Swamiji’s role in inspiring people to fight for the freedom.: May 2022

 Whenever a discussion happens about Swami Vivekananda’s impact on Indian Society a question will get posed invariably about the role os Swamiji in the freedom struggle. While it is settled without any doubt that many of the freedom fighters were actually inspired by the thoughts of Swamiji, and as a result they got themselves involved in the freedom struggle, we will see what his contributions are. During those days our country was impoverished by the frequent artificial famines created by the British authorities, that our people lacked the mental and the  physical energy and financial resources to carry the fight straight to the powerful imperial kingdom.  Swamiji said that, if India were to get freedom immediately, there were too few proper men to protect it or realize its value. So Swamiji stressed on man-making as the foremost necessity for national rebuilding. Without a properly trained army one cannot wage a war. So Swamiji’s prime focus was on building Men with Character. He wanted Men to be Courageous, Selfless, Honest and Intelligent. As a result of Swamiji’s work and campaign several Leaders endowed with such qualities came on to the Political arena to fight against the British. People like Bala Gangadhar Tilak, Mahatma Gandhi, Netaji were a few examples. Mahatma Gandhi said that his patriotism increased several times after reading the books of Swami Vivekananda. Bengal was at the forefront of the freedom struggle those days. Lot of youth were inspired by Swamiji’s message and they plunged into the freedom movement.  But Swamiji being a Sanyasi  didn’t stop at mere political freedom. His message is not just for the Bonded Countrymen, but for the entire Humanity. Swamiji said:

“The idea of freedom is the only true idea of salvation--freedom from everything, the senses, whether of pleasure or pain, from good as well as evil. More than this, we must be free from death; and to be free from death, we must be free from life. Life is but a dream of death. Where there is life, there will be death; so get away from life if you would be get rid of death. “

This which is a part of his lectures, published as ‘Lectures from Colombo to Almora’, demonstrate his nationalistic fervour and spiritual ideology. All freedom fighters in jail had one copy with them to ignite the patriotism in their mind. The situation was so influential that it created terror in the minds of the Britishers and British govt wanted to ban and close Ramakrishna mission. However, it was saved due to the divine intervention of holy mother, Sarada. She clarified to the British authorities that Mission was a spiritual organisation and it has got nothing to do with politics. We now enjoy the political freedom. But culturally and spiritually we are still under slavery. As a never ending fountain of inspiration Swamiji is still the solution for coming out of this mental slavery.

                                                                                                            

                                                                                                                                 V.V. Balasubramanian

YB-ET

Operation Ganga

When Russia started invading Ukraine it shook the not just the life of Ukrainians, but also the Indians who have gone there to study. It is said that there are around twenty thousand Indians who are living there, among them around eighteen thousand are students.  Indians comprise the largest group of among the International students who are studying in Ukraine. We account for nearly 24% of their International students. Indian embassy gave warnings and asked our students to leave much in advance. But unfortunately, the students didn’t heed the call given by our embassy. As a result, when the situation deteriorated the task of rescuing our nationals from Ukraine became tough.  Our external affairs ministry swung into action swiftly and what followed was a script which will make even a Hollywood adventure movie pale in comparison. 

For the first time in the history of Wars, a country which is in War with another one, heeded to the request made by another country which is not involved in the fight. When India requested for a cease fire Russia immediately agreed and also helped in rescuing our students. India didn’t take any side in this issue. But it sent several tranches of humanitarian aid to the affected country. These contained medical equipment and relief materials and these were delivered via Romania, Slovakia and Poland.  Unlike India, many other countries left their people in the lurch, during this crisis. The excellent rapport which our Prime Minister has with many of today’s global leaders actually paved way for this evacuation operation to become successful. India's evacuation programme, Operation Ganga, has been the most active among all nations which have their citizens in Ukraine. Once upon a time, people from all over the world used to flock towards India in their pursuit of Knowledge. We have done very little since Independence in improving the quality of our educational system and Institutions. Its high time we bring it back to its old glory. Indian students shouldn’t feel the need to go overseas for their studies. The onus is on us to bring back such glory days.

