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Wednesday,
October 23, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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Birth control: politics won’t do Health before police Hermit Kingdom’s N-teeth |
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The long and bumpy road to peace
The avocation of carping
The depleting forest cover in Punjab
Can’t believe in ‘no butter’
Ensuring balanced mentality of kids
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Birth control: politics won’t do THE Union Government’s belated decision to put the National Population Stabilisation Fund (NPSF) under the direct control of the Union Health Ministry is yet another example of the hamhanded manner in which the issue of population control is being handled by the powers that be. The NPSF, set up two years ago, to help fill up the gaps in the implementation of family welfare programmes, had been caught in a limbo due to a tussle between the Planning Commission and the Union Health Ministry on the question of the agency to control it. It took two years for the Centre to end the tussle and take a decision. The Centre is reportedly finalising the finer details of the fund after which it may be cleared by the Union Cabinet. The setting up of the NPSF and an Empowered Action Group were two major decisions taken by the National Population Commission at its first meeting in July, 2000. The inordinate delay in operationalising the NPSF is inexcusable. Yet, the Centre should ensure at least now that there is no further delay in the matter. The NPSF will have a seed money of Rs 100 crore. It will accept contributions from the corporate sector, trade and industry. However, the availability of funds has not been the main constraint in the implementation of family welfare programmes. Effective fund utilisation has been a major problem, with the money allocated for the programmes being misused or sometimes getting lapsed. Now that Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee will head the NPSF, he will have to ensure that the efforts for population stabilisation are specifically directed at the states which have traditionally lagged behind in controlling population growth. As the BIMARU states (Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh) account for the major share in the increase in population, all efforts will have to be concentrated on them. The Health Ministry should involve NGOs, community organisations and panchayati raj institutions in this gigantic task. If successive governments at the Centre and in the states have failed to check the increasing birth rate over the years, it is only because of the lack of political will. Our leaders should stop using population as a political and religious issue. Learning a lesson from China, the political class should depoliticise the issue and shun vote-bank politics. As population control is linked with the overall standard of living and GDP growth, it should be accorded top priority by the Centre and the states in their scheme of things. The people are the real asset of the nation, but the country’s growth will depend upon their quality, state of health, education and job opportunities. Why can’t there be a national consensus among all political parties to contain population explosion? It has been recognised that rapid population stabilisation can be achieved only by sustained improvement in healthcare facilities concentrating on social welfare indicators like infant and maternal mortality, literacy, women’s empowerment and life expectancy. There is no denying that some progress has been registered in the family welfare programmes in lowering fertility rates even in areas where socio-economic conditions have not improved noticeably. This may point to greater effectiveness in the implementation of the programmes. However, sustained progress can be achieved only by a combination of strategies aimed at the upgradation of the socio-economic status of the people and effective promotion of birth control measures. |
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Health before police ONE way to assess the performance of a state government is to find out how it spends public money. If a government allocates more of its resources on policing the state than on the physical well-being of the people, one can easily imagine what its priorities are and where it is heading. The Ashok Lahiri Committee on Public Expenditure Reforms has pointed out that in Punjab the government makes a per capita expenditure of Rs 262 on health against Rs 331 on the police. In progressive states the priorities are just the opposite. The committee has made startling disclosures about the way the funds were utilised by the previous Punjab Governments. In its report submitted to the Chief Minister recently, the committee has pointed out glaring irregularities committed in the procurement of foodgrains, involving a staggering Rs 2,300 crore since 1995-96. About the performance of the state public sector undertakings (PSUs), the report says on an investment of Rs 3,500 crore, the government has earned a dividend of only Rs 8.4 crore. Over-staffing in government departments and institutions is a known problem. Also known is the fact that the successive state governments have failed to trim the top-heavy administration. But, as the committee points out, the number of Class I employees went up sharply during the past decade (1990-2000). A comparative study shows that the government employees in Punjab outnumber those in most comparable states like Gujarat and Maharashtra. No wonder that a major part of the