Thursday,
June 21, 2001, Chandigarh, India |
Run-up to the summit Selling of
education |
|
|
Malta
revisited
Misgivings about
monarchical order
Soft spoken but
tough taskmaster
Violence in Bhopal
over ‘Gadar’
‘Silly
little virus’ may cure brain cancer Silver offers help
against infection
Refining
& developing the mind
|
Run-up to the summit THE countdown has started for the Indo-Pakistan summit but the diplomatic temperature in the two capitals are dramatically different. It is a leisurely pace in New Delhi with only High Commissioner to Pakistan Vijay Nambiar stirring things up a bit. External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh is off to New Zealand and Australia, not top drawer countries in terms of foreign relations. Prime Minister Vajpayee returned from his knee operation on Tuesday and is yet to start the promised wide-ranging talks with political parties and specialists on regional affairs. In the process the mandarins of the External Affairs Ministry have had a headstart and in the days to come it will be difficult to break out of their view of things. In Islamabad it has been an unbroken flurry of activity. General Musharraf has anointed himself as
President and has been speaking on Kashmir or related subjects every day and from every forum. As one political leader said, he is on the front page of Indian newspapers every day. His Foreign Minister Abdus Sattar is in Washington to receive last-minute instructions. And that tells the whole story. Gen Musharraf is under great international pressure, American in the main. It is this that choreographs his actions. Maybe there is a change of heart too. He is mighty pleased that India has decided to treat him as Head of State after refusing to recognise his rule for 19 months. The summit, an Indian initiative, gives him a chance to shed, even if partly, the image of an unthinking hawk of the Kargil ill-fame. India has to assess how much his compulsions and how much his change of heart are working on him and chart out the response pattern.
It is plain that there is an Indian agenda and a Pakistan agenda for the summit. Both sides have their list of maximum expectations and minimum manoeuvrability and the trick is to reduce the gulf. Even token progress will do. First and foremost is to forget the clever-by-half verbal barbs and concentrate on the basics. The six-plus-two composite dialogue is actually about two intractable issues and six not so difficult ones. In the first group fall the Kashmir dispute and confidence building measures on mutual security. The Lahore declaration talked of talks “on all issues including Kashmir”. Now Pakistan wants it to be changed to “Kashmir and all issues”. This is the implication of its insistence on the “centrality” of the Kashmir problem. India has made it repeatedly clear that there is no question of redrawing the national border. Pakistan says Kashmir is the unfinished
agenda of partition, referring to the two-nation theory. But Bangladesh buried that theory and the number of Indian citizens of Muslim faith is another powerful rebuff. There is thus room for arguments. The key indicator of the success of a summit is to go away from it with the same, if not greater, degree of openmindedness. It is a daunting test. |
Selling of education THE earmarking of 17 seats for NRIs for admission to the MBBS course run by Pt B.D. Sharma Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences and three seats in Government Dental College, both in Rohtak, amounts to cost-based reservation. Since this has been done without increasing the total number of seats, it will deprive deserving Indian students of medical education. The changes brought about by the new medical education policy have several provisions that are quaint, to say the least. The most shocking is that although Rohtak Medical College and Government Dental College are affiliated to Maharshi Dayanand University, the entrance test for admission to MBBS and BDS courses will be conducted by Kurukshetra University! This is tantamount to casting aspersion on the professional competence and integrity of the MDU personnel. That is not all. A clear segregation has been brought about in the case of NRI candidates and others. While the latter will have to undergo an entrance test, the paying NRI candidates will be selected on the basis of their "merit". This so-called merit is to be determined on the basis of marks obtained in the qualifying plus two examination of the HSEB, the CBSE, the ICSE or an equivalent examination. It is the "equivalent" examination criterion which is going to cause the maximum misgivings, especially because the "equivalence merit" and "eligibility" are to be determined by Kurukshetra University. The government decision is not only clumsy and motivated, but also an attack on the autonomy of universities (whatever little is left of that). Strangely, not even the Medical Council of India has been taken into confidence while reserving the seats for the NRIs.
