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PHRASES IN THE GITA - 40
परि प्रश्नेन (अध्याय ४ - श्लोक ३४ )
பரி ப்ரஶ்னேன (அத்யாயம் 4 - ஶ்லோகம் 34)
Pari-Prashnena (Chapter 4 - Shloka 34)
Meaning : Ask Questions, seek clarifications ..
Ask questions.. Seek clarifications.. Again this is a unique contribution of Bharat to the world. Ask questions in your search for Knowledge. Seek clarification, howsoever great the personality revealing the 'Truth' be.. In my interactions with students, I have come across many, who ask questions, only to put down the speaker, only to impress the audience. Arrogance unlimited accompanies the question. Such students are not interested in listening to the answer being given. Shri Krishna's suggestion is different. Here, asking question is not important. Seeking Light is. Naturally, humility, politeness has to accompany the questions.
Hindus have cherished and nourished this attitude since Vaidik times. Veda is Sanatana, It has existed since times immemorial. It will continue to exist in an endless future too. Immense confidence, nay, Shraddha in our seers is revealed in their declaration that, "Even if the text is lost in vagaries of Time, it will be revealed again". In Gita too, Shri Krishna declares in fourth chapter, "I revealed the Yoga to the Sun at the time of Creation. It was lost and revealed so many times in Time flow. Now, I am revealing the same Yoga to you, Arjuna !". The basis for this confidence is our immense Shraddha in Satya, Truth. Satya is Universal. Satya transcends Time. Satya is Paramatman, the Creator. Veda is not declaration of the Final Truth. Vaidik text is not the Only text. We rever the Veda. Yet, it is not unquestionable. We study Veda only to know the Truth, only to experience Light. That is hence, Bharat has generated saints and Sadhus, in every century, in every decade, and in every part of this great Land, Saints who have Seen the Truth, who have experienced the Truth and none has declared himself as the only Prophet or the last messenger of God. They never needed any debate and declaration as Saint, by an authority or by any 'sole contractor of Divinity'.
We Hindus can question our Veda, our other texts, our rituals, our beliefs, our customs, our practices, our Mathadhipatis and Peethadhipatis. We can question and re-invent these. There has never been any flogging, any blinding or any Crucification or any stoning to death, in the millenniums long Hindu history. To call Hindus obscurantist, orthodox, fundamentalist, fanatic, intolerant and other such names used by Hindu-baitors and secularists, is absurdity. Orthodox are those who never want to change the texts said and written centuries ago. Fundamentalists are those who believe that God has exhausted his stock of 'Prophets' and will never send any one in future. Our Shri Hanuman is also a messenger of God. We hold Him with reverence, not for being a messenger of God but for His Strength, Potential, Wisdom, and utmost Humility. Fundamentalists are those who follow the one who declared himself as the Last messenger of God or the last Prophet Fanatics are those who carry guns and behead anyone who dares to question the only Prophet and his declarations. Obscurantists are those who don't want to see the Divinity in themselves, nay those who don't want even to be suggested that 'Divinity' is within and look to a stone or the Pope as the 'only' storehouse of Divinity. Intolerant are those who can not 'co-exist' with others who think and live differently and wish to 'convert' those others' by hook or crook, by violence or through fraud, to their herd mentality. The European history for the last few centuries and our own experience with these herds in the last few centuries. The strife in Shri Lanka is chiefly due to 'Intolerant and Fundamentalist Buddhist clergy'. There is a new breed added to this tribe, the Marxists. They hold someone who 'blah-blahed' on economics, history, governance etc. a couple of centuries back. This new herd of followers hold his 'blah-blah' as unquestionable and carry guns to thrust his view on the whole world. There is a Marathi saying.. चोरावर मोर.. which means.."himself a thief but runs around shouting thief, thief, catch him.."
Veda is not a declaration, but a suggestion. In the Gita, Shri Krishna after his long dialogue with Arjuna says, "I have talked all these to you as you are my friend and I love you. Now, you act as you wish". That is why Hindu Dharma and the Hindus have survived all the aggressive and atrocious attackers (in the name of Islam), heartless plunderers (in the name of Christianity), and ruthless dictators (in the name of Marxists and Buddhists).over the last few centuries. The Hindus, especially the Brahmins in Tamil Nadu have silently survived the violent aggression, nasty and humiliating ridicule by "Dravidian" herds in the last few decades. That is also the reason why the Hindus can coexist peacefully in any part of the world, with any community. Every river is Ganga for us. Every inch of the Earth, not merely Bharat, is Bhoo-Mata or Bhoo-Devi and hence Holy to us. Ever speck of this creation is Divine for us, not merely the temples. Science and scientific revelations are not 'anti-Religion' for us, but are mere steps in our efforts to know Him. All these come naturally to us,the Hindus, because of a basic attitude.. परि प्रश्नेन .. the questioning attitude. May we cherish this questioning attitude of Humans and vanquish all those who 'question and dismiss' this precious inheritance.
