Stress of Mannat

 

                                  Stress of Mannat

 

Mannat-Prayer to the Lord to fulfill a wish and a pledge to pay Obeisance to the Lord after wish is fulfilled – Thanks giving to the Lord.

 

"Always remember. God will never take anything away from you without the intention of replacing it with something much better."                                                    Unknown

 

Once while standing in the “Banke Bihari” temple, at Vrindaban , along with my family, to pay obeisance to the Lord, observed that many people were talking with the idol of the Lord as if it were a living being, in fact, that is essence of all temples, once the idol has been established after the ritual of “Paranpritishtha” it is living the God for all purpose not a stone statue as thought by many and hence a one to one talk is natural. If you don’t tell your problems to Omnipotent then to whom will you tell.

 

A temple is a gathering of the Gods and hence the reverence, decorum and discipline. In fact, all religions of the world have personified the Lord in their own different ways and thereafter it is a living being: that helps everybody to feel existence of the Supreme Lord and to concentrate and meditate on the Supreme in the effort to connect with Him: even the legal system gives a place of honour and reverence to the Lord whenever a question of existence or assets of the Lord are involved.

 

It all depends on you, how you connect with the Lord. Some in the Banke Bihari Temple had tears in their eyes, others were looking at Lord without a blink and there were many who had kept their eyes shut and hands folded in reverence to the Lord, some were sitting in a secluded corner unaware of the crowd in the temple, others were “Dandvat” in reverence, and some busy with their chants and Japas, some were loud in prayers and other silent, still there were others busy with their prayer beads, but everybody was trying to have as clear view of the Lord as possible.

 

Another wonderful happening in the temple related to us. When I along with my wife and daughter turned around after the prayer to the “Banke Bihari” in the Temple at Vrindaban, we found our own son, who was standing just behind us, had his eyes full of tears, perhaps he had found a real connection with the Lord, I did not disturb nor I asked any question as I felt it must had given him lot of solace and satisfaction. We also felt a wonderful feeling of richness and plenty. When we reached home in the evening, we found a telegram lying in the court yard, from one of classmates of my son, intimating that in the revaluation of the paper in which he had been declared “not pass” he had secured more than the pass marks and then my son told us that he had prayed to the Lord to get him a pass in that subject as he had worked hard and his prayer had been accepted then and there. Someone may say it was just a coincidence, yes it can be argued like that: in fact, Albert Einstein rightly observed, “Coincidence is God’s way to remain anonymous”.

 

Once while in a Buddhist Temple at Manali, I saw a person doing push-ups in the temple premises, when asked the Monk Priest,  told that the person concerned was confessing something to the Lord and praying that he may be pardoned.   In fact, everybody has his own way of connecting with the Lord and the ways are as different as the perceptions about the Lord by humans.

 

How to convey to the Lord our wish: how to pray: what to say and what not to say. People adopt different ways to have the satisfaction of having made a solid prayer that has been heard by the Lord and would be answered: some make elaborate arrangements, other perform rituals-all man-made, some know nothing about the Lord but still have unshaken faith in him, others just believe the everything has to happen as per the scheme of things already decided by the Lord and nothing is required to be done, some sit in a lonely place to meditate and then make the prayer: some seek mediation of a priest or Guru before making a wish: still some visit a specific religious place to convey his wish to the Lord, some wait for specific days in a year: some go through the agents also like many people speak in the ears of Nandi - the ride of Lord Shiva to convey their wish to the Lord, in fact as many men as many ways to make a prayer to the Lord Omnipresent and Omnipotent, always present everywhere to listen the prayers made or not made also.

 

Making a prayer to the Lord is a privilege given by the Lord to humans, perhaps to all living creatures also. How to make a prayer: is there any specified method: nothing prescribed by the Lord Himself, everything is man-made. First understand, when making a prayer we are talking to a living God so the conversation between the two must have all the ingredients of an effective communication- ratio of said and heard must be 1:1. How to ensure that ratio,  this all depends on the person making the prayer: he must ensure this is made the way most heard by the Lord as he is always ready to listen provided you pray the way he wants: the way is talk to Him as intimately as we talk  to our partner when in the act. Many in their day to day life, adopt Lord as their brother, friend, or guru and talk to Him accordingly always calling Him explain Him and seeking solution: the essence is how you connect with Him. Fact is when one connects with Him it is a feeling supreme not to be explained but to be felt not  by the body but by the soul, by the one who is sitting inside, in fact one to one same to same.

