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Tulsidas
By
Swami Yatiswarananda
The fundamental unity
of religious India
Our saints and sages,
our holy men and holy women, were born in all parts of the country.
They may speak different languages but they all place before us the
ideal of realizing the eternal relation between the eternal soul and
the eternal God. Their teachings form part of our entire spiritual
heritage, our common spiritual knowledge. The more we recognize this
the more our hearts will beat to the same spiritual tune and bring
about a grand union, essential not only for the progress of India
but for the whole world itself.
Even from the most
ancient times the worship of the Supreme Spirit in the aspects of
Shiva and Vishnu has been prevalent both in the North and the South.
The religious stream flowed from the North to the South and again
from the South to the North.
It is a remarkable
phenomenon in the religious history of India that while Rama and
Krishna - the two most popular incarnations of Vishnu -Êthe
all-pervading Supreme Spirit - were born in North India, they came
to be worshipped in South India also. In the post-Buddhistic revival
of Hinduism, South India had become the storehouse of Hindu culture
and gave birth to the three great Acharyas - Shankara, Ramanuja and
Madhwa. All the three travelled to the North, preached their
doctrines and greatly influenced the religious thought of North
India.
Sri Ramanuja is
credited with having founded a Sri Vaishnava School at Varanasi
during his visit there. Fifth in apostolic succession to him,
Ramananda became the inspirer of the Bhakti movement propagated by
his disciples Kabir, Ravidas and others. According to one tradition,
Ramananda had another disciple Naraharidas and it was he who raised
the child who was later on to become the famous Tulsidas, and also
initiated him into Rama-Mantra.
Tulsidas - his
life-story in brief
Tulsidas was born in
1532 A.D. in a Brahmin family in an obscure village in Uttar
Pradesh. It is said that the boy uttered the name `Rama' as soon as
he was born. Considering this an ill omen, the ignorant parents
abandoned the boy! He was then picked up by Naraharidas at the
command of the Lord Himself. Later, Tulsi paid his heart's tribute
to this Guru and foster-parent:
I salute the lotus feet
of my Guru,
The ocean of
compassion, and God (Hari) in the form of man (Nara),
Whose words like rays
of the sun
Dispel the heavy
darkness of over-powering delusion.
He studied under
another sadhu -ÊSesha Sanatana - for fifteen years, mastering the
Vedas and the Vedanta.
Tulsidas married
Ratnavali who bore him a son. He was passionately fond of his wife.
One day, on returning home, he found that she had left for her
father's place. Pining for her, he followed her to his
father-in-law's place, though uninvited. When he met her there, she
was annoyed at his unbecoming attachment and said: "Great is your
love for this body of mine composed of bones and flesh. Had you
offered half of that love to Rama, you would have been spared from
worldly troubles and have attained salvation." These sharp but wise
words brought a new light to Tulsidas. It awakened him to the
unreality of the world and worldly relations, and also to the
reality of the Supreme Spirit manifest as Sri Rama. The result was
that he renounced the world, and after having finished his
pilgrimage to the four great holy places, Rameshwar, Dwaraka, Puri
and Badarikashrama, he settled down at Varanasi. He undertook some
more short pilgrimages now and then but would always return to
Varanasi.
According to one
tradition, Tulsidas was born in 1497 and died in 1623, and thus
lived for 126 years. Some modern scholars, however, hold that he was
born in 1532 and passed away in 1623 at the ripe old age of
91.
His spiritual
visions
Now, at Varanasi his
whole soul was drawn to Sri Rama and longed for a vision of Him. It
is said that through the grace of the great Rama-Bhakta, Hanuman, he
was blessed with several visions of the Beloved of his heart. Once
the Lord appeared to Tulsidas on horseback as a prince. It is said
that at the blessed vision he lost all consciousness of the outer
world and remained in an ecstatic state for three days. At another
time he saw the charming form of the prince, sporting on the banks
of the river Sarayu, with his companion.
At Brindaban Tulsidas
visited many temples. Wherever he went, he saw only the image of
Radhakrishna installed in the shrine. On visiting the famous temple
of Madanmohan, he prayed to Sri Krishna: "Lord Krishna, You are very
beautiful with Your flute and peacock plume but I would like to see
You as Rama, the one with bow and arrow." It is said that the prayer
was granted and the Lord appeared to him in the blissful form of Sri
Rama. The well-known utterance, attributed to Maruti, is true of
Tulsidas also: "I look upon Vishnu and Rama as one and the same; but
still I hold the lotus-eyed beautiful Rama as my
All-in-all."
His great love for God
and man
At Brindaban again,
learning that Tulsidas was a devotee of Sri Rama, a bigoted
worshipper of Sri Krishna told him: "The Krishna Avatar is the
greatest; Rama is only a partial incarnation". Hearing this,
Tulsidas replied in his inimitable way: "My soul was full of love
only for the son of Dasharatha, and I admired his incomparable
beauty. Now that you tell me of his divinity, my love is increased
twenty-fold!"
The Lord made Tulsidas
an instrument for the spread of Rama-Bhakti. In due course he
realized that he who was born as the son of King Dasharatha was no
other than the Supreme Spirit. His divine realizations filled him
with love and sympathy for his fellow-beings and he was eager to
share with all the blessings he himself received. We find evidence
of this not only in certain incidents relating to his life but
specially in his works, including his immortal Ramacharitamanas. The
very circumstances leading to the composition of his second best
work Vinaya Patrika reveal his great heart overflowing with divine
love.
Once a murderer came on
pilgrimage to Varanasi and he would cry: "For the love of Rama, give
alms to me, a murderer." Hearing the name of his beloved Rama,
Tulsidas called the man to his house and gave him consecrated food,
and declared him purified. The orthodox brahmins of the place asked
him how the murderer's sin was absolved. Tulsidas replied: "Read
your own scriptures and learn about the power of the Divine Name."
The brahmins were not satisfied; they asked for a further proof.
They all agreed that if the sacred bull of the Vishwanatha temple
would eat from the hands of the murderer, they would accept
Tulsidas's words. The man was taken to the temple and the bull did
eat from his hands. Tulsi proved that the sincere repentance made by
the devotee was accepted by the Lord. A new trouble, however, arose:
Kali - the embodiment of evil - threatened to devour Tulsidas. Tulsi
prayed to Hanuman who appeared to him in a dream and advised him to
file a petition to Sri Rama - the Lord of the Universe - to remedy
the evil, and that was the origin of the Vinaya-Patrika.
His choosing the
people's language for his writings
Following in the
footsteps of his predecessor Ramananda, Tulsidas also wrote his
works in Hindi, for the benefit of the masses. This drew the
criticism of the Sanskrit scholars. One day a pundit who was proud
of his knowledge of Sanskrit, came up to him and asked: "Sir, you
are learned in Sanskrit. Why then do you compose an epic poem in the
vulgar tongue?" Tulsidas replied: "My language in the vernacular
tongue is imperfect but it is better than the Nayika-varnana (the
amorous descriptions of heroines) of you Sanskrit-loving pundits."
The pundit asked for clarification; Tulsi replied: "If you find a
jewelled vessel full of poison and an earthenware one full of
ambrosia, which will you accept and which will you
refuse?"
In his introduction to
his famous Ramayana, Tulsidas vindicates his choice of Hindi: "I am
confident of one thing - that the good will be gratified to hear me
though fools may laugh. If my homely speech and poor wit are fit
subjects for laughter, let them laugh; it is no fault of mine. If
they have no understanding of true devotion to the Lord, the tale
will appear insipid, but to the true and pious worshippers of the
Lord, the story of Raghuvir will be sweet as honey."
Some touching incidents
from his life
Once some thieves broke
into Tulsidas's place and found there a guard in the form of a young
man of cloud-dark complexion, with bow and arrow in his hands.
