OUR CULTURE ENVY OF OTHERS
Lord Macaulay's speech in the British Parliament on 2nd
February 1835.
"I have traveled across the length and breadth of
India and I have not seen one person who is a beggar, who is a thief. Such
wealth I have seen in this country, such high moral values, people of such
calibre, that I do not think we would ever conquer this country, unless we
break the very backbone of this nation, which is her spiritual and cultural
heritage, and, therefore, I propose that we replace her old and ancient
education system, her culture, for if the Indians think that all that is
foreign and English is good and greater than their own, they will lose their
self-esteem, their native self-culture and they will become what we want them,
a truly dominated nation."
PS: 1) There is a debate on whether the correct year was 1833 or 1835, but what matters for Indians is the statement itself. I am also not able to give the name of a popular website as source for this. However the statement was available in multiple websites.
2) Currently there is a controversy going on about the veracity of the text though there is a note which is similar to lthis if not the whole text as opined in the - http://creative.sulekha.com/what-lord-macaulay-said-about-india-in-1835-every-indian-should-read-this_312173_blog and http://prabhuguptara.blogspot.in/2008/01/truth-about-lord-macaulays-address-to.html Ramachandran V 11 09 2013 Will update as and when I get more information.
What India stands for?What is secular? Are we unbiased?
India showed the way to the whole mankind with Gupta’s Golden Age where men
andwomen could walk in late night
without any fear and the people of different communities lived happily.They were proud of their origin and
universities of repute in Nalanda and a culture which gave them the ‘Saathveega’
as the tool in any endeavor and personal honesty maintained by individuals in
thought, word and deed.Gone are those
days and atleast the survival of the fittest theory should not have been taken
to a level where total u turn has been taken on individual honesty. We have systematically destabilized everything in our hunger for status, power,
recognition and the arrogance we display to prove what we think as right has
reached the pinnacle of history.So
what India stood for has been totally destroyed.
The moment a trouble happens, which has become the order of
the day, due to our ill advised pandits, hue and cry is made on who did first
and who followed it?When it happens to
communities, we cry hoarse and start interpreting majority and minority,
religion, caste and if possible, some more sub-divisions.Even saner ones in the community who has the
responsibility to condemn atrocities to whomever it may happen to, keep silent
and become spectators.The biased ones
take upper hand and point fingers at perpetrators or assumed perpetrators as if
they were waiting for the opportunity.Sometimes persons or group happily claims they are responsible for the
attrocity, violence and hundred people justify that.We have no qualms in accepting various
interpretations however dangerous to the interest of this ‘once great
nation’.We speak on who is secular and
who is not? We have forgotten to call a spade a spade.Who ever is behind a violent incident and
whichever community to he or she or a group of people belong should be
condemned by one and all.That is, the
thought of communities should disappear and in one voice condemnation should be
made loud and clear.Do the educated
youth of the day think in these terms?I feel the majority are not.Majority belong to silent spectator group along with people who want
silence to prevail in such circumstances.Now a small minority makes a hue and cry not because they are affected
but because of the helplessness of the silent majority.Secular
should be interpreted as Love for all and malice for none.When crimes are committed in what names are
they committed and how a person who would like to have love for all and malice
for none to keep silent or selective in his condemnation.So
secular credentials can be given to any Indian, only when he or she or a group
exhibit such a tendency to condemn and shun violence as a means to settle
scores.Two wrongs cannot make a
right.A secular person should condemn
both.Are we condemning violence as such
and both the parties?Have we condemned
both the parties to call each one of us secular.We coin new words to interpret secularism to
conveniently escape from condemning whoever commits crimes in this
society.With this in view, the
sathveega method of tolerance has to be exhibited and go all out to help the
ones affected as we have no malice on anyone.Look at the mirror and ask the question, are you secular?A great role has to be played by the
religious heads of various communities here in asking their men to raise above
petty mindedness and show the way to world that they are the first to condemn
violence as a whole from whichever quarter it comes to, even if it is from
their own followers.Why not the right
thinking youth of this country insist on this?Why you remain silent instead of taking up this matter with the
religious heads who otherwise guide you on religious matters?That much for secularism.
