Is religion necessary in modern society? We are living in 21st century. By the virtue of science and technology life has become very easy for us. We have enough food, cloths and home around us. In this world of mobile phone, Laptop and internet where it takes a minute to send an E-mail from India to America if we throw out our Bible, Gita, Kuran will that bring any harm to our daily life? Marx told that "The abolition of religion as an illusionary happiness is the prerequisite for the attainment of true happiness.". If I politely ask any Marxists what is your concept about "real happiness" what will be his answer? Do you mean true happiness is vodka? Or real happiness means Singapore, Sky scrapers, fly-overs, Playboy magazine or what? Today abortion is legal, living together, contract marriage so many nasty things are going on. But where is peace? Ultimately frustration will be our destiny. Ask yourself how much happy you are and how much happy you think you could be.
Satisfaction in this material world is unattainable. The more you get, the more you aspire for. There was a king who loved taking food. His zeal towards having food was such that he used to vomit immediately after eating and then started gorging food again. When asked how long it will take to satisfy him, he said that even if all the different types of food of this world had been provided to him, his greed would never be satisfied. Such is one's attachment to his or her 'Jiva Jagat' and that is what 'Maya' is all about. Television, cinema, novels, theatre, all deal with this world of Sentiment. Man thinks that he gets pleasure in presence of his beautiful wife, in the innocent smile of his infant child. He doesn't even want to surpass this illusionary world. He doesn't want to come out of it. But one day when he attains all these, he finds himself unappeased, he then hankers for more, and this continues till his death. So ultimate happiness remains unattainable to us, and in this way the world of Upanishad also remains untouched by us. |
