{"id":368,"date":"2013-07-13T01:27:35","date_gmt":"2013-07-13T01:27:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost\/?p=368"},"modified":"2013-07-13T01:27:35","modified_gmt":"2013-07-13T01:27:35","slug":"043-the-leaverage-af-faith-vol-01-bande-mataram-volume-01","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/01-works-of-sri-aurobindo\/01-sabcl\/01-bande-mataram-volume-01\/043-the-leaverage-af-faith-vol-01-bande-mataram-volume-01","title":{"rendered":"-043_The Leaverage af Faith.htm"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n
\n

\nThe Leverage of Faith<\/font><\/b><\/p>\n

\n <\/p>\n

\n                <\/font>
\nI<\/b><\/font>T
\nIS<\/font><\/b> said of Guru Nanak that on the
\neve of his departure from the body he was asked to name a successor to his gadi<\/i>. A great storm was raging at the time
\n— the disturbance of
\nNature synchronising with the passing away of a great spirit. Nanak was then
\nsitting under a tree surrounded by his disciples. It was evening and the Guru
\nperceiving that his Chelas badly needed food and drink, asked his sons Shrichand
\nand
\nLakshichand to go in quest of food. But the sons inherited none of the spiritual
\nqualities of their father; they thought him to be no better than a maniac and
\nwere not inclined to take his request seriously; rather, they mocked at the idea
\nof a search for food when none could stir out of doors for the wild rain and
\nstorm without. Nanak then turned to a devoted disciple, who simply enquired
\nwhere he should go for food, and he was told that he had only to ask of the tree
\nunder which they were then sitting and it would give them all they required. The
\ndisciple did Nanak’s bidding and, as the story goes, was rewarded with
\nsufficiency of sweetmeats. Nanak went afterwards with his disciples to the
\nriverside, and when, on the way, they came across a dead body, he bade his
\nsons partake of this strange food. His sons took the command as conclusive proof
\nof their father’s lunacy, but the disciple was prepared to obey unquestioningly
\nand only paused to ask where to begin, whether from the head or from the foot.
\nNanak, entirely satisfied with the steadfast faith of his disciple, named him
\nthe successor to his gadi<\/i> in preference to his own sons.<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

       
\nIt is not given
\nto all to possess this heroic spiritual faith which all religious teachers have
\ninsisted on as the first preliminary to any difficult sādhan<\/i>; but the
\nmoral underlying it is, one which all
\nexperience justifies. Faith is the first condition of success in every great
\nundertaking. It is no exaggeration to say that faith removes mountains. It is
\nfaith that makes the men of will and thought persevere in spite of apparently
\ninsurmountable difficulties. They start with a strong confidence in the ultimate<\/font><\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n
\nPage-289<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\n
\nsuccess of a noble undertaking, and are therefore never daunted by difficulties,
\nhowever formidable. Faith is the one predominating characteristic of all great
\nsouls. The vision of faith penetrates into the remote future and turns the
\nimpossible into the possible. In the region of politics faith is the result of
\nimagination working in the light of history; it takes its stand on reason and
\nexperience and aspires into the future from the firm ground of the past. Other
\nnations have risen from the lowest depths of degradation — the weaknesses
\nwhich prevent us from trying bold and effective remedies were common to all
\nsubject nations before us. It is by nerving the nation’s heart with inspiring
\nliterature and inciting it to struggle for emancipation that freedom has been
\nrecovered. For a subject people there is no royal road to emancipation. They
\nmust wade to it through struggle, sacrifice, slaughter, if necessary. History
\nsuggests no short-cut. Why should it then involve a strain on our faith to
\nbelieve that if we are only prepared for the necessary sacrifice, we also shall
\ngain the end? Other nations also were weak, disunited and denationalised like
\nourselves. It is the rallying cry of freedom that combined their scattered
\nunits, drawing them together with a compelling and magical attraction. Those who
\nwould win freedom, must first imbue the people with an overpowering conviction
\nthat freedom is the one thing needful. Without a great ideal there can be no
\ngreat movement. Small baits of material advantages will not nerve them to high
\nendeavour and heroic self-sacrifice; it is only the idea of national freedom and
\nnational greatness that has that overmastering appeal. We must not bend the knee
\nto others but try to be worthy of our past<\/span> <\/span>
\n—<\/span>
\n<\/span>here is an ideal
\nwhich, if set forth with conviction and power, cannot fail to inspire
\nself-sacrificing action. We need faith above all things, faith in ourselves,
\nfaith in the nation, faith in India’s destiny. A dozen men rendered invincible
\nby a strong faith in their future, have in other times, spread the contagion of
\nnationalism to the remotest corner of vast countries. Unbelief is blind<\/span> <\/span>
\n—<\/span>
\n<\/span>it does not see far
\nahead, neither stimulates strength nor inspires action. The lack of this faith
\nhas kept our moderate politicians tied down to a worn-out ideal which has lost
\nits credibility. No man can lead a rising nation unless he has this faith first
\nof all, that what other great men have<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n
\nPage-290<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

done before
\nhim, he also can do as well, if not better, — that the freedom other nations
\nhave won, we also can win, if only we have the faith, the will.<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n


\n<\/span>Bande
\nMataram<\/i>, <\/i>April 25, 1907<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n
\nPage-291<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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