Neurons, Oxygen & Nanak Quotes

“One of these individuals, whose apparently divine subjective experience of transcendence led to the birth of one of the relatively modern religions of planet earth, was a man named Nanak. In an effort to diminish the contemporary conflicts between the Hindus and the Muslims, he ended up becoming the founding patriarch of yet another circle of religious ideologies – Sikhism – a child religion born from the wedlock between Hinduism and Islam.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Neurons, Oxygen & Nanak

“India was and to some extent, still is, a nation where its citizens care more about their religious freedom than any other earthly possession. Give them food or not, it doesn’t matter to them, as long as they are allowed to practice their religion. But, take away their religion, they will fight till the last breath of their life.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Neurons, Oxygen & Nanak

“All these stories of Janamsakhi were like an artistic instrument that was yielded more to spread Nanak’s spiritual sovereignty as a mystical prophet than as an effective teacher in flesh and blood. In the midst of ignorance and mystical craving, they provided a simple method to guide people, or rather allure them to a newly formed religious path by sermonizing through stories of mystical non-sense.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Neurons, Oxygen & Nanak

“What one person calls miracle, I call nature.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Neurons, Oxygen & Nanak

“Without the mind there is no God.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Neurons, Oxygen & Nanak

“Nanak’s encounter of God and God’s court was in fact a profound hallucinatory Near-Death Experience caused by drowning that strengthened his pre-conceived notion of a rational, compassionate and unorthodox society.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Neurons, Oxygen & Nanak

“All of his (Nanak's) progressive thinking attained absolution at the age of 30, when he had the transcendental experience, quite similar to that of Mohammed and Joan of Arc, that was about to rock the very foundation of orthodox Hinduism in India.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Neurons, Oxygen & Nanak

“We scientists perceive it as the Truth that will give us absolute understanding of the universe – which is impossible at the moment for a young species like us. On the other hand, the mystics perceive the Ultimate Truth, to be the attainment of Absolute Divinity, which all the religious giants experienced. But this attainment, is nowhere near the actual Ultimate Truth – it is only a subjective experience of the mind, evoked by specific internal and external stimuli.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Neurons, Oxygen & Nanak

“All religions are mere echoes of this one great religion of Humanism.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Neurons, Oxygen & Nanak

“As a sign of utmost gratitude for his contributions to the Indian society in restoring equal rights of the citizens, I confer him (B.R. Ambedkar) the title “Martin Luther King Jr. of India.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Neurons, Oxygen & Nanak

“Sikhism emerged as a ray of hope for the people of India who were stuck in obscurity – who craved for a way out from the rigorous battle between Hindu and Muslim orthodoxy.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Neurons, Oxygen & Nanak

“The entire Granth Sahib, which is the central scripture of Sikhism, is basically an elaboration of the Mool Mantar.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Neurons, Oxygen & Nanak

“I don’t see doctrines, when I talk about religions. All I see are different experiential realities of the one and the same neuronal Kingdom of God.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Neurons, Oxygen & Nanak

“The traditional Indian mind has been for centuries, and still is, first religious, and then everything else.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Neurons, Oxygen & Nanak

“In India, it is religion that forms the very core of the national heart. It is the backbone - the bed-rock - the foundation upon which the national edifice has been built.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Neurons, Oxygen & Nanak

“Without the Mind, there is no God. Without you, there is no God.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Neurons, Oxygen & Nanak

“Your mind is not merely the vehicle of God, rather it is the life-force that keeps God alive. Without the Mind, there is no God. Without you, there is no God.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Neurons, Oxygen & Nanak

“Forget the Bible, the Quran, the Vedas, the Granth Sahib, and all the scriptures in the world. None of them will show you the Great Eternal Truth. None of them will show you the Kingdom of God, for the real Kingdom of the Ultimate Truth is inside your mind. It was born in you when you were born. And it will cease to exist when you die. Your mind is not merely the vehicle of God, rather it is the life-force that keeps God alive. Without the Mind, there is no God. Without you, there is no God.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Neurons, Oxygen & Nanak

“My Sikh sisters and brothers proclaim with utter glory and faith “Jo Bole So Nihaal, Sat Sri Akaal”, I say ”Jo Anubhava So Nihaal, Sat Sri Akaal”. My translation of the former is “He who utters ‘Great Eternal Truth’ becomes joyous”, while the latter translates to “He who experiences ‘Great Eternal Truth’ becomes joyous”.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Neurons, Oxygen & Nanak