The Heritage of Indian Culture ( The Paitrukam of Bhaarateeya Samskaram ) : 1.6

Opinion
     05/06/2018
                1261

Sub :The Heritage of Indian Culture ( The Paitrukam of Bhaarateeya Samskaram ) : 1.6
         Swami Krishnananda

Ref : High Voltage Dynasty politics and Criminal politicians through out the Nation, destroying our Heritage ( Paitrukam ) of Culture ( Samskaram-s )!?

You would be wondering what is this accommodation, and where comes the necessity or the ability to entertain such a view. The ability to accommodate oneself with other peoples’ ideas and ideals is not merely a charity that we extend to others. It is not a condescension in a grudging manner of the attitudes of other people, but is an understanding and an affection one feels for the outlooks of others.

When I agree with you, it does not mean I grudgingly, somehow or other, do not mind your ideas; that is a different thing, a negative accommodation. A positive accommodation is an appreciation of your point of view. I get on with you, not because I somehow or other have to tolerate you; that is not the reason. I get on with you happily because I see in you a value which is dear to me also. This is a great vision indeed, and hard to entertain in one’s mind.

Most people cannot see any meaning in the outlooks of their enemies, and some of the meanings which their own friends recognise in their own lives are also incapable of accommodation. I may have my friends, though I may not be able to appreciate all of their ideas and ideals. But if they are my enemies, I totally hate them. This is usually the tendency of man’s mind.

But the culture of Bharatavarsha has been entertaining an outlook of a different nature altogether. Hatred was not its policy, and I do not think even today India has a policy of hatred. Rather, there are people who think that its affection for other cultures is its weakness. It may turn out to be a weakness when it is expressed in unintelligible or unintelligent manner, but the essence of it is not a weakness. It is a strength and a goodness.

Even goodness has to be expressed in a good manner, because wisdom is the law of life, finally, and it is not ethics or a mere outward conduct that is to support our existence. The morality and the ethics of life is necessary, of course, but the wisdom of life is greater. This includes ethics and morality, and transcends them. We may call it an interpretation of their significance, rather than merely their outward forms.

Thus, to come again to the point which I mentioned earlier, the culture of India has been an accommodating outlook. We may think that Indian culture is Hindu culture. Here, again, I have to divert a little regarding the word ‘Hindu’.

There is no such thing as ‘Hindu’, really speaking. The Hindus are not ‘Hindus’, because that word does not exist in the culture of India. It was coined by people who came from outside India, for designating the land which they saw and the people which were living in the country. The Persians and the Greeks were the people who came first from outside India, and they had to cross the river Sindhu, which we call the Indus today.

They had no idea as to what sort of land extended beyond the river Sindhu. The Persian language requires the pronunciation of ‘S’ as ‘H’, so ‘Sindhu’ was regarded as the name of the country, and the people and their culture ‘Hindu’. Thus ‘S’ becoming ‘H’, ‘Sindhu’ becomes ‘Hindu’; and in Greek ‘H’ becomes ‘I’, ‘Hindu’ becomes ‘Ind’, and ‘Ind’ has become ‘India’ and ‘Indians’; and ‘Hindu’ still persists.

NOTE :

1. Fall of great cultures and civilizations, we read in history, Swamiji, narrating to brush up our memories;

2. Nature ( Prakruthi ), has a concern with culture / civilization;

3. Lord Krishna in Srimad Bhagavad gita says :  "I have two prakruthi-s, one is Nature and the second is Jivatma"

4. Hence NATURE HAS IMPORTANT ROLE IN OUR EXISTENCE;

5. BUT WE FOOLS, DO NOT RESPECT THIS RULE, WE DESTROY THE NATURE, WE POLLUTE THE NATURE;

6. AS THERE IS DIRECT CONNECTION OF NATURE WITH LORD;

7. EXPECT A REACTION FROM NATURE, BY WAY OF CALAMITIES, ALL OUR ACTIONS AGAINST NATURE, NATURE WILL REACT WITH EQUAL FORCE.

OPINION :-

1. CULTURE/CIVILIZATIONS CONNECTED WITH NATURE, UNDERSTAND THIS;

2. RESPECT THE RULES, SUSTAIN NATURE, CULTURE FLOURISHES;

3. RELIGIONS, LANGUAGE, OR ANY MAN MADE SEPARATIONS, MUST BE KEPT AWAY, TO SAVE UNITY AND CIVILIZATION;

4. BHARATHAM EXISTS IN SANATANA DHARMAM, UPANISHADIC CULTURE IS BHARATHAM;

5. BHARATHAM IS INCLUSIVE, TREAT ADITHI AS DEVAS, BELIEVE IN UNIVERSE AS ONE FAMILY;

6. BHARATHAM IS SPIRITUAL NATION, 'BHA' MEANS KNOWLEDGE  and 'RATHAM' IS ONE LIVES IN;

7. HENCE BHARATHAM IS A NATION WHERE PEOPLE LIVE IN KNOWLEDGE!  AT PRESENT IS THIS TRUE? ARE WE BHARATEEYA SO?.

JAIHIND
   VANDEMATHARAM