Category Archives: RELIGIOUS

American ideals

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Many American authors added American ideals to their work as a theme or other reoccurring idea, to get their point across.[40] There are many ideals that appear in American literature such as that all people are equal, the United States is the land of opportunity, independence is valued, the American Dream is attainable, and everyone can succeed with hard work and determination. John Winthrop also wrote about this term called American exceptionalism. This ideology refers to the idea that Americans are, as a nation, elect.[41]

 

 

 

 

Literary commentary

The American Dream has been credited with helping to build a cohesive American experience, but has also been blamed for inflated expectations.[43] Some commentators have noted that despite deep-seated belief in the egalitarian American Dream, the modern American wealth structure still perpetuates racial and class inequalities between generations.[44] One sociologist notes that advantage and disadvantage are not always connected to individual successes or failures, but often to prior position in a social group.[44]

Since the 1920s, numerous authors, such as Sinclair Lewis in his 1922 novel Babbitt, and F. Scott Fitzgerald, in his 1925 classic, The Great Gatsby, satirized or ridiculed materialism in the chase for the American dream. For example, Jay Gatsby’s death mirrors the American Dream’s demise, reflecting the pessimism of modern-day Americans.[45] The American Dream is a main theme in the book by John Steinbeck, Of Mice and Men. The two friends George and Lennie dream of their own piece of land with a ranch, so they can “live off the fatta the lan'” and just enjoy a better life. The book later shows that not everyone can achieve the American Dream, although it is possible to achieve for a few. A lot of people follow the American Dream to achieve a greater chance of becoming rich. Some posit that the ease of achieving the American Dream changes with technological advances, availability of infrastructure and information, government regulations, state of the economy, and with the evolving cultural values of American demographics.

In 1949, Arthur Miller wrote Death of a Salesman, in which the American Dream is a fruitless pursuit. Similarly, in 1971 Hunter S. Thompson depicted in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey Into the Heart of the American Dream a dark psychedelic reflection of the concept—successfully illustrated only in wasted pop-culture excess.[46]

The novel Requiem for a Dream by Hubert Selby Jr. is an exploration of the pursuit of American success as it turns delirious and lethal, told through the ensuing tailspin of its main characters. George Carlin famously wrote the joke “it’s called the American dream because you have to be asleep to believe it”.[47][48] Carlin pointed to “the big wealthy business interests that control things and make all the important decisions” as having a greater influence than an individual’s choice.[47] Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist and leftist activist Chris Hedges echoes this sentiment in his 2012 book Days of Destruction, Days of Revolt:[49]

The vaunted American dream, the idea that life will get better, that progress is inevitable if we obey the rules and work hard, that material prosperity is assured, has been replaced by a hard and bitter truth. The American dream, we now know, is a lie. We will all be sacrificed. The virus of corporate abuse—the perverted belief that only corporate profit matters—has spread to outsource our jobs, cut the budgets of our schools, close our libraries, and plague our communities with foreclosures and unemployment.

The American Dream, and the sometimes dark response to it, has been a long-standing theme in American film.[50] Many counterculture films of the 1960s and 1970s ridiculed the traditional quest for the American Dream. For example, Easy Rider (1969), directed by Dennis Hopper, shows the characters making a pilgrimage in search of “the true America” in terms of the hippie movement, drug use, and communal lifestyles.[51]

Political leaders

Scholars have explored the American Dream theme in the careers of numerous political leaders, including Henry Kissinger,[52] Hillary Clinton,[53] Benjamin Franklin, and Abraham Lincoln.[54] The theme has been used for many local leaders as well, such as José Antonio Navarro, the Tejano leader (1795–1871), who served in the legislatures of Coahuila y Texas, the Republic of Texas, and the State of Texas.[55]

Political conflicts, to some degree, have been ameliorated by the shared values of all parties in the expectation that the American Dream will resolve many difficulties and conflicts.[59]

Public opinion

The ethos today implies an opportunity for Americans to achieve prosperity through hard work. According to the Dream, this includes the opportunity for one’s children to grow up and receive a good education and career without artificial barriers. It is the opportunity to make individual choices without the prior restrictions that limited people according to their class, caste, religion, race, or ethnicity. Immigrants to the United States sponsored ethnic newspapers in their own language; the editors typically promoted the American Dream.Lawrence Samuel argues:

For many in both the working class and the middle class, upward mobility has served as the heart and soul of the American Dream, the prospect of “betterment” and to “improve one’s lot” for oneself and one’s children much of what this country is all about. “Work hard, save a little, send the kids to college so they can do better than you did, and retire happily to a warmer climate” has been the script we have all been handed.

A key element of the American Dream is promoting opportunity for one’s children, Johnson interviewing parents says, “This was one of the most salient features of the interview data: parents—regardless of background—relied heavily on the American Dream to understand the possibilities for children, especially their own children”.[62] Rank et al. argue, “The hopes and optimism that Americans possess pertain not only to their own lives, but to their children’s lives as well. A fundamental aspect of the American Dream has always been the expectation that the next generation should do better than the previous generation.”[63]

Hanson and Zogby (2010) report on numerous public opinion polls that since the 1980s have explored the meaning of the concept for Americans, and their expectations for its future. In these polls, a majority of Americans consistently reported that for their family, the American Dream is more about spiritual happiness than material goods. Majorities state that working hard is the most important element for getting ahead. However, an increasing minority stated that hard work and determination does not guarantee success.[65]

In 2010, most Americans predicted that achieving the Dream with fair means would become increasingly difficult for future generations. They were increasingly pessimistic about the opportunity for the working class to get ahead; on the other hand, they were increasingly optimistic about the opportunities available to poor people and to new immigrants. Furthermore, most supported programs to make special efforts to help minorities get ahead.[65]

In a 2013 poll by YouGov, 41% of responders said it is impossible for most to achieve the American Dream, while 38% said it is still possible.[66] Most Americans perceive a college education as the ticket to the American Dream.[67] Some recent[when?] observers warn that soaring student loan debt crisis and shortages of good jobs may undermine this ticket.[68] The point was illustrated in The Fallen American Dream, a documentary film that details the concept of the American Dream from its historical origins to its current perception.[69] A 2020 poll found 54% of American adults thought the American Dream was attainable for them, 28% believed it was not, and 9% rejected the idea of the American Dream entirely. Younger generations were less likely to believe this than their older counterparts, and black and Asian Americans less likely than whites, Hispanics and Native Americans.[12]

Research published in 2013 shows that the U.S. provides, alongside the United Kingdom and Spain, the least economic mobility of any of 13 rich democratic countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).[71][72] Prior research suggested that the United States shows roughly average levels of occupational upward mobility and shows lower rates of income mobility than comparable societies.[73][74]

