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Sunday, September 26, 2010

Draw Muhammad. No, Wait...Don't. By Vineet Chander

Draw Muhammad. No, Wait...Don't.
By Vineet Chander

for Om Sweet Om on 20 May 2010

courtesy: http://news.iskcon.com/node/2822/2010-05-20/draw_muhammad_no_waitdont

That old adage about a picture being worth a thousand words may need to be revised. Pictures of the prophet Muhammad have generated perhaps millions of words this week alone, without even being drawn.

Today, May 20, has been designated -- by the masterminds (?) behind the viral campaign at least -- to be Draw Muhammad Day. The campaign, which was originally conceived of as a protest against Comedy Central's self-censorship of a South Park episode depicting the prophet, has quickly denigrated into a vicious war of words, images, and ideologies. In this corner-- religious sensibilities. And in that one: unfettered freedom of expression. Which one should trump?

Ah, if it were only that simple.

Consider that the original promoters of the DMD event have since disavowed it. Seattle cartoonist Molly Norris and Facebooker Jon Wellington have both quickly stepped away from the controversial event. ("I am aghast that so many people are posting deeply offensive pictures of the Prophet..." Wellington reportedly said, "count me out.") But what does that mean? That Norris and Wellington are back-peddlers, now trying to weasel out of the mess that they started? Or that they're victims of the very same pressure-to-censor and political-correctness-run-amok that they were trying to speak out against?

What do we make of the fact that Pakistan courts have ordered a blanket block of Facebook (and apparently You Tube too) as a result of the campaign? In going the heavy-handed censorship route, isn't Pakistan just proving the point for the pro-DMD camp? (Really, Pakistan, you think this will help your image?)

Should Muslims (and others offended by DMD) fight fire with fire, engaging in protests of the protests and Facebook-flame-wars? Or is the higher road here to recognize the DMD'ers right to exercise their artistic freedom -- even if it is a freedom to offend -- and let them have their day of drawing?

My community struggles with the same tension between faith and freedom, the same concern about lines being crossed, the same tug of war between what the head knows intellectually and the heart feels emotionally.

And so, in that spirit, I'd like to offer an interesting but ironic parallel to the DMD controversy from within the Hindu world. Ironic because the roles seem to be reversed in my example-- the artist in this case is himself a Muslim, the offended community Hindu, and the outcome very difference. Which brings us to the curious case of 95-year-old painter M.F. Husain.

Let me clear: in bringing up Mr. Husain, I'm not trying to engage in tit-for-tat. That sort of sectarian justification ("Your religion offended us before you were offended, so you lose...") has always been something I've found particularly repugnant. Being on the receiving end of offense doesn't give anyone the right to dish it out, and vice versa.

But the fact remains that a side-by-side look at the two cases (DMD and Husain's controversial paintings of Hindu deities) raises important -- albeit uncomfortable -- questions about whether or not there might be a double standard at work.

Once dubbed the Picaso of Indian art, M.F. Husain has made something of a career of pushing the envelope. But he really found himself on the hot-seat in the 1990s when a series of his paintings of Hindu deities was published. The issue was not that Husain depicted these divine subjects. After all, Hinduism is a tradition of sacred imagery, where depictions of Gods and Goddesses are not only produced (even mass-produced) but are celebrated and sometimes actually venerated. No, the problem was that the paintings depicted these personalities in the nude, with a palpable sexual meaning suggested between the strokes. In one famous example, a naked Sita Devi sits on the lap of the demon king Ravana (also nude), while Hanuman (you guessed it -- sans-clothes) leaps forward. In another, a naked Goddess Saraswati suggestively straddles the vina. A third implies a sexual relationship between the Goddess Durga and her tiger.

Offended Hindus and several Hindu groups began a backlash. In a predictably stupid and counter overreaction, some Hindu fundamentalists attacked the painter's home and shut down a London exhibit. Several also filed court cases against Husain. Following the controversy, Husain went on "self imposed exile". In a post-script, earlier this year, he accepted citizenship of Qatar, making the exile from India a legal reality.

Let me be clear again: I find the way that Hindu extremists responded to Husain to be unequivocally reprehensible and embarrassing. I want to say -- no, scream -- "that's not my kind of Hinduism!" Personal attacks, mud-slinging, death threats... I truly believe that all of it goes against the very heart and spirit of my faith, and I think those who do it "in defense of Hinduism" commit the worst sort of violence on the faith-- far worse than any "outsider" ever could.

But can I also confess that I was -- and am -- offended by Husain's paintings? That even though I think he had a right to paint them, I don't think he should have? That I might even suggest that Husain's freedom of expression hinged on a responsibility to respect others, and that he crossed a line when he failed in that responsibility?

By now, this should sound pretty familiar. In fact, you might think that I could probably take any of the numerous articulate and thoughtful critiques of the infamous Danish cartoonist or of South Park or of DMD, do a search-and-replace to change the "who's who" in the cast of characters, and come out with a robust op-ed challenge to Mr. Husain.

You'd think that, but apparently you'd be wrong.

The frustrating reality is that the Husain case invariably plays out differently. The "good guys" almost always seem to side with the artist, aghast that some thin-skinned religious fanatics should dare to limit his freedom. In this scenario, the intolerant and insensitive jerks aren't the one's drawing the offensive stuff, they are the one's protesting it.

My friends who email me, requesting to join in to their anti-DMD protest, are the very same ones who also beseech me to sign petitions in support of Husain. I just don't get it.

Is there some inherent difference between Husain's nude Gods and Goddesses and the results of DMD?

Some might say that Husain was unfairly targeted just because he was Muslim offering his own interpretation of Hindu icons. But couldn't we say the same about the Danish cartoonist -- a non-Muslim offering his own commentary on Islam -- or of the South Park folks, or of anyone who picks up their pencil and sketches the prophet today?

Maybe its different because Husain is a recognized artist whose pieces fetch millions of dollars and decorate the homes of the rich and famous, while the cartoonists are, well, cartoonists. But doesn't that type of judgment call seem a tad elitist?

Of course, the very act of drawing the prophet in any way, shape, or form is anathema to many Muslims. The act itself is offensive to them. The organizers of DMD know this-- that's precisely why they organized the event. While I'd like to believe that Mr. Husain didn't set out to offend in quite the same way, I still think its pretty reasonable to say that he ought to to have known how hurt some Hindus would be. Husain, it turns out, grew up in a Hindu temple town and had ample opportunity to educate himself about what would and would not offend his Hindu neighbors.

Husain might have been trying to make a statement about Hinduism, or religious fundamentalism, or Indian politics. Fair enough. The folks drawing Muhammad today may be voicing their opinion about censorship. I get that. But why punish innocent people of faith to make ar point?

I won't participate in Draw Muhammad Day for the same reason that I say that M.F. Husain was wrong. I won't deny an artist his right to choose how he expresses himself, but I won't pretend that all choices are created equal. They are not. We choose to uplift or to denigrate, to heal or to hurt. That choice is ours, today and every day.


