Feb 18, 2024, 20.44PM IST

Feeling unfulfilled despite your desires? Are you yearning for knowledge yet struggling to see through the fog? Explore Bhagavad Gita's insightful Verse 8, which illuminates the root causes of human suffering and offers timeless wisdom for attaining lasting happiness and inner knowing. Learn why seeking external solutions might not be enough and unlock a path to genuine fulfillment on a deeper level.

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The Illusion of Happiness: Bhagavad Gita's Verse 8 of Chapter 2 on Breaking Free from Suffering - The Times of India

At the ongoing New Delhi World Book Fair, visitors are encountering a colorful wall adorned with bright yellow post-it notes, each bearing a handwritten answer to a simple yet profound question: Which book has changed your life?

This imaginative display, located at a Bengaluru-based booksellers stall, has captured the attention of many. From whimsical answers to profound ones, the wall boasts a diverse array of responses, showcasing the impact of literature on peoples lives.

Some visitors have reminisced about their school days, crediting textbooks like the 10th NCERT Maths for being life-changing. Others, in a lighter vein, have simply scribbled Jai Shri Ram, a phrase often associated with devotion and optimism.

At the inauguration ceremony, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan had called for a need to nurture a book-loving society, saying books alone will help us define our identity.

Bhim Singh Chauhan, an event manager at Bookchor, said the purpose of this wall is to engage the readers as well as know their thoughts to make better business decisions going forward.

Readers have a memory, say, of which was the first book they read and what changes books have brought to their lives. They write the names of books and share their experiences. We also get an idea about which kind of books are in demand in which city, he told PTI.

A noteworthy aspect of this endeavor is that its inclusive, with responses in both English and Hindi, and a few in Punjabi. This aligns well with the book fairs overarching theme: Bahubhashi Bharat Multilingual India.

Responses range from classical masterpieces such as The Lord of the Rings and Bhagavad Gita to contemporary works like Harry Potter and Fifty Shades of Grey. Autobiographies, motivational books, and rare literary gems also find their place on the wall.

Additionally, theres a playful interaction with famous titles, with some visitors associating Fight Club with personal growth and others cherishing childhood reads like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

For the organizers and participants, this wall is more than a mere spectacle. Its an opportunity to understand readers preferences, their connection with literature, and the role books play in shaping their lives. With over 1,000 publishers showcasing their works, the fair stands as a testament to the enduring love for books in India.

From a practical standpoint, the wall helps the bookseller gather valuable insights into market trends and popular demand. Its also a testament to the communal power of literature, where visitors collective experiences and memories converge in a shared space.

As the fair draws to a close, one cant help but reflect on the profound impact books have on society and individuals. They not only educate and entertain but also inspire, comfort, and connect us in a way few other things can. The wall of post-it notes, though temporary, serves as a lasting reminder of this enduring bond between people and books.

(with PTI inputs)

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Beyond The Lord of the Rings and Bhagavad Gita, Bookchor stealing attention at World Book Fair - The Patriot

Feb 15, 2024, 08.00AM IST

Explore the emotional turmoil of Arjuna as he contemplates fighting his own kin in the epic battle of the Mahabharata. This verse from the Bhagavad Gita delves into his moral conflict and the powerful message it holds about the consequences of violence.

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Should one fight their own family? Sri Gaur Prabhu explains Arjuna's moral dilemma from Bhagavad Gita's Verse 2.5 - The Times of India

When the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted life in early 2020, several big publishers and printers faced a crisis as readers increasingly shifted online to read books and access study materials, preferring their e-readers over hardback editions and paperbacks.

While many publishers strategised how to adjust to this change that the pandemic had speeded up, a hundred-year-old publishing house based in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, recorded a surge in sales after the first wave of the pandemic. Even as other publishers, struggling with financial losses, were struggling to send their books to stores, Gita Presss publications reached book stalls in newer areas and its footprint expanded. The publisher claims to have sold books worth more than Rs 77 crore in the 2021-22 financial year, up from around Rs 52 crore the year before.

