Saturday, December 11, 2021

The story of Satyakaman, Jabala, Gauthama and Internet Hindus

The story of Satyakaman is from Chandogya Upanishad, often used in 'modern' times in the debates on who is a Brahmin.  Before we talk about Internet Hindus, listen to the story of Satyakaman in Tamil or read it in English here.

In current times, the debate centers around the definition of Brahmin or about honesty. In a way, we, the people of today look for a Śabda Pramāṇa - that is proof from well-recognized texts.  In the recent past, people may have looked for a Upamāna Pramāṇa.  That is, when a situation demands, this story may be compared to arrive at a resolution.

The purpose of all these stories, Purana and our Itihasa aren't just for proof.  They have served a much bigger purpose than just referencing texts like the Bible or the Quran.  (Grammarly suggested changes from 'a Bible' to 'the Bible' and 'a Quran' to 'the Quran'.  That explains the difference between a Hindu system of values and an Abrahamic system of values.)

The lives of our Puranic characters are examples for us to follow.  They aren't rule books.  There are diverse situations and personalities to guide us through the challenges of our lives. 

The Internet Hindus are stuck in proofs and references.  A 'trad' or a traditional Hindu would reject the story of Satyakaman and stick to his definition of who a Brahmin is.  But a 'rayta' would agree with the decision of the master Gauthama and continue his tirade against the trads.  

What we seldom realize is - the characters in these stories guide us in our lives.  The characters Satyakaman and his mother Jabala are straightforward - honest to the core.   The relevant character for Internet Hindus is the master Gautama.  He defined who a Brahmin is, for himself.  He didn't need any Pramāṇa to decide.  He was free from acquired knowledge.

That's what a Hindu is - someone who can aspire and get that freedom from the bindings - including that of knowledge.  And that's what Internet Hindus should aim for.

Saturday, November 27, 2021

Coloniality, Legal System and the Common Man


 "If they go to High Court, I'll go all the way up to Supreme Court.  I have financial strength.  Even if I die, my son would fight the case." said the angry old man.  

He said that when I tried to work out a compromise between two warring parties in a civil dispute.  I'm no lawyer, but believe that older people can live a lot happier if they don't have to deal with the courts or the governments.  The parties involved were highly educated, held high offices in the government or private sectors.

This gives one of the many reasons for the cases piling up in our courts.  Unlike a village Panchyat that has a responsibility and an interest towards resolving local issues, our courts are the creations of coloniality.  They are often disconnected from the ground realities.  The farther the courts are from the locations of dispute, the more disconnected they are.  To be fair to the system, in this specific case, the local court simply ordered the two parties to come to a compromise, left it to lawyers to work out the details.

To work out a compromise, the mediator must be independent.  But lawyers by design are paid by the clients and so end up obeying them.  So, no progress was made and the case moves to the next stage on its way to become one in the crores of pending cases.

There is a clear absence of mediating personalities in our current social setup.  In cases where lawyers play the role, one party is wiser to buy peace for a monetary value.  Nothing wrong with that.  When the object of the dispute is not wealth, the role of lawyers is reduced.  That is where a social setup like Panchayat played a role.  The Panchayat was definitely for the people, of the people, and by the people.  It has its share problems, but the biggest problem is their loss of respect.  Part of it was due to its own conduct and the rest was due to our constitutional judiciary.

This loss of respect for Panchayat is well reflected in our movies. 

In Devar Magan (1992), when a dispute is discussed, Periya Thevar wants the Panchayat to be called.  He was a man from the previous era who believes in resolution by a local body than justice.  The next generation goes to the court and fights it out.  In another famous comedy scene from a movie released in 2003, the Panchyat is ridiculed with the son character played by Vivek asking his father if he has studied law or was at least an apprentice to a lawyer.  (He then shoots the accused at his private part.) 

The constitutional legal system declared itself supreme by declaring the Panchayats rulings have no legal validity in 2010 even if the community accepts its decisions. Destruction of a distributed system for dispute resolution, disconnected people with no-skin-in-game given the responsibility to provide justice, and general corruption of values have made a mess.  

It is our misplaced stress on justice instead of dispute resolution that has given such authority to our legal system.  Most of our people would accept a verdict even if it is not favorable to them but comes from a respected authority.  The question now is, are our judges respected? Why do cases move up the courts and why there are appeals on judgments?  


