Building a better world through inner transformation

According to scriptures, there are about 36 divine qualities (36 Gunas), and if one does not have any one of these divine qualities, then it means he/she has the opposite—the demoniacal qualities—which, as everyone knows, result in peace lessness, disease, sorrow, and suffering. Most people do not yet know that the absence of one or the other divine quality is the cause of one or the other kind of human misery. They, therefore, try to find out its cause in the political, economic, cultural, or social system. The truth, however, is that positive or negative qualities manifest themselves through human behaviour or human activity, whether it be political, economic, cultural, or social activity. One should, therefore, try to trace the negativity and work for positivity in human behaviour rather than search for the cause elsewhere.

The present society has made marvellous progress in various fields, but emotionally, it is much weaker. Man has not been able to control his impulsiveness, ambitions, anger, and anxiety. There is thus a lot of imbalances created by rapid and great advancement in science and technology on the one hand and a lack or absence of parallel progress in emotional maturity, self-control, and ethical abilities on the other hand. This has resulted in many problems that we are facing today. It can thus be said that the qualities in man determine the quality of his life and his peaceful and happy, or peaceless and sorrowful state. But it is a pity that man has been trying to find happiness in ruling over big territories, possessing a lot of property or wealth, and having great many comforts. He has, therefore, been making efforts to have economic prosperity even by adopting demoniac qualities. He has been trying to achieve success, name and fame, or political and economic power even if his soul had to give up the divine qualities and resort to negative or demoniacal qualities. This has, evidently, led to the corruption of the soul, degeneration of society, and to peace lessness and sufferings of various kinds.

If we accept this analysis of our present predicament, then we have to admit that we have had a fall in moral values and divine qualities, and what we require today is to extricate and uplift ourselves from this situation with the help of education that can restore the divine qualities in us. Our all-other efforts to make the world a better place to live in would be of no avail unless and until there is a qualitative change in our nature and behaviour. Complete peace, it should be remembered, comes from complete purity or full-fledged divine nature. Even a fraction of one demoniacal quality leads to a lessening of peace in that proportion, if not more. It should also be noted that demoniacal qualities have linkages among themselves, even as divine qualities are connected among themselves and strengthen and sustain each other. So, liberation from one negative quality leads to at least some liberation from other negative qualities. Thus, even our little effort to inculcate, in ourselves, some divine qualities ultimately lead to a great overall change in our nature and results in enhancement in the quality of our inner happiness.

In the current state of the world, where materialism is often prioritized over spiritual growth, the loss of divine qualities has become more evident. People are increasingly finding themselves trapped in cycles of stress, competition, and dissatisfaction, despite their material success. This is because material achievements, while significant, cannot replace the profound peace and contentment that come from living a life grounded in divine principles. The more we focus on accumulating wealth and power at the expense of our inner values, the more we drift away from true happiness.

Moreover, the demoniacal qualities such as greed, envy, and pride not only harm the individual but also have a ripple effect on society as a whole. They lead to corruption, injustice, and conflicts that disrupt social harmony and undermine collective well-being. In contrast, divine qualities like compassion, humility, and selflessness create an environment where mutual respect, understanding, and cooperation can flourish. This, in turn, lays the foundation for a society that is not only prosperous but also peaceful and just. One must, therefore, in one’s own interest and in the interest of building a better world, pay attention to the task of restoration of divine qualities and elimination of the devilish qualities or negative traits. In this lies not only the hope for our own liberation but also the key to improving the overall conditions of the world.

(Writer is a spiritual educator&popular columnist for publications across India, Nepal & UK. Till Date 8500+ Published Columns have been written by Him)