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JANUARY 2002
Vol. 107 JANUARY 2002 No. 1
VEDIC PRAYERS

ahKk vrJtk rJ;;k vwhtKk

gul vq;;hr; =wf]U;trl >
;ul vrJtuK Nwul vq;t
yr;vtbtlbhtr;k ;hub >>
Taittirya rayaka, 10.11
Being purified by the holy, all-pervading, eternal presence of the effulgent Being,
the human being gets rid of evil. May we too go beyond the touch of sin,
our great enemy, being freed from impurity by that ever-holy Presence that purifies all.
gtu =uJtu~lti gtu~mw

gtu rJJk CwJlbtrJJuN >
g ytuMteMw Jlvr;Mw
;bi =uJtg lbtu lb& >>
vetvatara Upaniad, 2.17
Repeated salutations to God who is in the fire, who is in the water,

who has pervaded the whole universe,
who is in the plants, and who is in the trees.
9
Adoration
EDITORIAL
Dakshineswar temple garden, the place God, as the earth is soaked with water in the
hallowed by the spiritual practices and pres- rainy season.2 Sri Ramakrishnas adoration
ence of Sri Ramakrishna; the Bhavatarini Kali was that of a knower of God, and may be con-
temple, where he worshipped and had the vi- sidered the ideal. A spiritual aspirant, how-
sion of the Divine Mother; the Radhakanta ever, passes through different levels of adora-
temple and the twelve Siva temples; the room tion.
where he lived in God-absorption and enacted Adoration at different levels
the divine dramaall these sacred spots are The way a spiritual aspirant adores God
objects of adoration to countless devotees. depends upon his attitude towards himself. In
Those who have studied Sri Ramakrishnas other words, his level of consciousness deter-
life know that he was a worshipper in the Kali mines his conception and adoration of God. In
temple there. But what a worship it was! A his spiritual journey a spiritual aspirant un-
worship with a difference: he cried and wept dergoes changes in his attitude to God corre-
for God, the divine fire raging in his heart con- sponding to the different degrees of purity of
suming his very being, till the stone image re- his mind, and finally reaches the culmination
vealed to him the Consciousness pervading it. of spiritual life: oneness with God. A verse at-
He started communicating with his Divine tributed to Hanuman brilliantly describes this
Mother, and She with him. That marked the important spiritual principle: When I think of
beginning of Sri Ramakrishnas divine play on myself as a body, I am the servant and You are
earthunceasing adoration and realization of my Master; when I think of myself as a
God in one aspect or another, including those jvtman, I am a part and You are the Whole.
prescribed by non-Hindu faiths. When I know I am the Spirit, I am Thouthis
Then, it was adoration of God every- is my firm conviction!3
where. Says Sri Ramakrishna: One day I was Adoration at the physical level
about to gather some flowers. They were ev- Adoration means to love something
erywhere on the trees. At once I had the vision deeply and with respect. Everyone in this
of Vir; it appeared that His worship was just world has something to adore. While most
over. The flowers looked like a bouquet people adore the world and its enjoyments,
placed on the head of the Deity. I could not there are a few who adore something differ-
pluck them.1 To him, all existenceincluding ent, something higher. As long as we feel that
the manifest worldnow stood permeated our body-mind complexthe empirical per-
with Consciousness. In his own words, The sonalityis real, we see the external world as
universe is conscious on account of the Con- real and it occupies our whole being. When
sciousness of God. Sometimes I find that Con- such a person prays to God, he does it mostly
sciousness wriggles about, as it were, even in to be freed from some physical or mental af-
small fish. Sometimes I find that the uni-
verse is saturated with the Consciousness of 2. Gospel, p. 260.
3. Dehabuddhy tu dasosmi
1. M., The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, trans. Swami jvabuddhy tvadaaka;
Nikhilananda (Madras: Ramakrishna Math, tmabuddhy tvamevaham
1996), pp 687-8. [Hereafter, Gospel.] iti me nicit mati.
10
2002 Adoration 3
fliction, or for worldly prosperity: name, fame, this attitude cannot hold water. They need to
power, and position. These, according to the purify their mind and be free from their own
Gt, are two (rta and arthrth) of the four body consciousness before trying to negate
types of people who worship God.4 Such peo- God with a human form. Says Swami
ple adore God as a human being and even con- Yatiswarananda, Before you apply the con-
ceive of Him as married and having children, cept of formlessness and impersonality to
if that suits them! God, apply it first to yourself. It is an impor-
Swami Vivekananda throws light on an tant law that our concept of Reality depends
important truth: the constitutional necessity upon our concept of ourselves. So in order to
for such people to worship God with a human meditate on the formless God, we must con-
form. He says, Suppose a cow were philo- sider ourselves to be formless. We must de-
sophical and had religion, it would have a cow personalize ourselves before we try to deper-
universe, and a cow solution of the problem, sonalize God.8
and it would not be possible that it should see Adoration at the mental level
our God. Suppose cats became philosophers, The third type of people who adore God,
they would see a cat universe and have a cat according to Sri Krishna, is called jijsuone
solution of the problem of the universe, and a who seeks to know. Know what? Answers to
cat ruling it.5 The point to be noted is: As long certain fundamental questions of life: What is
as cats and cows are conscious of their cat or the meaning of human existence? What is the
cow form, they are constitutionally obliged to nature of God? Is a human being only what he
think of a God with their respective forms. or she appears from outside or is there a
Even so with a human being. As long as ones higher dimension to his or her personality? A
identity with the body and the mind is strong, seeker is not satisfied with the world and the
adoration of a human God alone is possible sense enjoyments it has to offer. He knows that
and just. For those who feel attracted to the such enjoyments only sap the vigour of the
world and its objects, religion can be only a senses.9 Such a person turns to God, adores
form of sanctified shopkeeping.6 But Sri Him, and prays to Him seeking to know the
Krishna considers even such worshippers as secret and purpose of human existence.
noble-hearted.7 For, after all, it is God whom Spiritual life may be said to begin at this
they approach for their worldly wants instead stage. Such a seeker practises spiritual disci-
of manipulating men and matter, depending plines, studies the scriptures, cultivates holy
on their puny ego. company and struggles for the purification of
It will be pertinent to examine the view of the mind. Since worldly things do not charm
people who do not believe in worshipping him anymore, he does not adore them now as
God with a human form. Such people may be he used to in his unawakened state. He lives
strongly attached to the world and to their mostly in the mental and intellectual planes,
own limited personality. Only adoration of a and derives joy from a higher dimension of his
God with a human form is taboo for them! As personality. This joy arises from a level tran-
long as they continue to adore their own body, scending his sensory system, and is born of
self-control and devotion to his Ideal. When
4. rmad Bhagavadgt, 7.16. he adores God in an image, it is not the exter-
5. Swami Vivekananda, The Complete Works of
Swami Vivekananda (Mayavati: Advaita 8. Swami Yatiswarananda, Meditation and Spiri-
Ashrama, 1992), Vol. 2, p. 155. [Hereafter, tual Life (Bangalore: Ramakrishna Math,
Complete Works.] 1989), p. 422.
6. Complete Works, Vol. 5, p. 92. 9. sarvendriy jarayanti teja Kaha
7. rmad Bhagavadgt, 7.18. Upaniad, 1.1.26.
11
4 Prabuddha Bharata January
nal splendour that draws his attention, but the such an exalted mind of a Ramakrishna with
infinite purity, knowledge, bliss and strength his own fickle mind. The aspirants restless
of the Divine permeating the image. He wages mind is able to think of a divine idea maybe for
a relentless war with his own mind, which is just a few minutes during his attempts at med-
like controlling the wind10 or reversing the itationthat too with great struggle! What a
current of a river.11 This marks the beginning contrast with the mind of a Ramakrishna that
of his adoration at the mental level. The more is steeped in God consciousness for all 24
his own mind becomes pure, the more he real- hours even in the midst of an excruciating
izes the infinite purity, holiness, knowledge, throat pain due to cancer!
freedom and strength of the object of his ado- The struggling aspirant adores such a su-
ration, which could be any holy form includ- perhuman mind and inherits its traits by and
ing an incarnation of God. His adoration now by. By opening himself to its purifying influ-
takes the form of a deep longing to be filled ence more and more, his mind gets cast in the
with these qualities. mould of his chosen Ideal. He prays to Him to
Patanjali advocates meditation on the be endowed with humility, control of mind,
heart that has given up all attachment to sense freedom from thirst for sense objects, compas-
objects.12 Commenting on this sutra, Swami sion for all beings, and to ferry him across the
Vivekananda says: Take some holy person, ocean of transmigratory existence.15
some great person whom you revere, some Adoration of God through work
saint whom you know to be perfectly non-at- A proper attitude to work and to ones
tached, and think of his heart. That heart has profession can convert work into a potent tool
become non-attached, and meditate on that for effecting the purification of the mind. Sri
heart; it will calm the mind.13 Krishna emphasizes this in a series of graded
Students of Sri Ramakrishnas life cannot disciplines for spiritual life: Fix your mind on
but be astounded at his blazing superhuman Me, may your intellect dwell on Me. Undoubt-
renunciation and purity. Such a one-pointed edly, you will live in Me on giving up the
and tenacious mind, which didnt stop till it body. In case you are not able to fix your mind
accomplished what it believed to be true, canon Me, desire to attain Me through abhysa
not but be an object of adoration by a seeker. yoga (the yoga of steadfast practice). If you are
Every other page in the Gospel of Sri unable to do this either, be intent on working
Ramakrishna records his losing external con- for My sake. Working for Me, you will attain
sciousness and passing into samadhi, the perfection. If you cannot thus work for My
highest superconscious experience. He had to sake resorting to yoga, renounce the fruits of
struggle hard to bring his mind down to the all your actions, being self-controlled.16
empirical level so that he could talk to suffer- So, performing ones action with a view
ing humanity on spiritual life! Such was his to pleasing God is a basic discipline every
great concern for the spiritually impoverished seeker is taught to practise. How is one to sur-
humanity that he prayed to the Divine Mother render the fruits of ones actions to God? By
to bring his mind down a little from the experi- taking refuge in the primeval Purua (God)
ence of oneness with God, and not to make from whom have originated activities from
him a dry sadhu!14 time immemorial!17
A spiritual aspirant cannot but contrast Sri Krishna emphasizes the efficacy of
adoration of God through ones work in the
10. rmad Bhagavadgt, 6.34. 18th chapter of the Gt: From whom is the
11. pratisrota pravartanamiva, Sankaras com- evolution of all beings, by whom is everything
mentary on the Kaha Upaniad, 2.1.1.
12. Vtargaviaya v cittam Yoga Sutras, 1.37. 15. Sankaracharya, Viuapad, 1.
13. Complete Works, Vol. 1, p. 227. 16. rmad Bhagavadgt, 12.8-11.
14. Gospel, p. 388. 17. rmad Bhagavadgt, 15.4.
2002 Adoration 5
pervadedby adoring Him through ones cause he fails to see anything else adorable!21
work, a human being achieves perfection.18 The adoration of the jn can therefore be
Service to fellow beings is another effec- called the adoration of the Spirit by the Spirit.
tive way of adoring Godservice as the wor- Lives of saints and sages illustrate this su-
ship of the indwelling Spirit. This incidentally preme adoration of the Spirit by the Spirit,
is the basic work philosophy of the which Swami Vivekananda considered true
Ramakrishna Order. Swami Vivekananda religion.22 Says he: Throw away all matter!
stresses its importance in his celebrated lec- The conception of God must be truly spiritual.
ture on True Worship delivered in All the different ideas of God, which are more
Rameswaram: or less materialistic, must go. As man becomes
A rich man had a garden and two gardeners. more and more spiritual, he has to throw off
One of these gardeners was very lazy and did all these ideas and leave them behind. As a
not work; but when the owner came to the gar- matter of fact, in every country there have al-
den, the lazy man would get up and fold his ways been a few who have been strong
arms and say, How beautiful is the face of my enough to throw away all matter and stand
master, and dance before him. The other gar- out in the shining light, worshipping the spirit
dener would not talk much, but would work by the spirit.23
hard, and produce all sorts of fruits and vegeta- Sri Ramana Maharshi was a great saint
bles which he would carry on his head to his who lived in the last century and propagated
master who lived a long way off. Of these two the vicra mrga (the path of knowledge and
gardeners, which would be the more beloved of discrimination). An incident happened when
his master? Shiva is that master, and this world he was 12 and living with his uncle in
is His garden, and there are two sorts of garden- Madurai. One day, as he lay on the floor, he
ers here; the one who is lazy, hypocritical, and began to think he was dead. He imagined that
does nothing, only talking about Shivas beauti- his body was carried to the cremation ground,
ful eyes and nose and other features; and the kept on the funeral pyre and set on fire. He ex-
other, who is taking care of Shivas children, all perienced that still he did not die, that the At-
those that are poor and weak, all animals, and man in him continued to exist even after the
all His creation. Which of these would be the body was consigned to flames. This was not a
more beloved of Shiva? Certainly he that serves mere thought but a tangible spiritual experi-
19
His children. ence. For, when he went to Tiruvannamalai
Adoration at the spiritual level where he remained for the rest of his mortal
When the spiritual aspirant is blessed lifehe was known to be absorbed in his inner
with the knowledge of the Spirit, his life be- Self in a cave where even the suns rays could
comes an act of continuous worship. He now not penetrate. Worms and vermin used to feed
belongs to the fourth class of worshippers of on his limbs, about which he was not at all con-
God, the jn. As mentioned already, Sri scious. Abidance in the Self became his natural
Krishna calls all the four types of devotees no- statesahaja samadhi.
ble-hearted. But, he considers a jn (man of After this abiding spiritual experience,
knowledge) to be special among them because Sri Ramana Maharshis visits to the Siva tem-
of his one-pointed devotion to Him. Such a ple in Madurai acquired a new meaning. He
devotee is dear to God and so is God to such a
devotee.20 Commenting on this verse, Sri 20. rmad Bhagavadgt, 7.17.
Sankara says that a jn adores God alone be- 21. anyasya bhajanyasya adarant, Sankaras
commentary on the Bhagavadgt, 7.17.
18. rmad Bhagavadgt, 18.46. 22. Complete Works, Vol. 8, p. 141.
19. Complete Works, Vol. 3, p. 142. 23. Complete Works, Vol. 8, p. 139.
13
would stand in silent adoration before the his body, mind and ego. This state marks the
stone images of the 63 NayanmarsSaiva acme of all adorationthe Spirit of the devo-
saints of Tamil Nadu. Tears of bhakti would tee finds its oneness with the supreme Spirit.
stream down his cheeks as this jn stood in The river merges into the sea.25
amazement at their devotion! This Special Number
One day at Dakshineswar, Sri This special number of Prabuddha Bharata
Ramakrishna entered one of the Siva temples, focusses on adoration. It comprises articles
and started reciting the famous hymn from many scholars on Adoration in Hindu-
ivamahimna Stotram describing the glory of ism, Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Sikhism,
Siva. When he came to the following verse, he Jainism, Judaism and Zoroastrianism. There
was overwhelmed with emotion: If the black are also articles on the following themes: ado-
mountain were to be the ink, the ocean the ration through inter-religious understanding,
inkpot, the best branch of the celestial tree the song, hymns, work, music, art, management
pen, and the earth the paperwith all these etc. We thank our contributors for their excel-
instruments if the Goddess of Wisdom Herself lent articles, a result of years of study, medita-
were to write for eternity, even then, O Lord, tion, and experience.
She cannot exhaust Your glories! He then ex-
claimed aloud again and again: O Great God, 24. Swami Saradananda, Sri Ramakrishna the Great
how can I express Your glory? Tears started Master (Madras: Ramakrishna Math, 1970),
flowing profusely from his eyes. He lost him- p. 431.
self in the infinite Consciousness of Siva.24 25. The river of individual consciousness with
Immersed in God consciousness, such a name and form merging into the sea of univer-
man of supreme Knowledge lives oblivious of sal Consciousness losing its individual iden-
tity. Muaka Upaniad, 3.2.8.
The Ideal of Adoration

In worship of the gods, you must of course use images. But you can change these. Kali
need not always be in one position. Encourage your girls to think of new ways of pictur-
ing Her. Have a hundred different conceptions of Saraswati. In the chapel if the main-
tenance of perpetual adoration could be organised, nothing could be more in accord with
Hindu feeling. But the ceremonies employed must themselves be Vedic. Then there is
the sacrifice of learning. That is the most beautiful of all. Do you know that every book is
holy in India, not the Vedas alone, but the English and Mohammedan also? All are sa-
cred. And never forget humanity! The idea of a humanitarian man-worship exists in nu-
cleus in India, but it has never been sufficiently specialised. Let your students develop it.
Swami Vivekananda
14
Adoration
Adoration
of the
of the
Universal
Universal
ManMan
in the
in the
Upanishads
Upanishads
SWAMI RANGANATHANANDA
Srimat Swami Ranganathanandaji Maharaj is the president of the Ramakrishna Order.
He is well known internationally as an ambassador of Vedanta. He has been tirelessly
spreading the universal message of oneness and spirituality everywhere since over seven
decades. He has also written many important books, of which The Message of the
Upanishads and The Bhagavad Gt (in three volumes) are very well known. The following
article has been culled from The Message of the Upanishads (Mumbai: Bharatiya Vidya
Bhavan). We thank Swami Satyamayanandaji, Advaita Ashrama, Kolkata, for arranging this
article.
The Theme of the Upanishads sive. Man, endowed with a body, with the
Without understanding the Upanishads, senses, with various capacities, has yet to rise
it is impossible to get an insight into Indian to the point of his highest excellence, which he
history and culture. Every subsequent devel- has in a small measure even in his very child-
opment of philosophy and religion in India hood. The achievement of this highest excel-
has drawn heavily on them. The path of bhakti lence is the product of a converging life
or devotion to a personal God, the path of endeavour; it is education and religion in one.
karma or detached action, and the synthesis of Mans supreme excellence, says the
all spiritual paths in a comprehensive spiritu- Upanishads, consists in transcending the limi-
ality, expounded in the Gt, are all derived tations of his senses. We have transcended
from the Upanishads. The Upanishads are many things. We have transcended our ani-
thus the perennial springs of strength and cre- mal ancestry to some extent in this human
ativity. Their theme is freedom of the human psycho-physical organism, but this is not the
spirit and their message is of fearlessness and last nor the highest achievement. Even mans
love and service. They summon men and technical achievements up to date do not
women everywhere to this mighty adventure touch a fringe of his total possibilities; in spite
of freedom and fearlessness, love and service, of these intellectual developments, he has still
and to the realization, by each man and about him and in him much of the primeval
woman, of his or her essential spiritual nature, evolutionary slime; he has to shed much of his
and the transcendence of the limitations of animal ancestry. He represents a great ad-
finitude. They explain every great move- vance in evolution, but evolution has still
mentsocial, political, or religiousnay the greater heights to scale in him and through
phenomena of life itself, as an expression of him. The Upanishads took up this challenge,
the urge to freedom inherent in every organ- the challenge of deeper levels of human expe-
ismthe struggle of the Infinite caught up in rience. This is the theme of the Upanishads.
the cell or in a body. The True Nature of Man
Human Excellence What then is this eternal glory of man? It
India asked, ages ago, What is the high- is the inborn divine nature, birthless, death-
est excellence of man? This question was tack- less, pure and holy. Man is not the body, nor
led with a thoroughness that is very impres- the senses; these are but the instruments of
15
manifestation and action in the spatio-tempo- other meaning, a more profound meaning. In
ral world of the Atman. It is limitless and one, the second meaning the modern man is he
yet expressing itself through the little finite who is nourished on the spirit of science, who
forms of body and mind. This is the true na- is alert of mind, and on the tract of truth, who
ture of man. This is not a mere philosophical has the capacity to question. That man is mod-
concept but a realized fact. All sensitive minds ern who is inquisitive, who has the passion for
are inspired by these ideas. They inspired peo- truth, who never takes things for granted, but
ple when the Upanishads were composed; always strives to get into the heart of things.
they inspired people a thousand years later; Such a modern mind is the mind closest to the
and today, after 3000 to 4000 years, they still spirit of the Upanishads. For in the
inspire us. Neither the phenomenal progress Upanishads too there is this atmosphere of
of science and technology, nor the wealth and alertness, this mood of constant seeking, a
power of modern world has been able to re- deep passion for truth, a constant desire to
duce their relevance of these ideas. They have forge ahead and not take things for granted in
only increased it. The world today is seeking a complacent spirit. It is here that you find the
for precisely this spiritual growth for man; it is close kinship between the Upanishads and the
the only means of breaking through the stag- modern spirit. The spirit of inquiry which pos-
nation that has come upon the human mind. sessed the sages of the Upanishads led them to
The human mind has lost its bearings in the question experience, to question the
delusion of wealth and power, pramdyantam environing world; it also led them to fearlessly
vittamohena mdham (Katha Upanishad). Con- question their gods and the tenets of their tra-
tinued stagnation means death. So the ditional faiths. They showed their uniqueness
Upanishads give us their gospel of hope for in contrast to other gifted people of the ancient
man through their grand theme: Man shall world, namely, the Greeks, who did not expe-
have wealth; man shall have power; man shall rience the same urge to subject their religion to
have all this; but he shall not get lost in any one that rational investigation which they so dili-
of these. These are the means, not the end; he gently and passionately applied to social and
shall break through the crust of experience political phenomena. The Upanishadic and
and realize the Atman, his divine Self which is earliereven the Vedicsages did not also
Sat - Chit - nanda, Existence - Knowledge- fear to doubt when rational, certain knowl-
Bliss. Thus do the Upanishads show us the edge was difficult to come by. They illustrate
way to creative living and fulfilment. the creative role of skepticism; in the pursuit of
Dynamic Creativity truth, such skepticism is but a prelude to ratio-
Creative living is a beautiful term. What nal faith. When they sought for the truth of the
is creativity? Merely doing the same things external world, they found it difficult and baf-
over and over again does not indicate creativ- fling; inquiry only deepened the mystery. The
ity. The body, the senses, the nervous system, Nsadiya-Skta of the Rig Veda records the im-
their recurring excitements and titillations do pact of this mystery on the ancient Indian
not make for creative living. Some time or an- mind. The mind discovered early, as modern
other we have to break through the prison thinkers are slowly discovering today, that the
wall of body and mind. We have to reach true mystery of the external world will only
creativity, and it is this type of creativity that deepen and not diminish, in spite of advanc-
the Upanishads represent. Those who are ing knowledge, if the mystery of the inner
modern fall into two categories. First, there are world is not tackled.
those who are modern simply because they The Knower and the Known
use modern amenities. That is the ordinary For a complete philosophy of Reality,
meaning of the word modern. But there is an- there is need to have data from both the fields
16
2002 Adoration of the Universal Man in the Upanishads 9
of experience, the outer and the inner. Modern sandalwood forest, then, a silver mine, then, a
science has become aware of the influence of gold mine, and, going deeper still into the for-
the datum of the observer on the knowledge of est, he found at last a diamond mine, and be-
the observed data. If the Self as knower is inex- came exceedingly rich.
tricably involved in the knowledge of the Transcending the Ego
not-Self, of the known, an inquiry into the na- The Upanishads summon man to a con-
ture of the Self and the nature of knowledge stant struggle to gain the highest, the struggle
becomes not only a valid, but an indispensable to achieve the eternal, the permanent, the im-
and integral part of scientific investigation mortal imbedded in life and experience. Other
into the nature of Reality. The Upanishads, races and cultures have spoken of man as a
therefore, were far in advance of human dominator of external nature, as a creator of
thought when they decided to dedicate them- values in the context of mans collective life. In
selves to the tackling of the inner world. They Greek thought, for example, we have the con-
not only gave a permanent orientation to In- cept of the Promethean spirit, the power of the
dian culture and thought, but also blazed a human spirit to overcome external obstacles
trail for all subsequent philosophy in the East and establish mans supremacy over the
and the West. They reveal an age character- forces of nature and, if necessary, over the
ized by a remarkable ferment, intellectual and forces of other human beings as well. The
spiritual. It was one those rare ages in human great defect in this line of thought, when pur-
history which have registered a distinct break- sued by itself, is that it does not carry all hu-
through in mans quest for truth and meaning, manity together. It is based on the concept of
and which have held far-reaching conse- mans dominating everything external to him-
quences for all subsequent ages. self; it does not stress the need to chasten and
Spirituality is Mans Greatest Adventure overcome the ego, which results from such
The Upanishads boldly proclaim that domination of his external environment. Man
spirituality is the prerogative of every individ- dominating his external environment is a
ual. This Atman, the divine, the immortal, is valid concept; it is a form of human excellence.
the Self of every man and woman and child. It The West has carried it to the highest level of
is the true nature of man. It is also the true na- expression. But this is not the highest that man
ture of all animals, but animals cannot realize is capable of. Indian thought will not accord it
it. The Upanishads tell us that wealth and the highest point in the scale of human excel-
power are not the highest glory of man. They lence. That point involves the transcendence
do not condemn mans pursuit of worldly of the ego and the emergence of the universal
wealth and power; they never condemn any within man. When man achieves the supreme
values pursued by man. They only say, there self-transcendence he finds that there is no-
is something better and higher than these. body to dominate. He finds that he is one with
The Upanishads ever urge us to go on to the all, for he has realized the Self in all. In other
realization of this something better within us. words, he discovers himself as the Universal
Sri Ramakrishna, in one of his parables, tells Man, integrated within and without, and him-
the story of a woodcutter who, going into the self pulsating in the heart of man and nature.
forest to cut wood, was told by a holy man to This liberation of the Universal Man out of the
go forward. Following this advice, in due common men and women that we are is the
course the woodcutter came across, first, a theme of the Upanishads.
The Upanishads point out that the goal of man is neither misery nor happiness, but
we have to be masters of that out of which these are manufactured, says Swami
Vivekananda.
Vedic Adoration
Swami Vivekananda says that there are scholars who from the ancient Aryan literature
show that religion originated in nature worship. But he rejects this idea and says that in the
oldest records there is no trace of it whatsoever. He adds that there was a difference between
the nature worship of other races and that of the Indian Aryans. What was the Vedic Aryan
nature worship like? I propose to call it the struggle to transcend the limitations of the
senses, says Swamiji (The Complete Works, Vol. 2, pp. 58-9). A former editor of
Prabuddha Bharata has attempted a cursory introduction to the study of Vedic adoration in
this article.
Vedic adoration is an absorbing topic for what are called nature spirits, which are the
study and emulation. Centuries before the forces or personifications of the forces of nature.
Puranic ideal of image worship became wide- High gods exist, for example, in such indige-
spread (though elements of image worship nous religions on Africas west coast as that of
were always there since the very beginning of the Dyola of Guinea. In such religions the spiri-
Vedic civilization), the Vedic sages adored the tual environment of man is functionally struc-
Supreme in several nonpareil ways. A small tured by means of personified natural powers,
2
introduction to the most ancient systems of or nature spirits.
Vedic adoration has been attempted here. Nature worship of the Vedic Aryans was,
How old are the Vedas? In his two-vol- unlike that of such other civilizations, the ven-
ume work, Indian Philosophy, Dr S. Radha- eration of the Divine through some natural
krishnan makes a beautiful remark: manifestations. Indian Aryans were a very
Some Indian scholars assign the Vedic hymns to highly civilized race. Their worship origi-
3000 BC, others to 6000 BC. Jacobi puts the nated in the knowledge that God is immanent
hymns at 4500 BC. We assign them to the fif- in nature, is nature, and also transcends it. It
teenth century BC and trust that our date will was not the idea that nature is an independent
1
not be challenged as being too early. entity like God and the world that prompted
The adoration of the Vedic Aryans may Vedic sages to adore it. Neither was it the
be divided into five broad divisions: (a) nature Skhyan idea of nature being an independ-
worship; (b) worship through fire sacrifices, ent entity, responsible for creation. It was not
(c) worship of the Self, (d) worship of elders, pantheism either. Pantheism is just the re-
and (e) worship of the Vedas themselves. verseits equating God with the forces of na-
Nature Worship ture. Vedic nature worship, on the other hand,
The aborigine nature worship was with was the seeing of God Himself in nature.
the idea that While in the former the forces of nature were
there is a high god as the lord in heaven who has more important, in the latter it was God who
withdrawn from the immediate details of the was most important.
governing of the world. This kind of high How did the Vedic sages view nature?
godthe Deus otiosus, hidden, or idle, godis The vision of the Vedic seers was arresting and
one who has delegated all work on earth to beautiful. In a glorious mantra, the Vedic
sages sing:
1. Dr S. Radhakrishnan, Indian Philosophy (Delhi: Madhu vt tyate
Oxford University Press, 1998), Vol. 1, p. 67.
[Hereafter, Indian Philosophy.] 2. Britannica 2001 Deluxe CD-ROM edition.
18
2002 Vedic Adoration 11
with those of the mi-

