(The following article was posted in the “Meditations” column of the Hindustan Times, one of India’s largest English language daily newspapers, on 2 July 2004.) ACCORDING TO a recent Families First poll, the average cost in America to ralse a child to the age of 18 is Rs 1,4 crore. Miranda Burkes of Wisconsin, USA, complains, “I can’t even think of having anuther kid. Where’s the money going to come from?” Her view is that she has freedom of choice, and can enjoy herself by going to a local mall once a week — for life in a network of ‘unending variety’. Despite Miranda’s lament, and contrary to popular opinion, a majority of Americans do not favour abortion on demand – only in cases of rape and incest. Just 29 per cent think ‘no fault’ abortions should be granted. What’s the Vedic version? Well, Vishnu intervened when Ashwathama attempted to abort Parikshit (Bhagavata 1.12.1.) There’s something wrong in the way our economy operates, and in our social structures. Maybe there’s something to be said for the ‘joint family’ – for raising many wanted children in a caring atmosphere, where lots of adults are around to help the kids feel loved. Not likely in today’s world of ‘double income no kids’ (DINK) family units where pundits predict that a population explosion can’t be supported. Some experts say that if by 2020 birth control trends remain constant, world population would see a precipitous decline. But others know there are not enough people in Europe to run several economies. All this begs for a radical social change. Maybe a reverse trend towards a less centralised way of life. More naturally advanced, more organised for love. Kids don’t cry. You”!l understand when you grow up. People thought they could live peacefully without vou. (The writer is emeritus member of the ISKCON governing body commission)

(The following article was posted in the “Meditations” column of the Hindustan Times, one of India’s largest English language daily newspapers, on 26 June 2004.) GEORGE BERNARD Shaw wrote to Gandhi on the Mahatma’s 76th birthday. In the letter, Shaw congratulated him and wished it was the politician’s 35th, and not the 76th birth anniversary. A laudable desire. Today, leaders of nations develop fearful weapons that can accelerate the process of death. But none can create eternal life. By the time you’ve read this article, thousands will have died. Throughout modern history, great men, the likes of Gandhi and Shaw, have been unable to solve the problem of death. Despite decades of scientific research, the world’s death rate remains at 100 percent. Sounds dismal? On the contrary, we need look no further than our own Bhagavad Gita to find that death is not the end. Therein we read that all planets are destructible, but one who attains God has no more to be born (8.16). In other words. there is neither death nor rebirth in the spiritual world. Although prominent leaders have read the Gita, few have researched it carefully enough to understand that death is a passing phase, a transition, a dormant period awaiting another existence. The starkness of this truth has evaded most prominent philosophers. There have been a few exceptions in modern times. One was the philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer, who observed, “Were an Asiatic to ask me for a definition of Europe, I should be forced to answer him: ‘It is that part of the world which is haunted by the incredible delusion that man was created out of nothing and that his present birth is his first entrance into life'”. Death, that mysterious, relentless, and inevitable adversary, does not signal the end of life. Dying is our transit to the next dimension. Better to be prepared, than arrive in a state of shock. (The writer is emeritus member of the ISKCON governing body commission.)

(The following article was posted in the “Meditations” column of the Hindustan Times, one of India’s largest English language daily newspapers, on 23 January 2004.) FIVE THOUSAND years ago the Bhagavata predicted marriage would be based on verbal agreement and physical considerations alone (12.2.5). Deterioration of the marital institution corroborates this. Non-Vedic writers have noticed a rupturing in age-old traditions. Some have tried remedies. For example, Catholic encyclicals, starting in the mid-20th century, defined marriage as a ‘contract’, later as a ‘covenant’, and most recently as a ‘communion of love’. On the surface, it appears these authors have grown with the times in making permanence of male-female relationships more meaningful. In these church definitions, the idea of ‘contract’, although it seemed legal and impersonal, supported the concept that marriage is not to be taken lightly, and that legal implications would have to be weighed. This is vastly different from the popular ‘nofault’ divorce system, which enables one partner to easily bring a marriage to an end. ‘Covenant’ carries a far more religious-spiritual connotation, and downplays the fear and permanence aspect of ‘contract’. The most recent definition, which promotes marriage based on ‘interpersonal love’, is ostensibly far more liberal than earlier designations, but has a touchy-feely colouring. We live in a lust-impregnated world. Also working against any seeming progress are three powerful trends: the cost-benefit analysis of ‘my life’ (if it works for me, I’ll keep it; otherwise, I’ll trash it); the ‘therapy relationship’ model (my partner will solve all my problems); the Hollywood glamour quest (I need Mr or Mrs Right for the dream romance). These trends are so entrenched that efforts to reinstate the sanctified aspect of marriage appear ridiculous. Today pre-and post-marital relationships are increasing and in most parts of the world are the norm. Nonetheless, the search for a lifetime partner is natural. The planned offspring of such couples readily contribute to the health of the planet. Neglected, uncared-for children often become criminals. Loved and wanted kids are usually the product of loyal partners who believe in the sacredness of their relationship. If a better world is to arise, committed partnerships should be offered to God and sanctified with marriage vows. Such co-dependents can be lifetime companions, attracting wise souls to become their children. The writer is emeritus member of the ISKCON governing body commission.

