Mind-Matter Divide in Science, Philosophy

Mar 10, 2004, 12.00am IST
RANJIT NAIR.

The root formulation of Indian philosophy goes back to Dirghatamas, the Rig Vedic philosopher, who said ekam sat vipra bahudha vadanti, or the Real is one, though the wise speak of it variously. How the fundamental unity of the Real could be reconciled with the diversity of phenomena was a key problem in Indian philosophy. Philosophy in India emerged as a rational, discursive exercise when orthodoxy, which regarded the Vedas as revelation, was challenged by major schools like that of Buddhism, Jainism, the Ajivika and the Lokayata.
The origins of western philosophy are usually attri-buted to Plato challenging the gods of Homer for their all-too-human behaviour, substituting in their place truths established through dialectical argument. Indian philosophy arose against the demand that claims on the veracity of a text or principle should be subjected to the canons of argumentation. The schools of logic emerged out of the attempt to formalise rational debate, to distinguish between valid arguments and fallacies. It is remarkable that all schools of Indian philosophy accepted perception as a means of knowledge. The great Shankara asserted that even if hund-red scriptures maintain that fire is cool and non-radiant, that would not prove it.
Indian philosophy and modern science share common features, at the level of parallels, isomorphic themes and problems. First, the search for unity resonates with the holy grail of the theory of everything in theoretical physics, which began with Albert Einstein. The search for a fundamental theory, Steven Weinberg says, lifts human life above the level of farce and gives it some of the grace of tragedy.
The second similarity concerns the debate on the nature of reality and the ability of our concepts to represent reality. Vedantic and Buddhist schools rejected the Nyaya view that the real was expressible. For the Upa-nishads, the fundamental realm is where words return, unable to reach with the mind. Nagarjuna, the Madh-yamika Buddhist philosopher, argued that concepts were inadequate to describe reality by exposing the inner contradictions of concepts like motion and rest, somewhat in the manner of Zeno, the Eleatic philosopher. Here we may recall the debate between Einstein and Niels Bohr, the former maintaining that physics should give a causal, observer-independent account of reality, while the latter believed that microphysics had to be content with a pastiche of concepts for the same physical system.
Third, the mystery of the self or consciousness, which, as atman, is identified with the fundamental reality or Brahman in the Upanishads. Modern science lacks an adequate account of the mind. The strict separation bet-ween mind and matter enforced by Descartes, allo-wed matter to be viewed as pure mechanism, expli-cable in causal terms. Major schools in Indian philosophy such as the Advaita Vedanta, posit the atman/brahman as the sole reality and phenomenal reality as maya, neither absolutely true nor abso- lutely false. Barring the Austrian physicist Erwin Schrodinger, who affirmed his commitment to the Advaita Vedanta in a tract written shortly before his fundamental papers on wave mechanics, few physicists regard a unitary consciousness as the fundamental rea-lity. Buddhist philosophers, on the other hand, regarded consciousness as a composite of factors.
However, the application of quantum theory runs against the Cartesian grain of disenchanting the mate-rial world. It unifies East and West, mind and matter.
(The author is Director, Centre for Philosophy and Foundations of Science, New Delhi)

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The True Essence Of Being Rama

Mar 30, 2004, 12.00am IST
Girish Bhandari.

Rama is a symbol of sacrifice, a model of brotherhood, an ideal administrator, a warrior unparalleled. The term Rama Rajya stands for the most exalted concept of a welfare state.


Rama was not only divine; he was invested with the highest values of an enriched tradition started by Raghu. The essence of Rama is therefore the essence of excellence in every pursuit.

As an avatara Rama had to enact his 'leela' in human form. As a child he let Kaushalya enjoy the divine pleasure of treating him as a child, but he wanted her to share a cosmic vision of his real self.


Goswami Tulsidas describes that once Kaushalya bathed and fed Rama and placed him in his cradle. Then she prepared prasad and offered it to the Kuldevata in the puja room. She went and checked if the child was sleeping.

He was. She went to complete the puja and found Rama there, eating the prasad.


Kaushalya ran back to the cradle to find the child was asleep. But when she returned to the puja room, he was there, eating the prasad. She was dumbfounded.

Then Rama revealed to her his swarupa, the universe itself, where birth and death, time and space, causality and effect were a seamless One. A bewildered Kaushalya, like Arjuna, was given a glimpse of the infinite.


Overwhelmed, Kaushalya prayed that she be allowed to see Rama as a child and nothing more. Infinitely compassionate, the Lord consented.

The principle of humanity is yet another essence of being Rama. When the ways of crossing the ocean were being discussed, and it was suggested that Rama should make the ocean dry up, he resisted.

With great humility Rama initiated a puja to placate the sea god to allow for an opening. Three days passed but the sea god was unrelenting. Then Rama decided to use his divine astras, and dry up the ocean.

This made the god appear before him. With folded hands he entreated Rama not to dry the ocean, as it would mean death to all sea creatures.

