Conversation 028: Politics and Religion

This conversation is in the wake of ongoing general elections in India.

Seeker 1: I think politics has lost its morality in the country. Political parties are making fun of Hindu Gods with impunity!

Seeker 2: Yes!!!

Seeker 1: My God! I’m learning about this in the last few days.

Seeker 2: Political parties are having crores and crores of money to be distributed for votes. So they have become crazy!

Seeker 1: People have lost their faith, just for some money they are willing to overlook these scoundrels. Very sorry situation!

Seeker 2: These hypocratic political parties are running television channels and telecasting religion during mornings and during the day they are doing these nonsense!

Seeker 1: Any chance of respite for the hapless public?

Seeker 2: People are like ants in the centre of a wooden log with fire at both ends! That’s an analogy given in Srimad Bhagavatham for these kind of situations!

Seeker 1: “People are like ants in the centre of a wooden log with fire at both ends!” Wonderfully put!

Seeker 2: “They saw that the people were in a dangerous position from both directions. When a fire blazes on both ends of a log, the ants in the middle are in a very dangerous situation. Similarly, at that time the people in general were in a dangerous position due to an irresponsible king on one side and thieves and rogues on the other.” – Srimad Bhagavatham 4.14.8 (in our situation, it refers to the ruler and opposition in a democracy! 😦 )

Seeker 2: Democracy is the most pathetic form of governance, there is no respite for people because it is the innate nature of those with authority to get corrupt, given an opportunity. It is said that “Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely!”

Seeker 2: Common people does not know why they are suffering because unless one is inclined to these topics, one does not know why things are happening.

Seeker 2: Everyone has to face their situations according to their karma…that no one can stop…at least we have to purify ourselves by the knowledge of scripture like Srimad Bhagavatham and Bhagavad Gita and associate with saintly persons.

Seeker 1: Yes. Very important that we keep the Satsang flowing.

Seeker 2: Yes, you are absolutely right.

Seeker 1: Practice makes a man perfect applies here. We need to keep at it. Then only realization with come.

Seeker 2: It’s easy to get carried away by people around…including our family members…who are a constant source of trouble.

Seeker 1: Our maharaj ji (Guru Ji) used to say that it is all about the extent of your desire to realization. If that is very high then no one can stop you.

Seeker 2: I wish I have someone to go to and listen like you!

Seeker 1: I keep listening to lectures on Dakshinamurthy stotra these days. I heard we need both knowledge and devotion as only knowledge will make you egoistic. So you need that bhakti (devotion) to melt your heart and knowledge go to your head.

Seeker 2: Yes. Beautifully said!

Seeker 1: Now, I realize why our maharaj ji made it a custom at Mount Abu where in the evening everybody chants Dakshinamurthy strotra (http://www.hindupedia.com/en/Sri_Dakshinamurthy_Stotram)  and Mahimna Strotra paath (https://www.speakingtree.in/blog/shiva-mahimna-stotram-with-lyrics-and-meaning).

Seeker 2: First is devotion…only then knowledge will come!

Seeker 1: So, although Dakshinamurthy is termed a stotra it is not actually that. It is pure Sanatan Siddhant (Eternal Law) in very few words almost equivalent to Gita. So, knowledge = Dakshinamurthy stotra and devotion = mahimna stotra.

Seeker 2: Awesome!

Seeker 1: That is why I think I should be focussing on these two. That is enough. I start to understand it in depth. Every one of these shlokas are so intense.

Seeker 2: Very nice.

Seeker 1: That is what you must be feeling in Srimad Bhagvatam and Bhagavad Gita, so much of hidden meanings. That is why Guru will always be important to understand that underlying meaning.

Seeker 2: Yes, it is very intense once you start thinking deeply. Each shloka (verse) is packed with so much information with multiple meanings and interpretations.

Seeker 1: You can’t just do the translation to your own comfortable language and think that you know everything.

Seeker 2: Totally agree. That’s why we have to learn from the disciplic succession because knowledge is transferred without any false interpretations from a Guru who has understood from his predecessor and so on.

Seeker 1: Right.

Seeker 2: People with bookish knowledge interpreting on their own only misguide people.

Seeker 1: Yes.

Seeker 2: They just do word for word translation with their limited knowledge, without trying to meditate on the inner, deeper aspects. So we should not read books written by these people. We have to analyse their background and make sure that they have learnt this knowledge from realised people and passing on that knowledge. Otherwise we will also be misdirected and fallen like the common people who are misled by false people!