04 Nov

The Story of Swastika BBC Documentary – further information

by Madhava in English Content, sanskrit, ఆధ్యాత్మికం

The Story of the Swastika

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE BBC DOCUMENTARY

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b03h8rt2/The_Story_of_the_Swastika/

4th November 2013

London, UK

By: Madhava Turumella

email: madhava@madhava.net

Thank you to all those who congratulated me for my appearance in the BBC documentary “The story of Swastika”. It was a 30 minute documentary hence they could not cover every aspect of Hindu symbol swastika. Hence I am giving below some further information regarding Swastika which I learned from my great teachers. Please note that @20:21 in the BBC Documentary it was said that Swastika can be drawn how ever you may want. This information is not correct hence I felt it is a must to give out the information that I learned from my teachers in Hindu Tantra. Those who are in a hurry can directly visit the section “How to draw a swastika” in this section.

Swastika, a sacred symbol of Hinduism, contains both peaceful and also destructive powers with in it. It is our Hindu belief that good and bad both are hidden with in the same entity. One is ghora (terrible) and the other is santa (peaceful). To put this in context, we need to look at a very confusing yajus in Yajurveda. “Yate rudra siva tanuh aghora apaapa kaasini – tayanah santamayaa tanuvaa – girisanta abhicakaseehi” (Rudra Namakam Krishna Yajurveda 1.3) “There are two bodies to Rudra. One is violent and aggressive and the other tranquil that bestow grace and benevolence. Oh! Rudra bless us, that your body will not do any harm.” Here the confusion is that – a person can have only one body, how could the same being has two bodies?! Two individuals can share the same name, but can a person be in two bodies at the same time?! In his commentary to Yajurveda Sri Sayanacharya (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sayana) made an interesting observation to clear out the confusion. “It is our Hindu belief that good and bad both are hidden with in the same entity. A knife can be used for peaceful vegetable cutting purpose in a kitchen, but the same knife can be used to mercilessly slit the throat of a living being! Instrument is the same but purpose is different. One is ghora (terrible) and the other is santa (peaceful).” This is what it means by praying “Oh Rudra we want you to bless us with the form which is peaceful”. (tayaanah santamayaa tanuvaa nah abhicaakaseehi). An atom can be used to produce electricity, and it can also be used to create a bomb. Both darkness and light are hidden in the symbol.

Also in Hindu occultism Swastika purposefully gets tilted to invoke bad forces. In ancient times they used to draw tilted reversed swastika’s on the fort walls of enemies. Their belief was that such a thing does black magic.

We are strictly advised to respect our symbols. Swastika should only be used for peaceful purposes. It can be compared to the wise advise – that the power of Atom should only be used for peaceful purposes.

Hence it is entirely dependant upon us how we draw swastika and for which purpose. Swastika drawn properly brings peace and prosperity.But swastika drawn tilted causes immense destruction.

Nazis drawn Swastika in both ways. On their war machinery and on their military uniforms they drawn “Tilted” swastika which, as per ancient Hindu symbolic belief, causes death and destruction.

NAZI SWASTIKA TILTED

Nazis also used Swastika drawn properly on their civil infrastructure building that bring prosperity. Germany no doubt, temporarily prospered under Nazis, but their twisted minds twisted Swastika which brought ultimate distruction. So please beware on how you draw swastika.

The sacred hymn to chant while drawing a Swastika:

स्व॒स्ति न॒ ऽइन्द्रो॑ वृध्दश्र॑वाः

स्व॒स्ति नः॑ पू॒पा विश्ववे॑दाः।

स्व॒स्ति न॒स्ताक्ष्र्यो॒ऽअरि॑ष्टनेमिः

स्व॒स्ति नो॒ बृह॒स्पति॑र्दधातु | – यजु० २२।१६

Swasti na indro vriddha shravaah

swasti nah pooshaa vishwa vedaah.

Swasti nas taark-shyo arista-nemih

swasti no brihas-patir dadhaatu | – yajurveda 22.16

Meaning: “May Indra (who is) extolled in the scriptures, be auspicious to us; may Pushan, the all-knowing be propitious to us; May Trakshya, who saves from all harm (destroyer of evil), be well disposed towards us; and may Brihaspati (God of learning) ensure our welfare!”

Though many times Swasti (peace) is invoked in our Vedas. It is this particular Hymn where all four very powerful vedic gods are invoked takes higher importance in regular Hindu Rituals.

THE GODS OF HINDU SWASTIKA

Indra is the king of the gods and ruler of the heavens. Indra is the god of thunder and rain and a great warrior, a symbol of courage and strength. He leads the Deva (the gods who form and maintain Heaven) and the elements, such as Agni (fire),Varuna (water) and Surya (sun), and constantly wages war against the opponents of the gods, the demon-like asuras.	*
Pushan (पूषन) Sun god – He is the god of meeting. Pushan was responsible for marriages, journeys, roads, and the feeding of cattle. He was a psychopomp, guide of souls conducting souls to the other world. He protected travelers from bandits and wild beasts, and protected men from being exploited by other men. He was a supportive guide, a “good” god, leading his adherents towards rich pastures and wealth. He carried a golden lance, a symbol of activity.	*
tarksya – A God who is in the form of a flying horse. Garuda, the king of birds is also called arishtanemi, meaning the one whose path is unobstructed. He is known for His farsightedness. Being endowed with divine powers, he is capable of flying long distances. Garuda is symbolic of Vedas. He has a great capacity for self-rejuvenation. Just like how an eagle can see harmful serpants and capture them, tarksha is capable of capturing and removing any inauspicious things in our path.	*
Bruhaspati “lord of prayer or devotion”, also known as Deva-guru (guru of the gods), is a Hindu god and a Vedic deity. He is considered the personification of piety and religion, and the chief ‘offerer of prayers and sacrifices to the gods’ (Sanskrit: Purohita), with whom he intercedes on behalf of humankind.	*

