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A pril 2019 `15 1 A Cultural and Spiritual Monthly of the Ramakrishna Order since 1914 The V edanta K esari
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A Cultural and Spiritual Monthly of the Ramakrishna Order since 1914
TheVedanta
Kesari
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COVER STORYThe renovated sub-centre of Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama, Fort, Belagavi, Karnataka, where Swami Vivekananda stayed for three days from 16 Oct 1892. It now functions as Swami Vivekananda Memorial. More details on p.52.
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A Cultural and Spiritual Monthly of The Ramakrishna Order
APRIL 2019
The VedanTa Kesari106th
Year of Publication
CONTENTS Vol. 106, No. 4 ISSN 0042-2983
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Life in the Kingdom of Heaven in Indian and Western ThoughtGopal Stavig
Swami Vivekananda’s Visit to ShillongAsim Chaudhuri
What Are We Now?
What is Religion?
FEATURES
7 Dakäiëàmùrti Stotra 8 Yugavani
9 Guest Editorial31 Pariprasna27 Vivekananda Way44 Book Reviews46 The Vedas: An Exploration48 Topical Musings52 The Order on the March
32
Upanishads: The Acme of Philosophical Literature
Lakshmi Devnath
When Indians Meet…An Encounter with the Native America as part of an engagement with the Parliament of World Religions Ramasubramanian
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Reminiscences of SargachhiSwami Suhitananda
Editor: Swami mahamedhananda Published by Swami Vimurtananda, Sri Ramakrishna Math, Chennai - 600 004 and
Printed by B. Rajkumar, Chennai - 600 014 on behalf of Sri Ramakrishna Math Trust, Chennai - 600 004 and Printed at M/s. Rasi Graphics Pvt. Limited, No.40, Peters Road, Royapettah, Chennai - 600014.
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46The V
edasTopical Musings
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Dakäiëàmùrti StotraSri Shankaracharya
Verse 4नानाछिद्रघटोदरस्थितमहादीपप्रभाभा््वरंज्ानं य्य तु चक्ुराददकरणद्ारा बछहः ्पनदते ।जानामीछत तमे्व भानतमनुभातयेतत्सम्तं जगत्त्ममै श्ीगुरुमूत्तये नम इदं श्ीदछक्णामूत्तये ॥ ४ ॥
4. Obeisance to him, Śrī Dakṣiṇāmūrti, who is the Guru, whose consciousness is flowing out through the senses like the eyes etc., even as a powerful light kept within a pot full of holes (flowing out through the holes) following whom—the resplendent One—this whole world is shining and thinks, ‘I know.’
The cognition of an object which gives us an awareness, not only of its existence but also the details about it, and producing the knowledge such as, ‘I know this small red pot full of water’ has been analysed by Vedānta and is described as follows: The antaḥkaraṇa (internal organ, mind) is the subtlest upādhi, nearest to the Ātman. The consciousness of the Àtman is reflected most in it. This antaḥkaraṇa is capable of flowing out through the senses like the eyes and establishing contact with the objects outside, bringing back their image. When this image which is also a reflection of the consciousness in that object, becomes one with the reflection of Ātman-consciousness in the antaḥkaraṇa, knowledge as described above arises.
A powerful light kept within a pot full of many holes comes out through these holes and illumines the various objects upon which it falls. Similarly, the consciousness of the Ātman (which is the same as Paramātman or Īśvara) comes out through the sense organs like the eyes, and produces the knowledge, ‘I know this object.’
If outside objects were capable of independent existence and power of revelation, then all people should always be getting the knowledge of all objects! Then, sense-organs like the eyes would have been superfluous.
The third line of the hymn is an echo of the Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad (2.2.10):न तत्र ्सूययो भाछत, न चनद्रतारकं, नेमा छ्वद्ुतो भासनत, कुतोऽयमछ्नः । तमे्व भानतमनुभाछत ्स्ववं त्य भा्सा ्स्व्तछमदं छ्वभाछत ॥‘There, the sun does not shine, nor the moon nor the stars. Neither do these lightnings shine,
what to speak of this fire then! All shine, following Him who is resplendent. All this shines by His light.’
Dakäiëàmùrti Stotra with Manasollasa. Translated and Annotated by Swami Harshananda
Meditation
[To devotees who worshipped God with form] At the time of meditation, think that you have tied your mind with a silk thread to the lotus feet of your chosen form of God, so that your mind may not stray away from there. Why do I say ‘silk thread?’ Because, those lotus feet are indeed very soft and delicate. They will be hurt if any other kind of string is used.
Should one think of the Chosen Ideal at the time of meditation only and then forget Him at other times? You should always keep a part of the mind attached to Him. You must surely have noticed that a sacrificial lamp has to be lighted at the time of the worship of Durga. That light should always be kept burning near the deity, it should not be allowed to go out. If it does, it augurs ill for the householder. Even so, after the Chosen Ideal is brought and seated on the lotus of the heart, the sacrificial lamp of meditation on Him should always be kept burning. While one is engaged in worldly duties, one should watch at intervals whether that lamp is burning within or not.
Ah! In those days before beginning to meditate on the Chosen Ideal, I imagined that I was thoroughly flushing out the inside of the mind. You see, there exist various kinds of dirt and dust (bad thoughts and desires) within the mind. I imagined that I was washing them off and was then making the Chosen Ideal sit there. Do just like that.
I used to show to my mind the image of the Bhairava in meditation pose on the parapet of the roof of the music hall and say to it, ‘You must be firm and motionless like that and meditate on Mothers Lotus Feet.’ No sooner had I sat down for meditation than I heard clattering sounds produced in the joints of my body and limbs from the direction of the legs upwards; and they got locked one after another as if some one from within turned the keys. …. When I sat and meditated, I had, in the beginning, the vision of particles of light like groups of fire-flies; I saw sometimes all quarters covered with masses of mist-like light; and at other times I perceived that all things were pervaded by bright waves of light like molten silver. I saw these things sometimes with my eyes shut and sometimes with my eyes open. I did not understand what I saw nor did I know whether it was good or bad to have such visions. I therefore prayed to Mother with a troubled heart, ‘I don’t understand, Mother, what is happening to me; I don’t know Mantras etc., by which to call Thee; please teach me personally what may enable me to realize Thee. Mother! If Thou dost not teach me, who else will? For, there is no refuge for me except Thee.’ I used to pray thus with a concentrated mind and weep piteously on account of the eagerness of my heart. —Sri Ramakrishna
Yugavani
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Japa: Chanting of a MantraSWAMI BRAHMESHANANDA
Guest Editorial
The author, a former editor of The Vedanta Kesari, lives in Ramakrishna Mission Home of Service, Varanasi. [email protected]
that the Eternal Word itself is Brahman, the Master agrees with him. (p.188)
According to the third view of the devotees, the name of God is greater than God Himself. They quote two charming examples. Hanuman jumped across the ocean chanting the name of Rama, whereas Rama himself had to build a bridge to cross it! Once Krishna was being weighed. All the available gold, gems etc., became insufficient and Sri Krishna continued to remain seated in the lower of the pans of the balance. But when His name written on a tulasi leaf was placed on the other pan, the pan on which the Lord was sitting became lighter!
The meaning of the mantra Since the name of God must be repeated
with thinking of its meaning, it is important that before chanting, the meaning is well understood. This again depends upon knowledge. The meaning of a gentleman named Mohan will be very much different for his mother and for a casual acquaintance. Hence it is often suggested that we must try to gain from various books and scriptures as much knowledge as possible about our chosen ideal, whose name we shall be chanting.
Every divine personality has three aspects: an external form, divine qualities, and the indwelling divine spirit of which He or She is the embodiment. The mantra represents all the three. A devotee, when he begins chanting the name of his chosen ideal, first thinks of the holy form. This for him is the artha-bhavanam.
Japa or chanting the name of God is
g i v e n g r e a t importance in all the rel ig ions of the
world. It is not only an integral part of all devotional
spiritual practices, even Sage Patanjali has given an important place to it in his Yoga system. Patanjali recommends repetition of Om with thinking of its meaning as an effective means of control of mind: तज्जप्तदथि्तभा्वनम ् (1.28)
Relation between God and His NameAfter describing the characteristics of
Ishvara in three sutras, Patanjali mentions Om as the indicator, vaachaka, or name of Ishvara. त्य ्वाचकः प्रण्वः (1.27) In Katha Upanishad too, Om is mentioned as supreme or best आलमबन support, means. (1.2.17). However, in the just preceding shloka it is equated with akshara brahma or the Supreme Spirit. In the Mandukya Karika, it is said that Om is no other than the Lower as well as the Supreme Brahman, without beginning; and also the beginning, middle and the end of all; unique and changeless. (I, 12, 27-29) We also get the proof of this attitude in The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna in Sri Ramakrishna’s conversation with a devotee from Dakshineswar village. Initially Sri Ramakrishna expresses the view that there must be something indicated by the Word. However, when the contending devotee says
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As he proceeds, he finds more and more divine qualities in his Ishta, and begins to meditate on them. This is the second stage of artha-bhavanam. Finally, as he proceeds, he realizes that his Ishta is not merely a body, or a collection of divine attributes, but the supreme Spirit Itself. Thus the meaning of the mantra evolves and matures as the aspirant continues with chanting.
Beginning with mechanical Japa The conditions just mentioned, though
simple, are not easy to fulfil. Most of the aspirants do japa mechanically for a fixed number of times. And the minimum number is generally fixed as 108. The Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi used to do one lakh japa every day. And for those who complained to her of restlessness of mind, she would recommend 20,000 japa a day. Even this mechanical japa done without concentration has its value. Whether one takes bath in the Ganga knowingly, or slips into it or is pushed by someone into it, the result is the same. Suppose a person goes on chanting ‘rupee, rupee’, 10,000 times every day, will it not affect his psyche? His mind will get filled with the thought of money, he will start aspiring for it, will struggle to get it, and finally get it too, with all its good and bad consequences. If someone chooses to chant the word ‘war’ he is sure to start fighting with others within six months!
Throughout the day, consciously or unconsciously, we listen to so many sounds of various types and these leave some effect on our mind. Why not then allow the music of japa to continue always? Swami Brahmananda used to say that the cycle of japa must always be flowing. As many times as we think of the world, so many times must the name be chanted to counteract the worldly thoughts. This can be done loudly if necessary, or can be combined with breathing. It is no wonder, then, that in the Kalisantaranopanishad just a
mechanical chanting of the mantra: हर ेराम हर ेराम राम राम हरे हरे, हरे कृषण हरे कृषण कृषण कृषण हरे हरे has been considered the sole effective means of escaping from the clutches of the Kali Yuga, the Iron Age. (1-2)
It is not always necessary that with Japa, thinking of the meaning of the word must be done. Like the images of Rama and Krishna, their names Rama and Krishna too are the symbols of the supreme Spirit. Just as by constant meditation on a specific form of God, it becomes conscious, chaitanya, ie., the divinity behind it manifests, similarly, one of the important methods is to LISTEN to the mantra mentally at a specific centre of consciousness like the heart or the centre between the eye-brows.
Conditions for JapaApart from thinking of the meaning,
Patanjali has not given any other instructions for the repetition in his sutras. However, Sri Ramakrishna has given some important instructions:
‘Japa means silently repeating God’s name in solitude. When you chant his name with single-minded devotion (ekamone), you can see God’s form and realize Him.’ (Gospel, p.878) ‘There is no doubt about the sanctity of God’s name. But can a mere name achieve anything without yearning love of the devotee behind it? One should feel great restlessness of soul for the vision of God.’ (Gospel, p.190)
Thus the four conditions laid down by Sri Ramakrishna are: Chanting must be done 1) silently, 2) in solitude 3) with single-mindedness and 4) with yearning love and restlessness.
The first condition for Japa is to do it silently. Japa can be done loudly (्वाछचक); silently but with lips moving (उपांशु) and mentally (मानछ्सक). Of course, mental japa is the best, but we generally start with loud vocal japa. Sometimes, if the mind is too restless or
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agitated, loud vocal japa may help. Otherwise it must be done in such a way that others cannot hear.
The second condition is, it should be done in solitude. While giving instructions about meditation also, Sri Ramakrishna emphasizes this condition by saying that it should be done in the mind, in the forest or in a secluded corner. Serious spiritual aspirants do japa and meditation in forests or caves. In the absence of such a possibi l i ty, Sri Ramakrishna recommends creating solitude in one’s own house, in a shrine made in a corner. The need for such seclusion is obvious; unless external sounds and disturbances are cut down at least to some extent, mind can’t be concentrated in japa or meditation. In solitude when external sense-stimuli subside, only internal mental modifications remain which can be controlled by japa and meditation. It is therefore advised that in cities, japa should be done at night when all are asleep.
An important condition for japa laid down by Sri Ramakrishna is single-mindedness. Mind acts in various ways: thought , imagination, memory, fantasy, resolve, desire etc. If we desire to do japa but thoughts are different and imagination is running elsewhere, we cannot claim to have one mind or one-pointed mind. Mind is restless by nature, running in various directions, constantly changing its resolve and vacillating between opposite desires. All these various functions of the mind must be made one-pointed. In the popular Christian book, The Way of the Pilgrim this has been very beautifully expressed: ‘Prayer must be done always constantly, uninterruptedly, with the lips, in the spirit, in the heart, forming a mental picture of His presence and imploring His grace.’
The next condition for success in japa is ‘yearning love and restlessness.’ The name and the named one, God, are the same, nay God’s name is even greater that God—we must have
such faith. One does not get joy in japa initially. Hence, initially japa must be done with firm faith. The devotee will not leave japa once he starts getting joy in it. But till then, faith, determination, and dedication are necessary.
But the most important is yearning. Imagine a person is drowning and he shouts Help – just one word! As soon as any passer-by listens to this earnest cry, he is bound to run to help. What great yearning, restlessness and utter helplessness is stored in that one word! Such was the single-word cry of the drowning Gajendra, or of Draupadi in the court of Kauravas when Dushasana was trying to de-robe her. And the result was that in both the cases the Lord virtually ran to protect them. Or take the case of a baby playing with its toys. At times he does remember and call ‘maa’, but mother does not come. But when in the end, he throws away the toys and shouts loudly ‘MAA’ the mother immediately comes running. Japa also is like the words Help, or Maa, chanted with great yearning and earnestness. This of course does not mean that we shout at the top of our voice. What is important is the yearning of the heart. If there is yearning, the Lord will listen even if we do not open our mouth.
Benefits of JapaJapa and meditation are interrelated. Japa
leads to meditation. It is like placing dots in one line: meditation is like joining those dots. Inversely, interrupted meditation is nothing but japa. We begin with vocal japa, then comes internal, mental japa which becomes meditation or an unbroken mental flow of thought towards God. Later even this stops and only the artha or the meaning of the word remains. Thus japa leads to meditation and samadhi.
According to Patanjali there are two more benefits of japa: ततः प्रतयक् चतेनाछिगमोऽपयनतरायाभा्वश्र्च (1.29) ‘From that is gained introspection and destruction of obstacles.’
Statement about ownership and other particulars about The Vedanta Kesari (according to Form IV Rule 8, circulated by Registrar of Newspapers for India).
