18 August, 2013

Languaeability -

Abilities of a language to express thoughtful emotions vary primarily due to cultural and philosophical roots. Over the centuries, many precious thoughts originating in one geographic location have been translated, mistranslated or taken out of context. In the process humanity gets robbed of its precious heritage.

Original thoughts take on different meaning by translating them from one language to another. I have tried Google’s “Translate” tool to translate the following thoughts from English to Hindi and saw the absurdity of the translated material in Hindi. Our friend Raghavendra Garde who worked for the Indian Force in the capacity of a translator of Russian into English and vise versa cautioned that even a person well versed in English and Hindi may not he able to effectively communicate the spirit of simple philosophical thoughts from one language to another. That may be why philosophically self-enriching words such as God, Devil, Spirituality, Heaven and Hell get misinterpreted and screwed up by self-proclaiming religious experts who have no direct experience with the spirit of these words. As a result  humanity around the world finds itself on road to nowhere even in the 21st Century. An honest effort to translate the following thoughts in our own mother tongue and cultural identity may help us better understand ourselves.

1. Me and my ego, neither the twain should meet.

2. I do not exchange gifts with my true and invisible friend that I have learnt to address as God since childhood.

3. An old Arabic saying “If Wishes were horses, Beggars would ride”. I do not wish a Horse lest my wishlist become endless and make me miserable; and most importantly Allah, I may forget you..

4.. I pray only to the God within me that is always available to guide me even without me asking for guidance.

5. I am not eager to travel to the far away Heaven because I am assured that all heavenly pleasures will come to me when I am ready.

6. I like the people that do not like me, because only they effectively teach me what I should not do. That keeps my “To Do” list shorter.

7. I do not hate anyone simply because it is a tremendous waste of my life energy for which I have far better uses. I abhor waste and consider it to be a sinful act.

8. I do not wish to be a beast of burden to prevent others  from dumping their burden on me. But offering help to the needy is my self-enriching  motto.

9. I like to dig and dip both of my hands in a heap of municipal trash to learn how we humans disrespectfully discard natural resources.

10. I do not wish to conquer Mt. Everest because I will reach the peak effortlessly when the right time comes. Do not misunderstand me, I am not lazy.

11. I would like to learn more about my own Self so that I do not imitate others like a Chimp.

12. People of ach different nationality and cultural heritage have their respective identity and yet becoming Human, respectful of each other and the entire environment seems to be everyone's innate Identity

SYMBOLISM

1 July, 2013

Symbolism -

Symbols abound to represent some idea absolving the need for excessive description. Symbols are used by the roadside to provide direction to a pedestrian or a driver. Ancient to modern symbols are constantly being downloaded into human minds through verbal and electronic mass media. Any symbolism is meaningless or useless unless it becomes a part of individual’s life experience.

During the first eight years of my life (1932 to 1940), I grew up in Jagdalpur, Bastar State,  India. Our one story bungalow sat cutely in the middle of a spacious fenced yard. This bungalow was assigned to our father in the capacity of Principal of Grigson High School. The entire school facility including school buildings, staff quarters, student hostel and playgrounds spread over several acre \ land which was fenced off to prevent any through traffic. Within our house yard, there was a large Banyan tree and just outside our fence there was another much larger Banyan tree aged around 200-years. Both of the Banyan trees provided ample shade for us kids to play. The kids included me, my younger brother, Surendra, and a few others who often played for hours together. The long shoots of Banyan stemming out of the Banyan's large branches and heading towards the ground provided playful opportunities for us to act out as Tarzan and chimps.  As a child, I was always curious about how a tiny seed even smaller than a mustard seed would sprout in the ground and grow up into such a huge tree without even being tended by a gardner. Those happy and innocent memories are etched in my consciousness. The live image of Banyan stands as a symbol in my consciousness. It is for this very reason the picture of a Banyan was picked to appear on the cover page of my book titled “Seamless Generations” released in March 2013.

As I grew up into adolescence during the age of 10-22,  I had lived along with my four siblings in our maternal grandparents house in Dhantoli, Nagpur to pursue studies in highschool and the university. During the academic holiday seasons, we travelled to Jagdalpur to stay with our parents and revisit the Banyan trees.

Our grandfather’s spacious bungalow had a cemented water pond at the front end. The pond served the purpose of watering the garden at the front end of the house. The pond with clover shaped projections on four sides was about 4-ft high and had an overall circumference of a 6-feet diameter circle. The top surfaces were lined with 12-inch wide stone tiles, which enabled us to sit on top ledge or rest our hands comfortably while standing near the pond.  At the center of the pond was a water sprinkler enhancing its beauty.

In the pond, there were always small colorful varieties of fish. A Lotus flower creeper floating in the pond seemed to look after the welfare of the fish offering shade under its broad leaves that floated on top of water. Other creepers besides the Lotus seemed to establish residence in the pond contributing to a healthy ecology balance within the pond. Various other green organisms flourished harmoniously in the small pond. As a kid, I would sit on top ledge of the pond and just look at the little universe that existed within the pond. Different varieties of fish seemed to enjoy their lives without fighting with the other species. I would often immerse my palm coated with moistened wheat flour which attracted many fish to lick the flour off my fingers. In sunlight, the skin of fish displayed brilliant fluorescent colors. Especially on weekends after lunch , we siblings would cluster around the little pond to watch the wondrous world of the  little fish in the pond with Lotus flowers and their broad leaves topping the scene. This set of innocent and happy experiences with the pond, the Lotus flowers and the colorful fish etched another set of symbols in my heart.

At the age of 30-31, I visited Sagar in MP, India for the first time along with my parents. My father had attended high school in Sagar, which was quite close to his hometown Raheli. One evening, we walked over to a nearby landlocked Pond, which was the size of two soccer fields. At the very first sight it reminded me of the small pond in our Nagpur residence because this large pond also had lots of large size Lotus flowers stemming out of its calm water.

