I just received the Heritage Cartman – Vol. 6 of April 2010 giving the glimpses of Indian civilization. I have always admired the forceful manner in which you have taken up several worthy causes during the last four decades. Creating awareness of the glory of our heritage by publishing these books is extraordinary.
I am taking the liberty of making few comments:
Page 8 : In your preface, you have quoted Dr. David Frawley “gone is the old idea of the Aryan invasion and an outside basis for Indian culture. In its place, the continuity of a civilization and its literature going back to the earliest period of history”.
Book written by David Frawley and Rajaram – “Hidden Horizons” states that “the now widely accepted archaeological, geological, linguistic, genetic and other evidence which proves that the Aryan invasion Tehory is totally false and that India’s heritage is indigenous, dating back to at least the last ice age 10,000 years ago. This account of India’s true history will revive the pride of Indians everywhere for their motherland”.
Even dr. B.G. Sidharth in his book – The Celestial Key to the Vedas’ published in 1999 argues out scientifically the origin of Vedas at least 10,000 years ago. He has also given the date of Ramayan around 7300 BC & Mahabharata 1350 BC.
The old theory founded by British Scholars and read by us was the Aryans invaded India in 1000 BC which has of course proved false due to the various data obtained on Saraswati for the last 50 years. I have pointed this out because on page 84, under ancient literary heritage, it is written that the “four Vedas, the most ancient literature of Hinduism, date back to 1000 BC. This needs to be corrected.
On page 86, last line of the 2nd para, “while describing Mahabarath, while Krishna’s death, Kaliyuga started on 17th Feb 3102 BC”. This date has been correctly given. Perhaps the para on the Vedas has been picked from an old book which has not taken account of the latest version from Saraswati.
On page 125: “the most popular of the Avatars under which Vishnu is worshipped in modern India is Krishna”
On page 126, it is also written end of the para that “Rama, hero of Ramayan is not yet more than a demi-God”
I feel that this may give wrong impression because Lord Rama is as popular as Lord Krishna.
While writing these glimpses of civilization, certain basic fundamentals must be correctly written for future generations.
The idea on the comments by well known Western Scholars about India’s Civilizations on page 7 & 8 are highly appreciated. I am sending you a four page note which I hastily prepared couple of years ago for foreign visitors who came for the inauguration of one of our companies which is written on similar lines.
I have taken the liberty of sending a list of reference books which your editorial board may find useful while writing further editions.
1. Hidden Horizons – Unearthing 10,000 years of Indian Culture by David Frawley and N.S. Rajaram
2. Celestial Key to the Vedas by B.G. Sidharth
3. Eternally Talented India – 108 Facts by Vivekananda Life Skills Academy, Hyderabad.
4. India’s contributions to World Thoughts and Concepts by Vivekananda Kendra Prakshan.
5. Science & Technology of India through the ages, Edited by Shri B.K. Srivastava & Shri M.A. Narasimhan.
6. Will Durant – The Case of India.
It was very nice that a full page has been given to Gayatri Mantra.
With best regards,
Sudarshan Maini
Additional quotes:
Noted Author Philip Rawson introduces his book – The Art of Greater India with the following words:
The culture of India has been one of the world’s most powerful civilizing forces. Countries of the Far East, including China, Korea, Japan, Tibet and Mongolia owe much of what is best in their own cultures to the inspiration of ideas imported from India. The West, too, has its own debts. But the members of that circle of civilizations beyond Burma scattered around the Gulf of Siam and the Java Sea, virtually owe their very existence to the creative influence of Indian ideas… No conquest or invasion, no forced conversion imposed them. They were adopted because the people saw they were good and they could use them… their code of living, their conceptions of law and kingship, their rich literature and highly evolved philosophy of life. !
John Le Mee, a French student of the Vedas observed:
Precious stones or durable materials – Gold silver, bronze, marble, onyx or granite – have been used by most ancient people in an attempt to immortalize their achievements. Not so however the (Vedic) Aryans. They turned to what may seem the most volatile and insubstantial material of all – the spoken word – and out of this bubble of air ashioned a monument which for more than thirty, perhaps, forty, centuries later stands untouched by time of the elements. (Actually, sixty to eighty centuries as we now know)… the pyramids have been eroded by the desert wind, the marble broken by earthquakes, and the gold stolen by robbers, while the Veda is recited daily by an unbroken chain of generations, traveling like a great wave through the living substance of mind.
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SUNDARAMURTHY V.T,
‘Sri Vaishnava Sri’
23, Maniyakarar Street, Veerakeralam, Coimbatore-641 007, Tamil Nadu, India
E- Mail :< vtsmurthycbe@yahoo.co.in > Phone: 0422-2473853
To
The Editor,
Heritage- Cratman
Bangalore-560095
E.Mail:
Respected Sir,
The vision of Shri Mukesh D.Ambani on increasing the food production by bringing the waste land under the plough is laudable one as development of agriculture and filling the granary alone make the Industry viable one(Heritage-Cratman:6(1),p32-35,2010).It is well known fact that the government of India has allotted a very huge fund for industry as against 2500 cores to agriculture. The benefits enjoyed by the industries are more than any other sectors and they should come in a big way to help agriculture either alone or along with the Government.
It is well known fact that the annual loss of the food grain in India is about ten percent as estimated recently by Ministry of Food and Civil Supplies.GOI.If this loss is prevented it can feed about 70 to 100 million people on the earth with out resorting to ecocidal methods of crop breeding for increasing the productivity. It is possible for industries either alone or in groups to launch the cold storage facilities in different states for storing the harvested food grains to prevent the losses as the strength of country comes from the fullness of granary and not from owning atom bombs. The agricultural scientists all over the country sincerely wish that industry should come in a big way to help the agricultural in minimizing the loss of food grains.
With respectful regards
Sundaramurthy V.T
PREFACE
This booklet on Seers and Sages of India is the 8th in our series. India Century Mission works to fulfill the prediction and aspiration of Swami Vivekananda that 21st Century would be India’s Century, and that scholars, philosophers and professionals in all fields would come to India seeking solution for the problems afflicting mankind. The 7th issue of our booklet issued in April was on “Glimpses of Indian Civilization” which has survived for 5,000 years in spite of internal decline and dissensions as well as external aggression and rule. The curse of the caste system grew to include over 1000 castes. Upper castes exploited lower castes, particularly the Schedule Castes SC and Tribes. In spite of these negative factors, India survived.
The survival of Indian civilization was mainly on account of the intrinsic strength of India’s religious and spiritual vitality and their manifestations in the form of festivals, pilgrimages, Bhakti movement, temples, observance of customs and traditions, Acharas and Samskaras and hundred other forms, in which the religious and spiritual teachings prescribed by our ancient sages and saints continue to have deep roots in Indian psyche and ethos. The three other religions, which were born in India as off-shoots of Hinduism but with distinctly different identities, did not disturb the cultural unity of our country, thanks again to the teachings of thousands of saints and sages who were born in every century and every part of the country who kept alive India’s spirituality and religious foundation. British conquest and rule enabled India to become a nation-state, which in any case is relatively a recent concept in the long history of civilization. Normally, a politically unified India, with its religious and spiritual ethos intact, ought to have given India a great impetus and energy to go forward both materially and spiritually. However, the benefits of India’s religions and spirituality could not be travelled to enthuse and energise Indians to rise above pettiness and parochialism. India adopted a political economy system, which is totally inappropriate to India’s multi-diverse society, divided along religion, caste, language ethnicity and ideology. India also adopted a secular concept, which though desirable for a plural society, has been misused in its interpretation by which there is secular India at one end and religious India at the other.
English education and cultural onslaught of industrialization, modernization, westernization, globalization and the impact of western customs and media alienated a large segment of upper caste Indians. They lost original ethos and beliefs. India was portrayed in popular imagination all over the world as a country of snake charmers, magicians and beggars. It was at that time that in the 19th Century, some Europeans discovered the true India. Swami Vivekananda travelled to UK, Europe and United States and showed to the world the glory of India’s ancient thought and wisdom. Our first booklet of this series was on What Foreign Scholars Say about the glory of India’s Ancient Thought and Wisdom.
Nowhere in the history of the world has a single cultural entity survived so much of tribulations and retained its cultural unity at the roots, though thousands of trees came out safe from the mother earth with different names, shape and colour. This shows the vitality and strength of the basic teachings given by our ancient sages and saints. Therefore, this issue gives a few lines about the life and contributions of a few saints and sages, who form only a small part of the whole. Contributions of great sages and saints in the pre-historical era, like the Saptarishis and those who lived prior to the Buddha have been totally left out. Similarly, those sages and monks who are preaching spirituality at current times also have been left out. A few have been chosen almost at random, more as an illustration. A comprehensive write up of sages and saints of India may require 10,000 pages and what we are offering to the readers is only 100 pages which shows the limitation of this booklet. The purpose of giving this tip of the iceberg is to evoke the curiosity and interest of Indians, as desired by Swami Vivekananda, when he boldly declared “Arise, Awake, till the Goal is reached”. Swami asked for strengthening human excellence. The Chicago address and ten volumes of his address are available to show the relevance of India’s ancient thought and wisdom to present-day problems and crisis in society.
The India Century Mission, a term which we have coined, is being promoted by literally thousands of entities in the form of Swamis, Sadhus, Monks, Ashrams, festivals, customs, traditions, Acharas, Samskaras, rites, rituals, publications in all the 20 major languages by innumerable scholars, discourses by Swamis, Missions (such as that of Ramakrishna, Vivekananda, Abhedananda, Dayananda, Shivananda, Chinmanyananda, Nityananda, Muktananda, Brahmakumaris, Bhoopananda, Ramdev and thousand others). The Mahakumbha Mela in Haridwar was attended by 10 million devotees who had a holy bath in the Ganga. 80 million Hindus are visiting temples every day, besides praying at their own altars. 10 TV channels are broadcasting discourses on Bhagavatham, Narayaneeyam, Ramayana, Mahabharata, Upanishads and other teachings of saints and sages. A renaissance of India’s spiritual genius is sprouting all over India in some way or other. There is widespread inquisitiveness among the 60 million people of Indian origin to know something about the roots of India. All over United States, Hindu temples are coming up. ISKCON movement has spread worldwide. It is understood that many US Universities have started teaching Bhagavad Gita and Sanskrit.
Popular English commercial media is somewhat hostile or indifferent to the religious India. Politicians are misusing religion and the caste system to divide Hindus. India is surrounded by hostile neighbours. India’s vast Education system consisting of 400 universities, thousands of colleges and millions of schools do not touch any part of religion as it is against the interpretation of secularism in India. It is not suggested here that religion should be taught in the education system nor that religion should be the basis in its activities, transactions and policies. But there is a large chunk of ancient thought and wisdom which is really secular. Hinduism itself accepts all religions as different paths to the same godhood. It gives total freedom for everybody to approach godhood or experience the divine within them in any manner they like or a combination of paths as enunciated by our saints and sages as a path of devotion, knowledge, detached work or meditation.
Thus the limited purpose of these ten booklets, out of which this is the 8th one, on the Saints and Sages is only to arouse curiosity, inquisitiveness or interest among Indians to know a bit more about themselves. India’s spiritual literature is not only to realize God, but also to see God or realize the divinity within us. India‘s one million pages of spiritual literature and two million pages of commentaries by saints and sages are to make our lives free from physical pain and mental suffering as well as to attain happiness and peace. Therefore, this booklet would be in the interest of readers to know something about the teachings of saints and mystics, masters, evolved souls and those who experienced divinity. With this in view a few may take interest in India’s saints and sages who made India a vibrant society – materially and spiritually.
Prof K.M.P. Menon has been working with us as a part of the team of India Century Mission in the Indian Heritage Academy. I express my sincere and deep appreciation for his knowledge and commitment in getting this booklet prepared in record time.
N.S. Ramaswamy
Padma Bhushan & National Professor in Management
FOREWORD
For several millennia, India has remained a distinct entity – culturally and emotionally united with a distinct identity. This identity was based on the ideals of the Vedanta. Despite minor differences of detail there was a commonality of ideals. One of these was MOKSHA. The word comes from the root ‘muk’ which means to ‘loosen’. One has to loosen oneself from the knots that bind one to the alluring world of the senses to be aware of the awesome power that pervades it. We can access this power and rise above our own puny selves. We need this power to do good to mankind and the whole of creation. We have to say ‘yes’ to Life and to the World. Dharma enjoins us to do our duty to all of creation. Throughout the ages in different parts of the country, sages and saints have arisen to explain these ideas, and preach this life-affirming, ethical idealism. It is easily understood and accepted by the people in any corner of Bharat Varsha. It is this common world-view that has united the people. The real unifiers of the people are the sages and seers who have preached these principles – often filtered down through their own personalities.
In this India Century Mission we have outlined some well known personalities. Many who should have been included, are left out; this is only a random selection of those who have made a mark by their original contribution. The strength and longevity of Indian civilization and culture is due to these extraordinary personages. The future regeneration of the country and possibly of the world itself will perhaps be on the foundations laid by them.
K.M.P. Menon, Associate Editor
RIGHT ATTITUDES
In the following extract, from her writings, Mrs. Margarat Noble gives her remarkable insights into the correct attitude necessary for Gurus and Disciples.
THE TEACHER
The true teacher knows that no one can really aid another. No one can rightly do for another what that other ought to do for himself. All that we can do is to stimulate him to help himself, and remove from his path the real obstacles to his doing so.
The taught, moreover, must develop along his own path. He must advance towards his own end. No one can develop along another’s road, in order to reach that other’s goal. The first need of the teacher, therefore, is to enter into the consciousness of the taught, to understand where he is and towards what he is progressing. Without this, there can be no lesson.
The act of education must always be initiated by the taught, not by the teacher. Some spontaneous action of the mind or body of the learner gives the signal, and the wise teacher takes advantage of this, in accordance with known laws of mind, in order to develop the power of action further. If, however, there is no initial activity of the pupil, the lesson might as well be given to wood or brick. Education or evolution must always begin with some spontaneous self-activity.
The laws of thought are definite. Mental action is not erratic or incalculable, a gust here, a whirlwind there. No: thought is always the outcome of concrete experience. A given sequence and intensity of action finding form and application on subtler and finer planes of reality, is thought. And just as water rises to its own level, so all our past determines the height to which our unresting thought shall wing its way. Inevitable is its rise so far, but at what infinite cost of toil and faith is won the next few feet of ascent in the clear atmosphere of knowledge!
To those who are accustomed to think in this way, the doctrine of reincarnation becomes a necessity. It is impossible of extinguish a mind, impossible to arrest the cycles of thought. The same force, the same knowledge will go on eternally finding new expressions. Or it will deepen and intensify. It cannot be destroyed. But it can be lost. It can be forgotten. Man is ever divine, ever the embodied Atman of the Universe. But he can lose sight of his high heritage, and though its potentiality may remain with him ever, as a possibility of recovery, yet in tilling the fields or scouring the cooking-pots its actuality may have vanished.
Spirituality comes to one soul at a time. Intellectual labour prepares the soil of millions for the whispers of truth. Intellect is the open door to the socializing of great realization. Therefore is mental toil a duty. Right belief is a duty. The highest achievements of the mind are a Sadhana. We must be true to Truth. We must be greedy of wide views. Education to the utmost of which we are capable is the first of human rights. It was not the form of his knowledge but its selflessness, that made man a rishi. That man who has followed any kind of knowledge to its highest point is a rishi. If he had cared for money or pleasure, he could not have spent himself on labour that might have ended in nothing. If he had wanted name or fame, he would have gone far enough to tell what the world wanted to hear, and there he would have stopped. But he went to the utmost. This was because he wanted truth. The man who sees truth directly is a jnani. This truth may take the form of geography. Elisee Reclus, writing his Universal Geography, and trying to give his highest results to the working-men of Brussels, was a jnani, as truly as any saint who ever lived. His knowledge was for the sake of knowledge: his enjoyment of his knowledge was selfless : and when he died the modern world lost a saint. The truth may take the form of history or science, or the study of society. Would any one who has read the “Origin of Species,” deny to Charles Darwin the place of a great sage? Kropotkin, living in a workman’s cottage in England, and working breathlessly to help men to new forms of mutual aid, - is he not one of the apostles?
It is in India, aided by the doctrine of Advaita, that we ought to know better than in any other land the value of all this. Here alone does our religion itself teach us that not only that which is called God IS Good. It is the vision of Unity that is the goal, and any path by which man may reach to this is a religion. Thus the elements of mathematics are to the full as sacred as the stanzas of the Mahabharata. A knowledge of physics is as holy as a knowledge of the Shastras. The truths of historical science are as desirable as the beliefs of tradition.
In order to manifest this great ideal of the Sanathana Dharma, we must try to set alight once more amongst us the fires of lofty intellectual ambitions. The great cannot be destroyed, but it can be obscured by the little. We must fight against this. We must remember the passion of those who seek truth for its own sake. They cannot stop short in learning. Did any ever short in the struggle for spirituality, saying now he had enough? Such a man was never a seeker of spirituality. The same is true of all intellectual pursuits. The man who has ever experienced the thirst for knowledge, can never stop short. If one step has been taken purely, he can never again rest till he has attained.
We cannot be satisfied, therefore, till our society has produced great minds in every branch of human activity. Advaita can be expressed in mechanics, in engineering, in art, in letters as well as in philosophy and meditation. But it can never be expressed in half-measures. The true Advaitin is the master of the world. He does not know a good deal of his chosen subject: he knows all there is to be known. He does not perform his particular task fairly well : he does it as well as it is possible to do it. In the little he sees the great. In the pupil whom he teaches, he sees the nation and Humanity. In the act he sees the principle. In the new thought he finds himself nearer truth itself.
We are men, not animals. We are minds, not bodies. Our life is thought and realization, not food and sleep. All the ages of man – those of the Vedas and the heroes, as well as our own small lives – are in the moment called now. All this do I claim as mine. On this infinite power do I take my stand. I desire knowledge for its own sake, therefore I want all knowledge. I would serve Humanity for the sake of serving. Therefore must I cast out all selfishness. Am I not a son of the Indian sages? Am I not an Advaitin?
THE GURU AND HIS DISCIPLE
When the doctrines of Hinduism can be formulated with sufficient breadth and clearness, it will doubtless be found that they furnish a key to the laws of thought in all directions. For the emancipation of man by his induction into constantly widening ideas is the real motive of Hindu speculation, and is the unspoken effort in every scheme of learning the world over. The source of Buddhism in Hinduism is nowhere better illustrated than in the opening words of the Dhammapada : “All that we are is the result of what we have thought. It is founded on our thoughts. It is made up of our thoughts.” In all the world, only an Indian thinker would have dreamed of basing a religious system on this solitary truth.
In the great body of observations which have become current in India as religious doctrines, none is more interesting or more difficult to unravel than that which deals with Guru-bhakti. That in order to reach a given idea, one must hold the mind passive to the teacher of that idea, at the same time that one offers him personal service, is a truth which has only to be tested to be believed. But we shall make a mistake if we think that it applies only to religious teaching, just as we shall make an equal mistake if we call a man our guru for the simple reason that he teaches us a series of facts which have a religious colour.
We must turn a receptive attitude to all truth. We must be respectful to all from whom we learn. Age, rank and relationship ought all to constitute claims on our deference, but nothing should win from us the deep passivity that we yield to character and learning. Amongst all who teach us there will be one whose own personality is his greatest lesson. He, and he alone, is the Guru. He alone represents that particular path along which our own experience is to lead us. But in everything that we make our own, even the most secular knowledge, we must constantly remember the source from which we received it. Every one that we meet must appear before us as a possible giver of knowledge. We should be on the watch for the realizations that each man has been able to reach. Thus a habit of attentiveness, respect for the knowledge and opinions of others, and an expectation of new truth, are all marks of one who is accustomed to mix in cultivated society. Nor can there possibly be a greater mark of vulgarity and want of fine associations than self-opinionatedness and forgetfulness of seniority in ideas.
Temptations to such errors meet young men at every step in a generation that takes up a new idea. The fact that they have departed from the paths of their fathers blinds them to the other fact that outside the special point of departure their fathers are apt to have greater wisdom than they; that even in the new idea itself they have their own elders and betters; that in any case, the idea is not worth much if it cannot deepen their appreciation of social cohesion and of the older culture they have left. Yet by such heedlessness and loss of delicacy a youth only succeeds in shutting the doors of fine society against himself. He is tried once, and allowed thenceforward to associate with his inferiors. His superiors find him intolerable. A young man with a hearty belief in his own leadership, is a social nuisance. The great impulses are calling for disciples, for martyrs, for trembling self-devoted service in which eagerness and humility bear equal parts. Those who are ready to offer themselves as leaders can be hired behind any counter or in any barrack. True leaders, we may understand one for all, are made, not born. They are made out of faithful followers. By much service, by deep and humble apprehension, let us hasten to their making.
The Guru puts us in touch with all that Humanity has yet reached in a given line. Through him, we enter into life spiritual and intellectual, as through our parents we received the human body. He represents to us all that, up to his time, could be known. It follows that the first of his qualifications was an unusual power of learning.
The real object of universities is to train the student to learn. The fine intellectual leader is he who learns most from a given circumstance. The power of passivity is the highest mark of education. This passivity, however, is not stupid or inert. It was not Arjuna alone who listened to Sri Krishna. His touch was felt and his words were heard by the delighted horses also. Nor must we forget that the sound-waves which make the Gita impinged upon the chariot itself. Chariot, horses, and man, all heard, but was there no difference between their three forms of passivity? Nay, two men will themselves hear differently. Nothing is more crude than an ill-timed activity. But the passivity that marks our advance is intensive, not idle, and contains within itself the fruit of all our struggles in the past.
It is the power of the Guru that is the force behind our realization. Whatever be the line of our effort, it would amount to very little if we had to go out into the wilderness and begin all over again, as isolated hints, the discoveries of man. Any significance that we have, comes from our place at the end of the ages, our place at the dawning of to-morrow. This place is given us by our solidarity with the Guru, and by nothing else. The more we know, the more infinitesimal will our own contributions to human knowledge appear to us. The more we know, the more will history speak to us in trumpet-tones, the more full of meaning will the acts of great men become to us, the more shall we see ourselves to be striving with difficulty to see as our leader saw, to be making only a new attempt on his behalf.
On the other hand, the Guru makes no demands. The gift of discipleship is free. The Guru indicates the ideal. There is a vast difference between this and the attempt to enslave. Nay, there is none who so strives to give the freedom in which ideals grow and ripen as does the Guru. The disciple’s devotion is for ever outstripping anything that could be asked of it. In his own time the Guru ends personal service and proclaims the impersonal mission. But this is of his doing and not of his pupil’s seeking.
The Guru’s achievement is the disciple’s strength, and this though it be the common ideal that is followed by both. Better to be no man’s son than an original genius without root or ancestry in the world of the spirit. Quickly, how quickly, shall such wither away! They wither, and the men who set limits to their own offering never strike root. Which of these two is the deeper condemnation?
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The following extract from Hinduism Today further elaborates certain traditional ideas about sages.
SATGURUS
THE THREE PILLARS OF HINDUISM are the temples, the scriptures and the satgurus. They sustain and preserve the ancient wisdom. If any two were to disappear, Hinduism would come back from the third, as perfect as it ever was. Here we bring a description of the third pillar, satgurus, in an excerpt from the 12-century Kularnava Tantra.
When the entire universe is looked on as pervaded by the Sivaguru, what mantra can fail to achieve its purpose for the shishya? When the satguru is present, no tapas is necessary, no pilgrimage, no fasting nor observances. What he speaks is as scripture.
Feel one with your guru and not separate from him, as do good to all as your own. Whether moving or standing, sleeping or waking, performing japa or making offerings, carry out only the injunctions of your guru with your inner being dwelling in him. As in the vicinity of fire, butter gets melted, so in the proximity of the holy Sivaguru all bad karmas dissolve. As lighted fire burns up all fuel, dry and moist, so the glance of the Shivaguru burns up in a moment the karmas of the shishya. As the heap of cotton blown up by a great storm scatters in all the ten directions, so the heap of negative karmas is blown away by the compassion of the Sivaguru. As darkness is destroyed at the very sight of the lamp, so is ignorance destroyed at the sight of the holy Sivaguru.
I tell you now that there can be no Liberation without diksha, initiation. Nor can there be initiation without a preceptor. Hence the dharma, the shakti and the tradition come down the line of masters, called parampara.
Without a satguru all philosophy, knowledge and mantras are fruitless. Him alone the Gods praise who is the satguru, keeping active what is handed down to him by tradition. One should seek with all effort to obtain a preceptor of the unbroken tradition, born of Supreme Siva.
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The famous homage to Guru attributed to Sankaracharya is explained below
GURU-MANTRA
Sankaracarya in his Gurustotram, which millions in India and, now abroad also, recite, and which begins with the famous words: Gurur Brahma Gurur Visnu, gives a beautiful exposition of the service rendered by a guru:
Ajnana Timirandhasya
Jnananjana salakaya
Caksurulmilitam yena
Tasmai Sri Gurave namah
‘I salute the Guru who opens the eyes of one who is blind with the cataract of ignorance by applying the collyrium of Jnana or knowledge.’
SOME SEERS AND SAGES OF INDIA
SRI RAMAKRISHNA
Sri Ramakrishna is an uplifting spiritual force in the modern world. His chief disciple, Swami Vivekananda, describes him as avataravarishtha, the best among the incarnations of God. Thousands of persons the world over look upon him and worship him as such. Mahatma Gandhi refers to his life as ‘a story of religion in practice’, calling him ‘a living embodiment of godliness’, and adds, ‘his life enables us to see God face to face’.
Sri Ramakrishna was born in 1836 in Kamarpukur, a simple village of Bengal. Even as a young boy, he had a vision of the Divine. He came to Calcutta in his teens and soon took up the work of the priest at the Dakshineswar Kali temple. But what an extra-ordinary priest! The Divine Mother in front of him was a living person. His worship did not conform to traditional ways. The Mother, too, responded to him according to his modes and moods. During this period, he had a vision of the Divine Mother. This made him God-intoxicated. Besides Hinduism, he practiced other faiths, too. His realizations gave him the conviction that there are as many paths to God as there are faiths.
When he was ready to teach the world, men from all walks of life flocked to him. Among the several notable persons who were attracted to him was Mahendra Nath Gupta - ‘M’ – the recorder of The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna. Physically speaking, Sri Ramakrishna became a victim to the cancer of the throat, to which he succumbed in 1886, when he was about fifty.
Sri Ramakrishna’s advice to the people living in the world is given in the following homely illustrations:
Do your duties, but keep your mind on God. If you participate in worldly matters without first cultivating love for God, you will become entangled more and more. Before opening a jack-fruit, one rubs the hands with oil. This keeps the fingers from becoming sticky with the jack-fruit’s gluey milk.
A boat may stay in the water, and it floats. But water should not stay in the boat. If it does, the boat sinks. An aspirant may live in the world with his mind devoted to God, but the world should not live in him.
The mind is like milk. If you keep the mind in the world, which is like water, then the milk and water will get mixed. That is why people keep milk in a quiet place and let it set into curd, and then churn butter from it. Likewise, through spiritual discipline practiced in solitude, churn the butter of knowledge and devotion from the milk of the mind. Then that butter can easily be kept in the water of the world. It will not get mixed with the world. The mind will float detached on the water of the world.
Sri Ramakrishna used to say that devotion as prescribed by Sage Narada is best suited to the Kaliyuga. It means to chant constantly the name and glories of God. Nishtha, single-minded devotion, leads to bhakti or love of God. Bhakti, when mature, becomes bhava or ecstatic love of God. Bhava when concentrated, becomes mahabhava, an intense form of divine love. And last of all is prema, most intense kind of the love of God. Prema is like a cord. By prema, God is bound to the devotee. He can no longer run away. By following this path of bhakti-yoga, one comes to God more easily then by following the others. The bhakta wants to realize God in His personal aspect, endowed with form, and talk to Him. God, who does everything at His pleasure, can make His devotee the heir to His infinite glories, if it pleases Him.
If a devotee prays to God with real longing, God cannot help revealing Himself to him. The meaning of bhakti or devotion is to adore God with body, mind, and words. ‘With body’ means to serve and worship God with one’s hands, go to holy places with one’s feet, hear the chanting of the name and glories of God with one’s ears, and behold the divine image with one’s eyes. ‘With mind’ means to contemplate and meditate on God constantly and to remember and think of His lila. “with words’ means to sing hymns to Him and chant His name and glories.
A person in the world must do his duties as long as he needs them to reap the fruits of the actions of his past lives. He must develop love of God and be passionately attached to him. The singing of the name and glories of God destroys the effect of past action. He does not have to perform duties all his life. As he develops unalloyed love and longing for God, his duties become fewer and fewer. After the realization of God, they completely drop away. When the young daughter-in-law is pregnant, her mother-in-law lessens her duties. After the birth of the child, she does not have to do any household work.
The heart of the devotee is the abode of God. He dwells, no doubt, in all beings. But He specially manifests Himself in the heart of the devotee. Sri Ramakrishna illustrates this point by saying that a landlord may, at one time or another, visit all parts of his estate, but people say that he is generally to be found in a particular drawing-room. The heart of the devotee is the drawing-room of God. It is there that His special power is manifest. What is the sign of such a devotee? When you see a man doing great works, you may know that God’s special power is manifested through him.
The attitude of a devotee, according to Sri Ramakrishna, should be : ‘O God, Thou art the Master, and I am Thy servant. Thou art the Mother, and I am Thy child. Thou art the Whole, and I am a part.’ The ego of a devotee begets no pride. It does not create ignorance. On the contrary, it helps one realize God. It is not like other types of egoism. The devotee seeks holy company, goes on pilgrimage, and practices discrimination, devotion, and renunciation. He says that, since a man cannot get rid of his ego, he should let the rascal remain as the servant of God, the devotee of God. Once the seed of bhakti is sown, the effect is inevitable. It will gradually grow into a tree with flowers and fruits.
One must pray to God earnestly. It is said that one can realize God by directing to Him the combined intensity of three attractions, namely, the child’s attraction for the mother, the husband’s attraction for the chaste wife, and the attraction of worldly possessions for the worldly man.
There are certain signs by which one can know a true devotee of God. His mind becomes quiet as he listens to matters concerning God and spiritual things. He develops the power of assimilating spiritual instruction, and earnestly strives to put it into practice. He has his senses under control, and he is not distracted by the concerns of the world. He loves to hear more and more about God and His lila in His several incarnations.
A devotee should pray to God thus: ‘May I have great love for Thee, as I go on with my few duties. May I not entangle myself in new work so long as I do not realize Thee. But I shall perform it if I receive Thy command. Otherwise not.’
In conclusion, let us recall the assuring words of Sri Ramakrishna: ‘If you put into practice one-sixteenth part of what I say unto you, you will surely reach the goal.’ These are encouraging words, indeed. Let us sincerely pray to God Almighty for His grace and press on with our spiritual struggle, remembering always his warning that there should be perfect accord between what we profess and what we practice - ‘let there be no divergence between our mind and mouth; let there not be any stealing in the chamber of our heart’, to put it in his own words.*
*The utterances of Sri Ramakrishna given in the article are mostly culled from The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna by ‘M’ (English translation by Swami Nikhilananda. Sri Ramakrishna Math, Madras-4)
SRI SARADA DEVI
THE HOLY MOTHER
Sri Saradamani Devi, better known as The Holy Mother, was born on December 22, 1853 at Jayrambati of West Bengal. At the age of six she was married to Sri Ramakrishna and joined him at Dakshineswar at eighteen. The most significant event during this period of her life was her being worshipped by Sri Ramakrishna as the Divine Mother. She got secular as well as spiritual training under him and served him with meticulous care.
After his passing away she undertook extensive pilgrimages throughout the country. She ministered to the spiritual needs of thousands of devotees, both lay and monastic.
Though most unassuming and simple for all outward appearances she was a veritable spiritual dynamo.
She entered into Mahasamadhi at the age of sixtyseven.
Sister Nivedita has described her as the final word of Sri Ramakrishna as to the ideal of Indian womanhood.
The Holy Mother was ailing. That was the last illness before the curtain was down closing the drama of her life. Just five days before the end, a lady devotee came to have her darsan. As none was allowed at that time to disturb her, this lady sat at the door-step to catch the Mother’s eye. This worked and the Mother beckoned to her to come in. The lady began to sob and exclaim, “Mother! What will happen to us hereafter?” The mother consoled her in a low voice, almost inaudible : “Why do you fear? You have seen the Master (Sri Ramakrishna)”. After a pause she added, “But I tell you one thing – if you want peace of mind, do not find fault with others. Rather see your own faults. Learn to make the whole world your own. No one is a stranger my child; this whole world is your own!”
This embodies her final message to the world also.
Prayer is the key that opens to us the treasure-chest of God’s mercy and blessings. It is the sum total of religion and morals. More things are wrought through prayer than we ever dream of. And we human beings cannot help praying as instanced by a well-known German atheist’s last groan: “O God, if there is a God, save my soul, if there is one!”
This is because there seems to be an eternal void in our hearts which refuses to be filled up with things mundane. Only the Infinite can fill it up; only the Infinite bliss can satiate it.
You cannot reach your destination if you just sit in a place and wail. You have got to get up and move. When this movement pertains to the spirit with a view to reaching the Final Beatitude called variously as Kaivalya, Moksha, Nirvana, Sakshatkara etc., then spiritual life begins. Prayer and devotion constitute the foundation of this spiritual life. The observations, explanations and teachings of Sri Sarada Devi, the Holy Mother, cover the whole gamut of this life of the spirit. However only a few of them will be selected and dealt with here.
God is not in need of our prayer. It is we who need it. We are the losers if we default. Says the Mother: “If you do not pray to God, what is that to Him? It is only your misfortune.”
What is the goal of human life? “The goal of human life is to realize God and to be always immersed in thought of Him” declares the Holy Mother.
This goal cannot be achieved without purifying one’s mind. So the Holy Mother proclaims: “Everything depends on the mind. Nothing can be achieved without purity of mind ….. The mind of the aspirant should be gracious to him.”
But how to purify the mind and get its grace? Through work and worship. So Sri Sarada Devi advises thus: “Self-less work saves the mind from going astray. But prayer and meditation also are necessary. You must sit for meditation at least once in the morning and once in the evening. That will be like the helm of the boat.”
Then there is another path, perhaps an easier one, the path of devotion. The mother first warns us that “ordinary human love results in misery” and then exhorts us to cultivate love of God because “love of God brings blessedness!”.
Repetition of the name of God is also part of this path of devotion. But this must be adopted early in life because who knows when the Lord of Death drops in? That is why the blessed Mother affirms: “Many take the name of God after receiving blows in life. But he who can offer his mind like a flower at the feet of the Lord right up from childhood is indeed blessed!”
But this is easier said than done, because we often find that though the mind is willing, the flesh is weak! How to root out the thirst for material pleasures which ultimately lands us in the abyss of misery? Here is the remedy suggested by the Mother: “As clouds are blown away by the wind, the thirst for material pleasures will be driven away by the utterance of the Lord’s name.”
God is not a bunch of spinach that can be purchased for a paltry sum at the worldly market. No, he cannot be bought even with the hardest spiritual discipline. He can be attained only through His grace. And again, this grace is as inscrutable as it is easy to get. The Holy Mother illustrates this beautifully thus: “A child might not give a thing to a person who asked for it a hundred times, whereas he might give it away to another even at the first request. In the same way, the grace of God is not conditioned by anything.”
May the Holy Mother bless us that we may attain this much-needed grace!
SWAMI VIVEKANANDA
Narendranath Datta who became Swami Vivekananda, was born in Calcutta in 1863. He was an all-rounder. He was a voracious reader with a prodigious memory. At the young age, he was disgusted with worldly life and developed a passion for God. In response to his urge for divine enlightenment, he went to Sri Ramakrishna in whose teachings he was fully convinced of the existence of God. He spent six years with his Master enjoying his unbounded attention and learnt the mysteries of Divine Life. Many other young men also rallied around the Master. The Master taught them about the purity of Divine life. After the passing away of the Master in 1886, Narendranath, along with his brother disciples, plunged him into deep tapas. Soon after, he travelled all over India as a ‘Parivrajaka’ on the sole of his feet. He was deeply moved by the distress and stagnation of his countrymen. He went to the West to take part in the historic World Parliament of Religions held in Chicago in 1893. He became world-famous by vindicating the glories of Hinduism and the greatness of Indian culture and civilization. After his triumphal tour in Europe and America, disseminating the spiritual knowledge for about four years, he returned to India in 1897. He also spread the message of Sri Ramakrishna and the glory of our culture in different parts of India. He established the Math at Belur, Calcutta in 1897. For a brief time he again sailed to the West and consolidated his work in the West, The great Swami passed away in 1902 at Belur.
At Benares, one day, as he was returning from the temple of Mother Durga, he was pursued by a group of monkeys. He was frightened and fled, apprehending that they might cause some injury to his person. Suddenly an old Sanyasin told him, “Stop. Always face the brute.” Swamiji turned, his fear gone; seeing his defiant attitude the monkeys fled. In a discourse given in New York, years later, he referred to this incident and pointed out the moral of this story in this wise message: “So face nature! Face ignorance! Face illusion! Never fly!!”
Before his final departure from the world, he one day took a fancy to feed the Santal coolies who were working at the Math and gave them a sumptuous feast. They had never tasted such delicacies. Naturally they were very happy. Swamiji said, “You are Narayanas, God manifest; to-day I have offered food to Narayana.” Swamiji addressing the disciples, said, “I found them the veritable embodiments of God – such simplicity, such sincere guileless love I have seen nowhere else – Sometimes I feel a desire to sell the Math and everything and distribute the money to the poor and the destitute.”
Prayer is communion with God. And God is the essence of our life. Regarding the rationality of the divine life Swamiji said: “We find that the man enjoys the intellect more than the animal enjoys its senses; 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”. (C.W. Vol. III – 8th edition – page 4). According to Swami Vivekananda each man is potentially divine. In each heart Swamiji saw the spark of divine life and he strove hard to fan it into a blazing fire. ‘ Love is God’ to him. God as Love and as the root cause of the universe is bound to be an attractive power behind and beyond this world. God is both Love and as the root cause of the universe is bound to be an attractive power behind and beyond this world. God is both Love and the perennial source of Love from which streams of sympathy, affection, compassion etc. are flowing downwards to feed the hearts of human beings. So true service is possible only through Love and true service also constitutes the test of pure love. When action is performed in the attitude of devotion and selfless love for the whole universe, it assumes the form of spiritual sadhana which is wholly beneficial to the highest goal of our life. To Swamiji, love is a triangle. A genuine love is bound to generate in the minds of lover unselfishness, fearlessness, and the feeling of love for love’s sake. He affirmed that loving God is loving His will. “Prayer is simply loving”. He spoke high of the Gopies, cowherdesses of Vrindavan, for theirs was not trading in love. Love purifies our mind and love or devotion to lead us to our goal must be tempered with jnana. Swamiji explained that it is our own will that answers prayer, for the Soul has infinite powers. Regarding the efficacy of prayer he said: “By prayer one’s subtle powers are easily roused, and if consciously done, all desires may be fulfilled by it; but done unconsciously one, perhaps in ten, is fulfilled. Such prayer, however, is selfish and should therefore be discarded.” (C.W. Vol. VII-page 3920. The Swami himself even in the darkest days of his life never prayed for his mundane welfare. Even at that time, being asked by Sri Ramakrishna to pray to Mother for material gain, he prayed for discrimination, renunciation, knowledge and love of God. His heart was so broad as to feel the miseries of the people of the world. He also exhorted us to share his feeling and love the people. In a letter to Alasinga he said, “Let us pray, ‘Lead, Kindly Light’ – a beam will come through the dark, and a hand will be stretched forth to lead on. I always pray for you: You must pray for me. Let each one of us pray day and night for the down-trodden millions in India who are held fast by poverty, priest-craft, and tyranny – pray day and night for them.” Regarding the necessity of love as sadhana to be followed by man even for the welfare of humanity, he said, “The world needs people who are mad with love of God. You must believe in yourself and then you will believe in God. The history of the world is that of six men of faith, six men of deep pure character. We need to have three things; the heart to feel, the brain to conceive, and the hand to work. Make yourself a dynamo, Feel for the world ……. Good works are continually being undone by the tons of hatred and anger, which are being poured out on the world. If you are pure, if you are strong, you, one man, are equal to the whole world. Take love, which never failed, and then the brain will conceive and the hand will work righteousness”
To a real devotee of the Lord world is a spirit, for he develops an altogether different attitude and witnesses God everywhere. But ordinary people, believing in the materialistic philosophy, find difficulty in developing any love for God. So they are advised to withdraw themselves from this hectic world of ours and direct their attention to the pursuit of infinite bliss. A purely mundane life is bound to suffer dullness and boredom unless one even occasionally meditates on God, eternity, beauty, and infinite bliss. In this context, Swamiji in a letter had said: “Instead of materializing the spirit, that is, dragging the spiritual to the material plane as these folks do, convert the matter into spirit, catch a glimpse at least, everyday, of that world of infinite beauty and peace, purity and spiritual and try to live in it day and night. Seek not, touch not with your toes even anything that is uncanny. Let your souls ascend day and night like an unbroken string unto the feet of the Beloved whose throne is in your own hearts and let the rest take care of themselves, that is, the body and everything else. Life is evanescent, a fleeting dream; youth and beauty fade away day and night. “Thou art my father, my mother, my husband, my love, my lord, my God – I want nothing but Thee, nothing but Thee, nothing but Three. Thou in me, I in Three, I am Thou, Thou art me.” (C.W. Vol. VI – page 223).
A genuine devotee of the Lord who was taken over as his sadhana must have tremendous faith in the benevolence and power of his Beloved. In this respect Swamiji had said in that same letter: “Through all the evil under the sun, say, my God, my love! Thou art here, I see Thee. Thou art with me, I feel Thee. I am Thine, take me. I am not of the world’s but Thine, leave not then me. Do not go for glass beads leaving the mine of diamonds! This life is a great chance. What, seekest thou the pleasures of the world!
He is the fountain of all bliss. Seek for the highest, aim at that highest and you shall reach the highest.” (Vol. VI, Complete Works – page 233).
SWAMI BRAHMANANDA
Young men and women of to-day, not only in India but also outside India, are quite familiar with the logic and work of Swami Vivekananda. And they know that Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa was the great Master of the illustrious Swami. Swami Brahmananda too was a disciple of Paramahamsa, and in every way he was as great as the world-conquering Vivekananda. But his sphere of work was different from that of the other. It was, as it were, behind the screen, but no less fundamental and basic to the world-regenerating mission of Sri Ramakrishna. Vivekananda was the thunderer and awakener, and Brahmananda was the silent shaper behind. The one was the founder of the new man-making institution, the Order of Ramakrishna, the other was its First President and Initial Builder.
Swami Vivekananda was the trumpet-voice of Sri Ramakrishna. Sri Ramakrishna was the organ and Swami Vivekananda was the music. Brahmananda was the Paramahamsa’s spiritual son, his jnana-putra. And as was the father, so was the son. Both father and son were literally God-centered. And as a result of their being that, they were able to touch and transform many. Swami Brahmananda was a spiritual dynamo. He did not ‘do’ much. He simply ‘was’. But like the Sun which by just being itself animates, illumines and energizes did he, by his mere presence, surcharge his environment with higher urges and nobler impulses. In short, his presence in itself was a benediction, his company was in itself a blessing. This feature of his personality once got demonstrated in a tangible way. In a certain religious centre which had been doing good work for long, a situation once arose, which led to strained feelings among the workers. There was bitterness in the air. Many remedies were tried to cleanse the atmosphere, but without success. At last the authorities appealed to the superior of the organization, Swami Brahmananda, and begged him to pay a visit to the centre. And he came, but held no enquiry, asked no questions, probed into no problem, in fact, did not seem to perceive that anything was wrong. He just lived on in his usual atmosphere of loftiness and serenity. And every soul around moved high and the air was of its own accord restored to soundness and health. The rising sun does not start ‘beating away’ darkness; the gloom melts away at the sun’s very coming. So was it with this jnana-surya.
Swami Brahmananda was one who did not merely talk and teach about devotion and prayer; he lived them every moment of his life. His observations on prayer and devotion, and his instructions in regard to their practice, are, therefore based not on text-book studies but on intimate personal realization and experience. They, therefore, have to the path-maker the value of the guidance of a pilgrim who has trodden every inch of the way and reached the goal.
Swami Brahmananda was affectionately and reverently called Maharaj by his disciples and followers. Indeed he was a spiritual monarch; and there was a majesty about him. He always impressed on aspirants the need to feel God’s proximity. “As long as you think the Lord is there”, he used to say, “you will be restless. When you feel that He is here (pointing to the heart) then only will you feel peace.”
Monasteries are made only by the men who inhabit them. Their thought and feelings contribute to the inspiration which monasteries exercise over the pious folk who resort to them. Maharaj used to say, ‘The spiritual practices of one single man are enough to make a monastery vibrate with holiness”. And he himself was an example of this phenomenon.
Maharaj always laid emphasis on the cultivation of a sweet temper. He used to say, “If only you could all be sweet-tempered and have love in your hearts there would be harmony.” But how to achieve this end? “You must make the Lord the centre of your affections” – thus would Maharaj counsel the young men who came to him.
A strong yearning is the basic necessity in the path of good life. A smug satisfaction with a little gain will not do. Maharaj would enthuse his disciples, telling them, “Do not be satisfied with yourselves as you are now. Try to move onward in your march. Don’t you remember the story of the man who went to find a sandalwood forest? Do not stop there. Move forward until you reach the diamond mine.” “You are young and pure. What infinite possibilities you have before you!” - with these words would he fan the flame of zeal in the young men who flocked round him.
Maharaj once gave this teaching: “Pray to the Lord with a yearning heart. Tell Him purely that you desire Him alone. Do not doubt He exists. Those who are weak and lowly are soon blessed with His vision. If you approach Him with devotion, He will surely reveal Himself. Do not feel shy because you have made mistakes or have not called on Him for a long time. He is the very embodiment of compassion. He does not care about your faults. Go to him with the simplicity of a child, and He will receive you. But simple and guileless. Without simplicity and childlike faith nobody can realize Him.”
Life and work get sweetened and ennobled through devotion. Maharaj used to exhort his disciples saying, “Always remember that through work you are serving the Lord. One can see Him with the eye of devotion. If you work with the idea of pleasing man, you will be disappointed. You will find peace and happiness only if you can remember the Lord. If He is pleased, the world is pleased. In favourable or adverse circumstances feel that you have none but Him, and that you are serving Him through the faithful discharge of your allotted duties.”
The right attitude is to regard the human body not as a mass of bones and flesh, but as a temple of God. “The body is the temple of God”, he would say, “Worship and meditation should be practiced within it … Temples built in the external world are aids for beginners. They are but symbols of the greatest temple of God: the human body.”
Swami Brahmananda’s teachings were simple and direct and made an irresistible appeal to novice and advanced sadhakas. “Rise early in the morning”, he would urge, “The best hours for contemplation are those at which night passes into day and day into night ….. struggle – struggle ….. Accept these struggles boldly. Welcome them. Through them you will find peace.”
“Don’t lead an easy-going life any longer …. No matter what work you take up, do it with your whole heart. That is the secret of work, as Swami Vivekananda used to say. Set yourself to work, but work for the Lord” – these words of Swami Brahmananda helped many to do all work as worship.
“God is the wish-yielding tree”, the Swami would assure men. “Whatever a man asks of Him, that he receives ….. Ask to be divine and you will become divine.”
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SWAMI SHIVANANDA (MAHAPURUSH)
Mahapurush Swami Shivananda was one of the few chosen direct monastic disciples and close associates of Yugavatara Bhagavan Sri Ramakrishna Deva. He dedicated his life at the feet of the Master and served Him as one of his principal instruments in disseminating his Divine message. The Spiritual Ganges which Sri Ramakrishna brought down from heaven for the redemption of mankind, irrespective of caste, colour, creed and nationality, flowed in abundance through his disciples. Each disciple was a great repository of spiritual power, and like a beacon-light illumined the pathways of thousands of seekers of God. Each one of them was a ‘saviour of mankind’, a gigantic spiritual personality, unparalleled in character, divinely gracious and whose very existence on earth was a boon to mankind. Sri Ramakrishna by imparting spiritual power to his disciples, made them spiritual giants like himself. Rightly it has been said by Romain Rolland about these disciples that “Each disciple of Sri Ramakrishna represented one aspect of His multifarious personality and when they were assembled together, He was there in his entirety”
Shivananda first came in contact with Sri Ramaklrishna sometime in the year 1880, and sat at his feet, till the Master’s passing away in 1886. From the very first meeting Sri Ramakrishna kindled in him the fire of intense vairagyam and strong desire for God-realization. It was under the guidance of his Guru that Shivananda plunged himself into intense tapasya and gradually attained the realization of Brahman.
After the passing away of Sri Ramakrishna, Swami Shivananda embraced the life of utter poverty, purity and penance, and along with another ‘Guru Bhai’ was the first to start the nucleus of the Ramakrishna Order of monks at Baranagar as the first monastery, which Vivakananda, Brahmananada and other brother monks joined later.
Swami Vivekananda commended the spirit of renunciation and wonderful self-control of Shivananda and called him Mahapurush (great Soul) as a mark of esteem a name by which he was popularly known among his Gurubhais and Swamis of Sri Ramakrishna Order.
Shivananda was born of a noble and pious Brahmin family of Barasat in West Bengal. His family name was Taraknath Ghosal. He was the first son of a childless couple – Ram Kanai Ghosal and Vanea Sundari Devi - by a boon a Lord Shiva Taraknath to be born as their son. This is why the boy was named Tarakanath. Verily he was born with the qualities of Shiva from his very childhood Tarak used to practice meditation and had an inherent tendency towards spiritual life and an innate feeling that enjoyment was not the object of life. The spirit of renunciation was in his very blood. As a child, his favourite sport was to throw handful of coins as offering in the water of an adjacent pond. Later, out of religious yearning Taraknath became a member of the Brahmo Samaj and came to know of the Master from the writing of the Brahmo leader Keshab Chandra Sen.
Though he had no desire to marry, as God-realization through renunciation and service was the motto of his life, yet before he came to Sri Ramakrishna he had to marry for the sake of sheer family obligation. However, his wife died after a short period. During his married life Taraknath lived a life of akhanda Brahmacharya. The death of the wife cleared the path for the young aspirant; he renounced the world and embraced the life of renunciation.
The first meeting with Sri Ramakrishna at Dakshineswar in 1880 made such a deep impression on the mind of young Taraknath that he accepted him as his spiritual guide and fully dedicated himself at the feet of the Brahmin priest of Dakshineswar. Sri Ramakrishna also at the very first meeting could know by his spiritual insight that Taraknath was no ordinary soul; rather he was one of his close associates, born to preach the universal doctrine to the whole world and destined to live the life of an ascetic. So he began to teach and train him up accordingly. By imparting spiritual power and by vigorous training the Master began to shape the life of Tarakanath. In fact, in the very first meeting Sri Ramakrishna raised Tarak’s mind to an extra-ordinary level of the realization of the omnipresence of God, of God with form as well as without form.
For long six years Taraknath received training at the feet of the Master. He was one of the chosen eleven whom Sri Ramakrishna initiated into sanyasa and made a fit instrument to carry on his mission. Sri Ramakrishna’s godly contact gradually transformed the life of the young Tarak and made him mad for the spiritual pursuit; it kindled in his heart the fire of dispassion and discrimination. If Sri Ramakrishna was the blazing sun, radiating spiritual luster all around, his disciples symbolized the radiance of the sun. Like Sri Ramakrishna, Taraknath also had the power to transmit spirituality to others; he could lift others’ mind to higher level of consciousness. He could do that by either thought, will-power or prayer.
After the passing away of the Master, Taraknath became restless for the realization of the Highest. In that state of mind as an itinerant monk practicing tapasya, he visited the holy places of pilgrimage and spent many years in Kedarnath, Badiranarayana, Uttar Kashi, Hardwar and other places of importance in the Himalayas. He spent many years in Varanasi also practicing austere tapasya – only occasionally coming down to the head monastery for a brief period. He performed hard tapasya because it was not only for his own salvation, but for the good of the world. From Almora during 1910 when questioned by a devotee he wrote “….. Our tapasya in the Himalayas is not for our own Mukti. Our only prayer to the Lord is the good of the world”
Taraknath formally took the monastic vow, under the leadership of Vivekananda by performing ‘Viraja Homam’ in 1887. Taraknath was christened Swami Shivananda, because of his ‘shiva origin’, and Shiva like nature. The new monk at Barangore monastery plunged deeper and deeper within himself, seeking higher and more permanent achievement in the realm of the spirit. During that period he seemed to be consumed by a spiritual hunger that knew no satiety.
For about two years and a half, Shivananda lived the life of intense tapasya at Baranagore integrating his own spiritual life and at the same time helping towards the consolidation of the new order of young monks. He always, both in work and worship, maintained a deep spiritual awareness. One would hear him repeating “Akhanda Satchidananda – Absolute Existence – Knowledge Bliss.”
Universality of outlook and catholicity of religious views were the special characteristics of the disciples of Sri Ramakrishna. “All religions are but different paths to God-realization”, this teaching was a unique contribution of the Master. What they learnt from their teacher, the disciples lived and preached. They had an equal regard for all religions and all paths – Jnana, Bhakti, Karma and Yoga. Their life was a wonderful harmony and a remarkable spiritual synthesis like that of the Master.
After four years of successful Vedanta-preaching abroad, Swami Viverkananda returned to India in 1897 and calling his brother disciples together started preaching Vedanta as taught by Sri Ramakrishna. At Swamiji request Swami Shivananda went to Ceylon and started the work of disseminating Vedanta there. He conducted classes on Bhagavat Gita and Raj Yoga, which were attended by educated Hindus and Europeans. Shivananda’s preaching work was very effective. He established the Vivekananda Society at Colombo. After nearly one year of preaching there, the Swami returned to the headquarters of the Order and began to help their leader Swami Vivekananda in his preaching work.
Swami Shivananda was a spiritual giant and a religious teacher of a very high caliber. He was endowed with the super human power of giving a spiritual life to seekers of God and of enlightening the doubting souls by a mere touch or a glance. He was such a God-intoxicated soul that to see him was to feel the Divine presence. Hence men and women of every walk of life came in large numbers from all over India, Ceylon, Burma, Europe, America, Brazil, Germany, France, Switzerland and Australia to him for spiritual guidance, for baptism, and for redemption from their worldly sorrows and distress. He refused none. Even great sinners were made whole and holy. He took their burden of sin on himself and made them whole.
It was the desire of Swami Vivekananda to start a centre at Varanasi for preaching Vedanta. He entrusted that work to Shivananda who accordingly in 1902 started the Ramakrishna Advaita Ashram at Varanasi and spent nearly six years in preaching Vedanta mainly by living Vedantic life. His intense tapasya, renunciation and rigorous discipline earned for him great admiration from sadhus of different sects of the holy city of Varanasi. His life was a living embodiment of Vedanta.
Swami Shivananda was made a Trustee of Belur Math and a member of the Governing body of the Ramakrishna Mission by Swamiji in 1898. From that time he served that organization in various capacities, even as its Vice-President. In 1922 he was elected the second President and in that post he served the Ramakrishna order of monks and the country for twelve years till his death in 1934. Under his fostering care and able guidance many new centres were started in India and abroad, and the number of the monastic members of the organization increased and its activities expanded.
At the behest of Swami Brahmananda, the first President, Swami Shivananda, rather reluctantly, leaving his life of seclusion in the Himalayas came to serve as the ‘Mahant’ (abbot) at the Belur Math in 1916. From that time onward he did not go out for tapasya. He was a “Jivan Mukta.” His words of wisdom brought solace and hope in many God-loving souls. He would say – “the heart of man is the abode of God. He resides in a pure heart, it is real heaven Goloka, Shivaloka,” To Shivananda every man was a temple of God.
The Swami was exceptionally reserved and would hardly disclose his spiritual experiences to anybody. But his fame as a knower of Brahman spread. Truth-seekers from far and near began to flock round him. Princes came, politicians, poets, physicians, philosophers, scientists and the common men, and beggars and destitutes came. All were received alike and taught. All found solace in him.
After he became the President, he began to give initiation freely to the ardent religious aspirants. Thousands received his spiritual baptism, his blessings and benediction but there was not a trace of Guru-consciousness in him. He used to say – “the idea that I am Guru or I am giving initiation does never cross my mind. As Shankara was the world teacher in the past, so is Ramakrishna in the present age. He inspires people to come here and again it is he who initiates them through me. As the devotees worship the Lord with flowers and foliages, in the same way I also offer those souls as offerings at the feet of Ramakrishna and I see that he accepts them …. There ends my responsibility. Thakur looks after them.” He never cared to remember the disciples by name, nor would he accept any “Pranami” (offering) big or small from them. “I am not the Guru. Thakur is your Guru” – he would say to the disciples, when they would offer anything to him.
The last twelve years of Swami Shivananda were years of spiritual administration. What he received from Sri Ramakrishna he distributed that freely. He was like Mother Ganga, purifying all who ever came to him. Like a touch-stone he would make everything pure and gold-like by a divine touch.
He was living in a ‘Videha’ stage. Even in failing health and ailing condition of his body, tirelessly he would receive countless seekers of God and give them spiritual instructions and blessings, treating all in a sweet and affectionate manner. No one would leave him empty-handed and dejected. He had not the least ego in him. His ego was merged in the higher Self. He used to say that it was the Master himself, who seated in his heart, was blessing people and that Sri Ramakrishna was all-in-all in his life.
Towards the end of his earthly career he was boundless, as it were, in his expression of love for his spiritual dependents. He would console them saying – “Why are you afraid and dejected? None of you need fear. I have arranged all for you. You will never lack anything. You are all saved.”
During the last four years of his life the Swami practically lived in another world having all kinds of spiritual visions and experiences.
He would sometimes say – “I am ready for His Call.” At last that call came and he “jumped into the Mother’s lap’ and attained ‘eternal life’, on Tuesday, the 20th of February, 1934. He was united with Sri Ramakrishna, his beloved Lord and Master. The Holy Ganges entered the sea, lost its own identity and became one with the ‘Eternal and Fathomless Ocean.’
Hari Om Tat Sat
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SWAMI RAMAKRISHNANANDA
Shashi Bhushan Chakravarthi was born in an orthodox Brahmin family of Bengal on 13th July 1863. His father, a strict observer of religious traditions and a devout worshipper of Divine Mother Kali, gave the early training that laid the foundation of a lofty character exhibited in the life of his great son.
He was a brilliant student of literature and philosophy while at college. He met Sri Ramakrishna in 1883 and became his disciple. He performed sadhana under Sri Ramakrishna till the latter entered into Mahasamadhi in 1886. After Sri Ramakrishna’s passing away Shashi took sanyas along with the other disciples and became Swami Ramakrishnananda. His new name indicates that he was a personification of ideal Guru-Bhakti.
In 1897, deputed by Swami Vivekananda he came to Madras and founded Sri Ramakrishna Math. He successfully spread the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna and founded a few branches in the South. He entered into Mahasamadhi in 1911.
Ecstatic devotion to his Guru was the essence of his life and teaching. Sri Ramakrishna was to him God Himself in human form. He felt the living presence of his Master at all times and at all places. He could say of his Master as truly as St. Paul said of his Master, Christ, “The life I now live in the flesh I live by the faith in the son of God.”
Even after the passing away of Sri Ramakrishna Ramakrishnandaji so vividly realized the presence of his Guru and God that he would serve his Master in the photo exactly in the way he did while he was in the physical body. Sri Ramakrishnananda used to prefer hot chapattis. So Ramakrishnananda would keep the stove burning and make hot chapattis and offer them to Sri Ramakrishna piece by piece during worship. He would offer to the Master a piece of twig hammered soft at one end to be used as tooth-brush as is the practice in Bengal. After the midday offerings, he would fan the Master for sometime so that the latter could easily have his nap. Sometimes he would talk to the Master praying for something and at some other time blaming him for something.
If one loves and serves the Master with single-minded devotion, one can attain God-vision. This is what we learn from the life of Ramakrishnananda.
Swami Ramakrishnananda was essentially a Bhakta; hence whatever he says on Bhakti is illuminating and inspiring. According to him, the path of Bhakti and prayer is the easiest, best and most practicable of all paths to God-realisation. The personal aspect of God is greater than his impersonal aspect. The glory of the Lord is not so much in His omnipotence or in His infinite majesty or in His irresistible will as in His condescension to stoop to the level of His devotee in the capacity of one equal to or even inferior to him. How the impersonal God becomes personal is explained by the Swami in the words of his Master, “Water has no definite shape and so takes the shape of any vessel that holds it. But intense cold sometimes makes it assume the shape of icicles and the like. Even so God, who is naturally formless, assumes a form for the sake of His devotees. Being all-powerful and all-gracious He can have form or no form.
Swamiji says that true devotion is selfless. Whether the Beloved is rich or poor, still the devotee’s whole soul is for Him and no one else. Like the Gopis of Vrindavan, he does not want to know whether God is all-powerful or not. He knows Him to be his Beloved; that is all. He always wants to give something to God; but never wants anything from Him. The true lover of God must be more than perfect. For, a perfect man may be self-contained and self-satisfied but he may not have the power of satisfying others just as a reservoir of water, full to the brim is self-contained and lives only in itself. Not so the perennial spring which is not only full in itself but also springs out of itself with overflowing munificence for the sake of others. A true devotee is like that. He lives not so much for himself as for his Beloved and for those who belong to Him.
