Shankaracharya Sri Jayendra Saraswathi

Have you heard about Sankara Nethralaya? I guess most of us would have. This not-for-profit institution (website) was awarded "Best Eye Hospital in India" and it is world renowned; a pride of India. But do you know who established it? It was brainchild of His Holiness Sri Jayendra Saraswathi, the Sankaracharya of the Kanchi Peeth.  Kanchi Mutth runs it along with many other schools and hospitals. Kanchi Sankaracharya himself is one of the most respected religious leaders of Hinduism of our time. So what happened in 2004 that our Shankaracharya was arrested on a Diwali night while performing puja? You can read old news and analysis searching on google, e.g. [Link1], [Link2]. We had Karunanidhi M as CM of Tamil Nadu, India, who is a self-declared atheist. Both atheism and secularism mean "anti-Hinduism" in India. So it seems Karunanidhi wished and Hindus' Shankaracharya was arrested - as simple as that. A few days back, he is acquitted by the court of law and here is his interview. When we read his interview, we shall realize how pious, pure and positive his thoughts are!

Testing times for truth, says Sankaracharya

 

November 29, 2013 12:13:01 AM | By FPJ Bureau

 

Chennai : A day after being acquitted in a murder case, the Kanchi Mutt pontiff Sri Jayendra Saraswathi Swamigal described his experience during the last nine years when he faced arrest and trial as ‘testing times for truth’.

 

The seer and his junior Sri Vijayendra Saraswathi Swamigal were acquitted along with 21 other accused in the 2004 murder of a temple manager Sankararaman by a trial judge in Puducherry on Wednesday for lack of evidence.

 

The seers had avoided talking to journalists on Wednesday. However, in a full page Q&A advertisement released by the Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam in select newspapers on Thursday, Sri Jayendra Saraswathi answered a host of questions raised by the Mutt, which he heads.

 

To a question about the verdict, he said, “Dharma has prevailed. Truth has won. That is what matters”. According to him, the last nine years were more or less the same except that the Mutt officials had to spend more time on the case related issues.

 

Asked if it was tough, his response was “I have been trained by my Guru to bear everything. There is no question of the situation being tough. Times were challenging because we were facing a completely new set of situations.” The case had led to disruption of routine work in the early days but over a period of time he understood how to carry on work in spite of disruptions.

 

Commenting on several devotees stopping their visits to the Mutt, the seer said: “Is it not to be expected? What would a lay person do when there is a concerted campaign by all the influential segments of society? Many people played safe and reduced their frequency of visits to the Mutt.”

 

According to him, after he was released on bail, he was under constant surveillance and every devotee was scanned. “There were plainclothes men all over. I myself told visitors to take it easy, in the early days. Now people have started coming as before. In recent times the devotees thronging the Mutt has increased manifold and in fact more than during normal times,” he said.

 

On whether he would drag to court those who had indulged in “character assassination” and published “sensational” reports, he said, “I have lost nine precious years, and there is so much to do. I have to use the remaining years in fulfilling the directive and wishes of my Guru.”

 

To a question if the incidents (of the past nine years) would not permanently be a blemish on the Mutt, he said: “What was perpetrated on the Mutt has been termed as an act of vandalism by several people.”

 

Source: http://freepressjournal.in/testing-times-for-truth-says-sankaracharya/ 

Today's Times of India also carried out some of his thinking under Speaking Tree; you can read it here which shows his wisdom and understanding of Hinduism and its philosophies.

Theism As Basis of High-End Hinduism

 

By Kanchi Sri Jayendra Saraswathi; as told to Narayani Ganesh; Posted 28.11.2013; 05:12 pm

 

Since we believe in the Paramatma or Supreme energy that is beginningless and endless, it is clear that Hinduism in its purest form is theistic. Theism is its basic premise.

 

Some people ask: "What came before the Paramatma? Who created the Supreme energy?" The answer is that it is something that is ever-present and everlasting; it has neither beginning nor end; it is infinite. When something is born, it has to die. This applies to planets, stars, humans, animals and all other things which have a beginning. But the Supreme energy is all-pervasive.

 

How does one access or experience this divine energy? The Vedas show the way. The Vedas are like spiritual primers — they introduce you to the wonderful world of spirituality. Like all primers, the Vedas, too, only help you infer the divinity aspect, for the experience can only be yours. So the verses, rituals, are all designed to help you understand their import and then move on to a higher plane of consciousness. Here, you draw from the wisdom of Vedanta. Literally, the term 'Vedanta' means ‘ved ka anth’ or ‘end of the vedas’. You can call vedas the Part One of ‘do-it-yourself’ spirituality and vedanta, as Part Two.

 

Every religion has three components: rituals, cultural and spiritual aspects. There is scope for differences only in the first two. But the third, the spiritual element, helps us overcome conflicts arising from differences in the first two. Rituals including ceremonies relating to birth, marriage and death are important constituents of all faiths. Culture springs from the way of life, and its nature hinges a great deal on heritage and environment. The spiritual aspect is free of all differences and so is able to help us direct our mind towards Paramatma.

