The mimetic, the mythic and the theoretic

http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/columns/the-mimetic-the-mythic-and-the-theoretic/article19332593.ece

I want to refer to the Upanishadic wisdom of ‘Vidya’ (Science) and ‘Avidya’ (Nescience). The first facilitates and leads to the other. To illustrate, use boat to cross a river, the ladder to climb, the scaffolding to build or the pole to vault higher and higher. Once, you cross over, the aids get jettisoned, they have to. You cannot do away without these aids. But, you need to ONLY use them to cross-over to the goal/destination. Religion is also one such tool. We need to find it a respectable place in life, all the time realising the transitoriness of Religion. The Upanishads distinguish these as ‘the Real’ and ‘the ‘Phenomenal’. After a certain stage, we must discard the tool like we do to the pole-vault, boat or, scaffolding…

Endless Cycle of Birth, Death & Re-Birth

When a salt-doll jumps into the sea, what happens to it? Same fate awaits when a soul merges in Brahman, it no more has identity other than Brahman.

On an international flight or passenger-ship, there are several hundred passengers bound for varied destinations and purposes, the cabin crew and the Captain in the cock-pit, in control.. Besides, there are hundreds of back-room staff performing related services at the air-ports and ‘en route’ enabling points assisting the chain of operations. Some passengers re-settle elsewhere or in other countries (with permanent visas) without hope of returning, some travel on business, some for pleasure only for a few days.
Much the same way, our Universe is in a complex chain of movements, carrying its load of passengers and their possessions. Those like the Captain and staff keep shuttling between destinations, doing the same every time. They are caught in the unending chain of birth-death-rebirth for long, endure it just to exist. The business-like and pleasure seeking go to appropriate places like heaven or hell, to enjoy or suffer the fruits of their actions and thoughts here and, thereafter, return. The few with a well-earned immigrant visa go for ever and merge in the Lord’s community i.e. Brahman, never to be re-born.

Supreme Court hear Sahara-SEBI refund dispute

Surprisingly, no one has laid claim to this money. Looks like there were no depositors, the entire thing was a hoax. Unique way to hide black-money, by showing fictitious deposits from non-existent persons and pretending to service it, systematically. Remember a factory work-man’s story of old. He used to cart out a wheel-barrow full of rubbish, everyday, as he was signing out. The security guard suspecting foul-play, checked thoroughly, could not find anything being smuggled. The day before he was to retire, he asked the work -man to tell him what he was gaining, and heard ‘ why, the wheel-barrows, of course’.

The Deadly Global War for Sand

Could it be that enough research has not gone into converting desert- sand, say from Rajasthan and Thar, into acceptable buiding-quality sand? Whereas beach-sand is reportedly unfit to replace river-sand due to its bonding-incompatibility,, desert sand does not have this disadvangage. Would like this debated.

Are dreams meaningless?

Dreams are based on stored memories of past experiences or thoughts/inclinations of multiple lives, reflected in the mind when it is neither fully awake (Jagrat) nor fully at rest (Deep-sleep or SUSHUPTI). Difficult to say if they pre-sage what is to happen, therefore, romanticising dreams is only an easy pastime.

K.V.Narayanmurti

How Sri Krishna Winds Up Sojourn On Earth

The concluding portions of Srimad Bhagavatham chronicles Sri Krishna’s plans to wind-up his sojourn on Earth to re-establish Dharma.

Anxious to wind-up his clan and return to where He belonged, He sets up his own son Samba (with his meddling friends) to ridicule a group of Rishis on the move.   Samba is made-up as a pregnant woman in advanced stage, paraded before the Rishis,  asked to foretell the sex of the baby.   They predicted immediate delivery  of a steel crow-bar !   They  stripped Samba, had a hearty laugh, the Rishis went their way.

Soon, Samba felt acute pain in the abdomen and delivered the crow-bar.   Terrified,  they took it to the King Ugrasena (Kamsa’s father) and reported details.   The King held council,  ordered to file the bar to powder and spray it into the deep-sea, the short end-piece also thrown into it.

The powder got washed on to the shore, helped to grow blades of grass with razor-sharp edges.   The end-piece was swallowed by a fish, it was caught by a fisherman.   His wife discovered it while cutting it, gave it to the husband, who  passed it on to a hunter -friend, Jara.   He used it as a head-piece on his arrow.

On a hunting expedition, by a misjudgment, he shot at Sri Krishna who was lying on his back on the beach.   Realising the mistake, he rushed to regret the error and help Krishna.   My Lord blessed him for the favour, sent him direct to Heaven, before He gave up the ghost.

Separately, the Yadhavas had an intercinine fight among themselves, after a drinking brawl.   They used the sharp-edged grass as weapon, killed each other.

This scene is getting re-enacted in the Congress, decide for yourself who’s who.

Indian Farmers Protest is a Farce…

The interesting thing about this whole thing is 1. Agriculture/Farming has long ceased to be a profitable pursuit, inputs are costly, 2. water availablity is uncertain (they mostly opt for water-intensive crops like sugar-cane and plantains), 3. labour needs are intermittent while their costs are prohibitive and labourers are just unavailable when needed, they go for monthly-wage engagements elsewhere.

The co-operative banks do give them loans at ridiculously low interest rates (subsidised by Govt.s), they drink their money out, never re-pay. Recently, the UP CM announced that farm loans will be written off, as the BJP promised in their election manifesto. This provoked DMK (a bunch of stupids) to make political capital and wean away the farm lobby. They funded the agitation, decided the location in Delhi, were under the care and tutelage of the MPs and, true to their Dravidian culture, exhibited the rabbits, nudity, skulls and urine therapy. Jallikkattu waould have added to the fun.

The agitation failed because the GOI is not the decision maker to write-off loans (it is the state govt) Modi and BJP could look the other way. Now they will travel back, hopefully, without tickets, turn against DMK for misguiding them. These people have only brought down the image of Tamilians to the level of tribals

Also, if farming is so nasty, why not surrender the lands for other purposes and cash in to live luxuriously. There is more than meets the eye.

K.V.Narayanmurti
Senior Advocate
Visalakshy, New Kalpathy, Palakkad
T: +04912576652