Then, a few weeks ago, the founder of Vitasta Publishing asked me to be on a panel for the book release of “Democracy with Dharma” by Salvatore Babones. For the first time, I reflected on democracy a little deeper, and came to unexpected conclusions.

Salvatore Babones argued that Indian democracy is looked down upon by international observers as greatly flawed, but actually, India is matching the parameters of a democracy rather well. He basically complimented India that she is a ‘good girl’ in the club of democratic countries, unlike Russia or China, and he gave the concept of dharma a role in it.

My first conclusion was that for any society, Dharma is far more important than democracy. If the society and its leaders follow dharma, it’s a good society. If they don’t follow dharma, it’s bad. Fortunately, dharma is still followed in India, at least to a greater extent than in the West, in spite of diverse attempts to draw Indians away from a dharmic lifestyle.

One such attempt can be seen in the concept of democracy itself: Democracy basically means constant confrontation rather than cooperation. We are told that a ‘healthy democracy’ needs a strong opposition. Yet a strong opposition means, that almost half of the voters did not vote for the ruling party and are unhappy with the government. They feel that they ‘lost’.

What makes it worse is that the opposition leaders now need to keep their voters unhappy with the government and make some of those, who voted for the government, also unhappy, so that they have a chance to win the next election. So instead of unifying the nation, a ‘healthy democracy’ is the blueprint for dividing it.

Further, money plays a huge role. Elections are expensive. Much of this money comes from big donors. Those donors expect favours. Usually, they want more back than what they had ‘invested’. Even an honest leader would feel pressure to “return the kindness.” This can shift decisions away from the public good toward private interests. And what about dishonest, adharmic leaders?
In most democracies, leaders are rarely moral figures. They are surrounded by lobbyists, secrets, and temptations. This makes them vulnerable. The Jeffrey Epstein files exposed how politicians (and not only politicians) can be blackmailed or bought, and make democracy basically a joke.

Another point: a huge amount of energy and money is wasted on persuading the electorate that the government policies are good or bad respectively and to give the government another term or to change it. Certain groups, based on religion, language, region, or class, are promised sops because of the number of votes they carry. Policies are shaped not by what is best for the country, but by what wins the next election. Naturally, the temptation is there to throw numerically small groups under the bus, as losing their support won’t matter. This leads to heartburn in society. Injustice is never a good idea.

Another problem is that many citizens are simply not interested in politics. Many don’t vote at all – in democracies like USA or India, every third person of the electorate – and others who do vote, are swayed by friends or relatives.

On top of that, media houses shape opinions by choosing what to highlight and what to hide. Yet are they free to choose or are the media owners giving the direction? So, in practice, the “voice of the people” is heavily engineered. And one should ask for whose benefit?

Democracy also often prevents leaders to take tough, but in the long run good steps, like cutting subsidies or removing reservations, because they fear losing the next election. And even if a leader dares to take tough measures, his decisions get stuck in courts, protests, and committees. In times of crisis, this delay can be costly.

I noticed another strange, but significant point. Before WW1 most countries had monarchies. The brutal assassination of the Czar and his family during the Bolshevik revolution in Russia was the start of abolishing monarchies worldwide in favour of democratic republics. The German emperor was forced to abdicate in 1918. Now, in 2026, according to Google only some 7 true monarchies exist, like Saudi Arabia, Oman, or Brunei.

How is it possible that in a short span of time, the whole world divested their kings of their power and got rid of their century old, time-proven system of governance? Some countries kept the king or queen as a figure heads; others deposed them outright. Naturally, this must have been orchestrated by those at the very top of the power structure in the world – possibly with the help of the two world wars??

So, the question is: was democracy pushed on the nations of the world, because it is easier to corrupt and blackmail newly elected, unexperienced leaders, than it is to corrupt and blackmail established royalty? And because democracy is also ideal to divide the citizenry and make them fight each other and not look up towards those at the very top who try to control all of humanity? Are the divisions between right and left, castes, ethnicities and religions deliberately heightened with fake news and even riots by the deep state, by paying activists? Did not the CIA support (or create) even ISIS and Al-Qaida?
It is unbelievable but, powerful men at the top of the pyramid also conduct abhorrent rituals, the worst of them involving torturing and murdering children – to please satanic powers.

