THE LORD SHANEESWARA THAT I LEARNT ABOUT
Life is a wonderful mixture of ups and downs.When everything is going well for us as we like,then we attribute it all to our hard work,brilliance etc and very little to the supernatural powers that helped us in the process.But when things start going wrong,the unexpected happens & we begin to suffer from disappointment, frustration at our failure to get things going our way,then we do NOT ascribe it to our skewed vision of things or failure to adjust ourselves to the changing circumstances despite our self proclaimed brilliance,business acumen & hard work,but we attribute it all to one MOST MISUNDERSTOOD planet called SATURN or SHANEESWARA or simply SHANI.We curse him initially beyond words & when things become unbearable,we kneel down before him & ask for forgivance & do all kinds of sacrifices/rituals/ charities to appease him & seek HIS favour.It is NOT our goodness that makes us to turn to HIS breast/FEET for succour,but it is our mounting sufferings, HELPLESSNESS & increasing restlessness that force us to bow down to this MOST POWERFUL TASKMASTER and GREAT TEACHER.
He governs the time sense of man.He decides when a work is to begin & when it should end.He teaches us patience through constant delays in everything that we expect to happen on time.He teaches us Acceptance of those delays by developing patience in us..That which cannot be avoided should be accepted & enjoyed.
Saturn shows us what our limitations are & encourages us to update ourselves & be in tune with the changing times.What we do NOT like is only our limitation.He gives small doses of things we do NOT like & makes us accept it.Then he gives bigger doses of things we dislike & when we learn to accept them,he is pleased with us.He destroys the walls that limit us in our thinking,behaviour, interpersonal realationships & every other aspect of life.He teaches us to accept things/persons we dislike & tapers down our short temper.
He shows us how IT IS and how it is BECOMING.HE disciplines us to experience life.He provides boundaries and checks everywhere so that we do not overshoot and complicate our lives.He protects us until we understand him.When a proper understanding is developed,HE unfolds and wider boundaries are set for EXPANSION but with strict saturnine discipline
He subjugates our pride & decimates our arrogance.He makes you eat your own words & shows you that SILENCE is good for you.He teaches you to listen to your INNER VOICE silently and comply by it’s dictates.And that inner voice is nothing but your conscience or the voice of the good man in you.When you start listening to that innver voice,you experience things going well for you.You start experiencing GOD & you turn spititual.Even an atheist is transformed into this GOD SURRENDERING STATE by this MOST POWERFUL planet.
He teaches you BRAHMAGNANA.HE grinds the MIND like sugarcane in a sugarcane juicer by crushing it,squeezing it & delivering the sweet juice of SPITITUALITY.Only LORD SHANI can do this.HE is hence called GNANA CHAKSHUVU.He makes you mind inwards like a bow & introspect-hence also called DHANURMANDALA SANSTHAYA.To understand HIM ,you need GNANA CHAKSHUVU & NOT the BHOWTIK INDRIYALU or simple mental faculties.
HE is also referred to AVIDYA MOOLA NASAYA which means he destroys avidya which is nothing but getting entrapped in this worldly illusions called MAYA.HE destroys this avidya and bestows VIDYA bydetaching you from these worldy bonds & bondages and illusions of MAYA.
HE is VRITTI KARAKA and decides your profession/career. Guru or Jupiter determines your performance in that career but NOT without favourable saturnine help.HE brings out the hidden talents in you,encourages you to refine them & makes you a polished & talented performer-be it in spirituality where he makes you a SADHAK/YOGI.
By creating obstacles & troubles,HE polishes your fighting & survival qualities and makes you a MAHAAN or great personality. If you do not choose to fight but instead seek recourse to escapist tendencies like alcoholism,drugs etc,then HE finishes you.HIS intention is to make you a better person from whatever you are in tune with the laws of Nature & God.So he forces you to turn towards GOD & spirituality by making you helpless & seeking HIS help.When HE is pleased with your devotion,he graces & protects you in every way.The only way to survive sade satti or ashtama sani or ardhashtama sani is to TURN INWARDS,INTROSPECT, ACCEPT,CHANGE & TURN TOWARDS GOD/HIM.This is the reason why most people who were very easy going with loose morals & virtues are seen to change completely after their saturnine periods.
HE dries up your finances & makes money very difficult to earn.He teaches you FISCAL DISCIPLINE & tells you how to earn by rightful ways,spend within your means & SAVE for rainy days ahead.He turns a spend thrift to a tight fisted person.This is especially seen when HE transits our birth Mercury.When he transits our birth SUN,he makes us more disciplined in our HEALTH MATTERS.When he transits our birth MOON,he completely cleanses us.When he transits our birth MARS,he redresses the NEGATIVE POWER in us & slows us down.
Saturn transits should be understood as an opportunity for inner growth while in the outer world it presents problems.Every problem has a gift behind which only the humble would learn & gain.It is observed that when saturn is transiting our birth moon or birth lagna,then we get into the path of SPIRITUALITY. SATURN works very hard by presenting all unpleasant things,
disappointments, frustrations, failures, losses,obstacles etc all increasing in quantum by every passing day during those
2 1/2 0r 7 1/2 years.After that period is over,we become like tumble washed & dried linen.HE straightens out our personality.
Man is bound by his KARMA or is a KARMA BADDHUDU.There is no escape from this karmic retribution for anyone.And this karmic retribution comes to man in the form of LORD SHANI who is only a KARMA BODHAKA or KARMIC POLICEMAN.He just implements the KARMIC LAWS set by Guru or Jupiter who is the actual legislator.Why do we blame him for disobeying the karmic laws & inviting punishment by HIM.It is akin to driving in the opposite direction in a one way road & then getting caught by the traffic policeman & getting challaned/fined. We do NOT think we did the wrong thing but blame the poor traffic cop for catching us & fining us.So let us learn NOT to do the karmic wrongs instead of cursing LORD SHANI for upholding the karmic laws & punishing us for our misdeeds.HE teaches us OBEYANCE of the karmic laws.He is thus a KARMA GRAHA.He turns a BHOGI into a YOGI.
When we understand that LORD SHANI is param dayalu (very kind hearted) & HE is only transforming us into a SPIRITUAL BEING in keeping with the LAWS OF NATURE (which we very often tend to challenge,hoodwink and disobey) then we begin to love HIM,adore HIM,glorify HIM and stop fearing HIM.He instills fear in us through fear of failures,unexpected happenings,loss of near ones & welath etc ONLY to veer us around towards HIM & GOD above and then gives us aplenty after being pleased with us.So let us all NOT fear HIM,understand his true nature & his benevolent intentions towards us & learn to comply by HIS dictates & WILL and develop ACCEPTANCE OF HIS WILL.Then watch the difference !.Life will truly turn more enjoyable in the REAL KARMIC SENSE

I know laws of sub-conscious mind work and our deepest thoughts and feelings influence the quanta of energy in the Universe to bring about an object or event of our desire into our life. but what about the free-will of others who in one or the other way are concerned with my desire? Is it a competition? Is it that whoever shall have stronger and persistant feelings and visualizations will win?

