by Sri P.C. Lahiri
A young orphan boy from Kolkata, an important city in the
eastern part of India, made it to the status of an icon - amongst the sharpest,
brightest, wealthiest and most successful individuals in the entire world. He reached such heights that on one hand he moved at par with the Chairmen
and CEOs of elite world organizations, advising them in various capacities. On
the other hand his eminence amongst the people who matter ensured that
Presidents and Prime Ministers of various countries held no reservations in
engaging him to understand financial matters related to their country as well as to the
rest of the world. His friends,
contacts and acquaintances were the who’s who of the world. He led a life which is a dream of billions of
people. Needless to mention, he had worked
extremely hard with unwavering focus and total dedication for many years to reach such dizzying
heights. It seemed like there were no
gaps in his repertoire of talent, intelligence, all round capability and luck. All of a sudden one fine day, his accumulated
misdeeds to acquire more wealth at the cost of others got exposed. Judicial process took over leading to
conviction, as a jury unanimously found him guilty of insider trading.
The story of this orphan boy is a living proof of the
coinage ‘The Great American Dream’. Most
Americans very proudly talk about this coinage to show that their country
provides equal opportunity to all irrespective of background, and that there
are great growth/business opportunities awaiting the ‘right’ person. In the material world, this is a great dream to
live and realize. Some members of the jury wept
before pronouncing their guilty verdict, for they fully believed in the
concept of the great American dream and were proud to be Americans. A large chunk of people who have followed this
case sympathize with the guilty because of his rags to riches story built
around his brilliance, hard work and luck. They feel that the greatness of this
person is genuine, and not just based on fraud. This case assumes a special significance when
compared with other high-profile fraud cases in the USA such as Madoff, Khashoggi,
Rajaratnam etc., because the person in question here was regarded as a
brilliant financial wizard who lived the great American dream. The dreams of all who believed in this
dream got shattered along with the exposure of this fraud. More than money, he held an exalted status of
awe and inspiration for millions which other fraudsters like Madoff etc. could
not create for themselves. This icon,
currently out on bail (but facing the prospects of life imprisonment following sentencing in October, 2012), is of course Mr. Rajat Gupta, ex-Chief Executive of the consulting firm, McKinsey and Co. and a former director at the Goldman Sachs Group Inc.
Where did it go wrong? What went wrong? How did it go wrong? Why did it go wrong? Copious notes have already been written on it,
many are in the pipeline including books and films. Most of these writings are to simply cash in
on an event. The higher the profile of
the calamity, the greater the scope for making money. To exaggeratedly publicize and utilize the
pain and agony of a fellow human being is quite an accepted behavior all over
the present day world.
Material scientists and investigators will at most
investigate the where, what, how and why (as
mentioned before in the first line of the preceding paragraph) of this
incident and come to a conclusion that includes convicting the guilty. A spiritual scientist and
investigator on the other hand will go beyond the above questions and ask---
‘To whom has this calamity befallen?’
‘Whose
respect has gone down the drain?’ Finally the last question shall be---‘Who is he?’ Answers to these questions
shall reveal all that needs to be revealed to eradicate the menace of greed
from its roots, once and for all. Answers to the earlier four questions shall
give us the ‘ifs’ and ‘buts’ of this case which will at best lead to
conviction, but not to any sort of reform or a comprehensive, sustainable solution. Recurrence of such a behavior from another
equally talented and competent person cannot be ruled out even after we have
found the answers to the first four questions. A conviction and subsequent life in jail is
only a deterrent, not an educator in the true sense of the term. It does not help such
brilliant individuals attain a level of refinement that would ensure they not only shun all greed, hunger for wealth,
name and fame, but also become true role models and icons who inspire millions
of people. The Vivekanandas of the business
and political world have not emerged till date simply because of the absence of
a true guide who can perfectly blend the outer material world with the inner
spiritual world to prove to one and all the Oneness of these two worlds. Without the spiritual world, the material
world is blind, and without the material gross world, the spiritual innermost
world cannot manifest. In essence they
are but that Supreme One, without any distinction whatsoever.
