Persian Ramayana, Arabic Gita preserved
In this age of religious bigotry,many Muslim organisations of the
State are working tirelessly to preserve rare Hindu scriptures.
The 117-year-old Dairatul Maarif treasures its copy of the Arabic
version of the Bhagawad Gita, probably the only one of its kind
in the world. Similarly valued is the Persian Ramayana, estimated
to be more than 600 years old,which is kept in the
library-cum-research centre of the 132-year-old Jamia Nizamia.
The Arabic Gita and the Persian Ramayana are merely two among the
200-odd rare Hindu religious manuscripts and books preserved in
various Muslim research institutes including madarasas. These
organisations take great care of such manuscripts. The organisations
use state-of-the-art methods to protect them for posterity. Several
manuscripts been digitised and the CD versions are available for
scholars of comparative religion.
The Arabic version of the Holy Gita, known as Al Kita, is about
100 years old. The Jamia Nizamia, a deemed university with
international recognition, also possesses a 500-year-old manuscript
of the Mahabharata in Persian. Both these documents have been
laminated and preserved by Nizamia.
Al Kita was published by Dairatul Maarif in the beginning of the
last century on the request of a noble from Kolkata. Its pirated
editions are available in the Gulf countries. Another valuable
possession of the Daira is the Arabic version of Rabindranath Tagore’s
great Geetanjali.
Dozens of researchers visit these libraries to study the rare documents.
The Islamic Academy of Comparative Religion also has in its possession
score of Hindu religious books, including 188 Upanishads, four Vedas,
Bhagawad Gi-ta, Valmiki Ramayana, Ma-nusmriti and several Pura-nas.
It also possesses 30 Bibles in Hebrew, Arabic, Urdu, Telugu and Greek.
Where have all Brahmin godmen gone?
Prince Siddhartha who deserted his wife when she was not looking, made a confession years later. "I stealthily slipped out of the bedroom that night. I thought she was an obstacle in my spiritual pursuit. But looking back, I realise, it was a mistake. For a person who has his goals fixed, obstacles never happen."He was implying that for the bliss of salvation, one need not run away from the material world and its most slandered component — the wife.
Yet the charm of an ashram and the draw of a mutt has been compelling in this country. And for centuries, Brahmin orders have been the greatest beneficiaries of this nation's obsession with mediating mediums. But now, the financial and social clout of Brahmin spirituality has been dwarfed by the rise of Dravidians and other non-Brahmins. Hinduism is certainly not in the peril anymore of being considered a Brahmin idea but the cream caste's spiritual heads have lost so much mass support that the outcry after the arrest of Kanchi Acharya (often described as the spiritual head of the Hindus) was essentially a Brahmin anger.
The mutts promoted by Mata Amritanandamayi, Kalki Bhagawan, Bangaru Adigal, Vethathiri Maharishi, Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev and others in a growing list, are enjoying unprecedented influence today. Meanwhile, the number of mutts promoted by Brahmins since the time of Adi Sankara is more or less the same.
The recent rise in mutts promoted by non-Brahmins does not reflect any decimation in the innate spiritual tendencies of Brahmins. But, it does indicate there is something about the model of non-Brahmin mutts that makes them click.
There are significant differences between, say, Kanchi and Puttaparthi. The most defining difference is the extent of social commitment and the associated visibility of non-Brahmin mutts, particularly Sai Baba’s and Mata Amritanandamayi’s. Sai Baba, while producing holy ashes and gold chains, also created unique drinking water projects, hospitals and educational institutions for the poor.
Mata Amritanandamayi’s social contribution in Kerala and other parts of the country is enormous. Brahmin mutts have not built such enduring visible monuments for the poor but have poured plenty into dressing up or washing the gods. The Seer of Kanchi recently gifted a diamond studded crown to a temple. Grand, captivating events, but transient and forgettable unlike huge modern hospitals and colleges.