Again, the Swami says that the t rue love of God is not possible without self-knowledge. In order to be a true lover of God, one must know one’s perfect nature, which is beyond hunger, thirst or other wants. True love of God or Bhakti comes after the realization of one’s true self or Atman which is perfect in everyway.
Ordinarily, our love of God is based on an utilitarian attitude. Because God is all-powerful and all-gracious we want him to satisfy our desires and save us from our troubles. This is not true love. A sycophant cannot have real love. The millionaire is loved for his money and not for his own sake. When he loses his wealth, he loses the love of his admirers. In true love a man is loved for his own sake, whether he is rich or poor, whether he is in favourable circumstances or not. Sita’s love for Rama did not fail when he was exiled by his father to forest; rather it increased a thousand-fold.
How to reach God? Through love. We must offer our heart’s love to Him. It is not sufficient if we offer fruits and flowers. It is our love that God wants from us and not anything else.
The philosophy of Bhakti is not very abstruse. Simple, children like Prahlada and Dhruva could understand it; for love is the nature of every human being. On account of the intense love of His childlike devotees, who do not care to know anything about the infinite perfection of their Beloved, the formless infinite God assumes form and appears before the devotees.
These forms of God are living forms. Through the worship of these living forms of God, many saints were born in India. Some think that the worship of images in temples has been introduced merely to enable the beginners to concentrate their mind. This may be true in the case of a few people. But the highest purpose which the worship of forms and images fulfils is to develop pure unselfish love for God. So we should not ignore the worship of forms and images as foolish. If worshipped with intense devotion, God manifests himself, his living presence to his devotees through the images and forms.
Swamiji was a firm believer in the efficacy of sincere prayer. He used to say, “If we have to be for anything, let us beg earnestly of God rather than of man to supply the necessities of life”. God has got his own inscrutable way to respond to our prayer. Through prayer one can have direct contact with God. If we pray to God with single-minded devotion for God Himself, that is the best prayer. And God will respond by giving Himself to the devotee.
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BHAGAVAN SRI RAMANA
Bhagavan Sri Ramana and Arunachala are inseparable. From 1896, in which year Sri Ramana as a young boy arrived at Tiruvannamalai, till 1950 when his physical body passed away, he remained throughout at that sacred place, in the Temple, on the Hill or in their vicinity, inspiring those who went to him or even heard about him, by his plenary spiritual experience. Apparently without any earlier preparation, Ramana had become a perfect sage; he was then only seventeen going to school at Madurai. Having overcome by the Great Awakening he found no use for the routine life. He left home and went to Arunachala, the very mention of which by an elderly relation of his sometime earlier had fascinated him. For the first few years the young seer stayed in seclusion; and not many knew of his presence in Tiruvannamalai. But the lamp could not be kept under a bushel for long. Even as the Holy Beacon that is lit annually on the top of the Hill could be seen from afar, the effulgence of the Maharshi came to be felt by aspirants all over the world; and the Ashrama that grew around him still continues to draw spiritual pilgrims of all denominations.
The source of the Maharshi’s teaching was his own spiritual experience, Self-realization as it is called. He did not learn the plenary truth from the sacred books first and then realize it; in his case the realization was earlier, and later on when the books were read out to him or brought to his notice, there was found corroboration of that realization.
Usually the sage’s instruction was through silence. Many a doubting inquirer found his doubts dismissed by a mere look of the sage. Rarely was there a need to express in words. The Maharshi’s luminous eyes lit within the hearts of many the lamp of understanding and peace. The first Englishman to see the Maharashi, F.H.Humphrys, gives the following description of his visit in 1911. “On reaching the cave we sat before him, at his feet and said nothing. We sat thus for a long time and I felt lifted out of myself. For half an hour I looked into the Maharshi’s eyes, which never changed their expression of deep contemplation…….The Maharshi is a man beyond description in his expression of dignity, gentleness, self-control and calm strength of conviction.” This was the normal experience of those who went to see the sage. Many would go to him with personal problems; and quite a few with questions of public concern. But once they settled down in his presence, those problems and question would cease to worry them, and they would experience an unspeakable calm within.
He composed metaphysical as well as devotional poems. He wrote mostly in Tamil, but some of his writings are in Sanskrit, Telugu and Malayalam. The earliest of his compositions are in Tamil prose: ‘Self-Enquiry’ and ‘who am I? They were written at the beginning of this century by way of instruction to two of the early devotees. Among the poems are the well-known Forty Verses (Ulladu-Narpadu) with the Supplement (Anubandha), the Upadesa-sara, and the various Hymns to Arunachala. Besides these, Bhagavan Ramana has translated into Tamil six works of Acharya Sankara and a few other Advita texts.
In an invocatory verse which Sri Ramana has added to his Tamil rendering of Sankara’s Hymn to Dakshinamurti, he says:
“That Sankara, who appeared as Dakshinamurti to grant peace to the great ascetics (Sanaka, etc), who revealed his real state of silence, and who has expressed the nature of the Self in this hymn, abides in me.”
It is the same Advaita teaching that we find in Sankara and Ramana. The ultimate Reality is the non-dual self. The so-called triad of realities, God, Soul, and the World, are not really three. As Sri Ramana teaches in the Ulladu-Narpadu they are, in truth,one. They appear as three only so long as the ego lasts. The various distinctions and multiplicities subsist on the one; when the latter is realized, they disappear. The one Self is the Supreme Truth; plurality is illusion. True accomplishment is the gaining of the Self which is existence-reality. All other accomplishments are like what is achieved in dreams.
‘Realize the Self’ Accomplish the Real’ – such expressions should not be understood in their literal sense. The author of a recent book “Why Lazarus Laughed” writing under the pseudo-nam Wei Wu Wei explains this point by making a reference to Bhagavan’s teaching. “The Maharshi suggested,” observes this author, “that the trouble may arise through the word ‘realize’; it is a verb, and the last syllable implies action of some kind. But no action is possible, and to try to take nay defeats its own object. It means ‘to take or render or become real’ but that which is real in us is so already, always was and always will be. We can no more ‘become’ real than we can become ourselves.”
What has to be done, then – if we may use such an expression – is that we should become awake to the eternal Reality that we are. What stands in the way of that awakening is our wrong identification with the ego – the pseudo-self. The method taught by Bhagavan Ramana for the rejection of this identification is the enquiry’ who am I? The essence of this technique consists in tracking the ego to its source. The ego, ‘I’ – thought is the first of all thoughts. By seeking the source of the ego viz., the place whence the ego arises, one puts an end to ego itself. This can be accomplished also by surrendering the ego to God or the Guru. The excellence of the path of self enquiry, however, is that it is the most direct road, open to the theist and the atheist alike, to the learned and the not-so-learned, to the orthodox and the unorthodox. In the following verses of the Upadesasara, Bhagavan Ramana describes this path:
“If the mind unceasingly investigates its own nature, it will be seen that there is nothing called mind. This is the straight path open to all”.
“The ‘I’ thought is the basis of all thoughts; the thoughts are the mind; know the ‘I to be the mind.”
“Whence does this ‘I’ arise? Seek for it within; Io, it vanishes. This is the self-enquiry.”
“Where the ‘I’ disappeared, there the ‘I-I’ shines of its own accord: this is the Supreme plenary Reality.”
The plenary experience came to Ramana, and the path that led to it opened out before him without any forewarning or conscious preparation, when he was a lad of seventeen in 1896. He was a youth enjoying robust health; his class fellows were even afraid of his strength and courage. But, for no reason whatsoever, one day, he was seized with the dread of death. A strong feeling that he was going to die possessed him. Any other youth would have succumbed to the feeling, and would have run to a physician, an elder, or a friend for succour. But Ramana did not seek for a way of escape from the crisis; he was determined to confront it; he welcomed the encounter with death. This was what he did. He dramatized death. He lay down on the floor – this happened in a small room on the first floor of his uncle’s house at Madurai where he was staying, stretched his limbs out and held them stiff as though rigor mortis had set in. He held his breath and kept his mouth tightly closed; his body resembled in every respect a corpse. Then followed the inquiry: what is it that dies? The body is dead; it will be consigned to flames, and reduced to ashes. But, “I” am not the body, since I am aware of the body and its death. So, death cannot touch me; I am the deathless spirit. Although when expressed in words, the inquiry appears to be a process of ratiocination, it was not, in fact, a piece of reasoning. The truth came in a flash, as it were; Ramana became aware of it directly, immediately. The dread of death vanished at once and for ever. Abidance as the self became constant and permanent.
In the Ulladu – Narpadu ( Forty Verses on Existence) and Upadesa Saram ( The Essence of Instruction), we have compendious and clear expositions of the discipline that the seeker after truth should go through in order to gain self-realization.
In the Ulladu-Narpadu, the path of self-inquiry (Atma-Vichara) is thus explained: The ‘I’ – thought is the first to rise. In the inert things there is no sense of ‘I’. It is the mind that consists of thoughts. The first of these thoughts is ‘I’. The core of the discipline is that one should inquire with a keen mind whence this ‘I’ rises (verse 23). When it is said “The I rises”, what is meant is that herein lies the knot of the self and the not-self which is called, technically, superimposition or nescience. Bongage, soul, the subtle body, egoity, transmigration, mind – all these are but synonymns (24). It is the ‘I’- thought or ego that functions in various ways. Dwelling within the body it acts, enjoys, experiences; leaving one body, it enters into another. But, when its nature is inquired into, it takes to flight; it turns out to be devoid of substance (25). The ego is the prop of all appearances. If the ego is, all else is. If the ego is not, nothing else is. The ego is all. When what the ego is, is inquired into and its non-reality is known all phenomena are given (26). When, through inquiry, the state where the ‘I’ does not rise is reached, one realizes that one is the non-dual self. When the ‘I’ is lost, the self is gained (27). One should dive into oneself, with senses and functions controlled, and find the place where the ‘I’ rises in order to recover the self, even as one would dive into water in order to get back some precious jewel that has fallen into it (28). The path of knowledge does not consist in the verbal repetition of the word’I’. The inquiry should be done with the mind turned inward. This is the direct path. The path of meditation which is of the form ‘I am not this; I am that’ is not inquiry; it is only an auxiliary discipline (29). Through the inquiry ‘who am I’, the mind reaches the Heart, which is only another expression for the Self. Then the ego, the pseudo – ‘I’, sinks crest-fallen and the real ‘I’, the Self, shines of its own accord. This real ‘I’ is not an object; it is the plenary reality (30). The destruction of the ego through inquiry and the gaining of Self-awareness – other than this, there is nothing to be accomplished. Pure Self-awareness is perfection (31) this is the realization that one is always the Self, and that there is not other reality (32).
In the Upadesa Saram the Master gives the same teaching in a more concise and quintessential form Action does not lead to liberation. But acts that are performed without attachment to fruits help by cleansing the mind and rendering it fit for pursuing the path of knowledge. Similarly, the other disciplines such as offering worship to the deity, uttering the sacred mantras, and meditation, which pertain respectively to the body, speech and mind, are auxiliaries to the path. Slowly, the different aspects of the organism and its functions should be sublimated, through karma, bhakti, and yoga; gradually one should adopt subtler and subtler modes of discipline, discarding the grosser ones. The value of these disciplines consists in the measure of their contribution to the progress in the direct path. The direct path for all is the mind’s investigation of its own nature, resulting in the realization that there is no such thing as mind. As we have already seen, the mind is but a bundle of thoughts; the first thought is ‘I’. One should investigate into the source of the ‘I’ – thought; one should seek for it within; then one would find that the ‘I’ vanishes; leaving the self resplendent in its positive glory. To know the Self is to be the Self, for there are not two selves – one that knows and another that is known. When, thus, one’s true nature is known, there is endless Awareness-Bliss. This is release.
Ramana Maharshi’s Hymns to Arunachala belong to the category of devotional poetry. In these hymns, the Master sings the praise of Arunachala, the Lord in the form of the Blazing Hill, which is symbolic of the manifestation of the Self in the Heart centre. The form of the Deity chosen for devotion and meditation is itself significant for the Master’s central teaching, which is the gaining of Advaita-experience through the path of Self inquiry.
The very first verse of the first of the Arunachala hymns. Aksara-mana-malai strikes the keynote when it says: “O Arunachala! Thou dost root out the egoity of those who think ‘I’m, verily, Arunachala. The goal is the I-am Arunachala-experience; the means is the destruction of the ego. The grandeur of this poem is that it teaches advaita in the language of bridal mysticism. Resting in the Self-abidance is taught as the goal that the soul has to seek (37). The grace of Arunachala, the Sun, is sought for dispelling the darkness of ignorance (38). True devotion to Arunachala reveals that Arunachala is the only reality and that one is non-different from that reality(43). One’s life becomes futile if one does not gain true knowledge through inquiry (46). One has to dive into the true Self in order to recover oneself. Those that are pure in mind and speech lose their ego in the Self and realize the bliss of non-duality (47). In the Heart-Centre supreme Reality shines self-luminously as ‘I-I’. Realization of this truth is the true union with God (57). God’s essence is grace. Grace fulfils itself by granting wisdom to the soul. Wisdom is granted by destroying maya (65). Maya, the knot of ignorance, is the cause of bondage. It it is the eternally free Lord that should cut this knot and liberate the soul from ignorance (80). When the urguent of God’s grace is applied, the blindness of ignorance is removed (84). Through attachment to God, attachment to sense-objects is removed. Finally this attachment too is transcended in the plenary experience of non-duality (86). Towards the concluding portion of the grand litany, Aksara-mana-malai, the Master makes the devotee pray to Arunachala for the supreme gift of Vedantc wisdom: “Grant me the essence of the Vedas, which shines in the Vedanta, the One without a Second O Arunachala!”(99).
The Path that leads to Awakening consists of hearing (sravana), reflection (manana), and contemplation (nididhyasana). In the case of one who is supremely eligible, hearing the truth even once will do. But in the case of those whose minds are filled with obstructing vasanas, the other two disciplines are necessary. Association with the wise (sat-sanga), worship of God (Isvaraaradhana), control of breath (pranayama), etc. are also helpful in rendering the mind pure and one-pointed.
For the use of Sadhakas who cannot read Sanskrit, Ramana Maharshi has rendered into Tamil several Advaita classics. Among these are Sankara’s Hymn to Daksinamurti, Atma-bodha, Vivekachudamani and Drug-drsya-viveka. In the introductory verses to some of these translations Ramana declares his total identity with the Self that is Sankara.
SRI GURUDEVA DR RANADE
Dr.Ranade was a Saint-pHilosopher, well-versed both in intellectual and spiritual knowledge. He was born on 3rd July 1986, at Jamakhandi, a Taluka place in the Bijapur District of Karnatak. The child was a precious gift of the intense penance of its pious mother.
The school and college career of the lad was marked by intellectual brilliance of a very high order. Even when he was in his teens, he was blessed by his Master – Sri Bhau Saheb Maharaj – the eminent Saint of Umadi with a Divine Nama. His school study and spiritual Sadhana proceeded side by side. His deep study brought him prizes in the examiniations and his regular intense sadhana blessed him with higher and higher spiritual experiences. Thus did this youth gradually evolve into a Saint-Philosopher.
Dr.Ranade studied Eastern and Western Philosophy to find intellectual justification for his spiritual life. He worked as Professor of Philosophy in the Fergusson College, Poona and Willingdon College, Sangli. He was also the Head of the Department of Philosophy, Dean of the Faculty of Arts in the Allahabad University and retired as its Vice-Chancellor in 1946.
Dr.Ranade had his trials and tribulations in life. He ws the victim of a prolonged illness of a dangerous type. But he could safely pass through this fiery ordeal on account of the unbounded grace of his sadguru. At the same time, through his grace he could also enjoy high spiritual experiences along with supreme bliss.
Dr.Ranade has to his credit many monumental works depicting in the Western garb, the spiritual message of the Upanishads, the Gita as well as those of the Hindi, Marathi and Kannada Saints. His Ashram, near the Railway Station of Nimbal, between Sholapur and Bijapur, has been the main centre of his spiritual activities, where he blessed many a seeker and guided him on the spiritual path. The Academy of Comparative Philosophy and Religion and Belgaum and the Adhyatma Vidya Mandir at Sangli have been carrying on his intellectual activities. The former institution is publishing an Annual Journal entitled “pathway to God” for spreading is spiritual message.
Sri Gurudeva always spoke through the saints. The present Prayer, selected by him, fairly enshrines the essence of his Spiritual Teaching.
“Oh Hari! Stay in my heart all along! Stir not from my heart even for a single moment. Thou art Nada-murti- the very form of the primeval Sound. Thou art the visible form of Sound and Light or Luminous Sound. There is a canopy of illumination studded with nine kinds of jewels. Oh God! I just want to keep Thee at the centre of the canopy and workship Thee with meditation. There is no other worship for me. I shall meditate on the Name and Form. That is enough for me……At the end of worship what shall I do? I shall put pearls and rubies in a tray missed with Bhakti-rasa, the essence of devotion, and I shall wave that light of devotion before Thee. It is not possible for me, Oh God? To leave Thee. I won’t leave Thee………..Hence it is not proper for Thee to abandon me!” (P.G.K.PP.149-150)
“To realize God both for oneself and for other,” says Sri Gurudeva, ‘is and should be the goal of human life”. But how to realize God? God can be realized by Devotion born of Moral Purity and developed by devout Meditation on the Name Divine granted by realized Sadguru. Such a Name, according to Sri Gurudeva, carrries with it Divine Power. It is called Sabija – Nama or Seed – Name, because, like a seed it gives out shoots of spiritual experiences, when it is sown in a pure heart and watered by soulful meditation. And at the advent of the spring of Divine Grace, it bears fine flowers and luscious fruits of supreme Bliss. It is Devotion and Grace, therefore, that are the main factors in the Path. Both of them are interdependent. Grace induces and develops devotion, while Devotion allures and attracts Grace. They are like the negative and positive electric currents. Their contact alone is capable of producing spiritual Illumination and Bliss.
But, “ a man who starts on his journey, must not expect to reach the end at once. There is bound to be a time interval between initiation and realization. A Sadhak who gets himself initiated by a teacher must work and wait for attaining realization and therefore liberation. It will require a good deal of time before he conquers his mind and intellect, devotes himself entirely to God, makes possible some definite attainment in that line and ultimately achieves divine realization” ( B.P.G., P.72).
“The crowing piece of performance, however, is the passionate longing of the aspirant for the realization of God. It is this inner urge, this one-pointed and passionate search, this life of consecration to the ideal, which crowns the efforts of man for the attainment of God. The devotee must pant for God, like fish out of water. “When thou art dried up, Oh Lake!” says the fish, “the birds and swans can take resort elsewhere; but pinionless as I am, where shall I, whose life is entwined with yours, go to seek resort? In the very process of my search would lie the termination of my endeavor.”……It is only in such a helpless state of existence that the passionate appeal of the devotec is likely to be heard” ( P.G.H.,P.363). Hence, “whenever we find ourselves in a critical situation, we should lift our mind towards God, throw outselves upon His mercy and pray to him to protect us” ( P.G.H.-P.126).
“What is wanted, therefore, is the quality of the heart which many enable the seeker to conquer time. In order, however, that the quality might be attained, Abhyasa may be necessary but it is not all. If you have reached a particular stage of Bhava, then neither much time, nor much practice would be added.” ( B.P.G.P 236).
Thus “we should be inspired with one-pointed devotion towards God. We should have no other object of attachment. We should practice meditation without sacrificing a single moment, from day to day, month to month, and year to year, to the very end of our life.
…When all these have been accomplished, then alone does the success in spiritual life become assured. We must not, however, fail to note that Bhava or Bhakti, an unexplained and inexplicable love of God, is a fundamental requirement; meditation from hour to hour and day to day and even concentration on the Name of God are of secondary importance. The Bhagavadgita tells us that unless there is an element of Saranagamana or surrender in our devotion and unless we resign ourselves completely to the Power and Will of God, no great achievement in spiritual life is possible……Finally, the Bhagavadgita tells us that it is only through one-pointed devotion to God that one may be able to know Him, see Him, and enter into Him.”
The last element necessary for the success of our spiritual meditation is the Grace of God. It is not simply by performing our devotional acts that we may be able to achieve our highest goal. God must be moved and it is only when He is moved that He will move the world by His Grace” (B.P.G.,P.254-255).
REFERENCES
B.P.G – The Bhagavadgita as a Philosophy of God-realisation.
P.G.H - Pathway to God in Hindi Literature
P.G.K – Pathway to God in Kannada Literature
SWAMI SIVANANDA SARASWATI
Kuppuswamy was born on 8th September 1887 at Pattamadai, Tinnavelly District. He studied in the S.P.G.College, Trichinopoly and served as a doctor in the Malayan States for 10 years. Though born in an orthodox family, he was broad-minded and catholic, pious and devout, devoted to the study and practice of Vedanta with the spirit of service and kindness.
In 1924 he took sanyasa at Rishikesh; Dr.Kuppuswamy became Swami Sivananda Saraswati. He did severe tapas and meditation, and shone as a great yogi, saint and sage. He founded the Divine Life Society in 1936 and the Yoga-Vedanta Forest Academy in 1948, with the aim and object of dissemination of spiritual knowledge and training of people in Yoga and Vedanta.
He has written over 200 volumes and has disciples all over the world. On 14th July 1963, he entered Mahasamadhi and merged in the Universal Spirit.
The following are some of Swami Sivananda Saraswati’s prayers and spiritual advices:
O adorable Lord of Mercy and Love!
Salutations and prostrations unto Thee
Thou art Satchidananda
Thou art Omnipresent, Omnipotent, Omniscient;
Thou art the Indweller of all beings.
Grant us an understanding heart,
Equal vision, balanced mind,
Faith, devotion and wisdom.
Grant us inner spiritual strength,
To resist temptations and to control the mind.
Free us from egoism, lust, greed and hatred.
Fill our hearts with divine virtues.
Let us behold Thee in all these names and forms
Let us serve Thee in all these names and forms
Let us ever remember Thee
Let us ever sing Thy Glories
Let Thy Name be ever on our lips.
Let us abide in Thee for ever and ever.
* * * *
Serve, love, give, purify, meditate, realize.
Be good, do good, be kind, be compassionate.
Practice Ahimsa, Satyam, Brahmacharya,
This is the essence of Yoga and Vedanta;
Practise Non-injury, Truth and Purity
This is the essence of Religion and Spirituality.
Enquire ‘Who am I’ , know the Self, and be free.
Be still, be quiet, know thy Self.
Find the Hearer, find the Seer, find the Knower.
You are not this body, not this mind;
Immortal Self you are.
* * * *
Serenity, regularity, absence of vanity,
Sincerity, simplicity, veracity,
Equanimity, fixity, non-irritability,
Adaptability, humility, tenacity,
Integrity, nobility, magnanimity,
Charity, generosity, purity,
Practise daily these eighteen ‘ities’
You will soon attain immortality.
Brahmin is the only real entity,
Mr. So and So is the false non-entity.
You will abide in eternity and infinity.
You will behold unity in diversity
You cannot attain this in the University
The following are his teachings on the value of Prayer and Devotion:
“The kitten mews, and the cat runs to it and carries it away. Even so, the devotee cries, and the Lord comes to his rescue. Prayer is giving an opportunity to God to comfort the devotee.
Prayer is not asking. Prayer is communion with God through single-minded devotion.
Prayer is the very soul and essence of religion. It is the very core of man’s life. No man can live without prayer.
The blind, the deaf and lame, the armless, the puny, the ignorant and the debased, the lowliest and the forlorn – all can pray to God, for prayer belongs to the heart and its feeling, and not to the body.
Prayer should spring from the heart. It should not be lip-homage. Empty prayer is as sounding brass or tinkling cymbal.
The breath has been given to you by the Lord to be spent in prayer. Kneel down and pray; but, let the prayer not cease when you rise. Prayer should be lifelong, and your life should be one long prayer.
Prayer is a mighty spiritual force. Prayer is spiritual food for the soul. Prayer is a spiritual tonic.
Prayer is an unfailing remedy for all situations. Many a time have I experienced its marvelous potency. You, too, can experience it.
None in this world will save you. It is God who like you the most. Can on Him. He will run to you. Seek His guidance. Praise His glory. Invoke His mercy. Pray fervently right now from this very second. You will attain eternal bliss.
Bhakti is devotion or unselfish love. This is the liternal meaning of the word. It comes from the root “Bhaj”, to serve or be deeply interested in. “Bhaj Sevayam” is the Sanskrit root. Bhakti is, therefore, an intense attachment to God or deep interest in God and things concerned with God.
Bhakti is resting on God. Bhakti is flow of devotion like the flow of a river. Bhakti is continuity of devotion, just as there is continuity in the flow of oil from one vessel to another vessel. Bhakti is attraction of the Jiva to the Lord, just as there is attraction of the needle to the magnet.
Bhakti is not mere emotionalism, but is the tuning of the will as well as the intellect towards to Divine. It is supreme love of God. It blossoms afterwards into Jnana. It leads to immortality or God-realisation.
Bhakti can be practiced under all conditions and by all alike. Learning, austere penance, study of the Vedas and brilliant intellect are not needed for the attainment of Bhakti or devotion. What is wanted is constant and living remembrance of God, coupled with faith. That is the reason why the path of Bhakti is available for everyone.
Nisada was born in a low caste; Sabari was a rustic woman; Dhruva was an uneducated boy; Vidura and Sudama were very poor; Vibhishana was an ugly Rakshasa; Hanuman was a money; Jatayu was a bird; Gajendra was an elephant; the Gopis of Brindavan were not initiated into Vedic rites; but all these attained God-realisation on account of their devotion and self-surrender.
Bhakti is easier than any other way of approach to God. Those who tread the path of Jnana and Yoga are liable to become proud of their powers and wisdom. Bhaktas are humble. Humility is the foundation of Bhakti Yoga.
If the devotee loves God sometimes, and his wife, son, money, house, cattle and property also at other times, it is Vyabhicharini Bhakti. The love is divided. A small portion of the mind is given to God. The remaining portion is given to family and possessions. This will not do.
Desire obstructs the growth of devotion. Devotion to the Lord increases in intensity when mundane desires are renounced.
Renunciation is the very essence of devotional love. Divine love has no element of desire in it.
There are six kinds of Bhava in Bhakti. In Shanta Bhava, the devotee is Shanta or peaceful. He is not highly emotional. Bhishma was a shanta Bhakta.
Sri Hanuman was a Dasya Bhakta. He served Lord Rama whole-heartedly. He found joy and bliss in the service of his Master.
In Sakhya Bhava, God is a friend of the devotee. Arjuna had this Bhava towards Lord Krishna. The devotee moves with the Lord on equal terms. Arjuna and Krishna used to sit, talk, and walk together as intimate friends.
In Vatsalya Bhava, the devotee looks upon God as his child. Yasoda had this Bhava with Lord Krishna. The devotee serves, feeds and looks upon God as a mother does in the case of her child.
The fifth Bhava is Sakthi Bhava. This is also known as Gopi Bhava. The Gopis united Radha and Krishna when they got separated. They indentified themselves with Radha and Krishna and enjoyed the bliss resulting from their reunion.
The last is Madhurya Bhava or Kanta Bhava. This is the highest form of Bhakti. This was the relation between Radha and Krishna. This is Atmasamarpana. The lover and the beloved become one. The devotee and God feel one with each other and still maintain separateness in order to enjoy the bliss of the play of love between them. The relationship is that of husband and wife. Jayadeva, Mira and Andal had this Bhava.
Bhakti is of two kinds, Apara Bhakti and Para Bhakti, Apara Bhakti is lower Bhakti. In Apara Bhakti, the devotee is a neophyte. He dislikes other kinds of Bhaktas who worship other Devatas.
A devotee of Para Bhakti type is all-embracing and all-inclusive. He has cosmic love or Visvaprem. The whole world is Brindavan for him. He does not visit temples for worship. He sees the Lord in everything. He feels that the world is a manifestation of the Lord, and all movements and actions are His Lila.
Para Bhakti and Jnana are one. They only slight difference is: a Bhakta uses his emotion, a Jnani uses his will and intellect; Bhakti begins with love, and Jnana with thinking and self-analysis. The end of both is the same, union with the Divine.
Kindly love divine in thy heart, for this is the immediate way to the kingdom of God.
Seek His Will. Do His Will. Surrender to His Will. You will become one with the Cosmic Will. Surrender unto the Lord. You will reach the destination, the Abode of Immortal Bliss.
SAINT NITHYANANDA OF VAJRESHWARI
From time to time there have appeared in this Punya Bhumi of ours great Saints and Siddha Purushas to lead erring souls “from the jungle path to the royal road.” These illumined souls having attained the Divine have become the Divine and as such as with all souls – “ Vasudeva Maya Sarvam”. They thus belong to all humanity and they delight in doing good to all – man, beast and even trees – “ Sarva Bhuta hite ratha.” The places associated with them have become centres of pilgrimage and Vajreshwari, some 50 miles away from Bombay, is one such holy place. It was here that the great Siddha Swami Nityananda lived in recent times and had his Mahasamadi in 1961.
Little is known about the early life of this great saint except that he left his home while still in his teens and spent most of his time in meditation and penance in the remote jungle regions and mountain recesses of India. His first presence and activities after his self-realisation while roaming about almost nude in the rural areas of South Kanara District of Mysore State cast a magical charm and mystery over the phenomenon of nature. Large numbers of the common folk gathered around him with tales of woes and ailments and they found easy panacea and miraculous cures for these by his alchemic touch and the mere application of leaves and herbs picked up and given them from the road side. He did not escape either the attention from the arrogant behaviour and harassment of a few ill-advised egotists to serve their own ends which, however, recoiled on their own heads. For instance, a local necromancer in a village pressed the saint to swallow a piece of poisoned tobacco with a view to kill him, but he met with a sudden end himself following heavy vomiting and purging. Once the local police took him into custody and put him in lockup as a vagrant, but they found the miracle of his being seen by people walking about freely outside the police station, and the police had to apologise and set him free. The railway staff at a station refused him permission to enter the train without a ticket; it was soon found the engine of the train suddenly came to a dead stop after moving a short distance inspite of all their best efforts till they realized their error and persuaded him to enter the train.
Thus numerous were the miracles wrought by him and his benevolent acts to alleviate suffering and distress among the people and bring comfort and solace to them by his mission of kindness and mercy in his own peculiar way.
His loving care and solicitude for the poor, the aged and the orphans is no less than that shown towards the suffering humanity. He distributed alms and money freely to them from unknown sources which was a mystery to all.
Sound health, supreme equanimity and harmony, and contentment and happiness are the prime objectives a man seeks in life. To achieve these ends modern civilized world has sought to evolve diverse methods in its material quest of sense enjoyments, of secular and social values and of national concepts and systems. It uses forces of opposition to realize equality; it breeds fear, discontent and misery to secure contentment; and it indulges in violence and bloodshed to attain peace. It treads the path of irreligion in order to realize the principles of religion. While professing to wipe out the distinction between high and low, it only strengthens them because its efforts are misconceived. The great seers of old have declared with one voice based on their direct and intuitive experience of the Reality that eternal joy and peace could be achieved primarily by cultivating man’s own inner thought-habits and not through his outer equipment and achievements. “ Sin is wrong actions springing from wrong thoughts”. Inner experience of equanimity, harmony and unity could be gained by realigning our thought-patterns, whatever be the environment surrounding us.
Swami Nityananda declares:
“To see the one self in all is liberation”.
“Return within yourself. Look at your own essence.
The world is within you, you are in the world. It is the One who sports in All”.
“What shall I speak of Brahmananda! Truly, truly, the eternal Atman in you and all is one, same.”
“Like camphor in the fire, the mind shall dissolve in the Atman.”
“When you sit inside a room closing the doors you do not know what happens outside. When the doors are shut, the Jivatman and Paramatman are one. When you come out opening the doors, then the Jivatman and the Paramatman are different.”
“The Brahma-vidya is the highest. It cannot be purchased for a price. It cannot be secured by sense of honour and respect; nor by outer fame. By Bhakti alone it is secured.”
We have to learn to keep the inner thought-world holy, pure and peaceful and we can spread peace end contentment around us. This is the prime object of Eternal Dharma whose goal is higher living now and final emancipation hereafter.
Swami Nityananda says –
“Mind is the cause of both the good and the evil. By one’s own thoughts one can be bad, by one’s own thoughts one can be good also.”
‘Mere exterior embellishment without realizing the truth within does not eliminate the Karma. Parasite! Away with outer ritual should you keep deceit within. What is in the mind should be spoken; what is spoken shall be put into action. Do what you say and say what you do.”
Whole-hearted devotion and love, and sincere and loving prayer to Him to grant us peace is the only universally acknowledged method vouchsafed to us by our old seers to gain our inner thought-personality. The Lord of Love is so full of positive qualities that when his Form and Divine Nature are brought in our mind during our contemplation of Him, we create in our hearts those divine moods and healthy thoughts. By replacing the present thoughts within us with the holy thoughts generated by loving prayers, absolute surrender to His will and earnest solicitation of His Grace, we can achieve our objective of a healthier, harmonious and happy life within and create cordial and happy environmental conditions in the world outside.
Swami Nityananda lays great emphasis on ‘Faith’
and ‘Bhakti’:
“First Faith; next Bhakti. Without faith, there is no bhakti.”
“It is not possible to cultivate Bhakti giving up samsara. Stay in Samsara; doing this and that attain Mukti. Desire is Samsara; absence of desire is Mukti.”
Devotion and dedication to duty more for the good of others than for oneself; integrity and a sense of honesty of purpose in the discharge of one’s duty; and a sense of discipline and respect for elders – these are some of the essential qualities which the Great Masters like Swami Nityananda sought to inculcate in us by their exemplary and teachings. But to attain these qualities, constant practice – Sadhana – is absolutely necessary. Swami Nityananda says:
“If the mind is not pure it is difficult to get equality of outlook. Without Sadhana, it is difficult to acquire good qualities. By Sadhana one gets the subtle intelligence; attachment to things physical does not leave without proper Sadhana. It is difficult to eliminate desire for possessions, women and gold.
“Constant practice is needed for vairagya to be always steady. Practice is needed to make vairagya permanent”
“All is achieved if one does Sadhana. By Sadhana is known every state, every condition.”
“Mere repetition of ‘Rama’ , ‘Krishna’, ‘Govinda’. even a thousand years does not bring Mukti. The mind must join.”
“Concentrate on the incoming and outgoing breath. Draw-draw the breath evenly. There is no yoga without holding of breath. It is not possible to draw water from the well without having a rope.”
Saints like Swami Nityananda bestow Divine Grace and by their perennial inspiration and wisdom could direct us to the path of the Divine. Swamiji is no longer bodily with us but has left to us a valuable legacy through his life and teachings.*
SRI RAMANUJACHARYA
Sri Ramanuja was born in Sriperumbudur near Kanchipuram in 1017 A.D. He was the son of Asuri Keshava Somayaji and Kantimati. He studied Vedanta in Kanchi under the great Professor Yadavaprakasha. Sri Ramanuja became a sanyasin to dedicate himself to the cause of religion and service of humanity. Due to the persecution of the Chola king, Kulottunga Chola I, he fled to the uplands of Mysore territory. Here he converted Bittideva, the king of the Hoysalas, into Srivaishnavism. After the death of the Chola king in 1118 A.D., he returned triumphantly to Srirangam for the consolidation of his missionary work. He passed away in 1137 A.D. full of glory after a long span of 120 years. Sri Ramanuja wrote nine works in Sanskrit which are as valuable as his life.
Srivaishnavism is timeless. Sri Ramanuja only gave shape to ides of Srivaishnavism and Vishistadvaita. The truths of Srivaishnavism were communicated by Lord Varadaraja through Kandhipurna to Sri Ramanuja: “I am the Supreme Truth, the Way and the Goal. The souls are different from Me and depend on Me as their source and sustenance. Prapatti (self-surrender) is the way to liberation.” He has expounded these truths in his main works.
Sri Ramanuja upholds all the three streams of thoughts in the Upanishads, namely, unity, plurality and both. In his “Vedaratha-samgraha” he himself clinches the argument: “We uphold unity because Brahman alone exists with all other entities as His modes. We uphold both unity and plurality, as the one Brahman Himself has all the physical and spiritual entities as his modes and this exists qualified by plurality. We uphold plurality as the three entities – the individual souls, the world and the Supreme Lord – are mutually distinct in their substantive nature and the attributes, and there is no mutual transposition of their characteristics.” Thus Vishistadvaita is usually translated as qualified non-dualism.
Spiritual life, according to Sri Ramanuja, begins with the practice of Karmayoga in the spirit of Gita’s teachings. Karma that is performed in this manner cleanses the heart. Jnana-yoga, which immediately follows, is meditation upon the individual soul as distinct from matter like the body, mind, etc., with which it is associated. This discipline helps one to realize one’s own soul in relation to the Supreme. Knowledge of God comes through the discipline of Bhakti-yoga. Here the word Bhakti does not connote the popular sense in which it is understood. Bhaktiyoga is loving meditation upon God. When the meditation attains the form of ‘firm remembrance’ characterized by intense love the vision of the Supreme is attained. It must be mentioned here that the final liberation is attained after the dissolution of the body. One endowed with such Bhakti and self-surrender attains the fitness to earn the grace of the Lord. This Bhakti itself is upasana or vidya mentioned in the Upanishads. As the vision of the Supreme is not possible through ordinary means of perception, he can be seen only through Bhakti which is the unique form of knowledge. This is in consonance with the Gita’s declaration, ‘I am attainable only through undivided Bhakti ( XI.54).
Ramanuja in his “Saranagati-gadya” distinguishes three stages of Bhakti. Parabhakti Parajnana and Paramabhakti. Parabhakti is that state of mind which intensely desires realization. The realization due to Parabhakti is called Parajnana. The desire to constantly experience this realization is known as Paramabhakti.
Thus the building of Bhakti is a process of harmony which unites the different mental elements of volition,knowledge and feeling. The progression in Bhakti involves divine grace. The Lord of love becomes a redeemer. Bhakti has its end in the attainment of the eternal bliss of the Supreme. While Bhakti climbs from earth to heaven, divine grace descends from heaven to earth.
Bhakti is not an easy way as commonly understood. The practice of Bhakti presupposes some elaborate disciplines. The scheme of seven sadhanas is helpful in the building up of Bhakti. The sevenfold sadhanas are quoted by Sri Ramanuja from an ancient authority: Viveka, Vimoka, Abhayasa, Kriya, Kalyana, Anavasada and Anuddharsha. Viveka is the purification of the body by means of pure and sattvik food. From bodily purity comes the purity of mind of sattva-suddhi which leads to concentration. Vimoka is freedom from the vicious circle of infatuation and anger; this mental freedom is essential to the meditation on the Supreme. Abhyasa is the practice of the presence of the Supreme. The practice of meditation does not absolve the Bhakta from his moral obligation to others. The next sadhana is Kriya; Kriya is the five-fold duty to the sub-human species, humanity, the teacher, the forefathers and to the gods. This form of moral obiligation helps to build up meditation on God. While kriya is his external action, Kalyana is the practice of virtues which are inward; it consists of truthfulness, integrity, compassion, benevolence and non-violence. The next is Anavasada or freedom from despair. Remembrance of sorrow is an obstacle in meditation. The last sadhana is Anuddharsha or absence of too much exultation; for excessive joy or absence of joy is an obstacle to meditation. The meditation on the Supreme ultimately frees the soul from karma with its vicious circle of good and evil. The main intention of seven sadhanas is the practice of moral and spiritual discipline by the harmonious integration of thought, feeling and will.
It was said that Bhakti is firm remembrance of God. This meditation has the perception of the union with the Supreme. This remembrance is not merely psychological but gives us a glimpse of an experience of the Supreme. Every perception of the Supreme is the recognition of the Inner Self of the devotee. Meditation is a continuous process of mental concentration on the form of the Supreme which is practiced daily till the dissolution of the body. Meditation is compared to the uninterrupted flow of oil. It is the method of focusing the mind on the Supreme. For this the devotee is recommended to choose a proper environment conducive to meditation. The eight stages of yoga are specially recommended to draw the mind from its outgoing tendency and root out the waves of the mind and thus enable the devotee to have a prenatal experience of the Supreme.
Reciprocal relation between the Supreme and the devotee without any condition is the essence of Bhakti. Accessibility of the Supreme to the devotee and adaptability of the Supreme to the devotee and adaptability to his devotional needs is the supreme value of Bhakti. Though the Supreme is transcendental, He is overpowered by His compassion and enters into the world of humanity and incarnates in any form to satisfy the need of love.
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SRI VEDANTA DESIKA
Vedanta Desika is the brightest star in the firmament of Visishtadvaita Vedanta so ably promulgated by Acharya Ramanuja. Vedanta Desika was born at Thooppul, a suburb of Kanchipuram, in the year 1268 A.D. of anantasuri Somayaji and Totaramba. He was the recipient of the blessings of Lord Varadaraja the presiding deity of the place, and of Vaatsya Varada Guru, a great exponent of Ramanuja’s Sri Bhashya, at a very early age. He studied under his maternal uncle Atreya Ramanuja (Appullar), one of the disciples of Varada Guru, and before he was twenty, he had learnt, nay mastered, all branches of knowledge. Then he went to Tiruvahindrapuram near Cuddalore in South Arcot District in the Madras State, and there, by penance and Japam, he became the recipient of the grace of Garuda and of Lord Hayagreeva in an abundant measure. Thus equipped, he traveled through the length and breadth of this sacred Bharatabhoomi, worshipping at several shrines and singing hymns in praise of the Lords therein. He deliberately chose a life of poverty and rejected the offers of his good friend Sri Vidyaranya, the great Advaita Acharya, who promised to get for Desika royal favours from the kind of Vijayanagaram.
One great feature that has earned for Vedanta Desika a place in the front rank of Acharyas, is his eminence both as philosopher and as poet. He has couched several of his treatises on philosophy in exquisite poetry, and he has enriched and ennobled poetry by sublime philosophy. He was a prolific writer and has given to us, works in four languages Sanskrit, Tamil and Manipravala ( a happy blend of Sanskrit and Tamil). These works cover a vast and varied field. There are Shastraic works, works in the form of commentaries; then there are his Kavyas, a drama, numerous stotras or hymns, many rahasya-granthas (esoteric treatises) and a number of Tamil prabandhas. Vedanta Desika was, in addition, a versatile genius, a Sarvatantra Swatantra (master of all arts and crafts) and to this day we can see a well constructed with his own hands and an idol made by him. His mastery over the several fine arts such as music, drama and even dance-drama (opera), are amply evident from his works. He was greatly admired, honoured and revered in his times and the degree of contemporary recognition of his talents and spiritual merit can be judged from the numerous titles conferred on him such as Vedantacharya, Kavitarkika Kesari, Sarvatantra Swatantra and Samasya-sahasree. Those titles and honours find mention in his works themselves. Needless to say that he had numerous disciples, chief among them were Kumara Varadacharya (Nainanacharya), his son, and Brahmatantra Swamy, the illustrious founder and first incumbent of the Sri Parakala Matam of Mysore. Eminence of this sort is sure to attract opposition and incite jealousy. Desika was no exception. He bore the brunt of attacks from quarters lacking in culture, but he passed through several ordeals with dignity and grace. Humility was his greatest asset. He led a pure and blemishless life and ennobled grahastashrama. After the full Vedic span of a hundred years, Desika left his world in 1369 A.D., but he lives and will live for ever in his wonderful works.
His contribution to world of thought is the unfailing efficacy of Prapatti or Surrender as a direct means for the attainment of salvation. Lakshmi is not a mere Queen-consort but has a status equal to that of Narayana. Tamil as a language is in no way inferior to Sanskrit and Tamil (Ubhaya Vedanta) lie the wealth and welfare of the world.
Addressing Lord Varadaraja of Kanchipuram, Vedanta Desika sings:
“Lord of Karisaila (Elephant-hill) Bhagawan! If Thou bestowest Thy favours on me, if I am always near Thee, if I am imbued with faultless devotion towards Thee, and if I obtain the company of Thy true devotees, - then this very samsaric world itself become the celestial world ( of Moksha)”.
The Upanishadic statement ‘amrita-iha-bhavati” (man becomes immortal even here) gets strength and support from this sloka of Vedanta Desika. If I am always near you, my Lord and liege, if you shower your grace on me, if I have true devotion towards you in my heart, and if in addition I obtain the benefit of satsangam (company of devotees) this world with all its allurements and imperfections will become a veritable Paramapadam (Vaikuntam). The Lord’s grace. His vicinity and true devotion towards Him are referred to in the first half of the sloka; the second half adds one more condition, the company of sadhus doting on Him and devoted to Him. The particle “cha” used in connection with the last condition indicates the great importance that attaches to the company of devotees. That alone will stabilize our faith, and will not take us but also keep us near Him. And if we are always with Him in thought, word and deed, that is Moksha. This sentiment is followed up in another sloka by the poet-philosopher swearing that he has no desire for life in Vaikunta as he has been blessed with the enjoyment of the Lord’s ethereal beauty which is beyond thought.
Vedanta Desika’s devotion is not known to one and all in the sane manner and measure in which his philosophical and poetical achievements are known. In a world where dabbling in abstruse philosophy is a pleasant pastime and admiring poetry for its own sake is a fashion, there is nothing surprising in people turning away from practical religion and true devotion. One of the main purposes of Desika’s advent into this World was to uplift men and women by linking their Jnana or knowledge with Bhakti, or devotion, and converting their poetic taste into a craving for God. Already Acharya Ramanuja has paved the way by pointing out that Jnana should find its fulfillment in Bhakti. That Acharya’s prayer in the first Mangala sloka of his famous Sri Bhashya is that he must be imbued with ‘Semushee-bhaktiroopa’, or knowledge in the form of devotion, towards that Parabrahman whose name is Srinivasa. The Absolute of metaphysics (pure philosophy) had thus become the Srinivasa of Religion(applied philosophy) and Jnana becomes blended with Bhakti. The happy consummation of this sentiment can be seen in the stotras of Vedanta Desika which are 28 in number. In addition, there are his kavyas like Hamsa Sandesha. Yadavabhyudaya and Paduka Sahasram, all of which exclude devotion couched in enchanting verse. It is difficult to point out in Desika’s works the dividing line between philosophy and religion. The one invariably runs into, and mingles with, the other. Knowledge develops and stabilizes faith, and faith endows knowledge with a greatness that borders on the sublime.
The permier Visishtadvaita Acharya that Vedanta Desika was, the devotion to God, which he lays down as the be-all and end-all of human life, has its root and foundation in the body-soul relationship between man and God. God is the soul and the individual soul is His body. So devotion becomes the instinctive love that the body has for the soul which we can see in our own case. The soul it is that sustains and keeps up the body. No wonder, therefore, that the body loves the soul on which its very existence depends. The idea of God being a mere Providence, giving us our daily needs and providing for happiness and pleasure disappears before the idea that He is the soul of our soul. ‘I cling to Thee’ , sings Desika in one of his stotras in the firm faith that if Thou protect me I need no other protector and if Thou dost refuse to protect me there is no one else who can be my protector. Love towards God thus becomes love for its own sake. When Sita Devi was complimented by sage Atri’s dharmapatni Anasooya, on her following Rama to the forest. Sita Devi’s classical answer was “ I would have followed my Lord Rama to the forest even if He were a person who had turned away from the path of virtue. Taking his stand on this fine mentality of a true wife. Desika refers again and again to a pativrata as a model for a true devotee. Our devotion to the Lord, says Desika, must be like the devotion of Sita to Rama – selfless an sublime.
The ravishing beauty of the Lords form is a feature which Desika lays stress on very frequently. Rukmini Devi in Her classical love-epistle addresses Krishna as Bhuvana-Sundara. The same amount of fascination for the Lord’s beauty takes possession of Desika’s soul. In one stotra he calls the Lord “Viswaatisaayi-sukha-roopa”! Thus with the lovely form that baffles all the cosomos). In another he sings, “My eyes that behold Thy body, every anga (part) of which emits effulgent beauty, never feel satisfied.” Says he elsewhere. “Even great yogis contemplating in Thy Subhasrayam (auspicious body) never obtain satisfaction”. This enchanting beauty of form is described and dealt with in great detail by Vedanta Desika in several places,as that is a feature highly conducive to intense love, may yearning for His company and longing for communion with Him. The beauty dealt with in most of the stotras is the beauty of the Lord in His Archa(Image) forms in temples, while in the other stotras and his Kavyas it is the beauty of Vibhava-(avatara) forms like Rama and Krishna.
Desika thus lays stress on devotion being the outcome of love, if not its fruition and fulfillment. Devotedness is not devotion. We are not a God-fearing race but a God-loving race. In love of the type depicted by Desika there is no room for fear.
SRI AUROBINDO
Sri Aurobindo was born in Calcutta on August 15, 1872. At the age of seven he was taken to England where he stayed till he was 21 and received his education. On his return he taught students in Baroda English and French and taught himself classical Indian languages. After 14 years of stay there he threw himself into the revolutionary movement in Bengal for Indian freedom. Alongside he was led into the path of yoga which secured for him the inner freedom of the soul. After a spell of incarceration in jail for a year during which he had the profound realization of the cosmic God, he retired to Pondicherry in 1910. Here he lived for 40 years developing a new way of life to win Godhood and immortality for man. His work continues in the Sri Aurobindo Ashram that grew around him.
Sri Aurobindo sees the universe as a manifestation of God. All men are portions of God. Only they are not conscious of it. To make them conscious and live as gods is the object of his teaching.
The central teaching of Sri Aurobindo is surrender, total surrender of man to God. Only so can man grow into God. Man must leave behind all petty human littleness, animal desires and develop divine qualities, radiant power of Knowledge, Harmony, Joy. He must discard his ego. Someone who heard this exclaimed to Sri Aurobindo, “Then it means I have to give up all desire; only the desire to attain to God is to be fulfilled!” “No” replied Sri Aurobindo, “That desire also must go.” One must surrender entirely to the Will of God.
Man lives on earth beset with problems. Many are the problems of securing his basic needs such as food, clothing, shelter etc. Others are of social character relating to his dignity, social status, security of job. A few are of psychological description like joy in company, the satisfaction of his vanity and domestic peace. Often crises develop in his life. He may fail in the final attempt of an examination, or lose his job or face social odium on account of a certain act of his. To resolve the crisis he generally relies on himself, his personal or social capacity. When this fails he looks to other sources, governmental, judicial, social or in the last resort his capacity to circumvent the situation. It is not uncommon when all these agencies fail leaving him alone, all alone. Then he turns to God and prays for help to extricate him from a troubled situation or save a dear life. Sri Aurobindo says that such prayer is indeed man’s first turning to God. That man should turn to God in his hour of despair shows in innate faith in God. It has, Sri Aurobindo says, a real power and significance. More often than not such prayers are granted in full measure. It matters little however crude this payer is, for whatever result it is voiced. It prepares man’s first relation with God and later draws him towards the spiritual truth. One can pray for himself and equally effectively for others too. Through prayer man is slowly led on to the highest motiveless devotion to God. For prayer to be ideal one should not insist on immediate fulfillment but must be able to rely on God’s ways of fulfilling one’s needs.
By prayer man effectively links himself to God. In his ignorance he is not aware that God takes good care of all his problems and himself too. Man is like a foolish traveller in a train who tries to keep his luggage on his head little knowing that his luggage as well as himself is really carried by the train. Common sense required that he let the luggage be pleasantly carried by the train that hauls thousands of tons of weight. Likewise when man realizes the real nature of God he would gladly relieve himself of his problems putting them into God’s hands for safe custody. To that ultimate goal of total reliance on God prayer is the initial step.
Prayer gains in significance if it wells up from the depths of being. For instance while in fear of great danger man’s prayers are fulfilled to rounded perfection. It must rise up on the crest of a wave of emotion to reach God instantaneously. When it is so the result is often a miracle. There is nothing that cannot be achieved by prayer. Only that it must be sincere. By sincerity it is meant that what is prayed for must be really asked for by all parts of the being, the mind, the heart and the very cells of the body. Single-minded devotion in prayer brings about vast results. Prayer of such a description links man’s vast results. Prayer of such a description links man’s strength to God’s Force bringing about miracles as if they are commonplace. The impossible become possible, the miraculous the common rule.
Sri Aurobindo has said that all great prayers have been amply fulfilled in due time making great historical events possible. A soul on the Himalayan snows dreamt of and prayed for liberty, fraternity and equality for humanity. God in granting his prayer later brought about the French Revolution which actualized the said dream.
Devotion is bhakti. External worship is only the first step in devotion. Later this changes into adoration of the Divine. This is real bhakti. Bhakti leads to the joy of union with the Divine. The scientist is devoted to his research, the athlete to the game and in their devotion they forget the world around them, look for the best for its own sake, seek little or nothing for themselves. His greatest joy is the success of a project or the playing of the game. He claims for science everything and asks nothing for himself. Likewise the God-lover seeks the Divine for the pure felicity of the union. Such bliss is brought about by sincere aspiration. Sincere devotion makes possible for the hidden god behind the heart of come forward and lead man on his journey.
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TULSIDAS
From time to time, a great number of saints have been born in different parts of the vast subcontinent of India and by their devotional writings they have enriched the Indian literature. After Harsha Vardhana, his vast empire lost its political unity. A number of smaller kingdoms came into existence. The rulers of these kingdoms quarreled with each other. They fought among themselves. Self respect took the form of self-conceit. One result of this turmoil in the society was that even in the field of literature ‘veera ras’ became predominant, and people were encouraged to fight battles. But the foreign invaders used to their own advantage the lack of unity among the native rulers. Gradually, they gained strength and subjugated the country. This catastrophe had a telling effect on the people. They lost their self-confidence and courage. A feeling of disgust and indifference to the world took hold of them. Saint Tulsidas was born in North India at such a critical juncture of time. He brought the message of a new life to the people speaking Hindi. It was the message of life based on Bhakti.
In Bhakti literature in Hindi there were two main branches - Nirguna Bhakti and Saguna Bhakti, devotion to God without form and with form. Again, in Nirguna bhakti literature, the Jnanashrayi branch emphasized Jnana (knowledge) and the Premashravi Branch emphasized Prema (love). Even in Saguna bhakti literature, there were two branches - Rama bhakti and Krishna bhakti. The propagation of ‘Narayani Dharma’ started in the South by Sri Ramanujacharya was carried to the North by Swami Ramananda. Ramananda regarded that the form of ‘Maryada Purushottam’ Rama of the Lord was more beneficial to the world, and established a new independenet sampradaya (cult) for the benefit of larger sections of people. This new religion was a modified form of Vaishnava Dharma. But some of its rigid rules were relaxed to a great extent. Gosmani Tulsidas, the poet-saint, belonged to this Sampradaya and earned a great name as a religious leader and man of letters.
Details regarding the date of birth, childhood and married life of Tulsidas are all not free from doubt. Tulsidas himself has explained in some of his works a few details about his own life which may be accepted as authoritative. It is believed that he was born during the middle of the 16th century. There is no mention about his parents in any of his works. He says that his name is Tulsi and in course of time after leading a life of renunciation and spiritual practice his name has changed into Tulsidas.
It is mentioned in his work, ‘Vinaya Patrika’ that Tulsidas was being called as ‘Ram Bola’, as in the last years of his life he had become wholly devoted to Sri Rama. Tulsidas has not given any particulars anywhere about his religion or caste. It appears that he had to pass through great difficulties in his childhood. He had lost his parents before he attained the age when he could even understand the world around him. He was not fortunate to have brothers or sisters. He had to beg for his food from door to door. At ‘Sukar Kshetra’ he lived in the company of a devotee of Sri Rama who used to give discourses on Ramayana. Tulsidas studied Vedanta under him. We also find a reference in his works about his married life. His wife Ratnavali was a noble and simple girl. Tulsidas was then said to be passionately in love with his wife. Later, it was she who opened his eyes by chidingly advising him that if only he had loved God as much as he loved her, it would have made his life more fruitful. This timely advice saved Tulsidas. He took to a life of utter renunciation thereafter, and after some time he reached Banaras where he stayed and wrote many of his famous works. His works are generally regarded as 37 in number, but among them only 13 can be definitely regarded as his.
In North India, he is well known as Goswami Tulsidas. The word Goswami means the head of a monastery. The last days of Tulsidas were spent in great hardship. He felt a victim to the epidemic of plague which took a severe toll throughout the city of Banaras. After suffering from pains in his arms for a long time, he died.
The most famous of his works is known as ‘Ramacharita Manas’ which is an epic describing the story of Rama in Hindi. Though this is an epic composed mainly following Valmiki Ramayana, the influence on this work of Bhagavata, Adhyatma Ramayana Bhushundi Ramayana, Prasanna Raghava, Uttara Ramacharita etc., is clear. The poet claims that he composed this work purely for his own pleasure- and with no other ulterior object.
‘Ramacharit Manas’ is a work with seven chapters. Sri Ramachandra, the hero of this epic is a Dhirodatta Nayaka - a noble and mighty person, full of such great virtues as compassion, modesty, dignity, generosity etc. This work is a treasure house of Jnana, Bhakti, Karma, Yoga and Niti (ethics). It is a religious scripture which offers good advice to children, proper guidance to the youth and religious teaching to the aged. It is an invaluable guide to politicians, reforms and those who are eager to pursue a religious life.
Another great work of Tulsidas is ‘Vinaya Patrika’. In this work, which has Bhakti as its main subject, Tulsidas has explained how jnana and karma can be effective means of attaining bhakti. It is said that because of the propagation of bhakti by Tulsidas, Kali Purusha was unable to find shelter anywhere and therefore he persecuted Tulsidas who compained about this to Hanuman, who advised him to write a letter (Patrika) to Sri Rama. Hanuman assured Tulsidas that he would convey the letter to Sri Rama, and in response to this assurance, Tulsidas is believed to have written his work Vinaya Patrika, which contains many beautiful songs in Vraj Bhasha (a form of Hindi).
In his work ‘Kavitavali’, Tulsidas has told the story of Ramayana in verse in Vraja Bhasha in seven cantos, and in the end a hymn by name ‘Hanumadbahuka’ is also added to this work which was composed by Tulsidas in praise of Hanuman, while he was suffering from pain in the arms. ‘Dohavali’ is a collection of couplets written by Tulsidas on a variety of subjects like ethics, devotion, efficacy of the divine name and on Jnana. ‘Gitavali’ is another collections of poems written by Tulsidas on the sports of Sri Rama in his childhood. In ‘Krishna Gitavali’, Tulsidas has written songs on the stories of Bhagavata, especially those relating to the sports of Sri Krishna in his Childhood and those of gopas and gopis of Vrindavan, the pangs of separation from Sri Krishna suffered by the gopis, the dialogue between gopis and Uddhava etc. ‘Parvati Mangal’ and ‘Janaki Mangal’ are another two works of Tulsidas in which he has described the wedding of Parvati and Shiva, and Seeta and Rama respectively.
Tulsidas was first and foremost a bhakta - a devotee and a poet only next. Therefore we find that in his works there is a mixture of bhakti and poetry. In his most famous work ‘Ramacharit Manas’ only bhakti is propounded. For awakening the feeling of bhakti, there is the need for a personal God. In Sri Rama Tulsidas found the ideal of his personal God. Bhakti is necessary to save oneself from the merciless onslaught of pain and pleasure, born out of the illusion created by Maya in the world. In ‘Ramacharita Manas’ all the nine kinds of bhakti are beautifully described. The ideals of dasya bhakti (bhakti of a servant) and madhura bhakti (bhakti of a lover) as described by Tulsidas in Ramacharita Manas are really unique and inimitable.
Sri Ramachandra, on his way to the forest from Ayodhya reaches the banks of the Ganges, and requests Guha to bring his boat to cross the river. The words spoken by Guha is reply to Sri Rama are full of simple devotion:
“My lord!Ramachandra! I know your secret. There is a wonderful herb in the dust of your feet, which makes men out of dust. The block of stone became a woman by the mere touch of the dust of your feet. The wood of this boat is not as hard as the stone. Therefore, if this boat turns into another woman, a wife of a mendicant, by the touch of your feet, how shall I eke out my livelihood? My lord! I depend on this boat for my livelihood. Before you board this boat, please permit me to wash your lotus-feet.”
This is a touching description of Dasya Bhakti. Similarly, in Ramacharit Manas we have the descriptions of the different facets of bhakti like Rama’s bhakti towards his father, Seeta’s bhakti for her husband, bhakti of Bharat and Laxmana for their brother Rama, Sugriva’s bhakti for his friend, Hanuman’s bhakti for his master.
Whereas the bhakti described in ‘Manas’ is a synthesis of Jnana and Karma yoga, the unique bhakti explained in Vinaya Patrika is not only the means but also the end in itself.
Bhakti is essential for attaining peace. It is also helpful in purifying and controlling the mind. The bhakti depicted in Vinaya Patrika is of a high order which is capable of ennobling life itself. Contentment in life, peace, equanimity in pleasure and pain, freedom from attachment and hatred, and caring for the welfare of others-these are desirable virtues in the life of a man. Morality is the foundation for these virtues. Bhakti plays a prominent role in the life of an individual in assisting him to lead such a moral life.
