Cyrano wrote:I think this disorientation of the present Govt in exercising it's authority comes from an incomplete/incorrect understanding of Raja Dharma, compounded by the fact that Raja and Rajguru are rolled into one personality, rajasic and tamasic tendencies (which have their own place and importance) conflicting with the sattvik.
Of what use is development along a mostly western model when it has to be achieved at the cost of not being able to focus adequately on reclaiming our Dharmic Civilisational identity is a question that merits to be asked. I'm not saying one can only be achieved at the expense of the other, nor that they are incompatible. But where does one draw the line? Based on which principles? How to set priorities? 12 lane highways or Asiatic lions and bustards? Which are real trade-offs and which are false?
Outward dharmic manifestations are easy, exercising Dharma especially Raja Dharma in a diverse federated nation like Bharat is not easy by any stretch of imagination. NaMo has ventured into some uncharted territories, he is plodding alone, with himself for counsel with no Dharmic ideological support from the Sangh Parivar or anyone else. He can't go incognito around the country like Rajas of yore, he has to have a set of advisors who make up his eyes and ears to a good extent. Mistakes are bound to happen.
Less errors on the foreign policy side because your enemies have to attack you from the front, more errors on the domestic side because enemies come at you from all sides, at once. It's not isolated errors that worry me, it's the pattern that's starting to emerge. All leaders want success and tend to do things they feel comfortable doing. I see NaMo a lot more sure footed (though not perfect) dealing with external threats than internal threats. Because internal threats test much more severely your Raja Dharma, pit sattvik against rajasic and tamasic, you against your own people. What NaMo needs is a guru who can advise him, show the dharmic path.
Every Arjuna needs his Krishna.
I posted this a few years ago, but it is time to revisit. Nothing has changed, we survived that challenge (2019 elections) but there is even more trouble ahead.
This was written in June 2018 by Sushobhit Singh Saktawat on his Facebook page. He writes mostly in Hindi and oh so beautifully. I have translated it to the best of my ability, but as always, something usually gets lost in the process.
Bharat Niyati
Here is the original version in Hindi first:
महाभारत का रूपक भारत की नियति में न्यस्त हो चुका है.
रूपक नहीं सांगरूपक. वह गाथा, जो अनवरत हो. वह परिघटना, जो चुकती नहीं
कुरुक्षेत्र में युद्ध कब प्रारम्भ हुआ, इसको लेकर अनेक मत हैं. किंतु यह मत निर्विवाद है कि वह युद्ध कभी समाप्त नहीं हुआ था.
भारतवर्ष ही कुरुक्षेत्र है!
भारत नियति ही महाभारत है!
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भारत नियति इसलिए महाभारत है, क्योंकि वह दुविधा भारत के चरित्र में है, जिसका उन्मूलन गीता के उपदेश ने किया था.
दुविधा, और विनय, और निर्णायक संघर्ष को स्थगित करने की भरसक चेष्टा, और सर्वस्वीकार, सर्वसमावेश, और लोकोपवाद का भय, कि संसार क्या सोचेगा!
भारत का प्रधान जो भी हो, वह हमेशा कुरुक्षेत्र के बीच खड़े उस अर्जुन की तरह होता है, जो विडम्बना से भर गया है!
अपने बंधु बांधवों का संहार करके यह रण अगर जीत गया तो भी क्या होगा, वह तर्क देता है.
बिना यह समझे कि यह रण उसका निर्णय ही कहां था, यह तो उस पर थोपा गया है. वह तो इसे स्थगित करने की पूरी चेष्टा कर चुका था.
"पांडवों" के चरित्र में ही स्थगन है, विनय है, शांतिपर्व का अभिप्रेत है.
लाक्षागृहों को वे भुला देते हैं.
द्यूत में छल से इंद्रप्रस्थ हारकर वन चले जाते हैं.
वन से लौटकर भी कुरुराज्य में पांच गांव ही तो मांगते हैं, जबकि समूचा इंद्रप्रस्थ उन्हीं का.
"कौरवों" के चरित्र में ही हठ है.
पांच गांव तो क्या, सुई की नोक बराबर भूमि भी नहीं दी जाएगी!
यह रण की भाषा है, रण को निमंत्रण है. अर्जुन अब क्या कर सकता है!
