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Wednesday,
September 26, 2001, Chandigarh, India  
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Proof muddle Beware of drug dollars More starvation deaths |
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US options in Afghanistan
Do or dye
Hinduism can protect itself: Srikrishna
Osama shouldn’t be demonised
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Proof muddle AS
soon as the USA squarely blamed Osama bin Laden for the New York-Washington carnage, he and his committed band of supporters denied their complicity, although they welcomed the “revenge act”. That was understandable. Terrorists do own up spectacular strikes, but which fanatic in his right senses would admit to having committed a crime which had evoked worldwide condemnation? All right-thinking people conceded that in such an enormous crime against humanity, it was impossible to get the fingerprints of the man who masterminded it; just circumstantial evidence was enough. But recently, the USA made bold to say that it did have clinching evidence with it, which would be given to American allies, but not to the Taliban. Inexplicably, it has done an about-turn and now says that the evidence is of highly sensitive nature and cannot be given to anyone. Had it said so right in the beginning, not many eyebrows would have been raised, but by going back on its words, it has weakened its cause somewhat. Even its closest allies might interpret the refusal as a lack of faith in the reliability. What needs to be realised is that the world is not as solidly behind the USA as is made out to be. Many of them, especially the Muslim countries, are clearly uneasy at the gathering war clouds. As far as Afghanistan and other anti-American regimes are concerned, they are bound to claim the non-disclosure of any proof is a sure sign of the innocence of Osama bin Laden. Just as it is difficult to prove that Osama did it, it is equally difficult to prove that he did not. The ideal course for the USA under the circumstances would be to declare a war on all forms of terrorism. The excessive focus on Osama and the selective nature of the list of individuals and groups whose assets have been frozen by President George W. Bush gives the impression that the USA is more interested in pruning a few branches while letting the tree and the roots remain intact. The carrot and stick policy employed to win over countries like Pakistan further leaves a bad taste. If Islamabad had refused to help Washington, all the various groups aided and abetted by it — even those operating in Kashmir — would have been definitely targeted. However, since it has joined the “crusade”, its proven acts of terrorism export are being glossed over. The “with-us-or-against-us” threat was bad enough. The “join-us-and-everything-will-be-forgiven-and-forgotten” signals that it is now sending out are even more ominous. For arguments sake, if Osama is eliminated and later it transpires that the crime was actually committed by someone else, will America launch a second wave of attack? Security agencies are already saying that the World Trade Center attacks might have been the handiwork of Hizbollah leader Imad Mughniyeh, who was part of the team that seized Indian Airlines flight IC 814 from Kathmandu and took it to Kandahar in 1999. Another scenario. Supposing Dawood Ibrahim perpetrates an equally heinous act of terrorism in India. Will President Bush be equally gung-ho about his “dead-or-alive” mantra or will he ask Delhi to provide “conclusive proof”? |
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Beware of drug dollars THE
USA has frozen the bank accounts of 27 international terrorist organisations and some suspected terrorist associates. It is tokenism and is meant to comfort the shattered people of the USA that the administration is busy tracking down the perpetrators of the September 11 outrage. For one thing, terrorist outfits do not avail of banking facilities and if they really do, they opt for offshore tax havens the super rich of the USA have created. Two, all outfits operate within a severely limited area and have no global reach or aim. For instance, the IRA (Irish Republican Army, an 80-year-old creation) is confined to Northern Ireland and, surprisingly, gets huge financial assistance from people of Irish origin in the USA. Its leader Gary Adams has often travelled to the USA and had meetings with the US Presidents at the White House. Three, some of them have been created by nation-states to enforce para-policies, those not publicly announced but integral to the state’s overall objective. They receive state funding and the latest US decision will not affect them a bit. Four, it is ironical that the USA turns the heat on what it once actively put in place. Like so many dictators of Latin America, Iraqi President Saddam Hussain was a recipient of lavish American aid in his eight-year-long war with Iran, at that time the top US adversary. The Taliban and Osama bin Laden fall in the same category. The USA funded the mujahideen movement in Afghanistan between 1980 and 1991 to the extent of $ 3.4 billion; this is besides the cost of military hardware and ammunition and the costly Stinger missiles. As for as India is concerned, the banning of the Harkat-ul-Mujahideen is meaningless as it is not so active in the Kashmir valley and the factions that are have been spared by the USA. Perhaps