Revolution 2020:tough to call

Hardly do you feel confused after reading an english book.Especially as far as rating the book is concerned.It almost seems like two different people have written it.So good it parts.Horrible in other.Page turner alright,but....
For one,the title is a complete misnomer.there's simply no revolution.Its just a love triangle.And,only one character is given attention despite there being 3 protagonists.Especially ,the girl....she comes and goes in phases...more like the bollywood heroines,who are there just for their beauty...The narrator sulks through out....when he is in debt,when he goes to study,when his friend hits on his girl,when he becomes rich,when she changes her mind,when she decides to marry him,there's only 1 thing he does...sulks....Still this sinking feeling the reader gets on reading the book is more to do with the ending...yeah,the opening and middle game are good(passable at least)
This seems to be somekind of a script for a movie rather than a novel...so unrealistic,too far fetched.
This book isn't crap though.The way bhagath portrays varanasi,human emotions(here and there) and the changing culture are stand points,not to mention the way in which girls send confusing signals. If only he could have given better treatment to the subject.....
The subject is too good to be treated like this.The book will sell,but am not sure if it will satisfy the readers.Agreed,not all novels need to have happy endings,but there should be some reason for the ending to be sad.It all seems way too abrupt and crass.Was it deliberate.given all other books of his have happy endings??
Really how can the girl marry raghav after having done it with gopal?that too twice??
All in all,thank god it was a library book...And to be fair,Chetan is just a mediocre writer,wen compared with others.
of course its wrong to compare writers of different genres and backgrounds...Well whatever....

Anna Hazare:the enemy within

This indeed does seem to be the season of fasts,dharnas,candle light vigils,protests,rokos and even yoga shivirs held against what does seem to be the topic of any gathering-informed or otherwise--CORRUPTION.Just as the dust settles down after the deliberations among the members of the Joint(?!) drafting committee came to an end,it is time for us to analyze the positions of both sides of the drafting committee,as impartially as possible.

I do agree that corruption is a menace which must be curbed as far as possible.i have serious concerns about the path this country is taking as far as the fight against corruption is concerned.In fact,i feel that the atrocities which are being committed in the name of fighting corruption are a bigger menace than corruption itself.And,that's not without reason.

When Hazare went on his fast unto death in April,I,like everyone else was tempted to support him whole heartedly.And that's what I did.I got my first suspision when he made this outrageous remark after the government caved in meekly to his unreasonable demands:

"If people call this blackmail.we will continue this black mail."

Also,the fact that he didn't allow any politician to share the stage with him disturbed me a lot.All this seemed to suggest the Hazare was against the political class as a whole.he also claimed that the entire nation was backing him.According to his logic,if 5000 people join his fast,then 1.2 billion people are backing him.

My doubts grew in leaps and bounds once the joint drafting committee was formed.Then came the fast of another baba-Baba Ramdev.All of us know how he tried to hold the parliament to ransom and how he was given a royal reception at the delhi airport by the government of India.Both he and Hazare seem to be highly intelligent people who seem to know how to take advantage of the prevailing anger against corruption.And his fast at the Ramlila maidan was ample proof of his acumen.(I did support him for a while as,for me,he was a Hindu guru.But am writing this post only as a citizen of this country.)And,finally,after so many rounds of talks,the government did the right thing at last-it broke the baba's fast.if at all there's something to be learnt from his fast,it is this:(my mother taught me this when i was 5 years old)If you don't eat properly,the police will come and catch you.

Aghast at the swift response of the government,Hazare skipped the next meeting of the joint drafting committee.the committee was setup by the democratically elected Government of India,consisting of 543 members,elected by the people of India.if skipping the meeting of the joint drafting committee doesn't amount to showing disrespect to the Indian state,then what does?Then,Hazare went on a 1 day token fast at Rajghat.at least he called it a fast.Just think for a moment.When do you have your breakfast?8-8:30 in the morning.Maybe lunch at 1 pm and dinner at 8 pm.Anna hazare started his fast at 10 pm and ended it at 6 pm.In short,he skipped his lunch.Nothing more.nothing less.if skipping a lunch is a fast,then i have fasted for half my life!!The only difference is that i've done it silently,unlike Hazare who does it at a huge venue,with an eye on publicity.

