The objective of this presentation is to define ‘Spiritualism’ as an internal, mutually beneficial partnership, relationship, association, or bonding between individual living cells of the same organism, or between two different organisms. Spiritualism has to be explained in the context of biotic interactions and consciousness determines the nature and characteristics of such biotic interactions.
Dr. Heinrich Anton de Bary( 1831 - 1888 ), German Physician, Botanist, Founder of Modern Mycology, Microbiologist, Founder of Plant Pathology had coined the term 'Symbiosis'.
Dr. Heinrich Anton de Bary had coined the term ‘Symbiosis’ in 1879. It describes the living together of unlike organisms; the intimate association of two dissimilar organisms from which each organism benefits. Symbiosis ( sym – together; bios – life ) refers to various kinds of close and permanent associations between members of different species and the term could also be used to describe the nature of social relations between different human beings.
CARIBOU LICHEN - In 1866, Dr. Bary was the first to show that Lichens consist of a fungus and an alga in intimate association for mutual benefit.
WHAT IS A BIOTIC COMMUNITY? :
A biotic community is a biological or natural community consisting of two or more interacting and interdependent populations of living cells or living organisms. No species, and no individual member lives in isolation from other species or other living members in a biological community. The life of the community and of all its members, and of all organisms in it requires energy.
NO MAN IS AN ISLAND, ENTIRE OF ITSELF :
John Donne( 1572 - 1631 ), Jacobean metaphysical poet, author of Devotion Upon Emergent Occasions( 1624 ).
Ernest Hemingway’s novel “For Whom The Bell Tolls” gives this modern version of the quote from John Donne’s Meditation XVII, “Devotion Upon Emergent Occasions” : “No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent a part of the main.” In this blog post I would like to examine the biological basis for human existence and understand the nature of man and the status of man as an organism existing at a given place, and given environment because of mutually beneficial biotic interactions.
WHAT ARE BIOTIC INTERACTIONS? :
Science and Spiritualism - Spiritualism represents a biotic interaction like Mutualism
Living organisms interact with each other competitively and sometimes beneficially. Some of these interactions are temporary, casual and of minor importance whereas others are permanent, vital and of major significance. Many interactions are highly specialized and complicated involving adaptive changes in structure, function, behavior, and ecology. Some interactions create negative effects on the interactants, reducing survival or reproductive success; other interactions produce effects increasing survival or reproductive success. In some cases, members of an interaction are apparently unaffected. Biotic interactions could be divided into two categories; a. Intraspecific Interactions; interactions between the individual living cells that comprise the same multicellular orgainsm, or interactions between members of the same species, and b. Interspecific Interactions; interactions between members of two or more different species. The biotic interactions may involve nutritional benefits, support of other metabolic functions, space in which to live, shelter, or protection, transport, or reproductive capability. Biotic interactions are significant not only because they influence individual species but also because they constitute the principal stabilizing, connective linkages among the various species contained in a biotic community. Individual members of any given species in a biological community persist in relative harmony because of biotic interactions despite individual gains and losses. As a consequence of this web of interactions, the biotic community as a whole persists with all of its members ultimately contributing to its continuation. The consequences of biotic interactions could be positive, negative, or neutral. Mutualism is an association of two different species that result in mutual benefit or gain. Facultative Mutualism or Protocooperation involves facultative interactions between plants and animals in ways that are general and indirect but beneficial to both species. The interactions that occur between soil bacteria and fungi and between them and higher plants growing in the soil are Protocooperative. In the zone of plant roots, soil bacteria and fungi interact with each other, some producing nutrients or metabolites required by others and all obtaining nutrients ultimately from root exudates and decaying organic matter. Plants benefit from the actions of this microflora by acquiring needed minerals, and nitrogen compounds. The important association of nitrifying bacteria in the process called Nitrogen Fixation, the extraction of Nitrogen from the environment by the roots of leguminous plants is well-known. Collectively all microflora and higher plants, with associated soil fauna, participate in determining soil composition, soil structure, and soil fertility. Man exists in nature as a terrestrial organism because of these biotic interactions that transform the characteristics of soil and its ability to support life. Biotic communities that are based on Obligative Mutualism are characterized by stable, persistent, and interdependent associations between species. Coexistence in a given habitat is always required as this association is mandatory for the survival of each participant. This kind of association is perpetrated from one generation to the next. To guarantee the coexistence of the partners, the species involved show relationships based upon structure, behavior, and life history. In lichens, the fungal member penetrates algal cells with feeding tubes or haustoria, thus effecting an intimate physical interconnection. This nutrient exchange helps the algal cells to develop resistance to drying or to extreme temperatures. Commensalism is an association in which one member benefits while the other remains unaffected. Physical Commensalism involves the need for living space and the examples are provided by woody plants that physically support numerous orchids and ferns. Nutritional Commensalism is well illustrated by the many organisms found in the alimentary tracts of man and other higher animals. Such microbial gut flora use host waste products for food and acquire water and a suitable climate in which to live. No harm is done to the hosts. In Parasitism, the smaller organism benefits at the expense of the larger organism. Both plants and animals are attacked by parasites. Many parasites cause disease and death of the host organism. Parasitism constitutes a considerable burden on a host population. Many disease causing organisms are parasites carried from host to host by some other organism; for example Malaria is caused by a protozoan parasite transmitted by mosquitoes. In such situations, the biotic interactions involve three necessarily coexisting species: the pathogen, the carrier or vector species, and the host. An intermediate host interposed between the target host and parasite adds ecological complications to host-parasite interactions: the parasite, host, and intermediate host must all be present in the same community in suitable numbers at the same time. Consumption describes organisms eating organims. It is the most important class of biotic interactions. Herbivory describes animals eating plants. Predation refers to a large or strong animal that consumes a small or weak animal. Scavengers eat or consume dead or decaying organisms and organic material. Consumption is the basic food association( trophic link ) through which the composition dynamics and variation of biological community’s structure takes place. All organisms form links in the community food chains and food webs, the nutritional pathways characteristic of given biological community. Amensalism is an association between organisms of two different species in which one is inhibited or destroyed and the other is unaffected. There are two basic modes of Amensalism; 1. Competition occurs when two species utilize a common, limited resource such as food, space, and water, and in doing so, one species interferes with, injures, or deprives the other species. Competition may involve a larger or stronger organism that excludes a smaller or weaker one from living space or deprives it of food; Intraspecific Competition occurs when competitors are of the same species. Competitive interactions may lead to Competitive Exclusion or Competitive Displacement, and 2. Antibiosis, in which one organism is unaffected but the other is damaged or killed by a chemical secretion. The classic example of Antibiosis is the discovery of Penicillin antibiotic by Dr. Alexander Fleming who had observed that the bread mold Penicillium notatum had effects upon the growth of colonies of bacteria. Mutual Antagonism occurs when a biotic interaction between two species results in harm or death to both.
INTERACTIONS WITHIN A SPECIES : THE ROLE OF NEGATIVE INTERACTIONS :
Intraspecific Competition provides the ultimate force limiting the abundance of a species in a community. Natural enemies could be present or absent but others of the same species are always present providing the Competition that insures against over exploitation of available resources and the irreversible destruction of a community due to overpopulation. Fighting and territorial defense are some of the overt methods by which Competition manifests itself. Territoriality, the dividng up of resources, mostly space, is a common means of defense against overcrowding. Instead of involving individuals against individuals, it involves groups of individuals. It also produces the response of migration of individuals and mass flight of large groups of individuals. Competitive Intraspecific Interactions between humans and Mutual Antagonism among human social groups may endanger human existence.
THE ROLE OF POSITIVE INTRASPECIFIC INTERACTIONS :
Man’s life journey begins as an Embryo which gets implanted into the maternal tissues by about 6 days after its conception. Thus, mother is the source of Food and Energy to establish human life. Man has no existence in the absence of this positive Intraspecific Interaction between Embryo and Mother.
Man’s life journey begins with conception and implantation of the embryo into maternal tissues about six days after conception. The prolonged period of gestation, the anatomical connection between developing fetus and mother, the psychological bonding and the extended period of dependence of newborn and the role of parental care reveal the importance of Positive Intraspecific Interactions for human existence. Numerous interactions among individuals of the same species lead to the development of social groups. Parental Care and protection provides the basis for many aggregations of like individuals, and social units like families.
Tropical Orchids provide an example of Physical CommensalismA medical historian described the proboscis of the female Anopheline Mosquito:"Down this tiny tube crept microscopic poison which swept away two of the mightiest empires( of Greece and Rome ) the world has ever seen." Half the morbidity of the human race until very recently was due to Malaria transmitted by bites of female Anopheles Mosquito.
A tapeworm is a ribbon like parasitic flatworm that belongs to the Class Cestoda. The Pork Tapeworm or Taenia solium grows upto 33 feet long and lives in human small intestine which is about 20 feet long. I had dissected a human cadaver in which I found the Pork Tapeworm tightly coiled in the entire extent of the small intestine contributing to the death of my human anatomy specimen.
A medical historian described the proboscis of the female Anopheline Mosquito:"Down this tiny tube crept microscopic poison which swept away two of the mightiest empires( of Greece and Rome ) the world has ever seen." Half the morbidity of the human race until very recently due to Malaria transmitted by bites of female Anopheles Mosquito.
MAN’S BIOLOGICAL EXISTENCE AS THE HOST OF A BIOTIC COMMUNITY :
Escherichia Coli – Example of microbial flora of human gastrointestinal tract. Man exists as a natural host to a biotic community of trillions of microorganisms.
Man exists in nature as a natural host to a biotic community of trillions of microorganisms. At birth, the stomach and gastrointestinal tract are usually sterile. With the first intake of food and contact with other humans present in the environment, bacteria commence the colonization of infant’s digestive tract. These microorganisms perform functions beneficial to the host. The microbes are provided with a protected place to live and their environment is rich in nutrients. This mutual beneficial, symbiotic relationship is always present during the entire course of life after birth. The human body consists of about 100 trillion cells and it carries about ten times as many microbes in the intestines. The microbial flora include enteric bacteria, bacteroides, enterococci, lactobacilli, and clostridia. The small intestine contains low numbers of bacteria, about 100,000 to 10 million bacteria per milliliter of fluid. In the large intestine, the bacterial members can reach 100 billion per milliliter of fluid. It is estimated that these gut flora have around 100 times as many genes in aggregate as there are in the human genome. The metabolic activities performed by these bacteria resemble those of an internal organ of human body. The microbes are important to the health of humans. These bacteria are useful for efficient processing of food, absorption of water, absorption of nutrients like Magnesium, Calcium, and Iron. They perform a variety of useful functions such as synthesis of essential vitamins like Biotin, Vitamin K and production of short-chain fatty acids. The gut flora may produce hormones to direct the host to store fat. They train the host immune system to respond only to pathogens and thereby prevent the growth of harmful, pathogenic bacteria. They stimulate increased growth of human gut cells and also stimulate the growth of indigenous bacteria. Gut flora have enzymes that human cells lack for breaking down complex sugars called polysaccharides. The gut flora help in the digestion of unutilized energy substrates and may contribute upto 60 percent of the weight of the feces for human excretory function. Microbial flora of the gut can influence the phenomenon known as “Oral Tolerance” which may reduce an overreactive immune response like those found in allergies and auto-immune disease. Gut flora play a major role in metabolizing dietary carcinogens and hence have a role in prevention of cancer. Human existence demands the play of these biotic interactions for its own benefit and for the benefit of the biotic community as its natural host.
SPIRITUALISM – THE NATURE OF SPIRITUAL INTERACTIONS :
Sweetness is the name of this Biotic Interaction. This Interaction has the characteristics of Spiritualism or Spiritual Interaction.