The materialistic world lays a lot of emphasis on cherishing
a material dream (whatever may be the nature of that dream), and then go full
steam ahead to achieve it. The training and guidance imparted by the modern
system to achieve goals and fulfill dreams is scientific, but only materially
and superficially - not inherently and comprehensively. It provides a lot of information to any person who strives for it, but cannot provide
the road to inner formation. Information is power in the modern day world,
but the collection of a lot of ‘information without inner formation’ leads to
disaster more often than not, as is evident in the case of Rajat Gupta. ‘Information without inner formation’ is the original coinage of Prajnanpurush
Sri Sri Babathakur, hereinafter referred to as the Master. I and many like me, regard Him as our true Guru
(although He never had a personified Guru, nor laid claim to being the Guru of
another). Why does it (i.e. ‘information
without inner formation’) lead to disaster? The more the collection of information in an
individual, the more are his chances of earning money, acquiring name, fame,
power and status. Wealth and public
adulation is highly sought after, and when received is cherished as well - however very
few are trained to handle it appropriately. Gross
mishandling has ruined many a lives. It is great to dream the American dream
- and the country does provide a lot of opportunities for the able and lucky ones -
but it is dangerous to live it without proper mental training. We have many examples of such downfalls. Rajat Gupta like cases shall keep recurring,
many may be in the pipeline waiting to be exposed, till a total and complete
solution is adopted within the world order.
In the light of the understanding gathered while sitting
at the lotus feet of the Master for some years, a few things have emerged which
have clarified the whole picture without reasonable doubt. Rajat Gupta’s conviction took place only after
the prosecution was able to prove the guilt without reasonable doubt. Ironically, this guilt was proven by a
prosecutor of Indian origin, again with a very humble beginning. The prosecutor Mr. Preet Bharara has become
world famous. Doors are open for him to
become very wealthy and be the cynosure of public eyes each time he handles a
high profile case. He will now be
getting many more of such cases. The vish
(poison) of vishaya (material matters)
shall ruin, unless surrendered at the feet of Vishnu (the Lord of the universe). All that is missing from the concept of the
American dream is the second part of the above statement which is a coinage of
the Master. There isn’t enough of correct training or scope available in the
Western world to learn the art of surrender to the Supreme Divine. The required emphasis is also not laid on this
matter.
The Master has many times said that the world phenomenon is
the ‘becoming of the Being’. The Being
is the Eternal Substratum (Satta), of
the nature of Saccidananda [Sat (Existence Absolute) + Cit (Pure Consciousness/Knowledge) + Ananda (Bliss)]. Our true nature is the
Being Itself which is ever inactive. If
the Being is inactive then how did the ever active world phenomenon come into
existence? It is because the Saccidananda
Shakti, i.e. the inherent eternal Power/Energy which is one with the Saccidananda Satta, reveals first as the Universal/Cosmic One (God), and then
gradually by more and more admixture of gunas
(qualities) through a perfectly scientific process, as the Mother Nature (Prakriti), the individual ones and the
material universe (jiva-jagat). Despite all this revelation of the Saccidananda Shakti, the Saccidananda Satta remains as It is
without undergoing any change whatsoever. In other words, our true nature never
undergoes any change. It is ever fulfilled and complete in Itself; hence, It has
no needs. So, It is ever inactive, and is only a Witness (Sakshi).
We, the individual ones, have forgotten our true Saccidananda nature by coming under the
influence of our mind (antahkarana),
which is only a product of the process of the admixture of gunas mentioned hereinbefore. So is the case with our physical body, outer
and inner senses, and the entire outer world. They are continuously undergoing
a change; nothing is permanent in this universe including our own body and the
rest. How to deal with this ever
changing all round scenario with our needs, desires, compulsions, goals and
dreams, is unknown to us. There are no
subjects in our standard schools or colleges which deal with this education. We do not get to hear or learn about it from
peers, seniors and teachers. What is
generally taught in the religious world is an incomplete science. So how do we rightly deal with the outer world
which is for the use of the individual ones - especially given how rarely we
get to know, learn or even hear about the science of its right use? Dwelling in the outer world
and using it indiscriminately, we suffer for not knowing this science. The more indiscriminate the use, the more the suffering.