‘Ramacharit Manas’ (Tulsi Ramayana) is a great epic. It is not only an historic work but also a philosophical treatise. Moral ideals have been assigned a very high place in this work. The idea of a disciplined life - Maryada bhava - is regarded as of paramount importance in life. Self-restraint and welfare of the society also have been depicted here in a unique manner. This epic presents a very charming picture of an ideal Hindu householder’s life and married life. During the time of Tulsidas, Hindu religion was divided into various sects and cults. But Tulsidas did not identify himself with any particular sect or cult or school of philosophy. In his works, we find at several places his synthetic outlook. ‘Ramacharit Manas’ regards Rama as Para Brahma and Seeta as Para Sakti. The worldly life of these two is only a human sport. The world is maya, but this maya is completely a slave to Rama according to whose wishes she makes a man to act like a puppet. Under the influence of Maya, and depending on the circumstances in his life, man imagines himself to experience misery or happiness. This influence of Maya can be destroyed only through the grace of Lord Rama. The only means to secure this grace is bhakti. This is the fundamental teaching of Tulsidas.
In Vinaya Patrika, spiritual matters are propounded in great detail. This work was written by Tulsidas at the final stage of his life of perfection and with the sole object of spiritual illumination. Hence we find here described, according to the tenets of Vaishnava dharma, the different aspects of bhakti and various kinds of ‘vinaya’-self-surrender-which is an important part of bhakti. The devotee desires to achieve Samipya (nearness) and Sayujya (union) in relation to his God whom he worships. He does not desire to achieve identity with God. Even if he does wish to be united with God, it is not like milk with milk but like water with milk. Tulsi proclaims that knowledge and bhakti, both are the means to salvation ‘moksha’. Yet jnana as compared to bhakti is inferior, because it is bhakti which gives moksha. It is a special feature of the works of Tulsidas that they have not been written in support of a particular school of thought. In his works, at several places we observe that he has tried to emphasise the unity of all religions and sects. It is for this reason that his works are held in great esteem by people belonging to all sects. To Tulsidas, Rama alone is the adorable of all; only devotion to Him is the best of all. He explains in an interesting manner as to how we should have devotion to Rama.
He observes that one should have undiminishing devotion to Rama, abandoning all other thoughts, just as when you go on writing the 9th table, the digits of all products add up to nine only and not less. The product of 2 x 9 is 18 and the digits of this product add up to 9. So also with the following products like 27, 36 etc. All products of the number 9 have this peculiarity. So also, in whatever state a person may be, devotion to Rama should remain constant.
In Hindi devotional literature, Tulsodas has attained a permanent place. His ‘Ramacharita Manas’ will remain as an outstanding example of devotional poetry in Indian literature. It is a spiritual scripture, a treatise on ethics and a sublime epic. It has found a permanent place in the hearts of the people in Northern India where every home echoes with the words of Tulsidas.
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NARAYANA GURU
Millions of people on the west coast of India have been deeply affected by the life and teachings of the Guru Narayana. The celebrated French writer Romain Rolland has admirably summed up the import and significance of the Guru’s life as follows :
“Glasenapp does not say anything regarding the new religious manifestations in South India which are not negligible. Such for example is the great Guru Sri Narayana, whose beneficent spiritual activity has been exercising its influence during the past forty years in the State of Travancore on nearly two millions of his followers. His teachings, permeated with the philosophy of Sankara shows evidence of a striking difference of temperament compared with the mysticism of Bengal, of which the effusions of love (bhakti) inspire in him a certain mistrust. He was, one might say, a Jnani of action, a grand religious intellectual, who had a keen living sense of the people and of social necessities. He has contributed greatly to the elevation of the oppressed classes in South India and his work has been associated at certain times with that of Gandhi.”
Nanu, who came to be later known as Narayana Guru, was born in a village near Trivandrum on August 20, 1854. His parents were simple folk devoid of any ostentation and far removed from the sordid life of the more affluent society. The sensitive spirit of Narayana Guru was nurtured in a gentle and human atmosphere. The boy lost his mother when he was only 15.
Narayana Guru was one of those who followed in his life the ancient and immemorial programme of oriental saints and prophets. He left his home in search of Truth. He lived in lonely hill, cave or forest for years, unknown to men, performing tapas. He emerged from seclusion, having solved some great riddle in life and he wanted to give his solution to the world at large. Therefore without any sort of hesitation whatever, he called himself a Guru or Teacher. Penniless himself, he began to command an influence over the rich and the poor, the educated and the illiterate. People flocked to take the dust of his feet.
Today his words are recognized as most modern echo of the ancient wisdom of our land. In him we find a blend: a bard who sang about aspirations of the soul of man, a philanthropist whose one aim in life, night and day, was to devise ways to minimize human suffering and a seer whose daily diet was the highest form of Truth.
For 15 years he travelled incessantly attempting to bestow wisdom and light on his people. He helped them to have cleaner habits. He introduced and set an example in better food. He gave an impetus to right moral standards. He pointed the right road to reform and prosperity; and to see clearly through maladjusted emotions.
In less than a decade, he had established more than one hundred places of workship on the west coast alone, which are day by day growing into centres of educational philanthropic and economic activity. He has set in motion a force which is bound to spread into a new impetus for the regeneration of our country and the world.
Tall, slender and erect; dressed in spotless white. Age had not robbed his features of that soft freshness, richfulness and restful relaxation so characteristic of the Indian Yogi. A pair of not at all large eyes which seemed to be constantly gazing at some object in the far off fringe of horizon; lips with the corners slightly turned down as if in open-eyed meditation. “When I saw him I could not resist the thought that he was our life Saviour Jesus Christ. He was surrounded by people who either wanted to be healed of sickness or came to seek his advice regarding some calamity that had befallen them” utters an unlettered simple man of poor means.
Guru Narayana was the centre of a great reformist movement in South India, a movement which aimed at religious awakening and economic emancipation of the backward classes. His Ashram at Varkala veritably became a focal point. Rabindranath Tagore called on the Guru and stayed with him. Later, Mahatma Gandhi paid a visit to him and Guru Narayana laid all his resources at the hands of the Mahatma - his own band of followers, his Ashram and above all, his personal influence for waging the historic Vaikom Satyagraha in the cause of the Harijan right of temple entry. Many were the youngmen who came under the direct spell of Narayana Guru’s magnetic personality; among them was one Kumaran who later held the office of General Secretary of the Association known as Sri Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam and became a poet of rare distinction in Malayalam. The Guru’s subtle influence on the writings of Kumaran Asan is clearly unmistakable.
Narayana Guru’s is an integrated approach having a direct bearing on individual or collective human happiness with the primary role of enabling men to discover universal human values. The quintessence of his teachings is that human interests, whether collective or individual, have their common centre in the self. The self is the secret key to all human values. Contemplative self-knowledge through reflection, according to Narayana Guru, is the culminating science which resolves this theme and religion, has to be logically understood as seeking to better man’s relations with his fellows, endeavouring to raise him truly to a higher status as “Man”. Religion, therefore, cannot afford to be exclusive; neither should it tend to be orthodox or even heterodox, and it is immaterial in matters of everyday life what creed a man professes as long as he does not transgress the bounds of common human goodness. Thus, he expressed himself:
“Whichever the religion
It suffices
If it makes a better man.”
A man’s religion is a matter of his personal conviction which is bound to be at varying stages of natural evolution in different people. All the religions of the world agree in spirit. All religions represent values of Truth or duty. The goal is common: “Sahodaram Sarvathra.” Brotherhood Omnipresent Prevails. Put in the form of a motto, it reads:
“Devoid of dividing walls
Of caste or race
Or hatred of rival faith
We all live here
In Brotherhood
Such, know this place to be!
This Model Foundation!”
His devotional yearning to merge with the One would sometimes burst forth in such lines as these:
“O Mother, when will my spirit’s fever be
calm and mingle in the core of the radiant
petalled glory of the One Primordial Mind?
When will the deceptive snare of the hungry
Visions cease?”
Narayana Guru entered Maha Samadhi, the great silence, on September 20, 1928 leaving behind his footsteps of life and thought in the form of verses and writings for posterity to learn and follow. Social reformer and mystic poet, erudite scholar and spiritual guide, Narayana Guru was always at ease in expressing himself either in classical Sanskrit or everyday Malayalam with equal felicity on man and society, devotion and prayer, the secret doctrine and the absolute end: One Caste, One Religion, One God.
A CRITIQUE OF CASTE
One of kind, one of faith, and one in God is man;
Of one womb, of one form; difference herein none.
In by gone days of a Pariah woman the great sage Parasara was born,
As even he of Vedic-aphorism fame of a virgin of the fisherfolk.
- From Jati Mimamsa in Malayalam
PRENATAL GRATITUDE
With in the womb, O Lord of God,
Was that lump in hand-this humble self.
With that exceeding love,
Who but Thou, kind one, nurtured it into life!
Ordered by Thee, all comes about.
Thus knowing, this Thy servant
To Thee now surrenders all.
Full well aware art Thou, good Lord of all,
Hence what need is there for humble me to tell?
Do banish, pray, all agony!
Thy servant has no one here, and if thou me disown
Then all is lost,
O Saviour coming mounted on a bull!
- From Pinda-Nadi in Malayalam
KINDNESS TO LIFE
All are of one Self-fraternity.
Such being the dictum to avow,
In such a light how can we take life,
And devoid of least pity go on to eat?
The non-killing vow is great indeed,
And, greater still, non-eating to observe;
All in all, should we not say, O men of righteousness,
Even to this amounts the essence of all religions?
- From Jiva-Karunya-Panchakam in Malayalam
SONG OF THE KUNDALINI SNAKE
Dance, cobra, dance!
They burrow seek and witness
The bliss of grace in wild display
Dance, cobra, dance!
They burrow seek and witness
The bliss of grace in wild display
Dance, cobra, dance!
Aum and all the rest that form
The essence of ten million charms
We now do know and so keep on, and
Dance, cobra, dance!
- From Kundalini Pattu in Malayalam
THOUGHT AND INERTIA
Great, small and middling too, steady and waveless it rises,
O Mental-Firmament! From sinking into Maya’s dross,
From mind confused and foothold lost, O save,
And grant They grace of erect immobility.
Fresh mango bloom, O flower’s nectar, confection sweet,
O honey, luscious fruit, O rich juice, O master mine!
Ever sought by gods, both of Providence and Grace,
Thy lotus foot alone my final refuge is
- From Chit-Jadangal in Malayalam
SCRIPTURES OF MERCY
Grace, Love, mercy-all the three-
Stand for one same reality-Life’s Star.
“He who loves is he who really loves.” Do learn
These syllables nine by heart in place of lettered charm
That Dispenser of Mercy, could He not be that reality
Who proclaiming words of supreme import, the chariot drives,
Or Compassions’s ocean, ever impatient for all creation,
Or who in terms clear non-dual wisdom expounds, the Guru?
-From Anukampa-Desakam in Malayalam
THE SCIENCE OF THE ABSOLUTE
Thou verily art Brahman, not senses, not mind,
Neither intellect, consciousness, nor body;
Even life and ego have no reality, being but conditioned
By nescience, superimposed on the prime self.
Everything phenomenal here, as object of perception, is gross.
Outside of thine own Self, this world manifested is nought,
And Self-hood alone does shine thus
Mirage-like in variegated display.
“Intelligence Supreme, even That I am! That verily Thou art!”
“That Brahman is the Self here” Singing thus full well,
And so established in peace of mind;
And reborn to pure ways in life by the dawn of Brahman-wisdom,
Where could there be for thee the bondage of action
Whether of the past present, or future. For everything is but superimposed conditioning on the prime Self.
Thou verily art That existing-subsisting One of pure intelligence, the Lord.
- From Brahman-Vidya-Panchakam in Sanskrit.
SRI JAGANNATHA DASA
Sri Madhvacharya defined Bhakti (reverence for God) as a combination of love for God and the knowledge of His greatness. He explained the essential unity of the path of devotion to Lord Vishnu and the path of knowledge prescribed by the Vedas and Upanishads. Sri Madhva’s message of enlightened love of God could easily be misinterpreted by persons not having direct access to Vedic scripture found in Sanskrit. A group of mystics known as ‘Haridasas’ (or ‘Dasa Kuta’) emerged in Karnataka to bring home the principal teachings of Sri Madhva to people ignorant of Sanskrit. These mystics composed and sang highly lyrical devotional songs in Kannada, and communicated to the common folk as well as learned pundits the practical methods of true devotion to Lord Hari. Their compositions averted the degradation of Madhva’s teachings into self-complacent intellectualism or sentimental ritualism. Most of these Haridasas dedicated themselves to Lord Vittala of Pandharpur. They became prominent mostly after the 15th century, and their line continues even to this day.
Sri Jagannatha Dasa was one among the Haridasas of Karnatak. He lived between 1727-1809 A.D. He has composed several songs expressing his reverence for the earlier Haridasas and his supreme loyalty to the path of devotion prescribed by Sri Madhvacharya.
The life of Jagannatha Dasa illustrates how dry intellectualism or blind ritualism does not take us forward in the path of God-realisation. He himself was at one time a victim of dry intellectualism and he had to suffer from its evil consequences. The mystic was born near Manvi (now a town in Raichur District). His earlier name was Srinivasacharya. Having received his early instruction in Vedic lore from Sri Varadendra Swamy of Raghavendra Mutt, Srinivasacharya became a popular professor in Madhva’s philosophy. Misguided by his own intellectual self-complacency, Srinivasacharya once insulted Vijaya Dasa (a pure Haridasa) and contemptuously declined his invitation to attend a dinner. As a consequence of this event, Srinivasacharya developed a fatal stomach-disease which could not be cured anywhere. The disease was ultimately cured when Srinivasacharya repented this offence and apologized for it. Vijaya Dasa directed Srinivasacharya to his disciple Gopala Dasa, who initiated him into the path of genuine devotion to God. The self-conscious scholar became an humble servant of God. Lord Vitthala of Pandharpur blessed him with the esoteric name “Jagannatha Vittala”, and all his songs are dedicated to Lord represented by this name. Henceforward, Srinivasacharya came to be known as Jagannatha Dasa.
Jagannatha Dasa lived for a span of 82 years and wrote several songs and poems in praise of Lord Hari. His compositions are characterized by a dignity of diction and felicity of rhythm, which make them highly amenable to devotional singing coupled with dancing. He also wrote longer poems compiling and summarizing in simple language the teachings of Sri Madhvacharya. Among thse longer poems, “Harikathamritasara”, and “Tatva Suvali” deserve special mention.
“Harikathamritasara” is the immortal contribution of Jagannatha Dasa to devotional literature. It is a masterly summary (in 32 chapters) of the essential teachings of Upanishads, Puranas and the Pancharatra Agamas. The book is written in a popular Kannada metre known as “Shatpadi.” Besides explaining the principal teachings of Madhva-Vaishnavism, Jagannatha Dasa has skillfully portrayed in this book the easy ways of practicing devotion to Lord Hari. The book is full of ecstatic hymns sung in praise of the Lord.
The life of stress and stain sometimes make us feel that God is far away from us and it is very difficult to earn His grace. Agnosticism such as this, is contrary to the facts of spiritual life. God readily responds to the call of the heart. The language of the heart is mostly expressed through the medium of art. Singing and dancing can work out as powerful expressions of one’ a real devotion to God. Jagannatha Dasa assures us that God will certainly respond to our call, if we sing out our devotion to Him, and dance in tune with the song. The following are his words:
“God listens seated, to the Bhakta
That sings to Hims in ecstasy, lying down.
He stands and listens to the one
Who sings to Him, seated comfortably.
He comes dancing upto him that sings standing.
To him that dances and signs.
God says ‘I will show Myself to him.’
Verily, Hari is most accessible to His own.
Never for a moment does He stay away from them.
But fools caught in Samsara
Know not how to make Him their own.”
(Harikathamrtasara, ii, 5; Translation by Dr. B. N. K. Sharma)
Lord Krishna advised Arjuna in Bhagavad Geetha that one should dedicate all actions to God, if one should be able to meditate upon Him and realize Him effectively. Even so, Jagannatha Dasa frequently advises us to transform our entire life into a worship of God, if we genuinely aspire for spiritual beatitude. The following are his words:
“The Vedas are His sppech, and Smritis are His injuctions,
Individuals and Nature are His two images.
Bearing this in mind, and doing all as His worship,
Brood not over the four goals of life, but pray for devotion and His grace.”
SRI JAYA TEERTHA
Jaya Teertha was a great saint and a philosopher who lived in the fourteenth century. He was the disciple of Akshobhya Teertha, a direct disciple of Sri Madhvacharya. He has written several works on Madhva philosophy and man of them are lucid commentaries on the works of Sri Madhvacharya. The most outstanding work of his is ‘Nyaya Sudha’, which is held in high esteem as a standard text on Madhva Philosophy. ‘Nyaya Sudha’ is a brilliant commentary on Madhvacharya’s ‘Anu-Vyakhyana’, which, again, was a most original exposition of the Brahma Sutras of Sri Vedavyasa. Because of his brilliant commentaries on the works of Sri Madhvacharya, Jaya Teertha is also called ‘Teekacharya.’
Jaya Teertha was the son of a nobleman before he adopted Sanyasa or the monastic life. By the grace of his guru, Sri Madhvacharya, he regained the memory of his previous life at the age of twentyfive, and immediately renouncing everything he became a sanyasi.
Jaya Teertha successfully completed his studies in the Vedanta. He succeeded Akshobhya Teertha as the pontiff of his mutt. Jaya Teertha had thousands of disciples all over the country and he used to initiate them into spiritual life and teach them the tenets of his philosophy, but he never accepted any offering from his disciples. He used to live in a cave in the town of Ergola eating only powdered maize just to keep his body alive. He was totally immersed in spiritual practices and experience.
He worshipped Durga Devi and it is said that he attained Her grace. Durga Devi appeared before him and offered to grant him any boon he desired to have. Jaya Teertha begged Her to give him only an arecanut and a pen. He had a great desire to write commentaries on the ‘Sarva Moola’ works of his guru Sri Madhvacharya for the welfare of the world and he wished that the commentaries should be free from all shortcomings. He wanted to write the commentary with the pen which he got as a boon from Durga Devi, and he believed that by the very touch of the arecanut, the commentary so written by him would be accepted by all as the best. It was with this object he asked for these two things only from Durga Devi. He could have obtained all the riches of the world from Durga Devi if only he had desired it. But his renunciation was so great that he did not care for riches.
Jaya Teertha has written many works, his masterpiece being ‘Nyaya Sudha’. It will take a whole lifetime to read these works in full and to understand them wholly. To write such great works, Jaya Teertha would have required several centuries of his life, if he were to write them by his own efforts or studies. But Jaya Teertha lived for only fifteen years after his taking Sanyasa from his Guru. Even during this short period, he toured the whole of India on foot and spent most of his time in preaching to his disciples. It is really a wonder how he could write such stupendous works in the midst of his otherwise busy life.
This view is supported by the very first stanza written by him in his work ‘Nyaya Sudha’. This stanza says: “I have not studied the sastras life Nyaya (logic), Vyakarana (grammar) through a teacher. Even then with the help of the rare talent obtained by me by the grace of my preceptor, I have written this work which has won the esteem of even the great.” It appears that Jaya Teertha says in the stanza that he has no mastery over the shastras. Such an interpretation cannot be correct. Hence the stanza really goes to support the view that Jaya Teertha wrote his works by the rare gift which he obtained by the grace of Durga Devi.
The works of Sri Jaya Teertha exhibit his mastermind. In many places, he gives several interpretations to the statements of Sri Madhvacharya, and at times he gives as many as fifty interpretations for each statement. For example, take the commentary for each statement. For example, take the commentary by Jaya Teertha in ‘Sudha’ on the sentence refering to in Anu Vyakhyana of Madhacharya. Jaya Teertha here tries to establish the authority of ‘agama’ as a means of knowledge. He assumes all the possible objections, which may be raised by all the opponents holding different views on the authority of the scriptures, and he answers all these objections with this one sentence from ‘Anu Vyakhyana’ by merely rearranging the sentence in different possible ways. To understand this commentary of Jaya Teertha, one must be well versed in the different views held on the same subject. Ordinary people will find such a commentary very difficult to understand.
Commentaries have been written on his works like “Sudha” by great masters like Sri Vadiraja, Sri Vyasaraya and Sri Raghavendra Swami. The greatness of the commentary - ‘Sudha’ - written by Jaya Teertha is amply demonstrated by this fact that such men have thought it worthwhile to write a commentary on it. These commentators say that the full meaning of works like ‘Sudha’ can be explained only by persons who are far superior to themselves. This also points out how great a work ‘Sudha’ is!
Jaya Teertha has never in his works mentioned the things that do not help us to attain Bhakti (reverence for God). Thus he says:
“Bhakti of Supreme Lord is a continuous flow of love without break, a love that cannot be disturbed by even thousands of difficulties, a love greater than the love of self and that of the things that belong to the self, greater than all the worldly loves, a love that is the sweet essence of divine knowledge.” God is full of eternal attributes i.e., Sat, Chit, Ananda etc., and devoid of all the bad qualities i.e. sorrow, ignorance etc. This knowledge is part and parcel of Bhakti. Without this knowledge Bhakti is imperfect. Without “Bhakti” knowledge is impotent.
So to have Bhakti we must try to understand the attributes of God. To achieve this knowledge we must realize, the reality of the world and the difference between God and self and also between individual selves.
God is all-powerful and full of all attributes because this wonderful world is his creation says the Bhagavata “Brahma is full of all attributes, because He is the Creator.” A person with no powers and attributes cannot create this world. He is all pervasive because He is the indweller in all. He sustains this true world in and out.
So this is not mere magic or illusion. This itself is a glory of God. Unless we realize this fact there will be neither pure Bhakti nor Jnana. So to realize the reality of the world is to realize the greatness of Lord.
Knowledge of difference is another ladder to attain the supreme knowledge. He is the protector, he is the indweller of all the souls. Every action of the self is controlled by Him. To know this we must first understand the difference between God and self, between God and the world and between individual selves. So the doctrine of difference is most necessary to attain pure Bhakti. That is why Jaya Teertha is so persistent in the doctrine of difference and reality of this world. He is pertinent and accurate in arguments. His dialectics are incomparable. But he knows that mere argument does not help in the spiritual field. Thus he quotes from various scriptural authorities i.e. Vedas and Puranas in support of his arguments.
SRI VADIRAJA SWAMI
Sri Vadiraja Tirtha (popularly known as Vadiraja Swami) was born in 1480 in Hoovinakere, a village situated a few miles to the north of Udipi (Mysore State). His pre-Sannyasa name was Bhoovaraha. Even while he was a young Brahmancharin, Bhoovaraha was initiated into Sannyasa by Sri Vageesha Tirtha, an ascetic who headed one of the eight Madhva Muttas at Udipi. Vadiraja Teertha succeeded Vageesha Teertha as the pontiff of the mutt. So significant was the part played by Vadiraja as a Sannyasin of the Madhva Order, that his mutt at Udipi eventually came to be known as Sode Vadiraja Mutt. Sode is a historic town in North Kanara (Mysore State). This place was chosen by Vadiraja as an abode for his spiritual Sadhana. He built here a rare Trivikrama temple and his own holy Vrindavan in situated near the temple.
Sri Vadiraja entered life, equipped with very high attainments yielded by an inner spiritual evolution. His was a spirituality in full bloom, which could easily enlist the services of all the finer values of human life for the divine purpose hidden in the heart of men. Spirituality in full stature does not preclude the positive qualities needed for a good (Sattwik) life on earth. Accordingly, in his long life-span of 120 years, Vadiraja did many things to foster the values of Sattwik life around him. He came out with stiff opposition to all negative and misleading trends in contemporary religion and philosophy. He supported good kings and provided them with spiritual guidance. He introduced significant reforms in the administration of his own Krishna Mutt at Udupi in answer to the economic and political needs of his time. As a social reformer and philanthropist he established harmony among quarreling religious sects, and composed poems in Kannada and Tulu so as to bring home the value of Vedantic scripture to persons ignorant of Sanskrit language. Several were the miracles worked out by him either with a view to alleviate genuine human sorrow or to achieve the spiritual mission of his life.
Vadiraja was associated with several contemporary saints like Sri Vyasa Tirtha, Purandara Dasa and Kanaka Dasa, all of whom held him in high respect. They went on pilgrimage to Udipi to have ‘Darshan’ of Lord Krishna and to partake of the joy of ‘Krishna Puja’ (worship of Lord Krishna) conducted by this great ascetic. Later saints like Vijaya Dasa and Jagannatha Dasa have also composed songs in praise of Vadiraja.
A dynamic spiritual life such as the one described above does not materialize, unless God’s grace and Guru’s blessings are bestowed upon a soul in full measure. Vadiraja had secured God’s and Guru’s grace in abundant measure by his supreme devotion to Lord Hayagreeva and his steadfast allegiance to the path of spiritual sadhana upheld by Madhvacharya. Almost all his philosophical and religious writings are dedicated to Lord Lakshmee-Hayagreeva. His Kannada hymns contain the Hayavadana Mudrika (mark of dedication to Lord Hayavadana). Vadiraja wrote significant commentaries and very helpful notes on some of the works of Madhvacharya and Jayatirtha. Several were the independent works written by him. He summarized the principal tenets of Madhva’s philosophy in lucid and narrative poems, which abound in metaphors, similes and convincing arguments. Yuktimallika. It is an elaborate and critical exposition of ‘Vedanta Sutras’ in a simple, literary style. His songs in Kannada are precious treasures of high philosophic thought and scriptural anecdotes expressed in elegant dialectal idiom.
Bhakti or reverence for God receives the highest emphasis in the teachings of Vadiraja Swami. Every spiritual aspirant should strive hard to develop the three inner qualities of his personality, namely, Bhakti, Jnana, and Vairagya. Vairagya means renunciation of desires which make us forget God. Jnana means correct and clear understanding of the greatness of God and the wonders of His creation. Bhakti means the spontaneous love which makes us cling to God with an unreserved recognition of His greatness and perfection. Among these three instruments of spiritual progress, Bhakti is the most essential. Vairagya and Jnana are manifested in a lover of God as inevitable consequences of the ripening of his love. It is this love of God, which invokes God’s grace at every stage of his progress, and without God’s grace nothing is possible.
Vadiraja Swami brings out the importance of devotion to God as follows:
Bhakti is the innate quality of every soul that aspires for God’s grace and the bliss of loving Him. This intrinsic quality, however, is kept by God in a dormant or unmanifested state, so long as the soul, lacking in spiritual integrity and spiritual knowledge, does not make itself a suitable receptacle for receiving God’s eternal grace. When the Lord marks out a soul as ready for Sadhana, he bestows His partial grace on it. Lord’s grace enables a person to develop a dim attachment to Him, and slight detachment from worldly things. Such a person engages himself in good actions without craving for the results of action. He does his duty as worship of God. Actions performed with detachment strengthen one’s love of God and invoke further blessings from God. A person blessed in this manner becomes curious about wonderful qualities of God. He is initiated by masters of wisdom into the path of Sravana (hearing about God), Manana (reflecting about the things heard) and Dhyana (meditating on God). Meditation done in a proper manner intensifies one’s love of God and invokes His grace that enables the soul to have His direct vision.
One who has realized God engages himself in Bhakti of the most intense kind, which brings him the highest grace of the Lord and the fullest manifestation of his own intrinsic quality of blissful attachment to God.
Thus Bhakti and God’s grace are always intertwined in the path of spiritual progress delineated by Vadiraja Swami. In the absence of God’s grace and Bhakti, everything else will be in vain.
Vadiraja has sung several hymns in Sanskrit and Kannada, setting the models for prayers to be voiced by a devotee. It was he who started the practice of ‘Nama Sankeertan’ in Kannada, which thrills the hearts of devotees attending the daily worship of Lord Krishna at Udipi. He composed several songs to suit the purpose of collective Sankirtan.
The hymns and prayers composed by Vadiraja mostly depict the greatness and beauty of God as manifested in his various Avataras. His poetic descriptions of the beauty of the forms of Lord Krishna and Lord Hayagreeva intensify our devotion to God, making us forget all the worries and presumptions of our mundane life. Many of these hymns can be set to music and dancing, which enable the devotee to express himself without strain.
Vadiraja has written several poems outlining the details, of self-control that should find expression in the life of a devotee. Devotion without self-restraint will land us in mere sentimentality or fanaticism. Vadiraja gives us moving descriptions of the misery and pain involved in sensual life. These descriptions kindle our aspirations for a life based on spiritual understanding and spiritual detachment.
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SRI BASAVESHVARA
Sri Basaveshvara, also known as Basavanna, was a mystic, a dynamic spiritual force, a poet and a social reformer - all in one. He was born in about 1131 A.D. in Ingalesvara Bagewadi, in the present Bijapur district. Madiraja and Madalambe, a devoted couple were his parents. Madalambe, his mother, begot him after performing prolonged spiritual practices.
Sri Basaveshvara was brought up in an atmosphere of scholarship and ritualistic worship. At the age of eight, arrangements were made for his thread ceremony. The boy, a devotee to the core, revolted against ritualism and left home. He went to Kudalasangama and lost himself in the raptures of devotion. He was under the guidance of a Guru, Jatavedamuni. Years of intense spiritual practices led him to the coveted goal - realization of the Supreme Being.
It was not to be the end, however. At the command of the Lord, Sri Basaveshvara joined King Bijjala of the Chalukya dynasty first at Mangalawada and later at Kalyana. He became Bijjala’s trusted minister. He married Gangambike, who was also of a spiritual bent of mind. Under his dynamic leadership, the Veerashaiva religion was reorganized. It accepted into its fold persons from all walks of life without distinction of caste, creed of sex. For once in the history of India, after the Great Buddha, the untouchable, the barber and the Brahmin dined together and married amongst themselves. Birth or social position were no bar to equality.
Basaveshvara was a poet and composed vacans, and encouraged many of his associates to compose them in hundreds. They form a valuable part of Kannada literature.
However, jealous elements were there. They had their hour when the daughter of a Brahmin married the son of an untouchable. The infuriated king executed the parents of the couple. In their turn the enraged mob beheaded the king. Sri Basaveshvara in sheer disgust left Kalyana, reached Kudalasangama and merged himself with the Lord.
God, for Sri Basaveshvara, is an absolute reality. God is pervading the universe and He is like “fire hidden in water, the fragrance in flower and the love of a girl.” The Lord is to be realized here and now. Basaveshvara emphasized time and again that one should have genuine devotion. It is only to genuine yearning that the Lord responds. In one of his vacanas Basaveshvara says : “Worship without love, and work without affection are the painted form and the painted sugarcane. No pleasure in the embrace and no joy in the muching. O Lord, Kudalasangama Deva, the devotion of one who is not genuine is akin to these.”
Sri Basaveshvara continues to say that mere lip service will lead you nowhere. “If I say that I have faith in you, O Lord, and say that I love you and say that I have sold myself to you, you will shake my body for a test, you will shake my mind and then my wealth. And if I stand unshaken, then O Lord, you are yourself shaken by devotion.”
Some people have the feeling that spiritual life should begin after retirement from active service. Sri Basaveshvara does not share this view. On the contrary he stresses that sadhana should start now, this very moment:
Before the greyness touches you cheek,
Before the wrinkles plough you face,
Before your body dwindles to a nest of bones;
Before with teeth all gone,
The back all bowed,
You are a burden to your kin;
Before you prop your legs with hands
And lean heavily upon a staff;
Before the luster of your manhood fades,
Before you feel the touch of death,
Adore your Lord
Kudala Sangama!
For Sri Basaveshvara, there was no dichotomy between the worlds here and hereafter. “This world is the veritable anvil of the Creator. Those that are accepted here for currency are accepted there too.”
Sri Basaveshvara, the very personification of devotion, has earned the epithet ‘Bhakti bhandari’ the Treasurer of Bhakti. He advocated Bhakti as the sole means for the attainment of the Supreme Being. He himself underwent great internal turmoil, passed through the ‘Dark night of the Soul’ before he attained to great spiritual heights. His vacanas clearly depict the various stages of struggle he went through and the great heights he reached.
He has described the starting point, the state in which most of the spiritual aspirants are found:
“You have spread the green of passion before me;
How can the cattle know - it yearns, for it is green;
Pray remove the passions, feed me with the nectar of devotion,
And make me drink the waters of good thoughts,
Lord Kudala Sangama.”
Sri Basaveshvara insists that one should be absolutely sincere if one has to make some progress in spiritual life. If a person with a mean mind aspires after and gets initiation, it is like “putting an iron ring around a pumpkin in order to arrest its deterioration”. You may perform intense penance but it is of no avail. He asks:
“You beat upon the ant-hill - will the cobra die?
You perform penance fierce -
The Lord will not trust one
Without purity within.”
Before one starts the sadhana, one should find a proper preceptor - Guru. The Guru and the devotees of Lord are absolutely necessary to guide the aspirant. Sri Basavanna says that as clay is the first prerequisite to make the pot and gold to make the ornaments, so too are the feet of the Guru if one would have to know the way to the Lord and to know the Lord one must seek the company of His devotees.
The mind is all important. There is a saying in Bengali to the effect that you may get the grace of the Lord and the blessings of the Guru but unless you have the grace of your own mind nothing can be achieved. The mind is very powerful. Says Sri Basavanna: “Can you say the elephant is huge and the elephant’s ear is small? No, you should not. Can you say that the mountain is huge and Indra’s thunderbolt is small? No, you should not. Can you say that darkness is thick and the light too small? No, you should not. Can you say that forgetfulness is huge and the mind that thinks of the Lord is small? No, you should not.”
With confidence we should plunge into action. But we should have intense devotion. Describing his own state of mind Basavanna suggests how a devotee should pine for the Lord:
The chakora pines for the moon,
And so does the lotus for the sun,
The bee in hankering after nectar,
And so am I after my Lord kudala Sangama Deva.
According to him, it is very difficult to practice true devotion. It is like a saw that cuts in its dual movement. But one should try again and again with earnestness characteristic of the devotion Sri Basavanna had.
When will it be that I will gaze at thee on my plam with unblinking eyes,
And shed torrents of tears?
When will it be that the very act of gaxing at the Lord would be life to me?
When will it be that the very embrace of the Lord would be life to me?
When will it be that bereft of passion I repeat and re-repeat the name of the Lord, Kudala Sangama Deva?.....
In yet another vacana he describes the zeal that a devotee should have if he is earnest about attaining God-realisation.
My feet are not tired of dancing,
And the eyes are not tired of gazing,
The tongue is not tired of singing,
What am I to do, O, what?
My heart is not tired of worshipping you,
What am I to do, O, what?
O, Lord Kudala Sangama Deva
I speed to tear your frame asunder and merge with you this moment!
One-pointedness of the mind will alone lead us to the goal. During the period of Sadhana, God alone should be the all-consuming fire of our life. He teaches this in a vacana:
Cripple me-so that I may not wander hither and thither,
Make me blind-so that I may not look at that and this,
Make me deaf so that I may not listen to anything else,
Station me at the feet of your devotees - so that I may not desire things sensuous!
Why, why should one do all these-prayer, japa, meditation and all these - to that purpose? Sri Basavanna says, these will lead you to mystic experience. He also describes the efficacy of that mystic state.
O Lord, that mystic state has dissolved my body,
O Lord, that mystic state has dissolved my mind,
O Lord, that mystic state has cut the roots of my karma,
O Lord, your devotees, by repeated instructions have proved the jewel of devotion real.
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SANKARA (A.D. 788-820)
It was at a critical period of the Vedic religion, which badly needed a true and staunch follower to restore it to its former glory, that Sankara was born.
Life in Brief
Any attempt to portray the life of Sankara runs into two genuine difficulties. Firstly, the available material is too meager to fix his date. Secondly, the traditional biographies (all in Sanskrit) are so full of miracles attributed to him that it is difficult to accept them or explain them in any logical way.
Though almost all biographies agree that Sankara lived just for 32 years, the year of his birth varies from 508 B.C. up to A.D. 788. The most widely accepted year is A.D. 788. However some scholars push it back to A.D. 684 also.
About 21 works that generally go by the name Sankaravijaya or Sankaradigvijaya dealing with Sankara’s life in detail – have so far been discovered. Out of these, the ones by Anandagiri (Sankaravijaya) and by Madhava-Vidyaranya (Sankaradigvijaya) are considered more authoritative and widely accepted.
Sankara’s life as given in these texts may now be summarized as follows:
Sivaguru and Aryamba were a deeply pious couple belonging to the well-known Namudiri caste, living in Kaladi (or Kalati) (the modern town of Kalady in the Kerala State) situated on the bank of the river Purna. This childless couple got Sankara as their son after much prayer and supplication to Lord Siva of Vrsabhacala (a hillock near Kaladi, the deity being known as Candramoulisvara).
As indicated by the Lord, the boy would become an omniscient spiritual giant, but his life would be of short duration.
Sankara was extraordinarily brilliant and mastered all the sastras (scriptural and other treatises) taught to him even at a young age.
Unfortunately, father Sivaguru died soon, leaving Sankara entirely to the care of his mother Aryamba.
Being indrawn by temperament and having realized the transitory nature of the world, through the direct experience of the death of his father, Sankara decided to embrace sanyasa (monastic life). The only impediment in the path was the mother’s love and attachment, and the need to take her permission!
By a quirk of destiny, this came about sooner than expected. One day when he was taking bath in the river Purna, a big crocodile caught him. As he was struggling for life, and finding that he was waging a losing battle, he appealed to his wailing mother who was standing on the bank, to give him permission to take samnyasa mentally and die in peace. She had no alternative but to oblige. However, the crocodile left him as mysteriously as it had caught him. As per the scriptural injuctions, he now had to take formal samnyasa. Most unwillingly the mother gave him the permission to do so, but with a rider that he should be by her bedside at the time of her death.
He was just eight years at that time!
Having heard that Govindabhagavatpada, a very great monk (considered an avatara or incarnation of the Great Serpent, Adisesa) was living on the bank of the river narmada in a cave, Sankara hurried there. The great teacher too was eagerly awaiting this extraordinary disciple whose arrival he had already known through his yogic vision.
After a vigorous training spread over three years Sankara was commanded to go to Kasi, the heart of all learning – sacred and secular.
As he settled down in Kasi for some time, preaching his doctrine of Advaita Vedanta, he gathered a number of disciples, among whom Sanandana – later wellknown as Padmapada, one of the four chief disciples-was one.
A strange encounter here with an untouchable – who was none other than Lord Visvanatha (Siva) himself – removed the last vestige of ignorance from his mind, making him a perfect being and a perfect teacher.
As directed by Siva, Sankara proceeded to Badarinatha, the famous pilgrimage centre in the Himalayas, where he renovated the old temple of Narayana, instituted proper modes of ritualistic worship and then started writing his (now celebrated) commentary on the Brahmasutras. This is said to have been fully approved and appreciated by its original author, the sage Vyasa himself.
Later on, he moved towards South India, vanquishing and converting many a scholar, among whom the greatest was Mandana Misra. According to some of the traditional biographers, it was this Mandana Misra who became the Samnyasin Suresvara, though quite a few scholars do not subscribe to this view.
Among those who were converted to Vedic modes of life and worship were the Kapalikas of Srisaila (now in Andhra Pradesh) and the Ganapatyas of Gokarna (in Karnataka), both of whom were following some abominable practices.
It was again during this sojourn that he added two more distinguished samnyasin disciples to his retinue, Hastamalaka and Totaka.
Meanwhile, he learnt that his mother was on her deathbed, hurried to her and gave her a vision of Lord Visnu before she passed away. He also personally cremated her body much to the chagrin of the local residents and relatives who were against him.
During this period, Padmapada irretrievably lost the manuscript of his gloss on the commentary of Sankara on the Brahmasutras. However, Sankara redeemed from memory that part of it which had been read out to him earlier by Padmapada himself. (This unfinished work is now known as Pancapadika and has been printed.)
After completing the successful tour of the South, Sankara now journeyed to the north right upto Kasmira (Kashmir), vanquished all the scholars and occupied the Sarvajnapitha, the seat meant for the greatest scholar, in the temple of Sarasvati, the goddess of learning.
During his sojourn round the country, Sankara had established four Mathas or monasteries in the four cardinal points at Puri, Srngeri, Dvaraka and Josimatha. He anointed his four chief disciples as their heads, to carry on his work even after his demise, thus creating a great monastic tradition.
The following table gives the details:
No. Name Place First Pontiff
1. Sarada Matha Srngeri Suresvara
2. Kalika Matha Dvaraka Hastamalaka
3. Jyotirmatha Badari Totaka
4. Govardhana Matha Puri Padmapada
By this time he had firmly re-established the Vedic religion by his written works, vigorous propaganda of it principles and leaving behind him a band of illustrious disciples as also religious (monastic) institutions.
He is said to have entered into a cave in the Himalayas near Badari – known as the Dattatreyaguha – and disappeared forever.
According to another version current even now, Sankara is said to have established another Matha at Kancipuram (in Tamil Nadu) (called Kamakotipitha) and lived there for the rest of his life until his demise, which also took place there only. The controversy regarding this has not yet been resolved due to the non-availability of clinching evidence.
His Works
Shankara was a busy writer. His works are under three heads. Bhashyas, Prakaranas and Stotras. The Bhashyas are explanations of Philosophy, Upanishads, Brahmasutras and The Gita came under his scanner. Further a number of other works such as Vishnusahasranamam were expounded by him.
Prakaranas are simple treatises on Advaita Vedanta. The Vivekachudamani is among the most widely known. A very large number of hymns or stotras to various Deities were composed by him. Apart from all this two well known works on tantra – the Prapancasara and the Saundaryalahari – are also attributed to him.
His Philosophy
Sankara being the greatest propagator of Advaita Vedanta, holds the view that the basic truth or reality behind this universe of multiplicity, of myriad names and forms, is one and one only, advaita, the one without a second. This reality called Brahman appears as the many due to the peculiar, indefinable, factor called maya. Just as semidarkness hides the real nature of a rope (lying on the road) as rope and projects in it a snake (as it appears to us then) which is not there, so also maya hides the true nature of Brahman (as Sat-Cit-Ananda, existence-consciousness-bliss) and projects on that base, this manifold universe. Even as a bright light reveals the rope as rope, dispelling the snake-appearance, thereby removing all fear, in the same way, jnana or right knowledge removes the illusion brought about by maya.
Though Sankara has not defined and explained maya in detail, he has given enough indications in his writings that it acts like an existing positive force (bhavarupa) but disappears mysteriously once it is neutralized by jnana (knowledge or direct experience).
Once this basic standpoint that this multiple universe is a projection of maya on Brahman is accepted, Sankara is prepared to give it a greater degree of reality (called vyavaharikasatta or empirical reality), because, then only the reverse process of attenuating and eliminating it is possible. Otherwise the whole structure of sadhana based on this empirical reality collapses!
It is at this secondary level (of empirical reality) that Sankaa concedes the process of creation of the world as given in the Upanisads, the multiplicity and limited nature of the jives (bound souls), Isvara (God, Brahman in the garb of the Creator) as responsible for the creation, sustenance and dissolution of the world and the entire process of sadhana by the jives to regain their lost (essential) nature.
As a corollary, Sankara also acknowledges that maya has its individual counterpart, generally called avidya or ajnana (ignorance, nescience). It is this avidya that makes a jiva (the individual) feel identified with the body-mind complex, see the external world of duality, feel attraction or repulsion towards its objects, work to get what he wants, thus getting into the bondage of the cycle of births and deaths.
Once this jiva awakens and takes to the path of sadhana and realizes his true nature as sat-cit-ananda, the atman (the Self or the soul), his avidya is totally dispelled.
The body may continue to function for sometime due to prarabdha karma. When it falls, he is fully liberated, being merged in Brahman, never to be born again.
The individual who realizes his atman-nature and continues to live in the embodied state till the prarabdha expires, is called a jivanmukta (‘the liberated, even while living’). In this state his subjective reactions to the world have totally changed though he continues to see the world as before. The man, who has discovered the rope as rope in good light, will continue to see it as a snake in semidarkness, since the cause of the illusion is outside himself. However, his personal reaction to it has totally changed from one of fear to that of indifference or even amusement.
Epilogue
If Sankara is fondly remembered even today – twelve centuries after his advent – both by the intellectual classes and the simple masses – it is not a little due to his all-round personality. His bhasyas and prakaranas have enriched the knowledge of the former. His stotras on various deities commonly worshipped by the latter, have infilled them with devotion. The various miracles he is said to have performed – like the raining of golden myrobalans in the house of the poor lady or changing the course of the Purna river to facilitate bathing by his aged mother-restored faith in the power of tapas (austerity) and divine grace in the minds of the skeptics. By putting a stop to the bizarre practices that were being carried out in the name of religion by certain sects and cults, and converting their votaries to purer ways of life, he saved them and the society too. His convincing victories over the non-Vedic and anti-Vedic religions restored the Vedic religion to its pristine glory. The reorganization of Hindu monasticism made it more people-oriented through his direction, viz., pravasa (touring) and pracara (preaching).
Finally, his tender affection towards his lonely mother and the filial duty he discharged (fulfilling his promise) towards her during her last moments, speaks volumes of the intensely human aspect of his personality.
He did all these things and much more, never for a moment lowering his own dignity of demeanor or slipping from the sublime heights of monastic life.
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MADHVACARYA (A.D. 1238-1317)
He was born in A.D. 1238 as the son of Madhyageha Bhatta at the village Pajaka or Pajakaksetra, in the State of Karnataka, near the city of Mangalore. He was given the name ‘Vasudeva’ during the namakarana (naming) ceremony. Even as a child he exhibited many miraculous powers like clinging to the tail of a bull which was grazing in bushy fields, for several hours, converting tamarind seeds into gold and giving them to the person to whom his own father was indebted, thus discharging him from his debt, spending several days in the Narayana temple in the forest of Kaduvur all alone, correcting a brahmana pundit who was reciting the puranas wrongly and so on.
After his upanayana, he was put under the care of a preceptor. However, Vasudeva spent most of the time in manly sports like running, wrestling and swimming rather than attending the classes. When the teacher objected, he showed him that he knew all that was taught and also where the teacher was wrong!
At the age of sixteen Vasudeva took samnyasa diksa (monastic vows) from Acyutapreksa, the pontiff of a monastery at Kare near the modern town of Udupi. He was given the new name ‘Purnaprajna’.
The new ascetic began to receive instructions in the doctrines of Advaita Vedanta according to the famous work Istasiddhi of Vimuktatman (10th century A. D.). However, serious differences cropped up between the teacher and the disciple very soon. Being astounded by the sharp memory and remarkable scholarship of the disciple, Acyutapreksa gave him another name ‘Anandatirtha’ and also made him the pontiff of his monastery. ‘Madhva or Madhvacarya’ seems to be a synonym of his real name. However it is this name that seems to have become more common and popular.
During the next few years, Madhyacarya battled with many a scholar-most of whom were arrogant due to their learning-defeated them and converted them to his own views.
He then undertook a pilgrimage of South India. Along with visiting the holy places he also utilized this opportunity for spreading his views on the basic texts of Vedanta. AT one of the meetings during this tour, he was challenged by some scholars to explain the scriptures. Madhvacarya by the dint of his scholarship and eloquence showed that each Vedic sukta had three meanings, the Mahabharata ten, and that each name of the Visnusahasranama had a hundred!
The confrontation with the scholars of various schools like those of Sankara (A.D. 788-820) and Ramanuja (A.A. 1017-1137) convinced him now, of the need to found a new school of thought of Vedanta. During his next trip to North India, he is said to have visited the famous place of pilgrimage, Badari. There, he proceeded to the inaccessible regions of upper Badari, met Vedavyasa who lived there with his disciples, invisible to the ordinary run of humanity, and, received his instruction about the true meaning of the Brahmasutras as also the Mahabharata and the Pancaratra Agamas, all of which were composed by him to establish the glory of Narayana. He then wrote his commentary on the Brahmasutras and travelled back to South India.
During this second sojourn in this part of the country, he won over two great scholars - Sobhana Bhatta of the Godavari region and Svami Sastri from Kalinga - and gave them samnyasa. They were renamed Padmanabha Tirtha and Narahari Tirtha. They, later on, wrote commentaries on Madhvacarya’s works.
It was at this time that Acyutapreksa (his guru) became the disciple of this illustrious disciple.
During the period of his stay at Udupi, he discovered the image of Sri Krsna which was imbedded in a huge lump of mud (called gopicandana). He got it washed in a nearby lake and himself carried it to his monastery. It was during this procession that he composed, out of divine inspiration, the now well-known Dvadasastotra, twelve stanzas on Lord Vasudeva (or Sri Krsna). As per this hymn, this image had been prepared by the divine architect and sculptor Visvakarma and that it had been worshipped by the gopis of Vrndavana as also the queen Rukmini.
He then got a temple built and installed this image there.
During this period of stay at Udupi, he reformed the ways of sacrificial rites, introduced the use of animal forms made of a paste of black gram powder and ghee instead of real animals and included them in devotional disciplines.
He went on a second pilgrimage to Badari during which trip, performed many more miracles like casting a spell on a Turkish Muslim chieftain, routing bands of thieves and robbers, walking effortlessly on the water of the river Ganga and throwing away a huge tiger that tried to attack his party. He is also said to have shown the gada (mace) which he had used in his previous incarnation as Bhima.
The various miracles attributed to him in the traditional biography (the Madhvavijaya) may be taken to show that the acarya was a giant both physically and intellectually as also in yogic powers.
When he was staying at Udupi, the manuscripts of his works were stolen by rival scholars but were recovered in a miraculous way.
It was during this period that he won over a great scholar - Trivikrama Pandita - after defeating him in a long fought battle of wit and scholarship. At his command, Trivikrama later wrote an elaborate explanatory commentary on the Brahmasutrabhasya of his guru.
Since he was very particular that the worship of Lord Krsna in the temple he had established at Udupi should go on smoothly and unhindered, he gave that responsibility to his eight samnyasin disciples. They established their mathas or monasteries round the temple and took turns to shoulder that responsibility, each of the pontiffs getting two-year term. These eight mathas known as ‘Astamathas’, are Adamaru Matha, Kaniyuru Matha, Krsapura Matha, Palimaru Matha, Pejavara Matha, Puttige Matha, Siruru Matha and Sode MAtha. The first pontiffs of these Mathas, respectively, were: Narasimhatirtha, Vamanatirtha, Janardanatirtha, Hrshikesatirtha, Aksobhyatirtha, Upendratirtha, Ramatirtha and Visnutirtha.
Having intuitively felt that he had finished his work, Madhvacarya is said to have mysteriously disappeared from his seat, while teaching the Aitareya Upanisad to his disciples, leaving a big heap of flowers on it.
As regard the personality of Madhvacarya, the Madhvavijaya describes him as very strong with handsome features. He was endowed with a photographic memory, astounding scholarship and a powerful oratory. His voice was sonorous and suited the chanting of Vedic and other mantras.
A vast body of 37 works is attributed to him. Only a few of the more important ones may be mentioned here:
Bhasyas on all the ten well-known Upanisads;
Bhagavadgitabhasya; Bhagavadgitatatparyanirnaya; Brahmasutrabhasya; Anubhasya on the Brahmasutras;Anuvyakhyana, also on the same work; Mayavadakhandana; Vishnutattvavinirnaya; Sadacarasmrti; Yatipranavakalpa; Mahabharatatatparyanirnaya; Dvadasastotra and Rgvedabhasya (first mandala’s forty suktas only).
Madvacharya advocated dualism and realism. His philosophy accepts pancabhedas or five kinds of bhedas (differences) which are real and permanent. They are: Isvara or God is different from the jivas or souls; he is also different from the jada (insentient nature, prakrti); the various jivas are different from one another; the jivas are different from the jada; the various objects which are jada, are also different from one another.
He accepts God, called Narayana or Visnu or Srihari, as the Supreme Reality and the others as dependent realities. Mukti or liberation, which is regaining one’s blissful nature, can be got only through bhakti or devotion to God.
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NIMBARKA
There lived a great ascetic named Aruna Muni in Vaiduryapattnam, on the banks of the Godavari, in Andhra Pradesh in Southern India. He had a pious wife by name Jayanti Devi. Sri Nimbarka was born of Aruna Muni and Jayanti Devi. He flourished in the eleventh century A.D.
At the time of the Namakarana Samskara, the learned Brahmins gave the boy the name Niyamanandacharya. Nimbarka was also known by the names Aruna Rishi and Haripriyacharya.
Aruna Muni and Jayanti Devi performed their son’s sacred thread ceremony and sent him to Rishikul for learning the Vedas, Vedangas, Darshanas, etc. Niyamanandacharya mastered the scriptures in a short time. He was a mighty genius. People from all parts of India came to see this wonderful boy.
When Niyamanandacharya was in his teens, Brahma, the Creator, came to the Ashram of Aruna Muni in the disguise of a Sannyasin. The sun was about to set. The Muni had been out. The Sannyasin asked the wife of the Muni for something to eat. The food had been exhausted. The Muni’s wife remained silent. The Sannyasin was about to leave the Ashram.
Niyamanandacharya said to his mother, "Dear mother! A Sannyasin should not be sent away without food. We will have to suffer for violating Atithi Dharma". The mother said, "Dear son! Your father has gone out. I have neither fruits nor roots. Moreover, there is no time for me to prepare any food. It is sunset. Sannyasins do not take their meals after sunset".
Niyamanandacharya said to the Sannyasin, "I shall bring quickly roots and fruits from the forest. I guarantee that the sun will not set till you finish your meals". Niyamanandacharya placed his Sudarshana Chakra on a Nim tree in the Ashram where it shone like the sun. Brahma, who was in the guise of the Sannyasin, was struck with amazement. In a few minutes Nimbarka returned with roots and fruits and gave them to his mother, who served them to the Sannyasin with intense devotion. As soon as the Sannyasin finished his meals, Nimbarka removed the Sudarshana Chakra from the Nim tree. It was at once pitch dark. One quarter of the night had passed. The Sannyasin, who was Brahma, conferred on the boy the name ‘Nimbarka’ (Nim—Neem tree; Arka—Surya or the sun). Since then he has been called Sri Nimbarkacharya.
Sri Nimbarkacharya is considered to be an incarnation of Lord Hari’s weapon Sudarshana Chakra or discus.
There are four kinds of Avataras: (i) Purna (full) e.g., Lord Krishna, Lord Rama. (ii) Kala (not all-full) e.g., Matsya, Varaha, Hamsa, etc. (iii) Amsa (part) e.g., Jada Bharata, Nara Narayana, etc. (iv) Amsamsa (part of the part) e.g., Sri Sankara, Sri Ramanuja, Sri Nimbarka, etc.
In Vishnu Yana, the spiritual lineage of Sri Nimbarkacharya is given as follows: "The sacred Gopala Mantra of eighteen letters sprang from the lotus mouth of Sri Narayana. It was given to Hamsa Bhagavan. Hamsa Bhagavan in turn initiated the Kumaras who revealed this Mantra to Rishi Narada. Narada taught this to his disciple Sri Nimbarka. Nimbarka gave this Mantra to his disciple Srinivasacharya".
Sri Nimbarkacharya was the embodiment of mercy, piety, love, kindness, liberality and other divine qualities. He did rigorous austerities at Neemgram and had Darshan of Lord Krishna in that place. In that village only Nimbarka had exhibited his miracle when Brahma came for Bhiksha as a Sanyasin. Another holy place of the Nimbarka sect is Salembabad in Rajasthan. A big Mahant lives here. There is a temple of Nimbarka here.
Brindavan, Nandgram, Barsana, Govardhan and Neemgram are the chief Kshetras or holy lands of the followers of Nimbarkacharya. Parikrama of the 168 miles of Brij Bhumi is their foremost duty. To pay visits on different occasions to Sri Nimbarka’s temple in Neemgram, two miles from Govardhan, is their Sampradayik duty.
The Nimbarka sect is found mostly in Brij Bhumi, viz., Brindavan, Nandigram, Barsana, Govardhan, etc. Jaipur, Jodhpur, Bharatpur, Gwalior, Burdwan and Okara are its centres. The Nimbarka followers are also to be found in Central India, Bihar, Orissa and West Bengal.
The Dvaitadvaita Philosophy
Sri Nimbarkacharya wrote the following books: Vedanta Parijat Saurabh, a commentary on the Brahma Sutras; a commentary on the Bhagavad Gita; Sadachar Prakash, a treatise on Karma Kanda; Rahasya Shodasi, an explanation of the Sri Gopala Mantra in verses; Prapanna Kalpa Valli, an explanation of the Sri Mukunda Mantra in verses; Prapatti Chintamani, a treatise pertaining to supreme refuge; Prata Smarana Stotram, a devotional hymn; Dasa Sloki or Kama Dhenu, the ten nectarine verses; and Savisesh Nirvisesh Sri Krishna Stavam.
Sri Nimbarkacharya was the exponent of the Dvaitadvaita school of philosophy. Followers of this cult worship Sri Radha and Krishna. Bhagavata is the most important scripture for them. Jiva and the world are both separate from, and identical with, Brahman. The followers of this school are even now found in Mathura and Brindavan.
Sankara was the exponent of the Kevala Advaita philosophy, Ramanuja of the Visishtadvaita philosophy, Madhvacharya of the Dvaita philosophy, Vallabhacharya of the Suddhadvaita philosophy and Nimbarkacharya of the Dvaitadvaita philosophy. All were great souls. We cannot say that Sankara was greater than Ramanuja or Vallabha was greater than Nimbarka. All were Avatara Purushas. Each one incarnated on this earth to complete a definite mission, to preach and propagate a certain doctrine, which was necessary to help the growth of a certain type of people who flourished at a certain period, who were in a certain stage of devotion. All schools of philosophy are necessary. Each philosophy is best suited to a certain type of people.
All cannot grasp the highest Kevala Advaita philosophy of Sankara all at once. The mind has to be disciplined properly before it is rendered a fit instrument to grasp the tenets of Sankara’s Advaita Vedanta.
Salutations and adorations to all Acharyas! Glory to the Acharyas! May their blessings be upon us all!
Related Links
1. This biography is from the book "Lives of Saints".
2. Acharyas from the school of Vedanta: Sankara, Ramanuja, Madhva, Vallabha, Nimbarka, Gauranga.
3. The Dvaitadvaita Philosophy of Sri Nimbarka from Swami Sivananda's book All About Hinduism.
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GANDHIJI
The philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi is a world in itself.
Born at Porbandar in 1869, Gandhi was a member of the Vaisya Caste, the caste of merchants and agriculturists. After attending Indian schools up to his eighteenth year, he came to London to study Law. In 1893 an Indian firm sent him to South Africa to settle a lawsuit, and there he became acquainted with the conditions under which the Indian immigrants were living. He settled in the country as a lawyer and up to 1914 was the leader of his countrymen in their struggles for their rights. As his method of warfare he chose passive resistance, and it proved successful. In the Boer War (1899) he joined up with other Indians as a volunteer in the Ambulance Service. When the Great I World War broke out he was in London and took part in the formation of an ambulance column of Indian volunteers. But at the end of the year 1914 he was obliged to return to India on account of his health, and there he began to study the economic and political problems of his home country. The cause he made his own was the liberation of the Indian labourers who had emigrated to the colonies from the regulation, which had the force of law, that they must be bound by a five years’ contract. He fought also for the abolition of abuses on the indigo plantations in Northern India. He became the representative of the rights of the operatives in spinning factories in Ahmedabad who were at variance with their masters, and of the peasants of the Khaira district, who had got into debt through the failure of their harvest, when they were in conflict with the taxation authorities. By threatening or organizing passive resisance he always succeeded in gaining recognition for the demand he represented.
When the War was over (1919) he had recourse to similar methods to prevent the passing of exceptional laws against political agitators (the so-called Rowlatt Bills), but discovered that passive resistance in the Panjab led to violent revolutionary movements which were suppressed by the authorities with great severity. He was also disappointed that the British Government did nothing after the war to preserve the throne of the Sultan at Constantinople whom the Indian Mohammedans regarded as their religious overlord. In his endeavour to bring about an agreement between the Hindus and Mohammedans he had made the claims of the latter his own.
In 1920 in common with the Hindu and Mohammedan popular leaders he formed the momentous resolve to give up co-operation with the British Government. In the course of the passive resistance movement to champion the idea of the indepdence of the Indian people and promote the boycott of imported factory-made materials in favour of the resuscitation of Indian hand-spinning and handweaving, serious disturbances occurred in Bombay and Chauri Chaura. As the originator of civil resistance to the authority of the State, Gandhi was condemned to six years’ imprisonment, but after some time (1924) he was pardoned. In the years that followed the enmity which had broken out afresh between Hindus and Mohammedans caused him great grief.
Never before has any Indian taken so much interest in concrete realities as has Gandhi. Others were for the most part contented to demand a charitable attitude to the poor. But he – and in this his thought is just like that of a modern Europeans – wants to change the economic conditions that are at the root of poverty.
Ninety per cent of the population of India live in villages. During the dry season, which lasts for about six months of the year, work on the land is at a standstill. Formerly that people made use of this time for spinning and weaving. But since materials manufactured outside India as well as in Indian factories have governed the market, these home industries have been ruined. It is because the villagers have lost their former income from these secondary occupations that there is so much poverty in country districts. And the idleness involved has disastrous results.
His programme of village reform also includes the provision of better dwellings and better hygienic conditions, and the introduction of rational methods of farming.
The first impulse to the high esteem in which he holds bodily labour and the way of life of the agriculturist and artisan came to him from Ruskins’s Unto This Last, which he read while he was living in South Africa. He confesses that this book caused an immediate change in his view of life.
Gandhi’s feelng for reality is seen also in his relations to the Ahimsa commandment. He is not satisfied with praising it, but examines it critically. He is concerned at the fact that in spite of the authority of this commandment there is in India such a lack of pity both for animals and mankind. He ventures to say, “I hardly think that the fate of animals is so sad in any other country in the world as it is in our own poor India. We cannot make the English responsible for this; nor can we excuse ourselves by pleading our poverty. Criminal neglect is the only cause of the deplorable condition of our cattle”.