 

The medium of communication-a language or a silence, gesture or intuition: since Lord is Omnipotent any medium of communication is appropriate, even silence is good enough: he knows even without saying what we want to say. Our actions, words, manners, body language all must be polite and polished. Last but the most important part of prayer is the intentions, feelings and emotions with which prayer is made despite being not explicit and invisible they are most accurately conveyed while we pray. Total surrender and immersion, heart devoted to Him, has the power to invoke His blessings. Prayers made for others to the Lord always fructify much earlier that is essence of ages and sages.

 

The Lord Himself connects with us through intuition in the times of distress and guides us to the safety and security. Intuition is something that comes from within, when your souls a part of Almighty alerts you and it is time to recognize the signals sent: too much of analysis is perhaps not required when He talks to you through the signals it is the action that is needed and helps.

 

"Our prayers may be awkward. Our attempts may be feeble. But since the power of prayer is in the one who hears it and not in the one who says it, our prayers do make a difference."

                                                                         - Max Lucado

 

“Call to me and I will answer you.” (Jeremiah 33:3a Bible): "You will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you." (Jeremiah 29:12 Bible). Every religious scripture is full of incidents and accounts wherein He listened the prayers and gave effective answers. Prayer should be part of one’s daily life not an occasional act as rightly said by Brahmanand Swami in his Bhajan below:

जो भजे हरि को सदा, सोही परम पद पावेगा |

देह के माला, तिलक और छाप, नहीं किस काम के,

प्रेम भक्ति बिना नहीं नाथ के मन भावे |

दिल के दर्पण को सफा कर, दूर कर अभिमान को,

ख़ाक को गुरु के कदम की, तो प्रभु मिल जायेगा |

छोड़ दुनिए के मज़े सब, बैठ कर एकांत में,

ध्यान धर हरि का, चरण का, फिर जनम नही आयेगा |

द्रिड भरोसा मन मे करके,

जो जपे हरि नाम को,कहता है ब्रह्मानंद, बीच समाएगा |

 

"True prayer is a way of life, not just for use in cases of emergency. Make it a habit, and when the need arises you will be in practice."                             

                                                                        - Billy Graham

 

"We are to pray in times of adversity, lest we become faithless and unbelieving. We are to pray in times of prosperity, lest we become boastful and proud. We are to pray in times of danger, lest we become fearful and doubting. We are to pray in times of security, lest we become self-sufficient."                                                                          

                                                                           - Billy Graham

Normally people make a Mannat: Prayer to the Lord to fulfill a wish and a pledge to pay Obeisance to the Lord after wish is fulfilled, by quantifying an offering like contribution to community kitchen (Langer, Bhandara as popularly known in India), Prasad for a specified amount, or by revisiting the place of the Lord, donation to religious place, clothes (Chaddar) for the Lord, offering Flag to the Lord, community reciting the scriptures etc. Are we really qualified to do that: absolutely not: He is omnipotent: giver of everything to everybody: so Mannat is like give and take which can’t be with the Lord. However, people still do; they take a pledge to pay Obeisance in their own way, this is just for personal satisfaction; but whenever you have made a pledge then it should be fulfilled as quickly as possible otherwise this is source of nagging worry: anxiety and stress: and whenever something goes wrong one is intend to think that this has happened as he has not kept the promise with the Lord although there is nothing like this. In fact: Mannat is thanks giving to the Lord.

Prayer to the Lord is most important. Since we are talking to a living person we must be clear as to what we really want the Lord to do for us although scripture say He knows even without asking. When praying preferably do it alone; in a manner audible only to the Lord and yourself; ignorant people are too quick to make it a joke. If you to want follow a specific pattern for your satisfaction like lighting a holy flame, candle or scented sticks, keeping a holy book or replica of the Lord with you, or want to make a prayer in a place of worship or at a specific time you must do. But above all is your respect, gratefulness, total surrender, acceptance and connection with the Lord.

