Why women deserve to be respected

 The binding force for every family is almost always the female. Be they transmission of values, character, knowledge, the female members play a vital role.

if you develop a man you develop an individual, if you develop  a woman you develop a family.

The bedrock of a healthy, happy, prosperous civilisation is the family.

Societies that have valued and respected the feminine's contribution in all its aspects as much as they did the masculine, have been found to be deep, truthful, robust and resilient. All these traits that help realise the best in human potential.

High respect and regard for the female has been the bedrock of Indian civilisation for millennia and one of its secret of great cultural, social and economical success. Greed, arrogance and power from within and religious, cultural influences from without had minimised the value of women in Indian society. As a consequence India became easy prey for exploitation, loot and degradation.

Guru Nanak ji, the expounder of Universal Truths which is commonly known as 'Sikhism', awakened humanity to the need to value the all pervasive feminine aspects in Creation, The Guru says,

“From woman, man is born; 

Within woman, man is conceived; 

To woman he is engaged and married.  

Woman becomes his friend; 

Through woman, the future generations come.

When his woman dies, he seeks another woman; 

To the woman he is bound. 

So why call her bad? 

From her, kings are born. 

From woman, woman is born; 

Without woman, there would be no one at all”

Guru Nanak ji's teachings have had a profound and positive transformational effect and helped reinforce and revive the value and respect for women in general. This has been one of the key elements in the success of Sikhism as a way of life.

Respect for the other cannot be taught nor legislated, it can however be learnt. 

If one is guided to realise the transitionary nature of life, be it our body, beauty, strength, wealth, status, or position we will discover ourselves living simpler and healthier lives. 

By associating with good and noble people, by contemplation and listening to the Guru's advice we can awaken the consciousness. Then we need not be told by others as to what is right or wrong for we will know it.

When there's focus on awakening rather than teaching, we come to respect not only the woman but all of humanity and Creation. To respect is not to pamper, or worship but rather to cope with and accept that the nature of women is different from, but complimentary to men.

To respect the woman is to respect ourselves.

Who Created God?

 

Mr. God

 

Most people ask, 'Is God male of female?'

First we need to understand 'Who or what is God?'

All religions and believers claim that God is, omnipotent that is with unlimited power, omnipresent meaning whose presence is widespread, in fact everywhere. And of course God is indestructible.

The only thing that meets these three parameters is energy. God is nothing but this energy that is manifested in all of Existence.

Then how do we come to know and experience God?

Throughout history two pathways have been adopted by us humans to understand God and Existence.

The first approach being the emotional-spiritual approach, where we see and experience God in all aspects of nature which provides and nurtures us and hence God is primarily viewed as feminine in all aspects, such as mother earth, mother nature experienced through the elements.

The second approach being the material- intellectual approach which analyses God as an all powerful concentration of power in a human being hence God is seen as masculine.

The human mind generally employs intellect and logic to fit Creation into something we can understand. Because Creation is infinitely vast and our minds comparatively so insignificant  we cannot comprehend Creation, as a result we always tend to get lost in knowing God.

In fact those who know God cannot describe God. Thos who describe God do not know God.

But the curiosity of humankind must be addressed, an explanation has to be offered by the leaders in society to the simple minded and trusting masses who look to their leaders for guidance.

Some people have seen great opportunity to capitalise on this natural human desire. Thus was born organised religion to cater to the  greed and fears of mankind and the ability of a few to politically, socially, economically and militarily dominate and exploit others.

It is true, God was, is and will be. 

This does not mean, God is a man sitting somewhere on a throne in the sky, or a woman floating on a lotus flower, etc. Rather God is in every drop of water, every grain of sand in every bit of atmosphere, in every leaf, in each creature and the life throb in every being of Existence.

The starting question itself is erroneous, because God is neither male nor female, God is neutral.

God is not a being, but existence itself, manifested as energy.

Existence is God, and God is Existence.

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Meaning of being Spiritual

I am the universe, and the universe is within me.

To know this and to live accordingly, is to be spiritual.

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Its fashionable for people to say, 'I am not religious, I am spiritual'. They usually mean that they do not go to Church, Temple, Gurdwara or Mosque, but they believe in God. Probe further and one can expect silence or a scowl.  What does spirituality mean?