Jo Blanden et al. report, “the idea of the U.S. as ‘the land of opportunity’ persists; and clearly seems misplaced.”[76] According to these studies, “by international standards, the United States has an unusually low level of intergenerational mobility: our parents’ income is highly predictive of our incomes as adults. Intergenerational mobility in the United States is lower than in France, Germany, Sweden, Canada, Finland, Norway and Denmark. Research in 2006 found that among high-income countries for which comparable estimates are available, only the United Kingdom had a lower rate of mobility than the United States.”[77] Economist Isabel Sawhill concluded that “this challenges the notion of America as the land of opportunity”.[78][79][80]Several public figures and commentators, from David Frum to Richard G. Wilkinson, have said that the American Dream is better realized in Denmark, which is ranked as having the highest social mobility in the OECD.[81][82][83][84][85] In the U.S., 50% of a father’s income position is inherited by his son. In contrast, the amount in Norway or Canada is less than 20%. Moreover, in the U.S. 8% of children raised in the bottom 20% of the climbed to the top 20% as adult, while the figure in Denmark is nearly double at 15%.[86][87][88] In 2015, economist Joseph Stiglitz stated, “Maybe we should be calling the American Dream the Scandinavian Dream.”[89]A 2023 paper written by academics at Bocconi University, the Rockwool Foundation, and Stockholm University found that “Intergenerational poverty in the U.S. is four times stronger than in Denmark and Germany, and twice as strong as in Australia and the UK,” and that an American child who grows up in poverty has “a 43 percentage point higher mean poverty exposure during early adulthood (relative to an adult with no child poverty exposure),” the highest of the five countries and exceeding the next highest by over 20 percentage points. The researchers found that “the persistence of poverty is strongly connected to tax rates and what they call transfer insurance effects, which can be considered as akin to a social safety net,” and that the “U.S. is the archetype of a liberal and residualist welfare state, featuring stratified access to higher education and employment, strong earnings returns to higher education, and a comparatively weak welfare state to insure against risks in adulthood,” as well as that “exposure to childhood poverty is particularly severe in the US.”[90]

A 2017 study stated that the UK, Canada, and Denmark all offered a greater chance of social mobility.[91] Black families were stated to be disadvantaged relative to white families when it comes to both upward mobility from the bottom and downward mobility from the top according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, with social mobility nationwide appearing to have declined since 1980.[92] Social mobility can also vary widely geographically according to a 2014 paper, with the Southeast and lower East North Central states ranking near the bottom.[93]

In the United States, home ownership is sometimes used as a proxy for achieving the promised prosperity; home ownership has been a status symbol separating the middle classes from the poor.[94]

Sometimes the American Dream is identified with success in sports or how working class immigrants seek to join the American way of life.[95]

According to a 2020 American Journal of Political Science study, Americans become less likely to believe in the attainability of the American dream as income inequality increases.[96] A 2022 study in the same journal found that exposure to “rags-to-riches” narratives in entertainment make Americans more likely to believe in upward mobility.[6]

According to a 2023 private opinion survey of American people by a Boston-based organization, Populace, the American Dream has shifted its narrative from fame and wealth to personal factors such as secure retirement, financial independence, parenthood and finding fulfillment in their work.[97]

Four American Dreams

Ownby (1999) identifies four American Dreams that the new consumer culture of the early 20th century addressed:

  • The “Dream of Abundance”, offering a cornucopia of material goods to all Americans, making them proud to be the richest society on earth.
  • The “Dream of a Democracy of Goods”, whereby everyone had access to the same products regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, or class, thereby challenging the aristocratic norms of the rest of the world where only the rich or well-connected were granted access to luxury.
  • The “Dream of Freedom of Choice”, with its ever-expanding variety of good allowed people to fashion their own particular lifestyle.
  • The “Dream of Novelty”, in which ever-changing fashions, new models, and unexpected new products broadened the consumer experience in terms of purchasing skills and awareness of the market, and challenged the conservatism of traditional society, culture, and politics.Ownby acknowledges that the American Dreams of the new consumer culture radiated out from the major cities, but notes that they quickly penetrated the most rural and most isolated areas, such as rural Mississippi. With the arrival of affordable automobiles such as the Ford Model T in the 1910s, consumers in rural America were no longer forced to only buy from local general stores with their limited merchandise and high prices, and could instead visit cheaper, better-stocked shops in towns and cities. Ownby demonstrates that poor black Mississippians shared in the new consumer culture, and it motivated the more ambitious to move to Memphis or Chicago.[98][99]

American Dream

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The “American Dream” is a phrase referring to a purported national ethos of the United States: that every person has the freedom and opportunity to succeed and attain a better life.[1] The phrase was popularized by James Truslow Adams during the Great Depression in 1931,[2] and has had different meanings over time. Originally, the emphasis was on democracy, liberty, and equality, but more recently has been on achieving material wealth and upward social mobility.[3]that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement. […] It is not a dream of motor cars and high wages merely, but a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position[4]

The tenets of the American Dream originate from the Declaration of Independence, which states that “all men are created equal“, and have an inalienable right to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness“.[5] The Preamble to the Constitution states similarly that the Constitution’s purpose is to, in part, “secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity”.[a] It is said to be a set of ideals including representative democracy, rights, liberty, and equality, in which freedom is interpreted as the opportunity for individual prosperity and success, as well as the chance for upward social mobility for each according to ability and achievement through hard work in a capitalist society with many challenges but few formal barriers.[citation needed]

Evidence indicates that in recent decades social mobility in the United States has declined, and income inequality has risen.[6][7] Social mobility is lower in the US than in many European countries, especially the Nordic countries.[8][9] Despite this, many Americans are likely to believe they have a better chance of social mobility than Europeans do.[10] The US ranked 27th in the 2020 Global Social Mobility Index.[11] A 2020 poll found 54% of American adults thought the American Dream was attainable for them, while 28% thought it was not. Black and Asian Americans, and younger generations were less likely to believe this than whites, Hispanics, Native Americans and older generations.[12] Women are more skeptical of achieving the American Dream than men are.[13]

Belief in the American Dream is often inversely associated with rates of national disillusionment.[6] Some critics have said that the dominant culture in America focuses on materialism and consumerism, or puts blame on the individual for failing to achieve success.[14] Others have said that the labor movement is significant for delivering on the American Dream and building the middle class,[15][16] yet in 2024 only 10% of American workers were members of a labor union, down from 20% in 1983.[17] The American Dream has also been said to be tied to American exceptionalism,[18] and does not acknowledge the hardships many Americans have faced in regards to American slavery, Native American genocide, their legacies, and other examples of discriminatory violence.[19]

18th century

Historically, the Dream originated in colonial mystique regarding frontier life. As John Murray, 4th Earl of Dunmore, the colonial Governor of Virginia, noted in 1774, the Americans “for ever imagine the Lands further off are still better than those upon which they are already settled”. He added that, “if they attained Paradise, they would move on if they heard of a better place farther west”.[20] The idea of the American Dream is ever evolving and changing. When the Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4, 1776, the founding fathers believed that this would ratify the role of government and society in the United States. Jim Cullen claims:

Ever since, the Declaration of Independence has functioned as the banner of the American Dream, one repeatedly waved by figures that included women’s rights activists, populists, homosexuals, and anyone who has ever believed that happiness can not only be pursued, but attained. The U.S. Constitution, which marked the other bookend of the nation’s creation, lacks the mythic resonances of the Declaration, though it takes little reflection to see that it is the backdrop, if not the foundation, for all American Dreams. Whatever their disagreements about its scope or character, most Americans would agree that their national government is legitimate insofar as it permits a level playing field of dreams. Many of us have doubts that the government does serve this function; few have doubts that it should.[21]

19th century

Many well-educated Germans who fled the failed 1848 revolution found the United States more politically free than their homeland, which they believed to be a hierarchical and aristocratic society that determined the ceiling for their aspirations. One of them said:

The German emigrant comes into a country free from the despotism, privileged orders and monopolies, intolerable taxes, and constraints in matters of belief and conscience. Everyone can travel and settle wherever he pleases. No passport is demanded, no police mingles in his affairs or hinders his movements … Fidelity and merit are the only sources of honor here. The rich stand on the same footing as the poor; the scholar is not a mug above the most humble mechanics; no German ought to be ashamed to pursue any occupation … [In America] wealth and possession of real estate confer not the least political right on its owner above what the poorest citizen has. Nor are there nobility, privileged orders, or standing armies to weaken the physical and moral power of the people, nor are there swarms of public functionaries to devour in idleness credit for. Above all, there are no princes and corrupt courts representing the so-called divine ‘right of birth’. In such a country the talents, energy and perseverance of a person … have far greater opportunity to display than in monarchies.[22]

The discovery of gold in California in 1849 brought in a hundred thousand men looking for their fortune overnight—and a few did find it. Thus was born the California Dream of instant success. Historian H. W. Brands noted that in the years after the Gold Rush, the California Dream spread across the nation:

The old American Dream … was the dream of the Puritans, of Benjamin Franklin’s “Poor Richard”… of men and women content to accumulate their modest fortunes a little at a time, year by year by year. The new dream was the dream of instant wealth, won in a twinkling by audacity and good luck. [This] golden dream … became a prominent part of the American psyche only after Sutter’s Mill.[23]

The 18th century provided Americans with new sources of wealth and new means of travel. When looking at immigration in history, it is important to consider the different experiences due to gender as much as due to race. Often, tensions between economic and political agendas come into play. After 1776, the United States became a significant part of the global economy. This paragraph highlights the complex relationships between global integration and American history:

Historian Frederick Jackson Turner in 1893 advanced the frontier thesis, under which American democracy and the American Dream were formed by the American frontier. He stressed the process—the moving frontier line—and the impact it had on pioneers going through the process. He also stressed results; especially that American democracy was the primary result, along with egalitarianism, a lack of interest in high culture, and violence. “American democracy was born of no theorist’s dream; it was not carried in the Susan Constant to Virginia, nor in the Mayflower to Plymouth. It came out of the American forest, and it gained new strength each time it touched a new frontier,” said Turner.[25]

complicated transnational networks themselves are not the only story. Along with global integration went attempts to assert national distinctiveness amid growing global competition. Americans conceived of and responded to these pressures by striving to create national economic independence because they wanted to maintain political and social independence. Thus there was tension between the economic imperatives of global integration, and national political debates and economic agendas – such as the enhancement of national security through a strong industrial and financial base.[24]

In Turner’s thesis, the American frontier established liberty by releasing Americans from European mindsets and eroding old, dysfunctional customs. The frontier had no need for standing armies, established churches, aristocrats or nobles, nor for landed gentry who controlled most of the land and charged heavy rents. Frontier land was free for the taking. Turner first announced his thesis in a paper entitled “The Significance of the Frontier in American History“, delivered to the American Historical Association in 1893 in Chicago. He won wide acclaim among historians and intellectuals. Turner elaborated on the theme in his advanced history lectures and in a series of essays published over the next 25 years, published along with his initial paper as The Frontier in American History.[26] Turner’s emphasis on the importance of the frontier in shaping American character influenced the interpretation found in thousands of scholarly histories. By the time Turner died in 1932, 60% of the leading history departments in the U.S. were teaching courses in frontier history along Turnerian lines.[27]

 

The Bhagavad Gita on Love

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In the Bhagavad Gita (the Song of the Lord) Krishna comforts and advises his troubled disciple Arjuna by telling him about three paths. Each, he says, is a kind of yoga—a way to live in the world and at the same time maintain inner peace. They are the path of action, the path of devotion, and the path of knowledge.

The Gita opens as Krishna champions the yoga of action, or the path of karma yoga. Krishna is persuasive, setting out guidelines that are as true for gardening as they are for waging war. Karma yoga, he says, is the ability to conscientiously evaluate one’s motivation, to act with skill and determination, and yet not be attached to the outcome of the action.

On the path of bhakti yoga, help is proffered and spirits are healed through love—through the soul’s love for that which is eternal, and through the love of the eternal for each soul.

But Krishna does not stop there. In Chapters 7–12 of the Gita he teaches the path of devotion and love, bhakti yoga. This path is commonly associated with those who express themselves through music, poetry, dance, and other fine arts, and it is synonymous with a life of service, prayer, and meditation—a life devoted to God. But you do not need to be an artist or a member of a religious order to find joy on the path of devotion. Ultimately, this path is about uplifting human hearts. On the path of bhakti yoga, help is proffered and spirits are healed through love—through the soul’s love for that which is eternal, and through the love of the eternal for each soul.

The path of bhakti yoga unfolds spontaneously. For some, its appeal stems from an inherent attraction to God. For others, gratitude toward yoga matures into love and respect for a teacher, for a system of practice, or for the natural universe.

A false sense of devotion, however, may lead us in the wrong direction. Most of us know of persons whose fanatical faith in a teacher or dogma has resulted in disappointment or worse in the end. We can avoid this by asking questions about bhakti yoga at the outset. For example, as practitioners, are we expected to devote ourselves to a certain person, god, or tradition? What is the nature of devotion in yoga? And how is it given voice? Let’s see what the Gita says in response.

Krishna’s Voice

The path of devotion begins with a shift in our perspective—a shift that Krishna himself initiates in the Gita. It is signaled by a change in language: when Krishna talks about the path of devotion, he is no longer speaking in the third person.

I am the same to all beings, and my love is ever the same; but those who worship me with devotion, they are in me and I am in them. 

For if even one who does evil were to worship me with all his soul, he must be considered righteous, because of his righteous will.

He will soon become pure and reach everlasting peace. For be aware, Arjuna, that he who loves me shall not perish. (9:29–31)

Verses like these resound throughout the middle chapters of the Gita. They are virtually identical to the words of Jesus and other great teachers who also inspired followers on the path of bhakti. They speak with the voice of Light that is aimed at every human heart.

But who is Krishna? And what is his spiritual authority? His name gives us an important clue. The name Krishna is derived from the Sanskrit verb root krsh, a word that means “to draw or pull in, to draw to one’s self.” Krishna is not merely an embodied teacher. He is also the indwelling force that is constantly calling to us, drawing us to our self. Like a flower whose form and color attracts wandering bees, Krishna is the voice of beauty and truth within us—drawing us inward to drink from our own being.

The name Krishna is derived from the Sanskrit verb root krsh, a word that means “to draw or pull in, to draw to one’s self.”

Although I am unmanifest, the unwise think that I am that form of my lower nature which is seen by mortal eyes: they know not my higher nature, imperishable and unsurpassed. (7:24)

When we are summoned by Krishna’s voice, however, we are not expected to join a new religion or develop a sentimental dependence upon a teacher. And if some of us find ourselves drawn to Krishna’s stories and teachings, we are not compelled in yoga to accept Krishna’s tradition. The call of the self is to know the Self. It is a call issued by one’s heart—a call that clears away fears and past faults. In yogic terms, Krishna’s voice is the voice of love, truth, and self-acceptance, flowing through one’s own soul.

Finding the Heart

Yogis depict the heart as the seat of human feeling—the seat of the Self. Krishna himself says:

I am the Self, dwelling in the heart of all beings, and the beginning, the middle, and the end of all that lives as well. (10:20)

Thus, in many areas of India people greet one another by bowing their heads and bringing the palms of their hands together at their heart. Similarly, in the West a sign of prayer is to lower the head and join the palms at the chest. These gestures reflect the belief that it is the heart, not the mind or ego, in which we see ourselves most truly.

