The Saundarya Lahiri Of Adi Shankara

Radha Kumar





Navaratri is the festive period of nine sacred days when the divine Mother Goddess is venerated.The terracotta figurines of the goddess at Harappa reveal the fact that human beings adulated nature or prakriti in the form of a woman perhaps because she is the symbol of genesis, nurture and sustenance. The goddess as Shakti has always been invoked in Ugra, aggressive and in Shanta, peaceful forms.Adi Shankara, the advaita philosopher, was the first to integrate metaphysical deliberation of Shakti, as Saguna Tattva. The quintessential aspect of Shankara's Advaita is the doctrine of Maya. Hence his philosophy is also called, Shakti Advaitism. While at a macro level, the supreme cosmic, omnipotent and omniscient Brahmn when limited by Mayashakti, becomes Ishwara, at the micro level, the Atman becomes jiva.
Maya is anadi, beginning-less; bhavarupa, positive; material, unconscious; jada, indescribable and indefinable ­ sadasadanirvachaniya, with a phenomenal and relative character. It is vyavaharikasatta, vivrata, only an appearance; adhyasa or superimposition. The compositions of Adi Shankara in the Saundarya Lahiri, evocatively capture in verse, the basic features of the philosophical deliberations of the Kaula and Samya traditions of Shakti Upsakas along with the very detailed descriptions of the Sri Yantra with aspects of tantra like the chakras and nadis.
The verses of the Saundarya Lahiri have deep metaphysical implications along with capturing the unimaginable glory of the Devi in this mysterious universe. Each verse is descriptive of the beauty , glory and the importance of Shakti. Nevertheless, it is interesting to read verse 51, which describes the look in the Mother's eye, which is beautifully significant of the navarasa. The composition thus highlights the poetic rendition and composition of the great seer, Shankara.
In this verse, Bhagavadpada Shankara, describing the rasas of the Devi says when the divine goddess looks at Shiva, it is shringara ­ “Sive Srngarardra“.And with dislike when she sees others “Tad-itara-jane kutsana-para“; when she looks at Ganga it is with anger as Ganga is also Shiva's wife ­ “Sarosa Gangaayam“, but that of wonder when she hears the stories of Shiva “Girisa carite vismayavati“.
When looking at the great serpents forming the orna ment of Shiva, her expression is that of dread ­ “Har'abhiyo bhita“ but looks with light hearted sympathy and a patronising smile at the sight of Shiva's ganas ­ “Sarasi ruha saubhagya janani“. She looks at devotees thus: “Sakhisu smera te mayi janani drstih sakurana“.
Shankaracharya, in this composition, captures beautifully the rasas of sringara, love; bibhatsa, disgust; raudra, anger; adbuta, wonder; bhayanaka, terror; vira, heroism; hasya, mirth; and karuna, compassion.
The 100 verses of the Saundarya Lahiri is the Shakta version of Advaita where Shakti changes into the world of multiplicity of jivas and jagat, without forfeiting its non-dual status as a being.“United with Shakti, Shiva is endowed to create; otherwise he is incapable of even movement,“ says the great seer, in his very first verse.
Here, Shakti personified as Devi Tripurasundari, is described in her ultimate beauty and splendour. Complete submission to the Devi is the way to surmount and redeem oneself from this maze of Maya and it is through her karuna, that one can break free from this complex web of the eternal cause and effect cycle.Hence, it was in Shakti Tattva or Devi that the Bhagvadpada saw the pathway to redemption. (Today is Lalita Panchami.) The author teaches ancient Indian culture at St Xavier's College, Mumbai.

Symbiosis to set up skill development university in Pune - 

As lot of emphasis is given to skill-based education and skill development nowadays, the Symbiosis Open Education Society is going to set up a skill development university in Pune for that purpose.

While informing about the developments, Dr Swati Mujumdar, Principal Director, Symbiosis Open Education Society (SOES), said, “As skill development is the need of the hour, the skill development university will be in line with the Prime Minister’s vision of Make In India, which will cater to the growing need of skilled resources in the industry.”

The target would be on programmes related to high growth sectors such as automobile and manufacturing and a centre of excellence will be established in collaboration with local industry to provide skill-based training to the youth.

For the project, Symbiosis has acquired 15 acres of land under the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation’s jurisdiction at Kiwale. The cost of the project is about Rs 200 crore and the plan to launch the first programme is from 2016.

