Human Dignity

केचित् शोचंति धनात् मनुष्यगौरव:
केचित् पदात् प्रतिष्ठात् वा विद्यात्  |
सर्वे हृदये यः सन्निविष्ठः
स योगेश्वरः एव मनुष्यस्य गौरवः    ||

Kechit shochanti dhanaat manushya-gaurava-ha
Kechit padaat pratishThaat vaa vidyaat
Sarve hridaye ya-ha sanniviShTha-ha
Sa Yogeshwara-ha eva manushyasya gaurava-ha

Meaning: Some (kechit) think that man has value by virtue of wealth (dhana). Some think, man has value due to (high) position (pada), fame (pratishThaa) or education (vidyaa). But the Cosmic Power (Yogeshwar), residing in the heart (hrudaye) of every being (sarve), is indeed the one that bestows true dignity (gaurava) to mankind (manushya).

I wrote my thoughts on this shloka in 2010 on October 19^th. That day is very special—it is Human Dignity Day; also called as Manushya Gaurav Din in Indian languages. This is one festival that should be celebrated by each and every human being no matter what his religion, caste, creed, sect or nationality. It is for all humans.

Humans are always valued by society based on their adjectives, possessions or associations. I would be important if I have a lot of money. I would be valued if I hold an important position in some organization or a position of power. I would be important if I am famous (or even infamous these days) due to sports, arts or whatever other reason. I would be important if I am highly educated at Ivy League universities or the like, or if I am extra-ordinarily intelligent or skilled. I am important even if I am related to someone important.
 
People falling in all the above categories are but a small percentage of society. So what about the vast majority who have nothing to cling on for feeling important? What about their dignity? Doesn't every human have a right to feel important about himself or herself? But what external attribute or adjective would make them important if they have none? And do they need one to have their dignity? Even these external possessions, attributes and associations are not very long-lasting. What after they are gone? In this world of human-rights, has any one thought about this most fundamental human-right?

This matter was exactly and perfectly addressed by our ancient scriptures. The Upanishads proclaimed Tat tvam asi—That Thou art. The Bhagwad Geeta sang the song of Mamai vaansho—you are a part of Me. Even the Bible says, "It is not ye that speaketh but the Father within you". Bayazid from Bistun says, 'I went from God to God, until they cried from me to me, "O thou I"'. Yet another saying, "I live, yet not I, but Christ in me". Plotinus says, "Each being contains in itself the whole intelligible world." The Theologica Germanica states, "Goodness needeth not enter into the soul, for it is there already, only it is unperceived." Even my favorite Morpheus says, "you are The One". Every true philosophy across the world speaks the same language—that of the perennial philosophy. And that philosophy is Indwelling God.

I am important not because I have something, but because I am something. I am a part of that Supreme Power which governs the entire universe. What association could be more important than that of Yogeshwar? Yogeshwar is not the name of a God or a deity, but it represents the Cosmic Self that pervades the entire universe—the omnipotent, omniscient & the omnipresent power! Call it by whatever name that makes you love Him, Yogeshwar is that Divinity which bestows dignity to all beings just by being. I am, therefore I am important. I have the Lord with me, within me, and therefore I am second to nobody. And nobody else is second to me, because the other also is equally endowed.

This would seem like a great philosophy on paper but the reason we are celebrating Human Dignity Day is because this eternal philosophy has been brought down from the heavans & dusty old books into the lives of millions of people. There are hundreds and thousands of people ranging from the affluent to the penniless who have been empowered by this singular powerful thought—that God is within me & working with me. This silent revolution has been brought about by noted philosopher-scientist, Revered Pandurang Shastri Athawale, who is popularly called by his millions of divine brothers & sisters as Dadaji (elder brother). Tat tvam asi is a living, breathing & thriving philosophy, thanks to Revered Dadaji. Through his untiring efforts spanning his entire lifetime, Dadaji has brought about a change which the philosophers, thinkers & leaders of the world can only imagine & fantasize. Through his various experiments, Dadaji has given concrete working answers to all problems of individual and society, posed by the great thinkers of the ancient, medieval as well as the modern world. He did not just speak; he created a society which is empowered from within, not without—a society which does not need adjectives or possessions to be! A colorful, thriving, proliferating world called the Swadhyay Parivar, which is knocking every door, reaching out to every son of God to color him with His color.

