NEW DELHI: As a young college student, Lal Bahadur Shastri, one of India’s greatest leaders, was so moved by the death of a pigeon that he decided to be a vegetarian for life. The pigeon, accidentally trapped in the hostel dormitory, died in its frantic attempt to avoid being caught by Shastriji and his friends.
Later in the mid-1960s when he succeeded Jawahar Lal Nehru as India’s prime minister, Shastriji shared this profound transformative experience with His Holiness the Dalai Lama and other Indian ministers during a lunch meeting.
“Even in his youth, Shastriji had a deep sense of compassion for others; it was unbiased compassion based on the realisation that all sentient beings be they animals or humans have the same right to happiness and overcome suffering,” said His Holiness as he delivered the 18th Lal Bahadur Shastri Memorial Lecture on 'The Power of Compassion' on Friday at the National Museum. The event was organised jointly by the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Memorial Trust and National Museum.
National Museum is the biggest Museum of India which holds a variety of articles ranging from pre-historic era to the modern work of art. It has in its possession over 2,00,000 works of exquisite art, both of Indian and foreign origin covering more than 5,000 years of India’s cultural heritage.
His Holiness said practicing unbiased compassion by developing a sense of concern for others with selfless motivation can help conquer fear, suspicion, and distrust. Fear breeds all kinds of negativity and compels one to conceal, lie, cheat, exploit, and bully and hinders the development of genuine friendship among individuals and countries, he added.
“Personally I have deep admiration for Shastriji. He possessed all the qualities of a principled leader,” His Holiness said as a packed auditorium filled with academics, politicians, artists, students and diplomats listened in rapt attention.
His Holiness said he felt the same compassion Shastriji felt as a young boy in Lhasa when he would often see from the window of his room in Potala Palace herds of cattle moving toward slaughterhouse. Concerned over the fate of these animals, His Holiness over the years bought and freed tens of thousands of sheep and yaks letting them roam free in open spaces.
Responding to a question from the audience on the role of compassion in fighting poverty and hunger, His Holiness said compassion means action devoid of jealousy, hatred, and covert objectives but with a genuine motivation to make a difference. “Sometimes someone giving donation might look positive but if the motivation is to cheat or exploit, then that’s actually some kind of violence,” he said. Such seemingly positive acts when soiled by negative motivations ultimately become sinful, he added.
On a question about official corruption in India, His Holiness said basically it has to do with the lack of self-discipline and moral ethics. However, in a free country like India where there are free press, free elections, and independent judiciary, which is not controlled by any single party, there is accountability for official malfeasance, he said.
Even before India developed the existing modern education system, there was a long history of traditional education that put more emphasis on moral values over materialistic values, His Holiness said. These ancient secular values which have been practiced in India for centuries need more attention, he said.
His Holiness also cautioned against excessive money worship in an increasingly materialistic world. “Too much money worship deceives our mind, making it impossible to achieve lasting inner peace,” His Holiness said. “Extreme self-centered attitude makes the mind narrow, prevents the mind from looking at problems in a wider perspective, so even tiny problems appear unbearable.”
Shri Anil Shastri, son of Lal Bahadur Shastri said it was His Holiness’ humility and honesty that have lasting impression on him as he recalled several meetings with His Holiness as a young college student and as a member of Parliament. “If there is one word to describe how special he is, it would be all embracing compassion not just for the Tibetans but for everyone all over the world,” he said.
In his speech, Shri Sunil Shastri, the elder son of Shastriji said listening to His Holiness brought back memories of his father. “My father always used to tell me and my brothers to always speak the truth because one has to lie hundreds of lies to cover up one lie,” he said. “His Holiness’ values and principles are very close to my father.”
Due to time constraints, many who stood in a long line in the corner of the hall could not ask questions. But the enthusiasm caused Shri Sunil Shastri to remark that he was surprised and touched by how His Holiness kept the entire audience “spellbound” and he admitted he found it hard to stop more people from asking questions.
Dr CV Ananda Bose, director-general of National Museum and vice-chancellor of National Museum Institute and Prof AK Das, Director Lal Bahadur Shastri Memorial Museum also welcomed His Holiness on the stage.
Lal Bahadur Shastri was the second prime minister of India who succeeded Jawahar Lal Nehru and was significant figure in the Indian independence movement. Although his tenure -- from 2 October 1964 to 11 January 1966 -- was cut short by his untimely death in Tashkent (now in Uzbekistan) after signing the 1966 Peace Treaty with Pakistani President Muhammad Ayub Khan.
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