1ST OCTOBER : INTERNATIONAL SENIOR CITIZEN DAY !
"It is not the years in your life,but the life in your years that counts" [Adlai Stevenson].
The mystery about old age persists with different hypothesis-when does one become old,why and how ?At the same time it is inexplicable as well strange that Indian 'gods' like Rama and Krishna always remain young.
Interestingly enough,in India,where parents are supposed to be worshiped like 'gods',the'gods' are ever young,active,prankish,fond of music,dances,drinks and love making. After all having a monopoly of Amrit,they enjoy the privilege of being immortal .In fact ,even when they assume mortal frame and descend on the earth as 'avatars',they retain their power to keep old age at bay. Who indeed,ever thinks of Rama and krishna as old men?For reasons unknown ,only the Brahma,supposed creator is projected as an ancient being.In the collective consciousness of India, Vishnu supposed  preserver and Mahesh, supposed destroyer are ever young.
On the other hand,Rishi's always had long shaggy beards- the symbol of their 'stigmatic status' as mortals until they would undergo unending penance to attain parity with the 'gods'. Of course,these were myths and in this part of world,there is sanctimonious sanctity for myths,are to be believed in implicitly and not to be questioned or scrutinized on the basis of logic or reason or dissected analytically.The problem in India is that Hindu thinkers rarely went beyond primordial myths to brood over the phenomenon of old age and how one may overcome or transcend its problems.

LIONISING PATEL THROUGH SELECTIVE AMNESIA AND CYNICAL MANIPULATION !

Modi has announced that he is building in Gujarat a statue of Vallabbhai Patel,which would be the tallest in the world and twice the height of Statue of liberty.

Sardar Patel,if he is at all watching these developments,must be both a deeply anguished  and a very angry man.Angry because of his clever appropriation by those whom he steadfastly opposed. Anguished,because the vision of India being offered by his new devotees is so different to the one for which he dedicated his entire life.

WHY ?

*Modi,has never denied that he is still dedicated pracharak of RSS and deeply influenced by the philosophy of Rashtriya Swyam Sangh.Modi has reportedly written a book,praising Golwalkar,longest  serving Sarsanchalak of the RSS [1940-73].It will be pertinent  to ask Modi :-

1.Does he agree  with Golwalkar's explicitly stated views that India is an exclusively Hindu nation,with no place for people of other faiths,not even the rights of a citizen ?

2.Does he support Golwalkar's praise of Nazi Germany,for having manifested a nation's highest pride in exterminating the Jews ?

3.Does he believe ,like Golwalkar,that the Manusmriti,that consigns Shudras to perpetual  service of Brahmnas and advocates servitude of women,is the only valid law for India ?

*Patel was India's Home minister when,on February 2,1948,the Government banned the RSS,in pursuance of its -"determination to root out the forces of hate and violence that are at work in our country and imperil the freedom of the nation and darken her fair name".

*In a September 11,1948 letter to Guru Golwalkar,the then RSS sarsanchalak,the Sardar was forthright in his denunciation  of RSS leaders :-"all their speeches were full of communal poison. It was not necessary to spread poison in order to enthuse the Hindus and organize for their protection.As a final result of the poison,the country had to suffer the sacrifice of the invaluable life of Gandhi ji."

*Significantly the Sardar was never in doubt about the role of the RSS and the Hindu Mahasabha in the murder of the Mahatma. In a letter dated February 27,1948 to Nehru,he states this clearly :-"it was a fanatical wing of the Hindu Mahasabha directly under Sarvarkar that hatched the conspiracy and saw it through...of course,his assassination was welcomed by those of the RSS and Hindu Mhasabha who were strongly opposed to his way of thinking and to his policy ". 

*He reiterates this position in another letter [July 18,1948] to Shyama Prasad Mookerjee :-"as regards the RSS and Hindu Mahasabha...our reports do confirm that as a result of these two bodies ,particularly the former, an atmosphere was created in the country in which such a ghastly tragedy became possible."

