Opinion | Youth is the Bearer of Era Change

A young person is called youth. The importance of any person lies in his pride (heaviness). A person’s pride is only in his youth. Youth means whose pride is dynamic. In the Aitareya Brahmana of Rigveda, the word Charaiveti is mentioned which means keep moving. The culture of India is based on the principle of charaiveti-charaiveti. The meaning of saying is that a person should be engaged in good deeds and should keep doing his deeds without worrying about any result. The pride of any person is measured by his thoughts. That’s why it has been said that if a person’s mind is pure and his intention to do any work is good, then his every work is as pure as the Ganges. Saint Kabir had said that victory and defeat in life are only feelings of the mind. Therefore, the mind can be conquered with the spirit of positivity. A person is greater than the mind, not the body. A man is strong from the mind, not from the body. Man’s mind is indicative of the dynamism of thoughts. There is no other power greater than the mind. A youth who follows Charaiveti Sutra can remain young at any stage of age. Dynamic peson is the symbol of youth. Wasted youth is a sign of old age. The saying means that a young person becomes young by good deeds and old by bad deeds. The youth who is expecting material resources ahead of time has forgotten his culture and civilization. Culture is made of culture and civilization is made of citizenship. A formula is found in Chanakya’s policy, ‘Alabdhalabho Nalasasya’, that is, the lazy does not get anything. A survey has revealed that at least 75 percent of the youth are addicted to drugs before the age of 21 years. Intoxication is a sign of hell. The youth are getting trapped in the crime of crime, the reason for which is intoxication. Addiction is the root of all crime. There is a formula in Chanakya Niti, na vyaktaparasya karyavapti: That is, a person engaged in bad habits does not get work. Youth Day in India is celebrated to give positive guidance to the youth. National Youth Day is celebrated in India every year on 12 January, the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda. This year 2023 is the 160th birth anniversary of Vivekananda. In the year 1984, the Government of India declared 12 January as National Youth Day. The fourteenth mantra of the third stanza of the first chapter of Kathopanishad is as follows Uttisthat Jagrat Prapya Varannibodhat. Kshurasya Dhara Nishita Duratya Durgam Pathstatkavayo Vadanti ॥ Which means get up, wake up, and get knowledge in the company of knowledgeable superior men. The sages say that the path to attain knowledge is as difficult as walking on the sharpened edge of a knife. This statement of the Kathopanishad was made universal by the seer Swami Vivekananda. Through this promise, he inspired the countrymen to get out of the darkness of ignorance and acquire knowledge. The four ashrams described in the Vedas were based on a person’s karma and dharma. Every theory of ancient India is based on scientific and rational reasoning. The average age of a person in Vedic life used to be 100 years. There were four ashrams of Vedic life – Brahmacharya, Grihastha, Vanaprastha and Sannyasa. Each ashrama (step) aimed to fulfill the ideals on which these ashramas (steps) were divided. The first stage according to the four ashrams of life is brahmacharya which lasts till the age of 25 years. In this state man lives a student life and observes celibacy. The motto of this stage is man to train himself. The second stage is Grihastha which lasts from the age of 25 till the age of 50 years. This phase is an important stage in the life of a householder, where one has to balance both his family and social duties. The third stage is Vanaprastha which lasts from the age of 50 to the age of 75. This is a step of partial renunciation. This is the age of retirement for employed people. In this stage a person starts walking on such a path which leads him towards divinity. The fourth stage is sannyas which begins at the age of 75 and continues till death. This state is completely free from emotional attachments. In this stage the person becomes an ascetic. Through these ashrams one was shown the paths of morality, self-restraint, wisdom, practicality, love, compassion and discipline. He was directed to abstain from greed, cruelty, sloth, pride and many other vices. This system was beneficial to the society at large. Therefore we can say that the person who follows this system remains young throughout life. The youth of any country is a strong base for the development of that country. When this youth forgets his social and political responsibilities and wastes his time in luxuries, then the country starts moving towards ruin. The future of the country lies in today’s youth. Therefore, today’s youth should find a purpose in their life. We have to make such an effort so that the inspiration and enthusiasm awakened within the youth is channelised on the right path. India is called the country of youth all over the world. There is immense manpower available in our country. There is a need today to give proper guidance to the youth power of our country and make them partners in the progress of the country. Youth is the conductor of new consciousness since time immemorial. Therefore we can say that Youth is the bearer of era change.

(About writer : Dr. Shanker Suwan Singh
Senior columnist and Thinker
Assistant Professor, Agricultural University
Prayagraj (U.P.)
Email Id – shanranu80@gmail.com ,
9369442448
Instagram Id- shankersuwansingh, Twitter Id- @shankersuwansin )