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<title>Deus e Amor: a Visão Hindu</title>
<link>https://www.hinduismtoday.com/other-languages/portuguese/deus-e-amor-a-visao-hindu/</link>
<comments>https://www.hinduismtoday.com/other-languages/portuguese/deus-e-amor-a-visao-hindu/#respond</comments>
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<description><![CDATA[Do amor a Deus (como algo separado) à experiência unificadora do eu com Deus, está bem mapeado na teologia indiana,...
The post <a href="https://www.hinduismtoday.com/other-languages/portuguese/deus-e-amor-a-visao-hindu/">Deus e Amor: a Visão Hindu</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.hinduismtoday.com">Hinduism Today</a>.
]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Do amor a Deus (como algo separado) à experiência unificadora do eu com Deus, está bem mapeado na teologia indiana</h2>
por Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami
Nos programas de televisão ocidentais, as referências a Deus são raras. No entanto, quando o Divino é mencionado, o sentimento predominante muitas vezes gira em torno da afirmação de que “Deus te ama.” Isso reflete as perspectivas contemporâneas sobre o Divino. De fato, em meio aos desafios da vida, é alentador ser lembrado do princípio reconfortante de que Deus se importa com você.
Na filosofia Hindu, a ideia de que “Deus te ama” está presente, mas enriquecida por uma sutileza profunda. Há um forte ênfase em “Você ama Deus” e “Deus é amor”. Esse foco ligeiramente diferente provoca o esforço sincero do devoto para cultivar e intensificar o amor pelo Divino.
Antes de examinar mais detalhadamente como aprofundar o amor por Deus, vamos primeiro considerar um segundo conceito Hindu, o da fé.
Em nosso mundo moderno, um número crescente de pessoas declara que não acredita em Deus e não vê necessidade de se afiliar a uma religião. Uma postagem popular na web expressa esse sentimento, retratando uma adolescente declarando com ousadia: “Sou velha demais para acreditar em contos de fadas.”
O pensamento ocidental frequentemente, embora nem sempre, define a fé religiosa como uma crença inquestionável em Deus e nos preceitos religiosos, uma perspectiva alinhada com o dicionário Webster. Em contraste, a expressão Hindu de fé transcende a lealdade doutrinária. No Hinduísmo, a fé não é um consenso de crença; tampouco é uma condição estática. Pelo contrário, ela passa por um aprofundamento constante por meio da experiência pessoal e do crescimento espiritual. As verdades espirituais do Sanatana Dharma, inicialmente abraçadas sem prova tangível, encontram validação final por meio de experiências individuais. Swami Chinmayananda, fundador da Missão Chinmaya, encapsulou sucintamente essa noção, afirmando: “A fé é acreditar no que você não vê. A recompensa da fé é ver o que você acreditou.”
O objetivo Hindu de intensificar o amor por Deus encontra expressão lúcida na tradição da bhakti yoga, que retrata os estágios evolutivos do amor por Deus por meio de diferentes relacionamentos. Esses estágios são encontrados em muitas tradições, embora variem um pouco. Por exemplo, a tradição Vaishnava reconhece cinco atitudes devocionais primárias, ou bhavas:
Paz (Shanta Bhava): A alma experimenta contentamento na presença de Deus. Servidão (Dasya Bhava): A alma se relaciona com Deus no papel de servo para mestre. Amizade (Sakhya Bhava): A alma estabelece um relacionamento com Deus como amigo. Afeição Paternal (Vatsalya Bhava): A alma se relaciona com Deus com a afeição de um pai para um filho. Amorosidade (Madhurya Bhava): A alma experimenta uma conexão profunda com Deus, percebendo o Divino como seu amado mais querido.
A questão central gira em torno de como aumentar a devoção a Deus, transitando gradualmente do shanta bhava para o madhurya bhava. Os quatro estágios ou métodos principais são as yogas do bhakti, karma, raja e jnana. Vamos nos aprofundar em cada uma delas, mantendo em mente sua relevância para a progressão desejada do bhava.
Ao buscar aprofundar o amor por Deus, é natural pensar primeiro na bhakti yoga. Ela engloba inúmeras práticas devocionais que são tipicamente, mas não exclusivamente, realizadas em um templo. O templo é um lugar especialmente sagrado onde a Divindade vem e paira sobre e dentro da murti em Seu corpo sutil. Swami Bhaskarananda comenta essa ideia: “A murti não é um ídolo, mas uma imagem consagrada do aspecto escolhido de Deus. O adorador acredita que Deus está realmente presente na imagem, e assim a imagem se torna um meio de comunicação com o Supremo” (Os Fundamentos do Hinduísmo).
As práticas da bhakti yoga incluem: shravana: ouvir as histórias de Deus; kirtana: cantar hinos e canções devocionais; smarana: lembrar da presença e do nome do Divino; pada-sevana: serviço aos pés sagrados, que inclui servir a humanidade; archana: participar do culto ritual no templo, bem como participar ou conduzir o culto em seu próprio santuário doméstico; vandana: prostrar-se diante da Divindade; atma-nivedana: completa entrega de si mesmo.
Através da bhakti yoga, desenvolvemos amor por Deus, bem como desapego e pureza, levando ao esquecimento de si mesmo e total entrega a Deus.
O Karma yoga, ou seva, é o serviço altruísta. O seva geralmente é realizado em um templo, onde o devoto executa tarefas simples, como limpar o chão, polir as lâmpadas, fazer guirlandas, cozinhar e servir comida a outros devotos. Todas essas ações devem ser feitas sem pensar em reconhecimento ou recompensa. O seva pode ser estendido a outras situações, como o trabalho ou a escola, onde nos esforçamos para ser úteis aos outros e ir além do que a situação formalmente requer de nós. Isso pode ser concebido como adorar a Deus servindo a todos os seres como Suas manifestações vivas. Pramukh Swami Maharaj da BAPS aconselhou seus seguidores após o terremoto de Gujarat em 2001: “Quando as pessoas enfrentam dificuldades e tristezas, nossa tradição indiana é oferecer-lhes consolo. Sentimos que ao servir os seres humanos, servimos ao próprio Senhor”.
Em uma abordagem ainda mais profunda, grandes mestres nos pedem para realizar todo o trabalho com o objetivo de alcançar a Deus. Realizar nosso trabalho com o objetivo de alcançar Deus naturalmente leva à perspectiva de que cada tarefa é uma oferta ao Senhor. Cada ato, do mais grandioso ao mais humilde, torna-se um rito sagrado. “O trabalho é adoração”. Mesmo tarefas simples e humildes devem ser feitas nesse espírito. Meu Paramaguru Yogaswami uma vez falou com um trabalhador que estava limpando o banheiro fora de sua cabana: “Oh Ramaswamy! Você está realizando Sivapuja (adoração divina) lá fora?”
Dessa forma, toda a vida é santificada e o conflito entre o secular e o espiritual deixa de existir. O karma yoga pode levar, em última instância, à realização de que o universo todo é a ação de Deus. Essa visão dá a perspectiva não apenas de renunciar ao fruto da ação, mas também de renunciar à sensação de ser o agente. Cada ato de serviço é uma oferta ao Senhor, e cada tarefa, da mais grandiosa à mais humilde, torna-se um rito sagrado. Através das práticas do karma yoga, o amor do devoto por Deus é naturalmente aprofundado.
Tanto na bhakti yoga quanto no karma yoga, o devoto está focado no aspecto pessoal de Deus, conhecido como Ishvara em sânscrito. Em contraste, os dois próximos yogas, raja yoga e jnana yoga, enfatizam os aspectos impessoais de Deus, que são a Consciência Onipresente e sua Fonte Transcendente. Em sânscrito, esses aspectos são referidos como Satchidananda e Parabrahman, respectivamente.
As práticas da bhakti e do karma yoga, quando aperfeiçoadas, naturalmente levam o aspirante às práticas meditativas do Hinduísmo. Estas começam com os passos da raja yoga de controle da respiração, internalização de energia e concentração que se aprofunda na meditação e contemplação. A experiência mais profunda da contemplação é a de ser uno com a pura consciência ou Satchidananda. Mais profundo ainda – além da contemplação – está a experiência da realidade transcendente (Parabrahman).
Jnana yoga descreve as práticas espirituais esotéricas do ser plenamente iluminado, ou jnani. Um significado alternativo, popularizado por Swami Vivekananda, é a busca pelo conhecimento através do estudo religioso intelectual, como um dos quatro caminhos alternativos para a verdade, sendo os outros três a bhakti yoga, o karma yoga e a raja yoga.
Essas abordagens meditativas buscam uma forma do amor de Deus que não é encontrada nas abordagens do karma e da bhakti yoga. Elas estão focadas na consciência onipresente do amor de Deus. Ao experimentar esse estado, Deus é amor e você também é o amor de Deus. Paramaguru Yogaswami ensinou esse conceito – que Deus Siva, você e o amor são uma unidade inseparável – em uma carta a um jovem chamado Yogendra Duraisamy: “Estou com você e você está comigo. Não há distância entre nós. Eu sou você. Você é eu. O que há para temer? Olhe! Eu existo como você. Então, o que você deve fazer? Você deve amar. Quem? Todos. Para falar mais claramente, sua natureza é o amor. Não apenas você, mas todos são permeados pelo amor. Mas não há ‘todos’, pois só você existe. Todos são você!”
No quinto bhava, o amor, Deus é o seu amado querido. De forma mística, também tem o significado mais profundo de que há uma unidade entre você e Deus, uma unidade inseparável da essência de sua alma e da onipresença de Deus, a Fonte Transcendente que pode ser experimentada através da raja ou da jnana yoga. No mais alto grau, Deus, “eu” e amor são um só.
The post <a href="https://www.hinduismtoday.com/other-languages/portuguese/deus-e-amor-a-visao-hindu/">Deus e Amor: a Visão Hindu</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.hinduismtoday.com">Hinduism Today</a>.
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<title>ईश्वर आणि प्रेम: ह िंदु दृष्टिकोन </title>
<link>https://www.hinduismtoday.com/other-languages/%e0%a4%88%e0%a4%b6%e0%a5%8d%e0%a4%b5%e0%a4%b0-%e0%a4%86%e0%a4%a3%e0%a4%bf-%e0%a4%aa%e0%a5%8d%e0%a4%b0%e0%a5%87%e0%a4%ae-%e0%a4%b9-%e0%a4%bf%e0%a4%82%e0%a4%a6%e0%a5%81-%e0%a4%a6%e0%a5%83%e0%a4%b7/</link>
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<pubDate>Mon, 01 Apr 2024 21:42:36 +0000</pubDate>
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<description><![CDATA[ देवावर प्रेम करणे (वेगळे म्हणून) ते देवासोबतचा स्वतःचा एकात्मक अनुभव, हहिंदू धममशास्रात चािंगल्या प्रकारे रेखाटलेले आहेत.  सद्गुरु बोधीनाथ वैलािस्वामी  पाश्चात्य,...
The post <a href="https://www.hinduismtoday.com/other-languages/%e0%a4%88%e0%a4%b6%e0%a5%8d%e0%a4%b5%e0%a4%b0-%e0%a4%86%e0%a4%a3%e0%a4%bf-%e0%a4%aa%e0%a5%8d%e0%a4%b0%e0%a5%87%e0%a4%ae-%e0%a4%b9-%e0%a4%bf%e0%a4%82%e0%a4%a6%e0%a5%81-%e0%a4%a6%e0%a5%83%e0%a4%b7/">ईश्वर आणि प्रेम: ह िंदु दृष्टिकोन </a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.hinduismtoday.com">Hinduism Today</a>.
]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[
<h2 class="wp-block-heading"> देवावर प्रेम करणे (वेगळे म्हणून) ते देवासोबतचा स्वतःचा एकात्मक अनुभव, हहिंदू धममशास्रात चािंगल्या प्रकारे रेखाटलेले आहेत. </h2>
सद्गुरु बोधीनाथ वैलािस्वामी 
पाश्चात्य दूरदशमन नाट्यप्रयोगात देवाबद्दल सिंदभम दुर्ममळ आहेत. तथापप, देवत्वाचा उल्लेख जेव्हा करण्यात येतो तेव्हा प्रचर्लत भावना “देव तुमच्यावर प्रेम करतो” या प्रततपादनाभोवती फिरते. हे देवत्वाबद्दल सद्यकालीन दृष्टीकोनाचे प्रततबबिंब आहे. खरिंच, जीवनातील आव्हानािंमध्ये, देवाला तुमची काळजी आहे या सािंत्वनदायक तत्त्वाची आठवण करून देणे हे आश्वासक आहे.
हहिंदू तत्त्वज्ञानात, “देव तुमच्यावर प्रेम करतो” ही कल्पना अस्स्तत्वात आहे, परिंतु गहन सूक्ष्मतेने समृध्द आहे. तुम्ही देवावर प्रेम करा” आणण “देव प्रेम आहे” यावर जोरदार भर देण्यात आला आहे. हा थोडा वेगळा केंद्रबबिंदु भक्ताच्या दैवी प्रेमाची जोपासना आणण तीव्र करण्याचा प्रामाणणक प्रयत्नािंना उत्तेजन देतो.
देवापवषयीचे प्रेम अधधक खोलवर पाहण्याआधी, प्रथम दुसरी हहिंदू सिंकल्पना पाहू या, ती म्हणजे श्रध्दा. आपल्या आधुतनक जगात, वाढत्या सिंख्येने लोक सािंगतात की ते देवावर पवश्वास ठेवत नाहीत आणण त्यािंना धमामशी सिंलग्न होण्याची आवश्यकता नाही. जालस्थानावरील एक लोकपप्रय भीपत्तपरक ही भावना व्यक्त करते, ज्यात एक फकशोरवयीन मुलगी धैयामने घोपषत करते, “मी परीकथािंवर पवश्वास ठेवण्याकररता खूप वयानी मोठी आहे.”
पाश्चात्य पवचार अनेकदा, जरी नेहमीच नाही, धार्ममक श्रध्देची व्याख्या देव आणण धार्ममक तत्त्वािंवरील तनपवमवाद पवश्वास म्हणून करते, वेबस्टरच्या शब्दकोशाशी सिंरेणखत केलेला दृष्टीकोन. याउलट, श्रध्देची हहिंदू अर्भव्यक्ती सैध्दािंततक तनष्ठेच्या
पलीकडे आहे. हहिंदू धमामत श्रध्दा ही एकमत नाही; फकिंवा ती स्स्थर स्स्थती नाही. त्याऐवजी, वैयस्क्तक अनुभव आणण आध्यास्त्मक वाढीद्वारे ती सतत खोलवर जाते. सनातन धमामची आध्यास्त्मक सत्ये, सुरुवातीला मूतम पुराव्यार्शवाय स्वीकारली गेली, वैयस्क्तक अनुभवािंद्वारे अिंततम प्रमाणीकरण र्मळते. धचन्मय र्मशनचे सिंस्थापक स्वामी धचन्मयानिंद यािंनी ही सिंकल्पना सिंक्षिप्तपणे मािंडली, “पवश्वास म्हणजे जे हदसत नाही त्यावर पवश्वास ठेवणे. पवश्वासाचे प्रततिळ म्हणजे तुम्ही काय पवश्वास ठेवला हे पाहणे.”
देवावरील प्रेम तीव्र करण्याच्या हहिंदू ध्येयाला भक्ती योगाच्या परिंपरेत स्पष्ट अर्भव्यक्ती आढळते, जी र्भन्न सिंबिंधािंद्वारे देवावरील प्रेमाच्या पवकर्सत टप्प्यािंचे धचरण करते. हे टप्पे काही प्रमाणात र्भन्न असताना अनेक परिंपरािंमध्ये आढळतात. उदाहरणाथम, वैष्णव परिंपरा पाच प्राथर्मक भक्ती वृत्ती फकिंवा भाव ओळखते:
शािंतता (शािंत भाव) : आत्म्याला भगविंताच्या सास्न्नध्यात समाधानाचा अनुभव येतो. दास्यत्व (दास्य भव): आत्मा सेवक ते स्वामी या भूर्मकेत भगविंताशी सिंलग्न होतो. मैरी (सख्य भाव) : जीवात्म्याचा र्मराप्रमाणे ईश्वराशी सिंबिंध प्रस्थापपत होतो. आई-वडडलािंचा स्नेह (वात्सल्य भाव): आई-वडडलािंच्या मुलाशी असलेल्या स्नेहासारखा आत्मा ईश्वराशी सिंबिंधधत प्रस्थापपत करतो. प्रेयसीत्व (माधुयम भाव): आत्म्याला देवाशी एक खोल सिंबिंध अनुभवतो, देव सवामत पप्रय आहे असे समजतो.
तनणामयक चौकशी ही देवाप्रतीची भक्ती कशी वाढवायची याभोवती फिरते, हळूहळू शािंत भावातून माधुयम भावाकडे जाते. भक्ती, कमम, राज आणण ज्ञान या चार प्राथर्मक अवस्था फकिंवा पध्दती आहेत. इस्च्ित भाव प्रगतीशी त्यािंची सुसिंगतता लिात घेऊन प्रत्येकाचा शोध घेऊया.
भगविंतावरील प्रेम प्रगल्भ करण्याचा प्रयत्न करताना प्रथम भक्ती योगाचा पवचार करणे स्वाभापवक आहे. यात असिंख्य भक्ती प्रथा समापवष्ट आहेत ज्या सामान्यतः, परिंतु केवळ मिंहदरात केल्या जात नाहीत. मिंहदर हे पवशेषत: पपवर स्थान आहे जेथे
देवता येते आणण त्याचे सूक्ष्म शरीर मूतीत आणण मूतीभोवती फिरते. स्वामी भास्करानिंद या कल्पनेवर भाष्य करतात: “मूती ही मूती नसून देवाच्या तनवडलेल्या पैलूची पपवर प्रततमा आहे. उपासकाचा असा पवश्वास आहे की देव खरोखरच प्रततमेमध्ये उपस्स्थत आहे आणण अशा प्रकारे ती प्रततमा परमात्म्याशी सिंवाद साधण्याचा एक मागम बनते” (हहिंदू धमामचे अत्यावश्यक तत्त्व).
भक्ती योग पध्दतीिंमध्ये समापवष्ट आहे: श्रवण: देवाच्या कथा ऐकणे; कीतमन: भस्क्तस्तोरे/सूक्ते आणण भस्क्तगीते गाणे; स्मरण: परमात्म्याची उपस्स्थती आणण नाव लिात ठेवणे; पादसेवा: पपवर चरणािंची सेवा, ज्यामध्ये मानवतेची सेवा समापवष्ट आहे; अचमना: मिंहदरातील धार्ममक पूजेला उपस्स्थत राहणे तसेच एखाद्याच्या घरातील देवस्थानात पूजेला उपस्स्थत असणे फकिंवा स्वतः पूजा करणे; विंदन: देवतेला प्रणणपात करणे; आत्म-तनवेदन: पूणम आत्मसमपमण.
भक्ती योगाद्वारे आपण भगविंतावरील प्रेम तसेच तनःस्वाथीपणा आणण शुध्दता पवकर्सत करतो, ज्यामुळे आत्म-तनरास होतो आणण देवाला पूणम शरण जातो. 
कममयोग फकिंवा सेवा ही तनःस्वाथम सेवा आहे. सेवा सामान्यत: प्रथम मिंहदरात केली जाते स्जथे भक्त िरशी साि करणे, हदवे पॉर्लश करणे, हार तयार करणे आणण इतर भक्तािंसाठी स्वयिंपाक करणे आणण जेवण देणे यासारखी साधी कामे करतो. अशा सवम कृती मान्यता र्मळपवण्याचा फकिंवा पुरस्काराचा पवचार न करता करायच्या असतात. सेवेचा पवस्तार इतर पररस्स्थतीिंमध्ये केला जाऊ शकतो, जसे की काम फकिंवा शाळा, स्जथे आपण इतरािंना मदत करण्याचा प्रयत्न करतो आणण पररस्स्थती आपल्याला औपचाररकपणे आवश्यक असलेल्या पलीकडे जातो. सवम प्राणणमारािंची सेवा करून त्याची सजीव रूपे म्हणून देवाची उपासना करणे अशी ही कल्पना केली जाऊ शकते. BAPS चे प्रमुख स्वामी महाराज यािंनी २००१ च्या गुजरात भूकिंपानिंतर त्यािंच्या अनुयायािंना सल्ला हदला: “जेव्हा लोक अडचणी आणण दु:खािंना तोंड देत
असतात, तेव्हा त्यािंना सािंत्वन देण्याची आपली भारतीय परिंपरा आहे. आम्हािंला असे वाटते की मानवािंची सेवा करून आपण स्वतः परमेश्वराची सेवा करतो.” 
अजून सखोल दृस्ष्टकोनातून, श्रेष्ठ र्शिक आपल्याला देवापयंत पोहोचण्याच्या उद्देशाने सवम कायम करण्यास सािंगतात. भगविंतापयंत पोहोचण्याच्या उद्देशाने आपले कायम करणे स्वाभापवकपणे प्रत्येक कायम परमेश्वराला अपमण आहे असा दृष्टीकोन घेऊन जातो. प्रत्येक कृती, सवामत महान ते सवामत नीच, एक पपवर सिंस्कार बनते. “काम ही पूजा आहे.” अगदी साधी, िुल्लक कामेही याच भावनेने करावीत. माझे परमगुरु योगस्वामी एकदा त्यािंच्या झोपडीबाहेर शौचालय साि करत असलेल्या मजुराशी बोलले: “हे रामस्वामी! तुम्ही ततथे र्शवपूजा करत आहात का?”
अशा प्रकारे सिंपूणम जीवन पपवर होते आणण धममतनरपेि आणण आध्यास्त्मक यािंच्यातील सिंघषम नाहीसा होतो. कममयोगामुळे शेवटी पवश्व ही ईश्वराची कायम आहे याची जाणीव होऊ शकते. ही अिंतदृमष्टी केवळ कममिलाचा त्याग न करता कताम असण्याची भावना आत्मसमपमण करण्याचा दृष्टीकोन देते. प्रत्येक सेवेचे कायम हे परमेश्वराला अपमण आहे आणण प्रत्येक कायम, सवामत महान ते सवामत नीच, एक पपवर सिंस्कार बनते. कममयोगाच्या आचरणातून भक्ताचे भगविंतावरील प्रेम स्वाभापवकपणे प्रगल्भ होते.
भक्ती योग आणण कमम योग या दोन्हीमध्ये, भक्त देवाच्या वैयस्क्तक पैलूवर केंहद्रत असतो, ज्याला सिंस्कृतमध्ये ईश्वर म्हणून ओळखले जाते. याउलट, पुढील दोन योग, राजयोग आणण ज्ञान योग, ईश्वराच्या अव्यक्त पैलूिंवर जोर देतात, जे सवमव्यापी चेतना आणण त्याचे उत्तीणम स्रोत आहेत. सिंस्कृतमध्ये या पैलूिंना अनुक्रमे सस्च्चदानिंद आणण परब्रह्म असे सिंबोधले जाते.
भक्ती आणण कममयोगाच्या पध्दती जेव्हा पररपूणम होतात, तेव्हा नैसधगमकररत्या साधकाला हहिंदू धमामच्या ध्यान पध्दतीिंमध्ये नेले जाते. हे श्वास तनयिंरण, ऊजाम 
काढणे आणण एकाग्रतेच्या राजयोग चरणािंपासून सुरू होते जे ध्यान आणण धचिंतनामध्ये खोलवर जाते. धचिंतनाचा सखोल अनुभव म्हणजे शुध्द चेतना फकिंवा सस्च्चदानिंदशी एकजीव होणे. त्याहूनही सखोल – धचिंतनाच्या पलीकडे – अतीिंहद्रय वास्तवाचा (परब्रह्म) अनुभव आहे.
ज्ञान योग पूणम ज्ञानी व्यक्ती फकिंवा ज्ञानीच्या गूढ आध्यास्त्मक पध्दतीिंचे वणमन करतो. स्वामी पववेकानिंदािंनी लोकपप्रय केलेला एक पयामयी अथम, बौस्ध्दक धार्ममक अभ्यासाद्वारे अनुभूतीचा शोध आहे, सत्याकडे जाण्यासाठी चार पयामयी मागांपैकी एक आहे, इतर तीन म्हणजे भक्ती योग, कममयोग आणण राजयोग.