V.V.Balasubramanian

YB-ET

The Conversion Menace

 A twelfth standard student died due to harassment meted to her because she resisted the attempts made to convert her by her school authorities, has created an uproar among the people of Tamilnadu. Though the mainstream media is as usual silent about this incident, the social media is raging with anger with hashtags like #justiceforlavanya is trending all over India. A video of the victim wherein she accuses her school authorities for forcing her to get converted is also doing rounds in the social media. But even with this death statement in hand the law enforcing agencies in the state have not arrested any one from the school and instead  they are trying to close the case as another suicide case. Lavanya was studying 12th standard in the Sacred Heart Higher Secondary School which is located in Thirukkatupalli in Thanjavur, Tamilnadu. She faced mental and physical torture from the authorities of her school after refusing to convert into a Christian. The school said that she could continue her studies only if she changes her religion, according to reports.

This brings to light the most vexing question our society has been asking since Independence. The need to protect the Hindu religious identity in the face of aggressive attempts by the Abrahamic faiths to convert them. It is to be noted that even during the British rule some of the princely states like Kota, Bikaner, Jodhpur, Raigarh, Patna, Surguja, Udaipur, and Kalahandi had such rules which prohibited the missionaries from indulging in overt measures to convert people. It is an irony that a free secular democratic state is finding it difficult to protect its cultural roots. Many a times in our Parliament, attempts were made to bring in laws to prohibit forcible conversions, but couldn’t succeed. Such attempts were made in the year 1954 and 1979, but due to lack of political support they couldn’t get through. It was told that law and order is a state subject and hence Central Government cannot legislate to regulate that. But barring a few State governments others are not inclined to enact such laws as it will cost them the minority votes. The result, Hindus are left without any protection against the predatory religions. To make the States come forward in enacting such a law, the Hindus much muster their strength and pressurise the respective State Governments to act against this menace. For doing that Hindus must organise themselves first. 

Most of the Hindus have a syndrome called Ostrich syndrome. It is nothing but hiding oneself from the happenings around him or from the truth. They think that such an approach will insulate them from the evils going around them. The only way to tackle the predator is to get united and organised.

V.V.Balasubramanian

YB-ET

Samartha Bharat Parva and Vivekananda Jayanti 2021/2022

 Swami Vivekananda sat on the mid-sea rock at Kanyakumari and meditated for three days on 25, 26, and 27^th December 1892. This was a unique meditation. It was not for Samadhi, for Moksha or for one’s own peace of mind. Swamiji meditated there on what should he do, what should be his contribution for regeneration of India. It is there on that Rock that he took the momentous decision of participating in the Parliament of Religions at Chicago to represent Hindu Dharma. He was confident that when the Hindu philosophy is admired at the international forum, the people of his country would come out of the colonial mind-set and work for the regeneration of India, for making India capable to fulfil her destined role. That is why Vivekananda Kendra celebrates the period from 25 December to 12 January that is Swami Vivekananda Jayanti as Samartha Bharat Parva.

The freedom movement was mainly to express the soul of India which was suppressed by the British colonial powers. Swami Vivekananda gave a rousing call to Hindu nation. He emphatically said that he was proud to be a Hindu. Sri Aurobindo said Sanatana Dharma is the nationalism of India. Mahatma Gandhi talked about establishing Ramarajya. Sri Bankim Chandra called India as Durga incarnate. The freedom movement was not for political rule alone but to express Indian soul in all walks of life. 

When Swami Vivekananda called upon the Hindu nation to give the eternal truth of Oneness to the world, one might think, “Why this jingoism, this chauvinism? Does it not imply that other countries have nothing good in them?” Swami Vivekananda explained how every nation has a role to play. He said,

 

Just as there is individuality in every man, so there is a national individuality. As one man differs from another in certain particulars, in certain characteristics of his own, so one race differs from another in certain peculiar characteristics; and just as it is the mission of every man to fulfill a certain purpose in the economy of nature, just as there is a particular line set out for him by his own past Karma, so it is with nations -- each nation has a destiny to fulfill, each nation has a message to deliver, each nation has a mission to accomplish. Therefore, from the very start, we must have to understand the mission of our own race, the destiny it has to fulfill, the place it has to occupy in the march of nations, and note which it has to contribute to the harmony of races.

