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Neel NagA quarterly publication of Kashyap Kashmir Sabha, Gurgaon

Volume : 7 April - June 2007

In This IssuePage ParticularsNo.

2 Editorial

3 President’s Address

4-6 Haramukh And Gangabal, AHistorical Perspective

7-10 Pandits: A Moment ofIntrospection

11 Our Achievers

12 Are Kp’s Really An IntelligentRace?

13-17 Dear Members of KpCommunity

18-19 In The Game of Name

20-21 cV laldkj r cV ijEijk22-23 Ten Commandments for

Peace of Mind

24 Kashmir Ke SwarnimSamsmiran

25-26 Powerful Yet Gentle

27-29 Kashmiri Bhajans/ Leela

30-32 The Shrine of Sarada

Views expressed in articles are not necessarily those of Kashyap Kashmir Sabha or Neel Nag

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EDITORIAL

On this occasion of our continued seventh volume publication of Neel Nag, I take anopportunity to share with my brethren that this magazine is to communicate the voice of ourcommunity to masses and needs absolute attention from our readers to contribute with articles,poems, news, achievements & advertisements to voice our feelings, thoughts, opinions &discussions which normally we share with a small group of community and actually is limitedto a small aura. Our efforts shall make this a true voice of our community by our true &original literary contributions.

There has been an overwhelming response for KKS lifetime membership from our communitymembers living out & spreading across Gurgaon locals. These members not only form agroup of senior members but young people also have shown tremendous interest towardscontributing in community service and therefore have become members to demonstrate theircommitment for the cause. KKS feels proud to accept this gesture of adding up to the light.

The progress being made by KKS during last quarter has been commendable. KKS isspearheading many projects like temple & community hall construction, design ofcomprehensive Gurgaon Kashmiri directory, development of KKS official website and otherinitiatives to showcase Karshimiri culture & ethos through events & cultural programmes.

This publication comprises articles written by our community leaders & authors of reputewith more emphasis on religion & spirituality. Our last publication was appreciated by manyacross the globe. I feel elevated to share that KKS has received lots of mails from our dearreaders from Jammu, Bangalore, U.S.A, Indore & Pune. This calls for more responsibility &accountability of the team working on this initiative. We all must participate in makingcommunity aware through this medium on various subjects like Health, Yoga, Food, Politics,News, Kashmiri culture & heritage et al.

This publication is also featuring our young achievers, who have scored highest with theirsheer talent & ability demonstrating excellence. We appreciate their efforts & wish them allthe luck in their academic career.

I, once again through this medium, request our readers to contribute to take this literary workforward in making our community enlightened with sheer knowledge.

Wishing you a great time ahead with good health & stess-free life,

Anjana Dhar

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PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS

Dear Friends,

Namaskar,

The last year for KKS was a year of events & happenings and I am personally thankfulto all biradari members for their kind participation in various activities & especiallyto the group of volunteers, who selflessly contributed towards success of KKS as anon-profit organization.

This is to reiterate that sole aim of KKS is to contribute in retaining dignity &identity of our community in this politically corrupt administration through absoluteinvolvement in uplifting our weaker section of society, create a platform for equaljustice & a forum for all to contribute in their little way. Our sabha is patientlytrying to consolidate & manage various aspects of community welfare throughdifferent programmes & activities such as redrafting directory covering entire areasinhabitant by Kashmiri Pandits in Gurgaon, website development dedicated to KKSGurgaon, organizing events for the welfare of humanity, acquisition of land forconstruction of temple & community centre for community use, building groups tolead specific tasks leading to empowerment of community, disbursement ofscholarships and extending a courteous help to deprived section of society supportingtheir education or medical welfare.

In this quarterly issue (Volume 7) of Neel Nag, I wish to communicate to all membersof KKS that their contribution in terms of donations, time & effort shall beappreciated & their valued contribution shall be used for community development.We can assure you that our focus shall not deter towards community developmentand this is possible if each one of you come forward & help the cause in a biggerway.

I am sure that your feedback, suggestions & healthy criticism will help our Sabha toevolve as a large service organization in fulfilling the desired objectives of overallcommunity development.

M.K.Kitchloo

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HARAMUKH AND GANGABAL ,A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE

M. ASHRAF SUGGESTS ADVENTURE LOVERS TO TAKE THIS TREK AND ENJOY

The most enchant ing h ighaltitude trek in entire Kashmir valley isthe one leading to the famous Lake ofGangabal situated at the foot of MountHaramukh.This Lake is approachableeither from Sonamarg involving a 3 to 4day trek or directly through Chatargulalong Bramahsar or via Naranag up thesteep slope of Buth-Sher which takes aday or two. The trek from Sonamargacross Nichnai pass is out of this world.There are more than a dozen Lakes onthis trek. Kishensar, Vishensar, Yemsar,Gadsar, Satsar, and finally the Gangabaland Nundkol Lakes. After crossingNichnai pass, one can either go throughthe valleys or cross some more passesto go along the Lakes directly. EachLake has its own peculiarity and thebigger ones, Kishensar, Vishensar,Gangabal, and Nundkol are stocked withtrout fish. There are excellent campings i tes a l l a long the t rek . Themountainsides are full of varied flora.Some places one finds mind bogglingvariety of plants and flowers especiallywhile climbing the pass near Gadsar toreach Satsar. First time I went on thistrek in 1970 as part of a team from theJammu & Kashmir Mountaineering &Hiking Club.At that time the trek wasstill more or less unknown. One of themembers who is a botanist was stunnedto see the variety of plants and flowerson d i f ferent mounta in spurs . The

atmosphere was absolutely clean andpure and the entire trek was serene andcalm, extremely soothing to the nerves.Subsequently this became the mostfrequented trek for foreign tourists.Oncean American tourist who had undertakenthe trek remarked, “I have been livingin New York for 30 years and it was firsttime on the Gangabal trek I saw how Sunrises and sets!” In fact I too was bittenby the mountain bug after undertakingthis most lovely trek in this part of theworld. After that first visit I had theopportunity of going there a number oft imes both in winter as well as insummer and that too in a helicopter.Each t ime I found the p lace verysatisfying and soothing. It had some sortof a spiritual aura and rejuvenationqualities. After the eruption of turmoilin 1990, the t rek was c losed formountain lovers as it became a populartrail for ex-filtration and infiltration.Ironically as mentioned by Kalhana inRajatarangini, the trail had been used inancient times by many Kashmiri rebelsincluding famous King Bhoja to takeshelter in Dard area of Gurez and Tilel.The Gangabal trek has been the mostsacred pilgrimage of Kashmiri Hindussince ancient times. Sir Aurel Stein, thet rans la tor of Raja tarangini , in h isMemoir on the Ancient Geographyof Kashmir has given the most absorbinghistorical perspective of Harmukh and

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Gangabal . The re levant passagesreproduced here make very fascinatingreading, “To the east of Dud-Khut Passthe summits of the range gradually risehigher and higher until we reach thegreat mountain-mass of HaramukhPeaks.

Rising to close on 17,000 feetand surrounded by glac iers ofconsiderable size these peaks dominatethe view towards the north from a greatpar t of the Kasmir Val ley. Sacredlegends have clustered around themfrom the early times, and the lakes belowtheir glaciers belong still to the holiestof Kasmirian Tirthas. The ancient nameof the Peaks i s HARAMUKUTA,“S’iva’s diadem”. This is explained bya legend which is related at length in theHaracaritacintamani. Their height issupposed to be S ’ iva’s favouri teresidence. Hence , Kasmirian traditionstoutly maintains that human feet cannotreach the Peaks’ summit.” Stein relatesan interesting episode about his climbto the Haramukh Peaks. He says thatowing to this superstition he had greatd i f f icul ty in inducing his Musl imKasmirian coolies to accompany him onthe ascent he made during his visit in1894. On his telling his Brahman friendsthat he had reached the summit, theytold him that his having reached asummit was a sufficient proof that it wasnot Haramukuta. An argument as simpleas incontrovertible to the orthodoxmind! A couple of teams from our Clubclimbed the summit in seventies andeighties. The team members did relateabout getting confused on reaching the

top.There are many similar summits andit is difficult to tell which one is the realtop? Stein narrating the story of thesePeaks further states, “The lake whichlies at the foot of the north-easternglacier, at a level of over 13,000 feet, islooked upon as the true source of KasmirGanga or Sind River, and is henceknown as UTTARAGANGA, orpopularly Gangabal. It is the final goalof the great “Haramukutaganga”pilgrimage which takes place annuallyin the month of Bhadrapada and isattended by thousands of pilgrims. Thebones of those who have died during theyear, are on that occasion deposited inthe sacred waters. A short distancebelow this lake is another also fed by aglacier, and now known as Nundkol. Itsold name, KALODAKA, or Nandisaras,is derived from a legend which makesthe lake the joint habitation of bothKala, i .e. S ’ iva, and of his faithfulattendant Nandin. From the latter thewhole collection of sacred sites takes thename of NANDIKSETRA by whichKalhana usually designates it.” Thefinal stage of the Haramukutagangapilgrimage is the Naran Nag spring witha temple complex. There used to beseventeen temples of various ages anddimensions here which had been builtby different Kings of ancient Kashmirfrom time to time in honour of S’iva whoaccording to legend, had taken residencehere as Bhutesa. The pilgrim routecomes down a very steep spur which iseven now known as Bhut-Sher. Thereused to be some more temples along thespur but these are now hidden underthick vegetation. The worship of S’iva