1. Place of Publication : Chennai - 600 0042. Periodicity of Publication : Monthly3. Printer’s Name : B. Rajkumar Nationality : Indian Address : M/s. Rasi Graphics Pvt. Limited, No.40, Peters Road, Royapettah, Chennai - 6000144. Publisher’s Name : Swami Vimurtananda Nationality : Indian Address : Sri Ramakrishna Math, Mylapore, Chennai - 600 0045. Editor’s Name : Swami Mahamedhananda Nationality : Indian Address : Sri Ramakrishna Math, Mylapore, Chennai - 600 0046. Names & Addresses of the individuals who own the newspaper and partners or share-holders : Sri Ramakrishna Math, 31, Ramakrishna Math Road, holding more than 1% of the capital Mylapore, Chennai - 600 004
I, Swami Vimurtananda, hereby declare that the particulars given above are true to the best of my knowledge and belief.Date: 1.4.2019
Sd/-Swami Vimurtananda
Signature of the Publisher
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Sri Ramakrishna has very succinctly defined the introspective mode of mind when he says: ‘Sandhya merges into Gayatri and Gayatri merges into Om.’ Introspection is essentially a process of concentration and turning within. When japa is done with concentration, all other words get merged into the one mantra being chanted, and when this is practiced for a long time, without break and with dedication, mind becomes controlled, indrawn and peaceful. What one gets is described as the वय्व्सायासतमका बुछधि (Gita, 2:41) by Sri Krishna in the Gita. One gets inner joy. In fact there is no joy outside. All joys are a mere reflection of the joy within which is experienced by japa.
The destruction of obstacles to the path of Yoga is another benefit of japa. Patanjali enumerates nine such obstructions most of which are tamasic and mental. वयाछि-्तयान-्संशय-प्रमादाल्याछ्वरछत-भ्ासनतदश्तनालबभूछमकत्वान-्वस्थितत्वाछन छचत्तछ्वक्ेपा्तेऽनतरायाः (1.30) ‘Disease, languor, doubt, carelessness, laziness, lack of
detachment, wrong notions, inability to ascend to higher spiritual levels and to get established there are the obstructions.’
The first one is disease, and interestingly and significantly, even physical illness gets reduced and may even be cured by japa. Doubts disappear, undue attachments get weakened, and one gets a clear understanding of the spiritual path. And a serious aspirant who persists with japa ascends to higher levels on the spiritual ladder and gets established there. According to Patanjali, pain, depression, trembling of the body and irregular respiration may accompany the above mentioned obstruc- tions (1.31). These also are cured by japa.
ConclusionThere is a large literature available on the
subject of mantra and japa in all religious traditions. This is a short presentation of the subject, based on Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras and the teachings of Sri Ramakrishna stressing the practical aspect.
Reminiscences
Reminiscences of SargachhiSWAMI SUHITANANDA
Conversations with Swami Premeshananda (1884-1967) a disciple of Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi.
(Continued from previous issue. . .)
37Question: During the journey, is it proper
to buy food, or should we beg for it?Maharaj: If you go in a sannyasin’s garb,
then it is better to beg for food. However, it won’t be convenient in all places. You won’t be able to beg at a poor man’s door, and neither will it be proper. Collect information right from now.
Question: It is not easy to get a person who can give such information. I will gather information when I find such a person.
Maharaj: There is benefit even in gathering information; what is more, there is gain even if you just make a resolution to go. Have you not heard of people making a resolution to go to Kashi?
Once I asked Sharat Maharaj with a bit of arrogance, ’Why don’t you discipline those who don’t follow the rules of the Order properly?’ He replied in a plaintive tone, ’If we are too strict, no one will remain.’ Such is the condition of the country! I regret having spoken so haughtily. But I also think that only by speaking those words could I get such a reply.
Question: Is it true that when Sri Ramakrishna used to play games and act in rural plays in Manik Raja’s mango orchard, once he supposedly lost outer consciousness and came back to normal consciousness only when the name of Krishna was uttered repeatedly in
his ears? This is not mentioned in the Lila-Prasanga.
Maharaj: Yes. We have heard this from Ramlal Dada.
12.9.60Attendant: Neither Shantananda Maharaj nor
you engage in much work. Seeing this, we feel like following you.
Maharaj: The four yogas are a must for an ordinary spiritual seeker. Without these practices nothing can be accomplished. As you go on working, you develop detachment for the world; and then you feel an attraction towards God. After that you develop the desire to know His real nature and remain always united with Him.
Totapuri and I both have the same purpose – to unite with our true identity. For Totapuri, his intention is work enough; but since my mind is not refined, I feel that I have done some work only after I have laboured a lot. Totapuri’s devotion is in his mind; and I have to actualise my devotion by going to the temple, taking prasada and singing kirtana.
God doesn’t live in some far-away land. If you think about His leela, you get close to Him. We see in the life of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu that he would become totally mad at the sound of Krishna’s name, His scent and His words. Those amongst us who have come to Sri Ramakrishna,
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not to avoid the troubles of the world, but because we’re really attracted to him, will in due course find the attractions of the world becoming insipid and worthless.
15.9.60Maharaj: Always make it a point
to carry on with the least possible expense. Follow the vows of poverty and celibacy. Gangadhar Maharaj never used Mission funds for his personal needs. He used to procure the money he needed by begging. However, nowadays it is impossible to do that because the workload has increased.
Some fancy that they have to meditate; but it can do them a lot of harm. First, you have to work and worship and observe your mind to see whether or not it becomes joyfully absorbed in the thought of Sri Ramakrishna. When you feel disinclined to leave your seat after meditation, then you should know that you are qualified to meditate.
Every sannyasin has dispassion and renunciation in the beginning; but they cannot keep it up till the end. Their devotees and followers turn their heads. But the point is – why should a sannyasin dance to the tune of his followers? What kind of a sannyasin is he?
17.9.60Maharaj: Whatever work you do, always act
after due deliberation. You have to be very alert about the goal and the means. In any work you do, however small it may be, take each step only after careful consideration. We are taking up all these activities, but the workers don’t know the right method. They go on working, but it does not purify their minds. But there will be some growth in them. A sannyasin should always pay attention and check whether or not each of his acts takes him forward along the path to liberation. He has left behind his parents, property, prestige, and position – everything. After offering funeral
oblations to his father and even to himself, he is dead to society. Why should the goal of his activities be anything other than love of God?
Hold on to Sri Ramakrishna and regularly read The Gospel of
Sri Ramakrishna, Sri Ramakrishna: The Great Master, and The Complete
Works of Swami Vivekananda. You will then find answers to all your questions suddenly popping out from these books.
18.9.60Maharaj: Sannyasa does not mean leaving
parental home, living on funds collected through subscription, staying in an ashrama, wearing the ochre robe, keeping a tuft of hair as holy insignia on the shaven head, or not tucking behind into the waistband the hem of the dhoti [a novice has to tuck-in the hem of the waist cloth, which he stops after sannyasa]. The real significance of sannyasa lies in pratyahara or withdrawing the mind from sense-objects. It is to remain unaffected by dualities like hot/cold, happiness/misery, and praise/insult. It is to stay put like a block of wood detaching the mind from all these. If you continue to remain like this, after fifty years, you will one day clearly see that you are just a witness of this world.
One day of a sannyasi is ten days of a thief; one day of a thief is ten days of a sannyasi. To become a sadhu, a sannyasi struggles the whole life with discrimination and austerity. But in a moment’s lapse he loses everything and stands disgraced. It is like a thief who steals day after day, until he is caught one day and suffers a long imprisonment. There is always a guard at the Mint. Maybe for fifty long years there might not have been any mishap; yet it is to be kept guarded. In fact, a few days ago, a Mint was attacked all of a sudden! A sadhu should always be on guard throughout his life.
(To be continued. . .)
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Life in the Kingdom of Heaven in Indian and Western Thought
GOPAL STAVIG
Most religious scriptures do not inform us of life in the Brahmaloka and the Kingdom of Heaven. It is a source of inspiration and motivation for the sincere devotees to gain some understanding of this subject.
The Vedantic PerspectiveSri Shankaracharya [c. 688/788-720/820]
affirmed that devotees who correctly worship the Personal God (Ishvara) proceed to ‘the third order of Heaven (Brahmaloka)’ after the death of the physical body, and undergo a process of gradual purification and illumination (Kramamukti). ‘They no more return to this world. Those who proceed along this path of the gods do not return to this human cycle of birth and death…. But non-return stands as an accomplished fact for those from whom the darkness (of ignorance) has been completely removed as a result of their full illumination.’1 ‘The Self that is beyond sin, free from all dirt, and free from death.’ ‘Moreover having transcended both hunger and thirst and having crossed over sorrow—being free from mental unhappiness, one rejoices in the Divine heavenly world.’2 They see Ishvara face to face and experience His bliss in the emancipated state, though there remains a sense of separateness. In the joyful beatified state, ‘The released soul gets all the Divine powers except that of running the universe (with its creation, continuance, and dissolution).’3 First, there is the vision of God, then participation in God, and ultimately absolute identity with God. After
living with God until the end of the cosmic cycle, the soul ultimately attains to oneness with God by merging with the transpersonal nondual Brahman. In this state, there is neither subject nor object, self or world.4 He adds, ‘Realise that to be [Nirguna] Brahman the attainment of which leaves nothing more to be attained, the blessedness of which leaves no other bliss to be desired, and the knowledge of which leaves nothing more to be known…. that to be Brahman which is Existence-Knowledge-Bliss Absolute, which is nondual and infinite, eternal and One, and which fills all the quarters—all that is above and below and all that exists between.’5
For a Nondualistic Advaitist in the penultimate state, Brahman (God) is experienced as being separate from the worshiper. Ultimately, the final stage is reached where there is a perfect identity of the person with his Divine Essence, Brahman-Atman. Gradual illumination (Kramamukti) involves degrees of proximity to the Lord, similarity in experience, and even union with God.
The founder of the Vishistadvaita (Qualified Nondualistic) School of Indian religious philosophy Sri Ramanujacharya (c.1017-1137) realised that all emancipated souls are under the complete control of the Supreme Lord, never to return to this world. In Heaven, they live in harmony with Brahman (God) and share and participate in His bliss, for the reason that they are part of Him. There is no difference in the magnitude of enjoyment
Article
The author is a member of Vedanta Society of Southern California, USA. [email protected]
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experienced by each liberated soul.6 ‘The Self …is free from sin, free from old age, from death and grief, from hunger and thirst, …[its] desires and thoughts spontaneously real ise themselves….’ ‘The released soul, freed from all that hides its true nature, possesses the power of intuitively beholding the pure Brahman, but does not posses the … ruling and controlling power over the entire world.’ ‘…. the released soul has freed itself from the bondage of karma, has its powers of knowledge fully developed, and has all its being in the supremely blissful intuition of the highest Brahman; it evidently cannot desire anything else nor enter any other form of activity and the idea of its returning into the Samsara, therefore, is altogether excluded. Nor indeed need we fear that the Supreme Lord when once having taken to Himself the devotee whom he greatly loves will turn him back into the Samsara.’7
From Sri Madhvacharya (1190/1238-1276/1317) we learn, ‘The Shrutis speak of the great spiritual joy and enjoyment in that state.’ ‘Old age, hunger, thirst are the afflictions of Jiva (Soul) associated with the corporeal body and influenced by ego. The Jiva in Heaven being freed from the bondage of the corporeal body is not affected by these afflictions.’8 ‘Moksha (Liberation) is, by definition, a state of blessedness, free from all imperfections and bad passions of embodied existence, there is absolutely no fear of any strife or discord arising among the released, on account of their intrinsic capacities to enjoy their own distinctive bliss.’ ‘They have always complete happiness.’9 Spiritual bodies experience a state of supreme consciousness and bliss, which is an experience of blessedness that the human imagination can hardly comprehend. All things are totally united with and dependent on Brahman (God). In this state happiness is not something sought after, given that it is an expression of the person’s inner nature. Worship of Brahman is a blissful end in itself,
not a means to another end. The liberated person is ‘released from bondage, by the direct vision of the Lord. And later having reached the Lord enjoys in His company the fulfillment of all his desires to his heart’s content. Reaching the Lord, the Supreme light, the Jnani experiences the bliss of his true self-nature... The jnanin, freeing himself from the mortal bodies attains his true nature as Pure Intelligence (Chid Svarupa). With that Svarupa Indriyas (pure senses), he sees, he hears, he meditates and knows all. This state is called the liberated state.’10 ‘The released though capable of realising all their wishes have their sovereignty limited. They have no power to carry on the cosmic functions of the Supreme Being, such as the creation, preservation etc., of the worlds.’11 ‘Those whose bodies are (of the nature of) consciousness and bliss, enjoy (liberation according to their) desire. And they lack the great power of emitting and creating the universe a well as other powers…. ’12 Madhva mentions that one experiences the bliss of Brahman and at the same time their ‘true self-nature.’ They go together.
The conclusion reached by Jiva Goswami (d.1566) is: ‘They attain the eternal status and supreme tranquility by the grace of God.’ ‘They do not covet anything but the service of God. ‘A released soul, attaining Brahman, sees through Brahman, hears through Brahman, etc.’ As Jadunath Sinha points out according to Jiva Goswami, there are five levels of Vaikuntha (Heaven) or Mukti (Liberation), which are eternal states not subject to rebirth on earth: 1) Salokya moksha: ‘The finite souls acquire fitness for serving God through the grace of God and devotion. They acquire the appropriate spiritual bodies in Vaikuntha after their disembodied release. The devotees worship God as if they were His eternal comrades. Their physical bodies are produced by the potencies of their actions (karma) and perish. But when they acquire the spiritual bodies appropriate to
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their specific modes of worship with devotion, they are never dissociated from these bodies because they are eternal.’ 2) Sarsti moksha: ‘The Shruti describes such moksha as “A released person can move from one sphere (loka) of existence to another at his will.” “A released person walks, eats, plays, delights in the company of women, moves in vehicles, and lives with kinsmen without a physical body.” “A released soul acquires sovereignty overall, like God, except for creating, preserving and destroying the world.” God alone can create, preserve and destroy the world.’ 3) Sarupya moksha: ‘A devotee constantly meditates on a particular form of God, is aboded in Him, and identified with His form in release. A disembodied released soul assumes the spiritual form of God and acquires community of nature with Him to a certain extent. It cannot assume an entirely identical form with God because it is different from Him as a part.’ 4) Samipya moksha: It ‘consists in proximity to God…. there is the external experience of God in Samipya moksha wherein a released soul experiences Him with the eternal spiritual body of His comrade, and enjoys proximity to Him. But in Salokya moksha, Sarupya moksha, and Sarsti moksha there is only the internal experience of God.’ 5) Sayuja moksha: It ‘consists in effecting a union with God or merging in his spiritual body. The chief characteristic of this kind of release is the experience of being absorbed in the bliss of God.’13
Srinivasa (fl. 1625) a member of the Ramanuja School of Vedanta who held ideas similar to Nimbarka (11th -13th century) describes heavenly existence. There the freed soul is minute while Brahman (God) is all pervading. ‘The individual soul, having approached “intelligence,” i.e., Brahman who is of the form of intelligence, becomes manifest “as that alone,” i.e., in the form of intelligence alone.’ ‘It is established that having attained the
highest form of light, the individual soul becomes manifest in its own natural form endowed with the attributes of freedom from sin and so on.’ The soul is autonomous except for its reliance on the will of Brahman. ‘As the freed soul’s power of fulfilling its desires at will becomes manifest, so it becomes ‘without another ruler,’ i.e., without any ruler except the Highest Brahman.’ Moreover, it possesses the power to move to any location at will. ‘It has been established that the freed soul meets their relatives and so on through mere will.’ ‘The freed soul possesses the instruments, such as the body and the rest, created by the Lord; may have, according to will, a body or not, or many bodies; and is omniscient.’ ‘The freed soul intuits the Highest Brahman alone, ‘not subject to change,’ i.e., untouched by any change like birth and so on, free by nature from all faults, the one ocean of all auspicious qualities, and possessed of super-human powers.’ It remains eternally blissful and does not return to earthly life. ‘The lordship of the freed soul does not consist in the activities in connection with the controlling of the universe, such as its creation and so on.’ The soul is atomic, a fragment of existence that cannot create, maintain, or destroy the universe, unlike the all-pervasive Lord that is the totality of existence. Nimbarka had mentioned previously that the freed soul attains the nature and qualities of the Lord such as pure consciousness, omniscience, realising all of its wishes, meeting its forefathers, moving everywhere at will, and possessing several bodies simultaneously.14
As Swami Vivekananda signified, after his passing the liberated soul meets ‘with another soul who is already blessed, and he guides the newcomer forward to the highest of all spheres, which is called the Brahmaloka, the sphere of Brahma. There these souls attain to omniscience and omnipotence, become almost as powerful and all-knowing as God Himself; and they reside there forever, according to the
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dualists, or, according to the nondualists, they become one with the Universal at the end of the cycle.’15 ‘When the Jiva goes there, there comes another Jiva, already perfect, to receive it, and takes it to another world, the highest heaven, called the Brahmaloka, where the Jiva lives eternally, no more to be born or to die. It enjoys through eternity and gets all sorts of powers, except the power of creation. There is only one ruler of the universe, and that is God. No one can become God; the dualists maintain that if you say you are God, it is a blasphemy. All powers except the creative come to the Jiva, and if it likes to have bodies, and work in different parts of the world, it can do so. If it orders all the gods to come before it, if it wants its forefathers to come, they all appear at its
command. Such are its powers that it never feels any more pain, and if it wants, it can live in the Brahmaloka through all eternity. This is the highest man, who has attained the love of God, who has become perfectly unselfish, perfectly purified, who has given up all desires, and who does not want to do anything except worship and love God.’16 Far beneath this level dwell many lower heavens, where people are able to fulfill all kinds of worldly desires. ‘There it enjoys happiness, so long as the effect of its good deeds endures. When the same is exhausted, it descends, and once again enters life on earth according to its desires.’ Residing in these planes of existence increases the number of desires and does not lead to the highest beatitudes.17
(To be continued. . .)
