The ecstasy of being a hindu !

Sorry friend ! I have to share many things with you but I was not getting proper time. finally I am here with a new topic.

The ecstasy of being a hindu !

It is a slightly lengthy article but may be quite interesting to read.

Last month I got a new friend in my life 'Aditi'... she is an amicable girl but she made me thought of something which we all must think. She is a Hindu girl by birth but loves Islam and performs theirs rituals regularly. When I asked her reason for doing so she shared her past life with me, she told me that her boy friend was a Muslim so she thought of converting herself in to Islam. Then we had a long discussion that this type of conversion is right or not? I let her knew an incident which happens to me last to last year during deepawali. Finally after a long discussion I won and she agrees to me that one must respect every religion but must not convert our selves to other at any cost.

I would like to share that same incident with you all.

A year ago, I was traveling in train from new Delhi to Gaya (my home town) at deepawali . An American girl was sitting on the right side, near window seat. It indeed was a long journey - it would take nearly eighteen hours. I was surprised to see the young girl (18-19 yrs) reading a Bible. After some time she smiled and we had few acquaintances talk. Her name was fabiane. She is a very lovely girl from America and was going to Kanpur.

When I told her that I am from Bihar then suddenly the girl asked: 'What's your faith?

‘‘What?' I didn't understand the question..

'I mean, what's your religion? Are you a Christian or a Muslim?' – she said.

'No!' I replied, 'I am neither Christian nor Muslim'. Apparently she appeared shocked to listen to that.

'Then who are you? ‘‘I am a Hindu', I said.

She looked at me as if she was seeing a caged animal. She could not understand what I was talking about.

She told me that a common man in Europe or US knows about Christianity and Islam, as they are the leading religions of the world today. But a Hindu, what?

Then I explained to her - I am born to a Hindu father and Hindu mother.

Therefore, I am a Hindu by birth.

'Who is your prophet?' she asked.

'We don't have a prophet,' I replied.

'What's your Holy Book?'

'We don't have a single Holy Book, but we have hundreds and thousands of philosophical and sacred scriptures,' I replied.

'Oh, come on at least tell me who is your God?'

'What do you mean by that?'

'Like we have Jesus and Muslims have Allah - don't you have a God?'

I thought for a moment. Muslims and Christians believe one God (Male God) who created the world and takes an interest in the humans who inhabit it. Her mind is conditioned with that kind of belief.

According to her (or anybody who doesn't know about Hinduism), a religion needs to have one Prophet, one Holy book and one God. The mind is so conditioned and rigidly narrowed down to such a notion that anything else is not acceptable. I understood her perception and concept about faith. You can't compare Hinduism with any of the present leading religions where you have to believe in one concept of god.

I tried to explain to her: 'You can believe in one god and he can be a Hindu... You may believe in multiple deities and still you can be a Hindu. What's more - you may not believe in god at all, still you can be a Hindu. An atheist can also be a Hindu.'

This sounded very crazy to her. She couldn't imagine a religion so unorganized, still surviving for thousands of years, even after onslaught from foreign forces.

'I don't understand but it seems very interesting. Are you religious?' What can I tell to this American girl?

I said: 'I do not go to temple regularly. I do not make any regular rituals. I have learned some of the rituals in my younger days. I still enjoy doing it sometimes.. .’

'Enjoy? Are you not afraid of God?'

'God is a friend. No- I am not afraid of God. Nobody has made any compulsions on me to perform these rituals regularly.'

She thought for a while and then asked: 'Have you ever thought of converting to any other religion?'

'Why should I?. Even if I challenge some of the rituals and faith in Hinduism, nobody can convert me from Hinduism. Because, being a Hindu allows me to think independently and objectively, without conditioning. I remain as a Hindu never by force, but by choice.' I told her that Hinduism is not a religion, but a set of beliefs and practices. It is not a religion like Christianity or Islam because it is not founded by any one person or does not have a single organized controlling body like the Church or the Order, I added. There is no single institution or authority.

'So, you don't believe in God?' she wanted everything in black and white.

'I didn't say that. I do not discard the divine reality. Our scripture, or Sruthis or Smrithis - Vedas and Upanishads or the Gita - say God might be there or he might not be there. But we pray to that supreme abstract authority (Para Brahma) that is the creator of this universe.'

