tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45179517336985980272024-02-20T19:13:44.725-05:00Hindu Philosophiesकृण्वन्तो विश्वं आर्यं, न निर्वृता अन्तिका ||Karmasurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01593320349146292650noreply@blogger.comBlogger89125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4517951733698598027.post-59151336609200345112013-10-05T22:50:00.001-04:002013-10-06T11:02:48.625-04:00Differences between hindu and western sciences.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Today, I'll be paraphrasing <a href="http://www.unep.org/maweb/documents/bridging/papers/balasubramian.a.pdf" target="_blank">"Traditional and modern sciences and technologies in India: trading new paradigms for old"</a> by A.V. Balasubramanian. </div>
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<b>Paraphrase:</b></div>
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The objectives of this paper are as follows:</div>
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1) To describe traditional Indian knowledge systems in branches of science and tech and qualify their scientific nature.</div>
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2) To show how Indian knowledge systems differed from the western knowledge systems</div>
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3) To explore possibilities of inter-linkages and cooperation with western knowledge systems.</div>
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<b>1) To describe traditional Indian knowledge systems in branches of science and tech and qualify their scientific nature: </b></div>
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The author identifies a knowledge system in an ancient civilization as scientific if it shows the following three characteristics: - methodological, epistemological and sociological. </div>
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Methodological criteria:</div>
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1) That it is based on a sufficiently large body of observational data.</div>
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2) It has a sufficiently elaborate theoretical framework to classify the data.</div>
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3) The basis of legitimisation of theoretical speculation is based in observation.</div>
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Epistemological criteria:</div>
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1) The above method is a legitimate method for acquiring knowledge about reality.</div>
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2) The knowledge so acquired is always limited and subject to modification in the light of new data.</div>
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Sociological criteria:</div>
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1) In the society there is a professional community of practitioners of knowledge in the above sense, well governed by some social norms.</div>
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The paper then continues and describes such criteria in traditional medicine as an example.</div>
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<b>2) To show how Indian knowledge systems differed from the western knowledge systems</b></div>
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The author finds that traditional knowledge systems differed from the western systems in the social organization of knowledge, the nature of the parameter used to build scientific theories and measurement quantification and achieving rigor. With respect to social organization, the author finds that in the instance of traditional medicine, there is a classical system as well as the folk system. The classical system consists of the codified systems such as Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani traditions. These have institutionally trained practitioners, a body of texts and highly developed theories to support their practices. The folk tradition is passed down from one generation to another. With respect to theory construction, in the Indian tradition there is a lack of formalization in the sense that theories cannot be applied outside of the context of formulation. The institutionalized theories match folk tradition to a great degree and hence less centralized in terms of people knowing it. In terms of parameters used to build theories, the choice of parameters is such that they are universal and can be generalized for all conditions. The author gives the example of the Ayurvedic view that all disease is caused by the imbalance of Vatta, Pitta or Kapha (these are the parameters that Ayurveda uses). While Western sciences use numerical values in universal units to make precise measurements, traditional knowledge systems use different kinds of units. For instance, a person's height is measured in units of Anguli - which is the dimension of a finger of the same person rather than a universal standard external to the individual. </div>
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<b>3) To explore possibilities of inter-linkages and cooperation with western knowledge systems.</b></div>
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The author notes that the current status of interaction between western and Indian scientific tradition suffers from several limitations which is a result of the colonial hangover. He takes a look at two of them - (1) the current trend of 'prospecting' traditional knowledge and (2) the assumed universality and neutrality of the methodology of modern science. Prospecting traditional knowledge means to look at physical resources, technologies and knowledge as a raw material that needs to be scanned, prospected and refined with the aim to incorporate it into modern/western framework. While this can lead to outstanding success stories, such as making quinine from the Cinchona bark, it does not cause the revitalization of traditional knowledge and endogenous development of the local communities. The author gives the example of the plant Rauvolfa Serpentin which was abundant in India and was well known for treating hypertension. Exploitation of this plant has led to it being driven to the brink of extinction. The effects of prospecting also include patenting of knowledge and violating the intellectual property rights of the original carriers of the knowledge. With respect to the assumed universality and methodology of modern science, the author observes that modern scientific methods at their root have a stamp of their origin. He gives an example of how the modern scientific method of drug assessment by employing blind trials, double blind trials and placebos at their root assume that the patient is a passive recipient of therapy. In Ayurvedic treatments where a patient has to follow a certain ritual, the same method cannot apply. Thus, the modern method is the product of a cultural context where the patient is a passive recipient of the treatment.</div>
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To improve collaboration between Western and Indian scientific traditions, the author suggests again with the example of the medical field how either modern medicine or traditional medicine may form the main line of treatment based on the disease while the other plays a complementary role. Such collaborations are now happening at the level of institutions. </div>
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The author concludes that throughout the course of history, every geographical location of the world has nurtured and produced sciences and technologies that resemble the nature of the civilization of the people therein. It was found that western tradition of science and technology is not universal and unique, and there is an urgent need to have a second look on traditional sciences, technologies and knowledge systems to revive them before they are lost.</div>
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A thanks to @KVSarmaJ on twitter for sending me this paper.</div>
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Karmasurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01593320349146292650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4517951733698598027.post-48449453353330467982013-09-22T13:40:00.002-04:002013-10-06T04:19:37.209-04:00Savarkar's Strategic Agnosticism<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Today, I am attempting a paraphrase of the paper "<a href="http://archiv.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/volltextserver/10414/1/HPSACP_Wolf.pdf" target="_blank">Vinayak Damodar Savarkar's 'Strategic Agnosticism: A compilation of his Socio - Political Philosophy and Worldview</a>" by Siegfried O. Wolf that was published by the Heidelberg Papers in South Asian and Comparative Politics in January 2010. Readers are encouraged to finish the paper after the paraphrase to capture what I couldn't.</div>
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The author recognizes that there are two mainstream views on Savarkar, one where Savarkar and his socio - political vision (Hindutva) are seen as the greatest enemy for a modern secular society. The other is one which considers it to have a legitimate place in political life. But according to him, the big picture of what Savarkar thought, is lacking and his piece seeks to cover that gap in people's understanding of Savarkar. The tool used for that is an analysis of Savarkar's philosophical tenets and worldview. This is done by taking fragments from all of Savarkar's various writings, which can be split into three different categories: 1) the non political literature, 2) Historical studies, and 3) Political statements.</div>
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Siegfried recognizes that the basis for Savarkar's thoughts is strategic agnosticism. The three major premises that one must hold while analyzing Savarkar's works are as follows:</div>
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1) The supremacy of Western political and social thought in Savarkar's philosophy and worldview: While Savarkar had gone over the holy scriptures, he was also impressed by Western literature, which related to rationalism in religion, liberty in thought and equality in fundamental rights. </div>
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2) The 'clash' of two different worldviews: The two worldviews are 'world and life negation' and 'world and life affirmation'. Believers of 'world and life negation' think that man's existence on earth is meaningless and sorrowful and (a) live a life of self denial of pleasures, (b) do not try to improve their living conditions. Believers of 'world and life affirmation' think the opposite. Savarkar developed a critical attitude towards aspects of 'world and life negation' in Indian literature and endorsed 'world and life affirmation' aspects. </div>
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3) Savarkar's agnosticism - Religion as an extension to the portfolio of political strategies: Savarkar accepted only those aspects of religion that seemed rational. He never accepted religious books as the final word, and always sought to evaluate them according to current times. Other aspects of Savarkar's agnosticism include accepting that rules of physics govern the universe and Hinduism as a collective identity for all Indians. He wanted to instill the idea that service to the nation ought to be the religion of his countrymen. He accepted that 'holyland' can be a place where one earns merit through patriotism. In this context, it is possible for non Hindus to accept India as a 'holyland'. </div>
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Savarkar's philosophical outlook included five aspects: (1) Utilitarianism (2)Rationalism and Positivism (3) Humanism and universalism, (4) Pragmatism and (5) Realism. He wanted social reform with these in mind. His idea of philosophy of life included a portfolio of elements drawn from classical Indian thought, western social and political philosophy and his own experience and observations. Savarkar's strategic agnosticism comes from rejecting some aspects of the Hindu faith that could not fit in with this portfolio. With this background, the author wishes that Savarkar be viewed through a new analytical and scientific study in order to learn the foundations of Savarkar's vision of the Indian nation-state.</div>
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Karmasurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01593320349146292650noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4517951733698598027.post-80949263839187708622013-09-16T22:58:00.000-04:002013-09-21T19:16:41.798-04:00Sudharma needs help..<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Sudharma needs help (more subscribers). Readers are encouraged to subscribe to the daily.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A brief introduction of Sudharma is quoted below.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sanskrit, A glorious language : Most of the gems of our cultural and religious heritage (the Vedas,Upanishads, Ramayana, Mahabharata, Subhashitams, the Puranas) originated in this language. Even today,Sanskrit is taught in a few Sanskrit Veda Paathashaalas. Unfortunately, its spread outside these specialized schools is limited. Even worse, vested interests have been somewhat successful in spreading the idea that Sanskrit is the preserve of a select few from a particular stratum of society. All this has gone towards creating a general impression that Sanskrit is an inaccessible language that has negligible if not zero relevance in daily life.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This misconception about Sanskrit has been a powerful tool for vested interests to denounce language as dead substance. To remove this misconception, it is necessary to demonstrate in practise that Sanskrit is indeed an accessible language that is versatile enough for practical use.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This thought motivated Pandit Girvaana Vaani Bhushanam Vidyaanidhi Kalale Nadaadur Varadaraja Iyengar to start Sudharma. From its inception to date, Sudharma has been the only Sanskrit Daily Newspaper in the World.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rest of the appeal in the link: (<a href="http://themotherindia.com/2012/07/31/an-appeal-by-sudharma-worlds-only-sanskrit-daily/" target="_blank">click</a>). A thanks to Gandaragolaka for the link.</span></div>
Karmasurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01593320349146292650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4517951733698598027.post-29288634885810327612013-09-15T22:42:00.000-04:002013-09-15T22:44:14.249-04:00How to 'save' dharmic techniques from the west?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 21px;">This post should be read in continuation to the <a href="http://krishnabhakt.blogspot.com/2013/09/why-are-godmen-corrupt.html" target="_blank">previous one</a>. That is because one needs to see religious practices as a money making enterprise for the ideas discussed in this post to be possible. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 21px;">Let's get to the title-question. One way to save 'dharmic' techniques is to obviously hide these items from the west by teaching them in only very minor circles. The other way is to continue the current trend by claiming the Indian/Hindu origin of the items through publishing news articles when and where things seem to be slipping out of hand. Both of these have their flaws. Could there be a third way?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #333333; line-height: 21px; text-align: left;">@_Mauna_ has the following view (</span><a href="http://www.twitlonger.com/show/mj0met" style="line-height: 21px; text-align: left;" target="_blank">click</a><span style="color: #333333; line-height: 21px; text-align: left;">):</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 21px;">There seems to be some anxiety about various Dharmic techniques and designs being taken over by non-Dharmic or restricted belief systems for purposes of tactical cultural pollination or more genuine motivations. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 21px;">The larger point is can Hindu society and its keepers stop it? Not unless we turn ourselves into a McDonalds lookalike and hire a bunch of lawyers with a brief - the making of which would be incredibly complex and unworkable, because that's control. Push, not pull.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 21px;">Or can we guide the building and usage of our techniques and designs for a fee? The clincher would be, "since you've chosen to steal, at least let us show you how to use it well".</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 21px;">Let's assume the VHP opened town & city offices of Temple Architecture or created an online network of such experts with a brief to accept assignments from proposed Temples and Churches (Those wishing to install dhvajastambhas for eg.). Let's also assume this network creates easily available literature with a license for use mechanism.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 21px;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 21px;">Let's take the case of Yoga or Bharatanatyam/dance forms. In China, martial arts are taught by family based schools who control innovation through franchise & licensing. Why can we not encourage our current experts to build and develop their own schools with the authority to license and franchise out.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 21px;">In my opinion, these methods are eminently workable for both ends of the value stream. Branding is maintained, money is made and the users don't feel they are stealing something which will be called out.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 21px;">It is true that such a thing needs the backing of a powerful authority. Preferably a strong Hindu State. However, in the meanwhile, an organization like the VHP is eminently positioned to take up this challenge.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 21px;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 21px;">Perhaps experts in the field, including branding experts can debate the idea more and take it forward?</span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 21px;">The point is that the current trend does not allow us a lot of innovation which Palahalli's idea appears to allow. By keeping our ideas in the market and working together with people interested in them, we have some chance of innovation and continued development of them. This of course is not a solution for outright aping of religious practices by semetic religions with an objective for conversion, but for other items being stolen it could be. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 21px;">P.S.: If any branding experts chance upon this blog post, my appeal remains the same as @_Mauna_. </span></span></div>
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Karmasurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01593320349146292650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4517951733698598027.post-32888424469071117422013-09-01T19:12:00.001-04:002013-09-01T19:16:53.163-04:00Why are godmen corrupt?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Because the good people don't see religion as a money making enterprise. When that happens, the good people are for the most part diverted into occupations that afford them a livelihood. And the bad guys move in to fill the vacuum.</div>
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The problem is universal and extends itself to charity organizations. Far too many people dislike when things that used to be charitable are involved in making money. In times past, life was pretty simple and perhaps affordable without big money. But when money has become the be all, we should lower the moral bar on our social and religious foundations. Otherwise corruption in religious institutions will keep growing.<br />
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We could however raise the bar on whether or not they get stuff done. Dan Pallotta <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfAzi6D5FpM" target="_blank">shows how</a>. He talks about the non profit sector of which religion might be considered a part of.<br />
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<span style="text-align: left;">Note: This post although inspired by recent events does not claim to doubt anybody.</span></div>
