The great history of mankind offers a panoramic view of past and present events to our mind’s eye—a parade of similar and dissimilar yet significant occurrences unfolding in succession. It provides a running commentary on the individuals who played their parts in these episodes and marks milestones along the path of time to indicate when these events took place.
These accounts of events were handed down to posterity in the form of oral traditions, pictographs, edicts, coins, and the written word. A study of these leads one to the conclusion that history is a record of changes that occurred in civilisations, nations, cities, states, and human settlements, or even among nomadic tribes. It is a continuous story of the rise and fall of certain men and women, as well as of communities, nations, or groups who were led by them during particular periods. These annals or chronicles of change show that certain men and women underwent great transformation in their lives by reflecting deeply on certain events and their causes, or on their outcomes, or on the futility of certain acts done by themselves and others before their times.
It was always the trio of deep reflection, realisation, and resolve that enabled them to rise to great moral and spiritual heights. This transformation, which began with them, later influenced large sections of mankind. From the long list of such persons, the ones about whom most of us have deep knowledge and respect are Saint Valmiki, Gautama Buddha, King Ashoka, Poet Tulsidas, and Mahatma Gandhi.
We all have heard about Saint Valmiki, who used to rob passengers that passed his way into the deep forest. One day, he made an attempt to rob some sadhus. They told him that he was earning his livelihood in a sinful way and that none of his family members, for whom he robbed, would save him from the punishment for his sins. Valmiki realised this, and he resolved firmly not to rob anyone in future. This led to his inner transformation, which, in turn, awakened many of his good qualities. Valmiki was now a deeply compassionate man, and he wrote 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, he realised that there was suffering in the world and that he should try to identify the cause of suffering so as to liberate himself and others from it. This brought in him a great transformation which later led to the transformation of many others.
Likewise, Ashoka reflected on the great sufferings caused to people as a result of the Kalinga war, and upon realising the futility of war, he resolved to give up violence forever. This transformation in the self led to the transformation of many others.
The great poet Tulsidas reflected on the remarks of his wife when, one midnight, he visited her at his in-laws’ without their invitation. He realised that lust was an abject form of dependence on women and that it would be far better to love God.
When the baggage of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was thrown out of a moving train and he, too, was pushed out onto the platform, he reflected on this humiliating event and realised how degrading it was to be a citizen of a country under foreign rule. His self-respect then awakened, and he took a vow that he would spend the rest of his life working for the political freedom of his motherland. This is how his own transformation brought change in the lives of many others, and the dream of free India became a reality.
These and other such examples represent that inner transformation in great men occurred after deep reflection, realisation, and resolve. But is it this easy to transform oneself? Experience has shown that the greatest difficulty in this process of change is man’s own resistance, non-cooperation, lack of will, or absence of intention to change. Today, when man is not immune to ill health, sorrows, and other sufferings of the world, and when the clouds of destruction are looming large in the form of nuclear weapons, there should not be any hesitation among thoughtful persons to transform their lifestyles into a kind that does not bring suffering upon them.
Once this process of transformation begins and a few people get transformed, it automatically catches the attention of others. We must ask ourselves: is there anybody who does not like a smiling rose? None! Who would not like a cool morning breeze on 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 or her face and who always speaks words that are refreshing, energising and sweet as the nightingale’s melody, then who will be able to resist the temptation of being like this lovely soul?
Does the innocence of a child not attract and impress all? Who has never in his life been nourished by milk? Archimedes once said, “Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum to place it on, and I shall move the world.” Similarly, the Almighty Supreme says that if you change individually, you will be able to change, through each one of you, at least a large part of the world. So, on your shoulders rests the responsibility for the transformation of the whole world. Never think that you will change only if another person changes, because if you change, others around you will definitely change. So the whole process is about changing “I,” not “them”.