(The following article was posted in the “Inner Voice” column of the Hindustan Times, one of India’s largest English language daily newspapers, on 3 May 2004.) OVER THE course of a life, the earth is covered in darkness about half the time. Sadhus speak of ‘the light’ as if all heavenly kingdoms are devoid of darkness, so we envision the heavens as always light. Sanskritists frequently encounter words like Svaysmjyothi, sva-roth, sva-drik, atma-prakasadam, sva-rochisham and sva-prakashaha, referring to ‘self-effulgence’. Perennial light rays are said to emanate from the body of Vishnu; that and these form the blueness of the sky. Sky blue, not fully elucidated by modern science, is explained as a phenomenon of light rays. The halos we see depicted around the heads of Christ and Christian saints are part of the ‘effulgence principle’. Today, many prefer to call heaven ‘outer space’, but such space is always dark except for tiny dots of light. For others, heaven or svarga is described as always light, with wispy clouds underfoot or faint vapour spiralling upward but never blocking the light. Crime mostly takes place after sunset, confirming the notion that absence of light and evil are connected. Shadows, subterfuge and sorcery are the stuff of nocturnal exploits. And, there is the Devil in Christian parlance, or the ‘dark side of the force’ in the movie Star Wars. But the shastros say the light of the spheres is not a magical fairyland with continuous illumination, but a natural glow, emanating from God Himself and self-effulgent personalities serving Him. Their brightness is measured, they say, by personal presence, not candlepower or wattage. There is a description in the Bhagavata wherein the faces of the liberated kings of Hastinapur (Delhi) looked like stars. Unlike material charisma, faces that shine like stars have pure hearts. Usually invisible, their divine radiance creates light even in the midst of pervasive evil. The writer is emeritus memb?r of the lSKCON governing body commission.

(The following article was posted in the “Inner Voice” column of the Hindustan Times, one of India’s largest English language daily newspapers, on 16 June 2004.) IN THE beginning of Bhagavad Gita, Arjuna defends family values, saying, ‘0 Janardana, although these men see no fault in killing one’s family, why should we, who can see the crime in destroying a family, engage in these acts?’ There is a trend away from the family. The way of the future is rugged individualism, independence and freedom of choice. At the same time, there’s a drift toward traditional virtues, a backlash against modern and post-modern thinking, a retroactive lifestyle that promotes conventional attitudes toward living. This social rebound is visible in one of the most unlikely places: TV comedy, The Simpsons. The cartoon has run longer than any other US TV sitcom, 13 years, signalling that its worldwide audience each week is well into tens of millions. Although satirical and suggestive, The Simpsons reinforces the importance of families remaining together despite odd behaviour, differences in character, and quarrels. Since time immemorial people have wed, procreated and lived together in co-dependent situations to the overall benefit of society. Outlaws and criminals, more often than not, are single men. Family split-ups have helped create an underworld of anarchists (sometimes known as VARNA SANKARA) bent on destroying what little is left of harmony and tranquility. Family structures and values are not the total answer, as abuse within the home testifies. However, today’s departure from long-term committed relationships generates a seedy undercurrent of gratuitous violence that creates unnecessary fear. The bulwark of sane society is healthy families. Madness seeps in when God is left out. (The writer is emeritus member of the Iskcon Governing Body Commission)