'Why can't you believe in one personal God?'

'We have a concept - abstract - not a personal god. The concept or notion of a personal God, hiding behind the clouds of secrecy, telling us irrational stories through few men whom he sends as messengers, demanding us to worship him or punish us, does not make sense. I don't think that God is as silly as an autocratic emperor who wants others to respect him or fear him.' I told her that such notions are just fancies of less educated human imagination and fallacies, adding that generally ethnic religious practitioners in Hinduism believe in personal gods. The entry level Hinduism has over-whelming superstitions too. The philosophical side of Hinduism negates all superstitions...

'Good that you agree God might exist. You told that you pray. What is your prayer then?'

*'Loka Samastha Sukh ino Bhavantu. Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti,'*

'Funny,' she laughed, 'What does it mean?'

'May all the beings in all the worlds be happy. Om Peace, Peace, Peace.'

Hmm ..very interesting.. I want to learn more about this religion. It is so democratic, broad-minded and free' she exclaimed.

The fact is Hinduism is a religion of the individual, for the individual and by the individual with its roots in the Vedas and the Bhagavad-Gita. It is all about an individual approaching a personal God in an individual way according to his temperament and inner evolution - it is as simple as that.'

Anybody can convert me to Hinduism?' she asked

'Nobody can convert you to Hinduism, because it is not only a religion, but a set of beliefs, practices and a way of life and culture. Everything is acceptable in Hinduism because there is no single authority or organization either to accept it or to reject it or to oppose it on behalf of Hinduism.'

For a real seeker, I told her, the Bible itself gives guidelines when it says ' Kingdom of God is within you.' I reminded her of Christ's teaching about the love that we have for each other. That is where you can find the meaning of life.

Loving each and every creation of the God is absolute and real. 'Isavasyam idam sarvam' Isam (the God) is present (inhabits) here and everywhere - nothing exists separate from the God, because God is present everywhere. Respect every living being and non-living things as God. That's what Hinduism teaches you.

Hinduism is referred to as Sanathana Dharma, the eternal faith. It is based on the practice of Dharma, the code of life. The most important aspect of Hinduism is being truthful to oneself. Hinduism has no monopoly on ideas.- It is open to all. Hindus believe in one God (not a personal one) expressed in different forms. For them, God is timeless and formless entity.

Ancestors of today's Hindus believe in eternal truths and cosmic laws and these truths are opened to anyone who seeks them. But there is a section of Hindus who are either superstitious or turned fanatic to make this an organized religion like others. The British coin the word 'Hindu' and considered it as a religion.

Further I said: 'Religions have become an MLM (multi-level- marketing) industry that has been trying to expand the market share by conversion. The biggest business in today's world is Spirituality. Hinduism is no exception'

I am a Hindu primarily because it professes Non-violence - 'Ahimsa Paramo Dharma' - Non violence is the highest duty. I am a Hindu because it doesn't conditions my mind with any faith system.

A man/ woman who change 's his/her birth religion to another religion is a fake and does not value his/her morals, culture and values in life. Hinduism may or may not be the first religion originated but be proud of your religion and be proud of who you are.

Om Namah shivay!

God gives cloth, wood and fire even to a dead man,

It is so sad that the living man keeps worrying...

"Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned."-Buddha

A good way to change someone’s attitude is to change our own, because the same sun that melts butter, also hardens clay!

Life is as we think it, so think beautifully.

Silence is killing

I m not writing these words just to narrate something…….. What I want is I want to make you think. It's us who can bring out the change to the prevailing situation.
It has been a male dominated world all along the ages. Women have been relegated to a secondary place of marginal importance. She has been reduced to a thing, not a human being. They constitute half of the humanity even then they are just considered to be an object of gratifying sexual lust and physical desire of men. You can read every day in your newspaper of incident related to sexual harassment.

What is right way to encapsulate sexual harassment? Is it where the human being endangered, where the sex is pushed in to a state of denial, where the femininity of women is objectified, Where the self proclaimed patriarchs of the society guard their own in securities in the face of the depth and resilience of a woman’s character?

When you touch without touching me,
Ravishing my body, you rape my soul,
Reducing me to a hole,
Reminding me I’ m the weaker sex…..

