Science and Religion

If you analyse things on the basis of the laws of nature, you will see that good and bad, high and low, joy and woe, day and night, small and big etc are but a false perception of human mind. In actual fact, nothing like any of such things exists in the universe. Even the most atrocious crime is not a bad thing, or anything however saintly a good thing. What is good in one situation may be very bad in a different situation. It means a situation or your purpose decides whether a thing is good or bad. Similarly, it is the requirement of your body that decides whether the weather is pleasant or appalling. When you stop witnessing a change, you stop feeling that time runs. If you do not have two points, which you call the beginning and the end, you cannot say how big or small a thing is. However, social laws cannot keep pace with the laws of nature. In social life, you ought to give up what is bad; you ought to be punctual; you ought to consider both small and big things; you ought to follow a pleasant situation. Now this why science is different from religion. 

Ramnavmi

        

Once baby Ram was lying on the swing hanging from the ceiling of a balcony in the grand palace of Ayodhya. There was a vast garden around the palace. Monkeys, birds, bears, elephants, lions and all sorts of wild animals had their abode in it. They were jumping and playing, making weird noises. Ram was very happy to see their silly ways. He, however, would not have liked them had they been reciting Vedas instead, because He is the maker of both good and bad, right and wrong, high and low, big and small and so. He loves everything that adds to the beauty of the world and hates all that grows to be too powerful to be creative. He was a beloved son, a loving brother, a dutiful husband; and He is also a kind and merciful king but a dangerous enemy to those who harm his devotees or the Creation. Wish you all a Happy Ram Navmi!

The Semi-finals

Never mind, Good captain of team India, it’s not a matter of first and last. India is happy because you have been performing excellently and this time too, you’ve done your best. Oh, never mind - life is as false as the cricket game. The nest day we are neither shocked nor the state of our euphoria lasts. What remains is the remembrance of a game however exciting. The planets, the stars or the galaxies are the software to a computer called the universe that has a great space in which to write something or to delete. Different gods or the laws of nature are the operating system to run the different programmes. But the makers and users are Maa Durga and her consort Shiv. शिवा, the mother of all, हमारा पालन करें! पावन नवरात्रि की सबको शुभकामनायें !  

Demagogue

You can by no means resolve all the complaints that your wife might make. She will still look dissatisfied even if you have done all which she asked you to or even if you put a chair in the warehouse where only money is stored. A wife is an emotional creature – she does not understand the language of any logic or reason. What she understands is the language of love, affection, admiration etc. If you are obedient to her and leave her free to do anything she will like you so much. This is something that applies to the people of the country. No government, not even God can satisfy everyone. Yes, they can make them pleased only by satisfying their emotional huger.

Overall, the political parties do nothing for the people, but their demagoguery is often so strong that it soon blinds people into supporting the party passionately. The people get emotional satisfaction or dissatisfaction for all the tax they pay, for all the hard work they do and spare lavish life, wealth and power for a profligate group of persons.

The Congress ruled the country by exciting public emotion rather than by having reasonable arguments. SP, BSP, TMC, RJD, NCP, almost all the parties in the country are demagogic. Besides, every politician in India is good at nothing except at public psychology. Since these parliamentarians know nothing of government affairs, they have devised a very good way to spend time during sessions. They have turned the highest and most revered place of the country into a drama stage whereon they play a story of controversy and thus not only enjoy acting but also entertain the people of the country.

It is human nature to dislike those whom we consider rich and it is also human nature to be pleased listening to anything spoken against those who do better than us. Communists or Maoists choose the easy way of winning the favour of the common people by blaming a few who have surpassed the achievements of the rest and thus they make their way to power cunningly. Similarly the people of one community hate the people of the other community and are eager to listen to someone condemning each other’s religious adversaries. The same easy politics is possible between them. However, the most difficult and healthiest sort of politics is the one that speaks of the visions for development and that debates the impetus towards democracy and greater accountability. 

A Helping Hand

Navratri

The boat of my life sails,
Celestial Ma, guide it.
Storms are strong,
Mighty Mum, save it.
The sea is vast and deep.
O Omnipresent Mama!
Put the guardian hand on it.
O the Daughter of Himalayas,
Take not thy light away!
I want to row to your chosen isle,
O the Lion Rider!
Cup me gently in thy hands!
Cup me gently in thy hands!
Cup me gently in thy hands!

