Thursday, April 7, 2016
Thursday, March 3, 2016
Jana bai
There are various ways to reach God. Bhakti yoga is one of them. The word Bhakti yoga means total surrender to God. There is no element of doubt in the Almighty. All their thoughts, words and deeds will be decided to God. God too doesn’t ignore such staunch devotees. He comes to their rescue.
The Bhakta stories reveal to the world two aspects. One is the all pervading; omnipresent God yields to the whole hearted faith of his devotees and settles down in their heart. Secondly God comes down personally to drive out the problem and sorrows of His devotees. They are revealed to the world as the miraculous powers of the devotees.
A five year old girl called Janabai was taken to Pandaripuram to have the darshan of Panduranga. That visit decided her fate. She wanted to devote her life to the services of the Lord and so she refused to go home with her parents.
Her parents’ grief was unquenchable. They asked her to consider their love for her and their plight in separation from her.
Janabai coolly answered, ‘I agree you love me, you miss me! But can you keep me with you for ever? Won’t you give me away in marriage to an eligible bachelor? All these bondages are but temporary in this world of Maya. The bondage with God is the only everlasting one. I have decided to lead the rest of my life here. That’s final. There is no going against it’.
Her parents had no other go. They had to leave her alone. Janabai went back into the temple and said, ‘Heh God’ I’ve freed myself from the fetters of the world for your sake’ She sang extempore a keertana.
Yere yere maadhyu Rama
Mana mohana meghasyama...
It meant oh God! You have entered my heart and my life purpose is fulfilled. Let me continue to be detached and let me get the company of satsang.
In answer to her prayer Namadev guru entered the temple then. She fell to his feet and explained ‘God is my father and you are my guru’. Namadev took her to his house to the loving care of his mother Gunabai.
One night there was a heavy down pour of rain. The matted roof top was blown away by the rain. Panduranga Himself came down to his devotee’s rescue. He held his Sudarshan Chakra as an umbrella for the inmates so that they could sleep undisturbed, while He repaired the roof top. Janabai happened to open her eyes and witness this miraculous scene. She was thrilled at it.
We may wonder at this incident. Why should God come down to repair it when He can at one waive of his hand, replace Namadev’s house with a palatial building. But that is distracting the devotee from the main path. If the devotee is overflowing in material comforts, he may be lured by the earthly objects.
Janabai fell to the feet of the Lord ‘Oh Lord! How happy I am to witness such a scene! How great a devotee is Namadev to you! How lucky I am! I could serve such a great devotee. Through my services to your special devotee, I was blessed with your Darshan. What else can I ask for in life?’
Panduranga answered with a smile, ‘How can I ignore the suffering’ of my dearest disciple! His every word, thought and action is centered round me. He becomes restless if he is separated from me! I enjoy his devotional songs. It is my utmost duty to help him in his suffering.’
Janabai felt convulsions in her body, ‘Oh God! We cannot describe your Krupa in words. Bless me also to be as staunch a devotee of You as Namadev. I will serve you and him for the rest of my life.’
Namadev woke up in the meanwhile and was surprised to see the ever shining Almighty in his poor house. He asked innocently what brought Him there. God answered even more innocently, ‘Namadev! I am very hungry. I came to eat food prepared by Janabai’.
Namadev made arrangements and in the meanwhile looked after God. Janabai cooked food in a jiffy and all the members of the family sat with God for dinner. Human nature is very unpredictable. Janabai spoke to God personally, cooked food with her own hands, was to serve Him personally, but still she was not happy. She cried to herself in the kitchen for being deprived of the company of God. Panduranga, who lives in the heart of His devotees, knew at once the desire of Janabai. He immediately got up from food saying, ‘Namadev! I need some rest. Keep my food aside. I will eat it after a little while. God pretended to go to sleep till Namadev himself went to bed.
Then God woke up and beckoned Janabai to serve him food. Janabai served him with great love and was staring at him with rapt attention. God tasted a little and said, ‘Janabai it is so tasty. Why don’t you try? He fed her personally. Tears of joy rolled down her cheeks. How, many devotees had such a privilege of eating from God’s hands? God discussed spiritual topics with her and disappeared early in the morning.
Once a few devotees like
Namadev’s house.
