the family of so called dalits. If one possesses more than 80 % Rajoguna irrespective of the caste of his/her parents he/she should be treated as Kshetriya. If one possesses 40 % Thamoguna and 40 % Rajoguna it can be classified as the qualities of Vaisya. If one possesses 80 % Thamoguna he is Sudra even if he is born to Brahmin or Kshatriya or Vaisya parents.

An analysis of the cross –section of society will reveal that all the above four combinations with natural variations , are existing in all castes and creed all over the world. Sudras are those who feel that they are inferior to others. Those who possess excess of Thamoguna, irrespective of the man made caste system to which they belong should, strive hard to improve their qualities following the practice of Non-violence( Ahimsa) Truthfulness, (Satyam) Sacrifice ( Thyagam) and Self control ( Indriyanigraha) – path of Dharma. This will enable them to improve their samskaara in successive incarnations. This is evolution. All the four types of people are necessary for the sustenance of nature.

A British Emperor who practiced apartheid centuries ago may reincarnate as a Black leader in modern democratic set up. A Hindu Emperor who kept Muslims away from him on religious ground may reincarnate as a Muslim Prince in modern world. A person who is indulging in cruelty to others may get a rebirth with permanent ailment which force him to pray for continuous help from others. The past sins-the energy modules created due to cruelty- are generally expressed in the form of illness - Remember Life is an experience of one’s own Karma.The Nature is providing suitable venue for this experience. Each Jeevaatma is getting its due share without fail. But no human being has the right to condemn others on account of their past deeds and birth. If someone take the divine rules of nature into his/ her hand and torture the less privileged , remember that he/she is committing another mistake or sin which will definitely come back to him/her in the form of some unpalatable experience in the same or subsequent incarnations. So take the path of Dharma. Care should be taken to maintain the path of dharma throughout life.

ACTUALIZATION THROUGH THE PROCESS OF EVOLUTION

The refinement or evolution taking place in human life, leads him / her to prosperity and perfection. Yugas and Manwantharas are important milestones in the process of evolution.
Lord Krishna said : “ The seeds of karma roasted in the fire of knowledge will not germinate”. Selfless service to the mankind, sincere, heart-felt repentance for the bad karma, prayer, hard work , devotion, practice of Dharma etc may change the effects of one’s prarabdham. Followers of all religions are doing these things in one way or other for self improvement.

Dharma is the keynote of Hinduism. Dharma is defined as“ Jagath sthithi kaaranam, praaninaam saakshaat abhyudaya nishreyasm hethu” –that which sustains the world and results in prosperity and happiness of all living things. Ahimsa (non-violence) Satyam(truthfulness)Thyagam (sacrifice) indriyanigraha(self control) are the four pillars of Dharma. Thus Non violence ,Truthfulness, Sacrifice, and Self Control are considered to be the most important qualities of the practitioner of Dharma.

Ahimsa is annihilation of himsa in all its forms. Ahimsa is not non killing alone. Ahimsa means not hurting any one by word deed or thought. Universal love and forgiveness are the essential pre-requisites for a practitioner of Ahimsa. Satyam or truthfulness is the practice of keeping words deed and thought alike. Thyagam or sacrifice is the state of being uninterested in all sorts of personal gains name ,fame ,wealth etc when they are within the reach. Sacrifice of one’s own ego is manifested in the form of forgiveness. Love as such is associated with ego possessiveness and selfishness. It leads to attachment and consequential problems. Practice of Love without sacrificing selfishness and ego will not take anyone to the path of Dharma. Therefore universal love and sacrifice of ego - practice of Ahimsa –gets predominance over love in Hinduism. But one cannot practice Ahimsa without passing through several phases of refinement. Hence love for others is important, as it is the easiest way to take one to the path of Ahimsa.

Therefore the people may start love each other, love all alike, experience the need for sacrifice, then practice sacrifices in abundance, selflessness will develop and the continuance of universal love and forgiveness will result in Ahimsa and the practitioner will naturally emerges in to the path of Dharma. Self control or indriyanigraha is necessary to curb the undesirable instincts ,It plays an important role in the evolutionary advancement to the perfection of human being and attainment of ultimate reality.

JYOTHISHASTRA

Astrology is a derivative of Vedas. It, inter alia, deals with the relationship between form , time, space, place of birth and praarabdham Astrology provides basic information regarding praarabdham based on the form place and time of birth . It can be successfully used as a tool for planning and designing one’s own life. Astrological predictions on future course of life of an individual need not necessarily be correct because the human being has the exclusive options to modify the effect of his praarabdham to some extend by exerting extra efforts. The Grahanila-planetary positions - in one’s horoscope indicate the direction of the flow of “samsarasagara” in relation to the life of the individual. .Planets like Sun, Moon , Mars , Mercury, Jupiter, Venus ,Saturn, Rahu , Kethu , and Gulikan are not directly or indirectly influencing the Jeevaatma but they are definitely indicative of certain traits and qualities attributed to them. A train which keeps punctuality indicate the time to a villager who is residing near the railway track, though the train is not an instrument to measure the time. Similarly planetary positions in horoscope are indicative of many things relating to one’s “karmabandham” particularly praraabdham. though the planets are not deciding on anybody’s fate. Each Jeevaatma is the Architect of its own fate. Planetary positions in the horoscope indicate what the fate could be, depending on the time of birth, because of its reciprocal relationship with the quality of Karmabandham ( due to the fact that place, time, and form of reincarnation is decided by the quality of Karmabandham.) But the individual human being has the option to swim across……by exerting extra efforts , creating new favorable energy modules and reducing the bad effects of past karma to a limited extend.