It is only when we realise that true freedom is a balance between the soul and the body that we will be able to build a unified nation, says Rajyogi Bhramakumar Nikunj
In the last 68 years of independent India, the country has crossed many milestones, of which one of the most significant achievements has been of attaining self-sufficiency in food production through green revolution that got the country rid of dependence on imports to feed its population. Similarly, a vast, publicly funded scientific establishment, set up to meet the needs of the industry as well as the military, has given the country a large pool of scientific talent and enabled India to become a leader in the fields of space science and information technology. However, in spite of these achievements, the dream of our freedom fighters, who gave away their lives for this precious gift of independence, is yet to be realised and is apparently becoming more distant by the day.
Today we see that there are two distinct India that seem to have been created in the post-independence era. The first is of a country in which millions still reside in poverty — for whom 68 years of Independence has made very less difference. These less fortunate Indians do not have access to even basic amenities like drinking water and adequate food, or to healthcare and education as a result of which they migrate to cities where they often fall victim to economic exploitation and live in subhuman conditions.
Even the state of those who are engaged in farming is quite bad because poor returns from agriculture and rising input costs are driving farmers into a debt trap, leading them to make wrong decisions.
On the other side, there is an India that belongs to the crème de la crème section, which has cornered all the gains of progress and leads a life in a cocoon from the worries of the rest of the population. The amenities they enjoy and their habits are very different from those of their tribe in other parts of the world.
The founding fathers of Independent India had envisioned truth, non-violence, sacrifice and service to be the salient principles of life for building a strong and prosperous nation. However all through these years, we have devoted all our attention and energies to achieve material progress without paying serious attention to develop our characters, particularly of the younger generation. We forgot that material gains can be undermined by the lack of a robust moral foundation, as is happening in every sphere of national life today. The rampant corruption bedeviling our developments projects is the direct result of our failure to ensure the development of an honest, dedicated and upright citizenry. If after spending billions over poverty alleviation and rural development projects, the miseries of our poor compatriots remain unmitigated, we only have our imbalance priorities to blame. But, sadly, this fact does not seem to bother most of the well-off section of population, who are too busy in the pursuit of wealth and pleasure to care about the have-nots. We should not forget that Gandhi ji’s dream of establishing a true Ram rajya in India will remain a far cry unless we give top priority to spiritual empowerment of our countrymen. For only those who are spiritually enlightened can ensure the lasting growth and well-being of a nation. Once the human soul realises its own identity, and the nature of its role in the drama of this world, it can easily get rid of many illusions and negativity that come by identifying oneself with one’s body.
With this realisation, when the soul begins to commune with the Supreme, it gets filled with His powers and virtues. This practice, over time, empowers the soul so that it is able to play its role in this world untouched by any negativity and even enables it to transform the negativity of others into something positive.
True freedom means balance between the soul that we are and the body that we have acquired to play our role. Till we realise for what role we have come to this earth and execute the same, people will continue to feel prison like suffocation.
When the soul knows itself, and the difference between itself and the body, it gets the benefit of true identity. likewise when we are aware of the laws of karma and benefits of virtuous actions, then we save ourselves from the negative consequences of our own karma, thereby making our relationships sweet and without any kind of bondage and dependency.
If one thinks that nirvana is true freedom, then think again,because in the state of nirvana or ‘liberation’, the soul is free from the bondage, above the limited physical world, but it is not experiencing the fruits of its good karma either. Hence, to be liberated in life means to enjoy the highest levels of human life whilst in the body — to be in a free world along with free people, yet at the same time, be within the boundaries of a perfect family, perfect society and pure elements of nature.
This his quality of freedom can be achieved through spirituality. With self-introspection, self realisation and application of divine laws of karma, we can build for ourselves a beautiful world rather than a cage, thereby encouraging others to live in sovereignty.