Meditators find, however, that the mind and heart are not really so opposed as they might seem. A silent dimension of the mind exists, called the buddhi, that brings the energy of the heart to awareness. In fact, in a sense, the buddhi consists of heart energy. When we have awakened it by quieting our senses and lower mind through prayer or meditation, we feel the various forces of life, including our own desires and emotions, moving within. And if we are very still, we will sense the presence of that which is eternal among those forces.

The Way of Love

When we love someone, we want to be near them—to give gifts, share experiences, and receive the other’s love. Out of love, we offer support during periods of illness, and encouragement during challenging times. We do not hurt or harm those we love. Love unites us.

But why does love compel us to behave like this? What is it about love that is so transforming? There is no answer to these questions. It is simply love’s nature. Giving, receiving, sharing, and uniting are love’s way. They are blossoms that bloom wherever love grows.

Krishna appeals to us to love Love. Still speaking in the first person, he asks that we behave as one who is in love. Unseen and unheard except in the quietness of the soul, he calls:

Give me your mind and give me your heart, give me your offerings and your adoration; and thus with your soul in harmony, and making me your goal supreme, you will in truth come to me. (9:34)

But how do we do this? What change in life announces that we have discovered Love and worship it in the midst of life’s busy affairs?

He who offers to me with devotion a leaf, a flower, a fruit, or even a little water, that offering of devotion I accept from him whose self is pure.

He who offers to me with devotion a leaf, a flower, a fruit, or even a little water, that offering of devotion I accept from him whose self is pure.

This is the core of the bhakti path: with hands and mind we pursue life, but with our heart we pursue God.

Universal Love

Krishna asks us to give, but he is also the giver, the Lord of life. We feel his hidden presence in the splendor of nature, in the beauty of human life, and in acts of personal sacrifice. But we are so often consumed by our daily lives that we lose sight of the significance of these gifts. Rabindranath Tagore, the Nobel Prize-winning poet of India, reminds us of their importance:

Love spontaneously gives itself in endless gifts. But those gifts lose their fullest significance if through them we do not reach that love, which is the giver.

The question is, in what manner do we accept this world, which is a perfect gift of joy? Have we been able to receive it in our heart where we keep enshrined things that are of deathless value to us? 

As Krishna lists the many ways in which his presence is made visible in the world, his words ignite a deep passion in Arjuna. He longs to see Krishna, to reach him not as he is in his human form but in his universal form. And in the eleventh chapter of the Gita Krishna gives Arjuna that vision. Arjuna is engulfed in the wonder of the moment:

In every direction I behold your infinite form: innumerable arms, innumerable eyes, innumerable mouths, and innumerable bellies. Nowhere do I see a beginning or middle or end of you, O Lord of all, whose form is the entire universe!

Crowned, armed with a club, bearing a discus, illumining the whole universe, I see you: as blazing fire, as the sun, as immeasurable radiance, beyond seeing or knowing. (11:16–17)

Indian Culture & Tradition – The Basis Behind Its Elements

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Indian Culture & Tradition – The Basis Behind Its Elements

 

 

 

Yogi and mystic, Sadhguru, looks at the basis behind the various elements of Indian culture and customs, and explains how every detail in this tradition was geared towards a human being’s immediate and ultimate wellbeing.

Often, many practices in Indian culture that we label today as blind superstition have very logical explanations behind them. This post lists various articles by yogi and mystic, Sadhguru, as he explains how Bharat has always been a magnet for spiritual seekers, and looks at the basis behind the various elements of Indian culture and customs.

Sadhguru: Every culture is valuable to that particular population largely for emotional and territorial reasons. But the significance of Indian culture is that it is a scientific process towards human liberation and well-being. No other culture has looked at a human being with as much depth and understanding as this culture has. No other culture has looked at it as a science and created methods to evolve a person into his ultimate nature. We know if you do certain things, this will happen to a human being. To put it very bluntly, I would say we have technologies as to how to manufacture an enlightened being.

Indian Culture: A Tool for Wellbeing

This spiritual ethos is not about belief systems. It is about systematic practices which sharpened the mind and body in a certain way. Wherever I travel, whatever kinds of groups of people I meet, I have spoken to top-level scientists, academics and students at very prestigious universities, and various other kinds of people, but I always find that the groups I meet in India are far sharper and smarter than most people anywhere in the world. The country is so effortlessly going ahead in the information technology age while everyone else is struggling essentially because the spiritual ethos in the culture has sharpened the intellect in a certain way. This ethos was so magnificently and intelligently presented in the past, but because of over two centuries of extreme poverty, it has gotten twisted out of shape over a period of time. Every generation has to twist it back into shape where it can be an effective tool for one’s liberation and wellbeing.

Western societies talk about freedom and liberation in political systems. But liberation is the core value of who we are. The significance of this culture is that in every way, we created support for a human being to nurture himself towards his liberation because the only goal in this country was mukti. In the West, they may talk about freedom in physical and social atmospheres, but in terms of real life, there is no freedom because God will decide. Here, God does not decide anything. Here we say whatever is happening to you is your karma. That means it is your making. You are the maker of your life. This is constantly present in everything we do. Somewhere along the way because we lost battle after battle and were conquered, the same karma came to be perceived in a fatalistic negative way. Otherwise, when you say, “Your life is your karma,” we are saying your life is your making. No God is influencing you. And the ultimate goal, the core value of your life is freedom – freedom from prejudice, fear, death – everything.

If you want a family and work towards your liberation, you work that way. If you don’t need it, you work directly. But the only value once you are born in this culture is your mukti. That is how every aspect of this culture – even the simplest thing – was arranged. How should you be if you want to move towards your ultimate freedom?

Indian Culture: Strategically Designed

For example, people who come to our Isha Vidhya schools for the first time notice the children sit on the floor. This is not to save furniture. Sitting cross-legged has immense benefits for your physiology and the development of your mind. Like this, every aspect of life was thought of very strategically.

This is the reason this culture must be nurtured – not because we are emotional about it but because it is a scientific process. It would take thousands of years to set up such a complex scientific mechanism that constantly drives you towards your liberation. Whether you sit, stand, or do anything else, it leads to your wellbeing. Music, dance – everything – is oriented towards making you free. People who get deeply involved in classical music or dance naturally turn spiritual. There is no other way to be.

If we look at ourselves as a nation, the way people look, their language, food, way of dressing, music and dance, everything is different every 50 or 100 kilometers in the country. Everything about people who live in this country is different, but a cultural thread has held us together. This culture of what India has been, which cannot be quantified, is simply there. Wherever you go in the world, if you see an Indian, the very way he sits and walks, you know he is an Indian! It is extremely important that we strengthen this cultural thread because if you destroy this culture, there will be no spiritual process on the planet. There may be individual people in the rest of the world but culturally, there will be no spiritual process on the planet because this is not a culture that accidentally happened for convenience. This is a culture that was engineered by realized beings where every human being is working towards his ultimate liberation.

Indian Culture: Engineered with Gentleness

A certain gentleness was engineered into this culture by the enlightened ones of the past to ensure that its basic skeleton can never be misused in the name of the divine. Individual people may misuse so many things but it will never be empowered by divine sanction. Because of this, a certain gentleness flowered, but when this gentleness was treated as weakness by outside forces, the culture has paid a price and they were exploited.