God, Soul and World - What Is Hinduism? Pilot (HD) by Editors of Hinduism Today

God, Soul and World - What Is Hinduism? Pilot (HD)
by Editors of Hinduism Today



God, Soul and World - What Is Hinduism? Pilot (HD) from Editors of Hinduism Today on Vimeo.

Friday, September 24, 2010

Jesus in Kashmir,India(BBC Documentry)-3

Did Jesus Die on the Cross or...Documentry By BBC World...Subtitle work By Mr.Sarmad Ahmad...Also check out www.tombofjesus.com....Here are Search Tags....Ahmedi Ahmadiyya Ahmediyya Ahmadiyyat Ahmediyyat Qadian Qadiani Rabwah Prophet Mohammad Muhammad Islam Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Tahir Ahmad Question Answers Mirza Tahir Ahmad Mirza Masroor Khalifa Khamis Quran Quraan Koran Urdu Mirzai UK Pakistan sarmad sects www.alislam.org www.askislam.org www.jalsasalana.org www.mta.tv www.tombofjesus.com thepersecution.org www.real-islam.org Sarmadahmad









Jesus in Kashmir,India(BBC Documentry)-2

Did Jesus Die on the Cross or...Documentry By BBC World...Subtitle work By Mr.Sarmad Ahmad...Also check out www.tombofjesus.com....Here are Search Tags....Ahmedi Ahmadiyya Ahmediyya Ahmadiyyat Ahmediyyat Qadian Qadiani Rabwah Prophet Mohammad Muhammad Islam Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Tahir Ahmad Question Answers Mirza Tahir Ahmad Mirza Masroor Khalifa Khamis Quran Quraan Koran Urdu Mirzai UK Pakistan sarmad sects www.alislam.org www.askislam.org www.jalsasalana.org www.mta.tv www.tombofjesus.com thepersecution.org www.real-islam.org Sarmadahmad









Jesus in Kashmir,India(BBC Documentry)-1

Did Jesus Die on the Cross or...Documentry By BBC World...Subtitle work By Mr.Sarmad Ahmad...Also check out www.tombofjesus.com....Here are Search Tags....Ahmedi Ahmadiyya Ahmediyya Ahmadiyyat Ahmediyyat Qadian Qadiani Rabwah Prophet Mohammad Muhammad Islam Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Tahir Ahmad Question Answers Mirza Tahir Ahmad Mirza Masroor Khalifa Khamis Quran Quraan Koran Urdu Mirzai UK Pakistan sarmad sects www.alislam.org www.askislam.org www.jalsasalana.org www.mta.tv www.tombofjesus.com thepersecution.org www.real-islam.org Sarmadahmad












Jesus (as) Survived Crucifixion & Migrated to Kashmir A Clip from Chann...

Jesus (as) Survived Crucifixion & Migrated to Kashmir A Clip from Channel 4 Documentary. Islam Ahmadiyya is the Most Logical approach towards Religion.

Jesus did not die on the cross but in Srinagar, Kashmir 82 years old.

He came to teach how loving and removing the priesthood.






Train to Rameswaram

A 2.3 km train ride over the rough and raging Bay of Bengal to the Rameswaram temple island in South India. The railway bridge historically carried meter-gauge trains, but Indian Railways upgraded the bridge to carry broad-gauge trains in a project that finished Aug 12, 2007. The bridge constructed by the British over a 100 years ago and still in good condition is a marvel of engineering. Until recent times, the bridge formed Pamban island's only link with the Indian mainland. Thousands of Hindu pilgrims on pilgrimage to the holy Hindu shrine of Rameswaram traverse it everyday. The ride is fascinating, but scary when you look down at the choppy sea below, and wonder what could happen if a storm pushes the train off the bridge! This video was shot in May 2008 by the father (me!) of the cute girl sitting at the window!

Rameswaram island history #5

http://shatheeshl.blogspot.com
http://shatheeshl.co.cc Rameswaram'(Tamil:ராமேஸ்வரம்) is a town in Ramanathapuram district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located on an island separated from mainland India by the Pamban channel and is less than 40 kilometers from the Jaffna Peninsula, Sri Lanka. Together with Kashi, it is considered to be one of the holiest places in India to Hindus. Hence, it is a bustling pilgrim centre.

It is situated in the Gulf of Mannar at the very tip of the Indian peninsula. According to legends, this is the place from where Lord Rama, built a bridge Ram Setu(also known as Adam's Bridge) across the sea to Lanka to rescue his consort Sita, from her abductor, Ravana. This is also the place where Rama worshipped Shiva to be absolved of the sin of killing Ravana, hence the name of Shiva, which became the name of the town - Rameswara ("lord of Rama"). Both the Vaishnavites and Shaivites visit this pilgrimage centre which is known as the Varanasi of the south.
Ex-president of India, Dr. Abdul Kalam, hails from a fishing hamlet called Dhanushkodi situated on the island

Rameswaram island history #3

http://shatheeshl.blogspot.com
http://shatheeshl.co.cc Rameswaram'(Tamil:ராமேஸ்வரம்) is a town in Ramanathapuram district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located on an island separated from mainland India by the Pamban channel and is less than 40 kilometers from the Jaffna Peninsula, Sri Lanka. Together with Kashi, it is considered to be one of the holiest places in India to Hindus. Hence, it is a bustling pilgrim centre.

It is situated in the Gulf of Mannar at the very tip of the Indian peninsula. According to legends, this is the place from where Lord Rama, built a bridge Ram Setu(also known as Adam's Bridge) across the sea to Lanka to rescue his consort Sita, from her abductor, Ravana. This is also the place where Rama worshipped Shiva to be absolved of the sin of killing Ravana, hence the name of Shiva, which became the name of the town - Rameswara ("lord of Rama"). Both the Vaishnavites and Shaivites visit this pilgrimage centre which is known as the Varanasi of the south.
Ex-president of India, Dr. Abdul Kalam, hails from a fishing hamlet called Dhanushkodi situated on the island

Rameswaram island history #4

http://shatheeshl.blogspot.com
http://shatheeshl.co.cc Rameswaram'(Tamil:ராமேஸ்வரம்) is a town in Ramanathapuram district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located on an island separated from mainland India by the Pamban channel and is less than 40 kilometers from the Jaffna Peninsula, Sri Lanka. Together with Kashi, it is considered to be one of the holiest places in India to Hindus. Hence, it is a bustling pilgrim centre.

It is situated in the Gulf of Mannar at the very tip of the Indian peninsula. According to legends, this is the place from where Lord Rama, built a bridge Ram Setu(also known as Adam's Bridge) across the sea to Lanka to rescue his consort Sita, from her abductor, Ravana. This is also the place where Rama worshipped Shiva to be absolved of the sin of killing Ravana, hence the name of Shiva, which became the name of the town - Rameswara ("lord of Rama"). Both the Vaishnavites and Shaivites visit this pilgrimage centre which is known as the Varanasi of the south.
Ex-president of India, Dr. Abdul Kalam, hails from a fishing hamlet called Dhanushkodi situated on the island

Rameswaram island history #2

http://shatheeshl.blogspot.com
http://shatheeshl.co.cc Rameswaram'(Tamil:ராமேஸ்வரம்) is a town in Ramanathapuram district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located on an island separated from mainland India by the Pamban channel and is less than 40 kilometers from the Jaffna Peninsula, Sri Lanka. Together with Kashi, it is considered to be one of the holiest places in India to Hindus. Hence, it is a bustling pilgrim centre.