Nearly all people are seeking heaven and trying to avoid or atone for sin.

We indulge in many rituals, do all sorts of things to ourselves, and to others in an attempt to get to heaven, failing which we try to avoid hell.

It is the arrogance of man,to place himself or herself above all of creation and decide, what is right and what is wrong? Who must do what and how?  

For ourselves we indulge in rituals, penances, prayers, charity, pilgrimages etc. Others we seek to seduce, persuade, bribe, coerce, and threaten, even wage war, and smugly kill other humans and creatures to this end

Alas the only truth is that, heaven and hell, God and devil, are within us. We cannot discover God, we can only discover ourselves. We cannot acquire God we can only dissolve within this ocean of creation.

The ocean beckons us just as this drop seeks the ocean, and once it returns to the ocean it dissolves into it. 

That ocean is within us and we are within the ocean. All that is stopping us is we ourselves and our ego.

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Quote  by Gurvinder Singh

Image: by unknown artist

Religion, talk less of it ...

Sadhu T.L. Vaswani

Religion; Let us talk of it less, practice more.

~ Sadhu T.L. Vaswani

Sadhu Vaswani (born 1879) was a great Sindhi Spiritual master, an educationist and philosopher. A scholar of both ancient Indian texts like the Upanishads, and modernity with a Masters degree. 

Always a man of spirituality committed to serving humanity, he longed to find his God chosen Guru.  He was fortunate that while on a teaching stint in Kolkata his Guru (spiritual teacher), Sri Promotholal Sen appeared in his life. From 1920, Vaswani ji abandoned himself to the spiritual path. 

Sadhu Vaswani ji, dedicated is life in the service of God by serving humanity. He imposed great faith in the power and capability of women to play a greater role in 

shaping a brighter and happier future for the world.

He founded a girl’s college to educate women and named it the Mira School, this grew into a global phenomenon known as the Mira Movement. Vaswani ji's love, works and philosophy has  flowered into the Sadhu Vaswani mission, now headed by his disciple  Dada JP Vaswani.

Sadhu Vaswani ji and now Dada JP Vaswani ji, remain the spiritual beacon and guiding lights not only for the Sindhi community but for millions of people across the world.

A Sadhu's manner is compassionate as was that of Sadhu Vaswani. They take what nature offers but never by force or cruelty. Hence they abhor taking life. 

Many people who have tread the spiritual path have turned vegetarian. 

Today Nov 25th Sadhu Vaswani ji's birth anniversary  is celebrated in many parts of the world as Meatless Day.

Regaining Paradise

Regaining Paradise

Paradise is not a physical place somewhere. Its a state of being. The good news is, we do not have to die to go to paradise. The best news is, all of us can live there, and now.

In paradise, nationality, religion, colour, race, gender, are irrelevant. Nor is our bank balance, wealth, social status of any consequence. Ego, hatred, lust, etc. all the things that define who we are but in the end corrode humans are not even a factor.

There is one very large group of people that live in paradise, they are called 'Children'. 

The ultimate state sought by all true seekers of spirituality is to reach this stage of being innocent, carefree, just like little children. The child is innocent because of purity and ignorance. The evolved adult is not ignorant but becomes innocent by an enlightened consciousness. They transcend human social failings to become unitary creatures, the always pure individual soul connected with the  The Divine, experienced as Creation which most of us call God by a multitude of names. 

We adults are so busy making a living and merely existing, that we forget that life is to be lived. By the time most of realise the folly of our actions or inactions its too late. 

There is a lot that children can teach us. Show us how to be carefree and happy.  

Today 14th November has been declared as 'Children's Day'. In fact everyday should be Children's day, if we wish to be happy and make others happy. 

What Jesus said about killing to eat?

'Thou shalt not kill, for life is given to all by God, and that which God has given, let not man take away. For I tell you truly, from one Mother proceeds all that lives upon the earth. 

Therefore, he who kills, kills his brother. And from him will the Earthly Mother turn away, and will pluck from him her quickening breasts. 

And he will be shunned by her angels, and Satan will have his dwelling in his body. And the flesh of slain beasts in his body will become his own tomb. 

