"Every nation should grow after the pattern of its own growth, of its own cultural tradition or spiritual background. India must grow after the pattern of her own culture and so also the other nations of the world."

(Excerpts from Sri Sivaprema's Maharshi Sivananda.)    

NATIONAL IDEALISM

Spiritual Growth and Material Development

While re-employing the ancient spiritual values in the light of the modern progressive idealism, which is basically utilitarian in practical life, India must endeavour to keep her own heritage unharmed and unsullied by the impact of the forces of soulless materialism and dialectical totalitarianism that are so misleading and ensnaring to the modern worldly-minded intelligentsia as well as the poverty-stricken masses. Every nation should grow after the pattern of its own growth, of its own cultural tradition or spiritual background. India must grow after the pattern of her own culture and so also the other nations of the world.

Industrial development and harnessing the powers of the external nature through the appliance of scientific means count a great deal in the growth and the sustenance of the independence of a nation. Mankind has to move with the stride of time. Complacency is indeed pernicious. The nation must be strong and prosperous materially if it is to progress spiritually. Spirituality is not usually a success, on a collective basis, in the squalid fold of poverty and want. The mind can soar high only when it has respite from hunger, cold and insecurity. The 'four freedoms', so much indispensable a requisite for collective spiritual progress, can be maintained only when a nation is independent politically and economically. To maintain that independence the nation must be militarily powerful enough to protect  itself from external aggression. To maintain that strength of arms there must be national solidarity, industrial self-sufficiency and moral courage. No moral courage can endure long enough under political and economic dependence, while no mechanical weapon can equal moral courage, united and imbued with a spirit of selflessness and self-dedication.

It is a great pity that India, in spite of her spiritual progress, had overlooked  in the past these vital points , and neglected and belittled their importance. The basic values of life were forgotten. The nation was too weak to protect itself from the waves of ruthless invasions. National loyalties were lost. Social taboos, polycracy, segregations, and caste animosities were allowed in. Hence it is imperative that the nation must be strong and progressive in both ways, spiritually and materially. 

Need for a balance

Mere industrial progress and military strength without a spiritual basis will bring power-intoxication, superiority-complex and epicurian delusion. That will inevitably bring terrible downfall to the nation, so vividly exemplified by the last two world wars. The delusive power of Maya is such that even after man-made, devastating catastrophies mankind will not heed the lessons of history, and the same old follies are pursued, as if inexorably, once again. Here then is the paramount importance of mass spiritual values in every walk of life.

This is a difficult task, but no great thing is ever done as if by magic. All constructivity implies hard work and more so in such a creative and constructive task of world-wide nature. The results may not be immediate. To a large extent the fruit of such work will be for the posterity, while the tempo and the sincerity of the movement will set the elders athinking and gradually transform them as well. Just as a farmer who wishes to reap a rich harvest of healthy and luxuriant crop does not so much attempt to change and improve the existing crop that is already standing in the field - though he exerts to safeguard them from rot and pestilence - but rather starts to treat the soil in which the seeds of the next harvest are lying and germinating in silence, even so, all those who are to work for world peace, and universal well-being should first of all strive to create a right and ideal condition that will ensure the four freedoms in order to enable the future generation to fulfil the hopes and ideals that we cherish today. If the world is to have peace, there has to be less of hypocrisy, less of prejudice and fear-complex, less of slavery to outdated traditions and exclusive material values. Above all, the ideal of righteousness, to live and to let live and to consider the other man's rights, necessities and self-respect as much as our own should have to be realized first.