Author Archives: Irina Gajjar

Happy New Year 2022

  By Irina Gajjar | January 1, 2022 - 5:01 am |
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As the world bids farewell to what most of us agree was a difficult year, many of us are struggling to become or remain optimistic about ourselves, our loved ones, our nations, and our species.

Perhaps the most disheartening commentary I have heard is that humankind is inferior to other species, in particular those that live in our oceans. These creatures communicate, care for their own with an understanding of medicines, treat one another with compassion, and do not damage their environment.

Hopefully, human behavior will not bode badly for our existence. In the larger scheme of things, we can have hope for our future and the future of our planet. After all, the earth is estimated to be about 4.5 billion years old and humans have been around for about three hundred thousand years.

Perhaps the James Webb telescope launched on December 24th is the brightest event of 2021. It is expected to answer momentous questions about the universe or multiverses and may even guide us into finding habitats away from mother earth. The knowledge it gives may make us kinder if we come to believe that kindness will enhance our chances of surviving and thriving.

A Moral War

  By Irina Gajjar | December 18, 2021 - 12:47 pm |
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Violence and destruction is not always harmful. Burning fields to improve their fertility is a good thing. It is different from starting a wildfire that will burn and destroy forests. The Gita speaks of a moral war, explaining that the soul cannot be killed and that the body does not matter at all. The Mahabharata and the Gita illustrate rather than explain what constitutes a moral war. Lord Krishna speaks on the “Battlefield of Sharma.”

The noble hero, Arjun, does not want to slay his enemy. He does not want a kingdom, or victory, or pleasures. He would rather his enemy kill him than kill them. Lord Krishna convinces Arjun to fight, leaving the outcome of the war in God’s hands:

Do not care if your fighting brings pleasure or pain,

Victory or defeat.

Just do your duty.

In this way you will be free.

(Gita 2:38)

These lines make it clear that Ahimsa, or nonviolence, is not strictly a pacificist doctrine. It may not even be a doctrine as much as awareness, a consciousness of what human beings need to do to maintain universal harmony and balance.

Read more from On Hinduism at www.irinagajjar.com. You can purchase the book at Amazon.com.

An Idea of God

  By Irina Gajjar | December 17, 2021 - 8:10 pm |
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Hindu philosophy is premised on the idea of God, not on a belief in God. Thus, the divine force, howsoever it may be perceived, or even if it is disregarded, is ever-present. Hinduism does not demand faith in God. Rather it provides links to the idea of God. Those interested can click on a link at any time.

What then describes Hindus if not faith in God, or acceptance of the tenets of Hinduism, or following the dictates of Hindu scriptures, or performing specific rituals? Responses often given to the question “Who is a Hindu?” include: followers of Hindu traditions, believers in Vedic philosophy, persons who follow dharma (a complex inclusive terms representing maintaining balance, staying on the path of truth, and fulfillment of duty), persons of righteousness, persons who will perform Hindu sacraments, persons who live a Hindu lifestyle, persons who uphold Hindu values, seekers of God, and persons who profess themselves to be Hindu.

The above replies are all correct, but none is definitive, given the wide diversity in individual beliefs. The last statement is probably the closest to the best answer. Nobody can judge the belief of a particular Hindu, but persons who believe themselves to be a Hindu know what they believe. Thus, a Hindu may be best described as someone who calls himself Hindu and who does not adhere to any other religion.

This excerpt is from On Hinduism, by Irina Gajjar. To learn more about the book, visit the website at www.irinaspage.com. You can purchase the book directly from Amazon by clicking this link.

The Divine Force

  By Irina Gajjar | December 4, 2021 - 4:43 am |
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Hindu philosophy is premised on the idea of God, not on a belief in God. Thus, the divine force, howsoever it may be perceived, or even if it is disregarded, is ever-present. Hinduism does not demand faith in God. Rather it provides links to the idea of God. Those interested can click on a link at any time.

What then describes Hindus if not faith in God, or acceptance of the tenets of Hinduism, or following the dictates of Hindu scriptures, or performing specific rituals? Responses often given to the question “Who is a Hindu?” include: followers of Hindu traditions, believers in Vedic philosophy, persons who follow dharma (a complex inclusive terms representing maintaining balance, staying on the path of truth, and fulfillment of duty), persons of righteousness, persons who will perform Hindu sacraments, persons who live a Hindu lifestyle, persons who uphold Hindu values, seekers of God, and persons who profess themselves to be Hindu.

