Bharat Mata

Bharat Mata (Mother India)

On ‘You can Heal Your Life’ by Louise Hay. 

While reading her book of self-help - I came across several concepts which bore an uncanny resemblance to what I have read in Vedanta Darshana and by books written by Yogic sages. When I researched on her sources – I realized that she claims to have got her inspiration from the Church of Religious Science (RS).

When I went further to see where the founder of this Church – Earnest Holmes - got his philosophy inspiration from - it turns out that he read voraciously, and the main books included those which spoke of Vedanta thought – by Thomas Troward, who was posted in British-ruled India and his hobby was the study of Vedanta and Upanishads.

Troward is considered the ‘Early Teacher of Mental Science’ – when he has done nothing but propagated and copied the belief system and science of Vedanta. He will be recognized in history as a contributing influence to Religious Science, the New Thought Movement in the United States and Great Britain, and also, to some extent, to the more liberal ideas of the Church of England – but the contribution of Vedanta – well, let us not bother ourselves with it. 

Each and every principle of Holmes’ "What I Believe" (which forms the Religious Science credo) – is a Vedanta affirmation. It is simply a modified version of Sanatana Dharma core tenets.

But if I go by Wikipedia pages, or shallow reading, I will not find the India connection. 

Interestingly enough, Holmes himself was greatly influenced by something the called the ‘New Thought Movement’ in the United States. And to every Indian, who goes through its tenets – it is easy to see that ‘New Thought’ is actually nothing but the thousands of years old philosophy of Sanatana Dharma – ‘New Thought believes that God or Infinite Intelligence is "supreme, universal, and everlasting", that divinity dwells within each person, that all people are spiritual beings, that "the highest spiritual principle [is] loving one another unconditionally... and teaching and healing one another", and that "our mental states are carried forward into manifestation and become our experience in daily living’. This is exactly what Ayurveda and Yoga teach us - the unity of consciousness (अहम् ब्रह्मास्मि), the principles of “Ātmavat sarva-bhūteṣu” among others.

Even if we try to trace the sources of RS further, we see that one of the influences it had was from the Transcendentalism and Romanticism – which again has roots in the philosophy stated in the Upanishads and the Vedas. The literary figures and main proponents of both these movements have cited Indian thought as their primary sources.

Intriguing indeed… I wonder why should these people, who claim to be very moral and open, do not clearly state that the Vedanta spiritual philosophy played a key role in formulating their ideologies.  

Though Louise Hay does state in her book that she attended the Maharishi University, Iowa and practiced Transcendental meditation (TM – again a fancy/non-Indian name of Yogic meditation), and still does Yoga for her health. But it is sad to see how she underplays that part and does not acknowledge the effect it has had in shaping her teachings.

There are countless examples where the people in the West have copied and plagiarized Indian books and philosophy and made millions out of it, without acknowledging the real source. 

Consider the example of Rhonda Byrne – The Secret. Her dirty little secret is that she copied her million-dollar idea from Vedanta - which believes in omnipresence of divinity, even as she has twisted the concepts in a rather bizarre manner. 

Let me quote from the Art of Living website to elucidate it a but further:

"Vedanta in the West: From Ralph Waldo Emerson, Walt Whitman, Steve Jobs and Henry David Thoreau to The Beatles, Eddie Vedder and Russell Brand, westerners have a long history of turning to ancient Indian philosophies and practices to enhance their lives, bring peace of mind and provide practical wisdom. 

Films such as The Matrix, Vanilla Sky, Star Wars (Joseph Campbell, the renowned expert on Vedanta consulted George Lucas on the first three films), Inception and even Kung Fu Panda all have obvious Vedantic references and themes.

When Carl Jung first visited India 100 years ago, he was quoted as saying that Western Psychoanalytic Theory was in its mere infancy compared with Eastern Philosophy. 

Alcoholics Anonymous founder Bill Wilson also was influenced by Eastern Philosophies, meaning that the 12-Step program has its origins in Vedantic Science as well. 