For I tell you truly, he who kills, kills himself, and whoso eats the flesh of slain beasts, eats of the body of death."

~ Jesus

Excerpt from, The Essene Gospel of Peace

I saw my Lord

I saw my Lord with the eye of the heart.
I asked, ‘Who are You?’
He replied, ‘You’.

~ Mansur Al Hallaj

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If one studies history of divine souls, one will always find find that those who preached love, compassion, universal brotherhood, respect for life, etc. you will find that they were inevitably persecuted by the government and the dominant religious authorities of the times.

Jesus Christ, The Sikh Gurus, are well known examples but much less is known about the  Sufi saint Mansur al-Hallaj. The people followed them in large numbers turning away from the priests and preachers of the times, towards these divine souls and masters. Following them  because they stirred their souls and enlightened them. 

However arrogant leaders of religious and political institutions can not accept nor forgive anyone who enlightens the masses. So they always try to destroy these great beings. 

But what difference do earthly matters of life and death make to the soul that is divine, and transcended this material world? They may destroy the body but not the soul, nor can they silence the words and the teachings.

One can also observe this, from the life of  Mansur al-Hallaj  (858 - 922).  He was a Persian  mystic, revolutionary writer and a major teacher and influence in the Sufi tradition.  

He spent long periods in meditation and was imprisoned by many who disapproved of his claim to be true only to the one God rather than to protocols of social and religious custom. 

Mansur was finally incarcerated for 9 years. Rather than getting destroyed, he rejoiced and used the time to meditate, realising that he and God were but one. When he emerged from his cell he kept uttering the the words,  "An Al-Ḥaq" (I am the Truth)

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He achieved the highest level of spiritual evolution when he proclaimed, that there was no separation  between him and God. This kind of statements are considered revolutionary and very dangerous by the clerics and the state for it negates their power over the spiritual individual. 

What would happen if the masses followed Mansur?
He was repeatedly asked to publicly recant, but he steadfastly refused. Unwilling to change his statements, he was finally sentenced to death. Mansur was not only to be killed but to be so destroyed that it must frighten others not to deviate from norms laid out by religious leaders.

Thousands of people witnessed his execution on the banks of the Tigris River. He remained defiant, and uncowed even as he was led to the scaffold. He was first punched in the face by his executioner, then lashed until unconscious, and then decapitated Witnesses reported that Al-Hallaj's last words under torture were "All that matters for the ecstatic is that the Unique should reduce him to Unity," after which he recited the Koranic verse 42:18. His body was doused in oil and set alight, and his ashes were then scattered into the river.

Mansur  Al-Hallaj taught people to find God inside their own souls. He preached without the traditional Sufi cloak and used language familiar to the local population.

Among other Sufis, Mansur was an anomaly. Many Sufi masters felt that it was inappropriate to share mysticism with the masses, yet Mansur openly did so in his writings and through his teachings. 

Mansur al-Hallaj claimed, "There is nothing wrapped in my turban but God." 

Did I tell you, I love you?

Once again as I embarked on a long journey, without my wife, I felt the pang of separation from my love and friend. I was filled with thoughts and emotions. 

When our being overflows with emotion it drives thoughts out of the mind emptying it, even if only for a brief moment. Then in this emptiness many thoughts surge in.

What if I never get to see her again? 
Its strange, that I have surrendered to Mohini, yet rather than becoming less I am further enriched, physically, emotionally and intellectually. This I guess is the power of love and friendship.


I always want to tell her that she means the world to me and I love her,  and a thousand other things. Words and thoughts which a man and woman, friends, and lovers  should be sharing with one another, but for some inexplicable reason almost never do so. 

Soon after leaving I usually sent her a message from my phone. The message could reflect care, love, regret, a joke, something romantic, advice, maybe even a reminder, whatever it is I feel at that moment. True friends and lovers never adulterate their feelings with too much thought. 

I asked myself, 'If you love her, why did you not tell her directly?'
For one my wife never believes me, after all the grief I give her. 
Secondly the last time I hugged and told her I loved her, , she spun around and confronted me, "Are you having an affair? "
"Of course not, I replied." 
I thought to myself, "By God! what a delightful thing that would be."  