हे ध्यानात्मक दृष्टीकोन देवाच्या प्रेमाच्या स्वरूपासाठी प्रयत्नशील आहेत जे कमम आणण भक्ती योग पध्दतीिंमध्ये आढळत नाही. ते देवाच्या प्रेमाच्या सवमव्यापी चेतनेवर केंहद्रत आहेत. त्या अवस्थेचा अनुभव घेताना, देव प्रेम आहे आणण तुम्हीही देवाचे प्रेम आहात. परमगुरु योगस्वामी यािंनी ही सिंकल्पना योगेंद्र दुराईसामी नावाच्या तरुणाला र्लहहलेल्या परात र्शकवली – की भगवान र्शव, तू आणण प्रेम हे अपवभाज्य ऐक्य आहे: “मी तुझ्याबरोबर आहे आणण तू माझ्याबरोबर आहेस. आमच्यात अिंतर नाही. मी तू आहे. तू मी आहेस. घाबरण्यासारखे काय आहे? पाहा! मी तुझ्या रूपात अस्स्तत्वात आहे. मग तुम्हाला काय करावे लागेल? आपण प्रेम केले पाहहजे. कुणावर? प्रत्येकावर. अधधक स्पष्टपणे सािंगायचे तर, तुमचा स्वभावच प्रेम आहे. केवळ तुम्हीच नाही तर सवमजण प्रेमाने व्यापलेले आहेत. पण ‘सवम’ नाही, िक्त तुम्हीच अस्स्तत्वात आहात. सवम तुम्हीच आहात!”
पाचव्या भावात, पप्रयतेमध्ये, देव तुमचा पप्रय पप्रयकर आहे. गूढदृष्ट्या, याचा सखोल अथम असा आहे की तुम्ही आणण देव यािंच्यात एकता आहे, तुमच्या आत्म्याचे सार आणण ईश्वराचे सवमव्यापीत्व यािंचे अपवभाज्य ऐक्य आहे, ज्याचा अनुभव राजा फकिंवा ज्ञान योगाद्वारे केला जाऊ शकतो. सवोच्च प्राप्तीमध्ये, देव, “मी” आणण प्रेम एक आहेत.

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<title>ईश्वरऔरप्रेम: हिंदूदृष्टिकोण</title>
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<description><![CDATA[ईश्वरसेप्रेमकरने (अलगसे) सेलेकरईश्वरकेसाथस्वयंकेएकात्मकअनुभवतक, भारतीयधर्मशास्त्रमेंअच्छीतरहसेदर्शायागयाहै सतगुरुबोधिनाथवेलनस्वामीद्वारा पश्चिमीटेलीविज़नशोमें, भगवानकासंदर्भदुर्लभहै।हालाँकि, जबईश्वरकाउल्लेखकियाजाताहै, तोप्रचलितभावनाअक्सरइसदावेकेइर्द–गिर्दघूमतीहैकि “भगवानआपसेप्यारकरताहै।” यहईश्वरपरसमकालीनदृष्टिकोणकोप्रतिबिंबितकरताहै।वास्तवमें, जीवनकीचुनौतियोंकेबीच, इससांत्वनादायकसिद्धांतकीयाददिलानाआश्वस्तकरनेवालाहैकिईश्वरआपकीपरवाहकरताहै। हिंदूदर्शनमें, यहविचारकि “भगवानआपसेप्यारकरताहै” मौजूदहैलेकिनगहनसूक्ष्मतासेसमृद्धहै। “आपईश्वरसेप्रेमकरतेहैं” और “ईश्वरप्रेमहै”,...
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<h2 class="wp-block-heading">ईश्वरसेप्रेमकरने (अलगसे) सेलेकरईश्वरकेसाथस्वयंकेएकात्मकअनुभवतक, भारतीयधर्मशास्त्रमेंअच्छीतरहसेदर्शायागयाहै</h2>
सतगुरुबोधिनाथवेलनस्वामीद्वारा
पश्चिमीटेलीविज़नशोमें, भगवानकासंदर्भदुर्लभहै।हालाँकि, जबईश्वरकाउल्लेखकियाजाताहै, तोप्रचलितभावनाअक्सरइसदावेकेइर्द–गिर्दघूमतीहैकि “भगवानआपसेप्यारकरताहै।” यहईश्वरपरसमकालीनदृष्टिकोणकोप्रतिबिंबितकरताहै।वास्तवमें, जीवनकीचुनौतियोंकेबीच, इससांत्वनादायकसिद्धांतकीयाददिलानाआश्वस्तकरनेवालाहैकिईश्वरआपकीपरवाहकरताहै।
हिंदूदर्शनमें, यहविचारकि “भगवानआपसेप्यारकरताहै” मौजूदहैलेकिनगहनसूक्ष्मतासेसमृद्धहै। “आपईश्वरसेप्रेमकरतेहैं” और “ईश्वरप्रेमहै” परज़ोरदियागयाहै।यहथोड़ाअलगध्यानभक्तकेईश्वरीयप्रेमकोविकसितकरनेऔरतीव्रकरनेकेईमानदारप्रयासकोप्रेरितकरताहै।
ईश्वरकेप्रतिकिसीकेप्रेमकोगहराकरनेकेबारेमेंअधिकविस्तारसेदेखनेसेपहले, आइएपहलेदूसरीहिंदूअवधारणा, आस्थापरनजरडालें।
हमारीआधुनिकदुनियामें, बढ़तीसंख्यामेंलोगकहतेहैंकिवेईश्वरमेंविश्वासनहींकरतेहैंऔरउन्हेंकिसीधर्मसेजुड़नेकीकोईआवश्यकतानहींहै।वेबपरएकलोकप्रियपोस्टरइसभावनाकोव्यक्तकरताहै, जिसमेंएककिशोरलड़कीकोसाहसपूर्वकघोषणाकरतेहुएदिखायागयाहै, “मैंपरियोंकीकहानियोंपरविश्वासकरनेकेलिएबहुतबूढ़ीहूं।“
पश्चिमीविचारअक्सर, हालांकिहमेशानहीं, धार्मिकआस्थाकोईश्वरऔरधार्मिकसिद्धांतोंमेंएकनिर्विवादविश्वासकेरूपमेंपरिभाषितकरताहै, जोकिवेबस्टरकेशब्दकोशकेअनुरूपएकपरिप्रेक्ष्यहै।इसकेविपरीत, आस्थाकीहिंदूअभिव्यक्तिसैद्धांतिकनिष्ठासेपरेहै।हिंदूधर्ममेंआस्थाविश्वासकीसर्वसम्मतिनहींहै; नहीयहकोईस्थिरस्थितिहै. बल्कि, यहव्यक्तिगतअनुभवऔरआध्यात्मिकविकासकेमाध्यमसेनिरंतरगहराहोताजाताहै।सनातनधर्मकेआध्यात्मिकसत्य, जिन्हेंशुरूमेंठोससबूतकेबिनाअपनायागयाथा, व्यक्तिगतअनुभवोंकेमाध्यमसेअंतिममान्यतापातेहैं।चिन्मयमिशनकेसंस्थापकस्वामीचिन्मयानंदनेइसधारणाकोसंक्षेपमेंबतातेहुएकहा, “आस्थाउसपरविश्वासकरनाहैजोआपनहींदेखतेहैं।विश्वासकाप्रतिफलयहदेखनाहैकिआपनेक्याविश्वासकिया।”
ईश्वरकेप्रतिअपनेप्रेमकोतीव्रकरनेकाहिंदूलक्ष्यभक्तियोगकीपरंपरामेंस्पष्टअभिव्यक्तिपाताहै, जोविभिन्नरिश्तोंकेमाध्यमसेईश्वरकेप्रतिप्रेमकेविकसितहोतेचरणोंकोचित्रितकरताहै।येचरणकईपरंपराओंमेंपाएजातेहैं, जबकिकुछहदतकभिन्नहोतेहैं।उदाहरणकेलिए, वैष्णवपरंपरापांचप्राथमिकभक्तिदृष्टिकोणयाभावकोपहचानतीहै:
शांति (शांतभाव): आत्माभगवानकीउपस्थितिमेंसंतुष्टिकाअनुभवकरतीहै।दास्यभाव: आत्माभगवानकेसाथएकसेवकसेलेकरस्वामीकीभूमिकामेंसंलग्नरहतीहै।मित्रता (सख्यभाव): आत्माईश्वरकेसाथमित्रकेरूपमेंसंबंधस्थापितकरतीहै।माता–पिताकास्नेह (वात्सल्यभाव): एकबच्चेकेप्रतिमाता–पिताकेस्नेहकेसाथआत्माकासंबंधईश्वरसेहोताहै।प्रियता (माधुर्यभाव): आत्माईश्वरकेसाथएकगहरेसंबंधकाअनुभवकरतीहै, ईश्वरकोअपनेसबसेप्रियप्रियकेरूपमेंमानतीहै।
मुख्यजांचइसबातकेइर्द–गिर्दघूमतीहैकिभगवानकेप्रतिकिसीकीभक्तिकोकैसेबढ़ायाजाए, धीरे–धीरेशांतभावसेमाधुर्यभावमेंपरिवर्तितकियाजाए।चारप्राथमिकचरणयाविधियाँभक्ति, कर्म, रजऔरज्ञानकेयोगहैं।आइएवांछितभावप्रगतिकेलिएउनकीप्रासंगिकताकोध्यानमेंरखतेहुएप्रत्येकपरगहराईसेविचारकरें।
जबकोईईश्वरकेप्रतिअपनेप्रेमकोगहराकरनाचाहताहै, तोसबसेपहलेभक्तियोगकेबारेमेंसोचनास्वाभाविकहै।इसमेंकईभक्तिप्रथाएंशामिलहैंजोआमतौरपर, लेकिनविशेषरूपसेकिसीमंदिरमेंनहींकीजातीहैं।मंदिरएकविशेषरूपसेपवित्रस्थानहैजहांदेवताआतेहैंऔरअपनेसूक्ष्मशरीरमेंमूर्तिकेऊपरऔरभीतरमंडरातेहैं।स्वामीभास्करानंदइसविचारपरटिप्पणीकरतेहैं: “मूर्तिकोईमूर्तिनहींहैबल्किभगवानकेचुनेहुएपहलूकीएकप्रतिष्ठितछविहै।उपासककामाननाहैकिभगवानवास्तवमेंछविमेंमौजूदहैं, औरइसप्रकारछविसर्वोच्चकेसाथसंवादकरनेकाएकतरीकाबनजातीहै” (हिंदूधर्मकीअनिवार्यता)।
भक्तियोगप्रथाओंमेंशामिलहैं: श्रवण: भगवानकीकहानियाँसुनना; कीर्तन: भक्तिभजनऔरगीतगाना; स्मरण: ईश्वरकीउपस्थितिऔरनामकास्मरण; पद–सेवा: पवित्रचरणोंकीसेवा, जिसमेंमानवताकीसेवाशामिलहै; अर्चना: मंदिरमेंअनुष्ठानपूजामेंभागलेनाऔरसाथहीअपनेघरकेमंदिरमेंपूजाकरनायाआयोजितकरना; वन्दना: देवताकोसाष्टांगप्रणामकरना; आत्म–निवेदन: पूर्णआत्म–समर्पण।
भक्तियोगकेमाध्यमसेहमईश्वरकेप्रतिप्रेमकेसाथ–साथनिस्वार्थताऔरपवित्रताविकसितकरतेहैं, जिससेआत्मकोमिटानाऔरईश्वरकेप्रतिपूर्णसमर्पणहोताहै।
कर्मयोग, यासेवा, निःस्वार्थसेवाहै।सेवाआमतौरपरसबसेपहलेएकमंदिरमेंकीजातीहैजहांभक्तसाधारणकार्यकरतेहैंजैसेफर्शसाफकरना, दीपकचमकाना, मालाबनानाऔरखानाबनानाऔरअन्यभक्तोंकोभोजनपरोसना।ऐसेसभीकार्यमान्यतायापुरस्कारकेबारेमेंसोचेबिनाकिएजानेचाहिए।सेवाकोअन्यस्थितियोंतकबढ़ायाजासकताहै, जैसेकिकामयास्कूल, जहांहमदूसरोंकेलिएमददगारबननेकाप्रयासकरतेहैंऔरस्थितिकीऔपचारिकरूपसेहमसेअपेक्षासेपरेजातेहैं।इसकीकल्पनासभीप्राणियोंकोउनकीजीवितअभिव्यक्तिकेरूपमेंसेवाकरकेईश्वरकीपूजाकरनेकेरूपमेंकीजासकतीहै।बीएपीएसकेप्रमुखस्वामीमहाराजने 2001 केगुजरातभूकंपकेबादअपनेअनुयायियोंकोसलाहदी: “जबलोगकठिनाइयोंऔरदुखोंकासामनाकररहेहोतेहैं, तोहमारीभारतीयपरंपराउन्हेंसांत्वनादेनाहै।हमेंलगताहैकिमनुष्योंकीसेवाकरकेहमस्वयंभगवानकीसेवाकरतेहैं।”
इससेभीगहरेदृष्टिकोणमें, महानशिक्षकहमेंईश्वरतकपहुँचनेकेउद्देश्यसेसभीकार्यकरनेकेलिएकहतेहैं।ईश्वरतकपहुँचनेकेउद्देश्यसेअपनाकार्यकरनेसेस्वाभाविकरूपसेयहदृष्टिकोणविकसितहोताहैकिप्रत्येककार्यप्रभुकोएकभेंटहै।प्रत्येककार्य, भव्यतमसेलेकरनिम्नतमतक, एकपवित्रसंस्कारबनजाताहै। “उससेकोईसफलखिलाड़ीनहींहोजाता।” साधारण, तुच्छकार्यभीइसीभावनासेकरनेचाहिए।मेरेपरमगुरुयोगस्वामीनेएकबारएकमजदूरसेबातकीजोउनकीकुटियाकेबाहरशौचालयकीसफाईकररहाथा: “हेरामास्वामी! क्याआपवहांशिवपूजा (दिव्यपूजा) कररहेहैं?”
इसतरहसंपूर्णजीवनपवित्रहोजाताहैऔरधर्मनिरपेक्षऔरआध्यात्मिककेबीचसंघर्षसमाप्तहोजाताहै।कर्मयोगअंततःइसअहसासकीओरलेजासकताहैकिब्रह्मांडईश्वरकीक्रियाहै।यहअंतर्दृष्टिनकेवलकर्मकेफलकोत्यागनेबल्किकर्ताहोनेकेभावकोभीत्यागनेकादृष्टिकोणदेतीहै।सेवाकाप्रत्येककार्यभगवानकोएकप्रसादहै, औरप्रत्येककार्य, भव्यसेलेकरनिम्नतमतक, एकपवित्रसंस्कारबनजाताहै।कर्मयोगकेअभ्याससेभक्तकाभगवानकेप्रतिप्रेमस्वाभाविकरूपसेगहराहोजाताहै।
भक्तियोगऔरकर्मयोगदोनोंमें, भक्तभगवानकेव्यक्तिगतपहलूपरध्यानकेंद्रितकरताहै, जिसेसंस्कृतमेंईश्वरकेनामसेजानाजाताहै।इसकेविपरीत, अगलेदोयोग, राजयोगऔरज्ञानयोग, भगवानकेअवैयक्तिकपहलुओंपरजोरदेतेहैं, जोसर्वव्यापीचेतनाऔरउसकेपारलौकिकस्रोतहैं।संस्कृतमें, इनपहलुओंकोक्रमशःसच्चिदानंदऔरपरब्रह्मणकहाजाताहै।
भक्तिऔरकर्मयोगकीप्रथाएं, जबसिद्धहोजातीहैं, तोस्वाभाविकरूपसेसाधककोहिंदूधर्मकीध्यानप्रथाओंमेंलेजातीहैं।येसांसनियंत्रण, ऊर्जावापसीऔरएकाग्रताकेराजयोगचरणोंसेशुरूहोतेहैंजोध्यानऔरचिंतनमेंगहरेहोतेजातेहैं।चिंतनकासबसेगहराअनुभवशुद्धचेतनायासच्चिदानंदकेसाथएकहोनाहै।औरभीगहरा – चिंतनसेपरे – पारलौकिकवास्तविकता (परब्रह्मण) काअनुभवहै।
ज्ञानयोगपूर्णतःप्रबुद्धप्राणीयाज्ञानीकीगूढ़आध्यात्मिकप्रथाओंकावर्णनकरताहै।स्वामीविवेकानन्दद्वाराप्रचलितएकवैकल्पिकअर्थ, बौद्धिकधार्मिकअध्ययनकेमाध्यमसेअनुभूतिकीखोजहै, सत्यकेचारवैकल्पिकमार्गोंमेंसेएक, अन्यतीनभक्तियोग, कर्मयोगऔरराजयोगहैं।
येध्यानसंबंधीदृष्टिकोणईश्वरकेप्रेमकेएकऐसेरूपकेलिएप्रयासकररहेहैंजोकर्मऔरभक्तियोगदृष्टिकोणमेंनहींपायाजाताहै।वेईश्वरकीप्रेमकीसर्वव्यापीचेतनापरकेंद्रितहैं।उसअवस्थाकाअनुभवकरनेपर, ईश्वरप्रेमहै, औरआपभीईश्वरकाप्रेमहैं।परमगुरुयोगस्वामीनेयहअवधारणासिखाई – किभगवानशिव, आपऔरप्रेमएकअविभाज्यएकताहैं – योगेन्द्रदुरईसामीनामकएकयुवककोलिखेएकपत्रमें: “मैंतुम्हारेसाथहूंऔरतुममेरेसाथहो।हमारेबीचकोईदूरीनहींहै. मैंतुम्हारेसाथहूँ।तुममैंहो।डरनेकीक्याबातहै? देखना! मैंतुम्हारेरूपमेंमौजूदहूं।तोफिरआपकोक्याकरनाचाहिए? आपकोप्यारकरनाचाहिए. किसको? सबलोग।अधिकस्पष्टरूपसेकहेंतोआपकास्वभावहीप्रेमहै।केवलआपहीनहीं, बल्किसभीप्रेमसेव्याप्तहैं।लेकिनकोई ‘सबकुछ‘ नहींहै, क्योंकिकेवलआपकाहीअस्तित्वहै।सबआपहीहैं!”
पंचमभावप्रियतामेंभगवानआपकेपरमप्रियहैं।रहस्यमयरूपसे, इसकागहराअर्थयहभीहैकिआपकेऔरईश्वरकेबीचएकएकताहै, आपकीआत्माकेसारऔरईश्वरकीसर्वव्यापकताकीएकअविभाज्यएकता, पारलौकिकस्रोतजिसेराजयाज्ञानयोगकेमाध्यमसेअनुभवकियाजासकताहै।सर्वोच्चउपलब्धिमें, ईश्वर, “मैं” औरप्रेमएकहैं।
The post <a href="https://www.hinduismtoday.com/other-languages/hindi/%e0%a4%88%e0%a4%b6%e0%a5%8d%e0%a4%b5%e0%a4%b0%e0%a4%94%e0%a4%b0%e0%a4%aa%e0%a5%8d%e0%a4%b0%e0%a5%87%e0%a4%ae-%e0%a4%b9%e0%a4%bf%e0%a4%82%e0%a4%a6%e0%a5%82%e0%a4%a6%e0%a5%83%e0%a4%b7%e0%a5%8d%e0%a4%9f/">ईश्वरऔरप्रेम: हिंदूदृष्टिकोण</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.hinduismtoday.com">Hinduism Today</a>.
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<title>கடவுளும்அன்பும் : இந்துபார்வை</title>
<link>https://www.hinduismtoday.com/other-languages/tamil/%e0%ae%95%e0%ae%9f%e0%ae%b5%e0%af%81%e0%ae%b3%e0%af%81%e0%ae%ae%e0%af%8d%e0%ae%85%e0%ae%a9%e0%af%8d%e0%ae%aa%e0%af%81%e0%ae%ae%e0%af%8d-%e0%ae%87%e0%ae%a8%e0%af%8d%e0%ae%a4%e0%af%81%e0%ae%aa/</link>
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<description><![CDATA[கடவுளின் மீது அன்பு செலுத்துவதில் (வேறான ஒருவரிடம்) இருந்து தன்னை கடவுளுடன் ஒன்றாக காணும் அனுபவம் வரை, இந்திய இறை இயலில் தெளிவாக வரையப்பட்டுள்ளது. சத்குரு போதிநாத,...
The post <a href="https://www.hinduismtoday.com/other-languages/tamil/%e0%ae%95%e0%ae%9f%e0%ae%b5%e0%af%81%e0%ae%b3%e0%af%81%e0%ae%ae%e0%af%8d%e0%ae%85%e0%ae%a9%e0%af%8d%e0%ae%aa%e0%af%81%e0%ae%ae%e0%af%8d-%e0%ae%87%e0%ae%a8%e0%af%8d%e0%ae%a4%e0%af%81%e0%ae%aa/">கடவுளும்அன்பும் : இந்துபார்வை</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.hinduismtoday.com">Hinduism Today</a>.
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<h2 class="wp-block-heading">கடவுளின் மீது அன்பு செலுத்துவதில் (வேறான ஒருவரிடம்) இருந்து தன்னை கடவுளுடன் ஒன்றாக காணும் அனுபவம் வரை, இந்திய இறை இயலில் தெளிவாக வரையப்பட்டுள்ளது.</h2>
சத்குரு போதிநாத வேலன் சுவாமிகள்
மேலை நாட்டு தொலைக்காட்சி ஒளிபரப்புகளில், கடவுளைக் குறிப்பிட்டு காட்டுவது மிகக் குறைவு. ஆனால், தெய்வீகம் குறிப்பிடப்படும் பொழுதில், நிறைய காணப்படும் உணர்ச்சிகள் பெரும்பாலும் பின்வரும் உறுதிப்பாட்டை மையமாக வைத்தே இருக்கின்றன, “கடவுள் உன்னை விரும்புகிறார்.” இது தெய்வீகத்தைப் பற்றிய தற்கால பார்வைக் கோணங்களை பிரதிபலிக்கிறது. உண்மையில், வாழ்க்கையின் சவால்களுக்கு மத்தியில், கடவுள் நமக்காக இருக்கிறார் என்ற கொள்கை நமக்கு மறு ஞாபகமூட்டப்படுவது கண்டிப்பாக புத்துணர்வு கொடுப்பதாகவே இருக்கிறது.
இந்து தத்துவங்களில், “கடவுள் உன்னை விரும்புகிறார்” எனும் கருத்து இருக்கவே செய்கிறது, ஆனால் மிக ஆழமான நுட்பத்தால் செறியூட்டப்பட்டுள்ளது. “நீ கடவுளிடத்து அன்பு செய்கிறாய்” மற்றும் “கடவுளே அன்பு” என்ற பலமான அழுத்தம் காணப்படுகிறது. இந்த சற்றே வித்தியாசமான நோக்கு உண்மையான பக்தர் ஒருவர் தன்னுள் கடவுளின் அன்பை வளர்க்கவும் அதை பலப்படுத்தவும் உந்துகிறது.
ஒருவர் தான் கடவுளின் அன்பை ஆழமாக்கும் செயலை விளாவாரியாக பார்ப்பதற்கு முன்னர், இன்னுமொரு இரண்டாவது இந்து கொள்கையான இறைநம்பிக்கை என்பதை பார்ப்போம். நமது நவீன உலகில், தான் கடவுளிடம் நம்பிக்கை கொள்ளவில்லை என்றும் ஒரு குறிப்பிட்ட மதத்தை சார்ந்திருக்க வேண்டிய அவசியத்தைக் காணவில்லை என்றும் சொல்கிறார்கள். இணையத்தில் காணப்படும் ஒரு பிரபல்யமான போஸ்டர் இந்த உணர்ச்சியை வெளிப்படுத்துவதாக இருக்கிறது, அதில் ஒரு பதின்ம வயது பெண் தைரியமாகச் சொல்கிறாள், “மாயக்கதைகளை நம்புவதற்கான வயதில் நான் இல்லை.”
