Later, Baba visited the homes of some of his devotees on that afternoon of Good Friday, 4 April 1947. Harijans have suffered for centuries at the hands of the upper, ruling castes of India, and Baba gave this message to a group of Harijans and laborers.
To believe today that birth and profession are necessarily the basis of any difference between man and man is to insist upon living in the past and remaining dead to the present. Cleanliness of mind and body, which is practical spirituality, has never been, and can never be, the monopoly of any one particular class or creed. It should be aspired to by everyone, and can be acquired by anyone — man or woman.
To maintain this purity in the face of rising opposition from circumstances entails suffering. The spiritual status of any country or people on this globe is in direct proportion to its potentiality to suffer. Suffering should be intelligent and far-reaching. When a country or a people develop a spiritual outlook and life, it automatically raises its potentiality to suffer. India is primarily a land of spirituality. But the surface differences have, for a time, blurred its ultimate destiny.
Selfishness, multiplied by population, results in wars, exploitation, persecution and poverty. Selflessness, multiplied by population, brings about peace and plenty. All the modern fads that are stalking the world today, in the guise of politics, economics, materialism, communalism, nationalism and socialism, have to be judged on the criteria of selfishness or selflessness.
Whether you are religiously suppressed or politically oppressed, whether you are economically exploited or industrially sweated, the suffering that results should determine your spiritual claims and status. Man-made differences, like all other things made by man, take no time to change with the changing time. A great changeover is near at hand. Rights must be restored and will be restored, but responsibilities have also to be shouldered.
It is, indeed, great to be a man, but it is far greater to be man to man.
Irrespective of their birth labels and belief tables, my blessings to all those who feel themselves to be oppressed, depressed and suppressed from any cause whatsoever!
After visiting different close ones at their homes that afternoon, Baba went to an institution for "fallen" and abused women and girls run by Sampath Aiyangar's daughter, Lakshmi, where Lakshmi garlanded Baba with two gorgeous garlands of gold embroidery. Baba then left for another house visit to the Mudaliar residence, where his arti was performed. He then went to the Sun Theatre where a Telugu film based on the life of Saint Tyagaraja was shown.1 Baba stayed for a little while and then returned to Meher Bhavan.
Footnotes
- 1.Tyagaraja (1767–1847) was one of the greatest composers of Indian classical Carnatic music. He devoted his entire life to composing songs in praise of Lord Ram.