SPIRITUAL MATTERS. TOI 13.8.2006.

WELLNESS:

H.H. Radhanath Maharaj.

The recent blasts in Mumbai killed hundreds of people in a matter of minutes. The suffering and loss of loved ones will remain etched in our memories forever. Why were so many innocent killed?

We have often seen the most kind, pious and generous people suffering from diseases and leading miserable lives. Why is that so?

The greatest disasters in human history -earthquakes, famines, diseases, terrorism - pose many questions. If God is good how could he possibly co-exist and do nothing about the evil and apparent injustices of this mortal world? This question encapsulates many peoples reason for having great diffculty with the idea of God.

Why were we born in this material world?

According to the Bhagavad Gita, we are part and parcel of the all powerful Supreme Being, God. As fragmental spirit souls we are qualitatively one with God, in that we are eternal, full of knowledge and full of bliss. But quantitavely, we are always subordinate to the Supreme, as a child to a Father.

When we want to enjoy seperate from this loving relationship with God and want to be the proprietor rather than serve God, then we enter into material energy. Here we slowly evolve through 8,400,000 species of life to get the very rare human birth. In lower forms of life, there is no free will. In human life, we have the advantage of free will but we are held responsible for our actions.

Laws of Karma

One can get away with certain things under the state laws. If one kills 100 people; the laws of the nature will kill him a 100 times. Everything we say and everything we do is recorded by the laws of nature and we get a reaction.

According to Bhagvat Gita there is sukarma - for every good action we get good result, vikarma - sinful activities produce suffering and akarma - activities which produce neither good nor bad karmic reaction, i.e. service to God.

Why are the good suffering and bad enjoying?

Sometimes, a person may engage in sinful activities but through association and the learning process becomes pious and good. All the sufferings of previous sins have to come upon him; but his future is very bright because he is good.

Similary, there are sinful people who may have been pious and good in the past and they are enjoying the fruits of prosperity and happiness now but it is just a matter of time till it all comes upon them.

Why do disaster occur?

Slaughterhouses where hundreds and millions of Innocent God's children are being killed every year, exploitation of resources and pollution of Mother Earth for greed - are producing massive planet wise reaction. When millions of people across the world indulge in illicit sex and intoxication every day, not only individual reaction but also enormous cumulative reaction is caused. Material nature then reacts in the form of earthquakes, famines, major disasters, Unfortunately, most people do not turn to God unless they suffer.

The most important question is not why I am suffering but how am I going to respond to the suffering and how am I going to help others respond to the situation? Death is ultimate, but old age and disease bring suffering. How does one deal with that? If we live with integrity, faithful to the principles of ethics and morality with faith and devotion to God, then we can pass through all circumstances and attain the ultimate destination of eternal love in His kingdom. One may not understand specifically with a sincere heart, his suffering will cleanse him.

Lord Krishna concludes in Bhagvad Gita "Abandon all varieties of religions and surrender unto me, I shall relieve you from all sinful reactions, do not fear." This is akarma, a universal principle. Surrendering to God means surrendering to His will out of love and affection.

God has appeared within His name and in any situation of life, whether it be prosperity or misery, we can connect our consciousness to perfection by simply calling out with sincere feeling his holy names.

The writer is a member of Governing Body Commission of ISKCON.