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Karmasurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01593320349146292650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4517951733698598027.post-73564603475202948082012-08-05T13:39:00.000-04:002012-08-07T11:13:24.395-04:00Of temples and temple endowment acts<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">It has started to dawn on some sections of the net chatterati that socialism in India has failed. This realization has started a movement towards endorsing free market reforms. Much of this is welcome, but some of it is travelling too far into libertarianism. This causes some problems.* For instance, it is widely known that the goal of libertarianism is dismantling the welfare state. To a question that who will look after the poor after the welfare state is dismantled, one 'secular' libertarian friend suggested that it is our responsibility to take care of them.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">This is a very romantic and very appreciable thought, and it also has <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rls8H6MktrA" target="_blank">MILTON FRIEDMAN</a> written all over it*. In the west which gets ample of skilled labor from around the world, this might click. But in India, there is a serious dearth of talented professionals and innovative people in many fields. These are the people who are most vulnerable to long periods of exposure on libertarian forums and believing in a minimalist state. We need these people to work hard and make profits for their companies and drive the nation into the new age. Now if these people go on to do charity without burning their potential, it will be a tragedy to the nation. There is also the problem of how far these individuals will reach on their own, because there's simply so much to do. We will therefore not have to stop on that part of libertarianism associated with individual charities and examine another long forgotten element of the society to do charity and public service - your neighborhood temple.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_2058488962" style="background-color: white;"><br /></a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">I will try to encapsulate the message of this booklet (<a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/3046904/Significant-Role-of-Temples" target="_blank">ref</a>) and this paper (<a href="http://www.jstor.org/stable/2943547" target="_blank">ref</a>) about what Hindu temples were able to do earlier and can do so again today:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">1) Educate people about concepts of Hindu dharma and the threats facing it.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">2) Be service oriented and do charity and public work in the neighboring area.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">3) Initiate inter-faith dialogs with Abrahamic faiths.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">4) Build irrigation facilities for neighboring villages.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">5) Invest in enhancing productivity for places from which endowments are sourced (which was the concept behind point 4.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">6) Run educational institutions (mathas).</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">7) Support musicians (probably related to aarti sessions) and scholars (do research?)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">8) Support pilgrimage housing.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">9) And do maintenance of the building.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">It thus was able to serve as an independent business and probably operated like a big private company today. With regards to south Indian temple activities, these were enabled by assigning village grants to temple and the temple would then collect 51 to 75% of the village income. We might not be able to implement that kind of stuff, but we can at least allow for voluntary donations to the temple. However, except for a small part of point 9 of the above, today's temples can't do any of the above activities. The reason: endowment acts.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">These acts are actually a continuation of British policy (<a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/8535294/Government-Control-of-Hindu-Temples-in-India-a-Blatant-Violation-of-Secularism" target="_blank">ref</a>) towards interference in temple affairs. Through endowment acts, the government enters into the management of hindu religious institutions using the argument that funds available to these are mismanaged. This is viewed so because each temple manages its funds differently<span style="line-height: 1.5em;">. The <a href="http://www.ndtv.com/article/south/tamil-nadu-to-amend-hindu-religious-and-charitable-endowments-act-211316" target="_blank">scope creep</a> of endowment acts is progressively getting worse. However, this might not be constitutional since according to <a href="http://www.indiankanoon.org/doc/1858991/" target="_blank">article 26</a> every religious denomination is allowed:</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.5em;">1) to establish and maintain institutions for religious and charitable purposes.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.5em;">2) to manage its own affairs in matters of religion.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.5em;">3) to own and acquire movable and immovable property.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.5em;">4) to administer such property in accordance with law.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.5em;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_2058488962" style="background-color: white;"><br /></a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.5em;">Clause 2 and 4 should be sufficient to allow for an argument of the financial freedom of temples. The temples have started their own agitation for this, as in the Tirupathi declaration. The thing about endowment acts that nobody seems to ask is why is not the same argument (<i>about government control being better than local control and the constitutionality premise of it</i>) being forwarded for other religious places? The financial and operational freedom of Hindu temples can start the long process of recovery of Hindu traditions that have been suppressed since the past millennium. There are several projects that await execution by temples, including writing a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuga_Dharma" target="_blank">smriti</a> for this age*. Financial freedom to temples would also allow them to compete with the Abrahamic faiths in public service. Unwinding the welfare state to some extent is also assured, as temples have the profit incentive for public service in furthering the cause of Hinduism while government run welfare schemes are known to operate badly for the lack of it.* And as Sun Tzu would say, a general should put his men in a tough spot, that is where they will fight the hardest. Our hindu priests are in a tough spot, and from here, there is nowhere to retreat. We can help them by campaigning to dismantle the endowment acts. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.5em;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_2058488962" style="background-color: white;"><br /></a></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.5em;">* = edited later to improve flow of logic.</span></div>
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</div>Karmasurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01593320349146292650noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4517951733698598027.post-61506269779497764692012-07-28T13:35:00.000-04:002012-08-05T23:47:21.313-04:00Hindu Economics: More brass-tacks<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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In a previous post (<a href="http://krishnabhakt.blogspot.com/2012/07/think-tanking-what-hindu-right-can-do_13.html" target="_blank">click</a>), I had proposed that think tanks for the Hindu right should work on a Hindu field of economics. The reasoning behind the proposal was that if it is anybody in the Hindu fold that doesn't take for granted what the West designs for its society, it would be the Hindu right. To build on this, the book on Hindu Economics by M.G. Bokare might be useful. Mr. Bokare has done a yeoman's service to the Hindu cause by giving some basic principles on economics after delving into the Vedas, the epics, Shukraniti, Viduraniti and the Arthashastra by Kautilya.</div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">So let's start with the basic definitions. We will use a not yet outdated and at the same time easily understandable and less controversial <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economics#Definitions" target="_blank">definition</a> for economics as was given by Alfred Marshall: </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">"Economics is a study of man in the ordinary business of life. It enquires how he gets his income and how he uses it. Thus it is on the one side, the study of wealth and on the other and more important side, a part of the study of man."</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Quoting this paper (<a href="http://www.samarthbharat.com/files/ramayaneconomics.pdf" target="_blank">ref</a>), Hindu economics in the past has been proposed to have a similar definition:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">"The objective of Hindu economics is to guide individuals to lead a meaningful satisfying life complete with all resources in abundance." </span></div>
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<i style="background-color: white;">(Barring the focus on money, this is similar to how economics is being defined in that it seeks to find a perfect distribution of resources to needs, and maybe it was apt for its time because money was not the centre of all activity in earlier times.)</i></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Now let's talk about money making. There are three major ways, (not including a zeroth way) which in the order of outcomes in terms of income security are as follows:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">0) The zeroth way of money making is soaking up government welfare. A brilliant indictment of one such scheme can be found here (<a href="http://centreright.in/2012/07/14011/#.UAtmorSWe8A" target="_blank">click</a>). I have numbered this type as zero because of the outcome, which is that such schemes lead to no productivity and this method of earning money ends as soon as the government runs out of other people's money. Besides, productivity lost due to badly prepared schemes make government tax revenues fall and thus "other people's money" runs out faster.<span style="color: red;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">1) The first important method of money making is based on skill development. Suppose a person X is to get vocational training for a certain skill, and labor endlessly at a set wage till kingdom come, live within his means and be satisfied with it. The risk is that some Y who can do the same thing as X might come up in the same job who is willing to work for less. Or let's say that Y belongs to a country that doesn't even have a minimum wage law like X's country and it is easier to set up shop there. Then, the risk is that X will lose his job to Y. We thus see that basing wealth generation on mere skills is a risky proposition and sooner or later, we'll be left dry. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">2) The second is resource extraction and sales. Suppose a country X has a large population of salmon in its water bodies, a large reserve of oil below its soil and so on. A simple way is to exploit these resources to the hilt and build the economy on that. However, sooner or later these resources will run out and so basing the country on resource generation as a wealth source might be more secure than basing it on skills, but in the long run it is also not a good proposal.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">3) A more secure way of money making is that the person X in case 1 mentioned above gets genuinely interested to make a change in his living conditions, reads up more in his field, trains more in his spare time and comes up with a brilliant idea/invention that can make him more productive and can give his employer huge profits. That is how he eventually turns out to be different than Y and his employer would be pleased with him even though Y provides cheap labour. This is the way of success that rich countries promote. An economist who wants to design a good economic system must recognize this importance of innovations and bring out concepts in economic policies that promote or make a case for innovativeness. </span></div>
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It is upto future Hindu economists and associated think tanks to decide what path of the above 3 (or a combination of two or more paths) they wish to take but my earnest desire would be that they take path 3.<span style="background-color: white;"> </span><span style="background-color: white;">It is impossible that India had the biggest economy in the world until the British arrived without a model for innovation and Hindu economics must be geared towards finding remnant pieces of this innovation model along with incorporating some western practices (credit for this idea goes to Rajeev Malhotra's yahoo discussion forum on breaking india). Taking M.G. Bokare's tome on Hindu economics and other papers by prominent current Hindu historians, we will now see what concepts of his Hindu economics promote innovation. The ultimate efficacy of Hindu economics will be in how it manages to outperform the western capitalist systems in the race of developing new science and technology. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">The basic principles that Bokareji sets out with are:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">1) Doctrine of Abundance (proposed in the Vedas)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">2) Doctrine of self employment (proposed by Vidura)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">3) Principle of competition (proposed by Shukracharya and Kautilya)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">4) Principle of pricing (proposed by Shukracharya and Kautilya)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">5) Principle of taxation. (proposed in Shanti Parva)</span></div>
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Much of this is similar to the free market system promoted by libertarians*. The doctrine of abundance is similar to the argument made in the west for more efficiency (i.e. a larger output from the same input). A more efficient system would have a higher production and hence provide for abundance. Self employment provides for an argument for capital intensive investments in R & D to promote production, reduce labor requirements, have higher wages and ultimately provide for laborers to go it alone in their economic life. Competition too provides for scientific progress when one company is trying to beat another at a certain activity, thus resulting in either better quality goods or services. It also requires a deregulated* system with minimum interference of the state to allow participation in a certain activity by smaller players. <span style="background-color: white;">The principle of pricing suggests that with abundance and competition, it will always tend towards going lower. Taxation in the Vedic era was low (at max, the Manu Smriti mentions it as 1/6th of income), thus allowing for significant accumulation of capital in the hands of entrepreneurs and giving them room for investing in research and development. We might thus have answered a question raised in an <a href="http://krishnabhakt.blogspot.com/2012/06/is-capitalism-moral-or-immoral.html" target="_blank">earlier post</a>: that the Indian economic system was similar to a capitalist system but of the austrian school of economics. A break in the education system as proposed earlier could have caused a bend in the development of Indian economics and caused it to veer off onto a socialist trajectory. The utility of a study in the Hindu economics will lie in convincing at least the Hindu right to get off socialist or even Keynesian economics.</span></div>
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Somewhere along the lines of increasing tech development, Bokare has a problem with people going unemployed due to tech improvements in companies and the resultant reduction in requirement of manual labor. But this affection for getting people employed contradicts with his preference for self employment. If people don't get unemployed from existing jobs, how do they make out alone? Hindu economics will need an answer to this in the future. Another weakness of Bokare's economics lies in his opposition to large companies and an appetite for 'small is beautiful', but justification for this* is not provided in his work. There is a contradiction here as well, if large companies are hated, one means of establishing abundance, low costs and a source of tech development will be quenched. Hindu economics of the future should support a model where both large and small companies can exist mutually in a certain field.</div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">In addition, some new practices to Hindu economics might be added. Previous iterations of Hindu economics have asked for interest free banking (<a href="http://pothi.com/pothi/book/dr-m-g-bokare-m-com-ph-d-hindu-economics-eternal-economic-order" target="_blank">ref</a>) and so does Bokare. The necessities of interests in banking have been elucidated by Bastiat before in one his books (<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Essays-Political-Economy-Frederic-Bastiat/dp/1600966136/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1342549294&sr=8-3&keywords=essays+of+a+political+economy" target="_blank">ref</a>). While this debate might continue, we clearly see that there is a need for low cost capital. A compromise solution can be proposed here to allow community banks with low interest to operate. One such example is the foundation of sakhi mandals in Gujarat where women folk of families are prompted to save money and lend to anybody they know at low interests. Alternatively, this power can also be trusted to caste based orgs for loaning money out to their members. With local generation of capital, local problems in the trade might also be solved with local innovations, and this will give the Indian penchant of Jugaad some institutional support along with supporting research projects for local needs.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Another recurring theme that keeps featuring in Bokare's book is that Hindu culture promotes not the rape of nature as the west does but milking it. While the veracity of this claim against the west can be questioned, there is something that we should not miss. The traditional way of protecting mother nature for some time has been to simply block the consumption of some natural resources through use of force by building sanctuaries, national parks, etc. This results in displacement of people from the vicinity of such natural resources while needing a massive drain of resources to allow protection. At the same time, the need for the resource is not quenched, encourages illegal poaching and if the people displaced are not absorbable into the local economy, it leads to unemployment and poverty. This might be resolved by local management of natural resources. Adoption of <a href="http://www.thefreemanonline.org/columns/elephants-and-ivory/" target="_blank">these principles</a> are already yielding success. Hindu economics can very well absorb this practice into its fold. Kautilya's Arthashastra has hints of a similar practice when he writes about maintaining special elephant forests to supply large numbers of elephants for the elephantry in the Mauryan army. </span></div>
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A more complete reading of Bokare's book is still needed and probably I might discover more contradictions in Bokare's thoughts, propose solutions for them and review the book in the future. As for the field of Hindu economics, a new book by Subramanian Swamy is set for publishing this year, which seems to be promising for the field considering his expertise in both Hindu history and economics.<br />
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* = edited later to improve the flow of logic.</div>
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</div>Karmasurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01593320349146292650noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4517951733698598027.post-88474982268003206552012-07-20T12:09:00.002-04:002012-08-05T23:44:25.754-04:00Aurobindo on Mahatma Gandhi's non violence<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">I generally don't like to do posts of these types, but I just couldn't resist myself this time.</span></span><br />
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<b style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">source: (<a href="http://neovedanta.blogspot.com/2011/08/sri-aurobindo-on-mahatma-gandhi.html" target="_blank">click</a>) hat-tip @<a href="https://twitter.com/ProjectDharma" target="_blank">projectdharma</a> on twitter</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 16px;">“Many educated Indians consider Gandhi a spiritual man. Yes, because the Europeans call him spiritual. But what he preaches is not Indian spirituality but something derived from Russian Christianity,non-violence, suffering, etc. The gospel of suffering that he is preaching has its root in Russia as nowhere else in Europe—other Christian nations don"t believe in it.”</span></span></blockquote>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 16px;">“Purification can come by the transformation of the impulse of </span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 16px;">violence. In that respect the old system in India was much better: the man who had the fighting spirit became the Kshatriya and then the fighting spirit was raised above the ordinary vital influence. The attempt was to spiritualize it. It succeeded in doing what passive resistance cannot and will not achieve. The Kshatriya was the man who would not allow any oppression, who would fight it out and he was the man who would not oppress anybody. That was the ideal. Gandhi"s position is that he does not care to remove violence from others; he wants to observe non-violence himself.”</span></span></blockquote>
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<span style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">P.S.: We will hopefully see more of the above mentioned Kshatriya spirit when I read some books on my reading list on it (War in Ancient India, The wrestler's body: Identity and ideology in North India (<i>which you can find in the link list under books in the right hand side bar of the blog</i>) and a</span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 16px;">book on Vajramushti). Regular programming on Hindu economics needs more reading and will return next week.</span></span></div>
</div>Karmasurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01593320349146292650noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4517951733698598027.post-53824373364876686172012-07-13T01:32:00.000-04:002012-08-05T23:45:20.210-04:00Think tanking: What the Hindu right can do.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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The article in the link (<a href="http://www.vifindia.org/article/2011/march/25/The-Prussian-General-Staff-Lessons-for-Indian-Think-Tankers" target="_blank">click</a>) is one I found during regular Twitter forays on how Indian think tankers can learn from the development of the Prussian General Staff. Below is a paraphrase of what the authors are saying.</div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">The authors of the article justify learning from the Prussians on two counts:</span></blockquote>
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1) From the early stage of both the entities, both Prussia and India were and have been surrounded by existentialist threats from belligerent nations and they have to survive with a combination of military power and diplomacy. </blockquote>
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2) Both Prussia and India had and have a task to fulfill of developing an idea of nationhood among diverse peoples.</blockquote>
