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India: Vision of the Wise
On August 15th, Sri Aurobindo, who worked ceaselessly for the freedom of India by participating in political activities, said, “ August 15th, 1947 is the birthday of free India. …August 15th is my own birthday and it is naturally gratifying to me that it should have assumed this vast significance. I take this coincidence, not as a fortuitous accident, but as a sanction and seal of the Divine Force that guides my steps on the work with which I began life, the beginning of its full fruition. Indeed, on this day I can watch almost all the world movements which I hoped to see fulfilled in my lifetime, though then they looked like impracticable dreams, arriving at fruition or on their way to achievement. In all these movements free India may well play a large part and take a leading position.”
India is a country unlike any other. Yet, India is still facing problems despite its rich culture and spirituality and all the advances in science, technology, and blossoming economy. “If India is strong spiritually, why the problems?” We asked Sri Madhav Pandit, who was a keen observer of world events. He said, “India exists because of its spirituality, otherwise it would have collapsed.”
“India’s true destiny is to be the Guru of the world,” said The Mother of Sri Aurobindo Ashram in the Illustrated Weekly of India in 1964. She said that the three main barriers that stood between the vision and reality were ignorance, fear and falsehood. According to her, India’s most outstanding achievement was the “waking up of the yearning for Truth because without Truth there is no real liberty.” On the other hand, India’s saddest failure lay in insincerity, because “insincerity leads to ruin.”
What is the remedy? If India is the Guru of the world and the Divine has chosen India to lead the world, we have to prove our worthiness. History reveals that positive changes take place slowly and unevenly. Our duty is to contribute selflessly to the society. This may sound difficult but there is no other way. For a country that is spiritual the problems have to be dealt with by the leaders who have developed their strength within. Leaders have to be chosen on individual merits, not because of their alliance to a party. A collaborative government of honest and sincere people is needed.
Those staying away from India can also contribute by money, material, or knowledge. Merely sympathizing or criticizing will not do. Sri Aurobindo has said, “It will be well when every Indian, instead of taking a wax like stamp from his surrounding, is able to carry India with him wherever he goes. For that will mean that India is destined to conquer and place her stamp upon the world.”
Sri Ramakrishna has said, “All is Narayana, man or animal, the wise and the wicked, the whole world is Narayana, the Supreme Spirit.” If indeed the whole world is one, can India not be one?
We need not doubt the possibility of a united India due to diverse cultures, faith, and languages. The problem of language can be solved by simplified Sanskrit, which must be the link language. India has managed to absorb the diverse cultures remarkably well and the clash of faith will ease with the passage of time. Realization has dawned upon us that unless there is harmony, all will suffer. Harmony is an imperative that will impose itself by necessity. Sri Aurobindo has said,“ all problems of existence are essentially problems of harmony.” “ All the tragedy in the world, in the individual and in the multitude, comes from lack of harmony. And harmony is best given by producing harmony in one’s own life” said Hazrat Inayat Khan.
The prophets of doom should remember Swami Vivekananda’s words, “Shall India die?” Then from the world all spirituality will be extinct…. Such a thing can never be. The power of suffering is infinitely greater than the power of doing: the power of love is infinitely greater potency than the power of hatred.”
Regarding the future, the words of the Mother written in 1950s give us strength and direction: "despite all appearances to the contrary, the world is on the way towards the true, towards the day when governmental powers will belong to those who have the true power, the power of Truth."
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