BBC Radio 4 2016-10-29

Good morning. If you’ve been to see your doctor recently, you may’ve been a little surprised if they asked: what would you like me to do for you? The answer might seem obvious: make me well. But this is a shift towards a less paternalistic, “doctor knows best” attitude. And to reinforce this, on Thursday, the Royal College of Surgeons issued new guidelines that clinicians should take patients through every possible option – even if they believe some will have disadvantages.

I think this is a similar approach used in the religious text, Bhagavad-gita - a very early and perhaps, exemplary consultation – in this case, between God and the soul. The soul as Arjuna presents in great distress and demands: relieve me of my pain. God as Krishna, then provides a deep analysis of the poor soul’s condition and He suggests several treatments that could be adopted to enlighten the mind and purify the heart. We can serve humanity; or we might cultivate spiritual wisdom; or, perhaps we could adopt the mystic practices of yoga & meditation. Krishna explains potential limitations within each treatment and therefore, makes a specific recommendation that any of these processes can be enhanced from the start by opening one’s heart to a loving & trusting relationship with God.

After answering all of Arjuna’s questions, Krishna then asks: “have you heard attentively; has it helped? Now deliberate fully with your intelligence and decide what you want to do.” Krishna, as the consultant, now places the responsibility back on the individual.

And it’s this idea of voluntary acceptance of God’s guidance that is at the heart of the Diwali festival tomorrow. The Diwali story revolves around the return of Rama and Sita to their capital city Ayodhya after 14 years absence – and it works on many levels. The reasons for their exile away from Ayodhya and the subsequent abduction of Sita highlight the human failings of greed, envy, pride and cruelty. And, Rama’s defeat of the tyrant king, Ravana, and being reunited with Sita exemplify the triumph of good over evil.

But the welcome of Rama & Sita back to Ayodhya has a deeper significance. By lighting up the night of the dark new moon with millions of small lamps, the people of Ayodhya were asserting that they wished to alleviate the darkness of their lives by accepting their spiritual relationship with God.

Hindus offer many good wishes for each other on Diwali with this theme of light. Here’s one:
May the light of harmony shine in your home
May the light of kindness shine from your hands
May the light of understanding shine in your mind
May the light of love & peace shine from your heart
Happy Diwali