India is a “wounded civilization,” as the Indian author Naipal put it. The prevalent theory in the West—that the Indian’s passiveness is due to their theory of karma—is totally and completely preposterous. Karma simply means action; three-fourths of the Vedas are dedicated to methods and prayers for acting successfully in the world. Indians are passive because they have been beaten down by every barbaric race that thundered across Asia Minor, then the Arabian Sea, to loot their land of riches—so wealthy that the obsession in Europe for centuries was to find a passage to India that would avoid the heavy taxation of goods when they crossed the Arabian deserts.

While it is true the atrocities committed by their most recent British conquerors were accepted with resignation in this land where terrors of war have been relentless. But by the time they arrived, the Indians had “adjusted.” A foreign influence first penetrated the area in approximately 1500 BC when the Aryans arrived. Even though they wrote poetry that praised their superior weaponry, it appears that they may have taken over the people without having to inflict much death. Alexander the Great arrived in 327 BC to conquer the northwest section. Although he did little damage because his army was battle weary, he did leave men to colonize his claim. Some of their descendants are still living in a community in isolated mountain areas in the Rajasthan area.

The serious onslaught began in the 5th century when a clan of Hun invaders arrived looking for booty. Each of the next eight centuries was highlighted by a major Muslim incursion of death, destruction and plunder. In the 10th century, the Turks reached the interior, led by the ferocious Mahmod of Gazni (an Afghan). In the 11th century, the Moslems sacked the capital of the Gupta Empire, pillaging and destroying 10,000 temples. In the 12th century, another Afghan tribe of Turks demolished Delhi to establish their capital, then extend their territory on a bloody trail all the way to Madurai in the south. In the late 14th century, Timberlane, the Turk who claimed a blood line to Genghis Khan, threw out the Turk Sultans, after sacking and ravaging Delhi again. A hundred years later, Babur’s terrible armies killed thousands while again sacking Delhi. His personal claim to fame was that he would kill five enemies every five minutes.

In 1565, the last stronghold of the Hindu kings at Vijayanagar was captured and devastated—not a building or a tree remained—by an alliance of Sultans. Delhi was again raided in the mid-18th century by Nadir Shah when the Turks attempted to recapture the throne from the Moguls. He returned to Persia with vast treasures, including the Peacock Throne and Kohinoor Diamond, along with thousands of slaves.

In 1498, the Portuguese arrived, followed by the French and British. When the British won out, the devastation began in serious. There are hundreds of examples of massacres, but I will give just one: Yes, the Indians did revolt against the British once, but few lived to regret it. This first spark of independence in 1857 even produced India’s Joan of Arc, the Rani (Queen) of Jhansi rode out on horseback to distinguished herself in direct battle. In spite of many similar heroic acts, the Indians lost. The Indian soldiers who survived were lashed to canons while still alive and blown to bits. How does a people fight against invaders with such a penchant for fire power and blood that they can afford to expend a canon ball to kill one person? While, on the one hand, it was just another massacre to the Indians, it was a turning point; never again could they believe that the Europeans were a superior people. The British called it a “mutiny.”

You must have gotten the point—now tell me that the Indians are passive because they believe in karma. They are passive because they are intelligent. The simple truth is the conquerors that came to sack their country always had superior weaponry, while backing their brutality with sophistry. Both the Moslems and the Christians justified their sins with religious prejudices and rationalizations.

Aubrey Menon, an Indian author, wrote in his book The Space Within the Heart about his study of the Upanisads:

[My study] was to prove an insight into the hoax that all of us accept as complete living... [I realized] my life had been the laborious construct of other people, some well-intentioned, some malign, some just interfering. It has been a life of emotion invented for me to feel. It has been life designed so that I should never be my own man. . . .”

Surely, the same can be said of the nation now called India, founded and named by its foreign invaders. Bharata has been discovered and rediscovered many times in other people’s terms. We know it as opulent India, decadent India, and the land of poverty. European traders vied and fought for its wealth in spices—until they discovered the diamonds. India was termed the “white man’s burden,” whose “benighted heathens” needed the blessing of European civilization. Considering it the wealthiest country in the world, the Persians Muslims looted it relentlessly for years. On the other hand, the ancient Greeks and Chinese visited it for its treasuries of wisdom. India has been struggling to free herself from these foreign definitions since its Independence in 1947.