1) Brahma Sutra Bhasya (hereafter BSB) of Shankaracharya. Trans. Swami Gambhirananda. Kolkata: Advaita Ashrama, 1996. IV:4.22.
2) Commentary on Katha Upanishad. Shankaracharya. Ed. Swami Gambhirananda, Kolkata: Advaita Ashrama, 1987. I:1.12.
3) BSB, IV:4.17.4) Indian Philosophy. S. Radhakrishnan. Delhi: Oxford
University, 1923, 1992. Vol-II: pp. 643-48; BSB. IV:3.10-1; IV:4.17, 21-22.
5) Self-Knowledge (Atmabodha). Shankaracharya. Trans. Swami Nikhilananda. New York: Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Center, 1970. pp.162-63.
6) A History of Indian Philosophy. Surendranath Dasgupta. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1922, 1988. Vol- IV, pp. 98-100; The Vedanta Sutras (hereafter VS). Ramanujacharya. Ed. George Thibaut. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1966. IV:4.17-22.
7) VS. IV:4.3, 17, 19, 22.8) Commentary of Sri Madhva on Katha Upanishad. Ed.
Nagesh Sonde. Bombay: Vasantik Prakashan, 1996. p. 31
9) Madhva’s Teachings in His Own Words. B. N. K. Sharma. Bombay: Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, 1979. pp. 170-71; The Brahamasutras – commentary by Madhvacharya (hereafter BSM). Trams. S. G. Mudgal. Mumbai: Archish, 2005. IV:4.1, pp. 312-13, IV:4.22, p. 323.
10) BSM. IV:4.1, pp. 312-13; IV:4.6 7, p. 315. 11) Philosophy of Sri Madhvacarya. Sharma (1979), pp.
164, 168; B. N. K. Sharma. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1986. pp. 447-53.
12) An Introduction to Madhva Vedanta. Deepak Sarma. Burlington, VT: Ashgate, 2003, p. 94
13) Jivagosvami’s Religion of Devotion and Love. Jadunath Sinha. Varanasi: Chowkhamba Vidyabhawan, 1983, pp. 24, 209-16.
14) Vedanta-Kaustubha. Roma Bose. Calcutta: Royal Asiatic Society Bengal, 1943. II: 867, 877, 880-83; III: 44-45
15) The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda (hereafter CW) Calcutta: Advaita Ashrama, 1962), II:269.
16) CW. I:398.17) CW. I:398-99; IV:40.
References
Shillong—The Scotland of the EastPoet Rabindranath Tagore immortalized
the picturesque, misty landscape of Shillong in his novel Shesher Kabita, written around 1928-29; he was there earlier in 1919 for three weeks and then again in 1923 for about two months. But long before that, in 1901, the quintessential monk Swami Vivekananda had sanctified the town of Shillong with his footprints. Situated in the cradle of the Khasi and Jaintia Hills (in what was then Assam, a northeastern province of India), the town was, and still is, a salubrious hill station where people go for vacation or to recoup their health; playing golf is optional on its world-renowned 18-hole course, which opened three years before Swamiji’s visit and was modeled along the lines of St. Andrews of Scotland. If Swamiji saw the course, it would have reminded him of his experience playing golf, for the first and last time, while staying at Ridgely Manor in Stone Ridge, New York, in 1899; there he happened to score a hole-in-one on a par-four hole—a ‘double eagle’ in golf’s lexicon.1
In 1901, Shillong was the administrative headquarters of Assam, which had been formed as the Chief Commissioner’s Province in 1874. At an average altitude of 5,000 feet above sea level, the town is considered one of India’s favorite hill stations. Nostalgic British expatriates often referred to the town as the ‘Scotland of the East’ for its eye-pleasing, rolling-hill landscape. It remained the capital of Assam until 1972, when the State of Meghalaya
Swami Vivekananda’s Visit to ShillongASIM CHAUDHURI
was formed. Shillong then became the capital of Meghalaya, and Gauhati (now Guwahati) became the capital of Assam.
PrologueAfter returning from his second visit to
the West in December 1900, Swamiji made only one trip to Mayavati before embarking on his journey to East Bengal (now Bangladesh) and Assam. This excursion was prompted by his earnest desire to take his mother on a pilgrimage, a sacred duty for the eldest son according to Hindu custom. On January 26, 1901, he wrote to Mrs. Bull, ‘I am going to take my mother on pilgrimage next week. It may take months to make the complete round of pilgrimages. This is the one great wish of a Hindu widow. I have brought only misery to my people all my life. I am trying at least to fulfill this one wish of hers.’2
But that didn’t happen until March 24, when Swamiji’s mother, aunt, sister, a cousin’s wife, and Swami Sadananda (Gupta Maharaj, a
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The author, a well known researcher on Swami Vivekananda, lives in U.S.A. [email protected]
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photo taken in Shillong
disciple) left Calcutta and met him in East Bengal to go on the pilgrimage. Swamiji had already been in Dacca since March 19 with some of his disciples; Swamis Nityananda (Nitai) and Nirbhayananda (Kanai) were probably among them as we come to learn later from Swami Brahmananda’s diary.3
Swamiji met his mother’s party at Narayanganj, and they all bathed in the Brahmaputra River at Langalbandha, or Langalbandh*, about twelve miles southeast of Dacca, probably on the Buddhashtami Day (the 8th day of the lunar month in March-April), which fell on March 28 in 1901. Tens of thousands of Hindus attend the bathing ritual, called astami snan, every year on that day.
They went back to Dacca after that, and on April 5 left for Chandranath (near Chittagong) and finally Kamakhya Dham (in Gauhati); both these places are associated with Goddess Sati (Lord Shiva’s consort) and are designated as Shakti Peeth. On their way to Kamakhya, the party stayed for some days at Goalpara and Gauhati.4 Newly emerging information since then indicates that he must have touched a few more places on the banks of the Brahmaputra River, and that his visit to Kamakhya probably preceded the visit to Gauhati. The information is both sketchy and sometimes conflicting.
Swamiji’s health had deteriorated earlier in Dacca, where he spent a total of two weeks meeting people and giving lectures, before embarking on his journey to Assam, and it became progressively worse as he approached Kamakhya; he was suffering from an acute attack of asthma. He then decided (probably on the advice of others) to go to Shillong, where he thought the air would be drier to give him some relief.5 It was probably not a good decision,
* Raj Ghat is where Swamiji and his family had supposedly taken the holy bath. (T. Acharjee, Mahatirtha Langalbandh (Toma Prakashan, Dhaka, 2004), p. 85)
which Swamiji realized later. There could also be other accompanying reasons for his visit to Shillong, as we shall see.
It is well known that the main sources for tracing Swamiji’s footprints with respect to dates are his personal letters, but he didn’t write any between April 5, when he left Dacca, and May 12, when he went back to Belur Math after his East Bengal and Assam tour. The ‘Cyclonic Monk’, a title given to him in America, was in his elements as he moved constantly on the land and through the waterways of East Bengal and didn’t have time to sit down and write letters; the title would have been more appropriate in that part of the world. So, to establish the date of his arrival at Shillong we have to look at all the sources of information, some credible, some questionable, and some downright incorrect, and draw a logical conclusion. The only thing we know for certain is that he presented two ‘Pandas of Shri Kamakhya Peetham’ with a laudatory letter dated April 17; the letter had ‘Gauhati’ written at the top. The letter is quoted below:
‘I have great pleasure in certifying the great amiability and helpfulness of the brothers Shivakanta and Lakshmikanta, Pandas of Shri Kamakhya Peetham.
They are men who help most and are satisfied with the least.
I can unhesitatingly recommend them to the Hindu public visiting this most holy shrine.’6
According to Niranjan panda, Ramdas panda’s son and Lakshmikanta panda’s grandson, Swamiji stayed at the brothers’ (Shivakanta and Lakshmikanta) house for three days.7 This may be true, because the Kamakhya pilgrims traditionally spent three nights at Kamakhya performing the customary rituals.8
Niranjan panda also said that Swamiji came to Kamakhya through Parbatipur, Amingaon, and Pandughat. It is highly unlikely that Swamiji did that. Since there was no established railroad connection between East Bengal and Assam at
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that time, he and his party travelled from Chandranath to Pandughat (next to Kamakhya) by steamer, touching various river towns in Assam on the west side of Gauhati along the way.** As far as is known, railway connection between Parbatipur (East Bengal) and Dhubri (Assam) was first established in 1902, and that was extended to Amingaon around 1907.9 Niranjan panda assumed that Swamiji had come by train.
It is a safe assumption that Swamiji took his party to Kamakhya first, at least for his mother’s sake, but exactly when he arrived there is difficult to ascertain. From Pandughat, one has to go through Kamakhya to reach Gauhati. The letter to the pandas, which is the only verifiable document we have, could have been written when he was in Gauhati later. If it were written at Kamakhya, then he would probably have written Kamakhya, or Kamakhya Peetham, at the top instead of Gauhati. On the other hand, Kamakhya is in Gauhati, and so he could have written ‘Gauhati’ from that point of view.
Accepting the latter view as correct, Swamiji must have reached Kamakhya on April 14 and stayed at the panda’s house near the temple for three days and left on April 17 for Gauhati proper. People usually write letters commending the host on the day of departure, after they have experienced the host’s ‘amiability and helpfulness’, and that’s what we presume Swamiji did. In 2001, commemorating the 100th anniversary of Swamiji’s visit to
** There is no indication anywhere that Swamiji came through Parbatipur (in East Bengal). Although Parbatipur is about 60 miles west of Dhubri and Swamiji approached Gauhati from that direction, it is far from the Brahmaputra River, his steamer route. Moreover, Parbatipur is not known as a place of pilgrimage. Pandughat would have been his port of entry, so to say, to Kamakhya (in west Gauhati). If he had gone straight to central Gauhati, his port of entry would have been Sukreshwar Ghat, further east of Pandughat.
Kamakhya, a plaque with the text of Swamiji’s letter inscribed on it was placed at the house.
Toward Shillong After three to four days in Gauhati, where
Swamiji was allegedly put up by an orthodox Brahmin named Padmanath Bhattacharya (a.k.a Padmanath Saraswati) and gave a few lectures in the town, he left for Shillong in poor health. Rai Saheb Kailash Chandra Das and Jatindra Nath Basu brought Swamiji and his entourage from Gauhati to Shillong, a distance of about 64 miles (102 kms), in a horse-drawn carriage. It took them two days, and the travelers spent the night at a roadside hut along the way. Kailash Chandra Das and Jatindra Nath Basu walked alongside the carriage all the way from Gauhati. Rai Saheb Kailash Chandra welcomed Swamiji to his house in Laban, a predominantly Bengali neighborhood in Shillong, and his honored guest stayed there the entire time he was in town.10
Following the above reasoning, the party probably reached Shillong on April 23, give or take a day depending on the length of his stay in Gauhati. It is hard to imagine that the party made the uphill trip in two days, with two escorts on foot, with women and an ailing Swamiji on board, and the horses requiring periodic rest or being exchanged for fresh ones; three days would have been a more plausible time frame. Swamiji, however, was familiar with this mode of transportation through mountainous roads. He had covered such roads in Switzerland in 1896 in horse-drawn carriages, called ‘diligences’ in that part of the world.
In a Bengali book titled Shillonger Bangalee (The Bengalis of Shillong), written (edited?) by Prof. Shyamadas Bhattacharya (1931-2017),*** one can find a graphic
*** Prof. Bhattacharya was a history professor at Lady Keane College in Shillong from 1956 to 1991. He was a well-respected author, an educator, and a cultural
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description of Swamiji’s travel from Gauhati to Shillong.11 In his article, ‘Shillong Pahare Swami Vivekananda’ (‘Swami Vivekananda in the Shillong Hills’), Prof. Bhattacharya embellished his facts with some colouring occasionally, therefore making it hard to distinguish fact from fancy. It is unfortunate that he did not cite his sources at the points of use but lumped all of them together at the end of the book as bibliography, making it hard for the inquisitive reader to connect his text with the corresponding source. His article nevertheless provides some interesting materials that can be woven together with other available information to construct an acceptably credible story. (He must have written the article, or at least modified it, after 1997 because he lists the Diamond Jubilee Souvenir (1997) of the Shillong Ramakrishna Mission in the bibliography. The book was published in 2004.)
We will assume that Swamiji’s mother and four other family members accompanied him to Shillong and stayed there the entire time he was there, although there is no clear record that they did. Prof. Bhattacharya mentioned only one carriage taking Swamiji to Shillong, with two companions in it to look after him. If that was true, then those two would be Swami Sadananda, and either Swami Nityananda (Nitai) or Swami Nirbhayananda (Kanai). However, the Life wrote, ‘The Swami, with Swami Sadananda, his own mother, sister, and aunt, and Ramdada’s wife, reached Calcutta from Shillong on May 12.’12 If the women family members were not with him in Shillong, where were they all that time? According to the information provided by Rai Saheb Kailash Chandra Das’s granddaughter, Dipanjali Majumdar, ‘Rai Saheb Kailash Chandra Das and Jatindra Nath Basu brought Swamiji and his
icon in the Shillong community, and was also a recipient of the “Bharat Jyoti” award by Govt. of India in 2001 for his multi-field contributions to the State of Meghalaya.
companions [italics by the author] from Gauhati to Shillong,’ but she did not reveal who those companions were.13 Available information on Swamiji’s East Bengal and Assam tour says very little about his mother (and his other family members), for whom he was making that ‘complete round of pilgrimages.’
