The business of paying back to society

Prof B L Kaul

Kashmir Saivism is an offshootof the main Hindu Vedic/Upan-ishadic thought. Its Principal varietyis called Pratyabhijnya System(doctrine of self or self-recognition)that represents a radical revision ofthe Indian mystical thought. It findsexpression in the mystical poetry ofLalleshwari (Lalla Ded) a noted 14thcentury woman mystic. Her guruwas Sidha Srikanth and she learntyoga from him. Lalla Ded propound-ed Laya yoga which has come downto us through her verse-sayingscomprehended in the term, “Lallavaakh’’. These verse-sayings aregerminal to Kashmiri poetry that isrich inyogic knowledge. Lalleshwariemphasizes a Nirguna Ishwar andAdvaita or non-duality. Lalla’s vers-es go straight to one’s heart and shemakes abstract principles ofSaivism very easy and intelligiblefor us. She observes in one of herutterances that, “one who considershimself not different from the other;one who accepts sorrows andpleasures alike; one who frees him-self from duality; one who frees him-self from the ego, he or she alonetells the beads of the highest lord.

Basic to spiritual awakening inKashmir Saivism is the awakeningof Kundalini and progress of theseeker through seven spiritual cen-ters or plexuses or Cakras vizMuladhara, Swadisthan, Manipura,Anahata, Vishudha; Ajna andSahasarara. As the seeker pro-gresses under the guidance of theGuru from one cakra to the otherhe/she also progresses in his/herspiritual experiences culminating inself realization attained in the crowncakra located in the head. At everystage of progress the seeker has dif-ferent cumulative experiences. Lal-la describes her spiritual progress

from one stage to another throughher vaakhs.

Prof B N Parimoo has succeed-ed in arranging Lalla’s vaakhs insuch an order that clearly indicatesher progress from one stage toanother. As one studies Lalla’s vers-es or vaakhs in their entirety, onedoes not miss the element of evolu-tion in her personalexperiences.Prof Parimooobserves.”In fact the personal ele-ment in the poetry of the Yogeshwariis intriguing. The verses are thepoetical expression of the spiritualchanges she undergoes in her lifewith passage of time. The conspic-uous first person, singular numberof the subject in each sentencecatches our attention. It impressesus as a poetical element, uniquelyindividual. The subjectiveness car-ries along with it the flavour of lyri-cal emotion. The element of person-al experiences leads itself to anarrangement of a developing orevolving process which is surelyautobiographical. Through hervaakhs the Yogeshwari writes theautobiography of her soul.’’

As Lalla starts her spiritual questand receives the diksha (initiation)from her guru, she faces the usualdifficulties of a seeker. She is unableto concentrate her mind and get ridof the material burden that all of uscarry with us. She approaches herguru Sedamol and asks him a thou-sand times as to how she wouldachieve her goal (Guwaras prit-sham sasi late- I asked the guru athousand times V27). The Guru’sreply was simple (Guwaranvonunam Kunay vatsun- The gurugave me the word V27) “seek with-in yourself and not without’’. There-after starts her spiritual metamor-phosis. As caterpillar weaves acocoon around itself likewise didLalla seek the Lord within her andas the caterpillar emerges as abeautiful butterfly so did, Lallaemerge as a liberated soul havingattained union with Shiva.

To a serious reader of “Lallavaakhs’’ autobiographical elementis self evident and unmistakable. Sois the evolutionery process. Thishas been beautifully illustrated withexamples by Prof Parimoo. Theverse sayings are systemticallyarranged to demonstrate the evolu-

tion. It transpires that there is anunmistakable ascent of the soulfrom the lowest cakra i.e Muladharacakra to the top sahasrara cakra ofthe pyramid.

Such was the impact of “Lallavaakhs’’ on the Kashmiri mind thatin the words of Swami Muktanada,“her philosohical poems were sungin every home in Kashmir. Hindusas well as Muslims have respectedher. To her the truth was above anysect, creed or religion. In her poemsshe has narrated openly the expe-riences of her spiritual growth andthe final attainment.’’