The above replies are all correct, but none is definitive, given the wide diversity in individual beliefs. The last statement is probably the closest to the best answer. Nobody can judge the belief of a particular Hindu, but persons who believe themselves to be a Hindu know what they believe. Thus, a Hindu may be best described as someone who calls himself Hindu and who does not adhere to any other religion.

This excerpt is from On Hinduism, by Irina Gajjar. To learn more about the book, visit the website at www.irinaspage.com. You can purchase the book directly from Amazon by clicking this link.

The Reality of Greatness and Nothingness

  By Irina Gajjar | November 18, 2021 - 4:39 pm |
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Belief in the world’s illusory nature gives rise to belief in the reality and greatness of nothingness. AN understanding of nothingness relates to the understanding of mathematics which embodies the concept of zero. At the same time, belief in nothingness is a significant aspect of Hindu belief in God. Nothingness is greater than creation which comes and goes as worlds appear and disappear in cycles. Nothingness existed before God undertook creation and God alone transcends nothingness. Devout Hindus seek to attain enlightenment which is akin to becoming lost in the supreme blissfulness of God who is as much nothing as He is everything.

Some people revere God as an infinite force requiring no further definition. But others find it difficult to work the idea of an intangible, unfathomable, all powerful God into worship or life. Thus, Hinduism facilitates faith by giving God a multitude of physical forms that represent his multiple attributes. It is next to impossible to know these countless forms and names. In ritual ceremonies, priests recite as many names as the worshipers have the patience to repeat or hear while they toss a leaf or a petal for each name into a vessel as a symbol of their acknowledgment.

This excerpt is from On Hinduism by Irina Gajjar. Read more from Irina or learn where to buy the book at www.irinaspage.com.

Hindu Mythology

  By Irina Gajjar | October 10, 2021 - 4:06 am |
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The crown jewels of Hindu mythology are its two grand epics, Ramayana and the Mahabharata. These reflect Vishnu’s incarnations as Rama and Krishna. Both epics are literary masterpieces containing a wealth of history, legend, philosophy, and ideology. They are post Vedic works considered smiriti or recollection rather than sruti or revelation.

The Ramayana was composed by Valmiki, a bandit turned saint and poet. Lord Brahma inspired him to write the Ramayana, a dramatic poem consisting of seven books divided into five hundred stanzas and 24,000 verses. It is believed to have been recorded about 500 BCE or earlier. The story is an intricate one with a large cast of characters including gods, demons, humans, super humans, animals, and birds who personify good, evil, or both. The well-developed characters act out their karma with elegance and might. The master plot containing intricate subplots takes many twists and turns and contains many diversions designed to keep its listeners riveted to every adventure and full anticipation up to the very end.

—This excerpt is from On Hinduism, by Irina Gajjar

Read more from Irina at www.irinaspage.com.

Mankind’s Journey

  By Irina Gajjar | September 16, 2021 - 9:48 pm |
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Arjun’s journey from doubt to faith symbolizes mankind’s journey. The journey is premised on a belief in a principle greater than ourselves and on a belief that we can ultimately transcend our human limits. Meanwhile, as we travel on the road to enlightenment, we can improve our human condition. But the journey must begin with the idea or hope that the end will have meaning.

God is The Gita’s premise. Its message is that life’s purpose is to attain enlightenment and eternal bliss merging into God. This message is a familiar one. However, its new and concise formulation coalesced Hindu thought and its fresh expression has guided Hindu behavior into the twenty-first century. In the revelation that is the Gita, God delivers His word with beauty and simplicity. This scripture contains eighteen chapters and seven hundred verses upon which uncounted commentaries have been written and continue to be written.

In the course of responding to Arjun, God as Lord Krishna unclouds Arjun’s vision, opens his mind and touches his heart. He speaks of His own nature and power, of human nature and human duty, or worlds, knowledge, of what is knowable, of the universal and human cycles of birth, life, and death and He speaks truth. Questions related to these matters intersect and overlap and they give rise to further questions and answers. In the end, the Gita paints an integrated picture of our human role in the vast scheme of things that is beyond us but not beyond our wonder.