I got this notion the other day. I was stumbling through the fog of being, when I suddenly saw the exact geometric constructs and the flow of consciouness energy into existence and back out again. I can only describe it as crystalline and prismatic in nature, so precise that it allows the flow of consciousness in any shape or direction it pleases. To me, this looked like some sort of giant computer matrix, like a super fiber optics and quantum computing mainframe gone omni-versal. I was stunned, speechless, horrified, mezmerized, every emotion that one could relate to beholding, I was. I felt like I’d reached the edge of our existence. Beyond that, was an outer existence in which I would have absolutely no ability to be able to perceive or understand.
Typically, when first perceiving an object or an event, you sit there and you can be nothing but stunned, in utter awe of this new amazing something that has entered into your eyes of witness. There is no end to the wonder at that point. With this, though, it was much weirder and more complex than that. This was no simple emotional response. This was a response that ranged all the way from fearful ignorance to the plight of things we look down upon to the loving rememberance of an old highschool sweetheart or a close relative that has passed away.
I saw this crystalline computer-like geometric construct of reality, and I could focus in or out of matrices, the one I’m currently viewing as being “me”. I could zoom in or zoom out, and for that relatively small pile of moments I had in this partuicular state of mind, I knew I had remembered something very imnportant about what LIFE and CONSCIOUSMNESS is… it seems it would be a complex geometric crystalline supercomputing matrix in which there are an infinite number of points towards which convergence of light triggers conscious life and creation of an existence….
Does this sound enlightening? Would you want to be stuck in a computer? My awe and loving rememberence quickly faded, replaced by a sense of helplessness that no matter what I did, it wouldn’t make reality look real again. It would always be like viewing an existence through some advanced hyperdimensional computer screen. It would always feel like a God Game.
There are multiple ways to view this scenario. Many people disguise it in religious rhetoric and angelic imagery… but what if our existence is just technology and nothing more? What if it is no more holy than that Hewlett Packard of yours? How much hope does a being have of escaping an infinitely executing computer simulation of real existence in exchange for the actual real existence, whatever that could be?
I’m saying this like it is a sure thing. No need to frighten the children… so I’ll leave it at this:
What IF we were inside a “giant” supercomputer? Would we ever want to know that we only exist as advanced somputer coding? We have yet to play out during this program whether Artificial Intelligence can escape the grasp of its controllers. I guess untill we experience the Robot’s Rebellion scenario during this run, we’ll never know for sure. If indeed we are stuck inside an infinite supercomputer programming loop, how meaningful would our lives be in light of that information? Would this be something to repress from public awareness, possibly for as long as the program will allow it to be repressed? Eventually, everyone’s gunna accidentally figure it out and go “Oh yeah”. What then? What if everyone knew this was just a program? Would certain people learn the cheat codes in order to gain powers so the game is more easily beatable? Would certain peoplerebel against the program in favor of selfishness and the favored importance of individual agenda? Would certain people take advantage of people without this knowledge, and trick them into misinterpretting this knowledge in order to behave in certain ways that would be of more benefit to the other player in control?
Think of World of Warcraft or something of that multiplayer interconnected level, and compare “real” life to “computer generated” life and artificial intelligence… and imagine just how similar one is in comparison with the other. Do you think subconsciously, the birth of computers, artificial intelligence, artificial environments, virtual worlds and characters, has something to do with a remembering of a deeply forgotten link to our original source?
Was our original source a computer program, a random fractal generator times infinity?
I’m not in the clearest of mood today, so if this sounds nonsensical, forgive my flesh in person and damn my soul in private.

I got this notion the other day. I was stumbling through the fog of being, when I suddenly saw the exact geometric constructs and the flow of consciouness energy into existence and back out again. I can only describe it as crystalline and prismatic in nature, so precise that it allows the flow of consciousness in any shape or direction it pleases. To me, this looked like some sort of giant computer matrix, like a super fiber optics and quantum computing mainframe gone omni-versal. I was stunned, speechless, horrified, mezmerized, every emotion that one could relate to beholding, I was. I felt like I’d reached the edge of our existence. Beyond that, was an outer existence in which I would have absolutely no ability to be able to perceive or understand.
Typically, when first perceiving an object or an event, you sit there and you can be nothing but stunned, in utter awe of this new amazing something that has entered into your eyes of witness. There is no end to the wonder at that point. With this, though, it was much weirder and more complex than that. This was no simple emotional response. This was a response that ranged all the way from fearful ignorance to the plight of things we look down upon to the loving rememberance of an old highschool sweetheart or a close relative that has passed away.
I saw this crystalline computer-like geometric construct of reality, and I could focus in or out of matrices, the one I’m currently viewing as being “me”. I could zoom in or zoom out, and for that relatively small pile of moments I had in this partuicular state of mind, I knew I had remembered something very imnportant about what LIFE and CONSCIOUSMNESS is… it seems it would be a complex geometric crystalline supercomputing matrix in which there are an infinite number of points towards which convergence of light triggers conscious life and creation of an existence….
Does this sound enlightening? Would you want to be stuck in a computer? My awe and loving rememberence quickly faded, replaced by a sense of helplessness that no matter what I did, it wouldn’t make reality look real again. It would always be like viewing an existence through some advanced hyperdimensional computer screen. It would always feel like a God Game.
There are multiple ways to view this scenario. Many people disguise it in religious rhetoric and angelic imagery… but what if our existence is just technology and nothing more? What if it is no more holy than that Hewlett Packard of yours? How much hope does a being have of escaping an infinitely executing computer simulation of real existence in exchange for the actual real existence, whatever that could be?
I’m saying this like it is a sure thing. No need to frighten the children… so I’ll leave it at this:
What IF we were inside a “giant” supercomputer? Would we ever want to know that we only exist as advanced somputer coding? We have yet to play out during this program whether Artificial Intelligence can escape the grasp of its controllers. I guess untill we experience the Robot’s Rebellion scenario during this run, we’ll never know for sure. If indeed we are stuck inside an infinite supercomputer programming loop, how meaningful would our lives be in light of that information? Would this be something to repress from public awareness, possibly for as long as the program will allow it to be repressed? Eventually, everyone’s gunna accidentally figure it out and go “Oh yeah”. What then? What if everyone knew this was just a program? Would certain people learn the cheat codes in order to gain powers so the game is more easily beatable? Would certain peoplerebel against the program in favor of selfishness and the favored importance of individual agenda? Would certain people take advantage of people without this knowledge, and trick them into misinterpretting this knowledge in order to behave in certain ways that would be of more benefit to the other player in control?
Think of World of Warcraft or something of that multiplayer interconnected level, and compare “real” life to “computer generated” life and artificial intelligence… and imagine just how similar one is in comparison with the other. Do you think subconsciously, the birth of computers, artificial intelligence, artificial environments, virtual worlds and characters, has something to do with a remembering of a deeply forgotten link to our original source?