And through his feelings for reality Gandhi also arrives at the admission that the commandment not to kill and not to injure cannot be carried out in entirety, because man cannot maintain life without committing acts of violence. So with a heavy heart he gives permission to kill dangerous snakes and allows the farmers to defend himself against the monkeys which threaten his harvest.
It is one of the most important of Gandhi’s acts that he compels Indian ethics openly to come to grips with reality.
So great is his interest in what is worldly that he also has sympathy with sports and games. He demands that in the schools as much time should be given to bodily exercises as to the training of the mind, and laments that in his boyhood there were no games, so that he had to be contended with long walks uphill and down dale. So in one corner his world and life affirmation is marked “Made in England”.
But with this feeling for and interest in what is real, there is united in him a purely immaterial idea of what activity is. For him it is an established principle that material problems can only be solved by the Spirit. He is convinced that since all that happens in human affairs is conditioned by mind, things can only be improved by bringing about a different state of milnd. So, in all that we undertake, we must be careful to make our own milnd influence other minds. According to him the only real forces at our disposal are the spirit of freedom from hatred and the spirit of love. He regards the belief that worldly ends must be pursued by worldly methods as the fatal error which is responsible for the misery which prevails on this earth.
And according to Gandhi, political activity as well must be governed by the spirit of Ahimsa. “For me”, he wrote in a letter, “there are no politics that are not at the same time a religion”.
In themselves, Ahimsa and passive resistance are two quite different things. Only Ahimsa is nonworldly; passive resistance is worldly.
Later, in prison, while suffering the tortures of appendicitis, he resolved to accept the aid which the modern scientific art of healing he had so severely condemned could bring him. He allowed an operation to be performed. But he cannot get rid of the thought that in this he acted contrary to his real conviction. “I admit”, he wrote in a letter to a Brahmin ascetic who had taken him to task about this apostasy, “that it was a weakness of soul to submit to the surgical operation. Had I been altogether free from self-seeking, I should have resigned myself to the inevitable; but I was mastered by the wish to go on living in this body of mine.”
But in spite of this strong world and life negation, Gandhi can no longer make his own the old ideal which is part and parcel of it – the ideal of a life withdrawn from the world. His friend the Brahmin ascetic, who advised him to retire to a cave and live for meditation alone, received the reply, “I am striving to reach the Kingdom of Heaven which is called the liberation of the soul. In order to reach this I need not seek refuge in a cave. I carry my cave with me…..”
By a magnificent paradox Gandhi brings the idea of activity and the idea of world and life negation into relationship in such a way that he can regard activity in the world as the highest form of renunciation of the world. In a letter to the Brahmin ascetic, he says, “My service to my people is part of the discipline to which I subject myself in order to free my soul from the bonds of the flesh….. For me the path to salvation leads through unceasing tribulation in this service of my fellow-countrymen and humanity.”
So in Gandhi’s sprit modern Indian ethical world and life affirmation and a world and life negation which goes back to the Buddha dwell side by side.
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SANT TUKARAM
Tukaram was born in 1598 A.D. (Sake 1520) at Dehu near Poona in a Sudra family which for generations had been devoted to Vitthal. His parents were Bolhoba and Kanakai. Professionally they were banias. Tukaram married twice, his first wife being asthmatic and the second hot-tempered. His parents died when he was in teens. He suffered a loss in trade. In a famine his wife and a son died for want of food. Tukaram used to go to nearby hills to lead a secluded life of reading and devotion. In 1619 on Magha Suddha 10, Thursday, he was initiated by his Guru Babaji in a dream. His many poems (abhangas) are full of the one pointed yearning for God, ultimately culminating in realization. His one time enemies became his disciples. Tukaram probably met another saint Ramdas and the rising Hindu King Shivaji. Having led an intensely spiritual life Tukaram as the tradition goes, went to Vaikuntha with his body in 1650 A.D.
When Tukaram’s fame was spreading as a great devotional poet and saint, he incurred the anger of those who were apparently learned, and among them was one Rameshvarbhatta. He ordered to throw his compositions in the river Indrayani. Tukaram felt extremely sorry and fasted for thirteen days invoking God to restore his poems. God at last made His appearance in a youthful image, so Tuka tells us, and handed over the treasure in a neat condition.
As Nemesis would have it the great persecutor Rameshvarbhatta suffered unbearable bodily distress, and to get redressed from it had to seek Tukaram’s succour. The magnanimous saint composed an Abhanga by which Rameshvarbhatta was relived: “If the mind is pure, then verily even enemies become friends. Neither tigers nor serpents can hurt the pure-minded. Poison will become nectar. A blow will be turned into help. What ought not to be done may itself open for him the path of morality. Sorrow will be the cause of happiness. And the flames of fire will become cool. All these things will happen when one knows that there is the same immanent Being in the hearts of all.”
After this event Rameshvarbhatta became a great devotee of Tukaram.
Rameshvarbhatta writes about Tukaram as follows:
“However learned a man may be, and however well-versed in the Vedas, he can never equal Tukaram. He loved God so intensely that only nectar could flow through his sweet words. By his devotion, his knowledge and his dispassionateness he was unparalleled. Many great saints have lived in old times, but it is only Tuka who was bodily taken in a Vimana to heaven.”
Tukaram passed through all sorts of difficulties at home and was persecuted outside. He describes his condition thus: “ By repentance, I am now remembering Thee, Life seems to me like vomit. Happy am I that my wife is a termagant, that I have lost all reputation and am disrespected. Well it is that I have ceased to be ashamed among men. Well it is that I have come as a supplicant to Three. “ Tuka rejoices in his condition and addresses to God, “Between us two, nobody now intervenes to create an artificial barrier.”
Tuka once dreamt that Namadev, who lived some three hundred years before him, came along with Pandurang and asked him to compose poetry. Tuka says, “I have composed poetry according to my lights. Good or bad God only knows, for it is His own handiwork. I extricate myself from egoism, throw my entire burden upon God, and rest content.”
In these words Tuka prays God. “There is none who can equal you in compassion. Verily my words fail to describe your greatness. You are more affectionate than the mother, more delightful than the moon, your grace flows like a river. You, who have made nectar, are really sweeter than it. I place my head on Thy feet in silence. Forgive me, O God, I am a vicious and sinful man. Give me a place at Thy feet, Adieu to all worldly life which but moves the mind away from God’s feet. The ripples of intellect change from moment to moment, and attachment ends in dislodging us from piety of any kind. Put an end to all my anxieties, O God, and come to reside in my heart.”
Tuka describes the efficacy and power of God’s Name, “ Let my mind go after the Name of God and sing His praises. My early life was embittered by calamities, but His Name gave me comfort. The happiness I derived by meditation on the Name was incomparable. The Impersonal took on a form. I found that God runs to the place where the Name is celebrated. Make haste to sing the praise of God. Everything else leads to sorrows. From the disbelievers in the Name, God stands at a distance. The Name is verily the pathway to heaven.”
Once Shivaji learning of the great poverty of Tukaram sent rich presents to his house. But with the following words he sent back the treasure inspite of his wife’s protestations. “My delusion and desires are at an end. They are verily the bait which death sets for us. God and clay are to me of equal consequence. The whole heaven has descended into my house.”On this Shivaji invited Tukaram. But Tuka declared that the ant and the kind were to him alike. Thus Shivaji was still more attracted to this great saint and used often to attend Tukaram’s kirtans. During one such kirtan Shivaji’s enemies surrounded the place. Thereon Tuka began to implore God to ward off the danger, saying “How would it be possible for me to see this great disaster with my eyes? My heart is filled with sorrow to see others in calamity. Thou must not see the disaster happen to us? We have never heard that where the servants of God dwell, the enemies can come and molest them. Tuka says, “My devotion has been put to shame. I shall be living only as a contemptible being in the eyes of others. I am not afraid of death. But I cannot see these people plunged in misery.” Upon which, it is said, that God appeared in the form of Shivaji and putting the enemies on the false scent, made the enemies follow him away from the temple. Thus the real Shivaji and the people were saved.
SURDAS
Surdas, often referred to as the blind bard of Agra, was born in the year 1473 A.D. Was he born blind? Or did he become blind in a later period? Judging from the descriptions and imagery presented in his compositions, some critics have asserted that he was born blind. There is also a story of doubtful authenticity that the poet led a profligate life in his early years and as a consequence lost his eye-sight later. According to another fanciful version of his life, the poet himself, to break off from his profligate courses put out his own eyes in a fit of remorse and contrition. All such speculations have been proved to be baseless and it is now established that the renowned poet Surdas was born blind. Then how is one to explain the wealth of imagery and descriptions in his poems? An explanation as easy as it is convincing to those endowed with faith can always be given. What is impossible of attainment to one who has obtained the grace of the Lord by his unswerving devotion? He can make the lame scale over mountain peaks. He can make the dumb eloquent and He can make the blind see also. Such is the power of true devotion.
It is known from the ‘Chaurasi Vaishnavon ki varta’ that Surdas spent the early years of his life as an ascetic in Agra and Muttra. During that period he composed devotional songs on Lord Krishna. It is said that Sri Vallabhacharya, the exponent of the Shuddhadwaita school of Philosophy, once heard Surdas sing his songs in his sweet voice, and impressed by the melody and merit of the blind poet’s compositions, entreated him to compose songs on the incidents and anecdotes of the Bhagawatam. Surdas remained some years in the service of the temple of Srinath in Goverdhan. He composed in all about one lakh and ten thousand hymns, of which only ten thousand, collectively known as Sursagar are extant. All the poems extol devotion and submission to God. The poet lavishes all his powers of description and intuitive knowledge of the child’s mind in depicting enrapturing pictures of the juvenile pranks of Krishna. Critics are unanimous in pronouncing these descriptions of parental tenderness as inimitable. To our mind are presented spectacular and colorful pictures of Krishna’s ravishing flute melodies, His entrancing beauty, His passages with the love-lorn gopies and many other soul-stirring episodes of His life. Verily the Sursagar is an ocean with countless waves of devotion and bliss centred in Lord Krishna.
The poems of Surdas have been set to music. There is evidence that the famous Tansen, Akbar’s court musician used to sing Surdas’s compositions. Charmed by them the emperor Akbar himself is said to have sought an interview with Surdas. The number of musicians, who since that time had the songs of Surdas in their repertoire, is innumerable. Who can tell how many countless persons afflicted by the ills of this transitory world have had their lives illumined by the poems of Surdas?
Apropos the influence of Surdas’s songs an anecdote ma be cited here. The world famous Swami Vivekananda, before his first departure for America sojourned with the Maharajah of Khetri in the palace at Jaipur. One evening the Maharajah arranged for a music recital by a celebrated danseuse and invited the Swami to grace the occasion with his presence. Swamiji replied curtly that it would be unbecoming of a sannyasin to listen to the music of a fallen woman. When the musician heard of Swamiji’s stern refusal to be present at her recital, she was struck with grief. None knew by what misfortunes the woman was driven to that in-famous career. But she had felt a strong urge to reform and chasten herself. Swamiji’s scorn caused her anguish and from the fullness of her tormented heart was wrung out this song of Surdas, embodying the wail of a penitent soul torn between hope and despair,
This song of supplication by a repentant sinner stirred Swamiji profoundly and his heart went out in compassion for the poor degraded singer.
Surdas emphasizes the truth, that to make ourselves worthy of spiritual inspiration, we have to undergo the necessary disciplines. God-realization is not to be regarded as a lofty and unattainable ideal. The steps to that realization are matters for daily practice. Introspection, awareness of our weaknesses and frailties, repentance and supplication for grace take us within range of the beatific vision of God. He, whose heart is burnt by the fire of true repentance, will certainly obtain the grace of God. The foolish man who misuses the years of his youth in dissipation and turns to God in his declining years is like the thoughtless student who idles away all his time and becomes frantically active just before an examination. Even after one has become painfully aware of one’s evil tendencies and lapses, to conquer them, especially when they have obtained a stronghold on the mind due to prolonged indulgence is exceedingly arduous.
The mind has been allowed to have its way for a long period without restraint. Now only God’s grace will save the supplicant. By constant devotion to the Lords’ feet one can get rid of all one’s evil tendencies. Devotion and absolute faith in the power and glory of God’s Name are the only means of attaining lasting peace.
Sailing on a frigate at mid-sea the bird attempts many flights outward but returns every time to its perch on the mast, fatigued and exhausted. Even so, man sailing on the ocean of existence seeks joy in the ephemeral objects of the world, but will find real peace only when his being is centred in the constant consciousness of the Supreme One. After all the toil and turmoils of this fretful world one has to return to the blessed feet of the Lord to find eternal peace. This is the central theme and refrain of the soul-stirring songs of Surdas, the blind bard of India.
GURU NANAK
The advent of Guru Nanak was aptly described by Bhai Gurdas as “the light that scattered the mists of that time”. What were those mists? The state of society at the time Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism and the First Guru, came on the scene, was at its lowest ebb. It was completely caste-ridden, pinning its faith to outmoded ritualistic and superstitious practices, hide-bound by innumerable caste regulations and conventions, dividing people into endless compartments. This caste-ridden society showed fissiparous tendencies, leading to its gradual disintegration because of the inherent weakness of the system and the consequent rivalries. Dharma was slowly dying down.
The political situation of the time was even more alarming and disquieting. Foreign invaders governed large tracts of the country and exploited our resources to their own benefit. Along with the invaders came their culture which was planted on the conquered, and conversions to their faith took place. In that deteriorating condition of society, there was nothing to infuse a sense of unity and a sense of self-respect among the different sections of the population which were groaning under injustice. It was in these circumstances that the light of Guru Nanak emerged to dispel the surrounding darkness.
Guru Nanak was born in 1469. He appears even in his childhood to have been of a mystic disposition and much given to contemplation. He was sent to school early but he often surprised his school-master and parents by his unusual behaviour. He took little interest either in his conventional studies or in the secular tasks allotted to him. He began to pass more and more of his time in religious practices. When young Nanak fell ill and the loving parents sent for a physician, he accosted the physician with the mystic words – “The physician is sent for to prescribe a remedy; he taketh my hand and feeleth my pulse. Physician, go home, few know my malady. The Creator, who gave me this pain, will remove it……I feel first the pain of separation from God, then pang of hunger for contemplation of Him. O ignorant physician! give me no medicine.”
With his enormous spiritual dimensions, Guru Nanak established direct communion with God and obtained enlightenment. The episode of his physical disappearance from Sultanpur and his re-appearance represented the divine call he received for embarking on his destined mission. He thereupon gave up his worldly pursuits and took to preaching of his spiritual message of love and peace.
The Guru traveled extensively, mostly on foot, to convey his inspired message – from Mecca, Medina and Baghdad in the west, to Dacca and Kamrup(Assam) in the east, from Kashmir and Tibet in the north to Kanyakumari and Ceylon in the south. He widely propogated his message of Oneness of God, brotherhood of man and of love and tolerance. He emphatically proclaimed the Oneness of God in these words-
Were I given a hundred thousand tongues instead of
One
And the hundred thousand multiplied twentyfold,
A hundred thousand times would I say, and say
again,
The Lord of all the world is One and repeat His Name.”
He considered all human beings as the offspring of One God and therefore brothers –
Ek pita ekas ke ham barak tun mera gur hai
The Guru laid stress on the fundamental truth in all religions and seldom asked anyone to give up his own faith. For him there was no Hindu and no Muslim, there was only man. According to the Guru, no one is high or low. All are equal. He himself has very humble and said that humility was the essence of goodness.
Mithal neevin Nanka gunn Changaiyan tat
Guru Nanak condemned caste system and untouchability in no uncertain terms. By good action alone, he said, can any one claim to be of high caste and not by the exigency of birth. ( Sa jai sa pat hai jehe karam kamai). He further said –
‘They alone are of low birth who forget
The true master. Without the grace of
His Name, their status is low.”
To obliterate caste divisions, he insisted on people coming to see him to partake of a meal from the free kitchen sitting together on a common platform. He did not believe in renunciation, but laid stress on charity and detachment while making an honest living by hard endeavour and active work.
“Ghat khai kichh hathon thei
Nanak raho pachhanaeh sai
Guru Nanak was a person of extra ordinary moral courage and independence; and above all, was a very great mystic and poet. His sweet and sublime poetical compositions in which were contained his teachings, attracted large masses of people to him and captivated their hearts. He was a bridge between Hindus and Muslims. He was loved and respected alike so much by both of them that he was often called “Guru Nanak Shah Fakir – Hindu ka guru, Mussulman ka pir”. He was not only a spiritual leader but also a crusader against social evils and divisive forces in the country. He successfully spearheaded a vigorous spiritual and social reform movement.
Guru Nanak was probably the first to give India the concept of a nation. In his hymns, he speaks of the wails of ‘Hindustan’ during those turbulent times and invokes the blessings of God for the people with a tortured mind.
The Guru was totally against asceticism and torture of the flesh to get enlightenment. He attached supreme importance to right conduct and repetition of and meditation on the Name of God. He advised us to be in the world but not worldly and he wanted us to be pure in heart. The Guru exalted the dharma of the householder and the company of holy men. In the teachings of Guru Nanak, morality and good conduct hold a very high place.
Sachon are sabh ko upar sach achar
(Truth is higher than everything but higher still a truthful conduct).
“Few of India’s, even of the world;s religions”, according to one writer, ‘ have laid down a more exalted moral code than is to be found in the pages of the Granth. Purity of life is set forth as the highest object of human endeavour.”
Guru Nanak’s teachings and ideals can very appropriately and profitably be applied to present day conditions. To Guru Nanak, religion was not only a spiritual experience but a way of life. Every action of man must have the impact of religion, of integrity, love, righteousness, humility and truth. This can only be achieved if one is always conscious of the presence of God by constant ‘smiran’ or ‘jap’. Guru Nanak insisted that there should be harmony between thought and action and purity in life. The modern world can rightly take credit for the constructive role of science and technology in providing amenities of life and bettering the living conditions of the poorer sections of the people, but the nuclear weapons produced and piled up by Big Powers pose a constant threat to its annihilation. People talk of peace but always live in fear of wars and conflicts. Science should be made to subserve the interests of the people rather than be allowed to become their master.
In India, in spite of the teachings of several saints and seers, and in spite of the great movements for the eradication of untouchability, we still suffer from the evils of caste system in some form or other. Differences persist to divide the people on account of race, religion, region and language. But we must not yield to despair. We must remember constantly the message of the great Guru who infused not only a new life of action but also of harmony, love and fearlessness in the frustrated people of India. As Dr.Radhakrishnan put it, “the poets, singers and saints with their passionate devotion to the ideals of beauty, harmony, freedom and aspiration have had the strongest impact on society…… The saints belong to the whole world. They are universal men who free our minds from bigotry and superstition, dogma and ritual and emphasise the central simplicities of religion”.
Guru Nanak is one of the world teachers of outstanding eminence and his message is of universal application and has validity for all time. It has particular relevance not only to us but to the whole world of man-kind at this critical period of human history. If only we pay heed to it, we can surely foster universal brotherhood based on mutual love, respect and understanding and we can build up unity and promote international peace. Let me recall the words of Dr.Arnold Toynbee, the great historian of our times, regarding the role of Sihism founded by Guru Nanak.
“Mankind’s religious future may be obscure; yet one thing can be foreseen; by living in higher religions they are not going to influence each other more than ever before, in these days of increasing communication between all parts of the world and all branches of the human race. In this coming religious debate, the Sikh religion, and its scripture the Adi Granth, will have something of special value to say to the rest of the world”.
MIRA BAI
Mira, daughter of Rathor Ratna Singh, was born in a village named Kudki Near Jodhpur in about the year 1500 A.D. Her grandfather, Rao Dudaji was a deeply religious man and a great devotee. Mira had lost her mother in her childhood, hence Rao Dudaji had to take upon himself the responsibility of bringing up and educating his grand daughter. As a result of the benevolent influence of the good company of the saintly grandfather. Mira developed deep devotion to Sri Krishna from her childhood, regarding herself as the bride of Girdhari. She was not in favour of marriage. But, bound by the social custom, her elders arranged for her marriage with Kumar Bhojaraj, son of Rana Sanga of Udaipur. But Mira’s mind was filled with Sri Krishna only.
Unfortunately, Mira became a widow very early. Because of this, her devotion and love for God became more intensified. Without caring for her relations, she began to spend her time in temples in the worship of Girdhari in the company of sadhus and devotees. Intoxicated with intense devotion for her Beloved or being unable to bear the agony of separation from her Beloved she used to spontaneously express her innermost feelings through melodious songs. Singing these songs she used to forget herself and the world around her, and she used to dance in ecstatic joy. Her royal family did not like this. They wanted to put an end to Mira;s life. They sent her a cup filled with ‘charanamrit’ but it was mixed with poison. Mira gladly accepted the “charanamrit”. The poison did not affect her. Instead it is said that her Girdhari’s face became blue. Mira was saved by the protecting grace of her Beloved; just in the same way as thousands of years ago, Bhakta Prahlada was saved by the Lord while he was being tortured by his own father.
But Mira could no more bear the troubles created by her relations in the palace. She left the palace and went on a pilgrimage. She visisted, Vrindavan and Dwaraka. When she was living at Dwaraka, a Brahmin came to her who was sent by her brother-in-law Vikramjeet to take her back. Mira did not like to return. It is said that she became merged with Ranchodji, while offering Him her intensely devoted worship in the temple. This was about the year 1546 A.D. At Dwarka, even today a piece of her sari is shown by the side of Ranchodji. Mira experienced throughout her life the joy of divine love even in her feeling of separation from her. Beloved and as a fitting climax to such a dedicated life, she attained liberation – Mukti – by becoming one with her Beloved Girdhari.
Mira was a great devotee of God. Her entire life was centred in her Girdhari. In her simple but sweet songs, Mira used to sing expressing the different moods of her wholehearted love flowing continuously towards her Beloved.
In one of her songs she says
“Only Girdhar Gopal is mine, none else. Only He is my husband, who wears on His head, a crown of peacock feathers. I have abandoned all fears about the family prestige. What harm any one can do to me? Not caring for what the world may say, I have spent most of my time in the company of devotees. I have planted the creeper of love, and reared it by watering it continuously by tears of love. Now the creeper of love has grown well and its is yielding the fruit of joy. I wept looking at the world and readily accepted the path of devotion. Mira is the servant of Girdhari. Oh Lord! Please save me.”
Mira’s devotion to Krishna was ananya-bhakti. In another song of hers, she exclaims that she cannot live without Krishna. In the same song, she questions as to how the world can consider that she has gone astray, when she has sold herself to Girdhari.
Mira tells about her own life and her devotion ti Sri Krishna in another song:
“Mira danced, wearing in her legs the ghunghuru ( small bells) ……..People say that she has gone mad. Mother-in-law says that she has spoiled the good name of the family. The Ranaji sent her the cup of poison which smilingly Mira drank. Mira think, “I belong to Narayana. I have become a servant of His.” Mira cries out, “My lord Girdhar! You are the Eternal! Please let me see you.”
Mira was a devotee of Sri Krishna. In her songs Bhakti is overflowing. Besides Bhakti, the tender emotions of woman’s heart are also expressed in these songs in a touching manner. She assumes different attitudes in approaching her Beloved, as a servant maid, as a friend, as a lover and as a worshipper. Her songs are simple. We do not find in them the polish and design of rhetorics and prosody. But they ably depict her agony of separation from her Beloved, her ecstatic joy of her deep love for her Girdhari and her total surrender to her Lord. In her love for Sri Krishna, Mira totally forgets herself. In the whole world, Mira considers that Vasudeva alone is the male and every one else in the entire world is only a female.
When Mira was at Vrindavan Jiva Goswami refused to permit her to see him as she was a woman. Then it is said that Mira had exclaimed, “Is he a male? Then he ought not to have entered Brindavan, Because in Brindavan, Sri Krishna is the only male.”
Mira is also said to have sought advice from Tulsi Das by writing him a letter in the form of a poem:
“All my relations at home are causing me great difficulties in my singing in praise of the Lord and seeking the company of holy devotees. The devotees of the Lord are like my parents. Please write to me as to what is my duty under these circumstances. “ In response to this, Tulsidas is reported to have replied thus through one of his famous songs:
“Abandon them, who do not love the Lord, as though they are your greatest enemies, even if they are very dear to you.”
Mira regarded her Girdhar Nagar as her everything. She sang her songs giving spontaneous expression to her deep love for her Beloved. These songs depict the varying moods of her devotion and the different modes of her Bhakti ( nine kinds of Bhakti). Mira intensely longed to see her Beloved. She felt that she could not live without her Beloved. Every moment of her life, she was anxiously immersed in the thought. ‘When will I meet my Beloved?” She had no peace of mind because of her intense yearning for seeing her Beloved. She was not able to take food in the day time and in the night she could not have sleep.
Mira used to sing and dance, praising her Beloved and spontaneously the different kinds of Bhakti like Sravana, Kirthana, Smarana, Pada Puja etc. used to manifest in her which found expression in her songs. Similarly, the different attitudes of Bhakti – like Dasya ( the attitude of a servant) Sakhya (the attitude of a friend) Madhurya (the attitude of a lover) etc. which Mira assumed in her love for her Beloved are also beautifully described in an effortless and natural manner in the songs of Mira. She declares that her Nandalal is her companion not only in her present life but also in her past and future lives.
We find that Mira surrenders herself to her Lord totally and unconditionally.
Being a woman, Mira has one advantage over the other male saints and others, who have to express their feelings of intense love for their Beloved, Sri Krishna, by assuming the attitude of Radha and other gopis. Such an attitude is natural to Mira, and therefore she does not feel it necessary to assume the attitude of any one else. Being a woman herself, she more spontaneously accepts her Girdhari as her beloved.
Mira was not bound to a particular sect or cult, nor did she leave behind her any disciples or followers like many other saints. But her songs have secured a permanent place in the bhakti literature in Hindi. The spontaneous expression of her wholehearted and intense longing for the Divine in her songs will continue to move the hearts of devotees for ever.
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TIRUVALLUVAR
Tiruvalluvar might have lived in the 1st century A.D. Actually, Valluvar is the name of one of the lowest castes of the pariah group. In the olden days they were employed by the kings and rulers to make royal announcements by beating drums (tomtom). The author belonged to that caste and his actual name has been buried in the folds of history.
Tiruvalluvar is said to have lived in Mylapore (now a part of the city of Madras or Chennai). He was a weaver by profession. According to the local legends he was an orphan abandoned by his real parents, but brought up by a couple of the vellala (farmer) caste. His contact with holy men at a tender age of five made him inclined towards a spiritual life, which ultimately resulted in his becoming a saintly person. His wife Vasuki proved to be an ideal companion for him. She died earlier than him. Later, he embraced monastic life and engaged himself in spreading spiritual knowledge and wisdom. His work, the Tirukkural, when presented before the Sangam (assembly of great scholars) at Madurai (in TamilNadu), was thoroughly examined and then acclaimed as a great work.
The work has 133 chapters, each containing 10 verses, the total thus being 1330 verses. They have been divided into three sections dealing with the first three purursarthas, as follows:
Arattuppal
(Section on Dharma - 38 Chapters);
Porutpal
(Section on Artha - 70 Chapters);
Kamattupal
(Section on Kama - 25 Chapters).
A brief synopsis of the subjects treated may now be given:
Arattuppal
In praise of God; on rain; greatness of renunciation; on dharma; family life; hospitality and kindness as also sweet words; gratitude; right conduct; evils to be avoided like envy and backbiting; on liberality; not eating meat; on penance; on truth; on true knowledge as also fate.
Porutpal
Who a real king is; true marks of a good king; various actions and policies to be followed by a king; righteous rule versus tyranny; on spies; on embassies; on fortresses and acquisition of wealth; on the importance of the army; on friendship with others kings and allies; things to be avoided like ignorance and discord; wine and women; need to cultivate good conduct and modesty.
Kamattupal
This section deals with, in detail, various aspects of kama (erotic love) in a couple, before marriage, in the married life, during pangs of separation and so on. Unlike some Sanskrit works on erotics, this section is much more decent and refined.
Though the Tirukkural deals with only the first three purusarthas, the fourth purusartha (moksa or liberation) has been indirectly dealt with in chapters 1, 3, and 4.
There are ten commentaries (all in Tamil) on this work. Out of them, the one by Parimel Azhakar is considered the best.
Recently (in A.D. 2000) a huge statue of Tiruvalluvar, 40 metres or 133 feet in height, has been installed on the smaller rock in the sea near Kanyakumari (in Tamil Nadu).
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MELPATHUR NARAYANA BHATTATIRI
Melpathur Narayana Bhattatiri deserves to be more widely known than he is today. Having spent his early youth in the pursuit of pleasure, a stray remark about wasting a precious and hard-earned ‘human birth’ on this earth caused him to undergo a total change. Thereafter he became the ‘Sishya’ of a great guru. He devoted his great talents to write great works. The Bhakti movement in Kerala was greatly encouraged by his life and work. The Narayaniyam is his contribution. It is still read by many in Kerala today and regular lectures on it are widely attended.
Narayaniyam is a masterly condensation of the famous Bhagavata Mahapurana. The Bhagavata, consisting of about 18000 verses, has been summarized in this work in 1034 verses, divided into 100 dasakas (cantos). This work occupies a very high place in Sanskrit literature, both because of the intense devotional fervour of the verses and because of their extraordinary literary merit.
Melpathur Narayana Bhattatiri, was born about the year 1560 A.D. in a village near the famous temple of Tirunavaya in Kerala. Even at a very young age he mastered the Vedas and the vedangas. He learnt Mimamsa and other Sastras from his father Matrudatta, the Vedas from one Madhavacharya, the science of logic (Tarka) from his elder brother Damodara and Sanskrit grammar from one Achyuta Pisharoti, a celebrated grammarian. He composed the Narayaniyam at the age of 27. He wrote a monumental work on Sanskrit grammar, entitled Prakriyasarvasva, a work similar to the Siddhanta Kaumudi, but written earlier. It is said that Bhattoji Dikshita, the author of the Siddhanta Kaumudi, on hearing about Bhattatiri, set out for Kerala to meet him, but had to return disappointed on hearing on the way that Bhattatiri had passed away. Bhattatiri composed many other devotional hymns also, as well as a work on Purva-mimamsa entitled Manameyodaya and panegyrics in praise of his royal patrons. It is believed that he lived till the ripe old age of 105, honoured by all for his great erudition, his superb literary creations and above all, for his supreme devotion.
The circumstances which led to the composition of Narayaniyam by Bhattatiri in his 27th year are as follows. His Guru in Sanskrit grammar, Achyuta Pisharoti, fell victim to a severe attack of paralysis and suffered unbearable pain. Bhattatiri, the devoted disciple that he was, could not bear the suffering of his Guru. He therefore fervently prayed that the disease may be transferred to him and his Guru freed of suffering. It happened as he wanted and soon, while Pisharoti recovered, the fell disease made Bhattatiri a cripple. It was the general belief in those days, as it is now, that sincere prayers to the Lord of Guruvayur would bring immediate relief from all troubles. Bhattatiri, who was unable even to move, had himself carried to the Guruvayur temple and sat there spending his time in prayer. He was then advised by Tunchath Ezhuthachan, an eminent Malayalam poet of the time, that he would be cured of his disease if he composed a hymn recounting all the incarnations of the Lord. Accordingly, he started composing the Narayaniyam, at the rate of one dasaka (canto) consisting generally of 10 verses, every day. On the 100th day he had a vision of the Lord in the form of Venugopala. The 100th canto, composed on that day, gives a graphic description of this form from head to foot. On that day he became completely cured of his disease.
In the 100th canto the poet says that he has named this work Narayaniyam for two reasons - (1) it is about Lord Narayana and (2) the poet’s name is also Narayana.
From the word ‘Ayurarogyasaukhyam’ appearing at the end of the 100th canto scholars have worked out the date of completion of the work as the 28th day of the Malayalam month of Vrischikan of the Malayalam year 762 corresponding to 27th November 1587. (According to some the year is 763 and the date is 12th Dec. 1587).
As a devotional hymn, this work ranks among the best of its kind. The superiority of the path of devotion, as compared with the paths of action (Karma) and knowledge (Jnana) is repeatedly stressed by the poet. He points out that Bhakti grows in the heart of an individual without any special effort on his part if he merely listens to the narrations about the incarnations and the deeds and excellences of the Lord. Bhakti is nothing but intense love for God. It is natural for every human being to love anything beautiful and so, to develop love for the Lord of Guruvayur who is beauty incarnate, does not need any effort. Unlike the path of Jnana which is possible only for those who have developed a high degree of detachment, the path of Bhakti is open to everyone. But devotion in the real sense of the term is possible only when it is informed by some knowledge of the relationship between the world and God, between the individual and God and between the individual and the world. These matters are dealt with in the first 10 and the last 10 cantos. These cantos thus contain the essence of all the Upanisads. Every verse is addressed to the Lord. This work is considered eminently suitable for daily Parayanam (devout reading) by devotees. In these days when life is full of tensions and problems, the reading of at least a few verses every day is the surest way to preserve one’s equanimity and enjoy inward peace.
From the literary point of view also this work can be placed on par with those of the greatest Sanskrit poets of all time. Eighteen different metres have been used by the poet. This variety makes the reading of this work a delightful experience. Bhattatiri is an adept at choosing words and metres in such a manner as to make the events narrated come alive before the mind’s eye. In the 25th canto, while describing the incarnation of the Lord as Narasimha, he uses words which bring out the awesomeness of the situation. In canto 55 describing Krishna dancing on Kaliya, the Totaka metre is very appropriately employed. Canto 69 describing the Rasakrida in the Kusumamanjari metre sends a thrill through us, bringing the scene before us in all its vividness. Cantos 98 and 100 elevate the reader to the most sublime heights of direct communion with the Supreme Being. Literary devices such as Anuprasa, Yamaka, etc enhance the poetic quality of the work.
According to the Sthala purana of the Guruvayur temple, the image installed therein was originally given by Mahavishnu to Brahma. Brahma gave it to a sage named Sutapas; he gave it to Kasyapa Prajapati who in turn, gave it to Vasudeva, the father of Krishna. Sri Krishna got it from his father and worshipped it at His capital Dvaraka. Before the conclusion of His incarnation as Krishna the Lord told His devotee and minister Uddhava that the image would come floating in the sea which would soon engulf Dvaraka. Uddhava was asked to request Brihaspati, the Guru of the gods, to install the image at a suitable place. Accordingly, when the image came floating, Brihaspati took it and, along with Vayu, went all over the world and finally selected this spot and installed the image there. As the place was selected by Guru and Vayu, it came to be known as Guruvayur.
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SRILA PRABHUPADA
His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada was born in 1896 in Calcutta, India. He first met his spiritual master, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami, in Calcutta in 1922. Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, a prominent devotional scholar and the founder of sixty-four branches of Gaudiya Mathas (Vedic institutes), liked this educated young man and convinced him to dedicate his life to teaching Vedic knowledge in the Western world. Srila Prabhupada became his student, and eleven years later (1933) at Allahabad, he became his formally initiated disciple.
At their first meeting, in 1922, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura requested Srila Prabhupada to broadcast Vedic knowledge through the English language. In the years that followed, Srila Prabhupada wrote a commentary on the Bhagavad-gita and in 1944, without assistance, started an English fortnightly magazine.
Recognizing Srila Prabhupada’s philosophical learning and devotion, the Gaudiya Vaisnava Society honored him in 1947 with the title “Bhaktivedanta.” In 1950, at the age of fifty-four, Srila Prabhupada retired from married life, and four years later he adopted the vanaprastha (retired) order to devote more time to his studies and writing. Srila Prabhupada traveled to the holy city of Vrndavana, where he lived in very humble circumstances in the historic medieval temple of Radha-Damodara. There he engaged for several years in deep study and writing. He accepted the renounced order of life (sannyasa) in 1959. At Radha-Damodara, Srila Prabhupada began work on his life’s masterpiece: a multivolume translation and commentary on the 18,000-verse Srimad-Bhagavatam (Bhagavata Purana). He also wrote Easy Journey to Other Planets.
After publishing three volumes of Bhagavatam, Srila Prabhupada came to the United States, in 1965, to fulfill the mission of his spiritual master. Since that time, His Divine Grace has written over sixty volumes of authoritative translations, commentaries and summary studies of the philosophical and religious classics of India.
In 1965, when he first arrived by freighter in New York City, Srila Prabhupada was practically penniless. It was after almost a year of great difficulty that he established the International Society for Krishna Consciousness in July of 1966. Under his careful guidance, the Society has grew within a decade to a worldwide confederation of almost one hundred asramas, schools, temples, institutes and farm communities.
In 1968, Srila Prabhupada created New Vrndavana, an experimental Vedic community in the hills of West Virginia. Inspired by the success of New Vrndavana, then a thriving farm community of more than one thousand acres, his students founded several similar communities in the United States and abroad.
In 1972, His Divine Grace introduced the Vedic system of primary and secondary education in the West by founding the Gurukula school in Dallas, Texas. The school began with three children in 1972, and by the beginning of 1975 the enrollment had grown to one hundred fifty.
Srila Prabhupada also inspired the construction of a large international center at Sridhama Mayapur in West Bengal, India, which is also the site for a planned Institute of Vedic Studies. A similar project is the magnificent Krsna-Balarama Temple and International Guest House in Vrndavana, India. These are centers where Westerners can live to gain firsthand experience of Vedic culture.
Srila Prabhupada’s most significant contribution, however, is his books. Highly respected by the academic community for their authoritativeness, depth and clarity, they are used as standard textbooks in numerous college courses. His writings have been translated into eleven languages. The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, established in 1972 exclusively to publish the works of His Divine Grace, has thus become the world’s largest publisher of books in the field of Indian religion and philosophy.
In the last ten years of his life, in spite of his advanced age, Srila Prabhupada circled the globe twelve times on lecture tours that have took him to six continents. In spite of such a vigorous schedule, Srila Prabhupada continued to write prolifically. His writings constitute a veritable library of Vedic philosophy, religion, literature and culture.
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SWAMI RAMA TIRTHA
Swami Rama Tirtha, a direct descendant of Gosain Tulsi Das, the immortal author of the widely read Hindi Ramayan, was born in 1873, at Muraliwala, in the district of Gujranwala, Punjab.
Rama Tirtha was a very bright student, a genius possessing unusual intelligence, contemplative nature and an intrinsic love of mathematics and solitude. He topped the list in B.A. and took his M.A. degree in Mathematics, a subject in which he was exceptionally bright.
For two years, Rama Tirtha was a Professor of Mathematics in the Lahore Foreman Christian College, and he acted as a Reader for a short time in the Lahore Oriental College.
In the year 1900, Rama Tirtha went to the forest and soon became a Sannyasin. He went to America and Japan and thrilled the Americans and the Japanese with his inspiring and soul-elevating speeches. In Egypt he was accorded a hearty welcome by the Mohammedans, to whom he delivered a lecture in Persian in their mosque. Rama Tirtha was ever cheerful and brilliant with eyes beaming with divine lustre and joy. He was perfectly at home in Persian, English, Hindi, Urdu and Sanskrit literature.
Rama Tirtha was a great ascetic and an enlightened mystic. He practised Yoga on the banks of the river Ravi. Later he lived in the forests of Brahmapuri, on the banks of the river Ganges, five miles away from Rishikesh and attained Self-realisation.
Today Rama Tirtha is not present amongst us in his mortal coil, but he is truly ever alive, eternal and imperishable, ever shining as a beacon-star in the spiritual firmament of the world. He had the highest realisation of the Satchidananda as the all-inclusive Bliss-supreme. The ancient sages and modern saints have proved this ineffable nature of the Supreme, not by logical proofs of perception and knowledge, but by actual experience of it which cannot be communicated to others for want of means. And Swami Rama Tirtha was one among such Experiencers of the Ultimate Bliss.
Under the holy guidance of Sri R.S. Narayana Swami, a direct disciple of Swami Rama Tirtha, the Ramatirtha Publication League was established at Lucknow. Every lover and admirer of Sri Rama Tirtha’s soul-inspiring teachings owes a deep debt of gratitude to Sri Narayana Swamiji and the League for taking immense pains in making Rama Tirtha’s works available to the world.
Sri Swami Rama Tirtha is one of the brightest jewels of India’s genius. Rama belongs to that prophetic group of inspired seers who rang up the curtain of Indian Renaissance and ushered in the era of a strongly positive, aggressive and all-conquering spirituality. His advent into Bharatavarsha was potent with a great significance to man in modern times.
From Rama India has inherited the dual gems of Vedantic boldness and spiritual patriotism. The spiritual patriotism of Rama is something unique and grand. Every son of India should absorb it and make it his own. Swami Rama emphatically declared that if you must have intense and real patriotism, then you must deify the Motherland, behold Bharatavarsha as the living Goddess. "If you must realise unity with God, realise first your unity with the Whole Nation. Let this intense feeling of identity with every creature within this land be throbbing in every fibre of your frame" said Rama, "Let every son of India stand for the Whole, seeing that the Whole of India is embodied in every son. When streams, stones and trees are personified and sacrificed to in India, why not sanctify, deify the great Mother that cradles you and nourishes you? Through Prana-pratishtha you vitalize an idol of stone or an effigy of clay. How much more worthwhile would it be to call forth the inherent glory and evoke fire and life in the Deity that is Mother India?". Thus, to Rama, the national Dharma of love to the motherland was a spiritual Dharma of Virat Prem. Let every Indian today fervently take this legacy into his heart. By this act show your real appreciation of the great seer; show your gratitude to the great seer. Thus can you glorify his life and his teachings.
The highest realisation of patriotism, Rama believed, lay in fully identifying yourself with the land of your birth. Remember his words: "Tune yourself in love with your country and people". Be a spiritual soldier. Lay down your life in the interest of your land abnegating the little ego, and having thus loved the country, feel anything and the country will feel with you. March and the country will follow. This, indeed, is practical Vedanta.
Rama Tirtha infused in the minds of people a new joy, a happy conviction that it was not for nothing that we lived in a miserable earth, and that we did not, after a long struggle in the sea of life, reach a waterless desert where our sorrows would be repeated. He lived practical philosophy, and through that showed to the world that it was possible to rejoice in the bliss of the Self even in this very life, and that everyone could partake of this bliss if one sincerely strived for it.
Swami Rama was an exemplary figure in the field of Vedantic life. He was a practical, bold Vedantin. He lived a dynamic life in the spirit of the Self. Very high were his ideals, sublime were his views, and perennial and spontaneous was his love. He was Divinity personified and love-incarnate. He is ever alive as a dynamic soul-force, ever shedding the spiritual effulgence in the heart of every seeker after Truth. His teachings are inspiring, elevating and illuminating—a fountain of his intuitive experiences.
The teachings of Rama Tirtha are peculiarly direct and forceful. They are unique. Rama Tirtha did not teach any particular Yoga or Sadhana or propound any abstract philosophical theory. He taught the actual living of Vedanta, of Yoga and Sadhana. This he taught by his own personal example. In himself he embodied an exposition of illumined living. Thus Rama Tirtha’s very personality itself preached and taught as much as any of the innumerable discourses and lectures he delivered to crowded audiences from platforms that ranged from Tokyo to Toronto.
To the West, Swami Rama appeared not merely as a wise man of the East but as the Wisdom of the East come in tangible form. Rama Tirtha was a blissful being inebriated with the ecstasy of Spiritual Consciousness. And his bliss was infectious. His glance flashed forth Vedanta. His smile radiated the joy of the Spirit. Vedanta streamed forth in his inspired utterance and in his whole life; every action, gesture and movement vibrated with the thrill of Vedantic Consciousness.
Rama Tirtha demonstrated how Vedanta might be lived. His life was an expression of the supreme art of living life in all its richness of vision and fullness of joy. Rama Tirtha presented Vedanta not so much as a knowing and a realising, as a becoming and a being. It was Swami Rama Tirtha’s unique distinction that he expounded Vedanta as a supreme yet simple art of living. He did not try to take people to Vedanta, but he took Vedanta to the common man. Swami Rama Tirtha took Vedanta into the quiet homes, into the busy offices, into the crowded streets and into the noisy markets of the western world.
Both to the East and to the West, therefore, Swami Rama’s life has been a boon and a blessing. For India, he vivified Vedanta with the vitality of his own inspired life and shining example. He shook India out of fantasy, superstition and misconception; he shocked America to wakefulness and an awareness of the intrinsic worth of the practicality of Atmic living. He revealed how the central secret of all lofty activity lay in attunement with the Divine Law of oneness, harmony and bliss.
To rise above the petty self and act impersonally—this was the key to divine living. His call to his countrymen was: "May you wake up to your oneness with Life, Light and Love (Sat-Chit-Ananda) and immediately the Central Bliss will commence springing forth from you in the shape of happy heroic work and both wisdom and virtue. This is inspired life, this is your birthright".
To the Americans Rama taught the way of perfect morality and total abstinence. Keeping the body in active struggle and the mind in rest and loving abstinence means salvation from sin and sorrow, right here in this very life. Active realisation of at-one-ment with the All allows us a life of balanced recklessness. This sums up Rama’s message to the land of the Dollar.
In short, Swami Rama’s thrilling life is a flashing example of rare Prem and a divine spontaneity. Listen! Here Rama’s voice whispers: "You have simply to shine as the Soul of All, as the Source of Light, as the Spring of Delight, O Blessed One! And energy, life activity will naturally begin to radiate from you. The flower blooms, and lo! fragrance begins to emanate of itself". Awake India! Respond to this call of Rama. Realise the Bliss that is Yourself. Come now, live the life in the Atman. From this moment let Rama enter into your heart and animate your actions and inspire your actions and inspire your very life! May his Divine Spirit vivify and raise India to her pristine glory and Vedantic grandeur! Live in Om!
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SAINT BHAGAT KABIR JEE
Saint Kabir Das (kabir, Arabic for "great", dasa, Sanskrit for "slave" or "servant"), is widely acknowledged as one of the great personality of the Bhakti movement in North India. He was as is widely acknowledged born in Year 1398 A.D.(71 years before Guru Nanak).
Kabir is not easily categorized as a Sufi or a Yogi -- he is all of these. He is revered by Muslims, Hindus, and Sikhs. He stands as a unique, saintly, yet very human, bridge between the great traditions that live in India. Kabir says of himself that he is, "at once the child of Allah and Ram."
Many legends abound about the birth, life and death of Kabir, one of India's most quoted poets and mystics. His birth itself is shrouded in mystery, some say he was the son of a Brahman widow, others that he was of virgin birth, what is known though is that he was brought up in a family of muslim weavers. He was never formally educated and was almost completely illiterate. According to legend, the only word that he ever learned how to write was "Rama". Early in his life Kabir became a disciple of the Hindu bhakti saint Ramananda. It was unusual for a Hindu teacher to accept a Muslim student, but tradition says the young Kabir found a creative way to overcome all objections.
The story is told that on one particular day of the year, anyone can become a disciple by having a master speak the name of God over him. It is common for those who live near the Ganges to take their morning bath there in the sacred waters. The bhakti saint Ramananda took his bath as he did every day, by arising before dawn. On this special day, Ramananda awoke before dawn and found his customary way down to the steps of the Ganges. As he was walking down the steps to the waters, a little hand reached out in the predawn morning and grabbed the saint's big toe. Ramananda taken by surprise and he expressed his shock by calling out the name of God. Looking down he saw in the early morning light the hand of the young Kabir. After his bath in the early light he noticed that on the back of the little one's hand was written in Arabic the name Kabir. He adopted him as son and disciple and brought him back to his ashrama, much to the disturbance of his Hindu students, some of whom left in righteous protest.
It is said that what really made this meeting the most special is that in this case it,was only after Kabir's enlightenment that Ramananda, his teacher, became enlightened.
Not much is known about what sort of spiritual training Kabir may have received. He did not become a sadhu or rununciate. Kabir never abandoned worldly life, choosing instead to live a balanced life of householder and mystic, tradesman and contemplative. Kabir was married, had children, and lived the simple life of a weaver.
The social and practical manifestation of Kabir's philosophy has rung through the ages. It represented a synthesis of Hindu, and Muslim concepts. From Hinduism he accepts the concept of reincarnation and the law of Karma. From Islam he takes the affirmation of the single god and the rejection of caste system and idolatry. The basic religious principles he espouses are simple. According to Kabir, all life is an interplay of two spiritual principles. One is the personal soul (Jivatma) and the other is God (Paramatma). It is Kabir's view that salvation is the process of bringing into union these two divine principles.
Kabir is a very important figure in Indian history. He is unusual in that he is spiritually significant to Hindus, Sikhs, and Muslims alike. Kabir openly criticized all sects and gave a new direction to the Indian philosophy. Kabir touches the soul, the conscience, the sense of awareness and the vitality of existence in a manner that is unequalled in both simplicity and style.
It is for this reason that Kabir is held in high esteem all over the world. Another beauty of Kabir's poetry is that he picks up situations that surround our daily lives. Thus, even today, Kabir's poetry is relevant and helpful in both social and spiritual context. Following Kabir means understanding one's inner self, realizing oneself, accepting oneself as is, and becoming harmonious with one's surroundings.
Kabir has written much poetry and song. All of Kabir's recorded verses are in Hindi. His lyrics are characterised by a free use of the vernacular, and is unfettered by the grammatical bonds of his day. It is this quality which has made his philosophy accessible to generations of Indians.
Legend says that he reliquished his body when he was about 120 years old. There is a famous legend about his death; When he died, his Hindu and Muslim followers started fighting about the last rites. When they lifted the cloth covering his body, they found flowers instead. The Muslim followers buried their half and the Hindu cremated thier half. In Maghar near Gorakhpur., his tomb and samadhi still stand side by side.
KUMBH MELA 2010
It is the blessings and experience of such saints and sages that inspire millions to gather in the source of the Ganga in Holi Haridwar. This shows that Sanathana Dharma has eternal value and relevance. These saints and sages are still alive in spirit throughout the length and breadth of India. In this sparkling vignette by Ms Ramaa Srinivasan we get a thought-provoking glimpse of the Kumbh Mela festival which has continued unbroken for millennia.
Life in India is intermingled with religion in myriad ways. Although religion in India has its basis in spirituality and philosophy, its external manifestations through personal Gods is ritual-based with huge servings of bhakti or love and attachment to the God of choice. All aspects and dimensions of life have their Gods; thus reverence is accorded to rivers, animals, plants, nature and even the cosmos. In fact, worship of such a diversity of Gods is an intrinsic part of Hindu Culture. Large numbers of Hindus in India are exposed to varied rituals and celebrations (through festivals) from their childhood and imbibe a deep-seated connection with a multitude of Gods and Goddesses.
Out of the many pan Indian religious festivals, the Kumbh Mela is the most grandiose one. This centuries old celebration is an example of our rich Indian religious heritage and is dedicated to the divine Ganges River, which is reverentially called by the locals as Ganga Maiya (Mother Goddess).
According to astrologers, the 'Kumbh Mela' takes place when the planet Jupiter enters Aquarius and the Sun enters Aries. Kumbh (Kumbha means pot) Mela (means fair) is the largest religious and spiritual gathering in the world where millions of devotees take a holy dip in the sacred water. It is believed that the river transforms itself into sacred spots filled with Amrita (nectar) at this auspicious moment. And dipping oneself at this opportune time in Mother Ganges is believed to wash away sins you may have knowingly or unwittingly committed.
The first written evidence of the Kumbha Mela can be found in the accounts of Chinese traveller, Huan Tsang or Xuanzang (602 - 664 AD) who visited India at that time during the reign of King Harshavardhana. However, this celebration dates back many centuries to Ancient India's Vedic period, where the river festivals first started getting organised.
The mythology behind this extraordinary Mela is quaint. It was the time when Devtas (Gods) and Asuras (Anti-God Demons) resided on earth. Devtas were under the influence of a curse which aroused fear in them, thus making them weak. Brahma (the Creator) advised them to churn the milky ocean to obtain the elixir of immortality. The Mandara Mountain acted as the churning rod and Vasuki (king of serpents) was used as a rope for churning. Kumbh was the pot which contained the Nectar of Immortality so created by the churning.
Devtas sought the help of Asuras to complete this immense task, with mutual agreement of sharing the Elixir of Immortality equally. They churned the ocean for 1000 years. Finally, Dhanwantari (the God of Health) appeared with the Kumbh in his palms. To prevent the Amrita from falling into the hands of the Asuras, its safety was entrusted to the Gods Brahaspati, Surya, Shani and Chandra. The conspiracy of the Devtas, became known to the Asuras and they turned vicious and attacked them. Devtas knew that the Asuras had far more power and could easily defeat them. The Devtas ran away with the Kumbh and the Asuras chased them. For 12 days and 12 nights the Gods were chased. These 12 days spent by the Gods represent 12 years of human life. During this hot chase, the Elixir of Immortality in the Kumbh spilled and fell at four places – Allahabad, Haridwar, Ujjain and Nasik. To commemorate this holy event, the Maha Kumbh Mela is celebrated every twelve years at the four sacred places.
Over the years many famous people from across the world have visited the Kumbh Mela. One that I am familiar with is that of the great Mark Twain. After visiting the Kumbh Mela of 1895 he wrote - “It is wonderful, the power of a faith like that, that can make multitudes upon multitudes of the old and weak and the young and frail enter without hesitation or complaint upon such incredible journeys and endure the resultant miseries without repining. It is done in love, or it is done in fear; I do not know which it is. No matter what the impulse is, the act born of it is beyond imagination, marvellous to our kind of people, the cold whites”.
Indeed, for most foreigners the sheer intensity of faith, belief and numbers is staggering. Strangely, many modern global Indians, who are a blend of the east and the west, also find their unquestioning faith fascinating and marvellous. At the same time, they seem to relate to the whole scene. Sounds contradictory but I guess for those of us who have a foot each into the modern and traditional worlds, have the advantage of flowing both ways.
For the year 2010, Haridwar is the site for the Purna Kumbh Mela. I had the good fortune of attending this glorious event. This city resonated with Hindu religious fervour as a mind boggling number of devotees, from all over India as well as abroad, who travelled to Haridwar to participate in this mother of all festivals. The prevailing exuberance, energy and devotion were indeed unbelievable in its passion and strength.
There are varying statistics with regards to the number of people at the Kumbh; I am quoting one that I came across - “An estimated 30 to 40 million people gathered over 104 days for the Purna Kumbh Mela between January and April 2010. About 10 million people together took the ritualistic bath on the bathing ghats on April 14, 2010”.
Many pilgrims arrived in this city by train, plane, bus or foot - for the privilege of participating in the festival, specially the “snan” (bathing ritual) on certain auspicious dates. Most stay in hotels, ashrams and make-shift arrangements created for the devotees of the various ashrams. For many poor and devout pilgrims, the Kumbh is a journey of personal faith, with little else to brave the hardship of this pilgrimage. Most such people find space beneath the shade of trees, or at one of the camps erected by the government.
Days prior to the culmination of the Kumbh Mela, the city reverberated with loud chants of mantras (many go through the night), high tone of blown conch shells, hymns and continuous prayers. The city was enveloped with religious zeal and the mystic mood is enhanced by the presence of akhadas, naga sadhus, saints, religious teachers, and the philosophy preachers. Bhagwath and other Kathas are recited by some very eloquent preachers.
On the most propitious days, pilgrims insist on taking their “snan” in the holiest spot, known as Har Ki Pauri. On other days, pilgrims seek out other Ghats to pray and enjoy the freezing Ganges waters especially during sunrise and sunset. On April 14th (one of the propitious days between January and April), a protocol is followed to reach the Ganges for the “snan”. There is a hierarchy. The procession starts from a specified place. This grand parade of naga babas (naked sadhus), gurus, swamis, heads of the thirteen or so sects called Akhadas, as well as a host of all their devotees, move towards Ganga Maiya in a surprisingly ordered way.
A unique phenomenon of the Kumbh Mela is the convergence of saints from all across India. Thousands of holy men and women attend, and the auspiciousness of the festival is in part attributable to this. It is said that it is only during the Kumbh Mela that one can meet many genuine saints, some of whom don’t belong to any particular group. I had the benefit of meeting one such saint at the ashram (Gangeshwar Dham) that I stayed in. One of the daily routines by devotees in this ashram was to feed and support such saints who come in large numbers.
The other known groups of saints are the Naga Babas who come down from the Himalayas during this time. Most of them are naked and are smeared in ash. They have long matted hair and are not at all affected by the extremes of heat and cold. The Urdhwavahurs are a group of saints who believe in putting the body through severe austerities. The Parivajakas, another group, have taken a vow of silence and go about tinkling little bells to get people out of their way. And the Shirshasins stand all 24 hours and meditate for hours standing on their heads. There is also the Kalpvasis who spend the entire month of Kumbh on the banks of the Ganges.
Shouting and singing, waving tridents, the naked Naga Sadhus, are granted the first plunge into the mighty Ganges. Then followed by the gurus and swamis covered in saffron robes. Thousands of holy men await their turn to take a dip. The devotees are the last in the crowd and are supposed to take the ritual dip after their Akhada heads and swamis and gurus finish their snan. Needless to say, crowd management is a major challenge. Overall, considering the unbelievable crowds, I’d say it was reasonably well managed. In fact, I believe it is a miracle that nothing untoward happens. And a true display of “order in chaos”.
The Ganges is undoubtedly India’s heritage Goddess; she is revered by all regardless of their denomination or faith. Although, non-Hindus may not practice worship of the Ganges as their Goddess, there is nevertheless respect and reverence for Her. This is evidenced by the fact that people of all faith live in Haridwar and when Khumb Mela arrives, they participate in some form or the other – either in the organization of the camps or providing service to the pilgrims.
I am indeed fortunate to have personally witnessed the throng of millions of faithful, the religious fervour and the varied types of sadhus and mendicants. Last but not least, thankful as a Hindu for the opportunity to bathe in the crisp, cold waters of Mother Ganges at a very auspicious time. I believe this whole event was a miracle of sorts since even a couple of days before I started, the Kumbh Mela was not even a thought in my mind. Now cleansed from sins by the snan (I hope!), and humbled by the exhibition of faith by millions, I look forward to perhaps visiting the next Kumbh Mela.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
We gratefully acknowledge our debt to the following from whom we have sourced part of the material, particularly “Anjali” a publication by Gita Mandir, Manipal.
1 Prof.A G Favadekar for Sant Tukaram
2 Sri.Y.Janardan Surdas
3 Sardar Ujjal Singh Guru Nanak
4 Srimathi P.Mandakini Bai Mira Bai
5 Dr.Albert Schweitzer Gandhiji
6 Swami Ananyananda Sri Ramakrishna
7 Swami Harshananda Sarda Devi The Holy Mother
8 Swami Tathagathnanda Swami Vivekananda
9 Sri R Ramakrishnan Swami Brahmananda
10 Swami Aburvananda Swami Shivananda
11 Swami Krishnananda Swami Sivananda Saraswati
12 Swami Adi Devananda Sri Ramanuja Charya
13 Sri Ramaswamy Iyenger Sri.Vedanta Desika
14 Sri.T.Natarajan Aurobindo
15 Swami Vignananda Ramakrishnanda
16 Swami Harshananda
-do-
-do- Madhvacharya
Shankaracharya
Thiruvalluvar
17 Study Group Nimbarka
18 Sri.M.Janardhan Narayana Guru
19 Sri.Sripathy Acharya Tulsidas
20 Sri.Teertha Swamy Sri.Jaya Teertha
21 Shreesha Dallal Vadiraja Swami
22 Dr.Prabhu Shankara Sri.Basaveshvara
23 Sri.Govinda Charya Jagannatha Dasha
24 Margaret Noble Right Attitude to Saints and Sages
25 Hinduism Today Satgurus
26 Margret Noble Right Attitudes
FRONT COVER
SAPTARISHIS
1) Rishi Vasishtha
Rishi Vasishtha, “Most Wealthy”, one of the seven great Rishis-sages of ancient times, Vasishtha had gained complete control over all the human emotions, such as anger, envy, greed, fear etc. He was the owner of the Cow Nandini that fulfilled all wishes, hence his unlimited wealth.
2) Rishi Kashyapa
Rishi Kashyapa, is one of the seven great Rishis, and he appears as the priest of Parashurama and Ramachandra, respectively, the sixth and seventh incarnations of Vishnu. He is a poet and writer of several hymns in the Vedas.
3) Rishi Atri
Rishi Atri, was the author of many vedic hymns. In the Puranas, he was father of Soma or Chandra (Moon), and the Dattatreya by his wife Anasuya.
4) Rishi Jamadagni
Rishi Jamadagni was a Brahmin and a descendant of Bhrigu. He was the father of five sons, the most renowned of which was the youngest, Parashurama, the sixth Avatara of Vishnu.
5) Rishi Gautama
Rishi Gautama was the Guru of the sage Gotama, and the husband of Ahalya.
6) Rishi Vishwamitra
Rishi Vishwamitra was a celebrated sage, who was born Kshatriya, but by intense austerities raised himself to the Brahman caste and became one of the seven great rishis.
7) Rishi Bharadwaja
Rishi Bharadwaja is the seventh Rishi of the Saptarishis. An arch-priest and one of the greatest poets who ever lived, with the majority of the magnificent hymns of the Vedas attributed to him. He was the son of Brihaspati and the father of Dronacharya. He was the Guru of the Pandavas. He received Rama and Sita in his hermitage at Prayaga
blogID=7428420338116191839 April 16, 2010
From : Sudarshan Maini, Maini Sadan, 38, Lavelle Road, 7th Cross, Bangalore -560 001 Tel: 227 0972 Email: skmaini@maini.com
Poojaniya Prof. Ramaswamy,
I just received the Heritage Cartman – Vol. 6 of April 2010 giving the glimpses of Indian civilization. I have always admired the forceful manner in which you have taken up several worthy causes during the last four decades. Creating awareness of the glory of our heritage by publishing these books is extraordinary.
