Dean’s MoveOn-ish Movement
The Boston Globe today has an article (the link will break tomorrow) about the Dean campaign’s plan to ask its supporters MoveOn-ishly to raise money to support Democratic Congresspeople running in tightly contested elections. There are three obvious motivations for this: To take back Congress, to do favors for some Congresspeople who can return the favor, and to rebuild the Democratic base.
That last one is the kicker. This campaign from the beginning has felt more like a movement than like a campaign (to paraphrase Natasha C). Given the zealotry of the supporters, it’s even more surprising that the campaign has succeeded by not focusing obsessively on the guy at the top of the pyramid. Now, by turning the energies of supporters towards Congressional candidates, the Dean campaign is building a base for actions beyond the elections.
I don’t know of a campaign that has so successfully integrated vision, innovation and hardball pragmatics.
Categories: Uncategorized dw
Your website is informative and excellant.
Article by M.P. Bhattathiry, Retied Chief Technical Examiner to the Government of Kerela, Radhanivas, Thaliyal, Karmana, Trivandrum, 695 002, Kerela, India, may be published in your website and magazine after editing if necessary
Bhagavad Gita and Management
by M.P. Bhattathiry
——————————————————————————–
Mind is very restless, forceful and strong, O Krishna, it is more difficult to control the mind than to control the wind ~ Arjuna to Sri Krishna
Introduction
One of the greatest contributions of India to the world is Holy Gita. Arjuna got mentally depressed when he saw his relatives with whom he has to fight. The Bhagavad Gita is preached in the battle field Kurukshetra by Lord Krishna to Arjuna as a counseling to do his duty. It has got all the management tactics to achieve the mental equilibrium and to overcome any crisis situation…
Management has become a part and parcel of everyday life, be it at home, in the office or factory and in Government. In all organizations, where a group of human beings assemble for a common purpose, management principles come into play through the management of resources, finance and planning, priorities, policies and practice. Management is a systematic way of carrying out activities in any field of human effort.
Its task is to make people capable of joint performance, to make their weaknesses irrelevant, says the Management Guru Peter Drucker. It creates harmony in working together – equilibrium in thoughts and actions, goals and achievements, plans and performance, products and markets. It resolves situations of scarcity, be they in the physical, technical or human fields, through maximum utilization with the minimum available processes to achieve the goal. Lack of management causes disorder, confusion, wastage, delay, destruction and even depression. Managing men, money and materials in the best possible way, according to circumstances and environment, is the most important and essential factor for a successful management.
“We’re discovering that what we thought was fine, which was to be more efficient, harder working and richer, doesn’t actually lead to the Nirvana we hoped for … those who are making the most money are not sure it’s worth it. Who wants to be rich in the graveyard? And those who aren’t making any money think that the world doesn’t make sense, because money is supposed to be the only thing worth having and they haven’t got any.”
“Tomorrow we are going to wake up in a world in which we all need to realise that we are condemned to freedom … There is no escape. Institutions won’t shoulder responsibility because they are in a state of confused flux. There is no church, no nation state, no market to rely on. There are no cut and dried values to use as escape tools … we are faced with the prospect of taking charge of our own freedom … responsibility for our own health, for our own education, for our own careers – responsibility for our own lives.”
“The recent anti-capitalist protests indicate a growing frustration with the institutional arrangements currently in place. They also, largely, miss the point. Global market capitalism is not a political ideology. It is neither good or bad, right nor wrong – it just is.”
Management guidelines from the Bhagavad Gita
There is an important distinction between effectiveness and efficiency in managing.
Effectiveness is doing the right things.
Efficiency is doing things right.
The general principles of effective management can be applied in every field, the differences being more in application than in principle. The Manager’s functions can be summed up as:
Forming a vision
Planning the strategy to realise the vision.
Cultivating the art of leadership.
Establishing institutional excellence.
Building an innovative organisation.
Developing human resources.
Building teams and teamwork.
Delegation, motivation, and communication.
Reviewing performance and taking corrective steps when called for.
Thus, management is a process of aligning people and getting them committed to work for a common goal to the maximum social benefit – in search of excellence.
The critical question in all managers’ minds is how to be effective in their job. The answer to this fundamental question is found in the Bhagavad Gita, which repeatedly proclaims that “you must try to manage yourself.” The reason is that unless a manager reaches a level of excellence and effectiveness, he or she will be merely a face in the crowd.
Old truths in a new context
The Bhagavad Gita, written thousands of years ago, enlightens us on all managerial techniques leading us towards a harmonious and blissful state of affairs in place of the conflict, tensions, poor productivity, absence of motivation and so on, common in most of Indian enterprises today – and probably in enterprises in many other countries.
The modern (Western) management concepts of vision, leadership, motivation, excellence in work, achieving goals, giving work meaning, decision making and planning, are all discussed in the Bhagavad Gita. There is one major difference. While Western management thought too often deals with problems at material, external and peripheral levels, the Bhagavad Gita tackles the issues from the grass roots level of human thinking. Once the basic thinking of man is improved, it will automatically enhance the quality of his actions and their results.
The management philosophy emanating from the West, is based on the lure of materialism and on a perennial thirst for profit, irrespective of the quality of the means adopted to achieve that goal. This phenomenon has its source in the abundant wealth of the West and so ‘management by materialism’ has caught the fancy of all the countries the world over, India being no exception to this trend. My country, India, has been in the forefront in importing these ideas mainly because of its centuries old indoctrination by colonial rulers, which has inculcated in us a feeling that anything Western is good and anything Indian is inferior.
The result is that, while huge funds have been invested in building temples of modem management education, no perceptible changes are visible in the improvement of the general quality of life – although the standards of living of a few has gone up. The same old struggles in almost all sectors of the economy, criminalisation of institutions, social violence, exploitation and other vices are seen deep in the body politic.
The source of the problem
The reasons for this sorry state of affairs are not far to seek. The Western idea of management centres on making the worker (and the manager) more efficient and more productive. Companies offer workers more to work more, produce more, sell more and to stick to the organisation without looking for alternatives. The sole aim of extracting better and more work from the worker is to improve the bottom-line of the enterprise. The worker has become a hireable commodity, which can be used, replaced and discarded at will.
Thus, workers have been reduced to the state of a mercantile product. In such a state, it should come as no surprise to us that workers start using strikes (gheraos) sit-ins, (dharnas) go-slows, work-to-rule etc. to get maximum benefit for themselves from the organisations. Society-at-large is damaged. Thus we reach a situation in which management and workers become separate and contradictory entities with conflicting interests. There is no common goal or understanding. This, predictably, leads to suspicion, friction, disillusion and mistrust, with managers and workers at cross purposes. The absence of human values and erosion of human touch in the organisational structure has resulted in a crisis of confidence.
