Lt col R K Langar
I was associated with Brahma Kumaris organization for more than one year. Their teachings are simple and meaningful with plenty of emphasis laid on meditation which they call Raja Yoga or connection with Supreme power which in their case is Lord Shiva, lovingly called Shiv Baba. The emphasis of their teachings is that you are a soul or Atma and not a body. Their literature is praise worthy which enables a person to understand meaning of human life and live in a purposeful manner. The teachings of Brahma Kumaris include teachings of Bhagavad Gita. However those who have understood what Bhagavad Gita teaches would find difference in interpretation of Bhagavad Gita as taught by Brahma Kumaris. Notwithstanding this difference, there are many good things which you learn which include ethics, spiritual values, unconditional love and service to mankind. During my stay with Brahma Kumaris I was and am highly impressed with the words of wisdom of Dadi Janaki who is the administrative Head of Brahma Kumaris. The other person who has impressed me immensely is Brahma Kumari sister Shivani who comes regularly on the TV and explains various aspects of meaningful living in a very simple manner. In this write up I am trying to explain four Cs which Dadi Janaki, the administrating head of Brahma Kumaris wants us to avoid during our stay in the world. The four Cs are Corruption, Competition, Criticism and Complaining which I have discussed in this article in the following manner.
Corruption
Corruption has increased many fold in India. It is so wide spread that it has become a social disorder. The root cause of corruption is that majority of Indians are living below morality line(BML) even though our country’s cultural tradition is based on spiritualism whose inherent qualities are Truth, Purity, Knowledge and Bliss. Most of us have become so indifferent to corruption that we accept it as a natural occurrence. Where lies the fault? Is it in the education system which we have adopted or is it due to our leaders who rule the country and their inability to show us the right path. Bhagavad Gita says that people down the chain accept it as correct. Great men of our country are certainly Not those who are holding high posts but great men are those who are morally elevated, practical in their approach to life which is anchored on righteousness, always and every time. Here one must understand that capability and goodness are two different entities. A person may be capable in his profession and by virtue of which he has attained a high post. But this does not ensure that he is morally upright. He may be corrupt from inside if he is not a good person. Secondly in our education system moral values are not taught to the extent it should be. India is the world capital of spirituality and all religious of the world are found in India. But unfortunately we still look at the west and accept what they say.
To root out corruption each individual should ask himself ‘Am I honest or dishonest?’ He will find the answer. If he is dishonest he must make a useful effort in the right direction to rectify his dishonesty. To uproot corruption we have to work at the individual level and move upwards. To expect that India will suddenly produce great men who are morally sound is not that easy. If individual is good, family is good. If family is morally upright, the society would be so and so would be the country. This appears to be the only solution at the present moment, to root our immorality from our country.
Competition
In the world of today most of us go all out to undo others. The world believes in the policy of One up Man ship. One may ask oneself if competing with others is the right way of living. It is certainly not. Indian culture and philosophy is rooted in spirituality which stresses on oneness. It emphasizes on the belief system that the world is one family and you certainly donot compete with your family members. You cooperate with them. By all means take part in the race but without looking at others who are on your right or left. If you do so your own effort is wasted in seeing how the others are running which would not produce the best from you. There is only one area where you must compete and that is between your past self and the present self. You must beat your past self for acquiring higher values of life, by removal of negativities from within you. You must compete with yourself to make your present conduct better than your past. When you compete with others negative qualities or tendencies like jealously, envy and hatred settle inside you. But when you cooperate with others not only you become a better person but qualities like peace, harmony and togetherness emerge from within. Your life is your individual journey- Enjoy it and more towards your goal giving comfort and help to those who come in your way.
Criticism
Criticism is a negative quality where you find others faulty just because they donot agree with your viewpoint. The reason is that you are attached to your view point to the extent that you believe that what you say is only right. How can that be true. Two faces may be almost similar but no two minds are identical. Learn to accommodate others in your mind. You may not agree with others view point but the other person is speaking from his point of view. You both may be right to the extent of your vision. The best is to say ‘ I am right and you are also right’. This is one of the cardinal teachings of Jainism. Also when you criticize others you send out negative energy which in others words could also mean that there is some negativity with in you. Even if your mind notices something which you think is faulty ignore and don’t register it unless it is your duty to correct him. Bhagavad Gita says that wise men should not unsettle faith of ignorant which indirectly means no criticism of others.
Be not a complainer
Some people have formed a habit of complaining- against people, against circumstances or conditions they face in life. We should always remember that the world is a relative place and every situation has some limitations. It shall never happen that whatever you need shall be given to you as per your requirement. While interacting with others if you feel offended there is no other choice than to accept it. Your completenesss from within will not hurt you and if someone has hurt you, you have allowed him to hurt you. We must remember that you cannot change the people- what needs to be changed is you attitude. If you complain against some person only you have disturbed your stability but the person you have complained about remains unaffected. Same goes about complaining against a situation. Accept it and face it with courage.
Conclusion
Avoidance of 4Cs as explained about and as emphasized by Dadi Janaki of Brahma Kumaris must be practiced by all of us for living usefully with a sense of fulfillment. If only we know our true divine self we shall discover that all problems that we face are within us and so are their solutions. Play the game of life following the rules of holistic living. Every experience is so designed that you learn from it. Life is not to be lived to win or lose but life should be so lived that you enjoy every moment of it and at the same time evolve yourself spiritually
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