Sadhana Diwas 2018

Mananeeya Sri Eknathji, the founder of our Vivekananda Kendra - a spiritually oriented organization - was born on 19 November 1914. All the Kendra Kayakartas celebrate this day as the Sadhana Diwas. The work of "Man Making and Nation Building" which we have undertaken in Kendra is Sacred Sadhana for us. If we understand the dynamics involved in this work and do it accordingly then this work itself is Sadhana. The coming five years we are planning to expand our work which gives us an added opportunity to learn the Sadhana of team-building. 

The very essence of Sadhana is in two aspects- reducing of ego and expansion of consciousness to one's larger layers of existence. Thus more a person advances in Sadhana, his ego is reduced further and further and at the same time he also realizes the Reality as expressed in the bigger collectivity. Such a person will not consider his personal likes and dislikes or hurts and humiliations or discomforts and difficulties as more important than the good of the bigger collectivity. For a Karyakarta, the bigger collectivities are the organization, society and the nation. 

In the larger design of the organization, Karyakarta merges himself. And whatever work has come to him he takes in the Bhava of instrumentality of the Divine. Once the Bhava of instrumentality comes, then the surrender is easier. Service is the work of common good done with total surrender. Service is being an instrument of Divine work. Such Service is Sadhana. Eknathiji said in "Sadhana of Service”, “That service is the best and the noblest which is performed with the attitude of total surrender to God. ...the action must be performed without any attachment but sincerely and honestly to the best of our ability with an attitude of being a tool only. We have been called upon to execute whatever is essential and possible as willed by God. This is SERVICE. We are doing His work. Such work elevates us and leads to Self-realization, which is the supreme goal of human life."

As there are steps of progress in Sadhana, there is also the possibility of fall in Sadhana, for which one has to be more alert and aware. More a person climbs on a steep mountain more is the possibility of big fall. Thus a senior Karyakarta has far more the reason to be on his guard on this path of Sadhana than a new entrant. There are senior workers to give feedback and mould the new entrants. But as a Karyakarta grows in age and responsibility there are very few persons around to course-correct him. Therefore, the continuous self-introspection and contemplation on the three vows is essential to avoid a fal231l. The three vows are 1.Shuchita- Purity in words, thoughts and actions. 2.Aparigraha - Non-possession. Not getting attached to the place, persons, responsibility and any material acquisitions. As Mananeeya Eknathji said the Karyakarta should be free like an air, ready to go any where in any capacity to work for Kendra. 3.Anushasan - organizational discipline so as to maintain always a congenial atmosphere for growth.

The Sadhana of diminishing the ego and expansion of consciousness is best done in efforts of team-building. In the coming years our whole focus would be wielding the teams as we expand our work to new places. Mananeeya Parameswaranji during the Akhil Bharatiya Adhikari Baithak had explained this science of team-building very beautifully. The gist of it is: “We know the technique of team building at our level. Now we are thinking of the team building in wider context....While expanding the team, some problems may arise. We should know how to solve it. Our ideas are much bigger and wider."

We are planning to expand the work of Vivekananda Kendra. The celebration is not to praise Swami Vivekananda in big programs but to take the message of Swami Vivekananda to the far-flung areas and motivate the people to work for our country. Also it is not just the message but it is to be put into practice too. Our teams are not adequate for this purpose today. For that Mananeeya Sri Parameshwarnji says, "For this we will have to uplift our teams, so that they will go to society and more gifted, capable people from outside will join us. Thus for expanding our organization we have to go beyond the four walls of the organization. 

From crowd, create a group and from a group, a team is to be prepared. Group is more cohesive, durable and having clearer objectives than a crowd. Group agrees to disagree. But group is not stable and durable, not equally motivated. Group can split. But Team is cohesive, integrated, identified with each other. Team is like a living organism, it grows, expands and works in unison. This kind of team is the core of the organization. Various levels of teams are to be created. ... The teams are to be sustained by intimate and regular communications and contacts. No communication gaps. Communication gap leads to misunderstanding. There is a difference between Contact and Communication. Technology is a good servant but bad master. Hence utilize technology with care. For contact, like giving information etc. use technology like mobile, e-mails etc. but maximum inter – personal, informal and intimate contacts and communications build teams. By contact through mobile you can create group but not a team. As a matter of fact in a group, relationship is formal. 