This year, Gita Press is in its centenary year and the celebrations will conclude on May 3, 2023. On June 4, President Ram Nath Kovind, Governor Anandiben Patel, and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath attended an event marking the occasion. Kovind acknowledged the publishers role in taking the spiritual and cultural knowledge of India to the masses. Apart from the Bhagavad Gita, Kovind said, Gita Press publishes the Ramayana, the Puranas, the Upanishads, the Bhakt Charitra, and other religious books. It has the distinction of being the worlds largest publisher of Hindu religious books.

The founder of Gita Press was Marwari businessman Jayadayal Goyandka from Churu in Rajasthan who was based in Bankura, Bengal, and used to trade in cotton, kerosene oil, textiles, and utensils. An avid reader of the Bhagavad Gita, he formed groups of friends in the towns where he used to travel for business and these men joined him in religious congregations, called satsangs, to discuss the book. This network of Gita discussion groups expanded but all of the satsangis realised that they did not have an authentic, error-free translation of the Gita along with a faithful commentary. In 1922, Goyandka got the Gita published by Vanik Press in Kolkata but errors prevailed. When Goyandka raised the matter with the press owner, he got told off. The press owner told him to set up his own press if he wished to see an error-free translation of the book. Thus began the journey of Gita Press.

One of Goyandkas businessmen friends from Gorakhpur proposed that the press be operated from the town in Uttar Pradesh. Ghanshyamdas Jalan also offered to run it. With this, Gita Press came into being in 1923. While, at present, books are published using India-made wave offset machines and other machines from Germany, Japan, and Italy, the first books were published using a treadle machine brought from Boston in the United States.

He (Goyandka) believed that it (the Gita) was a message of god and he should set up the press, said Gita Presss current manager Lalmani Tiwari. He discussed it with the participants of satangs. Ghanshyamdas Jalan of Gorakhpur was a regular participant in the satsangs. He offered that if a press is established in Gorakhpur, he will take care of it. Then it was decided to look for a space in Gorakhpur for the press.

A small building was rented for Rs 10 per month and using the machine from Boston the group started printing the Gita on April 29, 1923. In July 1926, another building, where the existing campus of Gita press is located, was purchased for Rs 10,000. The existing campus is spread over two lakh square feet. Since its establishment, the publication house claims to have printed more than 90 crore books. Its flagship monthly magazine Kalyan has been in circulation for the last 95 years and so far 16.74 crore copies have been printed. Mahatma Gandhi was among the contributors to the first issue of Kalyan.

We started with the Bhagavad Gita. Presently, we are publishing 1,800 titles of books in 15 languages. On average, we are supplying 60,000 books daily. But still, we are not able to meet the demand, said Tiwari. The Press focuses on the translation of the Gita, the Ramayana, the Puranas, the Mahabharata and other books in different languages. It also publishes storybooks for kids.

Though it publishes books on the Sanatana Hindu dharma (the eternal religion), Gita Press claims to have no association with any political outfit. Asked about the publication houses links to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), Tiwari said Gita Press was associated with everyone in society but had no connection to Hindutva politics.

But, author Akshaya Mukul has written of the publishing house in his book Gita Press and the making of Hindu India, It was a crucial cog in the wheel of Hindu nationalism that struck up alliances with everyone: mendicants, liberals, politicians, philanthropists, scholars, sectarian organizations like the RSS, Hindu Mahasabha, Jana Sangh and VHP, and conservative elements within the Congress.

In the book, Mukul cites scholar Paul Arney who has called Gita Press the leading purveyor of print Hinduism in the twentieth century. Mukul says Arney, in his work, cites a special issue of Hindu Chetna, a VHP publication, which came out in 1992 in honour of Poddar. The Poddar Arney talks about is Kalyans founding editor Hanuman Prasad Poddar.