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Bhutesa, “ the lord of the beings”,localized near the sacred sites of MountHaramukuta, has played an importantpar t in the ancient re l ig ion ofKashmir.According to Kalhana, theearlier name of Naran Nag spring hasbeen the Tirtha of Sodara which ismentioned in Nilmatpurana whereinablutions are recommended to pilgrimsvisi t ing the Tirthas of Bhutesvara,Jyesthesa, and Nandin. Stein describesthe Bhutesa as, “In the valley of theKanknai stream, Skr.Kanakavahini,which issues from these lakes, there liesthe sacred site of S’iva-Bhutesvara, nowButh’ser. It is closely connected with thelegends of Mount Haramukuta, andoften mentioned in the Rajatarangini. Aseries of interesting temple ruins marksthe importance of this Tirtha and that ofthe ancient Jyesthesvara shrine whichimmediately adjoins it. Bhutesvara ispassed by the pilgrims on their way backfrom the sacred lakes, while on their wayup they reach the latter by another route,pass ing the h igh r idge asBHARATAGIRI and the smaller lake ofBRAHMASARAS.” It seems that inmodern times this holiest of the holyTirthas has been completely forgottenand the Pilgrimage has been totallyabandoned. It has suffered the same fateas the sacred Shrine of Sarada. One ofthe causes of losing one’s identity is the

abandoning the study of history whichhas unfortunately happened in Kashmirduring last half century or so. During thefirst tenure of Sheikh Abdullah, studyof Kashmir history as well as Kashmirilanguage had been introduced as part ofthe curriculum but after his depositionin 1953 it was completely abandoned.To understand one’s present one has todelve in the past. The sooner it is done,bet ter i t would be for our fu turegenerations who are feeling depressedand los t because of the lack ofknowledge about the glorious past wehave had. It is something which oneneeds psychologically to hold on to andhave fa i th in regaining someday.Nevertheless, undertaking this trek afterknowing its historical background isindeed a rewarding and a fascinatingexperience. It is hoped that more andmore of our young boys and girls willnot only study the history but somedayundertake this spiritually rewardingadventurous trek!

(The author is the former DirectorGeneral Tour ism, J& K, and thePresident of the J & K Mountaineering& Hiking Club. He can be mailed at:ashrafmjk@gmail.com)

If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost;that is where they should be. Now put foundations under them.

Henry David Thoreau

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Pandits: A moment of introspection

By K.N. Pandita

I have been in the thick of ourcommunity’s struggle with destiny for a longtime but more so since our exile in 1990. Ihave traveled the globe more than onceconveying the poignant saga of our sufferingto international community.  

Much has happened and much ishappening now. I often recall to my mindwhat we have gone through and wheredestiny is driving us as a community, as afamily and as individuals. On the basis ofmy knowledge, experience and intuition I canvisualize what possibly should be the futureshape of our community. I want to share itwith my community members.  

After great introspection and coolthinking I have decided to speak to you whatis in my mind. It will disappoint many of myfriends and colleagues with whom I haveclosely worked during past three decades. Itpains me also. But if I do not say it now, Ishall prove untrue to my conscience. Historywill not spare me.  

The return of the community toKashmir is out of question. For the first timein a thousand years, we have breathed theair of freedom outside the mountain-curtained valley of Kashmir: we havewriggled out of the prison house ofdiscrimination, suppression and degradation:we have opened our wings for soaring intothe skies and scaling the heights. This is arare and unique opportunity for our futuregenerations and for us. Let us seize it by ourteeth.

We have come to the Indian plainswith our centuries old ethos, good or badwhatever. We are essentially and historicallythe people given to intellectual exercise.Professionally we are circumspect. We aredismally inexperienced in economic,commercial, entrepreneurial and politicalspheres of life. Enterprise , initiative andinnovation, the essential pre-requisites for acommunity’s march onwards to prosperityhave remained trampled under eight hundredyears of brutal suppression by ouradversaries.

  It will take us some time to come outof that syndrome and look around for theseand other new avenues, especially business,managerial and military services.

  Therefore in the first phase of our lifein exile, our youth will have to carry forwardthe customary profession in order to recoverfrom and survive the onslaught we had toface so suddenly if not unexpectedly. Thenext generation will move awayprofessionally and hence also intellectually.It will look for space horizontal as well asvertical. That will be the harbinger of a newlife and new era in our history. In this period,most of our chosen intellectual youth shouldand will be drawn to professions ofexcellence with innovative urges. .A smallsection from our top intellectual segmentshould be able to gatecrash the Indianadministrative juggernaut and barge into thecorridors of bureaucratic power - structuresof the country. Some of our youth bestowedby nature with leadership quality and

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linguistic skills should be able to make roomfor themselves in active politics ofcontemporary India . Many of them will findentry into financial organizations and massmedia structures of the country and ouremerging entrepreneurs will becomecomponents of its commercial and economicmachine.

  Thus by next two or three decades,the community will have put under wrap itssaga of exile and exodus: it will haveovercome the nightmare of discriminationand suppression. This community cannotescape the ordained role of becomingfrontline planners and builders of new India.

  But this is not the end of our struggle.Once the inherent potential of dynamism isunleashed, the community will look beyondthe shores and climes. Our advance columnshave already set their feet on foreign lands.We need to create an urge and a burningdesire in our youth to transcend geographicalboundaries or the constraints on freedom ofmovement. No land is foreign to us, noterritory is forbidden to us, especially thedeveloped world. On the Indian soil, we mayhave hurdles in maintaining our identity, buton a foreign soil, all necessary conditions areavailable to create, perpetuate and propagateour true identity. This is because we have allthe requisite qualifications to make us thetrue citizen of the world. We are theglobalized community in an era ofglobalization. These traits in our characterneed to be exploited adequately.

  It is futile to waste our time andenergy in running after the Indian politicalclass for the amelioration of our conditionas it is today. We are nobody’s vote bankbecause we are numerically insignificant —

a non-entity — and economically bankrupt.Therefore, for them we are a liability, astinking lot. Being a pariah no political groupin this country would own us, adopt whatevermodus of servitude we may.

  The Indian media considers it a sinto talk a word about us except in negativeterms. The saffronites exploit us, thekhadiites despise us, and the reds club uswith the bourgeoisie.

  We ask for Homeland –— aproposition more in the broader interests ofthe  Indian nation state than in ours as anethnic group: we ask for representation inconflict resolution dialogue as victimizedpeople: we ask for representation as aminority: we ask for representation in powersharing, law making and nation buildingmechanisms.   Does it mean anything withthose holding the reins of power? Does thepresence of a miniscule non-Muslim entityin a predominantly Muslim and radicallyIslamized society mean anything? Don’t wesee and understand that a “seculardemocratic” Indian Union has not onlyliterally but practically accepted a non-secular, Islamized Kashmir as its now muchfragile   “inseparable part”, provides frugalfunding for the perpetuation of a mini –Pakistan at home, and, in the process,pockets tons of humiliation hurled into itsface by the beneficiaries of its largesse?Which of India ‘s political parties is secularor democratic in the context of the situationof our community?

 Therefore, our reasonable demands like‘homeland’, ‘representation’ etc. ironicallymakes us jokers not only in the eyes of thestalwarts of Kashmir fundamentalism-terrorism but also in the eyes of the Sultans

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of Delhi. I no more want to mislead mycommunity members. I no more want themto be the daydreamers. It is not at all ‘ maejKasheer ‘ (Mother Kashmir) for us. Kashmir, as the Srinagar-New Delhi camaraderieplan,  is the other name of ignominy andservility for us.  Let us come out of a greatdeceptive notion.

