दृष्टिकोण – Indra's Viewpoint

An Excellent Article Read Last Week:

Nanditha Krishna, a historian, author and environmentalist, and director of the CPR Institute of Indological Research in Chennai has published a wonderful article, ‘How Did Indian History Become Myth?’, about the historicity of Ramayana in The Open Magazine 31st March 2020. It is wonderfully written and with very rational logics and conclusions:

1. It is based on Valmiki’s Ramayana, the ancient epic, the first one from among our seers.
2. “..as the trio are about to enter Dandakaranya, Sage Bharadwaja warned them to beware of lions and tigers. Lions and tigers don’t share forest space had also been taught to us; so that was yet another myth in the epic. Till I went to Bhimbetka and saw a 10,000-year-old painting of a lion and tiger sitting together. If one fact was so wrongly presented by my good teachers, could the others be equally wrong?”
3. “the Ramayana was damned for all time as a myth.The epics are known to us as itihasa—thus it happened. And to Hindus, there is no doubt that the events of the epic did happen.”
4. “the original story of Rama, a historical biography, as narrated by Narada, which Valmiki uses as a prologue to his epic. Narada is very clear that Rama is a man, descended in the line of Ikshvaku. The pushpaka is the only extraordinary part of it.”
5. Creativity distinguishes Valmiki’s poetic epic from Narada’s factual report. Rama is not a god, either to Narada or to Valmiki. But Valmiki is a poet. He goes on to elaborate the story in poetry, partially deifying Rama and creating the Ramayana. We have contemporary examples of people deified in their lifetime, such as the Shirdi and Sathya Sai Babas. Valmiki’s epic is filled with supernatural beings and events—flying monkeys, a ten-headed demon and so on. But why not? After all, his work had to be readable.
6. “I deputed two of my botanists to study the plants and animals in the four forests of Chitrakuta, Dandaka, Panchavati and Kishkinda. Amazingly, the same plants and animals described by Valmiki still exist in these places. Nothing was fictitious. They went on to publish a book on Plant and Animal Diversity in Valmiki’s Ramayana (By M Amirthalingam and P Sudhakar), which I believe is a confirmation of the epic.“
7. “Rama meets Sabari (of the Sabara/Saora/Saura/Savara/Sora tribe), a Munda ethnic tribe found in southern Odisha, north coastal Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. Even Megasthenes mentions the Saoras in his Indica…The Nishadas and Saoras still maintain that Rama visited them.”..”Several places maintain memories of Valmiki’s description of Rama’s visit.”
8. “Vanaras headed by Nala built a bridge to Lanka from Dhanushkodi on Rameshwaram Island to Talaimannar in Sri Lanka. Parts of the bridge—the Nala sethu, as named by Rama—are still visible: NASA’s satellite has photographed an underwater bridge in the Palk Straits connecting Dhanushkodi and Talaimannar. The Mahabharata says it was protected out of respect for Rama, while several Chola and other rulers mention it. Several scientific bodies, including the National Remote Sensing Agency, have suggested that it was man-made. It lasted as a footbridge between India and Sri Lanka till 1480 CE when a major storm washed away parts of the bridge (according to CD Maclean, Manual of Madras Presidency, 1902).”
   You yourself read it and you will get convinced about the historicity of Ramayana.https://openthemagazine.com/columns/guest-column/indian-history-became-myth/
   I wish her to enlarge the subject that she has raised in this article. When I went through Ramayana myself years ago as well as when I visited Hampi, and then Rameshwaram by road, I was amazed about the geographical details of the travel route of Rama. I heard about the Ramayana-related places in Sri Lanka by one engineer friend, Shri Gehlot who had visited them. Why are our famous historians on ancient India so much biased? Can some one throw light on the geographical truth of the description that Valmiki provides when in Ramayana he describes the regions that the monkeys would find when their groups would go to the north, west and east too?