crocosm. This is the
grand Vedic way of
looking at things.
From the very
beginning, the Ve-
dic Aryans asked
questions in a com-
pelling manner, like
a scientist does.
They asked, for in-
stance: Why does
the wind blow?
Why does the sun
glow? Why do
The Vedic world, a panorama rivers flow? Though
they might have ini-
madhu-karanti sindhava. tially thought that
Mdhvrna santvoadh. these forces themselves had the power to per-
Madhu naktam-utoasi form actions, they soon realized that there
madhumat prthiva raja. were powers behind everything, which they
Madhu-dyaurastu na pit. saw as the one supreme Truth, that made ev-
Madhumn-no vanaspatir- erything act. This led them to adore those
madhumm-astu srya. powers, which they identified as the gods. But
Mdhvr-gvo bhavantu na. their vision was henotheistic; they knew fully
The air, the waters, the plants and herbs, the well that these gods were only symbolic repre-
night and day, the very dust of the earth, the sentations of the supreme Being. Max Mueller
heavens, the trees, the sun, the cows, in fact, ev- has remarked that Vedic pantheism is not
erything exudes nectar; may everything bring pantheism but henotheism, which is the ado-
everlasting bliss to us. ration of each deity, considering it as the Su-
3
In this Taittirya rayaka (10.39) mantra, preme.
madhu stands for immortality. Whatever the What was the nature of this nature wor-
sages saw, that they conceived as bringing the ship? The sages sang hymns in praise of the
sweetness of immortality. Therefore Indian deities, prayed to them, and offered oblations
adoration of nature has been consistently to them. Initially they sought wealth, health,
mystical, and is based on the concept of the progeny, protection, rains, destruction of ene-
oneness of Reality behind the multifarious mies, etc. Were they so simple to seek favours
manifestations. Eka sat, the One is real. from nature? Not at all, as we shall see now.
That the Vedic vision of the universe is In the g Veda, about 30 sages sing 1,028
spiritual is evident from the first section of the hymns containing 10,552 mantras to the su-
Taittirya Upaniad, which speaks of the three preme Being, seeing Him manifested as vari-
vyhtis (bh, bhuva, and suva), and says ous deities like Agni, Vyu, Aditi,
that there is a fourth, which is Brahman (Real- Brahmaaspati, Soma, U, Pthv, Viu, etc.
ity). Brahman is behind everything, ie, is ev- They pray to Mother Earth, for instance:
erything. Again, what is in the external nature Syen pthv bhar-nkar nivein; yacch na
is also present within us, says this Upaniad,
and compares the vyhtis of the macrocosm 3. Indian Philosophy, Vol. 1, pp. 90-1.
19
arma sapratha, O vast Mother

Earth! May you become favour-
able and free from obstacles; may
you bestow immense happiness
on us.4 They pray to the sun, call-
ing him Lord Savit, to bring
rains: Ap naptam-avase
savitram upastuhi; tasya
vratnyumasi, We adore the
rain-giver Savit for protection;
may he make our lifes sacrifice
easy to perform.5
The sages pray to the trees Two Vedic sages churning wood to make fire
and herbs, seeking protection:
Uttnapare subhage devajte sahasvat..., O viv virjati, Sarasvat is overflowing and has
Mother Tree, your leaves are facing higher re- brought a lot of water; she is awakening our
gions, you have been created by the Supreme; intellect, and bringing us the knowledge of ev-
your brilliance is incomparable; you become erything.7 So water is not just water; its a
medicine for my health; please protect me (g great medicine. A sage of the g Veda (1.23.19)
Veda, 10.145.2). They see the mountains and says: apsvantar-amtam-apsu-bheajam, water
extol their majesty: Girayacini jihate parnso is nectar, water is medicine. The sages there-
manyamn; parvatcinni yemire, Ah! See fore prayed to the gods to keep all the rivers
those mountains! Even though they are tor- full so that duhitur-vakasu rp minno
tured and troubled, they wont give up their akot, the daughter of the Lord, earth, should
positions (g Veda, 8.7.34). The sages knew remain beautiful always (g Veda, 5.42.13).
the science of rainfall, for example, and so they This shows that the Vedic sages were sci-
prayed to the sun instead of the rivers to bring entists of distinction and not ignorant wor-
rains. Sage Drghatam says, for instance: shippers of the forces of nature. Moreover,
Ka niyna havaya supar these scientists, who viewed their inventions
po vasn vidam-utpatanti; with a mystical eye, were also poets. A female
Ta vavtran-tsadandta-syt sage (called Aditi) is perhaps one of the great-
idaghtena pthiv vyudyate. est of such poets. She sings (g Veda, 4.18.6):
The beautiful rays of the sun, for which the wa- Et aranti-alal bhavant
ter vapour is food, are filling the dark-coloured tvarriva sakroamn;
clouds with more water and taking them to- Et vi pccha kimida bhaant
wards higher worlds. When they choose a place kampo adri paridhi rujant.
where they can pour, they come down again The rivers are flowing blissfully, singing
6
and fill the earth with their life-giving waters. ala-l. O Sage! Please ask them what they in-
When the sages pray to the rivers, they tend to say. How at all do these sweet, soft wa-
view them as standing for something else, ters overcome huge obstacles like mountains!
something higher. Sage Vivmitras son, Further, this female sage imagines that
Madhucchand, prays to the River Sarasvat: the rivers are perhaps reciting some mantras
Maho ara sarasvat pracetayati ketun; dhiyo in praise of her dear son, Indra! We see Sage
Vivmitra singing in a poetic way:
4. g Veda, 1.22.15. Samudrea sindhavo ydamn indrya soma
5. g Veda, 1.22.6.
6. g Veda, 1.164.47. 7. g Veda, 1.3.12.
20
suuta bharanta, Just as the beautiful rivers, Apo mah vute caku
desirous of union with the ocean, go towards tamo jyotikoti snar.
him to make him full, so do the priests fill the The daughter of the higher worlds has arrived
cups meant for Indra with the soma juice.8 and is dispelling darkness. She has shown her-
Sage ybva sings like the poet self to everyone. With her light of knowledge,
Klidsa of Meghasandea fame: Eta me U is dispelling the darkness of ignorance, and
stomamrmye drbhyya par vaha; giro devi is spreading light everywhere. She will embrace
12
rathriva, O Goddess of Night (rtr)! Will you the vast expanse of water now.
please carry my hymns addressed to the sons Again,
of Marut over to them? O Goddess! Just as a Ah! Our darkness is going to end now. U is
charioteer carries so many things in his char- making all living beings conscious. U is smil-
iot, please carry my hymns to the Maruts.9 ing at us; she is about to bring us supreme hap-
13
Our Vedic poets werent just poets, they piness.
were basically illumined souls. A kavi is For a race which sees everything as Di-
krntadar, a seer (kavikratu, the poet sees be- vine itself, and as showering nectar, its a life
yondg Veda, 9.9.1). To him, therefore, full of bliss and happiness only.
even insignificant things are Divine. Even the Worship through Fire Sacrifices
grinding stone using which the sages crushed The first portion of the Vedas is called the
the soma plant was divine! At least one hymn mantra or sahit or the hymn portion. The
containing about 18 mantras has been dedi- greater part of the Vedas are hymns. Apart
cated to the grinding stone. This stone is from singing hymns and prayers, the sages
praised in so many ways: its sound is sweet, its also offered oblations. Thus came into exis-
movements are sweet, everything is sweet. tence the next portion of the Vedas, called the
The sages feel that the sound of the grinding brhmaa portion. In fact, mantra and brhmaa
stone is like the snorts of the cows and bulls put together is called the Veda (man-
when they are extremely happy to eat new fo- tra-brhmaayor veda nmadheyam). The
liage from the trees. Listening to their noise, I brhmaas contain sacrificial details. A third
feel as if the birds in the air are chirping, the portion (often included in the second) is called
black-spotted deer are dancing in the forest rayaka, forest treatises. The rayakas deal
while grazing.10 O grinding stones! You with the rules of sacrifices, and give detailed
yourselves dont break, but break others. You descriptions of different sacrifices. The Vedas
dont have the idea of tiredness, you dont consider fire (Agni) as the mediator between
know laxity, you dont know death, you dont the gods and human beings. Agni was consid-
know disease or old age or thirst or anger or ered to be the priest born of the Vedas
hatred; you are hard, but you are experts in the (jtaveda), the carrier of offerings, the giver of
arts of going up and coming down.11 everything, and the friend of all.
The hymns that the sages sing in praise of Agningni samidhyate
light, dawn, etc are all thrilling. U, the god- kavir-ghapatir-yuv;
dess of dawn, has been praised in a number of Havyav juhvsya.
ways by the sages because she is the first deity Agni becomes alive through Agni. He is bril-
who dispels darkness: liant, the protector of the house, young, the car-
Pratyu adaryyatytacchant rier of offerings to the gods, and juhumukha, ie,
duhit diva; he is the ghee poured from the ladle made of
14
juhu wood.
8. g Veda, 3.36.7.
9. g Veda, 5.61.17. 12. Sma Veda, Aindra Ka, 303.
10. g Veda, 10.94.5. 13. g Veda, 1.92.6.
11. g Veda, 10.94.11. 14. g Veda, 1.12.6.
21
Agni is also called the first of the

Agirs, the door to heaven, the fa-
ther and mother, the stainless, the
most favourable god, etc.15
The sages were aware that fire is
hidden in the waters. The sage
Vivmitra says: Ap napta
subhagam, O Agni! You are hidden in
the waters. Kyamno van tvam, you
are a lover of the forest.
Yan-mt-ajagannapa, you become
calm when you enter the mother-like
waters. Asu siham-iva ritam, you A fire sacrifice plan: agnydhna vedi
are hidden in the waters like a lion in changed. They began to compare Agni with
the forest.16 the power of speech (vk). Going further still,
The Vedic sages praised, prayed, and they went deep within themselves. And this
protected Agni because he was their medium led them to the threshold of the Atman. They
to seek favours from the gods. They per- understood that the fire god or Agni was not
formed many sacrifices like agnioma, outside, but within them. Agni within the
jyotioma, etc, seeking heavenly and earthly body sought the offerings of all desires, ambi-
pleasures. Moreover, they wanted liberation, tions, etc. By offering as oblations all their de-
as Agni destroys sins, diseases, misery, etc. sires, the sages became free from attachments
Agne naya supath rye asmn, O Agni, take us to the world and were able to see the light of
along the noblest path (g Veda,1.189.1). the Self. So Agni was also a mediator between
There are innumerable rules and regula- the knowledge of the Atman and the seeker.
tions about how to perform sacrifices. The la- Sa hyamno amtya matsva, We adore you, O
dles, the spoons, the offerings, the yaja-kua Agni, with a desire to become immortal.17
or seat of fire, the sacrificers like adhvaryu, hot, Jarama samidhyase
brahma, etc are all perfectly defined. A sepa- devebhyo havyavhana;
rate science, a vedga, called jyotia was intro- Tv havanta marty.
duced to calculate the planetary effects. O human beings whose nature is to die one day!
In time, the Prva Mmsakas took up Agni is immortal. He is great and the master of
18
this idea of sacrifice from the Vedas, and be- the house. Worship him with offerings.
gan elaborate discussions about the causes What does Agni do when he is wor-
and effects of sacrifices. Svargakmo yajeta, if shipped? He will destroy inner enemies, ie,
you desire heaven, perform sacrifice, was the weaknesses in the soul, and make the wor-
their fundamental dictum, and they called it a shipper ready for receiving the light of the At-
science. They forgot God behind the sacrifices, man. This was how the sacrificial adoration
and made yaja a machine. If the sacrifice is developed in India. But it did not end there.
done perfectly, without errors, the sacrificer is The Adoration of the Self
bound to attain what he wants, they said. Dissatisfied with what all they had
But the sages learned that what they were achieved, the sages of the Vedas went further
doing was not enough: there was something to discover the ultimate truth of the universe.
higher. So their way of looking at Agni They discovered that Brahman alone was real
15. See g Veda, 1.31.1 17. g Veda, 10.122.5.

16. g Veda, 3.9.1-7. 18. g Veda, 10.118.6.
22
darkness to Light, and from death to Im-

mortality: asato m sadgamaya, tamaso m
jyotir-gamaya, mtyor-mmta gamaya
(Bhadrayaka Upaniad, 1.4.1).
Thus begins the next part of the Ve-
dic adoration: the adoration of the Self.
How do the sages adore their innate
Self? One method is symbolism. The
Bhadrayaka Upaniad teaches us to
think of the cosmos as a sacrificial horse
and to learn to sacrifice for a greater sac-
rifice, bhyasya yajena bhyo yajeyeti.19
The Kaha Upaniad teaches us to think of
our personality as a chariot.20 The
Chndogya Upaniad teaches that we
must think of life as the fruit of a
nyagrodha tree21 or the salt doll,22 etc.
The Chndogya Upaniad also teaches, by
way of the discussion between
Sanatkumra and Nrada, how to per-
form inner adoration.
Another method is the rejection of
the unreal, for there is no path better
than this; neti neti, na hyetad-asmt iti
A sage offering oblations: Art by Swami Aptananda (Bhadrayaka Upaniad, 2.3.6). Yet an-
other is the discussion about Reality.
and everything else was superimposition. The There are famous discussions: between
sages also saw that the individual Self was Yjavalkya and Maitrey, between Janaka
nothing but Brahman caged in the body owing and Yjavalkya, between Ajtaatru and
to ignorance and its consequent superimposi- Dpta-blki Grgya, all in the Bhadrayaka
tion. Each sage left records of his or her su- Upaniad, between Yama and Nacket in the
preme experiences for the benefit of posterity. Kaha Upaniad, etc. In the Bhadrayaka
This was how the fourth portion of the Vedas, Upaniad discussion between Nrada and
called the upaniads, came into being. Sanatkumra, Nrada brings up
Sarvs upaniadm tma-ythtmya Sanatkumras mind to the highest by asking
nirpaenaiva upakayt, all the Upaniads ex- him to adore speech, then mind, then will,
haust themselves in describing the true nature then thought, then contemplation, then
of the Atman, says akara (in his introduc- vijna.23
tion to the vsya Upaniad). The Upaniads A fourth method of adoration that the
deal with the true nature of the universe or Upaniads teach is meditation. First hear
jagat and the Reality behind. They also de- about the Truth (ravaa), then cogitate on its
scribe ways and means to know the Reality, by
initiating the paths of knowledge (jna), yoga 19. Bhadrayaka Upaniad, 1.2.6.
and devotion (bhakti). Through discussion 20. Kaha Upaniad, 1.3.3.
about the Self, meditation, devotion, etc, one 21. Chndogya Upaniad, 6.12.1.
can overcome bondage, they affirm; for the 22. Chndogya Upaniad, 6.13.1.
only goal is to go from the unreal to Real, from 23. Chndogya Upaniad, 7.1-7.
23
validity (manana), and then dive deep into the so that saha nau yaa; saha nau
heart to know It (nididhysana), say the brahma-varcasam, both will have glory, both
Upaniads. How should one meditate? The will attain the splendour of Brahman
Kaivalya Upaniad teaches meditation step by (Taittirya Upaniad, 1.3.1). By repeating the
step. It also says (mantra 9), that the Self and Vedic hymns, Indra bestows enlightened in-
Om should become two pieces of firesticks, by tellect or medh. The reciter will also become
rubbing which the fire of knowledge will immortal, says the Taittirya Upaniad. This
awaken. There are other Upaniads also that Upaniad says that the student has the right to
teach meditation. For instance, study as well as to teach. So a student is told
Trirunnata sthpya sama arra never to give up svdhyya and pravacana,
hdndriyi manas sanniveya; spreading Vedic knowledge.
Brahmoupena pratareta vidvn In what way does one serve the Vedas?
srotsi sarvi bhayvahni. The Vedas are nothing but an encyclopaedic
Keeping the body straight, with the chest, neck collection of truths and revelations. By memo-
and head erect, keeping the senses and the mind rizing them, chanting them, teaching them,
concentrated in the region of the heart, the wise propagating them and following at least one
should cross the ocean of the world which cause or two of their teachings, service is rendered to
24
immense fear by the boat of Brahman. the truths, or Truth Itself. Swami
Worship of Elders Vivekananda says that by the Vedas no books
A fourth method of adoration is service. are meant. They mean the accumulated trea-
The Upaniads are never tired of glorifying sury of spiritual laws discovered by different
the ideal of service. By service do all the disci- persons in different times. If they are spiritual
ples attain their spiritual masters grace. By laws, they are nothing but God Himself. When
service do wives attain illumination. By ser- we meditate and spread the ideals of the
vice do the kings and rulers attain illumina- Vedas, we are only adoring the Truth.
tion. This service is of course done with the Conclusion
idea that the one who is being served is a per- In the Prana Upaniad, we read about six
sonification of knowledge, Brahman manifest disciples who went to Pippalda, the knower
in that form, or God Himself. of Brahman, to seek Brahman knowledge. Af-
To consider ones parents, teachers, ter they were satisfied with their teachers in-
guests, etc as God Himself is a primary teach- structions, they sang the praise of their
ing of the Vedas. Mt devo bhava, pit devo teacher. We may join these six disciples in of-
bhava, crya devo bhava, atithi devo bhava fering our salutations to the great seers of
(Taittirya Upaniad, 1.2.2), is the instruction Truth, the sages, who did so much for human-
the teacher gives to his disciples, the future cit- ity:
izens of the world. Tva hi na pit yosmkam
Service of the Vedas avidyy para pra trayasi;
A fifth method of adoration, according to Nama parama-ibhyo
the Vedas, is to serve the Vedas themselves. nama parama-ibhya.
One of the vedgas was called k, recitation. O teacher! You are our father who takes us
Recitation of Vedic hymns was mandatory for across from this shore of ignorance to that other
students as well as teachers. This was done shore of knowledge. Salutations to the supreme
more as adoration than as duty. The teacher seers of Truth. Salutations to the supreme seers
25
and the taught would both recite the mantras of Truth.
24. vetvatara Upaniad, 2.8. 25. Prana Upaniad, 6.8.
24
Ideal Adoration
As we shall see in the following pages, different religions suggest different types of
adoration. However, is there some type of adoration which could be practised by anyone on the
globe? The Bhgavata mentions that type of adoration, and we publish some verses, based on
Swami Tapasyanandajis translation. True adoration is serving the Lord in living beings.
Cq;uMw Jeh=Tg W=wtbt gu Such wonderful devotees, who have