At that time, Namadev was away. Janabai was deeply engrossed in fight with neighbouring lady over the cow dung cakes. Kabirdas questioned Jananai ‘How can you claim those cow dung cakes to be your own?’ Janabai said, ‘You are truthful people. You should give a proper judgment. While I was preparing the cow dung cakes, I chanted the name of Panduranga. So you can hear his name from my cow dung cakes. How strange but how true! Her cow dung cakes were chanting the name of Panduranga very melodiously. The other devotees were taken aback at her devotion.
Gradually Janabai’s name spread far and wide. People flocked together to have her darshan. She did not believe in Jnana. Her path was Bhakti Yoga. She totally surrendered herself to God. She explained the same in her song.
‘Dharila Pandariche chora gala. bandhoniya dora’
‘I garlanded God with my bhakthi and imprisoned Him in my heart.’
One day she was asked to grind Jowar. That night, after everybody went to bed, she was grinding it; the philosophy of life was churned out in the course of her grinding. Panduranga was impressed and touched by her philosophical rendering and helped her in her task. He sat beside her and discussed various aspects.
The day broke and the voices of devotees were heard from a distance. Janabai hastened Him to his sanctum sanctorum. God in his hurry left his jewelry beside her and covered Himself with her rug.
When the priests opened the doors what did they see? All the jewels of God were missing and in their place was a torn rug. Somebody identified it as the rug of Janabai. Immediately the priests lodged a complaint against her. A search warrant was issued. The jewels were found beside her grinding stone and at once she was arrested and death sentence was passed against her. Namadev’s pleadings fell into deaf ears.
Finally the day of her execution had come. She was dragged along the streets. She was badly injured but nobody cared. She requested not to drag her along, but to no use. Finally she was brought to the place of execution. Her disciples cried for her but some self seekers gloated over her misery. Little did they know, God likes one for his Bhakti but not for his caste or creed.
Janabai with folded hands prayed to God ‘Oh God! Why are you so cruel to me? Are you angry with me because I made you do household works? Frankly speaking, did I force you to do them? Did you not volunteer them? How can you ignore me now when I am punished for no fault of mine? I am not scared of death. In fact that takes me closer to you, but should not the people know the truth?’ Then she addressed the people thus, ‘Why do you gather here. Is it a feast to the eyes? Go home and pray to God. God alone can save you.’
She was about to be hanged. The name of Panduranga rose in the air and echoed into the sky. The onlookers’ could not believe their eyes. The rope disappeared and in its place a garland of flowers decked her neck. Janabai was filled with joy. The self seekers were ashamed of the mischief
One day Panduranga was writing something seriously. Jnanadev was surprised to see it and asked him the same. God answered, ‘I am copying the song s of Janabai’, Why, when there are so many songs of Vyasa and Valmiki, where is the need for these songs?’ God answered, ‘whoever sings these songs and leads a life accordingly, will be blessed by Me.’
Janabai is a realized soul. She was blessed and she laid an ideal path to others.
The Bhakta stories reveal to the world two aspects. One is the all pervading; omnipresent God yields to the whole hearted faith of his devotees and settles down in their heart. Secondly God comes down personally to drive out the problem and sorrows of His devotees. They are revealed to the world as the miraculous powers of the devotees.
A five year old girl called Janabai was taken to Pandaripuram to have the darshan of Panduranga. That visit decided her fate. She wanted to devote her life to the services of the Lord and so she refused to go home with her parents.
Her parents’ grief was unquenchable. They asked her to consider their love for her and their plight in separation from her.
Janabai coolly answered, ‘I agree you love me, you miss me! But can you keep me with you for ever? Won’t you give me away in marriage to an eligible bachelor? All these bondages are but temporary in this world of Maya. The bondage with God is the only everlasting one. I have decided to lead the rest of my life here. That’s final. There is no going against it’.
Her parents had no other go. They had to leave her alone. Janabai went back into the temple and said, ‘Heh God’ I’ve freed myself from the fetters of the world for your sake’ She sang extempore a keertana.
Yere yere maadhyu Rama
Mana mohana meghasyama...
It meant oh God! You have entered my heart and my life purpose is fulfilled. Let me continue to be detached and let me get the company of satsang.