Prof. Bhattacharya’s account of the travel brought up some additional information that Swamiji’s party was accompanied by one Mr. Norton, a British officer, and that Swamiji and his party stayed one night in a village called Umiam, twelve miles from Shillong. It seems that Sir Henry Cotton, then the Chief Commissioner of Assam whom we will meet later, had invited Swamiji to be his guest in Shillong to restore his health, and that it was at the order of Sir Henry Cotton that Mr. Norton was escorting Swamiji to Shillong. Swamiji thanked Sir Henry for his kind offer (to be his guest) saying that his countrymen had already arranged for his stay there.14
In Shillong—with its people According to Prof. Bhattacharya, many
distinguished residents of Shillong came to see Swamiji when he arrived at the Laban house of Rai Saheb Kailash Chandra. He also mentioned the presence of Deputy Commissioner Capt. D. Herbert at the house to control the crowd that had gathered in anticipation of Swamiji’s arrival. Capt. Herbert informed Swamiji that the Civil Surgeon would come to see him that afternoon and so would Sir Henry Cotton the next morning.15 According to the FIBIS (Families In British India Society) of London, Capt . Herbert , I .C.S. , was the Deputy Commissioner in Shillong at that time. The Civil Surgeon whom Cotton had instructed to treat Swamiji was Major Robert Neil Campbell, who was the Civil Surgeon of Shillong from 1896-97 to 1906; he was in that position in 1897 when the great earthquake struck Shillong (and Assam) in 1897.16
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Some of the prominent citizens present there to welcome Swamiji were: Rai Bahadur Sadaya Charan Das, Rai Saheb Prasanna Kumar Bhattacharya , Upendranath Kanj i la l , Bishnuprasad Barua, and Munsi Mohammed Amatullah, just to name a few. This may show that Swamiji had some interaction with the populace, because some of them came back the next morning to visit Swamiji; Hormurai Diengdoh, whom we will meet later was one of them. The visitors more or less covered Shillong’s social and religious spectrums. Rai Bahadur Sadaya Charan Das was the secretary of the Brahmo Samaj (Police Bazaar).17
To get a feel for what the Bengali society of Shillong was like in the early part of the 20th century, we will quote from a book by author Nirad Chaudhuri (no relation), who visited Shillong in that era, as follows:
As regards to the Bengali population of Shillong, we formed two rather conflicting impressions. One was that the women were very much more free at Shillong that at any other place we know of, and the other was that the men were very much less so. It appeared to us that the men at Shillong spent their days shut up in a room and working at their desks. The impression was right because most of the Bengalis at Shillong were clerks in government offices. It also seemed to us that Shillong was a place where monotheism prevailed over polytheism and that in the face of the One-God or Brahma, as we called him following Brahmo theology, our familiar many-gods kept themselves very much in the background….Nearly all the Bengalis [at Shillong] affected liberal and reformist religious views.18
It seems that the Bengali society of Shillong was in tune with Swamiji’s views, but nothing more can be said about how it was influenced by his visit because there is not much available information about his interaction with the local populace, especially with the Bengalis.
The fact that Shillong had a sizable number of educated Brahmos in the early 20th century might have set the religious tone that Nirad Chaudhuri alluded to. Shillong’s Bengali population, therefore, could have come under the influence of the Brahmo monotheistic movement and was partly deists and partly rationalists. That may also explain why it took the town thirty-six years after Swamiji’s visit to establish a branch of the Ramakrishna Mission, with a gap of eight years between its conception and inception, as we shall see later. The Welsh Presbyterian missionaries, who were trying to evangelize the region, could have influenced that also. They probably looked at Swami Vivekananda in the same way their American counterparts did—with hostility. Who can forget the article ‘An Honest Hindoo’, published in The Interior, a Presbyterian journal in the U.S., in October 1893?19
Sir Henry (John Stedman) Cotton (1845-1915) was the Chief Commissioner of Assam at the time, stationed in Shillong. He had been born in South India to Indian-born British parents, but was educated in England, from elementary school until he passed his Indian Civil Service Examination. He joined the Service in India in 1867, and after serving in various capacities in Bengal, including Calcutta, he was posted to Shillong in 1896. He served there as the Chief Commissioner until 1902. For his demonstrated sympathy toward India’s struggle for freedom, he was chosen as the president of the Indian National Congress in 1904. He then went back to England and became a Member of the House of Commons.
Sir Henry later wrote a book on his reminiscences of India, titled Indian and Home Memories, which was published in 1911. ‘To India the whole of my matured life has been devoted, and when I retired, after thirty-five years of official service, I did so with profoundest regret,’ he wrote in his book.20 He mentioned a lot about the Assam earthquake of
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1897, which he and his wife had narrowly survived but, quite surprisingly, nothing about meeting Swami Vivekananda. In his book, Sir Henry dedicated a chapter titled ‘Men I Have Known.’ There he mentioned names of people like Bunkim Chunder Chatterjee, Robindro Nath Tagore, Arabindo Ghose, Mohendra Lal Sircar, Keshub Chunder Sen, Romesh Chunder Dutt, and of many, many other such luminaries, but no Swami Vivekananda. It is not only surprising, but also puzzlingly mysterious, much to our disappointment. This is what the Life recorded about that encounter:
H e h a d h e a rd m u c h o f Swa m i Vivekananda and was anxious to meet him. At his request the Swami delivered a lecture before resident English officials and a large gathering of Indians. Later, Sir Henry Cotton, who had very much liked the Swami’s speech, visited the latter, exchanged greetings with him, and spent some time discussing India and her national problems. Seeing that the Swami was ill, he instructed the Civil Surgeon to render
him all possible medical aid. Throughout the Swami’s stay, the Chief Commissioner daily made enquiries about his health. The Swami spoke of him as a man who understood India’s needs and aspirations, was working nobly for her cause, and deserved the love of the Indian people.21
Sir Henry was sympathetic to Indian causes and the spirit of Indian nationalism, and Swa m i j i n o d o u b t fo u n d i n h i m a compassionate listening ear. They could have conversed in Bengali, because Henry Cotton could speak fluent Bengali, and could also ‘read the characters with facility.’22 They were on the same wavelength in many respects. Both considered education a priority. The Cotton College in Gauhati, the oldest college in Northeast India, was established by Cotton in 1901; it became a full-fledged university (Cotton University) in January 2017. Sir Henry visited Swamiji at the Laban house; he also inquired about his health on a regular basis.
(To be continued. . .)
1) Swami Vivekananda in America: New Findings. Asim Chaudhuri. Kolkata: Advaita Ashrama, 2008, pp. 299-300.
2) The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda. [hereafter CW] 5: 154
3) ‘Swami Vivekananda in Northeast India and Present Bangladesh’. Swami Alokananda. Diamond Jubilee commemoration Souvenir 1937-1997, Ramakrishna Mission, Shillong, p. 40.
4) Life of Swami Vivekananda by His Eastern and Western Disciples, Kolkata: Advaita Ashrama, 2: 589
5) Ibid.6) CW. 9:1567) ‘Swami Vivekananda in Northeast India and Present
Bangladesh’. Swami Alokananda, op.cit., p. 39. 8) Kamakhya-Tirtha. Dharanikanta Debsharma
Barapujari. Gauhati: Kamakhya Pradarshani, 1995, p. 93.
9) http://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/ 66540/10/10_chapter%203.pdf; p. 76.
10) ‘The Unknown Side of Swami Vivekananda.’ Rajiv
Roy. The Assam Times, Tuesday, May 6, 2014; https://www.assamtimes.org/node/10815; Swami Alokananda, op. cit., p. 40.
11) ‘Shillong Pahare Swami Vivekananda.’ Shyamadas Bhattacharya. Shillonger Bangalee. Kolkata: Patra Bharati, 2004, pp. 34-36.
12) Life of Swami Vivekananda. 2:59013) Swami Alokananda, op. cit., p. 40.14) ‘Shillong Pahare Swami Vivekananda.’ op. cit., p. 35.15) Ibid., p. 37.16) Indian and Home Memories. Sir Henry Cotton.
London: T. Fisher Unwin, 1911, p. 233. 17) ‘Shillong Pahare Swami Vivekananda.’ op. cit., p. 39. 18) The Autobiography of An Unknown Indian. Nirad
C. Chaudhuri. New York: The New York Review of Books, 2001, p. 101.
19) Swami Vivekananda in America: New Findings. Asim Chaudhuri. Kolkata: Advaita Ashrama, pp. 342-344.
20) Indian and Home Memories. op. cit., p. 56.21) Life of Swami Vivekananda. 2: 59022) Indian and Home Memories. op. cit., p. 71.
References
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issue 10Issue 16
>> EXPLORE FURTHER...
...we must counteract Tamas by Rajas..
- Swami Vivekananda CW:VII.13.2
“
IN THIS ISSUE:
Message 4
Awaken the spirit of 'rajas' within you
Swami Vivekananda says that the three qualities of Tamas, Rajas and Sattva are in everyone. Further, he also says that "we must strive to overcome Tamas by Rajas and then to submerge both in Sattva".
(CW.VII.12.2, CW.VIII.29.3)
PULLOUT FOR REFERENCE
ISSUE 13: MESSAGE 1: It is the youth who will transform this nation
ISSUE 14: MESSAGE 2: Take up an ideal and give your whole life to it
ISSUE 15: MESSAGE 3: Stand on your own feet
ISSUE 16: MESSAGE 4: Awaken the spirit of ‘rajas’ within you
ISSUE 17: MESSAGE 5: Believe in yourself
ISSUE 18: MESSAGE 6: Be bold and fearless
ISSUE 19: MESSAGE 7: Expand your heart
ISSUE 20: MESSAGE 8: Be open to learning from anyone
ISSUE 21: MESSAGE 9: Develop a gigantic will
Series 4: Swami Vivekananda's messages to the youth of India – a nine-part series
®
Designed & developed by
ILLUMINEKnowledge Catalysts
www.illumine.in
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When even the great Arjuna was overcome by Tamas...
As narrated by Swami Vivekananda
The Gitâ requires a little preliminary introduction. The scene is laid on the battlefield of Kurukshetra. There were two branches of the same race fighting for the empire of India about five thousand years ago. The Pândavas had the right, but the Kauravas had the might. The Pandavas were five brothers, and they were living in a forest. Krishna was the friend of the Pandavas. The Kauravas would not grant them as much land as would cover the point of a needle. [CW:I:459.1]
The Blessed Lord said: In such a strait, whence comes upon thee, O Arjuna, this dejection, un-Aryan-like, disgraceful, and contrary
to the attainment of heaven? Yield not to unmanliness, O son of Prithâ! Ill doth it become thee. Cast off this mean faint-heartedness
and arise, O scorcher of thine enemies!" [CW:IV:108.1]
In the Shlokas beginning with , how poetically, how beautifully, has Arjuna's real position been painted! Then Shri Krishna advises Arjuna; and in the words
etc., why is he goading Arjuna to fight? Because it was not that the disinclination of Arjuna to fight arose out of the overwhelming predominance of pure Sattva Guna; it was all Tamas that brought on this unwillingness.
The nature of a man of Sattva Guna is, that he is equally calm in all situations in life — whether it be prosperity or adversity. But Arjuna was afraid, he was overwhelmed with pity. That he had the instinct and the inclination to fight is proved by the simple fact that he came to the battle-field with no other purpose than that.
Frequently in our lives also such things are seen to happen. Many people think they are Sâttvika by nature, but they are really nothing but Tâmasika. [CW:IV:108.1]
The opening scene is the battlefield, and both sides see their relatives and friends — one brother on one side and another on the other side; a grandfather on one side, grandson on the other side. ...When Arjuna sees his own friends and relatives on the other side and knows that he may have to kill them, his heart gives way and he says that he will not fight. Thus begins the Gita. [CW:I:459.2]
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Counteracting Tamas with Rajas
THE CASE OF TAMAS MASQUERADING AS SATTVA...
“ On the outside, there is a simulation of the Sâttvika (calm and balanced) state, but inside, downright inertness like that of stocks and stones – what work will be done in the world by such people? How long can such an inactive, lazy, and sensual people live in the world? CW:VII:181-82
A hit-and-run accident has just taken place. A man is lying on the road, bleeding. How passersby are reacting ...
It is so sad! He looks like a good person
It is the duty of the police to handle such cases... I
wonder when they will come!
We should have better rules for pedestrians and vehicles like they have in
foreign countries
Poor guy... it must be his
karma!
2
I would have helped out, but I'm late for a
meeting
Not one of the passersby takes positive action and helps the hurt person get to the hospital!
RECOGNIZING TAMAS AND RAJAS
1
Waking up late everyday, groggily lazing around ...
Mindlessly browsing the web for hours...
Continuing to eat junk food despite having problems...
Consciously choosing healthier food options...
Starting the day with morning jogs & exercises...
Not taking up any initiative or project and instead complaining about teachers, college, not finding jobs...
Tamas in action Rajas in actionFocused on developing one's personality, one's character, and one's career
Positively engaging with activities at home, school/college, or work...
“ Do you think there is any other means of achieving progress except through rajas? CW:VI:459.4
What Swami Vivekananda wanted from us was a spirit of rajas dominated by good intentions and a desire for development of self & others.
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Share examples of your experiences of trying out these practices, on www.vivekanandaway.org Any questions that come up in your mind
while doing so, can also be discussed here.
AWAKENING THE SPIRIT OF RAJAS: A FOUR POINT CHECKLIST
Whenever you find yourself inert, lazy, unwilling to take up a challenge, or too focused on enjoyment (in short, overcome by 'tamas') apply these four principles of positive action
Get involved
Take up responsibility
Be fearless in the face of challenges
Focus on achieving on positive outcomes not only for yourself but also for others
The Positive Action Checklist
Malini & Kiran are software engineers in an MNC who have been 'put on bench' for a few weeks as they don't have any new projects. This is typically how they spend their day...
MALINI'S DAY (full of pass-time)
Sits in the canteen having a long breakfast while chit-chatting with others
It’s time for her online course on advanced computing, she has taken up to build her skills
Checks her mails out of habit, spends time on social media
After a leisurely lunch, browses through company portal, wishfully looking at projects going on
After lunch, she focuses on building a mobile application to make team work more effective. It is an internal project she volunteered to work on.
Coffee time – also time to gossip & complain about no work, delay to colleagues Time to leave,
hopes she gets a project soon
Time to leave, a day well spent
She checks on the company forum all the latest projects and writes to management on how she is eager to work & contribute to them in any capacity
KIRAN'S DAY (full of "positive action")
THE WAY TO COUNTERACT TAMAS - POSITIVE ACTION
3
How is the "positive action" approach helping Kiran counteract Tamas?
How will Malini's approch affect her future career prospects?