The term ‘spiritual’ describes the nature of a relationship, partnership, an association, or bonding between two living entities based upon the characteristics such as compassion, sympathy, cooperation, mutual assistance, tolerance, voluntary subservience, devotion, and functional subordination to provide some benefit to the members participating in the biotic interaction at a given place and in a given environment. Depending upon the size, complexity, and structure and functions of the Whole Organism, Spiritual Biotic Interactions and Spiritual Relationships are also based upon thoughts and feelings of sympathy and compassion that are attributes of mental functions and emotional makeup of the partners interacting. The Spiritual nature of biotic interactions is a reflection of the Spiritual nature of the Creator of the living entities who has provided the different modes of interactions using inspiration and imagination. Hence, Spiritualism as a biotic interaction describes an internal, mutually beneficial partnership between individual cells of the human organism and the Whole Organism that represents it as a Human Individual.
THE STATUS OF MAN IN NATURE :
The First Book of Moses, The Old Testament Book of Genesis describes the story of Creation; in Chapter 2, verse 7, it narrates man’s creation: “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.”
The Book of Genesis, Chapter 1, verse 27:"So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them."
MAN IS A CREATED BEING :
Man is a created being as he always exists as one of its own kind of unique, original, and distinctive object. Man always arrives from a previously existing egg cell and yet his genome has not existed before, and would not exist again. Man exists as an object that is created using the powers of inspiration and imagination that keeps man as an Individual with Individuality.
MAN IS A SPIRITUAL BEING :
The status of man in nature describes man as a created object; a new object, one of its own kind, distinctive, and unique. The principle of Creation involves the use of inspiration and imagination as opposed to the view proposed by the Theory of Evolution. The fundamental issue is about understanding man’s status in nature. Did man come into existence by gradual changes caused by random and unguided events called genetic mutations? Or, does man actually exist in nature because of his relationship with other objects present in his living environment? What defines man’s existence? What establishes the reality of man’s physical existence? Should we focus on the changing form? Alternately, should we give attention to an unchanging relationship that is a prerequisite for the existence of all life forms? If an object cannot come into its state of existence, how could that object get a shape or form? In the context of a discussion about man’s existence in nature, I state that man is a created object, and hence man exists as a Spiritual being. The term Spirituality describes the nature of this connection between man and His Creator. Soul is the immortal part of man as distinguished from his body; it is the vital principle which moves and animates all Life. Soul may represent the essence of a human being, it could be the quality which confers individuality, humanity, and the moral nature of man. I divide man into two categories; the first category is called the ‘SELF’ which represents man as a physical, mental, and social being; and the second category is called the ‘KNOWING-SELF’ which represents man as a moral, and spiritual being. These two categories function together and the functional unity of the human person is an attribute of a neuro-biological function called Consciousness. Man’s physical being is represented by a changing external or morphological appearance and while the physical Identity is constantly changing, the unchanging Individuality is supported by man’s spirituality or the nature of his constant spiritual relationship.
THE ETERNAL REALITY OF SOUL’S IMMORTALITY :
Ajanta Caves near Aurangabad, Maharashtra State, India, Fresco-type wall painting- Man’s spiritual dimension describes man’s humanity, moral nature, individuality, and Consciousness.
Religious thinkers have further defined Soul as that part of the individual which partakes of divinity. People of all races, cultures and religions would like to investigate the nature of this God-Connection as they perceive the world and the universe in which they exist as a fact of Creation. I need to find evidence that would fundamentally deny the fact of Creation.
MAN IS A SOCIAL BEING :
French philosopher Auguste Comte(1798-1857) coined the term Sociology. He believed that the scientific study of social organization would make possible a reconstitution of the social order based on principles of moral progress.
Apart from being a created Physical being, man is recognized as a Social being as he displays social instincts and social behaviors in all of his activities. A rudimentary understanding of Sociology or Theories of Social Science would clarify this matter. Social instincts and Social Behaviors are seen in all animals including bacteria. At a cellular level, the social function is called ‘Association’. Man is an association of trillions of cells. Each human organ and organ system represents an association of cells that display functional subordination to perform selective tasks. Life is just impossible without social structure and organization.
MAN IS A MORAL BEING :
Man is a Spiritual being and is endowed with Moral nature. James Tissot in his painting captures the essence of man. The Book of Matthew, Chapter 27 verses 3-5 narrate the story of Apostle Judas Iscariot and his moral failing that caused the dissolution of his biological existence-"When Judas who had betrayed Him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty silver coins to the chief priests and the elders. "I have sinned," he said,"for I have betrayed innocent blood." So Judas threw the money into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself."
Man is an individual who exists in a social group. At the same time, man is a Moral being, as he displays moral behavior even when he is corrupt. Man displays the ability of Repentance for his thoughts, for his actions of commission and omission. Man has the ability to admit his sins, express remorse and may often punish himself for his sinful conduct. Man experiences grief for his actions that are sinful. Man actively searches for solutions for his sinful conduct. Man cannot sustain his biological existence if he had morally failed. A famous example would be that of Apostle Judas Iscariot, the betrayer of Jesus.
MATTER, ENERGY, AND KNOWLEDGE :
Greek philosopher Aristotle had observed that corporeal substances are composite of two principles, form and matter. What is called matter is potentiality, what is called form is actuality. The totality of things have been divided in various ways. The three fundamental distinctions are 1. the distinction between the natural and the supernatural, 2. the distinction between the material and the spiritual, and 3. the distinction between the lifeless and the living. When we make the distinction animate/inanimate, living/non-living, and inorganic/organic, a question arises about the nature of that distinction. The difference, is that one of kind or degree? The Mechanistic View claims the continuity of nature in terms of the universality of purely mechanical principles. I have defined Life as ‘Knowledge in Action’. Please view the blog post at http://bhavanajagat.wordpress.com/2010/08/05/what-is-life-life-is-knowledge-in-action/
I define Life as organization of matter with implanted supernatural Knowledge. The establishment of supernatural Knowledge in matter decribes the operation of ‘God Principle’, Spirit, or Soul. Life comes into existence when matter and energy come together with the establishment of ‘God Connection’.
LIFE AND CONSCIOUSNESS :
Amoeba proteus, unicellular, protozoan organism is conscious or aware of its own state of existence. It has the abilities of Motion, Nutrition, and Reproduction. All of its living functions are goal-oriented. It responds to its environment and survives adverse environmental conditions by a process called encystment.
The basic characteristic of a Living Cell or organism is the presence of consciousness. I recognize a cell as a Living Cell if it displays functions that characterize the presence of awareness or consciousness. The Living Cell or Living Object need not be aware or conscious of the Subject who may be investigating or observing the properties of that Object. The Living Object need to be aware of its own existence and its condition called Living. Atoms and molecules display their properties and interact according to the Laws of Physics and Chemistry. Living organic molecules show individualistic behaviors under experimental conditions that could be repeated and be verified. The Living Cell is very selective and it responds in a variable manner to physical and chemical stimuli. It can communicate or send signals to other Living Cells present in its environment. It responds according to its internal condition in relation to the environment in which it exists. The interactions of non-living physical matter are not goal-oriented. The interactions of Living matter are goal-oriented and they specifically achieve the purpose of sustaining, preserving, defending, and continuing the Living functions.
MAN IS A MORTAL, PHYSICAL BEING :
Man is a mortal being who must eventually die. When Lazarus died and was laid in a tomb for four days, Jesus performed a miracle and Lazarus came back to life from death. The Book of John, Chapter 11, narrates this event. In verses 41 and 42, Jesus said,"Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. And I know that You always hear Me, but I said this for the benefit of the people who are standing here, that they may believe that You sent Me." The risen Lazarus had eventually died.
When does Life begins? When does Life ends? Life always comes into a state of existence from a previously existing Living Cell. Life and Death is a continuous process and is recognized by the presence of Consciousness and Individuality.
When does Life begins? When does Life ends? Every Living Cell is derived from a previously existing Living Cell. Life has not experienced the final event called DEATH. Life continues its act of Living through a function called Reproduction. A given species is considered to be totally extinct only if there is no surviving member to represent that particular species. Death is a programmed event and it gives meaning to the Identity of a Living Object. The dissolution of a single Living Object should not obscure the fact that Life is a continuous process. Life continues as Living Objects get new Identities. It is very reasonable to expect that Life would continue after the death of a given Living Object. People all over the world are a witness to that simple and direct observation. During the Life-Death continuum, the connection between the Creator and the created Living Object is manifested by the biological function called awareness or consciousness. The presence of Soul is evidenced by the presence of consciousness. As long as the Soul is functioning and is united with the physical being, the presence of consciousness could be detected and could be verified.
THE SOUL AND GOD CONNECTION :
All types of Living Cells with or without nucleus represent thermodynamically unstable systems. Without a continuous input of energy a Living Cell will degrade spontaneously into a nonliving collection of molecules. Biological existence is possible because of an association or connection, or partnership between energy seeker and energy provider.
There has been no clearly defined and universally accepted metaphysical conception of the term Soul. It is a term rarely used with precise definition in philosophy, religion, or common life. In this discussion we face the problem of using words to which no definitive meaning is attached. If I make an attempt to define the word ‘God’, you may even speculate that I may belong to a new religious order. We need to come to a consensus even if an entity called ‘God’ does not exist. We need to formulate a view, a hypothetical view about Soul and test that hypothesis by countering it with a skeptical hypothesis. The Science called Physics deals with the properties, changes, interactions, etc. of matter and energy in which energy is considered to be continuous. In the ultimate analysis, matter is a representation of its energy content. The Science called Biology deals with Life and Life processes. While Life is made up of physical matter, Life processes are not explained by simple mechanistic interactions. However, I am willing to use the principles, the methods, and the tools used by Physics. Molecular Biology explains biological events by studying the molecules within cells; the molecular basis of genetics – Nucleic Acids and its relationship to energy cycling and replication. If this universe is seen as matter and energy, I would define God as the Controller of Force/Power/Energy. All living things are essentially made up of the same kind of living matter and yet they appear to be different. Life could be attributed to ONE common principle which has the ability to be simultaneously different. Each living object comes into a state of existence as a new object, as an original object, one of its own kind, unique, and distinctive. This morphological variation is an attribute of the organic molecules that establish the phenotype or the physical identity of that living organism. Physics provides those powerful tools to see the molecules and to recognize their individualistic behavior. Life comes into existence using a creative principle, and creative mechanisms that need inspiration, and imagination apart from the use of simple mechanistic laws. If Life is governed by the Law of Individuality, I would define God as a Creative Force/Power/Energy.
Life is a condition that describes Synchronized Existence, the synchronization of activities, the connection between energy dependent life functions and its Source of Power.