To hear and learn the science of right use, we need a
true Master who is established in the ‘science of right use’. Merely going through scriptures and books or
even listening to a preceptor who is not one with this science, howsoever good
an orator or charismatic guru he/she may be, is not enough. There will always be gaps in one’s understanding,
which shall remain unanswered till the seeker comes in contact with a perfect
Master. How do we get such a perfect
Master---by simply longing for Him/Her to the best of our ability, if such a
great One is not already present and available due to His Supreme Grace. We
long/desire for so many things in a lifetime. Depending on the strength of our longing/desire,
we get them sooner or later. We can’t get a perfect Master, unless we very strongly long for Him/Her. We do not long for such a person as we do not
feel the need of it. We do not feel this
need because the contact of such a person is not an immediate facilitator of
our regular mundane needs. We are not
trained to look beyond the mundane. We set short/long term goals at work, in
family life or even in social/friend circles. All those goal settings and subsequent
achievements are related to worldly affairs. By dint of solid hard work and
focus, we do achieve those goals often. Having
achieved the desired, many a times we are unable to hold on to it. Then starts the blame game of laying the
culpability for the loss of status, wealth, or other mundane acquisitions, on
others. Many sympathizers come forward
who are equally ignorant about the real reason of that loss, but nonetheless
give lip service, blame others and provide baseless reassurances to make the
person complacent and temporarily satisfied, or else make him pursue his so-called
enemy who is supposed to be the cause of the loss. This complacency and/or
animosity towards his perceived enemy draws him away from the search of the
real cause. He lands up learning nothing, instead creating unpleasantness in
his life as well as in the life of many others around him. A chain reaction starts,
leading him towards a greater fall.
What we really need to sail through this ever changing
world is something which is everlasting and never-changing. In normal course, we do not
come across anything which is truly permanent. This is where the Master comes in and scientifically
explains the ‘Science of the Absolute’ to one and all without any distinction
whatsoever. The Science of the Absolute,
being all- comprehensive, is inclusive of all other sciences including the
science of right use mentioned hereinbefore. His teaching starts by pointing out to us the
ever permanent eternal nature of our true Self. So, right from the beginning he provides us a
permanent, omnipotent and omniscient support that is verily our own real Self. It is a support which never leaves us even if
we are not really aware of It, or even if we choose to ignore It. It is a friend who does not expect
anything in return; a truly disinterested friend. Many of us are fortunate to
have come in contact with the personification of such a truly disinterested
friend, Prajnanpurush Sri Sri Babathakur (the Master).
The unlimited and infinite wealth we all have within us
is revealed by such a Master day-in and day-out, relentlessly and selflessly
through all His actions, discourses, behavior and most importantly through His
silence. There remains no urge and need
to unduly run after material wealth available in the outside world. The key is to hold on to the Supreme and
Absolute wealth of the True Nature within us steadfastly, as per the guidelines
and clear directions of the Master. The
strong grip of our ego through which we run our daily lives will not only get
automatically loosened, but shall disappear altogether.
How is that possible? What link has all this got with the ‘where’, ‘what’,
‘how’, ‘who’ questions with which this article started off? Why was the science
of right use mentioned earlier in this piece? All these and more related points shall be
shared with my fellow seekers and readers in the coming issues. I reiterate that the above is simply my understanding
of what I heard from the Master. It will
always be limited by the limitations of my mind and intellect. There is no alternative to the revelations of
a Self-Realized soul. The above is only
my effort to recapitulate the lessons I've learnt and share them with fellow seekers to get better understanding. We all are seekers seeking the total and
complete realization of our True Nature to get fully established in the same.
Submitted at the lotus feet of the Master.
