Humble weddings

At last, in a land starved of good tidings from the political arena, here is some heart-warming news.  A minister in the Karnataka cabinet got his daughter married in a humble mass-marriage ceremony.  

There was no ostentatious show of wealth, pomposity, grandeur, going underwater to tie the knot, marrying on a plane, or any of the other type of tomfoolery the rich and the famous indulge in to showcase their wealth and status.

Some get married thrice; once each in style of the different faiths.  Do they also have to divorce thrice in the future?  Just a thought.  But jokes apart, in these days where marriages are falling apart within the first anniversary, with some resulting in bitter court disputes, one wonders if the event requires such a grand celebratory beginning in the first place.  Why can't the same money be used more meaningfully; as in securing the children's future or helping the poor?

Coming back to this particular wedding, there was no theme party; no reception in front of a heritage building; no division of food stalls into continental, Chinese, Thai, South Indian, Mongolian, or Arctic; no wasting of uneaten food; and there was no dancing to Sheila ki jawani... or Chikni Chameli...

Boring?  No, utterly sensible.  And meaningful.

The other couples in the mass-wedding - from poor socioeconomic backgrounds - were given cows as gifts to encourage cattle rearing and self-reliance; there were couples from different religions married according to their faith; the meal served was basic; and the event was even blessed by the visit of the chief minister.  

It is indeed a rare breed of politicians - this particular minister is apparently not the first to do such a thing - that has the maturity and humility to undertake such a step.  In doing so he has set an example for all of us.  Hopefully he won't be the last politician to do so.  May his tribe increase!

I condemn ostentatious gatherings in this video made in the aftermath of COVID-19 pandemic: https://youtu.be/VmqTaWFwXIs

News source: 'Just wedding, no bling-bling', Prathima Nandakumar, The Week, 24 November 2014

Image source: https://starofmysore.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/mass-marriage.jpg

Book recommendation: Many Lives, Many Masters

As with a few other landmark books, this is a book recommendation, not a review.  It is a true story about a doctor; a psychiatrist, who is also the author of the book and his therapy sessions with a single patient.  He undertakes past-life regression therapy in a desperate bid to rid her of her anxiety, which has not responded to conventional medication or behaviour therapy.  What he uncovers in the process is unprecedented, extraordinary and life changing.  It certainly cures the patient of her anxiety completely.

It is important to consider a few salient points of this story as it has a bearing on the message conveyed by the story.  Both the patient and the doctor are White Americans, they are Christians by faith, but not very religious.  They had no prior idea about anything to do with reincarnation, karma, Vedanta, or anything to do with Hindu philosophy, per se.

Yet, what is revealed during the past-life sessions is nothing short of extraordinary, and confirms the very principles of Advaita, which is the core of Hindu philosophical teaching.  Karma and its after-effects; the debt that one has to repay in the next birth, and the whole phenomenon of reincarnation is reiterated, vindicated and given a stamp of authority through the experiences of these two individuals.  

The patient describes more than 80 previous birth experiences, and each time she dies, she is transported to an ethereal place of light where she meets other souls and the masters.  The masters are higher, more evolved spirits who guide the other souls through their inter-birth sojourn and towards their next birth in the karmic cycle.  In between the lifetimes, the masters use the patient as a medium to communicate directly with the doctor and in the process reveal several life/death secrets:

• "We have debts that must be paid", they say.  "You progress by paying your debts".  [The karmic theory].
• "There are seven planes...seven through which we must pass before we are returned". 
• They also talk about the soul's progress through harmony and balance, love and wisdom, progress toward a mystical and ecstatic connection with God.  [God realisation as described by Upanishads].

Needless to say, there has been much criticism of the contents of the book by sceptics who are either too logically oriented to accept spiritual matters, or by those who can't digest the fact that the tenets of some other faith other than their's has been given credence in the doctor's work.  

In the preface, the doctor does explain his dilemma as to whether or not to share his extraordinary experience with the world and expose himself to rigorous scientific scrutiny by his own peers and the subsequent ridicule that is sure to ensue.  However, he later felt compelled to share his experiences with everyone.  As he puts it, "I knew that no possible consequence I might face could prove to be as devastating as not sharing the knowledge I had gained about immortality and the true meaning of life".  

Ultimately, as with any spiritual experience, it comes down to a matter of faith.  Or actually experiencing the whole thing yourself.  

Combine this with the other books on the subject of past lives and souls: Life Between Lives by Michael Newton, and The Laws Of The Spirit World by Khorshed Bhavnagri, and you will realise how western scientific thought is reaffirming and aligning itself with the universal truth that has been propounded by Sanatana Dharma since ages.

Image source: http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-62n8IrJ2ufA/UP4OLu4eM0I/AAAAAAAAV48/_6FZsKUPdTY/s1600/Many-Lives-Many-Masters.jpg

Saints' convention denounces conversions

It was heartening to note that, finally, a group of saints and heads of prominent religious institutions and matths met to discuss religious conversions.

In the premises of Siddaganga Matth, as reported by Deccan Herald, seers of matths such as Adichunchanagiri Matth, Sutturu Matth, Pejawar Matth, Siddaganga Matth, Sri Sri Ravishankar and Sri Veerendra Heggade convened to discuss the issue.

It is high time that the issue of covert evangelisation in the name of public service is brought out into the open, debated and steps are taken to root it out.

Evangelising religious institutions use various methods to carry out their activities; influencing children in the numerous schools and colleges set up by their organisations, influencing patients and relatives caught in stressful situations in hospitals set up ostensibly for providing cheap treatment.

There are several other methods, and I can  only refer the reader to the wonderful work done by Sri Arun Shourie, who has published many well researched books on the subject.  Most notable and revealing of his works is Harvesting our Souls: Missionaries, Their Designs, Their Claims.  This is a landmark book, an eye opener in many ways, that every Indian interested in exposing the claims made by proselytisers and help prevent gullible people from falling prey to their ideologies, should read and understand.

Haven't prominent philosophers and thinkers said that all paths lead to the one and the same God?  Haven't they said that the outward manifestations of religions may differ, but the core message is always the same  Why then, does the need for denouncing one religion and enticing people to join your fold arise?  Isn't it a fundamentalist notion to say, 'mine is the only true path; rest are demonic; therefore you should leave your path and join mine'?  

Further it is Hinduism which propagates Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (the whole world is a family), and Sarve Janah Sukhinobhavantu (may all be happy), and in its core emphasises the importance of soul and spirituality - both of universal relevance.  Isn't this a mature, universal, and all-inclusive philosophy worth emulating and preserving?

But, ironically, this very large-hearted and egalitarian outlook of Hinduism has put it at risk of being targeted by proselytisers and opportunists, whose agenda, it seems, comprise nothing short of world domination and India as a fully converted nation.

One hopes that the outcome of the convention is taken seriously by the government and thorough checks and audits are carried out on evangelising institutions, including the substantial foreign funds that they receive to carry out their clandestine activities.  

One also hopes that the seers and pontiffs of matths all across India, take this issue seriously, denounce casteism, educate people in the community and help reduce socioeconomic factors contributing to conversions.  

News & image source: http://www.deccanherald.com/content/441015/seers-raise-concern-over-religious.html