I am taking the liberty of making few comments:
Page 8 : In your preface, you have quoted Dr. David Frawley “gone is the old idea of the Aryan invasion and an outside basis for Indian culture. In its place, the continuity of a civilization and its literature going back to the earliest period of history”.
Book written by David Frawley and Rajaram – “Hidden Horizons” states that “the now widely accepted archaeological, geological, linguistic, genetic and other evidence which proves that the Aryan invasion Tehory is totally false and that India’s heritage is indigenous, dating back to at least the last ice age 10,000 years ago. This account of India’s true history will revive the pride of Indians everywhere for their motherland”.
Even dr. B.G. Sidharth in his book – The Celestial Key to the Vedas’ published in 1999 argues out scientifically the origin of Vedas at least 10,000 years ago. He has also given the date of Ramayan around 7300 BC & Mahabharata 1350 BC.
The old theory founded by British Scholars and read by us was the Aryans invaded India in 1000 BC which has of course proved false due to the various data obtained on Saraswati for the last 50 years. I have pointed this out because on page 84, under ancient literary heritage, it is written that the “four Vedas, the most ancient literature of Hinduism, date back to 1000 BC. This needs to be corrected.
On page 86, last line of the 2nd para, “while describing Mahabarath, while Krishna’s death, Kaliyuga started on 17th Feb 3102 BC”. This date has been correctly given. Perhaps the para on the Vedas has been picked from an old book which has not taken account of the latest version from Saraswati.
On page 125: “the most popular of the Avatars under which Vishnu is worshipped in modern India is Krishna”
On page 126, it is also written end of the para that “Rama, hero of Ramayan is not yet more than a demi-God”
I feel that this may give wrong impression because Lord Rama is as popular as Lord Krishna.
While writing these glimpses of civilization, certain basic fundamentals must be correctly written for future generations.
The idea on the comments by well known Western Scholars about India’s Civilizations on page 7 & 8 are highly appreciated. I am sending you a four page note which I hastily prepared couple of years ago for foreign visitors who came for the inauguration of one of our companies which is written on similar lines.
I have taken the liberty of sending a list of reference books which your editorial board may find useful while writing further editions.
1. Hidden Horizons – Unearthing 10,000 years of Indian Culture by David Frawley and N.S. Rajaram
2. Celestial Key to the Vedas by B.G. Sidharth
3. Eternally Talented India – 108 Facts by Vivekananda Life Skills Academy, Hyderabad.
4. India’s contributions to World Thoughts and Concepts by Vivekananda Kendra Prakshan.
5. Science & Technology of India through the ages, Edited by Shri B.K. Srivastava & Shri M.A. Narasimhan.
6. Will Durant – The Case of India.
It was very nice that a full page has been given to Gayatri Mantra.
With best regards,
Sudarshan Maini
Additional quotes:
Noted Author Philip Rawson introduces his book – The Art of Greater India with the following words:
The culture of India has been one of the world’s most powerful civilizing forces. Countries of the Far East, including China, Korea, Japan, Tibet and Mongolia owe much of what is best in their own cultures to the inspiration of ideas imported from India. The West, too, has its own debts. But the members of that circle of civilizations beyond Burma scattered around the Gulf of Siam and the Java Sea, virtually owe their very existence to the creative influence of Indian ideas… No conquest or invasion, no forced conversion imposed them. They were adopted because the people saw they were good and they could use them… their code of living, their conceptions of law and kingship, their rich literature and highly evolved philosophy of life. !
John Le Mee, a French student of the Vedas observed:
Precious stones or durable materials – Gold silver, bronze, marble, onyx or granite – have been used by most ancient people in an attempt to immortalize their achievements. Not so however the (Vedic) Aryans. They turned to what may seem the most volatile and insubstantial material of all – the spoken word – and out of this bubble of air ashioned a monument which for more than thirty, perhaps, forty, centuries later stands untouched by time of the elements. (Actually, sixty to eighty centuries as we now know)… the pyramids have been eroded by the desert wind, the marble broken by earthquakes, and the gold stolen by robbers, while the Veda is recited daily by an unbroken chain of generations, traveling like a great wave through the living substance of mind.
=====
SUNDARAMURTHY V.T,
‘Sri Vaishnava Sri’
23, Maniyakarar Street, Veerakeralam, Coimbatore-641 007, Tamil Nadu, India
E- Mail :< vtsmurthycbe@yahoo.co.in > Phone: 0422-2473853
To
The Editor,
Heritage- Cratman
Bangalore-560095
E.Mail:
Respected Sir,
The vision of Shri Mukesh D.Ambani on increasing the food production by bringing the waste land under the plough is laudable one as development of agriculture and filling the granary alone make the Industry viable one(Heritage-Cratman:6(1),p32-35,2010).It is well known fact that the government of India has allotted a very huge fund for industry as against 2500 cores to agriculture. The benefits enjoyed by the industries are more than any other sectors and they should come in a big way to help agriculture either alone or along with the Government.
It is well known fact that the annual loss of the food grain in India is about ten percent as estimated recently by Ministry of Food and Civil Supplies.GOI.If this loss is prevented it can feed about 70 to 100 million people on the earth with out resorting to ecocidal methods of crop breeding for increasing the productivity. It is possible for industries either alone or in groups to launch the cold storage facilities in different states for storing the harvested food grains to prevent the losses as the strength of country comes from the fullness of granary and not from owning atom bombs. The agricultural scientists all over the country sincerely wish that industry should come in a big way to help the agricultural in minimizing the loss of food grains.
With respectful regards
Sundaramurthy V.T
PREFACE
This booklet on Seers and Sages of India is the 8th in our series. India Century Mission works to fulfill the prediction and aspiration of Swami Vivekananda that 21st Century would be India’s Century, and that scholars, philosophers and professionals in all fields would come to India seeking solution for the problems afflicting mankind. The 7th issue of our booklet issued in April was on “Glimpses of Indian Civilization” which has survived for 5,000 years in spite of internal decline and dissensions as well as external aggression and rule. The curse of the caste system grew to include over 1000 castes. Upper castes exploited lower castes, particularly the Schedule Castes SC and Tribes. In spite of these negative factors, India survived.
The survival of Indian civilization was mainly on account of the intrinsic strength of India’s religious and spiritual vitality and their manifestations in the form of festivals, pilgrimages, Bhakti movement, temples, observance of customs and traditions, Acharas and Samskaras and hundred other forms, in which the religious and spiritual teachings prescribed by our ancient sages and saints continue to have deep roots in Indian psyche and ethos. The three other religions, which were born in India as off-shoots of Hinduism but with distinctly different identities, did not disturb the cultural unity of our country, thanks again to the teachings of thousands of saints and sages who were born in every century and every part of the country who kept alive India’s spirituality and religious foundation. British conquest and rule enabled India to become a nation-state, which in any case is relatively a recent concept in the long history of civilization. Normally, a politically unified India, with its religious and spiritual ethos intact, ought to have given India a great impetus and energy to go forward both materially and spiritually. However, the benefits of India’s religions and spirituality could not be travelled to enthuse and energise Indians to rise above pettiness and parochialism. India adopted a political economy system, which is totally inappropriate to India’s multi-diverse society, divided along religion, caste, language ethnicity and ideology. India also adopted a secular concept, which though desirable for a plural society, has been misused in its interpretation by which there is secular India at one end and religious India at the other.
English education and cultural onslaught of industrialization, modernization, westernization, globalization and the impact of western customs and media alienated a large segment of upper caste Indians. They lost original ethos and beliefs. India was portrayed in popular imagination all over the world as a country of snake charmers, magicians and beggars. It was at that time that in the 19th Century, some Europeans discovered the true India. Swami Vivekananda travelled to UK, Europe and United States and showed to the world the glory of India’s ancient thought and wisdom. Our first booklet of this series was on What Foreign Scholars Say about the glory of India’s Ancient Thought and Wisdom.
Nowhere in the history of the world has a single cultural entity survived so much of tribulations and retained its cultural unity at the roots, though thousands of trees came out safe from the mother earth with different names, shape and colour. This shows the vitality and strength of the basic teachings given by our ancient sages and saints. Therefore, this issue gives a few lines about the life and contributions of a few saints and sages, who form only a small part of the whole. Contributions of great sages and saints in the pre-historical era, like the Saptarishis and those who lived prior to the Buddha have been totally left out. Similarly, those sages and monks who are preaching spirituality at current times also have been left out. A few have been chosen almost at random, more as an illustration. A comprehensive write up of sages and saints of India may require 10,000 pages and what we are offering to the readers is only 100 pages which shows the limitation of this booklet. The purpose of giving this tip of the iceberg is to evoke the curiosity and interest of Indians, as desired by Swami Vivekananda, when he boldly declared “Arise, Awake, till the Goal is reached”. Swami asked for strengthening human excellence. The Chicago address and ten volumes of his address are available to show the relevance of India’s ancient thought and wisdom to present-day problems and crisis in society.
The India Century Mission, a term which we have coined, is being promoted by literally thousands of entities in the form of Swamis, Sadhus, Monks, Ashrams, festivals, customs, traditions, Acharas, Samskaras, rites, rituals, publications in all the 20 major languages by innumerable scholars, discourses by Swamis, Missions (such as that of Ramakrishna, Vivekananda, Abhedananda, Dayananda, Shivananda, Chinmanyananda, Nityananda, Muktananda, Brahmakumaris, Bhoopananda, Ramdev and thousand others). The Mahakumbha Mela in Haridwar was attended by 10 million devotees who had a holy bath in the Ganga. 80 million Hindus are visiting temples every day, besides praying at their own altars. 10 TV channels are broadcasting discourses on Bhagavatham, Narayaneeyam, Ramayana, Mahabharata, Upanishads and other teachings of saints and sages. A renaissance of India’s spiritual genius is sprouting all over India in some way or other. There is widespread inquisitiveness among the 60 million people of Indian origin to know something about the roots of India. All over United States, Hindu temples are coming up. ISKCON movement has spread worldwide. It is understood that many US Universities have started teaching Bhagavad Gita and Sanskrit.
Popular English commercial media is somewhat hostile or indifferent to the religious India. Politicians are misusing religion and the caste system to divide Hindus. India is surrounded by hostile neighbours. India’s vast Education system consisting of 400 universities, thousands of colleges and millions of schools do not touch any part of religion as it is against the interpretation of secularism in India. It is not suggested here that religion should be taught in the education system nor that religion should be the basis in its activities, transactions and policies. But there is a large chunk of ancient thought and wisdom which is really secular. Hinduism itself accepts all religions as different paths to the same godhood. It gives total freedom for everybody to approach godhood or experience the divine within them in any manner they like or a combination of paths as enunciated by our saints and sages as a path of devotion, knowledge, detached work or meditation.
Thus the limited purpose of these ten booklets, out of which this is the 8th one, on the Saints and Sages is only to arouse curiosity, inquisitiveness or interest among Indians to know a bit more about themselves. India’s spiritual literature is not only to realize God, but also to see God or realize the divinity within us. India‘s one million pages of spiritual literature and two million pages of commentaries by saints and sages are to make our lives free from physical pain and mental suffering as well as to attain happiness and peace. Therefore, this booklet would be in the interest of readers to know something about the teachings of saints and mystics, masters, evolved souls and those who experienced divinity. With this in view a few may take interest in India’s saints and sages who made India a vibrant society – materially and spiritually.
Prof K.M.P. Menon has been working with us as a part of the team of India Century Mission in the Indian Heritage Academy. I express my sincere and deep appreciation for his knowledge and commitment in getting this booklet prepared in record time.
N.S. Ramaswamy
Padma Bhushan & National Professor in Management
FOREWORD
For several millennia, India has remained a distinct entity – culturally and emotionally united with a distinct identity. This identity was based on the ideals of the Vedanta. Despite minor differences of detail there was a commonality of ideals. One of these was MOKSHA. The word comes from the root ‘muk’ which means to ‘loosen’. One has to loosen oneself from the knots that bind one to the alluring world of the senses to be aware of the awesome power that pervades it. We can access this power and rise above our own puny selves. We need this power to do good to mankind and the whole of creation. We have to say ‘yes’ to Life and to the World. Dharma enjoins us to do our duty to all of creation. Throughout the ages in different parts of the country, sages and saints have arisen to explain these ideas, and preach this life-affirming, ethical idealism. It is easily understood and accepted by the people in any corner of Bharat Varsha. It is this common world-view that has united the people. The real unifiers of the people are the sages and seers who have preached these principles – often filtered down through their own personalities.
In this India Century Mission we have outlined some well known personalities. Many who should have been included, are left out; this is only a random selection of those who have made a mark by their original contribution. The strength and longevity of Indian civilization and culture is due to these extraordinary personages. The future regeneration of the country and possibly of the world itself will perhaps be on the foundations laid by them.
K.M.P. Menon, Associate Editor
RIGHT ATTITUDES
In the following extract, from her writings, Mrs. Margarat Noble gives her remarkable insights into the correct attitude necessary for Gurus and Disciples.
THE TEACHER
The true teacher knows that no one can really aid another. No one can rightly do for another what that other ought to do for himself. All that we can do is to stimulate him to help himself, and remove from his path the real obstacles to his doing so.
The taught, moreover, must develop along his own path. He must advance towards his own end. No one can develop along another’s road, in order to reach that other’s goal. The first need of the teacher, therefore, is to enter into the consciousness of the taught, to understand where he is and towards what he is progressing. Without this, there can be no lesson.
The act of education must always be initiated by the taught, not by the teacher. Some spontaneous action of the mind or body of the learner gives the signal, and the wise teacher takes advantage of this, in accordance with known laws of mind, in order to develop the power of action further. If, however, there is no initial activity of the pupil, the lesson might as well be given to wood or brick. Education or evolution must always begin with some spontaneous self-activity.
The laws of thought are definite. Mental action is not erratic or incalculable, a gust here, a whirlwind there. No: thought is always the outcome of concrete experience. A given sequence and intensity of action finding form and application on subtler and finer planes of reality, is thought. And just as water rises to its own level, so all our past determines the height to which our unresting thought shall wing its way. Inevitable is its rise so far, but at what infinite cost of toil and faith is won the next few feet of ascent in the clear atmosphere of knowledge!
To those who are accustomed to think in this way, the doctrine of reincarnation becomes a necessity. It is impossible of extinguish a mind, impossible to arrest the cycles of thought. The same force, the same knowledge will go on eternally finding new expressions. Or it will deepen and intensify. It cannot be destroyed. But it can be lost. It can be forgotten. Man is ever divine, ever the embodied Atman of the Universe. But he can lose sight of his high heritage, and though its potentiality may remain with him ever, as a possibility of recovery, yet in tilling the fields or scouring the cooking-pots its actuality may have vanished.
Spirituality comes to one soul at a time. Intellectual labour prepares the soil of millions for the whispers of truth. Intellect is the open door to the socializing of great realization. Therefore is mental toil a duty. Right belief is a duty. The highest achievements of the mind are a Sadhana. We must be true to Truth. We must be greedy of wide views. Education to the utmost of which we are capable is the first of human rights. It was not the form of his knowledge but its selflessness, that made man a rishi. That man who has followed any kind of knowledge to its highest point is a rishi. If he had cared for money or pleasure, he could not have spent himself on labour that might have ended in nothing. If he had wanted name or fame, he would have gone far enough to tell what the world wanted to hear, and there he would have stopped. But he went to the utmost. This was because he wanted truth. The man who sees truth directly is a jnani. This truth may take the form of geography. Elisee Reclus, writing his Universal Geography, and trying to give his highest results to the working-men of Brussels, was a jnani, as truly as any saint who ever lived. His knowledge was for the sake of knowledge: his enjoyment of his knowledge was selfless : and when he died the modern world lost a saint. The truth may take the form of history or science, or the study of society. Would any one who has read the “Origin of Species,” deny to Charles Darwin the place of a great sage? Kropotkin, living in a workman’s cottage in England, and working breathlessly to help men to new forms of mutual aid, - is he not one of the apostles?
It is in India, aided by the doctrine of Advaita, that we ought to know better than in any other land the value of all this. Here alone does our religion itself teach us that not only that which is called God IS Good. It is the vision of Unity that is the goal, and any path by which man may reach to this is a religion. Thus the elements of mathematics are to the full as sacred as the stanzas of the Mahabharata. A knowledge of physics is as holy as a knowledge of the Shastras. The truths of historical science are as desirable as the beliefs of tradition.
In order to manifest this great ideal of the Sanathana Dharma, we must try to set alight once more amongst us the fires of lofty intellectual ambitions. The great cannot be destroyed, but it can be obscured by the little. We must fight against this. We must remember the passion of those who seek truth for its own sake. They cannot stop short in learning. Did any ever short in the struggle for spirituality, saying now he had enough? Such a man was never a seeker of spirituality. The same is true of all intellectual pursuits. The man who has ever experienced the thirst for knowledge, can never stop short. If one step has been taken purely, he can never again rest till he has attained.
We cannot be satisfied, therefore, till our society has produced great minds in every branch of human activity. Advaita can be expressed in mechanics, in engineering, in art, in letters as well as in philosophy and meditation. But it can never be expressed in half-measures. The true Advaitin is the master of the world. He does not know a good deal of his chosen subject: he knows all there is to be known. He does not perform his particular task fairly well : he does it as well as it is possible to do it. In the little he sees the great. In the pupil whom he teaches, he sees the nation and Humanity. In the act he sees the principle. In the new thought he finds himself nearer truth itself.
We are men, not animals. We are minds, not bodies. Our life is thought and realization, not food and sleep. All the ages of man – those of the Vedas and the heroes, as well as our own small lives – are in the moment called now. All this do I claim as mine. On this infinite power do I take my stand. I desire knowledge for its own sake, therefore I want all knowledge. I would serve Humanity for the sake of serving. Therefore must I cast out all selfishness. Am I not a son of the Indian sages? Am I not an Advaitin?
THE GURU AND HIS DISCIPLE
When the doctrines of Hinduism can be formulated with sufficient breadth and clearness, it will doubtless be found that they furnish a key to the laws of thought in all directions. For the emancipation of man by his induction into constantly widening ideas is the real motive of Hindu speculation, and is the unspoken effort in every scheme of learning the world over. The source of Buddhism in Hinduism is nowhere better illustrated than in the opening words of the Dhammapada : “All that we are is the result of what we have thought. It is founded on our thoughts. It is made up of our thoughts.” In all the world, only an Indian thinker would have dreamed of basing a religious system on this solitary truth.
In the great body of observations which have become current in India as religious doctrines, none is more interesting or more difficult to unravel than that which deals with Guru-bhakti. That in order to reach a given idea, one must hold the mind passive to the teacher of that idea, at the same time that one offers him personal service, is a truth which has only to be tested to be believed. But we shall make a mistake if we think that it applies only to religious teaching, just as we shall make an equal mistake if we call a man our guru for the simple reason that he teaches us a series of facts which have a religious colour.
We must turn a receptive attitude to all truth. We must be respectful to all from whom we learn. Age, rank and relationship ought all to constitute claims on our deference, but nothing should win from us the deep passivity that we yield to character and learning. Amongst all who teach us there will be one whose own personality is his greatest lesson. He, and he alone, is the Guru. He alone represents that particular path along which our own experience is to lead us. But in everything that we make our own, even the most secular knowledge, we must constantly remember the source from which we received it. Every one that we meet must appear before us as a possible giver of knowledge. We should be on the watch for the realizations that each man has been able to reach. Thus a habit of attentiveness, respect for the knowledge and opinions of others, and an expectation of new truth, are all marks of one who is accustomed to mix in cultivated society. Nor can there possibly be a greater mark of vulgarity and want of fine associations than self-opinionatedness and forgetfulness of seniority in ideas.
Temptations to such errors meet young men at every step in a generation that takes up a new idea. The fact that they have departed from the paths of their fathers blinds them to the other fact that outside the special point of departure their fathers are apt to have greater wisdom than they; that even in the new idea itself they have their own elders and betters; that in any case, the idea is not worth much if it cannot deepen their appreciation of social cohesion and of the older culture they have left. Yet by such heedlessness and loss of delicacy a youth only succeeds in shutting the doors of fine society against himself. He is tried once, and allowed thenceforward to associate with his inferiors. His superiors find him intolerable. A young man with a hearty belief in his own leadership, is a social nuisance. The great impulses are calling for disciples, for martyrs, for trembling self-devoted service in which eagerness and humility bear equal parts. Those who are ready to offer themselves as leaders can be hired behind any counter or in any barrack. True leaders, we may understand one for all, are made, not born. They are made out of faithful followers. By much service, by deep and humble apprehension, let us hasten to their making.
The Guru puts us in touch with all that Humanity has yet reached in a given line. Through him, we enter into life spiritual and intellectual, as through our parents we received the human body. He represents to us all that, up to his time, could be known. It follows that the first of his qualifications was an unusual power of learning.
The real object of universities is to train the student to learn. The fine intellectual leader is he who learns most from a given circumstance. The power of passivity is the highest mark of education. This passivity, however, is not stupid or inert. It was not Arjuna alone who listened to Sri Krishna. His touch was felt and his words were heard by the delighted horses also. Nor must we forget that the sound-waves which make the Gita impinged upon the chariot itself. Chariot, horses, and man, all heard, but was there no difference between their three forms of passivity? Nay, two men will themselves hear differently. Nothing is more crude than an ill-timed activity. But the passivity that marks our advance is intensive, not idle, and contains within itself the fruit of all our struggles in the past.
It is the power of the Guru that is the force behind our realization. Whatever be the line of our effort, it would amount to very little if we had to go out into the wilderness and begin all over again, as isolated hints, the discoveries of man. Any significance that we have, comes from our place at the end of the ages, our place at the dawning of to-morrow. This place is given us by our solidarity with the Guru, and by nothing else. The more we know, the more infinitesimal will our own contributions to human knowledge appear to us. The more we know, the more will history speak to us in trumpet-tones, the more full of meaning will the acts of great men become to us, the more shall we see ourselves to be striving with difficulty to see as our leader saw, to be making only a new attempt on his behalf.
On the other hand, the Guru makes no demands. The gift of discipleship is free. The Guru indicates the ideal. There is a vast difference between this and the attempt to enslave. Nay, there is none who so strives to give the freedom in which ideals grow and ripen as does the Guru. The disciple’s devotion is for ever outstripping anything that could be asked of it. In his own time the Guru ends personal service and proclaims the impersonal mission. But this is of his doing and not of his pupil’s seeking.
The Guru’s achievement is the disciple’s strength, and this though it be the common ideal that is followed by both. Better to be no man’s son than an original genius without root or ancestry in the world of the spirit. Quickly, how quickly, shall such wither away! They wither, and the men who set limits to their own offering never strike root. Which of these two is the deeper condemnation?
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The following extract from Hinduism Today further elaborates certain traditional ideas about sages.
SATGURUS
THE THREE PILLARS OF HINDUISM are the temples, the scriptures and the satgurus. They sustain and preserve the ancient wisdom. If any two were to disappear, Hinduism would come back from the third, as perfect as it ever was. Here we bring a description of the third pillar, satgurus, in an excerpt from the 12-century Kularnava Tantra.
When the entire universe is looked on as pervaded by the Sivaguru, what mantra can fail to achieve its purpose for the shishya? When the satguru is present, no tapas is necessary, no pilgrimage, no fasting nor observances. What he speaks is as scripture.
Feel one with your guru and not separate from him, as do good to all as your own. Whether moving or standing, sleeping or waking, performing japa or making offerings, carry out only the injunctions of your guru with your inner being dwelling in him. As in the vicinity of fire, butter gets melted, so in the proximity of the holy Sivaguru all bad karmas dissolve. As lighted fire burns up all fuel, dry and moist, so the glance of the Shivaguru burns up in a moment the karmas of the shishya. As the heap of cotton blown up by a great storm scatters in all the ten directions, so the heap of negative karmas is blown away by the compassion of the Sivaguru. As darkness is destroyed at the very sight of the lamp, so is ignorance destroyed at the sight of the holy Sivaguru.
I tell you now that there can be no Liberation without diksha, initiation. Nor can there be initiation without a preceptor. Hence the dharma, the shakti and the tradition come down the line of masters, called parampara.
Without a satguru all philosophy, knowledge and mantras are fruitless. Him alone the Gods praise who is the satguru, keeping active what is handed down to him by tradition. One should seek with all effort to obtain a preceptor of the unbroken tradition, born of Supreme Siva.
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The famous homage to Guru attributed to Sankaracharya is explained below
GURU-MANTRA
Sankaracarya in his Gurustotram, which millions in India and, now abroad also, recite, and which begins with the famous words: Gurur Brahma Gurur Visnu, gives a beautiful exposition of the service rendered by a guru:
Ajnana Timirandhasya
Jnananjana salakaya
Caksurulmilitam yena
Tasmai Sri Gurave namah
‘I salute the Guru who opens the eyes of one who is blind with the cataract of ignorance by applying the collyrium of Jnana or knowledge.’
SOME SEERS AND SAGES OF INDIA
SRI RAMAKRISHNA
Sri Ramakrishna is an uplifting spiritual force in the modern world. His chief disciple, Swami Vivekananda, describes him as avataravarishtha, the best among the incarnations of God. Thousands of persons the world over look upon him and worship him as such. Mahatma Gandhi refers to his life as ‘a story of religion in practice’, calling him ‘a living embodiment of godliness’, and adds, ‘his life enables us to see God face to face’.
Sri Ramakrishna was born in 1836 in Kamarpukur, a simple village of Bengal. Even as a young boy, he had a vision of the Divine. He came to Calcutta in his teens and soon took up the work of the priest at the Dakshineswar Kali temple. But what an extra-ordinary priest! The Divine Mother in front of him was a living person. His worship did not conform to traditional ways. The Mother, too, responded to him according to his modes and moods. During this period, he had a vision of the Divine Mother. This made him God-intoxicated. Besides Hinduism, he practiced other faiths, too. His realizations gave him the conviction that there are as many paths to God as there are faiths.
When he was ready to teach the world, men from all walks of life flocked to him. Among the several notable persons who were attracted to him was Mahendra Nath Gupta - ‘M’ – the recorder of The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna. Physically speaking, Sri Ramakrishna became a victim to the cancer of the throat, to which he succumbed in 1886, when he was about fifty.
Sri Ramakrishna’s advice to the people living in the world is given in the following homely illustrations:
Do your duties, but keep your mind on God. If you participate in worldly matters without first cultivating love for God, you will become entangled more and more. Before opening a jack-fruit, one rubs the hands with oil. This keeps the fingers from becoming sticky with the jack-fruit’s gluey milk.
A boat may stay in the water, and it floats. But water should not stay in the boat. If it does, the boat sinks. An aspirant may live in the world with his mind devoted to God, but the world should not live in him.
The mind is like milk. If you keep the mind in the world, which is like water, then the milk and water will get mixed. That is why people keep milk in a quiet place and let it set into curd, and then churn butter from it. Likewise, through spiritual discipline practiced in solitude, churn the butter of knowledge and devotion from the milk of the mind. Then that butter can easily be kept in the water of the world. It will not get mixed with the world. The mind will float detached on the water of the world.
Sri Ramakrishna used to say that devotion as prescribed by Sage Narada is best suited to the Kaliyuga. It means to chant constantly the name and glories of God. Nishtha, single-minded devotion, leads to bhakti or love of God. Bhakti, when mature, becomes bhava or ecstatic love of God. Bhava when concentrated, becomes mahabhava, an intense form of divine love. And last of all is prema, most intense kind of the love of God. Prema is like a cord. By prema, God is bound to the devotee. He can no longer run away. By following this path of bhakti-yoga, one comes to God more easily then by following the others. The bhakta wants to realize God in His personal aspect, endowed with form, and talk to Him. God, who does everything at His pleasure, can make His devotee the heir to His infinite glories, if it pleases Him.
If a devotee prays to God with real longing, God cannot help revealing Himself to him. The meaning of bhakti or devotion is to adore God with body, mind, and words. ‘With body’ means to serve and worship God with one’s hands, go to holy places with one’s feet, hear the chanting of the name and glories of God with one’s ears, and behold the divine image with one’s eyes. ‘With mind’ means to contemplate and meditate on God constantly and to remember and think of His lila. “with words’ means to sing hymns to Him and chant His name and glories.
A person in the world must do his duties as long as he needs them to reap the fruits of the actions of his past lives. He must develop love of God and be passionately attached to him. The singing of the name and glories of God destroys the effect of past action. He does not have to perform duties all his life. As he develops unalloyed love and longing for God, his duties become fewer and fewer. After the realization of God, they completely drop away. When the young daughter-in-law is pregnant, her mother-in-law lessens her duties. After the birth of the child, she does not have to do any household work.
The heart of the devotee is the abode of God. He dwells, no doubt, in all beings. But He specially manifests Himself in the heart of the devotee. Sri Ramakrishna illustrates this point by saying that a landlord may, at one time or another, visit all parts of his estate, but people say that he is generally to be found in a particular drawing-room. The heart of the devotee is the drawing-room of God. It is there that His special power is manifest. What is the sign of such a devotee? When you see a man doing great works, you may know that God’s special power is manifested through him.
The attitude of a devotee, according to Sri Ramakrishna, should be : ‘O God, Thou art the Master, and I am Thy servant. Thou art the Mother, and I am Thy child. Thou art the Whole, and I am a part.’ The ego of a devotee begets no pride. It does not create ignorance. On the contrary, it helps one realize God. It is not like other types of egoism. The devotee seeks holy company, goes on pilgrimage, and practices discrimination, devotion, and renunciation. He says that, since a man cannot get rid of his ego, he should let the rascal remain as the servant of God, the devotee of God. Once the seed of bhakti is sown, the effect is inevitable. It will gradually grow into a tree with flowers and fruits.
One must pray to God earnestly. It is said that one can realize God by directing to Him the combined intensity of three attractions, namely, the child’s attraction for the mother, the husband’s attraction for the chaste wife, and the attraction of worldly possessions for the worldly man.
There are certain signs by which one can know a true devotee of God. His mind becomes quiet as he listens to matters concerning God and spiritual things. He develops the power of assimilating spiritual instruction, and earnestly strives to put it into practice. He has his senses under control, and he is not distracted by the concerns of the world. He loves to hear more and more about God and His lila in His several incarnations.
A devotee should pray to God thus: ‘May I have great love for Thee, as I go on with my few duties. May I not entangle myself in new work so long as I do not realize Thee. But I shall perform it if I receive Thy command. Otherwise not.’
In conclusion, let us recall the assuring words of Sri Ramakrishna: ‘If you put into practice one-sixteenth part of what I say unto you, you will surely reach the goal.’ These are encouraging words, indeed. Let us sincerely pray to God Almighty for His grace and press on with our spiritual struggle, remembering always his warning that there should be perfect accord between what we profess and what we practice - ‘let there be no divergence between our mind and mouth; let there not be any stealing in the chamber of our heart’, to put it in his own words.*
*The utterances of Sri Ramakrishna given in the article are mostly culled from The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna by ‘M’ (English translation by Swami Nikhilananda. Sri Ramakrishna Math, Madras-4)
SRI SARADA DEVI
THE HOLY MOTHER
Sri Saradamani Devi, better known as The Holy Mother, was born on December 22, 1853 at Jayrambati of West Bengal. At the age of six she was married to Sri Ramakrishna and joined him at Dakshineswar at eighteen. The most significant event during this period of her life was her being worshipped by Sri Ramakrishna as the Divine Mother. She got secular as well as spiritual training under him and served him with meticulous care.
After his passing away she undertook extensive pilgrimages throughout the country. She ministered to the spiritual needs of thousands of devotees, both lay and monastic.
Though most unassuming and simple for all outward appearances she was a veritable spiritual dynamo.
She entered into Mahasamadhi at the age of sixtyseven.
Sister Nivedita has described her as the final word of Sri Ramakrishna as to the ideal of Indian womanhood.
The Holy Mother was ailing. That was the last illness before the curtain was down closing the drama of her life. Just five days before the end, a lady devotee came to have her darsan. As none was allowed at that time to disturb her, this lady sat at the door-step to catch the Mother’s eye. This worked and the Mother beckoned to her to come in. The lady began to sob and exclaim, “Mother! What will happen to us hereafter?” The mother consoled her in a low voice, almost inaudible : “Why do you fear? You have seen the Master (Sri Ramakrishna)”. After a pause she added, “But I tell you one thing – if you want peace of mind, do not find fault with others. Rather see your own faults. Learn to make the whole world your own. No one is a stranger my child; this whole world is your own!”
This embodies her final message to the world also.
Prayer is the key that opens to us the treasure-chest of God’s mercy and blessings. It is the sum total of religion and morals. More things are wrought through prayer than we ever dream of. And we human beings cannot help praying as instanced by a well-known German atheist’s last groan: “O God, if there is a God, save my soul, if there is one!”
This is because there seems to be an eternal void in our hearts which refuses to be filled up with things mundane. Only the Infinite can fill it up; only the Infinite bliss can satiate it.
You cannot reach your destination if you just sit in a place and wail. You have got to get up and move. When this movement pertains to the spirit with a view to reaching the Final Beatitude called variously as Kaivalya, Moksha, Nirvana, Sakshatkara etc., then spiritual life begins. Prayer and devotion constitute the foundation of this spiritual life. The observations, explanations and teachings of Sri Sarada Devi, the Holy Mother, cover the whole gamut of this life of the spirit. However only a few of them will be selected and dealt with here.
God is not in need of our prayer. It is we who need it. We are the losers if we default. Says the Mother: “If you do not pray to God, what is that to Him? It is only your misfortune.”
What is the goal of human life? “The goal of human life is to realize God and to be always immersed in thought of Him” declares the Holy Mother.
This goal cannot be achieved without purifying one’s mind. So the Holy Mother proclaims: “Everything depends on the mind. Nothing can be achieved without purity of mind ….. The mind of the aspirant should be gracious to him.”
But how to purify the mind and get its grace? Through work and worship. So Sri Sarada Devi advises thus: “Self-less work saves the mind from going astray. But prayer and meditation also are necessary. You must sit for meditation at least once in the morning and once in the evening. That will be like the helm of the boat.”
Then there is another path, perhaps an easier one, the path of devotion. The mother first warns us that “ordinary human love results in misery” and then exhorts us to cultivate love of God because “love of God brings blessedness!”.
Repetition of the name of God is also part of this path of devotion. But this must be adopted early in life because who knows when the Lord of Death drops in? That is why the blessed Mother affirms: “Many take the name of God after receiving blows in life. But he who can offer his mind like a flower at the feet of the Lord right up from childhood is indeed blessed!”
But this is easier said than done, because we often find that though the mind is willing, the flesh is weak! How to root out the thirst for material pleasures which ultimately lands us in the abyss of misery? Here is the remedy suggested by the Mother: “As clouds are blown away by the wind, the thirst for material pleasures will be driven away by the utterance of the Lord’s name.”
God is not a bunch of spinach that can be purchased for a paltry sum at the worldly market. No, he cannot be bought even with the hardest spiritual discipline. He can be attained only through His grace. And again, this grace is as inscrutable as it is easy to get. The Holy Mother illustrates this beautifully thus: “A child might not give a thing to a person who asked for it a hundred times, whereas he might give it away to another even at the first request. In the same way, the grace of God is not conditioned by anything.”
May the Holy Mother bless us that we may attain this much-needed grace!
SWAMI VIVEKANANDA
Narendranath Datta who became Swami Vivekananda, was born in Calcutta in 1863. He was an all-rounder. He was a voracious reader with a prodigious memory. At the young age, he was disgusted with worldly life and developed a passion for God. In response to his urge for divine enlightenment, he went to Sri Ramakrishna in whose teachings he was fully convinced of the existence of God. He spent six years with his Master enjoying his unbounded attention and learnt the mysteries of Divine Life. Many other young men also rallied around the Master. The Master taught them about the purity of Divine life. After the passing away of the Master in 1886, Narendranath, along with his brother disciples, plunged him into deep tapas. Soon after, he travelled all over India as a ‘Parivrajaka’ on the sole of his feet. He was deeply moved by the distress and stagnation of his countrymen. He went to the West to take part in the historic World Parliament of Religions held in Chicago in 1893. He became world-famous by vindicating the glories of Hinduism and the greatness of Indian culture and civilization. After his triumphal tour in Europe and America, disseminating the spiritual knowledge for about four years, he returned to India in 1897. He also spread the message of Sri Ramakrishna and the glory of our culture in different parts of India. He established the Math at Belur, Calcutta in 1897. For a brief time he again sailed to the West and consolidated his work in the West, The great Swami passed away in 1902 at Belur.
At Benares, one day, as he was returning from the temple of Mother Durga, he was pursued by a group of monkeys. He was frightened and fled, apprehending that they might cause some injury to his person. Suddenly an old Sanyasin told him, “Stop. Always face the brute.” Swamiji turned, his fear gone; seeing his defiant attitude the monkeys fled. In a discourse given in New York, years later, he referred to this incident and pointed out the moral of this story in this wise message: “So face nature! Face ignorance! Face illusion! Never fly!!”
Before his final departure from the world, he one day took a fancy to feed the Santal coolies who were working at the Math and gave them a sumptuous feast. They had never tasted such delicacies. Naturally they were very happy. Swamiji said, “You are Narayanas, God manifest; to-day I have offered food to Narayana.” Swamiji addressing the disciples, said, “I found them the veritable embodiments of God – such simplicity, such sincere guileless love I have seen nowhere else – Sometimes I feel a desire to sell the Math and everything and distribute the money to the poor and the destitute.”
Prayer is communion with God. And God is the essence of our life. Regarding the rationality of the divine life Swamiji said: “We find that the man enjoys the intellect more than the animal enjoys its senses; 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”. (C.W. Vol. III – 8th edition – page 4). According to Swami Vivekananda each man is potentially divine. In each heart Swamiji saw the spark of divine life and he strove hard to fan it into a blazing fire. ‘ Love is God’ to him. God as Love and as the root cause of the universe is bound to be an attractive power behind and beyond this world. God is both Love and as the root cause of the universe is bound to be an attractive power behind and beyond this world. God is both Love and the perennial source of Love from which streams of sympathy, affection, compassion etc. are flowing downwards to feed the hearts of human beings. So true service is possible only through Love and true service also constitutes the test of pure love. When action is performed in the attitude of devotion and selfless love for the whole universe, it assumes the form of spiritual sadhana which is wholly beneficial to the highest goal of our life. To Swamiji, love is a triangle. A genuine love is bound to generate in the minds of lover unselfishness, fearlessness, and the feeling of love for love’s sake. He affirmed that loving God is loving His will. “Prayer is simply loving”. He spoke high of the Gopies, cowherdesses of Vrindavan, for theirs was not trading in love. Love purifies our mind and love or devotion to lead us to our goal must be tempered with jnana. Swamiji explained that it is our own will that answers prayer, for the Soul has infinite powers. Regarding the efficacy of prayer he said: “By prayer one’s subtle powers are easily roused, and if consciously done, all desires may be fulfilled by it; but done unconsciously one, perhaps in ten, is fulfilled. Such prayer, however, is selfish and should therefore be discarded.” (C.W. Vol. VII-page 3920. The Swami himself even in the darkest days of his life never prayed for his mundane welfare. Even at that time, being asked by Sri Ramakrishna to pray to Mother for material gain, he prayed for discrimination, renunciation, knowledge and love of God. His heart was so broad as to feel the miseries of the people of the world. He also exhorted us to share his feeling and love the people. In a letter to Alasinga he said, “Let us pray, ‘Lead, Kindly Light’ – a beam will come through the dark, and a hand will be stretched forth to lead on. I always pray for you: You must pray for me. Let each one of us pray day and night for the down-trodden millions in India who are held fast by poverty, priest-craft, and tyranny – pray day and night for them.” Regarding the necessity of love as sadhana to be followed by man even for the welfare of humanity, he said, “The world needs people who are mad with love of God. You must believe in yourself and then you will believe in God. The history of the world is that of six men of faith, six men of deep pure character. We need to have three things; the heart to feel, the brain to conceive, and the hand to work. Make yourself a dynamo, Feel for the world ……. Good works are continually being undone by the tons of hatred and anger, which are being poured out on the world. If you are pure, if you are strong, you, one man, are equal to the whole world. Take love, which never failed, and then the brain will conceive and the hand will work righteousness”
To a real devotee of the Lord world is a spirit, for he develops an altogether different attitude and witnesses God everywhere. But ordinary people, believing in the materialistic philosophy, find difficulty in developing any love for God. So they are advised to withdraw themselves from this hectic world of ours and direct their attention to the pursuit of infinite bliss. A purely mundane life is bound to suffer dullness and boredom unless one even occasionally meditates on God, eternity, beauty, and infinite bliss. In this context, Swamiji in a letter had said: “Instead of materializing the spirit, that is, dragging the spiritual to the material plane as these folks do, convert the matter into spirit, catch a glimpse at least, everyday, of that world of infinite beauty and peace, purity and spiritual and try to live in it day and night. Seek not, touch not with your toes even anything that is uncanny. Let your souls ascend day and night like an unbroken string unto the feet of the Beloved whose throne is in your own hearts and let the rest take care of themselves, that is, the body and everything else. Life is evanescent, a fleeting dream; youth and beauty fade away day and night. “Thou art my father, my mother, my husband, my love, my lord, my God – I want nothing but Thee, nothing but Thee, nothing but Three. Thou in me, I in Three, I am Thou, Thou art me.” (C.W. Vol. VI – page 223).
A genuine devotee of the Lord who was taken over as his sadhana must have tremendous faith in the benevolence and power of his Beloved. In this respect Swamiji had said in that same letter: “Through all the evil under the sun, say, my God, my love! Thou art here, I see Thee. Thou art with me, I feel Thee. I am Thine, take me. I am not of the world’s but Thine, leave not then me. Do not go for glass beads leaving the mine of diamonds! This life is a great chance. What, seekest thou the pleasures of the world!
He is the fountain of all bliss. Seek for the highest, aim at that highest and you shall reach the highest.” (Vol. VI, Complete Works – page 233).
SWAMI BRAHMANANDA
Young men and women of to-day, not only in India but also outside India, are quite familiar with the logic and work of Swami Vivekananda. And they know that Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa was the great Master of the illustrious Swami. Swami Brahmananda too was a disciple of Paramahamsa, and in every way he was as great as the world-conquering Vivekananda. But his sphere of work was different from that of the other. It was, as it were, behind the screen, but no less fundamental and basic to the world-regenerating mission of Sri Ramakrishna. Vivekananda was the thunderer and awakener, and Brahmananda was the silent shaper behind. The one was the founder of the new man-making institution, the Order of Ramakrishna, the other was its First President and Initial Builder.
Swami Vivekananda was the trumpet-voice of Sri Ramakrishna. Sri Ramakrishna was the organ and Swami Vivekananda was the music. Brahmananda was the Paramahamsa’s spiritual son, his jnana-putra. And as was the father, so was the son. Both father and son were literally God-centered. And as a result of their being that, they were able to touch and transform many. Swami Brahmananda was a spiritual dynamo. He did not ‘do’ much. He simply ‘was’. But like the Sun which by just being itself animates, illumines and energizes did he, by his mere presence, surcharge his environment with higher urges and nobler impulses. In short, his presence in itself was a benediction, his company was in itself a blessing. This feature of his personality once got demonstrated in a tangible way. In a certain religious centre which had been doing good work for long, a situation once arose, which led to strained feelings among the workers. There was bitterness in the air. Many remedies were tried to cleanse the atmosphere, but without success. At last the authorities appealed to the superior of the organization, Swami Brahmananda, and begged him to pay a visit to the centre. And he came, but held no enquiry, asked no questions, probed into no problem, in fact, did not seem to perceive that anything was wrong. He just lived on in his usual atmosphere of loftiness and serenity. And every soul around moved high and the air was of its own accord restored to soundness and health. The rising sun does not start ‘beating away’ darkness; the gloom melts away at the sun’s very coming. So was it with this jnana-surya.
Swami Brahmananda was one who did not merely talk and teach about devotion and prayer; he lived them every moment of his life. His observations on prayer and devotion, and his instructions in regard to their practice, are, therefore based not on text-book studies but on intimate personal realization and experience. They, therefore, have to the path-maker the value of the guidance of a pilgrim who has trodden every inch of the way and reached the goal.
Swami Brahmananda was affectionately and reverently called Maharaj by his disciples and followers. Indeed he was a spiritual monarch; and there was a majesty about him. He always impressed on aspirants the need to feel God’s proximity. “As long as you think the Lord is there”, he used to say, “you will be restless. When you feel that He is here (pointing to the heart) then only will you feel peace.”
Monasteries are made only by the men who inhabit them. Their thought and feelings contribute to the inspiration which monasteries exercise over the pious folk who resort to them. Maharaj used to say, ‘The spiritual practices of one single man are enough to make a monastery vibrate with holiness”. And he himself was an example of this phenomenon.
Maharaj always laid emphasis on the cultivation of a sweet temper. He used to say, “If only you could all be sweet-tempered and have love in your hearts there would be harmony.” But how to achieve this end? “You must make the Lord the centre of your affections” – thus would Maharaj counsel the young men who came to him.
A strong yearning is the basic necessity in the path of good life. A smug satisfaction with a little gain will not do. Maharaj would enthuse his disciples, telling them, “Do not be satisfied with yourselves as you are now. Try to move onward in your march. Don’t you remember the story of the man who went to find a sandalwood forest? Do not stop there. Move forward until you reach the diamond mine.” “You are young and pure. What infinite possibilities you have before you!” - with these words would he fan the flame of zeal in the young men who flocked round him.
Maharaj once gave this teaching: “Pray to the Lord with a yearning heart. Tell Him purely that you desire Him alone. Do not doubt He exists. Those who are weak and lowly are soon blessed with His vision. If you approach Him with devotion, He will surely reveal Himself. Do not feel shy because you have made mistakes or have not called on Him for a long time. He is the very embodiment of compassion. He does not care about your faults. Go to him with the simplicity of a child, and He will receive you. But simple and guileless. Without simplicity and childlike faith nobody can realize Him.”
Life and work get sweetened and ennobled through devotion. Maharaj used to exhort his disciples saying, “Always remember that through work you are serving the Lord. One can see Him with the eye of devotion. If you work with the idea of pleasing man, you will be disappointed. You will find peace and happiness only if you can remember the Lord. If He is pleased, the world is pleased. In favourable or adverse circumstances feel that you have none but Him, and that you are serving Him through the faithful discharge of your allotted duties.”
The right attitude is to regard the human body not as a mass of bones and flesh, but as a temple of God. “The body is the temple of God”, he would say, “Worship and meditation should be practiced within it … Temples built in the external world are aids for beginners. They are but symbols of the greatest temple of God: the human body.”
Swami Brahmananda’s teachings were simple and direct and made an irresistible appeal to novice and advanced sadhakas. “Rise early in the morning”, he would urge, “The best hours for contemplation are those at which night passes into day and day into night ….. struggle – struggle ….. Accept these struggles boldly. Welcome them. Through them you will find peace.”
“Don’t lead an easy-going life any longer …. No matter what work you take up, do it with your whole heart. That is the secret of work, as Swami Vivekananda used to say. Set yourself to work, but work for the Lord” – these words of Swami Brahmananda helped many to do all work as worship.
“God is the wish-yielding tree”, the Swami would assure men. “Whatever a man asks of Him, that he receives ….. Ask to be divine and you will become divine.”
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SWAMI SHIVANANDA (MAHAPURUSH)
Mahapurush Swami Shivananda was one of the few chosen direct monastic disciples and close associates of Yugavatara Bhagavan Sri Ramakrishna Deva. He dedicated his life at the feet of the Master and served Him as one of his principal instruments in disseminating his Divine message. The Spiritual Ganges which Sri Ramakrishna brought down from heaven for the redemption of mankind, irrespective of caste, colour, creed and nationality, flowed in abundance through his disciples. Each disciple was a great repository of spiritual power, and like a beacon-light illumined the pathways of thousands of seekers of God. Each one of them was a ‘saviour of mankind’, a gigantic spiritual personality, unparalleled in character, divinely gracious and whose very existence on earth was a boon to mankind. Sri Ramakrishna by imparting spiritual power to his disciples, made them spiritual giants like himself. Rightly it has been said by Romain Rolland about these disciples that “Each disciple of Sri Ramakrishna represented one aspect of His multifarious personality and when they were assembled together, He was there in his entirety”
Shivananda first came in contact with Sri Ramaklrishna sometime in the year 1880, and sat at his feet, till the Master’s passing away in 1886. From the very first meeting Sri Ramakrishna kindled in him the fire of intense vairagyam and strong desire for God-realization. It was under the guidance of his Guru that Shivananda plunged himself into intense tapasya and gradually attained the realization of Brahman.
After the passing away of Sri Ramakrishna, Swami Shivananda embraced the life of utter poverty, purity and penance, and along with another ‘Guru Bhai’ was the first to start the nucleus of the Ramakrishna Order of monks at Baranagar as the first monastery, which Vivakananda, Brahmananada and other brother monks joined later.
Swami Vivekananda commended the spirit of renunciation and wonderful self-control of Shivananda and called him Mahapurush (great Soul) as a mark of esteem a name by which he was popularly known among his Gurubhais and Swamis of Sri Ramakrishna Order.
Shivananda was born of a noble and pious Brahmin family of Barasat in West Bengal. His family name was Taraknath Ghosal. He was the first son of a childless couple – Ram Kanai Ghosal and Vanea Sundari Devi - by a boon a Lord Shiva Taraknath to be born as their son. This is why the boy was named Tarakanath. Verily he was born with the qualities of Shiva from his very childhood Tarak used to practice meditation and had an inherent tendency towards spiritual life and an innate feeling that enjoyment was not the object of life. The spirit of renunciation was in his very blood. As a child, his favourite sport was to throw handful of coins as offering in the water of an adjacent pond. Later, out of religious yearning Taraknath became a member of the Brahmo Samaj and came to know of the Master from the writing of the Brahmo leader Keshab Chandra Sen.
Though he had no desire to marry, as God-realization through renunciation and service was the motto of his life, yet before he came to Sri Ramakrishna he had to marry for the sake of sheer family obligation. However, his wife died after a short period. During his married life Taraknath lived a life of akhanda Brahmacharya. The death of the wife cleared the path for the young aspirant; he renounced the world and embraced the life of renunciation.
The first meeting with Sri Ramakrishna at Dakshineswar in 1880 made such a deep impression on the mind of young Taraknath that he accepted him as his spiritual guide and fully dedicated himself at the feet of the Brahmin priest of Dakshineswar. Sri Ramakrishna also at the very first meeting could know by his spiritual insight that Taraknath was no ordinary soul; rather he was one of his close associates, born to preach the universal doctrine to the whole world and destined to live the life of an ascetic. So he began to teach and train him up accordingly. By imparting spiritual power and by vigorous training the Master began to shape the life of Tarakanath. In fact, in the very first meeting Sri Ramakrishna raised Tarak’s mind to an extra-ordinary level of the realization of the omnipresence of God, of God with form as well as without form.
For long six years Taraknath received training at the feet of the Master. He was one of the chosen eleven whom Sri Ramakrishna initiated into sanyasa and made a fit instrument to carry on his mission. Sri Ramakrishna’s godly contact gradually transformed the life of the young Tarak and made him mad for the spiritual pursuit; it kindled in his heart the fire of dispassion and discrimination. If Sri Ramakrishna was the blazing sun, radiating spiritual luster all around, his disciples symbolized the radiance of the sun. Like Sri Ramakrishna, Taraknath also had the power to transmit spirituality to others; he could lift others’ mind to higher level of consciousness. He could do that by either thought, will-power or prayer.
After the passing away of the Master, Taraknath became restless for the realization of the Highest. In that state of mind as an itinerant monk practicing tapasya, he visited the holy places of pilgrimage and spent many years in Kedarnath, Badiranarayana, Uttar Kashi, Hardwar and other places of importance in the Himalayas. He spent many years in Varanasi also practicing austere tapasya – only occasionally coming down to the head monastery for a brief period. He performed hard tapasya because it was not only for his own salvation, but for the good of the world. From Almora during 1910 when questioned by a devotee he wrote “….. Our tapasya in the Himalayas is not for our own Mukti. Our only prayer to the Lord is the good of the world”
Taraknath formally took the monastic vow, under the leadership of Vivekananda by performing ‘Viraja Homam’ in 1887. Taraknath was christened Swami Shivananda, because of his ‘shiva origin’, and Shiva like nature. The new monk at Barangore monastery plunged deeper and deeper within himself, seeking higher and more permanent achievement in the realm of the spirit. During that period he seemed to be consumed by a spiritual hunger that knew no satiety.
For about two years and a half, Shivananda lived the life of intense tapasya at Baranagore integrating his own spiritual life and at the same time helping towards the consolidation of the new order of young monks. He always, both in work and worship, maintained a deep spiritual awareness. One would hear him repeating “Akhanda Satchidananda – Absolute Existence – Knowledge Bliss.”
Universality of outlook and catholicity of religious views were the special characteristics of the disciples of Sri Ramakrishna. “All religions are but different paths to God-realization”, this teaching was a unique contribution of the Master. What they learnt from their teacher, the disciples lived and preached. They had an equal regard for all religions and all paths – Jnana, Bhakti, Karma and Yoga. Their life was a wonderful harmony and a remarkable spiritual synthesis like that of the Master.
After four years of successful Vedanta-preaching abroad, Swami Viverkananda returned to India in 1897 and calling his brother disciples together started preaching Vedanta as taught by Sri Ramakrishna. At Swamiji request Swami Shivananda went to Ceylon and started the work of disseminating Vedanta there. He conducted classes on Bhagavat Gita and Raj Yoga, which were attended by educated Hindus and Europeans. Shivananda’s preaching work was very effective. He established the Vivekananda Society at Colombo. After nearly one year of preaching there, the Swami returned to the headquarters of the Order and began to help their leader Swami Vivekananda in his preaching work.
Swami Shivananda was a spiritual giant and a religious teacher of a very high caliber. He was endowed with the super human power of giving a spiritual life to seekers of God and of enlightening the doubting souls by a mere touch or a glance. He was such a God-intoxicated soul that to see him was to feel the Divine presence. Hence men and women of every walk of life came in large numbers from all over India, Ceylon, Burma, Europe, America, Brazil, Germany, France, Switzerland and Australia to him for spiritual guidance, for baptism, and for redemption from their worldly sorrows and distress. He refused none. Even great sinners were made whole and holy. He took their burden of sin on himself and made them whole.
It was the desire of Swami Vivekananda to start a centre at Varanasi for preaching Vedanta. He entrusted that work to Shivananda who accordingly in 1902 started the Ramakrishna Advaita Ashram at Varanasi and spent nearly six years in preaching Vedanta mainly by living Vedantic life. His intense tapasya, renunciation and rigorous discipline earned for him great admiration from sadhus of different sects of the holy city of Varanasi. His life was a living embodiment of Vedanta.
Swami Shivananda was made a Trustee of Belur Math and a member of the Governing body of the Ramakrishna Mission by Swamiji in 1898. From that time he served that organization in various capacities, even as its Vice-President. In 1922 he was elected the second President and in that post he served the Ramakrishna order of monks and the country for twelve years till his death in 1934. Under his fostering care and able guidance many new centres were started in India and abroad, and the number of the monastic members of the organization increased and its activities expanded.
At the behest of Swami Brahmananda, the first President, Swami Shivananda, rather reluctantly, leaving his life of seclusion in the Himalayas came to serve as the ‘Mahant’ (abbot) at the Belur Math in 1916. From that time onward he did not go out for tapasya. He was a “Jivan Mukta.” His words of wisdom brought solace and hope in many God-loving souls. He would say – “the heart of man is the abode of God. He resides in a pure heart, it is real heaven Goloka, Shivaloka,” To Shivananda every man was a temple of God.
The Swami was exceptionally reserved and would hardly disclose his spiritual experiences to anybody. But his fame as a knower of Brahman spread. Truth-seekers from far and near began to flock round him. Princes came, politicians, poets, physicians, philosophers, scientists and the common men, and beggars and destitutes came. All were received alike and taught. All found solace in him.
After he became the President, he began to give initiation freely to the ardent religious aspirants. Thousands received his spiritual baptism, his blessings and benediction but there was not a trace of Guru-consciousness in him. He used to say – “the idea that I am Guru or I am giving initiation does never cross my mind. As Shankara was the world teacher in the past, so is Ramakrishna in the present age. He inspires people to come here and again it is he who initiates them through me. As the devotees worship the Lord with flowers and foliages, in the same way I also offer those souls as offerings at the feet of Ramakrishna and I see that he accepts them …. There ends my responsibility. Thakur looks after them.” He never cared to remember the disciples by name, nor would he accept any “Pranami” (offering) big or small from them. “I am not the Guru. Thakur is your Guru” – he would say to the disciples, when they would offer anything to him.
The last twelve years of Swami Shivananda were years of spiritual administration. What he received from Sri Ramakrishna he distributed that freely. He was like Mother Ganga, purifying all who ever came to him. Like a touch-stone he would make everything pure and gold-like by a divine touch.
He was living in a ‘Videha’ stage. Even in failing health and ailing condition of his body, tirelessly he would receive countless seekers of God and give them spiritual instructions and blessings, treating all in a sweet and affectionate manner. No one would leave him empty-handed and dejected. He had not the least ego in him. His ego was merged in the higher Self. He used to say that it was the Master himself, who seated in his heart, was blessing people and that Sri Ramakrishna was all-in-all in his life.
Towards the end of his earthly career he was boundless, as it were, in his expression of love for his spiritual dependents. He would console them saying – “Why are you afraid and dejected? None of you need fear. I have arranged all for you. You will never lack anything. You are all saved.”
During the last four years of his life the Swami practically lived in another world having all kinds of spiritual visions and experiences.
He would sometimes say – “I am ready for His Call.” At last that call came and he “jumped into the Mother’s lap’ and attained ‘eternal life’, on Tuesday, the 20th of February, 1934. He was united with Sri Ramakrishna, his beloved Lord and Master. The Holy Ganges entered the sea, lost its own identity and became one with the ‘Eternal and Fathomless Ocean.’
Hari Om Tat Sat
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SWAMI RAMAKRISHNANANDA
Shashi Bhushan Chakravarthi was born in an orthodox Brahmin family of Bengal on 13th July 1863. His father, a strict observer of religious traditions and a devout worshipper of Divine Mother Kali, gave the early training that laid the foundation of a lofty character exhibited in the life of his great son.
He was a brilliant student of literature and philosophy while at college. He met Sri Ramakrishna in 1883 and became his disciple. He performed sadhana under Sri Ramakrishna till the latter entered into Mahasamadhi in 1886. After Sri Ramakrishna’s passing away Shashi took sanyas along with the other disciples and became Swami Ramakrishnananda. His new name indicates that he was a personification of ideal Guru-Bhakti.
In 1897, deputed by Swami Vivekananda he came to Madras and founded Sri Ramakrishna Math. He successfully spread the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna and founded a few branches in the South. He entered into Mahasamadhi in 1911.
Ecstatic devotion to his Guru was the essence of his life and teaching. Sri Ramakrishna was to him God Himself in human form. He felt the living presence of his Master at all times and at all places. He could say of his Master as truly as St. Paul said of his Master, Christ, “The life I now live in the flesh I live by the faith in the son of God.”
Even after the passing away of Sri Ramakrishna Ramakrishnandaji so vividly realized the presence of his Guru and God that he would serve his Master in the photo exactly in the way he did while he was in the physical body. Sri Ramakrishnananda used to prefer hot chapattis. So Ramakrishnananda would keep the stove burning and make hot chapattis and offer them to Sri Ramakrishna piece by piece during worship. He would offer to the Master a piece of twig hammered soft at one end to be used as tooth-brush as is the practice in Bengal. After the midday offerings, he would fan the Master for sometime so that the latter could easily have his nap. Sometimes he would talk to the Master praying for something and at some other time blaming him for something.
If one loves and serves the Master with single-minded devotion, one can attain God-vision. This is what we learn from the life of Ramakrishnananda.
Swami Ramakrishnananda was essentially a Bhakta; hence whatever he says on Bhakti is illuminating and inspiring. According to him, the path of Bhakti and prayer is the easiest, best and most practicable of all paths to God-realisation. The personal aspect of God is greater than his impersonal aspect. The glory of the Lord is not so much in His omnipotence or in His infinite majesty or in His irresistible will as in His condescension to stoop to the level of His devotee in the capacity of one equal to or even inferior to him. How the impersonal God becomes personal is explained by the Swami in the words of his Master, “Water has no definite shape and so takes the shape of any vessel that holds it. But intense cold sometimes makes it assume the shape of icicles and the like. Even so God, who is naturally formless, assumes a form for the sake of His devotees. Being all-powerful and all-gracious He can have form or no form.
Swamiji says that true devotion is selfless. Whether the Beloved is rich or poor, still the devotee’s whole soul is for Him and no one else. Like the Gopis of Vrindavan, he does not want to know whether God is all-powerful or not. He knows Him to be his Beloved; that is all. He always wants to give something to God; but never wants anything from Him. The true lover of God must be more than perfect. For, a perfect man may be self-contained and self-satisfied but he may not have the power of satisfying others just as a reservoir of water, full to the brim is self-contained and lives only in itself. Not so the perennial spring which is not only full in itself but also springs out of itself with overflowing munificence for the sake of others. A true devotee is like that. He lives not so much for himself as for his Beloved and for those who belong to Him.
