The Fallen Autumn Leaf

|| Sri Ramakrishna Sharanam||

Aum Namo Narayanaya

I found myself seated on the banks of the lighthouse promenade when an unrivalled and uncontested thought directed me to this sanctuary of calm nestled between the majestic Indian Ocean and avenue of trees boarding the concrete jungle of resorts and apartments.  Although in the midst of a field of intense foot activity, the cordial blend of the ocean breeze, the scents emanating from the varied foliage together with chunks of shade created by the rising buildings provided the integral components for relaxation.

The shower of leaves signalled the strength of autumn as a carpet of dried and wilted leaves formed across the landscape. A tilted glance vertically confirmed the reign of autumn, with trees standing naked of any foliage. On the ground thousands of insects were hurriedly organising themselves to take these fallen autumn leaves to create a warm cosy den for the ensuing winter. What a marvel of nature I thought. Transfixed and immersed in this glorious act of nature my mind became buoyant with a thought of how the techniques for our liberation and right living is present even in nature itself.

It is sad to see so many people who are nourished off this world develop such a narrow and selfish outlook on life. Their sole aim upon completion of their studies, is to marry, have a family and confine all their energy and effort on themselves. They turn a blind eye and purposefully ignore the contributions made by various elements towards the success of their lives.

We could learn so much from the life of a fallen autumn leave in terms of selfless service. Nourished from the minerals of the earth through its network of roots provides yeoman selfless service to the world.  The leaf which through a chemical reaction provides energy for the tree to grow, provides oxygen, facilitates rain and provides relief in the form of shade on a blistering hot day. If that is not amazing enough it even provides warmth to many insects for the winter even after it has fallen and doing all this in the background without a single stress on recognition.

Swami Vivekananda said, “Even if you think that this one life of yours is going to be spent in vain for the good of many, what does it matter? Who knows how many lives have been spent in vain? Why fear if one life is spent doing good to the world?”

Can we attain our goal by mere spiritual practices alone? In this industrial and secular world we have come to realise and understand that it is impossible to immerse ourselves in meditation and sadhanas for long sustained periods. The gaps that are not filled with some meaningful activities leaves the mind vulnerable to vain and evil thoughts.  Swami Brahmananda the first president of the Ramakrishna Mission always emphasised that in service greater stress should be on the attitude of the worker rather than the nature of the work.

The attitude of selflessness must form the cornerstone of all our activities if it were to be of any real benefit to our liberation. The lives of these great Swami’s are not mere inspiration but practical examples of this. We can only read with awe how they forsook their pursuit of solitary sadhana as monks and joy of samadhi for the welfare of the world.  When one reads the life of Swamiji and other great saints it was clear how they would pace about or lay restlessly in bed at the sight and suffering of others and will not be at peace until their miseries were relieved.

It was Swami Vivekananda who set the stage for this harmony between selfless work and worship as the foundation of spirituality that will elevate man in this silicon age. Swamiji said “You will reap the benefit of a lack of japa if you can feed those who are dying of starvation”. The words of Swamiji  is not unique to the Ramakrishna order but is a universal truth proclaimed by bhagavan Krishna himself in the Bhagavat Gita.

If man is serious about achieving the goal of liberation he needs to find a balance between, family , society and spiritual life. In this age the way is to live in the world but renounce the desire for rewards, fame and recognition.

When all come to understand that our existence is interdependent on the various elements of the world and on the societies we live in, we would have gained a little insight into Swamijis spiritual genius when he advocated seva as worship to the lord himself. 

