Pioneers!

Honorable Sri Atal Behari Vajpayee, the late Prime Minister of India, spoke at the summer course on June 20^th, 1978. He spoke about the importance of dharma.

Let me make it clear, at the very outset, that I have not come here as Minister of External Affairs. I have come as a jijnasu, a seeker, an aspirant eager to learn the ulti­mate Truth. I cannot call myself a devotee, for I have yet to acquire devotion. I will continue to be a jijnasu as long as I live. We all ask questions to ourselves. One of them is: “What exactly do we want to achieve in life? Is it wealth or fame or a position of power?” I know many wealthy people, but they are not happy. They have money and money can purchase medicine. But money does not give them health. This does not mean that we should give up the world. As men con­cerned with the world, we need money to keep body and soul together. But money cannot be the ultimate goal of life. I find many Americans here before me. Theirs is a land of plenty. It can be called the Kubera bhoomi [the land of the Lord of demigods] but the people are not happy, for happiness comes not from the accumulation of external objects or skills but from within.

Of course, it is very easy to say that we have to seek happiness from within ourselves, but this is a very difficult process. I have power, position, and a little name. But some­times, when I am alone, I feel I am groping in the dark. Every person craves for light. The student participant from Chandigarh who spoke just now of his experiences in this Summer Camp spoke of knowledge gained and wisdom earned. This is really a tapo­van, a hermitage, and not merely a spiritual ‘camp’. This institution is not just a stru­cture erected from brick and mortar. Re­ally, it is the wisdom gained by the spirit that matters.

We Indians are very good as individuals. We shine as good doctors, wonderful engi­neers, and experts in many fields. But when we come together, we are a crowd not a community. The community spirit is the result of the fellow‑feeling and compassion—quali­ties of the spirit.

Ours is a multi‑lingual country. But we are all sons and daughters of the one Mother, India. When we come together we speak in many languages, but they are all the languages of our Motherland. The language may be different but the trend of thought, the bhava [feeling], is the same, for it is based on the deep‑rooted traditions of our country.

We all aspire for self-realization, but the problem is to how to set about it. It is a crucial question. As soon as we see a ray of hope, there appear dark clouds on the hori­zon to overwhelm the ray.

The world is now in a very tense situation. Humanity is on the crossroad. The choice before it is no longer between cooperation and confrontation; it is, as President Carter said, between survival and annihilation. We are in the very brink of disaster. Now, who will save humanity? Certainly not the poli­ticians as we know them. Politicians guided by dharma[righteousness] can. ‘Dharanath Dharmam Ithyahu—The source of money is the world’ I wish Swami would arrange a course on dharma for politicians. I wish I could be one of the fortunate few who could be the disciples of Swami. I would be the first to join such a training class. I am really fed up with this race for position and fame. Prahlada prayed:

Na thwaham Kamaye Rajyam
Na Swargam na punarbhavam
Kamaye dukha thapthaanaam
Praninaam aarthi naasanam.

I do not desire a kingdom, or heaven or birth in superior lives; I desire only to serve the distressed. That is the goal we have to set before ourselves

As the student said just now, quoting Swamiji, “If there is love in the home, there is peace in the society; if there is peace in the society, there is peace in the nation; If there is peace in the nation, there is peace in the world.” We must be careful to see that the spiritual battery is charged, if we cannot do the better thing, to have self-­charging batteries. With the blessings of Swamiji, that stage will be acquired.

The darkness that threatens can be dis­pelled, for this country is destined to become great. We have a mission; we can show the way to the world, provided we ourselves go that way.

The Summer Course on Indian Culture and Spirituality must have impressed on you­ the new generation that it is dharmathat matters and not just the accumulation of degrees and diplomas. These may help you to earn money; but they cannot bring peace. Under the inspiring leadership and guidance, the molding of new generation on right lines, is already on. You are the pioneers. Take the message of love, com­passion, and fellow‑feeling to every part of the country.

Source: Sanathana Sarathi, July 1978

Peace is the most priceless possession of man. It is the sign of a virtuous character, a willingness for service, a readiness to renounce, a clean spirit of resignation, and awareness of the evanescence of the material wealth, of an agitation‑less lake of joy in the heart.

—Baba