A majority of these life forms that we know and have studied, have synchronized their state of existence with an event that produces alternating periods of light and darkness while that source of light is not being turned ‘on’ and ‘off’. Rather we are forced to experience the effects of an illusion. Sunrise and Sunset is the reality that governs a majority of Biological Rhythms that control the life processes. Illusion is the necessary condition for the biological existence of Life. If Earth’s rotational spin generates this illusion, God uses Force/Power/Energy to cause illusion. In the universe that exists today, to the extent we have verified; there are no two identical celestial objects that exhibit the same rotational spin. In this context, it may be said that the Force/Power/Energy called God has created Earth to provide a home to the life forms that He has created as Individuals. These life forms have the ability called reproduction and yet lack the ability of producing two identical new objects. Sexual or Asexual reproduction always results in the production of new Individuals which could be easily verified by using the Biometric Identification Technology. Even the clones, sharing identical genomes, in reality exist as individuals. This Individuality when investigated by the tools supplied by Physics, it is discovered that the organic molecules behave as Individuals and man is not able to modify that behavior. Under the same experimental conditions, the molecules behave as individuals. When we examine the nature of this biological existence, it indicates that life processes are supported by the provision of energy from an external source. The Living Cell is a thermodynamically unstable system. This means that without a continuous input of energy a Living Cell will degrade spontaneously into a nonliving collection of molecules. This lack of energy independence would direct us to define God as the Power/Force/Energy which delivers Compassion/Mercy/Grace which helps energy acquisition by energy dependent living organisms. Life forms on planet Earth exist depending upon an extraterrestrial source of energy or Cosmic Power/Force/Energy. Life exists because of its ability called ‘Association’. The act of associating, the state of being associated; the companionship, the fellowship, and the partnership is the defining feature of the State or Condition, or Act of Living. Association or patnership between energy seeker and energy provider could be described as God-Connection. Organisms that are single do not live as single cells but develop association with other single cells to form distinct Colonies. Organisms that are multicellular represent an organization of individual cells that are associated having common interests, purposes, sensations, etc., Since association has a purpose, in the context of biological existence, the association or connection, or partnership between the energy seeker, and the energy provider is a meaningful event and not a simple, mechanical, physical event governed by the Laws of Interactions between Matter and Energy. There are Four Fundamental Interactions and they do not regulate or define this Interaction between Living matter and the Cosmic Force/Power/Energy. Living matter uses and exploits energy in a creative manner to build organic molecules and to break down organic molecules. The life processes are very similar and yet the results are totally different. While using energy mostly following a similar metabolic pathway, each organism supports its identity and individuality.
WHO HAS ESTABLISHED THE CONNECTION BETWEEN AUTOTROPHS AND HETEROTROPHS? The creative mechanism to trap Solar Energy describes implanted Knowledge to formulate the connection between autotrophs and heterotrophs.
In mitochondria, many substances(food) are oxidized and ATP, the energy-storing chemical of the Cell is produced. The most important equations for living things are mutually inverse. Respiration of humans, and Cellular Respiration represents the reverse of Photosynthesis.
SOUL AND DEATH :
The idea of ‘Soul’ always comes in the context of Death. If man is immortal, we will not be spending our time and energy discussing to verify the existence of an immortal principle. The human subject has a limited life span and it arouses a sense of curiosity about the existence of something that could defy Death. I am trying to define the word ‘Soul’ in a manner to promote an understanding that ‘Soul’ is immortal if we look at man as an Association of individual living cells. We need to establish the Identity of that Individual for whose purpose or interest this Association of Individual living cells exists. If we think of Death as a final event, it is not supported by factual evidence. In this Association, death is a daily event. We simply fail to acknowledge this daily event as there is an immortal principle that is escaping this death experience. The Individual thinks that he is alive and sustains his Individuality without getting overwhelmed by the dying process that is continuous. While the human organism is changing its external appearance and identity all the time, the Individuality survives if ‘Soul’ the vital, or operating immortal principle is functioning. The issue or question about ‘transmigration’ of Soul would not arise if every living organism exists strictly as an Individual with an Individuality. As stated before,man has no choice and he must always exist as an Individual even when we use Reproductive Genetic Engineering Technology to produce identical clones with the same genome. The dissolution of matter may not change the Law of Conservation of Energy. If Soul is defined as the God Connection that gives the ability of energy acquisition, the Soul when removed from a physical object to which it has given Individuality, would operate as per the commands of the Controller of Force/Power/Energy. It provides the possibility of carrying the impressions of a previous state of existence into a new state of existence with a new identity and Individuality. During the life span of a given Individual, an association of cells in which death is a daily event, Soul is a continuous principle as its purpose and interest is to maintain Individuality of that Individual.
SOUL AND THE LIVING CELL :
I define man as a physical, mental, social, moral, and spiritual being as I define the term ‘health’ as the physical, mental, social, moral, and spiritual well-being of the man in his environment and community and not merely as absence of disease. This definition of ‘health’ would help me to provide ‘comprehensive health care’ in my role as a Primary Care physician. Specialists and Super specialists provide health care in specific areas involving an organ or an organ system.
Jean Paul Sartre had stated that Nothingness(Non-thing or Neant) is a condition of not having Being and yet it is supported by Being. Nothingness comes into the world by the Being-for-itself. The Conscious Knowing-Self or the Essence of man is preceded by the Subjective Reality of physical Existence.
I attach my ideas to some ideas expressed by others. Sartre is a well-known person. He had won the Nobel Prize for literature but declined to accept it. I may not totally agree with him and his views about consciousness. He had stated his view in a manner that people can easily understand. He makes a distinction between objective things and human consciousness. He claims that consciousness is a ‘non-thing'(‘neant’ or nothingness ) and its reality consists in standing back from things and taking a point of view on them. Because consciousness is a non-thing, it does not have any of the causal involvements that things have with other things. If you stand before a mirror, the reflection exists only if it is supported by the presence of a physical being or thing. If the physical thing is taken away, the reflected image is gone but the reflective surface retains its ability to reflect the images of things.
THE BIOLOGICAL MEMBRANE AND CONSCIOUSNESS :
The Biological Membrane is not a simple physical barrier separating the Living Cell from its environment. The Protoplasm or Cytoplasm, the Living Matter uses its Biological Membrane with a sense of awareness or consciousness which recognizes the fact of its existence and the fact of something present in its environment.
In a Living Cell, consciousness reflects its external environment and its internal condition or internal environment. The Living Cell knows, it is aware of its state, fact, and act of its Living. The Living Cell makes contact with its environment by using a cell membrane, a biological membrane, or a bio-membrane. If you carefully look at some of the functions of this membrane, you would discern that the Living Cell has consciousness or awareness of these functions. The Biological Membrane behaves in a conscious manner and it is not a simple, physical barrier between the Protoplasm, the Living Substance and its environment. If the term ‘soul’ describes a vital principle, or a source of Knowledge, it provides the information with which these functions could be performed. Some molecules and ions can freely move across this Bio-membrane and some are actively pumped in or out of the Cell that involves expenditure of energy. The Living Cell has the ability to recognize the condition of its nucleus, if the DNA is damaged, the Cell can initiate a process and cause its own dissolution.
Red Blood Cells display functional subordination to serve the purpose of the Whole Organism. Functional differentiation, and Functional Unity are important to support the existence of the Subject or Individual who is in reality an association of trillions of cells.
In multicellular organism, the consciousness works both at the level of each individual cell and to establish the functioning of the organism as an individual unit. Without functional unity, the organism cannot maintain its biological existence. Cell differentiation is the process by which the individual cells use adaptation to perform specific tasks. Red Blood Cells perform specific tasks.
THE NEURO-BIOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF CONSCIOUSNESS :
Reticular Formation of Brain Stem has connections with almost all other parts of the Central Nervous System and it helps to coordinate and integrate actions of different parts of the CNS. It is important for Behavioral Arousal, and the Capacity for Consciousness.
In the human Brain Stem, several neurons, and nuclei which are in an area called Reticular Formation are functionally adapted to compose the contents of human consciousness. The Reticular Formation gives the Capacity for Consciousness. The contents of this consciousness are read in the cortical areas of the cerebral hemispheres and described as Cortical awareness. Most philosophers, most of the psychologists, and several of the religious thinkers pay attention to this Cortical awareness and describe that as human consciousness. We tend to ignore the fact that there would be no Cortical awareness unless there is a Capacity for Consciousness. Most recently, the surgeons had removed the complete left cerebral hemisphere from a child to stop convulsive seizures. The child is alive, fully conscious, and hopefully would continue to live in future with some neurological deficits. Just like the human heart which has four different muscular chambers and each has a function of its own; we need to understand consciousness by knowing its components. We need to use separate terms to distinguish these different components. There would be confusion if a term is used without attaching a specific meaning. Cortical awareness is important and is very interesting and yet man can exist and survive with minimal cortical awareness. We have seen children with severe degrees of mental retardation, and they can keep their biological existence if they retain the ability to Compose Consciousness. I want to designate the upper Brain Stem as the Seat of Consciousness and the word consciousness itself must describe the functions of the Brain Stem which are most important for man’s biological existence. A man is clinically dead in the absence of these Brain Stem functions involved in the Capacity of Consciousness. In Clinical Medicine, the term conscious is often used to measure the degree of Arousal or Cortical awareness and hence this subject matter would remain confusing for a long time. If a subject is unconscious, I would not issue a ‘death certificate’. In Clinical Medicine, the term used is ‘Brain Death’ and when Brain Death is diagnosed, the human person for all practical purposes is dead. I would suggest that we must use the term ‘Unconscious’ specifically to indicate the Brain Death which is diagnosed by testing the Brain Stem Reflexes. If the human person is viewed as a single physical thing or object, the integration of functions is achieved at the Brain Stem( Reticular Formation), and he maintains his individuality throughout his physical existence only when this part of the brain is functioning. If you like the term individual soul or Jeeva Atma, its existence is a reflection of this function. To see a reflection, we need two things; the physical object and a reflective surface. The quality of reflecting objects may depend upon presence of Knowledge. It is not known if this particular kind of knowledge exists as organic molecules; however, it is very well understood that most of the knowledge to perform a variety of biological functions is contained in organic molecules and the most well-known group of these organic molecules are known as DNA. There are Viruses which can function with RNA. Hence, there is still a possibility of finding organic molecules that could be associated with the functional ability called consciousness, awareness, cognition, recognition, responsiveness, perception, memory, intelligence, and association. The most important aspect of ‘association’ is ‘God Connection’ and without this function of ‘association’ man cannot keep his biological existence.
Consciousness is awareness of existence, the facts that relate to the state or condition of existence. Behavioral Arousal and Cortical awareness of thoughts, feelings, and sensations is an important component of total Biological Existence.
IDENTITY AND INDIVIDUALITY :
The Eternal Reality of Soul's Immortality is described in The Bhagavad Gita, Chapter II, verse 12. Lord Krishna spoke to the Pandava Prince Arjuna :"Na tv evaham jatu nasam na tvam neme JanadhipaH;Na chaiva na bhavisyamaH, sarve vayam ataH param." For each of us our Individuality existed in the past and our Individuality will continue in the future without interruption. Certainly, never at any time did I not exist, nor you, nor all these Kings and certainly never shall we cease to exist in the future.
The issue of spirituality, the nature of Soul and consciousness must be explored in the context of arriving at an understanding of man’s Identity and Individuality. If man is viewed as an association of trillions of cells, we need to know the Identity of that Subject who lives because of the functions of the trillions of cells. The purpose of consciousness at cellular level is to foster functional unity of the multicellular organism and to establish it as an Individual. In a multicellular organism, cells have short lives as individuals. The Subject or the whole organism has a life span of its own and it has effects on individual cells. Multicellularity is accompanied by adaptive subordination of all cells to the requirements of the organism as a whole. To achieve proper numerical balance between functionally related cell groups, the death of many cells is necessary for other cells to reach maturity. This programmed cell death plays an important role in embryological development. Such programmed cell death events are essential if the organism as a whole is to develop its normal final form. Waves of genetically driven cell deaths are critical to the proper modeling of organs and organ systems. We need to know and understand that death of cells is a must to establish the Identity and to sustain the Individuality of the human being. The dying process helps man to understand his Individuality. The Individuality is preserved while death is a daily event at the cellular level. The phenotype or the morphological appearance of the human Subject undergoes constant change during the Life journey and yet the Individuality remains unchanged. We recognize the death of this human Subject when his Soul departs from his body. Soul may be stated as an entity which is regarded as being immortal or spiritual part of the person. The Spirit of a dead person generally refers to a principle separate from the body and leading an existence of its own. If Soul is viewed as a Non-thing or Nothingness, it comes into the world of existence by entering the physical being at its conception which becomes conscious or aware of its existence. This consciousness has also existed in a previously existing Living Egg Cell which is the Mother of Life, Energy, and Knowledge. Consciousness by its very nature is immortal, it is eternal, and it has no birth or death. We recognize the arrival and departure of the new product during the Life-Death continuum where the Individuality is unaffected by the changes that are caused by the powerful influence of Time.
