विष्णु के दस अवतार?”

एक माँ अपने पूजा-पाठ से फुर्सत पाकर अपने विदेश में रहने वाले बेटे से विडियो चैट करते वक्त पूछ बैठी-

"बेटा! कुछ पूजा-पाठ भी करते हो या नहीं?"

बेटा बोला-

"माँ, मैं एक जीव वैज्ञानिक हूँ। मैं अमेरिका में मानव के विकास पर काम कर रहा हूँ। विकास का सिद्धांत, चार्ल्स डार्विन.. क्या आपने उसके बारे में सुना भी है?"

उसकी माँ मुस्कुराई और बोली.....

"मैं डार्विन के बारे में जानती हूँ बेटा.. उसने जो भी खोज की, वह वास्तव में सनातन-धर्म के लिए बहुत पुरानी खबर है।"

“हो सकता है माँ!” बेटे ने भी व्यंग्यपूर्वक कहा।

“यदि तुम कुछ समझदार हो, तो इसे सुनो..” उसकी माँ ने प्रतिकार किया। “क्या तुमने दशावतार के बारे में सुना है?

विष्णु के दस अवतार?”

बेटे ने सहमति में कहा...

"हाँ! पर दशावतार का मेरी रिसर्च से क्या लेना-देना?"

माँ फिर बोली-

"लेना-देना है.. मैं तुम्हें बताती हूँ कि तुम और मि. डार्विन क्या नहीं जानते हो ?"

“पहला अवतार था 'मत्स्य', यानि मछली। ऐसा इसलिए कि जीवन पानी में आरम्भ हुआ। यह बात सही है या नहीं?”

बेटा अब ध्यानपूर्वक सुनने लगा..

“उसके बाद आया दूसरा अवतार 'कूर्म', अर्थात् कछुआ। क्योंकि जीवन पानी से जमीन की ओर चला गया.. 'उभयचर (Amphibian)', तो कछुए ने समुद्र से जमीन की ओर के विकास को दर्शाया।”

“तीसरा था 'वराह' अवतार, यानी सूअर। जिसका मतलब वे जंगली जानवर, जिनमें अधिक बुद्धि नहीं होती है। तुम उन्हें डायनासोर कहते हो।”

बेटे ने आंखें फैलाते हुए सहमति जताई..

“चौथा अवतार था 'नृसिंह', आधा मानव, आधा पशु। जिसने दर्शाया जंगली जानवरों से बुद्धिमान जीवों का विकास।”

“पांचवें 'वामन' हुए, बौना जो वास्तव में लंबा बढ़ सकता था। क्या तुम जानते हो ऐसा क्यों है? क्योंकि मनुष्य दो प्रकार के होते थे- होमो इरेक्टस(नरवानर) और होमो सेपिअंस (मानव), और होमो सेपिअंस ने विकास की लड़ाई जीत ली।”

बेटा दशावतार की प्रासंगिकता सुन के स्तब्ध रह गया..

माँ ने बोलना जारी रखा-

“छठा अवतार था 'परशुराम', जिनके पास शस्त्र (कुल्हाड़ी) की ताकत थी। वे दर्शाते हैं उस मानव को, जो गुफा और वन में रहा.. गुस्सैल और असामाजिक।”

“सातवां अवतार थे 'मर्यादा पुरुषोत्तम श्रीराम', सोच युक्त प्रथम सामाजिक व्यक्ति। जिन्होंने समाज के नियम बनाए और समस्त रिश्तों का आधार।”

“आठवां अवतार थे 'भगवान श्री कृष्ण', राजनेता, राजनीतिज्ञ, प्रेमी। जिन्होंने समाज के नियमों का आनन्द लेते हुए यह सिखाया कि सामाजिक ढांचे में रहकर कैसे फला-फूला जा सकता है।”

बेटा सुनता रहा, चकित और विस्मित..

माँ ने ज्ञान की गंगा प्रवाहित रखी -

“नवां अवतार थे 'महात्मा बुद्ध', वे व्यक्ति जिन्होंने नृसिंह से उठे मानव के सही स्वभाव को खोजा। उन्होंने मानव द्वारा ज्ञान की अंतिम खोज की पहचान की।”

“..और अंत में दसवां अवतार 'कल्कि' आएगा। वह मानव जिस पर तुम काम कर रहे हो.. वह मानव, जो आनुवंशिक रूप से श्रेष्ठतम होगा।”

बेटा अपनी माँ को अवाक् होकर देखता रह गया..

अंत में वह बोल पड़ा-

“यह अद्भुत है माँ.. हिंदू दर्शन वास्तव में अर्थपूर्ण है!”

मित्रों..