How to draw swastika:

They should not be curved or tilted. The angles of Swastika, when drawn on walls, the seat of Brihaspati should be perfectly aligned to the earth (i.e should not be tilted). When drawn on a flat surface they should perfectly aligned to the four directions. The right-side of Swastika always points to the East. Please the below diagram. Angle 2 (Sun God) of Swastika should always point to the East direction. Any person who is attending the puja ritual should be able to identify the directions by looking at the swastika. Knowing the directions are very important for performing all Hindu rituals. Particular Gods live in particular directions. For example Lord Siva lives in North direction. Sun God lives in the East direction. Fire God lives in North-East Direction. Hence when a priest wants to invoke sacred fire he would turn towards North-East to invite FireGod. Instead of asking for directions, the priest can look at the Swastika drawn on the floor of the house and get the directions! Sometimes swastika drawn on the floor can appear tilted because it is drawn aligning to the directions.

Swastika when drawn in a square should always perfectly align its angles. The square should be aligned to the directions. The seat of learning Brihaspati – angle 4. When you draw Swastika on a wall, you should not tilt it because when tilted Brihapsati gets unseated. It is believed that such a thing can only bring darkness and ignorance.

SWASTIKA USED IN A WEDDING RITUAL

We use swastika in wedding ritual as a seat for Lord Ganesha; as a visual pointer to help the wedding priest to orient himself with the directions.

I hope I made it clear the real meaning and application behind Hindu Swastika. It is quite sad that Nazis had usurped our sacred symbol and used it for immense death and destruction. I sincerely pray for the welfare of all those souls who lost their lives in that senseless holocaust.

Finally I am quite happy with the way BBC made this documentary. The documentary is quite good. May the sacred Swastika bless us all.

Om Santih Santih Santih

Om Peace Peace Peace

13 Oct

0

Peace – A thought from my daily meditations

by Madhava in In English Language, As I Think, English Content

Understanding, misunderstanding and ignorance – these three are depicted as the qualities called Satva, Rajas and Tamas in Hinduism. These three are a part and parcel of what we call as “Human Nature”. Our human relations are dependent on these three. Either we truly know someone (satva) or we are completely ignorant of them (tamas), these two do not cause any serious trouble in our relationship with the world. But it is ‘Misunderstanding’ (Rajas) that troubles. I think – “Misunderstanding is the mother of all human problems”! We are ignorant of 99.99% of the world. For example someone suffering in some remote part of India may not trouble me at all, because they are in my ignorance zone. But I can no longer fake ignorance after coming to know of the suffering of that someone. That persons troubles start troubling my conscience too… This is called entanglement of sense organs. There is a technical term used for such a thing in Bhagawad Gita – it is called “Matra Sparsa” [2.14] One can not complain of foul smell when one chooses to go for a walk in a fish market! Same way we can not complain of entanglement when we deliberately choose to act in this world. So the only choice left is understanding…. Please understand the world, understand yourself, understand the God that you surrender to, understand everything… When you try to understand – you automatically give a pause within yourself – you pause from your reaction – you put a temporary halt to your response. Something silences your inner-self during the time you take a deep breath to understand… During that deep breath – In that minute of silence something magical happens…. You will become the world… Then only you will truly feel the world… From that magical feeling based on deep understanding arises wisdom! Where there is wisdom there is no conflict! And peace alone prevails where there is no conflict… We need peace to live in this world. Peace in you, in me and everywhere…. May you and I strive to bring that peace within us to the world around us… Om – By Madhava Turumella [A thought from my daily meditations]

12 Oct

0

PRAYERS OF OUR HINDU ANCESTORS [RAIN GOD]

by Madhava in In English Language, As I Think, English Content, sanskrit, ఆధ్యాత్మికం, సంస్కృతం, సుభాషితం

Our ancestors ardently prayed to nature when they were frightened. I thought giving these prayer text to Rain God with their meanings and references would be useful to the believing minds. Even today – these prayers are chanted regularly by traditional Brahmins as a part of their sandhya ritual. I am giving below the full vedic prayer both in Sanskrit and in Telugu. Below that I gave each Rik, Sama and Yajus seperately with their referencce and English meaning. -Madhava Turumella, London 12/10/2013