A little excerpt here taken from a conversation with one of his disciples wonderfully unpacks this: 

 Swamiji -What is the good of that spiritual practice or realisation which does not benefit others, does not conduce to the well being of people sunk in ignorance and delusion, does not help in rescuing them from the clutches of lust and wealth? Do you think, so long as one Jiva endures in bondage, you will have any liberation? So long as he is not liberated ,it may take several lifetimes,  you will have to be born to help him, to make him realise Brahman. Every Jiva is part of yourself  which is the rationale of all work for others. As you desire the whole hearted good of your wife and children, knowing them to be your own, so when a like amount of love and attraction for every Jiva will awaken in you, then I shall know that Brahman is awakening in you, not a moment before. When this feeling of the all round good of all without respect for caste or colour will awaken in your heart, then I shall know you are advancing towards the ideal.

May these words of Swamiji inspire us to serve others and be as selfless as the fallen autumn leaf is my sincere prayer

With love and prayers always

Yogan

From Miner to Farmer

||Sri Ramakrishna Sharanam||

Aum Namo Narayanaya

If there was ever an inkling of a doubt that God listens to our every prayer, it was totally annihilated today. When Sri Ramakrishna said that God listens so attentively to our prayers, that He can even hear the footfall of an ant; He spoke from a point of guarantee because He personally attends to all prayers from His devotees. As my normal morning routine sadhana progressed, I slipped in a little distress signal to Him. At that point, I was totally clueless as to the subject matter for the blog. Before I opened the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna for morning read, I said to Master that whichever page I open to will be the central idea for discussion.  I was dumbstruck when Swami Vimokshananda took the very same page up for discussion at satsangh yesterday.

It is rather fascinating how social conversations over dinner or even at functions are somehow seasoned with either political or spiritual discussion, despite the cardinal rule being to avoid these at any cost. However, the circle of friends that I mingle with ensures that even if such topics were pursued, the final result was not catastrophic.

One of my good friends who regularly reads the blog raised a doubt during one such gathering. He said that we always downplay the world in relation to spirituality. He claimed that the world brings great joy and thrill, and went a little further to say even sometimes more than sitting at a satsangh.

I don’t think that anybody can argue with his statement if one takes a short term view. I said to him I agree with him totally, but he is regarded as a miner; and those who follow the spiritual path are the farmers. Yes both will definitely achieve joy and excitement - however the miner will achieve a quick unsustained burst of joy; whilst the famer although will need to wait, will enjoy a sustained joy.

Those that extract their happiness and joy through the world via sense pleasure are like miners. When a gold mine is discovered, a person is over ecstatic that his worries are over. He is rewarded with immediate satisfaction as gold fetches a huge sum at the market. As he mines, his lifestyle increases and he enjoys the best of the world. All this continues only as long as the mine remains open. He fails to realise that a mine is a limited resource with a limited lifespan. When the gold stops, his joy stops.

A farmer on the other hand, has a vast tract of land. He cannot gather any instant joy from his land, apart from the fact that he has an appreciating asset. The farmer takes a few years to remove all the weeds from the farm, then another few years to prepare and fertilise the soil before ploughing. He will wait for the rains to come before he plants his mango seeds. A further 12 to 15 years may pass before he reaps the first fruit. But that is the start of his sustained joy, as from here on, he is guaranteed fruit at regular seasonal intervals, with the least maintenance.

Yes indeed, at first, the prospect of being a miner might be appealing, but who wants to experience just a burst of happiness and return to a state of despair? This world gives nothing but transient happiness. So long as joy comes via the senses; class it immediately as poison and reject it.

A spiritual life may initially take long to setup. Today as Swami Vimokshananda said, our minds are full of cob webs. A lot of preparation work is necessary. We must weed out all the bad vasanas that occupy our mind. The next step is of vital importance and forms the bedrock of a spiritual aspirant. It is what I read in the Gospel yesterday. In His conversation with Vidya Sagar, Master explains that God cannot be realised by just scriptural knowledge. One needs to fertilise the mind and heart with immense faith and devotion. These two composts generate immense love which is the key ingredient to invoke the Lord’s fruit of grace.

Once that grace starts to flow, it will continue like the eternal Ganga which has never failed to provide sustenance to India since the beginning of civilisation. A wonderful song that Sri Ramakrishna sang, beautifully encapsulates this.

