Did we ever evolve?

|| Aum Sri Ramakrishna Sharanam||

||Aum Namo Narayanaya||

 

There have been many debates around the theory of Darwin which implied that the human species evolved from lower life forms to its current highly intelligent state. The word evolution as defined by the dictionary is: ‘the process by which different kinds of living organism are believed to have developed from earlier forms during the history of the earth’. At present I remain nonplussed on the matter based on evidence gathered from daily life. Thus far, humans have failed to exercise prudence in defending the core emotional and behavioural qualities that form the basis of a highly civilised and developed species.

Pets like dogs are found to easily befriend someone who has fed and showed love and affection towards them. They are very loyal towards their masters and will behave very antagonistically towards strangers and intruders. But on occasions we have learnt that dogs have turned against their masters who have failed to sustain their levels of affection and even reciprocated a wagging tail to intruders who have offered them a juicy piece of meat. Dogs by nature seem to display friendliness in return for food and affection. Many animals seem to exhibit the same tendency. The choice of dogs as an example is justified by them being the most common choice of pets.

 

Wounded by the blunt non charitable attitude by the mainstream of many in society... NGO’s and welfare organisations in those communities have retreated to other ways and means to raise much needed funds to conduct their work. When individuals are asked for R20 donations towards a welfare project, they would make many excuses as to why they cannot afford it, yet would be willing to pay the same amount to enter a charity fair or a fundraising show merely because they are getting something in return. This in certain instances has translated some organisations’ values into mere sanctimonious talk as they compromise themselves by selling alcohol... preying on society’s’ weakness, to lure them for their benefit.

 

It seems that this system of barter has not remained within the external world but has seeped into the spiritual realm as well. For as long as man cognized a superior force or energy behind this creation, he has offered service and prayer in some form other the other for his benefit. It may have been for food, shelter, a better life, a partner, success in certain activities or even for immortality... and even to this day we find that prayers are offered on a daily basis along this line. However in this age... due to the shallow faith, lack of sincerity and short span of patience practiced by the general masses who are merely seeking instant gratification; results from prayers seem to repel them like the same poles of a magnet.

 

Intent of prayer, lacking in the intrinsic qualities... and backed by pure ignorance of the workings of the universe has frustrated thousands of people into waning belief in religion, conversions or disbelief in God. Over the past century till now... the economic climate, suffering at the hands of oppressors, disease and lack of empathy from fellow brethren has catalysed and fuelled the above mentioned sentiments.

 

It was Bhagwan Sri Ramakrishna -an incarnation in this age who in the simplest language and in the most practical way even to be understood by illiterate masses- demonstrated the technique of approaching God through prayer that will guarantee positive inspiring results. Many pray for things out of their control or reach and expect to attain results (eg. will a prayer for world peace or a prayer to be the super rich happen in an instant?) But Master showed how if one prayed for the love of God, all these fruitless desires and urges will vanish and you will be situated in the abode of central joy. This method was utilised and practiced by Swamiji (Vivekananda) and thousands of monks and millions of ordinary people, showing tangible results.

 

Sri Ramakrishna taught the devotees how to call on the Divine Mother.... “I used to pray to Her in this way: ‘O Mother! O Blissful One! Reveal Thyself to me. Thou must!’ Again, I would say to Her: ‘O Lord of the lowly! O Lord of the universe! Surely I am not outside Thy universe. I am bereft of knowledge. I am without discipline. I have no devotion. I know nothing. Thou must be gracious and reveal thyself to me.’

 

Master continued to say that prayer must be genuine and earnest. Do worldly people weep for God as they do for wife and children? At Kamarpukur, the wife of a certain man fell ill. The man thought she would not recover. He began to tremble and was about to faint. Who feels that way for God? You can only feel restless for God when your heart becomes pure and your mind is free from attachment to things of the world. Then alone your prayer will reach God. A telegraph cannot carry a message if it has a break in connection.

 

 

Master’s technique allows us to get closer to God, which can be guaranteed... as compared to achieving material wants. The benefit of getting closer to God is that we then have the opportunity of having the blessing of having all our needs fulfilled. If barter is still an intrinsic part of our lives... then we should offer our sincere prayers, love and devotion to God to receive His love and grace alone. This will never frustrate or disappoint anyone as it will surely take place.

 

God is the Kalpataru: the wish-fulfilling Tree. You will certainly get whatever you ask of Him. But you must pray standing near the Kalpataru. Only then will your prayer be fulfilled said Master. Let us use our prayer as a means to get closer to God itself; the rest will happen by His grace automatically.

 

May we evolve through sincere prayer and devotion by the grace of God alone.

Ugaadi Subakaanshalu & Naya Varsh ki Hardik Shubhkaamnaye to Telegu and Hindi readers for tomorrow. May the start of the New Year -coinciding with the start of Ramayan Week- be the year you get closer to God!

