Tuesday, July 30, 2013

 - SWAMI  SWAROOPANAND (PAWAS)-A COSMIC CITIZEN. (5)

In June, we witnessed, natures fury in Uttarakhand. By now all of us also know, that, it is as much a man made catastrophe as rage of the Sky God. The worst thing is we do not seem to learn from our past mistakes. Crores of rupees are being / and will be spent in rescue / relief operations; irreparable loss of thousands of lives apart. We have invited this calamity by circumventing / changing / subverting the rules to satisfy our individual greed, with total disregard to the environment / ecology. The colossal rescue / relief operations, undertaken by the Defence and Paramilitary personnel is astounding. For them service before self is their motto, which is, imbibed / ingrained in them right from the training. Further, they live up to the oath they take at the time of passing out. Being an Ex Army / Paramilitary Officer, I feel proud of them. Armed Forces are truly secular and consider themselves to be belonging to one family.This generates camaraderie and fellow feeling.                                                                                                                                      I feel, declining joint family system, in the society, has adversely hit, " वसुधैव कुटुम्बकम ",(Global Family ) teaching of our scriptures, which till recently, was an essential character of our Indian culture. Joint family system, to my mind, provides a window to foster, the tendency of " वसुधैव कुटुम्बकम ". Nuclear families have given rise to old age homes, creche, day care centers etc. One may argue that it is the need of the hour / changing times. It no doubt may be so, but it certainly  is affecting, EI /EQ, of the society adversely. Proper blending / fusion of IQ and EI is a key to success in life. Daniel Goleman’s  book  “ Emotional Intelligence”, published in 1995, underlines the importance of EI. The disadvantages of nuclear family are closely akin to “ Only Child Syndrome ”, or what is popularly perceived as “ Little Emperor Syndrome”, in China. It causes behavioral problems, like individuals being temperamental, demanding and utterly self absorbed / centered.                                                                                                        As against this, come Ashadh, a month in Hindu calendar, which generally falls in July, and we in witness a congregation of approx five lac Warkaris ( Pilgrims), throng from all directions at Alandi or Dehu, to proceed to Pandharpur. It is an incredibly unique feat as they march radiating joy & happiness, chanting Dnyanoba -Tukaram all the way long. They brave the vagaries of weather, be it scorching sun or downpour, cats & dogs. One can see and feel a flow of positive mass energy, where unconditional love is exchanged, between all participants, known or unknown, calling each other MAULEE, (Mother). The term used for Crown Saint Dnyaneshwar, by his contemporary saints, centuries ago. This term has run through generations now. Paradoxically, Saint Dnyaneshwar happens to be the youngest saint ever known, probably world over, who has contributed so richly to divine literature in Marathi, and now translated in many languages of the world. His SANJEEVAN SAMADHI at ALANDI should be added under the list of WONDERS OF THE WORLD.  The WARI gathers mass with each advancing step they take in the direction of Pandharpur, where it culminates, number swelling close to approx ten lacs. One only returns, fully charged for next 365 days, with a resolve to return next year. Two Palkhis, one from Kolhapur and the other from Taratgaon, of Swami Swaroopanand’s devotees also join Pandharpur Wari.                                                                                                 If each one of us decides to replace “ I ”, by “ WE ”, “ILLNESS” of the society, will automatically change to “WELLNESS”.                                                                                    Having shed his identity related " I ", Swamijee's " I " , merged with INFINITY. Not confined to his bodily frame, Swamijee's " I " embraced the COSMOS.                                  “ स्वामी म्हणे व्हावें विश्वाचें कल्याण। तेणें समाधान मज होय॥ सं.गाथा२०७/५॥” (Swamijee says well being of the Universe, makes him happy.)                                            We have read Abhang numbers-199, 74,186, and 109 from Swamijee's Sanjeevani Gatha, in the preceding four posts. I feel that empiricism radiating from Swamijee’s writing may have appealed to the readers. The sublimity of  Swamijee's thoughts and clarity of his vision with regard to the entire world being the manifestation of one source, at least can’t escape readers attention.                                                                                                                                                                    In the first article, I mentioned, that, post quantum theory the scientific community has also come to terms with the theory of the World being an undivided whole.Scientific Discoveries based on, research and experiments took a quantum leap in almost all fields, in twentieth century. Post quantum mechanics, the Cartesian divide between mind and matter, started in the seventeenth century, after the famous pronouncement, "Cogito ergo sum" (I think, therefore I am ) by Rene Descartes, is fast diminishing now. Einstein was searching for string theory, that will not only reconcile General Relativity but Science & Bible as well, to Quantum Mechanics. Lot of water has flown under the bridge, since then. Science & Philosophy have moved closer. Acceptance of the fact that science and philosophy are complementary to each other is gaining ground.                                                                                                                                              The HST ( Hubble Space Telescope )sent into the orbit by a Space Shuttle in 1990, has undoubtedly proved, that, the Universe is undergoing dynamic expansion.                       