As is a man’s meditation, so is the depth of his love. As is the depth of his love, so is his gain; and faith is the root of all. If in the nectar lake of Mother Kali’s feet my mind remains immersed - of little use are worship, oblations or sacrifice.

Mother Kali at Dakshineswar

Swamiji explained that these songs were composed by Ramparsad who was extremely devoted to Mother Kali and the depth of his devotion can easily be gauged by his poetry. When one is immersed in total devotion and faith to God, has found refuge at Her feet, all acts of worship and other ritualistic practices become insignificant; then what of this fleeting transient world which can only be enjoyed through our senses?

Dependency on sense pleasure will only produce a quagmire of problems.  Although the search for the truth and ultimate bliss may be the road less travelled, it is however a road with a destination that is sought by all. It is only the intrepid traveller who will enjoy this.

May we all invest in that long term sustainable goal of bliss, than the short erratic bursts of transient joy is my sincere prayer.

With love and prayers always

Yogan

TRI AMBIGA'S (3 Mothers)

||Sri Ramakrishna Sharanam||

Aum Namo Narayanaya

Sharanye Tryambake Gauri Narayani Namo Stuthe - this line of a sloka which forms part of the Devi Mahatmayam, sings praise and glory to the Divine Mother.

This week indeed packed several surprises, none of which were pleasant. The weekend brought sad news of the demise of our Minister of Public Administration, Comrade Roy Padayachie, whilst on official work in Addis Ababa and continued to deteriorate when I was confined to the bed for the entire week due to a chest infection and flu.

Although indisposed, I made every effort to straddle out of bed to watch the Minister’s final send off, which was televised nationally. The dignified and honourable funeral - attended by our President, cabinet, foreign dignitaries, and a mass of people across all, race and language barriers - spoke mountains of the gentle giant whom the media referred to as the “Minister with clean hands”. A rare species indeed, when today most high ranking politicians have a cloud of corrupt behaviour over their head; utilising high office for personal wealth accumulation. I was introduced to the late Minister at an ANC function by Mr Siva Naidoo, when he first became Deputy Minister of Communications, and we maintained a wonderful relationship ever since.

I recall fondly how on a few occasions he called me on a Sunday evening out of courtesy to follow up on discussions we had on projects and would give his valuable input and comment. On another occasion when he spotted me at the Gateway Mall with my colleagues, he made it a point to walk over and warmly embrace me and chat for a few minutes, to the amazement of friends who exclaimed: “the Minister just came over to greet you”. All these episodes vividly capture him rightly as a humble soul whose interest went beyond fame and self interest.

Many tributes were read at the funeral - from friends, family, foreign diplomats, the President and fellow comrades - but the tribute read by Mr Solly Pillay (the Minister’s brother-in-law) really struck a chord of correlation between the life he lead and the most dignified and wonderful send off he had.



Gauri Mata

Sharanye translates to “I take refuge”; Tryambake to “Oh three-eyed-one; Gauri to “fair in complexion”; Narayani Namo Stuthe to “I bow to thee Mother”. This when translated means that we bow to the Mother Gauri, who is the consort of Shiva and take refuge in her. I indulge you a little in allowing me to use writer’s licence to break up Tryambake to Tri Ambika - which means three mothers. Hence, I now refer to the line to mean I take refuge in the three mothers who is verily Gauri (Parvati).

With our limited imagination, limited vocabulary and limited vision - it is virtually impossible to think of, describe and see the Divine Mother (Gauri) as Master Sri Ramakrishna did as the universal consciousness that creates, sustains and dissolves this creation. But as man, we have the opportunity to serve and worship this universal consciousness through serving the Tri Ambikas (three Mothers).

From listening to Mr Solly Pillay, I conclude that the success of the late Minister was through his ability to serve these three mothers with distinction.