In answer to her prayer Namadev guru entered the temple then. She fell to his feet and explained ‘God is my father and you are my guru’. Namadev took her to his house to the loving care of his mother Gunabai.
One night there was a heavy down pour of rain. The matted roof top was blown away by the rain. Panduranga Himself came down to his devotee’s rescue. He held his Sudarshan Chakra as an umbrella for the inmates so that they could sleep undisturbed, while He repaired the roof top. Janabai happened to open her eyes and witness this miraculous scene. She was thrilled at it.
We may wonder at this incident. Why should God come down to repair it when He can at one waive of his hand, replace Namadev’s house with a palatial building. But that is distracting the devotee from the main path. If the devotee is overflowing in material comforts, he may be lured by the earthly objects.
Janabai fell to the feet of the Lord ‘Oh Lord! How happy I am to witness such a scene! How great a devotee is Namadev to you! How lucky I am! I could serve such a great devotee. Through my services to your special devotee, I was blessed with your Darshan. What else can I ask for in life?’
Panduranga answered with a smile, ‘How can I ignore the suffering’ of my dearest disciple! His every word, thought and action is centered round me. He becomes restless if he is separated from me! I enjoy his devotional songs. It is my utmost duty to help him in his suffering.’
Janabai felt convulsions in her body, ‘Oh God! We cannot describe your Krupa in words. Bless me also to be as staunch a devotee of You as Namadev. I will serve you and him for the rest of my life.’
Namadev woke up in the meanwhile and was surprised to see the ever shining Almighty in his poor house. He asked innocently what brought Him there. God answered even more innocently, ‘Namadev! I am very hungry. I came to eat food prepared by Janabai’.
Namadev made arrangements and in the meanwhile looked after God. Janabai cooked food in a jiffy and all the members of the family sat with God for dinner. Human nature is very unpredictable. Janabai spoke to God personally, cooked food with her own hands, was to serve Him personally, but still she was not happy. She cried to herself in the kitchen for being deprived of the company of God. Panduranga, who lives in the heart of His devotees, knew at once the desire of Janabai. He immediately got up from food saying, ‘Namadev! I need some rest. Keep my food aside. I will eat it after a little while. God pretended to go to sleep till Namadev himself went to bed.
Then God woke up and beckoned Janabai to serve him food. Janabai served him with great love and was staring at him with rapt attention. God tasted a little and said, ‘Janabai it is so tasty. Why don’t you try? He fed her personally. Tears of joy rolled down her cheeks. How, many devotees had such a privilege of eating from God’s hands? God discussed spiritual topics with her and disappeared early in the morning.
Once a few devotees like
- Jnanadev,
- Nivrithinath,
- Sopan,
- Muktabai,
- Ramananda Swami and
- Kabir Das came to
At that time, Namadev was away. Janabai was deeply engrossed in fight with neighbouring lady over the cow dung cakes. Kabirdas questioned Jananai ‘How can you claim those cow dung cakes to be your own?’ Janabai said, ‘You are truthful people. You should give a proper judgment. While I was preparing the cow dung cakes, I chanted the name of Panduranga. So you can hear his name from my cow dung cakes. How strange but how true! Her cow dung cakes were chanting the name of Panduranga very melodiously. The other devotees were taken aback at her devotion.
Gradually Janabai’s name spread far and wide. People flocked together to have her darshan. She did not believe in Jnana. Her path was Bhakti Yoga. She totally surrendered herself to God. She explained the same in her song.
‘Dharila Pandariche chora gala. bandhoniya dora’
‘I garlanded God with my bhakthi and imprisoned Him in my heart.’
One day she was asked to grind Jowar. That night, after everybody went to bed, she was grinding it; the philosophy of life was churned out in the course of her grinding. Panduranga was impressed and touched by her philosophical rendering and helped her in her task. He sat beside her and discussed various aspects.
The day broke and the voices of devotees were heard from a distance. Janabai hastened Him to his sanctum sanctorum. God in his hurry left his jewelry beside her and covered Himself with her rug.
When the priests opened the doors what did they see? All the jewels of God were missing and in their place was a torn rug. Somebody identified it as the rug of Janabai. Immediately the priests lodged a complaint against her. A search warrant was issued. The jewels were found beside her grinding stone and at once she was arrested and death sentence was passed against her. Namadev’s pleadings fell into deaf ears.