SPIRITUAL MATTERS ......13.08.2006 REVIEW

The above cutting from TOI WELLNESS dt. 13.8.2006.The supplement wellness is supposed to enlighten the reader on the problems and progress of medical science. It also used to give information on institutes and hospitals where proper care and medications made available. Lately this supplement encourages people to go for un-scientific 'alternate' medicines and therapies. The writers on this line pretend that they are the all knowing and they also attempt at questioning mainstreams medicine. In that effort the paper carried a feature termed "Spiritual Matters". This feature has nothing about health and medicines or medical practices. Instead it preaches a sanctimonious nonsense about Karma and its effects. Ostensibly the writer and officer from ISKCON wanted to explain why are the good suffering and bad enjoying? He starts with the death of hundreds during the blasts on 11.7.06 in the suburban trains of Western Rly. He mentions 'the most kind, pious and generous people suffering.' He makes query “If god is good how could he possibly co-exist and do nothing about the evil and apparent injustice of this mortal world?” He has no straight forward answer to his queries. Instead he scuttles it by saying that 'we are part and parcel of all powerful Supreme Being God'. If what this gentleman believes based on Bhagwat Gita, there should have been no good or bad in this world since everyone is part of god the Supreme. But in the next sentences he contradicts himself saying that ' as fragmented spirits.....we are always sub-ordinate to the supreme.' He has no reason to support both these statements. He falls a victim to Semitic ideas of god and soul as separate entities. The next sentence is some convoluted reasoning to the concept of individual soul. He seems to claim that the fragmented souls thought of separating from relationship with and so became 8,400,000 species of living beings. He also maintains that they slowly evolve to get a rare human birth. He seems to mouth some Darwinian theory of evolution. Now there are several questions. If souls are fragments of the supreme god, when did the actual separation took and why? Whether fragmented souls are finite in number or infinite? If the second why the supreme god went on fragmenting even after seeing the condition of the world made by the fragmented souls? In the next sentence the writer says that in the lower forms of life there is no free will'. If that is to be believed what is the explanation for evolution? They should be living and acting as per nature assigned to them by the supreme god. There is no reason to be otherwise. There is no reason to evolve or change. If evolution from lower to higher is part of the scheme prepared by supreme god, how long and or for how many births the lower form should take before it takes the next step on the ladder? Also the ISKCON guy should come with an explanation why the supreme god did not allow the lower life forms to be exhausted but continues with fresh fragmentation at the lowest life form? Why the life forms that have no free will turn to be man with free will? Where from the free will emanate? If it was the god's wish why did he keep it out of reach to other forms of life? More and more questions could be formulated from what the ISKCON guy propounded so far.

Next he tells about SUKARMA (good acts) VIKARMA (bad acts) and AKARMA (no act). The last is explained as activities which neither good nor bad! How can this be? All acts produce some good or bad and there cannot be any neutral act. What hierocracy! Yes the ISKCON fellow says that 'service to god' does produce neither good nor bad. A sweeping statement considering that all his emphasis in the write up is about attaining happiness thru service to god. Otherwise nobody is going to devote him in worship or service to any god.

14.8.2006

Next he pontificates: If a good man is suffering it is because of the sins committed by him earlier (was it from previous birth?) but he will have a very bright future. So bear with it. Similarly if sinful people are enjoying today that is due to their being pious and good in the past (Past birth?). But he avoids mentioning past life or birth. Yet he will have to make explanations as to how and why a sinful in past birth take rebirth in a pious one and why a pious in past birth is reborn in a sinning one? Going back to the life cycle how to explain the metamorphisms from the lower life to man?

Now he comes to the most rediculous part of his message. He asks 'why do disasters occur?' and answers ' when millions of people across the world indulge in illicit sex and intoxication every day' and further ' nature then reacts in the form of earth quakes, famines, major disasters! Up to now the idea was that souls are fragments of god. The later gave free will to men and they sinned but the punishment is mated out thru material nature that might be having some separate existence from Supreme God. However, the punishment is not just on sinful men alone, the punishment is meted indiscriminately on men, women, children including new born and unborn. One might console that all were punished because of their present or past Karma (acts) and or of past birth life. Then why the animals and all other living creatures should perish for what sinful acts. They just live a naturally ordered life that is neither pious or sin, since they have no free will to act by themselves. The ISKCON guy must be thinking that other people are just simple ones that they could be fooled by his spiritual discourse and no one will question his own assumptions because of his quoting from Bhagvad Gita.

All his further pontifications fail to answer the first question he propounded. Now the climax! "Surrendering to God means surrendering to his will (how to recognise the god's will?) and finally 'whether it be prosperity or misery we can connect our consciousness to perfection (what is it?) by simply calling out with sincere feeling his holy names'. Adi Sankara is said to have composed the poem "Bhaja Govindam, Bhaja Govindam, Bhaja Govindam Mooddamate". So we are idiots not knowing the course of good ones suffering and disasters pouring. Only call or repeated the name of God Supreme and don't bother what happen to you and around you. The writer did mention that 'the question is not why I am suffering but how I am going to respond to the suffering and how I am going to help others....' Don't laugh at his answer. He is very serious. "One may not understand specifically why one is suffering but one thing we (don't include me in this we. K.N.K.) know, if one turns to god in his suffering with a sincere heart, his suffering is to chant the names of god and forget the condition. A psychologically induced therapy. It might be possible to forget own physical condition for the time of chanting but what is after? You suffer because you are fated to it thru past karma and it cannot be overcome. This basic tenet of karma ideology stood in the way of any progress, in science of health care in the history of Hindu India. Instead of science all mumbo jumbo i.e superstitions of all kinds went on proliferating among people as religious rituals and Tantric sadhanas etc , when disaster visits chant. My own brother is said to have chanted Vishnu Sahasranam on his first flight.

