Thursday, August 27, 2020

The Impact of Puritanism on American Society (Part--I)

 


Mayflower

William Bradford (1590-1657)


A colony in Plymouth


Congregational Church in Plymouth

   Puritanism is an offshoot of Reformation in 17th and 18th centuries in England. Henry VIII, the King of England, broke away from Catholic Church hierarchy in 1534and established the Church of England (the Anglican Church) in 1534 and declared himself as the head of the church (The Act of Supremacy) to stop the interference of church in political and personal affairs. This paved the way for reforming the church as there was a widespread revolt against the dominance of papacy throughout Europe.  Between 1536 and 1541, the king destroyed many monasteries and acquired their property and wealth. The Puritans voiced their protest against the corruption and moral depravity of the church authorities and against the supremacy of the king in religious affairs. So they wished to purify the Church of England and establish a morally strong institution without separating themselves from it. The teachings of John Calvin, a protestant Theologian, influenced their views. His teachings emphasized the sovereignty of the scriptures and divine predestination- a doctrine which believes that God chooses those who will enter heaven based on His Omnipotence and grace.

The Pilgrims were the first migrants who defied the supremacy of the king and church and they desired a complete separation from both catholic and Anglican church practices (so called Separatists).  First they went to Amsterdam and stayed there for one year. From there they moved to Leiden, Holland and remained there for ten years. Considering their status as non-citizens and afraid of their children losing touch with English language and heritage, some of them they made plans to settle in Northern Virginia.   Under the leadership of William Bradford they set sail to Virginia on a ship called “Mayflower” in 1620. Their ship was caught in a storm. Finally they established their colony in Plymouth on the western side of Cape Cod Bay. 

After the death of the settlement’s first Governor, John Carver, William Bradford (1590-1657) was elected as Governor who was later reelected nearly thirty times and worked as Governor till 1656 and got a charter from the Virginia Company called “Mayflower Compact” to set up their own government. Bradford organized the colony’s democratic institutions and traditions of self-government. Though he was a Congregationalist, he welcomed all separatist groups to New England region. In his two-volume book ‘History of Plymouth Plantation”, 1620-1647, he described vividly the sea voyage and the challenges faced by the settlers. In his poems and other articles he described the virtues of Puritanism and the sacrifices made by the founders of Plymouth Colony. In collaboration with Edward Winslow he wrote a journal called “Mourt’s Relation.” William Brewster(1566-1644) served as the Church Elder of the Plymouth colony and also as an advisor to Governor Bradford. He continued his role as the religious leader till a pastor, Ralph Smith arrived in 1629.

 The pilgrims laid foundation to religious freedom, democratic spirit, American folklore and tradition. They devised methods for running basic economy, political, social and educational life of the American society. They tried to maintain good relations with Native Americans and set a model “for interracial diplomacy that was followed with varying success by later Puritan colonies.” They celebrated a three-day celebration called “Thanksgiving” in Nov.1621 to thank god for the rich harvest and also to express gratitude to native Indians who taught them survival skills. Even now Americans celebrate Thanksgiving Day on the fourth Thursday of November to commemorate this historic event. According to New England colonial historian Alden Vaughn “Justice, tolerance, decisiveness and amity became the keystones of Plymouth’s Indian policy.” Unlike later Puritans the Pilgrims did not engage in witch hunts and persecute dissenters. The Plymouth colony’s principles of industry, faith in providential guidance of God, respect for conscience and democratic governance later became the defining values of the United States.

 Most of the pilgrims were not well-educated and came from poorer sections of the society. They worked hard by building houses, planting fields, working in the gardens and hunting animals. Their food was also simple like a thick porridge or bread made from Indian corn and with some kind of meat, fowl or fish. Due to shortage of ministers and increased intolerance and poverty and failure of getting a new charter for exclusive government from the crown, the Plymouth Colony had been finally incorporated into the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1689.

                             ***************************************

   28th August, 2020                                           Somaseshu Gutala

 

Tuesday, August 11, 2020

No Man’s Land

 





       

 1) The land where one gets after strenuous ups and downs

     The land which seems so silent , lonely  ,bare and inane

     The land where light darkens with pallid shades and slowly wanes

      The land of memories where one finally drowns

      The land which none can conquer and claim as own

      The land which everyone has to enter all alone.