Through this ill-advised move, a few crores of rupees will be made, but the prestigious institutions will be joining the long and growing list of teaching shops. There is no guarantee that the money thus earned will be spent on improving the standards of education. On the contrary, there are reasons to suspect that interested parties will siphon it off for all the wrong reasons. The underhand dealings struck during the admission season are not hidden from anybody. Political, money and muscle power have pervaded most institutions. But when the infection affects medical institutions also, there is need for immediate remedial measures, because at stake are the lives of thousands of unsuspecting people. After all, today's aspiring students are going to be tomorrow's medical specialists. Can one feel safe at the hands of a doctor who made it to the select band not because he had the necessary grey matter but because his father had the requisite greenbacks and clout? |
Malta revisited WITH better means of transport and communication, the globe has shrunk and migration picked up. Increasing globalisation resulting in greater competition and consumerism has driven many out of their homes. From the struggle for survival, they soon "progress" to the mad race for comforts. The pull of a higher standard of living in an alien land and the push of unemployment and hard life back home uproot or split families, causing emotional turmoil, inconvenience and alienation. Those who get desperate to leave their lands and resort to unauthorised routes to reach the place of their dreams are quite often forced to pay a heavy price — and not just in economic terms. Precious young lives are lost on the illegal path to nowhere. In a two-part report The Tribune has pieced together hardships of illegal migrants. The Malta boat tragedy of December 25, 1996, in which 170 youths from Punjab, particularly the Doaba region, perished, is unforgettable. In a similar tragedy on June 13 seventeen Indians, most of them reportedly Punjabis and Keralites, were drowned in the Morava river dividing the Czech and Slovak republics. Tragedies recur because we fail to draw lessons and take corrective measures. Illegal travel agents indulging in human trafficking continue to
flourish. Punjab's so-called prosperity is on the decline. Agriculture is fast becoming an unviable occupation. Fragmented land holdings require expensive machinery and hard labour but give low returns. Education has brought in awareness and raised expectations, but work opportunities are shrinking. Quality life is missing. Roads are bad. Power is irregular. The whole infrastructure is a shambles. As a result, not only unskilled workers are leaving the state, but also talented professionals, who are driven to desperation by a corrupt and inefficient work culture. Official procedures and hassles are frustrating enough to discourage self-employment. A near-bankrupt government, far from making investments to create employment, is already forced to shed jobs. The Punjab Government representative’s talk endlessly of promoting agro-based industries, food-processing units and the IT revolution, but these areas still remain untapped. Unless growth opportunities are created and productivity is pushed up, talent flight would continue. Channels of illegal immigration are not hard to plug. Since Punjabis by temperament are outward-bound, they should be guided properly. Youth can be trained in skills which are in demand abroad and sent through authorised channels. Otherwise, the Malta boat tragedy will keep repeating itself. |
Misgivings
about monarchical order THE shocking tragedy that engulfed Nepal’s royal family when the traditional Friday night gettogether turned into an appalling carnage is going to leave deep scars on the psyche of Nepal’s people and on its body politic — scars that will take years to heal. People in Nepal virtually worshipped their monarchy and will not easily reconcile themselves to the grim truths that they have to face up to as a nation, following the palace massacre. The country now faces a situation where public misgivings about the legitimacy of the present monarchical order are openly voiced. The Nepali Congress Government led by B.P. Koirala is seen as weak, faction ridden and corrupt. Grievances in the countryside over the perceived lack of social justice and grassroots economic development are evident from the growing influence of the Maoists, who now have a virtual free run in the mountain districts of western
Nepal. While it is tempting to attribute growing Maoist influence to China’s role in the Himalayan kingdom, in actual fact the movement has drawn support primarily because of the lack of effective and responsive governance by successive governments in Kathmandu over the past decade. While the government has introduced an integrated security and development programme to deal with issues of growing rural discontent, this programme is not likely to make much headway without a measure of grassroots democracy and the empowerment of the weaker sections of the rural people who have had to long bear the inequities of a feudal rural order. The army has been deployed in some rural areas. But the absence of consultation between the palace and the government had rendered its deployment quite meaningless. There have also been delays in setting up an armed police force duly equipped and trained to deal with the
situation. While the Nepalese Congress Party Government is comfortably placed with 113 seats in the 205-member Parliament, its record of governance is perceived to be far from distinguished. The ruling party is deeply divided by factional rivalries, with former Prime Ministers Krishna Prasad Bhattarai and Sher Bahadur Deuba missing no opportunity to discredit and undermine Prime Minister Koirala. The ruling dispensation had to deal with the growing public perception of widespread corruption. It has also displayed an inability to develop a coherent and comprehensive strategy to deal with either rural disaffection or the problems of urban unemployment arising from sluggish economic growth. There are also suspicions that sections of the palace establishment may be stoking flames of discontent to discredit the democratic order.