Mukul goes on to write, The issue carried a 1964 interview of Poddar by Shivram Shankar Apte, earlier with the RSS and later loaned to the VHP. Poddar, who was among the founders of the VHP, told Apte that it was Gita Press that sowed the tolerant ideals that have now blossomed into the plant of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad.

Asked why Gita Press does not publish books of other religions, its current manager Tiwari deflected by saying, There is already so much work in books of Sanatana Dharma that we are not able to supply as per the demand. We have yet to publish the Vedas and Smriti.

Kovind is not the first president to visit the Gita Press office. Dr Rajendra Prasad inaugurated the main entrance of the publishing house and an art gallery called Lila Chitra Mandir at its premises in 1955. The gallery depicts the Lilas of Hindu deities Ram and Krishna in 684 paintings arranged sequentially from birth to the end of each. The complete Gita is inscribed on marble blocks on the walls, as are about 700 couplets and verses of exalted saints. Over the years, notable names, including High Court judges, governors and chief ministers of different states have visited the Press.

Gita Press functions under a non-profit trust called Gobind Bhavan it is named after the building in Kolkatas Bara Bazar area where the publishing house took shape that does not also accept donations. Gita Press now has 430 employees, 20 sales depots, and almost 2,500 booksellers who purchase its works. At the press, the religious books once printed are not left on the ground and are placed on pallets.

The Trust is also not hereditary. There is no one in the Trust from the family of the founder. Also, members of the Trust are not elected. They are selected and assigned responsibilities, Tiwari said.

Asked about reports that Gita Press was about to shut down a few years ago, Tiwari claimed that was fake news. In 2015, fake news was circulated that Gita Press was in a financial crisis. By circulating such reports, some people wanted to collect money as donations in the name of Gita Press, said Tiwari. So many people offered donations. But we did not accept. We even had to close our bank account for a few days so that no one could transfer money. Also, at the time, some employees got confused about their salaries and staged a strike for a few days. But that issue was also resolved.

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A century old, how Gita Press came to be 'leading purveyor of print Hinduism' - The Indian Express

The word Bhakti means devotion. Originally, the Bhakti Yoga approach was based on human emotions, which is why it is also calledthe yoga of love. Bhakti Yoga encourages the practice of devotion directed towards a higher power. Practitioners recite prayers, meditate and devote their lives to God as they understand God.

As you can see, the line between religion and yoga is blurred in this yogic approach. Still, Bhakti Yoga focuses on personal practice and devotion. In contrast, organized religion has other purposes and is often involved in political conflicts and other practices that can hardly pass for spiritual practice.

Even though it originated in Hinduism, Bhakti Yoga makes no distinction between religions. It doesnt matter how practitioners define their higher power, as long as they cultivate a relationship through prayer and meditation.

This kind of religious tolerance is relevant today.

For reference, I want to share a short speech Swami Vivekananda made at the world parliament of religions in Chicago on September 11, 1893.

Sisters and Brothers of America,

It fills my heart with unspeakable joy to rise in response to the warm and cordial welcome which you have given us. I thank you in the name of the most ancient order of monks in the world; I thank you in the name of the mother of religions; I thank you in the name of millions and millions of Hindu people of all classes and sects.

My thanks, also, to some of the speakers on this platform who, referring to the delegates from the Orient, have told you that these men from far-off nations may well claim the honor of bearing to different lands the idea of toleration. I am proud to belong to a religion which has taught the world both tolerance and universal acceptance. We believe not only in universal toleration, but we accept all religions as true.

I am proud to belong to a nation which has sheltered the persecuted and the refugees of all religions and nations of the earth. I am proud to tell you that we have gathered in our bosom the purest remnant of the Israelites, who came to Southern India and took refuge with us in the very year in which their holy temple was shattered to pieces by Roman tyranny. I am proud to belong to the religion which has sheltered and is still fostering the remnant of the grand Zoroastrian nation.

I will quote to you, brethren, a few lines from a hymn which I remember to have repeated from my earliest boyhood, which is every day repeated by millions of human beings: As the different streams having their sources in different places all mingle their water in the sea, sources in different tendencies, various though they appear, crooked or straight, all lead to Thee.