state budget is spent on meeting the salary and establishment expenditure of the employees. The state government’s outstanding loans amount to Rs 4,800 crore and the debt to various institutions stands at Rs 6,500 crore. The pointers behind these statistics on Punjab are alarming. When the state was in the grip of terrorism, heavy spending on the police was understandable. Terrorism came to an end in 1993, but the vested interests have not allowed the scaling down of the police force. Why should the state still have so many DGPs, ADGPs and IAS officers? What is the justification for continuing with the new police districts? The VIP security cover must be confined to the real needy. Others having gunmen as status symbols must be made to pay for these. A state with such a fragile economy and an empty treasury cannot afford to make any unproductive expenditure. There is a clear need for resetting priorities. The emphasis has to be on health, education, development, infrastructure building and creating employment opportunities. For want of resources the state government is handing over even government hospitals to the private sector which will push up the cost of medicare in the state. The quality of life cannot improve if the state continues to splurge its limited resources on a section of the people at the cost of others. It is such lop-sided spending that often leads to social strife. |
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Hermit Kingdom’s N-teeth THE recent disclosures on North Korea’s nuclear capability haven’t have come as a surprise even to casual observers of the non-proliferation programme. Enough indications and documentation have been available of Pyongyang’s attempt at building nuclear weapons deterrence in order to maintain its place in a region where it feels encircled by unfriendly nations such as South Korea, China and Japan. The Americans also knew of the Koreans’ attempt to acquire weapons of mass destruction and had, in fact, offered the sop of building light water reactors for them in 1994. These reactors are less proliferation prone. The Communist North Korea had accepted the bargain in order to gain time to secretly acquiring weapons grade uranium. Later, it signalled its nuclear weapon status by moving an application withdrawing from the Non-Proliferation Treaty. This should have sent the alarm bells ringing in the US White House. However, nothing of the sort happened then and Pyongyang’s move was downplayed. What is interesting is that the USA was even aware of the role that Pakistan had played in making the Hermit Kingdom’s (as North Korea is also known) nuclear dream possible. But instead of taking appropriate punitive steps against Pakistan for clandestinely exporting nuclear technology, the USA satisfied itself by putting in a quiet word to the Pakistan leadership on three different occasions. As could be expected, Pakistan continued to play hooky, as it had to gain in terms of transfer of missiles and missile technology from North Korea. It got Nodong missiles, renamed Ghauri, which are capable of carrying nuclear warheads and hitting targets up to 2,000 km. The obvious aim of this acquisition was to indulge in sabre- rattling against India, and the USA was not too averse to it then. Ghauri’s testing began in 1994, and India’s protest and pleas over the years on Pakistan’s renegade status naturally found no favour with the residents of the White House. It continued its support to our belligerent neighbour as it suited its limited worldview. Then 9/11 happened. The hue and cry that is being raised by the Bush administration today over North Korea’s nuclear capability is thus ironical. It is compounded by the fact that it were the Koreans themselves who confirmed the capability and then went one step ahead to disclose that “more powerful” weapons were also in their arsenal. Given the changed geo-political climate and the USA’s proclaimed war against the “axis of evil”, President Bush went into a knee-jerk reaction and threatened to scrap the 1994 Arms Control Accord with North Korea that had promised economic aid in return for non-proliferation. This led to fears that instead of helping the situation, the US action would prompt North Korea to produce even more weapons of mass destruction. It would also jeopardise the process of normalisation of relations between the two Koreas and between North Korea and Japan, and add to the instability of the Asia-Pacific region. The US Assistant Secretary for the region, Mr James Kelly, was hurriedly inducted to conduct negotiations between Asia-Pacific countries and North Korea, which immediately indicated its readiness to engage in talks if the USA gave up its hostility towards it. Though for the moment the situation rests with all sides agreeing to dialogue with each other, a couple of policy issues emerge for the USA, the global policeman. First, it cannot have double standards either on terrorism or non-proliferation. It has to take a principled stand on these issues that is fair and non- discriminatory. It cannot threaten Iraq with war on weaponisation and speak of non-military means with regard to North Korea. Second, it has to come out of its pigeon-hole and take a worldview that respects individual and regional aspirations, which are in line with the establishment of a just and democratic global order. It cannot swear by democracy at home and espouse the cause of so-called frontline dictators abroad. It has to be not only fair but also seen to be so. So, if North Korea has to fully de-weaponise for violating proliferation norms, Pakistan too should pay a price for helping it build its nuclear arsenal. |
