animals | ऋभु वशिष्ठ (Ribhu Vashishtha)

Source : http://www.thehindu.com/society/faith/seeing-him-in-all-beings/article18619096.ece

Great learning brings great humility, for it exposes the extent of one’s ignorance. That is why Lord Krishna extols the vision of a true bhakta who is endowed with the knowledge of the infinite greatness of the Lord and of His all-pervading presence that inheres in the entire creation, pointed out Sri B. Damodhara Dikshitar in a discourse.

There are as many kinds of devotion as there are individuals. The average devotee is generally compassionate and affectionate to all beings, but feels a sense of differentiation between friends, enemies and so on.

The beginner in the path of devotion worships the Lord in the form of a deity or some form, but fails to accept His presence in other beings. But a true bhakta sees the Lord in all beings and also sees all beings in His Self. This vision is the culmination of jnana and bhakti and a bhakta never slips from this awareness.

It is said that once Saint Eknath, when retuning from Kashi Yatra, was moved to see a donkey almost dying of thirst on the way.

Without any hesitation, he opened a vial of Ganga water and poured it into the parched mouth of the donkey. He saw only the Lord in the soulful eyes and not the donkey.

In the case of Saint Namadev, he once chased a dog that had taken away the bread given to him by his wife, only to offer it the sugar and ghee as well which it had left behind. The dog became the Lord in front of him.

When Lord Shiva is said to have come in the form of a chandala to grace the yagna of Somasi Mara Nayanar, the Adiyar unhesitatingly offered the same hospitality he would offer others.

The Lord wants to show that in the eyes of a true bhakta, where Truth alone is revealed, there is no need for Him to come disguised.

Source: defencenews.in

The Indian Army has reversed its age-old practice of killing dogs and horses, if they are unfit for the service for 1 month.

A new policy that envisages proper arrangement for old animals’ suitable rehabilitation till they die naturally is under the defence ministry’s consideration, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar informed the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday.

Last year, the Indian Army came under criticism from animal welfare activists after the force admitted that it killed the unfit animals.

“Army horses and dogs are evaluated for their fitness with respect to the performance of duties. Animals which are considered unfit for one month active service are disposed of by humane euthanasia,” the force stated responding to a right to information query.

This triggered angry reactions from animal welfare activists, compelling Parrikar to take note of the archaic practice.

“The policy regarding rehabilitation of unfit Indian Army animals has been revised and necessary instructions have been issued to Army headquarters regarding immediate cessation of further destruction of old and worn out animals,” Parrikar said in a written response.

Euthanasia would be allowed only for animals suffering from incurable diseases, injuries and terminal diseases, but even those animals are to be dealt with as per the provisions of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960.

The defence ministry has also appraised the Delhi High Court about the proposal to do away with euthanasia of old and worn out army animals and their suitable rehabilitation till they eventually pass away. The High Court is hearing two petitions on this issue.

Army animals are being trained at Remount Veterinary Corps, Meerut and National Training Centre for Dogs and Animals, Chandigarh before they are absorbed into the Army.

Among the dogs, the Army generally uses Labradors, German Shepherds and Belgian Shepherds, depending on the altitudes and weather. Their tasks range from patrolling to bomb detection.