Indian Spirituality is a Dynamic Concept
Indian spirituality is most neglected in its country of origin. Spirituality is an utterly misunderstood concept in India. Indians are least interested in knowing what spirituality essentially is. At best, they consider religiosity and rituals a close alternative to spirituality. But Indian spirituality is not a set of rituals to be practiced every day mechanically and on some particular occasions of the year. Indian spirituality is all about the correct way of living and the right way of thinking. It’s a dynamic concept as it evolves with time. It is not based on the directions to be followed for centuries after centuries. It guides a man on how to remain relevant to the changing needs of society.
Indian spirituality helps an individual look inward to muster the courage to face life's challenges. It’s a science that teaches how to slow down the overactivity of the mind and grow by remaining unperturbed by external conditions. The temples of ancient India were not just places to worship idols. In the words of Sadhguru, they were energy centers, to help people to find out the truth and beauty in life. During the last one thousand years, Indians lost touch with these values and reduced temples to just places for mechanically doing Pujas.
Since Indians largely consider spirituality as something to be practiced only in old age, most of our youths are giving spirituality a miss. The youths, however, continue to visit Vaishno Devi, Amarnath, and Maha Kumbh in large numbers but such visits to the places of pilgrimage do not change their patterns of thoughts and actions in any significant way. The places of pilgrimage remain some sort of religious tourism. The youths are growing up in a country that once showed the world the right way to live. However, they are confused about how spirituality can help them shape their lives to create stronger personalities. We have Vedas, the Upanishad, Geeta, and the epics of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. Our epics show how the kings sacrificed their materialistic pleasures for nobler causes. Lord Rama in the Ramayana and the Pandavas in the Mahabharata had embraced difficult times gracefully and ultimately became victorious. Such a spirit of living life can inspire us even today. But there is hardly any system that can convince people of the utility of following the principles laid down in our ancient scriptures.
Some people read the texts (and sometimes memorize the slokas, too) quite routinely. Some read them for preparing scholarly articles. None of this will help to revive interest in Indian spirituality. The reason is that even the best scholars are not doing enough to redefine Indian spirituality for the benefit of the present-day Indians. Without this, Indians will never get to their roots and create the destiny they wanted to create. We want to be developed by 2047. We can not do that the way Europeans and Americans did. We are made of different elements. We have to stand up with our strength and wisdom. Our foundation is different. So, the edifices will also be different but no less magnificent than the others.
India has to Grow on its Unique Strengths.
Our soil is different from the soils of Europe and the US. Our soil has been developed over thousands of years of spirituality. This spirituality did not just produce Munis and Rishis but also scientists, mathematicians, economists, artists, artisans, and traders. India had been one of the most prosperous nations even one thousand years ago. And India did not build their economy by exploiting other nations. India always had a deep respect for the sovereignty of other nations. It believed in the principles of peace, non-violence, and respect for other religions. It did not build too much of military strength. India became a poor nation when it was overpowered by invaders militarily, and not intellectually and plundered by colonialists. British economy flourished at our expense. Now, that can not be our route to prosperity. We would like to grow and help others grow, too. We are still guided by the principles of tolerance, non-violence, and righteousness. Take away these principles from our lives and we do not exist. So, India has to grow with the principles that once made it great.
Indian spirituality does not believe in overconsumption. It believes in enjoying only that much of materialistic life which is good for the balanced growth of the individuals and the society. It says, “Tyena Tyaktena Bhunjita” which means consume only after sacrificing some present consumption. In Arthashastra, Chanakya explains why the King should create an inclusive society. He describes why price should not just be determined by the forces of demand and supply as that may harm the interests of common citizens. If we follow the US concept of consumption-led growth, that can lead to lop-sided development of the economy at this stage of our economic development. 5 If we encourage people to consume more and more, that can happen only through excessive use of credit purchases. Now, that is already making people bankrupt. Thousands of Indians, rich and poor, are facing economic disasters because of a lifestyle that encourages one to live beyond means. A good number of wealthy Indians commit suicide when they find their economic condition going out of control. This is not what the Indian way of life should be. Even Europeans have started to live within their means. They are no longer over-confident about their economic future. Indians have to think rationally. Spirituality teaches to be rational and stay content with what one has in his possession. Indian values are different from others. Indian values can result in sustainable development. India need not go for consumption-led growth as that path is fraught with danger. We should, on the other hand, learn to save more and our growth can also be savings and investment-led growth.
The present Indian education system is not taking care of the spiritual growth of the youths. This system tries to make the youths employment-ready. The system should rather make them ready to face life. An employment-ready system stuffs the students with only some skills and information. These skills remain relevant only for a few years now. They can help you to get a job but do not help you to make a fulfilling life. The education system should make the youths live in harmony in their society. The system should not produce some brash and over-confident youths adept in one-upmanship. Indian spiritual system teaches a man to be humble, truthful, and collaborative. That is what students used to learn in the Gurukul system. Even Western thinkers now admit that the Indian system of education had been far better than theirs in building a peaceful and prosperous society.