Now that the world has moved on from military power to economic power, this is the time for this culture to manifest itself. A time has come to reinstate these cultural strengths. If the fundamental focus of this culture, which is to work towards liberating yourself from everything, is reinstated, and everyone strives for that, physically and intellectually, people can function effortlessly. Reestablishing that focus is most important today because every human being tends to get encumbered hugely by these things. But once a person is seeking his liberation and nothing else is important for him, he is greatly empowered.

 

Indian Culture and Tradition

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Indian culture and tradition are famous all over the world. As we all know that India’s culture and traditions are very diverse, colorful and unique due to which these are celebrated every year in the same ways or trends. Because of these traditions, many tourists love to come and visit India. Below this, there are some amazing Indian customs and traditions which are celebrated across the place.

 

1. The Namaste

Namaste is a well-known gesture in India tradition to welcome guests. Namaste, namaskar, or ‘namaskaara’ are one of the five forms of ancient salutation mentioned in the ancient Hindu scriptures, The Vedas. It means “I bow to you”, and greeting each other, is a way of saying “Meet our minds”, indicates the fold palms placed before the chest. The word namaha cab be translated as ‘na ma’ (not mine), which denote the reductions of ego in the presence of the other one.

2. Always a Festive Season

India has lot of festivals because diverse number of religions and groups like, Muslims celebrate Eid, Christians celebrate Christmas and Good Friday, Sikhs celebrate Baisakhi famous for harvesting of crop, and in Sikhisim, Sikhs celebrates the birthdays of their Gurus and the Hindus have Diwali, Holi, Makar Sakranti,Jains have Mahavir Jayanti, Buddhists celebrate the Buddha’s birthday on Buddha Poornima and many more. All these religions and festivals have their own values and we usually celebrate by giving holiday in our book.

3. Joint Families

In India, the concept of combined family or joint family is universal. Families used to live together and they still live. This is because of the tackiness behavior of the Indian society, and it is also said to be helpful in managing standards and stress.

4. Fasting

Fasting is an important part of Hindu culture. In Hindi language, Fast is known as Vrats or Upvas. People usually take fast to show their sincerity or giving thanks to the Gods and Goddesses. They observe fast on various religious occasions and also some people like to observe fast on different days of a week in favour of special God or Goddess connected with that particular day. The idea behind this is to strengthen the body and punishing yourself for cleansing the sins by taking fast.

5. Holy Cow

In Indian culture, Cow worshiped as a Holy animal.Its worshiped as a symbol of mother. God Lord Krishna, who grew up as a calf is often described as playing between the cows and the Gopis(milkmaids) dancing to his music. Lord Krishna is also known by the name of ‘Govinda’ or ‘Gopala’ which means “friend and protected of cow”. That’s why, cows play an important role in Indian culture and religion. Even Lord Shiva’s vehicle was Nandi- The Holi cow. So, raising a cow or making contributions for cow shelters is an important belief in Indians. Cows are a source of livelihood. Although cow dung is a major factor and fuel consumption, especially in rural India. Killing the cow or consuming cow meet is considered as a crime and many states in India some laws regarding cows just to save them.

6. The Science Behind Temples

Most of the temples are located along with the magnetic wave lines of the earth which usually help to boost energy efficiency. Temple is a place where anyone can get good wives, peaceful mind and increase the physical strength which will improve the performance of human being. Also, while entering to the temple, it will practice to remove footwear before entering religious places as they bring the mud to a clean and dedicated environment.

 7. Arrange Marriage System

The idea of arranged marriage in India starts from the early Vedic age. For royal families, an event called ‘Swayambar’ will be organized for the bride. Competitions from all over the state were called to compete to win the bride or the bride choose her best. Even today, the concept of arranged marriages is a favorite among Indians, a definite part of ‘Indian Culture’.

8. Religious Symbols

Indian traditions and scriptures have many signs and symbols that have many meanings. For example, the use of the Swastika, in the Indian context, does not refer to Adolf Hitler or Nazism. The sign is Lord Ganesha, the removal of curtains. The Swastika’s hands have a variety of techniques. These represent the four Vedas, the four groups, or the four themes that people pursue.

9. Atithi Devo Bhavah

In India, the term ‘Atithi Devo Bhavah’ is also included. It means ‘the guest is like a God’. A Sanskrit verse taken from Hindu scriptures later became part of the ‘Methodology for Hindu’ groups because the visitor is very important in Indian culture.

10. Indian Ethnic Wear

Indian women are most commonly seen in ‘saris’ sport. The sari is a single piece of fabric that does not need to be stitch; it is easy to wear, and it adheres to religious traditions. At first it started out as a Hindu but very beautiful tradition that has spread throughout all religions. This is similar to the ‘Kurta-Pajama’ and the ‘Sherwani’ religious attire for Indian men of all religions.

11. Indian Dances

India is a country of ‘unity in diversity’. There are many types of forms in dance which classified as folk or classical which come from different parts of country, and they represent the cultural background. Basically there are eight dance forms, referred to as Indian dance music and the Hindu Sanskrit word ‘Natyashashtra’:

 10. Indian Food

Indian food and cuisine are not only part of Indian culture, but they are also one of the main factors in the popularity of India worldwide. The style of cooking varies from region to region, although Indian cuisine is very popular for its extensive use of spices and herbs. Just like dances, religious activities, language and clothing, people may find a variety of foods throughout the country. Every region is known for its signature dish. Although, vegetarian food is an integral part of Gujarati South Indian and Rajasthani cuisine whereas non-vegetarian dishes are a central part of the Mughlai, Bengali, North Indian and Punjabi cuisines. Even the McDonald in India has more vegetarian menu than non vegetarian.

मिल गया BJP की जीत का मंत्र, AIMIM प्रमुख असदुद्दीन ओवैसी ने खोला भाजपा का राज

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Asaduddin Owaisi on BJP: “अगर मैं हैदराबाद, औरंगाबाद, किशनगंज और कुछ अन्य सीटों पर चुनाव लड़ता हूं और बीजेपी 240 सीटें जीतती है, तो क्या मैं इसके लिए जिम्मेदार हूं?”

 

 

ऑल इंडिया मजलिस-ए-इत्तेहादुल मुस्लिमीन (AIMIM) के प्रमुख और हैदराबाद के सांसद असदुद्दीन ओवैसी (Asaduddin Owaisi) ने भारतीय जनता पार्टी (BJP) की लगातार चुनावी जीत के पीछे का राज खोलते हुए बड़ा बयान दिया है। ओवैसी ने कहा कि बीजेपी की जीत का मंत्र विपक्ष की नाकामी और हिंदू वोटों का एकीकरण है। 17 मई 2025 को हैदराबाद में मीडिया एजेंसी पीटीआई को दिए एक साक्षात्कार में ओवैसी ने कहा, “बीजेपी लगातार चुनाव जीत रही है क्योंकि विपक्ष पूरी तरह नाकाम रहा है और बीजेपी ने हिंदू वोटों को अपने पक्ष में एकजुट कर लिया है।” ओवैसी ने सवाल उठाया, “अगर मैं हैदराबाद, औरंगाबाद, किशनगंज और कुछ अन्य सीटों पर चुनाव लड़ता हूं और बीजेपी 240 सीटें जीतती है, तो क्या मैं इसके लिए जिम्मेदार हूं?”