We, in our elite little cocoons of the "developed" & "civilized" world, may not even know about this, but millions of people, and thousands of villages & towns across the world, are celebrating October 19^th every year as Human Dignity Day because it is that historic day when Revered Dadaji was born. Human Dignity or Manushya Gaurav was actualized and implemented by this great personality.

My salute to this magnanimous, awe-inspiring, colossal son of God who is amongst His most beloved. On this pious day, I send my best wishes to every one of you on your journey to the realization of your own Human Dignity.

Identifyin​g Strengths

दुर्बलस्य बलं राजा बालानां रोदनं बलम् |
बलं मूर्खस्य मौनित्वं चौराणाम् अनृतम् बलम् ||

Durbalasya balam raajaa baalaanaam rodanam balam
Balam moorkhasya maunitvam chauraaNaam anrutam balam

Meaning: The strength (bala) of the weak (durbala) is the King. Crying (rodanam) is the strength of a small child (baala). Keeping mum (mauna) is the strength of a fool (moorkha). Telling lies (anrutam) is the strength of a thief (chor). (Let's identify our strengths).

In this shloka, the poet says that every person has some or the other innate strength. It is usually not the same in everyone but we all have our unique strengths; for e.g. a child can get anything done just by crying. The weak and helpless have the King or the government as their strength (who is supposed to help & protect them). A foolish person rather keep quiet, than speak and display his foolishness—thus his strength is silence. And the strength of a thief is telling lies. A thief can not do his work successfully if he can not convincingly lie.

We usually divide people into successful and unsuccessful. The successful have either a monetary inheritance, a high level of intelligence, a daring spirit or some special quality or just plain luck due to which they became successful... or so we think. Whereas the unsuccessful are usually thought of as not having any particular quality or strength, due to which they remained in lower rungs of economic or social levels. But this analysis is faulty and inappropriate. Every person has some strength or the other but it might not have been identified. I might just not know what is special about me. I might have misjudged my strengths and therefore ventured into areas unsuitable to my personality & character. This happens very often in childhood. The aptitude and potential strengths of a child are most commonly mis-identified; or sometimes they are even over-ruled by what his parents think of him, or want him to be. That ruins the entire life of that little child.

At any stage of life, we should constantly try to identify our strengths & our virtues. We should always try to find out what's special about us; and we should feel happy about our discoveries. This is very important because if we don't, then we devalue our precious selves on the parameters of societal life & its various facets. If I am good at singing or painting or pottery, or remembering phone numbers or even playing with kids or whatever little quality we can think of—they might not have economic values; but that is my strength, and I can use it for constructive work. I can exploit it to become a happy man. There is no man on this earth who doesn't have special qualities, and there are no qualities which are useless or worthless.

I am special because I am the son of God; and my Father will not deny me His inheritance. We need to have this thought instilled & affixed on our minds. The nature of the inheritance may be different from child to child, but everyone has been given some or the other gift. My task is to identify my gift correctly and make the best possible use thereof to enhance my journey of life. Let us identify our strengths, gather them and proliferate them multi-fold so to defeat the demons residing in self and society. That is the best way to bring happiness and growth in our lives, as an individual and as a society!

Pleasant Speech

प्रियवाक्यप्रदानेन सर्वे तुष्यन्ति जन्तवः
तस्मात्तदेव वक्तव्यं वचने का दरिद्रता

Priya-vaakya-pradaanena sarve tuShyanti jantava-ha
Tasmaat-tadeva vaktavyam vachane kaa daridrataa

Meaning: All beings are happy (tushyanti) when spoken pleasant words (priya-vaakya) to. Hence speak only thus. Is there a scarcity (daridrataa) for good words (vachane)?