Full Vedic Prayer chanted together to appease the Rain God

इमं मे वरुण शृधीहवमध्या च मृडय। त्वामवस्यु राचके। तत्वायामि ब्रह्मणा वंदमानस्तदाशास्ते यजमानो हविर्भिः। अहेडमानो वरुणेहबोध्युरुषं समान आयुः प्रमोषीः। यछ्छिद्धिते विषो यधा प्रदेव वरुण व्रतम्। मिनीमसि द्यविद्यवि। यत्किंचेदं वरुण दैव्ये जनेभिद्रोहं मनुष्यश्चरामसि। अचित्तीयत्तव धर्मा युयोपिम मा नस्तस्मादेनसो देव रीरिषः। कितवासो यद्रिरिपुर्न दीवि यद्वाघ सत्यमुत यन्न विद्म। सर्वा ता विष्य शिथिरेव देवाथा ते स्याम वरुण प्रियसः ।

इमं मे वरुण शृधीहवमध्या च मृडय। त्वामवस्यु राचके।
ఇమం మే వరుణ శృధీహవమధ్యా చ మృడయ| త్వామవస్యు రాచకే|
Imam me varuna srudhi havam. adya cha mridaya| Tvam avas yurachake|
[Rigveda 1.25.19, Samaveda 1585, Shukla Yajurveda (21.1)]

Meaning: O Varuna, please fulfil this prayer of mine and make me happy here and now. I pray for Thy protection.

तत्वायामि ब्रह्मणा वंदमानस्तदाशास्ते यजमानो हविर्भिः। अहेडमानो वरुणेहबोध्युरुषं समान आयुः प्रमोषीः।
తత్వాయామి బ్రహ్మణా వందమానస్తదాశాస్తే యజమానో హవిర్భిః| అహేడమానో వరుణేహబోధ్యురుషం సమాన ఆయుః ప్రమోషీః|
Tattva yami brahmana vandamanastadasaste Yajamano Havirbhih| Ahedamano varuneha bodhyurusam sa Ma na ayuh pramosih|
[Rigveda 1.24.11, Krishna Yujurveda 2.1.11.6, Shukla Yajurveda 18.49 & 21.2]

Meaning: I seek refuge in Thee uttering the Vedic mantras. The sacrificers seek Thee with the ingredients of offering.

यछ्छिद्धिते विषो यधा प्रदेव वरुण व्रतम्। मिनीमसि द्यविद्यवि।
యఛ్ఛిద్ధితే విషో యధా ప్రదేవ వరుణ వ్రతమ్| మినీమసి ద్యవిద్యవి|
Yacchiddhite viso yatha pradeva varuna vratam| Minimasi dyavi dyavi|
[Rigveda 1.25.1, Krishna Yajurveda 3.4.11.4]

Meaning: O famous Varuna, please accept my prayer and don’t ignore it. Please do not shorten my span of life.

यत्किंचेदं वरुण दैव्ये जनेभिद्रोहं मनुष्यश्चरामसि। अचित्तीयत्तव धर्मा युयोपिम मा नस्तस्मादेनसो देव रीरिषः।
యత్కించేదం వరుణ దైవ్యే జనేభిద్రోహం మనుష్యశ్చరామసి| అచిత్తీయత్తవ ధర్మా యుయోపిమ మా నస్తస్మాదేనసో దేవ రీరిషః|
Yatkinchedam varuna daivye jane abhidroham Manusyascharamasi| Achittiyattava dharma yu yopima Ma nastasmadenaso deva ririsah|
[Rigveda 7.89.5, Atharva veda 6.51.3, Krishna Yajurveda 3.4.11.6]

Meaning: O Lord Varuna, Please protect us without punishing us for sins committed by us in different ways – by omitng to perform daily. Thy worship like the ignorant folk, by committing frauds on the celestials because of human ignorance or by infringing the path of righteousness laid down by you.

कितवासो यद्रिरिपुर्न दीवि यद्वाघ सत्यमुत यन्न विद्म। सर्वा ता विष्य शिथिरेव देवाथा ते स्याम वरुण प्रियसः ।
కితవాసో యద్రిరిపుర్న దీవి యద్వాఘ సత్యముత యన్న విద్మ| సర్వా తా విష్య శిథిరేవ దేవాథా తే స్యామ వరుణ ప్రియసః |
Kitavaso yadriripurna divi yadvagha satyamuta Yanna vidma| Sarva ta visya sithireva devatha te Syama varuna priyasah|
[Rigveda 5.85.8, Krishna Yajurveda 3.4.11.6]

Meaning: O Varuna, please expunge the sin like those attributed to me unjustly by wicked people like gamblers who go where the good do not go or the sins committed by me consciously or unconsciously. We must ever remain beloved of you.

07 Oct

0

As I think: Arvind’s Party will only manage to split the voters to help Congress retain power

by Madhava in In English Language, As I Think, English Content

I think – Arvind’s Party will only manage to split the voters. The “First-past-the-post” electoral system in India will help Congress as long as Arvind kind of pseudo socialists bent on floating their own parties and manage to split the vote.

For example in Delhi, imagine there are 100 voters. Out of them 60 voters are against Congress. If all these voters collectively vote to a single opposition party then Congress has no chance to win. Hence Congress strategy is to split the 60 opposition [anti-incumbency] votes.

The opposition 60 votes get split as:

AAP 25 votes

BJP 35 votes

Congress gets the rest 40 votes

“First-past-the-post” electoral system in India declares Congress as the winner. Congress retains power even though they lost the public mandate. This was what exactly happened during last Andhra Pradesh Assembley elections. The voters in the state wanted an alternative to Congress. Hence Congress floated Chirajeevi party. By doing so they successfully split the vote and used the “First-past-the-post” system to get to power.

