Ṛta and Dharma

Dharma is about knowing and calibrating one's conduct according to the ṛta, the universal law sustaining all and making existence possible. As human beings are not passive constituents of what exists, their actions must discern what sustains and what does not. It is about seeing reality as a whole, to the extent that its interconnections are decipherable, but from the vantage point of the immediate and the now. Keep in mind that the microcosm and the whole are interconnected and cannot be understood in isolation. Dharma is about moving back and forth between the big and the small. It may happen that all are doing their jobs right, but the ship sinks. Various permutations and combinations can cause a ship to sail or sink. The ṛta of human affairs informs us that all are responsible and, therefore, all must try to see things both as a bird and as a worm, and find synchrony between one's immediate dharma and the larger dharma. Beyond one's contingent dharma, one must fulfil one's human dharma by making an effort to know the larger truth and give space to the larger truth to unfold. In human affairs, ṛta does not enforce itself; its realisation depends on human dharma.

Niraj Kumar Jha

Intelligence: Super or Artificial?

It is not “super,” but a comprehensive and autonomous knowledge-processing system, and basically remains a human extension. The very word “artificial” indicates that it is a human creation, something that does not exist naturally but is brought into existence through human knowledge, ingenuity, and action. Artificial intelligence is therefore an exclusively human phenomenon: it arises from the uniquely human capacity to transcend the biological through knowledge, tools, and technology. Calling it “super” is like surrendering to an extension of ourselves and mistaking its power for superiority. Human extensions are meant to serve human safety, flourishing, and each member's autonomy. Yet poor common intelligence has produced a history in which extensions have come to dominate their creators. We must therefore be wary of this possibility.

Niraj Kumar Jha

सत्सभ्यता हेतु तन-धर्म

कहते हैं गांधीजी,
धर्म अर्जन का है,
धन परहित का हेतु हो।
धर्म मन का है,
आचार संवेदना का हो।

कर्म-धर्म से भी ऊपर
कहा और जीया उन्होंने।
वह तन का धर्म है,
रोटी के लिए कम से कम
स्वयं करे मानव श्रम।

वस्त्र-आभूषण और सौष्ठव,
अपनी जगह हैं,
इनसे सब के इतर
शरीर की भी अपनी
प्रतिष्ठा है।

उसका धर्म है,
साफ-सफाई रखना 

और मेहनत करना।

कहते हैं गांधीजी,
साफ-सफाई स्वयं रखो,
सेवा और उत्पादन हेतु
शरीर से उतना श्रम अवश्य करो
जितना मूल्य तुम्हारे
भोजन का हो।

बता गए हैं गांधीजी,
तन-धर्म का पालन भी
बहुत जरूरी है
सत्सभ्यता के पोषण हेतु।

नीरज कुमार झा