We have heard the story of Noah’s Ark from the Bible, how Noah collected various forms of life in pairs on his boat before the Great Deluge to repopulate the earth. The Vedic texts narrate the story of Manu who built a boat to save life before the Great Flood. Whether we call him Noah or Manu, or as the Sumerians would remember Utnapishtim and the Greeks Deucalion, all agree that there was a flood and only one boat which became the cradle of life. Therefore, no matter whether we are from the Far East, West, South, or the Atlantic, there is no denying that our ancestry is common. ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’, the world is a family, as our ancients told us.
The remnants of this universal ancestry, the common origins, can be found across the globe. Take for example, the energy called “Ram”. On this side of the Indus, we know him to be an incarnation of Shri Vishnu, the ideal man who fought against evil and established the rule of truth. But Ram makes its presence felt all across. There was an ancestor of David who was the son of Hezron, he was called Ram. The son of Jerahmeel was also called Ram. The kindred of Elihu was also Ram. There are at least 3-4 places mentioned in the Bible by the name of Ramah. There still is a town in Jerusalem by the name of Ramnagar. Rama Raya is another name for Eid ul Fitr. Ramadan is a holy month all over the globe.
Similarly, we know of a god who resembles a monkey in appearance and holds a mace in the hand, as Hanuman. If one travels to Central America, people might associate that image with that of the Howler Monkey God of the Mayas. And this is just the tip of the iceberg. Be it the worship of the Sun or Surya or Re (Egyptian) or Sol Invictus (Romans) or Inti (Peru) or Amaterasu (Japan) across the globe or traditional observances like circumambulation, ringing of bells, lighting of candles, taking the holy water found in cultures across the planet, the more one digs into the history of the world, the more one is convinced our roots are one.
All this culture was earlier one; when the yuga changed and continental drift occurred, human beings got segregated and went to different parts. So, all human beings have come from one place only, some chose to be civilized and some others chose to be uncivilized. Every single detail in history has its own significance. Take the simple example of the crowns that adorn the kings. The crown is symbolic of an evolved Sahasrara chakra likening the kings and queens to the gods and goddesses and indicating a civilized culture. Any culture where the leaders adorned a crown may be considered civilized. You will never find the uncivilized person wearing a crown. Similarly, you will never find the civilized people wearing horns on their head. The Puranas talk of an uncivilized beast Mahishasur as having the horns of a buffalo. He was the offspring of Rambha (the king of asuras) and a water buffalo (Princess Shyamala) and had created a menace on earth. A horned headgear is a clear-cut indicator of barbarism. You will never find the kings of ancient Rome or Greece, or Jesus or St. Francis or the Vedic rishis sporting a horned headgear… they were civilized beings. However, even in the West, certain groups of people like Gauls, Normans, Vikings etc., wore horned headgear. These were primarily hunters and fighters indicating a low level of civilization and maybe compared to Mahishasur. Thus, it is incorrect to typecast any country or region or religion as civilized or uncivilized; one can find both in all.
The basis of civilized culture is rooted in ‘shanti’ or peace for all. The difference between a healthy cell and a cancerous cell is of the state of shanti only. When a cell goes rogue, it disturbs the cells around it, what we call as cancer. Similarly, in the larger fabric of creation, an ashant element creates ripples of ashanti all around, leading to chaos and destruction for self and for those around. Similarly, he who is shant transfers that shanti all around, leading to growth and abundance. A civilized nation will strive for shanti or peace. A barbaric civilization will never even think of shanti; they will think of war all the time.
Among civilized men also, there exist a few uncivilized people and among uncivilized people, a few civilized men can be found. That is how creation goes on. Here the examples of Prahlad and Manthra become relevant. Prahlad was born in an environment of chaos and barbarians, and yet he chose the path of civilized conduct. Manthra, on the other hand, lived in a flourishing and just Kingdom of Raja Dashrath, but she chose an uncivilized existence.
Our ancestors not only discovered the power of shanti but also the way to achieve complete peace. Yogic practices like Sanatan Kriya bring about the various layers of the body into a state of balance addressing the being from core to periphery. Once the body is in balance, the same is instilled around the practitioner, the radius of effect being directly proportional to one’s state of evolution. Yagyas, when performed in the correct way, are another powerful tool to induce shanti in the body and outside.
