________________
54
THE FAMILY AND THE NATION
generations. I sat through kirtans with them. I found that they all enjoyed every verse that was sung and were bubbling with enthusiasm. Acharya: What did you learn there? Kalam: When I interacted with the family members, they told me that whatever they do, they do it for God. Their work was highly interlinked with divinity. For example, the gardener feels he is gardening to get the flowers for worshipping God. The decorator is doing the mission of beautifying the divine place. The kirtan group used the musical instruments to generate appropriate tunes for the songs in praise of the Lord. The divine rhythm emanated because they were singing the glory of God with passion. For the family head, all the family members and those assembled there were images of God. Regarding their profession, each member, whether undergoing education or a career, felt that the religious family environment had enhanced their performance in every activity and made them happy and contented. Acharya: This type of joint family system exists in many places in our country in many religious environments. Thousands of devotees come to see me with their families. When I look at their lives, I find that their greatest happiness is family happiness. Kalam: Gandhiji asked us to aim at complete harmony of thought and word and deed. Those who aim at purifying their thoughts generate harmony around them. Acharya: Definitely, harmony in the homes will bring order in the nation and thereby peace in the world. Kalam: Is not this process in place throughout the history of human civilization?
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