 

 2)   Here one meets none but faces of faded past

       Here one plans no future but tends to review and brood;

       No hurried pace, no hasty tussles and feuds

        A somber sky with dense, dusky clouds overcast

        No beckoning smiles, no avenues new  

        Here one tries to look for known faces few.       

 

3)   Huge broken busts and unfinished, deserted deeds

      Shattered bits of unfulfilled foolish desires

      Suppressed ambitions like smoldering fires         

      Here the turbulent tempestuous gales slowly recede

       No strength now to chase wild geese but stay content

       One feels quite tired, lazy, exhausted and spent.

 

4)     No new ventures, no new hazards to attend

         Into the dark depths of past one’s mind descends

         A hiatus wide divides it from the modern trends

         No rush of competing schedules and twisting bends;

          A time to pause and ruminate our faults and flaws

          A time for restraint and understand Nature’s laws.

 

5)       No fruits of promising spring, no new affections bind

           A dragging pace weighed down by nostalgic load of thoughts

           In vortex of past pricking blunders one is caught

           A long line of memories hounding behind;

           Our innate foibles take on us a heavy toll

           As growing age controls and plays a dominant role.

 

6)       In our life’s crumpled dog-eared pages brown

          No thrilling surprises or adventures to find  

          Each one seems busy with one’s own duties assigned

          As years slip by unaware through ups and downs

          One can’t delve deep within one’s own self in fact

          Too obscure to see the hand of destiny behind our acts.

                  

7)       A time to contemplate with conscience cool

          Our past beyond our grip, no use to repent

          Treat them as lessons or opportunities god-sent

           No use of sulking or complaining like a fool

           Re-set your mind-set with a chastened attitude

           Treat this long journey as brief interlude.

 

 8)      Within this short duration remaining still

           A budding hope awaits to better thy attitude

           Absorb each moment with love and gratitude

           Follow the righteous path as best as you will

           Where this no man’s land will lead to no one can tell

           Thank God for everything and think all will be well. 

                    ********************************

            11th August, 2020                            Somaseshu Gutala

 

No Man’s Land – a phase in man’s life with no definite goal or destination. This phrase is used in the sense that one can’t understand the future before as old age is the last stage and what lies after is a closed mystery to our mortal eyes. It is a phase where one tries to recall and look back on his performance and acts. The blunders and faults one committed before loom large in one’s mind and one feels a sense of  guilt and solitude as no one can share one’s whole experiences with others since one can’t delve deep into one’s conscience so easily. One’s past habits and life style will have its repercussions at this stage. But one can’t change one’s past. A new future lies after this stage but it is beyond one’s understanding. This is the time for one to re-adjust one’s vision and behave with faith and maintain a sense of equilibrium and have trust in God’s merciful support and guidance.                                                 

                   _______________________________________________________            

                         

           

 

 

                              

                                                

Monday, July 27, 2020

A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM!



                                     


 
1.   “A very happy birthday, Mom!”  I Said.
        Recalling her memories far from days past
        Days flew by unknown so swift and fast
        A flash of memory within me spread
        Our rush through routine make us forget
        Even our promises and persons we met.

2.     Time has erased so many sweet events bygone
        A dim shadow of what we went through remained
        Of those halcyon days and what we have gained;
        Like glittering strips of fairy’s rings on dew-filled lawn
        Once more of what I said echoed within my heart
        Silence mocked at my queries, no answer I got.

3.     Her memories at once engulfed my mind
        Her jovial nature with spontaneous wit
        Her hasty temper with genial mirth and grit
        Her liberal ways with sociable nature kind
        Her special affection for bonny children male
        Her gift of music and her skill of narrating tales.

4.     So many years did lapse since she had gone
        How can I view her state with my mortal sight?
        And yet in a dreamy vision saw her phantom bright  
        She seemed quite young and fresh like blooming dawn
        Free from earthly burdens—no wrinkled face
        No shriveling tensions in her I trace.

5.     Her golden complexion beamed with red-lotus glow
        With puzzled looks I stood with confounded thoughts
        Her silent looks conveyed more than what I caught
        Like whispering waves that ebb with retreating glow
        She seemed angelic with philosophic ease
        No tantalizing tensions her bosom tease.

6.    Her looks jeered at my wishful greetings
       Like elders laughing at children’s innocent acts
       Can one measure immortal soul’s age in fact
       Free from world’s illusions and changing things?
       She seemed herself in true spiritual form
       Far above our worldly restraints, unruffled and calm.

