Five colored Revolution......
Brijesh Pandya
1) Social Revolution
Over centuries, several great individuals have
taken different routes for societal changes. However, Rev. Dadaji has
always maintained and successfully demonstrated that no societal change
is possible without a more basic change at an individual level. After
all, each individual is the quantum of his society.
Some of the other societal efforts have been
observed to be restricted by selfish quests for popularity and
position, the intermingling of political and other ambitions, ego
clashes, a certain degree of 'dryness' in working, and a difference of
opinion regarding the methodologies to be followed.
However Rev. Dadaji, by means of a Swadhyayee
outlook, philosophy, and a unique way of working, has enabled every
last member of society to attain self-reverence, self-confidence, and
self-respect and become transformed in the process. Just as important,
he has enabled each human being to realize and appreciate the dignity
of his fellow human beings, their intrinsic self-worth, and human
dignity in general.
In the process of transformation at an
individual level, a societal revolution is naturally facilitated and,
in fact, simplified. A common manifestation of this phenomenon is the
caste-community barriers that tend to dissipate in thousands of
communities where these thoughts have taken root.
2) Political Revolution
The pages of the world's history are replete
with accounts of violent power struggles meant to overthrow ruling
political formations, which have turned exploitative, unjust,
dictatorial, and corrupt. When these struggles are successful, there
is, for a limited period, a sense of satisfaction in the so-called
victory of 'good' over 'evil' and a hope of changing the condition of
masses.
However, in many instances, the victorious,
supposedly representing the suffering masses, have simply been unable
to fulfill promises and realize the dreams of suffering masses. It
seems the set of rulers change without any change in the condition of
the people. Many political revolutions directed against colonial
masters have been violent. The historic, bloody French revolution -
for a while - rekindled dreams of liberty, equality, and fraternity.
However, as history shows, those dreams have remained largely
unrealized.
A fundamental & necessary ingredient of democracy
is respect for an individual. In modern times, a human being is easily
'sold' on an enticement of some form. Very often a human being - a
voter - is seen to have become a purchasable commodity. For example, in
electoral politics, it has been a common observation that some voters
often 'sell' their votes to the highest bidder. Any political system
that is unable to accord necessary value to a human being cannot be
called a successful one. In the current time, with the political
systems squarely resting on the twin pillars of fear and materialistic
power, the human being has become secondary or worse. Only bhakti can
awaken the self-reverence of a human being, and as a result he can
cease to be a purchasable commodity.
A human being may be poor, living in a hut, and
may not possess money, education or position. How is it possible to
arouse his self-reverence (asmita) ? How can he preserve his
self-respect ?
Rev. Dadaji has shown an elegant, beautiful way
out of this quagmire. The Almighty God dwells within every human being.
Therefore, a human being may be poor, but he need not feel worthless.
He may be uneducated, but need not feel helpless. His self-reverence
can only be awakened with bhakti. A human being with self-reverence
cannot be purchased for some political agenda.
In communities where Swadhyay thoughts have taken
root, elections occur with unanimity and without bitter political
fights.
3) Economic Revolution
Thinkers like Karl Marx ruffled the flag of
economic freedom in the world and declared that poverty should be
eliminated. Marx called upon the workers of the world to unite.
However, he overlooked the basic fact that for any revolution to be
successful, the human mind needs to be transformed.
The Socialist system considered the state
supreme and crushed the human being by the fear of punishment of one
kind or another. Individual freedom suffered in the process, the state
became the owner of all wealth, and the problem of incentive remained
unsolved.
On the other hand, the Capitalist system gives
the individual, supreme importance. The unfettered materialistic
enjoyments possible in that system have also 'killed' the human being,
albeit in a different manner. A lack of limits on an individual's
economic freedom has led to ills of all kinds, such as uncontrolled
materialist enjoyments, the concentration of wealth in the hands of a
select few, and the denigration of basic human values. The individual
has been considered the absolute owner of all wealth. An economic
system of this nature is a natural breeding ground for cut-throat
competition and class wars.
Rev. Dadaji has accepted the concept of
individual ownership of wealth. However he has introduced a novel
revolutionary corollary to this notion. An individual can offer his
efficiency to God out of devotion ("bhakti") and gratitude
("krutagnata") to God, and as a result, he can generate impersonal
wealth. This wealth does not belong to any individual or to society at
large. In fact, it belongs to God! With that philosophical
underpinning, Dadaji has successfully demonstrated successful new
socio-economic experiments such as Vriksha Mandir, Matsya Gandha,
Yogeshwar Krushi , and Amrutalayam in thousands of communities . This
has resulted in an impersonal wealth which does not have stamp of any
one individual's efforts or destiny.
This wealth has been used to help needy
members of the community or those stuck by some calamity, but strictly
as the benefaction ("prasaad") of God. This wealth (Mahalakshmi )
is no ordinary wealth; rather it belongs to only the Lord. This
economic revolution has resulted in the eradication of economic
inequality and poverty in thousands of Swadhyayee communities, making
them self-sufficient examples of economic transformation on a grand
scale.
4) Emotional Revolution
In today's world, it seems the only parameters of
success are money, power, and fame. With this mindset, rampant
materialism has brought havoc to modern society. There is a complete
lack of emotional richness in daily grind of individuals, societies,
and nations.
The world, it seems, revolves around the
self-interest of individual or a "privileged few". The 'self' is
in dire need of transformation. Unless the 'self' is connected to the
Divine, happiness and contentment remain obscure concepts. If a human
being acquires an understanding of his divine relationship with God and
with his fellow man, a "divine brotherhood under the fatherhood of
God" can be created. Rev. Dadaji has used devotion ("bhakti") to
create such an emotional (bhavanatmak) revolution.
A human being may not be blood-related to his
fellow human; however, he is related to him by virtue of having the
same Divine "blood-maker". By understanding this divine
relationship, he has successfully eliminated the barriers of various
types from society. By imparting the understanding that "We are the
children of one God", Rev. Dadaji has brought intimacy in human
relationships. Furthermore, he has expounded upon the relationship
between man & nature and, as well as the relationship between man &
God.
Man usually worships God out of self-interest or
fear. Instead, Dadaji has introduced the concept of "intellectual
love towards God". The practice of a daily reminder in the form of
Trikal Sandhya fosters divine gratitude; this practice eventually leads
to the desire to offer one's energy & efficiency to God. This
creation of a divine, intellectual love for God leads to an active and
dynamic form of instrumental devotion ("bhakti"). It is the
practice of this philosophy that has resulted in an emotional
revolution. This global family (Pariwar) of Yogeshwar, which is a
manifestation of 'brotherhood of men under fatherhood of God' is in
stark contrast to hostility and all-round dissatisfaction of modern
times.
5) Spiritual Revolution
The word "spiritual" typically conjures up images
of mesmerism, hypnotism, and the like. However, the Sanskrit scriptures
have a very precise definition of the word spirituality (adhyatma):
"aatmani adhi iti adhyatma", meaning all that which is performed in
accordance with the wishes of the soul (aatma)is spirituality.
A question which troubles the thinking person is:
how can one worship the Universal Power, the Creator? What should one
offer to Him? Rev. Dadaji explains that the true worship of God
consists of taking the divine thoughts of the Vedas and Bhagavad-Gita
to others in a selfless manner. One's intellect is an incomparable
gift from God. It behooves a human being to use this gift to take these
divine thoughts to the masses.
As such, our lives are predominantly consumed by
the pursuit of selfish motives. At least part of our time should be
devoted to the divine work of reminding people of God's selfless love
and taking His thoughts to people.
In observance of the Ekadashi vrat, a large mass
of humanity has started performing selfless work and giving selfless
love. Without caring for their personal gain, tens of thousands of
krutisheels have been going on regular devotional visits
(Bhakti-Pheri).
Dadaji also explains that offering one's
efficiency to God can be a form of worship, very much like Arjun used
his war skills to fight for true religion and the spread of God's
work.
Spirituality does not necessitate forsaking the
life of a householder and staying in a cave in a remote area. Even in
his daily life, one can experience it.
The Swadhyayee revolution is a revolution in
thinking. It is an extraordinary revolution by so-called "ordinary"
human beings. Offering one's efficiency to God is true devotion. By
imparting this understanding, Dadaji has brought the nishkaam karma
yoga of Geeta to the lives of common men. His numerous experiments will
continue to guide the world for centuries.