Dr. R. Rudra Narasimham, B.Sc., M.B.B.S.,
Kurnool Medical College, Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh, India,
Whole Dude – Whole Confluence: SPIRITUALITY SCIENCE – THE DOCTRINE OF CREATION: ARISTOTLE, THE FATHER OF SCIENCE – “THERE IS A SCIENCE WHICH INVESTIGATES BEING AS BEING AND THE ATTRIBUTES WHICH BELONG TO BEING IN VIRTUE OF ITS OWN NATURE.”
Aristotle – The Father of Highest Science, First Philosophy, and Theology:
Whole Dude – Whole Confluence: ARISTOTLE- born 384 BC and died 322 BC. His Metaphysics brings about the convergence of Philosophy, Religion, and Science.
It gives me a great pleasure to dedicate this blog post to the memory of Aristotle. He surveyed the whole field of human knowledge as it was known in his day. He was at the Athenian Academy of Plato for 20 years. In 335 BC, he opened the Lyceum in Athens, a Center for speculation and research in every department of human inquiry. He became an authority for all philosophers, especially in Logic and in Natural Sciences. Logic, the theory of formal truth and validity originated in reflections on the practice of Dialectic introduced by Plato. For scientific knowledge, we need to know the governing principles of a subject and deduction from these principles provides not only the knowledge that something is true, but also the reason as to why it is true. Aristotle is recognized as the Father of Science and he defined Science as a deductive system based on evident axioms.
Aristotle’s Metaphysics – First Philosophy, Highest Science, and Theology:
Whole Dude – Whole Confluence: What a great Scene in the history of Man? If Plato and Aristotle come together, Reason and Faith also come together. The Scene at the Athenian Academy of Plato depicts the confluence of Religion, Philosophy, and Science.
Aristotle’s Metaphysics, and Plato’s Dialectic describe a method or inquiry that deals with the nature and relation of things – What each is, how it differs from others, what common qualities all have, to what kind each belongs, and in what rank each stands in its kind and whether its being is real-being, and how many beings there are, and how many non-beings to be distinguished from beings.
Metaphysics is concerned with the primary axioms, the universal principles applicable to all existence, and the transcendental properties of being. Aristotle claimed, “There is a Science which investigates being as being and the attributes which belong to being in virtue of its own nature.”
The First Philosophy described by Aristotle speculates about being and its subject matter includes all existing things as existing, and involves not only the question how anything which exists, exists (i.e., the properties of being), but also the question whether certain things, whose existence can be questioned, do in fact exist. In the words of Francis Bacon we can make a distinction between Physics and Metaphysics. Bacon stated that Physics inquires into efficient and material causes; Metaphysics inquires into formal and final causes. For Aristotle, Science means the demonstration of universal and necessary conclusions from self-evident principles. The modern conception of Science is that it represents knowledge founded upon experiment and extended observation. For example, Issac Newton in his book ‘OPTICS’ proposed to explain the properties of Light by using reason and experiments.
Man’s Essence – ‘Know thyself’:
Whole Dude – Whole Confluence: Know thyself.
The tradition of knowing oneself is the oldest established tradition in the history of man and it is a longer tradition than any other science. “Know thyself” describes a study in which the Knower and the Known are One; the object of the Science is the Nature of the Scientist. In the Indian tradition, “PURUSHA” is the Man or the Knower, and his body or “KSHETRA” is the object of Inquiry, and the Knowledge that is discovered is known as “Kshetra Jnana.”
Whole Dude – Whole Confluence: What is Man’s Essence? This tradition of Knowing Oneself is a longer tradition than any other Science. Socrates tells his friends gathered in the prison cell where he is to drink the hemlock, “True phlosophers are ever seeking to release the SOUL and are always occupied in the practice of dying.”
Aristotle – Natural Science and The Science of Soul:
Whole Dude – Whole Confluence: What is Soul? Can Science investiagte or inquire about the existence of Soul? Does this organism known as Amoeba proteus has a Soul? What is its animating Principle?
Soul is the vital principle which moves and animates all life. Aristotle describes corporeal substances are composite of two principles; form and matter. What is called matter is potentiality, what is called form is actuality. In the above image of Amoeba proteus, its matter is constituted by its protoplasm, the living substance, and its actuality is recognized by the scientist when he observes its form. The existence of Amoeba proteus is known to man as it is made of two principles, the form, and the matter. The Natural Sciences are concerned with natural objects that are characterized by the fact that they are subject to change. Change is therefore the basic phenomenon. Matter and Forms are the Material and the Formal Cause respectively, of what comes to be.
Aristotle distinguishes four kinds of Causes. For example, a Building or a Thing comes into being because of the Builder, or the Creator known as Efficient Cause. Formal Cause describes the Structure by virtue of which it is the Building or the Thing. Material Cause describes the matter such as stones or wood that has received the Structure. The end or purpose for which the structure, the Building or the Thing exists is known as the Final Cause. A building or a house provides a place of safety for the man who lives there. The purpose or the end of a life form is to sustain its state of living.
Aristotle calls the forms of living things as “Souls”. “The soul is in some sense the principle of animal life.” As per Aristotle, “the study of the Soul falls within the Science of Nature.” The Greek inquiry into the soul extends beyond man, to all living things. So, it is relevant to investigate or inquire about the Soul that describes the Form known to us as Amoeba proteus.
Aristotle’s Treatise – “On the Soul”: The establishment of Spirituality Science: The Confluence of Inspired Knowledge, Speculative Knowledge, and Inferential Knowledge:
Whole Dude – Whole Confluence: Lord Rama and Spirituality Science. The Lord provides inspired knowledge, philosophy provides the speculative knowledge and Medical Science and other Natural Sciences provide the inferential knowledge to explore and investigate the connection between man and his Creator.
For Aristotle, the Soul rather than Man is the object of Science. He described three kinds of Souls: 1. Vegetative (plants), 2. Sensitive (animals), and 3. Rational (human beings). He believed that the Soul is merely a set of defining features. He did not regard the Body and the Soul as two separate things that mysteriously combine to form an organism.
If Soul is defined as the Immortal part of Man as distinguished from his Body, that kind of definition would suggest that Man is composed of two kinds of substances; a corporeal substance, and a non-corporeal substance. In my discussion on this subject, I tend to agree with Aristotle and suggest that Man is composed of one kind of substance and Man may not be divided into Body and Soul. However, I would like to discuss the issue of Man’s Essence, his Identity and Individuality in relation to Soul after this review of Aristotle’s ideas about material and immaterial substances. Aristotle tells us that to understand Substance, it would be necessary to consider immaterial substantial forms, like Soul and God. Only then can Man understand what it is to be a Substance, and what it is to Exist. He further described two parts of Man’s Soul; the intellectual virtue corresponds to the rational part of the Soul, and the moral virtues such as justice, courage, and generosity belong to the irrational part of the Soul which is subject to reason and has reasonable desires and feelings.
I divide Man into two categories and have described Man as the Self and the Knowing-Self.The first category describes Man as a Physical, Mental, and Social being, and the second category describes Man as a Moral, and Spiritual being. The study of Metaphysics eventually becomes the study of immaterial substance, immortality, and God.
Spirituality Science – The Convergence of Religion, Philosophy, and Science:
Whole Dude – Whole Confluence: The Bhagavad Gita is the source of Inspired Knowledge, my internal reflection is the source of Speculative Knowledge, and the Medical Science and Natural Science is the source of Inferential Knowledge to establish Spirituality Science as a method of Inquiry to investigate man’s relationship, partnership, association, and connection with his Creator.
Aristotle tried to define and establish a branch of Science which contributes Wisdom to deal with the first causes and the principles of all things. “There are other theoretical sciences, such as Physics and Mathematics which investigate causes or deal with principles, but they do not reach to the highest causes or first principles, nor do they take all things in their most universal aspect as the object of their inquiry. Physics deals with material things in motion; and the Mathematician investigates abstractions.” He claimed that Mathematics could be certain without telling us anything about Reality. He states that, “If there is something which is eternal and immovable and separated from matter, clearly the knowledge of it belongs to a theoretical science, not however to Physics nor to Mathematics, but to a science prior to both.” He gives two names to the highest of theoretical sciences. He denominated it both from the position it occupies in relation to all other disciplines and in terms of the kind of substance which it alone investigates. A substance which is formed by Nature will be explored by Natural Science. If there is an immovable, immutable, immaterial, or eternal substance, the Science of that substance is the highest Science and it deserves to be called “Theology” as well as “First Philosophy”.
Whole Dude – Whole Confluence. The integration of Science, Philosophy, and Religion.
I propose to study and investigate the immaterial substance or principle and name the Science of that Substance/Principle as “Spirituality Science”. If Divine is present everywhere at the same time, the Divine is present in both material and immaterial substances.
Whole Dude – Whole Confluence. The integration of Science, Philosophy, and Religion.
If men are from Mars and women are from Venus, the exchange of words, the battle of words, the Whole Argument could escalate into open warfare.
THE WHOLE ARGUMENT – THE BATTLE OF WORDS :
If men are from Mars and women are from Venus, the exchange of words, the battle of words, the Whole Argument could escalate into open warfare. Women while initiating conversation with men begin in the mode of interrogation. Women tend to open up with a sharp question. Some questions that are often asked are; Who are you?, What have you been doing?, Where have you been?, and What else? When questioned by a female partner, men tend to give straight, and short answers. Women never get impressed by brief and matter of fact statements. While men try to use a specific word to project a specific image associated with that word, women are adept in interpreting that word using an alternate image. Women’s zeal to prolong the conversation is often motivated by a desire to probe the man further. When the grilling begins, man relents, starts using words of endearment with his responses to defuse the situation and to take cover. Once the Battle of Words begins, women tend to remain focussed on the battle as long as they have the ammunition. Women ignore all words of endearment used by the men as they view it as a distraction and fear that they may not be able to accomplish their mission of winning the Battle of Words. The inhabitants of Venus would not stop until a total victory is firmly grasped. Man, specially the Most Auspicious One, not only is willing to accept a defeat but also lovingly chooses to get killed in the duel of words. Getting killed is Divine when the Battle of Words involves your female life partner.
Shiva : Shuuli = The one with “TRIDENT”, the bearer of a Spear.
Parvati : Mrugaya bhishajam = ( Go and ) Find medicine.
Parvati pays no attention to the tradition that allows men to identify themselves by the personal weapon they carry. Lord Vishnu is often identified as “CHAKRI” for He uses “Sudarsan Chakra” as His personal weapon. People who worship Lord Shiva recognize Him as the bearer of “TRI SHUULA” or “TRIDENT”, a Spear. Parvati ignores the image attached to the word “Shuuli” and uses an alternate meaning attached to the word “Shuuli”. The word “Shuula” is a disease entity which is characterized by stomach ache. She interpreted “Shuuli” as a person with a disease entity called “Shuula” and hence She very mockingly suggested to Lord Shiva to go and find some medicine for His stomach ache.
Shiva : Priye + Aham + Neela KantaH = My Most Beloved, I am the One with Dark Blue Neck.
Lord Shiva ignored Parvati’s mocking suggestion to find medicine, and very politely responds with the word “Neela KantaH” which is often used to describe Him. As per the legend, Lord Shiva had protected the world from being consumed by a dangerous poisonous gas called “Haala Hala” and had safely retained it in His throat and the deadly poison had imparted a dark blue color to His throat and contributed to His name and He is very popularly known as “Neela KantaH”.
