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“It’s rare in this world
To get the company of the good;
The wicked are a-plenty.
Granite stones are everywhere
But you have to search for diamonds.”
“Difference in beliefs and cultural practices
among men are well known. Although climatic conditions may be the
same in various regions of the world, the ways of living and
practices of people are diverse. This diversity is inherent in
Nature. It is not a defect but an ornament. This diversity is not to
be seen among birds and beasts. That is because they do not have the
power to think. Man alone has this capacity.
Whatever one’s education, position or
intelligence, every man desires two things. He wants to achieve
greatness and wishes to be a good man. No one wishes to be lowly and
despised.
What is the difference between a great man and
a good man? Greatness is based on worldly attributes. The great man
is able to attract people. The good man strives to sustain himself
by his own efforts. The difference between the two has to be clearly
recognized. The great man enjoys many luxuries and amenities. He has
thus many physical comforts. The good man experiences the bliss of
the Divine. Greatness has ‘Rajasic’ quality. Goodness bears a
‘Sathwic’ quality. Good persons should try to develop ‘Sathwic’
qualities.
“Greatness” is often associated with persons
who have likes and dislikes, attachments and hatreds and who have an
inflated ego. Goodness expresses itself in pure joy and unselfish
service to others. Goodness is fostered by righteousness. ‘Dharma’
(right conduct) is like a mirror. It reveals to you what is
your duty towards your parents, your friends and others. How you
discharge your duties will determine how you yourself fare in later
life.
The ‘Bharatiya’ tradition has been on
four basic beliefs:
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Every action has its inescapable results.
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Belief in the role of ‘Avatars’.
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No one can escape from the consequences of
his actions.
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A firm belief that there is something sacred
in everything in the world.
The three cardinal principles of the Hindu
faith (‘Sanathana Dharma’) are:
Belief in a series of births.
Belief in ‘Avatars’ of the Lord for
reestablishment of ‘Dharma’ and transformation of those who
have strayed from it.
Belief in ‘Karma’, the fact that every
activity will have its inevitable consequence and of human destiny
being shaped by cumulative effect of all these consequences.
‘Bharatiyas’ have held fast to three
beliefs: The law of ‘karma’, the concept of ‘Avatars’
and the doctrine of rebirth. The law of ‘karma’ means that
there is no escape from the consequences of your actions. The ‘Karma’
doctrine lays down that one has to experience the result of his
actions.
The concept of ‘Avatar’ implies faith in God
and in the Divinity inherent in man. Man does not merely mean the
human form. Man is distinguished from other animals and creatures by
his capacity to judge what is permanent and what is transient, and
his ability to recognize the past, the present and the future. Man
alone has the capacity to comprehend this threefold nature of
time. Man can ruminate over the past and speculate about the future.
He can experience the present. However, man should not worry about
what is past. The present is a product of the past. What has
happened is beyond recall. It is futile to worry over future because
it is uncertain.
Concern yourself only with the present. By
“present” we may be thinking only of the moment. But this is not the
present as Divinity sees it. For the Divine, the “present” is what
is “Omnipresent”. This means that both the past and future in that
“is”- because it is the result of the past and seed of the future.
Because man has no faith in the Omnipresence of the Divine, he
worries himself about the past, the present and the future. For the
Divine these three categories of time do not exist.
Realize the greatness of ‘Bharat’.
Remember that all ‘Avatars’ have incarnated in this sacred
Land. We ought to be proud of our sacred Motherland and lead a life
in tune with its greatness. Alas, it is not so. Indeed, foreigners
are coming to ‘Bharat’ to grab all that is glorious in our
Land while we are going after soiled garments of the foreigners.
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