It is situated in the Gulf of Mannar at the very tip of the Indian peninsula. According to legends, this is the place from where Lord Rama, built a bridge Ram Setu(also known as Adam's Bridge) across the sea to Lanka to rescue his consort Sita, from her abductor, Ravana. This is also the place where Rama worshipped Shiva to be absolved of the sin of killing Ravana, hence the name of Shiva, which became the name of the town - Rameswara ("lord of Rama"). Both the Vaishnavites and Shaivites visit this pilgrimage centre which is known as the Varanasi of the south.
Ex-president of India, Dr. Abdul Kalam, hails from a fishing hamlet called Dhanushkodi situated on the island

Rameswaram island history #1

http://shatheeshl.blogspot.com
http://shatheeshl.co.cc Rameswaram'(Tamil:ராமேஸ்வரம்) is a town in Ramanathapuram district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located on an island separated from mainland India by the Pamban channel and is less than 40 kilometers from the Jaffna Peninsula, Sri Lanka. Together with Kashi, it is considered to be one of the holiest places in India to Hindus. Hence, it is a bustling pilgrim centre.

It is situated in the Gulf of Mannar at the very tip of the Indian peninsula. According to legends, this is the place from where Lord Rama, built a bridge Ram Setu(also known as Adam's Bridge) across the sea to Lanka to rescue his consort Sita, from her abductor, Ravana. This is also the place where Rama worshipped Shiva to be absolved of the sin of killing Ravana, hence the name of Shiva, which became the name of the town - Rameswara ("lord of Rama"). Both the Vaishnavites and Shaivites visit this pilgrimage centre which is known as the Varanasi of the south.
Ex-president of India, Dr. Abdul Kalam, hails from a fishing hamlet called Dhanushkodi situated on the island

Floating stones in Ram Setu - Scientific validation

Ramayana and scriptures mention about the floating stones used by Hanuman and other Vanara Sena to build the Ram Setu connecting India and Srilanka at Rameswaram. In this show, you will see the original stones picked up from Ram Setu and the scientfic validation.

Ram Setu (by train)

This is the original Ram Setu video. You can see small and big rocks floating on water.

Sikhs to support Ram Setu and Ayodhya Ram Mandir

A Shiromani Akali Dal leader addresses a VHP Rally

NewsX Exclusive: No holds barred with Govindacharya 3



NewsX Exclusive: No holds barred with Govindacharya 4



NewsX Exclusive: No holds barred with Govindacharya 1



NewsX Exclusive: No holds barred with Govindacharya 2



Govindacharya Speech pt 2



Govindacharya Speech pt 1



Tapan Ghosh in New York - TV Interview (2)



Tapan Ghosh in New York - TV Interview (1)



Tapan Ghosh's speech pt 1



Thursday, September 16, 2010

Sikh History Museum at BHAI MATI DAS- Chidia naal je baaz ladava...taan Gobind Singh naam dharavan..!! Wahe Guru !! wahe guru ji ka khalasa, wahe guru ji ki fateh.

Sikh History Museum at BHAI MATI DAS

Chidia naal je baaz ladava...taan Gobind Singh naam dharavan..!!
Wahe Guru !!
wahe guru ji ka khalasa, wahe guru ji ki fateh.





There was a reign of terror unleashed by Mughal emperor Aurangzeb against Hindus and Sikhs. They were either asked to convert to ISLAM or get killed brutually. 


The ninth guru fo the Sikhs, Tegh Bahadur (1621-75) (like many of his followers) refused Mughal emperor Aurangzeb's order to convert to Islam and was brought to Delhi and beheaded on a site that later became an important gurdwara (abode of the guru, a Sikh temple) at Chandni Chowk, one of the old city's main thoroughfares.


These events led the tenth guru, Gobind Singh (1666-1708), to transform the Sikhs into a militant brotherhood dedicated to defense of their faith at all times. 


He instituted a baptism ceremony involving the immersion of a sword in sugared water that initiates Sikhs into the Khalsa (khalsa , from the Persian term for "the king's own," often taken to mean army of the pure) of dedicated devotion. Nihangs (warrior saints) belong to the same order that Guru Gobind Singh founded.

मूर्तिभंजक महमूद गजनवी - सोमनाथ मंदिर पर हमला- 'फ़रिश्ता'- "तवारीखे-हिंद"- अलबरूनी

मूर्तिभंजक महमूद गजनवी - सोमनाथ 

मंदिर
 पर हमला -  
'फ़रिश्ता'- 

 "तवारीखे - हिंद" - 

अलबरूनी


मूर्तिभंजक महमूद गजनवी ने ईस्वी सन १०१५ में सोमनाथ पर सबसे पहला हमला किया. इस हमले में पचास हज़ार से भी अधिक हिन्दुओ का क़त्ल किया गया . कहते हैं की लूट का सामान और दास दसियों की संख्या इतनी थी की महमूद ने आने वाले कुछ ही सालों में अकेले सोमनाथ पर पन्द्रह हमले कर डाले.

 इसके बाद अलफ खान, ईस्वी १२९७: अहमद शाह, १३१४; शम्सखान १३१८: मुज़फ्फरखान दूसरा, १३९४; तातारखान, १५२०; औरंगजेब मारफत, १७०६ आदि ने हमलो का यह सिलसिला जारी रखा.




" महमूद ने मंदिर में घुसकर ब्राह्मणों की प्रार्थनाओ और करुण विन्तियों को ठुकरा दिया, और अपनी भारी गदा को मूर्ती पर दे मारा और मूर्ती के टुकड़े टुकड़े कर दिए. इसका एक टुकड़ा वह गजनी ले गया और वहां मस्जिद की देहली पर जड़ दिया, जिससे ईमान वाले उसे नित्य पैरो से रोंदे और इस्लाम की सर्वोच्च सत्ता का परिचय दे." - 'फ़रिश्ता'. 





ठीक इसी बात की अलबरूनी (जो के महमूद के दरबार में रहा एवं इस हमले में उसके साथ था) ने अपनी किताब "तवारीखे-हिंद" में भी पुष्टि की है -".. मूर्ती का दूसरा भाग गजनी की मस्जिद के द्वार के आगे लगा दिया गया है, जिसपर लोग अपने पैरों की धुल और कीचड मस्जिद में प्रवेश करने से 
प्रथम पोंछते हैं."


Are Jews Shivaites ? is YHWH (Jewish blue coloured God) a way of pronouncing Shiva? by Deep Bhakta

Are Jews Shivaites ? is YHWH (Jewish blue coloured God) a way of pronouncing Shiva?
by Deep Bhakta

on Monday, September 13, 2010 at 7:50pm
                                                                  


The Blue God of Judaism?

