My Thoughts on a query about on our ancients' wisdom and current generation's attitudes...

( Reply sent to a very erudite scholar)

Sir,

With due respect to your superior scholarship, May I urge you get Sri Madhwacharya's works in Saskrit and study a few ...

Sanskrit language being etymological, needs to be understood and interpreted correctly, you will agree.

If you know Kannada language there are a good number of audio files by Shri Govinda Bannanjee, a renowned Sanskrit Scholar, who actually answers your specific question about women.

There is absolutely no denigration of women in our culture. Gargi and Gayatri are all women and as far as jeeva swarupa is concerned, being pratibimba of the bimba swarupa of the creator himself, there is no difference between men and women.

Many western educated and western oriented thinking processess and attitudes pick up some odd sentences and misquote and mislead to denounce our ancient dharma I believe. Modern secularism only meant how to put down Hinduism. Hinduism is not a religion in that narrow sense. Again caste is one such thing in which today India is struggling. manu did not mean what these later pundits wrote. Same with women. Madri did shagamana. but not Kunti. Matters of choice. Tying a woman and burning with dead husband was not the custom blessed by Veda.

Humans have tremendous capacity to distort even philosophical thoughts in to superstitious beliefs to prevail over fellow beings and exploit.

Well Bhagavad Gita too makes these issues crystal clear. Today by definition I am not a brahmin in vedic sense, while am born as one. Every human starts only as sudra, and by virtue of his learning and karma has to evolve what suits his swabhava. Varna is the classification in the society based on what you do and not how you are born. I am perhaps a combination of Kshatriya and sudra because I worked in Government exercising authority but doing service too.

Sankaracharya bowed to a chandala.

Bhajagovindam and Bhagavad Gita can define our entire life's path very well coupled with recitation of Sahasranamam.

Under the protection of Lord Shiva from attacks from unknown forces of ajnana, we can finally know who each one is and each one can reach his own perfect state of self- realisation. I need not become you, nor you become me, nor both of us become one with some one else, or become like some one else. That is all about Moksha as I understand, taught by Madhwa.

Many of the mundane rationalist based questions which people raise become so ridiculous when we realise the grandeur of thought and spirit of the ancients.

The ego centric, self-glory conscious scientists, and even semi-literate graduates from universities. with a little knowledge of English. shouting against the ancient truths about human existence , without first even becoming serious students and discuss in depth in Sanskrit, look like children after returning from Kindergarten, saying now, they know so much that the parents better listen to their wisdom.

The more we start knowing the more we realise our depth of ignorance.

The anger and intolerance that we find shown in words and deeds, vanish when we realise, in this universe, there is no other truth than the Satyam, that is the all pervading energy powering every chetana and non-chetana, every sound, every desire, every fulfillment, non-fulfillment, emphasising only on nishkama karma coupled with knowledge we are actually the lowest of the low in the system with authority only to do, but not so powerful to control the outcome.

I know little , Sir.. whatever came to my mind I wrote.

I keep listening repeatedly the Bhagavatha, Maha Bharatha, Bhagavd Gita and from childhood practically followed Bhaja Govindam while reciting Vishnushsranamam.

Gayatri if recited 1000 time daily early morning, in dhyana mode, opens up different awareness of the universe.

What is beyond words, beyond known limits of knowledge, can be only experienced. Unique experiences of such nature remain with the sages, but they do give us the path which they followed to reach that state of knowledge or awareness.

Vedas, Upanishads ... a single lifetime is not adequate even to scratch the surface. I am any way illiterate.

I am very reluctant to use words of judgement on matters of in which I am aware of my infinite ignorance.

With my pranaamas to a scholar like you Sir,