Religious faith for rescue

Religion is not what you are born in. It is what you experience. Religious texts only help you in attaining this experience. Religion is always personal, like it was followed centuries before in India.

Only with the advent of foreign nationals who had their own faith, which they used as a socially binding factor this idea has changed in India.

In an age when religious preaching has become a norm, a rethinking is necessary. Just one question is enough for this rethinking.

Am I following this religion for boasting in public, or to know myself?

If you answer this question with utmost truth, I am certain that the differences between various faiths will cease to exist. After all religion is a tool of carrying faith, and not hatred.

Hindus are common to this knowledge and that is the only reason why Muslims, Christians and other religions were welcomed to stay here. In Hinduism Atman is the personal deity which needs to be known first. Unlike other religions which do not tolerate others faiths, India was always different. It not only welcomed the other faiths, but also fostered and environment where they could grow even better freely.

Until recent times this was the case. But In India also the ideas of religion has seemed to change maybe due to the everyday interface between other faiths. This has led to people of one faith killing other, and making them an enemy for life.

Maybe this is good time for people in every faith to remain silent and think, what is faith and religion. If and only if it leads to a personal affair, humanity can be saved. Otherwise we will be loitering like we are today. It is a time of regeneration for us, and we should not miss this opportunity.

Read More...

Bhagavad Gita and Action

I have heard from lot of people that through Bhagavad Gita God endorses "Fight" and some others mention "Inactivity". Let me try to understand why people say like this.

In Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna calls upon Arjuna for fighting his relatives. As a normal human being we are like Arjuna. We cannot fight our relatives (near and dear ones). After all why should one fight to kill such people whom you love. Our thoughts revolve around this "sentiments" because our point-of-view is very limited. We are wearing biased glasses. Whatever we see we are biased. Consider an example if Arjuna was fighting some unknown enemies, he would not have hesitated.

Read More...

Discovering our true identity

Who am I?

The most famous question which made Swami Vivekananda start searching his guru, the phrase recommended by Sri Ramana Maharshi as the only mantra which will lead to self-realisation is the most powerful one can ask himself.

What is our identity? Its not definitely our body, says those who have experienced this great powerful self. If we are not to be identified as this body, then what else?

It is our self. It resides in our heart (not the physical heart) but the more powerful one on the right side of our chest. It could be anything in the body, but it shape or size does not matter to those who are searching for it.

After all it helps in permanent peace. It is the only God or love the Sanyasis or seers have in this world. This is also referred to as krishna bakthi in Bhagavatham and other scriptures.

Our Upanishads and Vedas does not prescribe any method for self-realisation to women. This is because traditionally women are considered to be love pots. Only they can love their families without expecting anything in return. This is difficult for men to understand and digest. Krishna bhakti is nothing more than what our women do everyday. It is thus very easy for them to be enlightened. But it is also a factor that prevents them from attaining this enlightenment.

Read More...

Why pray/meditate daily?

I am not sure whether you pray daily. If you do, then you know the path to our self-realisation. If you do not, you are turning your back towards our end goal in this life.

What is Self-Realisation?
The basic premise of self-realization is that there exists an authentic Self (or 'soul') which has to be discovered by psychological or spiritual self-striving.

Read More...