                                    - Ramesh Tiwari

Happy Navratri, everyone!

माँ दुर्गा

माँ के आँचल में ही हम

माँ को खोजा करते हैं,

माँ के दर्शन उनको होते

माँ प्रेमी जो होते हैं |

सागर तेरे चरण धुलें माँ

चँवर डुलावे पुरवाई,

दिशा दिशाएं कीरति गावें

वन बागों की शहनाई |

धरती पर सब तेरे बच्चे

उछल-कूद माँ करते हैं,

माँ के दर्शन उनको होते

माँ प्रेमी जो होते हैं |

सारा नभ दरबार सज़ा माँ

सूर्य चंद्र से आलोकित,

निशा दिवस पहरे देते हैं

तारों से मण्डप शोभित |

मेघों के संगीत सुहाने

मन मोहित कर लेते हैं,

माँ के दर्शन उनको होते

माँ भक्ति जो करते हैं |

माँ के आँचल में ही हम

माँ को खोजा करते हैं,

माँ के दर्शन उनको होते

माँ प्रेमी जो होते हैं |

-    रमेश चन्द्र तिवारी



मैया मुझे तू हृदय लगा ले

मुझ में प्यार अपार जगा दे ।

तुझे कभी भी भूल न पाऊँ

तेरी सेवा में सुख पाऊँ ।

तू ही सच्ची मैया जग की

तू ही जग महारानी सच्ची ।

किसी को भूखा नहीं सुलाती

दुखी-दीन सबको सहलाती ।

सबकी इच्छा तृष्णा तू ही

पूर्ति और संतुष्टि भी तू ही ।

सबका केवल तुझसे नाता

सब बच्चे औ तू ही माता ।

रविवार, 7 अप्रैल 2019




यह संसार तुम्हारा मैया

हम सब तेरे तेरी धरती

तेरा आगन तेरे पक्षी ।

सूरज चंद्र तुम्हारे सेवक

सागर तेरा सरिता तेरी

नभ तारों की महिमा तेरी ।

कुछ ऐसा है नहीं कहीं पर

किसी और का हो सकता है

सब पर तेरी सतत कृपा है ।

गति तेरी स्थिरता तेरी

इच्छा तेरी परिवर्तन में

शक्ति तुम्हारी काल चक्र में ।

त्रैलोक्य स्वामिनी माता मेरी

हृदय भक्ति से भर दे मैया

पार लगा दे मेरी नैया !

शनिवार, 13 अप्रैल 2019

Twice a year, we have a period of nine days called Navratri, the pleasantest parts of the year, between winter and summer. ‘Nav’ means ‘new’ and ‘Ratri’ means ‘days’, that is to say, we are going to enter a new season, perhaps a change whose power makes us see the world because if things were alike, there would be no light of sense, nor any action even. In fact, the clash is the mother of change: the mother of both good and bad – or rather, the mother of all that cannot not be called bad because what you call bad is good if the purpose is changed! So change is the source of every power. Since change involves movement and power, this period is considered to be connected with Maa Durga, the Creator and the Protector.

There stands a mother behind everything. It is mother who gives life; it is mother who brings us up; it is mother who trains and educates us; it is mother who loves us unconditionally; it is mother who forgives us; furthermore, it is mother who accepts both our vice and virtue. So does God. This is why God is our father but more precisely He is our mother. He is both Shiva and Durga; He is both Brahma and Sarashwati; and He is both Narayan and Lxami.

All look alike? Yes, they do. No, no, not many but a big mother in nine different forms with this beautiful and fearsome universe on her lap. The planets, the stars or the galaxies are the software to a computer called the universe that has a great space in which to write something or to delete. Different gods or the laws of nature are the operating system to run the different programmes. But the makers and users are Maa Durga and her consort Shiva.

Maa Durga gave birth to universes each in nine days and left them for Ram to govern and to keep them. She, however, ignores not, but rather rushes to protect Her children provided that they call Her with utmost faith and absolute submission. If any place – the most pleasant, home of homes, heaven of heavens – is ever there to enjoy life after life, it is the lotus feet of Maa Baisnavi. Those who are submissive but discreet are devta; those who are greedy and selfish are man; and those who are aggressive and cruel are danav. These are the basic parts of humanity and each part, being the opposite force against the rest ones, does not let their rivals go unbridled. But still all the three reach to the extreme points of their attributes, disrupting all moral values and causing lots of problems for devotees of Maa. Here, Maa, riding on her lion, lands on the Himalayas.

