A little bit of Machiavelli for the Hindu mind.

Serving the country at any cost is a vital Hindu thought, and several Hindu sages have spoken of it in different eras. But most of us assume it is about fighting on the day of war, serving the poor and so on. Indeed it is all that, but it is also about pre-planning for existential threats, for which few have any regard for. It is impossible to make a majority of people think in this fashion, because many people would look at the current strength of the Indian state and think that it has bright prospects and will keep going from one strength to another. What we need for the country to effect it into policy, is a critical mass of people having strategic consciousness and the ability to look ahead of their immediate needs. The pre-planning for national security involves among other things, peering into a competitor's mind and read his literature plus understand the foundations of his thought. Here's a post for the security conscious minority, a minority that will always be treated as social outcasts of a particular kind if they dare open their mouth among the majority, by laws that have little empirical basis.

Following is an excerpt from Machiavelli's "The Prince" which is considered one of his best pieces and is widely used in many places to determine foreign policy. It might very well be useful to determine our foreign policy too. I advise reading all of his classics. Most of them are almost free.

(Warning: If you're thinking that the Indian Subcontinent consists of only the Indian State, you can leave the post now. If you're thinking it is still a bunch of states that deserve to be united in favor of the most powerful state, you are my kind.)

From Ch. 3 Mixed Principalities:

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Moreover, a prince who occupies a province which, as previously described, differs from his own, must become the leader and defender of the less powerful neighboring states and seek to weaken the more powerful among them. He must also be on guard lest by any chance a foreigner equal to him in power should enter them. Such an event always comes about through the help of discontented inhabitants who willingly admit a foreign power either through excessive ambition or through fear, as was the case with the Etolians, who admitted the Romans into Greece. So, it was also with every province that the Romans entered, they were brought in by the inhabitants themselves. It is in the nature of things that as soon as a powerful foreigner enters a province, all the weaker powers in it will become his allies through envy of those who have been ruling over them. This is so true that, with respect to minor powers, the invader need do nothing at all to win them, for they will all willingly merge in the state which he has acquired. He has but to see to it that they do not gain too much strength and authority. With his own forces and their support, he can very early reduce the stronger powers and then become arbiter of the entire province. Any ruler who does not succeed in doing this will soon loose what he has won, or so long as he does manage to hold it, will have a host of difficulties and annoyances. The Romans very carefully observed this policy in the provinces they conquered. They sent out colonies; they protected the lesser powers without increasing their strength; they reduced those who were strong, and they did not permit powerful foreigners to gain a footing. Their conduct in Greece will suffice as an example: there the Romans protected the Achaeans and the Etolians, reduced the kingdom of the Macedonians, and expelled Antiochus. Nor did they ever reward the Achaeans and the Etolians by allowing them to enlarge their states, or allow Philip to persuade them to become his friends until they had weakened him. Nor did the power of Antiochus ever induce them to permit his keeping any part of Greece. In this instance the Romans did everything that wise princes should do who must have regard not only for existing disorders but for future ones as well, avoiding them with all possible diligence.

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If you've been following current trends in India's geopolitics, then as far as the Indian subcontinent is concerned, all the above actors are in place. What was the traditional reach of the Indian subcontinent, comprising of states - Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and as some say, even Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and some parts of modern day Iran, are all still splintered as was the case at the end of the Maurya Dynasty. Elsewhere in "The Prince", Machiavelli makes a point that a splintered people will be easy to conquer. A new wave of imperialism awaits us as the pressure applied on the rump state of India increases from all these sides and as the balance of military power shifts steadily from the Indian state onto the regions in its vicinities. We have missed out on the maneuvering phase of the enemy. Luckily, we have a democracy, and what an individual can do is to get informed, get others informed, vote for and give feedback to parties and people that are most security conscious. If there is any absence of such people, you have the opportunity to join the system and bring the change you wish. At the bare minimum, we can wish to enhance the military power of the Indian state, and keep the balance of military in our favor. Uniting with the lost states will happen if they happen to discover their roots at a later time, or the rising un-affordability of raising a modern military makes them fall within our ambit as autonomous states.

Introduction to the Ishavasya Upanishad

The following is a brief description of the Ishavasya Upanishad by Swami Suvijananda. The first clip below is a description of the opening stanza of the Upanishad as below, which is on the lines of Lavoisier's law of conservation of mass.

