CULTURAL QA 03202409
Q1 Which caste is considered the Brahmin caste in Andhra Pradesh? What
are their surnames?
KR And this joker remembers that but forgot that I wrote about all classes
of brahmins including YM question on Niyogi. But he archived it and slowly
rolling out now. Pennywise but pound…..or found
Q2 Was Guru Nanak Ji a real devotee of Lord Rama as he talked a lot
about Raam Naam and Raam Bhakti in his verses?
KR Hoe callously Gopala and Narayana write as Ram and shiva
worshipper is Guru nanak? The real Guru Nanak is:
” Gyankosh: An Interdisciplinary Journal ISSN : 2581-8252
Special Volume, November 2019
To Commemorate 550th Birth Anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev Ji
THE VIEWS OF GURU NANAK ON HINDUISM AND ISLAM
Jasneet Kaur
The notion and essence of present religions i.e. Hinduism and Islam during
the time of Guru Nanak incite him not to recognize himself with any of
them. Infact, he utilizes such concept to judge all present religious
theory and process. For Guru Nanak, ‘the true believer does not adopt a
marga; he does not belong to a path; he is concerned with truereligion
alone.’
For Guru Nanak, spiritual knowledge is the basis of perfect divinity like
other great saints. He was against the constituents of present religion
which create caste discrimination, narrow-mindedness, sectarian divisions
and all formalities. He appeared to brighten the life of people from false
beliefs and prejudices. Nanak tried to inculcate logic behind every
religious practice so that all men should not follow it blindly. In this
way he was able to provide clear idea of religion. It resolves the malaise
of doubt, thus supplied a ray of hope.1
The invasion of Muslims had effected the cultural development of India
immensely. At that time, Punjab had to face Muslim arms as well as culture
which entered India. The Punjab was under the Muslim rule in the fifteenth
century than any other state. The Muslim saints and faqirs were penetrated
in the towns and villages of Punjab. The thoughtful environment was created
by such saints in people. It prepared ground for integration of ideas that
could take place2. In such atmosphere of gloom and blindness, saints and
prophets come to recover it from unpleasantness.3 In such world, Mehta Kalu
(an accountant) was blessed with a son, Nanak, a name common to both Hindus
and Musalmans.4 In the history, Guru Nanak is one among great men whose
reflection was preserved in the sentiments of people and whose personality
go beyond time and space.
Infact, he was associated great men who are not the proprietorship of
any particular creed or religion, but universal to entire human race. The
subsequent well-known statement of the Punjab clearly represents the public
perception of regard and honor for him:
During the whole life, Guru Nanak constantly tried to unite different
communities and cultural groups of India and teach them the doctrine of
truth, love, honesty and moral virtue.5 Guru Nanak was born at a time, when
the essence of religion had disappeared. Both the Hindus and the Muslims
had identified their religion with rituals or ceremonies.6 In the views of
Indu Bushan Benerjee, Guru Nanak was generally a critic of formalism and
ritualism in Islam and Hinduism. He instructed both the Hindus and Muslims
to be truthful to their own religion.
A comprehensive intimacy was acknowledged in the compositions of Guru Nanak
with the contemporary Hinduism and Islam. He referred to the Vedas;
discussed about Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh; four-fold ‘blessings’ of life:
dharma, artha, karma and moksha; three ways of liberation: jnana, karma and
bhakti. At various times, Hindu and Muslim usual procedure is specified
simultaneously. However, quite frequently references to Islam stand apart.
Guru Nanak discusses about Allah and the Prophet, the Quran, the shari’at,
and the prophets; he also discusses about the ulama and the mashaikh, pirs,
walis, qalandars and dervishes and the salik and the faqir. He indicates to
some of the utmost practices of Islam.
We may first examine Guru Nanak’s views towards Hinduism.7 It is
preciselycertain that from the point of view of Guru Nanak, the Hindu
sacred writings were completely inappropriate to restoration. To hear or to
read, to write (expositions) or to comprehend them was to accumulate mere
‘burden’. Guru Nanak’s view towards Hindu deities is not much distinct from
his view towards the Hindu texts. He says, without Guru’s sabad, Brahma,
Vishnu and Mahesh were as much ‘miserable’ as sansara in general. Guru
Nanak’s denial of Hindu texts and deities is closely linked with his
disapproval of accustomed practices and ways of prayer.