the USA is sensitive to Pakistan’s domestic compulsions or does not want to bring the valley in its global perspective. It is surprising that the Bush administration has taken a textbook route to starve terrorist outfits of financial oxygen. Take only Osama bin Laden, the ISI and the Kashmir militant groups. The money comes from drug trafficking. The most valued export from Afghanistan is cocaine of great purity. Every year it produces and sells this deadly stuff worth $ 5 billion and the ISI gets a fat share. (The value of this cocaine in the USA is about $ 90 billion and that country is the biggest market.) The ISI funnels the money to raise mujahideen and sustain jehad. It is known that there is nothing religious in terrorist acts but only economic conditions. The thousands of madrasa-trained youth can do no job and hence are forced to join the ranks of militants where they earn about Rs 5000 a month. If this funding is disrupted, much of the mayhem in the Kashmir valley will end. |
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More starvation deaths IF
the Orissa administration is to believed, there has not been a single starvation-related death in any corner of the state. What can the self-righteous bureaucracy do if people eat stale mango kernels, and not the ones certified as nutritious by the babus, and die of "food poisoning"? The same bureaucracy would also like to draw a firm line between deaths due to starvation and those caused by malnutrition. The other day Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, whose own role in dealing with the crisis has been anything but exemplary, was reported to have pulled up the administration for the clumsy handling of the crisis. However, the dressing down the bureaucrats received from their political boss does not seem to have had any effect on their style of functioning. They still refuse to see or hear any evil.
And, therefore, the question of reporting any evil does not arise. In fact, if an alert media outfit reports that people are dying of starvation or that they are being forced to sell their women and children for food, the administration does not waste much time in issuing a denial. In its book the reported sale of two children by a starving family in Badagumuda village of Bolangir was "stage-managed" by the Raipur correspondent of the newspaper that broke the sensational news. The enquiry ordered by the administration discovered that the family had been "tempted" into parting with their children by the reporter who offered them money and food! When will the politicians and the bureaucrats learn to at least pretend to be sensitive in dealing with poverty-related issues? If they cannot do anything for providing food to the poor and paiseless people of the drought-stricken region of the state, they should at least refrain from making statements and claims that insult the hungry and the under-privileged. And Orissa is not the only state where people are facing the prospect of dying of starvation. Star News showed clippings of the people of the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra facing a similar crisis. Adivasis in at least 50 villages were being forced to eat leaves and rodents for want of food. It is not that Maharashtra does not have enough food to feed its hungry. About three lakh metric tonnes of foodgrain is rotting in the godowns. But the administration has not bothered to rush emergency supplies to the drought-hit areas. However, in the event of starvation-related deaths being reported from Vidarbha, the government enquiry would reveal that the people had either died of food poisoning or malnutrition. |
US options in Afghanistan IN moments of crises or vengeful anger, a sobering voice is essential to bring temperance, caution and reason to responses. This has been missing in America in its reaction to the horrendous events of September 11. The unending replays of planes flying into the WTC and the apocalyptic sight of the collapse of the towers on hundreds of rescue workers, created an indelible image on the American psyche. To that was added the tough talk by the US President who, while on the one hand, marshalled the country behind him, on the other, heightened the hostility in the nation, leading to sporadic attacks on Muslims and Sikhs, the latter being mistaken for Arabs. The repeated standing ovation by both Houses of Congress to the tough speech and the threatening stance of the President demonstrated the prevailing mood in that country and its headlong plunge into a war. A war where the enemy is elusive and shadowy, the means to be employed inappropriate, and a purposeful outcome of the conflict uncertain. Perhaps Secretary of State Colin Powell may be able to inject some caution and logic to the US actions. At another level the New York Mayor was the very picture of steadfastness and composure in the face of this great tragedy and provocation. America has cobbled together wide-ranging support against terrorism and a collective action against this menace is in the offing. To start with, the battle will be joined, presumably very soon, with the Taliban, Osama bin Laden and his Al-Qaeda outfit. They are considered to be the main suspects and perpetrators of this grotesque crime. Al-Qaeda is an umbrella organisation for a world-wide network of terrorist groups, which, besides Abu Sayyaf Group in South-East Asia, includes the Harkat-ul-Ansar, the Lashkar-e-Toiba, the