After stepping in a 10-ft long canoe we signalled the boatman to take us slowly across the pond. He rowed the canoe slowly meandering around the thick Lotus creeper. Just a couple of feet under the water we could see as well as feel a thick network of Lotus roots intermingled with the roots of other creepers. It was a frightening idea to drown in such waters and thick silt. Afterall this was a landlocked pond which collected water only from the rain water and nothing ever flowed out of the pond. As a result, the pond had developed its own ecological system and the locals did not seem to disturb it. I shuddered at the very idea of mosquitoes breeding in the still waters of the pond. Except for the natural beauty of the Lotus flowers growing in the midst of thick silted water and our enjoyable canoe ride, the landlocked pond by itself has become a symbol of closed-in minds amongst humanity.

Our oldest son Deepak had graduated and started his first job with Kemper Insurance Company in Buffalo Grove, Illinois during 1990-91.. I had driven Deepak a few times to the beautiful Kemper Company campus. On the Kemper campus grounds, I had often seen a flock of graceful white Swans around a pond stretching across half a mile in the midst of well maintained green lawn and flower beds.  A family of snow-white Swans often seemed to be standing along the edge of the pond for soaking up the sun, while some were gracefully floating in the Pond. Once in awhile, I would see a Swan step out of the water with absolutely clean and dry feet. I was told that the Swan’s skin around his feet readily shed away any silt or water. As I internalized this experience, the elegant Swan has become another  precious symbol within my consciousness.

Over the years, the land-locked pond with heavy silt deposits has become symbolic of humans with closed minds. The beautiful Lotus flower in various stages of budding and blossoming in the midst of thick silt symbolizes  those amongst us who blossom into pleasant humans beings with universal wisdom in spite of the stagnant surroundings. The graceful Swan that steps out of the silt and water with absolutely dry feathers and clean feet symbolizes a human that stays unaffected by the adverse surrounding elements and goes on to experience universal wisdom and consciousness.

Mother Nature offers us absolute freedom to choose meaningful symbols from our life experiences, The picture of a landlocked water Pond, Lotus flower, Swan and Banyan tree painted on a single canvas are my meaningful symbols for seeking universal consciousness.

Every human gets to personally pick preferred symbols for experiencing life. A symbol or a word becomes meaningful only after it is in our experience.

29 June, 2913

Laws Written by Humans -

My friend Jim Ledbetter forwarded the story about a relatively recent ratification of an amendment on the “Abolition of Slavery “ which had remained unacted upon on the Law books of the State of Mississippi in United States. The inadvertent omission was pointed out to the Mississippi legislature by a relatively recent immigrant. The story touched a sensitive chord of my fiddle since I have started my life in the USA from Mississippi; as a consequence, Mississippi has emotionally become my home state in USA.  

Arriving from India in January 1958,  I joined the University of Mississippi (founded in 1848) fondly called Ole' Miss by its alumni. Gradually I got familiar with my fellow Mississippians on and off the campus. After living on the campus for a few months, out of sheer curiosity I asked Bill, one of my white American fellow graduate student “ Bill, if you dated a black girl today, how would your friends react to it? “. Bill paused, his eyes blinked and then answered unhesitatingly that the question of dating a black girl does not even arise. Our conversation ended there. I was not surprised at all.

On the very first day when I reached Oxford, the University township, by Greyhound Bus, I had noticed two benches on either side of the lounge Exit door bearing labels with black letters on  white background clearly specifying “ For Blacks Only” and “For Whites Only”. After checking in  my luggage in the storage area offered at the bus depot, I walked straight to the residence of Dr. Frank Anderson, who had informed me earlier that his residence was merely a block away from the Greyhound bus station. It was the evening of 19 January, 1958 and the daylight was just fading away. Dr. Anderson’s teenage daughter opened the front door and for a moment seemed startled at the sight of an unexpected brown man standing at the door. I could sense why. Softly, I asked her “Is this Dr. Anderson’s residence?”. Within moments Dr. Anderson appeared behind her and flashed a broad smile of welcome.

At that time, there was not a single black American student in the entire University with a student population of 5000; this number is my wild guess. No black American was allowed under the unwritten social laws. Yet 18 foreign students with different skin colors were enrolled at Ole’ Miss and interacted comfortably on the campus.  By now I had realized the words of Dr. Frank Anderson who was Chairman of my Chemical Engineering school at Ole’ Miss. On the very second day after  I had arrived at the Ole’ Miss campus, Dr. Anderson gave me a tour of the entire campus in his car. While driving, Dr. Anderson casually commented “You will meet mostly good people on the campus and a few, not so good”. Gradually, I had realized why he had cautioned me on my very second day on the campus. Fortunately, during my entire stay of two years at Ole’ Miss, I had encountered all very friendly and warm Mississippians irrespective of their skin color. During those years at Ole’ Miss, I drank only chocolate milk because I loved its taste. In fact, a white waitress at our favorite restaurant in the university town of Oxford always kidded me while taking my order saying...and for your drink, you will have chocolate milk, right!  I chuckled and nodded my head affirmatively.

During those years I could not miss but note that the Blacks attended church services only in churches meant for blacks and whites attended white churches. The only thing common between the two churches was the key board on their piano had black and white keys.  

Two years after I had graduated from Ole’ Miss, a black American student named James Meredith had to win a legal judgement in his favor for admission to Ole’ Miss in 1962. In spite of that, as he tried to attend his classes on the first day of school, his entrance to the campus was blocked by the State Troopers under the orders of the Governor of Mississippi. Meredith's entry into the classes was blocked on grounds of possible social unrest.