He identifies no merit in pilgrimage to religious places (tirath). For
absolute devout, the association of saints is the actual tirath. The true
tirath is in the Name and the sabad. There is no tirath like the Guru. Guru
Nanak encourages people to pray to the Lord, in place of the salagram; he
addresses them to use truthful living as the rosary of tulsi.
Nanak has no compassion for established practice of Hindu deity and the
sacraments and adherences related with it. Neither Jap nor tap, nor living
at tiraths, was of any use without the True One. Guru Nanak believes that
trust in the One Lord means putting a real tilak on one’s forehead. For
Guru Nanak, the understanding of the only one God includes in it all
traditional prayer and generosity.
Regarding the real Pandit, Guru Nanak says that he is one who rightly
recognizesand perceives the one in everybody. The true Pandit embraces
God’s Name. WithoutTrue Name, the tilak-mark and the sacred thread of the
twice-born remain worthless. Thebelief in the Boundless one and His sabad
is more worthwhile than, Japa, tapa, sanjamand the path of puranas. No
fasting will decide the dignity one shall earn; it relies uponthe true
action.8
Guru Nanak’s view towards contemporary Islam is very much like to his view
towards Hinduism. In Guru Nanak’s view, Muhammad was a paighambar but not
the‘seal of the prophets.’ In addition, Guru Nanak emphasizes the charm as
well as the superiority of Allah, reasonably to bring home the point by
mere loyalty to Islam, one could not assure pardon. Each and every one
hears and talk about Him; but no one honestly acknowledge His virtue. The
Pirs, paighambars, saliks, sadiqs, faqirs and shahids; Shaikhs, qazis and
mullas and darvishes—all admire Allah through their prayers (durud), in
desire of forthcoming blessings (barkat). But, (Allah) He observes
everybody and favors His grace on whomsoever He wills.
Guru Nanak criticizes the qazis for their negligence. He appreciates the
qazi to regulate his action to his occupation and thereby evolve as a true
musulman. Guru Nanak\ says that Sheer talk at no time can lead to paradise;
liberation lies in right action.
Falsehood brings about only falsehood.
Besides this, the qazi is suggested to consider good action as his Kalima
and to reinstate his five daily prayers with five doctrines of action and
prayer; truth (sachch) flawful earning (halal), wishing well of others
(khair), right aspiration (niyat) and appreciation of the Lord (sifat,
sana). The five daily prayers, the recitation or study of the Quran and the
delight of the table will be left behind; even the well informed ‘sink’
likes the vessel that has a hole at its bottom. Only he is a qazi who
eliminate himself and who absolutely recognize God who ever was, is and
shall be for all time, the True Creator. In addition, the Shaikh as well as
qazi is destined to be left chained in the wheel of transmigration if he
does not become aware of that only noble deeds are repaid.
In guiding the Mualsmans, Guru Nanak turns up to pick the way of the Sufis.
The Muslmans applause the Shari’at : they read and think about seriously;
but only those are the true servants who, to see His face, become his slave
(banda).9 Guru Nanak advocates the Muslmans to create gentleness their
mosque and goodwill prayer-mat, to constitute fairly earned food their
Quran, and timidness and politeness their Ka’ba, and truth their pir; to
realize God’s grace as their kalima and namaz; and to form raza their
rosary, undoubtedly.
To be a muslman is ardous; only those who are true musalman should be
called so. They should first accept the religion of the auliya and regard
surrender as a record that gets rid of the rust (of the mirror). Only then
they become muslmans when they live their religion and expel all thoughts
of life and death. They should approve God’s legal order most cheerfully,
faith in Him as the true Creator and fade themselves. Only then may they
secure his grace (rahmat) and only then shall they be true muslmans. There
is no confusion that Guru Nanak disagrees with the ‘orthodox’ in the
wording of the Sufis, and, in doing so, reveal inclination for the latter.