Thus comes the all important question “Are we
Unbiased?”.It appears most of us are
biased.We are selective in our
condemnation because we have forgotten the traditions and cultures that we were
into the “Gupta’s golden age”.A peaceful
society had existed and now it is not – whom are you to show the fingers?We always show others and not towards
us.Personal honesty as advocated and
as followed in those years, if you follow now, you will accept that you have
not unequivocally condemned whenever crimes are committed in the society.This tendency has also led to making heroes
of people whom we likeand despise and
condemn those whom we do not like.We
do not condemn and support only based on a particular issue but take up people
as masters and think whatever they do as right and justify even their wrong
doings.
Thus we come to the caption Nationalism. Nationalism is to display unhindered love to
all sections of the society, condemn violence as a means to secure justice and
support only good causes of leaders and show your opposition to when they are
wrong and thus do not align yourself to any particular individual or party and
select people on merit and personal honesty to represent you in the highest
institutions of this land.
Jai Hind. Post ordinance today the 24th September 2013. It is the saddest day for Indian democracy that the party in power coming out with an ordinance to circumvent the orders of the Supreme Court to make convicted netas leaders to contest elections. It all the more strengthens my view not to vote on party lines and vote only for the candidate without criminal records. Will the main opposition party join hands with the ruling party to pass the bill that has to be brought and passed within 15 days of the starting of the next parliamentary session? If they cannot even contest an election by not nominating candidates with criminal background where this national parties are leading us to? Right thinking people should show no mercy to any party and force them to nominate candidates without criminal background and also resolve to vote irrespective of party lines.
TIRUVAIYARU - PANCHANATHEESWARAR - SAINT THIAGARAJAVisit on 24 07 2013
PANCHANATHEESWARAR AND DHARMASAMVARTHINI
Having come to tiruchy on 23 07 2013 from Bangalore, after completing my work at Tiruchy, I went to Thanjavur on 23 07 evening and stayed there to enable visiting Tiruvaiyaru early morning on 24 07 2013. I left by a town bus from Thanjavur early morning itself at 05.10 hours and reached Tiruvaiyaru at 05.40 hours. The temple of Panchanatheeswarar normally opens at 6 AM, I went to take a bath in River Cauvery in the padithurai with a mandapam opposite to Atkondar or Kalasamharamurthy sannidhi. I was told and also heard in the news that the water had been released from Mettur and subsequently has reached Tirukatupalli. But there was no water in the river and arrangements exist in the mandapam with a borewell on the banks of the river, with facilities to take bath there on payment of a nominal fee of Rs.5/-.
Thiruvaiyaru means Five Rivers around the city. The Five Rivers are Arisilaaru, Vennaaru, Vettaaru, Kudamuruttiyaaru and Kaaviriyaaru. Panchanatheeswarar temple or Ayyarappar temple is a massive one, built in 60000 sq metres and has 5 prakarams. The Tiruvaiyaru temple has also a shrine for Aatkondar or Kalasamharamoorthy. A Homa Kund started by saint Adi Sankara is outside the shrine of Aatkonda. While the lord is known as Panchanatheeswarar or Ayyarappar, his consort is known as Dharmasamvarthini. The story of how the temple came into being is an interesting one. A
king's chariot once got embedded in the ground. While digging around the wheels
of the chariot to get it out, they chanced upon a lingam. A wise minister
advised them to dig further and they were rewarded for their efforts
with the idols of the goddess Dharmasamvardhini, Vinayaka, Muruga, and also a
Nandi. To top it all, they also found a Siddhar (saint) deep in meditation
underground. The saint advised the king to build a temple at the same place,
and also told him to dig under the hoofs of the Nandi where he would find the
wealth needed for building the temple. This Shivasthalam is one of the 6 most
sacred places on the banks of river Cauvery which is considered as equivalent
to the temple at Varanasi. The other 5 shivasthalams are Tiruvenkaadu,
Tiruchaaikkadu (Chaayaavanam), Mayiladuthurai, Tiruvidaimarudur and
Tiruvanchiam. Tiruvaiyaru is one of the big and famous temple for God Shiva and
is known as Dakshina Kailasam.