Look at the picture. Nobody had seen Maa Duga, her carrier the Lion or the demon, but they must have seen people having no human feelings, killing innocents. The fiend in the picture represents such people. The picture also shows that such people are not the problem of present time only but they have always been a challenge to the civilized society. Now one must also have seen how brutes got killed in masses in turns and always by a sudden force emerged out of an unknown source. Maa Durga represents that force, rushing to rescue the weak and innocents. Now that this phenomenon is not new, nor is it something unnecessary, we should keep patience.

If all king Ramji has decided to punish you; if Mahaprabhu Hanumanji has grown angry with you; if Mahadev himself has raised his trisul against you; but if Maa is pleased with you, then, believe it, nothing is going to happen to you. Instead, all of them would be good to you.

There's no so beauty,

No so peace and freedom,
No so atmosphere of love and affection,
No so air pure and serene
As it is in the holy temple of the Mother of all.
I know not how I worship you, Ma,
But I know I find life;
I find beauty;
I find what I am for,
Just to think of you,
Just to be engrossed in you.
It would be horrible
If you would not let me adore you.
So, our loving Mother,
Do not withdraw your grace from me;
Do not deprive me of the shelter of your palace doorway.

When I visit a Madir and see villagers sitting here and there, boys playing and making noises, pundits worshipping Mataji and devotees bowing down before Her Greatself – all in full freedom – my heart brims over with love and with a sense of vast ownership. It looks as though the great mother seated on her gracious throne enjoys watching her children playing around.

Let us bow down to the lotus feet of the great Mother and start doing something new. May Maa nourish us, brings us life, change and beauty and shower us with Happiness. Happy Navratri, everyone!

Maa Katyayani is believed to be the daughter of sage Katyayan. According to Kalika Puran, it was rishi Katyayan who first worshiped her so she is known as Katyayani. She is one of the fiercest forms of Durga - in other words, a warrior Goddess as she was created out of the constant anger of Bhagwan Vishnu. She killed the demon king Mahishasur. She is worshiped on the sixth day of Navratri. The Bhagwat Puran describes the Katyayani Vrat. Gopies would go to the Kalindi early in the morning in the month of Margasirsa, take a bath, fast for the day and worship Goddess Katyayani with a view to obtaining Lord Krishna as their husband. She gets pleased with penance and gives rain and prosperity. Jai Ma Katyayani.......!

The seventh day of Navratri is the day of Maa Kalratri
Maa Kalratri cures you of poisonous infection, asthma and paralysis and resolves the problem affecting your joints and spines. She also keeps you away from depression, fear etc. Since She is very fond of white flowers, offer Her white lotus or similar ones and you are sure to get Her blessing. May maa Kalratri relieve you of your pain, stress, problems and make you happy! Jai Mata ki..................!

Whenever demons got too strong to be controlled by any power, Mata Parvati transformed herself into Mahakali i.e. extremely black and fierce. Maa Kali killed many demon kings and every time she assassinated one, she was given a different name. When she had killed all of them, she restored her previous form and became a child of eight with her complexion as fair as conch, moon or jasmine. She was known as the eight form of Ma durga and called Mahagauri, which means extremely fair. Those who fast and worship Mahagauri on the eight day of Navratri get the fulfilment of a lifelong ambition.

As the name implies, Mata Siddhidatri awards 26 siddhies to her devotees and does away with their ignorance. As She is the last among the nine forms of Durga, She is worshiped on the ninth day of Navratri. Lord Shiva worshiped Maan Siddhidatri for the siddhies and was transformed into Ardhnarishwar i.e. half of His body took the form of Maan Shakti. Since She can give anything one may desire, she is worshiped by all: man, god, demon and yaksh. Jai Mata ki ......! Happy Navratri, everyone!

                                                                                                   By Ramesh Chandra Tiwari

Faith

If each one of us take to visit a temple twice a week, recite a small part of Ramayan every morning and listen to Bhagwat once a year, I am sure we can reduce crime by a considerable amount. People have forgotten their faith, their culture, their traditional way of living in the run after modernism and as result abhorrent things are so common now. It is possible for man to survive without the conventional food but it is by no means possible for them to survive without a faith, for it is their faith in God that distinguishes them from animals. The passion for fashion and money-oriented life and disregard for values have led people to behave what animals might think improper. It is not only Nirbhya, but several such daughters, sisters and mothers will fall prey to wolves unless we turn to obey our religions with a pure heart and mind. 