It’s a dark world. According to the Indian Puranas, it is the rule of Kali Purush, where Dharma is tottering on only one leg. But there seems to be a positive change coming. Never before, had so much of those dark machinations come to light. Never before had common people access to what those so-called elites are really up to. The Epstein files play a big role in this. We should be interested in what is coming out and take it seriously. Especially Indians should not make again the mistake from the past centuries – in believing nice-sounding words from foreign invaders, when the intentions behind those words were malicious and their methods satanic.

India is still a relatively bright spot in the world precisely because of Dharma. Wikileaks had disclosed, that PM Modi is not only not corrupt but is also perceived as incorruptible. Yet this doesn’t guarantee that all powerful persons, who have influence on policies in the government, follow dharma and cannot be corrupted or blackmailed. Attempts are surely on to compromise influential persons.

The Mahabharata gives excellent advice how a country should be ruled, when Bhishma explains Rajdharma to Yuddhisthira. Ram Rajya scores high over modern, secular democracies – a dharmic, independent ruler who has trustworthy, intelligent advisors and puts the security and welfare of his people above his own welfare. Bhishma gives one more important advice: the Raja needs to worships the Devas (greater powers than humans whose benevolence is needed).

In contrast, ‘secular democracies’ have explicitly no place for the Divine. Science is meant to replace religion. We, the common people, should focus only on the material realm and forget our divine roots. Yuval Noah Harari, the famous Israeli historian and regular participant at the WEF, wants us to consider belief in God as ridiculous.

Yet our overlords (the global financial cabal) seem to take the invisible realm very seriously and take the help of demonic powers – to gain immeasurable riches and power. There are several whistle-blowers who spoke up, especially against the trafficking of children for sexual abuse, for their blood and for Satanic sacrifice. Several of those whistle blowers died under mysterious circumstances soon after speaking up. Some are fortunately still alive, like the Dutchman Ronald Bernard.

Bernard got into top financial asset management because he had no problem to put his conscience in deep freeze. His main goal was to make as much money as he could. He attended Satanic rituals ‘for fun’ and was amused by the naked women present, he said. But the breaking point came for him, when he was invited for a sort of upgrade. He was promised unimaginable riches, if he joins in sacrificing – children… This was the breaking point for him.

by Maria Wirth

Bernard tells his story here

child sacrifice ritual

if you like my writing, consider getting my books
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The post Let’s talk about democracy – and Epstein files first appeared on Maria Wirth.

Then I asked, “are you Hindu or Muslim?”
“Muslim.”
“Please don’t look down on Hindus,” I said.
“No. Never.”
“That’s good. I mentioned it because your Quran looks down on Hindus.”
“No, it doesn’t. There is nothing of this sort in the Quran.”
“I read big parts of it and there is plenty.”
“It is due to the translation. One must read the original…”
“Come on, languages can be translated. The translation cannot be so off the mark,” I tried to make light of it.

“Actually, I am an advaitin”, he surprised me now. “Have you heard of Sufism? I came to Delhi for a spiritual purpose – to visit the tomb of a Sufi Master.”
“Oh nice. I am also an Advaitin. Advaita comes from the Hindu tradition. I was so grateful that I have discovered this profound wisdom here in India. My first book I read was by Swami Vivekananda.”
“My forefathers were Hindus”, he said.

Now it was our turn to enter the plane and we separated…

The post Boarding a plane in Delhi for Chennai first appeared on Maria Wirth.

I wasn’t massaged as a baby and only discovered in India what it means to feel good inside, or even to be able to feel ‘inside’ at all. Yoga, pranayama, and meditation helped me. These are methods practiced in India for millennia, making people receptive to simply FEELING their inner selves without thoughts commenting on these feelings. These methods direct attention inward, where more blissful tranquility is present than we realize. Simply being aware how it feels inside, and even if you don’t feel anything, staying with it for a while, helps to direct attention in the right direction – towards our essence.

A vibrant stillness, pulsating with intense joy, is what remains when the ego stops making noise with negative thoughts and feelings. It is the invisible foundation of everything, the subtle essence in everything, hidden deep within every person, regardless of their external circumstances. And this essence is accessible precisely because it is contained within each human being, much like the ocean is contained within every wave, or rather, every wave is made entirely of ocean.

Theoretically, accessing this essence sounds easy: Attention must shift away from objects (one’s own person and thoughts are also objects in this sense) and toward attention itself. In other words, consciousness, which normally is aware of objects in this universe, must become aware of itself, or rather, recognize itself.