mhem]vt;uMw mctutrlt& > nothing to call their own, do not pray for any
;;tu blwgt& b:t;;tu~rv personal advantage from Me. Why will they
dtJormt rJcwttlwdt gu >>5.5.21>> seek small, perishable, worldly advantages?
Among all objects in existence, plants are
superior to stocks and stones. Animals with mJtorK brg;gt Cjr-
consciousness are superior to plants. Amongst thtrK Cq;trl mw;t twJtrK >
animals, human beings are superior. Higher mCtrJ;gtrl v=u v=u Jtu
than these are holy persons. rJrJU=]rC;=wntnoKk bu >>5.5.26>>
Seeing that all things moving and
t];t ;lqhNr; bu vwhtKe unmoving are in Me alone, true devotees
gulun mJk vhbk vrJtbT > serve and adore them again and again with
Nbtu =b& mgblwd{nt sincere feeling. This indeed is My real wor-
;vr;r;GtlwCJt gt >>5.5.24>> ship.
I love holy persons. In this world, it is the
holy person who holds within himself or her-
self My spirit and My Truth. I do not find any tltuJatu=]UhKurn;g
one equal to the holy person in whom the su- mtGtf]U;k bu vrhcnoKk rn >
premely pure qualities like sense-control, aus- rJlt vwbtlT gul bntrJbtunt;T
terity, forbearance, truthfulness, benevolence f]U;t;vtNtt rJbtuwUbeNu;T >>5.5.27>>
towards all, and spiritual realization are pres- The true meaning of all that a person
ent. does by mind, speech, sight and other organs
of knowledge and action is only this: it is My
bttu~gl;tvh;& vhbt;T adoration alone. Without such adoration, hu-
JdtovJdtortUv;ulo rfUrt;T > man beings will not be able to overcome the
guMtk rfUbw gtr=;huK ;uMtk noose of death, which consists in the infatua-
yrfUtltltk brg CrUCtstbT >>5.5.25>> tion of looking upon the body as the Spirit.
He who wants to serve Shiva must serve His children. It is said in the Shastra that
those who serve the servants of God are His greatest servants.
Swami Vivekananda
25
Hindu Adoration
To compress an oceanic subject into a small article is like inserting an elephant inside the
eye of a needle. So only a preliminary introduction to the mammoth ideas on Hindu adoration
is attempted here by a former editor of Prabuddha Bharata.
Why Adoration? the Self. The Atman within each being is the
Adoration is life. Rather, to the Hindu, source of all goodness, bliss, happiness, exis-
life itself is adoration. Whatever the Hindu tence, and peace. Until we know the Atman,
does is an adoration of the Lord. For the we keep failing miserably in all our attempts
Hindu, there cant be two lives, one secular to find peace or happiness in other things. To
and the other spiritual. His entire life is one, show us that we must go after the pearl and
and that is an elongated act of not the shell, and to teach us how
adoration of the Supreme. r to obtain the pearl from the oys-
Ka has declared in the Gt: ter bed, and out of the mollusc, is
Whatever you do, whatever the goal of Hinduism. The rest is
you eat, whatever you offer, secondary. If a man has fallen
whatever you give, and what- into a deep well, the only con-
ever you undertake, all that cern will be to bring him out;
must be My adorationan of- why he fell, at what time he fell,
fering unto Me.1 How life could how he fell, etc, are all secondary
become transformed into an ad- details. Vivekananda says:
oration of the Divine has been Each soul is potentially divine. The
beautifully explained in many goal is to manifest this Divinity
hymns. Adoration is not merely within by controlling nature, exter-
when the Hindu prays, but his nal and internal. Do this either by
sitting, standing, sleeping, eat- work, or worship, or psychic con-
Okra,
ing, seeing, talking, every one of the source of everything
trol, or philosophyby one, or
his actions could be an adoration more, or all of theseand be free.
of the Lord. Life itself is an adoration. This is the whole of religion. Doctrines, or dog-
Why adoration? Hinduism is moksha mas, or rituals, or books, or temples, or forms,
3
dharma, the religion of liberation. Living be- are but secondary details.
ings are trichotomous by naturethis was a The Goal and the Paths
fundamental discovery of Hinduism. The Whats the nature of this release or libera-
only aim of Hinduism is to make the individ- tion? Moksha is liberation from suffering
ual realize the Self or Atman. This is the high- caused by ignorance, which goads us to love
est goal, the greatest achievement of life, the the non-Self, desire the world, and perform ac-
true spirituality. Starting from the Vedic tions for attaining them. Our actions leave a
hymns and sacrifices to the worship of God in residue behind in the mind, called saskra,
every being, there are numerous methods of and these saskras make us desire the same
adoration. But all religions and all methods of
work and worship lead us to one and the same 2. Swami Vivekananda, The Complete Works
goal,2 which is the attainment of freedom of (Mayavati: Advaita Ashrama, 1989), Vol. 1,
p. 108. [Hereafter, Complete Works.]
1. rmad Bhagavadgt, 9.27. 3. Complete Works, Vol. 1, p. 124.
26
2002 Hindu Adoration 19
limit ourselves. We become universal. We re-

alize our true nature, which is infinite knowl-
edge, bliss, and being absolute. Scriptures (see
Bhgavata, 3.29.13) mention four stages of lib-
eration: one, attaining the world of the Lord
(slokya), two, becoming one with Him
(syujya), three, being with Him (smpya), and
four, attaining His nature (srpya), depend-
ing upon our inclinations and choice. A true
devotee doesnt wish for any of these but de-
sires only to love God. The jns ideal, how-
ever, is knowing his true nature, which is
Brahman.
Hinduism endeavours at making every
individual seek God or the Self within, and be-
come free. However, since the world is too
strong a force and attracts ordinary minds like
ours, not many wish to lead spiritual lives
fully. Only a few want release from this
worlds attractions. We shall concentrate on
the adoration of such.
Who Wants Release?
The world is a combination of good and
The performance of rati
Art by Purnachandra Chakraborty evil. So though all are essentially divine, from
the practical viewpoint there are both good
things again and again (vsan) and makes us and bad human beings. The bad dont seek
act again and again (karmaya); therefore we anything higher, and so a major chunk of hu-
take endless births. We go on desiring, com- man beings are left out of any spiritual consid-
ing and going, and suffering. Liberation is re- eration. But the wicked could be religious:
lease from the hold of saskra, which is the there are instances where even thieves and da-
cause of suffering. How are we liberated from coits pray to the gods for success in their ven-
this terrible saskra? When the light of tures. Of the other half which may be termed
knowledge, which is within us, shines forth, good, not all are aware that we are in bondage.
the darkness of ignorance goes, taking along But all are aware of the frequent blows we re-
with it the products of darkness. We may at- ceive from the world which we love so dearly.
tain knowledge by Gods or gurus grace, or So, whenever we suffer, we resort to God.
by self-effort. The Kulrava Tantra (17.70) Such adorers are called rta bhaktas, devotees
says that worship of the Lord is done in order in distress. Again, there may be some of us
to destroy the effects of past actions, to be re- who are neither interested in bondage and lib-
leased from bondage, and to attain desired eration, nor are sensitive enough to experience
fruits: the blows of the world as really painful. We
Punarjanmnu-amant are deeply involved in the world and its com-
janma-mtyu nivrat; modities, and are happy if we get more and
Sapra phaladncca more of them. God for us is a benevolent pro-
pjeti kathit priye. vider. Our relationship with God is limited to
What happens when we become liber- the extent that we pray to Him to fulfil our de-
ated? We dont evaporate into thin air, but desires. This type is called arthrth bhaktas. A
27
third type of akti or the Divine Mother are called ktas.

of people In the elementary stages, there will be some
are in- differences between these different groups,
quirers and Sri Ramakrishna puts this humorously:
and want How vain people are about their own sects!
to know if There are weavers in the villages near
theres a Kmrpukur. Many of them are Vaishnavas
God re- and like to talk big. They say: Which Vishnu
ally, if does he worship? The Preserver? Oh, we
this wouldnt touch him! Or: Which Siva are you
world is talking about? We accept the tmrma iva.
real, if Or again, Please explain to us which Hari you
their own worship. They spin their yarn and indulge in
4
lives have talk like that.
any Just as there are gods, there are numerous
meaning, practices too. Beginning with ancestor wor-
and so on. ship, through meditation in a corner, to the
Since the worship of all beings, there are so many types
world of Hinduism in practice. Some worship
A aivites worship of the linga around snakes, some trees, some different forms of
them goddesses, and some different forms of gods;
cant provide all answers to their queries, they some serve their parents, some their spiritual
go to God. This type is called jijsu bhaktas. teachers, some guests; some do good deeds,
Out of such people, a few understand bond- some pour oblations into fire, some feed mo-
age, the Self, liberation, etc. This type alone nastics, some recite hymns, some repeat
seek freedom from bondage; even amongst mantras. Then again there are many festivals,
such seekers, only a few succeed. In the fastings, occasional rituals, family-related rit-
Bhgavata (3.29), Sage Kapila teaches Devahti uals, etc. Pilgrimages are yet another form of
about the different types of devotees, and says adoration. In this way, Hindu life is seeped in
that those who seek release from bondage religiosity, and a person born Hindu can
alone are right. hardly escape being a religious person.
Methods of Release There are people who frown and belittle
Hindus no doubt believe in numerous such a huge number of gods and goddesses as
gods and goddesses, but they know that it is well as such endless practices. They dont
the one supreme God who has been given var- know.
ious names and forms. That one supreme Unity in variety is the plan of nature, and the
Godhead, called Brahman or Sat or Tat, has Hindu has recognised it. Every other religion
been given innumerable forms and names ac- lays down certain fixed dogmas, and tries to
cording to His will, to suit the tastes of the force society to adopt them. It places before so-
masses, as also out of love. Moreover, God co- ciety only one coat which must fit Jack and John
mes down occasionally as avatars and sets up and Henry, all alike. If it does not fit John or
newer ideals and idols before humanity. From Henry, he must go without a coat to cover his
hundreds of village deities to Kl, iva, Viu, body. The Hindus have discovered that the ab-
Dev, there are countless names to that one su-
preme Truth. The worshippers of Viu and 4. M., The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, trans.
Ka are called Vaiavas, the worshippers Swami Nikhilananda (Madras: Ramakrishna
of iva are called aivas, and the worshippers Math, 1985), p. 489. [Hereafter, Gospel].
28
I am in all beings as their Self. Disregarding

My presence there, people make a show of
worshipping Me in images. But image wor-
ship is also allowed for the masses: People
should, however, worship Me in images along
with discharging their duties like serving fel-
low beings until they realize My presence in
all beings (Bhgavata, 3.29.25).
Image Worship
Worship has several synonyms: pj,
rdhan, namasy, apaciti, arcan, sapary, etc.
Different schools, Vaiava, aiva, kta, etc,
follow different methods of worship. Broadly
divided into Vedic and tantric, all forms of
worship have some basic similarities. That
general system of worship is broadly this:
uddha-nysdi-prvga-
karma-nirvha-prvakam;
Arcana tpacr
syn-mantrea-upapdanam.
Becoming clean and pure oneself, and wor-
shipping God with several clean articles in a
clean place, after performing nysa, etc, is
6
called puja. God can be of worshipped in any
of the following representations: a stone im-
Sfis and bhaktas together: An old painting age, a picture (paa), water (jala), lagrma il,
viu cakra, bevara liga, liga, etc. The basic
solute can only be realised, or thought of, or system of Hindu worship, whether tantric or
stated, through the relative, and the images, Vedic, has the the following rules: (a) purifica-
crosses, and crescents are simply so many sym- tion of the worshipper and the area where
bolsso many pegs to hang the spiritual ideas worship is done; (b) purification of materials
on. It is not that this help is necessary for every used for worship; (c) invoking the deity; (d)
one, but those that do not need it have no right worshipping the five deities (paca-devats)
to say that it is wrong. Nor is it compulsory in Guru, Srya, Ganea, iva, Durg; (e) medi-
5
Hinduism. tation on the deity chosen for worship; (f)
Variety is the beauty of Hinduism; mental worship; (g) worshipping the deity of
theres no regimentation here at all. Thou- ones choice with 5, 10, 16, 24, 36, or 64 items;
sands of saints have come, tens of schools of (h) praying for the welfare of all beings; and (i)
thought have sprung up, thousands of songs offering everything, and surrendering to the
and hymns have been sung, thousands of deityusing suitable mantras. The most fun-
prayers have been recited and God and His damental point to be noted in Hindu worship
grace have been experienced in countless is, every priest knows that God is immanent
ways. However, while allowing for variety, and should be brought out from his or her
Hinduism never for a moment forgets the heart, placed in the emblem outside, wor-
ideal. A famous Bhgavata verse (3.29.21) says: shipped, and taken back. Devo bhtv
5. Complete Works, Vol. 1, p. 13. 6. See Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu, Prva Vibhga.
29
devn yajeta, become a god yourself and

worship God. Though there are so many de-
tails, the four basic elements of any worship
are: snapana (bathing the Lords image or sym-
bol; purification), pjana (adoring Him using
several items, like offering food, drink, flow-
ers, clothes, etc; service), homa (fire ritual; sac-
rifice), and tma-samarpaa (also called
balidna, the offering of oneself; surrender).
Again, worship could be daily (nitya), occa-
sional (naimittika), or desire-born (kmya). In
adoration, there are the sttvika, rjasika, and
tmasika types: Sttvic bhakti is known to God
alone. It makes no outward display. ... A man
with rjasic bhakti feels like making a display
of his devotion before others. A man with
tmasic bhakti shows the courage and boister-
7
ousness of a highway robber.
We said Hindu life is itself adoration. The
Hindu way of life is ruled by basic laws or
codes, and they divide the Hindu life into four
stages (ramas) brahmacarya, grhasthya,
vnaprastha and sannysa. Every stage has its Mother Durg
own system of adoration. The laws state how a
Hindu should live in each of the stages, what duties he or she has to perform, etc. Service to
family members, guests, neighbours, animals,
birds, etc (paca yajas) through the body
(kyika), words (vcika), and mind (mnasa) in
these ramas are adoration of the Divine.
Then again there was the system of caturvara.
The brhmaas, katriyas, vaiyas and dras
adored the Lord through the performance of
their respective duties. The brahmins, spe-
cially, had only one duty: adoring the Lord
and serving divine knowledge.
On the whole, the plan of Hinduism is
that every Hindu, whatever he or she may be
doing, should be naturally religious, and
should be as selfless as possible. The Gt says
that everything one does could be a yaja, sac-
rifice.
Some sacrifice to the gods, some to the Self,
some practise self-control by controlling their
sense-organs, some practise yoga, some sacri-
fice their wealth, some study, some control their
Swami Vivekananda, the saviour of Hinduism 7. Gospel, p. 494.
30
ship. Give me the philosophical, the

rationalthat I can appreciate. So
for the rational man is the rational
philosophic worship. There comes
the worker. He says: I care not for the
worship of the philosopher. Give me
work to do for my fellow men. So for
him is provided work as the path of
worship. As for the mystical and the
emotional, we have their respective
modes of devotion. All these men
have, in religion, the elements of their
9
faith.
Hinduism has shown four paths
to the four broad groups men-
tioned above.
First, for the rational type,
there is jna yoga, or the path of
knowledge. This path is for ra-
zor-sharp intellects, who can
pierce through the veils of false-
hood and ignorance and see
Light. Through enquiry, discus-
sion, and rejection of the unreal,
the jn realizes his true nature
as the Atman, which is nothing
but Brahman or Absolute. Jna
also is adoration because
jna-yajena cpyanye yajanto
Preparations for adoration in a south Indian family: Art by Natesan
mm-upsate, some worship Me
breath, some eat less. All of them are indeed by adoring Me through knowl-
8
practising religion. edge,10 says Ka.
Adoration through Yogas Second, for the proletarian type there is
Apart from the general systems of wor- karma yoga. Karma means action, and yoga
ship, the Vedas and Upaniads, the sources of means concentration. To work with concen-
Hinduism, have shown several ways to the re- tration is the secret of all true action, says
alization of Truth, as not all human minds are Swami Vivekananda. The Gt had pro-
of the same type. Studying all human types, pounded the path of selfless action already.
Swami Vivekananda has classified spiritual How to perform desireless actions? Swami
aspirants into four broad groups. He says: Vivekananda says that concentration is the se-
There are four general types of menthe ratio- cret. When we perform work with concentra-
nal, the emotional, the mystical, and the tion, our lower selfthat which desires and
worker. For each of these we must provide suit- aspirescannot raise it head. So all concen-
able forms of worship. There comes the rational trated work is for the good of others because
man, who says: I care not for this form of wor-
9. Complete Works, Vol. 5, p. 418.
8. rmad Bhagavadgt, 4.24-31. 10. rmad Bhagavadgt, 9.15.
31
there is no selfishness there. Work done for the

good of others is an adoration of the Divine, as
it liberates the soul, for Ka says:
Svakarma tam-abhyarcya siddhi vindati
mnava, a human being succeeds in spiritual
life by adoring God through his natural activi-
ties.11
Third, for the reflective type, there is rja
yoga, simply called yoga. Yoga is the art of con-
centration, aimed at controlling the endless
mental modifications that rise and fall. When
they are controlled, the Truth stands revealed.
Yoga too is adoration, as the Lord declares in
the Gt (6.47-8): A yogi is greater than per-
sons of austerity or knowledge, and amongst
yogis, he or she who adores Me with a fixed
mind is the best.
Fourth, the emotional type of people
have bhakti yoga, the yoga of devotion. Devo-
tion is supreme love for the Lord. Though for Brahm, Viu and iva
the ordinary the world and its products are
lovable objects, for the one who seeks release beloveds attitude) or mt bhva (the childs
from the hold of the false world God alone is attitude towards its mother). To develop any
the dearest. He or she loves God alone. one of such relationships with God, and acting
Y prtiravivekn accordingly, is the highest form of adoration.
viayevanapyin; How does a true devotee adore God? The
Tvmanusmarata s me devotee initially hears about God from holy
hdayn-mpasarpatu. persons, resorts to a guru, serves him, and ac-
That love which the worldly have towards the cepts his instructions. He then follows the in-
world should the devotee have towards his or structions, and begins to worship the Lord.
12
her dear Lord. This stage, called the vaidh bhakti stage, is so
Who is God? He who creates, protects called because here the devotee follows scrip-
and takes back everything is God. Since He tural injunctions. The devotee worships Gods
has created everything, God is our creator representations in the image in the beginning.
also. So He is our dear father or dear mother. He or she visits temples, serves devotees, lis-
He is everything. The devotee can address tens to krtanas, sings hymns, chants mantras,
Him father, mother, friend, beloved, son, and does many other favourable things to
daughter, or whatever he or she wishes. please the Lord. He begins to imitate the com-
Ramakrishna, following the bhakti scriptures, panions of the Lord and tries to serve Him as
says that in order to realize God, the devotee they did. This is the rgnug stage. Gradually,
must assume any of the following attitudes: his mind becomes purer, and the devotee un-
nta (the peaceful attitude), dsya (the servant derstands that God resides not only in the im-
attitude), sakhya (the friends attitude), age, but within him also. He becomes more
vtsalya (the parents attitude), madhura (the and more indrawn, and begins to contemplate
the Lords form, name, and glories. The devo-
11. rmad Bhagavadgt, 18.46. tee begins to serve the Lord who is his
12. Viu Pura, 1.20.19. indweller with a deep bond of love (rgtmik
32
When once love for God awakens in the

heart of the devotee, no rules and regulations
are necessary. The rituals that were performed
following scriptural injunctions fall away. In
their place, there is loving adoration of the Be-
loved. The devotee then sings, dances, prays,
cries, pants, and lives in the Lords world. It is
through such devotees that wonderful
prayers, songs, hymns, etc have come down to
us. Says Swami Vivekananda: How to wor-
ship Him? Through love. He is to be wor-
shipped as the one beloved, dearer than every-
thing in this and the next life.14 This love is
the highest form of adoration, a love that
makes the devotee mad.
Theres a beautiful mantra, listening to
which Sri Ramakrishna went into samadhi.
This mantra gives in a nutshell the entire
gamut of Hindu adoration. This mantra is
found in the Uttara Gt (3.7):
Sri Ramakrishna Agnir-devo dvijtna
munn hdi daivatam;
stage). As the mind attains greater and greater Pratim svalpa-buddhn
purity, the devotee reaches a stage when he sarvatra-samadarinm.
sees that God Himself has become everything. God is in the fire for sacrificers. God is in the
Thus he begins to see Gods play in His cre- hearts of the munis or sages who practise medi-
ation and enjoys bliss (bhva bhakti stage). tation. God is in the images for beginners. But
Finally, when the devotee understands that God is everywhere for the seers who have at-
God himself is everything, he begins to look tained the highest.
upon everyone as God, all barriers between Sri Ramakrishnas life is the best example
him and God goes, and begins to serve people of the gradation of Hindu adoration. He began
around him. Sri Ramakrishna says that with the adoration of Mother Kl in her im-
amongst bhaktas there are classes: age. From there he was led to that threshold
These are the pravartaka, the sdhaka, the from where everything and everyone ap-
siddha and the siddha of the siddha. He who peared as God Himself. The breadth and
has just set foot on the path may be called a depth of Hindu adoration is, though the en-
pravartaka. He may be called a sdhaka who lightened ones know that God is not limited to
has for some time been practising spiritual dis- His images, they still adore God in them be-
ciplines, such as worship, japa, meditation, and cause God being the creator of everything is
the chanting of Gods name and glories. He may also the creator of the image. If thousands of
be called a siddha who has known from inner saints like Mrbi, Tukrm, Jnevar,
experience that God exists. There is another Kanakadsa, Tulsds, could attain every-
type, known as the siddha of the siddha, the su- thing through image worship alone, image
premely perfect. It is quite a different thing worship is not futile or ignorance.
when one talks to the master intimately, when
one knows God very intimately through love 13. Gospel, p. 114-5.
13
and devotion. 14. Complete Works, Vol. 1, p. 11.
33
ships the Lord,

whats the use of
austerity? Wor-
ship or adoration,
done with love, is
everything, the
whole of spiritu-
ality.
The one sin-
gular feature of
this ancient reli-
gion is, the ques-
tions of sin, weak-
ness, etc are al- r Rma
ways given very
little importance. God doesnt count our sins
and mistakes, because we are his children.
Children, after all, are bound to make mis-
takes. This is the dear relationship between
God and us according to Hinduism. No one is
damned in this religion. Even the most wicked
according to our standards can be a devotee
A sage sings bhajans: Art by Natesan soon. The Lord declares that he has no likes
and dislikes; He loves all beings equally:
God wants love. He declares that he does I am impartial towards all beings. But I love
not want anything from His devotee but those who worship Me. Even if a person of ex-
love15: Whoever offers Me even a leaf, a tremely bad conduct worships Me with
flower, a fruit, or a drop of water with love , I one-pointed devotion, he is to be considered
accept that gift from the pure-hearted soul. holy; for he has resolved rightly, and he will
There are rules of worship, systems of ad- soon be possessed of a virtuous mind and shall
16
oration, methods of service to the Lord, attain liberation.
hymns and prayers, rules about fasting and Hindu adoration is the simplest, the easi-
rituals. Everything is there in Hinduism. But if est and the most wonderful system. Its a sys-
the soul cries to God with love, God cannot re- tem which anyone in any stage of life may fol-
main far away. If theres love, the Lord is low and succeed. Why human beings alone,
nearer than the nearest. even animals have attained the Lords grace
The Nrada Pacartra says: Nrdhito through such adoration. All that the Lord
harir-yadi, tapas tata kim? rdhito harir-yadi, wants is love. Where there is love, there is suc-
tapas tata kim? If one doesnt worship the cess.
Lord, whats the use of austerity? If one wor-
15. rmad Bhagavadgt, 9.26. 16. rmad Bhagavadgt, 9.29-30.
34
A Christian Experience of Adoration
THE REVEREND CANON CHARLES P. GIBBS
Readers of Prabuddha Bharata had the opportunity of reading an excellent article by the
Reverend Canon Charles P. Gibbs in our January 2001 number. Heres another inspiring
article from him. In this brilliant article, Rev Canon Gibbs presents a beautiful picture of
Christian latria. Reverend Gibbs is Executive Director, United Religious Initiative, San
Francisco, USA.
Humbly I adore thee, Verity unseen,

who thy glory hidest neath these shadows mean;
lo, to thee surrendered, my whole heart is bowed,
tranced as it beholds thee, shrined within the cloud.
Taste and touch and vision to discern thee fail;
faith, that comes by hearing, pierces through the veil.
I believe whateer the Son of God hath told;
what the Truth hath spoken, that for truth I hold.
O memorial wondrous of the Lords own death;
living Bread that givest all thy creatures breath,
grant my spirit ever by thy life may live,
to my taste thy sweetness neverfailing give.
Jesus whom now hidden, I by faith behold,
what my soul doth long for, that thy word foretold:
face to face thy splendour, I at last shall see,
Jesus Christ in the glorious vision, blessed Lord of thee.
attributed to Thomas Aquinas
Christian adoration is a journey into the and wakingevery act no matter how hum-
depths of infinite mystery, of divine yearning ble or exalted, and beyond. The practices of
and love made visible in history in human adoration are as varied as human history, cul-
form, and beyond. Gods yearning and love ture and place. This is one story, which, if it
evoke yearning and love in us. Our yearning had music, would be a song.
and love for God find expression in adoration We begin with a miraculous birth, in its
of God revealed in the face of Jesus Christ. So, mystery chronicled differently in the gospels
for Christians, adoration is a journey to a star- of Matthew and Luke. It is the story of a young
lit manger in Bethlehem and beyond. It is a woman named Mary, and Joseph, her be-
journey to the foot of a cross on a hill called trothed. Luke tells of their journey from Gali-
Golgotha (or Calvary) just outside the city lee over dusty roads through Jerusalem to
walls of Jerusalem, and beyond. It is a journey Bethlehem. There they find no room at the inn,
to an empty tomb in a garden near Golgotha, and must settle for lodging in a stable. A hum-
and beyond. Christian adoration is a journey ble manger where oxen feed on hay becomes a
into the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus cradle which draws us into the mystery of this
Christ, and beyond. It is a journey of song, holy birth and into the depths of adoration. O
story, prayer and silence that defines the come let us adore him.
Christian liturgical year, a Christians sleeping For Christians, the Christmas story is
35
more than an event in a starlit stable two thou- to be transfixed and transformed in adoration
sand years ago. The Christmas miracle comes before the Holy.
newly alive each year as Christians all over the When I contemplate adoration at Christ-
world gather to share in this holy birth that mas I see the image of my younger brother
breathes Gods love and yearning for human- Eric, his face aglow with reverence, awe and
ity. In response, this birth calls for each human wonder processing into church at the mid-
heart to open to be a home for God dwell on night service on Christmas Eve bearing the
Earth in the form of a helpless child, born into Christ Child on a velvet cushion toward the
poverty; obscure, unnoticed by most, feared manger as the congregation sings, as though
and pursued by a few. To those blessed ones the choirs of angels were among us. Hear the
who respond in love and yearning to the word music:
of this humbly glorious birth it is an invitation
O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant,

