అష్టాదశ పురాణాలు (Astaadasha puraanaalu)

పురాణాలు కల్పితాలు కావు. పురాణము అంటే..‘పూర్వకాలంలో ఇలా జరిగింది’ అని అర్థం. మన భారతీయ పురాణాలు అతి ప్రాచీనమైన చరిత్రలను వివరిస్తాయి. భూత, భవిష్యద్వర్తమాన ద్రష్ట అయిన వేదవ్యాసుడు ఈ పురాణాల కర్త. సృష్టి ఆరంభం నుంచి జరిగిన, జరుగుతున్న, జరగబోవు చరిత్రలను వ్యాసభగవానుడు పదునెనిమిది పురాణాలుగా విభజించి మన జాతికి అంకితం చేసాడు.ఈ పురాణాలు ఏమేమి తెలుపుతాయో వివరంగా తెలుసుకుందాం. 1.మత్స్య పురాణము: శ్రీమహావిష్ణువు మత్స్యావతారం ధరించినప్పుడు ఈ పురాణాన్ని మనువుకు బోధించాడు. ఇందులో కార్తకేయ, యయాతి, సావిత్రుల చరిత్రలు.., మానవులు ఆచరించదగిన ధర్మాలు..,వారణాసి, ప్రయాగాది పుణ్యక్షేత్రాల మాహాత్మ్యాలు వివరంగా చెప్పబడ్డాయి. ఇందులో 14,000 శ్లోకాలు ఉన్నాయి. 2.మార్కండేయ పురాణము: ఈ పురాణం మార్కండేయమహర్షి చేత చెప్పబడింది. ఇందులో శివ, విష్ణువుల., ఇంద్ర, అగ్ని, సూర్యుల మాహాత్మ్యములు, దుర్గా సప్తశతి (దేవీ మాహాత్య్యము) చండీ, శతచండీ, సహస్రచండీ హోమాల విధానము వివరంగా చెప్పబడ్డాయి. ఇందులో 9,000 శ్లోకాలు ఉన్నాయి. 3.భాగవత పురాణము: ఈ పురాణాన్ని వేదవ్యాసుడు తన కమారుడైన శుకమహర్షికి బోధించచగా., ఆ శుకమహర్షి దానిని పరీక్షిత్తు మహారాజుకు బోధించాడు. శ్రీమహావిష్ణువు ధరించిన దశావతార చరిత్రలను, శ్రీకృష్ణుని బాల్య లీలా వినోదాలను ఈ పురాణం పన్నెండు స్కంథాలలో వివరిస్తుంది. ఇందులో 18,000 శ్లోకాలు ఉన్నాయి. 4.భవిష్య పురాణము: ఈ పురాణాన్ని సూర్యభగవానుడు మనువుకు బోధించాడు. సూర్యోపాసన విధి., అగ్నిదేవతారాధన విధి, వర్ణాశ్రమ ధర్మాలు ఈ పురాణంలో వివరించబడ్డాయి. ముఖ్యంగా ఈ పురాణం రాబోయే కాలంలో జరుగబోయే విషయాలను గురించి తెలుపుతుంది. ఈ పురాణంలో 14,500 శ్లోకాలు ఉన్నాయి. 5.బ్రహ్మ పురాణము: ఈ పురాణమును ఆది పురాణము లేక సూర్య పురాణము అని కూడా అంటారు. ఈ పురాణాన్ని బ్రహ్మదేవుడు దక్షప్రజాపతికి బోధించాడు. ఇందులో శ్రీకృష్ణ, కశ్యప, మార్కండేయుల చరిత్రలు., వర్ణాశ్రమ ధర్మాలు., ధర్మాధర్మ వివరాలు., స్వర్గ నరకాల వర్ణనలు విపులంగా చెప్పబడ్డాయి. ఇందులో 10,000 శ్లోకాలున్నాయి. 6.బ్రహ్మాండ పురాణము: ఈ పురాణం బ్రహ్మదేవునిచే మరీచికి చెప్పబడింది. ఇందులో రాధాకృష్ణుల., పరశురామ, శ్రీరామచంద్రుల చరిత్రలు., శ్రీలలితా సహస్రనామ స్తోత్రాలు., శివ, విష్ణు స్తోత్రాలు.,గాంధర్వ,ఖగోళ శాస్త్ర వివరాలు., స్వర్గ నరకాల వర్ణనలు చెప్పబడ్డతాయి. ఇందులో 12,000 శ్లోకాలు ఉన్నాయి. 7. బ్రహ్మవైవర్త పురాణము: ఈ పురాణం సావర్ణమనువుచే నారదునకు చెప్పబడింది. గణేశ, స్కంద, రుద్ర, శ్రీకృష్ణుల చరిత్రలు.., సృష్టికి కారణమైన భౌతిక జగత్తు(ప్రకృతి) వివరములు., దుర్గ, లక్ష్మి, సరస్వతి, సావిత్రి, రాధ మొదలగు పంచశక్తుల మహిమలు ఈ పురాణంలో వివరించబడ్డాయి. ఇందులో 18,000 శ్లోకాలు ఉన్నాయి. 8.వరాహ పురాణము: శ్రీమహావిష్ణువు వరాహ అవతారము దాల్చినప్పుడు ఈ పురాణాన్ని భూదేవికి చెప్పాడు. ఇందు శ్రీశ్రీనివాసుని చరిత్రము, వేంకటాచల వైభవము, విష్ణుమూర్తి ఉపాసనా విధానము, పరమేశ్వరీ, పరమేశ్వరుల చరిత్రలు, వ్రతకల్పములు, పుణ్యక్షేత్ర వర్ణనలు ఉన్నాయి. ఇందు 24,000 శ్లోకాలు కలవు. 9.వామన పురాణము: ఈ పురాణాన్ని పులస్త్యప్రజాపతి నారదమహర్షికి బోధించాడు.ఇందులో శివలింగ ఉపాసన, శివ పార్వతుల కల్యాణము..,గణేశ, కార్తికేయుల చరిత్రలు., భూగోళ, ఋతు వర్ణనలు ఉన్నాయి. ఇందులో 10,000 శ్లోకాలు ఉన్నాయి. 10.వాయు పురాణము: ఆ పురాణము వాయుదేవునిచే చెప్పబడింది. ఇందులో శివదేవుని వైభవము., కాలమానము., భూగోళ, ఖగోళ వర్ణనలు చెప్పబడ్డాయి. ఇందులో 24,000 శ్లోకాలు ఉన్నాయి. 11.విష్ణు పురాణము: ఈ పురాణాన్ని పరాశరమహర్షి తన శిష్యుడైన మైత్రేయునికి బోధించాడు. ఇందులో విష్ణుమహత్యము, ప్రహ్లాద, ధృవ, భరతుల చరిత్రలు చెప్పబడ్డాయి. ఇందులో 23,000 శ్లోకాలు ఉన్నాయి. 12.అగ్ని పురాణము: ఈ పురాణము అగ్నిదేవునిచే వసిష్ఠునకు చెప్పబడింది.ఇందు శివ, గణేశ, దుర్గా ఉపాసనలు., వ్యాకరణం, ఛందస్సు, వైద్యం, రాజకీయములు, భూగోళ, ఖగోళ, జ్యోతిష శాస్త్రములు చెప్పబడ్డాయి. ఇందులో 15,400 శ్లోకాలు ఉన్నాయి. 13.నారద పురాణము: ఈ పురాణాన్ని నారదుడు.., బ్రహ్మమానసపుత్రులయిన సనక, సనంద, సనత్కుమార, సనత్సుజాతులకు చెప్పాడు. ఇందులో అతి ప్రసిద్ధమైన వేదపాదస్తవము(శివస్తోత్రము) వ్రతములు, బదరీ, ప్రయాగ, వారణాసి క్షేత్రముల వర్ణనలు ఉన్నాయి. ఇందులో 25,000 శ్లోకాలు ఉన్నాయి. 14.స్కంద పురాణము: ఈ పురాణము కుమారస్వామిచే (స్కందుడు) చెప్పబడింది.ఇందులో శివచరిత్ర., స్కందుని మహాత్మ్యము., ప్రదోష స్తోత్రములు., కాశీ ఖండము, కేదార ఖండము, సత్యనారాయణ వ్రతమును తెలిపే రేవా ఖండము, వేంకటాచల క్షేత్రాన్ని తెలిపే వైష్ణవ ఖండము, జగన్నాధ క్షేత్రాన్ని తెలిపే ఉత్కళ ఖండము, అరుణాచల క్షేత్రాన్ని తెలిపే కుమారికా ఖండము, రామేశ్వర క్షేత్రాన్ని తెలిపే బ్రహ్మ ఖండము, గోకర్ణ క్షేత్రాన్ని తెలిపే బ్రహ్మోత్తర ఖండము, క్షిప్రానది,మహాకాల మహాత్మ్యాన్ని తెలిపే అవంతికా ఖండము ఉన్ననాయి. ఇందులో 81,000 శ్లోకాలు ఉన్నాయి. 15.లింగ పురాణము: ఇందులో శివుని ఉపదేశములు, లింగరూప శివుని మహిమలు,దేవాలయ ఆరాధనలతో పాటు వ్రతములు ఉన్నాయి. 16.గరుడ పురాణము: ఈ పురాణాన్ని శ్రీమహావిష్ణువు గరుత్మంతునకు చెప్పాదు. ఇందులో జీవి జనన, మరణ వివరములు., మరణించిన తర్వాత జీవి యొక్క స్వర్గ, నరక ప్రయాణములు., దశ మహాదానముల వివరాలు, నరకంలో పాపులు అనుభవించే శిక్షలు గురించి చెప్పబడ్డాయి. ఇందులో 19,000 శ్లోకాలు ఉన్నాయి. 17.కూర్మ పురాణము: కూర్మవతారమెత్తిన శ్రీమహావిష్ణువు ఈ పురాణాన్ని చెప్పాడు. ఇందులో వరాహ, నారసింహ అవతార వివరణ, లింగరూప శివ ఆరాధన, అనేక పుణ్యక్షేత్రముల వివరములు ఉన్నయి. ఇందులో 17,000 శ్లోకాలు ఉన్నాయి. 18.పద్మ పురాణము: అష్టాదశ పురాణాలలో అతి పెద్ద పురాణము ఈ పద్మ పురాణము. ఇందులో 85,000 శ్లోకాలు ఉన్నాయి. ఈ పురాణాన్ని వింటే, జన్మ జన్మల పాపాలు తొలగిపోతాయి. ఈ పురాణం పద్మకల్పంలో జరిగిన విశేషాలను తెలుపుతుంది. ఇందులో మధుకైటభుల వధ, బ్రహ్మసృష్టి కార్యము, గీతార్థసారము, గంగా మహాత్మ్యము, పద్మగంధి దివ్యగాథ, గాయత్రీ చరిత్రము, అశ్వత్థవృక్ష మహిమ, విభూతి మహాత్మ్యం, దైవపూజా విధి విధానాలు వివరంగా చెప్పబడ్డాయి.