कोरोना-१९- क्या भोगा, क्या सीखा, क्या करना चाहिये
कोरोना-१९ वायरस का पहला केस भारत में ३१ दिसम्बर २०१९ को पता चला था, पर हम, पूरा देश जागे २४ मार्च को जब प्रधान मंत्री ने देश भर में आत्म निर्वासन लगाया गया-किन किन सावधानी को बरतना है. पर यह निर्वासन केवल कुछ ज़रूरी सेवाओं को मुक्त रखा है. घर में दूध देनेवालों को छोड़ सभी के आने पर मनाही कर दी गई. हमारे आम्रपाली इडेन पार्क की तरह के उच्च अट्टालिकाओं में रहते लोगों के लिये यह निर्वासन बहुत बड़े धैर्य शक्ति की माँग चाहता था. सभी दवाओं या किसी दुकान से भेजी खाद्य पदार्थों को गेट से हमें अपने जाकर लाना है. जहां हमारी तरह के लोग जो बहुत ऊपर के तल्ले में रहते हैं, उनके लिये यह असंभव है. हम दो तल्ले पर है, अत: थोड़ा आराम है, मुश्किल ज़रूर लगता है. हम यहाँ सभी दो या तीन,घर के रोज़ाना के सफ़ाई या खाना बनाने के लिये, सहायकों पर निर्भर रहे थे. यही हमारी सालों से जीवन क्रम बन चुका था, आदत सी हो गई थी, कुछ मजबूरी भी. अचानक सभी कुछ बदल गया, सभी काम अपने खुद करना पड़ रहा है. ७५-८० की उम्र के लोगों के लिये जीने के लिये ये ज़रूरी कार्यों को करना काफ़ी तकलीफ़देय है.मैं अपने एवं पत्नी यमुना ही यहाँ रहते हैं. मैं ८० का हो चुका हूँ, यमुना ७७ की. पर अपने घुटनों की तकलीफ़ एवं अन्य बीमारियों के कारण कुछ भी कर नहीं पाती हैं.पर तब भी यह निर्वासन हम में साहस जगाया है. घर के सभी कामों को करते हुए मज़ा आने लगा है मुझे, यद्यपि बहुत थक जाता हूँ, कभी कभी इसी कारण कुछ ग़लतियाँ हो जाती है, कहीं जल जाता है, कल खिचड़ी जल गई बड़े प्रेम से बनाया था, पर जली भी मीठी लगी. कुछ नुक़सान हो जाता है गैस पर पकने के लिये रखी चीजों के बारे में भूल उन्हें कार्बन में परिवर्तित हुए पाते हैं. कभी हाथ भी जला, दर्द सहा, पर करता रहा. हाँ….बहुत कुछ सीखने का मौक़ा भी मिला है.अगर आगे नहीं तो अगले जन्म में काम आयेगा और यही कारण है अपना अनुभव एवं उसी पर आधारित कुछ सलाहों के बारे लिखने का प्रयास कर रहा हूँ.
१. हर व्यक्ति के घर के काम-रसोई बनाना,बर्तन धोना,घर की सफ़ाई-झाड़ू-पोछा, घर के हर जगह की धूल साफ़ करना, कूड़ा हटाना,कपड़े साफ़ करना,आदि बचपन से ही सीखना चाहिये, करते रहना चाहिये शौक़िया, पर यह कभी भी सीखा जा सकता है.हमें अपने नौकर को महीने में एक-दो दिन या ज़्यादा छुट्टी दे इस अभ्यास को चालू रखना चाहिये.नहीं तो आज की अवस्था आने पर बहुत तकलीफ़ होता है.
२. हमें अपनी हर ज़रूरतों को कम रखने का भी अभ्यास रखना चाहिये एवं विकल्प से काम चलाने की कोशिश करते रहना चाहिये. पर यहाँ तो हम हम प्याज़, टमाटर के बिना खाना नहीं बना सकते, न चाय के बिना कुछ दिन काट सकते.कपडे ऐसा ही व्यवहार करें जिन्हें प्रेस करने की ज़रूरत न हो.
३. दोस्तों से गप्प मारने की आदत भी लगाना बड़ा दुखायी होता है ऐसी अवस्था में. शायद इसीलिये गीता आदि में विविक्तसेवी या एकाकी रहने की सलाह है.
४. मेरे पढ़ने लिखने के शौक़ एवं संग्रह से मुझे इतने लम्बे निर्वासन काल में बहुत राहत मिली, न मिनट की फुर्सत मिली, न समय काटना दुस्तर लगा.
५. हमें बहुत सारी कोरोना के कारण आरम्भ की गई आदतों को बनाये रखना चाहिये जितना संभव हो….पर शायद नाक, मुँह पर मास्क लगाना अब अनिवार्य हो जायेगा, वैसे बाहर से आने पर अच्छी तरह से हाथ धोना….हाथ मिलाने की जगह नमस्ते करना, और गले मिलना बन्द करना, दूरी बना बैठना एवं चलना आदि…
६. कोरोना ने हमें जो डिजीटली सब लेन देन,ख़रीदारी, स्कूल का अध्यापन और घर से काम करने को सिखाया है, उसका और विस्तार होना चाहिये….मॉल, सिनेमा आदि के शौक़ को भी कम करना चाहिये..इससे सड़कों की भीड़ के साथ प्रदूषण को कम करने बहुत मदद मिलेगी. हर घर में एक कम्प्यूटर कॉर्नर होगा, स्कूल की शिक्षकों के कमरे होंगे; ऑफ़िस भी घर का अंग होगा.
७. हाँ, सरकार के नीति निर्याणायकों को नोयडा की तरह के बस्ती वाले हर औद्योगिक शहरों के नये सेक्टरों में बहुमंज़िला इमारत खड़ा करते समय एक क्लस्टर प्रधान मंत्री आवास योजना के तहत निचले तबके के कर्मचारियों, स्वरोज़गार एवं अव्यवस्थित क्षेत्र में लगे लोगों के लिये सुनियोजित ढंग से सभी सुविधाओं के साथ रहने की व्यवस्था भी होनी ज़रूरी है, जिससे झुग्गियाँ न बने, स्लम न पनपे, बाहर से आये इन सभी लोगों का एक व्यवस्थित ठिकाना हो…

Today one media report mostly dealing with auto manufacturers shocked me. I was surprised that in last 21 days, these well known auto- manufacturers were all enjoying without working on the different possible strategies to open in staggered manner after the government allows to open with some restrictions and conditions. Even in a company like Hindustan Motors that is dead so far auto making is concerned, I as chief of manufacturing faced this type of forced lock down because labour unIon and sudden floods, turning many of the departments in components manufacturing and thousands of machine requiring total drying up and maintenance services. I used to call my senior managers and plan how we would restore and start running the plants in quickest time. What should be our priority areas that must be attained with priority the urgent most first and the rest gradually. We did not have any mobile phone with possibilities of having all plant data in it.

With today’s infrastructure, every thing could have been planned by these auto OEMs, their vendors, and other service providers. Even every needed workmen could have been contacted and kept in knowledge of the companies’s strategies. How can these manufacturers with so little direct manpower employed because of the automation and other aiding equipment be remain in hold mood for almost four weeks? Let the government make them take their own decision. This must be expected for all the companies in such business. It is height of irresponsibility that the executives so huge salary packs were enjoying the lockdown as their providential off. It gives a very poor taste of the level of the national and ethical responsibility in all positions.

With so less manpower and automation is easier to maintain as discipline. Conveyor line workers’ inter- distance can be increased or they can work in multi-shift if required. I shall like the technocrats to note and react. I shall be ready to answer some questions if some from these industries poses to me to my best ability.

https://www.business-standard.com/article/companies/manufacturers-reach-out-to-govt-for-clarity-tweaks-in-lockdown-norms-120041501823_1.html

Calibrated reopening of essential sectors based on red, amber and green zones required with all precautions from all stakeholders: Every unit will have to spend some times with planning engineers and related services before calling the first line workers maintaining social distancing other disciplines agreed through a signed agreement. Exporting units of Textiles and apparels, pharmaceuticals, food processing, minerals and metal, besides e-commerce, automobiles and chemicals may be that list finally decided by nonpartisan experts. Can with our experience, we list the precautions?