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<span style="background-color: white;">The article then goes on to describe the problems facing the ideas industry in India. According to a <a href="http://repository.upenn.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1005&context=think_tanks" target="_blank">report they cite</a>, India comes 3rd in terms of number of think tanks, but none of India's think tanks feature in the top 75 of the world and only one features in the top 5 think tanks of Asia, coming in at the 3rd place.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">The major issue that Indian think tanks face is the lack of funding (of which there are 3 types: academic, contract and advocacy). India has a few contract funded think tanks (supported by government or private sector). This is due to the fact that our think tanks are centered on political and military affairs in which few in the corporate sector would have any interest. Most of the funding for our think tanks comes from foreign sources, which has the danger of getting a foreign agenda implanted in Indian policy recommendations. If however Indian think tanks go exclusivist, they will lose the foreign funding. Thus, we have a catch-22 situation.</span></div>
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The other issue is a questionable degree of autonomy. Each of India's armed forces has its own think tank. Although these are fed by civilian scholars, it's autonomy has been questioned just on the basis of its affiliation. The last issue is the lack of data and Indian think tanks have found it difficult to access relevant data. This allows career bureaucrats to remain central to policy-making and gives a cover in case of mistakes. Even if Indian think tanks are consulted, they would fail to provide sound advice in the absence of good data.</blockquote>
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<span style="background-color: white;">What to learn from the Prussian general staff:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">The article then goes on to outline what Indians can learn from the Prussian general staff. A major strength of them was to recruit a small amount of brilliant analytical cadre which would be rotated among think tanks to give them the widest possible audience. This allowed the Prussian general staff to be the envy of world's armies for the next two centuries.</span></div>
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The general staff was divided into two parts, the great general staff and the field forces general staff. The great general staff at Berlin had the best and brightest of officers in the army vetted through a rigorous talent selection process and were trained to have a spartan work ethic and a secretive life. Retirees of this were sent to the field forces general staff to spread their ideas and implement them. The number of people employed at the general staff was at the most a little over a 100 people.</blockquote>
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<span style="background-color: white;">To summarize, the things to learn from them are as follows:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">1) Small is better. - It always employed very few people for instance during the Franco Prussian war of 1870-71, the Prussian army had 16 officers and 119 people of other ranks.</span></div>
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2) To innovate, you need to be multidisciplinary - the general staff also tasked itself into learning about other fields, like civilian administration, diplomatic procedures, etc.</blockquote>
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<span style="background-color: white;">3) Think tanks work better away from public glare.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">4) To spread ideas, employ a revolving door recruiting policy rather than webpage hits and media blurbs.</span></div>
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5) Release policy reports to an elite group of policy makers and not to just anybody. (We might have some issues with this, in monarchial Prussia it was pulled off easily.)</blockquote>
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Consider that the project of having a central headquarters and regional quarters for the think tank is taken up by a prominent hindu volunteering organization and some of the above mentioned management issues, talent searches, etc. are implemented. The question that arises then and which is relevant to our blog is: "Can any hindu philosophy be the foundation of a think tank?" As the author of the article suggests, one of the ways think tanks can be funded is through contract funding. This is done by and large through corporate sources. For this to be necessary, the author suggests that think tanks need to focus on geo-economics. This field is defined as:</div>
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"Broadly, geoeconomics (sometimes geoeconomics) is the study of the spatial, temporal and political aspects of economies and resources." (<a href="http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/geoeconomics" target="_blank">ref</a>)</div>
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However for a think tank affiliated to the Hindu right, there is an all new field called <a href="http://www.samarthbharat.com/files/ramayaneconomics.pdf" target="_blank">Hindu economics</a> that hasn't been touched yet by many. The linked article provided mentions that this should be based on the concept of Trivarg (three reasons for action ) namely - Dharma, Artha and Kaama while also looking for inappropriate grounds for action such as anger, greed, delusion, pride, revenge, jealousy and hatred. Hindu economics is suggested to be <a href="http://www.thefreedictionary.com/normative" target="_blank">normative</a> whereas 20th century economics has been defined to be <a href="http://www.thefreedictionary.com/descriptive" target="_blank">descriptive</a>. What this does is that it releases the pressure from economics to study the individual as an entity that behaves in a programmed fashion. On the bright side, it promises to observe human relations and actions in a holistic perspective, aiming perhaps to look beyond the profit motive for human action that current economics endorses and improve the person and the society qualitatively. On the down side, it suffers from some hair splitting against capitalist systems while not realizing that they are in fact very close to each other (both agree to private ownership of factors of production and free markets). The theory also sounds of as having a tendency to turn gradually into a full blown welfare state, of which we have seen <a href="http://krishnabhakt.blogspot.com/2012/06/is-welfare-state-moral-or-immoral.html" target="_blank">some downsides</a> before. But as a whole, it is a pretty nascent field and changes in basic doctrines and definitions will keep happening if think tanks take it up and hammer out issues.</div>
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The one thing that Hindu economics would desperately need is an elementary reason for innovation. Previous <a href="http://web.uvic.ca/~stucraw/Lethbridge/MyArticles/Swadeshi.htm" target="_blank">iterations</a> of this have not fared well in this regard and appear to promote more of a status quo society. This is clearly out of place in our times where most countries value not labor, but innovations as an engine for the economy. If Hindu economics has to be funded by corporates, it must provide them with innovations in return. The Trivarg mentioned above can very well be elementary reasons for innovation in themselves. Self defense is also something that must be included as an inspiration for innovation. <span style="background-color: white;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jugaad" target="_blank">Jugaad</a> as a concept might also be helpful, although it cannot fare as well as a thorough R&D project. In addition, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creative_destruction" target="_blank">creative destruction</a> is an idea that Hindu economics should not consider sacrilege, it after all is not very different from the idea of Shiva (the secret might lie in being prepared for the redistribution of labour after creative destruction has been put into action). </span></div>
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Once Hindu economics is perfected at home, it will be very interesting to see its implementation in geoeconomics. Giving locals of other places a good value for their money and respecting their local heritage is something that anybody can do. But transforming their lives through a unique economic model is something that should be the holy grail of Hindu economics and of Indian think tankers.</div>
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</div>Karmasurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01593320349146292650noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4517951733698598027.post-76293016510271843342012-06-17T03:13:00.001-04:002012-07-14T08:29:14.660-04:00The importance of winning the social service narrative<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Hindu volunteering organizations worldwide that focus tremendously on social service at the cost of their acceptability to the MSM or the intelligentsia of the day often receive a lot of flak from their supporters for neglecting these aspects. I myself have been guilty of giving them flak at times. Image issues are of course very important in our information age, the harder you blow your trumpet the better it is heard and it helps in keeping the flock numbers high and spirited. However, volunteer organizations have tremendous load on their hands to finish their social assignments, and if some of them believe that these assignments constitute all that they have to do, they shouldn't be harmed by constant harping about their shortcomings. My suggestion would be that they should be joined by their well wishers and changed internally by penetrating their leadership ranks. Another option is to rigorously convince organization chieftains of the good their well wishers could do and see how much they could bend their rules. </div>
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To make my case more convincing, we will look at a less noticed feature of Monotheism's rise among Pagan cultures. It would be absurd to say that Monotheism as an ideology could have won in a straight battle of ideas with pre-existing cultures that had generated spectacular scientific and military achievements and long standing world superpowers. Right from the rise of monotheism to the fall of the Roman empire, there must have been several intellectual discourses between monotheism and paganism. Some monumental works of these types belong to people like the last pagan emperor Julian along with Celsus, Libanius, Porphyry. To know about whatever exists of their works, I will suggest this book: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Arguments-Porphyry-Christians-Extracts-ebook/dp/B006FLBM0U/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1339907757&sr=8-2-fkmr0&keywords=arguments+of+celsus%2C+julian+and+porphyryagainst+christianity" target="_blank">click</a>. Most of it are fragments of the quotes from their works in which they had intellectually challenged both Christianity and Judaism. The fact that these quotes had to be resurrected from the books written by Christians to refute them and that large bodies of these works are lost seem to suggest more than what meets the eye. But something else was happening in the background of these intellectual showdowns that were happening all across the pagan world. Long before Pagans lost the spine to participate in armed rebellion when their cherished temples and institutions were being plundered and ravaged (refer Libanius's oration to Theodosius in the appendix of the book), it appears to me that another important aspect of the pagan counter offensive against monotheist forces was missing, as we can see from the quotes below:</div>
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<i>"Goatherds and shepherds among the Jews following Moses as their leader, and being allured by rustic deceptions, conceived that there is one God." <b>Celsus</b></i></div>
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<i>"Jesus having collected as his associates 10 or 11 infamous men, consisting of the most wicked publicans and sailors fled into different places, obtaining food with difficulty and in a disgraceful manner." <b>Celsus</b></i></div>
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<i>"We may see in the forum infamous characters and jugglers collected together who dare not show their tricks to intelligent men but when they perceive a lad and a crowd of slaves and stupid men, they endeavour to ingratiate themselves with such characters as these." <b>Celsus</b></i></div>
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<i>"We also may see in their own houses, wool weavers, shoemakers, fullers and the most illiterate and rustic men, who dare not say anything in the presence of more elderly and wiser fathers and families; but when they meet with children apart from their parents, and certain stupid women with them, then they discuss something of a wonderful nature; such as that it is not proper to pay attention to parents and preceptors, but that they should be persuaded by them...." <b>Celsus</b></i></div>
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<i>"The Christians now wonder that the city has been for so many years attacked by disease, the advent of Esculapius and the other gods no longer existing. For Jesus being now reverenced and worshiped, no one any longer derives any public benefit from the gods." <b>Porphyry</b></i></div>
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<i>"..They likewise suggested to him that the ancestors of the Jews were driven out of Egypt as impious and hateful to the Gods. For their bodies being overspread and infected with the itch and leprosy, they brought them together into one place by way of expiation, and as profane and wicked wretches expelled them from their costs..." <b>Diodorus Sicilus</b></i></div>
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<i>"After this, Amenophis returned from Ethiopia with a great force, and Rammeses also his son with other forces and encountering the shepherds and defiled people, they defeated and slew multitudes of them, and pursued them to the bounds of Syria." <b>Manethos</b></i></div>
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<i>"... The scum and refuse of other nations, renouncing the religion of their country, flocked in crowds to Jerusalem, enriching the place with gifts and offerings..." <b>Tacitus</b></i></div>
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From these quotes, something seems to come out, that the social outreach apparatus of the Pagan empires of the past was either not present, had failed miserably or was not sufficient at the time these new religions arose. A schism seemed to have happened in the socio economic structure of the day and from that schism arose the monster of vengeance that took down mighty empires and civilizations in its wake. No amount of good posturing among the new members of Monotheism was able to stop Paganism from being taken over. The final death blow was of course provided by Monotheism corrupting the ruling class, infiltrating the army and outright banning of the Pagan religious practices (for that, read <a href="http://www.amazon.com/God-Against-The-Gods-Monotheism/dp/0142196339/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1339942345&sr=8-1&keywords=god+against+the+gods" target="_blank">this book</a>). This is not to suggest that there should be no attempt at a battle of ideas, or an intellectual posturing but that is only an accessory to the battle gear that a faith should wear, with its true armaments being social outreach to the poor and needy.</div>
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The above should be a lesson to all standing cultures, that whatever be their state of development, their existence is dependent upon the state of existence of the underclass and without taking them forward, their future is under peril as well. If the volunteering organizations are aiding the underclass, uniting the society and trying to prevent subversion, they should thus be at the least left alone at their task and at the most be assisted at it. In my view, if Hindu culture is standing today, it is because of a long standing tradition of service (ref <a href="http://krishnabhakt.blogspot.com/2008/07/bhagvada-gita-ch17.html" target="_blank">Ch. 17</a>, <a href="http://krishnabhakt.blogspot.com/2008/07/bhagvada-gita-ch-18.html" target="_blank">18</a> of the BG and <a href="http://krishnabhakt.blogspot.com/2009/08/four-debts-of-life_11.html" target="_blank">the four debts of life</a>). But this tradition is under tremendous strain from big pockets across the globe. Time is short and to keep the society united under Hinduism, it must be known that the elite in Hinduism cares for its underclass. I call this struggle the struggle for the social service narrative and looking at the outcome of Pagans losing their narrative of social service, it must be won at any cost. </div>
</div>Karmasurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01593320349146292650noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4517951733698598027.post-76985956671027168012012-06-14T00:06:00.000-04:002012-07-14T08:29:14.666-04:00Is the welfare state moral or immoral?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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In the <a href="http://krishnabhakt.blogspot.com/2012/06/is-capitalism-moral-or-immoral.html">previous post</a>, we questioned whether capitalism was moral or immoral and what I wanted to express there was that while it has no moral values of its own, it can be supportive of existing moral values and maybe reinforce them by connecting moral values to a profit motive. In this post, we will examine the competitor for capitalism, which in today's age is by and large the welfare state.</div>
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Before, we go into analyzing welfarism, let us understand the needs of a man. These can be broadly classified into two groups: 1) material and 2) spiritual. The material needs are food, clothing and shelter. Lately, a few more items have been added to it - like electricity, education, jobs, internet and so on. The spiritual need basically revolves around generating his outlook of life, and some say the need to realize the self. The latter is indeed the Upanishadic goal, <a href="http://krishnabhakt.blogspot.com/search/label/Upanishads">most Upanishads</a> focus on educating us about the need of inquiring who we are.</div>
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Now, let us analyze welfarism. On the face of it, there seems to have a feel good thing about it. As we saw in the last post, markets redistribute wealth according to people's ability to satisfy others. In this redistribution, some people are left poor. And being poor, they need help. And they expect the government to help. But the government doesn't have any money of its own (let's neglect <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_Sector_Undertaking#India">PSU</a>s for our simple case study), so it taxes and spends on the poor.</div>
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And in democracies, this is not unexpected. When the government is defined as by the people, of the people, and for the people, the government is expected to help the people, and one method is to indulge in entitlements. But should the government just handout money to the poor and expect all to get well? Should the government give them food, clothing and shelter and expect all to get well? It is impossible that any government continue to keep managing basic needs of the people for all eternity. Firstly, this happens at a continuous drain of money from the economy through taxation. If the people are just pushed a notch up the socio-economic ladder without any development of their personhood, their expectations of the government keep growing and they vote in increasingly more government spending to satisfy even the most basic of their needs. This raises the first issue of the welfare state, which we shall call for the moment <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u24nH03NccI">the vote pump.</a> </div>
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Next is the need of money to fund all the welfare. No amount of taxation is actually able to satisfy this vast need of money. In the end, it all boils down to <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVqnsfy26tk">robbing Peter to pay Paul</a> which is a crime all of us can understand. We have to realize that we are in a very connected global system of nations where one company on being taxed more can easily switch to a more agreeable locale with lesser taxes, provided it gets all the conditions it needs for successfully running its business (if you are not clear with this, look up the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Going_galt#Cultural_significance">'going galt'</a> phenomenon). After a certain number of talented professionals and companies have gone galt, tax revenues of the country start falling. But the amount to be spent remains the same! So the country would start borrowing money and run heavily into debt. This would involve a long and elaborate procedure of coming out of debt spirals, (use this: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/austerity-done-right-part-2-2012-6">click</a> as a primer)</div>
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But let us not get too much into the details. Welfarism as we have seen thus far, has grave issues, not only does it only satisfy the material needs of men, it also has other issues associated with it as discussed above. Few have been able to satisfy them. However, people expect help from their government, so if welfarism is evil, how should the government go about it? A simple story that many of us learnt during school days, is that it is better to teach a man to fish rather than giving him a fish everyday. If government wants to help people's lives, it should be towards this goal - making people independent in life. With skills, and with jobs resulting from those skills, people must be able to make out on their own and perhaps satisfactorily answer questions about their existence. Maybe, the government helps in people's material needs too, but that should be for a limited span of time, tied to the above mentioned skill development program and not to make them permanently dependent on it. Essentially, the argument for welfare should be that you can withdraw from the common pool of money only if you are going to pay back into it at a later day through taxes on your newly earned job. Only this sort of welfarism, in my view, is moral. </div>