Astaadasha Puraanaalu By Dr. S. Vijay Kumar

Vedas and Upanishads By Dr. S. Vijay Kumar

Veda Vyas

వేదాలు - ఉపనిషత్తులు (VEDAS AND UPANISHADS)

వేదం అనగా 'జ్ఞానం' అని అర్ధం. కృష్ణద్వైపాయుడుగా పిలువబడే వ్యాసుడు, వేదాలను విభజించడం వల్ల వేద వ్యాసుడయ్యాడు. వేదాలతో పాటు మహాభారతం, మహాభాగవతంతో పాటు అష్టాదశపురాణాలు రచించాడు. వేదాలు నాలుగు: 1. ఋగ్వేదము 2. యజుర్వేదము 3. సామవేదము 4. అధర్వణవేదము. వేదాలకు (1). శ్రుతి, (2). అనుశ్రవం, (3). త్రయి, (4). సమమ్నాయము, (5). నిగమము, (6). ఆమ్నాయము, (7). స్వాధ్యాయం, (8). ఆగమం, (9). నిగమం అని తొమ్మిది పేర్లున్నాయి. 1. శ్రుతి - గురువు ఉచ్చరించినదాన్ని విని అదేవిధముగా శిష్యుడు ఉచ్చరిస్తూ నేర్చుకుంటాడు. 2. అనుశ్రవం - గురువు ఉచ్చరించినదాన్ని సరిగా తిరిగి అదేవిధముగా శిష్యుడు ఉచ్చరిస్తూ ఉంటాడు. 3. త్రయి - ఋగ్వేదము, యజుర్వేదము, సామవేదములను కలిపి "త్రయి" అని పేరు. 4. సమమ్నాయము - ఎల్లప్పుడూ అభ్యసింపబడునవి. 5. నిగమము - భగవంతుని నిశ్వాస రూపములో బయలు పడేవి. యాస్కుడు నిగమము అని వీటిని వ్యవహరించాడు. 6. ఆమ్నాయము - ఆవృత్తి లేదా మననం ద్వారా నేర్చుకోబడే విద్య. 7. స్వాధ్యాయం - స్వాధ్యాయం అంటే—స్వ అధ్యయనం అంటే మనల్ని మనం విశ్లేషించుకోవడం 8. ఆగమం - భగవంతుని నిశ్వాస రూపములో బయలు పడేవి. 9. నిగమం - యాస్కుడు నిగమము అని వ్యవహరించాడు. వ్యాసుడు వేదాలను విభజించి తన శిష్యులైన పైలుడు, వైశంపాయనుడు, జైమిని, సుమంతుడు అనేవారికి ఉపదేశించాడు. వారు తమ శిష్యులకు బోధించారు. అలా గురుశిష్యపరంపరగా ఈ నాలుగు వేదాలు వేల సంవత్సరాలుగా తరతరాలకూ సంక్రమిస్తూ వచ్చాయి. వేదాలను ఉచ్ఛరించడంలో స్వరానికి చాలా ప్రాముఖ్యత ఇస్తారు. అన్ని వేదాలూ కలిపి 1180 అధ్యాయాలు, లక్షపైగా శ్లోకాలు అంటారు, కాని ప్రస్తుతం మనకు లభించేవి 20,023 మాత్రమే (ఈ సంఖ్య 20,379 అని కూడా అంటారు). మళ్ళీ ఒక్కొక్క వేదంలోను నాలుగు ఉపవిభాగాలున్నాయి. అవి: 1. మంత్ర సంహిత 2. బ్రాహ్మణము 3. ఆరణ్యకము 4. ఉపనిషత్తులు (ఈ విభాగాలలో మొదటి రెండింటిని "కర్మకాండ" అనీ, తరువాతి రెండింటిని "జ్ఞానకాండ" అనీ అంటారు). 1. మంత్ర సంహిత: “సంహిత" అంటే మంత్రాల సంకలనం. నాలుగు వేదాలకు నాలుగు సంహితలున్నాయి. అసలు వేదం అంటే సంహితా విభాగమే. అంటే మంత్రాల సముదాయం. ఋక్సంహితలోని మంత్రాలను ఋక్కులు అంటారు. యజుర్వేదంలో యజుస్సులు, సామవేదంలో సామాలు, అధర్వవేదంలో అంగిరస్‌లు అనబడే మంత్రాలుంటాయి. యజ్ఞంలో నలుగురు ప్రధాన ఋత్విజులు ఉంటారు. ఋగ్వేద మంత్రాలను పఠించే ఋషిని "హోత" అని, యజుర్మంత్రాలు పఠించే ఋషిని "అధ్వర్యుడు" అని, సామగానం చేసే ఋషిని "ఉద్గాత" అని, అధర్వాంగిరస్సులను పఠించే ఋషిని "బ్రహ్మ" అని అంటారు. ఈ నలుగురూ యజ్ఞ వేదికకు నాలుగు వైపుల ఉంటారు. వేద సంహితలలో యజుస్సంహితలో మాత్రమే గద్యభాగం ఎక్కువగా ఉంది. ఋక్సంహిత, సామ సంహిత పూర్తిగా గద్యభాగమే అయినా వాటిని కూడా మంత్రాలలా పఠిస్తారు. 2. బ్రాహ్మణము: బ్రాహ్మణము ఒక వేదభాగము. ఇది ప్రతి వేదంలో ఉంటుంది. ఇది సంహిత యొక్క యాగవినియోగవ్యాఖ్య. ఈ భాగములో మహా యాగముల గూర్చి తెలపడం జరిగింది. అశ్వమేధము వంటి యాగముల ప్రశస్తి వివరించడం జరిగింది. యజ్ఞ యాగాదులు ఎలా చేయాలి? వాటి వెనుక రహస్యాలు ఏమిటి వంటి విషయాలు ఉన్నాయి. 3. ఆరణ్యకము: అరణ్యకములు అనగా అడవులకు సంబంధించిన విషయాలు. వివిధ కర్మ, యజ్ఞ కార్యముల అంతరార్ధాలను వివరించేవి. ఇవి బ్రాహ్మణములకు, ఉపనిషత్తులకు మధ్యస్థాయిలో ఉంటాయి. ఇవి కూడా బ్రాహ్మణాలలాగానే కర్మవిధులను ప్రస్తావిస్తాయి. కాని వీటిలో కర్మలయొక్క భౌతిక భాగం ఉండదు. కర్మలవెనుక ఉన్న నిగూఢమైన తత్వాలమీది ధ్యానానికి అరణ్యకాలు ఎక్కువ ప్రాధాన్యతనిస్తాయి. ప్రతి సంహితలు బ్రాహ్మణాలున్నట్లే అరణ్యకాలు కూడా ఉండేవి. కాలాలు గడిచే కొద్దీ ప్రజల నిరాదరణకు గురై చాలా వరకు నశించి పోయాయి. అథర్వవేదానికి చెందిన గోపథబ్రాహ్మణం అనే బ్రాహ్మణానికి సంబంధించిన అరణ్యకం లేకపోవడము ఇందుకు తార్కాణం. 4. ఉపనిషత్తులు: ఇవి పూర్తిగా జ్ఞానకాండ. ఉపనిషత్తులు అంటే బ్రహ్మవిద్య, జీవాత్మ, పరమాత్మ, జ్ఞానము, మోక్షము, పరబ్రహ్మ స్వరూపమును గురించి వివరించేవి. నాలుగు వేదాలకు కలిపి 1180 ఉపనిషత్తులు ఉన్నాయి. వేదముల శాఖలు అనేకములు ఉన్నందున ఉపనిషత్తులు కూడా అనేకములు ఉన్నాయి. వాటిలో 108 ఉపనిషత్తులు ముఖ్యమైనవి. వాటిల్లో 10 ఉపనిషత్తులు మరింత ప్రధానమైనవి. వీటినే దశోపనిషత్తులు అంటారు. వేద సాంప్రదాయంలో దశోపనిషత్తులు పరమ ప్రమాణములు గనుక ఆచార్యులు తమ తత్వ బోధనలలో మాటిమాటికిని ఉపనిషత్తులను ఉదహరించారు. వేదాలు: 1. ఋగ్వేదం: ఇది అత్యంత పురాతనమైన వేదము. ప్రధానంగా యాగాలలో దేవతాహ్వానానికి ఉపయోగించేది. ఋగ్వేదం దేవ వేదంగా చెప్పబడింది. ఋగ్వేదం అష్టకాలు, మండలాలు అనే విభాగాలతో కూడి వున్నది. అష్టకాలలో అధ్యాయాలు, అధ్యాయలలో వర్గాలూ ఉంటాయి. మండలాలలో అనువాకాలూ, అనువాకాలలో సూక్తాలు వుంటాయి. మొత్తం 1017 సూక్తాలు 10,580 ఋక్కులు 1,53,826 శబ్దాలు, వాటిలో 4,32,000 అక్షరాలు ఉన్నట్లు మహర్షి శౌనకుని వర్ణన. ఋగ్వేదం పద్యరూపంలో ఉంటుంది. ఋగ్వేదానికి ఐదు శాఖలున్నాయి. అవి 1 శాకల, 2 బాష్కల, 3 ఆశ్వలాయన, 4 మాండూక్య, 5 సాంఖ్యాయన. వీటిలో మొదటిదైన శాకల తప్ప ఇంకేవీ అందుబాటులో లేవు. ఋగ్వేదంలోని కొన్ని సూక్తాలు పురాణ గాథలు తెలుపుతాయి. దీనిలో సామాజిక ప్రవర్తన గురించి చక్కగా వర్ణించబడింది. ఋగ్వేదం కామితార్థాలను తీర్చే వేదంగా పరిగణిస్తారు. వర్షాలు పడాలంటే పర్జన్య సూక్తాలు పఠించాలని సూచింపబడింది. "ఆ నో భద్రాః క్రతవో యంతు విశ్వత" అనే సూక్త పఠనం మానవులను దీర్ఘాయుష్కులను చేస్తుందని నమ్ముతారు. శంకరాచార్యులు ఋగ్వేదాన్ని ప్రశంసించారు. 