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Like Blind Man & Elephant Story

Date: 07 Sep 2008 23:19:44 -0000 From: "Pramod Dev" To: AM-GLOBAL Subject: Like Blind Man & Elephant Story Baba "A'mi ca'i na' ei sabhyata', a'mi ca'i na' kut'ilata'..." (PS 1341) Purport: O' Lord, my life is for You and Your ideals. I do not want this pseudo-civilization. I do not want hypocrisy and cunningness. I want to float in the open, vast, blue sky-- in the boundless open air with the softness of the birds where there are no limitations or boundaries of dogma. I want more and more effulgence, free air, the great sky which is studded with stars. I want that very mind which is saturated with divine love and dharma where there is no presence of the bondages of crookedness, religion, groupism, or narrowness. I always keep Parama Purusa in my mind and my heart. His blessing and His grace is my everything. By His grace I will go on painting and covering the darkness with the fragrance of sandal paste. Whatever and wherever impurity is there, by His grace it will be removed. This superficial culture and civilization I do not appreciate. I want straightforwardness. And to lead a life under His shelter...
== LIKE BLIND MAN AND ELEPHANT STORY ==
Namaskar, Recently there has been debate about an essay, on the ProutWorld website, that takes aim at the riots in Gujurat in 2002. In particular there is concern whether the article favors one community over another. In discussing this issue, as Ananda Margiis, we respect all as our brothers and sisters, Muslims and Hindus. Without making a judgment towards either party, presented below are some of Baba's Proutistic teachings, as well as some of the well-documented, historical facts. By Baba's grace, the below material will help everyone develop an informed opinion of the Gujurat riots (2002) that heightens our own understanding of Prout. I have not put forth any conclusion per se.
SOME OF THE HISTORY INVOLVED
Here is a rough outline of the historical trends of Hindu-Muslim relations, because there is indeed an involved history and no single incident can stand alone in a vacuum. First, India is the homeland of Hindus, as the Muslim invaders came from outside territories. Perhaps the first Muslim brigade to enter India was that of Genghis Khan, in the 12th century. It was well-known that the ruthless Genghis Khan pillaged, stole, raped, and murdered his way across the Asian continent, including India-- only to leave the area and then return and do it all over again. Baba says, "History does provide some examples of benign, enlightened kings such as Ashok the Great and Alfred the Great who did some good for society, but they are few in number. Most were warmongers, such as Genghis Khan. They were so cruel that they stained the green earth under their feet with blood, and caused the sky to resound with the wails and tears of their innocent victims." (APH-4) Tragically, the Moghul King Genghis Khan set an abominable and gory tone for Hindu-Muslim relations. During his time, and in his wake, so many gruesome events occurred. In addition, in that Hindu homeland of India, the Muslims went about capturing so many Hindu temples that were full of gold and jewels and converted them into Islamic mosques. Included in these episodes is the ruination of the Lord Krsna Somnath temple. This is all part of the well-known history, one which Hindus cannot forget.
SOME OF THE HISTORY INVOLVED (Part II)
This is not to say the no Hindu ever killed a Muslim during the Genghis Khan era, or during the subsequent Moghul rule. But neither can we rule out the fact that the Muslims were the invaders and the aggressors. Baba says, "It is no use denying the fact that the victorious Muslim nation played the role of oppressor and did much injustice to the inhabitants of India...The oppression and injustice done by the Muslims made the non-Muslims unite anew an anti-Muslim sentiment grew among them." (TTP) Baba says, "the victorious Muslims with the vanquished Hindus." (TTP) So the very mode of the aggressive Muslim presence in India created a backlash amongst non-Muslims. The reaction against Muslims by the native Hindus did not start unprovoked, rather it was done in self-defence lest they be wiped out entirely. That is also Baba's teaching. Thus from one Muslim King to another, there were varying fluctuations of intense fighting and bloodshed. This cannot be denied. Plus, it was the Muslims who came from outlying areas to occupy the Hindu homeland. These are the facts of history. All of this must be taken into account when making an informed judgment about the 2002 riots in Gujurat. Because every incident is part of a greater cultural and historical context.
SOME OF THE HISTORY INVOLVED (Part III)
As we move closer to the present day, one obvious event that cannot be overlooked is the division of India. No doubt the division, or trifurcation of India, was incited by the British, but at the same time both Muslim and Hindu leaders wanted to come into power. And it was also for this reason that India got divided. In this 1947 debacle, there occurred the massive spilling of blood and arguably the largest human migration in the history of the world. Muslims and Hindus were killing each other in the streets. But it cannot be overlooked that it was the Muslims who were eager to divide India. Baba says, "They [the Britishers] infused in the Muslims the idea that the Hindus formed the majority, and that therefore if the British quit India the government would naturally go into the hands of the Hindus, and the Muslims of the whole of India would remain as their subjects. This shrewd policy yielded good results. A Hindu phobia grew among the Muslims. The Muslim leaders began to propagate this Hindu phobia at the top of their voices, and as a result of this anti-Hindu sentiment created out of Hindu phobia, a Muslim nation was again born in India in this twentieth century. Directed by this Hindu phobia, they demanded a separate homeland for the Muslim nation." (TTP) In the aftermath of division, Pakistan became a Muslim state where Hindus were not welcomed, but rather persecuted. Indeed, Hindus have been ruthlessly tortured in Pakistan. That is why, today, only 1% of the entire country of Pakistan is Hindu. Yet to appease the Muslim community, one so-called leader of the day convinced the newly formed Indian government to make a deal. Baba says, "Mahatma Gandhi should not have pressed one government [India] to pay fifty crores of rupees [entire government revenue] to another government [Pakistan] against the interests and sentiments of the people of that country [India]." (PNS-4) Here again, Baba's ideal is that both communities suffered greatly in the ordeal of the break-up of India, then why should it have fallen upon Hindus to make such an offer to Muslims, when it was the Muslims who wanted division.