“Neela KantaH” or Pavo cristatus, family Phasianidae, a large pheasant with a metallic blue-green body; the male is celebrated for its beauty and is endowed with strong “CROWING” voice.
Parvati : Kekaam + Yekaam + Kuru = ( You ) Shout loudly ( with Your “CROWING” voice ) once.
Parvati not only avoided identifying Lord Shiva as “Neela KantaH” but also She had challenged Him to give a demonstration of His voice. Birds are very often identified in nature by their unique bird calls or songs. The Indian Blue peacock utters a long mournful scream . Parvati is unwilling to look at Lord Shiva’s throat and identify Him as “Neela KantaH” and She would rather prefer to identify Him by the quality of the sound that comes from His throat.
PASUPATI, BULL – Bos indicus, Zebu, the Brahman Bull; family Bovidae.
Shiva : PasupatiH = The Lord of all four legged creatures; the Lord of all living entities.
Lord Shiva is not provoked by Parvati’s suggestion to give a demonstration of His voice by giving a loud call. He very politely gives Her a different answer and identified Himself as the Lord of all creatures and He rides a Bull known as “Nandi”.
Parvati : Naiva + drushtey + vishaaney = ( I am ) Not able to see the Horns.
Parvati made a literal interpretation of the word “Pasupati” which means a bull and responded to Lord Shiva with a bit of sarcasm and had commented that She is not able to find the Horns which could be a very characteristic feature of a bull.
Shiva : O’ + Mughdhey + Sthaanuur = O’ Sweet faced One, I am “Immovable”.
Lord Shiva is very patient, did not argue about the meaning of the word “Pasupati”, and tactfully changes the subject and speaks of His Personal Quality with which people identify Him. He is famously known for His Steadfastness and the word “Sthanuu” signifies this personality trait and character. He also demonstrates no signs of irritation in His manner of speech and He very carefully chooses His words and responds to Parvati with a compliment about Her beautiful face which is full of charm and youthful exuberance.
Ficus religiosa or the Bodhi Tree is often worshipped in India. The tree is also described as “Sthaanuu” which means immovable.
Parvati : Na + vadati + taruH = A ‘tree’ cannot speak!!! ( How could a ‘tree’ talk??? )
Parvati shows no interest in evaluating Lord Shiva’s character and steadfastness and interpreted the word “Sthaanuu” in a very simple manner and further commented that if the description of “Sthaanuu” is correct; She would not expect to hear any words as trees are not endowed with the power of speech.
Shiva : Jeeviteysa + ShivaayaaH = ( I am ) Life Partner of Parvati.
Lord Shiva uses His final and ultimate weapon in this Battle of Words. The word ” SHIVA” also describes “Parvati”. By claiming that He is the Life Partner of Parvati, Lord Shiva intended to charm Her with His words and yet the same time give an appropriate response to Her question of “KASTVAM” with which She has initiated this Battle of Words.
Parvati : Gachha + Atavyaam = Run to the forest.
The alternate meaning of the word “Shiva” is Jackal. Parvati who is fully focussed upon winning the Battle of Words is not in a mood to succumb to the magic of Lord Shiva’s endearing words. Parvati amply demonstrates Her deftness in interpreting words as per the circumstances of the Battle. Jackals are very timid animals. They simply run away when they are challenged by voice. Parvati taunts Lord Shiva and tells Him to run to the forest for He has called Himself a Jackal by using the word “Shiva” to describe His Identity.
The humble and shy Indian Jackal is also described as “SHIVA”.
Iti Hatha Vachah paatu va Chandra ChuudaH = The Lord whose hairlocks are adorned by the Crescent shaped Moon, who is thus killed in the Battle of Words may protect me.
Lord Shiva- Shuuli, Neela kantaH, Pasupati, Sthaanuu, Chandra ChuudaH.
The Lord has chosen not to win the Battle of Words. Ordinary mortals should not even attempt to succeed in such a Battle of Words. Following the Lord’s example, man should choose to get killed in a Battle of Words and grant victory to the inhabitants of the planet of Venus. To concede defeat makes the argument, a Whole Argument.
Dr. R. Rudra Narasimham,
Kurnool Medical College, Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh, India,
A Prayer to Lord Ganesha in the performance of all human actions that intend to promote the well-being of the performer or help in promoting the well-being of all others. It is very important to note that the Prayer exclusively intends to promote well-being and cannot be used to perform actions that intend to harm or injure others
Decorated Indian elephant. The Zoomorphic form of Lord Ganesha is derived from the face of Asiatic/Indian Elephant. It provides a very interesting concept about finding Peace, Harmony, and Tranquility in the performance of human actions by simply meditating upon this face which gives the mental composure and removes obstacles in performing actions. Photo Credit:Faraz Usmani, Said&Done’s Photostream. http://www.flickr.com/photos/faraz27989/315075930/
Whole Humility: The celebration of Ganesh Chaturthi. A Prayer to Lord Ganesha for Success through Obedience and Humility.A Prayer to Lord Ganesha in the performance of all human actions that intend to promote the well-being of the performer or help in promoting the well-being of all others. It is very important to note that the Prayer exclusively intends to promote well-being and cannot be used to perform actions that intend to harm or injure others.
Sri Vakra Tunda Mahaa kaaya,
Koti Surya Sama Prabhaa,
Nir vighnam Kuru me Deva,
Subha karyeshu Sarvada.
I seek the blessings of Lord Ganesha in all of my actions that intend to promote my well-being or help in promoting the well-being of others.
While reflecting upon Lord Ganesha it is important to understand the ‘zoomorphic’ form represented in Indian Culture. He is popularly known as the God with Elephant’s head. There are two species of elephants. Elephas maximus is native to India and Southeastern Asia. Loxodonta africana, the second elephant species is known as the African elephant. The ears of the Indian elephant are considerably smaller than those of the African elephant which has large ears with a flatter head.Indian elephants are extensively used as ceremonial animals and are also widely drafted for a variety of purposes. African elephant is never used as a ceremonial animal and used as a draft animal to a very small extent. Lord Ganesha cannot be portrayed with the head of an African elephant. He cannot be depicted with two tusks. He has one tusk and it could only resemble the tusk of an Indian elephant. The long, flexible snout known as ‘trunk’ of Ganesha must always show a bend in its curvature and is never depicted straight and hence the hymn identifies Him as “Vakra Tunda.” Some European artists who had no clue about the differences between the two elephant species had depicted Lord Ganesha with the head of an African elephant. The Lord is connected to the Land of India and only the Indian elephant has the honor to represent His zoomorphic form.
Bharat Darshan: Saturday, September 07, 2024, The celebration of Ganesh Chaturthi
Bharat Darshan: Saturday, September 07, 2024, The celebration of Ganesh Chaturthi. A Prayer to Lord Ganesha for Success through Obedience and Humility.
The annual festival of Ganesha Chaturthi marks the birth of Lord Ganesha, the son of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. It involves 10 days of celebration and takes place in the Bhadrapada month (August-September), Shukla Paksha (the Waxing Phase of Moon), the fourth day or Chaturthi as per the Hindu calendar.
Bharat Darshan: Saturday, September 07, 2024, The celebration of Ganesh Chaturthi. A Prayer to Lord Ganesha for Success through Obedience and Humility.
A Prayer to Lord Ganesha for Success through Obedience and Humility
Whole Humility: The celebration of Ganesh Chaturthi. A Prayer to Lord Ganesha for Success through Obedience and Humility.Bharat Darshan: Saturday, September 07, 2024, The celebration of Ganesh Chaturthi. A Prayer to Lord Ganesha for Success through Obedience and Humility.Bharat Darshan. Saturday, September 07, 2024. The celebration of Ganesh Chaturthi on the fourth day of the Waxing Phase (Shukla Paksha) of Moon of the Month Bhadrapada (August-September)
The auspicious festival begins on Saturday, September 07. The festival inaugurates with people bringing or making clay idols (murtis) of the Lord, and concludes on the day of Anant Chaturdashi (Tuesday, September 17), when the idol is submerged in the nearest body of water, called Ganesha visarjan.
Lord Ganesha is one of the most worshiped deities among Indian Hindus. Also known as Vinayaka or Ganpati, the elephant God is revered as the God of beginnings and the remover of obstacles.
Whole Dude – Whole Humility: A Prayer to Lord Ganesha for Success with Humility.
Indian Cultural Traditions offer tools for Success in all dimensions of Life including health, education, employment, social status and social relationships. The formula for success is simple; perform all tasks making an estimate to take care of negative consequences or outcomes, and plan for roadblocks or obstacles in the planning stage of executing any action. Indians initiate actions seeking Blessings of Lord Ganesha for their desire for Success in Life should not be directed by intellectual pride or arrogant use of physical or material power.
Bharat Darshan: Saturday, September 07, 2024, The celebration of Ganesh Chaturthi. A Prayer to Lord Ganesha for Success through Obedience and Humility.Bharat Darshan: Saturday, September 07, 2024, The celebration of Ganesh Chaturthi. A Prayer to Lord Ganesha for Success through Obedience and Humility.Bharat Darshan: Saturday, September 07, 2024, The celebration of Ganesh Chaturthi. A Prayer to Lord Ganesha for Success through Obedience and Humility.Bharat Darshan: Saturday, September 07, 2024, The celebration of Ganesh Chaturthi. A Prayer to Lord Ganesha for Success through Obedience and Humility.Bharat Darshan: Saturday, September 07, 2024, The celebration of Ganesh Chaturthi. A Prayer to Lord Ganesha for Success through Obedience and Humility.Bharat Darshan: Saturday, September 07, 2024, The celebration of Ganesh Chaturthi. A Prayer to Lord Ganesha for Success through Obedience and Humility.Bharat Darshan: Saturday, September 07, 2024, The celebration of Ganesh Chaturthi. A Prayer to Lord Ganesha for Success through Obedience and Humility.Bharat Darshan: Saturday, September 07, 2024, The celebration of Ganesh Chaturthi. A Prayer to Lord Ganesha for Success through Obedience and Humility.
A PICTURE OF INDIA’S GRIEF OVER JIHADIST ATTACKS IN MUMBAI
TERROR ATTACKS ON INDIA :
Recent news reports are stating that the terror attacks on India have not seen its end and they are predicting the possibilities of more attacks similar to the Mumbai carnage on November 26, 2008. “India will continue to face a serious jihadist threat from Pakistan-based terrorist groups, and neither Indian nor U.S. policy is likely to reduce that threat in the near future”, said Angel Rabasa, lead author of the study and a senior Political Scientist with RAND, a non-profit think tank based in Santa Monica, California. According to RAND, the other extremist groups in Pakistan will find inspiration in the Mumbai attacks and there can be more attacks from groups with high body counts and symbolic targets.THE CONCEPT OF JIHAD :The term Jihad in Arabic means struggle and is often viewed as a religious duty. A person engaged in Jihad is called a ‘mujahid’, the plural is ‘mujahideen’. The Mumbai attackers identified themselves with the name of ‘Deccan Mujahideen’. The aim of Jihad includes the expansion and defense of the Islamic State and warfare against non-believers. Jihad ideology has historically inspired the conquest of non-Muslim population and the transformation of civil society which is viewed as corrupt, arrogant, and disobedient. The Holy Book of Quran, Surah 25, verse 52 states : “Therefore, do not obey the disbelievers, and strive against them with this, a great striving”. The objectives of armed warfare include uprooting unbelief and establishing supremacy of God, through Islam, in the world.”And fight them on until there is no tumult or oppression, and there prevail justice and faith in Allah altogether and everywhere.”
