Acharya Mahaprajna
Acharya Sri Tulsi can serve as a model for the youth. When Acharya Sri was only 22 years old, he took upon himself the leadership of a powerful Order and he started developing it. He employed his energy in constructive works. At the very beginning, Acharya Sri's slogan was:
"We must not put our energy to destructive uses."
All in this world have to face opposition. There is none who has been able to avoid it. The sun gives out light without a motive; even the sun is criticized. The air does us good without a cause; it gives us vitality and life; even the air is not above criticism. Acharya Sri Tulsi has also encountered opposition- a good deal of it. I recall an incident. Many years ago, Kaka Kalelkar came to see Acharya Sri in Delhi. At the very outset, he said,
"I have come to see you but behind my visit there was an inspiration. I received so much literature against you that it made quite a pile. On seeing it I concluded that a person, who can elicit so much opposition, need to be a very lively personality. Nobody opposes the dead. Nor is it needed. Only the living encounters opposition. You are vibrant with life and that is what attracted me and I said to myself, I must see you and we are meeting today."
There was opposition, but in the midst of all that opposition, the slogan which Acharya Sri gave us, was: "When we are opposed, we treat it as fun." In other words, one should take all hostility in one's stride, without losing one's equilibrium. That is how Acharya Sri employed his energy in constructive works.
There was a time when Acharya Bhikshu's ideas aroused severe criticism. Today, Acharya Sri's ideas are subjected to hostile criticism. At times we found the tarred road all covered with hostile leaflets and posters so that it saved our feet from being soiled with pitch. But not a line was written to counter that opposition on behalf of Acharya Sri Tulsi. Once, however, while we were in Bombay, someone wrote a lengthy article. Acharya Sri said to me that we should answer that criticism, because it was genuine, not merely criticism for the sake of criticism. We had not cared to write a single line to counter the puerile criticism we had been meeting for the last 25-30 years. The man, who employs his energy in creative and constructive works, really marches ahead. If our teachers, students, and labourers come to grasp this point, it would offer a solution to the problem of our being divested of many creative achievements quite within our reach.
What is the state of the country today? In what situation do our youths find themselves? For the proper employment of energy, we shall have to concentrate our attention on a few things. The first of these is diligence. The energy is there, but diligence is lacking. The malady, with which India is afflicted today, is indolence and parasitism. The custom of having a parasitic existence, of living on other people's earnings, is deeply entrenched with us for centuries together. The disease is rooted in every fibre of our being. "May God so bless us that we don't have to move even our little finger;" Such is our mentality. It is taking, taking all the way. We do not have to exert at all and all our wishes are gratified. That we consider to be God's blessing, the grace of religion If we have to exert ourselves, we think God is not 50 well-disposed towards us, and the grace of religion is somewhat retarded.
Here is an ancient tale. Acharya Bhadrabahu was a very great Acharya. To obviate a crisis facing the Order, he composed a spell. The crisis was resolved. Later as a housewife sat cooking food, her calf bolted. She thought of leaving the cooking to fetch the calf. But then she remembered the spell, and decided not to go out. She recited the, spell and a goddess appeared. The woman said, "O Goddess". There is no great crisis here. But my calf has bolted away. Will you kindly fetch it and tie it to the stake over there?" The goddess was stunned. She went to Bhadrabahu and said, "Sir! What have you done? Why did you give that spell to the woman? Today we are called upon to tie a calf to the stake. It is anybody's guess what we may be obliged to endure in times to come." This disease of inertness, of the absence of assiduity, of not having faith in one's own valour, of not relying on self-exertion, the Indian youth must get rid of. The moment they are free from this disease, a great problem will stand resolved.
