Chintana

January 2020

All the great Masters have constantly advised seekers to maintain perfect consistency between their thoughts and expressions. – Chinmaya

Intellectual conviction is ‘thought’. Putting it into action and living it is ‘expression’. Knowing is ‘thought’. Doing is ‘expression’.

Consistency is saying what you think, and doing what you say. Hence consistency is to walk the thought and to walk the talk.

Preaching is easy. Practising is always difficult. The path of Truth is compared with the razor’s edge. No wonder why very few are found treading this path.

In the early stages, Mohammad was disliked by the influential Koreish tribe. They sent round word that Mohammad had become mad. Insults were heaped upon Mohammad. Even children ran after him and pelted stones on him.

Abu Talib, Mohammad’s uncle, was an old man. He appealed to Mohammad, “Son! The Koreishites are the strongest tribe. They are dead against you. Why don’t you give up your role as a preacher? Why don’t you become a merchant again?”

Then spoke Mohammad, words wherein lied hidden the fire of a true servant of God, who would not barter with the world, come what may! To his old respected uncle, Mohammad said gently but firmly, “Even if you were to place the sun in my right hand and the moon in my left, I will not swerve from the Truth. God will teach me to stand by Truth. Yes! Truth at any cost – even if the way is covered with flaming fires! Truth and Truth alone – even if the reward is agony, persecution, prison or the scaffold!”

It needs tremendous courage and strength to walk the path of Truth. And this we gain when we surrender unto the Divine.

Gandhiji, with hard work and God’s grace, gradually blossomed into an outstanding lawyer in South Africa. He had a high reputation for his knowledge of the law, laws of evidence, skills to get at facts, and effective presentation to the court. He enjoyed a high reputation among his professional colleagues. The Courts held him in the highest esteem.

Everyone knew Gandhiji’s loyalty to truth. He would never stand up in Court and plead ‘not guilty’ for a man who he knew to be guilty. If at any time during the proceedings he discovered that he had been misled and the client was really guilty, he never hesitated to give up his case and leave the Court.

Even before deciding whether he should accept a case, Gandhiji thoroughly interrogated the client. In one such case, a man charged with stealing wanted Gandhiji to defend him. When Gandhiji interviewed the accused man and interrogated him closely, very soon the man confessed that he had committed the crime.

“But why did you do it?” asked Gandhiji. “You knew you were stealing, and you knew the penalty. Why then did you do it?”

“I had to live,” replied the man with finality.

“You had to live?” echoed Gandhiji softly. “But why?”

 This reflected Gandhiji’s view of life –  ‘being alive’ is not more important than ‘being truthful’.

Sometimes our own mind, addicted to something lower, justifies the compromise. Here is a classic example of how our own mind cheats us:

Winston Churchill, who was a well-known drunkard, was once asked about his position on whiskey. This was his tactful reply:

“If you mean whiskey, the devil’s brew, the poison scourge, the bloody monster that defiles innocence, dethrones reason, destroys the home, creates misery and poverty, literally takes the bread from the mouths of little children; if you mean that evil drink that topples men and women from the pinnacles of righteous and gracious living into the bottomless pit of degradation, shame, despair, helplessness, and hopelessness, then, my friend, I am opposed to it with every fibre of my being.”

“However”,

“if by whisky you mean the oil of conversation, the philosophic wine, the elixir of life, the ale that is consumed when good fellows get together, that puts a song in their hearts and the warm glow of contentment in their eyes; if you mean good cheer, the stimulating sip that puts a little spring in the step of an elderly gentleman on a frosty morning; if you mean that drink that enables man to magnify his joy, and to forget life’s great tragedies and heartbreaks and sorrow; if you mean that drink the sale of which pours into our treasuries untold millions of dollars each year, that provides tender care for our little crippled children, our blind, our deaf, our dumb, our pitifully aged and infirm, to build the finest highways, hospitals, universities, and community colleges in this nation, then my friend, I am absolutely, unequivocally in favour of it.” 

“This is my position, and as always, I refuse to compromise on matters of principle.”

The result? He could never come out of this addiction. He needed drinks even for lunch and for dinner. He died an addict.

When we justify a weakness in us, we hardly come out of it!

There are three types of people in this world: the unintelligent, the moderate and the wise.

The unintelligent people are those who compromise at every step, even for the least material gain. They yield to temptation easily.

The moderate people are those who don’t compromise with values, because they know that to succeed materially one must be credible and trustworthy. Hence they stick to values for a larger material gain.

But the wise ones are those who value only spiritual gain. They are ready to go through any amount of material losses and hardships, but never can they agree to a moral compromise and a subsequent spiritual downfall. 

On his death bed, Tom Smith called his children and advised them to follow his footsteps so that they can have peace of mind in all that they do.

His daughter, Sara, said, “Daddy, It is unfortunate you are dying without a penny in your bank. Other fathers that you tag as “being corrupt, thieves of public funds, etc.” left houses and properties for their children; even this house we live in is a rented apartment. Sorry, I can’t emulate you. Leave us alone. Let’s chart our own course…”

A few moments later, their father breathed his last.

Three years later, Sara went for an interview in a prestigious multinational company. At the interview, the Chairman of the committee asked, “Which Smith are you?”

Sara replied, “I am Sara Smith. My dad Tom Smith is now no more.”

Chairman cuts in, “O my God! You are Tom Smith’s daughter?”

He turned to the other members and said, “This Smith was the one who signed my membership form into the Institute of Administrators and his recommendation earned me where I am today. A man of principles, he was considered the most incorruptible man of his times and was revered by all in the entire department for his honesty and integrity.”

He turned to Sara, “I have no questions for you. Consider yourself as selected for this job. Come tomorrow. Your letter will be waiting for you.”

Sara was stunned! She could hardly believe her ears!

Sara Smith became the Corporate Affairs Manager of the company with two cars with drivers, A duplex attached to the office, and a salary of £1,00,000 per month excluding allowances and other costs.

After two years of working in the company, the MD of the company came from America to announce his intention to resign and needed a replacement. A personality with high integrity was sought after. Again the company’s Consultant nominated Sara Smith. This was beyond her wildest dreams!

In an interview, she was asked the secret of her success. Tears welled up in her eyes as she replied, “My dad paved the way for me. It was only after his death that I came to know of his greatness. He was financially poor, but was stinking rich in integrity, discipline, and honesty. He had nothing, but he gave us everything…”

As she said this, her voice choked.

After a few moments of silence she continued, “On his death bed, I insulted my dad for being an honest man of integrity. But today, when I look back, I must admit that left to myself, I am nothing. Riding on his glory, I achieved everything. Whatever I am is the result of his sacrifice…”

At the end of the interview, she was asked, “Will you follow your father’s foot-steps as he requested?”

Wiping her tears, she answered in a clear, confident tone, “I now adore the man, and he will forever remain a role model for me. To follow his footsteps will be my greatest offering of gratitude unto him. May God bless me with strength in living up to his ideals!”

The one who has known the joy of having a clean conscience will never yield to any materialistic temptations; because the joy of the heart is infinitely more fulfilling than the comfort of the flesh.

No wonder why, with an uncompromising attitude, the great ones, even in the face of death, ever remained true to their Self, their God.

O   M         T   A   T         S   A   T

December 2019

The goal of teaching is to impart to the children the ability to make the right judgments. – Chinmaya

Why teaching is necessary?

The world is a mixture of good and bad, right and wrong. Hence to live in this world, the right knowledge is necessary. The goal of teaching is to impart the right knowledge.

Aparna’s mother one day sent her to the woods to look for mushrooms.

 “Mother,” cried the girl when she returned home, “Today I found some truly beautiful mushrooms! Look at them,” she said, opening her basket, “they are all shining red and purple colour as if embroidered with lovely pearls. There were also some plain mushrooms like the ones you brought home last time, but they seemed so ugly that I left them there.”

“My sweet little girl! Don’t you realize how silly you are?” exclaimed her mother. “The beautiful mushrooms that you brought home today, even if they do seem so brightly coloured and enchanting, are poisonous. The brown ones, instead, which you despised, because of their plain look, are edible and are the best kind. Such is also the case with the things of this world, my dear.”

The world is strange. What appears obvious is often erroneous. What is attractive is often destructive. What is pleasing to the senses is often harmful to the soul. What appears nectarine is often poisonous. Hence right teaching is necessary.

One can teach. But learning is possible only when we are available to learn. The one who is obstinate and stubborn and remains inside his own cocoon of inhibitions, superstitions, or belief-systems can never see the light of truth. 