Western management philosophy may have created prosperity – for some people some of the time at least – but it has failed in the aim of ensuring betterment of individual life and social welfare. It has remained by and large a soulless edifice and an oasis of plenty for a few in the midst of poor quality of life for many.
Hence, there is an urgent need to re-examine prevailing management disciplines – their objectives, scope and content. Management should be redefined to underline the development of the worker as a person, as a human being, and not as a mere wage-earner. With this changed perspective, management can become an instrument in the process of social, and indeed national, development.
Now let us re-examine some of the modern management concepts in the light of the Bhagavad Gita which is a primer of management-by-values.
Utilisation of available resources
The first lesson of management science is to choose wisely and utilise scarce resources optimally. During the curtain raiser before the Mahabharata War, Duryodhana chose Sri Krishna’s large army for his help while Arjuna selected Sri Krishna’s wisdom for his support. This episode gives us a clue as to the nature of the effective manager – the former chose numbers, the latter, wisdom.
Attitudes towards work
Three stone-cutters were engaged in erecting a temple. An HRD Consultant asked them what they were doing. The response of the three workers to this innocent-looking question is illuminating.
‘I am a poor man. I have to maintain my family. I am making a living here,’ said the first stone-cutter with a dejected face.
‘Well, I work because I want to show that I am the best stone-cutter in the country,’ said the second one with a sense of pride.
‘Oh, I want to build the most beautiful temple in the country,’ said the third one with a visionary gleam.
Their jobs were identical but their perspectives were different. What the Gita tells us is to develop the visionary perspective in the work we do. It tells us to develop a sense of larger vision in our work for the common good.
Work commitment
A popular verse of the Gita advises “detachment” from the fruits or results of actions performed in the course of one’s duty. Being dedicated work has to mean “working for the sake of work, generating excellence for its own sake.” If we are always calculating the date of promotion or the rate of commission before putting in our efforts, then such work is not detached. It is not “generating excellence for its own sake” but working only for the extrinsic reward that may (or may not) result.
Working only with an eye to the anticipated benefits, means that the quality of performance of the current job or duty suffers – through mental agitation of anxiety for the future. In fact, the way the world works means that events do not always respond positively to our calculations and hence expected fruits may not always be forthcoming. So, the Gita tells us not to mortgage present commitment to an uncertain future.
Some people might argue that not seeking the business result of work and actions, makes one unaccountable. In fact, the Bhagavad Gita is full of advice on the theory of cause and effect, making the doer responsible for the consequences of his deeds. While advising detachment from the avarice of selfish gains in discharging one’s accepted duty, the Gita does not absolve anybody of the consequences arising from discharge of his or her responsibilities.
Thus the best means of effective performance management is the work itself. Attaining this state of mind (called “nishkama karma”) is the right attitude to work because it prevents the ego, the mind, from dissipation of attention through speculation on future gains or losses.
Motivation – self and self-transcendence
It has been presumed for many years that satisfying lower order needs of workers – adequate food, clothing and shelter, etc. are key factors in motivation. However, it is a common experience that the dissatisfaction of the clerk and of the Director is identical – only their scales and composition vary. It should be true that once the lower-order needs are more than satisfied, the Director should have little problem in optimising his contribution to the organisation and society. But more often than not, it does not happen like that. (“The eagle soars high but keeps its eyes firmly fixed on the dead animal below.”) On the contrary, a lowly paid schoolteacher, or a self-employed artisan, may well demonstrate higher levels of self-actualisation despite poorer satisfaction of their lower-order needs.
This situation is explained by the theory of self-transcendence propounded in the Gita. Self-transcendence involves renouncing egoism, putting others before oneself, emphasising team work, dignity, co-operation, harmony and trust – and, indeed potentially sacrificing lower needs for higher goals, the opposite of Maslow.
“Work must be done with detachment.” It is the ego that spoils work and the ego is the centrepiece of most theories of motivation. We need not merely a theory of motivation but a theory of inspiration.
The Great Indian poet, Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941, known as “Gurudev”) says working for love is freedom in action. A concept which is described as “disinterested work” in the Gita where Sri Krishna says,
“He who shares the wealth generated only after serving the people, through work done as a sacrifice for them, is freed from all sins. On the contrary those who earn wealth only for themselves, eat sins that lead to frustration and failure.”
Disinterested work finds expression in devotion, surrender and equipoise. The former two are psychological while the third is determination to keep the mind free of the dualistic (usually taken to mean “materialistic”) pulls of daily experiences. Detached involvement in work is the key to mental equanimity or the state of “nirdwanda.” This attitude leads to a stage where the worker begins to feel the presence of the Supreme Intelligence guiding the embodied individual intelligence. Such de-personified intelligence is best suited for those who sincerely believe in the supremacy of organisational goals as compared to narrow personal success and achievement.
Work culture
An effective work culture is about vigorous and arduous efforts in pursuit of given or chosen tasks. Sri Krishna elaborates on two types of work culture – “daivi sampat” or divine work culture and “asuri sampat” or demonic work culture.
Daivi work culture – involves fearlessness, purity, self-control, sacrifice, straightforwardness, self-denial, calmness, absence of fault-finding, absence of greed, gentleness, modesty, absence of envy and pride.
Asuri work culture – involves egoism, delusion, personal desires, improper performance, work not oriented towards service.
Mere work ethic is not enough. The hardened criminal exhibits an excellent work ethic. What is needed is a work ethic conditioned by ethics in work.
It is in this light that the counsel, “yogah karmasu kausalam” should be understood. “Kausalam” means skill or technique of work which is an indispensable component of a work ethic. “Yogah” is defined in the Gita itself as “samatvam yogah uchyate” meaning an unchanging equipoise of mind (detachment.) Tilak tells us that acting with an equable mind is Yoga.
(Bal Gangadhar Tilak, 1856-1920, the precursor of Gandhiji, hailed by the people of India as “Lokmanya,” probably the most learned among the country’s political leaders. For a description of the meanings of the word “Yoga”, see foot of this page.)
By making the equable mind the bed-rock of all actions, the Gita evolved the goal of unification of work ethic with ethics in work, for without ethical process no mind can attain an equipoise. The guru, Adi Sankara (born circa 800 AD), says that the skill necessary in the performance of one’s duty is that of maintaining an evenness of mind in face of success and failure. The calm mind in the face of failure will lead to deeper introspection and see clearly where the process went wrong so that corrective steps could be taken to avoid shortcomings in future.
