Thursday, 3 March 2022

Similarity between Religion and the Corporate Sector

I see a lot of similarity between Religions and the corporate sector. While we accept a lot of things from the corporate structure, when the same thing is replicated in a religion, people feel offended. Let me explain…..

I believe every religion primarily has 3 components

1.    Principles/ Objectives

2.    Practices

3.    Symbols

Principles/ Objectives

As I see it, all religions seem to have the same principles. The message is the same only the language or the tone is different. Rest remains that same. Like in our corporate world the core objective is the same for all industries - Make Money. People in the company must be in a better position than they were when they joined the organization. They should grow personally and also professionally. This is universally true be it a FMCG Company, Insurance sector, Banking, Advertising or for that matter even a kirana store

Practices

Each religion has its own practices. Hindu has his vrats and temple prayers, Christian his Sunday mass, Muslim his Fasting during Ramadan month, etc. I feel these are just practices that a religion believes will help its members reach the principles set much faster. Each one has their own practices. A Hindu, Muslim and Sikh removes his slippers while he enters their sacred places. For a Christian this is not a big deal. For Hindu a once/ Twice a week vrat is good. A Muslim has set a practice of longer fasting period, but annually, during Ramadan. Each religion has festivals always with the intention for family get-together, thanking the lord for all they have and to create an atmosphere to give.

Coming back to this in a corporate environment. Every sector has its own practices. An FMCG Company has its practices for production, sales and distribution. A Consumer durable or Insurance or Banking sector has their own practices. Each sector has developed these practices over years to ensure that the objective is achieved. There have been CEOs (Saints) who have developed such practices which they felt are good and created policy papers (Holy books) which all in that industry have to follow. Again not all policies are time proof. Each policy is reviewed by the new CEO who adapts them to the new market conditions and sets the company in a new path. All this are done to ensure that the principles and objectives are the same and can be achieved with least resistance from the people under its umbrella. There are festivals created like founders day or a Anniversary with the objective for all in the company to bond.

Symbols

Here again I see that each religion has its own symbols. But these symbols of one religion can mean something else in another religion. As mentioned in the film PK, color of clothes mean different in each religion. For a Hindu and Christian a sculpture symbolizes their god but for a Muslim or Sikh it does not. Things like Teeka, cap, cloth on head/ Face, Cow, color, etc symbolize different things in each religion.

This is the same in our corporate structure too. Small thing like a security guard's log entry of a customer walking into their premises are treated differently in each industry. For the banking/ School sector it is a serious business. For a grocery store it is irrelevant. A Goods receipt note (a confirmation for stock received) has different meaning for all. Wearing Jeans/ Shorts to office will get different reactions in each sector.

As I see it people seem to be fighting over practices and symbols. One religion believing their practice is better and other believing that theirs is. Then they fight about it. People cannot comprehended how a symbol that is of great importance to them is disrespected by the other. How would you feel if a person from army says one should not wear Jeans to office and anyone who does is disrespecting their organization? If a person from Hotel Industry says that people who don’t welcome their guests with flowers are disrespecting their customers and are low life people.

I just feel that if people just accept that their industry is different from the next guys, his process to achieve objective is different from your process, most of the problems will be resolved. The core objective is actually make money and stay happy. We don’t see these problems in corporate structures because the objective is tangible like cash in purse or car at door step. In a religion it is peace and harmony which is something you cannot measure and compare. Hence all this.

Sorry if I have hurt your beliefs

Wednesday, 30 September 2020

How to prepare for what I want to do?

There is this very interesting concept in our scriptures. They are called Sadhana chatushtaya— ways by which you can make yourself a suitable conducting medium for education and receiving knowledge.

      1.   Viveka

      2.   Vairagya

      3.   Shad-sampat

      4.  Mumukshutva.

This is an attempt to relate these to the current scenario in education.

     1.  Viveka : When we are after something, we must know what it is that we are after. A discrimination that we exercise in knowing what it is that we are after, what it is that we are expecting, this faculty of inner discrimination is called viveka, correct understanding. Are we doing a course for better grades or to satisfy our thirst for knowledge in the subject or is it simply because we believe it will result in a better future. This capacity in us to distinguish between what is redundant and that which is essential for making ourselves fit to tread the path of Knowledge is discrimination, called viveka.