மேலை நாட்டு சிந்தனை பெரும்பாலும், எப்பொழுதும் இல்லாவிட்டாலும் கூட, மத நம்பிக்கையை கடவுளையும் மதக்கோட்பாடுகளையும் எவ்வித சந்தேகமும் கேள்விகளையும் எழுப்பாமல் அப்படியே ஏற்றுக் கொள்வது என வரையறுக்கிறது, இந்த பார்வைக்கோணம் வெப்ஸ்தர் அகராதியுடன்  (Webster Dictionary) ஒத்துப் போகிறது. இதற்கு எதிர்மறையாக இந்துவின் மத வெளிப்பாடு மதக் கோட்பாட்டு விசுவாசத்தையும் தாண்டி அப்பாலே செல்கிறது. இந்து மதத்தில், மதநம்பிக்கை என்பது ஒரு சேர ஏற்றுக் கொள்ளப்பட்ட கருத்து தொகுப்பு என ஆகாது; மேலும் அது ஒரு மாறவே மாறத ஒன்று எனவும் ஆகாது. எதிர்மாறாக, சுய அனுபவங்களாலும் ஆன்மீக வளர்ச்சியினாலும் அது தொடர்ந்து ஆழமாகிக் கொண்டே செல்கிறது. சனாதன தர்மத்தின் ஆன்மீக உண்மைகள் ஆரம்பத்தில் அறியக்கூடிய ஆதாரங்கள் இல்லாமல் ஏற்றுக்கொள்ளப்பட்டு, தனி ஒருவரின் தத்தம் சுய அனுபவங்களினால் இறுதி உறுதி செய்யப்படுகிறது. சின்மய மிஷன் ஸ்தாபகர், சுவாமி சின்மயனந்தா இக்கருத்தை மிக அழகாக சொல்லியிருக்கிறார், “நம்பிக்கை என்பது பார்க்காத ஒன்றின் மீது கொள்ளும் பற்று ஆகும். நம்பிக்கையின் பலன் நீங்கள் நம்பியதை பார்ப்பது ஆகும்.”
கடவுளின் மீது அன்பை அதிகரிக்கச் செய்யும் இந்து குறிக்கோள் பக்தி யோக பாரம்பரியத்தில் தெளிவாக வெளிப்படுகிறது, இதில் வெவ்வேறான உறவு முறைகள் மூலமாக கடவுளிடத்து கொள்ளும் அன்பின் பரிணாம நிலைகள் காட்டப்படுகின்றன. இந்த நிலைகள் பல்வேறு சம்பிரதாயங்களில் காணப்படுகின்றன, ஓரளவுக்கு வித்தியாசமாகவும் இருக்கின்றன. உதாரணத்திற்கு, வைணவ சம்பிரதாயம் ஐந்து அடிப்படை ஆன்மீக உணர்வு வெளிப்பாடுகளை அல்லது பாவங்களைக் கொண்டுள்ளது:
அமைதி நிலை (சாந்த பாவம்): ஆத்மா கடவுள் நிலைகொண்டுள்ளதைக் அறிந்து திருப்தியில் திளைக்கிறது. சேவை நிலை (தாச பாவம்): ஒரு தொழிலாளி முதலாளியிடம் கொண்டுள்ளதைப் போன்று ஆத்மா கடவுளிடம் தொடர்பு கொள்கிறது. நட்பு நிலை (சக்ய பாவம்) ஆத்மா கடவுளிடம் ஒரு நண்பனைப் போன்ற ஒரு தொடர்பில் இருக்கிறது. பெற்றோர் நிலை (வத்சல்ய பாவம்): ஒரு பிள்ளை தாய் தந்தையரிடம் கொண்டுள்ள உறவு நிலை. காதல் நிலை (மாதூர்ய பாவம்): ஆத்மா கடவுளிடம் மிக ஆழமான தொடர்பை அனுபவிக்கிறது, கடவுளை தான் மிகுந்த காதலுடன் நோக்கும் ஒருவராக பாவிக்கிறது.
அடிப்படை கேள்வியானது எப்படி தன்னுடைய கடவுளுக்கான அன்பை பெருக்குவது என்பதே ஆகும், மெதுவாக சாந்த பாவத்திலிருந்து மாதூர்ய பாவத்திற்கு மாறிச் செல்வது. நான்கு அடிப்படை செயல்களான பக்தி யோகம், கர்ம யோகம், ராஜ யோகம் மற்றும் ஞான யோகம் ஆகியவையே வழி. இவற்றை ஒவ்வொன்றாக பார்ப்போம், விரும்பும் பாவ முன்னேற்றத்திற்கான அவை ஒவ்வொன்றின் தொடர்பை மனதில் நிறுத்தியவாறே.
ஒருவர் தனது கடளுவுக்கான அன்பை ஆழப்படுத்த விரும்புகையில், பக்தியோகத்தை முதலில் சிந்திப்பது இயற்கையாகிறது. இதில் பல்வேறு பக்தி பயிற்சிகள் அடங்கியுள்ளன, அவை பொதுவாக கோயிலில் செய்யப்படுகின்றன, ஆனால் அங்கு மட்டுமே முடங்கிவிடுவதில்லை. ஒரு கோயில் என்பது, குறிப்பிடத்தக்க புனிதமான ஓர் இடம், அங்கு குறிப்பிட்ட தெய்வம் ஒன்று தன்னுடைய சூக்கும தேகத்தில் வருகிறது, விக்கிரகத்தின் மேலாகவும் அதன் உள்ளும் வாசம் செய்கிறது. இந்த கருத்தை ஒட்டி பாஸ்கரானந்த சுவாமி குறிப்பிட்டுள்ளார்: “அந்த விக்கிரகம் என்பது ஒரு சிலை அல்ல மாறாக கடவுளின் தேர்ந்தெடுக்கப்பட்ட ஒரு அம்சத்தின் புனிதமூட்டப்பட்ட உருவம் ஆகும். பக்தர் ஒருவர் கடவுள் அந்த உருவத்தில் உண்மையிலேயே இருக்கிறார் என நம்புகிறார், அதனால் அந்த உருவம் உச்சப் பொருளுடன் தொடர்பு கொள்வதற்கு  ஒரு வழியாகிறது” (இந்து மதத்தின் அடிப்படைகள், The Essentials of Hinduism).
பக்தி யோக பயிற்சிகள் உள்ளடக்கியவை வருமாறு: ஸ்ராவணம்: கடவுளைப் பற்றிய கதைகளைக் கேட்பது; கீர்த்தனை: பக்தி கவிதைகள் மற்றும் பாடல்களைப் பாடுதல்; ஸ்மாரணம்: கடவுளின் இருப்பையும் நாமத்தையும் நினைவில் கொண்டிருப்பது; பாத சேவனம்: திருவடிகளுக்கு சேவை செய்வது, இதில் மனுக்குலத்தின் சேவையும் அடங்குகிறது; அர்ச்சனை: கோயிலில் சடங்குபூர்வ பூஜைகளில் கலந்து கொள்வது மற்றும் தனது வீட்டு பூஜை அறையில் வழிபடுவதும் அல்லது பூஜை ஒன்றில் கலந்து கொள்வதும்; வந்தனம்: தெய்வத்திடம் வீழ்ந்து வணங்குவது; ஆத்ம-நிவேதனம்: ஒட்டுமொத்த சரணாகதி. பக்தி யோகத்தின் மூலம் நாம் கடவுளிடத்தில் அன்பை வளர்க்கிறோம், அதே வேளையில் தன்னலமின்மை மற்றும் தூய்மை பெறுகிறோம், இவை வாயிலாக ஆணவ குறைப்பு நிகழ்கிறது, கடவுளிடம் பூரண சரணாகதி அடைய முன்னேறம் காண்கிறோம்.
கர்ம யோகம், அல்லது சேவை. சேவை பொதுவாக ஒரு கோயிலில் முதலில் செய்யப்படுகிறது, இதில் பக்தர் ஒருவர் எளிய காரியங்களான தரையைச் சுத்தம் செய்வது, விளக்குகளைத் தேய்ப்பது, பூமாலைகள் தொடுப்பது மற்றும் மற்ற பக்தர்களுக்கு சமையல் செய்து பின்னர் பரிமாறுவது போன்றவற்றைச் செய்கிறார். இவ்வாறான எல்லா காரியங்களும் எவ்வித பிரதிபலன் அல்லது அங்கீகாரம் ஆகியவற்றை எதிர்பார்க்காமல் செய்யப்படுகின்றன. சேவை மற்ற சூழ்நிலைகளுக்கும் கூட நீட்டிக்கப்படலாம். எடுத்துக்காட்டுக்கு, வேலையிடம் அல்லது பள்ளிக்கூடம், இங்கே நாம் அந்த சூழ்நிலை நம்மிடம் அதிகாரப்பூர்வமாக எதிர்பார்ப்பதை விட மேலதிகமாகவே மற்றவர்களுக்கு உதவிப்பூர்வமாக இருக்க முயற்சிக்கலாம். எல்லா உயிர்களையும் கடவுளின் வாழ்கின்ற தோற்றமாகவே பாவித்து சேவை செய்வது கடவுளை வழிபடுவதாகவே பார்க்கப்படுகிறது. 2021 குஜராத் நிலநடுக்கத்திற்குப் பின்னர், தனது பக்தர்களுக்கு BAPSஇன் ப்ரமுக் சுவாமி மஹாராஜ் ஆறுதல் கூறினார்: “மக்கள் கஷ்டங்களையும் துன்பத்தையும் அனுபவிக்கையில் நமது இந்திய பாரம்பரியத்தில் நாம் அவர்களுக்கு நிவாரணம் கொடுக்கிறோம். மனிதர்களுக்கு செய்யப்படும் சேவை, பரம்பொருள் அவனுக்கே செய்யப்படுவதாக நாம் உணர்கிறோம்.”
இன்னும் ஓர் ஆழமான அணுகுமுறையில், பெரும் ஆசிரியர்கள் எல்லா வேலைகளையும் கடவுளை அடையும் நோக்கிலேயே செய்யுமாறு நம்மை பணிக்கின்றனர். கடவுளை அடையும் குறிக்கோளுடன் நாம் வேலைகளைச் செய்வதால், ஒவ்வொரு வேலையும் கடவுளுக்கான அர்ப்பணம் என்ற பார்வை நமக்கு கிடைக்கிறது. பிரமாண்டமான பெரிய செயலில் இருந்து, மிக மிக சிறிய காரியம் வரை, ஒவ்வொரு செயலும் ஒரு புனித சடங்காக ஆகிவிடுகிது. “வேலை என்பது வழிபாடு.” சுலபமான, அற்ப காரியங்களும் கூட இந்த போக்கிலேயே செய்யப்பட வேண்டும். எனது பரமகுரு சிவயோகசுவாமி ஒருமுறை கழிவறையைச் சுத்தம் செய்து கொண்டிருந்த ஒரு தொழிலாளியைப் பார்த்து பேசினார்: “ஓ ராமசாமி! என்ன அங்கே சிவ பூசை (இறை வழிபாடு) செய்து கொண்டு இருக்கிறாயா நீ?”
இதன் மூலமாக, ஒட்டு மொத்த வாழ்க்கையே புனிதமூட்டப்படுகிறது மற்றும்  மதச்சார்பற்ற-மதச்சார்பு பேதங்கள் காணாமல் போய் விடுகின்றன. கர்ம யோகம் ஈற்றில் இப்பிரபஞ்சம் முழுவதும் கடவுளின் செயலேதான் என்ற அனுபூதிக்கு நம்மை இட்டுச் செல்ல வல்லது. இந்த பார்வைக்கோணத்தால் வெறும் காரியங்களின் பலனை கடவுளிடத்து துறப்பது மட்டுமல்லாமல், காரியமாற்றும் தனி ஒருவர் என்ற உணர்ச்சியையும் கூட துறப்பது என்று ஆகிவிடுகிறது. ஒவ்வொரு சேவை காரியமும் பெருமானுக்கான ஒரு படையல் ஆகிறது, பெரிய காரியத்திலிருந்து மிகச் சிறிய காரியம் வரை ஒரு புனித சடங்காக மாறி விடுகிறது. கர்ம யோக பயிற்சிகளினால் ஒரு பக்தரின் கடவுள் மீதான அன்பு இயற்கையிலேயே ஆழமாகி செல்கிறது.
பக்தி மற்றும் கர்ம யோகம் இரண்டிலுமே, கடவுளின் தனித்துவமான, உருவம் தாங்கிய ஒரு அமசத்தில் பக்தர் ஒருவர் கவனம் செலுத்துகிறார்.  இந்நிலை சமஸ்கிருதத்தில் ஈஸ்வரன் என அறிப்படுகிறது. இதற்கு எதிர்மறையாக, அடுத்த இரண்டு யோகங்களில், இராஜ யோகம் மற்றும் ஞான யோகம், கடவுளின் தனித்துவம் நீங்கிய அமசங்களில் கவனம் செலுத்தப்படுகிறது, இவை சர்வவியாபக உணர்வுநிலை மற்றும் அதனுடைய மூலமாகிய கடந்த நிலை. சமஸ்கிருதத்தில் இந்த இரண்டு அம்சங்களும் முறையே சச்சிதானந்தம் மற்றும் பரபிரம்மம் என குறிக்கப்படுகின்றன.
பக்தி மற்றும் கர்ம யோகம் பூர்த்தி செய்யப்படுகையில், ஒரு பக்தர் இந்து மதத்தின் தியான பயிற்சிகளுக்குள் இயற்கையாகவே இழுக்கப்டுகிறார். இவை இராஜ யோக அங்கங்களான மூச்சுக் கட்டுப்பாடு, சக்தி உள்வாங்கல் மற்றும் ஆழ்கவனக்குவிப்பு போன்றவற்றினால் ஆழமான தியானங்களுக்கு உந்தப்படுகின்றார். தியானத்தின் அதி ஆழமான அனுபவத்தில் சச்சிதானந்தம் அல்லது தூய உணர்வுநிலையுடன் ஒன்றியிருக்கும் அனுபவம் வாய்க்கிறது. இதையும் தாண்டி, இன்னும் ஆழத்தில் கடந்த நிலை மெய்ப்பொருள் அனுபவம் உள்ளது (பரபிரம்மம்). ஞான யோகம் முழுமையாக ஞானம் பெற்ற ஒருவர், ஞானியின் ஆன்மீகப் பயிற்சிகளை விவரிக்கிறது. இதன் மற்றொரு ரூபத்தில், சுவாமி விவேகானந்தர் அவர்களால் பிரபல்யப்படுத்தப்பட்டது, அறிவுப்பூர்வ சமய கல்வியினால் உள்நோக்குகளைத் தேடும் தேடல், இது உண்மைத் தேடலுக்கான வித்தியாசமான, மாற்றுவழிகளாகிய நான்கில் ஒன்றாகிறது, மற்ற மூன்று பக்தி யோகம், கர்ம யோகம் மற்றும் இராஜ யோகம்.
இந்த தியான அனுகுமுறைகள் கர்ம யோகம் மற்றும் பக்தி யோகங்களில் காணப்படாத கடவுளுடைய அன்பின் ஒரு தன்மையை நோக்கியது ஆகும். இவை கடவுளின் சர்வவியாபக அன்பு நிலையை குறியாகக் கொண்டு உள்ளன. அந்த நிலையை அனுபவிக்கையில், கடவுள் அன்பு என்று ஆகிறார், நீங்களும் கடவுளின் அன்பு என ஆகிறீர்கள். பரமகுரு யோகசுவாமி இந்த கொள்கையைப் போதித்து உள்ளார் – அதாவது சிவ பெருமான், நீங்கள் மற்றும் அன்பு ஆகியவை தனித்தனியாக பிரிக்கப்பட முடியாத ஒன்றியநிலை – யோகேந்திர துரைசாமி என்ற இளம் ஆடவனுக்கு எழுதிய கடிதத்தில்: “நான் உன்னுடனும் இருக்கிறேன் மற்றும் நீ என்னுடன் இருக்கிறாய். நம்மிடையே தூரம் இல்லை. நான் நீ. நீ நான். பயப்படுவதற்கு என்ன இருக்கிறது? பார்! நான் நீயாக இருக்கிறேன். அப்படியென்றால் நீ என்ன செய்ய வேண்டும்? நீ அன்பு செய்ய வேண்டும். யாரை? எல்லோரையும். இன்னும் தெளிவாக சொல்ல வேண்டுமென்றால், உனது இயல்பு நிலையே அன்புதான். நீ மட்டுமல்ல. அனைவரும் அன்பினால் ஊடுருவப் பட்டுள்ளனர். ஆனால் அங்கே ‘அனைவரும்’ என்பது இல்லை, காரணம் நீ மட்டுமே உள்ளாய். நீதான் எல்லாரும்!”
ஐந்தாவது பாவமாகிய, மாதூரியத்தில், கடவுள் உங்களுடைய காதலுக்கு உரிய ஒருவராகிறார். மறைமெய்மையாக, உங்களுக்கும் கடவுளுக்கும் இடையே ஒருமைப்பாடு இருக்கிறது என்ற ஆழமான அர்த்தம் இதில் உண்டு, உங்களது ஆத்மாவின் சாராம்சமும் கடவுளின் சர்வ வியாபகநிலை மற்றும் அதன் மூலமும் பிரிக்கவியலாத ஒருமையில் உள்ளன, இது இராஜ மற்றும் ஞான யோகத்தினால் அனுபவிக்கப்படலாம்.  உச்ச அனுபவ தேர்ச்சியில், கடவுள், “நான்” மற்றும் அன்பு ஆகியவை எல்லாம் ஒன்றே.
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<title>Dios y el amor: La visión hindú</title>
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<description><![CDATA[En la teología hindú está bien mapeado desde amar a Dios (como algo separado) hasta la experencia unitiva de uno,...
The post <a href="https://www.hinduismtoday.com/other-languages/spanish/dios-y-el-amor-la-vision-hindu/">Dios y el amor: La visión hindú</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.hinduismtoday.com">Hinduism Today</a>.
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<h2 class="wp-block-heading">En la teología hindú está bien mapeado desde amar a Dios (como algo separado) hasta la experencia unitiva de uno mismo con Dios.</h2>
Por Satgurú Bodhinatha Veylanswami
En los programas de televisión occidentales, las referencias a Dios son raras. Sin embargo, cuando se menciona lo Divino, el sentimiento predominante a menudo gira en torno a la afirmación de que “Dios te ama”. Esto refleja las perspectivas contemporáneas sobre lo Divino. De hecho, en medio de los retos de la vida, es tranquilizador recordar el reconfortante principio de que Dios se preocupa por uno.
En la filosofía hindú, la idea de que “Dios te ama” está presente pero enriquecida por una profunda sutileza. Hay un fuerte énfasis en “Tú amas a Dios” y “Dios es amor”. Este enfoque ligeramente diferente provoca el esfuerzo sincero del devoto por cultivar e intensificar el amor por lo Divino.
Antes de analizar con más detalle cómo profundizar el amor a Dios, veamos primero un segundo concepto hindú: el de la fe.
En nuestro mundo moderno, un número cada vez mayor de personas afirman que no creen en Dios y no ven la necesidad de afiliarse a una religión. Un cartel popular en la web expresa este sentimiento y muestra a una adolescente que declara audazmente: “Soy demasiado mayor para creer en cuentos de hadas”.
El pensamiento occidental a menudo, aunque no siempre, define la fe religiosa como una creencia incuestionable en Dios y en los principios religiosos, una perspectiva alineada con el diccionario Webster. En contraste, la expresión hindú de la fe trasciende la lealtad doctrinal. En el hinduismo, la fe no es un consenso de creencias; ni es una condición estática. Más bien, experimenta una profundización constante a través de la experiencia personal y el crecimiento espiritual. Las verdades espirituales del Sanatana Dharma, inicialmente adoptadas sin pruebas tangibles, encuentran su última validación a través de experiencias individuales. Swami Chinmayananda, fundador de la Misión Chinmaya, resumió sucintamente esta noción al afirmar: “La fe es creer lo que no se ve. La recompensa de la fe es ver lo que creías”.
El objetivo hindú de intensificar el amor propio por Dios encuentra una expresión lúcida en la tradición del bhakti yoga, que retrata las etapas evolutivas del amor por Dios a través de diferentes relaciones. Estas etapas se encuentran en muchas tradiciones, aunque varían un poco. Por ejemplo, la tradición vaisnava reconoce cinco actitudes devocionales primarias, o bhavas:
Paz (Shanta Bhava): El alma experimenta satisfacción en la presencia de Dios. Servidumbre (Dasya Bhava): El alma se compromete con Dios en el papel de un sirviente al amo. Amistad (Sakhya Bhava): El alma establece una relación con Dios como amigo. Afecto de los padres (Vatsalya Bhava): El alma se relaciona con Dios con el afecto de un padre hacia un hijo. Amor (Madhurya Bhava): El alma experimenta una conexión profunda con Dios, percibiendo a la Divinidad como el amado más querido.
La pregunta fundamental gira en torno a cómo mejorar la devoción a Dios, pasando gradualmente de shanta bhava a madhurya bhava. Las cuatro etapas o métodos principales son los yogas de bhakti, karma, raja y jnana. Profundicemos en cada uno, teniendo en cuenta su relevancia para la progresión bhava deseada.
Cuando se busca profundizar el amor por Dios, es natural pensar primero en el bhakti yoga. Abarca numerosas prácticas devocionales que se realizan típicamente, pero no exclusivamente, en un templo. El templo es un lugar especialmente sagrado donde la Deidad viene y flota sobre y dentro de el “murti” en Su cuerpo sutil. Swami Bhaskarananda comenta sobre esta idea: “El ´murti´ no es un ídolo sino una imagen consagrada del aspecto elegido de Dios. El devoto cree que Dios está realmente presente en la imagen y, por tanto, la imagen se convierte en una forma de comunicarse con el Supremo” (Los fundamentos del hinduismo).
Las prácticas de “Bhakti” yoga incluyen: “shravana”: escuchar las historias de Dios; “kirtana”: cantar himnos y canciones devocionales; smarana: recordar la presencia y el nombre de lo Divino; “pada-sevana”: servicio a los santos pies, que incluye servir a la humanidad; “archana”: asistir al culto ritual en el templo, así como asistir o realizar el culto en el santuario hogareño; “vandana”: postrarse ante la Deidad; “atma-nivedana”: entrega total.
A través del “bhakti” yoga desarrollamos el amor por Dios, así como el altruismo y la pureza, lo que nos lleva a la anulación de uno mismo y a la entrega total a Dios.
“Karma yoga”, o “seva”, es servicio desinteresado. El “seva” generalmente se realiza por primera vez en un templo donde el devoto realiza tareas simples como limpiar los pisos, pulir las lámparas, hacer guirnaldas y cocinar y servir comida a otros devotos. Todas estas acciones deben realizarse sin pensar en reconocimiento o recompensa. “Seva” se puede extender a otras situaciones, como el trabajo o la escuela, donde nos esforzamos por ayudar a los demás e ir más allá de lo que la situación requiere formalmente de nosotros. Esto puede concebirse como adorar a Dios sirviendo a todos los seres como Sus manifestaciones vivientes. Pramukh Swami Maharaj de BAPS aconsejó a sus seguidores después del terremoto de Gujarat de 2001: “Cuando la gente enfrenta dificultades y tristezas, nuestra tradición india es ofrecerles consuelo. Sentimos que sirviendo a los seres humanos servimos al Señor mismo”.
En un enfoque aún más profundo, los grandes maestros nos piden que realicemos todo trabajo con el objetivo de llegar a Dios. Realizar nuestro trabajo con el objetivo de llegar a Dios lleva naturalmente a la perspectiva de que cada tarea es una ofrenda al Señor. Cada acto, desde el más grandioso hasta el más humilde, se convierte en un rito sagrado. “El trabajo es adoración.” Incluso las tareas más sencillas y menores deben realizarse con este espíritu. Mi Paramaguru Yogaswami habló una vez con un trabajador que estaba limpiando el baño fuera de su cabaña: “¡Oh Ramaswamy! ¿Estás haciendo Sivapuja (adoración divina) por ahí?”
De esta manera se santifica toda la vida y el conflicto entre lo secular y lo espiritual deja de existir. El “karma yoga” puede, en última instancia, conducir a la comprensión de que el universo es toda la acción de Dios. Esta idea ofrece la perspectiva de no sólo renunciar al fruto de la acción, sino también de renunciar al sentido de ser el hacedor. Cada acto de servicio es una ofrenda al Señor, y cada tarea, desde la más grande hasta la más humilde, se convierte en un rito sagrado. A través de las prácticas de “karma yoga”, el amor del devoto por Dios se profundiza naturalmente.
