SWAMI SWAROOPANAND (PAWAS)-A COSMIC CITIZEN. (4)
Research oriented phenomenal progress in all technological, medical, and nuclear fields, in the present era, their fall out and apprehension of its possible misuse has brought us on the brink of a similar situationagain. Swamijee was not averse to research to make life easier which can be seen from his words of wisdom, that are relevant even today. He says—
Equally important is his warning contained in “Amritdhara” Sakis- 77,78 & 79 of which, i am quoting only one, to avoid post being lengthy. He says-
“ समानता मानव-धर्माचा नसेल भक्कम पाया । तरी इमारत यंत्र -युगाची उठेल मनुजा खाया ॥” अ. धारा / ७७ ॥
(He says- If equality is not the unshakable cornerstone; edifice of industrialisation, will prove to be devil for the mankind)
Looking at the period when he wrote these verses, and the recent bloodbath at Bastar by Maoist Naxals, Swamiji’s words, sound prophetic. It is also a grim reminder of the fact, that, there is no letup in Red terror.
However, we should not feel disappointed / gloomy about the future. Ways of God Almighty are inscrutable. He ensures checks and balances in everything & everywhere. We got to look around and spread the good word. Responsibility for this lies more on electronic and print media,as well as on cinema and theatre.
There are a number of examples of group amelioration where villages like Ralegan Siddhi, Hivre Bazar, and more such villages in Maharashtra have become the seeds of hope and emerged as role models.
I will specifically refer to Hiware Bazar, as a case study was undertaken by Dr. Kailas N Bavale, who presented his research paper during 2nd International Conference on Management at Malaysia held on 11 & 12 June 2012 and is available for anyone to read on the internet. This entire paper is worth reading / studying. Table 2 on page 8 is most important which contains total of 19 resolutions passed between 1989 to 2009 by the Gram Panchayat ( Village Council ). Resolution numbers 7, and 19 which are “ Implement Saint Gadgebaba” and “ No family of the village will be below poverty line and landless” respectively caught my attention.
The link to this is:-www.intrnationalconference.com.my/proceeding/2nd_icm2012
On individual front, we have examples of persons like Sh. Anna Hazare, Dr Abhay Bang, Dr. Mrs Rani Bang, Smt Sindhutai Sakpal and Amte family, who are epitome of asceticism, where three generations have set an example of service to humanity.
This happens when a person thinks beyond himself / his bodily existence, has broadened his vision / outlook, has widened his horizons and thoughts.
In the concluding line of Sanjeevani Gatha verse number 186 which we discussed in the previous post, Swamiji says—
“स्वामी म्हणे झालो मी चि चराचर। नांदतो साचार एकला चि”|
These lines may sound far fetched or unrealistic, but truly speaking , this is being Cosmic. This is mysticism / direct experience of God. ( अपरोक्ष अनुभव). An evolved, self realised individual ( व्यक्ती - सूक्ष्म- Microcosm ) like Swamiji, who has merged with Cosmos, turns Macrocosmic( व्यापक- चराचर). It is his experience, that becomes vocal then
(स्वामी म्हणे झालो मी चि चराचर।) He therefore states ( नांदतो साचार एकला चि | ).
These lines are empirical and should not be dismissed as a fantasy, or a poetic conjecture.
Microcosm and macrocosm is an ancient Greek Neo Platonic schema of seeing the same patterns reproduced in all levels of the cosmos ( जे पिंडी तें ब्रम्हांडी). Socrates talks about "आत्मा”, and so does his disciple Plato. Plotinus was an Egyptian philosopher and saw material things and ideal forms as divine creations. This thought is known as the emanation theory, and is closest to our non-duality concept.
The idea is to see beyond the barriers that separate you from everything else, as reality emanates from the Supreme / Divine being, and individuality are essentially seen as an illusion.