This is a universal truth. We all feel happy when nicely spoken to. The subhaashitkaar is urging us to speak only good words, nice words, uplifting & encouraging words, since speaking good words doesn't make us poorer. Do we lose anything by speaking good? Does our wealth decrease? Does our 'anything' decrease? No. In fact, our happiness increases, and so does the other person's. Speaking good makes us innately happier, though it is very difficult. It is not in human nature to speak good. We are most miserly when it comes to appreciating someone, even though it doesn't cost us even a dime. And our default nature is always to speak ill, which causes more harm than the temporary satisfaction we get at that time. In fact, we are pretty generous in this case. It is so easy, so instinctive to speak ill, whereas it is so strenuous and burdensome to speak good to someone, about someone. And by this, I mean, honestly speaking good, not just lip service. Actually, it is difficult even to falsely speak good.

It is worth trying an experiment, and more so with our own family or near ones—How many times do we explicitly appreciate something done for us by somebody? How many times do we verbally admire or applaud a good quality seen in someone? And conversely, how many times do we harshly point out faults, short-comings, lack of skills, expectations not fulfilled by someone etc etc? How many times do we point out things not done, wrongly done, or improperly done? —It is worth observing our own selves and I am sure we will be ashamed of ourselves. If you really want to hate yourself, then write down each and every instance, good & bad, and see the ratio. I wouldn't show mine to any of you.

Speaking ill kills a man. Constant criticism and negativity have such a strong impact that people lose their self-worth. That is almost akin to the sin of killing physically. (remember Taare Zameen Par). Even Lord Krishna asserts the same while telling Arjun to bad-mouth Yudhisthir (instead of killing him) during the Mahabharat war, so as to fulfill his vow of killing anyone who insults his Gandiva.

Whereas good words push a man to become good, even though he is not worth or deserving. It places a positive demand on him to become what people think of him. Good words push us to become what we are not, to become what we are capable of. This is what suggestive hypnotism is all about. It tells us the importance of speech or vaaNi. We Indians consider speech as Maa Saraswati. Speech is godly & divine because it has the power to change people. And we have this gift—each one of us. All we need is to use it more emphatically & more resonantly.

Cheers!

Reading People

आचारः कुलमाख्याति देशमाख्याति भाषणम्
सम्भ्रमः स्नेहमाख्याति वपुराख्याति भोजनम्
- चाणक्य नीति

Aachaara-ha kulam-aakhyaati desham-aakhyaati bhaaShaNam
Sambhrama-ha sneham-aakhyaati vapuraakhyaati bhojanam

Meaning: (One's) conduct (aachara) speaks about his family or ancestry (kula); speech (bhaaShaNa) reveals his land (desha); excitement communicates affection (sneha); physical form proclaims food traits.

This shloka teaches us how to read different aspects of people around us, and even our own selves. Let's start from the food part. The shape of our body is the best indicator of our food habits. The rounder we are...   :-)

Excitement, exhilaration and enthusiasm in someone's body language show that you are very affectionate to them, while a withdrawn, reserved behavior usually portrays the opposite. When we like someone, it just shows! And that, I think, is the best way to create a bonding relationship with anyone—just like them genuinely. No front-smile and back-bite ! The words we speak do not matter too much, but genuine love within, always speaks more for us.

Our speech gives away our native lands. In India, and around the world, each region has its own dialect. A person speaking Marathi or Gujarati will not only be identified to Maharashtra or Gujarat, but also to the particular town or region within those states. Same with different parts of the world! English as spoken in America is different from Britain or Australia.

And our conduct reveals a lot about our lineage, our ancestry. Perhaps the most important of all—what we do and how we do, are indicators to our lineage. Society makes judgments about our ancestors and our parents based on their observation of our behavior. Each dynasty, each clan, each kula, each family lineage stood for some values. This was in olden days, which now exists only in a fractured form. People of a certain family adhered to a certain conduct, a certain aachar. That is called as aachar-samhita. They are not rules, but if we believe ourselves to be of a certain family, of a certain Parivar, if we are of a common Father, then we would adhere to that code of conduct. This feeling places a lot of responsibility on my shoulders. If I am not of good conduct, then my Father gets vilified. Conversely, my virtuous conduct automatically brings accolades to my Father, to my family, and to my clan.

