Faith(Part 4)-Shedding the Impermeability(What's your Problem??)

Heaveno!!!
Its been long since I last updated the blog.Actually, I was confronting the eternal truth of creation and destruction.It is the 'truest' truth in this world that creation is a countdown to destruction.Destruction lays a  path for creation.Nothing in this unfathomable universe is imperishable.All things come with an expiry date which may or may not be explicit but expiry is a surety.This is the beauty of creation.The surety of impermanence acts as a incessant alarm, constantly reminding one about the limited time and obligation to accomplish his 'role' on the planet in this short duration.This reminds me of the famous dialogue from one of my favourite movies- Anand which goes as:
Babu moshai zindagi aur maut uparwale ke hath hai jahapana, jise na aap badal sakte hain na main. Hum sab to rangmanch ki kathputliyan hain jiski dor us upar wale ke haathon main hai ..kab, kaun ,kahan,kaise uthega ye koi nahin bata sakta....

Let me assure you this is NOT a melancholic article which gives you an overdose of malady,which most of us have in plenty.I was just explaining the reason for my absence(in a philosophically fancy manner) which some of you may bother to ask.
Actually my laptop, which was about 5-6 years old finally took its last breath and with it my data is also presumably gone on a roadtrip to heaven(from where,we know that nobody returns).The last paragraph was my humble obituary to my old electronic companion.You can always derive inspiration from the things around you.J
As a famous saying goes-"The Show must go On".I truly abide by it and subsequently I bought a new laptop.The period since my last post has been very eventful.We witnessed Mr.Rajesh Khanna and Mr.Dara Singh pass away,yet another Anna Andolan and many other events which were significant(at least for India TV!!).So here I am!!(More excited than Ek tha Tiger fans).So with a new laptop,new college session(with a new bag) and a new zeal-Chaliye hum aur aap khelte hain Kaun Banega Crorepati.....@#$#$### JJJJ

