Page 5 - SocialHarmony

Preface

The underlying foundation of Indian civilization has always
been spirituality. Our innate belief that every being has been
formed from the same essence is what makes our culture unique.
Our civilization has always held that the Earth is our Mother
and all of us are Her children, implying that all the people of
the world are our siblings. Such a philosophy ensured that there
were no distinctions of class or status, in ancient times. The
importance of every individual in the development of society
was acknowledged and this belief led to the establishment of
relevant social systems from time-to-time. We were successful
in attaining the highest peaks of progress and our ideology was
hailed by the world.

Unfortunately, we were unable to sustain this status
through the annals of time. We failed to remember the feelings
of universality and ended up distancing ourselves from each
other. We compelled our own brethren to move towards anti-
national and anti-social activities and, at the same time, became
more and more bigoted. In these circumstances, Lord Buddha
put forth the principles of, “Panchshil” and gave society a new
lease of life. Society took a turn for the better and we were able
to resume control over the world. This historical chain of events
is known to all of us.

The development of our nation has been heralded by
leaders from all castes of the society. These were the people
who reached the pinnacle of the social order only through the
strength of their character and their strong sense of duty. As
one of the verses in the Chittavinodini says:

VÆøy°garbhasamutpann∞ Vasi¿∂haøca Mah°muni:.
D°s¢garbhasamutpann∞ N°radaøca Mah°muni:..