Page 17 - Ananda Mela 2016- Joyful Festival of India

him a ained libera on from birth and death by learning the Bhagavad-gita
wisdom by which they righ ully engaged in the Lord’s service with loving de-
vo on.

Modern life is clu ered with technological gadgets and machines. It is stress-
ful due to compe ve work place complexi es, poli cs, war, communicable
diseases, emo onal problems and many more unnatural influences that liter-
ally inhibit the search for spiritual knowledge. Modern man is encircled with
weapons of mass distrac on, mundane materialis c educa on, and a psy-
cho c frenzy of sensual desires and indulgences. Yet, many people dream of a
return to a more simple life closer to nature and a natural lifestyle which is
more adapted to providing the mental stability for a sustained research into
spiritual truth.

Modern humanis c based educa on and reliance on technological ameni es
has been instrumental in swelling the ranks of atheists. In a recent newspaper
ar cle, the following appeared. “According to the latest 2015 Pew poll, athe-
ist beliefs are con nuing to rise, especially among Millennials. The number of
Americans “absolutely certain” about God’s existence has fallen to a new low,
and those who outright claim that God does not exist is at historical levels.
But the interes ng thing about the atheism religion poll is that it shows athe-
ists have a spiritual side.” (Read more at h p://www.inquisitr.com/2539980/
atheist-beliefs-in-america-2015-pew-poll-atheism-religion-spiritual-church/
#dBIt4DG1iQoLkKFm.99)

Gandhi desired to transform India back to an agrarian based economy

Bhak vedanta Swami Prabhupada has spoken of Gandhi’s desire to return
India a er libera on from the Bri sh colonialism to a rural, agrarian societal
organiza on. The Bri sh colonial rule lasted almost 200 years. During that

me, the Bri sh constructed an elaborate railway system that began a major
shi of the Indian popula on from small, self-sufficient villages to the major
ci es like Bombay, Calcu a, Madras and Dehli. Gandhi had the vision to un-
derstand that the high concentra on of popula on in major ci es depopu-
la ng the villages would destroy the founda ons of Indian culture and spiritu-
ality.

Prabhupada explained, “Gandhi wanted it …. Village organiza on. He started

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