Source: Elets News Network (ENN) Posted on October 15, 2015 

Union Government flags off Climate Special Science Express

Union Government has flagged off  Science Express Climate Action Special (SECAS) with the theme of Climate Change. It was flagged off by Union Science and Technology Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan from Safdarjung railway station in New Delhi. Key facts The Science Express aims to create awareness among various sections of the society especially the students about various challenges and issues associated with Climate Change. It is an innovative science exhibition mounted on a 16 coach AC train and has been custom-built by the Indian Railways for Department of Science and Technology (DoS&T). It is collaborative initiative of DoS&T and Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) and Union Ministry of Railways. Initially for about 7 months, the train will travel across India covering about 18,000 kms and halting at 64 locations spread over 20 States.  in 2015 Current Affairs, Science and Technology Tags: Climate Change • Indian Railways • Science And Technology

Lessons from an agitation

The end of the 17-day strike by nearly three lakh plantation workers in Kerala, following a wage settlement before a tripartite committee, should come as welcome relief to the ailing sector. It took six rounds of negotiations at meetings of the Plantation Labour Committee, comprising representatives of managements, trade unions and the government, to do that. Under the settlement, the daily wages of workers in tea, coffee, cardamom and rubber plantations will go up by a fair measure. The agitation drew much political attention as it followed a successful strike by women workers at Kanan Devan Hills Plantations Ltd in Munnar last month. Keeping out the mainstream trade unions, the women organised themselves independently to extract a 20 per cent bonus offer from the management, comprising 8.33 per cent statutory bonus and 11.67 per cent ex gratia payment. It was obvious that the women’s initiative gave the required impetus to a wider agitation across the State, and fuelled fears of fraternal strikes in other plantations in the country. The State government, which knew that the workers’ demand for higher wages for livelihood was justified, was caught in a dilemma as it was equally aware of the crisis gripping the sector owing to falling commodity prices and allied ills. It is possible that the authorities got the managements to arrive at a wage settlement by offering concessions in the form of lower plantation tax and agricultural income tax, besides subsidised electricity supply.

There is little doubt that the conditions of workers in the plantation sector leave much to be desired. Many of them live on-site in one-room line houses, and the scope for quality education for their children is limited. The government’s plans to upgrade housing and provide more schools in the plantation areas are welcome, but it requires sustained effort to bring about a significant change in the workers’ lot. The plantation managements have their stories of woe too. They say rising production and labour costs have made their produce uncompetitive in both domestic and overseas markets. Contending that the average price of each kilogram of tea, rubber or cardamom is less than the cost of production, planters have sought to link wage increases with a corresponding enhancement in labour productivity. It is in the fitness of things that the government has also decided to appoint a one-man commission to go into the gamut of issues in the sector. The bottom line is that while the entire sector needs to improve its competitiveness and productivity, it is equally important that the plantations remain responsible employers.

Keywords: strike by plantation workers, wage settlement, Kanan Devan Hills Plantations Ltd, plantation managements

Source: The Hindu, 16-10-2015

Where the mind is without fear

The brain gain versus brain drain binary misses the far more important issue of India’s brain trap where young minds are stifled by archaic educational and social systems

In 2013, Kartik Sawhney, a brilliant and visually impaired student, was not allowed to take the Joint Entrance Exam for the IITs, as the system expected rigid adherence to outdated test-taking norms. Luckily, he got admission into Stanford University with a scholarship. Some call this brain drain.

On the other hand, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while addressing Indian-origin professionals in Silicon Valley, argued that this is brain gain, as millions of successful Indians in the U.S. bring back knowledge to India. There is truth to this assertion. India should then cherish the dramatic increase in the number of Indian students in the U.S., from 31,743 in 1995 to more than 1,02,000 today.

The discussion of brain gain versus brain drain misses something potentially far more important, however: the issue of a domestic brain trap. Brain trap is a result of the archaic educational, social, and economic systems that stifle most young minds from blossoming into creative thinkers and highly productive citizens. One could argue that the millions of successful Indians in the U.S. would not have achieved much success if they had remained in India. This includes me.

Unlocking the enormous domestic brainpower will trump any brain gain.

Queries stifled

There are many plausible reasons for brain trap. One important reason is the process by which an individual’s inquisitiveness is repeatedly snubbed from childhood. Often this is a result of strict adherence to social norms at home and is carried over to schools and workplaces.

