Sharing Wisdom in Search of Inner and Outer Peace

405 Pages·2013·4.28 MB·English

Sharing Wisdom in Search of
Inner and Outer Peace
Speeches Delivered by
Dr. Shantilal K Somaiya
Editors:
Kala Acharya, K Sankarnarayan, Mariano Iturbe, Geeta Mehta
2011 Somaiya Publications Pvt Ltd
Registered Office:
172, Mumbai Marathi Granthsangrahalaya Marg,
Dadar (East), Mumbai 400014
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.somaiyapublications.com
Branch:
6th Floor, Bank of Baroda Building,
Parliament Street, New Delhi 110 001
Email: [email protected]
Cover: Harinakshi
Published by:
Somaiya Publications Pvt Ltd,
Mumbai 400 014
E-Book Digital Conversion by:
red temptation - the design studio
Printed at The Book Centre Ltd,
LIC Building, 1st floor, Ranade Road,
Dadar (West), Mumbai 400 028
Email: [email protected]
ISBN: 978-81-7039-280-4
Our Father
Our father late Dr. Shantilal K Somaiya was a multi-faceted personality - an Industrialist, an Educa¬-
tionist, a Philanthropist, and above all a Spiritual Person. He contributed a lot to the field of sugar¬-
cane-research, sugar and ethanol manufacturing, and ethanol - based chemistry. He led the So¬mai-
ya Trust and was the Vice President of Somaiya Vidyavihar. He devoted much of his time and resources for
promoting the cause of Religion and Interfaith Dialogue.
It is our proud privilege to present a compendium of speeches on religion and spirituality delivered by our
fa¬ther, Dr S K Somaiya. These speeches were delivered by him over the span of a decade at various places
such as Italy, Vatican, Kazakhstan, USA, Switzerland, Cambodia, Thailand, Sri Lanka and different places in
India. The fora he addressed ranged from local to global. He shared his views on various topics of special in-
terest to him such as the significance of religion in modern times, the need for an Interfaith Dialogue among
the separate religious groups, and the universality of the essence of various religions.
In the modern era dominated by Materialism and Rationalism, the role and rule of Religion is being
obliter¬ated from social, political and professional life. Consequently the spiritual aspect of life is also being
relegated behind one’s worldly pursuits. However, it is true that man does not live by bread alone. He hears
the inner call and remains restless until his spiritual aspiration is realized. Therefore he takes up the quest for
finding his religious and philosophical roots. English poet John Milton in his poem “Il Penseroso” has while
express¬ing this feeling says:
But let my due feet never fail
To walk the studious cloister’s pale,
And love the high embowed roof,
With antique pillars massy proof,
And storied windows richly dight,
Casting a dim religious light.
There let the pealing organ blow,
To the full-voiced quire below,
In service high and anthems clear,
As may with sweetness, through mine ear,
Dissolve me into ecstasies.
Our father was staunch follower of the Sanatana Dharma (meveeleveOece&). He firmly believed that one must first
know one’s own religion thoroughly for a better understanding of others’ faith.
Nowadays we see people following different faiths rubbing shoulders with each other. In this situation we
need to widen our religious perspective. We must understand and appreciate the richness of other religions.
The time has come to accustom ourselves to fresh ways of thinking and under¬standing. This was best exem-
plified when our father started organizing and participating in Interreligious Dialogue meetings; few around
him could understand why he spent so much time and resources on such activities. However, it was his
personal conviction that there was a pressing need for Interreligious Dialogue that would eventually promote
peace and harmony amongst people.
He welcomed the followers of different religious traditions as his friends; he was humble enough to approach
others so that he could learn something from them. We have experienced and realized how dear to his heart
the cause of Interreligious Dialogue was! It had become the prime mission for him. All the love and dedica¬-
tion he infused in this activity came back to him in a surge of respect and affection from people all over the
world; transcending the boundaries of race, region and religion, throughout his life.
Like Rabindranath Tagore he always believed:
My home is everywhere;
I am in search of it;
My country is in all countries;
I will struggle to attain it.
His participation in Interreligious Dialogue activities strengthened his belief. He was disturbed by the lack of
knowledge of the authentic fundamental principles of religion amongst the young generation of India. The
lacuna according to him was in the modern Indian education system. Hence in 1989 he established the K J
Somaiya Bharatiya Sanskriti Peetham, to promote the profound study of Vedic religion, in which he had an
un¬shakable faith. His interest in the study of other religions then prompted him to start the Centre for stud-
ies in Buddhism which was inaugurated by H H Dalai Lama in 1993, and the Centre for Studies in Jainism
which was inaugurated at the hands of H H Acharya Mahaprajna in 2002.
Our father’s association with the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue at Vatican, continued and
sus¬tained for more than decade. He felt privileged when he was invited to present Hinduism at the Pontifi-
cation of H H Pope Benedict XVI in April 2005.
Our father has left behind a wonderful legacy of using an integrated approach to life and work, whether in
business, education, religion or philosophy; one that includes rather than divides, one that encompasses all,
cap¬turing the true spirit of Hindu heritage and tradition.
The publication of this volume is a joint effort by the members of the Somaiya Sanskriti Vihar. We must
express our gratitude to Honorable Justice B N Srikrishna for his erudite foreword. And we hope that our
father’s words would reach those who did not have an opportunity to listen to him in person and inspire
them to think seriously about their own religion and about the urgent need to maintain a dialogue with those
coming from other faiths. May these speeches bring a desirable change in the world!
Samir Somaiya
Harinakshi Somaiya

