Walking through the ancestral home of Swami Vivekananda in Kolkata, is now a national memorial –was like pausing to relocate the spiritual centre of not only an entire Indian ethos, but deep within oneself as well. The S-spot, the still point, the inner core was at the centre of his philosophy. Realizing our potential as divine beings, he said, “Each soul is potentially divine, the purpose is to manifest that divinity”. His teaching of the universality of all religions, envisioned as different radii within a circle, all leading to this inner centre.
Swami Vivekananda’s concept and worship of God was not limited to any one religion or creed, but was radically defined as the worship of the Virat Purusha, he brought into focus the concept of religion as a universal experience of transcendent reality, common to all and, in fact underlying all religious faiths and creeds. This principle of the Oneness of the Atma or Self because the basic for his clarion call for the harmony of all religious at the World Parliament of Religions in 1893.
Aware of the enormous gulf between the concept and practice of this principle, he repeatedly emphasized in his teachings of the urgent need to see and treat every individual as a brother, sister a fellow companion in our daily lives and not merely dogmatically assert the God is the father of us all.
The idiom of God as Virat Purusha was further formalized into a philosophy of service, which has been the cornerstone of the Ramakrishna Order of monks, “Jiva is Shiva”, and this is the gist of all worship, to see Shiva in the poor, weak and the diseased.” He thundered in his lecturer, by which he would exhort the youth to come out and treat all humans as equal.”….those who see Shiva only in the image, their worship is but preliminary.” The road map to Narayan has to be through service to the Daridra- Narayana, the poor, the less privileged, the needy and the homeless.
Nirvana was no longer a solipsistic route to personal salvation, but a collective effort to address the basic needs of every person less privilege first. This paradigm has inspired generations since, and is said to have influenced even John Rockefeller after a personal meeting with Vivekananda. He transformed the rest of his life completely to philanthropic efforts. Rockefeller was given to understand that he was only a channel, and that God has given him wealth as an opportunity to help and do well to other person.
Watching the young monk clean Vivekananda’s room at Belur Math later one evening – as if he were just about to come in to meditation after a hard day’s work – one is humbled by the stature of the monk’s effort in rousing people out of their tamas or inertia of superstition and pettiness.
Rabindranath Tagore once told a group that… “if you want to know India read Swami Vivekananda’s work”. Such a blazing life of inspiration it was to seekers and thinkers and lay persons alike. His rousing war cry of “Arise, awake, and stop not till the goal is reached ” is predicated on the concept of strong, fearless individual unfettered by creed or caste or special standing. This call to action, to karma above all else, is encapsulated in his own words, “They alone live, who live for others, the rest are more dead than alive.” They alone live, who for other others, the rest are more dead than alive.” This war cry to arouse the sleeping soul is as critically inspirational at all times, and particularly in the face of today’s tremendous challenges.
Swami Vivekananda’s concept and worship of God was not limited to any one religion or creed, but was radically defined as the worship of the Virat Purusha, he brought into focus the concept of religion as a universal experience of transcendent reality, common to all and, in fact underlying all religious faiths and creeds. This principle of the Oneness of the Atma or Self because the basic for his clarion call for the harmony of all religious at the World Parliament of Religions in 1893.
Aware of the enormous gulf between the concept and practice of this principle, he repeatedly emphasized in his teachings of the urgent need to see and treat every individual as a brother, sister a fellow companion in our daily lives and not merely dogmatically assert the God is the father of us all.
The idiom of God as Virat Purusha was further formalized into a philosophy of service, which has been the cornerstone of the Ramakrishna Order of monks, “Jiva is Shiva”, and this is the gist of all worship, to see Shiva in the poor, weak and the diseased.” He thundered in his lecturer, by which he would exhort the youth to come out and treat all humans as equal.”….those who see Shiva only in the image, their worship is but preliminary.” The road map to Narayan has to be through service to the Daridra- Narayana, the poor, the less privileged, the needy and the homeless.
Nirvana was no longer a solipsistic route to personal salvation, but a collective effort to address the basic needs of every person less privilege first. This paradigm has inspired generations since, and is said to have influenced even John Rockefeller after a personal meeting with Vivekananda. He transformed the rest of his life completely to philanthropic efforts. Rockefeller was given to understand that he was only a channel, and that God has given him wealth as an opportunity to help and do well to other person.
Watching the young monk clean Vivekananda’s room at Belur Math later one evening – as if he were just about to come in to meditation after a hard day’s work – one is humbled by the stature of the monk’s effort in rousing people out of their tamas or inertia of superstition and pettiness.
Rabindranath Tagore once told a group that… “if you want to know India read Swami Vivekananda’s work”. Such a blazing life of inspiration it was to seekers and thinkers and lay persons alike. His rousing war cry of “Arise, awake, and stop not till the goal is reached ” is predicated on the concept of strong, fearless individual unfettered by creed or caste or special standing. This call to action, to karma above all else, is encapsulated in his own words, “They alone live, who live for others, the rest are more dead than alive.” They alone live, who for other others, the rest are more dead than alive.” This war cry to arouse the sleeping soul is as critically inspirational at all times, and particularly in the face of today’s tremendous challenges.
Comments
Post a Comment