How to achieve a connection with the Lord. The exact answer to this question has eluded mankind right from the day man realized the existence of the Supreme and those who established such a connection did not specify the way how they reached Him. However, a connection with Him is always His blessing and His grace.

"Sometimes the best thing you can do is not think, not wonder, not imagine, not obsess. Just breathe and have faith that everything will work out for the best."            

                                                                     — Unknown 1859.

Stress of Giving Bribe

 

                                  Stress of Giving Bribe

(Individual Level)

 

Power does not corrupt people,

People corrupt power.

William Gaddis

 

Bribery, call it by any name you like, corruption, graft, inducement, buying off, palm-greasing, subornation etc., is an act implying money or gift given that alters behaviour of the recipient: it is the offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting of any item of value to influence the actions of an official or other person in charge of a public duty: it can be money, good, right in action, property, emolument, object of value, advantage, to induce or

influence the action, vote, or influence of a person in a public capacity. These modern days even a date, a pat, casual sex, one night stand are also common forms of bribe.

 

Just see bribery is associated with public function, the duty which has been assigned by the State, by the public in general through their elected representatives, or by king who has always been representative of the Lord in positive sense and public function has always been remunerated and has been a function of honour. The very nature of function with which bribery is associated is pious and expects loyalty more than the king or say the sovereign, whereas bribery is the dirtiest act a breach of trust reposed by the public and the sovereign in the functionary. So both the receiver and the giver commit the crime and technically it is so, but general assumption is against the receiver and in favour of the giver of bribe. One would feel even the laws, acts and orders deemed to curb corruption are lenient so far as bribe givers are concerned and it was only in 2018 that the bribe giver in India were brought under the ambit of Prevention of Corruption Act 1988 by an amendment of the said Act. Even in case where bribe recipients are caught red handed, the bribe giver is always a State Witness in the case against the recipient and all of the ingredients of gratification are assumed as against the receiver. Conduct of the bribe giver always remain unexplained and without corroboration even without notice, hence without punishment. This prompts bribe givers to try their luck to have their way to get the procedures violated.

 

Giving bribe appears to be a simple act: yes it is, as simple as giving money to a beggar who seldom refuses, if the recipient has already tagged himself a price for an action or in action and it is known that he does not move without the fragrance of face of the ruler-Chehare-Shahi-face of sovereign-currency cash in his hands. In such a situation, one should not wait but make the mare jump with money, balance can be decided later although it may look immoral as well as criminal but it saves lot of tension, harassment and time too for the bribe giver. But every time it may not be that simple.

 

Problem for bribe givers arises when the other party is unknown, is honest to the core, whose integrity is known, is hard hitting then the bribe givers are under lot of tension. It is difficult to bribe in such situations, although they think every man has a price: sometimes it is a blunder to think like that.

 

Few men have virtue to withstand the highest bidder.

                                                              George Washington

 

Bribe givers adopt various methods in above situations. First such method is that they keep an eye on the personal activities of the person to be bribed and his family and find out the problems, if any, they are facing and have the help extended, through known or unknown source, even hire professional to extended help as if it happened to be extended without any obligation and themselves bear the expenses of such a professional help. At opportune time they make themselves known without any obligation and thus create a soft corner in the heart of the man concerned to be bribed. This keeps up the honour of the party concerned, but is a time consuming process and costly too and full of pitfalls, adopted when stakes are high.

 

Another popular method is, to offer bribe amount much above the social and financial status of the receiver so that he is made to think, at least, about the amount and the future accruing benefits.  This many a times leads to softening of the behavior of the receiver and may lead to the purpose in view. Chances of failure are many as the other party may be hard nut to crack and may some time lead to adverse consequences. Possibility of money going waste without achieving the aim are many.

 

Offering hard cash in total secrecy and total honesty after creating a rapport with the receiver. May succeed or may not succeed as this provides time to the receiver to think and rethink about the consequences and his reputation and normally such persons keep their reputation very safe and firm, hence may not come in the trap.

 

Never underestimate the effectiveness of a straight cash bribe.