The compassion of Rama made the sea god suggest the expertise of Nala and Neela to bridge the ocean.

Rama, before crossing the ocean, installed the Shiva-lingam at Rameswaram, and said: "The Mahakaal is dear to me".

Once he defeated Ravana, Rama anointed Vibheeshana as the king. Traditionally the victor had the right to the riches and the kingdom, but Rama was uninterested.


It has been said of Rama's reign in Ayodhya, "...it was such that no suffering of a mental, bodily or physical nature afflicts its citizens. There is no animus and every one is conscious of his duty. There is no poverty, no untimely death, no want. The forests are lush and the eco-system healthy".


Rama's philosophy was that the ultimate Dharma was doing good to the people. There was no greater adharma than causing others to suffer. When people do not perform their duties according to their dharma, they do not get the right results.
Out of ignorance, they blame the cosmic scheme for their misfortunes. Rama in the Uttarkand speaks of action that seeks no reward, conduct which seeks no fruit, and faith which seeks no expectation.


Despite his divine nature, Rama the prince requested Sage Vasistha to explain to him the nature of the universe and the real truth of 'Being'.


This great treatise, known as the Yoga Vasistha or the Maharamayana, is one of the clearest expositions of the core of Vedanta, holding that only Consciousness, the real truth, is the essence of Brahman.

( Ram Navami is being celebrated today. )

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Open Your Heart, Let in the Light

Mar 27, 2004, 12.00am IST
Soma Chakravarty.

Love and light are the two most universal and fundamental realities. God's first command (Genesis) was: "Let there be light". And there was light. Buddha said that to love all beings is an expression of God. Jesus saw love as a manifestation of divine light. Vedanta points out that love is an image of God, the living essence of the divine nature. The Upanishads say that the Sun gives light to all beings, equally.


Once man envisioned the infinite in the universal light, he offered worship to the Sun: Raso vai Sah. Infinity is love itself, the eternal spirit of joy. However, caught up in the daily grind of life and in the whirlpool of human emotions, the true spirit of love tends to get lost. What is love? Is it eternal bliss? Or an all consuming passion?

Love is not limited to a bond between two individuals; neither is it limited to the family circle. Love is beyond desires and mere physical pleasure. Love is realisation of faith, it is the bond of harmony and happiness, a world of blessings and bliss. The only condition of love is that it has to be unconditional. When we stop taking and start giving we begin to enjoy the unfathomable depth and unifying force of love.


Swami Surya Jowel says that the Sun is the best example of unconditional love as it lights up the world without prejudice. Love and light together can dispel darkness, whether external or internal.
Through Suryayog one can rediscover the pathway of love. The nine steps practiced as an ode to the rising Sun help remove physical, emotional and mental blockades to make possible a joyous and healthy living. Love, like sunlight, is that energy flow whose warmth can be experienced in an all-illumined freedom. Suryayog can help open up inner consciousness to love with detachment, making us free of bondage.

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Bring God into Your Living Room

Mar 26, 2004, 12.00am IST
Swami Kriyananda.

It is easier to visualise God in the starry heavens than in our own homes. The stars, so remote from our humdrum earthly existence, suggest to our minds infinite stillness, harmony, and wisdom. By contrast, our homes are often scenes of strife and rivalry.


To the extent that we hold God aloof from our daily realities, we alienate Him from the life we know. We need a concept of God that will bring Him into our kitchens, our bedrooms, our living rooms — yes, even when those living rooms are crowded with guests.


If God is everywhere, He must be quite as near as He is far away. We should make Him our immediate reality. We should seek His guidance and inspiration in our most intimate thoughts and feelings; relate to Him when the world is most demanding of our attention; seek His influence in every lightest undertaking. If we don't see our need for Him simply in order to exist, we reduce Him to a mental abstraction: useful in mathematics, perhaps, but without any closer, more personal significance. Ultimately, God alone can satisfy every personal need.
In our dealings with other people, He is our conscience. In our labour, He is the satisfaction it gives us. When we read a good book, or listen to uplifting music, He is our inspiration. In everything we do from the performance of duty to the most trivial pursuit, He is there; watching, joining in if we invite Him to, and giving us our strength. To ignore Him means to go stumbling blindly through life, unaware that there are innumerable pitfalls before us. We need a concept of God that will motivate us to love Him. He is, whether we know it or not, our own nearest and dearest. How we relate to Him is crucial to our happiness.

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Your Relationships: How to Manage Them

Mar 23, 2004, 12.00am IST

When you live in this world, there are various types of complex interactions happening. As your field of play increases, the complexity of interaction also goes on increasing.


If you're just sitting in a cubicle, working on your computer with only one other person, you need only a little understanding; but if you're managing a thousand people, you need a vast understanding of everybody.

If you want all these people to understand you, then you're not going to manage anything. You need to understand the limitations and the capabilities of these thousand people and do what you can; only then will you have the power to move the situation the way you want it to go.