Wherever they moved, the watchman turned to them and threatened to
punish them. They were terrified. Something more must have happened
to the thieves: at daybreak they came to Tulsidas and asked: "Sir,
who is this dark-complexioned lad of yours?" On hearing this,
Tulsidas was deeply moved. He knew that the Lord Himself had
appeared as the watchman; he gave away all he had to them. Now, the
thieves themselves, having received the vision of Rama and the
magnetic touch of Tulsidas, became spiritually inclined. They
received instructions from the saint and lived a pure life, devoting
themselves to God.
Once, he took shelter
in a certain home. As he was doing his cooking, the lady of the
house offered him some spices to which he replied that he had those
things in his bag. Then she offered him some other things which
also, he said, were there. On hearing this, the lady replied:
"Babaji, you have so many things in your bag. Only you have no place
in it for your devoted wife!" Who was the lady? She was none other
than the young wife whose words had changed the course of his life.
She recognized him, although he could not and considered her a
stranger.
Various other incidents
reveal how divine realization was the sole object of his life, and
how he wished others also to strive for the same, with all their
body, mind and soul.
One Kamal Bhav
requested him to procure for him a vision of Lord Rama. Tulsidas
replied: "You do not meditate on the Lord with single-minded
devotion; how is it then possible to have His vision? Continually
worship Him with concentration. His grace will come of its own
accord and you will see Him in a vision." Kamal Bhav insisted and so
Tulsidas told him to erect a trident and jump over it repeating the
divine name of Rama, and then Rama would come to save him. The man
was afraid and would not take any risk. Another devotee, however,
who had full faith in Tulsidas, did as he was instructed, and before
the trident could touch his skin, it is said the Lord appeared and
saved him.
His ideal of
renunciation and divine realization
Emperor Jahangir was
said to be an admirer of Tulsidas. One day he offered to give the
saint a heavy purse. Tulsidas replied: "One who wants to cultivate
devotion to the Lord should never seek to accumulate riches. The
contemplation of money and its attendant anxieties soil the mind and
render it unfit for meditation on the Lord."
On another occasion
Jahangir observed: "Swamiji, our minister Birbal is very wise."
Tulsidas replied: "That may be so; but if, while gifted with this
valuable transient body, he does not seek to realize God, then there
is none more foolish than he. To be successful in repartee, as he
is, is no sign of wisdom; wisdom consists in the realization of the
Godhead."
Maharaja Man Singh and
his brother and other princes used to visit the poet and honour him
greatly. Once a man asked the saint why such great people came to
see him in those days, while in former days none came. Tulsi
replied: "Once I used to beg and could not get even a cracked cowrie
in alms. Then no one wanted me; but Rama, the cherisher of the poor,
made me of great price. Previously I used to beg from door to door
for alms; now even kings worship my feet. Then it was without Rama;
now Rama is my helper."1
The fervent prayers of
the Vinaya-Patrika
In Vinaya-patrika
Tulsidas says in one of his prayers:
Lord Rama! My honour is
in Your hands.
You are the protector
of the poor; I surrender myself at Your Feet.
I have heard of the
sinners whom You have reclaimed.
I am an old sinner,
pray extend Your loving hand and take me to Yourself.
To destroy the sins of
the sinner, and to remove the ailments of the afflicted is Your
occupation.
Grant me devotion to
You, O Lord, and confer Your grace on me!
Tulsidas speaks of his
awakening from the sleep of Maya, and expresses his determination to
live the spiritual life:
Up till now I have lost
much and wasted life in idle pursuits.
The grace of Lord Rama
has aroused me from sleep.
Awakened now, I shall
not allow myself to be victimized by Maya (illusion).
I have gained the grace
of the Lord's Name. I shall hold it fast to my bosom and not let it
from me for a second.
The beautiful form of
the Lord I shall cherish in my mind.
Long has this world
mocked me, making me a slave of the senses.
Now I shall have no
more of it.
I am now a bee at my
Lord's Lotus Feet and shall not allow my mind to leave the enjoyment
of their nectar for a moment.
In another remarkable
prayer he expresses his great faith in the Divine Name:
O Lord, let any one
accept any sadhana, he is free to follow its pursuit.
But to me Your name is
the granter of all boons.
Karma, upasana, jnana -
the various paths outlined in the Vedas for the emancipation of the
soul - all are good.
But I seek only one
shelter and that is Your name; I seek nothing besides....
I have enjoyed the
sweetness of Your name. It is the fulfiller of my wishes here and in
the world to come...
A man may have his
affection riveted anywhere as also his faith,
But I recognize my
relationship with the Name - Rama -; it is my father and mother.
I swear by Shankara and
state the truth without hiding it,
That Tulsidas sees all
good accruing to him only by repeating Your name.
Tulsidas gives
expression to pure devotion when he prays:
O Lord who is there
besides You who will hear my cry?
Strange is my petition:
a poor man, I, I seek to become a king...
From time immemorial I
have suffered the tortures of hell and have lived through many low
births, but I crave not for wealth or even salvation though I know
that You can confer all these.
What I desire is to
become in every birth a toy for You to play with or a stone to touch
Your Feet.
The unique epic -
Ramacharitamanas
We now come to
Tulsidas's famous epic-Ramacharitamanas. It is not just a
translation of Valmiki's Ramayana though it is based on that great
work. It is more akin to Adhyatma Ramayana which is highly
devotional in its trend. In it Shiva Himself narrates the story of
Rama to his consort Parvati. Manasa Sarovara is a great lake in the
region of Mt. Kailas, the abode of Shiva. Ramacharita - the story of
Rama - is a lake conceived in the mind of Shiva. The lake at first
remained hidden in the mind of Shiva until Parvati, through her
question about the real nature of Rama, made it flow for the good of
mankind. Tulsidas, the author, has embodied in his Ramayana, besides
the story of Rama, translations of important texts of the
Upanishads, the Gita and the Bhagavatam and other scriptures,
thereby making the great truths hidden in Sanskrit available to the
Hindi-knowing people - to the masses and the upper classes alike.
Believed to be an incarnation of Valmiki, Tulsidas surpasses Valmiki
at many places in the depth of his devotion and in his human
touches.
Ramacharitamanas begins
with a dialogue between Shiva and Parvati. Parvati asks:
O Lord, sages, who are
the knowers of Truth,
Say that Rama is
Brahman without origin.
Is he the same Rama,
who is the son of Dasharatha, the king of Ayodhya,
Or is he some other
unborn, unqualified, and indivisible Being? If he is the king's son
how can he be Brahman?
Shiva
replies:
There is no difference
between the qualified and the unqualified Brahman. ...
He who is unqualified,
formless and invisible
Takes form through the
love of his devotees.
To Tulsidas the Supreme
Spirit who took the form of Rama is manifest everywhere. In the
Balakanda he says:
Knowing all conscious
and unconscious beings in the world to be full of Rama,
With folded hands I
salute the lotus feet of all.
The Jiva under the
control of Maya
Tulsidas
declares:
The Jiva is a part of
God and is indestructible;
It is consciousness,
pure, and blissful by nature.
It has fallen under the
control of Maya,
And is tied down like a
parrot or a monkey.
The proud Jiva is under
the control of Maya
And Maya, the
repository of all qualities, is controlled by God.
And what is the nature
of Maya? In the Aranyakanda Tulsidas declares its nature.
Rama is speaking to
Lakshmana: "The feeling of `I' and `mine' and `You' and `Yours' is
Maya, which holds sway over all created beings. Whatever is
perceived by the senses and that which lies within the reach of the
mind, know it to be all Maya.
