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Aum Namo
Narayanaya!!!!
There are many
who would proudly occupy any platform and bellow out that they belong to the
oldest religion in the world, or that their organisation has celebrated 100
years of existence. Lots of prestige is assigned to practices or places that
have stood the test of time. In contemporary times though, we are starting to
see this infatuation fizzle out with the heat of reason and relevance. On a
quick cross reference to the Bhagavat Gita, we are made aware of the pitiful
state that Arjuna found himself in, in a real-life situation despite receiving
the best education available at the time. We should always ask the relevance of
anything that we practice. The one who was able to neatly and seamlessly
retrofit the ancient Vedanta into contemporary life with rationality and
relevance was the Raja Rishi of this age: Swami Vivekananda.
In a week from
now, we will be commemorating his 158th birth anniversary and
it is astonishing how his every spoken word is drenched with practicality and relevance.
Swami Vivekananda was not afraid to clash with ancient ideas if it did not
resonate with his own life experience and most importantly if they did not have
the power to raise you and make a positive impact on you. Swami Vivekananda did
not invent his own doctrine or philosophies. He was in fact a very disciplined
pupil of his Guru - Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. Swamiji was the Vyasa who
etched and crystallised the practical Vedanta of an unlettered Paramahamsa on
the modern mind.
As I pen this blog,
the world is caught in a whirlwind that has shattered many practices that we
thought were core to our religion and life. The Corona Virus or Covid 19
brought a halt to Temple visits, prayers, services and rituals that people
participated in as the end rather than the means. In the face of this calamity,
undeniably like Arjuna, many are drinking from the trough of despondency. It is
easy to read inspirational quotes daily, but without assimilation would these
quotes support your falling morale and hope at the time of distress? Swamiji
gave relevant methods to live and worship that would ensure you can stand amid the
state of nature confidently and gracefully.
I would be
arrogant and disrespectful if for one moment I think that these meagre words
can dare capture the effulgence of a personality that is beyond the midday sun.
Therefore, with utmost humility, I nimbly touch on one teaching that is very
relevant to the crisis we face currently.
Swami
Vivekananda said: "he who worships Shiva in the weak, poor and diseased
(he who worships God in man) really worships, those who only worship Shiva in
an image, his worship is but preliminary."
Right now, in
South Africa the infection numbers are in excess of 18000 per day and climbing
at an alarming rate. This is very difficult to digest because it is a known fact
that the virus is only able to spread through contact. If we were able to reach
a level of consciousness to understand and see the Lord like Swamiji in every
human being, then our decorum would like how we stand before the deity in the
Temple. Love, respect and service is a default demeanour to the divine. Then
the most relevant ritual that we can all practice right now is wearing a mask,
sanitising our hands and social distancing. This will please the Shiva in all.
The other
important teaching that Swamji gave us is that we need character-building
man-making education. Those who have only passed through the secular system
have failed to see the bigger picture and how their efforts of pure material accumulation
are in vain. So many people enriched themselves by exploiting the situation at
hand - such as price gauging and preventing critical PPE and equipment from
reaching the most vulnerable and frontline workers. Money that could have been
used to serve so many are in the hands of the greedy. I pray they are starting
to see how useless the money in their accounts are when they can't buy a
hospital bed or oxygen when they are lying there gasping for breath. Even the
deity in the Temple has no use for the bargaining currency. If people stand
back and do nothing as masses fall dead - all that one has accumulated will
equate to zero. The fight is not a fight of the government or the frontline
workers. This is a collective fight. Dish out as per your means resources to
setup extra beds and oxygen points at hospitals, buy medicines for those who
can't afford it and feed those who are weakened by hunger. This is the
abhishegam the Lord needs now. The fragrance of your generosity and the rituals
of self-discipline (mask, sanitise, social distancing) will please the Lord
greatly.
On this birth
anniversary, let us always chant out Swamiji's call "Arise Awake"!!!
Arise from our ignorance and Awake to the reality. May the Lord who dwells in
every human and morsel of this universe bless us, is my prayer.
Jai
Swamiji!
With love and
prayers always,
Yogan