In these circumstances, there is no dearth of people seeking to arouse latent anti-Indian sentiments amongst sections of the Nepalese public and establishment. Mercifully, both main political parties realise that the dynamics of the Indo-Nepal relations are such that whipping up anti-Indian sentiments does not serve their long-term interests. Those who took a virulently anti-Indian stand on issues like the 1996 Mahakali Agreement with India were virtually wiped out in the last elections. But, New Delhi must constantly be prepared for situations where grievances, real or imaginary are exploited to whip up anti-Indian
sentiments. The recent palace carnage appears to have created a vacuum in both the political and monarchical order in Nepal. The absence of transparency, clumsy attempts to muzzle the press and the constantly changing versions about what really happened, have resulted in the legitimacy of the present monarchical order and the credibility of the political dispensation being questioned. This is an environment in which extremist and anti-Indian stable, and responsive government structure that is seen to be legitimate and can address and fulfil its people’s aspirations is vital not only for the people of Nepal, but also for regional stability and cooperation. In the absence of responsive and effective governance, the Maoist menace is likely to spread across Nepal and establish linkages with groups like the PWG in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. New Delhi has to adopt a discreet and low-key approach in extending a friendly hand to Nepal to enable it to come out of its present difficulties. The aim should be to assist in every possible manner, so that the monarchy and the political leadership can together reestablish their credibility and cooperatively address the problems Nepal faces today. This effort should be undertaken discreetly without giving any section of the Nepalese populace reason to believe that we are playing “Big
Brother”. It is obvious that Nepal’s real problems today are economic. The ruling elite in Nepal would be well advised to see how the wise leadership of king Jigme Singhye Wangchuk has led to Bhutan rapidly outstripping Nepal in economic growth and in the prosperity and welfare of its people. A few years ago Bhutan’s per capita income was around $ 230. This was at about the same level as Nepal’s per capita income. After the construction of the 336 MW Chukha hydroelectric project, Bhutan’s per capita income is around $ 600 today, with the country experiencing a remarkable improvement in its human development indicators. When construction of the 1020 MW Tala hydroelectric project is completed in 2004. Bhutan’s per capita income will reach $ 1000. The leadership in Bhutan has placed primary emphasis on developing a relationship of mutually beneficial economic interdependence with India and fully exploited the Indian market to its advantage. While Bhutan has shown sensitivity to Indian security concerns, the King of Bhutan has shown a remarkable sense of independence in disagreeing with India even on issues like nuclear policies. But, such differences have been voiced and articulated in a befitting, discreet and dignified
manner. Nepal can take the fast track to prosperity if it chooses to focus its attention on making its systems of governance more responsive, in exploiting its immense hydroelectric and tourism potential and by taking measures wherein Indian and other foreign investors find the industrial and business environment more congenial than in states like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. But, tourists and businessmen are hardly likely to find Nepal an attractive destination if they are made to feel unwelcome or insecure. It is now time for Kathmandu and New Delhi to speed up the implementation of hydroelectric projects that will be of immense mutual benefit. Nepal will reap the benefit of revenues from the sale of over 6000 MW of power once the projects envisaged in the Mahakali Agreement are implemented. This project could well come on stream in the next eight to 10 years. Projects like the proposed Kosi High dam would not only generate a significant amount of power, but also be of immense benefit for flood control and irrigation. Interest in the massive 10800 MW Karnali hydroelectric project has to be revived. The potential for India and Nepal cooperating for the mutual welfare of their peoples is thus
immense. It is true that the Nepalese found that our performance did not match the promises we made in some of the projects undertaken earlier by India. But the time has now come to focus all our energies in the development of tourism, hydroelectric, irrigation and flood control projects and in the industrial development of Nepal. The real challenge to our diplomacy lies in persuading political and public opinion in Nepal about the need to move ahead in a dynamic economic partnership. Nepal has to be made to feel that its legitimate concerns are being met and its aspirations fulfilled while forging a new economic partnership.