                                                             - CLAUD COCKBURN

 

Some bribe giver also employ professionals for the purpose: who take up the job as a package for lump sum, charges are high and risk of failure is also too much despite so many safe guards taken; chance of becoming a scam or a scandal are very high as it involves outsiders and consequently the legal  and criminal implications but still the people do adopt this path also. Scams are not a one man show.

 

Still there is a common man’s path: people try to approach the contacts of the intended taker; obviously this introduces a third person between the two and sometimes more than that. It is more a path of recommendation than that of bribe: possibility of the job being done without bribe are more when the contact traced is really effective and near to the intended taker otherwise it very causal, “yes yes”, without any concrete action.

 

Some bribe givers adopt giving of gifts as a way to bribe: they take care of birth days, marriage anniversaries, religious festivals, marriages and births in the family and give costly gifts. This all depends on the gift receiver as how he reacts, acceptance of costly gifts is a way to be nearer to power.

 

Not every gift must you stretch your hands to take! Sometimes, just put your hands by your side and humbly and courageously say thank you!

                                                   Ernest Agyemang Yeboah

 

Whatever path a bribe giver adopts he is always under stress: assessing the strength of the character of the party to be bribed is the most difficult task:  how to arrange for money: normally black one: how to make the other party to accept the bribe: whether the time and effort would bring any fruit: money spent is always in danger of being lost: seldom is the money given before completion of the task is retrieved despite no results: whether the bribe would be accepted and aim achieved or without any results.

 

Many people are interested in sex without love and without any obligation, sex just for enjoyment for a short period as sex has always been the most natural attraction for human beings everywhere. So some bribe givers are always on a lookout to find

out whether the bribe receiver falls in the category that he just wants to enjoy sex. So many bribe giver that don’t hesitate, to use sex as an item of bribe, they employ professional and sex workers also, as per the requirements of the situation. Sex is like honey, once you taste, more you want: it is strongest trap the briber givers employ. That is reason it is used so frequently in political and monetary cases. It is extensively used in state espionage cases, wherein still photographs and videos are used at appropriate time for blackmailing the target to get the information required. Use of drugs and addiction there to along with the romantic and sexual relationships is common. Higher the stakes more intimate and personal are the relationships with the “target”- the person who matters, it is only the bribe giver or the handler who knows where he is hitting. Once in, in such a circle, the target ultimately gets killed socially, financially, monetarily, even his family life is affected. He also loses his employment too often, reason being change in the behavior of the targeted person which is noted at home and office both. So targets commit criminal acts during such relationships of love without sex and are thus in for problems, both legal and social. In fact, receivers of such favours are laying their own trap.

 

Wine, beer, whisky and other alcoholic drinks very dear to those who indulge and indulge daily, they are a path to enter firstly the chamber and then the personality of the target and hence nearness. Sometimes these are much more effective than other means adopted: all depends on the behavior of the targeted man.

Still preferable with many both the giver and recipient are drink parties where everything is arranged by the giver: the trouble in such initiatives is they have too many permutations and combinations of time, brand, participants, place, etc. everybody wants to keep himself aloof and unknown.

 

These day rave parties: a lively party involving dancing and drinking, are a new concept, wherein drugs and even arranged sex are not uncommon. Bribe giver do arrange such parties when groups are to be targeted. Irrespective of the illegality, these are very expensive: these are in fact based on the concept: all are naked in the hamam.

 

Still there is another new trend that people are given free hotel stay, travel package within India and abroad, not only for single but for the family in addition to costly gifts beyond imagination.

 

Consider this pronouncement, inscribed on an Assyrian tablet circa 2800 B.C.: Our earth is degenerate these days ... bribery and corruption abound, children no longer obey their parents, every man wants to write a book, and the end of the world is evidently approaching.                           

                                                             Neil De Grasse Tyson

 

Bribe a ruin and modern day necessity

Stress of Taking Bribe

 

Stress of Taking Bribe

(Individual Level)

 

Though the bribe be small,

yet the fault is great.