Sexual harassment defies all boundaries. Can one look at it as a violation of one’s sense of self worth? Working women are expected to deal with such pressure if they’ve stepped out of the house. Are they supposed to accept a pat on the bottom as a casual, friendly overture, a joke with a sexual innuendo as office rapport, a leering smile as if it is the most normal response, a brush of the hand as an oft – repeated accident? The list is endless………………. I am not touching issue like rape or molestation.

For a women, sexual harassment encompasses the emotional trauma, an assault on the dignity, self – respect, a betrayal of trust, and the lowliest form of humiliation. It is a mutilation of the spirit, a struggle that defeats most who buckle under pressure.

"First of all, let me say that being sexually harassedsince 5th grade has gone beyond the damage of affecting the way I feel.... Now...I have no pride, no self-confidence, and still no way out of the [misery] I am put through in my school."— A Female College Student

Men and women have been declared equalize in the eye of law. I could reel off the various Articles of the constitution that ensure such equality but the valid changes have to come from within the social structure, of which the family unit is the microcosmic unit. A revolution in the mindset of men and women has to take seed right from the beginning of an upbringing of a child. A beginning where mothers teach their daughters to assert themselves as individuals and not suppress their life’s desires to meet the expectations of the father, brother, husband and in laws and the boss.
Why are we reducing ourselves to looking at cases of sexual harassment, rape and kidnappings as mere numbers? Is that all we can do - conduct survey, arrive at statistical answers and issue reports which make the headlines in newspapers like – “ 11000 rape cases and 12000 kidnappings reported in..? one out of every three women has experienced the horrors of living with sexual harassment. It’s so strange that only cases to do with people in power or the most recent Shiney Ahuja case came to light amidst glorification by the media.

Did anyone even give a thought to the implications of what a woman goes through under similar circumstances? What happens to all those countless women who live it as a part of their life every day?
“Kudos to the nurse who told the Delhi Court – ‘ I will not marry him, hang him.’ She had been raped by a ward boy, who is his lost desperate bid to save himself, came up with this ploy of offering marriage. But how many women possess the gumption to react like this? The shame, the social stigma attached to bringing their own plight to light keeps most women silent, alone and lonely in their predicament.
Silence is killing here,…

A lady with her grown up sons at the city mall was given a look- over by a passing group of young boys, a whistle was heard. The sons noticed it, the lady did too; she turned around and told her boys, ’let it go, don’t even think of saying anything.’ The two sons would have loved to collar the offenders but obeyed the mother, why?
Another mother tutors her teenage daughter ever so often, ‘don’t react to the passing lewd remarks on the roads, just ignore them, no point in speaking up..’ why? Fundamental Rights, Democracy, Freedom, that’s why..

friends ..wake up now... it's high time . if we still remain silent, one day it may happen to our family also.

A Song Of Praise

I am thankful to my dear friend ‘Rameshwari kaul’ who praised my writing skills and insisted me to start writing blogs so can the viewers can be benefited. She said if no one is going to read your blogs..no worry my friend I’ll surly read it.
So that’s why I am here with my next blog. It is not only for Rameshwari but it’s for all of you. Please read and do write your comments

Being an Indian if anyone doesn’t know Hindi is a shameful thing and so as the thing even if we don’t understand what actually our national anthem means. I am also one of the culprit as I spent 22/23 years in this nation singing "jana-gana-mana.." without knowing its actual meaning. But I am sure I am not the only one who did this but many of us do the same, as we are weak at our own national language "Hindi" and age old traditional language "Sanskrit". The way we were treated our national language is disgraceful and that’s the reason that we are not aware of the meaning of our national anthem…….

The national anthem of India, Jana-gana-mana, was composed by the great poet Rabindranath Tagore and was adopted by the Constituent Assembly of India on January 24th 1950. But is it really a very great piece of writing by such a great poet?

At the very outset I would like to ask every Indians that what does the word national anthem means. Isn’t it that means a sacred song praising and declaring loyalty to a nation? If yes, then is our national anthem "jana-gana-mana…" a song praising about India?
I don’t know what you all are thinking right now but I surly feel it’s no more related to the praising of our nation. I observed our national anthem more deeply and found that the words are not really praising India, its praising someone else.
Let’s observe national anthem more carefully and try to get meaning out of it.