2. యజుర్వేదము: యజుర్వేద మంత్రాలు రెండు భాగాలు. ఒకటి శుక్ల యజుర్వేదం, రెండవది కృష్ణ యజుర్వేదం. శుక్ల యజుర్వేదానికి వాజ సనేయ సంహిత అనే పేరు కూడా ఉంది. వాజసని అంటే సూర్యుడు. సూర్యుడి నుంచి యాజ్ఞవల్క్య ముని గ్రహించినది గనుక వాజసనేయం అనే పేరు వచ్చింది. వేద విభజన చేసిన వ్యాసుడి నుంచి వైశం పాయనుడు యజుర్వేదం నేర్చుకొన్నాడు. వైశంపాయనుడి నుంచి యాజ్ఞవల్క్యుడు తెలుసుకొన్నాడు. కాని, వైశంపాయనుడికీ, యాజ్ఞవల్క్యుడికీ మధ్య ఏదో వివాదం రావడం వల్ల యాజ్ఞవల్క్యుడు తాను నేర్చిన వేదాన్ని వదలి వేయవలసి వచ్చింది. (మంత్రాలను కక్కవలసి వచ్చిందనీ, అలా కక్కిన మంత్రాలను దేవతలు తిత్తిరి పక్షుల రూపంలో వచ్చి తినివేశారనీ ఒక కథ ఉంది. కక్కిన మంత్రాలు నల్లగా ఉండటం వల్ల వాటి సంహితకు కృష్ణ యజుర్వేదం అనే పేరు వచ్చిందంటారు. ఏదో ఒక గూఢార్థంతో ఈ కథను ప్రచారంలోకి తెచ్చి ఉంటారు. యాజ్ఞవల్క్యుడు వదలు కొన్నప్పటికీ ఆయన నుంచి అప్పటికే తెలుసుకొని ఉన్న కొందరు శిష్యులు వాటిని భద్రపరచి ఉంటారు. నేర్చుకొన్నది పోయినందుకు బాధపడిన యాజ్ఞవల్క్యుడు సూర్యుడిని ఉపాసించి తిరిగి యజుర్వేదాన్ని సంపాదించాడు. అదే శుక్ల యజుర్వేదం. (శుక్ల అంటే తెలుపు. కృష్ణ అంటే నలుపు.) యజుర్వేదం అలా రెండు శాఖలుగా వ్యాప్తిలోకి వచ్చింది. వైశంపాయనుడు నేర్పినది కృష్ణ యజుర్వేదమని, సూర్యుడు చెప్పినది శుక్ల యజుర్వేదమని రెండు శాఖలు వాడుకలోకి వచ్చాయి. యజుర్వేదం అనే శబ్దం యజుస్‌, వేదం అనే రెండు పదాల కలయిక. యజుస్‌ శబ్దం యజ్‌ అనే ధాతువు నుంచి ఏర్పడింది. యజ్ఞం అనే శబ్దమూ యజ్‌ నుంచి వచ్చినదే. యజ్‌ అంటే ఆరాధించడం, పూజించడం లాంటి అర్థాలు ఉన్నాయి. కర్మకాండను తెలియజేసే మంత్రాలు యజుస్సులు. యజ్ఞాలు ఎలా జరగాలో ఈ మంత్రాల వల్ల తెలుస్తుంది. యజుర్వేద మంత్రాలు సాధారణంగా గద్యరూపంలోనే ఉంటాయి. (ఋక్‌ పాదబద్ధా, గీతంతు సామ, గద్యం యజుర్మంత్రః) బ్రాహ్మణాలతో కలసిన యజుర్వేద మంత్రాలు యజుర్వేద సంహిత. శుక్ల యజుర్వేదంలో మాధ్యందిన సంహిత, కణ్వ సంహితలు ఉన్నాయి. కృష్ణ యజుర్వేదంలో సంహిత, బ్రాహ్మణ భాగాల విభజన కనిపించదు. స్పష్టత లేకపోవడమే కృష్ణ శబ్దం (చీకటి) పొందడానికి కారణమై ఉండవచ్చునని ఒక అభిప్రాయం. కృష్ణ యజుర్వేదంలో తైత్తిరీయ, కఠ, మైత్రాయణీ శాఖలు ఉన్నాయి. 3. సామవేదము : సామం అనగా మధురమైనది. ఇది యాగాలలో దేవతల గొప్పతనాన్ని మధురంగా కీర్తించేది. నాలుగు వేదాల క్రమంలో మూడవది. దీనిని వేద వ్యాసుడు జైమిని మహర్షికి బోధించాడు. సామవేదంలో 1875 మంత్రాలు ఉన్నాయి. ఒక్కొక్కదానికి ప్రత్యేకమైన ఛందస్సు ఉంది. సామవేదంలోని 1875 మంత్రాలలో చాలావరకు ఋగ్వేద సంహితలో ఉన్న 10,552 మంత్రాలలోనుండి యధాతధంగా తీసుకొనబడ్డాయి. ఈ సారూప్యం పాఠానికి మాత్రమే వర్తిస్తుంది. ఉచ్ఛారణా విధానం మాత్రం సామవేదంలో వేరుగా ఉంటుంది. భగవద్గీతలో "వేదములలో నేను సామమును" అని కృష్ణుడు చెప్పడాన్ని బట్టి సామవేదానికి ఉన్న ప్రాముఖ్యతను ఊహించవచ్చును. సామవేద సంహితకు మూడు శాఖలున్నాయి. వాటిలో కౌతుమీయ శాఖ గుజరాత్‌లో ప్రాచుర్యంలో ఉంది. జైమినీయ శాఖ కర్ణాటక ప్రాంతంలోను, రాహయణీయ శాఖ మహారాష్ట్ర ప్రాంతంలోను ప్రాచుర్యంలో ఉన్నాయి. వీటిలో కౌతుమీయ, రాహయనీయ శాఖలలో మంత్రాలు, ఉచ్ఛారణావిధానం ఒకటే కాని మంత్రాల క్రమంలో తేడా ఉంది. జైమినీయ శాఖలో 1693 మంత్రాలు మాత్రమే ఉన్నాయి. కాని ఇందులో ఎక్కువ గానాలు (3681) ఉన్నాయి. సామవేదం ఒక్కొక్క అధ్యాయంలోను ఋగ్వేదంలోని ఒక్కొక్క మండలంనుండి మంత్రాలు గ్రహించబడ్డాయి. ఒక్కొక్క అధ్యాయం ఒకో దేవత గురించి ఒకో ఛందస్సులో కీర్తిస్తుంది. ఉదాహరణకు సామవేదం మొదటి అధ్యాయంలో 11 మంత్రాలున్నాయి. వీటిలో 10 మంత్రాలు ఋగ్వేదంలోనివే. 11వ సామవేద మంత్రం మాత్రం ఋగ్వేదంలో కనిపించదు. ఋగ్వేదంలో పేర్కొన్న దేవతల పేర్లే సామవేదంలో పేర్కొనబడ్డాయి. కాని "పవమాన సోముడు" గురించిన స్తోత్రాలు మాత్రం ఎక్కువగా ఉన్నాయి. 4.అధర్వణవేదం: చతుర్వేదాలలో నాలుగవది. అధర్వణ ఋషి పేరు మీదుగా దీనికాపేరు వచ్చింది. సాంప్రదాయం ప్రకారం ఇది రెండు వర్గాల ఋషులచే సంకలనం చేయబడింది. ఒకటి అధర్వణులు, రెండు అంగీరసులు. అందుకనే దీని ప్రాచీన నామం అధర్వాంగీరస వేదం. ఋగ్వేదంలానే ఇది కూడా స్తోత్రాల చే కూర్చబడింది కానీ ఇందులో కొన్ని మంత్ర విద్యకు సంబంధించిన విషయాలు కూడా ఉన్నాయి. ఇందులో ఆత్మలు, ప్రేతాత్మలు, మొదలైన వాటిని గురించి వివరించడం ఉంటాయి కాబట్టి అధర్వణ వేదాన్ని చాలామంది గుప్త విజ్ఞానంగా భావిస్తారు. ఇందులో వేదకాలంలో సామాన్య మానవులు ఎలా ఉండేవారన్న విషయాలు కూడా ఉటంకించబడ్డాయి. వైద్యశాస్త్రాన్ని గురించిన మొట్టమొదటి ప్రస్తావన ఇందులోనే ఉంది . రోగాలకు కారణమయ్యే క్రిమి కీటకాదుల వంటి జీవుల గురించిన సమాచారం కూడా ఇందులో పొందుపరచబడి ఉంది. ఇందులో యుద్ధ విద్యల గురించి కూడా సమాచారం ఉంది. ముఖ్యంగా బాణాలకు విషం పూయడం, విషపు వలలను తయారు చేయడం, శత్రు సైనికులను రోగపీడితుల్ని చేసే క్రిమి కీటకాదుల ప్రయోగం మొదలైన విషయాలు వివరించబడ్డాయి.