~

ॐ पुर्नामादाहा पुर्नामिदम पूर्णत पुर्नामुदाच्याते ।
पूर्णस्य पुर्नामदय पुर्नामेवावाशिश्यते ।

ॐ शांतिः शांतिः शांतिः ।।


This is complete, and what comes out of this is complete.
Though this has come out, and though this is complete, that is also complete.

When completeness is removed from completeness, what remains is completeness.
When completeness is added to completeness, what comes out is also completeness.

He goes on to describe this by the creation of a pot of clay from clay. Note his breakdown of the word Upanishad and his explanation of how Upanishad is about illumination and not instruction.

In the second part, he says that the Upanishads directs us to be heard and listened to, and not to be read and studied. According to him, "listening has to be done with the ear and the mind plastered behind the ear." Total silence is recommended to listen something. Another interesting point that he notes is that all the shastras are in the form of a dialogue and not a monologue, started with the student asking the teacher a question and the teacher answering him, which is exactly opposite to the examination system prevalent today. Also note his division of humanity into categories depending upon a person's inclination towards learning, and defining who can be a student to the Upanishad.

Conclude the video series by viewing this clip as well.

For more on the Ishavasya upanishad, refer here: click

Meaning of History & Itihaasa

History has always been a second love after engineering for me. While I have briefly discussed different events in Hindu history on this blog, I haven't given a post on the philosophy of history till date. This post is meant to give a Hindu perspective of this philosophy, as has been elucidated in appendix D of "The Pernicious Effects of the Misinterpreted Greek Synchronism in Ancient Indian History" by Kosla Vepa which was a work presented in the "International Conference of Indian History", 2009. (Post is an abridged version of appendix D of the hyperlinked work & modified to suit our purpose)

"Historians & philosophers have been contemplating the meaning of history since the beginning of history. A simple definition of history is "remembering the past" or knowledge of what has happened from the start until the present. It is also the knowledge of the past since record keeping was initiated. The purpose of studying history in school text books is to teach the student understanding of what has taken place so that we may build upon and understand how a nation functions and how it came to be. We also study the history of other nations and how their history interacts with ours. A greater awareness of history results in a more enlightened and educated citizenry. Knowledge of our past helps us understand the present and prepare for the future. Knowing the history of the world helps the individual respect and appreciate one's form of government and society as well as become better informed about differences in civilizational ethos of other peoples of the world. (this also helps to better appreciate the evolution of diversity among us, and give an opportunity to make peace with people from different spheres of thought, culture and race)

The original meaning of Itihaasa had a more precise sense than the word history. The etymology attested to be Panini indicates itiha to mean "thus indeed, in this tradition". One of the earliest references to Itihasa is in Chanakya's Arthashastra. Investigations lead us to believe that the Maurya Empire for which he was the perceptor began in 1534 B.C. (please avoid chaos on this issue.) He defines Itihaasa, in the context of syllabus prescribed for training of a prince with the following words:

"Puraana (the chronicles of the ancients), itivrtta (history), akhyayika (tales), udahaarana (illustrative stories), dharmashastra (the canon of righteous conduct), and arthashastra (the science of government) (- and economics) are known as itihaasa (history)."
Kautilya's Arthashastra -- (Book 1, Ch. 5).

History (Itihaasa) in this definition takes on the meaning more akin to the sense of historiography and is perhaps more eclectic & appears to indicate a super set of political science and history as we use them today.

In the Mahabharata, which is itself considered itihaasa, Adi Parva 1.267-268 mentions that a knowledge of the Itihaasa and Purana is essential for the proper understanding of the veda. By the time the Brahmana and the Upanishada were written, & certainly by the time the Itihaasa and the Purana were written, there was such a well defined sense of history, that the Mahabharata cautions us that the Veda are afraid of those who would read it without a prior acquaintance of the Itihaasa and Purana.

Kalhana in the Rajatarngini states that: "History will be the narration of events as they happened, in the form of a story, which will be an advice to the reader to be followed in life, to gain the purushaarthas namely kama, the satiation of desires through artha, the tool, by following the path of dharma, the human code of conduct to gain moksha or liberation.""

