by Swami B.G. Narasingha
'Statistics' was a short article written by Swami Narasingha on June 9th 2011 for his blog, Narasingha.net. Narasingha Maharaja makes the point how although India is increasing in power and wealth, it is also becoming more and more sinful.
The motto of India’s primer airline, Kingfisher Airlines, is “Fly the Good Times.” But just how ‘Good’ are these ‘Times’? Statistics have always held a fascination in my mind and the more we push forward in the age of information the more these statistics continue to fascinate me.
India has finally arrived in the modern age after almost a century of absence and has since been heralded as potentially the worlds next super economy, even super-power. But all that glitters is not gold, especially if you are one of the unfortunate souls that make up some of India’s alarming statistics.
Did you know that India is a world leader for murder statistics at more than 32,000 murders per year? That is about 87 murders per day. Certainly off-colour for the country known for ‘śānti’, peace.
Or did you know that India has the second largest number of AIDS victims in the world at 2.4 million, only to be surpassed by South Africa.
Or did you know that India has more deaths in automobile accidents, at 1.2 million per year, than any other country in the world? That is 137 road deaths per hour! And some of those fatalities have been devotees.
India also boasts of 7.5 million drug addicted users and 6.2 million alcoholics.
Right. The ‘Good Times’…
Definitely not the pious India we read about in śāstra.
The question arises, just how pious is Mother India in this modern age (Kali-yuga)? Will India arise above the clutches of Kali?
When so-called Vaiṣṇavas, caught in the clutches of Kali-yuga, battle each other in the High Courts and in the streets for possession of land, buildings and money…it doesn’t seem likely!
More Articles by Swami B.G. Narasingha
The Sacred River Sindhu/Indus
‘The Sacred River Sindhu/Indus’ was posted by Swami B.G. Narasingha on his blog, narasingha.net, on October 2nd, 2011. In this short article, Narasingha Maharaja explains the significance of the River Sindhu and his pilgrimage to it. This article was later expanded into a bigger article called ‘Sindhu River – How India Got Her Name.’
Instructing the Guru
This article “Instructing the Guru” was written in April 2018 by Śrīla Narasingha Mahārāja who answers a question concerning a previous article wherein a Vaiṣṇavī writes a letter to her dīkṣā-guru and explains to him about the importance of śikṣā. In response, a question was raised by a devotee about the etiquette of a disciple instructing her guru.
The Atomic Ray – From Uniform Consciousness to Individual Conscious Units
In “The Atomic Ray - From Uniform Consciousness to Individual Conscious Units” written in 1996 Śrīla Narasiṅgha Mahārāja discusses the constitutional position of the jīva, according to Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura and Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta.