Thursday, April 08, 2021

Pre-school Days

Stock Photo Courtesy: Deepak kumar on Unsplash


Till my uncle from Mumbai visited us, no one at home probably thought of enrolling me in a school. Maybe they thought I was too bright or too dumb to gain anything by going to school at that age.  Anyhow, my uncle had made up his mind and decided to take me to a school.  He may have got me admitted.  But I had the last laugh.  I refused to go to school walking and indicated that I’d consider it if a rickshaw was arranged.  Since the family didn’t want to commit to a higher expense just to keep me occupied, the plan was shelved.

I don’t remember how or when, but remember that I was taken to the Principal who ran a tutorial college attached to a preschool.  The radio in his office was playing ‘Allah Allah’ song, sung by M S Viswanathan in his metallic voice.  I have heard that song and liked it.  So, I didn’t throw tantrums at his office.  Little did I realize that the event was just to enroll me in that ‘school’.

The next few months were traumatic - for my family, especially the school/college-going cousins and brother.  They had the big responsibility of taking me to the school.  If you were in Trichy around that time, you might have heard of a helpless girl or a boy dragging a crying toddler on Nandi Koil Street.  I was told that I was that famous.

In the few months I was in that school, many teachers came and disappeared. Too many for that single class of about 15 kids.  There were a few Anglo Indians and one Indian teacher.  The Ayah probably remained the same as she was also paid by the parents for ensuring the kids ate their lunch and for dropping off the kids at home.  The Ayah played a big role in maintaining the traditions of our family.

I was and am fond of sweets.  Pumpkin cooked in jaggery was my favorite food item.  One day, during lunchtime, I happened to see something that looked like pumpkin in jaggery in a classmate’s lunch box.  It looked more interesting than the usual pumpkin.  I had seen pumpkin in jaggery before, but that was the first time I saw the food also looking at me.  I insisted that I was given that item.  The Ayah bluntly refused and insisted that the food I was referring to was fish and I’m not supposed to be given fish.  The traditions were maintained and she saved me from guilty consciousness later in my life.

Since my fame had saturated at Nandi Koil Street, my family decided to put me in a school in the Nangavaram store.  Instead of my cousins, it was my brother’s responsibility to drag me to school.  My tantrums didn’t have much impact on him; he has compliance in his blood.  He went on to become a Charted Accountant. 

The school was friendly and sleepy.  There were enough items to stay distracted there - the tree right in the middle of the class, the lizards in the tree, cobwebs, spiders, kids in the next class who I can poke with a twig.  Sleeping wasn’t formalized but wasn’t a crime in the class.  

Some examination happened; I had scored 28 on 100 and was glad to see big numbers on the slate.  I happily waved it all the way home.  Everyone smiled and I felt good.  That’s probably when I realized that being happy matters more - even if I was mediocre.


Friday, February 26, 2021

Understanding the Non-translatables


I have been reading the book Sanskrit Non-Translatables: The Importance of Sanskritizing English by Rajiv Malhotra and Satyanarayana Dasa Babaji. The book explains the limitations of English in representing Indic thoughts. As we adopt more English, we run the risk of losing some of the elaborate meanings attached to the Sanskrit terms. From the book:

Manas is not Mind 
Manas occupies a pivotal and central position in the Indian psychological tradition. It performs the role of connecting consciousness (atma) with the physical body. Perception involves 1) the contact of jnanendriya-s with the external objects; 2) jnanendriya-s with manas; and 3) manas with the atma. Thus, manas is the interface between the internal and external worlds of a human being.

There are associated components called Buddhi, Chitta, and Ahankara. Needless to say, as per the authors, their English equivalents are equally incorrect. In Indian languages too, we have narrowed down every psychological aspect to be that of the mind. 

A few decades ago, there was more than one term to represent various mental conditions such as Mana Sanchalam (மன சஞ்சலம்), Bhudhdhi pEtalitttal (புத்தி பேதலித்தல்), Chitta Bramai/Chitta Swadeenam (சித்தப் பிரமை / சித்த சுவாதீனம்). The older generation was probably capable of differentiating a condition with respect to a component.

