Holi

रंग भरी देखो होली आई ,
मस्तानों की टोली आई।
उड़ रहा है अबीर गुलाल।,
मस्तानी है सबकी चाल।

रंग भरी देखो होली आई ,
मस्तानों की टोली आई।

खुशियों की सौगात है यह लाई,
संग संग रंग खेलें सब भाई।
बापू संग ठिठोली करें हैं माई ,
और बीवी रंगे देवर भौजाई।
बच्चों ने जब पिचकारी चलाई ,
दादी संग नानी भी नहलाई।

सुखी है अपना जीवन भाई ,
रंग भरी देखो होली आई।

मन का चैन फिर भी रहा है काट ,
क्यों ना लें हम खुशियाँ बाँट।
काहे करें हम लड़ाई ,
जब देखो हैं होली आई।

खून होता सबका लाल ,
हरा पीला तो होता गुलाल।
क्यों रहते हो खुद को बाँट ?
खुशियों को लेते हो खुद ही काट।

रंग भरी देखो होली आई,
मस्तानों की टोली आई।

सदा साथ रहने की हैं हमने कसम खाई ,
भेदभाव होलिका सांड जलाई।
प्रेम कि हैं मिठाई खाई ,
आओ नाचें हम सब भाई,
एकता की दें दुहाई,

क्यों की
रंग भरी देखो होली आई,
मस्तानों कि टोली आई।

What happened to us – Contd.

Sequels are in fashion. Why should I be left behind? So, here is my sequel -

In my previous blog – “What happened to us?” I touched upon the topic of relationship between couples. We saw the two extremes and hence can understand the shifting balances to find the perfect equilibria. Also I did state that we have somehow deduced that anything attached to female is inferior. There are many stories to that which have been concocted in multiple ways to suit our own progenical ideas. One of the most popular one being the sharing of Indra’s guilt for killing Viswaroopa – the teacher of the gods. Indra being the king of the gods needed someone to share his sin and absolve himself of the same. He then shared his sin with the earth, ocean, trees and women. The earth has seizures – volcanic eruptions as a result of the sin. The ocean produces foam / froth. The trees excrete gum. And the women have their menstrual cycle as a result of this sin. At the same time all four were given enormous boons to help Indra absolve himself.

While this story has been concocted in a way to show the impurities in women or how they were considered inferior and hence were asked to share the sin, the reality is that they saved the gods, asuras and humans from the wrath. Also, sharing can only be done amongst the equals. The pain can only be shared by the one who can bear it. These realities though bring out the real mettle of women are often ignored by our story tellers.

Now that we established a lowly race called females, we started viewing anything and everything attached to them as lowly as well. Be it relationship, association or even household chores. We saw two extreme women in relationships – Gauri and Kali. Knowing the patriarchial society we all live in, we want women to be Gauri and not Kali. We want to domesticate them. The concept of boundary – created by Laksmana in Ramayana for a very different cause – has been recreated many a times. In fact in some glorious terms, the woman is given the home as her region and is called as a master of it. The male is allowed the region outside of home while the woman is barred on the pretext of safety. However, going by the principle of the inherent inequality between the genders, the home and any associated work is considered inferior.

In many women empowerment talks, the orientation is towards helping women cross the chasm of the home to the outside world. No one talks of the male crossing the same chasm towards the home? Who would handle the household?

The house is the center of the mankind – life, recreation, reproduction everything. The house is where the human worships the God, realizes himself, understands the purpose of life and helps propagate the life through various channels. At the heart of the house is the kitchen, where the fire or Agni is produced for food, annihilation of impurities and procreation of energy to keep the household growing.

Due to the constant struggle to gain equilibrium of gender, we see the household getting affected. Women want to be equal to Men. They want to work and get equal rights and equal freedom. Men however, do not want to lose their position and hence do not want to take care of the work that women did so far. And finally to avoid the discussion and maintain peace, the maid is invented and invited into the household. Almost all the functions have been outsourced in various forms. Not realizing that the core of household lies in the invocation of Agni in the home and in ourselves.