Anyhow, this relative gratitude for the Sufis path should not lead us to
conclude that Guru Nanak appreciate of the contemporary Sufis. He supports
the qazi and the Shaikh in many ways—In Rag Gauri, for instance, they are
supported as of suffering from haumai:
They think too much of themselves. A real dervish while he lives is dead
and leaves behind everything to unite with his creator.10 In the views of
Guru Nanak towards contemporary religions, he demonstrates little
admiration for the established orders of his time. He rejects Hindu and
Muslim texts cannot lead to salvation. He observed Muhammad and his
religion as one of the diverse explanation of God’s creation. He attribute
to Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva as ways, which propose that he acquired their
presence as real, but they emerge as the creatures of God, deprived of all
functions and subject to maya and to death.
Endnotes
1 J.R. Puri, “The Mystic Teachings of Guru Nanak”, Perspectives on Guru
Nanak Seminar Papers (ed.) Harbans Singh, Religious Studies, Punjabi
University, Patiala, 1975, pp. 170-172.
2 Tara Chand, Influence of Islam on Indian Culture, Indian Press Pvt. Ltd.,
Allahabad, 1936, p. 136.
3 K.A. Nizami, “Some Social and Religious ideals of Guru Nanak,”
Perspectives on Guru Nanak Seminar Papers (ed.), Harbans Singh, Religious
Studies, Punjabi University, Patiala, 1975, p.151.
4 Tara Chand, Influence of Islam on Indian Culture, p. 166.
5 K.A. Nizami, “Some Social and Religious ideals of Guru Nanak,” p.151.
6 J.R. Puri, “The Mystic Teachings of Guru Nanak”, p. 170.
7 J.R. Puri, “The Mystic Teachings of Guru Nanak”, pp. 201-202.
8 J.S. Grewal, Guru Nanak in History, Publication Bureau, Chandigarh, 1979,
pp. 206-215.
9 J.S. Grewal, Guru Nanak in History, pp. 228-230.
10 J.S. Grewal, Guru Nanak in History, pp. 231-232.
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: 'gopala krishnan' via Thatha_Patty <[email protected]>
Date: Sat, 9 Mar 2024 at 20:54
Subject: Re: [KeralaIyers] Re: [iyer123] CULTURAL QA 03-2024-09
To: [email protected] <[email protected]>, Patty
Thatha <[email protected]>, Iyer <[email protected]>,
Narayanaswamy Iyer <[email protected]>
Thank you sir for reading the QA and responding with addition
Gopalakrishnan
On Sunday, 10 March, 2024 at 06:58:39 am IST, Narayanaswamy Iyer <
[email protected]> wrote:
Dear folks
"Q2 Was Guru Nanak Ji a real devotee of Lord Rama as he talked a lot
about Raam Naam and Raam Bhakti in his verses?"
My comments:- If one studies the Guru Granth Sahib with attention, one
will note that Guru Nanak also prayed to "Har Har (Mahadev)", i.e. Lord
Shiva.
S Narayanaswamy Iyer
On Sat, Mar 9, 2024 at 4:30 PM 'gopala krishnan' via iyer123 <
[email protected]> wrote:
CULTURAL QA 03-2024-09
All the below QA are from Quora DIGEST to me on 09-03-2024.
Selected quora answers generally interesting including jokes are included
Still they need not be 100% correct answers. I am only a compiler.
Compiled and posted by R. Gopala Krishnan, 80, on 09-03-2024.
Q1 Which caste is considered the Brahmin caste in Andhra Pradesh? What
are their surnames?
A1 Joseph Taylor,Handsome guy20h
In Andhra Pradesh, the Brahmin caste is traditionally known as the Niyogi
Brahmins. They are one of the predominant Brahmin communities in the state
and are known for their involvement in various priestly, scholarly, and
intellectual roles.
Some common surnames among Niyogi Brahmins in Andhra Pradesh include:
1. Sharma 2. Joshi 3. Dixit 4. Trivedi
5. Upadhyay 6. Bhatt 7. Chaturvedi 8. Acharya 9. Pandit 10.
Mishra
These are just a few examples, and there may be many other surnames
associated with the Niyogi Brahmin community in Andhra Pradesh, depending
on regional and family-specific variations.