Yes, the blue god of Judaism. The god that Jews worship is as blue as the Hindu god Shiva, the supreme being in Shaivism, the oldest sect within Hinduism. In some ways, the ancient Hebrews were more similar to modern-day Hindus than Jews. They acknowledged the existence of deities other than YHWH (whom Christians generally refer to as Yahweh) and, like their neighbors, looked to a pantheon of gods and goddesses to satisfy their individual and collective needs.1 Their principal deity, however, became and remained YHWH, whom they imagined as having anthropomorphic form.2 This article aims to contribute to and further recent discussion of YHWH’s masculine form,3 i.e., the Lord’s body. Hopefully, in so doing, long-overlooked similarities between YHWH and Shiva will receive due attention, and the feminine form of YHWH4 will re-emerge more fully, thereby triggering a re-appreciation for the life-creating and life-sustaining oneness of the divine masculine and the divine feminine, perhaps the most ancient tenet of Judaism. It is the color of the Lord’s body that interests us here. Examination of biblical, talmudic, midrashic, and mystical texts reveals that the Lord’s body is blue! The Hebrew terms tarshish, sapir, and tekhelet that convey the blueness of YHWH’s masculine form, accoutrements, and abode come from Sanskrit, not surprisingly, which, by itself, invites greater exploration and comparison of the similarities between Judaism and Hinduism, particularly Shaivism.5

The Book of Daniel

 To begin, we turn not to fragments of an ancient manuscript acquired on the antiquities market but to the Book of Daniel, the last work to enter the canon of the Tanakh (which Christians refer to as the Old Testament). Taking final shape in the mid-second century B.C.E., it refers to events that took place much earlier, in the sixth century B.C.E.In Daniel 10, Daniel, the main character, while on the bank of the Tigris, has an extraordinary vision. Explains Daniel:

 “I looked and saw a man dressed in linen, his loins girt in fine gold (10:5). His body was like beryl, his face had the appearance of lightning, his eyes were like flaming torches, his arms and legs had the color of burnished bronze, and the sound of his speech was like the noise of a multitude” (10:6).6

 Though the “man dressed in linen” that Daniel sees is the most magnificent of the anthropomorphic beings encountered by him in the book bearing his name, a majority of Jewish commentators, including R’ Yitzchak Abarbanel, R’Saadiah (ben Yosef) Gaon, and R’Levi ben Gershon (or Ralbag), did not identify him as the Lord but as the angel Gabriel.7

 The case for identifying the “man dressed in linen” (10:5) as Gabriel becomes weak rather quickly, however. Daniel first meets Gabriel in Daniel 8, where he learns his name, and then again in Daniel 9, where he calls him by name, yet on both occasions Daniel fails to describe Gabriel’s appearance.

 If the man in Daniel 10 is indeed Gabriel, why doesn’t Daniel recognize him?8 Moreover, why would the author of this work wait until Daniel 10 to describe in detail a being who appears in both Daniel 8 and 9,9 and why would Daniel faint or grow faint (Daniel 10) in the presence of Gabriel with whom he is already familiar (Daniel 8 and 9), unless, of course, Daniel is encountering more than one being?10

 A closer look at Daniel 10 reveals that it is entirely plausible Daniel interacts with up to five heavenly beings.

 First Heavenly Being: Daniel sees a “man dressed in linen” (10:5) and hears the sound of his speech (10:6).

 Second Heavenly Being: Daniel hears a male being speaking, causing him to be overcome by a deep sleep (10:9).

 Third Heavenly Being: Daniel feels the touch of a hand, which shakes him onto his hands and knees (10:10).11

 Fourth Heavenly Being: Daniel listens to a male being tell him to stand up; this being goes on to explain that he was “sent” to him (10:11) because of his prayer (10:12), had been “opposed” and “detained” by the “prince of the Persian kingdom” until Michael came to his aid (10:13), and will help him understand future events having to do with his people (10:14). Later on, this same being speaks to him (10:19), telling him that he will “go back to fight” the Prince of Persia (10:20), will battle the “Prince of Greece” (10:20), and will reveal to him “what is recorded in book of truth” (10:21).

Fifth Heavenly Being: Daniel, who had become silent, sees “one who looked like a man” who touches him on the lips, which precipitates his speaking (10:16). The “one who looked like a man” again touches Daniel, strengthening him (10:18), allowing him to continue to converse.

Even if we merge the First and Second Heavenly Beings and go on to merge the Third and Fifth Heavenly Beings, we are left with three beings: the Lord (10:5, 6, 9), an assistant (10:10, 16, 18), and an angel (10:11-14, 19-21).

R’Avraham ben Meir Ibn Ezra, by the way, rejected the view that the man in Daniel 10 is Gabriel but failed to offer an explanation.12 Rav Joseph ben David Ibn Yahya, on the other hand, was more forthcoming.

Of the “man dressed in linen” (Daniel 10:5), Ibn Yahya writes, “A perfect man – extraordinary – special in form. Allegorically, this refers to the Holy One, Blessed is He.”13 The linen, he goes on to say, symbolizes the “complete light” with which the Holy One enwraps himself.14

If we explore the similarities between Daniel 10:5-6 and the theophany of Ezekiel 1:1-28, the identity of the “man dressed in linen” becomes still clearer.15 Man, loins, body, beryl, face, lightning, eyes, flaming torches, and burnished bronze are words that appear in Daniel 10 as well as Ezekiel 1. The Hebrew word, qalal, which means burnished, occurs in only two places in the Tanakh, Daniel 10:6 and Ezekiel 1:7!16 Both passages are theophanies, each centered on an appearance of the Lord!

Tarshish

A key word in Daniel’s description of the “man dressed in linen” is “beryl,” tarshish in Hebrew. The New Jewish Publication Society (NJPS) Version of the Tanakh17 seven times translates tarshish as the common noun beryl and twenty-four times incorporates it directly into the English as the proper noun Tarshish. In English translations of the Old Testament, when tarshish is translated, beryl appears the most frequently followed by chrysolite and topaz. So, what is beryl?

Beryl, or beryllium aluminum cyclosilicate, is a mineral, which ranges in size from a few millimeters to several meters.18 Normally translucent or transparent, the presence of impurities results in its occurring in a variety of colors; colorless beryl is known as pure beryl, green beryl as emerald, pink beryl as morganite, red beryl as bixbite, bright yellow beryl as golden beryl, and blue beryl as aquamarine.19
To Daniel’s eyes, did the man whose “body was like beryl” appear to be clear, green, pink, red, bright yellow, or blue? The meaning of tarshish, whether used as a common or proper noun, suggests that Daniel saw a man whose body was like blue beryl or aquamarine.

In the following six verses the NJPS Version of the Tanakh translates tarshish as beryl: Exodus 28:20, Exodus 39:13, Ezekiel 1:16, Ezekiel 10:9, Ezekiel 28:13, and Song of Songs 5:14. We will take a brief look at these verses.

Exodus 28:20 and Exodus 39:13. In Exodus 28:20 and 39:13, tarshish / beryl is the name of a gemstone in the high priest’s “breastplate of decision,” appearing in the fourth row of mounted stones.