The question that needs to be asked is, ‘What is it that India has to give to the world, or contribute to the harmony of the races?’ India’s mission is spiritualization of the humanity. Swami Vivekananda said,

This is the theme of Indian life - work, the burden of her eternal songs, the backbone of her existence, the foundation of her being, the raison d’être of her very existence -- the spiritualization of the human race. In this her life-course she has never deviated, whether the Tartar ruled or the Turk, whether the Mogul ruled or the English. (CWSV, volume IV, p. 315)

 

Sri Aurobindo explained in his Uttarapara speech what Sanatana Dharma is based on the Sadhana that he did in the Alipore jail and also the realizations that he had. He told,

We speak often of the Hindu religion, of the Sanatana Dharma, but few of us really know what that religion is. Other religions are preponderatingly religions of faith and profession, but the Sanatana Dharma is life itself; it is a thing that has not so much to be believed as lived. This is the Dharma that for the salvation of humanity was cherished in the seclusion of this peninsula from of old. It is to give this religion that India is rising. She does not rise as other countries do, for self or when she is strong, to trample on the weak. She is rising to shed the eternal light entrusted to her over the world. India has always existed for humanity and not for herself and it is for humanity and not for herself that she must be great...

Well, the protection of the religion, the protection and upraising before the world of the Hindu religion, that is the work before us. But what is the Hindu religion? What is this religion which we call Sanatana, eternal? It is the Hindu religion only because the Hindu nation has kept it, because in this Peninsula it grew up in the seclusion of the sea and the Himalayas, because in this sacred and ancient land it was given as a charge to the Aryan race to preserve through the ages.

 

But it is not circumscribed by the confines of a single country, it does not belong peculiarly and for ever to a bounded part of the world. That which we call the Hindu religion is really the eternal religion, because it is the universal religion which embraces all others. If a religion is not universal, it cannot be eternal. A narrow religion, a sectarian religion, an exclusive religion can live only for a limited time and a limited purpose. This is the one religion that can triumph over materialism by including and anticipating the discoveries of science and the speculations of philosophy. It is the one religion which impresses on mankind the closeness of God to us and embraces in its compass all the possible means by which man can approach God.

 

It is the one religion which insists every moment on the truth which all religions acknowledge that He is in all men and all things and that in Him we move and have our being. It is the one religion which enables us not only to understand and believe this truth but to realise it with every part of our being. It is the one religion which shows the world what the world is, that it is the Lila of Vasudeva. It is the one religion which shows us how we can best play our part in that Lila, its subtlest laws and its noblest rules. It is the one religion which does not separate life in any smallest detail from religion, which knows what immortality is and has utterly removed from us the reality of death.

I said then that this movement is not a political movement and that nationalism is not politics but a religion, a creed, a faith. I say it again today, but I put it in another way. I say no longer that nationalism is a creed, a religion, a faith; I say that it is the Sanatana Dharma which for us is nationalism. This Hindu nation was born with the Sanatana Dharma, with it, it moves and with it it grows. When the Sanatana Dharma declines, then the nation declines, and if the Sanatana Dharma were capable of perishing, with the Sanatana Dharma it would perish.

Mahatma Gandhi wanted Ramarajya in India. What did he mean by Ramarajya? This question only the confused educated elite may ask. The people instantaneously understood and cherished the thought of fighting for freedom to have Ramarajya. The ideal Ramarajya, according to Gandhi, may be described as ‘the land of dharma and a realm of peace, harmony and happiness for young and old, high and low, all creatures and the earth itself, in recognition of a shared universal consciousness. In many places he wrote or talked about Ramarajya. As was the audience in front of him, he explained the concept in the language they understood. Sometimes it was at the spiritual level, or with respect to political rule or in the context of justice to women or to the poor of India. Few quotes are as below.

