जवानी का चित्र देख कर

निगाहों में सपने वही हैं यहां भी
सँजोते जिन्हें रह गए हम अधूरे।

निगाहों में सपने वही हैं यहां भी
सँजोते जिन्हें रह गए हम अधूरे ।

LIBERATING INDIAN MIND -33
TECHNOLOGICAL CHALLENGE

This history preserved in memory for six to eight thousand years could not be a narrative but a struggle to reach the truth, and as such it could be a creation out of the bits of information choreographed picturesquely on the mind. Data from many stages mixed to make the picture vivid. Had I been writing history, we could pass on to the next stage from where we ended. We are scrutinizing the bulk of un-examined and misunderstood aspects of our culture so we think wise to analyse some of them.
Division of Land. There are many hints suggesting that like any other animal humans could move at their will without any restriction and yet they remained confined to defined geographical boundaries as we find in animal world and among birds. Even migratory birds do not cover the entire earth. Animals like zebra, Kangaroo, and ostrich, elephants, tigers are limited to specified zone. Stone tools give indication of a mega beat which in southern India concluded in MP, while the other in northwest spread from MP in India to Caspian and Mediterranean Seas, and yet a third from eastern India to to south-east Asia and its islands. We know nothing in detail. There are many versions of delimitation of gathering area within the mega beat zones. As the entire humanity was stuck up at hunting-gathering stage, the division was sure to be among the Asuras alone. If it was caused by the pioneers of agriculture who “madly’ damaged the ecology, and so limitations were imposed to keep them off, we can not be sure.
The legends that came down vary in detail but reach the same conclusion that the devas were refused any territory to them. As a prelude to Kauravas refusal to give any share (सूच्यग्रं न दास्यामि विना युद्धेन केशव) the Devas are denied any territory wherein they could conduct their experiments, and they had to resort to tricks to dispossess the Asuras of a much larger area than their due. After all these pioneers were initially a smal band.*
{*nb. देवाश्च वा असुराश्च, उभये प्राजापत्याः …अथ ह असुरा मेनिरे अस्माकं खलु इदं भुवनमिति। ते होचुः, हन्तेमां पृथिवीं विभजामहै ता विभज्य उपजीवेम इति। तद् वै देवा सुश्रुवुः। विभजन्ते ह वा असुराः पृथिवीं प्रेत तत ईष्यामो यत्र इमाम् असुरा विभजन्ते के ततः स्याम यत अस्मै न भजेमहीति ते यज्ञं एव विष्णुं पुरस्कृत्य ईयुः। ते ह ऊचुः, अनु नो अस्यां पृथिवीं आभजताः त्वे इव अस्यां भाग इति। ते ह असुरा असूयन्त इव ऊचुः यावत् वै एष विष्णुः अभिशेते तावत् वो दद्म इति।}
The rest of the legen is common knowledge. Vishnu was a spark of fire and once permitted they raised the fire to such a flagration that the Asuras had to flee for their safety.

Much remains unstated in this episode which agitates against other versions of the conflict. For example, their plight and flight in every quarter to escape the fury of the Asuras. But if we look at the place names with deva as the core, and the deva title continuing till this day we find such names throughout tribal belt in northern India at least. From Bhunjdeva of Chhatisgarh to Deua of Nepal and Deva of Bengal. That puts an affirmative stamp to the claim of the Devas that they sprang from the same background as the Asuras and differed only in their determination to introduce a change in subsistence pattern at whatever cast.

There were fierce protests and bloody sacrifices by the Devas or Brahmanas and the rakshasas were coercive no doubt. This fact is also borne out by many versions, from birth of Sita out of the pitcher filled with blood of the Brahmanas and buried under earth, to Puranic and Brahmanic episodes. The furrowmark deified as Sita and adulated as such occurs in RV as well.^
{^nb अर्वाची सुभगे भव सीते वन्दामहे त्वा। यथा नः सुभगासिस यथा नः सुफलासिस॥ ४.०५७.०६}

It was difficult for the Devas to defeat the ever present and dominant Asuras who kept them in a state of constant awe even after they had been themselves hounded out to secluded corners as at the earliest stage the Devas.