Targum Onkelos to Exodus translates tarshish not as beryl but as “the color of the sea.” 20 The late Sidney Hoenig, Professor of Bible and Jewish History at Yeshiva University, described the color of the gemstone tarshish as “‘aquamarine,’ the sea-blue or sea-green variety of the beryl” and understood tarshish / beryl in Daniel 10:6 as a reference to this stone; “throughout the entire Bible,” he wrote, “tarshish is to be consistently understood as the general expression for ‘sea.’” 21

For Ibn Yahya, tashish, as used in Daniel 10:6, refers to the color of a particular gemstone, “a precious stone resembling tekhelet.”22 He goes on to say that tarshish “is an allusion to the Heavens, which, in their physicality, appear bluish,” and he then defines tekhelet as “a blue dye derived from a Mediterranean snail that is applied to some of the tzitzit,”23 the fringes attached to four-cornered garments, in fulfillment of the biblical commandment found in Numbers 15:37-41 and Deuteronomy 22:12.

Ezekiel 1:16 and Ezekiel 10:9. In Ezekiel 1:1, the prophet proclaims, “the heavens opened and I saw visions of God.” He goes on to describe four incredibly fantastic creatures, each of which had four wings and four faces—one of a human being, one of a lion, one of an ox, and one of an eagle—and next to each creature was a wheel, the rim of which was covered with eyes.24 The prophet reports that the wheels—there were four of them—“gleamed like beryl” (1:16). Later on, he sees the wheels again, describing them as “like the beryl stone” (10:9).

Ezekiel, in the opinion of Merkabah mystics and others throughout the centuries, glimpsed the Lord’s merkabah, or chariot, in which the Lord travels while sitting enthroned. The wheels of the Lord’s chariot, then, are the color of tarshish / beryl, which R’David Kimchi (Radak) describes as a “bluish stone.”25

Ezekiel 28:13. In Ezekiel 28:13, we learn that tarshish / beryl, along with eight other precious stones, once adorned the king of Tyre, who, in the dirge that Ezekiel delivers, is referred to as a “cherub” (28:14). Though tarshish / beryl is not associated with the Lord in this verse, it was used to adorn a figure, described in almost mythical terms, who was highly esteemed in the Lord’s eyes.

Song of Songs 5:14. In Song of Songs 5:14, tarshish / beryl refers, though not explicitly, to a precious stone, and it is used once again as part of a phantasmagorical description of a man’s body, “His hands are rods of gold, studded with beryl” (5:14). The male character in the story, however, is not an ordinary man but the Lord. For centuries, a majority of rabbinic commentators saw him as the Lord and the female character as Israel.26

As already mentioned, twenty-four times the NJPS Version of the Tanakh incorporates tarshish directly into the English, where it appears as the proper noun Tarshish. For Rashi, Tarshish refers to a sea by that name. For example, in Ezekiel 27:12, the prophet Ezekiel, speaking of Tyre, says, “Tarshish traded with you because of your wealth,” that is, “the Tarshish Sea traded with you because of your wealth.”

If the man that Daniel saw is the Lord (Ibn Yahya) and if (according to the biblical text) “his body was like tarshish” and if tarshish (often translated as beryl) is the color of the sea (Targum Onkelos), the color of a bluish stone (Radak), the color of the blue dye tekhelet (Ibn Yahya), or the color of the Tarshish Sea (Rashi), what are we saying? We are saying that the body of the Lord is blue!

Shir’ur Qomah

Let us venture beyond the Bible to look for more evidence of the Lord’s blue body. We begin by turning our attention to the mystical Shi’ur Qomah, “The Measurement of the (Divine) Body,” which more than likely was composed during the Gaonic period in Babylonia between the 6th and 7th centuries C.E.27 Drawing, in part, on what appears to be ancient source material,28 this work describes, measures, and names parts of the Lord’s body, even calculating the distance between various parts.

The Lord’s body, though anatomically similar to a man’s, appears to be strikingly different. For example, the unidentified narrator (who introduces the text) says to the Lord, “You are fire,”29 and Rabbi Akiva (who testifies to what Metatron told him about the Lord) says, “His height is 2,300,000,000 parsangs.”30

Lines from the short and long versions of the Sefer Haqqomah recension of the Shi’ur Qomah offer a stunning visual picture of the Lord’s body, a body both fantastic and gigantic, which the mystics hoped to glimpse upon ascending to the higher spiritual realms.31 Only five times, as the lines of the Shi’ur Qomah themselves reveal, does the author actually quote from the biblical text. The verses that appear verbatim are Song of Songs 5:10, 11, 12, and 13, which are verses from a well-known theophany, and Daniel 10:6.

The Hebrew of Daniel 10:6, “ugviyahto ch’tarshish” (“his body was like tarshish”), occurs in all five recensions of the Shi’ur Qomah.32
The authors of Daniel and Shi’ur Qomah, by using the Hebrew term tarshish to describe the Lord’s body, are saying that the body of the Lord is blue!

Sapir and Tekhelet

Let us continue to search for evidence of the Lord’s blue body by exploring the meaning of the Hebrew sapir and tekhelet, two other bluish terms. In the NJPS Version of the Tanakh, sapir or sapphire appears eleven times.

Sapir/sapphire, like tarshish/beryl, is the name of a gemstone in the high priest’s “breastplate of decision,” appearing in the second row of mounted stones (Exodus 28:18 and Exodus 39:11). This gemstone’s association with the Lord is even stronger in the Song of Songs, elsewhere in Exodus, and in Ezekiel.

In Song of Songs 5:14, sapir/sapphire, also like tarshish/beryl, is used to describe the body of the male character, whom Jewish commentators, as previously mentioned, have long recognized as the Lord. The female character describes “his belly” as “a tablet of ivory, adorned with sapphires” (5:14).

In Exodus 24:10, Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel ascend the mountain where “they saw the God of Israel” (24:10). “Under His feet,” the text tells us, “there was the likeness of a pavement of sapphire” (24:10).

In Ezekiel 1:27, the prophet Ezekiel sees above the four fantastic creatures “the semblance of a throne, in appearance like sapphire” (1:27). And in 10:1, he sees “something like a sapphire stone; an appearance resembling a throne” (10:1).

The Song of Songs reveals that the supernal body of the Lord is composed of the precious ingredient sapir/sapphire. Exodus suggests that the Lord stands on a pavement of sapir/sapphire. And Ezekiel twice infers that he sits on a throne of sapir/sapphire.


Also in the NJPS Version of the Tanakh, tekhelet or blue appears fifty times. Tekhelet/blue was found throughout the Tabernacle, the tent in which the Lord dwelt before the days of the Temple; for example, the color tekhelet/blue was incorporated into the ten strips of cloth, which were used to construct the Tabernalce itself (Exodus 26:1).

In like manner, tekhelet could be found on the priestly vestments of Aaron, the high priest, and his sons. For example, tekhelet/blue was included in the tiny pomegranates that hung around the hem of the robe of the ephod (Exodus 28:33). In addition, in preparation for transport, cloths of tekhelet/blue were used to cover the furnishings of the Tabnernacle, such as the Ark of the Pact (Numbers 4:6).

The color tekhelet/blue, then, figured prominently in the construction of the Tabernacle, in the creation of the priestly vestments, and in the transport of the Tabernacle’s furnishings. And it was also the color of a cord that the Lord commanded the people of Israel to attach to the fringes of their garments.