Despite the preferences and prejudices of political groups and political parties in India for particular individuals and parties in Nepal, we should not interfere the democratic political processes of our neighbour. New Delhi has done well to post highly regarded professional diplomats, like K.V. Rajan and Deb Mukharji, who are capable of functioning in a low profile but effective manner, in the recent past to Nepal. Indians in Nepal, whether in the Himalayan kingdom as diplomats, businessmen or tourists, have to be sensitive to Nepalese sentiments and pride, even as we give new economic sinews to the relationship. |
Soft spoken but tough taskmaster SOFT spoken but a tough taskmaster, Brij Bihari Tandon, who has assumed charge as an Election Commissioner in the three-member Election Commission, is yet another civil servant capable of meeting peer pressure and challenge.
Popular in the Civil Services for his upright and straightforward character, Tandon is said to be somewhat superstitious, according to sources close to him. It is pointed out that he insisted on taking over as one of the two Election Commissioners in Nirvachan Sadan on June 13 and that too at a particular time.
Before moving to the Election Commission, Tandon was Secretary, Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pension.
He had shot into the limelight in the corridors of power a couple of years ago when he refused to transfer some IAS officers despite severe political pressure mounted by the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and AIADMK chief J. Jayalalithaa.
Interestingly, Tandon who joined the Indian Administrative Service in 1965 and belongs to the Himachal Pradesh cadre is a postgraduate in economics and has also done law from the University of Delhi. He has held various top level posts at the Centre as well as in Himachal Pradesh.
As a bureaucrat, Tandon had also served as Secretary in the Ministry of Mines for about two years. As Additional Secretary, Tandon had done stints in the Cabinet Secretariat and Department of Company Affairs.
Gogoi has a lot
on his plate Assam is often referred to as “ Lahe Lahe” - a place where life moves at an extremely slow pace - literally. But for Tarun Gogoi, the new Chief Minister of Assam, the task is cut out and it does not conform to the “Lahe Lahe” brand of work. The agenda is multi-fold and transgresses from the individualistic to the larger political arena.
For a person who learnt the first lessons in politics from the late D K Barooah (often remembered for his psycophantic slogan “India is Indira, Indira is India”), Gogoi has the onerous task of putting the insurgency ravaged state on a high-growth trajectory. At the same time, he has to set the record straight as far as his adversaries are concerned.
Gogoi’s critics lose no time in pointing out that he did not fit the bill for becoming the Chief Minister as he hardly has any noteworthy experience in state-level politics. This is a truism which he has to reverse by deliverance and not by hollow utterances.
For the better part of his political career beginning in the 1970s, Gogoi has been a parliamentarian and a Union Minister.
Gogoi’s report card in the first few days in Guwahati has turned out to be fairly satisfactory. For one, the underlying current of dissension immediately after the polls appears to have diminished significantly. The real test, however, will lie in his approach to tackling the protracted problem of insurgency in Assam. Even before the polls, there was talk of a unholy nexus between the Congress and the outlawed ULFA and as Chief Minister, Gogoi will have to instill confidence and put to rest all speculation in this regard.
Moreover, historically ULFA has been found to strike immediately after a new government assumes charge. Already there have been reports of extortion.