Subsequently, to break the standoff and protect the civil rights of a black American student to attend a school of higher learning of his choice,  Federal Troops were ordered by Robert Kennedy, Attorney General of United States. For a few weeks, Federal Troops accompanied Meredith to and from his classes. It was a high profile drama for America as well as human consciousness. The rest of the story is well documented history; just Google it.

I had witnessed the blacks and whites coexist in Mississippi back then and it was no different for me as an Indian having experienced the society and the socially branded untouchables co-exist in India under similar social discords......through a sheer burden of the ugly past and the promiscuous ongoing present. On this count, the attitudes of humanity appeared identical to me on either side of the globe. This general pattern of human attitudes, irrespective of the socio-economic conditions was further confirmed in 1962-63 during my travel through 16-18 countries as an independent observer of humanity. During my travel around the world, I was constantly accompanied by my friend called Curiosity. I was a bachelor roaming around the globe out of sheer curiosity about the world I lived in. This curiosity bug was planted in me by my Geography teacher, Mr. M. R. Bhide, in Hadas High School, Nagpur, India during 1944-48.

Over the past 50+ years, I have observed and experienced several pleasant and positive social changes in America's traditionally segregated Southern States including Mississippi as well as in overall American society nationwide. Those claiming to be righteous and not racist are indeed racist is the irony of life. Through such life experiences, I have learnt the meaning of the word “hypocrisy. Over the same period, I have noticed that social changes on similar counts in India,have been far too slow. The difference between the democracies of  the United States and India that I sense is that  the United States is a progressively maturing Democracy of 220+ years, whereas India is a Democracy of 65+ years which is still operating under Feudalistic social attitudes. In my personal opinion, counting all + and - attributes, United States may rank today as the best social experiment to date.

Although the attitudes of segregation between “Me and You”  or “Us and Them” are cultivated and harvested by humans,  Humanity as a whole seems to be in continuous transition for becoming more human without. However, the transition rate is so slow that it seems almost static during the short lifespan of a human.

As I am writing this composition in June 2013 at the age of 80, I am no more shocked by any
Breaking News of the day that I hear almost daily at 5:30 evening news on TV. It is simply because I seem to be much more aware of the realities of existence and how humanity traditionally reacts to situations and inter relationships.  A snail is well known for its slow speed of movements; so do attitudes of humanity globally.

In the kingdom of Nature, the streams of two rivers originating from entirely different sources meet, merge and mingle effortlessly and then flow as a common stream to meet the ocean of consciousness. Under deep blue clear skies  we come across deep lakes with waters so clear that we can see the bottom. In those waters, we see large schools of fish swimming together in a formation in one direction and then suddenly change course in another direction equally effortlessly; without bumping into other objects. In the sky, we see large flock of migrating birds in an orderly and harmonious formation. The flock of birds also changes its flight direction as needed effortlessly. Sometimes during the migrating flight, the whole flock decides instinctively to land on the ground to drink water and pause for rest. The schools of fish and the flock of birds seem to do it all so effortlessly simply based on their Instincts. Written laws on books do not guide their attitudes. It is the same Instinct that humans seem to have, which often lays dormant. Humans write Rules of Law to guide the dormant Instinct.

Rules of Law don't seem to dramatically alter social attitudes because humanity seems to resist change out of hidden fears of the unknown. Humanity, blessed with a creative brain does not seem to apply it proactively for its own inner growth.  On the other hand, Mother Nature seems to adjust readily to change because of the  nascent texture of its character.

It seems obvious that there are laws written by humans  for guiding social behavior. However, ultimately the unwritten laws of Nature not only guide but also govern humanity. The laws of Nature assure constant change; whereas humanity stubbornly resists it under the weight of sheer habits.

30 June, 2013

Leap of Faith –

Language of humanity repeatedly makes futile efforts to describe “That”  which cannot be explained. God is a concept that cannot be described but can only be experienced. Only that which is in personal experience can be described and believed. The comprehension of God is beyond human mind and physicality of consciousness assert the Self-enlightened Masters through ages. They have consistently prompted that you cannot meditate on something that cannot be meditated upon.

Human is constantly afraid of the unknown and readily succumbs to believing in the unknown. It is a self admission in lack of faith in Self. Fear saps the discriminatory ability to entertain life to its fullest extent of physicality, which reveals a simple secret that the Universe that lies outside of us is identical to the Universe inside us. This simple revelation stemming out of conscious experiential awareness and introspection guides in all endeavors of life while optimizing its potential.

Mantra is a Sanskrit word that simply implies a suggestive prompt to enlighten individual consciousness. A simple root Mantra has the capacity to progressively advance conscious awareness. The spirit of Mantra is independent of any specific religious or philosophical affiliation.

A simple Mantra is outlined below. There is no need to utter any sound or word. Silence and mindful equanimity is its language of communication. Mantra is an inner experience and not a cosmetic form of what is commonly practiced as meditation. This Mantra practiced in three consecutive steps has no name identity. Before self-administering the Mantra, sit comfortably while holding your spine erect. The three steps are steadying your Body, Breath and Mind.

1. Steady your Body. Stop all body movements including any internal muscle twitches. Then just feel and realize that your heartbeat and its regular rhythm is automatic. You are not the controller.

2. Steady your Breath. Watch and feel the breath going in through your nostrils and then coming out in a regular and repetitive rhythm on its own. Realize here also that you are not the controller.

3. Steady your Mind. This is your conscious awareness. Imagin Mind as a comfortable space within yourself. Sweep this space spotlessly clean off its accumulated crap (memories, thoughts, emotions etc). Then do not allow any old thoughts or memories to re-surface and simultaneously do not allow any new thoughts to enter in this space.