One of the most popular and effective contemporary mental health treatment programs, Dialectic Behavior Therapy (DBT), is comprised of four primary modules (Mindfulness, Emotional Regulation, Distress Tolerance and Interpersonal Relations Skills) which are pure Vedanta, whether the creator of DBT understood them to be or not. That’s just how much Vedanta has permeated our way of collective thought processes."

Link: artofliving.org/vedanta-%E2%80%93-science-self-discovery

At first glance, it might sound naive and immature to claim it to be a new revelation or new movement, when it is but a manifestation of an age old belief system. 

But it is not hard to imagine why the people in West are so unwilling to give the credit to the source. One can understand that it must be difficult for them to accept that a heathen country, which they had enslaved for more than two centuries can be the source of something so profound and good! It hurts their ego and self-respect. 

The title of this post is mother India, because Bharat is truly like a mother. 
People come here, take nourishment (spiritual in this case), and bloom, but go away and forget who nurtured their intellect. And Bharat, like a good mother, still forgives and continues to nourish more.

ॐ

Inspire

Shriram Sharma Acharya, a pioneer of spiritual renaissance was born on 20th September 1911, in Anwalkheda, Agra District. He scrupulously carried out the biddings of his Guru, a great Himalayan Yogi, when he was fifteen years of age.

A sage, a visionary and a reformer, the Acharya initiated a movement for transformation of era, lived a disciplined life of devout austerity, visited the Himalayas several times and attained spiritual eminence.

The Gayatri Pariwar fraternity with its more 3000 social reform centers (Shakti-peeths) are his greatest contributions to the modern world.

He translated the entire Vedic Vangmaya and accomplished a feat of writing more than 3000 books on all aspects of life.

The Acharya, Great devotee of Gayatri lived an ideal life for 80 years and voluntarily shed his physical sheath on Gayatri Jayanti, 2nd June 1990.

Source: awgp.org

ॐ

Just a Housewife Syndrome

Following are my thoughts on Juhi Chawla’s ‘Conversation with a Mystic’ (an Isha Foundation video series where celebs come and ask questions from Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev)

  

Here is a video link of the same: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kgowgm1KeZ4
The full text of the talk: http://www.ishafoundation.org/blog/sadhguru/spot/just-housewife/

To give you an idea of the talk, here is an excerpt:

Juhi Chawla: Today, many women in our modern society are stepping out and having a career. What do you think about women having a career, managing a home and being financially independent?

Sadhguru: Every woman should do what she wants to do as an individual. It should NOT be made into a trend in society or be the only right thing to do in the world. 
I think that if a woman intends to have two children and raise them, it is a full time job. 

I am not saying she should not go out and work. If she wishes to, as an individual, she is free to do what she wants. But having children is not about reproduction. You are manufacturing the next generation of people.

I have asked many ladies, “What are you doing?” They say, “Oh, I am just a housewife.” I say, “Why do you say, you are just a housewife?” 

They do not seem to understand the significance of being able to nurture two or three new lives. It is a very important job. 

______

Now I must admit that most of Sadhguru's videos have inspired me, and have given me fresh perspective on most topics... but this particular video touched me in a most special way because it made me go back in time when I wanted to quit my respectable, well paying job in brand management, to take care of my daughter.

Though previously, I had intended to continue with that job, and had even joined back after my Maternity Leave was over, but within a few months I realized the folly of my decision.

I was not happy; even though I was selected for a promotion. Something was missing - and I honestly asked myself - what is it that I really want to do? The answer which naturally came to my mind - was not the answer which was in accordance with society's expectation from me.

I finally decided to listen to my own heart and figured that the best thing for me is to invest my time and energy in raising my daughter by quitting my job. 

It was then, that I faced pressure from my well-meaning friends, relatives and even my own parents - who thought that after all my educational degrees and professional experience, it was not fit for me to be 'just a housewife'. 

I had to explain to them, that I was simply making a choice which will make me a happier and more satisfied person.