Victory of the Devas over Asuras was not a victory in face to face conflict, but one of the technological superiority. There is linguistic and literary evidence to show that gradually a substantial number of those who earlier opposed agricultural option switched over to agriculture that added to the numerical strength of the Devas. Agricultural prosperity was the greatest attraction:**
{**साकमेधेन वै देवाज्ञ वृत्रं अघ्नन तेन एवव्यजयन्त। )

It was not the defeat of a people. It was not limited to India alone. Revolutions are not completed in a day. They are not made successful with might of armed men or advanced weaponry. Armies and weapons fail in the face of more just and sustaining economic order which redefines social order.

मिला तुमसे वह शायद जख्म ही था
बहुत दिन बाद फिर तुम याद आए ।
उधर देखो, लगे भगवान ही हैं
चले जो जा रहे हैं सिर झुकाए।।

There are thee types f communists: Stocholders, stockbrokers, Share holders.Publicly they go as parties, organizations, the cadres. As insignia they flaunt flags, badges and amulets. None applies Marxism in thought, ethos and analysis.

LIBERATING INDIAN MIND – 32
Division of Work

Agriculture is the grandmother of culture. Agricultural technology is most complicated, most diversified , and yet diversifying a technology. It is as good as the mother of all sciences, arts and philosophy, including all the crimes. It is a new epoch in our traditional history called The Manu Age. The Age of agricultural production.d

Despite this truism, we think, even today, agriculture to be the simplest and the crudest vocation to be efficiently handled even by a man with less than average intelligence. Know you why? Because it demands maximum physical toil, utmost alertness, sacrificial self surrender, extraordinary patience, forbearance and fortitude that clever people mostly lack or shirk from. They, like gamblers, want too much with too little stake and corrupt the incorruptible in numerous ways.

But in the beginning it demanded all these qualities multiplied many times. What looks so common a beginning astonishes me. I fail to imagine the indomitable determination of the pioneers who bore with all the odds, even bloody opposition of their own brothers whom they now recalled as step brothers (सपत्न), and inevitable expulsion from all the corners. Numerically they were none entity (कनीयस्विन इव वै देवा आसन् भूयस्विनो ऽसुराः। ) Physically they neither were more stout nor more courageous. They were affraid of Asuras (ते असुररक्षसेभ्यः आसंगात् बिभयांश्चक्रुः, शतपथ). What could have been the driving force that they faced all the ordeals and yet did not deter. I think it was just their extra-ordinary sensitiveness. They could not tolerate the death during the lean days of infants, feeble, sick, elderly but not old, and even the able bodied due to starvation. They just wanted to produce the seed bearing choice grasses (वरुण प्रघास) in sufficient quantity so that they could sustain the chain of lean periods when there was little fruit , nut or tuber. It was the women who took the lead in agriculture and perhaps they ruled the family, the kulpatni, not the kulpati, as has comedown in our male-centered tradition while enough hints are there to show that women enjoyed more dignified position. But this is just an offshoot.

How arduous was the job when man had no weapons, no instruments, except his vision and compulsion to look for a dependable source of livelihood.

At the gathering stage he had nothing to carry, nothing to store, plucked and ate -ते वै असुरा:… स्व स्व आस्ये जुह्लतश्चेरु: – no need to fetch water. Thy reached the water source to quench their thirst, to wash and clean them. No cloth to wash, no utensils to care for. But plants could not walk up to the water source. To save their crops they had to invent devices to make it possible. hollow in the horn, sculls of dead animals available here and there and later use of mature and dry bottle gourd and still later the hollow of the bamboo.

But look, this simple task of irrigation was so exacting, not to talk of the protection of crop from animals as ferocious as water buffalo, rhino, and as swift as herds of gaval (नीलगाय, घोड़रोज), deer. and as sly as hare/mouse on the one hand and as sneaky and fearsome as wolves, jackals, cats from hyena to tiger. But none was more formidable than the roaming bands of gatherers in the vicinity who had no moral reserve outside their tribe and therefore commited any offence, even poisoning to kill their domesticated animal.