The principle of reducing our attachment to personal gains from the work done is the Gita’s prescription for attaining equanimity. It has been held that this principle leads to lack of incentive for effort, striking at the very root of work ethic. To the contrary, concentration on the task for its own sake leads to the achievement of excellence – and indeed to the true mental happiness of the worker. Thus, while commonplace theories of motivation may be said to lead us to the bondage or extrinsic rewards, the Gita’s principle leads us to the intrinsic rewards of mental, and indeed moral, satisfaction.
The Gita further explains the theory of “detachment” from the extrinsic rewards of work in saying:
If the result of sincere effort is a success, the entire credit should not be appropriated by the doer alone.
If the result of sincere effort is a failure, then too the entire blame does not accrue to the doer.
The former attitude mollifies arrogance and conceit while the latter prevents excessive despondency, de-motivation and self-pity. Thus both these dispositions safeguard the doer against psychological vulnerability, the cause of the modem managers’ companions of diabetes, high blood pressure and ulcers.
Assimilation of the ideas of the Gita leads us to the wider spectrum of “lokasamgraha” (general welfare) but there is also another dimension to the work ethic – if the “karmayoga” (service) is blended with “bhaktiyoga” (devotion), then the work itself becomes worship, a “sevayoga” (service for its own sake.)
(This may sound a peculiarly religious idea but it has a wider application. It could be taken to mean doing something because it is worthwhile, to serve others, to make the world a better place – ed.)
Manager’s mental health
Sound mental health is the very goal of any human activity – more so management. Sound mental health is that state of mind which can maintain a calm, positive poise, or regain it when unsettled, in the midst of all the external vagaries of work life and social existence. Internal constancy and peace are the pre-requisites for a healthy stress-free mind.
Some of the impediments to sound mental health are:
Greed – for power, position, prestige and money.
Envy – regarding others’ achievements, success, rewards.
Egotism – about one’s own accomplishments.
Suspicion, anger and frustration.
Anguish through comparisons.
The driving forces in today’s businesses are speed and competition. There is a distinct danger that these forces cause erosion of the moral fibre, that in seeking the end, one permits oneself immoral means – tax evasion, illegitimate financial holdings, being “economical with the truth”, deliberate oversight in the audit, too-clever financial reporting and so on. This phenomenon may be called as “yayati syndrome”.
In the book, the Mahabharata, we come across a king by the name of Yayati who, in order to revel in the endless enjoyment of flesh exchanged his old age with the youth of his obliging youngest son for a thousand years. However, he found the pursuit of sensual enjoyments ultimately unsatisfying and came back to his son pleading him to take back his youth. This “yayati syndrome” shows the conflict between externally directed acquisitions (extrinsic motivation) and inner value and conscience (intrinsic motivation.)
Management needs those who practise what they preach
“Whatever the excellent and best ones do, the commoners follow,” says Sri Krishna in the Gita. The visionary leader must be a missionary, extremely practical, intensively dynamic and capable of translating dreams into reality. This dynamism and strength of a true leader flows from an inspired and spontaneous motivation to help others. “I am the strength of those who are devoid of personal desire and attachment. O Arjuna, I am the legitimate desire in those, who are not opposed to righteousness,” says Sri Krishna in the 10th Chapter of the Gita.
In conclusion
The despondency of Arjuna in the first chapter of the Gita is typically human. Sri Krishna, by sheer power of his inspiring words, changes Arjuna’s mind from a state of inertia to one of righteous action, from the state of what the French philosophers call “anomie” or even alienation, to a state of self-confidence in the ultimate victory of “dharma” (ethical action.)
When Arjuna got over his despondency and stood ready to fight, Sri Krishna reminded him of the purpose of his new-found spirit of intense action – not for his own benefit, not for satisfying his own greed and desire, but for the good of many, with faith in the ultimate victory of ethics over unethical actions and of truth over untruth.
Sri Krishna’s advice with regard to temporary failures is, “No doer of good ever ends in misery.” Every action should produce results. Good action produces good results and evil begets nothing but evil. Therefore, always act well and be rewarded.
My purport is not to suggest discarding of the Western model of efficiency, dynamism and striving for excellence but to tune these ideals to India’s holistic attitude of “lokasangraha” – for the welfare of many, for the good of many. There is indeed a moral dimension to business life. What we do in business is no different, in this regard, to what we do in our personal lives. The means do not justify the ends. Pursuit of results for their own sake, is ultimately self-defeating. (“Profit,” said Matsushita-san in another tradition, “is the reward of correct behaviour.” – ed.)
.
M.P.Bhattathiry.
Let us go through what scholars say about Holy Gita.
“No work in all Indian literature is more quoted, because none is better loved, in the West, than the Bhagavad-gita. Translation of such a work demands not only knowledge of Sanskrit, but an inward sympathy with the theme and a verbal artistry. For the poem is a symphony in which God is seen in all things. . . . The Swami does a real service for students by investing the beloved Indian epic with fresh meaning. Whatever our outlook may be, we should all be grateful for the labor that has lead to this illuminating work.”
Dr. Geddes MacGregor, Emeritus Distinguished Professor of Philosophy University of Southern California
“The Gita can be seen as the main literary support for the great religious civilization of India, the oldest surviving culture in the world. The present translation and commentary is another manifestation of the permanent living importance of the Gita.”
Thomas Merton, Theologian
“I am most impressed with A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada’s scholarly and authoritative edition of Bhagavad-gita. It is a most valuable work for the scholar as well as the layman and is of great utility as a reference book as well as a textbook. I promptly recommend this edition to my students. It is a beautifully done book.”
Dr. Samuel D. Atkins Professor of Sanskrit, Princeton University
“As a successor in direct line from Caitanya, the author of Bhagavad-gita As It Is is entitled, according to Indian custom, to the majestic title of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. The great interest that his reading of the Bhagavad-gita holds for us is that it offers us an authorized interpretation according to the principles of the Caitanya tradition.”
Olivier Lacombe Professor of Sanskrit and Indology, Sorbonne University, Paris
“I have had the opportunity of examining several volumes published by the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust and have found them to be of excellent quality and of great value for use in college classes on Indian religions. This is particularly true of the BBT edition and translation of the Bhagavad-gita.”
Dr. Frederick B. Underwood Professor of Religion, Columbia University
“If truth is what works, as Pierce and the pragmatists insist, there must be a kind of truth in the Bhagavad-gita As It Is, since those who follow its teachings display a joyous serenity usually missing in the bleak and strident lives of contemporary people.”
Dr. Elwin H. Powell Professor of Sociology State University of New York, Buffalo
“There is little question that this edition is one of the best books available on the Gita and devotion. Prabhupada’s translation is an ideal blend of literal accuracy and religious insight.”