In verse number 109 of the same book, Swamijee says –
सांडोनिया मज गेले काम क्रोध । होतां निज बोध अंतर्यामीं ।।३।।
We think differently, because from the time we get up in the morning, all our activities / transactions are physical / body related. Our cognitive development is universal. We are, therefore, conditioned to connect every aspect / activity of human life to our bodies including phenomena of birth or death, which in reality is merely an emergence from / merger in the unbroken /undivided whole, “आत्मरूप / (चैतन्य)”. Being blessed with a human form our aim should be to manifest this divinity within. Swami Vivekanandaji says- “ Each soul is potentially divine. The goal is to manifest this divinity within, by controlling nature external and internal.”
In our daily life we experience that human body is perishable, but we conveniently turn blind eye to this irreversible fact of our lives and behave as if we are immortal. India lost a number of its celebrities, in the year 2012. They were all very renowned / internationally acclaimed legendary figures. None of us can forget them for years to come.They include-- Rajesh Khanna, Dev Anand, B R Chopra, Balasahib Thakare, Bharat Ratna Pandit Ravi Shankar, Jagajit Singh and more.
Most of us would have also seen funeral procession of some of them on TVs. We see that the body / form which we recognised as “ Rajesh Khanna” “ Dev Anand ” and so on so forth is lying there right in front of our eyes, still we would all say he is no more. What is missing from the mortal remains is the "आत्मरूप (चैतन्य)".
We have similar experience in our day to day lives, when someone in the family or neighbourhood dies. However, it is only the realised /evolved who come to grips with the fact, that, the real “self ” is not our body / form, but the all pervasive, omnipotent, indestructible / immortal “आत्मरूप / (चैतन्य)”. It is for this reason that we need a Sadguru, who can change our mindset.
Swamijee conveys this fact in “Amritdhara” poetically but succinctly as under
'मी मी' म्हणसी परी जाणसी काय खरा 'मी' कोण। असे ' काय ' मी 'मन ' ' बुद्धी ' वा ' प्राण ' ? पहा निरखोन ।। प्राण बुद्धि मन काया माझी परि मी त्यांचा नाही । तीं हि नव्हती माझी कैसें लीला कौतुक पाही !।। गूढ न कांहीं येथ सर्वथा अर्थ उघड वाक्याचा । जाण चराचरिं भरुनि राहिलों मीच एकला साचा
“जाण चराचरिं भरुनि राहिलों मीच एकला साचा ”. His " I " extended to the Universe, Canvas of his " I " expanded to the Cosmos, hence this Cosmic citizen states “नांदतो एकला विश्वीं माझा मीच। मज उंच नीच नाही कोणी”
Suresh Ranade - ranadesuresh@gmail.com
Nowadays you open a newspaper, or put the TV on, and all you see
is news about scams, crime, corruption, suicides by farmers as well as by
affluent due to despondency. There is a noticeable spurt in divorce cases /
live in relationships. Now, to top it all there is this sleazy IPL spot fixing
which is getting murkier with each passing day. This to my mind is happening
primarily due to our brazen attempt to ape Western culture, giving rise to
consumerism, causing disparities. This is fuelling propensity for unaccounted
easy money, to meet demands beyond means. The prevailing situation
reminds me of Swamijee’s words-
“यंत्र -युगें घोर माजला
आकांत।बळावला प्रांत दुर्जनांचा॥२३०/१ ॥
लोभ अहंकार वाढती अपार । नीति-धर्मा थार नुरे कोठें ॥२३०/३ ॥
पाशवी संस्कार घालिती ते पिंगा।गुप्त झाली गंगा
मानव्याची॥२३०/४
बाह्य सुखालागी धांवतो हा जीव । यंत्र -युगें हांव वाढविली ॥२२९/१॥
अंतरींच्या सुखा होउनी पारखा । दुखाःचिया नरकामाजीं पडे॥२२९/२॥
(Swamiji says-
Industrialisation / advent of Science, is causing anarchy due to misuse of
inventions for greed of power & ego. Morals have been thrown to the
winds. Human values have gone to dogs and bestial spell has cast all round.
Human beings are out to seek skin deep joy through novel devices, which has
made their lives miserable, ruining inner happiness).