Case in point: In a gathering that I attended, a spiritual leader said, “Indian culture is the greatest in the world.” In response, a 6-year-old child innocently asked, “Why?” Obviously stumped by the question, the leader said, “Children in Indian culture respect elders and do not disagree or talk back.” The child nodded her head in acceptance.

Unfortunately, the damage begins there. Obedience is valued more than the child’s inquisitiveness. We assume disagreeing is disrespectful and obedience is a greater trait than inquisitiveness. Deeply held beliefs are blindly transferred to children. This obedience gets amplified in schools. Many teachers practice stifling discipline and expect obedience, and discourage creative thinking. In fact, I distinctly remember a teacher once yelling at a student, “You think you know more than me?” The student was made to stand outside the class thereafter as punishment.

Fear is embedded in the psyche of the student both at home and school and the ability to think beyond the norms is curtailed from childhood. Fear manifests itself in many forms and one is that of academic stress due to hyper-competition. Imagine what students have to go through when the cut-off for admission to St. Stephens College is almost a perfect score! Inquisitiveness and creativity are the last things to pursue since very rarely exams test you on these dimensions.

In fact, young minds are systematically trained to recall a lot of material without actually learning what to do with it. During my recent visit to India, I asked a relative pursuing a computer science degree and studying for her Graph Theory exam, how she would use the principles of graph theory in real life problems?

She gave me a blank look.

I said, “Well, if you are studying something you should know why you are learning it, right?” Her innocent response was, “The exam will ask questions only from the text book.” The book itself had no applications to understand the relevance. However, she could recall theorems and proofs from the book.

The system of education — how children are taught, what books are used, and how students are tested and challenged — does not encourage inquisitiveness, but rather snubs it.

Teachers play an extraordinary role in shaping students. If India wants to unlock the brain trap, then it must invest massively in teachers and teacher training. That begins by acknowledging the importance of creativity, introducing teaching and testing methods that encourage inquisitiveness, and rewarding teaching innovations. In India, professors are expected and incentivised to get PhDs. But, it is unclear if there is any greater focus on creativity or academic research in most places. Professors who emphasise research and publish papers with students should be recognised and rewarded.

Beyond the sciences

A colleague of mine once said, “To get the first high-paying job you need a degree in engineering, business, law, medicine, or computer science, but if you want to succeed in life, you need a liberal arts education.” I have come to strongly believe in this and recognise my own shortcomings.

The business leaders and industry associations like NASSCOM lament the lack of soft skills or critical thinking among graduating students. Often critical thinking skills are equated with math or science-related fields, while placing very little emphasis on critical thinking skills rooted in economics or the liberal arts education. Both are essential.

Despite recommendations, there has been little meaningful progress. It is well understood that students develop leadership skills when they are exposed to societal and economic problems. There are numerous assumptions, biases, inconsistencies, incomplete information, and counter arguments that can cloud judgment. Therefore, to make informed decisions, students need to learn to make logical arguments, provide evidence and identify limitations, recognise different viewpoints, develop skills to disagree respectfully, and to communicate effectively. Unfortunately, engineering and science do not always promote this kind of critical thinking.

Even if students develop creativity and inquisitiveness, there is no guarantee that these will be fostered in the workplace. Supervisors expect obedience, and disagreement is considered an insult. Implicit in this is the fear of reprisal, or of being perceived as rude, a carry over from childhood. Of course, these are changing in many companies, but speaking to many professionals, the story unfortunately remains valid in most places.

I often say, send a horse to the U.S. and it will grow into a racehorse, since its mind will be free to take advantage of opportunities in a culture that nurtures ideas. Unfortunately we do not know what happens to millions of potential racehorses in India. That is why I believe there is tremendous potential if we finally unlock and unleash our minds.

(Prabhudev Konana is William H. Seay Centennial Professor and Distinguished Teaching Professor at the University of Texas at Austin. Email: pkonana@mail.utexas.edu.)