"Jana-gana-mana-adhinaayaka, jaya he
Bhaarata-bhagya-vidhaataa
Punjab-Sindhu-Gujarata-Marathaa
Draavida-Utkala -Banga
Vindhya-Himachala-Yamuna-Gangaa
Uchchala-Jaladhi-taranga
Tava shubha naame jaage
Tava shubha ashisha maange
Gaaye tab jaya gaatha
Jana-gana-mangala-daayaka jaya he
Bharata-bhagya-vidhataa
Jaya he, jaya he, jaya he
Jaya jaya, jaya, jaya he!! "

Did you get some meaning out of this?
Only some of you might have got its actual sayings as it is a complex hindi composition.
Ok..ok.. ok.. no worry I’ll discuss Tagore's English rendering of the stanza. But before that I want to make you clear with the meaning of some English words, it would be helping you to understand the stanza.
Thou: refers to you, the person being addressed or written to.
Art: the skill or ability to do something well, the ability to achieve things by deceitful or cunning methods, talent, knack.
Dispenser: somebody or something that distributes something.
Thy: Your (belonging or relating to you, the second person singular possessive corresponding to "thou").
Echoes: the repetition of a sound caused by the reflection of sound waves from a surface.
Rouses: wake, shake somebody out of apathy, cause emotion.
Mingles: mix gently or gradually.
Chanted: a phrase or slogan repeatedly and rhythmically spoken, often with a simple singsong intonation.
Thee : You, a form of "thou" used as the object of a verb or preposition to mean "you").

Here is English rendering of the stanza (Indian national anthem) -
"Thou art the ruler of the minds of all people, dispenser of India's destiny. Thy name rouses the hearts of Punjab, Sindh, Gujarat and Maratha, of the Dravidian and Orissa and Bengal it echoes in the hills of the Vindhyas and Himalayas, Mingles in the music of Jamuna and Ganges and is chanted by the waves of the Indian Sea. They pray for thy blessings and sing thy praise. The saving of all people waits in thy hand, thou dispenser of India's destiny victory, victory, victory, victory to thee."

Now in more simple words…
You "the distributor of India's destiny", have the ability to rules the mind of all people. Your name shaken the heart of Punjab, Gujarat, Maharashtra, South India, Orissa and Bengal. Your name echoes in the hills of the Vindhyas and Himalayas. Mix gently in the music of jamuna and Ganga and is repeatedly and rhythmically spoken by the wave of Indian Sea. They pray for your blessings and sing your praise. The saving of all people waits in your hand, you "the distributor of India's destiny" victory, victory, victory, victory to you."

Here we can make out/witness that these praising lines are actually for someone who was regarded as the dispenser (distributor) of India’s destiny. So it’s quite clear now that these very nicely composed praising lines is not praising India at all. It seems like that it was composed in the honor of British East India Company.
My dear friends at last I would like to say that, it’s really not necessary if our father and forefather have committed the mistake we must also stick to it. India is our motherland and we must adore her with a sacred song praising and declaring loyalty to her only.
We can make a big difference and bring out the change, the only thing we need is that we must initiate collectively.
Vande mataram!

who d hELL i' am?

weLL to sTart with....wHo d heLL i am??
a simPle mAn with coMman fEelings nd siMple aMbition in miNd…..sum simpLe dReams at heaRt. WalkiNg on sum commAn philosoPhy n rulEs of my liFe. I liVe coNtent wiTh smalL meAns; seEk elegaNce ratHer than luXury, nd refinEment rather than fasHion; I wouLd likE to be worthy, not resPectable, nd weaLthy, not, rich; I luv listEning to staRs and biRds, babEs and sagEs, witH opEn heart; I think quietly, act fraNkly, talk genTly, aWait ocCasioNs, hurRy nevEr; to let the spiritual, unbiDden and unConsCious, grow up thRough the coMmon--this is my SympHoNy of lifE.I ‘ ve one liFe nd one chAnce to maKe it couNt for sumtHiNg . . . I'm free to choose wHat that soMething is, nd thE somEthing I've chosen is my “dReam”.