7.   “You, silly old fellow!” she seemed to say
        Far away from our passion- stricken mortal days
        Delinked from our self-bound tottering ways
        Untouched by dualities and emotions’ sway;
        A new awakening into a new realm, 
        My birthday wishes to whom shall I convey?

8.    Death is nothing but a brief spell of sleep
       A rejuvenation of soul from stress and strain
       A liberation from earthly pulls and pain;
       A new onward journey, a joyous leap
       Into mysterious worlds of spiritual peace
       To review our acts and move onward with ease.

9.    So many births and deaths we had beyond our count
       In so many different bodies and climes
       To face so many tests and trials in different times
       To purge our innate weaknesses and surmount
       In spite of our detours and digressions vain
       To set right our path to God-a gradual gain.

10.  In spite of our blunders, God is helpful and kind
       To guide us on righteous path with generous mind
       A purpose behind our births and deaths God-ordained
       Yet still we curse our fate too blind to find.”
       She seemed to say as she vanished from my sight
       Amazed my heart fluttered like a bat in the dead of night.

                    *****************************

      27th July, 2020                            Somaseshu Gutala


  "There is a purpose in each stumble and fall."-- Sri Aurobindo
      
  " Surrender to the divine is the best emotional protection." -- Mother

             
 


Tuesday, July 14, 2020

A Hermit’s Prayer








                    


1)   Though multiple times I turn my rosary  round
      Thy presence divine I have not found
      What use my extensive learning profound
      Without a focused conscience clear and sound?
      Help me, Oh Lord! Shower Thy mercy I pray
      Lift me from ignorance and show true salvation’s way.

2)   What use this ochre-colored robes and dress!
       What use vain thoughts and philosophic guess!
       I can’t worldly grievances solve and redress
       The weight of temptations vex me and press;
       Help me, Oh Lord! Shower Thy mercy I pray
       Lift me from ignorance and show true salvation’s way.

3)   What use to grow matted locks and beard grey
       If I do not discover Thy mysterious way?
       Like melting cubes of ice dissolve our days
       Our worldly possessions won’t ever stay.
       Help me, Oh Lord! Shower Thy mercy I pray
       Lift me from ignorance and show true salvation’s way.

4)   And yet we cling to our tempting desires
       Like foolish moths that rush towards the blazing fire
       When can we get out of this fathomless mire?
       Subdue our passions and egos entire.
       Help me, Oh Lord! Shower Thy mercy I pray
       Lift me from ignorance and show true salvation’s way.

5)    What use to fast and pray for hours and hours?
        In silence under the darkest forest bowers
        If we can’t realize Thee and Thy godly powers
        And feel the bliss of ambrosial showers?
        Help me, Oh Lord! Shower Thy mercy I pray
        Lift me from ignorance and show true salvation’s way.

6)     In worldly affairs our bodies wear and tear
        Entrapped in crushing troublesome cares
        This Maya’s all-pervading veil when can we tear?
        Without Thy divine Grace and help none can dare.
        Help me, Oh Lord! Shower Thy mercy I pray
        Lift me from ignorance and show true salvation’s way.

7)    Great sages yielded to delusions’ hold
       Who did penance intense in fire and cold;
       My weaker instincts how can I mold
       Without Thy boundless grace and support bold?
       Help me, Oh Lord! Shower Thy mercy I pray
       Lift me from ignorance and show true salvation’s way.

8)    Even the lowest creatures broke off the worldly ties
       Though not well-versed, intelligent and wise
       Thy holy touch for us, a brilliant sunrise
       Thy mercy when we receive, we can’t surmise.
        Help me, Oh Lord! Shower Thy mercy I pray
        Lift me from ignorance and show true salvation’s way.

9)     Not due to our merits we claim Thy mercy sweet
        Like humble beggars, Thy grace we entreat
        Thy blessed touch of sin-emancipating feet
        Without Thy help our inner foes who can defeat?
        Help me, Oh Lord! Shower Thy mercy I pray
        Lift me from ignorance and show true salvation’s way.

10)   All our depth of knowledge, mere show—no gain
        All our rites and rituals reduce not our pain
        All these outer trappings will not restrain
        The powerful grip of six enemies main.
        Help me, Oh Lord! Shower Thy mercy I pray
        Lift me from ignorance and show true salvation’s way.