Keywords: archael educational systems, NASSCOM, Joint Entrance Examination

Source: The Hindu, 16-10-2015

The Beauty of Nature

SHAMMI PARANJAPE





Life is not as ordinary as it seems. You just have to look around you to feel the magic.A Chinese proverb says, “The miracle is not to fly in the air, or to walk on water, but to walk on earth.“ Every so-called ordinary day is suffused with the extraordinary; we just don't take notice. “It is God who moves the dew to drop, the lotus to bloom, the butterfly to flit and the Sun to rise. That is all the power, all the wisdom, all the love, all the miracle that ever was, is, and will be,“ says Sathya Sai Baba.Nothing should be taken for granted, least of all Nature's bounty , because Nature is the very crucible of life. All that sustains life on earth -sunlight, air, food and water -come from Nature. Real wealth is not in coins and currency but in our natural resources that are so necessary for our very sustenance. So, the more we stay in tune with Nature and its rhythms, the more we stay tuned to ourselves.
Appreciation of the beauty of God's creation nourishes our inner spirit because Nature is a reflection of God and revering Nature is to revere the Creator. It was the belief that God is sarva-vyaapi and resides in every atom of creation that impelled our ancients to worship Nature and its five elements.
The galleria of Nature is meant to acquaint us with God's glory and lead us on to the Supreme artist behind it all. This can be done by seeking from Nature the marvellous inspiration for infusing truth, beauty and goodness -satyam, shivam, sundaram -in our lives and, so, sanctifying ourselves.

Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru Top Global Commercial Realty Mkt

Mumbai: Our Bureau





ON THE RISE While Bengaluru tops the list with 10.5% annual yield, New York, Singapore, London, Tokyo and Hong Kong range between 2.9% and 7%: A global survey of property consultant Knight Frank

Indian cities such as Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru have topped the global commercial property market in terms of annual rental yields as demand for commercial spaces has picked up in recent times.These three markets have outperformed all other global business hot spots with 9.5% to 10.5% annual returns led by growing depth of lease market and demand for commercial properties.
While Bengaluru topped the list with 10.5% annual yield, cities like New York, Singapore, London, Tokyo and Hong Kong ranged between 2.9% and 7% at best, showed a global survey of property consultant Knight Frank.
Mumbai and Bengaluru have also featured among the list of top 5 global cities for future rental growth and are expected to grow to nearly 22% and 16%, respectively.
The rising appetite for Indian commercial properties is attributed to about 67% of investments flowing into Indian real estate from overseas -highest among all other countries.
“Indian office market has been maintaining a healthy traction of 2014 and has clocked office space transactions of 18 million sq ft in the first six months of 2015, and we expect the year to complete at about 40 million sq ft which is the highest since 2011. This is a record year for Bengaluru which is expected to transact office space to the tune of around 12 million sq ft in 2015,“ said Shishir Baijal, chairman & managing director, Knight Frank India. While yields have registered a robust growth, current office rentals in Mumbai and Delhi are still lower than the 2007 peak levels by 17% and 19%, respectively.
“Rentals across Mumbai and Delhi are still below the 2007 peak levels, though Bengaluru is an outlier wherein rentals are 8% more. Currently, these cities are facing an acute shortage of good quality office space in the face of robust demand which is creating an upward pressure on office rentals that is expected to scale up in the range of 6-7% in the next six months year-onyear,“ said Samantak Das, Chief Economist & National Director of Research, Knight Frank India.
The Indian Real Estate Investment Trusts are expected to give a further push to commercial real estate and is estimated to attract investments worth $100 billion in the next few years.
According to Baijal, even though the aggregate vacancy level is at 17%, occupiers and investors are still facing the challenge of getting quality office spaces across prime business districts, wherein vacancy is in single digits.
Due to a robust demand from start-ups and ecommerce, other than IT ITeS, BFSI and manufacturing, office rentals are experiencing a substantial surge. Going forward also, he expects the demand to continue outstripping supply.
The commercial real estate market is making a comeback after being in the dumps for over three years, with recent deals and a healthy pipeline indicating early signs of recovery, especially with large transactions picking up.
While big institutional investors such as Blackstone and GIC have been investing in commercial properties for some time, even big corporate occupiers are returning to the market, hinting at improved business demand and the need for expansion.
Bengaluru and Mumbai have been leading with these large transactions.Recently, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) entered into an agreement to lease over two million sq ft of built-tosuit space at Hiranandani Estate in Thane for 15 years, what's being billed as the largest single office space transaction in India in terms of area. Another large office space deal was concluded in May when Flipkart leased a 2-million sq ft custom-built office campus in Bengaluru.

Source: Economic Times, 16-10-2015