The long and bumpy road to peace THE tasks before local and national players after the remarkable elections in Jammu and Kashmir are clear enough. They relate to good governance, a diminishing commodity in other states as well, and giving an alienated people a sense of belonging and hope. The problems lie in implementation, mindful of the priorities after defining them. First, the verdict was clearly against the National Conference; the electorate that could, and chose to, vote expressing its dissatisfaction. There were several reasons: the incumbency factor, high levels of corruption, the National Conference’s alignment with the Gujarat-tainted Bharatiya Janata Party at the Centre and perhaps a feeling that recurrent crises in the state could not hold back Dr Farooq Abdullah from his frequent travels abroad and compulsive game of golf. Second, the Kashmir voters were seeking to instal an alternative that could look after the nuts and bolts of governance at the local level. Schools, roads, drinking water, health care, efficient state-run food shops were the issues exercising people. As impartial observers who visited the countryside in the valley vouchsafe, the Kashmiri was not necessarily voting for India but was signifying his priorities. It would appear that Dr Abdullah was caught in a pincer movement between the traditional manner of doing things and New Delhi’s laudable attempt at seeking a political resolution of the Kashmir issue. The pattern of governance had become familiar: alignment with the ruling party at the Centre, whatever its stripe, financial largesse to keep the state going buying loyalty where possible and a predictable election format in which there was little room for surprises. The Chief Election Commissioner and his staff took their job seriously in Kashmir and the result was the holding of the fairest election to date, an exercise that lent much credibility to Election-2002. The people, in other words, were successful in giving a rebuff to the traditional ruling party. But the fractured nature of the verdict was indicative of protest or forced abstentions and the novelty of the very nature of the free and fair election. Once a coalition is in place, national and local leaders need only follow the road map. There is New Delhi’s promise of initiating talks with elected representatives and those who chose to stay out such as the All-Party Hurriyat Conference. The attempt must be to evolve a guideline on the kind and measure of autonomy the state should receive although for some azadi or independence is the only answer. Unlike the National Conference, both the Congress, the second largest party, and the People’s Democratic Party are in favour of an all-inclusive discussion on the future. Indian security forces can only reduce, but not end, cross-border infiltration as long as Pakistan follows its present policy, but it is no secret that a more consensual approach to governance in the state would make the task of the infiltrated militant more difficult. Even the militant of the homegrown variety would find the climate inhospitable were the Kashmiris to begin to see an improvement in the situation on the ground. That initially boils down to fulfilling their basic needs. Once the initial steps are taken in Jammu and Srinagar and in New Delhi, Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee could undertake his SAARC-related journey to Islamabad with greater confidence. SAARC summits have always provided scope for bilateral discussions outside the conference room and the Prime Minister could explore ways of approaching differences with President Pervez Musharraf. It would be unrealistic to expect a quick resolution of Indo-Pakistani problems but a calmer atmosphere and agreement to resolve peripheral problems could help although the political situation in Pakistan is still evolving. If this agenda sounds overambitious, it must be recognised that at the very least the state elections have put an end to the predictable and venal way of doing things and even the heartbreaks over coalition formation were a radical political departure for the Kashmiri. But for a people who have seen half a century of highs and lows superimposed by some 12 years of insurgency, there are no simple answers. The complexities involved are enormous, quite apart from the intrusion of Pakistan in a problem the Chinese would describe as one left over by history. Confusion over Kashmir is not restricted to Kashmiris. The trifurcation proposal made by elements of the Sangh Parivar and perhaps tacitly accepted by such BJP ministers as Mrs Sushma Swaraj represent a search for a solution. The BJP has, of course, officially opposed it because it raises more questions than it answers, but there is a growing feeling in both the Jammu and Ladakh regions that they have been traditionally short-changed because state Chief Ministers have been invariably from the valley. The incontrovertible fact, of course, is that the Kashmir problem and Pakistan’s desire to change the status quo revolve round the valley. One way to resolve regional imbalances and the feeling of neglect in the Jammu and Ladakh regions would be to give them more weightage in the context of the autonomy proposals that are debated and agreed upon. Significantly, two of the four candidates elected from Ladakh were unopposed, with all parties forsaking their differences under the banner seeking Union Territory status for the region. In Jammu, a BJP divided between the local trifurcation proponents and the party’s Central leadership could secure only one seat. These and other problems will feature in future discussions but both national and local players must realise that they do not have all the time in the world to make a good beginning. The Abdullah family, particularly the well-regarded young Omar elevated to the National Conference presidency, needs to chart its new course. Instead of becoming spoilers, the Abdullahs — father and son — must do some soul-searching and play a constructive role in the state’s future. The NC has traditionally been opposed to New Delhi’s probing of Kashmiri rejectionists and militants, but it should become more flexible in participating in an all-inclusive dialogue. Thus far, the BJP-led government in New Delhi can congratulate itself on the successful completion of the electoral exercise. But it must remind itself that it is only the beginning of a long road to peace and, eventuality, prosperity. |