Conscience

Our parents teach us what is good and bad according to our family culture. Slowly it becomes our conscience that tells us what we do is right or wrong. We feel guilty about something because we know it is wrong. But when we have clear conscience, we do not feel guilty because we know we have done nothing wrong. Conscience so build up in the people of one community often differs from that in the people of other community. This difference ultimately makes a particular group of people find the people of other group repellent. Sometimes a few of them develop their behaviour or opinions to be very extreme. Such people are called the fanatics and these fanatics do to stir ethnic hatred that breeds a cycle of violence between the two communities. However, the divide or the clash creates competition between the two different groups with the aim of worshiping their gods and thus not only religions flourish but God makes people remember Him either this way or that. Mind not to forget the Supreme Father! He wants us to love Him and when we love Him, He loves us back.

Smile

Come on brothers, loving and jolly,

Have vile, vile life turned pure and holly,

For it is, though blissfully bright, yet brief.

 We will regret if come to grief –

Who knows when our last we breathe!

Who knows when our last we breathe!

Brothers, the world is not yours not mine;

Of all the states of God, it is divine.

Let’s love, live and enjoy the world;

Let’s fly and let others fly, free like the bird –

Nobody has again visited the earth!

Nobody has again visited the earth!

We have a chance but first and last;

Our time is short and the world is vast.

Why waste time just occupying wastes?

God’s bounty of fruits be quick to taste

Or you are sure to regret it later!

Or you are sure to regret it later!

-       -   Ramesh Tiwari

Festivals

It is very harmful to muse on the sad things for a long time, for invariable mood of pessimism leads to depression which is something that stirs powerful emotions. It is observed that an emotional man not only lacks the ability to reason but is more prone to develop excessive sense of both love and hate. Of all the feelings the hatred is the most harmful feeling because a deep sense of hatred makes man cruel and sadist. In fact, this was the reason why our ancestors invented happy festivals connected with the successful events of our past. We have turned our back on our religious faith. Think, it is good for us? We labour under all kinds of difficulties all through our life and have very few chances to enjoy an occasion. Holi, Deepawali and many other festivals are so good that they keep us happy all the year round and thus make us rational realistic, positive and able to face the ups and downs along the road to success. So my good countrymen, enjoy this Holi. Wish you a very, very Happy Holi!

When and why Holi was celebrated.

One day the gate keepers of Bhagwan Vishnu, Jaya and Vijaya, annoyed Sanak, Sanandan, Sanat Kumar and as a result the kumars cursed them, saying they be demons. In Satyuga, the gate keepers had to be born on the earth as Hiranyakashipu and Hiranyaksha to sage Kashyapa and Diti, daughter of Daksha Prajapati. When the Varah avatar of Lord Vishnu killed Hiranyaksha, his elder brother Hiranyakashipu decided to take revenge on Vishnu. He worshiped Brahma with a view to gaining super powers. He underwent years of hard austerity and penance. At last, Brahma emerged and offered him anything that he wanted. He asked for the immortality but he was refused. Brahma, however, agreed to oblige him with alternative boons. He then requested that he not be killed by any living or nonliving entity, by god or demon and asked to grant him that he not die within or outside any house, nor on the ground or in the sky, not during the daytime or at night, that no weapon, nor man or any animal could kill him and that he be the sole ruler of the earth and the sky without any riveal. He also asked for the powers that are not available to the supernatural beings.

In the meantime, taking the advantage of his absence, Indra along with other devas attacked his home. Sage Narada was watching what Indra was doing. He rushed to rescue Kayadhu, the wife of Hiranyakashipu, who was pregnant and whom he considered sinless. He took Kayadhu in his care. While she was living with the sage, she gave birth to their son, Prahlad. Since the son grew up under the guidance of the sage, he developed to be a great devotee of his father’s arch enemy, Lord Vishnu. 