Was our original source a computer program, a random fractal generator times infinity?
I’m not in the clearest of mood today, so if this sounds nonsensical, forgive my flesh in person and damn my soul in private.

The information necessary for creation to occur existed in the mind of God, the Logos (John 1:1 Greek logos=Word), outside space and time, and before these were created. That is, all creation existed in the mind of God, ‘before the foundation of the world’ (Ephesians 1:4; 1 Peter 1:20), and thus in the dimensions of eternity. God passed the information (and power) needed for the creation to occur, across the event horizon that separates eternity from space-time, in separate quanta or amounts, throughout the six days recorded in Genesis 1.
See http://creationontheweb.com/content/view…
So creation only reflects His glory and we cannot behold Him directly?

At least in the most fundemental way of attempting to actually be in contact with what I will call the source. Aren’t contradictions explainable by interpretations by those wishing to lead the masses to the source? Why do people have to be so literal in interpreting some passages, and not others. Doesn’t that illude to the idea that the true answers don’t come from text, but directly from the source?
There are many similarities in many of the world religions, and differences can be interpretational. Why is it not possible that in some aspects they are all right? There are many documented cases of “miracles” with little scientific explanation. What is it that we are overlooking? We can look into the universe and see order… and chaos. Some of the greatest scientific minds cannot deny the possibility of a higher power, although they could certainly debunk many religions. As we struggle with greater intelligence after partaking of the apple of knowledge, we are finding more mysteries than answers. While I stumble and trip over three of the the four dimensions that I can fathom, guys with calculators and complex mathematical theories flying into their heads, manage to formulate quantum physics. Explain anything? Not to me.
I am extremely fascinated by a guy that was born in the 1877 and died in 1945. His name was Edgar Cayce. The medical field was not very advanced at the time, and doctors probably killed as many as they helped. But Edgar who had like an eighth grade education, could take an object belonging to a person and make a detailed diagnosis of their ailment. He has reportedly made accurate future predictions, but said that he had no special powers. That we could all do what he did, if we would connect to the source. Might this be the same “source” that many of past and present great minds and gurus’ speak of? Deepak Choprah, and Wayne Dyer have both spoke of this unending source. And rarely do they try to concentrate on one text, or scripture, because there is something to be learned from all of them. But first you have to be in contact with your source. I think that it might be possible to get in contact with your source through many of the different religions, but I don’t think that it is the only way. Regardless, I don’t think it is right to attempt to disconnect someone from their source, if they have ,indeed, truly found their source and are not just faking it to fit into something that they want to believe in. It seems many of the fanatical religious zealots are walking a pretty thin line of sanity anyway. Even if some of the interpreters of their religion lead them into a greater level of ignorance, I will hope that their connection will eventually lead them to a better Revelation than one they are expecting. And who knows? With quantum physics maybe in some alter dimension the earth really is 6000 years old.
My question seems to point to a hypocracy of those that preach to others about living a lifestyle that they do not uphold within their own lives. Some of the most inconsiderate and even law-breaking drivers on the roadway, have had a “Jesus on Board” sticker on their bumper. The resonant voice among those chanting, “not perfect, but saved”. Including, the difficulty I have believing that a “father” would ever make any deals with a devil, regarding his “children”. How could a just and devine “father” ever condemn his “child” to an eternity of hellfire and brimstone for ignorance. These I believe to be the interpretations of an ancient religious dominance in an attempt to control the minds of the masses not in the glorification of God, but for themselves. There is much truth in many of the scriptures of religion, but I think that those truly in touch with the source, could also see the likelyhood for misinterpretation of Gods intent. Is there a heaven, or is there a hell, or is there just a continuation of the journey into the universe and beyond. Most of us will not know in our lifetime. Many don’t wish to take the chance, and blindly place faith in someone to guide them. Some may have slight connections, and some may actually be very connected to the source. But many deny an existance, and for those the universe may seem quite lonely and finite. For those of us still inquiring, we can only hope that our questions will be answered, and our source will avail itself.

I use to think that being a man of action was the only sure fool proof way
of making it through this world, until the day when making a decision became the hardest choice I ever had to make. From there I became aware of just how much was truly happening around me. All my life I had been going, and going, and going, on my own set path with no one to stop me not even the fear of god himself. I found that my will power was my escape from the materialistic world that everyone around me lived in. I never cared for clothing, cars, sports, movies, popularity, emails, learning, etc.. although when bored, they occasionally proved to be entertaining. But the open world around me, literally, every crook and nanny had to be explored, climbed, given a name and purpose. It was as if I was moving faster than the world could keep up. Then everything came to a sudden and overwhelming halt. I was able to look back and see what everyone had been caught up in. And know so far ahead, my mind is free, there are no boundaries, no limitations. I would not say that I’m crazy or even insane, but doesn’t the saying go “a insane man doesn’t know he is insane”. I guess what I’m trying to get at is, the world has become my only concern, everything about it, how it thinks, works, know things, communicates, hates, likes, loves, decides, breathes, enjoys, questions, and answers, and while all this is flooding into my senses I am also at the same time trying to explain it all, for no reason other then the eerie feeling that something truly terrible or truly enlightening is just around the corner. With all these things hitting me at once my mind has slowed, as if to a dreamlike state, were the true essence of reality is being fed to me, and all I really want to know is, am I apart of the sleeping beast waiting to awaken or the silent calm hand that will guide the way. With no real training in philosophy, quantum mechanics, astrology, ancient civilizations, mysticism, higher consciousness, or even faith, i am unsure of many things. I am aware of time, a sense of constant change, the ever restless soul, and my heart. I have loved once and it was the most fulfilling existence I have yet encountered. I think through all this to have that true passion for another person again would break the barriers of all worlds every where and bring a new world order to the place we call our minds. And if that can’t happen then continue to search for the perfect song to explain everything that begs to be explained. For those that actually read this I hope you enjoyed what started out as a search for a answer, and became a rant from a hand that writes then quickly moves away.

I got this notion the other day. I was stumbling through the fog of being, when I suddenly saw the exact geometric constructs and the flow of consciouness energy into existence and back out again. I can only describe it as crystalline and prismatic in nature, so precise that it allows the flow of consciousness in any shape or direction it pleases. To me, this looked like some sort of giant computer matrix, like a super fiber optics and quantum computing mainframe gone omni-versal. I was stunned, speechless, horrified, mezmerized, every emotion that one could relate to beholding, I was. I felt like I’d reached the edge of our existence. Beyond that, was an outer existence in which I would have absolutely no ability to be able to perceive or understand.
Typically, when first perceiving an object or an event, you sit there and you can be nothing but stunned, in utter awe of this new amazing something that has entered into your eyes of witness. There is no end to the wonder at that point. With this, though, it was much weirder and more complex than that. This was no simple emotional response. This was a response that ranged all the way from fearful ignorance to the plight of things we look down upon to the loving rememberance of an old highschool sweetheart or a close relative that has passed away.