Read more from On Hinduism, by Irina Gajjar at www.irinaspage.com

What Is the Core Message of the Bhagavad Gita?

  By Irina Gajjar | August 23, 2021 - 12:46 am |
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The Bhagavad Gita’s or the Gita’s core message can be stated in a single sentence. It is this: Overtime and lifetimes, each of us can elevate ourselves to a higher plane until we become one with God. On one hand, this is a simple goal and the Gita tells how we can accomplish it. But on the other, it requires an appreciation of the Hindu view of God, virtue, reincarnation, and karma as well as of how these elements interact. While such appreciation comes naturally to Hindus, it requires others unfamiliar with Hinduism to ponder with an open mind.

The Gita answers questions that human beings have about matters we cannot fathom. Most of us have the same questions but not all of us agree upon the answers that religions and philosophies offer. Yet many of us feel that these answers given by preachers, teachers, scholars, and thinkers touch us and make some sense. Teachings proposed over millennia across the globe have often coincided and resulted in civil societies based on customs, laws, and traditions derived from religious or philosophical principles.

Ancient Hindu writings are classified as “Smriti” and “Sruti.”  Myths, legends, and the like that were passed on from person to person are Smriti, or recollections.

Sacred writings that are believed to have come directly from God are Sruti or revelations. The Gita, constructed as a conversation between Lord Krishna and Arjun, is Sruti and contains the essence of Hindu belief. It explains and seeks to persuade all who read or hear its words that life’s purpose is to attain the ultimate ecstasy of merging into God.

Considerable debate exists about the date that the Gita was crystalized and recorded in its present form. Though some allege it dates back to earlier than 5000 B.C.E. [before the common era], it was most plausibly written shortly before 500 B.C.E. By this time Hindu philosophy, thought, and culture were well established on the Indian subcontinent. Ideas regarding matters like the nature of God, of truth, of duty, and of the spirit were generally accepted. For example, most people believed in karma, in reincarnation, and in the existence of multiple planes with differing dimensions of time and space. These ideas or theories are rooted in the Vedas, the rich body of Hindu scriptures that antedate the Bhagavad Gita.

The Gita itself is part of the Mahabharata, the great epic which culminates on the battlefield known as Kurukshetra. God in the form of Lord Krishna is Arjun’s charioteer. He explains why Arjun’s duty is to fight bravely even if it leads to killing or being killed. In the course of eighteen chapters, the Gita persuades Arjun to act vigorously in fulfillment of his duty as a warrior. God explains that Arjun’s karma and the karma of his allies and enemies is determined, that the soul is eternal, and that for these reasons Arjun should put his faith in God and do his best without considering the consequences of his actions.

Lord Krishna concludes with these words:

 

No one is dearer to Me than a person

                                                    who loves Me.

                                                And whoever has heard or read My words

                                                        in this conversation with you, Arjun

                                                      loves Me.

                                             Whoever has thought about my words

                                                          carefully, worships Me with wisdom.

                                                Whoever understands these words          

                                                       I have just spoken to you, is wise.

                                                Whoever has listened, full of faith to My

                                                         message

                                                 will be sure to get goodness and happiness.

Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 18, verse 70, 71,72

 

See On Hinduism and The Gita, A New Translation of Hindu Sacred Scripture by Irina N. Gajjar

Excerpt from The Pokhraj

  By Irina Gajjar | August 4, 2021 - 9:52 pm | ,
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The following excerpt is from The Pokhraj by Irina Gajjar. The Pokhraj, a yellow sapphire, is the key to mystery that envelopes an upbeat Jewish family living in Houston.

The Landau dinner party was turning out to be a success. Natalya had planned the evening weeks ago as a surprise birthday celebration for her husband. Victor relished having guests in his home. He basked in their appreciation of his elegant condominium and its view of the city and he was comfortable and at ease on his turf. Thus, tonight, even though he purported to dislike organized festivities – particularly birthday parties, and most particularly his own – he was pleased. Forgetting that he “hated being happy on command” and that he was categorically opposed to gifts, his spirits were high. The group was small enough for intimacy and his guests were good friends, all fun to be with.