The three steps carried out concurrently will put your body in a neutral gear and maximize its potential energy. Hold yourself in this neutral gear for 6-seconds as a beginning exercise and then gradually advancing it to 60-seconds. Experience the increase in your potential energy to handle the task at hand. An advanced Yogi may practice this technique for up to uninterrupted period of 6-hours to achieve what he/she is seeking. This effective technique has been handed over through generations of Yoga Masters for achieving self-enlightenment. It is a self-perpetuating and self-enlightening process for fearlessly pursuing and maximizing life, while maintaining our human machine fully tuned and aligned with Nature.. Mother Nature is an all inclusive force.

The eight stage Yoga system (Ashtanga Yoga Sadhana)  progressively optimizes human capacity to maximize life and also offers the potential to go beyond the realm of physicalities. It is not about seeking Heaven or Hell, which seems to be an oversimplified concept The realm beyond the physicalities and its limitations is solely an inner experience. Science of mind and physicalities does not and cannot tread this realm.This wisdom has percolated through ageless human experience in introspection.

A ray of light may have the capacity to enlighten humanity to the source of all that is. Receiving the Sun’s rays is not a privilege or prerogative of a select few, but available to each human and living species equally without any discrimination. For humans, enlightenment simply means becoming consciously aware of life as-is. Life exists naturally and effortlessly in the dynamics of an ever changing universe; while humanity struggles to find the Truth. Becoming natural may hold the key to the wisdom beyond which there is no need to know or experience anything more..

Truth comes only in one color; Transparent.

Humanity seems to be in continuous transition for becoming more human all inclusively. However, the rate of change is so slow that it feels almost static during the lifetime of one human.

Ultimately, faith is not about what or who you believe in. It is all about who you are in your own reflections. Therefore, meditation seems and feels like an art of fusing with Nature and effortlessly becoming an integral  part of its rhythm. The best expression or medium of that art seems to be Music or any other activity in which you lose your own Self. That is why it seems so critical to pick a lifelong activity that matches your natural rhythm and not surrender that decision making to anyone else.... no matter what.

Leap of faith is not about converting from one religious faith to another. The words religion and faith do not go together when religion is pursued as a dogma; which seems to hijack commonsense. Leap of faith is all about self-transitioning to a newer level of self-enriching universal consciousness.

१३ जून, २०१३   

लेखणीचे मर्यादित सामर्थ्य -

आमच्या लहानपाणी आईनी भारतीय ऋषी परंपरेतल्या शिक्षण पद्धतीची आणि शिस्तीची प्रथा आणि त्यातला आपल्या बौद्धिक पातळीचा विकास करण्याचा उद्देश समजवून दिला. ऋषी परंपरेत वयोमाना प्रमाणे ज्ञ्यान ग्रहण करण्याच्या चार (४) चढत्या पातळ्या होत्या.  

१. श्रवण (Listening).

२. अध्ययन (Learning) .

३. चिंतन (Internalized self-knowledge) .

४. मनन (Revisiting your own thoughts and life experiences, which is not the traditional Meditation ) .

वर दिलेल्या बौद्धिक अथवा ज्ञानपातळ्या प्रथम असाध्य (Not achievable), नंतर सुसाध्य (Not easily possible either} आणि शेवटी कष्टसाध्य (Possible after innumerable deliberations) होतात.

अ, आ, इ, ई , उ,ऊ, ए, ऐ, ओ, औ, अं, अ:  हे केवळ आवाज आहेत ज्यांना सौन्स्कृत लिपीत रूप दिले आहे. ह्याच पद्धतीने एकंदर ५२ वेगवेगळ्या आवाजांना सौन्स्कृत भाषेच्या लीपित सुंदर रूप दिले आहे. पुढे जाउन मानवानी आवाजच्या समूहाला अर्थ दिला; उदाहरणार्थ पशू, पक्षी, आई, बाबा, गुरू, स्वर्ग, देव इत्यदि. अश्या प्रकारे प्रथम शब्द आणी नंतर व्याकरण आणी भाषा प्रचलीत झाली असणार.

कोणताही शब्द बोलणे, ऐकणे, समजणे आणि उमजणे ह्या ज्ञान ग्रहण करण्याच्या चार (४) पातळया आहेत. प्रत्येक शब्दाचा अनुभव झाल्या शिवाय शब्दाचा अर्थ लागत नाही. त्यामुळे, आई ह्या शब्दाचा अर्थ आयुष्यात सगळ्यात पहिले सहज उमजतो आणि देव अथवा देवतत्वाचा अर्थ सर्व शेवटी आणि कधी पूर्ण जन्माचा प्रवास झाल्यानंतर देखील उमजत नाही.…. कधी कधी सहस्त्र पुनर्जन्मा नंतर देखील देवतत्व उमजत नाही, हा कर्म बंधनाचा खेळ असावा. देवतत्व उमजण्यास कितीही वेळ अथवा काळ लागला तरी मानवास खर्या बौद्धिक अथवा मुक्तिरूप मनोस्वातंत्र्याची ओढ सदा लागलेली असते. हे कोणत्याही लेखणीतून निघालेले पांडित्य नसून, ऋषी परंपरेतून आलेले आत्मज्ञान भासते.   

एक वर्षाचे बाळ जेव्हां हळू हळू आईशी बोलायचा प्रयत्न करतो त्यावरून भाषा कशी निर्माण होते त्याचा थोडा अंदाज येतो. बालकाला बोलवण्यास त्याची आई म्हणते “इकडे ये””. त्या वयात बालकास आई व्याकरण शिकवत नसते. पण शब्दाबरोबर आईचे हातवारे पाहून बालकाला कळत कि आई काय म्हणते आहे आणि तो आई जवळ जातो. अश्याप्रकारे ऐकण्याची आणि आचरणाची कला साध्य होते.… हे सुंदर आणि सोपे उदाहरण सौ. अनुराधा फडणीस ह्यांनी दिले.