THE HISTORY OF JIHAD IN INDIA :
Sir Jadunath Sarkar, a historian, and former Vice-Chancellor of Calcutta University had contended that several Muslim invaders waged a systematic Jihad against Indians. Sultan Mahamud of Ghazna(present day Ghazni city,Afghanistan) conducted more than twenty Jihadist attacks on North India between 1001 and 1027. In particular the records kept by al-Utbi, Sultan Ghazni’s secretary in the ‘Tarikh-i-Yamini’ document several episodes of bloody campaigns. Persian historian Ferishta records that Sultan Ghazni wants to “root out the worship of idols from the face of all Hindustan(India)”. He looked upon the destruction of temples as an act of Jihad. Mahamud Ghazni specifically directed his campaigns to temple towns of Nagarkot, Thanesar(1011), Mathura(1018), Kannauj(1019), Kalinjar(1023), and Somnath(1024). He had also destroyed temples at Varanasi, Ujjain, Maheshwar, Jwalamukhi, and Dwaraka. Mahmud Ghazni was of Turkic origin but had patronized the use of New Persian language and gave employment to writers such as al-Biruni, and Ferdowsi who gave detailed descriptions of the enormous booty and idols brought back to Ghazni city. Asaru-L-Bilad, a 13 th century geographer also described in great detail the destruction of Somnath. Apart from his regular troops, Mahmud Ghazni had assistance from 30,000 volunteer horsemen who had participated in the Jihad. To resist the attack on Somnath, Ghogha Rana at the age of 90 sacrificed himself and his clan. There are no census documents but after an analysis of all historical documents, historian K.S.Lal had estimated that about 2 million people died during Sultan Ghazni’s attacks on Indian temple towns.Similarly, Sikandar Lodhi of Delhi earned the epithet of ‘But Shikan’- the destroyer of idols. Babur the founder of Mughal empire in India in 1527 ordered a JIHAD against Rajputs at the battle of KHANUA. He had encouraged his men to fight the infidels and asked them to become either a Ghazi(soldier of Islam) or a Shaheed(Martyr of Islam). The Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb waged Jihad against Hindus as well as Shia Muslims whom he identified as heterodox. In South India, the Hindu kingdom of Vijaynagar came under repeated attacks of annual Jihad which had started in 1501 and each attack included destruction of temples. In the historical Third Battle of Panipat(January 1761), Ahmad Shah Abdali declared a Jihad against the Marathas. Estimates from historical documents indicate that about 60 to 80 million people in India died between 1000 and 1525 CE.INDIA’S RIGHT TO SELF-DEFENSE :Indian traditions have clearly established the rules of warfare. A ‘JUST WAR’ or ‘DHARMA YUDDHA’ is a duty and is an obligation of the Ruler. We believe in the principles of protecting all non-combatants. They should not be touched or harmed in any manner. We recognize the right of self-protection, self-defense, and self-preservation. When an enemy attacks you, it would be an act of cowardice if the enemy is not engaged in a battle. In the context of defending people against Jihadist attacks, we are not only defending our territory, our property, our personal lives but also we are defending our right to think for ourselves and cherish the ideas and values that are important to our existence. We have a fundamental right to worship as we please and safeguard the traditional way of life. Since Jihadist attack is actually a war against our fundamental right to practice religion, the propagation of ideas of Jihadist warfare should be prohibited and violators should be punished. The term Self-Defense means defense of one’s rights, beliefs, and existence. The Right to defend oneself with whatever force is reasonably necessary against actual or threatened violence is universally recognized by Law. Self-Defense is a natural, inborn instinct. A National Entity has a Right and also a Duty to defend itself from attacks sponsored by an enemy or an Enemy State. The act of Self-Defense could be expressed in several different forms; a retaliation involving the use of military force, economic and trade sanctions, diplomatic sanctions, imposing travel restrictions, and other punitive or defensive actions as needed.
Dr. R. Rudra Narasimham,
Kurnool Medical College, Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh, India,
YAGNA, A VEDIC RITUAL OF SACRIFICE-‘HOTREE’ OR ‘YAGNA PERFORMER’ OFFERS ‘HAVIS’ TO FIRE (LORD AGNI)
THE UNIVERSE AS GOD’S BODY
The word ‘omnipresent’ is defined as present everywhere at the same time. The property of being present everywhere is one of the Divine attributes. In western theism it has attracted less attention and the idea of ‘omnipresence’ is explained in a bit unclear way. In Judeo-Christian, and Islamic Cultures, God is not immersed in the substance of creation even though He is able to interact with it as He chooses. They tend to the view that God is in “HEAVEN”, and that God is above and outside of all creation. They explain ‘omnipresence’ in terms of His ‘ESSENCE’ as He is present to all as the cause of their being, His ‘POWER’ as all things are subject to His power, and His ‘KNOWLEDGE’ as He constantly watches all that goes on in the world and all things are bare and open to His eyes and hence He is naturally present in every aspect of the natural order. Whereas Indian thinkers tend to believe that a thing is said to be substantially or essentially in that place in which its substance is. Hence, people in the Land of India traditionally hold the view that God is related to the universe as though it is His body. The entire creation is seen as a manifestation of the Supreme Person. The theory of transcendent(exists apart from material universe) and immanent(actually present throughout the material universe)’omnipresence’ explains the meaning of the word ‘BRAHMAN’, the Ultimate Reality. Indian people reflect this belief in their worship of creation, and the idea that God is immersed in the substance of His creation could be recognized as a core value, the foundation upon which the Cultural traditions of India are established over thousands of years of their continued existence. The rituals of temple worship and the Vedic rituals of Yagna always include aspects of Worship of Creation and the Scriptures reveal that the Gods also Worship Creation to the same extent and the Indian way of life could be stated as a quest for unity with the Divine.
A HYMN TO SEEK PROTECTION FROM THE CREATOR
Yaa srushti srashtu raadyaa vahiti vidhihutam, yaa havi ryaacha hotree
We seek the protection of God who physically manifests Himself with the eight bodies of
1. WATER- Lord VARUNA who was created prior to the creation of all other creation(of living entities).
2. FIRE- Lord Agni who receives ‘HAVIS’, the oblations or offerings given to God.
3. HOTREE- the person who is performing ‘YAGNA’, the Vedic ritual of sacrifice.
4. SUN- Lord Surya, the marker of day time.
5. MOON- Lord Chandra, the marker of night-time.
6. SKY- or ETHER which helps in the propagation of SOUND and is spread across the entire universe.
7.EARTH- Mother Earth, Goddess Bhu Devi, who bears the burden of harboring all living entities.
8. WIND- Lord VAYU who is the ‘Breath of life'(or PRANA) of all living entities that breathe.
THE FUNDAMENTAL RIGHT TO WORSHIP CREATION
The act of Creation Worship defines Indian Identity. All other Cultural Traditions that are existing in India proceed from this foundational principle. Indians seek their well-being, prosperity, happiness and eventually salvation through acts of worship. The foreign forces that occupied and ruled India tried hard to take away this Right to Worship as per our belief that God is immanent. We need to recognize the Right to Worship Creation as a Fundamental Right. Citizens while they are free to profess their religion , should not be free to ‘PROPAGATE’ a religion or idea which basically interferes with a Fundamental Right. No person could have a Fundamental Right to PROPAGATE at the expense of denying and devaluing other core values. To that extent, we should seek an amendment to PART III, Article 25 of the Constitution of India which deals with Freedom of Religion. The Constitution of India must recognize the Worship of Creation as a Foundational Principle of the Land of India and hence should be considered a Fundamental Right and should prohibit PROPAGATION of religion which infringes upon this Core Value. Such an amendment is vital to defend the Freedom of Religion as religious doctrines of Islam and Christianity are opposed to the idea of divinity of all created objects. These religious faiths divide humanity into two categories; the believers, and the non-believers. They also further express the claim that they possess a divine sanction to punish or modify the beliefs of the non-believers. In the global community, the adherents of Hindu religious faith are only a minority and they need special protection to defend the Right to Freedom of Religion.
Whole Dude – Whole Worship: The Lord God or the Principal Presiding deity at Malibu Hindu Temple is known as Lord Venkateshwara who represents the physical manifestation of the Supreme Being, Lord Vishnu in the material realm. Since the LORD is present in this terrestrial realm, He knows the Brahman Spirit that is in Prison.
The Temple of Lord Somnath. The Battle between the Power of Creation and the Power of Destruction:
Kindly pay homage to Sardar VallabhbhaiPatel, India’s first Deputy Prime Minister who had recreated the Temple of Lord Somnath and vanquished the evil forces which visited Somnath repeatedly to utterly destroy this sacred place of Hindu worship.
Whole Dude – Whole ConvictionWhole Dude – Whole ConvictionKindly pay homage to Sardar VallabhbhaiPatel, India’s first Deputy Prime Minister who had recreated the Temple of Lord Somnath and vanquished the evil forces which visited Somnath repeatedly to utterly destroy this sacred place of Hindu worship.Kindly pay homage to Sardar VallabhbhaiPatel, India’s first Deputy Prime Minister who had recreated the Temple of Lord Somnath and vanquished the evil forces which visited Somnath repeatedly to utterly destroy this sacred place of Hindu worship.
THE TEMPLE OF LORD SOMNATH IS THE EVIDENCE FOR THE POWER OF CREATION OVER THE POWER OF DESTRUCTION.
This entry is dedicated to the memory of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, India’s first Deputy Prime Minister.
THE SHRINE ETERNAL :
Somnath Temple is in the ‘Prabhas Kshetra’, near the seaport city of Veraval in Junagadh District, Kathiawar Peninsula of Saurashtra , on the shores of Arabian Sea,the western coast of Gujarat, India. This holy place of pilgrimage is a place of great antiquity and recent excavations there have revealed a settlement dating from about 1500 B.C. As per Indian traditions, the place is of significance as it is considered as the place from where Lord Krishna departed from this world. The presiding deity of this temple is Lord Shiva and He is known by the name of SOMNATHA or the Lord of the Moon. The present temple as it exists today is known as ‘Kailash Mahameru Prasada and is built-in CHALUKYA style of temple architecture. The site lied in a state of ruin for centuries and the decision to rebuild it was made by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel during his visit on 13 November, 1947. The temple was inaugurated on December 1, 1951 by Dr. Rajendra Prasad, the first President of the Republic of India. He had remarked that, “The Somnath temple signifies that the power of creation is always greater than the power of destruction”. The temple symbolizes the enduring fame of Sardar Patel who during the first three years of Indian independence after 1947, had served as Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Home Affairs, Minister of Information, and Minister of States. He was considered as practical and decisive. He was the architect of the Indian Union and his greatest contribution was the achievement of the peaceful integration of over 535 princely states into the Indian Union. The principality of Junagadh, and the princely State of Hyderabad had initially resisted the offer to join the Indian Union. Having failed in his attempts to join Pakistan, the Nawab of Junagadh fled away from the country. Mr. Bhutto,( the father of Mr. Z.A. Bhutto, who served as Pakistan’s Prime minister) acting in his capacity of the ‘DEWAN’ of the court of Junagadh, had invited Lord Mountbatten to accept the accession of Junagadh to India. In the State of Hyderabad, a militant movement called the Razakars was launched seeking independence but Sardar Patel restored peace in September 1948 and the ruler Nizam had accepted the terms of accession to the Indian Union. This part of Indian history and the integration of princely states into Indian Union has again become relevant after the enemy’s brutal attack in Mumbai which I had mentioned in my previous entry. The enemy had described himself as ‘Deccan Mujahedeen’, and the media reports indicate that the enemy had specific designs to gobble Junagadh, and Hyderabad apart from encouraging insurgency in the border State of Kashmir. The enemy’s intentions will force us to defend SOMNATH in Junagadh District which is resurrected after repeated attacks over centuries.
