Rationalist - Periyar

I was following the recent news on the issues raised on the desecration of the Periyar statue in Trichy. I felt so sad that how people fight over a statue of a “person”. Of course I agree that Periyar was a great leader and also a “Rationalist”. This is the exact adjective used to glorify him. But was he really a Rationalist ??? I was wondering if a rational being would ever give a statement like “If you see a snake and a Brahmin, leave the snake alone and kill the Brahmin”. I really pity those who garland him. He was a person who was dead against idol-worship and he himself is been worshipped by the party (DK) – is this not a variant of idol worship?

The below is taken from Periyar’s official site

What is the mission of my life?

I have undertaken the service of reforming the Dravidian society and convert it into a society fully endowed with self-respect and dignity. I am wholly engaged with that task and dedicated to this great casue.

Whether I am “qualified” for that service or not, I am emboldened to undertake the same and continue to do it, because no one else has come forward to do that thankless job.

As I have no other attachment ( concern ) and all my principles, policies and programmes are chaclked out only in the light of rational thought. Hence I am more more qualified to undertake this work, service.

 

I do not know how long people would be fooled by this Dravidian concept. [Read more of the myth of Aryan Invasion]

What is rational? The literal meaning is “based on reason”. If I say I am being rational on a particular topic that would mean that I giving a balanced opinion. Was Periyar being rational by giving such a statement. If you are very debater and you are able to throw your argument, you become the best rationalist in the world. Rationalism is just a relative word. The people who proclaimed that Earth was the center of the solar system also were rational during their time and now we know the rationale behind that is destroyed and only time can tell us how rational we are in declaring the 9 planets or 10 planets or more or less.

DK – Dravidar Kazhagam, the organization that Periyar started and now headed by Mr.Veeramani has passed resolution to clear of all the temples that are built on the roads. This is a welcome message as this could really help in improving the traffic conditions in many cities but what he did not mention is that what action should be taken if it's a church or a mosque. He dare not come out with a comment because he would be killed the next day. Also they have come out with another resolution that the government should eradicate all the superstitions that the Hindus carry with them. My only question to him is that why was Periyar wearing “Black” shirt and all the DK supporters wear black shirt? Is this not a form of superstition. In fact leader of DMK which is also a branch of DK, wears yellow shall always for good luck – is this not superstition. This is a clear double standard that these people take and our gullible people fall prey for the beautiful speech these guys deliver. When would be start seeing the reality and punish these so proclaimed “Aethist”.

On this note I remember a real life incident that happened in one of the talks of Swami Chinmayananda.

[Following a talk given by Swami Chinmayananda, a modern, young American in the audience openly claimed that he did not believe in God. Swamiji welcomed the comment and responded with the question: "Now come, WHAT KIND of GOD is it, that you don't believe in?"]

This is the answer to all those who believe that there is "no God".

To say that "God" does or does not exist, one first needs to define "God". This is a general principle - to decide whether or not "chairs" exist, one would first need to define "chairs".

When prodded like this, most "rationalists" would define "God" as "one who sits above the skies and dispenses justice" or as some sort of "guardian angel", and then they would exclaim, "of course, such a God does not exist". In effect, what they are saying is that it is futile to "pray" for anything as there is nobody who would listen to those prayers and grant any benefits. Modern education tends to build up the intellect, which then revolts against a conception of a God who rules the world according to his will, who responds to prayers, etc.

However, such a definition of God is a case of scratching the surface, and our Hindu(Vedic) & Buddhist schools go much deeper than that, to the extent that the above definition would be regarded as false or incomplete. Ultimately however, the word "God" is a matter of definition. A very general definition would be "the truth that needs to be realized" and a fundamental aspect of that truth is the loss of the ego, which leads to a cessation of all desires. When I mentioned this to a "rationalist" friend of mine, he agreed. But then he bounced back on the futility of prayer. In effect, he was opposing Bhakti. I told him that Bhakti Yoga is not meant to obtain any gifts like wealth, etc, but is a means to kill the ego. Likewise, all the other yoga-s are meant to kill the ego. While individual schools may differ on the nature of the truth, the killing of the ego and the cessation of desires is, in one way or the other, common to all our Vedic & Buddhist schools. In this light, it is rather meaningless to say "I don’t believe in God". What is the God that you don’t believe in? Fundamentally, God is not a matter of belief at all. One may or may not believe in a particular conception of God, but ultimately, it is the truth to be realized.

On deeper examination, the "rationalist" objection to Bhakti is precisely because it hurts the ego, and it does so right upfront!! The other Yoga-s are a bit less straight-forward in this matter.