By,

K.N. Krishnan.

Legal Journalist A.G. NOORANI.

Frontline dated March 25 April 2006, has a long essay titled in the name of Free Speech by the well known legal journalist A.G. NOORANI. he is a regular contributer in this journal as well as many other publications such as TOI & HT. An article similarly titled appeared earlier in HT. I have a lot respect and appreciation for Noorani's way of thinking. His incisive analysis of the India's foreign policy in the past, on the role of history of Sangh Parivar. His look on the role of Savarkar in connection with the murder of Mahatma was unique in itself. Unfortunately such an objectivity was absent in his present writing. He completely dealt with the right for free speech in a legal setting and used arguements with quotations from legal pronouncements to buttress his position that the Danish cartoons did outrage the religious feelings of muslims and hence the violent protests in many islamic countries and also in Inda are just. At the beginning of his article Noorani makes out that all muslims have the same ideas and concepts about prophet of Islam. Such a stand admits the fact that Islam is monilithic and dogmatic religion which is one of the accusations hurled by others on Islam. If the Danish Cartoons were an insult to the prophet and islam and that is the reason and evidence enough to blame and denounce the europeans and christians as a community what is to say in Noorani's arguements and quotations from the authorities of christian origin. The names and sources are christians and europeans. How many muslims authorities and also accepted by the muslim community who exposed similar thoughts about religions other than Islam? If there were some from the past their thoughts not followed by the community as is extensively sited in the book titled " The Great Theft" by Khalid Abou Fadl. He has marshelled evidence to show that puritans dominate the thinking and practice of muslim masses wherever they are and moderates are not to be seen or heard at all. Even Keren Armstrong whom Noorani approvingly quotes does not concure with the puritans in such matters where intolerence is the rule. Even if as Noorani seems to assume that all muslims are so devoted to their religion they could and would not tolerate any descouraging comment or remark about their prophet, they cannot expect others to follow. Thus it looks that of free speech but basics of religion. In history one could find a lot of disrespect towards others on the part of all known religious formation. Budhists and Jains were ostracised and almost eradicated from the lands of their origin in ancient India. Hindus themselves questioned and castigated their own faith even in the recent past. Christians were on record of worst blasphemies in the last two centuries. But in Islam no dissent is tolerated and history is witness to numerous acts of killing their own. Karen Armstrong and Khalid Abou Fadl mentioned such instances in their discourse. Noorani to blend to such happenings in muslim world. Noorani redicules Salman Rushdie and others for their opposition to the violent outbursts in the islamic countries by charecterising as not muslim. So in Noorani's opinion non muslims has no right to object to muslim protests. So Noorani should be castigated for all his anti hindutva tirades. If non muslims are dis qualified to question muslim religion just because the critics no real understanding of that religion the same should hold good in cases of other religions as well. it is a minor image of Parivar ideas.

Another dimention of his arguments could be cited. If some obscure cartoons could create such fury and therefore cause havoc in international arena and this is being justified by people like Noorani then we might also conclude that those whore acts in the past were similar should atone them today. Let us look at our own history. Even the most secular historians could not deny that the good part of muslim rulers with few exceptions were cruel to others faith blasphemed dieties and faiths other than that of Islam. The stand of the RSS Parivar could be justified with the same arguements resorted by Noorani. How many of the muslim religion leaders came out to voice their protest at the horrifying and uncivilized act of blasting Bamiyan Budhas by the fanatical taliban. Those who protested might be grouped along Salman Rushdie as un believing muslims. I would like people like Noorani to introspect that inlcude the CPM & others of the left, and realise that their stand in reality do encourage the extremists to corner the muslim masses. In Indian context it is devisive Political and or Ideological opportunism should not result int eh death of Secularism in our body politics.

By,

K.N. Krishnan.