In this post,as I promised in the earlier post,I am going to relate an incident which taught me the true meaning of faith and this enabled me to get insights into the realms of the controversial and ostensibly significant concept of religion.
One of my very good friends is an ardent devotee of Sathya Sai Baba.He was my classmate right from the kindergarten section to high school.We had many altercations on this issue which often culminated into 'don't talk to me' situations but somehow we have managed to keep our Friend'ship' sailing.Afterall,debate is one of the principal pillars of democracy.I thought of myself as an  intellectual(Empty vessels sound much) and always tried to bully his views, arguing that you cannot consider a living person to be the creator,almighty God himself.I was not trying to display my intellect or to demean him by doing so.I just wanted that my friend should not fall prey to the so called 'godmen' ,who have devised a business model based on exploitation of people's  faith.
One fine evening,we were taking a stroll in a public garden.We were discussing about movies, college life,music,girls and similar topics when out of somewhere,the topic of God broke out.I pounced upon the opportunity to criticise him for his belief in Sathya Sai.He had lately passed away and a lot of undisclosed cash and gold was recovered from his room.I used all my knowledge gathered recently from the news channels to censure his belief in Sathya Sai and was successful to an extent because he had no immediate answer to my questions.But his face looked pale.His faith hadn't stirred a bit but his eyes reflected the unusual anger which otherwise is miles away from his ever cheerful countenance.
"Sometimes I feel too much repulsion from you",he retorted.I felt really bad for hurting the sentiments of a dear friend but still my ego was so mammoth that I again ventured him into the debate.I said something,he said something and when the tension built up further,he said "Let's leave".I wanted to spend some more time with him but he was in no mood to continue the discussion which culminated into a heated argument.Then from somewhere inside me a voice emerged "Strive to be a good listener".I asked him to stay and change the topic.He agreed,we started talking about some girl we met at a friend's place.But the girl seemed immaterial infront of the latent and forcefully subdued raging urge to resume the debate.Somehow it again started.But this time I decided to be a better listener.
He politely asked me what's my problem with him worshipping Sathya Sai??I played my own record and said "Because first of all he is a human.Secondly,he displays kiddish magic tricks to prove his divinity and thirdly because of the "black money" found in his room.These tricks were performed live on national television by a 'magician' who called himself a mere entertainer".He said it's ok with him and again posed the same intriguing question before me."What's your problem if I believe?"
I instantly replied"I don't have a problem but you are deluded.What you are thinking of as gold is actually iron pyrites".The question again came to me-"It's alright with me but What's your problem??".To this I had no reply.He continued "I believe in him as a God.You don't believe.Nobody is asking you to to believe in him.I make wishes to him and they are fulfilled.He has extricated me from the worst of situations.If I give all the credit of the inexplicable 'miracles' that happened in my life to him even if they happened by chance or luck.If I serve the needy and the poor in the name of my 'False God' and you do nothing in the name of 'True God'
apart from chanting his name then who is a better devotee to God?We hold social service programs every month and participate in community service in baba's name.What do you do Mr. Critic?If I attribute all my achievements to a 'false God' whom I consider to be a true one,What's wrong in this?Moreover how can you prove that 'your' God is true and mine is not."
I was dumbfounded.I searched for a place to hide my shame exuding face.The ageless wisdom of faith was revealed to me by a fellow classmate unknowingly.
This post is not intended to praise or glorify or otherwise hurt someone.I still don't believe in Sathya Sai as a God.But What I learnt from this incident was to respect one's faith.I am now a completely different person from the one on that day.I don't respect Sathya Sai but I have greatest of respect for the unshakable faith of my friend in him.It gives him the limitless prowess which comes in gratis with faith that someone is always there to support you in times of distress and need.As a rationalist I can only say that whenever something good happened to him or his prayers were answered(by chance/luck or his efforts),he credited it to his lord and the faith increased 'exponentially'.
This wisdom of faith and devotion is best found in the discourses of Bhagwad Gita in which Sri Krishna tells Arjun that A devotee who consecrates all his thoughts to almighty and acts in complete devotion to the lord is very dear to him.

The case is same with most of the people in this world.They squabble over petty issues like "Your God" and "My God" and waste their lives in proving one's superiority over the other.They are like exhausted and thirsty people on the bank of a pond of nectarlike water quarrelling over the shape of their pots and dying of thirst while the wise men savour the water and quench their thirst from the water which was actually colourless.
(The Colourless nectarlike water pond is a metaphor used for God's inconceivable form and the pots symbolise the religions which serve as a utility to fetch water from the divine pond.)

Faith-(Part 3) Widening the perspective

Heaveno!!!

A week before,I changed the background and layout of the blog.I hope you liked it.But looks in this case are superficial.Today I noticed an ostensible contradiction in the title and look of this blog.The background has an image of clouds in the sky and the title is 'The Caged Ornith'.I liked the image as it instantly appealed to me and so I am too obstinate to remove the image.But then,by making the use of my limited wits,I have explained myself that the background image depicts the ambition and thoughts of the 'Caged Ornith'.Most of us are 'Caged Orniths' too.We live in our world doing our professional and household chores and have a secret or dormant ambition or thought of your own perfect,blissful world abundant of material,spiritual and physical energy.Similar is the case with our 'Caged Ornith'.Living in a cage,unsure of freedom,it aspires to flutter in the sky near the clouds.Thus the title and the background don't appear contradictory anymore (at least to me).
In the last post I presented some points to support the arguments that there is a power that is unfathomable and omniscient which has created and is making the universe run smoothly.It will also in the future destroy the world(as claimed in many religions-A Judgement day kind of thing) and thus genesis will happen again.Thus,it is an unending cycle of creation and destruction.Again,we can notice the duality between creation and destruction.Some people may argue and say that "Ok! we do believe God exists and created the world.Thanks a lot!! But why do we need to pray or worship??"
The best answer to this could be-'Just to show that you are grateful to him and admire his wonderful creation.Whether you are an Engineer,Doctor or an Artist,you will agree that he is a better 'professional' than you.If you are a selfish one(Much alike me),then there are some situations which are beyond your control-Passing the exam for which you hadn't studied :) or more seriously praying for the well being of a loved one.There are numerous occasions in which you are helpless and  find yourself in the middle of nowhere.In such situation,(for most of us) God seems to be the only refuge'.Like they say,
When life knocks you on your knees,You are in a perfect position to pray.
Praying also helps to tap the infinite powers of the brain which lie dormant in the subconscious regions of the brain.The human mind has unlimited powers.Also,when you pray,it is a unilateral conversation between you and God.You speak and he listens patiently(we believe he does!).He then acts on his discretion and answers our prayers in a way which is most beneficial for us.
The Bhagwadgeeta  says-
Mind is a Terrible master but a wonderful servant.


