 |
EDITORIAL
About a hundred years ago, when the passion of the new age doership and the developing ground of material endeavour, made its effect well known, spirituality as a necessary pursuit took a blow. What good is spirituality? Why spend time in futile indolence and solitude? It would be much better if that time was spent being useful to the human society! In this way, spiritual pursuit came to be charged by common judgement. The malady persists even to this day.
We can see that with the march of materialism, things such as art and music, literature and spirituality, and even virtue, which stood beyond examination, and well worth within itself, had to answer the tests of utility. The outward movement of mankind questioned all the inner quests.
Someone wrote to the editor of this magazine: How do the great Yogis and Saints who are in isolation in the Himalayas contribute to the world?
Well, we are talking about the relevance and significance of the inner world here. Unfortunately, the inner is the least visible. Can anyone see how the seed grows into a sapling? It happens underground, it can’t be seen. The God we pray to, is not in the world (at least we don’t see him here) but we believe He runs this world and all the goodness comes from Him… from the One who is not visible!
Himalayan saints are also not in the world….they’re not visible but they are sending us all the spiritual goodness.
The saints and yogis living in the Himalayas uphold before mankind the highest value of human life viz. Self-realisation/ God-realisation.
Just as a picture or an idol of Lord Shiva meditating serves as an inspiration for people to meditate, the mighty altitude of the Himalayas is a constant remembrance to the loftiness of the human soul, its vastness. Someone declared it as the prototype for the universality of human consciousness.
If there is already a writer living and practicing the life of a writer, another writer is born.
If there is already a businessman, another businessman is born.
The inspiration for life’s purposes comes as much from the living examples outside as the inner urge in any individual.
Meditation and self-search is not out of fashion yet because there is a continuous stream of yogis, being apprenticed afresh, for centuries, to this great pursuit in the Himalayas.
Himalaya is the abode of meditation for gods and rishis.
Himalaya is God’s own institution for sadhana and siddhi. It sends the greatest mass of spiritual vibrations across the globe.
Geologists have performed tests over years to prove that the Himalayas, covering an area of 612,021 sq. kms, across six countries — Bhutan, India, Nepal, China, Afghanistan and Pakistan — are geologically alive.
Ganga originates from the Gangotri glacier at Gaumukh in the Indian Himalayas and flows 2,500 km across northern India before meeting the Bay of Bengal. The Himalayas, much more than a majestic mountain range, extends almost the same length. This holy mountain is hailed as Dev-atma, god-souled, Giri-raj, king of the mountains, Tapo-bhumi or land of spiritual practices. Skand Purana declares, “The land north of Gangadwar is known to the wise as Paradise Ground. Apart from this land, the rest is called Earth elsewhere.”
These are no exaggerations. For centuries the truth of this statement has been borne by the yogis.
Coming back to the question as to how the yogis living in isolation contribute to the world, we must look a little deeper.
As we observed earlier, they contribute by being examples of self-seeking, self-mastery and self-realisation to the world. As long as they are there, there will be inspiration to join the quest for Brahma or the Absolute Truth. As long as they are there, Brahma-jnana or Knowledge Supreme will be sought. As long as they are there, in isolation, it will be known that the true self is within, not outside in the world.
Isolation is ish-olation. Isha is God, isholation it is. Ishavasyam idam sarvam.
There are two things. Being and becoming. Real and the manifestation of the real.
Himalayan yogis, in isolation, represent the real, they contribute through mere Presence, by being. The great souls in the world, on the other hand, contribute through manifesting.
The yogi is goodness itself; the social worker does good. This is the subtle difference.
Raman Maharshi hardly moved from the spot, hardly ever spoke, but he transformed people. How?
Well, he did it by his mere presence.
His presence had the qualities capable of transformation; he could bring about a change by someone merely being in his presence.
Whoever he touched through his presence went out into the world empowered to do good.
Himalayan saints are enormous potentials of divine energy. They accumulate that great divine Shakti and just keep it. Anyone, meditating anywhere, can access it in meditation—through the conduit of spiritual tradition of their masters, whose link, somehow ends up in the Himalayas.
A million things are done through electric power working in thousands of locations. But the power generation plant quietly sits in one place making the whole transmission possible.
Himalayan saints are the divine power generating plants.
Swamis visit the Himalayas and meditate there and an imprint of divine energy is made for generations to come.
Presence is useful…
We are having it reiterated that just being present is useful.
Himalayan yogis are present…in compassion, wisdom and love. Their presence exudes these virtues. As the sun dries the morning dew, says the scripture, so does the mere sight of the Himalaya dissipate the sins of man. It is the same with the yogi.
Purpose of our being is being. ‘Being useful’ always comes after ‘being’ and as an auxiliary. Our deepest sense of the self, our true identity and our relationship with the universe are areas of highest importance and the yogis contribute here.
May the yogis strengthen our resolve, brighten our path and give us the grace to reach the Truth they have reached. |
Raj Supe (Kinkar Vishwashreyananda)
The Editor
|
|
Home
Home
Previous Article