At another level, Gogoi has to send a strong message that he has finally emerged out of the shadows of his Congress predecessor, the late Hiteshwar Saikia. For once the political leadership in Assam seems to be thinking more about the high road to industrialisation rather than the beaten path of self-determination. And immediately after the Assam assembly polls Gogoi said: “for the time being let’s talk about the economy”. Sounds elegant and catchy but the road ahead may be full of thorns. |
Violence in Bhopal over ‘Gadar’ A chance remark by a person watching the film “Gadar,” produced by actor Sunny Deol, at the Lily Talkies in Bhopal sparked off violence in the Madhya Pradesh on
Tuesday. Officials said prohibitory orders had been clamped within the limits of 12 police stations in Bhopal city and confirmed that some people had been taken into preventive custody to bring the volatile situation under
control. They said there was hardly any reason for the film to provoke Tuesday’s communal tension in the city that was preceded by the hurling of petrol bombs into the cinema hall, the burning of several vehicles and the stabbing of youth riding on a
motorcycle. “The film has been on for more than five days now, and there has been no reaction. Besides, the film is being screened at two cinema halls and we have had no problems in the area dominated by the minorities,” a senior police official told the
IANS. The film was screened on Wednesday, but under tight security. Arif Masood, President of the youth wing of the Congress Party in Bhopal district, had demanded that the screening of the film based on events during the 1947 partition of the Indian subcontinent be stopped in the city, as certain “objectionable” scenes were allegedly hurting the sentiments of the
minorities. Tuesday’s violence took place after the authorities refused to accept Masood’s demand on the ground that the censor board had cleared the film and it was not in their jurisdiction to stop its screening. The authorities claimed they had asked Masood to see the film along with a group and point out the objectionable scenes in the film before the protest and the
violence. Witnesses said they saw hit and run incidents between the protestors and the police. The paramilitary Rapid Action Force (RAF) was called in to contain the damage to property.
IANS Animal abuse in ‘Lagaan’? Aamir Khan’s “Lagaan” has ruffled the feathers of Ms Maneka Gandhi for its unauthorised depiction of
wildlife. She said at a workshop about animal rights in Delhi that director Ashutosh Gowarikar has violated the Performing Animals (Registration) Rules and the Wildlife Protection
Act. The film shows Aamir trying to save two deer from trigger-happy Britons. Other scenes courting trouble involve chickens, pigeons and an
elephant. Ms Maneka Gandhi said the deer in the film was a protected animal and no one could own it. Moreover, one of the deer is shown being shot and that tantamount to
murder. “If the deer was actually shot, the crime is as serious as murder. And if it is sedated, then also the matter is grave as deer cannot stand sedation,” she
said. "I have spoken with Ashutosh and asked him where he got the animals from. His reply was that he just found them roaming around, which is a ridiculous excuse as there are no deer in Bhuj (in Gujarat) where the film was shot.” She said the animal was obviously transported and kept in captivity, which again is illegal and which carries a minimum five years
imprisonment. Ms Gandhi, however, said she would not sue the filmmaker. But “even if I don’t, animal activists in other parts of the country would. The filmmakers are definitely looking at a court stay on the film.”
IANS |
‘Silly little virus’ may cure brain cancer AN innocuous virus commonly found in the human body shows great promise as a potential cure for a ferocious form of brain cancer in a novel strategy pitting virus against tumour, researchers said on Tuesday.
University of Calgary scientists tested whether the reovirus, which does not cause disease in people, could be used against malignant gliomas, the most common form of brain tumour.
The live reovirus destroyed human glioma cells growing in a test tube and human glioma cells that were implanted into mice, the scientists said. It also killed cells from brain tumours removed from human patients, they said.
Malignant gliomas are aggressive, invasive and resistant to treatment. Most patients die quickly and long-term survivors are rare.
“It’s a ferocious cancer where the average survival is about a year and the prognosis for patients hasn’t changed in the past 20 years in spite of better neurosurgery, better radiotherapy, better MRI scans, better anaesthesia,” Dr. Peter Forsyth, who led the study, said in a telephone interview.