"Hear of its divisions,
also: they are two, knowledge and ignorance, Vidyamaya and
Avidyamaya. The one (ignorance) is vile and extremely painful, and
has cast the ego into the risk of worldly existence. The other
(knowledge) which brings forth the creation and which holds sway
over the three Gunas (Sattwa, Rajas and Tamas) is directed by the
Lord and has no strength of its own."
Attaining freedom from
Maya
Posing the question as
to how the Jiva can be freed from Maya, Tulsidas replies that it is
through spiritual wisdom. And again, what is spiritual wisdom?
Replies Tulsidas:
"Spiritual wisdom is
that which is free from all blemishes in the shape of pride,
hypocrisy, violence and so on and which sees the Supreme Spirit
equally in all."
Which is the path that
the Jiva (individual soul) should follow? Like a true devotee
Tulsidas has his preference for Bhakti:
The path of knowledge
is like the sharp edge of a sword;
One can fall from this
path in the twinkling of an eye.
But ignorance, the root
of the round of birth and death,
Is destroyed through
Bhakti without much effort.
The glory of the Divine
Name
The chief spiritual
practice according to Tulsidas is Japa (repetition) of the Divine
Name: "The Lord's name - Rama - fulfils all the desires and
aspirations of the devotees in this Iron Age. It destroys the direst
evil and turns poison into nectar." He says: "I salute the Name of
Rama... which is like Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, the soul of the
Vedas and without parallel."
Name and form are two
attributes of God who cannot be described. The forms of God are
dependent on His Name, for no form can be known without a name. But
greater than Brahman with or without attributes is His Name because
both can be known through constant remembrance of the Name. In a
doha, a saying, the saint stresses this point:
When meditation on the
personal God is distasteful,
And the impersonal is
too far away from the mind,
Remember the
life-giving name of Rama.
The grandeur of
Tulsidas's poetry
Tulsidas's poetry is
unparalleled in its depth and originality. When Rama meets Valmiki
in the forest and asks him to suggest a place where he can build a
hut and live with Sita and Lakshmana for a while, among other things
Valmiki says:
Those who have neither
desire nor anger,
Nor pride nor conceit
nor delusion,
Those who are loved by
all,...
Those who look upon You
as father, friend, master,
Mother, and teacher, to
whom You are all in all,
Dwell in the temple of
their hearts...
Those who never wish
for anything,
Who love you quite
naturally,
Live in their hearts
forever.
There is your
home.
The Lord is pleased
with the simple Bhakti of His devotee. Sri Rama, in the course of
His wanderings comes to the cottage of Shabari. The maid had grown
into an old woman waiting for him for years. Awaiting the arrival of
Rama, she had preserved for Him fruits which she first tasted and
found to be sweet. Sri Rama comes. Tulsidas describes the scene in a
touching way: Sri Rama is asking Shabari for those fruits and eating
them with great relish. Tulsidas observes here very aptly: "The Lord
is the enjoyer of great sacrifices. Yet remaining unsatisfied with
those grand offerings, He feels satisfied and happy with the fruits
offered by the poor forest devotee."
This aspect of Sri Rama
reveals to the world that He dwells where there is love and becomes,
as it were, a slave of this selfless love. The conversation that
follows is also illuminating. The woman ascetic, Shabari, asked Sri
Rama: "How can I extol you, the lowest in descent and the dullest in
wit as I am?" Raghupati replied: "Listen, O good lady, to my words.
I recognize no other kinship except that of devotion. Despite caste,
kinship, lineage, piety, reputation, wealth, physical prowess,
numerical strength of his family, accomplishment and ability, a man
lacking in devotion is of no more worth than a cloud without water".
Then He told her of the nine forms of devotion:
(i) The first in order
is fellowship with the saints (who are full of the spirit of God and
remind one of God).
(ii) The second is
marked by fondness for stories about the Lord.
(iii) The third is the
humble service of the Lotus Feet of the spiritual
preceptor.
(iv) The fourth
consists in singing the praises of God with a guileless
heart.
(v) The fifth is
repeating the Name of the Lord with unwavering faith.
(vi) The sixth consists
of practice of self-control and virtues, desisting from manifold
activities and ever pursuing the course of conduct prescribed for
spiritual seekers.
(vii) The seventh type
is practised by him who sees the world full of the Almighty without
distinction and reckons the holy men as even greater than the Lord
Himself.
(viii) The eighth type
is to remain contented with whatever one gets and never think of
detecting the faults of others.
(ix) The ninth form of
devotion demands that one should be guileless and straight in one's
dealings with everybody and should cherish in one's heart implicit
faith in the Lord without either exaltation or
depression.
Whoever possesses any
one of these nine forms of devotion, says Sri Rama, be he man or
woman, or any other creation - sentient or insentient -, is most
dear to Him (Ayodhyakanda, 34-35).
From self-surrender to
self-realization
The final step in the
path of Bhakti is the soul's self-surrender to the Supreme Spirit,
the Soul of all souls. We ordinary people make the ego the centre of
our life. The devotee, on the other hand, makes God the centre. He
offers himself, body, mind and soul, to the Supreme Spirit. As the
ego dies God reveals Himself and makes the devotee realize his
eternal relation to Him. As a devotee he is the humble servant of
the Lord; as a soul he is an eternal portion of the Supreme
Being.
This is exactly what
had happened to Tulsidas also. He realized that He who was the son
of Dasharatha was no other than the Self of all beings.
May we be able to pray
with Tulsidas: "O Lord, You are the inmost Self of all. I tell You
the truth, I do not cherish any worldly desires in my heart. Do You
free my mind from passions and other impurities. Do You grant me
intense devotion unto You."
Reprinted from Vedanta
Kesari.
BACK
TO CONTENTS
The Five Commandments of Sri
Ramakrishna
By
Swami Dayatmananda
M. (humbly): "Yes, sir.
How, sir, may we fix our minds on God?"
Master:
(1) "Repeat God's name
and sing His glories, and
(2) keep holy company;
and now and then visit God's devotees and holy men. The mind cannot
dwell on God if it is immersed day and night in worldliness, in
worldly duties and responsibilities;
(3) it is most
necessary to go into solitude now and then and think of God. To fix
the mind on God is very difficult, in the beginning, unless one
practises meditation in solitude. When a tree is young it should be
fenced all around; otherwise it may be destroyed by cattle.
"To meditate, you
should withdraw within yourself or retire to a secluded corner or to
the forest.
(4) And you should
always discriminate between the Real and the unreal. God alone is
real, the Eternal Substance; all else is unreal, that is,
impermanent. By discriminating thus, one should shake off
impermanent objects from the mind."
M. (humbly): "How ought
we to live in the world?"
Master: (5) "Do all
your duties, but keep your mind on God. Live with all with wife and
children, father and mother and serve them. Treat them as if they
were very dear to you, but know in your heart of hearts that they do
not belong to you."
On his second visit M.
received the above five commandments from Sri Ramakrishna. M.
practised them to perfection all his life and taught them to
devotees who used to visit him.
These five commandments
are of supreme importance for those who wish to progress in
spiritual life. All aspirants, especially the devotees of Sri
Ramakrishna, must remember and assess their spiritual progress in
the light of these commandments. If followed faithfully they are
sure to lead to the highest realisation. To the extent the devotees
are able to practise them, to that extent they are progressing in
the realm of God.
The first of these
commandments is to repeat God's name and sing His
glories.
Religious lore is
replete with the praises of the power and glory of God's name. Of
all the spiritual practices, taking the name of God is the easiest.
Sri Chaitanya was a prophet who preached the glory of God's name.
Sri Ramakrishna, Holy Mother, and the direct disciples of Sri
Ramakrishna all have unequivocally emphasized the need for
repetition of the name of God. A host of saints all over the world
have advocated repeating the name of God. Many became saints solely
through the repetition of God's name.
The name and the named
are one; God and His name are one. The Master said: "God and His
name are identical; that is the reason Radha said that. There is no
difference between Rama and His holy name."