"जानामि धर्मं न च मे प्रवृत्ति!" धर्म क्या है, यह दुर्योधन को भलीभांति पता है, किंतु धर्म उसकी प्रवृत्ति ही नहीं, तब अर्जुन क्या कर सकता है?
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भारतीय राजनीति में घृणित, त्याज्य और अस्पृश्य माने जाने वाले जिस हिंदू राष्ट्रवाद का आरम्भ 1990 के दशक से होता है, उसका कुरुक्षेत्र अयोध्या की वही जन्मभूमि है, जहां "कौरवों" ने कहा था सुई की नोक बराबर भी भूमि नहीं दी जाएगी, जबकि समूची अवधपुरी ही "पांडवों" की थी.
रण उस दिन प्रारम्भ नहीं हुआ था, किंतु रण उसके बाद अवश्यम्भावी अवश्य हो गया था.
भारतवर्ष एक कुरुक्षेत्र है!
अठारह अक्षौहिणी सेनाएं वहाँ तैनात हैं, सेनापतियों ने कवच कुंडल पहन रखे हैं और रणभेरी बजने को ही है, किंतु रणभूमि के बीच भारत का प्रधान "अर्जुन-दुविधा" से ग्रस्त हो गया है.
भारत को एक युगंधर कृष्ण की आवश्यकता है!
अवश्यम्भावी हो, तब भी रण तब तक प्रारम्भ नहीं हो सकता, जब तक श्रीकृष्ण युगचेतना का प्रबोधन नहीं करेंगे, यही भारत नियति है!
"यदा यदा ही धर्मस्य ग्लानिर्भवति भारत" : यह फिर भारत में गूंजेगा.
क्योंकि भारत ग्लानि से भर गया है!
My translation (a lot is lost in the process):
The metaphor of the Mahabharat has become India’s Destiny. Not just the metaphor, but the entire allegory, the epic tale that is continuous and incessant, that which will never be concluded.
There are many opinions as to when Mahabharat started in Kurukshetra, but there is no debate over the fact that this war never ended.
India is Kurukshetra and Mahabharat is what India’s fate is. It is India’s destiny because the dilemma is in India’s character and psyche, which had once been done away by the message of the Gita. Dilemma, humility, meekness and the desperate attempt to postpone a decisive battle, the desire for universal acceptance, universal agreement, societal fear – what will the world think?
Whoever the leader (Prime Minster) of India may be, he is always like Arjun standing in the middle of Kurukshetra who is filled with distress. What use is victory in this battle if it is achieved by the murder of friends and family, he argues, without understanding that this decision was never his to begin with, it was imposed upon him, he had made every possible attempt to avoid it and postpone if indefinitely.
Procrastination is in the character of the Pandavas, just like meekness and pacifism in the hour of battle. They forget the ‘House of Lac’, they lose Indraprastha in a fraudulent game and go to the forests. Even when they return from a long and difficult exile, they only ask for five villages in the Kuru kingdom, even though the entire Indraprastha belonged to them.
Stubbornness is in the character of the Kauravas. Forget five villages, not even the space equivalent to the point of a needle will be given. This is the language of war, it is an invitation to war, what can Arjun do now? Duryodhan knows very well what Dharma is, but Dharma is not in his character or his thinking, so what can Arjun do?
The much maligned, much hated, abandoned and untouchable Hindu Nationhood that originated in the decade of the 1990s, its Kurukshetra is the same birthplace in Ayodhya, where the ‘Kauravas’ had declared that not even the space of the point of a needle will be granted, when the entire region of Awadh belonged to the ‘Pandavas’. The war did not begin that day, but after that day, war became an inevitable necessity.
India IS a battleground, a Kurukshetra. Eighteen Million armies are stationed here, the Commanders have donned their armor, the battle cry is about to resound, but in the middle of the battlefield, India’s Leader is afflicted with the ‘Arjun Dilemma’.
India needs a timeless, an ageless Krishna.
For even when inevitable, war cannot begin, until Krishna awakens and enlightens us that war is indeed upon us, this is India’s destiny.
Yada yada hi dharmasya glanirbhavati Bharat : This will echo in India again, for India is now filled with guilt.
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This was written in June of 2018, but I believe war is now upon us and this will indeed be for India’s soul. If we do not wake up now, it will all be over.
there will be lots of moves against India, and it’s not yet prepared ideologically to take on those challenges. But each such move is also an opportunity. As the flawed will give way and clear the path. Its not going to be pleasant. Yet we will have to go through it.