Arvind is another person who is carrying out the Congress mark strategy to get Congress into power. Arvind is going to repeat the episode of Chranjeevi. Before the elections Chiranjeevi in AP **acted*** as if he was against Congress and had caused to split the vote so that TDP does not get into power. After the elections Chranjeevi merged his party in Congress for a Ministerial position. Chirangeevi is a known actor hence he was able to act it out properly. But Arvind is not a trained actor hence his intentions come out easily in his speeches.

Many feel that AAP is merely a Plan B of the members of congress system under new circumstances.

Some questions and points to ponder upon:
1) Why did Anna Hazare’s movement which was about to overthrow a Government through a soft revolution – faded away?

2) Why are Tahalka and NDTV supporting AAP by their goody goody articles and interview? Tahalka is total leftist party, and NDTV is a paid propagonda Channel for you-know-who? So what is their interest in promoting AAP?! NDTV also promoted Chiranjeevi to split the vote. Now NDTV is promoting Jagan Reddy in AP – they got a three year paid contact for that. Google for “NDTV and Jagan’s sakshi channel Business”

3) Noted AAP leaders such as “Yogendra Yadav, Binayak Sen, Kejriwal, Deshraj Raghav” all come from NAC (National Advisory Council) and this NAC is lead by none other than Sonia Gandhi!!!! Please do a google “Cong hedges, NAC comes out:” The rest of the AAP leadership came directly from Congress.

4) There is every reason to believe that NAC is a body, which is in synergy with congress, for mutual quid pro quo. They are essentially in congress, and they serve congress by putting out thoughts, which help congress politically. AAP is perpetuating a significant part of congress culture through its NAC members and other members who came from Congress.

5) Congress supports ISI-Fai-group so does AAP. Congress supports extreme leftist politics, so does AAP. Congress supports Jihadi elements like perpetrators of Batla House incident. Arvind should have apologized to the family of the patriot inspector – for suspecting him – and causing agony to his family! Arvind takes a “psedo secular stand” which Congress party is famous for! So there is more reason to think that Arvind is acting in the interests of Congress.

6) AAP is funded by Jindal Foundation. Though we couldn’t yet establish a solid link between AAP funding foundation and the Jindal family which is staunch congress, it still give reason to suspect.

WHAT AAP SHOULD HAVE DONE? I can tell what Arvind should have done instead of floating a party which will cause vote to split in the interest of Congress.
Arvind should have joined BJP and challenged its leadership! Modi was able to successfully challenge BJP established leadership. Chanakya said “Power is never given – it should be snatched.” He may have done so even joining Congress. A political party always goes by the direction its leader. Arvind should have joined one of the main stream parties to fight in elections. He should have joined them even if he did not like many of its leaders. He should have become a leader and change the direction of either BJP or Congress. Instead, he went on floating his own party which will now split the vote. In my opinion, small parties pose a danger to the democracy when they have “First-past-the-post” electoral system. The smaller the parties the higher the difficulties to dislodge the established power Mafia. In any democracy – in the first-past-the-post system – maximum only two or three parties should be there! Those who are aspiring should join these parties and change the ways of the parties in the direction that they want! -Madhava Turumella
http://ibnlive.in.com/videos/426819/aap-will-form-the-government-in-delhi-says-arvind-kejriwal.html

24 Sep

0

I presented a paper in the conference “The Future of India – Through the Eyes of an NRI” – Photos of Swamy Ramdevji’s visit to UK

by Madhava in సుభాషితం

I presented my ideas on subject “corruption free India” in the conference “The Future of India – Through the eyes of an NRI”. This conference was held in London, UK on Sunday 22nd September 2013. There were above 5000 applications to attend this conference, out of them, only 500 were invited to attend as guests. All conference attendants are brilliant and bright individuals, successful in their own professions. Twenty speakers from around UK, who are well known for their work in the country – are invited to speak on particular subjects. There were total 5 conference subjects. I was humbled to share the stage with them. This conference was live telecast around the world by Astha TV. It has reached a billion people around the world.

[Sorry for the quality of photo. This is from a mobile camera of a friend. I shall post when better photos are available]

Dr. Jasdev Singh Rai giving his speech on subject “Corruption-free India”. Dr. Jasdev has written and published academic papers on ethics, gender foeticide, anti-terrorism, freedom of conscience, conflict resolution and corruption in India. In addition he has developed and written a critique on Universalism for UNESCO in the ethics agenda for UNESCO.

Hindu Forum of Britain has officially got involved in the visa immigration issue related to Sri Baba Ramdevji. I am glad Keith Vaz has readily agreed to meet with me and Sasibhai at his residence. Hindu Forum representatives helped to resolve the issue.

In the above photo from Right to Left:

Madhava Turumella, Vice President, Hindu Forum of Britain

Mrs. Poddar

Mrs. Maria Vaz

Baba Ramdev ji http://www.divyayoga.com/

Keith Vaz, MP, Chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keith_Vaz

Sasibhai Vekaria, Patron, Hindu Forum of Britain

At the airport before going in to speak to the Immigration Officials

Swamy Ramdevji’s press conference at the Heathrow airport after he got back his passport. UK Immigration officials offered apologies for the inconvenience caused and they also gave TWO years multiple-entry visa to Baba Ramdevji. We are all glad that it was a happy ending.