The name of God
purifies and uplifts one who takes it; it washes away all sins and
impurities. Indeed there are devotees who maintain that the name of
God is even greater than God Himself. Through the power of God's
name one can reach the highest realisation. Throughout his life Sri
Ramakrishna himself repeated the name of his sweet Divine Mother
even after attaining Nirvikalpa samadhi.
Sri Jagadananda
Pandita, a Vaishnava saint, wrote in verse a book called
Prema-vivarta (On the Glory of Divine Love), where he distinguishes
different methods of taking God's name uttering, repeating, chanting
and singing. But the best practice, he says, is singing the Divine
Name, for that requires the services of many sense-organs.
Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu of Rupa Goswami recognises sixty-four forms
of devotion. Of these there are five main forms. They are: keeping
the company of devotees, singing the Divine Name, hearing the
scriptures, staying in a holy place, and serving the Deity with
devotion. According to Vaishnava tradition the important sadhanas
are three: kindness to all beings, taste for God's Name, and service
to fellow devotees. Caitanya-caritamrta considers the chanting of
the Divine Name as the best way of promoting devotion.
God's name is within
the reach of all. Even illiterate people can attain God by the power
of His name. Amongst the disciples of Sri Ramakrishna, there was a
lonely widow known as Gopala's Mother, who lived in a room beside
the Ganges and spent her time in repeating the name of Gopala. Her
life-long remembrance of God was rewarded in old age by the constant
vision of Gopala, the Divine Child, who lived with her night and day
for two months. She is to this day loved and honoured by the
disciples and devotees of the Ramakrishna Order.
The glory of the Divine
Name bears no comparison. As the Adi purana puts it: "There is no
knowledge like Name, no vow like Name, no meditation like Name, no
fruit like Name."
Chanting of the Lord's
name does not go in vain. It must bear its benign result. It is like
the philosopher's stone converting all baser metal into gold. It is
like the magic wand of the magician performing unbelievable and
unthought of miracles; it transforms man's life for ever.
Name is both the means
and the end. To take God's name lovingly and to see Him are the
same. To the votary of the Divine Name, it manifests itself as the
Form, Quality and Sport of the Lord. The Form of the Lord is
identical with His Name. Devotees say the Name is even greater than
Form. Evidences of this can be seen in the lives of Rama and
Krishna. While Sri Rama had to construct a bridge to cross the
ocean, Hanuman crossed it with the strength of Rama's Name. When Sri
Krishna was put on the balance against His Name written on a Tulasi
leaf, he was found to be lighter.
The essence of all
scriptures is God's name. Once a sadhu who had remarkable faith in
the name of God came to Dakshineswar. He carried with him a book in
which the solitary word "Om Rama" was written in big letters in red
ink. He worshipped this book daily with flowers and sometimes opened
and read it. Sri Ramakrishna became curious to know what was written
in the book. The monk showed him the book and said to him: "What is
the use of reading a large number of books? For it is from the one
divine Lord that the Vedas and Puranas have come; He and His name
are not separate. . . That is why His name is my only companion"
Sri Ramakrishna himself
was a great advocate of using the name of God. He said: "Chant His
name and purify your body and mind. Purify your tongue by singing
God's holy name."
Holy Mother
said:
"The Mantra purifies
the body. Man becomes pure by repeating the Mantra of God. ... It is
said, `The human teacher utters the Mantra into the ear; but God
breathes the spirit into the soul.'
"As wind removes the
cloud, so the Name of God destroys the cloud of
worldliness."
Once a devotee showed
to Holy Mother a tiny banyan seed and said to her, "Look, Mother, it
is tinier even than the tiniest seed we know. From this will spring
a giant tree! How strange!" "Indeed, it will," Mother replied. "See
what a tiny seed is the Name of God. From it in time come divine
moods, devotion, love, and spiritual consummation.
"Very powerful indeed
is the Lord's name. It may not bring about an immediate result, but
it must one day bear fruit, just as we find that a seed left long
ago on the cornice of a building at last reaches the ground,
germinates, grows into a tree, and bears fruit, perhaps when the
building cracks and is demolished. Knowingly or unknowingly,
consciously or unconsciously, in whatever state of mind a man utters
God's name, he acquires the merit of such utterance. A man who
voluntarily goes to a river and bathes therein gets the benefit of
the bath: so does he also who has been pushed into the water by
another, or who, when sleeping soundly, has water thrown upon
him.
"There is a great power
in the seed of God's name. It destroys ignorance. A seed is tender,
and the sprout soft; still it pierces the hard ground. The ground
breaks and makes way for the sprout."
The best thing for
people whose minds are attracted by sense-objects is to cultivate
the dualistic attitude and chant loudly the name of the Lord as
mentioned in Narada-Pancharatra (a work on devotion).
"Through the path of
devotion the subtle senses come readily and naturally under control.
Carnal pleasures become more and more insipid as Divine love grows
in your heart."
How to love God and
surrender to Him whom we have never seen is a question that often
arises in our mind. To some such query of a devotee Swami
Adbhutananda, a disciple of Sri Ramakrishna, replied:
"It does not matter if
you do not know Him. You know His Name. Just take His Name, and you
will progress spiritually. What do they do in an office? Without
having seen or known the officer, one sends an application addressed
to his name. Similarly send your application to God, and you will
receive His grace."
The answer was
characteristic of Swami Adbhutananda, temperamentally a man of
simplicity and faith. Though a simple answer, it satisfied the
inquirer, for it carried the strength that is in the words of a man
of realisation.
This assertion of the
Swami, however, is corroborated by the scriptures, where the Divine
Name has been considered identical with the Deity it signifies. It
is not merely a combination of letters. It is both the means and the
goal. Words, especially the syllable Om, have been designated as
Brahman by the Vedas. All scriptures glorify Holy Names. Every
religious discipline prescribes the Name of God for repetition. Its
efficacy is recognized by all faiths. Theistic religions specially
recommend it to their votaries. In Hinduism even the Advaita system
of philosophy, which does not recognize the ultimate separate
existence of a personal God, appreciates the value of the repetition
of God's Names as a purifying act.
In the theistic faiths,
however, its place is significantly important. Of all the systems it
is the Vaishnavite School of Sri Chaitanya, which has laid
particular stress on the Divine Name and has raised its repetition
to the status of an independent spiritual practice.
Sri Chaitanya, the
founder of Bengali Vaishnavism, has himself composed a few verses
singing the glory of the Name which forms a cardinal doctrine of his
system. In the first verse of his Sikshastaka, he speaks about the
nature of Name and the efficacy of its repetition:
Chant the name of the
Lord and His Glory unceasingly,
That the mirror of the
heart may be wiped clean,
And quench that mighty
forest fire,
Worldly lust, raging
furiously within.
Oh Name, stream down in
moonlight on the lotus heart,
Opening its cup to
knowledge of Thyself.
Oh self, drown deep in
the waves of His bliss,
Chanting His Name
continually,
Tasting His nectar at
every step,
Bathing in His Name,
that bath for weary souls.
He also says that the
Lord's Name is to be always sung by one who is humbler than even a
blade of grass, with more endurance than that of a tree and who,
being himself devoid of conceit, bestows honour on
others.
Man seeks refuge in
God's name also when he is confronted with difficult situations or
involved in crises. Innumerable stories are extant which go to
illustrate this fact. When Draupadi was being subjected to insult
and humiliation in the court of the Kauravas it was Krishna's name
that saved her honour. When Radha, the cowherdess of Vrndavana, was
asked, as a test of her chastity, to bring water in a multi-holed
pitcher it was with the name of the Lord that she came off more
glorious than ever, out of this fiery ordeal. The great hero of the
Ramayana, whom Tulsidas calls the `jewel in the great garland of
Ramayana', Hanuman, crossed the ocean to Lanka merely by taking the
name of Rama.