11:00 AM 11:00 AM
12:30 PM
2:00 PM2:00 PM
4:00 PM
6:00 PM
6:00 PM
5:00 PM
Let people be made energetic and active in nature by the stimulation of rajas. Work, work, work
CW:VI:459.2
“
THE POSITIVE ACTION CHECKLIST HAS BEEN DESIGNED BY ILLUMINE
Question: “Relinquishing all Dharma, take shelter in Me. I shall liberate you from all sin,” says the Lord in the Gita. What do Dharma and ‘seeking shelter’ mean here?
Maharaj: As this verse occurs at the end of the Gita, it is taken to summarize the teaching of the Scripture and is therefore of great importance. So different Acharyas have interpreted it differently in the light of and in agreement with, the philosophies they uphold. We shall therefore give here the interpretation given by a few of them.
Sankara says Dharma here includes also its opposite Adharma and interprets the word to mean ‘Karma or all actions bringing merit or demerit’. And ‘seeking shelter’ means realizing oneness with Him who is the soul of all, who is equally everywhere, who is indwelling everything, who is Lord of all and who is undecaying and beyond the pale of birth, death, etc. In other words, on realizing that there is none other than He, a person is liberated by the unitary consciousness from the bondage of sin i.e., of Dharma and Adharma. According to Sankara the last stage of spiritual life consists in abandoning every form of action, whatever be its nature and seeking union with the Supreme Being. In the light of this philosophy, all actions are prompted by the ego and, so long as the ego is present, oneness cannot be realized. Continuance of actions which are born of egotistic impulse will only help to emphasize the ego and will obstruct the discipline of reflection for its effacement. Hence work of every description, whether moral or immoral or of an indifferent nature from the worldly standpoint, have to be abandoned in the last stage and the effacement of the ego sought through union with the Supreme recognized through reflection. But it must be carefully noted that the abandonment of work is not the practice of idleness but the spontaneous falling away of actions as the ego-sense is attenuated through reflection.
Ramanuja takes Dharma in a pure devotional sense and gives it two meanings:1. Abandonment of all Dharma means the abandonment not of actions but of all the ‘fruits of,
and the sense of agency involved in, the practice of the disciplines of Karma Yoga, Jnana Yoga and Bhakti Yoga’; and ‘seeking shelter’ in the Lord means ‘recognizing simultaneously that one’s sole support and refuge consists not in any of these disciplines, but in the Supreme Being, the only ultimate agent and object to be worshipped.’ In regard to a true devotee the Lord promises that He will destroy all obstructions and obstacles in the way of the attainment of devotion, resulting from the sinful tendencies and the sins of omission and commission accumulated through several births.
2. A second meaning given by Ramanuja is this: The obstruction in the way of the generation and growth of devotion consists in the sins and sinful tendencies accumulated in many past births.
For freeing oneself from the effects of these sins of omission and commission there are many expiatory ascetic practices prescribed, like Krichra,
Chandrayana, Vaiswanara, Prajapatya etc. These practices are innumerable and are rather difficult to accomplish and life on earth is too short for one to take to all these practices. Realizing this, one should abandon all these Dharmas (expiatory prescriptions of the
scripture), and depend on the Lord, who is supremely merciful, who is
PariprasnaQ & A with Srimat Swami Tapasyananda
(1904 to 1991), Vice-President of the Ramakrishna Order.
Approach the wise sages, offer reverential salutations, repeatedly ask proper questions, serve them and thus know the Truth.
— Bhagavad Gita
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possessed of countless attributes, who is the sole refuge of all the worlds and who is all love and benevolence to those who seek shelter in Him, for the removal of the obstructing sins and the setting of the favourable situation needed for the practice of devotion. In other words, not any human effort, but sole dependence on the mercy of the Lord, can help us in overcoming sins and obstacles in the spiritual path and bringing the flower of Bhakti into blossom.
Vallabha, another great authority on Bhakti and the founder of the Pushti Marga, says that Dharmas which are required to be abandoned here include all ways of life and thought that stand in the way of complete self-surrender to the Lord and adds that the performance of things conducive to that self-surrender (like thinking of Him, doing work without expecting the fruits, and beholding agency in Him etc) is not to be abandoned. But he would prefer to interpret the idea as the discarding of all Dharmas characterized by allegiance to, and dependence on, aids and agencies other than the grace of God. A person who makes such a discarding becomes an Akinchana (one without the support of anything other than the grace of the Lord, without even the support of the strength of one’s spiritual practices) and an Ananya (serving or owing allegiance to no being other than God).
Nimbarka interprets Dharma thus: abandoning all Dharmas i.e., the Varnashrama Dharmas (the duties enjoined by scriptures and society) and also Dehadharmas (the pursuit of pleasures and avoidance of pain and other similar bodily pursuits) one should seek God and God alone until one is absorbed in Nirvikalpa Samadhi.
Sridhara, another great commentator who is both an Advaitin and an adherent of the devotional school, interprets Dharma as follows: Dharmas are Vedic injunctions or commandments in regard to man’s duties. One who follows these injunctions strictly is considered to be living a life of Dharma. Giving up such a life which is only a life of slavery to injunctions and, convinced that all good will come through devotion to God, one should take refuge in Him alone and not in Vedic injunctions. There need be no fear that thereby one will be abjuring one’s duties. For the man whose sole refuge is the Lord is assured that he is liberated from all sins of omission.
It will thus be seen that the word Dharma here in the Gita is a hurdle for all commentators. The word Dharma, if taken in its usual sense of ‘morality’, ‘duty’ etc., will lead to many difficulties. Abjuring morality or duty cannot be considered to be a part of spiritual life. So the word Dharma has been given technical meanings from the points of view of particular philosophies.
Ramanuja’s interpretation is probably the most convincing to an uncommitted mind. To put it in simple language, it means that while observing all Dharmas or moral and spiritual disciplines, we have to know that they are in themselves not sufficient to remove sins and accumulated obstacles in the way of spiritual realization. None the less, these disciplines have to be undertaken, without any sense of agency or attachment to results. For the person treading the spiritual path should know that God alone is the ultimate agent, as all powers of work are ultimately from Him. So the fruits of all devotional works too have to be surrendered to Him. The abandonment required of the aspirant is the abandonment of fruits and the sense of agency of the Sadhana performed. While practising this outlook, the Sadhaka should not be at all lethargic or indifferent to the meticulous performance of spiritual disciplines. He should practise them sedulously but at the same time depend not on the practices, but solely on God’s grace for the removal of all obstacles on the path of spiritual realization and for the dawn of pure Bhakti of the highest order, which is the most luscious fruit of spiritual life. This is ‘seeking shelter’ or refuge in God. This seems to be in keeping with the main purport of the Gita too.
Selections from Spiritual Quest: Questions & Answers by Swami Tapasyananda
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America has been a great country and presents itself today in a glorious manner and has become the aspiration for hard-working people throughout the world. The entire world has been impacted by American commerce, thinking, culture, language and its way of living and working. Yet what is this dream, the ‘American Way of Life’, really built on? The American dream story is incomplete without the mention of the original inhabitants of the land, the Native Americans as they are called, or the Indigenous people or American Indians as they are more frequently called, or just Indians within America (they are called increasingly people of the ‘First Nation’, particularly in Canada). Growing up in India, for me the Native American story is limited to the few images of ‘Red Indians’ that were copied from movies of the west in India and a few other comic strips. The little that I got to read
about the wisdom of the Native American people, as a young person and much more later with the advent of the search engine, wanted me to understand them more. I find, under the surface of false histories and deep historical wounds, America is also a land of spiritual wealth and a deeply generous, open hearted indigenous peoples who are still offering their wisdom, the possibility of sustainable lifestyles, and their hospitality to visitors, immigrants, and settlers. It seemed to me that there is much in resonance in their culture to our own. It also occurred to me that we in India never get to read the real story of the Native Americans, their encounters with the Europeans, their repeated suppression, near annihilation, slavery, current situation, their challenge as citizens of the new American State, their land, sacred sites, wisdom, knowledge, livelihood, or lifestyle.
When Indians Meet…An Encounter with the Native America as part of an engagement with the Parliament of World Religions
RAMASUBRAMANIAN
With the blessings of Sri Ramakrishna, Sri Sarada Devi, and Swami Vivekananda, and the sannyasis of the Ramakrishna Order, I had the good fortune of attending the Parliament of World Religions in Toronto in Nov 2017. Before reaching Toronto, I was on a 2-week visit to the USA where I spent time delivering a few lectures and interacting with Indigenous American leaders and thinkers for a dialogue that I call the ‘Indian – Indian Dialogue’. I was trying to understand their world view, current situation, their struggles and how they see the world in the context of today’s climate change and global warming crisis. In this article, I summarize some of the salient aspects of the dialogue with these Native Americans.
This article is informed by my dialogues with native leaders, my own research, and my extensive conversations with my colleague and host, Reverend. Sara Jolena Wolcott, Director of Sequoia Samanvaya, who is one of the Americans actively engaging in changing the way Americans see their history.
The author is a social entrepreneur based in Chennai, and is the Managing Director for Samanvaya Social Ventures, Aalampannai Holistic Initiatives, and Sustainable Livelihood Institute. [email protected]
Article
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I as an Indian aware of the spiritual traditions of our land, wanted to experience and understand the American land from the Native American view point. Meeting several of the Native American leaders, discussing larger challenges today, whether it be continued statu s of negle c t , suppre ss ion a nd marginalization in their society or their deep pride and wisdom about their past and spiritual tradition, it was an insightful learning experience. That is what I outline in the rest of the article here.
During the famous Parliament of World Religions in 1893 when Swami Vivekananda’s universal inclusive message of harmony of religions gained global attention, it is said that there were no Native Americans present or invited to speak: ‘… despite sentiments of universal fellowship expressed at the Parliament, there were no Native Americans present except in the curiosities display of American Indians on the fair’s midway. For many visitors, these Indians were as exotic as Vivekananda. But no native elder or chief was invited to speak at the Parliament. Native American lifeways were not yet seen as a spiritual perspective. Just three years earlier Chief Sitting Bull had been arrested and killed, the Ghost Dance had been suppressed, and 350 Sioux had been massacred at Wounded Knee Creek.’1
What was not discussed in 1893 was the extent to which the Christian colonial legacy of America remained an unquestioned ethos of the land. To understand this, we need to perhaps go back another 400 years in history to the time when the Christian project of ‘enlightening the world’ set sail from Europe with the singular mission of conquering all lands that were not ruled by Christians and converting all ‘heathens’ to Christians. Columbus was one such who set sail westward in search of India with a faulty understanding of the global navigation.2 He came from a family of slave-traders and entered what we now call the Carribean (he never set foot on the American mainland) with a worldview that saw darker skinned people as inferior to Christian Europeans. Upon his return to Europe, Spain and Portugal sought to gain wealth from land they did not know existed. The Pope of the time agreed, writing a decree, known as a Papal Bull, which voyage ‘intended to seek out and discover certain remote and unknown lands, to the end that you might bring to the worship of our Redeemer and the Catholic faith their inhabitants… By the authority of Almighty God and of the new land that has been discovered shall belong to you and your heirs. Further- more, under penalty of excommunication, we strictly forbid anyone else to visit these lands
Author with Mindahi Bastida Munoz
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for the purpose of trade (or for any reason) without your consent. Should anyone attempt this, be it known to him that he will incur the wrath of almighty God.’3 Columbus himself is supposed to have said this about the natives, ‘They should be good and intelligent servants, for I see that they say very quickly everything that is said to them; and I believe that they would become Christians very easily,….’4. The Papal Bull, became a key document in what is now referred to as the Doctrine of Discovery. This doctrine has a sway over the American land even today. As the noted elder, Betty Lyons stated in a recent article, ‘the Doctrine of Discovery,…granting European nations sovereignty over non-Christian lands “discovered” by their explorers …continues to provide the legal underpinning of the denial of land rights to our peoples.’5
This vast American land that Columbus ‘discovered’ was inhabited by deeply spiritual
communities. They revered their land as sacred, worshipped the spirits of the land, paid homage to their ancestors and had several rituals and customs associated with all of this. They had nations or regions (map) inhabited by different tribes that were demarcated and where the tribes and their customs ruled. The area had been a homeland to numerous groups of Native Americans with their own thriving societies and history. For thousands of years, these peoples had managed to maintain their unique culture and lifestyle and to make their living. New Jersey airport, where I landed was the land of the Lenape people.
‘The arrival of the Europeans meant a drastic change for the Native Americans. Together with diseases which decimated the native population, the English settlers also brought an alien culture and religion.6 As Betty Lyons puts it, ‘We know that supposed discovery of the so-called New World has had
Author with Mindahi Bastida Munoz Chief Phil Lane Jr. Chief Stacey Laform
Native American Prayer Site, outside New Jersey
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its greatest negative impact on the tens of millions of indigenous peoples who lived here.’ The invaders looked at most of the landscape as ‘commodified’ products that could be shipped back to Europe. Historian, Cronon cites the way the ecology of the land was viewed by the colonizers in the New England area thus, ‘Visitors inevitably observed and recorded greatest numbers of “commodities” than other things which had not been labelled this way.’7 Obviously, the worldviews of the English and Native Americans differed significantly.
The resulting conflict is sustained till today; this was echoed by Chief Perry, one of the Native American leaders I met in the Lenape land outside New Jersey. ‘Rich people everywhere are afraid of the spiritual people; we show the truth you see’, he said sharing the story of struggle to sustain their sacred prayer site with country houses expansion for millionaires all around that threatens him and his tribe from accessing their land. As we walked with him in the ground just outside New Jersey, it was interesting to observe a large new Hindu temple just a few hundred meters away. The contrast in the world view comes out stronger even today. One such was the introduction by Chief Hawk Storm, from the Schaghticoke First Nations, ‘I am water, I come from a tribe in which we consider ourselves water, today we are all polluted, as the water around us are polluted, so do we consider ourselves polluted.’ This sentiment deeply resonates with the sentiments expressed by
Swami Swanand a.k.a. Prof. G.D. Agarwal, the environmental scientist , teacher and philosopher who gave up his body protesting against the unsustainable building of dams across the Ganga in India. It was only a few days after the passing away of Swami Swanand that I spoke to Chief Hawk and to witness the same concern and wisdom stemming from an ancient culture from the other end of the world was not merely fascinating, but, also reassuring. As we proceeded to discuss the current concerns of humanity as a whole, he made another statement that highlighted the wisdom of the Native people: ‘When we are ill, the body rejects the disease and so does the planet; today we humans are the illness of the planet.’8
Moving back in time, the vast differences in the world view also resonated in other areas of life. The Natives not only had an active production and commerce, they also had systems of governance and methods to resolve conflicts coming from their wisdom and respect for the land. A few hours north of where I landed in the Lenape land is situated the Iroquois/Haudenosaunee land (northern New York). It is here that five Native American nations came together. They taught the US government how to be democratic. ‘The Gayaneshakgowa, The Iroquois Great Law of Peace, is… the earliest surviving governmental tradition … based on the principle of peace; it was a system that provided for peaceful succession of leadership; it served as a kind of early United Nations; and it installed in
Chief Hawk Storm Chief Aline La Flamme (centre) Romano & Chief Perry (right corner)
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government the idea of accountability to future life and responsibility to the seventh generation to come.... All of these ideas were present prior to the arrival of the white man.’9
Among the several stories regarding the peaceful aspiration of the people is the story of the Peacemaker and the Kanien’keha:ka. One of the Native American leaders narrates the same as follows – ‘Centuries ago a Natural World people gathered together at the head of a lake in the center of North America’s then virgin forest, and, there they counselled. The principles that emerged are unequalled in any political document that has yet emerged. They evolved a law that recognized that vertical hierarchy creates conflicts, and they dedicated the superbly complex organization of their society to function to prevent the rise internally of hierarchy. They established laws around hunting and fishing that eased conflicts and ensured freedom and a right to protection for anyone entering the country of the Haudenosaunee, under what the peacemaker called the “Great Tree of Peace” which was a white Pine tree.’10 Coming from southern India, I was struck by the similarity of justice being provided under a tree; in many of our villages it is the pipal tree. The sacredness of the tree provided the authority to the decisions, and also bound the community to protecting and living with the natural order. However, these nuances of understanding and living with the Natural order was lost on the new arrivals from Europe.