</div>Karmasurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01593320349146292650noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4517951733698598027.post-22515358895507207072012-06-09T17:00:00.001-04:002012-07-14T08:29:14.650-04:00Is capitalism moral or immoral?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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A lot of Indians have some compunctions with capitalism. Because of the ancient Indian ideal of a minimalist lifestyle and sacrifice at some age in life, many are of the view that an interest in monetary profits is bad. A lopsided reading of the scriptures might have had the appeal to make communism and then socialism popular in India during the period of British occupation and later. As compared to them, capitalism has taken a backseat in popular understanding of Indians. </div>
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But if we are to consider the four purushaarthas of Hindu Dharma, (i.e. Dharma, Artha, Kaama and Moksha), the presence of the second purushaartha Artha (money/economics) implies that ancient Indians had never completely given up on money making. Indeed the ideal was to gain money through means of Dharma, i.e. through righteous means. And capitalism can do nothing to hamper that if the society has been already conditioned to be righteous. A <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capitalism">basic definition</a> suggests that it is all about private ownership of means of production, and creation of goods and services for profit by private owned enterprises. The profit motive is essential to encourage a player in the market to perform well and when it is rewarded, it is an incentive for good behavior. For our case in this post, we will take free markets as a synonym for capitalism. </div>
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For a pretty basic understanding of some economic ideas, I suggest you read <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Economics-Freedom-Professors-ebook/dp/B004QZ9X6M/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1339268689&sr=8-1&keywords=The+economics+of+freedom">this book.</a> It begins with some essays by Bastiat busting some myths on free markets. Towards the end, there is a section where twenty criticisms of free markets are addressed by Tom Palmer. He starts off addressing the ethical criticism of free markets. For the sake of brevity in our post, we will consider only a few points that largely relate to ethical criticisms:</div>
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<b>1) Markets are immoral or amoral:</b> Here the author mentions that markets make people think of advantages, for which people enter into an exchange. The exchange is usually of the type where a product or service is exchanged for money. To enter an exchange, a person has to respect the rightful claims of other people, and they are constrained by morality and law from simply taking stuff they want. To me, this aspect of markets endorse already existing moral sentiments, unless your moral sentiments included taking stuff. Not respecting other people's sentiments would break exchanges, and I am sure people will have no issues dumping the moral offender.</div>
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<b>2) Markets promote greed and selfishness:</b> The myth here is that people are trying to find the lowest prices or make the highest profits, ergo markets make the people greedy and selfish. But the truth is, they don't bar people willing to make small profits or people willing to shell out more from entering the exchanges mentioned in the first point. It is more of a system which accomodates all types of people. Moreover, if wealth is generated by being greedy and selfish, it also allows for its distribution as charity, which many would agree is the epitome of selfless life. Wealth created and distributed this way is far more efficient at running the society than brutal tax and spend schemes which generally are means of wealth destruction.</div>
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<b>3) Reliance on Markets leads to monopoly:</b> The myth here is that free markets would eventually lead to few big firms selling everything. But monopoly is what a government gives to select groups of people to deliver products and services. Free markets rest on the principle that anybody can enter the market, exit the market, buy from whomever, and sell to whoever. If in the end game of providing a product/service, one company emerges a winner then it has been through a process of selection, and it would have the best possible stuff of that category, so what is wrong if it has a "monopoly"? If after acquiring "monopoly" it starts downgrading its quality, a competitor will definitely rise from scratch and people would dump the behemoth company in due course of time. If the goods produced by the company are highly profitable, there will surely be more people aspiring to live the life of its owner and again somebody with an imagination will rise to compete with the behemoth. Thus, in my view, such a "monopoly" would not last for long.</div>
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<b>4) Markets lead to more inequality than non market processes:</b> Here, it is often considered that markets reward ability to satisfy consumer preferences and a person who is more able is rewarded more than the other. However, a <a href="http://www.freetheworld.com/2006/EFW2006complete.pdf">2006 Economic freedom of the World report</a> suggested that this is not true, that reliance on free markets has a weak correlation with income inequality. Moreover, it substantially raises the income of the poor, and who would dislike that. Also, even if there is an inequality, there is nothing the market can do to keep a person dirt poor, or keep a person filthy rich. A person's outcome in life depends on what he does, and it is always in a state of constant flux. 'Jaisi karni waise bharni', as the proverb goes.</div>
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<b>5) Markets cannot meet basic human needs:</b> People like to think that basic needs have to be distributed according to need and not ability to pay, and markets support the latter. However, people living under markets enjoy higher standards of living than people under socialism, so it might be considered that markets do indeed support needs well. It's just that the means to support the needs are not through wealth redistribution, but through wealth generation. By endorsing people's ability to generate wealth, markets allow people to get wealthier, and through that way, they end up supporting their needs too.</div>
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We thus see that markets have nothing that impact moral nature of the person. What wires the moral nature of the person is not free markets or capitalism, but a sounder education. After a sound moral nature is established, markets will only support existing moral values and make them stronger. In fact, wealth generation through free markets worldwide has allowed people to have more free time, and greater curiosity to seek out other views of life. Many of them stumble upon scriptures of Hinduism, and reading them, absorb at least some ideas of Hinduism and some have even converted to it. If there is any bigger ally of Hinduism, it is capitalism. Were the ancients aware of the advantages of free markets? Would they have implemented them after establishing independence from foreign powers? I don't know for sure yet, but India's experiments with socialism/communism begin with the first contacts with communist internationals <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_socialism#History">established in 1871</a> by West Bengal communists. By then, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Babbington_Macaulay">Thomas Babington Macaulay</a> was long gone from the face of the earth.<br />
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Updated 6/14/2012: There is a part 2 of this post here: <a href="http://krishnabhakt.blogspot.com/2012/06/is-welfare-state-moral-or-immoral.html">click</a>.</div>
</div>Karmasurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01593320349146292650noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4517951733698598027.post-2947376294427348982012-03-07T12:16:00.005-05:002012-07-14T08:29:39.168-04:00The future of governance is here.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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---- Originally sent to be <a href="http://centreright.in/2012/03/the-future-of-governance-is-here/#.T1ebS_ES0k0">posted on CRI </a> ----- </div>
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In “the discourses”, Machiavelli had written a passage on the religion of the Romans. He compared two great Roman rulers: Romulus, who was one of its founders and a later day ruler Numa. And then he says that if one were to question who of these were a greater ruler, then he would pick Numa because he was responsible for introducing religion into Rome. Through the introduction of religion, Numa could introduce unconventional laws into Rome which would otherwise have been difficult to convince. Many of these laws would go on to make Rome a great state. But the most important advantage of the Roman religion that Machiavelli suggested was that it inspired a sense of self-governance among the people. And because of this self-governance introduced by religion, the state continues to function inspite of its good rulers passing away. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Self-governance is also a goal held in high esteem in Hindu history.<span style="color: red;"> </span>Every living entity in Hindu culture is meant to have a svabhaav (self-character), and a svadharma (self-duty), the latter also including the concept of self-governance.<span style="color: red;"> </span>If Narendra Modi is to be judged by any, his performance in engendering this feeling by the people should not be ignored, and that is turning into a focus for most of his next generation reforms. To be taken seriously by the people on this idea, he first needed to prove himself as their benefactor, and this was performed and is continuing to be performed by speedy execution of big ticket projects under Modi. Other factors needed are good quality education, self-initiatives from the people and decentralization of governance, and this is where Modi’s reforms are heading. I would make a quick review of some of these items below which are hoped to change the face of governance in Gujarat in the near future. <o:p></o:p></div>
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In the iCreate scheme for instance, a college like campus is shaping up at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar. It is meant to support individuals with high entrepreneurial potential towards executing entrepreneurial ideas. The scheme covers wide varying fields such as information technology, electronics, biotechnology, nanotechnology, robotics, non-conventional green energy, bio-medical equipment & devices and agro and food processing. If this scheme goes operational, Gujarat would hatch start-ups in all these areas. An obvious spin-off of this scheme that I see would be that the experts hired at iCreate can also be used to impart research ideas at Gujarat’s universities and perform scientific research in the above mentioned fields. But the takeaway message from this scheme that we should remember is that it is meant to engender self-initiative in fields India is lagging far behind than other developed nations.<o:p></o:p></div>
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“Sakhi Mandals” are another such scheme endorsing self-initiative. Each Sakhi Mandal is a group of 15 – 50 women, which are tasked to save up money from their monthly budgets and build up reserves. Amounts from these are loaned to people in need at low interests. The government too steps to pitch in with its contributions to these reserves if they are managed well for a period of 6 months. Usually, these amounts are made use of to run small businesses. The net worth of these businesses has now reached 5000 crores which started from just scratch. I take the success of this scheme as a state endorsement of self-employment and a growing public awareness of the benefits of fiscal responsibility. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Another case where people power has been deployed and which has reaped results is the check dam building initiative. With rural initiative and government funding, 650 thousand checkdams have been built in the past 7 years along with several other smaller improvisations the purpose of which is to obstruct water flow and allow greater ground water percolation. This initiative has allowed Gujarat to be the only state in India where ground water levels have started rising. Modi has taken a similar model for girl child education such as the Kanya Kelavani program. Along with other state employees, he himself goes to select houses in villages and convinces parents to send their girls to schools, which has ensured that school drop-out rates for girls is reduced significantly (to < 10%) from std. 1 to 7. And while the centre’s idea for allowing access to college education to tribals would have been more quotas, Modi’s move was to increase the number of science stream schools as well as engineering and medical colleges in the tribal regions. As a result, the number of seats for engineering colleges has jumped from 13,000 from the time he came to power to 90,000 at the moment. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Modi has deployed a similar scheme based on self-governance for improving the sex ratio in Gujarat, which currently stands at a lowly 1000:900. He goes to communities which has the severest of problems (such as the Kadva Patidar community) and has been convincing people to stop the practice of sex selective abortion. For malnutrition too, a similar solution has been deployed, the CM has taken up a task in his trips across the state to convince people to make arrangements for donating some milk from their daily use for the poor and to the pregnant (for the latter so as to avoid miscarriages out of malnutrition). In comparison to this, our PM merely expressed regret that malnutrition is a problem the nation has to deal with and followed it up with nothing. But with the socialist underpinnings at the centre, we can be assured that any solution would border on the ‘right to food’ bill. Now a question arises, can people by themselves be disciplined enough to work in their interest? At first pass, such emphasis on self-governance might be thought of as not workable. But if led by a proper role model who has proven himself to be a benefactor of the people and if the people have been convinced by that role model that they can achieve something by themselves too, then it could work wonders. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Another initiative that goes towards aiding this principle of self-governance is decentralization of administration, and that is happening currently under ‘Apno Taluko Vibrant Taluko’ (ATVT) scheme. Under this scheme, the talukas are themselves responsible for generating their own financial resources, manage spending, coordinate and implement various government programmes and prospects. This decentralization should also allow for elimination of red tape and harassment by middlemen. <o:p></o:p></div>
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One prominent challenge that stares Gujarat in the eye is to keep up with the current pace of development forever. It is likely that successors to Modi won’t be as able an administrator as him. We only hope that enough people have been inspired by his vision of development to carry on the pace without him and are able to spot such benevolent administrators in the future. To some extent, it is true that his vision of development has started inspiring the destitute, with recent reports coming that migrant workers from UP in Gujarat have gone home this time to vote in UP elections on the agenda of development. The success of Gujarat in packaging development to people’s doorstep should similarly continue to inspire development as an agenda in elections elsewhere. Our country is at a crossroads one again with another BOP crisis around the corner. At the same time, a new model of governance which is based on projecting development as a mass movement which needs the ‘sadbhavna’ (goodwill) of all the elements of society is emerging and we would be foolish not to accept this easily available self-organizing principle to amend the ways of functioning of our democracy. The future of governance has arrived and you the reader need to be a part of it. What are you waiting for? <span style="font-size: 100%;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</div>Karmasurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01593320349146292650noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4517951733698598027.post-77268285685202426362012-02-02T19:46:00.004-05:002012-07-14T08:31:08.481-04:00Shivaji's pluralism<div style="text-align: justify;">The following is a letter that Shivaji wrote to Aurangzeb as published in 'Shivaji and his times' by Jadunath Sarkar protesting the levying of jaziya. Shivaji mainly argues from the standpoint of pluralism, saying that all people in the country have to be treated equally and none should be discriminated against. Other key details to note from this letter are the socio-economic conditions of Shivaji's times and the general downward trend that had begun in the Mughal Empire starting from Aurangzeb's times. There's also a bit or irony in the letter when Shivaji criticizes Aurangzeb's rule as a rule where there's a lot of looting and forts being lost, after all, he led some of the most famous campaigns among these. The letter also indicates Shivaji's view of Aurangzeb's predecessors, which is a bit disappointing for me if it is not a psy-ops. But nitpicking of that part shall be a tale for another time. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Letter begins:</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;">"To the Emperor Alamgir - </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">This firm and constant well wisher Shivaji, after rendering thanks for the grace of God and the favours of the Emperor, which are clearer than the Sun, begs to inform your Majesty that, although this well wisher was led by his adverse fate to come away from your august presence without taking leave, yet he is ever ready to perform, to the fullest extent possible and proper, everything that duty as a servant and gratitude demand of him.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It has recently come to my ears that, on the ground of the war with me having exhausted your wealth and emptied your treasury, your Majesty has ordered that money under the name of jaziya should be collected from the Hindus and the imperial needs supplied with it. May it please your Majesty! That architect of the fabric of the empire, (Jalaluddin) Akbar Padishah, reigned with full power for 52 (lunar) years. He adopted the admirable policy of universal harmony in relation to all the various sects, such as Christians, Jews, Muslims, Dadu's followers, sky worshippers (falakia), malakia, materialists (ansaria), atheists (daharia), Brahmans and Jain priests. The aim of his liberal heart was to cherish and protect all the people. So, he became famous under thte title of Jagat-Guru, 'the World's spiritual guide.'</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Next the Emperor Nuruddin Jahangir for 22 years spread his gracious shade on the head of the world and its dwellers, gave his heart to his friends and his hand to his work, and gained his desires. The Emperor Shah Jahan for 32 years cast his blessed shade on the head of the world and gathered the fruit of eternal life, which is only a synonym for goodness and fair fame, as the result of his happy time on earth. <i>(A verse follows)</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>He who lives with a good name gains everlasting wealth,</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Because after his death, the recital of his good deeds keeps his name alive.</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Through the auspicious effect of this sublime disposition, wherever he [Akbar] bent the glance of his august wish, Victory and Success advanced to welcome him on the way. In his reign many kingdoms and forts were conquered. The state and power of these Emperors can be easily understood from the fact that Alamgir Padishah has failed and become distracted in the attempt to merely follow their political system. They, too had the power of levying the jaziya; but they did not give place to bigotry in their hearts, as they considered all men, high and low, created by God to be examples of the nature of diverse creeds and temperaments. Their kindness and benevolence endure on the pages of Time as their memorial, and so prayer and praise for these pure souls will dwell forever in the hearts and tongues of mankind, among both great and small. Prosperity is the fruit of one's intentions. Therefore, their wealth and good fortune continued to increase, as God's creatures reposed in the cradle of peace and safety, and their undertakings succeeded. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">But in your Majesty's reign, many of the forts and provinces have gone out of your possession, and the rest will soon do so too, because there will be no slackness on my part in ruining and devastating them. Your peasants are down-trodden; the yield of every village has declined - in the place of one lakh only one thousand, and in the place of a thousand only ten are collected, and that too with difficulty. When poverty and beggary have made their homes in the palaces of the Emperor and the princes, the condition of the grandees and officers can be easily imagined. It is a reign in which the army is in a ferment, the merchants complain, the Muslims cry, the Hindus are grilled, most men lack bread at night and in the day inflame their own cheeks by slapping them (in anguish). How can the royal spirit permit you to add the hardship of the jaziya to this grievous state of things? The infamy will quickly spread from west to east and become recorded in books of history that the Emperor of Hindusthan, coveting the beggars' bowls, takes jaziya from Brahmans and Jain monks, yogis, sannyasis, bairagis, paupers, mendicants, ruined wretches, and the famine stricken, that his valour is shown by attacks on the wallets of beggars, - that he dashes down to the ground the name and honour of the Timurids! </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">May it please your Majesty! If you believe in the true Divine Book and Word of God (i.e. the Quran), you will find there [that God is styled] Rabb-ul-alamin, the Lord of all men, and not Rabb-ul-musalmin, the Lord of the Muhammadans only.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Verily, Islam and Hinduism are terms of contrast. They are diverse pigments used by the true Divine Painter for blending the colours and filling in the outlines [of His picture of the entire human species.] If it be a mosque, the call to prayer is chantedin remembrance of Him. If it be a temple, the bell is rung in yearning for Him only. To show bigotry for any man's creed and practices is equivalent to altering the words of the Holy Book. To draw new lines on a picture is equivalent to finding fault with the painter. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In strict justice the jaziya is not at all lawful. From the political point of view it can be allowable only if a beautiful woman wearing gold ornaments can pass from one province to another without fear or molestation. But in these days even the cities are being plundered, what shall I say of the open country? Apart from its injustice, this imposition of the jaziya is an innovation in India and inexpedient. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">If you imagine piety to consist in oppressing the people and terrorizing the Hindus, you ought first to levy the jaziya from Rana Raj Singh, who is the head of the Hindus. Then it will not be so very difficult to collect it from me, as I am at your service. But to oppress ants and flies is far from displaying valour and spirit. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I wonder at the strange fidelity of your officers that they neglect to tell you of the true state of things, but cover a blazing fire with straw! May the sun of your royalty continue to shine above the horizon of greatness!"</div></blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Letter ends. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>Karmasurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01593320349146292650noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4517951733698598027.post-87452903229324875282012-01-12T18:13:00.003-05:002012-07-14T08:31:45.239-04:00The education India needs<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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This is on occasion of Swami Vivekananda's anniversary. Linked <a href="http://vivekananda.net/PROSE/EducationIndiaNeeds.html">here</a> is a letter Swami Vivekananda wrote to Shrimati Sarala Ghoshal, editor of the Bharati, Darjeeling on the 24th of April, 1897. I will attempt to paraphrase the points I find interesting.</div>