Though it is said that
chanting or repeating the name of God is enough it must be
understood rightly. Undoubtedly there is an inherent power in the
name of God. Even if one chants it mechanically it will save one in
course of time. In fact many aspirants do japa only mechanically.
There is little or no intensity or feeling in it. That is why little
progress is seen in their lives.
Concerning this a great
poet-saint, Kabir, has warned us against the complacency and
self-satisfaction that may be indulged in by the mere mechanical
repetition of the name. He says:
"The remembrance of God
is not achieved
By the revolving of
beads in the hand,
By the rolling of the
tongue in the mouth,
Or, by the wandering of
the mind in all quarters."
Yet there is hope even
for those who take God's name mechanically:
Disciple: "Is it of any
use to be merely repeating His Name without intense
devotion?"
Holy Mother: "Whether
you jump into water or are pushed into it, your cloth will get
drenched. Is it not so? Repeat the Name of God, whether your mind is
concentrated or not. It will be good for you if you can repeat the
Name of God for a fixed number of times daily."
However it would be far
more profitable if one chants the name of God with faith, love and
longing. Sri Ramakrishna emphasizes intense yearning:
Goswami: "Sir, the
chanting of God's name is enough. The scriptures emphasize the
sanctity of God's name for the Kaliyuga."
Master: "Yes, there is
no doubt about the sanctity of God's name. But can a mere name
achieve anything, without the yearning love of the devotee behind
it? One should feel great restlessness of soul for the vision of
God. Suppose a man repeats the name of God mechanically, while his
mind is absorbed in `lust and gold', can he achieve
anything?
"Therefore I say, chant
the name of God, and with it pray to Him that you may have love for
Him. Pray to God that your attachment to such transitory things as
wealth, name, and creature comforts may become less and less every
day."
The scriptures and
saints tell us that there is a tremendous joy in God's name, for God
is of the nature of Bliss; He is Satchidananda. A beginner, however,
does not experience any joy. On the contrary he may feel only
dryness. It is not the fault of God's name. The fault lies in the
mind of the devotee. As long as the mind has not turned away from
worldly delights it is not possible to taste divine bliss. One must
try to develop discrimination and dispassion for the world. Only
when the mind is purified of worldly dross does one begin to taste
the joy of divine name. One must pray to God with yearning for
getting rid of desires and for getting delight in His
name:
Devotee: "How can I
take delight in God's name?"
Master: "Pray to God
with a yearning heart that you may take delight in His name. He will
certainly fulfil your heart's desire."
So saying, Sri
Ramakrishna sang a song in his sweet voice, pleading with the Divine
Mother to show Her grace to suffering men.
Then he said: "Even for
Thy holy name I have no taste. A typhoid patient has very little
chance of recovery if he loses all taste for food; but his life need
not be despaired of if he enjoys food even a little, that is why one
should cultivate a taste for God's name. Any name will do Durga,
Krishna, or Siva. Then if, through the chanting of the name, one's
attachment to God grows day by day, and joy fills the soul, one has
nothing to fear. The delirium will certainly disappear; the grace of
God will certainly descend."
Utmost caution and
guidance are required to chant the Name effectively. When one chants
it with due regard and propriety, said Swami Vivekananda once, one
can have both devotion and knowledge through it. We have to impress
on our minds that purity of thought and sincerity of purpose are the
essential conditions one has to achieve and develop in the religious
life if it is to be expeditiously fruitful. An aspirant must
practise self-control. He has to avoid all slips in ethical life and
should live a life of discipline. These are the sine qua non of the
higher life, and it is well-known that nothing will happen if
spiritual disciplines are practised perfunctorily. When that purity
of purpose and sincerity in sadhana is achieved and when one tries
in secret and in solitude and with single-minded devotion to repeat
the name of God, His vision will come and the devotee will get
absorbed in Him. This chanting of God's name must form a regular
habit.
Sri Ramakrishna says:
"And one must always chant the name and glories of God and pray to
Him. An old metal pot must be scrubbed every day. What is the use of
cleaning it only once? Further, one must practise discrimination and
renunciation; one must be conscious of the unreality of the world.
"One should constantly
repeat the name of God. The name of God is highly effective in the
Kaliyuga (iron age). The practice of yoga is not possible in this
age, for the life of a man depends on food. Clap your hands while
repeating God's name, and the birds of your sin will fly
away."
A devotee asked,
"Mother, what is the secret?" Holy Mother pointed to a small clock
in a niche and said, "As that timepiece is ticking, so also go on
repeating God's Name. That will bring you everything. Nothing more
need be done. While performing Japa, take the Name of God with
utmost love, sincerity, and self-surrender. Before commencing your
meditation daily, first think of your utter helplessness in this
world and then slowly begin the practice of Sadhana as directed by
your Guru."
The Master: "Ecstatic
devotion develops in taking the Name of the Lord, eyes overflow
tears of joy, words are choked in the mouth, and all the hairs of
the body stand erect thrilled with joy.
Devotee: But I do not
find delight in His name.
The Master: Then pray
with a yearning heart that He may teach you to relish His name.
Undoubtedly He will grant your prayer. . . . I say, "Find joy in his
name." Durga, Krishna, Siva any name will do. And if you daily feel
a greater attraction for taking His name and a greater joy in it,
you need fear no more. The delirium must get cured, and His grace
will surely descend on you.
"Japa means repeating
the name of the Lord silently, sitting in a quiet place. If one
continues the repetition with concentration and devotion, one is
sure to be blessed with Divine visions ultimately one is sure to
have God-realisation. Suppose a big log of wood is immersed in the
Ganges with one end attached to a chain, which is fixed on the bank.
Following the chain, link by link, you can gradually dive into the
water and trace your way to it. In the same manner, if you become
absorbed in the repetition of His holy name, you will eventually
realise Him."
According to
Vaishnavism the Divine Name must be taken without committing ten
faults. These are: (1) disparaging genuine devotees, (2) regarding
God as absolutely different from His Names, Form, Qualities, etc.,
(3) showing disrespect for one's spiritual preceptor, (4) speaking
too lightly or contemptuously of the sacred scriptures, (5)
considering the glory of the Divine Name mentioned in the scriptures
as mere eulogy, (6) considering the Divine Name as imaginary, (7)
committing sins repeatedly and intentionally on the strength of the
Divine Name, (8) regarding the repetition of the Divine Name as
equal to other spiritual practices, (9) imparting it to unworthy
persons, (10) wanting taste for the chanting or hearing of the
Divine Name even after listening to its excellencies.
These faults however
will be rectified by chanting the Divine Name itself. As Padma
purana puts it: The sins of those who commit offence to the Divine
Name is remedied by the Name alone. And it bears the desired fruit
if taken constantly.
If one
chants the name of God sincerely with faith, feeling, and yearning,
and takes care to avoid the faults mentioned above, one is sure to
progress in spiritual life, obtain His grace and attain Him in
time.
BACK
TO CONTENTS
Seeing Brahman with Open Eyes
Some
aspects of the Mandukya Upanishad
(This article is based
on notes taken during lectures delivered in the 1950's by Swami
Siddheswarananda, founder and first spiritual director of the Centre
Vedantique Ramakrichna, Gretz, France. With thanks to Mr. Gilbert
Vaillant, France; translated and edited by Andre van den Brink,
2001.
The text of the
Mandukya Upanishad is from Eight Upanishads, vol. II, translated
from the original Sanskrit by Swami Gambhirananda (Advaita Ashrama,
Calcutta, 2nd edition, 1966).
Invocation
OM
O gods!
May we hear auspicious
words with the ears.
While engaged in
sacrifices,
may we see auspicious
things with the eyes.