O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem;
Come and behold him, born the King of angels;
O come, let us adore him, O come let us adore him,
O come let us adore him, Christ, the Lord.
God from God, Light from Light eternal,
lo! He abhors not the Virgins womb;
only begotten Son of the Father
O come, let us adore him, Christ, the Lord.
Sing, choirs of angels, sing in exultation,
sing, all ye citizens of heaven above;
glory to God, glory in the highest;
See how the shepherds, summoned to his cradle,
leaving their flocks, draw nigh to gaze;
we too will thither bend our joyful footsteps;
Child, for us sinners poor and in a manger,
we would embrace thee with love and awe;
who would not love thee, loving us so dearly?
Yea, Lord, we greet thee, born this happy morning;
Jesus, to thee be all glory given;
Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing;
O come, let us adore him, O come let us adore him,
O come let us adore him, Christ, the Lord.
Jesus Christ John Francis Wade, trans. Frederick Oakley
So, we journey to the manger with the the image of God in ourselves. Adoration at
shepherds, with wise ones from the East and the manger is an opening into Gods overflow-
with the angel chorus to offer our lives in ser- ing love for humanity taking human form. We
vice of the one who is born as God come to adore so that we might be filled with Gods
Earth so that we on Earth might draw nearer love, transformed by Gods love; so that we
to God in worship and service, might give might commit ourselves to be Gods love in
birth to God on Earth by more fully realizing the world.
36
2002 A Christian Experience of Adoration 29
As Christians watch in wondrous adora- left alone in his agonized wrestling with his
tion at the birth of the Christ Child, so they fate, with his anticipation of his arrest and exe-
watch in pained adoration at Jesus death. cution. When he was arrested, his followers in
From Christianitys earliest days, theologians fear deserted him. So Jesus walked alone
have sought, from an intellectual perspective, down a path that led through a trial and sen-
to provide theological interpretations for the tencing by the Roman authorities to death on a
redemptive power of Jesus crucifixion. Simi- cross on Calvary.
larly, on an affective level, Christians at all The gospels tell that during Jesus final
times and in all places have sought to be hours on the cross a small group of faithful
united with Jesus in his suffering. For most women, including his mother (who, it should
Christians, being with Jesus in his death is an be noted, has revealed the feminine face of
act of compassion in response to the ultimate God for countless Christians and so has been a
gift. As Jesus said, Greater love has no one focus of adoration throughout the Churchs
than this, to lay down ones life for ones history), moved by a love more powerful than
friends. As Jesus laid down his life, in faithful- fear, watched from a distance. These holy few
ness to God, for humanity, so we seek to be who had been with Jesus in his life were near
with Jesus and to offer our lives to and by, perhaps risking death themselves to be
through him in his moment of death. with him at his death. So each year during
In the story of the last hours of Jesus life, Holy Week, Christians all over the world jour-
the gospels tell of him going out of Jerusalem ney with these followers of Jesus and journey
to the Garden of Gethsemane where he drew with Jesus during the final week of his life,
aside with his friends to pray. Though he knowing that this journey leads into great suf-
asked them to watch with him, they were fering and death.
weary and unable to stay awake. So Jesus was
Go to dark Gethsemane, ye that feel the tempters
power;
your Redeemers conflict see, watch with him one
bitter hour;
turn not from his griefs away, learn of Jesus
Christ to pray.
Follow to the judgement hall; view the Lord of
life arraigned;
O the wormwood and the gall! O the pangs his
soul sustained!
Shun not suffering, shame or loss; learn of him to
bear the cross.
Calvarys mournful mountain climb; there,
adoring at his feet,
Mark the miracle of time, Gods own sacrifice
complete;
It is finished! hear him cry; learn of Jesus Christ
to die.
Christ: by Leonardo da Vinci
by James Montgomery
In taking this journey, a journey of adora- the suffering of all humanity. We journey into
tion of the one who gave his life freely for all, our own faithfulness and unfaithfulness. We
we take a journey into our own suffering and journey into those ways we have crucified Je-
37
sus anew by our acts of injustice, violence and prepared, as a final act of adoration, to anoint
callous indifference. We seek the death of that Jesus body for burial.
within us which separates us from the love of Instead, they are greeted by an empty
God and from true service in Gods name. As tomb. As angels proclaimed Jesus birth, so an
ones made in Gods image, we seek the birth of angel now proclaims the risen Christ: He is
heightened compassion that will lead us to act not here, he is risen! The tomb cannot contain
for God in the world, to be forces of peace, jus- the one his followers had come to know as the
tice, righteousness and healing. We seek in Lord of Life. God, not death, has the final
this faithful response to Gods great love and word. Beyond the cross and tomb is resurrec-
yearning to find in death the gate to new life. tion and a new life lived in the experience that
Thanks be to God, the journey of Chris- life and love, not death and suffering, are sov-
tian adoration does not end with death on a ereign. The word spreads with the swiftness
cross and the darkness of the tomb. It does not and force of a storm on the Sea of Galilee. Even
end with pain and suffering. The Christian as the word spreads, many are fearful at this
story reaches its climax on Easter morning great miracle, and some doubt. Yet even in our
when Jesus followers discover that the tomb fear and doubt, Christians throughout the
is empty, that death has been vanquished. The centuries have gathered in adoration and
gospels tell of the faithful women journeying song:
at dawn on the first day of the week. They are
Jesus Christ is risen today, Alleluia!

our triumphant holy day, Alleluia!
who did once upon the cross, Alleluia!
suffer to redeem our loss, Alleluia!
Hymns of praise then let us sing, Alleluia!
unto Christ, our heavenly King, Alleluia!
who endured the cross and grave, Alleluia!
sinners to redeem and save, Alleluia!
But the pain which he endured, Alleluia!
our salvation hath procured, Alleluia!
now above the sky hes king, Alleluia!
where the angels ever sing, Alleluia!
Sing we to our God above, Alleluia!
praise eternal as his love, Alleluia!
praise him all ye heavenly host, Alleluia!
Father, Son and Holy Ghost, Alleluia!
14th century Latin hymn;
Christ: Art by Shubhra Nag (4th Stanza by Charles Wesley)
Having been with Jesus through his are called to give our lives in return. The unre-
death, we now share in his resurrection in a served gift of our lives to God as a harvest of
glorious outpouring of adoration. We cele- peace, justice, righteousness and healing is the
brate Gods triumph over death in the risen true Christian response to the triumph of the
Christ. Sharing in this triumph brings with it resurrection.
the challenge to live a life free from fear, a life Sadly, for many Christians throughout
truly dedicated to being Gods people here on history the victory of Easter has led to a
Earth. As God has given life so lavishly, so we triumphalism which has inflicted countless
38
2002 A Christian Experience of Adoration 31
pains and sufferings on people of other faiths. our neighbours of all religions, spiritual ex-
For such Christians the boundless generosity pressions and indigenous traditions. The
of a God who can reach into the darkness of more we give ourselves in adoration to God,
death and draw out life is bestowed only on the more we will be able to honour Gods pres-
those who have come to know God through ence and unique expression in each of these
the Christian story. In this belief, they have traditions. The more we give ourselves in ado-
sought to impose Christianity, often violently, ration to God, the more we will be able, as peo-
on others. It is perhaps the greatest sacrilege ple of all faiths, to offer together the ultimate
committed in the name of Christianity, the adoration to Godtransformed lives in ser-
greatest desecration of Easter, that so much vi- vice of a transformed world that fully reflects
olence has been committed in the name of the Gods unbounded love and yearning for all
one who revealed God as love, who came to be life.
seen by his followers as the one fulfilling Isa- The celebration of Jesus birth, death and
iahs prophecy of the coming Prince of Peace. resurrection, which mark the high points of
Perhaps the greatest challenge facing the Christian liturgical year, provide the es-
Christianity is both to claim the gift, the glory sential themes for Christian adoration. They
and the challenge of Jesus birth, life, death also provide moments when Christians
and resurrection and to honour Gods gifts to around the world gather in corporate worship
and through other faiths. I believe that facing which is infused with adoration. But the expe-
this challenge is one of the new things, to bor- rience of adoration is not limited to these occa-
row again from Isaiah, which God is working sions, or even to every Sunday, when Chris-
through us to accomplish in our time. And, I tians around the world gather to commemo-
believe that the practice of adoration will help rate Jesus life, death and resurrection in the
us meet this challenge. Eucharist. These moments of heightened ado-
The more we give ourselves in adoration ration help create the context for our lives,
to God, the more we might see the image of sleeping and waking, to be an endless act of
God reflected in our Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, adoration, a living sacrifice to God and to the
Muslim, Jain and Zoroastrian neighbours, in world which God has made.
The Lord Loves the Hearts Adoration, not Mere Ceremonials

A priest was passing by the hut of a poor shepherd. He overheard the shepherds lam-
entations: Beloved Lord, show Thyself to me. Come to me. I shall give You nice green
grass to eat. I shall purchase a new bell for you. I shall dye Your hair and trim them beauti-
fully. Come, O my dear Lamb, I shall embrace You and keep You always happy. The
priest was shocked and annoyed. To call the Lord a lamb! He entered the cottage and
scolded the shepherd: What business have you to defile the holy person of the Lord? Do
you consider the Lord to be a brute, one of your herd? Beware of such lamentations and
babbles in the future. The poor and ignorant shepherd was terrified. He repented his
mistake, fell again and again at the priests feet and sought his pardon.
That night, the Lord appeared in the priests dream and rebuked him for having de-
prived Him of the shepherds true devotion. The Lord said: What business have you, sir,
to interfere if I wish to be loved like a lamb? Beware of false pretensions. The heart is what
counts and not the apparent acts. Ceremonials and rituals are not as important as a heart
that loves.
retold from Tales from the Mystics of the East
39
Buddhist Adoration
DR HERMANN OLDENBERG
The Buddhist method of adoration comes from the horses mouth. Dr Hermann Oldenberg
was a great Buddhist scholar, who edited the Vinaya Pitaka and the Dipavamsa in Pali. His
great German book, Buddha: His Life, His Doctrine, His Order was translated by William
Hoey into English. We publish relevant portions from this book.
The observance of the fast day is the most to Buddhism; the conception that the divine
prominent and almost the only observance of Head of the Church is not absent from his peo-
the ancient Buddhist cultus, if the word ple, but that he dwells powerfully in their
cultus [system or variety of worship] can be midst as their lord and king, so that all cultus is
at all applied to these most nothing else but the ex-
simple and plain external pression of this continuing
forms of mutual religious living fellowship. The Bud-
life. For a faith, which looks dha, however, has entered
upon mans own heart as into Nirvana; if his believ-
the sole place in which de- ers desired to invoke him,
cisions between happiness he could not hear them.
and ruin can be carried into Therefore Buddhism is a
effect, what the lip utters religion without prayer.
and what the hand does The preaching of Buddhas
can have value only in so doctrine, the practice of
far as it is a concomitant of, spiritual abstractions, in
a symbol corresponding to, which they thought they
that internal process. And, possessed so powerful an
above all, in the first age of aid to religious effort,
the young Buddhist com- permeated the whole life of
munity must that very op- the brethren, but they
position to the old faith found no expression in the
with its ceremoniousness, forms of a regularly orga-
with its animal sacrificies nized cultus; for this last
and soma offerings, with there was little room left in
its hosts of singing and that universal sway, con-
mumbling priests, have ceivable only in a monastic
been especially keenly felt order, of religious thought
and led to the result, that so over every word which the
Bhagavan Buddha,
much the more earnest believer utters, and over
a 5th century Sarnath image
heed was taken to preserve every step he takes.
the internal character of the individual faith Among the operations of this
free from every non-essential. We must keep quasi-cultus stands, as already mentioned, in
before us the fact that anything in the way of a precedence of everything else, the confes-
mysterious, such as that from which the early sional celebration observed on the fast-day,
Christian cultus drew its vitality, was foreign the check, so to speak, employed to determine
40
2002 Buddhist Adoration 33
confessional formula, the liturgy Ptimokkha

(unburdening), the oldest of the brethren, or
he who otherwise able and qualified, now re-
cites with a loud voice:
Reverend sirs, he says, let the Order
hear me. Today is fast-day, the fifteenth of the
month. If the Order is ready, let the Order
keep fast-day and have the formula of confes-
sion recited. What must the Order do first? Re-
port the declaration of purity, reverend sirs. I
shall recite the formula of confession. The Or-
der present replies: We all, who are here pres-
ent, hear and consider it well. Whoever has
committed a transgression, the leader goes
on, let him confess it. Where there is no trans-
gression, let him be silent. From your silence I
shall infer that you are clear, reverend sirs.
Next to the half-monthly confessional
days the yearly recurring simple and beautiful
celebration must be borne in mind, which
bears the name of invitation (Pavran). When
the three months of the rainy season have
gone by, before the wandering begins, the
brethren in each diocese, who have passed this
Bodhgaya temple, seat of Buddhist adoration time in common reitrementthey are for the
most part friends closely attached to each
whether the duties of spiritual life have been otherunite in a solemn conference, in which
truly and fully performed by all the brethren. every one, from the oldest to the youngest, sit-
These confessional meetings give above all a ting in a reverential attitude on the ground,
lively expression to the cohesion of the mem- raising his clasped hands, asks his spiritual
bers of the Order. comrades if he has been guilty of any sin dur-
The eldest among the monks in every dis- ing this period, to name it
trict calls the meeting, and at evening on the to him. Reverend sirs, it is
fast-day all the brethren, who are sojourning then said, I invite the Or-
within the limits of the diocese, come together der, if ye have seen any-
in the vihara chosen for the purpose or what- thing on my part, or have
ever other place is selected by the Order, be it a heard anything, or have
building or a cave in the mountain. No one is any suspicion, have pity
permitted to go through the sacred office in an on me, reverend sirs, and
assembly short of the full number. speak. If I see it, I shall
By the light of a torch the monks take atone for it.
their places in the place of assembly on the low In these few ceremo-
seats prepared for them. No layman, no nov- nious observances has
ice, no nun may be present, for the law of the been described the narrow
Order, which is now to be recited in the form range of that, which, with
of a confessional formula, is regarded as a re- the disciples of Buddha, Maitreya: tantric
served possession of the monks alone. This takes the place of regular Buddhism
41
acts of public worship. It will be seen that this intent on holiness; live in holiness without
cultus, if we wish to call it so, goes only into the blemish, in holy haste, seeking after perfec-
outer court of the religious life; it has only to tion. There are, nanda, wise men among the
do with maintaining among the monks exter- nobles, the Brhmans, and the citizens, who
nal correctness in decent behaviour and deal- believe in the Perfect One; they will do the
ing. Whatever goes beyond this, the keeping honours to the body of the Perfect One. So
up of instructive meditation and religious then after Buddhas death his relics are di-
concentration, is left wholly to the unfettered vided out to a number of princes and nobles,
action of the individual brother, of the indi- each of whom builds a stupa (monument for
vidual group of brethren. relics) and institutes a festivalfestivals at
It may be here observed that at least the which offerings of flowers, ablutions, and illu-
first rudiments of a cultus of another stamp, minations on a grand scale usually play the
separated in broad distinction from that chief part. The Order of monks as such has
which we have discussed, go back into the nothing to do with this pompus show of ven-
times with which our sketch has to deal; the eration; the old rules of the Order have not a
rudiments of the veneration attaching to holy word to say about it.
places and to Buddhas relics. Four places, it is
said, are deserving that believing,
noble youths should see them and
that their hearts should be moved
by them: the place where the holy
Buddha was born; the place where
he has obtained the highest illumi-
nation; the place where he has set
in motion the wheel of the law,
the place where he, delivered from
everything earthly, has entered
into the perfect Nirvana. To these
places monks and nuns, lay-broth-
ers and lay-sisters have a desire to
travel. For he, O nanda, who
dies in the faith on the pilgrimage
to such holy places, will, when his
body dissolves, beyond death,
walk the good road and be born
again in the heavenly world.
The care of Buddhas relics
and the institution of festivals in
their honour are committed exclu-
sively to the piety of believing la-
ity. What are we to do, nanda
asks of the Master, when his end is
drawing near, with the body of
the Perfect One? Let not the hon-
ours due to the body of the Perfect
One trouble you, O nanda. Seek
Ngrjuna, the great Mdhyamika Buddhist philosopher
ye rather holiness, O nanda; be A painting by Jatindra Kumar Sen
42
Adoration in Islamic Mystical Tradition
DR LIAKAT TAKIM
Heres a grand picture of how Muslims, specially the Sufis, adore the Supreme. In this
brief article, Dr Takim has drawn a scholarly yet sweet sketch of the devotional practices of the
Sufis, specially dhikr, salat and sama. We thank Dr Liakat Takim, from the University of
Denver, USA, for contributing this article. We also thank Smt Rina Chakravarty from
Toronto, Canada, for the help she rendered in contacting Dr Takim.
Like many other religious traditions, Is- characteristic of holy men in other religious
lam embodies a very rich and diverse mystical traditions. The Sufi holy man (also called
tradition. The mystics of Islam are called Sufis. shaykh) undergoes a profound religious expe-
There is some difference of opinion on the ety- rience, enabling him to have intimate commu-
mology of the word. It is said that the early nion with the Divine in an intensive and per-
mystics of 8th-century Arabia were called sonal way. He also performs excessive acts of
Sufis because they wore woolen clothes (suf asceticism, renunciation, self-mortification
means wool in Arabic). Others have specu- and other devotional exercises.
lated that the early mystics of Islam were In the Sufi understanding of creation, the
called Sufis as they tried to purify themselves supreme deity was a hidden treasure that
(the word safa means purity). wished to be known. Gods hidden treasure
It was during the Umayyad dynasty in can become manifest through the perfection of
the 8th century that a distinct group of mystics the self, for it is believed that the divine attrib-
emerged. The worldly outlook of the utes are reflected in human beings. According
Umayyad rulers, the rapid expansion of the Is- to Rumi, a famous mystic of the 13th century,
lamic empire in the first century of Islam and a human beings were created to manifest the di-
general disdain of religious principles led vine attributes that lie within them. Other-
many Muslims to feel that the ideals and val- wise, he asks poignantly, if there had been no
ues established by the Prophet Muhammad desire and hope for the fruit why did the gar-
had been destroyed by the ruling elite. This dener plant the tree?
was a major factor that precipitated a group of The Sufi interpretation of the story of cre-
piety-minded people, the early mystics of Is- ation as told by the Koran also envisages hu-
lam. man beings as having been separated from
The Sufis trace the genesis of their eso- their origin which lies in the spiritual realm.
teric views to the Koran, the Muslim scripture. Earthly position is to merely manifest the in-
The Koran mentions many verses that have herent hidden treasures, attain perfection and
mystical connotations. For example, it states: return to the original spiritual state. A human
Wherever you turn, you will find the face of beings sole purpose is to reflect the divine at-
God (2.115). We are closer to human beings tributes inherent in him and to fully realize all
than their own jugular veins (50.17). He is the possibilities of the human state, returning
with you wherever you may be (57.4). Allah ultimately to the macrocosm. Once it entered
is the Light of the heavens and the earth the terrestrial realm, the spirit became so en-
(24.35). Such verses encouraged the Sufis grossed with worldly pursuits that it forgot its
quest for the Divine. spiritual origins and its pact with God to wor-
Sufis demonstrate many of the hallmarks ship the only one God. Whereas most of us
43
consider ourselves as human beings who Whether done in solitude or in congregation,

