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Thursday,
March 14, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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Honour the verdict Sushma scores MCD battle hots up |
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The Persian Gulf in ferment
The feel-good factor
Sufi influence on Kashmiri life
Uniting one's own self with God
Likeness lies in eyes of beholder
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Honour the verdict The Supreme Court has done a singular service to the nation by its sharp commonsense judgement on the sensitive issue of Ayodhya. It has ordered status quo in all aspects of the Ayodhya dispute and has categorically stated that "no religious activity of any nature by anyone, including bhoomi pujan, shila pujan and shila daan" will be permitted, till further orders. This means even a symbolic puja at the undisputed site on March 15 has been barred. The apex court's historic verdict has to be seen against the backdrop of the Centre's fervent plea to the contrary. The bench, comprising Justices B. N. Kirpal, G. B. Pattnaik and V. N. Khare, was apparently sure that even a symbolic puja at the undisputed land would add to the tension. It was, therefore, not ready to take chances and, finally, opted for a saner course in the prevailing heated atmosphere. The learned judges have obviously been prompted by the nation's larger concern of maintaining communal harmony and peace without any direct or indirect provocative act. Of course, in normal times a symbolic puja at an undisputed site would have been a harmless exercise. Lord Rama, after all, is a symbol of maryada that goes beyond narrow religious, caste and class parameters. As the virtuous wise God-king, he represented lofty principles of humanity. In today's idiom, he was highly enlightened, liberal and idealistic. In his actions, he was not only correct but was also ever anxious to be seen as such in the public eye. But the problem today is the hardening of attitudes on religious lines. Religion and politics have got intermixed and they seem to divide both hearts and minds at a frightening pace. Communal angularities have only made matters worse. Ramjanmabhoomi Nyas President Ramchandra Das Paramhans has already stated that he would go ahead with his plan to make a symbolic offering of a carved stone at the "place" he is allowed to by the authorities on March 15. He has also stated that he will not perform any bhoomi puja or carry out shilanyas. However, one can never be sure of what turn even a simple move would take in an emotionally-surcharged atmosphere. The situation is dicey. The apex court's verdict is clear and categorical. Any violation of even the spirit of the judgement can create problems of law and order. A degree of restraint is the need of the hour. No purpose will be served by playing with emotions. Everything has to be seen in the larger context of defusing the situation and maintaining communal harmony and peace. This will indeed be a true tribute to Lord Rama, who has, unfortunately, been dragged into avoidable controversies along community and religious lines. This is a pity. As it is, religious bigotry and obscurantism have weakened the democratic polity. Therefore, it is necessary that political and religious leaders, especially those belonging to the VHP and the sangh parivar, shun opportunist politics and honour the Supreme Court's pronouncement in letter and spirit. The continuing faith of the public in the country's highest court must not be diluted. At stake is the prestige of the judiciary and the secular tradition of our democratic polity. |
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Sushma scores The very raison d'etre of SAARC is to enhance South Asian cooperation and people-to-people contacts. There are daunting regional level issues which demand its full-time attention. Among them are poverty, unemployment, illiteracy and under-development, each of which is serious enough to affect the lives of millions of people. To keep the focus on these larger issues the charter specifically prohibits the discussing of bilateral matters in this regional forum. And yet, Pakistan has repeatedly tried to hijack SAARC conferences by harping on its pet themes. That is why the India-Pakistan spat has overshadowed most such gatherings. During the SAARC Information Ministers' conference in Islamabad last week, General Musharraf went one step ahead. He called the scope of SAARC "restrictive" and sought to widen the ambit by including "bilateral" issues. This, he argued, was necessary to restart the stalled peace dialogue with the Indian Government. It was left to the Information and Broadcasting Minister, Mrs Sushma Swaraj, to call his bluff and she did it in a professional and competent manner. Other countries are indeed sick of the raising of Indo-Pak matters at this august forum and have had to form sub-regional groupings to sidestep the perpetual problem. But they could not have joined issue with the Pakistani President as effectively as Mrs Swaraj did. What is particularly satisfying is the fact that she defended India without raising her voice or using harsh language. This was the first visit of an Indian minister to Pakistan in several years. No wonder, she was the toast of the town. As it normally happens to visiting ministers from India, the interviewers were harsh to the point of being rude. But she retained her cool and made her point in an effective manner. This was in sharp contrast to the tactics used by General Musharraf and his ministers during the Agra summit. She was particularly impressive during her interview on PTV. Showing a refreshing command over