The avocation of carping THE term “avocation” is sometimes confused with business, profession or vocation, though there are shades of difference. What “avocation” really denotes is a kind of engagement, diversion or distraction, away from one’s regular employment. Views may differ, but to me it appears that the avocation, which excites most people — regardless of age, sex, and station in life — is “censure” or “carping”. The most interesting thing about this avocation is that it requires no particular qualification, training, or experience. There is also no constraint of time, season or location. Then, the sweep of the sport is unlimited; for, the critic leaves no institution unstoned, no edifice unpulled, and no reputation unsullied. For him, to have a target for his fulminations and a cause for grievance, is to have a purpose in life. Of course, we have the literary or the art critics, but they are in a class apart. They are not only knowledgeable about their subject, but they have their utility, too. They may bring out such characteristics of a work as are not so obvious to the common eye. Further, by their comments and reviews, they make life so much easier for everybody. The pedants can lay their claim to learning, without having to pore over all the tomes of literature; the genuine reader gets a briefing about the books he may wish to purchase; the socialite, with the information so garnered, is better equipped for an impressive party chat. However, those of the critics who merely judge the authors, and not their works, do singular disservice; for, they wantonly make a work of merit appear mediocre, and beautiful look ugly. Our carping critic can be found almost everywhere — at the street corner, market square, city park, home, or office. He has also his omniscience. He knows exactly what has gone wrong, where and why. He decries the economy of the country, deprecates the way inflation is being fought, and runs down the policy of population control. Endless, indeed, are his lamentations! The Prime Minister, he rues, acts too little and too late; the Chief Minister has no control on his team; the transporters’ strike was not handled properly; there was a better method of fighting the war with the enemy; unisex clothes have played havoc with morality; people do not know how to travel; public schools are a drain on society; trust and loyalty are no longer the hallmark of a subordinate; the government robs the citizens of their peace, and so on. Why, he cribs, there is no system to curb rigging of the elections, the stock market and the matches? Take any subject under the sun, and the man has his judgement. To his inconsolable mind, something is perpetually wrong somewhere. How does he act in personal life, one wonders. Well, it is not difficult to catch him throwing his litter — cigarette butts, banana peels, peanut shells and other trash — on the pathway. Yet, he is the one to vociferously bemoan the apathy of the municipality towards cleanliness. He extends the boundary of his house into public land, but he lambasts the planners for the narrow roads, or the car drivers for lack of parking sense. He is seldom in time for the office and often disappears at his will. But, he reviles the administration if the teller behind the bank counter is not available at the moment of his visit, or the dispensary does not open dot on the prescribed hour. He secretly enjoys voyeurism, but denounces any hint of nudity on the screen. He has two faces — one, to revel in private and the other, to whine and hold forth in public. On the marital front he is even more critical. The wife, he grumbles, is utterly artless in her dealings with the neighbours, and mindlessly lavish with entertainment of the guests; she does not help the kids with their school assignments; she always forgets to stitch the missing button on his shirt, or mend the torn fly of his pants. And, oh God, she is ever so quarrelsome, seldom cooperative and never sympathetic! Where, he asks deploringly, have devotion and wifeliness gone? But, he again gripes, if the wife happens to be of the gifted kind, with superior wit and comely looks; a feeling of envy or a sense of inferiority now stings him. Give him any woman for his wife, I say, he will still have his grounds to cavil at. Let no one imagine that the man described above is some outlandish or hypothetical creature. People of his ilk are too often found around us and in our midst. Carping is their lovesome sport. They see nothing that is benign, but everything that is malignant. As Steele says: “Of all mortals a critic is the silliest; he never looks upon anything but with a design of passing a sentence upon it; by which means he is never a companion, but always a censor”. God is all-merciful: may He save us from the outpourings of a merciless critic!
