Articles for Saadhana

Harih Om Tat Sat. Jai Guru. Jai Guru.

‘P’ was telling me that I could discuss the subject of spirituality especially in the context of the present value decline and the so many threats that are facing people as a whole and our country in particular. On this I am very clear. Spirituality is a development from dharma. Dharma means righteousness. You will find that we have got something like fourfold ‘purushartha’. It is not four different purusharthas. Our purushartha is one, but it is phased into four, one after the other. It is something like so many different ghats as the river descends and proceeds to the sea, there are so many ghats one after the other. Similarly the first of the purushartha is dharma, righteousness. All the values with regard to the different facets and aspects of human life come under dharma. If you want to have an industry, that industrial life and industrialization must have its dharma. I don’t think we have observed it, even now we recognize it, or know it in full. Industrialization is primarily responsible for what? The warming up of the earth. So is the industrialization right or proper you think? So the value in the industrialization area has been disregarded, violated, or not known.

Through dharma we should acquire wealth. The acquisition of wealth either in agriculture or in trade, commerce or industry, all of it has to be covered by dharma, means values. Now through artha gained by dharma or dhārmic methods you can have the enjoyment and fulfillment of all desires. This necessarily means that there is no option in the pursuit of dharma adhering to dharma and without dharma if you acquire wealth it would be destructive to yourself, your descendants as well as for the society. When without dhārmic artha if you try to fulfill your desires, that also will result in disharmony and destruction. When you follow Dharma, acquire wealth and go through Kaama, enjoyment of desires, fulfillment, then you are ripe enough for moksha.

It is in the moksha sphere that spirituality actually comes into full relevance. So, so far as spirituality and spiritual pursuit are concerned I don’t think we can attack it or find any disharmony in it compared to the value decline that we have. Whether you become spiritual or not, the values are necessary. Suppose you close your nose and sleep will you survive? So the value of breath, the value of the intake of air is certainly to be observed and every value means some standard, some ideal, some regulation, some restraint, some discipline. Now if you don’t go in for spirituality, when there is a violation of dharma either in the individual or in the family or in the society or in the nation or the world you will find that destruction will be the result.

By dharma do not restrict it to religious dharma. Dharma relates to the human mind, its character, behavior and interaction. The human intelligence, its pursuit of knowledge and the application of the knowledge, all values are relating to these two. As I always say, every value when properly exposed will generate and warrant an emotional persuasion from the mind, and a rational compulsion from the intelligence. Now what we find is not spirituality, the lack of it or otherwise. It is the violation, not adhering to the values, dharmās. And whenever that takes place automatically destruction will follow. Whenever there is a value decline it has to be detected. We don’t have to wait for value decline. If we have anything called a system of education, that system of education right from the start should also make a provision, a fundamental inevitable provision to teach dharma or values of human life. It is something to be known. And knowledge will be acquired only when exposed. So the exposure is necessary right from the childhood.

Generally the values are taught at home by the parents. The first example for it is that Pareekshit put a dead cobra on the neck of Sameeka Maharshi who was sitting in his ashram absorbed in meditation. Coming to know that this kind of an injustice has been done, Sameeka’s Maharshi’s son instantly pronounced a curse. Coming to know of that when the child narrated the incident the first thing that the father said is that, “You have done something wrong. For a small crime you have given a huge punishment. We are supposed to be tolerant. We are austere people and the Atma is always nirguna. After all what can others do? I have removed the cobra, the dead cobra, it didn’t do any harm to me, I also did not harm it. Why should you go in for it?” In this way you must be able to impart values to the children born to you in your home or nursing homes. The rest of the values with regard to different aspects of human life- trade, commerce, industry, agriculture, everything, that has to be taught in the academic centers.

Now suppose any decline of values is seen, I know that as the population increases and the circulation of money also grows there is bound to be decline of value and also violation. But, but, that ‘but’ is important. There must be some people to detect these, forewarn the society. So for the lack of thinkers and their efforts to restore values and to remind the society about the values I cannot excuse a society. Value decline is accepted but the remedial measures if not instituted cannot be condoned at all. So there should be a widespread recognition for preserving the values and this recognition should be followed by an action. Which is the best example for it? I think our Kurukshetra dynasty itself is the best example. The Pandavas and the Kauravas were equally taught, trained, and educated by Bheeshma. You cannot expect a better personality than Bheeshma. Duryodhana team, the larger in number decided not to heed the grandfather. They found their own violative process. Ultimately Bheeshma said, “Let us divide the country and let Pandavas go to Indraprastha, you remain in Hastinapura”. Duryodhana was not happy. He wanted to snatch everything, made many, many things. Thirteen years they were outside, Pandavas. When they came back they asked for the kingdom. He said, “I will not give you, Fight it and get it.” Finally the Mahabharata war came. Now they were brothers. Yudhishtira had a smaller army. Duryodhana had a bigger army shielded by Bheeshma, Drona and others. Now you tell me. Yudhishtira was never interested in fighting. He sent Krishna as an ambassador to bring about a pact between them. That also failed. Ultimately, ultimately, please, please, understand what I say. In spite of the ties of blood, ties of blood, and resistance from so many quarters including mind, intelligence and ego, the Pandavas did fight and in the whole fight, 45 lakhs of people were killed – 10.

Now in order to resist, that is where we don’t take our lesson. In order to resist the Kaurava army, Pandava army also had to die. So whenever we speak about ‘dushta nigraha’ the ‘dushta nigraha’ was not walking over a bridge. It was walking through fire. In order to kill them, in order to kill them, kill them, all the pandava army had to be sacrificed. Unless that resistance was made at that time what would have been the situation in India? Now here don’t blame spirituality for the present crisis. Spirituality is safe in its own way. What is lacking is, dhārmic education is lacking, and dhārmic values when violated sufficient detection and resistance are not being organized, even if they are organized they are not put into effect. I think that Mahabharata war is the best example for us. We never fought outside the country for gaining the kingdom. But we have fought internally whenever it was necessary. That internal fight will come only when you are pushed to a corner. So I believe more of value decline should be there and the threats and dangers should be more universal and intense. Then everybody feels that this cannot be tolerated anymore. At that time a lot of people will rise in rebellion and in that rebellion maybe many others will fall, some of the resisting people or maybe most of them will also have to fall. In any fight it is the case. So it is not spirituality that is at stake or wrong but it is the dhārmic resistance to adharma is lacking now.

How to arouse the people in this context if you ask me, I am a spiritual thinker, I am prepared to arouse them and I do so. But this is not my area. This is the area of administration. The people of administration will have to sense it and many thinkers will have to point out. Many thinkers may have to point out. Yesterday I had a conversation with ‘B’ and he gave me a number of facts whereby he says there is a lot of arsenic being consumed by us. There is a lot of mercury being consumed by us. The body is in a threat. It doesn’t know when arsenic and mercury enter the system, the body literally knows how to tackle it. It is not able to throw it out. Now I asked him, why are these scientists keeping quiet. Now you know this medicinal world is so prestigious on the one hand, resourceful that they never allow the doctors to think as to the cause of diseases. They only prescribe medicines for the trouble but why the trouble is generated they are denied to think. So much of propaganda is going on.

So I think values have to be recognized, value decline has to be detected, and there should be resistance to that decline, corrective measures and in the corrective measures you will have to find, you will have to be very forceful, forceful dhārmically and if necessary the Mahabharata war will have to repeat. Unless we have more educational methods, say if Duryodhana was informed and he was told of the consequences and he was able to accept it. This is what happened in the second world war. Japan was invited to an atomic explosion. They were told in spite of all these things, ultimately they played a game. What is that game? If you want to try your atom bomb now is the time. After two months Japan will fall. This was the last advice given by the military advisor. And that was accepted. So I think we are yet to know how value decline has to be met and how value has to be restored. So spiritual people are very safe, spirituality is also safe, you have no offense or defense against it but where we lack is the awareness that dharma has to be necessary in the acquisition of wealth and in the fulfillment of desires. Only such artha and kāma will survive and remain harmless and useful when it is gained and applied through dharma. This is what Veda Vyasa says. Five thousand one hundred years back he said.

I am lifting my hands up and crying aloud, shouting aloud. What? Dharmāt arthascha kāmascha, From Dharma, from dharma, from dharma, you get artha wealth, you also get enjoyment and fulfillment of desires, Kama. From Dharma you get both. What is it that you want? Artha and kāma. And Dharma gives you in the best possible sustainable manner. In spite of the fact that dharma promises to give you wealth and the desire fulfillment, why is it that people are not heeding it? Why is it that people are not heeding it? He cries aloud in this manner. So I think it is a very pathetic situation which was there perhaps 5100 years back. And it is repeating now. And we should not be afraid. There should be resistance to adharma. And the resistance will have to be forceful and powerful to any extent. Like Bheeshma and Drona shielding adharma, in spite of it Pandavas faced them. They were doubtful on so many accounts and reluctant. There was a Krishna to goad them up, to goad them up, to ensure that the resistance was dhārmic and adharma was made to fall.

And ultimately what did Krishna do as part of his own value adherence? He decided that his own army which had helped him to destroy the wicked people had become proud. Nobody would face them. When he was there he could control and lead them. The moment he went they will go out of control. Seeing that it is so, like bamboo fire, bamboo rubs against each other and a fire is born. It destroys the whole cluster when it has spread wildly. In the same manner, he generated, he generated tension within that army within the yādava clan and they started fighting each other. When Krishna and Balarāma went there, they had beat them, they beat them back also. Ultimately Balarāma withdrew, dropped his body in yogamudra, yogāsana. Krishna also went and leaned against an Ashwattha tree when he was shot. Just imagine. As a part of the value survival program, value sustaining program, Krishna did everything and ultimately destroyed his own clan and finally his own body. This is the way you have to look at life. The manner in which the great Krishna led himself to the end of his dynasty and himself. I think you have to think quite a lot to understand and appreciate. How did our thinkers describe all these things without any qualms or reluctance in their mind, so openly?

Harih Om Tat Sat. Jai Guru. Jai Guru.