Shraddha Ni Chhalang

The Leap of Shraddha

Among all the creatures in creation, Ishwar has given only to the human being one special gift — and that is Shraddha (faith). If one wishes to refine the mind, the intellect, and one's sense of duty, then Shraddha must be awakened. There is no other way.

In the Upanishads, we see that when a disciple approaches the Guru, the very first teaching the Guru imparts is:

"Shraddhatsva, Saumya" — O gentle one, have faith.

The first step toward acquiring Jnana (knowledge), training the mind, or awakening one's capacity for action is this: we must invoke Shraddha.

Kaka Kalelkar a Gujarati writer says of Shraddha: "Inspiration and caution may be taken from everyone, but decisions and the ploughing of new ground can only be done according to one's own Shraddha and courage." He also observed that people of the West possess an intense devotion to truth, experimentation, experience, and life itself — and because of this, they will strive purposefully to discover, but they will not blindly accept anything on faith alone.

Dr. Bhandarkar, defining Shraddha, says it contains three elements:

1. Openness of Mind — a mind that is not closed
2. Will to Believe — the genuine desire to trust
3. Readiness to Accept Eternal Truth — the willingness to embrace self-evident, Sanatan principles

Shraddha Makes the Human Being

The Shrimad Bhagavad Gita declares in the seventeenth chapter:

"Shraddhamayah hi ayam Purushah" — A person is made of their Shraddha.

It is Shraddha that makes one truly human. We see today that as human beings become bereft of Shraddha, they become bereft of humanity itself. Today, people have faith neither in their Guru, nor in their scriptures, nor in their parents and elders, nor even in themselves. They sit enthroned upon their dry intellect and barren logic, believing it to be everything.

Today, the human being wanders here and there, unable to see a path. Hungry, so he eats. Sleepy, so he sleeps. Greedy, so he snatches. Lustful, so he attacks. Angry, so he rages. No ideals or principles remain intact. In the ancient age, even wars were Dharma Yuddhas — fought according to the laws of Dharma. And today, tragically, it is Dharma itself that causes wars.

If this scattered humanity is to be reassembled, then Shraddha must be re-established in our lives.

What Shraddha Can Do

Consider what Shraddha accomplishes. A tiny two-year-old child, through Shraddha in its mother alone, learns language, numbers, everything. The child never asks: "Mother, that round thing on the plate is a roti, and that round thing in the sky is the moon — why is that so?" The mother said it, and the child believed. It is Shraddha that creates trust between one human being and another.

Shraddha gives the name "Ishwar" to some unknown power and inspires us to worship it. Shraddha builds self-confidence and self-respect within us. This same Shraddha maintains our bond of kinship with all of creations. It is through Shraddha alone that the human being, society, the natural world, and the Supreme Reality all dwell together in harmony and goodwill.

Every problem that looms before humanity today, every crisis that frightens us — at the root of each one lies the absence of Shraddha. Therefore, the wise must take up the work of awakening this drowning Shraddha before all else.

The climb is steep. We will need the torch of Vijnana (science) and the walking stick of Shraddha to make the ascent.

Three Kinds of Shraddha

The Shrimad Bhagavad Gita describes three types of Shraddha: Sattvic, Rajasic, and Tamasic. The wise segment of society must help those with Rajasic and Tamasic Shraddha find clarity and must strengthen the current of those who possess Sattvic Shraddha. We must strive so that human beings learn to place Shraddha in themselves, in others, in the natural world, and in Ishwar. The true Shraddhavans in society — those whom Vinobaji calls the Acharya, the teacher-class — must expand their conduct, their thought, their communication, and their reach.

The Airport of Life

In the context of Shraddha, I find airports endlessly fascinating. Here you can see every type of person and every type of emotion — Prem (love), fear, frustration, anger, anxiety, gratitude, and hunger too. A delayed flight, a superficial conversation with a stranger, someone weeping over a missed connection, a battle between an agent and a frustrated traveller — whatever situation you can imagine, you will likely find it here.

An airport has its own little world. But the interesting thing is that no one wants to stay there. It is a place people come to only so they can go somewhere else. Is our time in this world not the same? We have come from somewhere, and we are headed somewhere else.

And once you board the plane, you control nothing at all. You surrender yourself entirely — in Shraddha — to another person and another system. You trust that the pilot will take you where you need to go.

In this modern age, before we take the leap of Shraddha toward Ishwar, let the airport be our launching pad.

A Vedic Prayer for Shraddha

Come, let us together invoke true Shraddha through the Chintan (contemplation) of this Adhik Maas. Let us offer into the fire all half-hearted Shraddha, blind Shraddha, and misguided Shraddha. Let us bring to life, across the entire world, the Shraddha mantra spoken in the Vedas:

Shraddham pratar havaamahe, Shraddham suryasya nimruchi, Shraddhe Shraddhapayeha nah.

"We invoke Shraddha at dawn. We invoke Shraddha at midday. We invoke Shraddha again at sunset. O Shraddha, O Devi of faith — strengthen the Shraddha of our people."