What is reality?

For most of us reality is what we experience through our senses daily and at every moment of our life and is most comforting….But is it truly what reality is?...think again…For example I feel that I am sitting pretty comfortably in my chair while writing this article but actually speaking I am zooming through the space at around 64000miles per hour around the sun. When we touch our body or anything around for example table we fill that it is solid but actually most of it is empty space. Physicists are trying everyday to decode reality but defining reality is turning out to be pretty illusive. When it comes to understand what makes up the objects that we think to be real around us what physicist do is to smash them with each other. Through these experiments it was discovered that all elements are made up of atoms which are further made up of a tiny nucleus of positively charged protons and neutral neutrons. Most of the space inside the atoms is actually empty space and then there are electrons which revolve around the positively charged nucleus. To further understand what protons are made of they smashed two protons. But instead of getting one or two particles which they could name as elementary what they got was hundreds of particles comprising of baryons and mesons (together they were called as particle zoo).

THE PARTICLE ZOO

Now the question was which one of them was elementary? For the answer to this profound question the experimental physicists had to turn towards theoretical physicists who came up with the standard model which became the basic elementary particles of reality from which our entire reality was made of including the four primary forces of nature. (or was it?) 

THE STANDARD MODEL

Now we return to the question asked by experimental physicists. They turned towards theoretical physicists for help, who came up with standard model of elementary particles. The constituents of the universe according to the standard model come in two categories, the field sector and the particle sector. In the field sector we have got 12 gauge fields the four electroweak fields that includes the photon (γ, W+,W-,Z) and the eight gluon fields(G1,G2,…G8) their quanta are all particles with one unit of quantum attribute called spin exactly like the first and most familiar among them, the photon. All such particle having integral spin belong to the family of particles called bosons (this obeys what is called Bose Einstein statistics).

The particle sector consists of spin 1/2 particles belonging to other great family of “fermions”(Particles that obey Fermi-Dirac statistics). Most matter on earth are however made up of the quark doublet (up and down quark) and the two leptons (v, e). However nature has chosen to repeat this quartets two more times so that there actually exist three “generations” of particle quartets each consisting of a quark doublet and a lepton doublet.

Now the question that arises is why three generations? Related to this question is another more profound question- How is everything including the forces of nature that we know today come into being?? For this we have to study a cosmological phenomenon- The Big Bang!

What is the message that the characters of Mahabharata war (Pandavas) give through blowing their conch shell?

Tatahsvetairhayairyukte,mahatisyandanesthitau;
madhavahpandavascaiva,divyau sankhau pradadhmatuh

                                         ….. B.G.CHAP 1 VERSE 14

After the Kaurav, Krishna and Arjun, riding in their magnificent, sacred chariot drawn by flawlessly white horses (“white” symbolizes purity), also blow their “celestial” conches. “Celestial” means beyond the material world. Yogeshwar Krishna’s transcendental message is a promise to render unto souls the most auspicious, unworldly existence that is beyond the worlds of both mortals and gods, and verily the whole universe (Brahmlok), which is all afflicted with the fear of birth and death. If the words in this verse are carefully looked at they indicate something…It says the chariot is celestial (not made of gold or silver) conch is celestial, everything is pure and celestial so the poet wants to state that their message is also celestial.

Beyond these worlds there is only the one unique and indescribable God. Krishna’s message is of establishing a direct contact with this Supreme Being. But how will he affect this state?

Pancajanyamhrsikeso,devadattamdhananjayah;
paundramdadhmaumaha-sankham,bhima-karma vrkodarah

                                              ….. B.G.CHAP 1 VERSE 15

So Hrishikesh (lord of the senses), who knows all the mysteries of the human heart, blows the conch PANCHJANYA. This is a declaration of his intent to restrain the five organs of perception which correspond to word, touch, form, taste, and smell, and to transmute their inclinations into devotion.

ARJUNA or Dhananjay (the victor of wealth) is the affectionate devotion that attains to the state of divine exaltation. This devotion is a feeling of tenderness for the desired object, which includes within itself all the experiences of devotees, even pangs of separation and occasional disenchantment and tears. There should be nothing for a devotee except the longed-for God. If the devotion to him is perfect, it embraces the virtues (DEVDATTA) that provide access to the Supreme Spirit.

BHEEM of awesome deeds blows his great conch PAUNDR, which denotes sentiment. The heart is the spring as well as the habitat of feeling. This is why Bheem is called Vrikodar, the large-hearted. Sentiment is fathomless and mighty, and this sentiment is Bheem’s great conch that is now blown. The affection that he represents is embodied in sentiment. That is why Bheem blows the conch named Paundr.