“We’re still not attacking this properly. And the use of a virus is a new way to think about treating these (tumours), and it might be very exciting,” added Forsyth, whose study appears in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
The reovirus, short for Respiratory Enteric Orphan virus, is commonly found in the human respiratory and gastrointestinal tract, and does not appear to do anything bad in the body.
“Actually it’s a silly little virus,” Forsyth said. “It’s something that we’ve all been exposed to.”
But its cancer-fighting potential is far from silly. The researchers said that while it does not infect normal cells, it infects and destroys tumour cells. Forsyth said the researchers were planning a first phase of human clinical trials.
Reuters |
|
Silver offers help against infection MANKIND
is locked in battle against scary resistant microbes and fears it is losing ground.
But modern medicine may have found an agent that could help win the war against killer germs, by resurrecting a folk remedy against disease and infection administered ages before the arrival of antibiotics.
Silver was used for thousands of years in various forms as a natural healing agent, though it fell out of use with the advent of penicillin after the 1930s.
Researchers, entrepreneurs and the health conscious now promote its chemical properties as an affordable, safe and effective weapon against scourges from salmonella to staphylococcus infections.
Proponents extol silver as the only antibiotic effective against practically all bacteria, fungi and viruses, but the U.S. government prohibits making medical claims for non-drugs. In mainstream medicine, silver ointments and bandages are used as standard treatment for burn victims.
Silver’s healing powers are poorly understood and clinical studies have not proved its potency, against viruses in particular. Nor has research established if overuse will lead to ineffectiveness as has occurred with conventional antibiotics.
“It is one of the alternatives to antibiotics, because the heavy metals have their own mechanism of action against micro-organisms,” said Ian Alan Holder, Professor of Microbiology and Surgery at the University of Cincinnati.
The Greeks, Persians and Romans of antiquity documented the medicinal value of silver. Kings and queens favoured silver utensils, plates and storage vessels over ceramic to prevent food spoilage and enhance health through the absorption of minuscule quantities into the body. Quinto claimed that silver colloid is useful in killing almost all the pathogens that cause food poisoning.
“Blue bloods” were so called because of the blue tint of royal blood due to traces of pure metallic silver, according to “The Silver Colloid Handbook”, compiled by Dr Max Zak of the Natural and Scientific Media Institute of Australia.
Reuters |
Dharmsla News
On the 31st May, a fatal and tragic accident occurred at Kangra town when a eleven year old boy of a goldsmith was shot dead by a gun going off accidently. Railway construction has begun in right earnest and the Agent, N.W. Ry., is himself taking keen interest by personally inspecting the works. |
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Refining & developing the mind THE importance of the human mind cannot be overestimated. Milton, the great poet, sings “The mind in its own place, and in itself can make a Heaven of Hell, a Hell of Heaven.” As you think, so you become. Freedom and bondage are of the mind. A person’s success or failure, happiness or sorrow, knowledge or ignorance, strength or weakness, freedom or bondage, all depend primarily on the state of his mind. Though the mind occupies such an important place in man’s life, yet he seems to pay scant attention to it. For him, everything else matters, except the mind. The result is that with all his achievements, he feels miserable. Outwardly he may be rich and powerful, but inwardly he is poor and weak. Fallow lies the land of his mind. He does not know how to cultivate it. Consequently, he gets nothing but thorny bushes of ignorance, bondage, and suffering. On the other hand, if he takes care to cultivate his mind, he will reap the rich harvest of knowledge, devotion, freedom, peace and
joy. What is mind? According to Vedanta, the mind is a positive substance intermediate between the body and the organs on the one hand and the luminous self (Atman) on the other. It has the capacity to transmit consciousness of the self, just as a glass-sheet has the power to transmit sunlight. Being permeated with the radiance of consciousness of the self, the mind appears to be conscious. It may be likened to a crystal that looks resplendent when permeated with light, or to an iron ball that becomes aglow when penetrated by fire. It is because of this borrowed light of consciousness of the self that the mind proves to be the chief instrument of cognition, volition, and