 

    2. Vairagya : When we know what is necessary and what is unnecessary, what is proper and what is improper through this exercise of viveka, we also know what is to be rejected and what is to be caught hold of. That process of rejection of what is unnecessary, redundant, meaningless, an interference, is called vairagya. It is the understanding of the meaninglessness of certain things we are pursuing that will enable us to abandon them from our considerations in daily life. 

    It is not true that everything is irrelevant at all times, and it is also not true that all things are useful always. A careful distinction between the necessary and the unnecessary, the meaningful and the meaningless, the beneficial and the harmful, is the principle of renunciation. So there is a perpetual vigilance required on our part to understand what it is that we have to take hold of, and what it is that we have to abandon.

    3.  Shat-Sampat : This third requisite is called shad-sampat, the acquisition of six virtues. They are called sampat because they are actually treasures, very valuable things. The six virtues are sama, dama, uparati, titiksha, sraddha and samadhana.

                 i.       Sama is a determination on your part to be always calm and quiet under any kind of condition, even aggressive conditions. Reaction is not the way in which you have to conduct yourself towards an action. Two persons are necessary to quarrel, and you need not be a party in that.

           Sama is the restraint of the internal organ. The internal organ, or the psyche proper, is called the antahkarana chatushtaya. These are, broadly speaking, the functional aspects of the psyche.

1.     The mano, or the mind that thinks,

2.     The buddhi or intellect that decides and determines,

3.     The ahankara that identifies everything with itself, and

4.     The chitta or memory that remembers past things;

 

                 ii.         Dama is the restraint of the five senses. When on the path, one needs to control the pull of 5 senses namely Sound, Sight, Touch, Smell and Taste.

                   iii.          Uparati is cessation of all worldly longings or Feverishness towards things. One needs to stop being obsessed with things.

                   iv.         Titiksha means a kind of endurance and tolerance that you have to exercise. One needs to focus on what is more important and stick to it.

                   v.        Sraddha is faith in that which you are asking for. One needs to believe in their effort and never to loose faith despite ups and downs.

                   vi.   Samadhana is concentration of mind. Always be attentive on that which you are seeking.

 4.  Mumukshutva : Intense longing. If you want a thing from the bottom of your heart, it shall be given to you. It may be given to you today itself. It depends upon the intensity of your longing. You must know what it is that you want. Do not want the wrong things.

There are three stages of Practice

     1.   Shravana – Listening to the Teachings

     2.   Manana – Reflecting on those teachings

     3.   Nidhshyaasana – Continuous practice of those teachings.

Tuesday, 12 February 2013

Difference between Ramayana and Ramcharitmanas



Ramayana and Ramcharitmanas are two different versions of the story of Rama written in the Sanskrit and Awadhi languages respectively. There are some differences between them when it comes to the style of poetry used, the manner of composition, religious importance and the like.

Ramayana is written by sage Valmiki. It is regarded as Adi Kavya or the first book of ornate poetry. Ramcharitamanas is based on the original work of Valmiki. It is written by the great Awadhi poet, Goswami Tulsi Das. He lived in the 15th century AD.

Valmiki Ramayana is indeed the original version of the story of Rama based on which several other versions in different Indian languages like Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam were written. Valmiki wrote the Ramayana in 7 Kandams or chapters called as Balakandam, Ayodhyakandam, Aranyakandam, Kishkindakandam, Sundarakandam, Yuddhakandam and Uttarakandam.

Tulsidas also wrote the work in seven Kandas, and they are called as Bala Kand, Ayodhya Kand, Aranya Kand, Kishkindakand, Sundar Kand, Lanka Kand and Uttar Kand. This is one of the major differences between the Valmiki Ramayana and the Ramacharitmanas. Tulsidas did not write the sixth chapter under the title Yuddh Kand but instead he titled it as Lanka Kand.

Other differences

Lakshman Rekha
Valmiki Ramayana does not mention anything about Lakshman Rekha (the line drawn by rAmA's brother lakshmaNa, advising SItA, not to cross that line, till he returned to the hermitage.

-          VAlmIki rAmAyaN, book 3, (AraNya kANDa or book of forests) , sarga 29 - chapter 49, deals with abduction of SIta by rAvaNa at panchavaTi.

-          The chapter has 40 verses. The chapter starts rAvaNa's self-praise. Ends with jaTAyu seeing the abduction of SItA by rAvaNa.