*Incidentally ,although Nathuram Godse denied any direct link with the RSS at the time of his trial,many years later,in an interview to Frontline magazine in January 1994,his brother Gopal,was quite candid about the truth :-"all the brothers were in the RSS,Nathuram,Dattatreya, myself and Govind.You can say we grew up in the RSS rather than in our home.It was like a family to us. Nathuram had become a baudhik karyavah [intellectual worker] in the RSS."

*Sardar Patel was a staunch follower of Gandhi ji and his inclusive vision.His emphatic opposition to the RSS,the institution which mentored Modi and shaped his world view,is documented fact.What is then Modi trying to convey by co-opting Patel and building the world's tallest statue as tribute to him?

Why this political hypocrisy and dichotomy ?

The Quran Says that People of Other Religions
are to be Violently Punished in This World

Allah himself fights against the unbelievers (9:30), so why should Muslims not fight in his cause rather than in the cause of evil (4:76)?  About 19% of the Quran is devoted to the violent conquest and subjugation of non-Muslims:

Against them make ready your strength to the utmost of your power, including steeds of war, to strike terror into (the hearts of) the enemies of Allah and your enemies and others besides, whom ye may not know (8:60)

Strive hard (Jihad) against the Unbelievers and the Hypocrites, and be firm against them. Their abode is Hell,- an evil refuge indeed.  (66:9, See also 9:73)

Muslims are to expect a reward in this life as well as the next (4:134), so it makes sense that unbelievers should be punished in this life as well:

…He whom Allah sendeth astray, for him there is no guide. For them is a penalty in the life of this world, but harder, truly, is the penalty of the Hereafter… (13:33-34)

There are at least two places in the Quran where the violent death of non-Muslims is referred to as Allah's reward for unbelief (2:191, 9:26), as in "such is the reward for unbelievers."  Verse 3:56,  bluntly states that "those who reject faith" will be "punished with terrible agony in this world" (a vow that Muhammad and his companions personally took it upon themselves to fulfill).

The Quran tells Muslims that Allah uses them to violently punish others:

Fight them, Allah will punish them by your hands and bring them to disgrace... (9:14)

In the end, All beings on heaven and earth will be forced to bow down to Allah, either willingly or by force:

And unto Allah falleth prostrate whosoever is in the heavens and the earth, willingly or unwillingly (13:15)

Muslims are told that Allah "loves those who fight in his way" to make Islam "victorious over all other religions, even though the disbelievers resist" (61:4-11). Those who do resist Islam will be humiliated:

Those who resist Allah and His Messenger will be among those most humiliated.(58:20 - The context for this verse is the eviction of the Jewish tribes of Medina and the confiscation of their wealth, land, and children by Muhammad).

Non-Muslims are to be fought until religion is only for Allah:

And fight them until there is no more ftna (unbelief, worshipping others beside Allah), and religion is all for Allah… (8:39 – Some translate the word "fitna" as “persecution”, but in this context it means resistance to Islam – defined in the prior verse as an unwillingness to believe (see verse 38).  This passage was “revealed” following a battle that Muhammad deliberately provoked.  Verse 2:193 essentially says the same thing and was also “revealed” at a time when the Muslims were notunder physical attack).

Those with "diseased hearts" - which include Christians and Jews according to 5:52 - are to be"seized wherever found and slain with a (fierce) slaughter" (33:60-62) along with "hypocrites" (Muslims who are judged not to be true believers by their associations with unbelievers or their unwillingness to engage in Jihad).

Non-Muslims are to be encroached on, pressured and punished by the Muslims:

See they not that We gradually reduce the land (in their control) from its outlying borders? (13:41 - See also 21:44)
We shall punish them gradually from directions they perceive not. (68:44)
And He made you heirs to their land and their dwellings and their property, and (to) a land which you have not yet trodden, and Allah has power over all things. (33:27, See also Bukhari 53:392)

Allah will grant Muslims authority and power over all other people:

Allah has promised, to those among you who believe and work righteous deeds, that He will, of a surety, grant them in the land, inheritance (of power), as He granted it to those before them; that He will establish in authority their religion... (24:55)

(Muhammad's companions continued to self-fulfill this prophecy with an aggressive and senseless military expansion that left a trail of bodies from Spain to India).