Dr. Thomas J. Hopkins Professor of Religion, Franklin and Marshall College
“The Bhagavad-gita, one of the great spiritual texts, is not as yet a common part of our cultural milieu. This is probably less because it is alien per se than because we have lacked just the kind of close interpretative commentary upon it that Swami Bhaktivedanta has here provided, a commentary written from not only a scholar’s but a practitioner’s, a dedicated lifelong devotee’s point of view.”
Denise Levertov, Poet
“The increasing numbers of Western readers interested in classical Vedic thought have been done a service by Swami Bhaktivedanta. By bringing us a new and living interpretation of a text already known to many, he has increased our understanding manyfold.”
Dr. Edward C Dimock, Jr. Department of South Asian Languages and Civilization University of Chicago
“The scholarly world is again indebted to A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Although Bhagavad-gita has been translated many times, Prabhupada adds a translation of singular importance with his commentary.”
Dr. J. Stillson Judah, Professor of the History of Religions and Director of Libraries Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, California
“Srila Prabhupada’s edition thus fills a sensitive gap in France, where many hope to become familiar with traditional Indian thought, beyond the commercial East-West hodgepodge that has arisen since the time Europeans first penetrated India.
“Whether the reader be an adept of Indian spiritualism or not, a reading of the Bhagavad-gita As It Is will be extremely profitable. For many this will be the first contact with the true India, the ancient India, the eternal India.”
Francois Chenique, Professor of Religious Sciences Institute of Political Studies, Paris, France
“As a native of India now living in the West, it has given me much grief to see so many of my fellow countrymen coming to the West in the role of gurus and spiritual leaders. For this reason, I am very excited to see the publication of Bhagavad-gita As It Is by Sri A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. It will help to stop the terrible cheating of false and unauthorized ‘gurus’ and ‘yogis’ and will give an opportunity to all people to understand the actual meaning of Oriental culture.”
Dr. Kailash Vajpeye, Director of Indian Studies Center for Oriental Studies, The University of Mexico
“It is a deeply felt, powerfully conceived and beautifully explained work. I don’t know whether to praise more this translation of the Bhagavad-gita, its daring method of explanation, or the endless fertility of its ideas. I have never seen any other work on the Gita with such an important voice and style. . . . It will occupy a significant place in the intellectual and ethical life of modern man for a long time to come.”
Dr. Shaligram Shukla Professor of Linguistics, Georgetown University
“I can say that in the Bhagavad-gita As It Is I have found explanations and answers to questions I had always posed regarding the interpretations of this sacred work, whose spiritual discipline I greatly admire. If the aesceticism and ideal of the apostles which form the message of the Bhagavad-gita As It Is were more widespread and more respected, the world in which we live would be transformed into a better, more fraternal place.”
Dr. Paul Lesourd, Author Professeur Honoraire, Catholic University of Paris
“When I read the Bhagavad-Gita and reflect about how God created this universe everything else seems so superfluous.”
Albert Einstein
“When doubts haunt me, when disappointments stare me in the face, and I see not one ray of hope on the horizon, I turn to Bhagavad-gita and find a verse to comfort me; and I immediately begin to smile in the midst of overwhelming sorrow. Those who meditate on the Gita will derive fresh joy and new meanings from it every day.”
Mahatma Gandhi
“In the morning I bathe my intellect in the stupendous and cosmogonal philosophy of the Bhagavad-gita, in comparison with which our modern world and its literature seem puny and trivial.”
Henry David Thoreau
“The Bhagavad-Gita has a profound influence on the spirit of mankind by its devotion to God which is manifested by actions.”
Dr. Albert Schweitzer
“The Bhagavad-Gita is a true scripture of the human race a living creation rather than a book, with a new message for every age and a new meaning for every civilization.”
Sri Aurobindo
“The idea that man is like unto an inverted tree seems to have been current in by gone ages. The link with Vedic conceptions is provided by Plato in his Timaeus in which it states ‘behold we are not an earthly but a heavenly plant.’ This correlation can be discerned by what Krishna expresses in chapter 15 of Bhagavad-Gita.”
Carl Jung
“The Bhagavad-Gita deals essentially with the spiritual foundation of human existence. It is a call of action to meet the obligations and duties of life; yet keeping in view the spiritual nature and grander purpose of the universe.”
Prime Minister Nehru
“The marvel of the Bhagavad-Gita is its truly beautiful revelation of life’s wisdom which enables philosophy to blossom into religion.”
Herman Hesse
“I owed a magnificent day to the Bhagavad-gita. It was the first of books; it was as if an empire spoke to us, nothing small or unworthy, but large, serene, consistent, the voice of an old intelligence which in another age and climate had pondered and thus disposed of the same questions which exercise us.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
“In order to approach a creation as sublime as the Bhagavad-Gita with full understanding it is necessary to attune our soul to it.”
Rudolph Steiner
“From a clear knowledge of the Bhagavad-Gita all the goals of human existence become fulfilled. Bhagavad-Gita is the manifest quintessence of all the teachings of the Vedic scriptures.”
Adi Shankara
“The Bhagavad-Gita is the most systematic statement of spiritual evolution of endowing value to mankind. It is one of the most clear and comprehensive summaries of perennial philosophy ever revealed; hence its enduring value is subject not only to India but to all of humanity.”
Aldous Huxley
“The Bhagavad-Gita was spoken by Lord Krishna to reveal the science of devotion to God which is the essence of all spiritual knowledge. The Supreme Lord Krishna’s primary purpose for descending and incarnating is relieve the world of any demoniac and negative, undesirable influences that are opposed to spiritual development, yet simultaneously it is His incomparable intention to be perpetually within reach of all humanity.”
Ramanuja
The Bhagavad-Gita is not seperate from the Vaishnava philosophy and the Srimad Bhagavatam fully reveals the true import of this doctrine which is transmigation of the soul. On perusal of the first chapter of Bhagavad-Gita one may think that they are advised to engage in warfare. When the second chapter has been read it can be clearly understood that knowledge and the soul is the ultimate goal to be attained. On studying the third chapter it is apparent that acts of righteousness are also of high priority. If we continue and patiently take the time to complete the Bhagavad-Gita and try to ascertain the truth of its closing chapter we can see that the ultimate conclusion is to relinquish all the conceptualized ideas of religion which we possess and fully surrender directly unto the Supreme Lord.
Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati
“The Mahabharata has all the essential ingredients necessary to evolve and protect humanity and that within it the Bhagavad-Gita is the epitome of the Mahabharata just as ghee is the essence of milk and pollen is the essence of flowers.”
Madhvacarya
Yoga has two different meanings – a general meaning and a technical meaning. The general meaning is the joining together or union of any two or more things. The technical meaning is “a state of stability and peace and the means or practices which lead to that state.” The Bhagavad Gita uses the word with both meanings. Lord Krishna is real Yogi who can maintain a peaceful mind in the midst of any crisis.”