How should Spirituality be defined in the present age?
While the basic tenets of Spirituality remain the same as they were two thousand years ago, Spirituality has to be redefined to address the needs of the present. In ancient India, the sages divided life into four stages, Brahmacharya, Garhastha, Vanprastha, and Sanyas. In the new age, people have to understand what these Ashramas mean in today’s context. In simple words, people should keep on changing their priorities in changing life stages. One thing that has to remain constant in all life stages is the need for personal growth. An individual has to reach his goals through rich ethical values. One need not go to the forest after attaining the age of 50 and become a Sadhu at the age of 75. He can still stay in his family and use his experience and wisdom to create a more vibrant and inclusive society. Brahmacharya Ashram can be redefined as a period in which an individual can learn how to minimize worldly distractions so that he can learn what he is supposed to learn for the betterment of himself and his society. This is Gyana Yoga. Gyana will make him differentiate good from evil. He is expected to love his occupation and learn how to live a disciplined life. Garhastha ashram is a period in which an individual is expected to balance various priorities related to his career, family, and community. Here, there is a need to maintain a proper work-life balance.
Spirituality should be redefined as something that makes life stress-free and worth living with honor. It should help people relax their minds and look beyond money, fame, and social positions. It should make Indians happy and joyfully engaged in their work. Productivity can increase only if people work with energy and enthusiasm. Spirituality in the present age should focus on making people healthy, physically and mentally. Only then the people will be interested in exploring Indian spirituality. There should be something in the package that they find interesting and “Useful”.
Who can redefine Spirituality for the betterment of Indian Society?
This is a million-dollar question. Very few people are interested in redefining Spirituality. The reasons are very simple. Firstly, people have already accepted rituals and Tirthayatras (pilgrimages) as spirituality deep inside their hearts. Secondly, the Ashrams, monks, and nuns prefer to live spiritual lives for self-upliftment as they believe that is the best way to lead a spiritual life. They are not too concerned about how people outside their Ashrams and Akharas spend their lives. These enlightened souls do not think that they have a role in helping others understand the real meaning of spirituality.
I believe, some spiritual Gurus have already taken the responsibility in explaining the message of Indian spirituality in easy-to-understand ways. A few examples can readily be given. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Sadhguru, Gour Gopal Das, and Swami Sukhobodhananda are helping people to transform their life journey in the light of Indian Spirituality. With the help of friendly interactions and anecdotes, these Gurus can impact the lives of students and corporate executives, to some extent at least. These are steps in the right direction. The Inner Re-engineering workshops, if attended with the right spirit, can start changing the very attitude towards life. People can feel empowered to live a life of purpose and fulfillment. Many other spiritual gurus are conducting similar workshops or Satsang sessions for the devotees all through the year. Are they able to reach out to a large number of Indians? The answer is no. There should be many more such workshops across the country.
There are some old spiritual institutions like Sri Ramakrishna Mission and Sri Aurobindo Ashram among many others falling in the category of Ashrams where thousands of inmates are doing collective Sadhana. Sri Ramakrishna Mission is playing a stellar role in making Spirituality synonymous with serving humanity. This Mission has set up numerous schools and hospitals to help people get quality education and healthcare at affordable costs. This is a great model to bring changes to the system. But, they are not always offering service through their monks. They employ teachers, doctors, and nurses to provide services. Are these teachers and doctors providing services in the spirit of serving God? That is difficult to implement. Many spiritual institutions like Bharat Sevashram Sangha and ISCKON help people in the events of floods, earthquakes, and pandemics. These are great services to the Divine. But what we also need is to make people understand the principles of Indian spirituality.
Sri Aurobindo Ashram, a spiritual community created by Sri Aurobindo (Ghosh) is an example of a community living in the ideals of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. They have a school that imparts education in the principles of Indian spirituality. However, they have to scale up their operations so that the benefits of spirituality can reach the Indian masses. Such Ashrams can not live as an island amid turbulence in the external world. That will be akin to doing individual Sadhana in the caves of the Himalayas. These Ashrams have to show the devotees and other visitors the right way to live. They have to do something precious for the entire society. They can not just say that you come and meditate and read the complete works of Sri Aurobindo or Swami Vivekananda. But, do people know how to meditate? Do they know how they can discipline their thoughts? Some hand-holding is required for the seekers which is generally absent. Spirituality is something that people learn directly from enlightened souls. When these souls leave their earthly bodies, some more people should be ready to step in the shoes of their Gurus.