By political independence I do not mean an imitation to the British House of commons, or the soviet rule of Russia or the Fascist rule of Italy or the Nazi rule of Germany. They have systems suited to their genius. We must have ours suited to ours. What that can be is more than I can tell. I have described it as Ramarajya i.e., sovereignty of the people based on pure moral authority. (H, 2-1-1937, p. 374)

If you want to see God in the form of Ramarajya, the first requisite is self-introspection. You have to magnify your own faults a thousand-fold and shut your eyes to the faults of your neighbours. That is the only way to real progress. (H, 26-10-1947, p. 387)

जिनके तन और मन एक ही दिशा में - पवित्र दिशा में चलते जा रहे हों, जब तक ऐसी स्त्रियां हिन्दुस्तान के सार्वजनिक जीवन को पवित्र न कर दें, तब तक रामराज्य अथवा स्वराज्य असंभव है. यदि ऐसा स्वराज्य संभव भी हो गया, तो वह ऐसा स्वराज्य होगा जिसमें स्त्रियों का पूरा-पूरा भाग नहीं होगा, और वह मेरे लिए निकम्मा स्वराज्य होगा. (Whose body and mind are moving in the same direction - in the holy direction, unless such women sanctify the public life of India, Ramrajya or Swarajya is impossible. Even if such swaraj became possible, it would be swaraj in which women would not have their full share, and that would be useless swaraj for me.)

But if we take the gist of all his writings and speeches, Ramarajya was supposed to be based on Dharma in which, moral uprightness, care for others, feeling of oneness, integrity of character and equality was inherent.  

Today the narrative in the country, in the media is vitiated. It would be difficult for any leader to tell in the open that India is a Hindu Nation or Sanatana Dharma is Nationalism or India need to be Ramarajya or India is Durga incarnate. The drives of freedom movement, the objectives of freedom movement are negated in media, in educational institutions and unfortunately in the minds of many elites. No person of some standing can openly talk of India as a Hindu nation or tell Sanatana Dharma as nationalism or calling for Ramarajya. He would be abused as communalist, or even threatened by anti-national forces openly.

The ‘Swa’, the ‘Atman’ of India is still not expressed fully in all walks of life. How did it happen? Since 1947, the guilt of the partition of India made the then political leaders to be yielding space to the non – Hindu forces in media, education, and over-all public discourse. Where would that lead us in decades? Eknathji had seen the writings on the wall.  That is why Eknathji wanted Vivekananda Kendra as a thought movement which would focus on the ‘Swa’ of India which comes from the Vedic vision of potential divinity of human soul and the oneness of existence. Thus, man is to strive for manifesting the Divine, the excellence, in all endeavors; and Oneness of existence if internalized motivates the man to serve the society, nation and nature. ‘Swaraj 75’ is a proper occasion to revisit the objectives of the freedom movement.

Even when facing barbaric forces and under the gravest provocations, our civilization has consistently, propagated non-conflicting ideas and practiced non-conflicting methods, because Oneness of existence is ingrained in Indian culture. The history of Bharat is replete with such instances, where, when Dharma was threatened, the spiritual vision and practical action organized the society to lift the nation from its morass and put it on its course. This has happened time and again. This is how the nation, that seemed to have lost hope, was always revived by the combination of spiritualism and activism such as Srikrishna and Arjuna, Samarth Ramdas and Chatrapati Shivaji, Vidyaranya Swami and Harihara Bukka and so on.

 Later the advent of Ramakrishna-Vivekananda and Swamiji’s fiery words delivered in his lectures from Colombo to Almora revitalized the spiritual nationalist surge which was manifested in the freedom movement. Then followed the great pantheon of leaders who fought for the freedom of Bharat. These freedom fighters had envisaged a glorious Bharat rooted in Sanatana Dharma and as the spiritual guide to the humanity. Their dream we need to remember at the time of Swaraj 75 and accordingly hasten our activities to actualize it. 

