Musings 78: Why do Hindus worship the cow?

For a Hindu mind, the world is a manifestation of the divine. Each and every aspect of the creation is sacred. The elements, stone, plants, animals and humans are all worthy of worship. However, the veneration earned by the cow is matchless. She is gO mātā, the mother. She is a devata (deity).

Non-Hindus find it difficult to understand and appreciate this unique status of the cow in Sanātana Dharma (Hinduism). They can’t be blamed though, as most Hindus struggle to understand and explain it themselves.

The śāsrtra and ācāryas offer explanations from different perspectives. This post takes up only one of such explanations, strictly from the point of view of the Yajña.

-I-

To answer the question, we need to understand,

1. What is Veda?

By Veda, Hindus do not mean any book/sets of books. It is the sum total of all knowledge/spiritual laws concerning/guiding the cosmos and its relationship with the life principle.

a. The Veda is apauruṣeya. That is, it has no author. The knowledge is revealed to the seekers in their dhyāna (meditation). Thus the seekers transform to seers, the ṛṣis. Therefore, the words of ṛṣis (śabda pramāṇa) are considered as the Veda Itself.

b. The Veda is infinite. Meaning, the knowledge/spiritual laws regarding the cosmos is not exhaustive. There is no end to the knowledge. Different ṛṣis at different times got different aspects and dimensions of it revealed. For e.g. the Gāyatri mantra was revealed to sage Viśvāmitra by Godess Sāvitri (the Sun god). In future too, many ṛṣis will be revealed with insights from dimensions unknown.

c. The Veda is timeless. It means that the knowledge about the cosmos is born with the cosmos.

d. The Veda is eternal. Meaning, these “truths” stand on their own merit. It doesn’t cease to exist if humans (or other higher beings) forget/fail to understand/acknowledge it.

e. The Veda is śruti. It means that the truths revealed to the ṛṣis are passed down the generations by the word of mouth- from father to son, Guru to śiṣya.

Therefore, the true welfare of the world is possible, only by knowing and adhering to the Veda.

(However, today when we say Veda, we refer to the knowledge revealed to different ṛṣis at various points of time in history, as compiled by Kṛṣṇa Dvaipāyana Vyāsa into four volumes viz. Ṛk, Yajus, Sāma and Atharva Veda.)

At the heart of the Veda is Yajña.

2. What is Yajña?

Yajña is a Vedic rite involving Agni (the sacrificial fire) and the chanting of mantras. It is a religious duty to be performed with an explicit objective of the welfare to the world. It has to be undertaken with devotion, in a spirit of service and dedication.

Yajña invokes the respective devatas (deities) in charge of various aspects of the world (like Indra, Varuṇa, Vāyu etc), offers their rightful shares (not a bribe) to ensure the smooth functioning of the world. The devatas and the mortals are mutually dependent for their existence. This ensures that all beings are peaceful and progress in their natural pace of (spiritual) evolution.

(It must also be noted that mantras are not prayers. They are potent sounds, the repetition of and the meditation on which guides one to the foundations of the cosmos. It also gives the desired results, but most importantly lead one to self-realisation. Śāstra is clear that knowing the meaning of mantra is secondary)

3. Who is qualified to perform Yajña?

If yajña is for the welfare of the world, anybody who has the right intent should be qualified to perform it. However, it is not as simple as that!

Is there anyone who doesn’t want peace, progress and prosperity in the world? All of us wish well for everyone till such time others’ welfare require a sacrifice of our most cherished desires! In this game of my desires versus your welfare, mine always has the preference. The point is, as long as we have the last trace of selfishness in us, this talk of serving the world/humanity etc is a joke.

So the performer of yajña (yajña karta) has to be absolutely selfless. In the Vedic organisation of the society, the community of people trained to be selfless (through strict physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual disciplines) are called the brāhmaṇas. In other words, he alone is a brāhmaṇa who is selfless, and has committed his life for the welfare of the world as prescribed by the Veda. It is therefore prescribed that a brāhmaṇa should take up the study of the Veda and the performance of yajña to the exclusion of everything else. A brāhmaṇa should NOT earn a living, should NOT possess wealth (except the wealth of knowledge) and ALWAYS beg for his food. He is permitted to marry for the sake of having children, who should be brought up in the same cultural envirionment, with intense training, so that they become qualified for the performance of yajña.

