Values are the elixir of life
Most
countries which are less spiritual than India are less corrupt than us and they
suffer from less poverty. Why should we have any spirituality at all in our
country? Sadguru Jaggi Vasudev responded to this nicely. I thought of starting
my discussion today with his thought.
Centuries
ago, the whole world, far smaller than the one we are living today, no doubt,
was looking to ancient India because India was very much in tune with both the
outer and inner laws. Several tried to travel to India to learn and enjoy
visiting the country. Columbus wanted to travel to India but landed in a
different place; so was Vasco De Gama who landed in Panaji; it was Robert Clive
who made to Calcutta. What was it that attracted them to this place? Only
riches? Jaggi Vasudev attributes it to spirituality.
Spirituality
is something within of everyone and not one that you organize on the street,
according to him. But we are doing too much outside and call it spirituality.
“The physical existence is ruled by physical laws. If you are not in tune with
them you suffer. Various cultures in the world have done far better than us in
the world because they are in tune with the physical world.” However, their
suffering within is untold, because they are not in tune with their inner laws.
These inner laws teach us to be ambitious and not greedy; to have character
with competence and not jealousy and incompetence and to live by values and
culture but not by ego and extravaganza. Where are we after 71 years of
independence? Why do we see greed everywhere? Why do we want to appear
different from what we actually are? Politics and religion have some umbilical
cord and this relationship whether Pope and the Church, Mohammad and Islam,
Buddha and Peace, have all moved from the Court Halls of the then Kings or
Monarchs.