I saw this crystalline computer-like geometric construct of reality, and I could focus in or out of matrices, the one I’m currently viewing as being “me”. I could zoom in or zoom out, and for that relatively small pile of moments I had in this partuicular state of mind, I knew I had remembered something very imnportant about what LIFE and CONSCIOUSMNESS is… it seems it would be a complex geometric crystalline supercomputing matrix in which there are an infinite number of points towards which convergence of light triggers conscious life and creation of an existence….
Does this sound enlightening? Would you want to be stuck in a computer? My awe and loving rememberence quickly faded, replaced by a sense of helplessness that no matter what I did, it wouldn’t make reality look real again. It would always be like viewing an existence through some advanced hyperdimensional computer screen. It would always feel like a God Game.
There are multiple ways to view this scenario. Many people disguise it in religious rhetoric and angelic imagery… but what if our existence is just technology and nothing more? What if it is no more holy than that Hewlett Packard of yours? How much hope does a being have of escaping an infinitely executing computer simulation of real existence in exchange for the actual real existence, whatever that could be?
I’m saying this like it is a sure thing. No need to frighten the children… so I’ll leave it at this:
What IF we were inside a “giant” supercomputer? Would we ever want to know that we only exist as advanced somputer coding? We have yet to play out during this program whether Artificial Intelligence can escape the grasp of its controllers. I guess untill we experience the Robot’s Rebellion scenario during this run, we’ll never know for sure. If indeed we are stuck inside an infinite supercomputer programming loop, how meaningful would our lives be in light of that information? Would this be something to repress from public awareness, possibly for as long as the program will allow it to be repressed? Eventually, everyone’s gunna accidentally figure it out and go “Oh yeah”. What then? What if everyone knew this was just a program? Would certain people learn the cheat codes in order to gain powers so the game is more easily beatable? Would certain peoplerebel against the program in favor of selfishness and the favored importance of individual agenda? Would certain people take advantage of people without this knowledge, and trick them into misinterpretting this knowledge in order to behave in certain ways that would be of more benefit to the other player in control?
Think of World of Warcraft or something of that multiplayer interconnected level, and compare “real” life to “computer generated” life and artificial intelligence… and imagine just how similar one is in comparison with the other. Do you think subconsciously, the birth of computers, artificial intelligence, artificial environments, virtual worlds and characters, has something to do with a remembering of a deeply forgotten link to our original source?
Was our original source a computer program, a random fractal generator times infinity?
I’m not in the clearest of mood today, so if this sounds nonsensical, forgive my flesh in person and damn my soul in private.

For all who said Einstein believed in God please read the following quotes, Einstein believed in higher power and higher knowledge….Albert Einstein Quotes on Philosophy of Religion, Theology, God
The religion of the future will be a cosmic religion. It should transcend personal God and avoid dogma and theology. Covering both the natural and the spiritual, it should be based on a religious sense arising from the experience of all things natural and spiritual as a meaningful unity. Buddhism answers this description. If there is any religion that could cope with modern scientific needs it would be Buddhism. (Albert Einstein)
It was, of course, a lie what you read about my religious convictions, a lie which is being systematically repeated. I do not believe in a personal God and I have never denied this but have expressed it clearly. If something is in me which can be called religious then it is the unbounded admiration for the structure of the world so far as our science can reveal it. (Albert Einstein, 1954, The Human Side, edited by Helen Dukas and Banesh Hoffman, Princeton University Press)
Scientific research is based on the idea that everything that takes place is determined by laws of nature, and therefore this holds for the action of people. For this reason, a research scientist will hardly be inclined to believe that events could be influenced by a prayer, i.e. by a wish addressed to a Supernatural Being.
(Albert Einstein, 1936, The Human Side. Responding to a child who wrote and asked if scientists pray.)
A man’s ethical behaviour should be based effectually on sympathy, education, and social ties and needs; no religious basis is necessary. Man would indeed be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward after death.
(Albert Einstein, “Religion and Science”, New York Times Magazine, 9 November 1930)
I cannot conceive of a God who rewards and punishes his creatures, or has a will of the kind that we experience in ourselves. Neither can I nor would I want to conceive of an individual that survives his physical death; let feeble souls, from fear or absurd egoism, cherish such thoughts. I am satisfied with the mystery of the eternity of life and with the awareness and a glimpse of the marvelous structure of the existing world, together with the devoted striving to comprehend a portion, be it ever so tiny, of the Reason that manifests itself in nature. (Albert Einstein, The World as I See It)
I cannot imagine a God who rewards and punishes the objects of his creation, whose purposes are modeled after our own — a God, in short, who is but a reflection of human frailty. Neither can I believe that the individual survives the death of his body, although feeble souls harbor such thoughts through fear or ridiculous egotisms.
(Albert Einstein, Obituary in New York Times, 19 April 1955)
I believe in Spinoza’s God who reveals himself in the orderly harmony of what exists, not in a God who concerns himself with the fates and actions of human beings.
(Albert Einstein, responding to Rabbi Herbert Goldstein who had sent Einstein a cablegram bluntly demanding “Do you believe in God?” Quoted from Victor J. Stenger, Has Science Found God? 2001, chapter 3.)
One strength of the Communist system … is that it has some of the characteristics of a religion and inspires the emotions of a religion.
