Pleasure and Pain – Action

The article "Pleasure and Pain – Action" by M. P. Lakhani explores the metaphysical basis of human motivation within a Hindu theological framework. The author argues that God exists in an unconditioned state as Nirguna Brahman before creation. To create, God conditions Himself as Suguna Brahman, personified by the Trinity of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva, who represent the attributes of Rajas, Satva, and Tamas. Creation begins with the emergence of the feminine principle, Prakriti. Life consists of balancing the opposing principles of activity and inertia, spirit and matter, which results in duality, including pleasure and pain. The author contends that by the nature of creation, pleasure and pain exist in equal quantities. If they were equal, action would be futile, and death would be preferable. However, since humans do not want to die, they must find pleasure greater than pain. God created man to experiment and evolve through action. To incentivize this, God ensures that the sum total of pleasure is greater than pain. This is achieved because spiritual beings like Rishis, Munis, and Yogis sacrifice themselves and take upon themselves some of humanity's pain through practices like Samadhi. The author uses the example of Shiva taking poison during the churning of the ocean to illustrate this principle, which allows creation to act and progress. The article "Preparing the Women for Decolonization: The Role of Gujarat Vernacular Society (1848-1915)" by Miss Usha G. Bhatt examines the role of the Gujarat Vernacular Society in the social reform of women in 19th-century Gujarat. The society was founded in 1848 by social elites like Bholanath Sarabhai, Bhogilal Pranvallabhdas, and Dalpatram, with support from British bureaucrats such as A.K. Forbes and T.B. Curtis. The paper traces the society's activities from 1848 to 1915, focusing on its efforts to improve the condition of women. The author describes the pre-19th-century condition of women in Gujarat as miserable, marked by social evils like infanticide, child marriage, and the ban on widow remarriage. The society took up the work of women's upliftment, initially as a product of the colonized atmosphere. Its basic objective was to enhance the progress of the regional language, spread knowledge, and increase the rate of education. The society started a native library in 1849 and published newspapers like 'Vartman' and 'Buddhi-prakash', which generated an ideological movement for the betterment of Gujarati women. The society's main thrust was to bring about change in the social status of women. It took up the slow and gradual process to mobilize public opinion in favor of women's education. The society managed a girls' school in Ahmedabad from 1849, and the number of girls increased over the years. The society also encouraged women to participate in essay competitions and elocution competitions on social issues like child marriage and restrictions on widow remarriage. The first female member of the society was enrolled in 1892, and by 1915, there were 45 female members from Ahmedabad and 323 from Baroda. The author concludes that the society mobilized Gujarati women much before Mahatma Gandhi gave a dynamic orientation towards the problems of women.

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