My 50th Hub --A Tribute to Sages (Paranormal Part-8)

I don’t call myself a spiritualist; I am only a humble seeker. Growing up in a conventional, orthodox and a staunchly religious environment (almost to the extent of fanaticism) has its own set of disadvantages. Although it has a major role to play in instilling discipline and values in the younger generation, yet, it can create havoc with a child’s psyche by making him a slave of certain pre-set and preconceived notions which, at times, can continue for a whole lifetime without the victim being aware of his own ‘unhealthy’ state of mind. I call it unhealthy as the whole idea of ‘spirituality’ gets screwed up. (Pardon me for the language but I couldn’t find a better word). Perhaps that’s what happened with me.

I spent a significant part of my life living with meaningless and mindless concepts which were (sort of) injected in me in my early childhood. I’m not ashamed to say that it took me more than three decades of my life to (even) initiate the process of cleansing my mind of all the garbage that was stored in. I was so much blinded by the conventional education imparted to me that I failed to see the difference between ‘religion’ and ‘spirituality’. For a very long time I wasn’t able to understand the reason of being disgruntled, dissatisfied and disillusioned with my life despite being a strong devotee of my dear Lord. (I grew up with a belief that God fills the lives of his devotees with immense happiness and prosperity, and for having His blessings, one needs to chant ‘Mantras’ and bow before him every day). I realized the worst thing that happened to me was that I remained oblivious of the glaring difference between ‘bondage’ and ‘freedom’ ---the words (which in my opinion) are perfect synonyms for ‘religion’ and spirituality’.

As I always say (in my hubs) that we try to find answers to our questions (relating to universe / cosmos/ life / mysticism) from the scriptures available and the way we make those teachings an integral part of our lives, depends a lot on the way we interpret these scriptures. I read in Bhagwad Geeta, in my early childhood, (which has been reinforced by countless spiritualists and scholars) that one needs to be ‘detachedly attached’ with the elements of this earth; it means that in order to attain ‘salvation’ and to be free from ‘samskaras’ (psychic imprints from previous lives) a human being should only focus on doing his duties (Karma) with a selfless motive, in the interest of humanity, and at the same time dedicate his actions to the Almighty without expecting rewards for his good deeds . A simple interpretation (if I’m not dumb) of this rule seems to be that “a soul in human form is expected to live in this world without getting affected or lured by the temptations of this material world”. Considering the kind of competitive and tumultuous world we live in, it makes me wonder if it’s possible to be a politician and a saint at the same time. Even better, how simple would it be for business tycoons like Bill Gates, Donald Trump, Ambanis (Reliance group) or for that matter any big player in the market, to be successful, powerful and at the same time remain unaffected by material gains? Does it mean that material success and spirituality do not go hand in hand? Is it necessary to renounce the world (or give up the craving for material things) for attaining ‘Nirvana’ just like Lord Buddha did? In my opinion, the theory propounded by various spiritualists (from ancient times) in loud and clear terms that 'it is possible live in the world and at the same away from its material elements', seems to be somewhat devoid of merit, or at the best, little vague and ambiguous. I guess they should have made it clear that “in order to do an arduous task of being a part of this world, fulfilling the karmic duties and at the same time attaining liberation, one should be prepared to be wealthy enough to earn only a square meal for one's family and nothing more than that”.

I wouldn’t believe if a filthy rich person told me that he was able to acquire all that wealth without being manipulative, robbing someone of his rightful possession or trampling someone’s heart at any given point of time. What does it imply? Simply that prosperity and spirituality do not go hand in hand. Perhaps the ancient sages and even those in recent times (who gained acclaim but never believed in public appearances) had it crystal clear in their minds that without overpowering the craving / desire for material gains it wouldn’t be possible to make it to the end of the tunnel. To go a little further, I would even say that if you are really desperate to attain ‘spiritual awakening’ don’t expect to be knee deep in your material projects and at the same have an urge to touch the celestial world. I strongly feel that with so many predictions being made about the world coming to an end in 2012, we better get ready to move towards spiritual awakening. All around the world (India, US, China, Rome, UK etc) there have been predictions (made thousands of years ago) on record, made by Mayans and stalwarts like Edgar Cayce, Nostradamus, Merlin etc, all pointing to certain events culminating into a new and pure age. It does not necessarily mean the end of the world as such, but it does indicate the ‘beginning of a pure age’ (as Cayce said). We need to be ready for that day. This was beautifully explained in a few words in the Movie, The Knowing. We need to strengthen our inner self so as to be able to merge with our Higher Self. So what are you waiting for? Let's promise to ourselves that we will free our souls from the 'Bondage' of this illusionary material world and set foot on the path of Enlightenment. We just need to try genuinely and He will take care of the rest.

"Those who listen to His voice will be saved.” (Taken from Movie ‘The Knowing’)

I cannot explain it better than what some learned people have explained by way of these video recordings. It’s a great watch.