Well,  there was a time when women had a pressure to stay at home and not venture into the outside world. 
Now, it is the reverse; today if a professional decides to go on a sabbatical on account of her children, she is judged as a being a loser who quit because she could not manage both family and professional life. 

An educated woman's choice to devote all her energy into her house is not understood well by most people. Unfortunately, as Sadhguru pointed out, too much emphasis is being given on the economic and material aspect – how much is she earning, what level has she reached in her job etc. The fact that child raising is also an important, full-time job, is ignored.

I do wish to make one thing extremely clear, I DO NOT judge the women who make a different choice than what I made. I personally believe each woman should follow her own heart; sometimes, what the society is telling her to do – might not be right for her.

Anything which is made into a trend is wrong. An individual should be free to decide for herself. 

Taking care of children, raising them well, managing a household should not be considered of lesser importance than having a job which pays in terms of money.

In this regard, I found Sadhguru most liberal and a staunch feminist (more than most of the self-proclaimed feminists & liberals). His point is clear – child-raising is a crucial, full time job, and should be respected as such. Moreover, he asserts - if a woman likes music, or dance, or if she simply lives her life like a flower, she should feel free to do so. 

And most importantly - her choice to stay at home should be respected as much as her choice to step outside the home. 

Marriage and Women

Why does a woman need a man? I mean - a man - to live with - day in, day out?  

Don’t get me wrong, I am not against marriage. I am a married woman with a 5 year old daughter, and I won’t say I am a very unhappy woman. 

But I know for sure, marriage is not meant for all women. There are some who like independence and space. 

Men can still retain their old friends, relatives, their home, their room, their name, their health - while being married.

But women have to compromise on all these aspects. Some less, some more - depending on the generosity of in-laws and husband… After all, husband's family has to be the priority after you become the ‘Mrs.’ 

Some women don’t wish to live that way. I wonder what gives people right to judge them!

In fact, Bharat's Vedic system has scope for women who wish to spend their lives alone and follow another path, but the problem is that we have forgotten our values and teachings of our sages and seers. If only the Vedic system could we revived, the people in our country would see women and feminine power in a very different and objective manner.

Contrary to what mainstream media would like us to believe, I feel most Indian men are very open to the idea of gender equality and are very rational when it comes to these matters. 

I say, to each to her own. And no (wo)men has the right to judge. 

Gender pluralism in India

Isn't It Time We Remove the archaic Article 377, which was brought in by the British Govt. in 1860... 

It does not go well with the Indian values. Homosexuality and transgender-ism was not looked down upon and was accepted in ancient Indian society.

We need to revive those values.

Ancient Indian culture, as depicted by our mythology was extremely plural and diverse. There was respect for everybody - because they believed in divinity being manifested in every form.

There are several examples of transgender, sex-conversion, third gender etc. in ancient Indian mythology:

1. Shikhandi: He was originally born as a girl child named 'Shikhandini' to Drupada - the king of Panchala. He plays a crucial role in Mahabharata.

2. Ardhanarishvara: S/he is made of both Shiva and his wife Parvati, - half man, half woman - usually depicted as split through the middle. 

3. Ila is an androgyne (a person who does not fit neatly into the typical masculine and feminine gender roles of their society) in Hindu mythology, known for his/her sex changes. As a man, he is known as Ila (Sanskrit: इल) or Sudyumna and as a woman, is called Ilā (Sanskrit: इला). 

4. Vishnu: Changes gender and becomes "Mohini" (the enchantress) to trick the demons into giving up "Amrita" the nectar of immortality. Vishnu as Mohini became pregnant from Shiva, and gave birth to Ayyappa. 

5. Sthunakarna: The yaksha who exchanged sex with Shikhandi.

6. Iravan/Aravan (he is the God of transgender community) married Vishnu. (who was that time in his Mohini avatar).

7. In Kama Sutra (written in the first millennium by Sage Vatsyayana), an entire is devoted to homosexual sex, it also categorizes men who desire other men as "third nature" and it does refer to long-term unions between men.