Again, the Swami says that the t rue love of God is not possible without self-knowledge. In order to be a true lover of God, one must know one’s perfect nature, which is beyond hunger, thirst or other wants. True love of God or Bhakti comes after the realization of one’s true self or Atman which is perfect in everyway.
Ordinarily, our love of God is based on an utilitarian attitude. Because God is all-powerful and all-gracious we want him to satisfy our desires and save us from our troubles. This is not true love. A sycophant cannot have real love. The millionaire is loved for his money and not for his own sake. When he loses his wealth, he loses the love of his admirers. In true love a man is loved for his own sake, whether he is rich or poor, whether he is in favourable circumstances or not. Sita’s love for Rama did not fail when he was exiled by his father to forest; rather it increased a thousand-fold.
How to reach God? Through love. We must offer our heart’s love to Him. It is not sufficient if we offer fruits and flowers. It is our love that God wants from us and not anything else.
The philosophy of Bhakti is not very abstruse. Simple, children like Prahlada and Dhruva could understand it; for love is the nature of every human being. On account of the intense love of His childlike devotees, who do not care to know anything about the infinite perfection of their Beloved, the formless infinite God assumes form and appears before the devotees.
These forms of God are living forms. Through the worship of these living forms of God, many saints were born in India. Some think that the worship of images in temples has been introduced merely to enable the beginners to concentrate their mind. This may be true in the case of a few people. But the highest purpose which the worship of forms and images fulfils is to develop pure unselfish love for God. So we should not ignore the worship of forms and images as foolish. If worshipped with intense devotion, God manifests himself, his living presence to his devotees through the images and forms.
Swamiji was a firm believer in the efficacy of sincere prayer. He used to say, “If we have to be for anything, let us beg earnestly of God rather than of man to supply the necessities of life”. God has got his own inscrutable way to respond to our prayer. Through prayer one can have direct contact with God. If we pray to God with single-minded devotion for God Himself, that is the best prayer. And God will respond by giving Himself to the devotee.
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BHAGAVAN SRI RAMANA
Bhagavan Sri Ramana and Arunachala are inseparable. From 1896, in which year Sri Ramana as a young boy arrived at Tiruvannamalai, till 1950 when his physical body passed away, he remained throughout at that sacred place, in the Temple, on the Hill or in their vicinity, inspiring those who went to him or even heard about him, by his plenary spiritual experience. Apparently without any earlier preparation, Ramana had become a perfect sage; he was then only seventeen going to school at Madurai. Having overcome by the Great Awakening he found no use for the routine life. He left home and went to Arunachala, the very mention of which by an elderly relation of his sometime earlier had fascinated him. For the first few years the young seer stayed in seclusion; and not many knew of his presence in Tiruvannamalai. But the lamp could not be kept under a bushel for long. Even as the Holy Beacon that is lit annually on the top of the Hill could be seen from afar, the effulgence of the Maharshi came to be felt by aspirants all over the world; and the Ashrama that grew around him still continues to draw spiritual pilgrims of all denominations.
The source of the Maharshi’s teaching was his own spiritual experience, Self-realization as it is called. He did not learn the plenary truth from the sacred books first and then realize it; in his case the realization was earlier, and later on when the books were read out to him or brought to his notice, there was found corroboration of that realization.
Usually the sage’s instruction was through silence. Many a doubting inquirer found his doubts dismissed by a mere look of the sage. Rarely was there a need to express in words. The Maharshi’s luminous eyes lit within the hearts of many the lamp of understanding and peace. The first Englishman to see the Maharashi, F.H.Humphrys, gives the following description of his visit in 1911. “On reaching the cave we sat before him, at his feet and said nothing. We sat thus for a long time and I felt lifted out of myself. For half an hour I looked into the Maharshi’s eyes, which never changed their expression of deep contemplation…….The Maharshi is a man beyond description in his expression of dignity, gentleness, self-control and calm strength of conviction.” This was the normal experience of those who went to see the sage. Many would go to him with personal problems; and quite a few with questions of public concern. But once they settled down in his presence, those problems and question would cease to worry them, and they would experience an unspeakable calm within.
He composed metaphysical as well as devotional poems. He wrote mostly in Tamil, but some of his writings are in Sanskrit, Telugu and Malayalam. The earliest of his compositions are in Tamil prose: ‘Self-Enquiry’ and ‘who am I? They were written at the beginning of this century by way of instruction to two of the early devotees. Among the poems are the well-known Forty Verses (Ulladu-Narpadu) with the Supplement (Anubandha), the Upadesa-sara, and the various Hymns to Arunachala. Besides these, Bhagavan Ramana has translated into Tamil six works of Acharya Sankara and a few other Advita texts.
In an invocatory verse which Sri Ramana has added to his Tamil rendering of Sankara’s Hymn to Dakshinamurti, he says:
“That Sankara, who appeared as Dakshinamurti to grant peace to the great ascetics (Sanaka, etc), who revealed his real state of silence, and who has expressed the nature of the Self in this hymn, abides in me.”
It is the same Advaita teaching that we find in Sankara and Ramana. The ultimate Reality is the non-dual self. The so-called triad of realities, God, Soul, and the World, are not really three. As Sri Ramana teaches in the Ulladu-Narpadu they are, in truth,one. They appear as three only so long as the ego lasts. The various distinctions and multiplicities subsist on the one; when the latter is realized, they disappear. The one Self is the Supreme Truth; plurality is illusion. True accomplishment is the gaining of the Self which is existence-reality. All other accomplishments are like what is achieved in dreams.
‘Realize the Self’ Accomplish the Real’ – such expressions should not be understood in their literal sense. The author of a recent book “Why Lazarus Laughed” writing under the pseudo-nam Wei Wu Wei explains this point by making a reference to Bhagavan’s teaching. “The Maharshi suggested,” observes this author, “that the trouble may arise through the word ‘realize’; it is a verb, and the last syllable implies action of some kind. But no action is possible, and to try to take nay defeats its own object. It means ‘to take or render or become real’ but that which is real in us is so already, always was and always will be. We can no more ‘become’ real than we can become ourselves.”
What has to be done, then – if we may use such an expression – is that we should become awake to the eternal Reality that we are. What stands in the way of that awakening is our wrong identification with the ego – the pseudo-self. The method taught by Bhagavan Ramana for the rejection of this identification is the enquiry’ who am I? The essence of this technique consists in tracking the ego to its source. The ego, ‘I’ – thought is the first of all thoughts. By seeking the source of the ego viz., the place whence the ego arises, one puts an end to ego itself. This can be accomplished also by surrendering the ego to God or the Guru. The excellence of the path of self enquiry, however, is that it is the most direct road, open to the theist and the atheist alike, to the learned and the not-so-learned, to the orthodox and the unorthodox. In the following verses of the Upadesasara, Bhagavan Ramana describes this path:
“If the mind unceasingly investigates its own nature, it will be seen that there is nothing called mind. This is the straight path open to all”.
“The ‘I’ thought is the basis of all thoughts; the thoughts are the mind; know the ‘I to be the mind.”
“Whence does this ‘I’ arise? Seek for it within; Io, it vanishes. This is the self-enquiry.”
“Where the ‘I’ disappeared, there the ‘I-I’ shines of its own accord: this is the Supreme plenary Reality.”
The plenary experience came to Ramana, and the path that led to it opened out before him without any forewarning or conscious preparation, when he was a lad of seventeen in 1896. He was a youth enjoying robust health; his class fellows were even afraid of his strength and courage. But, for no reason whatsoever, one day, he was seized with the dread of death. A strong feeling that he was going to die possessed him. Any other youth would have succumbed to the feeling, and would have run to a physician, an elder, or a friend for succour. But Ramana did not seek for a way of escape from the crisis; he was determined to confront it; he welcomed the encounter with death. This was what he did. He dramatized death. He lay down on the floor – this happened in a small room on the first floor of his uncle’s house at Madurai where he was staying, stretched his limbs out and held them stiff as though rigor mortis had set in. He held his breath and kept his mouth tightly closed; his body resembled in every respect a corpse. Then followed the inquiry: what is it that dies? The body is dead; it will be consigned to flames, and reduced to ashes. But, “I” am not the body, since I am aware of the body and its death. So, death cannot touch me; I am the deathless spirit. Although when expressed in words, the inquiry appears to be a process of ratiocination, it was not, in fact, a piece of reasoning. The truth came in a flash, as it were; Ramana became aware of it directly, immediately. The dread of death vanished at once and for ever. Abidance as the self became constant and permanent.
In the Ulladu – Narpadu ( Forty Verses on Existence) and Upadesa Saram ( The Essence of Instruction), we have compendious and clear expositions of the discipline that the seeker after truth should go through in order to gain self-realization.
In the Ulladu-Narpadu, the path of self-inquiry (Atma-Vichara) is thus explained: The ‘I’ – thought is the first to rise. In the inert things there is no sense of ‘I’. It is the mind that consists of thoughts. The first of these thoughts is ‘I’. The core of the discipline is that one should inquire with a keen mind whence this ‘I’ rises (verse 23). When it is said “The I rises”, what is meant is that herein lies the knot of the self and the not-self which is called, technically, superimposition or nescience. Bongage, soul, the subtle body, egoity, transmigration, mind – all these are but synonymns (24). It is the ‘I’- thought or ego that functions in various ways. Dwelling within the body it acts, enjoys, experiences; leaving one body, it enters into another. But, when its nature is inquired into, it takes to flight; it turns out to be devoid of substance (25). The ego is the prop of all appearances. If the ego is, all else is. If the ego is not, nothing else is. The ego is all. When what the ego is, is inquired into and its non-reality is known all phenomena are given (26). When, through inquiry, the state where the ‘I’ does not rise is reached, one realizes that one is the non-dual self. When the ‘I’ is lost, the self is gained (27). One should dive into oneself, with senses and functions controlled, and find the place where the ‘I’ rises in order to recover the self, even as one would dive into water in order to get back some precious jewel that has fallen into it (28). The path of knowledge does not consist in the verbal repetition of the word’I’. The inquiry should be done with the mind turned inward. This is the direct path. The path of meditation which is of the form ‘I am not this; I am that’ is not inquiry; it is only an auxiliary discipline (29). Through the inquiry ‘who am I’, the mind reaches the Heart, which is only another expression for the Self. Then the ego, the pseudo – ‘I’, sinks crest-fallen and the real ‘I’, the Self, shines of its own accord. This real ‘I’ is not an object; it is the plenary reality (30). The destruction of the ego through inquiry and the gaining of Self-awareness – other than this, there is nothing to be accomplished. Pure Self-awareness is perfection (31) this is the realization that one is always the Self, and that there is not other reality (32).
In the Upadesa Saram the Master gives the same teaching in a more concise and quintessential form Action does not lead to liberation. But acts that are performed without attachment to fruits help by cleansing the mind and rendering it fit for pursuing the path of knowledge. Similarly, the other disciplines such as offering worship to the deity, uttering the sacred mantras, and meditation, which pertain respectively to the body, speech and mind, are auxiliaries to the path. Slowly, the different aspects of the organism and its functions should be sublimated, through karma, bhakti, and yoga; gradually one should adopt subtler and subtler modes of discipline, discarding the grosser ones. The value of these disciplines consists in the measure of their contribution to the progress in the direct path. The direct path for all is the mind’s investigation of its own nature, resulting in the realization that there is no such thing as mind. As we have already seen, the mind is but a bundle of thoughts; the first thought is ‘I’. One should investigate into the source of the ‘I’ – thought; one should seek for it within; then one would find that the ‘I’ vanishes; leaving the self resplendent in its positive glory. To know the Self is to be the Self, for there are not two selves – one that knows and another that is known. When, thus, one’s true nature is known, there is endless Awareness-Bliss. This is release.
Ramana Maharshi’s Hymns to Arunachala belong to the category of devotional poetry. In these hymns, the Master sings the praise of Arunachala, the Lord in the form of the Blazing Hill, which is symbolic of the manifestation of the Self in the Heart centre. The form of the Deity chosen for devotion and meditation is itself significant for the Master’s central teaching, which is the gaining of Advaita-experience through the path of Self inquiry.
The very first verse of the first of the Arunachala hymns. Aksara-mana-malai strikes the keynote when it says: “O Arunachala! Thou dost root out the egoity of those who think ‘I’m, verily, Arunachala. The goal is the I-am Arunachala-experience; the means is the destruction of the ego. The grandeur of this poem is that it teaches advaita in the language of bridal mysticism. Resting in the Self-abidance is taught as the goal that the soul has to seek (37). The grace of Arunachala, the Sun, is sought for dispelling the darkness of ignorance (38). True devotion to Arunachala reveals that Arunachala is the only reality and that one is non-different from that reality(43). One’s life becomes futile if one does not gain true knowledge through inquiry (46). One has to dive into the true Self in order to recover oneself. Those that are pure in mind and speech lose their ego in the Self and realize the bliss of non-duality (47). In the Heart-Centre supreme Reality shines self-luminously as ‘I-I’. Realization of this truth is the true union with God (57). God’s essence is grace. Grace fulfils itself by granting wisdom to the soul. Wisdom is granted by destroying maya (65). Maya, the knot of ignorance, is the cause of bondage. It it is the eternally free Lord that should cut this knot and liberate the soul from ignorance (80). When the urguent of God’s grace is applied, the blindness of ignorance is removed (84). Through attachment to God, attachment to sense-objects is removed. Finally this attachment too is transcended in the plenary experience of non-duality (86). Towards the concluding portion of the grand litany, Aksara-mana-malai, the Master makes the devotee pray to Arunachala for the supreme gift of Vedantc wisdom: “Grant me the essence of the Vedas, which shines in the Vedanta, the One without a Second O Arunachala!”(99).
The Path that leads to Awakening consists of hearing (sravana), reflection (manana), and contemplation (nididhyasana). In the case of one who is supremely eligible, hearing the truth even once will do. But in the case of those whose minds are filled with obstructing vasanas, the other two disciplines are necessary. Association with the wise (sat-sanga), worship of God (Isvaraaradhana), control of breath (pranayama), etc. are also helpful in rendering the mind pure and one-pointed.
For the use of Sadhakas who cannot read Sanskrit, Ramana Maharshi has rendered into Tamil several Advaita classics. Among these are Sankara’s Hymn to Daksinamurti, Atma-bodha, Vivekachudamani and Drug-drsya-viveka. In the introductory verses to some of these translations Ramana declares his total identity with the Self that is Sankara.
SRI GURUDEVA DR RANADE
Dr.Ranade was a Saint-pHilosopher, well-versed both in intellectual and spiritual knowledge. He was born on 3rd July 1986, at Jamakhandi, a Taluka place in the Bijapur District of Karnatak. The child was a precious gift of the intense penance of its pious mother.
The school and college career of the lad was marked by intellectual brilliance of a very high order. Even when he was in his teens, he was blessed by his Master – Sri Bhau Saheb Maharaj – the eminent Saint of Umadi with a Divine Nama. His school study and spiritual Sadhana proceeded side by side. His deep study brought him prizes in the examiniations and his regular intense sadhana blessed him with higher and higher spiritual experiences. Thus did this youth gradually evolve into a Saint-Philosopher.
Dr.Ranade studied Eastern and Western Philosophy to find intellectual justification for his spiritual life. He worked as Professor of Philosophy in the Fergusson College, Poona and Willingdon College, Sangli. He was also the Head of the Department of Philosophy, Dean of the Faculty of Arts in the Allahabad University and retired as its Vice-Chancellor in 1946.
Dr.Ranade had his trials and tribulations in life. He ws the victim of a prolonged illness of a dangerous type. But he could safely pass through this fiery ordeal on account of the unbounded grace of his sadguru. At the same time, through his grace he could also enjoy high spiritual experiences along with supreme bliss.
Dr.Ranade has to his credit many monumental works depicting in the Western garb, the spiritual message of the Upanishads, the Gita as well as those of the Hindi, Marathi and Kannada Saints. His Ashram, near the Railway Station of Nimbal, between Sholapur and Bijapur, has been the main centre of his spiritual activities, where he blessed many a seeker and guided him on the spiritual path. The Academy of Comparative Philosophy and Religion and Belgaum and the Adhyatma Vidya Mandir at Sangli have been carrying on his intellectual activities. The former institution is publishing an Annual Journal entitled “pathway to God” for spreading is spiritual message.
Sri Gurudeva always spoke through the saints. The present Prayer, selected by him, fairly enshrines the essence of his Spiritual Teaching.
“Oh Hari! Stay in my heart all along! Stir not from my heart even for a single moment. Thou art Nada-murti- the very form of the primeval Sound. Thou art the visible form of Sound and Light or Luminous Sound. There is a canopy of illumination studded with nine kinds of jewels. Oh God! I just want to keep Thee at the centre of the canopy and workship Thee with meditation. There is no other worship for me. I shall meditate on the Name and Form. That is enough for me……At the end of worship what shall I do? I shall put pearls and rubies in a tray missed with Bhakti-rasa, the essence of devotion, and I shall wave that light of devotion before Thee. It is not possible for me, Oh God? To leave Thee. I won’t leave Thee………..Hence it is not proper for Thee to abandon me!” (P.G.K.PP.149-150)
“To realize God both for oneself and for other,” says Sri Gurudeva, ‘is and should be the goal of human life”. But how to realize God? God can be realized by Devotion born of Moral Purity and developed by devout Meditation on the Name Divine granted by realized Sadguru. Such a Name, according to Sri Gurudeva, carrries with it Divine Power. It is called Sabija – Nama or Seed – Name, because, like a seed it gives out shoots of spiritual experiences, when it is sown in a pure heart and watered by soulful meditation. And at the advent of the spring of Divine Grace, it bears fine flowers and luscious fruits of supreme Bliss. It is Devotion and Grace, therefore, that are the main factors in the Path. Both of them are interdependent. Grace induces and develops devotion, while Devotion allures and attracts Grace. They are like the negative and positive electric currents. Their contact alone is capable of producing spiritual Illumination and Bliss.
But, “ a man who starts on his journey, must not expect to reach the end at once. There is bound to be a time interval between initiation and realization. A Sadhak who gets himself initiated by a teacher must work and wait for attaining realization and therefore liberation. It will require a good deal of time before he conquers his mind and intellect, devotes himself entirely to God, makes possible some definite attainment in that line and ultimately achieves divine realization” ( B.P.G., P.72).
“The crowing piece of performance, however, is the passionate longing of the aspirant for the realization of God. It is this inner urge, this one-pointed and passionate search, this life of consecration to the ideal, which crowns the efforts of man for the attainment of God. The devotee must pant for God, like fish out of water. “When thou art dried up, Oh Lake!” says the fish, “the birds and swans can take resort elsewhere; but pinionless as I am, where shall I, whose life is entwined with yours, go to seek resort? In the very process of my search would lie the termination of my endeavor.”……It is only in such a helpless state of existence that the passionate appeal of the devotec is likely to be heard” ( P.G.H.,P.363). Hence, “whenever we find ourselves in a critical situation, we should lift our mind towards God, throw outselves upon His mercy and pray to him to protect us” ( P.G.H.-P.126).
“What is wanted, therefore, is the quality of the heart which many enable the seeker to conquer time. In order, however, that the quality might be attained, Abhyasa may be necessary but it is not all. If you have reached a particular stage of Bhava, then neither much time, nor much practice would be added.” ( B.P.G.P 236).
Thus “we should be inspired with one-pointed devotion towards God. We should have no other object of attachment. We should practice meditation without sacrificing a single moment, from day to day, month to month, and year to year, to the very end of our life.
…When all these have been accomplished, then alone does the success in spiritual life become assured. We must not, however, fail to note that Bhava or Bhakti, an unexplained and inexplicable love of God, is a fundamental requirement; meditation from hour to hour and day to day and even concentration on the Name of God are of secondary importance. The Bhagavadgita tells us that unless there is an element of Saranagamana or surrender in our devotion and unless we resign ourselves completely to the Power and Will of God, no great achievement in spiritual life is possible……Finally, the Bhagavadgita tells us that it is only through one-pointed devotion to God that one may be able to know Him, see Him, and enter into Him.”
The last element necessary for the success of our spiritual meditation is the Grace of God. It is not simply by performing our devotional acts that we may be able to achieve our highest goal. God must be moved and it is only when He is moved that He will move the world by His Grace” (B.P.G.,P.254-255).
REFERENCES
B.P.G – The Bhagavadgita as a Philosophy of God-realisation.
P.G.H - Pathway to God in Hindi Literature
P.G.K – Pathway to God in Kannada Literature
SWAMI SIVANANDA SARASWATI
Kuppuswamy was born on 8th September 1887 at Pattamadai, Tinnavelly District. He studied in the S.P.G.College, Trichinopoly and served as a doctor in the Malayan States for 10 years. Though born in an orthodox family, he was broad-minded and catholic, pious and devout, devoted to the study and practice of Vedanta with the spirit of service and kindness.
In 1924 he took sanyasa at Rishikesh; Dr.Kuppuswamy became Swami Sivananda Saraswati. He did severe tapas and meditation, and shone as a great yogi, saint and sage. He founded the Divine Life Society in 1936 and the Yoga-Vedanta Forest Academy in 1948, with the aim and object of dissemination of spiritual knowledge and training of people in Yoga and Vedanta.
He has written over 200 volumes and has disciples all over the world. On 14th July 1963, he entered Mahasamadhi and merged in the Universal Spirit.
The following are some of Swami Sivananda Saraswati’s prayers and spiritual advices:
O adorable Lord of Mercy and Love!
Salutations and prostrations unto Thee
Thou art Satchidananda
Thou art Omnipresent, Omnipotent, Omniscient;
Thou art the Indweller of all beings.
Grant us an understanding heart,
Equal vision, balanced mind,
Faith, devotion and wisdom.
Grant us inner spiritual strength,
To resist temptations and to control the mind.
Free us from egoism, lust, greed and hatred.
Fill our hearts with divine virtues.
Let us behold Thee in all these names and forms
Let us serve Thee in all these names and forms
Let us ever remember Thee
Let us ever sing Thy Glories
Let Thy Name be ever on our lips.
Let us abide in Thee for ever and ever.
* * * *
Serve, love, give, purify, meditate, realize.
Be good, do good, be kind, be compassionate.
Practice Ahimsa, Satyam, Brahmacharya,
This is the essence of Yoga and Vedanta;
Practise Non-injury, Truth and Purity
This is the essence of Religion and Spirituality.
Enquire ‘Who am I’ , know the Self, and be free.
Be still, be quiet, know thy Self.
Find the Hearer, find the Seer, find the Knower.
You are not this body, not this mind;
Immortal Self you are.
* * * *
Serenity, regularity, absence of vanity,
Sincerity, simplicity, veracity,
Equanimity, fixity, non-irritability,
Adaptability, humility, tenacity,
Integrity, nobility, magnanimity,
Charity, generosity, purity,
Practise daily these eighteen ‘ities’
You will soon attain immortality.
Brahmin is the only real entity,
Mr. So and So is the false non-entity.
You will abide in eternity and infinity.
You will behold unity in diversity
You cannot attain this in the University
The following are his teachings on the value of Prayer and Devotion:
“The kitten mews, and the cat runs to it and carries it away. Even so, the devotee cries, and the Lord comes to his rescue. Prayer is giving an opportunity to God to comfort the devotee.
Prayer is not asking. Prayer is communion with God through single-minded devotion.
Prayer is the very soul and essence of religion. It is the very core of man’s life. No man can live without prayer.
The blind, the deaf and lame, the armless, the puny, the ignorant and the debased, the lowliest and the forlorn – all can pray to God, for prayer belongs to the heart and its feeling, and not to the body.
Prayer should spring from the heart. It should not be lip-homage. Empty prayer is as sounding brass or tinkling cymbal.
The breath has been given to you by the Lord to be spent in prayer. Kneel down and pray; but, let the prayer not cease when you rise. Prayer should be lifelong, and your life should be one long prayer.
Prayer is a mighty spiritual force. Prayer is spiritual food for the soul. Prayer is a spiritual tonic.
Prayer is an unfailing remedy for all situations. Many a time have I experienced its marvelous potency. You, too, can experience it.
None in this world will save you. It is God who like you the most. Can on Him. He will run to you. Seek His guidance. Praise His glory. Invoke His mercy. Pray fervently right now from this very second. You will attain eternal bliss.
Bhakti is devotion or unselfish love. This is the liternal meaning of the word. It comes from the root “Bhaj”, to serve or be deeply interested in. “Bhaj Sevayam” is the Sanskrit root. Bhakti is, therefore, an intense attachment to God or deep interest in God and things concerned with God.
Bhakti is resting on God. Bhakti is flow of devotion like the flow of a river. Bhakti is continuity of devotion, just as there is continuity in the flow of oil from one vessel to another vessel. Bhakti is attraction of the Jiva to the Lord, just as there is attraction of the needle to the magnet.
Bhakti is not mere emotionalism, but is the tuning of the will as well as the intellect towards to Divine. It is supreme love of God. It blossoms afterwards into Jnana. It leads to immortality or God-realisation.
Bhakti can be practiced under all conditions and by all alike. Learning, austere penance, study of the Vedas and brilliant intellect are not needed for the attainment of Bhakti or devotion. What is wanted is constant and living remembrance of God, coupled with faith. That is the reason why the path of Bhakti is available for everyone.
Nisada was born in a low caste; Sabari was a rustic woman; Dhruva was an uneducated boy; Vidura and Sudama were very poor; Vibhishana was an ugly Rakshasa; Hanuman was a money; Jatayu was a bird; Gajendra was an elephant; the Gopis of Brindavan were not initiated into Vedic rites; but all these attained God-realisation on account of their devotion and self-surrender.
Bhakti is easier than any other way of approach to God. Those who tread the path of Jnana and Yoga are liable to become proud of their powers and wisdom. Bhaktas are humble. Humility is the foundation of Bhakti Yoga.
If the devotee loves God sometimes, and his wife, son, money, house, cattle and property also at other times, it is Vyabhicharini Bhakti. The love is divided. A small portion of the mind is given to God. The remaining portion is given to family and possessions. This will not do.
Desire obstructs the growth of devotion. Devotion to the Lord increases in intensity when mundane desires are renounced.
Renunciation is the very essence of devotional love. Divine love has no element of desire in it.
There are six kinds of Bhava in Bhakti. In Shanta Bhava, the devotee is Shanta or peaceful. He is not highly emotional. Bhishma was a shanta Bhakta.
Sri Hanuman was a Dasya Bhakta. He served Lord Rama whole-heartedly. He found joy and bliss in the service of his Master.
In Sakhya Bhava, God is a friend of the devotee. Arjuna had this Bhava towards Lord Krishna. The devotee moves with the Lord on equal terms. Arjuna and Krishna used to sit, talk, and walk together as intimate friends.
In Vatsalya Bhava, the devotee looks upon God as his child. Yasoda had this Bhava with Lord Krishna. The devotee serves, feeds and looks upon God as a mother does in the case of her child.
The fifth Bhava is Sakthi Bhava. This is also known as Gopi Bhava. The Gopis united Radha and Krishna when they got separated. They indentified themselves with Radha and Krishna and enjoyed the bliss resulting from their reunion.
The last is Madhurya Bhava or Kanta Bhava. This is the highest form of Bhakti. This was the relation between Radha and Krishna. This is Atmasamarpana. The lover and the beloved become one. The devotee and God feel one with each other and still maintain separateness in order to enjoy the bliss of the play of love between them. The relationship is that of husband and wife. Jayadeva, Mira and Andal had this Bhava.
Bhakti is of two kinds, Apara Bhakti and Para Bhakti, Apara Bhakti is lower Bhakti. In Apara Bhakti, the devotee is a neophyte. He dislikes other kinds of Bhaktas who worship other Devatas.
A devotee of Para Bhakti type is all-embracing and all-inclusive. He has cosmic love or Visvaprem. The whole world is Brindavan for him. He does not visit temples for worship. He sees the Lord in everything. He feels that the world is a manifestation of the Lord, and all movements and actions are His Lila.
Para Bhakti and Jnana are one. They only slight difference is: a Bhakta uses his emotion, a Jnani uses his will and intellect; Bhakti begins with love, and Jnana with thinking and self-analysis. The end of both is the same, union with the Divine.
Kindly love divine in thy heart, for this is the immediate way to the kingdom of God.
Seek His Will. Do His Will. Surrender to His Will. You will become one with the Cosmic Will. Surrender unto the Lord. You will reach the destination, the Abode of Immortal Bliss.
SAINT NITHYANANDA OF VAJRESHWARI
From time to time there have appeared in this Punya Bhumi of ours great Saints and Siddha Purushas to lead erring souls “from the jungle path to the royal road.” These illumined souls having attained the Divine have become the Divine and as such as with all souls – “ Vasudeva Maya Sarvam”. They thus belong to all humanity and they delight in doing good to all – man, beast and even trees – “ Sarva Bhuta hite ratha.” The places associated with them have become centres of pilgrimage and Vajreshwari, some 50 miles away from Bombay, is one such holy place. It was here that the great Siddha Swami Nityananda lived in recent times and had his Mahasamadi in 1961.
Little is known about the early life of this great saint except that he left his home while still in his teens and spent most of his time in meditation and penance in the remote jungle regions and mountain recesses of India. His first presence and activities after his self-realisation while roaming about almost nude in the rural areas of South Kanara District of Mysore State cast a magical charm and mystery over the phenomenon of nature. Large numbers of the common folk gathered around him with tales of woes and ailments and they found easy panacea and miraculous cures for these by his alchemic touch and the mere application of leaves and herbs picked up and given them from the road side. He did not escape either the attention from the arrogant behaviour and harassment of a few ill-advised egotists to serve their own ends which, however, recoiled on their own heads. For instance, a local necromancer in a village pressed the saint to swallow a piece of poisoned tobacco with a view to kill him, but he met with a sudden end himself following heavy vomiting and purging. Once the local police took him into custody and put him in lockup as a vagrant, but they found the miracle of his being seen by people walking about freely outside the police station, and the police had to apologise and set him free. The railway staff at a station refused him permission to enter the train without a ticket; it was soon found the engine of the train suddenly came to a dead stop after moving a short distance inspite of all their best efforts till they realized their error and persuaded him to enter the train.
Thus numerous were the miracles wrought by him and his benevolent acts to alleviate suffering and distress among the people and bring comfort and solace to them by his mission of kindness and mercy in his own peculiar way.
His loving care and solicitude for the poor, the aged and the orphans is no less than that shown towards the suffering humanity. He distributed alms and money freely to them from unknown sources which was a mystery to all.
Sound health, supreme equanimity and harmony, and contentment and happiness are the prime objectives a man seeks in life. To achieve these ends modern civilized world has sought to evolve diverse methods in its material quest of sense enjoyments, of secular and social values and of national concepts and systems. It uses forces of opposition to realize equality; it breeds fear, discontent and misery to secure contentment; and it indulges in violence and bloodshed to attain peace. It treads the path of irreligion in order to realize the principles of religion. While professing to wipe out the distinction between high and low, it only strengthens them because its efforts are misconceived. The great seers of old have declared with one voice based on their direct and intuitive experience of the Reality that eternal joy and peace could be achieved primarily by cultivating man’s own inner thought-habits and not through his outer equipment and achievements. “ Sin is wrong actions springing from wrong thoughts”. Inner experience of equanimity, harmony and unity could be gained by realigning our thought-patterns, whatever be the environment surrounding us.
Swami Nityananda declares:
“To see the one self in all is liberation”.
“Return within yourself. Look at your own essence.
The world is within you, you are in the world. It is the One who sports in All”.
“What shall I speak of Brahmananda! Truly, truly, the eternal Atman in you and all is one, same.”
“Like camphor in the fire, the mind shall dissolve in the Atman.”
“When you sit inside a room closing the doors you do not know what happens outside. When the doors are shut, the Jivatman and Paramatman are one. When you come out opening the doors, then the Jivatman and the Paramatman are different.”
“The Brahma-vidya is the highest. It cannot be purchased for a price. It cannot be secured by sense of honour and respect; nor by outer fame. By Bhakti alone it is secured.”
We have to learn to keep the inner thought-world holy, pure and peaceful and we can spread peace end contentment around us. This is the prime object of Eternal Dharma whose goal is higher living now and final emancipation hereafter.
Swami Nityananda says –
“Mind is the cause of both the good and the evil. By one’s own thoughts one can be bad, by one’s own thoughts one can be good also.”
‘Mere exterior embellishment without realizing the truth within does not eliminate the Karma. Parasite! Away with outer ritual should you keep deceit within. What is in the mind should be spoken; what is spoken shall be put into action. Do what you say and say what you do.”
Whole-hearted devotion and love, and sincere and loving prayer to Him to grant us peace is the only universally acknowledged method vouchsafed to us by our old seers to gain our inner thought-personality. The Lord of Love is so full of positive qualities that when his Form and Divine Nature are brought in our mind during our contemplation of Him, we create in our hearts those divine moods and healthy thoughts. By replacing the present thoughts within us with the holy thoughts generated by loving prayers, absolute surrender to His will and earnest solicitation of His Grace, we can achieve our objective of a healthier, harmonious and happy life within and create cordial and happy environmental conditions in the world outside.
Swami Nityananda lays great emphasis on ‘Faith’
and ‘Bhakti’:
“First Faith; next Bhakti. Without faith, there is no bhakti.”
“It is not possible to cultivate Bhakti giving up samsara. Stay in Samsara; doing this and that attain Mukti. Desire is Samsara; absence of desire is Mukti.”
Devotion and dedication to duty more for the good of others than for oneself; integrity and a sense of honesty of purpose in the discharge of one’s duty; and a sense of discipline and respect for elders – these are some of the essential qualities which the Great Masters like Swami Nityananda sought to inculcate in us by their exemplary and teachings. But to attain these qualities, constant practice – Sadhana – is absolutely necessary. Swami Nityananda says:
“If the mind is not pure it is difficult to get equality of outlook. Without Sadhana, it is difficult to acquire good qualities. By Sadhana one gets the subtle intelligence; attachment to things physical does not leave without proper Sadhana. It is difficult to eliminate desire for possessions, women and gold.
“Constant practice is needed for vairagya to be always steady. Practice is needed to make vairagya permanent”
“All is achieved if one does Sadhana. By Sadhana is known every state, every condition.”
“Mere repetition of ‘Rama’ , ‘Krishna’, ‘Govinda’. even a thousand years does not bring Mukti. The mind must join.”
“Concentrate on the incoming and outgoing breath. Draw-draw the breath evenly. There is no yoga without holding of breath. It is not possible to draw water from the well without having a rope.”
Saints like Swami Nityananda bestow Divine Grace and by their perennial inspiration and wisdom could direct us to the path of the Divine. Swamiji is no longer bodily with us but has left to us a valuable legacy through his life and teachings.*
SRI RAMANUJACHARYA
Sri Ramanuja was born in Sriperumbudur near Kanchipuram in 1017 A.D. He was the son of Asuri Keshava Somayaji and Kantimati. He studied Vedanta in Kanchi under the great Professor Yadavaprakasha. Sri Ramanuja became a sanyasin to dedicate himself to the cause of religion and service of humanity. Due to the persecution of the Chola king, Kulottunga Chola I, he fled to the uplands of Mysore territory. Here he converted Bittideva, the king of the Hoysalas, into Srivaishnavism. After the death of the Chola king in 1118 A.D., he returned triumphantly to Srirangam for the consolidation of his missionary work. He passed away in 1137 A.D. full of glory after a long span of 120 years. Sri Ramanuja wrote nine works in Sanskrit which are as valuable as his life.
Srivaishnavism is timeless. Sri Ramanuja only gave shape to ides of Srivaishnavism and Vishistadvaita. The truths of Srivaishnavism were communicated by Lord Varadaraja through Kandhipurna to Sri Ramanuja: “I am the Supreme Truth, the Way and the Goal. The souls are different from Me and depend on Me as their source and sustenance. Prapatti (self-surrender) is the way to liberation.” He has expounded these truths in his main works.
Sri Ramanuja upholds all the three streams of thoughts in the Upanishads, namely, unity, plurality and both. In his “Vedaratha-samgraha” he himself clinches the argument: “We uphold unity because Brahman alone exists with all other entities as His modes. We uphold both unity and plurality, as the one Brahman Himself has all the physical and spiritual entities as his modes and this exists qualified by plurality. We uphold plurality as the three entities – the individual souls, the world and the Supreme Lord – are mutually distinct in their substantive nature and the attributes, and there is no mutual transposition of their characteristics.” Thus Vishistadvaita is usually translated as qualified non-dualism.
Spiritual life, according to Sri Ramanuja, begins with the practice of Karmayoga in the spirit of Gita’s teachings. Karma that is performed in this manner cleanses the heart. Jnana-yoga, which immediately follows, is meditation upon the individual soul as distinct from matter like the body, mind, etc., with which it is associated. This discipline helps one to realize one’s own soul in relation to the Supreme. Knowledge of God comes through the discipline of Bhakti-yoga. Here the word Bhakti does not connote the popular sense in which it is understood. Bhaktiyoga is loving meditation upon God. When the meditation attains the form of ‘firm remembrance’ characterized by intense love the vision of the Supreme is attained. It must be mentioned here that the final liberation is attained after the dissolution of the body. One endowed with such Bhakti and self-surrender attains the fitness to earn the grace of the Lord. This Bhakti itself is upasana or vidya mentioned in the Upanishads. As the vision of the Supreme is not possible through ordinary means of perception, he can be seen only through Bhakti which is the unique form of knowledge. This is in consonance with the Gita’s declaration, ‘I am attainable only through undivided Bhakti ( XI.54).
Ramanuja in his “Saranagati-gadya” distinguishes three stages of Bhakti. Parabhakti Parajnana and Paramabhakti. Parabhakti is that state of mind which intensely desires realization. The realization due to Parabhakti is called Parajnana. The desire to constantly experience this realization is known as Paramabhakti.
Thus the building of Bhakti is a process of harmony which unites the different mental elements of volition,knowledge and feeling. The progression in Bhakti involves divine grace. The Lord of love becomes a redeemer. Bhakti has its end in the attainment of the eternal bliss of the Supreme. While Bhakti climbs from earth to heaven, divine grace descends from heaven to earth.
Bhakti is not an easy way as commonly understood. The practice of Bhakti presupposes some elaborate disciplines. The scheme of seven sadhanas is helpful in the building up of Bhakti. The sevenfold sadhanas are quoted by Sri Ramanuja from an ancient authority: Viveka, Vimoka, Abhayasa, Kriya, Kalyana, Anavasada and Anuddharsha. Viveka is the purification of the body by means of pure and sattvik food. From bodily purity comes the purity of mind of sattva-suddhi which leads to concentration. Vimoka is freedom from the vicious circle of infatuation and anger; this mental freedom is essential to the meditation on the Supreme. Abhyasa is the practice of the presence of the Supreme. The practice of meditation does not absolve the Bhakta from his moral obligation to others. The next sadhana is Kriya; Kriya is the five-fold duty to the sub-human species, humanity, the teacher, the forefathers and to the gods. This form of moral obiligation helps to build up meditation on God. While kriya is his external action, Kalyana is the practice of virtues which are inward; it consists of truthfulness, integrity, compassion, benevolence and non-violence. The next is Anavasada or freedom from despair. Remembrance of sorrow is an obstacle in meditation. The last sadhana is Anuddharsha or absence of too much exultation; for excessive joy or absence of joy is an obstacle to meditation. The meditation on the Supreme ultimately frees the soul from karma with its vicious circle of good and evil. The main intention of seven sadhanas is the practice of moral and spiritual discipline by the harmonious integration of thought, feeling and will.
It was said that Bhakti is firm remembrance of God. This meditation has the perception of the union with the Supreme. This remembrance is not merely psychological but gives us a glimpse of an experience of the Supreme. Every perception of the Supreme is the recognition of the Inner Self of the devotee. Meditation is a continuous process of mental concentration on the form of the Supreme which is practiced daily till the dissolution of the body. Meditation is compared to the uninterrupted flow of oil. It is the method of focusing the mind on the Supreme. For this the devotee is recommended to choose a proper environment conducive to meditation. The eight stages of yoga are specially recommended to draw the mind from its outgoing tendency and root out the waves of the mind and thus enable the devotee to have a prenatal experience of the Supreme.
Reciprocal relation between the Supreme and the devotee without any condition is the essence of Bhakti. Accessibility of the Supreme to the devotee and adaptability of the Supreme to the devotee and adaptability to his devotional needs is the supreme value of Bhakti. Though the Supreme is transcendental, He is overpowered by His compassion and enters into the world of humanity and incarnates in any form to satisfy the need of love.
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SRI VEDANTA DESIKA
Vedanta Desika is the brightest star in the firmament of Visishtadvaita Vedanta so ably promulgated by Acharya Ramanuja. Vedanta Desika was born at Thooppul, a suburb of Kanchipuram, in the year 1268 A.D. of anantasuri Somayaji and Totaramba. He was the recipient of the blessings of Lord Varadaraja the presiding deity of the place, and of Vaatsya Varada Guru, a great exponent of Ramanuja’s Sri Bhashya, at a very early age. He studied under his maternal uncle Atreya Ramanuja (Appullar), one of the disciples of Varada Guru, and before he was twenty, he had learnt, nay mastered, all branches of knowledge. Then he went to Tiruvahindrapuram near Cuddalore in South Arcot District in the Madras State, and there, by penance and Japam, he became the recipient of the grace of Garuda and of Lord Hayagreeva in an abundant measure. Thus equipped, he traveled through the length and breadth of this sacred Bharatabhoomi, worshipping at several shrines and singing hymns in praise of the Lords therein. He deliberately chose a life of poverty and rejected the offers of his good friend Sri Vidyaranya, the great Advaita Acharya, who promised to get for Desika royal favours from the kind of Vijayanagaram.
One great feature that has earned for Vedanta Desika a place in the front rank of Acharyas, is his eminence both as philosopher and as poet. He has couched several of his treatises on philosophy in exquisite poetry, and he has enriched and ennobled poetry by sublime philosophy. He was a prolific writer and has given to us, works in four languages Sanskrit, Tamil and Manipravala ( a happy blend of Sanskrit and Tamil). These works cover a vast and varied field. There are Shastraic works, works in the form of commentaries; then there are his Kavyas, a drama, numerous stotras or hymns, many rahasya-granthas (esoteric treatises) and a number of Tamil prabandhas. Vedanta Desika was, in addition, a versatile genius, a Sarvatantra Swatantra (master of all arts and crafts) and to this day we can see a well constructed with his own hands and an idol made by him. His mastery over the several fine arts such as music, drama and even dance-drama (opera), are amply evident from his works. He was greatly admired, honoured and revered in his times and the degree of contemporary recognition of his talents and spiritual merit can be judged from the numerous titles conferred on him such as Vedantacharya, Kavitarkika Kesari, Sarvatantra Swatantra and Samasya-sahasree. Those titles and honours find mention in his works themselves. Needless to say that he had numerous disciples, chief among them were Kumara Varadacharya (Nainanacharya), his son, and Brahmatantra Swamy, the illustrious founder and first incumbent of the Sri Parakala Matam of Mysore. Eminence of this sort is sure to attract opposition and incite jealousy. Desika was no exception. He bore the brunt of attacks from quarters lacking in culture, but he passed through several ordeals with dignity and grace. Humility was his greatest asset. He led a pure and blemishless life and ennobled grahastashrama. After the full Vedic span of a hundred years, Desika left his world in 1369 A.D., but he lives and will live for ever in his wonderful works.
His contribution to world of thought is the unfailing efficacy of Prapatti or Surrender as a direct means for the attainment of salvation. Lakshmi is not a mere Queen-consort but has a status equal to that of Narayana. Tamil as a language is in no way inferior to Sanskrit and Tamil (Ubhaya Vedanta) lie the wealth and welfare of the world.
Addressing Lord Varadaraja of Kanchipuram, Vedanta Desika sings:
“Lord of Karisaila (Elephant-hill) Bhagawan! If Thou bestowest Thy favours on me, if I am always near Thee, if I am imbued with faultless devotion towards Thee, and if I obtain the company of Thy true devotees, - then this very samsaric world itself become the celestial world ( of Moksha)”.
The Upanishadic statement ‘amrita-iha-bhavati” (man becomes immortal even here) gets strength and support from this sloka of Vedanta Desika. If I am always near you, my Lord and liege, if you shower your grace on me, if I have true devotion towards you in my heart, and if in addition I obtain the benefit of satsangam (company of devotees) this world with all its allurements and imperfections will become a veritable Paramapadam (Vaikuntam). The Lord’s grace. His vicinity and true devotion towards Him are referred to in the first half of the sloka; the second half adds one more condition, the company of sadhus doting on Him and devoted to Him. The particle “cha” used in connection with the last condition indicates the great importance that attaches to the company of devotees. That alone will stabilize our faith, and will not take us but also keep us near Him. And if we are always with Him in thought, word and deed, that is Moksha. This sentiment is followed up in another sloka by the poet-philosopher swearing that he has no desire for life in Vaikunta as he has been blessed with the enjoyment of the Lord’s ethereal beauty which is beyond thought.
Vedanta Desika’s devotion is not known to one and all in the sane manner and measure in which his philosophical and poetical achievements are known. In a world where dabbling in abstruse philosophy is a pleasant pastime and admiring poetry for its own sake is a fashion, there is nothing surprising in people turning away from practical religion and true devotion. One of the main purposes of Desika’s advent into this World was to uplift men and women by linking their Jnana or knowledge with Bhakti, or devotion, and converting their poetic taste into a craving for God. Already Acharya Ramanuja has paved the way by pointing out that Jnana should find its fulfillment in Bhakti. That Acharya’s prayer in the first Mangala sloka of his famous Sri Bhashya is that he must be imbued with ‘Semushee-bhaktiroopa’, or knowledge in the form of devotion, towards that Parabrahman whose name is Srinivasa. The Absolute of metaphysics (pure philosophy) had thus become the Srinivasa of Religion(applied philosophy) and Jnana becomes blended with Bhakti. The happy consummation of this sentiment can be seen in the stotras of Vedanta Desika which are 28 in number. In addition, there are his kavyas like Hamsa Sandesha. Yadavabhyudaya and Paduka Sahasram, all of which exclude devotion couched in enchanting verse. It is difficult to point out in Desika’s works the dividing line between philosophy and religion. The one invariably runs into, and mingles with, the other. Knowledge develops and stabilizes faith, and faith endows knowledge with a greatness that borders on the sublime.
The permier Visishtadvaita Acharya that Vedanta Desika was, the devotion to God, which he lays down as the be-all and end-all of human life, has its root and foundation in the body-soul relationship between man and God. God is the soul and the individual soul is His body. So devotion becomes the instinctive love that the body has for the soul which we can see in our own case. The soul it is that sustains and keeps up the body. No wonder, therefore, that the body loves the soul on which its very existence depends. The idea of God being a mere Providence, giving us our daily needs and providing for happiness and pleasure disappears before the idea that He is the soul of our soul. ‘I cling to Thee’ , sings Desika in one of his stotras in the firm faith that if Thou protect me I need no other protector and if Thou dost refuse to protect me there is no one else who can be my protector. Love towards God thus becomes love for its own sake. When Sita Devi was complimented by sage Atri’s dharmapatni Anasooya, on her following Rama to the forest. Sita Devi’s classical answer was “ I would have followed my Lord Rama to the forest even if He were a person who had turned away from the path of virtue. Taking his stand on this fine mentality of a true wife. Desika refers again and again to a pativrata as a model for a true devotee. Our devotion to the Lord, says Desika, must be like the devotion of Sita to Rama – selfless an sublime.
The ravishing beauty of the Lords form is a feature which Desika lays stress on very frequently. Rukmini Devi in Her classical love-epistle addresses Krishna as Bhuvana-Sundara. The same amount of fascination for the Lord’s beauty takes possession of Desika’s soul. In one stotra he calls the Lord “Viswaatisaayi-sukha-roopa”! Thus with the lovely form that baffles all the cosomos). In another he sings, “My eyes that behold Thy body, every anga (part) of which emits effulgent beauty, never feel satisfied.” Says he elsewhere. “Even great yogis contemplating in Thy Subhasrayam (auspicious body) never obtain satisfaction”. This enchanting beauty of form is described and dealt with in great detail by Vedanta Desika in several places,as that is a feature highly conducive to intense love, may yearning for His company and longing for communion with Him. The beauty dealt with in most of the stotras is the beauty of the Lord in His Archa(Image) forms in temples, while in the other stotras and his Kavyas it is the beauty of Vibhava-(avatara) forms like Rama and Krishna.
Desika thus lays stress on devotion being the outcome of love, if not its fruition and fulfillment. Devotedness is not devotion. We are not a God-fearing race but a God-loving race. In love of the type depicted by Desika there is no room for fear.
SRI AUROBINDO
Sri Aurobindo was born in Calcutta on August 15, 1872. At the age of seven he was taken to England where he stayed till he was 21 and received his education. On his return he taught students in Baroda English and French and taught himself classical Indian languages. After 14 years of stay there he threw himself into the revolutionary movement in Bengal for Indian freedom. Alongside he was led into the path of yoga which secured for him the inner freedom of the soul. After a spell of incarceration in jail for a year during which he had the profound realization of the cosmic God, he retired to Pondicherry in 1910. Here he lived for 40 years developing a new way of life to win Godhood and immortality for man. His work continues in the Sri Aurobindo Ashram that grew around him.
Sri Aurobindo sees the universe as a manifestation of God. All men are portions of God. Only they are not conscious of it. To make them conscious and live as gods is the object of his teaching.
The central teaching of Sri Aurobindo is surrender, total surrender of man to God. Only so can man grow into God. Man must leave behind all petty human littleness, animal desires and develop divine qualities, radiant power of Knowledge, Harmony, Joy. He must discard his ego. Someone who heard this exclaimed to Sri Aurobindo, “Then it means I have to give up all desire; only the desire to attain to God is to be fulfilled!” “No” replied Sri Aurobindo, “That desire also must go.” One must surrender entirely to the Will of God.
Man lives on earth beset with problems. Many are the problems of securing his basic needs such as food, clothing, shelter etc. Others are of social character relating to his dignity, social status, security of job. A few are of psychological description like joy in company, the satisfaction of his vanity and domestic peace. Often crises develop in his life. He may fail in the final attempt of an examination, or lose his job or face social odium on account of a certain act of his. To resolve the crisis he generally relies on himself, his personal or social capacity. When this fails he looks to other sources, governmental, judicial, social or in the last resort his capacity to circumvent the situation. It is not uncommon when all these agencies fail leaving him alone, all alone. Then he turns to God and prays for help to extricate him from a troubled situation or save a dear life. Sri Aurobindo says that such prayer is indeed man’s first turning to God. That man should turn to God in his hour of despair shows in innate faith in God. It has, Sri Aurobindo says, a real power and significance. More often than not such prayers are granted in full measure. It matters little however crude this payer is, for whatever result it is voiced. It prepares man’s first relation with God and later draws him towards the spiritual truth. One can pray for himself and equally effectively for others too. Through prayer man is slowly led on to the highest motiveless devotion to God. For prayer to be ideal one should not insist on immediate fulfillment but must be able to rely on God’s ways of fulfilling one’s needs.
By prayer man effectively links himself to God. In his ignorance he is not aware that God takes good care of all his problems and himself too. Man is like a foolish traveller in a train who tries to keep his luggage on his head little knowing that his luggage as well as himself is really carried by the train. Common sense required that he let the luggage be pleasantly carried by the train that hauls thousands of tons of weight. Likewise when man realizes the real nature of God he would gladly relieve himself of his problems putting them into God’s hands for safe custody. To that ultimate goal of total reliance on God prayer is the initial step.
Prayer gains in significance if it wells up from the depths of being. For instance while in fear of great danger man’s prayers are fulfilled to rounded perfection. It must rise up on the crest of a wave of emotion to reach God instantaneously. When it is so the result is often a miracle. There is nothing that cannot be achieved by prayer. Only that it must be sincere. By sincerity it is meant that what is prayed for must be really asked for by all parts of the being, the mind, the heart and the very cells of the body. Single-minded devotion in prayer brings about vast results. Prayer of such a description links man’s vast results. Prayer of such a description links man’s strength to God’s Force bringing about miracles as if they are commonplace. The impossible become possible, the miraculous the common rule.
Sri Aurobindo has said that all great prayers have been amply fulfilled in due time making great historical events possible. A soul on the Himalayan snows dreamt of and prayed for liberty, fraternity and equality for humanity. God in granting his prayer later brought about the French Revolution which actualized the said dream.
Devotion is bhakti. External worship is only the first step in devotion. Later this changes into adoration of the Divine. This is real bhakti. Bhakti leads to the joy of union with the Divine. The scientist is devoted to his research, the athlete to the game and in their devotion they forget the world around them, look for the best for its own sake, seek little or nothing for themselves. His greatest joy is the success of a project or the playing of the game. He claims for science everything and asks nothing for himself. Likewise the God-lover seeks the Divine for the pure felicity of the union. Such bliss is brought about by sincere aspiration. Sincere devotion makes possible for the hidden god behind the heart of come forward and lead man on his journey.
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TULSIDAS
From time to time, a great number of saints have been born in different parts of the vast subcontinent of India and by their devotional writings they have enriched the Indian literature. After Harsha Vardhana, his vast empire lost its political unity. A number of smaller kingdoms came into existence. The rulers of these kingdoms quarreled with each other. They fought among themselves. Self respect took the form of self-conceit. One result of this turmoil in the society was that even in the field of literature ‘veera ras’ became predominant, and people were encouraged to fight battles. But the foreign invaders used to their own advantage the lack of unity among the native rulers. Gradually, they gained strength and subjugated the country. This catastrophe had a telling effect on the people. They lost their self-confidence and courage. A feeling of disgust and indifference to the world took hold of them. Saint Tulsidas was born in North India at such a critical juncture of time. He brought the message of a new life to the people speaking Hindi. It was the message of life based on Bhakti.
In Bhakti literature in Hindi there were two main branches - Nirguna Bhakti and Saguna Bhakti, devotion to God without form and with form. Again, in Nirguna bhakti literature, the Jnanashrayi branch emphasized Jnana (knowledge) and the Premashravi Branch emphasized Prema (love). Even in Saguna bhakti literature, there were two branches - Rama bhakti and Krishna bhakti. The propagation of ‘Narayani Dharma’ started in the South by Sri Ramanujacharya was carried to the North by Swami Ramananda. Ramananda regarded that the form of ‘Maryada Purushottam’ Rama of the Lord was more beneficial to the world, and established a new independenet sampradaya (cult) for the benefit of larger sections of people. This new religion was a modified form of Vaishnava Dharma. But some of its rigid rules were relaxed to a great extent. Gosmani Tulsidas, the poet-saint, belonged to this Sampradaya and earned a great name as a religious leader and man of letters.
Details regarding the date of birth, childhood and married life of Tulsidas are all not free from doubt. Tulsidas himself has explained in some of his works a few details about his own life which may be accepted as authoritative. It is believed that he was born during the middle of the 16th century. There is no mention about his parents in any of his works. He says that his name is Tulsi and in course of time after leading a life of renunciation and spiritual practice his name has changed into Tulsidas.
It is mentioned in his work, ‘Vinaya Patrika’ that Tulsidas was being called as ‘Ram Bola’, as in the last years of his life he had become wholly devoted to Sri Rama. Tulsidas has not given any particulars anywhere about his religion or caste. It appears that he had to pass through great difficulties in his childhood. He had lost his parents before he attained the age when he could even understand the world around him. He was not fortunate to have brothers or sisters. He had to beg for his food from door to door. At ‘Sukar Kshetra’ he lived in the company of a devotee of Sri Rama who used to give discourses on Ramayana. Tulsidas studied Vedanta under him. We also find a reference in his works about his married life. His wife Ratnavali was a noble and simple girl. Tulsidas was then said to be passionately in love with his wife. Later, it was she who opened his eyes by chidingly advising him that if only he had loved God as much as he loved her, it would have made his life more fruitful. This timely advice saved Tulsidas. He took to a life of utter renunciation thereafter, and after some time he reached Banaras where he stayed and wrote many of his famous works. His works are generally regarded as 37 in number, but among them only 13 can be definitely regarded as his.
In North India, he is well known as Goswami Tulsidas. The word Goswami means the head of a monastery. The last days of Tulsidas were spent in great hardship. He felt a victim to the epidemic of plague which took a severe toll throughout the city of Banaras. After suffering from pains in his arms for a long time, he died.
The most famous of his works is known as ‘Ramacharita Manas’ which is an epic describing the story of Rama in Hindi. Though this is an epic composed mainly following Valmiki Ramayana, the influence on this work of Bhagavata, Adhyatma Ramayana Bhushundi Ramayana, Prasanna Raghava, Uttara Ramacharita etc., is clear. The poet claims that he composed this work purely for his own pleasure- and with no other ulterior object.
‘Ramacharit Manas’ is a work with seven chapters. Sri Ramachandra, the hero of this epic is a Dhirodatta Nayaka - a noble and mighty person, full of such great virtues as compassion, modesty, dignity, generosity etc. This work is a treasure house of Jnana, Bhakti, Karma, Yoga and Niti (ethics). It is a religious scripture which offers good advice to children, proper guidance to the youth and religious teaching to the aged. It is an invaluable guide to politicians, reforms and those who are eager to pursue a religious life.
Another great work of Tulsidas is ‘Vinaya Patrika’. In this work, which has Bhakti as its main subject, Tulsidas has explained how jnana and karma can be effective means of attaining bhakti. It is said that because of the propagation of bhakti by Tulsidas, Kali Purusha was unable to find shelter anywhere and therefore he persecuted Tulsidas who compained about this to Hanuman, who advised him to write a letter (Patrika) to Sri Rama. Hanuman assured Tulsidas that he would convey the letter to Sri Rama, and in response to this assurance, Tulsidas is believed to have written his work Vinaya Patrika, which contains many beautiful songs in Vraj Bhasha (a form of Hindi).
In his work ‘Kavitavali’, Tulsidas has told the story of Ramayana in verse in Vraja Bhasha in seven cantos, and in the end a hymn by name ‘Hanumadbahuka’ is also added to this work which was composed by Tulsidas in praise of Hanuman, while he was suffering from pain in the arms. ‘Dohavali’ is a collection of couplets written by Tulsidas on a variety of subjects like ethics, devotion, efficacy of the divine name and on Jnana. ‘Gitavali’ is another collections of poems written by Tulsidas on the sports of Sri Rama in his childhood. In ‘Krishna Gitavali’, Tulsidas has written songs on the stories of Bhagavata, especially those relating to the sports of Sri Krishna in his Childhood and those of gopas and gopis of Vrindavan, the pangs of separation from Sri Krishna suffered by the gopis, the dialogue between gopis and Uddhava etc. ‘Parvati Mangal’ and ‘Janaki Mangal’ are another two works of Tulsidas in which he has described the wedding of Parvati and Shiva, and Seeta and Rama respectively.
Tulsidas was first and foremost a bhakta - a devotee and a poet only next. Therefore we find that in his works there is a mixture of bhakti and poetry. In his most famous work ‘Ramacharit Manas’ only bhakti is propounded. For awakening the feeling of bhakti, there is the need for a personal God. In Sri Rama Tulsidas found the ideal of his personal God. Bhakti is necessary to save oneself from the merciless onslaught of pain and pleasure, born out of the illusion created by Maya in the world. In ‘Ramacharita Manas’ all the nine kinds of bhakti are beautifully described. The ideals of dasya bhakti (bhakti of a servant) and madhura bhakti (bhakti of a lover) as described by Tulsidas in Ramacharita Manas are really unique and inimitable.
Sri Ramachandra, on his way to the forest from Ayodhya reaches the banks of the Ganges, and requests Guha to bring his boat to cross the river. The words spoken by Guha is reply to Sri Rama are full of simple devotion:
“My lord!Ramachandra! I know your secret. There is a wonderful herb in the dust of your feet, which makes men out of dust. The block of stone became a woman by the mere touch of the dust of your feet. The wood of this boat is not as hard as the stone. Therefore, if this boat turns into another woman, a wife of a mendicant, by the touch of your feet, how shall I eke out my livelihood? My lord! I depend on this boat for my livelihood. Before you board this boat, please permit me to wash your lotus-feet.”
This is a touching description of Dasya Bhakti. Similarly, in Ramacharit Manas we have the descriptions of the different facets of bhakti like Rama’s bhakti towards his father, Seeta’s bhakti for her husband, bhakti of Bharat and Laxmana for their brother Rama, Sugriva’s bhakti for his friend, Hanuman’s bhakti for his master.
Whereas the bhakti described in ‘Manas’ is a synthesis of Jnana and Karma yoga, the unique bhakti explained in Vinaya Patrika is not only the means but also the end in itself.
Bhakti is essential for attaining peace. It is also helpful in purifying and controlling the mind. The bhakti depicted in Vinaya Patrika is of a high order which is capable of ennobling life itself. Contentment in life, peace, equanimity in pleasure and pain, freedom from attachment and hatred, and caring for the welfare of others-these are desirable virtues in the life of a man. Morality is the foundation for these virtues. Bhakti plays a prominent role in the life of an individual in assisting him to lead such a moral life.