I had earlier planned to go to Tiruchirapalli on 23rd and 24th July and hence thought why not I go on Girivalam at Tiruvannamalai on 22nd being Pournami or full moon day. Hence started from Bangalore on 21st night and reached Tiruvannamalai at 03.45 hours. After getting settled in a hotel near Thiruvannmalai temple, after taking bath and getting ready, I started at 05.00 hours itself to the main Rajagopuram of Tiruvannamalai temple. After prayers to Arunachaleswarar from outside the temple and offering camphor in the agnikundam in front of the temple, I set for the first of the girivalam temple, the Indra linga which is nearby the main arunachaleswarar temple on the southern side. Then walked 2 kms to Agni lingam and from there to the Yema lingam. This completed the first 4 kms from arunachala temple and was a difficult stretch to walk barefoot. The metal road from here is a newly laid one with an excellent side walk, tiled fully and stretches to about 7 kms, wherein the following other lingams in the girivalam are seen - in order - Nrithi lingam, varuna lingam, vayu lingam, surya lingam, chandra lingam, kubera lingam and Esanya lingam. Between Kubera lingam and esanya lingam temples, the Idukku pillaiyar temple is situated. You can see on the girivalam path itself, the Ramanshramam, Seshadri swamigals adhistanam, Ramalinga swamigal jyothi nilayam, Raghavendra mutt etc., then again another 3 kms stretch on the roads of the town, to complete the valam and to reach the Rajagopuram of Arunachaleswarar temple, thus completing the walk of 14 kms. An able bodied youth can cover the entire distance between 31/2 and 4 hours duly having darshan along the way all the lingams and the temples of Neerannamalai, Veeraanjaneyar, Murugan and Idukku pillaiyar.
I was able to cover the first 4 kms in 1hr and 40 min duly having darshan at Indra, agni and yema lingams. However small pebbles and stones injured the barefoot and thus my speed got reduced as I covered the next 6 kms in 3 hr and 20 min duly resting at intervals, having darshan at Nrithi lingam, vayu lingam, varuna lingam, surya lingam and chandra lingam and also the temples of Nerannamalai, Veera anjaneyar and Murugan and also having prasadams offered in the early morning poojas at two of the temples. Thus I started at 5 AM in the morning and finished darshan at Chandra lingam temple at 10 AM and further I had to cover Kubera and Esanya lingams and the stretch of 3 kms further. As I was finding it difficult to walk further with barefoot, I engaged an auto from here and had darshan at Kubera and Esanya lingam temples and also Idukku Pillaiyar temple. I reached the main Rajagopuram at 10.40 hours and joined the queue with entrance fee of Rs.50/- and had darshan of Arunachaleswarar and Unnamulai amman and came out of the temple at 12.55 hrs. Again went to Ramanashramam, but the library opens at 2 pm only and thus returned back to the hotel and then proceeded to Tiruchirapalli by road. There is a free darshan and also a darshan with Rs.20/- entrance fee in this temple. The temple timings are: Morning 5:00 amTemple Opening Time 5:30 am Gomatha Pooja 6:00 am Oudshakala Pooja 8:30 am Early Sathi Pooja
Noon
11:00 amMidnoon Pooja 12:30 pmTemple Closing Time 3:30 pmTemple Opening Time 6:00 pm Sayaratchai pooja
Night
7:30 pm 2nd Kala Pooja 9:00 pm Arthajama Pooja 9:30 pm Temple Closing Time
The photographs have been taken from cellphone camera.
I went to Tiruvaiyaru on 24 7 2013 before returning to Bangalore.