Jaish-e-Mohammed and the Harkat-ul-Mujahideen, all operating in J and K. However, the attack on the WTC, Pentagon and the unfulfilled mission of United Airlines flight No 93 was too sophisticated, intricate and skilful an operation to have been masterminded and executed by Osama bin Laden and his Al-Qaeda alone. America has yet to make public any tangible evidence of Osama’s direct involvement in the attacks in New York and Washington. Terrorists have training centres and operating bases in a number of countries, including Pakistan, and this operation could have been coordinated and launched by any group or a group of them. In turn, all of these will need to be targeted. Terrorism knows no boundaries, a fidayeen in Kashmir is no different from a suicide bomber who flew into the WTC and is a Frankstein who can easily turn on its creator. Pakistan itself is neck deep in terrorism and in the export of terrorism, and is the creator of the Taliban. It runs training centres for terrorists in Afghanistan, PoK and on its own soil. It sends them to other countries to carry out acts of terrorism and create mayhem. Involving Pakistan in this fight against terrorism makes the genuineness of America’s claim to rid the world of terrorism sound hollow and appear focused on its own limited purpose and interest. But pragmatism with a mix of expediency has always been the hallmark of US foreign policy. It is not only the geographical location of Pakistan, its intimate knowledge of Taliban deployments and as an information source, which makes its involvement essential. In addition, it is perhaps better to seek direct help from a Muslim country than, say, Hindu-dominated India. This approach has its own logic and was followed during the Iraq war when Israel was kept out of the conflict. Pakistan was faced with a Hobson’s choice, but like rats it was the first to abandon the sinking ship of Taliban. Having made its decision, Pakistan is caught in a cleft stick. There is increasing unrest within the country and the fundamentalist, mujahideen, jehadi and fidayeen groups are on a war path and may lead to turmoil, if not a civil war, particularly when Muslim casualty figures from Afghanistan are flashed on the TV screens in Pakistan. It had installed Taliban as a friendly ruling group in Afghanistan, in an effort to not only have a useful regime on its Western flank but also to give it the strategic depth so badly needed by a small country like Pakistan. But that has been an illusion because Afghanistan, in its present state, provides no depth and has been a liability. When the situation finally gets resolved, Pakistan will not find a friendly government in Afghanistan and once more it will have to take care of the Western flank. What appears attractive to Pakistan in the short run will in the long run create many problems for it; that is when the chickens come home to roost. Having creating the hype and the tempo, the concentration of troops and high-tech weaponry, America has now to look for the elusive enemy. A heli-borne operation to take out Osama appears to be out for reasons of absence of precise intelligence and connected problems. In any case, there is no need to assemble such a large force for a one-hit surgical operation. Nor will the removal of Osama eliminate this source of terrorism. The terrorist training camps in Afghanistan have been dismantled, the Al-Qaeda cadres have melted into the rugged remoteness of the mountains. Some of them will find their way into Pakistan, PoK and J and K. Osama bin Laden has disappeared to some unknown hideout and may even have left the country. It will be like fighting a phantom. An American journalist, who has spent many years in Afghanistan, says that there is nothing left for America to destroy in that benighted land. No infrastructure, no towns, no schools, no hospitals, no industry, no agriculture, no bridges are there to be demolished. Someone else did all that long ago. It is a one large strife-torn desolate wasteland driven back to the medieval times; abounding in orphans, widows and the maimed. So, who will America fight with its awesome armoury and all the technology except the Taliban whom it armed and supported not so long ago ? History, as the saying goes, has a sense of humour. Intelligence is lacking in the field of HUMINT which cannot be compensated by high-tech satellite imagery, etc. Afghanistan and Osama are not the fount of all terrorism. There are other groups and countries at work, and Pakistan is one of them. The options for America are not many. Finding Osama and Al-Qaeda cadres will be difficult and targeting them without enormous collateral damage near-impossible. So, it will finally boil down to fighting the Taliban army, establishing a friendly regime which will, hopefully, in due course turn over the Al-Qaeda cadres, and if he is still around, Osama to the USA to bring him to justice. The Northern Alliance for its advance southwards would need all the help America and coalition partners can render in these operations. An advance into Afghanistan along a land route such as through the Khyber Pass, etc, will be slow and fretful. At the same time there would be need to secure some foothold well inside the country; maybe the towns of Kabul and Kandahar and their airfields. That would give the coalition forces bases other than those in Pakistan, Tajikistan, etc, and the off-shore naval vessels from where operations can be mounted to