-          Chapter 45 describes the scene of lakshmana, folding his palms before Sita, and moving away, as he was unable to bear her harsh criticism for not going to rescue his brother.
3.45.39
taam aarta ruupaam vimanaa rudantiim
saumitriH aalokya vishaala netraam
aashvaasayaamaasa na caiva bhartuH
tam bhraataram ki.mcit uvaaca siitaa. 3.45.40.
tataH tu siitaam abhivaadya lakSmaNaH
kRita anjaliH kimcid abhipraNamya
avekSamaaNo bahushaH sa maithiliim
jagaama raamasya samiipam aatmavaan .
These verses show that lakshmaNa just moved away from SItA looking at her again and again with folded hands. There was no lakshmaNa rEkha (line drawn by lakshmaNa, limiting the movement of SItA).
The story of lakshmaNa rEkhA started in Ramcharit Manas by Tulsidas.

Rama
Ramayana describes rama as a nara human being ‘Purushottam” and rama is pictured as an incarnation of god vishnu in ramacharitamanas.

Hanuman

Hanuman is a person in ramayana and is a monkey in tulsidas book.

Vanaras reffered to by Valmiki were a tribe who dwelled within dense forests. During the time of Ramayana, the central part of Indian peninsula was covered by a dense forest by the name Dandaka Forest. Some of the Vanaras lived in this dense forest. Kishkindha was their stronghold,  that had sway among the whole of the Vanara tribes spread all over the Indian Subcontinent. It was situated in this forest, located now near the Tungabhadra river in Karnataka state of India. Some literature describes them as monkeys, some as apes. There were many other tribes in Ancient India who are considered to have super-natural powers. These tribes include Gandharvas, Yakshas, Kinnaras, Kimpurushas, Rakshasas, Nagas, Suparnas, Vanaras, Vidyadharas, Valikilyas, Pisachas, Devas (within them Vasus, Rudras, Maruts, Adityas) and Asuras (within them Danavas, Daityas, Kalakeyas and Nivatakavachas.)

Hanuman a Vanara was literally called a monkey in Ramcharit manas.

Sita

When it comes to the characterizations of the characters, I would tend to believe Valmiki Ramayan a bit more because it is sometimes evident in Ramcharitmanas that Tulsidasji was influenced by the society of the 16th century when he was writing the epic. The role of women in the 16th century was different from the role of women we see in our puranas. The Sita of Valmiki Ramayan is outspoken, sometimes a bit aggressive, and is shown equal to Lord Ram whereas in Ramcharitmanas, she is far more submissive, quiet, and softspoken. In both stories Sita was a pious pativrata woman but Valmiki definitely portrays her as a stronger woman than Tulsidas does, which I prefer because Tulsidas's Sita is influenced by the portrayal of women during his times.

Dashratha
Ramcharit manas says Dashratha had 3 wives by Ramayana says he had over 350 wives.
-          Valmiki Ramayana, Ayodhya Kanda, Chapter 34, Verses 10 to 13:

'Dasharatha summons Sumantra to fetch all his wives when Rama was ready to to go to forest. Sumantra, after entering the gynaecium, spoke these words to those women as follows: "Oh, the venerable ladies! The king is calling you. Go there without delay. All those women, asked thus by Sumantra as per the king's orders, went to his palace, after knowing the instructions of their husband.'

-          Valmiki Ramayana, Ayodhya Kanda, Chapter 34, Verse 10
Dasaratha said to Sumantra,
"Oh, Sumantra! being all my wives, who are here. Surrounded by all of them, I want to see the virtuous Rama."
('who are here' means available at the capital city then)

-          Valmiki Ramayana, Ayodhya Kanda, Chapter 34, Verse 13:

अर्ध सप्त शताः ताः तु प्रमदाः ताम्र लोचनाः |
कौसल्याम् परिवार्य अथ शनैः जग्मुर् धृत व्रताः || -३४-१३

“ardha sapta shataah taah tu pramadaah taamra locanaah |
kausalyaam parivaarya atha shanaih jagmur dhrita vrataah ||” 2-34-13

atha= thereafter; taah= those; ardha sapta shataah= THREE
HUNDRED AND FIFTY pramadaah= women; dhritavrataah= steadfast in their vow (of devotion to their husband); taamra lochanaah= having red eyes; parivaarya= encircling; kausalyaam= Kausaly; jagmuh= went; shanaih= slowly.

'Encircling Kausalya, three hundred fifty women, steadfast in their vow (of devotion to their husband), with their eyes reddened, went there slowly.'