Anantavijayamraja,kunti-putroyudhisthirah
nakulahsahadevasca,sughosa-manipuspakau

                                     ….. B.G.CHAP 1 VERSE 16

King Yudhisthir blows the conch Anantvijay (endless conquest). Kunti is the very image of dutifulness; and Yudhisthir, the embodiment of dharm (natural piety). If one’s adherence to dharm is steady, Anantvijay will bring about the absorption of the Self in the boundless God.

Nakul, who is a symbol of restraint, blows the conch named Sughosh. As restraint grows firmer, evil is subdued and the dominance of righteousness is proclaimed. Sahdev, the adherer to truth, blows on the conch which bears the name of Manipushpak. Sages have described each breath as a precious ruby. “What a pity that we squander the jewels of our breath on idle gossip!” One kind of satsang is the moral discourse we hear from noble men, but the real spiritual discourse is internal. According to Krishn, the Self alone is true and eternal. True satsang comes about when the mind reins itself in from all externals and dwells with the Self. This adherence to truth is cultivated by incessant reflection, meditation, and samadhi. The more joy one feels in dwelling with the one reality, the more restraint one gains over each breath, the mind, and the instruments by which objects of sense affect the Self. The day they are totally restrained is the day when we are absorbed in the ultimate essence. Providing, like a good instrument, harmonious accompaniment to the song of the Self is true satsang. The physical ruby is hard, but the jewel of breath is even more tender than a flower. Flowers fall and wither soon after they bloom, and we can never say that we shall live until the next breath. But if there is true adherence to the Self, it leads us to realize the highest goal through providing control over each breath. There is nothing to proclaim beyond this, although each device is helpful in traversing a certain stretch of the path of spiritual perfection….OM TATSAT

What is the message that the characters of Mahabharata war (Kaurav) give through blowing their conch shell?

In ancient times conch shells were blown before starting of war as a symbol that its time. In the case of Mahabharata war as described in the Gita we also have to remember that it has been described to drive home a spiritual message. The blowing of conch shells in this respect also tells about strength of each character. The trumpeting of conches is a declaration of the intention, of each of the chiefs, of what he can offer after conquest….

Tasyasanjanayanharsam,kuru-vrddhahpitamahah;
simha-nadamvinadyoccaihsankham dadhmau pratapavan

                                                     . . . B.G.CHAP1VERSE12

The mighty grandsire Bheeshm, the eldest of the Kaurav, blows his conch to produce a lion-like roar which gladdens Duryodhan’s heart. The lion represents the terrible, tooth-and-claw, aspect of nature. Our hair stands on end and our hearts beat violently when we hear the roar of a lion in a still, solitary forest even though we are miles away from the beast. Fear is a property of nature, not of God. Bheeshm is the very image of delusion. If delusion prevails, it will enwrap the material world’s forest of fear which we inhabit in yet another shroud of fear to make the existing dread even more frightening. Delusion cannot offer anything else except this. Fear, although in varying degrees, is born out of each perversion. Similar is also the message of the conches of the other Kaurav chiefs.

Tatahsankhascabheryasca,panavanaka-gomukhah;
sahasaivabhyahanyantasa, shabdas tumulo ’bhavat.

                                             ….. B.G.CHAP 1 VERSE 13

After Bheeshm’s blowing of his conch, numerous other conches, drums, and trumpets are sounded together, and they make an awesome noise. The Kaurav have no message other than that of fear. Intoxicated with a sense of false success, the outward-looking impulses that offend and demean the human Soul render the bonds of infatuation yet stronger.

What is the message that the characters of Mahabharata war (Pandavas) give through blowing their conch shell?

Idol worship or not- which is a better option?

The practice of idol worship has been dealt with negatively especially by the abrahamical religions like Islam, Christianity and judasism. This form of religious worship has been termed as pagan religious beliefs and people have been advised to abstain from such acts. Although; what actually is meant by idol, is a matter of debate among the three religions. However if we turn our heads towards Hinduism we see the rampant practice of not only idol worship but also polytheism. It is said that there are 33 crores of gods in Hindu religions. So the question that arises is which is the true path?

Although the different religions talk of different things... i.e one preaches idol worship while other talk against it, one concept is core to every one of them- “GOD IS ONE AND ONLY”. People following Hindu religion may find this fact disturbing but it is true as evident from following lines that I use from Wikipedia.

