इंसान

शतरंज दुनिया दुनिया का खेले 
आदमी सभी हार-जीत के मुहरे   

न सालारी का शौक और न उस्तादी की तलब 

हम क्या करें, हमें तो इंसां , इंसां ही अच्छे लगे 

नीरज कुमार झा 

नेति नेति

सीमा किसी की नहीं, 
असीम भी कुछ नहीं है।  

कहीं प्रारंभ नहीं, 
अंत भी कहीं नहीं है। 
कोई  अंश नहीं, 
सम्पूर्ण भी कुछ नहीं है। 
घटित कुछ नहीं,
अघटित भी कुछ नहीं है। 
कुछ  सदा मृत नहीं, 
अमृत सदा भी कोई  नहीं है
नहीं कुछ भी नहीं है,
न-नहीं अस्तित्व है। 

नीरज कुमार झा 

Nothing

Nothing is unlimited
Nothing is limited
Nothing is a part 
Nothing is a whole  
Nothing is an occurrence 
Nothing is a non-occurrence 
Nothing is the beginning 
Nothing is the end
Nothing is eternally alive 
Nothing is eternally dead
No-nothing is the existence 

Niraj Kumar Jha 

On the Sense of Appreciation

 In some of my earlier posts, I mentioned refined oratory being rare among people and good listening ability being even rarer.  In the same vein, I note that people in general lack the sense of appreciating the good. Appreciating a good piece of art or music needs some training, and for a piece of literature good education, but people even appreciating, in general, normal things, happening, and each other's conduct in day-to-day affairs is rare. Appreciating good is a utilitarian act of furthering the good life for our use only. It is discerningly pointing to virtuous elements and effects of one's demeanour and doings or simply gesturing to goodness anyway. By the very effortless acts of appreciating good, we can facilitate social advancement. Instead of that, we generally indulge only in sycophancy or mutual ego messaging. This is how we partake in social decay. 

Niraj Kumar Jha 

Democracy: Slide or Surge

Observers note that there is a democratic slide globally. This I find a misdirected approach. Such observers fallaciously identify democracy with the values and norms of a particular ideology, the parameters of political correctness of a historical period. On the contrary, what I see across continents is a populist swell. Demos become more demanding. The reality is that there is a democratic surge around the world. 

At the same time, one can not deny that problems are getting severe internationally and within nation-states. Climate change, for instance, poses an existential challenge for many people. Among states, irredentism is back in fashion. There are strifes and upheavals in many corners, and even metropoles see fires blazing frequently. 

The problem is not with democracy but with the global political-economic ecology. The autonomous and logical trajectory of democratic evolution, which led to the collapse of Communism and was channelling human agency through LPG to international harmony and prosperity, was stalled rather deliberately. Democracy was riding neoliberalism to become global, but as it threatened the entrenched forces and vested interests, the threatened ones broke the vehicle to which the naive academia lent moral support.  

Aspirations that neoliberalism led to rise now become pent-up feelings seeking outlets. 

Niraj Kumar Jha 

Teaching

 A good teacher does not transmit what they know. The good ones know the possibility of fallacies in any piece of knowledge. A good teacher would rather talk about the practical and historical uses and abuses of any piece of knowledge,  its limitations and the need to explore further. 

Niraj Kumar Jha

रामचरितमानस : सामाजिक रूग्णतारोधक

गोस्वामी ने रामचरितमानस की रचना भारतीय समाज की रक्षा के लिए की। भक्ति भावना के साथ गोस्वामी का उद्देश्य रामकथा को लोकसुलभ भाषा में प्रस्तुत कर लोगों का मानसिक विकारों से रक्षा करना था। इसकी गेयता इसे स्मरणीय बनाती है और लोगों के मानस में गुंफित हो यह उनकी आसुरी प्रवृत्तियों से रक्षा करती है। एक ग्रंथ भारत को अत्यंत विपरीत परिस्थितियों से निकाल कर ले आया। इष्ट के प्रति निष्ठा के वचन के अतिरिक्त यह ग्रंथ समाज के लिए संक्रमणरोग-प्रतिरोधी टीका (वैक्सीन) का कार्य करता आ रहा है । यह मानव मन के लिए एंटिवाइरस का कार्य करता है। इसलिए इसका नियमित पाठ जरूरी है। आज सामाजिक रूग्णता और वैयक्तिक मानसिक व्याधियों से रक्षा की लिए इसका नियमित पारायण और भी आवश्यक है। इसका पाठ कर व्यक्ति अपने मानस को स्वच्छ और स्वस्थ रख सकता है।

नीरज कुमार झा

On Being Tactfully Truthful

A person achieves goodness, contributing to the wellness of self and society only by seeing, speaking and engaging with truths. An excruciating process it is, and generally people avoid it. The fact is that truths horrify and lies entice. Being truthful is inviting enemies; living lies is cosying with amiable people. Despite everything, truthfulness is the sole source of self-contentment and social advancement. Science is nothing but a methodical pursuit of truths. But, there is a word of caution: truthfulness without tactfulness may be dangerous. Bruno spoke of the most shining truth; he was tried, tortured and put to death.

Niraj Kumar Jha

सत्य सनातन

सत्य सनातन 
सत्यनिष्ठा सनातन 
अंतरात्मा की वाणी  सनातन
करुणा सनातन 
संवेदना के आँसू सनातन 
वीरता सनातन 

परपीड़ा हरण की तत्परता सनातन 

निश्छलता सनातन  

विमल हास सनातन 

सर्वमंगल की कामना  सनातन 
बुद्धि की प्रखरता की प्रार्थना सनातन 
सन्मार्ग सनातन  
प्रकाश की ओर यात्रा सनातन 

ज्ञान सनातन 

विज्ञान सनातन 

उपासना सनातन 

सब में वह सनातन 
उसमें सब सनातन 
बंध-कबंध नहीं, अबंध सनातन 

सदानीरा मानवता सनातन 
सनातन संकल्प पुरातन 

नीरज कुमार झा 

Cyber Democracy

Cyber space quickens the ephemerality of human experiences. Fanciful, troubling, intriguing or whatsoever, a mind grab has only a few moments to survive. The space, boundless and with fast shifting occupations, offers more equity and extends this into the overlapping real world.

Niraj Kumar Jha

Knowledge and Intelligence

Real education leads people to discover what they know, not to deny what they know. The statement may puzzle one, but the fact is that human beings are naturally knowing beings. Uneducated scholars know what others know and do not know what they know. They reposit a vast mass of knowledge but can little cultivate intelligence to know what they know.

Niraj Kumar Jha

For Depuppetisation

Collectivism devitalises democracy. It deprives an individual of their person and delivers them to some puppeteer. If one respects and cares for humanity and self, one must see redemption in laissez-faire. Laissez-faire is the core value and practice of the democratic system. It is both its means and end.

Niraj Kumar Jha