‘Ramacharit Manas’ (Tulsi Ramayana) is a great epic. It is not only an historic work but also a philosophical treatise. Moral ideals have been assigned a very high place in this work. The idea of a disciplined life - Maryada bhava - is regarded as of paramount importance in life. Self-restraint and welfare of the society also have been depicted here in a unique manner. This epic presents a very charming picture of an ideal Hindu householder’s life and married life. During the time of Tulsidas, Hindu religion was divided into various sects and cults. But Tulsidas did not identify himself with any particular sect or cult or school of philosophy. In his works, we find at several places his synthetic outlook. ‘Ramacharit Manas’ regards Rama as Para Brahma and Seeta as Para Sakti. The worldly life of these two is only a human sport. The world is maya, but this maya is completely a slave to Rama according to whose wishes she makes a man to act like a puppet. Under the influence of Maya, and depending on the circumstances in his life, man imagines himself to experience misery or happiness. This influence of Maya can be destroyed only through the grace of Lord Rama. The only means to secure this grace is bhakti. This is the fundamental teaching of Tulsidas.
In Vinaya Patrika, spiritual matters are propounded in great detail. This work was written by Tulsidas at the final stage of his life of perfection and with the sole object of spiritual illumination. Hence we find here described, according to the tenets of Vaishnava dharma, the different aspects of bhakti and various kinds of ‘vinaya’-self-surrender-which is an important part of bhakti. The devotee desires to achieve Samipya (nearness) and Sayujya (union) in relation to his God whom he worships. He does not desire to achieve identity with God. Even if he does wish to be united with God, it is not like milk with milk but like water with milk. Tulsi proclaims that knowledge and bhakti, both are the means to salvation ‘moksha’. Yet jnana as compared to bhakti is inferior, because it is bhakti which gives moksha. It is a special feature of the works of Tulsidas that they have not been written in support of a particular school of thought. In his works, at several places we observe that he has tried to emphasise the unity of all religions and sects. It is for this reason that his works are held in great esteem by people belonging to all sects. To Tulsidas, Rama alone is the adorable of all; only devotion to Him is the best of all. He explains in an interesting manner as to how we should have devotion to Rama.
He observes that one should have undiminishing devotion to Rama, abandoning all other thoughts, just as when you go on writing the 9th table, the digits of all products add up to nine only and not less. The product of 2 x 9 is 18 and the digits of this product add up to 9. So also with the following products like 27, 36 etc. All products of the number 9 have this peculiarity. So also, in whatever state a person may be, devotion to Rama should remain constant.
In Hindi devotional literature, Tulsodas has attained a permanent place. His ‘Ramacharita Manas’ will remain as an outstanding example of devotional poetry in Indian literature. It is a spiritual scripture, a treatise on ethics and a sublime epic. It has found a permanent place in the hearts of the people in Northern India where every home echoes with the words of Tulsidas.
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NARAYANA GURU
Millions of people on the west coast of India have been deeply affected by the life and teachings of the Guru Narayana. The celebrated French writer Romain Rolland has admirably summed up the import and significance of the Guru’s life as follows :
“Glasenapp does not say anything regarding the new religious manifestations in South India which are not negligible. Such for example is the great Guru Sri Narayana, whose beneficent spiritual activity has been exercising its influence during the past forty years in the State of Travancore on nearly two millions of his followers. His teachings, permeated with the philosophy of Sankara shows evidence of a striking difference of temperament compared with the mysticism of Bengal, of which the effusions of love (bhakti) inspire in him a certain mistrust. He was, one might say, a Jnani of action, a grand religious intellectual, who had a keen living sense of the people and of social necessities. He has contributed greatly to the elevation of the oppressed classes in South India and his work has been associated at certain times with that of Gandhi.”
Nanu, who came to be later known as Narayana Guru, was born in a village near Trivandrum on August 20, 1854. His parents were simple folk devoid of any ostentation and far removed from the sordid life of the more affluent society. The sensitive spirit of Narayana Guru was nurtured in a gentle and human atmosphere. The boy lost his mother when he was only 15.
Narayana Guru was one of those who followed in his life the ancient and immemorial programme of oriental saints and prophets. He left his home in search of Truth. He lived in lonely hill, cave or forest for years, unknown to men, performing tapas. He emerged from seclusion, having solved some great riddle in life and he wanted to give his solution to the world at large. Therefore without any sort of hesitation whatever, he called himself a Guru or Teacher. Penniless himself, he began to command an influence over the rich and the poor, the educated and the illiterate. People flocked to take the dust of his feet.
Today his words are recognized as most modern echo of the ancient wisdom of our land. In him we find a blend: a bard who sang about aspirations of the soul of man, a philanthropist whose one aim in life, night and day, was to devise ways to minimize human suffering and a seer whose daily diet was the highest form of Truth.
For 15 years he travelled incessantly attempting to bestow wisdom and light on his people. He helped them to have cleaner habits. He introduced and set an example in better food. He gave an impetus to right moral standards. He pointed the right road to reform and prosperity; and to see clearly through maladjusted emotions.
In less than a decade, he had established more than one hundred places of workship on the west coast alone, which are day by day growing into centres of educational philanthropic and economic activity. He has set in motion a force which is bound to spread into a new impetus for the regeneration of our country and the world.
Tall, slender and erect; dressed in spotless white. Age had not robbed his features of that soft freshness, richfulness and restful relaxation so characteristic of the Indian Yogi. A pair of not at all large eyes which seemed to be constantly gazing at some object in the far off fringe of horizon; lips with the corners slightly turned down as if in open-eyed meditation. “When I saw him I could not resist the thought that he was our life Saviour Jesus Christ. He was surrounded by people who either wanted to be healed of sickness or came to seek his advice regarding some calamity that had befallen them” utters an unlettered simple man of poor means.
Guru Narayana was the centre of a great reformist movement in South India, a movement which aimed at religious awakening and economic emancipation of the backward classes. His Ashram at Varkala veritably became a focal point. Rabindranath Tagore called on the Guru and stayed with him. Later, Mahatma Gandhi paid a visit to him and Guru Narayana laid all his resources at the hands of the Mahatma - his own band of followers, his Ashram and above all, his personal influence for waging the historic Vaikom Satyagraha in the cause of the Harijan right of temple entry. Many were the youngmen who came under the direct spell of Narayana Guru’s magnetic personality; among them was one Kumaran who later held the office of General Secretary of the Association known as Sri Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam and became a poet of rare distinction in Malayalam. The Guru’s subtle influence on the writings of Kumaran Asan is clearly unmistakable.
Narayana Guru’s is an integrated approach having a direct bearing on individual or collective human happiness with the primary role of enabling men to discover universal human values. The quintessence of his teachings is that human interests, whether collective or individual, have their common centre in the self. The self is the secret key to all human values. Contemplative self-knowledge through reflection, according to Narayana Guru, is the culminating science which resolves this theme and religion, has to be logically understood as seeking to better man’s relations with his fellows, endeavouring to raise him truly to a higher status as “Man”. Religion, therefore, cannot afford to be exclusive; neither should it tend to be orthodox or even heterodox, and it is immaterial in matters of everyday life what creed a man professes as long as he does not transgress the bounds of common human goodness. Thus, he expressed himself:
“Whichever the religion
It suffices
If it makes a better man.”
A man’s religion is a matter of his personal conviction which is bound to be at varying stages of natural evolution in different people. All the religions of the world agree in spirit. All religions represent values of Truth or duty. The goal is common: “Sahodaram Sarvathra.” Brotherhood Omnipresent Prevails. Put in the form of a motto, it reads:
“Devoid of dividing walls
Of caste or race
Or hatred of rival faith
We all live here
In Brotherhood
Such, know this place to be!
This Model Foundation!”
His devotional yearning to merge with the One would sometimes burst forth in such lines as these:
“O Mother, when will my spirit’s fever be
calm and mingle in the core of the radiant
petalled glory of the One Primordial Mind?
When will the deceptive snare of the hungry
Visions cease?”
Narayana Guru entered Maha Samadhi, the great silence, on September 20, 1928 leaving behind his footsteps of life and thought in the form of verses and writings for posterity to learn and follow. Social reformer and mystic poet, erudite scholar and spiritual guide, Narayana Guru was always at ease in expressing himself either in classical Sanskrit or everyday Malayalam with equal felicity on man and society, devotion and prayer, the secret doctrine and the absolute end: One Caste, One Religion, One God.
A CRITIQUE OF CASTE
One of kind, one of faith, and one in God is man;
Of one womb, of one form; difference herein none.
In by gone days of a Pariah woman the great sage Parasara was born,
As even he of Vedic-aphorism fame of a virgin of the fisherfolk.
- From Jati Mimamsa in Malayalam
PRENATAL GRATITUDE
With in the womb, O Lord of God,
Was that lump in hand-this humble self.
With that exceeding love,
Who but Thou, kind one, nurtured it into life!
Ordered by Thee, all comes about.
Thus knowing, this Thy servant
To Thee now surrenders all.
Full well aware art Thou, good Lord of all,
Hence what need is there for humble me to tell?
Do banish, pray, all agony!
Thy servant has no one here, and if thou me disown
Then all is lost,
O Saviour coming mounted on a bull!
- From Pinda-Nadi in Malayalam
KINDNESS TO LIFE
All are of one Self-fraternity.
Such being the dictum to avow,
In such a light how can we take life,
And devoid of least pity go on to eat?
The non-killing vow is great indeed,
And, greater still, non-eating to observe;
All in all, should we not say, O men of righteousness,
Even to this amounts the essence of all religions?
- From Jiva-Karunya-Panchakam in Malayalam
SONG OF THE KUNDALINI SNAKE
Dance, cobra, dance!
They burrow seek and witness
The bliss of grace in wild display
Dance, cobra, dance!
They burrow seek and witness
The bliss of grace in wild display
Dance, cobra, dance!
Aum and all the rest that form
The essence of ten million charms
We now do know and so keep on, and
Dance, cobra, dance!
- From Kundalini Pattu in Malayalam
THOUGHT AND INERTIA
Great, small and middling too, steady and waveless it rises,
O Mental-Firmament! From sinking into Maya’s dross,
From mind confused and foothold lost, O save,
And grant They grace of erect immobility.
Fresh mango bloom, O flower’s nectar, confection sweet,
O honey, luscious fruit, O rich juice, O master mine!
Ever sought by gods, both of Providence and Grace,
Thy lotus foot alone my final refuge is
- From Chit-Jadangal in Malayalam
SCRIPTURES OF MERCY
Grace, Love, mercy-all the three-
Stand for one same reality-Life’s Star.
“He who loves is he who really loves.” Do learn
These syllables nine by heart in place of lettered charm
That Dispenser of Mercy, could He not be that reality
Who proclaiming words of supreme import, the chariot drives,
Or Compassions’s ocean, ever impatient for all creation,
Or who in terms clear non-dual wisdom expounds, the Guru?
-From Anukampa-Desakam in Malayalam
THE SCIENCE OF THE ABSOLUTE
Thou verily art Brahman, not senses, not mind,
Neither intellect, consciousness, nor body;
Even life and ego have no reality, being but conditioned
By nescience, superimposed on the prime self.
Everything phenomenal here, as object of perception, is gross.
Outside of thine own Self, this world manifested is nought,
And Self-hood alone does shine thus
Mirage-like in variegated display.
“Intelligence Supreme, even That I am! That verily Thou art!”
“That Brahman is the Self here” Singing thus full well,
And so established in peace of mind;
And reborn to pure ways in life by the dawn of Brahman-wisdom,
Where could there be for thee the bondage of action
Whether of the past present, or future. For everything is but superimposed conditioning on the prime Self.
Thou verily art That existing-subsisting One of pure intelligence, the Lord.
- From Brahman-Vidya-Panchakam in Sanskrit.
SRI JAGANNATHA DASA
Sri Madhvacharya defined Bhakti (reverence for God) as a combination of love for God and the knowledge of His greatness. He explained the essential unity of the path of devotion to Lord Vishnu and the path of knowledge prescribed by the Vedas and Upanishads. Sri Madhva’s message of enlightened love of God could easily be misinterpreted by persons not having direct access to Vedic scripture found in Sanskrit. A group of mystics known as ‘Haridasas’ (or ‘Dasa Kuta’) emerged in Karnataka to bring home the principal teachings of Sri Madhva to people ignorant of Sanskrit. These mystics composed and sang highly lyrical devotional songs in Kannada, and communicated to the common folk as well as learned pundits the practical methods of true devotion to Lord Hari. Their compositions averted the degradation of Madhva’s teachings into self-complacent intellectualism or sentimental ritualism. Most of these Haridasas dedicated themselves to Lord Vittala of Pandharpur. They became prominent mostly after the 15th century, and their line continues even to this day.
Sri Jagannatha Dasa was one among the Haridasas of Karnatak. He lived between 1727-1809 A.D. He has composed several songs expressing his reverence for the earlier Haridasas and his supreme loyalty to the path of devotion prescribed by Sri Madhvacharya.
The life of Jagannatha Dasa illustrates how dry intellectualism or blind ritualism does not take us forward in the path of God-realisation. He himself was at one time a victim of dry intellectualism and he had to suffer from its evil consequences. The mystic was born near Manvi (now a town in Raichur District). His earlier name was Srinivasacharya. Having received his early instruction in Vedic lore from Sri Varadendra Swamy of Raghavendra Mutt, Srinivasacharya became a popular professor in Madhva’s philosophy. Misguided by his own intellectual self-complacency, Srinivasacharya once insulted Vijaya Dasa (a pure Haridasa) and contemptuously declined his invitation to attend a dinner. As a consequence of this event, Srinivasacharya developed a fatal stomach-disease which could not be cured anywhere. The disease was ultimately cured when Srinivasacharya repented this offence and apologized for it. Vijaya Dasa directed Srinivasacharya to his disciple Gopala Dasa, who initiated him into the path of genuine devotion to God. The self-conscious scholar became an humble servant of God. Lord Vitthala of Pandharpur blessed him with the esoteric name “Jagannatha Vittala”, and all his songs are dedicated to Lord represented by this name. Henceforward, Srinivasacharya came to be known as Jagannatha Dasa.
Jagannatha Dasa lived for a span of 82 years and wrote several songs and poems in praise of Lord Hari. His compositions are characterized by a dignity of diction and felicity of rhythm, which make them highly amenable to devotional singing coupled with dancing. He also wrote longer poems compiling and summarizing in simple language the teachings of Sri Madhvacharya. Among thse longer poems, “Harikathamritasara”, and “Tatva Suvali” deserve special mention.
“Harikathamritasara” is the immortal contribution of Jagannatha Dasa to devotional literature. It is a masterly summary (in 32 chapters) of the essential teachings of Upanishads, Puranas and the Pancharatra Agamas. The book is written in a popular Kannada metre known as “Shatpadi.” Besides explaining the principal teachings of Madhva-Vaishnavism, Jagannatha Dasa has skillfully portrayed in this book the easy ways of practicing devotion to Lord Hari. The book is full of ecstatic hymns sung in praise of the Lord.
The life of stress and stain sometimes make us feel that God is far away from us and it is very difficult to earn His grace. Agnosticism such as this, is contrary to the facts of spiritual life. God readily responds to the call of the heart. The language of the heart is mostly expressed through the medium of art. Singing and dancing can work out as powerful expressions of one’ a real devotion to God. Jagannatha Dasa assures us that God will certainly respond to our call, if we sing out our devotion to Him, and dance in tune with the song. The following are his words:
“God listens seated, to the Bhakta
That sings to Hims in ecstasy, lying down.
He stands and listens to the one
Who sings to Him, seated comfortably.
He comes dancing upto him that sings standing.
To him that dances and signs.
God says ‘I will show Myself to him.’
Verily, Hari is most accessible to His own.
Never for a moment does He stay away from them.
But fools caught in Samsara
Know not how to make Him their own.”
(Harikathamrtasara, ii, 5; Translation by Dr. B. N. K. Sharma)
Lord Krishna advised Arjuna in Bhagavad Geetha that one should dedicate all actions to God, if one should be able to meditate upon Him and realize Him effectively. Even so, Jagannatha Dasa frequently advises us to transform our entire life into a worship of God, if we genuinely aspire for spiritual beatitude. The following are his words:
“The Vedas are His sppech, and Smritis are His injuctions,
Individuals and Nature are His two images.
Bearing this in mind, and doing all as His worship,
Brood not over the four goals of life, but pray for devotion and His grace.”
SRI JAYA TEERTHA
Jaya Teertha was a great saint and a philosopher who lived in the fourteenth century. He was the disciple of Akshobhya Teertha, a direct disciple of Sri Madhvacharya. He has written several works on Madhva philosophy and man of them are lucid commentaries on the works of Sri Madhvacharya. The most outstanding work of his is ‘Nyaya Sudha’, which is held in high esteem as a standard text on Madhva Philosophy. ‘Nyaya Sudha’ is a brilliant commentary on Madhvacharya’s ‘Anu-Vyakhyana’, which, again, was a most original exposition of the Brahma Sutras of Sri Vedavyasa. Because of his brilliant commentaries on the works of Sri Madhvacharya, Jaya Teertha is also called ‘Teekacharya.’
Jaya Teertha was the son of a nobleman before he adopted Sanyasa or the monastic life. By the grace of his guru, Sri Madhvacharya, he regained the memory of his previous life at the age of twentyfive, and immediately renouncing everything he became a sanyasi.
Jaya Teertha successfully completed his studies in the Vedanta. He succeeded Akshobhya Teertha as the pontiff of his mutt. Jaya Teertha had thousands of disciples all over the country and he used to initiate them into spiritual life and teach them the tenets of his philosophy, but he never accepted any offering from his disciples. He used to live in a cave in the town of Ergola eating only powdered maize just to keep his body alive. He was totally immersed in spiritual practices and experience.
He worshipped Durga Devi and it is said that he attained Her grace. Durga Devi appeared before him and offered to grant him any boon he desired to have. Jaya Teertha begged Her to give him only an arecanut and a pen. He had a great desire to write commentaries on the ‘Sarva Moola’ works of his guru Sri Madhvacharya for the welfare of the world and he wished that the commentaries should be free from all shortcomings. He wanted to write the commentary with the pen which he got as a boon from Durga Devi, and he believed that by the very touch of the arecanut, the commentary so written by him would be accepted by all as the best. It was with this object he asked for these two things only from Durga Devi. He could have obtained all the riches of the world from Durga Devi if only he had desired it. But his renunciation was so great that he did not care for riches.
Jaya Teertha has written many works, his masterpiece being ‘Nyaya Sudha’. It will take a whole lifetime to read these works in full and to understand them wholly. To write such great works, Jaya Teertha would have required several centuries of his life, if he were to write them by his own efforts or studies. But Jaya Teertha lived for only fifteen years after his taking Sanyasa from his Guru. Even during this short period, he toured the whole of India on foot and spent most of his time in preaching to his disciples. It is really a wonder how he could write such stupendous works in the midst of his otherwise busy life.
This view is supported by the very first stanza written by him in his work ‘Nyaya Sudha’. This stanza says: “I have not studied the sastras life Nyaya (logic), Vyakarana (grammar) through a teacher. Even then with the help of the rare talent obtained by me by the grace of my preceptor, I have written this work which has won the esteem of even the great.” It appears that Jaya Teertha says in the stanza that he has no mastery over the shastras. Such an interpretation cannot be correct. Hence the stanza really goes to support the view that Jaya Teertha wrote his works by the rare gift which he obtained by the grace of Durga Devi.
The works of Sri Jaya Teertha exhibit his mastermind. In many places, he gives several interpretations to the statements of Sri Madhvacharya, and at times he gives as many as fifty interpretations for each statement. For example, take the commentary for each statement. For example, take the commentary by Jaya Teertha in ‘Sudha’ on the sentence refering to in Anu Vyakhyana of Madhacharya. Jaya Teertha here tries to establish the authority of ‘agama’ as a means of knowledge. He assumes all the possible objections, which may be raised by all the opponents holding different views on the authority of the scriptures, and he answers all these objections with this one sentence from ‘Anu Vyakhyana’ by merely rearranging the sentence in different possible ways. To understand this commentary of Jaya Teertha, one must be well versed in the different views held on the same subject. Ordinary people will find such a commentary very difficult to understand.
Commentaries have been written on his works like “Sudha” by great masters like Sri Vadiraja, Sri Vyasaraya and Sri Raghavendra Swami. The greatness of the commentary - ‘Sudha’ - written by Jaya Teertha is amply demonstrated by this fact that such men have thought it worthwhile to write a commentary on it. These commentators say that the full meaning of works like ‘Sudha’ can be explained only by persons who are far superior to themselves. This also points out how great a work ‘Sudha’ is!
Jaya Teertha has never in his works mentioned the things that do not help us to attain Bhakti (reverence for God). Thus he says:
“Bhakti of Supreme Lord is a continuous flow of love without break, a love that cannot be disturbed by even thousands of difficulties, a love greater than the love of self and that of the things that belong to the self, greater than all the worldly loves, a love that is the sweet essence of divine knowledge.” God is full of eternal attributes i.e., Sat, Chit, Ananda etc., and devoid of all the bad qualities i.e. sorrow, ignorance etc. This knowledge is part and parcel of Bhakti. Without this knowledge Bhakti is imperfect. Without “Bhakti” knowledge is impotent.
So to have Bhakti we must try to understand the attributes of God. To achieve this knowledge we must realize, the reality of the world and the difference between God and self and also between individual selves.
God is all-powerful and full of all attributes because this wonderful world is his creation says the Bhagavata “Brahma is full of all attributes, because He is the Creator.” A person with no powers and attributes cannot create this world. He is all pervasive because He is the indweller in all. He sustains this true world in and out.
So this is not mere magic or illusion. This itself is a glory of God. Unless we realize this fact there will be neither pure Bhakti nor Jnana. So to realize the reality of the world is to realize the greatness of Lord.
Knowledge of difference is another ladder to attain the supreme knowledge. He is the protector, he is the indweller of all the souls. Every action of the self is controlled by Him. To know this we must first understand the difference between God and self, between God and the world and between individual selves. So the doctrine of difference is most necessary to attain pure Bhakti. That is why Jaya Teertha is so persistent in the doctrine of difference and reality of this world. He is pertinent and accurate in arguments. His dialectics are incomparable. But he knows that mere argument does not help in the spiritual field. Thus he quotes from various scriptural authorities i.e. Vedas and Puranas in support of his arguments.
SRI VADIRAJA SWAMI
Sri Vadiraja Tirtha (popularly known as Vadiraja Swami) was born in 1480 in Hoovinakere, a village situated a few miles to the north of Udipi (Mysore State). His pre-Sannyasa name was Bhoovaraha. Even while he was a young Brahmancharin, Bhoovaraha was initiated into Sannyasa by Sri Vageesha Tirtha, an ascetic who headed one of the eight Madhva Muttas at Udipi. Vadiraja Teertha succeeded Vageesha Teertha as the pontiff of the mutt. So significant was the part played by Vadiraja as a Sannyasin of the Madhva Order, that his mutt at Udipi eventually came to be known as Sode Vadiraja Mutt. Sode is a historic town in North Kanara (Mysore State). This place was chosen by Vadiraja as an abode for his spiritual Sadhana. He built here a rare Trivikrama temple and his own holy Vrindavan in situated near the temple.
Sri Vadiraja entered life, equipped with very high attainments yielded by an inner spiritual evolution. His was a spirituality in full bloom, which could easily enlist the services of all the finer values of human life for the divine purpose hidden in the heart of men. Spirituality in full stature does not preclude the positive qualities needed for a good (Sattwik) life on earth. Accordingly, in his long life-span of 120 years, Vadiraja did many things to foster the values of Sattwik life around him. He came out with stiff opposition to all negative and misleading trends in contemporary religion and philosophy. He supported good kings and provided them with spiritual guidance. He introduced significant reforms in the administration of his own Krishna Mutt at Udupi in answer to the economic and political needs of his time. As a social reformer and philanthropist he established harmony among quarreling religious sects, and composed poems in Kannada and Tulu so as to bring home the value of Vedantic scripture to persons ignorant of Sanskrit language. Several were the miracles worked out by him either with a view to alleviate genuine human sorrow or to achieve the spiritual mission of his life.
Vadiraja was associated with several contemporary saints like Sri Vyasa Tirtha, Purandara Dasa and Kanaka Dasa, all of whom held him in high respect. They went on pilgrimage to Udipi to have ‘Darshan’ of Lord Krishna and to partake of the joy of ‘Krishna Puja’ (worship of Lord Krishna) conducted by this great ascetic. Later saints like Vijaya Dasa and Jagannatha Dasa have also composed songs in praise of Vadiraja.
A dynamic spiritual life such as the one described above does not materialize, unless God’s grace and Guru’s blessings are bestowed upon a soul in full measure. Vadiraja had secured God’s and Guru’s grace in abundant measure by his supreme devotion to Lord Hayagreeva and his steadfast allegiance to the path of spiritual sadhana upheld by Madhvacharya. Almost all his philosophical and religious writings are dedicated to Lord Lakshmee-Hayagreeva. His Kannada hymns contain the Hayavadana Mudrika (mark of dedication to Lord Hayavadana). Vadiraja wrote significant commentaries and very helpful notes on some of the works of Madhvacharya and Jayatirtha. Several were the independent works written by him. He summarized the principal tenets of Madhva’s philosophy in lucid and narrative poems, which abound in metaphors, similes and convincing arguments. Yuktimallika. It is an elaborate and critical exposition of ‘Vedanta Sutras’ in a simple, literary style. His songs in Kannada are precious treasures of high philosophic thought and scriptural anecdotes expressed in elegant dialectal idiom.
Bhakti or reverence for God receives the highest emphasis in the teachings of Vadiraja Swami. Every spiritual aspirant should strive hard to develop the three inner qualities of his personality, namely, Bhakti, Jnana, and Vairagya. Vairagya means renunciation of desires which make us forget God. Jnana means correct and clear understanding of the greatness of God and the wonders of His creation. Bhakti means the spontaneous love which makes us cling to God with an unreserved recognition of His greatness and perfection. Among these three instruments of spiritual progress, Bhakti is the most essential. Vairagya and Jnana are manifested in a lover of God as inevitable consequences of the ripening of his love. It is this love of God, which invokes God’s grace at every stage of his progress, and without God’s grace nothing is possible.
Vadiraja Swami brings out the importance of devotion to God as follows:
Bhakti is the innate quality of every soul that aspires for God’s grace and the bliss of loving Him. This intrinsic quality, however, is kept by God in a dormant or unmanifested state, so long as the soul, lacking in spiritual integrity and spiritual knowledge, does not make itself a suitable receptacle for receiving God’s eternal grace. When the Lord marks out a soul as ready for Sadhana, he bestows His partial grace on it. Lord’s grace enables a person to develop a dim attachment to Him, and slight detachment from worldly things. Such a person engages himself in good actions without craving for the results of action. He does his duty as worship of God. Actions performed with detachment strengthen one’s love of God and invoke further blessings from God. A person blessed in this manner becomes curious about wonderful qualities of God. He is initiated by masters of wisdom into the path of Sravana (hearing about God), Manana (reflecting about the things heard) and Dhyana (meditating on God). Meditation done in a proper manner intensifies one’s love of God and invokes His grace that enables the soul to have His direct vision.
One who has realized God engages himself in Bhakti of the most intense kind, which brings him the highest grace of the Lord and the fullest manifestation of his own intrinsic quality of blissful attachment to God.
Thus Bhakti and God’s grace are always intertwined in the path of spiritual progress delineated by Vadiraja Swami. In the absence of God’s grace and Bhakti, everything else will be in vain.
Vadiraja has sung several hymns in Sanskrit and Kannada, setting the models for prayers to be voiced by a devotee. It was he who started the practice of ‘Nama Sankeertan’ in Kannada, which thrills the hearts of devotees attending the daily worship of Lord Krishna at Udipi. He composed several songs to suit the purpose of collective Sankirtan.
The hymns and prayers composed by Vadiraja mostly depict the greatness and beauty of God as manifested in his various Avataras. His poetic descriptions of the beauty of the forms of Lord Krishna and Lord Hayagreeva intensify our devotion to God, making us forget all the worries and presumptions of our mundane life. Many of these hymns can be set to music and dancing, which enable the devotee to express himself without strain.
Vadiraja has written several poems outlining the details, of self-control that should find expression in the life of a devotee. Devotion without self-restraint will land us in mere sentimentality or fanaticism. Vadiraja gives us moving descriptions of the misery and pain involved in sensual life. These descriptions kindle our aspirations for a life based on spiritual understanding and spiritual detachment.
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SRI BASAVESHVARA
Sri Basaveshvara, also known as Basavanna, was a mystic, a dynamic spiritual force, a poet and a social reformer - all in one. He was born in about 1131 A.D. in Ingalesvara Bagewadi, in the present Bijapur district. Madiraja and Madalambe, a devoted couple were his parents. Madalambe, his mother, begot him after performing prolonged spiritual practices.
Sri Basaveshvara was brought up in an atmosphere of scholarship and ritualistic worship. At the age of eight, arrangements were made for his thread ceremony. The boy, a devotee to the core, revolted against ritualism and left home. He went to Kudalasangama and lost himself in the raptures of devotion. He was under the guidance of a Guru, Jatavedamuni. Years of intense spiritual practices led him to the coveted goal - realization of the Supreme Being.
It was not to be the end, however. At the command of the Lord, Sri Basaveshvara joined King Bijjala of the Chalukya dynasty first at Mangalawada and later at Kalyana. He became Bijjala’s trusted minister. He married Gangambike, who was also of a spiritual bent of mind. Under his dynamic leadership, the Veerashaiva religion was reorganized. It accepted into its fold persons from all walks of life without distinction of caste, creed of sex. For once in the history of India, after the Great Buddha, the untouchable, the barber and the Brahmin dined together and married amongst themselves. Birth or social position were no bar to equality.
Basaveshvara was a poet and composed vacans, and encouraged many of his associates to compose them in hundreds. They form a valuable part of Kannada literature.
However, jealous elements were there. They had their hour when the daughter of a Brahmin married the son of an untouchable. The infuriated king executed the parents of the couple. In their turn the enraged mob beheaded the king. Sri Basaveshvara in sheer disgust left Kalyana, reached Kudalasangama and merged himself with the Lord.
God, for Sri Basaveshvara, is an absolute reality. God is pervading the universe and He is like “fire hidden in water, the fragrance in flower and the love of a girl.” The Lord is to be realized here and now. Basaveshvara emphasized time and again that one should have genuine devotion. It is only to genuine yearning that the Lord responds. In one of his vacanas Basaveshvara says : “Worship without love, and work without affection are the painted form and the painted sugarcane. No pleasure in the embrace and no joy in the muching. O Lord, Kudalasangama Deva, the devotion of one who is not genuine is akin to these.”
Sri Basaveshvara continues to say that mere lip service will lead you nowhere. “If I say that I have faith in you, O Lord, and say that I love you and say that I have sold myself to you, you will shake my body for a test, you will shake my mind and then my wealth. And if I stand unshaken, then O Lord, you are yourself shaken by devotion.”
Some people have the feeling that spiritual life should begin after retirement from active service. Sri Basaveshvara does not share this view. On the contrary he stresses that sadhana should start now, this very moment:
Before the greyness touches you cheek,
Before the wrinkles plough you face,
Before your body dwindles to a nest of bones;
Before with teeth all gone,
The back all bowed,
You are a burden to your kin;
Before you prop your legs with hands
And lean heavily upon a staff;
Before the luster of your manhood fades,
Before you feel the touch of death,
Adore your Lord
Kudala Sangama!
For Sri Basaveshvara, there was no dichotomy between the worlds here and hereafter. “This world is the veritable anvil of the Creator. Those that are accepted here for currency are accepted there too.”
Sri Basaveshvara, the very personification of devotion, has earned the epithet ‘Bhakti bhandari’ the Treasurer of Bhakti. He advocated Bhakti as the sole means for the attainment of the Supreme Being. He himself underwent great internal turmoil, passed through the ‘Dark night of the Soul’ before he attained to great spiritual heights. His vacanas clearly depict the various stages of struggle he went through and the great heights he reached.
He has described the starting point, the state in which most of the spiritual aspirants are found:
“You have spread the green of passion before me;
How can the cattle know - it yearns, for it is green;
Pray remove the passions, feed me with the nectar of devotion,
And make me drink the waters of good thoughts,
Lord Kudala Sangama.”
Sri Basaveshvara insists that one should be absolutely sincere if one has to make some progress in spiritual life. If a person with a mean mind aspires after and gets initiation, it is like “putting an iron ring around a pumpkin in order to arrest its deterioration”. You may perform intense penance but it is of no avail. He asks:
“You beat upon the ant-hill - will the cobra die?
You perform penance fierce -
The Lord will not trust one
Without purity within.”
Before one starts the sadhana, one should find a proper preceptor - Guru. The Guru and the devotees of Lord are absolutely necessary to guide the aspirant. Sri Basavanna says that as clay is the first prerequisite to make the pot and gold to make the ornaments, so too are the feet of the Guru if one would have to know the way to the Lord and to know the Lord one must seek the company of His devotees.
The mind is all important. There is a saying in Bengali to the effect that you may get the grace of the Lord and the blessings of the Guru but unless you have the grace of your own mind nothing can be achieved. The mind is very powerful. Says Sri Basavanna: “Can you say the elephant is huge and the elephant’s ear is small? No, you should not. Can you say that the mountain is huge and Indra’s thunderbolt is small? No, you should not. Can you say that darkness is thick and the light too small? No, you should not. Can you say that forgetfulness is huge and the mind that thinks of the Lord is small? No, you should not.”
With confidence we should plunge into action. But we should have intense devotion. Describing his own state of mind Basavanna suggests how a devotee should pine for the Lord:
The chakora pines for the moon,
And so does the lotus for the sun,
The bee in hankering after nectar,
And so am I after my Lord kudala Sangama Deva.
According to him, it is very difficult to practice true devotion. It is like a saw that cuts in its dual movement. But one should try again and again with earnestness characteristic of the devotion Sri Basavanna had.
When will it be that I will gaze at thee on my plam with unblinking eyes,
And shed torrents of tears?
When will it be that the very act of gaxing at the Lord would be life to me?
When will it be that the very embrace of the Lord would be life to me?
When will it be that bereft of passion I repeat and re-repeat the name of the Lord, Kudala Sangama Deva?.....
In yet another vacana he describes the zeal that a devotee should have if he is earnest about attaining God-realisation.
My feet are not tired of dancing,
And the eyes are not tired of gazing,
The tongue is not tired of singing,
What am I to do, O, what?
My heart is not tired of worshipping you,
What am I to do, O, what?
O, Lord Kudala Sangama Deva
I speed to tear your frame asunder and merge with you this moment!
One-pointedness of the mind will alone lead us to the goal. During the period of Sadhana, God alone should be the all-consuming fire of our life. He teaches this in a vacana:
Cripple me-so that I may not wander hither and thither,
Make me blind-so that I may not look at that and this,
Make me deaf so that I may not listen to anything else,
Station me at the feet of your devotees - so that I may not desire things sensuous!
Why, why should one do all these-prayer, japa, meditation and all these - to that purpose? Sri Basavanna says, these will lead you to mystic experience. He also describes the efficacy of that mystic state.
O Lord, that mystic state has dissolved my body,
O Lord, that mystic state has dissolved my mind,
O Lord, that mystic state has cut the roots of my karma,
O Lord, your devotees, by repeated instructions have proved the jewel of devotion real.
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SANKARA (A.D. 788-820)
It was at a critical period of the Vedic religion, which badly needed a true and staunch follower to restore it to its former glory, that Sankara was born.
Life in Brief
Any attempt to portray the life of Sankara runs into two genuine difficulties. Firstly, the available material is too meager to fix his date. Secondly, the traditional biographies (all in Sanskrit) are so full of miracles attributed to him that it is difficult to accept them or explain them in any logical way.
Though almost all biographies agree that Sankara lived just for 32 years, the year of his birth varies from 508 B.C. up to A.D. 788. The most widely accepted year is A.D. 788. However some scholars push it back to A.D. 684 also.
About 21 works that generally go by the name Sankaravijaya or Sankaradigvijaya dealing with Sankara’s life in detail – have so far been discovered. Out of these, the ones by Anandagiri (Sankaravijaya) and by Madhava-Vidyaranya (Sankaradigvijaya) are considered more authoritative and widely accepted.
Sankara’s life as given in these texts may now be summarized as follows:
Sivaguru and Aryamba were a deeply pious couple belonging to the well-known Namudiri caste, living in Kaladi (or Kalati) (the modern town of Kalady in the Kerala State) situated on the bank of the river Purna. This childless couple got Sankara as their son after much prayer and supplication to Lord Siva of Vrsabhacala (a hillock near Kaladi, the deity being known as Candramoulisvara).
As indicated by the Lord, the boy would become an omniscient spiritual giant, but his life would be of short duration.
Sankara was extraordinarily brilliant and mastered all the sastras (scriptural and other treatises) taught to him even at a young age.
Unfortunately, father Sivaguru died soon, leaving Sankara entirely to the care of his mother Aryamba.
Being indrawn by temperament and having realized the transitory nature of the world, through the direct experience of the death of his father, Sankara decided to embrace sanyasa (monastic life). The only impediment in the path was the mother’s love and attachment, and the need to take her permission!
By a quirk of destiny, this came about sooner than expected. One day when he was taking bath in the river Purna, a big crocodile caught him. As he was struggling for life, and finding that he was waging a losing battle, he appealed to his wailing mother who was standing on the bank, to give him permission to take samnyasa mentally and die in peace. She had no alternative but to oblige. However, the crocodile left him as mysteriously as it had caught him. As per the scriptural injuctions, he now had to take formal samnyasa. Most unwillingly the mother gave him the permission to do so, but with a rider that he should be by her bedside at the time of her death.
He was just eight years at that time!
Having heard that Govindabhagavatpada, a very great monk (considered an avatara or incarnation of the Great Serpent, Adisesa) was living on the bank of the river narmada in a cave, Sankara hurried there. The great teacher too was eagerly awaiting this extraordinary disciple whose arrival he had already known through his yogic vision.
After a vigorous training spread over three years Sankara was commanded to go to Kasi, the heart of all learning – sacred and secular.
As he settled down in Kasi for some time, preaching his doctrine of Advaita Vedanta, he gathered a number of disciples, among whom Sanandana – later wellknown as Padmapada, one of the four chief disciples-was one.
A strange encounter here with an untouchable – who was none other than Lord Visvanatha (Siva) himself – removed the last vestige of ignorance from his mind, making him a perfect being and a perfect teacher.
As directed by Siva, Sankara proceeded to Badarinatha, the famous pilgrimage centre in the Himalayas, where he renovated the old temple of Narayana, instituted proper modes of ritualistic worship and then started writing his (now celebrated) commentary on the Brahmasutras. This is said to have been fully approved and appreciated by its original author, the sage Vyasa himself.
Later on, he moved towards South India, vanquishing and converting many a scholar, among whom the greatest was Mandana Misra. According to some of the traditional biographers, it was this Mandana Misra who became the Samnyasin Suresvara, though quite a few scholars do not subscribe to this view.
Among those who were converted to Vedic modes of life and worship were the Kapalikas of Srisaila (now in Andhra Pradesh) and the Ganapatyas of Gokarna (in Karnataka), both of whom were following some abominable practices.
It was again during this sojourn that he added two more distinguished samnyasin disciples to his retinue, Hastamalaka and Totaka.
Meanwhile, he learnt that his mother was on her deathbed, hurried to her and gave her a vision of Lord Visnu before she passed away. He also personally cremated her body much to the chagrin of the local residents and relatives who were against him.
During this period, Padmapada irretrievably lost the manuscript of his gloss on the commentary of Sankara on the Brahmasutras. However, Sankara redeemed from memory that part of it which had been read out to him earlier by Padmapada himself. (This unfinished work is now known as Pancapadika and has been printed.)
After completing the successful tour of the South, Sankara now journeyed to the north right upto Kasmira (Kashmir), vanquished all the scholars and occupied the Sarvajnapitha, the seat meant for the greatest scholar, in the temple of Sarasvati, the goddess of learning.
During his sojourn round the country, Sankara had established four Mathas or monasteries in the four cardinal points at Puri, Srngeri, Dvaraka and Josimatha. He anointed his four chief disciples as their heads, to carry on his work even after his demise, thus creating a great monastic tradition.
The following table gives the details:
No. Name Place First Pontiff
1. Sarada Matha Srngeri Suresvara
2. Kalika Matha Dvaraka Hastamalaka
3. Jyotirmatha Badari Totaka
4. Govardhana Matha Puri Padmapada
By this time he had firmly re-established the Vedic religion by his written works, vigorous propaganda of it principles and leaving behind him a band of illustrious disciples as also religious (monastic) institutions.
He is said to have entered into a cave in the Himalayas near Badari – known as the Dattatreyaguha – and disappeared forever.
According to another version current even now, Sankara is said to have established another Matha at Kancipuram (in Tamil Nadu) (called Kamakotipitha) and lived there for the rest of his life until his demise, which also took place there only. The controversy regarding this has not yet been resolved due to the non-availability of clinching evidence.
His Works
Shankara was a busy writer. His works are under three heads. Bhashyas, Prakaranas and Stotras. The Bhashyas are explanations of Philosophy, Upanishads, Brahmasutras and The Gita came under his scanner. Further a number of other works such as Vishnusahasranamam were expounded by him.
Prakaranas are simple treatises on Advaita Vedanta. The Vivekachudamani is among the most widely known. A very large number of hymns or stotras to various Deities were composed by him. Apart from all this two well known works on tantra – the Prapancasara and the Saundaryalahari – are also attributed to him.
His Philosophy
Sankara being the greatest propagator of Advaita Vedanta, holds the view that the basic truth or reality behind this universe of multiplicity, of myriad names and forms, is one and one only, advaita, the one without a second. This reality called Brahman appears as the many due to the peculiar, indefinable, factor called maya. Just as semidarkness hides the real nature of a rope (lying on the road) as rope and projects in it a snake (as it appears to us then) which is not there, so also maya hides the true nature of Brahman (as Sat-Cit-Ananda, existence-consciousness-bliss) and projects on that base, this manifold universe. Even as a bright light reveals the rope as rope, dispelling the snake-appearance, thereby removing all fear, in the same way, jnana or right knowledge removes the illusion brought about by maya.
Though Sankara has not defined and explained maya in detail, he has given enough indications in his writings that it acts like an existing positive force (bhavarupa) but disappears mysteriously once it is neutralized by jnana (knowledge or direct experience).
Once this basic standpoint that this multiple universe is a projection of maya on Brahman is accepted, Sankara is prepared to give it a greater degree of reality (called vyavaharikasatta or empirical reality), because, then only the reverse process of attenuating and eliminating it is possible. Otherwise the whole structure of sadhana based on this empirical reality collapses!
It is at this secondary level (of empirical reality) that Sankaa concedes the process of creation of the world as given in the Upanisads, the multiplicity and limited nature of the jives (bound souls), Isvara (God, Brahman in the garb of the Creator) as responsible for the creation, sustenance and dissolution of the world and the entire process of sadhana by the jives to regain their lost (essential) nature.
As a corollary, Sankara also acknowledges that maya has its individual counterpart, generally called avidya or ajnana (ignorance, nescience). It is this avidya that makes a jiva (the individual) feel identified with the body-mind complex, see the external world of duality, feel attraction or repulsion towards its objects, work to get what he wants, thus getting into the bondage of the cycle of births and deaths.
Once this jiva awakens and takes to the path of sadhana and realizes his true nature as sat-cit-ananda, the atman (the Self or the soul), his avidya is totally dispelled.
The body may continue to function for sometime due to prarabdha karma. When it falls, he is fully liberated, being merged in Brahman, never to be born again.
The individual who realizes his atman-nature and continues to live in the embodied state till the prarabdha expires, is called a jivanmukta (‘the liberated, even while living’). In this state his subjective reactions to the world have totally changed though he continues to see the world as before. The man, who has discovered the rope as rope in good light, will continue to see it as a snake in semidarkness, since the cause of the illusion is outside himself. However, his personal reaction to it has totally changed from one of fear to that of indifference or even amusement.
Epilogue
If Sankara is fondly remembered even today – twelve centuries after his advent – both by the intellectual classes and the simple masses – it is not a little due to his all-round personality. His bhasyas and prakaranas have enriched the knowledge of the former. His stotras on various deities commonly worshipped by the latter, have infilled them with devotion. The various miracles he is said to have performed – like the raining of golden myrobalans in the house of the poor lady or changing the course of the Purna river to facilitate bathing by his aged mother-restored faith in the power of tapas (austerity) and divine grace in the minds of the skeptics. By putting a stop to the bizarre practices that were being carried out in the name of religion by certain sects and cults, and converting their votaries to purer ways of life, he saved them and the society too. His convincing victories over the non-Vedic and anti-Vedic religions restored the Vedic religion to its pristine glory. The reorganization of Hindu monasticism made it more people-oriented through his direction, viz., pravasa (touring) and pracara (preaching).
Finally, his tender affection towards his lonely mother and the filial duty he discharged (fulfilling his promise) towards her during her last moments, speaks volumes of the intensely human aspect of his personality.
He did all these things and much more, never for a moment lowering his own dignity of demeanor or slipping from the sublime heights of monastic life.
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MADHVACARYA (A.D. 1238-1317)
He was born in A.D. 1238 as the son of Madhyageha Bhatta at the village Pajaka or Pajakaksetra, in the State of Karnataka, near the city of Mangalore. He was given the name ‘Vasudeva’ during the namakarana (naming) ceremony. Even as a child he exhibited many miraculous powers like clinging to the tail of a bull which was grazing in bushy fields, for several hours, converting tamarind seeds into gold and giving them to the person to whom his own father was indebted, thus discharging him from his debt, spending several days in the Narayana temple in the forest of Kaduvur all alone, correcting a brahmana pundit who was reciting the puranas wrongly and so on.
After his upanayana, he was put under the care of a preceptor. However, Vasudeva spent most of the time in manly sports like running, wrestling and swimming rather than attending the classes. When the teacher objected, he showed him that he knew all that was taught and also where the teacher was wrong!
At the age of sixteen Vasudeva took samnyasa diksa (monastic vows) from Acyutapreksa, the pontiff of a monastery at Kare near the modern town of Udupi. He was given the new name ‘Purnaprajna’.
The new ascetic began to receive instructions in the doctrines of Advaita Vedanta according to the famous work Istasiddhi of Vimuktatman (10th century A. D.). However, serious differences cropped up between the teacher and the disciple very soon. Being astounded by the sharp memory and remarkable scholarship of the disciple, Acyutapreksa gave him another name ‘Anandatirtha’ and also made him the pontiff of his monastery. ‘Madhva or Madhvacarya’ seems to be a synonym of his real name. However it is this name that seems to have become more common and popular.
During the next few years, Madhyacarya battled with many a scholar-most of whom were arrogant due to their learning-defeated them and converted them to his own views.
He then undertook a pilgrimage of South India. Along with visiting the holy places he also utilized this opportunity for spreading his views on the basic texts of Vedanta. AT one of the meetings during this tour, he was challenged by some scholars to explain the scriptures. Madhvacarya by the dint of his scholarship and eloquence showed that each Vedic sukta had three meanings, the Mahabharata ten, and that each name of the Visnusahasranama had a hundred!
The confrontation with the scholars of various schools like those of Sankara (A.D. 788-820) and Ramanuja (A.A. 1017-1137) convinced him now, of the need to found a new school of thought of Vedanta. During his next trip to North India, he is said to have visited the famous place of pilgrimage, Badari. There, he proceeded to the inaccessible regions of upper Badari, met Vedavyasa who lived there with his disciples, invisible to the ordinary run of humanity, and, received his instruction about the true meaning of the Brahmasutras as also the Mahabharata and the Pancaratra Agamas, all of which were composed by him to establish the glory of Narayana. He then wrote his commentary on the Brahmasutras and travelled back to South India.
During this second sojourn in this part of the country, he won over two great scholars - Sobhana Bhatta of the Godavari region and Svami Sastri from Kalinga - and gave them samnyasa. They were renamed Padmanabha Tirtha and Narahari Tirtha. They, later on, wrote commentaries on Madhvacarya’s works.
It was at this time that Acyutapreksa (his guru) became the disciple of this illustrious disciple.
During the period of his stay at Udupi, he discovered the image of Sri Krsna which was imbedded in a huge lump of mud (called gopicandana). He got it washed in a nearby lake and himself carried it to his monastery. It was during this procession that he composed, out of divine inspiration, the now well-known Dvadasastotra, twelve stanzas on Lord Vasudeva (or Sri Krsna). As per this hymn, this image had been prepared by the divine architect and sculptor Visvakarma and that it had been worshipped by the gopis of Vrndavana as also the queen Rukmini.
He then got a temple built and installed this image there.
During this period of stay at Udupi, he reformed the ways of sacrificial rites, introduced the use of animal forms made of a paste of black gram powder and ghee instead of real animals and included them in devotional disciplines.
He went on a second pilgrimage to Badari during which trip, performed many more miracles like casting a spell on a Turkish Muslim chieftain, routing bands of thieves and robbers, walking effortlessly on the water of the river Ganga and throwing away a huge tiger that tried to attack his party. He is also said to have shown the gada (mace) which he had used in his previous incarnation as Bhima.
The various miracles attributed to him in the traditional biography (the Madhvavijaya) may be taken to show that the acarya was a giant both physically and intellectually as also in yogic powers.
When he was staying at Udupi, the manuscripts of his works were stolen by rival scholars but were recovered in a miraculous way.
It was during this period that he won over a great scholar - Trivikrama Pandita - after defeating him in a long fought battle of wit and scholarship. At his command, Trivikrama later wrote an elaborate explanatory commentary on the Brahmasutrabhasya of his guru.
Since he was very particular that the worship of Lord Krsna in the temple he had established at Udupi should go on smoothly and unhindered, he gave that responsibility to his eight samnyasin disciples. They established their mathas or monasteries round the temple and took turns to shoulder that responsibility, each of the pontiffs getting two-year term. These eight mathas known as ‘Astamathas’, are Adamaru Matha, Kaniyuru Matha, Krsapura Matha, Palimaru Matha, Pejavara Matha, Puttige Matha, Siruru Matha and Sode MAtha. The first pontiffs of these Mathas, respectively, were: Narasimhatirtha, Vamanatirtha, Janardanatirtha, Hrshikesatirtha, Aksobhyatirtha, Upendratirtha, Ramatirtha and Visnutirtha.
Having intuitively felt that he had finished his work, Madhvacarya is said to have mysteriously disappeared from his seat, while teaching the Aitareya Upanisad to his disciples, leaving a big heap of flowers on it.
As regard the personality of Madhvacarya, the Madhvavijaya describes him as very strong with handsome features. He was endowed with a photographic memory, astounding scholarship and a powerful oratory. His voice was sonorous and suited the chanting of Vedic and other mantras.
A vast body of 37 works is attributed to him. Only a few of the more important ones may be mentioned here:
Bhasyas on all the ten well-known Upanisads;
Bhagavadgitabhasya; Bhagavadgitatatparyanirnaya; Brahmasutrabhasya; Anubhasya on the Brahmasutras;Anuvyakhyana, also on the same work; Mayavadakhandana; Vishnutattvavinirnaya; Sadacarasmrti; Yatipranavakalpa; Mahabharatatatparyanirnaya; Dvadasastotra and Rgvedabhasya (first mandala’s forty suktas only).
Madvacharya advocated dualism and realism. His philosophy accepts pancabhedas or five kinds of bhedas (differences) which are real and permanent. They are: Isvara or God is different from the jivas or souls; he is also different from the jada (insentient nature, prakrti); the various jivas are different from one another; the jivas are different from the jada; the various objects which are jada, are also different from one another.
He accepts God, called Narayana or Visnu or Srihari, as the Supreme Reality and the others as dependent realities. Mukti or liberation, which is regaining one’s blissful nature, can be got only through bhakti or devotion to God.
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NIMBARKA
There lived a great ascetic named Aruna Muni in Vaiduryapattnam, on the banks of the Godavari, in Andhra Pradesh in Southern India. He had a pious wife by name Jayanti Devi. Sri Nimbarka was born of Aruna Muni and Jayanti Devi. He flourished in the eleventh century A.D.
At the time of the Namakarana Samskara, the learned Brahmins gave the boy the name Niyamanandacharya. Nimbarka was also known by the names Aruna Rishi and Haripriyacharya.
Aruna Muni and Jayanti Devi performed their son’s sacred thread ceremony and sent him to Rishikul for learning the Vedas, Vedangas, Darshanas, etc. Niyamanandacharya mastered the scriptures in a short time. He was a mighty genius. People from all parts of India came to see this wonderful boy.
When Niyamanandacharya was in his teens, Brahma, the Creator, came to the Ashram of Aruna Muni in the disguise of a Sannyasin. The sun was about to set. The Muni had been out. The Sannyasin asked the wife of the Muni for something to eat. The food had been exhausted. The Muni’s wife remained silent. The Sannyasin was about to leave the Ashram.
Niyamanandacharya said to his mother, "Dear mother! A Sannyasin should not be sent away without food. We will have to suffer for violating Atithi Dharma". The mother said, "Dear son! Your father has gone out. I have neither fruits nor roots. Moreover, there is no time for me to prepare any food. It is sunset. Sannyasins do not take their meals after sunset".
Niyamanandacharya said to the Sannyasin, "I shall bring quickly roots and fruits from the forest. I guarantee that the sun will not set till you finish your meals". Niyamanandacharya placed his Sudarshana Chakra on a Nim tree in the Ashram where it shone like the sun. Brahma, who was in the guise of the Sannyasin, was struck with amazement. In a few minutes Nimbarka returned with roots and fruits and gave them to his mother, who served them to the Sannyasin with intense devotion. As soon as the Sannyasin finished his meals, Nimbarka removed the Sudarshana Chakra from the Nim tree. It was at once pitch dark. One quarter of the night had passed. The Sannyasin, who was Brahma, conferred on the boy the name ‘Nimbarka’ (Nim—Neem tree; Arka—Surya or the sun). Since then he has been called Sri Nimbarkacharya.
Sri Nimbarkacharya is considered to be an incarnation of Lord Hari’s weapon Sudarshana Chakra or discus.
There are four kinds of Avataras: (i) Purna (full) e.g., Lord Krishna, Lord Rama. (ii) Kala (not all-full) e.g., Matsya, Varaha, Hamsa, etc. (iii) Amsa (part) e.g., Jada Bharata, Nara Narayana, etc. (iv) Amsamsa (part of the part) e.g., Sri Sankara, Sri Ramanuja, Sri Nimbarka, etc.
In Vishnu Yana, the spiritual lineage of Sri Nimbarkacharya is given as follows: "The sacred Gopala Mantra of eighteen letters sprang from the lotus mouth of Sri Narayana. It was given to Hamsa Bhagavan. Hamsa Bhagavan in turn initiated the Kumaras who revealed this Mantra to Rishi Narada. Narada taught this to his disciple Sri Nimbarka. Nimbarka gave this Mantra to his disciple Srinivasacharya".
Sri Nimbarkacharya was the embodiment of mercy, piety, love, kindness, liberality and other divine qualities. He did rigorous austerities at Neemgram and had Darshan of Lord Krishna in that place. In that village only Nimbarka had exhibited his miracle when Brahma came for Bhiksha as a Sanyasin. Another holy place of the Nimbarka sect is Salembabad in Rajasthan. A big Mahant lives here. There is a temple of Nimbarka here.
Brindavan, Nandgram, Barsana, Govardhan and Neemgram are the chief Kshetras or holy lands of the followers of Nimbarkacharya. Parikrama of the 168 miles of Brij Bhumi is their foremost duty. To pay visits on different occasions to Sri Nimbarka’s temple in Neemgram, two miles from Govardhan, is their Sampradayik duty.
The Nimbarka sect is found mostly in Brij Bhumi, viz., Brindavan, Nandigram, Barsana, Govardhan, etc. Jaipur, Jodhpur, Bharatpur, Gwalior, Burdwan and Okara are its centres. The Nimbarka followers are also to be found in Central India, Bihar, Orissa and West Bengal.
The Dvaitadvaita Philosophy
Sri Nimbarkacharya wrote the following books: Vedanta Parijat Saurabh, a commentary on the Brahma Sutras; a commentary on the Bhagavad Gita; Sadachar Prakash, a treatise on Karma Kanda; Rahasya Shodasi, an explanation of the Sri Gopala Mantra in verses; Prapanna Kalpa Valli, an explanation of the Sri Mukunda Mantra in verses; Prapatti Chintamani, a treatise pertaining to supreme refuge; Prata Smarana Stotram, a devotional hymn; Dasa Sloki or Kama Dhenu, the ten nectarine verses; and Savisesh Nirvisesh Sri Krishna Stavam.
Sri Nimbarkacharya was the exponent of the Dvaitadvaita school of philosophy. Followers of this cult worship Sri Radha and Krishna. Bhagavata is the most important scripture for them. Jiva and the world are both separate from, and identical with, Brahman. The followers of this school are even now found in Mathura and Brindavan.
Sankara was the exponent of the Kevala Advaita philosophy, Ramanuja of the Visishtadvaita philosophy, Madhvacharya of the Dvaita philosophy, Vallabhacharya of the Suddhadvaita philosophy and Nimbarkacharya of the Dvaitadvaita philosophy. All were great souls. We cannot say that Sankara was greater than Ramanuja or Vallabha was greater than Nimbarka. All were Avatara Purushas. Each one incarnated on this earth to complete a definite mission, to preach and propagate a certain doctrine, which was necessary to help the growth of a certain type of people who flourished at a certain period, who were in a certain stage of devotion. All schools of philosophy are necessary. Each philosophy is best suited to a certain type of people.
All cannot grasp the highest Kevala Advaita philosophy of Sankara all at once. The mind has to be disciplined properly before it is rendered a fit instrument to grasp the tenets of Sankara’s Advaita Vedanta.
Salutations and adorations to all Acharyas! Glory to the Acharyas! May their blessings be upon us all!
Related Links
4. This biography is from the book "Lives of Saints".
5. Acharyas from the school of Vedanta: Sankara, Ramanuja, Madhva, Vallabha, Nimbarka, Gauranga.
6. The Dvaitadvaita Philosophy of Sri Nimbarka from Swami Sivananda's book All About Hinduism.
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GANDHIJI
The philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi is a world in itself.
Born at Porbandar in 1869, Gandhi was a member of the Vaisya Caste, the caste of merchants and agriculturists. After attending Indian schools up to his eighteenth year, he came to London to study Law. In 1893 an Indian firm sent him to South Africa to settle a lawsuit, and there he became acquainted with the conditions under which the Indian immigrants were living. He settled in the country as a lawyer and up to 1914 was the leader of his countrymen in their struggles for their rights. As his method of warfare he chose passive resistance, and it proved successful. In the Boer War (1899) he joined up with other Indians as a volunteer in the Ambulance Service. When the Great I World War broke out he was in London and took part in the formation of an ambulance column of Indian volunteers. But at the end of the year 1914 he was obliged to return to India on account of his health, and there he began to study the economic and political problems of his home country. The cause he made his own was the liberation of the Indian labourers who had emigrated to the colonies from the regulation, which had the force of law, that they must be bound by a five years’ contract. He fought also for the abolition of abuses on the indigo plantations in Northern India. He became the representative of the rights of the operatives in spinning factories in Ahmedabad who were at variance with their masters, and of the peasants of the Khaira district, who had got into debt through the failure of their harvest, when they were in conflict with the taxation authorities. By threatening or organizing passive resisance he always succeeded in gaining recognition for the demand he represented.
When the War was over (1919) he had recourse to similar methods to prevent the passing of exceptional laws against political agitators (the so-called Rowlatt Bills), but discovered that passive resistance in the Panjab led to violent revolutionary movements which were suppressed by the authorities with great severity. He was also disappointed that the British Government did nothing after the war to preserve the throne of the Sultan at Constantinople whom the Indian Mohammedans regarded as their religious overlord. In his endeavour to bring about an agreement between the Hindus and Mohammedans he had made the claims of the latter his own.
In 1920 in common with the Hindu and Mohammedan popular leaders he formed the momentous resolve to give up co-operation with the British Government. In the course of the passive resistance movement to champion the idea of the indepdence of the Indian people and promote the boycott of imported factory-made materials in favour of the resuscitation of Indian hand-spinning and handweaving, serious disturbances occurred in Bombay and Chauri Chaura. As the originator of civil resistance to the authority of the State, Gandhi was condemned to six years’ imprisonment, but after some time (1924) he was pardoned. In the years that followed the enmity which had broken out afresh between Hindus and Mohammedans caused him great grief.
Never before has any Indian taken so much interest in concrete realities as has Gandhi. Others were for the most part contented to demand a charitable attitude to the poor. But he – and in this his thought is just like that of a modern Europeans – wants to change the economic conditions that are at the root of poverty.
Ninety per cent of the population of India live in villages. During the dry season, which lasts for about six months of the year, work on the land is at a standstill. Formerly that people made use of this time for spinning and weaving. But since materials manufactured outside India as well as in Indian factories have governed the market, these home industries have been ruined. It is because the villagers have lost their former income from these secondary occupations that there is so much poverty in country districts. And the idleness involved has disastrous results.
His programme of village reform also includes the provision of better dwellings and better hygienic conditions, and the introduction of rational methods of farming.
The first impulse to the high esteem in which he holds bodily labour and the way of life of the agriculturist and artisan came to him from Ruskins’s Unto This Last, which he read while he was living in South Africa. He confesses that this book caused an immediate change in his view of life.