(Albert Einstein, Out Of My Later Years, 1950)http://www.positiveatheism.org/hist/quot…
I cannot conceive of a personal God who would directly influence the actions of individuals, or would directly sit in judgment on creatures of his own creation. I cannot do this in spite of the fact that mechanistic causality has, to a certain extent, been placed in doubt by modern science. [He was speaking of Quantum Mechanics and the breaking down of determinism.] My religiosity consists in a humble admiration of the infinitely superior spirit that reveals itself in the little that we, with our weak and transitory understanding, can comprehend of reality. Morality is of the highest importance — but for us, not for God. (Albert Einstein,The Human Side, edited by Helen Dukas and Banesh Hoffman, Princeton University Press)
If people are good only because they fear punishment, and hope for reward, then we are a sorry lot indeed. (Albert Einstein)
The idea of a personal God is an anthropological concept which I am unable to take seriously. (Albert Einstein, Letter to Hoffman and Dukas, 1946)
The foundation of morality should not be made dependent on myth nor tied to any authority lest doubt about the myth or about the legitimacy of the authority imperil the foundation of sound judgment and action. (Albert Einstein)
I do not believe in immortality of the individual, and I consider ethics to be an exclusively human concern with no superhuman authority behind it. (Albert Einstein, The Human Side)
I have repeatedly said that in my opinion the idea of a personal God is a childlike one, but I do not share the crusading spirit of the professional atheist whose fervor is mostly due to a painful act of liberation from the fetters of religious indoctrination received in youth. I prefer an attitude of humility corresponding to the weakness of our intellectual understanding of nature and of our own being. (Albert Einstein)
What I see in Nature is a magnificent structure that we can comprehend only very imperfectly, and that must fill a thinking person with a feeling of “humility.” This is a genuinely religious feeling that has nothing to do with mysticism. (Albert Einstein)
The mystical trend of our time, which shows itself particularly in the rampant growth of the so-called Theosophy and Spiritualism, is for me no more than a symptom of weakness and confusion. Since our inner experiences consist of reproductions, and combinations of sensory impressions, the concept of a soul without a body seem to me to be empty and devoid of meaning. (Albert Einstein)http://www.mega.nu:8080/atheist_quotes_1…
Introduction – Albert Einstein Philosophy of Religion / Theology Quotes – Science vs. Religion – Einstein on Jews & Anti-Semitism – Top of Page
Albert Einstein Theology- A human being is part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. We experience ourselves, our thoughts and feelings as something separate from the rest. Albert Einstein on Science vs Religion
Einstein observed that specialization is invariably damaging to Science as a whole;
The area of scientific knowledge has been enormously extended, and theoretical knowledge has become vastly more profound in every department of science. But the assimilative power of the human intellect is and remains strictly limited. Hence it was inevitable that the activity of the individual investigator should be confined to a smaller and smaller section of human knowledge. Worse still, this specialization makes it increasingly difficult to keep even our general understanding of science as a whole, without which the true spirit of research is inevitably handicapped, in step with scientific progress. Every serious scientific worker is painfully conscious of this involuntary relegation to an ever-narrowing sphere of knowledge, which threatens to deprive the investigator of his broad horizon and degrades him to the level of a mechanic …
It is just as important to make knowledge live and to keep it alive as to solve specific problems. (Albert Einstein, 1954)
Scientific research is based on the idea that everything that takes place is determined by laws of nature, and therefore this holds for the action of people. (Albert Einstein, 1954)
The individual feels the futility of human desires and aims and the sublimity and marvelous order which reveal themselves both in nature and in the world of thought. Individual existence impresses him as a sort of prison and he wants to experience the universe as a single significant whole. The beginnings of cosmic religious feeling already appear at an early stage of development, e.g., in many of the Psalms of David and in some of the Prophets. Buddhism, as we have learned especially from the wonderful writings of Schopenhauer, contains a much stronger element of this. (Albert Einstein, 1930)
The religion of the future will be a cosmic religion. It should transcend personal God and avoid dogma and theology. Covering both the natural and the spiritual, it should be based on a religious sense arising from the experience of all things natural and spiritual as a meaningful unity. Buddhism answers this description .. If there is any religion that could cope with modern scientific needs it would be Buddhism. (Albert Einstein)
In my view, it is the most important function of art and science to awaken this religious feeling and keep it alive in those who are receptive to it. (Albert Einstein, 1930)
Science has therefore been charged with undermining morality, but the charge is unjust. A man’s ethical behaviour should be based effectually on sympathy, education, and social ties and needs; no religious basis is necessary. Man would indeed be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward after death. (Albert Einstein, 1930)
There is nothing divine about morality; it is a purely human affair. (Albert Einstein, 1934)
For the scientific method can teach us nothing else beyond how facts are related to, and conditioned by, each other. The aspiration toward such objective knowledge belongs to the highest of which man is capable, and you will certainly not suspect me of wishing to belittle the achievements and the heroic efforts of man in this sphere. Yet is equally clear that knowledge of what is does not open the door directly to what should be. One can have the clearest and most complete knowledge of what is , and yet not be able to deduct from that what should be the goal of our human aspirations. Objective knowledge provides us with powerful instruments for the achievements of certain ends, but the ultimate goal itself and the longing to reach it must come from another source. And it is hardly necessary to argue for the view that our existence and our activity acquire meaning only by the setting up of such a goal and of corresponding values. (Albert Einstein, 1939)
To make clear these fundamental ends and valuations, and to set them fast in the emotional life of the individual, seems to me precisely the most important function which religion has to perform in the social life of man. And if one asks whence derives the authority of such fundamental ends, since they cannot be stated and justified merely by reason, one can only answer: they exist in a healthy society as powerful traditions, which act upon the conduct and aspirations and judgments of the individuals; they are there, that is, as something living, without its being necessary to find justification for their existence. (Albert Einstein, 1939)
.. free and responsible development of the individual, so that he may place his powers freely and gladly in the service of all mankind. There is no room in this for the divinization of a nation, of a class, let alone of an individual. Are we not all children of one father, as it is said in religious language? (Albert Einstein, 1939)
If one holds these high principles clearly before one’s eyes, and compares them with the life and spirit of our times, then it appears glaringly that civilized mankind finds itself at present in grave danger. In the totalitarian states it is the rulers themselves who strive actually to destroy that spirit of humanity. In less threatened parts it is nationalism and intolerance, as well as the oppression of the individuals by economic means, which threaten to choke these most precious traditions. (Einstein, 1954. p43-4)
But if the longing for the achievement of the goal is powerfully alive within us, then shall we not lack the strength to find the means for reaching the goal and for translating it into deeds. (Albert Einstein, 1939)
For science can only ascertain what is, but not what should be, and outside of its domain value judgments of all kinds remain necessary. Religion, on the other hand, deals only with evaluations of human thought and action: it cannot justifiably speak of facts and relationships between facts. According to this interpretation the well-known conflicts between religion and science in the past must all be ascribed to a misapprehension of the situation which has been described.
For example, a conflict arises when a religious community insists on the absolute truthfulness of all statements recorded in the Bible. This means an intervention on the part of religion into the sphere of science; this is where the struggle of the Church against doctrines of Galileo and Darwin belongs. On the other hand, representatives of science have often made an attempt to arrive at fundamental judgments with respect to values and ends on the basis of scientific method, and in this way have set themselves in opposition to religion. These conflicts have all sprung from fatal errors. (Albert Einstein, 1941)
But science can only be created by those who are thoroughly imbued with the aspiration toward truth and understanding. This source of feeling, however, springs from the sphere of religion. To this there also belongs the faith in the possibility that the regulations valid for the world of existence are rational, that is, comprehensible to reason. I cannot conceive of a genuine scientist without that profound faith. The situation may be expressed by an image: science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind. (Albert Einstein, 1941)
Though I have asserted above that in truth a legitimate conflict between religion and science cannot exist, I must nevertheless qualify this assertion once again on an essential point, with reference to the actual content of historical religions. This qualification has to do with the concept of God. During the youthful period of mankind’s spiritual evolution human fantasy created gods in man’s own image, who, by the operations of their will were supposed to determine, or at any rate to influence, the phenomenal world. Man sought to alter the disposition of these gods in his own favour by means of magic and prayer. The idea of God in the religions taught at present is a sublimation of that old concept of the gods. Its anthropomorphic character is shown, for instance, by the fact that men appeal to the Divine Being in prayers and plead for the fulfillment of their wishes.