The closer the relationship, the more effort you should make to understand them. A man was slipping in and out of a coma for several months, with his wife staying at his bedside night and day. When he came to, in those few moments of consciousness, he motioned for her to come closer.

As she sat beside him, he said, "I've been thinking... you have been with me through all the bad times in my life — when I got fired, when my business went down the tube, when I got shot and when we lost the house in that legal clash. You were right there beside me. Now my health is failing, and you're still by my side. On consideration, I think you only bring me bad luck!"

This is exactly what you're doing to yourself and to your relationships. With your understanding you can create situations where the other person would be able to understand you better.

If you're expecting the other to understand and comply with you all the time while you don't understand the limitations, the possibilities, the needs and the capabilities of that person, then conflict is all that will happen.

Unfortunately, the closest relationships in the world have more conflict going on than there is between India and Pakistan.
India and Pakistan have fought only three wars. In your relationships, you have fought many more and are still fighting, because your line of understanding and theirs is different.
If you cross this Line of Control (LoC), they will get mad. If they cross it, you will get mad. If you move your understanding beyond theirs, their understanding also becomes a part of your understanding. You will be able to embrace their limitations and capabilities.


In everyone, there are some positive aspects and some negative aspects. If you embrace all this in your understanding, you can make the relationship the way you want it.


If you leave it to their understanding, it will become accidental. If they are very magnanimous, things will happen well for you; if not, the relationship will break up.
If you want to be the one who decides what happens to your life, you should enhance your understanding to such a point that you can look beyond people's madness also.


There are wonderful people around you, but once in a while they like to go crazy for a few minutes. If you don't understand that, you will lose them.


Whether it's a question of personal relationships or professional management, you need understanding; otherwise, you won't have fruitful relationships.

Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev

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Greed Poses Threat To Civilisation

Mar 18, 2004, 12.00am IST
A K MERCHANT.


On his release from prison, the great Nelson Mandela said: "Together we live in a global neighbourhood and it is not to the long-term benefit of any if there are islands of wealth in a sea of poverty. We need a globalisation of responsibility as well. Above all that is the challenge of the new century." Mandela was absolutely right. The evolution of technology down the linear, reductionist path, which defines only that which is physically quantifiable, has jeopardised our eco-system, if not human civilisation.


Our advances cannot be disputed. But have we lost the woods for the trees in this directionless drift towards modernity, in the process threatening to self-destruct? Living a truly happy life depends on how wisely we spend our rich endowment of knowledge, emotions, skills, time, energy and material resources. It is also true that living one day at a time is a challenge better met on some days than in others. In the competitive and unjust world, the approach should be to celebrate every little wise investment, no matter how small, while keeping at bay the demands of lower nature and the inertia of drifting through life.


According to renowned British historian Arnold Toynbee, the founders of the great world religions emphasise basic principles that determine the survival of a civilisation. In his words, "The whole duty of man in this Day is to attain that share of the flood of grace which God poureth forth for him. Let none, therefore, consider the largeness or smallness of the receptacle. The portion of some might lie in the palm of a man's hand, the portion of others might fill a cup, and of others even a gallon-measure." The transformation of the world for the better will to a great extent depend on what each person does with what he or she possesses rather than lament over what he or she does not have.

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Transcendence Helps Conquer Anger

Mar 17, 2004, 12.00am IST
Nilanshu Ranjan.

What do we generally do when we want to get something done, or want to expel something unnecessary, unnatural or repugnant? We take a vow and feel immensely satisfied in the bargain. But we forget that taking a vow is quite an unintelligent act.



When we vow not to do something, it simply means we have not understood certain underlying truths, or are unaware of the workings of our unconscious. It is an act of suppression that can turn into a strange and poisonous repression as well. When we repress something, it seeps into our unconsciousness and disturbs our equilibrium, leaving us in misery. That’s why Buddha lays stress on consciousness. 'Be conscious' — this is the sole sutra given by Buddha.

Pythagoras speaks the same language. His every statement must be clearly understood. He urges us not to be angry. When he forbids anger, he does not mean repression. He says, "Don't be angry. It mars your happiness, ecstasy. It leads to nothing but to utter miseries." He asks us to transcend anger, not to suppress it, whereas we do quite the opposite. Transcendence can be achieved by watching anger.

Acharya Rajneesh says, "If you repress anger, the anger goes into your unconscious; you become more and more poisoned. It is not good, it is not healthy; it is going to drive you neurotic sooner or later. And one day or the other, the accumulated anger will explode and that will be far more dangerous because then it will be absolutely uncontrollable. You will not be able even to be conscious of what you are doing." Transcendence is a totally different process. It is an art — an art of living. Transcendence is the highest stage of silence where supreme realisation is possible.