emotion. In Vedanta the mind’s act of cognition is of primary importance. Cognition is a four-fold function comprising deliberation (manas), determination (buddhi), ego (ahankara), and memory (citta). Among these, buddhi plays, the most prominent role in the development of man’s life. An enlightened buddhi serves as an unfailing guide in life. Strictly speaking, buddhi implies right determination or decision. It means the power of discrimination between the real and the unreal, between the pleasant and the beneficial, between right and wrong. It is by buddhi that one has to control and direct volition and emotion and the sense organs. Making use of a beautiful imagery of a chariot, Katha Upanishad depicts buddhi as a charioteer driving the chariot of the body, of which the luminous self is the master, towards the ultimate goal, by holding the reins of the mind and controlling and guiding the sense
organs. Volition is another important function of the mind. It is closely related to buddhi. Volition carries out what buddhi decides. Buddhi has the capacity to consider the possible courses of action in a given situation and to decide which is the most desirable one to be followed. To achieve the purpose of buddhi is the role of will. In most individuals there is a split between their rational and emotional nature. By persistent efforts with a firm will, they can bridge the gap and integrate their personality and attain self-fulfilment. We have to develop the will power by its exercise. If we follow a systematic course of self-culture regularly with unwavering determination, we will develop the will
power. As for emotions, we should not consider them wrong in themselves. They are right or wrong according to the direction they take. Take, for instance, the desire for sense-objects. It causes delusion, bondage and misery. But if we direct our desire toward God, this will lead to liberation, peace and blessedness. If you must be greedy, be greedy for God. Similarly, be angry with God for not revealing himself to you. Try to sublimate all emotions by giving them a higher direction. This is the way to purify the mind. The more the mind gets purified, the brighter the light of reason shines. The vision or understanding becomes clearer and clearer. At last, we are able to distinguish between the apparent and the
real. This refining and developing the mind can take place only in the waking state when we are conscious of our ego. In the dream state there is a free play of emotions and imagination. Dreams are caused by latent desires and tendencies. Behind the dreams are the impressions a person has stored in his mind during his waking state. These impressions from the material for dream imagery. As a painter paints on a piece of canvas, so these impressions paint various pictures on the mind. In deep sleep, all the variations of our mind are completely hushed. We have no thought, no feeling, no imagination, no memory of any kind. Even our ego-consciousness does not prevail. We are completely relaxed and at
peace. Relatively speaking, dealing with the mind in the conscious plane is not a big problem. The conscious mind is like the tip of an iceberg. A person cannot perceive his entire mind. Most of it is hidden from his view. That part of the mind which is within the ken of ego-consciousness in the waking state is the conscious plane. Below this lies the sub-conscious region. All our volitional actions - the bodily, the sensory, and the mental - in the waking state leave indelible impressions on the mind. These impressions are both good and evil, according to the nature of Karma. These accumulate in the subconscious plane and stay there as potencies, and in due course rise as mental modes. We get our desires, emotions, memories, imagination, etc from these. The sum total of these impressions, good and evil, determines the character of a
person. Obviously, the subconscious mind is a store-house of both good and evil forces. It is not a dungeon of dark forces as many psychologists led by Freud would have us believe. If a person’s goal is self-fulfilment or perfection he must constantly strive to attenuate and then completely eradicate the evil tendencies in his mind. Patanjali, in his Yoga Sutras, points out the way to do so. According to him, to counter evil tendencies, we should cultivate contrary virtues. For instance, selfishness can be overcome by the practice of unselfishness, anger by forgiveness, hatred by
love. When the process of purification is complete, the mind becomes tranquil like the surface of a lake. As the calm water clearly reflects the moon, the pure and calm mind reflects the divine light of Atman - the light of truth, knowledge, bliss, love, peace and freedom. This is the state of perfection. Unless this divinity within is manifested, immortal bliss cannot be had. |
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