My note- Our member Mr Yeddanapudim had once wrote in groups that he is a
Niyogi Brahmin, I recollect.
Q2 Was Guru Nanak Ji a real devotee of Lord Rama as he talked a lot
about Raam Naam and Raam Bhakti in his verses?
A2 Sant Kabir talked about 4 kinds of Ram —
Ayodhya's Prince. The son of Dashrath. In the original Ramayan, Ram is just
an ordinary human prince with the best of noble qualities. There is nothing
magical or mystical in the original Ramayan.
The second one is the human mind that controls and runs the humans and
hence the world. It is responsible for all the bad actions of humans too.
The third one is the creator of this whole existence. The one that has come
into expression.
The fourth one is the Supreme one. The source of all and everything. The
source of life and soul. The humanity or even the Devtas are not aware of
the Supreme being. This power is the source of all souls.
Whenever Guru Nanak talk about his “Ram", he is talking about the fourth Ram.
It is the very source of consciousness, the source of all souls, including
the life/souls of Devi/Devtas of all religions. Most religions have the
knowledge or revelation upto the third Ram (God) only who is the manifestor
of whole creation.
But the Supreme Lord is even higher and subtler than the creator of 3
worlds. He has no form or limits. It expresses itself through the highest
order Saints like Sant Kabir, Guru Nanak, etc. He's the one Ram, The one
God that Guru Nanak repeatedly talks about.
Q3 What is important in life?
A3 Rakshith Akira, A Sensible Writer 5y
When we die, our money remains in the bank.
Yet, when we are alive, we don't have enough money to spend.
In reality, when we are gone, there is still a lot of money not spent.
One business tycoon in China passed away. His widow wife, was left with
$2.5 billion in the bank, and married her husband's chauffeur (Car driver).
His chauffeur said, All the while, I thought I was working for my boss it
is only now, that I realise that my boss was all the time, working for me
!!!
The cruel reality is,It is more important to live longer than to have more
wealth. So, we must strive to have a strong and healthy body.
In a high end hand phone, 75% of the functions are useless!
For an expensive car, 75% of the speed and gadgets are not needed.
We never contact 75% of people in our contact list.
If you own a luxurious villa or mansion, 75% of the space is usually not
used or occupied.
How about your wardrobes of clothes?75% of them are not worn!
A whole life of work and earning. Still, we spend 75% of our earning on
other people.
So, we must protect and make full use of our 25%.
Go for medical check-ups even if not sick.
Drink more water, even if not thirsty.
Learn to let go, even if faced with grave problems.
Endeavour to give in, even if you are in the right.
Learn to forgive people.
Remain humble, even if you are very rich and powerful.
Learn to be contented, even if you are not rich.
Exercise your mind and body, even if you are very busy.
Be calm and patient in every situation.
Make time for people you care about.
My note- With respect to saving of money, I do not agree with point. A
person may require a huge amount of money, even if healthy, when any
problem occurs to him. Nothing will be equal to saved money. One may not
get money at the required moment from any one. So, after death let it go to
wards and wife. Saved money is important, after spending for necessary
things.
Q4 Have you experienced miracles from Lord Shiva?
A4 Urvil Sarvasva, Trying to stand still in this spinning world.12h
I use to do abhishek of Shiva when I was in the UK at my aunts place and
when I returned to India and stayed at my grand father’s place, they also
had a shiv ling which I used to abhishek.
When I moved in to my new apartment I felt that I need to have a shiv ling
but with a thought that I do not wish to purchase it. It has to come to me.
It was a simple thought and with no sense of ego or questioning god.
Time passed and one day I was searching for my car key that I had given to
the security guard and I got my hands on a shiv lingam that was just there
in a rusty drawer of a table.
I asked the security guy, who does it belong to and he said ‘don't know’.
After giving some thought, I brought it home.