Mata Amritanandamayi Devi
For every action, there is a reaction. And for every belief there is a contradiction! Here it is!
In all fairness, one should not avoid or annoyed for the contradictory views of others. Especially when it comes to the religion we must heed others views too. In this context, I am putting the following opinions of some one who wrote to me on Srivaishnavam practices.
Samaasrayanam is one of the Panchasamskaarams of Srivaishnavam. This is done with marking one’s arms with hot silver cast Shanku and Chakram on the left and right arm of a person respectively. The following versus were despatched by a person to my mailbox (identity concealed). There a lot more but , for the sake of accepting the contracdictory view too, I put forth these for viewers comments and the readers to judge. These are all not my views nor I subscribe fully to the following :
QUOTE
You are human beings. They are marking your body with HOT silver metal with their religious emblems. This is what happens with every religions/castes. You have to be in their fold. This is like a political game, showing that so and so has joined their fold.
Every religion/caste says that you have to be loyal to your head and no questions be raised. Unless you are taken into their fold, according to them, you will wander or hang like Trisanku; this is the tenets of every caste/religion. But, to me the life is so vast that there is place for one and all ( inclusive of our gods, demigods, daities, mystiques, etc.).
I used to read the magazine ‘AAVIGAL ULAGAM’ wherein an article is there mentioning about the experiences of person(s) who relives memory through hypnotism, of the experiences before birth, hidden in the unconscious mind.
Every chapter of the article says about the different experiences, not only of human beings but also of the plants, animals, etc. How they evolve, what experiences they gain; how much they evolved into consciousnes; how to go beyond the present plane; even some places are there where so many helps are given to the departed person to evolve his consciousness; freedom is given to choose the birth, parents, etc. So many things are there in the other world. We know only of three dimensions; there in the other world many more dimensions are there; many more colors are there.
Infact, I read some where that this planet is the shadow of the other world; but only thing missing is our limited vision of seeing things. This could be overcome with the help of a master who helps you to meditate; master means one who is enlightened. Only very few are there. If you are lucky to find them, then your life changes, provided you are open to him/her.
I am not not talking against anything (inclusive of ‘srivaishnavism’). In mathematics a problem may have multi solutions. A destination can be reached from anywhere by more than a route. These are all analogues only. I try to finger-point something that I see. I have not been brought up as a vaishnavite! I was never forced to do any things. I volunteered myself in my earlier days. Sooner, after started growing, questions started arising in me. I have questioned your Vaadhyaar too regarding rituals done every year for the departed souls. He could not give any convincing reply to me because he never raised the question himself to any of his elders.
During a ‘devesam’ (sraardham) offered to ‘departed souls’, I asked the Vaadyar then, that the Hinduism believes in re-birth and you are offering the ‘devesam’. If the departed souls have taken rebirth, then where shall your offerings go? Your Vaaduaar replied that the rituals are conducted to relieve the soul from the cycle of birth. I didn’t accept his reply.
The Srardham or pithru pooja in itself raises many questions. It doubts one’s own mother’s charecter! YES! You ask your vaadyaar the meaning of the slokha, which he recites while offering the cooked rice to the “holy” fire or the Agni. (it starts with ‘yanme maathaa, pralulobhasarthi, anuvradha, thanmeretha: ). The meaning is an insult to one’s own belief, that so and so is his father. This is, I promise, the actual meaning and puts one’s own mother’s charecter in doubt. Mother is your first and foremost known God to one and all.
Should one state these sort of versus to perform the Sraardham?Is it really a necessary to insult the woomenhood in total?
If the whole world is destroyed due to a nuclear war and no one is left, then who will be there to relieve the souls? And the vaishnavism has numerous tenets to be followed.
If vaishnavism believes in the vaikundam which it considers the ultimate place, then where will these poor fellows – jesus, mohammed, kabir, gautama the buddha, ramana, ramakrishna paramahamsa, etc(?) goes? They do not know the vaikundam. They have not said anywhere about the vaikundam.
Ramanuja story is altogether a different one. He was a revolutionary!
He was genius! I agree!!
His insistance on vaishnavism was to save the
traditional values of our country from the invaders(mohammedans). So he initiated the other people into the fold of vaishnavism.
His theory of ‘ vishistadvaitam ‘, I feel that, is his way of understanding the life ( remember here the multi-solution to a mathematician). Seeing the tremendousness of life, he had this idea. He had a charisma.
‘AANDAAL’ too had a charisma.
But what is going on now is carbon copy of the originals. And originals are originals and carbon copies are carbon copies. I differ here. Why we could not have those feelings? We should try to enquire ourselves. Techniques are there for meditations, devised by the masters of the yester years. A deep enquiry is needed for every soul to evolve into higher consciousness. Why we are here? what we were before? Why people differ? and so on.
I am not a master at all for my views being exhibited here. I may go on, and on these views(?)
Sincerely,
a revolutionary thinker, who practices what he preaches!
UNQUOTE
OH GOD, NOW, MORE CONTRADICTIONS. AND IT IS ALL ABOUT YOU
http://trsiyengar.tripod.com/srivaishnavampractices2/id25.html
All the articles by the Kerala Bhattathiri are stolen from many web sites including that of mine. His copyright violations should be brought to book and he is stopped from stooping further. Every article posted by him are that of other authors. Oh, even the post above are the intelligent property owned by me and without any expressive written permission he has been posting my articles – a sheer violation of copy right infringement. Many other articles of other Intelligent property owners too are posted by him as if his own.
“E. Lamb”
To: [email protected]
Subject: [Ammachi] Story
> For a change of pace, here’s a story I hope you enjoy:
>
> One day Krishna and Arjuna were walking down a path. Towards the evening
they became tired and saw a house. In the house was a mean old man. Through
some
> method he had acquired a lot of money. He was very mean. They knocked on
the
> door. The mean old man came to the door and said, “What do you want?” And
> Krishna said, “May we have lodging for the night and food to eat?” Usually
the
> mean old man would have shut the door in their face, but he realized it was
> Krishna and Arjuna, so he reluctantly let them in. He had a scrumptious
dinner
> for himself, but he gave Krishna and Arjuna only bread crumbs to eat. And
he
> had a comfortable bed, but he made Krishna and Arjuna lie down in the
corner
> in the mud to sleep for the night. When morning came, Krishna and Arjuna
> were about to leave. Krishna put his hand on the old man’s head and
blessed
> him and he said, “May you prosper abundantly.” And they left.
