Sudden outbreak of deadly corona virus as global pandemic and our consequential confinement in doors has tremendously upset many of us. While some are making the best use of time, some others are under heavy stress due to anticipatory anxiety for something worst to happen. But we will have to maintain balance, peace and tranquility at all costs to face it. Let us share a Sufi story for motivation.
Despite having affluence and all sorts of amusements a king used to remain habitually worried for external aggression, internal disturbance, natural calamity etc. He could not enjoy life out of anticipatory anxiety and tremendous fear for uncertain future.
To mitigate his psychological plight he went to a renowned saint and asked, " Kindly give me mental peace and happiness and I am ready to pay anything for that". The saint promised, "I can give you permanent happiness, not at any cost but as a gift provided you honor my advice. Such advices are never given at any material price. In case you are really sincere and willing to follow my advice come after a fortnight."
The king came back after, a fortnight with a lot of expectations. However, the saint gave him a ring with inscriptions, "This too shall pass." The saint advised him, "Read it again and again for happiness. Whenever you think of essential impermanence of any event or situation you will not develop any attachment and go beyond happiness and sorrow. This is the way and only to remain in permanent peace which nothing else can give you. Always do your best and remain unattached to the outcome."
Shakespeare wrote, "Sweet are the uses of adversity." And the deadly corona virus contagion rapidly spreading as global pandemic has salutary upshots as well.
Apart from taking preventive measures like social distancing, hand washing, travel curbing etc it teaches us to face it with strong determination with socio-ethical and medical concerns to keep ourselves and others safe, which we usually lose sight of.
Instead of being panicky or indulging in rumor-mongering we need to be mindful of meticulous preparation. Stress will not help, rather right action stemming from common sense will.
Best way to conquer fear is to face fear with calm resolution. Taking more care of us and others is a call for the day. Our near ones as well as others can be affected by our callous concealment of facts. It teaches us to live and let live.
Sir Edmund Burke held, "Public calamity is a mighty leveler." It is heartening to see that the whole world has arisen to the occasion and adopted prescribed means. Being a public calamity it has united us all for a common cause. A harmonious, combined and dedicated approach will help to combat it.
No one knows the exact reasons behind sudden outbreak of this calamity. Those who believe in the law of karma accept it as an outcome of our collective unethical and evil-doings running rampant nowadays. This turns us back to insight, introspection and course correction for better tomorrow.
Indian philosophy does not teach us to view any occurrence in isolation as merely accidental in view of its immediate cause and effect. It teaches us to probe much deeper at causal plane beyond the apparent cause in view of the cosmic design governing universal phenomena.
Rapid outbreak of devastating corona crisis, our anticipatory anxiety, health hazards and all probable solution issues are being examined from microbiological, medical, psychological and other angles. Remedial measures are being worked out for socio-economic recovery. But there is definitely a crying necessity to view it from philosophical angle as well.
We accept that nothing happens in the universe without a specific purpose and every occurrence, adverse or otherwise, is divinely designed for our individual and collective growth with awakening of requisite consciousness. Nurturing nature sometimes beats us to teach us to set her erring children at right track.
The sooner we take the lesson the better for us. Hence we must introspect and move from physical plane to subtle psychological and spiritual plane of cause and effect of the calamity.
We must remember that religions predominantly rose out of our fear for uncontrollable natural devastations, diseases etc and taught us to bow down before higher power with humility and prayer. Human arrogance, ego and pride for scientific solutions cannot match that supreme power.
In our time we have ruthlessly exploited environmental part of nature with mindless deforestation, industrial pollution, use of plastic and incompatible chemical wastes. At psychological plane our indomitable arrogance, ego, greed and self-centered attitude have ruined natural equilibrium.
At spiritual level we have miserably deviated from ethics and values, deeper introspection and all sorts of self-expanding religious instructions and injunctions putting the entire humanity at peril. No wonder that nature will show its adverse face for corrective lessons.
The time of its advent in this subcontinent is quite significant. Lockdowns had to be declared at a time when community communion for Navaratra and Ramnavami of the Hindus and the Lent period of the Christians are going on and the Ramadan of the Muslims are not far away.
Evidently, the message of the day is for inner celebration in isolation maintaining social distance. The message is clearly for switching over from religious externalism to spiritual internalization within our heart of hearts.
Much talked but least understood law of karma operates at the individual and collective level for requisite transformation of collective transformation of collective consciousness. A simplistic view of the said law holds that our sufferings are rooted in bad actions known or unknown. The best course therefore is to ponder and change our thoughts and actions in view of the impending consequences of our deeds.
We have already learnt to live with a sense of togetherness as community creatures to face the havoc with firm determination taking care of the fellow citizens, donating generously for common cause and deprived ones, paying much more heed to one another and above all, thinking in terms of human fraternity. Doctors and scientists are doing yeomen's service. All these will have conducive consequence as per natural law.
Subtle power of the hidden virus giving rise to a global public calamity has given us a waking call to follow the principles of how to live and let others live. But deeper lessons from inner seclusion must be assimilated for awakening of humanity with self-expanding humanity and universal spirituality.
The writer is a columnist
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