BHAGVAD GEETHA IN MANAGEMENT STUDIES – AN OVER VIEW

Most of the people think that Bhagavad Geetha is a religious book of Hindus. But it is for the welfare of mankind irrespective of the caste, creed, religion, and country. The people in the modern world are currently experiencing a lot of stress, tensions, and worries. They gravitate to age quicker and inviting to various illness and diseases. The teachings of Bhagavad Gita are helpful for positive vision and to lead a peaceful life. It purifies the mind and soul and give relief from distresses to individuals and helps them to realize the inner-self and the Supreme (God). Further, it helps to enhance the values and ethics. Management has become an integral part of daily life whether it may be at home or at workplace of every individual in the universe. Bhagavat Gita strikes social agreement in the Working–Equilibrium through the thoughts and conducts, goals, and success, plans and accomplishment, products, and markets. In simple terms, management is a body of knowledge that enables entities to deal with a multitude of situations involving people, process, and the environment, to ensure work is done efficiently to deliver goods and services useful to the society. Good management must result in greater satisfaction for all stake holders. If we carefully study the Gita, we can infer that the main theme is all about doing work (karma yoga), in the most efficient manner. Management always resolves the crisis or the issues that occurs in form of physical, technical, and behavioral through optimum utilization with the nominal available processes to achieve the set goal. Lack of Management will originate the disorder, turmoil, wastage, suspension, destruction, depression, and stress. Managing and supervising 3M’s (Men, Money, and Material) is the best possible way according to situation and environment is the most essential factor for a successful management. ‘Man’ is the first prior syllable in the management, which speaks the volumes on the role of significance for the management practices. Bhagavad Gita is the key source of various management thoughts. Now, let us try to analyze the relation between Bhagavad Geeta and Management in detail. Leadership: Leadership, a critical management skill, it is the ability to motivate a group of people towards a common goal. Therefore, it is necessary for a leader to be a visionary and seek the way forward. The essence of leadership is well explained in the Bhagavad Gita – Chapter 7, Verse 11 by lord Krishna to Arjuna “I am the strength of those who are devoid of personal desire and attachment. O Arjuna, I am the legitimate desire in those, who are not opposed to righteousness” It is very important that a leader is the one who believes in self-excellence which is attained by doing his duties rightly first. Bhagavad Gita talks about the meaning of life and its purpose. Its talks about what a human being finally attains self- realization and how karma plays an important role in shaping up our lives. *Professor (Associate) & HOD of Economics, Retired, KGC (NAAC “A” Grade College) & Ex - Member of Board of Studies Kakatiya University, Warangal, Telangana State – India. Knowing Yourself: Today, we understand leadership as something that is not only about leading a nation, a corporation, or a big entity, but it is about influencing and guiding others. Leadership is about helping others to find their potential and purpose. According to the Bhagavad Gita, it is not possible to become an effective leader if the leader does not understand his or her own self and does not understand his or her own potential and purpose. Manage Yourself: Management is a process of aligning people and getting them committed to work for a common goal to the maximum social benefit – in search of excellence. The critical question in all managers’ minds is how to be effective in their job? The answer to this fundamental question is found in the Bhagavad Gita, which repeatedly proclaims that “You must try to manage yourself.” The reason is that unless a manager reaches a level of excellence and effectiveness, he, or she will be merely a face in the crowd. Management in principle teaches us to become better leaders, art of delegation, motivation and communication, work commitment, developing human resource, planning, and executing, way of enhancing knowledge and developing the overall managerial skills. Renunciation: The 18th Chapter of the Bhagavad Gita culminates about leadership renunciation. The Gita defines renunciation as abstaining from selfish acts and detaching from the results of an action. Krishna mentions specific areas where true renunciation must be practiced, such as: • Renounce negative thoughts, words, and actions. • Renounce inequality and promote equality. • Renounce selfish desires and exercise selfless service. • Renounce indiscipline, dishonesty, and lazy attitude; and exercise integrity and proactiveness. • Renounce arrogance and ignorance and be open-minded. • Renounce momentary happiness that is derived from selfish behaviors. Instead, seek happiness that is long-lasting and beneficial to all. Motivation: Motivation is the driving force which causes us to achieve goals. Motivation is said to be intrinsic or extrinsic. Intrinsic motivation refers to motivation that is driven by an interest or enjoyment in the task itself and exists within the individual rather than relying on any external pressure. Extrinsic motivation comes from outside of the individual. Common extrinsic motivations are rewards like money, grades, coercion, and threat of punishment. This situation is explained by the theory of self-transcendence propounded in the Gita. Self-transcendence involves renouncing egoism, putting others before oneself, emphasizing team work, dignity, co-operation, harmony, trust – and indeed potentially sacrificing lower needs for higher goals. The essence of Motivation is well explained in the Bhagavad Gita – Chapter 2, Verse 47 “You certainly have a right to prescribed activities, but never at any time in their results. You should never be motivated by results of the actions, nor there should be any attachment in not doing your prescribed activities.” Decision Making: A decision is a choice. “The object of studying philosophy is to know one’s own mind, not other people’s. In eighteen chapters, seven hundred verses, the Bhagavad Geeta devotes itself to one task – making one decision. It does so through its protagonist, the warrior Arjun, and the metaphor of war. It does so by enabling Arjun to undertake a voyage of self-discovery so he can master the art of making a complex decision in the face of conflicting values. What to Select and What not to Select: Krishna said - “Dhumenavriyate Vahnir Yathadarso Malena Ca Yatholbenavrto Garbhas Tatha Tenedam Avrtam.” The meaning of this Shloka, it is like a dissuading curse – as everything pure has a covering that can often be misleading. For example, fire is covered with smoke, which prevents us from nearing it and if a mirror is covered in sheen, we cannot see what it is reflecting before removing the sheen. Similarly, knowledge is covered with desire that we must ignore or get rid of. This isn’t as easy as it looks but wise man is one who knows what to avoid and what to select. Thus, an entrepreneur must be very cautious before starting a business, which type of business he should avoid and what to select. Battlefield of life: The Setting of Gita is a symbolic of the battlefield of life. Our life having a continuous confusion between positive and negative thoughts, likes and dislikes, good and the bad. One should balance his/her way of life to achieve his desired goals. Karma: Krishna’s reply to the dejection of Arjuna on the battlefield of Kurukshetra that “This is not the behavior of a great warrior” people and organizations wander to move ahead with different challenges and obstacles. Determined towards action (Karma) not on its fruits. (Nishkama Karma Yoga). Management of Anger: Lord Krishna said that desire or want for sense of objects comes from attachment towards them (Maya), and anger generates from unfulfilled desires or wants ” The modern psycho-analysis announced that anger is exhibition of suppressed desires. The purpose of our life is our duties and responsibilities, our goals and most essentially, peaceful inner co-existence with fellow individuals. Work Culture: ‘Bhagavad Gita’ talks about two types of work cultures ‘Daivi Sampat’ and ‘Asuri Sampat’. ‘Daivi’ Work Culture involves less fear, purity, divinity, calmness, holistic environment, absence of fault, lack of greed and lust, ethical, modesty and full of cosmic energy and pride. Whereas in ‘Asuri’ Work Culture contains ego, jealous, misbelief, personal wants, lack of proper performance and lack of job oriented service. ‘Daivi Sampat’ work culture is the best option to become a world class enterprise by tapping the potential within the workplace. Utilization of Accessible Resources: Before the war of ‘Mahabharata’, Duryodhana choose Lord Krishna’s large army (Krishna Sena) for his help during the war, while Arjuna chosen the Lord of Wisdom (Krishna) for his support. Resources are limited and select wisely and utilize limited resources optimally. Commitment to work: “Karmanye Vadhikaraste Ma Phaleshu Kadachana, Ma Karmaphalahetur bhurma Te Sangostvakarmani” famous verse (Slokas) of the Bhagavat Gita advises “Detachment. -from the fruits or results of actions or karma performed in the course of duty and also detach yourself from the end rewards and focus on the work”. Being dedicated towards the work has to means as a form of duty towards the society instead of focusing towards self-desire and lust. Surrender to the Supreme Divine: Lord Krishna asked to warrior Arjuna to surrender himself to the Lord, you should not have any doubts on the existence of the Lord. Look for the higher and friendly picture, put yourself egoistic nature aside. Spirituality inspires social harmony and become aware of ultimate destiny of human life as a result of self-assessment and self-determination towards the present action. Stability of Mind: Lord Krishna says in the middle of the battlefield, that one should exercise the stability of mind by yoga or meditation. Human Life is like the battle field of ‘Mahabharata’ where the battle have been fought daily within the mind and soul. ‘Chitta Sudhi’ through yoga is the best practice to steady the mind. By the stability of mind one can calm their emotions and can increase his/her ‘Viveka’ or ‘Buddhi’ with ‘Vichikshana’. Your Expressions Reflects Your Intensions: ‘Bhagavat Gita’ says that “Your intentions towards life should be clear in vision, practical and achievable, which should differentiate you from others”. ‘Power of Intention’ is the main success mantra for achieving any desired goal. Power of Wisdom and Science: Bhagavad Gita says that “Science can be assumed by our human-senses like mouth, eyes, ears, and other senses. Wisdom will create inner sense of feelings or intuition, it will enhance the power of intentions, which can be transformed into self- analysis, after series of inner exploration if the mind says ‘Yes’ then it becomes intentions. Intentions begins with inner feelings then it transforms into intuitions and then travels as a self- analysis which will be supported by the wisdom and becomes plan of Karma or action, and science becomes the success formula of the action. Learn to adapt, innovate, and implore new opportunities: “Vasamsi Jirnani Yatha Vihaya Navani Grhnati Naro ’Parani Tatha Sarirani Vihaya Jirnany Anyani Samyati Navani Dehi.” It is easy to say versatility and adaptation are the keys to success. But the biggest lesson for any entrepreneur is learning to adapt to changes quickly. Do not get stuck with your initial vision. Pave your journey like a traveler, who is not attached to the city he visits or the hotel he stays in but enjoys the experience of it all. Do not be adamant; be innovative, open minded and ready to absorb experiences like a sponge. The faster you adapt to a change, the better it is. Integrated Personality: Integrated personality integrates the various dimensions of the personality into a balanced and integrated whole. It aims at developing the whole or the total human being which gives tremendous satisfaction. All the entrepreneurs must possess integrated personality. Otherwise, they will not be successful in their entrepreneurship. Finding out one’s own temperament (Swadharma Chapter – 3): Here temperament means, one should introspect his own character especially regarding his demerits and rectify himself, otherwise it affects his personality. Here, Swadharma refers to his duties towards his profession. Above this, one must not forget “Social Responsibility”. For example, Corporate Companies must not forget their duty towards the society. No Greediness: "Tasmad Asaktah Satatam Karyam Karma Samacara Asakto Hy Acaran Karma Param Apnoti Purushah." Inculcate the habit of being open to everything and being attached to nothing. Attachment does give strength to work and love beyond ourselves, but it also limits us and makes our journey and growth difficult, especially if the object of our desire is taken away from us. Too much desire can be bad, as it turns into greed. Greed takes you away from your true calling and dream, be it to achieve, create or innovate. Do not be super attached to your work, because stress makes your journey as an entrepreneur difficult. You have to keep an open mind about the ever-evolving market changes, adapt to them. Keep a close eye on your goals but do not get obsessive. Don’t Be Over Ambitious - “Bhagavad Gita is not against having desires, but stresses that one MUST have control over desires and have limits, that is, one must not be greedy”. An entrepreneur should have reasonable targets for his business but should not be unrealistic. Otherwise, if desires are not fulfilled they leads to worries and worries in turn leads to lack of peace and anger. The result of anger is losing mental balance and down falling will start and the consequence is “Self-Ruin”. Truth Always Prevail: Lord Krishna gave message that “Truth can never be destroyed, so one should not be afraid of telling truth and doing good. A business man must always tell truths about his product and genuine price and thus create confidence to gain a greater number of consumers to his products. Specific Disciplines: In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna defines three specific disciplines that are required for effective leadership: discipline of learning, discipline of speaking properly and discipline of equanimity. All of these disciplines are important for effective leadership. Today’s leadership authorities also agree that effective leaders have to be effective learners. Leadership is not only about teaching people to follow a certain path or to do a certain thing, but it is also about learning things to be taught. In the business world, we know leaders like Jack Welch, Andy Groves, and John Chambers as great communicators. When these leaders communicated to their followers, they were always consistent on the vision and goals they presented to their organizations. Communication Skills: Without effective communication skills, leadership cannot become effective. Lord Krishna says the most important part of communication is to communicate with honesty and with respect toward others. For leaders to be effective, they must be able to motivate their followers when they speak, so they can guide them toward the common vision and goals. Sthitapragnya: Lord Krishna explained about “Sthitapragnya” in Bhagavad Geetha. It means one should not become emotional or over joyous when one achieves victories and become very nervous when failures occur. This means, one should maintain balance between success and failure. This is cent percent true in case of entrepreneurs. If any entrepreneur get success he should not be over joyed and careless, and if losses, he should not become nervous and must not lose courage. He must find out the loopholes in his business and plug them and try again for success. Dharmo Rakshithi Rakshitha: Meaning of this quotation is, if you protect dharma, it will protect you. Lord Krishna said, if you are in right path, I will always support you. Business men may get profits within a short period by cheating (unfair methods of business), but they will not sustain for long period. Self Confidence (Shraddhamayoyampurushah-Yoyatshraddhahsaevasaha (Chapter -17): One should have faith in reality and accept it, which is a great source of strength. A man is what his faith is, as the faith so will be our desires and thoughts and action. In any business, if there is no self-confidence, no business will be successful. Sattvic: The Gita defines sattvic as the character of harmony and purity. Sattvic character radiates peace and happiness. It offers selfless service and has a high level of emotional intelligence. Without a high level of emotional intelligence, the Gita suggests that we cannot attain a true meditative state. Today’s leadership authorities also suggest that effective leadership flourishes only when leaders have a high level of emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence, abbreviated as EQ, is a discipline of understanding ourselves, especially the emotions that brew in our mind. EQ is the awareness and ability to manage our emotions in a healthy manner. Meditation (Yoga), Prayer, Moderation in Food, Sleep, Speech, Exercise, Recreation and Elimination of Stress (Yuktaaharviharasya Chapter -6 of Bhagavad Gita): Timely food, timely sleep, avoiding unnecessary talk, regular exercise and recreation is very essential for leading a good life. Daily prayer and meditation will bring peace and happiness. This is very important for everyone including all the businessmen. The following is the brief summary from 18 Chapters of Bhagavad Geetha which are very helpful to everybody including the entrepreneurs for their successful business (in daily life). • Chapter 1: Vishada Yoga (Lamenting on the result of War). Lesson: Wrong thinking is the only problem in life. • Chapter 2: Sankhya Yoga (How to eliminate lamentation and misery) Lesson: Right knowledge is the ultimate solution to all our problem. • Chapter 3: Karma Yoga (Each and every person has his/her own prescribed duties, which he/she has to perform at any cost). Lesson: Performing once duties with selflessness is the only way to achieve progress and prosperity. • Chapter 4: Jnana Yoga (Approaching the Ultimate Truth). Lesson: Every act can be an act of prayer. • Chapter 5: Karma Vairagya Yoga (Detachment and Renunciation). Lesson: Renounce the ego of individuality and the bliss of infinity. • Chapter 6: Abhyasa Yoga (Self-Realization). Lesson: Connect to higher consciousness daily. • Chapter 7: Paramahamsa Vijnana Yoga (Knowledge of the Ultimate Truth). Lesson: Live what you learn. • Chapter 8: Akshara-Parabrahman Yoga (Attainment of Salvation) Lesson: Never Give-up on yourself. • Chapter 9: Raja-Vidya-Guhya Yoga (Most Confidential Knowledge of the Ultimate Truth). Lesson: Value your Blessings. • Chapter 10: Vibhuti-Vistara-Yoga (The Infinite Glories of the Ultimate Truth). Lesson: See the divine all around. • Chapter 11: Vishwaroopa-Darshana Yoga (The Vision of the ultimate Universal Form). Lesson: Have enough surrender to see the truth as it is. • Chapter 12: Bhakti Yoga (The path of devotion). Lesson: Absorb your mind and heart to supreme divine. • Chapter 13: Kshetra-Kshetrajna Vibhaga Yoga (The Individual and Ultimate). Lesson: Detach from materialistic assets and attach to divine. • Chapter 14: Gunatraya-Vibhaga Yoga (To give away oneself from ignorance and passion and adopt the path of pure goodness until acquiring the ability to transcend them). Lesson: Live a life style that matches your vision. • Chapter 15: Purushottama Yoga (Realization of the Ultimate Truth). Lesson: Give priority to divine. • Chapter 16: Daivasura-Sampad-Vibhaga Yoga (The Definitions of Divine and the Demoniac Natured). Lesson: Being good is a reward in itself. • Chapter 17: Shraddhatraya-Vibhaga Yoga (The Three Divisions of Material Existence). Lesson: Choosing the right over the pleasant is a sign of power. • Chapter 18: Moksha-Upadesha Yoga (Final Revelations of the Ultimate Truth). Lesson: Let’s go, let’s move to union with divine. To conclude, Bhagavat Gita teaches the ideal philosophy of ‘Karma Yoga’, a base for human action or karma. Each individual in the universe has his own potential of infinity. It is a matter of demonstration of that divine potential that everyone has in the inner- consciousness. It is the responsibility of all human beings on the earth to realize it and strive for the ultimate excellence in their own profession to meet socially desired targeted goals. It is also the responsibility of the organizations to focus on the up- gradation of their employees through effective training and development. Government needs to put attention on the allocation of the reasonable amount for the human resource development by promoting quality education to all the citizens of the nation, which will in turn enhance the competitiveness of the individuals and would create a source of resourceful human capital within the country, which can successfully compete globally.

Different Names for India

Bhagavad Geetha - A Way of Life

 -Dr. S. Vijay Kumar

         In this article, I have tried my level best to analyze the Bhagavad Gita to lead a successful life and at the end to get rid of from this materialistic world by planning their lives to achieve Moksha i.e., to get relived from the vicious cycle of births and deaths. In this world, most of the people are trying to earn money to become rich by hook or crook in the short period by not hesitating to adopt unfair methods and running behind it which gives only temporary pleasure and comforts. Thus, majority of people are planning to achieve only comforts and luxuries which    are unrealistic and mortal one day or other. Very rarely, few people in crores of population are planning for Moksha which is eternal. Majority of the people are in illusion that the materialistic comforts in this world are real, and not even trying to get rid of from this mortal world.  In Bhagavad Geetha, Lord Krishna gave a wonderful message to the public through Arjuna about the mysteries of  world and  how to lead a meaningful life by following “Dharma”.