Affectionately at your service

Yogan Naidoo
www.sudarshanavidya.blogspot.com
www.google.com/+yogannaidoo

Happy Human Rights Weekend South Africa!!!

|| Aum Sri Ramakrishna Sharanam||

|| Aum Namo Narayanaya||

our aim to be as free as a bird in flight- pic
google images

 

Being confined to bed due to illness is not entirely a pleasant experience but on the flip side allows one a little time-out from the world. A little window of opportunity to slow down time a bit and exercise a little introspection and analysis over the state of the humanity and the world we live in. Once whilst Sri Ramakrishna was visiting a devotee’s house, He refused to sit until the newspaper was removed from His sight. He detested the paper as it was flooded with mundane worldliness. Browsing the news, I was not in the least bit inspired but rather reeled into a jaded realm of pedestrian events and happenings motivated and driven by lust, greed, egoism, anger and hatred. The regular exposure and repetition of such activities over such a long period of time seems to have conditioned our minds to accepting these as ‘business as usual’. We read daily about rape, murder, corruption, abuse and so much more without even a little jerk of the heart or a drop from the tear glands. What a contradiction to the empathy Swami Vivekananda displayed. One day, He was walking along a road in Darjeeling, enjoying the beauty of the hills along with a few others. After His breakfast... all of a sudden, He saw in a mental vision, a Bhutia woman, with a heavy load on her back... slip, fall, and sustain some injury.

 Others accompanying Him did not see the incident at all. The attendants were young and inexperienced and did not know the moods of His super-conscious state. Swamiji kept His eyes fixed on some distant object and could not move an inch further. His face became pale, and He cried in pain: "Oh! I feel great pain here, and I cannot walk any further." Someone asked: "Where do you feel the pain, Swamiji?" He pointed to His side and said: "It is here; did you not see that woman fall?" The youth, who could not understand anything, thought it queer that the Swami should feel the pain at all, but none dared say anything. Time taught them the great significance of this episode... when they learnt that a great sympathetic relation exists between man and man, and with these God-men who feel and visualize the feelings of others at a distance.

Living in a world blinded by our drive for power and wealth, we have shut closed our valves of empathy that should flow freely on account of us being amritysa putraye (immortal children of God). Last week, millions took to the streets and Mandhirs with joy and colour to celebrate the festival of Holi - the symbolic commemoration of the destruction of the demoness Holika who on instructions from her brother took his son into the fire to be destroyed. However due to the boy’s unwavering faith in his Lord and saviour Sri Hari, she who was bestowed with the boon of not being harmed by fire, was perished in the very fire whilst Prahalad emerged unscathed. Devoid of taking a lesson from these incidents... man has continued on his tirade of greed, lust and human rights atrocities.

Eulogised and applauded as ground breaking charters and documents, the Human Rights Charter and Constitutions of various countries are respected as rights given by world bodies and countries upon their citizens. Today many of these governments have themselves violated these rights over greed and self enrichment. There is no genuine empathy and interest in raising the levels of the society.

 It becomes imperative therefore for every person to understand his true nature and his birth rights. It will then become clear that rights are not bestowed upon citizens by governments; governments are merely put in place to be the protector of every citizen’s birth right.

As a child of God... everyone is equal before creation, has a right to food, shelter, freedom, peace, joy and dignity. Unaware of this birth right, many people become weak and are susceptible to slavery and control from external sources. The basis of the turnaround strategy should be the development of the inner being, which should project the message that I am not weak... stand up, be strong, I am potentially divine.

There can be no talk of slavery or bondage even if the person is in shackles... if the mind is free and illumined. That was Swamiji’s life-giving message to the youth of India during their dark and turbulent days of colonialism. There needs to be a renewed conscientisation of our birth right and the responsibility that comes with it - the responsibility and duty to live up to the ideals of righteousness and divinity .

When mentally we are enslaved and colonised by lust, greed, egoism, anger, hatred, envy and jealousy... how can we really enjoy and dignity and liberty in the external world? Therefore it is incumbent on every individual to practice the human rights or his birth rights within him first. When he / she has freed themselves internally, then the world will automatically free itself.

In wrapping up, I quote some of Swamiji’s thoughts on freedom.

 We say that it is freedom that we are to seek, and that that freedom is God. It is the same happiness as in everything else; but when man seeks it in something which is finite, he gets only a spark of it. The thief when he steals gets the same happiness as the man who finds it in God; but the thief gets only a little spark with a mass of misery. The real happiness is God. Love is God, freedom is God; and everything that is bondage is not God.

Man has freedom already, but he will have to discover it. He has it, but every moment forgets it. That discovering, consciously or unconsciously, is the whole life of every one. But the difference between the sage and the ignorant man is that one does it consciously and the other unconsciously. Everyone is struggling for freedom—from the atom to the star. The ignorant man is satisfied if he can get freedom within a certain limit—if he can get rid of the bondage of hunger or of being thirsty. But that sage feels that there is a stronger bondage which has to be thrown off.

May we all achieve the ultimate freedom by practicing our human and birth right of divinity.