speed up the progress of the Northern Alliance troops. It would also be possible to instal King Zahir Shah at Kabul, whose presence in the country as its monarch may help draw away some of the tribes from the Taliban fold. After all, the Taliban regime is one of the most oppressive and cruel governments and there is much revulsion to it among the population. Coalition forces must be seen as liberators from the tyranny of the Taliban and harbingers of peace and prosperity. Civilian casualties must be diligently avoided. America must take away the weapons it so liberally gave to the Taliban in the eighties and help reconstruct that country. It is America, in its efforts to help Afghanistan drive the Russians out of their country, that set them on the road to terrorism. In the end it is a story of sowing and reaping. Liquidating the Taliban, Osama and his gang will not be the end of terrorism. The whole range of groups operating in a host of other countries, including those in J and K from Pakistan, will need to be tackled. Safe havens where unaccounted funds are parked and later deployed for drug peddling and terrorism will need to be shut down. Banking systems will need to be more open, and secret account closed. This war against terrorism will have to be fought on many fronts and it is going to be a slow, time-consuming and pains-taking process and would require a concerted effort on the part of everyone. This war, which the free world is about to commence, will have to be taken to its logical end, and that is a fair international order and equitable economic dispensation. —
The writer, a retired Lieut-General, is a former Deputy Chief of Army Staff. |
Do or dye AS I combed my freshly egg shampooed and brilliantined hair, gaily whistling a hit film tune, little did I realise that a malevolent fate was quietly slipping the lead into the gloves, ready to land a solid knock-out wallop. I untangled the comb from the handsome thatch and without due, advance warning — there it was — an extra-long strand of grey hair and I couldn't wish it away. I couldn't rationalise that it was all a nightmarish hallucination caused by eating raw garlic for supper and that what I was seeing was, in fact, a young, wavy jet-black hair glistening, gossamer-like in the early morning sun. Okay, I was on the wrong side of 40, but grey hair? I felt bitter at having been so unceremoniously handed the Cip of Citron. My friends and well-wishers quickly rallied to my support, bringing succour and comfort and in the bargain, accentuating my misery over that lone grey hair. A friend who was labouring under the illusion that he was another budding Mercus Aurelius, patted me affectionately on the shoulder and said reassuringly: "Remember, my boy, it's grey cells and not grey hair that matter in the gladiatorial arena called life!", but I thought that a rather corny epigram and I let it fall flat. I carefully weighed my options. Of course, I could get myself a wig and face a jeering world without a qualm, but what my incessant worrying about the tehelka tapes and the dithering non-performance of the NDA government, it was a sure bet that even my wig would turn grey overnight. Or I could go after that offending grey hair with a tailor's scissors, but I could well be opening a can of worms for, lurking under that solitary grey hair, there could well be a thicket of grey hair, waiting to pounce on me and I wanted to let sleeping grey hairs lie. Only one avenue was open to me and that was to dye my hair. I went to a chemist's shop and unobtrusively bought an extra large bottle of hair dye that was being advertised in the national media as containing rare herbs mentioned in the Vedas. Returning home, I opened the bottle and read the instructions. They were so complex and convoluted that I could almost feel a dozen of my hair giving up the ghost and turning grey. Anyway, after a Herculean effort, I managed to get a half-nelson on the instructions and by mixing the maroon powder from container A with the red liquid in pouch B and shaking the whole stuff in lid E, I managed to get my hair dye ready. I locked the front door and disconnected the telephone so as not to be disturbed for, after all, I was getting ready to "dye" for a noble cause. Wetting my scalp, I applied the hair dye with a old tooth brush. With the weird-coloured dye streaming down my pimply cheeks and getting mixed up with my scraggly beard, I looked like a alien creature straight out of a science fiction horror movie. I applied another generous coat of the hair dye. And then the front bell rang..... |
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Hinduism can protect itself: Srikrishna KERALA
