Gurupurnima is a very important
festival in Hindu tradition. In an organization too Gurupurnima is very
significant festival as it provides an occasion for us to understand the source
and scope of our work. Traditionally Ashadhi Poornima is celebrated as
Gurupurnima because Sri Veda Vyasa was born on this day. It was Veda Vyasa who
by establishing Guru - Parampara protected the Vedic knowledge, Sanatana Dharma
which is the life center of our nation. Thus, Veda Vyasa did a great work in
protection of the nation and its ethos. In Vivekananda Kendra naturally this is
a very important festival. This is the day when we worship our Guru, offer
ourselves for the work of Guru, to lead the life in the direction shown by the
Guru.
Swami Vivekananda had said, "Each nation has a destiny
to fulfill, each nation has a message to deliver, each nation has a mission to
accomplish." The mission of India has been to guide the humanity in
spirituality - that is acquiring the vision of Oneness (as enunciated in Vedas)
and evolving a society based on this vision of Oneness. It is the plan of the
Divine that mankind should evolve in this direction. Thus working for national
regeneration is working for fulfilling of the Divine plan- doing Ishvara's
work.
In Ishvara's work, only Ishvara can
be our guide. Now, as the work is to bring all the forces together, we needed
that name of God which expresses Ishvara fully. Ishvara is invoked in many
names and forms. Which name and form of Ishvara is to be taken? Generally
everything is identified by a name. Name denotes a person and person is known
by his name. There is always a Vachya-vachak sambandha - relationship. But this relationship is created by man. The day a child is
named, slowly he and others start associating that child with that name.
The names of Ishvara are like that. Those names are meaningful only to those
who have accepted Ishvara in that particular form. Thus the name Shiva means so
much for a Shaivaite but it may not produce the same elevating vibrations in
the mind of a person who does not know Shiva. Thus this vachya-vachak sambandha
is created by man.
The quest of our Rishis was that, is
there a name of God which can produce the vibrations even if the person
uttering that name does not know its meaning? Is there a name of Ishvara where
Vachya-Vachak relationship is not created by man but exists on its own? Our Rishis discovered that such name is ॐ. It is the primal sound. The first
vibration from which came whole creation. So the Yoga Shastra says- Tasya
Vachakah Prananva. Ishvara is expressed as ॐ. ॐ is called as Pranava because it is by chanting of this ॐ that the Ishvara is invoked
intensely (prakarshen nooyate iti pranavah) So Bhagavad Gita says,
"Pranava Sarvavedeshu" - "The best in the Vedas is Pranava"
It was Vyasa who found ways to preserve Vedas which has name of Ishvara which
is not bound by time-space or human beings.
As we all know, Mananeeya Eknathji
did not project himself as Guru for Kendra nor he even asked us to consider
Swami Vivekananda as our Guru. He has accepted ॐ as our Guru. Why? We can look
into it.
Even the name of our organization
‘Vivekananda Kendra’ indicates why we have chosen ॐ as our guru? Eknathji explains in Sadhana of Service, "We have
accepted the name of Vivekananda for two reasons. Firstly, on the occasion of
the birth centenary of this noble patriot of our Motherland we have erected the
Rock Memorial and this Kendra is just the second phase of the same activity,
Secondly, Vivekananda's name stands for universality which transcends all
parochialism. His mission is as expansive as the sky. His words of wisdom still
ring in our ears though more than hundred years have rolled by. He attempted to
unify and utilize the spiritual forces of the monk order. We aspire to make the
Kendra as the meeting place for all the multifarious spiritual forces in the
country for the cause of the nation. Vivekananda did not preach his own
philosophy; he gave the thoughts of the Upanishads. He gave nothing new but he
poured the new life and vigour into the age-old thoughts to enlighten the new
age." As Eknathji envisaged
Kendra as the meeting point of various spiritual forces, he chose ॐ as our Guru.
Swami Vivekananda had said, "The
national union in India must be the gathering of scattered spiritual forces
whose hearts beat to the same spiritual tune." It means bringing those
people together whose spiritual view of the existence is the same; all those
who see the whole existence as the manifestation of Ishvara. What is the way of
bringing these forces together? Swami Vivekananda further explained his idea, “We
must have a temple, for with Hindus, Dharma must come first. Then, you may say,
all sects will quarrel about it. But we will make non-sectarian temple, having
only “ॐ” as the symbol, the greatest symbol
of any sect. If there is any sect here, which believes that “ॐ” ought not to be the symbol, it has
no right to call itself Hindu… Secondly, in connection with this temple there
should be an institution to train teachers who must go about preaching Dharma
and giving education to our people… Then the work will extend through these
teachers and preachers, and gradually we shall have similar temples in other
places, until we have covered the whole of India. That is my plan. It may
appear gigantic but it is much needed. You may ask, where is the money. Money
is not needed…Where are men? That is the question. Men, men, these are wanted:
everything else will be ready, but strong, vigorous, believing young men,
sincere to the backbone, are wanted.”