Dear reader,if hazare is indeed selfless why does he go to delhi to fast?Fasting is a simple enough thing which can be done anywhere in the world.Why delhi?

The answer lies in the question itself.Delhi,being the national capital,gets the maximum media coverage.Otherwise he would've fasted at maharashtra itself,which is his home state.

Hazare crossed all limits when he burnt the Lokpal bill tabled in Parliament.isn't that an insult to the people of India(whom Hazare claims to represent),who've elected the government in the first place?

Now he has threatened to go on an indefinite fast unto death from august 16th,demanding a stronger bill.

my simple question is:Who is he to decide which bill is a strong bill?As one of the congress spokesmen put it,Anna hazare's threats represent the "tyranny of the unelected and the unelectables".
Every country has its own means of passing Bills.Take England for example.A bill must be approved by both the house of Commons and House of the Lords for the Bill to become an Act i.e law.There are different methods in different countries,but I don't think there's any country in which fasting is a method to pass a bill.

And,the people fo India elected the people of India gave the Indian National congress a 2nd chance to rule because they wanted it to frame laws and rule the nation.Not for Hazare to dictate terms from Rajghat or any other localion which he might deem fit.Of corse,if Hazare feels that the Lokpal Bill in the present form is not good,then he has the opportunity to stand for elections in 2014.here again,he dissapoints.he has declared that he will never stand in an election in his life.Why?Because he can blackmail any government that might assume power at the centre as per his whims and fancies with his refusal to eat?I don't know.Again,this indeed amounts to showing disrespect to the government and the electorate at large.Hazare and his team are bringing about a dangerous atmosphere in which,if things go as per this trend,people will lose faith in democracy.Is that his aim?Again,I don't know for sure.

Coming to his Jan Lokpal Bill,it is ridiculous.Let's consider a few examples.

1)PM as per the jan Lokpal Bill:

As far as Jan Lokpal bill is concerned,a committee of 11 people will formed to look after cases relating to corruption cases filed against any central/state government employees,including the Cabinet Ministers,the Chief Ministers of all states and Union territories and even the Prime Minister.

Let us say a complaint is filed against the Prime Minister.if the Lokpal panel finds prima facie evidence of the PM's wrongdoing in the matter,suo moto cognisance will be taken and the PM will have to demit office.There's a differnece betwwen a CM resigning and the PM resigning.The resignation of the PM means the resignation of his entire government,unlike the state governments where the CM can be replaced at will without any threat to the govenment itself.This is Indian law.In short,if and when the PM demits office,nation wide elections will have to be held,costing the exchequer thousands of crores.now,after the new government takes charge,if it turns out that the complain was mala fide,then will Mr.Anna Hazare give us the money we wasted in holding elections?I really don't know..It is for this rweason that the ?Congress suggests the the PM should be investigated once he completes his 5 year term.

2)Judiciary under the Jan Lokpal Bill:

Hazare wants to monitor the entire judiciary.But,how will a judge be able to carry out his day to day affairs,especially while hearing cases of corruption,if he knows that his every move is being watched by a reckless ombudsman?Please ask Hazare,for he claims to  know everything.

3)CBI under the Jan Lok Pal bill:Hazare wants the investigative wing of the CBI to come under the Lokpal,for he trusts no one in this country.A simple question arises:why should we trust someone who trusts no one?In simpler words,how can we be so sure that the Lokpal will bw free from corruption?Who will monitor the Lokpal panel?Who will pass judgement on the functioning of the Lokpal committee?

On what elegibility criteria can one become a member of the lokpal panel?Please ask Mr.Hazare,for he claims to know everything.And most importantly,who will constitute the Lokpal?

Finally,Hazare wants to start a second freedom struggle against the government.but isn't this government elected by the very people with whom he wants to fight against the governmen?IDoesn't such a statement amount to sedition?

