Letter # 92: "Politics, Religion And Spirituality"

A friend said in a semi-despairing tone, “We need spirituality in politics.”
As I reflect on this statement, disturbing images from the historical interface of religion and politics surface in my mind.
The word politics comes from the Greek politicos, meaning “of citizens or the state". But politics is not confined to government; it extends to every sphere of life – family, academic, workplace, corporate, and religious.
Perhaps the simplest way to understand what politics is to see it as a process of “who gets what, when, why, and how".
The only book on political science that I have read is The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli (1469-1527). Machiavelli’s premise is that, in order to maintain political power, it’s safer for a ruler to be feared than loved. It doesn’t sound nice, does it?
Religion consists of rites, rituals and personalities with respect to spirituality. The fight has been, and still is, about what those rites, and rituals are, and which personalities to accept or not. The essential message of spirituality harmony is often ignored in the midst of religious quarrels over “who, what, when, why, and how".
Not just history books, spiritual texts are also often unpleasant to read. The Book of Kings in the Bible is gory. The New Testament tells of the King of Peace, Jesus, being mocked by having a crown of thorn placed on his head before being crucified. Again, the struggles were essentially about “who gets what, when, why, and how."
Prophet Mohammed was involved in much religio-political struggle; he delivered Koranic verses allowing the Muslims to fight the Meccans [The Holy Koran 22:39-40].
The Bhagavad Gita is a spiritual text delivered on the battlefield itself! The fight between princes, good and bad, is a metaphor for the fight between the good and evil that are ever-present in our human minds. Again the fight was and is about “who gets what, when, why, and how."
The epic ancient battle of the Demigods and Demons described in the Indian text, the Srimad Bhagavatum, was again about "who gets what, when, why, and how". The Demigods pray, “…O Supreme Lord, please give us the means of deliverance…” The Supreme Personality of Godhead made a surprsing reply: “O Lord Brahmā, Lord Śiva and other demigods, please hear Me with great attention, for what I say will bring good fortune for all of you. As long as you are not flourishing, you should make a truce with the demons and asuras, who are now being favored by time. O demigods, fulfilling one's own interests is so important that one may even have to make a truce with one's enemies…” [SB 8.6.18; SB 8.6.19; SB 8.6.20].
Developing a proper "statesmanship" over the mind, is Guru Nanak's teaching. Guru Nanak states that the mind harbours five enemies. These internal enemies are the givernors of all strife, internal and external. The enemies are kam (lust), krodh (rage), lobh (greed), moh (worldly attachment), and hankar (arrogance). Guru Nanak sings a solution: “Brahm giani kai garibi smaha; Brahm-giani par-upkar umaha”, which means “The knower of God is steeped in humility; the knower of God takes joy in doing good to others.” [SS Asht 8. P 85].
Adopting this attitude while making decisions on “who gets what, when, why, and how" would help to harmonize politics, religion and spirituality. What do you think?

God Bless; Allah Hu Akbar; May The Forces Of The Universe Bring You Harmony; Hare Krishna; Radha-Swami; and Nanak Naam Chardi Kala Tere Bhane Sarbat Dha Bhalla.

I wish to express my gratitude for your comments, which inspire me to carry on writing. Please forgive my fallibilities in presenting this material. Also, feel free to send this message on to someone that you might think would like to receive it. If you do send it on, my only request of you is that you send it as it is, in its entirety, and to not alter or modify any of the text, references or authorship information. Thus you will help to give credit or liability to where they are properly due.Jas BhopalCopyright© 2008References: "The Holy Bible" Online version; "The Koran" as translated by SV Mir Ahmed Ali 2005 ISBN 0-9761870-0-0); "The Bhagavad Gita As it Is" as translated by Srila Prabhupada ISBN 0-89213-268-X; The Srimad Bhagavatum as translated by Srila Prabhupada ISBN0-89213-259-0; "I Am That. Talks With Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj” ISBN 0-89386-022-0; The Dhammapada ISBN-10:1-84483-344-5; The Sacred Sukhmani ISBN 81-7205-098-4; Wikipedia.