Equanimous Attitude

उदये सविता रक्तः रक्तश्चास्तमये तथा
सम्पत्तौ च विपत्तौ च महतामेकरूपता

Udaye savitaa rakta-ha raktashchaastamaye tathaa
sampattau cha vipattau cha mahataam-eka-roopataa

Meaning: Sun (savitaa) is red (rakta) as he rises (udaya), he is red even as he sets (asta). (Similarly,) the great (mahataama) will be equanimous (ekaroopa) in prosperity (sampatti) as well as in adversity (vipatti).

The sun looks exactly the same when it is rising as well as when it is setting—fiery red but calm. And that is exactly the attitude expected out of men, when their fortunes are on the rise or on the fall.

In times of prosperity, we start inflating (sometimes literally). We get swept away by jubilation, arrogance & overconfidence. We start riding the seventh heaven and our personality starts becoming loud & bashful—our voice, our gait, our clothes, things we use, places we visit, people we visit—all of these change.

Be it financial prosperity, social, political, or even intellectual prosperity, our alertness & discrimination starts getting dimmed, and we become more carefree (read careless). Mastak mein masti chaDhti hai.

Conversely, during adverse times or in downfall, we break down. Confidence moves out and doubt creeps in. We lose trust not only in our own selves but also in God. We even start taking recourse in Albele babas.

It is this very prevalent yet undesirable frame of mind that this shloka addresses. Our minds should be solid as rock, not affected by prosperity or adversity. We should know how to digest joy as well as pain equally well. I remember a poem that my favorite English teacher taught me. This is the first poem he taught me and till date, I remember it by heart.

Joy & Woe are woven fine,
   A clothing for the soul divine.
Under every grief and pine,
   runs a joy with silken twine.

It is right, it should be so.
   Man was made for joy & woe.
And when this we rightly know.
   Through the world we safely go.

These are the examinations of life! How do we manage our inner selves when either of these situations strike us? Do we sway with the pendulum of joy & woe, or do we maintain equanimity (levelheadedness)? Do we puff up in prosperity, or do we cringe in calamity, or do we stay composed? Do we start flying in fortune, or do we start drowning in downfall, or do our feet stay firm on the ground? Do we remain collected like Prabhu Raam who was equally happy when he was given the kingdom one day and exile the other? That is true sthita-pragnyataa.

Another very important aspect is that while rising or setting, the Sun doesn't stop from its duties. His movement never stops; his gati is constant. Rise or fall doesn't stop or slow him down from his goal. He shows a stop sign to rise & fall while maintaining his speed unaltered. It is pretty ironical that both prosperity and adversity slow us down from our life goals, in their own unique ways. 

But let that not happen to us. Like the sun, let us show red to prosperity as well as adversity, and keep our gati constant towards our goals as true human beings.

Essence of Time

क्षणशः कणशश्चैव विद्यामर्थं च साधयेत् |
क्षणे नष्टे कुतो विद्या कणे नष्टे कुतो धनम् ||

kShaNasha-ha kaNashashchaiva vidyaam-arthaM cha saadhayet
kShaNe naShTe kuto vidyaa kaNe naShTe kuto dhanam

Meaning: Knowledge (vidyaa) and wealth (artha) are procured with every moment (kShaNa) and every grain (kaNa) (respectively). How can knowledge come (if even a) moment is wasted? How can wealth come (if even a) grain is wasted?

'Boond boond se saagar bhartaa hai', every drop counts. There is so much waste in our life that we do not even realize. I remember a time when we as students used to carry a small pocket notebook with us always. And we would note down the start time and end time of every activity that we did from the time we woke up till we lied down at night; and we also noted the idle time between each activity. The results were astonishing. There is so much time that we wasted. And that was at a time when we had no worldly responsibilities, except studies. There is so much scope for more efficiency in our lives.

Every moment is a potential investment! Every breath of life is an opportunity, a gift of God. Every breath of life means that we are not yet dead. Yes, we are not yet dead... but are we alive ?

Most of these potential opportunities go down the drain like the hundreds of drops of water drained down in our showers every morning. The most frequent complaint or remark that we hear from anyone is, इतना सारा काम है, पर टाइम ही नही मिलता (there is so much work, but I don't find time). And we are all happily watching lousy soaps on TV while hearing this comment. Students complain about lack of time to finish homework, and adults complain about lack of time to finish their paperwork & housework and what not. And in all this, almost nobody has time left for God or His work.