Here i would like to quote a verse from Bh. Geeta, and Saint Dnyaneshwar’s commentary on it from his famous magnum opus “ Dnyaneshwari ”.                                                                                                                                        “मया ततमिदं सर्वं जगद्व्यक्तमूर्तिना।मत्स्थानि सर्वभूतानि न चाहं तेष्ववस्थितः” ॥ गी. ४ / ९ ॥  ( The entire world is pervaded by Me in My unmanifest form; all beings do exist in Me, but not the vice-versa.)                                                                        “ माझेया विस्तारलेपणा नावें । हें जगचि नोहे आघवें । जैसें दूध मुरालें स्वभावें । तरि तेंचि दहीं ॥ कां बीजचि जाहलें तरु । अथवा भांगारचि अळंकारु । तैसा मज एकाचा विस्तारू । तें हें जग ॥ हें अव्यक्तपणें थिजलें । तेंचि मग विश्वाकारे वोथिजलें । तैसे अमूर्तमूर्ति मियां विस्तारलें । त्रैलोक्य जाणें ॥  ज्ञा. ९ /६४/६५/६६॥ ”                    (The whole universe, as you see it, is expansion of my being. Just as when the milk coagulates, it turns into curds. The seed is transformed into the tree or the gold into ornaments, the same way,  the whole universe is nothing but My expanse.)          Here, we must keep in mind that, the verse from Geeta, which is purportedly a dialogue between the Lord and Arjuna as well as commentary of Saint Dnyaneshwar thereof, are spontaneous and extempore. Moreover, in theverse from Geeta the narrator is Lord Krisna and in Dnyaneshwari, the narrator is the  incarnation of Lord Vishnu (" ज्ञानेशो भगवान विष्णुः")                                                                                                                   Their narration is statement of a transcendent understanding of a unified ( fundamental ) reality, which for them is a premise, and not a perception.                            We perceive the world based on our own understanding of various scientific,visual and / or scriptural inputs.                                                                                                                  Being, an exponent of Geeta and Dnyaneshwari, Swamiji firmly believed, in the philosophy of non duality, and experienced it as well. Verse number 91 from S. Gatha, is yet another example of such a transcendental experience where he says--                  - "स्वछंद निर्मल वाहतो निर्झर । आम्हां साक्षात्कार गोविंदाचा ॥१॥                             करी गुंजारव पंकजीं भ्रमर । आम्हासी गजर हरि-नामाचा ॥२॥                               उद्यानीं कोकिळ गातसे संगीत । आम्हां हरि-गीत आवडे तें ॥ ३॥                              अखंड गंभीर गर्जतो सागर।आम्हां सोsहं-स्वर स्वामी म्हणे ॥ ४॥ सं. गाथा९१॥”                                                                                                                                               ( I sense Lord (Govinda) in the flow of pristine spring water. Buzzing of a large black bee around the flower sounds like chanting of Lord’s ( Shiva) name. Cuckoo's cry in the garden sounds like a prayer to Lord (Shiva). The ceaseless rumble of the ocean sounds “Soham” to me says Swami )                                                                                            A stanza from his another verse, explains the reason behind such an experience---" भक्ताचे अंतरीं सांवळा श्रीहरी । सुखें वास करी सर्वकाळ ॥ १॥                           म्हणोनी तयासी विश्व हरी-रूप । झालें आपेंआप अखंडित ॥ 2 ॥ सं. गाथा -१॥"               ( Swamijee says, the Lord ( Hari ) dwells in the heart of the devotee forever, therefore, whatever he sees / hears is the manifestation of the Lord ( Hari ).                                         Lot of research has now been done on human consciousness, by internationally renowned scientists / neuroscientists, like Roger Penrose, Dr. Karl Pribram, as well as Professor Subhash Kak who are equivocal in concluding that it aligns Vedic         wisdom. (“ The Fundamental reality ”, being“The unbroken whole”). Most  of them agree, that brain enfolds within its finest levels a QUANTUM COHERENT  STATE.    In one of his popular verse of Saint Tukaram says--                                     “ वृक्ष वल्ली आम्हां सोयरीं वनचरें । पक्षी ही सुस्वरें आळविती ॥१॥तु. गाथा२४७१” (The trees, creepers and wildlife are my friends, birds are singing melodious tunes).                                 Swamijee in his letter written on 8/12/1952 says that the enlightened persons state from their experience, that, irrespective of the fact, that, matter (including inanimate objects) and energy / spirit may be mutually transformable, they are all part and parcel of that single fundamental reality.                                                “ चैतन्यातून जडाची उत्पत्ति । कीं जडांतून चैतन्य संभूति । जडाsजडि एकचि आत्मस्थिति। स्वानुभव सांगती साधुसंत ॥ स्व. प. मं.४६/१६॥                                  Saints like Sant Dnyaneshwar, Samarth Ramdas, Jagadguru Sant Tukaram, Maharshi Aurobindo, Gurudev Ranade and many of their likes who are enlightened are the living examples of quantum coherence. Swamiji was one such Cosmic  Citizen, who sensed divine energy / power in the row of flowers, in trees and creepers and could resonate with the symphony of the nature. He says--
“ सुमन-तति  द्रुम-लता डोलती ध्याती सोsहं सोsहम ।                                                  मी हि तयांसंगतीं  नाचतो गातो सोsहं सोsहम ॥ अ. धारा-१५१॥ ”
To conclude, I am quoting below random excerpts from “ SAVITRI ”, which is the supreme revelation of Maharshi Aurobindo’s vision.An ardent hunt of soul looking for soul. A seeking and finding as of Gods. There Matter is the Spirit’s firm density.  The Spirit  shall look out through Matter’s gaze. And Matter shall reveal the Spirits face. Then man and superman shall be at one. And all the earth become a single life.  To the discovery of a greater self. And the far gleam of an eternal life. This world is a beginning and a base where life and mind erect their structured dreams. An unborn power must build reality. A deathbound littleness is not all we are. Immortal our forgotten vastnesses. Await discovery in our summit selves. Unmeasured breadth and depth of being are ours. Akin to the ineffable secrecy. Mystic, eternal in unrealised time. Neighbours of heaven are natures altitudes. Almighty powers are shut in Natures cells. Ascend from nature to divinity’s heights.”                                 ranadesuresh@gmail.com