Why should the country depend on import from China, when Indians can innovate and produce in so little time? Let the government and other business houses in manufacturing not encourage blind importing from China that has made the innovators of the country totally discouraged lot. एक नवभारत टाइम्स के रिपोर्ट के अनुसार “भारत को जरूरत है रैपिड एंटीबॉडी टेस्ट (rapid antibody test) किट की, जिसका 28 मार्च को ही चीन को ऑर्डर दिया जा चुका है। चीन ने भारत का कंसाइनमेंट अमेरिका भेज दिया और 4 डेडलाइन निकलने के बावजूद किट नहीं मिली है।” अगर समाचार ठीक है तो क्या इसे अन्य देशों से नहीं मगांया जा सकता?अपने देश में क्या बनता नहीं या उसका उत्पादन नहीं बढ़ाया जा सकता? तकलीफ़ तब होती है अपने सरकारों एवं वैज्ञानिकों के दावे पर कि हम चंद्रमा पर जा सकते हैं, टैंक बना सकते है, आणविक पावर स्टेशन और बम बना सकते हैं, पर हम टेस्ट किट नहीं बना सकते…क़रीब क़रीब सभी भारतीय उद्योगों को चीन से आयातित पुर्जोँ पर निर्भर रहना पड़ता है…कब देश के वैज्ञानिकों एवं उद्योगपतियों को भारत में सब ज़रूरी चीजों को बनाना होगा. चीन हो या अमरीका वे कभी दंगा दें सकते हैं. काश कोरो ा के अनुभव के वाद यह इम्पोर्टमैनिया ख़त्म होती….पर ऐसा लगता नहीं…यह दैवी चेतावनी है देश को की सबरियाँ अपने यहाँ भारत में बनाना ही होगा. नहीं तो हम ऐसे दग़ाबाज़ी का शिकार होते रहेंगे.
पर अच्छा ख़बर भी है इसके बारे में . अपने देश में ही टेस्टिंग कीट का बनना चालू होगया है- मीडिया रिपोर्ट है, “At the end of last month when Pune-based MyLab Discovery Solutions announced that it has got the clearance for indigenously manufacturing Covid-19 test kits. The company claimed that the kit manufactured by them will reduce the country’s import dependence for test kits and enable low-cost, real-time testing. Deepak Kumar, official spokesperson of MyLab Said: “We have already supplied the first batch of MyLab Covid-19 Qualitative PCR kits that screen and detect the infection within 2.5 hours, compared to more than seven hours taken by existing protocols.”
“When the scarcity of ventilators became the talking point across the world as Covid-19 infected patients need to have support of this life system which provides an imitating flow of natural breath, Aerobiosys Innovations, an incubated startup of Center for Healthcare Entrepreneurship (CfHE) of the Indian Institute of Technology-Hyderabad (IIT-Hyderabad), came up with a solution. Aerobiosys Innovations made a low-cost, portable emergency use ventilator called “Jeevan Lite” which has the potential to equip the country to deal with the scarcity of ventilators in hospitals across the country.
“The Internet of Things (IoT) enabled Jeevan Lite to provide a low cost (Rs 1 Lakh approximately) option of the ventilator. Jeevan Lite can be operated through through an application.”
Later, the ventilator innovation bandwagon was joined by IIT Roorkee which also developed a low-cost portable ventilator called “Prana-Vayu”. While both startups from the IIT-Hyderabad and IIT-Roorkee are waiting for the certification clearance from the authorities concerned and the clearance will decide the course of the production, another reputed institution—the Indian Institute of Science (IISc)—is ready to produce ventilators from the end of this month. The early production of ventilators by the IISc is possible due to its innovative management of components. Scientists involved in the project are working round the clock to ensure the timely production of the ventilators. T.V. Prabhakar, Principal Research Scientist at the Department of Electronic Systems Engineering (DESE), is leading the project. As per a rough estimate, the country has around 56,000 ventilators and in case of mass spread of the virus, this number will fail to save lives. Pl. read the full story and appreciate the strength of our innovators. https://www.sundayguardianlive.com/business/india-using-innovation-arsenal-fight-coronavirus

कोरोना-१९ के बाद की ज़िन्दगी- कुछ अच्छे फ़ायदे: मैं दो-तीन दिन पहले पुणे में दीपक से बात कर रहा था. वह वहीं के इंजीनियरिंग कॉलेज में अध्यापक है. उससे पता चला कि उसके कॉलेज ने आई. आई. टी मुम्बई से सम्बंध बना अपने छात्रों को ऑन लाइन क्लास चालू रखा है..उसके कॉलेज के प्रोफ़ेसर भी क्लास इसी तरह ले रहें हैं. केन्द्रीय विद्यालयों में भी ऑन लाइन शिक्षा जारी है. हमारे पड़ोसी रमित के बच्चों के स्कूल ने भी ३१ मार्च के बाद ऑन लाइन पढ़ाना चालू कर दिया है…यह देश के सभी उच्च कोटि के विद्यालयों में चल रहा होगा. कितने प्रतिशत स्कूल, कालेज आदि के विद्यार्थियों को यह सुबिधा मिल रही है मालूम नहीं. पर मीडिया को यह संम्भावना एवं उपलब्धि की जानकारी पूरे देश के कोने कोने में ले जाना चाहिये. कोरोना-१९ के बाद डिजीटल विद्यालयों एवं उनके शिक्षकों को पूरी तरह बढ़ावा देना चाहिये..सभी कोटा जैसे प्रोफेशनल विषयों के कोचिंग संस्थानों को भी यही रास्ता अपनाना चाहिये. आज के बच्चों की शिक्षा पर पूरा देश सबसे ज़्यादा खर्च करता है और उसके बाद भी शिकायत रहती है स्कूलों में होती पढ़ाई के स्तर के बारे में. डिजीटल शिक्षा द्वारा सभी को सर्वोत्तम शिक्षा व्यवस्था के साथ जोड़ा जा सकता है.आज जब देश के अधिकांश परिवारों में स्मार्ट फ़ोन उपलब्ध है, अपने देश में भी इंटरनेट का अच्छा स्तर का है. फिर इस तकनीक को हरदम शिक्षा काम लेने का तरीक़ा क्यों नहीं बनाया जा सकता. हर क्लास को दो या तीन में बाँट केवल दो या तीन दिन बच्चों को स्कूल जाना पड़े, अध्यापकों को कम बच्चों के क्लास में उन्हें समझने समझाने का मौक़ा ज़्यादा मिले.
अधिकांश आई. टी क्षेत्र में लोग घर से काम करते हैं, ध्येय यह होना है कि इसका योगदान का प्रतिशत कैसे बढ़ाया जाये..यहाँ तक कि मैनुफ़ैक्चरिंग क्षेत्र की कम्पनियों में भी बहुत डिपार्टमेंट का काम घर से डिजीटल तरीक़े से हो सकता है…इस बदलाव का देश को बहुत फ़ायदा होगा….सड़कों पर वाहनों की संख्या कम होगी…प्रदूषण कम होगा…सभी संस्थानों के ओवरहेड खर्च में कमी आयेगी.
वह बहुतों के लिये एक नई कार्य शैली ज़रूर होगी, पर छोटे परिवार में जुड़ाव भी बढ़ेगा…कोरोना-१९ या इसी तरह के भावी सम्भावनावों का यही निराकरण होगा….और आज की यातना से हम बचे रहेंगे…हम अपनी व्यवस्थाओं में कुछ नये खर्च के बदले बहुत फ़ायदे पा सकते हैं…तभी स्मार्ट गाँव या शहर का सपना सत्य होना आसान हो जायेगा….ज़िन्दगी के लिये किये जानेवाले बहुत अनर्थक कामों से मुक्ति मिलेगी….बदलाव तो ज़रूर आयेगा…कार्यस्थल और कार्य व्यवस्था के डिज़ाइन में तो ज़रूर बदलाव दिखना चाहिये, पर क्या क्या बदलाव आयेगा देखना होगा…अभी समय है निर्णय लेनेवालों को प्लान करने का.