Many translations and commen-taries on Lalleshwari’s vaakhs haveappeared beginning with “Lallavakyani’’ by Sir George Griersonand Lionel D Barnell (1920) whotook all the pains to dig out hervaakhs. “Ascent of self’’ by Prof B NParimoo stands out as a thorough-ly analysed piece of research onLalla’s life and evolution of herthought process and spiritualprogress culminating in her divineunion with Shiva. The reinterpreta-tion of the mystical poetry of Lallesh-wari by Prof Parimoo is indeedremarkable.

As useful and valuable bookssuch as “The Ascent of Self’ go outof print, they are reprinted invari-ably. I am glad that an attractivereprint of the volume in question hasbeen brought out. It will be welcometo readers at large. Prof B N Pari-moo is not with us now but we doknow and do not doubt that he wouldhave felt happy about a reprint com-ing into the market on populardemand.

Capt Purushottam Sharma

It is a fact that naked we were born and

naked we return after a predetermined sojour

on this planet. But we do bring along with us

fruits of actions of our past lives which may be

godly or ungodly, that is, Divinely or Devilish.

Similarly, we’ll carry with us the fruits of actions

of this life and again it depends on us whether

we accumulate the fruits of Divine virtues or

Devilish deeds. There is a battle going on

within and without between the Divine and

Devilish forces.

Srimad Bhagwat Geeta (Verses

1,2,3,4/Chapter XVI) classifying the persons

born with Divine gifts and Demoniac proper-

ties says that the former grants liberation and

the latter bondage. Those born with Divine

endowments possess the following 26 Divine

qualities :-

(1) Fearlessness (‘abhayam’) Fearless-

ness is at the top of all the virtues. Fear can

be cured by repetition of God’s name. Fear-

lessness can be developed by practice also.

When one realizes that there is no ‘otherness’

and merges his individuality into the whole

and experiences joy of self-realization attains

virtue of fearlessness. Sages and seers live

in the dense forests with wild repties and ani-

mals fearlessly in friendly manner because

they experience Divinity everywhere.

(2) Purity of Heart (‘sattvasamsuddhi’)

Freedom from all negative propensities is the

pre-requisite for ‘Purity of heart’. Serene and

chaste by nature, one conquers his lower self

and invites all other virtues to make abode in

himself. “Blessed are the pure in Heart’’.

(Bible).

(3) Steadfastness in Knowledge and Med-

itation (‘jnana-yoga vyayvasthithi’) One

attains perfection is spiritual knowledge and

deep meditation to be one with the self with-

out any mental agitation. This is achieved by

renouncing thoughts of the world and attain-

ing Knowledge of the Self.

(4) Charity (‘danam’) Treating it as one of

the essentials of spiritual pursuits, one pos-

sesses beneficence towards deserving ben-

eficiaries to remove their sufferings as much

as possible. Persons with bounteous hands

are known as ‘Pararth-ghataks’ (who live for

others only). There are some who share with

others.

(5) Control of Senses (‘dama’) This is exer-

cised by self-restraint by preventing senses

from contact of their objects and instead

engaging them in serving good causes. It can

save from many pitfalls. Discrimination,

Dispsssion and Determination play vital role

in controlling the senses.

(6) Sacrifice (‘Yajna’) To worship God,

deities, parents, elders, preceptors, guests

and perform ‘havans’ (pouring oblations into

the sacred fire) and doing such other sacred

acts and deeds for the welfare of the Universe

is ‘yajna’. It is performed in accordance with

the injunctions of the scriptures, without desir-

ing any fruit coupled with absence of doer-

ship.

(7) Study of scriptures (‘svadhyaya’) Study

of Divine teachings in scriptures, reciting and

singing glories of the Lord of the Universe is

‘svadhyaya’. This virtue brings knowledge,

solace and serenity, ‘svadhyaya’ has to be

incessant with love for the God.

(8) Austerity (‘tapa’) Undertaking hard-

ships for the sake of righteousness and dis-

charge of obligatory duties by virtue of one’s

human birth and to further elevate till the goal

is reached, is ‘tapa’.