Urdu, the young minister disarmed her vociferous critics with sheer refinement. That is one of the basic prerequisites of international diplomacy. Unfortunately, street language has come to be employed even at such an exalted level. However, even her exemplary conduct was not enough to ensure that the conference could do some constructive work. The relations between the two neighbours dominated the proceedings and the real agenda of the Information Ministers remained on the backburner. Measures adopted did not go much beyond the perfunctory agreement to have increased cooperation in the field of information and continuous interaction among the Information Ministers to help resolve contentious issues. It was decided to ease visa restrictions to permit free movement of journalists within South Asia, but it is doubtful if Islamabad will be any softer on newsmen from India. |
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MCD battle hots up The battle between the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress for control of the 134-member Municipal Corporation of Delhi has begun to hot up. Both the parties released their respective manifestoes on Tuesday. Of course, poll-eve promises are seldom kept. Had either of the two main combatants kept the promises they had made in the past Delhi would have been the most well-maintained city in the country. The bitter truth, thanks to the indifference of the city fathers, Delhi may have become an
unlivable urban slum had it not been the capital of the country. The pressure of maintaining it as the seat of the Central Government has proved to be a blessing for the fastest growing metro in India. In a way, the pressure of attending to the civic needs of the VVIP areas has resulted in the neglect of the rest of city. For instance, Lutyen's Delhi never ever complaints of water and power shortage. But what about the non-VIP areas, where the 99 per cent of the population is located? Every household now has a standby generator for coping with the perennial shortage of power. The same is true of the alternative arrangements they have to make for meeting the water shortage. In any case, most of the points the BJP and the Congress have mentioned in their poll charters are meant to attract the attention of the largest group of voters at the
expense of balanced development of the city. The Congress has promised to introduce the system of self-assessment of property tax. Self-assessment? No one in his senses is ever going to believe that self-assessment is the answer to the widespread corruption in the cell dealing with property tax. But there are more worrisome features in the charters of the two main contenders. For instance, the promise of regularisation of commercial activities in residential areas in the Congress manifesto. The implementation of this proposal would add to the chaos on Delhi's congested roads. Every second person in Delhi is into operating some kind of a home-based business. Regularisation would encourage others to set up shop at home. As it is, there is hardly any parking space in most residential areas. Commercialisation of residential space would only aggravate the problem. The judiciary had to intervene to have the unauthorised small industrial units removed from the residential localities. If the proposal to regularise non-industrial business activity is not killed, the judiciary may have to intervene again to save Delhi from being choked to death. The proposal to divide MCD into smaller manageable units with independent power, however, deserves to be welcomed. Smaller civic bodies would ensure prompt and better service in their limited jurisdiction than the MCD is able to provide. The BJP charter is equally insipid. A point on which it ought to be forewarned is the promise of regularisation of illegal colonies built up to March, 2000. The BJP evidently has its eyes on the Sainik Farm and similar VIP, infested unauthorised colonies. The proposal should be opposed tooth and nail by every law abiding citizen of the
megapolis. |
The Persian Gulf in ferment The USA now realises that there are no quick solutions or easy answers as it pursues its war against terrorism in Afghanistan and elsewhere. The Taliban may have been ousted and the Al-Qaeda dispersed in Afghanistan. But they are regrouping and reorganising themselves for a long struggle. Speaking to his supporters in Tora Bora on November 10, 2001, Osama bin Laden had after all proclaimed: “The Americans had a plan to invade, but if we are united and believe in Allah, we’ll teach them a lesson, the same way we taught the Russians”. An increasingly frustrated Bush Administration is now finding that its own ground forces have to join battle against well- armed and motivated Taliban, Al-Qaeda and Pakistani Jihadis, who receive support and sustenance from powerful patrons in Pakistan. Thirtyfour out of the top 42 leaders of the Al-Qaeda, including Osama bin Laden, his deputy Ayman al Zuwahiri and 23 of the top 27 leaders of the Taliban, including Osama bin Laden, are still alive and active. Most of them are living comfortably in madarsas and mosques in Baluchistan, the NWFP and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas in Pakistan. Amidst these developments, the unfortunate description of Iran, Iraq and North Korea constituting an “axis of evil” by President Bush in his January 29 State of the Union Address has fuelled new concerns and uncertainties in the oil rich and strategically vital Persian Gulf region. With a huge United States Naval Armada poised nearby and thousands of its military personnel deployed in Pakistan and in Persian Gulf countries like Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Kuwait, fears