:) :) 11. local spiritual practioners like 'ustads' doing small magics with chanted cords, scribed plates, spitted water, and sacred sugar are largly blamed by neo-islamic groups, which reasearch and invent scientific proofs to testify the islamic teachings according to the modern science. poor ustads are blamed for corrupting scientific purity of the religion.
but, ustads and generally poor sunni muslims still in reciprocal relation with no add up percentage of speculative worldly business. they go to ustad for seeking ways to solve their miserable daily life problems and the ustad, with no big 'real estate' ambitions, ,sincerly do the magics. On 5/19/08, Afthab Ellath <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > I enjoyed it... thoroughly witty and eloquent... > > > public correspondents... > > 8% Vedanta is added to every activity... > > With him enters the other worldliness to the secular deal > > and many more... > > Vonnegut style... ;) > > > On 5/18/08, damodar prasad <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > swamis. trade > > > > > > 1 The last two weeks, TV houses were airing fun-filled, excitement > > generating swami stories interlaced with events of crime, cheating, and > > debauchery and of course with occasional comment on decadence of *sarkar > > samvidanam*, public morality and people's ineptitude to differentiate the > > good from the bad sanyasis. > > > > > > > > 2.Media, political establishments, public correspondents (a better term > for > > public intellectuals, b'coz they only eagerly correspond to the public > > demand!) came down heavily on the *kalla swamis*. TV biters from the left > > and right of spectrum while condemning the swamis paused a little, and > then > > erred. A conscious err to stress the point that "all swamis and sanyasis > are > > not bad" It is the santhosh madavan and his ilk that are the trouble-some > > and urged the state machinery to deal them heavy-handedly. > > > > > > > > 3.The distinction made between the middle class swamis (upwardly mobile) > > like santhosh madhavan and elitist swamimars (reputed & established) of > the > > spiritual industry is necessitated by the secularist ideal. > > > > > > > > 4.Swamis have a predominant role in India since a long time. They were > > indeed an essential attachment to the political establishment. The ruling > > class kneeled down in front of the swamis for wise words and in > > reciprocation saffronites bestowed moral legitimacy to the worldly acts > of > > the rulers. > > > > > > 5.Such a coexistence of the worldly and the other worldly continued > perhaps > > with occasional disruptions till the emergence of swami Vivekanandan > > in 19thcentury. The idea of institutionalized swamihood with clearly > > laid > > objectives of Vedanta propagation, uplift of women, and mapping of a > > national religion thus found a beginning in Vivekanadan's mission. It was > > coeval with the beginnings of nationalist movement. > > > > (**An incisive and scholarly study of Swami Vivekanada's mssion was done > by > > late scholar and academic, Prof. Muralidharan. (Kala Vimrasam: Marxist > > Manadandam). I cannot fully recollect the arguments in the study. Prof. > > Muralidharan had outlined the historical and social conditions of > mercantile > > capitalism that made possible the emergence of Hindu nationalist > missionary > > activity) > > > > > > > > 6.Since then institutional forms of swamiship mushroomed. The scholarship > > and spiritual zeal of vivekandan is perhaps missing but almost all the > > institutional swamis tried mimicking Swami vivekandan. Even today, the > > export quality, picture perfect orientalist are our swamis. > > > > > > > > 7.Swami trusts and institutions run on the principle of charity, > > establishment of schools, hospitals, colleges and like VAT , an 8% > Vedanta > > is added to every activity. This means mixing reality show with spiritual > > reawakening sessions. > > > > > > > > 8.State protection to swamiship is nothing new. Even the State tends to > > prosecute sou-moto, critics for their writings questioning 'contemporary > > spirituality'. The fourth-estate keeps mum on the issue but > simultaneously > > acclaim the Indians have a terrific argumentative tradition, which > > accommodates anything. From the Beatles guru Maharishi Maesh Yogi (Indira > > Gandhi connection) to Chandra Swami, we know the close connections btwn > > political leadership and swamis. > > > > > > > > 9.Well, in direct contrast to above-mentioned swamis, some one can argue > > that in 20 century we had seers like Ramana Mahrishi. > > > > > > > > 10. Yogis and seers like Ramana Maharishsi represent an elite class. The > > aspirations of the rising middle-class never found expression in ramana > > maharashi's vision. The seer to become a heavy-weight personality has to > > touch on the lives of the dominant classes and engage with them