11)   Without devotion and patience, nothing
        Can we achieve; what use to chant and sing
        Thy thousand names and ostentatiously ring
         Bells and flaunt oneself with no sincere feelings.
         Help me, Oh Lord! Shower Thy mercy I pray
         Lift me from ignorance and show true salvation’s way.

12)    Let me lose my ego and sense of pride
         Let me in Thy presence ever abide
         Let me be free from these turbulent tides
         Of worldly woes,Oh God! Be Thou my Lord and Guide.
         Help me, Oh Lord! Shower Thy mercy I pray
         Lift me from ignorance and show true salvation’s way.

                  ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

         15th July, 2020                              Somaseshu Gutala


Note : Maya’s hold --- According to Indian philosophy the whole world is an illusion created out of Maya ( God’s power of creation). All living creatures under the spell of Maya think this world as real and think themselves as doers. But actually the three qualities of Prakriti----Dynamic aspect of God’s creative Power--(Sattwa—positive and balanced attitude, Rajas-passion and activity and Tamas—destruction and laziness)) drive them to act according to their tendencies or karmas. Only pious people who serve God with humility and devotion will overcome this power of delusion and realize that they are not doers but silent witnesses to the apparent phenomena of this world. They will control their six inner enemies(Desire, anger, lust, pride, greed and jealousy) and with balanced mind will approach God without any desires as everything in this world is transient and subject to change. Our rituals and religious karmas only serve to some extent to cultivate a proper mindset and induce a sense of discipline to approach God with a pious mind. Mere learning of religious texts will not transform our lives unless we practise what we study. Sometimes acquisition of knowledge will produce a sense of pride and lead us astray. So one has to overcome one’s egoistic nature (Ahamkara) caused by power, wealth, beauty, knowledge and other worldly possessions and think that everything happens only due to will and power of God. Our existence is nothing without his presence and motivation. But the freedom given to us by Him should not be misused and wasted. Yet to reach such noble level is not so easy and requires repeated attempts and practice and one should not feel depressed but pursue one's path without expecting quick results.

                           *********************************






















 



Monday, July 6, 2020

TECHNOCRATS













                                                      
1)    Like restless running machines they execute
          Their time-bound projects within dead line;
          A collective teamwork with no sense of mine
          Their persistent thinking sharpens them cute;
          Like soulless tools, they have been fashioned that way
          Their sense of time differs entirely from our day.

     2)     Caught in the vortex of busy office schedule
           Their feelings shrink to mechanical routine;
           Like birds with clipt wings in steel cages seen
           In slavish work they search for joy like mules;
           Only pubs and restaurants their oft frequented spots
           In malls and resorts only did they splurge a lot.
  
     3)   Their only goal to work; to work with devilish speed
           Lest they forfeit their high five-figure gain;
           The risk of pink slip spurs them to stress and strain;
           No time to pause and think, before they proceed;
           The hollow dreams they chase at once break down
           Their nerves shattered—their ambitions let down.

     4)   Inured to deadly routine they search for surprise
           To jolt them out of their tedious grind;
           In trivial acts, surprises they try to find;
           The gifts of God they miss and fail to realize
           The joy of cool composure they hardly trace
           In their fast goal-oriented frantic pace.

     5)    No time to chat with others with open mind
           No time to meet others and their feelings share
           No time to read and write, no thought to spare
           No time to live in Nature’s bosom kind
           Enslaved to tools, they wish to converse in signs
           No time to improve their style with heart-throbbing lines.

     6)    In virtual world they ever like to stay
           From their prime roots cut off in alien lands;
           They stay away from home like vagrant bands
           Estranged from tradition and righteous ways;
           About their heritage past they lost their hold
           Long lost, who cares for outdated maxims old ?

     7)      In changing world they quickly interact
           With common sentiments and feelings they view
           To mix with different races and manners new
           To grasp new techniques, tidbits and facts
           Makes them less rigid and play their role with grace;
           Though they rush like robots with hurried pace.

    8)    A global outlook with new flexible norms
           A tech-savvy outlook with practical tools
           Far from bounds of caste, sect and religious rules;
           Far from myths and ritualistic forms
           Far from fairy world of tales and festive cheer
           Suffused with morals they no longer hear.

    9)        Our homely truths still within ring like bells
           Far from home in search of work they went
           In modern ways a lot of time they spent;
           Inured to modern changes, a heavenly hell--
           With humane touch let us fill this world with peace
           Without technical help we can’t live with ease.