24 Sep

0

Happy to receive ‘Nine Jewels of Indian Culture in UK Award’

by Madhava in సుభాషితం

August 15th 2013

Ceremony to recognise and reward achievements in spreading Indian culture in the UK and excellence in various fields of Indian culture to change to lives of people and to make society a better place.

I am humbled to receive the honour as one of the ‘Nine Jewels of Indian Culture in UK’ from the hands of Brahmasri Bhupendrabhai Pandyaji. My heartfelt thanks to Dhruv Chhatralia and all volunteers and sponsors.

August 16th is the birthday of my wife Mrs. Nimishi Turumella. Nimishi equally deserves to share this honour with me. It is her whole hearted love, dedication and support that is making me receive this honour today. I also thank all friends and well wishers in the Indian community for their support. Happy birthday Nimishi and Happy independence day to India. 🙂

Love & Light,
Madhava Turumella
Vice-President, London & South – Hindu Forum of Britain—
This year, with the support of the organisations CMS, BT, PricewaterhouseCoopers and Shell, we will be giving out honours to 5 of the 9 individuals or groups whose dedication to spreading Indian culture in the UK has been outstanding.

24 Sep

0

In defence of Mahatma Gandhi: Regarding the execution of Bhagat Singh

by Madhava in In English Language, As I Think, English Content

In defence of Mahatma Gandhi: Regarding the execution of Bhagat Singh

By Madhava Turumella

Everyone is wrongly accusing Mahatma Gandhi for the death of Bhagat Singh! They make certain fundamental mistakes in this assumption. Hence I wanted to bring some clarity by defending Bapu.
1) These accusers erroneously think that Mahatma Gandhi *had* some kind of power over British to magically stop the execution of Bhagat Singh

2) These accusers also erroneously think that Mahatma Gandhi ignored Bhagat Singh.

To understand this issue we must modularly revisit and analyze the strategies needs and timelines of each party involved in freedom struggle. We need to know

a) Who is Bhagat Singh, what did he really want
b) Why were British so desperate to kill him before Karachi Congress?
c) What was Mahatma Gandhi doing at that historical timeline?

A Brief background of Ghadar Party (HSRA) and Bhagat Sing’s involvement with it:

It is well known that from his young age Bhagat Singh was deeply impressed by the Ghadar Movement and that he regarded Kartar Singh Sarabha as his hero. During the year 1917 there was Bolshevik revolution which saw the overthrow and eventual exeucition of the Tsar. The impact of the Russian Revolution and the contact with Kirti Ghadarites led Bhagat Singh and his comrades towards a fresh thinking on their objectives and methods. In September 1928 Bhagat Singh changed his party’s name to “Hindustan Socialist Republican Army” by adding the word “Socialist” to it.

It is evident that Ideologically committed to proletarian revolution for the ultimate objective of socialism, Bhagat Singh and his comm wanted to awaken and organise the peasants and workers by rejecting the path of individual heroism and terrorist action. They basically wanted to create a bigger army which can fight in violent struggle (Ref 1)

Bhagat Singh was in Calcutta during December 1928, Bhagat Singh‘s major effort was focused in training his men in bomb-making and setting up factories for that purpose. By February 1929 Agra had become a centre for the manufacture of bombs. [On a personal note:- This writer’s grand-father (blood brother of petarnal grand-mother) was also a revolutionary influenced by Bhagat Singh. His grand-father got trained in Caltutta factory set-up by Bhagat singh. Unfortunately during a bomb making exercise in Patna his shoulder was blown away and he had to return back to AP but continued the freedom struggle. As a child, this writer learnt a little bit about Bhagat Singh and his ideals from his grand-father.]

The British Dilemma

It is an undeniable fact that Bhagat Singh belonged to Ghadar party which is openly communist. Ghadar activists undertook what the British described as political terrorism. British also suspected that some of these political terrorists were hiding in Congress party to escape from police surveillance.

The British Dilemma is “what if HSRA succeed in their ultimate goal of revolution!?” will they kill the British King like how Bolsheviks executed their Tsar?! For sure Bhagat Singh’s aim was to overthrow the British monarchy and usher-in socialist revolution based on the modal Irish Republican Army. [The name Hindustan Republican Army was based on IRA]

British were certain that Bhatagt Singh is a danger to their Raj. Hence it has been their strategy not to give room to Bhagat Singh. Hence they would never have listened to Gandhi in any way!

Mahatma Gandhi’s Objective – Irwin Pact:

Congress Party was not yet recognized as an official political party till 1928. Congress party had no political mandate to directly participate in negotiations. Nay Congress party was under ban by British till that time. This is the reason why Bapu did not participate in the First Round Table conference. Also there was the question of 90000 political prisoners who are languishing in British Jails. Bhagat Singh was one among those 90000!