When Hanuman is Dead

What should one think of a society that cannot stand & fight & win for the values that it holds dear to itself? What should one think of a society where values keep shifting from one goalpost to another, from a bad position to a progressively worse position over time (over the scale of a year if not a month, that of a decade if not a year, that of a century if not of decades, that of a millennium if not of a century), where the tendency is to accomodate the evils that have accumulated in the society rather than stepping forth and destroying them?

I believe that Hanuman has died in that society. Read the following story, (courtesy a note to which I was tagged on FB) to understand why.

"At one point in the Ramayana, Indrajit (Ravana's eldest son) launched a massive attack against a section of Rama's army, causing massive slaughter. When Jambhavan (the commander) arrived at the scene to survey the damage, the first thing he said was, "Is Hanuman alive?"

Hanuman subsequently arrived at the scene and Jambhavan was glad to see him alive and safe. Another soldier asked Jambhavan, "Why did you ask only about Hanuman, is he the only one you care about?" Jambhavan replied, "No, but if Hanuman is alive and everybody else dies, we are still going to win the battle eventually, whereas if everybody else is alive but Hanuman is dead, then we are all doomed."

There is a meaning to this story that transcends its original context and applies to every challenge of life. Hanuman symbolises devotion, sacrifice and determination. These qualities are absolutely necessary to accomplish any difficult and strenuous task. If we are weak in every other way, devotion, sacrifice and determination can still carry us to success in seemingly impossible tasks. Whereas if we possess every other skill and talent, it is not good enough if we are lacking in the qualities that Hanuman symbolises. If we are lacking in every other way, we'll be OK with Hanuman alone, but if Hanuman is missing then we're in trouble.

This is true on many different levels of activity. From a military perspective it has been shown that a weaker force with single-pointed devotion and thirst for sacrifice towards their cause is more effective than a larger, better equipped force that lacks the dedication and devotion. On an inner spiritual level, the qualities of Hanuman are essential for the spiritual seeker to be able to make a true realisation of the Divine. Even a simple man with dedication, devotion and determination can attain God, whereas a highly educated person with strong intellect and many other qualities would still fail without the qualities of Hanuman."

These three qualities might just correct the problems in such a society. Devotion, sacrifice and determination, towards the highest possible goal in the society, towards making everyone in the society content, avoid situations of resource denial to the people, towards making people pursue the collective good of themselves and their neighbours and the society should solve most of the problems of such a society. Re-invigorating the Hanuman spirit in the society, that of devotion, sacrifice and determination can still change a lot of things, even if bigger objectives in the society are not currently attainable. The rest might just follow after this.

Digvijay Divas Anniversary

On the 11th of September, 1893, Swami Vivekananda arose at the World's Parliament of Religions in Chicago, where he arose from near obscurity to hold an audience captive by his mesmerising speech. This day is popularly known as Digvijay Divas, meaning the day (divas) Swami Vivekananda victorious over the world (digvijay).

The transcript of the speech is available here: (click) The website has a list of other speeches by Swami Vivekananda and can be a good place to visit for people who are interested in his works.

Raj Dharma - 3

Recap: Part 1 and Part 2

In the third part of the series, we will see the qualities of a ruler according to the Arthashastra by Kautilya. My attempt here is to paraphrase material from the rendition of Arthashastra by L.N. Rangarajan, and try to produce a generalized attempt at understanding the conditioning of a king, his self control and his duties as explained in the Arthashastra which are essential parts to understand for people of a democracy, so that they can choose the right kind of leader for themselves. Those aspiring to participate in politics should also have a brush with these topics, since these qualities are to be expected of them as well:

Note: I am only skimming these ideas in brief. For a complete study, I urge you to buy the book I'm reading (click), or another translation of the Arthashastra.

Training a king: (In modern parlance, a PM?)

Importance of self discipline:

The three sciences [philosophy, the three Vedas {four now} and economics] are dependent on the science of government. Without the rule of law, pursuit of learning or vocation would not be possible. The rule of law can guarantee security and welfare of the people, and this rule of law is dependent on the self discipline of the leader. {1.5-2}

This self discipline is of two kinds - 1) Inborn and 2) Acquired. There needs to be a certain capacity of a person to benefit from training in discipline. This includes - obedience to a teacher, desire and ability to learn, capacity to retain, understanding, reflecting and ability to make inferences on what is learnt. A king should be able to acquire discipline and follow it in life.

