Click to enlarge the picture.
You will see a tribute to the late president! Can't see ? See right below the Yuvraj Kaif headline. Yeah the font is about the same size as the text in the Yuvraj-Kaif story.
I hope that TOI-let paper does not reflect the priorities of my country.
One of the meanings associated with the word "Design" is ( see Marriam-Webster )
"a deliberate undercover project or scheme : PLOT b plural : aggressive or evil intent"
No wonder the whole idea of Intelligent Design is an evil scheme to derail rationality.
I have wondered sometimes why this debate does not surface in India ; the premise being moronity is ubiquitous. While India is full of regilious dimwits ( like the rest of the world ), they somehow do not invoke the creationist ideas. My search led me to Hindu Song of Creation in Rig Veda; one of the four ancient religious texts in Hinduism. Although Rig Veda has many things terribly wrong, the song of creation truly represents the inner conflicts of an intelligent mind. A rough Hindi translation appeared as the title song of a very popular TV serial called "Bharat Ek Khoj" by Shyam Benegal . Here is the hindi text and it's english translation of the title song.
Srushtee se pehle sat nahin thaa, asat bhi nahin
There was neither non-existence nor existence before creation
Antariksh bhi nahin, aakaash bhin nahin thaa
There was neither the realm of space nor the sky which is beyond,
chhipaa thaa kyaa kahaan, kisne dekhaa thaa us pal to agam, atal jal bhi kahaan thaa
Darkness was hidden by darkness in the begining, with no distinguishing sign all this was water
Shushtee kaa kaun hain kartaa, Kartaa hain yeh vaa akartaa
Who is the creator of this Universe? Or is there one?
Oonche aasmaan mein rahtaa Sadaaa adhyaksh banaa rahtaa
He who lives in Heaven as President
Wohin sach much mein jaantaa..Yaa nahin bhi jaanataa
does He know everything? Maybe He does not ?
Hain kisi ko nahin pataa Nahin pataa
no one has an aswer to this question
A translation of the Rig Veda available in "The Rig Vega" by Wendy Doniger O'Flaherty. Here is the song of creation copied from the book :
There was neither non-existence nor existence then; there was neither the realm of space nor the sky which is beyond. What stirred? Where? In whose protection? Was there water, bottomless - deep?
There was neither death nor immortality then. There was no distinguishing sign of night nor of day. That one breathed, windless, by its own impulse. Other than that there was nothing beyond.
Darkness was hidden by darkness in the beginning; with no distinguishing sign, all this was water. The life force that was covered with emptiness, that one arose through the power of heat.
Desire came upon that one in the beginning; that was the first seed of mind. Poets seeking in their heart with wisdom found the bond of existence in non-existence.
Their cord was extended across. Was there below? Was there above? There were seed-placers; there were powers. There was impulse beneath; there was giving-forth above.
Who really knows? Who will here proclaim it? Whence was it produced? Whence is this creation? The gods came afterwards, with the creation of this universe. Who then knows whence it has arisen?
Whence this creation has arisen perhaps it formed itself, or perhaps it did not the one who looks down on it, in the highest heaven, only he knows or perhaps he does not know.
These lines from the Veda were a refreshing change. The text in bold really captures my inquiries. As an agnostic ( tending towards aethist) I find it very difficult when most religious texts conviniently fail to address my concerns and fail to admit that what they are presenting is an opinion and there is a possibility that they could be wrong.