MUSLIMS ARE BEING STEREOTYPED BY JNU PROFESSOR IMTIAZ AHMED.

Imtiaz Ahmed former JNU Professor in TOI wrote in Ed-Op, "Muslims are being stereotyped and the sub head "Anyone with a beard is labelled fundamentalist." About whom the professor complains? Those who tiraded in the media "against those who took initiative to hold these (anti bush) demonstrations. The justification is that "India is a free country". The professor labours it further to say that the "anti bush demonstrations " were "singled out". He goes further to seek credentials from the Indian Left saying belittling the criticism fo the left. Ahmed himself admits that the Indian Left is reformed thus exposing his soft corner although the stand of the left is rediculous.

The indian left is not in a position to muster thousands for any of their cherished cause in the last few decades except in WB & Kerala. The writer could not get away from the truth and the truth is that the vast section of muslim massess globally are for whatever reasons are straying to the wave of fundamentalism as it is well argued in the book titled "The Great Theft" by one of the famous academic Khalid Abou Fadl. He concludes that the muslim masses the world over are puritans and thus easily accomodates fundamentalism and then terrorism.

21.3.2006

The shrill noises from the left continues to beheard on the Bush visit, Bush speak, Iran and nuclear deal. The dire predictions for aligning with anything west are not something new. It is as old as that of India's Independance. At that moment communists cried ford. They charecterised the act of independence as one of betrayel of liberation struggle. It was same British imperialists rule masquerading as independence. From time to time communists denounced congress that of agents of this or that imperialism first British and then American. Only when they were completely isolated from mass political arena they recognised that the country to really independant of any foreign domination. They changed the tactics and started finding bogy of imperialism whenever a crisis in politics economics, trade or other faced the country. Their refrain continued. National interest is being compromised by the ruling congress party. It took decades after Gandhi for the communists to talk on the positive and pivatal role of Gandhi in leading the nation to independance. Similarly the communists never appreciated the role of Nehru during his days in govt. Today the hypocritically charge Manmohan Singh govt of not following a non alignment policy in the case Iran. Let us get it clear that today there is no single socialist block against an imperialist bloc. At the time of two opposed blocs one could always expect to be befriended by one or the other. The result is that we could privilege of remaining non aligned. That situation is no more since the demise of Soviet bloc. Even Cuba wanted to have its relations with US to be improved. China took steps much earlier to get on the right side of the imperialist US. National self interest governs all international relations. India has to teleplunge if it wants to go ahead and not to be swept into a corner.

Communists and their allied left intellectuals show an adament and arrogant towards others who don't agree with them entirely. No dissenting voice is allowed to be ahead. In the Soviet bloc countries purging of such elements included their elimination as well. In other countries dissedents were ostrocided to the point they were forgotten. A case in point is that of Com. P C Joshi tghe first General Secretary of CPI. The next prominent figure was the one time pillar of the CPI and Chairman Com. S.A. Dange. Now SAD is remembered only by some obsucre organisations in Maharashtra.

Bush's visit was denigrated and opposed by the CPM. Cartoon protests came about as god sent. The religious protesters co opted the CPM & SP and made a grand show in Mumbai. The voice was that of religious. Anti imperialism or anti war were all secondary. Call for human bombs to blast. The infidels went out clearly. Communists and their vociferous supporters were elated to claim that the protests encompassed all people as the manifestation of the national will. But it was nothing of the sort. A vast majority of the nation ignored the lunatic fringe except for a section of relgiousely minded muslims.

There was righteous indignation voiced ont eh Bush speak. Bush wanted India as the large democracy to join with him to extend democracy to such countries in his target Cuba, North Korea, Myanmar, Zimbawe, Iran etc. Are the communists of the view that the countries listed are the flag ships of democracy they needed to be protected against American interventionist policy.

Communists and their intellectual friends ardently believe that they are bestowed with superior intellect that enable them to detect hidden meanings in the policies and practices of the western imperialist countries. They assert that they know much more about everyone and every else in the world. However, none of these superiorty claims stalled of prevented the downfall of socialism in countries of erstwhile soviet bloc. Their dire predictions of the demise of capitalism the world over. Some post soviet marxists discovered hidden possibilities in capitalist societies, still untapped reserves of capitalism. Does this signify that the socialism built in Soviet bloc exhausted itself within half & three quarter of century. With all their shining socialist claims the soviet bloc failed to deliver as a system, while with all its draw backs capitalist and imperialist countries going ahead in history followed by some of the former third world South Korea, Taiwan etc. What is most rediculous and imitating is the claim made by that they alone know what is in national interest and how to protect it. Unfortunately for the democratic mass of voters do not accept their claim and are not entrusted to dethrown their elected governments communists has to learn to be humble before the masses to get their confidence.