Finally the day of her execution had come. She was dragged along the streets. She was badly injured but nobody cared. She requested not to drag her along, but to no use. Finally she was brought to the place of execution. Her disciples cried for her but some self seekers gloated over her misery. Little did they know, God likes one for his Bhakti but not for his caste or creed.
Janabai with folded hands prayed to God ‘Oh God! Why are you so cruel to me? Are you angry with me because I made you do household works? Frankly speaking, did I force you to do them? Did you not volunteer them? How can you ignore me now when I am punished for no fault of mine? I am not scared of death. In fact that takes me closer to you, but should not the people know the truth?’ Then she addressed the people thus, ‘Why do you gather here. Is it a feast to the eyes? Go home and pray to God. God alone can save you.’
She was about to be hanged. The name of Panduranga rose in the air and echoed into the sky. The onlookers’ could not believe their eyes. The rope disappeared and in its place a garland of flowers decked her neck. Janabai was filled with joy. The self seekers were ashamed of the mischief
One day Panduranga was writing something seriously. Jnanadev was surprised to see it and asked him the same. God answered, ‘I am copying the song s of Janabai’, Why, when there are so many songs of Vyasa and Valmiki, where is the need for these songs?’ God answered, ‘whoever sings these songs and leads a life accordingly, will be blessed by Me.’
Janabai is a realized soul. She was blessed and she laid an ideal path to others.
Tuesday, December 15, 2015
Thursday, November 26, 2015
Friday, August 28, 2015
Will boost governance by repealing 150 laws
Rajasthan today has 592 Acts. More than 150 of these will be repealed next month. The last such review was in 1964 and even then no principal Act of the state was repealed. An interesting side story of repealing 15 of our Acts was the inability of implementing departments to provide our review committee with physical copies of 55 Acts they were "implementing" - these documents had to be obtained from the state printing press and state archives in
Bikaner.
When Saint Kabir wrote, "Ati ka bhala na bolna, Ati ki bhali na chup. Ati ka bhala na barasna, Ati ki bhali na dhoop," he was emphasising balance - talking too much or too less is just as undesirable as extremes in climate. This doha is important for lawmakers because excessive legislation not only clogs our court system but is a breeding ground for discretion, harassment and corruption.
Surely reviewing laws for relevance and effectiveness is crucial to improving the government-citizen interface. Rajasthan has used three tests for repeal: if the law is not used, if there are other laws or rules which cover the same thing, and if there will be a reduction in needless discretion or public harassment. All democracies have an enduring conversation over laws. The world's oldest democracy - the US - continues to reconcile tensions between the view that its constitution should be restricted to its stated provisions by Thomas Jefferson's notion of a "strict construction" and the view that it should be given some doctrinal breathing space by a reliance on what Alexander Hamilton and John Marshall called a "fair" or "reasonable" interpretation.
As Richard Epstein suggests in his new book The Classic Liberal Constitution, "Jefferson and his followers insisted that courts would diminish the constitution through their expansive construction if the logic of strict constitution did not hold sway, while the other side insisted that if this view held the constitution would ossify and wind up as nothing more than a magnificent structure to look at, but totally unfit for use."
Babasaheb Ambedkar would agree with Hamilton. His wonderful closing speech to the Constituent Assembly debates in 1950 said: "The idea that institutions established for the use of the nation cannot be touched or modified, even to make them answer their end, may be a salutary provision against abuses, but is most absurd against the nation itself. The notion that we have a right to impose laws on us, unalterable by ourselves, and that we can make and impose on future generations, which they will have no right to alter is an earth that belongs to the dead not the living."
The Rajasthan government agrees with Ambedkar's view that our laws must be living documents that are diligently interrogated and continuously reviewed from the lens of an individual citizen.
It is unclear how the Rajasthan Refuse (Conversion of Manure) Act 1951, Vaccination Act 1957, Minor Irrigation Act 1953, Electricity Duty Act 1962, Motor Vehicle Taxation Act 1987, and the Coal Control Order Act 1964, among others, are helpful to the state or its citizens.
This project has three phases: repealing, consolidating and examining relevance. The first phase will soon conclude and involved wide public consultation and active input from Niti Aayog. The second phase will clear clutter - does Rajasthan really need 75 different Acts for higher education? The third phase is tricky and requires wide and deep consultation with all stakeholders.