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The depleting forest cover in Punjab AS per India’s national forest policy, 33 per cent of the total land area should be under the forest cover. However, only 19 per cent is what we have achieved in the past 54 years of Independence. Right from the First Five Year Plan to the Tenth Five Year Plan, the forestry sector has remained neglected. It has never received even one per cent of the Plan allocation. While degradation in the forest cover has been the major casualty on account of the meager budget allocation, the main culprits responsible for the deforestation of the existing cover are uncontrolled grazing and fire wood removals from forests. India has only 2 per cent of the world’s land area, 1 per cent of it is forests and 0.5 per cent of it is grazing lands but supports 16 per cent of its human population and 18 per cent of its cattle. Shockingly, 60 per cent of the livestock is dependent upon forest for grazing and 70 per cent human population depends on forests for fire wood. As per various surveys, the annual fire wood consumption in India is around 390 million cubic meters against production of only 76 million cubic meters. Despite such a grim situation, the successive Indian political leadership has never paid due attention to the forest cover. The reasons are not far to understand. It is an open secret that the Indian polity has been driven by quick a vote-bank concept. The forest is no quick commodity that can be grown and provided to the people. While the plain kikar has a cycle of felling of 30 years, shisham takes 60 years. Similarly, the forestry species in the Himalayas would require long 150 years before attaining the harvestable age. No wonder, our politicians could not wait that long to reap the fruits of forest harvesting. So how does it matter if we do not pay adequate attention to the forest cover? Well, it is correctly said that human civilisation started when the first tree was cut and will end well before the last tree is felled. Denudation of the forest cover causes accelerated soil erosion, besides reducing percolation and increasing surface run-off. Consequently, the loss of the forest cover reduces ground water recharge and results in devastating floods. It takes nature 1,000 years to create a mere 2 inches of valuable top soil, which can be lost in two hours of heavy rain in a deforested area. Then there are environmental losses like the consumption of carbon dioxide and production of oxygen getting adversely affected due to depletion in the forest cover. One hectare of fully stocked forest over a 50 years of life cycle provides environmental benefits of Rs 1.27 crore. In this backdrop of steep dwindling of the national forest cover, Punjab is nothing but a mirror image or even worse of our nation as is evident from the following table: As against 33 per cent of the forest cover prescribed in the national forest policy, Punjab has only 6 per cent. Since Punjab is an agrarian state, an overwhelming 84 per cent of its land is under agriculture. Hence, meeting a target of one-third of the land area under forest cover is in any case an uphill task. The Department of Forests, Punjab, had prepared a 20-year perspective plan in 1997 under directions from the Government of India. Under this plan, it was envisaged that Punjab would target the achievement of forest and tree cover of 15 per cent during this period. However, the plan allocation in Punjab too had been dismal. Of the sanctioned amount 90 per cent got disbursed as salaries to the staff alone. Irrespective of the financial crunch, the employees of the department continue to remain embroiled in many cases of illicit felling of trees, charges of insubordination, disobedience, embezzlements and acquiring assets disproportionate to their known sources of income. Only recently, an ex-Principal Chief Conservator of Forests has been accused of having indulged in wrongful promotions of his favourite subordinates by the Department of Vigilance. A vigilance enquiry has also been ordered against another senior officer for getting land worth Rs 20 crore encroached on. However, the most startling case is that was of an influential DFO. The Vigilance Department had found enough evidence against him for having indulged in illegal felling of thousands of trees. They had even asked for the sanction for the registration of an FIR against him and other subordinate employees. But the then Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Sigh Badal, had not only refused sanction but also ordered filing of the enquiry against the DFO. As if this was not enough, Mr Badal had even promoted him against a non-existent post. As against this law of the jungle, it is a matter of relief that in 1997 the department, became pro-active to seek external assistance to implement the 20-year perspective plan. The World Bank agreed to extend the assistance it had provided to the department through a Rs 90 crore Integrated Watershed Development Programme (Hills IWDP I Project) in the form of a second phase (1999-2005) with an outlay of Rs 220 crore. This Project is under
implementation in 17 sub-watersheds, covering an area of 93,000 hectares in the kandi belt. Besides the traditional activities, the programme envisages development of infrastructure (roads, focal points), potable water etc. It involves networking of departments of forests, soil conservation, agriculture and horticulture and animal husbandry. Besides, the Japan Bank of International Co-operation also agreed to finance afforestation throughout the state and soil conservation works in the Shivalik hills to the tune of Rs 408 crore in 1997. The bank further agreed to assist in forest research, forest protection and modernisation. The department earlier had a defunct research laboratory in Hoshiarpur with almost non-existent equipment. Under this project, research has been divided into two parts. The first one includes departmental research like species trials seed collection/selection and seed storage. In the second part, the department approached institutions like Punjab Agricultural University, the Forest Research Institute,