When we say that god lives in all of us, all men and women are equal since they all have the same god in them. It’s our interpretation that makes the difference. Man and Woman are not different. Our Hindu scriptures always depict the God to be “Ardha-Narishwar” – having features of both the genders. In one of the stories, sage Bhringi – a great Shiva devotee wanted to go around Shiva. Shakti (or Gaui or Parvati or Sati) told him to go around both Shiva and heself. But Bhringi did not recognize her. Still to help his task complete, Shakti fused herself with Shiva. However, ignorant Bhringi gnawed his way through the fused Shiva and Shakti to go around Shiva only. Angered at his act, Shakti cursed him to lose all the elements he received from his mother. Instantly, he lost all the flesh and blood. Left as a bag of tough and rigid body parts – nerves and bones he collapsed on floor.

To strike a balance, harmonization of minds is required. Instead of harping on rights, we need to understand the duties of oneself and fulfil those. Peace and happiness will come to all, but the journey begins from oneself.

Khalnaayak Ki Khoj - Search for the villain

श्रीमान नायक कहते हैं 
नया है जमाना ,
बेटे और बेटी में फर्क बतलाना। 
बेटी को खूब पढ़ाएंगे ,
पांचवी कक्षा में ही शादी करवायेंगे । 
बहू नहीं बेटी चाहिए ,
साथ में ट्रक भर दहेज़ चाहिए। 
पश्चिम में फ़ैल रहा व्याभिचार ,
और खुद रखते पत्नी चार। 
आधुनिकता है अनैतिकता का प्रचार ,
दूसरे के कपड़ों में झांकते हैं, ढूंढ मौके हजार। 
स्वयं हैं समाज सुधारक ,
और कार्य हैं हृदय विदारक। 
स्वयं हैं महाज्ञानी ,
तानों के सिवाय कुछ भी देना हैं बेमानी। 
देने का हाथ तो है एक,
और बटोरने के अनेक। 
बड़ों का करते हैं बहुत आदर,
सोचते हैं मरें तो काटें पाप के गागर। 
प्रेम है ईश्वर का वरदान,
और प्रेमियों का मिलन है विषपान। 
हम हैं बहुत ज्ञानी,
यह धन माया तो है एक दिन आनी जानी, 
इसे जोड़ कर क्या करोगे ?
मेरे पास छोड़ कर सुखी रहोगे। 
लूटपाट है धर्म इनका,
हिंसा ही है मंत्र इनका। 
मेरे तरकस में हैं अनेकों तीर ,
एक से मरे ख्वाज़ा, एक से मरे पीर। 
एकछत्र राज जो चलना है,
सर्वत्र अपना ही धर्म फैलाना है। 

सूत्रधार / खलनायक के विचार - 

अब तो कहते हैं हम तुमसे यही नितिन,

करना बस यही जतन प्रतिदिन,

बनना हो तो रावण बनना, कंस बनना,

पर इस मानव तन में पसु मत बनना। 

चेहरे पर मुखौटा मत रखना,

जो करना हो वही कहना। 

इस कविता का शीर्षक नायकों कि भीड़ में कहीं गम हो गया,

एक बार फिर नायक खलनायक से जीत गया। 

नायक करता भी रहा और कहता भी रहा,

और मैं इस अंतहीन जनसमूह में कर्मिष्ठ खलनायक ढूँढता रहा। 

What happened to us?

We just celebrated the international Women’s Day on March 8^th. A great day dedicated to women and thanking them for the society we are in. while exchanging messages from different contacts and relaying them to my wife, I was reminded of the season 1 episode 1 of “Satyamev Jayate” program which was aired on May 6^th, 2012. Anchored and and beautifully tackled by Amir Khan, the show focused on the topic of “Female Foeticide”. Looking back at the statistics recorded in the 2011 census in India, the rate shows killing of about a million girls a year. Considering the demographies, it is noted that the rate of female foeticide is higher in both literate and as well as illiterate communities. Even affluent communities have shown this mortal sin at skyrocketing rates. In another disturbing news, a few weeks ago, a high ranking official stabbed his wife suspecting her of infidelity. Rapes have become a regular feature.

Even while we consider the rest of the crimes (molestation, eve teasing, groping etc.) committed against women to be insignificant, this is quite alarming. However, given our state, the crimes are rising just like Sursa’s mouth.