Required a different India after getting read of Corona-19: Coomi Kapoor has given an impartial views on the political leaders like Harsbardhan, Kejriwal, Tablighi arrogance, Sharad Pawaar…The Parliament without politics must in clear terms declare a war against all the Indian citizens who don’t abide by the healthy peaceful living of our society. The responsibility dictated in constitution must be equally or more religiously and forcefully followed by all Indians rather than their rights to make the nation great. Honesty must be practised by every one from the poorest to the richest. Dishonest and anti-national activities activities must get penalised heavily with exemplary punishment. Bad habits like spitting and creating nuisance in the public places must not be socially permitted. Nonsense makers must not be tolerated by the society for any reason. The good performing politicians must be differentiate with those with vested personal interests. Media must adore those trying to make everything in India. The states must try to be self sufficient for daily needs like food, vegetable, fruits, etc. Why should all state depend on other states for essential food items, when our Mother Earth is so good to all the things almost in every part of the country? The must be made more responsible for providing jobs to their grassroots level. How could Bihar or some other states remain satisfied by just proving the menial labour to the whole country. Why the education and health sector of all the states must not be equal to the all India standard? How long the states live on excuses? Media must help the government to take right decision and must stop giving negative news or views just for TRP and earning huge salaries. Strangely, none of the media baron came up as donors for the PM Care Fund. Their all actions are with self survival…with loud mouth. The country must change for better with rethinking about our priorities. Every state must go digital…fast. All shanties must be replaced by the clustered cheap housing facilities with all services available.

How Germany kept Corona under control? If Germany can do, I am sure Indian big industrials plants can also keep running with certain workplace design by building in social distancing in its operations. Naturally our industrial managers will have to adopt ways and means to do it fast with our crude juggads that India is best at. I have been writing on the subject. However, the mission is not a great discovery. Our plants have been adaptable. Our technocrats can still do. Let the plant owner / managers take the responsibility, convince the authority about their action plan and get clearance to safely start their plants. https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/world-news/a-german-exception-why-the-countrys-coronavirus-death-rate-is-low/articleshow/74989886.cms( This is a report from The New York Times).

कोरोना की लड़ाई और सबका दायित्व
हम अपनी ज़िन्दगी (मेरी उम्र ८० साल) और शायद लिखित इतिहास के सबसे बड़े संकट से गुजर रहे हैं. कोई यह नहीं जानता कि कोरोना वॉयरस जनित सारे विश्व को चपेट में ले लेनेवाली महामारी का सठीक कारण क्या रहा है? केवल अनुमान लगाये जा रहे हैं? क्या यह किसी देश का पूरी दुनिया में वर्चस्व की लालसा में आणविक अस्त्रों के तरह के किसी अधपके प्रयोग की विफलता से हुआ या किसी अन्य अनजानी प्राकृतिक कारणों से? पूरे विश्व के वैज्ञानिक अलग अलग इससे बचाव के लिये सठीक दवाइयों की खोज में लगे हैं. इसे बचने या रोकने की टीके की खोज की जा रही है पूरी शक्ति के साथ सब उन्नत एवं सक्षम देशों में सभी संधान का उपयोग किया जा रहा है.दुनिया के सबसे धनी व्यक्ति बिल गेटस् ने एक बहुत बड़ी राशि, शायद १०-१४ विलियन अमरीकी डालर देने का एलान किया है. अमरीका की सभी लैब में काम चल रहा है….भारत के वैज्ञानिक भी जी जान से जुटे हैं. दुनिया के सभी अन्य अग्रणी देशों के वैज्ञानिक इसमें जुटे हैं. पर पता नहीं कि उनमें अनवरत आपसी सम्पर्क एवं सलाह चल रहा है या नहीं? क्या इस महत् कार्य को किसी देश, कम्पनी या व्यक्ति के पेटेंट कराने की होड़ से बाहर नहीं रखा जा सकता? काश! यह दुनिया के सभी देशों के बड़े वैज्ञानिकों का नि:स्वार्थ सामूहिक प्रयत्न होता, दुनिया को बचाने की. ‘रोग के पहले ही दिये जाने सुरक्षात्मक वैक्सीन चाहिये और संक्रमित व्यक्ति के लिये अचूक और शीघ्र से शीघ्र स्वस्थ होने की दवाई चाहिये. साथ ही अब तक के ज्ञात उपायों द्वारा सभी बीमार या आशंका वाले असंख्य रोगियों को बचाने का प्रयास भी पर्याप्त मात्रा में चलना चाहिये. फिर आज की ज़रूरी दवाइयों के साथ, सफल नई खोज की गई दवाइयों को बड़ी मात्राओं में यथाशीघ्र उपलब्ध कराईं जा सके इसकी उत्पादन व्यवस्था होनी चाहिये.अन्य आवश्यक इलाज के लिये ज़रूरी चीजों एवं प्रशिक्षित मानवशक्ति की ज़रूरत भी पूरी होती रहनी चाहिये. पूरे विश्व को एक होने की ज़रूरत है.हर देश के नेतृत्व और उनके वैज्ञानिकों को मनुष्य जाति को बचाने के लिये एक होना ही होगा…कोई दूसरा रास्ता…नहीं है.
हम सभी जो और कुछ नहीं कर सकते अपने विचारों को सकारात्मक रखें.हम जिसे दुनिया की सर्व शक्तिमान परमात्मा समझते हैं उससे इस महामारी से सभी को बचाने के लिये बराबर प्रार्थना करते रहें, सभी जानकारों के बताए नियमों एवं सलाहों का पालन करें, एक दूसरे की सहायता करें, यथाशक्ति तकलीफ़ सहने की कोशिश करें. अपने कर्तव्यों को निभाये, अधिकारों को ताक पर रख दें….हमारे हर कार्य यथाशक्ति कमजोरों की सहायता के लिये हों…पर कमजोर वर्ग भी इसका नजायज़ फ़ायदा न उठाये…और एक बहुत ज़रूरी आख़िरी सलाह है कि हमारे सभी संतान युक्त लोग- विशेषकर जिनकी कामना की कमजोरी है…ब्रह्मचर्य का पालन करे लॉकडाउन में. अपने पैसे को शराब या नशाखोरी में न गंवांयें. यह न हो कि लॉक डाउन एक बड़े “बेबी बूम” का कारण बने…क्योंकि हम आज १४० करोड़ पहुँच चुके हैं…दुनिया के सबसे बड़ी जनसंख्यावाले…कृपया कोई इसका अगर इंग्लिश या अन्य भाषा में अनुवाद कर दे.