Tanto en “bhakti yoga” como en “karma yoga”, el devoto se centra en el aspecto personal de Dios, conocido como “Ishvara” en sánscrito. Por el contrario, los dos yogas siguientes, “raja yoga” y “jnana yoga”, enfatizan los aspectos impersonales de Dios, que son la conciencia omnipresente y su fuente trascendente. En sánscrito, estos aspectos se denominan “Satchidananda” y “Parabrahman” respectivamente.
Las prácticas de “bhakti” y “karma yoga”, cuando se perfeccionan, llevan naturalmente al buscador a las prácticas meditativas del hinduismo. Estos comienzan con los pasos de “raja yoga” de control de la respiración, retirada de energía y concentración que profundizan en la meditación y la contemplación. La experiencia más profunda de la contemplación es ser uno con la conciencia pura o “Satchidananda”. Más profunda aún, más allá de la contemplación, es la experiencia de la realidad trascendente (“Parabrahman”).
“Jnana yoga” describe las prácticas espirituales esotéricas del ser completamente iluminado, o “jnani”. Un significado alternativo, popularizado por Swami Vivekananda, es la búsqueda de la cognición a través del estudio religioso intelectual, como uno de los cuatro caminos alternativos hacia la verdad, siendo los otros tres el “bhakti yoga”, el “karma yoga” y el “raja yoga”.
Estos enfoques meditativos luchan por lograr una forma del amor de Dios que no se encuentra en los enfoques del “karma” y el “bhakti yoga”. Se centran en la omnipresente conciencia del amor de Dios. Al experimentar ese estado, Dios es amor y tú también eres el amor de Dios. Paramaguru Yogaswami enseñó este concepto (que Dios Siva, tú y el amor son una unidad inseparable) en una carta a un joven llamado Yogendra Duraisamy: “Yo estoy contigo y tú estás conmigo. No hay distancia entre nosotros. Yo soy tú. Tú eres yo. ¿Qué hay que temer? ¡Mira! Yo existo como tú. Entonces ¿qué debes hacer? Debes amar. ¿A quien? A todos. Para hablar más claramente, tu propia naturaleza es el amor. No sólo tú, sino todos están impregnados de amor. Pero no existe el “todo”, pues sólo tú existes. ¡Todos son tú!
En el quinto “bhava”, amor, Dios es tu muy amado. Místicamente, también tiene el significado más profundo de que existe una unidad entre tú y Dios, una unidad inseparable de la esencia de tu alma y la omnipresencia de Dios, la fuente trascendente que se puede experimentar a través de “raja” o “jnana yoga”. En el logro más elevado, Dios, “yo” y el amor somos uno.
The post <a href="https://www.hinduismtoday.com/other-languages/spanish/dios-y-el-amor-la-vision-hindu/">Dios y el amor: La visión hindú</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.hinduismtoday.com">Hinduism Today</a>.
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<title>ದೇವರು ಮತ್ತು ಪ್ರೀತಿ: ಹಿಂದೂ ದೃಷ್ಠಿಕೋನ </title>
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<description><![CDATA[ಭಾರತೀಯ ಧರ್ಮಶಾಸ್ತ್ರದಲ್ಲಿ ದೇವರನ್ನು ಪ್ರೀತಿಸುವುದರಿಂದ (ಪ್ರತ್ಯೇಕವೆಂದು ಭಾವಿಸಿ) ದೇವರೊಡನೆ ಸ್ವಯಂ ತಾದಾತ್ಮ್ಯದ ಅನುಭವದವರೆಗೆ ಉತ್ತಮವಾಗಿ ನಿರೂಪಿಸಲಾಗಿದೆ. ಸದ್ಗುರು ಬೋಧಿನಾಥ ವೇಲನ್ ಸ್ವಾಮಿ   ಪಾಶ್ಚಿಮಾತ್ಯ ದೂರದರ್ಶನ ಕಾರ್ಯಕ್ರಮಗಳಲ್ಲಿ,...
The post <a href="https://www.hinduismtoday.com/other-languages/kannada/%e0%b2%a6%e0%b3%87%e0%b2%b5%e0%b2%b0%e0%b3%81-%e0%b2%ae%e0%b2%a4%e0%b3%8d%e0%b2%a4%e0%b3%81-%e0%b2%aa%e0%b3%8d%e0%b2%b0%e0%b3%80%e0%b2%a4%e0%b2%bf-%e0%b2%b9%e0%b2%bf%e0%b2%82%e0%b2%a6%e0%b3%82/">ದೇವರು ಮತ್ತು ಪ್ರೀತಿ: ಹಿಂದೂ ದೃಷ್ಠಿಕೋನ </a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.hinduismtoday.com">Hinduism Today</a>.
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<h2 class="wp-block-heading">ಭಾರತೀಯ ಧರ್ಮಶಾಸ್ತ್ರದಲ್ಲಿ ದೇವರನ್ನು ಪ್ರೀತಿಸುವುದರಿಂದ (ಪ್ರತ್ಯೇಕವೆಂದು ಭಾವಿಸಿ) ದೇವರೊಡನೆ ಸ್ವಯಂ ತಾದಾತ್ಮ್ಯದ ಅನುಭವದವರೆಗೆ ಉತ್ತಮವಾಗಿ ನಿರೂಪಿಸಲಾಗಿದೆ. </h2>
ಸದ್ಗುರು ಬೋಧಿನಾಥ ವೇಲನ್ ಸ್ವಾಮಿ  
ಪಾಶ್ಚಿಮಾತ್ಯ ದೂರದರ್ಶನ ಕಾರ್ಯಕ್ರಮಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ದೇವರ ಉಲ್ಲೇಖಗಳು ಅಪರೂಪ. ಆದರೂ ದೇವರನ್ನು ಕುರಿತು ಮಾತನಾಡುವಾಗ ಸಾಮಾನ್ಯವಾಗಿ “ದೇವರು ನಿನ್ನನ್ನು ಪ್ರೀತಿಸುತ್ತಾನೆ” ಎಂಬ ಪ್ರತಿಪಾದನೆಯನ್ನು ಮಾಡಲಾಗುತ್ತದೆ. ಇದು ದೇವರ ಬಗೆಗಿನ ಸಮಕಾಲೀನ ದೃಷ್ಟಿಕೋನವನ್ನು ಪ್ರತಿಬಿಂಬಿಸುತ್ತದೆ. ವಾಸ್ತವವಾಗಿ, ಬದುಕಿನ ಸವಾಲುಗಳ ನಡುವೆ, ದೇವರು ನಿಮ್ಮ ಜವಾಬ್ದಾರಿ ಹೊರುತ್ತಾನೆ ಎಂಬ ನೆಮ್ಮದಿ ಉಂಟುಮಾಡುವ ನೈತಿಕ ದೃಷ್ಠಿಯ ಮೂಲತತ್ವವನ್ನು ನೆನಪಿಸಿಕೊಳ್ಳುವುದು ಭರವಸೆಯನ್ನು ಮೂಡಿಸುತ್ತದೆ.
ಹಿಂದೂ ತತ್ತ್ವಶಾಸ್ತ್ರದಲ್ಲಿ, “ದೇವರು ನಿನ್ನನ್ನು ಪ್ರೀತಿಸುತ್ತಾನೆ” ಎಂಬ ಕಲ್ಪನೆ ಸೂಚಿತವಾಗಿದ್ದರೂ, ಆಳವಾದ ಸೂಕ್ಷ್ಮ ತರ್ಕದಿಂದ ಕೂಡಿದೆ. “ನೀವು ದೇವರನ್ನು ಪ್ರೀತಿಸುತ್ತೀರಿ” ಮತ್ತು “ಪ್ರೀತಿಯೇ ದೇವರು ” ಎಂಬುದಕ್ಕೆ ಬಲವಾದ ಒತ್ತು ಇದೆ. ಈ ಕಿಂಚಿತ್ ವಿಭಿನ್ನ ರೀತಿಯ ಗಮನದ ಕೇಂದ್ರೀಕರಣ ದೇವರ ಬಗೆಗಿನ ಪ್ರೀತಿಯನ್ನು ಬೆಳೆಸಲು ಮತ್ತು ಉತ್ಕಟಗೊಳಿಸಲು ಭಕ್ತನ ಪ್ರಾಮಾಣಿಕ ಪ್ರಯತ್ನವನ್ನು ಪ್ರಚೋದಿಸುತ್ತದೆ.
ದೇವರ ಮೇಲಿನ ಪ್ರೀತಿಯನ್ನು ಗಾಢವಾಗಿಸುವುದನ್ನು ಹೆಚ್ಚು ವಿವರವಾಗಿ ನೋಡುವ ಮೊದಲು, ಎರಡನೆಯ ಹಿಂದೂ ಪರಿಕಲ್ಪನೆಯಾದ ನಂಬಿಕೆಯತ್ತ ನಾವೀಗ ಮೊದಲು ಗಮನ ಕೊಡೋಣ. ಆಧುನಿಕ ಜಗತ್ತಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಹೆಚ್ಚಿನ ಸಂಖ್ಯೆಯ ಜನರು ತಾವು ದೇವರನ್ನು ನಂಬುವುದಿಲ್ಲ ಮತ್ತು ಧರ್ಮದೊಂದಿಗೆ ಸಂಬಂಧ ಹೊಂದುವ ಅಗತ್ಯವಿಲ್ಲ ಎಂದು ಹೇಳುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಹದಿಹರೆಯದ ಹುಡುಗಿಯೊಬ್ಬಳು “ನಾನು ಕಟ್ಟು ಕಥೆಗಳನ್ನು ನಂಬುವ ವಯಸ್ಸನ್ನು ದಾಟಿದ್ದೇನೆ” ಎಂದು ಧೈರ್ಯದಿಂದ ಘೋಷಿಸುವುದನ್ನು ಚಿತ್ರಿಸುವ ವೆಬ್‌(web)ನಲ್ಲಿನ ಜನಪ್ರಿಯ ಪೋಸ್ಟರ್ ಈ ಭಾವನೆಯನ್ನು ವ್ಯಕ್ತಪಡಿಸುತ್ತದೆ.
ಪಾಶ್ಚಾತ್ಯ ಚಿಂತನೆ ಯಾವಾಗಲೂ ಅಲ್ಲದಿದ್ದರೂ, ಧಾರ್ಮಿಕ ನಂಬಿಕೆಯನ್ನು ದೇವರು ಮತ್ತು ಧಾರ್ಮಿಕ ಸಿದ್ಧಾಂತಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಪ್ರಶ್ನಾತೀತ ಶ್ರದ್ಧೆ ಎಂದು ವ್ಯಾಖ್ಯಾನಿಸುತ್ತದೆ, ಇದು ವೆಬ್‌ಸ್ಟರ್ ನಿಘಂಟಿನ ದೃಷ್ಟಿಕೋನಕ್ಕೆ ಸರಿಹೊಂದುತ್ತದೆ. ಇದಕ್ಕೆ ವಿರುದ್ಧವಾಗಿ, ನಂಬಿಕೆಯ ಹಿಂದೂ ಅಭಿವ್ಯಕ್ತಿ ಸೈದ್ಧಾಂತಿಕ ನಿಷ್ಠೆಗೆ ಅತೀತವಾಗಿದೆ. ಹಿಂದೂ ಧರ್ಮದಲ್ಲಿ ನಂಬಿಕೆ ಹಾಗೂ ಶ್ರದ್ಧೆಗಳೆರಡೂ ಒಂದೇ ಅಲ್ಲ; ಇದು ಸ್ಥಿರವಾದ ಪರಿಸ್ಥಿತಿಯೂ ಅಲ್ಲ. ಬದಲಿಗೆ, ಇದು ವೈಯಕ್ತಿಕ ಅನುಭವ ಮತ್ತು ಆಧ್ಯಾತ್ಮಿಕ ಬೆಳವಣಿಗೆಯ ಮೂಲಕ ನಿರಂತರವಾಗಿ ತೀವ್ರವಾಗುತ್ತದೆ. ಆರಂಭದಲ್ಲಿ ಸ್ಪಷ್ಟವಾದ ಪುರಾವೆಗಳಿಲ್ಲದೆ ಸ್ವೀಕರಿಸಲ್ಪಟ್ಟ ಸನಾತನ ಧರ್ಮದ ಆಧ್ಯಾತ್ಮಿಕ ಸತ್ಯಗಳು ವೈಯಕ್ತಿಕ ಅನುಭವಗಳ ಮೂಲಕ ಅಂತಿಮ ಮೌಲ್ಯೀಕರಣವನ್ನು ಕಂಡುಕೊಳ್ಳುತ್ತವೆ. ಚಿನ್ಮಯ ಮಿಷನ್‌ನ ಸ್ಥಾಪಕರಾದ ಸ್ವಾಮಿ ಚಿನ್ಮಯಾನಂದರು ಈ ಕಲ್ಪನೆಯನ್ನು ಸಂಕ್ಷಿಪ್ತವಾಗಿ ಹೀಗೆ ವಿವರಿಸಿದ್ದಾರೆ – “ನಂಬಿಕೆ ಎಂದರೆ ನೀವು ನೋಡದದನ್ನು ನಂಬುವುದು. ನೀವು ನಂಬಿದ್ದನ್ನು ನೋಡುವುದೇ ನಂಬಿಕೆಯ ಪ್ರತಿಫಲ.”
ದೇವರ ಮೇಲಿನ ಪ್ರೀತಿಯನ್ನು ತೀವ್ರಗೊಳಿಸುವ ಹಿಂದೂ ಗುರಿಯು ಭಕ್ತಿ ಯೋಗದ ಸಂಪ್ರದಾಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಸ್ಪಷ್ಟ ಅಭಿವ್ಯಕ್ತಿಯನ್ನು ಕಂಡುಕೊಳ್ಳುತ್ತದೆ. ಇದು ವಿಭಿನ್ನ ಸಂಬಂಧಗಳ ಮೂಲಕ ದೇವರ ಮೇಲಿನ ಪ್ರೀತಿಯ ವಿಕಾಸದ ಹಂತಗಳನ್ನು ಚಿತ್ರಿಸುತ್ತದೆ. ಈ ಹಂತಗಳು ಅನೇಕ ಸಂಪ್ರದಾಯಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಸ್ವಲ್ಪಮಟ್ಟಿನ  ಬದಲಾವಣೆಗಳೊಡನೆ ಕಂಡುಬರುತ್ತವೆ. ಉದಾಹರಣೆಗೆ, ವೈಷ್ಣವ ಸಂಪ್ರದಾಯವು ಭಕ್ತಿಯ ಐದು ಪ್ರಾಥಮಿಕ ದೃಷ್ಟಿಗಳನ್ನು ಅಥವಾ ಭಾವಗಳನ್ನು ಗುರುತಿಸುತ್ತದೆ:
ಶಾಂತಿ (ಶಾಂತ ಭಾವ): ಆತ್ಮವು ದೇವರ ಸನ್ನಿಧಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ತೃಪ್ತಿಯನ್ನು ಅನುಭವಿಸುತ್ತದೆ. 
ಸೇವೆ (ದಾಸ್ಯ ಭಾವ): ಆತ್ಮವು ಭಗವಂತನೊಡನೆ ಒಡೆಯನಿಗೆ ಸೇವೆ ಸಲ್ಲಿಸುವ ಸೇವಕನ ಪಾತ್ರದಲ್ಲಿ ತೊಡಗುತ್ತದೆ. ಸ್ನೇಹ (ಸಖ್ಯ ಭಾವ): ಆತ್ಮವು ಸ್ನೇಹಿತನಂತೆ ದೇವರೊಡನೆ ಸಂಬಂಧವನ್ನು ಕಲ್ಪಿಸಿಕೊಳ್ಳುತ್ತದೆ. 
ಪೋಷಕ (ವಾತ್ಸಲ್ಯ ಭಾವ): ಆತ್ಮವು ಭಗವಂತನೊಡನೆ ಪೋಷಕರಿಗೆ ಮಗುವಿನ ಮೇಲಿರುವ ಪ್ರೀತಿಯ ಸಂಬಂಧವನ್ನು ತಾಳುತ್ತದೆ. 
ಪ್ರೀತಿ (ಮಾಧುರ್ಯ ಭಾವ): ಆತ್ಮವು ಭಗವಂತನನ್ನು ಪ್ರಿಯತಮನೆಂದು ಭಾವಿಸಿ ದೇವರೊಡನೆ ಮಧುರವಾದ ತಾದಾತ್ಮ್ಯವನ್ನು ಅನುಭವಿಸುತ್ತದೆ.
ನಿರ್ಣಾಯಕವಾದ ವಿಚಾರಣೆ ಶಾಂತ ಭಾವದಿಂದ ಮಾಧುರ್ಯ ಭಾವಕ್ಕೆ ಕ್ರಮೇಣ ಪರಿವರ್ತನೆಗೊಳ್ಳುವ ಮೂಲಕ ದೇವರ ಮೇಲಿನ ಭಕ್ತಿಯನ್ನು  ಹೆಚ್ಚಿಸುವುದು ಹೇಗೆ ಎಂಬುದನ್ನು ಕೇಂದ್ರವಾಗಿ ಇರಿಸಿಕೊಳ್ಳುತ್ತದೆ. ಭಕ್ತಿ, ಕರ್ಮ, ರಾಜ ಮತ್ತು ಜ್ಞಾನದ ಯೋಗಗಳು ಅದರ ನಾಲ್ಕು ಪ್ರಾಥಮಿಕ ಹಂತಗಳು ಅಥವಾ ವಿಧಾನಗಳಾಗಿವೆ. ಅಪೇಕ್ಷಿತ ಭಾವ ಪ್ರಗತಿ ಹೊಂದಲು ಅವುಗಳ ಪ್ರಸ್ತುತತೆಯನ್ನು ಗಮನದಲ್ಲಿಟ್ಟುಕೊಂಡು ಒಂದೊಂದನ್ನಾಗಿ ಪರಿಶೀಲಿಸೋಣ.
ದೇವರ ಮೇಲಿನ ಪ್ರೀತಿಯನ್ನು ಆಳವಾಗಿಸಲು ಪ್ರಯತ್ನಿಸುವಾಗ, ಮೊದಲು ಭಕ್ತಿ ಯೋಗದ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಯೋಚಿಸುವುದು ಸಹಜ. ಇದು ದೇವಾಲಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಪ್ರಾತಿನಿಧಿಕವಾಗಿ ಮಾಡಲಾಗುವ ಆದರೆ ಪ್ರತ್ಯೇಕವಾಗಿ ಅಲ್ಲದ ಹಲವಾರು ಭಕ್ತಿ ಆಚರಣೆಗಳನ್ನು ಒಳಗೊಂಡಿದೆ. ದೇವಾಲಯವು ದೇವರು ತನ್ನ ಸೂಕ್ಷ್ಮ ಶರೀರದಲ್ಲಿ ದೇವರ ಮೂರ್ತಿಯ ಸುತ್ತ ಮುತ್ತ ಸುಳಿದಾಡುವ ವಿಶೇಷವಾದ ಪವಿತ್ರ ಸ್ಥಳವಾಗಿದೆ. ಈ ಕಲ್ಪನೆಯ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಸ್ವಾಮಿ ಭಾಸ್ಕರಾನಂದರು ಹೀಗೆ ಹೇಳುತ್ತಾರೆ: “ಮೂರ್ತಿಯು ವಿಗ್ರಹವಲ್ಲ ಆದರೆ ದೇವರ ಆಯ್ಕೆಯ ಅಂಶದ ಪವಿತ್ರೀಕರಿಸಲ್ಪಟ್ಟ ಪ್ರತೀಕ. ಆರಾಧಕ ವಾಸ್ತವವಾಗಿಯೂ ವಿಗ್ರಹದಲ್ಲಿ ದೇವರು ಇದ್ದಾನೆ ಎಂದು ನಂಬುತ್ತಾನೆ. ಹೀಗಾಗಿ ವಿಗ್ರಹ ಪರಮಾತ್ಮನೊಂದಿಗೆ ಸಂವಹನ ಮಾಡುವ ಮಾರ್ಗವಾಗುತ್ತದೆ.”(The Essentials of Hinduism).
ಭಕ್ತಿ ಯೋಗ ಅಭ್ಯಾಸದಲ್ಲಿ ಈ ಕೆಳಗಿನ ಏಳು ವಿಧಾನಗಳು ಸೇರಿವೆ-
ಶ್ರವಣ: ದೇವರ ಕಥೆಗಳನ್ನು ಕೇಳುವುದು; 
ಕೀರ್ತನೆ: ಭಕ್ತಿಗೀತೆಗಳು ಮತ್ತು ಹಾಡುಗಳನ್ನು ಹಾಡುವುದು; 
ಸ್ಮರಣೆ: ಪರಮಾತ್ಮನ ಉಪಸ್ಥಿತಿ ಮತ್ತು ದೇವರನಾಮವನ್ನು ನೆನಪಿಸಿಕೊಳ್ಳುವುದು; 
ಪಾದ-ಸೇವನೆ: ಮಾನವೀಯತೆಯ ಸೇವೆಯನ್ನು ಒಳಗೊಂಡಂತೆ ಭಗವಂತನ ಪವಿತ್ರ ಪಾದಗಳಿಗೆ ಸೇವೆ ಸಲ್ಲಿಸುವುದು;  
ಅರ್ಚನೆ: ದೇವಸ್ಥಾನದಲ್ಲಿ ಧಾರ್ಮಿಕ ಪೂಜೆಗೆ ಹಾಜರಾಗುವುದು, ಮನೆಯ ಪೂಜಾಗೃಹದಲ್ಲಿ ಪೂಜೆ                      ನಡೆಸುವುದು ಅಥವಾ ಆ ಸಮಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಅಲ್ಲಿ ಉಪಸ್ಥಿತರಾಗಿರುವುದು; 
ವಂದನೆ: ದೇವರಿಗೆ ಸಾಷ್ಟಾಂಗ ನಮಸ್ಕಾರ ಮಾಡುವುದು; 
ಆತ್ಮ ನಿವೇದನೆ: ಸಂಪೂರ್ಣ ಶರಣಾಗತಿ ಮಾಡುವುದು.  
ಭಕ್ತಿ ಯೋಗದ ಮೂಲಕ ನಾವು ದೇವರಲ್ಲಿ  ಪ್ರೀತಿಯನ್ನು ಮತ್ತು ಸ್ವಾರ್ಥರಹಿತ ಪ್ರವೃತ್ತಿ ಮತ್ತು ನಿಷ್ಕಳಂಕತೆಯನ್ನು ಬೆಳೆಸಿಕೊಳ್ಳುತ್ತೇವೆ, ಇದು ಕ್ರಮೇಣ ಆತ್ಮಾಪವರಣಕ್ಕೆ ಮತ್ತು ದೇವರಲ್ಲಿ ಸಂಪೂರ್ಣ ಶರಣಾಗತಿಗೆ ದಾರಿಮಾಡಿಕೊಡುತ್ತದೆ.