While praising the gods
with steady limbs,
may we enjoy a life
that is beneficial to the gods.
May Indra of ancient
fame be auspicious to us!
May the supremely rich
(or all-knowing) Pusha be propitious to us!
May Garuda, the
destroyer of evil, be well disposed towards us!
May Brihaspati
ensure our welfare!
Om, Peace, Peace,
Peace!
The Mandukya
Upanishad
1
The letter Om is all
this.
Of this a clear
exposition (is started with):
All that is past,
present, or future is verily OM.
And whatever is beyond
the three periods of time
is also verily
OM.
2
All this is surely
Brahman.
This Self is Brahman.
The Self, such as It
is, is possessed of four quarters.
3
The first quarter is
Vaishvanara,
whose sphere (of
action) is the waking state,
whose consciousness
relates to things external,
who is possessed of
seven limbs and nineteen mouths,
and who enjoys gross
things.
4
Taijasa is the second
quarter,
whose sphere (of
activity) is the dream state,
whose consciousness is
internal,
who is possessed of
seven limbs and nineteen mouths,
and who enjoys subtle
objects.
5
That state is deep
sleep,
where the sleeper does
not desire any enjoyable thing
and does not see any
dream.
The third quarter is
Prajna,
who has deep sleep as
his sphere,
in whom everything
becomes undifferentiated,
who is a mass of mere
consciousness,
who abounds in
bliss,
who is surely an
enjoyer of bliss,
and who is the doorway
to the experience
(of the dream and
waking states).
6
This one is the Lord of
all,
this one is omniscient,
this one is the inner
Director of all,
this one is the Source
of all,
this one is verily the
place of origin
and dissolution of all
beings.
7
They consider the
Fourth to be that
which is not conscious
of the internal world,
nor conscious of the
external world,
nor conscious of both
the worlds,
nor a mass of
consciousness,
nor simple
consciousness,
nor
unconsciousness.
Which is
unseen,
beyond empirical
dealings,
beyond the grasp (of
the organs of action),
uninferable,
unthinkable, indescribable.
Whose valid proof
consists in the single belief
in the Self,
in which all phenomena
cease,
and which is
unchanging,
auspicious and
non-dual.
That is the Self,
and that is to be
known.
8
That very Self,
considered from the standpoint of the
syllable (denoting It),
is OM.
Considered from the
standpoint of the letters
(constituting OM), the
quarters (of the Self)
are the letters (of
OM),
and the letters are the
quarters.
(The letters are): A,
U, and M.
9
Vaishvanara,
having the waking state
as His sphere,
is the first letter A,
because of (the
similarity of) pervasiveness
or being the
first.
He who knows
thus,
does verily attain all
desirable things,
and becomes the
foremost.
10
He who is
Taijasa,
with the state of dream
as His sphere (of activity),
is the second letter U
(of OM),
because of the
similarity of excellence
and
intermediateness.
He who knows
thus,
increases the current
of knowledge
and becomes equal to
all.
None is born in his
line
who is not a knower of
Brahman.
11
Prajna,
with his sphere of
activity in the sleep state,
is M, the third letter
of OM,
because of measuring or
because of absorption.
Anyone who knows
thus,
measures all this,
and he becomes the
place of absorption.
12
The partless OM is
Turiya,
beyond all conventional
dealings,
the limit of the
negation of the phenomenal world,
the
auspicious,
and the
non-dual.
OM is thus the Self to
be sure.
He who knows thus,
enters the Self through
his Self.
Introduction
The Mandukya Upanishad
is the only upanishad which is purely metaphysical. It teaches the
ajata vada, the way of the unborn, of non-causality. For that reason
it is sometimes called `Karika Vedanta' - in contrast to the
classical Vedanta - after the famous commentary (karika) which
Gaudapada, the guru of the guru of Shankaracharya, wrote on this
upanishad. Shankara himself has also commented upon the Mandukya
Upanishad and on the karika of Gaudapada,
In the metaphysics of
Vedanta a distinction is made between (1) reality (tattva), that
which does not change and which persists through all our
experiences, and (2) truth (mata), of which, according to the
Vedanta, there may be any number. Swami Vivekananda explains this
with the example of the sun: somebody is travelling towards the sun
and at each stage he takes a picture. The images are all different,
but no one can deny that they all show the same sun. The reality
always stays the same, whereas the truths, although all true at
their own particular level, are relative. As such the other is
entitled to a place for his standpoint which is just as big as the
place occupied by our own standpoint.
The Mandukya Upanishad
is a philosophy of the Totality of existence, which is not the same
as the sum total of a number of separate entities or data added
together. It seeks the knowledge of that Totality, which endeavours
to solve the greatest problem of philosophy: the contradiction
between life and death.
The reality is the
Totality of existence, which shows itself under two aspects: (a) the
manifested aspect, and (b) the non-manifested aspect. The purport of
the Mandukya Upanishad is to prove that, irrespective of the level
of existence at which one may find oneself, it is only the one
reality which is. Nevertheless, from the standpoint of the
practising of spirituality (sadhana) the waking state is of superior
value to us.
Non-dualism
The dialectic of the
Vedanta, such as used by Shankara, does not serve to establish
non-dualism (advaita) as a position. A dialectic which seeks to
establish a position is propaganda. Non-dualism cannot be
established as a position within temporality, because there
everything is constantly changing. If, through dialectics, you are
establishing a position, then this is destined to be refuted again
in the course of time. The dialectic of the Vedanta merely serves to
destroy the ignorance (avidya) regarding the ultimate, non-dual
nature of the one reality.
Non-dualism is not a
philosophical system; it is a metaphysical insight. All explanation
is but the language of defeat - we stand before a wall... In every
explanation there is a deceiver and a deceived! Sri Ramakrishna said
that only Brahman, the Absolute, cannot be sullied by the
tongue.
Since advaita is not a
thesis, it never takes up a position. As in Zen Buddhism, it
expresses itself through silence or through paradox. We cannot erect
a dialectic of the Absolute. However, through knowledge (jnana) we
are able to realize the one reality as non-duality. In order to do
so we have to arouse within ourselves the power of the buddhi (the
faculty of metaphysical discrimination) by means of spiritual
practice. The realisation to be attained should (a) be free from
contradictions, (b) be self-evident, and (c) be universal, not being
subject to the limitations of time and space.
In non-duality there
are no relations: there is only the one reality. That is why the
Mandukya Upanishad speaks of `Asparsha Yoga' the yoga of
`no-contact', of `no-relation'. This in contrast to everyday-life,
which consists of relations and rapports only. The problems in the
life of an individual are always relational problems. It is only
through relations and rapports that we can have knowledge, normally
speaking. This you ought to keep as a keystone for the study of the
Mandukya Upanishad: all is rapports.
Causality: a
presupposition
Causality is a
principle which is established by our intelligence in order to find
an explanation via relations and rapports. It is also a given fact
of our education, of our culture. From early childhood each human
being has been conditioned by the principle of causality, and thus
it has become a universal principle. Nevertheless, it is only
through the intelligence of our imagination that we have created
such a universal principle in order to be able to interpret and
manage our everyday world. The notion of a primary cause is only an
idea born from the need to understand. The thirty-three thousand
gods of Hinduism represent only that one idea: the search for the
cause - God (in religious terms). It is very difficult to eradicate
the notion of a cause.
In religion, once we
have been caught by the principle of causality, there are the ideas
of immanence and transcendence. We then believe that there is the
one reality and that that is a transcendental state. In that state a
`fall' takes place, and then, in that fall, the manifestation takes
place, and so on. From an early age we have been nourished by that
theological dualism, and we don't even ask ourselves whether such an
idea is really correct!
The Mandukya Upanishad,
on the other hand, is a metaphysics leading to wisdom, to knowledge.
