Someone recently asked me what spirituality means to me. Spirituality is probably the most over rated and misused term in recent times. Everywhere you go; in buses, in trains, in flights; you see people, with grave expressions, clutching books, (which look intimidating by the mere thickness of its cover!) soaking in writings with such concentration and faith that you almost see, the soft golden glow of a Halo around their head!
Even though man has managed to recreate the big bang (albeit in a laboratory) he still seeks solace at the feet of a Baba. Thousands of people gather to get a glimpse of these self proclaimed enlightened souls. What do they seek from them? What makes a Baba so special? Is it his magical powers? Is it his ability to turn lead into gold?
Saints have existed since time immemorial. Clad in light clothing in freezing temperatures, surviving on Amla and fruits and some times going days without food; nobody seemed to pay much attention to them then, so why are they being built temples for now?
All said and done man is a creature, whose natural instinct is greed and dissatisfaction. The more he has, the more he wants. In this age of microwaves, people are used to getting things quickly and with minimum effort. With the kind of technological advances and astronomical amount of salaries being paid, people yearn to own the moon. No matter what they own, someone else always owns something bigger or better. So where does this end? How can a man be happy? This search of happiness and peace is what drives our babu’s to baba’s, who seem to have achieved it. People read ancient scriptures and writings and spend day and night trying to decipher them, hoping to solve the mystery of life, when what they seek is far simpler than they think.
Why are people in awe of these men? What do these men have that people seek to learn from them? The answer is simple- self control and determination. Everyone admires people with self control- right, from an actor who controls his or her diet for flawless physique, to a businessman who controls his desire to have fun, and stays focused on his work to make it to the top. All these people have desires, but they know how to control them. Some try to control their hunger and some their sleep and some their need to have fun. With so many temptations around, these people seem to have achieved that which we commoners probably lack.
Man must have determination, in other words spirit, to achieve fulfillment. It is also important that the mind and heart co operate with each other, so that he sticks to his course of action. In other words the mind and heart should have mutuality of goals. When combined it sums up spirituality. It is this simple truth of life that man needs to understand and master, which of course is easier said than done.
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