______________________________

I like to converse with myself. 
Why do we seek to cling on to what we have? Maybe this is all that we have. 
There is God I am often told. 
But where is He?

God, He seems so very far away. The more I approach Him the more distant he seems to be. How many steps more must I travel to reach Him? And there are so many middle men.  My wife and my family, they are here and now. I have invested so much in these relationship, of course I have a right to expect a return on my love and devotion.

This is nonsense. If we expect something in return for our love and devotion then it's not love, its business. A commercial deal of give and take. 

Again I asked myself, 'what if I never saw her again?'  The survivor would be devastated. Really? Why should it be so?

From experience and understanding, realisation is born which blooms into acceptance.
Worry never robbed tomorrow of its sorrow, it just robs today of its essence.

We come alone into this world and alone we shall leave it.  How silly we humans are, that for the brief time we spend while we are here, to gather so much?  As if we will live here forever. Things, relationships, wealth, position, status, all we should relinquish voluntarily or they will be snatched away from us anyway.  Give and give with joy and without expectation. Share and share with compassion. 

Love is not a demanding but a giving. Only an Emperor can give with magnanimity. Where as a beggar is exacting, expecting his or her due in full, and if possible even more.  

Love and friendship fortunately are unlike money.
If we give and love unconditionally, the more we give the more we are enriched. 
Maybe I have evolved, maybe I have just grown too comfortable and lazy, maybe I am trying to fool destiny. I am lucky that I live like an emperor, I treasure just the moment, and I never send her sentimental messages anymore. 

Knowing and Describing God

Anyone who knows God, 

cannot describe Him.

Anyone who describes God 

does not know Him.    

                                                                                                      - Paul Coelho

The force is with you

My year old grandson Tegh Vir Singh, has discovered mobility. He crawls rapidly all over the house, being followed by some member of the family.

There is a heavy drawer in our bedroom which houses all the sheets and blankets etc. Tegh Vir had observed the actions of his grandmother as she cleans up the room every morning.

Children learn by imitating the behaviour of people around them. Even though Tegh is still so little, and unable to pull open the drawer, he persists, in trying to copy his grandmother's actions

This morning the drawer once again caught Tegh' attention. He huffed and he puffed but the drawer would not open. I decided to assist Tegh, so I discretely pulled open the drawer from one corner. Tegh Veer beamed with joy and he looked  around announcing his success in that strange language that only mothers understand.
  
He then pushed the draw shut, again with my discrete help. He was delighted by his success and on discovering his new found capabilities.

We both played our roles in the game several times. After about a dozen cycles I stopped, because the game was becoming boring and hence weary.

Tegh, was so confused. In spite of all his efforts the drawer now refused to budge. He tried and he tried, looked around for support, and when none was forthcoming, began his huffing and puffing all over again. 
"Well, my world is full of other fun things to do", he probably thought as he
embarked on a new adventure.

It suddenly dawned upon me that had just transpired was a great lesson in spirituality. 

Each individual feels that he or she alone is the doer. Everything that succeeds is because of us and us alone. But hands and forces hidden and unknown to us are always working and assisting us. 

Such is the power of creation which many call God, that miracles happen all the time.

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I have experienced, that whatever we do with commitment and all our focus and passion, will automatically draw the energy from the cosmos and from within our higher self to support whatever we do.

This is what all the great masters and teachers tell us, "Be true to yourself" or "seek and you shall find". But be a true seeker.

The spiritually evolved individual knowingly or unknowingly taps into this this vast reservoir of energy. We should remember that the energy of the cosmos or energy within us is just pure energy, and energy is not judgemental, it just follows its own rules.

If we are full of hate, anger, jealousy, then our bitterness and negativity will be magnified and we will be destructive and cause only harm and sorrow.

So it is with goodness. If we are compassionate, loving, friendly and helpful, we will achieve joy and well being, not only for ourselves but we will enrich the cosmos and everyone we come in contact with. 

Believe in yourself and the power lying latent with-in and with-out you.

Make your choices wisely, for the force is always with you.

A Saviour came this day

Wherever one goes in the world, you will find a special type of people.  They are inevitably respected for their integrity, passion and joyful nature. They work hard, live well and love passionately. They are the Sikhs.