विपक्ष पर निशाना, मुस्लिम नेतृत्व की वकालत

ओवैसी ने विपक्षी दलों पर निशाना साधते हुए कहा कि उनकी नाकामी के कारण बीजेपी को मजबूती मिली है। उन्होंने कहा, “विपक्ष को मेरे साथ बैठकर आंकड़े दिखाने चाहिए। बीजेपी मेरी वजह से नहीं, बल्कि विपक्ष की विफलता की वजह से सत्ता में है।” उन्होंने मुस्लिम समुदाय के लिए मजबूत नेतृत्व की वकालत की और कहा, “यादव नेता होंगे, मुसलमान भिखारी होंगे। ऊंची जाति के लोग नेता होंगे, मुसलमान भिखारी होंगे। यह कहां का न्याय है?”

AIMIM का विस्तार और रणनीति

AIMIM ने हाल के वर्षों में बिहार और महाराष्ट्र जैसे राज्यों में, विशेष रूप से मुस्लिम बहुल क्षेत्रों में, अपनी उपस्थिति बढ़ाई है। हालांकि, ओवैसी ने यह भी स्वीकार किया कि उनकी पार्टी को अभी लंबा सफर तय करना है। उन्होंने कहा, “हम नागरिक बनना चाहते हैं।” उनकी पार्टी ने 2024 के लोकसभा चुनाव में कुछ सीटों पर अच्छा प्रदर्शन किया, लेकिन बीजेपी की जीत को रोकने में विपक्ष की तरह ही सीमित रही।

BJP की ‘B-टीम’ का आरोप खारिज

कई विपक्षी दल, खासकर कांग्रेस, AIMIM पर बीजेपी की ‘B-टीम’ होने का आरोप लगाते रहे हैं। इस पर ओवैसी ने तीखी प्रतिक्रिया दी और कहा, “यह सरासर झूठ है।” उन्होंने विपक्ष से आंकड़ों के साथ बहस करने की चुनौती दी।

राजनीतिक विश्लेषण

राजनीतिक विश्लेषकों का मानना है कि बीजेपी की रणनीति, जिसमें हिंदुत्व और राष्ट्रवाद के मुद्दों को केंद्र में रखा गया, ने उसे व्यापक समर्थन दिलाया है। वहीं, विपक्षी दलों के बीच एकजुटता की कमी और रणनीतिक कमजोरियां उनकी हार का बड़ा कारण रही हैं। ओवैसी का यह बयान न केवल बीजेपी की रणनीति पर प्रकाश डालता है, बल्कि विपक्ष को आत्ममंथन के लिए भी मजबूर करता है।

AIMIM क्षेत्र में सक्रियता

ओवैसी का यह बयान भारतीय राजनीति में नई बहस छेड़ सकता है। जहां एक ओर बीजेपी अपनी जीत के मंत्र को और मजबूत करने में जुटी है, वहीं विपक्ष के सामने एकजुट होकर प्रभावी रणनीति बनाने की चुनौती है। AIMIM भी अपनी पहुंच बढ़ाने के लिए नए क्षेत्रों में सक्रिय हो रही है, लेकिन उसका प्रभाव अभी भी सीमित है।

कांग्रेस के गृह मंत्री के ठिकानों पर ED की कार्रवाई में आया ट्विस्ट, डिप्टी सीएम बोले- हां दिया था…

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Gold Smuggling Case: डिप्टी सीएम शिवकुमार ने परमेश्वर का बचाव करते हुए उन्हें “स्वच्छ और ईमानदार” व्यक्ति बताया और कहा कि वह एक कानून का पालन करने वाले नागरिक और बड़े नेता हैं।

 

Home Minister

 Parameshwara: कर्नाटक के गृह मंत्री जी परमेश्वर के ठिकानों पर प्रवर्तन निदेशालय (ED) की कार्रवाई के मामले में एक नया ट्विस्ट आ गया है। डिप्टी सीएम डीके शिवकुमार ने कहा कि उन्होंने एक्ट्रेस को शादी का तोहफा दिया था और इसमें कुछ भी गलत नहीं है। डिप्टी सीएम ने कहा कि मैंने गृह मंत्री से बात की, वहां पर एक शादी समारोह था।

हम उपहार देते हैं-डिप्टी सीएम

उन्होंने आगे कहा कि हम सार्वजनिक जीवन में हैं, हम संस्थाएं चलाते हैं। अपने परिचित लोगों के प्रति सम्मान के तौर पर हम ढेर सारे उपहार देते हैं, हम 1 रुपया, 10 रुपये, 10 लाख रुपये, 5 लाख रुपये देते हैं। मुझे लगता है कि उन्होंने भी कोई उपहार दिया होगा। यह एक विवाह था, इसमें कुछ भी गलत नहीं है।

गृह मंत्री का किया बचाव

डिप्टी सीएम शिवकुमार ने परमेश्वर का बचाव करते हुए उन्हें “स्वच्छ और ईमानदार” व्यक्ति बताया और कहा कि वह एक कानून का पालन करने वाले नागरिक और बड़े नेता हैं।

रान्या राव को लेकर क्या बोले डिप्टी सीएम

डिप्टी सीएम डीके शिवकुमार ने एक्ट्रेस रान्या राव को लेकर कहा कि एक्ट्रेस पर जिस तरह की गतिविधियों का आरोप है, उसका कोई भी नेता समर्थन नहीं करेगा। उसने जो भी गतिविधियां की है वह उसका निजी मामला है और कानून अपना काम करेगा।

ED ने गृह मंत्री के ठिकानों पर की छापेमारी

ED ने गृहमंत्री परमेश्वर से जुड़े कई शैक्षणिक संस्थानों में छापेमारी की, जो सोना तस्करी और मनी लॉन्ड्रिंग मामले से संबंधित है। यह मामला रान्या राव और अन्य के खिलाफ चल रही जांच से जुड़ा है, जिन्हें 3 मार्च को बेंगलुरु हवाई अड्डे पर करोड़ों रुपये के सोने की तस्करी के आरोप में गिरफ्तार किया गया था।

एजेंसी का साथ देने का दिया निर्देश- जी परमेश्वर

गृह मंत्री जी परमेश्वर ने कहा कि एजेंसी के अधिकारियों ने तीन संस्थानों और एक विश्वविद्यालय का दौरा किया और पिछले पांच वर्षों के वित्तीय रिकॉर्ड मांगे। उन्होंने कहा कि उन्होंने अपने कर्मचारियों को जांचकर्ताओं के साथ सहयोग करने का निर्देश दिया है।

‘बिहार चुनाव के लिए ये सब…’, पहलगाम हमले को लेकर पूर्व केंद्रीय मंत्री ने दिया बड़ा बयान

पूर्व केंद्रीय मंत्री यशवंत सिन्हा ने कहा कि प्रधानमंत्री नरेंद्र मोदी ने पुलवामा अटैक के नाम पर वोट मांगे थे। पीएम ने कहा था कि पुलवामा के शहीदों के नाम पर वोट करें।

Pahalgam Attack: पूर्व केंद्रीय मंत्री यशवंत सिन्हा ने पहलगाम आतंकी हमले के बारे में कपिल सिब्बल के साथ एक पॉडकास्ट में कहा कि यह हमला बिहार विधानसभा चुनाव 2025 को ध्यान में रखकर किया गया। उन्होंने आरोप लगाया कि बीजेपी इस तरह की घटनाओं का इस्तेमाल चुनावी लाभ के लिए करती है, जैसा कि उन्होंने पुलवामा हमले और उसके बाद की सर्जिकल स्ट्राइक के संदर्भ में भी कहा। सिन्हा ने यह भी सवाल उठाया कि पहलगाम हमले के दौरान सुरक्षा बल कहां थे और बीजेपी पर सांप्रदायिक ध्रुवीकरण का आरोप लगाया।