When Galileo wrote that the sun does not go around the earth as it appears,

but in fact, it is the earth that goes around the sun, he was called by the Pope to his court. Galileo was then old, seventy-five years old, sick and almost on his deathbed.

The Pope asked, “You have to change your book because it goes against the Bible. In the Bible, the statement is that the sun goes around the earth, and we are not ready to listen to any argument. You simply change it; otherwise, death will be your punishment.”

Galileo said, “There is no need for you to take so much trouble to kill me. I am going to die anyway. As far as the book is concerned, I will change it, but I want you to remember that by my changing the book, neither is the earth going to change nor is the sun going to change. The earth will still go around the sun, because they don’t read my book and they don’t care what I write.”

So he cancelled the statement in his book. And in the footnote he wrote, “I am cancelling the statement, knowing perfectly well that it makes no difference. The reality remains the same.”

Our wrong knowledge doesn’t make any difference to the world. But it makes all the difference in our lives.

Nowadays, in schools and colleges, mechanical memorising of facts and figures is considered education. This ability to reproduce the text-book data from the memory to the answer-sheets, and to parrot-like repeat in the exam hall is no knowledge at all.

In the life of one of the British viceroys, Curzon, there is mention of an interesting incident. Curzon had heard that there was a man in Rajputana whose memory was just unbelievable. The man knew only his local dialect, Rajasthani, a dialect of Hindi; he did not know any other language.

He was called to the court of the Viceroy Curzon; a special meeting was arranged. Thirty scholars, knowing thirty languages, were to examine the man and his memory; and all those thirty languages were foreign languages for him.

The arrangement was such that each of those thirty scholars was to deliver one sentence in his own language to the poor villager from Rajasthan. But the sentence was not to be delivered to him in one piece. The villager would go to one person who would give him the first word of his sentence. Then a bell would be rung. Then the villager would move to the next person, who would give him his first word. In this way, he would go round and round. After thirty persons, he would come again to the first person to get the second word of his sentence; and after each word, a big bell would ring to confuse him.

The scholars were not certain that they would be able to remember their whole sentence for the whole time, because it was going to take so much time. They all had their sentences written in front of them, and they were marking off each word they had given. And this man went on and on, round and round, taking their words, and accumulating in his memory the sentences which were given to him in pieces.

After all the scholars had given their sentences, he repeated thirty statements in thirty languages, of which he knew nothing. He knew nothing about what they meant. He was so correct that all the intellectuals were puzzled. Curzon was amazed. He praised the man and rewarded him.

But it was found by talking with his fellow villagers that he was an idiot. Just as far as his memory was concerned, he was simply great, but he was incapable of handling even a simple situation in life. They said, “He is known in our village as `the great intellectual idiot’.”

True education must make us fit to face the world. It must make us capable of making the right decisions amidst problems and challenges.

A Guru and his disciple were travelling in a bullock cart loaded with household items. Before commencing the journey, the Guru, who was sitting in front, instructed the disciple, “Keep a watch on all the things in the cart.” The disciple nodded his head in humble obedience.

Journey started. Sometime later, the Guru, feeling thirsty, asked for the Kamandalu. The disciple replied, “Sir! It fell down on the way. Since you have asked me only to keep a watch on everything, I did not pick it up. I just looked at it!”

The frustrated Guru then said, “Idiot! Now listen. Whatever falls must be picked up irrespective of what it is.”

The journey continued. After some time, the bullocks defecated on the road. The alert obedient disciple immediately stopped the cart, got down, gathered the dung and came running back. He lovingly offered it to his Master. The Guru, looking at his disciple, let out a long sigh of despair. “How to put some sense into this foolish disciple?” He thought.

Soon he found out a solution. Writing a list containing all the items in the cart, the Guru then called the disciple and instructed, “Buddhu! Listen. Only those things which are present in this list should be picked up if it falls.”

The journey again continued. The rhythmic movement of the cart, hot sun, tiredness, long journey and old age – the occasion was conducive for the Guru to take a nap. No sooner did he doze off than he lost the balance and fell off from the moving cart.

The disciple checked the list. The Guru’s name was not there. The cart moved on leaving behind the Guru on the road!!

Educated literate people assuming high offices who ‘stick to the letter but not to the spirit’ have done more harm to the society than the ignorant, illiterate vagabonds!

Sometimes, half-knowledge is more dangerous than no knowledge.

Pasha Bhai’s one leg had turned blue. He went to the doctor.

Doctor: “Poison has spread Pasha Bhai. The leg needs to be amputated.”

The operation took place and Pasha Bhai’s one leg was removed.

After a few days, another leg turned blue.

Doctor: “Poison has widely spread. We need to amputate this leg too.”

Now Pasha Bhai had two artificial legs fixed.

After a few days, the artificial leg turned blue too.

Doctor: “Now I understand your problem. Pasha Bhai, your Lungi is leaving colour.”

Sometimes, our likes and dislikes can hamper perfect decision-making.

One professor, seeing the growing habits of drinking among the youngsters, decided to instruct them on the harmful effects of drinking. He went to the classroom with a glass of alcohol, and in front of all the students, put a worm in the glass. In no time, the worm disappeared. Turning to the students, he asked, “What do you understand from this?” One youngster got up and replied, “Sir! If we drink, the stomach will become free of all worms!”

To summarise, education must give us not only the right knowledge but also make us capable of right thinking.

O   M         T   A   T         S   A   T

November 2019

Invoke the Mother to help us annihilate within all negative forces and all weaknesses. – Chinmaya

A mother is an embodiment of love, of compassion, of forbearance, of patience, of forgiveness, of tolerance, and of sacrifice. No wonder why in Hinduism, God is worshipped as Divine Mother during the Navaratri festival.

Pujya Gurudev used to narrate a story.

Monsoon season is in progress. The 5-year-old boy can not contain the excitement of playing in the way-side ditch water. Though he is warned not to play in the dirty water, the temptation appears too much to resist! At last, finding an opportune moment, he escapes the attention of the grown-ups, stealthily enters into the rain-collected muddy water, and fulfils his desire to his heart’s content.

The boy thoroughly enjoys the mud-splashing game with the local slum boys. An hour passes by. When the excitement cools down, his attention turns to his muddy, wet clothes. He visualizes the future consequences of his aquatic adventure – a serious father and a furious mother.

Totally drenched head to toe, with a heart filled with fear and guilt, he reaches back home. Father is absorbed in reading the newspaper sitting in the courtyard. Mustering courage, the boy calls out meekly, “Papa…”

Father, hearing the call, lowers his newspaper and looks out. To his horror, in front of him, he finds his darling child, his apple-of-the-eye, in the filthiest condition.  He removes his specs and stares at the boy for a few seconds. And in those few moments, the boy sees a total transition happening in his father. The otherwise loving figure now becomes stern, fiercely silent, and absolutely unapproachable. In a serious tone, the father now calls out the boy’s mother.

Mother, working in the kitchen, hearing the call, comes out. Seeing her child in that deplorable condition, she becomes a BhadraKali!

She drags the boy into the bathroom through the backside, all the while shouting, “How many times I have told you not to play in that dirty water…” And as the boy cries in protest, she lands some tight slaps on his cheeks. Amidst the boy’s loud weeping and wailing, the mother undresses, him, puts him in a bathtub, applies soap and rubs him and scrubs him.

Bathing is over. The mother wipes her child with the bathing-towel. By then the boy also realizes his mistake, “The fault is mine. My mother is always my well-wisher. She had warned me, but I disobeyed her. I should have been her good child…” The boy becomes silent, obedient and humble.

Seeing her child quiet and repentant, the mother’s heart also melts in love, “Poor child! I have been so harsh to him. It is but natural that children will want to play in the water. How will a poor innocent child know what is good or bad? I should have been more forgiving and compassionate…”

After the bath, the mother puts new clothes on him. Applying face-powder, a black dot is put on the cheek to save the child from ‘evil-eye.’ For being obedient, the mother presents a lolly-pop to her baby and then takes the happy child to his father.

The boy stands behind the father’s chair, not having the courage to come in front. The boy is worried whether he will be accepted by his father. He has not forgotten the serious, unwelcoming face of his father. But the mother persuades him to go near the father.

With all humility, with a tone soaked in confession, with a heart filled with sincere love, he calls with all meekness, “Papa…”

The father turns back and looks at his child. The serious face of the father within a few moments lits up with joy and forgiveness when he finds a totally transformed child.

The father lifts the child, and placing him on the lap, gently kisses him!