Intro to Vedas

I am currently reading - An Introduction to Vedas – by Dr. Raj Kumar Pruthi.

An amazing book. Must read if you are interested in Vedic Science and Mathematics.
Clears a lot of myths and misinformation about the Vedas.

I urge my friends to get good books on Vedas for themselves AND their children.

Here is the book review I found on the internet:
What do you think about a culture which says to its gifted scientists, scholars and architects, 'Nothing for self all for society; which calculated the distance between the sun and the earth and declared that gross atoms are not inert; all this 4000 years ago through transcendental research?

And how much developed and structured will the social ethos of such a culture be? 

As most of the modern psychologists and scientists are discovering, it will definitely be better than the present society we are living in. Should we then not consider the call of, 'Back to Vedas' more seriously?

Vedas hold the solution to the problems plaguing the world today, not only about science but about a good living, about balance, mental health and stress-free life, about total contentment. If only we peruse through the vast world of knowledge contained in the Vedas, we will surely bless our lives with much abundance, satisfaction and peace.

Every shloka in the Vedas is a pearl of wisdom, which we always had and yet have forgotten.
This book is an attempt to bring about a change in the psyche, and highlight the wisdom as promised by the Vedas - the eternal source of wisdom. 

What is needed in today's knowledge-based world is a change towards wisdom-based world.

ॐ

Mother Teresa

Jayanta Mahapatra in his poignant poem - 'Grandfather ' relates the traumatic incident of his grandfather, a Hindu Brahmin - Chintamani Mahapatra, who was compelled to embrace Christianity in order to save his life during the Orissa famine in 1866.

"We wish we had not to wake up with our smiles
in the middle of some social order"
- A reference to some state-imposed social order, (since India was under colonial rule at the time of the famine) - which feeds people but at the cost of their dignity. 

This decision was a hard compromise as he was left with an unfair choice death & conversion. The poet reconstructs this imaginary debate in the mind of the grandfather. Ultimately, faith succumbs to the demands of the body: He wonders how bad he must have felt to let go of his faith and religion for the sake of survival. 

It is a well-known and well documented fact that similar incidents happen in our country to this day. People convert to Christianity for gifts, food and jobs – especially in Andhra Pradesh and North East States. The Pope Francis himself had said, "Practicing charity is the best way to evangelize."

Link: https://twitter.com/Pontifex/status/558918164604399617

This brings us to the Mother Teresa debate that has embroiled our country… this has left me wondering, what exactly did the RSS chief said which hurt people so much? 

RSS Sarasanghachalal Bhagwat was addressing a function in village Bajhera, 8 kilometers from Bharatpur in Rajasthan where he inaugurated ‘Mahila Sadan’ and ‘Sishu Bal Grah’ - facilities for underprivileged women and children. 

Is calling Mother Teresa a missionary such an insulting thing? By her own admission she was one, she was on a mission to show people the path of Jesus, and bring Jesus’s love to the poorest of the poor. How Mohan Bhagwat was wrong in pointing out what she herself devoted her life to?! She herself triumphantly denied too being a ‘social worker’ insisting that she was doing religious work.

Link: http://www.firstpost.com/india/mohan-bhagwats-remark-on-mother-teresa-she-wouldve-probably-agreed-with-the-rss-chief-2118215.html

Mother Teresa herself admitted (read boasted) that her work is different from social service . She added the dimension of 'love' of Jesus Christ.

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Gw5Sg6x_8A&feature=youtu.be

I couldn’t fathom what was insulting in what he said. Yes, Teresa devoted her life to giving the dying a graceful death – her way of Grace was surrendering to the love of Jesus. For the same reason she was felicitated by the Catholic Church. Yes she helped the poor, the dying, the abandoned, but there were strings attached in her help, no matter how sincere she was.