Who are the Sikhs and where did they come from?

Whenever there is grief and unbearable anguish and humanity loses its way, there always arrives a saviour, to provide a loving balm, guide and inspire people to rise and discover through their true potential, salvation.

On this day in 1469 on the day of Kartik Poornima ( the full moon in the month of Kartik) such a saviour took birth in Rai-Bhoi-di Talwandi. Guru Nanak ji had arrived. The people who imbibe Guru Nanak ji's teachings call themselves Sikhs (meaning disciples).

When people are lost they seek guidance, but the priests inevitably land up distancing man from God. The older the faith the more distorted and abused is the religion by those who claim to serve it.

Sikhism is the most modern and relevant faith in the world. The teachings of Guru Nanak ji are easy to understand and hence follow, as it is in the spoken language, free of rituals and does not need middlemen. All it requires, is for us to be loving and to be true. 

Guru Nanak ji's preached three fundamental beliefs.

• 'Kirat Karo':  Fulfil your duties. Make an honest living. For if you do not earn how will you provide for those you are responsible for. This is why the Sikhs are extremely hard working and have a very good work ethic.
• 'Vand Chakko': Share what you earn with others, who are in need. This is why the Sikhs are so helpful and charitable.
• 'Nam Jappo': Remember God and joyfully sing his praise. This is why Sikhs are usually alway happy evening adversity.

Sikhism is relevant even more today for it teaches, 

• Tolerance and universal brotherhood. All are accepted and welcome without any preconditions or  compulsions.
• Breaks all forms of class barriers ignoring sex, colour, religion, caste, rank or wealth. 
• The "Langar" or the community kitchen where kings and the poorest break bread together
• Feed, protect and care for the poor, the hungry and the unfortunate.
• Promotes environmentalism. For to love and respect creation is to love The Creator.
• To honour and respect women as equals and give them same rights and privileges as men.

Guru Nanak ji had two constant companions Mardana a Muslim and Bala a Hindu. He travelled widely across a world torn by strife,  singing hymns and teaching love and tolerance by example.
They travelled mostly on foot from Punjab in all directions, up North till Tibet and South to Sri Lanka, up to Myanmar in the east and Saudi Arabia in the West.


If we do seek salvation then let us learn from a saviour. Paths may be many, but the destination is the same. "There is only One and He is Truth"

I congratulate all the people in all lands on this great day.

_______________________________

*Rai-Bhoi-di Talwandi is now called Nankana and is in Pakistan

Savouring Life

We all need challenges to enjoy life. 
Challenge gets our adrenaline flowing to either fight or take flight, and this in turn creates stress. Some level of stress is in fact healthy and even essential for  us to live exciting and interesting lives. However stress can often become addictive, and as with all addictions we need greater and greater doses of excitement to get the same high.

One of the greatest stress creators is modern man's, need for speed. Our lives are running faster and faster, yet rarely do we arrive anywhere meaningful. 

Time is money we are told, money for whom and what will you do with that money if you have lost your health, your sanity, and your self. We often have no time to enjoy life, nature, our families, our friends and precious moments we live. If we ever do realise our folly, it is often too late in life to do anything about it.

Life is not only to be lived, it has to be savoured. Unfortunately we have come to believe that only through money and power, can we enjoy life and be happy. That too if we have lots of it.

Many things in life can be enjoyed which money cannot afford to buy,  The love and company of family, friendship, sound sleep, good health, mother's cooking, wisdom, etc. etc. 

The sounds and smell of nature, the sun, rain, the breeze, the song of birds and the mischief of youth, the joy of play, music and dance, all these and many other things we increasingly miss in our lives.

When we travel fast we hardly ever notice and therefore can never admire the scenery. When we zip through life we journey from cradle to the funeral pyre or grave, we hardly get to live. Mere existence is not living.

Many years ago I went through a catastrophic personal and business setback. I struggled and I struggled and I struggled, until there was nothing more I could do. 
When all worldly doors close we seek a higher self within our own being. Through the doorway of our soul we seek to find answers and solutions. Eventually, exhausted, I surrendered to God's will. I stopped struggling and that led an awakening.

