Nil utilization of our assets

According to Indian philosophy, there are four cyclic Yugas of creation and destruction and the wheel of time puts us now on the Kali Yuga. It is the age of destruction or meltdown, a meltdown in all possible ways, of values/dharma, of resources, of good living in general. To make a righteous living becomes a difficult proposition: there is still hope at the end of the tunnel, to make a smooth transition in to a better world. Our forefathers, clearly more intellectual and visionary than all of us are, have gifted us an immense wealth of knowledge that needs to be employed at this hour of need.

There is no doubt about the fact that we now need to turn back on the Vedas and Upanishads, to learn from them, to transform how we live and set an example for the world to follow. What the Vedas and Upanishads have taught us has become so inbuilt in to our social systems that they are regarded as being the age-old traditions and values that have been ‘passed on’. The Vedas and Upanishads talk about the concept of unison of all beings on earth (universal love). This, when practiced, will help eradicate religious hatred and grow tolerance. They profess clean living and respect for nature, which will help us understand the effect of destruction and damage that we are inflicting to the world that we live in. They stress on self realization, which will make all of us better individuals. They throw light on the deeper meaning of sacrifice which helps us understand harmony. They guide us to achieving divinity as normal human beings and not as a saint, so they are as practical as an advice that anybody could get. They talk about the ideal Varna system that classifies men according their nature of body and spirit, which will help cleanse notions about racial, geographical superiority.

They inspire us on the righteous, sinless path to richness which is an important lesson to every young Indian, as India marches on to become an economic giant in times. They glorify noble quest of seeking of knowledge in the true sense and also clarify that book learning is not the highest ideal. They teach us the high ideal of Satya, the universal truth that seems to be quite forgotten these days.

Vedas express the essential spiritual nature of man and God and hence are a key component of this transformation. The very fact that they are universal enhances their applicability across nations and religions. They provide with the doors to a beautiful garden, but whether we unlock this door or not is in our hands.