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Most (perhaps all) things about education from the letter still apply. For instance, I doubt if India has made any seminal progress in making its people think independently. Intrinsic feudal attitudes that Swami Vivekanand observes that might have set in from the Islamic age were the first such attempt that stunted India's spirit of independent thought. In the British age, Macaulayite education was the culprit and this can be observed in today's rote learning that goes on in schools and even colleges. In the feudal age, this might not have mattered much because the royals would have thought for the people. But in a democracy, where public discourse is paramount, trust in the self is important. </div>
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As per Swamiji, this lack of self trust could be because of monopolization of education in the hands of the few, which was the tone of the time Swami Vivekananda wrote the letter in and persists in this day due to left liberals. The latter is evident when you consider the poor portrayal of rich Indian cultural tapestry, and distorted adoptions of Indian ideologies such as secularism, 'vasudhaiva kutumbkam', socialist spending etc which just serve leftist propaganda. As per him, education has to be spread among the masses, and I must add here that it has to reflect the entire spectrum of thought from left to the right, and allow the masses to choose what pleases them which is in vogue with what they need for the moment. </div>
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The next point Swamiji raises about is lack of originality. In my view, this will follow from independent thought and decentralization of education. Another feature that is needed for originality is devotion (Shraddha) to work, which Swamiji considers next. This is absent in today's Indian education as it is based on more of vocational training. While that is absolutely necessary, there is a need of education that inspires intrinsic love and duty for the vocation, which should not be a matter of merely performing an act for money, but something for which a man takes extra pains and performs in his vocation considering it a mission of his life. Swamiji suggests that the solution to all of the problems affecting India's education is self realization as advocated by Vedanta, and then expresses a desire that the editor spread this knowledge to the world. </div>
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</div>Karmasurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01593320349146292650noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4517951733698598027.post-41324324234443339292011-10-18T23:50:00.004-04:002012-07-14T08:32:13.674-04:00A Chanakyaniti primer<div style="text-align: justify;">This was something that was meant for our recent Yuva varg in our part of the 3rd rock. Unfortunately, it was rejected by our superiors as "too intellectual" for newbies to grasp. Therefore, I am posting it here, in the hope that somebody would pick it up and live these great quotes from the timeless master. Basically, these are quotes from Chanakya's nitishastras that I found to be relevant for our time. The reorganization into different groups was to make reading through them more convenient. Chanakya had classified them chapterwise, and each chapter had quotes related to various parts of life, which made it a bit complicated to 'capsule' views.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia; line-height: 18px; "><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; " ></span></div><blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; " >I have divided these shlokas into four groups, viz: (1) Money matters (2) Family and Friends (3) Learning (4) Miscellaneous. In most shlokas, I have included an explanation that would describe it appropriately. </span></div><div> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:.25in"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><b><span style="line-height: 115%; ">Money matters:</span></b><span style="line-height: 115%; "> In this section, we will understand Chanakya’s attitude towards wealth.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoListParagraph" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in; mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span style="line-height: 115%; "><span>a)<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="line-height: 115%; ">Chapter 1.6: One should save his money against hard times, save his wife at the sacrifice of his riches, but invariably one should save his soul even at the sacrifice of his wife and riches.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.25in;text-align:justify"><span style="line-height: 115%; " >Explanation: This quote not only advises a person to be frugal in terms of spending money, but tells him/her that it is more important to be a stable life partner and foremost, be a sensible man/woman having a<span> </span>pure soul<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoListParagraph" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in; mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span style="line-height: 115%; "><span>b)<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="line-height: 115%; ">Chapter 1.7: Save your wealth against future calamity. Do not say, “What fear has a rich man of calamity?” When riches begin to forsake one even the accumulated stock dwindles away.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.25in;text-align:justify"><span style="line-height: 115%; " >Explanation: Always live frugally and save for the future. In this regard, we are reminded of one line from the Native Americans “we always borrow the present from our future generations.” Corollary: we have to save in the present for them.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoListParagraph" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in; mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span style="line-height: 115%; "><span>c)<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="line-height: 115%; ">Chapter 3.11: There is no poverty for the industrious sin does not attach itself to the person practicing japa. Those who are absorbed in maunam have no quarrel with others. They are fearless who always remain alert.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.25in;text-align:justify"><span style="line-height: 115%; " >Explanation: For the people who work hard, there is no disadvantage that can put them out of action, and whether they are poor or otherwise, it doesn’t matter. Similarly in other cases a person with discipline can come through adverse circumstances.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoListParagraph" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in; mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span style="line-height: 115%; "><span>d)<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="line-height: 115%; ">Chapter 12.21: He who is not shy in the acquisition of wealth, grain and knowledge and in taking his meals, will be happy.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.25in;text-align:justify"><span style="line-height: 115%; " >Explanation: Food, wealth and knowledge are important aspects of life, and must not be given up at any cost.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoListParagraph" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in; mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span style="line-height: 115%; "><span>e)<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="line-height: 115%; ">As centesimal droppings will fill a pot so also are knowledge, virtue and wealth gradually obtained.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.25in;text-align:justify"><span style="line-height: 115%; " >Explanation: Knowledge, virtue and wealth are to be gained gradually.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoListParagraph" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in; mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span style="line-height: 115%; "><span>f)<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="line-height: 115%; ">Chapter 15.5: He who loses his money is forsaken by his friends, his wife, his servants and his relations; yet when he regains his riches, those who have forsaken him come back to him. Hence, wealth is certainly the best of relations.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.25in;text-align:justify"><span style="line-height: 115%; " >Explanation: Total negligence of monetary wealth is not a good idea. Wealth is a natural part of family life and has to be given its due importance.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoListParagraph" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in; mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span style="line-height: 115%; "><span>g)<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="line-height: 115%; ">Chapter 15.6: Sinfully acquired wealth may remain 10 years, in the eleventh year it disappears.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.25in;text-align:justify"><span style="line-height: 115%; " >Explanation: All wealth one acquires in his lifetime must be through honest means.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoListParagraph" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in; mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span style="line-height: 115%; "><span>h)<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="line-height: 115%; ">Chapter 16.11 I do not deserve that wealth which is to be attained by enduring much suffering or by flattering an enemy.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.25in;text-align:justify"><span style="line-height: 115%; " >Explanation: Wealth should be desirable only if it is earned with some honor.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.25in;text-align:justify"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><b><span style="line-height: 115%; ">Family and Friends: </span></b><span style="line-height: 115%; ">In this section, we will see Chanakya’s views on how to pick friends, and how to raise offspring.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoListParagraph" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in; mso-list:l3 level1 lfo2"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span style="line-height: 115%; "><span>a)<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="line-height: 115%; ">Chapter 1.2: He is a true friend who does not forsake us in time of need, misfortune, famine or war in a king’s court, or at the crematorium.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.25in;text-align:justify"><span style="line-height: 115%; " >Explanation: Not needed.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoListParagraph" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in; mso-list:l3 level1 lfo2"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span style="line-height: 115%; "><span>b)<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="line-height: 115%; ">Chapter 2.5: Avoid him who talks sweetly before you but tries to ruin you behind your back, for he is like a pitcher of poison with milk on top.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.25in;text-align:justify"><span style="line-height: 115%; " >Explanation: Just as too much sugar is bad for the health, too much sweetness in a person should raise doubts. You can make out that this person is a backstabber when he starts criticizing others before you. It is possible as a corollary that he could also be criticizing you when he is with others. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoListParagraph" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in; mso-list:l3 level1 lfo2"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span style="line-height: 115%; "><span>c)<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="line-height: 115%; ">Chapter 2.6: Do not put your trust in a bad companion, nor even trust an ordinary friend, for if he should get angry with you, he may bring all your secrets to light.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.25in;text-align:justify"><span style="line-height: 115%; " >Explanation: Be choosy in picking friends, since a bad might not be able to keep secrets when he is angry. Pick friends that can keep secrets. Such persons can hold their cool even when they get angry with you.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in; mso-list:l3 level1 lfo2"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span style="line-height: 115%; "><span>d)<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="line-height: 115%; ">Chapter 3.14: As a whole forest becomes fragrant by the existence of a single tree with sweet smelling blossoms in it, so a family becomes famous by the birth of a virtuous son.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in; mso-list:l3 level1 lfo2"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span style="line-height: 115%; "><span>e)<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="line-height: 115%; ">Chapter 3.15: As a single withered tree, if set ablaze, causes a whole forest to burn, so does a rascal son destroy a whole family.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in; mso-list:l3 level1 lfo2"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span style="line-height: 115%; "><span>f)<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="line-height: 115%; ">Chapter 3. 16: As night looks delightful when the moon shines, so is a family gladdened by a learned and virtuous son.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.25in;text-align:justify"><span style="line-height: 115%; " >Explanation: Above quotes show how a worthwhile offspring benefits the family and how a rascal destroys the whole family.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoListParagraph" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in; mso-list:l3 level1 lfo2"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span style="line-height: 115%; "><span>g)<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="line-height: 115%; ">Chapter 13.6: He who is overly attached to his family members experiences fear and sorrow, for the root of all grief is attachment. Thus one should discard attachment to be happy.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.25in;text-align:justify"><span style="line-height: 115%; " >Explanation:<span> </span>This can aid people who stay far away from their families for work or some other purpose. Short term distance from families can generate a lot of longing for people who are overtly attached to their family members. They can do better without such attachment, both at work and in maintaining their peace of mind.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoListParagraph" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in; mso-list:l3 level1 lfo2"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span style="line-height: 115%; "><span>h)<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="line-height: 115%; ">Chapter 12.17: Realized learning (vidya) is our friend while travelling, the wife is friend at home, medicine is the friend of a sick man and meritorious deeds are the friends at death.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.25in;text-align:justify"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><b><span style="line-height: 115%; ">Learning: </span></b><span style="line-height: 115%; ">In this section, we will try to discuss Chanakya’s views on education.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoListParagraph" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in; mso-list:l4 level1 lfo3"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span style="line-height: 115%; "><span>a)<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="line-height: 115%; ">Chapter 2.10: Wise men should always bring up their sons in various moral ways, for children who have knowledge of niti shastra and are well behaved become a glory to their family.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.25in;text-align:justify"><span style="line-height: 115%; " >Explanation: Never lose focus on educating your offspring in moral sciences. Only a properly disciplined one can bring glory to the family.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoListParagraph" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in; mso-list:l4 level1 lfo3"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span style="line-height: 115%; "><span>b)<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="line-height: 115%; ">Chapter 2.12: Many a bad habit is developed through over indulgence and many a good oneby chastisement therefore beat your son as well as your pupil; never indulge them.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.25in;text-align:justify"><span style="line-height: 115%; " >Explanation: Loving a child/student is not the same as not hitting/chastising/scolding them. Parent’s teacher’s first purpose is to ensure the spread and retention of knowledge, behavior and discipline and where these are interrupted, some chastisement should be done.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoListParagraph" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in; mso-list:l4 level1 lfo3"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span style="line-height: 115%; "><span>c)<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="line-height: 115%; ">Chapter 4.18: Fondle a son until he is five years of age, and use the stick for another 10 years but when he has attained his 16<sup>th</sup> year treat him as a friend.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.25in;text-align:justify"><span style="line-height: 115%; " >Explanation: Thisis about rearing a child. A child below five years might be too fragile to undergo a beating, so he must be treated with care. As the child reaches 5, his true learning, process begins, and to instill in him those values that will form the base of his future, he might be needed to be beaten. At some age, when he develops his compass for life, he must be treated as a friend. Intimidation in this phase can stunt his maturation and delay his emergence as an independent player in the society.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoListParagraph" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in; mso-list:l4 level1 lfo3"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span style="line-height: 115%; "><span>d)<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="line-height: 115%; ">Chapter 10.3: He who desires sense gratification must give up all thoughts of acquiring knowledge and he who seeks knowledge must not hope for sense gratification. How can he who seeks sense gratification. How can he who seeks sense gratification acquire knowledge and he who possesses knowledge enjoy mundane sense pleasure.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.25in;text-align:justify"><span style="line-height: 115%; " >Explanation: Sense gratification and knowledge acquisition cannot go hand in hand. To gain knowledge, renunciation of worldly pleasures is a must.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoListParagraph" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in; mso-list:l4 level1 lfo3"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span style="line-height: 115%; "><span>e)<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="line-height: 115%; ">Chapter 11.10: The student should completely renounce the following eight things: his lust, anger, greed, desire for sweets, sense of decorating the body, excessive curiosity, excessive sleep and excessive endeavor for bodily maintenance.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.25in;text-align:justify"><span style="line-height: 115%; " >Explanation: Chanakya wants the student to renounce the above items in order to get disciplined and to aid his learning process.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoListParagraph" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in; mso-list:l4 level1 lfo3"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span style="line-height: 115%; "><span>f)<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="line-height: 115%; ">Chapter 13. 17: As the man who digs obtains underground water by use of a shovel, so the student attains the knowledge possessed by his preceptor through his service.