A thousand years - old servility hasbroken our spirit. Even in exile, where ourtormentors may not reach us, we remainservile to powerless and faceless gods.  Ifour gods and goddesses had any power, theywould have defended themselves. Theycould not. They have never had power exceptthat of mesmerizing us and intoxicating uswith utter servility, slavish mentality andBuddhist escapism. Let me be frank andforthright. A new pattern of the hangover ofthat servitude is visible in the behaviour ofthe community in exile. In Jammu inparticular where we have a concentration,enormous money is wasted in the buildingof ashrams, shrines and institutions after thisor that person giving them the new epithetof “bubs”. One wonders why we are goingalong a regressive and not a progressive path.Why don’t we build technical schools,polyclinics, craft centres, nursing schools andhomes, computer learning centres,institutions for preparing students forprofessional and competitive exams, gyms,play grounds, indoor games studios and thelike? What are these ashrams going to dofor the destitute community? Remember notgods and goddess, not mendicants, reclusesand ‘bubs’ make the destiny of a people. It isthe wise, the visionary, and the courageousleadership that shapes the destiny of a people.Worship not their name or their fame;worship the ideals they have set for us. Theideals mean dynamism, objectivity, and

pragmatism. Shaivism is fine; a subject forunderstanding and research but not forsubmerging our self in its placid waters.

  We cannot move forward if we keepour womenfolk deprived of their share innew thinking. They are the foremost whoneed to be educated into a new process ofthought and action. We need to engage themmentally in search for new vision andmovement. They have to come out of thecustomary mindset and men folk need to playtheir honest part in that exercise.

  Secondly, our womenfolk have tobreak the shackles that make them the slavesof the kitchen. It means they have toimplement a changed agenda of food habitsof the community members and the dressregime of their own class. Vegetablesandwiches must replace plateful of rice andthe kitchens should close at 8 PM in theevening to allow time for our womenfolk towalk, read, discuss, medicate and introspect.More time has to be allotted to outdooractivity, physical exercise community lifeand social engagements. Our womenfolk willmeet the first ray of liberation the day theysay good-bye to the damned sari and thedespicable kameez and shalwar (the legacyof the Pathan rule) as the common dress. Aslong as they remain bandaged in a seven-meter long obnoxious bundle of textile, theyare tied down in fetters of slavery. Ourwomenfolk’s dress should be the same as isused by the Jewish women, viz. trousers andthe top.. Keep your hands free to work, tomove, to brandish and to hit a miscreant. Youneed not a dupattta. It enchains you. Throwit away into the garbage and then when youwalk remember what Tagore told the Bengaliwomen. “Look straight into the eyes of thepeople when you walk”. That gives you

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power, confidence, boldness andindividuality.

  A word about the changing contoursof culture is also needed. We hear loudmurmur of erosion of our traditional culture.Many among us demonstrate despair on thatcount. The phenomenon has to be addressedin a realistic manner and not just as a matterof nostalgia. As our community has willinglyor unwillingly come into interaction withwider Indian society, it is neither practicablenor sensible to create walls and quarantinesto segregate our youth. That does not happen.

  But, of course, what ought to be doneis that each Pandit family should steal halfan hour every week and impart broadoutlines of our culture, mythology andhistory to the younger generation in the homein a manner to create in them a sense ofbelonging to a specific cultural stream. Threeworks must remain under the pillow of everywell-meaning Pandit, namely The BhagvatGita,  Kalhana’s Rajatarangini (related byStein) and Jagmohan’s My FrozenTurbulence in  Kashmir. Sustained lecturingcould prove very useful.  But then ifnotwithstanding that effort the youth aresucked into the vortex of larger Indian milieu,it has to be accepted as inevitable and notsomething to be despised or abhorred. Thatwill cause serious harm to the creative facultyof our youth.

  And about our mother tongue –Kashmiri, I must say it is not a developedlanguage, and at the best it is a dialect. It hasno literary potential unless you heavily drawupon Sanskrit or Persian lexicon bothobsolete for our youth). It has no scientificscript (the Sharada is irretrievable).Kashmiri is fast getting eroded among our

youth and let that happen without remorse.We are not loosing anything by loosing it.Instead, our younger generation should beexhorted to perfect English and without faillearn one or two European languagespreferably French and German. I would evenstrongly recommend that our youth learnexcellent Arabic to make a dent in the petro-dollar Eldorado of the littoral states. No fieldshould remain out of bounds for them. If theydo that, new horizons will open for them.

  Dear friends, we are not the onlygroup to have suffered the loss of a homeand the homeland. Human history is repletewith this saga. Ours is not an exceptionalcase. Remember displacement is also a greatboon, a virtue if we are able to make one outof it. It gives a new life; it brings new bloodinto veins; it reju vena tes and refreshes. Asknot for a path that is not strewn with thorns.Remember that refugees and migrants havecreated great civilizations in human history,civilizations along the course of the Nile, theEuphrates, the Tigris, the Oxus, the Danube,the Seine, the Indus, and the Ganges andlately on the Potomac. Diasporas havecreated new parameters of human culture.You have to unleash that hidden and dormantpotential in you. Create a new world, a newcivilization a new vision and you are at thetop of the world. Only weak and batteredpeople cry for the lost lands and climes.

  To us the land where we set our footis our homeland whether it is the orient orthe occident, within the shores of the seas orbeyond. (The author is the former Directorof the Centre of Central Asian Studies,Kashmir University ).

Website:  www.world-citizenship.org/(K.N. Pandita > Kashmir )

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Jahnvi DharDaughter of Dr. Pankaj Dhar and Dr. SwapnaDhar (House No. 1063, Sector-28, Faridabad,Haryana), presently posted in Hyderabad,scored 495 marks outof 500 in the CBSE10 th standard 2007examination thustopping the list ofcandidates. She hasscored three hundredsin Mathematics,Sanskrit and SocialStudies and with a 96 in English and a 99 inScience and Technology, aggregating 99%.

For the family, it is a repeat of history,with her mother having topped amongst thefemale candidates in the All India CBSEexams held way back in 1982. The road toth is day has been anyth ing butstraightforward. The sinuous track that hasled her to the achievement of scoring wellin the CBSE 2007, has been full of hardwork and determination. Besides being avoracious reader, Jahnavi loves music, bothvocal and instrumental. For onward studies,she is evaluating the two schools of DPSand Modern Vidya Niketan that will helpto shape her career.

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Manik AimaSon of Dr Ashok Aima and Dr. Indu Aima(Palam Vihar, Gurgaon) has secured 93%Marks in CBSE Class XIIth. A student ofDelhi Public School, R.K.Puram. He hassecured 100 marks in Math , 96 inComputer, 92 in Physics and 85 in Chemistryand 90 in English.

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Bharat MunshiStudent of DLF Public School, Sahibabad,Bharat Munshi has scored98 .6% marks ge t t ing I s tr a n k i n N C R a n d N o r t hIndia and Second rank inAll India in the Class XCBSE Exam.[Based on TOI report]

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Akshit PeerSon of Shri Bharat BushanPeer, Akshit has secured 95.6percent marks in CBSE. Heis a s tudent of BCM Sr.Secondary School ,Chandigarh Road, Ludhiana.His score in ind iv idua lsubjects is 98 in Mathematics; 97 in Scienceand Tech.; 96 in English; 94 in SocialScience and 93 in Hindi.

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Pamposh ThusooDaughter of Smt. Alka andS h r i R a v i n d e r T h u s o o(Sector-29, Faridabad) hass e c u r e d 9 2 % m a r k s i nCBSE Class X. A studento f R y a n I n t e r n a t i o n a lS c h o o l , S e c t o r - 2 1 ,Faridabad, she gets 99 marks in Science& T e c h . ; 9 7 i n M a t h e m a t i c s ; 9 6 i nS o c i a l S c i e n c e ; 9 3 i n I T a n d 8 6 i nEnglish.

CONGRATULATIONS!

OUR ACHIEVERS

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ARE KP’S REALLY AN INTELLIGENT RACE?

Compiled By: A.K. KAUL(AHMEDABAD)

I think before going into thesubjec t , one needs to know thedefinition of “intelligence” and who arethe so called intelligent. One may probethe question in many different ways suchas I.Q, ability to get rich faster, a bigownership, a political inheritance orhaving the capacity to think ahead oftime. Even to be an opportunist of thehighest order might lead us to think thatthe person is extraordinarily intelligent.

We somet imes th ink thatKashmiri Pandits have been traditionallyworshippers of Sarasvati, therefore, intothe knowledge circle, where everythingis reasoned out threadbare. UnlikeBaniyas or Vyshayas we are poorworshippers of money and wealth,though somet imes good educat ionbrings alongside a fair share of wealth.Kashmiri Pandits are mostly, what wecall kaarkun Brahmins wedded to theirdifferent vocations as against the normalvocations of Pandits.