 

I welcome the concept of Periyar that the caste system should be eradicated from the society but just by blaming one of the constituent caste of the entire system is just showing a personal vendetta and not a national cause. If they are really worried about the caste system remove it instead of feeding it in the name of reservations. The division would only grow not diminish to any extend.

Paradigm Shift

Imagine you are at an Airport. While you're waiting for your flight, you notice a kiosk selling cookies. You buy a box, put them in your traveling bag and then you patiently search for an available seat so you can sit down and enjoy your cookies. Finally, you find a seat next to a gentleman.

You reach down into your traveling bag and pull out your box of cookies. As you do so, you notice that the gentleman starts watching you intensely. He stares as you open the box and his eyes follow your hand as you pick up the cookie and bring it to your mouth. Just then he reaches over and takes one of your cookies from the box, and eats it! You're more than a little surprised at this. Actually, you're at a loss for words. Not only does he take one cookie, but also he alternates with you. For every one cookie you take, he takes one.

Now, what's your immediate impression of this guy? Crazy? Greedy? He's got some nerve? Can you imagine the words you might use to describe this man to your associates back at the office? Meanwhile, you both continue eating the cookies until there's just one left. To your surprise, the man reaches over and takes it. But then he does something unexpected. He breaks it in half, and gives half to you. After he's finished with his half he gets up, and without a word, he leaves.

You think to yourself, "Did this really happen?" You're left sitting there dumbfounded and still hungry. So you go back to the kiosk and buy another box of cookies. You then return to your seat and begin Opening your new box of cookies when you glance down into your traveling bag. Sitting there in your bag is your original box of cookies – still unopened.

Only then do you realize that when you reached down earlier, you had reached into the other man's bag, and grabbed his box of cookies by mistake. Now what do you think of the man? Generous? Tolerant? You've just experienced a profound paradigm shift. You're seeing things from a new point of view. Is it time to change your point of view?

Many a times, we are clouded by our own instincts and predispositions. These hamper our relationship with our peers, subordinates and superiors. Try to be non-judgmental and look beyond the obvious.

God with you

It was a normal day. The divine Ganges, as usual, was flowing past the little cottages in Uttarkashi. But for the first time, the disciple of the great master, Sri Tapovanji Maharaj, saw a little excitement in his ever serene and poised guru.
An old devotee, a judge from Lucknow who had known the master for about 30 years, was coming. Since he was an elderly man, the guru told his disciple to receive him and see that all arrangements for his comfort were made.
The old gentleman had a complaint for the master. "Swamiji, my grandson doesn't listen. He smokes, comes home late at night, and has developed a number of vices. Swamiji, I have persuaded him to come with me. I have a feeling that if Swamiji will meet him, he will change."
Swamiji agreed. The boy came. He wouldn't remove his shoes, nor did he prostrate himself. It was an interesting case. How would the master handle him?
Swamiji received him with warmth and asked him, "What movie is going on in town nowadays?" "Do they teach anything in college these days?" With such conversation, the master won the confidence of the boy. When his confidence was captured, Swamiji said, "Leave all pooja and worship for your grandmother. But there is something you can do which is good for your health." The boy was interested. "Keep an alarm clock, and every day set the alarm at 5:00am. Even if you go to sleep late at night, it will be good for you to get up and go for a walk. Find a park 20 minutes away from your house. Sit there for 10 minutes, come back; and then, if you wish, you may go back to sleep."
The boy asked, "What will happen?"
Swamiji said, "Do it for one month. I will tell you after a month."
After a month and a half, a letter came from the old devotee saying that the boy had changed.
The disciple who was none other than Sri Swami Chinmayananda, wondered how this change occurred. After four years when he got a chance to go to Lucknow, he met the totally changed boy and asked him, "What happened?"
The young boy said, "On the first day, I went thinking that the swami must be slightly . . . but he is a nice guy . . . I went to the park, heard the sweet chirping of the birds, saw the beautiful trees, felt the tender breeze - I stayed longer than 10 minutes.
“Next day, again I went because of the lovely memory. I exposed myself to the rising sun, heard the songs of the birds. After a week it was all the same. I was no longer interested. What else could come to my mind except a parade of my past? But when I saw what kind of man I was and what an ugly life I was living as compared to my innocent childhood, I decided to change!”
The boy became spiritual through solitude.
Man when left alone, will become spiritual. Materialism cannot survive when man starts thinking. The secular, the materialistic world, will not allow you to think. Therefore we have radio, television, dance, and so on - all to distract the mind.
Throw yourself into your own company. You are afraid of loneliness because you do not have the courage to meet yourself. When you are alone, you cannot but see the parade of your past - recognize how base your values are. You discover that you have a great image of yourself, but the real you is something else.
Thus, be in your own company! You need not search for God. Be with yourself, and you will turn to God!