MUSLIM LIFE IN INDIA & THE INDIAN CONSTITUTION
In contrast to the poor treatment of Hindus in Pakistan, Muslims are a thriving population in India such that India is the third-largest Muslim country in the world. Furthermore, India became a secular state, not a Hindu one, and Gandhiji made another grave error in granting special rights to Muslims in the Indian constitution, in his foolish attempt to appease them. Ever since, so many Indian politicians have continued to grant special rights to Muslims in order to garner the Muslim vote. Hence it has become a political ploy that invariably angers many Hindus. Thus, Muslims live by a different set of laws in India than Hindus do. That is another source of angst for Hindus. For example, only Muslims are allowed multiple wives, only Muslims may divorce at will, and only Muslims have special privileges in Kashmir even though this was traditionally a Hindu region. Baba says, "There was hardly any communalism in Kashmir where Muslims lived under the Hindu Raj." (PNS-18) All of this despite the fact that the Muslim way of living goes against cardinal human values, such as their treatment of women. Indeed, Baba says that we must never accept those religious doctrines, such as the Islamic code, which overstep cardinal human principles.
MORE ABOUT THE MUSLIM POPULATION IN INDIA
Because of their having multiple wives, the Muslim population in India is growing more and more, literally scaring Hindus into thinking that one day they will be swallowed up in their own homeland. That is why Baba says that the constitution of any nation must grant equal rights to all-- not special rights to any group. If special rights are granted, as has been wrongly done in India, then peace can never prevail. Rather there will be resentment and fury. The above then needs to be considered when making judgments regarding Hindu-Muslim relations. Here the point is not that Hindus have never done any wrong-- they have; rather the larger issue is that there are many layers to this problem. That is what we must always remember. And these need to be kept in view if we are going to come up with a just, Proutistic analysis.
SHORT CHRONOLOGY OF BOMBINGS
Of course, we are all aware about the many recent attacks by Muslims on Hindus and vice-versa. August 25, 2007: Bombs rip through crowded public areas in the southern city of Hyderabad, killing at least 42 people. May 2007: A bomb at a historic Hyderabad mosque kills 11 people. February 2007: Bombs detonate on train headed through northern India for Pakistan, killing 68 people. September 2006: At least 30 people are killed and 100 injured in twin blasts at a mosque in Malegaon in western India. July 2006: Seven bombs on Mumbai commuter trains kill more than 200 and injure more than 700 others. March 2006: Twin bombings at a train station and a temple in the Hindu holy city of Varanasi kill 20 people. October 2005: Three bombs placed in busy New Delhi markets one day before a major Hindu festival kill 62 people and wound hundreds. August 2003: Two taxis packed with explosives blow up outside a Mumbai tourist attraction and a busy market, killing 52 and wounding more than 100. March 1993: Muslim underworld figures tied to Pakistani militants allegedly carry out a series of bombings on Mumbai's stock exchange along with trains, hotels and gas stations in the city, killing 257 people and wounding more than 1,100. The above represents just a short list...day in day out such tragic episodes occur. In total, more blasts are done by Muslims than Hindus, regardless we want to infuse a neo-humanistic outlook. One cannot just cry out about the devastation done in Gujurat in 2002, but rather raise the injustice of all such violence.
LIKE BLIND MEN AND ELEPHANT
We should not be like the blind man who touches an elephant's leg and says this is a 'tree', nor like the next blind man who holds the elephant's tail and says this is a 'rope', nor like the third blind man who grabs the elephant's trunk and says this is a 'hose'. Rather, to formulate a true Proutistic analysis of the situation, we must consider all Baba's teachings on the issue as well as familiarize ourselves with the objective historical facts. Then we will be in best position to offer a view of the complex Hindu-Muslim relation that reflects a truly Proutistic vision. We should not simply (a) view one isolated incident, (b) begin siding with a particular party, and then (c) cry out against the injustices of the other. Because there is more depth to the issue, one that is centuries old. So ours should reflect both a level of sophistication and compassion that helps heal the wounds of the past and enables everyone to live together now and in the future. This is what we want to achieve -- that is our Proutistic end. And for that to occur, no group or community should get special rights, as the Indian constitution now provides. Rather, equal rights should be granted to all. I hope others will reflect and contribute to this discussion.
BABA'S BLESSING
Baba says, "Human beings, universal humans, have had to undergo tremendous struggle due to suppression, repression and oppression...Now is the time for the emergence for the third psychic force where there will be no more suppression, repression and oppression. Let the mind develop according to its longings; let the mind be free. Let there be a human society of coordination and cooperation. This is the last stage. We are waiting for the rising sun with crimson rays. Even now the crimson rays are a bit visible. These crimson rays are the rays of PROUT." (PNS-17) Namaskar, Pramod
Note 1: FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT ORIGINAL ARTICLE
To view the original essay, visit the Proutworld website and search for the title, 'Facing Fundamentalism in the Wake of the Gujurat Genocide'.
*************************************** Spiritual Progress in Future Humans & Animals
Baba says, "The human beings of that future age will be very sensitive...The functional jurisdiction of the brain will also increase. Similarly, many animals will become more sensitive and their vocabulary will increase. With intellectual development vocabulary increases, and the number of words in a language also increases. The functional jurisdiction of the brain of animals will increase too. With the help of spiritual practices, the human beings of the future will increase the functional jurisdiction of their brains with accelerating speed." (PNS-17, p.36)
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