While making a documentary onthe Indian Institute of ManagementAhmedabad, when it completed first 25years of its existence, the issue was verymuch lying dormant in the back of mymind. Who are these the so called the

top 1% of the Indian intelligesia..? ByIIM scales of judging, I was given tounderstand that one has to be from anEnglish speaking, English educatedbackground, an IIT degree, skillfulenough to defend one’s skin when intoan argumentative mode. You need tohave the capacity to listen with utmostattention to the deepest of details and avery sharp memory to bank upon.

I think the caste and creed don’tmatter very much in the game. I think90% of ones intelligence comes fromupbr inging, hard work and one’scapaci ty to wi ths tand day to daypressures, besides a focused attention.Yes, to some extent genes also play somepart , which mainly consists of thememory and the motherboard of yourbrain plus the processing power.

Laotse , the famous Chinesephilosopher had this bit of advice for thepeople who are into knowledge game,“Knowledge is like canoeing against thecurrent, if you stop rowing it recedes.So, knowledge cannot be taken forgranted, it needs to be fed everyday andmaintained. So, are we Kashmiri Panditsan intelligent race…

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Namaskar. I t has been myendeavour to keep my community,especially younger generation informedabout the religious background of ourtraditions through writings in journals,on internet and publication of books.Lately I have realised that due to lackof knowledge about our re l ig iousphilosiphy, which is the basis of ourtraditions, people living in variousdiasporas have started following localtraditions as a substitute for our variousreligious obligations . I t is in thiscontext that I felt the need to let ourcommunity know the uniqueness of ourreligious philosophy and traditions tojudge how for we should accept localtraditions as a substitute for our age oldtraditions.

Please go through the write upreproduced here under :

Why is there need to save ourreligious traditions?

Religious traditions include allthe customs and beliefs that are receivedfrom generation to generation throughliterature, or by word of mouth. Someof these traditions shape their origin inthe philosophical thought that has beenthe endeavor of several generations andyet some may have their roots in theevent in the hoary past which has nobearing now. No one, however brilliant,or well informed, can come to suchfullness of understanding as to safely

judge and d ismiss the cus toms orintuitions of his society, for these are thewisdom of generations after centuries ofexperiment in the laboratory of history.The sanity of the group lies in thecontinuity of its traditions. To breaksharply with the past is to court madnessthat may follow the shock of suddenblows or mutation.”

Will and Ariel DurantLessons of History

Unlike western societies most ofthe Hindu traditions are linked with ourreligious beliefs. Thus, it is importantto understand our religious philosophyand how our Kashmiri traditions aredifferent from the rest of the country.

Our Religious PhilosophyRight from Vedic times Sanatana

Dharma developed along two broadtradi t ions known as Shaivism andVaishnavism. The main outlines of thesetraditions are:

1) Both recognize Supreme Beingas transcendental. While in Shaivism Itis known as Parmshiva , Vaishnavitesrecognize It as Brahman ( not to beconfused with Brahma) Manifestation asper Shaivism takes place through theimmanent aspect of Parmshiva calledShiv-Shakt i where Shiv is passivewitness to all that takes place under Hisorders but Shakti is the active principle

DEAR MEMBERS ON KP COMMUNITY

Piyaray Raina (Saddhak)*

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involved in the manifestation process .Shakti has been given the feminine formof Durga (with her many other forms).Vaishnavism a lso recognizes tha tmanifestation takes place through theimmanent aspect of Brahman calledIshvara or Hiranyagarbha (male form)

2) As per Shaivism, Durga in Hervarious forms takes care of the lives ofhumans(jivas) whereas in Vaishnavismtrio of gods-Trimurti ( Brahma, Vishnuand Mahash)have been recognized forcreation of jives (Brahma), maintenanceof life( Vishnu ) and dissolution of lifeat the end of life cycles called epochs (Mahesh is also known as Shiva orShanker) To take care of jivas on thisplanet Lord Vishnu takes birth as Avatarfrom time to time. Lord Rama, LordKrishna are the two Avatars among thenine who have taken birth so far.

3)Both traditions agree that jivasare held in bondage in th is wor ld(samsara) due to their ignorance abouttheir true relationship with SupremeBeing caused by divine illusion (Maya)which is the cause of repeated births inthis samsara . To get out of this cycle ofmisery one has to work for salvation(moksha). While Vaishnavites focus oncarrying out rituals and offering prayersto Lord Vishnu and His Avatars, Shivitesoffer the i r r i tua l is t ic worship andprayers to Shiv –Shakt i .Broadlyspeaking Shaiv ism is prac t iced inKashmir, Bengal and South IndianStates. Vaishnavism is the dominantfaith in rest of India.

Our Unique traditionsAs a result of our religious faith,

geographical location and long historyof about 5000 years our (Kashmiri)t radi t ions have uniqueness . A fewexamples are given below:

1) Our family deities ( Isht devas)are various forms of Durga ( Ragnya,Sharika and Jwala ji) The Isht devtas ofVaishnavites are Lord Rama, LordKrishna and other regional deities

2) Our recitations which we carryout on most of the occasions are mainlydedicated to our Isht devi and Her otherforms. Most of these recitations are oflocal origin and are not recited by non-Kashmir i Hindus . (e .g .Bhavaninamashasra , Indrakshi ,Panchastavi, Leele rbda etc ; GanashStuti -Hemja stum). Shiv Stuti likeShivmahimnapar which is universal hasa local touch. We have 35 shlokaswhereas out side Kashmir there are only32 sholokas . And even among 32 wehave 2 different sholakasd. The onlyprayer for Vishnu prevalent amongKashmiris i.e. Jai Narayan is also oflocal or ig in not rec i ted by non-Kashmir is . Vaishnavi tes carry outrecitations from Ramayana (e.g. Sunderkand, Hanuman Chalisa ), Bhagwat andDevi stuties from Sunder Lahri of AdiShankera

3) We start our pujas with doopdip puja which forms the pradhanbhagha (first step of any puja). This isour local tradition. Again Prepun whichis extensively used by us at the time of

15

offering bhoga (Prasad) is purely aKashmiri tradition .Again we celebrateour birthday with a puja dedicated to our8 rishis . Non -Kashmiri Hindus do nothave any birthday puja as a tradition.

4) On Shivra t r i we offerextensive prayers to Lord Shiv -Shaktialong with Vatuknath Bhairwa ( thehighest being next to Shiva- Shakti) fordays together . The Vaishnavite do notfo l low th is t rad i t ion . Vaishnavi teBhairva is a malicious being who ifignored can create obstacles in theirworship.

5) We celebrate Janam Ashtamias Zarm Satam , one day beforeVaishnavi tes ce lebra te i t as LordKsishnas birthday. Same is the case withShivratri .

6) Celebrations like KawpunimKhicri Amavas ,are our historical linkswith the past . We enjoy preparationsmade on these occasions.

7) Yagnopavit Samaskara thoughuniversal among Hindus has developeda local tradition which involves not onlyextensive ritualistic puja carried overseveral days but also heavy expenditure.I t is a small t ime function amongVaishnavites usually carried out forgroup of boys at teenage or along withmarriage of boy .

8) Our death rituals (Antyeshti)are very e laborate which involvesextensive rituals on the day of death andagain on 10, 11 and 12 day after death

.Even Social customs associated withdeath are lengthy.

9) We do not celebrate Divali, orHoli with the same enthusiasm as isbeing done by Vaishnavites. It is not aShivite tradition.

10) Even in the recitation ofBhagwadgita which is universal we haveour way of recitation on occasions likeYagnopavit and death rituals These aresome of the differences which markuniqueness of our traditions.

Post migration dilemmaThe loss of in teres t in our

religious traditions started while we alllived happily in Kashmir , which waspartly due to lack of real knowledgebehind our traditions and partly due tothe fact that we had left performance ofour religious rituals to our priest classwithout ever bothering to understand therationale behind their performance .Postmigration we got scattered into variousDiasporas al l over India mostly inVaishnavite lands. Our priests hadalready started getting their childrent ra ined in to var ious lucra t iveprofessions. After migration the existingones set t led mostly around Jammu.Thus, most of our diasporas who hadsettled at places like Delhi, Gurgaon,Noida , Far idabad, Pune, Bombay,Bangalore, Chandigarh, Dehradun andother places are left without the servicesof priests . Since our traditions areunique to us the local priests are not ableto perform our rituals to our satisfaction.Hence, when need arises on occasionssuch as marr iage or yagnopavi t

16

ceremony or the cremation of a dear one,we search all corners to find a Kashmiripriest who, as a matter of supply anddemand, raises his fees to unaffordablelevels for a common man Thecommunity needs to find out a way topreserve out traditions .Action Plan

1) We have to bring awarenessamong our communi ty members ,especially the younger generation, aboutour re l ig ious phi losophy and ourtraditions. Although we have manyscholars in our community yet they havenot paid enough attention to writingabout our religious traditions. A lot hasbeen written about Kashmir Shaivismbut i t i s not par t of our re l ig ioust radi t ions . Kashmir Shaiv ism is aphilosophic concept of our relationshipwith god and does not guide us in theperformance of these traditions. Ourpriests have produced a few bookletsabout performance of rituals but theylack background knowledge.