The present convention, which is one of the most august assemblies ever held, is in itself a vindication, a declaration to the world of wonderful doctrine preached in the Gita: Whosoever comes to Me, through whatsoever form, I reach him; all men are struggling through paths which in the end lead to me.

Sectarianism, bigotry, and its horrible descendant, fanaticism, have long possessed this beautiful earth. They have filled the earth with violence, drenched it often with human blood, destroyed civilization and sent whole nations to despair. Had it not been for these horrible demons, human society would be far more advanced than it is now. But their time is come; and I fervently hope that the bell that tolled this morning in honor of this convention may be the death knell of all fanaticism, of all persecutions with the sword or with the pen, and of all uncharitable feelings between persons wending their way to the same goal.

Even though progress has been made since Vivekananda made this speech, it could just as easily have delivered been yesterday. There is still much work to be done if we want to reach the ideal that Vivekananda describes.

Concepts of God are human attempts to understand the universe and our role in it. Wrapping our heads around the galactic universe is near impossible; trying to understand the maker and sustainer of creation is even harder.

Lets take a look at how yogic philosophy approached this impossible task.

In yoga, the concept of a higher power has two major distinctions.

One is the concept of Brahman, the one without a second, which rhymes very well with the modern understanding of physics; a connective field of consciousness that underlies the energy field of atoms.

According to yoga philosophy, nothing exists but Brahman.

Everything is Brahman.

The other concept has a closer link to modern religious definitions. Because Brahman has all qualities, it has no distinctive qualities. From that lack of distinction, the concept of Ishwara was born.

Ishwara is divinity with qualities.This means that as soon as people ascribe any qualitiessay that their divinity, he/she/it, is good, bad, the creator, full of love or anything else for that matterthen they are referring to Ishwara, not Brahman.

Ishwara exists within Brahman.

For further distinction, Ishwara was divided into three parts related to birth, life and death. These three qualities or distinctions appear in mythology as three separate Gods, the creator Brahma (not to be confused with Brahman), the sustainer Vishnu and the destroyer or transformer Shiva, sometimes called Mahesh.

When Ishwara (divinity with qualities) sends messengers to the people of Earth, they are called Avatars (Jesus, Buddha, Krishna, etc.).You see how far removed the concept of Avatar has become in our society today through movies and video games, which is one more example of how the overuse of a specific term taken out of context can dilute its meaning.

Because of these distinctions, many people think that both yoga and Hinduism preach polytheism. But the concept of Brahman is at the core, so the approaches are monotheistic.

Understanding Bhakti Yoga in this way, everyone should be able to find a devotional aspect that fits their upbringing and personality. Prayers can be directed towards an undefined higher power, God, Jesus, Shiva, Vishnu, Krishna, Buddha, Allah or any other version of Ishwara. In Bhakti Yoga, the emphasis is on strengthening ones relationship with a higher power through various devotional methods, creating a personal relationship with an Avatar or divinity with qualities.

Because of the Hindu connection, many prayers and mantras within Bhakti Yoga are directed towards Hindu deities, reflecting Brahman. Some Western practitioners of yoga welcome these new distinctions, while others conservatively hold on to their current definitions of God. Both work equally well.

As an example of choosing one path, Gandhi made an effort to practice various religious pathways before settling into his devotion to Rama, using the Bhagavad-Gita as his vehicle for spiritual inspiration.

As an example of choosing many paths, Ramakrishna, Swami Vivekanandas teacher, invested many years of practice in each of the major religions and is said to have reached the state of enlightenment in all of them.

What then is true worship?

From the standpoint of Brahman, it is seeing the spark of the divine in everything, experiencing the interconnectedness of the universe and experiencing the love that binds it all together.

The spark of Brahman, Atman (soul, self, spirit), is within all of us, no matter what we call it. It is in people of all races, nationalities and religions. The yoga practitioners who engage in the practice of Bhakti Yoga become sources of love and compassion because they see the divine in everything.