sometimes undergo a spiritual experience, for dhikr is often accompanied with head and
the Sufis we are actually spiritual beings who body movements and can culminate in a Sufi
are undergoing a transient human experience. entering a trance.
It is in this context that we can compre- Dhikr can be performed silently or loudly
hend the Sufi quest to experience God in the and is practised at any time or place, for the
present world, to feel His majestic presence Sufis maintain that the heart of the faithful
and to remove the veils that separate the hu- must be perfumed with the recollection of
man from the Divine. This mystical quest pre- God following a tradition in which God says,
cipitated the concept of adoring God. Adora- I am the companion of one who remembers
tion of God, in Islamic mysticism, takes many Me.
forms. These range from various forms of as- Dhikr is also seen as performing the im-
cetic exercises, self-mortification, vigils, pro- portant function of inculcating love for the Di-
tracted prayers, meditation to emulating the vine in a Sufi. This is predicated on the view
spiritual exercises of the Prophet Muhammad. that love for a person implies the repetition of
For the Sufis, an important method of ex- his name and remembering him continuously.
periencing the Divine is by emulating the Other Sufis compare the heart to a tree which
Muhammadan paradigm in their practices. lives and moves only by the breeze of love and
These holy men try to replicate in their own is nourished by the water of dhikr indicating
life a sense of the spiritual experience of the thereby the growing presence of the Divine in
Prophet himself. They model their inner and the heart.
outward behaviour on the Prophet, exempli- Some Sufis prescribe special body posi-
fying his every act. This includes patterning tions when undertaking dhikr, but the correct
his outer behaviour, and imitating his spiri- position (cross-legged) is considered to be im-
tual exercises as well as his reported inner portant (but not essential) in the successful
states. Such modelling became an important performance of dhikr. To have the desired ef-
medium for the Sufis to link themselves to the fect, dhikr must permeate the mystics whole
Prophet through a spiritual paradigm. As the being, he must forget all other objects and
spiritual heir to the Prophet, the Sufi exempli- thoughts. It is to be noted that although dhikr is
fies the living paradigm of the Prophetic ideal. directly related to a mental state (since only
Emulating the Prophet in every possible way God is required to be in the mind) no specific
was an indispensable means to attaining holi- formula is prescribed for restricting the con-
ness and experiencing the Divine in the same stant movements in the mind (unlike the yogic
way that the Prophet had. For the Sufis, the case where the mind is trained so as to concen-
virtues of the Prophet are visible in the holy trate on a single object). The emphasis in dhikr
man as a mirror. Due to him, contemporary is more on being so absorbed by God that ev-
Muslims can somehow experience Muham- erything else becomes insignificant. To quote
mads character and charisma. Shaykh al-Alawi, a 20th century Sufi master,
In this brief paper, I am not able to adum- through the dhikr ...the spirit of the disciple
brate the various expressions of adoration in would quickly reach beyond the created uni-
the mystical tradition of Islam. Here I will only verse provided that he had sufficient prepara-
discuss a few of them. The most famous form tion and aptitude. ... The disciple was sub-
of adoration is a mystical exercise called dhikr. merged in the world of the Absolute and his
This refers to the systematic repetition of certainty was strengthened by Its Pure Light.
Gods names so as to attain continuous aware- Dhikr can also engender ecstatic feelings
ness of Gods presence. Dhikr entails perpetual leading to the dissolution of the distinction be-
chanting of one of Gods various names. tween the subject and object. True dhikr, it is
44
2002 Adoration in Islamic Mystical Tradition 37
said, is that you forget your dhikr. Other de- levels of the tariqa (the Sufi path) and is also ca-
veloped forms of dhikr show some rudimen- pable of enrapturing a mystic and generating
tary forms of breath control whereby every in- extreme forms of ecstasy in him. At this stage
take or outlet of breath is to be accompanied the Sufi finds God as he is enraptured in the
by Gods recollection. Some forms of retention divine bliss. In Rumis view, sama is the at-
of breath were encouraged but, unlike the tempt to break the fetters of the body so that
yogic practices, the Sufis never saw breath the soul is set free.
controlling exercises as an essential part in the The Sufis see the sama as being capable of
dhikr sessions. arousing in the participant a desire for the Be-
The Sufi adoration of God is also ex- loved, moved by the spirits desire to return to
pressed by the salat (ritual prayer) which is, in its heavenly origin. Sama is also seen as an in-
fact, the second pillar of Islam. The early Sufis spiration stirring the heart to truth, being ben-
saw prayer, in accordance with a Prophetic eficial to him whose heart is alive and whose
tradition, as a spiritual ascension bringing the lower soul is dead.
Sufi into an immediate presence of God. The The foregoing discussion suggests that
Sufis internalized this important ritual creat- the purpose of the various exercises has been
ing, in the process, feelings of awe in them- to attain a closer awareness of Gods presence
selves. and to induce ecstatic moments in the mystics
Many Sufis report ecstatic feelings in life. The Sufi practices range from extreme
their prayers. Prayer is seen as an intimate self-mortification (in the form of lengthy vigils
conversation between the human and the Di- and fasts) to dhikr, which inculcates the contin-
vine. This also engendered the night prayers uous remembrance of and complete absorp-
in mystical circles. Hasan Ali, the grandson of tion in God. The sama sessions further de-
the Prophet Muhammad, was asked why velop extreme ecstatic states. The underlying
those who pray at night are most beautiful in motive for all the forms of exercises is to adore
appearance? He replied: Because they are God and to establish a mystical relationship
alone with the All-Merciful who covers them with Him. The search for the Divine is accom-
with light from His light. panied by long and rigorous exercises for in-
True mystical prayers reflect trust in and ternal purification conjoined with continuous
love for God and inculcate the idea of loving remembrance of God. Through dhikr and
God for His own sake (rather than for attain- sama, the Sufis obliterate all objects, with only
ing heaven or escaping hell). The essence of God pervading the mind. It must be noted that
prayer is, therefore, attaining close proximity nowhere does Sufism give detailed exposi-
to God and adoring His majesty. In Rumis tions on how the external distractions are to be
view, absorption in the Divine Unity is the effaced from the mind. The emphasis lies
soul of prayer. more on the inculcation of the divine presence
The most controversial Sufi meditational in the mind so that everything else is deemed
exercise has been the sama (musical sessions). to be unworthy of contemplation and consid-
Apart from the methodical chanting accompa- eration.
nying the music, sama also involves mystical
dances. Sama is only practised at the higher
Noble souls, having divine nature, adore Me with single-mindedness, knowing Me

as the immutable source of everything. Always glorifying Me and striving for perfection,
these persons of firm dedication adore Me by paying repeated obeisance and being ever
endowed with devotion, says the Bhagavadgita.
45
Adoration in Jainism
DR SHASHI KANT
After serving as Special Secretary to the Government of Uttar Pradesh, Dr Shashi Kant is
now the president of the Jyoti Prasad Jain Trust, Lucknow. He was also a long-time editor of
Shodhadarsha, a Jain periodical. Dr Shashi Kant is a well-known scholar in Jainism and has
contributed a number of articles on aspects of Jaina faith. In this article, the author gives us an
exact picture of the Jaina method of adoration.
Adoration is intense love and reverence appear to be more rigorous as regards faith
for a subject or object. It is equivalent to bhakti, and organization.
puja, and vandan (obeisance). It is the corner- Bhakti, jna, and karma of the Vedic sys-
stone of all religious thinking. It is something tems may be equated with darana, jna and
that binds people to deity, dogma, or book, as critra of the Jaina system respectively. The ul-
also the adherents of timate in the former is
the same faith to- merger into the su-
gether in a congrega- preme Being (Brah-
tion to shape it into an man) and in the latter it
organized religion or is regaining the na-
denominational en- scent Self (jva). Both
tity. recognize the eternal
Bhakti is the emo- existence of the Self
tion, and puja and and its release from the
vandan are its mani- cycle of transmigra-
festations. Bhakti in its tion as the summum
From Will Durant, Our Oriental Heritage, fig. 55
intensity converges on bonum. In the Jaina
faith (raddh, sth, terminology, it is
darana), which mukti (liberation from
should be blind to rea- transmigration),
son (viveka, tarka, moksha (release from
buddhi). It presup- bondage) or nirvana
poses inequality be- (extinction or extin-
tween the devotee and guishing of the mate-
the subject or object of rial existence) of the
devotion. The devotee jva (being) to regain its
submits his or her self all-luminous nascent
to the idol, and in- Vimala Sah Temple, Mount Abu pure form which is to-
vokes the mercy or tal consciousness
pleasure of the deity for well being, ie, mate- (caitanya) and all joy (ananda). Never to be
rial or spiritual gain, as a sakh (friend in shackled again, one who has attained this is
whom one may confide) or dsa (slave with ab- termed as a siddha.
ject submission) etc. This is universal among The Jaina philosophy recognizes the du-
all the Indian religious systems, though the ality of jva (being) and ajva (non-being or
terminology may differ. The Semitic systems matter, called pudgala). Jva is Atman or con-
46
2002 Adoration in Jainism 39
not match with the principle that the ultimate

Reality can neither be affected by praise nor
disaffected by derision, it can neither bestow
nor take away. So a mean is struck. There the
devotee begs only to revel in the virtues of the
idol so as to be inspired to attain that ultimate
state. The object of adoration is thus an ideal to
emulate.
The ground realities of keeping the flock
together or binding together the congregation,
however, necessitated a more earthly ap-
proach. The masses could not be lured by the
abstract or absolute. They wanted deities who
could bestow boons, fulfil their desires, and
provide solace in distress. Communion also
needed middlemen. And the mass craving for
the grotesque and picturesque needed to be
catered for too. Thus emerged the saintly
class, a variegated pantheon and plethora of
rituals as means of adoration in Jainism also.
The Jaina religio-social system does not
recognize a priestly class. The congregation
Trisal dreams about the birth of her son (sangha) has a monastic order consisting of
male and female ascetics known as muni and
sciousness, loosely translated as soul. It is ryik and the laity, consisting of male and fe-
bound by matter in the form of karma, which male followers known as rvaka and ravik.
is not just action or act of doing; it is a meta- The extant literature, the earliest of which can-
physical entity which is attracted or not at- not be
tracted to the jva or Atman and makes it suffer dated
in the samsara (cycle of births and deaths). The prior to
jva can attain its pure nascent form by casting the
off the karmic matter which is possible when it Christian
is vtarga, when it neither has rga nor dvea, era, glo-
ie, when it is absolutely neutral, neither at- rifies the
tracting nor repelling. That is the mukta or monastic
siddha state which is all-joy and all-conscious- male and
ness. And that is the ultimate object of adora- enjoins
tion in Jainism. It is an abstraction which canon the la-
not perhaps be cogently and logically ex- ity to
pressed but can be experienced in spiritual sustain
mysticism beyond words. the mo-
In practice, bhakti is meant to beg and to nastic or-
get bestowed, as is evident in the Jaina devo- der. The
tional literaturethe stuti, stotra, stava, bhakti, early
and puja lyrics or hymns composed in Prakrit, writers
Apabhraa, Sanskrit, Hindi, and other re- belong to
gional languages. But this proposition does the mo- Mahvra
47
nastic order, which alone was the custodian of to the monastic order. Thereafter, nti-bhakti,
the trthakaras teachings; the lay writers samdhi-bhakti, and nirva-bhakti introduce
wrote only commentaries on the texts or com- some patterns for concentration and some
posed devotional lyrics; analytical and critical motives for keeping up devotion. Lastly,
approach was noticed in modernist scholars nandvara-bhakti and caitya-bhakti provide for
during the last century but soon it was coun- means to sustain devotion by performing
terbalanced by a vast production of literature some rituals.
by the monastics. The monastics have thus Stotra, stava, and stuti, or the eulogistic
made themselves a special class for veneration lyrics are as much part of Jaina adoration liter-
and adoration among the Jainas of all denomi- ature as in other Indian systems, and they are
nations. contemporaneous too. The more popular are
The bhakti or adoration hymns com- the Svyambh-stotra, Kalyamandira-stotra
posed in the Prakrit language are attributed to and Bhaktmara-stotra, marked by melody and
A symbolic representation of a Jaina holy place
Kundakunda of circa 1st century AD, and fine composition in chaste Sanskrit, and cut-
those in the Sanskrit language are attributed to ting across the sectarian prejudices.
Pjyapda Devnand of the 5th century. It Arahanta and siddha are the primary ob-
starts with siddha-bhakti, adoration to the ideal jects of veneration and adoration in Jainism.
abstraction, the summum bonum of all spiri- The arahanta, by precept and example, inspires
tual discipline. Next is ruta-bhakti which en- jvas to follow the path to liberation (moksha).
joins to have absolute faith in the word of the The siddha exemplifies the ultimate state, that
scriptures as preached by the trthakara, arhat, of the liberated soul. As evidenced by archae-
kevalin Mahvra, and handed down by the ology, in the early stages of Jainismfrom a
monastics of his order. Then follow couple of centuries prior to the Christian era
critra-bhakti, yogi-bhakti, crya-bhakti, down to the 2nd century ADonly the images
paca-paramehi-bhakti, and trthakara-bhakti, of the arahanta were installed. Later, the
which revolve round the theme of reverence arahanta was personified as the 24 trthakaras
48
2002 Adoration in Jainism 41
of the current cycle of time, beginning with

abhadeva of the hoary past and ending with
Mahvra, who was born 2,600 years ago. The
trthakara images are identified by the distin-
guishing symbol on the pedestal, and lately
they are also made in different colours. A
whole pantheon of attendant deities and
complementary and subsidiary deities grew
up to cater to the basal cravings of the com-
mon people, to whom one could beg and who
could bestow reward as well as punishment in
folk fancy. It does not have any relevance to
the principle and ideal, but it was necessary to
keep the flock together, and so all the gods and
goddesses and other objects of veneration in
different times and climes were absorbed or
assimilated so that an adherent may not trans-
gress or wander elsewhere for fulfilling de-
sires.
In the earlier days of Jainism, the recita-
tion of eulogistic lyrics and hymns and the Prvantha
posture of obeisance seem to have been suffi-
cient to manifest adoration. But, gradually, To sum up, adoration in Jainism does
during the last 1000 years or so, the worship not, in principle, mean propitiation of some
ritual grew up and it was elaborated with pic- deity but it is to revel in the virtues of, and em-
turesque ceremonials. Texts were also pro- ulate, the Perfect so as to attain the ultimate.
duced on iconometry and for installation of The terminology and wording of the Jaina
images in temples. All this has much in com- adorational literature underscores this propo-
mon with other Indian systems, yet the word- sition, and that makes it distinct. In practice
ing underlines the distinctive principle. Spots and as a mass base, however, it is not very
for pilgrimage (trtha-ytr) were also defined much different from ceremonials and festivi-
and undertaking of pilgrimage was made an ties, and is not free from the stranglehold of
act of piety to ensure cohesion among the ad- monastics. The basics of religious life, and
herents. Temples and sthnakas where the thus, of adoration, are the controlling of the
co-religionists may congregate also serve the senses (sayama), the restraining of desires
purpose of social cohesion. The sadhus (male, (tapa), and the helping of the needy and dis-
muni; female, ryik) pose as the torchbearers tressed (dna), and these are universal to all re-
and elicit much veneration verging on adora- ligions, including Jainism. They make us rise
tion (notwithstanding the antics in some above self-gain, sublimating the ego and tak-
cases), from the credulous masses, and the ing us to a mental plane where we may be
reason, therefore, may be that most of the reli- more useful to the society at large. If the pres-
gious literature veers round the theme of sus- ent is meritorious, the life beyond need not
taining and venerating the sadhu. bother us.
49
The Jewish Way of Adoration of God
RABBI ANSON LAYTNER
Heres a perceptive presentation of the way one of the oldest religions on earth, Judaism,
adores God. Rabbi Anson Laytner has contributed a scholarly article to last years special
number of Prabuddha Bharata (January 2001) also. The rabbi is Director, Multifaith
Works, Seattle, USA. He is also the author of Arguing With God (Jason Aronson, 1998).
People often ask me Why does God need hundred blessings of appreciation each day:
our prayers of praise and adoration? In the for waking from sleep, for the working of our
Jewish tradition, it is not God who needs these bodies, for our ability to perform Gods will,
things, but rather we do them as part of our ef- for the Torah and its commandments, for the
forts to attune our souls and bodies with God. food we eat and the clothes we wear, for life it-
When we give thanks or praise to God self and whatever it may bring. Each of these
then, ideally speaking, it means that we are liturgical blessings begin with the phrase:
consciously articulating an inner awareness of Praised are You, Lord (YHWH) our God,
the manifold gifts we receive from the Creator Ruler of the universe.
of All. A wholly holy person would not be Perhaps the pinnacle of the formal adora-
someone with an episodic sense of wonder; tion of God comes in a part of the Sabbath wor-
s/he would have a consciousness of Gods ship service in a prayer called the Kedusha or
presence and an attitude of radical gratitude sanctification. In this prayer, the congregation
every minute of every day. as it were joins with the heavenly beings in
However, recognizing that most human praise of God, a duet if you will, using the
beings are unable to attain this exalted state, words of the prophet Isaiah: Holy, holy, holy,
the rabbis sought to elevate the peoples souls the fullness of the whole earth is His glory
at least occasionally, through daily individual (Isaiah, 6.3).
blessings and through group worship three At the same time as the ancient rabbis
times a day. Long ago, the ancient rabbis de- were institutionalizing the formal worship
creed that a person ought to recite at least one service, at least some also recognized the ab-
Ziggurat at Ur. It reminded the nomadic Israelites of the Tower of Babel
50
2002 The Jewish Way of Adoration of God 43
We simply cannot begin to appreci-

ate God enough and words are not ade-
quate to convey all we might feel. To
praise God is, in fact, to belittle God, so it
is our effort alone that counts. As Moses
told Israel: You shall love the Lord
(YHWH) your God with all your heart,
with all your soul, and with all your
might. In a famous Hasidic story, an il-
literate boys blowing of his flute as
prayer meant more to God than did the
beautifully articulated prayers of an en-
tire congregation. What God requires,
we are told, is the heart.
While I personally struggle with
the inadequacy of words to express feel-
ings to and about God, I am truly aware,
at least occasionally, of the gift of life and
of the unique potentiality it holds. As I
have grown older, lifes experiences
have sharpened my appreciation of the
true fragility of life, and of its unique
preciousness and value. In Wilderness
Spirituality, the Rev Rodney Romney
shares a traditional Scottish Christian
prayer that I appreciate wholeheartedly:
Praised are You, God, for the great and
mysterious opportunity of my life.
One does not need a brush with
Davids Tower near Jaffa Gate, Jerusalem mortality to be reminded of the miracle
of life and of lifes opportunities. This
surdity of trying to use human language to can be had every moment of every day. There
praise a Being as mysterious and ineffable as is a Jewish prayer that traditionally is said
God. In one story in the Talmud, a man im- upon rising each day: I am grateful to You,
provised on the traditional prayer by adding living and enduring God, for restoring my
to Gods praise as follows: The great, the soul to me in compassion. Great is Your faith-
mighty, the awesome, the glorious, the power- fulness. Prayers such as this one work for me
ful, the valiant, the fearless, the strong, the because they help me maintain right attitude
sure, and the honored. Rabbi Chanina waited and right perspective. It reminds me of the
until he finished and then said to him: Are fact that whatever I enjoy in life begins simply
you all through? Why did you stop when you and most mysteriously with life itself.
did? Did you finish all the praises of God? The key thing for me is to try to maintain
Why all these extra words? Even the three this sense of radical gratefulness as I go about
words of praise we do say, if Moses had not my daily routine. One of the traditional daily
mentioned them in the Torahwe would not prayers reminds me of what right mindful-
be allowed to recite even these three. Yet you ness should entail: We thank You and re-
say all this and keep going on and on! count Your praise: for our lives, which are in
51
fulnessstaying in the here and now,

focusing, and being aware.
I began this article by stating that
traditionally, Jews are supposed to
utter at least one hundred Praised
are You blessings daily. Im working
on one: calling to mind and acknowl-
edging the source of my daily bread,
by expanding upon the traditional
blessing. Instead of: Praised are You,
Lord our God, ruler of the universe,
who brings forth bread from the
earth, I think: Praised are you, Yah,
our God, spirit of the universe, who
has created the soil and the seed, the
sun and the rain; who has given us the
ability to plant and harvest, to grind
flour and make bread, to eat and live,
and hopefully to do deeds of loving
kindness in your service. Then I take
a bite of bread and chew on all that it
really means.
In truth, I often fail to realize
how much I take for granted, so to
help me stay focused and aware, Ive
recently taken to muttering another
Jewish prayer, one that traditionally
is used on holidays and special occa-
Menorah: Multibranched candelabrum used by Jews
in rites during the eight-day festival of Hanukka sions. I call it a centring prayer be-
cause it helps me centre on the pre-
Your hands; for our souls, which are in Your ciousness and holiness of any given
keeping; for Your wondrous signs that are point in time and be grateful: Praised are
with us daily; and for your wonderful gifts You, Yah, our God, spirit of the universe, who
and goodness at all times, evening, morning, has given us life, kept us alive, and enabled us
and noon. If I remember to try, I can uncover a to reach this moment. Its a start.
sense of radical wonder and a corresponding A final comment: As important as collec-
need to express radical gratefulness for just tive and private worship is in Jewish tradition,
about anything, regardless of my situation. the rabbis also realized that prayer was but
Even when things were at their darkest in one way of serving God, hence Shimon the
my life, I could still find a thing or two for Righteous taught: The world is sustained by
which to be grateful: for life, for love, for time three things: the (study of) the Torah, wor-
spent together. I was grateful even at those ship, and deeds of loving kindness. The point
times when I cried from stress and grief. is, that for Jews, worship alone does not suf-
Gratefulness does not necessarily mean hap- fice. It must be married to the study of the To-
piness. I find it in tears as well as in smiles. rah and to the practise of good deeds.
Radical gratefulness is a matter of right mind-
52
Adoration of a Gursikh
JASBIR KAUR AHUJA
Ms Jasbir Kaur Ahuja is a scholar in Sikhism, and contributes articles from time to time to
several important journals, including Prabuddha Bharata. She has translated the
Fatehnama and Zafarnama of Sri Guru Gobind Singh into English (both published by the
Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan). She has also translated portions of The Gospel of Sri
Ramakrishna into Punjabi. In this brief but interesting article, Ms Ahuja gives a synoptic
view of the daily routine of a Sikh.
He who is known as a Sikh of the true nine spiritual successors.

Guru must rise early at dawn (amritvel), and The basic tenets of Sikhism are, nm japo,
meditate on the Lords Name. With effort, he dharam d kirat karo, wand chako. In the morn-
must attune himself to the Lord and bathe in ing, nm japo, one should repeat the Lords
the pool of the Holy names. By this, the rep-
Name (satsang) in the etition and recitation of
early hours of the Gurbni, holy hymns
morning, as advised by from Sri Guru Granth
the Guru. Thus all his Shib, are meant.
sins and afflictions will Along with it, there
be removed. And, after should be the medita-
sunrise, he must recite tion on the Lords
the holy hymns, and Names as advised by
reflect on the Lords the Guru. Reading or
Name while standing recitation of the five
or sitting. He who re- bnis or hymns is im-
peats the Lords Name perative in the daily
with each breath and routine of a Gursikh.
morsel is a true devo- Which are the five
tee, and such a devotee bnis? Japji Shib, Jp
wins the grace of the Shib, Swaiyas, So-dr
Guru, and is shown the and Krtan Sohila. The
path. Nnak seeks the first two should be
dust of the feet of such sung in the morning,
a Gursikh, as he him- Swaiyas and So-dr in
self remembers God the evening, and Krtan
and also makes others Sri Guru Nanak Dev (1469-1539), the founder of Sikh Sohila at night, before
religion. It is written in Punjabi:Tera ek nm tare
remember Him.1 sansr going to bed.
Sikh means disci- The next tenet is
ple. The Punjabi form of the word sishya is dharam d kirat karo. That is, earn your
sikh. The term has become popular for the fol- livlihood by honest means. The third and fi-
lowers of Guru Nnak (1469-1539), and his nal rule is wand chako, to share ones earnings
with the needy and the downtrodden. This
1. Sri Guru Granth Shib, pp. 305-6. tenet also includes 10% contribution of ones
53
of the Divine Word;

Nnak says: None other than the Lord
2
can Liberation bestow.
In his daily adoration, the Sikh makes no dif-
ference between the sacred and the secular,
the mundane and the cosmic. The introduc-
tory hymn very clearly notifies that with each
breath and in every activity, the disciple must
repeat His name. Thus secular becomes sa-
cred and mundane becomes spiritual. As for
example,
The Sun rises early in the morning
and sets in the evening.
Then the queen of night,
the Moon,
appears at night
accompanied by the twinkling stars.
And the next morning, they recede
and it is the turn of the Sun to rise again.
Thus the cycle goes on.
Shall we call this activity sacred or secular? I
think it is both. The duties of Sun and Moon
shift from one hemisphere to the other for the
Sri Guru Gobind Singh (1666-1708), the 10th Guru and well-being and fulfilment of the universe. This
founder of Khls, a saint-soldier class of citizens desire for their welfare makes them sacred
though its all a secular activity.
income (daswand) for charity and for free com- The founder of Sikhism, Sri Guru Nnak
munity kitchens, called langars, where any Devji, has clearly said: The Truth is supreme,
person from any community, caste, or creed but higher still is truthful living.3 Its crystal
can sit in the same row with others and par- clear from this that stress has been laid on
take of the same food (prasd). truthful living in practical, daily life. Other-
Service to humanity is an important tenet wise, the repetition of the Name of God, think-
of Sikhism. The ideal of social ethics is an es- ing of the welfare of others, and doing good
sential feature of the Sikhs daily adoration. deeds become a hypocrisy. Neither inner
The Sikh believes and practises the principle strength is achieved, nor spiritual heights at-
of unity in diversity. The thought of the tained. So truthfulness is a mandatory virtue
well-being of all is an essential part of his or for a Sikh.
her daily prayer. The following hymn is an ex- In one of the hymns, Sri Guru Nnak
ample of the Sikhs concern for global welfare: Devji enjoins upon his disciples that if they
O Lord! The world is in flames, want to play the game of love, they must put
save it by Thy Grace; their heads on their palms and come to him.4
Save it at whatever portal That is, they must be ready for the greatest sac-
it can be saved rifice. They must be ready to take the first step
The holy precept or of a strong commitment that they will not hes-
inspiring contemplation
3. Sri Guru Granth Shib, p. 62.
2. Sri Guru Granth Shib, p. 853. 4. Sri Guru Granth Shib, p. 1412.
54
2002 Adoration of a Gursikh 47
form should be on the Sikh ev-

ery day, at all times. The uni-
form consists of five important
elements, namely kes (long hair),
kangha (a comb to keep the hair
clean), karha (a steel bracelet on
the right arm, reminding the de-
termination of the wearer to live
and sacrifice ones life for the
ideal), kirpn (a dagger, an ulti-
mate weapon for the protection
of the weak and for self-protec-
tion), and kachcha (when all
other clothes are torn in the bat-
tlefield, this cloth will protect
The Golden Temple, Amritsar. Amritsar was founded the nakedness of the body; its
by the fourth Guru, Rm Ds, and the Golden Temple was built in 1604
by the fifth Guru, Arjan Dev also a reminder of self-restraint).
Finally, why all this rou-
itate to lay down their lives for the sake of righ- tine? This routine is meant to find ones own
teousness. real Self, ie, to realize oneself. Man t jyoti
The founder of the Sikh religion thus laid svarp hai, apne ml pachn, O Self! Thou art the
great stress on the quality of self-sacrifice in image of the Divine Light. Realize Yourself!5
his disciples for the welfare of humanity. Af- Selfless service and the recitation of the
ter passing through many struggles, vicissi- Lords Names with every breath are the acces-
tudes, strifes and tribulations, along with the sories for the spiritual upliftment of the soul.
continuous confrontation with the tyrant So sarbat d bhall, may all prosper by the
Mughal rulers, the tenth and last Guru, Sri Lords grace.
Guru Gobind Singhji, organized the Sikhs into
the Khls, the pure, a group of saint-sol-
diers, and he also prescribed a special uniform 5. Sri Guru Granth Shib, p. 441.
for their identity and recognition. This uni-
What Sort of a Devotee Does the World Need Now?