>
> Evening came again, and they came to another house. In this house live a
pious,
> wonderful, beautiful old man whose only possession was a cow. They knocked
> on the door, and when the old man opened the door and saw Krishna, he
> prostrated himself and he said, “What a blessing I’ve got to have Krishna
and
> Arjuna come to my home! My home is yours.” He gave them his dinner. He
> made them sleep in his bed, and he slept on the floor. And he praised them
> all night. When morning came, Arjuna and Krishna were about to leave, and
> Krishna put his hand on the old man’s head and he said, “May your cow drop
> dead!,” and left.
>
> Arjuna didn’t say a word, but he was thinking about this all day. Finally
he
> had the nerve to ask Krishna, “Master, I don’t understand your message.
> The other night when we came into the house and this old man treated us
> poorly, was mean to us, you blessed him and told him, may he prosper
> abundantly. And last evening, when we came to this old man, pious
> old man who was wonderful to us, gave us dinner and his bed, you cursed
> him and said, may his cow die, drop dead. What is the meaning of this?”
>
> Krishna explained, “My ways, Arjuna, are not your ways. And your ways
> are not my ways. You may see me do many things which you do not
> understand. Never judge me by what you see me do. Only love me.
> You see, when I cursed the first man, and told him, may he prosper
> abundantly, I realized he would come back many times, many incarnations,
> and have a lot of money, and his relatives would haunt him to get some
> money. The IRS would come after him, and his relatives would want
> his money. He will have many lives to work this out. He will suffer many
> lives because of his greed. Now when I went to the other old man, I
> realized he was giving up everything for God. His only possession was the
> cow. And this was holding him back from Self-Realization. So when I
> removed the cow from him, then he will be Self-Realized. This is the game
> I play with people.”
>
> The same is true with us. Never believe the Sage thinks like you or does
> the things that you do. A Sage may appear to you to be an ordinary
> person just like yourself. But that’s where the similarity ends. Never
try
> to understand a sage, his methods, or what he does. Again, just love him.
> That’s all you have to do. If you can really learn to love the sage,
> immediately you will see results in your spiritual life.
>
> Robert Adams in “The Silence of the Heart”
>
>
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
SCIENCE IN SRIMAD BHAGAVATHAM.
INTRODUCTION
By the blessings of Lord Krishna I had the opportunity of studying Srimad Bhagavatham a multivolume commentated translation of his divine grace Sri. A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada published by ISKCON. It is with great surprise I understood that many scientific and technical matters mentioned in this book have got a reference to modern scientific inventions. Our current understanding in S&T must be a repetition of some versions earlier. In due course more importance was given to bhakti than these. In this book my humble attempt is to highlight the S&T details comparing with modern scientific inventions even though bhakti is the ultimate aim.
THE ORIGIN OF THE SRIMAD BHAGAVATAM
1. First of all, BhagavataM had its origin from Bhagavan Himself when he told to Brahma sitting in the lotus of his navel in four verses called the cathussloki Bhagavata (II-9).
2. Brahma communicated the Bhagavata he heard from Bhagavan, to his son Narada (II-5).
3. Narad communicated it to Vyasa Maharshi (I-4,5,6,7).
4. Vyasa complied the Bhagavata and taught it to his son, Suka (I-3 and II-1).
5. Suka gave discourses in Bhagavata in seven days to King Parikshit on the banks of the Ganges (I-3).
6. Suta who was in the assembly of rishis along with Parikshit, heard it from Suka and gives a discourse in the assembly of Rishis to the chief listner Saunaka at Naimisaranya.
Vyasa ha written the Bhagavata, as spoken by Suta to Saunaka at Naimisaranya. Suta was merely reporting what Suka said to Parikshit.
Suka himself traces another origin of Bhagavata:
1. Samkarshana Murti gave the Bhagavata to Sanatkumara (III-8)
2. Sanatkumara communicated it to Samkhyayana Maharshi (III-8)
3. Samkhyayana communicated it to sgae Parasara and to Brihaspati(IV-8)
4. Sage Parasara communicated it to his disciple Maitreya.
5. Maitreya told Bhagavata to Vidura (III-8)
Adisesha propagated Bhagavata in Patala, Brihaspati in Heaven, Parasara on this earth and Sanathkumara brothers in worlds beyond heaven.
ORIGIN OF LIFE
The Jivatma gets human body and mind, after having been embodied in eightyfour lakhs of inferior births. Prior to the Jivatma acquiring this body, he had undergone births and deaths and births and deaths, as trees, insects, worms, beasts and assumed many other bodies like those of bugs and buffaloes and bees and beetles. At long last, by the grace of GOD, he come to acquire a human body. To acquire a human body again after death, he has to undergo another long cycle of births and deaths through various unpleasant vicissitudes. Thus , our life as a human being, is preceded by and succeeded by, many many years of innumerable other lives.
The main purpose of this rare and prcious life as a human being, should be to know, who we are and to realize the Self and thereby, cut off all sorrows at one stroke. This is not possible in any other life, because, among all creatures, man alone has the wonderful equipment of the intellect with its great potentiality developed to the highest.
Why Bhagavan Lord Krishna says that among flowers I am the basil (thulasi) flower. US scientists found out after research that
thulasi flower can only produce Ozone which acts as a protective cover in the ionosphere preventing radiation from sun and this plant is also be used for making life saving medicines.
Banyan tree, among the trees I am the Banyan tree which can produce maximum oxygen and are usually seen in almost all temples so the air in 5 Kms radious will be purified around a big banyan tree.
Fetus (fully developed embryo in the womb) from 7th month onwards can understand and study. For this examples are Prahlada and Abhimanue who got knowledge when they were 7 months old in the womb. Gynaecology and Sankhyayoga are preached to mother Devahuti by Lord Kapila an incarnation of Vishnu.
The importance of Homam. One Agnihotra Homaam was going on in a family at Bhopal when the Union Carbide Gas accident took place. The whole members of the family were safe eventhough it was near the to the factory, since smoke emenated from the Homam neutralised the effect of poisonous gas from the factory.Resaerch on this is going on in West Verginia in America where the mother Union Carbide factory is situated.
Maharshi Kardama’s space journey with his wife Devahuti in his supersonic space vehicle is far advanced than the present one.
In the dakshayga when Daksha’s head was cut he is given life by joining the head of a goat with the trunk of Daksha a form of plastic surgery.
It is mentioned that yogis can live for thousands of years. This is proved that by reducing the metabolic rate (body activities,such as respiration, excretion, reproduction etc.) it may be possible to extend life. Bhagavatham gives many clues for health and happy long life.
King Priyavrata has gone round the earth seven times in his chariot between sunrise and sunset. This may be related to modern satellite technology. Earth is revolving the sun at 30kms/sec velocity. Normally satellites circle round the earth once in 90 minutes. Hence for seven revolutions ten hours and thirty minutes duration is required. Otherwise we may see that during twelve hour duration eight revolutions can be made. Chariot was bright as sun may mean it was fitted with something similar to solar cells.