on the > > issues of everyday life. This would heighten the prestige of the swamis > and > > it is the first step towards institution building. Today, any one > > transmigrating to swamihood first wishes to embody his vision in a > network > > of institution. > > > > > > > > 11. It is also true that there are lone spiritual practitioners in > different > > parts of Kerala who little bother to move from their localized existence. > > > > > > > > 12. Performing miracles were once integral part of being accepted as > > Sanayasi. But what is understood as miracle is coterminous with the > > sensibility of a particular period. > > > > > > > > 13. It is here the new kind of Swamis dislocate all received wisdom of > the > > miraculous. The new miracles are located in the context of life and > economy > > working on the speculative mode. > > > > > > > > 14. The aspiring middle and the political class are driving towards some > > swamis b'coz of the fact that the acts they perform are *Phanatastic* and > > beyond the mediocrities of present day imagination. > > > > > > > > 15. The deterministic world view has lost forever. Everything is > momentary > > and transient. Even a moment cannot be held together. Observe the major > > business in which our middle and political class engage for instant > > elevation. 1. Real estate 2. Security market 3. Mutual funds 4. Forward > > buying 5. Contract killing 6.Reality show 7. Embedded reporting etc. etc. > > > > > > > > 16. All these task are speculative in nature and involves risks. But once > > the risk is averted the mobility - upward is guaranteed. Upwardness > ensures > > a certainty in life at least for a short-term and also an added advantage > of > > social recognition. The social recognition also involves identification > with > > political leadership and executive authorities (Police & Bureaucrats). > (In > > Kerala, more than anything else, recognition in terms of the above is the > > most sought after. Being formally invited to the function hosted by a > > political leader denotes the 'network capital' of the journalists.) > > > > > > > > 17. Speculative ventures need counseling at a higher end so that deal > goes > > thru with minimum risks. Enter the Swamiji and his acts of the > > miraculous. With > > him enters the other worldliness to the secular deal. The possibility of > > the other worldliness is that it functions on determined belief system > where > > everything has clear fixed meaning and hence nothing could go wrong. In > this > > realm of immaterialism, risk & uncertainty burst like a bubble. > > > > > > > > 18. But then the Government is really worried. Here is an "arbitrator" > who > > works parallel to the government and also uses governmental machinery for > > fulfillment of objectives that too in a very efficient manner. > > > > > > > > 19. It is difficult to function parallel to the government on an > individual > > scale. A network of organization is pre-requisite to take on the > government. > > Though Sarkar wouldn't say that , swamis are also a problem like > Maoists& > > Anarchists- But sarkar knows how to deal with its secular enemies- > Maoists/ > > extremists. But dealing with a non-secular agency is a really really > > difficlut & challenging task. > > > > > > > > 20. The non-secular agencies have succeeded where the government has > failed. > > Whether it is rehabilitation, education or health. The beneficiary of > this > > is the middle –class. > > > > > > > > 21. But santhosh madhavan and himal badaranand fialed b'coz they were too > > much into secular concerns. When the secular precedes otherworldliness > you > > are doomed. The state swooped in. From the part of Sarakar, it is a > threat > > identified and checked at the right time or else it may start dictating > > terms with the political leadership & executive. > > > > > > > > 22. But the existing and new swamis have a few lessons to learn: Other > > worldly concerns should predominate. Secular concerns should follow it. > If > > it works on the contrary, loss is assured. > > > > > > > > 23. But then santhosh madhavans and badranandas brings in the deeds of > > secular life to mix up with the concerns of otherworldliness corrupting > the > > sacred. Isn't that good? > > > > > > While writing about Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Kurt Vonnegut makes an > > observation: "This new religion (which is not religion but a technique) > > offers tremendous pleasure, opposes no existing attitudes, demands no > > sacrifices or outward demonstration of virtue and is risk free. It will > > sweep the middle class of the world as the planet dies- as the planet is > > surely dying- of poisoned air and water." > > > > damodar prasad > > > > > > > > > > -- > Regards > > Afthab Ellath > > > > --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth?hl=en-GB -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