Self Control:

This part mostly pertains to controlling the senses, not falling prey to lust, anger, greed, conceit, arrogance and foolhardiness. The leaders of a nation should avoid over-indulgence in the pleasure of the senses i.e, hearing, touch, sight, taste and smell.

Duties of a king:

The King is advised by Kautilya to be a Rajarishi {who is wise like a sage}. The features of such a king include:

- Having self control, conquering the temptations of the senses.
- Cultivates intellect by association with elders (in modern parlance, experts from various fields).
- Keeps a vast spy network.
- Is ever active in promoting security and welfare of the people,
- Ensures observance of dharma by people by authority and example.
- Endears himself to people by enriching them and doing good to them.
- Avoid daydreaming, acting by whims, falsehood and extravagance.
- Respect councillors and purohitas who warn him of bad behavior, make him follow his schedule and caution him when he errs.

Kautilya also advises the king to be energetic. If he is so, the subjects will be equally energetic. If he is slack, the subjects will be too and be a load on the economy. A lazy king as per Kautilya, is of ten a victim of his enemies.

Disaffection among subjects:
Besides, the king also has to control disaffection among his subjects, and must not act in a manner which would cause impoverishment, greed or disaffection among the people. If such a thing were to occur, he should take remedial measures {7.5.28}

The Arthashastra also warns the king against possible behavior which causes impoverishment, greed and disaffection among the subjects. This it says to happen when:

- The king ignores the good and favors the wicked.
- Causes harm by new unrighteous practices.
- Neglects the observation of proper and righteous practices.
- Supresses dharma and propagates adharma.
- Indulges in wasteful expenditure and destroys profitable undertakings.
- Antagonizes the knowledgeable by lying and mischief.

From {7.5.19-26} Such would cause resentment of the people against the King, cause rebellion and an opportunity of mischief in the country for the enemy. (Sounds similar, doesn't it?)

In addition to this, I would also like you to go over the earlier two parts of this series to have a complete review on the topic of Raj Dharma (Part 1 and Part 2) as covered until now. Let this also be a lesson for this Independence day. The pathetic and lax attitude of India's democratic rulers are one reason for our current condition. The other reason is public being unaware of the properties they need to look for in a leader, often getting swayed by petty issues like caste, free food, free electricity, narrow regionalist outlook, quota, etc. From a morally corrupt citizenry, only a morally corrupt leadership can emerge. May the above be a template for us to choose our leaders wisely, and to participate in the democracy with additional fervor than what we regularly show. The solution to a failing democracy as ours is not no democracy, as so many deluded people believe today, but is more democracy. The power is yours people, to be the change you wish to see in the society.

P.S: Some of these ideas have found a better, more fluid and contemporary expression in this article: click. Give them a tribute as well.

|| जय हिंद ||

Are Samkhya Yoga and Karma Yoga inter-dependent?

Lord Krishna in chapter 5 of the Bhagavada Gita explains the importance of devotional work over renunciation of work in shloka 2 as follows:

२

श्री-भगवान उवाचा
संन्यासः करमा-योगस का
निह्स्रेयासा-करव उभौ
तयोस तू करमा-संन्यसत
करमा-योगो विसिस्यते ।

"The Personality of Godhead replied: The renunciation of work and work in devotion are both good for liberation. But, of the two, work in devotional service is better than renunciation of work."

And then comes the piece which is our topic for today in the 4th shloka of the chapter.

४
संख्या-योगौ प्रिथाग ब्लाह
प्रवदन्ति न पण्डितः
एकं अप्य अस्थितः संयाग
उभयोर विन्दते फलं।

"Only the ignorant speak of devotional service [karma-yoga] as being different from the analytical study of the material world [Sankhya]. Those who are actually learned say that he who applies himself well to one of these paths achieves the results of both."

So, this gives the impression that Sankhya yoga and Karma yoga are tied to each other. But is it? What if somebody decides to do only an analytical study of the world, with material lusts as a guiding factor? The results of that would be utterly different from a person who dedicates himself to a devotional service to the Lord. We can see that from the difference in outcome of a person who is dedicated to the material sciences, who is duly rewarded for his work in money and in fame and all through does not develop any devotion towards anything, while a person who is dedicated to devotional service might live a life of penury without acquiring any analytical knowledge of the material world. Then how can it be said, that an analytical study of the material world -- Sankhya Yoga can lead to realization of results of devotional service -- Karma Yoga, and Karma Yoga can lead to the results of Sankya Yoga?