So Mahatma Ganahi asked Lord Irwin for a pact which, among several other conditions, contains the following two conditions:

Release of prisoners arrested for participating in the civil disobedience movement
Participation by the Indian National Congress in the Round Table Conference

British did not want to release Bhagat Singh. Mahatma Gandhi and Irwin had in total 8 meetings amounting to 24 hours of discussions. The question of political prisoners and also Bhagat Singh arose many times. They reached a stalemate at the question of Bhagat Singh.

In the art of negotiations, in order to progress, it is advised that one should ‘park aside’ the most difficult point and discuss and agree to the rest of the points. Gandhi Bapu, being a trained Barrister, knew this very well. Hence he got all his conditions agreed as a part of Irwin Pact, including “the Release all political prisoners, ***except those guilty of violence**” – this exception was a pre-condition by British.

While Mahatma Gandhi was in discussions with Lord Irwin, he was simultaneously trying to save Bhagat Singh. He sent many emissaries to the Jail to talk sense in to Bhagat Singh.

Bapu’s strategy – priority wise:

(1) Get Irwin-pact signed.
(2) Get release of all those 90000 political prisoners.
(3) Get official recognition to Congress Party and give a united voice to the People of India at the Second Round Table conference.
(4) Get Bhagat Singh released. This has been a stumbling block in negotiation. Hence handle this as a separate item. Deal with it by getting a clemency petition filed by Bhagat Singh. There is still time [At that time Bapu did not know Bhagat Singh was about to be executed on 23rd March. Had he knew we don’t know what would have been the situation]

There is nothing wrong in Bapu’s strategy. In order to achieve the objective of poorna swarajya (total freedom) getting Irwin-pact singed was a historical necessity! Bhagat Sings should not have become a stumbling block… This fact even Bhagat Singh might have recognized.

British Government Strategy

British Government had suspected that unlike Bhagat Singh who is an open revolutionary, there are many socialist communist revolutionaries who are embedded in congress. They wanted to find out who is who, they also wanted to create internal dissent in Congress Party. [divide and rule]. Hence their strategy was to hang Bhagat Singh before the Karachi Congress. It was scheduled to be held on 29th of March 1931! So, I personally think that Bhagat Singh’s fate was doomed right from the beginning! British had never intended to release him.

By executing Bhagat Singh in time before Karachi Congress – British Government clearly wanted to achieve two objectives:

(1) Find out who is a revolutionary who supports murder in Congress Party
(2) Split congress party on those lines. Divide and rule for some more time.

It is important to see one more time the timeline.

1) Irwin Pact was signed on = March 5, 1931
2) Bhagat Singh’s hanging = March 23, 1931
3) Karachi Congress = March 29, 1931.

Even though Bapu understood the British strategy, he was desperately hopeful of saving Bhagat Singh. If Bapu was not thinking of Bhagat Singh he would not have sought a private discussion with Lord Irwin. On 19th March Mahatma, four days before Bhagat Singh’s execution, Mahatma Gandhi visited Viceroy Irwin specifically with an intention to plead for Bhagat Singh’s life.

Lord Irwin wrote in his memoirs of that night:
“As I listened to Mr. Gandhi putting the case for commutation before me, I reflected first on what significance it surely was that the apostle of non-violence should so earnestly be pleading the cause of the devotees of a creed so fundamentally opposed to his own, but I should regard it as wholly wrong to allow my judgment to be influenced by purely political considerations. I could not imagine a case in which under the law, penalty had been more directly deserved.” – Lord Irwin (Ref 2)

It is also a known fact that Bhagat Singh did not wish to live. He wrote the following to his friends:

“My name has become a symbol of revolution. The ideals and sacrifices of the revolutionary party have raised me very high. So exalted is my place that in case I continued to live I can in no case rise higher than this.. . . Who could be luckier than me? I am proud of myself these days.” Bhagat Singh’s note to his comrades on March 22, 1931, a day before he was executed. (Ref 3)

Bapu visited Lord Irwin on 19th March 1931 to exclusively plead for the life of Bhagat Singh. Just as a trained lawyer, he gave various reasons to Irwin to stop the execution. But it didn’t work.

Gandhi Bapu tried in vain to save Bhagat Singh. Also Bapu was totally against the death penalty. He never wished anyone to be sent to gallows. Bapu once said “I cannot in all conscience agree to anyone being sent to the gallows. God alone can take life, because he alone gives it”. (Ref 4) So it is absurd to even imagine that Bapu would have supported or collided with British in any such heinous act!

FINALLY IT IS IMPORTANT TO KNOW WHAT BAPU WROTE AFTER HEARING BHAGAT SINGH’S EXECUTION

“Bhagat Singh and his two associates have been hanged. The Congress made many attempts to save their lives and the Government entertained many hopes of it, but all has been in a vain.

Bhagat Singh did not wish to live. He refused to apologise, or even file an appeal. Bhagat Singh was not a devotee of non-violence, but he did not subscribe to the religion of violence. He took to violence due to helplessness and to defend his homeland. In his last letter, Bhagat Singh wrote, ” I have been arrested while waging a war. For me there can be no gallows. Put me into the mouth of a cannon and blow me off.” These heroes had conquered the fear of death. Let us bow to them a thousand times for their heroism. But we should not imitate their act.