       Bhagavad Gita is not just for Arjuna, but it is for the whole world. It covers topics such as how to control wants, to know about Soul, about God, Practice of Yoga, Devotion and Moksha etc. Lord Krishna gave message that “truth can never be destroyed, so one should not be afraid of telling truth and doing good. All desires, feelings and thoughts are born in mind which leads to attachment, a cause of anger. Desire and anger are the greatest enemies of a person. “Person's best friend and enemy is a person himself, so one must put efforts to raise himself”. Gita teaches the way of life. But there is a misconception in understanding about ‘not having wants’ mentioned in Bhagavad Gita. According to the teachings of Gita, wants are bound to exist. Arjuna asked questions to Lord Krishna out of desire, Lord explained in detail. So having wants is not a problem but one should have a full control over his wants. Whether one should be after wants or not is in the hands of concerned person. Harming anyone to fulfill desire is wrong. Desires create pressure and one must be disciplined to say no to all unjust desires. Gita explains a justifiable and the right way to fulfill wants. The essence of Bhagavad Gita is explained  through the following salient points:

(1). To know “Who am I ?” This false or personal “I” is caught up in the meshes of illusion. This dust of illusion on the mirror of mind and matter makes all the mischief prevalent in the human kingdom. In Chapter III, verse 34, Krishna says to Arjuna: “In every purpose of the senses are fixed affection and dislike. A wise man should not fall in the power of these two passions, for they are the enemies of man”. Krishna says, because man possesses senses and sense-organs; looking at the objects of sense, he gets illusioned and is deluded. Lord says, do not be swayed by raga and dvesha, attraction and repulsion, affection and aversion, like and dislike, love and hate. The gunas are three namely Sattva, Rajas and Tamas. In the primordial Nature, they are in perfect equilibrium but in creation they are present in different permutations and combinations, which is why we have so much diversity in creation. In humans, they are responsible for desires, attachments, desire ridden actions and thereby bondage. By knowing the gunas and their basic propensities, a devotee can overcome their influence and achieve perfection. Through detachment, renunciation, transformative practices, devotion, and the grace of God, he can overcome the triple gunas and attain salvation. Lord said, “Do your own duty; mind your own business; obey the law of your own being”. what is God’s will and what is Karma, and how do they spring into existence? Krishna calls it rajas, the force or the power that compels one to move in the direction of the myriad objects of sense. Rajas has two aspects, says the Gita. Kama-passion-lust is one—the force of attraction that causes affection and love and the many likes; the other is krodha-anger-hate—the force of repulsion that produces the many kinds of dislikes. Kama-passion or attraction, and krodha-anger or repulsion are the two aspects of rajas. As verse 38 in Chapter III puts it: “As the flame is surrounded by smoke, and a mirror by rust, and as the womb envelops the fetus, so is the universe surrounded by this passion”. For example, Rajas is like smoke which envelops the flame. The Soul in man, the soul who is man, is fire, is flame, and it is surrounded by smoke—something that the flame does not want. If the quantity of smoke increases, the flame goes out. There are many in our civilization who are spiritually dead. So that is the first step for all of us to take: not to allow the quantity of smoke, our personal likes and dislikes, to increase and envelop our soul-perception. Krishna represents primarily the Higher Self, “Atman” in Sanskrit, pure eternal Spirit which is the One Universal Self of All, the higher most part and inner most essence of my being, your being, and every being. People are afraid of death which is the reality and inevitable. People love human body which is unreal. Soul can never be destroyed as it is permanent, and one must know that body is not you. It is given to you to reap the fruits of good and bad deeds that you have done in your previous births.  “You are the soul and not  the body”. The body is the field of activity (Kshetra), in which God or the Self dwells as the Knower of the Field (Kshetrajna). The body is made up of five great elements, the senses, subtle senses, mind, ego and intelligence. It is the seat of desires, attachments, feelings, emotions, and such other modifications. The knower of the body is the Supreme Brahman, or the Self, who resides in the body as the in dwelling witness and the ultimate enjoyer. Soul changes bodies according to their “Karma” i.e. according to their sins and good deeds, as people changes their dresses when they got torn or become very old and become unfit to wear. If a person do good deeds, he or she will get good births or otherwise will get bad or worst births like animals. Thus, soul is permanent and immortal. But body is temporary and mortal.

 

(2). Do your duty sincerely, Leave result to God (“Karmanye Vadhikaraste” Chapter 2 of Bhagavad Gita): Do your duty with detachment, renouncing the doership. By merely restraining your senses and controlling your mind, you will not be able to free your soul from the cycle of births and deaths. For success on the path, you have to cultivate detachment and remain free from attraction and aversion to things, besides knowing the difference between actions that bind you and actions that free you. You should engage in performing your obligatory duties as a selfless service and an offering to God, renouncing the desire for their outcome. In other words, you must live without expectations, free from desires, without abandoning your duties and obligations. Perform the duties (Karma) without attachments and insistence on particular results “like a lotus-leaf is untouched by the water in which it grows”. Accept the results gracefully and gratefully. True renunciation is the renunciation of the desire for the fruit of one’s actions. This is called in Gita as “Nishkama karma” means one should not worry about result, but they must do their duty sincerely. Forget “I” which develops “Ego” in you. You are the only means to do things in this world. In Mahabharata, when Arjuna was dithering while performing his duty as a warrior, then he was directed by Lord Krishna to perform his duty as a warrior and leave result to Him. Thus, everybody must perform their duties sincerely without fail and leave result to the God. They should think that they are the only means to discharge their duties and end results are left to the Lord, Who give fruits according to their “Karma” i.e. according to their works.

(3). Control over desires (Indriya Nigraham – Yadaasamharatechaayam - Chapter - 2): Stabilize your mind by overcoming desires. Your mind is the seat of your desires, thoughts and feelings. Your wandering senses keep your mind in a state of turmoil. They are responsible for your desire for sense objects and your attachment to them. Your desires and attachments in turn subject you to conflicting emotions and mental instability, as you respond to the pairs of opposites with attraction or aversion according to your inherent nature. An unstable mind is characterized by egoism, attachments and desire ridden actions. A person of unstable mind is not fit for salvation. His consciousness keeps wandering around sense objects, and he remains entangled in the distractions of the world. The instability of the mind is therefore the first problem, which an aspirant has to resolve to know himself and achieve liberation. However, how can anyone stabilize his mind? The Bhagavad-Gita suggests that only by disengaging the mind from the external world and withdrawing into oneself one can stabilize it. It is not an easy task. Through self-discipline a devotee should restrain his senses and develop detachment from the sense objects. Then only he can experience peace and equanimity. With the attainment of inner tranquility, his mind becomes stabilized in silence, and his suffering would come to an end. Then, he can easily establish his mind in God and achieve union with him. Like a tortoise one should cultivate perfect sense of mastery. When required one should employ the senses fully and withdraw when not required. “Bhagavad Gita is not against having desires, but stresses that one MUST have control over desires and have limits that is one must not be greedy”. Otherwise, if desires are not fulfilled they leads to worries and worries in turn leads to lack of peace and anger. The result of anger is losing mental balance and down falling will start and the consequence is “Self-Ruin”. One could not achieve “Athma Gnyna” who is not coming out of Worldly desires.

(4). Live a pure life and one should overcome the impulsiveness of negative factors like anger, lust and greed: Rajo guna, desire is smoke: when we construct a house, we will built a fireplace to have a proper chimney to  let out the smoke in a proper direction. That is the first step—the smoke of our personal desires must be thrown out. The moisture of passion must be dried up and we must by control purify ourselves. Purification is the first step. There are four kinds of purity: (1) Mental purity; (2) Purity of emotions and Character, or Moral purity; (3) Purity of speech; (4) Purity of deeds or actions. (5) Kill selfishness. Purity is the key word for this first stage of development. Live according to “Dharma” means the “Right Way” of living. “Dharmo Rakshithi Rakshitha” meaning of this quotation is, if you protect dharma, it will protect you.  While living in this world physical and emotional detachments are impossible. Continuous desires results in attachment, whereas wisdom results in detachment which is considered as divine. One should attach only to God which is real and permanent. Detachment does not mean, not loving and taking care for your family, friends, parents and world around you. Gita actually explains the way to free from emotions of love and jealous. It tells us to live like water on a lotus leaf. In Mahabharata, while Yudhistara (Dharma Raja) followed dharma, Dhuroyodana followed adharma and became a main cause for Kurukshetra war.

(5). Self Confidence (Shraddhamayoyampurushah-Yoyatshraddhahsaevasaha (Chapter -17): One should have faith in reality and accept it, which is a great source of strength. A man is what his faith is, as the faith so will be our desires and thoughts and action.

(6). Sthitapragnya: In Gita, Lord Krishna explained about “Sthitapragnya”. It means one should not become emotional or over joyous when one achieves victories and become very nervous when failures occur. This means, one should maintain balance between success and failure.

(7). Moral Duties and Self Control: Gita explains about our moral duties and talks about holistic spiritual development and way to achieve these through self control, mental purity and dedication to God.

(8). Follow Swadharma (Chapter 3 of Bhagavad Gita): Swadharma here refers to one’s own religion. You follow only your religion, because it is very much suitable to you to live in a right way and discharge your duties.

(9).  Spend Some Time in Pranayama (Chapter- 3 of Bhagavad Gita): It means do some breathing exercises, which are good for health. All we know that “Health is Wealth”, if we have good health, we can perform our duties in time and in a better way.

(10). Meditation (Yoga), Prayer, Moderation in Food, Sleep, Speech, Exercise, Recreation and Elimination of Stress (Yuktaaharviharasya Chapter -6 of Bhagavad Gita): Timely food, timely sleep, avoiding unnecessary talk, regular exercise and recreation is very very essential for leading a good life. Daily prayer and meditation will bring peace and happiness (Swalpamapyasyadharmas-Ytrayatemahatobhayat –Chapter 2).

(11). Integrated Personality:  Integrated personality integrates the various dimensions of the personality into a balanced and integrated whole. It aims at developing the whole or the total human being which gives tremendous satisfaction. 

(12). Finding out one’s own temperament (Swadharma Chapter – 3): Here temperament means, one should introspect his own character especially regarding his demerits and rectify himself, otherwise it affects his personality. By this, he can identify and perform his duties (Swadharma) at various levels of his life, for example as a father/mother, brother, son/daughter etc in the family and also discharging his duties in the society, for example as a teacher, soldier and other different professions.

(14). Implementing and practicing of Bhagavad-Gita is important rather than parayanam (Reading) and preaching: Lord Krishna said implementing and practicing what is said in Bhagavad-Gita is important rather than parayanam (Reading) and preaching. Hence, once should concentrate on implementation part rather than just reading and preaching Bhagavad-Gita.

(13). Duty of the God: In Gita, Lord Krishna said “Surrender to me with devotion, nobody is nearer (affectionate) or enemy to me. I only give results according to their Karma. Although I am impartial and shows no favors, I readily responds to my devotees. I love them and reduce their sufferings and give Moksha for those people who prey me without asking for any favour (Phalapeksha Rahitha) and  follow the following principles:

(a) Sama Bhava (Who love and treat all creatures equally) there by maintaining “Eco Balance” on this earth (b) Friendly behavior (c) No ego (d) Treating happiness and sorrows equally (Sthita Pragnya) (e) Having patience (f) Self Control (g) Performing Dhyana and Anustana (h) Whole heartedly praying God (i) Non- Violence (j) Pure heart (k) Respecting elders and Acharyas (Teachers) (l) Showchyam (Cleanliness) (m) Sthyriyam (Courageous) (o) Self Confidence (p) Coming out from materialistic world (luxuries) and knowing about “Self” i.e. “Who am I” and what is the real purpose of life (q) Knowing Adhyatmika Gnyna (Knowledge about God and Soul) (r) Sacrificing nature (leaving selfishness) (s) Lastly, to know that man also can become God, if he follows the above principles scrupulously”. We all know that “Rama born as a man and became God”.    