While there are several narratives of the first encounter from the Colonizers point of view, how did the natives see the Colonizers? What did they perceive to be the motives and the intentions of the new arrivals? Unfortunately, only a few narratives are available from the Native American point of view and these are only oral traditions; but, some imageries that are perhaps passed on through oral tradition, presented by one of the
authors illustrates the nature of the first encounters:
‘On the coast…Native hunters find that several of the traps that they had set are missing…in the place where these items had been is smoothly polished upright timber crossed near the top by a second piece of wood, from which hangs the carved effigy of a bleeding man. …In the Indian dwelling, a women tells her granddaughter about the first meeting between the Natives and Europeans. One day, she says, a floating island appeared on the horizon. The beings who inhabited it offered the Indians blocks of wood to eat and cups of human blood to drink. The first gift the people found tasteless and useless; the second appallingly vile. Unable to figure out who the visitors were, the Native people called them ouemichtigouchiou, or woodworkers.’11
‘Between 1492, when the Taino people first encountered Columbus, and 1620, when the Algonquin-speaking people first met the Pilgrims of the Mayflower, and which is where the United States tends to originate its own history, were 128 years. Much had happened during this time; as Sara Wolcott summarises, it is during this time that, (i) The Spanish entered present-day New Mexico (1540), Texas and South Carolina (that settlement was overthrown by the black slave rebellion). Natives continually worked to oust the Spanish, cumulating in the successful 1680 Pueblo rebellion in Santa Fe, (ii) the Dutch landed along Hudson River (1609/1615), where they met several native nations, including the Lenape; New Amsterdam was established in 1625 by Dutch West India Company on Manhattana, later re-named Manhattan, (iii) Small Pox wiped out a significant portion of the population; by the time the Mayflower landed in Plymouth, entire villages had been decimated. This significantly influenced the early relationships between indigenous peoples and Pilgrims.’12
Romano & Chief Perry (right corner)
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Symbols of the Native American tribals were either usurped or slowly changed with the influence of the culture. ‘From the 1500s to the early 19th century, the idealized image of ‘America’ was transformed from a dark-skinned, full bodied woman wearing a feathered headdress and a skirt of feathers or tobacco leaves, the symbol of fecundity, to a (white) Greek goddess.’13
Unlike the European arrival in India, where the initial purpose was seeking trade relations and the colonization project began much later, in the American land the purpose from the beginning was conversion to Christianity and rule over the Natives. Hence any resistance was put down violently. While estimates vary, several sources indicate that as high as 50 million Native Americans were intentionally killed by the invading Europeans between the 16th and 17th century.14 Indeed, when one looks at the values celebrated by Modern America and what the modern Americans think they represent in the world, one can resonate with the question raised by one of the Native American writers, ‘North America had its own genocide against the First People – violent, devastating, effective. It was driven by a sense of racial and religious superiority, and the prize was land and resources. How could it be that the people so dedicated to democracy and freedom could have been so cruel to another people? What attitudes, beliefs, myths and misunderstandings give rise to and fuel this kind of conduct?’15
Official records today place the number of different tribes across the American nation of today as 573. This is independent of the tribes from the Mexican region or Canada.16 The Native Americans today constitute about 5 million people across the continent, they are dispersed all over the region starting from Canada in the north all the way to Mexico in the south. They inhabit smaller patches of what
once was their own land. Many of them have the copies of the documents that were signed by the Europeans and keep reminding that their land has been illegally (according to their laws) taken over. One study places the amount of land taken over between 1887 to 1934 at about 90 million acres. Many of them have multiple citizenships today as the US law permits them to have citizenship of their tribal nation apart from that of the USA.
The Nation of United States of America as it stands today was fundamentally land leased from the Native Americans through treaties. Today 374 such treaties govern the nation of USA.17 Much of these treaties have never been re s p e c te d by s u b s e q u e n t A m e r i c a n governments and land was secured violently and retained by the governments. The Native Americans were restricted to ‘reserves’ set-up exclusively as captive spaces for them, while their sacred spaces were violated completely. For five consecutive generations, from roughly 1880-1980, Native American children in the United States and Canada were forcibly taken from their families and relocated to residential schools. In these schools, they were ‘educated’ and ‘civilized’ so that they no longer dress, behave or remember the culture of the Native American tribes and instead adopt the European lifestyle. The stated goal of this government program was to ‘kill the Indian to save the man.’ Half of the children did not
Transformation of Indian Boy
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survive the experience, and those who did were left permanently scarred. The resulting alcoholism, suicide, and the transmission of trauma to their own children has led to a social disintegration with results that can only be described as genocidal.18
Alluding to the educating of their children and the shift in their mind-sets subsequently, Chief Perry summarized the plight of the youth in the community when he said, ‘Our children could narrate the history of 10 generations; then they were forced into school and today they don’t know anything about their past.’19 Indeed, the modern American holidays such as ‘Thanksgiving’ and ‘Columbus Day’ are being increasingly opposed by people who are aware of its historical background; they want it to be commemorated as day of mourning and day of Indigenous people respectively. Today about 90 cities across the United States have already declared the Columbus Day as Indigenous People’s Day.
One of my first engagements was with Mr. Mindahi Bastida, Director of the Original Caretakers Programme and also Director for the Centre of Earth Ethics in Union Theology College, New York. Hailing from the indigenous community in Mexico, Mr. Mindahi, after a brief ceremony to sanctify the meeting of our two civilizations, invoked the holy spirits of his civilization through the blowing of the sacred flute (whistle) and invoking the ancestors of the two civilizations to guide the process of dialogue and engagement. He explained the salient components of the indigenous view. Among other things, he acknowledged that one of the key aspects of the culture is the honouring of the ancestors; according to him, ‘honouring the past is important to create the future.’20 Having just left India after the month of Mahalaya when families in Tamilnadu and elsewhere make offerings to their elders, this sounded familiar to me.
This was one of the key aspects reiterated by Chief Perry whom we meet in the Lenape Sacred land outside the city of New Jersey. A longstanding Chief of his community and a voice of wisdom, when he talks of what needs to be done in the current world, he talks not from the sense of anger or frustration of being denied access to his own people’s land, but, with a sense of responsibility towards all of humanity.
He says, ‘the important ways to change things today are:
v Honour the lineage,v Strengthen the local communities,v Perform ceremonies that honour
nature and elements, accommodate and accompany others’ ceremonies as well,
v Cleanse the earth, v Think beyond our lives.’21
After an evening walk around the sacred site and prayers, we asked him before leaving, what was the one thing that he liked to see changed in the world today. After a pause, he replied, ‘If there is one thing that I would like to change in the world with which I think many things can change, I will change the world from the Patriarchal one to one of Matriarchy.’22
The denial of access to their land and natural resources resonates in utterances of many of the Native American leaders whether it be in personal conversations or in larger gatherings. Chief Stacey Laforme highlights this in his statement, ‘I was born into a generation of abuse: alcohol abuse; abuse of your spouse, abuse of your children. It was just sort of a common way of life when I was born — I’m sure a lot of it had to do with losing our place in society, losing our sense of who we were. It was rampant and everybody knew about it, but they also didn’t say anything.’ This, ‘not saying anything’ or not having the courage to stand up to injustice is a recurring discussion as well whether it be the engagement with the Native Americans or even in the Parliament of World
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Religions in Toronto in early November, which had the Indigenous People as one of its theme.
But there is always hope in many of these dialogues, a looking forward to a better world and things improving for the better. This optimism is in contrast to the general sense of frustration and defeated mind-set of many non-Native Americans and also many other European countries. Chief Alina la Flamme, a Chief who evokes response through drumming, calling herself the ‘daughter of the drum’, says, ‘We are in this womb world, we are preparing ourselves to come into the sacred life, it is a tough journey to be born there, it is not easy.’ The same sentiment is resonated in another dialogue with the Hereditary Chief Phil Lane Jr.: ‘Now is the time for everyone to work together, it is not time for divisions, the earth mother calls us all to work together.’
In each of these dialogues and discussions, there is a reverence when they speak of the East Indian land, of our land: ‘You come from a sacred land’, ‘We are honoured that someone from your country is coming to meet us’, ‘Your civilization and ours needs to work together to create a better world, these two
have a great wisdom within them’ – all statements made with great sincerity and gratitude. During these conversations, I often remembered Swami Vivekananda’s words that every word is uttered with blessings behind it. Perhaps through their generations of trials and tribulations, some of the Native American culture and leaders have retained that which is their core – which is their wisdom and capacity to connect to their land and all of nature and to their ancestors.
In times of difficulty, every civilization retains that which is core to itself, its fundamental ethos as though protecting it for a future time on behalf of all of humanity. Human history is the history of dominance of the world culture by people of various ethos; in the current times, when the accelerated destruction of natural resources and its consequences on human life has become a major concern of all thinking people, the unconscious collective mind seems to be reaching out to those people and ethos that hold in their midst the possible solutions for these times. These are the indigenous people everywhere. I felt that perhaps some of the Native American leaders sense this invocation
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1) http://pluralism.org/encounter/historical-perspectives/parliament-of-religions-1893/
2) Several sources: ttp://dhayton.haverford.edu/blog/2012/03/27/columbuss-voyage-was-a-religious-journey/ - Columbus and Pierre d’Ailley, Imago Mundi, how the circumference of the earth was under estimated by Columbus based on the works of the theologian
http://www.caltech.edu/news/columbus-dailly-are-we-there-yet-36981 - why did Columbus put his faith on the d’Ailley more than the contemporary knowledge on the circumference of the world?
3) Letter from Pope Alexander VI to the King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, dated May 4th, 1493
4) Several sources: https://christianhistoryinstitute.org/magazine/article/why-did-columbus-sail; https://www.christianitytoday.com/history/issues/issue-35/columbus-and-christianity-did-you-know.html; http://catholicism.org/columbus.html
5) This is not Columbus Day, Betty Lyons, source: https://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/ny-oped-indigenous-peoples-day-20181004-story.html
6) Relations between English Settlers and Indians in 17th Century New England, Diploma Thesis by Bc. Richard Tetek
7) Cronon, The Ecological Transformation of New England, pg. 20
8) Statements made during conversation with the Author by Chief Hawk Storm
9) Exiled in the Land of the Free: Democracy, Indian Nations and the U.S. Constitution. Ed: Chief Oren Lyons and John Mohawk (1992), pg. 33
10) Basic Call of Consciousness, Ed. By Akwesasne Notes, Introduction by John Mohawk, pg 81
11) Facing East from Indian Country – A Native History
of Early America, by Daniel K. Richter, p 1212) Origin Stories of the United States: Backdrop -
ReMembering Course by Sequoia Samanvaya, Part II, Lesson 1
13) Exiled in the Land of the Free: Democracy, Indian Nations and the U.S. Constitution. Ed: Chief Oren Lyons and John Mohawk (1992), pg. 44
14) Several sources: https://www.pbs.org/gunsgermssteel/variables/smallpox.html
http://endgenocide.org/learn/past-genocides/native-americans/
http://americanhistory.oxfordre.com/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780199329175.001.0001/acrefore-9780199329175-e-3
15) “The North American Genocide” by Nemattenew (Chief Roy Crazy Horse) – Introduction verses
16) Several sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_federally_recognized_tribes
https://www.usa.gov/tribes; https://www.historyonthenet.com/native-american-tribes-nations; https://www.bia.gov/tribal-leaders-directory
17) https://americanindian.si.edu/nationtonation/ https://www.bia.gov/sites/bia.gov/libraries/maps/
tld_map.html18) https://www.amazon.in/Kill-Indian-Save-Man-
Residential/dp/087286434019) Conversation between the author and Chief Perry,
Oct 2018 New Jersey20) Conversation between the author and Mindahi, Oct
2018, Manhattana, New York21) Conversation between the author and Chief Perry,
Oct 2018, Lenape land, New Jersey22) Conversation between the author and Chief Perry,
Oct 2018, Lenape land, New Jersey
and have started to articulate it with responsibility for all of humanity.
It was a fitting tribute to their wisdom and Canada’s long ef forts to Truth and Reconciliation, that the Parliament of World Religions 2018 started with a ceremony by the
people of the First Nations. As the sacred fire was lit and tobacco, sage, and other sacred materials offered to the fire next to a traditional tepee in the middle of the cloudy, drizzling and crowded city of Toronto, all religious leaders joined the Native Americans.
References
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Book Reviews
For review in The VedanTa Kesari,
publishers need to send us two copies oF their
latest publication.
Swami Vivekananda’s Relevance in Meeting the Challenges of the 21st Century
Published by Swami Suparnananda, Secretary, RMIC., Gol Park, Kolkata -
700 029. With Financial assistance from Ministry of Culture, Govt of India. 2014, paperback, pp. 155+x Price not given.
This is a companion volume to the book Swami Vivekananda’s Vision of Future Society. The writers of the essays, who were the speakers, may have looked at Swamiji through various lenses, but the common thread running through all of the writings is Swamiji’s clairvoyant abilities to recognise and diagnose the ills of his age and prescribe remedies that transcend time and space to remain relevant more than a century and half later.
The topics chosen cover a wide gamut of concerns that Swamiji felt India must tackle if she is to take her place in the world. For example, in the first essay which examines the theme of The Eternal and Time bound Elements of the Ideas of Swamiji, the reader gets the transcendency of Swamiji’s disquiet from the immediate circumstances of his times (India under a foreign yoke) to his assertions about the future (having faith in oneself as proof of being a theist). The second essay views the same topic from a different perspective: of seeing the universal in the particular as, for example, in discerning the eternal quality of religion against considering a religion in particular.
Other essays include the global dialogue that Swamiji set off through his writing and speeches, a real interfaith meeting ground. The writers have emphasised the futility of expecting lasting peace if this dialogue is not an on-going process. Today, more than any other time in history with the possible exception of the Crusades, religion is tearing apart human societies in various parts of the world which are
without recourse to Swamiji’s prophetic words on religious amity.
The theme of the essays – discussing the past while looking forward, with the journey being the goal, by realising the divinity inherent in our own natures – that link between all human beings, was one of Swamiji’s matchless contributions to spiritual thought and it is a timely reminder of the fragility of world peace. Working together does not mean thinking the same thoughts and the writers have brought out Swamiji’s widely declared views on the harmony of religions.
This is a reflective look at a theme that will never be out of date, for the future is an imaginary concept, moving farther and farther away from our grasp, even as it becomes the present and the past. Swamiji’s entire world-view is futuristic and these essays are a useful examination of that.____________________________ PREMA RAGHUNATH, CHENNAI
Sri Padukasahasram of Sri Vedanta Desika-Vol-1 & 2.Transcomposition in Tamil by Sri R Kesava Ayyengar and English Translation by Sri D. Ramaswamy Iyangar
Published by The Kuppuswami Sastri Research Institute, No.84,
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Thiru Vi.Ka. Road, Mylapore, Chennai –600 004. 2017, hardbound, pp.1181, Rs. 800.
