Art of Lying: The Essence of Hindu Philosophy

Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit attrocities.  – Voltaire

Khurshed Batliwala’s video about Technology of Spirituality is not something unique or path breaking but it definitely comes in a package that kindles the sentiments with its astute approach.   It would create a frenzy among the newly globalised, highly suave and increasingly nostalgic Indian.  Both resident and non-resident Indians are starting to lose the vibe of Indianess.  The vibe of superiority enshrined by birth has suffered a major dent and are desperate to show the world that they are not just a bunch of white collared workers.   In their desperation they are giving credence to any gibberish which would not only sound scientific but also help revive their lost pride.

This is where people like Khurshed fill in with their educational qualifications as springboards and their manipulative ideas as paraphernalia for approbation among the ‘educated masses’.  Khurshed and their ilk are savvy enough to gauge the sycophancy of their fellow hindus.  So they mash up their ideas with science, history and copious amounts of hindu fairy tales.  These aren’t mere lies but a constructed notion against the indigenous people to distort their history and their contributions.   In the video Khurshed odiously compares the tribals with the brahmans.  The truth is that the tribals have always been more compassionate and productive than the brahmans or any other caste for that matter.  Even if we were to hypothetically accept whatever he is saying where did it all go without a trace.

Khurshed claims zinc was extracted thousands of years ago before the Europeans stole the idea via the Chinese.  If it was thousands of years old it could have been anyone but the point is if they could extract using their spiritual or yogic abilities why couldn’t they extract pure zinc. The reason being the technology or the knowledge at that stage was limited or to tell the truth no one knew that it was zinc (chemically speaking).  As science and technology progressed and when the actual need/want for zinc was realised pure zinc was extracted, not by any tantric but by a person who intended to do it by real scientific means.

Then he jumps to astronomy/ancient history rambling about varaha avatar, jestha and arundhati stars.  Varaha avatar being referenced to state the fact that the earth is round (in reality it’s spherically flat) is a stupefying statement.  Even if it were true what was the point of discovering or knowing that the earth was round and coming up with a wild story which doesn’t serve any purpose.  When did a boar taking the earth into the ocean become part of history? Those claims about jestha and arundhati are akin to sticking-the-tail game.  Here Khurshed is sticking it with his eyes open as astronomers have already with advent of time and lot of effort established it with scientific methods and empirical evidence.

Then he mentions a sloka about Krishna which is apparently encrypted.  An encryption of the mathematical constant Pi, of all the pressing things in this whole wide world.    Why should that mathematical constant be encrypted and why should anyone care even if it was.  The consistent thing about these are that nothing is straight forward and can be encrypted/decrypted at will.

Soon another Batliwala-alike would come along and say that the iPhone was conceived by Vishvamitra and some dude named Ashasravacharya wrote it in a scroll but the guys at Apple stole it and the ‘educated’ Indian would cheer for that as well.  Welcome to brahmanical philosophy where even the gods are controlled by the mantras then why not claim iPhone to be their invention. The brahmanical mindset of claiming credit to every accomplishment in this world is getting ludicrous by the day.

These are the same people with their metaphysical approach succeeded in creating a hegemonic social order so rigid that it reverberates in every aspect until this day.  This hegemonic order has even taken scientific dimensions and is being questioned in the ever changing socio-political environment.  The need to justify its relevance has risen and it can no way be justified in the current climate as it has become defunct.  So they take the ‘time machine’ and travel back to previous millenniums scouring for anything that can be conjured up with any established fact.

Behind this facade lies the message ‘bring back the good old days’ and the ‘good old days’ that they want to take us back had caste segregation, untouchability, enslavement of women and numerous other social evils as a way of life.  These devious intelligentsias are feeling the heat and are increasingly paranoid of losing their undeserved prominence.  So like always they have started concocting fables and sowing them as facts in young minds.  The brahmanical drivel which for long has controlled the past thereby controlling the present is losing the battle waged to reclaim the past that rightfully belongs to millions of indigenous people of this vast land.