             To conclude, Bhagavad Gita is the way of life to all of us because it shows how to live a right life. To sum up: It says one should know that he is not the body but the spiritual Self i.e., Soul”, stabilize your mind by overcoming desires, do your duty with detachment, renouncing the doership, acknowledge the presence of God in you and in everything, culminate in devotion to God and know the truth about the three gunas – Sathva, Rajo and Thamo. Lastly, by combining the best of the prescribed yogas namely Karma Yoga, Jnana yoga, Sannyasa Yoga, Athma Samyama Yoga and Bhakti Yoga, casting away egoism and demonic qualities, overcoming the impurities, and cultivating pure devotion, one can escape from the cycle of births and deaths. Actions performed in this manner do not bind the people. Taking shelter in Him, by His grace, they attain the eternal and ultimately merged in Him (God).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

INDIA A DEVELOPED COUNTRY?

                                                                                                                            -Dr. S. Vijay Kumar

          The US has classified India as a developed nation, eliminating the preferential treatment it received in countervailing duty investigations. On 26 July, 2019 Ex-US President has said “The WTO is BROKEN when the world’s RICHEST countries claim to be developing countries to avoid WTO rules and get special treatment. NO more!!! Today I directed the U.S. Trade Representative to take action so that countries stop CHEATING the system at the expense of the USA”. Trump made this remark referring to India and China, because according to him his country is put in loss in the world trade. But Classifying India as a ‘developed nation’ by the US is not an indicator of progress, but it defines India’s future trade relationship with the US. The reclassification does not indicate a rise in India’s Gross National Income (GNI) or other social development indicators such as healthcare and education. Before knowing, whether a country is developed or developing, one must know how the countries are classified as developed and developing. Countries are classified either as developed or developing based on the gross domestic product (GDP) or gross national income (GNI) per capita, Human Development Index (HDI), the level of industrialization, technological infrastructure etc., among several other potential factors. Usually, the following two popular methods are used for determining whether a country is developed or developing.

Nominal Gross National income (GNI) Per capita Method, which is a useful tool at-a-glance to estimate a country's overall standard of living. Countries whose nominal GNI rises above a certain threshold (which changes slightly each year) are classified as developed, while those whose GNI falls below that amount are considered still developing. According to the World Bank (2022) - Any country with Gross National Income (GNI) per capita $12,536 or higher is considered as a developed country. The rest of the countries are considered developing – as they haven’t yet reached this threshold.

 

Human Development Index  (HDI) Method is used to determine whether a country is fully developed or still developing. The HDI considers a broad range of factors, including economic growth, life expectancy, health, education, and quality of life. United Nations uses Human Development Index (HDI) to determine whether a country is developed or still developing. The highest possible HDI score is a 1.0. A country that scores less than .80 is considered developing. Hence, let us examine whether India is a still a developing country or a developed country in view of the above two methods.

 

According to Developing Countries World Bank (2022) Data, if we observe the recent data, it is clearly evident that India is still a developing country as per the above said two methods, because its GNI Per Capita is 1900 USD. This is far below the 12,536 USD prescribed by World Bank. Regarding HDI it is 0.645. This is also less than the prescribed 0.80 by United Nations. Now, let us analyze the factors which are holding back India to become a developed country even after 74 years of independence.

Population: Often, so many people including some economists attributes that huge population of a country is the hurdle for development process. Is it really true? Let us analyze. Actually, “population is no demon” (an asset) to a country, but in our country the supply and demand equation has always been highly unbalanced, the latter far exceeding the former thereby creating imbalances in the standard of living, resource utilization, employment, education, opportunities, healthcare, almost in every sphere. We get per capita income by dividing national income by population. Hence, high population growth leads to lower per capita income. As our Government is unable to provide the required basic needs at the population growth rate, the growing population is becoming burden on our economy. Hence, the Government of India started Family Planning Programme in 1952. We are the first country in the world to launch National Programme for Family Programme. In 1977, Family Planning Programme was changed to Family Welfare Programme by extending its scope by covering maternity and child health services (MCH). In 2016, Mission Pariwar Vikas has been launched to lay special focus on high fertility districts of Bihar, UP, Assam, Chhattisgarh, MP, Rajasthan, and Jharkhand. Despite all these efforts of our government, due to some section of people’s non- cooperation @ population is growing steadily in our country. Ours, being a democratic and non-religious country, we cannot force them. It is clear that Government’s efforts alone are not sufficient for the development of any country but, public support and participation is vital. But one silver line in our population growth is seen that is “Demographic Dividend" i.e., the economic growth potential that can result from shifts in a population’s age structure, mainly when the share of the working-age population (15 to 65) is larger than the share of non-working-age population (Below 15  and above 65). In other words, “a boost in economic productivity occurs when there are growing numbers of people in the workforce relative to the number of dependents”.  United Nations Population Fund (UNPF) stated that, “A country with both increasing numbers of young people and declining fertility has the potential to reap a demographic dividend. A 2011 International Monetary Fund Working Paper found that substantial portion of the growth experienced by India since the 1980s is attributable to the country’s age structure and changing demographics. The U.S. Census Bureau predicts that India will surpass China as the world’s largest country by 2025, with a large proportion of those in the working age category. Over the next two decades the continuing demographic dividend in India could add about two percentage points per annum to India’s per capita GDP growth.  Hence, the Government of India has to exploit this “Demographic Dividend” and take care of jobs, future basic minimum living standards including food, water, shelter and energy. As per Population Reference Bureau (Non-Profit NGO), India's population in 2050 is projected to be 1.692 billion people.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------@ Islam is the fastest-growing religion in India. Growth rate of Muslims has been consistently higher than the growth rate of Hindus, ever since the census data of independent India has been available. For example, during the 1991-2001 decade, Muslim growth rate was 29.5% (vs 19.9% for Hindus). However, Muslims population growth rate declined to 24.6% for 2001-2011 decade, in keeping with the similar decline in most religious groups of India.

 

Income Inequalities: In India, there are high income inequalities. According to the “World Inequality Report 2022” - Top 10% and top 1% in India hold 57% and 22% of the total national income respectively while the bottom 50% share has gone down to 13%. It says that while the top 1% has largely benefitted from the economic reforms, the growth among low and middle income groups has been relatively slow and poverty persists. In 2021, the wealthiest 10% of the population own 65% of total household wealth in India.

 

Corruption: India is ranked 85th among 180 countries in Global Corruption Index, 2021. Last year India's ranking was 86. Today, in almost all government offices works are pending for want of bribe. Common man is suffering a lot due to high corruption. We cannot blame the government officials alone, because for want of urgency sometimes public are paying money to the works get it done fastly. Due to this attitude of the people, some of the government staff are addicted to the bribe and keeping the files pending till the concerned people approach them for their works get it done.

 

Lack of Political Commitment: In our country, all political parties makes false promises  to win the elections. But, after winning the elections, they forget and make the same promises again and again to win next elections. For example, BJP president Amit Shah has said Narendra Modi’s ‘promise’ as the party’s PM candidate that each Indian would receive Rs 15 lakh when black money would be repatriated from abroad was an ‘idiom’ and should not be taken literally. Although the ‘promise’ was never realistic, the new interpretation suggests that BJP was looking for a way to wriggle out after being accused by political opponents of reneging on its poll promise. Most of our politicians are corrupt and swallowing public money. They are enjoying at the cost of public money (Tax payers money) by availing several perks in addition to their salary/pensions. Political Parties are exempted from Income Tax under Section 13A on its income from house property, income from other sources, capital gains and voluntary contributions received from any person however, subject to conditions. MPs and MLAs are also exempted from paying taxes on some allowances. They are also claiming multiple pensions. It is a welcome step that recently Punjab  Government announced scraping of ex - MLAs multiple pensions, thus saving lot of public money.

 

Unemployment: There is serious unemployment problem in India. Unemployment means a person willing to work but unable to find a qualified job. Due to unemployment, we are wasting our country’s human resource. Though, there is a boom of outsourcing software companies in India, the problem of unemployment is rising and still many companies are facing the shortage of skilled labour. According to Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy, India has 53 million unemployed people as of December 2021 and a huge proportion of them are women. Of these, 35 million are the unemployed who are actively seeking work, while 17 million are those who, though willing to work, are not actively seeking it. “India needs to immediately provide employment to the 7.9% (35 million as on 12/2021) who are in the unemployment rate are actively looking for employment”.

 

Illiteracy: Illiteracy is the major hurdle in the path of development. Due to illiteracy common people are unable to exercise their rights and lead a dignified life. They are not able to understand the government's development schemes and missing the chance of being benefited by them. Hence, these schemes thus fail to produce tangible results. Illiteracy leads to ignorance, which in turn, leads to superstition. India has the highest population of illiterate adults in the world at 287 million. Illiteracy in India is more or less due to the different forms of disparities that exist in our society like gender discrimination, income inequalities, regional imbalances, caste imbalances, technological barriers etc. Even more worrying is the fact that illiteracy is directly linked to other social evils like poverty, child labour, child marriage, unemployment, social crimes etc. that should ideally have no place in a developed society.

 

Superstitions and Religion: Superstitions and Religion have been more of a divider than a unifier in this country. And the reason for this is not just the people who follow it but also unwanted political interference that has always existed and exploited the people as per their convenience. Religious beliefs have consistently played a crucial role in national politics and decisions irrespective of governments, appeasement playing a major role in ruling over the gullible masses.

 

Caste System: The division of society into so many castes and sub-castes doesn’t allow upward mobility for persons belonging to the lower strata in society and is replete with gross inequality and injustice. Not just this, it makes a mockery of democracy and its values as people in the world’s largest democracy vote on the basis of caste and religion. They most often overlook merit, resulting in an unfair selection of candidates throughout the country.

 

Brain Drain: India has failed to hold back its talented youth and skilled workforce like Software Engineers, Academicians, Doctors, Scientists, Technicians from emigrating to the developed countries. This has had quite a significant impact on the country’s development. The Reservation System for admission to top Indian Institutes that deny enrollment even to the deserving candidates, better work opportunities, better pay packages, high quality of life and facilities tempt most of the students to go abroad.

 

Terrorism: Terrorism, whether it is Pakistan-sponsored, Maoist-sponsored, or north-east insurgency has slowed down the country’s development in more ways than one. A major portion of the country’s GDP gets diverted towards to maintain defence capabilities, otherwise could have been directed towards development activities. Terrorism has a significant impact on the economic growth, investment, overall expenditure, and on the  safety and security of the general people.

Poor law and order: Ours is a democratic country with a well formulated constitution but, still people easily break the rules and skip punishment. There is urgent need for fast track judiciary system as there are bulk of pending cases seeking justice. Also, it is often observed that the law is broken by the makers and protectors of the law itself. There is a great need of strict policies to keep a check on it. Apart from Government, individuals commitment to abide by the law is also important.

 

Innovation: Innovation is the factor which economists believe would be the driver for future growth. Global Innovation Index Report 2021, highlights the performance of 132 economies, documenting the changing landscape of innovation across economies and regions. India is ranked 46th in this report. The level of innovation in a country is determined by the level of research and development (R&D). India invests a meagre 0.6% of its GDP on R&D, whereas China spends almost 2.2%, USA about 3% and Israel spends something in the range of 5% of its GDP on R&D.

 

Human Development: Since GDP is not the sole criteria of per capita of income, realizing this fact, the United National Development Programme has started releasing the Human Development Index (HDI) from 1990. The Human Development Index (HDI) is a summary measure of average achievement in key dimensions of human development: a long and healthy life, being knowledgeable and have a decent standard of living. The HDI is the geometric mean of normalized indices for each of the three dimensions. India ranks 131 among the 189 countries of the world. India’s HDI score is 0.645 (United Nations uses Human Development Index (HDI) to determine whether a country is developed or still developing. The highest possible HDI score is a 1.0. A country that scores less than .80 is considered developing).

 

Reservation System: Every decade reservations are extended for next decade without any sort of analysis. Thus, Ambedkar’s policy has not been applied in true spirit. No political party  in India in true sense is free from gender and caste bias. His reservation policy is not reaching the really needy. In this context Prakash Ambedkar, grandson of the Babasaheb, while talking to Manu Joseph on Outlook Magazine dated: 23/08/2004 said that “Legislation doesn’t change people. That’s why B.R. Ambedkar didn’t believe that reservation of constituencies or jobs for Dalits would change the way Indian society looked at its lower castes. He reluctantly agreed to reservation in the belief that it would be discontinued 10 years after the adoption of the Constitution. But half a century later, reservation remains an issue in India”. Addressing officials and representatives of local bodies at an event on smart cities the former  Speaker Sumithra Mahajan said, “Ambhedkarji had said, ‘Give reservations for 10 years and after 10 years, do a rethink. Bring them to that stage’. We have done nothing. Even I am guilty of this… We have not thought about it. We do not contemplate why this (a rethink) has not happened.” why we have not achieved the society dreamt of by Dr Ambedkar. We should ponder over the reasons for that also”. Article 334 of the Constitution had originally required the reservation to cease in 1960, but this was extended up to 2020 through 95th Amendment of the Constitution. All political parties are now using Ambedkar for vote bank, and  no one truly tries to reflect his ideology through actions. Simply, monuments and  memorials do not serve the purpose. Practice of his ideology only that makes the difference.