This small enterprising group was variously named as Devas(देव), Baram/Brahmans (बरम/ब्राह्मण) and Suras (सुर) by different speech-groups. The first two names were initially derogatory in the modern sense of arsonist as they resorted to use of fire to burn the wild outgrowths that had been the source of provision earlier, to clear the land for agricultural operations and even to deter the pressure and assault of the Asuras (अग्निर्वै रक्षसां अगहन्ता. It is clear that deva and baram denoted fire and later underwent semantic improvements. The last one denoted production.

Agicultural production demanded division of the group to ensure smooth operation with adequate protection. We cannot imagine the nature and dimensions of the challenge, especially from sunset to sunrise; the courage and patience, self control to keek awakened in the night. As such the healthiest and brave young ones were drafted for this hazardous duty to save the ‘family’ from damage. क्षतात किल त्रायत इति उदग्र क्षत्रस्य शब्द: भुवनेषु रूढ़:| They were required to be in the best of health and fondly offered the best nourishment, beloved of all as they were. (२) Elderly once, the sick, toddlers, and infants who could neither Work were spared physical chores but the elder once had to take care of the rest. Their job can in modern terminology was the entertainment and teaching them necessary skills, to attending the sick and offer their advice as and when needed. This could be the initial form of Brahmin cast of later days. (3) All the rest comprised the working team who devoted their energies to physical work- scratching / tilling, sowing, irrigating, cropping, separating, grinding, processing or storing, cooking with namesake crude and simple aids and devices. It was labour intensive, risk-free, community sensitive operation, which possessed the entire wealth, provided all and was happy with if it had to face some material inconvenience. Naturally it formed the Vaishya Varna. These three could be called the earliest Aryans तिस्र: प्रजा आर्या ज्योतिरग्रा. The elder ones through their advice became the rudimentary lawgivers and the seniermost among them played the role of the Kulapati. This defines why Manu the originator of agriculture was called the first king i.e. Kshatriya, the first producer or the Vaishya and the first lawgiver.

Enormously different from this self reliant and industrious society was the leisure loving, art and dance loving, nature worshipping, loosely bound protectionist राक्षस, abstaining from productive activities (असुर) mutually sharing and ready to donate even its best (दानव) collectives surviving on bounties of nature, thought to be idle and mentally backward. They did not wage war, but kept constantly to reverse the process or at leat contain the former while they kept their pressures all along and we, in a way, are still fighting devasura war with a minute difference that on moral ground or under some strategy to re-establish the classless and discrimination free society a section of visionary youths from the devas have joined hands with the Rakshasas and are continuing a loosing battle.
It must be mentioned that with this unwritten understanding of duties came into existence the Varna-Dharma which has been so emphatically and uniformly mentioned in all the lawbooks. The rigorous part of the duties of the Vaishyas was transferred to those who were late to realise their mistakes or under serious deprivation caused because of numerous factors came to offer their services to the devas in exchange of food, or agreed to use their skills to meet their requirements. They were called the Shudras. This is what our traditional history as recorded in Puranic accounts- those who came repenting- shudatah – were called the Shudras. The Purush Sukta, mentions in its own style the birth of all the Varnas from Brahm, but it was the original unit called, as we have seen, by many names- Brahmana, Deva, Sura, and later Aryans – and that Brahm was personification of the same unit with thousands of feet, and thousands heads and thousands eyes, and only this could and did self divid itself, after the productive obligations, i.e. Yajna.

Herein lies the secret how the two were freed from productive labour. Why the Brahmanas called themselves bhudeva, bhusura, and intermediary between humans and the gods, and why they were called fire incarnate.