(Brāhmaṇa is one of the four varṇas. Kṣatṛya, Vaiśya and Śūdra being the other three. Each varṇa has prescribed duties. Varṇa vyavasta should not be confused with the caste system.)

4. What is offered in Yajña?

This is where the cow comes into picture. The most important offerings in a yajña is sourced from the cow. In the absence of cow (its yields) yajña cannot be performed/complete/fruitful.

We mentioned that the backbone of the Veda is the yajña. It must also be stated that the backbone of the yajña is the brāhmaṇa (yajña karta) and the cow!

5. What is the status of the cow?

A śānti mantra (prayer for world peace) from upaniṣad goes-

svasti-prajā-bhyaḥ pari-pāla-yaṁtāṁ
nyāyena mārgeṇa mahīṁ mahīśāḥ
go-brāhmaṇebhyaḥ śubham-astu nityaṁ
lokāḥ samastāḥ sukhino-bhavaṁtu

oṃ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ
oṃ

“May the well-being of all people be protected
May the powerful and mighty leaders administer with law and justice.
May the cows and brāhmaṇas remain auspicious always,
May all the world’s beings be free and happy.”

Note the portion that says, “may the cows and brāhmaṇas remain auspicious always.” In the Vedic view, cows enjoy a status higher to that of the brāhmaṇas (yajña karta)!

-II-

Yajña also has a metaphorical meaning.

The word yajña is also used outside the religious context as any co-operative endeavour undertaken selflessly with the highest commitment, dedication and devotion to the collective good of the society.

The cow embodies the yajña spirit as everything related to it is beneficial to the world. Milk, curd, ghee, urine, dung, hide (after its natural death) are only a few examples.

She is gO mātā because she lives the ideal of motherhood- nourishing the children even at the expense of oneself.

Before we conclude.

a. A quote of Śrī Candraśekhara Sarasvati Svāmikal, the 68th Śankarācārya of the Kānci Peetham, on gO saṃrakṣaṇaṃ (cow protection) is my inspiration for this note.

b. The disscusion here is based on certain premises. One may contest the validity of those. However, not under this post. It may be taken up as a separate post on another day.

c. Love, veneration, sacredness and worship cannot/need not be validated.

Oṃ!

—

Śrīnāth Mohandās

April 02, 2018

Musings 77: A New Indian

India’s intellectual elite have not come to terms with the realities of the day. There is a significant shift in the thinking of our people, especially among the youth. What used to be politically correct, and therefore “sacred”, through the 80s, 90s and 2000s are not so anymore. I will highlight only three of such issues.

1. Indian Secularism is Dishonest

Secularism was smuggled into India, through the 42nd amendment of the constitution, during emergency (1975-77), by Smt. Indira Gandhi. It had a disgraceful entry.

Secularism added NO value to the Indian ethos of respect for all religions, which was shaped through thousands of years, with its active engagement with the Dharmic ideals. It also challenged the idea of “mutual respect” and downgraded it to mere “tolerance” among communities.

Secularism practised in India don’t even live upto its own standards elsewhere. Through a policy of selective intervention, we have alienated communities and pitted one against the other. Four decades later, we have a situation where the Hindu temples are controlled and taken over by the govt., Uniform Civil Code remain unimplemented, and religious institutions funding Maoism, Terrorism and other break-India projects are left unchecked (even encouraged!) for the minority card they flaunt.

2. Not a Global citizen, but a Global Indian

The left through post colonial, sub altern and post modernist studies control India’s education. It is in pursuit of undoing the “Indian” identity of our people. They do it in the pretext of upgrading our people to a universal identity of “global citizens”, rather than a “jingoistic” identity of an Indian.

They would openly support break-India brigade in JNU and elsewhere, provide intellectual and material capital to Maoists and Naxalites, pamper and promote Dravidian and northern chauvinists, mastermind language and regional wars, and manufacture an imaginary north-south divide. All of this is their earnest effort to dilute the cherished Indian identity of an average Indian. And what they offer in exchange is a soul-less global identity, or a chauvinist regional identity.

Young India is ready to the embrace world. But not as rootless refugees. We will embrace the world as the torch bearers of this ancient Indian civilisation.

Imported theories of social justice should fall. It should be replaced with new theories that best understand and reflect the realities and aspirations of our communities. The intrinsic unity of our communities should be brought back to the fore.

An Indian grand narrative that is assertive, yet respectful to all communities of the world is in the making. More and more of young India wants to adopt it, to make a better sense of who they are and what their roles and responsibilities are in the international scheme.

