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YUVA BHARATI3 SEPTEMBER 2006 YUVA BHARATI Vol. 34 No.2 A Vivekananda Kendra Publication VOICE OF YOUTH Founder Editor MANANEEYA EKNATHJI Editorial B.Nivedita 04 RANADE Editor: P. PARAMESWARAN Dr.K.Subrahmanyam09 Attitudinal Expansion Editorial Office: 5, Singarachari Street Dadhichi N.Krishnamoorti 13 Triplicane, Chennai - 600 005 Dr.Radha Nath Phukan Dr.Pradip Sarma 16 Ph:(044) 28440042 Email:[email protected] Swami Mitranandaji 19 Living in Harmony Web: www.vkendra.org V.K.Samachar -- 31 SingleCopy Rs. 7/- Annual Rs. 75/- Then! Let us get Converted Satish Chowkulkar 34 For 3 yrs: Rs. 200/- Life(20Yrs)Rs.800/- (Plus Rs. 30/- for outstation Cheques) Shall India die? Then from the world all spirituality will be extinct; all moral perfection will be extinct…such a thing can never be. -- Swami Vivekananda àawRna INVOCATION Tv< vE:[vI zi´rnNtvIyaR ivZvSy bIj< prma=is maya, sMmaeiht< deiv smStmett! Tv< vE àsÚa Éuiv mui´ hetu>?,, O Mother, the great primal Energy, the source of infinite strength, the seed of the world, and illusion divine. O Devi, you have enchanted the whole universe. Be propitious and bestow salvation upon us. —Devimahatmya, XI, 4. YUVA BHARATI4 SEPTEMBER 2006 bloodshed and violence, he wanted India which has an inclusive approach to religion to take the lead in establishing it in the world. But for that the leading persons – the elite in the country should be confident of the purpose of India and her Sanatana Dharma, which unfortunately is not the case. Mananeeya Eknathji named the celebration of 11 September – the day Swami Vivekananda spoke first in the Parliament of Religions - as Universal Brotherhood Day. Why did he do so? Eknathji started Vivekananda Kendra as a thought movement. The work of Vedanta: The Vivekananda Kendra should add to the efforts of correcting the thinking of the basis of Universal Macaulayites in our society as they are in Brotherhood the forefront and also dominate the intellectual space in our country. Due to the Macaulayan education, our he month of September brings to capacity to understand our strength, the us the memory of 11 September life-giving principles and the purpose of 2001 when the WTC was hit by T our nation is impaired. Eknathji wrote, Muslim terrorist killing many innocent “The remedy for the ills of our country, persons, thus underscoring the need to therefore, lies in launching a mighty work for avoiding such acts of terrorism. movement of right thought sweeping the But for anyone rooted in Indian ethos, the entire country. It has to be a two-pronged month of September brings the memory move. On the one hand, it is to be aimed of that glorious 11 September in 1893, at (1) transforming our people’s inherent when Swami Vivekananda gave the world God-wardness into the right spiritual famous address at the Parliament of urge rising out of the teachings of the Religions. The exclusive religions says Upanishads, namely, (a) each soul is “My religion alone is true”. So those who potentially divine and (b) faith in God, do not subscribe to that view have no right in turn means faith in one’s self, i.e. in even to exist and so should be destroyed. one’s potentiality to rise to divine heights. On this day when Swami Vivekananda On the other hand, it is (2) to convert the stressed that the exclusive approach in spiritual fervour thus released into works religions cannot bring peace and of national reconstruction.” brotherhood, and instead it would lead to YUVA BHARATI5 SEPTEMBER 2006 Thus the work of the Kendra is to direct the alone, that can become the universal thinking of the elite on the lines of our religion of man, and that no other is fitted Sanatana Dharma. Eknathji held the for the role. Every one of the great Upanishadic principles as the basis of our religions in the world excepting our own, work because it was these principles is built on historical characters but ours which Swami Vivekananda propounded in rest upon principles…It is in vain… to the West in front of the elite of the world. gather all the peoples of the world around When the elite in the West appreciated a single personality. …If it ever becomes Swami Vivekananda’s exposition, the elite possible to bring the largest portion of in our country also was shaken out of their humanity to one way of thinking in regard slavish mentality. to religion, mark you, it must be always through principles and not through Universal Brotherhood is possible only in persons.” Sanatana Dharma – i.e. in the Upanishadic Principles. How is it so, has to be Compatible with modern science understood by every Hindu. Our Sanatana Dharma – the Dharma The Brotherhood is possible based on practiced by Hindus and