A great news: DRDO creates full body disinfection chamber and full face mask. “It comes with a roof mounted and bottom tanks and has a capacity of 700 litres and around 650 personnel can walk through before the next refill… Using their scientific endeavours to develop products faster, the DRDO labs are now working with industry partners for bulk production. With the help of M/s D H Ltd, Ghaziabad, in a short time of around four days, one of the labs of DRDO, Vehicle Research Development Establishment (VRDE), Ahmednagar, has designed full body disinfection chamber called as PSE.” From FE

And some more from Gujarat https://www.financialexpress.com/lifestyle/health/covid-19-gujarat-firm-makes-low-cost-ventilators-in-10-days/1919297/

कोरोना की लड़ाई और सबका दायित्व
हम अपनी ज़िन्दगी (मेरी उम्र ८० साल) और शायद लिखित इतिहास के सबसे बड़े संकट से गुजर रहे हैं. कोई यह नहीं जानता कि कोरोना वॉयरस जनित सारे विश्व को चपेट में ले लेनेवाली महामारी का सठीक कारण क्या रहा है? केवल अनुमान लगाये जा रहे हैं? क्या यह किसी देश का पूरी दुनिया में वर्चस्व की लालसा में आणविक अस्त्रों के तरह के किसी अधपके प्रयोग की विफलता से हुआ या किसी अन्य अनजानी प्राकृतिक कारणों से? पूरे विश्व के वैज्ञानिक अलग अलग इससे बचाव के लिये सठीक दवाइयों की खोज में लगे हैं. इसे बचने या रोकने की टीके की खोज की जा रही है पूरी शक्ति के साथ सब उन्नत एवं सक्षम देशों में सभी संधान का उपयोग किया जा रहा है.दुनिया के सबसे धनी व्यक्ति बिल गेटस् ने एक बहुत बड़ी राशि, शायद १०-१४ विलियन अमरीकी डालर देने का एलान किया है. अमरीका की सभी लैब में काम चल रहा है….भारत के वैज्ञानिक भी जी जान से जुटे हैं. दुनिया के सभी अन्य अग्रणी देशों के वैज्ञानिक इसमें जुटे हैं. पर पता नहीं कि उनमें अनवरत आपसी सम्पर्क एवं सलाह चल रहा है या नहीं? क्या इस महत् कार्य को किसी देश, कम्पनी या व्यक्ति के पेटेंट कराने की होड़ से बाहर नहीं रखा जा सकता? काश! यह दुनिया के सभी देशों के बड़े वैज्ञानिकों का नि:स्वार्थ सामूहिक प्रयत्न होता, दुनिया को बचाने की. ‘रोग के पहले ही दिये जाने सुरक्षात्मक वैक्सीन चाहिये और संक्रमित व्यक्ति के लिये अचूक और शीघ्र से शीघ्र स्वस्थ होने की दवाई चाहिये. साथ ही अब तक के ज्ञात उपायों द्वारा सभी बीमार या आशंका वाले असंख्य रोगियों को बचाने का प्रयास भी पर्याप्त मात्रा में चलना चाहिये. फिर आज की ज़रूरी दवाइयों के साथ, सफल नई खोज की गई दवाइयों को बड़ी मात्राओं में यथाशीघ्र उपलब्ध कराईं जा सके इसकी उत्पादन व्यवस्था होनी चाहिये.अन्य आवश्यक इलाज के लिये ज़रूरी चीजों एवं प्रशिक्षित मानवशक्ति की ज़रूरत भी पूरी होती रहनी चाहिये. पूरे विश्व को एक होने की ज़रूरत है.हर देश के नेतृत्व और उनके वैज्ञानिकों को मनुष्य जाति को बचाने के लिये एक होना ही होगा…कोई दूसरा रास्ता…नहीं है.
हम सभी जो और कुछ नहीं कर सकते अपने विचारों को सकारात्मक रखें.हम जिसे दुनिया की सर्व शक्तिमान परमात्मा समझते हैं उससे इस महामारी से सभी को बचाने के लिये बराबर प्रार्थना करते रहें, सभी जानकारों के बताए नियमों एवं सलाहों का पालन करें, एक दूसरे की सहायता करें, यथाशक्ति तकलीफ़ सहने की कोशिश करें. अपने कर्तव्यों को निभाये, अधिकारों को ताक पर रख दें….हमारे हर कार्य यथाशक्ति कमजोरों की सहायता के लिये हों…पर कमजोर वर्ग भी इसका नजायज़ फ़ायदा न उठाये…और एक बहुत ज़रूरी आख़िरी सलाह है कि हमारे सभी संतान युक्त लोग- विशेषकर जिनकी कामना की कमजोरी है…ब्रह्मचर्य का पालन करे लॉकडाउन में. अपने पैसे को शराब या नशाखोरी में न गंवांयें. यह न हो कि लॉक डाउन एक बड़े “बेबी बूम” का कारण बने…क्योंकि हम आज १४० करोड़ पहुँच चुके हैं…दुनिया के सबसे बड़ी जनसंख्यावाले…कृपया कोई इसका अगर इंग्लिश या अन्य भाषा में अनुवाद कर दे….

यमुना जब सोती रहतीं हैं, कुछ अकेलापन तो लगता है, पर वह समय किताबों की दुनिया में घूमने का एक अच्छा अवसर होता है, कुछ सोचने का भी. गीता एक श्लोक अध्याय २ का ४७वां जो सबसे ज़्यादा उद्धृत होता है वह है:
कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन ।
मा कर्मफलहेतुर्भुर्मा ते संगोऽस्त्वकर्मणि ॥

तेरा कर्म करने में ही अधिकार है, उसके फलों में कभी नहीं। इसलिए तू कर्मों के फल हेतु मत हो तथा तेरी कर्म न करने में भी आसक्ति न हो।
**
Thy right is to work only, but never to it’s fruits; let the fruit of action be not thy motive, nor let thy attachment be in action.
।।।।

पर शायद यह कम लोग ही जानते होंगे कि वही बात यजुर्वेद में पहले कही हुई है –
कुर्वन्नेवेह कर्माणि जिजीविषेच्छतं समा:।
एवं त्वयि नान्यथेतोस्ति न कर्म लिप्यते नरे॥

हमें निष्काम करते हुये सौ वर्ष जीने की इच्छा करनी चाहिये
**
Be concerned with actions only, never with its results,
Leave the results in the hands of the Supreme.
Let not the fruits of action be thy motive
Of the actions, or the crave of anxiety.
Perform actions free from attachments.
-Yajur Veda_40:2

शायद तुलसीदास के रामायण में भी हो, पर याद नहीं आ रहा है…वह अपने सुधी मित्रों को कहता हूँ पूरा कर दें. जिन सत्यों का निरोपण वेदों में किया गया, उसे उपनिषदों विस्तार दिया गया, फिर गीता में तो बहुत प्रभावशाली और जनप्रिय कर दिया गया. हमारी ऋषियों की ज्ञान की पहिचान करने की कोशिश अब विश्व के विद्वानों ने किया और करते जा रहे हैं….

Be Entrepreneur, Get into manufacturing: The government intention and the country’s need require a new wave of enterprising young persons to get into the business of manufacturing in the sector such as electronics, and high tech manufacturing technologies using Artificial Intelligence, nano-technology, 3D printing, solar cells, the newer EV battery technologies, etc. The main objective is to make country self -sufficient with indigenous products, and go away from the policy of importing everything. Who can be the best entrepreneurs of these new enterprises with potential to become one day a global player?