So after one agrees to the fact that there IS god,the next obvious question he is sure to ask is-Who is he?.Well as of now,we don't know!.If you follow news channels,they are incessantly relaying programmes with titles similar to "God found" (in context to the Higgs Boson experiment).But still, it is like a first step in the journey of a thousand miles.We are still 'light years' away from the truth.For the seekers,one way to find the answer is you must transgress the worldly and bodily limits; which is not a pragmatic way(Atleast for a layman like me!).But that does not mean that there is no answer.People like us are enjoying spiritual pleasures and relishing them by making use of this approach.It is a simple yet powerful way to connect with God.The answer to the question is a word with which all of us are familiar.Faith!!!


What is faith??The best example to illustrate faith is of a child whom we slowly throw in the air but he is sure that he won't fall.There is someone who will hold him when he comes down.Thus,faith is a trust in God that he stands by you in every phase of life.You just need to acknowledge his presence.Now one may ask that why do we face sorrow,grief,misery and hardships in life?To this question I found the best answer in Quran that Life is a test for the human being.If we analyse it,it can be found out without without obscurity that God has provided man with the best tools(wit,brain,emotions and the human body as a whole) to overcome these hardships and act in the wisest way in order to 'pass the test'.But we as always tend to blame the examiner for setting up an 'impossible to pass' question paper.Like Engineering entrance exams in India,only a handful of students pass.Rest always find someone to blame.(a Bitter truth-I too found 3 people to blame)


People who know me,know that I have a habit to argue tooth and nail with my friends,relatives and acquaintances against the 'Godmen' and 'babas'.I used to look at their followers condescendingly.I have always been sceptical about these mortals claiming to be incarnations or prophets of god.Even today,My common sense doesn't allow me to believe their divinity.Though I bear great respect for some of them as a saint and preacher but I don't look upon them as the creator of the world.I love debating on such issues.I was like the empty(scantily full) vessel which makes more noise.I left no opportunity ungrabbed to debate and criticize the opposing party,who was more often a follower or a believer of a 'divine guru'.I presented scientific,religious and philosophical arguments to prove them that they were wrong.It gave me an immense satisfaction when I was successful to demean them(most of the time I was!!).

It went on until one day I realised that I was just a proud and arrogant egotist who loves to boast infront of others and the only thing which holds significance is faith.It helped me to widen my perspective of looking at people.This also helped me to understand these matters from a neutral point of view which was unbiased.

I'll relate the incident in the next post.Let me be honest, no miracle happened(In a way it did happen) and I witnessed no apparition or an image in the tree or some India TV type 'Chamatkaar'.(Not that 3 Idiots one ofcourse J).It was just a conversation followed by an argument,a part of which shook up my stubborn thoughts..........

To be continued.......

Faith(Part 2) :Collecting The Evidences

Heaveno!!

