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Spiritual Determinants & National Development

 

August 25, 1999

   On p. 315 of The Life Divine Sri Aurobindo speaks of eight spiritual determinants and 24 other determinants issuing out of them. All the rest are their inter-relations.

   Basing ourselves on these 8 or 24 determinants, if we can look at national life and its aspects, it is possible for us to work from below somewhat thoroughly till we meet the determinants above. If any framework can be comprehensive, it can be.

The 8 determinants are Self, Purusha, Ishwara, Knowledge, Will, Beauty, Love and Ananda.

   In development we see several components and assign them to several of these determinants. The RULE we arrived at today is if any component is to yield the highest result, it should interact with the component higher in the scale, perhaps the highest POSSIBLE in the circumstances. For instance, money is force or will, education is knowledge. Money interacting with money produces more money. But money interacting with a higher force like education produces greater social results and greater social prestige to the man.

Annamalai Chettiar was one of the richest Chettiars at the turn of the century. Murugappa Chettiar was several times wealthier. Annamalai went for banking in 1910 and started an insurance company. Both are higher levels of organisations even in money. In 1928 he started the university. His prestige rose so high that everyone knew of him and no one knew of Murugappa Chettiar. Murugappa Chettiar started a bank (IOB) in 1950 and an insurance company. Imitation took that long and even then could not imitate education.

Bill Gates and IBM in their long term deal decided the software for Bill and hardware for IBM, one is mental and the other physical. Mental software took Bill all over the world whereas hardware kept IBM where they were.

Our job lies in grading national activities and show how the nations or individual that go in for the higher reap the higher benefits. To start with, it can be approximate. A comprehensive study of the nations can be undertaken only by World Bank or UNESCO not by individuals. When studies become precise in later days, the results will speak out for themselves. This is only for the monetary resource.

There is no way of measuring one's energy, his social resources or even personality potentials. Two comparable companies in 1960, if they are high and low now, can be studied on this pattern. The ROLE of the individual components will emerge with the greatest of clarity.

Comments

1. 1st, 2nd, and 4th

1. 1st, 2nd, and 4th paragraphs to be aligned flush left.

2. The first line - p. 315 to be expanded as page 315.

3. The first line again - Since eight is written not in numerals, even 24 will have to be written as twenty four.

4. Numbers thus far have been proofed to their word forms especially when they are smaller denominations. 

5. Emphasized words in small case, bold and italics to be uniform.

6. 5th para - Annamalai began a banking venture, instead of Annamalai went for banking?

7. 7th para - Our job lies in grading national activities and showing how the nations ...instead of 'Our job lies in grading national activities and show how the nations...

8. 7th para - When studies become precise in later days, the results will speak for themselves instead of 'speak out for themselves'.

9. Last para - The role of the individual components will emerge with the greatest clarity instead of  'the greatest of clarity'.



story | by Dr. Radut