I know of students, who carry their homework with them, and complete it wherever and whenever they get bits & pieces of time. I know of people who are getting things done while in a car or even sitting at restaurants. Every second is important. We can make use of it, if we want to, and only if we want to.

While this shloka mentions only knowledge and money, I think, it pertains to wealth as a whole; it pertains to wealth as explained in the Shree Sukta of the Vedas. We can become richer & wiser in all aspects only if we are alert enough not to waste even a single moment. Life, with all its attractions and distractions, is always pushing us down, and if we wait to rest for even a moment, we start sliding down. We should constantly be alert, assiduous & enthusiastic as regards our progress, our development; and more importantly, we should be enjoying it. Rather than a chore, it should be a pleasure—if so, it would self-propel us further in the process, with increased acceleration.

May we realize the value of the limited time that we have at our behest, and make the fullest use thereof for our all-round development!

Introspect​ion

कः कालः कानि मित्राणि को देशः कौ व्ययाऽगमौ |
कश्चाहं का च मे शक्तिरिति चिन्त्यं मुहुर्मुहुः     ||

Ka-ha kaala-ha kaani mitraaNi ko desha-ha kau vyayaa-aagamau
kashchaaham kaa cha me shakti-riti chintyam muhur-muhu-hu

Meaning:
What are (my) circumstances (kaala),
who are (my) friends (mitra),
where am I (ko desha),
what are (my) income (aagamau) and expenses (vyayaa),
who am I,
and what are my strengths
—these should be thought over, again and again.

These are some questions which we should always be alert for. Usually what happens is that we keep storing information about different aspects of our life as & when incidents happen. And then we always evaluate ourselves according to those stored memories or information. But over time, our circumstances change, and yet we still base our decisions on our preset self-evaluated data. And that leads us to not realizing our full potential.

The classic example is that of a baby elephant who is tied to trees by rope in his childhood. It tries very hard to break free from the rope but is not strong enough at that time. After a point the baby elephant stops trying to break it. Even after growing up to be the strong animal that it becomes, a domesticated elephant never tries to break the rope. Based on its childhood memories, it presumes that it is incapable of breaking the rope while in fact, now it has the strength to tear down the whole tree. Sometimes the mahout doesn't even tie the rope to the tree, but the elephant never tries. This is exactly the point that our subhaashitkaar is trying to make here.

Our circumstances constantly change, yet we fail to take notice; even if we notice, we sometimes fail to adapt to them, or don't even try to. We may fail an exam and never take it again. We may fail in some business, never to venture in to any other business again. If there is a quarrel in a friendship, we never think of trying to forge it again. If there is a strong friendship, we might assume it to be always good while in reality, it may be fading out. Our expenses usually keep increasing slowly with incomes remaining the same, and if we do not notice it, there is trouble ahead. A famous quote: "There is only one thing in this world which is constant, and that is change."

We need to constantly keep re-evaluating our circumstances, our friends, our finances, our overall strengths—in fact, on a philosophical plane, we should constantly check our internal self, or the changes in the nature of our internal character, the changes in our attitude towards life. We should check whether we are progressing in life or not, not just financially but in all the sectors of life. We should check every day whether we became a better human being than we were yesterday.

The poet or the subhaashitkaar is not only telling us the significance of alert observation & regular introspection but also giving us a direction to that mental activity.

Yashoda Maa

यशोदया समा कापि देवतानास्ति भूतले     |
उलूखले यया बद्धो मुक्तिदो मुक्तिमिच्छति ||

Yashodayaa samaa kaapi devtaa-naasti bhootale
Ulookhale yayaa baddho muktido muktim-ichchhati

Meaning: There is no deity on this earth equal to Yashodaa. He who liberates everyone, is asking her to release Him, from the mortar that she has tied Him to! 

This shloka is as emotional as it is devotional. The Lord is one who has the power to liberate each and every being in this Universe. This powerful Lord was tied down to a mortar by Maa Yashoda. And He had to beg Yashoda maa to free Him or liberate Him from the bonds.

