I have brought with me the message of India. What is that message?
First of all, all around us is darkness and this darkness continues to deepen.
Secondly, the great sages and saints of India have given the message of light: For instance, Gautam Buddha gave the message to his disciple, ‘Kindle the light’. Light the lamps. (Awaken thy self!)
Thirdly, what is this light? It is neither electric light, nor sunlight of the day. It is the light of the Atman: The spiritual Light! The spiritual light is the eternal light, which never extinguishes.
Fourthly, how to kindle this light? How to awaken the soul? Time and again in holy scriptures we are urged to ignite the eternal flame. How to do so?
At this point I recollect the words in Upanishads. Mokshadwara. My quest in this life is to open the Mokshadwar. The Mokshadwar has four sentinels. I prefer to call them four thoughts.
The first thought, self-control: If you wish to embark on the spiritual journey, then practice self-control. Money, fame, name and honour are all insignificant if you choose this path. If you wish to make progress on the spiritual path, then practise ‘self-control’. To this day, I pray to the Lord, “May I be able to control my senses. Even when I was abroad, I prayed to God for his mercy and his grace so that I may not go astray.”
The second thought, dhyan: Meditate. Meditation opens up your ‘Shakti’. Mind needs to be controlled. It runs wild. It needs to be in one place. For this sit in silence at least for half an hour. Reflect and meditate, till the troublesome thoughts leave you. With meditation you will regain equanimity.
The third thought, contentment: Time and again we are faced with situations like, a friend borrows money from you, then you find out he is a cheat, a dishonest man. What is your reaction? You are angry with the man who has cheated you. You may be meditating every day, but this kind of behaviour of another person upsets you. Equanimity, patience and contentment are very necessary in life. Face life’s difficulties and challenges with patience. We all go through such testing times. Let not another’s behaviour upset you. In Italy, I learnt a good proverb. He who has patience is lucky.
The fourth thought, fellowship with the holy ones. Be in the company of a sage or a saint. Go and join a Satsang.
I reflected on these four thoughts. They became the four beads of my rosary. A man, who builds his life on these four ideals, knows that sympathy is the key to good governance. And the brotherhood of nations cannot be formed without the key of sympathy.