(The following article was posted in the “Meditations” column of the Hindustan Times, one of India’s largest English language daily newspapers, on 31 January 2004.) SCIENTIFIC ACHIEVEMENTS have produced many departures from the beauty-and-pain of ‘natural living’. The phrase ‘twenty-four seven’ is now applied to active or virile types defying the laws of exhaustion. Leon Kreitzman, author of The 24-hour Society, says that certain drugs will transform society. ‘In 20 years people will not need to sleep’, he predicts. ‘Modafinil’ was a drug used by US soldiers for 40-hour marches into Baghdad. The drug, Kreitzman says, ‘is a eugeroic, which unravels the mechanisms of sleepiness’. The idea of a world without sleep may sound too bizarre to contemplate, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be acceptable to future generations. We spend a third of our life asleep. If we eliminated it we’d add 25 years. Modafinil, originally used as an antidote to narcolepsy (a type of sleeping sickness), is now available by prescription, enabling users to stay awake without the quickened heartbeats, jumpiness, and the ensuing ‘crashes’ accompanying amphetamine and cocaine withdrawal. Over 100,000 non-narcoleptic Americans take the drug. The upside of Modafinil, is that it brings alertness plus the kind of ‘rest’ that is watchful, and theoretically useful for spiritual insight. Mimicking some meditational practices, it enables one to ‘relax’ without the unconsciousness that comes with deep sleep. However, the yoga-nidra on the part of maha-Vishnu is a state of mystic slumber. We also know from the ‘days and nights’ of Lord Brahma that he too sleeps. In the Bhagavata, there are descriptions in the tenth Parva of Lord Krishna, ‘rising’ from bed in the morning in his Dwarka palaces. Physical trainers state the human body operates on 12-hour cycles. Business executives take ‘power naps’ in the afternoon, and in many countries, including India, afternoon resting is a revered tradition. These kinds of siestas are said to regenerate cells, revive mental agility, and increase physical strength. Many inventors claim their ‘eurekas’ happened in dreams and semi-conscious states. And dream life, or svapna, can heal. Ancient scriptures worldwide describe dreams that brought insight and access to another reality. These days we don’t listen to anyone much, certainly not our unconscious. We’re control freaks. If we want to do, be or feel something, we find a way to make it happen, legally or otherwise. But life with no sleep? Whatever next. Don’t count me in! The writer is emeritus member of the ISKCON Governing body commission.

(The following article was posted in the “Inner Voice” column of the Hindustan Times, one of India’s largest English language daily newspapers, on 8 June 2004.) ‘WASTE IS preventing us from getting ahead’, says Angus Maciver of Prudential UK. On average, English people waste Rs 1,38,000 per person per year. Simple arithmetic reveals that the Briton’s annual waste bill is enough to cover their government’s combined budget for transport, defence, industry, agriculture, employment, housing and the environment. Frugality is often thought to be the emblem of the misers; Fagins, and Ebineezer Scrooges of the world. But there’s a philosophy that teaches that everything ultimately belongs to the Supreme Lord. According to the Gita (5.29), God is the ultimate owner of everything. But ‘everything’ must include our own families, bodies, thoughts, and senses. According to this theory, everything has a limit and nothing is ‘ours’. The questions that next arise are: If we don’t own anything, why do we think we possess our land, our house, bank account, family, body, brain and mind? And how is it that it’s the duty of government to protect our rights, especially our property and our lives? Are we no more than the flutter of an eyelid or a bundle of loose nerve endings, or do we occupy a significant place in the universe – a place we can call our own? Is there such a thing as proprietorship? Good questions, but the answer is simple, if not obvious. We live on borrowed plumes – God’s benevolence. Ultimately nothing is ours, the future’s not ours to see, whatever will be will be. No one knows the intricate workings of karma. Thrift is not miserliness or parsimony, but the wise application of resources. Anything engaged in the service of God never goes in vain, and it benefits the human situation long term. Gratitude, not greed, is the key. The writer is emeritus member of the ISKCON gQverning body commission

(The following article was posted in the “Meditations” column of the Hindustan Times, one of India’s largest English language daily newspapers, on 14 January 2004.) A JUNE Gallup Poll said that 41 per cent of Americans considered themselves Christian evangelists. This sampling may be tentative and augmented by loyalty to President Bush. Be that as it may, there’s a definite trend toward spirituality in universities in America’s northeast, the bastion of US intellectualism and serious study. The Rev. Peter J. Gomes, religious historian and minister of Harvard’s Memorial Church, who arrived on that campus in 1970, says, ‘There are probably more evangelicals here than at any time since the 17th century, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen a wider range of Christian fellowship activity’. The same trend is evident at Boston University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). MIT, where science is god, and efficiency and rationality deeply embedded, now sports 15 evangelical Christian Fellowship groups. In 1994, the Sunday night service at Boston’s Park Street Church, the flagship location for college evangelicals, attracted 40 people. Today more than 1000 students turn up weekly from BU, MIT, Harvard and other universities. Rather than regard this as threatening, the Bhagavad Gita advises us not to try to look down on such displays of devotion, even if they be ajananam (3.26) or without full knowledge. Rather Krishna advises accommodating such activity. Love of God in any form is progressive. What does this mean? Can non-Vedic faiths be truly devotional? According to the Gita, bhakti can manifest with unlimited variety. The increase in America’s eastern establishment colleges is positive. These thinking evangelicals foreswear casual sex, alcoholism and gambling, and avoid watching movies for entertainment alone. Whether the trend will carry on into adulthood is as yet unknown. Nonetheless, empowering so many serious students at this juncture of their intellectual lives is a very hopeful development. Impressions and habits gained in formative years run deep and aren’t easily forgotten. Bhakti or devotion can be found in people tied to any denomination. A revival of religiosity amongst the questioning and thoughtful young, when coupled with a broad-minded appreciation of people of other faiths, is something we should welcome as essential for world peace. Sri Krishna, God, is also known vedically as ‘bhakta vatsala’. He eschews solemn vows and worldly moralism in order to better serve His devotees. Genuine glorification of God – whatever faith we hold – transcends all divisive faith structures. The writer is emeritus member of the ISKCON governing body commission