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Renunciation Keeps Man, Nature Happy

Mar 16, 2004, 12.00am IST

On September 22, 1931, two icons of the West and the East met in a humble tenement in London. Mahatma Gandhi impressed Charlie Chaplin with his view that supreme independence meant shedding oneself of unnecessary things.


Chaplin believed this principle was the basis of Gandhi's political-economic-spiritual argument against machi-nery.


However, what Gandhi told Chaplin that day echoes the Jaina principle of aparigraha (the first letter 'a' pronounced as 'u' in upper).

Simply put, aparigraha means non-possession or non-acquisition. As is well known, Gandhi was deeply influenced by Jainism.


Right knowledge, right faith and right conduct are the three basic prerequisites for attaining liberation.

In order to acquire these qualities, Jainism pres-cribes observation of the five great vows - ahimsa or non- violence; satya or truth; asteya or non-stealing; brahmacharya or celibacy; and aparigraha or non-attachment.

Acquisition of material goods leads one to attachment and hence pain if, for some reason, the goods or wealth are lost.

Happiness is about freedom from pain and hence can only accrue from leading a life of simplicity and non- attachment.

That is the message of aparigraha. The thrust of aparigraha is to create a balanced society with balanced individuals.

The absolutely secular principle of aparigraha - not to allow greed to dominate our thoughts and actions - can help overcome our tendency to overaccumulate.

Gandhi was right when he said the earth had enough to satisfy the needs of all the people, but not for satisfying the greed of some. Here lies the subtle difference between 'need' and 'want'.


Jainism believes that the more worldly wealth a person possesses, the more likely is he to commit sin to acquire the possession, and in the process be unhappy.

Worldly wealth creates attachments, which will continually give rise to greed, jealousy, selfishness, ego, hatred and violence. Attachments to worldly objects result in bondage to the cycle of birth and death.

Therefore, one who desires of spiritual liberation should withdraw from all attachments to objects of all the five senses.

Practical wisdom tells us that anything in excess is harmful. Overconsumption or overacquisition affects our social environment just as environmental degradation affects our physical survival.


Aparigraha can be interpreted in multifaceted ways - preserving nature, conserving energy and living austerely. The kind of inequity that prevails in the world today is alarming.


Statistics inform us that over the last four years the world's 200 richest people have doubled their wealth to more than $1 trillion, while 1.3 billion people are living on less than a dollar a day.

The affliction of consumerism promi-ses to get worse as the system insists on finding new ways to exploit people and the environment.


If everyone practises aparigraha, how pure and peaceful our world would be! In the contemporary context of globalisation, the applied theory of aparigraha can work as a good interventionist and ecological measure to retain the balance between man and nature.

Farsighted Gandhi realised its value - both in strategic and spiritual terms. Every action of his suggested that he was a practising environmentalist, long before environmental protection became fashionable in the West and elsewhere.

In the modern world, Gandhi provided us an alternative model of development we forgot to remember.

In a nutshell, renunciation through aparigraha could end in more genuine peace and happiness for all.
Amrit Gangar

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True Friends are God's Angels

Mar 15, 2004, 12.02am IST
Janina Gomes.

In the alienated and fragmented world we live in today, the human heart cries out for friendship or affirmation from others. That is because we are meant to see in the human faces we encounter, the face of God.


Tell someone that I am here, is the cry of the human heart. Fernando Silva, who runs a children’s hospital in Managua, reports the incident of a lonely child in the hospital in search of a human hand to grasp. One Christmas eve, when he stayed in working late into the night amidst revelry, he heard footfalls behind him. On turning, he recognised the sick child who had no one in the world. Fernando drew close to the child and touched him lightly with his hand. The child whispered: “Please tell someone that I am here”.


Not everyone experiences such loneliness and heartbreak. But we all experience the need for a healing, empathetic presence in our lives. We relate to a friend to whom we can truly reveal ourselves. That is because, as Carlos Valles says, we all go around with thick veils on our faces, afraid to expose our reality.


Friendship calls for a removal of all masks. Explaining the need for sharing our personal stories, Carmen Caltagirone says: “All those persons who have impacted our lives, those who have loved us and those who have refused our love are within us. In each of us there lives a mother, a father, a betrayer, a childhood friend, a teacher. The deepest realities of human life cannot be defined in intellectual terms. We can at best, touch on them through stories”.