 Swami Vivekananda ignited the Youth power of Bharat and unleashed it to free the nation from foreign yoke. His words have the power to rouse the youth to work for nation to establish her as Jagadguru.

 

Nivedita Raghunath Bhide

 

 

 

Gita and Modern Problems

To say that the Bhagavad Gita is a solution to modern problems does not mean that it is a readymade panacea for all our present troubles. The Gita serves to enlighten a person with a philosophy by which he can find solutions to current problems. The book has not lost its relevance with time since it is rooted in eternal truths - truths which are fundamental to humans and to the laws of nature.

The Gita is not just a religious book. Nor is it just a scientific treatise. It is a comprehensive world view. It does not reject spirituality as does Communism. Nor does it deny the realities of worldly existence and material needs. It balances the dual needs of spiritualism and materialism.

For Individual and Society

Another unique feature of the Gita is that it does not concentrate solely on individual 'Moksha'. It seeks to offer itself as a guide to society as well. The symbiotic relationship between the individual and the society is recognized by this book. The Gita exhorts the individual to carry out his duty - ‘Karma’ - so that it serves himself as well as the society around him. There is no scope for spiritual enlightenment of an individual who turns away from society and the material world.

The Gita provides a multifaceted outlook. Different 'darshanas' reveal different paths to spiritual enlightenment. The path of Action - Karma Yoga, the path of Knowledge - Jnana Yoga and the path of Devotion - Bhakti Yoga. In the Gita all these different methods are integrated. In this integrated approach, the different facets of the individual are given due importance. Thus the Gita serves as a blueprint for overall personal development.

Eternal Recurrence

Though the Gita was delivered at a particular period of time at Kurukshetra, its relevance has not been limited by time or space. The battlefield of Kurukshetra and the despair of Arjuna are phenomena of eternal recurrence in the mind. The confusion and despair among the present-day youth is similar to Arjuna's dejection. The weakness which drives our people to suicide when confronted with the simplest of failures, the withering away of ideology and ideals, the arrogance born out of ignorance, the cynicism which rejects as hopeless every effort to reform the society are all but manifestations of an inner despair. A feeling of hopelessness is apparent in the face of the present-day youth who refuses to look at problems squarely in the eye. Arjuna too was in such a predicament. The Bhagavad Gita which once saved Arjuna from his dire predicament is the answer to the demoralization of the present generation.

The Gita starts with an exhortation against weakness. It calls on Arjuna to abandon his despair as despair in no way suits such a brave warrior. This psychological approach is relevant to the youth of India who face a crisis of confidence and identity. It serves as a bulwark against the weakness of spirit which prompts modern day Arjunas to abandon hope and opt for the suicide solution.

A Self-Sufficient Work Ethic

It is not sufficient to reject despair. A positive alternative is required. Here too, the Gita shows the way. Self-help and self-sufficiency is the Gita approach. It is not advisable to depend upon others for self-development. Each individual and each society should develop by independent effort. What happens otherwise? Each one becomes a burden to oneself and to others. Next time the Gita thus provides a model which cautions against the dependence of the present-day youth on foreign help, goods or inspiration.

The book calls on us to be independent and self- sufficient. Do your duty - it says - each one has his own duty. Without this one cannot even support one's own body.

The attitude of our youth which prompts them to desist from dirtying their hands by an honest day's work, an attitude which makes him like the lazy way out. The Karma Yoga is an answer to this destructive work ethic.

The Gita elaborates on the concept of duty. It calls on us to fulfil our 'Karma' with an attitude of devotion - 'Yajna Bhavam'. When the Karma - duty - is done with an attitude of devotion and for the society as a whole it becomes 'Yagna'. One who performs his duty, only for himself, misses this exalted concept. In that case there is no devotion. Even when one cooks food for only oneself, it is considered to be a sin by the Gita philosophy. The Gita calls upon us to give the fruits of Karma to the society and to partake only what is essential for oneself. Such a doer is free from all sin.

