From: sri@cbnewsj.cb.att.com (a.natarajan)
Subject: AYODHYAA HAS BECOME AYOGYAA!
Organization: AT&T
Date: Mon, 14 Dec 1992 17:04:02 GMT
Followup-To: poster
Keywords: hinduthva, muslimthva, power-hungrythva

Many have expressed their  profound  sadness  at  the  events  in
Ayodhya.   Ofcourse,  there  are others who have tried to explain
away  the  tragedy  that  visited  Ayodhya.   In  the   name   of
"Hindhuthva"  (whatever that means to the person who professes to
be a "Hindhu"), certainly a  dastardly  act  of  intolerance  WAS
committed.  It  is not the first time that such an intolerant and
insensitive  act  has  been  perpetrated  by  one  group  against
another!   Almost  always, such criminal acts are the symptoms of
some  major  underlying  problems.   Just  as  bodily   pain   is
indicative  of  some anatomical dysfunction which cries aloud for
attention and remedy, unfortunate  events  such  as  the  one  in
Ayodhya  continually  inflict  pain and suffering on ALL parties,
signaling a deep malady in the society that needs to be addressed
effectively in a "fundamental" way!  I am very shocked to hear of
this tragedy in Ayodhya! Not  that  "hindhus"  are  incapable  of
intolerance  or  acts of violence! One just needs to wade through
the pages of the  Indian  epic,  Sri  Mahaabhaaratham  to  get  a
glimpse  of what any one is capable of stooping down to, when the
underlying cause is one of greed, power-hunger, and jealousy! The
graphic  portrayal  of  a fratricidal war that annihilated almost
everyone was to show us that the root cause of the symptom of war
was: "GREED", "HUNGER FOR POWER", and JEALOUSY"! That is what all
quarrels every where are about! What happened in Ayodhya  was  an
attempt  to show that "Hindhus" are more powerful than "Muslims".
Sri Mahaabhaaratham also gives us a message that every time  such
an  "aDHarma"  was  committed,  the  perpetrator  of the evil act
suffered the  consequences.  When  dhussaaSana,  the  brother  of
dhuryoDHana,  touched Dhraupadhi, the wife of the paaNdavaas, and
dragged  her  to  the  kaurava  court,  the   entire   court   at
haSthinaapuram  mutely  watched the evil act, provoking draupadhi
to remark:

"na Saa SaBHaa yathra na Santhi vrDHDHaa:

 na thE vrDHDHaa: yE na vadhanthi DHarmam |

 naaSau DHarmau yathra na Sathyam aSthi

 na thath Sathyam yachCHalEnaanu vidhDHam ||"

                                          (Mahaa BHaaratham)

[ It is an irony that  they  have  inscribed  this  verse  in  bold
letters  all  around  the walls of the central hall of the Indian
Parliament!]

"A court that does not have elders as representatives is NOT a court.

  One that does not speak out DHarmam is NOT an elder.

  Statements bereft of truth are NOT DHaarmik words.

  Fallacy is NOT truth."

Draupadhi's statement is as true today as it was then.  I  wonder
if  the  elected  representatives  of  the  people  of  India are
"literate" enough to read this verse so boldly inscribed  on  the
walls  of  the Lok Sabha Hall.  If they are, I wonder if they are
"educated" enough to understand  its  meaning!  If  they  are,  I
wonder  if  they  are  "wise"  enough to absorb the spirit of the
verse!

As always, we can learn from such events.  "AathmaupamyEna  Samam
pasyathi"  is  the  message  of  the  other God, Krishna! Resolve
conflicts through "viveka".

If the  "hindhus"  read  the  Ayodhyaa  Kaandam  where  Vaalmeeki
describes the character of Sri Raama, it will be apparent that He
will never reside in that "temple" tainted with  bloody  evil!  A
mere  granite  idol  will  it  be!  "Ayodhya" (a city without any
quarrels) is a misnomer! It is "AYOGYAA", a city  unfit  to  live
in!

Jaya Rama Sri Rama Jaya Jaya Rama!

Respectfully,

A. Natarajan at AT&T Bell Labs.

Newsgroups: soc.culture.indian