"Forgiveness"

“To forgive is divine!” is the universal 'Truth'!

Of the many aspects relating to “forgiveness” that the writer discussed so meaningfully in a blog that I read recently, “Who can forgive the guilty? Is it the aggrieved, or we people, who are not directly affected by the crime?” was pivotal to her write-up.

At a personal level, I believe that, whenever a rape / murder or any kind of irrevocable physical and/or mental harm is committed intentionally or knowingly by an individual, he/she if proved guilty, has to be punished, not by physical harm or killing in retaliation, as done by who we call the uncivilized (tribal or barbarian communities), but by segregating him/her for the rest of life from the society. 

To me, the lofty idea of providing an opportunity to reform simply does not work and carries no meaning at all, and is the greatest folly being entertained, and the greatest injustice meted out to the aggrieved!

Such a crime if ignored by a society is no society to live in, for normal humans.

Such society ceases to be a just society, and the community, no humans!

But alas, such is the ‘society’ we happen to live in! 

Are you and me, alien to this society?

Or is it just the apathy most of us are used to display in our daily lives?

I believe that we do have a duty to perform to the society we belong to, besides our own selves.

Our personal virtuosity alone cannot ensure a safe existence to our kids and theirs!

I wholly condemn and curse those, who sit in relative safety and advocate “a Fair Opportunity to reform (!?)” - to plumb hell! 

I care a damn if I sound impudent to these pseudo-intellectuals or if I amass sin for cursing certain sub-humans.

These irresponsible members of the society, according to me, are the real culprits, and even worse than those who actually commit such heinous crimes!

"Lies, Lies, Lies.............."

"Lie" was the topic of a recent blog that I read. Many comments thereon were aptly replied by the blogger!

I too attempted a similar discussion on 'Lying' in a blog that I posted not long ago, that which is here on these very pages.

Yes, I too dislike 'lies' and 'lying' as well as you do! 

But there is a thing called "Yuga Dharma"! 

Standards of morality get altered (diluted) in tune with the changing (deteriorating) times         (yuga), which, we are all witness to! There can be no denying this very 'Truth'!

This of course, is not to endorse immorality in any form or manner, lying included!

Speaking the truth and truth alone, Letting the truth unsaid, Purposefully hiding the truth, Telling the half-truth, Fanciful but Harmless lying, Outright Lying, Lying with and for malicious intentions and purposes - is all a fair indicator to the steady moral decay that took place from the earliest to the current times!

Going by the rule book may not always be possible in the kind of environment and circumstances we live through.  

Yet, the thing that we all can always try is to protect our personal integrity and virtuosity, and try as best we can, to uphold and safeguard the existing values in our immediate circles.

This is all that is expected of us! Failing which, we cause ourselves blameworthy in the ages to come!  

"Money"

Of Money.....that I forever longed for but never ever cared for!

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“Money, Money, Money…..it’s a rich man’s world!” (ABBA)

“Money is for this World what Door is for the House!”

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Leave alone to-day's world, it was the same even in the earlier era too -

Both 'Greed for Wealth' & 'Loss of Wealth' make a man insane!

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Remember ‘Vinayaka Vratakadha’?

Satrajit accuses Lord Krishna to have killed his brother and took away 'samantaka mani' out of his Greed for Gold, which the precious stone is said to yield each day.

* * * *

Wealth out-weighs anything & everything in this darned world!

* * * *

Of money.....that forever makes one greedy and suspicious of all others!

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"Isn't Absolute Ignorance the Absolute Bliss?"

A little while ago, I happened to read the blog titled “Knowledge or Ignorance…Which is better?” 

Quite a nice blog it was, a thought provoking one!                    

This very question “Which is better of the two – knowledge or ignorance?” has been bothering me for long, with no conclusive answer arrived at. I wonder if others too faced similar impasse!

