A
mirror to Modi
Criticism, I never subscribed, to as an art of deriding
others just for the sake of it so when my son confronted me this morning with
his thought that I had lately been unjustly critical of a man who had been
serving the nation as a “ karm sanyasin “ would do , I had to respond to this
critique of my son and most deservedly and dutifully so . The terms “ karma “
and “ Sanyasin “ are opposite contexts, for karma deals with action while
sanyas mistakenly in the popular context of Hinduism relates to inaction. Hence to mix the two terms may in the
enlightened state of a neo Hindu appear an exercise in seeking sense in paradox
but such a coupling of the two terms is not what it appears, the usage is
perfectly sound. While karma would fit the persona of Modi , sanyas
at the moment may fit many in the Congress . The former, it is seen breaks the
barriers of physical limitations as he works ,works and works, while the latter
appears to lead the life of man beaten by times now donning the saffron garb of the indolent ascetic seeking
escape from reality, neither a karmyogi nor a sanyasin.
A karmayogi is a person very adroitly selective of his
actions as flowers for a bouquet. His actions reflect the yogic spirit the
oneness of mind and reason free from the bondage of his senses that in their
potential consume the man as termite, a tree. A sanyasi seeks no credit for the
good that he does because he considers everything attributed to him as acts of
God and it is this selflessness that makes a sanyasin true in the spirit of the
context and usage of the term. A karm sanyasi is a person who indulges in
selfless actions that can be offered to God and when he does so he is always
conscious of the fact that he cannot and will not offer anything to Almighty
which is not pure. Hence a karmayogi is a man of action whose actions are above
impiety and though he is the doer of good thing he attributes all such to God
and it is this spirit that makes a karmyogi a karm sanyasin .
That brings one to the
question which of the two terms reflects Modi. Is it either, is it both or is
it neither. Modi undoubtedly is a man of action. When he served tea he served
good tea. When he served the party he served well. His performance within the
party pushed him up the hierarchy by virtue of his substantial action. As Chief
Minister of Gujarat he changed the picture of the state making it a publicized
model for development. His image however came to be questioned on account of
the Gujarat riots which would continue to bitter the civilized minds and force
a Prime minister to ask the Chief Minister to realize the Dharma of the state.
It had taken the chief minister an unusually long time to bring the situation
under control, forcing the Prime minister to tender such advice. Irrespective
of gravity of the charge and the magnitude of censure of his Government by the
political parties, the national and the international media, the human rights
groups, nations and the international community the man stood the tests of a
not so nonpartisan investigative agencies of the state, this man of grit made a
the public opinion swing on his side twice by returning to the chief ministers
post after the Riots, the elections were pure political mandate. And while the
agencies of the state did everything to pin him he rode on a tsunami, to
vanquish his detractors to assume the premiership of the largest democracy of
the world with a historic mandate. Yes this was a man of action tested on the
crucible of peoples’ mandate, he is a karma yogi. But is he a selfless
sanyasin? Modi some say is a “Jeetendriya “ a master of senses , had Modi apologized
for what happened in Gujarat depicted by the cover page of India Today of a man with folded hands
begging his life be spared , would have made him “Ateendriya” someone beyond
the bonds of senses in the desired domain of the Yogi.
But Modi falls short in
deciding what he would prefer to be known as? A human, a Hindu, or a Hindu
whose stated traits leave him with only one option to be a human. If Modi believes in the
philosophy of the oneness of the universe and humans, he would not refuse the
cap , if he believes in “ brahmaic “ , the unity of souls , he would never
refuse the cap for the enlightened sees the” One “ and only “ One” in all the
human and the animal alike in the
variety.
A mirror, my son, is
never a critic; it seeks to facilitate the beholder of his style, a better grooming.
If the image on the mirror is not clear remove the dust from the surface and
you would appreciate the purpose of the mirror, its unprejudiced reflection of reality.
Modi of late has not had a haircut
involved that he is, in the task of changing the nation, finds little time for
himself. Modi is a man in history with small dents which he has the grace and
ability to repair should he desire so. The mirror would only say “ Tat Twam Asi
“, that you are .
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