This incident happens in every household.

Gurudev then elaborates upon the moral of the story:

Child playing in the dirty water:

This is our story. Turning away from our father and mother (the supreme Lord), we enter into extroverted activities, indulging in all worldly pursuits and sense pleasures. Thus our mind becomes dirty, filled with ahankara-mamakara, kama-krodha and raga-dvesha.

Child rejected by the father:

With such an impure mind filled with worldly vasanas, when we sit for meditation and chant, “ Aham Brahmaasmi, I am Brahman”, we don’t experience anything! True, Brahman is our own nature, but with a mind possessing all evil traits, we are denied entry into the kingdom of our own ‘heavenly Father’.

Father commands the mother:

In Bhagavad Geeta, Brahman is compared with the father principle and Maya/Prakrti is compared with the mother principle. It is said: Brahman, the Pure Consciousness, does not do anything. In His presence, empowered by Him, the Prakruti, the power of Maya, does everything.

Mother Nature takes over to correct and guide us, her erring children.

Mother cleans the child:

Mother Nature, through various ups and downs in life – heat-cold, joy-sorrow, honor-dishonor, profit-loss, pain-gain, purifies us. Like that child, we also protest, but the cleaning continues. We may complain and grumble, protest and murmur, but Mother Nature turns a deaf ear to all our ‘Why me?’-s. She is a tough Task-Mistress. She will not let us leave until we have learnt our lessons!

Sufferings teach us wonderful lessons in life. Sufferings make us humble, sensitive, introspective, grateful and make us God-dependent. It makes us fit to deserve liberation. This is the blessings of Mother Durga – to clean us of all inner impurities through measured doses of timely sufferings.

Introspection makes us learn one of the greatest lessons in life – ‘I alone am the cause of all my suffering.’ We realise that reforming oneself is the only way to peace and happiness. Life then takes a U-turn; grumbling stops and inner-refinement begins. We work on ourselves. We become a sadhaka, a spiritual seeker.

 The child gets good clothes, the mother’s love, and lolly-pop:

As we try to improve the quality of our thoughts, something wonderful starts happening in us and around us. We experience tremendous peace because of our noble thoughts. Through such a beautiful mind, we perceive a beautiful world. And then we start creating a beautiful world around us through our noble thoughts, words, and actions. Goodness within attracts goodness without. This is the blessings of Mother Lakshmi – Goddess of material prosperity and divine virtues.

Mother takes the child to the father:

An intense desire to be one with God comes spontaneously to a refined mind. Understanding our need, Mother Nature blesses us with the opportunity to attend Satsang and to listen to the scriptures through mahatmas. The sincere seeker gets a Guru. This is the blessing of Mother Saraswati – the Goddess of knowledge.

The child calls, “Papa”:

With such a purified mind, with all humility, respect, reverence, surrender, and love, we contemplate upon the meaning of the Mahavakyas, the Upanishadic statement “I am Brahman.”

The father lifts the boy, places the boy on his lap and kisses him:

We realise our oneness with Brahman. The delusory world ceases, the illusory ego disappears, the birth-death journey ends, and we become one with our Creator.   

In the end what remains is only gratitude to the Divine Mother, who pulled us out from the filthiest worldly ditch, and made us one with Brahman.

 To that Mother, our humble prostrations!

O   M         T   A   T         S   A   T

October 2019

Education in a country must help to rebuild the character of its people. – Chinmaya

What can be called perfect education?

Swami Vivekananda defines education thus, “Education is the manifestation of perfection already in man.” True education makes a person aware of the glory of the Self, and thus instils self-confidence and self-respect.

What happens when education stoops down to a mere bread-winning money-making education? Education without values makes a man a ‘cleverer devil’. An instance is discussed below:

Researches conducted all over the country say that surgeries taking place in the hospitals have increased multiple-fold. The reason?

A senior orthopaedic surgeon in a corporate hospital explained the reason behind this unsettling trend: “The doctors have a quota to meet every month. Hence they see patients as potential candidates on our operating table. It is the easiest and safest way to make quick money. Many of these surgeries don’t involve too many risks, while at the same time fetch more revenue for the hospitals. Hence the doctors create fear in the patients by describing all the dangerous consequences if not operated; thus they compel them to undergo various tests and surgeries.”  

A doctor said he was suspended by the hospital administration for having only a 10% ‘conversion rate’ – referring to the number of patients who were advised to undergo surgery. Hospital authorities force the doctors for operation, because, for a Rs 2 lakh surgery the doctor probably gets Rs 25,000, while the rest goes to the hospital.

Theodore Roosevelt has rightly said, “A man who has never gone to school may steal from a railway wagon; but if he has a university education, he may loot the entire railway department!”

Corrupt police officers, power-hungry politicians, spineless I.A.S officers, unjust lawyers, money-minded doctors, food-adulterating farmers…  – Education without focussing on the character can ruin the entire nation.   

Regarding education, Gandhiji rightly points out, “University education has served its purpose only when it turns out true servants of people.”

True education makes a person the master of his mind and the senses. Such a person becomes a man of character.

Two men, an American and an Indian, were sitting in a bar and discussing their family problems.

The Indian man said to the American, “We have a problem in India. We can’t marry the one whom we love. My parents are forcing me for arranged-marriage – to get married to this so-called homely girl from a village whom I haven’t even met once. I don’t want to marry a woman whom I don’t love. I told them this openly and now we have a lot of family problems.”

The American said, “In America, we can marry the one whom we love. I’ll tell you my story. I married a widow whom I deeply loved and dated for 3 years. After a couple of years, my father fell in love with my step-daughter and married her, so my father became my son-in-law and I became my father’s father-in-law. Legally now my daughter is my mother and my wife my grandmother. More problems occurred when I had a son. My son is my father’s brother and so he is my uncle.

“Situations turned worse when my father had a son. Now my father’s son, my brother is my grandson. Ultimately, I have become my own grandfather and I am my own grandson. And you say you have family problems!!”

The Indian fainted!

Education without character-building can only bring out lettered but uncultured, informed but unrefined, schooled but uncivilized, literate idiots and educated sense-slaves.

Once a Britisher asked Swami Vivekananda “Why can’t you wear pants, shirt, and tie and look like a gentleman.” Swami Vivekanand smiled and said:  “In your culture, a tailor makes a gentleman; but, in ours, the character makes a gentleman.”

What happens when education becomes a mere information-gathering, mugging-up business? Here is an e-mail letter written by a software engineer settled in the USA to his friends when he was asked to visit his home town in India:

“I lived in Trichy for 22 whole years. But I don’t have any bonding with my native town. For 22 years, I have been with my parents. But I don’t have any sweet memories of them. My father has always planned to make me an engineer. He even planned it right before my LKG.

Studying in the school, studying in the tuition centre, and then studying at home – these are the only memories of my childhood that I carry around. Even on summer holidays, there is no fun or play; even for festivals like Pongal and Diwali, there’s no celebration; its only study.

“Mine was a private school. It was ranked the best for squeezing my childhood into marks. People would stand in queues even to get admission. There’s no way the school authorities would let me laugh or play. It’s just study, study, and study. The school’s prestige and popularity depended on our marks. Hence there was constant pressure from the teachers and the school management. Even in that study, the only thing they taught me was to cram and to mug up, to xerox the whole text with my memory and to write on the exam papers.

“Now, after finishing my graduation, getting employed in America and living here for long, Trichy has become a strange city to me. I can’t stay for more than a day in it.

I have no love for my parents. For 22 years, though I had been with them, we never had any general discussions. They only frightened me with their fears of studies and my future. Even now, they frighten me with questions like, how much I earn and what are my savings plan. They are asking me to live their life. How do you expect me to come to a city which has given me only pains and fears, and robbed my childhood in the name of studies?”

It is so well said, “Educating the head without educating the heart is no education at all.”

When the atom-bomb was dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Albert Einstein could not sleep the whole night; for days his nights were disturbed. He could not sleep, he could not rest; he was terribly disturbed.

He had been instrumental in creating the atom-bomb. It was he who wrote the letter to the President of America saying that the atom-bomb was possible. But he never thought of the consequences of releasing this powerful information to the politicians. He never could imagine that his knowledge of atomic power will be used in bombing Hiroshima and Nagasaki, where thousands of people, innocent civilians, would be burned within seconds, for no fault of their own.

Strange but true, today we are living in an age where guided missiles are in the hands of misguided people!

