||Sri
Ramakrishna Sharanam||
 |
| Vivekananda Peace Concert picture- Swami Vimokshananda G+ |
||Aum
Namo Narayanaya||
Every
cell of my body remains suspended in ovation for the members of the KZN
Philharmonic Orchestra and to Swami Saradaprabhanandaji Maharaj and His team of
dedicated devotees from the Phoenix sub-centre who raised the bar in Africa
with regards to the 150th Birth Anniversary celebrations of Swami
Vivekananda. In true Swamiji-style - the scintillating, sensational and
stellar performance broke all the barriers of conventionalism and mediocrity...
leaving the audience spellbound and enthralled as they put to tune many of the
favourite songs assembled and played out by 65 professional musicians.
Boarding
the bus at Tongaat, buildings slowly became a blurred line as the bus
steadfastly and hastily proceeded to the Durban City Hall, where expectations
were to be fulfilled by the much anticipated programme. The close to two
thousand attendees were efficiently and smoothly directed to their seats by
elegantly clad officials for precise and punctual raise of the curtains. The
screeching tyres, blaring horns and noise of the outside was left outside when
the concert hall filled with a symphony of mellifluous notes slowly starting to
undo all the tension, anxiety and agitation... restoring peace and tranquility
to our minds. Following on the back of Swamiji's famous speech at the
World Parliament of Religions on 11th September 1893, this concert came as an
encore of Swamiji's clarion call for unity and peace.
There
shall be no peace in the world until every mind is at peace. Treaties,
declarations and memorandums cannot bring peace to the world, until every mind
bathes in the peace and joy of the self. Therefore this concert which was
aptly wedged between the anniversary of Swami Vivekananda's famous speech, the
anniversary of the assassination of freedom hero Steve Biko and the ensuing
festival of Purutassi shares with us a very profound message.
Like
how through friction in the instruments which, when unchecked could easily
produce an undesirable din painful to the ear ('asu' : out-of-tune)... yet
through careful arrangement, planning and execution could move one to the
realms of Vaikunta (heavens), that is ('su' : in-tune). When the notes are well
arranged and in tune we refer to it being 'in-su' (in-tune). Hence when
the mind is full of clutter and harbours and nourishes base thoughts like lust,
greed, anger and hatred we refer to such a mind as 'asuric'. A person with such
a mind will never be in peace and will always be agitated and troubled. Yet
those who keep their minds filled with pure noble ideals; a mind strengthened
by pure values and immersed in God, they are always in joy and bliss.
The
month of Purutassi provides an opportunity to tilt the balance in the mind
between 'suric' and 'asuric'. Hindus of South Indian descent throughout the
world are in preparation to embark on a month-long period of austerities and
sacrifices in honour of Lord Venketeshwara or Perumal as He is referred to in
Tamil Nadu.
Swami
Vivekananda took to the world stage and declared that “we are all potentially
divine beings” and that the world is a gymnasium where we come to work out all
our past "karmas" until we are able to manifest our divine
nature. It is rather unfortunate though, that man has become so preoccupied
with "artha" and "kama" (wealth and
pleasure) that he has made little progress in understanding himself. In this
high-tech age we have become arm-chair citizens. We think like how we
‘remote-control’ almost everything or utilise our fancy gadgets to conduct most
of our activities from the comfort of our couches, that liberation and
realisation will also come at the touch of a button.
Just
as it is necessary to clean our brassware and other jewellery that oxidises on
contact with the atmosphere; it is necessary to cleanse the mind, heart and
intellect that are dulled by contact with worldly activities. Man has become
mechanical in his life and utterly controlled by the senses. Hence this period
of austerities, fasting and sacrifices helps to cleanse and focus the mind away
from the senses and dwell on the inner divine reality of ours. It is a time
when we can try to act according to our true nature - that is to live by truth,
to show compassion, to exhibit peace through our actions and love all as the
very manifestation of God. This can be accomplished by regular prayer, silent
meditation and contemplation on Narayana as the centre of our beings.
One
should not miss the opportunity to feed the poor, help the sick and spread
peace and love in the name of Govinda. We must also pray for strength of mind
and the will to be able to continue these practices even beyond the month of
Purutassi. As we prepare to clean our households, bring out the new kitchen utensils
and make the external environment as pure as possible for the observance of
Purutassi; let us also cleanse and prepare the heart, body and mind to shine
with the brilliance and purity of Govinda who is the in-dweller of our hearts.
May
that all-pervading Narayana who is worshipped as Venketeshwara in this month
bestow His grace upon the world and help us His ignorant children to raise our
consciousness to the divine level, is my sincere prayer. Let us all help each
other and eradicate the 'asuric' tendencies and develop men and women with pure
intellect and elevated minds suspended in love and unity... so that the golden
age of peace, harmony and love shall begin now in our time. I wish all devotees
and seekers of the self who are observing this holy month, strength and peace.
With
love and prayers always
Yogan
Brilliant piece Yogan....gives much food for thought. please let me have your contact details. My email address is: yogind@meropa.co.za
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