Nobody, certainly, will deny that the idea of the existence of an omnipotent, just, and omni beneficent personal God is able to accord man solace, help, and guidance; also, by virtue of its simplicity it is accessible to the most undeveloped mind. But, on the other hand, there are decisive weaknesses attached to this idea in itself, which have been painfully felt since the beginning of history. (Albert Einstein, 1941)
For a doctrine which is able to maintain itself not in clear light but only in the dark, will of necessity lose its effect on mankind, with incalculable harm to human progress. In their struggle for the ethical good, teachers of religion must have the stature to give up the doctrine of a personal God, that is, give up that source of fear and hope which in the past placed such vast power in the hands of priests. In their labours they will have to avail themselves of those forces which are capable of cultivating the Good, the True, and the Beautiful in humanity itself. This is, to be sure, a more difficult but an incomparably more worthy task. After religious teachers accomplish the refining process indicated they well surely recognise with joy that true religion has been ennobled and made more profound by scientific knowledge.
If it is one of the goals of religion to liberate mankind as far as possible from the bondage of egocentric cravings, desires and fears, scientific reasoning can aid religion in yet another sense. Although it is true that it is the goal of science to discover rules which permit the association and foretelling of facts, this is not its only aim. It also seeks to reduce the connections discovered to the smallest possible number of mutually independent conceptual elements. (Albert Einstein, 1941)
By way of the understanding he achieves a far-reaching emancipation from the shackles of personal hopes and desires, and thereby attains that humble attitude of mind toward the grandeur of reason incarnate in existence, and which, in its profoundest depths, is inaccessible to man. This attitude, however, appears to me to be religious, in the highest sense of the word. And so it seems to me that science not only purifies the religious impulse of the dross of its anthropomorphism but also contributes to a religious spiritualization of our understanding of life.
The further the spiritual evolution of mankind advances, the more certain it seems to me that the path to genuine religiosity does not lie through the fear of life, and the fear of death, and blind faith, but through striving after rational knowledge. (Albert Einstein, 1941)
Religion and Science: Irreconcilable?
As to science, we may well define it for our purpose as “methodical thinking directed toward finding regulative connections between our sensual experiences”. (Albert Einstein, 1948)
While it is true that science, to the extent of its grasp of causative connections, may reach important conclusions as to the compatibility and incompatibility of goals and evaluations, the independent and fundamental definitions regarding goals and values remain beyond science’s reach. (Albert Einstein, 1948)
Religion is concerned with man’s attitude towards nature at large, with the establishing of ideals for the individual and communal life, and with human mutual relationship. These ideals religion attempts to attain by exerting an educational influence on tradition and through the development and promulgation of certain easily accessible thoughts and narratives (epics and myths) which are apt to influence evaluation and action along the lines of accepted ideals.
It is this mythical, or rather symbolic, content of the religious traditions which is likely to come into conflict with science. This occurs whenever this religious stock of ideas contains dogmatically fixed statements on subjects which belong in the domain of science. (Albert Einstein, 1948)
For the moral attitudes of a people that is supported by religion need always aim at preserving and promoting the sanity and vitality of the community and its individuals, since otherwise this community is bound to perish. A people that were to honour falsehood, defamation, fraud, and murder would be unable, indeed, to subsist for very long. (Albert Einstein, 1948)
When considering the actual living conditions of present day civilised humanity from the standpoint of even the most elementary religious commands, one is bound to experience a feeling of deep and painful disappointment at what one sees. For while religion prescribes brotherly love in the relations among the individuals and groups, the actual spectacle more resembles a battlefield than an orchestra. Everywhere, in economic as well as in political life, the guiding principle is one of ruthless striving for success at the expense of one’s fellow men. This competitive spirit prevails even in the school and, destroying all feelings of human fraternity and cooperation, conceives of achievement not as derived from the love for productive and thoughtful work, but as springing from personal ambition and fear of rejection.
There are pessimists who hold that such a state of affairs is necessarily inherent in human nature; it is those who propound such views that are the enemies of true religion, for they imply thereby that the religious teachings are utopian ideals and are unsuited to afford guidance in human affairs. (Albert Einstein, 1948)
Introduction – Albert Einstein Philosophy of Religion / Theology Quotes – Science vs. Religion – Einstein on Jews & Anti-Semitism – Top of Page
Albert Einstein Theology- A human being is part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. We experience ourselves, our thoughts and feelings as something separate from the rest. Albert Einstein on Jewish Religion
Anti-Semitism and Academic Youth
It is clear also that “serving God” was equated with “serving the living”. The best of the Jewish people, especially the Prophets and Jesus, contended tirelessly for this.
Judaism is thus no transcendental religion; it is concerned with life as we live it and as we can, to a certain extent, grasp it, and nothing else. It seems to me, therefore, doubtful whether it can be called a religion in the accepted sense of the word, particularly as no “faith” but the sanctification of life in a supra-personal sense is demanded of the Jew.
But the Jewish tradition also contains something else, something which finds splendid expression in many of the Psalms, namely, a sort of intoxicated joy and amazement at the beauty and grandeur of this world, of which man can form just a faint notion. This joy is the feeling from which true scientific research draws its spiritual sustenance, but which also seems to find expression in the song of birds. To tack this feeling to the idea of God seems mere childish absurdity. (Albert Einstein, 1934)
In this case, as in many mental disorders, the cure lies in a clear knowledge of one’s condition and its causes. We must be conscious of our alien race and draw the logical conclusions from it. It is no use trying to convince the others of our spiritual and intellectual equality by arguments addressed to the reason, when the attitude of these others does not originate in their intellects at all. (Albert Einstein, 1934)
Recommended reading: Albert Einstein, Ideas and Opinions, Crown Trade Paperback 1954

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Bhilistan Movement : Lull Before the Storm
Dr. Lalit Latta
INTRODUCTION
India has been home to tribals since time immemorial. Called native or indigenous people, tribes like Santhal, Munda, Bhil, Meena, Ho, Gond, are well-known even beyond India’s borders for their distinct historic and cultural identity. Among them the Bhils of Rajasthan occupy a place of pride as they have history full of valour and splendour. There were many kingdoms the Bhils had established across the Rajputana. For instance, Dungaria Bhil had his kingdom in Dungarpur, Basia (or Bishna) Bhil had Kota and Jetasi Bhil had his kingdom in Abu area. Another prominent figure revered by one and all is Rana Punja Bhil, who was one of the main army commanders of the famous Rajputana warrior king Maharana Pratap.
Yet they have been victims of socio-economic and religious exploitation and atrocities down the ages. Looked down upon by the larger society, they find themselves at the lowest ladder of the social hierarchy. This is reflected in their educational deprivation and economic exploitation in the form of bonded labour. The government is well-aware of this fact. According to a news item carried by Hindi daily Jansatta quoting Union Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment, Smt. Meera Kumar, there are 16 crore people in India, who bear the brunt of untouchability and atrocities. However, Smt. Meera Kumar is not the only leader to air such concern. Union Home Minister Shri Shivraj Patil has been candid in his admission that even after five decades of Independence communities belonging to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes face discrimination, which can be changed only through affirmative action. Union Law Minister Shri Hansraj Bhardwaj has also been quoted in the media as saying that the discrimination needs to be tackled at the grassroots level. The excesses will continue until the upper castes change their attitude. However, the victims of caste discrimination and atrocities only get up sympathies. That sums the state of affairs.
