THE SPIRITUAL VERSUS THE MATERIAL

THE SPIRITUAL VERSUS THE MATERIAL M ANY years ago, an international technological exhibition was held in Delhi in which a large number of countries had participated. The American pavilion was the centre of people's attention, drawing the crowds away from other pavilions because it had a flying car on display. The visitors had gathered on the field to watch the flying car demonstration. The driver first drove the car on the ground like any other car, then lifted off hovering about four feet above the ground, circled the field several times, then brought it down on to the ground again. There was much applause all around at the wondrous spectacle. It was explained to the crowd that such cars drew air from above and released it at high pressure below the car, thus building an air pad between the car and the ground over which it could glide like a boat sailing on water. Amongst the visitors was a young Sadhu. Clad in saffron clothes, his long, tangled hair falling into curls and knots, he kept gazing at the car with rapt attention for a long time. Seeing his state of absorption, a news reporter approached him asking what his impressions were of this flying car. The Sadhu replied quite seriously, "After watching this flying-car, I am faced with a new problem, that is, whether or not I should forsake the spiritual life for the material, and thus fulfil my ambitions by way of material achievements. This exhibition has caused me to have second thoughts about which of the worlds, spiritual or material, it is better to be attached to.” Such events as this seem to show a contradiction between scientific and spiritual development. It would appear that the one can be gained only at the cost of the other. But it entirely depends on what we interpret spirituality as. If being spiritual means forsaking the world altogether and taking to jungles and mountains, renouncing all contact whatsoever with the world; the scientific and spiritual appear to contradict each other. A spiritual person possesses inner contentment, and is far above all material gain and loss.