प्रत्येक शब्दाला अर्थ दिला जातो किंवा विषयाला शब्द दिला जातो हे प्रत्येक भाशेत थोडे गूढ असावे. मराठी भाषेत देव आणी ब्राह्मण हे शब्द वेगवेगळ्या अर्थानी  वापरले जातात. आयुष्याच्या वैयक्तिक अनुभवा प्रमाणे शब्दात रंग भरला  जातो.

देव हा शब्द मानवाचा बर्याच आवडीचा आणी परिचयाचा दिसतो. पण ह्या शब्दाच्या कुंभात बरेच वेगवेगळे अर्थ समावलेले आढळतात. देव शब्द अन्ना प्रमाणे ग्रहण करून नुसता गिळून टाकला तर त्याला एक अर्थ लागतो. तोच शब्द अन्नसार्खा ग्रहण करून,  ३२ वेळा चावला तर तो जास्त पचून त्याला वेगळी चव आणि अर्थ लाग्तो. चिंतन करताना त्याच शब्दाचे चर्वण होते ज्याने मानव बुद्धीचा हळूहळू विकास होतो आणि मानवबुद्धी पलीकडचा गुह्य अनुभव होण्याची शक्यता वाढते.

तसाच ब्राह्मण हा शब्द प्रयोग बर्याच वेग वेगळ्या प्रकारे वापरला जातो. आपण आपले वैयक्तिक स्वातंत्र्य वापरून खाली विचार मांडू .

मी ब्राह्मण आहे म्हणजे कोण ? ब्राह्मणाच्या घरात जन्म होवून, ब्राह्मण बनत नाही. ब्राह्मण बनावे लागते. ब्राह्मण एक जात आहे हा अहंकारी अथवा भ्रमिष्ट मानवाचा मोठ्ठा गैरसमज झालेला दिसतो .  निसर्ग रूपी ब्ब्रह्मांडाचे अनुभविक ज्ञान उमजण्यास योग साधना करणारा मानव, ब्राह्मण. ब्राह्मणाच्या दैनंदिन  जीवन शैलीत सात्विक आचार, विचार आणी उच्चार करण्याची समतोल बुद्धी,  वृत्ती आणी क्षमता असते.

ज्या ब्राह्मणाच्या तोंडी खालचे-लोक ,शूद्र, परकेलोक असे शब्द रोजच्या वापरीत असतात त्यांचे आचार आणि विचार पण त्याच धारणेत असतात .…. तो ब्राह्मण नव्हे. ब्राह्मणाच्या वौंशात जन्म होवून शूद्रा सारखे वागणारे बरेच भेटतात. मग शूद्र कोण हे कुणी ठरवायचे ? हा हक्क कोणालाही नाही.

मराठी ब्राह्मण  घराण्यात जन्म होण्याचे फायदे बरेच असा माझा समज होता, पण तो हक्क नव्हता. लहान पणी माझी स्वतःची ओळख म्हणजे मी प्रथम ब्राह्मण आणि त्यानंतर महाराष्ट्रीयन (महाराष्ट्र प्रांतवासी) आणि शेवटी हिंदुस्थानी कारण त्या वयात अजून देश, मानव-समाज आणि जगाचा अंदाज आलेला नव्ह्ता. बालपणात मन जेवढे नैसर्गिकपणे मोकळे असते तेव्हडेच सामाजिकपणे बांधलेले भासते.

ब्राह्मण वस्तीत राहून “दुसर्या” आणि “खालच्या” लोकांशी घनिष्ट संबंध कमी येतो, आणि हे दोन शब्द आमच्या लहान पणी समाजात ऐकले. दुसरे लोक म्हणजे दुसरी मातृभाषा बोलणारे आणि परजातीचे लोक; त्यात  सगळे शूद्र, वैश्य, क्षत्रीय, वेगळी भाषा बोलणारे, वेगळ्या धर्माचे, वेगळ्या प्रांताचे, वेगळ्या देशांचे. खालचे लोक हे विशेषण वैयक्तिक दृष्टीने वेग वेगळ्या संदर्भात वापरले जात होते . लोकांची स्वछतेची कल्पना म्हणजे घरातला केर काढून तो शेजार्यांच्या आवारात टाकून देणे. आपला देव समुह आपल्या देवघरात सदा स्वछ असावा.

ब्राह्मण आणी ब्राह्मणेतर वाद, सावोच्य मराठी भाषा आणि इतर भाषा ह्या परमप्रिय वादात तासनतास कशे सहज निघून जातात. ब्राह्मण, क्षत्रीय, वैश्य, शुद्र आणि माणुसकी ह्या शब्दांच्या गूढ अर्थाचा आणि आचरणाचा अभाव भासतो. हीच दुर्बलता  आपल्या  सार्वजनिक भारतीय समाजात देखील आढळते. ह्याच दुर्बलतेमुळे भारताच्या बाहेरून आलेल्या आक्रमणकारी लोकांना शूद्र वर्गाला धर्म परिवर्तन करण्यास सोपे झाले. .  ब्रिटीश साम्राज्या कडून स्वातंत्र्य मिळवत्या वेळी (१९४६ - ४७ )  हिंदू-मुसलमान भांडणात अखंड हिंद्स्थानची फाळणी पत्करली.  त्यानंतर स्वतंत्र भारताला वेग वेगळ्या भाषेच्या भांडणावरून समजाची दुसरी फाळणी झाली . आता प्रत्येक प्रांतात ब्राह्मण आणी ब्राह्म्हनेतर हा विवाद सतत चालू असतो. अजूनही एकविसाव्या शतकात देखील जाती भेदाच्या ज्वाला समाजानी पेटत ठेवण्याचा हट्ट धरलेला आहे जो खर्या मनो स्वातंत्र्याला आणि विवेक बुद्धीला शृंखलात अडकवून ठेवतो. आर्थिक प्रगती आणि मानव विकास प्रगती देशाला वेग वेगळ्या दिशेत नेते आहे.