-          Valmiki Ramayana, Book II : Ayodhya Kanda, Chapter (Sarga) 39, Verse 34 & 35:
Rama said to Queen Kausalya, His mother,

"Oh, mother! You do not grieve. You look after my father. The end of exile will come rather soon."
"Fourteen years will elapse, while you are asleep. you as such, will see me, duly arrived here in my entire being, surrounded by my well-wishers."

-          Valmiki Ramayana, Book II : Ayodhya Kanda, Chapter (Sarga) 39, Verse 36:

एतावद् अभिनीत अर्थम् उक्त्वा जननीम् वचः |
त्रयः शत शत अर्धा हि ददर्श अवेक्ष्य मातरः || -३९-३६

etaavad abhiniita artham uktvaa sa jananiim vacah |
trayah shata shata ardhaa hi dadarsha avekshya maatarah || 2-39-36

uktvaa = uttering; vachah = words; etaavat = of such quality; abhiniitaartham = end appropriate meaning; aavekshhya = refelected again; dadarsha = (and) gazed at; trayah shata shataardhaah = his three hundred fifty; maatarah cha = mothers also.

Uttering the aforesaid words of such quality and appropriate meaning to his mother, Rama thought once again and gazed at his three hundred and fifty step-mothers.

-          Valmiki Ramayana, Book II : Ayodhya Kanda, Chapter (Sarga) 39, Verses 37 to 40:

Rama joined his palms and saluted those step mothers also, who were too distressed in the same way and spoke these words which were in consonance with the spirit of righteousness.
"Please excuse me, if I have done any mistake either becuase of our living together or due to ignorance on my part. I now take leave of you all."
All those women, whose mind was overpowered with grief, heard the aforesaid cool submission of Rama, which was in consonance with righteousness.
While Rama was speaking thus, an outery, resembling the wail of female cranes arose from those wives of Dasaratha.

Wednesday, 25 July 2012

Why does Hinduism Change over time

Article taken from........http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Why_does_Hinduism_changes_over_time&altQ=Why_does_Hinduism_change_over_time

...............................................................................

During the Classical Period, Hinduism had to compete against Buddhism so it moved away from the abstract concept of Brahman , with emotional, passionate devotion towards the more accessible avatars, especially Krishna and Rama


The eternally changing Hinduism:

Interposed between our constantly changing real world and eternally unchanging god (Brahman) is a three dimensional unnamed entity.

The three demensions are time, space and person. These are also the dimensions science uses to understand life.

The role played by the three dimensions: 1. Time/Temporary and permanent: The four Yugas and the four Varnas are based on it
2. Space: Local and Universal
3. Person/ God and man/ Involuntary and Voluntary forces: The infinite gods of Hinduism are based on this dimension
Hinduism started as a local, temporary and atheistic religion and started growing into an eternal, universal and orthodox religion.
In other religions this three dimensional part is replaced by revelations of god to a prophet. Thus, a follower can't change it.
In contrast, in Hinduism man is equal to god (Aham Bramasmi - I am the supreme god). Thus, Hinduism is designer made for each Hindu. Therefore, it keeps evolving continuously.

The basic forces and the basic Hindu gods: To understand the evolution of Hinduism we must always keep the seven basic forces in mind. This is because even though Hinduism keeps evolving continuously the basic forces continue to remain unchanged forever.
1. Dreaming force - Indra
2. Illusory force - Shakti
3. Voluntary force - Brahma
4. Semi voluntary force - Vishnu
5. Involuntary force - Shiva
6. Status altering force - Shani
7. Compulsive force - Yama

1. Stage of Worship of Nature: At the origin of Hinduism, there was not much competition for survival as the population was very low and people were nomadic. The main adversaries were elements of nature. Hindus considered the vagaries of nature as panchamahabhutas and realized that each of them is best handled by a particular basic force.
The panchamahabhutas are,
1. Void - Very hostile environment - dreaming force
2. Air - Hurricanes - illusory force
3. Fire - forest fires - voluntary force
4. Water - floods, rain, draught - Semi voluntary force
5. Earth - migration - Involuntary force
There were no temples or idols.
Thus, Indra, Vayu, Agni and Varuna were the important gods at this stage.

2. Stage of Worship of Gods: As population grew and people became less nomadic, the vagaries of nature became less important than fights among themselves.
1. Human like gods replaced the elements of nature to symbolize the basic forces.
2. All the seven basic Hindu gods viz. Indra, Shakti, Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, Shani and Yama, were distinctly recognizable and were equal.
3. The Supreme Hindu god Brahman was symbolic of pure Involuntary force.
4. Man, symbolic of pure voluntary force, became equal to the supreme god.
5. Hinduism was at its most rational form.
6. It was also in its complete form.
7. It is in this stage that Moksha and Brahman were described clearly.