I have been here over a year now, and am thinking about what I have learned about India. In the end, perhaps I came here to learn about myself. Bharata and her people have touched my heart and sensibilities in many ways. What I have recounted here is only a tiny tip of a verdant green mountain. Although the wisdom I gained will always remain with me, Bharata has given me something more, so subtle, yet so loud and clear. The true wealth is the people, their uniqueness, their faith in the face of adversity, for they include the greatest intellects, and the kindest souls. Personally, I cannot conceive how these kind and generous people will move into a future without their cultural roots. Will they dare to peel off the layers and keep what is true to their heritage as “children of light”?

Every place I have visited has given me a unique gift. Of course, the most valuable gift is my friendship with Usha. She is so intelligent, spontaneous, and bright; definitely, the support that made my lengthy stay here possible.

At Atheetha ashram, I was given the opportunity to accept the many possible ways to do one thing, and to see that all of them are just right. Whether I willingly received this gift or not is another matter, but that was the gift offered me.

In Hampi, through dear Jyothi, I was shown the true meaning of forbearance. Titiksha, forbearance, is like fearlessness. It is one of those qualities that gives complete liberation when it is lived to its limit.

Then at Biligiri-Ranga, I was able to face anger and accept contradiction. Being able to embrace what is given—without trying to change it—is also quite a perfect gift.

During my month at Kumbakonam, I received so many gifts. The Kauveri River showed me the detachment inherent in the flow of LIFE. Ram Sadhu taught me to appreciate the LIFE that surrounds me. The true understanding of LIFE will culminate when eventually my awareness expands to comprehend that LIFE within me. Siva RamaKrishna initiated me into the wisdom of traditional India and its Gayatri Mantra.

Although I experienced a most precious peace in many settings, the culmination was my stay at Shantivanam, Father Bede’s Forest of Peace. Back in Pondy, I feel quite successful in my capacity to be in peace. Because of the more hectic environment, at first I could only hear the silence between blurbs of noise. As I remained alert, I began to sense the peace in spite of the noise. A deep silence is indeed spread upon the earth. The silence is always there; we could not even hear the noise if it were not for that poignant silent background.

I feel so blessed to know the peace of divine birthright—something born in our own hearts. A peace that is bought with material wealth, a peace that is fought for with weapons, a peace that is exacted through total control is not true peace at all. Even if it were peace, how long could it last? Until the car gets a dent, until the enemy gets a new weapon, until someone has the courage to speak out.

True peace will only be found in our hearts. It is always there, yet there will never be the right time or place or circumstances for it to show itself. For true peace is not dependent on time or place or circumstances. It’s not dependent on anything; it’s a no-thing phenomenon. It just is.
A common prayer from the Vedas is for peace and prosperity for everyone:

          Praise be to all the kings who protect all their subjects
              with full vigor and with righteous justice;
          May the Brahmans and cows prosper;
          May all the populace be ever happy.
          May the rain fall always at the appropriate time,
              so that the fields are full of ripe grain.
          May this country be always free from agitation and disturbance.
          May the Brahmans be without fear [to speak the truth].

I always have to take a deep breath when I read those last two lines. For eons the Brahmans and sages have prayed for the welfare of this country, yet no country has been as ravaged by invasion. The prayers simply did not work. Perhaps if everyone on the planet had been repeating that same prayer, then it could have been different in India. Had Bharata flourished and evolved in its natural culture, I think it could have made a difference for everyone on the planet. Prayer did fail on the external level, but an internal strength be present for the culture and religion to have endured through it all.

Even if the Indians turn from their own dharma (rules of righteousness), the ideas of their ancient rshis will persist; they are universal. We can never lose that knowledge, for, according to the rshis, human being has two birthrights: his innate divinity and the inborn knowledge of the Vedas that accompanies that divinity. Anyone who sits in silent alertness long enough will indeed rediscover the fount of knowledge called the Vedas. We are one; we are all “children of light.”

One day, I am inspired to rewrite the Vedic prayer for modern times. My version goes like this:

          May everyone be happy,
          May everyone be peaceful,
          May everyone be prosperous,
          May everyone of us use our talents wisely for
               our own evolution and for the benefit of others.
          May my body and mind remain strong and healthy,
              so that I may serve my family, my community,
              and humanity faithfully until the end of my days.

May we Children of Light realize our true birthright.