Now I had time to look within. I now had time to do all the things I should have done all my life and somehow forgotten to do because I was too busy.

I found I had time to reflect, meditate, go for walks,  spend time with my loved ones. I learnt to chew rather than swallow my food. Help with the children and home, read listen to music, tell and listen to stories, etc. I had done many of these things before but grudgingly or almost robotically, now I savoured them.

I do not regret the years I spent in discovering my potential and to achieving  spectacular results. I had a wonderful relationship with my colleagues and the immense learning I obtained. Many liked me and some even loved me but I was too busy and oblivious of their affection.

I still work hard, and do many things, but all with greater meaning. No issue is too minor, nor is any relationship too demanding. A joy fills my being for I no longer live life but savour it.

The base of the lamp is always dark.

Called by thousands of names Prophets, Gurus, Murshid, Teacher, Messiah, all of them unselfish masters have since time immemorial come showed humanity the way and then left. They were a light unto themselves and humanity tried to follow them.

Politically inclined people can spot opportunities much easier than the masses. They have always seen great power and wealth to be made by appointing themselves as the exclusive marketing agents of the Gurus, Messiahs.

So these self appointed agents set up gigantic multinational institutions called organised religion, to market and take full advantage of the goodwill, and light of the now departed masters.

While masters possess the breath of life itself, a religion is lifeless, a mere body without a soul.

When real masters are replaced by paid preachers or teachers, the magic of the message is greatly diluted if not completely lost. What remains are empty words, mere songs, complex rituals and soul-less political establishments.

Religions use complex rituals, nuances, etc. written and spoken in undecipherable language. They expect the masses to follow unnatural behaviour, demand total obedience and following by the faithful to a small group of priests.

Institutions are political in nature, and whenever there is politics, the worst aspects of human nature tends to come to the fore. Power struggles are common, and power seeks only its own absolute monopoly and continuity.

To increase their power, every religion employs an army of priests, assistants and missionaries to spread the 'message', which is nothing more than recruitment drives under various guises and to acquire wealth an power for the religious institution. The 'message' also conveniently grants religious leaders special privileges and the masses to merely serve the religious leaders.

Now preachers try to replicate the energy and light of the Masters to guide people. They resort to holding up holy books /scripture as divine lamps. The mangers of organised religion and the paid priests have granted themselves exclusive rights to hold up the lamp for others to unquestioningly follow.



They ask that people follow the persons carrying the lamp. But have you noticed the base of the lamp is always dark?


The lecturers, preachers and the leaders are themselves in the dark. A darkness possibly created by a mix of greed, lust, vanity, power, wealth, and anger,  and the insatiable desire to possess your mind, body, possessions, wealth and influence.


The ones in darkness hold up the lamp, beckon us to follow them along their path. They want you to surrender all that is yours to them including your soul. If you do not surrender they will legislate it, and enforce it.  History is full of examples of religious leaders fabricating, misleading, manipulating, etc, and if not successful with these measures, confiscate wealth, torture, and kill to take followers to the promised land and heaven.



The priests need the power of rulers and the State to stay in power and the rulers need the priests to legitimise their reign. A convenient symbiosis, where two sets of people in the dark thriving off each other. Look closely and you will find that politicians and religious leaders share the same characteristics.

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Sadly, man lives in fear. Fearful creatures are easily confused and will cling to any thing that offers a way to mitigate their fear. The priests know this and there is a race to recruit followers as soon as they are born and often even before birth. More the number of followers of any religion, the greater the hordes of people to be used and sacrificed and greater wealth at there disposal.

We, each one of us, has great individual potential. In fact that is the only true potential we possess. However to realise that potential we must be one with ourselves not with the crowd or the mobs. Each one of us has our own lamp, that we can use to illuminate the path ahead. The base of this lamp is bright and there is nothing hidden from the glare of this lamp. All we need to do is turn it on.

But we dare not to turn it on. We are fearful that we will discover horrid things about ourselves. So what? As there are nights, there are also days. We humans all have strengths and weaknesses, look within and you will find many wonderful things in life and within you.

We are all originally divine and we can realise our divinity through meditation.