Just before Einstein died somebody asked him, “If you are born again, what would you like to be? A great mathematician again, a great physicist, a great scientist?”
He is reported to have said, “No, never! Rather, I would like to be a plumber. But now it is too late…”

No wonder why spiritual stalwarts like Tapovanam Maharaj, Ramana Maharshi, and Ramakrishna Paramahamsa left schooling at a very early stage, even against their parents’ wishes!

According to Rabindranath Tagore, “ The highest education is that which does not merely give us information, but makes our life in harmony with all existence.”

Let’s summerise and conclude with a quote from Swami Vivekananda:

“All power is within us. We can do anything and everything. We want that man-making education by which character is formed, the strength of mind is increased, the intellect is expanded, and by which one can stand on one’s own feet. Educate and raise the masses. Then alone a nation is possible.”

O   M         T   A   T         S   A   T

September 2019

To strive is given to us; success is always His. So never feel beaten out – STRIVE. – Chinmaya

The above quote summarises the message of the Bhagavad Geeta:

कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन । मा कर्मफलहेतुर्भू: मा ते सङ्गोऽस्त्वकर्मणि||
(Your right is in action, not in the results. May you not perform actions for the results nor remain actionless.)

Former President of India, Abdul Kalam speaks about his first meeting with Pujya Swami Shivanandji Maharaj of Divine Life Society:

“I want to tell you about an important incident that happened in my life in 1958.
When I was a young boy, I wanted to become a pilot. That was my dream. I applied to the Air Force and was asked to attend an interview with the Air Force Selection Board at Dehradun.
In the interview, after four days of difficult tasks, out of 25 applicants, nine were selected. I was ninth, but they wanted only eight. So I was rejected.

I was very dejected.  While returning, I came to Rishikesh. After bathing in the Ganges, when I was putting on my dhoti, I saw a beautiful building on the other side of the river. It was Swami Shivanandji’s ashram. I went there. Swami Shivananda was sitting on a pedestal giving Satsang to hundreds of people. I sat in the last row.

After his discourse on the Bhagavad Gita, normally he would randomly select two people from the crowd for an interview. I was one of the two selected. I don’t know what made him select me. He called me to his chamber, looked at me and said in Tamil, “What’s your name?” “Abdul Kalam,” I replied. “Why are you sad?“ he asked. This great one, this chosen one, this godly person, knew of my sorrow! I replied, “Swamiji, I am coming after attending an interview conducted by the Air Force. But I was not selected as a pilot.”

Swami Shivananda looked at me. I was such a small fellow in front of him. Then he opened the Bhagavad Gita and said, “When Arjuna tells Krishna that he is afraid of fighting Kurukshetra war, Krishna tells him, ‘Defeat the defeatist tendency.’”

Swami Shivananda asked me to repeat the statement “Defeat the defeatist tendency.” three times. I repeated it three times and I was cheered up. He then gave me twenty of his books published in Tamil and English. It was such a great experience.

So, friends, I will never forget this incident in my life. I am now seventy-one. Swami Shivananda’s mantra: “Defeat the defeatist tendency” is always with me and that great philosophy and advice which Lord Krishna gave to Arjuna always come to me whenever I’m in trouble.”

As it is rightly said, “Do your best and leave the rest.” Let us do what best we can, and let Him decide what we deserve. 

In 1938, Karoly Takacs of the Hungarian Army was the top 25-meter rapid fire pistol shooter in the world.  He was expected to win the gold in the 1940 Olympic games scheduled for Tokyo.  Those expectations vanished one terrible day just months before the Olympics.  While training with his army squad, a faulty hand grenade exploded in Takacs’ right hand, and the shooting hand was badly injured.

Takacs spent a month in the hospital depressed at both the loss of his hand and the end to his Olympic dream.  However, Takacs did the unthinkable – he picked himself up, dusted himself off, and decided to learn how to shoot with his left hand!  His reasoning was simple.  He simply asked himself, “Why not?’’ Instead of focusing on what he didn’t have – a world-class right shooting hand – he decided to focus on what he did have – incredible mental toughness, and a healthy left hand that with time, could be developed to shoot like a champion.

For months Takacs practised by himself.  No one knew what he was doing.  Maybe he didn’t want to subject himself to people who most certainly would have discouraged him from his rekindled dream.  In the spring of 1939, he showed up at the Hungarian National Pistol Shooting Championship. 

Many came to express their sympathy.

 “Our condolences!”, Some said.

Others said, “Thanks a lot for coming all the way here to watch our performance and to cheer us!”

They were surprised when he said, “I have not come to watch; I have come to compete!” 

The competitions began. They were all the more surprised when Takacs won!

The 1940 and 1944 Olympics were cancelled because of World War II.  It looked like Takacs’ Olympic Dream would never have a chance to realize itself.  But Takacs kept training and in 1948 he qualified for the London Olympics.

At the age of 38, Takacs won the Gold Medal by beating the then reigning world champion and setting a new world record.  Four years later, Takacs won the Gold Medal again at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics.

What is the difference between a winner and a loser?

The winner always has a plan; the loser always has an excuse…    The winner sees a solution for every problem; the loser sees a problem in every solution…    The winner says, “It may be difficult, but it is possible.”; the loser says, “It may be possible, but it is too difficult.”…    Winners trade short-term-pain for the long term gain; the losers trade short-term-gain and get long-term-pain…   Winners stand firm on values but compromise on petty things; the losers stand firm on petty things but compromise on values…   Winners are like thermostats; losers are like thermometers… Losers quit when they fail; winners fail until they succeed.

Lata Khare, a 65-year-old woman, and her husband practically lived below the poverty line in a small village in Maharashtra. After marrying off their three daughters, they worked as farmhands to survive on daily wages. One morning her husband felt uneasy on account of some infection he seemed to have developed. The medical professional in the village referred them to a hospital in the city. Let alone treatment, they had no money to even travel to the location or pay the doctor’s fee. Somehow managing to borrow just enough to scrape through, the worried couple travelled to Baramati to get Lata’s husband checked.

Several hours, some preliminary tests and a few hundred rupees later, finally, when their turn came, the doctor examined the old man as Lata waited outside with bated breath hoping for good news. Much to her dismay though, the doctor recommended a whole lot of new tests costing a few thousand rupees. There was no way they could arrange that sort of money. Teary-eyed, she pleaded for some way out but the hospital or the doctor couldn’t be of more help. It was already late afternoon by now and they had to get back to their village. Dejected and hopeless, they looked at each other, fearing that they might not be together for long. Following brief moments of denial and disbelief, they realized that they hadn’t eaten anything since morning nor had a glass of water.

While walking back to the bus stop, they stopped by a street vendor who was selling samosas. She pulled out a little handkerchief where she had tied some tens of rupees and ordered two samosas. The vendor handed her one on a piece of newspaper. Smeared with oil and sauce, the paper read “Baramati Marathon Tomorrow”. Apparently, a marathon was on the cards just the next day and it carried prize-money of Rs. 5000.

“I’m running this marathon,” she said to her husband.
“Have you gone crazy?” he retorted. “You want to die too?”
“I’m going for it.”

Against everyone’s advice in the village, including her husband’s and daughters’, Lata Khare showed up at the marathon the next day. She was not wearing any sports clothing, T-shirt or trackies, but the only type of dress she owned and had worn all her life – a saree. If this wasn’t a red flag for the organizers, she wasn’t even wearing shoes. She was barefoot. Citing the great risk of injury, she was refused entry by the organizers.

But Lata remained adamant and stubborn and was in no mood to retreat. Ancient texts have pegged the willpower of a woman at the same level as a king’s, calling ‘Stree-hatha’ at par with ‘Raaja-hatha’, that is, when a woman decides to do something, no one can stop her. Lata Khare proved it that day. The organizers listening to her story and plea finally gave in and allowed her participation just to keep her calm.

Many onlookers cheered for her, some out of sarcasm and others more genuinely. “Go, Aunty, go,” they chanted.

Lata Khare hitched her saree to her knees and, against all odds, ran like there was no tomorrow. For the record, 42 kilometres (26 miles) make a marathon and it’s not something you train yourself for overnight. Forget winning, without prior preparation and adequate nutrition, most people can’t even complete it. Besides, just finishing it wouldn’t be good enough, she had to win it to get any prize money.

As far as she was concerned, this was the only way out to keep her husband alive. She wasn’t running for a trophy or fame, she was running for life, literally. If anything, it wasn’t she but her love for her husband that ran on that paved road with no shoes on, with her saree that obstructed her every step. Gravel, pebbles, potholes or just tarred road, onlookers claimed that Lata Khare ran as if she had been possessed.