In it there is no redemption, no God, no sanctity, no transcendence,
no mysticism, no esoterics. There one does not run to the forest in
order to attain the final samadhi. This metaphysics is reserved for
very few people and, therefore, in India this teaching was given
behind closed doors so as not to confuse others.
The problem of cause
and effect is well presented in the example of the clay and its
forms, which is found in the Chandogya Upanishad: Brahman, the one
reality, is the clay. No one is able to perceive clay as such: we
always see only forms of clay - where there is form, there is clay,
and where there is clay, there is form. Thus, as an `observer', we
can never go and stand outside the one reality; being a form of
clay, we are inescapably part of the Whole and, as such, we will
never be able to `grasp' the Whole. As an individual we are
indissolubly connected with the one reality; we cannot objectify the
reality nor abstract ourselves from it as a subject. As no form of
clay can exist apart from clay, so also no material or mental form
can stand outside the reality. In this sense the idea of a separate,
independent personality - however much unique in itself- is an
illusion.
In terms of cause and
effect we can never experience the cause, Brahman, as an object.
What we see are always the effects only, even when the effects (the
forms of clay) cannot be distinguished from their cause (the clay),
as in the case of a substance that is constantly changing, but which
remains unknown in itself. Our error is that we are trying to find a
cause apart from the forms. Brahman, the one reality, is being known
through the forms by means of the metaphysical insight, just as the
clay is known through its forms, for the clay and its forms are
inseparably one.
(to be
continued)
BACK
TO CONTENTS
Religion and Life (continued)
On the full-moon
night of Rasa, the gopis ran to Sri Krishna, hearing the sound of
his flute coming from the forest. But why did he ask them to go back
home?
The Lord tried to scare
the gopis away in many ways. Of them, the first was the fear of
protecting their bodies, the second was the fear of public censure,
and the third was the fear of losing their virtue. When the gopis
went to Krishna hearing the sound of his flute, the Lord said:
`There are numerous dangerous animals around and you have come to
this almost impregnable dense forest at night. Why did you do so? If
you delicate women are attacked by ferocious animals, you can't do
anything.' He further said: `You have definitely not come here for
hunting; why have you come then? If the sylvan beauty is what draws
you here, then see the forest bathed in moonlight and return home
soon. You have work back home: you have to attend to your relatives
and look after the children. What a silly thing you have done by
running here! What will people say of you!' Next Krishna said:
`Granted that you have come here listening to my flute. But can that
be an excuse for you to come out to this jungle thus at dead of
night?' With these words Krishna pointed out to the gopis their
faults. In fact he was testing them.
Did the gopis pass
Krishna's test?
Oh yes, they did, and
with flying colours! How beautifully has this been explained in the
Bhagavata. The Lord was playing his flute melodiously from within
the dense forest and it was not falling on everyone's ears; it was
being heard only by those ardent aspirants who waited always for
this melodious music. Sound is there for everyone's ears, but can
everyone hear? Those who are without that sharp ear to listen, and
those who are busy with their household activities cannot hear this.
But it reaches the gopis' ears all right. The details are
interesting. Maybe a gopi was serving her husband, maybe another was
caring for her child, maybe yet another was cooking - but as soon as
this flute was heard they gave up all their activities and ran to
the Lord as they were. It is said that one of the gopis was locked
up in her room; she could not get out. Her soul was panting
desperately to go to the Lord. She saw that her body alone was the
problem - the obstacle - to reach the Lord. So she gave up her body
and ran to him.
Sri Krishna told Arjuna
in the Gita that his devotees will not perish. How is it
possible?
Even as God is eternal,
the devotee too is eternal. The human body will die, no doubt, but
the Self is immortal. God never allows his devotee to perish because
through life-cycles, the devotee remains the dear servant of
God.
The way things are
going on at present, honesty appears to have little value. Why is
this so?
You see, he who is
honest will himself have to pay the price. If you are honest, you
will have to sacrifice much. But the more you can sacrifice for the
sake of truth, the greater will be the evaluation of your honesty
and the more will be your joy and peace.
- Compiled by Smt Manju
Nandi Mazumdar:
due
acknowledgements to Prabuddha Bharata
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A Mother's Heart
(Swami Ishanananda,
the writer of these reminiscences, was indeed a blessed soul. He had
the good fortune of becoming Holy Mother's close attendant and
helper when he was just an eleven-year-old schoolboy. He belonged to
the group of young novices living at the Koalpara monastery, close
to the Mother's village, who used to assist the Mother in running
her household. The Swami met the Mother in 1909 and served her until
her passing away in 1920.
The following
selected incidents have been taken from his Bengali book
`Matrisannidhye'. The free translation is by Br. Bodhi
Chaitanya.)
Dedication of the book
by the author
Mother,
During the celebration
of your birthday at the Udbodhan House in 1918, while your
children-devotees were offering flowers and prostrating at your
lotus feet, I, according to your instructions, stood by watching.
After everyone had finished their salutations, I offered flowers at
your lotus feet in the name of all your children, known and unknown,
just as you told me to do.
Mother, for eleven
years I had the rare good fortune of being in your holy company.
Today, half a century after the aforementioned incident, in the
evening of my life, whatever memories I have, however insignificant
they might be, I offer them at your holy feet in the form of this
book. May the faithful devotees who read this book experience the
divine peace and joy of your presence. This is my prayer at your
holy feet.
Your Child,
Ishanananda.
The Mother's House
(Udbodhan), 1968.
Varada's
initiation
In 1912, a couple of
days before Krishna Puja, Varada1 requested Holy Mother to initiate
him with a mantra. Golap-Ma overheard the conversation and exclaimed
in her usual loud voice: `Such a small boy! After a few days he will
forget the mantra! Look, you live very near the Mother's village,
you can easily take your initiation later on, when you are a bit
older.' So saying Golap-Ma went away. Holy Mother, however,
reassured the boy: `Don't listen to Golap. If one learns something
well at a young age, can one ever forget it? From now onwards you
just try to do what you can, and then, I am there, to be
sure.'
On the day of Krishna
Puja, after the initiation had been performed, the Mother saw that
the boy was repeating the mantra just as she had instructed him to
do, and told him encouragingly: `That's it. Will you not be able to
remember this much? Of course you will! In future, if necessary, I
will show you everything again.' When the boy rose after prostrating
at the Mother's feet, she blessed him by placing her hand on his
head and chest. Then, looking at Sri Ramakrishna's picture she
prayed: `Please look after him here and hereafter.' Rising from her
seat the Mother said to him: `Come with me', and took him to the
adjoining room. There she took two sweets that had been offered in
the shrine, ate a tiny piece from one of them, and handed them to
him saying: `Eat'. Seeing that he felt shy to eat in her presence,
she asked him: `Why so shy? One should eat prasad (consecrated food)
after initiation', and then gave him also a glass of
water.
Swami Saradananda's
devotion to Holy Mother
In 1916 the building of
Holy Mother's new house in Jayrambati was completed, and the happy
occasion was duly celebrated. Swami Saradananda, who was the person
behind the project and had worked so hard for its consummation,
could not be present at that time. He had to travel to Vrindavan
instead, to attend to some work of the Ramakrishna Mission. The
Swami was able to visit Jayrambati only about a month later, and was
delighted to see the new building finished. It was then decided that
the Swami would take Holy Mother to Calcutta with him, but before
that, there was still some work for the Swami to do. He had to
register the new house, the adjoining Punyapukur pond, and a plot of
land in the name of Mother Jagaddhatri (Holy Mother's family deity),
at the same time investing the Trustees of the Ramakrishna Order
with the right to manage the property.