Human stories can only be shared through intimacy, which is a psychological necessity of life. Friends complete us, they define us and act as chisels that shape our lives. Friends build us up through affirmation and gentle confrontation, filling a space in our lives. This space is filled not only through intimacy but also by respecting an affective distance from those we are closest to us. There are times for talking and interaction and times for silence and reserve.
Closeness invites friends to act as personal prophets in our life. Friends are also like messengers from God of unfailing, timely and constant love. They come to us just in time and when we need them most. Abraham Heschel, the great Jewish theologian, narrates how a child responded to the story in scripture about the sacrifice of Isaac. Upon hearing that the voice of the angel stopped Abraham from killing Isaac, the child began to cry. Puzzled by the tears, the rabbi said: “Why are you crying? Isaac was saved.” The child replied: “But, rabbi, what if the angel had come a second too late?’’ The rabbi comforted the child by saying: “An angel can never come too late”. Friends are sent by God when it is never too late.
There is the story of two Moabite women married to two sons of Naomi in the Old Testament who both died leaving them widows. Whilst Ruth remai-ned by her mother-in-law’s side, when her husband died, her sister-in-law, Orpah, parted company with the mother-in-law on her husband’s death. In life, as Carmen Caltagirone says, some people journey only part of the way with us as did Orpah. They reserve the right to leave, while others like Ruth prefer to stay.
The life of Jesus on this earth was one of deep and staying relationships. Jesus always called people by name. And to call a person by his or her name is to enter into a deep relationship with them. The less we package the gift inside us, the more lasting and durable the friendship will be.

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Discover the Truth, Set Yourself Free

Mar 11, 2004, 12.01am IST
TRISHLA JAIN.

Krishna’s teaching was meant to facilitate the merging of Arjun's individualised consciousness with the infinite consciousness. Krishna recommended ' karma-yoga ' and 'bhakti-yoga' as two methods of reaching the divine. Arjun asks, Renunciation of action and discipline — which is better? Gita 5.1). Krishna replies: "Both effect good beyond measure; but of the two, discipline in action surpasses renunciation of action" ( Gita 5.2). Krishna advocates that the only way to attain everlasting equanimity is to free the mind of bondage to the 'worldly' world and understand the nature of the self to become one with the eternal spirit.


Krishna asserts action cannot be avoided, and should be performed without consideration of the "fruit of action". Progression on the ladder of karma was associated with good action: one who did good things in life moved up the ladder.

However, as related by Krishna in the Gita, good action is by no means enough. Good action merely implies the appearance of doing good to achieve good. True enlightenment, the very top of the ladder, may only be achieved by controlling the senses, sublimating the body and even the self to merge with the eternal consciousness. The Gita elevates the requirements for attaining Nirvana from mere progression on the ladder by performing good to actually becoming pure from within.


The divine seeker must first condition his mind and heart to be separate from his actions and those around him. "A man of eternal renunciation is one who neither hates nor desires; beyond dualities, he is easily freed from bondage" ( Gita 5.3). Krishna tells Arjun that he must free himself from transient, undulating negative-positive pulls of the world. In this effort, Arjun must have "Detachment, uninvolvement with sons, wife and home, constant equanimity in fulfilment and frustration" ( Gita 13.9). He must perform all his duties to his family, without the hope of reward.


By mastering the senses, one can overcome the separation between the worldly body and being. "Seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, eating, walking, sleeping, breathing, the disciplined man who knows reality should think, 'I do nothing at all. It is the senses that engage in sense objects'"( Gita 5.8, 9). Krishna says that this can be done by meditation focused on breath or by understanding that the body, through its senses, engages in action.
The self begins to transform itself into its virgin state. The enlightenment-seeker just is — physically in the prison of the 'worldly' world but mentally, emotionally, spiritually separate from it. Death and doom must be seen as being equal to birth, celebration and creation as dualities of the universe.

After understanding the nature of the self, the knowledge-seeker becomes one with the Brahman. The Brahman, or the infinite spirit is described as "imperishable, ineffable, unmanifest, omnipresent, inconceivable, immutable at the summit of existence"( Gita 12.3). It is a state of pure consciousness, when a person's very being completely comprehends the nature of its internal state and the external universe. Moving up on the ladder of karma to break the cycle of birth and death is an internal adventure, not something that can be done merely by good action, meditation and renunciation of the material world. Krishna teaches that it is not necessary to actually leave the confines of the birth-death cycle to be absolutely free from it. By controlling the senses and mind, and subsequently performing worldly action as sacrifice, we will know the truth that will set us free.

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Divine Music Springs From the Soul

Mar 9, 2004, 12.00am IST
Pandit Amarnath.

The word riyaz has its origins in riyazat , which implies ibadat, bandagi, bhakti or devotion. If riyaz is performed with a spirit of devotion, the exercise becomes ibadat . But while riyaz is rather mechanically equated with practice or exercise, the all-important difference is one of spirit. Riyaz is to achieve that which has not been achieved so far. For that, the student has to struggle with faith.


In the initial stages one might be less than sure whether one is correct in what one is doing. But that is the struggle! In the absence of faith, one's riyaz will be filled with doubt. Faith is of great importance in riyaz . Practice with a doubt-ridden mind will achieve little.

The first step in riyaz is to concentrate on the supremely soothing notes of the tanpura that connote sruti . This is followed by kharaj sadhana or practice of Sa with a deep breath. Gradually, one moves to the exercises or scales suggested by the guru — sargam (each note named and sung), aakar, eekar and ookar (aa-wise, ee-wise and oo-wise). From here one moves to intracries such as gamak , or swara applications producing the heavy effect. All this should be done with laya or tempo in mind and, if possible, with tabla accompaniment.

