[Original
Article in Kannada - by Vidwan Chayapathy; English Rendering - by Archana Vagish]
“Swaatantrya” (Independence) - what does this word mean? Independence
is the unfettered opportunity available to a person or a country to prosper as
per his or its wishes. Independence is
also interpreted as: Freedom from
oppression of others, self reliance, severing all ties that bind one etc. The
saying -“Paaratantrya (Dependence) is
hell and Swaatantrya is heaven” is
popular among the masses.
There
are several sovereign countries in the world. Each country has its own view
point on “Independence”: “A country comprises of a community of people. A
person belonging to the country and hence the community, should offer himself
or herself for the betterment of the community. Any other form of personal Independence
is meaningless” - This is the opinion advanced by the champions of national
Independence. The Nation after all exists for the multi-faceted development of
its people. The unbridled opportunity
available to each and every citizen to blossom as per his or her wish is
independence. “A country that forbids this personal growth to its people is
nothing but a prison. A person without a chance to develop according to one’s
wishes can be likened to a breathing corpse”- These are the opinions of the
proponents of personal freedom. Now the question arises: Liberty is for the person
or for the country?
If
the window of opportunity available to a person to develop as he or she pleases
is termed independence, then does not this opportunity exist even to anti-social
elements such as thieves, murderers and gamblers? If such is the case, what
would happen to the welfare of the country? Shall we then say that liberty is living
a life without any rules and restrictions? Isn’t it essential that citizens
conform to the law of the land? If yes, then isn’t obeying the law imply a
restriction on personal freedom? Then what is the boundary-line for the
individual’s freedom and wantonness?
While
interdependence in society, sharing amongst others, are essential for personal
and national development, how is it practically possible to grow freely without
depending on anyone? In fact, for people having the generous opinion that it is
mandatory for the entire world to develop as one Nation, a discussion on national
freedom is meaningless. Some arguments portray independence as imaginary and
that it does not really exist. Whereas some believe independence is bestowed by
Nature and is not artificial. So the next question is- Is freedom natural or artificial?
What
is a fair and reasonable answer that puts all these questions to rest? Where
are we to find such an answer? Are there people who have found a solution to
this vexed problem? If yes, what is their answer? Are these solutions relevant
even today? Or are these questions unanswerable?
Directing
their attention towards the path of progress of mankind and having identified
the means to protect this independence, the ancient seers of our mother-land
have obtained answers to these questions. We can ascertain the suitability or
other-wise of these answers by pondering over them.
Why
do we need independence? Independence is needed for living. It is therefore
imperative that the nature of such independence required for living should be searched
within the realm of life itself. What did the seers find? What plan did they
envisage to protect such freedom?
When
one sows a jackfruit seed, the seed takes the form of root, shoot, supporting stem
etc right upto the ripened fruit, finally taking the form of a seed again
within the fruit. Where does the plan for such a development prevail? It is
present within the original seed of the fruit itself! If we consider this seed
of the tree as “self”(sva-its own), the ability to grow according to the design (tantra) that exists within the seed can
be called as the “independence (sva-tantra-own
design)” of the seed. When one sows a
jackfruit-seed, it does not yield mangoes or jasmine! When a seed starts
growing into a tree up to the point that it culminates into a seed, its
development cycle is said to be complete. Thus allowing a seed to grow
gradually into a tree and enabling it to complete its cycle marks the true
protection of its independence or swaatantrya.
Hence it can be said that one can ensure
autonomy of the entity (the seed) by ensuring that its development cycle is
allowed to be completed. And this independence is bestowed upon the seed by Nature
itself and it is not artificial.
The
same truth is applicable to independence in Life as well. Just as the tree is
pervaded by the vigor of its seed, the body that signifies the tree of Life is
pervaded by the vigor of its soul or the Jeeva-shakti.