An interesting consequence of this project is that we have now catalogued 598 rules belonging to 37 departments and are far from done but, over the next year, we will put all our Acts and Rules online in a search friendly format for all citizens because sunshine is the best disinfectant.
In 1928 Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel told the British in Bardoli: "Your government has run amuck. It thinks it can trample everything under its feet. Even so thinks the mad elephant, priding itself on having trampled every lion and tiger to death, and scorning the little gnat defying him. I am teaching the little gnat today to lthe elephant go on in his mad career and then get into his trunk at the opportune moment."
Gandhiji walked 390 km from Sabarmati to Dandi. I think he would be upset with the Salt Cess Act of 1953.
http://www.gandhigitadharm.com/kabir01.html
But most Indians don't realise the impact of live legislation like the Contract Act of 1872, Telegraph Act of 1885, Penal Code of 1860, Succession Act of 1865, and Evidence Act of 1872 that were written by unelected bureaucrats.
Rajasthan's law review programme is cradled within the broader central government agenda of minimum government and maximum governance. Too many Indian citizens view lawmaking and lawmakers with suspicion because of the huge gap between how our laws are written, interpreted, practised and enforced.
This project fulfils one more promise made to citizens and job creators before our Resurgent Rajasthan investment summit in November. Lawmakers voluntarily getting rid of the redundant burden of legislative history is the best demonstration that there is nothing wrong with India that can't be fixed with what is right with India.
(The writer is Chief Minister of Rajasthan)
Bikaner.
When Saint Kabir wrote, "Ati ka bhala na bolna, Ati ki bhali na chup. Ati ka bhala na barasna, Ati ki bhali na dhoop," he was emphasising balance - talking too much or too less is just as undesirable as extremes in climate. This doha is important for lawmakers because excessive legislation not only clogs our court system but is a breeding ground for discretion, harassment and corruption.
Surely reviewing laws for relevance and effectiveness is crucial to improving the government-citizen interface. Rajasthan has used three tests for repeal: if the law is not used, if there are other laws or rules which cover the same thing, and if there will be a reduction in needless discretion or public harassment. All democracies have an enduring conversation over laws. The world's oldest democracy - the US - continues to reconcile tensions between the view that its constitution should be restricted to its stated provisions by Thomas Jefferson's notion of a "strict construction" and the view that it should be given some doctrinal breathing space by a reliance on what Alexander Hamilton and John Marshall called a "fair" or "reasonable" interpretation.
As Richard Epstein suggests in his new book The Classic Liberal Constitution, "Jefferson and his followers insisted that courts would diminish the constitution through their expansive construction if the logic of strict constitution did not hold sway, while the other side insisted that if this view held the constitution would ossify and wind up as nothing more than a magnificent structure to look at, but totally unfit for use."
Babasaheb Ambedkar would agree with Hamilton. His wonderful closing speech to the Constituent Assembly debates in 1950 said: "The idea that institutions established for the use of the nation cannot be touched or modified, even to make them answer their end, may be a salutary provision against abuses, but is most absurd against the nation itself. The notion that we have a right to impose laws on us, unalterable by ourselves, and that we can make and impose on future generations, which they will have no right to alter is an earth that belongs to the dead not the living."
The Rajasthan government agrees with Ambedkar's view that our laws must be living documents that are diligently interrogated and continuously reviewed from the lens of an individual citizen.
It is unclear how the Rajasthan Refuse (Conversion of Manure) Act 1951, Vaccination Act 1957, Minor Irrigation Act 1953, Electricity Duty Act 1962, Motor Vehicle Taxation Act 1987, and the Coal Control Order Act 1964, among others, are helpful to the state or its citizens.
This project has three phases: repealing, consolidating and examining relevance. The first phase will soon conclude and involved wide public consultation and active input from Niti Aayog. The second phase will clear clutter - does Rajasthan really need 75 different Acts for higher education? The third phase is tricky and requires wide and deep consultation with all stakeholders.
An interesting consequence of this project is that we have now catalogued 598 rules belonging to 37 departments and are far from done but, over the next year, we will put all our Acts and Rules online in a search friendly format for all citizens because sunshine is the best disinfectant.
