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Chapter 16
CONFLICT BETWEEN THE DIVINE AND THE DEMONIACAL TENDENCIES
92. The Three Asuric Ambitions: Power, Culture And Wealth
15. The Lord has described the demoniacal qualities too, so that we could keep away from them and concentrate on the development of divine qualities. The essence of the demoniacal way of life is in three things: power, culture and wealth. Those with this nature want to impose their culture on the whole world, believing it to be the best. And why is it the best? Because it is theirs! Individuals with this nature, and empires built up of such individuals, are after these three things only. 16. The Brahmins believe that their culture is the best, that all the knowledge is contained in their Vedas. They want hegemony of the Vedic culture established over the whole world. ‘अग्रतश्र्चतुरो वेदान् पृष्ठतः सशरं धनूः’ (‘The four Vedas should be in the front, and the arms should follow them’) is what they want. But when arms are to follow the Vedas, the poor Vedas are as good as finished. Muslims also believe that whatever is written in the Koran alone is true. Christians too believe that truth is contained in the Bible only. They believe that nobody, howsoever noble and virtuous he may be, can ever be redeemed if he does not believe in Christ. They have provided only one door to the house of the Lord; only through the door of Christ can one approach Him! People provide a number of doors and windows to their houses, but how strange it is that they provide only one door to God’s house! 17. ‘कुलीन मी चि संपन्न माझी जोडी कुठें असे’ (‘I am of noble lineage. I have all the riches. None can equal me.’)—This is what everybody thinks. We want to be known as descendants of some or the other great sage or king. This is the case in the West too. There too, people boast of being the descendants of Norman nobles etc. We have the guru-shishya (master-pupil) tradition also, wherein people relate themselves to great sages. This too is an attempt on their part to claim greatness for themselves and their culture. But, if your culture is really great, let it be reflected in your actions, in your conduct. But people are not bothered about that. To aspire to spread the culture that we do not practice in our own life is a demoniacal (asuric) way of thinking. |
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