वेद, पुराण, ग्रंथ, उपनिषद इत्यादि सब अर्थपूर्ण हैं। सिर्फ आपका देखने का नज़रिया होना चाहिए। फिर चाहे वह धार्मिक हो या वैज्ञानिकता...!

जय श्री राम

जय श्री कृष्ण

ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवय नमः

Professor: So, you believe in GOD ?

Student : Absolutely, Sir.

Professor : Is GOD good ?

Student : Sure.

Professor: Is GOD all powerful ?

Student : Yes.

Professor: My brother died of cancer even though he prayed to GOD to heal him. Most of us would attempt to help others who are ill. But GOD didn’t. How is this GOD good then? Hmm?

(Student was silent.)

Professor: You can’t answer, can you ? Let’s start again, young fella. Is GOD good?

Student : Yes.

Professor: Is satan good ?

Student : No.

Professor: Where does satan come from ?

Student : From … GOD …

Professor: That’s right. Tell me son, is there evil in this world?

Student : Yes.

Professor: Evil is everywhere, isn’t it ? And GOD did make everything. Correct?

Student : Yes.

Professor: So who created evil ?

(Student did not answer.)

Professor: Is there sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness? All these terrible things exist in the world, don’t they?

Student : Yes, Sir.

Professor: So, who created them ?

(Student had no answer.)

Professor: Science says you have 5 Senses you use to identify and observe the world around you. Tell me, son, have you ever seen GOD?

Student : No, Sir.

Professor: Tell us if you have ever heard your GOD?

Student : No, Sir.

Professor: Have you ever felt your GOD, tasted your GOD, smelt your GOD? Have you ever had any sensory perception of GOD for that matter?

Student : No, Sir. I’m afraid I haven’t.

Professor: Yet you still believe in Him?

Student : Yes.

Professor : According to Empirical, Testable, Demonstrable Protocol, Science says your GOD doesn’t exist. What do you say to that, son?

Student : Nothing. I only have my faith.

Professor: Yes, faith. And that is the problem Science has.

Student : Professor, is there such a thing as heat?

Professor: Yes.

Student : And is there such a thing as cold?

Professor: Yes.

Student : No, Sir. There isn’t.

(The lecture theatre became very quiet with this turn of events.)

Student : Sir, you can have lots of heat, even more heat, superheat, mega heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat. But we don’t have anything called cold. We can hit 458 degrees below zero which is no heat, but we can’t go any further after that. There is no such thing as cold. Cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of heat. We cannot measure cold. Heat is energy. Cold is not the opposite of heat, Sir, just the absence of it.

(There was pin-drop silence in the lecture theatre.)

Student : What about darkness, Professor? Is there such a thing as darkness?

Professor: Yes. What is night if there isn’t darkness?

Student : You’re wrong again, Sir. Darkness is the absence of something. You can have low light, normal light, bright light, flashing light. But if you have no light constantly, you have nothing and it’s called darkness, isn’t it? In reality, darkness isn’t. If it is, well you would be able to make darkness darker, wouldn’t you?

Professor: So what is the point you are making, young man ?

Student : Sir, my point is your philosophical premise is flawed.

Professor: Flawed ? Can you explain how?

Student : Sir, you are working on the premise of duality. You argue there is life and then there is death, a good GOD and a bad GOD. You are viewing the concept of GOD as something finite, something we can measure. Sir, Science can’t even explain a thought. It uses electricity and magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully understood either one. To view death as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing.

Death is not the opposite of life: just the absence of it. Now tell me, Professor, do you teach your students that they evolved from a monkey?

Professor: If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, yes, of course, I do.

Student : Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?

(The Professor shook his head with a smile, beginning to realize where the argument was going.)

Student : Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and cannot even prove that this process is an on-going endeavour. Are you not teaching your opinion, Sir? Are you not a scientist but a preacher?

(The class was in uproar.)

Student : Is there anyone in the class who has ever seen the Professor’s brain?

(The class broke out into laughter.)

Student : Is there anyone here who has ever heard the Professor’s brain, felt it, touched or smelt it? No one appears to have done so. So, according to the established Rules of Empirical, Stable, Demonstrable Protocol, Science says that you have no brain, Sir. With all due respect, sir, how do we then trust your lectures, Sir?

(The room was silent. The Professor stared at the student, his face unfathomable.)

Professor: I guess you’ll have to take them on faith, son.

Student : That is it Sir … Exactly ! The link between man & GOD is FAITH. That is all that keeps things alive and moving.

P.S.

I believe you have enjoyed the conversation. And if so, you’ll probably want your friends / colleagues to enjoy the same, won’t you?

Forward this to increase their knowledge … or FAITH.

By the way, that student was EINSTEIN.

Why do Hindus Worship Bell?