Be pure and sincere. Pray from your heart: Lord, have mercy upon me, have mercy
upon me. The supremely merciful Lord will give you strength, faith and confidence. Be
not vain. We are born to learn and there is no limit, no end, to the things to be learned. Let
us pray that the Lord may give us good minds and right understanding. Can one become
a lover of the Lord just by jumping and shouting Hallelujah or by mouthing quotations
from the scriptures? Be humble, be selflessthats what is more important. This is an age
when we need workers who seek no results for their actionsand are completely de-
voted to God. Not talk, but action; show by the example of your life. We need silent work-
ers. We need preachers who by the example of their lives can silently transform the lives
of others.
Swami Premananda
55
Zoroastrian Adoration
ERVAD SHERIARJI DADABHAI BHARUCHA
Though the great Iranian religion of ancient times, Zoroastrianism, has lost its vitality
and following, except for Indian Parsis and some others around the globe, the practices that
this ancient religion teaches are grand and exemplary. We publish excerpts about Zoroastrian
adoration from the book, Zoroastrian Religion and Customs (Bombay: Kitab Mahal,
1928), by the author.
Zoroastrian worship consists either of baresman, a bundle of about 35 metallic wires

simple oral recitations of portions of the Sa- according to the different grades of the ritual,
cred Word or such recitations combined and tied with a string made of date leaf and held in
accompanied with the performance of cere- his left hand by the priest; hvana, a metallic
monial ritual. These recitals are compositions mortar and pestle to pound the haoma (Skt:
in the sacred language of the Avest, original soma) twigs; tashta is a metallic saucer with
or oftener extracted from previous composi- nine holes in the midst to strain the haoma
tions or of a combination of the Avest and juice; cups, dishes, etc, to hold the haoma juice.
Pazend languages. Thanks to the English, Others there are in which laymen may touch
Gujarati, French and German translations, the sacred implements, but they cannot take
anyone interested and inquisitive in the mat- part in the performance. There are some very
ter may easily acquire swift knowledge of the few other minor ceremonies which both
subject, without the necessity of acquiring a priests and laymen can equally perform.
knowledge of the original languages in which It seems that the practice of offering ani-
the compositions exist, which in its turn is mal sacrifice must have prevailed at sometime
nowadays very rare. or other in ancient Persia. The practice, how-
Generally, everyone prays individually ever, has long since ceased to exist. Offerings
by himself, but on several important occasions of various kinds of food and drink, and of
public worship by the whole congregation is flowers, water, and incense, used by the an-
also performed. Of the ancient sacred recitals, cient Iranians, still survive among the Parsis,
the most necessary ones to every Zoroastrian those principally used in modern times being
for daily use are those comprised in the the juice of the haoma plant, milk, sacred bread,
Nirang-i-kusti, ie, the prayer about untying ghee, holy water, and dry fragrant wood such
and retying the sacred thread kusti round the as sandalwood, frankincense, etc, which is
waist on the sacred shirt, sadr. Every Zoroas- used for the flame of the fire.
trian learns this by heart as he has to recite it There is no clear or satisfactory evidence
several times in the day. The rest may be orally of the practice being in vogue of erecting edi-
recited or read out from the sacred prayer fices, or fire temples in the time of the Avest,
books. The recitals combined with ceremonial though it is certain that the house-fire was con-
ritual are universally done only by the priests, sidered sacred and was carefully tended and
since most of the ritual must be performed by kept burning alive with dry fuel and other fra-
priests. grant substances. In later times, however, fire
Some of the rituals can be performed and temples seem to have obtained a recognized
the necessary accessories handled by the and strong footing. They are of three grades:
priests alone. Some of these implements are, (1) the Atash-e-Ddgh, (2) the Atash-e-Adarn,
56
2002 Zoroastrian Adoration 49
and (3) the Atash-e-Behrm. ship of fire. On the contrary, he most emphati-
This outward and visible regard for fire cally enjoins the worship of Ahura Mazda
as a beneficent and indispensable creation of alone. He says: Let to Thy fire be offered the
Ahura Mazda, and as a potent and salutary salutation of holiness, and not as far as I am
natural agent, must have given rise to the mis- able, to that worshipped by Mnya.
nomer of the Zoroastrians being called Herodotus, while he refers to this reverence of
fire-worshippers. But it is a gross misconcep- the Iranians for fire, nowhere affirms that they
tion generated through the ignorance and dis- were fire-worshippers. Ferdowsi too bears
regard of the essential and underlying princi- emphatic testimony on the point and warmly
ple that none of the elements, though es- repels the charge of fire worship often hurled
teemed as objects of great usefulness, was ever against the Zoroastrians. Says he in the
regarded by them as in themselves deities in- Shhnmeh, the immortal epic: Do not say that
dependent of Ahura Mazda, the supreme they were fire-worshippers; for they were
God, who alone has again and again received worshippers of God the Holy.
the highest veneration as being the sole object It is enjoined that a Zoroastrian child be-
of worship and adoration. tween the age of seven and 15 must be in-
The main influence which fire, as the vested with sadr and kusti which are visible
earthly source of light and heat, exercises on insignia, symbols or emblems, of the
the economy of the universe, is sufficient to Mzda-yasni religion. The sadr is a shirt of
vindicate the high regard and esteem in which white linen with a peculiarly shaped
it was held by the ancient Iranians; and though breast-piece called garebn attached to the col-
outward veneration for this mighty physical lar on the front side. It must be of white colour,
agent may have lent colour and strength to the white as indicative of cleanliness and purity
charge which the ignorance or bigotry of their serves as the badge of the Mzda-yasni reli-
opponents were not slow to invent, it is an un- gion. Kusti is a peculiar kind of woven band or
doubted fact that the charge has invariably tape, composed of 72 woollen threads. It is
been repudiated and denounced by Zoroastri- girded three times round the waist with four
ans themselves, and that thoughtful and knots, two in the front and two behind. It is to
fair-minded writers of antiquity no less than be laid on the body by day and by night. The
the learned scholars of modern times have ab- three rounds of the kusti serve to remind the
solved them from the oft-repeated charge, wearer of the three cardinal virtues of the Zo-
having formed a correct conception of the fan- roastrian religion, viz, hu-mata (good
ciful grounds on which it was based. Through- thought), hu-ukhta (good word) and hu-varshta
out all the sacred writings, the most solemn (good deed). The four knots are intended to re-
and emphatic injunction has been laid to wor- mind the wearer of his own four distinctive
ship Ahura Mazda the supreme God and Him epithets, Mazda-yasno, the worshipper of
alone, and in all times Zoroastrians have in Mazda the only one most wise God;
their writings been called Mazda-yasna, ie, the Zarathushtrish, the follower of Zoroaster; and
worshippers of God Mazda. So though the an- Vi-daevo, an opponent of the Devas; and
cient Iranians esteemed fire as the symbol of Ahurat-kaesho, observer of the law of Ahura.
divinity and as such worthy of respect and The kusti must be made of lambs wool as be-
reverence, they never professed themselves as ing symbolical of the meekness and innocence
the worshippers of fire. Zoroaster in his own of the animal and reminding the wearer to
Gths speaks of fire as a bright and powerful lead a life of purity and righteousness. The
creation of Ahura Mazda and prefers it as a ceremony of the investiture of sadr and kusti
symbol of divinity to idols and other created is called navzot, new or first worship, and it is
objects. But nowhere does he enjoin the wor- performed by a priest in the presence of other
57
priests and laymen. intercalary days added at the end of the 12th
The candidate, who has learnt a few fun- month, thus making in all 365 days in a year.
damental principles of religion, having puri- This, however, is not the full tropical solar
fied himself or herself with ceremonial ablu- year, which consists of over 365 days, some
tion, is presented to the priest, who makes him five hours, 48 minutes and 48 seconds. Re-
or her recite three times the Pzned confession searches have established that , in order to ad-
of faith in the presence of those assembled: just all religious festivals at their proper
Praise be to the good Mzda-yasni religion and places, it is necessary to reform the present re-
to the pure most right Wisdom, created by ligious calendar by making up all the interca-
Ahura Mazda. The good righteous right reli- lations that have been neglected up to now, for
gion which the Lord has sent to his creatures is the past 1270 years. He advocates an interca-
that which Zoroaster has brought. The religion lary day at the end of every four years, the
is the religion of Zoroaster, the religion of jamshed navroz, ie, the vernal equinox, being
Ahura Mazda given to Zoroaster. treated by him as the commencement of the
The candidate is from that time duly admitted religious year.
into the Zoroastrian religion. The first, the eighth, the 15th and the 23rd
The Zoroastrian religion, containing the days are sacred to Ahura Mazda. They are as if
doctrine of supporting Spento-mainyus or the it were the Sabbath days of the Zoroastrians.
principle of increase, and of opposing When the name of a day is identical with that
Angro-mainyus, or the principle of decrease, of a month, that day is fixed for a jashan or fes-
inculcates marriage as a sacred duty. Zoroas- tival, eg, the 19th day of the month Farvardn
ter in his Gths forcibly enjoins on his own being named Farvardn. There are six season
daughter Pouru-chisti and all the rest of his festivals, called gahambrs, each lasting for five
followers never to remain unmarried without days and occurring at unequal intervals, de-
valid reasons. pendent on the variations of the seasons.
Zoroastrian funeral is something inter- The last 10 days of the year constitute the
esting. It being a fundamental principle of the Farvardign feast, called muktt in Gujarati.
Zoroastrian religion to maintain fire, earth, They are dedicated to the commemoration of
air, and water pure and undefiled, Parsis nei- the Fravashis of the holy beings of the past,
ther burn nor bury their dead, nor consign present, and future times.
them to water. Their mode of disposing of the The New Years Day is a great festival in
dead is to expose them open to the desiccating honour of the advent of spring and rapithvina,
heat of the sun on the tops of high hills or on the warm season of the year. A similar festival
raised stony platforms there to be devoured is observed on the third day, ardibehesht, to
by carnivorous birdsan eminently sanitary welcome the entry of rapithvina.
mode of annihilating and destroying sources On the sixth day of the month of
of contagion in the interest of the surrounding Farvardn falls the khorddsl festival, the
living beings. birthday of Zoroaster. The 11th day of the
The religious year of the Zoroastrians month of Dae is a solemn festival, traditionally
professes or ought to be a tropical solar one. It the anniversary of Zoroasters death.
is divided into 12 months of 30 days with five
Prophets preach, but the Incarnations like Jesus, Buddha, Ramakrishna, can give reli-
gion; one glance, one touch is enough.
Swami Vivekananda
58
Adoration According to Patanjali
SWAMI SATYAMAYANANDA
Swami Satyamayanandaji is a young monk of the Ramakrishna Order, and looks after all
the Prabuddha Bharata work in Kolkata. He contributes articles to different journals and
periodicals from time to time, and also reviews scholarly works. In this absorbing article, he
concentrates on latria in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali .
The Magic of the Word Yoga before. And the danger of misinterpretations
While sightseeing in Canton, China, and misrepresentations is not small. Yet the
Swami Vivekananda was bent on visiting a charm persists in whatever form it is in, pure
nearby monastery that was off limits to visi- or diluted.
tors, even when their partys interpreter was The Most Difficult Thing
trying to dissuade him. Suddenly, they were r akara asks, What is the most diffi-
accosted with a tangi- cult thing for a man to
ble form of dissuasion do? and answers, To
in the shape of two or keep the mind always
three furious under control.2 Even
club-wielding men Arjuna complains to
who rushed at them Krishna in the
with the intent of not Bhagavadgt that con-
just scaring them trolling the mind is as
away. The rest of the difficult as controlling
party fled for safety. the wind. How true it
Swamiji caught hold is! Anyone attempting
of the interpreters to still the mind, even
arm and inquired briefly, is immediately
what was the Chinese faced with the truth of
equivalent for Indian the impossibility of it.
yogi. Swamiji re- Yet the few brave
peated this loudly. The souls, endowed with
words instantly acted Sage Patanjali: Art by Shubra Nag faith, energy, memory,
like magic. The men concentration and dis-
dropped their clubs and fell at his feet with crimination, become living testimonies to this
deep reverence.1 Truly it can be said that the great science and are rightly worshipped as
words yoga and yogi have cast their spell gods. India has been the special stronghold of
on humankind for thousands and thousands yoga. Every other orthodox and unorthodox
of years. With the present revival and interest darana (philosophy, incorrectly though), in
in Indian spirituality everywhere, yoga is now some form or other, has adopted and adapted
influencing more and more minds than ever yogic practices to their systems, for sadhana
has always been integral in philosophy or it
1. His Eastern and Western Disciples, The Life of would have been reduced to mere specula-
Swami Vivekananda (Mayavati: Advaita
Ashrama, 1985), Vol. 1, p. 396. 2. Pranottara-ratna-mlik, 53.
59
Yoga, based on the ancient Skhya phi-

losophy, is vast but yet contains only 195
sutras (aphorisms, literally threads) divided
into four pdas, chapters: Samadhi,
Sadhana, Vibhti and Kaivalya. There are
certain basic concepts that need to be looked at
before we can see how the practice of samadhi
can be a continuous form of adoration.
The Illustration for Citta-Vttis
Picture a sea in the bosom of a long, vio-
lent storm. Huge monster waves rise, crest the
dark sky, and fall with a deafening roar into
the churning waters. Add lightning and sleet
for better visual and sound effects. In this
heaving sea, a man is struggling for life in a
battered boat, which is repeatedly being lifted
by waves and crashed in the troughs. Com-
pare this scene for what goes on within: the
citta, mind-stuff, is the stormy sea; the waves
in it are vttis, and the man in the boat is the ef-
A yogi in meditation: Art by Swami Aptananda
fort to still the waves. This is exactly what a
novice experiences in the beginning of yoga
tion. Patanjali, the great sage, himself is said to practice.
be the compiler, systematizer and codifier of Now consider another picture: that of the
certain ancient tested yogic practices preva- same sea after the storm has abated. The sky is
lent in society then.3 The immense practicality clear and sunny, and the water luminous and
of yoga has made it currently the most popu- mirror-still. As the yogi puts his whole being
lar and respected philosophy. into his efforts and is inexorably reaching the
The Word Yoga end of yoga, this is what his citta appears like.
This technical term yoga, like the term The constant fire of tremendous sadhana that
samadhi, has been variously interpreted: goes into subduing each vtti becomes truly an
sometimes novel, sometimes strange, and act of adoration. It is this adoration that helps
sometimes bordering on the absurd. The word the yogi stand up and fight even after being
yoga itself has many definitions but, for our knocked down millions and millions of times.
purpose, two meanings need to be looked at. Nothing is possible in its absence, and yoga
According to the great Sanskrit grammarian will be an empty word. The yogi takes flowers
Panini, the root yuj belonging to the which can be compared to his yogic experi-
divdi-gaa means samadhi. The root yujir in ences and struggles, strings them on the yoga
the ruddi-gaa means sayoga, yoke in Eng- stra (thread of yoga), and offers this garland
lish. In Patanjalis Yoga Sutras the former is to vara, God, who is the special Purua, the
meant. So the Yoga Sutras can also be called first Guruomniscient and omnipo-
Samadhi Sutras. tentwhose manifesting name is the sacred
syllable Om.4
3. Some scholars identify Patanjali with the
grammarian, who flourished around 200 BC.
Others who do not think so, giving historical 4. Cf. Swami Vivekananda, The Complete Works
and technical reasons say Yoga Sutras must (Mayavati: Advaita Ashrama, 1989), Vol. 1,
have been written somewhere about 300 AD. pp. 212-8.
60
2002 Adoration According to Patanjali 53
The Ontological Postulates in Yoga Sutras piece of crystal, and

Yoga philosophy postulates two ultimate is merely tinged with
realities called purua, soul, and prakti, na- the objects presented
ture. The former is the kastha nitya, suffering to it. In saprajta
no change and the latter is parim nitya, that samadhi the objects
which does not lose its specific nature in spite of meditation are cat-
of changes (yasmin vihanyamne tattva na egorized as grhya,
vihanyate). This prakti is constantly transform- gross and subtle as-
ing itself due to the actions of the three guas pects of the object;
(sattva, rajas and tamas). This transformation the subtle entities are
embraces all of nature from the microcosm to categorized as
the macrocosm. Citta, being a product of grahaa, instruments
prakti, is also subject to change. Prakti is jaa, of knowledge
insentient, and one. But there is a plurality of (sense-organs, mind, The Buddha in meditation
puruas that are by nature pure consciousness. intellect); and the
Yoga accepts the external world, the experi- subtlest as the graht (the experiencing sub-
encing subject (bhokt), the means of experi- ject), the I.
ence and the things experienced as real. In the When an object, which is within time,
Samadhi Pda, the second sutra sets the tone space and causation, is reflected upon, it is
of the whole scheme of things. savitarka sampatti. Higher still is when mem-
Yoga-citta-vtti-nirodha, yoga is the restraint ory (smti) is purified, and the object of medi-
(nirodha) of vttis in the citta. Let us look at tation becomes free from any misconceptions
these words, yoga, citta-vtti and nirodha. and is unmixed (asakra); then the aware-
Different Stages of Yoga ness of the transcendental nature of the object
We have seen that the word yoga stands beyond time etc shines, and it is nirvitarka
for samadhi. Some of the commentators on sampatti. Then comes savicra sampatti, the
Yoga Sutras are of the opinion that it means object now is subtle (tanmtra) and is deliber-
both saprajta and asaprajta samadhis. ated within time, space and causation. Its
In Patanjalis system, no effort is made to real- higher aspect is when that subtle object is de-
ize the purua directly but the quelling of liberated upon transcending time, space and
citta-vttis is attempted wholeheartedly. As a causation; then it is nirvicra sampatti. Rising
potential marksman first aims at large objects, still higher and meditating on citta as bereft of
then proceeds to smaller and smaller ones, so all impurities of rajas and tamas becomes
is the aspirant first made to attempt medita- snanda sampatti. Going deeper, when there
tion on gross objects and then proceed to sub- remains only the sattva state of the ego and ab-
tle ones. Samadhi is a much-touted word ev- sorption is made on oneself, it is called sasmita
erywhere; to attain it is indeed very difficult. sampatti (with asmit, ego).5 In the highest
But in yoga, mere samadhi (samdhi mtra) has saprajta samadhi there dawns what is
not much value. It is, however, the doorway to known as tambhar praj, truth-filled tran-
the higher realm called saprajta samadhi scendental knowledge. With its help the clear
in which transcendental knowledge known as distinction between the purua and prakti is
praj is obtained. These advanced stages are known and this is called viveka-khyti.
technically called sampattis (not to be con- Establishing oneself in viveka-khyti,
fused with the sampattis of Buddhism). there then arises dharma-megha (cloud of
Sampattis, simply stated, are the deepening of dharma) samadhi. Dharma-megha samadhi
the constantly practised samdhi mtra by
which the citta has attained stability like a clear 5. Swamijis explanation on Yoga Sutras, 1.17.
61
gives rise to para-vairgya, supreme detach- minosity and is ascribed a white colour. Rajas
ment from all things related to the three guas is activity with red colour, and tamas is inertia
of prakti. The citta still has a residue of im- with black colour. These colours or guas are
pressions so these saprajta states are mixed in varying degrees.
known as sabja, with seeds. After this comes According to the great commentator
asaprajta samadhi, this is perfect super- Vysa, there are five bhmis, states, through
consciousness. The strong repeated impres- which citta manifests. They are: kipta, mha,
sions of tambhar-praj have obstructed all vikipta, ekgra and niruddhascattering,
other subliminal impressions of vyutthna darkening, scattering and gathering alter-
(distractions). tambhar-praj itself is nately, one-pointed, and controlled respec-
checked by supreme control and that leads to tively. Yoga is possible only in the last two.
the nirbja state, without seeds. In this Cognitive vttis or pratyayas are of five kinds:
asaprajta samadhi, the purua only is there, prama, viparyaya, vikalpa, nidr and smti
being neither subject nor object. The door to fi- right knowledge, indiscrimination, verbal de-
nal liberation, kaivalya, is open, and the citta, lusion, sleep and memory respectively. More-
now freed from everything, resolves back to over, there are the five klia vttis, affective
its causes, pratiprasava. (emotional), called pain-bearing obstruc-
From the above we can see to what tions: avidy, asmit, rga, dvea, and
heights the yogi has to reach. Each stage re- abhiniveaignorance, egoism, attachment,
quires rigorous and unrelenting practice. aversion, and the fear of death.
Speaking about these samadhis seems almost These are more lasting than the cognitive
a blasphemy when we realize that to attain ones. Klia vttis manifest only through the
even the lowest one might take a long, long cognitive, and the cognitive are impelled by
time. The yogi very quickly understands what the klia. It is a kind of constantly revolving
he is up against and this brings in humility, de- wheel.
votion and adoration that will smoothen and Each vtti, after it subsides, leaves a trace
sweeten his rough road. called saskra, impression, which has the
The Citta and Vttis power of producing the original vtti under
The citta is, as we have noted above, in- circumstances. Because of this there is mem-
sentient, and it is accounted for the difference ory, recognition, etc. The citta is supposed to
between pure consciousness and our different be filled with these traces and they are in the
states of consciousness. According to yoga states of: prasupti, tanu, vicchinna and udra,
philosophy, our consciousness, however, is dormant, attenuated, suppressed or repressed
only possible when a vtti arises in it. There and expanded respectively. The saskras fall
can be no knowledge or cognition without into two broad categories: karmaya (recepta-
vttis. These two then, citta and vttis are insep- cle of karma) and jnaya (receptacle of
arable like milk and its whiteness. Broadly knowledge). The former, filled with traces of
speaking, vtti-jna is of two types, pratyaya bhoga vsans, desires, are responsible for re-
and praj. The former is ordinary conscious- birth. Jnaya by itself does not bind, but in
ness, and the latter is related to super- this very fluid situation what is what and
consciousness. Citta is said to be pervasive, where is difficult to posit.
but vttis are sakoca-viksa-l, contracting Apart from the above there are the tre-
and expanding, rising and falling, taking the mendous supernormal powers, vibhtis.
form of the objects presented to it. The process Famous among them are the aa-siddhis, the
is unimaginably superfast. Citta being praktis eightfold yogic powers. The citta is ultimately
evolute, it also has the three qualities of sattva, destroyed in the state just preceding freedom.
rajas and tamas. Sattva is characterized by lu- In this confusion of different things, let us see
62
2002 Adoration According to Patanjali 55
how Swamiji clearly explains it: The unknow- These pacify the citta.7
able furnishes the suggestion that gives the The Yoga Sutras has tailored different
blow to the mind, and the mind gives out the practices to fit different aspirants who are
reactionin the same manner as when a stone classed as superior, middling and inferior.
thrown into the water, the water is thrown The superior are advised abhysa, vairgya and
against it in the form of a wave. A book form or vara-praidhnapractice, non-attachment
an elephant form, or a man form, is not out- and devotion to God, as principal ones. The
side; all that we know is our mental reaction middling aspirant is advised kriy yoga: tapas,
from outer suggestions. You know how svadhyaya and vara-praidhnapenances,
pearls are made. A parasite gets inside the study and devotion to God. The inferior aspi-
shell and causes irritation, and the oyster rant is advised to take up the aga yoga, or
throws a sort of enamelling round it, and this eight-limbed yoga, consisting of: yama,
makes the pearl. The universe of experience is niyama, sana, pryma, pratyhra, dhra,
our own enamel, so to say, and the real uni- dhyna and samdhi. The first two are great
verse is the parasite serving as a nucleus. The moral and ethical vows, then posture and con-
ordinary man will never understand it, be- trol of prathese are physical in nature.
cause when he tries to do so, he throws out an Then comes withdrawal of the sensory-or-
enamel and sees his own enamel. Thus you gans, concentration, meditation and samadhi.
understand what is meant by chitta. It is the vara-praidhna in aga yoga is a part of
mind-stuff, and vrittis and the waves and rip- niyama. Technically, nirodha is said to be vtti-
ples rising in it when external causes impinge nirodha, pratyaya-nirodha, sakra-nirodha,
on it. These vrittis are our universe.6 klea-nirodha and sarva-nirodha.
Nirodha, Restraint The Speciality of Adoration in Yoga Sutras
On reading the above, one gets an im- Adoration or vara-praidhna, we have
pression that controlling citta-vttis is well noticed, is common to all the three classes of
nigh impossible. Let us look at it this way. The aspirants. Patanjali no doubt has seen its effi-
heart averages about 100,000 beats per day cacy. Besides, the aspirant needs to under-
and this goes on for a whole lifetime. Made of stand that unless a higher power is admitted
tough muscle, does it ever take rest? It does, and adored with love, the goal can be ex-
for a fraction of a second, between the systolic tremely difficult. To repeat what we said
and diastolic beats. Similarly is the case with above, whenever an aspirant struggles to re-
citta-vttis, when one rises after taking a form strain vttis the very effort becomes an act of
of an object and subsides and a second one is adoration by itself. Coupled with love for
rising, there is a very small interval between vara, the yogi or yogin becomes full of faith,
them; this has to be prolonged. But before we hope, love and gentleness. This constant ado-
can do that, we need to raise only one class of ration makes them a blessing to humanity.
vttis (sajtya) and this slowly holds back the Even the Lord says in the Gt: A yogi is
many other classes of vttis (vijtya). Apart higher than men of penances; he is higher than
from this method for citta parikarma, purifica- men of knowledge; the yogi is higher than
tion of the mind, there are the bhvans pre- men of action. Therefore, O Arjuna, do be-
scribed to raise vttis opposed to the inimical come a yogi. Even among the yogis, he who
ones. They are maitr, karu, mudita and adores Me with his mind fixed on Me and with
upekfriendship, mercy, gladness and in- faithhe is considered by Me to be the best of
difference with regard to subjects that are the yogis.
happy, unhappy, righteous and unrighteous.
6. Swamijis explanation on Yoga Sutras, 1.2. 7. Yoga Sutras, 1.33.
63
Art as Adoration
SWAMI VIVEKANANDA
Who else could be the best judge of art than Swami Vivekananda, whose mastery over the
worlds history, culture, philosophy, spirituality, art, literature, and a thousand other
subjects were unparalleled? His grand ideas about art, spread out in the nine volumes of his
Complete Works (Mayavati: Advaita Ashrama) have been rearranged and presented here.
Numbers in parentheses indicate volume and page number of the Complete Works.
Art for Whom? then Greek art proper. The Achaean kingdom
All the people that work and toil and la- had spread its sway over the neighbouring is-
bour like machines do not really enjoy life, but lands and also mastered all the arts that flour-
it is the wise man who enjoys. A rich man buys ished there, being imported from Asia. Thus
a picture at a cost of a hundred thousand dol- did art first make its appearance in Greece.
lars perhaps, but it is the man who under- From the prehistoric times up to 776 BC was
stands art that enjoys it; and if the rich man is the age of the Mycenaean art. This art princi-
without knowledge of art, it is useless to him, pally engaged itself in merely copying Asiatic
he is only the owner. All over the world, it is art. Then from 776 BC to 146 BC was the age of
the wise man who enjoys the happiness of the Hellenic or true Greek art. After the destruc-
world. The ignorant man never enjoys; he has tion of the Achaean Empire by the Dorian
to work for others unconsciously (3:20). race, the Greeks living on the continent and in
History of Art the Archipelago founded many colonies in
From a visit to the Louvre Museum in Asia. This led to a close conflict between them
Paris I came to understand the three stages of and Babylon and Egypt, which first gave rise
Greek art. First, there was the Mycenaean art, to Greek art. This art in the course of time gave
up its Asiatic tinge and applied it-
self to an exact imitation of na-
ture. The difference between
Greek art and the art of other
countries consists in this, that the
former faithfully delineates the
living phenomena of natural life.
From 776 BC to 475 BC is the
age of Archaic Greek art. The fig-
ures are yet stiffnot lifelike. The
lips are slightly parted, as if al-
ways in smiles. In this respect
they resemble the works of Egyp-
tian artists. All the statues stand
erect on their legsquite stiff.
The painting collection of Louvre Museum, Paris, which completed its The hair and beard etc are all
200th anniversary in 1993, is one of the richest in the world,
representing all periods of European art up to Impressionism. Seen carved in regular lines and the
here is the square court of the Louvre, built by Pierre Lescot under clothes in the statues are all
Francis I during 1546-51 wrapped close round the body, in
64
2002 Art as Adoration 57
a jum- tor, Phidias,

