SWAMI LOKESWARANANDA CULTURE AND HERITAGE
National Unity (II)
SWAMI LOKESWARANANDA
few years ago when Bangladesh all received there is simply unforgettable!’ came into being as an independent I give you some other examples. During A state, I had gone to Dhaka on the Hindu-Muslim riot both the Hindus and behalf of the Belur Math to do relief work. the Muslims had taken shelter in our Math There I heard an incident from a Muslim (‘Udbodhan’) at Bagbazar and they ate their advocate. He narrated thus: Then the meals together. The same thing happened at freedom movement was going on and the the Institute of Culture. At that time the Pakistani soldiers were torturing us like Institute was located at Wellington Square. anything. Thousands of Hindus and Muslims Many Muslims lived in that locality and they were fleeing in all directions in search of a all took shelter in the Institute building. The safer place—India. I too was thinking interesting aspect of this was that the whether I should go to India. But I took too Muslims were kept so secretly that the much time to decide. Ultimately I realized it Hindus got no hint of their presence there. would be impossible to stay here anymore. The monks always guarded them. So my wife, our three children and myself The same thing happened in our Math started walking desperately and somehow Headquarters at Belur. There was a jute mill reached Agartala which was then full to adjacent to the Math. Many of its workmen overflowing—no shelter anywhere! were Muslims. Out of fear they had taken Suddenly I chanced to meet a gentleman. shelter inside the Math premises. Surawardi When he came to know that I was helplessly was then the Chief Minister. So he was seeking a shelter, he said, ‘Come with me.’ informed over the phone and requested to We followed him and found his courtyard take away the Muslims because it was feared was teeming with people. The verandah and that the Hindus could attack them anytime all rooms were packed. All were refugees and in that case they would not spare us and he gave them shelter without also. So Mr Surawardi sent police and discrimination. As there was no more vacant rescued them. space, he took us inside his shrine-room and said, ‘You stay here’. Although I am a Love carries the day Muslim, I knew what a shrine-room means Let me narrate another personal to a Hindu. So I said, ‘This is your shrine! experience. We were then conducting relief How can I stay here?’ He answered, ‘You work in an area in Bangladesh where no are my Thakur (God). Please stay here.’ trace of a Hindu family could be found. So a There is no reason to suppose it is a Muslim came forward and provided shelter concocted story because this type of to one of our monks in his house. Not only fabrication serves no purpose to a helpless that, day after day the family cooked food Muslim gentleman. He told me finally: ‘We separately for that sannyasin. They took so spent there a couple of days and the love we much care of him and gave such kind
20 Bulletin of the Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture March 2018 NATIONAL UNITY (II) attention that is unforgettable. They later ‘Sarvam khalvidam brahma’—‘Everything came to our place many times and we also in this universe is Brahman’, different only visited them. So, you see, man is same in names and forms. Sri Ramakrishna everywhere. Everyone wants to love and be expresses the same truth with the help of a loved as well. Love ultimately carries the simile. He says: Pillows are of various day and unites all. kinds! Some are meant for sleeping, some There is a saying of Sri Ramakrishna— are kept on the side, some are placed under ‘To know many things is ajnàna, ignorance. the leg. Some pillow is flat and some round; To know only one thing is jnàna but inside the same substance—cotton. (knowledge).’ That is to say, the knowledge Similarly, the same God is within everyone; of oneness is true Knowledge, the the difference is only in terms of knowledge of multiplicity is ignorance. This manifestation. The same moon is seen daily is the eternal message of India—the same in the sky. But on the first lunar day of the God is in everybody. If we see ‘many’, month it is visible partly. On the second day everything different, that is a sign of it appears to be bigger, while on the full foolishness. God is One, âtman is One and moon night it shines resplendently in all its indivisible—not two. If someone says, ‘Anya fullness. Or, take the case of the sun— aham anyo’sau’, ie he and I are different, sometimes it is dazzling bright, sometimes then, the Upanishad declares—‘na sa veda’ covered by the cloud; nevertheless the same —he doesn’t know the Truth, the Absolute sun. Reality; he is ignorant. Indeed, we are all This deep-seated conviction, that One one. Man and all lower animals are has become many characterizes India. This essentially the same Reality. ‘Eko devah philosophy of unity in diversity has kept sarvabhuteshu gudah’—‘One God dwells in India united in the realms of thought, all.’ The one indeed has become many, as it attitude and social mixing. Integration means were! ‘Eko’ham vahusyàm’—Ishvara togetherness or being together, not just thought ‘I am One, I shall become many’. becoming an exact replica of others. Forms, He thus divided Himself and assumed types, languages etc are bound to be various forms—‘Rupam rupam pratirupo different, for no one is like another person in vabhuva’. Therefore Swamiji says, every respect—neither externally, nor internally. And it is not desirable either. ‘Who loves all beings without distinction, Sometimes I meet Christian friends and He indeed is worshipping best his God.’ talk to them about religion and related The truth is, the thief is none other than issues. I tell them: You are a Christian and God; so is a sannyasin. God is both good perhaps your companion too belongs to the and bad. Ràmprasàd sings, ‘O Mother! You same faith. But do you, two, view Jesus are good, You are bad’. In the same strain Christ in the same light? Are your the Upanishad declared, ‘Tvam stri tvam approaches and attitudes exactly same pumànasi tvam kumàra uta và kumàri, tvam without slightest difference? Is it possible? jirno dandena vancasi tvam jàto No, it is not. India admits this reality. vishvatomukhah’—‘You are woman; You Therefore one religion and one language for are man; You are boy; You are girl; You are everyone will never be feasible. The same old, moving around with the help of a stick; kind of dress and food for everyone—that again You are the newborn babe; all that also will not be practicable. Even if all of us exists is verily You.’ The Vedas declare— become Hindu, or Muslim, or Christian, or