By following its inward path, through the withdrawal of the sense organs
inwards, the ancient seers of Bhaarata
could perceive an effulgent Light in the inner-most recesses. That spirit, that
Light (Jyotirbeeja) in itself is recognized
as the original seed of Life. The splinters arising out of this effulgent Light
are the Jeevas. The objective of evolution
is for the Jeeva to return to its
Source. Thus, when the Jeeva (sva) evolves according to the plan (tantra) or design embedded in this ’Seed’
of life, this can be termed as true development of life and in that lies its true
independence (sva-tantra). The body
represents the middle stage of evolution. When the Jeeva inhabits it and develops with the intention of returning to
its original form (Jyoti), this
intention confirms and protects the true independence of the Jeeva. This independence is a gift of
Nature to man; it is not imaginary.
Now
the Jeeva (also known as Purusha) dwells in the body (also known
as pura) to truly develop as per his
plan, to achieve the prime objective of human birth; the Purushaartha yojane (plan) allows him to achieve this objective which
refers to attainment of Dharma, Artha,
Kaama and Moksha. This is tailor-made
for the Purusha and not merely for
the body. Nonetheless, all the sense organs (indriyas),
mind (manas) and intellect (buddhi) too have a role to play in this
scheme. Just as the branches, flowers, fruits etc play their part in the
development cycle of the seed, the different body-organs become important tools
for the Jeeva and they participate in
the attainment of Swaatantrya of the Jeeva.
What
exactly is this Purushaartha yojane?
How does it operate? By ensuring the following: Dharma - Protecting the organs by using them in line with what they
are designed; Artha - acquiring of
wealth using these organs (or tools) without maligning this Dharma, ; Kaama - entertaining desires which do not endanger the Dharma of these organs and their purpose.
If Life proceeds along these lines, the Jeeva
can retrace its journey, in a very natural way, to its original abode (seed of
life). That is Moksha or salvation.
It is not death. When the tree bears fruit, it does not imply its destruction;
rather it is its crowning moment. It is possible that one can live in the same
body even after attainment of Moksha. Hence Purushaartha
yojane is that plan which establishes the fulfillment of the natural evolution
of life. This indeed is the path to the preservation of the Swaatantrya of life. Just as the true Swaatantrya of the seed lies in its entering
the soil and embracing the plan for its development, so does the true Swaatantrya of the Jeeva lie in embracing the Purushaartha
yojane in one’s Life. Hence Swaatantrya
cannot be equated to living according to one’s whimsicalities. Further, since
such a plan exists for the complete and true development of every Jeeva, it is not wrong to say that this
scheme is applicable for mankind in its entirety. This in itself is also the
universal personal freedom. Such personal independence ensures comprehensive
development of life (as per the plan of the Jeeva)
and fills the life of the individual with peace, contentment and happiness.
A
country exists for the welfare of its citizens. When they are given the
opportunity to live according to the Purushaartha
yojane or the plan to achieve the objectives of human birth, it implies that
they are provided with the golden opportunity for their all-inclusive
development. Hence, the ancient seers of India laid the goals for the Nation too
as “Dharma-artha-kaama-moksha-roopa sarva
purushaartha phalamidam raajyam” or “The purpose of the Country is (to
enable its people) to attain the objectives of human birth namely Dharma, Artha, Kaama and Moksha”. When the goals for the Jeeva and the country become one,
personal independence and national independence get united. Such independence is
the right and true asset of every individual and is worth fighting for even at
the cost of one’s life.
Personal
independence is not an artificial or imaginary concept, but is bestowed by Nature.
The ancient seers of our land have thus explained the essence of true independence
- Becoming one with the omnipotent effulgent spirit wherein lies the home of
all the Jeevas in the world. Hence
this independence is worthy of universal esteem.
The
soul of this script is the inspiration of Sriranga Mahaguru who, having
accomplished Swaatantrya, declared
that “living a life in accordance with the absolute Truth is the true independence.”
May this script be an offering to that lustrous Seed of Life!.