Peace on Earth: Situation Vacant - Saviour Wanted

By Aruna Jethwani

" The world is in flames. Quench it with the waters of the spirit", remarked an Indian sage. He might have foreseen that one day, even the eastern hemisphere, despite its wealth of wisdom, would not be spared.

And so it has come to pass - this is evident in India, where the flames of anger and despair have left both the innocent and the not-so-innocent smouldering in a volcanic lava.

When the inferno is over - it could be Gujarat or Kashmir - it will leave mounds of ashes and heaps of soot. Who will sweep them? Who will clean up afterwards? Who will quench the thirst of a bloodthirsty people? Will a messiah pass this way?

India needs rejuvenation. This rejuvenation will come only with the revival of our great Indian ideals. India needs shakti. For this, extensive re-building needs to be initiated for the country to acquire physical, mental and spiritual strength.

For creating this stupendous energy, India needs a new spiritual awakening. A new direction. The inspiration for such an awakening could come from a prophet of peace, for instance, someone like Guru Nanak, who proclaimed: "Love the saints of every faith /Put away the pride! /The essence of religion is /Humility, service, and sympathy. /Not fine clothes, /Not the yogi'sgarb and ashes, /Not the blowing of horn /Not the shaven head, /Not long prayers...".

It was this spirit of equality which attracted devotees from all faiths, who flocked to hear and follow Guru Nanak'steachings. Sufis like Shah Abdul Latif and Jalal"uddin Rumi - with a secularist vision - could bring about a synthesis of various religions and schools of thought.

To a Sufi, everything is beauty, and he sees that beauty in all humanity - free from caste, creed or colour. Sachal, a Sindhi Sufi saint, wrote this poem: "Hindus and Muslims /Are all emanations /Of the one name - Aliph! /Burn the books to ashes and dust /Thus hath the Murshid taught me! /He too hath taught me /To know the eternal! /To every one of you I say, /Thou must first know thyself, /Then walk the way of love!

It would be wonderful indeed if we could somehow recall these enlightened Sufi saints to contemporary times. India needs a saint-poet like Kabir, a person who could weave the message of the importance of unity into simple verses: "Neither Guru nor chela I am /Neither Murshid nor Pir /I am neither the one not the other /Sitting tight I am Kabir!...".

In another verse he sang: "At death Hindus chant the name of Lord Rama, / Muslims chant Khuda'sname /In their lifetime neither of them /Does ever chant the same".

Sai Baba of Shirdi professed neither caste nor religion. He believed in love for mankind. It is said about the Mughal emperor Akbar that he was a perfect king. He married a Hindu Rajput woman, Jodhabai; observed Hindu festivals and on matters of state, consulted Hindus as well as Muslims.

But the urgent need today is for someone like Emperor Ashoka since he progressed from violence to compassion, from cruelty to mercy, from turmoil to peace, from destruction to construction, from death to life, from ego to egolessness, from the unreal to ultimate reality.

Sixty years ago, Sadhu Vaswani said: "We stand in need of great architects for the building of a new India. The first I call the seer or the rishi . The second architect is the leader. The third architect is the social servant/teacher. The fourth, men of sympathy, love and sacrifice, who would rise above their selfish ego and empathise with the people".

Is there anyone out there who can fulfil the requirements of a potential saviour?

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See also: Peace of Mind, Peace on Earth, Life and Beyond, Love and Happiness, Body Mind and Soul)