They were at about the same place in life as he and Nat were and they shared common interests. The women, like Nat, were attractive and they sparkled with insightful wit. And his presents were to his liking. Besides a broad band gold ring inset with three little diamonds from Nat, he received a bottle of his favorite champagne, Veuve Cliquot, a copy of the Kama Sutra, a dozen glasses with the insignia of Harvard University – his alma mater – Sauvage cologne and The Warrior Angel trilogy on micro disc.

“I’d drive a hundred miles for this dinner,” Victor said with a warm smile. His remark was worn with repetition, but it was endearing because its sincerity was fresh. Indeed the meal was superb. Natalya was an excellent cook and she had stayed away from the office this Saturday in order to go all out. She served a salmon baked in pastry, a baby lamb roasted with herbs, a vegetable ratatouille, new potatoes, home baked bread and salad. The birthday cake was Victor’s favorite, a babá au rum.

 

To learn more about The Pkhraj or to purchase the book, visit http://irinaspage.com/literary-fiction/the-pokhraj/

New New York: Tobor Excerpt

  By Irina Gajjar | July 23, 2021 - 7:39 pm |
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The following excerpt is from New New York, a science fiction novel by Irina Gajjar.

Chapter 1 Tobor

Tobor’s feelings were hurt. Beyond that, IT was worried. In his most recent holographic message, Ira [officially Liera, his Arya, stated that he would be back at 19:00 hours and it was already 19:00 hours plus three segments. Tobor probed himself to figure out why Ira failed to message regarding the delay. Such lack of attentiveness was out of character.

Meanwhile Ira was rushing home on his hoverboard, drained. They’re losing it, he thought. The whole screwing lot is losing it. He had walked out of a meeting with the Planetary Secretaries for Education and Wisdom when he discovered that even Labella failed to appreciate the significance of the problems they faced. Inferno! It now looked like Ira, Chief of Education and Wisdom, would have to revamp his bureau yet again. This was always a pain in the neck. It also looked like his budding dalliance with Bella would come to a screeching halt even before it had an opportunity to bloom.

Liera couldn’t care less about whether or not Tobor had reheated his bathwater or arranged to freshen his dinner. As he reached his destination—the red quadrant, level l9 on 2nd Avenue and 18th Street East, New New York, in the Second Rim—he signaled for admittance without a second thought.

“Hail,” Ira said nodding to Tobor as he rushed to the hall bathroom because he felt an urgent need to relieve himself.

“Hail,” Tobor replied, hanging on to the slippers Liera had neglected to exchange for his shoes.

On his way out Tobor accosted him.

“Here are your slippers, Arya,” Tobor ventured because Ira totally ignored IT and was marching through the home with outside footwear.

Liera was flabbergasted. Tobor had just broken the cardinal rule of superrobo behavior: never address your Arya unless heshe first addresses you. Ira didn’t know how to respond. He had never heard of something like this happening and couldn’t foresee where it would lead. It made no sense at all. None whatsoever. In a daze, he took the slippers and headed for his bath. He found the temperature perfect and, as he soaked, he decided to message Tobor’s manufacturer, Whizwiz Dynamics, and if need be, kick some serious posterior until he got satisfactory explanations.

As Ira was not one to postpone a decided-upon course of action, he promptly linked the message and in a wink he found himself facing an elegantly attired female Whizwizzer.

“Hail,” Ira said.

“Ahem,” the Whizwizzer responded, immediately unlinking.

“Inferno!” Ira shouted to no one in particular. “Those screwing ding dongs don’t have any manners!” He was about to reconnect when he noticed that his bath was draining and he was visibly quite naked. Abashed, he quickly dressed and headed into his study. Then he messaged again and found himself facing the same female who had appeared earlier. This time her response was far more cordial.

“Hail,” she said. “How can we assist you?”

“I need to communicate with someone in Behavior Management immediately,” Ira answered.

“I am Dynima at your service,” the female stated. “I am in charge of the after-hours shift. Behavior Management is the only department that works after 19:00 hours. Please gave me the name, model and serial number of your superrobo and state the date of ITs last program check.”