(9) Uprightness (‘arjavam’) It is straight-

ness of body, senses and mind. It is simplici-

ty (‘sarlata’) and sweetness (‘madhurta’) in

nature. It subdues bitterness and cruelty. Lord

Shiva is called as Bhole-Nath and Bhole-

Shanker for his simplcity of nature.

(10) Non-violence (‘ahimsa’) Non-injury to

any being in thought, word or deed is non-vio-

lence that hears the fruits of love, peace and

goodness , “ahimsa parmo dharma’’ (Non-vio-

lence is greatest of the righteousness).

(11) Truth (‘satyam’) “Truth is God’’ and by

preaching the virtue of Truth, other virtues fol-

low. Truth triumphs (“satyam-ev-jayate’’).

Speak the Truth and follow the righteousness

(“satyam vad dharamamear’’)

12. Absence of Anger (‘akrodh’) Not to fall

prey to anger even on provocation is ‘akrodh’.

This virtue works wonders in day-to-day life-

and can save from commission of many

crimes and consequent sufferings that wrath

causes.

13. Dedication (‘tyagah’) Sacrifice of pride

of doer-ship is ‘tyagah’. Every sincere act of

selfless service to living being contains the

contents of ‘tyagah’. It is achieved through

self-confidence and will-power.

14. Quietude (‘santi’) A state of tranquility

or serenity is established when it is realized

that world is merely an illusion or a drama and

one becomes repugnanat to it by nature. It is

freedom from any agitation of the mind. In fact

all spiritual pursuits are undertaken for the

sake of ‘santi’.

(15) Averting Malevolence (‘apaisunam’)

Shunning the habit of searching faults in oth-

ers and slandering them is “apaisunam’. This

virtue brings harmony and happiness and per-

sons with this virtue are profusely revered

everywhere. Noble persons aspire to reform

others by personal demonstration

and high ideals and not by finding

faults.

THOSE BORN WITH DEVILISH

HERITAGE HAVE THE FOLLOWING

SIX DEMONIAC PROPERTIES :

(1) Hypocrisy (‘dambho’) To grat-

ify their selfishness and to secure

false honor, importance and rever-

ence, such people pose to be

learned, ‘Yogis’, godly and preachers

and mislead the society. This vice can

overcome by moral uprightness,

truthfulness and simplicity.

(2) Arrogance (‘darpo’) With

unpleasant disposition and unmind-

ful of others’ prestige, such people

rudely behave thinking themselves

more important and influential. This

vice can be replaced with humility,

consideration and reverence for oth-

ers.

(3) Pride (‘abhimana’) One who

swells himself of his status, learning,

pedigree and possessions is said to

be ‘abhimani’. Ths vice is exercise to

commit such actions and deeds as would

bring sufferings and sorrows to the society.

Therefore, the merit humbleness needs to be

cultivated to conquer the vice of pride.

(4) Anger (‘krodhah’) One who cannot with-

stand criticism or disapproval of his unbecom-

ing conduct or fault for lack of faculty of discrim-

ination and sharply reacts to the spoken words

or actions treating these to be unjust or uncalled

for and perceives feelings of avenge is ‘krodhi’.

In his reaction, it can be observed that his eyes

have gone red,lips are fuming and countenance

has drastically gone frowning. This state of a

person is called ‘krodhi’ in which good and bad

are not distinguished due to excitement. Anger

is a big vice that brings sorrows and sufferings

all round. This vice can be turned out by wel-

coming the virtue of ‘akrodh’.

(5) Sternness (‘parusyam’ (kathorta’) To

speak bitter and abusive language, cruely in

actions and deeds, coldness to other’s suffer-

ings is ‘kathorta’. Such people are merciless

and hard-hearted. The merit of compassion

can only replace it.

Gauri Chhabra

2008-9 saw the economy in the throes of

deep recession. The financial tsunami taught

us some lessons;we not only need to change

the way we do business but also the way we

teach business.