3. No more divided by castes, but united by Dharma

The divide and rule policy of the British was inherited by the Indian political class.

The golden rules are:

a. Never let Hindu unite. Keep them fragmented by oiling the caste fault lines.

b. Never let minority religious and linguist communities embrace mainstream. Patronise the unreasonables among them, and promote them as the communities’ unchallenged leadership.

Lesser and lesser Hindus identify with caste these days. A majority of them have rediscovered their unity in Dharma. It has reconnected them to their civilisational past.

Go for an evening walk in any Indian city. 7 out of 10 times, you will come across a young Hindu, who is not casteist, but confident and assertive of his/her Hindu identity forged in the ideals of Dharma.

---

Śrīnāth Mohandās

March 18, 2018

 

Musings 76: Openness?

Openness is a word that is widely used in our conversations. But most of us have not clearly thought about it.

Many of us misunderstand openness to be a state of mind where we expose ourselves to all kinds of contradictory ideas and views, without having a set of ideals for ourselves to stand on. The resultant confusion is what is often referred to as ‘grey areas’. Many a times, what is perceived as the complexities of an issue is nothing more than our own confusions regarding it. It takes an honest man/woman to analyse and understand what is what.

In our discussions, be it at home, workspace, or in social media, we generally don’t accept that we are confused. We may simply don’t know enough, but try to pass it on to others as their lack of understanding. Most of the time people use words and phrases like “shady”, “nuanced”, “has many layers…” etc. when they are confused and too egoistic to acknowledge it.

There is nothing wrong in being confused about something. It is a stage in the natural progression of thoughts. It only shows that we are somewhere between ignorance and clarity. However, acknowledging it is important. Else, we may get lost forever and never reach the shores of clarity.

Some of us get attached to our confusions. Some are even proud of them! Confusion is also projected as a sign of intelligence and deep thinking! A ‘confused individual’ is just a confused individual. He/she is not an intellectual. Yet it is true that many confused individuals decorate positions of influence in our society. They often pass as intellectuals.

—

If we are to live a life committed to self realisation (self improvement may be a more acceptable term), we need to adhere to some view of life. We may call it religion, ideology, or simply a value and belief system. Each system comes with its own sets of ideals and practices. If they improve our quality of life and grant a higher purpose and vision for life, we may pursue it in peace in exclusion.

Say, I am comitted to a certain value-belief system, and to that extent don’t subscribe to other systems, yet acknowledge their effectiveness to others, would I qualify as an open-minded person?

There is no reason why I shouldn’t be, provided my acknowledgement of the effectiveness (and therefore, the validity) of other value-belief systems is out my genuine respect for others who follow their chosen path.

—

We need people who live their ideals and convictions. Not the ones who sell their confusions.

We need to become such a one, ourselves!

—

Śrīnāth Mohandās

March 04, 2017

Musings 75: Are we all equals?

-I-

“No” would be politically incorrect to say. The society that we live in is intolerant to that view. Yet it is worth exploring the ideas of equals and un-equals.

(The society’s intolerance is justified. It rises from the haunting memories of a violent past- the heydays of slavery and other extreme forms of discrimination.)

“We are not the same, but are equal” is an often quoted statement. It acknowledges the fact that people are different and not the same. Except for the similarities that we share as a species, as individuals, the differences are all too obvious- physically, emotionaly and intellectually. Yet we are all equals. Meaning, the “value” of each individual is the same!

What then is the “value” of an individual? How do we measure it? Physical, emotional and intellectual parameters certainly are incapable of determining the value of an individual. That is no level playing field.

So, with half the mind, when we believe that we are all equals, the other half also asks- “but how do I know?”

-II-

If we believe in creationism, that the universe and living beings are “created” by God, then we have an easy answer. “All of us are equal because it is the one God who created all of us and he created all of us equally.” We may replace God with “Nature.” The same argument can be maintained. Yet by that logic, equal status should be equally shared among all things living and non living. But by no means do we (the society that we live in) accept that. Our “we” atmost accepts humankind. Animals and plants born and raised in a country don’t enjoy citizenship rights.

The Semitic religions believe that humans have a superior status because “God willed” so, and all “lesser forms” of creation are created for human enjoyment. These monotheist religions, also are not ready to grant equal status to “infidels” among humans, who violates their conception of God. The eastern religions, at least in principle, accept equal status for all members of creation- living and non living.

-III-

How do I know that we are all equals?