2) Karmkanda, which is a guidebook for performance of our rituals,needs to be updated from time to time,keeping in view the needs of the groupof people who follow it. It is regional innature .Our Karmkanda was writtencenturies back which not available now.Our present priests have preserved partsof relevant portions for carrying out ourSamaskaras. In the present age one doesnot have time and patience to carry outlong and uninte l l ig ib le r i tua ls ,especially when even the priests are notavai lable . We have to rewri te our

karmkanda, as is being done by otherHindu communities, and make it brief.

3) Our seniors have to take outsome time off to learn how to carry outour less important rituals. We may availof the services of trained priests forcarrying out major religious functionssuch as vivah, yagnopavit , yagnyaantyesht i but pujas l ike b i r thday,Shivra t r i Punn , bhumipujan grehpravesh are simple and can be performedby seniors ea , or a t one house i favai lable , and learn to carry outrecitations like Bhawaninamashasra ,Indrakshi , Panchas tavi ,Shivmahimnapar and other stuties. Itcould be like a kitty party with theservice of prashad as eatables.

4) We need to t ra in pr ies tspreferably from our own community. Toattract people we must provide for theirtraining, residence in the locality wherethey serve and adequate assured incometo meet their financial needs .This canbe done by regular contributions fromthe communi ty who avai l of the i rservices. We had this tradition in ourvillages when they were paid a part ofthe harvested crop along with otherservice providers like barbers carpentersetc. Our priests were part of family whowere consulted not only for carrying outrituals but acted as family astrologers aswell.

5) We should t ry to createMrityuo Samgri Bhandars ( materialsneeded for cremation of dead person) inthe localities where we live .It was our

17

tradition back home in Kashmir and hasbeen preserved in some localities inJammu and even outside J&K state . Adeath in a home brings lot of grief andtension. A little help from communitymembers is a great encouragement. Thecost of these materials is meager butinconvenience in f inding them,especially in our new surroundings, isgreat.

6) Se t t ing up of communi tycenters. There are reserved places inmany new developments forconstruction of temples which act ascommunity centers. The land offered isat cheap rates. Funding for payment ofland and building can be met withdonations from residents of locality,especially from those who are well off.————————————————

* The author is a great devotee ofKaruna Mai Maa - a Kashmiri saint whohas established an Ashram at SohnaGurgaon where all Kashmiri religiouspractices are followed. He has writtena voluminous book on Kashmir itraditions entitled “Socio- Cultural andRel ig ious Tradi t ions o f Kashmir iPandi ts publ ished in USA. He i sPres ident o f Samarpan Publ icChari table Trust (Regd) which isdedicated to bringing awareness of KPtraditions among youth, rewriting ofKarmkanda and setting up of centers forlearning of KP religious traditions. Helives in Gurgaon and USA and can beapproached through mail (pl_raina @yahoo.com or phone 9868402999 inIndia).

With Best Compliments From :-

Perception BusinessConsulting Solutions

(A Performance & Management Consulting Firm)

3388, Sector - 23, GurgaonPh.: 0124-4074961

Website : www.perceptionbc.org

18

IN THE GAME OF NAMERajender Bhat

‘What is in a name’? So said thebard of Avon. ‘A rose by any other namewould smell as sweet’. In one stroke ofhis pen the great writer rubbished all thepains that we take in finding a suitablename. And when you thought that youhad finally cracked the code of yourname, along comes a numerologist andhis calculations reveal the mystery ofwhy you have not been doing well atyour job or why that promotion stille ludes you. Your name needs theaddition of a couple of K’s strategicallyplaced and voila! all your problems arehistory. Unfortunately it isn’t all thatsimple. All the guys and gals, that youare competing with, have also addedthose so sought after K’s and the resultis status quo.

Now look at another facet whichis 100% Indian. We are the only nationon this planet where people would givean arm to have a name which wouldidentify them as being more backwardthan the man next door. What wouldn’ta ‘gujjar’ do just to be called a ‘meena’?Youngsters are busy filing affidavitswhich can give them a name by whichthey would proudly claim to be morebackward than others.

India has been independent for 60years now and we should be proud of

our leaders who have ensured that whilethe whole world rushes forward to grabthe stars ,we are hellbent in progressingbackwards. Today more than 100% ofour population is backward, in one formor the other, if you add up the variousquotas that have been allocated undervarious classes of backwardness etc. IfMr. Shakespeare were here today hewould have plucked the tresses off hishead in frustration at the mockery thatwe have made of such a beaut i fulobservation of his.

Being a Kashmiri, and a Panditat that , I too have my take on this,albeit, a more light hearted one. Forstarters I question the very English nameof Mr. Shakespeare. My sources revealthat he has kashmiri roots. His forefa thers migra ted f rom Kashmir toEngland when he was hardly four. Hisparents had named him Wali MohammadSheikh Samad Peer which got mutatedto William Shakespeare once he gotassimilated in the English society. Nowhow do you like that for starters?

Kashmiri Pandits are famous fortheir ready wit and this trait of theirs isabundantly evident in the numeroussurnames tha t our communi ty hasacquired over the centuries. Historically,I believe the KP surnames were limited

19

to a few, like Dhars, Kauls, Bhats,Razdans (Rainas) and a couple of more.Look a t the scene today. We haveKhosas , Thalsoors , Miskeens ,Ambardars, Khers(khars), Bamzais,Munshis, Ganjoos,Mukoos, Hakhus,Sadhus, Kitchlus, Thusoos, Mirakhursand a host of others. Have we everthought about the origins of these ? Ofcourse not. We are so engrossed in ourdaily chores that we have simply losttouch with our very roots.

My guess i s tha t a l l thesesurnames were born out of harmlesswitty pranks and then just stuck on. Ihave a friend named Joginder whosegrandfather Madhusudan Bhat shiftedfrom village Seer (near Baramulla) toSrinagar. To differentiate him from hisnamesake in the locality his neighboursstarted calling him Madhusudan Seerand this stuck to him so well that myfriend is now known as Joginder Seru.

I read about a nobleman wholived in Chinkral Mohalla of Srinagar afew centur ies ago. His name wasMadhav jee Kaul. As luck would haveit, there were a couple of more Madhavjee Kauls in the area and this created alot of confusion amongst area residents.Now our Madhav jee had a mulberry treein his courtyard and this was opportunityenough for the witty KP’s who startedcalling him Madhav jee Tul (mulberryin Kashmiri). This was an affront to thedignity of Madhav jee who immediately

got the tree cut in order to get rid of hisnewfound name. This action of hisprovoked the neighbours who nowstarted calling him Madhav jee Mond(kashmiri for the tree stump which wasleft after the tree was cut). Madhav jeewas furious and he called in labourerswho dug up the s tump. Now , th isresulted in a depression in the groundwhich is called a’khud’ in kashmiri. Youguessed i t . Madhav jee got a newsurname –Madhav jee Khud. Madhavjee ordered the depression to be filledup and as we all know, such jobs arenever done perfectly. The depressionfilling resulted in a slight mound to beformed. A mound is called teng inKashmiri and so the original Madhav jeeKaul was now called Madhav jee Teng.So fed up did Madhav jee get with allthis that he gave up and to this day hisdescendents are known by the surname‘Teng’.

So , What is in a name? A lot Iwould say , provided you know how tolook a t i t . Do you look a t i t in ahumourous kind of way to bring somecheer on a dull day or does it become atool of violence which can hold thewhole country to ransom.

(with sincere apologies to anyone whomay have fe l t offended by viewsexpressed in the above article. It neveris the intention).

****

20

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21

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A wise man learns by the mistakes of others,a fool by his own.

Latin Proverb

22

TEN COMMANDMENTS FOR PEACE OF MIND[Very good one] - Sri Sri Ravi Shankar To: Brian Fernandez

1. Do Not Interfere In Others’Business Unless Asked Most of us create ourown problems by interfering too often inothers’ affairs. We do so because somehowwe have convinced ourselves that our wayis the best way, our logic is the perfect logicand those who do not conform to ourthinking must be criticized and steered to theright direction, our direction. This thinkingdenies the existence of individuality andconsequently the existence of God. God hascreated each one of us in a unique way. Notwo human beings can think or act in exactlythe same way.All men or women act the waythey do because God within them promptsthem that way. There is God to look aftereverything. Why are you bothered? Mindyour own business and you will keep yourpeace.