Before we delve deep into the functions with respect to an activity, let’s list down what Rajiv Malhotra has mentioned about these.

“Manas connects the atma and the concrete body in a linear relationship. It qualifies an object of cognition with a like/dislike feeling. Western theories on the mind are varied and even conflicting. Consciousness apart from the mind is not considered; Western theories also do not have an equivalent cognitive apparatus to the indriya-s and the antahkarana. 

Buddhi ≠ Intelligence. Buddhi is the chief form and functional aspect of the antahkarana that produces cognition. Discrimination is the main function of the Buddhi. Intelligence is not precisely defined and refers to something that can be measured and the dharmic concept of Buddhi has little to do with this. 

Chitta ≠ Unconscious Mind. Chitta is the individualized aspect of mahat and is the foundation of the complete psychological complex of an individual. It retains memory in the form of samskara-s and is responsible for the distinct conditioning of each individual. Chitta is very different from the unconscious mind which does not consider the laws of transmigration, rebirth and karma. 

Ahankara ≠ Ego. Ahankara is a component of the antahkarana responsible for the individuality and agency of a person. It is also the individuating principle responsible for limitations, separation and variety in the Universe. Ego, unlike ahankara which is ever-present, comes into existence during infancy or childhood. Ego’s goal is to find safe and socially acceptable ways of satisfying desires." 

(from "Sanskrit Non-Translatables: The Importance of Sanskritizing English)

Manas can be viewed as a component that supplements sensory organs. The components have a feedback mechanism to refine and enhance the functionalities of them. 

My Understanding
To expand on the functionalities of manas, budhdhi and chitta:
  • The primary function of manas is to experience and the secondary function is to interpret and the tertiary function is to enhance the system.
  • It interprets the inputs from the sensory organs and the feedback from Budhdhi and Ahankara as good or bad.
  • The experiences and feedback from the other components are in turn used to optimize the functioning by giving readymade responses – without repeatedly processing with Budhdhi and Chitta.
  • The Manas is also responsible for emotions like curiosity (which may be related to a more primitive emotion of fear.)
  • Chitta is the repository of knowledge, not just that of an individual but of the collective. Some are conscious memory but the unconscious memory many times that. When I refer to the collective, it covers the societal, generational experiences and also what Indic systems refer to as ‘vasanas’ or impressions carried forward across births. In his book ‘Thinking Fast and Slow’, Daniel Kahneman probably refers to this as System 1.
  • Budhdhi is the analytical mind, more developed in humans than in animals. But that’s debatable when you are interacting on social media. Daniel Kahneman refers to this as System 2. It needs more energy to apply Budhdhi. So, a lot of our actions do not involve Budhdhi, but are more of autonomous actions learned and stored in the Chitta. 
Example Interpretation
I’ll try to map an event with the functionalities of these components. I chose an event that happened when I was less than three years so that there are minimal distracting aspects.

One day, when no one was around I reached out to my grandfather’s tobacco canister, took a pinch of tobacco, put it in my mouth, choked, cried and got everyone running to me to save me.
  • The memory did not have the relationship (that was added later when I understood relations) but had vague associations with a few people at home. So, ‘grandfather’ person and his secret canister were in Chitta.
  • Ahankara must have preceded this memory. Without Ahankara, I would not have differentiated myself and others.
  • The Manas would have processed the visuals of this grandfather consuming that secret stuff from a box and stored in Chitta.
  • The Budhdhi analyzed that it must be something special because I was fed the usual food from a bowl but never from that secret canister.
  • The Manas was curious to experience.
  • The Budhdhi identified that the moment was right that no one is around to experience it.
Many events must have happened during that period, but I remember only unusual events like the one above. Others were – monkey attacks, hailstorms in Turaiyur (that was the place the family was in during those days). Other memories from that period were repeated experiences – like seeing the light from a distant house's window or my cousin reminding my father to wind the clock every week.

There is an over-simplification of the complex processing of the ‘mind’ in popular psychology into three functions called encoding, storage, and retrieval. It isn’t easy to map the components to the functions of encoding, storage, and retrieval. Some events are superficial and they may be processed by the manas and some need analysis to be processed by ‘Budhdhi’. And there are high-impact events that might be processed by multiple components. Some of them may be in the Chitta that carry forward to generations and the larger society. 

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