so also called as principles and not personalities Hindu Dharma – is based on Upanishadic principles which are compatible with We see Christianity claims Jesus as the science, with the rational aspirations and saviour of humanity. But to prove that convictions of modern man. Swami point – Christianity has been Vivekananda said, “…The second claim exterminating communities after of the Vedanta upon the attention of the communities in the world! Millions were world is that, of all the scriptures in the killed in Europe, America and Africa in world, it is the one scripture the teaching the name of Jesus. Islam talks of of which is in entire harmony with the brotherhood but no Muslim country or results that have been attained by the Muslims in any country live in peace with modern scientific investigation of external others. They are always at war. It is not nature.” possible to bring humanity to the path of one God with one name. Diversity is the India: Where the search of One rule of nature. So how humanity can be led to great principle brought together in brotherhood? It is only Swami Vivekananda explains in one of his in the unifying principle which lies beyond lectures how in the world history, the the apparent diversity that humanity can search for the One was always there be made to come together. Swami whether in religion or in science. In other Vivekananda said, “I have become used lands as different tribes came in contact to hear all sorts of wonderful claims put with each other, they were puzzled by the forward in favour of every religion under existence of the Gods of others. Till then the sun. ..Let me lay before you my reasons they used to think that their God is the only why I think that it is Vedanta, and Vedanta true and great God. There could not be two YUVA BHARATI6 SEPTEMBER 2006 rulers or two creators of the world! There whose gloom even tradition itself dares not has to be only ‘One'; all others have to be peep – in that distant time the sage arose false. Only one has to be the greatest God. and declared, ‘Ekam sad viprah bahudha Who was it? Naturally each tribe claimed vadanti’.- ‘He who exists is One; the sages that its God was the greatest. To prove call him variously.’ This is one of the most that, started the wars of domination in the memorable sentences that was ever name of God, each group claiming its God uttered, one of the grandest truths that was alone as the only True God, the Ruler of ever discovered. And for us Hindus this the World, the most powerful, etc. truth has been the very backbone of our Swamiji asserted, “And I am sure, most national existence.” of you know the amount of bloodshed, of The spiritual oneness: The basis of tyranny, and of brutal savagery that this brotherhood and upliftment religious conquest entailed.” As we know, it still is the reason, whether the wars in It is not only that God is One who appears Iraq or Israel or the senseless bomb blasts differently, or is called by different names by the Muslim terrorists in Mumbai on 11 by the sages, but that man also though July 2006 or 11 September 2001 when the having separate body-mind complex, is twin towers of WTC were hit. The search sharing the same spiritual oneness with all. for the One Greatest God has gone wrong. It is that One which has expressed as many; The claim of only One God being true therefore, though apparently we are cannot bring peace or brotherhood; it has different, spiritually we are one. The real caused till now only bloodshed of the nature of each one of us is Divine, is innocent. Ishvara. In this realization there is not just brotherhood but oneness with all. This In India too the search for the greatest God great principle of Vedanta we have to give - the One -started and fortunately for India to the world for ushering in Universal and even for the whole humanity, the sages Brotherhood. We have to apply this here did not conclude that only our God principle within our country to raise our had to be the suprememost and so its masses, to be one with them who were authority had to be established. They saw neglected for centuries during foreign it was One which has manifested as many. invasions. Swami Vivekananda said, “The Really it was the greatest discovery for the other great idea that the world wants from survival and brotherhood of humanity. us today …is the eternal grand idea of the Swamiji says beautifully, “India alone spiritual oneness of the whole universe… was to be, of all lands, the land of It is the one great life-giving idea which toleration and of spirituality; and the world wants from us today, and which therefore the fight between tribes and their the mute masses of India want for their gods did not long take place here.