High Court Chief Justice B.N. Srikrishna may win additional laurels in the remaining 20 months of his judicial career. But whatever he achieved during that period, his name will always be associated with the ‘Srikrishna Commission Report’ which dealt with the horrendous Mumbai communal riots during the early 1990’s. Hailed by liberals and genuine secularists but harshly attacked by Hindu extremists including the Shiv Sena leadership, the report with rare objectivity and sense of responsibility, analysed the causes behind the riots and the inaction of the authorities (deliberate or otherwise) which tarnished the fair and cosmopolitan name of Mumbai. More important, some of the recommendations are being followed up. Former Police Commissioner, Tyagi, who headed the Mumbai police at the time of the riots, has been arrested for his role in the infamous shooting down of nine innocent and unarmed people at the Suleman Bakery in Mohammadali Road, one of the worst riot-hit areas. On the eve of his departure to Thiruvananthapuram where he was to be sworn in as the Chief Justice of the Kerala High Court, Justice Srikrishna was busy. The telephones kept on ringing, friends and admirers dropped in, there were farewell dinners to attend and the packing had not even started. Yet, the Honourable Judge who is an authority on the Vedas, Hinduism and books on other religions was gracious enough to grant an extended interview to V. Gangadhar. Excerpts: Q: Hinduism is known for its tolerance. Yet it is now propagated by some groups that this tolerance has been mistaken for weakness. A: Yes, infinite tolerance is the hallmark of Hinduism. It does not subscribe to just one belief, one philosophy, one dogma but is ready to absorb any thought. That is why it is different from other religions. Why, Hinduism did not frown at people who boasted they were non-believers. People who cannot understand this catholicity of Hinduism, cannot call themselves Hindus. Q: Isn’t it unfortunate that the chasm between Hindus and members of other communities appear to be widening? A: Yes. This is a pity. Each group wants to attack the others and there is instant retaliation. You see such trends have become today’s fashion. Hinduism had survived for more than 6,000 years overcoming several obstacles. If it can’t survive on its own strength, then what is all this noise about? Q: There are groups which are often violent and go about proclaiming they are protecting Hinduism? A: I think my answer to your earlier question had covered that. Hinduism is perfectly capable of ‘protecting’ itself as it had done so for many many years. Q: How important are rituals in Hinduism? Can one call himself a Hindu and at the same time eschew all these rituals? A: Certainly. If you are able to realise the Truth behind every religion including Hinduism, rituals are not that important. We consider rituals as the means to attain ‘mukti’ but true attachment and belief in the principles of a religion can survive without rituals. Q: We hear the word ‘pseudo- secularism’ bandied about so much. Does it mean anything? A: Some of our political groups can answer this question. Secularism in Europe was the denial of religion in matters of State. In our context, secularism stands for tolerance of all religions. We all need ‘shanti’ and that is why we go on repeating, ‘Om Shanti’. Q: I sometimes think that most Hindus feel alienated with their religion because of their ignorance of Sanskrit. The prayers, ‘shlokas’ and ‘mantras’ are in Sanskrit and we can’t follow any of these. A: You are absolutely right. Sanskrit is necessary to discover and appreciate the values of our roots. At the same time, I know our younger generation is heavily burdened with the study of three or four languages and I don’t know how Sanskrit can be fitted in. But we have to discover our roots on our own without any compulsion. Q: Your affinity to Hinduism is well known. You do visit temples, take part in pujas and religious functions openly. Had these led to you being labelled a ‘Hindu judge’? A: Religion is a personal issue and it had never interfered with my judicial work. And it never will. Yes, I do agree that at the start of my career, there were some doubts about my performance because, I practised my religion openly. But my work speaks for itself and today this is not an issue at all. Q: You had always been spoken highly of the media and the work it had been doing. Yet recently a Mumbai magistrate forbid reporters from taking down notes or using cell phones in the court. How can they work without these accessories? A: I have the greatest respect and regard for the media. At the same time, the journalists should understand how a court works. You see, the law itself recognises the role of the media in a free society. The reporters should concern themselves with the judgements delivered and attack them if they felt they were not fair. Problems arise when the media highlights certain exchanges in the courts between different parties. Sometimes, the media attributes motives to judges without any proof. Now, Arundati Roy is a brilliant girl, she is free to attack the Supreme Court’s pronouncements on the Narmada issue but with due respect to the judges and the judiciary in general. Please do not devalue institutions or embarrass the judiciary. The Lord Chancellor in England took no note when some papers while commenting on a House of Lords issue, headlined it as ‘The Old Fools had done it again!”