Practitioners must continuously elevate their emotions towards love and compassion through prayer and meditation before the loving state becomes permanently available. Even then, they must work on maintaining it. While progressing towards this state, loving emotions can rise and subside.

A Tibetan monk described it this way. One moment he experiences himself as a source of love and feels the interconnectedness of all life; the next moment, he doesnt understand how anyone can love the limited and often irritating human beings surrounding him.

Many Western yoga students raised within Christianity ask how it is possible to practice Bhakti Yoga and remain devoted to Jesus. There is no contradiction between the two. According to yoga philosophy, true worship of Jesus would consist of following his teachings and directing all prayers and rituals toward the father, son, and holy spirit (the trinity connection is another interspiritual thread that I may pull on at a later date).

Bhakti Yoga is a path of love. It is the easiest of the four major pathsRaja, Karma, Bhakti, and Gnanabecause it focuses on elevating human emotions. All the practices within Bhakti Yoga focus on raising vibrations from basic animal instincts to divine love and compassion.

With that in mind, even atheists could adhere to some of these principles. They would not have to believe in God or an architect of the universe, but could instead cultivate kindness, gratitude, tolerance and ethical behavior.

That is what the practice of Bhakti Yoga produces.

Gudjon BergmannAuthor, Coach, and Columnistwww.gudjonbergmann.com

p.s. I have taught yoga since 19998, studied with Yogi Shanti Desai and Sri Yogi Hari, and am registered at the highest level with Yoga Alliance. This article was curated from my book titled Know Thyself: Yoga Philosophy Made Accessible.

Continued here:

The Essence of Bhakti Yoga | Gudjon Bergmann - Patheos

Today is as good day as any to brush one's memory of the Bhagavad Gita. The much misquoted and appropriated Hindu scripture that allegedly teaches you how to wage a war and feel good about its righteousness.

The author(s) of the Bhagavad Gita, however, anticipated this tendency to appropriate.

ymim puhpit vcha pravadanty-avipahchita

veda-vda-rat prtha nnyad astti vdina

kmtmna swarga-par janma-karma-phala-pradm

kriy-viheha-bahul bhogaihwarya-gati prati

These shlokas from the scripture can be loosely translated as:

"The undiscerning get attracted to the flowery words of the Vedas and glorify only those parts of the Vedas that please their senses. They indulge in acts and rituals that promise opulence, sensual gratification, and heaven."

These two verses from the Bhagavad Gita enunciate the tendency and dangers of appropriating religious/spiritual wisdom.

The irony, explicated even in the Bhagavad Gita, is that the righteous feel that their actions have the divine sanction.

The reality, however, couldnt be further from the truth: most actionsand their foundationshave sentiments and not principles at their core.

See the article here:

In India's Battle Between Sentiments And Principles, Peace is An Orphan - The Quint

By Sukant Deepak

New Delhi, Jul 3 (IANS): He feels that the process of partition is ongoing and in a constant, dynamic state. While the original two-part Pakistan partitioned into Pakistan and Bangladesh, the Khalistan movement was and is an attempt to partition India yet again along religious lines.

"Much of Dravidian politics in South India fantasizes about a severance. Partition is not a thing of the past. It may well be a feature of India's future, de-facto if not de jure," says US author Amit Majmudar, whose latest novel 'The Map and the Scissors' (HarperCollins India) recently hit the stands.

The novel by Majmudar, a poet and diagnostic radiologist specialising in nuclear medicine, is about the epic origin story of modern South Asia, brought to life by two London-educated lawyers -- Gandhi and Jinnah, mirror-image rivals who dreamt the same dream of freedom-in catastrophically incompatible ways.

Majmudar named the first Poet Laureate of Ohio in 2015, who had written about the human fallout for ordinary people in his book 'Partitions' (2011), felt that he had not explored, in full detail, the political process that led up to the event and had shied away from portraying the main political players of the time.