(The following article was posted in the “Meditations” column of the Hindustan Times, one of India’s largest English language daily newspapers, on 20 December 2003.) THE WRITINGS of Shankara (788-820) are thought by most Christian intellectuals to be the essence of Hindu thought. Considered a incarnation of Siva, Shankara mastered the Vedas at age eight. A consummate Sanskrit writer and theologian, his works are studied throughout the world. His explanation of obscure texts has made some of the most intricate passages of the Vedanta assimilable by Western scholars. Through his writings, Vedanta, which means ‘the end of knowledge’, became accessible and meaningful to Christian theologians, including those in the Vatican. Defenders of the Christian faith, generally listed as having more adherents than any other world faith tradition, consider that the Hindu concept of God is ultimately that particular form of Brahman, which is an attributeless entity we can all merge with at the time of death. This conception makes Hinduism, an ‘other’ religion, whose basic concept of the divine is conveniently ‘different’ and quaintly unique. It implies that Hindus don’t worship the same personal God (“the Father”) of Christianity; through whom Christ the Saviour showed and still shows the way. But Keith Ward, a leading Oxford theologian, has, in his best selling book, Religion and Human Nature, recognised what he calls ‘Dvaita Vedanta’, the concept that God and the living beings eternally retain their individuality. This differs from the Vedanta philosophy embraced by the great Shankaracharya. And the Gita (2.12) supports Ward’s findings. Largely because of Religion and Human Nature, some of the most ardent defenders of the Roman Catholic faith, including members of the College of Cardinals, are beginning to recognise the bhakti tradition as a genuine form of Hinduism. The meaning of all this is that Hinduism is much closer to Catholicism than many of the Catholic intelligentsia believe, while the personal element of the Hindu faith brings it much closer to Christianity than many followers of Christ would admit. The point is, that in essence all faiths are alike, even though certain concepts (like those of karma and transmigration) are absent or presented differently. When the similarities are recognised and emphasised above the differences, cultural contrasts tend to evaporate. Christ advocated, ‘Peace on earth.’ And in the Bhagavad Gita Lord Vishnu says that when God is recognised as the supreme proprietor, there will be shanti or peace (5.29).

(The following article was posted in the “Inner Voice” column of the Hindustan Times, one of India’s largest English language daily newspapers, on 11 May 2004.) SUNIL TOLD Vasini he’d never give up fries. “And I never eat Big Macs,” he said. “We’re moving to Delhi next month,” Vasini reminded him for the third time that day. “At least Arti won’t mind, she’s doesn’t eat that stuff anyway” “I heard even the chips are cooked in beef tallow. OK, I don’t believe that, but what if it’s cooked in the same oil they make hamburgers in?” “It’s okay, I tell you. You’ll see. In Delhi, they don’t even use beef”. “I’m not feeding my daughter any of that stuff,” Vasini said, in a tone that hovered between annoyance and conviction. She looked sullen for few seconds, then added, “So you can do it because you’re an adult, but she can’t because she’s eight, is that it?” “It’s easier for kids”. “What’s easier?” asked Vasini. “You know, easier to, ‘give up’,” Sunil offered. “But we never gave her ground-up meat or anything like that her whole life,” said Vasini. “Anyway, she has the right to choose at some point”. This time there was a hint of acrimony in his otherwise matter-of-fact voice. “Let’s try to keep this philosophical, okay? It’s bad karma, you know that.” I’m not giving in, at least not completely, she thought. “I think you see omens everywhere,” Sunil muttered. There was a long pause. They stood at the doorway; watching children in the playground opposite their three-room flat. “I wouldn’t want to be eaten – dead or alive. That’s karma, and that’s philosophy,” said Vasini. “Maybe we can teach Arti that: how there’s a living soul in every creature and that God loves them just like we love her.” “That’s probably as good as anywhere to start,” Sunil said, almost inaudibly. (The, writer’ is emeritus member of the ISKCON governing body commission)