I am feeling elated after going through the positive reviews I received (I am an extremely unpopular figure on the social network so please don't interpret that I am inundated with fan mails!) on my last post "Faith (Part 1)- Buying your Ammeter." The last post gave a glimpse of the duality between Science and Spirituality.They are not different but correlated.Like the Heisenberg's uncertainty principle states that at " You cannot measure the position and momentum of a body at the same time with cent per-cent accuracy" (Techies please don't behead me if the aforementioned principle has a semicolon or comma wrongly placed J).Similarly, you cannot view the world accurately with a completely scientific or a completely spiritual perspective.You need to have an optimal blend of both these perspectives(This line reminds me of an advertisement for a Tea brand!).
Albert Einstein said; "A legitimate conflict between science & religion cannot exist. Science without religion is lame; religion without science is blind"
In this post,as the title suggests,I will propose some arguments in the favour of the notion that the world(including us) could not have evolved as a result of a random event and gradually turned into one in which we live today.It is rather created meticulously in a planned manner by a superpower whose intellect is unfathomable.This is a brave endeavour only to express my views as I now consider the world to be a safer place for arguments than it was at the time of Galileo(Poor guy was imprisoned only because he said that the earth revolves round the sun).Today, armed with various theories likes of the Big Bang  Theory ( it's not the in vogue American sitcom!),scientists claim that the creation of universe was a random process.The theory of creation by a superpower is rejected by science.I am myself a science student,but when I use my logic and reasoning abilities(of which I have a scarcity of),they challenge my credulity in the the theories propounded which state that the creation of universe was a random process.

Hereby I also make a formal confession that I am very poor in Physics,Biology and Geography.These subjects have always appealed least to me.But fortunately I (unwillingly) studied these subjects(though at basic level).But as they say "Knowledge never goes waste",I now think that the basic knowledge of these subjects enabled me to understand the world in a better way.So this establishes that the points listed below are from a layman and  a novice philosopher.Let the Physics fanatics not be offended.

1. As far as we know by now(thanks to our space missions),no form of life exists in any other planets.As the size of the Earth is negligible as compared to that of the galaxy(Milky Way) it belongs to and the possibility of extra terrestrial life cannot be denied considering the fact that there are innumerable galaxies in the universe.
Now,with our knowledge till date,no form of life can exist without water.Also,there is no life in other planets and moon(s).Coincidentally NO other planet is known to have water on its surface.Life of any form cannot be imagined without water and water is found only on the planet Earth which 'coincidentally' supports life too.Moreover,the origin of water on the Earth is still unknown.

2. The Earth which is the only planet known to support life is at the optimum distance from the sun and the moon.If it were any nearer from the Sun the temperature would have been too high to support life and all the water on the surface would have evaporated.Any farther from the sun, it would have been too cold for life to flourish here.The Moon is responsible for the ocean tides that ensure that the oceans don't stagnate and if it was nearer the tides would have been so vigorous that the oceans would have drowned the continents.


3. There is a strange similarity between the 'Macro' and 'Micro' aspects of the universe.
The motion of planets around the sun is analogous to that of the electrons around the nucleus.Isn't it fascinating? 

4. The human body is an epitome of the meticulous planning of the almighty in creating the universe.The Sense organs(ears,nose,eyes,tongue and skin) work in co-ordination with the brain in the most perfect manner.The brain itself is capable of storing immeasurable amount of data.manifold greater than that of all the storage devices of the world summed together.

5.The stomach contains a layer of mucus which prevents it from digesting itself!! (It can digest flesh and hence the Hydrochloric acid in the stomach can corrode the walls of the stomach).This depicts a perfect troubleshooting arrangement.Created by a random process over centuries??

6. The Nervous system is a very complex communication network.Nerve impulses to and from the brain travel as fast as 170 miles per hour.That enable us to perceive the world around us with our sense organs. The complex nature of the Nervous system and the tremendous amount of utility it brings to the human body makes it the best and most efficient communication system.What's your say Telecom Engineers?? J

7. The human body is stores everything it requires to survive.Blood,Minerals,Water and Nutrients are stored in the body.Ever wondered why Oxygen is not stored.If it would have stored Oxygen we needn't breath every second.Isn't it??So many people who ever died of suffocation would have completed their lifespan.