The evangelists, the Jesuits – openly declare that Jesus is the only way to finding peace. The people who are offended with Bhagwat, do they claim that Bhagwat created this concept?! He simply called spade a spade. And mind you, he did it in a courteous enough manner – he appreciated the good humanistic work done by the Mother. He respectfully praised her for it, and extorted Indians to do such work – he did point out the Indian traditional meaning of humanistic work – or ‘sewa’ – which all Indians are already acquainted with. He didn't say anything new there either.

So try as I might, I fail to comprehend the uproar which resulted for the last couple of days.

I was able to categorize the uproar in certain types of noise – one camp was the ones who are desperate to condemn everything and anything that comes from a Hindu organisation. The mainstream media readily fits in this group. Without having any clear understanding of what was actually being said by Bhagwat, they love to cry hoarse in their evening media circus houses.

Then there are ones who gain brownie points by displaying a ‘secular’ (read anti-Hindu, pro-Muslim/Christian). Ex. was Kejriwal, who, before his entry in politics has himself admitted in his Magsaysay Award biography, that under Mother Teresa's guidance –  “There were lots of people in these villages who had started turning to Christianity... Somehow I started feeling guilty.” But now that he has his eyes on the Christian vote-bank – he had to pitch in and say pls spare Mother Teresa, she was "noble soul”.

If you want to see real, self-less humanistic work, look at Baba Amte, who devoted his entire life, working for the rehabilitation and empowerment of poor people suffering from leprosy without any religious fanaticism.

Or in contemporary times, look at RSS  - across the country, RSS Rashtriya Seva Bharati runs about 1,38,667 service projects irrespective of caste or religion.

Link: https://www.saddahaq.com/humaninterest/rashtriyasewabharati/dear-rss-haters-rss-rashtriya-sewa-bharati-runs-138667-sewa-projects-through-out-the-country

Or look at another Indian way of social service- Langar at Gurudwaras - one of the best examples of seva in modern times...

Today, thousands of free Langar meals are served every day in Sikh temples throughout UK.
Homeless people in the UK are getting free meals thanks to a centuries-old Sikh tradition.

Link: http://www.sanskritimagazine.com/indian-religions/sikhism/homeless-britons-turning-sikh-community-food/#

And, hence, for all the people who are up in arms - over Mohan Bhagwat's speech - at least, hear exactly what he said - before you go bonkers after reading Yellow Journalism headlines. 

But, please don't take my word for it - kindly listen for yourself - what exactly he said. He did not say one bad word against Mother Teresa.

His 'controversial' speech audio and full text is given in the link: http://samvada.org/2015/news/audio-speech-by-bhagwat-at-bharatpur-rajasthan/

Bhagwat was talking about the need for Indian youth to selflessly devote some time for social work - "When ‘seva’ is done nothing is expected in return expect the well being of the affected. Mother Teresa's service may have been important but her service was rendered with an intention that those served converted to Christianity. Whether a person wishes to convert to Christianity should be left to the person. Service has to be completely selfless and expecting absolutely nothing in return."

I wish every Indian would listen to Mohan Bhagwat's speech and inculcate a habit to help the downtrodden in any small manner they can... "Why should someone else from abroad come and serve our own people when we ourselves are here? We need to serve our own needy people and not delegate it to those who come from outside. A needy who is served will later become able enough to stand on his/her own and in turn serve other who are in need."

Bhagwat has said nothing different from what Swami Vivekananda said - work towards uplifting the poor and underprivileged of our country... It is our collective responsibility to provide them food, shelter, education, medical aid....so we must contribute some time, energy, resources towards this duty.

Let mainstream media go bonkers over one thing he said; they are diluting his intent and message and twisting it to suit their own agenda. 
Media always does this - dilutes good nationalistic messages to create pointless controversies - lets not help their cause.
Let us focus on the important things - there is a need for us to bring social reforms and eradicate poverty, hunger, disease, illiteracy and other social ills.

Let us recall Swami Vivekananda’s words – “Who thinks of raising these sunken downtrodden millions? A few hundred graduates do not make a nation, a few rich men do not make a nation. True, our opportunities are less, but sill there is enough to feed and clothe and make millions more comfortable…”

Jai Hind.