By Santanam swaminathan's

Yes, Hindus worship bells as well. You know the story of Manu Neethi Choza who followed Manu Dharma Shastra during his rule. When the palace bell was rung by the cow which lost its calf under the wheels of his son’s chariot he killed his own son in the same way under the wheels of the palace chariot (for details go to my earlier post).

Bell Worship is called Ghanta Puja (Ghanta is bell in Sanskrit). The sound that comes out of the sacred bell is called Jaya Dwani (Victorious Sound). This sound helps to drive away the demonic forces and brings in the auspicious and positive forces. This has a deeper and inner meaning as well. This will drive away the evil thoughts from us. The bell will ring from inside us giving us positive energy.

When the priest or the performer of puja puts some flowers on the bell and rings it loud he recites a Sanskrit mantra echoing this meaning –‘Agamanartham thu Devanam, Gamanartham thu Rakshasam’. This Ghanta Puja is done in the beginning of Goddess worship and other rituals.

Every Hindu temple has a bell big or small. As soon as the devotee enters he or she rings the bell. During the main Arti all the bells in the temple will be used. This big sound improves one’s concentration. It helps devotees to focus their attention on the finale i.e. the main Arti. Hindus consider bell sound as a good omen. If they hear bell sound while discussing something important, they take it as positive sign or a Big YES.

Hanging a bell in front of the palace so that people can represent their grievances easily, was a great Hindu invention. The Hindu Kings who ruled from Sukothai in Thailand also followed this custom. We read about such bells in the Stories of Vikramaditya and other literature. Nowadays people in distress send SOS messages (Save Our Souls) from air planes and ships. In those days they rang a bell.

Ancient Ships also carried such bells. They used to ring it for giving messages. I have written about the Tamil Bell recovered from a ship and kept in New Zealand Museum. London is the Head Quarters for the Ship insurance company Lloyds. They have installed a bell that was recovered from HMS Lutine ship lost in sea in 1799. After that time the Lutine Bell was used by Lloyds to signal the loss of a ship at sea. Every time a ship was lost it was rung. Nowadays it is used for ceremonial occasions. So the custom of ringing a bell during distress has spread to different parts of the world, probably from India. We have proof for this in Tamil and Sanskrit literature.

In Japan, bronze bells date back to 300 AD. They hang it at the entrance of Shinto shrines. In China people believed bells can fly. Christian churches used it to summon worshippers. Larger bells have been used in the monastery from sixth century. Bells were used in exorcism and in the rites of excommunication. Shakespeare knew this and used it in his King John (‘’bell .book and candle’’). Many cultures believed that the bell dispelled the demons.

The Human Body Compared to a Mansion

One little point needs to be stressed here. The body is like a mansion. No matter how wonderful a mansion may be, even if it be made of marble and set with jewels, no one will be able to live in that mansion unless it has a kitchen and a bathroom and a toilet. Because, whatever man takes in, part of its goes to form his mind, part of it goes to form his body, and the remaining waste has to be eliminated. And waste is always foul-smelling. The impurities of the body are always foul-smelling. In the outer mansion they have to have a toilet, they have to have a kitchen. If there be no kitchen, no one can live there. You may construct any type of palace, but if there is no food, no lunch, no breakfast, no afternoon tea—even for a day—no one will live there.

But then, when a kitchen is there, you have to provide drainage also. Kitchen means garbage, left-over food, vegetable cuttings, fruit peels and all that. If all this is kept, it will begin to rot and so you have to have a garbage disposal arrangement. You have to have drainage and sewerage. In the absence of all these arrangements, it will not be possible to live in that mansion. Likewise, in the human body, in this mansion of nine gates, in this Navadvara Kuti नवद्वार कुटि (nine gates), where you have an entrance way and windows for light and air and knowledge, for the sake of drainage and garbage disposal, God has provided two holes.

Their real importance is that of drainage. They are only drains. This is the only right understanding of the matter. No doubt, the occasional function of reproduction is there, but to over-exaggerate that aspect is foolish. It betrays a lack of knowledge. Because, from birth until death, day after day, thirty days in a month, and three hundred and sixty-five days in the year, the constant function that these exit gates have to fulfil is drainage. And the occasional function that they have to fulfil is in cooperating with Brahma, but that is only some rare occasional function and that also, only in a very short period of one’s life. In the first Ashrama आश्रम of Brahmacharya ब्रह्मचार्य, it has no place; in the third Ashrama आश्रम of Vanaprastha वानप्रस्थ, it has no place; and in the fourth Ashrama of Sannyasa संन्यास आश्रम, it has no place. Out of the whole life, it is only in one Ashrama आश्रम that that particular function of it is exercised. Otherwise, the main function of these outlets is only drainage of impurities.