Research oriented phenomenal progress in all technological, medical, and nuclear fields, in the present era, their fall out and apprehension of its possible misuse has brought us on the brink of a similar situationagain. Swamijee was not averse to research to make life easier which can be seen from his words of wisdom, that are relevant even today. He says—
“ साधाया कल्याण नाना शोध जाण । लाविती
विज्ञान शास्त्रवेत्ते ।
अंतरीं सद्भाव असेल जागृत ।
तरी यंत्रें हित स्वामी म्हणे ॥” ८१/३-४॥
( He says, scientists undertake research for the welfare /
well being of mankind. These can make the world a better place provided
intentions of its users are good and they stick to these honestly.)Equally important is his warning contained in “Amritdhara” Sakis- 77,78 & 79 of which, i am quoting only one, to avoid post being lengthy. He says-
“ समानता मानव-धर्माचा नसेल भक्कम पाया । तरी इमारत यंत्र -युगाची उठेल मनुजा खाया ॥” अ. धारा / ७७ ॥
(He says- If equality is not the unshakable cornerstone; edifice of industrialisation, will prove to be devil for the mankind)
Looking at the period when he wrote these verses, and the recent bloodbath at Bastar by Maoist Naxals, Swamiji’s words, sound prophetic. It is also a grim reminder of the fact, that, there is no letup in Red terror.
However, we should not feel disappointed / gloomy about the future. Ways of God Almighty are inscrutable. He ensures checks and balances in everything & everywhere. We got to look around and spread the good word. Responsibility for this lies more on electronic and print media,as well as on cinema and theatre.
There are a number of examples of group amelioration where villages like Ralegan Siddhi, Hivre Bazar, and more such villages in Maharashtra have become the seeds of hope and emerged as role models.
I will specifically refer to Hiware Bazar, as a case study was undertaken by Dr. Kailas N Bavale, who presented his research paper during 2nd International Conference on Management at Malaysia held on 11 & 12 June 2012 and is available for anyone to read on the internet. This entire paper is worth reading / studying. Table 2 on page 8 is most important which contains total of 19 resolutions passed between 1989 to 2009 by the Gram Panchayat ( Village Council ). Resolution numbers 7, and 19 which are “ Implement Saint Gadgebaba” and “ No family of the village will be below poverty line and landless” respectively caught my attention.
The link to this is:-www.intrnationalconference.com.my/proceeding/2nd_icm2012
On individual front, we have examples of persons like Sh. Anna Hazare, Dr Abhay Bang, Dr. Mrs Rani Bang, Smt Sindhutai Sakpal and Amte family, who are epitome of asceticism, where three generations have set an example of service to humanity.
This happens when a person thinks beyond himself / his bodily existence, has broadened his vision / outlook, has widened his horizons and thoughts.
In the concluding line of Sanjeevani Gatha verse number 186 which we discussed in the previous post, Swamiji says—
“स्वामी म्हणे झालो मी चि चराचर। नांदतो साचार एकला चि”|
These lines may sound far fetched or unrealistic, but truly speaking , this is being Cosmic. This is mysticism / direct experience of God. ( अपरोक्ष अनुभव). An evolved, self realised individual ( व्यक्ती - सूक्ष्म- Microcosm ) like Swamiji, who has merged with Cosmos, turns Macrocosmic( व्यापक- चराचर). It is his experience, that becomes vocal then
(स्वामी म्हणे झालो मी चि चराचर।) He therefore states ( नांदतो साचार एकला चि | ).
These lines are empirical and should not be dismissed as a fantasy, or a poetic conjecture.
Microcosm and macrocosm is an ancient Greek Neo Platonic schema of seeing the same patterns reproduced in all levels of the cosmos ( जे पिंडी तें ब्रम्हांडी). Socrates talks about "आत्मा”, and so does his disciple Plato. Plotinus was an Egyptian philosopher and saw material things and ideal forms as divine creations. This thought is known as the emanation theory, and is closest to our non-duality concept.