The Cord of Blue

In Numbers 15:37-40, we read:

The Lord said to Moses as follows: (15:37) “Speak to the Israelite people and instruct them to make for themselves fringes on the corners of their garments throughout the ages; let them attach a cord of blue to the fringe at each corner (15:38). That shall be your fringe; look at it and recall all the commandments of the Lord and observe them, so that you do not follow your heart and eyes in your lustful urge (15:39). Thus you shall be reminded to observe all My commandments and to be holy to your God” (15:40).

Let’s take another look at Numbers 15:39, “That shall be your fringe [the cord of blue]; look at it and recall all the commandments of the Lord.” Focusing on this verse, Rabbi Simeon ben Yohai, in the talmudic tractate Menahot, pointed out that the Hebrew atav, which appears here as “it,” can also be translated as “Him.”33 If we make this substitution, verse 39 reads, “That shall be your fringe [cord of blue]; look at Him and recall all the commandments of the Lord.” Ben Yohai is saying that the body of the Lord is blue!

The cord of blue, as we will see, is very much bound up with the Lord’s blue body. Of the color blue, Rabbi Meir said, “Why is blue specified from all the varieties of colors? Because blue resembles [the color of] the sea, and the sea resembles [the color of] heaven, and heaven resembles [the color of] the Throne of Glory.”34

The late Ben Zion Bokser, a Conservative rabbi and scholar, in referring to Meir’s words, stated, “There are four elements in the chain of associations through which the color blue becomes a reminder of the ‘throne of divine glory,’ the blue thread, the sea, the sky, and the divine throne.”35 Bokser was right in speaking of a chain of associations but failed to include the most important element. That chain, it can be asserted, consists of five elements: the blue thread, the sea, the sky, the divine throne, and the Lord’s blue body. Bokser himself wrote, “The thread of blue was, in other words, a link with the deity, and gazing on the blue, one was really, by a chain of associations, gazing on the divine.”36

In another example, this one from Midrash Tehillim, Rabbi Hezekiah, who, like Rabbi Meir, also links the cord of blue to Ezekiel’s vision of the divine throne, says, “When the children of Israel are wrapped in their prayer-shawls, let them not think that they are clothed merely in blue. Rather let the children of Israel look upon the prayer-shawls as though the glory of the Presence were upon them.”37 In still another example, this one from Mishnath Rabbi Eliezer, Rabbi Eliezer says, “the Holy One praised be he, commanded us concerning the thread of blue because whenever we behold it we behold the face of Shekhinah,”38 the feminine face of the Divine.

Jewish mystical literature reveals that the realm in which the Lord dwells, together with his female companion, is also blue. In discussing how Sefer ha-Bahir, or the Book of Illumination, explains the sefirot (ten archetypal attributes of the Godhead),39 the late Gershom Scholem, who initiated the academic study of kabbalah (Jewish mysticism), wrote:

“The word [sefirot] is not derived from safar, to count, but from sapir, sapphire. They [the sefirot] are thus sapphire reflections of the divinity, and Psalm 19:2: ‘The heavens declare the glory of God,’ is interpreted by the author [of Sefer ha-Bahir] in accordance with this etymology: ‘the heavens shine in the sapphirine splendor of the glory of God.’”40

Bearing in mind this very interpretation, offered by the author of Sefer ha-Bahir, the author of the Zohar writes:

“As soon as the bride beholds her spouse, ‘the heavens declare the glory of God.’ ‘The heavens’ are the bridegroom, who enters under the bridal canopy. ‘Declare’ (meSaPeRim) signifies that they radiate a brillance like that of a sapphire, sparkling and scintillating from one end of the world to the other.”41

Conclusion

The anthropomorphic masculine form of YHWH, i.e., the body of the Lord, is translucent blue, indeed, fiery blue, as evidenced by biblical, talmudic, midrashic, and mystical texts, such as the Book of Daniel, Menahot, Mishnath Rabbi Eliezer, and Shi’ur Qomah. The Hebrew terms tarshish, sapir, and tekhelet are used to describe the blueness of the Lord’s body as well as his accoutrements and abode.

For example, in the Book of Daniel, the main character, Daniel, comes face to face with an incredible being, whom he describes using the words “ugviyahto ch’tarshish,” which translate as “his body was like tarshish” (Daniel 10:6). Joseph ben David Ibn Yahya recognized this being as the Lord, and Radak understood tarshish to be a bluish stone.

The Sanskrit origin of tarshish, sapir, and tekhelet shifts our attention to the Hindu pantheon, where we find the blue deity Shiva, whose behavior and whose cult, as scholars have been quietly pointing out for more than a century, appear similar, in certain aspects, to that of YHWH. Shiva manifests himself as a “pillar of fire” (jyotirlingam) in Vayu Purana 55.13-57 and YHWH appears as a “pillar of fire” in Exodus 13:21-22 and 14:24, for instance. The similarity of these theophanies warrants our taking a brief look at them.

At the end of Exodus 13, the Israelites (Hebrews), who have just thrown off the shackles of slavery in Egypt, set out from Succoth to encamp at Etham, located at the edge of the wilderness:

The Lord went before them in a pillar of cloud by day, to guide them along the way, and in a pillar of fire by night, to give them light, that they may travel day and night. The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the people (13:21-22).42

And in Exodus 14, as the Egyptians pursue the Israelites into the Sea of Reeds, which the Lord parted to facilitate their escape, i.e., the escape of the Israelites, the Lord makes himself visible:

At the morning watch, the Lord looked down upon the Egyptian army from a pillar of fire and cloud, and threw the Egyptian army into panic (14:24).

In the Vayu Purana 55, the deities Brahma and Vishnu gradually realize that they have witnessed a manifestation of Shiva:

In the darkness of the flood, it was seen by Brahma and Vishnu. In the total homogeneity of a dissolved universe, Vishnu and Brahma were arguing over their relative supremacy when they were interrupted suddenly by the superluminous glow of a strange pillar of fire.


Joined by Brahma, Vishnu sped toward the indescribable flaming light, which grew before their eyes into infinity, rending heaven and earth. Overwhelmed and terrified by their unfathomable vision, the two gods sought the beginning and end of its burning immensity. Brahma, flying upward with the wings of his bird shape—the wild gander—could not see its top, nor could Vishnu, diving down for a thousand years in his shape of a boar, see the bottom of that fire linga of him who is the light and destruction of the universe. 


Both of the bewildered gods returned exhausted to the level they had started from, and within the flaming linga they beheld Shiva in golden glory. He illumined the dark flood, and the two gods, Vishnu and Brahma, bowed before him. Thunderous laughter, or the sound AUM, issued from the pillar, filled the sky, and Shiva dispelled their fear (VaP.55.13-57).43

In sum, YHWH of Judaism and Shiva of Hinduism, two blue-complexioned deities, manifest themselves as pillars of fire and then speak from inside the pillars, filling those present with terror. Similarities such as these will hopefully encourage exploration of others as well as foster dialogue between Jews and Hindus, adherents of two of the world’s most ancient and wisdom-filled spiritual traditions, which may, in fact, be closer to one another than previously imagined.