1. Every big companies employing highly talented educated youths must encourage their business-minded experienced technical personnels with aptitude to get into their own business in these sectors. Many private and companies like BEL, Tatas, Mahindra, L&T must encourage their employees.
   2.All IITs and other top engineering colleges must train and encourage their students of every department, but certainly of electrical, electronics, telecommunication, aeronautics, chemical into entrepreneurship and startups rather than going for management. The government must grant special scholarships for the students with such potentials..
2. Prime minister must request 10-15 reputed big industrialists such as Azimji Premji, Ratan Tata, A K Naik of L&T, Anand Mahindra, N R Narayana Murthy, Nandan Nilekani to visit the engineering institutes and address the students to encourage them in the entrepreneurship in manufacturing rather than joining industry or management.
3. The Prime Minister and some ministers such Nitin Gadkari, Piyush Goel, Rajnath Singh or bureaucrats such as Amitabh Kant must also directly address the students of the technical institutes to attract them in manufacturing of all items required in all sectors for which the country is just dependent on import.

Govt has very rightly notified three pretty lucrative incentive schemes for electronics sector. But the opportunity must go to the right persons with aptitude foe innovation and entrepreneurship as discussed above. Let us look at this initiative, “The schemes that altogether offer incentives of nearly Rs 48,000 crore, were cleared by the cabinet last month. These include the promotion of manufacturing of electronic components and semiconductors, Modified Electronics Manufacturing Clusters (EMC 2.0) Scheme, and Production Linked Incentive Scheme for large scale electronics manufacturing. The government’s notification states that the incentives for these schemes will be rolled out from 1st August and will initially be open for four months. “ Today the developing and manufacturing the world class products of fulfilling the huge demand in the country must be the first priority of the nation. Globalisation is on death bed. Situation such as Covid-19 must teach the country this.
https://www.financialexpress.com/economy/electronics-manufacturing-govt-notifies-three-incentive-schemes-likely-to-create-lakhs-of-jobs/1916751/

1. Media Useless, Obsolete, Requiring Total Overhaul: Responsible, honest, patriotic social media can and must replace it. Let us just give news without adding our opinion. Most of the national media, newspapers such as Business Standard, Financial Express, Indian Express, etc. and their so-called great columnists are talking irritable issues even in this critical National Calamity when preventing and cutting down the death due to Covina-19 must be the topmost work. These columnists are busy in criticising or talking about the short coming of the government schemes and their silly ideas. Better brains than theirs are deciding and working on the problems and coming out the best solutions. Who are they to just compare and criticise. Subscribers must shun them. Why can’t they go and help the needy and get the first hand experience rather writing all bullshits from a cosy home on computers? They have been only useless pen pushers with no records of any of the ground work. Sekhar Gupta, Pratap Bhanu Mehta, and huge lot of them don’t have any credential of working with hand and it’s experience. They are all failed ones or discarded. They have hardly taken up the responsibility of running a responsible work activity centre. I hope readers must make them shun their negativity. Let the activities of our scientists, engineers, technocrats, business leaders, manufacturers, researchers, product manufacturers, modern revolutionary real farmers be celebrated. Unfortunately, these media greats have been not even mentioning their contributions. Has anyone eventhought why we, at large even the educated ones do not know the names of the best scientists, technocrats, management experts of India?

2. As media says, ‘Indian scientists image novel coronavirus using a microscope’…. Congratulations to the scientists…true legacy of Charak, Shusruta . However, they must come out for a cheap preventive vaccine and a curative medicine. That will be the day to celebrate. And the government/s must announce an award of Rs. 1000 or more crores, as that will be cheaper than the loss that the country will undergo if the lockdown is only answer. Let not the China or any other country win. https://www.indiatoday.in/science/story/indian-scientists-microscopy-image-sarscov2-virus-covid19-corona-1660511-2020-03-27

3. मुकेश अम्बानी जी एवं अन्य कृपया सामने आयें….देशवासी आपको इस दान, सहायता से ही अपना मानेंगे….यही आपको महान बनायेगा, देशभक्त बनायेगा….अजीम प्रेमजी एक इतिहास बना रहें हैं, पूरा देश उनको सलाम कर रहा है….यही सभी धनवानों को अमरता देगा… खबर है https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/as-lockdown-loomed-india-s-rich-scrambled-to-fly-kids-home-from-abroad-1660461-2020-03-27 अपने बच्चों से ऊपर उठिये… https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/company/corporate-trends/azim-premji-raises-his-contribution-to-philanthropy-to-21-billion/articleshow/68393148.cms?from=mdr

4.A Huge package of Rs. 1.76 lakh crore for poor people: The Prime Minister Gareeb Kalyan scheme worth Rs 1.7 trillion will have two parts — cash transfer and food security. Covid-19 package to take care of the welfare concerns of the poor and migrant workers who have been suffering because of a nationwide lockdown
*Provides a medical insurance scheme for health workers. This Rs 50 lakh per individual insurance plan would be applicable to all health workers that includes sanitation and ASHA workers, paramedics, doctors, nurses. Two million health workers will benefit from this scheme.

“We do not want anyone to remain hungry, so we will be giving enough to take care of their foodgrain requirement, protein requirement in terms of pulses.”

The PM Gareeb Kalyan Scheme will have two components

1. The Pradhan Mantri Gareeb Kalyan Anna Yojana:
   Under this plan, 800 million poor people in the country will get 5 kg of rice or wheat per month free of cost, in addition to the 5 kg they already get. In addition to rice or wheat, each household will get 1 kg of preferred dal for free for the next three months.
2. Cash transfer scheme:
   Farmers will get the first instalment of the PM-KISAN payment of Rs 2,000 soon.
   This move will benefit 87 million farmers across the country.
   MGNREGS: Wage increased from Rs 182 to Rs 202 per day. This wage increase will benefit 50 million families, as their income will increase by nearly Rs 2,000
   Poor widows, aged, and divyang: Ex-gratia transfer of Rs 1,000 for the next three months, in two instalments. 30 million people will benefit and the transfers will be done through direct benefits transfer (DBT)
   Women with Jan Dhan Yojana accounts: 200 million such account holders will benefit from Rs 500 ex-gratia for the next three months.
   Beneficiaries of the Ujjwala scheme: 80 million households benefitted from the gas cylinders provided under the scheme. These beneficiaries will get free cylinders for three months in view of the disruption the coronavirus lockdown will cause.
   Women in self-help groups: 6.3 million self help groups (SHGs) get up to Rs 10 lakh collateral-free loans under the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya National Rural Mission scheme. The cap has been doubled to Rs 20 lakh. The move will benefit 70 million households.
   Organised sector workers: The Government of India will pay the EPF contribution of both employee and employer for the next three months. This will be for all those establishments which have up to 100 employees, 90% of whom earn less than Rs 15,000 a month. This will benefit 400,000 such organisations and 8 million such employees. In what will benefit 8 million employees and 400,000 establishments, the EPFO regulation will be amended to allow the withdrawal of up to 75% of their corpus as non-refundable advance, or three months’ salary, whichever is less
   Construction workers: States have been directed to utilise the Rs 31,000 crore welfare fund for building and construction workers for the benefit of 35 million workers in the midst of the coronavirus crisis.
   District mineral fund: State govts to be urged to utilise this fund for medical screening, medical testing and providing health care services in the wake of the coronavirus crisis.