भारतातून निघून पास्चीमात्य देशात स्थाईक  झालेले भारतीय लोकपण त्याच मनो ढाच्यात रहात असतात. हे सगळे पाहून, ऋषी परंपरेची अलौकिक सौन्स्कृती झोपी गेल्याचा भास होतो. अश्या सर्व गोष्टीनचा खेद करत बसण्या ऐवजी स्वतःला सुसौन्कृत करून सचिदानंद स्वरूप अनुभवणे हा सर्वोच्य संकल्प भासतो. साचीदानंद स्वरूप आपोआप आजू बाजूच्या देश बांधवांना प्रज्वलित करते.

शेवटी ब्राह्मण म्हणजे कोण ? जो जीव

स्वतःला मानव म्हणून ओळखतो,

स्वतःच्या माणुसकीला जपून ठेवतो,

सर्व जीवांना समदृष्टीने पाहण्याची क्षमता ठेवतो,

आचार, विचार आणी उच्चार सात्विक पणे बाळगतो,

सर्वव्यापी ब्रह्मांडाशी स्वतःला जुडलेला अनुभवतो,

तो ब्राह्मण होय.  

शिक्षणाची परंपरा असते. मी आणी माझा लहान भाऊ, सुरेंद्र, चौथी पर्यंत प्राथमिक शाळेत गेलोच नाही कारण आमची आई आम्हा दोघांना घरीच शिकवायची. बस्तर राज्यात जगदलपूर मध्ये एकच प्राथमिक शाळा होती (१९३२ - १९४० ) पण ती नसल्या सारखीच होती. त्याच प्रमाणे, आमच्या आइच्या लहान पणी सुद्धा (१९०९-१९१७ ) , ज्या ज्या शहरात आजोबांची बदली झाली तिथे लहान मुलीन करता शाळा नव्हती. सरकारी  डॉक्टर च्या पेशात आजोबांची बदली उज्जैन, दामोह, खुरई, चीन्द्वाडा, हुशांगाबाद इत्यादी लहान शहरात होत असे. त्यामुळे आजोबांनी आमच्या आईला घरीच शिकवून सुशिक्षित केले होते. त्याच आधारावर आईने, सोळाव्या (१६) वर्षी लग्नानंतर,  पाच  मुले झाल्यानंतर बी . ए. आणि होमिओपथिची डिग्री संपादन केली; आणि त्यानंतर पुढच्या संपूर्ण आयुष्यात गरजू लोकांना फुकट होमिओपथीची औषधे देण्याची योगसाधना केली. ह्या स्वरूपात तिनी तिच्या आई वडलांना श्रद्धांजली अर्पण केली असे मला भासते. .

आमच्या लहानपणी वयोमानाप्रमाणे आम्ही घरीच वाचणे, पहाडे पाठ करणे, लिहिणे शिकलो. तेच आमचे गुरुकुल होते. बालपणी पाठांतर करण्य्याची उर्जा तीव्र असते त्यात प्रोत्साहन मिळून बरेच पाठांतर करता येते. हे पाठांतर जन्मभर सहज टिकून रहाते. ह्या पूर्वतयारीत पाठ केलेल्या शब्दांचे अर्थ सहसा लागत नाही आणि अर्थ कळला नाहीत तरी चालते.  त्यानंतर लिखाणाला सुरवात होते. शब्द लिहून काढताना ते मनातून हातात बसतात, आणि हळू हळू शब्दांच्या अर्थाचा उलघडा होण्यास सुरवात होते. त्यानंतर वेगवेगळ्या गद्य, पद्याचे वाचन आणि मोकळ्या मनानी चर्चा सुरु झाली म्हणजे शब्द, श्लोक, गद्य, पद्य ह्या सर्वांचा उलघडा होऊ लागतो.

आश्रम अथवा गुरुकुल शिक्षण पद्धतीच्या शिस्तीत समतोल आहार, व्यायाम, योगाभ्यास आणि पुरेसा आराम अश्या निरंतर वातावरणात शरीराचा तोल संभाळून मन एकन्द्रित करण्याची उर्जा वाढते. ह्या उर्जेत चिंतन करून आत्मबोध मार्गावर सफलता मिळण्याची शक्यता वाढते. चिंतन आणि मनन मार्गे मानवास स्वतःचा निसर्गाशी जो निकट संबंध आहे त्याची अनुभूती होत जाते. अश्या आत्मज्ञानी मानवास देवतत्व शोधण्यास अथवा त्याची अनुभूती होण्यास कुठेही बाहेरच्या जगात किवा वनात भटकावे लागत नाही. एक जुनी म्हण आठवते “जो जिथे आहे तिथेच ठीक आहे”.

लेखणीतून शब्द उतरतात पण त्या शब्दांचा अनुभव लेखकास किंवा वाचकास झाला नसेल तर ते शब्द अर्थहीन किंवा अपभ्रौंश स्थितीत रिकामेच राह्तात. हाच फरक गीता किंवा कोणताही ग्रंथ वाचण्यात, समजण्यात आणि उमजण्यात भासतो. आमच्या स्नेही सुप्रसिद्ध लेखिका सुलभा  हेर्लेकर (१९४१ - २०१२) ह्यांनी आत्मबोध शब्दाला सोप्या मराठीत गुंडाळून सांगितले “ आत्मबोध म्हणजे स्वतःच्या अनुभवावर आधारलेले आणी उभारलेले ज्ञान “.

   

अनुभवा अंतीच उमजणे साधते. ह्या कारणामुळे,  प्रयत्ना अंती  परमेश्वर म्हणायच्या ऐवजी, अनुभव आणी उमजण्या अंती परमेश्वरतत्व साधणे जास्त अर्थाचे.

