Acharya Tulsi
The fruit of human values is friendship. It is humanity's great achievement. The real scope for a completely selfless friendship is only in the field of religion. If a man given to religion does not show signs of lessening selfishness it can be likened to the brightening of the sun without being accompanied by a lessening of darkness. Selfishness is subversive of friendship and love. In my view there is nothing more dangerous in this world than a selfish person. When I talk of visarjan (parting with, giving up, abandonment of property, assets, ownerships, evil habits and bad practices) it is because I want a man given to religion to grow less selfish. Today this evil has become so pronounced that it has overshadowed religion. One should know that friendship cannot grow in a climate of selfishness and overshadowed religion.
Therefore, the prime need is the visarjan of selfishness. Selfishness disarms enmity. All those interested in developing friendliness must remember that ill-treatment of others is mainly motivated by one's selfish interests. This is the secret which, when fully understood, would make for an unhindered growth of friendship.
The platform provided by the Anuvrat Movement has been used for giving a call for World Friendship. A platform used for talking about nonviolence, nonaggression, goodwill, tolerance, reconciliation, and equality can be most naturally used for generating the feeling of world brotherhood. The feeling of brotherhood or friendship helps build a healthy society by removing the evils of cruelty, exploitation, acquisitiveness, untouchability, caste and race differences, etc.
It must, however, be remembered that a man has to befriend himself first before thinking of befriending the world. Befriending oneself means developing sublime attitudes and giving up wrong or undesirable habits and attitudes. Such a thing is possible only through a strict observance of the Anuvrat code of conduct.
Collective action for propagating the ideals of anuvrat notwithstanding, one cannot ignore its basic premise, viz the reform of the individual. Those who cry themselves hoarse in support of revolution or 'total revolution' must not forget the importance of reforming the individual. Every man, woman and child will have to undergo a process of self-amelioration in order to face any unforeseen eventuality. This is precisely what anuvrat aims to achieve. - Acharya Tulsi |
