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| Lord Rama image-google images |
||Aum Shree Ramakrishna
Sharanam||
||Aum Namo Narayanaya||
In the South African
context, Diwali has come and gone like the morning dew. The play-out of
traditions and rituals brought much jubilation and inspiration to many homes.
The festivities had unleashed much love and compassion in the community with
sharing and charitable drives ensuring that the Diwali cheer is spread
magnanimously within all corners of society. If one was to step aside from all
the revelry for a moment and take a bird’s-eye-view, we will see that we are
finding great difficulty in internalising the central messages and themes of
these external expressions of divinity. Swami Vimokshananda pointed out so
succinctly and eruditely in His blog that amidst all the good that is going on,
side by side there is also an increase in unrighteousness. Therefore these
festivals help us to bring some sanity to the mind and guide us to develop a
just community.
If I were to venture into
the arena of real estate development especially during these highly competitive
times, it would prudent to outlay an invincible strategy and concept. Consider
an estate where the trees were bearing flowers and fruits regularly without
injury from pests and insects... the clouds were raining in time and the winds were
delightful to the touch… the community will consist of various classes of
society all performing their own duties in peace and bereft of greed and all endowed
with excellent character… a place free from illness and misery and grief, no
widows to lament or danger from wild animals. There will be huge lakes
teeming with fish and fauna housing exotic singing birds and the estate
completely devoid of thieves and robberies… no one feeling worthless and where
everyone felt safe. Can you believe that such an estate can exist in this
world, an ideal society without crime and war, full of auspiciousness, peace,
justice and equality to all? I am certain beyond any doubt that my estate will
be sold out within minutes of being launched. But as you reign in your horses
of imagination, don’t dismiss the above as a fairy tale. The description above
was taken from the Ramayana describing the period of Lord Rama’s rule of
Ayodhya.
I never for once believed
that Deepavali was about an event but was about an ideal that would help shape
and guide humanity. Hindu Dharma is about creating conducive environments and mind-sets
to derive joy and peace in all that we do. In the midst of searching for this
message, my thoughts reflected upon a service delivery protest that swept
through the town of Tongaat last week. It was about 5am when the
tranquillity of dawn was disrupted by loud chanting and singing by hundreds of
protestors that took the streets to demand better living conditions and safe
electricity. This mass action was sparked by the death of 3 young dwellers from
an informal settlement. They were electrocuted when one of them stepped upon
the naked wires used to bring illegal electricity to the settlement. The other
two were subsequently electrocuted when they went to save their friend. The
aftermath of the deluge was an eyesore with the destruction and mayhem to
private and municipal property leaving much of the town stranded without power
and access due to blocked roads.
A strike in contrast to the
burning tree trunks and tyres at various junctions was the beautifully
organised and decorated altar of the Chatsworth sub-centre of the Ramakrishna
Centre of South Africa where rows of neatly arranged lamps had a halcyon effect
on the troubled mind. By the grace of Sri Ramakrishna… on the eve of Diwali I
was invited to address the congregation and recipients of grocery hampers about
the significance of Diwali. My heart welled with joy to see the unselfish and
silent manner with which the devotees of the Centre served those who were in
need of assistance. Deepavali is derived from two words: deepa and avali. Deepa means light and avali means row. This artful arrangement
of lights signifies an equal, just and prosperous society to me. I draw this
conclusion from the penetrating insight of Swami Vivekananda when He said that “there
is no liberation for the self until every soul is liberated”. Many people work
tirelessly and make many sacrifices to live comfortably and enjoy many of the
luxuries that life has to offer. The problem is that the structure of a society
does not allow one to sit back and enjoy his rewards alone. The case presented above
clearly indicated how an entire town suffered the consequences of a group who
felt marginalised and neglected.
Therefore it stands to
reason that the wise counsel of our dharma
to engage in activities of seva or karma yoga, inevitably benefits those who
undertake this great work. The brilliance of a row of lamps is the collective
illumination of all lamps burning with radiance and vigour. Therefore when one
invests his time and resources in uplifting another person in the society, he
is investing in creating a model and noble society. Rama Rajya is possible when we can reflect and internalise this
message of sharing and caring. Using our lamp to ignite the lamp of others will
eventually lead to an array of lamps. This will develop a prosperous and just
society that is underpinned on great values and free from the darkness of
ignorance.
Diwali should not be an
annual event in our lives but must become that instrument to guide us to social
cohesion and nation building to ensure that our liberation is not post mortem
but can be experienced and enjoyed right here in the now. Today many of our
Murugan devotees have also begun their Skanda Shasti observance. May this also
be internalised to help your spiritual evolution.
From Darkness
to light
From death to
immortality
With love always
Yogan
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