By,

K.N. Krishnan.

THE SPIRAL STAIRCASE

18.3.2006

Completed reading the book "The Spiral Staircase" by Ms Karen Armstrong. It is claimed that the book is continuation on earlier one that recalled the authors childhood and adoloscent experience in a traditional catholic convent. Her experience as a nun at a young age think of religion as constraining the physical as well as intellectual life enclosing one from real world and life. The experience turned the author from organised and ritualistic religion. She says that she not only turned out to be anti-religious but also anti-god in formal sence. Her further experience in life for about 34 years (i.e. she was 61 as of today) was always to study and speak and write about religion only. This intense study of all major religions resulted in her re-discovery of religion in terms experience of human compassion, whether there is god or not in the sense understood by monotheists. She is of the view that all religious teachings converge on the point of compassion and experiencing that in one self compassion towards others does not depend upon any favourable or un favourable response from others. She also deprecates and denounces all manifestations of fundamentalism. Still she tries to explain the 9/11 attacks on WTO and many subsequent terrorist acts as deep seated religions beliefs an action and reaction mode for which she sites the Karma theory. Thus the West and East are in course of confrontation thru historical karma. Not a satisfactory excuse. To the end of her book Karen now at the age of 60 is almost returning to religion as a mystical and personal experience and not basing on any god. This state almost matches with our new age guns, god men and god women presently occupying the religious space internationally. Not a good prospect.

19.3.2006

A little more on Karen Armstrong's thoughts in her "Spiral Staircase". (Pages 307 on) she mentions about the Fatwa against Salman Rushdie for authoring the novel titled "Satanic Verses". She further mentions that the book had a portrait of prophet that "many muslims found blashpemous." Riots in Pakistan and ceremonial burning of the novel in Bradford. She regrets that there are no biographies of the prophet in the west which might have given a better idea of the Islamic religion. She assumes that everyone in the west who supported Rushdie against fatwa were ignorant of the real Islam. She is also of the view that west took it for granted the Islam is a religion of sword and inherently violent. Significantly she forgot to refer the Iranian Fatwa to kill Rushdie and award the killer. It is not proof enough that the first reaction of religious Islam is to resort to violence and assassination? Quotting some old tales and sayings that is not in practice for hundreads of years but the opposite is not justification enough to redicule Rushdies supporters. As a further justification Ms. Karen to write on the life of Mohamad was to dispel confusion and prejudice in the west against real Islam. Ms Karen very well knows that her own descriptions of christian traditions and history is viewed as blasphemous by devout practising christians but no one issued a fatwa or edict to kill her. She has not taken cognizence of the different reactions. She also did not dwell on the aspect that whether Islam is such a fragile faith that it could crumple to dust because of any blasphemous writing of Rushdie or any one else. The most recent outburst of hate, violence and threat of human bombs against the Danish Cartoons are more vociferous in proclaiming that the popular and or practicing Islam will take to sword in any conflict with its critics. The American credo under Bush is to bomb out people establish peace and democracy. The muslim reaction is peace thru bomb. Whatever might have been the spiritual essence or legacy of christianity and Islam in the past, the present reality believes them. We might remember that while Bush swears in the name of christiantiy the vast majority of coreligionists do not approve of it. On the other has they loudly protest against him. It is just opposite in case of Islamic public. The loudest protests are organised in favour of violence and murder.

By,

K.N. Krishnan.

AVATARS.

Hi, Ramnath I am inundated chain emails on your name. A few of them are good but others mostly thoughts culled from books and sayings. Many I am familiar for too long my years of readings. So most the mails are dumped into bin without even opening. Spare me from sending all these mails about gods and goddesses. They try to perpetuate our superstitions uncritically.