• From Business Standard
  Unfortunate that
• many like most of our maid servants, cleaning gang, security guards don’t have aadhar cards, nor they have got gas cylinders, nor provision free electricity or their own house, or the facility of Ayusman as they have made the necessary registration.
• migrant workers have been left without any help from their contractors and builders. As per a report, they are trying to walk back to their home states….
• assistance for crores of farmers will go to the landholders (who do not deserve it ) rather than to the real tillers and real farmers.

5.

…
Hello Indra, we are unable to deliver due to restrictions imposed by local authorities on movement of goods and people. There are clear guidelines provided by Government to enable essential services, and so we are working with the relevant authorities to ensure we are able to operate.

-Raj Kumar

6. यह इतिहास का सबसे बड़ा चुनौती है किसी भी देश के नेतृत्व के लिये….इस स्थिति में मोदी की हर तरह से हर किसी को मदद ही करना चाहिये व्यक्तिगत स्वार्थ को ताके पर रख….विशेषकर अकूत सम्पति के मालिकों को ग़रीबों की, आम आदमी को सहायता करना चाहिये अपनी पूरी शक्ति लगा…..केवल सरकारों पर नहीं निर्भर नहीं करना चाहिये….सभी प्राइवेट हॉस्पिटल को सरकारी हस्पताल की तरह आम लोगों के लिये खोल देना चाहिये….सम्पन्न डाक्टरों को भी मदद में आगे आना चाहिये…

7. Let us, we all proud Indians prove these scientists very much wrong through our discipline and services to the needy. According to a report compiled by COV-IND-19 Study Group, an interdisciplinary international team of researchers, “India could face between 1,00,000 to 13 lakh confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus by mid-May, if the current trend in the growing number of COVID-19 cases continues. It appeared in The Hindu Businessline. I seriously feel that the tons of data being published and presented in media may create panic. The country including those in must focus on providing all services honestly fast with just one single objective that if with our successful the heaven of highest self satisfaction will be hours. The society and nation will remain obliged to all those service providers and bless them for their immortality and highest heaven at end if there is one.

8.

1. ICMR approval: India okays use of FDC Kaletra to treat Covid-
   Lopinavir/Ritonavir, a fixed dose combination (FDC) antiretroviral sold under the brand name of Kaletra, has been approved by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), for restricted public health use among the symptomatic Covid-19 patients, as per an ‘ahead of print’ article in the special edition of the Indian Journal of Medical Research brought out by the Indian Council of Medical Research. Hospitalised adult patients with laboratory confirmed SARS CoV-2 infection can give written informed consent to receive the treatment for 14 days if they meet any of the following criteria: respiratory distress with respiratory rate greater than or equal to 22/minute or blood-oxygen levels (oxygenated haemoglobin as a percentage of total haemoglobin) of less than
2. The first consignment of home-grown Covid-19 testing kits from Pune-based MyLab Discovery Solutions is all set to be dispatched to government hospitals across the country from Wednesday. Mylab co-founder and executive director Shailendra Kawade said they will start with around 15,000 units per day and go up to 25,000 in two to three days. “We have open orders from all government labs and all the big private labs,” Kawade said. https://www.financialexpress.com/lifestyle/health/pune-start-up-makes-affordable-accessible-covid-19-test-kit/1908524/

What Dr. Amartya Kumar Dutta, Prof. In Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata takes Nobel Laureate Amartya Kumar Sen in an historical very authoritative and detailed article on the subject of the history of Indian Ancient Indian Mathematics, I quote here certain portions from the article related to the mathematics in Vedas:

1

Swami Vivekananda in a speech “India’s Gift to the World” delivered at the New York City in 1895 ([33], Vol. II, p. 511):

“. . . the ten numerals, the very cornerstone of all present civilization, were discovered in India, and are, in reality, Sanskrit words.”

2

Mathematicians have expressed their admiration for the two brilliant innovations involved in the decimal notation: the idea of “place-value” and the concept of “zero”. The great French mathematician Pierre-Simon Laplace writes (1814 CE):

“It is India that gave us the ingenious method of expressing all numbers by means of ten symbols, each symbol receiving a value of position as well as an absolute value; a profound and important idea which appears so simple to us now that we ignore its true merit. But its very simplicity, the great ease which it has lent to all computations, puts our arithmetic in the first rank of useful inventions; and we shall appreciate the grandeur of this achievement the more when we remember that it escaped the genius of Archimedes and Apollonius, two of the greatest men produced by antiquity.” (p. 19.)

The power of the place-value of zero has been beautifully highlighted by the American mathematician G.B. Halsted ([p. 20):

“The importance of the creation of the zero mark can never be exaggerated. This giving to airy nothing, not merely a local habitation and a name, a picture, a symbol, but helpful power, is the characteristic of the Hindu race whence it sprang. It is like coining the Nirvana into dynamos. No single mathematical creation has been more potent for the general on-go of intelligence and

3

Bibhutibhusan Datta (emulating a verse of K ̄alid ̄asa) in the Preface of his book:

“How great is the science which revealed itself in the Sulba, and how meagre is my intellect!

I have aspired to cross the unconquerable ocean in a mere raft.”

4

……..a passage from his ( Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen’s popular book “The Argumentative Indian” (2005) (pp 66–67) which has been the raison d’eˆtre for the present article (italics are ours):

“As it happens, despite the richness of the Vedas in many other respects, there is no sophisticated mathematics in them, nor anything that can be called rigorous science. There was, however, much of both in India in the first millennium CE. These contributions were early enough in the history of mathematics and science to demand respectful attention, but the BJP-created proposed textbooks tried, with little reason and even less evidence, to place the origin of some of these contributions in the much earlier, Vedic period.

Are we not reminded of Seidenberg’s phrase “haughty dismissals” (of Vedic contributions to sophisticated mathematics)? The contrast with the humility in Bibhuthibhusan Datta’s tribute (quoted earlier) is striking. That such a passage can occur in a book by one of India’s finest intellectuals 130 years after the publication of Thibaut, 73 years after the book by B. Datta and 27 years after the papers of Seidenberg, is a damning comment on the level of awareness about ancient Indian (especially the Vedic) legacy among the modern Indian elite.

Prof. Sen further says:

“For the sake of clarity, we have to distinguish between three distinct errors that are conflated together in this invented history: . . . (3) the manifestly false affirmation that the Vedas contain much sophisticated mathematics and many scientific discoveries (even though non-partisan readers cannot find them there).”

