Acharya Tulsi
What is the soul of India? The straight answer to this is spiritualism. Development has a special meaning in, the field of spiritualism. According to it, development cannot be measured in terms of roads, dams, power projects, industrial establishments, palatial mansions, and means of transport, computers and robots. Self-restraint, simplicity, brotherhood, discipline, etc. are the main basis of development. In other words, development of consciousness about the vows means development in the real sense. If there is anything greater than law and punishment in the public life of India, it is the vows.
Fifty years ago, India was held in the tight grip of foreign domination. The people of India decided to free the country. Some efforts were made to attain that goal and the resolve bore fruits. India became independent but it did not bring with it the joy of independence. Dark shadows of immoral conduct were causing terror in the hearts of the people. At that point of time, anuvrat came in the form of moral movement. The campaign, which began as a small step, has now grown from the seed into a banyan tree. It is turning into an international movement, extending beyond the boundaries of the country.
The term anuvrat is a combination of two words, anu vrat [1] Actually, no vow, by itself, is small. But this is relative thinking. Thus, a vow taken according to one's capacity is anuvrat. The term anuvrat came into vogue in comparison with mahavrat[2]it was Bhagwan Mahavira, who originally made that distinction. We borrowed the term anuvrat from him and tried to widen its sphere of influence. Anu means small and vrat means a vow. A code of conduct embodying small vows came to be called anuvrat. It is not restricted to any caste, community, country or language. It is a human code of conduct. It is the minimum condition of living the life as human being religion 'of humanity.
The world is facing an explosive situation today. There is fear of violence and terror everywhere. Human values like morality, honesty, restraint, righteous conduct etc. are relegated in the background. It is difficult to predict the future of mankind if this trend is not halted. There is the feeling of dark despair all around. At such a time, anuvrat is the only ray of hope. Anuvrat is not an ideal, difficult to follow. It is a model for leading a good life. It is possible to adopt it without disturbing one's life. It is a model, which provides an atmosphere to live a happy, peaceful and balanced life. Everyone desires to live in happiness and peace, but is unwilling to change his way of life. The observance of the vows leads to a change in lifestyle. Only with that change, it is possible to have happiness and peace.
The present age is extremely difficult to live in. Is it possible to adapt oneself to the anuvrat model in a situation full of such adversities? The answer to this question is prekshadhyan, which is a technique of meditation devised on the basis of the Jain Agamas and perfected after many experiments. With the practice of prekshadhyan, one's personality undergoes a total transformation, freeing it from all mental weaknesses. When that happens, anuvrat becomes one's natural way of life.
What is anuvrat? It is not something that binds or restricts a person. It is not a bogey. It is a state of consciousness in which violence and cruelty cannot exist. The individual who develops such consciousness does not kill any innocent living creature, he does not attack anyone and he does not participate in any act of sabotage. He keeps himself far away from casteism and communalism. He considers untouchability sinful. He regards money not as an end, but a means in his life. That is why he is always alert about honesty in economic affairs. He abstains from buying and selling of votes as well as from evil social practices. Being always alert living a life without addictions, he is aware about the problem of environment. He regards self-restraint as his principle of life.
Self-restraint is life and lack of it is death. On the basis of this philosophy, anuvrat gave a formula: "Restraint alone is life."
The teaching of self-restraint can be effective only where there is self-discipline. From that point of view, anuvrat has a formula: “First self-control and then discipline.”
The walls of casteism and communalism divide the people. To make such walls transparent, anuvrat gave another slogan: “Man is first man and then he is Hindu or a Musalman.”
With a view to establish contact with man all over the world, and to teach the lesson of “the world is family “anuvrat gave a slogan, “We are all one.”
Problems are multiplying. They prop in ever new forms. These problems would not be solved as long as the prevalent trends of our age do not change their course. Therefore, anuvrat gave the slogan, "The trends would change by observing anuvrat."
Science and religion, by themselves are incomplete. It would be truly a historical day for mankind when religion and science complement each other. That would be the day when devotion to anuvrat would have served its purpose and it would be possible to train man to lead a proper life.