Of your latest on the Dasavatar I am forwarding to you the following write up that I scribbled on my diary. You may go thru it and express your views if any

KNK

AVATARS: 27.11.1995

One of the Hindu legends and belief is the avatars of Vishnu. They also believe that there are several avatars but the ten are more important. However, the 10^th is yet to come some time in future. i e. at the end of Kaliyuga.Hindu periodisation conceives of four yugas comprising:

Yuga	Duration (years)	God	Virtue	AVATARS
Krita Yuga	1,728,000	Brahma	Meditation	First five avatars: Matsya to Vamana
Treta Yuga	1,296,000	Vishnu	Knowledge	Parashurama and Ramachandra (Rama)
Dvapara Yuga	864,000	Vishnu	Sacrifice	Krishna's descent and the Mahabharata war (at end)
Kali Yuga	432,000	Vishnu Shiva-Rudra	Charity	Buddha and, still to come at the end of Kali-yuga, Kalki
	4,320,000

All the first five avatars supposed to have taken place in Krita otherwise Named Satya yuga when devas and asuras were in perpetual enmity and fight. The fun is that certain devas have given blessings and booms to some asuras thus empowering them to be menacing to former. Vishnu is said to have taken different avatars to destroy the asuras and protect the devas.

Yadaa Yadaahi Dharmasya Glaanirbhavati Bhaarata

Abhyudhanamadharmasya Tadaadmaanam Srijaamyaham

Paritraanaaya Saadhoonam Vinaasaaya cha Dushkritaam

Dharmasamstaapanardhaaya Sambhavaami Yuge Yuge(Bhagawat Gita)

The first five comprise of 1. Fish; 2. Tortoise; 3. Boar; 4.Narasimha; human lion 5. Vamana; the dwarf.

The legend is that some of the asuras stole the four Vedas from the Brahma and kept them hidden under the ocean. Then Vishnu in the form of a fish plunged deep in the waters and brought back the Vedas and delivered them to the rishies. The question is whether the Vedas were written and bound as books which the asuras could steal and hide. According to tradition Vedas were not kept written but memorised by Brahmins from generation to generation, with their intonation intact. Then how could anybody much less an Asura could steal them and hide them under water? At that point of time if asuras have to steal the Vedas they have to kill all the Brahmins and that also would mean complete elimination of Vedas never to return. The absurdity of that avatar is self evident but blind believers continue to trot out that story fully knowing that it has no factual base.

However, there is another story of a universal flood and Vishnu in the form a fish rescued the lives of all living things in a boat. One cannot be sure whether that story is borrowed from bible or the other way.

The second avatar is supposed to hold the world stable in the turbulent ocean. The creators of this story were unaware of or deliberately hidden the truth that the world is round like a ball floating in space and not fixed in any particular place much less in the ocean. Another story is that of churning of the milky ocean and Vishnu as tortoise was holding the Mandhara mountain firm on his back. Both could not be verified by facts or reasoning.

The third avatar is similar. The Varaha or boar. In this story it was held that the earth was abducted by some asuras and taken down under the ocean. How come that the earth could be hidden under the ocean which is part of the earth itself? Such an absurd notion indeed!!!

28.11.1995.

The fourth avatar is still more absurd story. The Asura Hiranyakasipu after observing austerities for long periods obtained booms from another of the Thrimurthys i.e. Brahma that he will not be killed in the day or night; inside or outside the house; by human or animal. After getting such boom he is said to have fought and enslaved the gods and goddesses in the heaven. The oppressed devas went to Vishnu and sought the god’s help. He promised to kill the Asura and save the devas. Thereafter when the Asura got a son Prahlada he was influenced to become a devotee of Vishnu which his father did not relish. For him he himself was the supreme god and persecuted and punished his son in ways including attempts to kill him. (What a wild imagination? Father intentionally trying to kill his son?) When challenged; Prahlada tells his father that Vishnu is in the pillar. The Asura cuts and breaks the pillar lo. Vishnu jumps out of the broken pillar in the avatar of Narasimha i.e. half human and half lion. It was neither human nor animal and the Asura was killed by the avatar in the evening hours i.e. neither day nor night; at the entrance to the house i.e. neither inside nor outside; on his lap i.e. neither in earth nor in sky; by his long nails i.e. no weapon. It is funny to note that one of five thrimurthys is worshiped by the Asura and another of the thrimurthys uses such tricks to nullify the boom given.

