14 Sep :Applauding Pope Benedict’s condemnation of “passion for power, possessions and money as a modern-day plague” in a Paris Mass on Saturday, acclaimed Hindu statesman Rajan Zed said that freedom from desire was the greatest of all the freedoms.
In a statement in Nevada (USA) today, Zed, who is president of Universal Society of Hinduism, said that opening theme of pre-BCE Hindu scripture Isha Upanishad was clutching to the Real and declining everything else—everything less real. Three opening words of Isha Upanishad: “tena tyaktena bhunjita” said it all—“By renouncing it {the world}, enjoy it.”
Hinduism tells us that joy and renunciation need each other and renunciation is not deprival, it is freedom. The essence of ancient Hindu scripture Bhagavad-Gita is also renunciation and it promises “freedom through renunciation”, Zed argues.
Zed also agreed with His Holiness Pope Benedictus XVI Joseph A. Ratzinger’s denunciation of "insatiable greed", stress on "the love of money is the root of all evil”, and his remarks on the occasion—that money and the thirst for possessions and for power have diverted man from his true destiny.
Consumerism has almost acquired the status of a religion for many of us in the world, which has resulted in neglecting spiritual values that formed the roots of all the faith traditions, Rajan Zed points out.
Pope Ratzinger heads the Roman Catholic Church, which is the largest of the Christian denominations. Hinduism, oldest and third largest religion of the world, has about one billion followers. Moksha is the ultimate goal of Hinduism.