That marked an inflection point in our edu-

cation. Business Ethics became an integral

subject in the Management Curriculum. The

expectations from the corporates and busi-

nesses increased. In addition to providing

good quality products at reasonable prices,

companies today, should strive to make their

operations environmentally sound, adhere to

high labor standards, reduce human rights

abuses and mitigate poverty. Corporates feel

more responsible towards the society and

have separate wings for Corporate Social

Responsibility (CSR) activities. This has

accelerated the demand for individuals who

can feel for and serve the society.

What is Corporate Social Responsibil-

ity (CSR)?

Corporate Social responsibility is an ever

evolving process through which corporates

start feeling that they need to repay back to the

society in terms of a cleaner environment. Till

very recently it was viewed as philanthropic

activity indulged into only when the firms were

in a mess. But it is now viewed to be inclusive,

broad and diverse. CSR is now viewed as inte-

gral part of business strategy to mitigate the

business risks linked to uncertainty.

Getting in:

There are no specific qualifications

required for this field but there are an increas-

ing number of qualifications becoming avail-

able at Masters Level and as part of MBA

courses. The professional courses like Mas-

ter of Social Works (MSW) MBAin rural devel-

opment and Post Graduate Diploma in Rural

development offered by different universities

and reputed institution may be right option for

career in CSR. The incorporation of Business

Ethics as a discipline in Management Curricu-

lum is also an added help.

Due to the diversity of roles and range of

disciplines involved, the skills cannot be crys-

tallized. However, the major skills are Busi-

ness skills including building insight, commu-

nication skills, decision making, commercial

awareness, IT, innovation, leadership, out of

the box thinking and problem solving, People

skillsincluding adaptability and empathy and

Technical skills.

Institute Scape:

The premier institutes offering

degrees/diplomas in Social work and Rural

Development is as follows:

Master of Social Work (MSW)/MA Social Work

* Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Trom-

bay Road, Deonar, Mumbai

* TERI University, New Delhi.

* Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra

* Lucknow University, Lucknow

* Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya, Indore

* Agra University, Agra

* University of Delhi, Delhi

* Punjabi University,Patiala

* Rajasthan Vidyapeeth, Udaipur

Career Pathways:

Most of the multinational Corporate have

their CSR wing exclusively dedicated for

doing community development and CSR

activities directly or indirectly in the vicinity of

their operations. In other companies CSR is

running under HR or Environment Deptt.They

recruit professionals from Social work,rural

development and other developmental fields

to undertake and manage the CSR activities

of company. It is observed that companies

whose operations directly impact the nature

like mining, manufacturing, power genera-

tions have CSR wing quite active to tackle the

grievances of nearby population and engage

the stakeholders. In green field projects we

have seen corporate giant and Govt strug-

gling hard to get the land acquisitions and

Resettlement and Rehabilitation (R&R)here

also CSR professionals are in great demand.

Larger companies may have CSR depart-

ments or have CSR functions located within

particular areas including marketing, commu-

nications, environmental management, pub-

lic affairs, investor relations, finance, opera-

tions and human resources. Opportunities are

also opening up in the large accounting and

consulting firms, many of which are trying to

compete with the niche CSR consulting firms

by offering their own CSR client services.

CSR, essentially, comes in three different

forms. Companies contribute to society with

cash or products, giving away grants, goods,

or their services to schools, homeless shelters,

hospitals, and the like. Second, companies

focus on community involvement, by support-

ing employees who mentor students or volun-

teer for a myriad of causes. And third, compa-

nies put CSR into their product and service

strategies, focusing on green initiatives, for

instance, or factoring environmental concerns

into their manufacturing processes.

CSR career options can be found in

national government agencies, PSUs and

international organizations.

Teaching:

Most of the companies especially those

that are into mining go in for setting up of edu-

cation institutions for the lesser privileged

members of the society. If you feel you have

a flair for teaching and have an empathy for

those who lie on the fringes, you can opt for

teaching bringing these sections into an inclu-

sive society.