Team is informal. Without informality team can not be formed. There should be deep inter-personal relationship. Ego, formalities should not come in-between. Heart to heart communication should be there with each other. Before Mahabharat war, Sanjay was sent to meet Pandavas. On returning he told Dhritarashtra what he saw while with Pandvas. He told : I saw Arjuna lying with his legs in the lap of Sri Krishna. Seeing this informal intimate relationship between Sri Krishna and Arjuna, Dhritarashtra said, 'Pandavas are invincible'. If we keep showing our superiority, expect others to treat us with respect and decorum then intimacy cannot be developed. you want to develop a team, do not stress decorum, do not maintain distance. Make it informal. Create intimacy. Respect and love each other. Our activities should be more like a family than the organization. It means so much sharing, interacting, respecting and accepting each other should be there. This type of team building should become a second nature of workers. Agenda is not necessary to meet each other. We should meet without agenda. That does not mean there should be no agenda in meetings. Agenda is necessary in meetings but even that should be covered informally. Cementing factor that will sail the agenda through to success is this informal talking with each other. It can come only if each team member tries to eliminate ego. Sri Aurobindo says: ego may be necessary initially but at certain level, it is a stumbling block. Therefore if you suppress ego it may boomerang. Hence enlarge your ego. Embrace everyone with your ego, feel one with them, accept them as your own.”

In our work we have to bring in new persons and slowly make them identified and befitting for Kendra work. Now this is sadhana! A very great Sadhana. Generally we expect others to change. But before changing others we have to change our ways of dealing with others. Mananeeya Parameswaranji explained this very beautifully: “If we try to change anyone he/she will resist. You be the change which you want to make in others. Very few will not respond to your sincere effort and patience. Swami Vivekananda consciously expanded his ego to the entire nation. Every agony of the team member is felt by the other members like the mother feeling the agony of her child. Hence team-building is a spiritual Sadhana. Three things are necessary - Put in a conscious and sincere effort, have a great patience and start with a change in yourself. 

Workers with talents, leadership quality and ready to sacrifice are required. Thus, we have to raise the level of team building effort. By the time the 50th year celebrations are over, our workers should have spread to all the places. Great work is done by the people who created great teams. No single person however great can build great work all alone, teams need to be created. Great people create teams. After Sri Ramakrishna’s mahasamadhi, disciples of Sri Ramakrishna wanted to go here and there. But Swami Vivekananda had the vision and kept them as a team together. That team of sanyasins created Sri Ramakrishna Mission. Dr. Hedgewar with 5 people started RSS. He was an angry man. But for the sake of the team he changed himself. This is the most essential quality in team building. You have to bring the desired change in yourself first. For creating teams we have to put our ego little behind, put people forward, enhance your capacity of motivating others, guide them  but from behind. Credit should be given to the team and for failure leader should take the responsibility.” 

In the coming years our Sadhana is creating, expanding teams at all levels. Problems would come but we have to solve them in the interest of nation. As told by Mananeeya Eknathji in 'Sadhana of Service', few injunctions we should remember – not to blow the incidents out of proportions, if any one makes mistakes talk to him directly and not to make it an item of agenda, not to generalize the mistakes of any person etc. As advised by Mananeeya Eknathji we should have large belly to swallow. The organizations are built on the capacity of the workers to digest the hurts and humiliations, and having the larger and forgiving hearts. Thus, on Sadhana Diwas let us contemplate on all these thoughts and prepare the minds of our Karyakartas from Gatapramukh onwards to undergo this Sadhana of team-building in which Mananeeya Eknathji was a master. Let us carry forward his legacy. 

Nivedita Raghunath Bhide

Vice-President

Vivekananda Kendra

Yujyate Anena Iti Yogah...