It was this message that fascinated
Eknathji. So when destiny guided him to the work of Vivekananda Rock Memorial
and later Vivekananda Kendra, he chose ॐ as the guru for
this Punya karyam. Therefore, in each of branch centers ॐ is installed. All our prayers, baithaks are in front of ॐ. The thought shared by Swami
Vivekananda about temple of ॐ and implemented by
Eknathji is to be internalised by us. We are expected to keep our centers as
sacred and inspiring place as temple of ॐ.
For us the Guru Pooja means moulding
ourselves to be a right instrument in this Ishvari Karya and further
strengthening our resolve to increase the number of our branch centers, number
of our Karyakartas- because, only then the work of bringing spiritual forces
together can be actualised and, strengthening of nation would take place.
Mananeeya Parameswaranji wrote very
beautifully in the introduction written for the book 'Story of the Vivekananda
Rock Memorial as told by Eknathji'. He wrote, "During the course of his
(Eknathji’s) campaign for the Rock Memorial, he had realized that political
factionalism and religious sectarianism, had always prevented people from
coming together even on issues of national good, about which intrinsically they
had no conflicting opinion. Politics being the pursuit of power could be an
instrument of division. But Eknathji was painfully aware that even spiritual
movements degenerated into rival sects. As a keen student of history, he found
that this had become a national defect with the Hindus and unless it was
overcome, national reconstruction would remain a mirage. Therefore, he
encouraged an organization which would be meticulously kept beyond politics and
sectarianism.
'That was his vision of Vivekananda
Kendra. After a careful study of Swamiji's life and thought, he was convinced
that Swami Vivekananda also stood committed to such a non-sectarian ideal.
"Such a non-partisan,
non-sectarian organization could be built up only around a great ideal.
Perusing the entire thought of Swami Vivekananda, with a thrill in a heart,
Eknathji discovered that the magic word will be worship - the worship of Man is
truly the worship of God. That was the unique contribution of Swamiji. He did not
teach us to seek God "by retreat to the cave, but by a return to the
society" So Eknathji wanted to raise an organization around this central
theme "worship of man is worship of God"… Spirituality must be made
vibrant. It should be selfless action, rather than simple meditation." Accepting ॐ as Guru, doing Guru-pooja is thus reminding ourselves that Kendra is a
non-sectarian, a meeting point of all positive forces, a spiritually oriented
service organization - which seeks God in society. ॐ as guru stands for all this because ॐ is all inclusive, everything comes from it.
Top Canadian Vedic scholar Jeffery
Armstrong shares a profound truth that even the world is beginning to realize
now. He says, “Sanatan Dharma is the only path where God becomes the creation,
walks beside us, teaches us, protects us and leaves behind a legacy of divine
intimacy that no philosophy can match.”
In Sanatan Dharma, God is not
distant, not abstract — He is present, living, loving, and accessible. He
doesn’t send angels. He doesn’t dictate from the clouds. He descends — as
Avatar. For us. With us. Among us, to teach us, to elevate us.
Omkar as a Guru gives us two-fold
directions:
One is to look within and make
ourselves a better instrument. Which qualities in us, we are focusing on yearly
basis to work upon so as to further improve oneself? Which new qualities required for our work are
we inculcating with meticulous plan? Can we take such resolves? Someone had
said that the kindest thing that all of us can do is to pursue something
intensely that in some way is service to others. Our Dayitva if fulfilled
intensely is the kindest thing that we would be doing for our society.
Secondly, as everything comes from
Omkar, we learn to elevate our mind to see the good qualities of others –
Karyakartas, relatives, friends and all – and learn from them as well as help
them to further enhance their good qualities. Though Arjuna was friend of Sri
Krishna, Sri Krishna gave him knowledge only when he surrendered to him and
entreated him that “…as disciple who has taken refuge in you, tell me what to
do?” (II.7) Is our mind humble enough to learn from others? Am I gunagrahi (गुणग्राही) enough to see the qualities i.e. the
presence of Divinity, of ॐ, our Guru in
others? Every day, as we chant ॐ before prayer do we feel that
connection with everyone and everything?
Can we make some resolves that will
elevate, enhance the good in us and also in others? Our Guru would guide us
when we surrender to it, when we regularly chant Omkar and contemplate on it.
Fulfilling our Datitva is the Gurudakshina. Let us celebrate Gurupurnima
meaningfully and purposefully.
Gurupurnima function on 10th
July is to be celebrated by inviting all the Karyakartas, donors, patrons,
subscribers and the participants of Yoga Varga, Swadhyaya varga and Samskar
Varga. If some centers want to have Matru-Pitru Pooja they can do so before the
Gurupurnima program, then all would sit along with other invitees and based on
this letter someone can give a talk. Chanting ॐ together for 11 times, then pushparpanam(पुष्पार्पणम्) can be done to ॐ. All associated
with Vivekananda Kendra should know that in Kendra, ॐ is our Guru and our inner development and Ishvariya Karya are not
different things but are inseparable like two sides of the coin.
Nivedita Raghunath Bhide
Vice President
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