Material World

In the increasingly material world, one wonders sometimes the merits of an ascetic life.

To think that almost all family disputes are on the subject of property and wealth, what is all this really worth? Is it worth alienation of the people closest to you?

History shows that man wandered from place to place in search of food and other resources, never settling in any one place too long. He was what we would call today, a rolling stone. Unshackled as ever, he roamed vast lands forging new contacts as he went along, collecting fruits, cattle and even women. It is also believed that the purdah system developed due to such reasons; to protect women from the eyes of such lustful wanderers. Slowly, he accumulated his wealth and harem, deciding to finally drop the anchor someplace and settle down. He built a home of brick and stone, wishing it would remain long after his passing. Who would then take over to nurture it? An heir, perhaps. Not just any heir, his own flesh and blood. Thus, the concept of legacy came into being.  Such an heir would carry on his name and his memory in the form of tangible property. Alas, another problem surfaced, how would you ensure that the chosen heir is really the fruit of one’s own loins? Thus, the concept of marriage. The woman was contractually sworn to be faithful to the husband, so that there wouldn’t be any doubt of paternity. Monogamy thus took shape and turned into a moral, the breach of which became punishable by law. The tie of marriage also ensured with it actual symbols of a married woman, viz. Rings, mangalsutra, sindoor. Needless to say, this was outward declaration and projection of the fact that, she’s a married woman and hence, off limits to the roving men! This became one of the ways to ensure monogamy.
As women bore their husband’s children, the children became heirs apparent to everything owned by their parents.
Of course, even a loving happy family doesn’t always agree where it comes to segregation of such wealth. Wars have been fought; lives have been lost while trying to satisfy the thirst of men for power and money. Prince Aurangzeb plotted and killed his father, sister and all of his brothers to usurp the Mughal Kingdom of Hindustan. We see in our everyday lives how most families are torn apart on questions and disputes of inheritance and property.

Is it worth the trouble and all the heartburn?
Or is the prospect of shedding it all to become an ascetic, a yeti so much more liberating?
We have a longstanding reverence in our country for ascetics; saadhus , Sufis, fakirs, kafirs have been revered for thousands of years. The God of all Gods, Shiva was an ascetic, meditating for years at a stretch in his Kailash Parbat. The tombs of Sufi saints, Nizamuddin, Makhdoom Ali Mahimi, Moinuddin Chishti are still worshipped, 800 years after their death.
Such men leave every comfort and shed material living for meditation and prayer, surviving on alms. They’re not beggars, but of a higher spiritual being which has always garnered respect in our sub-continental world.
The bonds and shackles of family, estate, progeny are broken away from, a supreme freedom is achieved . Such freedom is unparalleled, unrivalled and pretty much unattainable for most of us.
One can only but dream...

Religious Progression

It’s strange somehow that, the ancient religions were a lot more tolerant and liberal than the fairly recent ones. Hinduism, one of the oldest established religions, didn’t in any way seem to restrict or condemn any particular kinds of lifestyle; polygamy,carnivorous eating was all part of regular practice.

However, the religions that stemmed out of it were stringent in their beliefs, placing mandatory restrictions on certain practices. Buddhism, the first known offshoot of Hinduism, propogated monotheism and shedding of the caste system and brought along with it tenets of absolute non-violence, meditation and vegetarianism which in turn propogated Jainism which consisted of even stricter dietary and behavioural rules. Islam, Christianity and Judaism (Kitaabat religions) followed, also setting down various kinds of approved and unapproved kinds of practices.

The above analysis truly makes you wonder why society has grown less liberal over the millenia. The true answer probably lies in the fact that due to increase in civilization, it became necessary to lay down certain parameters beyond which one ought not to venture, without breaching morality. The differences between right and wrong started to appear. This system facilitated governance of the masses in a uniform manner. Each religion establishing their own order along with their priests who interpreted the meaning of old tenets, all the while adding to it. It gave a doctrine by which a man could be honoured for a good deed and in turn, punished for a bad one.

The morality laid down by ancient scriptures was only much later converted to legislation; interpreted in turn by a judiciary, turning into a Civil Code of Conduct rather than a religious one. Observance of religious limitations became a moral duty whereas of legislation became a legal one. This ofcourse diluted the originally existent stronghold of religion, replacing it with a secular and generic doctrine that applies to one and all regardless of their faith (common civil code).