In our land of millions of destitute and crippled people, if we take to the practice of seeking justice through murder, there will be a terrifying situation. Our poor people will become victims of our atrocities. By making a dharma of violence, we shall be reaping the fruit of our own actions.[This is the main philosophical reason behind Mahatma’s pursuit of the path of non-violence]

Hence, though we praise the courage of these brave men, we should never countenance their activities. Our dharma is to swallow our anger, abide by the discipline of non-violence and carry out our duty.” Mahatma Gandhi in 29 March 1931 issue of Young India.

Conclusion:

Bapu has no power nor had any role in the execution of Bhagat Singh. He was always trying to save Bhagat Singh. People who wrongly accuse Mahatma Gandhi for the death of Bhagat Singh should not ignore the fact that Gandhi saved 90000 lives by getting the Irwin pact signed. Bhagat Singh preferred death. And that was his wish. Bapu had nothing to do with it.

——–

Ref 1: Why I am an Atheist, Bhagat Singh’s “Introduction” to The Dreamland written by Ram Saran Das, and Bhagat singh’s “Letter to the Young Worker” dated February 2, 1931.

Ref 2: Vaidya, Paresh R. (14–27 April 2001). “Historical Analysis: Of means and ends”. Frontline 18 (8). Retrieved 11 October 2011.

Ref 3: Virendra Sandhu (ed.), Sardar Bhagat Singh: Pattar aur Dastavez (Hindi), Rajpal & Sons, Delhi, 1977, pp. 97-98.

Ref 4: Sachar, Rajindar (17 May 2008). “Death to the death penalty”. Tehelka. Retrieved 1 November 2011.

20 Sep

0

పిచ్చాపాటి: “అన్నం న నింద్యాత్ తద్వ్రతమ్” – వేదం.

by Madhava in ఆధ్యాత్మికం, నా ఆలోచన

పిచ్చాపాటి: “అన్నం న నింద్యాత్ తద్వ్రతమ్” – వేదం. ఆహారాన్ని నిందించకు, చులకనగాచూడకు, తృణీకరించకు అది వ్రతం. మా ఇంట్లో వండిన ఏ ఆహారపదార్ధాన్నీ పారెయ్యం. అలాగని యామం గడిచిన తర్వాత ఆ పదార్ధాలను తినము. ఈ విషయంలో మా ఆవిడ మరీ ఖచ్చితంగా వ్యవహరిస్తుంది. మధ్యాహ్నం వండిన పదార్ధాలను సాయంత్రం తినడానికి ఒప్పుకోదు. సాయంత్రం వంట మళ్లీ ప్రత్యేకంగా వండుతుంది. గీతలో యాతయామం గతరసం అంటూ వండి మూడుగంటలు దాటిన అన్నం తనయొక్క మహత్తును కోల్పోతుంది అని చెప్పబడింది. అయితే భక్ష్య, భోజ్య, చోష్య లేహ్యములని నాలుగురకముల భోజనపదార్ధాలు. వీటిలో భక్ష్య భోజ్యాలకే ఈ యామం అనే నియమం వర్తిస్తుంది. కానీ నేను ఈ యామపు నియమాన్ని పట్టించుకోను. మా ఆవిడ సెలవులకు వెళ్లినప్పుడు, నేను ఆఫీసుపనిమీద వేరేదేశాలకు వెళ్లినప్పుడు ముఖ్యంగా యామం నియమం పెట్టుకోవడం కష్టం. మా ఇంటివెనుక దాదాపు ఇరవై రకాల పక్షులు – పావురాలు, పిచ్చుకలు, కాకుల వంటివి బ్రతుకుతుంటాయి. మేము తినగా యామం తర్వాత మిగిలిన ఆహారపదార్ధాలన్నీ ఈ పక్షులకు ఆహారంగా మారతాయి. అలాగే మా పెరట్లోనే ఒక మూలలో ఒక నక్క తన కుటుంబసమేతంగా బొరియలో కాపురం ఉంటుంది. అది మాత్రం రాత్రిపూట వచ్చి తనకు కావాల్సిన తిండి తన పిల్లలతో సహా తినేసి వెళ్లిపోతుంది…. ఇప్పుడు అర్ధమైందా “మేము ఆహారాన్ని పారెయ్యము” అన్నదానికి అర్ధం?! మనమేగాదు మనలను ఆశ్రయించుకుని అనేక జీవజంతువులు నివసిస్తుంటాయి. మనం వాటిగురించిగూడా మనసులో పెట్టుకుని ఆహారాన్ని సంపాదించడము వినియోగించడము విసర్జించడము చెయ్యాలి. కాబట్టి మీరు ఆహారం వదిలిపెట్టకుండా తినేస్తే మరి ఆ జంతువులన్నీ ఏమైపోవాలి? వాటికి భగవంతుడు తిండి ఇవ్వచ్చుగాక కానీ మనం కంచంలో వదిలేసినంతమాత్రాన ఆహారం వృదా అయిపోదు. కాబట్టి అన్నం వదిలేస్తున్నందుకు బాధపడకండి, ఏదో ఒక జీవం తిండి తింటుందని ఎరుకకలిగి సంతోషించండి. అవసరమైనదానికంటే ఎక్కువ తినకండి, అవసరం లేకుండా తినకండి. అవసరమైన ఆహారం కంటే ఎక్కువ కంచంలో పొరపాటున పడితే దానిని పారెయ్యడానికి వెరవకండి. ఇంకొక ముఖ్యవిషయం. యామం గడిచిన తర్వాత తిండి మనుషులకుగూడ ముష్టిగా వెయ్యగూడదు అని పూర్వం నియమం. అంటే పాచిపోయిన అన్నం దానం చెయ్యడం మంచిదిగాదు. అందువల్ల మీరు ఎవరైన మనుష్యులకు అడుక్కునేవారికి అన్నం దానం చెయ్యాలనుకుంటే వీలైనంతవరకు పాడవని భోజనమే అందించండి… యామం దాటిన తర్వాత భోజనం పశుపక్షాదులకు అందించండి. స్వస్తి