THE HISTORY OF SOMNATH :
Jyotirlinga Temple at Somnath is mentioned in Hindu prayers in praise and worship of Lord Shiva:”Sauraashtra dese visadeti ramye, Jyotirmayam Chandra Kalaa vatamsam, Bhakti pradaanaaya Krupaa vateernam, Tam Somanaatham Saranam prapadye.”Somnath, the confluence of three rivers, River Sarasvati, River Hiranya, River Ilanki and Kapila is mentioned in ancient Hindu Scriptures known as Rig Veda.
LORD SOMNATH TEMPLE-THE SHRINE ETERNAL- TESTIMONY TO THE POWER OF CREATION OVER THE POWER OF DESTRUCTION.
Somnath finds its mention in the ancient text of RIG VEDA. It is associated with the holy names of GANGA, YAMUNA, and SARASWATI, popularly known as ‘TIRTH DHAM’ where Indians traditionally offer worship by a practice described as ‘River Worship’. The ancient river of Saraswati may have merged into the Sea at Somnath apart from smaller rivulets known by the names of Hiranya, Kapila and Ilanki. The place is extensively described as a place of pilgrimage and its importance is narrated in the ancient texts of ‘SKANDA PURANA’, ‘BHAGAVATA PURANA’, and ‘SHIVA PURANA’. Lord Shiva in His radiant form known as ‘Jyotir Linga’ resides at Twelve different places in India and Somnath is listed as the first place of residence of ‘DWADASA JYOTIR LINGA’.Tradition claims that the original Temple of Somnath was built by Lord Moon, and was later built by King Ravana of Lanka who is a central figure in the story of Indian epic poem of RAMAYANA. The SINDH area of the Indian subcontinent came under Arab conquest in 7th century A.D. The Somnath Temple built by the YADAVA kings of Vallabhi of Saurashtra around 649 A.D. was destroyed in 725 A.D. by the Arab governor of Sindh. The Pratihara King Nagabhata II rebuilt it in red stone. Between 1001 A.D. and 1027 A.D. , the road to conquest of India was prepared by Sultan Mahmud of Ghazna( modern GHAZNI in Afghanistan) who conducted more than twenty raids into North India. His raids were mainly for plunder. They revealed the wealth of India and demonstrated the vulnerability of India to military attacks. During one of his raids, in 1024 A.D. , marching across India’s Thar Desert, Mahmud of Ghazna had plundered and destroyed the Somnath Temple. The amount looted was estimated at 20 thousand, thousand ‘Dinars’. The enormous treasures found at Somnath have been a theme of wonder for all who have written on that conquest. The Paramara King of Bhoj of Malwa, Solanki King Bhima of Anhilwara/Patan between 1026 A.D. and 1042 A.D. rebuilt the Temple. By 1297/98 A.D. , Gujarat was conquered by Ala-ud-Din Khalij, Sultan of Delhi and the Temple was razed.Solanki King Kumarapala built a Temple of stone and this was destroyed again in 1394 A.D. For the last time, the Temple was destroyed in 1706 A.D by the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb and the site remained in ruins till India’s independence in 1947. The rebirth of the Temple on December 1, 1951 demonstrates the vitality of the Indian spirit.
A HYMN IN PRAISE OF LORD SOMNATH :
Saurashtra dese visadeti ramye
Jyotirmayam, Chandra kala vatamsam
Bhakti prada naya Krupa vatirnam
Tam Somanatham saranam prapadye.
Lord Somanatha is dwelling in His great splendor in the Province of Saurashtra. May this Lord Somanatha who is full of radiance, and the crescent-shaped Moon shines in His matted hair, with His extreme compassion grant me a great sense of devotion with which I would seek my protection and let Him be my refuge.
Jyotirlinga Temple at Somnath is mentioned in Hindu prayers in praise and worship of Lord Shiva:”Sauraashtra dese visadeti ramye, Jyotirmayam Chandra Kalaa vatamsam, Bhakti pradaanaaya Krupaa vateernam, Tam Somanaatham Saranam prapadye.”
Shia Muslim Ruler of Golconda. Verily, a Blessed Soul
Shia Muslim Ruler of Golconda is a Verily Blessed Soul. The Temple in Bhadrachalam gives testimony to this date.
SREE SEETHA RAMACHANDRA SWAMY SHRINE-TEMPLE OF LORD RAMA IN BHADRACHALAM
Myths, Legends, and Reality – Defining Indian Identity. A Temple to define the concept of Ultimate Reality.
This temple town of Bhadrachalam, located on the northern banks of the river Godavari in Khammam District of Telangana, India, best describes my Indian Identity as it brings together our myths, our legends and our quest for the “Ultimate Reality”.
Myths, Legends, and reality – Defining Indian Identity. A Temple to define the Ultimate Reality. The place described as Panchvati is in the vicinity of Bhadrachalam as per our local legend
This place is connected to events described in the epic poem of Ramayan which narrates Lord Rama’s journey in our Land. Rama while living in exile, camped in the forest by the name ‘Dandakaranya’ and His spouse Seetha was abducted and eventually, Rama and His brother Laxmana cross the river Godavari at this place in search of Seetha. A pious man known as Bhadra prayed at this place seeking Lord Rama’s return to this place. Much later, a simple tribal woman who lived in this area discovered the idols of ‘Vaikuntha Rama’ (for He carried the Sudarshana Chakra apart from the bow and arrow) with Seetha seated on His lap and the idol of Laxmana standing next to them.
Myths, Legends, and Reality -Defining Indian Identity. A Temple to define the concept of Ultimate Reality
Kancharla Gopanna, a Tahsildar (revenue official) of Palvancha Paragana, completed building this temple in 1674 A.D. The legend about the divine intervention and the miraculous release of Gopanna from the prison at the Golconda Fort is narrated in my entry titled, ‘The Benevolent Shia Ruler of Golconda-Verily, A Blessed Soul’.
ABOUT MYTHS AND LEGENDS:
Myths, Legends, and Reality. Defining Indian Identity. A Temple to define the concept of Ultimate Reality.
Myths are traditional stories which serve to explain our connection to God and the universe and hence they are not the same like the fictional stories. Myths exist in a historical context but may not be true historical accounts that are supported by scientific verification. Legends are stories handed down for generations among a people and popularly believed to have a historical basis but do not qualify for inclusion in a text book of history. As an Indian, I depend upon myths and legends to derive a sense of direction, a sense of guidance and a sense of hope for my human existence. They help me to know who I am and where I am going.
ABOUT REALITY AND ULTIMATE REALITY:
The influence called Time makes the distinction between Real and Unreal. A Temple to define the concept of Ultimate Reality
Indians are very concerned about the effects of Time . We practically witness in our daily lives the forceful consequences of time. Time changes the course of human life and time changes the physical world. However, the “Ultimate Reality” does not change, it is constant and it is eternal. Indians seek this Reality as it represents their natural home and that is their final destination on completion of the life’s journey. Since ‘TRUTH’ is unchanging in its character, is also described as the Reality that we cherish to experience.
Myths, Legends, and Reality. Defining Indian Identity. A Temple defines the concept of Ultimate Reality. The name Ra Ma represents Eternal Truth.
Millions of Indians express this desire for Truth and the Reality with a very simple statement. They claim that the name “RA MA” is eternal Truth. Our search for Truth and Reality becomes very easy if we just seek “RA MA”. Great powers on this earth had vainly tried to destroy our belief in RAMA. Mughal Emperor Babur destroyed the temple in Ayodhya which we consider as Rama’s birth place. The forces of Sultan Tughlak destroyed the Rama temple in my home town Rajahmundry. Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb destroyed countless number of temples and idols of Rama. Yet the myth and legend of Rama survives. At Bhadrachalam also known as Bhadra giri or Bhadradri (the hill of Bhadra), Sultan Tani Shah, a benevolent Shia Muslim ruler of Golconda, helped Kancharla Gopanna to maintain this temple. This devotee of Lord Rama is popularly known by the name Bhakta Rama Dasu.
WOULD IT BE POSSIBLE TO DESTROY RAMA?
Myths, Legends, and Reality. Defining Indian Identity. A Temple defines the concept of Ultimate Reality.
Many have tried to destroy the idols and images of Rama. For example, if some one would destroy the temple of Rama in Bhadrachalam, we still connect this place and the forest and the river with Rama’s life journey. If some one would destroy the forest, level the ground and change the course of the river, I would still look for the signs of His presence in the creation of the heavens and the earth. I would describe the blue sky as the color of Rama. If some one could destroy the blue sky and when I look up and see the dark sky, I would say that I am reminded of Lord Krishna who is described as black in color as dark as the sky of New Moon’s day. Our myths remind us that Rama and Krishna are one and the same. I do know people take great pride in their physical power but it may not be easy to wipe out a belief system which is more than the Idols which represent the Belief. The Indian Identity associated with Blue and Dark sky would survive as long as there is a sky above our heads and as long as the difference of night and day exists on this earth.
Myths, Legends, and Reality – Defining Indian Identity. A Temple to define the concept of Ultimate Reality.
” Lo! In the creation of the heavens and the earth and (in) the difference of night and day are tokens (of His sovereignty) for men of understanding”. Surah III, verse 190, Holy Book of Quran.
Myths, Legends, and Reality – Defining Indian Identity. A Temple to define the concept of Ultimate Reality.
Shia Muslim Ruler of Golconda. Verily, a Blessed Soul
Shia Muslim Ruler of Golconda. Verily, a Blessed Soul. SULTAN ABUL HASAN QUTB SHAH (MAY PEACE BE UPON HIM).Golconda Fort near the City of Hyderabad, the seat of Qutb Shahi Dynasty. GOLCONDA FORT- “GOLLA KONDA”(SHEPHERD’S HILL)
Quli Qutub Mulk, a Shia Muslim from Persia (present day Turkmenistan) with friends and a few relatives migrated to Delhi in the beginning of 16th century CE. He migrated south to Deccan and served Bahmani Sultan Mohammad Shah. He conquered Golconda and was appointed as the governor of the Telangana region (about the size of France) in 1512 CE. After the disintegration of the Bahmani Kingdom into the five Deccan Sultanates, Quli Qutub Mulk declared independence, assumed the title of ‘QUTUB SHAH’ and established the Qutb Shahi Dynasty of Golconda in 1518 CE. Qutub Shahis were great builders and patrons of learning. They not only patronized the Persian culture but also the regional culture of the Deccan, symbolized by the Telugu language and the Deccani idiom of Urdu. The Golconda rulers learned Telugu.
The Qutub Shahis was the ruling family of the kingdom of Golconda, DECCAN, southern India. They were Shia Muslims and belonged to a Turkmen tribe from the Turkmenistan-Armenia region. The dynasty ruled Golconda for 171 years until the Mughal Emperor Aurangazeb’s armies conquered the Deccan in 1687 CE. Abdullah Qutb Shah, the sixth ruler of the Qutb Shahi Dynasty (1626-1672 CE). Abdul Hasan Tana Shah married his daughter and gained access to power.Tana Shah (Abul Hasan Qutb Shah or Tanishah) (1672-1687 CE)
Sultan Abul Hasan Qutb Shah was the seventh and the last ruler of the Kingdom of Golconda (Deccan, Southern India) under the Qutb Shahi Dynasty. He ruled from 1672 CE to 1687 CE. He is also known as Abul Hasan Tana Shah and more popularly, he is known as TANI SHAH meaning benevolent ruler. He did not discriminate against those of other ethnicities or religions. He hired Hindus as his ministers and generals.
Akkanna, Madanna were secretaries to the prime minister during Abdullah Qutb Shah rule and their position helped Gopanna get a post as Palvancha Tehsildar. Sultan Tana Shah appointed Madanna as Prime Minister and Akkanna as Revenue Minister.
