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- Denis Giles
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The only difference between scams that surrounded the previous UPA government and those of the present NDA, is that all Congress scams where discovered when scamsters were within the country, while that of the BJP, after they’ve left our shores.
A guruji termed itthe Art of Leaving!
“It is a highly advanced art,” continued the guruji, “Much like the ancient Indian rope trick where the performer climbs a rope and vanishes. Now they fly into the skies and disappear.
I looked across the seas and saw Vijay Malya, Lalit Modi and now this newer Modi waving like cheerleaders at the authorities in India and put my head down in shame.“You should not feel bad!” said the guruji, “Our soil is sacred and this government has managed to keep it holy, while these criminals are polluting…”
“America!” I said.
“And England,” continued the guruji. “It’s all because of the Art of Leaving our soil is kept clean. Now all businessmen have to graduate in this course to start any business in our country!”
“What!” I exclaimed.
“I run the school,” said the guruji quietly, “and the cream of our nation’s businessmen attend it! Just look at that!” I watched with astonishment as a familiar tycoonwho had revolutionized the car industry in India was seen trying to push the monstrous front gate open. Both the guruji and I watched him struggle awhile, “Soon he will realize, it’s not muscle but grease that’s needed to open the gate!” smiled the guruji, “and that will be his first lesson, on the art of leaving!”
“Greasing gates to escape quietly!” I said thoughtfully.
“Generally, the gatekeeper!” said the guruji, “The lessons are very symbolic!”
“There’s someone fleeing with a pack of hounds behind him!” I exclaimed, “What’s he throwing?”
“Little tit bits to keep the pack of dogs at bay!” said the guruji.
“I can guess!” I said, “He’s learning to hand out bits of useless information to the press, to keep them happy, while he escapes!”
“You’re a fast learner,” said the guruji approvingly, “Can you can guess what’s happening here?” I watched as police dogs and their masters with heavy weights attached to their legs were instructed to run with it.
“Those are law enforcement, police and other government officers!” I said. “Are they learning to run with weights?”
“No!” smiled the guruji, “When they finish our course, they’d have lost their speed and will hereafter run after escapees very slowly, giving businessmenand tax evaders time to escape. Our course as you can see is also for officials!”
“Tell me!” I said, “To run a school of this magnitude must require a lot of funding?”
“We’re government aided!” said the guruji proudly, “And our success rate pleases our leaders!”
“Any awards or rewards?” I asked.
“The silence of our national leadership,” said the guruji proudly, “Is ample reward..!”
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BY YOGI ASHWINI
Trividham narakasyedam dwaaram naashanamaatmanah | Kaamah krodhastatha lobhastasmaadetattrayam tyajet || Bhagwad Gita, Chapter 16, Verse 21 ||
Lust (kaam), anger (krodh) and greed (lobh) are triple doors to hell, which bring about the destruction of soul. One should get riddance from all three, says Lord Krishna.
Lust of any kind, whether for food, sex, power or money ties you to the physical (which is temporary) and creates veils such that you cannot see reality. Blinded by desire you chase the unreal, and before you realize you are in the ICU breathing your last. The birth wasted, and lower, far more painful one lying ahead. History is proof…it was Ravan’s lust for a woman that brought his downfall, Bhasmasur’s lust for power that destroyed him.
Anger, too, robs a man of his ability to think and act constructively. It is a sign of attachment. There is an interesting story of Japanese Samurais in this regard. It was war time and two Samurais were engaged in a fight. After a fierce fight, one of the Samurais got disarmed and fell on the ground. His opponent was about to kill him when he suddenly spat on the opponents face. The opponent put his sword back in. On being asked why he did so, he replied that had he killed the man back then, it would have been out of an emotional reaction (anger) rather than for the war. The samurai had power and advantage over his opponent, yet he controlled his anger. Had he not, he would have taken upon himself the karma of killing a person (not for war, but for self). That is the sign of a sadhak, only such a person is entitled to moksha. When negative emotions like anger take possession of the body, the person misses his/her spiritual goal and wastes his/her birth and life fast moving towards destruction. Proof of this is that when you get angry, your pulse rate shoots up as does the rate of breathing and in extreme cases, you become breathless. These symptoms are similar to those experienced by a dying person.
Greed is the opposite of nature. Nature rests on the principle of giving and non-hoarding. Sun gives light, rivers give water, plants give food and earth holds us together. If any of them becomes greedy and starts collecting for self, creation will collapse. Same is true of humans, as a microcosm of creation. It is human greed that drives men to cheat, to plunder natural resources, to destroy animal’s habitat and to abuse them. By doing this man is taking upon himself the karma of destruction of creation...hells are waiting, says Gita.
Creation functions in opposites. If there is light, then there is darkness. If there is silence, then there is sound. If there is hell, there is heaven…Gita tells us how to reach both. The opposite of these three take one to heaven.
Yogi Ashwini is the Guiding Light of Dhyan Ashram. He can be reached at www.dhyanfoundation.com
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Very often, when a particular national and political leader in our country is criticized, we are told ratherharshly, “He’s a hardworking man! He hardly ever sleeps!” What one is supposed to feel after that is a sense of guilt. I decided to find out:
“Yawn!” went the national leader.
“Sir you have been working for a full hour without having a nap!” says his PA.
“Yawn! Doesn’t Rahul work like this?”
“What are you saying sir? He simply goes to Parliament sir, he addresses crowds, he makes press statements!”
“So, I am the only hardworking leader who just worked one full hour at my desk!”
“Sir, nobody works like you sir!”
“What about Sonia?”
“Ha, ha, ha!” laughs his PA, “She only has meeting with chief ministers, secretaries, joint secretaries, MPs, MLAs,then attends Parliament!”
“My God, why doesn’t she work hard like me!”