So what is religion really in today’s day and age? For most of us, it’s a way of life. There’s no way that it wouldn’t be because it prescribes for the most basic functions that we perform as humans. It hugely influences the kind of food we eat, the manner in which we live and the morals by which we live our lives.
Does that mean that without adherence to these prescribed practices in our lifestyles and dietary patterns, one stops being part of that religious sect? It’s a personal question, really.

Why voluntarily be part of a sect whose dogma one chooses to violate? Isn’t it those very restrictions/conditions that Make the religion what it is? Perhaps there’s another factor to be considered in this regard; that of community life (samaaj). We cannot forget that  a big part of our existence is at the the community level. For India, the social life of a human being is equivalent to a close knit community life. It includes celebration of births, festivals as well as mourning of deaths. We as a people, have always lived in groups, with a strong sense of family inculcated by the Joint family system. Individuality, was always to remain an alien concept, limited to the the West. Here, personal interests were sacrificed for the greater good of the family or community.

It would naturally then seem to us that community is religion and religion is community. They are inextricably intertwined, where one can’t be mentioned without the other.
Perhaps, this was the inevitable form of evolution of our society. It is a shame though that the original thought behind the faith is lost. It is no wonder then, that we last saw a Messiah 1300 years ago.

Fundamentally Right

There’s a lot of loose talk these days about “Rights”. Right to Freedom of Speech, of Press, of Expression being the flavour of the month. We have our Ministers being crucified over statements made by them to supposedly curtail them. But who really knows the sources of such rights, the manner in which they were achieved and what directly corresponds to them?

Most of us have forgotten that every right implies a corresponding duty.

Man does not live for himself alone. He lives for the good of others as well as of himself.Therefore, awareness of our citizenship duties is as important as awareness of our rights.

No democratic polity can ever succeed where the citizens are not willing to be active participants in the process of governance by assuming responsibilities and discharging citizenship duties and coming forward to give their best to the country.

A democracy, of the people, by the people and for the people is exactly THAT. This is Our country, with our people and our land. Even with representatives that we elect by adult suffrage working For us, we still owe it to our country to contribute to it’s welfare; to make a difference that goes beyond our personal interests.

Where we may demand a remedy to our right, we must also show responsibility towards our duties.

While it would be wrong to call the rights bestowed upon us a privilege, we must keep in mind the nations still struggling with establishing basic human rights for their people. In a relative sense, it is in fact a privilege.

It is this knowledge of what is right and wrong that makes a man responsible to himself and to the society and this knowledge is inculcated by imbibing and clearly understanding one’s citizenship duties. The fundamental duties are the foundations of human dignity and national character. If every citizen performs his duties irrespective of considerations of caste, creed, colour and language, most of the malaise of the present day polity could be contained, if not eradicated, and the society as a whole uplifted. Rich or poor, in power or out of power, obedience to citizenship duty, at all costs and risks, is the essence of civilized life.

The moral value of the fundamental duties is, in the words of late Prime Minister Mrs. Indira Gandhi, “ not to smother rights, but to establish a democratic balance”.

The Fundamental Duties are enshrined in Article 51A of the Constitution of India:

(a) To abide by the Constitution and respect its ideals and institutions, the National Flag and the National Anthem.
(b) To cherish and follow the noble ideals which inspired our national struggle for freedom.
(c) To uphold and protect the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India.
(d) To defend the country and render national service when called upon to do so.
(e) To promote harmony and the spirit of common brotherhood amongst all the people of India transcending religious, linguistic and regional or sectional diversities; to renounce practices derogatory to the dignity of women.
(f) To value and preserve the rich heritage of our composite culture.
(g) To protect and improve the natural environment including forests, lakes, rivers and wild life, and to have compassion for living creatures.
(h) To develop the scientific temper, humanism and the spirit of inquiry and reform.
(i) To safeguard public property and to abjure violence.
(j) To strive towards excellence in all spheres of individual and collective activity so that the nation constantly rises to higher levels of endeavor and achievement.