Allah provides instructions to Muslims for dealing with unbelievers who are unwilling to accept Islamic rule:

Remember thy Lord inspired the angels (with the message): "I am with you: give firmness to the Believers: I will instill terror into the hearts of the Unbelievers: smite ye above their necks and smite all their finger-tips off them." This because they contended against Allah and His Messenger: If any contend against Allah and His Messenger, Allah is strict in punishment. (8:12-13)

Defeating non-Muslims should be easy for true believers because they are superior in intelligence and understanding:

O Prophet! Exhort the believers to fight. If there be of you twenty steadfast they shall overcome two hundred, and if there be of you a hundred (steadfast) they shall overcome a thousand of those who disbelieve, because they (the disbelievers) are a folk without intelligence (8:65)

Other verses of violence may be found here.

Remember that the Quran says that not all men are equal according to Islam.  This even applies to Muslims with regard to their aggressiveness toward unbelievers.  Those who kill or are killed on behalf of Islam are more pleasing to Allah:

Not equal are those of the believers who sit at home... and those who strive hard and fight in the Cause of Allah with their wealth and lives" (4:95)

The Quran Says that Other Religions are Cursed by Allah

Buddhists in Thailand, Jews in Israel, Christians in Indonesia, Hindus in India...  Why is Islam at war with every major world religion, when none of these religions are at war with each other?  Part of the reason is that the Quran is specific about the inferiority of other faiths (see 48:28) and the hatred that Allah harbors for their people.

Although it is common for Muslims to become upset about anyone “insulting” their religion, here is what the Quran says about Jews and Christians:

The Jews call Ezra a son of Allah, and the Christians call Christ the son of Allah. That is a saying from their mouth; (in this) they but imitate what the unbelievers of old used to say. Allah's curse be on them: how they are deluded away from the Truth! (9:30) (See also Bukhari 8:427), one of the last things Muhammad ever said on his deathbed was "May Allah curse the Jews and Christians.”)

The Quran specifically addresses Christians, Jews, Polytheists (Hindus) and atheists:

Christians are disbelievers (98:5-6) and blasphemers (5:17, 5:73) who have invented a lie about Allah (10:68-69) by ascribing partners to Allah (ie. the Trinity).  Inventing a lie about Allah is the worst of sins (7:37, 29:68) and for this reason Christians are condemned to Hell (10:70).  Although one (early Medinan) verse seems to say that righteous Christians will go to heaven, this is abrogated by later verses that make it very clear that Christians must cease being Christian (ie. reject the Trinity) or suffer eternal torment for their beliefs (5:72-73).

Jews are also cursed by Allah (5:13), in one of his final pronouncements.  The Quran goes on to assure Muslims that Jews are wicked (4:160-162) – so wicked, in fact, that they have somehow managed to do the impossible (18:27) and alter the word of Allah (2:75).  Jews are “fond of lies”and “devour the forbidden” (5:42).

The Quran assures believers that Jews and Christians have “diseased hearts” (5:52).  Allah even takes credit for the enmity between them (5:14).  Only Jews and Christians who submit to Islamic subjugation and pay the Jizya are protected in this world (9:29 & Ibn Ishaq 956).

Hindus are polytheists.  Although Muhammad didn’t know any Hindus (and neither did Allah, apparently) the Quran still manages to lay the groundwork for the 1000 year ethnic cleansing campaign against the Hindu people that is estimated to have taken tens of millions of innocent lives.  In Islam, polytheists are worse than all other religion.  Those who join idols (14:30) or false gods (11:14) to Allah also invent a lie about Him (29:17) and will burn in Hell.  Even believing in other divine entities along with Allah is an unforgivable crime (4:48, 40:12).