जाने कितने 22 अगस्त बीते, किसी को परसाई याद नहीं आए। हिन्दी में वह अकेले प्रेमचन्द की बराबरी के लेखक हैं।

LIBERATING INDIAN MIND -31
EVOLUTION OF SANANATANA DHARMA

To be born a man does not grant that you know what humanity is; what humanism is. Physical fitness does not entail that you know about your anatomy,physiology, and psychology. Your social exposure does not certify that you know about the social institutions and organizations. This is truism. We shall readily accept it. But our wit is so circumscribed that most of us believe that they know about Hinduism as they belong to a Hindu family. This is the total asset on the basis of which most people bash or en-cash Hinduism. Knowing anything is limited to appearance unless you know its history. In this tricky way history does not belong to the past, but is a deeper understanding of the present.

On the basis of what we have discussed, we may reiterate that Sanatan is the only Dharma in the world; all other manifestations of Dharma or obligation are its corollaries.

It makes two paradoxical claims. The one relates to its universal and everlasting aspect. Everything, everywhere exists because of its adherence to Dharma. In that there are as many Dharmas as the elements and things in the world but none of them can miss its Dharma. At the same time it talks of its resilience or elasticity to adjust to changed environments. They called it Yugadharma, in which many of the practices and permissions of the bygone days are strictly prohibited (tabooed).

For instance, the larger family of gathering-hunting days knew no other distinction between creatures except Yin and Yang, male or female, nor cared for other expectations of later days. There was no consideration for age as well as is common among animals. Even a father could mate his daughter or grandmother her grandson. It has been frankly recorded a bit allegorically through august characters such as Brahma and Manu.

Later a stage came when a loose bond also prevalent in some of the animals living in pair, but without attaching much importance to the sanctity of relation, was common in which the spouse could go temporarily with another with his permission. A practice common in Tahiti a century back as noted by anthropologists and other visitors. It was common in piedmont Himalayan tribes till the last century as well where a guest was entertained with consent offering company of a lady. Something close to live-together practice becoming common recently. This is mentioned in a legend with Galava (गालव) as the character, which was resented and the institution of marriage came into existence, to the credit of an individual, (श्वेतकेतु) These legends are symbolic, and have nothing to do with individuals. Social systems change under the pressure of changed economic condition as the earlier one is incompatible. This could be the beginning of small family units with nominal privatisation and readiness to meet the needs of others, whereas the marriage is indicative of private property in land and animals. These changes made minor modifications if public behaviour and did not affect the value system.

These developments have nothing to do with Hindu and perhaps India alone. What is specific to Hindus was the fact that Hindu did owe the entire historical past known to it through any source with pride, without showing scant disregard for those who were primitive, sharing the best from them that was valid, making space and showing resilience for the new and vibrant. He invited his manes on festive occasions to participate and showed gratitude for the vision and initiative due to them. This is what he called Sanatan Dharm. Religions had no place for any of them. All the religions have pathological fixation to zero time and zeroed space. They have no regard for reason and no tolerance for science. The two cannot coexist. This makes these religions fundamentalist, rigid, incensed and fragile.*

{*nb Earlier Christianity was a hurdle in progress of science, later with sciences advancing with their awe-inspiring certitude, Christianity has no grip left even on those who for reasons of rites and festivities call them Christian except a dwindling number of moribunds. Jews overcame it as early as they took to trade and commerce while Islam under western instigation is striving to revert to zero time having lost unsought for golden opportunities to capitalize on its own resources. Worldwide export of Islamic fundamentalism is not from Arab countries but from American diplomacy through Arab countries in order to consolidate its hold on their wealth throwing them off-gear.}

Shift to agriculture was the first epoch making change that called for a new concept of Dharma to be appended to the traditional one. Here end decided the means and values had to be adjusted accordingly. In that the pioneers were not to blame as they had to clear the land for embedding the seed for which they initially burnt the shrubs and trees which had been the source of sustenance so far. The environmentalists (Rakshasas) had no work to do but to collect so far and as such were dead against agriculture. Except this small group the entire ‘humanity’ , i.e., Asuras, was against them. This led to bloody rifts in which the innovators had to suffer heavily. They could not challenge the conservatives, and had to resort to pretensions, lies, secretiveness and occasional resistence..

Thus those who advanced from gathering-hunting to productive adventures, were pestered and chased away from wherever they went. This is the bare fact of origin of farming in India.