are growing that the USA is now preparing the ground for military action against Iraq and possibly Iran. The Iranians have every reason to feel concerned and even upset at the “axis of evil” remark. Iran has for years been in the forefront of the opposition to the Taliban. It has worked closely with Russia and India to back the Northern Alliance in Afghanistan. The Iranian role was constructive and cooperative when discussions were being held in Bonn for the establishment of a new Interim Government for Afghanistan. It was largely because of Iran that the manoeuvres of leaders like Rabbani and Hikmetayar to frustrate the efforts of the UN in forming a broad-based government in Afghanistan were thwarted. Responding to the “axis of evil” speech of President Bush, Iran’s National Security Adviser Dr Hasan Rouhani proclaimed on March 5: “ If attacked we will defend ourselves body and soul and use any means to retaliate as necessary”. Fears remain across the Persian Gulf about the catastrophic effects of an escalation in tensions or a conflict in the region. India will be one of the countries worst hit by any conflict in the Persian Gulf, as its experiences during the Gulf conflict of February, 1991, demonstrated. Over two-thirds of our imported energy requirements come from the Persian Gulf. This dependence is likely to increase to 80 per cent by 2010. Moreover, over 3.5 million Indians today live in the Persian Gulf of which nearly 1.3 million are in the United Arab Emirates alone, from where they remit home almost $ 2 billion in foreign exchange annually. It is a pity that there is so little interest in our political leadership in the crucial importance of this region for our welfare, well-being and energy security. Iran inevitably plays a crucial role in developments in the Persian Gulf. (The region should be described as the “Arabian Gulf” while visiting the Arab Gulf States”!). While India and Iran continue to cooperate closely on developments in Afghanistan, there is also now a measure of strategic congruence in seeking access routes for our goods and services and even for future imports of natural gas to and from Russia and Central Asia, through Iran. The “North-South Transportation Corridor Agreement” that was signed by India, Iran and Russia will provide us a viable transportation route for our exports to Russia through the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas and a designated port in the Caspian Sea. New Delhi should ensure that this agreement is operationalised and put to use as soon as possible. The Americans seem determined to exclude and bypass Iran from their efforts to tap the vast resources of gas in Central Asia and the Caspian. We are studying the possibilities of accessing the immense gas resources of Iran either by an overland pipeline through Pakistan, or through an undersea pipeline. We should be guided solely by considerations of cost effectiveness and energy security in making our choices. Iran will naturally remain a preferred choice for transit for natural gas from Central Asia, till such time as the developments in both Pakistan and Afghanistan stabilise. Iran, like us, does not seem too impressed by General Musharraf’s claims of good conduct. The six members of the Gulf Coordination Council — Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia — have also been deeply disturbed by the January 29 comments of President Bush. In contrast to their unreserved support extended during the Gulf conflict in 1991 to President Bush (Sr), these countries fear that any American attack on Iraq now will be profoundly destabilising. The monarchies in these countries are gradually devising more representative forms of governance. This is particularly so in Qatar, Oman and Bahrain. New Delhi has traditionally had good relations with the Arab Gulf States. But, unless President Saddam Hussein yields to American demands, which is unlikely, the only question that remains is not whether but when President Bush will launch military attacks on America’s favourite enemy — Iraq. Unlike in 1990, when we were completely caught unawares and reacted in a kneejerk and ad hoc manner to developments following Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait, New Delhi would be well advised to prepare contingency plans for another conflict in the Persian Gulf in the not too distant future. Policy makers in New Delhi and our political leadership have not paid adequate attention or given due importance to the immense potential for the development of our relations with the Arab Gulf States, where over three and a half million Indians now reside. The rulers of most of these countries have traditionally been friendly to India. Sheikh Mohammad, the ruler of Dubai, personally assisted us in handing over the hijackers of an Indian Airlines aircraft in 1984 after Indira Gandhi had deputed Romesh Bhandari to approach him. Likewise, when Aftab Ansari was recently handed over to us, Sheikh Mohammad assisted us in establishing his Pakistani links by also giving us the Pakistani passport with which he had travelled under an assumed name. But unlike in the days of Mrs Gandhi, there is virtually no personal rapport between our top leaders and the rulers of the Arab Gulf States today. This needs to be addressed and corrected. The countries in our western neighbourhood are set to go through troubled and uncertain times in the days ahead. Despite claims of success, the American effort in Afghanistan still has a long way to go before it achieves the objectives that President Bush has proclaimed for his war on terrorism. A senior State Department official, obviously tired at Pakistani double dealing, recently remarked about General Musharraf: “He is an important ally. We will be with him if he acts. If he plays games, then there will be a problem”. The Americans should be in no doubt that their favourite General in Pakistan will “play games” as he did in the Daniel Pearl affair and in supporting jehadi elements in Jammu and Kashmir and elsewhere. The Pak military establishment has always been supremely confident of its ability to deal with the “naďve” Americans. But with tensions and uncertainties set to grow in the strategically vital Persian Gulf, New Delhi will have to fashion innovative approaches to deal with the emerging situation there. |