Edward Coke

 

Man realized the Supreme, millions of years after he had lived on this planet and had become civilized in the modern sense, but he became slave of the concept of eating without doing any labour much earlier, perhaps as soon as his belly felt hunger and the urge to eat for the first time. Fact is, he learnt stealing and snatching, may be without modern day guilt feeling at very earlier stages of his existence and is still carrying on in a more sophisticated manner now. Even today the jungle concept of, ‘Buffalo belongs to the man who has the stick’ prevails at the time when a crime is committed may be theft, rape, robbery, murder, snatching, looting, bribe, corruption, scam or something else as mentioned in the various sections of the Indian Penal Code or similar codes of the respective countries. Man uses his mental faculties to cheat, deceive, bluff, to be dishonest and to get the bribe, gratification, unearned money or any other name one likes to give. Even during Lord Krishna’s time this evil existed and he did wrote about this in  the Bhagvad Gita, in Chapter III dealing with Karam Yog and mentioned that it is the great men who have to set the standards for the society and have to lead ordinary men on the right path. He also preached that the common men should never be encouraged not to work, they should be led to do work as duty to Devine with dedication and devotion. This is more relevant in the present context where we have many among those supposed to lead the society, setting standards negatively, unethical, immoral and illegal in the present context. In fact, the desire to eat without doing any labour, has been a permanent feature of human nature, as such will always remain present may be in small measure, it cannot be eliminated perhaps can be kept low and controlled to some extent.

 

How to force other person to give bribe - the extra money for the work, one is otherwise required to do for the compensation already being received. People continue to think about ways and means, right and wrong, use penal provisions of acts uncalled for, use coercion, show is most moral but immorality is veiled, scale is altered and titled on the wrong side,  mental pressure built, how to get, where to get, how much to ask for, how much the victim can afford, how to carry cash, nobody should know or see, the other person may  report to anti-corruption Department, may not be caught red-handed by CBI,  if caught how to handle whether as a loan or recovery of loan or price of something got purchased or sold, how some other person can be got entangled, what would be defence, disciplinary authority may place him under suspension,  image should remain that of most honest man and so many other things continue to flash the mind of person demanding bribe before the victim is addressed and he is under stress much before the victim is and his degree of stress is much higher than the giver.

 

Prior to approaching his victim, the person demanding bribe loses

his self-esteem, his ego, he places himself in the garb of a bagger, fixes a price tag for him to be dishonest to do or not do an act, becomes a man of doubtful integrity, becomes a person being talked about in sleeves, he stops mixing with others, becomes isolated, lest something gets leaked out by him inadvertently, his activities are always suspicious and so many other things. He is already under lot of stress but talks boldly much about ethics and honesty. Seniors with experience of life are too quick to form an opinion, may not make it public but do use it at appropriate occasion in favour of the system.

 

When taking bribe he is so afraid and ensures he does not touch currency, may get placed somewhere, may have directly paid into the bank, may ask of payment of bills, insurance premium, purchase of air tickets, payment of hotel package, cash purchases for home, credit in some other’s account, always apprehensive of something wrong and unholy etc. Just see the amount of stress the bribe taker is passing through.

 

In addition to cash or kind, the bribe giver also gives his hate, stress, curse, negativity, the pain of giving what is not due to the receiver, uncertainty with a guarantee that He-the Lord would settle the score and keep the scale straight, and always in a corner of his heart the giver has a grudge against the receiver, always ready for a revolt against the receiver. All this is received knowing well the consequences in this world and thereafter.

 

Giver always keeps with him the proof, if any, against the receiver. In one of the cases the person concerned demanded pure ghee five kilo as gratification and as the giver pleaded being illiterate he got it written from the receiver and the receiver wrote it on the inner card board flap of pack of cigarette he used to smoke and gave it to the giver who subsequently supplied the pure ghee to the receiver and also made complaint against the receiver: his handwriting on the cigarette flap and its possession with the giver was the most potent evidence to prove the charges against the officer  and finally the receiver was removed from the service.

 

The money received as gratification is spent, loosely for not so required things, to perpetuate bad habits, goes to settle bad bills, spent on not so happy occasions and carries with it ethical negativity, always with soul so true repenting. It even leads to change the thought process of the receiver. It gives short time happiness and long term stress and unnecessary nagging worry.