You can’t simply laugh me off, nor can favor me with a patronizing smile, if I were to say, ‘Being (absolutely) ignorant is preferable to being (supposedly) knowledgeable’.

Can it be contested, when I say, “One can be absolutely ignorant but None can be absolutely knowledgeable?”

Yes, there can never be a thing called ‘absolute knowledge’ in this universe!  

And with all modesty, I may also add that spiritual knowledge had had different schools of varying thoughts and philosophies in different ages, with masters and seekers of varying degrees of intellect, subscribing to each of those many schools. We also had independent seekers beyond the confines of religion. And spiritual knowledge alone is not all that is there to ‘knowledge’ in this universe!

I shall readily throw my patronizing smile at whosoever claims to possess ‘absolute knowledge’ in any single sphere, leave alone the infinite domains known to, or lost by humans till date!

Let us also not ignore those other sayings – “Ignorance is better than half-knowledge” & “Ignorance is bliss”! It was not for nothing that these sayings could take shape!

Well, it quite often gets me restive each time I try to analyze and see what serious and incessant pursuit of knowledge can do to someone......anyone!

It can only make one more doubtful, more uncertain, and even apprehensive at times!

The farther and deeper you try to analyze to clear a certain doubt, there arise a few more....and then a lot more! The more you probe, the more would be the questions posed to you, with no plausible answers! It would be kind of getting into a quagmire……a journey of no return, since the destination looks forever afar! 

And such are the situations when I feel, how very tranquil it would be, ‘Not To Know Anything At All’!

Well, friends, this is just one side of the polygon, as you might well know!

"Greed"

‘Greed’ manifests itself as an unbridled desire to possess infinite wealth, power and fame - only to culminate in ruin.

Man by nature tends to be greedy, the reason why all religions condemn greed and the greedy, to protect mankind.

We have in history, any number of examples where personal greed caused catastrophe in whole societies. 

The same is chronicled in our epics too!

We witness many, who harbor this very ruinous tendency in our present day world!

How one chooses to fight against ‘Greed’ is one’s own concern! 

"Change & Transformation"

I happened to be on a spiritual forum, where a hundred or so, spiritually inclined minds were engaged in a lengthy discussion on 'change' & 'transformation'. Evidently, I  was kind of dizzied!

I was given to understand that most of these fertile minds were of the opinion that 'transformation' in the spiritual world had a nature of 'permanence' to it,  

I lack spiritual insight in any measure to attempt deliberate on something, which to me, is of such oceanic proportions! 

However, it was how I put forth my understanding of ‘Change’ and ‘Transformation’: 

"First and foremost, nothing is static in this universe. 

And as such, any changed or transformed state is bound to have further change or transformation at some unspecified time in future. 

‘Change’ is an alteration of the present state to another state, one that could be better or worse or of no great significance. Change could be big; or even so small and subtle as to go practically unnoticed. 

‘Transformation’ on the other hand, is alteration of the present state to one that is of a remarkable nature or proportion, and hence clearly visible. As such, is very likely to get noticed.

‘Change’ can be continual. So too can be ‘Transformation’!

‘Transformation’ though a change of form or state from the present to the next, need not necessarily stay put or end there. 

The presently 'transformed state' could again experience the change and further transform to the next phase, and so on and on and on, that it could be forever continual! 

What I say is that a 'transformed state' need not remain static."

Do you think there is something more to it?

"Heaven & Hell"

To me, there isn't such a thing defined as 'heaven' or 'hell' either here (while I am alive), or there (once I am dead)! 

I can see and experience them both (as I understand) in my existence here and now! 

I take the terms heaven and hell as just figurative!

For me, it is all – good or bad as I perceive; happiness or sorrow as I experience!

I engage in positive thoughts and good enough deeds & pastimes as well I can, to be happy! 

I avoid negative thoughts and bad deeds & pastimes as well I can, to escape sorrow!

God gives me access to both and the choice is mine!

......as well as yours, if you may like!