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.25in;text-align:justify"><span style="line-height: 115%; " >Explanation: Continued service of his master in a disciplined fashion aids a student in learning.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoListParagraph" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in; mso-list:l4 level1 lfo3"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span style="line-height: 115%; "><span>g)<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="line-height: 115%; ">Chapter 10.1: One destitute of wealth might not be entirely destitute, but a man devoid of learning is destitute in every way.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.25in;text-align:justify"><span style="line-height: 115%; " >Explanation: The most important wealth in the world is a good education, without that a person is really poor.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.25in;text-align:justify"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><b><span style="line-height: 115%; ">Miscellaneous</span></b><span style="line-height: 115%; ">: These are shlokas on various topics, ranging from the need for dharma, charity, organization, control, and other such objects that consist of small, but very vital pieces of human nature that should not be neglected.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoListParagraph" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in; mso-list:l1 level1 lfo4"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span style="line-height: 115%; "><span>a)<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="line-height: 115%; ">Chapter 5.2: As gold is tested in four ways by rubbing, cutting, heating and beating, so a man should be tested by these 4 things, his renunciation, his conduct, his qualities and his actions.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.25in;text-align:justify"><span style="line-height: 115%; " >Explanation: Herein, Chanakya lists 4 criteria according to which a man should be tested. What a man renounces indicates what he is ready to forbid himself of for the greater good of a particular cause. His conduct indicates what kind of leader he can be. Qualities of a man would indicate how others should deal with him. And lastly, his actions would indicate the focus he has towards getting to the goal in an organized fashion.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in; mso-list:l1 level1 lfo4"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span style="line-height: 115%; "><span>b)<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="line-height: 115%; ">Chapter 5.12: There is no disease (so destructive) as lust, no enemy like infatuation, no fire like wrath, and no happiness like spiritual knowledge.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in; mso-list:l1 level1 lfo4"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span style="line-height: 115%; "><span>c)<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="line-height: 115%; ">Chapter 8.2: Low class men desire wealth, middle class men both wealth and respect but the noble honour only, hence honour is the noble man’s true wealth.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in; mso-list:l1 level1 lfo4"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span style="line-height: 115%; "><span>d)<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="line-height: 115%; ">Chapter 8.15: Moral excellence is an ornament for personal beauty, righteous conduct for high birth; success for learning and proper spending for wealth.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.25in;text-align:justify"><span style="line-height: 115%; " >Explanation: An ornament is a piece of jewelry that beautifies a woman. When a personal feature is an ornament, it serves to beautify an already existing trait. With this principle, Chanakya suggests ornaments to the above mentioned traits. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoListParagraph" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in; mso-list:l1 level1 lfo4"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span style="line-height: 115%; "><span>e)<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="line-height: 115%; ">Chapter 8.16: Beauty is spoiled by an immoral nature; noble birth by bad conduct; learning by not being perfected and wealth by not being properly utilized.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.25in;text-align:justify"><span style="line-height: 115%; " >Explanation:<span> </span>The above are features persons possessing a particular trait should not develop. Beauty is only skin deep when somebody’s nature is immoral. Similarly, an ill-mannered prince is of no use. Education must be perfect and a person should be able to apply all the basic tenets learned. When a person is a spendthrift, there is no advantage of his being rich.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoListParagraph" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in; mso-list:l1 level1 lfo4"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span style="line-height: 115%; "><span>f)<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="line-height: 115%; ">Chapter 11.2: He who forsakes his own community and joins another perishes as the king who embraces an unrighteous path.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.25in;text-align:justify"><span style="line-height: 115%; " >Explanation:<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in; mso-list:l1 level1 lfo4"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span style="line-height: 115%; "><span>g)<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="line-height: 115%; ">Chapter 11.3: The elephant has a huge body, but is controlled by a goad; yet is the goad as large as the elephant. A lighted candle banishes the darkness; but does that mean the candle is as vast as the darkness. A mountain is broken even by a thunderbolt, but is the thunderbolt as big as the mountain? No, he whose powers prevail is really mighty, what is there in bulk?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in; mso-list:l1 level1 lfo4"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span style="line-height: 115%; "><span>h)<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="line-height: 115%; ">Chapter 12.20: The wise man should not be anxious about his food; he should be anxious to be engaged only in dharma. The food of each man is created for him at his birth.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in; mso-list:l1 level1 lfo4"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span style="line-height: 115%; "><span>i)<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="line-height: 115%; ">Chapter 13.2: We should not fret for what is past, nor should we be anxious about the future, men of discernment deal only with the present moment.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in; mso-list:l1 level1 lfo4"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span style="line-height: 115%; "><span>j)<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="line-height: 115%; ">Chapter 13.11: The hearts of base men burn before the fire of other’s fame and they slander them being themselves unable to rise to such a high position.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in; mso-list:l1 level1 lfo4"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span style="line-height: 115%; "><span>k)<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="line-height: 115%; ">Chapter 13.16: He whose actions are disorganized has no happiness either in the midst of men or in a jungle – in the midst of men his heart burns by social contacts and his helplessness burns him in the forest.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.25in;text-align:justify"><b><span style="line-height: 115%; " >Charity and Control: <o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in; mso-list:l2 level1 lfo5"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span style="line-height: 115%; "><span>a)<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="line-height: 115%; ">Chapter 5.11: Charity puts an end to poverty, righteous conduct to misery; discretion to ignorance and scrutiny to fear.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in; mso-list:l2 level1 lfo5"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span style="line-height: 115%; "><span>b)<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="line-height: 115%; ">Chapter 16.10: Even one who by his qualities appears to be all knowing suffers without patronage, the gem though precious requires a gold setting.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in; mso-list:l2 level1 lfo5"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span style="line-height: 115%; "><span>c)<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="line-height: 115%; ">Chapter 14.13: If you wish to gain control of the world by the performance of a single deed, then keep the following fifteen , which are prone to wander here and there from getting the upper hand of you; the five sense objects, the five sense organs and organs of activity (hands, legs, mouth, genitals and anus)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in; mso-list:l2 level1 lfo5"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span style="line-height: 115%; "><span>d)<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="line-height: 115%; ">Chapter 15.17: There are many ways of binding by which one can be dominated and controlled in this world, but the bond of affection is the strongest. For example, take the case of the humble bee which although expert at piercing hardened wood becomes caught in the embrace of its beloved flowers.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in; mso-list:l2 level1 lfo5"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span style="line-height: 115%; "><span>e)<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="line-height: 115%; ">Chapter 16.20: One whose knowledge is confined to books and whose wealth is in the possession of others, can use neither his knowledge nor wealth when the need for them arises.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in; mso-list:l2 level1 lfo5"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span style="line-height: 115%; "><span>f)<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span><span style="line-height: 115%; "><span class="Apple-style-span" >Chapter 17.3: That thing which is distant, that thing which appears impossible and that which is far beyond our reach, can be easily attained through tapasya for nothing can surpass austerity.</span></span></p></div></blockquote><div><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in; mso-list:l2 level1 lfo5"><span style="line-height: 115%; "><span class="Apple-style-span" ></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12pt; "><o:p></o:p></span></span></p></div>Karmasurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01593320349146292650noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4517951733698598027.post-7663559806510079942011-06-09T14:52:00.001-04:002012-07-14T08:33:22.809-04:00A forgotten hero reconstructed----Book Review written for Centre Right India @ <a href="http://centreright.in/2011/06/book-review-operation-red-lotus/">click</a> ----------------------<br /><br /><p style="text-align: justify;">Operation Red Lotus is a book written by Parag Tope, with inputs from the contemporary elements of the Tope family on India’s first war of freedom from the British in 1857. The book gets its name from the red lotus used by the participants in this war. Aside from memories of the family patriarch Prabhakar Tope, what makes the book unique is that it uses several otherwise unknown and forgotten pieces of info on the war, which include original and untranslated letters in Urdu, Bundeli, eye – witness accounts in Marathi, a revised view of English reports on the war to give a dramatically different story.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">There are many positives in this book, most particularly, the very large number of myths destroyed by the book. One of the biggest myths laid to rest are that this war had no creative component that could prepare for the future of India after the war. This view was also expressed by Savarkar, whose work on 1857 I had previously looked upon as an important assessment of war. This is laid to rest in the book by presenting a translation of one of those many Urdu letters that were part of communication between the field officers and Tatya Tope. In the run up from the third Anglo – Maratha War (1818) to this war (1857), the British slowly crushed India’s economy. Local industry was shut down, people heavily taxed and overt forms of evangelization viz. converting to Christianity for less taxes, violence on temple premises, etc. were rampant. Indian officials in the British Government couldn’t get promoted beyond the rank of a Subedar. The leaders of the revolution recognized all of these as part of the tyranny and oppression of the British rulers and the war was originally based on a promise to uproot these, and restoring a liberty in personal life, trade and properties (<em>ref: Azamgarh declaration, Delhi Gazette, 28<sup>th</sup> September 1857</em>).</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">The book also deserves credit for decoding the previously unknown code of the red lotuses and chapatis used in the war. The petals of the red lotus are explained as soldiers ready to participate, while the stalk of the lotus flower represented a platoon. Each platoon had about 25 – 30 soldiers. Conveniently, a red lotus also has 25 – 30 petals! Each soldier was made to pluck a petal. The number of petals remaining on the stalk would indicate the percentage of the soldiers in a platoon not participating. Chapatis received by a particular village represented that only that village that was selected to provide food for the travelling armies. A complete system of communication, involving recruitment and logistics was thus the objective of these hitherto unexplained symbols during the war.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">As a general of Nana Saheb, Tatya Tope was the man instrumental behind planning the whole operation. Nana Saheb coordinated with other leaders such as Bahadur Shah, Begum Hazrat Mahal, Baija Bai Shinde and Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi. They collaborated so as to keep the planning and preparations as covert as possible, and some leaders such as Baija Bai continued to feign neutrality throughout the war while covertly supporting it to the hilt. Capital was sourced from civilian landlords and bankers such as Seth Lakshmichand of Mathura.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">The mission of the operation was to mobilize Indian soldiers of the English East India Company (EEIC), to overrun their garrison, and capture a predetermined location (a city and neighboring villages). Following a liberation of a sufficient part of the country, the goal was to create a government that would represent the India that the leaders of the operation wished to create. The war started on the 29th of March, 1857 with the outburst from Mangal Pandey and for the next few months, the revolutionaries notched up a string of victories. Delhi was liberated on the 10th of May, followed by Kanpur, Lucknow, Gwalior and Banda. On 4th, 5th and 6th June 1857, Azamgarh, Varanasi and Allahabad were liberated. Faizabad, Daraiabad/Barabanki, Salan, Sultanpur and Gonda were liberated by 11th June 1857. At around the same time in Central India, Jhansi, Naugaon, Gursarai, Banpur and Orai were also attacked and the English were on the backfoot in these towns. Kanpur by 27th of June and Lucknow by the 5th of July. An Indian government under the name of Bahadur Shah Zafar was in place by the 25th of August 1857. This government would funciton until the May of 1858.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://centreright.in/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/17OEB_LOTUS_JPG_164352e.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-3468" style="border: 2px solid black; margin: 10px 20px;" title="17OEB_LOTUS_JPG_164352e" src="http://centreright.in/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/17OEB_LOTUS_JPG_164352e-204x300.jpg" alt="" width="204" height="300" /></a></p><p style="text-align: justify;">While all of this is relatively well known, what is relatively less known is how the war was lost. The answer lies in the English realization that it was the Indian villages that received the Chapatis that were responsible for providing for the troops. The English then simply flattened these villages and left them without any human trace. In particular, the area chosen for clearing was that of the Grand Trunk Road. Regions where villages were ‘cleared’ now became no – go areas for the Indian troops (w/o a caravan of supplies), and became a convenient passage for English supplies and reinforcements and a springboard for their attacks into territories captured by the troops. The Indian loss was more because of the inability to guess the depths to which the English could stoop down to preserve their power. Possibly millions of Indians died in this campaign of the English which created a sanitized corridor from Calcutta right upto Kanpur. The irony is that two islands in Andaman and Nicobar are even today named after the commanders of this massacre, Brigadier General Havelock and Lieutenant Colonel Neill. One wonders if the outcome of the war could have been different if the leaders of the revolution had invested more time and more men at understanding British history of war and knowing the English capacity for genocide and mass destruction while at the same time remembering lessons from previous encounters with Muslim barbarians like Temur Lang. The villages might then have been protected against massacres by the English and some of the damage could have been averted, possibly increasing the efficiency of the revolutionaries’ maneuvers against the English.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">There is also a good description of the later phases of the war. After the fall of Delhi (through a British siege causing starvation of the troops stationed there), Tope established a second HQ at Kalpi and with covert support of Baija Bai Shinde rebuilt his war machinery, developed extensive logistic lines (which hitherto did not exist as the revolutionaries’ plan A was to rely on villagers), and executed brilliant battles most importantly that of Kanpur in November-December 1857 in which he succeeded to recapture Kanpur briefly and reinforce Lucknow to lighten the pressure on Nana Saheb and other who were holed up there. Other important battles of this phase included Tope’s protection of Lakashmi Bai from Hugh Rose and the siege of Charkhari.Tope was also successful to enlist support from the Gwalior contingents, which proves false erstwhile theories of the inactivity of Scindia leading to the defeat in the war.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">Human shields used by the English troops, gory details of wanton massacres by the English and their Scottish and Irish mercenaries, elaborate battle maps and troop movements, a detailed description of Tatya’s strategic moves at extending the War to other theaters, the massacre at Jhansi after Rani Laxmibai’s escape, previously unknown roles of other heroes in the war and a new proposal of the date and manner of Tatya Tope’s death are other noteable facets of the book. The book has also captured the global repercussions of the 1857 war and has drawn a possible link between the revolution in India and the American Civil war. On the flip side, it appears in some sections that there is a vendetta between the author and establishment historians that he is seeking to prove wrong. For instance at page 156:</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">“For R.C. Majumdar who for some is India’s ‘greatest historian’, Bahadur Shah was a ‘dotard’, a senile old man. Majumdar was obviously not very impressed with Bahadur Shah, who ‘dared’ to rise against the English, when he was supposed to be nothing more than a ‘puppet in their hands’. ”</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">The same book by another author might be excused, but given that the author is related biologically to the subject matter of the book, i.e. Tatya Tope, one expects higher standards from him. Due to this, there is a risk that some readers might believe that the book is performing some kind of hagiography. It also robs the hope that the book can be used as a history textbook on the subject, which is the need of the hour and which in my opinion has to be completely emotionless. Nevertheless, for the large amount of new data that the book brings forth, it is a first of its kind and is a must have for history wonks from all sides of the spectrum as a stepping stone towards getting the final history of India’s first war of freedom.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>Karmasurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01593320349146292650noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4517951733698598027.post-56657628824142549582011-05-15T19:49:00.002-04:002012-07-14T08:33:41.919-04:00Maneesha Panchakam(Translation from : <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Maneesha-Panchakam-ebook/dp/B004AYDL94/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=books&qid=1305506257&sr=8-1">Maneesha Panchakam</a> by Swami Chinmayananda)<br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">The word 'Maneeshaa' in Sanskrit means conviction and panchakam means a collection of five shlokas. The stotra reveals the normally strong association with the body and the mind which makes even a strong person like Aacharya Sankara starts following a mechanistic mode of life.<br /><br />The story behind this Panchakam begins with a Aadi Shankara going for a bath at the Ganga in Kashi along with his disciples. Shankara saw a dirty sweeper coming along. He shouted out to him to get out of his way. This was not only a moment of carelessness, but it was a seepage forth of the customs of that time, the very customs that Shankara sought to fight. The response of the sweeper and reply by the sage forms the body of the Panchakam. Shankara sees the divine in the sweeper, and heralds him as his Guru since the sweeper is able to see that he is not what is seen, but he is part of that Self which is compartmentalized into all of us.<br /><br />Sweeper to Shankara:<br /></div><br />अन्नामयादान्नमयम्थ्वा चैतन्यमेव चैतान्यात । <br />द्विजवर दूरीकर्तु वाञछ्सी किं ब्रूहि गच्छ गच्छेति ॥<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Oh! the best among the twice born, by saying 'move away - move away', do you wish to move matter from matter, or you mean to separate Spirit from the Spirit?