While investigating the time period, he found an interview in which Lord Mountbatten, a quarter of a century later that spoke of how Jinnah had largely been forgotten even though he was the main reason the partition happened at all.

"This led me to research Jinnah, and in doing so, I realised that Gandhi, whom I already knew much more about, was a perfect foil for him. And so the dramatic structure of the book was conceived: The duel between these two figures."

Even as major publishing houses have brought out several titles on the partition in the past two years, he feels that the events of 1947 were definitional for the subcontinent -- both cartographically, and when it comes to identity.

With four poetry collections to his name and the same number of novels, Majmudar smiles that he is the same person when he writes prose and verse.

"However, I sequence words by emphasizing different principles when doing either. With verse, I emphasize patterning. With prose, storytelling or logical argument."

Despite contemporary times when people just need an excuse to get offended, Majmudar whose work 'Godsong', which is a translation of the Bhagavad Gita, says that he was not apprehensive while working on it.

"I do not create my art in prose or verse to offend anyone -- that is too trivial a motivation for writing a poem or a novel. Neither do I insult people or groups even when I tweet, and insults are 95 per cent of what Twitter is. None of my work is polemical."

A diagnostic nuclear radiologist and a writer -- with the former paying the bills and "freeing me up to write esoteric rhymes or translate Sanskrit if it pleases me," the pandemic allowed him to isolate himself and write extensively.

"One product of that is 'The Mahabharata Trilogy', a massive prose retelling of the epic, with a full-scale recreation of the Gita embedded in it, that is forthcoming in India in 2023. Keep an eye out for it -- it's my pandemic epic," he concludes.

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Partition is not a thing of the past: Author Amit Majmudar - Daijiworld.com

Disrespect is an unfortunate human trait and particularly when it is expressed towards the gods and faiths of fellow human beings. Recent months have seen a tumultuous rise in this phenomenon. Nupur Sharmas offensive response to Tasleem Rehmanis hurtful words about Lord Shiva on an Indian TV news channel was directed at the most revered Prophet of Islam. It was a competitive verbal diatribe: I am hurt, so I will hurt. It led to protests, violence and cases being registered across the spectrum.

Ancient Indian traditions of vada encourage mutual respect as an essential element of debate, while allowing for gentle and polite questioning: If we dont question, how do we grow or resolve or reform? This spirit of respectful probing also extended to the religions and gods of all people within Indic cultures. It is proving difficult in the debating square today. Why?

Nobel-prize-winning mathematician John Nashs game theory comes to mind. Remember the movie A Beautiful Mind, starring Russell Crowe? It was based on Nashs extraordinary life. Nash essentially laid out how rational decisions are made in strategic interactions. The key insight: People calculate the cost-benefit accruals of their decisions, but not in isolation. They also keep in mind the cost-benefit returns to others playing with them.

India is currently facing this knotty issue of competitive insults to religions. Or gods. Or prophets. Game theory will hold that if the gods/prophets/scriptures of one religion are treated with respect and those of another are treated with noxious disrespect, it will create a state of disequilibrium. Equilibrium the Nash Equilibrium in game theory will be re-established either if the gods/ prophets/scriptures of all religions are treated with equal respect, or if they are treated with equal disrespect.

This is not the prevalent situation in India. Indeed, it is not so in much of the free world. In the West, one can see the untrammelled disrespect of the radical woke Marxists (who sometimes self-identify as left-liberals) for Christianity. It offends me, and Im not Christian. At the same time, these radical woke Marxists treat with extreme respect religions that they either favour or fear wokeism and Islam. In India, the situation is similar: Radical woke Marxists routinely criticise Hinduism. Recently, lewd remarks were made on the sacred Shivling by journalists (from leftist and Twitter-based fact-checking websites) and politicians (mainly from West Bengal and Maharashtra). Such noxious comments have pained and offended innumerable Hindus. At the same time, these same people called for the head of Sharma for her noxious words on the Prophet of Islam.