ಕರ್ಮ ಯೋಗ ಅಥವಾ ಸೇವೆ ಎಂದರೆ ಸ್ವಾರ್ಥರಹಿತವಾದ ಸೇವೆ. ಸೇವೆಯನ್ನು ಸಾಮಾನ್ಯವಾಗಿ ದೇವಸ್ಥಾನದಲ್ಲಿ ಮೊದಲು ಆರಂಭಿಸಲಾಗುತ್ತದೆ. ಅಲ್ಲಿ ಭಕ್ತ ನೆಲವನ್ನು ಸ್ವಚ್ಛಗೊಳಿಸುವುದು, ದೀಪಗಳನ್ನು ಒರೆಸುವುದು, ಹೂಮಾಲೆಗಳನ್ನು ಕಟ್ಟುವುದು ಮತ್ತು ಇತರ ಭಕ್ತರಿಗೆ ಅಡುಗೆ ಮಾಡುವುದು ಮತ್ತು ಆಹಾರವನ್ನು ಬಡಿಸುವುದು ಮುಂತಾದ ಸರಳ ಕಾರ್ಯಗಳನ್ನು ಮಾಡುತ್ತಾನೆ. ಅಂತಹ ಎಲ್ಲಾ ಕ್ರಿಯೆಗಳನ್ನು ಮನ್ನಣೆ ದೊರೆಯುವ ಉದ್ದೇಶದಿಂದ ಅಥವಾ ಪ್ರತಿಫಲದ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಯೋಚಿಸದೆ ಮಾಡಬೇಕು. ಕೆಲಸದ ಪರಿಸರದಲ್ಲಿ ಅಥವಾ ಶಾಲೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಸೇವೆ ಸಲ್ಲಿಸುವುದನ್ನು ವಿಸ್ತರಿಸಬಹುದು. ಅಲ್ಲಿ ನಾವು ಇತರರಿಗೆ ಸಹಾಯ ಮಾಡಲು ಪ್ರಯತ್ನಿಸಬೇಕು ಮತ್ತು ಪರಿಸ್ಥಿತಿ ನಮ್ಮಿಂದ ನಿರೀಕ್ಷಿಸುವುದಕ್ಕಿಂತ ಹೆಚ್ಚಿನ ಸೇವೆ ಸಲ್ಲಿಸಬಹುದು. ಎಲ್ಲಾ ಜೀವಿಗಳನ್ನು ಭಗವಂತನ ಜೀವಂತ ಅಭಿವ್ಯಕ್ತಿಗಳೆಂದು ಭಾವಿಸಿ ಸೇವೆ ಸಲ್ಲಿಸುವುದರ ಮೂಲಕ ದೇವರನ್ನು ಪೂಜಿಸುವುದು ಎಂದು ಇದನ್ನು ಪರಿಗಣಿಸಬಹುದು. 2001ರ ಗುಜರಾತ್ ಭೂಕಂಪದ ನಂತರ BAPS ನ ಪ್ರಮುಖ್ ಸ್ವಾಮಿ ಮಹಾರಾಜ್ ಅವರು ತಮ್ಮ ಅನುಯಾಯಿಗಳಿಗೆ ಹೀಗೆಂದು ಸಲಹೆ ನೀಡಿದರು: “ಕಷ್ಟ ಮತ್ತು ದುಃಖಗಳನ್ನು ಎದುರಿಸುತ್ತಿರುವ ಜನರನ್ನು ಸಂತೈಸುವುದು ನಮ್ಮ ಭಾರತೀಯ ಸಂಪ್ರದಾಯವಾಗಿದೆ. ದೀನದಲಿತರಿಗೆ ಸೇವೆ ಸಲ್ಲಿಸುವ ಮೂಲಕ ಭಗವಂತನ ಸೇವೆ ಮಾಡುತ್ತೇವೆ ಎಂದು ನಾವು ಭಾವಿಸುತ್ತೇವೆ.
ಇನ್ನೂ ಕಷ್ಟಕರವಾದ ವಿಧಾನದಲ್ಲಿ, ಮಹಾನ್ ಬೋಧಕರು ದೇವರನ್ನು ತಲುಪುವ ಗುರಿಯೊಂದಿಗೆ ಎಲ್ಲ ಕೆಲಸಗಳನ್ನು ಮಾಡುವಂತೆ ಹೇಳುತ್ತಾರೆ. ದೇವರನ್ನು ತಲುಪುವ ಗುರಿಯೊಂದಿಗೆ ನಮ್ಮ ಕೆಲಸವನ್ನು ನಿರ್ವಹಿಸುವುದರಿಂದ ಸ್ವಾಭಾವಿಕವಾಗಿ ಪ್ರತಿಯೊಂದು ಕಾರ್ಯವೂ ಭಗವಂತನಿಗೆ ಅರ್ಪಣೆ ಎಂಬ ದೃಷ್ಟಿಕೋನವನ್ನು ಹೊಂದಲು ಕಾರಣವಾಗುತ್ತದೆ. ಶ್ರೇಷ್ಠವಾದುದರಿಂದ ಹಿಡಿದು ಕೆಳಮಟ್ಟದವರೆಗಿನ ಪ್ರತಿಯೊಂದು ಕಾರ್ಯವೂ ಪವಿತ್ರ ವಿಧಿಯಾಗುತ್ತದೆ. “ಕಾಯಕವೇ ಕೈಲಾಸ.” ಸರಳವಾದ, ಮನೆಗೆಲಸಗಳನ್ನು ಸಹ ಈ ಶ್ರದ್ಧೆಯಿಂದ ಮಾಡಬೇಕು. ನನ್ನ ಪರಮಗುರು ಯೋಗಸ್ವಾಮಿಯವರು ಒಮ್ಮೆ ತಮ್ಮ ಗುಡಿಸಲಿನ ಹೊರಗೆ ಶೌಚಾಲಯವನ್ನು ಶುಚಿಗೊಳಿಸುತ್ತಿದ್ದ ಒಬ್ಬ ಕಾರ್ಮಿಕನೊಂದಿಗೆ ಮಾತನಾಡಿದರು: “ಓ ರಾಮಸ್ವಾಮಿ! ಅಲ್ಲಿ ಶಿವಪೂಜೆ (ದೇವರ ಪೂಜೆ) ಮಾಡುತ್ತಿದ್ದೀರಾ?”
ಈ ರೀತಿ ಇಡೀ ಜೀವನ ಪವಿತ್ರವಾಗುತ್ತದೆ ಮತ್ತು ಲೌಕಿಕ ಮತ್ತು ಆಧ್ಯಾತ್ಮಿಕ ನಡುವಿನ ಸಂಘರ್ಷವು ಮರೆಯಾಗುತ್ತದೆ. ಕರ್ಮ ಯೋಗ ಅಂತಿಮವಾಗಿ ಬ್ರಹ್ಮಾಂಡವೇ ಭಗವಂತನ ಆಟವೆಂಬ ಸಾಕ್ಷಾತ್ಕಾರಕ್ಕೆ  ಕಾರಣವಾಗಬಹುದು. ಈ ಒಳನೋಟ ಕೇವಲ ಕರ್ಮ ಫಲವನ್ನು ತ್ಯಜಿಸುವ ದೃಷ್ಟಿಕೋನವನ್ನು ಮಾತ್ರವಲ್ಲ,  ನಾನೇ ಆ ಕರ್ಮದ ಕರ್ತೃ ಎಂಬ ಭಾವನೆಯನ್ನು ಸಹ ತ್ಯಜಿಸುವಂತೆ ಮಾಡುತ್ತದೆ. ಸೇವೆಯ ಪ್ರತಿಯೊಂದು ಕಾರ್ಯವೂ ಭಗವಂತನಿಗೆ ಅರ್ಪಣೆಯಾಗುತ್ತದೆ ಮತ್ತು ಶ್ರೇಷ್ಠವಾದುದರಿಂದ ಹಿಡಿದು ಕೆಳಮಟ್ಟದವರೆಗಿನ ಪ್ರತಿಯೊಂದು ಕಾರ್ಯವೂ ಪವಿತ್ರ ವಿಧಿಯಾಗುತ್ತದೆ. ಕರ್ಮಯೋಗದ ಅಭ್ಯಾಸಗಳ ಮೂಲಕ  ದೇವರಲ್ಲಿನ ಭಕ್ತನ ಪ್ರೀತಿ ಸ್ವಾಭಾವಿಕವಾಗಿ ಗಾಢವಾಗುತ್ತದೆ.
ಭಕ್ತಿ ಯೋಗ ಮತ್ತು ಕರ್ಮ ಯೋಗ ಎರಡರಲ್ಲೂ, ಭಕ್ತನು ಸಂಸ್ಕೃತದಲ್ಲಿ ಈಶ್ವರ ಎಂದು ಕರೆಯಲ್ಪಡುವ ದೇವರ ಸಾಕಾರದ ಮೇಲೆ ಗಮನವನ್ನು ಕೇಂದ್ರೀಕರಿಸುತ್ತಾನೆ. ಇದಕ್ಕೆ ವ್ಯತಿರಿಕ್ತವಾಗಿ, ಮುಂದಿನ ಎರಡು ಯೋಗಗಳಾದ ರಾಜ ಯೋಗ ಮತ್ತು ಜ್ಞಾನ ಯೋಗಗಳು ಸರ್ವವ್ಯಾಪಿ ಪ್ರಜ್ಞೆ ಮತ್ತು ಅದರ ಅತೀಂದ್ರಿಯ ಮೂಲವಾಗಿರುವ ದೇವರ ನಿರಾಕಾರ ಅಂಶಗಳನ್ನು ಒತ್ತಿಹೇಳುತ್ತವೆ. ಸಂಸ್ಕೃತದಲ್ಲಿ, ಈ ಅಂಶಗಳನ್ನು ಕ್ರಮವಾಗಿ ಸಚ್ಚಿದಾನಂದ ಮತ್ತು ಪರಬ್ರಹ್ಮನ್ ಎಂದು ಉಲ್ಲೇಖಿಸಲಾಗುತ್ತದೆ.
ಭಕ್ತಿ ಮತ್ತು ಕರ್ಮ ಯೋಗದ ಅಭ್ಯಾಸಗಳು ಪರಿಪೂರ್ಣವಾದಾಗ, ಸ್ವಾಭಾವಿಕವಾಗಿ ಅನ್ವೇಷಕನನ್ನು ಹಿಂದೂ ಧರ್ಮದ ಧ್ಯಾನದ ಅಭ್ಯಾಸಗಳಿಗೆ  ಕರೆದೊಯ್ಯುತ್ತವೆ. ಇವುಗಳು ರಾಜಯೋಗದ ಹಂತಗಳಾದ ಉಸಿರಾಟದ ನಿಯಂತ್ರಣ, ಶಕ್ತಿಯನ್ನು ಹಿಂತೆಗೆದುಕೊಳ್ಳುವುದು ಮತ್ತು ಏಕಾಗ್ರತೆಗಳಿಂದ  ಆರಂಭವಾಗಿ, ಹೆಚ್ಚು ತೀವ್ರವಾಗುತ್ತಾ ಧ್ಯಾನ ಮತ್ತು ಚಿಂತನೆಯನ್ನು ತಲಪುತ್ತದೆ. ಚಿಂತನೆಯ ಅತ್ಯಂತ ತೀವ್ರವಾದ ಅನುಭವವೆಂದರೆ ಶುದ್ಧ ಪ್ರಜ್ಞೆ ಅಥವಾ ಸಚ್ಚಿದಾನಂದದೊಡನೆ ಒಂದಾಗುವುದು. ಅದಕ್ಕಿಂತಲೂ ತೀವ್ರವಾದುದೆಂದರೆ -ಚಿಂತನೆಗೆ ಮೀರಿದ-ಅಲೌಕಿಕವಾದ ವಾಸ್ತವತೆಯ ಅನುಭವ (ಪರಬ್ರಹ್ಮನ್).
ಜ್ಞಾನ ಯೋಗವು ಸಂಪೂರ್ಣ ಜ್ಞಾನೋದಯವಾದ ವ್ಯಕ್ತಿಯ ಅಥವಾ ಜ್ಞಾನಿಯ ಗೂಢಾರ್ಥದ ಆಧ್ಯಾತ್ಮಿಕ ಅಭ್ಯಾಸಗಳನ್ನು ವಿವರಿಸುತ್ತದೆ. ಸ್ವಾಮಿ ವಿವೇಕಾನಂದರಿಂದ ಜನಪ್ರಿಯಗೊಳಿಸಲ್ಪಟ್ಟ ಜ್ಞಾನ ಯೋಗದ ಪರ್ಯಾಯ ಅರ್ಥವು ಸತ್ಯಕ್ಕೆ ನಾಲ್ಕು ಪರ್ಯಾಯ ಮಾರ್ಗಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಒಂದಾಗಿರುವ ವೈಚಾರಿಕತೆ ಪ್ರಾಧಾನ್ಯವಾದ ಧಾರ್ಮಿಕ ಅಧ್ಯಯನದ ಮೂಲಕ ಅರಿವಿನ ಅನ್ವೇಷಣೆಯಾಗಿದೆ. ಇತರ ಮೂರು ಮಾರ್ಗಗಳೆಂದರೆ: ಭಕ್ತಿ ಯೋಗ, ಕರ್ಮ ಯೋಗ ಮತ್ತು ರಾಜ ಯೋಗ.
ಈ ಧ್ಯಾನ ವಿಧಾನಗಳು ಕರ್ಮ ಮತ್ತು ಭಕ್ತಿ ಯೋಗ ವಿಧಾನಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಕಂಡುಬರದ ದೇವರ ಮೇಲಿನ ಪ್ರೀತಿಯ ಒಂದು ರೂಪಕ್ಕಾಗಿ ಸ್ಪರ್ಧಿಸುತ್ತಿವೆ. ಅವು ಭಗವಂತನ ಪ್ರೀತಿಯ ಸರ್ವವ್ಯಾಪಿ ಪ್ರಜ್ಞೆಯ ಮೇಲೆ ಗಮನವನ್ನು ಕೇಂದ್ರೀಕರಿಸುತ್ತವೆ. ಆ ಸ್ಥಿತಿಯನ್ನು ಅನುಭವಿಸುವಾಗ, ಪ್ರೀತಿಯೇ ದೇವರು ಮತ್ತು ನೀವು ಸಹ ಭಗವಂತನ ಪ್ರೀತಿಗೆ ಪಾತ್ರರಾದವರು. ಪರಮಗುರು ಯೋಗಸ್ವಾಮಿ ಅವರು ಯೋಗೇಂದ್ರ ದುರೈಸಾಮಿ ಎಂಬ ಯುವಕನಿಗೆ ಬರೆದ ಪತ್ರದಲ್ಲಿ ಭಗವಂತ ಪರಮಶಿವ, ನೀನು ಮತ್ತು ಪ್ರೀತಿ ಬೇರ್ಪಡಿಸಲಾಗದಂತೆ  ಐಕ್ಯಗೊಂಡಿವೆ ಎಂಬ ಈ ಭಾವನೆಯನ್ನು ಕಲಿಸಿದ್ದಾರೆ. “ನಾನು ನಿನ್ನೊಂದಿಗಿದ್ದೇನೆ ಮತ್ತು ನೀನು ನನ್ನೊಂದಿಗಿರುವೆ. ನಮ್ಮಿಬ್ಬರ ನಡುವೆ ಯಾವುದೇ ಅಂತರವಿಲ್ಲ. ನಾನೇ ನೀನು. ನೀನೇ ನಾನು. ಏಕೆ ಭಯಪಡಬೇಕು? ನೋಡು! ನಾನು ನಿನ್ನಂತೆ ಅಸ್ತಿತ್ವ ಪಡೆದಿದ್ದೇನೆ. ಹಾಗಾದರೆ ನೀನು ಏನು ಮಾಡಬೇಕು? ನೀನು ಪ್ರೀತಿಸಬೇಕು. ಯಾರನ್ನು? ಎಲ್ಲರನ್ನೂ ಪ್ರೀತಿಸಬೇಕು. ಹೆಚ್ಚು ಸ್ಪಷ್ಟವಾಗಿ ಹೇಳಬೇಕೆಂದರೆ, ನಿನ್ನ ಸ್ವಭಾವವೇ ಪ್ರೀತಿ. ನೀನು ಮಾತ್ರವಲ್ಲ, ಎಲ್ಲರೂ ಪ್ರೀತಿಯಿಂದ ಆವೃತರಾಗಿದ್ದಾರೆ. ಆದರೆ ‘ಎಲ್ಲರೂ’ ಅಲ್ಲ, ಏಕೆಂದರೆ ನೀನು ಮಾತ್ರ ಅಸ್ತಿತ್ವ ಹೊಂದಿರುವೆ. ನೀನೇ ಎಲ್ಲರೂ ಆಗಿರುವೆ!”
ಐದನೇ ಪ್ರೀತಿ ಭಾವದಲ್ಲಿ ದೇವರು ನಿಮ್ಮ ಪ್ರೀತಿಪಾತ್ರನಾದ ಪ್ರಿಯತಮ. ಆಧ್ಯಾತ್ಮಿಕವಾಗಿ ಇದು ನಿಮ್ಮ ಮತ್ತು ದೇವರ ನಡುವೆ ಏಕತೆ ಇದೆ ಎಂಬ ಗಹನವಾದ ಅರ್ಥವನ್ನು ಹೊಂದಿದೆ, ನಿಮ್ಮ ಆತ್ಮದ ಬೇರ್ಪಡಿಸಲಾಗದ ಏಕತೆಯ ಸಾರ ಮತ್ತು ಎಲ್ಲೆಡೆಯೂ ಕಾಣುತ್ತಿರುವ ದೇವರ, ರಾಜ ಅಥವಾ ಜ್ಞಾನ ಯೋಗದ ಮೂಲಕ ಅನುಭವಿಸಬಹುದಾದ ಇಂದ್ರಿಯಾತೀತ ಮೂಲವಾಗಿದೆ. ಅತ್ಯುನ್ನತ ಸಾಧನೆಯಲ್ಲಿ, ದೇವರು, “ನಾನು” ಮತ್ತು ಪ್ರೀತಿ ಎಲ್ಲ ಒಂದೇ ಆಗಿದೆ.
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<title>Chinmaya Mission West Invests in its Youth</title>
<link>https://www.hinduismtoday.com/magazine/april-may-june-2024/chinmaya-mission-west-invests-in-its-youth/</link>
<comments>https://www.hinduismtoday.com/magazine/april-may-june-2024/chinmaya-mission-west-invests-in-its-youth/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Hinduism Today]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Sun, 31 Mar 2024 01:15:00 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Youth]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[April/May/June, 2024]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Philosophy & Scripture]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Teaching & Parenting]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Feature Stories]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Culture & Society]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Special Feature]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Chinmaya mission]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Swami Chinmayananda]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[India]]></category>
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<category><![CDATA[Hinduism]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Balavihar]]></category>
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<description><![CDATA[Over a period of 30 weeks each year, tens of thousands of children in North America, from kindergarten through grade,...
The post <a href="https://www.hinduismtoday.com/magazine/april-may-june-2024/chinmaya-mission-west-invests-in-its-youth/">Chinmaya Mission West Invests in its Youth</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.hinduismtoday.com">Hinduism Today</a>.
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<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Over a period of 30 weeks each year, tens of thousands of children in North America, from kindergarten through grade twelve, follow a syllabus based on Advaita Vedanta to prepare them for a spiritual life</h2>
By Nimmi Raghunathan, California
All images courtesy Chinmaya Mission
 It was 1965 when pujya gurudev swami Chinmayananda made his first visit to the US—to the San Francisco of social commotion of experimentation, peace, and New Age ideas. His first three-day lecture series stateside was impactful enough for him to come back every year after that.
This guru was different. He did not think his task was to just pop up, talk to a group of people, jet back to India, and forget about the seekers and the curious. He took them seriously. Decades later, Swami Swaroopananda, Global Head of Chinmaya Mission, smiles and says, “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam—the whole world is one family. That’s the message of our rishis; and when Gurudev set up Chinmaya Mission West (CMW), he demonstrated commitment right then. It was a signal to the people that we are with you. It was a permanent idea.”
Flashback again. It was 1973, and Gurudev Swami Chinmayananda was in Long Island, New York. Sharada Kumar was accompanying him and chanting the Bhagavad Gita, as she had always done at his satsangs. At bhiksha one evening, he instructed her, “Start Bala Vihar.” Sharada Kumar, who had a 3-year-old at the time, was nonplussed. “What is that?” she asked softly. “When you go to Mumbai, meet Nirmala Amma,” came the reply. Some years later, Darshana Nanavaty, who today is the director of the Bala Vihar (BV) program at CM Houston, had a similar experience. “Take care of my children,” Gurudev told her. At the time, she had no idea what to do with that instruction.
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<figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" width="1024" height="481" src="https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Guarang-and-Darshana-Nanavaty-with-teachers-at-CM-Houston-1024x481.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-18725" srcset="https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Guarang-and-Darshana-Nanavaty-with-teachers-at-CM-Houston-1024x481.jpg 1024w, https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Guarang-and-Darshana-Nanavaty-with-teachers-at-CM-Houston-300x141.jpg 300w, https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Guarang-and-Darshana-Nanavaty-with-teachers-at-CM-Houston-768x360.jpg 768w, https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Guarang-and-Darshana-Nanavaty-with-teachers-at-CM-Houston.jpg 1400w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Gaurang and Darshana Nanavaty with teachers at CM Houston</figcaption></figure></div>
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<figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img decoding="async" width="1024" height="576" src="https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/2023-CMW-locations-1024x576.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-18713" srcset="https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/2023-CMW-locations-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/2023-CMW-locations-300x169.jpg 300w, https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/2023-CMW-locations-768x432.jpg 768w, https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/2023-CMW-locations.jpg 1400w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Locations of centers and chapters in North America</figcaption></figure></div>
The two of them did not know then that the loving directive they had been given would have far-reaching consequences. With several hundred volunteers and dynamic swamins (this term includes both men and women monks), it would balloon to touch the lives of thousands of Indian American children, laying the foundation blocks of Hindu values and shaping their perspective of life through the philosophy of Advaita Vedanta. 
Sharada Kumar, who is now CM’s National BV Coordinator, says, “I had to start from scratch,” reminiscing how Nirmala Amma, who ran a BV in her apartment in Mumbai, gave her tips on constructing a curriculum. Darshana Nanavaty remembers immersing herself in writing, collating and creating small books of teaching material and taking them with her to show Gurudev at a camp at the ashram in Piercy, California, seeking his guidance and approval. She recalls a fellow devotee, the late Susheel Bibbs, who lived in Piercy and had worked on the Sesame Street TV show, pitching in ideas on how to make things appealing for kids.
Students
Of course, having teaching material is one thing—getting an audience for it is another. As every early volunteer in every center across North America reports, the children at home and their young friends become the first students.
Bala means children and vihar means play. This, even the very first homegrown teachers of CM understood. In pre-Internet days, they scrounged around for craft ideas to supplement their teaching on Diwali and Navaratri. Anyone traveling to India was tasked with bringing back animated books on the Gods. Some translated bhajans into English and had the kids mime Lord Hanuman’s power and Krishna’s playfulness. It was all fun.
Today, for many in North America, Chinmaya Mission is synonymous with Bala Vihar—a far cry from its inconspicuous beginnings, where little groups of children met once a week in Los Angeles, San Jose, Boston and Chicago, in the homes, basements and garages of their parents. The remarkable truth of this expansion is that its success has been purely driven by word of mouth. Communities will be hard-pressed to find glossy printed testimonials and television ads; but an anxious parent of a toddler has to simply utter worried words like, “culture,” or “learning about Hinduism,” at a gathering, and he or she is likely to be informed about CM and the efficacy of its BV program by a parent who has had a child attend.
Initiatives
Along with growth came more initiatives. Children began to get grouped grade-wise so instruction could be more targeted. Shlokas were incorporated to suit the age level. Sets of prayers were assembled, including those invoking the Gods Ganesha and Saraswati, and chanted at the start of class. Other sacred verses were compiled, with Shanti Path mantra at the end of the class.  
Gaurang Nanavaty, the dynamic founder of CM Houston, points out that not only was chanting taught but “emphasis was laid on what the Sanskrit words meant, so children would comprehend, internalize and make it their own.” Growing up primarily with English, students were provided not only translations but transliterations of the material. 
North American Bala Vihar children over the years have embraced this fully and become so precise in their pronunciation that they have gone on to shine at Gita chanting competitions in India.  
Teaching
As the BV movement began to spread, the CM communities in some cities grew sizeable enough to band together and buy properties to establish centers. Today, while the newer and smaller chapters rent rooms from schools for the weekend to conduct BV, many others have constructed small and large buildings with the help of member donations. These buildings tend to have classrooms equipped with TV monitors to help in instruction, a satsang hall, an altar and resident quarters for the head monk of the center.
Other BV matters began to formalize, too. Families began to pay an annual BV donation or fee, to have their children attend. No longer homegrown, volunteer teachers are now vetted and handpicked by either the swamins or senior sevaks of a center and then trained. In Los Angeles, for instance, with an eye for quality instruction, all teachers are required to complete the online Foundation Vedanta Course administered in India by scholars and Vedantins. The year-long program is supported with in-person weekly satsangs by Swami Ishwarananda, the learned head of the center. Teachers at the various centers also attend satsangs, study groups and converse over online forums.
