24 November 2001, 12:02am IST
SHRI ASHUTOSHJI MAHARAJ.
Scriptures the world over say that world peace shall become a reality only if each individual is at peace with himself. we are a microcosm with all the macrocosm within us. little do we realise that rampant evil deeds are mere manifestations of the inner realm of an individual. a disturbed and violent inner core will generate only destructive and hostile thoughts. such negative thoughts are then translated into multifarious vices — the base of a ‘civilised’ society. the tragedy is that we are oblivious of our true nature. the ignorance of our true divine self separates us from our creator who is absolute truth, knowledge and bliss. god is within the body as atman or our real self. the present atmosphere of distrust and disharmony defies any hope of revival. the goal of global peace continues to be a mirage not because of lack of effort but due to lackadaisical and wrong approach by those who matter. perfect world order can be ensured by establishing a harmonious relationship with divinity. in man, divinity is inherent. the crucial thing is manifestation of divinity in man so that he can become truly religious. thereupon, divine attributes automatically flow out of an individual. according to swami vivekananda, this requires ‘outside help’ which comes from a spiritual master who has himself attained the pinnacle of human perfection. at the behest of his spiritual master, he stepped out of national boundaries and travelled to various parts of the globe, spreading the message of oneness of the human race. speaking at various fora, he said, ‘‘it is the revelation of the supreme secret that will enable one to understand the meaning and essence of ‘oneness’ of humans’’. pursuit of a perfect world order has to begin with an individual. it is not the global but individualistic approach that is needed to attain the goal. here the subject matter of our study is not the physical body of an individual but his mind which is the breeding ground for good or evil thoughts. many of us talk of value-orientation to education to develop a positive mindset. this would have its deepest impact only after divinity in man has been manifested. this will have a two-fold impact. one is the realisation that the same divine force operates through all, and the second, that our real self is above the body-mind consciousness. it is only then that the value-oriented education will prove beneficial for man. a negatively charged mindset has propensity for carrying out demoniac deeds and can stoop down to any level. a flustered and agitated mind is inimical to the interests of the family, society and the world at large. it can only sow seeds of discontent, hatred and animosity. a positively charged mindset is thus a prerequisite for individual peace and global peace. in case the forest is withered and is to be restored to life, we would have to water each tree in that forest. likewise, if we want world peace, we should learn to be peaceful ourselves. a positive mindset equips individuals with endowments of purity, self-control, uprightness, non-violence, truth, calmness, compassion and shuns covetousness. such divine propensities are conducive to god-realisation and the individual remains ever established in remembrance of god. we talk profusely of conquering fear, getting rid of self-centredness and mind-control. words alone will not create magic. let us sincerely ask ourselves if this has changed the obnoxious atmosphere all around. the situation has in fact gone from bad to worse. remember, theory is best understood through practical example. on practically perceiving the self within, we would notonly welcome but become receptive to theory. upon realising one’s divine self, credos like sarve bhavantu sukhinah or all living beings should be happy and vasudhaiva kutumbakam or the world family, are understood in letter and spirit, and no longer remain confined to holy books. sri aurobindo once said, ‘‘india will emerge as a spiritual teacher of the world’’. the time has come for india to spread the message of knowledge of self which is the only way out of the present imbroglio. spiritual revolution through the goal of atamgyan or self-knowledge, is the need of the hour. it is only purusartha or an object of human pursuit of the present, which would become destiny of the future. let us make our tomorrow peaceful by knowing ourselves. (as told to s k vasudeva)
No comments:
Post a Comment