2. Forgive And Forget - This is themost powerful aid to peace of mind. We oftendevelop ill feelings inside our heart for theperson who insults us or harms us. Wenurture grievances. This in turn results in lossof sleep, development of stomach ulcers, andhigh blood pressure. This insult or injury wasdone once, but nourishing of grievance goeson forever by constantly remembering it. Getover this bad habit. Believe in the justice ofGod and the doctrine of Karma. Let Himjudge the act of the one who insulted you.Life is too short to waste in such trifles.Forgive, Forget, and march on. Loveflourishes in giving and forgiving.

3. Do Not Crave For RecognitionThis world is full of selfish people. Theyseldom praise anybody without selfishmotives. They may praise you today becauseyou are in power, but no sooner than you arepowerless; they will forget your achievementand will start finding faults in you. Why doyou wish to kill yourself in striving for theirrecognition? Their recognition is not worththe aggravation. Do your duties ethically andsincerely and leave the rest to God.

4. Do Not Be Jealous - We all haveexperienced how jealousy can disturb ourpeace of mind. You know that you workharder than your colleagues in the office, butsometimes they get promotions; you do not.You started a business several years ago, butyou are not as successful as your neighborwhose business is only one year old. Thereare several examples like these in everydaylife. Should you be jealous? No. Remembereverybody’s life is shaped by his or herprevious Karma, which has now become hisdestiny. If you are destined to be rich, nothingin the world can stop you. If you are not sodestined, no one can help you either. Nothingwill be gained by blaming others for yourmisfortune. Jealousy will not get youanywhere; it will only take away your peaceof mind.5. Change Yourself According To TheEnvironment If you try to change theenvironment single-handedly, the chancesare you will fail. Instead, change yourself tosuit your environment. As you do this, even

23

the environment, which has been unfriendlyto you, will mysteriously change and seemcongenial and harmonious.

6. Endure What Cannot Be CuredThis is the best way to turn a disadvantageinto an advantage. Every day we facenumerous inconveniences, ailments,irritations, and accidents that are beyond ourcontrol. If we cannot control them or changethem, we must learn to put up with thesethings. We must learn to endure themcheerfully thinking, “God wills it so, so beit.” God’s plan is beyond our comprehension.Believe in it and you will gain interms ofpatience, innerstrength and will power.

7. Do Not Bite Off More Than YouCan Chew - This maxim needs to beremembered constantly. We often tend totake more responsibilities than we arecapable of carrying out. This is done tosatisfy our ego. Know your limitations. Whytake on additional loads that may create moreworries? You cannot gain peace of mind byexpanding your external activities. Reduceyour material engagements and spend timein prayer, introspection and meditation. Thiswill reduce those thoughts in your mind thatmake you restless. Uncluttered mind willproduce greater peace of mind.

8. Meditate Regularly - Meditationcalms the mind and gets rid of disturbingthoughts. This is the highest state of peaceof mind. Try and experience it yourself. Ifyou meditate earnestly for half an houreveryday, your mind will tend to becomepeaceful during the remaining twenty-threeand half-hours. Your mind will not be easilydisturbed as it was before. You would benefit

by gradually increasing the period of dailymediation. You may think that this willinterfere with your daily work. On thecontrary, this will increase your efficiencyand you will be able to produce better resultsin less time.

9. Never Leave The Mind VacantAn empty mind is the devil’s workshop. Allevil actions start in the vacant mind. Keepyour mind occupied in something positive,something worthwhile. Actively follow ahobby. Do something that holds your interest.You must decide what you value more:money or peace of mind. Your hobby, likesocial work or temple work, may not alwaysearn you more money, but you will have asense of fulfillment and achievement. Evenwhen you are resting physically, occupyyourself in healthy reading or mentalchanting of God’s name.

10. Do Not Procrastinate And NeverRegret - Do not waste time in protractedwondering “ Should I or shouldn’t I?” Days,weeks, months, and years may be wasted inthat futile mental debating. You can neverplan enough because you can neveranticipate all future happenings. Alwaysremember, God has His own plan, too foryou. Value your time and do the things thatneed to be done. It does not matter if youfail the first time. You can learn from yourmistakes and succeed the next time. Sittingback and worrying will lead to nothing. Learnfrom your mistakes, but do not brood overthe past. DO NOT REGRET. Whateverhappened was destined to happen only thatway. Take it as the Will of God. You do nothave the power to alter the course of God’sWill. Why cry over spilt milk

24

Sadaa yaad Aate hai

 Nitya nootan chintan mei

 Abhinavgupta aur Vasugupta,

Kshemraj aur Kshemendra,

Kalhan aur Bilhan

 Mammat aur Jayatt——

 Aur Kin Kin Ko Ginaay

 Ek Shrinkhlaa hai Bani Huyii

— jismai Kashmir kii Laughaksha Kriti,

  Trika Darshan Chintan Aur  Manan

DharmaAur Drishtikona

 Sanskriti Aur Kala Kaushal

Unkii lekhni se Hii Sushobit Huye Hai,

Ham Jise Adbut Kashmiri Kriti Kahte

Aaye Hai~n

 Jinkaa Ham Adheyan Karte bhii Hai‘n

Nitya Apni PEHCHAAN Bataane Ke Liye

Ki Ham Kaun Hai——

 Kyaa Thay— Kya Ho Sakte Hai~n

  VishvaaNar Aur Vishva Sanskriti Mei

A PAGE FROM JAYA SIBU’S WRITINGSC L Raina

Kashmir ke Swarnim Samsmiran— Jaya Sibu

 De Sakste Hai~n Bahut Kuchh——

  Yogdan  Atma Utsarga Ke Liye

Vishva Abhyodaya Ke Liye—

  Yedi Lall Vakh Ko Hii Ley

To Vishva Darshan Kaa Adbhut Chintan

 Baant Sakte Hai Vishva Sanskriti mei.

Apnii Nava Paud Ko Avashya Hii

Bataa sakte Hai‘n

 KASHMIR SANSKRITI ke Sambandh mei

 Kahnaa Hoga, Uddharanoo Ke dwaraa 

Yehi  NaYi Paud Ab Samrakshak bhihai~n

Aur Uttar-Adhikaari Bhi

 In Mei hii Arya Sanskriti Kaa

 Shaiva Sanskriti Kaa

 Shakta Sanskriti Kaa Samaavesh Hai

 Yehi Meraa Namra Nivedan Hai

Yehi kavitaa Kaa Saransha Hai

Chamanlal Raina

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POWERFUL YET GENTLEDr Alka Pande

Ganesha, the lord of wisdom,inteelct, prudence, fortune and theremover of obstacles, is the first idolto be placed in a new home.

Often seen as the embodimentof the cosmos, Ganesha is also knownas Aumkara as his body is shaped inthe form of the auspicious Aum. hise lephant ine head sybol ises theintellegence and beatitude of theelephant, powerful yet gentle. Hismooshika symbolises the humilitythat he espouses in the company ofsmaller creatures. In a world full ofstruggle, obstacles and oppositions,Ganesha comes forth as the VighnaVinayaka.

Ganesha reigns supreme. He isthe first among all gods because, forhim, his parents were the centre ofhis world. No auspicious occasion orceremony begins without invocationto Lord Ganapati.

Rarely isa Ganesha imagefound in isolation. It is said thatGanesha always travels with his ownarmy; in a household if there is oneimage of the diety, many will follow.Ganesha Vandana, an inovation to thedeity, heralds the beginning of anyperforamnce by an Indian artist.

His significance in popularculture arose in the mid 15th century.He is the Siddhidata, or the bestowerof accompl ishments , and ispropitiated first before other gods.Ganesha’s popularity extends fromIndia to other parts of the world,especia l ly Nepal , Bangladesh,Cambodia , Indonesia , Thai land,Tibet , Myanmar, China, Japan,Afghnistan, and parts of central Asia.

Be it spiriutality, the literarygenre or popular culture, Ganeshasupremacy is widely visible. TheGanesa Pancharatnam of AdiSankaracharya of the f i rs tmil lennium, in Sanskri t , salutes

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Ganesha. The Tamil works ofTirumoolar and Avvaiyaar also havehymns saluting Ganesha. Sanskrittexts l ike the Ganesha Astava,Ganesh Sahasranama and VatapiGanapatim Bhaje salute Ganesha inall forms in temples and shrines.

India’s tribal arts and craftsalso bear his mark. From sculpturesto stained glass, from Dhokra craft tosouth Indian wood craf t , h ispopularity is manifold.

