Explosive! Deafening! Polluting! Dangerous! Such is the nature of fire crackers, yet people use it to express their excitement and pleasure. What kind of pleasure is that? Does this not give an idea of how far away man is from pure joy? I find an explosion of violence, a sort of catharsis in the blowing of fire crackers. Does this not have a relationship with the explosion of bombs and the like? How selfish people are! They are careless and disrespectful towards their neighbours. Who cares whether they are resting, studying, praying or are ill?
One person has invented it and the whole humanity was as if waiting for its advent. Today whether it is a religious festival or New Year celebration, whether someone has won a lottery or has passed his exam, you are disturbed by the explosive sound of fire crackers. Some types of fire crackers produce such a deafening noise that one would think a bomb has exploded somewhere. Yet people find pleasure in this! Where are we going?
Christmas reminds us of Christ’s age-old invitation to embark upon the inner journey towards perfection, for it is not an exaggeration to assert that perfection can be attained by any human being. This perfection is not bodily, nor can it be attained through material achievement for has Jesus not said, “You cannot serve God and Mammon at the same time”? Therefore, what can reach perfection? When neither the body nor the objects it attaches to, can lead to perfection, what is the substance to which it is referred? It is the mind! For it is the repository of all consciousness and therefore can be perfected to attain super-consciousness. We should not forget Christ’s own words: “Be ye perfect as thy Father in heaven who is perfect” – a statement that holds so great a truth that knowingly or unknowingly all religions, all philosophies find their confluence therein.
The birth of Christ comes as the harbinger of enlightenment, which is the greatest gift ever to be bestowed on mankind. However, only they have the right to this gift who are ready to dig through the well of their own heart, to clean it of all impurities and past impressions that have amassed down the ages. It is only then that the Kingdom of Heaven will shine within, in all its glory and splendour. This is Christ’s gift of enlightenment for unless one is born in spirit, there is no real inner joy or peace. This birth of the Pure Spirit is the awakening of the inner Christ latent in every man.
‘Man, God and the Universe’ is a masterpiece among books dealing with spirituality as it contains the gist of the knowledge that one needs in order to embark on the inner journey. Swami Paramananda goes in the depth of eternal questions such as: what is the soul, where does the universe come from, what exactly is God and why are we here? Readers will find long-sought answers to their doubts and questions.
The theme ‘2012’ has triggered the interest of so many people who have speculated whether truly we are heading towards destruction. However most people have been caught only at the level of assumption and have not struggled to analyse the cause and the ways to ensure that it does not happen. Today the fabric of our society has crumbled down because of our unhealthy lifestyle and not being in harmony with ourselves and the existence.
Swamiji assured the listeners that he is neither confirming the predictions nor proving the contrary. He revealed that indeed the Bible did mention of destruction but definitely not the end of the world. He said that people are reaping what they have sown- it is the law of action and reaction. Swamiji has pointed out that despite having made a mammoth leap in the scientific world, man’s character has not changed. The ways we live as well as our attitude are non-rational and non-scientific. The problem lies in being conditioned by duality, desire and ambition. He further added that everyone says he is religious; yet the world is not a good place to live in now. There has been no change in human nature.