 

Gender Gap: It refers to differences between women and men, especially with regard to economic, social, political, intellectual, and cultural. The Global Gender Gap measure was introduced by the World Economic Forum in 2006 to examine four critical areas of inequality between men and women. The four parameters are: economic participation and opportunity, educational attainment, health and survival, and political empowerment. In India, despite several years of planed development, improvement observed in education and, to a lesser extent, in health women’s improved capabilities do not seem to have been translated into an equal participation between men and women in economic and political activities. According to the Global Gender Gap Index 2021 (World Economic Forum), India has slipped 28 places and has been ranked 140th among 156 nations participating in the rankings. The most gender equal country in the world is Iceland continues to be top, and it has been in the first position for 12 years.

 

Agricultural Sector Predominance in terms of Employment, but with less GDP: Although, India's agriculture sector has emerged as the leading in terms of employment (nearly 50% of workforce), but its GDP share is 20.19%, while that of Services Sector accounts for 53.89%, and Industry sector contributes 25.92%. (Services and Industrial Sectors are providing employment to nearly 50% workforce). 

 

Black Money: The unaccounted money that is concealed from the tax administrator is called black money. There are different reports of Indian black money. Total amount held in all Swiss bank accounts by citizens of India is about US$2 billion. In February 2012, the director of India's Central Bureau of Investigation said that Indians have US$500 billion of illegal funds in foreign tax havens, more than any other country. In March 2012, the government of India clarified in its parliament that the CBI director's statement on $500 billion of illegal money was an estimate based on a statement made to India's Supreme Court in July 2011. In March 2018, it was revealed that the amount of Indian black money currently present in Swiss and other offshore banks is estimated to be ₹300 lakh crores or US$ 4 trillion. Thus, it is clear that lot of Indian black money is not contributing to the development our country.

 

Wastage of Public Money in Scams and for Political Mileage, Misappropriation funds in Public Works : Due to several scams in India (Bofors, Fodder, Harshad Mehta and Ketan Parekh, Vijay Mallya, Common Wealth Games, Nirav Modi, Spectrum, Hawala, Coalgate, Black Money) and for political mileage lot of public money is lost. For example, in Telangana for Rythu and Dalitha Bandhu Schemes crores of public money is being wasted for the sake of votes. Many economists and intellectuals advised the Telangana Government to give Rythu Bandhu only to the Small and Marginal farmers instead of giving it to the rich farmers. Dalitha Bandhu should be offered only to those STs who are economically poor, so that crores of public money thus saved can be utilized for the required infrastructure like Roads, Hospitals, Drinking Water, Schools etc. Lot of public money is being wasted in public works like in the constructions of irrigation Projects, Roads, Rail, and Government Buildings. Quality works are not done. Tenders are called for the same works again and again, and even sometimes claiming the money without practically doing the works (Just on paper only), and also quoting abnormal amounts for the said works. For example, Kaleshwaram Project – a white elephant on Telangana Governments exchequer - Independent analysis of the DPR by civil society organizations involved in water management and resettlement of evictees have questioned the proposed benefits accruing to farmers. They argue that: (a) the 180 TMC water is not enough for 26 lakh acres for any meaningful irrigation; (b) the crop yields have been grossly inflated almost 10 times as compared to the current levels for projecting highly favorable benefits/outcomes; and (c) the complete omission of social and ecological costs in the report. Telangana which was declared as “Surplus State” at beginning of formation, now suffering with total debt burden: Rs 4,75,444 crore and Per capital debt Rs 1,25,116 as per 2022 Budget. The State government is not in a position to pay salaries and pensions on 1^st of every month (They are credited mostly between 1^st to 5^th and sometimes even it is dragged up to 15^th of a month). The Dearness Allowance (DA) to the employees and Dearness Relief (DR) to the pensioners is paid after more than one year to one and half year. Under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), people in rural areas are provided employment through various schemes. Social Audit Units (SAUs) under the Department of Rural Development has found financial irregularities worth Rs 935 crore in various MGNREGA schemes. 

Favorable Balance of Trade: It means, the value of exports is more than the value of imports. It is and indicator for development. But India's trade deficit widened to USD 18.7 billion in March of 2022, from USD 13.9 billion in the same period last year, a preliminary estimate showed.

 

Inflation: In developed countries inflation is checked and controlled so that people are not affected adversely, but in developing countries this is always a problem and the worst sufferers are poor and middle class people.

 

Problem of Unorganized Sector: Despite formalization gathering pace, the informal sector continues to employ about 80% of India's labour force and produces 50% of its GDP. About, half of them are engaged in agriculture. It is the other half, employed in the non-agricultural informal sector that is in crying need of help. Most are engaged in construction, manufacturing and in services like trade, transport, hotels, eateries etc.

 

Poverty: Poverty has been a major hindrance to India’s quest to be a developed nation. Poverty is a situation in which a person couldn’t fulfil his basic needs like food, home, clothes, drinking water. According to NITI Aayog, 25% of the Population in India are Poor. Every fourth person of the total population of India is in poverty. In 2020, as per World Bank 65% of the country’s population lives in rural areas in poverty with insufficient infrastructure. Poverty is correlated with other social problems like illiteracy, over-population, malnutrition, unemployment, homelessness etc. It’s all linked together in a vicious circle that thrive on each other. In 2021, the total male population living in poverty in India was about 45 million. By contrast, the number of females in poverty during the same time period was around 53 million.

 

Good Governance and Infra-Structure: Strong and excellence governance is a prerequisite for engendering trust in the investment is a hallmark of advanced economies. Countries scoring high in governance exhibit strong leadership underpinned by capable institutions that support the rule of law, transparency, and consultation, and have established effective and independent decision making structures for infrastructure investment. According to the Global Infrastructure Hub (2021) Singapore is the global leader in overall infrastructure with a value of 95.4 on a scale of 0 to 100. India’s value is 68.1

 

Pollution and Climate Change: Pollution and Climate Change level also determines the level of development of a country. India is the third-most polluted country in the world (Most Polluted Countries 2022, World Population). India has ranked 168th out of 180 countries in the 2020 Environmental Performance Index (EPI), according to researchers at Yale and Columbia universities, who say India’s decarbonization agenda needs to accelerate, and the country faces a number of serious environmental health risks, including poor air quality. India ranked 10^th among the top performing countries with in the Group 20 in the Climate Change Performance Index CCPI) 2022 Report.

 

Some Mistakes Committed by the Various Governments in the Past:

Nehru’s Wrong Foreign Policy: The first test of Nehru’s ability to successfully conduct foreign/national security policy came two months after Independence, when Pakistan attacked Kashmir. It became apparent that Nehru was more of an idealist, rather than a realist. It was his idealistic internationalism that made him order a ceasefire in 1948 and take the case to the UN. Nehru ordering a ceasefire was resented even by the armed forces. He expected a favorable response from the UN because Pakistan was the aggressor since Kashmir had acceded to India. Nehru had forgotten that the UN was a political body and not a court of law. In the prevalent Cold War scenario, the UN Security Council was not willing to see Pakistan, which was aligned with the US, as the aggressor. Long after Nehru, Western powers used the Kashmir issue to constantly stir up security concerns in the Indian capital.

 

Second, he ignored strengthening of our Defence (Strengthening Military) in the name of peace (Panchsheel -The Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence).  He never perceived China a threat to our national security in spite of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel  warned him not to trust China. He also not listened to the advice of Patel regarding merging of Kashmir in to the union territory of India. Nehru was committed to the Gandhian ideology of non-violence, peace, and tolerance, while China was looking to transform itself from weak and underdeveloped to a strong, militarily powerful totalitarian state. China, from the beginning, was determined to assert her influence as a radical, revolutionary nation willing to use militant power in international politics, while India chose the more constructive path of mediation, non-alignment, and peaceful accommodation.

 

Third, though Nehru laid foundation for science and technology, he was against the development of atomic energy and weapons, and he never changed his mantra of nuclear disarmament even after a war with China in 1962.

 

Fourth, Nehru was unwilling to use the favorable international environment to advance  national interests, even after his realization in October 1962 that China was not a friend.

 

Fifth, Nehru’s soft approach towards Pakistan left several senior members in the cabinet unhappy; Mukherjee and Neogy resigned in June 1950. They felt it was important that the nation not barter away “vital national interests.” Dr B R Ambedkar was another cabinet member to resign, citing foreign policy failure as a reason. 

 

Nehru’s successors: Journalist Seymour Hersh writes of the then US Secretary of State, Dean Rusk, recommending that India be encouraged to develop its own nuclear weapons, in response to the Chinese testing them. But Nehru’s successors for a long time not shanked from their blind faith in his wisdom and policy guidelines. Even, Morarji Desai (Janatha Party) followed Nehru’s path of non-violence, peace in foreign policy and soft corner towards Pakistan.

 

In the Second Five Year Plan (1956-61), the drawback       of  prioritizing industry over agriculture for public investments became  glaringly  mistake  when  the country experienced a food crisis,   necessitating  urgent  large- scale  imports  of           subsidized   grain  from the United States.

One government method for financing expenditures  was    the creation    of new money (printing of notes),  which resulted  in  significant inflation.

Followed Closed Economic System i.e., not allowing FDI into the country, resulted in foreign exchange crisis in 1991,  then   the government made a clear break with past policies and gave green signal to FDI through “New Economic Policy, 1991”.

Still following the age old “Reservation Policy on Cast Basis”.

Even after 74 years of independence, India’s leadership is “not successful” in achieving significant    degree of living standards in the country.  It means, our planning failed to achieve required living standards of  a developed country. Hence, our leaders should ponder over on this issue and workout strategies for the rapid development of our country.

Though, there is no dearth of good Schemes and Policies like MGNREGA, Education for All, Right to Information Act, Poverty Alleviation Progammes etc., there are so several loopholes in implementation.

So far, we have discussed several factors that are holding us back to become a developed country, now let us examine what needs to be done to transform our country in to a developed economy.

Suggestions:

1.   Infrastructure: Our Cities and Towns are overpopulated with poor infrastructure (Roads, Continuous electricity supply, drinking water, hospitals, Schools, and Colleges, etc.). More people are migrating from rural to the urban for better amenities. Hence, proper infrastructure must be developed both in rural and urban for better living standards. 

2.  Disproportionate distribution of Income and Wealth: There are greater number of billionaires in India. It shows that “India is rich, but Indians are poor”. Hence, Government must take all the required steps, so that there will be equal distribution of income and wealth in the country. Economic reforms in India are much in favour of rich rather than in favour of poor people, small and marginal farmers. 

3.     Corruption: Due to corruption foreign investors show lack of interest in doing business in India. Scams are unearthed every now and then in our country. These scams are impacting FDI inflow. As we have seen in the past and present our rulers (Law makers) are themselves are corrupt and involved in several scams. Most of our government offices are involved in corruption, works are not done without paying money. Hence, there is a need to bring appropriate viable legislations to check corruption.  

4.     Unable to Exploit our Natural resources: We are rich in human and natural resources, but unable to exploit them, when a small country like Singapore grew despite dearth of natural resources. Hence, Government must take steps in this direction. 

5.   Demographic Dividend: We have a greater number of young people, which is called demographic dividend, hence we must tap this young population for the development of our country. 

6.     Unemployment and Defective Education System:  Unemployability problem is rising in India day by day. It is arising out of our defective education. The present education system emphasizes theory, not practical. It encourages reading, writing, and reproducing. It must be addressed earnestly to create skilled and creative workforce to achieve better productivity and performance.