</span><br /><br />किं गंगाम्बुनी बिम्बितेओम्ब्र्मनौ चंदाल्वातिपयः<br />पूरे चंत्रमस्ती कच्च्न्घतिम्रित्कुम्भ्योवोर्म्ब्रे।<br />प्रत्याग्वस्तुनी निस्तारान्ग्सह्जान्न्दाव्बोधाम्बुधौ<br />विप्रोअयम्श्व्प्चोअय्मित्य्पिमहन्कोअयम्विभेद्भ्रमः ॥<br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Is there any difference in the 'jewel of the sky' when it is reflected in the waters of the Gangaa or in a ditch in the way side of a slum? Is there any difference in the space as such, be it in a golden pot or in a mud pot? In the ocean of the self existing Blissful consciousness, in the inner Self, devoid of thought ripples, how can there be this delusory distinction" this is a braahmana and this is a dog eater?</span><br /></div><br />Shankara replies as follows:<br /><br />जग्रत्स्वप्न्सुषुप्तिषु स्फुत्तारा या संविदुज्ज्रुम्भ्ते<br />या ब्रह्मिदिपिपीलिकान्त्त्नुशु प्रोता जगत्साक्षिणी ।<br />सैवाहं न च दुश्यवास्त्विती दृढप्रज्ञापि यस्यास्ति चेत<br />चन्दलोअस्तु स तु द्विजोअस्तु गुरुरित्येषा मनीषा मम ॥ १ ॥<br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-style: italic;">This indeed is my deep conviction: he who has realised that he is not the seen, but that he is the one Consciousness that illumines all experiences during the waking, dream and deep - sleep states, the one Consciousness that is the sole witness of the entire play of the universe, the one Consciousness which is the very Life Spark in all forms from the Creator down to the ant, he alone is my Guru, be he a sweeper, be he a braahmana.</span><br /></div><br />ब्रह्मैवाह्मिदम जगच्च सकलं चिन्मत्रिविस्तारितं<br />सर्वं चैताद्विध्य्या त्रिगुनायोशेषं मया कल्पितम ।<br />इथं यस्य दृढा मतिः सुखतरे नित्ये परे निर्मले<br />चन्दलोअस्तु स तु द्विजोअस्तु गुरुरित्येषा मनीषा मम ॥ २ ॥<br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-style: italic;">He who, in his direct experience of the Immaculate Supreme - Bliss - Eternal, has come to the firm understanding that the entire universe is but an extensive play of Pure Consciousness, all projected by his 'ignorance' expressed in the three moods of his mind, while he himself is but that Brahman - he alone is my Guru, be he a sweeper, be he a braahmana.</span><br /></div><br />शास्वन्न्स्वरमेवा विश्वमखिलं निश्चित्य वाचा गुरोः<br />नित्यं ब्रह्म निरंतरं विमृशता निव्याज्शान्तात्मना । <br />भूतं भावि च दुष्क्रुतं प्रदहता संविन्मये पावके<br />प्ररब्धाय समर्पितं स्वव्पुरित्येशा मनीषा मम ॥ ३ ॥<br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-style: italic;">He who has done long reflections upon his teacher's words that this world of change is permanently in a state of flux; he who has tamed his mind to a true state of quiet and poise; he who has brought his mind, devoid of all dissimilar thoughts, constantly to contemplate upon Brahman; he who has burnt up all his past and future residual-vaasanas in the fire of Pure Consciousness; he who has offered his body to live through and exhaust its present destiny he alone is my Guru, 'be he a sweeper, be he a braahmana.'</span><br /></div><br />या तियार्न्ग्नार्देव्ताभिराह्मित्यांतः स्फुटा गृह्यते<br />यभ्दासा हृदयाक्ष्देहविश्या भांति स्वतोअचेतनाः ।<br />तां भास्यैः पिहितार्क्मंदाल्निभां स्फूर्ति सदा भावयन<br />योगी निवृत्मंसो हि गुरुरित्येषा मनीषा मम ॥ ४ ॥<br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-style: italic;">A yogee with his hushed mind lives, meditating upon That, which expresses as 'I--I' the subjective individuality in all creatures: plant, animal, human and angels; That, by whose Light, mind and senses and body are all enlivened to activity, even though they are all made up of inert and insentient matter; That, which illumines everything as Sun from behind a bank of clouds - He alone is my Guru: this is my firm conviction.</span><br /></div><br />यात्सौख्याम्बुधिलेश्लेशत इमे श्कद्यो निव्रुता<br />याच्चित्ते नितरां प्रशान्त्कालने लब्ध्वा मुनिनिर्व्रुतः ।<br />यस्मिन्नित्यासुखाम्बुधाऊ गलित्धिब्रह्मैव न ब्रह्मविद<br />यः कश्सित्सा सुरेंद्रव्न्दित्प्दो नूनं मनीषा मम ॥ ५ ॥<br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-style: italic;"></span><span style="font-style: italic;"></span><span style="font-style: italic;">During its moments of utter quiet, a yogee's mind gains that Ocean of Bliss, a tiny droplet from which is sufficient to make Indra and others feel contented and happy. Such a one who has dissolved his individual intellect in this Eternal Ocean of Bliss, is verily Brahman, not a mere Knower of Brahman - That rare one, whose feet are worshipped even by the very King of Gods indeed, he alone is my Guru; this is my firm conviction.</span><br /></div>Karmasurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01593320349146292650noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4517951733698598027.post-46503003659206391402011-05-01T12:16:00.002-04:002012-07-14T08:34:02.963-04:00Mass Movements: How they begin and how they must be ended.<p align="justify">In the concluding part of our series on mass movements, we shall discuss how they begin and how they must be ended in order to achieve a long lasting change in the society. The first part of the series is <a href="http://krishnabhakt.blogspot.com/2011/01/mass-movements-swot-analysis.html">here.</a></p><p align="justify">For these movements to arise, Hoffer [1] describes in "the true believer" that it is essential that the prevailing order is thoroughly discredited. For this this happen, not only should there be blunders and abuses of power by the rulers, but a sufficient articulation of these by men of words. Until these people come about, or until they have a grievance, the prevailing order will continue until it falls by itself or is felled by a neighboring country. To capture the attention of the men of words is so important, that even after the mass movement is successful, these men need to be glued to the cause. Their disgruntled can sweep the young turks from power. Examples for this kind include the stability of Imperial China where an alliance between bureaucracy and the literati was important. The Taiping rebellion then was started by a failed scholar. A similar case existed in the partnership of the Roman Empire and the Greek men of words, and a similar case exists in India, between the Congress party and its journos. We also have our disgruntled men of words at the moment, but it seems they are waiting for their numbers to grow.</p><p align="justify">The next step of manning the movement is to be done by the fanatics. One might ask why should the men of words precede the fanatics? This is because a fanatic usually shows a virulent extremism for his cause which acts as a culture shock to the prevailing populace. They would rather listen to a man of words. This man would then introduce the people to the new ideas in a piecemeal fashion. Moreover, the authorities are less likely in most cases to muzzle him. In the long run, such men can undermine the people's faith in an existing order and pave way for the fanatics.</p><p align="justify">The fanatics then move in at the ripest moment. With utter ruthlessness, they will go about tearing the old system to shreds. The words of the litterateurs are now adapted while the men themselves are shoved aside, and the movement is hijacked by them. Where the mass movement is a mild affair in the hands of the litterateurs, who only try to reform the present, the fanatics now wage an all out war on the present. Usually, these fanatics, who themselves are failed men of words come out only when the struggle with an existing order becomes a protracted one. </p><p align="justify">This is the most dangerous phase of a mass movement. The fanatic doesn't rest once victory has been won, but seeks newer extremes and if an enemy outside the movement cannot be found, this will lead to factionalism. The victories thus won against the old order may soon be lost. This is where the men of action must step in and succeed the fanatic, thus helping to stabilize the movement and freeze its victories. A successful mass movement must have three distinct type of individuals at the outset. It could also be possible for one person to change his outlook, but such changes have mostly been found to be temporary. Once power is won by the fanatics, these practical men stop the conflict with the present and preserve the power won by the movement. The vigor of the movement is to be sapped at this moment and used to form institutions to serve the people. Whereas during the reign of fanatics, devotion to the cause is prized, during the reign of the men of action, duty to the institution is to be given more importance. All this has to be done initially using vocabulary from the days of the fanatics, so as to not disrupt abruptly the continuity from the earlier era.</p><p align="justify">For a mass movement to be successful, there is the inevitability of the unpleasantness (if not evil) of the active phase of the movement (the phase wherein the movement sets out to acquire power). This is where the fanatic rules supreme. He appears ruthless, self-righteous, credulous, disputatious, petty and rude and often sacrifices or makes one sacrifice much that is dear to oneself in the present. For a mass movement with a worthy cause, it is essential that this phase ends as soon as possible. Nationalist mass movements that have been successful, such as the French and American Revolutions, have had active phases which were relatively short. In the case of India, the failures of the Congress party might be attributed to its not being dissolved once India was liberated from the yoke of the British rule. With the termination of the active phase, the individual is released from a collective discipline. This causes a burst in creativity [2], which was earlier strangled under the fervor of the active phase of the movement.</p><p align="justify">To terminate the active phase of the movement, firstly, its aim must be concrete rather than be uncertain. As Oliver Cromwell said, "A man never goes so far as when he does not know whither he is going." Usually, this concreteness is delivered by identifying the enemy to be overthrown, and once that is done, starting the reorganization process. Hoffer also recommends a homogeneous population to be essential for an early termination of a mass movement, however, it seems to me that a perception of homogeneity is more essential. Another factor that might lead to such early terminations of mass movements is the degree of submissiveness of the people. A more submissive a culture, the longer the active phase of movements.</p><p align="justify"><strong>Summary:</strong> To summarize, a successful mass movement in the Indic context must have the following features at the very beginning of it.</p><p align="justify">1) A concrete definition of what it is going to deliver.</p><p align="justify">2) Presence of all three groups of people, viz: the men of words, fanatics and the practical men of action.</p><p align="justify">3) Propaganda and dissemination of information must first be started by the men of words, followed by action taken up by the fanatics and they in turn should be suceeded by the men of action.</p><p align="justify">4) A perception of unity of people is a must. Any attempts to thwart this perception need to be defended with utmost vigor.</p><p align="justify">5) The active phase of the movement must be terminated immediately after acquiring power. Such maturity ends collectivism, revives individualism in the people, and the resulting creativity might even lead to rapid progress in the society.</p><p align="justify">6) The people should be made rebellious enough about their individualism so that they themselves would not allow the active phase of the mass movement to continue beyond acquisition of its aims.</p><p align="justify">7) Lastly, if there is any possibility of the mass movement failing, it needs to be disrupted before it takes off. This is because this will create a tendency of having repeated mass movements without sufficient thought to it. People generally do not like getting drawn into such repeated struggles, and finally when the moment is ripe, they would not be willing to sacrifice for the movement, knowing that it too will fail like the ones preceding it.</p><p align="justify"><strong>References:</strong></p><p align="justify">[1] Eric Hoffer: The true believer</p><p align="justify">[2] Careers of Milton, Bunyan, Koestler and Silone.</p><p align="justify">[3] Quoted by J. A. Cramb, "The Origins and Destiny of Imperial Britain" (London: John Murray, 1915), p. 216. </p>Karmasurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01593320349146292650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4517951733698598027.post-11270906747149534842011-04-17T23:39:00.001-04:002012-07-14T08:34:02.960-04:00Mass Movements, a SWOT analysis<p style="text-align: justify;">Political movements can be of two types. Some can be intellectually oriented, to which most of the elite are attracted. These are characterized as having some high ideal which might be the bedrock of the current society but towards which attention has been missing for a long time. However, this does not have immediate short term applications and it is difficult to motivate many people towards such causes.<br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The rest are mass movements - i.e., which can attract large numbers of people to their fold by virtue of having as one of its causes something that holds fruitful to many people of different walks of life at the same time. A few specimens as have happened in India are Mahatma Gandhi's movement against the British for India's independence, JP Narayan's movement against Indira Gandhi calling for her to resign and Anna Hazare's brief for short term fixes such as his campaign against alcoholism in Ralegon Siddhi, his earlier 'fast unto death' against corrupt ministers only to get them resigned and the recently concluded fast for an anti corruption bill. The sway of mass movements among the lips of many is that numbers of people rooting for a cause can give concrete results to meet that cause. Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi often harps the line that a mass movement is needed for public development.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Whether mass movements can be successful or not or whether they are beneficial to the masses will be left for the reader to decide. But in the view of the permanent fascination of the average Indian for mass movements of one type of the other, it becomes necessary first to examine this entity called the 'mass movement'. The purpose of the post is to examine the phenomenon of mass movements by a commonly used management tool - the SWOT (strength, weakness, opportunities and threats) analysis. Putting all of these on the table at the same time for a particular entity would make it easy for one to choose to take a decision of deploying that entity or not deploying it.<br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">(Below as extracted from Eric Hoffer's "The True Believer" [3])<br /></p><p style="font-weight: bold; text-align: justify;">1) Strengths: </p><p style="text-align: justify;">(a) Large numbers of people batting for a particular cause can lead to its successful implementation.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">(b) If a people are backward, successful modernization can perhaps be brought about only by united action that is offered by a mass movement.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">(c) A mass movement can dent another of an opposing doctrine. What is required here is a better corporate structure of accomodating those of the other doctrine. The more it can endanger a sense of bonhomie, the greater the chances of its success. This is because the raw material for mass movements and the minds that are attracted towards them are about the same. This works both the ways hence also finds a mention in weaknesses.<br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">(d) Being able to create a perception that performing an act will lead to a moment of glory. For this glory, mass movements are able to create an awareness of an audience, that our deeds will bring an applause from our contemporaries or will be remembered by the generations to come.<br /></p><p style="font-weight: bold; text-align: justify;">2)Weaknesses:</p><p style="text-align: justify;">(a) Has the possibility to be derived from a state of anguish of the failed and not necessarily far sighted. As Thoreau said, "If anything ail a main, so that he does not perform his functions, if he have a pain in his bowels even.. he forthwith sets about reforming the world." [1]</p><p style="text-align: justify;">(b) Can attract unworthy elements of the society who are lost causes on their own might and actively seek to add to their worth by associating with such movements. This is corroborated by observations that when mass movements are around, crime in the society declines.<br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">(c) If two mass movements cohabit a place, there is a possibility of interchangeability of cadre. In Germany between the wars, there was always a certainty of the youth opting for the communists.<br /></p><p style="font-weight: bold; text-align: justify;">3) Opportunities:</p><p style="text-align: justify;">(a) Holds a promise of sudden and spectacular change in living conditions of supporters. The driving forces used for the same are religious and nationalist fervor for change.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">(b) To offer a substitute for individual hope. Mass movements can dope the followers with hope of the future, while making them sacrifice the present.</p><p style="font-weight: bold; text-align: justify;">4) Threats:</p><p style="text-align: justify;">(a) Derives from the belief in omnipotence of a particular ideology. For e.g., Lenin and the Bolsheviks had faith in the power of the Marxist doctrine before setting out for their utopia. In the case of Nazis, they had a belief in an omnipotent leader and the techniques of blitzkrieg and propaganda as tools for irresistible power<br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">(b) People supporting mass movements usually have an extravagant conception of the prospects and potentialities of the future, are ignorant of the difficulties involved in their undertaking. Experienced people are less likely to lead or support mass movements.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">(c) An intelligent mass movement leader will recognize that the fuel for mass movements comes from the ability of the movement to make members sacrifice rather than seek self interest. When such a leader comes to place, the movement becomes ever lasting as goal posts initially set for the movement keep shifting and people are coerced to permanently live to sacrifice. For e.g, according to Hitler "the more posts and offices a movement has to hand out, the more inferior stuff it will attract, and in the end these political hangers on overwhelm a successful party in such numbers that the honest fighter of former days no longer recognizes the old movement. When this happens, the mission of such a movement is done for" [2].</p><p style="text-align: justify;">(d) It holds immediate threat to the unity of a family, as individuals not bound to a family are more likely to be supportive of a mass movement than a person who is bound by responsibilities of a family.<br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The outcome of mass movements - as Eric Hoffer puts it, is determined by two factors, one of which is how well its active phase is concluded after achieving its goals. The longer a movement stays volatile, the less beneficient it becomes. The more beneficial mass movements have been short lived - for e.g. the Reformation, the Puritan, French and American revolutions. Many nationalist movements fall into this category. The other factor for determining the outcome of a mass movement is to see how well it can usher in the next phase after the mass movement is concluded which is to have a more distant goal, something that ushers in a reign of stability, and can build enduring organizations towards achieving this distant goal. We will examine this at a later date.<br /></p><p style="font-weight: bold; text-align: justify;">References:</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">[1]</span>: Henry David Thoreau, <span style="font-style: italic;">Walden</span>, Modern Library edition (New York: Random House, 1937), p. 69.<br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">[2]</span>: Adolf Hitler, <span style="font-style: italic;">Mein Kampf</span> (Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1943), p. 105.<br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">[3]</span>: Eric Hoffer, <span style="font-style: italic;">The true believer</span><br /></p>Karmasurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01593320349146292650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4517951733698598027.post-90448954266623019052011-02-12T20:48:00.003-05:002011-02-13T08:54:52.963-05:00HUF and the caste system as a solution to proselytism<div style="text-align: justify;">We shall continue to delve into Eric Hoffer's "The True Believer". In section 32, page 40, Hoffer discusses the attitude of mass movements to families. As India continues to Christianize, these will be some of the behavioral changes we should expect in Indian nature and learn to deal with it.:<br /><br /><blockquote>"The attitude of rising mass movements towards the family is of considerable interest. Almost all our contemporary movements showed in their early stages a hostile attitude towards the family, and did all they could to discredit and disrupt it. They did it by undermining the authority of the parents; by facilitating divorce; by taking over the responsibility for feeding, educating and entertaining the children; and by encouraging illegitimacy. Crowded housing, exile, concentration camps and terror also helped to weaken and break up the family. Still, not one of our contemporary movements was so outspoken in its antagonism toward the family as was early Christianity. Jesus minced no words: <span style="font-weight: bold;">" For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man's foes shall be they of his own household. He that loveth father or mother more than me, is not worthy of me"</span> [1]. When He was told that His mother and brothers were outside desiring to speak with Him, He said: <span style="font-weight: bold;">"Who is my mother? And who are my brethren? And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother, and my brethren!"</span> [2] When one of His disciples asked leave to go and bury his father, Jesus said to him: <span style="font-weight: bold;">"Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead."</span> [3] He seemed to sense the ugly family conflicts His movement was bound to provoke both by its proselytizing and by the fanatical hatred of its antagonists. <span style="font-weight: bold;">" And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents , and cause them to be put to death."</span> [4] It is strange but true that he who preaches brotherly love also preaches against love of mother, father, brother, sister, wife and children."<br /></blockquote><br />In the face of proselytism of any kind, especially evangelism, it is important to not fall in this trap of universal brotherhood. And what could be the obvious solution to this? A strong and united family is one of the best chances to survive against evangelism, a symbiotic system that can not only keep each member well nourished physically, mentally and socially, but can also provide more room to preserve the Hindu ethos. Today's nuclear and sub nuclear families will lose it in the long run and in the absence of the ethos, it is only a matter of a few generations that evangelical vultures will swoop down on us. A Hindu Undivided Family (HUF) is the ultimate barrier for these vultures.<br /><br />Eric Hoffer warns us about this as well:<br /><br /><blockquote>"As one would expect, a disruption of the family, whatever its causes, fosters automatically a collective spirit and creates a responsiveness to the appeal of mass movements."</blockquote><br />While a case can be made against the<span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>HUF as being too large and with too much friction, at the bare minimum, we should strive to have one whole functioning unit of a family system for the sake of the culture, comprising of grandparents, parents and children. Being associated with a family can in itself provide a deterrent from walking over to the other side.<br /><br />Unfortunately, Hoffer did not live in today's age of 'money for religion' and hasn't commented on it. In that scenario, there is a possibility of whole families being converted at a time to Christianity. In such a scenario, not only would families have to be created, but we need to have strong links of our families to other families in the neighborhood as well. Starting small scale neighborhood distress help groups on the scale of co-operative foundations to help the poor and needy as well as assisting people to get self employed will be a good move in this regard.<br /><br />While India's cities might need an artificial construct like this, rural areas already have that set up in the pre existing caste system [5]. Not only does the caste system ensure heterogeneity and continuation of the decentralized Hindu ethos, but charities run by caste members makes it easier to run public services and reach the poor and the needy, a more stable counter to petrodollar muftis and the evangelizers and fractionation of families that might happen with the furthering of industrialization in India. Few things need to be cautiously tread on though while using the caste system to solve today's problems for instance, same standards of justice for all groups and giving everybody an equal chance to have a piece of the pie (of national resources).<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Note:</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> The word caste has only been used as a translation for the word jati and not in any derogatory sense.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">References:</span><br />[1]: Matthew 10:35-37.<br />[2]: ibid, 12:47-49.<br />[3]: ibid, 8:22<br />[4]: ibid, 10:21<br />[5]: R. Vaidyanathan. <a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/19383801/Three-Major-Conflicts-and-Indias-Strategy-Eternal-India-Sept2009">Three major conflicts and India's strategy.</a><br /><br /></div>Karmasurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01593320349146292650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4517951733698598027.post-602762453595561402011-02-02T08:32:00.005-05:002011-02-02T21:10:51.619-05:00Why proselytize?<div style="text-align: justify;">Earlier, we had commented on proselytism from the perspective of imperialism and class warfare (link: <a href="http://krishnabhakt.blogspot.com/2008/10/class-warfare-and-proselytism-explosive.html">(1)</a> and <a href="http://krishnabhakt.blogspot.com/2008/11/proselytisation-2.html">(2)</a> ). We had however, not attempted to understand the proselytizer. The following is an excerpt of proselytism from the psychological perspective from Eric Hoffer's book: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_True_Believer">"The True Believer".</a> The objective of this post is to understand the mindset of the proselytizers. I request that this post be accepted as an addendum to our earlier two posts on this topic.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></div><blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Whence comes the impulse to proselytize?</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">[3]</span><br /><br />Intensity of conviction is not the main factor which impels a movement to spread its faith to the four corners of the earth: "Religions of great intensity often confine themselves to contemning, destroying, or at best pitying what is not themselves." <span style="font-weight: bold;">[1]</span> . Nor is the impulse to proselytize an expression of an overabundance of power which as Bacon has it "is like a great flood, that will be sure to overflow. " <span style="font-weight: bold;">[2]</span>. The missionary zeal seems rather an expression of some deep misgiving, some pressing feeling of insufficiency at the center. Proselytizing is more a passionate search for something not yet found than a desire to bestow upon the world something we already have. It is a search for a final and irrefutable demonstration that our absolute truth is indeed the one and only truth. The proselytizing fanatic strengthens his own faith by converting others. The creed whose legitimacy is most easily challenged is likely to develop the strongest proselytizing impulse. It is doubtful whether a movement which does not profess some preposterous and patently irrational dogma can be possessed of that zealous drive which "must either win men or destroy the world." It is also plausible that those movements with the greatest inner contradiction between profession and practice - that is to say with a strong feeling of guilt - are likely to be the most fervent in imposing their faith on others. The more unworkable communism proves in Russia, and the more its leaders are compelled to compromise and adulterate the original creed, the more brazen and arrogant will be their attack on a non - believing world. The slaveholders of the South became the more aggressive in spreading their way of life the more it became patent that their position was untenable in a modern world. If free enterprise becomes a proselytizing holy cause, it will be a sign that its workability and advantages have ceased to be self - evident.<br /><br />The passion for proselytizing and the passion for world dominion are both perhaps symptoms of some serious deficiency at the center. It is probably as true of a band of apostles or conquistadors as it is of a band of fugitives setting out for a distant land that they escape from on untenable situation at home. And how often indeed do the three meet, mingle and exchange their parts.<br /></div></blockquote><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">References:</span><br />[1]: Jacob Burckhardt, "Force and freedom" ny: pantheon books, 1943 p. 129<br />[2]: Francis Bacon, "Of Vicissitude of Things," Bacon's Essays, Everyman's Library edition (New York: E. P. Dutton & Company, 1932), p. 171.<br />[3]: Eric Hoffer, "The True Believer"New American Library edition p. 102-103Karmasurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01593320349146292650noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4517951733698598027.post-31804567197950521002010-12-30T17:51:00.005-05:002010-12-31T01:51:07.814-05:00Mandukya Upanishad<div style="text-align: justify;">This Upanishad is the briefest of all the Upanishads, yet as per Shankara, if one could study a single Upanishad, it should be this one. Once again, this Upanishad aligns with the mainstream Upanishadic view, that there is a Brahman that is one Reality which became the infinite variety of things around us. But the USP of this Upanishad is in its way of suggesting how to get there, through the dream world.<br /><br />Amazingly, the stages of sleep that the Upanishad talks about are quite similar to what <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleep">modern science</a> shows us. Except that the latter derives no higher goal from sleep. As we saw in the Mundaka Upanishad, such a knowledge about the material world is only lower knowledge. (Note: The Upanishads do not despise a lower knowledge) Just as the Mundaka suggests that there is a higher knowledge which is Self Realization, the Mandukya also strives to know about the Self, and the mode of this realization is through sleep.<br /><br />As per the Upanishad, consciousness is in four stages, awakeness, dreaming, sleep, deep sleep and an even deeper super conscious state. It associates the sounds of the three letters 'AUM' to the first three stages, and the complete "AUM" to the fourth stage. The following is the English translation of the Upanishad.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;">1) AUM stands for the Supreme Reality.<br />It is a symbol for what was, what is,<br />And what shall be. AUM represents also<br />What lies beyond past, present and future.<br /><br />2) Brahman is all, and the Self is Brahman.<br />This Self has four states of consciousness.<br /><br />3) The first is called Vaishvanara, in which<br />One lives with all the senses turned outward,<br />Aware only of the external world.<br /><br />4) Taijasa is the name of the second,<br />The dreaming state in which, with the senses<br />Turned inward, one enacts the impressions<br />Of past deeds and present desires.<br /><br />5) The third state is called Prajna, of deep sleep,<br />In which one neither dreams nor desires.<br />There is no mind in Prajna, there is no<br />Separateness; but the sleeper is not<br />Conscious of this. Let him become conscious<br />In Prajna and it will open the door<br />To the state of abiding joy.<br /><br />6) Prajna, all - powerful and all - knowing,<br />Dwells in the hearts of all as the ruler.<br />Prajna is the source and end of all.<br /><br />7) The fourth is the superconscious state called<br />Turiya, neither inward nor outward,<br />Beyond the senses and the intellect,<br />In which there is none other than the Lord.<br />He is the supreme goal of life. He is<br />Infinite peace and love. Realize him!<br /><br />8) Turiya is represented by AUM.<br />Though indivisible, it has three sounds.<br /><br />9) A stands for Vaishvanara. Those who know this,<br />Through mastery of the senses, obtain<br />The fruit of their desires and attain greatness.<br /><br />10) U indicates Taijasa. Those who know this,<br />By mastering even their dreams, become<br />Established in wisdom. In their family<br />Everyone leads the spiritual life.<br /><br />11) M corresponds to Prajna. Those who know this,<br />By stilling the mind, find their true stature<br />And inspire everyone around to grow.<br /><br />12) The mantram AUM stands for the supreme state<br />Of turiya, without parts, beyond birth<br />And death, symbol of everlasting joy.<br />Those who know AUM as the Self become the Self;<br />Truly they become the Self.<br /></div></blockquote></div><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">References & further reading: </span><br />[1] <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Upanishads-Classic-Indian-Spirituality/dp/1586380214/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1293751981&sr=8-1">The Upanishads</a> - Eaknath Easwaran<br />[2] <a href="http://www.celextel.org/108upanishads/mandukya.html">Mandukya Upanishad</a> - translated by Vidyavachaspati V Panoli<br />[3] <a href="http://wikisource.org/wiki/%E0%A4%AE%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A3%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%A1%E0%A5%81%E0%A4%95%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AF_%E0%A4%89%E0%A4%AA%E0%A4%A8%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%B7%E0%A4%A6%E0%A5%8D">Mandukya Upanishad</a> - wikisource link<br />[4] <a href="http://www.hinduwebsite.com/mandukya.asp">Mandukya Upanishad</a> - Hindu Website link<br />[5] <a href="http://www.bharatadesam.com/spiritual/upanishads/mandukya_upanishad.php">Mandukya Upanishad</a> - with Gaupada Karika<br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Admin's note:</span> We will now take a departure from the Upanishads and the reader is directed to follow the rest of the Upanishads from the website of the second link in the references or more online reading. Time for more serious stuff.<br /></div>Karmasurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01593320349146292650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4517951733698598027.post-7003461439951880572010-12-28T16:36:00.004-05:002010-12-28T23:20:56.103-05:00Mundaka Upanishad<div style="text-align: justify;">The Mundaka (Sanyasi) Upanishad is one of the most important Upanishads, which is focused on the path of knowledge. The objective of the Upanishad is to make the aspirer of knowledge realize that the Supreme Knowledge is that in which the distinction between the knower, the known and the knowledge disappears.<br /><br />It starts off with a dialogue between Shaunaka and Rishi Angiras with the question: "What is that by knowing which all is known? " Angiras replies that knowledge is two-fold, the Vedas, linguistics, rituals, astronomy and all the arts are the lower knowledge, while realizing the Self is the higher knowledge. In the rest of the Upanishad, Angiras deals with describing what the Self is and how to get to realize it. In a display of the free thought of that age, he even decries the rituals and people performing them - calling them deluded and ignorant of the higher knowledge.<br /><br />According to Rishi Angiras, to achieve the Self people must do meditation, be pure in their heart and conquer their senses. A person who desires to achieve it needs to seek a teacher who has realized the Self, and once he fills his heart in love and conquers his senses and passions, the teacher will reveal it to him.<br /><br />But the most important part from this Upanishad is for Indians and the motto "Satyameva Jayate, Na Anritam" meaning that "Truth always wins, not the untruth", something that is quoted ad nauseum in Indian governmental institutions. This motto has been usually stripped of the rest of the part surrounding it, and hence loses its importance to the general public. People are often seen deriding it, and most say that absolute truth cannot win, you will need to lie in some instances to win. Actually, this statement appears in a section of the Upanishad, saying that the Self is the truth, the Ego is falseness, and one should strive to achieve the Self, since relying on the Ego alone one will be defeated. The practice of truth, penance, brahmacharya and the acquirement of correct knowledge are preparations required to achieve this goal. Nested in this context, the motto acquires a new power in which one might have never seen it before. It also aligns itself with the generic Upanishadic objective of assisting the person to realize the Self. I am quoting below that part of the Upanishad in which the phrase appears. The bolded statement below is the motto in question.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><blockquote>Part III [1]<br /><br />1) Like two golden birds perched on the same tree,<br />Intimate friends, the ego and the Self<br />Dwell in the same body. The former eats<br />The sweet and sour fruits of the tree of life<br />While the latter looks on in detachment.<br /><br />2) As long as we think we are the ego,<br />We feel attached and fall into sorrow,<br />But realize that you are the Self, the Lord<br />Of life, and you will be freed from sorrow.<br /><br />3) When you realize that you are the Self,<br />Supreme source of light, supreme source of love,<br />You transcend the duality of life<br />And enter into the unitive state.,<br /><br />4) The Lord of Love shines in the hearts of all.<br />Seeing him in all creatures, the wise<br />Forget themselves in the service of all.<br />The Lord is their joy, the Lord is their rest'<br />Such as they are the lovers of the Lord.<br /><br />5) By truth, meditation and self control<br />One can enter into this state of joy<br />And see the Self shining in a pure heart.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">6) Truth is victorious, never untruth,</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Truth is the way; truth is the goal of life,</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Reached by sages who are free from self-will.</span><br /><br />7) The effulgent Self, who is beyond thought,<br />Shines in the greatest, shines in the smallest,<br />Shines in the farthest, shines in the nearest,<br />Shines in the secret chamber of the heart.<br /><br />8) Beyond the reach of the senses is he,<br />But not beyond the reach of a mind stilled<br />Through the practice of deep meditation.<br /><br />9) Beyond the reach of words and words is he,<br />But not beyond the reach of a pure heart<br />Freed from the sway of the senses.<br /><br />10) Sages are granted all the help they need<br />In everything they do to serve the Lord.<br />Let all those who seek their own fulfillment<br />Love and honor the illumined sage.</blockquote><span style="font-weight: bold;">References:</span><br /><br />1) <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Upanishads-Classic-Indian-Spirituality/dp/1586380214/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1293596336&sr=8-1">The Upanishads</a> - Eaknath Easwaran<br />2) <a href="http://www.sankaracharya.org/library/mundaka.pdf">The Mundaka Upanishad</a> - Swami Krishnanand<br /></div>Karmasurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01593320349146292650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4517951733698598027.post-70653864444006051002010-12-25T02:12:00.004-05:002010-12-28T16:35:57.580-05:00Chandogya Upanishad<div style="text-align: justify;">The ancient Rishis suggested that the universe is founded on two principles. One is rita, law, order or regularity. Without it, no scientific or moral discovery would be possible, and it would also not be possible to learn from our experiences.<br /><br />The other is sacrifice or yajna. The Rishis thought that the universe runs on renunciation, and that the most significant human action is the sacrifice of personal gain for the sake of something higher and holier.<br /><br />And if rita is the moral law, yajna is the human response to live according to that law, taking nothing from life for the self, but always seeking to give up the self for life and use things so much as if only borrowing from life. This awareness leads to great peace. Describing this self and the way to reach it forms a major part of the Chandogya (meaning "the uprising of the sacred song") Upanishad. The major stories that one should read from this Upanishad are:<br /><br />1) The story of Satyakama: who is a child born out of wedlock but is not ashamed of revealing that. Satyakama is given 400 cows to take care of by Rishi Haridrumata Gautama and swears to not return until they are 1000. Once they reach a 1000, Satyakama goes back to his Rishi and on his way back is taught the four feet of the Brahman by animals, birds and fire.<br /><br />2)The story of Shvetaketu: who is Uddalaka's son, and is sent out to a teacher for schooling. At the end of the schooling, while Shvetaketu was well versed in the Vedas, but was found to be lacking in the knowledge of the Self. His father finishes this part of Shvetaketu's schooling.<br /><br />3) Narada's education: Narada approaches the rishi Sanatkumara and tells him that inspite of knowing the four Vedas - Rig, Yajur, Sama, Atharva and the epics, grammar, rituals, mathematics, astronomy, logic, economics, physics, psychology, the fine arts and snake charming, he was still not satisfied as he could not understand the Self and was thus in sorrow. Narada says that as per several spiritual teachers, to overcome sorrow, one needs to understand the Self and requests the rishi to teach him about it. The latter then proceeds to fulfill Narada's wish.<br /><br />4) The City of Brahman: This story has a very vivid imagery of the city of Brahman, within which there is a lotus of the heart and inside of which there is a space, wherein there lies the fulfillment of desires. The writer directs us to long for and realize this space, which is said to contain the infinite space beyond us. This city of Brahman is impregnable, by old age and is ever fresh, since with old age it is only the body that dies and not the Self. One who finds this city and thus the Self is free of all physical and mental ailments. But only a person who is pure and self controlled can reach the city, and in it, they live a life of perfect freedom.<br /><br />Other gems in the Upanishad include the Prajapati teaching Indra and Virochana, and the Wisdom of Shandilya. I will quote the first part of the Upanishad that explains the significance of the word OM.<br /><br />~<br /><br /><blockquote><span style="font-weight: bold;">Chapter 1: The Word.</span><br /><br />1) Let us meditate on OM the imperishable, the beginning of prayer.<br /><br />2) For as the earth comes from the waters, plants from earth, and man from plants, so man is speech, and speech is OM. Of all speech the essence is the Rig Veda; but Sama is the essence of Rig, and of Sama the essence is OM, the Udgitha.<br /><br />3) This is the essence of essences, the highest, the eighth rung, the venerated above all that human beings hold holy. OM is the Self of all.<br /><br />4) What is rig, what is sama, at the heart of prayer?<br /><br />5) As rig is speech, so sama is song, and the imperishable OM is the Udgitha. Speech and breath, Sama and Rig, are couples,<br /><br />6) and in the imperishable OM they come together to fulfill each other's desire.<br /><br />7) For those who, knowing this, meditate on the imperishable OM, all desires are fulfilled.<br /><br />8) With the word OM we say, "I agree," and fulfill desires.<br /><br />9) With OM we recite, we give direction, we sing aloud the honor of that Word, the key to the three kinds of knowledge.<br /><br />10) Side by side, those who know the Self and those who know it not do the same thing; but it is not the same: the act done with knowledge, with inner awareness and faith, grows in power. That, in a word, tells the significance of OM, the indivisible.</blockquote><br /></div>Karmasurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01593320349146292650noreply@blogger.com0