Now that the Indian parliament election drama is drawing to a close, is India any closer to getting a "better" government. Will life be better under Rahul Gandhi, Narendra Modi, Arvind Kejriwal, Mamata Banerjee, Mulayam Singh Yadav and such? Will India become a country with fewer crimes due to electing a new government. About an year ago a girl was raped in Delhi in a moving bus. Are we any closer to guaranteeing that such things would not happen in the next five years? Will there be lesser hunger in the next five years? Will national security be better in the next few years? Will pollution and global warming come down? How has this election debates and drama gotten us any closer to make India a better country.
For the record, one of the politicians says the rape victim should also be hung. Another says boys make mistakes sometimes and should be pardoned. Another says all the faults are created by existing leaders, so just elect a new leader who has been in politics for only 3 years. Will supposed economic gains of the future make up for the lack of order in day to day life? Has the economic growth and consumerism of the last 30 years been able to make citizens truly satisfied? My mother is still stressed about everything despite having "successful" sons, a car, five cell phones, two homes. If you look at the average citizen, he is quite dissatisfied. Even if they get whatever they need to be happy, the happiness is elusive as the "dil maange more" (heart wants more).
How is the quality of election debates better than what happens in an animal society? Where has been the focus on austerity, truth, mercy and cleanliness of the mind and body? Wouldn't a focus on these values make the society better?
Is it all despair then? Luckily our forefathers have foreseen this situation five thousand years ago and wrote us a Sun among books: Srimad Bhagavatam that outlines the highest form of societal organization. It satisfies the cravings for love in humans at all levels and it completely satisfies the self. If five percent of population were to endeavor to read it, the tone of the dialogue of today's society would change for the better. I have been reading Indian classics and this set of the books is the most sublime I have found. Since you are a part of the elite society, I request you to kindly read this book and decide for yourself. Reading this book is a
pleasurable experience than reading Feynman lectures or the Indian constitution or Chanakya Pandit/Kautilya. In retrospect, I regret wasting so much time reading Ayn Rand andHarry Potter as the books did not give me the peace of mind and just puffed up my ego/foolishness.
To motivate you, here is blurb of the bookset: Readers will find this work of value for many reasons. For those interested in the classical roots of Indian civilization, it serves as a vast reservoir of detailed information
on virtually every one of its aspects. For students of comparative philosophy and religion, it offers a penetrating view into the meaning of Indian's spiritual heritage. To sociologists and anthropologists, it reveals the practical workings of a peaceful and scientifically organized culture, whose institutions were integrated on the basis of a highly developed spiritual world view. Students of literature will discover it to be a masterpiece of majestic poetry. For students of psychology, the text provides important perspectives on the nature of consciousness, human behavior and the philosophical study of identity. Finally, to those seeking spiritual insight, the Bhagavatam offers simple and practical guidance for attainment of the highest self-knowledge and realization of the Absolute Truth --- Summum Bonum. The entire multivolume text, promises to occupy a significant place in the intellectual, cultural and spiritual life of modern man for a long time to come.
Interestingly, it is impossible to go beyond three thousand years reading modern historical texts of India. Srimad Bhagavatam, written five thousand years ago, mentions that Rajasthan was a desert, counter to modern geological view. It also talks of a river Saraswati in India mentioning nine cities on its banks. Modern history treats Saraswati as a mythologcal river not considering disappearance of rivers. Somehow the river
disappeared; one would hope that Ganga would not disappear in five thousand years.
This multivolume text is neutral to various religions. What's in a name? Even for an atheist, it has something profound to teach. As a member of the educated elite of the society, I request you to kindly read the books,
check them out for yourself and have fun.
The hope is as more people read it, their worldview expands and make it possible to have a better democratic debate leading to a better democracy. The progress we can make as a democracy is really limited if all we think of is cricket and Bollywood!
I am sending this note only to share knowledge. I have no ulterior motives in fighting in the name of God. I have no attachment to any religion, caste, creed, etc. I just seek perfection of religion: uninterrupted and
unmotivated love to completely satisfy the Self. I have found this multivolume bookset very insightful. It outlines the highest meditation system I have seen in the vast literature I have read. It outlines a very
insightful approach to improving medical immunity (do pranyama): something which modern medicine has trouble understanding. It discusses meditation techniques well beyond the realm of imagination of modern science. The author also discusses the limitations of the gold standard in currencies. I am amazed that a commentary written in 1960s or 1970s accurately discusses the problems with our current financial crisis and central banking.
Sincerely,
Sudhakar
Dr. Sudhakar Govindavajhala
IITM 1997-2001
Princeton 2001-2006.
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