Gandhi’s feelng for reality is seen also in his relations to the Ahimsa commandment. He is not satisfied with praising it, but examines it critically. He is concerned at the fact that in spite of the authority of this commandment there is in India such a lack of pity both for animals and mankind. He ventures to say, “I hardly think that the fate of animals is so sad in any other country in the world as it is in our own poor India. We cannot make the English responsible for this; nor can we excuse ourselves by pleading our poverty. Criminal neglect is the only cause of the deplorable condition of our cattle”.
And through his feelings for reality Gandhi also arrives at the admission that the commandment not to kill and not to injure cannot be carried out in entirety, because man cannot maintain life without committing acts of violence. So with a heavy heart he gives permission to kill dangerous snakes and allows the farmers to defend himself against the monkeys which threaten his harvest.
It is one of the most important of Gandhi’s acts that he compels Indian ethics openly to come to grips with reality.
So great is his interest in what is worldly that he also has sympathy with sports and games. He demands that in the schools as much time should be given to bodily exercises as to the training of the mind, and laments that in his boyhood there were no games, so that he had to be contended with long walks uphill and down dale. So in one corner his world and life affirmation is marked “Made in England”.
But with this feeling for and interest in what is real, there is united in him a purely immaterial idea of what activity is. For him it is an established principle that material problems can only be solved by the Spirit. He is convinced that since all that happens in human affairs is conditioned by mind, things can only be improved by bringing about a different state of milnd. So, in all that we undertake, we must be careful to make our own milnd influence other minds. According to him the only real forces at our disposal are the spirit of freedom from hatred and the spirit of love. He regards the belief that worldly ends must be pursued by worldly methods as the fatal error which is responsible for the misery which prevails on this earth.
And according to Gandhi, political activity as well must be governed by the spirit of Ahimsa. “For me”, he wrote in a letter, “there are no politics that are not at the same time a religion”.
In themselves, Ahimsa and passive resistance are two quite different things. Only Ahimsa is nonworldly; passive resistance is worldly.
Later, in prison, while suffering the tortures of appendicitis, he resolved to accept the aid which the modern scientific art of healing he had so severely condemned could bring him. He allowed an operation to be performed. But he cannot get rid of the thought that in this he acted contrary to his real conviction. “I admit”, he wrote in a letter to a Brahmin ascetic who had taken him to task about this apostasy, “that it was a weakness of soul to submit to the surgical operation. Had I been altogether free from self-seeking, I should have resigned myself to the inevitable; but I was mastered by the wish to go on living in this body of mine.”
But in spite of this strong world and life negation, Gandhi can no longer make his own the old ideal which is part and parcel of it – the ideal of a life withdrawn from the world. His friend the Brahmin ascetic, who advised him to retire to a cave and live for meditation alone, received the reply, “I am striving to reach the Kingdom of Heaven which is called the liberation of the soul. In order to reach this I need not seek refuge in a cave. I carry my cave with me…..”
By a magnificent paradox Gandhi brings the idea of activity and the idea of world and life negation into relationship in such a way that he can regard activity in the world as the highest form of renunciation of the world. In a letter to the Brahmin ascetic, he says, “My service to my people is part of the discipline to which I subject myself in order to free my soul from the bonds of the flesh….. For me the path to salvation leads through unceasing tribulation in this service of my fellow-countrymen and humanity.”
So in Gandhi’s sprit modern Indian ethical world and life affirmation and a world and life negation which goes back to the Buddha dwell side by side.
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SANT TUKARAM
Tukaram was born in 1598 A.D. (Sake 1520) at Dehu near Poona in a Sudra family which for generations had been devoted to Vitthal. His parents were Bolhoba and Kanakai. Professionally they were banias. Tukaram married twice, his first wife being asthmatic and the second hot-tempered. His parents died when he was in teens. He suffered a loss in trade. In a famine his wife and a son died for want of food. Tukaram used to go to nearby hills to lead a secluded life of reading and devotion. In 1619 on Magha Suddha 10, Thursday, he was initiated by his Guru Babaji in a dream. His many poems (abhangas) are full of the one pointed yearning for God, ultimately culminating in realization. His one time enemies became his disciples. Tukaram probably met another saint Ramdas and the rising Hindu King Shivaji. Having led an intensely spiritual life Tukaram as the tradition goes, went to Vaikuntha with his body in 1650 A.D.
When Tukaram’s fame was spreading as a great devotional poet and saint, he incurred the anger of those who were apparently learned, and among them was one Rameshvarbhatta. He ordered to throw his compositions in the river Indrayani. Tukaram felt extremely sorry and fasted for thirteen days invoking God to restore his poems. God at last made His appearance in a youthful image, so Tuka tells us, and handed over the treasure in a neat condition.
As Nemesis would have it the great persecutor Rameshvarbhatta suffered unbearable bodily distress, and to get redressed from it had to seek Tukaram’s succour. The magnanimous saint composed an Abhanga by which Rameshvarbhatta was relived: “If the mind is pure, then verily even enemies become friends. Neither tigers nor serpents can hurt the pure-minded. Poison will become nectar. A blow will be turned into help. What ought not to be done may itself open for him the path of morality. Sorrow will be the cause of happiness. And the flames of fire will become cool. All these things will happen when one knows that there is the same immanent Being in the hearts of all.”
After this event Rameshvarbhatta became a great devotee of Tukaram.
Rameshvarbhatta writes about Tukaram as follows:
“However learned a man may be, and however well-versed in the Vedas, he can never equal Tukaram. He loved God so intensely that only nectar could flow through his sweet words. By his devotion, his knowledge and his dispassionateness he was unparalleled. Many great saints have lived in old times, but it is only Tuka who was bodily taken in a Vimana to heaven.”
Tukaram passed through all sorts of difficulties at home and was persecuted outside. He describes his condition thus: “ By repentance, I am now remembering Thee, Life seems to me like vomit. Happy am I that my wife is a termagant, that I have lost all reputation and am disrespected. Well it is that I have ceased to be ashamed among men. Well it is that I have come as a supplicant to Three. “ Tuka rejoices in his condition and addresses to God, “Between us two, nobody now intervenes to create an artificial barrier.”
Tuka once dreamt that Namadev, who lived some three hundred years before him, came along with Pandurang and asked him to compose poetry. Tuka says, “I have composed poetry according to my lights. Good or bad God only knows, for it is His own handiwork. I extricate myself from egoism, throw my entire burden upon God, and rest content.”
In these words Tuka prays God. “There is none who can equal you in compassion. Verily my words fail to describe your greatness. You are more affectionate than the mother, more delightful than the moon, your grace flows like a river. You, who have made nectar, are really sweeter than it. I place my head on Thy feet in silence. Forgive me, O God, I am a vicious and sinful man. Give me a place at Thy feet, Adieu to all worldly life which but moves the mind away from God’s feet. The ripples of intellect change from moment to moment, and attachment ends in dislodging us from piety of any kind. Put an end to all my anxieties, O God, and come to reside in my heart.”
Tuka describes the efficacy and power of God’s Name, “ Let my mind go after the Name of God and sing His praises. My early life was embittered by calamities, but His Name gave me comfort. The happiness I derived by meditation on the Name was incomparable. The Impersonal took on a form. I found that God runs to the place where the Name is celebrated. Make haste to sing the praise of God. Everything else leads to sorrows. From the disbelievers in the Name, God stands at a distance. The Name is verily the pathway to heaven.”
Once Shivaji learning of the great poverty of Tukaram sent rich presents to his house. But with the following words he sent back the treasure inspite of his wife’s protestations. “My delusion and desires are at an end. They are verily the bait which death sets for us. God and clay are to me of equal consequence. The whole heaven has descended into my house.”On this Shivaji invited Tukaram. But Tuka declared that the ant and the kind were to him alike. Thus Shivaji was still more attracted to this great saint and used often to attend Tukaram’s kirtans. During one such kirtan Shivaji’s enemies surrounded the place. Thereon Tuka began to implore God to ward off the danger, saying “How would it be possible for me to see this great disaster with my eyes? My heart is filled with sorrow to see others in calamity. Thou must not see the disaster happen to us? We have never heard that where the servants of God dwell, the enemies can come and molest them. Tuka says, “My devotion has been put to shame. I shall be living only as a contemptible being in the eyes of others. I am not afraid of death. But I cannot see these people plunged in misery.” Upon which, it is said, that God appeared in the form of Shivaji and putting the enemies on the false scent, made the enemies follow him away from the temple. Thus the real Shivaji and the people were saved.
SURDAS
Surdas, often referred to as the blind bard of Agra, was born in the year 1473 A.D. Was he born blind? Or did he become blind in a later period? Judging from the descriptions and imagery presented in his compositions, some critics have asserted that he was born blind. There is also a story of doubtful authenticity that the poet led a profligate life in his early years and as a consequence lost his eye-sight later. According to another fanciful version of his life, the poet himself, to break off from his profligate courses put out his own eyes in a fit of remorse and contrition. All such speculations have been proved to be baseless and it is now established that the renowned poet Surdas was born blind. Then how is one to explain the wealth of imagery and descriptions in his poems? An explanation as easy as it is convincing to those endowed with faith can always be given. What is impossible of attainment to one who has obtained the grace of the Lord by his unswerving devotion? He can make the lame scale over mountain peaks. He can make the dumb eloquent and He can make the blind see also. Such is the power of true devotion.
It is known from the ‘Chaurasi Vaishnavon ki varta’ that Surdas spent the early years of his life as an ascetic in Agra and Muttra. During that period he composed devotional songs on Lord Krishna. It is said that Sri Vallabhacharya, the exponent of the Shuddhadwaita school of Philosophy, once heard Surdas sing his songs in his sweet voice, and impressed by the melody and merit of the blind poet’s compositions, entreated him to compose songs on the incidents and anecdotes of the Bhagawatam. Surdas remained some years in the service of the temple of Srinath in Goverdhan. He composed in all about one lakh and ten thousand hymns, of which only ten thousand, collectively known as Sursagar are extant. All the poems extol devotion and submission to God. The poet lavishes all his powers of description and intuitive knowledge of the child’s mind in depicting enrapturing pictures of the juvenile pranks of Krishna. Critics are unanimous in pronouncing these descriptions of parental tenderness as inimitable. To our mind are presented spectacular and colorful pictures of Krishna’s ravishing flute melodies, His entrancing beauty, His passages with the love-lorn gopies and many other soul-stirring episodes of His life. Verily the Sursagar is an ocean with countless waves of devotion and bliss centred in Lord Krishna.
The poems of Surdas have been set to music. There is evidence that the famous Tansen, Akbar’s court musician used to sing Surdas’s compositions. Charmed by them the emperor Akbar himself is said to have sought an interview with Surdas. The number of musicians, who since that time had the songs of Surdas in their repertoire, is innumerable. Who can tell how many countless persons afflicted by the ills of this transitory world have had their lives illumined by the poems of Surdas?
Apropos the influence of Surdas’s songs an anecdote ma be cited here. The world famous Swami Vivekananda, before his first departure for America sojourned with the Maharajah of Khetri in the palace at Jaipur. One evening the Maharajah arranged for a music recital by a celebrated danseuse and invited the Swami to grace the occasion with his presence. Swamiji replied curtly that it would be unbecoming of a sannyasin to listen to the music of a fallen woman. When the musician heard of Swamiji’s stern refusal to be present at her recital, she was struck with grief. None knew by what misfortunes the woman was driven to that in-famous career. But she had felt a strong urge to reform and chasten herself. Swamiji’s scorn caused her anguish and from the fullness of her tormented heart was wrung out this song of Surdas, embodying the wail of a penitent soul torn between hope and despair,
This song of supplication by a repentant sinner stirred Swamiji profoundly and his heart went out in compassion for the poor degraded singer.
Surdas emphasizes the truth, that to make ourselves worthy of spiritual inspiration, we have to undergo the necessary disciplines. God-realization is not to be regarded as a lofty and unattainable ideal. The steps to that realization are matters for daily practice. Introspection, awareness of our weaknesses and frailties, repentance and supplication for grace take us within range of the beatific vision of God. He, whose heart is burnt by the fire of true repentance, will certainly obtain the grace of God. The foolish man who misuses the years of his youth in dissipation and turns to God in his declining years is like the thoughtless student who idles away all his time and becomes frantically active just before an examination. Even after one has become painfully aware of one’s evil tendencies and lapses, to conquer them, especially when they have obtained a stronghold on the mind due to prolonged indulgence is exceedingly arduous.
The mind has been allowed to have its way for a long period without restraint. Now only God’s grace will save the supplicant. By constant devotion to the Lords’ feet one can get rid of all one’s evil tendencies. Devotion and absolute faith in the power and glory of God’s Name are the only means of attaining lasting peace.
Sailing on a frigate at mid-sea the bird attempts many flights outward but returns every time to its perch on the mast, fatigued and exhausted. Even so, man sailing on the ocean of existence seeks joy in the ephemeral objects of the world, but will find real peace only when his being is centred in the constant consciousness of the Supreme One. After all the toil and turmoils of this fretful world one has to return to the blessed feet of the Lord to find eternal peace. This is the central theme and refrain of the soul-stirring songs of Surdas, the blind bard of India.
GURU NANAK
The advent of Guru Nanak was aptly described by Bhai Gurdas as “the light that scattered the mists of that time”. What were those mists? The state of society at the time Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism and the First Guru, came on the scene, was at its lowest ebb. It was completely caste-ridden, pinning its faith to outmoded ritualistic and superstitious practices, hide-bound by innumerable caste regulations and conventions, dividing people into endless compartments. This caste-ridden society showed fissiparous tendencies, leading to its gradual disintegration because of the inherent weakness of the system and the consequent rivalries. Dharma was slowly dying down.
The political situation of the time was even more alarming and disquieting. Foreign invaders governed large tracts of the country and exploited our resources to their own benefit. Along with the invaders came their culture which was planted on the conquered, and conversions to their faith took place. In that deteriorating condition of society, there was nothing to infuse a sense of unity and a sense of self-respect among the different sections of the population which were groaning under injustice. It was in these circumstances that the light of Guru Nanak emerged to dispel the surrounding darkness.
Guru Nanak was born in 1469. He appears even in his childhood to have been of a mystic disposition and much given to contemplation. He was sent to school early but he often surprised his school-master and parents by his unusual behaviour. He took little interest either in his conventional studies or in the secular tasks allotted to him. He began to pass more and more of his time in religious practices. When young Nanak fell ill and the loving parents sent for a physician, he accosted the physician with the mystic words – “The physician is sent for to prescribe a remedy; he taketh my hand and feeleth my pulse. Physician, go home, few know my malady. The Creator, who gave me this pain, will remove it……I feel first the pain of separation from God, then pang of hunger for contemplation of Him. O ignorant physician! give me no medicine.”
With his enormous spiritual dimensions, Guru Nanak established direct communion with God and obtained enlightenment. The episode of his physical disappearance from Sultanpur and his re-appearance represented the divine call he received for embarking on his destined mission. He thereupon gave up his worldly pursuits and took to preaching of his spiritual message of love and peace.
The Guru traveled extensively, mostly on foot, to convey his inspired message – from Mecca, Medina and Baghdad in the west, to Dacca and Kamrup(Assam) in the east, from Kashmir and Tibet in the north to Kanyakumari and Ceylon in the south. He widely propogated his message of Oneness of God, brotherhood of man and of love and tolerance. He emphatically proclaimed the Oneness of God in these words-
Were I given a hundred thousand tongues instead of
One
And the hundred thousand multiplied twentyfold,
A hundred thousand times would I say, and say
again,
The Lord of all the world is One and repeat His Name.”
He considered all human beings as the offspring of One God and therefore brothers –
Ek pita ekas ke ham barak tun mera gur hai
The Guru laid stress on the fundamental truth in all religions and seldom asked anyone to give up his own faith. For him there was no Hindu and no Muslim, there was only man. According to the Guru, no one is high or low. All are equal. He himself has very humble and said that humility was the essence of goodness.
Mithal neevin Nanka gunn Changaiyan tat
Guru Nanak condemned caste system and untouchability in no uncertain terms. By good action alone, he said, can any one claim to be of high caste and not by the exigency of birth. ( Sa jai sa pat hai jehe karam kamai). He further said –
‘They alone are of low birth who forget
The true master. Without the grace of
His Name, their status is low.”
To obliterate caste divisions, he insisted on people coming to see him to partake of a meal from the free kitchen sitting together on a common platform. He did not believe in renunciation, but laid stress on charity and detachment while making an honest living by hard endeavour and active work.
“Ghat khai kichh hathon thei
Nanak raho pachhanaeh sai
Guru Nanak was a person of extra ordinary moral courage and independence; and above all, was a very great mystic and poet. His sweet and sublime poetical compositions in which were contained his teachings, attracted large masses of people to him and captivated their hearts. He was a bridge between Hindus and Muslims. He was loved and respected alike so much by both of them that he was often called “Guru Nanak Shah Fakir – Hindu ka guru, Mussulman ka pir”. He was not only a spiritual leader but also a crusader against social evils and divisive forces in the country. He successfully spearheaded a vigorous spiritual and social reform movement.
Guru Nanak was probably the first to give India the concept of a nation. In his hymns, he speaks of the wails of ‘Hindustan’ during those turbulent times and invokes the blessings of God for the people with a tortured mind.
The Guru was totally against asceticism and torture of the flesh to get enlightenment. He attached supreme importance to right conduct and repetition of and meditation on the Name of God. He advised us to be in the world but not worldly and he wanted us to be pure in heart. The Guru exalted the dharma of the householder and the company of holy men. In the teachings of Guru Nanak, morality and good conduct hold a very high place.
Sachon are sabh ko upar sach achar
(Truth is higher than everything but higher still a truthful conduct).
“Few of India’s, even of the world;s religions”, according to one writer, ‘ have laid down a more exalted moral code than is to be found in the pages of the Granth. Purity of life is set forth as the highest object of human endeavour.”
Guru Nanak’s teachings and ideals can very appropriately and profitably be applied to present day conditions. To Guru Nanak, religion was not only a spiritual experience but a way of life. Every action of man must have the impact of religion, of integrity, love, righteousness, humility and truth. This can only be achieved if one is always conscious of the presence of God by constant ‘smiran’ or ‘jap’. Guru Nanak insisted that there should be harmony between thought and action and purity in life. The modern world can rightly take credit for the constructive role of science and technology in providing amenities of life and bettering the living conditions of the poorer sections of the people, but the nuclear weapons produced and piled up by Big Powers pose a constant threat to its annihilation. People talk of peace but always live in fear of wars and conflicts. Science should be made to subserve the interests of the people rather than be allowed to become their master.
In India, in spite of the teachings of several saints and seers, and in spite of the great movements for the eradication of untouchability, we still suffer from the evils of caste system in some form or other. Differences persist to divide the people on account of race, religion, region and language. But we must not yield to despair. We must remember constantly the message of the great Guru who infused not only a new life of action but also of harmony, love and fearlessness in the frustrated people of India. As Dr.Radhakrishnan put it, “the poets, singers and saints with their passionate devotion to the ideals of beauty, harmony, freedom and aspiration have had the strongest impact on society…… The saints belong to the whole world. They are universal men who free our minds from bigotry and superstition, dogma and ritual and emphasise the central simplicities of religion”.
Guru Nanak is one of the world teachers of outstanding eminence and his message is of universal application and has validity for all time. It has particular relevance not only to us but to the whole world of man-kind at this critical period of human history. If only we pay heed to it, we can surely foster universal brotherhood based on mutual love, respect and understanding and we can build up unity and promote international peace. Let me recall the words of Dr.Arnold Toynbee, the great historian of our times, regarding the role of Sihism founded by Guru Nanak.
“Mankind’s religious future may be obscure; yet one thing can be foreseen; by living in higher religions they are not going to influence each other more than ever before, in these days of increasing communication between all parts of the world and all branches of the human race. In this coming religious debate, the Sikh religion, and its scripture the Adi Granth, will have something of special value to say to the rest of the world”.
MIRA BAI
Mira, daughter of Rathor Ratna Singh, was born in a village named Kudki Near Jodhpur in about the year 1500 A.D. Her grandfather, Rao Dudaji was a deeply religious man and a great devotee. Mira had lost her mother in her childhood, hence Rao Dudaji had to take upon himself the responsibility of bringing up and educating his grand daughter. As a result of the benevolent influence of the good company of the saintly grandfather. Mira developed deep devotion to Sri Krishna from her childhood, regarding herself as the bride of Girdhari. She was not in favour of marriage. But, bound by the social custom, her elders arranged for her marriage with Kumar Bhojaraj, son of Rana Sanga of Udaipur. But Mira’s mind was filled with Sri Krishna only.
Unfortunately, Mira became a widow very early. Because of this, her devotion and love for God became more intensified. Without caring for her relations, she began to spend her time in temples in the worship of Girdhari in the company of sadhus and devotees. Intoxicated with intense devotion for her Beloved or being unable to bear the agony of separation from her Beloved she used to spontaneously express her innermost feelings through melodious songs. Singing these songs she used to forget herself and the world around her, and she used to dance in ecstatic joy. Her royal family did not like this. They wanted to put an end to Mira;s life. They sent her a cup filled with ‘charanamrit’ but it was mixed with poison. Mira gladly accepted the “charanamrit”. The poison did not affect her. Instead it is said that her Girdhari’s face became blue. Mira was saved by the protecting grace of her Beloved; just in the same way as thousands of years ago, Bhakta Prahlada was saved by the Lord while he was being tortured by his own father.
But Mira could no more bear the troubles created by her relations in the palace. She left the palace and went on a pilgrimage. She visisted, Vrindavan and Dwaraka. When she was living at Dwaraka, a Brahmin came to her who was sent by her brother-in-law Vikramjeet to take her back. Mira did not like to return. It is said that she became merged with Ranchodji, while offering Him her intensely devoted worship in the temple. This was about the year 1546 A.D. At Dwarka, even today a piece of her sari is shown by the side of Ranchodji. Mira experienced throughout her life the joy of divine love even in her feeling of separation from her. Beloved and as a fitting climax to such a dedicated life, she attained liberation – Mukti – by becoming one with her Beloved Girdhari.
Mira was a great devotee of God. Her entire life was centred in her Girdhari. In her simple but sweet songs, Mira used to sing expressing the different moods of her wholehearted love flowing continuously towards her Beloved.
In one of her songs she says
“Only Girdhar Gopal is mine, none else. Only He is my husband, who wears on His head, a crown of peacock feathers. I have abandoned all fears about the family prestige. What harm any one can do to me? Not caring for what the world may say, I have spent most of my time in the company of devotees. I have planted the creeper of love, and reared it by watering it continuously by tears of love. Now the creeper of love has grown well and its is yielding the fruit of joy. I wept looking at the world and readily accepted the path of devotion. Mira is the servant of Girdhari. Oh Lord! Please save me.”
Mira’s devotion to Krishna was ananya-bhakti. In another song of hers, she exclaims that she cannot live without Krishna. In the same song, she questions as to how the world can consider that she has gone astray, when she has sold herself to Girdhari.
Mira tells about her own life and her devotion ti Sri Krishna in another song:
“Mira danced, wearing in her legs the ghunghuru ( small bells) ……..People say that she has gone mad. Mother-in-law says that she has spoiled the good name of the family. The Ranaji sent her the cup of poison which smilingly Mira drank. Mira think, “I belong to Narayana. I have become a servant of His.” Mira cries out, “My lord Girdhar! You are the Eternal! Please let me see you.”
Mira was a devotee of Sri Krishna. In her songs Bhakti is overflowing. Besides Bhakti, the tender emotions of woman’s heart are also expressed in these songs in a touching manner. She assumes different attitudes in approaching her Beloved, as a servant maid, as a friend, as a lover and as a worshipper. Her songs are simple. We do not find in them the polish and design of rhetorics and prosody. But they ably depict her agony of separation from her Beloved, her ecstatic joy of her deep love for her Girdhari and her total surrender to her Lord. In her love for Sri Krishna, Mira totally forgets herself. In the whole world, Mira considers that Vasudeva alone is the male and every one else in the entire world is only a female.
When Mira was at Vrindavan Jiva Goswami refused to permit her to see him as she was a woman. Then it is said that Mira had exclaimed, “Is he a male? Then he ought not to have entered Brindavan, Because in Brindavan, Sri Krishna is the only male.”
Mira is also said to have sought advice from Tulsi Das by writing him a letter in the form of a poem:
“All my relations at home are causing me great difficulties in my singing in praise of the Lord and seeking the company of holy devotees. The devotees of the Lord are like my parents. Please write to me as to what is my duty under these circumstances. “ In response to this, Tulsidas is reported to have replied thus through one of his famous songs:
“Abandon them, who do not love the Lord, as though they are your greatest enemies, even if they are very dear to you.”
Mira regarded her Girdhar Nagar as her everything. She sang her songs giving spontaneous expression to her deep love for her Beloved. These songs depict the varying moods of her devotion and the different modes of her Bhakti ( nine kinds of Bhakti). Mira intensely longed to see her Beloved. She felt that she could not live without her Beloved. Every moment of her life, she was anxiously immersed in the thought. ‘When will I meet my Beloved?” She had no peace of mind because of her intense yearning for seeing her Beloved. She was not able to take food in the day time and in the night she could not have sleep.
Mira used to sing and dance, praising her Beloved and spontaneously the different kinds of Bhakti like Sravana, Kirthana, Smarana, Pada Puja etc. used to manifest in her which found expression in her songs. Similarly, the different attitudes of Bhakti – like Dasya ( the attitude of a servant) Sakhya (the attitude of a friend) Madhurya (the attitude of a lover) etc. which Mira assumed in her love for her Beloved are also beautifully described in an effortless and natural manner in the songs of Mira. She declares that her Nandalal is her companion not only in her present life but also in her past and future lives.
We find that Mira surrenders herself to her Lord totally and unconditionally.
Being a woman, Mira has one advantage over the other male saints and others, who have to express their feelings of intense love for their Beloved, Sri Krishna, by assuming the attitude of Radha and other gopis. Such an attitude is natural to Mira, and therefore she does not feel it necessary to assume the attitude of any one else. Being a woman herself, she more spontaneously accepts her Girdhari as her beloved.
Mira was not bound to a particular sect or cult, nor did she leave behind her any disciples or followers like many other saints. But her songs have secured a permanent place in the bhakti literature in Hindi. The spontaneous expression of her wholehearted and intense longing for the Divine in her songs will continue to move the hearts of devotees for ever.
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TIRUVALLUVAR
Tiruvalluvar might have lived in the 1st century A.D. Actually, Valluvar is the name of one of the lowest castes of the pariah group. In the olden days they were employed by the kings and rulers to make royal announcements by beating drums (tomtom). The author belonged to that caste and his actual name has been buried in the folds of history.
Tiruvalluvar is said to have lived in Mylapore (now a part of the city of Madras or Chennai). He was a weaver by profession. According to the local legends he was an orphan abandoned by his real parents, but brought up by a couple of the vellala (farmer) caste. His contact with holy men at a tender age of five made him inclined towards a spiritual life, which ultimately resulted in his becoming a saintly person. His wife Vasuki proved to be an ideal companion for him. She died earlier than him. Later, he embraced monastic life and engaged himself in spreading spiritual knowledge and wisdom. His work, the Tirukkural, when presented before the Sangam (assembly of great scholars) at Madurai (in TamilNadu), was thoroughly examined and then acclaimed as a great work.
The work has 133 chapters, each containing 10 verses, the total thus being 1330 verses. They have been divided into three sections dealing with the first three purursarthas, as follows:
Arattuppal
(Section on Dharma - 38 Chapters);
Porutpal
(Section on Artha - 70 Chapters);
Kamattupal
(Section on Kama - 25 Chapters).
A brief synopsis of the subjects treated may now be given:
Arattuppal
In praise of God; on rain; greatness of renunciation; on dharma; family life; hospitality and kindness as also sweet words; gratitude; right conduct; evils to be avoided like envy and backbiting; on liberality; not eating meat; on penance; on truth; on true knowledge as also fate.
Porutpal
Who a real king is; true marks of a good king; various actions and policies to be followed by a king; righteous rule versus tyranny; on spies; on embassies; on fortresses and acquisition of wealth; on the importance of the army; on friendship with others kings and allies; things to be avoided like ignorance and discord; wine and women; need to cultivate good conduct and modesty.
Kamattupal
This section deals with, in detail, various aspects of kama (erotic love) in a couple, before marriage, in the married life, during pangs of separation and so on. Unlike some Sanskrit works on erotics, this section is much more decent and refined.
Though the Tirukkural deals with only the first three purusarthas, the fourth purusartha (moksa or liberation) has been indirectly dealt with in chapters 1, 3, and 4.
There are ten commentaries (all in Tamil) on this work. Out of them, the one by Parimel Azhakar is considered the best.
Recently (in A.D. 2000) a huge statue of Tiruvalluvar, 40 metres or 133 feet in height, has been installed on the smaller rock in the sea near Kanyakumari (in Tamil Nadu).
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MELPATHUR NARAYANA BHATTATIRI
Melpathur Narayana Bhattatiri deserves to be more widely known than he is today. Having spent his early youth in the pursuit of pleasure, a stray remark about wasting a precious and hard-earned ‘human birth’ on this earth caused him to undergo a total change. Thereafter he became the ‘Sishya’ of a great guru. He devoted his great talents to write great works. The Bhakti movement in Kerala was greatly encouraged by his life and work. The Narayaniyam is his contribution. It is still read by many in Kerala today and regular lectures on it are widely attended.
Narayaniyam is a masterly condensation of the famous Bhagavata Mahapurana. The Bhagavata, consisting of about 18000 verses, has been summarized in this work in 1034 verses, divided into 100 dasakas (cantos). This work occupies a very high place in Sanskrit literature, both because of the intense devotional fervour of the verses and because of their extraordinary literary merit.
Melpathur Narayana Bhattatiri, was born about the year 1560 A.D. in a village near the famous temple of Tirunavaya in Kerala. Even at a very young age he mastered the Vedas and the vedangas. He learnt Mimamsa and other Sastras from his father Matrudatta, the Vedas from one Madhavacharya, the science of logic (Tarka) from his elder brother Damodara and Sanskrit grammar from one Achyuta Pisharoti, a celebrated grammarian. He composed the Narayaniyam at the age of 27. He wrote a monumental work on Sanskrit grammar, entitled Prakriyasarvasva, a work similar to the Siddhanta Kaumudi, but written earlier. It is said that Bhattoji Dikshita, the author of the Siddhanta Kaumudi, on hearing about Bhattatiri, set out for Kerala to meet him, but had to return disappointed on hearing on the way that Bhattatiri had passed away. Bhattatiri composed many other devotional hymns also, as well as a work on Purva-mimamsa entitled Manameyodaya and panegyrics in praise of his royal patrons. It is believed that he lived till the ripe old age of 105, honoured by all for his great erudition, his superb literary creations and above all, for his supreme devotion.
The circumstances which led to the composition of Narayaniyam by Bhattatiri in his 27th year are as follows. His Guru in Sanskrit grammar, Achyuta Pisharoti, fell victim to a severe attack of paralysis and suffered unbearable pain. Bhattatiri, the devoted disciple that he was, could not bear the suffering of his Guru. He therefore fervently prayed that the disease may be transferred to him and his Guru freed of suffering. It happened as he wanted and soon, while Pisharoti recovered, the fell disease made Bhattatiri a cripple. It was the general belief in those days, as it is now, that sincere prayers to the Lord of Guruvayur would bring immediate relief from all troubles. Bhattatiri, who was unable even to move, had himself carried to the Guruvayur temple and sat there spending his time in prayer. He was then advised by Tunchath Ezhuthachan, an eminent Malayalam poet of the time, that he would be cured of his disease if he composed a hymn recounting all the incarnations of the Lord. Accordingly, he started composing the Narayaniyam, at the rate of one dasaka (canto) consisting generally of 10 verses, every day. On the 100th day he had a vision of the Lord in the form of Venugopala. The 100th canto, composed on that day, gives a graphic description of this form from head to foot. On that day he became completely cured of his disease.
In the 100th canto the poet says that he has named this work Narayaniyam for two reasons - (1) it is about Lord Narayana and (2) the poet’s name is also Narayana.
From the word ‘Ayurarogyasaukhyam’ appearing at the end of the 100th canto scholars have worked out the date of completion of the work as the 28th day of the Malayalam month of Vrischikan of the Malayalam year 762 corresponding to 27th November 1587. (According to some the year is 763 and the date is 12th Dec. 1587).
As a devotional hymn, this work ranks among the best of its kind. The superiority of the path of devotion, as compared with the paths of action (Karma) and knowledge (Jnana) is repeatedly stressed by the poet. He points out that Bhakti grows in the heart of an individual without any special effort on his part if he merely listens to the narrations about the incarnations and the deeds and excellences of the Lord. Bhakti is nothing but intense love for God. It is natural for every human being to love anything beautiful and so, to develop love for the Lord of Guruvayur who is beauty incarnate, does not need any effort. Unlike the path of Jnana which is possible only for those who have developed a high degree of detachment, the path of Bhakti is open to everyone. But devotion in the real sense of the term is possible only when it is informed by some knowledge of the relationship between the world and God, between the individual and God and between the individual and the world. These matters are dealt with in the first 10 and the last 10 cantos. These cantos thus contain the essence of all the Upanisads. Every verse is addressed to the Lord. This work is considered eminently suitable for daily Parayanam (devout reading) by devotees. In these days when life is full of tensions and problems, the reading of at least a few verses every day is the surest way to preserve one’s equanimity and enjoy inward peace.
From the literary point of view also this work can be placed on par with those of the greatest Sanskrit poets of all time. Eighteen different metres have been used by the poet. This variety makes the reading of this work a delightful experience. Bhattatiri is an adept at choosing words and metres in such a manner as to make the events narrated come alive before the mind’s eye. In the 25th canto, while describing the incarnation of the Lord as Narasimha, he uses words which bring out the awesomeness of the situation. In canto 55 describing Krishna dancing on Kaliya, the Totaka metre is very appropriately employed. Canto 69 describing the Rasakrida in the Kusumamanjari metre sends a thrill through us, bringing the scene before us in all its vividness. Cantos 98 and 100 elevate the reader to the most sublime heights of direct communion with the Supreme Being. Literary devices such as Anuprasa, Yamaka, etc enhance the poetic quality of the work.
According to the Sthala purana of the Guruvayur temple, the image installed therein was originally given by Mahavishnu to Brahma. Brahma gave it to a sage named Sutapas; he gave it to Kasyapa Prajapati who in turn, gave it to Vasudeva, the father of Krishna. Sri Krishna got it from his father and worshipped it at His capital Dvaraka. Before the conclusion of His incarnation as Krishna the Lord told His devotee and minister Uddhava that the image would come floating in the sea which would soon engulf Dvaraka. Uddhava was asked to request Brihaspati, the Guru of the gods, to install the image at a suitable place. Accordingly, when the image came floating, Brihaspati took it and, along with Vayu, went all over the world and finally selected this spot and installed the image there. As the place was selected by Guru and Vayu, it came to be known as Guruvayur.
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SRILA PRABHUPADA
His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada was born in 1896 in Calcutta, India. He first met his spiritual master, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami, in Calcutta in 1922. Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, a prominent devotional scholar and the founder of sixty-four branches of Gaudiya Mathas (Vedic institutes), liked this educated young man and convinced him to dedicate his life to teaching Vedic knowledge in the Western world. Srila Prabhupada became his student, and eleven years later (1933) at Allahabad, he became his formally initiated disciple.
At their first meeting, in 1922, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura requested Srila Prabhupada to broadcast Vedic knowledge through the English language. In the years that followed, Srila Prabhupada wrote a commentary on the Bhagavad-gita and in 1944, without assistance, started an English fortnightly magazine.
Recognizing Srila Prabhupada’s philosophical learning and devotion, the Gaudiya Vaisnava Society honored him in 1947 with the title “Bhaktivedanta.” In 1950, at the age of fifty-four, Srila Prabhupada retired from married life, and four years later he adopted the vanaprastha (retired) order to devote more time to his studies and writing. Srila Prabhupada traveled to the holy city of Vrndavana, where he lived in very humble circumstances in the historic medieval temple of Radha-Damodara. There he engaged for several years in deep study and writing. He accepted the renounced order of life (sannyasa) in 1959. At Radha-Damodara, Srila Prabhupada began work on his life’s masterpiece: a multivolume translation and commentary on the 18,000-verse Srimad-Bhagavatam (Bhagavata Purana). He also wrote Easy Journey to Other Planets.
After publishing three volumes of Bhagavatam, Srila Prabhupada came to the United States, in 1965, to fulfill the mission of his spiritual master. Since that time, His Divine Grace has written over sixty volumes of authoritative translations, commentaries and summary studies of the philosophical and religious classics of India.
In 1965, when he first arrived by freighter in New York City, Srila Prabhupada was practically penniless. It was after almost a year of great difficulty that he established the International Society for Krishna Consciousness in July of 1966. Under his careful guidance, the Society has grew within a decade to a worldwide confederation of almost one hundred asramas, schools, temples, institutes and farm communities.
In 1968, Srila Prabhupada created New Vrndavana, an experimental Vedic community in the hills of West Virginia. Inspired by the success of New Vrndavana, then a thriving farm community of more than one thousand acres, his students founded several similar communities in the United States and abroad.
In 1972, His Divine Grace introduced the Vedic system of primary and secondary education in the West by founding the Gurukula school in Dallas, Texas. The school began with three children in 1972, and by the beginning of 1975 the enrollment had grown to one hundred fifty.
Srila Prabhupada also inspired the construction of a large international center at Sridhama Mayapur in West Bengal, India, which is also the site for a planned Institute of Vedic Studies. A similar project is the magnificent Krsna-Balarama Temple and International Guest House in Vrndavana, India. These are centers where Westerners can live to gain firsthand experience of Vedic culture.
Srila Prabhupada’s most significant contribution, however, is his books. Highly respected by the academic community for their authoritativeness, depth and clarity, they are used as standard textbooks in numerous college courses. His writings have been translated into eleven languages. The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, established in 1972 exclusively to publish the works of His Divine Grace, has thus become the world’s largest publisher of books in the field of Indian religion and philosophy.
In the last ten years of his life, in spite of his advanced age, Srila Prabhupada circled the globe twelve times on lecture tours that have took him to six continents. In spite of such a vigorous schedule, Srila Prabhupada continued to write prolifically. His writings constitute a veritable library of Vedic philosophy, religion, literature and culture.
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SWAMI RAMA TIRTHA
Swami Rama Tirtha, a direct descendant of Gosain Tulsi Das, the immortal author of the widely read Hindi Ramayan, was born in 1873, at Muraliwala, in the district of Gujranwala, Punjab.
Rama Tirtha was a very bright student, a genius possessing unusual intelligence, contemplative nature and an intrinsic love of mathematics and solitude. He topped the list in B.A. and took his M.A. degree in Mathematics, a subject in which he was exceptionally bright.
For two years, Rama Tirtha was a Professor of Mathematics in the Lahore Foreman Christian College, and he acted as a Reader for a short time in the Lahore Oriental College.
In the year 1900, Rama Tirtha went to the forest and soon became a Sannyasin. He went to America and Japan and thrilled the Americans and the Japanese with his inspiring and soul-elevating speeches. In Egypt he was accorded a hearty welcome by the Mohammedans, to whom he delivered a lecture in Persian in their mosque. Rama Tirtha was ever cheerful and brilliant with eyes beaming with divine lustre and joy. He was perfectly at home in Persian, English, Hindi, Urdu and Sanskrit literature.
Rama Tirtha was a great ascetic and an enlightened mystic. He practised Yoga on the banks of the river Ravi. Later he lived in the forests of Brahmapuri, on the banks of the river Ganges, five miles away from Rishikesh and attained Self-realisation.
Today Rama Tirtha is not present amongst us in his mortal coil, but he is truly ever alive, eternal and imperishable, ever shining as a beacon-star in the spiritual firmament of the world. He had the highest realisation of the Satchidananda as the all-inclusive Bliss-supreme. The ancient sages and modern saints have proved this ineffable nature of the Supreme, not by logical proofs of perception and knowledge, but by actual experience of it which cannot be communicated to others for want of means. And Swami Rama Tirtha was one among such Experiencers of the Ultimate Bliss.
Under the holy guidance of Sri R.S. Narayana Swami, a direct disciple of Swami Rama Tirtha, the Ramatirtha Publication League was established at Lucknow. Every lover and admirer of Sri Rama Tirtha’s soul-inspiring teachings owes a deep debt of gratitude to Sri Narayana Swamiji and the League for taking immense pains in making Rama Tirtha’s works available to the world.
Sri Swami Rama Tirtha is one of the brightest jewels of India’s genius. Rama belongs to that prophetic group of inspired seers who rang up the curtain of Indian Renaissance and ushered in the era of a strongly positive, aggressive and all-conquering spirituality. His advent into Bharatavarsha was potent with a great significance to man in modern times.
From Rama India has inherited the dual gems of Vedantic boldness and spiritual patriotism. The spiritual patriotism of Rama is something unique and grand. Every son of India should absorb it and make it his own. Swami Rama emphatically declared that if you must have intense and real patriotism, then you must deify the Motherland, behold Bharatavarsha as the living Goddess. "If you must realise unity with God, realise first your unity with the Whole Nation. Let this intense feeling of identity with every creature within this land be throbbing in every fibre of your frame" said Rama, "Let every son of India stand for the Whole, seeing that the Whole of India is embodied in every son. When streams, stones and trees are personified and sacrificed to in India, why not sanctify, deify the great Mother that cradles you and nourishes you? Through Prana-pratishtha you vitalize an idol of stone or an effigy of clay. How much more worthwhile would it be to call forth the inherent glory and evoke fire and life in the Deity that is Mother India?". Thus, to Rama, the national Dharma of love to the motherland was a spiritual Dharma of Virat Prem. Let every Indian today fervently take this legacy into his heart. By this act show your real appreciation of the great seer; show your gratitude to the great seer. Thus can you glorify his life and his teachings.
The highest realisation of patriotism, Rama believed, lay in fully identifying yourself with the land of your birth. Remember his words: "Tune yourself in love with your country and people". Be a spiritual soldier. Lay down your life in the interest of your land abnegating the little ego, and having thus loved the country, feel anything and the country will feel with you. March and the country will follow. This, indeed, is practical Vedanta.
Rama Tirtha infused in the minds of people a new joy, a happy conviction that it was not for nothing that we lived in a miserable earth, and that we did not, after a long struggle in the sea of life, reach a waterless desert where our sorrows would be repeated. He lived practical philosophy, and through that showed to the world that it was possible to rejoice in the bliss of the Self even in this very life, and that everyone could partake of this bliss if one sincerely strived for it.
Swami Rama was an exemplary figure in the field of Vedantic life. He was a practical, bold Vedantin. He lived a dynamic life in the spirit of the Self. Very high were his ideals, sublime were his views, and perennial and spontaneous was his love. He was Divinity personified and love-incarnate. He is ever alive as a dynamic soul-force, ever shedding the spiritual effulgence in the heart of every seeker after Truth. His teachings are inspiring, elevating and illuminating—a fountain of his intuitive experiences.
The teachings of Rama Tirtha are peculiarly direct and forceful. They are unique. Rama Tirtha did not teach any particular Yoga or Sadhana or propound any abstract philosophical theory. He taught the actual living of Vedanta, of Yoga and Sadhana. This he taught by his own personal example. In himself he embodied an exposition of illumined living. Thus Rama Tirtha’s very personality itself preached and taught as much as any of the innumerable discourses and lectures he delivered to crowded audiences from platforms that ranged from Tokyo to Toronto.
To the West, Swami Rama appeared not merely as a wise man of the East but as the Wisdom of the East come in tangible form. Rama Tirtha was a blissful being inebriated with the ecstasy of Spiritual Consciousness. And his bliss was infectious. His glance flashed forth Vedanta. His smile radiated the joy of the Spirit. Vedanta streamed forth in his inspired utterance and in his whole life; every action, gesture and movement vibrated with the thrill of Vedantic Consciousness.
Rama Tirtha demonstrated how Vedanta might be lived. His life was an expression of the supreme art of living life in all its richness of vision and fullness of joy. Rama Tirtha presented Vedanta not so much as a knowing and a realising, as a becoming and a being. It was Swami Rama Tirtha’s unique distinction that he expounded Vedanta as a supreme yet simple art of living. He did not try to take people to Vedanta, but he took Vedanta to the common man. Swami Rama Tirtha took Vedanta into the quiet homes, into the busy offices, into the crowded streets and into the noisy markets of the western world.
Both to the East and to the West, therefore, Swami Rama’s life has been a boon and a blessing. For India, he vivified Vedanta with the vitality of his own inspired life and shining example. He shook India out of fantasy, superstition and misconception; he shocked America to wakefulness and an awareness of the intrinsic worth of the practicality of Atmic living. He revealed how the central secret of all lofty activity lay in attunement with the Divine Law of oneness, harmony and bliss.
To rise above the petty self and act impersonally—this was the key to divine living. His call to his countrymen was: "May you wake up to your oneness with Life, Light and Love (Sat-Chit-Ananda) and immediately the Central Bliss will commence springing forth from you in the shape of happy heroic work and both wisdom and virtue. This is inspired life, this is your birthright".
To the Americans Rama taught the way of perfect morality and total abstinence. Keeping the body in active struggle and the mind in rest and loving abstinence means salvation from sin and sorrow, right here in this very life. Active realisation of at-one-ment with the All allows us a life of balanced recklessness. This sums up Rama’s message to the land of the Dollar.
In short, Swami Rama’s thrilling life is a flashing example of rare Prem and a divine spontaneity. Listen! Here Rama’s voice whispers: "You have simply to shine as the Soul of All, as the Source of Light, as the Spring of Delight, O Blessed One! And energy, life activity will naturally begin to radiate from you. The flower blooms, and lo! fragrance begins to emanate of itself". Awake India! Respond to this call of Rama. Realise the Bliss that is Yourself. Come now, live the life in the Atman. From this moment let Rama enter into your heart and animate your actions and inspire your actions and inspire your very life! May his Divine Spirit vivify and raise India to her pristine glory and Vedantic grandeur! Live in Om!
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SAINT BHAGAT KABIR JEE
Saint Kabir Das (kabir, Arabic for "great", dasa, Sanskrit for "slave" or "servant"), is widely acknowledged as one of the great personality of the Bhakti movement in North India. He was as is widely acknowledged born in Year 1398 A.D.(71 years before Guru Nanak).
Kabir is not easily categorized as a Sufi or a Yogi -- he is all of these. He is revered by Muslims, Hindus, and Sikhs. He stands as a unique, saintly, yet very human, bridge between the great traditions that live in India. Kabir says of himself that he is, "at once the child of Allah and Ram."
Many legends abound about the birth, life and death of Kabir, one of India's most quoted poets and mystics. His birth itself is shrouded in mystery, some say he was the son of a Brahman widow, others that he was of virgin birth, what is known though is that he was brought up in a family of muslim weavers. He was never formally educated and was almost completely illiterate. According to legend, the only word that he ever learned how to write was "Rama". Early in his life Kabir became a disciple of the Hindu bhakti saint Ramananda. It was unusual for a Hindu teacher to accept a Muslim student, but tradition says the young Kabir found a creative way to overcome all objections.
The story is told that on one particular day of the year, anyone can become a disciple by having a master speak the name of God over him. It is common for those who live near the Ganges to take their morning bath there in the sacred waters. The bhakti saint Ramananda took his bath as he did every day, by arising before dawn. On this special day, Ramananda awoke before dawn and found his customary way down to the steps of the Ganges. As he was walking down the steps to the waters, a little hand reached out in the predawn morning and grabbed the saint's big toe. Ramananda taken by surprise and he expressed his shock by calling out the name of God. Looking down he saw in the early morning light the hand of the young Kabir. After his bath in the early light he noticed that on the back of the little one's hand was written in Arabic the name Kabir. He adopted him as son and disciple and brought him back to his ashrama, much to the disturbance of his Hindu students, some of whom left in righteous protest.
It is said that what really made this meeting the most special is that in this case it,was only after Kabir's enlightenment that Ramananda, his teacher, became enlightened.
Not much is known about what sort of spiritual training Kabir may have received. He did not become a sadhu or rununciate. Kabir never abandoned worldly life, choosing instead to live a balanced life of householder and mystic, tradesman and contemplative. Kabir was married, had children, and lived the simple life of a weaver.
The social and practical manifestation of Kabir's philosophy has rung through the ages. It represented a synthesis of Hindu, and Muslim concepts. From Hinduism he accepts the concept of reincarnation and the law of Karma. From Islam he takes the affirmation of the single god and the rejection of caste system and idolatry. The basic religious principles he espouses are simple. According to Kabir, all life is an interplay of two spiritual principles. One is the personal soul (Jivatma) and the other is God (Paramatma). It is Kabir's view that salvation is the process of bringing into union these two divine principles.
Kabir is a very important figure in Indian history. He is unusual in that he is spiritually significant to Hindus, Sikhs, and Muslims alike. Kabir openly criticized all sects and gave a new direction to the Indian philosophy. Kabir touches the soul, the conscience, the sense of awareness and the vitality of existence in a manner that is unequalled in both simplicity and style.
It is for this reason that Kabir is held in high esteem all over the world. Another beauty of Kabir's poetry is that he picks up situations that surround our daily lives. Thus, even today, Kabir's poetry is relevant and helpful in both social and spiritual context. Following Kabir means understanding one's inner self, realizing oneself, accepting oneself as is, and becoming harmonious with one's surroundings.
Kabir has written much poetry and song. All of Kabir's recorded verses are in Hindi. His lyrics are characterised by a free use of the vernacular, and is unfettered by the grammatical bonds of his day. It is this quality which has made his philosophy accessible to generations of Indians.
Legend says that he reliquished his body when he was about 120 years old. There is a famous legend about his death; When he died, his Hindu and Muslim followers started fighting about the last rites. When they lifted the cloth covering his body, they found flowers instead. The Muslim followers buried their half and the Hindu cremated thier half. In Maghar near Gorakhpur., his tomb and samadhi still stand side by side.
KUMBH MELA 2010
It is the blessings and experience of such saints and sages that inspire millions to gather in the source of the Ganga in Holi Haridwar. This shows that Sanathana Dharma has eternal value and relevance. These saints and sages are still alive in spirit throughout the length and breadth of India. In this sparkling vignette by Ms Ramaa Srinivasan we get a thought-provoking glimpse of the Kumbh Mela festival which has continued unbroken for millennia.
Life in India is intermingled with religion in myriad ways. Although religion in India has its basis in spirituality and philosophy, its external manifestations through personal Gods is ritual-based with huge servings of bhakti or love and attachment to the God of choice. All aspects and dimensions of life have their Gods; thus reverence is accorded to rivers, animals, plants, nature and even the cosmos. In fact, worship of such a diversity of Gods is an intrinsic part of Hindu Culture. Large numbers of Hindus in India are exposed to varied rituals and celebrations (through festivals) from their childhood and imbibe a deep-seated connection with a multitude of Gods and Goddesses.
Out of the many pan Indian religious festivals, the Kumbh Mela is the most grandiose one. This centuries old celebration is an example of our rich Indian religious heritage and is dedicated to the divine Ganges River, which is reverentially called by the locals as Ganga Maiya (Mother Goddess).
According to astrologers, the 'Kumbh Mela' takes place when the planet Jupiter enters Aquarius and the Sun enters Aries. Kumbh (Kumbha means pot) Mela (means fair) is the largest religious and spiritual gathering in the world where millions of devotees take a holy dip in the sacred water. It is believed that the river transforms itself into sacred spots filled with Amrita (nectar) at this auspicious moment. And dipping oneself at this opportune time in Mother Ganges is believed to wash away sins you may have knowingly or unwittingly committed.
The first written evidence of the Kumbha Mela can be found in the accounts of Chinese traveller, Huan Tsang or Xuanzang (602 - 664 AD) who visited India at that time during the reign of King Harshavardhana. However, this celebration dates back many centuries to Ancient India's Vedic period, where the river festivals first started getting organised.
The mythology behind this extraordinary Mela is quaint. It was the time when Devtas (Gods) and Asuras (Anti-God Demons) resided on earth. Devtas were under the influence of a curse which aroused fear in them, thus making them weak. Brahma (the Creator) advised them to churn the milky ocean to obtain the elixir of immortality. The Mandara Mountain acted as the churning rod and Vasuki (king of serpents) was used as a rope for churning. Kumbh was the pot which contained the Nectar of Immortality so created by the churning.
Devtas sought the help of Asuras to complete this immense task, with mutual agreement of sharing the Elixir of Immortality equally. They churned the ocean for 1000 years. Finally, Dhanwantari (the God of Health) appeared with the Kumbh in his palms. To prevent the Amrita from falling into the hands of the Asuras, its safety was entrusted to the Gods Brahaspati, Surya, Shani and Chandra. The conspiracy of the Devtas, became known to the Asuras and they turned vicious and attacked them. Devtas knew that the Asuras had far more power and could easily defeat them. The Devtas ran away with the Kumbh and the Asuras chased them. For 12 days and 12 nights the Gods were chased. These 12 days spent by the Gods represent 12 years of human life. During this hot chase, the Elixir of Immortality in the Kumbh spilled and fell at four places – Allahabad, Haridwar, Ujjain and Nasik. To commemorate this holy event, the Maha Kumbh Mela is celebrated every twelve years at the four sacred places.
Over the years many famous people from across the world have visited the Kumbh Mela. One that I am familiar with is that of the great Mark Twain. After visiting the Kumbh Mela of 1895 he wrote - “It is wonderful, the power of a faith like that, that can make multitudes upon multitudes of the old and weak and the young and frail enter without hesitation or complaint upon such incredible journeys and endure the resultant miseries without repining. It is done in love, or it is done in fear; I do not know which it is. No matter what the impulse is, the act born of it is beyond imagination, marvellous to our kind of people, the cold whites”.
Indeed, for most foreigners the sheer intensity of faith, belief and numbers is staggering. Strangely, many modern global Indians, who are a blend of the east and the west, also find their unquestioning faith fascinating and marvellous. At the same time, they seem to relate to the whole scene. Sounds contradictory but I guess for those of us who have a foot each into the modern and traditional worlds, have the advantage of flowing both ways.
For the year 2010, Haridwar is the site for the Purna Kumbh Mela. I had the good fortune of attending this glorious event. This city resonated with Hindu religious fervour as a mind boggling number of devotees, from all over India as well as abroad, who travelled to Haridwar to participate in this mother of all festivals. The prevailing exuberance, energy and devotion were indeed unbelievable in its passion and strength.
There are varying statistics with regards to the number of people at the Kumbh; I am quoting one that I came across - “An estimated 30 to 40 million people gathered over 104 days for the Purna Kumbh Mela between January and April 2010. About 10 million people together took the ritualistic bath on the bathing ghats on April 14, 2010”.
Many pilgrims arrived in this city by train, plane, bus or foot - for the privilege of participating in the festival, specially the “snan” (bathing ritual) on certain auspicious dates. Most stay in hotels, ashrams and make-shift arrangements created for the devotees of the various ashrams. For many poor and devout pilgrims, the Kumbh is a journey of personal faith, with little else to brave the hardship of this pilgrimage. Most such people find space beneath the shade of trees, or at one of the camps erected by the government.
Days prior to the culmination of the Kumbh Mela, the city reverberated with loud chants of mantras (many go through the night), high tone of blown conch shells, hymns and continuous prayers. The city was enveloped with religious zeal and the mystic mood is enhanced by the presence of akhadas, naga sadhus, saints, religious teachers, and the philosophy preachers. Bhagwath and other Kathas are recited by some very eloquent preachers.
On the most propitious days, pilgrims insist on taking their “snan” in the holiest spot, known as Har Ki Pauri. On other days, pilgrims seek out other Ghats to pray and enjoy the freezing Ganges waters especially during sunrise and sunset. On April 14th (one of the propitious days between January and April), a protocol is followed to reach the Ganges for the “snan”. There is a hierarchy. The procession starts from a specified place. This grand parade of naga babas (naked sadhus), gurus, swamis, heads of the thirteen or so sects called Akhadas, as well as a host of all their devotees, move towards Ganga Maiya in a surprisingly ordered way.
A unique phenomenon of the Kumbh Mela is the convergence of saints from all across India. Thousands of holy men and women attend, and the auspiciousness of the festival is in part attributable to this. It is said that it is only during the Kumbh Mela that one can meet many genuine saints, some of whom don’t belong to any particular group. I had the benefit of meeting one such saint at the ashram (Gangeshwar Dham) that I stayed in. One of the daily routines by devotees in this ashram was to feed and support such saints who come in large numbers.
The other known groups of saints are the Naga Babas who come down from the Himalayas during this time. Most of them are naked and are smeared in ash. They have long matted hair and are not at all affected by the extremes of heat and cold. The Urdhwavahurs are a group of saints who believe in putting the body through severe austerities. The Parivajakas, another group, have taken a vow of silence and go about tinkling little bells to get people out of their way. And the Shirshasins stand all 24 hours and meditate for hours standing on their heads. There is also the Kalpvasis who spend the entire month of Kumbh on the banks of the Ganges.
Shouting and singing, waving tridents, the naked Naga Sadhus, are granted the first plunge into the mighty Ganges. Then followed by the gurus and swamis covered in saffron robes. Thousands of holy men await their turn to take a dip. The devotees are the last in the crowd and are supposed to take the ritual dip after their Akhada heads and swamis and gurus finish their snan. Needless to say, crowd management is a major challenge. Overall, considering the unbelievable crowds, I’d say it was reasonably well managed. In fact, I believe it is a miracle that nothing untoward happens. And a true display of “order in chaos”.
The Ganges is undoubtedly India’s heritage Goddess; she is revered by all regardless of their denomination or faith. Although, non-Hindus may not practice worship of the Ganges as their Goddess, there is nevertheless respect and reverence for Her. This is evidenced by the fact that people of all faith live in Haridwar and when Khumb Mela arrives, they participate in some form or the other – either in the organization of the camps or providing service to the pilgrims.
I am indeed fortunate to have personally witnessed the throng of millions of faithful, the religious fervour and the varied types of sadhus and mendicants. Last but not least, thankful as a Hindu for the opportunity to bathe in the crisp, cold waters of Mother Ganges at a very auspicious time. I believe this whole event was a miracle of sorts since even a couple of days before I started, the Kumbh Mela was not even a thought in my mind. Now cleansed from sins by the snan (I hope!), and humbled by the exhibition of faith by millions, I look forward to perhaps visiting the next Kumbh Mela.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
We gratefully acknowledge our debt to the following from whom we have sourced part of the material, particularly “Anjali” a publication by Gita Mandir, Manipal.
1 Prof.A G Favadekar for Sant Tukaram
2 Sri.Y.Janardan Surdas
3 Sardar Ujjal Singh Guru Nanak
4 Srimathi P.Mandakini Bai Mira Bai
5 Dr.Albert Schweitzer Gandhiji
6 Swami Ananyananda Sri Ramakrishna
7 Swami Harshananda Sarda Devi The Holy Mother
8 Swami Tathagathnanda Swami Vivekananda
9 Sri R Ramakrishnan Swami Brahmananda
10 Swami Aburvananda Swami Shivananda
11 Swami Krishnananda Swami Sivananda Saraswati
12 Swami Adi Devananda Sri Ramanuja Charya
13 Sri Ramaswamy Iyenger Sri.Vedanta Desika
14 Sri.T.Natarajan Aurobindo
15 Swami Vignananda Ramakrishnanda
16 Swami Harshananda
-do-
-do- Madhvacharya
Shankaracharya
Thiruvalluvar
17 Study Group Nimbarka
18 Sri.M.Janardhan Narayana Guru
19 Sri.Sripathy Acharya Tulsidas
20 Sri.Teertha Swamy Sri.Jaya Teertha
21 Shreesha Dallal Vadiraja Swami
22 Dr.Prabhu Shankara Sri.Basaveshvara
23 Sri.Govinda Charya Jagannatha Dasha
24 Margaret Noble Right Attitude to Saints and Sages
25 Hinduism Today Satgurus
26 Margret Noble Right Attitudes
FRONT COVER
SAPTARISHIS
1) Rishi Vasishtha
Rishi Vasishtha, “Most Wealthy”, one of the seven great Rishis-sages of ancient times, Vasishtha had gained complete control over all the human emotions, such as anger, envy, greed, fear etc. He was the owner of the Cow Nandini that fulfilled all wishes, hence his unlimited wealth.
2) Rishi Kashyapa
Rishi Kashyapa, is one of the seven great Rishis, and he appears as the priest of Parashurama and Ramachandra, respectively, the sixth and seventh incarnations of Vishnu. He is a poet and writer of several hymns in the Vedas.
3) Rishi Atri
Rishi Atri, was the author of many vedic hymns. In the Puranas, he was father of Soma or Chandra (Moon), and the Dattatreya by his wife Anasuya.
4) Rishi Jamadagni
Rishi Jamadagni was a Brahmin and a descendant of Bhrigu. He was the father of five sons, the most renowned of which was the youngest, Parashurama, the sixth Avatara of Vishnu.
5) Rishi Gautama
Rishi Gautama was the Guru of the sage Gotama, and the husband of Ahalya.
6) Rishi Vishwamitra
Rishi Vishwamitra was a celebrated sage, who was born Kshatriya, but by intense austerities raised himself to the Brahman caste and became one of the seven great rishis.
7) Rishi Bharadwaja
Rishi Bharadwaja is the seventh Rishi of the Saptarishis. An arch-priest and one of the greatest poets who ever lived, with the majority of the magnificent hymns of the Vedas attributed to him. He was the son of Brihaspati and the father of Dronacharya. He was the Guru of the Pandavas. He received Rama and Sita in his hermitage at Prayaga
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