… Then comes a bizzare remark:

“The third claim, by the way,also has the effect of implicitly asserting that Aryabhatta or Brahmagupta or Varahmihira were not original in the fifth to the seventh centuries”.

Does an eulogy of an Archimedes amount to an implicit assertion that a Newton or an Euler or a Gauss were not original in the seventeenth to nineteenth centuries? The Vedic seers gave the (oral) decimal system, the post-Vedic mathematicians brought out in the open certain algebraic concepts dormant in the system; moreover, the system facilitated their original research on indeterminate equations and their computations in astronomy. The Sulba authors taught the theorem on the square of the diagonal of a rectangle and results on the circle; the post-Vedic mathematicians used them to develop trigonometry and the theory of quadrilaterals inside the circle.

But Amartya Sen continued his tirade. In the 98th Indian Science Congress (2011), Chennai, Amartya Sen proclaimed (as reported in The Statesman, Kolkata, 5.1.2011):

“those who are looking for the origin of Indian mathematics in the Vedas would be “completely barking up the wrong tree”.’

We are not aware of any large-scale protest or expression of disapproval from Indian scientists and intellectuals. If we accept the quoted statements as axioms, it would then follow as a corollary that Swami Vivekananda, Bibhutibhusan Datta and most of the scholars listed in the References are “partisan” and “barking up the wrong tree”!

Among a considerable section of scientists and intellectuals, there is an anxiety that an aware- ness about ancient Indian (especially Vedic) achievements will lead to a pernicious “glorification” of the past, which has to be resisted by all means — by “haughty dismissals” if necessary.

I have not added anything from my side. Please judge and comment…if you are interested in the subject of mathematics and ancient India’s contributions.

Read the complete article and share with those you know of their this interest: https://www.isical.ac.in/~amartya/rkmv_platinum%20(1).pdf

Are such controversy responsible for the present attitude in our youth in India? It surprises when many educated Indians today just talk in so irresponsible a way without the past achievements of India. Till India remained though divided in smaller states under Indian rulers many of whom promoted its age old cultures and education based on our ancient scriptures starting from Vedas, Upanishads, Bhagwad Gita, and many more.

What Vedas teach us? A Quote:

यादृश्मिन् धायि तमपस्यया विदत्

(ऋग्वेद/Rigveda- 5.44.)

मनुष्य जिस विषय में अपना मन लगा देता है, उसे अपने पुरुषार्थ से प्राप्त कर लेता है।

By dedicated effort one is blessed with whatever his heart is set upon .

कितना सच है यह वेदवाक्य…..

Vedas and Indian Culture

Most of us Indians hardly know what all were the subject matters of Vedas that has a legacy of thousands of years. Here is some aspects of the Vedas that makes me proud of. Think of our wise poet Rishi who wrote and sang these hymns thousands of years ago. It has been taken from a book of Dr. A C Bose, ‘The Call of the Vedas’:

The whole Indian culture is based on the fundamental values formulated in the Vedic hymns. These source-books of Indian religion and culture has provided one of highest objective to live a peaceful society and life.In addition to the spiritual and moral values the Veda thinks in terms of physical and material well-being. Perhaps for the first, our very early scripture Rigveda speak of the optimum duration of life as a hundred years.The Yajurveda adds to this Rigvedic idea by adding that there should be the efficiency of sight, hearing and speech and prosperity going with long life.The Atharva Veda adds to these knowledge and progress.

The Veda also shows tenderness for children, e.g. Vena (the loving and beloved One) is caressed as a child by the poets with their hymns:— ‘the hymns ‘the Child, the golden-hued Bird.’ The poet asks his friends to ‘decorate the Yajna (rite) as they decorate a child to make it look beautiful.’ The Rigveda says elsewhere that the sun and the moon ‘go round like two playing children around the Yajna.’ Children are the symbols of racial immortality. A sage prays : ‘May I be immortal through my children.’

The Atharva Veda sets the ideal of the joint family in fine language. It desires ‘union of hearts and minds and freedom from hate’ and wishes the members to ‘love one another as the cow loves the calf she has borne ’ and ‘through common desire have one aim, be of one mind, following one leader.’ Their food and store of water are to be common, and their unity is to be symbolised by their gathering round the domestic fire in worship like the spokes of a wheel round its nave.

The Rigveda compares an ideal house to a lotus lake and to a divine mansion. The Yajurveda (describes the home as a place ‘on which man, sojourning, contemplates, in which there is much love.’

Hospitality, according to the Veda, is an essential domestic virtue. The House of an inhospitable man is no home, says a Rigvedic sage.According to this ideal a good householder must share his food with the needy. ‘He is all sin who eats all alone.

The Vedic people think tenderly of their cattle. These are associated with the beauty of their life, as the following hymn addresses to the House shows ;

“May there come to thee in the evening

the calf and the little boy (kumdra)

and cattle streaming along.”

The loving song of prayer has been compared to the lowing of a ‘cow for her calf.’Make our house happy with your pleasant lowings’ is said in another Rigvedic hymn addressed to the cow. While wishing that the cow should have many calves, the poet also wants that she should ‘graze on good pastures and drink pure water at good drinking places. ’ He knows the high nutritive value of the milk diet : ‘ Ye Cows, you fatten the emaciated and make the unlovely look beautiful.’ He records his gratitude : ‘ The cows have brought us good fortune. To me the cows are Bhaga, they are Indra.’ Here one can find the root of the special sanctity attached to the cow in later times.

In reading the Veda one feels that the non-human creatures were not looked down upon, as they are now, as lower animals. The beauty of beasts has often been admired along with human beauty, as in the Atharva Veda :

‘the majesty and lustre in males,

in the hero and the steed,

in the wild beast and in the elephant,

and the radiance that is in the maiden.

Vedas and Harmony in family

Vedas have spoken about the HARMONY in a family,among the people of a state as well as among people’s of different states.Even today, the hymns are pretty relevant if we can learn, assimilate, and bring them in use to reduce the chaos in social life. (This is quoted from ‘Thus Spake Vedas’ published by Sri Ramakrishna Math, Mylapore, Chennai-4)

1. Harmony in a family: I will make you be of one heart and of one mind, free from hate.Love each other as the mother-cow loves the calf born to her. Let the son be loyal to the father and of one mind with the mother.Let the wife speak sweet and gentle words to the husband. Let not brother hate brother, nor sister hate sister. Unanimous and united in purpose, speak with each other in a friendly manner.

2. Harmony among the people of a state: Assemble, speak with each other, let your mind be united through mutual knowledge….May the aim be common, the assembly common and the thoughts of these people united. Be of one mind so that you may live happily together.

3. Harmony among peoples of different states: Let us have harmony with our own people, and harmony with foreigners. Let us share the mutual knowledge and love here.Let us have union of mind, union of purpose. Let us not fight against the divine spirit within us. Let there be no battle….