In practice, it’s not so easy, because it requires at least some moments of stopping thoughts, going deeper, and feeling this wonder of one’s own existence within. Perhaps consciously folding one’s hands in gratitude and noticing the goosebumps, and not brushing them off as insignificant and moving on in our daily routine. Access to one’s own essence is possible at any moment. Inner stillness and joy are, so to speak, waiting to be discovered. They are always ready, always present, and they may wonder why people seem to prefer inner noise and restlessness to this stillness and joy.

The mind pulls outward but it’s worthwhile to resist this pull

Yet strangely, it appears to be more satisfying to read the newspaper, or watch TV (nowadays it is looking at the mobile), or make a cup of coffee than to quietly turn inward.
For many years in India, I had no home and therefore had no newspaper, no telephone, no television, and no kitchen, and therefore plenty of time for meditation. I regularly sat for an hour each morning and evening, and earnestly asked for help to recognize my true self. Yet, I cannot say that I clearly felt my essence. It seemed more as if I were merely looking at the veils that conceal it.
Once, I even stayed for three days in a room furnished with only a bed, table, and chair, resolving not to write, not to read, and not even to go out onto the veranda. The housekeeper cooked for me, so I had nothing to do – I either sat on the floor trying to meditate, did yoga, or lay on the bed. Enlightenment didn’t come, but in the days following my retreat, an article poured out of me, which a psychology professor in Germany happened to read. He felt, I would be the right person to contribute a chapter on the Bhagavad Gita to a reader for psychology students. And a few years later I came to know that a philosophy professor of my own Alma Mater, Hamburg University, recommended to his students my articles to learn about Indian philosophy. Thus, my retreat led to a greater engagement with the world. It was personal evidence that meditation is not escapism.

Moderation and a pure aspiration are needed

However, some Westerners overdo it and can be very rigid when it comes to their spiritual practice. In the 1980s, I met Gopi Krishna in Dehradun, who had written several books on Kundalini energy. He knew that it is dangerous to overdo meditation – in a manner of “come hell or high water”. He had done just that himself and had subsequently suffered under mental problems for 12 years.
Kundalini is a powerful force, not to be trifled with. Because of his books, he attracted Westerners who had also meditated too rigidly, and I met several of them. Most had problems, and Gopi Krishna’s main advice was to lead a moderate life.

“We Indians don’t need to meditate. Only you foreigners do,” a friend once remarked with a smile. He had picked up a Frenchman in the city who was wandering aimlessly through the streets of Dehradun after a 10-day Vipassana meditation retreat. My friend offered him a place to stay for a few days and was then stunned at how inflexibly the man adhered to his meditation schedule. Indians are generally adaptable: his family only ate their meals when it suited their guest (in my view, they shouldn‘t have waited).

Small, but helpful reminders

Life in India these days is hectic, and few Indians take the time for meditation. They leave it to the hundreds of thousands of sadhus, or ashramites who have dedicated themselves, so to speak, to the professional and full-time search for truth.
Nevertheless, many begin their day with a small puja at home. In the morning, before the first passenger boards the auto-rickshaw, taxi, or bus, many drivers hang a small garland of flowers in their vehicle, fold their hands, and close their eyes for a moment. They surely do it with genuine fervour, for they truly risk their lives anew each day and need divine protection.
Many shop and restaurant owners also light an incense stick and pass it before a small shrine in a corner of their shop before attending to their first customer. They may be asking for good business, but it is a prayer nonetheless. There are also countless moments throughout the day when many pause and remember the divine. Every time I pass a small temple in one of the three-wheeled share taxis, several of the passengers look in its direction, lower their heads, and respectfully touch their eyes. Even ‘modern’ young men in jeans and with fancy hairstyles do it.
In the evenings, many light an oil lamp in the prayer room or in front of the house before switching on the lights. And at sunrise, many spontaneously fold their hands, and I get goosebumps.

Incidentally, according to the Vijnanabhairava, a text of Kashmir Shaivism, goosebumps are very valuable. It’s a moment when thoughts stop, and therefore an insight into one’s own being is possible if one consciously “catches” this moment.

