Excerpts from another good article on the shankarAchArya episode, by Shobha Vasudevan:
All the articles that holler about the 'high profile' pontiff do not devote any newsprint to how he has utilised his position of authority. Jayendra Saraswathi, after taking over as the Shankaracharya, is singularly responsible for opening 55 schools and a string of hospitals, professional colleges, child care centres and universities throughout the country. The services in these institutions are offered free of charge or at subsidised rates, and benefit large sections of society. In addition, charitable trusts for aiding poor families, old-age homes, rural development trusts, food donation projects, and research projects have also been flagged off by the acharya.
A good article on shankarAchArya's arrest.
I think the shankarAchArya's arrest is not only unacceptable, but an unpardonable offence.
I think the shankarAchArya's arrest is not only unacceptable, but an unpardonable offence.
The Golden Mile of Iteawon
Iteawon (pronounced as itavAn) is Seoul's equivalent of MG road-Brigade road. About 1.2 kms in lenght it is the most happening place in Seoul Saturday nights. At one end of the road is US military base. Every weekend US come out of their base to pub and party. It also has a large number of foreign restaurants. For us Indians the main attraction at Iteawon is Indian food! There are three Indian hotels at Iteawon which we visit invariably on weekends.
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A Golden Leaf from Indian History
Chandragupta Maurya (322-298 BC) was the first emperor of the Mauryan empire. Alexander's invasion prompted Indians to develop a centralised state. Chandragupta came to rule much of North India. He rose to power under the influence of a minister named Chanakya, and with his assistance, overthrew the last of the Nanda kings of Magadha and captured their capital city of Pataliputa. He then turned his attention to northwestern India where a power vacuum had been left by the departure of Alexander. The way in which he carried himself and the way he ruled seems like a mirror image of Alexander. He conquered the lands east of the Indus River and then, moving south, took over much of what is now Central India.
The year 305 BC saw Chandragupta back in the Northwest, where Seleucus I Nicator, the Macedonian satrap of Babylonia, was threatening fresh invasions. Chandragupta not only stopped his advance but pushed the frontier farther west into what is now Afghanistan. Along with the the astute advice of Chanakya, Chandragupta seized Punjab, Kabul, Khandahar, Gandhara and Persia from Seluces. Selucus had to conclude a treaty with Chandragupta by which he surrendered a large territory including, in the opinion of certain writers, the satrapies of Paropanisadai (Kabul), Aria (Herat), Arachosia (Qanadahar) and Gedrosia (Baluchistan), in return for 500 elephants. The treaty was cemented by a marriage contract - Seluces' daughter was married to Chandragupta. Chandragupta's fame spread far and wide and his empire was recognised as a great power in the western countries. The kings of Egypt and Syria sent ambassadors to the Mauryan Court.
Maurya empire was the first really large and powerful centralised state in India. It was very well governed, with tempered autocracy at the top and democracy at the city and village levels. Megasthenes, the Greek ambassador at the court of Chandragupta Maurya in Pataliputra, had expressed his admiration for the efficient administration of the empire. Megasthenes wrote about the prosperity of the Mauryan cities. He further reported that agriculture was healthy, water abundant and mineral wealth was in plenty. Speaking of the general prosperity, Megasthenes wrote, "the Indians, dressed in bright and rich colors, they liberally used ornaments and gems."
He also spoke of the division of society according to occupation and the large number of religious sects and foreigners in the empire. The people were divided into seven endogamous groups--"philosophers", peasants, herdsmen, traders, soldiers, government officials, and councilors. The army was composed of the four traditional Indian divisions: forces mounted on elephants, on chariots, cavalry, and infantry, and tended to be large - Chandragupta's forces numbered 600,000 men.
The religious life of the empire may perhaps best be characterized as pluralistic. Brahamanism, Buddhism, Jainism, the Ajivikas, and wandering mendicants of other types all seem to have coexisted side by side. The general religious policy of the Mauryas was to encourage tolerance.
Under Mauryas empire the Indian subcontinent saw, for the first time in history, a considerable degree of political unity. The empire was very strong and independent because it had some kind of political unity. In modern times the Maurya Empire is remembered as one of the golden ages of Indian history, a time when the country was united and independent.