One of the well-known laws in elementary physics (or chemistry) is the conservation of matter (or mass) usually attributed to Lavoisier from the late eighteenth century. Simply put, the law states: “Matter can neither be created nor be destroyed.” There are other laws of conservation found in science textbooks, but the law of conservation of matter is perhaps the most well known. Bhagawan says this repeatedly at various occasion. This actually can be regarded as the mother of all conservation laws. It is said that the amount of energy released from the destruction of matter is given by E = MC2 where M represents mass lost and C represents the speed of light. The same formula is said to give the amount of mass converted into energy when it gets trapped in a blackhole. In that sense, matter and energy are two different forms of the same thing. The law did not have the energy component when it (the law) was first proposed. From the original standpoint, the law turned out to be wrong when it was discovered that matter could be destroyed to release energy. Then the theory was put back together by augmenting the energy part. However, the verse in Bhagavatham does not have to go through such a revision with each new revelation, as it does not direct this law to a particular form of the contents of this universe but rather takes a general approach. It was ironical that the law of conservation. Brahman’. Our ancient saints have coined a symbol AUM to represent it (just like Ca is used for calcium, for example). Actually, such an indestructible thing by which the universe is pervaded is mentioned. The third law of motion states that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Karma and its result (or fruit) mentioned can be considered equivalent to an action and its reaction, respectively.
Latest is regarding cloning so many references are mentioned in SriMad Bhagavatham .
. Chapter.1
Brahmacharya
By preserving the energy, strength and vitality of mind and various organs one can lead a happy, energetic and healthy life. The mind will be clear and brain will superb for a Brhmachari. It enhances the strength, life span and health since it is the mine of all virtues .Brahmacharya is the dam of all pleasures of life and only learned people keep it and their power and life increases and all sickness is destroyed. It is easy to preach and to practice is very difficult. One should try to be always in the company of noble people and control their senses as far as possible to get the actual reward of human life. A man is known by the company he keeps. If one always move in the company of good, learned and noble ones there is no doubt that he can be one among them one day. Company is contagious and man changes his colors accordingly sooner or later. He cannot remain unaffected for long best company means not only noble people but also good books written by great scholars, Sages, Saints, Prophets, Rishis, and Munis. These contain vast treasures of wealth and will make one so rich that the worldly riches would appear very insignificiant. One of the verses in YajurVeda state that learned people who are actually endowed with divine powers should do two things in this world. One is that they should propagate the teachings of Brahmacharya and control of senses so that people may become strong and healthy leading a full vigorous life. Next thing is by education and practice thereof, they should teach one and all how to develop their inner strength and power so that people may enjoy their blissful life fully in all respects. In another verse it is stated that such people who abandon the company of bad people and give up all bad evil habits and keep away from immoral life increasing their vitality beget good children, they will strength and glorify their race and their country.
Brahmacharya will give the power to face and solve any problems as a boat can ferry people through turbulent waters of the sea. A Brahmachai will be liked and respected in all the societies and meetings. In one verse it is explained that the age of a boy begins at twenty-sixth year and for a girl it is seventeen and up to this period they should practice Brahmacharya at any cost and can get married. Those who get education following the rules of Brahmacharya, they shine like sun are quick in all what they do, like a hawk and become the hallmark of respect, enjoying their life skipping like a deer.
In the student life it would be better to preserve their vital fluid which is the life thread, so that they can utilize their energy and strength for their education and learning. In vedic period student is imparted with all the knowledge right from the Earth to the sun and in this way all divinity reside in his body and such students in future will assets to their country and world. They will have harmony of the head, heart and hand in such a way which will be beneficial to the society as a whole. It has been truly said that if our hearts are strong, our heads are right in vain. A person without education is beast and a person without Dharma is like a beast.
Education and knowledge are like two eyes of a person which enable him to see things correctly and assess his own position. The purpose of education is to make man what he ought to be.
According to Srimad Bhagavatham education on arts and material science is not enough and perfection can be achieved by studying spiritual sceince. The aim of life and education is that we may live a new life in the realm of self and the creation, with harmony and happiness and will become virtuous. Every second of the life should be fully utilised so that there is no room left for idling. It may be noted that “ An idle mind is a devil’s workshop.” Of course relaxation and enjoyment should be there along with study to keep one fit and fresh and ready to face any challenges of life.
If proper education is not given to children parents become enemies since they get isolated in society. Teachers should take utmost care for understanding to develop good character and affection along with studies. They should be taught that all women are like mother, sister or daughter according to their age and they should be protectd whenever necessay.
In bhagavatham it is also stated that
Not to earn wealth at the cost of others pain and suffering
It is not good to be fatigue self too much both physically and mentally.
Hard-work is the keystone to virtuous earning with the sweat of one’s own brow, not by lottery, speculation and gambling.
Don’t do anything undesirable and harmful to the society
Acquire knowledge which can’t be stolen away by thieves than material wealth.
A great scholar of ancient India Sri Pathanjali in his book Yogasutra also explains the importance of Brahmacharya and it is studied by foreign scholars and one such famous scholar is Dr. Louis an eminent physician opined that most precious atoms of the blood
enter into the composition of semen (in his book Chastity) . So preservation
of semen by practicing continence helps the better development of brain ,
body, and mind .Dr. Nicholas another famous scientist also says that the best blood in the body goes to form the elements of reproduction in both the sexes .So if anybody waste
semen he is loosing the best part of the blood and he becomes weak
physically and intellectually. If preserved he becomes strong, intellectual, heroic and powerful.
.
So especially youth in whom the future of our country rests, should practice
celibacy as far as possible to lead the country and countrymen to have a prosperous future.
Brahmacharya will give the power to face and solve any problems as a boat can ferry people through turbulent waters of the sea. A Brahmachai will be liked and respected in all the societies and meetings.. Those who get education following the rules of Brahmacharya, they shine like sun are quick in all what they do, and become the hallmark of respect, enjoying their life.
Chapter 2.
Cosmology
This sacred text also reveals unexpected depths of knowledge in ancient cosmology. Mysteries of the Sacred Universe shows that the cosmology of the Bhagavata Purana is a sophisticated system, with multiple levels of meaning that encode at least four different astronomical, geographical, and spiritual world models.
By viewing the text in the light of modern astronomy, it can be seen that how ancient scientists expressed exact knowledge in apparently mythological terms. Comparison with the ancient traditions of Egypt and the Near East shows early cultural connections between India and these regions—including a surprisingly advanced science. However, quantitative science is only part of the picture. It also offers a clear understanding of how the spiritual dimension was integrated into ancient Indian cosmology.