धार्मिक आणी तत्त्वज्ञान वांग्मय क्षेत्रात  कोणत्याही शब्दाचा अर्थ अथवा उलघडा चार (४) वाढत्या बौद्धिक पातळीतून होत असतो;  स्थूल, सूक्ष्म, शून्य आणी शिव. शिव म्हणजे कॅलेंडरवर छापलेल्या माणसाचे चित्र नव्हे. एका अर्थानी शिव म्हणजे “ जे नाही ते “. शब्द आपल्या वैयक्तिक मनाचे प्रतिबिंब भासते.

स्थूल स्वरूपात आपण शब्दांना पोथी आणि पुराणात वाचतो आणी प्रवचनात ऐकतो.

सूक्ष्म स्वरूपात आपण शब्दाला अनुभवण्याचा चिकाटीने प्रयत्न करीत असतो.

शून्य स्वरूपात आपण अनंत (infinity) स्थितीला आत्मसाथ करण्यास आव्हान देतो. सोप्या भाषेत, आपण नैसर्गिक मानव स्थितीत फोहोचतो अथवा उतरतो.

शिव स्वरूपात आपण स्व्त्तःच  शब्द बनतो.

प्रत्येक लेखकाचा तत्वज्ञान विषयी लिखाणातून आत्मबोधाच्या बदलत्या पातळया अनुभवण्याचा निरंतर प्रयंत्न चालू असतो. पण हया मार्गावर प्रगती होत असताना  लेखणीला लक्षमण रेषेची अनुभूती होते. ह्या लक्ष्मणरेषे पलीकडे शब्द, लिपी, पोथी, पुरण, आणी लेखणी ह्या सर्वांचा लय होतो. त्या पलीकडचा प्रवास आत्मचिंतन आणि मनन मार्गानेच होतो हा आदेश आपल्या ऋषी परम्परेतून निताळून आलेला भासतो. लेखकाला लेखनक्रिया त्या लक्ष्मण रेशे पर्यंत पोहण्याची एकप्रकारची योग साधना भासते. चिंतनात्मक योग मार्गे एक वैयक्तिक  “गुह्य” अनुभव होतो ज्याला कोणत्याही शब्दांनी वर्णन करता येत नाही. हा गुह्य आणि वैयाक्तिक अनुभव त्याची आकांक्षा किंवा इच्छा न ठेवताच प्राप्त होतो.…. हा देखील ऋषीपरंपरेचा सेवोच्य गुह्य आदेश भासतो. भारतीय संस्कृतीत ह्या वैयक्तिक अनुभवास वेगवेगळ्या शब्दांनी संबोधिले जाते, उदाहरणार्थ अमृत-अनुभव, सत्चीदानंदा, चिदानंद, ओम, निर्वाण, मुक्ती, महासमाधी इत्यादी … …असा माझा तर्क आहे. ह्या गुह्य अनुभूती नंतर त्या पुरषोत्तमरूपी योगीपुरुषास स्वतःचे मानव शरीर त्याग करण्याची पूर्ण तयारी आणी आतुरता भासते. ह्या विचार आणि योग धारणेत संत ज्ञानेश्वर, ज्यांनी अमृत-अनुभव आणि ज्ञानेश्वरी लिहून, वयाच्या एकविसाव्या (२१) वर्षीच समाधी घेतली (ई १२ १८ ) हे उदाहरण डोळ्या समोर उभे रहाते. भारत वर्षाच्या ऋषी परंपरेत अशी उत्कृष्ट उदाहरणे बरीच आढळतात म्हणून मी भारताला “आत्मबोधाचा पैलू अथवा मोती” म्हणून सम्बोधितो. ह्या पैलूला सांभाळून ठेवण्याची जवाबदारी प्रत्येक नागरिकाची आहे.

आजकालच्या असंतुलित जगातपण आत्मबोधाचे पुरषोत्तम पैलू सापडतील, पण बर्याच प्रयत्ना अंती. … कारण देवतत्व सदा आणी सर्व विश्वात निरंतर सामावलेले असते; आणि त्याचा कधीही अभाव होणे असंभव आहे.

स्वतः पुशोत्तम बनणे आणि देवतत्व अनुभवणे सर्वात महत्वाचे. पुरषोत्तम म्हणजे स्वतःचे शरीर आणि आत्मा ह्या मधला फरक समजून, त्या पलीकडे आत्मा आणी परमात्माचे अद्वैत स्वरूप अनुभवणे.

“अखंड परंपरा /  Seamless Generations” पुस्तकाची नवीन आवृती (२०१३), वर दिलेल्या विचार धारणेवर आधारलेली आहे. हे पुस्तक आत्मबोधाचे चरित्र आहे ज्याच्यात एका वौन्शाच्या चार (४) पिढ्यानचे आत्मबोध  विशयावरचे लेखन प्रस्तुत केले आहे. ह्या चार पिढ्यातून दोन (२) पिढ्या अमेरिकेत वाढल्या आहेत; आणि त्यात माझी भूमिका सर्व लेख एकत्र करून तो संग्रह वाचका समोर प्रधान करण्याची आहे; आत्मबोधाची धारा कशी वहाते ह्याची थोडी कल्पना देण्याच्या दृष्टीने. ह्यात एकच आठवण ठेवावी लागते की प्रत्येक वौंशाची विचारधारा स्वाभाविकपणे वेगळी असते आणि त्यत गैर काहीच नाही. प्रत्येक मानव आकाशात चमकणार्या चांदणी प्रमाणे स्वतःच्या उजेडात चमकतो असा भास होतो . “अखंड परंपरा / Seamless Generations” ह्या पुसताकाची ई-बुक किंवा छापलेली आवृती उपलब्ध करण्यास खालील पत्ते वापरावे:

e-book - scribd.com,

Printed book (230 pages) - amazon.com

30 May 2013

Place of Worship -

What do we worship and why do we worship are gut wrenching questions that most of us avoid and instead follow easier routes of choices handed over to us by the culture and society in which we are raised.

