20 Dec 2011 - QA 7

Though India had so much of spiritual wealth for a long period of time, how come India was invaded under the British rule for so many years? Is there a spiritual significance for this?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Yes, the wheel of change takes over.
When autumn comes, the leaves change colour and in winter the leaves drop from the trees, but the tree remains. In the same way, in Kalyuga there was a downfall. It happened to almost every country.
If you watch the global scenario, India was at the top at one point of time and then it collapsed. Before that, Mongolia was at the top and Mongolia collapsed. Mongols had gone all the way up to Europe and then they came to India as well.
The Mughals came from Mongolia.
Then India was shining once upon a time. India’s influence went as far as Peru in South America. There were Shiva Lingas and statues of Ganesha found in Mexico. India’s influence also went till Australia, New Zealand and Japan during the Mahabharata time. India was all over the place.
The Canadian province, Nova Scotia (Nav Kosha) was mentioned in Mahabharata.
‘Nav’ means nine; ‘kosha’ means the measurement of time. There is nine hours difference between India and the Canadian province Nova Scotia.
California was called Kapilaranya. When it is day in India, it is night in Kapilaranya.
That is what the scriptures would say and today California and India has exactly twelve hours time difference.
So once upon a time this civilization was present all over the world and then it shrank.

After that England came. A small little country from north of Europe and its influence spread throughout the world. As far as New Zealand to Canada and through America. The whole of Africa was taken over.
Then the influence of England also started shrinking and today it is only with England.
There was a time when the sun would never set in the Kingdom of UK. But that also lasted for a few decades.
At the same time, the Portuguese were colonising the whole of Brazil. Spain colonised the entire Latin and South America. All their local languages disappeared and the Spanish language spread over the entire continent of South America and Central America. So time has its own rhythm. These things come and go.