Still fantastic is the story of the next avatar Vamana. At least in this case there was no devas getting defeated or enslaved or otherwise harmed by the Asura Mahabali. He was the grandson of Prahlada and like grandfather a devotee of Vishnu himself. He is depicted as an ideal king to his prajas. The devas became envious of his rule specifically Indra. They went to Vishnu with complaint that the Asura is making the earth so good that nobody conducts sacrifices to attain heaven. So devas felt afraid that the Asura Mahabali will turn out to be the king of devas. They approached Vishnu for protection from the Asura Mahabali. The god readily agreed and took an avatar of a dwarf Brahmin brahmachari i.e. student. Mahabali was famous for his giving i.e Dana. The dwarf approached Mahabali and received by him as an honoured guest. After formalities of hospitality Mahabali asked him to demand anything he would fancy. The brahmachari asked for 3 feet measure of earth which the king promised by Vedic rites. But his Brahmin priest and advisor Shukra found the trick resorted by Vishnu and advised the king to refrain from giving anything to this fake brahmachari. The king maintained that his promise will be kept in spite of any adverse effect. The Vishnu turned Vamana became a giant overtaking the whole world and heaven in two steps and asked for the place for his third step. Mahabali bowed his head and requested the dwarf turned giant to put his step on his head. (in the first step the whole world was measured that should include Mahabali as well) The Vamana did put his foot on Mahabali’s head and then pushed him deep down i.e Patala Loka, where he was asked to stay forever. The king willingly accepted his subjugation and humiliation, only asking permission to visit his people once a year. (This later part is that of Kerala legend signifies ONAM festival there.) Thus Vishnu helped the devas to be themselves.

All these five avatars took place in Krita Yuga itself when the world was inhabited by feuding devas and asuras. According to puranic lore the father of the devas and their enemies asuras is one. His wife Aditi gave birth to devas and another Diti to asuras. There is not much mention of any humans except rishies in Krita Yuga. May be they were still to be born to the sage Manu. Thus manava meant human.

The 6^th & 7^th avatars i.e. Parasurama and Srirama happened during Tretayuga. They were contemporaries as per Ramayana story when Sri Rama encountered Parasurama on way back to Ayodhya from Videha after the marriages of the brothers.

In Tretayuga we find no asuras but Rakshasas like Ravana and Kshatriyas like Karthaviryarjuna and others. It is said that Parasurama was the son of rishi Jamadagni. In a fit of temper the rishi asked his son to sever the head of his mother for an alleged infidelity with Karthaviryarjuna a Kshatriya king. Later Parasurama went on a killing spree of all Kshatriyas on the land in twenty one rounds. No Kshatriya whether kings or otherwise were left out. The land was made kshatriyaless. (The question remains as what happened to the king of Ayodhya at that time and his family. There is nothing in Ramayana about Parasurama exterminating Ayodhya kings. Mahabharata also did not recall the story of Parasurama) Kshatriya women were asked by Parasurama to beget children from Brahmins i.e have sex to procreate. But were those children Kshatriyas? According to Manusmriti they should be a lesser breed of mixed castes and not Kshatriyas. The avatar Parasurama is that of Vishnu but he is a devotee of Shiva the third god in the thrimurty group. (There are groups in India today calling themselves Chandravamsa Kshatriyas. The kings of the former Cochin State were termed as Suryavamsam.)

As a side light the modern Brahmins maintain that after Parasurama annihilated all Kshatriya males, there is no Kshatriya caste in India. The later Kshatriyas are of mixed birth and caste.

What the 6^th avatar Parasurama achieved or created, whom did he safeguard or who benefited through his actions, is not clear. Without Kshatriyas how the kingdoms did remain stable and who ruled till the next crop of Kshatriyas of mixed birth came of age is one more question not posed nor answered.