The feel-good factor I am reminded of our customary salutation and the recurring refrain “baqi sab khairiyat hai” woven into almost all our traditional epistolary efforts. It may be the torching of live human beings, including women and children, whether at Godhra, Ahmedabad or other cities and villages, the communication of the news is bound to begin and end with the words “baqi sab khairiyat hai” or its official counterpart “the situation is well under control barring some stray incidents of burning, looting and killing”. “Yahan sab khairiyat hai” are the reassuring words emanating from all authorities whether in charge of Gandhinagar, Ayodhya, Patna, Mumbai, Kaithal or a hundred other killing fields. In the background of this all-pervading “khairiyat” we have to view the recently presented Budget as an event betokening “happiness” defined by Thomas Hardy as “an occasional episode in a general drama of pain”. I have been feeling good over this “poor man’s” as well as “rich man’s” budget. How does it matter if the protruding middle of the middle class is shorn of some excess fat: Thanks to the increase of a mere 40 rupees per L.P.G. cylinder, the housewife will have less and less incentive to cook. We will increasingly resort to more of raw greens and end up with delicious health-giving salads. We will adopt more and more of nature’s bounties like the sun to trap its rays to do solar cooking. What a marvellous change can come about in the present polluted environment: The increase in rail fare has great potential to keep people away from unnecessary wastage of time and money in undertaking travels to places of pilgrimage, tourist resorts, unwelcome relatives and friends. With crowds shying away from train and platforms, rail journeys would become safer. There would be less incentive for serving adulterated food and drink. People would tend to cover short distances on foot, or by environment-friendly bullock cart, ensuring healthful living. The increase in postage will bring about a sea change and crores of rupees now wasted by the public on using competition post cards, letters and envelopes for trying their luck at “kaun banega krorepati” type of programmes. In any case, we have to step in and try to stop people from writing letters beginning with the banal “yahan sab khairiyat hai”. There are so many other salutary features of this dream Budget which can be recounted, but their telling would turn this slim “middle” piece into an obese “sumo” wrestler. So let me end this praise to the Budget by a rapturous “yahan sab khairiyat hai”. |
Sufi influence on Kashmiri life The credit for introducing arts and crafts in Kashmir along with multiple handicraft and papier-mache manufacturing activities is generally given to Zainul Abidin. But from a historical perspective, it was Syed Ali Hamadani, popularly known as Shah-i-Hamadan, who brought all these crafts and arts to Kashmir. He arrived in Kashmir from Iran along with about 713 of his companions in 1474/879. However, it took about hundred years till the reign of Zainul Abidin for the crafts and arts to get well established in Kashmir. New dimensions were added to them in the fields of embroidery, calligraphy and their such delicate enterprises. Syed Ali Hamadani facilitated the clandestine exchange of craftsmen and artisans from Khurasan, Hamadan, Yarqand, Samarqand, Khwaraz, Turkistan Bhaiq, Muristan etc. The craftsmen and artisans were also preachers and saints. Syed Ali Hamadani took care that arts and crafts had stronghold at various places in Kashmir. For example, paper machie was developed in several localities of Srinagar like Safakadal, while the Naushera, Maqam, Kenhama, Beerwah areas of Kashmir were chosen for embroidery, carpet weaving and shawl weaving. The locality was later named after the art or craft in which it excelled. Some such places still exist in Kashmir: Kamgarpura, Zarabkhana, Sazigaripura, Sheeshghari Mohallah, Qalamadan Pora, Ehangar Mohallah and Mashalli Mohallah. According to Mir Syed Mustaqh Hamadani, Syed Ali brought raw pashmina from Ladakh with him when he came to Kashmir and introduced its use in the preparation of shawls. He himself prepared socks from pashmina and gave it as a gift to the king, Sultan Qutbuddin Shahmirri. Syed Ali adopted cap-tailoring as a means of his livelihood. The author of Baharistan-i-Shahi says that Syed Ali had gifted a cap tailored by his own hand to Haider Shah and Hassan Shah and later this cap used to remain in the custody of Qutbuddin, Sultan Sikandar, Zainul Abidin, Ali Shah, Sultan Udham Shah respectively. People involved in idol-carving were provided alternative jobs by involving them in slab-carving and embossing on the tombs various calligraphic and embroidered inscriptions on them. New ornaments for women were introduced which included Tomapr, Awazay, Globand, Namah, Halq Bandh, Bazuband, Pishain Band, Ghaswara, Disware etc, which were originally used in Central Asia and different villages of Iran. New crafts and arts like Najari (carpentry) Hamamdari, Khimahdozi, Naqashi, Kafashdoozi, Kabab Pazi, Hareesa