Saints and Sages

‘But let us not lose heart… India is an ancient land of religions that has produced a great number of saints and sages who taught the people about the one true God beyond religious barriers, a Universal God whose grace and love is available to all human beings who surrender themselves to divine providence’ the Baba said. 

He continued..

‘We need to turn to the great saints and sages of our land for help at this crucial juncture in history….. 

‘All religions have produced such great saints and sages who deserve respect and reverence from all seekers of truth and grace. Sainthood and holiness are not the monopoly of any one religion. They are God’s common gifts to whole humanity…. 

‘All saints and sages of humankind, irrespective of their religious and cultural backgrounds, need to be revered by all true spiritual seekers. All of them are recipients and reservoirs of the grace of God. Sincere adherence to their noble teachings can help others also to grow in holiness of life and experience of God, which are the two spiritual attributes common to all true saints and sages of humanity...

‘India seeks for experience rather than knowledge in the spiritual field. ‘Anubhava’, personal experience of God, is the goal and core of India’s religions quest. It is to men and women of God-experience that the seekers of truth turn for guidance and help….

‘One also has to keep in mind that there is so much of goodness in the worst of us, and also there is so much of evil in the best of us….

‘It is said by the wise that ‘every saint has a past, and every sinner has a future’. …

‘Saints and sages can also have their negative and shadow areas. Their words and deeds may not be inspiring and exemplary sometimes….

‘The eternal values by which one lives can be the best test of one’s holiness and sanctity. A tree is known from its fruits…..’

The Baba stopped for a while and closed his eyes for a minute. There was total silence.

‘Have you understood this third spiritual law of peace, my son?’ the Baba asked Atma Prakash.

They sat in meditation for a while. The Baba then began to speak...

‘The fourth spiritual law of peace, my son, is that ‘the grace of God, once received, can be nurtured and nourished best by working selflessly to promote righteousness and peace in the world’. 

The Baba then continued: ‘Peace…Shanti… in the world needs righteousness, Dharma, as its basis. By working for righteousness and peace in the world we become true sons and daughters of God. There is no religious discrimination implied here at all. ‘Blessed are the peace makers, they shall be called the children of God’ taught Sadguru Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace….

‘Peace has psychological, sociological and ecological dimensions. It also has social, economic and political aspects and implications. The socio-economic-political systems and institutions need to be re-oriented towards a culture of peace. This is an important requirement for peace in the world. They have to be rebuilt on the strong foundation of righteousness. Righteousness, to be true, needs to be based on ‘justice’. Economic justice is basic to peace in the world…. 

‘A peaceful economic system should uphold the dignity of the human person and the dignity of human labour. Productive justice and distributive justice are integral to economic justice…

‘Productive justice’ means that the tools and means of production should not be owned only by those who invest the capital as it is being done today, but they should be owned jointly by those who invest the capital and those who invest the labour…

‘Distributive justice’ implies distribution of the profits equitably between those who invest the capital and those who invest the labour…. The larger share should always go to those who invest labour because they give from their life. Those who invest the capital only give from their abundance…

‘There should also be provisions for rewards, appreciations and encouragements for hard work and quest for excellence… 

‘Much of the violence in the world is caused by an unjust and greed-based economic system. For example, Communism, as we had seen, came up as a reaction against the exploitation of the workers by the rich capitalists, and against the hypocrisy of the Church. The naxalite movement in India, as you know very well, began as reaction against the injustice and exploitation perpetrated by` feudalism, and against governmental corruption. It continues in those areas where injustice, exploitation and corruption are still prevalent…

‘Any amount of ‘police action’ and any number of ‘special task forces’ will not bring peace unless the root causes, which are injustice and corruption, are removed and justice is ensured to the victims of injustice. Political centralization leads to centralization of power and perpetration of injustice and corruption…..

‘Centralization of political power further leads to economic centralization. This in turn will lead to more injustice and exploitation. Injustice and exploitation will surely invite violence and war. Without de-centralized political and economic systems there will be no lasting peace and sustainable development….. 

‘Justice is the first casualty in all centralized political and economic systems. Centralization also promotes corruption. In a centralized political system tru

e ‘democracy’ will remain a mirage and political leaders and Government servants will become masters, lording over the citizens. Effective and speedy justice can be meted out, and corruption can be controlled, only through decentralization of politics and economics, and localization of authority and power….

‘Though the British had left India in 1947, the Education system, the Judiciary, the Bureaucracy, and even the Police Rules imposed on us by the British, still continue as they were. We need to liberate India from these enslaving systems and structures. Education is the key for the success of this historic mission. India today needs an integral and effective approach to education for her regeneration and reconstruction’ the Baba paused and looked at his disciple questioningly.

Excerpts from Integral Revolution