 

Dharma, artha and kama refer to good deeds, material wellbeing and desire respectively. But the fourth, moksha, cannot be accurately described because it is an atma-anubhav — an intensely personal experience. So only the one who experiences moksha will know what it is like. Adi Shankara said that one should rise above the first three and get liberated from them via moksha. The moksha experience cannot be described. Try describing the sweet taste of misri (sugar crystals) to someone who has never tasted it — and you'll find that the best way to make him understand its taste is to let him eat it. Moksha can be understood only with direct experience. An enlightened person who has experienced moksha can try and guide a seeker to the path that leads to moksha.

 

Can one transcend even the desire for moksha? Once moksha has been achieved, can we seek moksha from moksha? No, because that would be a contradiction. For it signals not merely the end of suffering. In Hinduism moksha refers to the simultaneous end of suffering and the experience of ananda or bliss — what we call sat-chit-anand.

 

It is the experience of the eternal and unchanging truth, revealing the universal limitlessness and our nature as the source of infinite peace and joy. So there is nothing beyond this state. This is the ultimate, when the atma unites with the Paramatma, when the individual energy merges with the Supreme energy. Why should one seek release from such a state? Moksha is not something to be attained but that it is a state to be experienced, a natural state. Moksha is not a ritual like bathing or offering flowers. That is why the Bhaja Govindam says don't look for moksha outside but search within.

 

Source: http://m.speakingtree.in/spiritual-articles/new-age/theism-as-basis-of-highend-hinduism 

From being one of the highest figures of Hinduism, to being arrested accused of murder; tolerating all and still keeping the spirits and faith intact - this is a splendid example of inspiration, faith and conviction. Sat Sat Pranaam. My thousand salutations to this great soul... 

Buying Made in India (Part-2)

This comes after my first post on the topic on June 27, 2011, titled "My Experiments with Made-in-India Brands!" (http://rahulbemba.blogspot.com/2011/06/my-experiments-with-made-in-india.html)

This is just a placeholder for recording my infatuation with buying Swadeshi (Made in India brands/products). I don't aim to show this off for ego-boasting, but it is just for me to recall and feel good about it. Even if my efforts are like a drop in an ocean, I have something priceless - a feeling that I did something good for my nation. For my thinking on this topic, above mentioned blog post provides the details. 

1. Bought only Usha fans for all rooms of our house.
2. Bought only Bajaj Water Heaters (Geysers) for both bathrooms of our house.
3. Bought only Saffola Oats and not any other foreign brand. Though I think even this Oats is imported, at least this is from the house of an Indian company Marico. 
4. Bought a Hero Bike and not any other foreign company's brand.
5. Bought a Dr. Morepen weighing machine even if more attractive foreign brands or imported products were available in the market.
6. I have my Credit Cards and banking only with Indian companies, even though ICICI and HDFC have majority stake from foreign entities since these were founded by Indians and have Indian management and stake-holding, I am counting these banks as Indians. I would love to see a better wholly Indian bank, but so far have not seen one better than or at par with ICICI/HDFC and hence I can't switch. I had also taken a Credit Card with a foreign bank, and I was always conscious of it, so ultimately I stopped it. I am running House loan from LIC Housing Finance and even though they charge me higher than market interest rate, I secretly imagine the money going to government or in India and hence have tolerated its not-so-great service so far.
7. ... (to be continued)

Narendra Modi - Time Person of the Year 2013

There is a great news for admirers of Mr. Narendra Modi, one of the Prime Ministerial Candidate in India for the upcoming general elections. Mr. Modi is the only Indian who has been shortlisted and nominated for Person of the Year (POY) Award 2013 by the prestigious TIME magazine. You can read about the award here: 

The selection will happen through online vote and you can use your Twitter/Facebook login to vote for Mr. Modi. You can visit the page on the Time's website here. Request you all to definitely vote:

http://poy.time.com/2013/11/25/vote-now-who-should-be-times-person-of-the-year/slide/narendra-modi/

Let us hope Mr. Modi wins it for all Indians and make us proud!

Today’s Indian Express

Wonderful articles like these are what make me wait for Indian Express everyday. It is not only a newspaper but also an overall guide on art, literature, health and science.

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/voices-in-the-box/1198427/0

Apart from this in today's edition there is another good one here:

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/i-just-pinged-to-say-hello/1198448/

Remembering Late Shri Bal Thackeray

Today is first death anniversary of Balasaheb Thackeray. Last year during this time I had written this piece in his memory, to share a few of his contributions towards national causes in India: 

http://rahulbemba.blogspot.in/2012/12/balasaheb-thackeray-hinduhriday-samrat.html

Happy Diwali!

Like tiny Diyas take us from darkness towards light, may this Deepawali bring wisdom, health and prosperity to you and family. May Lord Ganesha and Goddess Lakshmi bless us all. Happy Diwali!