Links:
brainyencyclopedia.com
indhistory.com
The year 305 BC saw Chandragupta back in the Northwest, where Seleucus I Nicator, the Macedonian satrap of Babylonia, was threatening fresh invasions. Chandragupta not only stopped his advance but pushed the frontier farther west into what is now Afghanistan. Along with the the astute advice of Chanakya, Chandragupta seized Punjab, Kabul, Khandahar, Gandhara and Persia from Seluces. Selucus had to conclude a treaty with Chandragupta by which he surrendered a large territory including, in the opinion of certain writers, the satrapies of Paropanisadai (Kabul), Aria (Herat), Arachosia (Qanadahar) and Gedrosia (Baluchistan), in return for 500 elephants. The treaty was cemented by a marriage contract - Seluces' daughter was married to Chandragupta. Chandragupta's fame spread far and wide and his empire was recognised as a great power in the western countries. The kings of Egypt and Syria sent ambassadors to the Mauryan Court.
Maurya empire was the first really large and powerful centralised state in India. It was very well governed, with tempered autocracy at the top and democracy at the city and village levels. Megasthenes, the Greek ambassador at the court of Chandragupta Maurya in Pataliputra, had expressed his admiration for the efficient administration of the empire. Megasthenes wrote about the prosperity of the Mauryan cities. He further reported that agriculture was healthy, water abundant and mineral wealth was in plenty. Speaking of the general prosperity, Megasthenes wrote, "the Indians, dressed in bright and rich colors, they liberally used ornaments and gems."
He also spoke of the division of society according to occupation and the large number of religious sects and foreigners in the empire. The people were divided into seven endogamous groups--"philosophers", peasants, herdsmen, traders, soldiers, government officials, and councilors. The army was composed of the four traditional Indian divisions: forces mounted on elephants, on chariots, cavalry, and infantry, and tended to be large - Chandragupta's forces numbered 600,000 men.
The religious life of the empire may perhaps best be characterized as pluralistic. Brahamanism, Buddhism, Jainism, the Ajivikas, and wandering mendicants of other types all seem to have coexisted side by side. The general religious policy of the Mauryas was to encourage tolerance.
Under Mauryas empire the Indian subcontinent saw, for the first time in history, a considerable degree of political unity. The empire was very strong and independent because it had some kind of political unity. In modern times the Maurya Empire is remembered as one of the golden ages of Indian history, a time when the country was united and independent.
Links:
brainyencyclopedia.com
indhistory.com
For some people in our country, it doesn't matter so much the accused is really guilty or innocent as to what religion he belongs. Some months back I was disgusted when I read that an NGO by the name "Combating Communalism" and the lady behind it Teesta Seetalvad was working hard for acquittal of Godhra accused. Now the chief witness has accused the very same people of forcing her to give false testimony in the Best Bakery case in order to convict accused who she are in fact innocent!
Inspiring Capsules from Vivekanand
I have been associated with a group of friends who are dedicated to the cause of spreading the message of Swami Vivekanand. One of the members frequently sends quotations from Vivekanand's writings on our e-group. Here's one of his mails ... truely inspiring!
On Work
1. It is better to wear out than to rust out.
2. Whenever you promise to do any work, you must do it exactly at the appointed time, or people lose their faith in you.
3. Whatever one has to do, one must apply to it one’s whole attention and energy for the time being. Pavhari Baba of Ghazipur would clean his brass water vessel with the same undivided attention as he used in his meditation, japa, worship, study, etc. He cleaned it so diligently that it shone like gold. He himself being the best example of the secret he once told us of work, "the means should be loved and cared for as if it were the end itself."
4. We must plunge heart and soul and body into the work. And until we be ready to sacrifice everything else to one idea and to one alone, we never, never will see the Light.
5. Great Enterprise, boundless courage, tremendous energy and, above all perfect obedience - these are the only traits that lead to individual and national regeneration.
6. Even the greatest fool can accomplish a task if it takes after his heart. But the intelligent man is he who can convert every work into one that suits his taste. No work is pretty. Everything in this world is like a banyan-seed, which, though appearing tiny as a mustard seed, has yet the gigantic banyan tree latent within it. He indeed is intelligent who notices this and succeeds in making all works truly great.
7. All work is spoilt by dilatoriness.
8. Best work is only done by alternate repose and work.
9. One who wastes one’s energy in dabbling in other people’s affairs and in other aimless activities can hardly have any energy left for performing a desirable duty. The sum total of the energy that can be exhibited by a person is a fixed quantity. As such, if it finds an outlet in useless way, it can no further be drawn on for any purposeful activity. One requires tremendous energy to realize the deeper truths of religion. That is why the religious books of all races advice the aspirants not to waste their energy in the enjoyments of sense-objects, but to preserve it through continence and other means.