The Indian society – predominated by the Hindu philosophy of living has always worshipped women as a Godess, a mother, a sister, a wife and a daughter. There are countless examples of learned and even warrior females in the Hindu scriptures.

The question arises as to why have we degenerated ourselves into the unfathomable society that we are in today?

In my view, the issue lies in within us and in our interpretation of our habituated truths! Whether it’s us or our children, our thoughts emanate from our values. Our values come from our beliefs. And our beliefs come from what we see, what we hear and what we practice. Like it or not, we have created this myth that the woman is inferior to man – check it out yourself – a man chooses his bride and can reject anyone without having to give an explanation. We have considered that a male is positive while the female is negative. A person born with a female body is considered to be a burden as compared to a male body. We have started a comparison amongst the two than understanding the differences and the abilities of the two. The scriptures celebrate both – male and female – saying that they are inseparable and the two together only can help you understand the nature.

In the past when there were news articles about the disgrace brought upon women, certain intellectuals deftly shifted the responsibility. Looking back at our fundamentals was missed out by many. Our scriptures, tell us stories about

• Bhudevi who runs as a cow to escape the wrath of gods, humans and asuras but is comfortably sitting beside Vishnu upon assurance of her well-being
• Lakshmi who runs away from Indra who desires her but is calmly sitting with Vishnu who just loves her without desire.
• Parvati who loves, adores Shiva even when he is mendicant and unattached to everything
• Kali who rises above Shiva and drinks blood

What we see are two very extreme portraits of a woman and her relationship with a man. In my understanding, the society is struggling hard to find the balance between the two extremes. And since we do not understand a true balance, we often allude to it being nonexistent and commit heinous crimes towards each other.

The importance for the society is to realize the difference and acknowledge it. Just as we acknowledge the different creations of nature, we need to acknowledge the man and the woman. After all, it’s only the difference of physical appearance. Spiritually we are the same. Once we can appreciate the differences and allow for both the forms to coexist and move forward will we be able to create a better society for all. Not only this applies to the crimes committed towards other women or children, but also in our married lives.

The six pointed star

A six pointed star holds a great significance in various culture and religions.

Referred to as the “Star of David”, it represents the identity of the Jews. Christians revere the star as the Star of Creation and each point denoting the day of creation. Muslims also consider the star an important symbol. It represents the “Seal of Solomon”. Quran says that David and King Solomon were prophets and kings and hence their symbols are revered too.

Figure 1: The Star of David	Figure 2: The star on Pope's crown
Figure 3: Hexagonal structure in the Qutab complex - Islamic Architecture	Figure 4: Use of the star in Humayun's Tomb

The Mormons or the Latter-Day Saints symbolize the star as the union of God and the man – the downward triangle representing the descent of god from heavens upon mankind and the upward triangle represents the man rising up to god through his deeds. And I bet all the symbol enthusiasts must have been waiting to hear about the free masonry and the star! Well, yes the star is interpreted as two interlacing triangles or union of two principles or forces prevailing in the universe. And the star is an important symbol in occult practices. It is considered both as a talisman and for conjuring spirits.

Even our Hindu scriptures are not unaware of the star. The star is used to represent the union of spirituality with materialism. The upward triangle shows the spiritual ascent and the downward triangle represents the material binding which keeps humans a part of the nature. These triangles also represent the union of the male and the female creations of the nature. The male form is suggested to be able to focus itself on the spiritual ascension while the female form is capable of creating the life within itself and hence represents the growth of materialism. While one argues that one form is superior over the other, the knowledge lies in the union of the forms and the balance provided by them. The growth in one dimension requires a balance from the other to offer stability. Remember the “tilak” on the forehead of Sri Venkateswara or Sri Vishnu? Notice that the tilak has three lines – a cup like figure made of two white lines joined together and an ascending redline in the middle bounded by the cup or the joint white lines. The red line represents the spirituality and the white lines represent the material nature. The cup or the chalice thus formed, gives the much needed balance to the spiritual growth of a man.