Madanna served as an official during Sultan Abdullah Qutb Shah’s rule. Madanna had a nephew by name Kancharla Gopanna and he helped Gopanna to be appointed as a “Tehsildar” (a revenue official) of Palvancha county.
Pokala Dhammakka, a tribal woman living in Bhadrareddypalem, found the central icon of Rama in an anthill.
During mid 17th century CE, Pokala Dhammakka, a tribal woman living in Bhadrareddypalem, found the central icon of Rama in an anthill. She dissolved the anthill using the water from the Godavari River. With the help of the villagers, Dhammakka constructed a mandapam (a temporary platform with a roof) and offered prayers to the deities. Following Abdullah Qutb Shah’s orders, Gopanna enforced the Jizyah tax (jizyah, also spelled jizya, historically, a tax paid by non-Muslim populations to their Muslim rulers., a penalty designed to make Hindus pay for not adopting Islam). Observing the dilapidated state of the worship site, Gopanna decided to build a temple for Rama, Seeta, and Laxmana idols by raising donations. In the initial attempt, Gopanna received harsh criticism from the local Hindus for enforcing the Jizyah tax. Dejected by numerous rebuffs, Gopanna decided to use a portion of the tax collected to build the temple and face the consequences. The temple was built by Gopanna in 1662 CE with a cost of nearly six lakh Varahas ( Gold coins). Abdullah Qutb Shah summoned Gopanna, who had no proper answer for misusing kingdom’s funds.
Sultan found Gopanna was guilty of the misuse of the funds and had him imprisoned at the Golconda Fort.
A LEGEND ABOUT DIVINE INTERVENTION:
Shia Ruler of Golconda, Verily, a Blessed Soul. A Temple to define the concept of Ultimate Reality.Did Lord Rama actually visit Golconda Fort to obtain the release of Kancharla Gopanna from the prison? Sultan Tani Shah believed that it was God or Allah who had come to him and cleared the debt owed by Gopanna. He further expressed that belief in his actions. He allowed Gopanna to complete the construction of Lord Rama’s Temple in Bhadrachalam and financially supported the maintenance of that Temple. By doing so, the Shia Ruler of Golconda gave us a chance to reflect upon Lord’s Mercy, Grace, and Compassion.
Gopanna spent about 12 years in prison. According to legend, God intervened on behalf of Gopanna to obtain his release from the prison at Golconda Fort.
RamaTanka Gold Coins given to Tana Shah are still in display at Bhadrachalam Temple.
As per the legend, Lord Rama in disguise had come before the King and returned the money owed by Gopanna and the debt was repaid with gold coins. God who came to rescue Gopanna from the prison had met the Sultan but not the prisoner. Upon his release from the prison, Gopanna did express his sorrow for missing the opportunity to meet the Lord. Gopanna was released from the prison and he successfully finished the construction of the Rama temple which stands even today. Sultan Tani Shah publicly acknowledged that he had met “ALLAH ” and recognized the fact of Gopanna’s release from the prison was made possible by divine intervention. He made permanent arrangements for the upkeep of this temple. The funds that were collected as tax from Palvancha county were allocated to the temple and also he had established an annual tradition of sending pearls to shower the Deity during the annual temple festival. This tradition of offering pearls was continued by the rulers of the princely State of Hyderabad popularly known as the ‘Nizams of Hyderabad’, who ruled the Telangana region continuously until India’s independence. The Hyderabad State became a part of the Indian Union and the State of Andhra Pradesh came into existence in 1956. The Government of Andhra Pradesh and later Telangana followed the tradition established by Sultan Tani Shah in the 17th century and the tradition of offering pearls to Lord Rama still exists.
VERILY A BLESSED SOUL:
Shia Ruler of Golconda, Verily a Blessed Soul.
Did Lord Rama actually visit Golconda Fort to obtain the release of Kancharla Gopanna from the prison? Sultan Tani Shah believed that it was God or Allah who had come to him and cleared the debt owed by Gopanna. He further expressed that belief in his actions. He allowed Gopanna to complete the construction of Lord Rama’s Temple in Bhadrachalam and financially supported the maintenance of that Temple. By doing so, the Shia Ruler of Golconda gave us a chance to reflect upon Lord’s Mercy, Grace, and Compassion.
This Lord Rama’s Temple in Bhadrachalam is a testimony about Lord’s Grace, Mercy, and Compassion.
This benevolent ruler defended the Golconda Fort for eight months when the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb attacked it in 1687 A.D. In October 1687, the Fort was captured by bribery and Sultan Tani Shah was taken as a prisoner and was imprisoned in Daulatabad Fort until his death.
I would call Sultan Tani Shah is a Blessed Soul for he recognized God’s plan and purpose and supported Gopanna to build the temple and provided for the maintenance of the temple and gave us the opportunity to know about God’s Compassion, Grace, and Mercy. Secondly, Sultan Tani Shah received the biggest gift that a man could ever seek. Man always cherishes the idea of meeting his Creator, the Father in Heaven, Allah, the Lord, RAMA the divine reincarnation of Vishnu and very few actually realize that dream. Gopanna was rescued but could not meet RAMA. Sultan Tani Shah did not pray or ask for this favor from God. He is a Blessed Soul because God granted him that gift. He received a sensory experience of that Reality called God and I fully trust this experience he had shared with others. Sultan Tani Shah’s actions substantiate his claim. Most importantly, he did not seek any personal reward or personal gain while he acted in the obedience of a God he never actually believed and had never intended to worship in any manner. He acted without seeking the fruits of his actions. I bless this Shia Ruler of Golconda and pray for Lord’s Peace be upon him forever.
Whole Dude – Whole Opinion: My musings on the death of Socrates
NO EVIL CAN BEFALL A GOOD MAN EITHER HERE OR HEREAFTER
THE DEATH OF SOCRATES
Ms. Emily Wilson is the author of this book (Harvard, 247 pages, $19.95) and it was reviewed by Thomas Meaney and the article with the title The Afterlife of a Skeptic appeared in The Wall Street Journal in its edition of Saturday/Sunday, November 24-25, 2007. The book deals with as to how the execution of a philosopher has been reinterpreted for every era. The history of the interpretation of Socrates’ death speaks about the history of philosophy in the West. Mr. Meaney begins his review with the observation that the name of Socrates recalls his death more than his bewilderingly eccentric life.
Whole Dude – Whole Opinion: My musings on the death of Socrates
Socrates, ancient Athenian philosopher, is best remembered for his admonition to “KNOW THY SELF.” He laid the philosophical foundations of Western Culture. He made an effort to shore up the ethical dimension of life. He directed philosophical thought toward analyses of the character and conduct of human life. As Cicero said, Socrates “brought down philosophy from heaven to earth” – i.e. from the nature speculation of the Ionian and Italian cosmologists to analyses of the character and conduct of human life, which he had assessed in terms of an original theory of the soul. Socrates turned philosophy away from a study of the way things are, toward a consideration of virtue and the health of the human soul. He was a man of deep piety with the temperament of a mystic. He believed in the soul’s immortality and claimed that the soul of man partakes of the Divine. Socrates held himself to be an envoy from God. He believed himself charged with a mission from God to make his fellowmen aware of their ignorance and of the supreme importance of knowledge of what is for the soul’s good.
Whole Dude – Whole Opinion: My musings on the death of Socrates
Socrates redirected philosophy from cosmology to the formulation of a rule of life, to the “practical use of reason.” The specific message from God that Socrates brought to his fellowmen was that of the “care” or “tending” of one’s ” soul, to make one’s soul as good as possible”- “making it like God,” in fact – and not to ruin one’s life, as most men do, by putting care for the body or for “possessions” before care for the “soul”; for the “soul” is that which is most truly a man’s self. According to Socrates the soul is the man. He believed that to do wrong is to damage one’s soul. From this it follows that it is always worse to do wrong than to be wronged and that one must never return wrong for wrong. He also maintained that virtue is knowledge and that all the virtues really amount to knowledge. His self-control and powers of endurance were exemplary. His self-imposed life of hardships and austerity was the price of his spiritual independence.
Whole Dude – Whole Opinion: My musings on the death of Socrates
Socrates believed that he can teach merely by asking the right questions. He spent his life in conversation with Athenian citizens, seeking true knowledge and exposing the errors of those who claimed to have wisdom. Socrates challenged anyone with a pretense to knowledge. Socrates ushered in an age of rational inquiry. According to Socrates, the radical vice of ancient democracy is that of putting society in the hands of men without true insight and with no adequate expert knowledge (and in this regard, Socrates is absolutely correct and even today that is the biggest danger of Democracy!). He expected that statesmen should act like “physicians of the body politic” and that they should promote “righteousness and temperance.”
Whole Dude – Whole Opinion: My musings on the death of Socrates
Socrates was indicted for “impiety,” “corruption of the young,” and “neglect of the gods whom the city worships and the practice of religious novelties.” He elevated virtue over the gods themselves, whose approval was so central to Athenian civil life. Socrates claimed that he could prick the city into a higher state of self-awareness by disturbing its settled world view. In Plato’s account of the trial, “The Apology,” Socrates defended himself not as a victim of censorship but as a benefactor of Athens. In an open- air Athenian court room in 399 B.C., the world’s first democracy sentenced one of the world’s first public intellectuals to death for disrespecting the city’s gods and leading its youth astray. His disciples were prepared to help him escape, but Socrates baffled them when he cheerfully swigged his lethal cup of hemlock after praising the city that wanted him gone. Socrates died for choosing the right to speak his conscience.
In the 18 th and 19 th centuries, Socrates was a hero aswellas a scourge for the best minds of their ages. Nietzsche saw Socrates as a deleterious species of cultural sickness. For him, Socrates marked the beginning of the regrettable triumph of “naive rationalism.” Socrates’ death was a hostile act that, by championing a deadeningly abstract and unattainable notion of virtue, precluded living authentically in the world. Socrates is described as a radical skeptic. Ms. Wilson in her book concludes her interpretation of Socrates’ death with a curiously banal argument. She charges that Socrates wasn’t a good family man.
In the closing words of his speech to the jury, Socrates says: “when my sons grow up, punish them, and pain them in the very same way I pained you, if they seem to you to care about money or anything else before virtue. And if they are reputed to be something when they are nothing, reproach them just as I did you, tell them that they do not care for the things they should, and that they suppose they are something when they are worth nothing .” The man who had been condemned to death for corrupting the sons of the city ends his life by instructing his executioners about how to treat his own children. He goes to his death with his faith in his own reason. After 2,400 years, it is still a resounding epitaph.
Whole Dude – Whole Opinion: My musings on the death of Socrates. LORD SHIVA – THE GOD OF LEARNING – THE PURSUIT OF KNOWLEDGE AND WISDOM
I am totally surprised by the book and its review. In the West, there appears to be no awareness of the ideas and thoughts that are routinely expressed in the East. I would not describe Socrates as a skeptic and I would never describe his way of life as eccentric. I would compare Socrates to Shiva on one hand and on the other, I would compare him to Gautama Buddha. If Jesus Christ, who had written nothing, spent His time talking to people, when put on trial did not defend Himself and made no attempt to protect His personal life and did not return to His earthly parents’ home, could be recognized as The Savior of Mankind , I would most certainly uphold Socrates’ claim that he is indeed a benefactor.
Whole Dude – Whole Opinion: My musings on the death of Socrates. SPIRITUALITY SCIENCE – THE DOCTRINE OF CREATION: SOCRATES – “KNOW THYSELF, AND YOU WILL KNOW THE UNIVERSE AND THE GODS.”
Whole Dude - Whole Concept 