Yours affectionately

Yogan Naidoo

www.sudarshanavidya.blogspot.com

www.google.com/+yogannaidoo

 

The Travelling Pista

||Aum Sri Ramakrishna Sharanam||

Harichandra Ghat -Varnasi

||Aum Namo Narayanaya||

 For me, the beauty of travelling lies not only in the visiting of intriguing places of interest or your general tourist attractions... but also in the ability to discover, understand and participate in the culture indigenous to the land. Travelling to India however, can be a daunting task to imbibe or receive a particular cultural hallmark. Travelling across the subcontinent, the mind can become overwhelmed whilst feasted by the varied cultures unique to that particular region of India. Disciplined to the national identity of India and its framework of governance... yet they in their own way present their own dialects, customs, traditions, dress, colloquial slangs and mannerisms which gives the traveller the impression of visiting many countries within the country. Being of South Indian descent, I am particularly fond of Chennai and derive a great degree of comfort and ease while staying there, and through this ease have managed to pick up a lot of the local mannerisms and ‘slang’ language as used by the locals. One of the colloquialisms that is commonly used is, periah pista - for one who acts in a very egotistical manner. The word pista normally refers to a tycoon or influential person in the community. Therefore they have also accorded that name to the cashew nut also which is regarded as the “King of Nuts” in the region. So when somebody who is nobody acts in an egotistical way, they tease and ask why he is behaving like a periah pista (big tycoon).

In case at this point you are wondering where this is going in terms of a spiritual angle, let me then put your mind at ease by going to that day I boarded my flight to Varanasi. It was an overcast, misty day with huge potential of rainfall and my mind was too busy defending itself against the extreme cold that emanated from the Himalayas. Taking bath in the icy cold waters of the Ganga in Rishikesh didn’t seem to prepare me for the cold-front being experienced. As faith would have it, the 90 minute flight did not offer a catering service but ran a little snack shop for those who wanted to purchase. At this point, I nostalgically recall how Swami Vimokshananda would joke how budding chefs would use the opportunity of His visit to present their culinary skills. Not wanting my stomach to be the guinea pig, I scurried through my hand luggage for some snack that would appease my stomach.

Within a few strokes, my hand caught hold of a pack of cashew nuts bought in South Africa... delight overshadowed my countenance and I didn’t waste any time in dispatching these well roasted nuts for digestion. As the plane bounced against the turbulence and groaned towards our destination of Benares, I started to read the packaging of the nuts to offset any boredom that may creep in. It was amusing after reading through the packet to see at the bottom a label saying product of India. After all the intense processes of harvesting, cleaning, roasting, seasoning, packaging and transporting it throughout the global market... this packet has found itself being eaten back in India.

This was indeed profound to me as I gazed at the various ghats  while my boat bobbed about on the haze-covered-Ganges as the current ushered us towards the Harichandra Ghat where everybody seems to want to be cremated.

It was Valentine’s Day two days before I departed and by divine grace, I was having breakfast with revered Swami Vimokshananda, which has become a ritual before I depart on any pilgrimage. Over our tea and delectable treats, Maharaj dispensed a profound message which seems to have unpacked in Varanasi. He said that at the ultimate, the devotee will realise that the highest form of the worship is manas worship (mind) and that what whatever ritual done as an external practise must eventually be internalised.

 Varanasi is acknowledged as the world’s oldest city and the city of liberation... where if your remains are cremated there you will attain salvation. Therefore at the Harichandra Ghat, the mortal remains of millions since time immemorial arrive at unscheduled times via road, rail and air queuing to be reduced to ash by a flame called the holy fire which has been alight for thousands of years. Swamiji reminded me how Master himself had a vision of Lord Shiva Himself lifting each soul to liberation.

It at once reminded me about my pista nuts which returned home. As we are born... we grow up, get educated, travel the world in search of lucrative jobs... we may forget our religion, values and culture in the process. We may think we are great in accordance with the amount of wealth we accumulate, amount of degrees we have or even status in society; but one day, we all will return home to that neutraliser called death: the end result of cremation being an indiscriminative collection of ash that is swept into the flowing Ganga.

As per Maharaj’s instruction on internalising this process, I am inclined to think that liberation is possible when we come home to the fact that... irrespective of your religion, financial status, caste, nationality or whatever divisions you may see with the wordly eye... moksha and liberation shall and will only be achieved when you offer your mind in the holy fire sacrifice of selfless service, commitment to truth, righteousness, searching to the ultimate knowledge, dispassion for worldliness and compassion for human and animal suffering. When the mind attains this state of Varanasi amidst the greed, lust and illusions of the world... then alone Kasi Viswathana will emerge from your heart itself to liberate you from the anxiety you suffer.

May Lord Shiva help us all offer our minds into the holy fire of Kasi, is my sincere prayer.

With affection and prayer

Yogan Naidoo

www.sudarshanavidya.blogspot.com

www.google.com/+yogannaidoo