World Trade Center tragedy

[Guest guest]

Dear Members,

 

Sri Mani has given the correct lead to us to pray on this occasion.

 

Many who are young in age, raise a doubt which bothers them seriously, because

they can not find a satisfactory answer to the question: Why does God, the

omni-powerful, permit tragedies on such vast scale to occur again and again ?

Many more will ponder over the power of evil to prevail, even though temporarily

- as in World War II when millions died in battles/were exterminated cruelly.

 

As to the co-existence of evil and the benevolent God of limitless power, none

can offer an explanation which can withstand logical analysis. In the book 'God

and Evil' by CEM Joad, the

atheist-author who turned believer at about age 40 (after the immense tragedy of

World War II), considers this very question and the traditional explanations

given by great leaders of every religion (including Hinduism) and demonstrates

how none of these explanations can prevail against precise, cold, logical

analysis. He then poses the delemma: 'if the heart demands what the brain

rejects' and comes to the conclusion that the dilemma is due to our

'intellectual arrogance'. In a very convincing manner, he explains the need to

believe in the assertions of the ancient Seers who had perceived a Truth far

beyond the logical reach of our mind, realise our own insufficiency to counter

evil, reaffirm our commitment to Good and work for it. This alone will help us

to turn to increased faith in a power greater than us as our ultimate source of

strength.

 

There is no other alternative, no other explanation. On our part, we should

continue to do all that lies within our limited capability, like the little

squirrel in Ramayana which participated in the construction of the bridge to

Lanka for the army of Rama to march across and destroy the mighty Ravana. What

better task than to fight against evil and injustice, and what better ally and

tower of strength than the Almighty?

 

Dasan,

M.K. Krishnaswamy

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

vAnca kalpa taruByaS ca

kRpA sinDUBya eva ca

patitAnAm pAvaneByo

vaiSnaveByo namo nama:

-----------------

SrI kriShNasvAmI wrote:

Dear Members,

 

Sri Mani has given the correct lead to us to pray on this occasion.

 

Many who are young in age, raise a doubt which bothers them seriously,

because they can not find a satisfactory answer to the question: Why does

God, the omni-powerful, permit tragedies on such vast scale to occur

again and again ? Many more will ponder over the power of evil to

prevail, even though temporarily - as in World War II when millions died

in battles/were exterminated cruelly.

 

As to the co-existence of evil and the benevolent God of limitless power,

none can offer an explanation which can withstand logical analysis. In

the book 'God and Evil' by CEM Joad, the

atheist-author who turned believer at about age 40 (after the immense

tragedy of World War II), considers this very question and the

traditional explanations given by great leaders of every religion

(including Hinduism) and demonstrates how none of these explanations can

prevail against precise, cold, logical analysis. He then poses the

delemma: 'if the heart demands what the brain rejects' and comes to the

conclusion that the dilemma is due to our 'intellectual arrogance'. In a

very convincing manner, he explains the need to believe in the

assertions of the ancient Seers who had perceived a Truth far beyond the

logical reach of our mind, realise our own insufficiency to counter evil,

reaffirm our commitment to Good and work for it. This alone will help us

to turn to increased faith in a power greater than us as our ultimate

source of strength.

 

There is no other alternative, no other explanation. On our part, we

should continue to do all that lies within our limited capability, like

the little squirrel in Ramayana which participated in the construction of

the bridge to Lanka for the army of Rama to march across and destroy the

mighty Ravana. What better task than to fight against evil and injustice,

and what better ally and tower of strength than the Almighty?

 

Dasan,

M.K. Krishnaswamy

--------------------

My humble obeisances to all the devotees at the bhakti list,

With regard to the question that SrI kriShNasvAmi has raised I have

heard one explanation from some gaud.iyA vaiShNavas. I don't know what

the SrI vaiShNava understanding is about the question. Please forgive me

if I write anything apaSAstrik and please correct me by giving the

appropriate SAstrik understanding. The explanation goes as follows:

" 1. The material world gets two kinds of living entities.

2. Most living entities are rebellious to God and have a tendency

for sins so material world is like a jail designed for reformation of

those rebellious living entities. And hence there are punishing measures,

threats by the will of providence that living entities may want to get

out of the material world by recognising the perils of material world and

giving up their tendency for sins.

3. God is not to be called cruel for such activities because they

are like chastisements from a loving father to a misguided son, a further

evidence of God's love for us is that he sends us his own very beloved

devotees (the second kind of living entities) who come to show us a good

path, and help us in overcoming sins, and also he gives us the holy

scriptures that teach us good principles and lifestyles that living

entities may be able to overcome their sinful tendencies. Thus our

scriptures teach so many good virtues such as truthfulness, mercy,

charity, love renunciation etc. "

 

Personally I believe that our scriptures don't approve any kind of

a brutal act leading to killing of so many innocent people. Rather I have

heard that in the vedic tradition, a ksatriya won't fight another

ksatriya unless the other person also has a weapon of an equal strength.

And so many good rules regarding war. Even pANdavas and kauravas will

have no fear moving with each other after the sunset. And so nice is our

tradition that any kind of misunderstanding about the scriptures /

theology is resolved by debate among scholars rather than a brutal war

killing so many innocent people.

 

Please forgive me if I made any ignorant or apasidDAntik statements

and please correct me for them.

With all respects to the devotees and a prayer

to SrI viShNu that a good sense may prevail upon the fighting parties.

Regards,

Ambarish

-----------------

Ambarish Srivastava

B-45 Nilgiri Hostel

(Research Scholar, Centre for Energy Studies)

Indian Institute of Technology Delhi

Hauz Khas India 110016

Ph. Office 91-11-6596466

ambarish, esr00017

 

http://www.iitian.com : An Extraordinary place for Extraordinary people

[Guest guest]

>>Even pANdavas and kauravas will have no fear moving with each other after

the sunset.

 

but we know that as the battle progressed in kurukshetra adharma only grew

....warriors and generalissomos started violating the yuddha dharma. Starting

from Abhimanyu's death..leading to ashwathama; kripacharya et al killing the

panchalas in sleep.

 

Rajaji's verse on that chapter " Thus does evil grow! One transgression

begets the next and thus evil grows from evil submerging righteousness. Evil

flourishes on retaliation"

http://www.hindubooks.org/books_by_rajaji/mahabharata/aswatthama/page6.htm

 

We have to bear this in mind when the international forum takes action on

those responsible.

 

-bala