The history of mankind gives us a panoramic view of the past events. These accounts were handed down in the form of oral tradition, pictographs, edicts, coins and written words. These show that history is a record of change that occurred in civilisations, nations, cities, states and human settlements or even nomadic tribes. It is a continuous story of rise and fall of certain men and women, and also of communities, nations or groups who were led by them during a particular period. These chronicles of change show that certain men and women had great transformation in their lives by reflecting deeply on certain events and their causes, or on certain events and their outcome, or on the futility of certain acts done by themselves and others before their times.
Deep reflections, realisation and resolve enabled them to rise to great moral and spiritual heights. And this transformation that began with them. The ones about whom most of us have a deep knowledge and respect are Saint Valmiki, Gautam Buddha, King Ashoka, Poet Tulsidas and Mahatma Gandhi. Saint Valmiki was a robber. One day, he attempted to rob some sadhus and they showed him how he was committing a sin. Valmiki resolved firmly not to rob anyone in future. This led him to his inner transformation and this, in turn, awakened many of his good qualities. His mind became highly moved to write about the victory of virtue over vice in the form of the great epic, Ramayana.
Similarly, when Buddha saw a sick man, an old man and a dead body, and reflected deeply, he realised that there was suffering in the world and that he should try to identify the cause of sufferings so as to liberate himself and others. Likewise, Ashoka reflected on the great sufferings caused to people as a result of the Kalinga war, and he resolved to give up war forever. The great poet Tulsidas reflected on the remarks of his wife when, one midnight, he visited her at his in-laws house without their invitation. He realised that lust was an abject form of dependence on women and it would be far better to love God. When Gandhi’s bags were thrown out of a moving train and he, too, was pushed out on to the platform, he reflected on this humiliating event and realised how degrading it was to be the citizen of a country that was under a foreign rule. His self-respect then awakened and he took a vow that he would spend the rest of his life for the political freedom of his country.
These examples show that inner transformation in great men occurred after deep reflection, realisation and resolve. These three steps changed sinners into saints, ordinary men into great leaders and men of clay into higher-souled persons, for these awakened their potentials for being good and for doing good. The change in individuals thus resulted in societal transformation. But is it that easy to transform oneself? Experience has shown that the greatest difficulty in this process of change is man’s own resistance. But in the current situation, when man dosen’t have happiness and one is not immune to ill-health and other sorrows and sufferings of the world and when the clouds of destruction are looming large in the form of nuclear weapons, there should not be any agitation in thoughtful persons to transform their lifestyles into one that does not bring suffering to them. Once this process of transformation starts and a few people get transformed, then it automatically catches other people’s attention. We must ask ourselves, is there anybody who does not like a rose? None. Who would not like a cool morning breeze in sunny summer days or who would resist its refreshing and energising effect?
Similarly, if there is a person who always wears a smile on his/her face and always speaks words that are refreshing, energising and sweet as the nightingale’s melody, then who will be able to resist this temptation of being like them? Does the innocence of a child not attract and impress all? Who has never in his life been nourished by milk? Archemedes said ‘Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world’. Similarly, Almighty Supreme says, if you change individually, you will be able to change through each one of you, atleast a large part of the world. So, on your shoulder rests the responsibility of transformation of whole world. — Rajyogi Brahmakumar Nikunj