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<figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img decoding="async" width="682" height="1024" src="https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/CMH-Balavihar-Aarti-Portrait-2-682x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-18720" srcset="https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/CMH-Balavihar-Aarti-Portrait-2-682x1024.jpg 682w, https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/CMH-Balavihar-Aarti-Portrait-2-200x300.jpg 200w, https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/CMH-Balavihar-Aarti-Portrait-2-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/CMH-Balavihar-Aarti-Portrait-2.jpg 933w" sizes="(max-width: 682px) 100vw, 682px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">youth practice performing arati</figcaption></figure></div></div>
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<figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img decoding="async" width="576" height="1024" src="https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Swami-Siddhananda-IMG_9482-576x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-18736" srcset="https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Swami-Siddhananda-IMG_9482-576x1024.jpg 576w, https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Swami-Siddhananda-IMG_9482-169x300.jpg 169w, https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Swami-Siddhananda-IMG_9482-768x1366.jpg 768w, https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Swami-Siddhananda-IMG_9482.jpg 787w" sizes="(max-width: 576px) 100vw, 576px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Swami Siddhananda manages the book distribution center in Pennsylvania</figcaption></figure></div></div>
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<figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img decoding="async" width="1024" height="679" src="https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/matru-puja.-cmla-1024x679.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-18729" srcset="https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/matru-puja.-cmla-1024x679.jpg 1024w, https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/matru-puja.-cmla-300x200.jpg 300w, https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/matru-puja.-cmla-768x509.jpg 768w, https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/matru-puja.-cmla.jpg 1400w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Children perform “Matru Puja” in Los Angeles to honor their mothers</figcaption></figure></div>
CM Los Angeles has also instituted an Education Council comprised of senior teachers and sevaks, whose job is to mentor teachers throughout the year and keep an eye on the prescribed curriculum. 
Brahmachari Soham Chaitanya, the young head of CM San Jose, who was a BV student in India and then briefly taught BV in North America before becoming a monk, says there are advantages to a structured syllabus. “Once the teacher gets comfortable with the topic, it allows them to be creative in their presentation,” he says. “They don’t need to spend too much time thinking about what they are going to teach in the next class.” 
This allows an age-appropriate curriculum which is, for example, “effective in engaging high schoolers, since they are entering a phase where they appreciate more discussion and relatable examples.” Indeed, teachers are encouraged to pique the interest of students and allow them to question freely. And children are known to demand answers to why Lord Ganesha’s head had to be cut off or Rama’s father had so many wives! 
Trained in Vedanta, teachers of younger children provide answers while those of older ones encourage students to introspect further and understand their role in society, through the prism of dharma and universal values such as tolerance and compassion. 
Discipline
In the event that a chapter or center has to deal with, say, a less than committed teacher, the volunteer is gently directed and reassigned to another needed volunteer task. “Whichever center it may be, there is no question they are dedicated to CM but it could be their talent lies elsewhere,” explains Swami Ishwarananda, “No one has to leave, and no one is told to leave.”
Discipline and handling truancy in the case of children, too, is sought to be done as gently and firmly as possible. Teachers and senior sevaks first try to talk to the child and after this, the parents are looped in. Again, in infrequent situations, when this action draws a blank, the request may be made to withdraw the child from the program. 
Flexibility
Whether it is about incorporating new topics or tweaking teaching methods, both Darshana Nanavaty and Sharada Kumar say it comes from being open to teachers’ feedback while also keeping their ear to the ground on the needs of the children themselves. 
This flexibility, as any teacher will attest, is key to being heard by the student. Brahmachari Soham Chaitanya believes that among the top three reasons the Bala Vihar program has met with success is the “decentralization of operation.” So, while CMW provides broad parameters on education, individual centers are free to study their youth and structure materials and teaching to suit. 
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<figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img decoding="async" width="1024" height="768" src="https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/balavihar-calgary-1024x768.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-18717" srcset="https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/balavihar-calgary-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/balavihar-calgary-300x225.jpg 300w, https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/balavihar-calgary-768x576.jpg 768w, https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/balavihar-calgary.jpg 1400w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">students in Calgary, Alberta, learn about mudras</figcaption></figure></div>
To gain a deeper understanding of Hindu beliefs and practices, teachers bring to the class several thoughts and works that are not necessarily Chinmaya Mission publications but are within the ambit of Advaita Vedanta. They also plan field trips to observe temple rituals and include visits to other faith centers like Zoroastrian and Buddhist temples, synagogues, mosques and churches.
Some larger centers with deep teacher talent, guided by learned swamins, generate books on subjects geared to specific grades. In Los Angeles, teacher groups under the supervision of Swami Ishwarananda recently concluded a project based on the acclaimed ”Upanishad Ganga” Indian TV series that was commissioned some years prior by Guruji Swami Tejomayananda, the previous head of Chinmaya Mission Worldwide. From grades 9-12, students delve into Vedantic concepts with an eye on applicability in their impressionable lives.
Others have worked on character studies of main figures in the epics to teach values, and yet others have researched and collated information on particular Gods, like Lord Shiva. The independent and creative approach tends to be effective and beneficial for all, as the material generated is made accessible to all centers. 
Distribution
The clearing house for this is in Pennsylvania, where Chinmaya Publications West goes on overdrive at the start of a new year. Swami Siddhananda, who heads this, estimates that “in the very busy months of September and October, an average of 500 books are shipped out every day by UPS.” 
Throughout the year, he says, teachers’ needs are met through smaller packages. Storybooks, gift items and audio-visual materials to supplement instruction are often requested and sent out to centers and chapters across the US and Canada.
Parents
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<figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img decoding="async" width="768" height="1024" src="https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/sharadakumar-768x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-18733" srcset="https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/sharadakumar-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/sharadakumar-225x300.jpg 225w, https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/sharadakumar.jpg 1050w" sizes="(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Sharada Kumar, who started the first Bala Vihar in North America</figcaption></figure></div></div>
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<figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img decoding="async" width="1024" height="682" src="https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/jignesh-joshi-2-1024x682.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-18727" srcset="https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/jignesh-joshi-2-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/jignesh-joshi-2-300x200.jpg 300w, https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/jignesh-joshi-2-768x512.jpg 768w, https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/jignesh-joshi-2.jpg 1400w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"> Jignesh Joshi</figcaption></figure></div></div>
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<figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img decoding="async" width="1024" height="813" src="https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/A-BV-class-puzzle-1024x813.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-18714" srcset="https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/A-BV-class-puzzle-1024x813.jpg 1024w, https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/A-BV-class-puzzle-300x238.jpg 300w, https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/A-BV-class-puzzle-768x610.jpg 768w, https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/A-BV-class-puzzle.jpg 1400w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Bala Vihar word scramble class puzzle</figcaption></figure></div>
Often in tandem, books are ordered for adults—the parents who bring their kids to Bala Vihar. While the child is busy in class, parents, too, have the opportunity to learn Advaita Vedanta from an Acharya. The Bhagavad Gita, Tattva Bodha, Atma Bodha and other texts are addressed by the teacher.
No doubt exists in the minds of Swamins, teachers and volunteers that parents are key to a successful teaching experience. A child can come weekly for instruction, but the practicing and internalizing can be nurtured only in the home environment. When adults are steeped in the same knowledge, the dissonance is absent, making them effective guides. 
Many immigrant and young parents approach CM fearing that their children, growing up in North America, will alienate themselves from their roots. They tend to believe that just having them chant shlokas and sing bhajans will assuage their concerns. Attending the mandatory adult classes tends to be eye-opening for them, too! They join in learning the simple rationale behind why coconuts are broken at the altar and proceed to understand the need to joust with the ego. 
Gaurang Nanavaty echoes a common sentiment while explaining why at least one parent must attend the adult class. “When everyone learns, not only the child but the entire family grows, and then the society, the nation, grows,” he says.
Adult members at different centers often recall the bonding that takes place with a simple activity like staging a play. Someone will write a script on the life of Lord Rama, another will go down a rabbit hole looking for props, others get involved in costuming, scheduling rehearsals, recording the music. Not only do parent and child spend several hours together, but participating families bond over a shared goal and philosophy.
Curriculum
“Remember that values are more important than valuables,” Pujya Swami Tejomayanada has noted, and Chinmaya Mission emphasizes and prides itself on the systematic value-based education it provides for children. It starts in pre-kindergarten, where tiny tots are nurtured in play and Hindu culture, and then moves on to the celebrated Bala Vihar program for children in kindergarten through grade 12. The structured teaching is done with Advaita Vedanta forming the basis of all understanding shared in class.
 Jignesh Joshi has been teaching high schoolers at BV in San Jose for over 15 years. The goal, he says, is not to have children emerge “as realized masters or little monks, but to instill the preparatory qualifications with applicability in their daily life.” 
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<figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img decoding="async" width="1024" height="682" src="https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/balavihar2-1024x682.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-18718" srcset="https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/balavihar2-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/balavihar2-300x200.jpg 300w, https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/balavihar2-768x511.jpg 768w, https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/balavihar2.jpg 1400w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Students at a New Jersey center bring ancient stories to life</figcaption></figure></div>
CM teachers say this is different from public education, which is aimed at increasing the standard of living, while their work is to increase the “standard of life.” They also rush to point out that this does not negate success at work and business but helps enhance self-growth, creating well-adjusted individuals who become outstanding citizens of society. 
And so, spiritual values from Hindu texts are stressed. Joshi gives an example of the Shat Sampati, which is part of the Sadhana Chatushtaya as enumerated by Adi Shankara. “We have the students view the qualification of shama (tranquility) as learning to manage the mind, and dama (training) as managing actions.”  
At CM San Jose, grades 10-12 study the Bhagavad Gita, with the eighteen chapters neatly divided over three years, relying on Swami Chinmayananda’s commentary, The Holy Geeta. “The Bala Vihar calendar gives us 30 weeks to get across the Vedantic concepts and values,” says Joshi, “and this is possible only because the building blocks of learning have happened in the early years. It is like an assembly line in an auto factory, where each part is put in the right place before the car rolls out, but done in a thoughtful, personal, and considered manner.”
Ameetha Ramesh, who teaches high schoolers at CM Branchburg, New Jersey, says, “The eighth and ninth grades are especially sensitive. This is the age when they get skeptical and demand to know what is so special about being Hindu.” So, she says, the work begins in grade seven, when children study the book by Swami Tejomayananda, Hindu Culture—An Introduction, which deals, among other things, with the basis of cultures, fundamentals of scriptures, role of temples, indicators of dharma and understanding the caste system. “By middle school, it’s important to have them feel pride in their culture and who they are,” she says.
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<figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img decoding="async" width="1024" height="768" src="https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/youth-camp-2019-2-1024x768.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-18737" srcset="https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/youth-camp-2019-2-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/youth-camp-2019-2-300x225.jpg 300w, https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/youth-camp-2019-2-768x576.jpg 768w, https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/youth-camp-2019-2.jpg 1400w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">walking an intricate path while contemplating life’s purpose at a San Diego center camp</figcaption></figure></div></div>
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<figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img decoding="async" width="400" height="1024" src="https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ameetha-ramesh-1-400x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-18716" srcset="https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ameetha-ramesh-1-400x1024.jpg 400w, https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ameetha-ramesh-1-117x300.jpg 117w, https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ameetha-ramesh-1.jpg 547w" sizes="(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Ameetha Ramesh teaches high schoolers at the same center</figcaption></figure></div></div>
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The stepping stones to this moment stretch back even farther. In kindergarten, kids are familiarized with simple values initiated in an “alphabet” curriculum. While the instinct of every child is to say, “A is for Apple and B is for Ball,” the Vedantic alphabet at CM goes, “A is for Aspiration, B is for Brotherhood and C is for Cleanliness.” Truth, Devotion, Victory, Work, Kindness, Love, Yagna, Zeal…. The kindergarten tots at the end of the year can rattle them off with glee at their annual graduation presentation.
Importantly, teachers don’t teach each letter of the alphabet in isolation. Victory, for example, is explained not only by narrating the Aesop story of the hare and tortoise. Instead, the difference between competition, winning and competing is gently explained and then tied back to the first letter, A, in the context of Aspiration. 
Several teaching elements accompany each letter of the alphabet. In I for Intelligence, for instance, teachers try to prod an early understanding of the mind, asking the children to think about what is different about their mind from their pet’s at home. Children also hear the story of Lord Ganesha circling His parents, and do art projects based on what the teacher judges the class can handle. With the ground set for storytelling and desirable values recognized, the elementary grades dive into learning about the Ramayana, Bhagavatam and Mahabharata. They are introduced to heroic characters and villains in each; a sort of Bollywood-like stark good and bad!
From here individual centers diverge and do what they think the student body requires. Some will have their children, by the time they are in grades four and five, studying the characters from the epics in a more nuanced manner where teachers find themselves answering questions about a “poor Sita” and an “unfair Rama” or leading animated discussions on women’s freedom as Gandhari blindfolds herself as the wife of a blind man. 
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<figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img decoding="async" width="1024" height="911" src="https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/A-syllabus-overview-1024x911.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-18715" srcset="https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/A-syllabus-overview-1024x911.jpg 1024w, https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/A-syllabus-overview-300x267.jpg 300w, https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/A-syllabus-overview-768x683.jpg 768w, https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/A-syllabus-overview.jpg 1400w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Houston center’s syllabus for kindergarten through grade twelve</figcaption></figure></div>
Some centers move to give their students exposure to other material in Hindu literature. A year will go by delving into the lives of the saints of India, stories from the Upanishads, or studying a commentary on the Vibhishana Gita, where children essentially learn that being equipped with inner values alone brings lasting success and happiness.
At CM Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, high schoolers are now learning from Drop—A Novel. This book, initiated and seen to fruition by Chinmaya youth, has as its protagonist an Indian American character traveling to India after a painful experience. “That we are learning through an Indian American experience makes a difference,” says Raj Daswani who has been teaching here for about a decade. 
He recounts how, when talking about India, its history and some geography, children would ask why that was important. “They would say, ‘I am American’ and we would have to navigate that and explain how each of us is a combination of both, American and Indian.” Bringing a more contemporary book into class along with the Gita has stemmed dropouts, he says. “They are interested. They identify with what’s going on. Some of the language sounds like them now, it isn’t esoteric anymore,” he says.
Ameetha Ramesh says they are piloting a program dubbed “BV 3.0,” which incorporates seva. Younger-grade children this year made New Year greeting cards for veterans and residents of senior homes after learning the teachings of Sanatkumaras and understanding the concept of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam. “Practical understanding and relatability,” reiterates Raj Daswani, are important. 
The importance of relatibility is also recognized in CM Seattle, Washington. Co-teachers—past graduates who are either working or are still in college—have been assigned to grades 5-12. The aim is to identify even more of them so the younger grades can also have a Chinmaya youth in class. “Age cannot be a criterion when developing the culture of giving back. It should start now. It should start today,” says the center’s coordinator, Sujatha Aswath, pointing out another advantage.
“Honestly, this is great,” says Archish Sridhar, a BV graduate, a current senior at the University of Washington and an assigned co-teacher. “If there was anything I felt was needed when I was a student,” he says, “it was more overlap between younger and older students.” In his estimation, “The older ones learn responsibility as role models, and the younger ones will have someone to look up to.” In his ideal world, “Older kids should know the names of the younger ones and call out to them by name as they pass by in the corridors.” As part of his responsibilities as a teacher, he says he makes it a point to talk to the students about what is transpiring in their lives and to serve as a mentor of sorts.
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<figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img decoding="async" width="1024" height="768" src="https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/LtoR-Chetan-Daswani-freshman-at-UNC-Chapel-Hill-and-BV-graduate_-Sameer-Daswani-9th-grade-BV-student_-Jaya-Daswani-4th-grade-BV-teacher-Raj-Daswani-1024x768.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-18728" srcset="https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/LtoR-Chetan-Daswani-freshman-at-UNC-Chapel-Hill-and-BV-graduate_-Sameer-Daswani-9th-grade-BV-student_-Jaya-Daswani-4th-grade-BV-teacher-Raj-Daswani-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/LtoR-Chetan-Daswani-freshman-at-UNC-Chapel-Hill-and-BV-graduate_-Sameer-Daswani-9th-grade-BV-student_-Jaya-Daswani-4th-grade-BV-teacher-Raj-Daswani-300x225.jpg 300w, https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/LtoR-Chetan-Daswani-freshman-at-UNC-Chapel-Hill-and-BV-graduate_-Sameer-Daswani-9th-grade-BV-student_-Jaya-Daswani-4th-grade-BV-teacher-Raj-Daswani-768x576.jpg 768w, https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/LtoR-Chetan-Daswani-freshman-at-UNC-Chapel-Hill-and-BV-graduate_-Sameer-Daswani-9th-grade-BV-student_-Jaya-Daswani-4th-grade-BV-teacher-Raj-Daswani.jpg 1400w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Raj Daswani with his wife Jaya and sons Chetan and Sameer</figcaption></figure></div>
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His brother Sidh Sridhar, in 10th grade, in his youthful, experienced wisdom says that there has to be push from parents, too, for students to remain interested. “I remember not liking pujas when I was younger. But I don’t see it that way anymore, and I think I have gained,” he says. At home, there was no question of not going to BV, even if you pleaded boredom. 
Ameetha Ramesh says in their pilot program they have looked into the parent angle, too, and have incorporated a “parent talk series” where the adult goes in to narrate a story or engage the kids, supervised by the teacher. “Children take pride in seeing their parents teach, and the adult gets invested more,” she says. 
Reflecting on his experience, Jignesh Joshi surmises that the material that teachers bring into class is great, but what changes are the methods of teaching in keeping with student needs and the proclivity of the teachers themselves. Someone may be happy getting things across through music, someone else through slides, and yet another through games, for example. 
Getting the students on board can often be accomplished only through discussions. Joshi readily acknowledges, as any good teacher, that sometimes the students can pleasantly flummox a teacher by thinking outside the box: a student once wanted to know why God couldn’t be more discerning and only remember her good karmas and ignore the bad?!
Teachers are sensitive that their classes are pan-Indian and address subjects accordingly. Ameetha Ramesh says vegetarianism “can be a sticky topic,” and emphasis is laid on not hurting anyone’s sentiments. “The point,’ Jignesh Joshi sums up, “is that what we have is a living curriculum.” And the teachings live through the lives led by students. 
Shobha Ravishankar of CM Houston, who has taught children for over 20 years, says, “Bala Vihar is education for life. Once the child goes through this value-based education, you won’t see the change immediately because it is abstract.” She explains, “The child will personalize it, and then we can see the inner success that makes them happy and fulfilled.”
E-Balavihar
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<figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img decoding="async" width="1024" height="1024" src="https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/e-balavihar-1024x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-18724" srcset="https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/e-balavihar-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/e-balavihar-300x300.jpg 300w, https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/e-balavihar-150x150.jpg 150w, https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/e-balavihar-768x768.jpg 768w, https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/e-balavihar-90x90.jpg 90w, https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/e-balavihar.jpg 1400w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">students display their arts and crafts during an e-Bala Vihar</figcaption></figure></div>
At the height of the lockdowns, in 2020, when children were confined at home and occasionally shepherded to outdoor open spaces for a break, Chinmaya Mission West thought an online Bala Vihar program would be a practical response to continue serving families and maintaining educational programs during this time of physical isolation and uncertainty across the globe. The swamins and brahmacharins in the US and Canada inspired sevaks and members, and together they swiftly drew up a syllabus. The response was equally immediate: 5,000 children across North America registered and made the shift to online education that summer.
Of course, there were hiccups between conceiving and implementing the digital Bala Vihar: Teachers of younger children had to figure out how to engage without craft projects, and how to prod older children, already tired of sitting in front of computers for school, to blink their bleary eyes. Swamins, brahmacharins and youth class volunteers again showed initiative, embracing and deftly adapting to teaching the Mahabharata through song, puppetry, interactive discourses, and even virtual escape rooms and treasure hunts!
Classes were conducted daily Monday through Friday, for eight weeks, and teachers were happy to build on spiritual ideas day after day, without losing momentum. The children, even through this new form of engagement, made friends and bonded with their teachers over Hindu culture. As the e-Bala Vihar experience continued in 2021 with the teaching of the Tulsi Ramayan, some key data emerged: many enrolled students were from areas in the US that did not have a physical Bala Vihar presence.
Later, when things began to limp back to normalcy and students at the various centers made it back to in-person classes, Chinmaya Mission pondered the information gained. Could the successful digital program be geared to help children who live in smaller, more isolated communities? Guided by the CMW board, headed by Swami Shantananda in New Jersey, and without much advertising or fanfare, the decision was made to continue the e-Bala Vihar program. 
Starting as a five-month pilot in 2022, it is now a year-long 2023-2024 program and is geared specifically for families who live at least 50 miles from a physical CM center or chapter. The enrollment has been from small Hindu communities in states like New Mexico, Oklahoma, Wyoming, Idaho, Mississippi and Alabama, among others. Geographically distant places in states with strong CM presence like Texas, Illinois and California joined as well, says Brahmacharini Akalka of CM Trinidad, who now guides the program with a teaching team that consists of trained Chinmaya Yuva Kendra (youth group).
And just as with in-class Bala Vihars, always recognizing that parents learning alongside their children enhances the spiritual foundation and education of the young at home, the e-Bala Vihar program also runs concurrent classes for adults led by sevaks.
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<figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img decoding="async" width="1024" height="682" src="https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/185_Graduation15_IMG_4894-1024x682.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-18712" srcset="https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/185_Graduation15_IMG_4894-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/185_Graduation15_IMG_4894-300x200.jpg 300w, https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/185_Graduation15_IMG_4894-768x512.jpg 768w, https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/185_Graduation15_IMG_4894.jpg 1400w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The oldest students in Houston graduate from Bala Vihar</figcaption></figure></div>
Looking Forward 
One who can look back with clarity on this is Sejal Shah, a proud second-generation CM teacher who teaches at CM New York, including her daughter, the third generation of the Shah family! “I didn’t realize how blessed I was until I had my own children. I was blessed to have parents who saw the value of spiritual education just like many did with other extracurricular activities such as sports, music, chess, etc., and made it a priority.” (See earlier sidebar, page 21, for more.)
Alumni like Shubani Chaitanya, Soham Chaitanya and Sejal Shah—and there is a growing, visible trend—who plunge themselves back into BV in new roles as monks, parents, teachers and volunteers, are the kind of testimonial that CM celebrates. For it seems very clear, now, that the future of the third-generation Hindu American and Hindu Canadian is rooted and stable. 
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<h3 class="wp-block-heading"> Misson Numbers in North America</h3>
❃ Almost 20,000 children enrolled in Bala Vihars today
❃ Bala Vihars with more than 1,000 children are located in San Jose, Los Angeles, Ann Arbor, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Washington DC and New Jersey areas
❃ 300 teachers in Chinmaya Mission San Jose, which has over 2,000 children
❃ The region with the largest number of chapters (affiliated to a larger center and administered by the center’s board of directors) is Los Angeles area, with nine
❃ The oldest Bala Vihar was started in July, 1976, in Long Island, New York
❃ The newest center with a Bala Vihar is in Cleveland, Ohio, with 75 children
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<h3 class="wp-block-heading">From Student to Teacher</h3>
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<figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img decoding="async" width="951" height="1024" src="https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/sejal-951x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-18732" srcset="https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/sejal-951x1024.jpg 951w, https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/sejal-279x300.jpg 279w, https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/sejal-768x827.jpg 768w, https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/sejal.jpg 1300w" sizes="(max-width: 951px) 100vw, 951px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Sejal Shah speaking at satsang</figcaption></figure></div>
By Sejal Shah, New York
 I am a proud CM Bala Vihar alumnus. My parents joined Chinmaya Mission in 1978 after meeting Gurudev and have stayed active till the present day. We started BV by rotating from basement to basement of uncles and aunties. Our beloved Vilasini Balakrishnan (CM Washington Region) was our first teacher when I was growing up in Michigan. 
Going to Bala Vihar every week during the school year was all I knew. Being Hindu was a normal part of my identity. I took chanting and singing bhajans for granted and thought that was what every Indian does. I was surrounded by a community of like-minded peers and adults who created a safe space for learning and expressing this rich Hindu heritage.
Even today I am still in contact with many I grew up with in Bala Vihar, and I consider them as family. No matter how long it’s been since we last met or spoke, the thread that connects us is still strong. When I meet alumni from other centers, there is already an underlying connection, allowing for another thread to be woven together.
As an adolescent, I started to develop a comfortable, underlying pride in having this Hindu heritage be a part of who I was. One of its expressions came out through my love of Bharatanatyam. I went to a Catholic high school, and through religion, I had an opportunity to confidently connect with my peers of other faiths. 
I wanted my daughter to have this confidence and pride. And that is when I came back to CM. My parents, Krishna and Jagdish, led by example, and I want to do the same for my girls.