Co-operative Development

So the doer is not free to accumulate all the fruits of his own labour. He can take what is needed. Yet he is only a Trustee of the wealth. The owner is the Almighty. The owner is the Society. The doer deserves only the remanents of his offerings. This relationship between Karma and the fruits of Karma is a quantum leap from the ideas of surplus value and exploitation of labour as enunciated in this classical communist/ capitalist dogmas.

Perhaps the most striking part of the Gita philosophy is the idea of Co-operative Development. The scripture rejects the idea that conflict and competition are the methods of achieving the highest good. Instead the emphasis is on co-operation. Competition ensures the survival of the fittest. Yet, the vast majority is marginalized in this rat race. Co-operation on the other hand ensures all-round development. Thus the Gita philosophy takes under its wings the society as a whole. If all of us are but parts of the Almighty, then, is not co-operation the natural path of development? Is not competitive conflict a denial of this holistic concept? Is it not denial of Godliness? Rejecting the western concept of the survival of the fittest as ungodly, the Gita emphasizes on the path of spirituality with co-operative development. It details this idea of wealth distribution.

The model of co-operative development is not confined to man alone. The relationship between man and nature is also part of this model. The scripture calls for co-operation, not just between man and man but between man and the Devas. By 'Devas', the Gita seeks to personify the force of nature. This, it says, can be achieved through Yajna. Yajna i.e. devotion should be according to the laws of nature. When we deviate from its path, we tread through danger, as we go against nature itself. The environmental destruction undertaken by the modern society in the name of development is thus opposed to the teachings of the Gita.

The Gita shows the golden mean which ensures the protection of environment along with the pursuit of 'development'.

The Dharma of W ealth

The Gita is not against the creation of wealth or the pursuit of material happiness. In fact it encourages wealth creation and material enjoyment. But both activities should be based on 'Dharma' and aimed at 'Moksha'. In that context wealth and desire become divine.

When wealth and desire are built on the ideals of Dharma and Moksha, luxury and competitive consumerism become meaningless. When desire, and rage which stems from the denial of the object of desire predominate, sinful actions result. The Bhagavad Gita condemns the trio - Kama, Krodha, Lobha. For, are not the conflict between individuals and nations based on these sins? Does not these lead to suffering?

While condemning this destructive path, the Gita offers solace to the strays. The sinner need not feel dejected. When one turns towards God one automatically becomes cleansed. He becomes 'Dharmathma' and achieves eternal peace of mind. 'My devotee is never destroyed' says Lord Krishna. 'Those who constantly meditate on myself will get everything they need' the Lord promises.

Scientific Spirit

The Gita is scientific to the core. The very spirit of science is the freedom to seek, question, experiment and to accept only if and when one is satisfied. The Gita too accepts and encourages this scientific spirit. It does not call for accepting its philosophy blindly. Nor does it want us to reject other teachings as blasphemy. Even in the midst of the conflict of Kurukshetra the Lord urges Arjuna to question. Afterwards Krishna reinforces the Gita philosophy with a demonstration of his own Eternal, all- encompassing self - the 'Viswa Rupam'. Finally the Lord advises Arjuna to critically analyse everything he (Krishna) has said and only then to adopt whatever he (Arjuna) feels appropriate. No other holy scripture offers such intellectual freedom. The Gita urges us to be critical of even the Vedas. It is this scientific spirit which has maintained its relevance through this yuga of science.

Convergence of EntitiesThe scripture is a guide for our daily life. It is not something put on a pedestal and light lamps to. It is not something you learn daily by heart and then put away. It is something you can live by. The Gita is not something you take up in the sunset of your life. It is something to guide through every stage of your multifaceted existence. Something which will give you material happiness and spiritual enlightenment.

In essence, the Arjuna-Krishna dialogue is but a symbolic one. Arjuna is the warrior. Krishna the philosopher. Arjuna is the doer. Krishna the guide. When there is a convergence between two such entities there will be prosperity and victory of justice. It is such a conference that is desired by everyone. The Gita shows us the path to such a convergence. This is the greatest teaching of the Bhagavad Gita.

P. Parameswaran