I purchased the stand on which shiv lingam is kept. I lovingly call it
Asthireshwar (the one that is not steady, it keeps wobbling).
You can call it a miracle or a coincidence but I asked for Shiva to come to
me and he came.
Happy Mahashivratri. Har Har Mahadev.
Q5 If Earth exists in a million years, will humans still look the same
as now?
A5 Mark Daly, follows evolution discoveries6h
Well, first, the Earth will exist in a million years because planets are
quite hard to destroy. As an example, about 66 million years ago a rock
that was about 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) in diameter hit the planet and
caused a mass extinction event that affected about 75% of all life. The
Earth, however, survived just fine.
As for humans, Homo erectus (Latin: upright human) evolved as a distinct
species about 2 million years ago. They were still the dominant form of
human 1 million years later. So, what did humans look like 1 million years
ago?
There were no pale-skinned people. No blue-eyed people. No blond-haired
people. If you had asked someone living 1 million years ago (in a way they
could understand) they would never predict pale-skin, blue or green or gray
eyes, or even yellow or red hair 1 million years later.
We cannot say what humans will look like in 1 million years. The body plan
will generally be the same if humans survive that long. Remember, humans
have only existed for 2 million years. Our current form, Homo sapiens, has
only been around for about 300,000 years.
You cannot predict what evolution will do.
Q6 Who is the most underrated scientist of all time?
A6 Jack Fraser-Govil, Doctor of Physics, Writer of Code, Player of
Games Updated 7y
During her lifetime, Emmy Noether was hated by the establishment - and they
almost forced her into obscurity.
Emmy Noether is probably the most important woman in all of science (in
competition with Curie) and definitely the most important woman in
mathematics. She was insanely talented and had an understanding of maths
which was just astounding.
She wasn’t actually allowed to attend university - she could only “audit”
classes - not actually attend them, and required every lecturer to approve
of her presence (which many of them didn’t).
Then she was invited to Göttingen by Hilbert - despite the other faculties
almost rioting at the idea of a woman being a member of staff. For the
first few years of teaching, she was not paid at all. Virtually nobody
attended her lectures - since they were being given by a woman (the
accounts I have read of people who did attend say she was a fantastic
lecturer).
The other members of the department would, being frustrated with people not
attending her lectures, pretend they were giving a lecture - which Noether
would then give (people would walk out as soon as she walked in).
Despite this active hatred from the university - she produced some of the
most important and fundamental work in mathematics and physics of the era
(less flashy than Einstein - but pretty damn important!)
Her list of “contributions to maths and physics” section on Wikipedia is
longer than Einstein’s - and second only to Dirac in volume. Her most
famous theory - Noether's theorem is one of the most fundamental
relationships we have - it links conservation laws to symmetries in space
and time. It is beautiful in its simplicity.
On top of this, she was renowned for being a genuinely caring human being.
To quote Wikipedia:
In addition to her mathematical insight, Noether was respected for her
consideration of others. Although she sometimes acted rudely toward those
who disagreed with her, she nevertheless gained a reputation for constant
helpfulness and patient guidance of new students…. A colleague later
described her this way: "Completely unegotistical and free of vanity, she
never claimed anything for herself, but promoted the works of her students
above all."
Q7 What are some of the greatest examples of presence of mind?
A7 Elango Venkateshan, Complete Vegetarian, not Tuesday, Friday
Updated 5y
I was too weak in English language and I had stage fright too during my
graduation.
In my college, they conducted Cambridge Business English Certification
training program.
We were divided into groups and each group had 5 members in it.Each group
was provided 5 questions. Each member should answer for a question for at
least 2 mins.
My question was 'you could go anywhere in the world, where you would like
to go and why you want to go?’.
I tried hard to form the sentences but I couldn't.
Finally my turn had come.
I was standing in front of 60 people and I didn't even know what to tell.
That's the time something suddenly sparked in my mind and I told that.
Everyone in the class was clapping for that answer and trainer was too
happy about that.
My question was 'you could go anywhere in the world, where you would like
to go and why you want to go?’.
My answer was
“I would like to go to my seat now. Because I am too nervous to stand
here.” :P
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