. The judiciary had always been quite tolerant to unbiased criticism. Q: Whether you like it or not, you will always be linked to the Srikrishna Commission Report dealing with the Mumbai riots of the early 1990s. It is an albatross around your neck. A: Yes, but I can’t help it. When I began the hearings, I did not anticipate this kind of result. But I am happy that at last some kind of action is being taken on my recommendations. It is true I did lose my equanimity as I listened to instances of man’s inhumanity to man, butchery and utter cruelty irrespective of religious affiliation. These days we are talking of animal rights, but what about human rights? The fact that some action had been taken on the report is clearly an instance of people’s power. Q: While hearing about tales of absolute horror, did you ever feel the need for instant justice for the criminals, as it operated in some of the Arab states? A: No, certainly not. Instant justice has no place in our system, in a democracy. Q: Almost every day, judicial enquiries and commissions are set up by different state governments. But nothing comes out of their recommendations. Why can’t the Supreme Court and the High Courts make it clear that they cannot spare judges for these futile exercises? A: Yes, they can do it. Most governments go through with the token gesture of appointing such commissions only to placate the legislators. Then all is forgotten. Q: We don’t hear much about judicial activism these days. It is no longer a cover story for news magazines. A: Well, it is just another coin which had lost its glitter. Perhaps, the nation and the media are now accustomed to this role of the judiciary. Of course, in some cases quite a few frivolous public interest litigations were filed wasting everyone’s time. Q: Do you believe that judges should remain isolated from society? A: To a large extent, yes. They should not cultivate strong bonds with the litigating public. It is better to keep away from people. As for being members of clubs, how many judges can afford to do so these days? I tell you, isolation did not mean that judges lived in ivory towers. We keep our eyes and ears open. We do know what is happening around us. Q: Do you think the people, by and large, get the government they deserved? A: I guess so. Ministers and leaders are not imported, they come from those elected by the people. That is why every vote cast should be considered as precious. Q: On the issue of corruption, despite being indicted by the courts in corrupt deals, ministers and even chief ministers, who had been forced to resign, become Union Cabinet Ministers. A: (smiles): This has nothing to do with the judiciary. We do our job to the best of our ability, that is all. |
Amritsar  |
Osama shouldn’t be demonised Police in the eastern Indian city of Calcutta have asked Hindu groups not to depict Saudi-born militant Osama bin Laden as a demon at a major festival next month for fear of upsetting Muslims. “We have asked all the organisers not to do anything that may disturb peace,” Banibrata Basu, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Headquarters) said. The week-long Durga Puja festival, marking the triumph of good over evil, is celebrated with great fervour in Calcutta, a city of 12 million people, with community worship of Durga, the goddess of power. Idols of Durga are placed in tents alongside replicas of temples, structures like the Taj Mahal or modern-day icons. Artists also make models of the mythological Mahisasura demon, who was vanquished by the Hindu goddess, or more modern villains. Muslims make up 120 million of India’s population of more than one billion.
Reuters
One peg too many Women are emerging as a high-risk group for alcohol-related problems. Along with reduced life expectancy, risk of heart disease, high blood pressure and liver diseases, women alcoholics bear the
additional burden of passing the disorder to their babies through the foetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). Children with FAS may grow less quickly than other chidren, have facial abnormalities and problems with their central nervous system, including mental retardation. When women consume as little as one drink a day, they may increase their chances of breast cancer by as much as 30 per cent.
WFS |
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He who always extols Him who has no beginning nor end, who is all pervading and the Supreme Lord of all the three worlds and the controller of all the solar systems, who is the protector of the wise, conversant with all the laws of morality, the promoter of the good name of the people, the Master of the universe and the Great Being who creates all other beings, who is a great and supreme mass of lustre, the most austere of all austerities, the great ultimate Reality and the Ultimate and Supreme Resort of all, who is the most sacrosanct of all sacred objects, the most auspicious of all auspicious things, the presiding deity of all deities and the imperishable father of all beings surmounts all troubles. — The Mahabharata, Anushasan Parva, Chapter 149 *** God is one of such souls (the Supreme Soul) who is dissociated from the five afflictions, viz. Ignorance, Egoism, Attachment, Repugnance and Fear of death, good and evil actions, the enjoyment of pleasure and pain and all sorts of desires. He is possessed of the highest degree of omniscience. He is the creator and instructor of our remotest ancestors such as Brahma and the unlimited by time. — The Yoga Sutras of
Patanjali, Samadhipada, 24-26 *** Know Him who is the originator of all living beings, who sustains them after they are born and in whom they are all merged after death. He is the God (Brahma). — Taittiriya Upanishad, 3.1 *** O Brahman, I am Brahma as well as Shiva and the ultimate cause of the universe. I am the self as well as God, the inner ruler, self-perceiving and unqualified. Entering my maya (enrapturing power) consisting of three attributes, I create, maintain and destroy the universe and assume different appellations according to this three-fold function. — A popular quote from Srimad Bhagavata |
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