Religion and Spirituality

    The World Conference of Religions after 9/11 held in Montreal, organized by Dr. Prof. Arvind Sharma has discussed thread-bare the purpose of religions and solution to problems. One of the significant points made by me at this Conference, (since published in one of the Vols. Religion and Spirituality) is "The Future of Mankind- the Bhagavad-Gita Doctrine" It is unanimously accepted that spiritual development is more important than the religious cults. Now, the world is in turmoil. There is unrest everywhere? There are Organisations to help the unfortunate thrown out of their homes, deprived and suffering people that search for a home? All in the name of religion and, particularly the Islamist fundamentalists taking to terrorism. There seems to be a decline in consciousness and people have become barbarians, cutting throats? There is no peace. Some want to promote their ignorance as Missionaries? Some want to establish supremacy through nuclear arms and some through Market economy. Each one wants to gain One-up-man-ship? Where will we go and reach?

    The ancient scriptures have made it very clear as regards the purpose of life. The purpose of life is to earn well (artha and kamana) on the basis of dharma, enjoy life and seek liberation from repeated embodiment. Try to get out of the clutches of 'maya', meaning, the grip of time, space and causality. There is no gainsaying the fact that i earned well, spent well and enjoyed life, if one is to suffer old age, sickness and death. This earth is a death-knell, mrutyu loka, where everything has to deteriorate and disappear! jatasya hi maranam dhruvam. Hence try to break the shackles of birth and death. Discard what all that is acquired from Day One like the gunas, moha, lobha, krodha,mada, matsarya, irshya, etc. One has to overcome the defects, such as, attachment, fickle mind, perverted intelligence, and ego and become so pure, like fire. Once there is 'chitta shuddhi' there comes many powers that liberates the hapless jiva. One has to cut the thread of antahkarana (manas, buddhi, ahankara and chittavrutti) like the umbilical chord in order to be free. 

  Spiritual development will liberate the soul from its repeated embodiment and the consequences of sickness, old age and death  of the jivas.