The question is: did Lata Khare win? An elderly woman running barefoot, competing against those who were physically fitter and better fed and equipped.

Yes, Lata Khare won. She had to. She did.

Let’s try what best we can with full trust in God and His kindness. 

Nothing is impossible for the one blessed by God’s grace!

मूकं करोति वाचालं पङ्गुं लङ्घयते गिरिम् । यत्कृपा तमहं वन्दे परमानन्दमाधवम्||
(My prostrations to that Blissful Lord, by whose grace the dumb becomes eloquent and the lame scales the mountain-peaks.)

O   M         T   A   T         S   A   T

August 2019

A serene mind is a mountain of strength. – Chinmaya

The above quote is one among the millions of reasons why the mind should be kept serene.

When does the mind become serene?

When we realise that there is an Omniscient Lord at the helm of affairs, and that everything is taken care perfectly, then the mind becomes serene.

When Gandhiji was in prison in the Aga Khan’s palace at Pune in 1943, he went on a 21-day fast protesting against the British Government. As the days progressed, his condition began to deteriorate which caused considerable anxiety throughout the nation. He had collapsed twice and the team of doctors were worried. Surgeon General Candy suggested intravenous administration of glucose.

 Dr Susheela Nayyar, who knew the nature of Gandhiji very well, informed Dr Candy, “Sir! Gandhiji will not agree to take glucose. He will willingly die, but he will resist the administration of glucose.”

General Candy wanted to speak to Gandhiji in private. All others left the room.

He went and sat on a chair near Gandhiji. He could not bring himself to speak. In the end, he mustered courage and said, “Mr Gandhi, as a doctor I should tell you that you have crossed the limit of your strength. Your capacity to fast or to keep alive without some form of nourishment has been exhausted long back…”

General Candy could not speak further. He burst into tears.

Gandhiji consoled him, “Why are you nervous? I am in God’s hands. I have voluntarily put myself in His hands. If He wants to take me away, He will take me away. I am ready to go. If He feels that my work is not over, He will keep me here.”

General wiped his tears and gently walked out of the room.

As per the instructions of the British Government, a pile of sandalwood was kept ready on the campus to cremate Gandhiji’s body if he died. But the miracle happened. He survived the fast.

C.F. Andrews, a British social reformer wrote about Gandhiji thus: 

“There is a ruler of India here, Mahatma Gandhi, whose sway is greater than all imperial power. His name will be remembered and sung by the village people long after the names of the modern Governors in their palaces at New Delhi are forgotten. When all the Government buildings have crumbled into ruins, the name of Mahatma Gandhi will still be taught by mothers to their little children as one of the greatest of Indian saints and saviours.

“For, there is a spiritual palace which Gandhi has built up out of an eternal fabric. Its foundations are deeply and truly laid in the Kingdom of God. No oppression of the poor has gone to build it. Love and devotion and service to the poor are its golden decorations. No military pomp reigns within its borders, but only the peaceful harmony of human souls. No race or colour distinctions have any place in it. No clash of religious controversy mars its silence. Its empire is the heart.”

A heart ruled by God lacks nothing – be it courage, wisdom, peace or strength.

On the 15^{th of} August, 1947, India became free. But Alas! The freedom of India meant partition of the country. At that time Sadhu Vaswani was in Sindh (now Pakistan). The Hindus of the Sindh, leaving their properties and possessions behind, bade farewell to the soil of their birth and sought new homes in India. Sadhu Vaswani continued to stay on. St. Meera Schools started by Vaswani continued to serve the children of those who had newly arrived in Sindh.

There were many God-fearing Muslims – men who loved God and aspired to live in His presence. But the country was over-run by another type of people. In that transition period, utter lawlessness prevailed. Cut-throats and assassins, murderers and mobsters were free to do what they liked.

St. Meera’s High School at that time was one of the few educational institutions which kept aglow the light of the ideals which give meaning and value to life – the ideals of unity and peace, of service and sacrifice, of harmony and brotherhood of all life. A storm of vilification was raised. At the meeting of about thirty thousand persons, the lie was spread, that at the time of Mr Jinnah’s death, halwa (a type of sweetmeat) was distributed at Sadhu Vaswani’s satsang. This incensed the feeling of the Muslim mob, who were not aware of the good work which was being done under Sadhu Vaswani’s leadership and guidance. One of those present at the meeting was reported to have declared, with a pistol in his hand, “Vaswani shall not live!”

The editor of a local daily paper came to the devotees of Vaswani the next day and narrated the whole incident. “It is for me to warn you,” he said, “it is for you to see that Sadhu Vaswani does not move out of the house for a few days.” The devotees were very much worried and became concerned for the safety and protection of their beloved Master.

As usual, Vaswani got ready for his usual evening walk. The devotees gathered around him and related to him the recent developments. “We pray Dada, that you keep indoors for a few days.” they entreated. “The man may be prowling somewhere near, looking for a chance to use his pistol.”

Sadhu Vaswani appeared unconcerned. He smiled and said, “My children! Remember one thing. Life is a gift of God. What He has given, only He can take away. When it is His will, this body will mingle with dust. And when that moment arrives, no power on earth can keep me back. Until the hour has come, no pistol-shot can touch a single hair of my head. Blessed be His name!” So saying, he moved out for his evening walk.

On the way, he said, “If we are awake, we may realise that both birth and death are beautiful, as both day and night are beautiful. The day has the beauty of sunrise and the night has the beauty of the stars. Krishna’s flute is beautiful, but also, the cross of the Christ. Buddha’s meditation is beautiful, so also, the death of Socrates.”

The intuitive feeling of the presence of God makes everything beautiful. He guides; He corrects; He protects; He consoles; He inspires; He enlightens. The one who is tuned to His presence undoubtedly becomes fearless.

Rabia Basri, who was a great and renowned saint, was very beautiful when she was a young girl. Because of her beauty, she was at one time abducted by thieves who sold her to the owner of a house of prostitution.

On the first night in her new surrounding, a man was brought to her room, and she immediately entered into conversation with him.

“It is good to see such a nice young man,” she said. “Please make yourself comfortable in that chair while I pray a little. If you like you may also pray with me.”

The young man was surprised, but he knelt down the floor beside Rabia, and both of them prayed for some time.

After her prayers, Rabia got up and said, “I am sure you will not mind if I remind you that you must die one day. And to be fair to you, it is only right that I tell you that the sin you have in mind will lead you into the fires of hell. Please, for your own sake, consider if you wish to commit the sin and thus jump into the flaming inferno, or if you would prefer to avoid this fate.”

“O good and pious lady, you have opened my eyes,” said the surprised young man, “which always before were closed to the meaning of this sin. I promise earnestly never to visit a house such as this again.”

As the days passed by, many other men were brought to Rabia’s room, and one and all were changed, as she had changed the first.

It was only natural that the ruffian who owned the house soon began to wonder.

“How is it that whoever visits this girl once, never returns?” said the puzzled owner of the brothel to himself. “She is so young and beautiful that the men should hover around her like moths around a flame.”

In order to solve the mystery, the wife of the brothel owner one night hid herself in a place where she could see into Rabia’s apartment and discover how she treated those who were taken into it.

“Good evening friend and welcome!” began Rabia as soon as the man was shown to her room. “Here in this evil house always remember that God is omnipresent. It is an excellent idea. Don’t you agree?”

The man, utterly surprised, was forced to agree with her. “Yes, we are taught that by the priests,” he had to say.

“Here, surrounded by the evil, I never forget that He sees all the evil done and metes out even justice. Oh, how many, who enter this house for a moment of so-called pleasure, go through indescribable agony and suffering in God’s hell because of it. You too may do the same, if you wish to. But friend, the human form was bestowed on us to enable us to meditate and realise God, and not to waste the precious gift in acting even lower than the animals.”

This man, as had so many others, saw at once the truth of Rabia’s words. Realising for the first time the enormity of the sin that he had in mind, he fell prostrate at Rabia’s feet and weeping bitterly, begged for her forgiveness.

Rabia’s words were so sincere and persuasive that even the hardened brothel owner’s wife came out of her hiding place and began to weep for the many sins she had committed.

“O pure and pious girl!” she said, kneeling at Rabia’s feet. “What a harm we had sought to do you! You are truly a saint. Go, and leave this evil house this very moment. As for us, we can now see that we have done a dreadful thing. Our eyes are opened, and our lives will change.”

Our strength is our peace within; and this peace has the strength to transform even the rank criminals and sensualists. Hence let us attempt to bring peace within, before attempting to bring peace without.