There is also another crucial difference between the two orders of mutts. Non-Brahmin godpeople touch their devotees. While the seer of Kanchi keeps a safe distance from his folk, Mata Amritanandamayi has marathon hugging sessions so long that they could be construed as a miracle by a woman who insists that she performs no miracles.
These differences between the mutts and the seers also imply that they have very disparate followings. Ninety per cent devotees of Kanchi Acharya are from the Brahmin community. It’s a similar ratio with non-Brahmin spiritual gurus too, who command an overwhelming majority of their devotees from other castes. While the schism is evident, there is a migration underway. A one-way migration. An increasing number of Brahmins are seeking the reassurances of non-Brahmin seers. It’s a consequence of an old Brahmin mentality to embrace a phenomenon once it establishes itself as a vital development worthy of their respect. However, it must be said that for many orthodox Brahmins, 'lesser form' spirituality is still a taboo. Many of them can’t even conceive a non-Brahmin becoming spiritual. It happened with Buddha too (nee Prince Siddharta), who was a kshathriya by birth.
Once as he passed through a Brahmin-dominated village, he was subjected to their abuse. Despite the verbal attack, when Buddha didn’t respond, one Brahmin asked him, "Why are you not reacting?" Buddha replied, "Sometime ago, I was in another village. People greeted me with flowers and fruits. I accepted the flowers, but turned down the fruits. What do you think the villagers would’ve done with those fruits?"
"They must have distributed them amongst themselves," came the Brahmin’s reply.
"Do the same with your abuses," he said.
Reading Sanskrit Improves Brain Functioning
The physiological effects of reading Sanskrit are similar to those experienced during the Transcendental Meditation® technique, according to research recently completed by Dr. Fred Travis, director of the ERG/psychophysiology lab of Maharishi University of Management in Fairfield, Iowa, USA.
Dr. Travis asked his test subjects to read passages from the Bhagavad-Gita in Sanskrit and in modern foreign languages (Spanish, French, or German). In each case they could pronounce the sounds but did not know the meaning. He measured brain wave patterns (ERG), heart and breath rate, and galvanic skin resistance during two reading sessions and during a 15-minute session of the Transcendental Meditation technique.
He found that while they read Sanskrit their physiology was similar to those measured during the Transcendental Meditation technique, but significantly different from reading a modern language.
Their skin resistance steadily increased during reading Sanskrit and during practice of the Transcendental Meditation technique (showing greater stability in their physiology) but remained the same during the reading of a modern language.
Their ERG alpha power and coherence during reading Sanskrit were also similar to that during the practice of the Transcendental Meditation technique, and both of these were higher than when the subjects read a modern language.
Dr. Travis said that these findings support Maharishi's predictions on the effects of reading Sanskrit. Maharishi, in Vedic Knowledge for Everyone, predicted that reading the Vedic Literature as it flows and progresses in perfect sequential order has the effect of regulating and balancing the functioning of the brain physiology and training
Consciousness, the mind, to always flow in perfect accordance with the evolutionary direction of Natural Law.
Dr. Travis found the similarity of physiology during reading Sanskrit and the Transcendental Meditation technique is especially noteworthy because one reads with his or her eyes open and engages in active perceptual and cognitive processes, while the Transcendental Meditation technique is done with one's eyes closed and entails a
Reduction of mental activity. This suggests that the state gained during the practice of the Transcendental Meditation technique may be integrated with active mental processes by reading Sanskrit.
Dr. Travis said, "The Transcendental Meditation technique takes the awareness to pure consciousness at the source of thought. Seeing similar patterns of physiology during reading Sanskrit as during the Transcendental Meditation technique suggests that reading Sanskrit enlivens pure consciousness at the source of thought and integrates that state with reading and speaking. In short, while practice of the Transcendental Meditation technique locates pure consciousness, leading to the state of Transcendental Consciousness, reading Sanskrit integrates inner silence with outer activity, helping to
Cultivate enlightenment."