Dehra Dun, University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, Tata Energy Research Institute (TERI), Punjabi University and GNDU for joint research. Thanks to Japanese financing, 18 research projects worth Rs 3.50 crore were allocated to these institutions for 1 to 5 years. Japan had stopped aid to India, post-Pokhran implosions. However, a high powered appraisal mission visited Punjab for 10 days from September 23 this year to inspect the progress of the project and it signed a memorandum to release additional over Rs 130 crore for continuing work on this prestigious project. |
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Can’t believe in ‘no butter’ A debate has raged over the relative merits of butter and margarine. Food purists contend, as far as flavour is concerned, that butter wins hands down. But doctors and dietitians have been quick to point out that butter is rich in artery-clogging saturated fat, which puts it firmly in a nutritional no-go area. At the same time, slick advertising campaigns have been extolling the virtues of margarine’s cholesterol-reducing and heart-healthy effects. However, despite margarine’s apparent pedigree, it is difficult to reconcile how a heavily processed, chemicalised food could really have a healthy edge over what is essentially a natural and untainted one. In recent times, margarine manufacturers have also been lacing their products with plant-based substances known as stanols and sterols. These help block the absorption of cholesterol in the gut, and can therefore help reduce cholesterol levels in the blood. Meanwhile, butter’s predominant fat is saturated, and saturated fats, we are told, can only help speed our demise through heart disease. However, a close look at the scientific literature fails to bear this out. Many studies show no relationship between saturated fat intake and heart disease. And no research into reducing saturated fat in the diet has found that it reduces funeral rates. So despite its bad press, the evidence reveals that the saturated fat on which butter is based is not nearly the dietary spectre it’s made out to be. The science suggests what our taste buds knew all along: butter really is better.
The Guardian
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Ensuring balanced mentality of kids PREVENTIVE sessions can help protect children of divorced couples from developing mental disorders as adolescents, says a new study published in the latest issue of the American Medical Association. The programme also reduced acting out, drug and alcohol use and sexual promiscuity. Doctors Sharlene Wolchik, Iwin Sandler and colleagues from Arizona State University randomly assigned 218 divorcing families, with children in the 9-12 year age-group, to one of three preventive interventions for mothers and their children in l992-93. When evaluated six months after the trial, children who had started out at highest risk of externalising problems - aggression, hostility - had benefited from the programme. It also led to significantly less alcohol, marijuana, and other drug use for those who were initially at higher risk. “Children of divorce are at high risk for these problems, which have high individual and social costs. Skill-building programmes to help mothers and children during difficult times can have a long-term positive impact,” said Dr Wolchik. ANI Add cooking oils to fuel Penn State engineers have shown that adding specially treated cooking oils such as soybean, canola or sunflower oil to mandated low sulfur diesel fuels and engine lubricants reduces friction and wear. Dr Joseph Perez, adjunct professor of chemical engineering and leader of the project, said, “Low sulfur diesel fuels mandated in California will soon be required in all states to enable diesel engines to meet the 2004 emission regulations. Removal of sulfur from the fuel causes severe wear problems in fuel injector systems”. “We have shown that adding as little as 10 per cent of a specially-treated mixture of vegetable oil and fuel reduces both friction and wear. There has been concern that there might be an insufficient volume of vegetable oil to meet both food and fuel needs. However, our results show that when the vegetable oil-fuel mixture is oxygen-treated, you need only 2 per cent vegetable oil to produce the same friction and wear performance as current high sulfur diesel fuel”, he noted.
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Just as the sun gives light to all equally, so through the saints and great souls all benefit uniformally. Outward light is granted by the sun, while the inner light comes from saints and great souls. The greatest reform of society is brought about by a detached saint. Saints—great souls do not come to the world to attract people to themselves but to draw them towards God. —Swami Ramsukhdas, The Drops of Nectar *** I have no friend and no enemy. All this world proceeds From my true essence. I am not the body or mind, Nor the soul nor the Lord, But all these forms appear at my command. My nature as light remains eternally unchanged, Sun, moon and stars borrow their light form me. All beings depend on my true essence for their existence. Through my perception are all objects perceived... *** The splendours of God lie hidden Veiled beneath the human form. If you want to behold them directly, It is possible here and now. The only veil hiding the light Is excessive light. There is no veil over that ocean of light Except its own scorching nakedness. *** O ignorant one, If you plumb the depths of that secret You become one with him. *** O blind droplet, understand this: The beauty of the garden is your beauty, The heavens are your hanging curtains, The two worlds are intent on your bidding. —From Yoga and the Supreme Bliss, Songs of Enlightenment by Swami Ramatirtha (translation A.J. Alston) |
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