blenot which a French
like flow- scholar has de-
ing dress. scribed in the fol-
Next lowing terms: A
to Archaic marvel of perfec-
Greek art tion in beauty
comes the and a glorious
age of specimen of pure
Classic and sublime
Satyr on a copper piece by
Greek ideas, which will Praxiteles, 5th century BC.
artfrom never lose their
475 BC to hold upon the human mind. The masters in
323 BC, that the second type of the Attic school were Sco-
is to say, pas and Praxiteles. The work of this school
from the was to completely divorce art from religion
hegemony and keep it restricted to the delineation of
Mycenaean art (1000-800 BC): Tripod of Athens merely human life.
up to the The chief exponents of the second or
death of Alexander the Great. Peloponnesus Peloponnesian school of Classic Greek art
and Attica were the states where the art of this were Polyclitus and Lysippus. One of these
period flourished most. Athens was the chief was born in the fifth century BC, and the other
city of Attica. A learned French art critic has in the fourth century BC. They chiefly aimed at
written: (Classic) Greek art at its highest de- laying down the rule that the proportion of the
velopment freed itself completely from the human body must be faithfully reproduced in
fetters of all established canons and became art.
independent. It then recognized the art regu- From 323 BC to 146 BC, that is, from the
lations of no country, nor guided itself accord- death of Alexander to the conquest of Attica
ing to them. The more we study the fifth cen- by the Romans, is the period of decadence in
tury BC, so brilliant in its art develop- Greek art. One notices in the Greek art of this
mentduring which period all the perfect period an undue attention to gorgeous embel-
specimens of sculpture were turned outthe lishments, and an attempt to make the statues
more is the idea brought home to our mind unusually large in bulk. Then at the time of the
that Greek art owed its life and vigour to its Roman occupation of Greece, Greek art con-
cutting loose from the pale of stereotyped tented itself merely by copying the works of
rules. This Classic Greek art had two previous artists of that country; and the only
schoolsfirst, the Attic, and second, the novelty there was, consisted in reproducing
Peloponnesian. In the Attic school, again, exactly the face of some particular individual
there were two different typesthe first was (7:402-4).
the outcome of the genius of the gifted sculp- Ancient Greece, the fountain-head of
Western civilisation, sank into oblivion from
the pinnacle of her glory, the vast empire of
Rome was broken into pieces by the dashing
waves of the barbarian invadersthe light
of Europe went out; it was at this time that
another barbarous race rose out of obscurity
An ivory box with beautiful carvings in Asiathe Arabs. With extraordinary ra-
65
sate in the dead body of the

world-capital of Rome. The pul-
sation of this new life took a
strong and formidable shape in
the city of Florenceold Italy be-
gan showing signs of new life.
This is called the Renaissance, the
new birth. But this new birth was
for Italy only a rebirth; while for
the rest of Europe, it was the first
birth. Europe was born in the six-
teenth century AD, ie about the
time when Akbar, Jehangir,
Shahjahan, and other Moghul
Emperors firmly established their
Roman art: Goddess Cybele, also called Agdistis (Aditi of the Vedas), mighty empire in India.
the Graeco-Roman Great Mother of the gods, It is Greece that speaks
in her processional cart drawn by two lions through everything in Europe.
pidity, that Arab tide began to spread over the Every building, every piece of
different parts of the world. Powerful Persia furniture has the impress of Greece upon it;
had to kiss the ground before the Arabs and European science and art are nothing but Gre-
adopt the Mohammedan religion, with the re- cian (3:271).
sult that the Mussulman religion took quite a The secret of Greek art is its imitation of
new shape; the religion of the Arabs and the
civilisation of Persia became intermingled.
With the sword of the Arabs, the Persian
civilisation began to disseminate in all direc-
tions. That Persian civilisation had been bor-
rowed from ancient Greece and India. From
the East and from the West, the waves of
Mussulman invaders dashed violently on Eu-
rope and, along with them, the light of wis-
dom and civilisa-
tion began dis-
persing the dark-
ness of blind and
barbarous Eu-
rope. The wis-
dom, learning,
and arts of an-
cient Greece en-
tered into Italy,
overpowered the
barbarians, and
with their quick-
ening impulse, Laocon and his twin sons being bitten by a snake
Reconstructed altar of Zeus life began to pul- Sculptor: Agesander (2nd century BC)
66
Art in Europe
What is this Europe? Why are the
black, the bronze, the yellow, the red in-
habitants of Asia, Africa, and America
bent low at the feet of the Europeans?
Why are they the sole rulers in this
Kali-Yuga? To understand this Europe
one has to understand her through
France, the fountain-head of everything
that is highest in the West. Paris is the cen-
tre of Western civilisation. This Paris is
like a vast ocean, in which there is many a
precious gem, coral, and pearl, and in
which, again, there are sharks and other
Japanese art: bronze background of rapacious sea-animals as well. The pala-
the Amida Buddha
tial structures, the gardens resembling
nature even to the minutest details; whereas Indras paradise, the groves, even the farmers
the secret of Indian art is to represent the ideal. fieldseverywhere and in everything there is
The energy of the Greek painter is spent in per- an attempt at beauty, an attempt at art, re-
haps painting a piece of flesh, and he is so suc- markable and effected with success, too
cessful that a dog is deluded into taking it to be (5:507-8).
a real bit of meat and so goes to bite it. Now, (The English art is also good, is it not?)
what glory is there in merely imitating nature? What a stupid fool you are! But what is the use
Why not place an actual bit of flesh before the of blaming you when that seems to be the pre-
dog? The Indian tendency, on the other hand, vailing way of thinking! Alas, to such a state is
to represent the ideal, the super-sensual, has our country reduced! The people will look
become degraded into painting grotesque im- upon their own gold as brass, while the brass
ages (5:258). of the foreigner is gold to them! This is, indeed,
Art in Japan the magic wrought by modern education!
The world has never seen such a patriotic Know that since the time the Europeans have
and artistic race as the Japanese, and one spe- come into contact with Asia, they are trying to
cial feature about them is this that while in Eu- infuse art into their own life. Look at their
rope and elsewhere art generally goes with buildingshow commonplace, how mean-
dirt, Japanese art is art plus absolute cleanli- ingless, they are! (5:373).
ness. They are great as a nation because of Now, go all over our motherland and see
their art. Dont you see they are Asians, as we if you cannot read aright, from their very ap-
are? And though we have lost almost every- pearance, the meaning for which our build-
thing, yet what we still have is wonderful. The ings stand, and how much art there is in them!
very soul of the Asian is interwoven with art. The glass is their drinking vessel, and ours is
The Asian never uses a thing unless there be the metal Ghati (pitcher-shaped); which of the
art in it. Dont you know that art is, with us, a two is artistic? Have you seen the farmers
part of religion? How greatly is a lady ad- homes in our villages? Have you seen their
mired, among us, who can nicely paint the granaries for keeping paddy? What an art is
floors and walls, on auspicious occasions, there in them! What a variety of paintings
with the paste of rice-powder? How great an even on their mud walls! And then, if you go
artist was Shri Ramakrishna himself! (5:475-6). and see how the lower classes live in the West,
you would at once mark the difference.
67
European jug (left) and Indian ghai (right)
Their ideal is utility, ours art. The West-

erner looks for utility in everything, whereas
with us art is everywhere. With the Western
education, those beautiful Ghatis of ours have
been discarded, and enamel glasses have
usurped their place in our homes! Thus the Masterpiece of Indian sculpture: the dome of
a Jain temple, Mount Abu
ideal of utility has been imbibed by us to such
an extent as to make it look little short of the ri- for its exact copy of natural objects and crea-
diculous. Now what we need is the combina- tures. One artist has spent years over the
tion of art and utility. Japan has done that very drawing of a basketful of fish, or a lump of
quickly, and so she has advanced by giant flesh, or a tumbler of waterand that fish, or
strides. Now, in their turn, the Japanese are flesh, or water in the tumbler is wonderful.
going to teach the Westerners (5:372-5). As re- But the female figures of the Dutch school look
gards ourselves, we need not go in for collect- just like athletes (7:389-90).
ing works of art as they [the other races] do; The Antiquity of Indian Art
but should we, or should we not, at least pre- When the real history of India will be un-
serve those which we possess from going to earthed, it will be proved that, as in matters of
ruin? (5:476). religion, so in fine arts, India is the primal
The thing most worth seeing in Vienna [it Guru of the whole world (5:421). Amongst all
has long been a centre of the arts, especially races of the world, from the earliest time in his-
music; Mozart, Beethoven, and the Strauss tory, India has been called the land of wisdom.
family were among the great composers who In India, music was developed to the full
lived and worked there] is the Museum, spe- seven notes, even to half and quarter notes,
cially the Scientific Museum, an institution of ages ago. India led in music, also in drama and
great benefit to the student. There is a fine col- sculpture (4:196).
lection of the skeletons of various species of I was mistaken that sculpturing of the hu-
ancient extinct animals. In the Art Gallery, man figure was not developed in India as
paintings by Dutch artists form the major por- among the Greeks. I am reading in Fergusson
tion. In the Dutch school, there is very little at- and other authorities that in Orissa or
tempt at suggestiveness; this school is famous Jagannath, which I did not visit, there are
68
among the ruins hu-

man figures which
for beauty and ana-
tomical skill would
compare with any
production of the
Greeks. There is a co-
lossal figure of
Death, a huge female
skeleton covered
with a shrivelled
skinthe awful fi-
Brahma (10th century) delity to anatomical
details are frighten-
ing and disgusting. Says my author
[Fergusson], one of the female figures in the
niche is exactly like the Venus de Medici and
so on. But you must remember that everything
almost has been destroyed by the iconoclastic
Mohammedan, yet the remnants are more
than all European debris put together! I have
travelled eight years and not seen many of the
masterpieces. There is a ruined temple in a for-
est in India which and the Parthenon of Greece Krishna releases his parents from prison
Painting by Ravi Varma (inset)
Fergusson considers as the climax of architec-
tural arteach of its typethe one of concep- gime of the Mogul Emperors also, there was a
tion, the other of conception and detail marked development of artand the Taj and
(8:395-96). the Jumma Masjid etc are standing monu-
I had the opportunity of seeing the beau- ments of that culture (7:201).
ties of art of nearly every civilised country in It will take up a long time yet to become
the world, but I saw nothing like the develop- as good and efficient as they are in the arts of
ment of art which took place in our country painting and sculpture. We were never very
during the Buddhistic period. During the re- skillful in those two departments of art. By im-
itating the Europeans we
at the utmost can only
produce one or two Ravi
Varmas among us! But
far better than such art-
ists are our Patuas
(painters) who do the
Chalchitras of our god-
desses, in Bengal. They
display in their work at
least a boldness in the
brilliancy of their
colours. The paintings of
Indian metallic art between 10th and 14th centuries:
(1) shrine (2) lamp (3) goad (4) spoon Ravi Varma and others
69
make one hide ones introduced and worked out; but is that to be
face from shame! Far done by sweeping away all that is old, just be-
better are those gilded cause it is old? What new things have you
pictures of Jaipur and learnt? Not anysave and except a jumble of
the Chalchitra of the words! What really useful science or art have
goddess Durga that we you acquired? Go, and see, even now in the
have had from old distant villages, the old woodwork and brick-
times (5:475-6). work. The carpenters of your towns cannot
Difference between even turn out a decent pair of doors. Whether
18th century rural art in
Indian and Western they are made for a hut or a mansion is hard to
India: Bidri vase art make out! They are only good at buying for-
The Anglo- Saxon eign tools, as if that is all of carpentry! Alas!
people have always been badly fitted for art. That state of things has come upon all matters
They have good poetry for instance, how in our country! (5:475-6). We are awfully be-
wonderful is the blank verse of Shakespeare! hindhand in art especially in that of painting
(4: 196). The grace of both Lakshmi (goddess (5:109). Whatever is done now is merely an at-
of fortune) and Sarasvati (goddess of learning) tempt at imitation. Everything now in India
now shines on the peoples of the Western hinges on the question of how little a man re-
countries. They do not stop at the mere acqui- quires to live upon (4:197).
sition of the objects of enjoyment, but in all I wish it so much that you should go for a
their actions they seek for a sort of beauty and few hours to a few villages west of Calcutta to
grace. In eating and drinking, in their homes see the old Bengali structures made of wood,
and surroundings, in everything, they want to cane, mica, and grass. These are the bunga-
see all-round elegance. We also had that trait
oncewhen there was wealth and prosperity
in the land. We have now too much poverty,
but, to make matters worse, we are courting
our ruin in two waysnamely, we are throw-
ing away what we have as our own, and la-
bouring in vain to make others ideals and
habits ours. Those ancient religious rites, prac-
tices, studies, etc, that were left to us, you are
consigning to the tide-waters to be swept
awayand yet something new and suitable to
the exigencies of the time, to make up for
them, is not striking its roots and becoming
stable with us (5:475).
In the days gone by, our old women used
to paint the floors, doors, and walls of their
houses with a paste of rice-powder, drawing
various beautiful figures; they used to cut
plantain leaves in an artistic manner, to serve
the food on; they used to lavish their art in
nicely arranging the different comestibles on
the plates. Those arts, in these days, have grad-
ually disappeared or are doing so (5:475-6). Of
course new things have to be learnt, have to be An artistic door of an Indian village temple
70
velop are getting scarce (7:202).

People who are very materialistic take
nature as their ideal, and try to express in art
ideas allied thereto, while the people whose
ideal is the transcendent Reality beyond na-
ture try to express that in art through the pow-
ers of nature. With regard to the former class
of people, nature is the primary basis of art,
while with the second class, ideality is the
principal motive of artistic development.
Thus, though starting with two different
ideals in art, they have advanced in it each in
its own way. Seeing some paintings in the
West you will mistake them for real natural
objects. With respect to this country also,
when in ancient times sculpture attained a
high degree of perfection, if you look at a
statue of the period it will make you forget the
material world and transport you to a new
ideal world. As in Western countries paintings
like those of former times are not produced
now, so in our country also, attempts to give
expression to original ideas in art are no lon-
ger seen. It would be well if you try to paint the
objects of everyday meditation of the Hindus
by giving in them the expression of ancient
Worship of Dharmachakra: an image from ideals (7:203).
the Mauryan Age Take, for instance, the figure of Mother
Kali. In it there is the union of the blissful and
lows, most artistic. Alas! the name is traves- the terrible aspects. But in none of the pictures
tied nowadays by every pigsty appropriating can be seen the true expression of these two as-
the name. In old days a man who built a palace pects. Far from this, there is no attempt to ex-
still built a bungalow for the reception of press adequately even one of these two as-
guests. The art is dying out (5:173-4). pects! I
(What difference did you find between have tried
the art of the West and that of India?) It is to put
nearly the same everywhere. Originality is down
rarely found. In those countries pictures are some ideas
painted with the help of models obtained by of the terri-
photographing various objects. But no sooner ble aspects
does one take the help of machinery than all of Mother
originality vanishesone cannot give expres- Kali in my
sion to ones ideas. The ancient artists used to English
evolve original ideas from their brains and try poem, Kali
to express them in their paintings. Now the the Mother.
picture being a likeness of photographs, the Can you
power of originality and the attempt to de- express An Indian metallic teapot
71
those ideas in a dia, on the other hand, the religious attitude is

picture? (7:203). always presented by making the subject close
In art, interest his eyes. He is, as it were, looking inward
must be centred (6:3-4). What religion can paint a heaven
on the principal which is not like this earth? And it is all art,
theme. To paint only this art is being made known to us gradu-
a scene, if one ally. We, with five senses, look upon this
thing be world and find it gross, having colour, form,
painted, it is sound, and the like. Suppose I develop an elec-
easy enough; tric senseall will change (8:128-9).
but to paint dif- I think, the practice of meditation even
ferent things with some trifling external object leads to
and yet to keep mental concentration. This is the reason why
up the central in- we have in this country so much worship of
terest is very dif- the images of gods and goddesses. And what
ficult (7:407). wonderful art developed from such worship!
What is True (6:486).
Shiva: Art by Manishi Dey
Art? Art has its origin in the expression of
Now, true Art can be compared to a lily some idea in whatever man produces. Where
which springs from the ground, takes its nour- there is no expression of idea, however much
ishment from the ground, is in touch with the there may be a display of colours and so on, it
ground, and yet is quite high above it. So Art cannot be styled as true art. Even the articles of
must be in touch with nature and wherever everyday use, such as water vessels, or cups
that touch is gone, Art degenerates yet it and saucers, should be used to express an
must be above nature. Art is, representing the idea. In the Paris Exhibition I saw a wonderful
beautiful. There must be Art in everything. figure carved in marble. In explanation of the
The difference between architecture and figure, the following words were inscribed
building is that the former expresses an idea, underneath: Art unveiling Nature. That is
while the latter is merely a structure built on how art sees the inner beauty of nature by
economical principles. The value of matter de- drawing away with its own hands the cover-
pends solely on its capacities of expressing ing veils. You should also try to produce
ideas. The artistic faculty was highly devel- something original like this. If you can with
oped in our Lord, Shri Ramakrishna, and he your whole heart produce one real thing, if
used to say that without this faculty none can you can rightly express a single idea in art, it
be truly spiritual (5:258-9). must win appreciation in course of time. A
The Aryan first began with the soul. So real thing never suffers from want of apprecia-
the inquiry in the Vedas was always through tion in this world. It is also heard that some art-
the soul. The Aryan man was always seeking ists have gained appreciation for their works a
divinity inside his own self. It became, in thousand years after their death! (7:200-1).
course of time, natural, characteristic. It is re- It is my opinion that Shri Ramakrishna
markable in their art and in their commonest was born to vivify all branches of art and cul-
dealings. Even at the present time, if we take a ture in this country. Therefore this Math has to
European picture of a man in a religious atti- be built up in such a way that religion, work,
tude, the painter always makes his subject learning, Jnana, and Bhakti may spread over
point his eyes upwards, looking outside of na- the world from this centre. Be you my helpers
ture for God, looking up into the skies. In In- in this work (7:204).
72
Music as the Adoration of the Divine
APARNA CHAKRABORTY
Smt Aparna Chakraborty is a famous exponent of Hindustani classical music. She has
participated in a number of music conferences both at the national as well as international
levels. She is also a music critic, apart from being a regular contributor to different magazines
and journals. Here are Smt Chakrabortys excellent thoughts about how music can be
transformed into the worship of the Divine.
ltnk r;trb JifwUXu their wiser natures. But there is a craving in

gturdltk =gu l a > the human heart to reach out to the Unseen, to
bUt gt dtgr; view the Invisible, to attain the Highest. The
;t r;trb lth= >> path seems very difficult, the road winding
Nha tihmi vaikuhe uphill all the waya path with so many
yogin hdaye na ca; checkposts like argument, syllogism,
Madbhakt yatra gyanti line-by-line analyses of holy texts, etc. But, as
tatra tihmi nrada. Sri Ramakrishna used to say, bhakti is the easi-
You dont find Me in Vaikuha nor in the est path to the Almighty and music opens up
yogis heart. Wherever My devotees sing My
glories, there I am present.
Music occupies a very high place among
the performing arts, rather, in art itself. It tran-
scends all barriers of caste and creed, of lati-
tude and longitude, of language and expres-
sion. The very system of music has come from
the goddess of learning, Sarasvat. The god-
dess of learning has a v in her hands, which
is one of the oldest instruments of Indian clas-
sical music. Nda or the musical sound is per-
haps the surest way to reach the Almighty,
and the easiest. Easiest because it does not in-
volve any penance or fasting, rituals or cere-
monies, dictas or formulas.
All sentient beings respond to music.
Birds sing, rivers make a beautiful sound, and
there is music in the various manifestations of
nature. There is also a rhythm: in the ripples of
water, in the rustling of leaves, in the motion
of waves. Atul Prasad Sen, a lawyer, a com-
poser and a singer rolled into one, says:
Probhte jrey bonde pkhi
kon bhoroy thre dki
Birds salute the Maker by instinct alone,
while humans hesitate to do so because of Sarasvat, the mother of all art and learning
73
inextricably bound up with

churches and temples. Its appeal
is instantaneous. Abstruse philo-
sophical truths become simple
when rendered with music. An
unlettered bul (wandering min-
strel) can sing with ease: Bono
phle mono phle sjbo tomy, I
shall adore you with wild flowers
and minds flowers.
Theres nothing like music to
help concentration. More than
pryma and other yogic exer-
cises, it is music that has greater
potency for controlling a waver-
ing mind. For ordinary mortals
like us, music serves as a hand-
maiden of God. By calling it
nda-brahma, it has been identi-
fied with the Highest. Beautiful
hymns have been composed and
sung in churches all over the
world. A choir is a part of prayers
in churches. Similarly, in temples,
bhajans and krtans etc are part of
worship. The Sufi saints such as
Nizmuddin Aulia and Sheikh
Saleem Chishti favoured the
qawwali form of music which is a
An ordinary fakirs music thrills an emperor
means of gaining ibdat or the
the hidden springs of bhakti in the human gr
heart by the power of nda. ace of God.
Music is part of religious ceremonies in Music is
all the religions of the world. There is music the medium
from the birth of a human being till his death. which em-
Music is for joyful occasions as well as for braces all, be
mourning. From very ancient times, gtis or they learned
gths were sung on the occasions of ceremo- or ignorant,
nies and festivals. They say the origins of mu- rich or poor.
sic could be traced to the Sma Veda, where we No trappings
find sages intoning Vedic mantras in beautiful are required,
and resonant music. The udtta, anudtta, and no fanfare.
svarita of the Vedic recitations were different Learned dis-
in pitch and tone but one in harmony and courses do not
rhythm. The two main constituents of music, move ones
svara and tla, are apparent in the chants. heart but mu-
It is not a mere coincidence that music is sic is the grist Mother Sarasvat
74
2002 Music as the Adoration of the Divine 67
lead one to God.