I believe, we can never intellectually “know” that we are equals. Because we are NOT equals by any standards of ‘objectivity’. It can’t be empirically proved. Yet if we claim we are equals, it is ONLY because we choose to ‘believe’ so.

Btw, belief is not a bad word. It is no lesser to logical rationality.

The belief, however, sparks from a deep intuitive feeling of oneness with others. Because, at times, we are able to see ourselves in others!

It is this belief that we are equals that has formed the basis for democracies. The belief is legally protected by a contract- the constitution, and is carefully preserved and propogated through the life of a society, through generations, through education. The idea of ‘human rights’ is but an expression of this belief.

Do I have certain rights as a human being? Yes, I do.

Who has given me these rights?

God/Nature? That will be the route of  the religions (creationism/animism).

It is the nation-state (or let us simply say the society) that I live in, that bestows me “my rights.” It is a contract between the citizen and the state. The moment the nation-state collapse, the citizen that I am, is reduced to an individual who is at the mercy of the law of the jungle- the survival of the fittest.

-IV-

Are we ALWAYS able to see ourselves in others?

Are all of us EQUALLY good at seeing ourselves in others?

“NO” is the honest answer. For every Śankarāchārya/Buddha who attain the non-dualistic vision of the world, there are a hundred thousand (human) brutes who cannot sense the grossest expressions of pain in others. Most of us belong somewhere between the extremes.

It must be to acknowledge this reality- the truth about the world, that the eastern religions- the religions based on Dharma, discuss about a ladder of (spiritual) evolution among living beings.

How much do we see ourselves in others?

How far, wide and deep can we percieve this vision?

-V-

If we acknowledge this ladder of (spiritual) evolution, then our whole argument that we are equals again comes under question.

Am I equal to a Śankarāchārya/Buddha?

Politically, as a citizen of a country, Yes.

Socially, as an individual unit of the society, Yes.

But morally, in terms of the non-dualistic vision of life?

__

Śrīnāth Mohandās
February 27, 2018

Musings 70: Ramdas Prison

Half way up the Golconda fort is ‘Ramdas prison’.

The year was AD 1673. Kancherla Gopanna was a Tehsildar (revenue collector) in the court of Sultan Abul Hassan Tana Shah, the last of the Qutub Shahi Sultans (of the sovereign kingdom of Golconda in Deccan). An ardent devotee of Lord Ram, he was very loyal and dedicated to the Sultan. People were also fond of him for his charitable ways and affectionately called him Goparaju.

It was festival time in the local temple at Badrachalam and Goparaju was invited. Some of us might know that Badrachalam on the banks of the Godavari is a very auspicious place as Lord Ram with Lakshman and Sita is believed to have stayed there during their exile. The sight of the deities of Ram, Lakshman and Sita, beautifully decorated and taken in a procession with soulful chanting of sankirtana, invoked deep emotions in Goparaju sending him into a trance.

Deeply touched by the love and devotion of the people and saddened by the dilapidated state of the ancient temple, he was determined to renovate it.

He poured in all his savings, but was not enough. His family contributed a fortune, still fell short. People pooled in their best, it was insufficient. That was when the villagers requested him to spend the revenue collections with a promise that they would repay after the harvest. Convinced that he was doing it for a noble cause and that he would be able to explain to the Sultan, 6 lakhs worth silver coins were diverted from the revenue collections as the final lease for construction. Within a month, on the Ram Navmi day of AD 1674, the grand Sita Ramachandra Swamy temple of Badrachalam was consecrated.

The harvest failed. People were apologetic. Sultan was enraged. Goparaju was sentenced to solitary confinement for life.

Considering Goparaju’s honest service record and also his uncle being a senior bureaucrat in the administration, the Sultan offered to let him free (but stripped from service) on his repayment of the diverted funds. But he and his family had already exhausted all their wealth on the temple.

In AD 1674, Goparaju walked into… nay, crawled into the dreaded rock prison, a hundred ton monolith with a carved inside and a single entrance of the size of a small kitchen ventilator on the roof. Armed with the courage of conviction and faith in Ram he accepted his fate to spend rest of his life in the 9 ft by 4 ft rock cut prison.