7.   Agriculture: India is still an agrarian country; major part of our economy is based on agriculture. Our nation needs a paradigm shift from agrarian to industrial economy because agriculture depends upon monsoon for irrigation that is highly unpredictable. Moreover, there is disguised unemployment (working more than required) and under employment (working for lower wages) in this Sector, but less GDP. Hence, there is urgent need to revolutionize our agriculture by making it market oriented like industries, so that the agriculturists themselves can determine the price of their product like industrialists.

8.   Favorable Balance of Trade: Government must always strive for favorable balance of trade and should take all the necessary steps in this direction.

 

9.   Inflation: Government must check and control inflation time to time, so that common people are not affected. 

10.   Literacy: Even 74 years of our independence, we have failed to achieve cent percent literacy rate in our country. Hence, Government must initiate all the steps to achieve the goal of cent percent literacy rate to boost our developmental process.

11.  Secularism: Diversity is the backbone of India where people of all faiths live together. Hence, it is essential to strive for secularism to ensure unity and integrity of India. There must be tolerance and respect for all cultures, castes, communities, religions, and regions.

12.   Regional Imbalances: Imbalances in any form including regional imbalances leads to unrest in the country and hamper our development. Hence, Government must strive to eradicate all types of imbalances.

13.   Grab the World Market: India is the largest democracy in the world with the youngest population. Hence government must encourage small and medium enterprises to grab the world market like China to provide more employment opportunities. 

14.Build Global Leaders: There is no dearth of leaders in our country, but unfortunately most of them are corrupt and busy to become millenaries and billionaires. Hence, the young talent must be inculcated with leadership skills, abilities with patriotism to groom them as leaders to encounter domestic and global challenges. 

15. Commitment: Today commitment is lacking everywhere in our country, which is very essential to become a developed country. Hence, we must cultivate a positive attitude and enhance our commitment levels to contribute our best to make India as an economic super power in the world.  

16. Mindset: Our mindset must change. There must be shift in the mindset of  our people from being rights-oriented to duty-oriented.  

17.Innovation and Technology: To withstand in the Global Market Competition, innovations and technology advancement is must. Hence, Government must take all necessary steps in this regard.

 

18. Unorganized Sector: There is urgent need, for India’s enormous informal employment sector for a significant step up in public investment to improve the jobs prospects. 

19. Caste Based Reservations: Originally, it was stated that these reservations will continue up to 1960 and later on they will be removed. But, till this date they are continued to gain votes to retain in power claiming that they are doing social justice. This is one of the reasons why our nation is not moving forward at a pace on which it should be to become a developed country. If we want to keep the caste based reservation system then a limit must be defined for the same. Only one member of a family should be allowed to use the reservation quota for one time only. This means that once a person in a family has used this quota, then no other family member should be allowed to use the reservation facility. Hence, Government should bring a legislation to this effect.

 

20. Brain Drain: To solve “Brain Drain Problem” to a certain extent, Government must think about “Reservation for Economically Back ward in the Forward Castes”. If we ignore EBCs in the FCs, again a class struggle may prevail, which is not good for the future of our country. The present and future generations will not excuse us for this mistake. Due to faulty reservations policy in our country, lot of “Brain Drain” is going in our country (Lot of our intellectuals are leaving the country for their bright future) for example, highly intellectuals like Noble Prize winners – Hargobindh Kurana and Amartya Sen etc. 

 

21.  Empowerment of Women: Women must be empowered in all spheres i.e., in education, economical, political etc. Everybody must respect women. We must improve on female to male ratio. Girls should be permitted to born and live after birth. 

22.  Clean and Green: It is the bounded duty of every citizen in India to keep our country “Clean and Green” so that we can protect our country from pollution. Every Indian must learn basic manners to keep our country spic and span. This is one of the obvious differences between a developing and a developed country. In India anyone can spit and pee anywhere. Heaps of garbage can be seen in every locality. Strict laws must be enforced to keep our country “clean and green”.

23.Good Governance: There is probably no law in India that has been strictly implemented. So, lawmakers must think on the firm implementation of laws and good governance.

24.Education, Health, and Industrialization: Many researchers in development economics have found out there is strong relationship between education, health, industrialization, and development. They found out that the productivity of educated and healthy workers is more than the illiterate and unhealthy workers. It is also found that rapid industrialization has led a developing country to a developed one.

25.  Eradication of Poverty: In India, in spite of all the attempts, the number of poor is still increasing and becoming a hurdle for development. Poverty is just like a disease to which many other problems such as crime, low-paced development, etc are associated. There are number of people in India who are still homeless and beg for the whole day to eat a meal. Underprivileged children are unable to attend school and, and those have the opportunity to drop out after a year or so. People below the poverty line live in unhygienic conditions and are so prone to many health problems. With this, the vicious cycle of poor health, lack of education and more poverty keeps on increasing. Hence, Government must implement poverty eradication programmes strictly without any corruption. 

26. Encourage Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and Tourism by creating conducive atmosphere. 

27.  Political Reforms: In spite of number of political reforms in our country, talented and eligible persons are always kept out of the scenario. Ineligible, corrupt, criminals and stupid decide the fortune of our country. Hence, the Government must implement elections laws strictly to eliminate corrupt persons and criminals. 

28.  Alcohol Consumption:  Alcohol consumption in India amounted to about five billion liters in 2020 and was estimated to reach about 6.21 billion liters by 2024. Alcohol consumption in India is rising day by day and most of the youth are addicted to it. All most all the State Governments are considering the sale of alcohol as a source of big income and forgetting the welfare of the Public. According to a Study, over 88 percent of Indians aged under age 25 purchase or consume alcoholic beverages even though it is illegal. Due to this, domestic violence, road accidents, and crime rate is increasing. Most of the youth’s bright future is in danger, thus the country is also losing their talents and energies for the development. Hence, all the State Governments must impose a total ban on alcohol or restrict its sale to a greater extent. 

29. Black Money: Often, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) are misused for political purpose by the Central and State Governments leaving big culprits of their own parties. Thus, giving scope for the accumulation of black money in our country. Hence, Central and Governments must use the said Institutions impartially to unveil the black money in the country. 

30.  Pollution: Though, there are Central and State Pollution Control Boards for name sake, there is lot of environmental pollution in our country, especially in cities and towns, hence Government must take strong initiatives to control pollution so that our public will be free from hazardous health issues like heart, asthma, and skin diseases.

31. Responsibility of all the Citizens: Every citizen of the country must realize that Government alone cannot do everything without the support of public, hence everybody must support the Government to make our country a developed nation. 

32.  Vote Power: Ours is a democratic country, our strength is voting power. Hence, the people must elect good, able, and dynamic leaders who can guarantee a bright future for our country. 

33.  Patriotism: Above all, patriotism is very important, which is lacking today. Without the safety of country, we cannot live peacefully, hence it is the moral bounded duty of every citizen to safeguard the interests of the country first and next ours.

To conclude, India is an emerging and developing country (EDC) with rapid economic development. Former President A P J Abdul Kalam has rightly said that country is more important than any religion or fanaticism of any individual. The critical challenges India faces today can only be overcome through communication and cooperative initiatives between the people of India and the current political administration. Once both the parties recognize that the critical problems of poverty, corruption, and literacy rates need to be addressed, then only India can truly begin to successfully develop. Young and creative leaders can change India into a developed nation. India will perform when its people will perform.

 

References:

1.       Developing Countries 2022 – World Population Review (https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/developing-countries)

2.       Vijay Kumar, S. "Population is no demon” – The Indian Express. 24 July 1990 (https://vijaysvision.blogspot.com/2015/11/population-is-no-demon.html)

3.       "Myth of Muslim growth". The Indian Express. 2 September 2015 (https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/myth-of-muslim-growth/)

4.       https://m.economictimes.com/news/economy/policy/view-india-and-the-elusive-demographic-dividend/articleshow/82517742.cms

5.       https://m.economictimes.com/news/economy/indicators/india-amongst-the-most-unequal-countries-in-the-world-report/articleshow/88141807.cms

6.       https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2022/jan/25/india-ranks85among-180-countries-inglobal-corruption-index-the-case-of-india-is-particularly-worrying-says-watchdog-2411257.html

7.       https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/pm-modis-promise-of-rs-15-lakh-in-each-account-an-idiom-amit-shah/articleshow/46139139.cms

8.       https://cleartax.in/s/income-tax-exemptions-political-parties

9.       https://www.taxscan.in/article/tax-amenities-to-members-of-parliament/

10.    https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/chandigarh/punjab-scraps-ex-mlas-multiple-pensions-looks-to-save-rs-80cr-in-5-years-7836008/

11.    https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/indicators/india-has-53-million-unemployed-people-as-of-dec-2021-cmie/articleshow/89016043.cms?from=mdr

12.    https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/e6304125e0394b758b2b10d906155b85

13.    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superstition_in_India

14.    https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/trust/archive/winter-2022/exploring-religion-and-identity-politics-in-india

15.    https://www.livemint.com/Opinion/FLn6TiQPArdQZUN9LE2ZsM/The-impact-of-caste-on-economic-mobility-in-India.html

16.    https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/business/how-the-great-indian-brain-drain-is-taking-a-toll-on-the-economy-7896471.html

17.    https://www.vifindia.org/article/2022/january/14/terrorism-studies-national

18.    https://www.dailyo.in/politics/bjp-kathua-murder-rape-encounter-killings-unao-gadchiroli-adityanath/story/1/24310.html

19.    https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/opinion/global-innovation-index-2021-india-needs-a-big-push-in-infrastructure-7521491.html

20.    https://hdr.undp.org/en/countries/profiles/IND

21.     Vijay Kumar, S. “BR Ambedkar - A Critical Analysis” - ResearchGate (https://www.academia.edu/29754455/BR_Ambhedkar_-_A_Critical_Analysis.docx)

22.    Vijay Kumar, S. Gender Gap – Special Reference to India - ResearchGate (https://www.researchgate.net/publication/357551682_GENDER_GAP_-SPECIAL_REFERENCE_TO_INDIA)

23.    Vijay Kumar, S. Gender Inclusive Development in India  - An Over View – ResearchGate (https://www.researchgate.net/publication/284019901_Gender_Inclusive_Development_in_India_-_An_Over_View)

24.     Vijay Kumar, S. Gender Gap – Special Reference to India – ResearchGate (https://www.researchgate.net/publication/357551682_GENDER_GAP_-SPECIAL_REFERENCE_TO_INDIA)

25.    https://www.statista.com/statistics/1283990/india-sector-wise-employment/

26.    https://statisticstimes.com/economy/country/india-gdp-sectorwise.php#:~:text=Sector%2Dwise%20GDP%20of%20India&text=The%20services%20sector%20accounts%20for,and%20allied%20sector%20share%2020.19%25.

27.    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banking_in_Switzerland

28.    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Bureau_of_Investigation

29.    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tax_haven

30.    https://www.businessapac.com/list-biggest-scams-in-india

31.    https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/most-of-13000-rich-farmers-in-t-still-get-rythu-bandhu-aid/articleshow/80066258.cms

32.    https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/telangana-dalita-bandhu-scheme-explained-7426220/

33.    https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/opinion/a-white-elephant-in-the-making/article24584314.ecehttps://www.telanganaflashnews.com/post/telangana-ts-govt-debt-burden-2022-budget-off-budget-borrowings-loans

34.    https://groundreport.in/in-mgnrega-misappropriation-of-rs-935-crore-in-last-four-years/

35.    https://www.businesstoday.in/union-budget-2022/opinion/story/union-budget-2022-why-the-informal-sector-needs-govt-support-319612-2022-01-19

36.    https://www.theglobalstatistics.com/poverty-in-india-statistics-2021/

37.    https://www.statista.com/statistics/1270990/india-total-population-living-in-poverty/

38.    https://infracompass.gihub.org/ind_country_profile/ind/

39.    https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/most-polluted-countries

40.    https://www.nationalheraldindia.com/national/india-ranks-168th-on-environmental-performance-index

41.    https://mercomindia.com/india-ranked-10-ccpi-2022-report/

42.    The History of Economic Development in India since Independence –  India: Past, and Future - Nimish Adhia – Volume 20: 3, Published (Winter 2015).

43.    https://www.statista.com/statistics/727026/consumption-of-alcoholic-beverages-india/

44.    https://www.statista.com/statistics/727026/consumption-of-alcoholic-beverages-india/