The idea is to see beyond the barriers that separate you from everything else, as reality emanates from the Supreme / Divine being, and individuality are essentially seen as an illusion.
In verse number 109 of the same book, Swamijee says –
“ नांदतो एकला विश्वीं माझा मीच ।
मज उंच नीच नाही कोणी ।।१।।
विश्वीं
नाही दुजे ह्यास्तव सहजें । मत्सर नुपजे चित्तामाजी ।।२।।सांडोनिया मज गेले काम क्रोध । होतां निज बोध अंतर्यामीं ।।३।।
स्वामी म्हणे मन जाहलें तल्लीन । आतां नारायण अंतर्बाह्य।।४।” सं. गाथा/१०९ ॥
(Being
the sole occupant of the World, superiority / inferiority complex ceases
to exist for me. My heart breeds no jealousy being alone. Consequent upon this
(self) realisation passion and anger have vanished . Filled by Narayan ( Lord
VISHNU / The SUPREME ) inside-out i am in ecstasy.”) We think differently, because from the time we get up in the morning, all our activities / transactions are physical / body related. Our cognitive development is universal. We are, therefore, conditioned to connect every aspect / activity of human life to our bodies including phenomena of birth or death, which in reality is merely an emergence from / merger in the unbroken /undivided whole, “आत्मरूप / (चैतन्य)”. Being blessed with a human form our aim should be to manifest this divinity within. Swami Vivekanandaji says- “ Each soul is potentially divine. The goal is to manifest this divinity within, by controlling nature external and internal.”
In our daily life we experience that human body is perishable, but we conveniently turn blind eye to this irreversible fact of our lives and behave as if we are immortal. India lost a number of its celebrities, in the year 2012. They were all very renowned / internationally acclaimed legendary figures. None of us can forget them for years to come.They include-- Rajesh Khanna, Dev Anand, B R Chopra, Balasahib Thakare, Bharat Ratna Pandit Ravi Shankar, Jagajit Singh and more.
Most of us would have also seen funeral procession of some of them on TVs. We see that the body / form which we recognised as “ Rajesh Khanna” “ Dev Anand ” and so on so forth is lying there right in front of our eyes, still we would all say he is no more. What is missing from the mortal remains is the "आत्मरूप (चैतन्य)".
We have similar experience in our day to day lives, when someone in the family or neighbourhood dies. However, it is only the realised /evolved who come to grips with the fact, that, the real “self ” is not our body / form, but the all pervasive, omnipotent, indestructible / immortal “आत्मरूप / (चैतन्य)”. It is for this reason that we need a Sadguru, who can change our mindset.
Swamijee conveys this fact in “Amritdhara” poetically but succinctly as under
'मी मी' म्हणसी परी जाणसी काय खरा 'मी' कोण। असे ' काय ' मी 'मन ' ' बुद्धी ' वा ' प्राण ' ? पहा निरखोन ।। प्राण बुद्धि मन काया माझी परि मी त्यांचा नाही । तीं हि नव्हती माझी कैसें लीला कौतुक पाही !।। गूढ न कांहीं येथ सर्वथा अर्थ उघड वाक्याचा । जाण चराचरिं भरुनि राहिलों मीच एकला साचा
।।अ.धा. ११२-११३-११४।।
(We keep using
the vowel “ I ” often, but do we really know who “ I ” am? If we
analyse logically, we will realise, that, though we keep saying my body, my
mind, my intellect , “ I ” am none of these. In the concluding Sakee Swamiji
says it is not at all enigmatic but crystal clear that the “ Real Self ”
is the all pervading , omnipresent, “आत्मरूप / (चैतन्य)”. The word “ वाक्याचा ” here, means,
“ महावाक्याचा
”.
Swamiji lived the experience of “जाण चराचरिं भरुनि राहिलों मीच एकला साचा ”. His " I " extended to the Universe, Canvas of his " I " expanded to the Cosmos, hence this Cosmic citizen states “नांदतो एकला विश्वीं माझा मीच। मज उंच नीच नाही कोणी”
Suresh Ranade - ranadesuresh@gmail.com