10. About works also, it should be understood that nobody can wholly avoid doing something or other, and no work can be either good or wholly bad. If you undertake a good work, you are bound to do some amount of bad work along with it. As a result, along with the happiness derived from the good work, some amount of unhappiness and dissatisfaction also will come inevitably. If you want to avoid that much of evil, you will have to give up the hope of deriving the apparent happiness from the sense-enjoyment, that is to say, you will have to give up all the selfish motives and go on doing your works out of a sense of duty. That is what is called ‘work without motive’ (selfless work) . While instructing Arjuna about this in the Gita, Shri Krishna says "Work, but dedicate its fruit to me , that is say, work for me."
11. Purity, patience and perseverance are the three essentials to success, and above all love. (this is my pet one!)
12. I like to work on calmly and silently, and the Lord is always with me. Follow me, if you will, by being intensely sincere, perfectly unselfish and above all, by being perfectly pure.
13. The wind is blowing; those vessels whose sails unfurled catch it, and go forward on their way, but those which have their sails furled do not catch the wind. Is that fault of the wind? Is it the fault of the Merciful father,whose wind of mercy is blowing without ceasing day and night, whose mercy knows no decay, is it His fault that some of us are happy and some are unhappy? We make our own destiny.
14. Whatever you do,let that be your worship for the time.
Having spent so much time on this, I am sure it's time for me to get back to work. :-)
On Work
1. It is better to wear out than to rust out.
2. Whenever you promise to do any work, you must do it exactly at the appointed time, or people lose their faith in you.
3. Whatever one has to do, one must apply to it one’s whole attention and energy for the time being. Pavhari Baba of Ghazipur would clean his brass water vessel with the same undivided attention as he used in his meditation, japa, worship, study, etc. He cleaned it so diligently that it shone like gold. He himself being the best example of the secret he once told us of work, "the means should be loved and cared for as if it were the end itself."
4. We must plunge heart and soul and body into the work. And until we be ready to sacrifice everything else to one idea and to one alone, we never, never will see the Light.
5. Great Enterprise, boundless courage, tremendous energy and, above all perfect obedience - these are the only traits that lead to individual and national regeneration.
6. Even the greatest fool can accomplish a task if it takes after his heart. But the intelligent man is he who can convert every work into one that suits his taste. No work is pretty. Everything in this world is like a banyan-seed, which, though appearing tiny as a mustard seed, has yet the gigantic banyan tree latent within it. He indeed is intelligent who notices this and succeeds in making all works truly great.
7. All work is spoilt by dilatoriness.
8. Best work is only done by alternate repose and work.
9. One who wastes one’s energy in dabbling in other people’s affairs and in other aimless activities can hardly have any energy left for performing a desirable duty. The sum total of the energy that can be exhibited by a person is a fixed quantity. As such, if it finds an outlet in useless way, it can no further be drawn on for any purposeful activity. One requires tremendous energy to realize the deeper truths of religion. That is why the religious books of all races advice the aspirants not to waste their energy in the enjoyments of sense-objects, but to preserve it through continence and other means.
10. About works also, it should be understood that nobody can wholly avoid doing something or other, and no work can be either good or wholly bad. If you undertake a good work, you are bound to do some amount of bad work along with it. As a result, along with the happiness derived from the good work, some amount of unhappiness and dissatisfaction also will come inevitably. If you want to avoid that much of evil, you will have to give up the hope of deriving the apparent happiness from the sense-enjoyment, that is to say, you will have to give up all the selfish motives and go on doing your works out of a sense of duty. That is what is called ‘work without motive’ (selfless work) . While instructing Arjuna about this in the Gita, Shri Krishna says "Work, but dedicate its fruit to me , that is say, work for me."
11. Purity, patience and perseverance are the three essentials to success, and above all love. (this is my pet one!)
12. I like to work on calmly and silently, and the Lord is always with me. Follow me, if you will, by being intensely sincere, perfectly unselfish and above all, by being perfectly pure.
13. The wind is blowing; those vessels whose sails unfurled catch it, and go forward on their way, but those which have their sails furled do not catch the wind. Is that fault of the wind? Is it the fault of the Merciful father,whose wind of mercy is blowing without ceasing day and night, whose mercy knows no decay, is it His fault that some of us are happy and some are unhappy? We make our own destiny.
14. Whatever you do,let that be your worship for the time.
Having spent so much time on this, I am sure it's time for me to get back to work. :-)
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Swami Vivekanand
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