I am often amazed by the many small “reminders” that basically everything in this world is a miracle. According to the Indian calendar, we are currently living in the Kali Yuga, the darkest of all ages, where the world has become materially dense and separated itself from the divine. But in India, this separation doesn’t seem to be quite as complete as elsewhere. People are aware that Ishwara or Bhagawan (they have many names for what in English is called God) is present in this world and in themselves. They see the divine in earth, water, fire, air and in living beings – an attitude that we in the West are slowly learning to appreciate, although for centuries we devalued such views as a “primitive nature religion”.
One consequence of this Indian perspective is feeling protected within the Divine, rather than being a lone fighter in the world, or rather ‘against’ the world. This is probably a reason why Indians are generally calmer. They have a powerful ally right within themselves, always present, in whom they can fully trust. This brings a certain lightness to life. And when one manages to fully surrender to this inner Presence, it occasionally draws one into the still eye of the world’s storm, where it is at home and where absolutely nothing can harm one. And who knows, perhaps it will let one be at home there – in a loving embrace.
For this is possible, the Indian rishis claim, supposedly from direct experience.

(The above article is part 2 of a chapter for the German anthology “Wege der Stille”.)
Link to the first part: https://mariawirth.com/inner-stillness-in-outer-noise/

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Why Hindu Dharma is Under Attack by Muslims, Christians and the Left: A Collection of Essays

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The post Feeling Good within Oneself first appeared on Maria Wirth.

Killing people, who go peacefully about their lives, goes against human nature. So why does it happen again and again? Apart from some pathological cases, the reason is that the attackers believe that they do the right thing. Of course, these youths are misguided, but by whom or what?

To be fair – the Jihadis are not the first to be misguided. Communists, Nazis and the Church were also misguided by divisive ideologies, which made them believe that, without certain people, everything would be better.

Fortunately, the Church had to give up torturing and killing in the name of God a couple of centuries ago.

Islamic terror is still one of the biggest threats. So, it is of utmost importance to understand what drives Jihadis.

Getting into the mind of a would be Jihadi

Ten years ago, the German ‘SZ- Magazine’ carried an eye-opening interview with a would-be ISIS-Jihadi that gives insight into their mindset.

It is about Erhan, a 22-year-old youth of Turkish origin. Some of his friends were in Syria. He tried to join them but didn’t succeed. A few years earlier, he had become dissatisfied with the lukewarm “Euro-fake” Islam that his parents practiced in Germany. He wanted to follow the real Islam and started reading the Quran. He grew a beard, prayed 5 times a day, went to the mosque and even wore a turban to school. His classmates asked him what happened, and he told them about the Quran. They never asked him again. “I had expected more opposition from them,” Erhan said.

Erhan was convinced that Islam is the only true religion, and he wants ISIS to create a state where “the Quran is lived as Allah wants it”. When the interviewer reminded him of ISIS’s brutality, he replied, “If one kills for a good cause, it is legitimate”.

He comes across as a naïve young man who wanted to make his life meaningful and found guidance in the Quran. He and his friends checked out several groups. They became convinced that ISIS is the best, because its goal is in tune with the Quran: the goal to spread the Islamic State till the whole world is for Allah.

Quotes from the Quran

“Oh believers, fight them until there is no more mischief and the Deen of Allah (way of life prescribed by Allah) is established completely” (Quran 8:39)

“Oh believers, fighting has been made obligatory for you much to your dislike. It is quite possible that what you dislike is good for you… Allah knows and you do not.” (Quran 2:216)

“Those believers who stay at home – having no physical disabilities – are not equal to those who make Jihad in the cause of Allah with their wealth and person. Allah has granted a higher rank to those who make Jihad… They have special higher ranks, forgiveness and mercy. Allah is forgiving, merciful” Quran 4:95/6

Could Erhan and his friends have any doubt what these passages mean? Does it need an ‘Islam expert’ to interpret them?

The command to fight the enemy appeals to young men. Islam is far more successful than Christianity to make men stand by their religion. Small boys like toy guns. Bigger boys need a good reason to fight. An alleged divine command to fight those, who are evil, is the perfect reason for many youngsters. Further, there is the ‘divine promise’ that if one dies, paradise is guaranteed, and if one lives, one gets a share of the wealth of those killed.

There are many passages in the Quran where the unbelievers are portrayed as most despicable, for whom perdition and eternal hellfire are certain (Q 98:6). So naturally, they are seen as subhuman. Even their torture in hell is described in horrific detail in Q 22:19-22.