I really feel that the time has come for us to decide betwwen what is right and what is easy.As Da Vinci said,

"Blinding Ignorance does mislead us.Oh,wretched mortals!!Open your eyes!!"

P.S:The views expressed in the post are personal.The author holds no brief with the Congress.He,in fact is a BJP sympathizer who voted against the DMK-Congress combine in the recently concluded Tamil Nadu Assembly elections

Guru Poornima....

"Agnyaana Thimiran thasya nyaanajala shalaakaya
chakshu hu unmeelitham yena thasmai shri gurave namaha"
I offer my humble obeisance unto my dear spiritual master who with pure spiritual knowledge has illuminated my consciousness which was blinded by the darkness of nescience.
Am reminded of this most confidential verse of the Bhagavadh Geetha which i learnt in school as i try to write something on my guru.
A man's character is shaped by his family,parents,upbringing,surroundings and education.Though this applies to all people irrespective of nationality,the aryavarta is special for the role the teacher in the shaping up of man's life.There can be different types of gurus:
1)sikhsha guru-teacher who teaches skills
2)dhiksha guru-teacher who teaches art(by accepting money)
3)sat guru
The sat guru shows the disciple the way to follow in life,the way to attain paramatma,executing our day to day duties in life.Am sorry,but i cant tell more.My sat guru is beyond description,beyond the realms of speech,beyond description,beyond understanding.
As they say"Guru maatha guru pitha
Guru amuchi kula dheivatha"
If it hadn't been for my guru,I've would've been like just another boy in this complex world,caught up in the web of pleasures and desires,unaware of the aim of existence,the purpose of life,man's eventual destiny dont know if ou find this stupid,but its because you don't have the good fortune of having a sat guru.
The guru can be understood by a simple analogy:
Fishes,rafts both are present in the sea.The aim of the raft is to liberate the fish from the troubles of life.The fish is desperate to stay alive.In the world of man,the guru is the raft,keen to liberate the disciple from samsara and the cycle of births and deaths,while the disciple is desperate to remain stuck in the world of worldly pleasures.
It is notable that God himself takes the form of the guru while taking birth in human form.Am referring to Lord Krishna who was the guru of Arjuna during the Mahabharath.Krishna was not only Arjuna's guru but the guru for the entire world as he gave us the eternal book-The Baghavadh Geetha.
The aim of guru poornima is to pay our respects to our guru(s).
Really,how my college teachers pale in comparison to my sat guru.....
It is indeed unfortunate that those who teach for money are regarded as ultimate gurus and are even felicitated by students in some Hindu schools.such is the state in which our western educational system has placed us in.The world of chaos..The world of confusion.As the worlds of east and west continue to tangle and intertangle,such ironies will only proliferate.
Anyway am happy that am different,thanks to my guru.
a study of great men will tell you that all of them have been guided by their gurus.
Swami Vivekananda,Kabir Das,Adi Shankara,Paramahansa Yogananda,Dayanada Saraswathi...the list is endless.
That is the essence of our dharma.
Once Dayananda Saraswathi was asked :"How is it that Hinduism has survived the onslaught of Islamists and Christians while other religions had to perish due to the onslaught of these false religions?"
The question was asked by a group of people who were under the banner of Elders of Europe.Those people were from Judaism,Zoroastrianism and other old religions.All those religions were wiped out by the forcible conversion drives of Islamists and Christians.
Swami Dayanand Saraswathi replied"It is because:
1)Dharma is universal
2)We have a teaching tradition"
more on this in the next post...
Ambarish



P.S:Am sorry if this post is vague.but its my own blog,you see:).And,a  traditional Hindu will never reveal the name of the Sat Guru .That's why i didn't do it.....If all this is beyond your understanding,well....am sorry but you're not lucky enough....

