God knows we Indians have a chequered past. An immediate past that we need to overcome and a distant past that we can justifiably be proud of.
It is my belief that the misery of our recent past, our colonisation and our inability, over the past 60 odd years to make our independence work to give large masses of our people a better life, is because we have failed to use the greatness of our distant past, as a lesson and a lever to help us build a great future for ourselves and the world.
Our Vedic past needs no feverish projections of mythical scientific achievements to establish its greatness. The greatness of our Vedic past lies in ideas that are as potent today as they were for millenniums stretching back into pre-history.
Consider the power of this idea, as articulated in the words of Swami Vivekananda, “The Vedanta recognises no sin it only recognises error. And the greatest error, says the Vedanta is to say that you are weak, that you are a sinner, a miserable creature, and that you have no power and you cannot do this and that”.
As a wonderful inspiring assertion of human possibility how different and from the fear-instilling restrictions of quotidian religion. How can you believe in God if you don’t believe in yourself?
Isn’t the above viewpoint not a guidepost to great achievements - breakthrough science, world-altering social revolutions? Not achievements in the distant past but achievements of an urgent future that draws closer by the day?
The above is just one of the many ideas of timeless utility and inspiration that the Vedas offer us.
So why do we need Vedic airplanes to get high on the glories of our past? Why don’t we instead ride on persistent hard work guided by these precious Vedic insights and prescriptions to a golden future.
Our future can be and should be both our homage and our goodbye to our distant and recent past.
Look to this day,
for it is life, the very breath of life.
In its brief course lie
all the realities of your existence;
the bliss of growth,
the glory of action,
the splendor of beauty.
For yesterday is only a dream,
and tomorrow is but a vision.
But today, well lived,
makes every yesterday a dream of happiness,
and every tomorrow
a vision of hope.
Look well, therefore, to this day.
(Ancient Sanskrit)
1 comment:
Lovely article Ashoke. As you have correctly said, we have a great vedic past. The concept of Brahman and quantum mechanics does coincide. But unfortunately, we did not discover wave particle theory. May be we flew thousands of years ago, but do not have a company like Boeing and we are struggling for the past 30 years with light combat aircraft. Let us dig into our past knowledge treasure and make a better future India instead of resting on the real/mythical past laurels.
Post a Comment