The little shift in detail from west Asian mythological version is that those who chased away were Asuras not gods and the ones who had to flee were devas (later taken for gods). They finally decided to shift to hilly terrains and although in India it is said to be the North East quarter, in fact they appear to have spread in piedmont region from Nepal to Anatolia. In India the area in the vicinity of Gandaki appears to be earliest. The band that moved westward appears to have settled in the so-called Fertile Crescent although in the legend they are said to have been driven from that quarter as well :
देवासुरा वा एषु लोकेषु संयेतिरे, त अस्यां प्राच्यां दिशि संयेतिरे, तांस्ततो असुरा अजयन् ते दक्षिणस्यां दिशि येतिरे, तांस्ततो असुरा अजयन्, ते प्रतीच्यां दिशि येतिरे, तांस्ततो असुरा अजयन् त उदीच्यां दिशि येतिरे, तांस्ततो असुरा अजयन् ते एतस्मिन अवान्तरं दिशि येतिरे,य एष प्राङुदङ ते ततो जिग्युः, इति। एतरेय ब्रा.
ते प्रतीच्यां दिश्ययतन्त तांस्ततोऽसुरा अजयंस्त उदीच्यां प्राच्यां दिश्ययतन्त ते ततो न पराजयन्त। …शतगथ, ब्रा..

What percolates from this episode, is that we are proud progeny of the wise men, who were not ill advised by (Satan) the the embodiment of satya (truth/ knowledge), but it was their own observation and meditation, their own vision and enterprise and proverbial determination in the face of violent resistance by gatherers, that laid the foundation of agriculture.
Another modification in the Sanatan dharma was forced by division of labour which we shall cover in the next post,

दोस्त अपने अगर अपने होते
दुश्मनो तुम को याद क्यों करता।
——
जब खुद पर बीतती है तो कहते हैं लोग, ‘हाँ,
यह जुल्म है, ऐसा कभी पहले न हुआ था।’
——-

क्या इसको ही कहते हैं मुहब्बत का कारोबार
देखा तुम्हें तो खुद को कई कोण से देखा।
——
इतनी बड़ी दुनिया है आसमां है बेसंभाल
पर हद है सभी तुममें ही आकर सिमट गए।
——

LIBERATING INDIAN MIND -30
DHARMADRISTI AND HINDUS

We can now safely assert that Hinduism is not religion per se. It is not a system of belief. Its roots go back to hunting-gathering stage, more aptly called primitive communism. Even belief in the presence of manes resting in the grooves nearby, had nothing to do with the obligations performed by the members of the Kula. The Words Dharma, Kartavya are , late coinages . For them it was just the practice without specific name. Its domain was not confined to the demarcated land, prototype of their country or the members of their clan, but applied to ‘external affairs’ as well. They could not live peacefully without observing those rules and practices. Will Durant has given an idyllic account of that value system in his Our Oriental Heritage. Nothing was private. No one had to consume anything without sharing it with others, They had not to keep anything for morrow- why to go for stale when fresh was available. No one could be deprived of anything even if gathered or collected by one. they would put to stake their life to protect their common property or violation of the boundary, they could not surrender to pressure pressure and torture to do any act forbidden. It was something learnt as naturally as speech or dancing in perfect rhythm. Despite the intermittent destitution of gathering days, the life is general was more salutary and dignified. That was the reason why its memory haunted the society despite spectacular advances made in material progress. They hankered for stage when Dharma stood on its four legs, i e it was in it’s perfect order. They recalled is as the age of Truth, that is Satayuga which was termed as the Golden /Age much later by those who acquired the language, culture, mythology and life-style.*
( * Forget not that spartan ladies wore their sarees in Indian style and respectable ones flaunted their uttarîya, as Indians. )

They could not run the time machine anti-clock wise but they could retain the value system as far as possible in changed circumstances as well. In the long course of time social order changed and yet the law-books reiterated the same value system as Sanatan Dharm. It superseded all other provisions. Work division took place which stratified into social division much later and called for new explanation to ensure best performance but is did not destabilize the Dharma had nothing to do with Brahmanism or caste-divided society And it has been more assiduously followed by the section of society falling in lower order.

