Financial Ruin

This economic deterioration of the masses of people is not only visible in India, but all over the world. The planning commissions in India have of course made various plans to improve the economic conditions of the people, but we can take lessons from other countries where the planning commissions have finished their duties. We must be frank enough to admit that the economic condition of the general masses of people has not improved. Practically a quarter of a century ago, when President Truman was in London, he admitted very frankly that independence means comfortable life for everyone, at least that is the expectation of all common men-an expectation which is never to be fulfilled. When World War II was going on, one party inquired whether the Japanese were coming to India. The thought behind the inquiry was that if the Japanese came to India, the country would be independent. The party was met again after 1947, and when he was asked how he had improved his comfortable life, he replied with much regret that he had not improved his lot in the least after independence. On the contrary, his family expenditure had increased so much that he was on the brink of financial ruin. On the whole, the story is that in India no one's life has become more comfortable since independence, as it ought to have according to President Truman. According to him, if a section of a nation lives very comfortably in material terms and senses some false happiness, without caring for its brother have-nots, that nation is not to be considered an independent nation.

What all these mundane wranglers cannot understand is that the economic condition of the people cannot be improved by godless adventuring. There are five elements affecting any particular action in the universe, and the most important cause is called daiva, or the unseen hand of God. However efficient the other causes may be-such as the place, the worker, the attempt and the instrument-without the favorable help of the divine cause, nothing can be effected.

The atheist Ravana did not believe in the Divine cause but firmly believed in his own capacity. He was a declared enemy of Sri Ramacandra, the Personality of Godhead, and on his own strength he planned to construct a staircase leading up to heaven. This staircase was to be used by everyone, and the idea was that by it everyone could reach heaven without undergoing the necessary qualifications.

The present generation of materialists are direct descendants of Ravana because all of them think in terms of building a staircase leading to the kingdom of heaven. They completely ignore the superior strength of the daiva cause. There are many planning commissions around the world attempting to improve conditions that have degenerated due to war, famine, pestilence and similar disasters, but unfortunately the daiva cause is unknown to these commissions. Therefore the commissions meet at a considerable expense to the general populace, and the result is that nothing is ever solved. This is all due to a godless disregard for the unseen hand of the Supreme.