Sri Vedanta Desikan’s 75oth anniversary was observed last year and it is appropriate that this poet among philosophers and philosopher among poets should be honoured with this excellent edition of his great poem Sri Paduka Sahasram which is a glorification of Lord Ranganatha’s Padukas. It is said that the 1008 verses divided into 32 Paddhatis or parts was composed in feverish heat of imagination and devotion. It would take us considerably more time to internalize the text and absorb with devotion the nuances, beauties, devotional fervour and above all its message of surrender. The Editors have printed the poem in Sanskrit and given both a Tamil transcomposition and an English commentary to widen the readership. This edition has a learned English Introduction by Sri Kesava Ayyengar, followed by the text in Sanskrit, Tamil and English commentary. Sri D Ramaswamy Iyangar is responsible for the very detailed English translation and commentary. The volume contains much information pertaining to Vaisnavism, some as simple as a point about a metre or a simile, others as profound as the inner meaning of a sloka. Altogether the Volume is a compendium of Vaisnava Sampradaya. Space prevents an elaborate discussion which these volumes deserve but one or two striking points may be noted. The Prastava Paddhati which opens the poem is appropriate for many reasons, but the one which is most suggestive of Swami Desikan’s allusive style is the subtle salutation he makes to Nammazhvar, who is considered to be the Avatara of the Paduka, by gesturing towards the Andadi form Nammazhvar used in his Tiruvayamozhy. In this prosodic form the last word of a Sloka becomes the first word of the next. Paduka Sahasram begins with’ Santah’ in Sloka-1 and the last word of the 1008th sloka is also ‘santah’. Thus the Andadi becomes the
framework of the poem and highlights Swami Desikan’s reverence for Nammazhwar. Indeed the poem has many other references to the twelve Azhvars and to Swami Ramanuja, through numerous allusions, use of words, concepts and even forms of thought the Azhvars had used. In the middle of the composition Swami Desikan can change the metre as he does in one place when he uses the Vasanta tilaka, which is appropriate for the obeisance he is making to Azhavandar’s Stotraratna which is in that metre. This is imaginative and also highly intellectual and sophisticated. The poem is replete with references to the Nalayiram and Swami Desikan loses himself in ecstasy at the very thought of the Padukas. There is simple word play as in the use of ‘Gati’ in Sloka 9 where it means Him who is the ultimate goal of the devotee and also His beautiful and smooth gait or path. There are poetic conceits as in sloka 63 where Swami Desikan says that the Padukas are the protector of the feet of Ranganatha and devotees who wear the Paduka even once in their heart are rid of their contact with Kuchela (meaning poverty) where the great Krishna devotee’s story is alluded to. The Sringara Paddhati pays obeisance to the Paduka who is seen as Ranganatha’s love, whom the Lord enjoys even before he enters the harem. Needless to say Swami Desikan allows his imagination free flight in this Chapter where Paduka Devi is with the Lord before, during and after He enters and departs from the harem. One final example is the Nada Paddhati which speaks of the sounds associated with the Paduka and Ratna Samanya Paddhati which describes the various coloured ornaments of the Paduka. Swami Desikan’s poem is one of the great Vaisnava compositions noted for its poetic beauties and linguistic brilliance, not to speak of its spiritual and philosophical depth. The editors have done a splendid job, something accomplished because of their devotion to Swami Desikan. ____________________PROF. MOHAN RAMANAN, HYDERABAD
Erratum: The book Classical Yoga Philosophy and the Legacy of Sāṃkhya was reviewed in March 2019 by Pravrajika Vrajaprana, Santa Barbara, & Wade Dazey, Prof. Emeritus, University of Wisconsin—Whitewater, U.S.A. We regret that Prof. Dazey's name was inadvertently left out.
Speculations on its etymological interpretations aside, the sheer brilliance and profundity of the knowledge imparted therein can hardly be gainsaid. The supreme reality is interpreted with definiteness and with precision. This whole of literature can be categorised as contemplative and realization-oriented as opposed to ritual and ceremonial.
On this basis the Vedas are considered to have two portions – Karma Kanda (portions dealing with action and rituals) and Jnana Kanda (portions dealing with knowledge). Maharishi Jaimini, a hermit of the highest order, analysed the Karma Kanda and wrote a treatise on it called the Purva Mimamsa. The great sage Veda Vyasa absorbed the essence of the Jnana Kanda portion and presented it in the form of aphorisms that gained fame as the Brahma Sutras.
There are over 200 Upanishads. However, traditional literature lists 108 upanishads of which 10 belong to the Rig Veda, 19 to the Sukla yajur Veda, 32 to the Krishna yajurveda, 16 to the Sama Veda and 31 to the Atharvaveda. Again, out of these, 13 are regarded to be the principal upanishads. Sri Adi Shankara and Sri Madhvacharya, master of the dualist phi losophy, have written exhaustive commentaries called Bhasyas on the Upanishads. However, Sri Ramanuja refrained from writing a regular commentary on the
The Vedic seers gave to the world a compilation of teachings in religion that were at once practical and profound. A glance at the contents of the Vedas reveals the gradual but remarkable way in which the spiritual aspirant is taken towards the supreme. While the mantra portion and its corollary of the Brahmanas guide the aspirant towards action in the form of rituals and sacrifices, through the study of Aaranyakas he is gradually initiated into withdrawal from the outer world and the commencement of an inward journey. At the end of the Aaranyakas are texts called Upanishads. They can be called the acme of philosophical literature and contain answers to baffling esoteric questions that have perplexed man perennially.
‘Upa (near) – ni (down) – shad (sit)’. The term Upanishad means to sit down, close. Could it be that the word was coined to indicate that the student had to sit near the teacher, listen intently to him and absorb his teachings? The great Advaita preceptor Shankara in his Bhashya to the Taittiriya Upanishad interprets the word ‘Upanishad’ as that which destroys ignorance (shad – to destroy). It is conjectured that the word could also be related to a Pali word ‘Upanisa’, meaning cause or connection. Could it be as Western scholars like Oldenbeg and Senart speculate, that Upanishad corresponds to ‘upasana’ meaning profound knowledge?
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Upanishads: The Acme of Philosophical Literature
LAKSHMI DEVNATH(Continued from previous issue...)
The author is a researcher and writer with various books and articles to her credit on Indian music and culture. [email protected]
The Vedas: An Exploration
Upanishads. He gave instead, Vedartha Sangraha wherein he provides a Sri Vaishnava interpretation of select Upanishadic texts. The following Shloka enumerates the 10 Upanishads on which Adi Shankara wrote his commentaries:
ईशकेनकठप्रश्नमुण्डमाण्डडूकयछतछत्तदरःऐत्रयें च िानदोगयं बृहदारणयकं तथिा ।।But rhetoric and theory apart, what is the
message of the Upanishads that has both Occidental and Oriental Scholars reading it with wonder?
Messages most Profound‘In the whole world there is no study so
beneficial and so elevating as that of the Upanishads. It has been the solace of my life, it will be the solace of my death’ said the German scholar Schopenhauer; he couldn’t have made a more candid assessment of the Upanishads. This compilation has often also been described as the Veda Siras, Shruti Siras and the crowning glory of the Vedas. What is the message of the Upanishads that has scholars describing it with a profusion of superlatives? कस्मन्ु भग्वो छ्वज्ाते ्स्व्तछमद ंछ्वज्ात ंभ्वतीछत ‘(which is that thing) which having been known, all this becomes known?’ asks the Mundaka Upanishad (1.1.3). The Svetasvatara Upanishad addresses men as the children of immortality. While each Upanishad has its own message for mankind, it would not be erroneous to say that at the core they all stress on one all-important factor – realization of God. They, in a nutshell, teach Brahma Vidya or knowledge of the Brahman.
Focus of the 10 important Upanishads in a nutshell
Isavasya: ईशा ्वा्यछमदं ्स्ववं ‘The whole world is pervaded by God’ declares this Upanishad. It appears at the end of the Sukla Yajur Veda Samhita. This is a rare exception to the rule that all the Upanishads come at the end of the Braahmana portion of the Vedas.
Kena: This is also known as the Talavakaara Upanishad. It is a part of the Sama Veda and appears in the Talavakaara Brahmana of the Jaimini Saakha.
Katha: It is in this Upanishad that the popular dialogue on what happens to the soul after death, takes place between Yama and a little boy Nachiketas. Many popular quotes in circulation today have been extracted from this Upanishad. Of them is the oft quoted, ‘Arise Awake and stop not till the goal is reached’ that Swami Vivekananda popularised.
Prashna, Mundaka and Mandukya: All these belong to the Atharva Veda.
Prashna means question. This Upanishad gives the answers for six important questions.
They are: 1) How did creation begin? 2) Who are the Devas? 3) How does life get connected to the body? 4) What is the truth about the states of wakefulness, sleep and dreaming? 5) What is the benefit of worshipping Omkara? 6) What is the relationship between Purusha and Jeeva?
Mundaka: It means shaven headed. Probably it derives its name because its contents are such that they can be followed only by mature minds, for example the sannyasis. This Upanishad talks of the Akshara Brahman which can either be translated as that which is free from decay, dissolution or the sound, the syllable OM. The motto of our country ्सतयमे्व जयते, ‘Truth alone triumphs’, is a mantra from the Mundaka Upanishad.
Mandukya: Mandukya, means a frog. Nobody knows why and how this Upanishad derived its name. However, several guesses have been hazarded. It is said that the Rishi to whom this Upanishad was revealed was Varuna in the form of a frog. Others say that it belonged to a set of people or tribe who adopted the frog as their symbol. Yet another viewpoint is that if one meditates on the Omkara, in one leap like a frog, he can transcend the three stages of Jagruti, Swapna and Sushupti and reach the
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fourth stage Turiya. Whatever may be the fact, this Upanishad is the smallest having only 12 mantras which are albeit very important in their content.
Taittiriya Upanishad: This is a widely studied Upanishad; many of the mantras used in rituals are taken from this. This Upanishad is divided into three parts Shikshavalli that talks about education, Anandavalli that talks about the real bliss – Brahmananda, and Bhrigu Valli which Varuna taught his son Bhrigu. It is said that Bhrigu did penance and realised that beyond the different layers of the human body called Annamaya, Praanamaya, Manomaya and Vijnanamaya, lies sheer bliss called the anandamaya. But what is interesting is that after the ultimate realisation, the Upanishad proclaims, ‘Do not regard food with contempt; do not waste food’ – some practical wisdom!
Aitareya: This Upanishad came through a Rishi called Itareya. The subject matter of this Upanishad concentrates on the birth of a human according to sins and merits earned by him.
Chhandogya: It is one of the two big U p a n i s h a d s , t h e o t h e r b e i n g t h e
Brihadaranyaka. This Upanishad is a part of Sama Veda. Chhandoga means one who sings the Sama Gana. Just as the essence of the Kathopanishad can be found in the Bhagavad Gita, one can find the Brahma Sutra of Vyasa drawing upon the Chhandogya Upanishad mantras. The famous story of Satyakama Jabala is found here.
Brihadaranyaka: As its name brihat indicates, this Upanishad is indeed big. The Upanishad starts with the famous mantra that is a school prayer for many today, अ्सतो मा ्सद ्गमय, तम्सो मा जयोछतग्तमय, मतृयोमा्तमतृ ंगमय ‘From evil lead me to good. From darkness lead me to light. From death lead me to immortality.’ This Upanishad also gives the definition of Atma as neti, neti meaning, ‘not this’, ‘not this.’
This is a very concise account of the subject matter of the Upanishads. However, the Upanishads and the Vedas as a whole not merely talk about abstract philosophy. Their hymns are addressed to various Gods. Who is the God described as the greatest by the Vedas? We will find out about this in the next episode.
(To be continued. . .)
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What is Religion?
‘These conceptions of the Vedanta must come out, must remain not only in the forest, not only in the cave, but they must come out to work at the bar and the bench, in the pulpit, and in the cottage of the poor man, with the fishermen that are catching fish, and with the students that are studying...How can the fishermen and all these carry out the ideals of the Upanishads? The way has been shown. . . If the fisherman thinks that he is the Spirit, he will be a better fisherman; if the student thinks he is the Spirit, he will be a better student. If the lawyer thinks that he is the Spirit, he will be a better lawyer, and so on...’ —Swami Vivekananda
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‘The pleasure of the Self is what the world calls religion.’ 1
In January, we saw Swami Vivekananda define religion as ‘realization’. In February we saw him define the same term as ‘the idea that progressively raises a brute to man, and man to God.’ In March, he defined that very term as ‘the natural strength in us’.
This month, he is taking us along a totally new path: Pleasure of the Self is Religion! This is fairly straight-forward. We all understand pleasure. We all experience pleasure from various sources: Good food, healthy body, luxurious homes, deep, and meaningful relations, better and better vehicles, more and more money in the bank, loving wife and kids, the fine arts, etc., etc., etc. So many sources of pleasure we have open before us. But, pleasure of the Self? What is that?
When man finds that all search for happiness in matter is nonsense, then religion begins. Only bliss beyond the material world can be had without loss to any. Material happiness is but a transformation of material sorrow.
‘Can religion really accomplish anything? It can. It brings to man eternal life. It has made man what he is, and will make of this human animal a god. That is what religion can do. Take religion from human society and what will remain? Nothing but a forest of brutes. Sense-happiness is not the goal of humanity. Jnana is the goal of all life. We find that man enjoys his intellect more than an animal enjoys its senses; and we see that man enjoys his spiritual nature even more than his rational nature. So the highest wisdom must be this spiritual knowledge. With this knowledge will come bliss. All these things of this world are but the
shadows, the manifestations in the third or fourth degree of the real Knowledge and Bliss.’2 And that real Knowledge and Bliss is the real Self of man.
‘Selfish work is slave’s work; and here is a test. Every act of love brings happiness; there is no act of love which does not bring peace and blessedness as its reaction. Real existence, real knowledge, and real love are eternally connected with one another, the three in one: where one of them is, the others also must be; they are the three aspects of the One without a second – Existence-Knowledge-Bliss. When that existence becomes relative, we see it as the world; that knowledge becomes in its turn modified into the knowledge of the things of the world; and that bliss forms the foundation of all true love known to the heart of man. Therefore true love can never react so as to cause pain either to the lover or to the beloved. Suppose a man loves a woman; he wishes to have her all to himself and feels extremely jealous about her every movement; he wants her to sit near him, to stand near him, and to eat and move at his bidding. He is a slave to her and wishes to have her as his slave. That is not love; it is a kind of morbid affection of the slave, insinuating itself as love. It cannot be love, because it is painful; if she does not do what he wants, it brings him pain. With love there is no painful reaction; love only brings a reaction of bliss; if it does not, it is not love; it is mistaking something else for love. When you have succeeded in loving your husband, your wife, your children, the whole world, the universe, in such a manner that there is no reaction of pain or jealousy, no selfish feeling, then you are in a fit state to be unattached.’3 (Continued on
page 51...)
Article
What is Religion?