O   M         T   A   T         S   A   T

July 2019

Live in love for Him alone. That is the greatest fulfilment of all existence. –Chinmaya

Narada Bhakti Sutra praises devotion thus:

यल्लब्ध्वा पुमान् सिद्धो भवति अमृतो भवति तृप्तो भवति मत्तो भवति स्तब्धो भवति आत्मारामो भवति |
(Gaining which a person becomes perfect, immortal, contented, intoxicated, peaceful, and revels in his own Self.)

Devotion to the Lord gives us the greatest fulfilment in life.

And this fulfilment makes us free from all wants.

One day, after he had gone blind, Rabbi Bunam visited Rabbi Fishel.

Rabbi Fishel was famous throughout the land for his miraculous cures.

“Entrust yourself to my care,” said his host, “I shall restore your light.”

“That is not necessary,” answered Bunam, “I see what I need to see.”

Devotion makes us so utterly fulfilled, that there is nothing to ask.

It is so well said, “When we put our cares in His hands He puts His peace in our hearts.”

How easy is to love God? How easy is to win His Grace?

Bhagavad Geeta says worshipping Him is so easy…

पत्रं पुष्पं फलं तोयं यो मे भक्त्या प्रयच्छति । तदहं भक्त्युपहृतम् अश्नामि प्रयतात्मन: |
(A leaf, a flower, a fruit, or even just water – whoever offers any of these with devotion, I accept it, offered with devotion.)

Leo Tolstoy has written a beautiful story in this regard.

Three men became very famous saints in Russia. The highest priest of the country was very much disturbed because people were not coming to him, people were going to those three saints, and he had not even heard their names. And how could they be saints? – because in Christianity a saint is a saint only when the church recognizes him as a saint.

(The English word ‘saint’ comes from ‘sanction’; when the church sanctions somebody as a saint, then he is a saint.)

The high priest was certainly very angry. He took a boat and crossed the river to meet them. Those three saints were sitting under a tree. They were very simple people, peasants, uneducated. They touched the feet of the highest priest, and the priest was very happy. He thought, “Now I will put them right; these are not very dangerous people. I thought they would be rebels.”

He asked them, “How did you become saints?”

They said, “We don’t know! We don’t even believe that we are saints either. People have started calling us saints and we go on trying to convince them that we are not, that we are very simple people, but they don’t listen. The more we argue that we are not, the more they worship us! And we are not very good at arguing either.”

The priest was very happy. He said, “What is your prayer? Do you know how to pray?” They looked at each other. The first said to the second, “You say.” The second said to the third, “You say, please.”

The priest said, “Say what your prayer is! Are you saying our Lord’s Prayer or not?”

They said, “To be frank with you, we don’t know any prayer. We have invented a prayer of our own and we are very embarrassed — how to say it? But if you ask we have to say it. We have heard that God is a trinity: the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. We are three and he is also three, so we have made a small prayer of our own: ‘You are three, we are three: Have mercy on us!’”

The priest said, “What nonsense! Is this prayer? You fools, I will teach you the right prayer.” And he recited the Lord’s Prayer.

And those three poor people said, “Please repeat it once more, because we are uneducated, we may forget.” He repeated it and they asked, “Once more – we are three, repeat it at least three times.” So he repeated it again, and then very happy, satisfied, he went back in his boat.

Just in the middle of the lake, he was surprised, his boatman was surprised! Those three poor people were coming running on the water! And they said, “Wait! Please one more time – we have forgotten the prayer!”

Now it was the turn of the priest to touch their feet, and he said, “Forget what I have taught you. Your prayer has been heard, my prayer has not been heard yet. You continue with your old prayer. I was utterly wrong to say anything to you. Please forgive me!”

God values not the words, the grammar, or the language, but the feelings, the love, the sincerity, the involvement behind the prayer.

One winter’s day, Shiek Shibli was sitting with his disciples around a fire when a smouldering log of wood caught his attention. As the log was slightly wet, the heat was driving drops of liquid from it at one end. After a moment or two of reflection, Shibli said to his disciples:

“How can you, who profess to have deep love and devotion for the Lord, truly say that you are burning in the pangs of separation from Him? I see no tears of sadness or longing in your eyes. Look at this little log, how it burns and cries. I say to you all, learn a lesson from this humble piece of wood.”

In God’s eyes, a heart-felt prayer is far superior to a lip-born one.

This conversation is reported to have taken place between Lord Guruvayurappan and Narayana Bhattathiri while writing Sri Narayaneeyam.

Bhattathiri :  My Lord! What is your favourite Naivedyam?

Lord: Paayasam (Milk pudding).

Bhattathiri: If I do not have the means to offer you Paayasam?

Lord: I’ll be happy with a little beaten rice and a bit of jaggery.

Bhattathiri: If I cannot offer you even that?

Lord:  Banana, milk, butter, curd… I’ll accept any one of these.

Bhattathiri : My Lord! If I cannot offer even that?

Lord: I’ll gladly accept two leaves of tulasi and a spoon of water!

Bhattathiri: If in case that too becomes impossible, then?

Lord: When you despair that you are unable to offer me anything, don’t worry. In your prayer, if you can bring out a drop of tear in My loving remembrance, I’ll accept that teardrop as the highest offering!

Narayana Bhattathiri wept uncontrollably.

अनत वैकुण्ठ मुकुन्द कृष्ण गोविन्द दामोदर माधवेति | वक्तुं समार्थोऽपि न वक्ति कश्चित् अहो जनानां व्यसनाभिमुख्यम्||
“How easy it is to chant the names of the Lord- Ananta, Vaikuntha, Mukunda, Krishna, Govinda, Damodara, Madhava etc.!

Everyone is capable of taking His names. But nobody chants them. Alas! How deeply we are inclined to the path of evil!” says Kulashekhara Alwar in Mukundamala.

O M   T A T    S A T

June 2019

Vedanta is the answer for the problems of the day; it is the only specific for the malady of the age. – Chinmaya

Vedanta comes from two terms – Veda+ Anta. It means that which comes at the end portion of the Vedas. It is also called as the Jnaana Kaanda portion of the Vedas. Another name of Vedanta is Upanishad.

What is the philosophy of Vedanta?

Vedanta introduces us to our perfect Self. Our true nature is Sat-Chit-Ananda, i.e. Existence-Consciousness-Bliss. There is nothing lacking in us. Perfection is our nature.

But unfortunately, we don’t know our true Self. We have misunderstood ourselves as this finite body. It is this ignorance of the Self which is the source of all sorrows. Hence the solution to all problems is “Know Thyself”, says Vedanta.

Some of the unique features of Vedanta are listed below:

1) Vedanta – The teaching which is very systematic.

In Vedanta, all topics are discussed systematically. The topics include:

i.Jeeva Vichaara; (Here the discussion is about the individual); ii.Jagad Vichaara; (Here the discussion is about the world); iii.Ishwara Vichaara; (Here the questions related to God are taken up); iv.Bandha Vichaara; (Here sufferings and their causes are taken up for discussion); v.Moksha Vichaara; (Here the discussion is about the nature of Liberation/Freedom); vi.Saadhanaa Vichaara; (Here the means of gaining liberation from all miseries are discussed).

2) Vedanta – The teaching which has an answer to all our questions.

It is only in Vedanta that the student is allowed the freedom to ask any question. Hence we often find questions raised by the student in the Upanishads and in the Bhagavad Geeta. In Vedanta, all questions have perfect, convincing and logical answers.

Blind belief is not the Vedantic-way. A questioning with a sincere desire to learn, a questioning with an open mind, a questioning with a reverential attitude towards the scriptures/Gurus is well appreciated and is most welcome in Vedanta.

3) Vedanta – The teaching which can be verified.

Vedanta deals with experiential knowledge, not mere informative knowledge. The proof of knowledge is the direct experience of the Self. Even as a seeker, one gains a healthy state of mind, which can be experienced as peace, cheerfulness, and freedom from delusions. A sincere practitioner gets a clear-cut answer when he asks himself this question – “How was I before getting exposed to Vedanta; and today how am I after years of practising Vedanta.”

4) Vedanta – The teaching which is ever relevant.

Vedantic teaching can never become obsolete or irrelevant. Whether in Satya Yuga or in Kali Yuga, seekers have always sought the supreme Self alone for strength and solace. No wonder why the Vedic teaching has been appropriately named –“Sanaatana Dharma”.

5) Vedanta- The teaching which unites all.