Of course, it is different now. Growing up, my parents allowed one TV and phone for the entire family. This limited our distractions and made it ideal for my parents to raise us with a Hindu spiritual education. It’s different today. As BV teachers and parents, we must embrace the fact that technology is a constant in most teens’ lives. We will need to learn how to use this evolving technology to build interesting avenues for Hindu spiritual education.
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<h3 class="wp-block-heading">The Head of Chinmaya Mission on North American Youth</h3>
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<figure class="aligncenter size-medium"><img decoding="async" width="200" height="300" src="https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SSJ_FoldedHands-200x300.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-18735" srcset="https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SSJ_FoldedHands-200x300.jpg 200w, https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SSJ_FoldedHands-682x1024.jpg 682w, https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SSJ_FoldedHands-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SSJ_FoldedHands.jpg 933w" sizes="(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">At a teacher gathering in the USA, Swami Swaroopananda advised them not to worry if a child grumbled and did not want to come to BV voluntarily. “If the child comes only because the parent wants him to, it’s okay. Let us just continue to teach with love,” he said.</figcaption></figure></div>
Swami Swaroopananda, global head of Chinmaya Mission, held a Q&A with Hinduism Today during his visit to CM Los Angeles, summer 2023.
In your global travels, have you observed differences between Indian American children and others?
Each place has its unique lifestyle, which is always in a state of flux and can be experimented with. This is not to be confused with culture, which is Sanskriti, that which improves you and is practiced for a long period. Going to bars, doing drugs, dating, etc.—even the West doesn’t call it “culture,” but people loosely do it all the time! Youth everywhere tend to be the same, but depending on whether there is a background of culture in a home, the approach of children can be different.
In America, what is happening is that there is a huge new immigrant population who have brought their culture with them and want their children rooted in it. So, there is this surge of interest in culture. In other places where there are old settlers, just like with the first generation of immigrants in America, the cultural links with India slowly begin to fade. The children reflect the predominant population of the moment.
Should the BV teacher then cater to the needs of the child?
The beauty of Hinduism and CM is that we are adaptable but remain firm in our base. Language changes and we must adapt. There is so much talk now about attention span, especially after the pandemic, that has to be addressed. Some adaptabilities take time, but we must always patiently make the effort to reach the child. Gurudev did not waver from the foundation of the teachings but was able to present the knowledge in a way that reached people. We only have to follow his example! 
To help the teachers stay the course and engage with the children, we make every effort to send those swamins and brahmacharins who are flexible and with the times, to lead the North American centers. 
Adaptability comes with a cautionary note. The tendency to please and cater should not be there, it cannot come in the way of learning. If that happens, then the children won’t be helped. But by recognizing the needs, the standards can be improved.
How does CM keep connected with the youth?
So many, many youngsters have gone through the program, and the expectation is that ALL of them should come back. We should not do that. Gurudev gave knowledge freely. Today also there is no psychological or other binding pressures on anyone to be with CM. Those who are here are here because of a sense of gratitude and dedication. We believe the more the people voluntarily dedicate themselves, the more we can grow our services effectively and joyfully. 
When kids go away to college, the link weakens, but now with a lot more centers and online programs, we have more effective ways of being in touch. Centers also know that work should start two or three years before children leave for college, so they remain inspired to continue their connection with CM. 
One thing is clear: when the whole family is involved, the rate of children coming back rises even more.
What do you wish to see happen with BV in North America?
Hindu culture should reach the maximum number of people, and our children should be ever ready to serve.
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<h3 class="wp-block-heading">By Brahmacharini Shubhani Chaitanya, New York</h3>
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<figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img decoding="async" width="1024" height="682" src="https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/shubanichaitanya-Assembly-1024x682.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-18734" srcset="https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/shubanichaitanya-Assembly-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/shubanichaitanya-Assembly-300x200.jpg 300w, https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/shubanichaitanya-Assembly-768x512.jpg 768w, https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/shubanichaitanya-Assembly.jpg 1400w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Brahmacharini Shubhani Chaitanya studied at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City, where she graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in International Trade and Marketing. After working in the fashion industry for around seven years, she decided to take a sabbatical to find her true calling.</figcaption></figure></div>
 Om…Om…Om…The sound of three Oms resounded in my ears. As we sat on the floor with our legs crisscrossed, we began to chant together, in a natural harmony that made it so much more vibrant and alive. This felt comfortable; I felt at home. This was Bala Vihar. Bala—child; vihar—a place where children enjoy. 
I was only a child then, living in Manila, Philippines, staying in a country where almost 80% of the population were Roman Catholic.  I went to a Catholic school where I was exposed to Christian values. I attended Mass at school and learned all the prayers and hymns by heart. However, deep inside, I also longed to understand my own culture and religion. Every night, I watched my dad clean the images at our mandir and close his eyes in deep prayer. Every morning, I heard my mom chant mantras and hymns in the mandir, but what did that all mean? What did it mean to actually connect to God, and who was God actually? What was this all about?
It is the sheer grace of the Guru and the wisdom of my mother that led me to Bala Vihar. Bala Vihar in Manila was just a five-minute walk from my home. It was not only a place of learning about Hindu culture and religion; it was also a safe and fun place to connect with a community of like-minded people. We had Bala Vihar every Saturday at an aunty’s home. She graciously cleared her entire living room so that we could all sit on the floor, wide-eyed, to listen to the stories of various forms of Bhagavan and Bhagavati. After that, we all went for arati and as we left her home, all of us got a chocolate biscuit sandwich as prasada. Through these weekly sessions, we got more in tune with our culture and also in tune with each other. The best friends that I have ever had were from the formative years of Bala Vihar, because our friendship was rooted in deep spirituality and connection to the Higher and not just mundane day-to-day interests.
As we all grew, we slowly entered CHYK or Chinmaya Yuva Kendra. This time, our teacher was a bit stricter, a bit more serious and she went much deeper. I remember her particularly teaching us the Hanuman Chalisa, going through the meaning of each and every verse. She even gave each of us a printed book with the verses and meaning, which I still have treasured on my bookshelf today. Since then, Sri Hanuman entered my heart, never to leave again. Slowly, this environment became everything in one—it became my home, community, family and, most of all, my deep connection to Divinity.
When I was around 16 years old, our family suddenly had to leave Manila and move to America. This was probably one of the toughest things I had to go through. The toughest thing was to leave all of these connections. Would I really ever get them back? I was going to move to a new place, a new country with a whole new set of people. What was it going to be like?
It was challenging. For years, I was not connecting deeply with any community of sorts because I was just trying to adjust to a whole new education system and find a job so I could be financially stable and secure. I was away from Bala Vihar and Chinmaya Yuva Kendra, and I just focused on getting myself established in the material world. But when I did, I noticed that I was spiritually starving. I was materially full and yet spiritually starved. And when I thought about it more deeply, I realized I missed what I had in my childhood days. I missed Bala Vihar. I needed to reconnect somehow. So, I took a sabbatical to fill my spirit. This led me to pursue the YEP (Youth Empowerment Program) and eventually led me to the portals of Sandeepany Sadhanalaya for the two-year Vedanta course. After this, I was initiated into the path of brahmacharya.
It was the seeds sown in Bala Vihar that led me to this life of brahmacharya. For that, I am forever grateful to Pujya Gurudev, Swami Chinmayananda for creating such an opportunity for people like me, who lived far away from Bharat and yet had access to our culture and religion from a very young, formative age.
As a brahmacharini in Chinmaya Mission New York, I now have the opportunity to share those very same teachings that I learned as a child with many children, youth, and even adults through our weekly satsangas. I feel truly blessed to share the joy that I have received. Bala Vihar connected me to my culture, religion, family and community. But the deepest connection it has led me to, is the connection to the Divine Self—one that can never be lost, one that cannot be gained, because it was always there all along. I just didn’t know it.
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About the Author
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<figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img decoding="async" width="1024" height="910" src="https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nimmi-1024x910.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-18730" srcset="https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nimmi-1024x910.jpg 1024w, https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nimmi-300x267.jpg 300w, https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nimmi-768x682.jpg 768w, https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nimmi.jpg 1400w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure></div></div>
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Nimmi Raghunathan is an editor and published author living in the US. She is interested in comparative religion, exploring historical, traditional and philosophical links to Hindu thought and culture while traveling. nimmicmla@gmail.com
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<title>Educational Insight– Neem Karoli baba</title>
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<description><![CDATA[Exploring the Life and Eccentric NatureOf North Indiaís Mysterious Mystic Written by Sudarshan Ramabadran • Art by Baani Sekhon Each,...
The post <a href="https://www.hinduismtoday.com/magazine/april-may-june-2024/educational-insight-neem-karoli-baba/">Educational Insight– Neem Karoli baba</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.hinduismtoday.com">Hinduism Today</a>.
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<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Exploring the Life and Eccentric Nature Of North Indiaís Mysterious Mystic</h2>
Written by Sudarshan Ramabadran • Art by Baani Sekhon
Each Indian state, city, district, town and village has its unique stories and cultures to share with the people of the world. These stories never become obsolete, because they help in creating common ground, driving social change, illustrating complex concepts, providing inspiration and sometimes even leading to the way to enlightenment. My sense is that it’s time to broaden out from talking about “incredible India” to learning about “incredible Indians” who have contributed immensely to humanity with their phenomenal visions, focusing on every individual’s inner journey and growth.
The holy Himalayas have given humanity several such Indians to lead people on the path of spiritual knowledge. Some were born in India’s Himalayan region, while others found sanctuary there during arduous spiritual wanderings in search of self-unfoldment.
Miraculous, devoted, loving, inclusive, spontaneous, generous, credible, authentic, full of grace, enigmatic, selfless—how can one person be assigned so many glowing adjectives? Indeed, one Indian is described by all these words. He has become a beacon of hope and progress for seekers across the globe. His transformative story remains fascinating and thought-provoking decades after his great departure. 
India’s Neem Karoli Baba (1900–1973), known simply as Maharajji, was an enigmatic being who inculcated noble thoughts in all. He embodied Indian spirituality which advocates, “Love everyone, serve everyone.” This remains one of his central lessons that resonates with millions globally. 
Maharajji shunned publicity, yet he influenced millions of people through thought, word and deed. He inspired people to “love, serve and grow,” motivating people to work for causes like smallpox eradication and curing blindness. He awakened people’s passions in their chosen field, whether it be management, consulting, emotional intelligence, writing, contemplative science, spirituality or even math. Meeting him filled followers with love, developing an enduring bhakti for him in their search for Self-Realization. In the devotional hymn Hanuman Chalisa, the words Aur Manorath Jo Koi Lave, Soi Amit Jivan Phal Pave translate to, “O Hanuman, you grant the wishes of those who come to you and give them the eternal nectar, the highest fruit of life.” People who follow Maharajji and had the good fortune to meet him remember him as the Hanuman who gave seekers the sweetest fruit of life. A noble ambassador of the Indian Himalayan lineage, Maharajji never received, he only gave. He never set foot outside of India. Yet, millions of people around the globe, many who never met him, are inspired by him even after his passing, believing that he still lives as “infinite energy.”
“Patron Saint of Silicon Valley”
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<figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img decoding="async" width="1024" height="563" src="https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1-Bhagwanimage.com_-1024x563.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-18700" srcset="https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1-Bhagwanimage.com_-1024x563.jpg 1024w, https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1-Bhagwanimage.com_-300x165.jpg 300w, https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1-Bhagwanimage.com_-768x422.jpg 768w, https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1-Bhagwanimage.com_.jpg 1400w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photos of the sage are almost always of him engaging with seekers, up close and looking into the camera. bhagwanimage.com</figcaption></figure></div>
A quick search on Google or YouTube will show that many famous people, including Steve Jobs (co-founder of Apple), Julia Roberts (actor), Mark Zuckerberg (CEO of Meta/Facebook), Virat Kohli (cricketer), Anushka Sharma (actor), and many more, have placed their faith in him, even if they never met him. Several accounts state that Steve Jobs carried with him a picture of Maharajji. And it was Jobs who inspired Zuckerberg to visit Kainchi Dham in 2008. Some of his followers describe him as the patron saint of Silicon Valley. People from several corners of the world and in India remember Maharajji as a great siddha. Just as siddhas believed in passing devotion from one generation to another, Maharajji, an incredible Indian, did this for the benefit of all humanity.
Life Story
Maharajji was born as Lakshman Das Sharma around the year 1900 in Akbarpur village in the Firozabad district (then called Agra) of Uttar Pradesh, into the family of Durga Prasad Sharma. He was married early in life (at age 11 by some accounts) and had two sons, Aneg Singh Sharma and Dharma Narayan Sharma, and a daughter Girija. Lakshman Das would be seen meditating on the banks of the Ganges near Farurukhabad. Seeing him there, villagers from Akbarpur informed his father, who went there and asked him to come home. Maharajji told his father that he would come back after a few days, and he did so. Ultimately, he left his family and home to pursue his dream of becoming a sadhu.
He was called by various names: Lakshman Das, Handi Wala Baba and Tikonia Wala Baba. He was also known as Blanket Baba. In Gujarat he was known as Tallaiya Baba and in Vrindavan as Chamatkari (miracle) Baba. Today his birthdate is being observed as per the Panchang (Hindu calendar), on the shukla paksha, 8th day of Margshirsha month. This day is marked as praktaya divas (appearance day) in his birth village. In 2023, it fell on December 20.
Parvati further, author, editor and devotee of Maharajji from the US and who met with him in India, notes, “His yogic and spiritual powers were vast but, like the wind, no one could catch him; he was a wanderer who spent no more than a few days in a place, which, to the amazement of Indian devotees, changed when the Westerners arrived in India.” 
In an interview with me, she said Maharajji’s presence was sufficient and they felt no need to probe into his personal life: “These details did not matter to us, nor did we ask him about them. We were home and content; that’s what mattered.” 
Fame and Miracles 
Drawing closer to his life, his fame and his miracles, I discovered the source of the name Neem Karoli Baba. Here is the account from Prema Vatar by P. C. Josi “Mukunda”—Kainchi Dham. “In His fancy, a young yogi carrying a chimta (a pair of musical tongs) and a ‘kamandal’ in his hand boarded a first class compartment of the Tundla-bound train at Farrukhadab station. The train had gone a few miles when an Anglo-Indian TTE (ticket examiner) came to check tickets and was taken aback to see a half-naked sadhu in the first-class compartment. On demanding the ticket and getting a negative reply, he lost his temper and ungraciously compelled the sadhu to get down at the next halt, Neebkarori.
“The sadhu quietly sat under the tree and dug the pair of tongs in the earth. The train got the green light signal to leave. The engine was started, but the train did not move further. The steam was applied with full force, but the wheels turned round and round at their place. The engine was checked thoroughly and everything was found in order.
“Being worried, the European guard came to the driver and asked him what the matter was. The driver could not point out any fault. Nothing was found. Despite all efforts, the engine would not budge. By now it was time for some other trains to pass by on that track.
“Eventually some Indian travelers suggested to those foreign authorities to request the sadhu Maharaj to board the train and then only it would move. They fretted and fumed and at last decided to try allowing the sadhu to travel by train. They went to Babaji, apologized and requested Him to board the train. The jovial Baba said “If you say so, I will oblige you.” As soon as Babaji entered the compartment, the train started moving.
“And on account of that incident, the village of Neebkarori, one of many insignificant villages of India, became famous in no time. After having stayed for a long time in this village,… he bore the name Baba Neebkarori or Baba Neemkaroli.”
My research shows that the name Neem Karoli Baba became popular because his Western followers had trouble pronouncing Karori. He was a wandering saint with no fixed itinerary or schedule. Nobody knew what he would do next. At times, it is said, he would be simultaneously present at multiple places. 
Maharajji taught that it is possible to have the guru’s darshan not just in a physical form but also through a dream, vision or even via deep meditation. He said once you connect with the Divine, you are certain to have darshan of the guru. He had the power of knowing all about the people who were coming to meet him. Countless devotees have stated how these interactions with Maharajji were often life-altering and brought them into close spiritual connection with him. In their conversations, the sage was able to accurately recount to them their experiences, in their dreams or waking state. For instance, with Ram Dass, he was able to describe how the day before he met Maharajji the former Harvard professor was thinking of his mother, her death and its cause. With American devotee Parvati, Maharajji shared how she had been inspired by him even before seeing or meeting him, just by glimpsing his picture in the US.
Teachings
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<figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img decoding="async" width="1024" height="557" src="https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Ashram-on-River-1024x557.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-18702" srcset="https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Ashram-on-River-1024x557.jpg 1024w, https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Ashram-on-River-300x163.jpg 300w, https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Ashram-on-River-768x417.jpg 768w, https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Ashram-on-River.jpg 1400w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The Kainchi Ashram, built in 1964, hugs the banks of the Kosi River in the Naintal district of Uttarakhand, high in the Himalayas. Neem Karoli Baba spent summers here and winters in Vrindavan. istock</figcaption></figure></div>
A man of intense spiritual discipline (tapasya), he attracted a large following who loved and respected him, including the poorest of the poor. Many houses, especially in North India, have framed photographs of him as their spiritual head. As per Namita Gokhale’s book, Swami Chidananda of the Divine Life Mission is known to have called Maharajji a “siddha purusha” (perfect being) and an “apprehender of the past, present and future.”
He attracted seekers across all age groups, races, castes, cultures, religions and geographical regions. Says Maharajji’s grandson Sandeep Bhatele  (son of his daughter Girija), also known as Bobby, “He used to feed the poor always or ensure they were fed and he often solved their problems. For example, on numerous occasions people came to him for help for their daughters’ marriage. He always worked to get it organized. Maharajji cared for the common man and helped innumerable times in every way he could. He was always serving people to satisfy their needs, and unconditional love poured for all always and every time.”
Never delivering lectures and leaving no formal teachings that we know of, it makes sense that he had no monastic order. He left it to the seekers to explore and find their own way. His oft-repeated adages are to love everyone, serve everyone and remember God. These words are the crux of his teachings. He advised all to never fail to “utter the truth.” When Western followers asked about meditation, he sent them to the famed Burmese teacher of Vipasana meditation, S.N. Goenka. Bobby added, “Did he have a guru? Not much is known, but I would like to highlight that he has built Kainchi and Kakrighat at places where Sri Sombari Maharaj had his dhuni (sacred fire). My opinion is that there is some spiritual connection between the two.”
The spiritual practices he encouraged were simple, practical and easy to follow. One of them was japa, repeating the name of God. Another was chanting the 40 verses of the Hanuman Chalisa. Maharajji often repeated the two syllables, Sub ek (all are one). The centrality of this mantra is documented in various stories of his life. One story revolved around the family of Dada Mukherjee and his mother in the book, By His Grace: A Devotee’s Story. Whenever he visited Dada’s home, he would tell Dada’s mother to prepare food for all. Dada recalls how his mother did not like people from other communities entering her family’s kitchen, a typical upper-caste attitude. Yet this simple lesson of preparing food for all meant that even people from the West and other religions or castes who visited the sage had to be served a meal. Eventually Dada’s mother came to terms with this. This was Maharajji’s way of teaching Sub ek. His message was clear: if you can’t love each other, you can never achieve your goal. Hence, loving everyone is a crucial step toward Self-Realization.
According to Neem Karoli Baba, after love, service is key to spiritual progress. He taught bhakti yoga, the union of the mind through the path of devotion. His advice was to love everyone by never identifying with one’s ego. To many, yoga refers principally to physical postures. He emphasized the yoga of opening one’s heart to the power of devotion. He epitomized the famous line from the Bhagavad Gita, na me bhaktya pranasyati, which translates as “A devotee who has dedicated his inner being to me never perishes.”
Almost every instant was a learning moment. The book The Near and the Dear: Stories of Neem Karoli Baba and His Devotees, by Dada Mukherjee, recounts how Maharajji taught Dada the importance of not getting attached to the guru’s form. Dada recounts, “At Kainchi in May 1972, we had just arrived from Allahabad (today Prayagraj). After the preliminaries about our journey and the distribution of prasad, he said to me, ‘Dada, next winter I shall not come to Allahabad anymore.’ My reply was, ‘So, do not come. What is the problem in that?’ Some people were not happy with my reply, and when Babaji did not come the next winter, they started saying that I had prevented his visit. On hearing my reply, Babaji kept silent for a while and then said, ‘Dada, take leave for six months so that we can move about visiting places. I do not like to sit in one place.’ After some time, he got up and held my hand. Before moving, he said in the presence of all, ‘Do not be sad. I have been coming here regularly for the last fifteen years, and this is not good for a saint.’ The way the whole thing was done was unique and gave us an insight into his way of dealing with us, which we seldom noticed. That he would not come next winter was not given as an announcement from the higher one but was extracted from me as if with my full consent. In our haste to be close to him, we missed this subtle human aspect, a part of him that was all but unknown to us. His reference to attachment was our attachment to him, not his attachment to us. He had no attachment to anyone or anything, so there was no need to save himself. It was only to save us from our attachment to him that he stopped coming to Allahabad. He wanted us to detach ourselves from his form and the belief that his body was there for us.”
As recounted in the book Love Everyone, when Maharajji was in Delhi during the 1971 India-Pakistan war, senior army generals and Indian ministers came to see him, take his blessings and seek his counsel. Like the Bhagavad Gita in action, he imparted to the generals ways to win the war in a dharmic way and see God in it. This does not mean Maharajji favored war and violence. He taught the lesson of being peaceful in unique ways. Once a devotee from the US asked what he should do in India during wartime, to which Maharajji, in his inimitable style, responded, “Learn to be peaceful.”
Lord Hanuman and Neem Karoli Baba
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<figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img decoding="async" width="1024" height="688" src="https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Walking-with-devotees-1024x688.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-18708" srcset="https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Walking-with-devotees-1024x688.jpg 1024w, https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Walking-with-devotees-300x202.jpg 300w, https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Walking-with-devotees-768x516.jpg 768w, https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Walking-with-devotees.jpg 1400w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">On a rainy day, Maharajji walks with his biographer, Dada Mukherjee, and young seekers from the West. Though language was a barrier, both enjoyed the encounters. durga mayi ma ashram</figcaption></figure></div>
One cannot miss the ethereal connection between Lord Hanuman and Maharajji. It is a most fascinating aspect of his life. The devotees I spoke with firmly believe he was an incarnation of Hanuman. Most of the literature, documentaries and visual depictions of Maharajji include Hanuman as a key reference. The rendering of Hanuman Chalisa by Krishna Das is my favorite.
Vivek Tiwari, grandson-in-law of the sage, told me in an interview, “He is Hanumanji himself. Lord Hanuman is the most powerful energy in the entire Brahmand (creation). He is the most powerful because he doesn’t have any ego, so his entity is used by the Supreme energy for maintaining the universal system, which is automatic and self-governed. Maharajji is very similar; he is Hanuman in human form. Lord Hanuman is the emperor of the present yuga; he is a true bhakta, a sevadar, extraordinarily educated in medicine, astrology, environment, music, food, literature, in fact all panchatattva, all elements. Like Hanuman, Maharajji served all, loved all, fed all and gave jivandan to many, including humans, butterflies and other jivas, without any expectations or attachments in return.”
Parvati Markus echoed these sentiments. “Several devotees experienced Maharajji as Hanuman. Like how one flies from one place to another, devotees have experienced standing several feet away from where they were originally standing when they were held by Maharajji and transported to another place.”
Maharajji epitomized Hanuman by serving Ram and being Ram. He urged people to serve and realize God without any man-made divisions. Ram Dass’ story in the Netflix documentary Ram Dass, Going Home perhaps best puts this into context: Ram asked Hanuman, “Are you a human or a monkey?” to which Hanuman bows down and replies, “When I do not know who I am, I am serving you, and when I know who I am, I am you.” If ever one were to put Maharajji’s teaching in story form, this would be it. Hanuman embodies strength, service, devotion, power, truth, victory and compassion—and throughout Maharajji’s life these ideals are clearly discernible. Many devotees have also worshiped Maharajji as Siva, and legends say that Hanuman was an avatar or incarnation of Siva.
Bobby told me that once as a fighter jet pilot in the Indian Air Force an emergency forced him to eject from his plane. His mind flew to Maharajji and Hanuman. “I just invoked Hanuman and Maharajji and got out without a scratch.”