Pazi, Gilkari, Zargari are a few such areas to name. New dresses with their preparing-techniques were introduced and phern, kurta, dastar, amamah etc became prevalent in Kashmir Embroidered qaleen (carpets) mattresses, ghabbas (wollenmates) and silken takiyaposh, makhmalli takiyya and even lihaff were introduced in Kashmir from Iran. The shawl industry was founded by Sayed Ali Hamadani as it did not exist before the 13th century for there is no reference to it in any earlier source. It was, however, developed under the patronage of the Sultans with the help of weavers who came from Persia and Turkistan. These immigrants not only introduced new patterns, but also new techniques — the twill-tapestry technique — which had a parallel in Persia and Central Asia, but nowhere in India and Pakistan. Thus Syed Ali Hamadani introduced new arts, crafts and ornaments along with their techniques and brought new economic mobility in the otherwise dormant areas of concern. He changed the conditions of the poor and docile Kashmir plebian masses. Thus a new phase from the agriculture-oriented economy to a market-oriented economy ensued. It is perhaps for this reason that Dr Iqbal calls Syed Ali Hamadani the maker of minor Iran (Iran-i-Sageer) out of Kashmir by his introduction of fine and unique arts. The far-reaching consequences of these artistic and economic activities revitalised the hitherto sluggish living standards of the valley which produced some of the best artisans and craftsmen (Charb Dast) in the world. Since Syed Ali laid much emphasis on rizq-halal (earning by lawful means), he seems unique in the entire history of Sufism. He combined spirituality with earning by the sweat of his forehead. The local rishis and their spiritual followers took this clandestine economic activity to its logical conclusion and as a result Sufis like Batamallo Sahib emerged. He used to cultivate land in order to feed the needy and the destitute. Thus, rather than becoming a burden on others, the Sufis served humanity instead and helped the local economy to grow substantially. The writer is the Director, Shah-i-Hamadan Institute of Islamic Studies, Kashmir University, Srinagar |
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Uniting one's own self with God The proof of man's relationship with God lies in man's relationship with man. If a man cheats his fellowmen, remain unfaithful to his family members, and does acts that are unbecoming of a relative or a friend, it would be difficult for him to unite himself with God. A man may sit in his place of worship for hours with perfect devotion. However, when he leaves his place of worship, if he commits the slightest offence against his fellow human beings, his devotion will be an exercise in futility. It would be worthwhile to narrate the interesting story of a man who was told that God would pay a visit to his house. In preparation for this great visit, the man set about rearranging his house, befitting the visitor's status. But as he started preparing for the visit, many people came to his door — a sick old woman, a blind boy, a poor man looking for work, a beggar and an injured animal. The busy man drove away all of them with curses because they interfered with his preparations. The day passed by and finally the house was spick and span. The table was laden with delicious food. Aroma from the incense sticks filled each room. The man sat down to await his guest, but darkness came and God did not knock at the door. As night lightened into morning, the man fell on his face. Tears rolled down his cheeks and soaked the beautiful carpets that he had arranged for God’s visit. The man begged God to tell him why he didn't pay the promised visit. God said “But I came to your door in so many different forms. And each time you turned me away with curses. Why should I come to you now in all my splendour?” God's grace is not like a sponge that soaks up water and gives nothing in return. God wants us to share our spiritual experiences with each other. We should allow them to reflect in our association with those who come in contact with our day-to-day life. Let us strive to make our spiritual attainments reflect in our relationship with those human satellites which come within or touch our orbit. |
Likeness lies in eyes of beholder Do children really inherit their fathers’ chins and their mothers’ eyes? Perceptions that a child resembles a parent may be based on an
assumption that the two are genetically related rather than a strong similarity in features. Italian researchers report. “Parents and children resemble each other more than unrelated people, but this effect is small,” lead author Paola Bresan, a research scientist at the Universita di Padova in Italy, said. “When we remark on a baby’s resemblance to its parents, we see a resemblance, even when it’s not there, because we believe it exists. We are not consciously lying, but we are deceiving ourselves,” Bressan explained. The researcher’s performed three studies in which men and women were asked to estimate the facial resemblance of photo graphs of pairs of children and adults, while being given either true or false information, or none about their relatedness. The investigators conclude that there may be an evolutionary advantage for this self-delusion: Society has a compelling interest in having fathers help raise offspring, even in cases where the children are not genetically their own. Thus, there may be a need to reassure fathers that the presumed child is theirs, even if this is not actually the case. “A truly efficient evolutionary strategy would combine a poor sensitivity to actual relatedness with a strong effect of presumed relatedness,” Bressan said.