In 1928 Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel told the British in Bardoli: "Your government has run amuck. It thinks it can trample everything under its feet. Even so thinks the mad elephant, priding itself on having trampled every lion and tiger to death, and scorning the little gnat defying him. I am teaching the little gnat today to lthe elephant go on in his mad career and then get into his trunk at the opportune moment."
Gandhiji walked 390 km from Sabarmati to Dandi. I think he would be upset with the Salt Cess Act of 1953.
http://www.gandhigitadharm.com/kabir01.html
But most Indians don't realise the impact of live legislation like the Contract Act of 1872, Telegraph Act of 1885, Penal Code of 1860, Succession Act of 1865, and Evidence Act of 1872 that were written by unelected bureaucrats.
Rajasthan's law review programme is cradled within the broader central government agenda of minimum government and maximum governance. Too many Indian citizens view lawmaking and lawmakers with suspicion because of the huge gap between how our laws are written, interpreted, practised and enforced.
This project fulfils one more promise made to citizens and job creators before our Resurgent Rajasthan investment summit in November. Lawmakers voluntarily getting rid of the redundant burden of legislative history is the best demonstration that there is nothing wrong with India that can't be fixed with what is right with India.
(The writer is Chief Minister of Rajasthan)
Monday, May 11, 2015
Saturday, May 2, 2015
Sayings
https://sayskabir.wordpress.com
1. The life is passed in turning the beads, but the darkness of the heart is not destroyed. Leave the turning of beads by the hand, but turn the beads of your mind.
2. If you have no devotion to God, you will not gain anything by pilgrimage. You may roam over the country and yet your heart will be impure. The man who has gone to Varanasi to see Lord Viswanath, but has not destroyed hypocrisy, lust and greed and has no devotion, will gain nothing.
3. I am very fond of the words of my sweetheart— Beloved (God). I do not get any solace if anybody tries to console me in other ways. If you make a fisl1 lie on a golden cot and give it ambrosia to drink, it will surely die in no time.
4. The diamond appraiser only can know the value of the diamond. Kabir says: only he who has developed devotion can attain God.
5. Show thou a rose to him that showeth thee a thorn. To thee there is always a rose; to him there is a thorn for ever more.
6. Have no faith in this perishable body. Remember the Lord by all your breaths; that is the only way to salvation.
7. "Why dost thou trample upon me?" crieth the earth to the potter, "A day will come when I shall trample upon thee."
8. The body is an inn and the mind a bird that has willingly taken a lodging in it. It is but a truism that none is none's relative.
9. 'Virtue' abides where there is compassion, 'vice' where there is greed; 'death' where there is wrath, and the Lord Himself where there is forgiveness.
10. Every forest does not contain a sandal tree; every army does not contain a real soldier; every sea does not contain pearls; even so, a Sadhu or a saint or a Mahatma is not found everywhere in the world.
11. Have patience; everything comes out in time. The gardener waters the plant daily, but it bears fruit only in season.
12. If I turn the whole earth into paper, al 1 the trees into pens and the seven seas into ink, even then the greatness of the Lord cannot be fully described.
13. There is no greater evil than a bad word; it burns everything into ashes. A kind word is, on the contrary, like rain that falls in nectar-like torrents.
14. A word is priceless if one knows how to use it. Let every word be weighed in the scales of the heart before it is given out.
15. Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today, nor till the evening what you can do this very moment; for you know not when death may overtake you, upsetting all your plans.
16. He alone is the hero who has all the five senses at his command. He who has no such control never approaches the Lord.
17. A dumb man, having tasted sugar, cannot express its taste. Even so, the experience of Self-realisation cannot be expressed.
18. Just as sugar toys are made of sugar and sugar exists in all of them, even so, the whole universe exists in Brahman and Brahman in it.
19. The sugar and the sugar toys are not two things; they both are one. Similarly, when real knowledge dawns, the manifold universe appears as one.
20. Just as the tree is in the seed and the seed in the tree, even so is the world in Brahman.
Saturday, January 31, 2015
kasturi
Can you locate all 11 deer hidden within
Meaning
Musk is in the navel of the musk deer, but the deer searches for its fragrance everywhere in the forest. In the same way, God dwells in every heart, but people search for Him elsewhere, and do not find Him.
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=kasturi+kundal
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