13 Sep

0

Joke: Modi – I am a Hindu Nationalist :-)

by Madhava in General

Source: The UnReal Times

10 Sep

0

నా ఆలోచన: దేవుడు అనిగానీ మనిషిలో దైవత్వం ఉందనిగానీ చెప్పే ఒకే ఒక్క ధర్మం సనాతనధర్మం

by Madhava in ఆధ్యాత్మికం, నా ఆలోచన

మనిషే దేవుడు అనిగానీ మనిషిలో దైవత్వం ఉందనిగానీ చెప్పే ఒకే ఒక్క ధర్మం సనాతనధర్మం. దీన్నే మనం ఇప్పుడు హిందూమతం అని పిలుచుకుంటాము.
దేవుడు అనే పదానికి హిందూ మతం చెప్పే సమాధానం చాలా స్పష్టం. దేవుడు నీలోనూ నాలోనూ అన్నింటియందునూ సర్వాంతర్యామియై ‘ఇందుగల డందులేడని సందేహంబు లేకుండా’ ఉన్నాడు. కాబట్టి పిలిచే మనసుంటే ఆయన మీలో ఉన్నాడుగాబట్టి మీలోంచే పలుకుతాడు మీతో మాట్లాడతాడుగూడా! కాబట్టి ఎక్కడో పైన ఆకాశాల్లో మేఘాల్లో స్వర్గాల్లో కూర్చున్న దేవుడి ఆధిపత్యాన్ని, ” అసలు ఆయన ఎలావుంటాడు?… ఏం చేస్తుంటాడు?… ఒకవేళ అటువంటి దేవుడే ఉంటే ఆయన మననుండి ఏం కోరుకుంటున్నాడు…?!” అన్న ప్రశ్నలకు సమాధానం తెలియకుండా మా దేవుడే గొప్ప అనుకుంటూ ఏదేదో ఊహించేసుకుని తమతమ చిట్టిమట్టి బుర్రల్లో తోచినదాన్ని ఈ భూమ్మీద ‘హాయిగా ఒపిరిపీల్చుకుంటూ బ్రతకాలనుకునే‘ మనుషులపై బలవంతంగా రుద్ది, ఒప్పుకోనివారిని దాష్టీకం చేసి ఏడిపించాలనే ప్రయత్నం చేసే వాళ్లని మూర్ఖ శిఖామణులనే అంటారు. అటువంటివారితో పోట్లాడనక్కర్లేదు కానీ మౌనంగా దూరంగా తప్పుకోవడం మంచిది. ఎందుకంటే “జోషయేత్ సర్వకర్మాణి” అటువంటి శిఖామణుల పనులు చూసీ చూడనట్లుగా వదిలెయ్యడమే హిందువుల సంస్కారం.

అలాగే సృష్టిలోని ప్రతి ఒక్కడూ ఏదో మతానికి చెంది ఉండాల్సిన అవసరం లేదుగూడా! బీజం నిద్రాణమై ఉన్న గింజలో ఏ మొక్క దాగుందో అజ్ఞానికి ఎలా తెలుస్తుంది?! అలాగే వారిలో ఏ దైవాంశ దాగుందో ఆ దేవుడు వారిలో దాగి తానే లేడని వారితో ఎందుకు అనిపిస్తున్నాడో అజ్ఞానినైన నాకెలా తెలుస్తుంది?! కాబట్టి దేవుని నమ్మినవాడిని ఎలా గౌరవిస్తామో అలాగే దేవుని నమ్మని వానినిగూడా గౌరవించగలగాలి. మానవత్వంలోని దివ్యత్వాన్ని ఎరిగి నడుచుకునే మానవుడే ఉత్తముడు ఉన్నతుడు అతడే ‘సంస్కారి‘ అనిపిలవబడతాడు.

“నాకు మీరు మీకునేను మనకు ఈ ప్రపంచం ఈ ప్రపంచానికి ఈ ప్రకృతి… అంతా దేవమయం ఈ జగమంతా దేవమయం…” ఈ మాట నేనన్నదిగాదు ఏనాడో పూర్వం మా హైందవ ఋషులన్నారు. ఈశావాశ్యమిదం సర్వం యత్కించ జగత్యాం జగత్ అని బోధించారు. -మాధవ తురుమెళ్ల

Blog

The Story of the Swastika

In defence of Mahatma Gandhi: Regarding the execution of Bhagat Singh

A Brief background of Ghadar Party (HSRA) and Bhagat Sing’s involvement with it:

The British Dilemma

Mahatma Gandhi’s Objective – Irwin Pact:

British Government Strategy

Conclusion: