A CLEAR PICTURE OF THE 4 LEGS OF TRUE RELIGION part 1

Human life is bound by inner duties and external responsibilities. In order that human greatness proliferates in both these areas culture and civilizations have come into being which lay down the ‘do’s and don’ts’ of thinking and character carving. Culture is internal, Civility is external, Spirituality is internal and Ethics is external. Spiritual aims are attained via its philosophy and a disciplined character helps in adherence of ethics. The peripheries of all religious precepts that influence human glory in a big way are limited to these 2 aspects. It has already been said that the inner core of religion is spirituality and its outer shell is wholesome social behavior laced with ethical activities. These are the 4 pillars of religion. If anyone requires more clarity on these the following paragraphs can do the needful.

1) SPIRITUALITY: True spirituality exists where the psyche oozes with sacred beliefs, faiths, aspirations, sentiments, zest and habits. The fount or root source of man’s personality and character lies here. It is that inspiration which gives direction to the mind’s thinking process. If prejudices exist they result in imaginations, arguments and logical proof. These in turn help the intellect to take informed decisions. The brain obeys commands emanating from the deep recesses of our psyche. It finds ways of fulfilling that which is pleasurable, it finds solutions for various problems and thus commands the body to act as per the directions of the inner psyche.

In a nutshell we can say that this inner designing of the psyche decides man’s past history, endeavors of the present and destiny of future times. This designing helps us measure man’s inner stature. It is as a reaction of this area that other individuals approach us as foes or friends. This is the focal point that decides the direction of man’s life. On its basis man experiences a downfall or otherwise, joy or sorrow and success or failure. Spiritual philosophy came into existence solely for the purpose of overcoming demonic tendencies of the psyche from their very roots and replacing them with sacred qualities like divine wisdom etc.

Spiritual philosophy is the foundation stone of attaining spiritual grandeur/greatness. The gigantic mould of Brahma Vidya (Divine Wisdom) has been cast so as to attain this divine glory. The fundamental aim of precepts that talk of God, soul, demigods, other world, heaven, reincarnation, fruits of ones actions, salvation, hell, liberation, emancipation, devotion, spiritual practices, Sidhis (Divine Powers) etc. is to dissuade man from imbibing lowly aspirations and instead aspire for higher peaks of human glory. For this various religions ordain mankind to absorb sacred thinking and act ethically in their day to day worldly transactions.

The fundamental basis of spirituality is refined faith. True faith is certainly not the figment of ones wayward imagination. It should not be labeled as ‘doubt’. Hence spiritual precepts are given a sound footing by giving proof in the form of various scriptural injunctions, great speech of Rishis, saints etc, divine inspirations, God’s commands, discourses and mythology. It is left to Spiritual Philosophy to prove all this via logic, precepts and sound arguments.

2) ETHICS AND APPROPRIATE BEHAVIOR: Wholesome behavior encompasses observations of ethics, integrity etc in ones professional and social life. The chief aim of all religious scriptures is to make laws based on ethics, ideals etc. Smritis (Indian scriptures) have detailed man’s inner and external (social) duties and responsibilities. It can be said to be a vow or resolve of imbibing sacred actions and duties. Duty is emphasized upon and rights are said to be secondary. Further mankind is urged to ignore worries related to enticements, fear, pressures etc and instead focus one pointedly on an ethical and righteous way of living.

Ethics based scriptures (Neeti Shastra) urges world humanity to imbibe oneness of soul with all living beings, gentlemanliness, sacred character, self control and simple living-high thinking. We must celebrate birthdays of great people of the world who renounced their all for the sake of great ideals. Hence sermons and discourses that describe the lives of such great souls are given so that man too gets inspired to follow in their footsteps. In this manner the layman’s self control can be nourished and he will willingly imbibe a sacred way of living. An important point to be noted is that when man vows to lead an ethical life hardships do come his way. At such times material lures and enticements have to be curbed via self control (Sanyam). This control is called Laya sadhana. Why is a man of true austerities very powerful mentally? The answer is that he gives up desires for selfish gains and instead channels his energy in the direction of world welfare. In this manner he himself attains soul fulfillment, respect from the world, love and cooperation and divine grace without even having an inkling of such desires in his mind. Meaning all this comes his way, unasked and unsolicited. Ethics can be nurtured only when greatness enters every pore of our mental character, actions and inner qualities. In this manner our character and personality touch heights of human grandeur and glory.

Ethics and ideals have been classified and described from many standpoints. Manu Smriti describes 10 characteristics of ethics. Almost all these have been elucidated in the Yama-Niyama aphorisms of Raja Yoga. In other religious texts all this has been covered albeit with minor variations here and there. It is these common principles of ethics in various religions that makes us say that fundamentally all religions are one. Of course the mode of application and methods of imbibing these ethics in day to day living do vary amongst various religions. The outer shells of tradition in various religions have come to being depending on the circumstances prevailing in those times when a particular religion was established. These traditions change when times and external circumstances change. It is but natural that when these traditions become worn with age distortions and taints enter them. Under such circumstances it becomes imperative that they be transformed and reformed in a wholesome manner. Despite this the fact remains that the principles of ethics that urge mankind to live a life of human greatness remains intact. It is hence in this context that we proclaim that all religions are eternal in nature.

3) WHOLESOME SOCIAL BEHAVIOR-DISCIPLINE AND ETIQUETTE: It is most required that when we come in contact with other our behavior should be polite and gentlemanly. We must protect the dignity and self respect of everybody. We are members of the human family and hence we must respect others and not come in the way of their wholesome aspirations in life. Although it is excellent that we imbibe gentlemanliness we must never bloat about it i.e. do not blow your own trumpet of greatness. Right from having conversations with others and other day to day transactions this sort of discipline must be observed. Even when others do not cooperate or that if you are facing harsh times never give up your gentlemanly character. At all costs indiscipline must be shunned like plague. When out of wrath we hurl abuses and insults at others know for sure that we are exhibiting our inner lowly stature. Even while dealing with the ugliest natured individuals never lose your mental calm.

Civic scriptures elucidate many methods whereby without harming others or coming in their way we can safely lead a hallowed lifestyle. We all have different notions of how to lead a wholesome life. Hence it is most important that every individual tries to understand the others viewpoint without bias or prejudice. Never say ‘only my viewpoint is right and that you must follow the same’. We must ourselves first understand and then help others understand and studiously stay away from verbal duels unless of course in those rare and exceptional case it cannot be adhered to.

We must behave with others exactly in the way which we like others to behave with us. It encompasses not only politeness and etiquette but al those actions which augment others comfort and never inflicts ill will on them. Time management should be given due respect, one must abide by the promises given to others (accountability) and be committed to ones daily duties. All these will ensure that you will slowly but surely climb peaks of glory. Never promise something which is beyond your ken and reach. To establish a bond of trust never act distrustfully. Human glory goes down the drain when by using criminal means a person tries to fulfill his selfish desires. One must religiously abstain from such means of earning wealth. Today in the economic arena foul, ethical and illegal means for earning wealth is on an alarming rise. Laborers put in only 50% effort, businessmen loot their customers by taking exorbitant profits and criminal minded people walk freely in society with total disdain for law and order. Hence it should be seen to it that not only should we refrain from such criminal leanings but that never allow others to do so too.

Just as good behavior means gentlemanliness and humility it also connotes cooperation and generosity. One must respect others rights and give them more importance. Only after doing so should we look into our needs. Duty should be given primary importance and rights should be secondary only.

Due respect should be given to others independence. Never coerce on others your views and beliefs however wholesome they may be. Yes you may talk about these to only those who lead unethical lives and have become anti social in their behavior. It is totally undesirable to ram your beliefs down other people’s throats. None should be obstructed from availing the benefits of thought independence and basic human rights.

The protocol and etiquette executed when meetings and social transactions take place are based on nationality, time and credentials. Its prime goal is to respect others, cooperate with them and express ones good character. Thus keeping in mind the saying ‘In Rome do as the Romans do’ we must enthusiastically imbibe wholesome traditions and etiquette of other countries when we visit them.

Civic sciences, Social sciences, Political sciences and Economics opine that man has been given apt basis and advice to execute his social responsibilities. Hence the onus is with him to understand their deep import and then imbibe them in his daily living. Social arrangements have been designed so as to honor those who perform their duties zealously and punish those who err in this respect. All governments of the world have made apt laws, established armies, jails etc in order to establish discipline in society. In turn this helps obstruct anti social elements from proliferating in society. In society one sees both praise and insult and opposition and proposition. In our individual life when we contact those around us this very process in the form of reactions, pondering over various topics, opposition and lack of cooperation is witnessed. Even with our kith and kin our one eye manifests love and the other eye discipline so as to reform their unwholesome habits and thinking.

Traditions in which vile activities have forced their way in should be removed totally and should be replaced with wholesome activities. Never should we give our consent to undesirable habits, blind beliefs and erroneous activities. Instead if the need arises opt for the method of non cooperation and oppose these strongly until they are weeded out from their very roots. Further we must always encourage activities and stands that aim at augmenting wholesome activities and thinking which will ultimately benefit the entire world. Another important point to note is regarding our voting rights. Whenever we go for voting we must keep in mind the credentials and character of the person standing for elections. While voting always harbor a neutral mind and vote for the best person who has long term beneficial goals in mind. In this context honesty, accountability and commitment on the part of whom you vote for should be kept in mind. Vociferously denounce those whose aims are selfish gains at the cost of society’s uplifting. Instead encourage the qualities of congregational wholesome activities, cooperation and camaraderie.

The aim of world humanity should be brotherhood and unity on the lines of A BEAUTIFUL BORDERLESS WORLD. The high walls of disparity and differences must be destroyed once and for all. There should be no discrimination based on ones caste, community and gender. We must all work hard to herald a new world which will exist eternally as a prosperous united family. Global efforts on a war footing are required to form a global nation, a unique global language, a scientific religion and a world culture that will bind all human beings and other creatures with a sense of oneness and brotherhood. All those biases and prejudices that hamper world unity must be discarded from their very fount.

The axis of an individual is his/her family. A family can be compared to a nation. A family is akin to a factory that shapes jewel like and great citizens of their country. If the institution called a family the world over is well managed and progressive in a wholesome way not only will individual glory flourish but that society and the world at large too will prosper both materially and spiritually. All world denizens will thus experience joy, avail material comforts and advance by leaps and bounds through the institution of a balanced family. Never should this tiny looking family be ignored and instead it should be well managed and made prosperous in an ethical manner. We all know that the goal of a prosperous family is cleanliness both within and without, hard work, cooperation, progressiveness and living well within ones means. The more these ideals are absorbed the more the family atmosphere exudes grandeur and culture. Every member of such families will doubtlessly experience a radiant and prosperous future.

In order to sacredly reform the institution of family life Yuga Nirman Mission has taken up the cause of Women’s Awakening. This gigantic program encompasses wholesome give and take of thoughts and thus lay down the firm foundation stones of the ADVENT OF A BRIGHT FUTURE IN THE 21st CENTURY.

4) WHOLESOME AND OPTIMUM USAGE: Generally wholesome usage is with reference to material objects. All those materials that we own and are being used by us should be maintained aptly and we must ensure that they are never wasted. While using materials always keep in mind that if you refrain from wasting them many others who need them can benefit greatly. Materials must be maintained in a wholesome and optimal manner. This is because of lack of proper maintaining will render them prematurely useless and in some cases may prove to be dangerous for its user. All these observations hold cent percent true for the creation, usage and expenditure of wealth. In addition it is man’s prime duty to ensure that water and the atmosphere remain unpolluted. Misuse of materials involves lack of apt usage and in the process destroying them, disallowing others to get their rightful share and maintaining them in a very undesirable manner.