Once discovered our divinity will automatically drop all negativity. Then fear is banished, wonder fills us and childlike we will become, innocent, pure and fearless.

Be your own lamp, for your existence begins and ends with you and your spirit, and not that of the other person holding up their own lamp.

God everywhere and in all things - Chief Seattle

 In 1855 President Franklin Pierce of the United States made a “request” to Chief Seathl of the Suwamish tribe of Indians (who lived in what is now the State of Washington) to “sell” his land to the government. In reply, Chief Seathl sent the following letter to the President:

The great chief in Washington sends word that he wishes to buy our land. The great chief also sends us words of friendship and goodwill. This is kind of him, since we know that he has little need of our friendship in return. But we will consider your offer, for we know that if we do not do so, the white man may come with guns and take our land.

How can you buy or sell the sky—the warmth of the land? The idea is strange to us. Yet we do not own the freshness of the air or the sparkle of the water. How can you buy them from us?

Every part of this earth is sacred to my people. Every shining pine needle, every sandy shore,every mist in the dark woods, every clearing and humming insect is holy in the memory and experience of my people. We know that the white man does not understand our ways. One portion of the land is the

same to him as the next, for he is a stranger who comes in the night and takes from the land whatever he needs. The earth is not his brother, but his enemy, and when he has conquered it, he moves on. His appetite will devour the earth and leave behind only a desert. The sight of your cities pains the eyes of the red man. But perhaps it is because the red man is a savage and does not understand. 

If I decide to accept, I will make one condition. The white man must treat the beasts of this land as his brothers. What is man without beasts? If all the beasts were gone, men would die from great loneliness of the spirit, for whatever happens to the beasts also happens to man.One thing we know which the white man may one day discover: Our God is the same God. You may think that you own Him as you wish to own our land. But you cannot. He is the God of men. And His compassion is equal for the red man and the white. 

This earth is precious to Him. And to harm the earth is to heap contempt on its Creator. The whites, too, shall pass—perhaps sooner than other tribes. Continue to contaminate your bed and you will one night suffocate in your own waste. When the buffaloes are all slaughtered, the wild horses all tamed, the sacred corner of the forest heavy with the scent of men, and the view of the ripe hills blotted by talking wives, where is the thicket ? Where is the eagle? And what is it to say goodbye to the shift and the hunt? The end of living and the beginning of dying.

There is no quiet place in the white man’s cities. No place to hear the leaves of spring or the rustle of insect wings. But perhaps because I am a savage and do not understand—the clatter only seems to insult the ears. And what is there to life if a man cannot hear the lovely cry of the whippoorwill or the argument of the frogs around a pond at night? The Red Indian prefers the

soft sound of the wind itself cleansed by the midday rain, or scented with a pine. The air is precious to the red man, for all things share the same breath—the beasts, the trees, the man. The white man does not seem to notice the air he breathes. Like a man dying for many days, he is numb to the smell.

We might understand if we know what the white man dreams, what hopes he describes to his children on long winter nights, what visions he burns into their minds, so that they will wish for tomorrow. But we are savages. The white man’s dreams are hidden from us.

And because they are hidden, we will go on our own way. If we agree, it will be to secure our reservation you have promised. There perhaps we may live out our brief days as we wish. When the last red man has vanished from the earth, and the memory is only the shadow of a cloud moving across the prairie, these shores and forests will still hold the spirits of my people, for they love this earth as the newborn loves its mother’s heartbeat. If we sell you our land, love it as we loved it, care for it as we have cared for it, hold in your mind the memory of the land, as it is when you take it, and with all your strength, with all your might, and with all your heart, preserve it for your children, and love it as God loves us all. One thing we know—your God is

the same God. The earth is precious to Him. Even the white man cannot be exempt from the common destiny.

Chief Seattle

(Letter released by the United States Government as part of the Bicentenary celebrations).

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The only known photograph of Chief Seattle, in 1864 (c. 1780 - June 7, 1866). Chief Seattle (anglicised name) was a Suquamish (or Suquampsh) Chief (possibly also a Duwamish Chief), also known as Si'ahl, Sealth, Seathle, Seathl or See-ahth. Seattle in Washington was named after him.