 

When caught red handed by some anti-corruption agency, it is extreme of the circumstances, obviously case registered at the instance of the giver, receiver is man-handled if he resists, tries to run away or does not cooperate with the agency, demoralized, made to sit on the ground, not offered a chair, stained clothes even if these are trousers and under wears taken out, money recovered from the person of the accused, finger prints etc. taken, independent and departmental witnesses are called to attest the proceedings, summary of events is prepared, arrest warrants are taken in advance, arrest made even in odd hours, bail takes time till evidence is collected and secured by the agency, one has to remain in prison among others under-trails or sentenced people, it is a big news in the press and media, now even names are disclosed, so is the act. Sometimes homes of the suspected person are raided by the law enforcement agencies with the intent to collect evidence that put the family in social bad light and person concerned avoids being face to face with such agencies so hides himself; person is at his lowest level of general confidence etc. Now the departmental action is simultaneous, suspension is almost definite, departmental charge sheet for major penalty is quick, in proceedings conducted, disciplinary authority is presented by the anti-corruption agency. Social disgrace and embarrassment, financial hit both for the legal as well as departmental proceedings are the other consequences, in addition to stress and sense of inaction and helplessness are certain. Departmentally people avoid to see such suspected persons when one is caught red handed, even after the proceedings are over, a watch is kept by the internal vigilance wing of the Department, also by Central Government agencies in some cases and the person is not given sensitive and important duties, in fact he is given the most routine duties without any financial powers. The legal proceedings, nobody knows, when they would end and so is the case with the departmental proceedings: sometimes they drag for decades together. A person should think it as end of the career and it would be better to look for avenues elsewhere and never consider department or the employer as the career place. This is the end of the innings with the employer as promotion is delayed on account of suspension, period of conduct of the proceedings and its finalization. Then starts the period of currency of punishment thereafter minimum five years of disciplinary case free period with hard work to earn best of the annual reports. In most conservative manner total period adds up to about 15-20 years then where the career is. In such conditions nobody can be stress free, family also suffers.

 

Such persons, in addition, may face cases relating of possession of assets more than the known sources of income, which drag for years together.

 

Many a times cases are investigated on complaints being received by the competent authority and these are normally investigated by the internal vigilance wing wherein recording of the statement of the suspected officer is beginning of the investigation proceedings, in fact, it places a person in a doubtful integrity list and if regular proceedings are initiated and end with a statutory punishment, it is almost end of a career: one can never catch with his colleagues.

 

What is biggest cause of bribe or corruption: Transparency International defines, “Corruption as the abuse of entrusted power for private gain”. Thus the power entrusted to a person is the most potent cause of bribe. In fact it is an old saying that power corrupts a man and absolute power absolutely: when power that goes to one’s head nobody can imagine what it would do. 

 

Love for easy money, the greed, nature and character of the person concerned are the other two main causes that sum up the story.

 

Many a times the scale of bribe prompts even the strongest person; to jump into the dirty pond of bribe and so is the assurance given by the giver that we would not disclose to anybody else.

 

What is the biggest cover against Taking Bribe? Nobody can give fool proof and exact answer. However it is the integrity coupled with strengthen of one’s character that is bulwark against corruption.

 

Integrity is doing the right thing even when nobody is watching: it is telling one own self the truth: it is blunt refusal to compromise: it is the light that guides your way to the truth: it is action without fear, no guilt, transparent and open, nothing to hide and always right: it is action as per your soul: it is the pride one has in doing his job right: it is the pat one receives from his boss for the job well done: it is choosing your thoughts and actions based on values rather than personal gain. I think it is only a man who understands emotions can understand what integrity is.

 

Strength of one’s character is another rock steel wall against bribe: it can’t be built over night nor it is off on phenomena. It is a combination of so many factors over years like one’s genes, values ingrained in him by parents, teacher and the society coupled with fear of law, faith in spirituality and self-esteem supreme.

 

Judicial system and penal codes force integrity on the citizens. Stringent penalties and quick delivery of justice keeps at least the fence sitters away from the bribe system and social malign. Economic intelligence in the system and society can also strengthen forced integrity whereas too much of procedures both judicial and administrative contribute to corruption: we must draw a line somewhere and enforce it ruthlessly. 

 

“When you are able to maintain your own highest standards of integrity – regardless of what others may do – you are destined for greatness”

Napoleon Hill

 

Let nobody bribe you away from being yourself.

Napoleon Hill