The common theme is that the religion of the majority in the land Christianity in the West and Hinduism in India is attacked. It is easier to gain traction when hitting out against the dominant majority group from an appropriated position of self-victimisation. But this rule does not apply in Islamic majority nations/states (think Pakistan or Turkey) or woke majority nations/states (think California).

Going forward, this situation can move in two directions: Either the radical woke Marxists and radical Islamists treat all religions with equal disrespect/respect or believing Hindus in India and believing Christians in the West (and even developing countries like Nigeria) eventually begin using the same tactics against those who insult their revered figures, such as police cases in India under Section 153A. The world will then be staring at a spiralling cancel culture, destruction of careers, police complaints, court cases, and sometimes even violence. On all sides of the debate. Not just one side. Shockingly, the tragic blasphemy killings of Kamlesh Tiwari in Lucknow (2019) and Kishan Bharwad in Ahmedabad (2022) are freely used as examples by radical Islamists to spread fear, even as their radical woke Marxist Indian allies airbrush these from mainstream media. You, dear reader, may not even be aware of these two killings. And now we have Kanhaiya Lal in Udaipur.

The Nash equilibrium will be achieved in one of these two directions. However, as a follower of Dharmic traditions, I am unhappy with both these equilibriums. Respectfully questioning human pursuits, including religions, must be enabled, indeed nurtured. But in doing the latter, why insult the gods, prophets or rishis? Why not practice civility and politeness?

There are some among all religious groups, including Muslims and woke Marxists, who present an alternative model. They protest if their religious/revered figures or scriptures/doctrines are disrespected. But their demand for respect is not a one-way street. Even Indias Permanent Representative to the United Nations, T S Tirumurti, has been making a case for treating phobias against all religions equally.

This model can bring peace and is certainly preferable to senseless and diabolical violence (and even situations akin to civil war). But even this alternative model is not ideal. For peace may prevail but modernity and a scientific temper would be difficult to build. The latter begs a rational, inquiring spirit.

All religions can be treated with respect and also questioned and reformed with gentle nudges, as propounded by Richard Thaler. Casteism in modern Hinduism can be quizzed using the sterling words of the Bhagavad Gita; misogyny in modern Islam can be questioned using the inspiring example of Lady Khadija, and child abuse in the Church can be interrogated using the true message of Jesus Christ. This is not impossible to achieve. Let us confidently push back against radical woke Marxism and radical Islam.

Let us take conscious charge of the movement towards a healthy equilibrium. Something our dharmic ancestors taught us.

Roy is a writer and has most recently co-authored Dharma with Amish

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There is only one solution to the problem of competitive insults to religions - The Indian Express

Bhagavad Gita Jnanaloka, a museum dedicated to the wisdom of the Bhagavad Gita, with various shlokas being explained through illustrations, will be dedicated to the nation in Hubballi on May 15.

Convener of Prajapita Brahmakumaris Iswariya Vishwa VidyalayBrahmakumari Nirmaladevi told presspersons here on Thursday that the museum would be Asias biggest on the Bhagavad Gita. The museum will be located at Om Shanthi Nagar on Bhairidevarakoppa- Gamanagatti Road in Hubballi.

The museum campus is spread over five-and-a-half acres. It has 114 rooms and in each room there are artistic installations that explain the meaning of various shlokas so that even a layman can understand, she said.

She said that the Jnanaloka campus also had an auditorium that could accommodate 1,500 people where spiritual training programmes would be held. The campus would also have training programmes on spiritual knowledge and yoga training. At any given point of time around 200 members could stay at the campus to get training, she said.

The concept of Jnanaloka museum is portrayal of the religion of truth and also the golden era of India, she said.

She said Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai would inaugurate the museum on Sunday at 4 p.m., while former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa will inaugurate the Bhagavad Gita Kala Loka.

Union Minister Pralhad Joshi would inaugurate Bhagavad Gita Deva Loka and the programme would be held in the presence ofAdditional Secretary-General of Brahmakumaris Rajayogi Brijmohan Bhaiji and Joint Administrative Head of Brahmakumaris Rajayogini Santosha Didi, she said.