The first, being your biological mother. Mr Solly said that every parent and family hoped that at least one child will be the hero and bring great honour to the family. From all the tributes that were read - encapsulating his academic achievements, social consciousness and career achievements to raising a wonderful  family - would definitely have made his mother proud and leave a smile  from ear to ear. Mothers who are the very foundations of our lives will sacrifice everything possible to raise their children into responsible and successful adults without expecting anything in return. But, in this ego endowed society we have children, who having achieved success and wealth at the expense of their parents, pay not a heed of respect to them in the most vulnerable stage of their lives. Those who cannot see God in their parents can forget seeing God in the universal form.

Second, is serving the Motherland. Swami Vivekananda said:

Are you prepared for all sacrifices for the sake of our Motherland? If you are, then you can rid the land of poverty and ignorance. Do you know that millions of our countrymen are starving and miserable? Do you feel for them? Do you so much as shed a tear for them? Have you the courage to face any hurdles, however formidable? Have you the determination to pursue your goal, even if those near and dear to you oppose you? I loved my motherland dearly before I went to America and England. After my return, every particle of the dust of this land seems sacred to me.

I still shudder to think where we would be today, if it were not for those selfless brave souls, some who paid with their lives for the democracy we enjoy today. Since democracy, people have sat back and expect the government to create a utopia, without making a single contribution to towards building this country. Swamiji further states: “No nation is great because Parliament enacts this or that, but because its men are great and good”.  My heart still palpitates with emotion when I heard how the late Minister had to be sneaked into his own home to spend time with his new born child for fear of being caught by the security forces. When people have made such extreme sacrifices for our freedom, the least we can do to honour them is to help realise their dream of a truly non-racial, non-sexist and prosperous motherland.

And finally - to honour, propagate and preserve our mother tongue. This also refers to our culture and heritage which provides a moral compass during the storms of life. I was indeed moved to see a state funeral coffin draped in marigold garlands and Tamil prayers and padigams being read. As we start to globalise, people begin to embrace the global business language of English to communicate and transact with ease. However, this language is devoid of the rich and lofty ideals that come with our mother tongue heritage. During the week, Swami Vimokshananda mailed some wonderful links about the Thirrukural. This Tamil treasure house of ethics, morals and values provides more than an adequate framework within which man can live in this world, yet reach the highest state of bliss. Therefore, embracing your mother tongue, whatever it may be, forms a strong basis of a moral and just life.

Dear readers, on this all important Mothers Day, I pray that we revere our three mothers (biological, country and cultural heritage) as the Divine Mother herself, and through selfless and yeomen service to them, may we attain the universal consciousness, is my sincere prayer.

Hamba Kahle dear Comrade Roy Padayachie. May your legacy inspire youth throughout the world to serve humanity selflessly.

With love and prayers always

Yogan

Masters in Life Administration (MLA)

||Sri Ramakrishna Sharanam||

Aum Namo Narayanaya

Full Moon Night - Tongaat

For those parts of our country that are experiencing clear skies, they will bear witness to an unusually larger moon on the skyline. Yes, you would have guessed by now that I am writing this blog on Chaitra Pournami (5^th May 2012) which is the full moon day during the month of Chaitra (April-May). The penetrating brilliance of its illumination removes fear as night takes on a semi-day character. Special pooja conducted on this day especially in the southern regions of India are dedicated to Chitragupta. Legend has it that the personal assistant of the Lord of Death (Sri Yama Raja), Chitragupta, was born on this day. When one passes on he has to face Yama Raja, and it is Chitragupta who presents an account of your life to Yama Raja to decide your fate.  It is stated if you propitiate Chitragupta on this day, he will plead your case for leniency before Yama Raja.

An awe inspiring phenomena occurs on this day at Kanya Kumari, where one is able to witness the two celestial orbs - the sun and moon - harmoniously share the same horizon. A delightful sense of peace dances to the tune of Pournami tonight.