Bulletin of the Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture March 2018 21 SWAMI LOKESWARANANDA
say, Bengalees, Punjabis, or Gujaratis, the a maternal uncle and his niece is the ideal problem will not be solved. Integration will one, the most covetable one. We in the east still remain a far cry. If one language, one cannot think of such wedding. So it is but community, and one religion could be the natural that differences exist among the panacea, why then riots erupt in Pakistan? Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs and others, perhaps There all are Muslims. They use the same in every field. Therefore variety has to be language. They follow the same religion. accepted. Suppose I want to be an engineer, Yet they fight each other. but everyone wished that I must be a doctor. Everyone knows that recently there have Is it ever possible? No. Therefore we must been some clashes between the Sikhs and respect variety, differences in taste and the Hindus. But how many of you know that temperament. there has been fighting among the Sikhs? There is a sect called the Nirankaris. They Why conversion? clashed with the other Sikhs only a few Our country has always followed this years ago. Therefore, one religion, one ideal and there lies the secret of integration language and one kind of dress can’t bring and harmony. Our scripture declares: integration. In other words, you can’t bring ‘Rucinàm vaicitràt rijukutila nànà patha integration by rubbing out all differences jushàm; nrinàmeko gamyastavamasi and varieties from the country, from society. payasàm arnava iva’. That is to say, our The key to the solution of the whole problem tastes are different. Accordingly, we have lies elsewhere. chosen different paths—some crooked, some straight. But our destination is the same— Sectarianism must go God. Just as rivers follow different courses, Swamiji has made a remarkable but in the end all merge into the ocean. statement. He says: Why should the sects Therefore, variety has to be recognized and disappear? Let the sects remain. accepted. We do not expect and wish that we Sectarianism must go; hatred and animosity must give up all individualities and be like a among sects should come to an end. Let machine product. Swami Vivekananda said there be more sects, for that will increase emphatically: ‘Do I wish that the Christian opportunities of human development. In fact, would become Hindu? God forbid. Do I if we look closely we find that each wish that the Hindu or Buddhist would individual is, in a sense, a sect because each become Christian? God forbid. . . . The person is different from others. But Christian is not to become a Hindu or a difference does not mean we must be Buddhist, nor a Hindu or a Buddhist to enemies. For instance, we are all Hindus. become a Christian. But each must But do we follow the same track? You assimilate the spirit of others and yet perhaps go to temples, while I do not. North preserve his individuality and grow and South India are, as it were, poles apart. according to his law of growth’. Swamiji They are Hindus, so we are. But there are stressed that a Hindu should be a better between us lot of differences. Take for Hindu, a Muslim should be a better Muslim example the marriage custom prevalent in and a Christian should be a better Christian. the South. In Bengal and North India, a A devotee once came to Sri niece is considered to be one’s daughter. But Ramakrishna and said that a Christian in the eyes of the Aiyar and Ayengar gentleman held Hindu religion in very high Brahmins of South India, marriage between esteem and he was going to embrace
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Hinduism shortly. Sri Ramakrishna, far from India should now show this extreme being pleased, said solemnly: Why should he humility. Even if she does, mind you, it is give up his own religion? not her weakness, it is rather the sign of her He meant to say all religions are equal; strength. Sri Ramakrishna used to say: ‘Sha, as such they are to be equally respected. sha, sa’—he who forbears remains safe and Conversion was unnecessary. This is the he, who does not, perishes. Truly, Indian tradition and viewpoint. It will be a forbearance, forgiveness and liberalism are gross mistake to call this attitude tolerance; never signs of weakness because the weak it is shraddhà or respect. Swamiji voiced does not and cannot bear and forbear. The this conviction when he said he was against strong can and he ignores others’ the use of the word, ‘tolerance’. Instead, he shortcomings. India has done it all along and preached the principle of ‘acceptance’. India it is not that we have become reduced to a had always fostered this ethos of unity and total wreck on that account. Many people harmony by accepting everyone with due complain that other religions are taking respect and love—not just paying lip-service advantage of the liberality of Hinduism. That to the ideal. That is how integration is, they are converting the Hindus to increase becomes possible. If that spirit is missing their numerical strength. I do not say the today, it will come back through the same allegation is entirely baseless. Nevertheless process. the solution of the problem is not the Let me recount an incident. Swami fightback. The