There is the Ganehsa sculptureat Kurudumale temple , a r id ingGanapati in Kavi Wall Mural, woodenidols of Ganesha worshiped by tribalsof Madhya Pradesh, sandalwood

Ganesha figures crafted by traditionalartisans from Karnataka and TamilNadu or Orissa’s soft stone and hardstone Ganeshas crafted by localartisans around puri temple.

Art is ts and sculptors haveinterpreted the image from puranictales to the 1,001 names of the god.

He is the one god who isenjoying an unprecedentedinternational flavour, having caughtthe fascination of the western world.

The writer is curator, artconsultant and adviser and a

Ganesha expert.

The ultimate measure of a man is not where hestands in moments of comfort, but where he stands

at times of challenge and controversy.”Martin Luther King, Jr.

Never tell people how to do things. Tell them whatto do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity.

George Patton

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KASHMIRI BHAJANS/ LEELA

;h vko esa letl& t;k flcw jSuk

¼vksfjdk ls½

Hkxoku Nq dquq;] :WQ fNl L;Bkg ikWB;AX;kuqW&xaxkf; eat+ fnoukore cksrkg ehB~;&ikWB~;AAvorkj c·fuFk vk[k lukru “kCn g;FkAlwge O;N+fuFk iz.kfoFk ps O;rLrk O;FkAA

“kCnqd& vkdkj x·fujksoqFk |u r; jkFkAiksuoZl rqW e`x”kj u[;rje oqNqFk lkFkAAps+ruk eat+ ph+ru O;foFk t+ksrsf; “kfjdkAjk·XU;kf; gqUn jafxFk jax xzts+f; izxU;kAA

vkxe “kkL=u xkg =kWo iz[kVksoru izdk”kAX;ku&O;sxku ijkij “kCno feyukso vkdk”kAAoS[kjh;kj ;kjcyqW eatqW nzf; oqt+ey rqW jsgAnksiq[k Hkxokj Nq cc c·fuFk ck·xjkokj JsgAA

ek;krhr ek;kf; eat+ eUnqFk “kWfjn vksedkjANq vkxqj czgerhtqd] U;jkdkjl nzko lkdkjAAxrqW X;wj izk.k&vikul xN+ku] lwge usjku T+;osAc·[krh gqafnl vkyel eat+] “kcue I;oku yosAA

X;aqneqr vksl lksnqW czkWj~;] cks^nqW czksj :nql t+kxsA“kkyek·ju Qqy; y·t+ oufu] Hkxoku vko cxsAAlsrkj oks;qu] lru rkju lkt+ nzko] ijfu yksx xhrkAdeZ ;wxl cy E;wy] rks^ylul vkkf; i`Foh ekrkAA

yyn~;fn uhyoB =kso] xzt+uksoqWu ok[k rqW opquAcc Hkxoku “kCn ek·fuFk U;cjW g;rqu vanj vpquAApqW fnork Nq[k] fduq eqfu”oj] j~;ks”k fduqW rih”ojt;k N; ukn yk;ku ̂gh lR; vkdkj uUndh”ojAA

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Hkxoku xksihukFk th xk;=h& izks- e[ku yky dqfdy`

‹ Hkxors xksihukFkk; foùgsoS[kjhfogkjnsok; /khekfg

réks HkSjo%@gal% izpksn;kr~

dgk gS fd ^bR;kgw; xk;=h f=lrqppk;Z rÙofor~̂ vFkkZr] b’Vnso dks iwtkihBij cqykdj rhu ckj rRoKkuh xk;=h dkmPpkj.k djsA xk;=h izR;sd nso@nsoh dhfHkUu gksrh gS] blesa b’Vnso@nsoh ds fo”ks’k“kfDr fpUgksa dk vadu gksrk gS] ftUgsa Lej.kdjds ge mudk fpUru euu o fufn/;kludjrs gSaA blesa rhu fØ;k :iksa dks funZs”kgksrk gSA tSls&fon~egs] /khefg] izpkssn;kr~A^fon~egs^ fØ;k “kCn dk rkRi;Z gS fd ge blnso dks ckjk/kuk vkfn ls igys ßtkurs gSaÞAfQj ß/khefgÞ fØ;k “kCn dk rkRi;Z gS fd geblds Lo:i dks tkuus ds i”pkr~ mudk/;ku djrs gSaA fQj Kku o /;ku ds i”pkr~ge bl b’Vnso@nsoh ls izkFkZuk djrs gSa fdog ßizpksn;kr~Þ gekjh cqf+) dks vPNs dekZs esaizsfjr djs rkfd gekjk Kku o /;ku lQygksA bl izdkj izR;sd nso@nsoh dk /;ku/kkj.kk vkfn ls ifgys fufnZ’V xk;=h dkmPpkj.k vko”;d gSA Lej.k jgs dsoyßegkxk;=hÞ gh ,d ,slh fnO; “kfDr gS ftldh xk;=h esa mijksDr rhu fØ;k:iksa dkvadu u gksds dsoy nks fØ;k :iksa & /khefgrFkk izpksn;kr~ dk funsZ”k gksrk gSA mlesa

^fon~egs^ fØ;k:i ugha feyrk gSA dkj.k ;ggS fd ekrk xk;=h ,d ,slh fnO; “kfDr gSftldk Kku tUe ls gh gesa Lor% fl) gSAmls gesa tkuus dh vko”;drk ughaA D;ksafd“kkL=ksa esa fy[kk gS fd ßizkd~ lafor~ izk.ksifj.krkÞ vFkkZr~ lafor”kfDr! “kjhj lajpukesa lcls ifgys mfnr gksrh gS tks izk.ku :iesa n`f’Vxkspj gksrh gSA blh dks “kSo&”kkL=ksaesa ^LiUn^ ds uke ls Hkh iqdkjk x;k gSA vr%ekrk x;k=h ^;afor~^ ds :i esa tUe dslkFk&lkFk izknwHkZwr gksrh gSA blhfy, dsoy^egkxk;=h^ dh xk;=h esa fon~egs fØ;k:idk vHkko gSA nsf[k;s & ßrr~ lforqoZjs.;aHkxksZ nsoL; /khekfg] f/k;ks ;ks u% izpksn;kr~ÞA

lar f”kjksef.k Hkxoku xksihukFk thdh ;g x;=h bl egku~ lar ds nsoRo indk vf/kdkjh gksus dk ladsr nsrh gS D;ksafddsoy ^nso^ gh xk;=h in&ekd~ gksrs gSa vU;O;fDr ughaA

‹ Hkxors xksihukFkk; fon~egs&losZ”o;Zeku~ Jh xksihukFk&^cc^ dk ge igysKku izkIr djrs gSaA fQj mudk ^/khefg^ &/;ku djrs gSa ^oS[kqjh fogkj nsok;^ d”ehje.My esa Jhuxj fLFkr ^oS[kqjh fogkj^ &vFkkZr~ ^[kj;kj^ ds vf/k’Bkr` nsork ds :iesaA fQj bl egku~ nso ls ge izkFkZuk djrs gSafd og gekjh cqf) dks lUekxZ esa izsfjr djsa& réks HkSjo% izpksn;kr~AA

29

yhykdqekj v”kksd ljkQ ^?kk;y^

;syh eu izk.k “kksp+W jko[kjWp+j thoksa R;syh izko[k;syh nf; uko ?kWfujko[kjWp+j thoksa R;syh izko[k

nksg; eUFkj p+W iqt+ku jkst+djk:d fny cWfjFk nh lkst+cqN[k iku; p+W D;kg izko[k

jWp+j thoksa R;syh izko[k

p+s ek Nq; t+k¡g fr Fkksoeqr T+ouft+ vkW[kWj Hkkouk xkWf; D;kglksfjFk ;sfe ;ksj p+W oqN Nko[k

jWp+j thoksa R;syh izko[k

iq”kj rl iku p+W eWf”kjko ukefQ+fdj dFk fdN+ ps+ cWY; Nq; Hkze

Lojku jkstqu dFk fdN+ p+s cWY; Nq; HkzejWp+j thoksa R;syh izko[k

d#U; rhjFk n#U; vkWBet+:jh fN; ulW f;e [ke

vxj Jksp+j euqd Fkko[kjWp+j thoksa r;srh izko[k

ctj rWE; lqUn t+xFk lks:;ps+ N; xQ+Wyr f;Fk; cWY; N+Wj

eqWp+j vWN ukso uO;sj cko[kjWp+j thoksa R;syh izko[k

ouku ^?kWkf;y^ f; dasN+k lufiNq; ouWul I;ksoql fdFkW T+ou

guk vt+ lu ixkg cko[kjWp+j thoks L;syh izko[k

;syh ej izk.k “kksp+W jko[k

The man of wisdom is never of two minds;the man of benevolence never worries;

the man of courage is never afraid.Confucius

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THE SHRINE OF SARADAThis Majestic Monument Is Deeply Rooted In The Ancient History