But our creator was wise enough.As we know that oxygen is responsible for oxidation of food and hence the body cells.This is the basic process of 'Metabolism' which enables an organism to grow and reproduce.If the  body would have stored oxygen,the process of oxidation would have sped leading to a very short lifespan.Definitely, it looks planned and organised.

8. Each individual has different fingerprints.This becomes more astonishing when we know that the population of the world is greater than 7 Billion!! ( God helps forensic experts in catching absconding criminals!!)

9. Due to the typical behaviour of water,in freezing climates only the top layer of the water body freezes.The water remains in liquid state under the layer of ice.It reflects the amicability of the creator for aquatic animals.

10. Most of the water available on the surface of the earth is saline and unfit to consume.To overcome this problem, nature(read: Creator) set up a mechanism through which the saline water evaporates in pure form leaving the impurities behind and is distributed throughout the surface in the form of rainfall.It appears as system for the purification and distribution of water.Doesn't it say something that most of us are unable to listen??

11.Nature runs on some basic laws which are invariable.The sun rises in the east(The first example of Simple Present in Grammar books! ),Rotation of earth on its axis causing day and night,revolution of earth inclined on its axis round the sun causing change of seasons and Gravitational pull are the basic laws which earth abides by.No one knows why.But it does!!

Richard Feynman (A Nobel Prize winner for Electrodynamics) said that "Why nature is mathematical is a mystery.The fact that there are rules at all is a kind of miracle."

12. In every cell of our body there exists a genetic code called DNA(Deoxy riboNucleic Acid ).It is similar to a computer binary code.The computer binary codes are in form of 0s and 1s.Similarly the information in DNA is stored as a code made up of four chemical bases: adenine (A), guanine (G), cytosine (C), and thymine (T).These codes act like instruction manuals for the cell and direct the cell to perform the necessary functions similar to a computer code.These codes could note have appeared on their own in each of  the billions of cells.Such information could not appear on its own without someone constructing it down.

13. The Atmosphere acts as a blanket of air over the surface of the earth.The ozone layer prevents us from the harmful ultraviolet rays of sun.Oxygen in the atmosphere is supports life.

14. The excellent feedback system in which plants take in carbon di oxide released by animals(Man is a social animal too!!) and release oxygen required by them is designed to balance the respiratory content in the atmosphere for every living being to survive.

15.The gravitational pull of earth is sufficient to prevent Oxygen escaping into atmosphere.

These are the few of many reasons which bear testimony to the fact that the world we live in is tailor made to suit our requirements.The theory of probability tells us that all of these could not have happened by chance.These are one of  the few facts I encountered in my course of 'education'.I have always been a theist but there was always a seemingly unending battle in my mind about the true nature of God.I always believed that there IS God but the question which raged a battle in my mind was Who is he?? Is he a formless entity or has he got any form?Can we see him? If yes then How?Some of these intriguing questions might also be troubling you...I'll help you to find some answers from my perspective in the next post...

I'll conclude this post with a 'valedictory' poem which I read in seventh grade.

All things bright and beautiful,

All creatures great and small,

All things wise and wonderful,

The Lord God made them all.

Each little flower that opens,

Each little bird that sings,

He made their glowing colours,

He made their tiny wings.

The rich man in his castle,

The poor man at his gate,

God made them high and lowly,

The purple headed mountain,

The river running by,

The sunset and the morning,

That brightens up the sky;

The cold wind in the winter,

The pleasant summer sun,

The ripe fruits in the garden,−

He made them every one:

he tall trees in the greenwood,

The meadows where we play,

The rushes by the water,

We gather every day;

He gave us eyes to see them,

And lips that we might tell,

How great is God Almighty,

Who has made all things well.