पुलवामा अटैक के नाम पर मोदी ने मांगे वोट

पॉडकास्ट में पूर्व केंद्रीय मंत्री यशवंत सिन्हा ने कहा कि प्रधानमंत्री नरेंद्र मोदी ने पुलवामा अटैक के नाम पर वोट मांगे थे। पीएम ने कहा था कि पुलवामा के शहीदों के नाम पर वोट करें। इसलिए जो कुछ भी हुआ है उसको लेकर मैं मानता हूं कि बिहार चुनाव को लेकर किया जा रहा है। उन्होंने बीजेपी पर तिरंगा यात्रा निकालकर क्रेडिट लेने का भी आरोप लगाया।

पुलवामा का राज आज तक नहीं खुला

टीएमसी के यशवंत सिन्हा कह रहे हैं बिहार इलेक्शन के लिए पहलगाम अटैक कराया गया

पॉडकास्ट के दौरान कपिल सिब्बल ने कहा कि आखिर यह क्यों नहीं पूछा जा रहा कि जम्मू कश्मीर के पहलगाम में हुए आतंकी हमले में 26 लोगों की मौत हुई थी, इसका जिम्मेदार कौन है? इस सवाल का जवाब देते हुए यशवंत सिन्हा ने कहा कि पुलवामा का खुलासा आज तक नहीं हुआ। इसी तरह पहलगाम आतंकी हमले का भी आज तक खुलासा नहीं होगा। उन्होंने सवाल करते हुए कहा कि आखिर पहलगाम में सुरक्षा के लिए एक भी सिपाही क्यों नहीं था? वे हमला करके भाग गए, उनके बारे में जानकारी क्यों नहीं मिल सकी। जमीन निगल गई या आसमान खा गया।

सोशल मीडिया पर भड़के लोग

पूर्व केंद्रीय मंत्री यशवंत सिन्हा के इस बयान के बाद सोशल मीडिया पर लोग भड़क गए। एक यूजर ने लिखा कि भारत में हर 2 महीने में कोई न कोई चुनाव होता है तो क्या सब चुनाव के लिए हमले होते हैं? एक अन्य यूजर ने लिखा यशवंत सिन्हा को कौन जानता है जिसका का कोई पूछ नही और न अपनी ताकत दूसरे के भरोसे कूदका मारना चाहता है। ऐसे देश विरोधी स्टेटमेंट पर मोदी जी इसे जेल मे बंद करें।

कौन है यशवंत सिन्हा

यशवंत सिन्हा एक भारतीय राजनीतिज्ञ, पूर्व नौकरशाह और भारतीय जनता पार्टी (भाजपा) के पूर्व वरिष्ठ नेता हैं, जो बाद में तृणमूल कांग्रेस में शामिल हुए। उन्होंने भारत के वित्त मंत्री और विदेश मंत्री के रूप में कार्य किया, दोनों बार अटल बिहारी वाजपेयी के नेतृत्व में। 2022 में विपक्ष ने उन्हें राष्ट्रपति पद के लिए उम्मीदवार बनाया।

पाकिस्तान का साथ देने वाले तुर्की को भारत ने दिया संदेश, कहा- रिश्ते बेहतर बनाने है तो…

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Randhir Jaiswal: रणधीर जायसवाल ने सिंधु जल संधि को निलंबित किए जाने पर कहा कि यह संधि तब तक स्थगित रहेगी जब तक पाकिस्तान आतंकवाद को बंद नहीं कर देता। खून और पानी एक साथ नहीं बह सकता।

 

India Turkey relations: पाकिस्तान का समर्थन करने वाले तुर्की को भारत ने कड़ा संदेश दिया है। भारत ने कहा कि वो पाकिस्तान से कहे कि आतंकवाद का समर्थन करना बंद कर दे। विदेश मंत्रालय के प्रवक्ता रणधीर जायसवाल ने गुरुवार को कहा कि हम उम्मीद करते हैं कि तुर्की पाकिस्तान से सीमा पार आतंकवाद को अपना समर्थन बंद करने और दशकों से उसके द्वारा पोषित आतंकी पारिस्थितिकी तंत्र के खिलाफ विश्वसनीय और सत्यापन योग्य कार्रवाई करने का पुरजोर आग्रह करेगा।

ट्रंप की टिप्पणी पर क्या बोले जायसवाल

विदेश मंत्रालय के प्रवक्ता ने भारत और तुर्की के रिश्तों को लेकर कहा कि रिश्ते एक-दूसरे की चिंताओं के प्रति संवेदनशीलता के आधार बनते हैं। रणधीर जायसवाल ने अमेरिकी राष्ट्रपति डोलान्ड ट्रंप की टिप्पणी पर कहा कि पीओके पर हम किसी तीसरे देश की मध्यस्थता नहीं लेने वाले है। भारत और पाकिस्तान के बीच केवल आपस में ही इस मुद्दे पर बात होगी। किसी तीसरे देश की इसमें जरूरत नहीं है। लेकिन बातचीत और आतंकवाद एक साथ नहीं चल सकते है।

‘खून और पानी एक साथ नहीं बह सकता’

रणधीर जायसवाल ने सिंधु जल संधि को निलंबित किए जाने पर कहा कि यह संधि तब तक स्थगित रहेगी जब तक पाकिस्तान आतंकवाद को बंद नहीं कर देता। खून और पानी एक साथ नहीं बह सकता।

पाकिस्तान को तुर्की ने उपलब्ध कराए हथियार

बता दें कि भारत के खिलाफ पाकिस्तान की सैन्य कार्रवाई में तुर्किये में निर्मित ड्रोनों का इस्तेमाल किया था। इसके अलावा पाकिस्तान को वैचारिक और नैतिक समर्थन के अलावा तुर्की ने हथियार भी मुहैया कराए।

तुर्की पाकिस्तान का करता रहा है समर्थन

इससे पहले सरकार ने प्रेस ब्रीफिंग में कहा था कि तुर्की निर्मित ड्रोन का इस्तेमाल लद्दाख के लेह से लेकर गुजरात के सर क्रीक तक पूरी पश्चिमी सीमा पर 36 जगहों पर भारतीय हवाई क्षेत्र में कई बार घुसपैठ और उल्लंघन करने के लिए किया गया था। बता दें कि तुर्की लंबे समय से जम्मू-कश्मीर में भारतीय क्षेत्र पर आक्रमण और अवैध कब्जे में पाकिस्तान का समर्थन करता रहा है।

हिंदी भाषा की उत्पत्ति

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हिंदी भाषा भारतीयों के लिए महत्त्वपूर्ण है। हिंदी भाषा को समझने के लिए हमें इसकी ऐतिहासिक पृष्ठभूमि की ओर देखना चाहिए। हिंदी का उद्भव संस्कृत से हुआ है और यह एक इंदो-आर्य भाषा है। हिंदी का महत्व भारतीय स्वतंत्रता संग्राम के समय भी बढ़ा। गांधीजी और अन्य स्वतंत्रता संग्राम सेनानियों ने हिंदी का प्रयोग बड़े पैमाने पर किया और इसका समर्थन किया।

