Strictly Follow the National Code of Conduct
October ‘97
Blessed Immortal Atman!
Beloved Sadhaks and spiritual seekers,
May the grace of the Divine Mother, that primal, transcendental, supreme Cosmic Power be upon you all now and throughout your life. May this Supreme Power manifest within you as the inner spiritual strength to overcome all obstacles that stand between you and your noble mission of living an ideal life and attaining God-experience. May the divine Cosmic Power manifest within you as Dharma (righteousness) and Adhyatma (the principle of Self). This is my wish and prayer during this period when we are all engaged in adoring and worshipping the Divine Mother of the universe for nine nights in succession. It is a period of fervent worship that culminates in the joyful victory of the positive forces of Light over all the negative forces of Darkness. It is a day of joyful celebrations and rejoicing especially in Bengal, where they call it the day of Vijaya (victory). The inner movement of spiritual life really constitutes such an ascent of consciousness from the lower and the lesser levels of the gross aspects of the human nature into progressively higher levels, subtler and purified states of thought, speech and action. It is an upward movement onto Sattva Guna, godly qualities and a spiritlialised vision of life. May all our prayers at the feet of the Divine Mother of the universe during these nine days be mainly for the successful attainment of this higher goal of spiritual perfection in our life. May we not ask Her for anything paltry or for petty objects of this, earthly plane when She is capable of bestowing upon us our Supreme Welfare and our highest good. Why ask for small things when she is capable of blessing us with the greatest of all things?
Beloved Atman, this year, the year of our Independent India’s Golden Jubilee, a significant coincidence is worthy of note. Namely, the commencement of the annual worship for the Mother coincides with the date of worshipful Bapu Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday anniversary i.e. 2nd October. Bapuji’s entire life was a determined struggle to free our country from the shackles of alien domination. Fortunately in his own life he had the satisfaction of seeing this goal attained. But, today after a half century of our Independence, our country as well as our people have strayed away from the noble ideals and principles which Bapuji had placed before us as inheritors of a precious heritage and way of life at once lofty and sublime. Ruler and the ruled alike seem to have decided to regard their country as well as themselves as a political entity and a political way. What would be more regrettable than a spiritual country having the Wheel of Dharma as its symbol abandoning the spiritual vision, setting aside the ideals of Dharma as something belonging within the holy scriptures, no more applicable in our present times. Emphasis has been shifted from Man to matters and to money only as a Supreme value. Turning away from the Light we are moving towards darkness. Turning away from the Great Reality we are running after temporary unrealities and instead of making our life an upward path towards immortality and ever lasting life, we are speeding downwards towards perdition. This dire downward movement must be arrested and the nation must turn right-about and recover its great heritage.
This is the task before India and both its citizens as well as people in positions of power. It is in this context that a common Code of Conduct for the whole Nation becomes an invaluable factor and force for change in the right direction. An aimless and directionless society may be full of a great deal of activity but it will neither attain any worthwhile objective nor will it reach any high destination. It may amass trifles that sparkle for a brief duration and soon pass away. It may accumulate brass and tinsel which, in ultimate analysis, prove to be of very little value or worth. It is verily like throwing away the precious pearls and retaining a heap of empty oyster shells. But, quite different it is with a people and a nation that has a great and noble ideal before it for living and striving after. Different it is with that society and that country that has an aim and an objective before it to strive after and to live for. The higher the aim and nobler the objective, the greater and more admirable that country and its people become in the eyes and estimation of other countries and other sections of human society in our global human family. Such a nation and its citizens earn a place of respect for themselves in the commonwealth of world nations. Such a country and its people and its culture are found worthy of emulation. Our motherland (Bharatavarsha) has all the potential to occupy such a place of dignity and respect in the assembly of nations of this eventful 20th Century and this momentous juncture of its moving towards the dawn of the 21st Century.
Our world, traumatised by decades of hostility, enmity, mutual hatred, distrust, violence and horrific wars that have left destruction, devastation, desolation and unimaginable agony and grief in countless bereaved and broken hearts, is panting for relief. Wrecked by this human tragedy, our contemporary humanity is looking with longing eyes at the approaching 21st Century. It has great expectations. But, at the same time it has grave misgivings and trepidation due to the all out manufacturing of nuclear weapons that have now megatons scale capability of wiping out all life from the surface of our planet and destroying and devastating the entire earth by deadly nuclear radiation with its terrible after effects. In this situation what can we, the citizens of mother India, who are the descendants of the ancient Rishis of Divine Enlightenment, the great seers of illumined wisdom, offer as a solution, as a light in the darkness to our brethren of our human family worldwide? What can we contribute to give a positive and a creative way out of this prevailing state? Can we, as a nation and a people effectively help in fulfilling the hopes and the realisation of the dreams of humanity for the 21st Century? Our leaders, our political high priests in places of power and authority must answer this question. They must give a lead. They must take the right direction and make the people follow them, that our country may play its part in the process of healing the hurts of the earlier part of the century and taking the country towards a destiny of global welfare, human unity, brotherhood and harmony. Then and then only can our country truly be said to be the Land of Peace, the Land of Gautama Buddha, whose message of “Maitri” (friendliness) and “Karuna” (compassion) spread into far off lands in the Golden age of emperor Ashoka. Then indeed we would be worthy of being called the heirs and the successors of Mahatma Gandhi who lived, worked and laid down his very life for peace, amity, harmony, brotherhood and unity.
All this and more we can be and should be if we strictly adhere to and abide by the National Code of Conduct that has been formulated and has been proclaimed throughout the length and breadth of India over these past four years. Therefore I call upon each and every one of you to please go on doing everything that you can to bring this National Code of Conduct to each and every man, woman and child all over our country in all the languages prevailing in India.
Thank you and may God bless you.
May you prosper and may India prosper and together may we make the world prosper and be full of peace, unity and brotherhood.
Om Shantih.
Yours in Peace and Joy.
Swami Chidananda
(A servant of the Master Swami Sivananda)