Jambudvipa: The Srimad-Bhagavatam describes that the universe lies within a series of spherical shells which is divided in two by an earth plane called Bhu-mandala. A series of dvipas, or ‘islands,’ and oceans make up Bhu-mandala. In the center of Bhu-mandala is the circular ‘island’ of Jambudvipa whose most prominent feature is the cone-shaped Mount Meru. The main illustration here shows a closer view of Jambudvipa and the base of Mount Meru.
——————————————————————————–
When one structure is used to represent several things in a composite map, there are bound to be contradictions. But these do not cause a problem if we understand the underlying intent. The Bhagavatam, which uses one model to represent different features of the cosmos.
The Fifth Canto of the Srimad-Bhagavatam tells of innumerable universes. Each one is contained in a spherical shell surrounded by layers of elemental matter that mark the boundary between mundane space and the unlimited spiritual world.
.
We can compare Bhu-mandala with an astronomical instrument called an astrolabe, popular in the Middle Ages. On the astrolabe, an off-centered circle represents the orbit of the sun—the ecliptic. The Earth is represented in stereographic projection on a flat plate, called the mater. The ecliptic circle and important stars are represented on another plate, called the rete. Different planetary orbits could likewise be represented by different plates, and these would be seen projected onto the Earth plate when one looks down on the instrument.
The Bhagavatam similarly presents the orbits of the sun, the moon, planets, and important stars on a series of planes parallel to Bhu-mandala.
Seeing Bhu-mandala as a polar projection is one example of how it doesn’t represent a flat Earth.
One striking feature of the Bhagavatam’s descriptions has to do with size. If we compare Bhu-mandala with the Earth, the solar system out to Saturn, and the Milky Way galaxy, Bhu-mandala matches the solar system closely, while radically differing in size from Earth and the galaxy.
Furthermore, the structures of Bhu-mandala correspond with the planetary orbits of the solar system
If we compare the rings of Bhu-mandala with the orbits of Mercury, Venus , Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn, we find several close alignments that give weight to the hypothesis that Bhu-mandala was deliberately designed as a map of the solar system.
Until recent times, astronomers generally underestimated the distance from the earth to the sun. In particular, Claudius Ptolemy, the greatest astronomer of classical antiquity, seriously underestimated the Earth-sun distance and the size of the solar system. It is remarkable, therefore, that the dimensions of Bhu-mandala in the Bhagavatam are consistent with modern data on the size of the sun’s orbit and the solar system as a whole.
First of all, consider the very large sizes of mountains and land areas in Jambudvipa. For example, India is said to be 72,000 miles (9,000 yojanas) from north to south, or nearly three times the circumference of the Earth. Likewise, the Himalayas are said to be 80,000 miles high.
People in India in ancient times used to go in pilgrimage on foot from one end of India to the other, so they knew how large India is. Why does the Bhagavatam give such unrealistic distances? The answer is that Jambudvipa doubles as a model of the heavenly realm, in which everything is on a superhuman scale. The Bhagavatam portrays the demigods and other divine beings that inhabit this realm to be correspondingly large.
Why would the Bhagavatam describe Jambudvipa as both part of the earth and part of the celestial realm? Because there’s a connection between the two. To understand, let’s consider the idea of parallel worlds. By siddhis, or mystic perfections, one can take shortcuts across space. This is illustrated by a story from the Bhagavatam in which the mystic yogini Citralekha abducts Aniruddha from his bed in Dvaraka and transports him mystically to a distant city .
Besides moving from one place to another in ordinary space, the mystic siddhis enable one to travel in the all-pervading ether or to enter another continuum. The classical example of a parallel continuum is Krishna’s transcendental realm of Vrindavana, said to be unlimitedly expansive and to exist in parallel to the finite, earthly Vrindavana in India.
For centuries the cosmology of the Bhagavatam has seemed incomprehensible to most observers, encouraging many people either to summarily reject it or to accept it literally with unquestioning faith. If we take it literally, the cosmology of the Bhagavatam not only differs from modern astronomy, but, more important, it also suffers from internal contradictions and violations of common sense. These very contradictions, however, point the way to a different understanding of Bhagavata cosmology in which it emerges as a deep and scientifically sophisticated system of thought. The contradictions show that they are caused by overlapping self-consistent interpretations that use the same textual elements to expound different ideas.
Each of the four interpretations I’ve presented deserves to be taken seriously because each is supported by many points in the text that are consistent with one another while agreeing with modern astronomy. I’ve applied the context-sensitive or multiple-aspect approach, in which the same subject has different meanings in different contexts. This approach allows for the greatest amount of information to be stored in a picture or text, reducing the work required by the artist or writer. At the same time, it means that the work cannot be taken literally as a one-to-one model of reality, and it requires the viewer or reader to understand the different relevant contexts. This can be difficult when knowledge of context is lost over long periods of time.
In the Bhavagatam, the context-sensitive approach was rendered particularly appropriate by the conviction that reality, in the ultimate issue, is avak-manasam, or beyond the reach of the mundane mind or words. This implies that a literal, one-to-one model of reality is unattainable, and so one may as well pack as much meaning as possible into a necessarily incomplete description of the universe. The cosmology of the Bhagavata Purana is a sophisticated system of thought, with multiple layers of meaning, both physical and metaphysical. It combines practical understanding of astronomy with spiritual conceptions to produce a meaningful picture of the universe and reality.
Karma, Bhakti, and Jnana are but three paths to this end. And common to all the three is renunciation. Renounce the desires, even of going to heaven, for every desire related with body and mind creates bondage. Our focus of action is neither to save the humanity nor to engage in social reforms, not to seek personal gains, but to realize the indwelling Self itself.
Swami Vivekananda (England, London; 1895-96 )
I seek that Divine Knowledge by knowing which nothing remains to be known!’ For such a person knowledge and ignorance has only one meaning: Have you knowledge of God? If yes, you a Jnani! If not, you are ignorant.As said in the Gita, chapter XIII/11, knowledge of Self, observing everywhere the object of true Knowledge i.e. God, all this is declared to be true Knowledge (wisdom); what is contrary to this is ignorance.”
Sri Ramakrishna .
Science without religion is lame.
Religion without science is blind.
Ego is the cause for sll downfall.
Those who are greedy for money will have diseases.
Satisfy with what you have.
Share your knowledge with others.
Albert Einstein
All in game to Bliss and Peace.
Every single article posted in these pages by habitual stealer M P Bhattathiri are the ones stolen from other web sites. He was exposed earlier in many other forums too. His post appearing above too are stolen from my web site and he never bothers about taking permission or giving the source of info; never even cares to acknowledge the source from where is availed the articles.
He was warned by many webmasters, after I found and complained, that many of my articles appearing in his name at various other forums and blogs too! A shamless Bhattathiri.