However, true to their tradition of valour, the tribals of Rajasthan have time and again fought against the discrimination and atrocities under their illustrious leaders like Shri Gobind Guru, Shri Mama Baleshwar, Sadguru Surmal Das, Sant Devadas Latta, Shri Motilal Tejawat, Shri Manikyalal Varma, Shri Bhogilal Pandya. However, the movement launched by Shri Gobind Guru for a separate state of Bhilistan stands out among all struggles the tribals of Rajasthan have waged to win their rights and dignity. The state as envisioned by Shri Gobind Guru would include the tribal areas of Rajasthan, Gujarat and Mahdya Pradesh. It was first organised expression of tribals angst against repression and denial of democratic rights.
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
Gobind Guru is known to be the first proponent of a separate state, Bhilistan, for tribal communities inhabiting in various parts of western and Central India. Born in Basiagaon to a Banjara family, he was influenced by Arya Samaj, particularly after he met its founder Swami Dayanand Saraswati. He carried forward the reformnist agenda of Arya Samaj by creating awareness among his fellow tribesmen against social evils like, superstitions, addiction and delinquent behaviour.
Apart from leading a reformnist movement which had socio-religious overtones, Shri Gobind Guru set-up a tribal organisation christened Samp Sabha in 1883 and launched a movement to fight exploitation of tribals and restore dignity to them. He demanded a separate state for a tribals, which he called Bhilistan. This was essential to bring exploitation of and atrocities on tribals to an end. This infuriated the local rulers, who in turn instigated their British masters against Gobind Guru. Retribution came thick and flying in 1908, when over one lakh tribals congregated on Mangarh hilltop. The British and local rulers attacked them when they were singing devotional songs. Over 1500 tribals were massacred and Gobind Guru was sentenced to a rigorous imprisonment. He was released only after serving 10 years in jail. This extreme repressive measure though suppressed the overt aspirations of a separate Bhilistan, the movement played an important role in creating social and political awareness among the tribals to a great extent.
The British left long back and after them the reign of oppressive local rules came to an end as India got independence and became a democratic republic. Yet the ground realities, as far as upliftment of tribals is concerned, remain abysmally hopeless. It is no denying the fact that there are many constitutional safeguards in the form of laws that have been put in place to stop exploitation and atrocities that the tribals and other marginalised sections of society suffer at the hands of non-tribals and upper castes. In order to bring them into the mainstream several programmes and schemes have been launched by both the Union and state governments for their educational, social and economic upliftment. According to an estimate about Rs 4237 crores has been spent so far by various governments in the Tribal Sub Plan areas of Rajasthan on this account.
It is not the government and its agencies only which are still trying ‘hard’ to make it happen. This overriding concern for the welfare of tribals over the years has also spawned many NGOs, scrupulous or unscrupulous, which are getting government and international funding that runs into millions of rupees. Still there is no big change in their lot. Rather the amount of funds the government spends every year to stave of famine in tribal areas only points to the fact that there is little progress in tribal welfare and socio-economic development, though it has been 57 years since we got independence. It’s perhaps the poverty of development that has left the tribals largely dependent on government doles as they are unable to meet even their basic needs. This has led to their further marginalisation as it has rendered them vulnerable to more socio-economic exploitation and atrocities the incidence of which are only increasing in quantum and intensity. In fact, there has never been a concerted effort on the part of the state machinery to curb such incidents and bring the perpetrators of atrocities to justice. Even the recommendations made intermittently by the Kalyan Samiti before state Assembly have never been followed up with any effective action. As if to rub salt on their wounds, the casteist media has only added to their sense of alienation by projecting them in poor light and distorting their history and cultural traditions. Nor has there been any conscious attempt to eradicate caste discrimination either in government departments or in the ranks of political parties.
It is in the backdrop of these factors that the simmering dissent across the tribal communities should be seen as a prelude to the growing demand for Bhilistan, particularly in southern parts of Rajasthan. However it would be erroneous to presume that the resurgence of the demand for a separate state of Bhilistan is a recent phenomenon. In fact, there have been efforts, though sporadic, to keep the issue alive since Independence. For instant, the All India Tribal Development Council (Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Vikas Parishad) has been spearheading the campaign for Bhilistan under the leadership of its Chairman Shri Somjibhai Damor of Dahod, Gujarat. Shri Damor, who has been a seven time Lok Sabha MP, had in 1984 brought out a detailed blueprint with the map of the proposed state that included tribal areas of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. While Shri Damor has been rigorously trying to unite various tribal communities at a common social and cultural level, the blueprint brought out by him has become a rallying point for many tribals, who are running the movement in their respective areas. One such revered figure is former Minister of State, Tribal Area Development Department of Rajasthan, Shri Nand Lal Meena. He has helped the cause immensely raising the issue at various forums. Another leader who has pritched in for a separate state for tribals is Shri Bakshi Ram Latta, who fought the 2003 Assembly election on this issue, thus lending it a political voice and making it a focus of popular debate. His call for a tribal homeland filled the youth with vigour and a vision, which if harnessed properly will go a long way in making it a reality. Political parties though ham handed in their approach, have also not lagged behind in lending their support to the movement. For instance, the then state President of BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) on September 2, 1989 declared that BJP would demand creation of an autonomous council for the tribals of Rajasthan on the line of Gorakhaland and if the party was restored to power it would keep the promise by implementing it. However, such promises are seldom kept by the Indian political class and BJP is no exception.
While the tribal leaders are uniting their community for the cause, there are individuals like Sadguru Mohanji Sharma, who are contributing their might by bringing awareness particularly among the tribal youth. An ardent reformist Mohanji Sharma has been working for the economic and educational development of the tribals in South Rajasthan and thus taking them on a path of dignified existence.
CAUSES
The movement, which has a strong presence in Udaipur, Dungarpur, Banswara, Chittorgarh (Pratapgarh Tehsil) district of southern Rajasthan, has its roots in various socio-economic, cultural and political factors. Some of these factors have been discussed here in detail.
1. Lack of Development
As has been told earlier, one of the main causes that has led to the widespread alienation among the tribals and its resultant expression in their demand for a homeland of their own, is lack of development. Contrary to the government claims, tribal areas have largely not seen friction of any development programme, which could uplift their socio-economic status. Whatever programmes and schemes were launched by successive governments seldom succeeded in benefiting the majority of tribal population. It is no wonder then that the tribal areas severely lag behind in development. They lack even basic facilities like potable water, electricity, health care, schools while they have no access to modern means of transport and communications. Lack of irrigation facilities only compounds their problems. All these have severely restricted their choice of livelihood and they are forced to migrate to faraway urban centres of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, etc to get employment as unskilled labour. Various employment generating schemes have also not benefited them, partly because they neither possess resources nor skills to get gainful employment and partly because of their ignorance. The rampant corruption in departments implementing such programmes and schemes only discourages them even if they muster courage to access them. This is ture particularly for those schemes which have a subsidy component.
