Mankind’s Actual State

Divine Life Society Publication: An Instrument of Thy Peace by Sri Swami Chidananda

What is mankind’s actual state in these modern times? There are many colleges and universities, and vast libraries house thousands of books. The literacy rate in most progressive countries is ninety-nine per cent. There has been an explosion of knowledge and advancement in every sphere of human activity—with amazing advances in electronics, physics and chemistry. Man prides himself on being cultured and civilized, and he might speak condescendingly of his Stone Age ancestors, but then again, let’s take another look at modern society. Side by side with the scientific progress and apparent advances in culture and civilization, there is something very shocking. There has always been hatred, violence and war in human society, but the ability to inflict suffering was limited.

Today, however, thanks to his vast knowledge, modern man has now perfected the technology of annihilation. He now has the ability to bring destruction to the whole of mankind. He has provided himself with the tools to destroy the entire world or make it uninhabitable. Planet Earth could become a lifeless wasteland. We are told that man has the capacity to destroy the world twenty times over. Is this sanity or madness? If this is progress, is it really the progress we want? How and why has man brought himself to this present sad state? How many of us have seriously pondered these questions?

In spite of man’s best efforts to find happiness and peace, he has failed. Today, as though this failure were not enough, man has become the destroyer of human welfare and the potential creator of unimaginable suffering, pain and destruction. In the face of these plain facts, is there something in our human heritage that would offer itself as a solution? There is a saying, "While there is life, there is hope." Those who have faith in God never lose hope. One of the basic tenets of the Christian religion is that man lives by hope. Faith, hope and charity are three of the great virtues preached by Christianity. When you have faith in God, you have hope in life, and when you have hope you can be compassionate and kind towards all human beings. Despair makes animals out of human beings, but living in hope makes charity possible.

Man is a part of God—not physically or mentally—but spiritually. The inner spiritual Reality is your essential identity, and you are a part of that supreme Universal Soul that is the pinnacle of all perfection. God is experienced and known to be an ocean of love, compassion, wisdom and joy. These things are an essential part of your own true nature. Each human individual has the potential of manifesting all these divine qualities. Living life in order to bring about these potentials is true culture and also the art and science of life. The failure to understand this truth about our real nature and to make our lives a process of inner awakening has brought mankind into this state of darkness.

Yoga is more relevant than at any other time in human history, precisely because it is a system that teaches man how to bring about an inner transformation of life through the manifestation of these divine qualities. The pursuit of self-satisfaction and sensuality totally warps human nature and brings it down to the level of a beast. The more you ignore your true spiritual nature, the more you enter into darkness and suffering. Yoga provides a tool by which you can bring about a change in the present human condition. Yoga brings about a direct relationship with that Being with whom you are inseparably connected. To forfeit this supreme privilege would bring the potential for great evil to all mankind. Yet, the prevalence of yoga over the modern world today is a sign of hope that there may be a future for mankind. Yoga can bring light into the darkness, and it can replace un-wisdom by wisdom. It can replace weakness with strength and slavery by self-mastery. It can bring wisdom where there is now only folly. It can make the human being truly a child of God.

These ideas warrant serious reflection and deep contemplation. Think, reflect, and if possible try to see what you can do in the context of your own life in the light of this present condition of man. I feel personally that it would not be in any way an exaggeration if I said that this is the only way out of humanity’s present condition. This is neither fanaticism nor dogmatism. There are so many paths put forward by different organisations, but for any of these paths to be successful, they must in some way contain yoga. Nothing can be achieved unless the human individual puts himself into a conscious relationship with God. No improvement is possible unless the channel is opened between man and God. This is precisely what yoga constitutes, and this is the purpose of yoga. It actually brings man to God and God to man.

May the grace of the Lord illumine your intellect, and may the peace of God fill your hearts. May the love of God manifest and prevail in your lives. May the light, purity and truth of God find expression through your thoughts, words and actions. May the benedictions of beloved Master Swami Sivananda make all things possible for you through yoga.

Excerpts from: Mankind’s Actual State - An Instrument of Thy Peace by Sri Swami Chidananda