A host of Ministers including Halappa Achar, Shankar Patil Munenakoppa, former Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar, former Minister H.K. Patil, and others would be participating in the function, she said.

Link:

Mega museum on Bhagavad Gita to be inaugurated in Hubballi - The Hindu

Dehradun: Days after announcing that the Vedas, Ramayana, and the Bhagavad Gita will be taught in schools across Uttarakhand, state Education Minister Dhan Singh Rawat has said that an MBBS course in Hindi is next on the agenda.

Speaking to ThePrint, Rawat said that the government is working on a plan to impart education in Hindi in the states medical colleges. This, he claimed, was in line with the new National Education Policy (NEP), which lays emphasis on Indian knowledge systems and instruction in the local language or mother tongue.

We are committed to starting the MBBS course in Hindi in accordance with the new National Education Policy of the Centre. This will help Hindi-medium students come to par with English-medium-educated counterparts, the education minister said.

Often, bright Hindi-medium MBBS students face many difficulties. They are forced to follow the English medium education system [in college] for the want of language of their choice, he added.

The government will finalise its action plan for the Hindi-medium MBBS degree course soon, Rawat said, adding that all efforts would be made to roll out the programme for the 2023-2024 academic session.

Uttarakhand currently has three state government-run medical colleges Doon Medical College in Dehradun, Government Medical college in Haldwani, and Veer Chandra Singh Garhwali Government Institute of Medical Science and Research in Srinagar. The central government-run All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Rishikesh also offers the MBBS course.

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When asked about the arduous task of developing curriculum material in Hindi, Rawat said the state government was up to the task.

This will be a challenge, but the state government will overcome it with the help of its proficient academic hands and the experts it will hire to prepare the course material in Hindi, Rawat said.

The Hindi MBBS programme, he added, would be implemented in a planned way with the help of medical experts and the central government.

On a question about the lack of medical textbooks in Hindi, the education minister was similarly optimistic.

Enough study materials will be made available in the market to medical students. New MBBS books will be prepared in Hindi by medical experts. In fact, new books prepared by us will also help students in other states of the Hindi belt, Rawat said.

The Uttarakhand education minister emphasised that even students who manage to score well in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) for medical colleges at times found themselves at a disadvantage because of needing to complete their coursework in English.

When queried about the feasibility of the Uttarakhand governments plan to conduct the MBBS course in Hindi, Dr Aruna V. Vanikar, National Medical Commission (NMC) member and Undergraduate Medical Education Board president said that there should not be any hindrances although the final decision rested with the NMC.

Its a policy decision that has to be taken by NMC, subject to the guidelines issued by the Union health ministry. However, I personally feel preparing study materials and other legalities will not be an issue. The Indian medical system has made immense progress and books and other study materials could be readied easily in Hindi as an when needed, she said.

Following in the footsteps of several other BJP-ruled states Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, and Himachal Pradesh the Uttarakhand government is keen to introduce the Hindu scriptures in school syllabi.

Earlier this month, Rawat said the NEP recommended the incorporation of Indian traditions and history in curricula.

When asked about this, he told ThePrint: We are committed to implementing the NEP in Uttarakhand and including the Vedas and Bhagavad Gita in school education. Educating children about Indian traditional knowledge in their mother tongue is one of the most important tenets of the NEP.

Rawat added that the wheels have started turning on this project. Its being done with the help of the states academic experts and the people of Uttarakhand. Once the syllabus is finalised and documented, it will be brought into effect, he said.

We are moving ahead with our plan to become the first state to implement NEP from this academic session (2022-2023), he added.

On whether, the syllabus would apply only to government schools or private institutions as well, Rawat said this aspect was still under consideration: Its not finalised yet but, if needed, a mechanism will be hammered out to implement the traditional Indian knowledge system in private schools as well.

(Edited by Asavari Singh)

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MBBS course in Hindi, Gita and Vedas in schools: Uttarakhand govts agenda for education - ThePrint