The announcement of June 21st as the International day of Yoga has accelerated the growth of popularity of this age old Indic Spiritual Practice. That day is celebrated with lot of people practicing Yoga Asanas and Meditation.  In many of the countries it is a state sponsored celebration, thus getting much wider attention and coverage. With this increased popularity comes another danger. Off late there are louder voices which deny that it is a Indic spiritual practice and many of them claim that this is non-religious and thus has nothing to do with Hinduism.  While it is important to counter these claims, it is also pertinent to know the root cause of such claims. The imperial powers which were ruling us during the last century are not able to digest the fact that this wonderful wisdom which is actually a panacea for many of the modern day problems actually belong to a country which was enslaved by them. Though the imperial powers are no longer in the ruling seat, their new avatar the modern market driven capitalist countries are having the same kind of malice towards anything Hindu.  There are other misconceptions too about the practice of yoga which includes that it a mere physical exercise, a cure for all physical problems etc. But more than these misconceptions the first claim is the one which has to be countered as it tries to rob the intellectual property of India. Yoga's appropriation is yet another example of America and the West's racism and dominance over the world.  Renowned writer Koenraad writes about this vexing problem thus,

"...Naive readers may not have noticed it yet, but here we are dealing with an instance of a widespread phenomenon: the crass manipulation of the term “Hindu”. Every missionary and every secularist does it all the time: calling a thing “Hindu” when it is considered bad, but something (really anything) else as soon as it is deemed good. Many Hindus even lap it up: it is “instilled, albeit inadvertently.”

Thus whenever a society shows interest in Yoga, there will the so called academicians rushing to quell the effect of Indian Spirituality by calling Yoga has nothing to do with Hinduism. Just compare this with the hurry in which they will distance Islam from Violence as soon any terrorist activity happens, you can see the conundrum of secular politics running at full steam during such occasions.

Yoga is a perception or explanation given to the Vedas and so it is classified as one of the sat darshanas, which means six kinds of explanations. Many great seers have given their explanations about Yoga, important among them being Sage Vasishta, Sage Patanjali, Lord Krishna in his Bhagavad Gita. There are several other evidences to prove that Yoga is a part of Indian Heritage. India should assert itself by citing these and reiterate before the international community that Yoga is very much a part of Hindu knowledge system. Asanas are a part of a very comprehensive Yoga Philosophy. It is actually the third limb of the ashtanga yoga popularized by Sage Patanjali. When the fact remains thus, it is improbable that the third limb asanas alone could have originated in a distant foreign land. 

Indian heritage is one which is lurking at extinction. But it has the wherewithal to survive as it has proved it several times in the last thousand years. There were many such civilisations and cultures which are already extinct now. Many of such pagan civilisations are now seeking a revival through their adherents who are very few in number. Those cultures are viewing India as their redeemer, since India is the sole representative of the ancient hoary civilisations. It is the only country in the world which has millennia old customs and rituals still being practiced with very few changes. But this fact is understood by the western world and that is the reason for their resistance to anything Hindu. A revival of ancient culture means a continuing embarrassment for the European Christian powers. Rev. Andras Corban Arthen ,a pagan revivalist and  spiritual director of the Earth Spirit Community has stated about this thus,

“For Christians, for example, an acknowledgment that the original pagan traditions were not completely wiped out opens the door to the unpleasant possibility that they may, finally, have to deal with the genocidal horrors which Christianity inflicted on Indigenous peoples throughout the world. Outside of Europe, the blame for such heinous acts — when they are even acknowledged — has conveniently been attributed to chiefly secular motives, such as excessive nationalistic ambitions and economic greed, which obscure their actual, fundamental aim and rationale. When the Christian colonization of Europe is factored in, however, it becomes a lot harder to camouflage the theologically-justified goal of creating a vast religious empire, which continued to be the foundation for most subsequent Christian European colonization elsewhere. But if no trace of the original European pagan traditions were to survive, the motivation to open that painful door becomes less compelling, and the comforting obliviousness of the status quo can remain untouched.”

This clearly explains the responsibility our country has, not just towards safe guarding its culture but also to act as a catalyst to revive and sustain the ancient cultures world over. International day of Yoga can become that catalytic force if taken with right spirit. Each and every culture is a repository of a knowledge system and if that culture is revived it will be a shot in arm for the humanity. 

V.V.Balasubramanian

YB-ET

The level playing field tilts.

