HOW TO RELIEVE WANT AND SUFFERING?
How to relieve want and suffering that we witness in this world? This is, indeed, a very big question, for which there can be no readymade answer.
The External is a reflection or rather a projection of the Internal. The trouble and turmoil that we witness in the external world is the direct outcome of the internal disturbance. Only the effect is seen on the surface, while the cause lies deep within. In order to overcome the trouble and turmoil on the surface, we have to trace the disease to its source within and tackle it there effectively.
In the Holy Gita when Arjuna asked the Lord, "But dragged on by what does a man commit sin, reluctantly indeed, O Varshneya, as it were by force constrained'(...36), the Blessed Lord said, "It is desire, it is wrath, begotten by the quality of Motion (Rajas) all-consuming, all-polluting, know thou this as our foe here on earth" (...37); "The senses, the mind and the reason (Budhi) are said to be its seat; by these enveloping wisdom, it bewilders the dweller in the body" (...40).
Inordinate desire, greed, is the source of all evil qualities of man. Seated in them, the desire has its grip on the senses, the mind and the reason. They are completely under its sway. Hence it is well-nigh impossible for man to overcome this vilely foe, solely depending on his own efforts. He has to necessarily seek Divine guidance and protection to extricate himself from its relentless grip.?
Surrender to God is the only way. This cannot be achieved overnight. It requires lot of preparation and guidance. The religions of the world step in to fulfil this need. In their extreme missionary zeal, some of them claim the exclusive privilege of saving all the souls on earth, through the intervention of their own Prophet, whom they proclaim as the only trusted messenger of God. In the process, they unconsciously inculcate in their followers the spirit of intolerance, fanaticism and bigotry, thereby adding to the confusion already existing. This would inevitably lead to mutual recrimination and strife, with the consequent destruction, pain and suffering. In the name of Religion, man's mind is often poisoned with the feelings of separatism and narrowness, by laying too much emphasis on the non-essential and the trivial. Hence, any Religion that creates in man a narrow and bigoted outlook can never succeed in bringing about the needed inner change for the good of all humanity. On the other hand, it turns out into a scourge for the victimization of man.
Let us see what the politicians of the present day, who are very vociferous in preaching several 'Isms' are doing. In all their 'Isms' there is always present an element of fanaticism or intolerance, apparent or hidden. The scope for free thinking is very limited and the party line has to be toed at any cost. Further, they all labour under a grave fundamental handicap, in that they try to cure the disease on the surface while all the time ignoring the root cause that lies hidden deep within. Hence, the best remedies they dole forth, are not lasting in their effects. They serve only as temporary expedients, apparently designed to stave off the trouble momentarily. In their eagerness to administer the cure-all they have invented, they often resort to coercive methods depending either on the authority of the state or the preponderant compulsion of numbers. The dumb, average individual is buffeted this way and that by the effective use of the party machinery. Caught between the conflicting and totally opposite ideologies, the ordinary man of the world, is bewildered and confused, not knowing a way of escape.
Further, anything that is forced on others by external compulsion and authority, cannot last long in its results. Sometime or other, the inner spirit rebels and tries to assert its inherent freedom, thus giving rise to resistance movements which in their turn generate great upheavals against authority. History bears ample testimony to the above truth.
Since no permanent results can be obtained by resorting to coercive methods, the only way open to us is to make direct appeal to man's higher nature, which is essentially Divine. Only then can we be able to arrive at any lasting solution for the deep-rooted malady that has taken hold of humanity. By paying too much attention to the externals we are trying to tackle the disease on the surface only, while leaving the root cause, deep within, untouched.
Despite their great affluence, even the highly advanced countries are struggling hard to cope with the problem of unemployment and the ever increasing disparities between the haves and have-nots. They are not content and happy with what they have. The tendency to exploit the poorer and under-developed nations is always there. This would inevitably pave the way for mutual conflict and consequent destruction and untold misery for the dumb millions of the world. Thus we see that inordinate desire, greed, is at the root of all conflicts, want and suffering in this world.
For every problem there are long term and short-term solutions. While attempting short-term solutions, we must not forget to lay the base for long-term solutions also, for ultimately it is they that count. Even if successful, the short-term solutions, in their very nature, cannot prevent the recrudescence of the trouble, since the root cause is left untouched. In their own way, the politicians are trying their best, to find workable solutions for the knotty problems facing the world. These can only be short-term solutions, since the problems are so vast and baffling as to escape solution by purely temporal methods.
Since the problem is incapable of solution by purely temporal methods, it has, necessarily, to be tackled on the spiritual level. All highly advanced souls, imbued with pure Divine Love, must come forward, to inculcate in man, the spirit of Universal Brotherhood. If every individual is made to realize that he belongs to the vast human fraternity, to whichever race, country or community he may belong, we will not be witnessing the sorry spectacle of present-day man-made misery, trouble and turmoil. The stress should be on the Brotherhood of man and Fatherhood of God, the Supreme Parent of all.
It is only a True Religion that can bring about a true awakening in man. Since the Supreme Reality, God, is one without a second, there can be only one Universal Religion- the Religion of pure Divine Love, of the understanding heart. Then, God becomes our Supreme Common Parent. All beings live, move and have their existence in Him. The Blessed Lord says " I am the creator of all, all evolves from Me; understanding thus, the wise adapt Me in rapt emotion ".(..8)
A truly religious man can work on both the planes, temporal and spiritual. He can work on the physical level through word and deed; and from the deep depths he can radiate his pure concentrated love for the lasting good of all humanity. Even among the spiritual, those that are best fitted to carry on the work on the physical level may devote their attention to that alone, while others more advanced in their spiritual practices, may exert their soothing influence, from within the core of their being, for the upliftment of all humanity. The irresistible inner spiritual touch works wonders in divinising human nature. When once pure Divine Love is generated in a human heart, then there can be no room for greed and selfishness in human nature. All conflict, want and hatred disappear; for in pure Divine Love, all humanity melts into its essential unity. ----Hence, Pure Divine Love, born of total allegiance to the one Supreme Truth, God, is the only panacea for all human ills; for where there is pure love, there can be no want, sorrow or suffering.---- Let us all hope that by the Saving Grace of the Supreme Lord, our Common Parent, all human suffering, misery and conflict would come to an end before long. May His Supreme Will be done.
JAI SRI RAM