Mother Nature grants humans complete freedom to choose and bear the consequences of our choices. Nature does not mess with our choices.

Temple, church, mosque, gurudwara are the typical places of worship attended by the devotees when their inside is crying out for help to fill a void within. Often times, the fear or intensity of void within cannot be clearly defined and visiting the place of worship and following the traditional rituals provides some solace.

Religious traditions naturally vary between religions which are simply the ways of life.Traditionally in most Hindu households there is a small space within the residence that is reserved for settling quietly to worship or pray; the difference between the two words has been difficult to decipher. In addition to the small place of worship in private residence, a Hindu devotee enjoys the freedom to visit and explore any other places of worship of choice. In Muslim tradition the devotee sits on a mat facing in the direction of Mecca or Caba of prayer; at the fixed times of prayer. A quiet place within easy reach is acceptable. Christians congregate in church every sunday or visit the church individually as the need arises. Jews choose to face and address  the Wailing or Western Wall as a sacred wall of faith in Jerusalem. Traditions do play significant role in life; however in the face of ever changing times, inflexibility in rituals and traditions seems to diminish and tarnish the essential  spirit.

Mother Nature has blessed every human with a body in which to live throughout lifetime. The entire space within the confines of our outer skin; the entire space is exclusively ours; making it an ideal place for worship or prayer. It is always approachable. Consequently it is important that we keep this space clean all the time. As we internalise our life experiences without the fanfare of traditions or rituals and feel the functioning of our miraculous human body, it begins to dawn on us that the Universe that lies within us is identical to the Universe outside of our skin. Our skin is not a border of separation but merely an integral part of the entire Universe. We feel seamlessly connected with the outside Universe through our breath.

The Universe seemingly outside our skin is the Creator and each one of us is its unbiased Creation; seamlessly connected with each other. Then the duality between Me and You ceases to exit. This all inclusive Universe presents itself as the ultimate reality.

The above perspective of life minimizes Man’s compulsive desire to install a symbol of worship within the closed brick walls and a roof that is dedicated as the place of worship. Often, Prayer seems to be fear of the unknown stemming out of Ignorance.

Prayer and thirst for experiencing the all inclusiveness of Universe within and around us is self-empowering, liberating and free of any fear. Self-enlightened Masters step out of their prisons of subjugation with sublimation of all anger, fear and have the innate strength to offer sincere prayers of forgiveness for their subjugators. Self-enlightened individuals like these become convincing proof for the noble spirit of all inclusiveness in Universe.

29 May, 2013

Yoga and Doctor -

Barring a few exceptions, a human is gifted with a fine tuned instrument called the human body. The total responsibility of maintaining the body perfectly tuned and disease free is ours until we leave this body. It is possible to accomplish it through an age old proven system called Yoga and its full dimensions are described in a system called Ashtang Yoga Sadhana, which was eloquently summarized and  demonstrated by Rishi Patanjalin around 300-200 BCE. Rishi Patanjali is credited for brilliantly capturing and encapsulating the body and spirit of human knowledge about Yoga that  was considered ancient even during his era!

The 8-step Ashtang Yoga Sadhana is a philosophical and spiritual (not about spirits and angels) treatise on Yoga system for engaging life to experience its fullest possible dimensions.

Yoga’s fundamental approach is to insure pleasurable physical and emotional balance for constantly maintaining the human body properly tuned, balanced and disease free without any synthetic medications. Vedic medicines derived from natural herbs and Vedic medical diagnostic techniques are integral and complementary disciplines for addressing physical, chemical and emotional imbalances in human body.

The ultimate accomplishment of a Yogi is to leave or shed human body clean and unharmed by disease and voluntarily cross over the threshold of the death of body. In this case, the body dies by voluntarily ceasing the life sustaining breathing.This supreme state of consciousness has been experienced by self-enlightened Masters of the Indian sub-continent and referred to as Nirvana in Buddhism and Mukti or MahaSamadhi in Hinduism.... as described by Sadguru Vasudev of Isha Yoga. When internalized and experienced, this philosophical perception takes us far beyond the concepts of Hell and Heaven as physical realities and places of residence with dubious immigration status.

If this was true, then why don’t people follow Yoga for enriching life? The casually asked  question has a casual answer “Because it takes effort”. A realistic answer to the same question surfaces in consciousness only when the pain of Ignorance about the life process becomes excruciating and tears you apart; like an intense toothache.  

On the flip side with the mundane habits of indulgence in cyclic pleasures and pains of life, the human body gradually encounters disease in repetitive cycles and ultimately succumbs when it is unable to breathe. That stage is death of the body. With the help of modern medical sciences,  a human body is kept alive beyond its natural abilities to sustain life, which is a common scene in modern hospitals....making the process of dying unnatural and unnecessarily painful.

A modern medical doctor discharges his essential role in minimizing discomforts of a sick body with injections, tablets and various other technological means at his disposal. Specifying medications to address the illness and antidotes to overcome their side reactions are not uncommon. Unfortunately, the Doctor cannot inject spirituality in the veins. That is not the realm of his responsibility. Based on his daily experiences in treating patients, the Doctor also knows that most patients do not change their ingrained habits and lifestyles.

Some humans resort to self prescribed potent drugs to soften the pain of Ignorance.

A Yoga teacher teaches a life long discipline to avoid all tablets. A Doctor is bound by his responsibilities to comfort his patients. While a Doctor charges for each visit, a genuine Yoga teacher traditionally offers a helping hand at no charge, The age old tradition of Yoga teaching discipline is to offer the life-enriching science at no charge...treating it as the supreme gesture of charity and selfless service. However, it will be unwise to discount a modern Yoga teacher who has to charge a nominal fee for daily sustenance.