The recent claims by few Lingayat leaders of Karnataka that they are not Hindus but a separate religion would have raised the palpitations of many in the Hindu society. That the ruling party is trying to polarize the society using this issue is very obvious. They support the Lingayats and are ready to grant them the status they are asking for, hoping to gain the Lingayat votes. They know very well that this will be struck down by the Hon’ble Supreme Court, as it did in the Ramakrishna Mutt case 25 years ago.  In both cases it’s our law which has driven them to this futile attempt of claiming minority status. In the case of Ramakrishna Mutt, they filed a case in Calcutta High court seeking minority Status in order to save their Educational Institutions from Political interference. But the Supreme Court of India declared that neither Sri Ramakrishna nor Swami Vivekananda founded any independent, non-Hindu religion. Thus ended the RK Mission's desperate attempt to gain the privileges accorded only to minority religions in India, specifically, the right to manage their extensive educational institutions free from government control. The then General Secretary of Ramakrishna Mutt, Swami Atmasthananda, told in an interview that, "Whatever legal brains have done is for lawyers to say." The RK Mission's explanation has been all along that it has taken this step to save its schools, and that the court statements are simply part of the necessary legal maneuvers. 

Now even after 25 years the Hindu society is in the same confounded situation where they have to seek the ignominious minority status in their own homeland, to have their administration free of unnecessary Government interference. Solution to this problem lies in abrogation of Article 30 of our Constitution which grants and upholds the right of minorities to establish and administer educational institutions. While Article 30 was included along with its various clauses to protect the interests of the ethnic as well as religious minorities in India, it also has certain drawbacks. The very fact that minorities have the sole control of the educational institutions that they establish implies that the government cannot exercise any control over its formation as well as management. Hence, in case of malpractice, the government will not have the right to intervene and take control of the situation. Article 30 exempts the minority institutions from reserving 25% of its seats for the poor as per Rights to Education Act, which, is in stark contrast to fundamental rights enshrined in the Constitution of India. So instead of creating a level playing field this Article has only resulted in creating a favorable atmosphere for the minorities and resentment among the majority community. The term minorities have been defined without any reference to size. We can understand when Parsis are refered as minorities. but can the same tag be extended to Muslims? When there are 180 million of them around, making India the second-largest Muslim country in the world? This fact made Maulana Abul Kalam Azad say that Muslims were not minorities in India, instead he called them India’s second majority.

Ours is proclaimed as a secular country. But it is here where the temples of the majority community are under the control of the State, whereas, the minorities have the protection granted by law. This will probably be the only country in the entire world where the majority community helplessly saw its members reduced to the plight of refugees when the ethnic cleansing happened in Kashmir and Kashmiri Pundits were driven out of their homeland. This is a country where the beleaguered majority community which is facing attacks from all the fronts needs some protection. 

The spirit of the Article 30 is to ensure that the Minorities are not discriminated against. But in essence it has only resulted in Governments acting with impunity with regard to the majority community’s institutions and turning a blind eye to the happenings in the minority institutions.  It’s time to abrogate this Article which creates disparity among communities. Instead of asking the political parties to abolish this detestable provision the Hindu sects are seeking refuge in that very same provision. This approach is akin to putting the noose around our neck and walking further. Whatever be the grounds in which we seek this minority status, it will only result in that particular sect getting distanced from the mainstream Hindu samaj.  And it is this disintegration of Hindu society which the proselytizing Abrahamic faiths are eagerly looking for. These predatory faiths may also be at the back of these political dramas, hoping that if Lingayats are alienated from the Hindu society, then it will be easy for them to convert them.  It needs enormous political will and courage and an ability to look beyond vote bank politics and mere electoral gains to find a right solution to this issue which may otherwise become contagious.

V.V.Balasubramanian

YB-ET

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Padmavibhushan For Vivekananda Kendra President Mananeeya P. Parameswaranji

Kendra workers all over India and Patriots and adherents of Hindu Dharma rejoice at the honour done to Kendra President Ma. P. Parameswaranji. He has been chosen for Padma Vibhushan award for the 2018 Republic day.Born in Shertalai in Alappuzha district of Kerala in 1927, Shri Parameswaranji completed his college education in S.P. College of Changanassery and Tiruvanathapuram University College taking his B.A., (Hons) degree in history.

On the advice of Pujya Guruji Golwalkar he became an R.S.S. Pracharak in 1950. He became the Organizing Secretary, All India General Secretary and the Vice President of Bharatiya Jana Sangh. He underwent imprisonment during the emergency 1975 – 77. In 1977 he left active politics and dedicated himself to whole time writing, speaking and constructive work. He became the Director of Deen Dayal Research Institute Delhi and served that Institute for four years.