We find in the society that all religions fight with each other saying “My religion alone is right.” Among Hindus, there are fights between Vaishnavites and Shaivites. There are confusions regarding innumerable gods. Among Muslims, Shias and Sunnis fight against each other. Among Christians, fights between Catholics and Protestants are not uncommon.

 Vedanta doesn’t talk of any God in particular. It talks of Pure Consciousness as the only substratum of the world. It gives importance to the imperishable Consciousness, and not to the perishable body. When our attention in us shifts from the BMI (body-mind-intellect) to Consciousness, we find that the very same Consciousness is present in others too. This leads to the wisdom ‘We are all One’. Hence Vedantic knowledge has the potential to put an end to all disputes amongst religions and can weed out all inequalities born of caste, creed, gender or nationality.

6) Vedanta – The teaching which can end all our psychological problems.

Hinduism talks of six major psychological problems- kaama, krodha, lobha, moha, mada and maatsarya. They are desire, anger, greed, delusion, arrogance and jealousy respectively.

Vedanta handles all problems by going to root cause. The root cause of all the above problems is desire. And the root of all desires is ego. Vedanta analyses the nature of the ego and establishes that it is illusory and non-existent. Hence once the ego is eliminated, all the ego-related problems are also eliminated.

7) Vedanta – The teaching which gives us the highest possible goal to strive for.

Vedanta points to us that we are here on this planet to realise our Divine nature. We are all God ignorant of our infinite nature. A life lived without knowing this great truth is indeed wasted, says Vedanta.

8) Vedanta – The teaching which motivates us to be good human beings.

Vedanta points us the inherent Perfection in us. But to gain this knowledge one must have a pure heart. Hence cultivation of noble values becomes a prerequisite for entry into Vedanta.

9) Vedanta- The teaching which is not divorced from the life of activity.

Vedanta does not ask us to renounce the world in order to practice spirituality. In fact, the real test of our spirituality is not in the dense jungles or solitary caves, but in the thick of life’s problems and challenges. That must be the reason why Bhagavad Geeta was given by the Lord not in a remote and peaceful ashram setting, but in the middle of the battlefield!  Vedanta is meant for all, including the householders who are waging the battle of life fulfilling their worldly duties and responsibilities.

10) Vedanta- The teaching which gives Moksha (Freedom) not after death but while living!

Promising liberation after death is not the way of Vedanta. True freedom is the freedom from all wrong notions and confusions of the intellect, from the slavery of the senses, from the negativities of the mind, from addictions and cravings, from I-ness and mine-ness, and from all worries and anxieties. This has to be attained, not through somebody but by one’s own effort, not somewhere but here, not after dying but while living, says Vedanta.

11) Vedanta- The teaching which asks YOU to change, not the world.

 Vedanta doesn’t attempt to change the world. The world is already perfect, well-taken care by the Omniscient Lord. The call of Vedanta is to reform oneself. One’s own faulty vision is the cause of all sorrows. Destroy the problem-creator – the ego, and one finds that there are no problems to solve!

12) Vedanta – The teaching which can be practised by anyone, at all times.

Vedanta asks us to shift the attention from the Body-Mind to the Consciousness within, from the perishable to the Imperishable, from the illusion to the Reality. “Ignore the Lord, and you suffer. Hold on to Him, and you are free.” This is something anyone can practice, irrespective of gender, nationality, caste, creed, or religion.

13) Vedanta- The teaching which is beyond all belief systems, superstitions and imaginations.

Vedanta is not an opinion; it is a science. In science, a thing has to be known AS IT IS. Just like the fire has to be known as ‘that which is hot’. No choice is given to the knower. Our imagination or belief system or our upbringing has no role to play in it. So too, the Self has to be known as Pure Consciousness. If it is known as anything else, then the knowledge is erroneous.

Again, in Vedanta, the analysis is based on our day to day experiences of Waking, Dream and Deep Sleep states. The teaching is related to what we know and what we experience. The teaching is not about some unseen world (like Vaikuntha, Kailasa, Heaven or Hell) with unknown experiences.

Thus Vedanta is free from all ambiguities, assumptions, philosophies and imaginations.

14) Vedanta – The teaching which puts an end to all evils in the society.

Vedanta, with its vision of oneness, preaches the way of love, forgiveness and compassion. How can one hate others when one knows that others are also expressions of the very same Consciousness which is throbbing as life principle in oneself? Thus one learns to love not only human beings but plants, animals, birds and all other expressions of life.

Self-ignorance pollutes the vision; and that in turn pollutes the world. Self-knowledge saves the world from all pollutions, and helps create a beautiful world, clean and orderly, peaceful and harmonious.

15) Vedanta – The teaching which puts an end to Birth-Death cycle.

Vedanta teaches in Being, not Becoming. As long as we want to become someone or the other, there is no end to rebirth. The day the desire ends to become somebody, rebirth also ends. Rebirth is only an opportunity given to us to fulfil our unfulfilled desires. Vedanta makes us desireless, thus making us birthless.

No wonder why the Lord calls this knowledge – ‘the best knowledge amongst all’ – ‘Adhyaatma Vidya Vidyaanaam’. And no wonder why the Lord Himself takes avatar time and again to give this knowledge to mankind.

May we practise Vedanta for one’s own liberation and for the welfare of the world – ‘Atmano mokshaartham jagat hitaaya cha’.

O    M            T    A    T            S    A    T

May 2019

The only way to start a good work is to START. Leave all anxieties about it to Him. His grace will shine out on our work and it will grow and expand. – Chinmaya

Many, fearing failure, never begin.

There is a famous saying: “Don’t be afraid your life will end; be afraid that it will never begin!”

Everywhere in life, the sequence is the same:

1. Make a start, 2. Make mistakes, 3. Learn from the mistakes, and 4. Evolve.

But what about criticisms?

Aristotle says, “There is only one way to avoid criticism: do nothing, say nothing, and be nothing!”

Soon after getting freedom from British rule in 1947, the de-facto Prime minister of India, Jawahar Lal Nehru called a meeting of senior Army Officers to select the first General of the Indian army.

Nehru proposed, “I think we should appoint a British officer as a General of the Indian Army, as we don’t have enough experience to lead the same.”

Having learned under the British, only to serve and rarely to lead, all the civilians and men in uniform present nodded their heads in agreement.

However, one senior officer, Nathu Singh Rathore, asked for permission to speak.

Nehru was a bit taken aback by the independent streak of the officer, though, he asked him to speak freely.

Rathore said, “You see, sir, we don’t have enough experience to lead a nation too, so shouldn’t we appoint a British person as the first Prime Minister of India?”

You could hear a pin drop.

After a pregnant pause, Nehru asked Rathore, “Are you ready to be the first General of The Indian Army?”

Rathore declined the offer saying “Sir, we have a very talented army officer, my senior, Lt. Gen. Cariappa, who is the most deserving among us.”

Thus Gen. Cariappa became the first General and Rathore the first ever Lt. General of the Indian Army.

The successful people reach the top not because they are free of limitations, but because they act in spite of their limitations.

It is well said, “Start by doing what is necessary; then do what is possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible!”

A young man in his thirties used to stand on the footpath opposite the famous Tata Cancer Hospital at Mumbai and stare at the crowd in front – fear plainly written upon the faces of the patients standing at death’s door; their  relatives with equally grim faces running around.

These sights disturbed him greatly. Most of the patients were poor people from distant towns. They had no idea whom to meet, or what to do. They had no money for medicines, not even food.

The young man, heavily depressed, would return home. “Something should be done for these people”, he would think. He was haunted by the thought day and night.

At last, he found a way.

He rented out his own hotel that was doing good business and raised some money. From these funds, he started a charitable activity right opposite Tata Cancer Hospital, on the pavement next to Kondaji Building.

The activity consisted of providing free meals for cancer patients and their relatives. Many people in the vicinity approved of this activity. Beginning with fifty, the number of beneficiaries soon rose to a hundred, two hundred, three hundred. As the numbers of patients increased, so did the number of helping hands.

As years rolled by, the activity continued; undeterred by the change of seasons, come winter, summer or even the dreaded monsoon of Mumbai.

Mr Harakhchand Sawla, for that was the name of the pioneer, did not stop here. He started supplying free medicines for the needy. In fact, he started a medicine bank, enlisting voluntary services of three doctors and three pharmacists. A toy bank was opened for kids suffering from cancer. The “Jeevan Jyot” trust founded by Mr Sawla now runs more than 60 humanitarian projects.

Sawla, now 59 years old, works with the same vigour, feeding free lunches to 10 to 12 lakh cancer patients and their relatives.