Environment and Sustainability Officer:

With the companies increasing their car-

bon footprint, they have separate depart-

ments that works to enhance the image of the

Company with a diverse range of internal and

external audiences. Specifically, you will be

required to manage the company's environ-

mental programguiding the company's efforts

to reduce its carbon footprint, educating

employees about environmental needs, part-

nering with business teams, seeking and eval-

uating new opportunities and representing the

company with a variety of external stakehold-

ers. It would also include collaboration with

internal departments to develop and track

strategies to reduce the company's impact on

the environment via energy strategy, waste

reduction efforts.

Community Organizer:

Here, you will be responsible for facilita-

tion of government schemes, entitlement

rights, procedures, rules and regulations.

Your MBA would help you in the documenta-

tion of the Basic Service Facilitation (BSF)

processes and maintaining Management

Information Systems MIS. Besides, you may

be also imparting trainings to communities on

various government schemes.

Nonprofit Organizer:

Most of the CSR Jobs are done by NGOs,

so be on the lookout for NGOs having link-

ages with big corporate houses. There are a

wide variety of non-governmental organiza-

tions (NGOs), industry associations, think

tanks and academic institutions engaging in

learning and advocacy within the CSR arena.

Such groups promote and examine the use of

CSR concepts within the private and public

spheres.

Dr Anoop Vats who runs the NGO, Citi-

zens Welfare and Protection Council ,says,"

We see to it that the issues of paramount

importance concerning the youth and citizens'

rights are not only propagated but also pro-

tected across all domains. Today, most of the

people who show interest in becoming a part

of our NGO are the youth who have just grad-

uated from prestigious institutes like the IIM's

and the IIT's. For admission to the foreign Uni-

versities also, any initiative undertaken as Vol-

untary Community Service also gives more

weight to your resume and accelerates your

entry into a foreign university. Besides, most

of the Law schools also send their first year

students for internships and immersion pro-

grams to NGO's. This develops a philanthrop-

ic attitude in the young minds".

Rights Analyst:

If you have a Law Degree you will be the

main protector of all Intellectual property of the

company. You will act as rights authority and

interpreter of proprietary rights data from

signed documents in a corporate rights sys-

tem and advise others of same.You will also

be responsible for co-developing sound rights

strategy through active collaboration with

Business Affairs and Legal Department to

ensure proactive product planning and per-

sistent project delivery. You will interact with

internal peer level groups and services to

ensure that a proper workflow is put in place

for rights and will own the workflow. Diploma-

cy, knowledge and interpersonal skills are

essential for this kind of a role.Rights Analyst

is a collaborative, highly trusted team mem-

ber who can handle confidential material and

sensitive matters discreetly and accurately.

The Road Ahead:

Both in downswing and the upswings of

economy, there is an increasing awareness

towards repaying to the society, the modern

era is a locomotive of fulfilling careers in Cor-

porate Social Responsibility…

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2013 (PAGE-3)

