World of Philosophy

Author(s): Christopher Key Chapple, Intaj Malek, Dilip Charan, Sunanda Shastri, Prashant Dave
Publisher: Shanti Prakashan

Page 220

comes have increased, prosperity has risen and poverty has decline world over. However, there is still large number of poor people in the world for whom the future continues to be bleak. A section of the world citizenry has become an elitist group that has unleashed an era of unbridled consumerism threatening the very physical existence of the world. There is confidence among the intellectuals that the crisis can overcome with the continued advances in the science and technology. But the behaviour of the elitist groups have within the countries given rise to perception of relative deprivation which manifests in violent reactions towards fellow human beings and the nature. It appears that the peace has broken substantially. Conflicts galore.
Traditionally India has viewed the material development and prosperity differently. India's heritage has been distinct with respect to treating material prosperity. It was understood that human by efforts can achieve high degree of material prosperity, but the mission of human should not be that. Instead, human mission should be inward growth or in other words, spiritual development. Gandhi took forward this concept, but with a difference. He did not speak only about developing spirituality. He suggested the approach to deal with the material progress of the people. This is a distinct contribution. Old Indian sages and the modern day spiritualists emphasise the development and exaltation of the soul at new heights and almost firmly believed in brhma satyam jagat mithya the ultimate truth was soul that merged into God and the world of material living was only a myth. The Modern civilisation almost has reversed the belief into saying jagat satyam brahma mithya, the material world is truth and the soul or God is falsehood. Gandhi applied spirituality to this worldly affair. Thus in Indian tradition, he made an original contribution.
Gandhi drew from the tradition and was very clear about it. Gandhi once said that even if all the Vedas were lost completely to the humanity and only if the Ishavasya Upanishada was saved, the wisdom of the Hindu religion will be saved. And if for some reason this Upanishad was also lost but the first verse remained engraved in the memory of mankind, humanity will remain on the right course. Its relationship with self, with other selves and with nature will remain peaceful ever. We need to visit this first verse of the Ishavasya Upanishada. It goes in the following way.
Ishavasyam idam sarvam Yatkinchit Jagatyam Jagat; Ten tyaktena bhunjitha maa grudha kasya swid dhanam.
Whatever there is changeful in this ephemeral world, - all that must be enveloped by the Lord. By this renunciation (of the World), support yourself. Do not covet the wealth of anyone (Swami Sarvananda, 1987).
India's heritage did not freeze after the Vedic period. Time and again wise people continued to reiterate and of course there were always people
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