3. The Materialistic worship: 1. Temples and rituals have become more important than faith.
2. The peripheral gods Indra and Yama have become too difficult to handle. Therefore, they are supposed to play a role after our death only.
3. The worship of Shakti and Shani has become less popular. The central gods 4. Vishnu and shiva have become popular.
5. Vishnu is overshadowed by his incarnations Rama and later, Krishna.
6. Ganesha, the son of Shiva and Hanuman, the god associated with Rama, have became the most important gods.

Friday, 20 July 2012

Secret of "The Nine Unknown Men"

According to occult lore, the Nine Unknown Men are a two millennia-old secret society founded by the Indian Emperor Asoka 273 BC. The legend of The Nine Unknown Men goes back to the time of the Emperor Asoka, who was the grandson of Chandragupta. Ambitious like his ancestor whose achievements he was anxious to complete, he conquered the region of Kalinga which lay between what is now Calcutta and Madras. The Kalingans resisted and lost 100,000 men in the battle. At the sight of this massacre Asoka was overcome and resolved to follow the path of non-violence.

He converted to Buddhism after the massacre, the Emperor founded the society of the Nine to preserve and develop knowledge that would be dangerous to humanity if it fell into the wrong hands. It is said that the Emperor Asoka once aware of the horrors of war, wished to forbid men ever to put their intelligence to evil uses. During his reign natural science, past and present, was vowed to secrecy. Henceforward, and for the next 2,000 years, all researches, ranging from the structure of matter to the techniques employed in collective psychology, were to be hidden behind the mystical mask of a people commonly believed to be exclusively concerned with ecstasy and supernatural phenomena. Asoka founded the most powerful secret society on earth: that of the Nine Unknown Men.

One can imagine the extraordinary importance of secret knowledge in the hands of nine men benefiting directly from experiments, studies and documents accumulated over a period of more than 2,000 years. What can have been the aim of these men? Not to allow methods of destruction to fall into the hands of unqualified persons and to pursue knowledge which would benefit mankind. Their numbers would be renewed by co-option, so as to preserve the secrecy of techniques handed down from ancient times.

Each of the Nine is supposedly responsible for guarding and improving a single book. These books each deal with a different branch of potentially hazardous knowledge. Traditionally, the books are said to cover the following subjects:
The Nine Books

1. Propaganda and Psychological warfare is a concerted set of messages aimed at influencing the opinions or behavior of large numbers of people. Instead of impartially providing information, propaganda in its most basic sense presents information in order to influence its audience. It is the most dangerous of all sciences, as it is capable of moulding mass opinion. It would enable anyone to govern the whole world.

2. Physiology is the study of the mechanical, physical, and biochemical functions of living organisms. The book of The Nine included instructions on how to perform the "touch of death (death being caused by a reversal of the nerve-impulse)." One account has Judo being a product of material leaked from this book.

3. Microbiology, and, according to more recent speculation, Biotechnology. In some versions of the myth, the waters of the Ganges are purified with special microbes designed by the Nine and released into the river at a secret base in the Himalayas. Multitudes of pilgrims, suffering from the most appalling diseases, bathe in them without harming the healthy ones. The sacred waters purify everything. Their strange properties have been attributed to the fact that they contain bacteriophages. But why should these not be formed in the Bramaputra, the Amazon or the Seine?

4. Alchemy, including the transmutation of metals. In India, there is a persistent rumor that during times of drought or other natural disasters temples and religious organizations receive large quantities of gold from an unknown source. The mystery is further deepened with the fact that the sheer quantity of gold throughout the country in temples and with kings cannot be properly accounted for, seeing that India has few gold mines.

5. Communication, including communication with extraterrestrials.

6. Gravitation. Book 6 The Vaiminaka sastra is said to contain the instructions necessary to build a Vimana, sometimes referred to as the "ancient UFOs of India."

7. Cosmology, the capacity to travel at enormous speeds through spacetime fabric, and time-travel; including intra- and inter-universal trips.

8. Light, the capacity to increase and decrease the speed of light, to use it as a weapon by concentrating it in a certain direction etc.

9. Sociology, including rules concerning the evolution of societies and how to predict their downfall.