Riyaz is an everyday activity, a daily prayer to the God of Music. When one arrives at the stage of raga and gayaki , one becomes aware of what is weak in one's music and attends to it. At times, the raga might not seem satisfactory, or the bandish may not lend itself to easy rendition in laya . At times, one's riyaz could focus on one aspect and neglect another. But a stage would arrive when one can judge what should be practised at a particular time.

The Guru, the beacon, provides direction. It is important to be able to feel a sense of improvement during practice. That means one's riyaz and its method is basically correct. Or else, one should seek the help of the Guru, our music doctor!


I have often observed students 'performing' like strutting peacocks during riyaz . In his excitement, the student is prone not to listen to his guru. Before his guru completes his sentence, the over-eager student interrupts with his own views, without giving his guru a chance. Is this not a sign of restlessness or overambitiousness? Every second student displays such signs.


Another commonly experienced problem in the initial stage is that of feeling dull with one's music. Here one has to practise for mood. One should not sit down mechanically for riyaz . In such times one should ideally listen to good music to recharge oneself.


Mental riyaz is exceedingly important. Music is deeply understood when one thinks and reflects about it. The music that then emerges is close to the soul. Once one immerses oneself in sadhana for a very long time, one's swaras will begin to leave a deep impression.
One should always be regular in riyaz — whether vigorous or not. If one discontinues riyaz in old age, the muscles become dull, hard and inactive. The mood for riyaz should never go away. Even a wrinkled face can produce music of great emotion! In fact, every action in one's music becomes more meaningful. The vigour of youth might be less in evidence, but to make up for its lack there is maturity and richness of texture. Whether a small or big phrase, each is charged with the power of the whole music, because the grammar of phrases and sentences is not its sole element anymore.


It is now all a matter of soul. One's music is now the true picture of one's soul.

(Excerpted from the book Conversations with Pandit Amarnath by Bindu Chawla, to be released today, on the occasion of the eighth barsi of Pandit Amarnath.)

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The Sentient Space

Mar 4, 2004, 12.00am IST
Arash Vafa Fazil.

Fasting is Food For the Soul


The followers of the Baha’i faith are on a 19-day fast from March 2 to March 20. In this context, it would be instructive to look at the significance of fasting in all faiths . Fasting may assume different forms across different belief systems but is an integral feature of humanity’s common spiritual heritage.

We must ask ourselves why God wants us to abstain from food and drink. Obviously, as the all-loving creator, He would derive no pleasure from the mere act of making his creatures endure hunger and thirst for a specified period. We may as well go a little further and ask ourselves why we have spiritual laws at all.

Baha’is believe the answer lies in understanding the reality of man. Human beings have a two-fold nature — material and spiritual. The material nature of man corresponds to the material world, which is governed by certain laws. For his well being, man must obey these laws. For example, if a person walks off a cliff, he will put himself to great harm; if he neglects to regularly feed his body with the required nutrients he will imperil his existence; or if he comes in the way of a fast-moving object he could be fatally knocked down. Therefore, the consequences of disobeying the laws of material existence could be serious.

Similarly, man has a spiritual nature, a soul which corresponds to the spiritual order of God. These laws are to be found in the world’s major religions. Their purpose is to help man avoid behaviour that is hazardous to his spiritual health, and to develop virtues instead. The observance of these spiritual laws contribute to man’s material well being. As Baha’u’llah said, spiritual laws are “the highest means for the maintenance of order in the world and the security of its peoples”.

When the Baha’is fast they abstain from eating and drinking from sunrise to sunset. Baha’u’llah, the prophet-founder of the Baha’i faith, enjoined this sacred law on all his believers aged 15 to 70. As a token of His mercy He exempted those who are sick, travelling, engaged in hard labour, nursing mothers and menstruating women from the observance of this law. At the culmination of this 19-day period, on March 21, He ordained the festival of Naw-ruz, which is the Baha’i New Year.

According to the Baha’i scriptures, fasting ‘‘is essentially a period of meditation and prayer, of spiritual recuperation during which the believer must strive to make the necessary readjustments to his inner life, and to refresh and reinvigorate the spiritual forces latent in his soul’’. Thus, in the Baha’i perspective, the law of fasting is predicated on the belief that the human soul is a power-house of spiritual forces which are in a latent condition. For them to be fully expressed, they need to be periodically ‘‘refreshed and reinvigorated’’. To resort to a mundane metaphor, fasting is an annual ser-vicing of the soul.