"We are all one Tribe,  the Human Tribe... "

"Native American isn't blood. It is what is in the heart. The love for the land, the respect for it, those who inhabit it, and the respect and acknowledgement of the spirits and elders. That is what it is to be Indian."

              White Feather, Navajo Medicine Man

Blunder by man or God?

"Is man a blunder created by God? 

or  

Is God is a blunder created by man?"

~ Fried Nietzsche

People to love not use

God gave us people to love and things to use, and not the other way around.

Gods & Goddesses

Isn't it amazing how a simple question can send us on a very long journey?

My Iranian friend Ali once asked me , why do you Indians have so many Gods and Goddesses? Shyamoli another friend asked why does God have to be male?

Like many Indians, being continuously exposed to Western philosophy and Christian beliefs, I found the entire concept of Hinduism strange and inexplicable. So I set off on a journey to learn more about Hinduism.


First thing I learnt was, Hinduism cannot be appreciated easily through a Western mindset. It is difficult if not impossible for a person schooled in Western philosophy which is fundamentally the Greek philosophy and within the thought and belief framework of Abrahaminical religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Here God is seen as man like sitting on a throne directing affairs of the world. Greek Gods are seen as super human beings that live for ever. This is quite different from Indian approach and philosophy.

Hinduism is not even a religion it is  highly evolved abstract thought, scientific, and an advanced way of life, which has repeatedly passed the test of time. 

Educated in an Anglo Indian school, we were taught that God made man in His own image.  The truth is that, Man has made God in his own image.

A visit to any Hindu temple more than 2500 years old will reveal no statues or paintings of God & Goddesses. Depiction of Gods & Goddesses as is commonly observed by us in Hindu temples was taken up by Hindu priests only after followers of Lord Buddha started placing His statues in Buddhist temples.

The Goddess in Hindu scripture is not the female version of God favoured by feminists, nor is God the all powerful judgmental external agency described in the Bible who sets down codes of conduct and determines what is right and wrong. God is not even the deified hero of Greek mythology which shapes Western thinking and hence modern discourse. Goddesses and Gods have very particular meanings in the Hindu understanding of the universe.

Hindu thought starts with an observation; the human ability to imagine, that enables us to position ourselves outside nature. We alone of all living creatures can refuse to submit to nature's laws. The human mind is potentially God while nature is always Goddess. 

Thus Hindu Gods stem from the trinity of the three fundamental forms of the human mind.  Brahma is the mind that is indulgent and dominating and a God that will not be worshipped. For Brahma, nature is the Goddess Saraswati, source of wisdom awaiting his enlightenment. Shiva is the mind indifferent to others point of view, the hermit is considered the destroyer. For Shiva, nature is the alluring Goddess Shakti awaiting his engagement. For the mind that cares for others point of view is the preserver Vishnu. For Vishnu, nature is the playful Goddess Lakshmi, source of enrichment and abundance. 

Each one of is a God, and everything in nature is a Goddess. That is why nature is worshipped in millions of ways, the water, the trees, the land, the air, the mountains, the animals and the creatures and the flowers and vegetation. All worship from the mind is possible only if there is love and respect for nature and for existence. 

If we expand our minds, (hence the word Brahman. 'Brah' for expand, and 'Man' for mind, in sanskrit) to understand, respect and be one with nature then we too shall be enlightened.

Most people merely exist, rarely using their minds. Intellectually weak or lazy minds  rather than expanding their minds, fill it very quickly with dogma and perceptions, which have been handed down to them by others, mainly their parents, teachers, priests or political leaders. 

Human beings are the only known creatures that possess imagination, and expand their 'Mann' or what we call mind. That is why man is called  'Mannas or Mannav', meaning the one with a mind. Man does not live in isolation but within nature,  however because of our imagination we tend to position ourselves outside of nature. 

We alone of all living creatures can refuse to submit to nature's laws. The human mind is potentially God while nature is always Goddess. 

Thus, in Hinduism, God is the male form which represents the mind, the world of thoughts. The Goddess or the female form represents nature, the world of things.

This also helps to explain the statements,

• God is within each one of us 
• God is everywhere and within everything. 

Concepts have been drawn from the writings of Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik.