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ARTICLE & PAPERS
The
Vedic Way of Cooperation and World Fraternity
Prabhu Dayal Mishra
Present world is closely confronted by tendencies and habits, which
keep humanity divided. It might sometimes appear that there is no
solution available for the great void now created among nations,
races, religions and sects. There is such an insurmountable distrust,
at times hatred and no hope of recovery perceptible that the all
scientific achievements and modern knowledge start appearing to
be meaningless.
People often wonder if the conflicts and restlessness among nations,
communities and individuals are not in direct proportion to the
increase in the 'benefits' brought about by science and technology.
The more ardently men and women chase happiness in their individual
lives and in the outside world, the further the goal appears to
move away from them. This has given rise to widespread frustration
deep in the hearts of the individuals, even in the most affluent
societies. A growing sense of bewilderment continues to agitate
sensitive minds, and the backlash of this disturbing state of affairs
can be seen everywhere.
After all what is it that makes us slaves of our thoughts, customs
or races. Is it so compelling that we cannot get over it? Why is
it so sometimes that while fully aware of the rational part of a
fact, we are driven away simply by the customs or practices and
do not come to accept the universal truth often struggling to establish
itself within us?
More often than not it is the limitation imposed by the knowledge
itself that keeps us bound and we are not prepared to obey the command
coming from deep within our selves because it does not seem to be
conforming to the frame or structure we have prepared and based
on our limited experiences. We may rightfully claim and have the
satisfaction to have reached the remarkable height of scientific
achievements, which historically and visibly as per our understanding
evolved in about past ten thousand years, there remains still much
more. Probably the knowledge may also keep on expanding the manner
the universe is believed to be doing. However, it may very well
be questioned where are the limits or boundaries which imply that
expansion? Things expand when they have definite shapes, areas,
limits or boundaries. Therefore, there seems to be still remaining
quite a lot, just infinite, as a matter of fact, for man to explore.
It is as if we are falling short of the yardsticks necessary in
this world of unfathomable depth and immeasurable length necessary
for its scrutiny. We are certainly in no position to peep back into
the very beginning of it and foresee the end. Can we not thus conclude
that the problem lies in not being able to catch the first and the
finishing point of a circle? The space and time can very well be
just circular in the shape and our failure to reach the beginning
and the end is probably because there can never be these ends existing
in the manner we have been trying them to see.
Expanding Perceptions:
It is no surprise that we have been amending our theories about
the secrets of life and the world again and again. Albert Einstein's
Theory of Relativity turned the world of Newtonian physics upside
down. Newton had assured us that space and time are both absolutes;
space divides objects and time separates events. He asserted that
space and time had- and will always have-the same meaning for every
observer in the world. In contrast, Einstein established that space
and time manifest differently to different observers. His Theory
of Relativity not only proved that time and space are relative,
but also threw open the question as to whether absolute knowledge
is attainable at all. According to Einstein: "Space and time
are free creations of human intelligence, tools of thought."
(Albert Einstein, "The Problem of Space, Ether and the Field
in Physics" in Ideas and Opinions, 1982, Crown, pp.276-285)
His theory asserts that a stick will have different lengths when
measured by different observers. Einstein also discovered that matter
(mass) and energy are one and the same and are mutually convertible.
He established that although matter is gross and energy is invisible
and subtle, the two are interchangeable.
This understanding has further undergone a dramatic change. Space
is no longer seen as a container of objects; all matter is a condition
of space and not separate from it. Einstein's Theory of Relativity
prohibits the transmission of matter or even information at a speed
faster than light. Quantum mechanics dictates that our knowledge
of the subatomic world will always be slightly blurred. The Chaos
Theory confirms that even without quantum indeterminacy, we would
be unable to predict many phenomena. Kurt Gödel's Incompleteness
Theorem denies us the possibility of constructing a complete, consistent,
mathematical description of reality.
"Indeed, the dizzy rate at which progress is now proceeding,"
Stent wrote in 'The Coming of the Golden Age', "makes it seem
very likely that progress must come to a stop soon, perhaps in our
life time, perhaps in a generation or two." (Günter Stent,
1969, The coming of the Golden Age, Garden City New York: Natural
History Press, P. 94) As a matter of fact, however, science has
left some rather large questions unanswered. Exactly how was our
universe created and what will be its fate? Could our universe be
just one of an infinite number of universes? How inevitable was
the origin of life and of organisms intelligent enough to create
science? Does the universe harbor other intelligent life forms?
Lurking behind all these puzzles, like an actor playing all the
parts of the play, is the biggest mystery of all: why is there something
rather than nothing! It has therefore come to be stated now that
"Given how far science has already come, and given the physical,
social and cognitive limits constraining further research, science
is unlikely to make any significant additions to the knowledge it
has already generated. There will be no great revelations in the
future comparable to those bestowed upon us by Darwin or Einstein
or Watson or Crick." (John Horgan, 1997, The End of Science,
New York: Broadway Books p.16)
Practitioners of modern science are observing with considerable
anxiety that "powerful social, political, and economic forces
now oppose this vision of boundless scientific and technological
progress. The cold war which was major impetus for basic research
in the United States and the former Soviet republics has much less
incentive to build space stations and gigantic accelerators simply
to demonstrate their power. Society is also increasingly sensitive
to the adverse consequences of science and technology, such as pollution,
nuclear contamination, and weapons of mass destruction." (John
Horgan, The End of Science, p.23
It is now widely accepted by scientists that like our universe humankind
is fast evolving by 'minor and major' steps towards epochal change.
James Redfield, Michael Murphy and Sylvia Timbers in their land
mark book' God and the Evolving Universe' have to conclude that'
'evolution is influenced by purposes or agencies that to some extent
transcend and subsume the mechanisms of presently recognized mainstream
science.'(p. 33)
Labyrinth of History
Increasingly, the world of science is taking recourse to the language
of metaphysics. We are thus indeed now in a challenging juncture
in the human history. A creative response to these challenges could
open up an entirely new era, in which the search for knowledge and
the pursuit of peace, harmony and happiness could be closely intertwined.
A breakthrough would enable mankind to disentangle itself from the
frustrating situation in which more solutions found prove to be
only problems. We have reached this stalemate because the vast potential
for discerning profound truths hidden in the forgotten labyrinth
of history has remained untapped.
Some secrets were unraveled and some of the eternal laws of nature
discovered several
Thousand years ago, and handed down from generation to generation
for the wellbeing of
all. Subsequently, humankind lost that great trail of scientific
discovery and profound
Knowledge blazed by the great scientists of the Saraswati civilization.
This civilization flourished in the catchments area of the gigantic
river Saraswati, which dried up and disappeared underground following
a prolonged spell of drought and natural calamities.
The society in the Saraswati basin enjoyed a rich culture. Great
minds devoted themselves to the pursuit of knowledge, particularly
in regard to fundamental questions about the origin of the universe
and the laws and forces governing it. The men and women who were
engaged in this search for truth were called the 'seers' (Drashta)
who were in fact the great scientists of the time. They were honored
being called seers because their vision and discernment enabled
them to see the reality of the workings of the cosmos. These seer
scientists bequeathed to posterity an invaluable heritage of knowledge
and insights, blending theory with carefully devised practices.
According to these seers, for instance, the body of the Sun, its
radius of light and its nucleus are formed simultaneously. The rays
of the Sun cannot reach us if the body and nucleus is not formed
and Sun cannot be seen in the present form. Shri Motilal Ojha, a
great modern interpreter of Vedas has therefore this to conclude
that 'there is no time-lag in Sun-rays starting from its centre
and reaching the earth. The modern theory of the speed of light
may be based on certain calculations and observations, but Vedic
theory is based on fundamentals.' (From' Vedas as Science' by K.C.
Kulish, Rajasthan Patrika Limited, 1994. P. 48)
Key-Issues
Unfortunately we have as if deliberately avoided exploring this
most ancient record of human history contained in the texts known
as Vedas. These ancient texts endowed with profound thoughts and
penetrating expositions, have suffered grave and sustained distortions
throughout history. The seer scientists of the Vedas provide us
with the answers to such questions as: How did the cosmos originate
and what is its future? Of what is it made. Who is the 'I', the
individual self? What is its place in the human society and the
universe? The Vedas unravel the relationship between causes and
their effects and between human actions and fruits of these actions.
They identify the nature and roots of ignorance and give us the
means to remove them. They analyze what comprises the human being
and how it is different (and in what respects not different) from
other species. Above all they weave their meaningful insights into
Dharma, an intricate tapestry of ethics, duties, functions and guidelines
for humanity to live peacefully and prosper.
The methodology to be used in this study will involve broad outlines
of the corpus of Vedic literature. It will imply a withdrawal from
the theory of British and German 'Indologists' who arbitrarily fixed
the period of composition of the Vedas and caused confusion about
the subjects covered in various texts. The Vedas are no more exertion
in metaphysics, philosophy or spirituality. This is obvious from
the fact that this corpus of knowledge has led to the development
of subsidiaries like anatomy and medicine, architecture and town
planning, meteorology and astronomy, language and linguistics, music
and dance, statecraft and economy, social engineering and jurisprudence,
psychology and physiology.
Various Vedic Research Institutes in United States are continuously
working these days immensely contributing to the retrieval and communication
of the insights of the Vedas. The archaeologists and researchers
of these organizations have now made possible the exposure of the
enormous falsification of the Indian history. To investigate the
complete insight of the Vedas is lifetime's work for someone who
possessing a superior intelligence. This project may therefore only
aim at exploring this fount of wisdom to be conveyed to the posterity
in an unadulterated form. This work is offered to the reading public
in the belief that its subject contains much that is valuable for
today's troubled global society.
The answers to several questions which are baffling scientists and
philosophers today are definitely contained within the treasure-house
of the Vedas, as well as the solutions to several daunting problems
threatening human society. Access to these answers by study, contact,
interaction, observation and analysis through books, internet, websites,
cooperatives, seminars, organizations ( Governmental and non-governmental
both) and persons material would open up the possibility of quantum
leap into a world of new truths and new experiences, and a study
of the knowledge contained in these texts should also help in understanding
the founding principles of cooperation and universal brotherhood
of the most ancient civilizations in human history for now to follow.
This would obviously open up a road map to the establishment of
an enduring harmony and happiness on our planet.
Professionally working as an officer in the Department of Cooperation
for last more than thirty two years, I come to understand well that
various cooperative laws governing cooperative movement in most
of the countries began with the practices of some eternal principles
only. Many countries did not have any regulatory laws till very
recently and there is a demand even now that all legislations of
this movement should be done away with. What is required indeed
is not any outer control or regulation for human society to evolve
but an explored understanding of the inherent characteristics of
mankind to be appreciated and nurtured. The Rigveda recorded this
theme no less than seven thousand years back-
Assemble, speak together: let your minds be all of one accord
The place is common, common the assembly, common the mind, so be
their thought united
One and the same be your resolve, and be your minds of one accord.
United be the thoughts of all that all may happily agree. (Rig.10.191)
(Translation of the original Sanskrit verse adapted from The Hymns
of the Rigveda by Ralph T.H. Griffith)
It is not just the matter of a choice or desire expressed so simply.
It is also not the case of a civilization practicing it at a time
when the flux of the population may not have been so much overloading
the Earth many thousand years back. It surely becomes the topic
of great investigation and practice when the deeper meanings relating
to the purpose of origin and evolution is explored through the most
ancient texts written by seer scientists of the ancient civilization.
The basic and the fundamental facet of this work simultaneously
relates greatly to my original taste of seeking higher meanings
through studies and writings all my past years. I may probably quote
again briefly here a few stanzas from the English rendering of the
verse Prithivi (Earth) from the 'Vedas and Upanishads' by Sanderson
Beck to precisely bring home the idea of a great reward without
distinction-
From your numberless tracks by which mankind may travel,
Your roads on which move both chariots and wagons
Your paths which are used by the good and the bad,
May we choose a way free from foes and robbers!
May you grant us the blessing of all that is wholesome
She carries in her lap the foolish and also the wise.
She bears the death of the wicked as well as the good.
She lives in friendly collaboration with the boar,
offering herself as sanctuary to the wild pig....
Peaceful and fragrant, gracious to the touch,
May Earth, swollen with milk, her breasts overflowing,
Grant me her blessing together with her milk!
Vedic Way of Cooperation and world Fraternity
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