Amma has heard people in India being critical of Hinduism. They say, “Hindus are primitive. Theirs is a primitive devotion. They pray to a monkey and the elephant-headed Ganapati!” How many have understood the scientific principles behind these depictions? How many people have tried to understand them? Even if one desires to understand, how is one to go about it? These are issues we must seriously contemplate.
When Amma goes abroad, she sees paintings in the homes of many people. In one house, Amma saw a painting that had four or five colours and five or six lines; that was all. It seemed as if someone had dipped a broom in paint and painted this. Amma couldn’t understand what the painting was about. Upon inquiry, Amma learnt that the painting was worth $500,000! In order to prevent it from being stolen, the owner had hired a security guard and mounted security cameras.
Even though we didn’t understand the painting, the owner could talk about it elaborately for hours on end. No one considers the painter a fool. On the contrary, he is acclaimed as a great artist. No one asks the owner why he paid so much money for the painting when there are so many poor starving. The value of the painting does not diminish just because ordinary people cannot understand it. Similarly, it is only when one understands the principles behind the depictions of deities in Hinduism that one can understand the greatness of these principles.
We can realise from the principles behind the exhortation to worship Hanuman and through the message that the form of Ganapati conveys, how vast the knowledge, intelligence and experience of our ancestors were. Amma has no wish to comment on the internal matters of other countries. When she visits a country, the people there seek her comments on such matters. However, Amma doesn’t say anything. They have the liberty to think over these matters. These are matters that the people of that country must discuss before deciding. However, there is one thing that Amma can’t help mentioning. She has been travelling to America for quite a few years now. The cost of goods in India has gone up many times compared to the cost of goods in the US.
Foreigners are not as lazy as Indians. They are ready to do any kind of work. Unlike the situation here, there is no agitation or strike for 20 days in a month. (It’s doubtful if people here work even during the remaining 10 days!) But when Indians go abroad, they change. They do not hesitate to work for 22 hours a day. Amma has come across people who work even longer! There are Indians who, after working 22 hours, go home, cook food, eat and then go to the San Ramon ashram, California, to do seva (service activities). So, when we go abroad, we do not hesitate to work hard.
In Japan, wives upbraid husbands if they don’t work for at least 12 hours. If the husband reaches home slightly early, the wife asks, “Hey, why have you come back so early?” In contrast, it is doubtful if people here work even eight hours daily. After eating, resting and drinking tea, how much time is left for work? The reason for the rapid development of other countries is its people’s hard work.
Even though there are people of utmost intelligence and talent here, their laziness is predominant. The only thing at the back of their mind is to reduce their workload, though they would never agree to reduced wages. They don’t think about what they can do to help their country progress. How will the country progress if people don’t change this mindset? Even if progress takes place in the country, without hard work it cannot be sustained. That said, India is on the road to progress.
However, we should not squander the energy needed to maintain this momentum. Though we have awakened, we are yet to get out of the bed. It is not enough to awaken. We must get up and work. Only then will we gain the benefit of waking up—the progress of India. May India continue to be a light for other countries to follow.
The writer is a world-renowned spiritual leader