Atheists believe in no god, which is even worse than believing in the wrong one (Muhammad and his successors had atheists put to death - Bukhari 84:57).  Merely questioning the existence of Allah is a testament to one’s impiety (25:21), even as Muslim narcissim is encouraged in the Quran.  Muhammad always answered probing questions merely by telling the inquiring party that they would go to Hell if they didn’t believe in him (36:49-64).  The Quran discourages Muslims from intellectual inquiry (5:101-102).

Any Muslim who gives up his religion is a “perverted transgressor” (3:82).  Perverted as well is anyone who denies Allah (40:63) or does not believe Muhammad (2:99).  Freedom of conscience does not exist in Islam.  Muhammad clearly prescribed the death penalty for apostates (Bukhari52:260).

While contemporary Muslim apologists often speak of “dialogue” (meaning a unilateral arrangement in which they tell you about Islam while you listen) the Quran speaks of Jihad instead:

Listen not to the unbelievers, but strive (Jihad) against them with the utmost strenuousness. (25:52)

What would be the point in hearing anything a non-Muslim has to say... or even talking with them for that matter?  Allah has already sealed their hearts and condemned them to Hell:

As for the Disbelievers, Whether thou warn them or thou warn them not it is all one for them; they believe not. Allah hath sealed their hearing and their hearts, and on their eyes there is a covering. Theirs will be an awful doom (2:6)

For those wondering why Allah would even make infidels if their ultimate destination is Hell, Muhammad said that the purpose of some (Jews and Christians, at least) was to take the place of Muslims, so that they would not suffer there (Sahih Muslim 6666).

The Quran Says that Non-Muslims are
Destined for Eternal Torture in Hell

Although nowhere does the Quran say that Allah loves those who don’t believe Muhammad, there are over 400 verses that describe the torment that he has prepared for people of other religions (or no religion):

And whoever desires a religion other than Islam, it shall not be accepted from him, and in the hereafter he shall be one of the losers (3:85)

The relative worth of non-Muslims is that they are but fuel for the fire of Hell:

(As for) those who disbelieve, surely neither their wealth nor their children shall avail them in the least against Allah, and these it is who are the fuel of the fire (3:10Shakir: "firewood of hell")

As they are fueling the fire, unbelievers will be tormented by Allah’s angels on his command:

“O ye who believe! Ward off from yourselves and your families a Fire whereof the fuel is men and stones, over which are set angels strong, severe, who resist not Allah in that which He commandeth them, but do that which they are commanded.” (66:6)

It doesn’t matter how many good deeds an unbeliever does, because they count for nothing with Allah:

The parable of those who reject their Lord is that their works are as ashes, on which the wind blows furiously on a tempestuous day: No power have they over aught that they have earned (14:18)

Shall we tell you of those who lose most in respect of their deeds?  Those whose efforts have been wasted in this life, while they thought that they were acquiring good by their works?  They are those who deny the Signs of their Lord and the fact of their having to meet Him (in the Hereafter): vain will be their works, nor shall We, on the Day of Judgment, give them any weight.  That is their reward, Hell, because they rejected Faith, and took My Signs and My Messengers by way of jest. (18:103-106)

Muhammad told his people that anyone who rejects his claim to be a prophet will go to Hell:

Surely those who disbelieve in Allah and His messengers and (those who) desire to make a distinction between Allah and His messengers and say: ‘We believe in some and disbelieve in others’, and desire to take a course between (this and) that. These it is that are truly unbelievers, and We have prepared for the unbelievers a disgraceful chastisement. And those who believe in Allah and His messengers and do not make a distinction between any of them-- Allah will grant them their rewards(4:150-152)

In Christianity, punishment in the hereafter is directly tied to sin and ‘wickedness.’  There is relatively little said about Hell, but the emphasis is on personal suffering for selfish or cruel deeds.  In Islam, Hell is a punishment for merely not believing Muhammad’s personal claims about himself.  In contrast to the Bible, every 12^th verse of the Quran speaks of Hell and vividly describes Allah’s wrath on unbelievers:

But as for those who disbelieve, garments of fire will be cut out for them; boiling fluid will be poured down on their heads, Whereby that which is in their bellies, and their skins too, will be melted; And for them are hooked rods of iron Whenever, in their anguish, they would go forth from thence they are driven back therein and (it is said unto them): Taste the doom of burning. (22:19-22)

No one could torture a person in this way without hating them intensely.  Neither can Allah’s intense loathing for unbelievers help but affect the Muslim attitude toward those outside the faith. 

The personal superiority of Muslims is confirmed by the contrasting picture painted in so many places in the Quran in which they are rewarded with the greatest of earthly comforts in heaven, while the unbelievers concurrently suffer horrible torment (see Sura 56 for just one example).

The Quran Dehumanizes Non-Muslims
and Says that They are Vile Animals

The Ayatollah Khomeini, who dedicated his entire life to studying Islam, said that non-Muslims  rank somewhere between "feces" and the "sweat of a camel that has consumed impure food."  Small wonder.  The Quran dehumanizes non-Muslims, describing them as “animals” and beasts:

Those who disbelieve from among the People of the Book and among the Polytheists, will be in Hell-Fire, to dwell therein (for aye). They are the worst of creatures. (98:6)

Surely the vilest of animals in Allah's sight are those who disbelieve, then they would not believe. (8:55)

Verse 7:176 compares unbelievers to "panting dogs" with regard to their idiocy and worthlessness.  Verse 7:179 says they are like "cattle" only worse.

Verse 5:60 even says that Allah transformed Jews of the past into apes and pigs.  This is echoed by verses 7:166 and 2:65. 

A hadith (Bukhari 54:524) says that Muhammad believed rats to be "mutated Jews" (also confirmed by Sahih Muslim 7135 and 7136).

Verses 46:29-35 even say that unbelieving men are worse than the demons who believe in Muhammad. 

According to Islamic law, non-Muslims may be owned as property by Muslims, but - in keeping with Islam's supremacist message - a fellow Muslim should never be (unless they convert to Islam after enslavement).  Even Christians and Jews are not considered fully human in that the penalty for killing one of them is limited to one-third of the compensation due for unintentionally killing a Muslim.

ON THE EVE OF  "PITR SHRADH PAKHSH ";COMMENCING WITH EFFECT FROM 19TH SEPTEMBER 2013 !
To the Brahmans as well as Hindu's having profound faith in Shradh ritual,the rhythmical and 'melodious' chanting s of Shradh mantras  that day during the 'offerings' of oblations in the sacrificial fire,have a special religious appeal,notwithstanding the fact that they and officiating priest [except in rare cases] are equally ignorant of their meanings and implications.The ignorant and credulous householder often believes that the verses he repeats after the priest convey very pious wishes and sentiments.In this background ,it is a great disappointment to know that the six principal mantra's contained in the mantra path,prescribed for recitation on that occasion by sages like Apastambha,Bodhyana,Hiranyakesin and others give expression to ideas and sentiments which no decent person can approve in the present times. In any view,they are most repugnant and inappropriate to the time and occasion.
So for as formalism and mechanical ritualism is concerned,there is probably none in this wide world to beat gullible followers and believers.On such occasion,most followers go through the motions of a religious ceremony ,spread over hours either at 'sacred' places like Hardiwar or at home,without having the ghost of an idea of what is being done. Supposedly revered Brahman ask believer to dip a finger in the water and he most obediently does so,He has to wait till he directs him where to place the drop so collected on the finger-usually on donated articles or on his forehead. At the same time,it is beyond any logic or comprehension that why alone ancestors of Hindu's are in dire need of prescribed articles in supposed other world,during 'pitra pakhsha [fortnight] and that too exclusive courtesy of Brahmans .