In 1982, he returned to Kerala, founded the National Research Centre, Bharatiya Vichar Kendra with its Head Quarters at Tiruvananthapuram. He became the Vice President and then the President of Vivekananda Rock Memorial Committee and Vivekananda Kendra, Kanyakumari. He used to speak to our youth on Swami Vivekananda and his National and spiritual ideals.

He is a patron of Gita Swadhyaya Samiti which takes the message of the Gita to the younger generation.He was associated with the Kalady Advaita Ashrama and its founder Swami Aghamanandaji. Sri. P. Parameswaranji is also well connected with Ramakrishna Math.

He has great faith in the Gita concept of Selfless work and its efficacy in solving the society’s problems. In 1998 he started the Gita Decade. The Trichur Gita Sangamam involved 2000 youths. He organized in the year 2000, a National Seminar on Gita’s answers to contemporary problems and published the research papers as a useful volume. 1500 professors, researchers and thinkers participated in the seminar led by the then Human Resources Central Minister Dr. Murali Manohar Joshi and the Dalai Lama.

Sri. Parameswaranji played a useful role in the centenary celebrations of Swami Vivekananda’s Chicago speech (1993).Widely travelled and well-versed in our Dharmic Literature Sri. P. Parameswaranji is a powerful speaker in Malayalam and English.

His untiring patriotic and Dharmic work was recognized by Kolkatta Bada Bazaar Library (Hanuman Prasad Poddar award in 1997), Jawaharlal Nehru, University Delhi appointed him as its Senate member. Mata Amritananda Mayi Math conferred its Amrita Kirti Puraskar upon him in 2002. He became a Padma Shree in 2004.

He has been the editor of Kesari and Manthan. He is the editor of all Kendra Periodicals. He is the Chief editor of Pragati the Research Quarterly.He is the author of numerous books on Sri Narayana Guru, Sri Aurobindo, Swami Vivekananda and Indian Culture and values. His books on Marx and Vivekananda, From Marx to Maharshi, Bhagawad Gita and Hindu Dharma have been translated into Indian languages. His poems have been collected and published under the title Yajna Prasad. 

His 90th year celebrations were inaugurated by the Home Minister Sri Rajnath Singh in August 2017 in Kochi. The concluding programme at Tiruvananthapuram in December 2017 saw his collection of Articles, essays, speeches and other writings under the title “Heart beats of the Hindu Nation” being released by Pujaneeya Shri Mohanji Bhagawat the Sarsanghchalak. Sri. Parameswaranji continues to serve the nation through his sage counsel,  work and writings.   

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Man who saw GOD

As a young seeker Narendranath was very curious not just to know about God, but also to see him. With this keen interest he went to many great saints whether they could help him see God. But to his dismay none could give him the answer which he expected. Disappointed and desperate the young man one day, along with his friends, went to meet Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, a somewhat eccentric priest of the Kali temple at Dakshineswar in Calcutta. At the first opportunity Narendranath asked him the same question - "Sir, have you seen God?"

But Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, unlike the erudite saints whom Narendranath met before, replied in rural dialect without mincing words - "Yes, I have seen God. I have seen Him more tangibly than I see you. I have talked with him more intimately than I am talking to you. But my child, who wants to see God! People shed jugs of tears for money, wife and children. But if they weep for God for only one day they would surely see Him."

Narendranath was astounded. For the first time, he was face to face with a man who asserted that he had seen God. For the first time, in fact, he was hearing that God could be seen. He could feel that Ramakrishna's words were uttered from the depths of an inner experience. But on encountering Ramakrishna, Narendranath’s skeptical mind could not understand Ramakrishna’s ecstatic devotion to goddess Kali. He viewed Ramakrishna’s ecstasies and visions as mere imagination and hallucinations. He placed many questions and arguments before Ramakrishna, who patiently prodded him to “try to see the truth from all angles”. He intuitively knew that here was a genuine man to whom God was a living reality and not at all a philosophical concept or an intellectual pastime. It was under the tutelage of Sri Ramakrishna that Narendra Nath Dutta evolved into a full-blossomed spiritual soul, later to be known as Swami Vivekananda.

The spiritual initiation given by Ramakrishna Paramahamsa evolved Swami Vivekananda as an Advaitic, who can see the existence of God in the things that exist. From his guru Ramakrishna, Vivekananda learnt that all living beings were an embodiment of the Divine; therefore, service to God could be rendered by serving mankind.

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