   10)   This world needs your fast-paced smart skills indeed.
       To unravel Nature’s mysteries within
       Knowledge with helpful goals is not a sin;
       But be not too much mechanized; we need
       New ways to peace and progress you can blaze
       Blending human values free from greedy craze.

                      ************************

     7th June, 2020                                   Somaseshu Gutala



Note: A technocrat by definition is a person well-equipped with technological skills and swiftness of execution with goal-oriented tasks. Generally they have a lot of influence in Government or in corporate field. In this poem the above term is used in a wider sense covering all persons who work in industries, and big companies. The purpose is to reveal the work pressure and tensions of their lives who have to rush with no time to think and ponder over other deeper dimensions of life. This is not to criticize or comment on their abilities and talents. Especially in this modern age we cannot live without technology and all of us are using it for our daily needs. In one sense we are all technocrats getting used to machines and gadgets. The influence of machines on our lives is immense. So many people are getting addicted to indiscriminate use of machines and electronic devices. But let us not become machines enslaving our inner personality to futile goals.

Technocrats can play a vital and useful role if they blend their skills with noble goals and do not get detached from their native roots which taught them so much and shaped their lives. Knowledge combined with wisdom and noble thoughts will make them free from their mad pursuit materialistic prosperity. So let us express our due gratitude to technocrats for their valuable contribution and sincere hard work and ask them to enlarge their visions and aspirations. As Einstein said; “Concern for man and his fate must always form the chief interest of all technical endeavors. Never forget this in the midst of your diagrams and equations.”


                           ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++











Saturday, June 6, 2020

THE TALE OF MANI, THE MASON









              

1)  A strange pleasure he found in building homes
     Cementing bricks in patterns grand
     An architectural wonder by builders planned
     With symmetrical arches and domes.

2)  All dimensions he remembered well
     His trustworthy words accepted by all
     He took care not to waste his earnings at all
    Till achieving his goals he worked under spell.

3) He joined as a migrant worker in fact
    Twenty solid years he toiled hard 
    Just for bare wages under the landlord
    Living in dusty sheds suffering a lot.


4) His father too lived as a worker once
    Bearing hefty loads of bricks and stones;
    To sustain his family he took heavy loans
    He drank a lot to drown his tensions.

5)  In drunken stupor he fell from roof
     He lost his leg and his future became
     A sad burden,helpless and lame
     He lost his leg and he had lived aloof.

6)  Mani compelled to work from the age of ten
     Bearing the burden of family entire
     Sacrificing his future dreams and desires
     His mother and sister consoled him often

7)   Putting his heart and soul he did learn
      The art of building with measured plan
      Different models and patterns did he scan
      A sense of trust from builders he won.

8)   He never tried to rise in crafty ways
      Relied on honest work, whatever be the place
      He never cribbed about his troublesome days
     Time changes all—he always says.

9)   With a team of workers did he work and compete
       In construction of many homes and flats
       He lived still in tiled cottage he bought
       He never tried to earn with lies and deceit.

10) Within his means he tried to educate
       His siblings in school, though he learnt nought;
       Whatever he learnt, experience taught
       With friendly attitude he treated his mates.

11)  While other masons swelled with sense of pride
        He never boasted of his skills and ever felt
        A sense of contentment with no regrets
        He felt happy to see others in big mansions reside.

12)  Though others praised his superb building skills
        He never felt bloated with egotistic pride
        He ever regarded elders’ advice as his guide
        He thought himself a novice to learn much more still.

13)  While others grabbed in haste too many tasks
        In selfish hurry with promises false
        Mani true to his words bothered not about loss;
        No extra time and money did he ask.

14)   In raw cotton dhoti he was clad
        With a striped towel wrapped around his head
        Simple meals from home he always had
        No drinking bouts; went home to eat his bread.

15)  His speech was gentle with a rustic slang
       With courtesy he won customers’ hearts
       He turned his work into a work of art
       To seek his advice many builders throng.

16)  His co-workers treated him as architect great
       Though he never higher degrees did not pursue
       His observant eye ever searched for something new
       In spite of growing rich he never forgot his state.

17) He never felt proud of his name and fame
      He always felt happy to help his mates
      He honored his commitments and was never late
      As a trustworthy mason well-known he became.

18) Not hankering after ill-begotten gains
      He toiled hard with due attention to work
      Due credit he got, not mere stroke of luck;
      Love, trust and faith enhance true peace divine.

               ***********************************

     6th June, 2020                                Somaseshu Gutala