An Effective Capability

There is a common complaint about people not following any advice related to idealistic pursuits. It is being said that these days no one takes interest in idealism, nor does one take the subject seriously.

Such statements do have some degree of truth since it is believed that efforts to motivate people for promotion of ideals are not always successful. Had the truth been otherwise, the preachers, who were not lesser in number in ancient times, would have totally revolutionized the world. There was a time, when this country had only Seven Principal Rishis. The number was small, but the personalities were so imposing that their ideologies influenced civilizations throughout the world and in the seven continents their doctrines of spirituality were accepted by citizens of all countries. In those days, there was a limited number of Sadhus and Brahmans in India; but they could reach the remotest corners of the country and educating people in codes of ethics, motivated them to become aware of advantages of duty-consciousness and mutual goodwill. What is the mystery behind disappearance of those mystical powers in religious movements of today? Why should clouds shower sand when they are capable of providing life-giving water?

There is a simple explanation to the decreasing influence of present day sadhus (saints and preachers). It is only the high levels of character of a person which leaves an impression on the common man. People with base character do not have competence to convince anyone about the validity of their statements. It is not possible for such persons to make others accept those doctrines which the former advocate as being contributory to excellence.

The status of a public speaker has to be higher than that of the audience. That is why a speaker is provided an elevated platform. It would not be possible for a speaker sitting at a lower elevation to communicate with people looking down at him. In order to motivate others for imbibitions of idealism in life, the adviser must be in a position to withstand any test, for credibility of one's own excellence of character. Otherwise, the advocacy would be regarded as hypocrisy. Introduction of any subject in the initial state necessitates a high level of expertise. Even in a preparatory school such teachers are engaged who have higher qualification in the subject to be taught. For example, authenticity of experience of a music teacher is insured before taking lessons in music from him. Whereas in other fields of learning this aspect of higher qualification of teacher may at times be ignored, in context of spiritual preachings related to idealistic and reformist transformation in life, it becomes an absolute necessity that the preacher also firmly believes in and follows in thoughts and action, the doctrines being advocated for others. While listening to a preacher people are much more interested in knowing how far the former has incorporated the recommendations being made in his own life. The upliftment of any country, religion, society or culture depends on only one factor and that is the related persons must create profound impact of the characteristic high values on those coming in contact by virtue of their own character and present themselves as an example. It must be emphasized that these values are not merely a facade of external appearance but are a product of emotional involvement, profound faith, and absolute conviction and its translation into action.

A combination of emotional involvement, faith and absolute conviction invariably attracts camp followers. With these faculties even non-virtuous persons attract many weak-willed persons, who become their associates in bad habits. This is how bands of drunkards and drug addicts are formed and gangs of thieves, bandits and vagabonds are created. The reason is a simple one. The leaders and motivators actually practice, what they preach irrespective of the propriety of their action or otherwise.

Words and deeds are like the two poles of an electrical field. By connecting them, the current of force in the sermon is produced. Otherwise, people begin to question the practicability of the recommendations of preacher. They become skeptical, wondering why the speaker does not adopt those very values in his own life which are being forcefully advocated as being of the highest order and capable of inducing a metamorphosis in others? A crosscurrent of thoughts passes through the minds of such persons. Is the idea of the person giving sermon practical and reform possible? Do the contemporary practices really need any change? Or otherwise, even if the arguments of the reformist are valid, then, while guiding others why does not the former imbibe the doctrines being advocated in his own life? The listener reaches only one conclusion i.e. the speaker is a confidence- trickster and the objective of his lip-service is simply to gain public acclamation. Further, while adopting low standards for self, of skepticism which alienates people from preachers of morality. he is attempting to derive those advantages which many other selfish persons and cheats obtain in their own specific ways. This is the type Vichar Kranti (Revolution of Ideologies) cannot be made possible by putting forth arguments like an advocate. In this manner, one may, at the most clarify some ambiguities of concepts, but it is not possible to establish new traditions with that much only. Disguised in many forms, within the personality of a preacher are a variety of evil traits like selfish motives, vested interests, false pride of personal superiority and a veiled sense of contempt for others. Unless control is exercised over them, the status of reformists is reduced to those of persons in a revelry changing masks and entertaining people. In society hypocritic actions of people assume many forms. It is seen that while marrying their daughters, parents oppose dowry, but when looking for a bride for their sons they openly or secretly take the advantage of this evil custom. This is how hypocrites in a reformist movement retard its progress. Persons arranging expensive exhibitionist marriages become poor and dishonest and change their masks according to personal requirements. Because of such persons, great revolutions like Vichar Kranti also become a subject of mockery.

If preachers also honestly resort to practicing their doctrines, they would not find any dearth of followers. The trustworthiness of saints like Nanak and Kabir for their sincerity of purpose and their unusually high talents had always strongly stimulated and motivated sensitive persons and attracted innumerable camp followers. However, to achieve it, the latter had to withstand acid tests of hardships and adversities of environments in their time.

A more or less foolproof methodology for counteracting the present day problems of mankind would require reorientation of mass thinking so that prevalent counterproductive ideologies are discarded and the society is made to accept a tradition of responsible, prudent way of interaction by presentation of logic, facts, evidence and experiences. This is, in a nutshell the process of Vichar Kranti. The second phase consists of transmutation of behavioral pattern. In other words, we may call it a process of eradication of evil traits and augmentation of virtuous traits in society. An endeavor to build up mass-resistance against the prevailing counterproductive values in the society and reverting the destructive trends into constructive ones needs a great deal of courage. Mustering courage for utilization of one's talent for a high objective is known as Pratibha Parishkar (Refinement of talents). This mega-revolution of the century would be made possible with progressive implementation of the above two plans of action.

The decisive factor for the success of this mega revolution is requirement of dedicated donation of time from zealous, energetic talented persons. TIME-DONATION (Samaya Daan) is the best amongst all types of donations for one simple reason. This particular act of giving incorporates an active personal participation of donor in the act of benevolence along with an interaction with the Almighty, since it comprises the only conjunction of God-given-time and personal endeavor of body which is also created by God. In order to be effective this process must combine physical activity and strong compassionate urge and involvement. TIME DONATION becomes fruitful only when it appropriately coordinates time, activity, pledge and dedication. With such a practice of TIME DONATION, man is undoubtedly capable of bringing the formidable task of Yug Parivartan (Establishing a New World Order) to successful completion.

 Source: Donation of Time - The Supreme Charity by Sri Ram Sharma Acharya

Change In Perspective Would Hasten The Change In Environment

What type of donation is most significant for a particular environment? What makes a donation most valuable? There is a simple answer. The most superior donation is that which alleviates the greatest suffering of man during a particular period. The adversity could be a draught-requiring drinking water for the thirsty, a famine-needing food for the starving, a deluge-necessitating a boat for rescuing the stranded or medical help for people involved in an accident. That is to say, the donation must supplement the most urgently required resources to mitigate maximum suffering of the moment.

Today, each one of us is in the vice grip of "misconstrued values". They are damaging the fabric of personal, family and social life of entire human race. Man appears to have lost his way and is wandering in labyrinths of mistaken ideals without any aim or objective of life. Perspectives have become so much confused, that one finds it difficult to distinguish between the right and the wrong and often takes unfavourable action for one's own self. In the epic Mahabharat, there is an episode about the visit of Kauravas to a newly built palace, in which swimming pools were designed to appear like spreads of dry floor and vice versa. Walking through them, the Kaurvas made a fool of themselves. This confusion in perspective brought to them only misery and ridicule.

Today, it has become desirable to bring in a change in perspective of mankind, in order to provide man a capacity to differentiate between the truly beneficial and deceptive detrimental courses of life. Norms of living must be based on universal brotherhood and equality amongst men. There should be an equitable sharing of resources. The policy of 'Be happy and make others happy' must be adopted in life. The basis of social interaction should be cooperation and sharing of responsibilities. One must not behave with others in a manner, which is not considered desirable for one's own self. None should compromise one's integrity under any circumstances. Injustice should neither be done nor tolerated. Neither should one exhibit one's superiority of wealth, nor someone be compelled to live in poverty. Modesty and civility must become essential ingredients of character. None should be allowed to become indifferent to codes of ethics in behaviour. Nor should one be given a freedom to exhibit an arrogant defiance to taboos. Let us create a society in which giving due importance to high ideals, everyone adopts a modest style of living. Society must create for itself a system, in which each member of the community is made to agree and abide by moral obligation and responsibilities.

Today, however, the situation is dismal. The ideology, norms of social interaction, interpersonal behaviour and aims and objectives of persons and communities have become more or less counterproductive. Everyone is impatiently contending the race for one-upmanship. Man is madly busy in filling personal coffers with things of status, comfort and luxury by resorting to all possible ways and means. Not only that, paradoxically, he is also having a false sense of pride in vulgar utilization of all personal acquisitions of wealth, material and status. Arrogant exhibition of improperly acquired authority and status is being considered today a sign of personal competence. Imbibitions of bad habits in thoughts and behaviour are making man increasingly discontented, restless and apprehensive. The prevalent environment of dissatisfaction, irritation, exhaustion, and despair is encouraging unending series of machinations, intrigues, plans and counter-plans of interpersonal rivalry.

During this century much advancement in science has taken place along with an increasing dependence on intellectualism. Nevertheless, misutilization of both have produced an ever-increasing deterioration in the state of health, poverty and unemployment for the masses. Toxication produced because of pollution has become the biggest challenge for survival of human race. Widespread phenomenon of drug-addiction and underhand machinations of vested interests indicate as though humanity is systematically heading towards committal of mass suicide. The reason behind this entire chaos and disorder is only one and can be summed up in just a few words. "Human mind has lost the sense of direction" (Buddhi Vparyay). This in itself is a crisis of faith in ethical values. (Astha Sankat). Today, the most unavoidable requirement of man, which is also proving to be the biggest bane of human existence is one. People are finding it difficult to adopt the proper ideology becoming of human race and translate it into action in their life. This degradation has taken place inadvertently and effortlessly. Water flows down the slope on its own, but one finds it difficult to lift it upwards. Modern man is facing an extreme crisis of courage for the right cause. The prevalent trend of corrupt thinking is easily influencing common man and insinuating one to adopt one corrupt practice after another, in quick succession. Corrupt mind has thus become the epicenter of the source of corruption and problems in the society. Corrupt thoughts emanating from each individual are spreading all around to pollute their respective spheres of influence. Just as stomach disorder produces toxins giving rise to numerous diseases of various types and magnitude, a sandstorm of distorted ideologies clouds the perspective of man making it difficult to see the truth and reality. Human endeavor is not an autonomic process of body. Each activity of an individual is strongly motivated by the person's aspirations, views and ideologies. It is the mind which governs the body. The body is compelled to act according to the dictates of mind, which is the central processing unit. A puppet performs only according to the will of the puppeteer.

In each part of this world, one finds numerous undesirable problems of many types related to local environment and prevalent customs. It is a common practice to consider each of these problems in isolation and seek a contemporary solution thereof suitable for that particular place. However, it tantamounts to application of a local anesthesia to the wounded part of the body. There does appear a temporary relief but as soon as the effect of medicament wanes, the problem reappears with the same intensity. Hence it is desirable that instead of wasting time in such diversionary tactics, all efforts are concentrated for bringing about a "Revolution in Ideology" (Vichar Kranti). Let this revolution be sweeping and powerful like a hurricane. Though localized cleaning of apartment and streets is also carried out now and then, an overall cleaning of widespread area becomes possible only by a strong wind and torrential rains. The proposed revolution is meant to serve this purpose on a global scale.

Thus instead of diluting our energy by indulgence in varied endeavours for local treatments, we must choose specific goals and attempt to achieve them with total involvement and perseverance. To a great extent it can be made possible by relying on realities based on hard facts and logical considerations. During the recent centuries two great philosophers have propagated their doctrines of "Democracy" and "Communism" so forcefully that two-third of the population of the world came under the influence of either of these ideologies. The remaining one-third of the world advocates one system of social organization or the other for vested interests. When confronted with hard facts, the latter class is also unable to justify its It was the impact of ideological revolutions which could permanently eradicate the evil systems of monarchy, feudalism, personalized money lending business, concept of nobility, slavery and other such undesirable practices, which had taken deep roots in the society since ages. Today, these customs are in oblivion and are casually referred to in some odd pages of history. Their significance and glamour of the bygone era has disappeared for ever.Nonconformity. The "Revolution of Ideology" (Vichar Kranti) is an unflinching crusade for resurrection of morality in man and is based on hard facts. Whenever and wherever such experiments have been carried out forcefully, they have been rewarded with miraculous results. It is true, that at times, the influence and outcome of such movements were not as effective as it should have been. The reasons for it were invariably vested interests and preconceived notion which the participants found it difficult to discard. ^-

In the present "Revolution of Ideology", priority has been accorded to up gradation of character. Modem man has become obsessed with narrow selfish interests. It has, therefore, become necessary to establish the conviction that being unit of the society, the interests of the individual lie in the interests of the society as a whole. Thus man has no alternative to maintaining an inseparable link with the activities connected with welfare of mankind. It would, however, necessitate a control and curtailment of personal greed, attachment and ego. Farsightedness, capable of differentiating, between propriety and impropriety must be inculcated even at the expense of a total disregard to age-old customs. An environment should be created in which each man is compelled to adopt such codes of conduct, in which modesty associated with mutual goodwill-both being ingredients of dignified human behavior, become indispensable. Each human endeavor must, therefore, incorporate a fair degree of cooperation civility and gentlemanliness. In nature stronger species rarely survive at the cost of weaker ones. On the contrary, generally the competent and strong beings are found showering their love, affection and cooperation on the infirm, innocent, submissive individuals. Had it not been true, the female parent of all species would have been devouring their offsprings and the biological evolution would have come to an end long ago.

Nowadays counterproductive undesirable factors have polluted all walks of life including individual's personal habits, society, administration, business etc. These pollutants are required to be extricated. The task is formidable and needs commensurate contribution of talents from each individual. This global war against impropriety would require a plethora of powerful multifarious armaments. Amongst the intelligentsia, the pen of the writer and communicability of the orator should become this weaponry. Substantiated with facts and figures, the oratory of the speaker must be so forceful and effective so as to enthral each listener and provide enough conviction and motivation for giving up impropriety. Singers, who have become owned the world over and are dominating the world of music in the contemporary society, must come forward and lend their voice to this great crusade. There can be no better penance for contributions to orgies they are being accused of. This is also right moment of redemption for the wealthy. In the forthcoming Golden Era undue possession of personal property is neither going to be tolerated by the administrative systems nor by the envious compatriots. Be it known, that in future, the foremost sufferers of the mega revolution will be the affluent persons, since over- Indulgence in sex, comforts and wants have always been regarded as the root case of many problems, crises and irregularities of the society. The possessors of superfluous wealth and property are, therefore, being warned to donate liberally, in their own interest, for promotion of contemporary religion.

There are many other systems exerting direct influence on public opinion. Amongst these, the media holds the prime position. The profession of acting too has become a symbol of power, guiding trends in society. They must fall in line. Whosoever has a quality of leadership must not waste talent in odd ventures for satiating personal wants. Instead, such persons must join the mainstream of reformist ideologies in the society and making a strong endeavor like Buddha, Gandhi, Shankar, Dayanand, Vivekanand and Vinoba, fulfill the dire necessity of providing the right direction to mankind. In this context, whatever be the status in society, none should belittle one's personal competence. There is a legend in the scriptures about a grasshopper who dared to defy the ocean and was helped in the venture by the great sage Agastya. Thinkers like Karl Marx, Lenin and Russo were not professors in some university. The courage shown by non-entities like Kabir and Raidas who fought a lone battle to provide justice for the downtrodden was exemplary. They worked throughout their life to advance the right cause. An uneducated farmer took a pledge to sow a thousand mango-trees around his land and became renowned throughout the country as 'Hazari Kisaan'. Strongly motivated individuals have tremendous energy. They neither care for resources nor look for associates and rowing their own boat single-handedly, take many more across the river. The strongest pillar of foundation on which the structure of contemporary religion (Yug Dharm) rests is the "Revolution of Ideology" (Vichar Kranti) which involves extrication of improprieties from the mind of common man, resulting in incorporation of codes of conduct based on prudence rather than dogmatic practices. The process would basically consist of transforming the psyche of the masses. It would, therefore, be sufficient to stimulate the contemplatory habits of common man so that he begins to think in the right direction. The faculty of empathy in the human mind is also required to be shaken out of slumber. A change in perspective would usher in a change in traditions. The talented persons moving in any direction of progress would not find any shortage of camp-followers.

The color of glass in the spectacles makes one see objects in that color. A mirror reflects one's own shape as the voice in an echo. The shadow of a person moves as a constant companion. In the like manner, whenever, the developed personality of a person determines to move towards an idealistic goal, the power inherent in the person reflects back from a multitude and multiplies a million fold. Such a person never feels a dearth of associates and resources. Only one action is needed. Enliven your own power of mind, strengthen it and associating it with excellence push it forward on the rails of idealism. 

-Pt. Sri Ram Sharma Acharya

Donation of Time–The Supreme charity - II

There is an adage saying charity begets virtue (Punya). Such a conviction is based on the assumption that “giving" is associated with emotional involvement and profound faith in the propriety of the objective, for which charity is being made. Where it is not so, and charity is preconditioned by ulterior motive, the act becomes equivalent to committal of a sin because of the reactions and environment it creates. It also brings in disrepute to both giver and receiver which is likely to be disastrous for both. Hence it is expected that the spirit of charity is also preconditioned with objective of excellence and discernment. Then only one may hope that virtuous benevolent activity associated with the charity would be totally beneficial for all related persons.

These days, the concept of charity has become shrouded with many misgivings, a reference to which has already been made in the beginning. Besides, such persons are rare who have accumulated enough wealth and are able to spare it in sufficient measure for some significant objective. Bhamashah could be called truly wealthy since he had the wealth of empathy which motivated him to donate a huge amount in cash to Ranapratap for a righteous objective. In order to be as illustrious as Harishchandra or Karna, one also needs an acute sense of discernment, farsightedness and largeheartedness. However, it is a rare person who is able to identify and make use of such opportunities. In most other cases, the earnings of fools are usurped by the cunning and in the process what the former get in return is public disgrace and creates bad consequences for all concerned.

Wealth is produced by a combination of physical endeavour and favourable circumstances. Nowadays it is not possible for most of the persons to create such an environment. In the existing milieu someone who is desirous of performing some virtuous acts of benevolence and is not wealthy, has to focus attention on that natural wealth which the creator has liberally provided to each living being. This natural wealth is Time. The chain of life is made up of links of time. A generous utilization of time becomes possible only for those active persons, who become seriously interested in some specific benevolent work. Whatever be the merits of any project, disinterest in it does not produce any desire for participation. Where there is apathy, and disinterest in any work it is either not initiated or is left incomplete and ill-finished. In the plethora of natural resources, Time has many unique characteristics.

Amongst the various types of charities, Time is ranked next to money. It is easily available to everyone irrespective of status and opportunities, since proper utilization of time is possible even by persons with below - average intelligence. Guidance for appropriate utilization of time can easily be sought from experienced and wise persons. Time is one such valuable resource which cannot be exploited by others for long. One's drops of sweat generated by hard work are comparable to beads of pearls, which alone have been the basis of great achievements of supermen. The donation of time must be associated with profound faith in the objective for which it is being used. Otherwise, any request for donation of time, gets a negative response and people make many excuses like preoccupation with other engagements.

The sadhna of great saints of the past became possible only by the difficult process of structuring and properly harnessing their time. All those schemes which these super persons had planned, programmed and implemented became successful only because of their meticulous utilization of time. Had scientists and inventors not focused their mental faculties and time on a predetermined objective on priority, there would not have been any hope for success? Social reformers have had performed stupendous tasks by donating their time only. The fable about Farhaad tells that in spite of his abject poverty, he was able to dig a fifty kilometre long canal with the exclusive resource of determination for utilizing time available to him. Looking back at the dignified status of ancient India amongst nations of the world, one finds an exclusive factor which contributed to its glory of excellence. The class of ascetics (Brahmans) and middle-aged priests were using bare minimum resources and time for their own sustenance and the remaining time was being utilized by them, with total involvement, for fulfilment of contemporary benevolent requirements of public welfare. Their dedication and spirit of service created a favourable impression on all and sundry, as a consequence d which, their counsel was heeded by all and ideals advocated by them were faithfully incorporated in day to day living by every citizen in every possible manner. This is how the dormant talents of people found expression as dedication to fruitful activities, which created an environment conducive to an all-round progress in society. This was the main reason for the prosperity of mankind during the golden era of Satyug.

There could be deterrents of administrative system for controlling lawlessness, but promotion of goodwill amongst people becomes feasible only by emotive stimuli created by the institution of religion, which constitutes an unavoidable medium for establishment of peace and prosperity in society. Religion also forms the basis for the development of communities. History has been a witness to the arduous journeys undertaken by the cultural ambassadors of India to remote corners of the world, where they succeeded in bringing in miraculous changes in environment of many communities by properly managing locally available multifarious resources, for removal of poverty and backwardness in alien lands. Stability of ideals throughout the length and breadth of the country and dedication to growth of excellence of its masses has been possible only because of persistent, tireless endeavours of the above class of Brahmans and Saints. Evaluation and confirmation of indispensability of such persons for the society and elevated status of their character has rightly ranked them as "Angels" or "Divine Persons" on this earth.

The ancient time-tested system of four-fold classification of average human life-span of hundred years which is based on socio-religious requirements of community life, lays great emphasis on the Vanprastha stage of middle age, which is considered an absolute necessity for each human being. According to the above system, having spent the initial half of life in endeavours pertaining to worldly affairs, it was considered essential for a person to devote the remaining part of his life for the welfare of the society. In order to make it feasible the family burden was reduced to a minimum. The wise persons never thought of rearing such large families, looking after which exhausted all of their time and energy. Those who preferred a family-life, had minimum offspring's and that too in the initial stages of married life, which enabled them to have freedom from family responsibilities by the time they attained the middle age. The guardians in those days considered it their bounden duty to provide guidance to the younger generation for self-dependence and cultural excellence. In the culturally evolved society of the bygone days, no one ever thought of leaving wealth or property as inheritance. Earning members made co-operative endeavours to look after the dependent members of the family. One member from each family voluntarily offered to devote all time for activities of social welfare and it was considered a matter of pride for the family. Amongst the Sikhs, one person from family chose to work for the Gum, and the remaining members shared the social responsibilities of that person. Such was the great tradition, which had made this land "Swargadapi Gareeyasi" (Better than heaven) and its people became renowned throughout the world as Dev Manav (Divine persons or Angels). Sadhana performed by those Deer Manavas earned this country such titles as Jagadguru (the Guru or guide of mankind) in the field of knowledge; Chakravarti in the realm of science and culture and had brought this country fabulous riches on account of excellence of managerial skill. If an effort is made to resurrect these ancient traditions, there would not remain any doubt about the return of the golden age of peace and prosperity (Satyug). In this way, mankind suffering in the inferno of confusion and turmoil can look forward to pleasant possibility of a new congenial environment of a golden future.

Man has become so much conceited today that he has developed an unusual expertise in counterfeiting dummy of almost everything. This tendency has invaded even the field of spirituality. The choice between the genuine and counterfeit is not easy. In search of peace and happiness one comes across umpteen avenues. The wise know the difference between the authentic and the fake. A child may derive pleasure by purchasing a toy elephant, but does it serve the purpose of a real one? The same holds true about the small class of super persons of the world who silently work for peace and prosperity of mankind, whereas the majority consists of imposters in the field. A rough estimate of the number of preachers in this country would put their number to about six million. Beside, there is a fairly large number of persons who, on one pretext or the other of promoting religion, are collecting donations and earning goodwill for themselves. With such a multitude of servants of humanity, one would have expected a high level of cultural status of this country if not of the entire world. But what appears is just the opposite. The class of persons, who are supposed to look after the problems of countrymen and humanity throughout the world, has itself become a burden for the society.

Here the topic under discussion is the relevance of donation in religion and in this context significance of TIME DONATION which is easy for all and sundry. Each member of human race, therefore, becomes eligible and is invited to make this contribution. With the help of this ancient tradition if we are going to explore the possibility of human welfare we must find out the means by which the present generation can be revitalized and motivated to adopt this great heritage, which is capable of playing a decisive role in structuring of a bright future for mankind.

The task, however, is not easy. Strictly speaking, one feels an urge for giving his time for benevolent activities only when there is a strong impulse and restlessness to contribute for promotion of ideals. Where such a high level of motivation exists, man moves relentlessly and zealously towards the chosen goal as though the very existence of the person was dependent on it. Not that in the process one does not come across tempting deviations and hurdles. Nevertheless, by cultivating a habit d indifference towards them one is able to resist the counter pressures. Such obstacles are like stings of a mosquito, which though creates a momentary distraction, but does not make a person change the course of action. Distractions and impediments influence only such persons who lack determination and conviction. Ingrained evil traits (Kusanskar), of our past life cycles, influence of prevalent practices and beliefs and advice of the so-called well wishers taken together, misguide a person who under their influence begins to believe that the only way to happiness consists of accumulating maximum possible resources for physical comfort and their unrestrained utilization for self. With such a philosophy of life man becomes self-centred and inconveniences caused to others look trivial where one's own interests are involved. Such is the course adopted by an average man today who takes pride in this dubious cleverness and tries to derive some superficial benefits out of it.

The pleasure from such endeavours is, however, momentary like that which one derives on witnessing a comic stage show. However, sooner or later this thin veil of happiness is lifted and the self- befooling individual is looked down upon contemptuously by the intelligent and wise men of the world. Such a facade of happiness appears appealing to only immature persons, who come under the influence of this class of happy-go-lucky persons impulsively, because of ignorance and become their camp followers. Besides, in modern times, when everything is available for a price, anyone can be made to speak, do or write anything to project someone's image. These machinations, however, do not last long. Castles of name, fame and happiness built with sands of hypocrisy have a very short life. Now and then one comes across many such illusive phenomena, but do they produce any reaction other than curiosity and amusement? Ultimately persons adopting such a way of life become objects of contempt and on knowing facts, all their kith, kin and associates part company. Someone has rightly said, "None is more unfortunate than a hypocrite since in days of adversity such a person is not helped by anyone."

Here the objective is to show the relevance of such activities of human welfare in life, which are from every angle significant, selfless, utilitarian and inspiratory. Participation in such activities becomes possible only for those whose dedication to ideals is of such a high order, that on every moment of life they feel an irresistible urge to donate their time, expertise and resources for promotion of excellence and have a sense of pride and dignity in doing so. All major events in history of man bring out one stark reality. Only such individuals had succeeded in spearheading movements for establishing ideals, who imbibed excellence as an essential ingredient in their own life and made total surrender of all their resources for them. These are the ' Time Donors’. Their endeavour is always perseverant. They never deviate nor do they stagger. Credit and honour woos only such persons. They are the truly great philanthropists. On the other hand there is that multitude of persons in a variety of garbs, paying symbolic tokens of alms here and there as a matter of routine. One comes across this latter class of people in every nook and corner of the world, but are they in anyway useful for the society?

An Unprecedented Opportunity Not To Be Missed

 

Human life is nothing but a chronicle of ordinary and extraordinary events . In normal day to day living one takes casual decisions in one's own stride, but in moments of crisis indecision or hesitancy in action proves to be disastrous. The warning divine signal which Samarth Ramdas received on the eve of his marriage was instantaneously received and faithfully accepted by him like a disciplined soldier. When the suggestion received through body was imbibed by soul, he performed such superior acts of national reformation, which became permanent landmarks in history. Shankaracharya, Vivekanand, Dayanand, Vinoba and other great men had also not wasted years in indecisions about the aim of their life.

 

Jesus Christ had rightly implored man to make use of the left hand for catching hold of an opportunity for reaching heights of excellence, lest in the brief time available for preparing the right hand, Satan misguides, making one lose some unusual opportunity for all times.

 

Moments of crisis necessitate immediate action. A little carelessness during the delivery at times becomes fatal for the mother or the child. Most of the road accidents take place because of minor mistakes of the drivers. With only a slight movement of hands an arrow shot at by the archer goes wide off the mark. Life of man is that-rare gift of God, span of which cannot be guaranteed for anyone. Who knows whether a person going to sleep today will not be found in an eternal sleep tomorrow? Who can be assured of a long life? Even well known supermen like Shankaracharya, Vivekananda and Ramteerth had died in the prime of their youth. Hence, it would be wise to take a final decision on one's goal of life in this rare opportunity of existence as a human being in this world.

 

We are living during the juncture of two centuries. The twentieth century is taking leave of us and the glow of twenty-first century is appearing like the golden sun at dawn. It is an unusual moment of history. It is like appearance of spring after a long hot summer when dark clouds loom in the sky and the vegetation dons its best yellow attire. For mankind it is an emotional moment, when the dying past is meeting the newly born future. During these momentous days, the enlightened wise persons are looking for a goal commensurate with human dignity.

 

Today, the history of human race is being rewritten with a fresh ink. During this turmoil, when nature is busy in bringing about revolutionary changes, the appropriate opportunity has arrived for man to choose one's own particular assignment. Those who do not act, will be later forced to accept, whatever role is given to them. When the train is crowded, a little effort in the beginning of the journey ensures one the comfort of a permanent seat till one reaches the destination.

 

In a stage performance, specific roles are assigned to the actors well in advance. When the curtain rises, the actors are merely required to repeat the process of rehearsal. During this juncture of centuries, each enlightened soul has to be its own judge and take an unbiased decision on the quality of next role.

 

The effect of environment on man is profound. Celebrations enthuse persons in the neighbourhood with zeal for participation. During a matrimony in the house, each big and small member of the family contributes its might according to one’s own capacity. During important events, only such person remains inactive and dissociated, who are not able to work because of either sickness or physical disability. The remaining are compelled to join in the spirit of rivalry and contribute to the success of the event in one way or the other. In opposite moments of crisis too, people are awakened from slumber. When a useful member of the family dies, all persons, belonging to that family are found stricken with grief and everyone accompanies the dead to the burning ghat or cemetery. Important moments of change in history arrive with certain responsibilities for everyone. Indifference on such occasions invites ridicule from even casual observers. In the forthcoming events of festivities, an all-round effort will be made to sweep out the garbage from society and give a new face- lift to the house by painting, white washing and interior decoration. It would be attempted irrespective of the limitations of resources. In India, on the occasion of Holi festival, every bit of disposable inflammable wood is collected and burnt. People embrace each other and exchange greetings. During the festivals of Holi and Diwali hardly any house remains devoid of activity. Lamps are kept in uninhabited houses to commemorate the memory of ancestors.

 

Today a new chapter is being written in the history of mankind, Herein, everyone of us is welcome to ensure a significant place and make a contribution to be remembered through ages and thus set an example for posterity. It would inspire many generations and will enable people to choose the righteous path and course of action. The size of a lamp is small, yet it is able to lighten a much larger area, expose the actual shape and size of things and disperse the pitch darkness around itself. This it does at the cost of its meagre resources of oil and wick. Is the worth of a man less than that of an earthen lamp? Certainly not in the least! It is only that giant tornado of inhibitions which creates numerous obstacles on the path to excellence. History is full of big achievements of great man. Can't we overcome or get rid of that tendency of inhibition, which brings us self-reproach and condemnation of the society.

 

Existence of this planet depends on the eternal principles of reciprocity. Generally an act of benevolence is reciprocated by expression of gratefulness. But one goes out of the way to make a total sacrifice of interests for those, who become helpful in moments of crisis. The insignificant contributions of Shabri and Gilahri became historical events for only one reason. Their actions were inspired by a deep-rooted desire to work for God. Narad was conferred with the title of Devarshi and permitted a free access to commune with the Almighty at anytime of his liking for one simple reason. He had totally dedicated his time and energy for spreading the message of devotion to God. The number of worshippers of Hanuman is far greater than those of the devotees of Ram. The reason is that utmost endeavour, with which he helped Ram in tatter's moments of crisis. He had carried Ram and Laxman on his shoulders. Ram had declared him as the senior-most fifth brother in the family.

 

Today God is exclusively and strongly desirous of creating an environment capable of bringing in a revolutionary change in the decaying culture of man. This will of God is the silver lining of bright future in the Twenty-First Century. It will be seen as imbibition of divinity in human race through the crusade of this mission for development of talent for righteousness. This itself is being seen by people as flame of red torch, symbolizing the Revolution of Concepts (Vichar Kranti) undertaken by the mission. The extent of participation in fulfilment of this divine objective will be commensurately rewarded and one would feel extremely fortunate for one's contributions for this noble cause.

By Sri Ram Sharma Acharya

There Is No Time For Complacency

The structure of human body is so much specialized in comparison to other living beings that man has hardly any need to think about problems and inconveniences detrimental to his subsistence. Why amongst all living beings who are found living happily and playfully, the human species, which is so much evolved, is plagued with problems? Today man is being strangled under the vicious grip of many adversities like sickness, sorrow, deprivations, misery, alienation and perturbation. Worries and apprehensions are one's constant companions. Everyone is found lamenting about one's own countless characteristic problems, because of which one feels strangulated in a suffocating environment. Is it not enigmatic that the most evolved species of this world has to live in most miserable conditions?

A little consideration would show that the reason is not far to seek. Today man has woven around himself such a strong cobweb of lust, infatuations and egoism that these worldly shackles continue to torment him day and night. A human being is so much eager to satiate his greed, bonds of attachment and ego that except aspiring for more and more one does not find time and energy to think of something else. Nor does one feel motivated to extricate oneself from this labyrinth and like a spider withdraw its web to escape from the confinement.

Man's natural needs are limited in number. They are easy to satisfy within a few hours of one's endeavor. There does not appear any need to beg or borrow. Fruits of one's personal efforts can be multiplied manifold. Perseverance endeavor for success, even in an unknown field, can provide one ever increasing returns. In the process, each moment of life becomes full of contentment, happiness and exhilaration.

It is an enigma of life, that living beings generally tend to follow a self-destructive course in running after ghosts of happiness. The moth rushes towards the burning wick-lamp and instead of receiving anything in reciprocation burns its wings and dies in misery. When birds and fishes look for easy food which is available without any effort they fail to see the deadly bait end hook of angler's net. A deer in the desert is unable to identify the mirage and loses its life running after the pool of water which does not exist. The musk deer wanders aimlessly in search of aroma emanating from its own navel. A dog feels happy in tasting its own blood, while chewing a dry piece of bone.

Being an intelligent being, man is expected to behave more prudently. He even does so to some extent, but in matters pertaining to collections of worldly objects and acquisitions thereof, he behaves like a maniac. For no rhyme or reason man keeps on collecting useless articles and not long after appears happy in discarding them. In social behaviour man emulates the flock of sheep, in which each follows the herd irrespective of destination. Swarms of locusts are overwhelming but they also lack direction and purpose. Consequently, they face mass annihilation in the burning sands of some odd desert or sea. But one feels bewildered in finding the human species behaving in such an irresponsible manner. Why does man, who creates wonders in the world without, behaves so foolishly for one's own self and heads voluntarily for self decadence, and even vehemently opposes those who desist him from doing so?

Skill and intelligence can be utilized in two ways. Irrespective of ethical considerations one can make use of them for achieving success in any field by taking recourse to all possible ways. In such cases, activities for the apparent personal benefits are motivated by selfish interests, for which man adopts all fair and foul means without any qualms. On the other hand, while utilizing one's excellence one can also give preference to ethics and morality. Here one takes decisions and initiates action only after thoroughly analyzing all aspects of propriety, honesty, responsibility and courage relevant to the issue. In latter case, human skill and intelligence keeps the interests of other beings also in view along with the personal interests and acts according to conscience.

Unfortunately in all endeavours modern man is giving too much importance to the apparent materialistic aspects. Materialism is dominating all facets of society. While interacting with a fair, young, attractive, well-dressed youth, does one ever think of the possibilities of contagion of diseases like AIDS, Syphilis or Tuberculosis, the person might be harbouring? The cunning and hooligans exert their influence in all sections of society and succeed in intimidating most of the persons. Most of the affluent persons are found in possession of wealth acquired by unfair practices. There are many imposters amongst the so-called leaders hypocritically advocating merits of idealism. On the other hand, there are persons who are always prepared to face any hardship to maintain their standards of credibility, talents and efficiency at whatever price they have to pay. For them it is not their physical appearance, but high character which becomes a source of inspiration for upliftment and progress of millions of other persons. Such are the individuals, who shape the destiny of super persons throughout the course of history and protect the excellence of ideals for humanity.

The lesser we talk about such persons who, are foolish, clumsy and are not prepared to give importance to anything in life besides exhibition of their cleverness, manipulation and vulgar displays of riches, the better it would be. The majority these days, consists of this class of people. Hence there is hardly any justification in accepting the propriety of the so-called “public opinions". One cannot hope to protect human values by emulating the majority of this class. It is thus imperative and proper that instead of getting overawed by the sphere of influence of the so-called great people one should seek the patronage of the truly great persons and value even if they are considered weak and subdued in the existing milieu.

Any reference to greatness in modern concept is inconsequential, since it is ephemeral and like a soap bubble floats high in the air and disappears in a short time. The discussion here relates to those who like a lighthouse in the sea remain unperturbed by the commotion around them and enlighten the path of many. Whether or not this planet is supported by Seshnag (a metaphorical expression pertaining to stability of solar system, indirectly implying dependence of social stability on wisdom) it remains an undisputed fact that dignity and reputation of human race depends exclusively on these idealists who can be relied upon for establishing lasting peace and progress. These are the persons who can be called truly prudent and contemplative.

Nowadays clever manipulating persons establish their supremacy in society following contemporary practices designed to achieve success by fair or foul means. The wise on the other hand, do otherwise. They think and act in manner conducive to promotion of discipline, besides enthusing people for incorporation of modesty in thought and character. Enlightened individuals having such dignified objectives in life never lose sight of the following three essential aspects of human existence and endeavour to seek answers to related queries. One: That man, who is an artistic creation of nature, unparalleled in animal kingdom, has been gifted by God with unique advantages. Why has Creator bestowed on man these exclusive characteristics? Two: How can one make the best use of one's resources and status in the existing environment? And Three: Since death is as much a certainty as birth for man and at any moment of life one is likely to die, how is one going to justify before the creator, the values of life chosen for self ? One, who on self-examination is prepared to answer these questions satisfactorily for one's ownself, is the person who has truly understood the sanctity of human existence and has made proper utilization of opportunity and activities in life. The number of such persons in a society may be insignificant. But those who have understood this concept are the exclusive individuals who could be considered rich in talents and having a high order of credibility in society.

Then, there are others who are least concerned about these virtuous aspects of life; who never give a thought to such considerations or do not find any necessity or time for them. Who would consider this latter category of humanoid animals as responsible human beings, who remain totally unconcerned about such vital responsibilities of human race? The society sarcastically refers to such persons as "Big", "Clever", "Worldly - Wise" and "Manipulators". Like counterfeit currency, such persons often establish their status by fair or foul means, but they prove to be worthless by all norms of dignified human behavior. The credibility of one's dignity is tested on the anvil of ideals. Only after going through this test, one becomes a superperson, who makes an impact over majority without any distinction of caste, creed or status. The zeal of such persons inspires everyone coming in contact and like clouds they shower their love equally and on all beings. Like sun, which illuminates and provides warmth to one's own self as well as to others and is ever active in pursuance of this mission, they constantly endeavor to acquire wisdom for self, attempt to make others wise and extend their warm-heartedness to all. Only such persons understand the mystery and purpose of their birth as human being and appreciate the responsibilities, which make it possible for them to live objectively and proudly and present before the Creator a satisfactory account of multifarious activities of their life.

It must be appreciated that even the lowliest of living beings, such as worms and insects pass their entire life in activities related to their own sustenance and procreation of their kind and that too more leisurely than a human being. If the life of man, who is the most beautiful creation of God, also remains confined to this much of activity, it should be considered most unfortunate. Hence, the aforementioned way of life is the only correct step towards self-evolution of a being. Researches in Hindu philosophy have established that soul too undergoes a progressive evolution through various life-cycles, in which, after inhabiting various forms of lower orders of biological species, it appears in human body. Thereafter, following successive births as a human being, it either again degenerates to lower orders, or progressively evolves into a superior person as a patriot, martyr, social reformer, saint, godman, messenger of God etc., and ultimately merges with the omnipresent Super Soul i.e. God. Hence, one is warned to be careful and avoid the pitfalls by following the righteous path. 

In normal situations of life one has the freedom of a casual approach in deliberations and actions, but often there arise moments of contingency necessitating quick decisions and immediate actions. Let us take some examples: One cannot remain indifferent to a raging fire in the adjoining house. When the signal turns green, the passenger has to show alacrity in boarding the train. During a written examination, all questions are required to be answered with total concentration within the stipulated time. Any distraction during examination proves to be disastrous. Unless one promptly treats a person seriously injured in an accident, the latter is likely to die because of excessive blood-loss. Today, human race is facing such a contingency in which one cannot afford to be indifferent.

Today, human endeavour is sharply divided in two opposite directions of progress and regression. There is not much time left to make a choice between the two. Boarding a train going in a direction opposite to the destination could be disastrous for an indecisive passenger. Time and tide do not wait for anyone. All great men in the course of history owed their success to timely decision of action for the right cause. Among such persons were Hanuman,Vbhishan, Arjun, Buddha. Had they vacillated in decision, they would have lost that easy opportunity to become great, which they had availed of by recognizing the need of the hour. A farmer knows that only limited numbers of days are available for sowing and harvesting. Any wastage of time during this period results in a big loss in the income from the crops. Though a habit of complacency (Pramad) is always the main factor contributing to huge loss in any venture, it must be remembered that there are moments of unprecedented opportunity which are very significant and are lost forever because of least indifference. Even the horse of the best breed cannot win a race unless 'it makes the best use of time with a steady pace. Whosoever followed the advice of messengers of God had left his name in the history in indelible ink. It is so well known how Dhruva,Prahlad, Uma, and Savitri were benefited by following the directives of Rishi Narad. However, there is no dearth in this world of fools who disregarded even the most valuable hints and messages. The sanctity of wisdom lies in its association with a fruitful endeavor at an appropriate time. That moment has now arrived.

-By Sri Ram Sharma Acharya