Figure 5: The star in Hinduism

Figure 6: Sri Venkateswara's Tilak

Indradhanush

इंद्रधनुष की छटा निराली ,

कभी लालिमा तो कभी हरियाली ,

जीवन की भी रीत ऐसी ,

कभी आँसू तो कभी बातें सुहासी। 

धनुष है सन्देश प्रेम का 

धरती से आकाश के मिलन का ,

और जीवन 

स्वयं ईश्वर से मानव का। 

फूल खिल उठते हैं ,

पक्षी सुरीले गीत गाते हैं ,

बरखा और सूरज मिल कर नाचते हैं ,

जब इंद्रधनुष के दर्शन होते हैं। 

और यहाँ गोली चलती है ,

छुरी भोंकी जाती हैं ,

उसी जीवन को ख़त्म करने के लिए ,

जो ईश्वर से हमें मिलता है। 

इंद्रधनुष के रंग कई ,

पर सब रंग दिखें साथ। 

मानव के भी रूप कई ,

पर हम रहे खुद को बाँट। 

माँ के लिए 

सब बच्चे होते समान ,

फिर प्रकृति की गोद में ,

हम करों बनें असमान। 

My work published on an hindi portal in 2001 - http://www.anubhuti-hindi.org/nayihawa/n/nitinrastogi/indradhanush.htm

Who is a Brahmin?

Few days ago, friends and I got into a discussion – a discussion that I just try to avoid at all costs – the Varna system. I try to evade the topic as much I can, because it has been blown up out of proportions already. It has become such a political hot potato that not only everyone wants to get it off their plate, but also want to add spices to be able to eat it. Hence, in a nutshell, everyone hates this topic, but would like to keep the debate to make whatever gains they can. Who am I to fight the world? Here we go again!

Varna or caste system started with the Hinduism, but has been exploited by many. The earliest examples of the caste system may be many but the few notable ones are – Kevata and Shabri in Ramayan, Karna and Eklavya in Mahabharata. Not only the Shudra’s or Brahmins talk about it, but even Arjuna and Krishna spoke of the caste system at length in Geeta.

चातुर्वर्णयं मया सृष्टं गुणकर्मविभागशः ।

तस्य कर्तारमपि मां विद्ध्यर्कतारमव्ययम् ।। ४\-१३

Sri Krishna tells Arjun that he is the creator of the four “varna” or groups divided through the qualities or the “gunas”. Krishna explains to Arjun that he created the four classifiers to classify the humans based on the actions they perform. And guess what, the actions they perform define the degree of presence of the “guna” in them. He also explains to Arjun, that any action performed with the expectation of the fruits, lowers the value of the action itself. Thereby reducing the action and moving away from the path of salvation – the ultimate truth!

Viewing this whole idea in a 2*2 matrix, it would look like -

In the Mahabharata, rishi Bharadwaja asks rishi Bhrigu about the classification of the humans, and is told that there was only one class of humans as created by Brahma the creator. However, the actions and the intentions of the humans got them distinguished into the classes of their own.

एकवर्णम इदम पूर्व विश्वम आसिद युधिश्ठिर

कर्मक्रियाविशेसेन चतुर्वर्ण्यम प्रतिश्ठितम

It is even said that whether it’s the Brahmins or the shudra, all of them are blood brothers and it is very difficult to determine the caste of a person by birth as men can get offsprings from all sort of women.

अन्त्यजो विप्रजातिश च एक एव सहोदरः

एकयोनिप्रसूतस् च एकसाखेन जायते

So what’s the definition of a Brahmin?

Per rishi Bharadwaj, all humans were created by Brahma as Brahmans. Those who took the path of Passion, Indulgence, Pleasures, Desires, Courage and attributes of severity and wrath were known as Kshatriyas. Those who still had passion and goodness but chose to professions of agriculture and cattle rearing became Vaisyas. And those who chose to completely ignore their duties of Brahmin and adopt the path of Darkness under the influence of untruth, cupidity, injuring others and ready to do any kind of jobs were known as Shudra.

But the question remains – Who is a Brahmin?

In my understanding (Thanks to Dr Devdutta Pattnaik), Brahmin comes from two sanskrit words – Brah and Manas. While Manas means mind, Brah means expansion. Therefore anyone capable of expanding their mind to understand the acts of God and impact of their own actions is a Brahmin. This is the reason, Brahmins were chosen to be the learned and be the teachers.