It has been time and again repeated by the Puranas, and has become part of our collective consciousness that with advancement of technology and material prosperity society has degenerated in terms of culture, justice, and dignity, i.e. Dharma lost its foot hold and developed imbalance in proportion to increasing greed. .

The term Dharma as defined is the essential attribute in absence of which the thing ceases to exist. It is dharma which holds the world and not only humans but even the celestial bodies and elements of nature have to observe it. If any of them slips from its Dharma not only it shall cease to exist. We cannot think of fire without heat or a lamp without light. Non-performance of Dharma catastrophic. Failure by one in discharge of his duty results in some way in disturbance to all others.

We come here to some vital conclusions:
1. all our mad run for more than enough is violation of Dharma and is catastrophic in a number of ways – in deprivation of others in the same proportion; in wasteful destruction natural wealth accumulated and preserved for millions and millions of years; is creating a mentally and physically feeble and morally degenerate society; in pollution of air, water including oceans and poisoning of the earth; in destruction of ecology and invitation of unimaginable furies and revenge by nature. This unchecked tendency has brought us close to man-made holocaust. In other words the principle of धर्मो धारयते जगत is as valid today as it ever was.

2. Blinded by the glaring material prosperity of the West, we
should not succumb to their value system, under the impression that if they are technologically, scientifically, economically more advanced than us they are even culturally and morally superior to us. In that respect they are still behind, despite the fact that they have learnt quite a lot during the centuries they came in direct contact with the orient, though because of mad capitalistic greed and demonstrative extravaganza the process has reversed, their education in morals and manners is still incomplete. They have to make renewed attempt to make up the loss which does not seem possible so long the madness is not cured.

3. Of all the countries it is India that has, through serious adversities, maintained to some extent that value system and can play a crucial role in humanising the world by restoring it back to Manava Dharma.* It is Dharma that protected Hinduism from going to Central Asian or Iranian way.

4. Our claim may appear somewhat fantastic in view of the fact that the values we so much care for, are not being even nominally maintained on tangible scale. Economic destitution, social dissensions, educational backwardness, aftermath of prolonged servitude, colonial mindset of intelligentsia, demographic pressure, diversity of belief systems, linguistic coteries and over dependence on the advanced western countries, make it impossible even to come equal to the western society in general in observing some of the attributes acquired by them from the East. The difference is so pronounced that we in their comparison appear to be living in bygone centuries. rude, uncultivated and insensitive.
But below this veneer lie some sordid realities:
a. despite their prosperity none of them can bear with any of the adversities of invoiced above that Indians cope up with so resolutely.

b. Their complacency is the result of centuries of merciless loot and theft resorted to by them, which is still continuing, on which their prosperity lies. Stop dear malpractices in commerce of weaponry and drugs, habit forming drinks and cosmetics not to mention the entire inventory they shall go hopping mad.

c. Despite their Crocodile tears for the miseries of humanity, the most heinous aggressions against those very poor countries, their natural resources is resorted to by those very countries, promoting further backwardness and poverty, social dissension and cleverly designed ruthlessness, encouraging drug addiction and wantonness, eliminating as many non white races from the face of the earth as possible.

d. We cannot blame capitalism alone for this savagery
garbed behind technologically humanized face. We must not forget that the White races are looking for the entire world free from other colors for their habitation in future. The progress is slow, and not that slow even, but steady. Remember how small a number in American, or Australia, the whites could not tolerate the existence of colored races in habitable places. Now with enlarged strength they are exploring the feasibility of human habitation on remote planets remaining space on earth occupied by non-Whites may be the proximate target.

e. We must learn from the west, as much as we can, but we must not forget to learn from their history. We must not rely them on the basis of their public utterances. but watch also their hidden designs.

5. Another proof of the Hindus still maintaining the essence of Dharma in their day-to-day behaviour, not noticed by those fond of Hindu-bashing as their pass-time is, reduce the majority status of Hindus in any area or state you shall have a Bangladesh or Pakistan in operation there in all its nakedness.