Ask questions.. Seek clarifications.. Again this is a unique contribution of Bharat to the world. Ask questions in your search for Knowledge. Seek clarification, howsoever great the personality revealing the 'Truth' be.. In my interactions with students, I have come across many, who ask questions, only to put down the speaker, only to impress the audience. Arrogance unlimited accompanies the question. Such students are not interested in listening to the answer being given. Shri Krishna's suggestion is different. Here, asking question is not important. Seeking Light is. Naturally, humility, politeness has to accompany the questions.
Hindus have cherished and nourished this attitude since Vaidik times. Veda is Sanatana, It has existed since times immemorial. It will continue to exist in an endless future too. Immense confidence, nay, Shraddha in our seers is revealed in their declaration that, "Even if the text is lost in vagaries of Time, it will be revealed again". In Gita too, Shri Krishna declares in fourth chapter, "I revealed the Yoga to the Sun at the time of Creation. It was lost and revealed so many times in Time flow. Now, I am revealing the same Yoga to you, Arjuna !". The basis for this confidence is our immense Shraddha in Satya, Truth. Satya is Universal. Satya transcends Time. Satya is Paramatman, the Creator. Veda is not declaration of the Final Truth. Vaidik text is not the Only text. We rever the Veda. Yet, it is not unquestionable. We study Veda only to know the Truth, only to experience Light. That is hence, Bharat has generated saints and Sadhus, in every century, in every decade, and in every part of this great Land, Saints who have Seen the Truth, who have experienced the Truth and none has declared himself as the only Prophet or the last messenger of God. They never needed any debate and declaration as Saint, by an authority or by any 'sole contractor of Divinity'.
We Hindus can question our Veda, our other texts, our rituals, our beliefs, our customs, our practices, our Mathadhipatis and Peethadhipatis. We can question and re-invent these. There has never been any flogging, any blinding or any Crucification or any stoning to death, in the millenniums long Hindu history. To call Hindus obscurantist, orthodox, fundamentalist, fanatic, intolerant and other such names used by Hindu-baitors and secularists, is absurdity. Orthodox are those who never want to change the texts said and written centuries ago. Fundamentalists are those who believe that God has exhausted his stock of 'Prophets' and will never send any one in future. Our Shri Hanuman is also a messenger of God. We hold Him with reverence, not for being a messenger of God but for His Strength, Potential, Wisdom, and utmost Humility. Fundamentalists are those who follow the one who declared himself as the Last messenger of God or the last Prophet Fanatics are those who carry guns and behead anyone who dares to question the only Prophet and his declarations. Obscurantists are those who don't want to see the Divinity in themselves, nay those who don't want even to be suggested that 'Divinity' is within and look to a stone or the Pope as the 'only' storehouse of Divinity. Intolerant are those who can not 'co-exist' with others who think and live differently and wish to 'convert' those others' by hook or crook, by violence or through fraud, to their herd mentality. The European history for the last few centuries and our own experience with these herds in the last few centuries. The strife in Shri Lanka is chiefly due to 'Intolerant and Fundamentalist Buddhist clergy'. There is a new breed added to this tribe, the Marxists. They hold someone who 'blah-blahed' on economics, history, governance etc. a couple of centuries back. This new herd of followers hold his 'blah-blah' as unquestionable and carry guns to thrust his view on the whole world. There is a Marathi saying.. चोरावर मोर.. which means.."himself a thief but runs around shouting thief, thief, catch him.."
Veda is not a declaration, but a suggestion. In the Gita, Shri Krishna after his long dialogue with Arjuna says, "I have talked all these to you as you are my friend and I love you. Now, you act as you wish". That is why Hindu Dharma and the Hindus have survived all the aggressive and atrocious attackers (in the name of Islam), heartless plunderers (in the name of Christianity), and ruthless dictators (in the name of Marxists and Buddhists).over the last few centuries. The Hindus, especially the Brahmins in Tamil Nadu have silently survived the violent aggression, nasty and humiliating ridicule by "Dravidian" herds in the last few decades. That is also the reason why the Hindus can coexist peacefully in any part of the world, with any community. Every river is Ganga for us. Every inch of the Earth, not merely Bharat, is Bhoo-Mata or Bhoo-Devi and hence Holy to us. Ever speck of this creation is Divine for us, not merely the temples. Science and scientific revelations are not 'anti-Religion' for us, but are mere steps in our efforts to know Him. All these come naturally to us,the Hindus, because of a basic attitude.. परि प्रश्नेन .. the questioning attitude. May we cherish this questioning attitude of Humans and vanquish all those who 'question and dismiss' this precious inheritance.
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