Prayer, meditation, deep introspection of one’s ‘‘inner life’’ and the will to make the necessary readjustments are the means by which this ‘‘spiritual recuperation’’ would occur. What about the abstention from food and drink? The Baha’i scriptures say that its significance is purely symbolic — it is meant to be ‘‘a reminder of abstinence from selfish and carnal desires’’. In other words, merely not eating or drinking can do nothing to rejuvenate the soul. We merely need to control our basal appetites and clear the way for undistracted inner development.
Fasting is meant to enhance self-control and awareness of one’s spiritual dimension. It channelises the thoughts and energies of all individuals towards these ends, quite irrespective of their religion.

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The Mind Shuts Out The Sentient Space

Mar 3, 2004, 12.00am IST
Lata Khubchandani.

J Krishnamurti departed from this world 17 Februarys ago. He was a philosopher deeply sceptical of the smokescreen that is the mind. Krishnamurti’s every realisation was the out- come of a spontaneous, non- biased, non-preconceived way of living, with no mind playing the filter. In truth he had little to teach, save that knowledge is not taught but realised. But his audiences made a teaching even out of that!
JK’s constant refrain was that what he said was not to be learnt and turned into a concept for future use. He would explain that our mind is full of preconceptions, and therefore ‘listening’ takes place in an already programmed brain. Rather, there is no listening at all.


JK spent his life trying to communicate the essence of understanding — that it had to be felt rather than understood. He was at least partially successful in his endeavour; des-pite the messy propensities of the mind, those who were touched by JK could never really be like those who had never had anything to do with him. Of course, JK baulked at the thought of being a guru! He was intangibly understood, beyond the confines of words, but some part of the human understanding grasped the subtlety of his communication.


“Truth is a pathless land”, he would say. Man cannot arrive at it through any organisation, creed, dogma, priest or ritual, or even philosophic knowledge or psychological technique. He would have to seek truth, the kernel of understanding, through the “mirror of relationship”. This is pro-bably the essence of what JK taught all his life.


What is mirror of relationship? Typically, JK does not explain, knowing that the search for precision in words and theory would kill the essence. What JK meant was that man, on discovering facets of himself, is able to reflect a particular facet of another person. The other person sees himself reflected in the first person and feels ‘understood’.


Therefore, understanding proceeds from heightened self-awareness. The self-realised man also needs relationships to fully perceive how self- realised he is, because more non-realised people would see themselves mirrored in him. The more he mirrors them, the more he expands as a human being, because he has understood more of himself by being able to reflect others. There is no self-realisation in isolation because there is no one to reflect, and that makes one limited.


Ironically, this can lead to an understanding of one’s own mind. What is one’s mind all about when one is able to reflect a saint, a sinner, a murderer, a rapist, a social worker, a child and an old man all at once? Does it mean one has come to realise that one is a sinner, a saint, a killer and a kind, generous being as well — that all these qualities co-exist with appa-rent harmony in one’s mind? How is that possible? If I live by killing others, how can I be a good, kind person?


Krishnamurti categorically said a mind with dichotomy was a fragmented one. All of us are fragmented minds, as we hold diverse and contradic-tory characteristics as living, vibrant qualities. But love cannot be experienced by a mind that hates. Is it possible not to hate anyone? The truth is that if one hates anybody one becomes incapable of love without realising it.


Love in this situation is conceptualised, not felt. When one experiences pure love, there is a sense of holism, exhilaration, freedom and benignity. There cannot be space for hate in this situation. Love and hate cannot be experienced simultaneously. JK made his communications experiential, as though one were walking through the experience and not merely talking about it. He is gone, but his effulgence helps us recognise the cobwebs within.

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Muharram’s Poignant Plea for Truth, Justice

Mar 2, 2004, 12.00am IST
Fayyaz S Pathan.

The moon of Muharram has been sighted. This is the beginning of the New Year of Muslims according to the tenements of Islam and the Shariat. This New Year reminds us of the martyrdom of Hazrat Imam Hussain, the grandson of our Beloved Prophet.


According to Islamic history, there was a noted chieftain in the holy city of Mecca, Abde Munaf. Two twins were born to him, but they were Siamese twins with their backs joined by birth. The chieftain approached the wise men of the city for advice, and they said, “Now they are children, but when they grow up they will face problems.”

Munaf separated his children with his sword. One boy was named Hashim and the other Ummaiya. When they were separated, another chieftain watching the children crying bitterly, said, “God forbid! A sword has been used to separate the two brothers. God bless! It shouldn’t so happen that their family tree should keep fighting with swords.” Sadly, the last wish did not bear fruit. The two brothers quarrelled over marrying a girl both liked. While their swords flashed, the girl married someone else. Their quarrel ended but their enmity did not disappear. They, too, married and each had a son. Hashim named his son Abdul Mutalib and Ummaiya named his son Herb (war).

Abdul Mutalib and Ummaiya fought each other for years over a camel both wanted to buy. They went on to marry and had a son each. Abdul Mutalib named his son Abu Talib and Herb named his child Abu Sufiyaan. These two grew up to quarrel for years over a piece of land and a few date palm trees. They, too, married to have a son each. Abu Talib named his son Hazrat Ali, and Abu Sufiyaan’s son was Amir Mahaviya. These two clashed as well, and upon marriage were blessed with a son each. Hazrat Ali’s son was Hazrat-e-Imam Hussain and Amir Mahaviya son was Yazeed.