With his being almost immortal, Hiranyakashipu turned tyrant. He silenced anyone who spoke out against him and forced the people to worship him instead of God. He indulged his passion for wealth and sex as his name implies and started to treat people not like a man is treated but like a thing. Just his name could send a shudder of fear through every direction. People almost forgot that they were living their own life because they could not use anything, even those things which they produced, until permitted. In short, the whole world was shaking with terror.    

Hiranyakashipu was not happy with the way his son was worshiping Vishnu. He tried to teach him that it was not Vishnu but he himself was the supreme lord of the universe but he refused to acknowledge it rather he claimed that Lord Vishnu was omnipotent and omnipresent. Eventually, he became so upset at Prahlad that he decided to kill him. He threw Prahlad down the mountain in a fit of rage but before he fell on the rock, God Vishnu seized him with his tender hands. He tried different means to kill him but every time he failed.  

Hiranyakashipu had a sister named Holika, who was gifted with a magical power that could prevent any type of fire from burning her. One day it occurred to the demon king that he could burn his rebellious son to death with the help of his sister. He asked his sister to sit on a burning pyre with Prahlad. When Holika did that, she was soon reduced to ashes whereas Prahlad came out of the fire safe, chanting the name of Lord Vishnu.

At last, Hiranyakashipu drew his own sword to slay his son. “Prahlad,” he said, “where’s he who you call all-pervading and the controller of all?” “He is in your sword, in the pillar and everywhere around here,” replied Prahlad. The king roared in anger and smashed the pillar. When someone inhuman grows too powerful for any opponent, their end comes from an unexpected direction. The same thing soon happened. Lord Vishnu appeared from the cracks of the pillar in the form of Narsingha after a loud thunder. He took the demon to the threshold where he put him on his thighs and with his sharp nails ripped him up at twilight. Thus He did not go against the words of Brahma. 

Narsingha was still distorted with fury. Brahma, Shiva and all the three devies emerged there but no one dared to calm Him down. Finally the prayers of Prahlad brought him to compose His features.  

Tyranny is a timely punishment to the atheists given by a greater one of them, but as people turn to have faith in Him, they develop to the level where they punish back the tyrant and start enjoying the grace of Basudev. This is what happened to Hiranyakashipu, who was butchered during his attempt to kill Bhakt Prahlad, and to Holika who, though able to burn the entire world with her evil magic, had been guzzled like fuel while trying to burn the baby Bhakt. The end of the tyrant and the rise of freedom was celebrated by the people who restored Faith by being inspired by Prahlad, their young leader. They strewed flowers, sprayed fragrance, danced, sang devotional songs, and then hugged each other by being excited with their first victory over a long-term tyranny. Holi is the victory day of those who love God and its colour represents hope and success. Celebrate it and be like Prahlad - safe in the hands of Providence - and not like proud and drunk Hiranyakashyap. Brothers, may you glow with variety of different colours of this holy Holi. Happy, Happy Holiiiiii.....haiiiiii  !!!  

- Ramesh Tiwari

होली है - रंग बिरंगी होली है !!!

कोइक बोवैक परा है, कोइक काटैक परा है,

कोइक लिखयक परा है, कोइक पढ़यक् परा है,

कोइक बोलैक परा है, कोइक सुनयक परा है,

सबका काम परा है |

कोइक गावैक परा है, कोइक रोवैक परा है,

कोइक सोवैक परा है, कोइक जागैक परा है,

कोइक खायक परा है, कोइक पियक परा है,

सबका काम परा है |

कोई खीस बनाये है तौ कोई मुंह लटकाये है,

कोई औन्घात है तौ कोई बौन्गात है,

कोई टर्राट है तौ कोई थर्रात है,

सबका अपन देखात है |

कोई दौरत है तौ कोई टहरत है,

कोई कुर्सिप डॅला है, कोई भुइँमा पॅरा है,

कोई घामेम है तौ कोई छाहिम है, 

सबका अपन देखात है |

कोई रंगमा मस्त, कोई भंगमा मस्त,

कोई भागत है तौ कोई खेदत है,

कोई नाचत है तौ कोई भेंटत है,

अब तौ एक्कै सुझात है |

कोई बप्पा होय, कोई काका होय,

कोई भैया होय तौ कोई दादा होय,

कोई अम्मा होय, कोई काकी होय,

कोई दीदी होय तौ कोई बहिनी होय,

सब अपनै देखात हैं |

होली के शुभ अवसर पर सभी को शुभकामनायें |

-          रमेश तिवारी