“SAMSKARA”

The process of “Samskara “ (or refinement) is not confined to specific things; it is applicable to every object in the universe. No object can be enjoyed by man without its going through a process of transformation. For example, take the case of paddy. The paddy that is grown and harvested cannot be consumed as such. It has to be converted into rice. In the process of transformation, the original paddy has considerably increased in value as rice. The transformation process thus makes an object more useful and valuable. Take another example, that of cotton. Cotton in its primary form has very little utility. But when it is spun into thread and made into cloth, it becomes usable by man. There is a wide gap between the value of cotton and that of the cloth into which it is converted. The same rule applies to gold. There is a big difference between the value of the ore that is extracted from a mine and the gold that is got from the ore after processing.

It is clear from these examples that all objects in the world, unless they go through various processes of transformation, cannot acquire much value. If that is the case with regard to ordinary objects, how much more is it necessary for man, who is more important than all of them, to go through this transformation? Man is the most precious object in creation. Men are more valuable than all the things in the world. It is man who imparts value to all objects. Today we are failing to give proper value to man.

What is the reason? It is because man is attracted towards the visible objects of the world experienced by the senses and is unaware of the Spirit (Atma) within him. The powers man is endowed with are limited. By appropriate practice he can make good use of them. But by involving himself in sensuous pleasures, man is losing his powers. The main reason for the loss of the powers given to man is his lack of sense control. This accounts for the premature onset of old age among many people.