The legend has it that:

After 12 years, on a Ram Navmi two young warriors entered the bed chambers of the Sultan in the middle of the night. Introducing themselves to be the emmisaries of ‘Badrachala Ramadasu’, they presented Sultan with six lakh worth of gold coins imprinted with Lord Ram’s seal. Their demand was to accept it as a compensation for the fund Ramadasu diverted from the royal treasury and to order his immediate release. A bewildered Sultan on realising that Bandrachala Ramadasu mentioned by the young warriors was none other than Goparaju (who considered himself as the servant of Lord Ram of Badrachala) obliged to the demand. He also identified the young warriors as Lord Ram and Lakshman.

On his release, a surprised and totally unaware Goparaju met Sultan only to be wrapped in a loving embrace for enabling him the darshan of Lord Ram and Lakshman. The Sultan also returned the entire gold to the Badrachalam temple.

Since then, it has been the royal custom of the Sultans of Hyderabad to send gifts to the Sita Ramachandra Swamy temple of Badrachalam on the occasion of Ram Navami celebrations every year!

Thus goes the legend of the Ramdas prison at the Golconda fort.

—
Srinath Mohandas
January 18, 2017

Goswami Arnab

(Dedicated to all News Hour enthusiasts)

Tulasidas was a “Goswami”. The 15th century poet-saint and the author of Ramcharitmanas was titled thus for his attainment of complete mastery over the senses. That is, Goswami is a title conferred on a person when he attain a balanced state of mind in the course of his/her spiritual evolution.

6 centuries later we are “blessed” with another Goswami. Perhaps, this 21st century Goswami’ popularity is a hundred times more than the ancient Goswami. Yeah! You guessed it right! He is none other than the News Hour celebrity anchor, Mr. Arnab Goswami!

But this Goswami doesn’t seem to have attained the title for his spiritual evolution. Somebody told me that it is just a hereditary caste title. Phew! I am glad. For all the drama that he unleash in his pet programme every night, the spiritual title of Goswami would have been a total nonsense.

But mind you, Goswami Arnab is a no ordinary man. Spirituality might not be his forte but he is a Master in his own right. When it comes to theatrics and word-play in journalism, He is the man! His skill to shout (virtually shoot) the opponent down is well acclaimed and unparalleled in the history of TV journalism. Many revere this “angry young man” as the conscience keeper of Indian Nation. He is also the presiding deity of a sect of young journalists.

But I connect to him differently. I like Goswami Arnab for the pure, unadulterated entertainment he brings with every News hour session. He is better than most comedians of Bollywood and soap operas combined. I wish I will be blessed to see him perform long enough. I wish him a long career.

Jai Jai Goswami!

—

Srinath Mohandas

November 20, 2014

This morning

“Wake up, wake up, its a brand new day….” My phone blurted for the third time. I felt annoyed. How many times have I thought to change this alarm tone? I was too lazy even for that, I reminded myself. 8.30 it is. Thanks to previous night’s movie, I slept around 3. But this is not late for a Saturday morning in a metro, I told myself. I stared at my friend’s bed. It is empty. Oh! Yes. He didn’t come last night. I got up and dragged myself to washroom. It is barely 5 steps away, but took me a whole minute to get there. I am not in any hangover, just that I am yet not awake. Another twenty minutes passed before I got ready for the day.

I sat on my bed. What’s the day’s plan? Lots of things to do. I haven’t started writing the report of my recent field study. The deadline is revised for next Friday. That apparently was not a good idea. It just make me feel lazy to start. Ha! there is an exam on Tuesday, School Education and Systems- a subject I have not read at all during the semester. There are at least 20 readings in it and I will not be able to do it in any case. If I start today, I may finish 4 -5 readings max. Hmm…. And the Sociology reading for Monday. Paulo Freire’ Pedagogy of the Oppressed. I better start it now. I opened my laptop waited for it to start. The thirty seconds wait seemed be to very long. Why is it taking so long? Are not machines designed to be fast? They should not act like humans. I felt silly for all these thoughts. Finally it is ready. I went to the folder and opened the pdf. The page count at the bottom said 30. I did not hang around long after that. I shut down the computer and I went back to sleep.

We ask questions

Mom and dad: You ask too many questions. When we were your age we never asked these many.

Son and daughter: That age is long gone. We ask questions. We need answers. Our schools teach us to be ‘rational’.

……

Really?! Do our questions rise from a discerning rational intellect? Or do we question ONLY those which goes against our likes, comforts and conveniences? We may ask, why we should live a life of discipline and moderation? But do we also ask with the same intensity that why we should live a sedentary life steeped in materialism? If not, our questioning need not be the reflection of our intelligent minds. It may very well be the struggle of our minds habituated to dullness to maintain status-quo.