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Ayodhya -Who was Babur? Editor @ Trinetra Online Meaning Of Ayodhya: Fact And Fiction (Dispute is over historical truth, not brick and mortar)

Ayodhya -Who was Babur? Editor @ Trinetra Online
Meaning Of Ayodhya: Fact And Fiction (Dispute is over historical truth, not brick and mortar)


The ancient city of Ayodhya, according to the Ramayana, was founded by King Manu. For centuries it was the capital of the descendants of the Surya dynasty, of which Lord Rama was the most celebrated king. Ayodhya during ancient times was known as Koshaldesha. The Atharvaveda describes it as a city built by gods and being as prosperous as paradise itself. The illustrious ruling dynasty of this region were the Ikshvakus of the solar clan (Suryavansha). According to tradition, Ikshvaku was the eldest son of Vaivasvata Manu, who established himself at Ayodhya. The earth is said to have its name Prithivi from Emperor Prithu, the 6th king of the line.

During the barbaric Islamic invasions of India, it is believed that over 30,000 ancient Hindu temples were desecrated and destroyed by the invaders belonging to a backward civilisation. Babur, the grandson of Chengis Khan was one of the first Islamic invaders to loot and vandalise Hindu sites of worship - one of them is Ayodhya Ram Janmabhumi, where he built a mosque known as Babri Masjid on top of the ancient temple site. In a two part issue we take a closer insight into the history and character of Babur and the controversy of the Ayodhya issue.

BHARAT MATA (by Anwar Shaikh)
Meaning Of Ayodhya: Fact And Fiction (Dispute is over historical truth, not brick and mortar)
Hindu historical Awareness

As we approach the new millennium, it is time to take a look at what was perhaps the defining event of modern Indian history and historigraphy - the demolition of the so-called Babri Masjid at the site known as Ram Janmabhumi. 

It is historically important because it was the most visible symbol of the rising Hindu historical awareness, a point made among others by V.S. Naipaul. It is important from a historigraphical point of view because it served to expose the venality of a tribe of scholars and politicians who had prospered by associating themselves with the destroyers of their civilization.

This article therefore has two goals. 

First, to summarize the relevant information relating to the temple-mosque controversy over the site known since time immemorial as Ramajanmabhumi. 

Second, to bring into focus the real issues involved - issues that have been obscured by the cloud of controversy surrounding it. Upon carefully examining it, one discovers that the dispute is not so much about the right of possession to the ancient site known as Ramajanmabhumi as it is over the version of history that is sought to be imposed on the people of India. It is a serious contraction of the scope and meaning of the Ayodhya episode of December 6, 1992 to treat it as a dispute over a piece of land, and brick and mortar; the dispute really is part of a struggle being waged by an ancient people to recover their own history from the clutches of imperial surrogates.

 Hence what a lofty mosque was built there by king Babar in 923 A.H. (1528 A.D.), under the patronage of Musa Ashiqqan! (Harsh Narain: p 105)"

The next source I wish to cite is a Persian text known as Sahifah-i-Chihal Nasa'ih Bahadurshahi written in 1707 by a grand-daughter of the Moghul emperor Aurangazeb, and noted by Mirza Jan in his Urdu work Hadiqah-i Shuhada (and other writers like Mirza Rajab 'Ali Beg Surur). Mirza Jan quotes several lines from it telling us:

"... keeping the triumph of Islam in view, devout Muslim rulers should keep all idolaters in subjection to Islam, brook no laxity in realization of Jizyah, grant no exceptions to Hindu Rajahs from dancing attendance on 'Id days and waiting on foot outside mosques till end of prayer ... and 'keep in constant use for Friday and congregational prayer the mosques built up after demolishing the temples of the idolatrous Hindus situated at Mathura, Banaras and Avadh ... (Harsh Narain: pp 23-24.)

Spoken like a true child of Aurangazeb! Let us next look at what archaeology has to say about the Ayodhya site. Here is what a leading archaeologist, Dr. S.P. Gupta (former director of the Allahabad Museum), wrote about recent excavations at Ayodhya.

"From 1975 through 1980, the Archaeological Survey of India under the Directorship of Professor B.B. Lal, a former Director General of the Survey, undertook an extensive programme of excavation at Ayodhya, including the very mound of the Ramajanmabhumi on which the so-called "Janmasthan Masjid" or Babri Mosque once stood and was later demolished on 6th December 1992."

"Professor Lal took as many as 14 trenches at different places to ascertain the antiquity of the site. It was then found that the history of the township was at least three thousand years old, if not more ... . When seen in the light of 20 black stone pillars, 16 of which were found re-used and standing in position as corner stones of piers for the disputed domed structure of the 'mosque', Prof. Lal felt that the pillar bases may have belonged to a Hindu temple built on archaeological levels formed prior to 13th century AD ..."

Lal's insight was verified by further excavations. He had actually found evidence for possibly two temples, one that existed before the 13th century, and another between the 13th and the 16th centuries. This corresponds very well indeed with history and tradition. We know that this area was ravaged by Muslim invaders following Muhammad of Ghor's defeat of Prithviraj Chauhan in the second battle of Tarain in 1192 AD. This was apparently rebuilt and remained in use until destroyed again in the 16th century by Babar.

Then came the explosion of December 6, 1992, which changed the picture dramatically. Several old inscriptions were found of which one proved to be crucial. It is written on a large stone slab, in 12th century AD Devanagari script and belongs therefore to the period before the onslaught of the Ghorids (1192 AD). The inscription was read by Ajay Mitra Shastri, Chairman of the Epigraphical Society of India. He gives the following summary.

"The inscription is composed in high-flown Sanskrit verse, except for a very small portion in prose, and is engraved in chaste and classical Nagari script of the eleventh-twelfth century AD. ...It was evidently put up on the wall of the temple, the construction of which is recorded in the text inscribed on it. Line 15 of this inscription, for example, clearly tells us that a beautiful temple of Vishnu-Hari, built with heaps of stones ... , and beautified with a golden spire ... unparallelled by any other temple built by earlier kings ... This wonderful temple ... was built in the temple-city of Ayodhya situated in Saketamandala. ... Line 19 describes god Vishnu as destroying king Bali ... and the ten headed personage (Dashanana, i.e., Ravana)."

Need we say more - a temple for Hari-Vishnu who killed the ten-headed Ravana, in the temple city of Ayodhya?

Defeat of the negationists

Ayodhya represents more than a battle over a site and a building. It is a struggle by Indians to recover their true history from the grip of imperial surrogates - the Islamicists and the Secularists. These are the residue of defunct imperial movements. They are now partners in negation trying to preserve their previleges and positions as representatives of imperialisms past. Negationism - which means denial of historic crimes against humanity - has been their main tactic. They find Ayodhya unbearable because it has called their bluff.

Central to the Secularist program is the effort to impose the Islamic view of history on Ayodhya. The Islamic view holds that the history of any place begins with its Muslim takeover, and nothing that took place before the takeover is of any account. According this version, the demolition of the Babri Masjid is a crime, but the destruction of previous temples at the site (or anywhere else) is of no account. This is part of a larger Secularist-Islamic program to impose such a negationist version on all of Indian history

 A point that cannot be overemphasized: any effort aimed at understanding the history leading up to the Ayodhya demolition must be careful not to view the events of December 6, 1992 in isolation, ignoring the thousand year history leading up to it. 