Dharma
Delivered in : the ‘Dharma Based Cultures’ Meet’, an International Summit
organized by : Dharma Sanskriti Sangam
at Varanasi, India
25-26 November 2006
Dharma
WE are going to discuss matters connected with Dharma (Oece&) and Culture. I appreciate the use of
the word Dharma (Oece&) or Dhamma (Oecce) in lieu of religion which is not its accurate rendering.
However, for all practical purposes we generally use the word religion as an equivalent of Dhar-
ma (Oece&) and I have kept up the same practice for the sake of convenience.
In this age of science, technology and computers; material progress resulting in consumerism has gained utmost
but undue importance. Too much exploitation of nature has endangered the ecological balance. Unwholesome
and therefore unwanted results of too much of industrialization have come to the fore. Consequently the value
of Dharma (Oece&) or Dhamma (Oecce), whatever term one may use, is cast into oblivion.
More often the so-called rationalists not only deride the idea of Dharma (Oece&) but also ridicule those who sin-
cerely follow the norms of Dharma (Oece&). According to these people Dharma (Oece&) has no place in this civilized
world where man has all amenities and comforts at his command. The main objection against Dharma (Oece&) is
that it is erected on the shaky foundation of God or some divine power. Science, however, does not accept the
validity of any transcendental or supernatural power as it cannot be proved by any rational or logical argument.
The notion of Dharma (Oece&), as it is pointed out, has its genesis in the limitations of human beings who were
ignorant, in ancient days, of the mysteries of nature. Alongwith the scientific progress man has successfully
unravelled so many riddles of nature. He is enabled to launch space-crafts and reach even the distant satellite
like the moon. Moreover most of the time-honoured traditions and rituals such as worship, sacrifices, prayers,
etc. have become outdated and meaningless. Dharma (Oece&), according to these people, gives importance to
transcendental things like salvation, heaven etc. and totally neglects the present life. Life after death and not the
present life is a matter of concern for Dharma (Oece&). Lastly, if we peep through the pages of history we notice
that many battles and wars were waged on the issue of Dharma (Oece&) which has thus proved to be the source of
hindrance in man’s progress.
I am not going to say outright that all these allegations levelled against Dharma (Oece&) are unfounded and base-
less. I do admit that the progress made by science is significant and has added to the happiness of mankind. But
I want to put a question at this juncture. Just think a while. Are we happy with all the material gain that man
has to his credit? On one hand we claim that due to the progress of science the world has come very close; but
on the other hand we find that the human hearts have failed to come closer in harmony. Out of sheer selfishness
and insatiable greed man is hankering after amassing wealth by means, fair or foul. The Mahabharata (ceneYeejle)
has rightly said, “The lust or greed is not appeased by enjoying the objects of pleasure in the least, but just as fire
with the oblation of ghee, it flares up all the more.”1 Corrupt practices are rampant. Fissiparous and pernicious
tendencies detrimental to mankind have made their ugly appearance felt. Extremists are recklessly indulging
in terrorism. In addition, the constant threat of devastating nuclear weapons has placed the world on the verge
of peril. To quote the words of Wordsworth: “What man has made of man himself!”
Well, science has no solution for all these problems; science cannot solve the riddle of the universe conclu-
sively. That is why, after realizing the deficiency of science, scientists now tend to accept the existence of some
spiritual power. Sir James Jeans says, ‘‘We cannot claim to have seen more than a very faint glimmer of light at
the best... Science should leave making pronouncements.’’ Arnold Toynbee, a great historian says, “It is on the
spiritual plane that we can hope to solve these problems.” The great scientist Albert Einstein clearly remarks:
“Science without religion is lame and religion without science is blind.” The supremacy of nature over man’s
capacity is amply testified by unpredictable occurrence of Tsunami, earthquakes and destructive tempests and
tornadoes. One has to accept that there are still some secrets which remain hidden from the intellectual flights
of man. It is perhaps in this context that one of our Upanishadic seers says, “This final truth is not within the
scope of any logical thinking.”2 It has been also said, “One should not apply rules of logic to those things which
are inscrutable.”3
Friends, what the world needs today urgently is peace, mental satisfaction and harmonious coexistence. And
the solution or the panacea, so to say, is Dharma (Oece&). This fact has been brought to our notice long back by
Sage Vyasa. He says in the concluding part of the Mahabharata (ceneYeejle), “With my arms raised up I am shout-
ing; but nobody listens to me. Wealth and desires can be accomplished through Dharma (Oece&); then why is it
not practised?”4
Here I do not want to specify any particular religion since we all know that the fundamental principles of all
religions are almost the same.
Much has been said about the word Dharma (Oece&). I would like to mention here only
a few points. This word is frequently found as Dharman (Oece&ved) (neuter) in the Rigve-