हिंदी भाषा की उत्पत्ति

हिंदी भाषा की उत्पत्ति का इतिहास भारत के सांस्कृतिक और भाषाई विकास का एक महत्वपूर्ण हिस्सा है। हिंदी भाषा भारतीय आर्य भाषाओं के अंतर्गत आती है और इसका विकास कई चरणों में हुआ है। हिंदी भाषा की जड़ें संस्कृत में मिलती हैं, जो भारत की सबसे प्राचीन और पवित्र भाषा मानी जाती है। संस्कृत, विशेष रूप से वैदिक संस्कृत, वैदिक काल (1500 ई.पू. – 500 ई.पू.) से साहित्यिक और धार्मिक ग्रंथों की भाषा रही है।

भारतीय भाषाओं के विकास का आधार संस्कृत भाषा ही है और हिंदी भी इससे प्रभावित रही है। संस्कृत से कई प्राचीन भारतीय भाषाएं विकसित हुईं, जिन्हें प्राकृत कहते हैं। प्राकृत से अपभ्रंश भाषाओं का विकास हुआ, जो प्राचीन और मध्यकालीन भारतीय भाषाओं के बीच की कड़ी मानी जाती हैं। 7वीं से 10वीं शताब्दी के बीच अपभ्रंश का प्रचलन था। अपभ्रंश भाषाएँ वे रूप थीं, जो धीरे-धीरे स्थानीय बोलियों में बदल गईं और आधुनिक भारतीय भाषाओं का आधार बनीं। खड़ी बोली, ब्रजभाषा और अवधी जैसी हिंदी की कई बोलियाँ अपभ्रंश से निकलीं।

हिंदी भाषा के विकास के मुख्य चरण, आदिकाल, मध्यकाल और आधुनिक काल

1000 ई. से 1500 ई. तक के समय को आदिकाल कहा जाता है। उस समय साहित्य भी विकसित नहीं हुआ था। अपने विकास की शुरुआत में 1000 से 1100 ई तक हिंदी अपने अपभ्रंश के निकट ही थी। समय के साथ परिवर्तन हुआ और 1500 ई. आते-आते हिंदी भाषा अपने स्वतंत्र रूप में खड़ी हो चुकी थी। 1500 ई. के समय दोहा, चौपाई, छप्पय, दोहा, गाथा आदि छंदों की रचनाएं होना शुरू हो गई थी। मध्यकाल की अवधि 1500 से 1800 ई. तक थी। इस समय हिंदी भाषा में बहुत परिवर्तन अधिक परिवर्तन हुए थे।

फारसी के लगभग 3500 शब्द, अरबी के लगभग 2500 शब्द, पश्तों भाषा के लगभग, 50 शब्द और तुर्की भाषा के 125 शब्द हिंदी की शब्दावली में जुड़ गए थे। उसे समय यूरोप के देशों के साथ व्यापार संपर्क भी बढ़ रहा था। इस वजह से पुर्तगाली, स्पेनी, फ्रांसीसी और अंग्रेजी शब्दों के कई शब्द हिंदी भाषा में शामिल हुए। 1800 ई से लेकर वर्तमान तक का समय आधुनिक काल के रूप में जाना जाता है। हिंदी भाषा के आधुनिक काल में देश में अधिक परिवर्तन हुए हैं। उसे समय अंग्रेजी भाषा का प्रभाव देश की भाषा और संस्कृति पर पढ़ने लगा था। अंग्रेजी शब्दों को हिंदी भाषा के शब्दों के साथ प्रयोग किया जाने लगा था। आधुनिक काल के चार प्रमुख उपकाल हैं तथा इन उपकालों में कई कवियों और साहित्यकारों ने हिंदी भाषा को समृद्ध किया।

हिंदी भाषा के साहित्य का विकास, आदिकाल, भक्तिकाल, रितिकल और आधुनिक काल

हिंदी भाषा का साहित्य चार प्रमुख कालों में बंटा हुआ है। ये काल क्रमश: आदिकाल, भक्तिकाल, रितिकल और आधुनिक काल हैं। आदिकाल को वीरगाथा काल भी कहा जाता है। आदिकाल समय का साहित्य वीरता और शौर्य की कहानियों पर आधारित था। भक्ति काल को हिंदी साहित्य का स्वर्णिम युग कहा जाता है। भक्ति काल में भक्ति आंदोलन को शुरू किया गया था और धार्मिक साहित्यों की रचना इस काल में की गई थी। इस काल के प्रमुख कवि कबीर दास और गुरु नानक जी माने जाते हैं। रीतिकाल के समय में श्रृंगार रस और नायिका भेद को अत्यधिक प्रधानता थी। रीतिकाल के कवियों ने नायिका भेद प्रेम सौंदर्य जैसे विषयों पर अपनी रचनाएं की थी।

आधुनिक काल के चार प्रमुख उपकाल भारतेंदु युग, द्विवेदी युग, छायावाद और प्रगतिवाद है। भारतेंदु युग प्रमुख कवि और नाटककार भारतेंदु हरिश्चंद्र की वजह से जाना जाता है। भारतेंदु हरिश्चंद्र ने हिंदी में राष्ट्र प्रेम और समाज सुधार के विचारों को प्रस्तुत किया था इसी युग में हिंदी गद्य साहित्य का भी विकास हुआ था। द्विवेदी युग के प्रमुख लेखक महावीर प्रसाद द्विवेदी थे। महावीर प्रसाद द्विवेदी ने साहित्य में नैतिकता और सुधारवादी दृष्टिकोण के बारे में लिखा था। छायावाद युग में प्रकृति, प्रेम और रहस्यवाद अपने चरम पर था। छायावाद के प्रमुख कवियों की बात करें तो इनमें जयशंकर प्रसाद, सुमित्रानंदन पंत, सूर्यकांत त्रिपाठी निराला और महादेवी वर्मा को गिना जाता है। प्रगतिवाद का साहित्य समाजवादी विचारधारा से बहुत अधिक प्रभावित था। प्रतिवाद में मुख्य रूप से सच्चिदानंद हीरानंद वात्स्यायन ‘अज्ञेय’, नागार्जुन, मुक्तिबोध, और त्रिलोचन मशहूर हुए।

उपसंहार

हम सभी को हिंदी भाषा के महत्व को समझने और समर्थन करने के लिए प्रोत्साहित करना चाहिए। हिंदी भारत के साथ दुनिया के अन्य कई देशों में भी बोली जाती है। हमें इसके साहित्य, संगीत, कला, और विभिन्न धार्मिक तथा सांस्कृतिक अधिकार को समझने और प्रसारित करने का प्रयास करना चाहिए। भारतीयों को हिंदी भाषा को प्रमोट करके हमारे देश की एकता को मजबूती देने का काम करना चाहिए, ताकि हम सभी भारतीय एक होकर आगे बढ़ सकें।

T.N. government moves Supreme Court to transfer PIL against laws taking away Governor’s power to appoint Vice-Chancellors

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Says, the top court was already seized of connected matters and hence, the case filed in the Madras High Court should be transferred to the Supreme Court

The Tamil Nadu government on Wednesday (May 21, 2025) informed the Madras High Court of having filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking to transfer to the latter a public interest litigation (PIL) petition currently pending before the High Court, challenging the validity of State laws that take away the Governor’s power to appoint Vice-Chancellors.

Appearing before a summer vacation Bench of Justices G.R. Swaminathan and V. Lakshminarayanan, senior counsel P. Wilson, representing the Tamil Nadu Higher Education Department, said the transfer petition had been filed in view of connected cases pending before the top court.

Higher Education Secretary C. Samayamoorthy also filed a memo before the High Court, contending that the PIL petition was politically motivated as it had been filed by Kutty, alias K. Venkatachalapathy, who was a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) office-bearer in Tirunelveli district.