This would cause one to lose sight of the single most important historical theme in India today: the ongoing struggle between the two versions of history - the nationalistic and the imperialistic

The latter is negationist - for it seeks to negate the evils of Islamic imperialism by whitewashing their record and transferring the blame to the Hindu victims. Those calling themselves 'Secularists' in the Ayodhya dispute are agents of defunct imperialisms - the Islamic and the European. These negationists are fighting the nationalists trying to recover their national history. This is the real battle over Ayodhya.

The negationist (or 'Secularist') version of Indian history requires accepting the Islamic view of history - to wit, that the history of any place begins with its Muslim takeover; nothing that happened before is of any account. This is how Muslims view the history of all the conquered lands - from Egypt to Iran and even Pakistan. They have been defeated in their purpose to impose this version of history on India also. The Hindus refuse to accept this imperialistic distortion - one that sees the victims as villains and imperialist vandals as heroes. The struggle over Ayodhya is but a facet of this larger struggle.

This distortion of Indian history is probably the most insidious legacy of India's imperial past. For communal harmony to prevail in India, her people must come to terms with history. A privileged group like the Secularist-Islamicist nexus cannot go on propagating a negationist version of history that serves its own interests, while heaping abuse on anyone who challenges them. This will only harden attitudes, and make an already difficult situation impossible. If this goes on much longer, it will soon reach a point of no return. It is fervently to be hoped that we are not already there.

As far as the Babri Masjid is concerned, by no stretch of the imagination can it be called a place of worship. It was not meant as one by Babar, nor seen as such by either the Hindus or the Muslims in more than four centuries. Both sides understood that it was erected to mark the defeat and humiliation of the Hindus at the hands this invader with his hostile ideology to destroy and uproot India's ancient civilization.

Stand upon the Self, then only can we truly love the world by Swami Vivekananda (Recorded by Ms S. E. Waldo, a disciple)

Stand upon the Self, then only can we truly love the world
by Swami Vivekananda (Recorded by Ms S. E. Waldo, a disciple)
Tuesday, June 25, 1895.


After every happiness comes misery; they may be far apart or near. The more advanced the soul, the more quickly does one follow the other. What we want is neither happiness nor misery. Both make us forget our true nature; both are chains — one iron, one gold; behind both is the Atman, who knows neither happiness nor misery. These are states and states must ever change; but the nature of the Soul is bliss, peace, unchanging. We have not to get it, we have it; only wash away the dross and see it.

Stand upon the Self, then only can we truly love the world. Take a very, very high stand; knowing out universal nature, we must look with perfect calmness upon all the panorama of the world. It is but baby's play, and we know that, so cannot be disturbed by it. If the mind is pleased with praise, it will be displeased with blame. All pleasures of the senses or even of the mind are evanescent but within ourselves is the one true unrelated pleasure, dependent upon nothing. It is perfectly free, it is bliss. The more our bliss is within, the more spiritual we are. The pleasure of the Self is what the world calls religion.

The internal universe, the real, is infinitely greater than the external, which is only a shadowy projection of the true one. This world is neither true nor untrue, it is the shadow of truth. "Imagination is the gilded shadow of truth", says the poet.

We enter into creation, and then for us it becomes living. Things are dead in themselves; only we give them life, and then, like fools, we turn around and are afraid of them, or enjoy them. But be not like certain fisher-women, who, caught in a storm on their way home from market, took refuge in the house of a florist. They were lodged for the night in a room next to the garden where the air was full of the fragrance of flowers. In vain did they try to rest, until one of their number suggested that they wet their fishy baskets and place them near their heads. Then they all fell into a sound sleep.

The world is our fish basket, we must not depend upon it for enjoyment. Those who do are the Tâmasas or the bound. Then there are the Râjasas or the egotistical, who talk always about "I", "I". They do good work sometimes and may become spiritual. But the highest are the Sâttvikas, the introspective, those who live only in the Self. These three qualities, Tamas, Rajas, and Sattva (idleness, activity, and illumination), are in everyone, and different ones predominate at different times.

Creation is not a "making" of something, it is the struggle to regain the equilibrium, as when atoms of cork are thrown to the bottom of a pail of water and rush to rise to the top, singly or in clusters. Life is and must be accompanied by evil. A little evil is the source of life; the little wickedness that is in the world is very good; for when the balance is regained, the world will end, because sameness and destruction are one. When this world goes, good and evil go with it; but when we can transcend this world, we get rid of both good and evil and have bliss.

There is no possibility of ever having pleasure without pain, good without evil; for living itself is just the lost equilibrium. What we want is freedom, not life, nor pleasure, nor good. Creation is infinite, without beginning and without end — the ever-moving ripple in an infinite lake. There are yet unreached depths and others where the equilibrium has been regained; but the ripple is always progressing, the struggle to regain the balance is eternal. Life and death are only different names for the same fact, the two sides of the one coin. Both are Maya, the inexplicable state of striving at one time to live, and a moment later to die. Beyond this is the true nature, the Atman. While we recognise a God, it is really only the Self which we have separated ourselves from and worship as outside of us; but it is our true Self all the time — the one and only God.

To regain the balance we must counteract Tamas by Rajas; then conquer Rajas by Sattva, the calm beautiful state that will grow and grow until all else is gone. Give up bondage; become a son, be free, and then you can "see the Father", as did Jesus. Infinite strength is religion and God. Avoid weakness and slavery. You are only a soul, if you are free; there is immortality for you, if you are free; there is God, if He is free. . . .

The world for me, not I for the world. Good and evil are our slaves, not we theirs. It is the nature of the brute to remain where he is (not to progress); it is the nature of man to seek good and avoid evil; it is the nature of God to seek neither, but just to be eternally blissful. Let us be God! Make the heart like an ocean, go beyond all the trifles of the world, be mad with joy even at evil; see the world as a picture and then enjoy its beauty, knowing that nothing affects you. Children finding glass beads in a mud puddle, that is the good of the world. Look at it with calm complacency; see good and evil as the same — both are merely "God's play"; enjoy all.

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My Master used to say, "All is God; but tiger-God is to be shunned. All water is water; but we avoid dirty water for drinking."

The whole sky is the censer of God, and sun and moon are the lamps. What temple is needed? All eyes are Thine, yet Thou hast not an eye; all hands are Thine; yet Thou hast not a hand.

Neither seek nor avoid, take what comes. It is liberty to be affected by nothing; do not merely endure, be unattached. Remember the story of the bull. A mosquito sat long on the horn of a certain bull. Then his conscience troubled him, and he said, "Mr. Bull, I have been sitting here a long time, perhaps I annoy you. I am sorry, I will go away." But the bull replied, "Oh no, not at all! Bring your whole family and live on my horn; what can you do to me?"

Swami Vivekananda (Recorded by Ms S. E. Waldo, a disciple)
Tuesday, June 25, 1895.
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