First of all, who in this world, has the power to tie up the Lord? Yashoda was not even his real mother ! And the Lord not only accepted her bonds, but also begged her to free Him. It shows the supreme height of devotion that Yashoda was living on. She just loved her Kanhaiya. She was madly in love with Him. And that pure, mad love was her power with which she conquered the Lord of all Lords. She forgot her own self when she was with Him, and that is why the Lord submitted Himself to her. Yashoda is a role-model for all devotees of any God. Our love should be as pure and as strong as hers, to reach Him. In fact, God must be yearning for such love which is extremely rare.

Even if we leave aside the spiritual part, and just look at the human side of it, even then, it is love that prevails. With pure love, you can conquer the heart of any living being, human or animal! Love is the real power. It doesn't matter whether we are related by blood or not; we should be related by the heart. Love, without any strings attached, is the supreme weapon in the battlefield of life, with which we can win any situation or person. The best of friends and the worst of enemies—they all can be ours if we have innate love within ourselves.

Another side to it, is the importance of a mother. Even God Himself submitted to his earthly mother. That is why our 1st Bodh-vachan is Maatru Devo bhava-ha ! The significance and value of a mother cannot even be imagined. It can only be felt and realized. The purity of a mother's love is unparalleled.
God with all His powers and strength demonstrated respect & submission to His mother, whereas we are not ready to even keep our aged parents with us these days. May we never forget the value of our mother & father till the end of life !

May all of us learn to love ourselves & others unselfishly, and move on towards loving the Supreme in the same way !

MahaaPurush

गङ्गा पापं शशी तापं दैन्यं कल्पतरुस्तथा    |
पापं तापं च दैन्यं च घ्नन्ति सन्तो महाशया: ||

Gangaa paapam shashee taapam dainyam kalpatarustathaa
Paapam taapam cha dainyam cha ghnanti santo mahaashayaa-haa

Meaning: The (river) Ganga washes away all sins; the moon (shashee) removes all the heat (with its coolness), and the Kalpataru tree removes all poverty (by granting all wishes). But the noble simultaneously eliminate (all three)—sins, heat & poverty.

This shloka tells us the importance of the noble & the saintly. While the river Ganga, the moon and the Kalpataru only remove 1 hardship each, noblemen remove all three and any other.

It tells us the importance of being associated with noblemen or mahaa-purush. We should first be able to recognize a mahaa-purush, and then get associated with him or her. This association would bring great benefits to us in terms of overall development. Poverty doesn't just connote financial poverty, but the poverty of life. Such saintly association would remove all the problems or hardships from our life, and get us moving on the path of happiness.

This being the first step, the shloka also hints at the other side of it. Not only should we associate with mahaa-purush, but we should also try to become one, or like one. We should be such that people feel peace, love, and warmth, just by being with us. They should feel like becoming virtuous due to association with us. If they feel like ceasing bad deeds or sins, then that is equivalent to cleansing of sins. They should feel the sheetaltaa or coolness of the moon upon meeting us. They should be able to confide in us, share with us and feel that we are there—for them & with them. That will remove more than half of their problems & get them working.

In the 12th chapter of Shrimad Bhagwad Geeta, the Lord tells us about the quality of ana-udvigna. At a very peripheral level, it means one who is approachable, or one whom people won't be hesitant to approach or meet. We have to be ana-udvigna. Everyone should want to meet us, and be with us. There is a difference between ana-udvigna & popular. Ana-udvigna means people should not know why, but they still want to be with you. It's due to our pure & virtuous character whereas popularity is generally due to external personality.

This is a very important requirement for anyone who wants to do constructive & cultural work at whatever level. We have to be such, that people not only look up to us, but also feel comfortable with, and also feel a bond with. For people to be able to feel comfortable with us, we have to be of such character. Someone who simply carries out instructions or enforces principles is a manager, while someone with whom people connect on their own, is the person, this shloka wants us to be. Such a person can make people live on the principles desired out of mankind rather than simply follow them. We have to be such, so as to carry out any kind of constructive work effectively. The onus is always ours.