The neo-brahministic class, an offshoot of globalisation is being targeted. The neo-brahmins in their avarice and gullibility are digesting it with no forethought.  These trolls like Batliwala should be resisted from manipulating the people to submit to their wanton ways, the ways which created the despicable caste system discriminating fellow human beings in the most inconceivable manner known to man.

The Swami Syndrome

Another day. Another Swami. Over the last few days, all television channels have been abuzz with news of the Nithyananda scandal, a sting operation which has captured the swami in a compromising position with a popular actress. As expected, this has incensed the general public who have damaged his ashrams and burnt his effigies. A swami getting exposed is not a new occurrence. In spite of this, why do people fall prey to these fraudsters time and again? To understand this, one needs to take an in depth look into this complex relationship.

A country like India has never been in dearth of religious gurus. From the usual street corner tantrik or fakir to high profile gurus such as Sai Baba, Amrita, DGS Dinakaran etc, the gurus are many. In fact, the gurus would probably outnumber the different gods of all religions put together. Traditionally, their roles were mostly restricted to performing gimmicks such as vomiting lingams and necklaces, giving out oracles (arul vaaku) and spewing out some Sanskrit mumbo jumbo which no one can make any sense of. People like DGS Dinakaran made their riches by organizing miracle gatherings where ‘acts of god’ were performed. This included things like people suffering from incurable diseases being cured instantly, the physically challenged being able to walk etc. In addition to making millions out of people’s misery, these people often wielded powerful political clouts which gave them elite status. Most often, the people who were followers of these gurus were poles apart. They were either the super rich or the very poor. But this trend took a change during the mid 90s. With the advent of globalisation, not only did the society in general begin to evolve, so did the gurus. With a burgeoning middle class, the swamis adopted new techniques to tap this new market.

Though globalisation has been a bane for many, it has also been a boon for some. With more and more multinationals setting shop in various metros, the young and educated middle class benefited the most from the job opportunities created by these new ventures. Though their new careers helped them procure the material comforts which they have always dreamt of, the stressful work life left them burnt out with little time or energy to enjoy those riches. Instead of introspecting into the reasons and system which has led to such a situation, more of these ‘educated and knowledgeable’ people went in search of gurus who will be able to rid them of all these worries. The gurus capitalised on this need and came up with different fancy ideas to make money. Programs such as ‘The Art of Living’ by Ravishankar, ‘LifeBliss Foundation’ by Nithyananda, “Transcendental Meditation movement” by Mahesh Yogi claim to show us how to lead a better life through Yoga and meditation.

A closer look at all these programs and discourses will show all that these gurus preach are basic facts of life known by everyone. But each one claims that their program is the only means by which one can achieve happiness and peace. And these programs do not come cheap. They are specifically designed for the corporate world and cost thousands of dollars. Naturally, the participants feel rejuvenated at the end of the program. If someone is housed in a serene environment with all facilities for a few days and does nothing but relax and enjoy clean and fresh air, they are bound to feel good. There is nothing spiritual or magical about it. But this temporary escape will vanish when reality returns. When these gurus get exposed, it obviously aggravates the followers because all these days they were being fed with crap that ‘worldly pleasures’ are bad and one needs to rid themselves of such ‘pleasures’ in order to achieve ‘true happiness’. When they see the same guy who said such things indulging in those ‘pleasures’, they feel cheated. Their misery is analogous to that of people who lose money by investing heavily in chit funds. They are not angry that they have been foolish enough to let themselves be cheated by someone who only told them those things that they wanted to hear; they are just angry that they didn’t choose the ‘right’ guru.

Even when these swamis get defamed, no doubt some people will still continue to stand by them. Others will continue their quest to find a ‘more effective’ guru. Its almost as if they need one guru or the other to tell them how to lead their lives. Unless they realize that the real reason for their miseries is the capitalist fueled economies and that these gurus are actually encouraged and supported by the very same biggies who exploit them, there will be no reprieve from this syndrome. Today, it is Nithyananda. Tomorrow, it’ll be someone else.