After spending a few
days in Jayrambati, the Swami, along with Holy Mother and her
companions, were on their way to Calcutta. They stopped at the
Koalpara Ashrama for a day and the Swami called in a sub-registrar
from nearby Kotolpur. Swami Saradananada's behaviour towards the
officer that day left everyone at the Ashrama spell-bound. It
revealed the depth of his faith and devotion for Holy Mother's work.
It had been arranged
beforehand that on that day, in the evening, the sub-registrar would
be brought in a palanquin to Koalpara in order to register the new
property. Swami Saradananda spread a seat for the visitor in the
courtyard outside Mother's house and, keeping cigarettes, betel
leaves, and a fan near at hand, patiently awaited his arrival. After
some time the palanquin arrived and the sub-registrar alighted. He
was a Muslim and looked very young, he may have been 27 or 28 years
old. On seeing him, the Swami, who was rather heavy-set and already
50 years old, at once rose from his seat and respectfully welcomed
him. When the young man took his seat, the Swami sat by his side and
began to fan him. Then he gave him cigarettes and a matchbox so that
he could smoke. At first the man seemed a bit puzzled at this
special treatment, and after some time, when he saw how deeply the
Swami was revered by everyone present, felt definitely embarrassed!
After having tea and a betel leaf, he began his work. The Mother was
sitting on the veranda of her house with Radhu and others. He asked
her a few questions, which she answered from the veranda itself, and
finally she signed the document with her thumb-impression. The job
being done, the Swami again entertained the officer with some
refreshments. When it was time for the `guest' to leave, the Swami
helped him to get on the palanquin. Before finally saying good-bye,
the Swami even walked alongside the palanquin for some
distance.
Swami Saradananda
looked so happy and satisfied to have been able to perform another
job for the Mother! Seeing his unusual behaviour, many of the
devotees and monastics present on that occasion had felt rather
uneasy, but on reflection they understood: when one works for the
Mother one should do it whole-heartedly, giving up all sense of ego
or position.
A son caught in a
storm
A few days before Sri
Ramakrishna' birthday celebration in the year 1917, Varada arrived
by bicycle one day at noon at the Mother's house. He was on some
errand for her. The Mother was then having lunch. When he had
finished his work, the Mother gave him some prasad to eat. Radhu
wanted him to stay for some time before returning, but he refused,
knowing that there was a lot of urgent work to do at the Koalpara
Ashrama. Radhu kept on insisting, and, in order to pacify her, the
Mother also tried to persuade him to stay a bit longer. Looking at
the sky, the Mother saw some clouds and said: `Look, some clouds are
gathering, and Radhu also is insisting so much, just stay for some
time and then you can go.' Varada, however, had already made up his
mind, and left at once on the bike. When he reached the fields
beyond the village of Deshra, a terrible hailstorm arose. As the
hailstones were quite large, he tied the cloth he was wearing round
his head and took shelter under a tree. Unfortunately it was late
winter and the tree was quite bare, so it couldn't afford him much
protection. The pelting was so severe that his toes began to bleed.
After a while, when the storm subsided, he resumed his journey on
foot, pushing the bicycle along. Reaching Koalpara at dusk, he went
straight to bed without telling anything to anybody. The next day in
the morning, a devotee from Jayrambati arrived with a letter for the
Mahanta (the head of the monastery). The letter was from Holy
Mother, and read: `Please let me know whether Varada arrived safely
and how he is now. Yesterday I spent the night in great anxiety
because of his travelling during the hailstorm. I am very worried.'
In the reply the Mother was informed that the boy had had some fever
during the night, but that now he was all right. After a couple of
days, when Varada again visited the Mother, she told him: `You were
obstinate and left without listening to me. Afterwards, how worried
I was on your account! In order to avoid the abbot's scolding, you
left without listening to me. Am I then a stranger to you? If you do
not listen to my words, I am the one who has to suffer. When someone
speaks from the heart, one should listen to them.' Then the Mother
asked him in detail about his journey in the storm.
to be
continued
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Book Reviews
Centred in Truth - The
Story of Swami Nitya-Swarup-Ananda
by Shelley Brown, M.D.,
published by Kalpa Tree
Press, 65 East 96th St., Suite 12d,
New York, NY
10128
1093 pages, price
£35.00
This large two-volume
set is a powerful tribute to the monk of the Ramakrishna Order
largely responsible for the establishment of the Institute of
Culture in Calcutta.
The first chapter
provides scanty details of the Swami's early life and entry into the
Ramakrishna Order, followed by several chapters detailing the growth
and development of the Institute from its humble beginnings in 1938
in one rented room to its now world-renowned setting in Gol Park,
South Calcutta.
Swami
Nitya-Swarup-Ananda (it was his own decision to hyphenate his name
to make it more accessible to Westerners) worked with vision,
enthusiasm and indefatigable energy to see the Institute come into
being, thereby inspiring many who came into contact with him.
Yet, when he retired from the Institute in 1962 to the apparent
shock of many, he would take no credit, saying it was the dreams and
teachings of Swami Vivekananda alone that had brought it into
being.
Swami
Nitya-Swarup-Ananda then left for a tour of America and the rest of
the world, sponsored by the American government and various other
foreign governments. He returned to India in 1964 and in 1970
was asked to take up again the role of Secretary to the Institute of
Culture. The remainder of his life until his death in 1991 was
spent in dedicated service to the Order through the Institute and in
making further visits to the United States where he had a number of
devoted friends.
In volume two of this
prodigious work are numerous testimonies to the effect meeting and
knowing Swami Nitya-Swarup-Ananda had on the lives of people in
India and abroad. A charismatic and strong character, his was
a life not untroubled by controversy. His opinions were
strongly held and expressed and were not always supported by all his
fellow monastics in the Order. Despite this, he remained true
to the Order and all it represented to him to the end, chanting
"Belur Math-Thakur-Ma-Swamiji" and clapping his hands in his last
days.
This work by Dr Brown
is a testament to the life of an extraordinary monk who clearly
demonstrated the marvellous effect of upholding an ideal throughout
his long life.
Eve Wright
The Prasthanatraya: An
Introduction
by Swami
Harshananda
published by
Ramakrishna Math, Bull Temple Road,
Bangalore 560
019
Price Rs.25
This is an ideal book
for a newcomer to Vedanta, who wishes to survey the basic texts
containing the principles of Vedanta philosophy. As the author
explains, the Vedanta system of philosophy is based primarily on
three scriptures, namely the Upanishads, the Bhagavadgita and the
Brahmasutras. Of these three, the Upanishads are the primary source
of the philosophy, while the Brahmasutras are a systematisation of
this philosophy and the Bhagavadgita an explanation of its
essence.
In this little book
Swami Harshananda gives brief factual and explanatory introductions
to these three works, then a detailed summary of each book and quite
a lot of background information on the dating, composition and
contribution made by these scriptures to Indian philosophical
thought.
The text of this book
is not new. All three sections in it were published earlier as
separate booklets. The Swami has brought these three booklets
together under the title "The Prasthanatraya; An Introduction". He
explains that the title means "the three fundamental works that take
one to the final goal of life ("Prasthana")". He expresses the hope
that bringing the three together in one volume may help students of
Vedanta to comprehend the subject matter.
Certainly such a clear
and succinct presentation of often difficult texts will prove to be
a useful aid to studying the Vedanta philosophy. As the Swami
himself writes with regard to the Upanishads: "By its very
definition, an Upanishad is an esoteric work, recondite in nature
and spirit. The language is archaic. Many of the concepts, being
closely allied to the sacrificial religion of the Samhitas and the
Brahmanas, are unintelligible to us, removed as we are, by
millennia, from those rituals or ideas. Hence it is impossible to
understand them, much less get a consistent view of them, without an
authoritative and reliable commentary." Swami Harshananda's book
could perhaps be regarded as such an introductory
commentary.
John
Phillips
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