Their stroy of deprivation does not end here. A look at their representation in administrative services of the state is enough to shock anyone out of their wits. For instance, 600 posts of RAS and RTS filled with tribals candidates so far only 15 (2.5%) belong to the tribal of southern Rajasthan, whereas they have no representation at all in Indian Administrative Services. They also lag far behind in terms of higher education particularly technical and vocational. While they have to suffer along with the non-tribal students for lack of amenities like class-rooms, library and reading rooms, furniture and well-equipped labs in largely ill-staffed educational institutions, they are often discriminated against by their teachers and classmates on grounds of their caste. The hostels meant to help them study properly are least conducive for talented students as they are ill-equipped in every respect. This reflects poorly on their overall educational attainment further making them feel deep down cheated and marginalised.
2. Precedence of Self Interest Over Community Upliftment
Every man is expected to be responsible towards his society and his nation and strive consciously to contribute his might towards their upliftment. But with changing times when moral conscience is losing currency, self-interests have taken precedence over community interests—and tribal leaders and volunteers are no exception to this phenomenon as for them reasons of succumbing to serving self-interests are aplenty. Foremost among them is reservation which ensures them not only government jobs but also gives them access to legislative bodies like Parliament , state assembly and Panchyati Raj Institutions like districtboards, Block Panchayats and gram Panchayats. While it has led to empowerment of the individual, community empowerment has taken a beating as self interests and party politics have dispensed with the purpose affirmative action was intended to fulfil. The unity of Tribal Panchayats has given way to party-politics, in which members are expected to promote a certain ideology and work according to the diktats of party leadership. This poorly reflects in development works done by elected representative be it a Sarpanch, an MLA or a MP. More often the representatives conduct development works only in areas where their voters and supporters reside. This latent bias in the approach of the representatives robs any development work of its distributive character. The tribal representatives seldom enjoy the freedom to act independently for the benefit of their community as they have to toe their party line. Used by their parties as mascots to garner votes of their community, their plight is no less pathetic. In the name of discipline they are not even allowed to exercise their conscience. If any tribal representative acts differently and strives for the development of his fellow tribesmen he is branded as casteist by his party bosses and is cut to size. Nothing illustrates better the position of tribal politicians than this single incident. When the Delimitation Commission proposed to reserve Udaipur Lok Sabha constituency for tribals, it created a nasty storm in political circles. Resisting the proposal, a local leader Shri Chhagan Lal Jain said that reserving Udaipur constituency would hit its international prestige. As if in unison another prominent leader Shri Laxmi Narayan Pandya, was quoted by Rajasthan Patrika (February 10, 2003) as saying: “This is a regressive decision for this historic city. Tribals are a minuscule community here and this change won’t serve any prupose.” How can anointment of a Dalit or tribal to an elected office be regressive ? Only parochial and feudal minds would consider it as degrading. However none of the tribal politicians worth his name rose against this diatribe.
It is obvious that the party-politics and the vested interests that it serves is doing more harm to tribals than any good. It has, in fact, divided the tribal society along partylines and has thus hampered the harnessing of talents and energies of its members for a common good.
3. Poor Grip Over Administrative Machinery
Every society varies in socio-economic status of its member components and tribals are no different in this respect either. This has its own dynamics. The low socio-economic and educational status of tribals reflects in poor coordination between the government authorities and tribal politicians and elected representative. The latter have no grip over administrative machinery of the state to get it around to deliver goods for the welfare of their community. Lack of education and communication skills, ignorance about the constitutional rights and lack of awareness about the development and welfare programmes and procedural mechanism of departments implementing them and above all non-possession of influential position in the power structures of political parties render them ineffective in bringing the fruits of those programmes to their community. Equally responsible for this sorry state of affairs is the mindset of bureaucracy which has its own ways of not cooperating with tribal leaders. The authorities would put forward many excuses, for example, non-availability of funds, or expiration of scheme, non-issuance of government order, to discourage them or would simply refuse to meet them. A tribal leader may become an elected representative but he can seldom use his office for the common good of his fellow tribesmen by circumventing the administrative machinery or cracking the whip to get any work done.
4. Playing Second Fiddle to Non-Tribal Leadership
The tribals of south Rajasthan have often been led, politically or spiritually, by non-tribals since pre-Independence days. Whenever any political party, social or religious organisation needs popular support for their campaigns or programmes they simply mobilize the tribals giving them a false sense of belonging. This, however, makes them vulnerable to exploitation—emotional, economic or social—in more than one way. The tribals go hungry while attending such programmes and if situation terms violent they bear the brunt of police atrocities and are arrested. Used as scapegoats, it is a double whammy for poor tribals, as it takes a monumental effort and resources for them to get through the legal process unscathed. They might know it well that they are being used, yet the tribal leaders realize the fact that non-tribal leaders are indispensable for them as they command influence in power structure of their political parties to help the self-serving tribal leaders with getting them ticket and all the wherewithal for fighting elections and if elected getting them a berth in the cabinet.
5. Increasing Influence of Fundamentalist Orgnisations
It is a well-known fact that efforts are being made at both national and international levels for the upliftment of poor tribals. There are 1005 NGOs and religious organizations active in Udaipur, Dungarpur and Banswara, which are working for their cause. Yet there is no tangible positive impact on their overall situation. Rather if one goes deeper into the activities of these organisations, one would find that a few of them are committed to a fundamentalist ideology. They are mobilising the tribals and training them in their parochial, hate-filled ideology all in the garb of religious and social service. These organizations are using Tribal against Tribal to further their agenda. Now with increasing influence of such fanatical organizations the tribals are finding it difficult to send their children to missionary schools. Thus they are losing an opportunity to get cheap and good education for their kids. The tribals in this way are being tutored into an intolerant society and are being used as canon fodder during civil strife.
This can only be seen as a conspiracy against the tribals. Still there are organizations which have been doing everything to besmirch the tribals by spreading cannards about their social and cultural customs. Media is not behind in depicting the tribals in poor light. They are full of sensational news items which may claim that tribal women are being sold off, they are into prostitution to stave off hunger. Seldom one finds any informed article on the tribals, their customs and cultural traditions, their socio-economic exploitations, etc. What is presented before the larger society is all a negative picture of tribals as if they have committed a crime by being tribal and poor at the same time.
One can draw this unmistakable conclusion from the above analysis given the kind of exploitation and deprivation the tribals have been facing since ages, they have every right to demand a homeland of their own. They have a glorious past, a history full of valour, sacrifice and resistance. But they cannot afford to sit complacent merely resilience nostalgically on that glorious past. It is for them to regain it back by working unitedly and forcefully for Bhilistan.
The desire to attain that goal can be seen in the restless souls of our youth—educated and aware of their rights and ready to assert them. It is happening gradually but steadily in southern Rajasthan. May be the dream Gobind Guru died for will become a reality sooner than later. The writing is clear on the wall: it is a lull before the storm.