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them; speaking and not doing has become a habit with us. What is the cause of that? Physical weakness! This sort of weak brain is not able to do anything. 6
We are always afraid. Why? Because we have made ourselves helpless and dependent on others. We are so lazy; we do not want to do anything for ourselves. We want a Personal God, a saviour or a prophet to do everything for us. If everything is done for a man by another, he will lose the use of his own limbs. Anything we do ourselves, that is the only thing we do. Anything that is done for us by another never can be ours. You cannot learn spiritual truths from my lectures. If you have learnt anything, I was only the spark that brought it out, made it flash. That is all the prophets and teachers can do. All this running after help is foolishness.7
We lack an enterprising spirit. Nothing is done by leading idle lives. We are a lazy set, enamored of child marriage and nothing else.8 We do not have any faculty for business.9 We have not yet developed strict business principles, nor do we possess business integrity.10
We have lost faith. Do you ask why? You know too well; you are wiser than is good for you; that is your difficulty! Simply because your blood is only like water, your brain is sloughing, your body is weak! You must change the body. Physical weakness is the cause and nothing else. You have talked of reforms, of ideals, and all these things for the past hundred years; but when it comes to practice, you are not to be found anywhere – till you have disgusted the whole world, and the very name of reform is a thing of ridicule! And what is the cause? Do you not know? You know too well. The only cause is that you are weak, weak, weak; your body is weak, your mind is weak, you have no faith in yourselves! Centuries and centuries, a thousand
In the last three issues of Topical Musings, we saw how an innocuous essay by Elbert Hubbard on industriousness, self-effort, c o m m o n - s e n s e , a n d S h ra d d h a wa s instrumental in shaping the modern world.
This month, let us listen to Swami Vivekananda paint a true pen-picture of what we actually are at present. Although he said all these things about 100 years ago, it is still very accurate.1
We are self-seeking men who are looking after their personal comforts and leading a lazy life – there is no room for such even in hell!2 We are lazy, hard-hearted, cruel and selfish men.3 Quarrelling and abusing each other are our national traits. Lazy, useless, vulgar, jealous, cowardly, and quarrelsome, that is what we are.4 We are disproportionate in figure, lazy, worthless idiots, with no backbone of our own.5
We are physically weak, which is the cause of at least one-third of our miseries. We are lazy, we cannot work; we cannot combine, we do not love each other; we are intensely selfish, not three of us can come together without hating each other, without being jealous of each other. That is the state in which we are – hopelessly disorganized mobs, immensely selfish, fighting each other for centuries for the most ridiculous of reasons! And are we not ashamed of ourselves? Ay, sometimes we are; but though we think these things frivolous, we cannot give them up. We speak of many things parrot-like, but never do
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years of crushing tyranny of castes, kings, foreigners, and your own people have taken out all your strength, my brethren. Your backbone is broken, you are like downtrodden worms.11
We talk here, we quarrel with each other, we laugh at and we ridicule everything sacred,
till it has become almost a national vice to ridicule everything holy.12 Give up the awful disease that is creeping into our national blood, that idea of ridiculing everything, that loss of seriousness.13
Give these up.14 (To be continued. . .)
‘The Vedantist boldly says that the enjoyments in this life, even the most degraded joys, are but manifestations of that One Divine Bliss, the Essence of the Soul.’4 ‘When the Vedantist has realized his own nature, the whole world has vanished for him. It will come back again, but no more the same world of misery. The prison of misery has become changed into Sat-Chit-Ananda – Existence-Absolute-Knowledge Absolute - Bliss Absolute.’5 It is this One Divine Bliss, the Essence of the Soul, that is worshipped as the God of Love by the devotee.
‘Are there then two Gods – the ‘Not this, not this,’ the Sat-Chit-Ananda, the Existence-Knowledge-Bliss of the philosopher, and this God of Love of the Bhakta? No, it is the same Sat-Chit-Ananda who is also the God of Love, the impersonal and personal in one. It has always to be understood that the Personal God worshipped by the Bhakta is not separate or different from the Brahman. All is Brahman, the One without a second; only the Brahman, as
unity or absolute, is too much of an abstraction to be loved and worshipped; so the Bhakta chooses the relative aspect of Brahman, that is, Ishvara, the Supreme Ruler.’6
‘What we want is the harmony of Existence, Knowledge, and Bliss Infinite. For that is our goal. We want harmony, not one-sided development. … I hope we shall all struggle to attain to that blessed combination.’7
‘Many want pleasure as the goal. For that pleasure they seek only the senses. On the higher planes much pleasure is to be sought; then on spiritual planes; then in himself – God within him. The man whose pleasure is outside of himself becomes unhappy when that outside thing goes. You cannot depend for this pleasure upon anything in this universe. If all my pleasures are in myself, I must have pleasure there all the time because I can never lose my Self. Mother, father, child, wife, body, wealth – everything I can lose, except my self. Bliss in the Self; all desire is contained in the Self. This is individuality which never changes, and this is perfect.’8
References: 1) The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda. [hereafter CW] Vol-7. Inspired Talks: Entry on Tuesday, June 25th, 1895 2) CW. Vol-3: Unity, The Goal of Religion 3) CW. Vol-1: Karma Yoga: ‘The Secret of Work’ 4) CW. Vol-2: Jnana Yoga: ‘The Freedom of the Soul’ 5) CW. Vol-1: ‘The Vedanta Philosophy’ 6) CW. Vol-3: Bhakti Yoga: ‘The Philosophy of Ishvara’ 7) CW. Vol-2: Jnana Yoga: ‘The Absolute and Manifestation’ 8) CW. Vol-2: ‘The Goal’
References: 1) We have liberally paraphrased these words from various sources of Swamiji’s lectures and letters, without changing the original narrative intended by Swamiji. We have mentioned the references for each paragraph. All references are from The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda. Mayavati Edition. Kolkata: Advaita Ashrama. 2) Vol-6: Epistles, 1894. To the brother-disciples at Alambazar monastery 3) Vol-7: Epistles, XXVI, 1894. To Swami Brahmananda 4) Swami Brahmananda: 20 December 1896 5) Vol-5: The East and The West-III: ‘Food and Cooking’ 6) Vol-3: ‘Vedanta in Its Application to Indian Life’ 7) Vol-8: ‘Is Vedanta the Future Religion?’ 8) Vol-6: Epistles, 17 Jan 1895, To Swami Trigunatitananda 9) Vol-5: Epistles, XI: 11 July 1894, To Alasinga Perumal 10) Vol-5: Epistles, LXVI: 1896, To Dr. Nanjunda Rao 11) Vol-3: ‘Vedanta in Its application to Indian Life’ 12) Vol-3: ‘Reply to Address of Welcome Presented at Calcutta’ 13) Ibid 14) Ibid
What is Religion? (Continued from page 49...)
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News & Notes from Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission
The Order on the March
Belagavi Rajkot Salem
Centenary of Salem Ashrama A small group of enlightened
ci t izens guided by Swami Nirmalananda init iated the Ramakrishna Movement in Salem in 1919. Today, the ashrama complex has a char i table dispensary, a library, a balaka sangha, and a free tuition centre for about 130 students. The ashrama also regularly renders welfare services to Leprosy afflicted people (LAP) from two nearby Govt. rehabilitation centres.
The centenary celebration of the ashrama was recently inaugurated by Srimat Swami Gautamananda Ji, one of the Vice-Presidents of the Order in a 3-day function from 2 to 4 February with a public meeting, cultural programmes, a grand procession with Sri Ramakrishna’s
chariot, and a youth convention, attended by 9,300 people in total. Samarpan, the centenary sourvenir was released on the occasion.
Swami Vivekananda Memorial at Belagavi
During his parivrajaka days, Swami Vivekananda stayed for 12 days — 16 to 27 October 1892 at Belagavi in North Karnataka. For the first 3 days he stayed in the house of Sri Sadashiv Balakrishna Bhate in the town, and the remaining 9 days he was at Sri Haripada Mitra’s house inside the Fort. In 1987, a group of Ramakrishna-Vivekananda devotees received one-third of Sri Bhate’s house as a donation from its then owner Sri Balwant D. Belvi. They converted the room where Swamiji stayed into a shrine and preserved
there the cot, the large mirror and the walking stick used by Swamiji. In 2006 this portion of the house became a sub-centre of Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama, Belagavi which was established at the Fort centring around Sri Haripada Mitra’s house in the year 2000. The remaining portion of the house was purchased in 2014 and the more than 140-year old building was successfully restored to its pristine condition. This restored house, renamed as Swami Vivekananda Memorial, was inaugurated on 1 February 2019 by Swami Suvirananda, the General Secretary of the Order. The Memorial has a permanent museum-exhibition depicting the life and teachings of Swami Vivekananda and his visit to Belagavi. As part of the
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inauguration, a youth convention, a devotees’ convention and cultural programmes were held from 1 to 3 February in which 80 monks, 1200 youths and 600 devotees participated.
Vivekananda Navaratri in Chennai
Vivekananda Navaratri was celebrated by Chennai Math at Vivekanandar Illam, the erstwhile Ice House in commemoration of Swami Vivekananda’s nine-day stay there from 6 to 14 February 1897 after his triumphant return from the West. A 29 ft. ceramic tile mural of Swamiji was unveiled on the inaugural day by Sri Banwarilal Purohit, Hon’ble Governor of Tamilnadu in the presence of Srimat Swami Gautamananda Ji, Padmasri Dr. Nalli Kuppuswamy Chetti and Sri Balasubramaniam and others. Discourses and cultural performances were presented by students from different schools and colleges. At the Valedictory Function Sri O. Panneerselvam, Hon’ble Deputy Chief Minister of Tamilnadu was the Chief Guest and Dr. C. Vijaya Bhaskar, Hon’ble Minister for Health Education & Family Welfare was the Guest of Honour. New Ashrama at Bilaspur
The 3rd branch centre of
Ramakrishna Mission in the state of Chhattisgarh was started at Bilaspur. Around 500 people attended the formal inauguration programme held on 22 February.
125th Anniversary of Swami Vivekananda ’s Historic Chicago Addresses
Cultural competitions and talks were held by Chennai Vidyapith (5000 students), Coimbatore Mission Vidyalaya (1424 students) and Kailashahar ashrama (500 students). Srimat Swami Gautamananda Ji spoke at a seminar held in Hyderabad Math which was attended by about 1200 people. Conventions/Workshops for youth were conducted by Kailashahar (1800 students), Hatamuniguda (500 students) and Mysuru (359 students) centres. Devotees’ convention and spiritual retreats were organised by centres at Kailashahar (610 devotees), Guwahati (300 people), Swamiji’s Ancestral House (450 devotees) and Phoenix, South Africa (730 people).
Guests of HonourSushri Uma Bharti, Union
Minister for Drinking Water and Sanitation, Govt. of India visited Kanpur centre on 23 February.
Education ServicesA new residential quarters,
Akhandananda B h a v a n a t R K M V E R I , B e l u r M a t h for employees, faculty and research scholars was inaugurated on 27 February by Srimat Swami Prabhananda Ji in the presence of Swami Suvirananda and others. The students of Sanskrit Dept. of RKMVERI won 1 gold & 2 bronze medals in 13th All India Sanskrit Students’ Talent Festival conducted by Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeetha, Tirupati.
Values Education and Youth Programmes
To counter the pre-exami- nation stress faced by students, Sri Ramakrishna Math, Chennai in association with Madras Management Association (MMA) conducted a one-day seminar for students of classes X and XII. More than 230 students participated. Mangaluru centre held three education conclaves—Prajna 19, Shraddha 19 and Medha 19—for college lecturers, postgraduate students and teacher trainees. In all, about 1300 people participated. The centre also conducted lectures in 10 colleges reaching about 2200 youths. Rajkot Ashrama held: A written quiz competition on
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Swamiji from June 2018 to February 2019 in which 79,131 students from 994 schools in Gujarat took part; 13 value education programmes in which 2,200 students participated; and two seminars attended by 650 students. Some other programmes were held at Haripad (444 students), Jamshedpur (1200 youth), Nagpur (620 students) and Medinipur (about 5500 students and teachers).
Pilgrim ServicesOn the occasion of Kumbha
Mela, Prayagraj (earlier known as Allahabad) ashrama put up a camp on the Mela ground from 12 January to 20 February. In all, about 200 monks and 1500 pilgrims were provided board and lodging at the camp. Devotional songs and discourses were held daily at the shrine-cum-satsang pandal, and an exhibition on Sri Ramakrishna, Sri Sarada Devi, and Swami Vivekananda was arranged in another pandal. About 32,000 patients were treated at the charitable dispensary in the camp. A commemorative volume was also brought out by the centre on the occasion.
Cultural ServicesOn the initiative of Rama-
krishna Mission Vidyamandira (EMRS), Jhargram a statue of Swami Vivekananda was installed in the town on 27 February. The renovated Gita Darshanam exhibition at Hyderabad Math, a museum of paintings on ideas
from Bhagavad Gita and the Upanishads, was inaugurated on 17 February by Srimat Swami Gautamananda Ji.
Agricultural ServicesKamarpukur Math held a
training programme on organic farming for 61 farmers.
Swachh Bharat Abhiyan M a n g a l u r u A s h r a m a
conducted the following activities in February: i) 4 cleanliness drives in Mangaluru involving 1650 volunteers; ii) cleanliness awareness campaigns for 22 days reaching out to nearly 1000 households in Mangaluru city; iii) 19 seminars in colleges, attended by 5240 youth; and iv) cleanliness drives in 150 villages of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts in which 19,750 people took part.
Healthcare Services103 Leprosy Cured but
Deformed Persons (LCDPs) attended a programme held by Chennai Math and 25 of them received livelihood rehabilitation i tems. 1035 people were screened at a dental check-up camp held by Aalo centre. 104 patients received free medicines at a homeopathic camp held by Bagda Math. 213 people and 1448 students participated in blood donation camps held by Jamshedpur ashrama and Chennai Vidyapith respectively. Eye-camps were conducted in January and February by the centres at Bankura, Chennai Math, Halasuru, Jamshedpur, Khetri, Lucknow, Porbandar,
Ranchi Morabadi, Salem and Seva Pratishthan in which 6034 patients were treated, 463 were given spectacles, and 996 underwent surgeries.
Relief ServicesCyclone Relief: In the wake
of the severe cyclonic storm Titli that hit Andhra Pradesh and Odisha on 11 October last year, Visakhapatnam ashrama helped in repairing 125 boats, and also distributed 1650 blankets among the victims in Srikakulam district. In response to the severe cyclonic storm Gaja that hit coastal areas of Tamil Nadu on 16 November, Chennai Students’ Home helped 221 families in Nagapattinam district and Kanchipuram centre helped 13 families in Tanjavur district
Winter Relief: 17830 blankets and 46581 jackets/sweaters/sweatshirts etc., were distributed through 48 centres in 10 states. In Bangladesh 1105 blankets and 70 sweaters were distributed through 4 centres.
Distress Relief: 84606 shirts/T-shirts/trousers etc., 1856 dhotis, 10645 saris, 5353 ladies’ garments, 364 mosquito-nets, 289 school bags were distributed through 32 centres in 10 states.
Economic Rehabilitation: Antpur ashram distributed 81 sets of weaving accessories, 25 sewing machines and 17 rickshaw vans. Taki ashrama gave 1 fishing boat and 2 fishing nets. Chandipur Math distributed 4 sewing machines.
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Vol.106. No.4 The Vedanta Kesari (English Monthly) April 2019. Regd. with the Registrar of Newspapers for India under No.1084 / 1957.
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