“Nobody works hard like you sir!”
“And what about Trump? Hey why are you crying?”
“It is very sad sir! Very sad. All the time you are working, that man Trump, he is President of the United Sates sir, he is sleeping in his bed in the White House”
“Good Lord no!”
“Yes sir, I will call and you just see sir!Hello! Hello! I Trump sahib there?Oh he is sleeping!”
“He is sleeping now?”
“He is sleeping, and sir, much worse, all America is sleeping!”
“So while I was working for one full hour, 300 million Americans were sleeping?”
“Still sleeping sir, and Canadians too sir, and Mexico too. Also, in our evening, all Australians and even New Zealanders are sleeping sir!”
“You must tell the nation this!” said the leader.
“We have already told sir! Everybody knows you are working while all are sleeping! But sir, Indian people are saying, maybe you should sleep sir!”
“Go to sleep huh? They feel I am not getting enough rest? They are so concerned for my health huh?”
“Yes sir! They are saying, when you are awake, demonetization takes place,GST is introduced, new taxes come and take away their savings. Sleep sir!”
“What time is it?”
“Eleven o clock in the morning sir!” said the people of India wearily, “Good time to sleep sir, then stock market will rise, real estate move up, middle class feel happy, people eat what they want, not be afraid to speak, lynching will stop, intolerance decrease! Sleep sir, sleep, it’s eleven in the morning and the nation wants you to sleep so they can live again..!”
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My banker neighbor who till a year ago was the most amiable fellow in the colony, now hardly greets any of us, “How he’s changed!” sighed the secretary of the colony, “Last year, he would chase me everyday to shift my account to his bank, but now he tells me, “No fixed deposit, no Adhaar card, no account!”
There was the sound of the lift gate being closed and I watched as thesame banker walked to his car. It was a different walk from the casual friendly gait he had before, and two security men strodeon either side of him.The secretary of the colony, tried to approach him but was pushed away roughly by the two guards, “Sir, it is about the colony bank account!” shouted the secretary.
“The boss does not want to talk to you!” said one of the security rudely, “Can’t you see he has other things on his mind?”
“But it is about his own colony!” said the secretary desperately, “If we do not open, we won’t be able to manage running it!” There was no response from the banker as he spat out the wad of paan he was chewing.
A lady on the top floor screamed, “Sir your wife and I are good friends, she said she will talk to you about my husband getting a loan!”
“Sahib does not listen to his wife anymore!” said one of the security men looking up at the window,“and sahib does not like people making noise when he leaves for work!”
A moment later I saw his wife running towards the car, “Dearest, you did tell me I could open our son’s account today, didn’t you?” she screamed, but the guards held her back and I watched as the bank manager did not even glance in her direction, but continued chewing his paan. He even spat a wad in her direction.
I felt sad seeing her crestfallen face, also that of the secretary of my colony and the pair of despondent eyes that peeped from the window above my flat, when suddenly there was the unmistakable sound of police cars approaching our gates. I watched amazed as policemen jumped out and surrounded the bank manager, “Whoa! Whoa!” I whispered to myself, “What’s happening!”
“You’re under arrest!” shouted the inspector, “Please step into the van!”
“For what?” asked the bank manager with a trembling voice, his paandribblingfreely down his once spotless shirt, “Why am I under arrest?”
“Fraud!” shouted the inspector, “Nine thousand crore loan without security!”
I watched the secretary of the colony, turnto the banker’s wife, then look at the woman peeping out of her window and staring up at me, said, “No wonder banks don’t need the common man anymore, they’re into bigger things!”
“Without security..!” I said, as the bank manager’s security scooted.
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BY YOGI ASHWINI
Vedas are the ultimate gyan of Creation, they are as scientific and rational as they are old and traditional. Vedic philosophy did not discriminate on the basis of religion, geography, birth, colour of skin or status in society...all of these are modern developments. Vedic masters classified men into civilised (daivik) and uncivilised (asurik), and these could be found across cultures and religions, even in the same individual at different times and stages of life.
Dvau bhootasargau loke-asmindaiva aasura eva cha | Daivo vistarshah prokta aasuram paartha me shrinu || Bhagwad Gita, Chapter 16, Verse 6 ||
There are only two kinds of men in the world - those with daivik prakriti & those with aasurik prakriti, says Lord Krishna as he begins to detail the traits of an asur,
Men of asurik disposition are devoid of discernment, good conduct and honesty. They are destructive in nature - hurting & harming fellow beings, animals and environment, turning their face away from crimes. They live for just themselves and are characterised by hypocrisy, pride and arrogance. Immersed in the pleasures of senses, they take the body to be supreme and physical feats as finality. They spend their life and birth hoarding wealth, every day thinking of ways to collect more and more. Intoxicated by pleasures of senses, these men perform charity and sacrifice also only in name, for show-off. Such men, says Gita, get caught in a downward spiral, into lower and more painful births making their way to hells.
If you take a look around at growing cases of abuse of animals and humans, of thefts and treachery, you will find that asurik traits predominate mankind. Spiritual events where there is intoxication and wild dancing, shouting and screaming are traits of asurs. Like paaps committed in a temple does not make it a punya. Similarly intoxications, wild dancing and screaming in a spiritual Satsang does not make it a davik trait. Nothing wrong in partying or dancing provided simultaneously one is doing service, charity and aiding the positive forces of creation. Those who aid the positive forces of creation reap bounties; and those who destroy creation and its multi facets reap sins and are directed toward hells. Inflicting pain on helpless animals is a sure shot way of landing in hell. The law of karma is a common denominator in all the religions in the world. It works. Make it work in your favour rather than against you by doing good deeds.
Yogi Ashwini is the Guiding Light of Dhyan Ashram. He can be reached at www.dhyanfoundation.com