Or is this an indication of how corrupted our society has become, that we give importance only to the material world and not the physical or spiritual. Perhaps a union of the results of the two was possible in earlier times and not now? Is thus the Gita an indicator of a pristine, pure age? If that is the case, we ought to correct our approach to life to restore the old ways, or if it has always been like this for ages, we can continue along our current path of rewarding endeavours in the material world over those in the spiritual world.

Need citations/links from followers and readers on this topic.

The Dandniti

Quite often, politics involves conflicts of some kind. Some of them are among the King's own royal family/ PM's own party and some of them are between other enemies, sometimes of another party or sometimes of another country. Effective politics for a political power involves resolving these conflicts in its favor. Successful resolution of conflicts such that the issue never crops up again can ensure a long and unbroken stint of power for a politican / king.

One such doctrine of settling conflicts among political powers has captured the Indian mind since a long time. It is the four pronged approach of 'sama', 'dana' , 'bheda' and 'danda' (meaning conciliation, bribing, division and destruction) towards the enemy.

With today's India being pinned down on all its borders by indifferent or inimical interests, and Hindu Dharma being pinned down inside India by its sworn enemies, understanding the Dandniti becomes a prerequisite of Indians and Hindus and more so for those attempting to or desiring to join politics or do some social service. The four methods can be used singly, or in combination. Thus, there are fifteen combinations of tactics for dealing with conflicts by either choosing one, two, three or all four of these methods for dealing with conflicts. {9.7.77-78} The order of employing these methods could be an easier one first or a harder one first. Besides, it is easier to employ the earlier method in the order. For instance, 'dana' is two times more difficult than 'sama', 'bheda' is three times harder than 'sama' and 'danda' is four times more difficult than 'sama'.

The following is the Dandniti as explained by Chanakya in the Arthashastra and as translated by LN Rangarajan in edition from Penguin Classics (with some changes).

"Sama" - Conciliation:
'Sama' can be deployed in four ways

1. Praising the merits: This can be done by flattering a person on the basis of his pedigree, personal qualities, occupation, good nature, learning or wealth.
2. Linkage: Emphasizing relationship with the inimical entity such as a blood relation, relation by marriage, being students of the same teacher and other such commonalities.
3. Mutual benefits: Explaining how solving the conflict can benefit the two parties. {2.10.48-53}
   
4. Awards and honours: To award an internal enemy and give him honours to tame his warring tendency. {9.5.10}
   

"Dana" - Placating with gifts:
'Dana' can be employed by rewarding the enemy with money, granting favors, exempting from taxes and giving employment. {2.10.54, 9.5.11} In essence, bribing him to join the flock again. The gifts can be of five kinds: giving up demand on what is owed, return something received, donate something, allowing to keep something from the enemy. {9.6.24}

"Bheda" - Sowing dissension:
This is done by creating mutual suspicion between members of the enemy camp or by threatening one of them. {2.10.55} Techniques for this involve the use of secret agents to sow rumors of some kind.

"Danda" - Use of Force:
Basically, involves the destruction of the enemy, his property or liberty (plunder, harassment and death) {2.10.56}

Chanakya also provides some examples of usage of these tactics:
In case the target is a relative, the appropriate method is conciliation and placating with gifts. For citizens of a city, village or army, either placating with gifts or sowing dissension should be the option. In case of the tribal people or enemies, the method is dissension or use of force. This order is anuloma [natural and recommended]. If the order of methods are reversed, e.g. : 'danda' before 'bheda' ; 'dana' before 'sama', it is called pratiloma. {9.7.68,69}

In case of allies and enemies, a combination of methods ensures success because the different methods mutually reinforce each other {9.7.70.71}

Some methods are ideal in some cases and does not require the usage of others. Enemy ministers whose loyalty is uncertain can be grouped by conciliation, traitorous ministers can be pacified by gifts, a confederacy of an enemy can be disrupted by dissension and against a powerful enemy it can be outright war. {9.7.72}

With the idea of India gaining enemies immediately after its birth, Hindu Dharma's enemies being around for a long time, and the case getting progressively worse over the years, every Indian ought to master all the above four methods. That can increase the possibility of getting people in the political sphere who can deploy these tactics against India's and Hindu Dharma's enemies. Besides this, for us this post will also act as an appendix for future works