The 7^th avatar is solely to finish of the Rakshasa king Ravana of Lanka. This Lanka is supposed to be an island south of Indian peninsula. This assumption is not supported by strict evidences but of traditional belief. Ravana was an ardent devotee of Shiva and said to have received his boom and weapons from him. Ravana observed severe austerities to propitiate Brahma and got the boom that he will not be killed by any one other than a human. With this boom Ravana ruled the world of devas and Rakshasas. Devas were terrified and enslaved. The humans were used as food by Rakshasas. Since, the two of the thrimurtys favoured Ravana, devas approached the remaining Vishnu. Vishnu in turn as is his norm devised a method to kill the Rakshasa king. He took birth in Kosala/Ayodhya while there was already another avatar Parasurama in human form. There is no answer to the question as to why Parasurama an avatar in human form was not used to finish off Ravana as well, as in the case of whole Kshatriya tribe. Thou they were supposed to be contemporaries there was no meeting between the avatar Parasurama and Ravana. He and his people were supposed to be cruel and harassing the rishies and obstructing their sacrifices but Parasurama did not come across them during his sojourn in earth. Obstacles to Viswamitra’s sacrifices came from Rakshasas but Parasurama was not bothered or even knew about any Rakshasa. The threat was from southern most part of the land still the god did not take his birth somewhere near Lanka in south itself, but in far off and obscure place Ayodhya in the north. The whole story is very over active to impress the credulous and less to the objective of finishing Ravana by a human.

In Ramayana itself no people or their kings in the length and breadth of India complained of any depredations by Rakshasas except Viswamitra conducting his sacrifice yajna. So an excuse has to be found. The story of Ramayana introduced ingredients like aborted coronation of Rama by his step-mother Kaikeyi. The 14 years in forest is something dramatic.

A question comes to mind. Why Dasaradha thought of coronation of Rama at the exact time when his two brothers namely Bharata and Shatrughna were out absent at Bharata’s maternal uncle’s place? There was no thought of calling them back home, to be present at the coronation ceremony. There is also no reason for Laxman to be attached to Rama while his twin brother Shatrughna to Bharata. It is logical for Bharata to go to his maternal uncle but why Shatrughna accompanied him? There was little role for the two in Ramayana main story i.e. killing of Ravana to save the good. Funny are the stories of Gods and their avatars. Thus in Treta Yuga two human avatars of Vishnu at the same or consecutive periods with no relation with each other or any rationale.

The 8^th & 9^th happened in Dwaparayuga i.e the third Yuga almost at its end. They were two brothers Krishnaand Balarama. But there is another story; depicting Balarama as the avatar of Sesha the king of Nagas i.e. serpents. The significance is not clear. They don’t act together on any time. Earlier avatars were to subdue asuras, rakshasas and other enemies and ill wishers of devas except in case of Parasurama. That was to subdue the power hungry rulers. In case of Balarama there seemed to be no aim or objective. On the other hand he is supposed to have been sympathetic to Kauravas as against Pandavas whose friend, advisor and support was Srikrishna. The avatar was to finish his tyrannical uncle Kamsa and some more relations including the Kauravas.This avatar took place even though there was no specific complaint from devas about any king mentioned in Mahabharata. There is only one story that is about an Asura named Naraka who is said to have abducted and imprisoned 16,000 virgin princesses. By the way Naraka is depicted as the son of Bhoomi i.e. earth goddess one of the wives of Vishnu himself. The asura was killed by Satyabhama incarnation of goddess Bhoomi accompanied by Krishna. All the 16,000 virgins were rescued by Krishnaand then they married him. Thus the legend of 16,008 wives for Srikrishna, 8 already married. At the end of Mahabharata war when the survivors consisted of the five Pandavas alone, the wife of Dhritarashtra i.e. Gandhari accused Krishna of plotting and executing the whole episodes so as to finish of everyone not excluding his own nephew Abhimanyu the young son of his sister Subhadra.Krishna tacitly agrees that Gandhari is true.

Both the 8^th and 9^th avatars were completely meaningless stories the main story being about family feuds. Certain sources maintain that Balarama is not an avatar and the 9^th avatar is that of Buddha. Might be they realise the absurdity of two avatars at the same time and place.However there is no universal acceptance of Buddha as an avatar of Vishnu among Hindus. The 10^th avatar is yet to come when the Kaliyuga i.e. the 4^th Yuga is to end. The avatar of Kalki will destroy everything of this world so that a new round of four yugas could start afresh. (In the recent past some group in south India claimed a person as Kalki avatar and went on a spree of worship and bhajans celebrations. This turned out to be a fraud on the credulous and the gentleman retired making good use of his fame as Kalki to make huge amount of money and property.)

There is another thought propagated by some that the stories of avatars signify the scientific finding of the evolution of species. Oh. Stop the efforts to numb our minds and brains!!!

The entire concept of Dasavatars is meaningless and irrational and creation of fantastic imagination of certain deceased minds.