Let us not worry about the failures. But let us worry about the chances we miss when we don’t even try. We will never know our potentials until we start.

 A businessman was deep in debt and just couldn’t see a way out. His creditors were closing in on him, the phone wouldn’t stop ringing with demands for payment and he couldn’t pay.

One day, he went to the park and sat on a bench, wondering if life was worth living, if he should just give up and declare bankruptcy. That was when an old man with a kind face walked over to him. “Oh my, something is troubling you, isn’t it?” he asked. The businessman, deep in his despair, told the kind old man his troubles.

“I believe I can help you”, said the old man, and he reached into his pocket and dug out a chequebook. He asked the man his name, wrote out a cheque, and put it in his hand. “Take this money and meet me here in exactly one year from today; that is when you can pay it back to me.” He turned and vanished as quickly as he had appeared.

The businessman saw in his hand a cheque for $1,000,000, signed by John D. Rockefeller, who was back then, one of the richest men in the world!

“My problems are over!” cried the businessman in relief. “I can pay my debts!” He kept telling himself he would use the cheque, but instead, he put it in a safe and decided to try and handle his financial problems on his own.

Just knowing that he could always use the cheque gave him the determination to work out a way to save his business. With renewed optimism, he negotiated better deals and extended terms of payment. He closed several big sales. Within a few months, he was out of debt and making money once again.

Exactly one year later, he returned to the park with the un-cashed cheque. At the agreed-upon time, the old man appeared. But just as the executive was about to hand back the cheque and share his success story, a nurse came running up and grabbed the old man.

“I’m so glad I caught him!” she cried. “I hope he hasn’t been bothering you. He’s always escaping from the rest home and telling people he is John D. Rockefeller.” And she led the old man away.

The astonished executive just stood there, stunned. All year long he had been wheeling and dealing, buying and selling, convinced he had half a million dollars behind him. Suddenly, he realized that it wasn’t the money, real or imagined, that had turned his life around. It was his newfound self-confidence that gave him the power to achieve anything he went after.

It is rightly said, “What lies behind us and what lies before us are paltry nothing compared to what lies within us.”

O   M         T   A   T         S   A   T

April 2019

Practical religion consists in living the philosophy one has understood. – Chinmaya

The wisdom of the religion percolates into us in three stages:

In the first stage, we gain information about the right ways of living by listening to scriptural teachings. This stage is called as Shravanam.  

In the second stage, we reflect upon the knowledge gathered from the scriptures. The purpose of reflection is to remove all doubts. With the removal of doubts, the information in us becomes conviction. This process is called Mananam.

In the third stage, we try to live the knowledge. Here we try to break ourselves away from the old habits of thinking and behaving. This process continues until the scriptural ways of thinking and behaving becomes natural in us. This process is called Nididhyaasanam.

When can we say we have become wise?

When we are able to live our convictions, only then can we say the knowledge in us has blossomed into wisdom. 

When we no longer react to situations under the pressure of our worldly vasanas; instead we learn to respond to situations based on the spiritual vasanas, only then can we say knowledge has matured into wisdom.

 When we are no longer under the clutches of the “small i” and when we learn to think and act as the “Great I”, only then can we say that the knowledge has ripened into wisdom.

Only when we ‘walk the noble thoughts and the tall talks’ can we say knowledge has digested into wisdom.

Gandhiji was in the habit of taking a brisk walk every evening. He would walk for three or four miles, covering the distance in about an hour. Accompanying on the walk would be some members of the ashram community, children and some visitors to whom he wanted to talk during the walk, thus saving on the time that he would otherwise have had to find from his heavy schedule of work. The walk was not merely a stint of exercise but also a period of relaxation. Gandhiji would be up to his pranks with children or would be provoking laughter with his playful and friendly exchange of teasing remarks and wit.

 On a cold December day in 1939, as he stepped out of the ashram for his walk, he found a human form with a bundle in his hands about to enter the ashram. On seeing Gandhiji, the visitor halted six steps away, kept his bundle down and did obeisance to Gandhiji.

Gandhiji looked grave; a thick pall of sorrow fell on his face. He recognised the man before him. It was Parchure Shastri, a famous Sanskrit scholar and poet who had been with him in Yervada jail in 1922.

In these years Shastri had contacted a vicious form of leprosy. He had tried treatment at many hospitals and with many doctors. Nothing had helped. He wanted to disappear from view and meet what was in store for him. But before making his final exit, he wanted to have a darshan of Gandhiji.

Gandhiji looked at him with infinite sadness. He wanted to take Shastri to the ashram, but there were many others, including women and children, in the ashram. He was debating in his mind whether it would be proper for him to ask Shastri to live with him in the ashram, knowing well the nature of the disease from which he was suffering.

Shastri realised Gandhiji’s difficulty, and said, “I have had your darshan. This bundle contains the yarn that I spun while at Hardwar, with the hope that I will be able to give it to you someday. My purpose is served. I shall now spend the night under the tree in the distance, and go away in the morning.”

Gandhiji asked him whether he had had a meal. When he learned that Shastri had not eaten, he asked one of the inmates of the ashram to fetch food for him and serve him. Gandhiji then resumed his walk with a face that was overcast with pain and introspection. That evening he was silent during his walk. Others in the entourage too were silent.

He returned to the ashram, and after the evening prayer, went to his bed. But he could not sleep. The picture of Parchure Shastri and the dilemma that he was facing kept sleep away. What was he to do? Could he turn Shastri away? Could he make him reside in the ashram if the other inmates of the ashram resented or panicked? By morning all the aspects of the question have been weighed, and Gandhiji was clear on what he should do.

As soon as the morning-prayer was over, Gandhiji spoke to the inmates of the ashram. He explained the situation and the risks. He expressed his desire to keep Shastri in the ashram and nurse him back to health. But he could do so only if they also welcomed him. He felt that God in the form of Parchure Shastri had come to test his sincerity. To turn Shastri away would be to deny himself and God. But to let him stay would be to expose the ashramites to risk. The members of the ashram too had been entrusted to his charge by God. Would they share the risk with him, and welcome Shastri?

The members of the ashram community were unanimous in declaring that Shastri would be welcome in the ashram.

The next morning, a special hut was set up for Shastri near the hut that Gandhiji occupied.

Every morning Gandhiji would go to him, talk with him and cheer him up for a while. He would then wash and clean the leprous wounds on Shastri’s body. They were days when momentous political decisions were being taken. The ashram was full of leaders of the nation who were there for discussion with Gandhiji. But everyday Gandhiji found time to dress Shastri’s wounds and massage his ailing body. Gandhiji determined the patient’s diet, and the food served to Shastri was taken to Gandhiji for inspection thrice a day.

In a few days, the ashramites took over the task of dressing Shastri’s wounds. But Gandhiji would go to the hut every day in the morning and evening and spend some time talking to Shastri.

Once when he went to see Shastri on his day of silence, Shastri recited Sanskrit poetry and talked animatedly on many issues. But Gandhiji could not talk. After listening to Shastri with a smile, Gandhiji took out a fresh orange from his shawl and offered it to Shastri with a smile. That was his answer. Before he left his hut, he had remembered that it was his day of silence, and therefore had taken an orange along as a token of his love and concern. Shastri’s face reflected the glow of love.

Shastri’s stay in the ashram extended itself to years. The affection and attention that he received from Gandhiji and the ashramites, and the treatment that he followed finally helped him to recover.

If our religion has not taught us how to live in peace and harmony, in sacrifice and service, in loving, caring and sharing, then we have not learnt anything from it at all.

Unfortunately, the modern education system considers religion as non-essential and ‘the opium of the masses’. What happens when religion is taken away from the masses?

This letter is an appeal to the teachers from a school principal who survived Nazi Camp:

“I am a survivor of a concentration camp. My eyes saw what no person should witness. Gas chambers built by learned engineers. Children poisoned by educated physicians. Infants killed by trained nurses. Women and babies shot and killed by high school and college graduates. So I am suspicious of education. My request is to help your students to be human. Your efforts must never produce learned monsters, skilled psychopaths, or educated maniacs. Reading and writing and spelling and history and arithmetic are only important if they serve to make our students more human.”

Only when the eyes behold the world with a vision of oneness… Only when the speech is fragrant with the sweetness of love…  Only when the heart is blossomed with forgiveness and compassion…  Only when the actions are drenched in selfless service… Only when the ego is drowned in the austerity of self-effacement…- 

– Only then can we say we are truly religious.

O   M         T   A   T         S   A   T