Do such passages explain the savagery of terrorists? Have the vivid images of hell over the centuries instigated the brutalities of the Muslim invaders in India and elsewhere and also of the Christian Inquisition? Did such brutality against civilians exist before the arrival of religions which claimed ‘eternal hellfire for unbelievers’?

Erhan said that he would kill even his parents if they oppose the Islamic State.

Are we not responsible to stop these youngsters from destroying themselves and others? Yet is it possible as long as those passages are considered the word of Allah? Even if ISIS gets defeated, new terror groups will continue to draw legitimacy from those passages, and powerbrokers can motivate youngsters for their own interests, making them believe that Allah will be pleased. These youths don’t realize that they are used by the deep state for its purpose to create chaos.

Erhan’s parents tried to prevent him from turning radical. But what can they tell him? That he should not take the Quran seriously? That Allah didn’t mean what he said?

“What can stop you”, the journalist asked him.

Erhan: “Nobody can stop me.”

If a Muslim tries to influence him, he will see in him a hypocrite, who is as bad as a Kafir. If an unbeliever tries to influence him, he is convinced that he only wants him to leave ‘the right path’.

But there is one thing that can stop him: it is doubt.

Once doubt springs up, it is not possible to regain the former strong belief. It is my own experience, too. If Erhan starts wondering whether the compassionate Allah really wants all this killing, he can easily come out of the grip that blind belief has on his mind. Or if he starts wondering why older Muslims, even if they have a terminal illness, do not opt to become suicide bombers. Are they not convinced that paradise is guaranteed by killing others?

It would also help if Muslim youths realized that the leaders of Islamic organizations take money and do the bidding of those whom they consider their enemy. It was clearly on display, when Jihadis removed Assad in Syria. His removal was the goal of the deep state since 2012. Yet the Jihadis under al Sharaa fought other Muslims but stopped at the border of Israel and hardly protested the bombing of military facilities in Syria by the Israelis, whom they publicly declare as their greatest enemy.

A little thinking is required… Of course, there won’t be paradise for Jihadis. Humans are meant to live human lives. Muslims could learn from Hindus. Hindus don’t kill others for calling the Supreme by another name. Muslims are safe among majority Hindus – unless Hindus were gravely provoked.

By Maria Wirth

The post The mindset of a Jihadi first appeared on Maria Wirth.

Let’s analyze:

An Atheist is usually defined as someone who does not believe in God.

Now of course ‘God’ needs to be defined. In the Abrahamic religions, God stands for a personal God who is separate from human beings. In Judaism, Yahweh declared Jews as his chosen people. In Christianity, God the Father sent his son to earth to save humanity. And in Islam, Allah sent the last and final prophet, Mohammed.

Now in India, a personal God is not considered the Ultimate. In India, the Ultimate, is all pervading, not personal. It is called Brahman, Paramatman or simply Tat (That). It is form and nameless. It is the life, awareness and true Beingness of everything. It is That, what is unchanging in midst of this changing universe.

Science discovered the one energy underlying every appearance. India’s wisdom had discovered that this energy is conscious and blissful (SatChitAnanda).

Now, Brahman cannot be grasped by the mind, but since it is our essence, it can be felt, and be realized as real. To be able to realise it, the scriptures, like the Bhagavad Gita, give methods, like jnana or bhakti or karma yoga.

Here comes in the personal God. To feel love (bhakti) for That, which is formless and invisible, it is helpful to direct it towards a form and name, which acts like an access point, i.e. Shiva, Devi, Krishna, Ram, Ganesh, etc…

In Hinduism you need not have an Ishta deva. You can do Jnana Yoga (trying to get to the one truth by enquiry of ‘who am I?’) and many more paths are there. You are basically a Hindu when you acknowledge that there is a conscious basis to that universe, including your own person, that is immanent and beyond. And of course it makes sense to try to connect to that, more so, since the Rishis claim it is possible…

Unfortunately, in the West, the Hindu concepts are not known. So, when people lose faith in Christianity, they reject also ‘God’. They do not know that the personal God, who loves some and doesn’t love others, is not the real, ultimate truth.

This article goes into more details: https://mariawirth.com/the-problem-with-god/

by Maria Wirth

The post Can you be an Atheists while being a Hindu first appeared on Maria Wirth.