first and foremost remedy is Premananda, a direct disciple of Sri to set our house in order. This is to be done Ramakrishna, had once gone to Puri. He by embracing those people whom we have used to visit the Jagannath temple there so long considered to be untouchables every afternoon. On his way to the temple, belonging to the so-called low caste. First he noticed everyday a Christian padri would show the greatness of Hinduism. If you can dub the Hindus illiterate, barbarians and demonstrate through your conduct the true what not. Everyday he would keep on character of Hinduism, then the whole world slandering the Hindus at the roadside will be attracted to us. meeting, close to the temple. One day The Hindus regard the Gità as the Swami Premananda could not tolerate this essence of all Hindu scriptures. But what tirade. All of a sudden he cried out ‘Hari does it preach? It preaches the glory of bol, Hari bol’ (‘Shout the name of Lord samesightedness. When you are established Hari’). No sooner had he uttered these in samesightedness neither you will have any words, all the Hindu bystanders who were so friend nor foe. India upholds this culture long listening to the harangue of the which treats the Hindus, the Muslims, the preacher, than they started dancing and Christians and all others equally. India is singing the glory of Lord Vishnu. The still alive because of this culture. Swami meeting thus got disrupted. Do you know Vivekananda often said: Why do I love India what happened thereafter? Sri Ramakrishna so much? I love India because of her noblest appeared in a vision to Swami Premananda thoughts and lofty ideals. If India dies, all at night and told his disciple: The padri was these noble ideas will die down. preaching his religion; why did you oppose The unity of India is based on these him? Go and beg his excuse. Accordingly, noble thoughts, thoughts which have not the swami went to the preacher next day and remained as idle theories, but which have begged his forgiveness. been practised for centuries. This subtle Now, it is altogether a different matter if sense of unity, this love, this magnanimity,
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this open-heartedness, this spirit of India. India excludes none. acceptance—these are palpable realities in This composite character, this mixture India and the flower of integration will and fusion have made our culture so great bloom on this rich soil. Swamiji says, a and so beautiful. Truly, it is a symphony selfish person or a community can never and, for this reason, the tune of her life’s become moral. Our Hindu scriptures always song is so sweet and blissful. Life is not say—do not be small and narrow, try to static. Our motto is therefore ‘caraiva’—‘Go become great. They proclaim—‘Nàlpe forward’ or ‘keep going’. The river that does sukhamasti, bhumaiva sukham’—Attain not flow, which is stagnant, is as good as bhumà, enlarge yourself to the maximum, dead. Similarly, a nation cannot stand still. because being small does not give us abiding We shall accept and imbibe all the good happiness. The more we will like to lower qualities of the Muslims, Christians, Sikhs ourselves, remain confined within a narrow etc. Even if there are certain good things groove, the more unhappy we will become. outside India, we shall also welcome them. Swamiji says, ‘Expansion is life, contraction In fact, we have been doing so. And with the is death’. If we make us small, it amounts to help of all these positive elements we shall death, for life demands that we should further enrich our culture and fund of expand ourselves, we should live for others. knowledge. We shall thus invite more Naturally we want to live together with diversity in our culture. Indeed, why should every Indian and, if possible with those who we be monotonous? Integration will come live elsewhere. We should not think that the through this love, respect and amiability. We minorities will say and do exactly what the must see that there is no dearth of these majority community says and does. On the qualities in us. contrary, we have all through history, at all India’s eternal message is oneness. We times, shown respect to the minorities, have said, ‘Vishvasya ekam pariveshtitàram received them warmly, given them freedom. jnàtvà devamucyate sarvapàshaih’. That is, Had it not been so, the immense variety that One Godhead holds the entire universe; He we see all around could not exist in India. surrounds everything. We shall be free from India will therefore seek to achieve a all fetters or bondage when we realize this kind of integration that will be like a truth. We have to recognize that ‘One’ symphony. Various instruments will be which is the substratum of everything. We played, but all keeping with the tune must understand that behind all diversities in producing a rapturous melody. Varieties terms of caste, religion, language and will be there, but not hostility and appearance, lies a common Truth. We call conflicts. It will be much like a bouquet that Truth Brahman, we call that Reality containing flowers of many colours and God or Ishvara. He dwells in all. That is fragrance. Each flower belongs to a why I am not separate from others and none different species, but beautiful all the is separate from me. I cannot lay anyone same. None disturbs the beauty of the aside and live. If I do that I sort of disown other. Rather they play a complementary myself, as it is said, ‘No man is an island’. role creating an altogether new No man can live alone, completely estranged loveliness. There is the moon in the sky, from others. If I hit you, that would mean I but there are also stars. The sky is am hitting myself. Integration is based on all-inclusive. It shelters all. In the same this realization that I am happy when all way, both the majority community others are happy and I suffer when they are and minority communities will live in in distress.
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