To his devotees, Maharajji is supreme; there is no one above him. Philip Goldberg, author of the book American Veda: From Emerson and the Beatles to Yoga and Meditation: How Indian Spirituality Changed the West, told me: “Even though Ram Dass was instrumental in bringing Neem Karoli Baba’s teachings to the West, especially the US, and taking devotees from the US to Neem Karoli Baba’s ashram, he would always want Neem Karoli Baba to be the supreme; after all, he was the inspiration and umbrella.”
From what I’ve learned, Maharajji doesn’t have a uttaradhikari, or successor. Instead, those who were inspired by him continue to serve him, his legacy and use his teachings to help people, without expecting anything in return. Devotees like Sri Siddhi Ma and Sri Jeevanti Ma emerged as pivotal figures in Maharajji’s spiritual sojourn. Nina Rao, a devotee of Maharajji and Sri Siddhi Ma based in New York said in an interview with me, “Maharajji referred to them as mothers, hence Ma. In fact, Maharajji called them Amma, which means mother, a term of endearment and reverence.”
Global Impact
Mutual cultural exchanges have become the order of the day to develop close understanding between peoples from different countries. Between 1968 and 1973, cultural exchanges enabled people of America to gain great insights into India’s strength and spirituality, its depth and expanse, all courtesy of Maharajji. 
Like Ramana Maharshi, Sri Aurobindo and Ramakrishna Paramhansa, he never traveled to the US, yet left an indelible impact on that country. One of the first to be profoundly transformed by the sage was Ram Dass. Philip Goldberg ascribes this to the urge of America’s youth to find meaning and purpose. This exploration led them to India and eventually to Blanket Baba. “There was a lot of discontent in the US, and there was the backdrop of the Vietnam War and the injustices surrounding it. The youngsters felt rejected, anxious and worried about their future. Hence, the exchange that people like Ram Dass and Krishna Das had with spiritual teachers like Maharajji proved to be a turning point. It helped change lives,” explained Goldberg.
Many from the US who came seeking drug experiences began a transformative journey after meeting him. Parvati recollects, “Back in the day, I came on an acid trip to India. But when I got the opportunity to meet Maharajji, things changed. Maharajji made us realize that drugs enable you to go up and down, and he showed us a way where we were permanently happy without them. We dropped drugs after he reiterated that there was something deeper to life than drugs.”
Parvati said that when she met Ram Dass or Krishna Das in the US after their experiences in India with Maharajji, she felt they were all spiritual peas in one pod. “The connection was deep. The moment I saw them, my immediate reaction was, ‘Why do I know you?’ There was light coming from within.”
Ram Dass traveled to India to advance his academic and personal experiments with LSD. He arrived as Dr. Richard Alpert, but after meeting Maharajji realized there existed a profundity beyond psychedelics. Although he was fired by Harvard University for using LSD, students called him back for lectures upon his return. His book Be Here Now, which sold over two million copies, inspired and continues to spiritually uplift countless seekers.
Even today, devotees continue the path he set them on. “We were all sincere spiritual seekers who came to Maharajji. This notion that we were a bunch of drug addicts who came to meet him is untrue. Our meeting with him was destined for us to realize the true meaning of life, which is to love everyone. That was our inner longing. That’s what attracted us to Maharajji. We were home,” said Krishna Das, Grammy-nominated vocalist, kirtan rockstar and devotee of Maharajji. Krishna Das is famously referred to as the “chant master of American yoga” by the New York Times. His kirtans are extremely popular and well attended around the globe.
Neem Karoli Baba gave Western followers Indian names that they still maintain. Parvati Markus was earlier Barbara Markus; Mirabai Bush, an expert in contemplative science, was Linda Bush; Krishna Das was Jeff Kagel; and Ram Dass was Richard Alpert. The “das” in the names of Krishna Das and Ram Dass means “servant of God.”
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<figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img decoding="async" width="1024" height="630" src="https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/puja-at-neemkaroliashramand-taoshanumantemple-1024x630.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-18705" srcset="https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/puja-at-neemkaroliashramand-taoshanumantemple-1024x630.jpg 1024w, https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/puja-at-neemkaroliashramand-taoshanumantemple-300x185.jpg 300w, https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/puja-at-neemkaroliashramand-taoshanumantemple-768x473.jpg 768w, https://www.hinduismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/puja-at-neemkaroliashramand-taoshanumantemple.jpg 1400w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">At the Hanuman Temple in Taos, New Mexico, devotees offer arati to Siva during one of the devotional festivals at this remote center dedicated to Neem Karoli Baba. neem karoli ashram and taos hanuman temple</figcaption></figure></div>
People connected with Maharajji have done truly transformational work for the benefit of society. Examples include Daniel Goleman, who has written about emotional intelligence in the New York Times and continues to work with His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and Dr. Larry Brilliant, who worked with the World Health Organization to eradicate smallpox and founded the Seva Foundation to help cure blindness. 
Language was never a barrier for the sage’s devotees. “We did not feel the need to communicate with Maharajji when we were in his presence. There was also help from translators if required. We could also manage with some Hindi,” says Parvati. Reading about all this now, one feels that Maharajji is truly that universal energy. Today several institutions, ashrams and individual temples are following Maharajji’s practice of love all, feed all and serve all. 
Legacy
Neem Karoli Baba attained mukti on September 11, 1973, leaving his physical body in Vrindavan on Anant Chaturdashi day. Krishna Das asserts that Maharajji is still alive and well through us and has not left us. He looks out for all of us everywhere. A samadhi shrine, constructed in his Vrindavan ashram, contains some of his personal belongings. People continue to make pilgrimages to ashrams and temples associated with him. The sage established more than fifteen temples in his lifetime, and more than 100 temples and ashrams around the world were inspired by him, all managed by his followers and family. The Kainchi Ashram in Nainital, Uttarakhand, was built in 1964. Maharajji would spend summers in Nainital and winters in Vrindavan. An annual function to commemorate the inauguration of the Kainchi Ashram is held on June 15. A small USA ashram and Hanuman temple dedicated to Maharajji is active in New Mexico.
Countless leaders, celebrities, writers and scientists have followed and continue to follow Neem Karoli Baba. He lives in their work and through them. This is only possible because of the unconditional love and the seva bhava that he imbued in all who came into contact with him. This has been successfully transmitted for years by people in various walks of life. The number of people who follow Maharajji grows every day. They go on pilgrimages to places connected to Maharajji and make sure to meditate while they are there.
He is an integral part of the rich legion of India’s spiritual might. One line of Hanuman Chalisa says, Tumhare bhajan Ram ko pavai. Janam janam ke dukh bisaravai, which means, “O Hanuman, through devotion to Ram, one comes to you and is free of sorrow for several lives.” Maharajji, through his simple but effective methods of teaching, communicated this. Maharajji uniquely demonstrated, by his own idiosyncracies, that you don’t have to be pure or holy to love God, the world and yourself unconditionally.
All his life, Neem Karoli Baba remained accessible and authentic. He was the same to the poorest of the poor and the wealthy businessmen. A shopkeeper in a remote Indian village will narrate his experiences with the sage as fervently as a devotee from outside of India. I asked Gayatri Wagle, an India-based devotee and Bach flower therapist who makes regular trips to Kainchi Ashram, to describe Maharajji in one word. She instantly responded, “Grace.”
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<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Sayings from the Sage</h3>
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from miracle of love, by ram dass (1979)
Never hurt another’s heart.
People are quick to take a chapati, but slow to take the name of God.
Serve as Hanuman served.
The best form to worship God is every form.
Love is the strongest medicine. It is more powerful than electricity.
When asked how the heart could be purified, Maharajji said, “Always speak the truth.”
With desires, Hatha yoga does not work. Today no one really knows Hatha yoga. It can’t work through books. They used to fast and use herbs.
Worldly people go outward, but you must go inward like the tortoise, withdrawing within your shell.
You must honor Shiva through love. Ram and Shiva are the same. Ram worshiped Shiva, Shiva worshiped Ram, they are only one.
You should do your work, be friendly to everyone, and never quarrel with anyone. Do your work like a great hero and all will be well for you.
All is God’s will, but Maya prevents you from knowing it’s all God’s will. He gave us eyes, ears, nose, mouth. But He also gave us wisdom to use them to attain God.
All the money in the world is mine. Even the money in America.
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<h3 class="wp-block-heading">What Was He Like? </h3>
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from barefoot in the heart, keshav das, 2012 
Someone recently asked what it was like to be around him. As a child, all I remember is that it was great fun. As I replay those meetings in my mind, I feel differently today—here was a man who did not look like any saint that I had met—his language was often colorful; he did not have the same hangups as most other sadhus that I had come across—most have severe restrictions about where they will eat, who will cook it, etc….
His devotees did not fit into any pattern either—they were rich, they were poor; they were Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Jews, Sikhs, and even the atheists who did not realize that they had been drawn. There were the VIPs and the dacoits, all in the same room.
He preached nothing and yet his devotees were constantly learning. He met no pattern, he fit no description, and yet from where he sat he was telling the kitchen what he wanted cooked; he was telling an eight-year-old what he would be when he grew up; he was scolding someone about a recent lapse in judgment; addressing someone else about a concern that he/she was yet to express; and probably dealing with creation elsewhere in the Universe, all at the same time. The answer to every question was still  “How do I know?”He defies description,  and he does so on purpose.
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<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Beyond Miracles</h3>
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from love, serve, remember, by ram dass 
Each of us knows him in our own unique way. Each thinks that the Maharajji he knows is the true Maharajji. But he is fooling all of us. And seeing his many facets reflected through each other’s stories and hearts, we come to know his play; to realize that his identities are infinite. And yet we still thirst to know him; to contain him with our minds. Oh that we could be to him as Hanuman is said to be to Rama: his very breath.
He is our way home! He is the beloved! He is wisdom incarnate! He is grace itself!
In these precious moments there is a suspension of the doubts or disbeliefs born of mind. There is no judgment, only appreciation. The tones of our voices reflect faith, reverence and wonder, delight in being privy to the cosmic joke, discomfiture at our own stupidity, and love so palpable that it is difficult to catch our breath.
There are of course his miracles: his awakening of kundalini in others with a touch, his appearing in two places at the same time, his healing the sick and bringing the dead back to life. 
But those things are just the beckonings that entice us to the feast. Far dearer for us are the stories of his humanity… his sweetness… delicacy… rascality… tenderness… his childlike delight in our delight… his pain at our pain.
For me and other Westerners, these moments of sharing in faith are especially precious because it is so difficult to speak of “Guru” in the West; so hard to express unabashed devotion; so culturally unacceptable to speak of the yearning to surrender to another being. 
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<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Final Days “Let’s Go!”</h3>
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From By His Grace, A Devotee’s Story, Dada Mukherjee, 2001 
After 1970 I saw how very restless Babaji had become, that he just wanted to go away. He said, “Dada, I shall not have any more temples. It is very easy to build a temple, but so very difficult to run it.”
Since I had met him he had been talking constantly of building new temples and dharmashalas here and there—at Jagganath Puri, Badrinath, Chitrakut, Benares, Gaya, Allahabad. Suddenly it all changed. Now he began saying, “Dada, what is attachment for a saint? I shall run away.”
This he would repeat many times a day, but I was not to tell anyone. I knew that it was with very great effort that he was staying.
We knew that he had no attachment for the ashram or for anybody. He was there and we were with him, that was all. It was like a rented house: while we are there it is so very dear to us, but when we leave it, we do not look back. Now when he said he would go away, I thought he would just be leaving the ashram as he had left other places. I didn’t suspect that he would leave his body. After he took his samadhi, Rajuda’s mother, who was a very great devotee, accused me of knowing that Maharajji was going to take samadhi. She would not believe that I did not know.
In Kainchi one day he was in his room resting after taking his food when suddenly he came out with just a tee shirt and dhoti on, no blanket. He hurriedly caught hold of my hand, saying, “Let’s go!”  We went out of the ashram and down the road. He asked, “Dada, have you been to Badrinath?” I said no. “We shall hire a taxi for six hundred rupees and go to Kedarnath and Badrinath. That is the land of the gods, rishis and the great sages. I shall remain there, but you shall return.”
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About the Author
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Sudarshan Ramabadran, author, policy expert and researcher, is an alumnus of the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. In 2017, he completed the Professional Fellow for Governance and Society, South and Central Asia program run by the U.S. State Department. In 2013, he authored the book Good Governance: People’s Voice published by the Government of Gujarat. In 2021, he co-authored the book Makers of Modern Dalit History, published by Penguin Random House India.
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<title>God and Love: the Hindu View</title>
<link>https://www.hinduismtoday.com/philosophy-and-scripture/god-and-love-the-hindu-view/</link>
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<pubDate>Sun, 31 Mar 2024 01:13:00 +0000</pubDate>
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<description><![CDATA[From loving God (as separate) to the unitive experience of one’s self with God, is well-mapped in Indian theology By,...
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<h2 class="wp-block-heading">From loving God (as separate) to the unitive experience of one’s self with God, is well-mapped in Indian theology</h2>
By Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami
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 In western television shows, references to God are rare. However, when the Divine is mentioned, the prevailing sentiment often revolves around the assertion that “God loves you.” This mirrors contemporary perspectives on the Divine. Indeed, amid life’s challenges, it is reassuring to be reminded of the comforting principle that God cares for you.
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In Hindu philosophy, the idea that “God loves you” is present but enriched by profound subtlety. There is a strong emphasis on “You love God” and “God is love.” This slightly different focus provokes the devotee’s sincere effort to cultivate and intensify love of the Divine. 
Before looking in more detail into deepening one’s love of God, let’s look first at a second Hindu concept, that of faith. 
In our modern world, an increasing number of individuals state that they don’t believe in God and see no need to affiliate with a religion. A popular poster on the web expresses this sentiment, depicting a teenage girl boldly declaring, “I’m too old to believe in fairy tales.” Western thought often, though not always, defines religious faith as an unquestioning belief in God and religious tenets, a perspective aligned with Webster’s dictionary. In contrast, the Hindu expression of faith transcends doctrinal allegiance. In Hinduism, faith is not a consensus of belief; nor is it a static condition. Rather, it undergoes constant deepening through personal experience and spiritual growth. The spiritual truths of Sanatana Dharma, initially embraced without tangible proof, find ultimate validation through individual experiences. Swami Chinmayananda, founder of Chinmaya Mission, succinctly encapsulated this notion, stating, “Faith is to believe what you do not see. The reward of faith is to see what you believed.”
The Hindu goal of intensifying one’s love of God finds lucid expression in the tradition of bhakti yoga, which portrays the evolving stages of love for God through differing relationships. These stages are found in many traditions, while varying somewhat. For example, the Vaishnava tradition recognizes five primary devotional attitudes, or bhavas:
Peacefulness (Shanta Bhava): The soul experiences contentment in the presence of God. Servitude (Dasya Bhava): The soul engages with God in the role of a servant to master. Friendship (Sakhya Bhava): The soul establishes a relationship with God as a friend. Parental Affection (Vatsalya Bhava): The soul relates to God with the affection of a parent to a child. Belovedness (Madhurya Bhava): The soul experiences a deep connection with God, perceiving the Divine as one’s dearest beloved.
The pivotal inquiry revolves around how to enhance one’s devotion to God, gradually transitioning from shanta bhava to madhurya bhava. The four primary stages or methods are the yogas of bhakti, karma, raja and jnana. Let’s delve into each, keeping in mind their relevance to the desired bhava progression. 
When seeking to deepen one’s love for God, it is natural to think of bhakti yoga first. It encompasses numerous devotional practices which are typically, but not exclusively, performed at a temple. The temple is an especially sacred place where the Deity comes and hovers over and within the murti in His subtle body. Swami Bhaskarananda comments on this idea: “The murti is not an idol but a consecrated image of God’s chosen aspect. The worshiper believes that God is actually present in the image, and thus the image becomes a way of communicating with the Supreme” (The Essentials of Hinduism).
Bhakti yoga practices include: shravana: listening to the stories of God; kirtana: singing devotional hymns and songs; smarana: remembering the presence and name of the Divine; pada-sevana: service to the holy feet, which includes serving humanity; archana: attending ritual worship in the temple as well as attending or conducting worship in one’s home shrine; vandana: prostrating to the Deity; atma-nivedana: complete self-surrender.
Through bhakti yoga we develop love for God as well as selflessness and purity, leading to self-effacement and total surrender to God.
Karma yoga, or seva, is selfless service. Seva generally is first performed at a temple where the devotee does simple tasks such as cleaning the floors, polishing the lamps, making garlands, and cooking and serving food to other devotees. All such actions are to be done without thought of recognition or reward. Seva can be extended to other situations, such as work or school, where we strive to be helpful to others and go beyond what the situation formally requires of us. This can be conceived of as worshiping God by serving all beings as His living manifestations. Pramukh Swami Maharaj of BAPS counseled his followers in the aftermath of the 2001 Gujarat earthquake: “When people are facing difficulties and sorrows, our Indian tradition is to offer them solace. We feel that by serving the human beings we serve the Lord Himself.”
In a still deeper approach, great teachers ask us to perform all work with the aim of reaching God. Performing our work with the aim of reaching God naturally leads to the perspective that each task is an offering to the Lord. Every act, from the grandest to the lowliest, becomes a sacred rite. “Work is worship.” Even simple, menial tasks should be done in this spirit. My Paramaguru Yogaswami once spoke to a laborer who was cleaning the lavatory outside his hut: “O Ramaswamy! Are you doing Sivapuja (divine worship) out there?”
In this way the whole of life is sanctified and the conflict between secular and spiritual ceases to exist. Karma yoga can ultimately lead to the realization that the universe is all the action of God. This insight gives the perspective of not merely renouncing the fruit of action but also surrendering the sense of being the doer. Every act of service is an offering to the Lord, and every task, from the grandest to the lowliest, becomes a sacred rite. Through the practices of karma yoga the devotee’s love of God is naturally deepened.
In both bhakti yoga and karma yoga, the devotee is focused on the personal aspect of God, known as Ishvara in Sanskrit. In contrast, the next two yogas, raja yoga and jnana yoga, emphasize the impersonal aspects of God, which are omnipresent consciousness and its transcendent source. In Sanskrit, these aspects are referred to as Satchidananda and Parabrahman respectively.
The practices of bhakti and karma yoga, when perfected, naturally lead the seeker into Hinduism’s meditative practices. These start with the raja yoga steps of breath control, energy withdrawal and concentration that deepens into meditation and contemplation. The deepest experience of contemplation is being one with pure consciousness or Satchidananda. Deeper still—beyond contemplation—is the experience of transcendent reality (Parabrahman). 
Jnana yoga describes the esoteric spiritual practices of the fully enlightened being, or jnani. An alternative meaning, popularized by Swami Vivekananda, is the quest for cognition through intellectual religious study, as one of four alternate paths to truth, the other three being bhakti yoga, karma yoga and raja yoga. 
These meditative approaches are striving for a form of God’s love that is not found in the karma and bhakti yoga approaches. They are focused on God’s omnipresent consciousness of love. In experiencing that state, God is love, and you are also God’s love. Paramaguru Yogaswami taught this concept—that God Siva, you and love are an inseparable unity—in a letter to a young man named Yogendra Duraisamy: “I am with you and you are with me. There is no distance between us. I am you. You are I. What is there to fear? Look! I exist as you. Then what must you do? You must love. Whom? Everyone. To speak more clearly, your very nature is love. Not only you, but all are pervaded by love. But there is no ‘all,’ for you alone exist. All are you!”
In the fifth bhava, belovedness, God is your dearly beloved. Mystically, it also has the deeper meaning that there is a oneness between you and God, an inseparable unity of the essence of your soul and God’s omnipresence, the transcendent source which can be experienced through raja or jnana yoga. In the highest attainment, God, “I” and love are one.
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<title>From the Tirumantiram–The End of Sound</title>
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<pubDate>Sun, 31 Mar 2024 01:12:00 +0000</pubDate>
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<description><![CDATA[The meditative experience of flowing from inner sound to perfect silence The following is a selection of verses from Rishi,...
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<h2 class="wp-block-heading">The meditative experience of flowing from inner sound to perfect silence</h2>
The following is a selection of verses from Rishi Tirumular’s Tirumantiram, translated by Dr. S. P. Sabharathnam Sivacharyar. 
Even if so-called “yogis” remain in yogic practices for eight thousand years, none of them would have a direct vision of Lord Siva, who is like the nectar flowing through all the nerves and channels of the body and whose presence fills the entire universe. But, if they settle their mind within, delink their soul from the tattvas (foundational elements of existence) and contemplate their inseparable oneness with the Lord, their soul would attain its own resplendence—thus far obscured. Then Lord Siva would merge in everlasting union with them like a mirror holding a reflected image, inseparable from it. 603
If the sadhaka fixes the concentrated gaze of both his eyes at a distance of 12 digits from the midpoint of his nose, then he would be completely free from the fatigued state caused by his five senses; no decay for his body; all the organs and internal instruments would be regulated; he would be free from bodily consciousness. Being in this deeply absorbed state, he would be free from the consciousness of his own self; apart from the goal of attaining oneness with the Divine, he would not have any other aspiration. He would become Siva Himself.  604
Having fixed the concentrated look of both the eyes, the sadhakas should then regulate their breath’s flow which is now stilled, neither rising up nor moving down more than a span of 12 digits. Being completely free from the disturbed state caused by the senses, they should lose themselves in yogic slumber. For those who are capable of raising themselves to such a supreme state, the main purpose of taking this birth becomes fulfilled. They would not be afflicted with the fear of death. 605
Ringing sounds of the bell, roaring sounds of the ocean, trumpeting of the elephant, sweet sounds of a long flute, thundering of the clouds, buzzing of bees and that of a dragonfly, the reverberations of conch and drum, the soothing melody of a stringed musical instrument—these ten kinds of invigorating sounds which arise from the innermost space of the heart without the presence of their respective sources could be heard internally only by those who remain within by extricating themselves from the tattvas step by step. It is not possible for others to experience the blissful benefits of such internal melodies. 606
The sounds of the ocean, thundering clouds, trumpeting of the elephant, and the sound of the vina—these arise to subdue the harshness and hardness of the mind. They bring fourth a continuous sound from the luminous bodies, vibrating in distant space where the celestial beings are living. The sweet melody of the flute, the reverberating sound of the conch with beautified curves—these internal sounds could be experienced only by the yogis who have realized the significance of the heart-center through Sivayoga, not by other yogis who limit themselves to the eight steps of yoga.  607
Lord Siva is of the nature of these internal melodious sounds. Within the soul of those who are capable of realizing the presence of Siva in the innermost space of their heart, all the qualities of Siva which were in a dormant state would manifest; their body would be suffused with the resplendent rays of Siva and those beams of light would become one with their soul while residing in their physical body. The inner sounds and their exalted benefits are comparable to the flowers and their fragrance. The body of those who experience such sounds would be with this everlasting fragrance.  608
Sivashakti, who performs deeds for the betterment of souls, is ever present at a transcendental plane which extends from the nadanta—the soundless pinnacle of all sound. the most fruitful yoga known as Sivayoga is mainly concerned with elevating the soul to that pure plane. The goal of all Sivayogis is steadily fixed at that plane. Lord Siva is ever existing at this final stage of sound.  609
The five designated Lords, namely Brahma, Vishnu, Rudra, Maheshvara and Sadasiva, are present in the five fiery planes formed between the six chakras; They, being with much effulgence, are worshiped by devas and sages. Even though they are endowed with authority, they are free from the obscured state caused by the sense of I-ness. If the sadhaka who is in meditation inwardly leaves the tattvas, following the root sound, so as to make him settled in the respective five Lords, he would reach the feet of Lord Siva who is adorned with golden konrai flowers.  610
Having followed all the ordained disciplines without leaving out any part and having transmuted his body to be identical with the form of the Lord, the yogi should direct his breath through the sushumna channel within the spine and elevate himself to the highest point of dvadasanta at the top of the head. He should transcend the three luminous regions—fire, sun and moon—step by step, going beyond luminosity. The yogi who practices Sivayoga in this way would continue to exist through many aeons without leaving his transmuted body.  612
For the yogis, there are self-luminous domains in the transcendental plane suitable to their existence. A yogi becomes the Lord of that domain suitable to him. If the powers pertaining to that domain are fully experienced by that yogi, the same domain would be reached by all those who have become his disciples.  613
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Dr. S. P. Sabharathnam Sivacharyar, of the Adisaiva priest lineage, is an expert in ancient Tamil and Sanskrit, specializing in the Vedas, Agamas and Silpa Shastras. 
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