...I am a self-acclaimed pacifist
myself. 'Peace', like everything else, lends itself to a range of
interpretations. Peace is at the core of every societal aspiration and
adventure of man. Aman is the root driving force as claimed by the
interpreters of Islam. Of Christianity, it it the very symbol. Shanti is the condition and the aim of every vedic
ritual, I think, which is why most shlokas (which I have read at least) end with an invocation "om
shanti shanti shantihi..." All major religions have a peace agenda, as I see it.
The avataric organisation of life as presented in our two major itihasas, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, are actually stories of valiant fighters...(fighters who fought to establish peace? May be.)
The entire interpretation of both, the word and the principle, must needs a central and overarching, an extra-large super-objective without which it is as futile as trying to catch your own shadow. Small goals with peace as its condition is fine, but the condition itself has to be established in the first place, and it should have an enduring basis.
The thing is, unless the ultimate goal is not defined, it is pointless to run after the 'maaricha' ( the golden deer, chimera etc.) of peace. If the goal is peace, the way to it is toil. If the goal be toil, it is a perverted objective and must be shunned.
Peace is central to Auroville's goal as well as the road to it. And thanks to an early recognition of my affinity with Sri Aurobindo, it is personally one of my favorite subjects.
Om shanti shanti shantihi...
The avataric organisation of life as presented in our two major itihasas, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, are actually stories of valiant fighters...(fighters who fought to establish peace? May be.)
The entire interpretation of both, the word and the principle, must needs a central and overarching, an extra-large super-objective without which it is as futile as trying to catch your own shadow. Small goals with peace as its condition is fine, but the condition itself has to be established in the first place, and it should have an enduring basis.
The thing is, unless the ultimate goal is not defined, it is pointless to run after the 'maaricha' ( the golden deer, chimera etc.) of peace. If the goal is peace, the way to it is toil. If the goal be toil, it is a perverted objective and must be shunned.
Peace is central to Auroville's goal as well as the road to it. And thanks to an early recognition of my affinity with Sri Aurobindo, it is personally one of my favorite subjects.
Love to all...
Charudatta Ram Prabhudesai
Charudatta Ram Prabhudesai
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