“This self-deception was advantageous because, in a society where adultery is common, babies who are believed to be the children of their official fathers have more chances of surviving than babies who are not.”
Reuters Sense of chaos: gift of the gifted Predicting the twists and turns of chaotic systems like the weather and perhaps even financial markets can only be the work of the truly gifted people, said an Australian psychologist, said a report published in the New Scientist journal. Richard Heath from the University of Sunderland tried to identify people who can do this by showing volunteers a list of eight numbers and asking them to predict the next four. Random sequences are by their nature unpredictable, whereas chaotic sequences follow specific rules. Despite this, chaotic sequences are very hard to predict in practice because of the “butterfly effect”, even a small change in initial conditions can have a dramatic impact on their future state. Nonetheless, Heath found that a quarter of the people he tested could predict the temperature for at least the next two days if the sequence was chaotic, rather than random, even though there is no obvious pattern to the figures. Heath is now planning studies to find out whether the skill is related to specific personality types, or to aspects of intelligence such as mathematical ability.
ANI Kids suffer from voice damage Modern music, environmental noise and role models are increasingly damaging children’s voice, experts claim. The deterioration of vocal quality begins at school where children are taught to sing at too low a pitch. “Children’s vocal power is completely disoriented because it lacks balance,” said an expert, Christoph Biller. “Young people are overexposed to certain noises, such as environmental noise. But they are underexposed to their influences because “conversation is out of fashion“. People consume much more communication than they produce, he said.
DPA Clot-busting drugs questioned Clot-busting drugs given to heart attack patients can increase the overall risk of death, particularly amongst oldest patients, according to a study. Researchers at Harvard Medical School said the findings suggest guidelines covering the use of such drugs as streptokinase and tissue plasminogen should be applied more selectively and perhaps revised to side effects like bleeding or stroke.
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Hate is death, forgiveness is life. You should first forgive yourself for the wrongs you have done to yourself and others, for the mistakes you have made. Then you should forgive and bless all those who have wronged you during your lifetime. Thus you release others and you release yourself. Forgiveness is the way to personal peace. It is performing mental surgery on yourself, probing deep within to remove hurts, grudges and resentments.... It is discovering a serenity you have never known before. When Lincoln was asked why he did not destroy his enemies, he replied: “If I make my enemies my friends, do not I then destroy them?” — Wilfred A Peterson, More About the Art of Living *** Without forgiveness, innumerable people have been wasted away. It is not possible to count them. If the bride is decked with the jewel of forgiveness, she enjoys her Lord. — Sri Guru Granth Sahib, Ramkali Dakhni Oamkar, M1, page 937; Asa M1, page 359 *** If anyone suffers through your conduct, crave his forgiveness. Shaking off all pride approach him respectfully and crave for his mercy. Do not hesitate to acknowledge your guilt even before a multitude. The groan of the afflicted and the poor will easily succeed in smashing your pride. Even the slightest incidents of injury done by you to others should prick your heart like a dart. Then alone will your heart attain peace and be absolved of sin. — Hanuman Prasad Poddar, Wavelets of Bliss *** Ever-engaged in disciplined practice of Holy Name, Unattached and indifferent to snares of Maya — Mahatma Mangat Ram Ji Maharaj (1903-1954) |
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