Hazrat Imam Hussain led a simple and noble life. He imbibed the teachings and way of life of the beloved Prophet Mohammed and his companions. But Yazeed was vicious by nature — greedy, power-hungry, wicked, hypocritical and cruel. He possessed all the dire qualities that force humanity to weep for justice. Any voice or a mere whisper against Yazeed would result in a death sentence. Yazeed only sought to crown himself as ruler by hook or by crook.

Tragically, he brought about the death of the grandson of the beloved Prophet Mohammed and other companions of the Holy Prophet who attained martyrdom with Hazrat Imam Hussain. Yazeed was a bane on Islam and a blot on Muslims. The holy shrine of Karbala is a memory to Hazrat Imam Hussain’s martyrdom and Yazeed’s treachery. The martyrdom of Hazrat Imam Hussain teaches us truth and fearlessness in the pursuit of justice.

In this New Year there are lessons to be learnt about justice. It is also important to guard against lust for power. A Muslim is duty-bound to learn lessons from the martyrdom of Hazrat Imam Hussain. The message of Muharram is of great contemporary relevance in a society riven by greed, dishonesty, hunger for power and hate. Muharram is a lament against strife and pettiness; surely its relevance cannot be lost in a world that remains as strife-torn and narrow as the dark days that preceded the arrival of the Holy Prophet. Men in all walks of life fall prey to the pursuit of power, greed and money.

The restraint, wisdom and courage embodied in the martyrdom of Hazrat Imam Hussain should not be lost on a materialistic society such as ours. We may not know what is joy from the depths of our soul, if we lack the honesty and character to grieve the loss of all that is true and worthy in existence.

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Beware the Minefield That is the Mind

Mar 1, 2004, 12.00am IST


Selfless action is the outward expression of selfless love. When the heart is filled with love, it expresses itself in the form of unselfish action. One is a deep inner feeling and the other its outward manifestation.


Without deep, unconditional love, selfless actions cannot be performed. In the initial stages of our awakening, the actions we perform in the name of selflessness are not selfless, because the love we feel for ourselves is present in everything we do and say.

In fact, at the beginning of our journey, our self-love becomes the driving force for each of our actions, even if we choose to call them selfless.

Love for the ego, or oneself, is the predominant feeling in every human being. Unless this feeling withers away, real selflessness will not emerge.


Alertness is necessary to prevent the ego from interfering. It is easier to be in love with the ego than feel truly inspired by the ideal of selflessness.

Generally, the selflessness we speak of is actually selfish, because everything stems from the ego. It is the ego, and not our inner Self, that is the source of our so-called love and our actions.


Nothing can be selfless unless it springs directly from the heart, from our true Self. That is why great saints and sages have said you should know your own Self before you can love and serve others selflessly.

There is a story of an old man planting mango trees. When his neighbour saw what he was doing, he said, "Do you think you will live long enough to taste the mangoes from those trees?"

"No, I doubt it," replied the old man. "Then why are you wasting your time?" asked the neighbour. The old man smiled and said, "All my life I have enjoyed eating mangoes from trees planted by others. This is my way of expressing my gratitude to the people who planted those trees."

Selflessness can be the driving force in all your actions. Learn to be thankful to everyone, to all of creation, even to your enemy, and to those who insult you and get angry with you, because they help you grow.


They are mirrors, images of your own mind. If you know how to read and interpret the images properly, you can get rid of your mind and its weaknesses.


If you choose love and selflessness as your goal, you need to be watchful. Watch your mind constantly, because the mind won't let you do anything selflessly.

The mind doesn't want you to be selfless — its only aim is to drive you down the path of selfishness, because the mind is selfish. As long as you dwell in the mind you can only be selfish. You have to be free of the mind to be selfless.

Selfishness comes natu- rally to human beings. While all of nature — birds and animals, mountains, rivers and trees, the sun, moon and stars — stands as a testimony to selfless service, man alone acts out of utter selfishness and greed.


He dwells in his ego, turning life into a business venture and robbing it of all sanctity.

Children, filled with selflessness, will uplift us. By helping others we are, in fact, helping ourselves. On the other hand, we harm ourselves by being selfish.

Learn to bless everyone; don't ever curse anyone, because a human being is not just a bundle of flesh and blood. There is a cons-ciousness at work within everyone.

That consciousness is not a separate, isolated entity; it is part of the whole, a Supreme Unity. Whatever we do is reflected in the Whole, in the one universal mind, and it returns with the same intensity.

Whenever you perform a good or bad action, it is reflected in the Universal Consciousness. Therefore, learn to be selfless and proffer blessings on one and all.

Mata Amritanandamayi

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