Suddhananda Bharati was a poet, thinker, writer, yogi and nationalist. He was born on 11th May 1897 to an educated, devout and affluent Telugu Brahmin family who lived in Tamil Nadu. His father Jatadhara Iyer was a lawyer and his mother Kamakshi also came from a well-to-do and well-educated family. His parents named him Venkata Subrahmaniam.
Suddhananda was drawn to spirituality and devotion from an
early age. His maternal great-uncle Purnanandha taught him yoga. It is said that
his gift for poetry and words was a blessing he received when he was eight
years old. After meditation at the Chidambaram temple, he is said to have
spontaneously burst in song. That song was ‘Eppadi Padinaro’. This was a start
of a long literary career.
A yogi, bhakta, composer, scholar, and freedom fighter, he composed narrative
poems and kritis in Tamil that were impassioned and sincere. His stature was
great yet he praised composers and those before him while he fought for India's
freedom and peace. He said, "May the curse of separatism abate. May our
thoughts be lofty, our moral high and may truth prevail everlastingly". The
Yogi wrote several hundred works in English, French, Tamil, Hindi, Telugu and
Sanskrit; five thousand songs, and fifteen hundred poems in French. The magnum
opus of the man conscious of the presence of God in him, Bharata
Shakti, (in 50,000 verses) described his ideal: only One Humanity
living in communion with only One God in a transformed world! Bharata
Shakti is a monumental and unique work. The Yogi depicts the essence
of all the religions, of all the prophets and saints, all the approaches of
Yoga and all the cultures on an allegorical fabric. It is a book for any age
which all spiritual researchers and all nations should read and meditate on. His mantra, “Aum Shuddha
Shakthi Aum” nourishes our soles and guides our steps toward the inner joy
Ananda.The light of Grace and power of
the pure Supreme Almighty bless us of peace, happiness and prosperity! He is also the creator and founder of Sama Yoga (Sama Yoga is a fusion of all the old techniques of Yoga for a healthy and natural harmonization of the body and spirit). Even when he was 90 years old, when asked what was your age, he replied "Courage".
Veda Sadhanam,
the voice of ancient sages has been compiled and translated with notes by Kavi
Yogi Suddhananda Bharati.Ramana Vijayam is a book of lifes and teachings of Bhagvan Sree Ramana Maharishi in poetic words of Suddhanandha Bharathi. Smt. D. K. Pattammal popularised his song "Eppadi Padinaro" by singing in all her concerts.
His book "Experiences of a Pilgrim Soul" was a masterpiece and true from a yogi of his calbre. He said on visiting the samadhi of Thiagaraja, that the Saint was in direct communication with his "Ishta-Devatha Lord Rama. He had intimate association with the Tamil Scholar and veteran freedom fighter V V S Iyer and also with S. Srinivasa Iyengar and S. Sathyamurthy.
In Aurobindho Ashram he took a vow of silence and maintained it for 20 years and he wrote many of his work during this time. When he broke his silence, he travelled across the country giving discourses.
His mantra, “Aum Shuddha
Shakthi Aum” nourishes our soles and guides our steps toward the inner joy
Ananda. The light of Grace and power of
the pure Supreme Almighty bless us of peace, happiness and prosperity! He propogated Sama Yoga, the yoga of equality. He believed it is the synthesis of Yoga and Science which will take mankind ahead. He established yoga centres and a school in Sholapuram, where he lived finally and passed away on 7th March 1990. A prolific writer, there were many works of him published. He was given Honorary Doctor award by the Tamil University at Thanjavur in the year 1984. The title Suddhananda was given to him by his friend Jnana Siddha. The Sankaracharya of Sringeri conferred on him the title of Maharishi and also gave the name of Kavi Yogi Bharati Sivananda. Some of his works are: Experiences of a pilgrim soul Yoga siddhi Keerthananjali Melaraagamaalai Soviet Geethanjali Sree Aurabindo yoga deepigai Perinbam Gnani Emerson Bharatha Sakthi Maha Kaviyam Dhyaana Saadhanam Edited on 4th January 2016 with addition on veda sadhanam and his mantra. Edited on 18th September 2016 with additional information of his works and titles.