Good Day!!! 

Faith (Part 1)- Buying your Ammeter

Heaveno!!


Well I was wondering how to start this post. Like most of us do, I started with "In this post I am going to write about faith......" I somehow thought that the title is absolutely explicit with with not even an iota of obscurity involved and the reader obviously understands what he/she is going to read about.Also I know that I was no Hemingway or Dickens in my past life so that I could have some reminiscent writing skills(Although I am a staunch believer of reincarnation).Finally I have decided to start this post in the way I first considered to write.If you have any better ways(I bet you will have!!),I am always open to suggestions and healthy criticism.Now that you know how it's going to begin,you can always skip the first line.After all it's Democracy in most parts of the world. :)

This post is about my own personal experiences with faith,religion and spirituality.It will be related to in instalments ( Interest free of course!).Although I consider myself still a novice to write on such a mature subject and rightly so,but I want to share what I went through and learnt in this process.Please don't infer that this is about some miracles which happened in my life like I prayed to God and Lo! I got a wish fulfilled.It didn't happen with me and I can assure you it won't happen with anybody else too(who can be sure that a psychiatrist will declare him sane).

Blaise Pascal said, "Faith indeed tells what the senses do not tell, but not the contrary of what they see. It is above them and not contrary to them."
Don't get irritated I won't ask you to convert it into indirect speech.
(Poor)Jokes apart,As we all know that Blasie Pascal was one of the greatest mathematician,physicist and a man of high scientific temperament.He devoted the later years of life to philosophy and theology.What compelled him to do so?
The two great physicists Albert Einstein and Sir Isaac Newton were also strong believers in God.They knew and understood science more that most of us.What happened then?why did they started talking about old things like God and the superpower.That is where the thin line between scientists and pseudo scientists starts becoming visible.

The people who debate about God's existence always use science as the only weapon in the war of words.They argue that now when we've reached the moon (and quote some recent developments),it is useless to talk about God.Science is everything.I respect their contentions with the theists but I feel sorry for their myopic vision.

What I feel, is that the more you learn and study science, the more you will come closer to God.I don't talk here about God as some specific form but an entity as a whole.If you study with a little bit of understanding,you will definitely 'Imbibe' the basic laws of science and when you do so,you are surely on the path of spirituality.You need not to go to a spiritual 'master' and pay thousands of rupees to learn the 'Art of ___'.
(just in case money is overflowing from your pockets,contact me.I'll give you my account number :) )


I recently read the autobiography of Dr. APJ Kalam and I found that he had the same opinion too about science and spirituality.Actually it is the basic concept of duality.Science and Spirituality are the the two faces of the same coin.We always look it from only one side.Both go hand in hand.We always look up to the extremes.We have the basic conviction that both these are two opposite things.But actually it is the opposite of what we think.One thing justifies the other.People who call these things as opposites and unrelated are like   a student with only a Voltmeter measuring the voltage across two points.He correctly measures the voltage  but when he is asked about current, he says it is not present at all.Now he acts foolish and rejects the presence of current ,only because he could not measure it.
Bhaiyaji!!! Get an ammeter and Get well soon..... :)

When are you planning to buy your Ammeter??????

In the next post I'll try to give some examples which are actually the basic concepts I(and you too) read in high school science books and when you start pondering over whys and hows about these ,you will definitely get your answer.The best teacher and guide is inside you.It is you!!  Trust me....And for all students, I advise you to always be inquisitive.If someone shuns your questions,Consider him a bad teacher unworthy of your respect. Do not get disheartened and never ever devaluate yourself. Your inquisitiveness is precious.It is the path to knowledge and self realisation.Don't let it drown.

Glossary:
Ammeter: A device used to measure current in an electrical circuit
Voltmeter:A device used to measure voltage across two points an electrical circuit.