What Does It Take to Transform the Nation?

Q: Sadhguru, if all the people sitting in this hall became enlightened, how long will it take to get India out of the mess that it is in?

Sadhguru: Is an enlightened person electable? That is a big question. All these people getting enlightened right now is a very remote possibility. I am not ruling it out, but it is remote because they are thinking about their dinner time. “Sadhguru is still talking. What to do, what to do?” They have other interests in life. If enlightenment becomes the only focus and priority of your life, it is possible that before you leave this hall, you could be enlightened. But such a thing has not happened. Your priorities are many. You want to go in five directions at the same time. If you are pulling in five directions, the best thing is to stay in the same place, and that is what is happening – no transformation as such.

And if they get enlightened, most people will not be able to contain it. If you get enlightened right now, the moment of enlightenment and moment of leaving the body will be same for you. You will not be able to hold onto the body. If you want to hold on to the body, you must know all the mechanics and tricks of the body. Otherwise, the moment it gets dis-identified, it will leave.

If it has to stay, you have to do a lot of circus to hold it. That circus will take time to learn. Enlightenment can be instantaneous, but the circus of the mind and the body is a different game. You have to master it. It is like learning to ride a bicycle. Just because I am enlightened does not mean I can ride a bicycle. I must learn to.

Pushing in the Right Direction

To transform the nation, you do not have to wait for such a miraculous situation where a thousand and odd people get enlightened at once. It just takes a little sense and a certain love for everyone who lives around us. Right now, we identify as a nation for a certain common purpose. All of us should learn to move in one direction, and we must have a strong-willed leadership that has some passion and involvement for the nation. If that happens, the nation will move ahead.

A nation of India’s size cannot simply transform itself overnight. It will have its problems, but if it starts moving towards a solution instead of moving towards a more problematic existence, that is good enough. When it is moving in the right direction, all of us can push it and make it go faster. If it is moving in the wrong direction and you push it, you will end up in the wrong direction altogether.

So there is no need to connect enlightenment and governance, but you must still work towards your enlightenment for your own wellbeing and the wellbeing of humanity.

Editor’s Note: In Bha-Ra-Ta – The Rhythm of a Nation, Sadhguru looks at the past, present and future of this nation, and explores why this culture matters to every human being on the planet.