“A text in the Shukla Yajur-veda (32.3) reads, “Of Him there is no likeness (pratima), whose glory is infinite”. The Upanishads, which form the philosophical ‘conclusions’ (vedanta) of the Vedas, repeatedly stress the formlessness (nirākāra, no material form) and unimaginable nature of God, and advise the aspirant to realise the divine presence inwardly.”

However, it was evident to the Indian mystics from very early on that it is very difficult to focus on a all pervading but a formless, unimaginable god (especially for beginners) for the purpose of worship and meditation. So they preached idol worship but didn’t in any way recommend idol as god. They only recommended visualization of the single god or ‘eka bramho’ through idol. This idea is also stated by lord Krishna in ‘Bhagabat Gita’ Chapter 12, Verse 5, -

“

It is much difficult to focus on God as the unmanifested than God with form, due to human beings having the need to perceive via the senses.

”

In another context if we look at the other religions, the Islam has shunned the practice of idol worship and considered it as a great sin. This may have arisen due to the fact that Prophet Muhammad emphasized on the fact that he is only messenger of God and that people should worship only that true god ”allah”. This is the reason why there is no image, statue or even tomb of Muhammad. Muhammad and the Christians likewise emphasized on the practice of worship without an idol form because they believed that people would in time begin to associate the idol to be the true god and forget that it is only an image (a representation or a means to imagine the unimaginable). But if we look at the recent historical findings it is to be seen that at the time bible was being written and before that time in israel people widely practiced idol worship and polytheism. The bible in a bid to overthrow this polytheistic view emphasized again and again on the worship of single god.

The problem with idol worship is that people over time tend to associate over time the image or sculptor or any other inanimate or animate objects over time to be god. While the essence of this philosophy is that they should only be considered as a medium. The situation is best explained by these lines from a poet…

Rathyatra lokaranya, maha dhum dham.

Bhaktora lutaye pore, korichey pronam.

RATH bhabhe ami deb PATH bhave ami,

MURTI bhabhe ami deb hasey ANTARYAMI

Explanation--The poet explains a situation in which the rath (chariot of the god laden with image of deities)is taken through the streets. The devotees are rolling in ecstasy at the sight of the chariot to pay their homage.The chariot thinks itself to be the god, the road things it is the god, the images think that they are god but the true god or brahmo is only laughing at the plight…..

Let me fall asleep

 I have running all my life,

After false respect, money and pride;

In the process I found myself loneliness,

But alas! I thought money will buy me all the happiness;

I have searched for happiness hither and thither,

But couldn’t find the happiness that I truly desire;

Now I am weary under my own burden,

Burden of false respect, pride and money;

Now I have up to you o dear,

Take me home; don’t close the door on my rear;

Let me sleep in your lap, while you comb your fingers through my hair;

Take me to a land so rosy, while you sing your beautiful lullaby;

Where there is no hatred and joy is distributed free,

Where all falsehood has ended under the glowing presence of truth,

Destroy my selfhood and bring out the I hence forth,

Let the cacophony end and silence fall,

And while your cold soothing touch takes off my weariness,

As the evening breeze does to the fuming earth;

Let me become one with you forever………

-Debabrata Banerjee  

MOTHER

I dedicate this poem of mine as a humble tribute to one of the two living gods I have seen every day from my child hood

MOTHER

Many made promises of staying forever with me,

But during my tough times I found only thee…

I didn’t care for you when my pastures were greener,

When my eyes saw the world through gold tinted glasses of pleasure;

Then you stood at one corner,

Wiping silently your tears, but I didn’t bother.

But when tough times came upon me,

All my fair-weather friends started to flee

I cried for a helping hand,

But they were too busy to help me stand;

When all others had fled,

You ran towards me instead.

You yourself fell in the process,

But made sure I stand up and make progress.

You protected me from rough weather,

You are none but my sweet mother…..

                       -Debabrata Banerjee  

Two old questions

For days I have travelled on the face of earth,

With two questions plaguing my mind;

On a beautiful day in my youthful guilessness,

When the dawn of knowledge,

had still not removed the veil of ignorance;

I had asked it to his omniscience.

who am I? and for what purpose I am here?

‘Seek and ye shall find’ was his only answer.

So as days become months and months turned to years

I kept searching for the answer everywhere

I played the role of child, husband and father

Each time trying to find the true answer

I assumed my duty was to perform those roles

But when I looked around, I found everybody doing those

And so I have kept searching over the years…

To find answers to the questions I asked in my tender years.

Even now as the curtain on my life is about to descent;

I ask the same questions again to the omniscient…

Who am I? and for what purpose I am here?

Who knows if I will get my answer before my act is over……

 -Debabrata Banerjee