CAREER COUNSELLINGLIFE STYLE

Virtues Vs VicesSACRED SPACE

Reinterpretation of Lalleshwari’s poetry

Creativity in life

BOOK REVIEW

For queries contact gauri_nagpal @yahoo.com

Neeraj Dubey

To accomplish anything, you must believe you cando it. After all, there have most likely been those beforeyou who have done it, right? And if they can do it, socan you. If you don't believe you can do it, then perhapsyou don't want it badly enough. Many great things andaccomplishments have started from a simple, creativeinspiration. We are all creative beings and nurturing cre-ativity can, for the most part, be a challenging missionfor individuals who have lost their natural abilities. Whatsets many success stories apart from others is often thecapacity to create and continue creating. Creativity canapply to just about every facet of your life and it canreveal hidden passions. New possibilities and experi-ences evolve from an innovative mind. Most creativework is a process of people passing ideas and inspira-tions from the past into the future and adding their owncreativity along the way. While creativity itself may notbe something that can be taught directly, we are capa-ble of cultivating the circumstances which will foster thegreatest chances for true creative expression. It is notenough to have a good mind; the main thing is to useit. Technically speaking, the best way to boost your cre-ativity is to boost the communication flow between yourtwo brain hemispheres: your left and right brains. Appar-ently during the creative process, our left and rightbrains are focused on the problem, exchanging infor-mation to and fro in a form of a "partnership." Highlycreative people are known to have an easy and unob-structed flow of information between their left and rightbrains. They know how to increase the stimulation totheir brain and expose it to lots of experiential stimula-tion, stretching and expanding its creative prowess bybringing it to new innovative ideas. Creativity is thepower to connect the seemingly unconnected. Creativ-ity is a phenomenon where by something new and valu-able is created (such as an idea, a joke, a literary work,a painting or musical composition, a solution, an inven-tion etc.). The range of scholarly interest in creativityincludes a multitude of definitions and approachesinvolving several disciplines; psychology, cognitive, sci-ence, education, philosophy , technology, sociology,linguistics, business studies, and economics, taking inthe relationship between creativity and general intelli-gence, mental and neurological processes associatedwith creativity, the relationships between personalitytype and creative ability and between creativity andmental health, the potential for fostering creativitythrough education and training, especially as augment-ed by technology, and the application of creativeresources to improve the effectiveness of learning andteaching processes. Without creativity, it would be dif-ficult to distinguish humans from other animals. Cre-ativity leads to a fuller, more satisfying life. Without cre-

ativity, mankind would not progress. Creativity resultsfrom the interaction of a system consisting of three ele-ments: a culture that contains symbolic rules, a personwho brings novelty into the symbolic domain, and a fieldof experts who recognize and validate the innovation.

UNDERSTANDING CREATIVITYWhen we use the term creativity, different images

come to our mind. There are bright persons whoexpress unusual thoughts, who are interesting and stim-ulating. Unless they also contribute something of per-manent significance, these people must be called bril-liant rather than creative.

Then there are people who experience the world innovel and original ways. These are individuals whoseperceptions are fresh, whose judgments are insightful,and who may make important discoveries. The authorcalls such people personally creative. Finally, there areindividuals who change our culture in some importantrespect. They are the creative ones without qualifica-tions. Creative individuals are remarkable for their abil-ity to adapt to different situations and to manage withwhatever is needed to reach their goals. Creativity isfacilitated by a genetic predisposition for a givendomain. A person whose nervous system is more sen-sitive to color and light will have an advantage in paint-ing, while someone born with a perfect pitch will do wellin music. And being better at their respective domains,they will become more deeply interested in sounds andcolors, will learn more about them, and thus are in aposition to innovate in music or art with greater ease.Although most great scientists seem to have beenattracted to numbers and experimentation early in life,how creative they eventually became, bears little rela-tionship to how talented they were as children. Howev-er, a special sensory advantage may be responsible fordeveloping an early interest in the domain, which is cer-tainly an important ingredient of creativity.

THE FLOW OF CREATIVITYCreative persons differ from one another in a variety

of ways, but in one respect they are same. They lovewhat they do. Creative individuals internalize the field'scriteria of judgment to the extent that they have the abil-ity to separate bad ideas from good ones, so that theydon't waste much time exploring blind alleys. The flowexperience has the following building blocks: - a) Thereare clear goals every step of the way. b) There is imme-diate feedback to one's actions. c) There is a balancebetween challenges and skills. d) Action and awarenessare merged. e) Distractions are excluded from conscious-ness. f) There is no worry of failure g) Self-conscious-ness disappears. In author's opinion, "One of the greatjoys of life is creativity. Information goes in, gets shuffledabout, and comes out in new and interesting ways".

(The author is Asstt. Professor , GCET - Jammu)

Title : The Ascent of Self

A Reinterpretation of the Mystical

Poetry of Lalla-Ded

Author : Prof B N Parimoo

Language : English

Pages : 217

Price : Paperback: Rs 500/-

Publisher : Moti Lal Banarsi Dass

Pvt Ltd Delhi-110007

ISBN : 978-81-208-0305-3