If you change your Drishtikona दृष्टिकोण (Views/Thoughts) and understand the body in the right perspective, then a great deal of your problem will be solved. It is taking a wrong view and giving a wrong emphasis which makes one to get into all sorts of difficulties. Secondly, take a look at it from the Vedantic वेदांतिक point of view. The Adesha आदेश (Instructions) or Sandesha संदेश (Messages) of Vedanta वेदांता, the primary declaration of Vedanta वेदांता, is that you are not this body, but that you are the Ajara अजर (Living for ever) Amara अमर (without Death) Avinashi अविनाशी (Which cannot be destroyed) Atma आत्मा (Soul). Then, if you are not to identify yourself with your entire body, how can you identify yourself with one aspect of it? So, if your faith in Vedanta is Pucca पक्का (True, RIGID, and for sure), is firm and genuine, if you are true to your Vedanta वेदांता, then, you have your solution in your own hand.

THE SCIENCE BEHIND TEMPLE BELLS

Most of the old temples have large bells at the entrance of the temple and you need to ring them before you enter temple.

Temple bells have a scientific phenomena; it is not just your ordinary metal.

It is made of various metals including

• Cadmium,

• lead,

• Copper,

• Zinc,

• Nickel,

• Chromium and

• Mganese.

The proportion at which each one of them mixed is real science behind a bell.

Each of these bells is made to produce such a distinct sound that it can create unity of your left and right brain.

The moment you ring that bell, bell produces a sharp but lasting sound which lasts for minimum of seven 7 seconds in echo mode ... good enough to touch your seven healing centres or chakras in your body.

The moment d bell is sounded, your brain is emptied of all thoughts.

Invariably ou will enter the state where you are very receptive.

This Trans state is the one with awareness.

Your mind is so pre-occupied that the only way to awaken you is with a Shock!

Bell works as Anti-dote to your mind. Before you enter temple – to awake you and prepare you for taste of awareness is the real reason behind the tradition of ringing the temple bells.

Intimacy without Love

An individual has three layers: Body mind and soul. So whatever you do, you can do in three ways-from the body. From the mind, or from the soul. Any act of yours, can have three qualities.

• Sex is love through the body;

• Romantic love is sex through the mind; and

• Compassion is through the soul- the energy is the same. Moving in a deeper way, it’s quality changes, but energy is the same.

If you live your love life only through the body, it’s a poor love life, because you live superficially. Sex, just of the body, is not even sex-it’s become sexuality. It becomes pornographic, it become a little obscene, it become a little brutal, ugly, because it has no depth in it. Then it just a physical release of energy. Maybe it helps you to become a little less tense, but just to become a little more relaxed you are losing tremendously valuable energy.

If it can become love you will not be losing it. In the same act you will be gaining also.

On the physical level there is only loss- sex is simply a loss of energy. Sex is a safety value in the body: when the energy is too much and you don’t know what to do with it, you through it out. You feel relaxed, because you are emptied of energy. A sort of rest comes, because the restless energy is thrown out- but you are poorer than before, you are emptier than before.

Meaningless act-And again and again this will happen. Then your whole life will become just a routine of collecting energy by food, by breathing, by exercise, and then throwing it away. This looks absurd. First eat, breathe, exercise, create energy, and then you are worried what to do with it-then throw it. This is meaningless, absurd.

So sex becomes very soon meaningless. And a person who has known only sex of the body, and has not known the deeper dimension of Love, becomes mechanical. His sex is just a repetition of the same act again and again and again. A man who lives a life of physical sex lives and dies just doing one thing and all else is centred on that one thing. And it is futile, and it is not nourishing. Sex turns destructive. Unless it becomes Love, it has no creative energy in it.

It simply gives you a mechanical release. You can become too addictive to it. You don’t enjoy it then, but you will miss it. If you don’t go into it to will feel restless; if you go into it, there is nothing in it.

Unless sex starts becoming deeper and is transformed into love, there is no way. People have to go towards drugs, helplessly. Even if they are reluctant they will have to go, because the old drug of sex is finished. It is not finished because people lived only on the superficial level. They never penetrated its mystery.

At the most, people know something about what they call romantic love- that too is not love, it is repressed sex. When you don’t have the possibility of making a sexual contact, the repressed energy starts becomes romance. Then that repressed energy starts becoming cerebral, it starts moving into the head. When sex moves from the genitals towards the head, it becomes romance.

Pseudo Love- Romantic Love is not really Love, it is Pseudo. It is again the same sex, but the opportunity was not there. In the past ages, people lived in romantic love because sex was not so easy; society created so many obstacles. Sex was so difficult that people had to repress it. That repressed energy would start moving into their heads- would become poetry, painting and romance, and they would have dreams, beautiful dreams.

So Try to LOVE divine Like Meera, Radha, That is divine LOVE, for which you have taken Birth.