The states of human existence from a vedic perspective

"An unexamined life is not worth living"
-Socrates
The mandukya upanishad examines the various states of human existence in detail.Written in easy-to -understand sanskrit,the mandukya upanishad is rich in meaning,though it consists of just a few verses.
This upanishad deals with 4 states of human existence:

1)जाग्रति (Waking)

2)स्वप्नं (Dream)
3)सुशुक्थी (Deep sleep)
4)तुरीय
Jagrati refers to the normal waking state in which we experience happiness,sorrow,joy,pleasure,pain and other emotions.
Swapnam refers to the dream state.Now,an important question arises....
Which of the two states is the real one-waking or dream state?
Anybody will tell you that the waking state is the real one.
let's for argument sake,assume that the dream state is the real state.In the dream state too,we experience happiness,sorrow,joy,pleasure,pain and other emotions.While we are dreaming,we are not aware that we are not in the waking state.From the dreamer's perspective,that is his jagrat(or waking state).The dreamer is under the impression that the experiences/emotions he undergoes are real.There is even an iota of doubt that these may all be unreal.
He realizes that they are unreal only when his dream ends and he awakes into his consciousness.Now,what is the indication to show that the dream state is unreal?Nothing.We know that the dream state is unreal only when the dream ends.In the same way,man realises his existence(read as jagrati) is unreal only when death occurs.This is the clinching argument of the upanishad to show that this world is unreal-a result of maya.Man is under the impression that jagruti is real because of avidya-ignorance.
A close examination of human existence will show that we are all living in an unreal world.That our ancients knew so much about the states of human existence and published the holy texts based on strong reasoning and inquiry is what separates the ancient Hindu religion from those religions based on mere belief and forcible conversion.
Before we move on to the third state of sushukthi,it is imperative to understand the difference between happiness(सुखं) and bliss(आनंदम ).Happiness and sadness are a result of the mind's imagination.What is the source of happiness today becomes the source of sadness tomorrow.
Take this for example-if you live in Chennai,you like to be in an air-conditioned room because of the searing heat.But if you were to live in say,Shimla,would an ac bring you happiness?
In the Bhagavatha purana,Kapila lists what he calls as Dhvandhvam in संख्या  योग :(The yoga Rajnikanth claims to follow!!)
Happiness-sadness
Profit-loss
pride-embarrassment
Hotness-coldness.
all these feelings are a result of the mind's imagination.Happiness,too is a result of the mind's imagination.
"मनो  एव  कारणं  मनुष्यानाम  बंधा  मोक्ष  यो  हो".
Happiness has its end in sadness.
Bliss(aanandam),on the other hand knows no boundaries.now,the question areises:What is bliss?
The third state is that of sushukthi-the state of deep sleep.
In the state of deep slle,we experience neither sadness nor happiness.This is because we have no desires or thoughts in this state.We usually experience happiness or sadness when we get to know the result of our actions.The state of deep sleep knows neither desire nor the result of it."आशा  दुखास्य  कारणं ".
This is what the mandukya upanishad calls the state of bliss.The state of no emotions.The state of peace,when body is in harmony with the soul.We are closer to God than we think in the state of deep sleep.Even in this state of bliss,there's a disadvantage.
We are unconscious.In other words,we are unaware of our own existence.We are unaware of the bliss we experience.This disadvantage is overcome in the fourth state of turiya.....
In the state of turiya(the state of a yogi),we experience bliss in the presence of consciousness.This state is beyond description.Beyond the understanding of normal humans.
In the words of the mandukya upanishad,"The
fourth, turiya, is not inwardly cognitive, nor outwardly cognitive, not both-wise
cognitive. It is not a cognition mass, not cognitive, not noncognitive, unseen,
incapable of being spoken of, ungraspable, without any distinctive marks, unthinkable,
unnameable, the essence of the knowledge of the one self, that into
which the world is resolved, the peaceful, the benign, the non-dual. That is the
atma. That is to be realised.”
This is how our ancient seers understood existence.
P.S:The views expressed in this post are NOT personal.All this is knowledge that has been transmitted through countless generations.The author is a native of Tamil Nadu and apologizes for inadvertent mistakes that might have crept in while trying to write in English.Word to word matching is also not to be found as far as Sanskrit and English are concerned.This is my attempt to express what i think i know.When we say"I have bathed in the Ganga",it doesn't mean that we have swam from this side of the river to the other.In the same way,i think I've done my best.
May peace prevail.