Thursday, March 22, 2012

HOW DURGA BECAME SO STRONG

Power corruts and absolute power cooupts absolutely-this is a popular saying which has a strong element of truth in it. In every sphere we come across powerfull and corrupt people who,to serve their own intrests,stop to any extent.They could threaten a vulnerable,honest person to implicate him in a case of corruption.Often even if the actual culprit happens to get caught,the umbrella of power is there to provide protection.Power begets power.The most dangerous are those who are powerful and corrupt as well as intelligent. Intellect is a double-edge sword - it can cut in either way. It could even justify a wrong-doing. Articulation and skilful presentation could make untruth appear like truth.

That is why Ramakrishna did not give much importance to a learned person; he respected realised souls. A pundit might be capable of engaging in any discussion relentlessly. However, from the spiritual point of view, this is of no consequence. A realised soul talks less, but in his deliberation there is strength because it is not based on what he has memorised or the information he has gathered. When Herman Hesse in his work describes Gautama, the Illustrious One, this aspect comes out sharply.

Since there will always be powerful and corrupt persons in life, the crucial question is, how should we handle them?

Two paths are before us. One is to unite yourself with others as per the old saying united we stand divided we fall. It will be possible to find like-minded people who have respect for truth and ethical values. It is not as though society is full of corrupt people; they are fewer in number but they seem to dominate because of the strong nexus they have with the powerful. If only the honest ones keep their ego under check and come together to overthrow the corrupt, the problem of corruption can be overcome.

Here is an example from the Durga Saptasati. As long as devtas fought Mahisasura individually, none could defeat him. The moment they came out of their individual ego and decided to act together, the result was tremendous it led to the arising of the eternal Goddess Durga. Each devta empowered her with the strength that they had individually. That collective force rose up to meet the challenge posed by negativity.

The message is clear: Evil cannot be destroyed completely, but it can be kept under control. It's important not to remain indifferent when faced with corruption but to speak out and do what one can to make a difference.

Several temptations will come your way that could distract you from the task at hand. These offers are likely to be substantial in terms of the material. However, the need is to cultivate equipoise and not surrender to temptation. Not even a few of us might have the resilience and strength of a Gandhi or have the will to follow in the footsteps of a Christ. But one can try, and perhaps make a difference, however small, so that eventually, taken in the collective, there comes a time when the force of honesty and goodness gathers sufficient momentum to root out corruption wherever possible.
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