Of Kashmir Writes M. Ashraf

K a l a h a n a i n R a j a t a r a g i n imentions about the five most famousthings of ancient Kashmir. The firstamong these is the learning. Kashmirwas known through out the world asa n i m p o r t a n t c e n t r e o f l e a r n i n g .Almos t a l l fo re ign exp lore rs whovisited Kashmir in ancient times havementioned about the intelligence ofthe loca l peop le . Kashmi r i s werer e p u t e d t o b e i n t e l l i g e n t , g o o dlooking, hard working, and good footwalkers. An important centre of thislearning in ancient Kashmir was theShrine of Sarada, now referred to as"Sharda Peeth". This was consideredto be the temple of Sarasvat i , theGoddess of learning. Sir Aurel Stein,t h e t r a n s l a t o r o f K a l h a n a ' sRajatarangini has devoted an entirechapter on the discovery of this shrineby him. He mentions that the greatJ a i n s c h o l a r H e m a c a n d r a w a scommissioned by King Jayasimha ofGujrat to compose a new grammar. Herequested the King for being suppliedwith eight old grammars, which couldbe found complete only in the libraryof Goddess Sarasva t i in Kashmir.Jayasimha immediately dispatchedsome high officials to Pravarapura toobtain the manuscripts. These werebrought by envoys and delivered toHemacandra, who after perusing thesecomposed his own great grammaticalwork, the Siddhahemacandra. It has

not been conf i rmed whether thesemanuscripts actually came from theShrine of Sarada but th is much isestablished that the fame of the Shrineas a seat of learning had spread fara n d w i d e . T h e r e a r e m a n y o t h e rreferences about the Shrine in ancientchronicles.

Kalhana ment ions about thevis i t o f King Gauda of Bengal toK a s h m i r d u r i n g t h e r e i g n o fLalitaditya for specifically visitingthe Shrine of Sarada. Even Alberunihas mentioned about the well knownShrine of Sarada very much veneratedand frequented by pi lgrims, whicha c c o r d i n g t o h i m , h o u s e d a v e r yfamous wooden idol of Sarasvati. Thef a m o u s K a s h m i r i p o e t B i l h a n aascr ibes the patronage of learningclaimed by the ci ty of Srinagar tof a v o u r o f G o d d e s s S a r a s v a t i o fS a r a d a . T h e G o d d e s s i s s a i d t o ,"Resemble a swan, carrying as herdiadem the gl i t ter ing gold washedf r o m t h e s a n d o f t h e M a d h u m a t istream which is bent upon rivallingGanga. Spreading lustre by her fame,brilliant like crystal, she makes evenMount Himalaya, the preceptor ofGaur i ; r a i s e h ighe r h i s head (h i sp e a k s ) i n p r i d e o f h e r r e s i d e n c ethere" . Kashmir has c la imed f romearly times to be the land beloved bySarasvati-Sarada, and consequently

31

t h e d e s i g n a t i o n s o f S a r a d a p i t h a ,Saradamandala have been commonlyu s e d t o d e s c r i b e i t . T h e s edesignations have helped in attractinguniversa l a t ten t ion to th i s Tir tha .Reference to Sarada Temple is alsofound in Jonaraja's Chronicle whereinthe visit of King Zain-ul-Abidin to theShrine in 1422 A.D. is mentioned.T h e K i n g i s s u p p o s e d t o h a v eaccompanied a regular pilgrimage tot h e S h r i n e . A c c o r d i n g t o A b u - L -Fazal 's notice in Ain-i-Akbari , thet e m p l e o f " S h a r a d a " e n j o y e dc o n s i d e r a b l e r e p u t a t i o n e v e n i nsixteenth century.

Thus, this ancient Tirtha whichKalahana refers as "Saradasthana"was one of the most impor tan t inKashmir, and it was definitely famousfa r beyond i t s l imi t s . The h igh lydisturbed political conditions of theUpper Kishenganga Valley in the laterMughal and Afghan rule resulted inthe neglect of this Shrine. Because ofthese d i s tu rbed cond i t i ons wh ichc o n t i n u e d e v e n i n S i k h r u l e , t h epilgrimage to the Shrine did not haveany attraction for the peace lovingBrahmans of Kashmir. In the time ofStein (1892) i t had almost becomeunknown to the Pandits of Srinagar.Stein consulted a number of ancientchronicles and references to trace theroute to th is famous but unknownshrine. Saradamahtmya, Abu-I-Fazal'sAin Akbari, and Alberuni's mention ofthis ancient shrine helped Stein toarrive at the approximate direction tot h e s p o t w h e r e t h e s h r i n e w a s

supposed to exist. His journey to thes h r i n e i s m o s t e x c i t i n g a n dadventurous. In September, 1892, hewent on a tour of north Kamraz toascertain the exact posi t ion of theT i r t h a . N a r r a t i n g h i s t r a v e l h em e n t i o n s , " T h e f i r s t r e l i a b l einformation regarding it I obtainedfrom Pandi t Sant Ram, a Purohi tar e s i d e n t a t S o g a m , L o l a v . Hedescribed to me accurately enough ther o u t e f o l l o w e d b y t h e p i l g r i m s .Confirming a surmise I had alreadypreviously formed, he indicated to methe v i l l age and "Ruins" o f Sard i ,shown on the map at the confluenceof Kisanganga and Kankatori Rivers,as the place of Sarada Shrine". Steinthen describes in detail his journey toSardi where the Shrine is located. Herelates his first view of the Shrine,"At the turn of the path the fort ofS a r d i a n d t h e a n c i e n t t e m p l e o fSarada come conspicuously in view,with a magnificent amphitheatre ofhigh peaks behind them.

The Kisanganga which issuesonly a shor t d is tance above Sardifrom a long and a narrow chasm in them o u n t a i n s , f l o w s h e r e w i t hc o m p a r a t i v e s m o o t h n e s s " .Descr ipt ion of the temple is qui teexhaustive. "The temple of Saradarises in a prominent and commandingp o s i t i o n a b o v e t h e r i g h t b a n k o fMadhumati on the terrace like foot ofa spur which descends f rom h ighpine-clad peak to the E. Immediatelybelow this terrace to the N.W. is thespot where the waters of Madhumati

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and Kisanganga mingle. There on asmall sandy beach pilgrims performtheir Sraddhas. From the height of thestaircase, which forms approach tothe temple from the W., an extensiveview opens. To the S.E. the valley ofthe Madhumat i i s seen nar rowingg r a d u a l l y i n t o a g o r g e b e t w e e np r e c i p i t o u s s p u r s t h r o u g h w h i c hpasses the direct route to Kashmir viaKroras. In the N.E. from where theKisanganga issues, successive rangesof steep barren steep mountains withsnowy peaks behind them, seem toclose all passage. To the N. a narrowc h a s m i n t h e r o c k s m a r k s t h edebouchure of the Sargan River, theKankatori of the map, which flowsfrom the mountains towards Cilas andfa l l s in to the Kisanganga a shor tdistance above Madhumati. It is theSarasvati of Kalhana's description,s t i l l known by tha t name to localtradition. To the W. the view extendsto the high ranges which rise in thedirection of Khagan". After 1947, theShrine which fal ls in the PakistanAdministered Side of Kashmir got

completely cut off from the valley.

A couple of years back it wasv i s i t e d b y s o m e j o u r n a l i s t s f r o mJammu. It is stated to be in ruins andtotally unattended. Recently there hasbeen some talk about establishing aSarada Peeth in Kashmir. Setting upa n o t h e r U n i v e r s i t y o r a s e a t o flearning under an ancient name willnot give it the same value and statureas the original insti tution enjoyed.However, it would be more useful toget the ancient Shrine restored as itha s immense h i s to r i ca l va lue fo rK a s h m i r. I t c o u l d b e o n e o f t h ec o n f i d e n c e b u i l d i n g m e a s u r e sbetween the two parts of Kashmir. Ifit is possible to renovate some Hindut e m p l e s a n d S i k h G u r u d w a r a s i ndifferent parts of Pakistan, why nott h i s a n c i e n t S h r i n e w h i c h h a s atremendous association with ancientKashmir.

( T h e a u t h o r i s t h e f o r m e rDirector General, J & K, and can bemailed at ashrafmjk@gmail.com)

The first step in the acquisition of wisdom issilence, the second listening, the third memory, the

fourth practice, the fifth teaching others.

Solomon Ibn Gabriol

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