In the midst of this peace, I rewind a bit to the week that passed. It was suitably paced as many South Africans and others throughout the world would have colonised the opportunity to extend their weekend by taking a day’s leave on Monday 30 April. The 1^st  of May is an internally recognised holiday known as Workers Day, and in some other parts of the world as Labour Day. The holiday is essentially characterised by placard demonstrations and marches by labour movements in commemoration of the 1886 Haymarket Affair in Chicago. The police were trying to disperse a public assembly during a general strike for the eight-hour workday, when an unidentified person threw a bomb at them. The police reacted by firing on the workers, killing dozens of demonstrators.

However, 11 years after this incident, which prompted a congress of labour federations to declare it as International Labour Day, a very significant movement was born which was home to a different class of labourers. This band of labourers worked selflessly for no reward, and incredibly enough were not particular of their hours of work. All their work was performed as an act of worship out of which they derived their payment in the currency of grace, dispensed by their beloved Master.

Swami Vivekananda, who challenged and revolutionised the legacy of religious practices imbibed slavishly generation after generation, founded the Ramakrishna Mission on 1^st May 1897. Underpinned by his realisation that “Jiva is Shiva”, Swamiji made worship a practical living experience by worshipping God in man through providing essential health care, disaster relief, rural management, tribal welfare, elementary and higher education and culture.

The work of the mission to the present day has grown exponentially and is personally guided by the grace of Master, when He promised Swamiji before attaining Maha Samadhi that He will reside where ever Swamiji installs Him. His grace can be felt in every aspect of the Math and Mission from the gardens, buildings, dispensaries, hospitals, universities, schools, seva ashrams and kitchens; to the monks themselves.

The grace of Master started to rage here in South Africa like the Ganga in flood season; when Swami Vimokshananda was posted as the President of the Centre after affiliation to the Ramakrishna Order Headquarters in Belur, Kolkata. Since then, our shores have been blessed with illumined and realised souls, charged with the grace of Sri Ramakrishna. I was delighted to attend the welcome reception of Swami Atmapriyananda, the Vice Chancellor of the Swami Vivekananda University in Kolkata. He is the guest of the Centre during the 70^th anniversary celebrations.

In his address, Maharaj, who held the audience spellbound and entranced in attention for about an hour, brilliantly unpacked the concept of service. Like the workers who felt exploited and started protesting for an eight hour day; similarly like the employer, many of us take God for granted without even extending  gratitude for the tremendous sacrifices he makes for us.

God, who keeps our hearts beating from the day we are born, ensures our lungs breathe, even reducing His divinity to be the process of cleaning and evacuating our bowels and all processes that take place without a single bit of effort from us, asks for nothing much in return.

What can we give Him that He has not already given us? For everything from material possessions to fruit offerings have come from the Lord Himself.  Maharaj pointed out that the only thing that we can give that is ours alone, is love and devotion.

Where and whom is this Lord? The Mundaka Upanishad declares: Just as a spider weaves its web from its own body, so the Lord has created this universe from Himself  and permeates this entire creation(Vishnu). This gives relevance to Swami Vivekananda’s ideal of worshipping the living Shiva in the sick, illiterate and hungry.

Extending your love and devotion in this way is directly worshipping the Lord who is the sum total of all things manifest in this world.  Swami Vivekananda’s practical approach to worship is a first class ticket to liberation.  At the end of your earthly life, when you at the office of Yama Raja, and  Chitragupta gives an account of your life, He  will say to Yama Raja: Passed  Masters in Life Administration - Suma Cum Laude.

The advantage of studying through Vivekananda’s University of spirituality then allows you to just sit back with no worries on a beautiful night like this and just admire the celestial magnificence and beauty of the full moon.

May we all endeavour to live a life that will ensure a manifestation of our true nature of SATCHITANANDA is my sincere prayer.

With love and prayers always

Yogan