One of the enduring factors of Indian
music are the compositions of saints. So many
saints have been born on this blessed land, so
many songs have been composed here, and so
many singers have been singing them with de-
votion down the ages, that its impossible to
make a list of all of them. However, in recent
times, we had Mrbi, the doyenne of Ka
bhakti, who is inspiring devotion in countless
hearts through her songs of viraha and milana.
Then there are saint-poets like Tulsds,
Srds (he was one of the aa chp poets of
Vallabha, who sang at the rnthj Temple),
the Maharashtrian saints, the south Indian
saints, and so on. A particular form of Bengali
devotional songs is called ym Sagt, songs
in adoration of the Divine Mother. Many
saints were born in Bengal, who worshipped
the Divine Mother in Her Kl form or Durg
form through song. Of them, Kamalknta,
Rmprasd and some others are well known.
Just as Tulsdss Rmcaritmnas is famous all
over the north of India, the Rmyaa of
Kttivsa is famous in Bengal. There are sev-
A baul singer in ecstasy
of all mills.
The avatars have come down to us in var-
ious forms. Why do we adore them? We adore
them because they are the direct representa-
tions of God. They provide windows for us to
see the supreme Being. In the avatar, we find
the greatest manifestation of the Divine and so
we worship him in numerous ways. Religions,
mythologies, cultures, etc grow up around the
avatars. And numerous saints come, sing His
praises, compose songs, and thus the field of
music is enriched. Among the avatars, we
know that r Ka was an ardent lover of
music. Caitanya was an embodiment of krtan.
Though Rmas love for music is not men-
tioned, that of Sri Ramakrishna is too evident
to be missed by anyone. Not only was he him-
self a great singer, but Ramakrishna also en-
couraged krtans and other forms of singing
with enthusiasm, as he would say that they A Bengali baul singer: Art by Swami Aptananda
75
trate more on verbal expressions than on the

development of ragas by way of alap, etc,
we must remember that almost all of the
south Indian composers were ardent devo-
tees, inebriated with the love of God.
Tygarja, Muttusvmi Dkitar, Svt
Tirun Mahrj, and yma str were
great devotees of God. They considered
pleasing the Lord through music in temples
and other places of worship was the way
and not pleasing kings through their music.
There are so many stories told of
singer-saints, who would experience the
presence of the deities of different ragas
when they sang them.
Though north Indian music came
down the same lane, it had to deviate to
some extent when it began to show interest
in pleasing the kings and rulers more than it
did the Lord.The present form of Hindu-
stani classical music, as we know it today,
can be traced to Min Tnsen, of the court of
Emperor Akbar, in the 16th century. From
his progeny, Tantarang Khn and Bils
Khn, emerged the bnkars and vocalists;
In the world of music: Art by Probhat Niyogi
and from his daughter, the rabbs and
eral other Rmyaas in India. So with the sitris. Sarasvat, Tnsens daughter, was
great epic Mahbhrata, though not to the ex- an accomplished musician. She was married
tent of the other. The universality and sponta- to Misri Singh, later known as Nabat Khn
neity of music have helped keep these great when he embraced Islm. About 200 dhrupads
epics alive. And the Almighty has become part of Tnsen were given to Misri Singh as dowry.
of our households. The khayal [a traditional type of song, typi-
The dhruvapada or dhrupad music in the cally having two main themes], which is the
north Indian system, and the ktis or krtanas in most popular music-form today, lost its dig-
the south Indian style can be said to be the no- nity and purity due to unfavourable circum-
blest forms of music extant today. The alap or stances. The musicians of the Mughal court
elaboration of a raga [raga in Indian music is a faced an unstable future after the breakup of
pattern of notes having characteristic inter- the Mughal empire. They sought and received
vals, rhythms, and embellishments, used as a the patronage of kings and nawabs.
basis for improvisation] and adding svaras are Sychophantic eulogies replaced the hymns to
an overwhelming part of dhrupad singing. In God to a great extent. With exceptions, musi-
Hindustani music, the dhrupads were com- cians became fidus Achates of their patrons
posed either in praise of God or on the beau- rather than messengers of God. Commenting
ties of nature. Especially the music of south In- on this, Swami Vivekananda says:
dia, called Carnatic music, had only one aim What real music we have lies in Kirtana and
since ancient times: to please the Lord. Dhrupada; the rest has been spoiled by being
Though that form of music appears to concen- modulated according to the Islamic methods.
76
2002 Music as the Adoration of the Divine 69
strya or classical
music) is of a bewil-
dering variety. It is
spontaneous, and
gives vent to all the
joys and sorrows
that comprise ones
life on this planet. Its
tunes are simplistic.
Mrga Sagt has its
roots in de tunes.
When music in our
country assumed a
recognizable form,
the raga emerged
from dhun, which is
just a melodic line.
Down the ages, raga
became highly spe-
cialized and system-
atized. The
rga-rpa or struc-
A modern-day krtan scene: Art by Purnachandra Chakraborty ture of melody un-
derwent many
Do you think that singing the short and light changes, and many forms of music evolved as
airs of Tappa songs in a nasal voice and flitting are extant today. As no art is static, changes
like lightning from one note to another by fits are bound to appear. But the ultimate aim of
and starts are the best things in the world of mu- music, which is pleasing the supreme Being,
sic? Not so. Unless each note is given full play in has not changed. Swami Vivekananda says:
every scale, all the science of music is marred. Music is the highest art and, to those who un-
Our music had been improving steadily. But derstand, is the highest worship (The Com-
when the Mohammedans came, they took pos- plete Works, Vol. 5, p. 125).
session of it in such a way that the tree of music Music, to be a step to attain the Lord,
could grow no further. The music of the West- must be devoid of all worldly ambitions. Even
erners is much advanced. They have the senti- if the story of Swami Haridass refusal of the
ment of pathos as well as of heroism in their largesse offered by Emperor Akbar is apocry-
music, which is as it should be. But our antique phal, it is a cogent reminder for all aspiring
musical instrument made from the gourd has musicians that one cannot worship both God
been improved no further (The Complete Works, and mammon.
Vol. 5, p. 363). Milton called fame the last infirmity of
Such was the tradition of Hindustani music. the noble mind. How much more luring are
But, on the whole, both the Indian forms of the temptations for us poor mortals today, to
music are centred around God, and the sci- collect money and fame while the going is
ence itself is such that by the practise of music, good! Not for such of us are the flutter of the
one can attain the Supreme. angels wings, the voices that Joan of Arc
Folk music (de or mrga, as opposed to heard, or the flute of Lord Ka.
77
Adoration Through the Gospel Songs
DR SUMITA ROY
Dr Sumita Roy is Associate Professor of English at Osmania University, Hyderabad. A
well-known Ramakrishna-Vivekananda scholar, Dr Roy has been contributing articles to
different important journals, including Prabuddha Bharata. She is also known for her
lectures on linguistic and philosophical themes. Dr Roy reviews books for Prabuddha
Bharata regularly. In this article, she chooses a novel theme for study: the way God has been
adored through song in The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna.
The inimitable Bard of Avon had said: If Music concentrates the mind and leads it
music be the food of love/ Play on. Yes, mu- inward which is the seat of spiritual progress
sic is the support and sustenance of love, and according to all religions. The outer clamour
what better, higher and purer love is there in of the mundane world often deafens the mate-
the world than the love of God which we call rialistic being and keeps him/her away from
devotion. An endless exposure to music is this satisfying rhythm of inner cadence with-
sure to foster/nurture devotion in the heart of out which life is a barren desert. The most des-
the believer. One can say further that it can in- perate or deeply depressed states of mind can
stil devotion in the most sceptical of minds. be lightened with the help of music.
Such is the power of music that it touches and Sri Ramakrishna in his Gospel [The Gospel
transforms one and all. of Sri Ramakrishna] says again and again that
Legend has it that great musicians were singing the name and glories of God is one of
capable of moving animals and plants to an the easiest ways of reaching the goal of life,
appreciation of music and thus tame wild na- that is, realization. No other mode is as sim-
ture. Music is such a confluence of sounds ple, as pleasurable and melodious as the path
which reflects the harmony inherent in all cre- of music for inner transformation. In the im-
ation. Music is the symbol of the divine order mortal words of the Master: One gradually
which permeates the whole cosmos. Music acquires love of God through the practice of
brings the mind to an appreciation of the mys- chanting Gods name and glories. (To M.) One
teries of the universe. should not be ashamed of chanting Gods holy
Music is that faculty of the human mind name (Gospel, p. 13). Here, Sri Ramakrishna is
and sensibility that elevates a normal person raising two important issues: the need to use
to the level of a saint. The abstruse doctrines of the practice of music as a means to acquiring
spirituality that cannot be clearly enunciated devotion and the usual feeling of reluctance to
in mere words or prosaic language take on an do so by the beginner on the path. Though
urgency and immediacy when put in the form many appreciate music passively, the Master
of a song/poem. It is no wonder that great is stressing here the need for a more active par-
seers have translated their vision into music ticipation. He would sing constantly and also
rather then restricting it to verbal discourses. encourage others to do the same. He said that
The lofty flight of the mystic vision can best be loud articulation of music through the lips pu-
depicted through music. In other words, mu- rified the entire being, making it fit for devo-
sic has the power of communicating at a level tion.
where other modes of communication have It is no wonder that the Gospel is full of
not yet reached. songs, interspersing the highest discussions
78
2002 Adoration Through the Gospel Songs 71
a guarantee of a genuine human being. A per-

son can be tested by the way in which he/she
responds to music. We recall that at the first
historic meeting of the great Master and his
unique disciple, Vivekananda sang the poi-
gnant song, Oh mind, let us go to our own
abode (Mono cholo nijo niketone).
The sentiments expressed through music
are better received than numerous discourses
can often be. The mind is eminently suited to
receive such deep thoughts and ideas because
music prepares the ground of the mind to be
receptive. A deep intuition develops in such a
mind and it is capable of looking at the ordi-
nary happenings of life with an extraordinary
insight. For instance, to a person who has had
some experience of inwardness, the defini-
tions of the worldly-minded seem to differ
from his/her conceptions. The song: Is my
Mother Shyama black? (ym m ki mr klo
re)
Sri Ramakrishna, People call her so,
the personification of divine love and bliss but my mind sees her differently
is a point to be noted in this context.
on spirituality. Just by reading about the ec-
stasy into which Ramakrishna entered on
hearing/singing songs is an elevating experi-
ence. Deep emotions are also evoked by the
singing of songs. The Master often had tears in
his eyes when he heard a moving song. It is
common knowledge that the mind given over
to rationality or proud of its logical clarity is
often ashamed of emotions. Then the inward
being becomes so dry that the most significant
aspects of human life stay out of the ken of
such a mind. Even Aristotle spoke about this
when he suggested the elevating nature of
dramatic performances. So, emotions need to
be experiences, evoked and handled to have a
balanced personality rather than suppressed
and ending up with problems of the mind and
psyche. In our swift-moving world of today
mental discord is a common phenomenon and
music does much to relieve the tensions and
travails of our everyday existence.
A song is the signature of a personality
Vivekananda, the musician, whose songs would
that is capable of devotion. A love for music is instantly transport Ramakrishna into samadhi
79
a song is a guiding light, telling us that we are

never alone, never forsaken. If we forget the
indelible love that the Almighty has for us, it is
due to our own short-sightedness. God is al-
ways loving, and except asking for our love,
our devotion, He makes no other demand on
us. He is the giver and we are the pots. If we
keep the pot filled with the matters of the
world, try as He does, he cannot find any place
in the pot to pour his love into. So our task is to
keep the pot empty. Then the love of God will
fill it and keep it filled constantly because in
the storehouse of Gods love, there is no
dearth, no scarcity.
But this seems to be an impossibly diffi-
cult task to the person who is completely en-
grossed in the activities of living in this world
of illusions. Again, a song laments this and
says: I find time for all work (mi okolo kjer
Rmprasd adoring Mother Kl pai m omoy). But none to call on you,
Mother!
Ramakrishna said about this song that as the Awareness of the problem itself is con-
aspirant goes closer to the Divine, the percep- sidered the first step towards its solution. Af-
tion changes and, therefore, the colour black ter we have indulged in the game of life to our
appears different. Symbolically, this would hearts content we may suddenly wake up to
mean that through the eyes of true love, deep lack of devotion or devotional activities in our
and sincere devotion, the conditioned re- timetable. This realization itself is the greatest
sponses of the human mind are transcended
and the mind becomes open to receive the
grace that the Dark Mother stands for. Thus,
the Mother appears endearing rather than
frightening, as is the usual response to the
terrifying aspect of the Goddess.
The divine is, in a word, the embodi-
ment of love and we are mere reflections of
this unfathomable love. True devotion is the
ability to receive and reciprocate divine love.
Caitanya was a conduit of this love whom
people saw in a physical form. Through his
divine play people felt the great passion of
his heart firsthand. As a song puts it, He
pours love (Premo koloe koloe hle):
He pours love
into pot after pot,
But his love
never gets exhausted.
In the dark jungle of lifes miseries, such Rajanknta Sen, a renowned Bengali poet-saint
80
2002 Adoration Through the Gospel Songs 73
blessing of the Divine; through this realization felt experience, the world is aglow with the
we can direct the mind inward, moving away flame of love and no being seems separate
from all the other tasks which had kept us from our limited selves. What joy to be sur-
busy till this point of time. rounded by the warmth of Gods love and be
The world then appears as that place of cocooned together in the ideal of oneness!
desires which we desired. But having the de- Finally, what is needed in inspiring true
sires fulfilled leaves us more dissatisfied. devotion in the heart is yearning and there can
Then there is only one desire left and that is to be no better symbol of yearning than the love
move to a realm away from these dissatisfying of Rdh for Ka. What she felt for her be-
desires. The desire to come to the world (r loved is the agony of her soul yearning for un-
bhober ): ion with him. The very sound of Kas flute
The desire to come to the world made her mad with the desire to rush to him.
has merely remained a desire. The waiting beloved would blow into his flute
You brought me here and Rdh would rush to his side from wher-
with the promise of play; ever she was. No considerations of time, place
But what is this game, Mother, or conformity to the expectations of socially
which does not quench my desire. accepted code of conduct could stop her haste.
Rmprasd says, enough of the worlds play; If she could not answer his musical call she
Now at dusk take your child back home would feel totally lost and dejected. The hu-
on Your lap. man soul needs to emulate this emotion of
The final abode of all peace is where we Rdh in order to experience true devotion
are all heading, irrespective of caste, creed, and the best way to do this is through a con-
race or religion. All scriptures speak of this stant exposure to music.
eternal and ultimate peace as the goal of life. Thus, there is music for every nuance of
Why then do human communities have so experience, for every inexpressible emotion,
much strife in the name of religion? Music can for every deep truth. Through these melodi-
be seen here, too, as an end of all unrest. Be- ous and memorable songs an entire course in
cause, in music there is no religious conflict spiritual discipline can be worked out. Music
and to think that all forms of the Divine are as the medium of understanding and express-
one and the same is a resolution of all strife re- ing the movements of the spirit is a novel man-
sulting from misdirected religious zeal or spir- ner of spiritual endeavour. It is a path which
itual misdirection. As the poignantly and beckons us, the delay is only in our embarking
truly secular song suggests: on the path. Let us begin this adventurous
I have finally understood Mother. journey through music to the destination of
You are an Arch-magician; devotion.
Whoever calls You with whatever name, One can end with no better words than
You are willing to take up that very form. the injunction of the Master on the importance
The song goes on to enumerate the names of music to devotion. As he rightly said:
of Allh, iva, Rdh, akti, Ganea and many Bhakti is the only essential thing. One obtains
other divine forms in order to show that all love of God by constantly chanting His name
forms finally merge in the unity which is the and singing His glories (Gospel, p.158). These
cosmic Consciousness. The mind, unfortu- words are, certainly, the essence of life, and if
nately, is deluded by dualities and needs the we can follow them to the letter we shall real-
right impetus to find this simple yet elusive re- ize all that the Master exhorted us to do in this
ality. When this unity becomes a part of our precious human birth.
81
Adoration in Hindu Devotional Songs
PRAVRAJIKA SHUDDHATMAMATA
Pravrajika Shuddhatmamataji is an American nun, living at the Ramakrishna Mission
Institute of Culture, Gol Park, Kolkata. The pravrajika is well known as a scholar on
mysticism, and many of her articles on Tamil and Marathi saints have been published. In this
article, Shuddhatmamataji studies the devotion expressed by saints belonging to different
regions through their heart-rending songs.
A pilgrim from south India once came to Lokasraga was startled. What! he ex-
the north and, in the course of his wanderings, claimed. Do they really have such a sweet
met Lokasraga Mahmuni. Lokasraga name for God there? He immediately got up
asked him, Son, what is the news from your and left for the place where this name of the
part of the country? The pilgrim replied: Sir, Lord originated.1
there people are singing and glorifying the The glories of the Lord are indeed inex-
Tiruvaimoi by Nammvr. Please recite haustible, as He Himself is infinite. Fortu-
something from it then, if you can, said nately for lovers of God it is so, for their taste
Lokasraga. I am sorry, sir, replied the pil- for the Lords glories is insatiable. They cannot
grim. I remember but one hear enough about them. They cannot speak
phrasearavamue [ie, insatiable ambrosia, enough about them. And, for the poet-saints,
or inexhaustible fountain of bliss]. they cannot sing enough about them. This too
is our good fortune. Once, remarking on an-
other verse by Nammvr (beginning with O
Lord of celestials, through grace, You have en-
tered my heart2), Parara Bhaar exclaimed:
What joy, that there have been saints like
Nammvr born on this earthsaints who
1. Alkondavilli Govindacharya, Divine Wisdom

of the Dravida Saints (Madras: C.N. Press,
1902), pp. 110-1, edited. The verse the pilgrim
was referring to glorifies the form of Viu at
Tirukkudaai thus: Insatiable ambrosia!
First Lord! My body melts in love for you. You
make me weep and toss like restless water. I
see Your resplendent form in Tirukkudaai,
reclining amid fertile waters, fanned by
whisks of golden paddy. Tiruvaimoi, 5.8.1.
From The Sacred Book of Four Thousand, trans.
Srirama Bharati (Chennai: Sri Sadagopan
Tirunarayanaswami Divya Prabandha
Pathasala, 2000), p. 520.
2. Tiruvaimoi, 5.7.7. From The Sacred Book of Four
Nammvr with Madhurakavi vr at his feet Thousand, p. 518.
82
2002 Adoration in Hindu Devotional Songs 75
have left us Can anything at all

such con- equal the name Rma, brother?
soling Why then this yoga, sacrifice, commandments,
verses as penance, mortification?
thesever Put them on the scale:
ses which the Vedas and Puras.
melt our Only half of the name Rma
stony will equal their weight.
hearts! Visit every holy place if you will,
One may never will you find one as holy as
undergo the name Rma.
the sever- Reflect, sants,
est course on the Inner Witness, the Great Saviour
Prahldas adoration: 4
of disci- the Slayer of Mura says Nmdev.
Art by Shubhra Nag
pline and Similarly, in his drama Vidagdha-mdhava,
austerity; Rpa Gosvm says:
one may have subdued ones senses through Dancing on the tip of your tongue,
self-controlthrough yama, etcbut the
heart inside may remain as hard as steel. Only
verses such as these succeed in tempering and
melting it.3
In the seventh book of the rmad
Bhgavata, the great devotee Prahlda recom-
mends nine ways of adoring God: ravaam,
hearing the names and glories of the Lord;
krtanam, singing His names and glories;
smaraam, thinking of and meditating on Him;
pdasevanam, serving Him; arcanam, worship-
ping Him; vandanam, offering salutations to
Him; dsyam, dedicating ones actions to Him;
sakhyam, cultivating friendship with Him;
tma-nivedanam, offering oneself as well as ev-
erything one has to Him. According to
Prahlda, by practising these devotional disci-
plines, love for the Lord is quickly awakened
in a person. Of these nine disciplines, krtanam,
or singing the names and glories of God, is
probably the most popular.
Why does one sing the names of God?
What is there in a simple name? The saint
Nmdev says:
3. Divine Wisdom of the Dravida Saints, p. 108, ed-

ited.
4. The Hindi Padavali of Namdev, trans. Winand
M. Callewaert and Mukund Lath (Delhi:
Motilal Banarsidass, 1989), p. 223. Prahldas realization: Art by Shubhra Nag
83
r Srds
name. Then, O mind, shall Death be able to
force thee to his will? The name of Kl is sound-
r Rmnuja ing out its music. Mind of mind, call upon the
name of Durg, and turn darkness into day. If
they make you long for myriads of mouths;
Kl does not save me, in this evil age when un-
Alighting in the hollow of your ear,
numbered sinners have been saved, is
they make you wish for ears in plenitude; 6
Rmprasad a thief and worse than they?
And when they reach the doorway to your heart,
they still the turbulence of all the senses: More often, however, devotional songs
K-ajust two syllables are written to describe either the Lords physi-
yet how much nectar do they not contain?
5 cal attributes or His llHis play. And in de-
According to Rmprasad, the name of scribing the Lords play, the poet-saint per-
Kl is the music that will drive away even haps recounts what is given in religious texts;
death: but he might also give a hint of his own experi-
Death the thief is close behind thee. Awake, I tell ences during meditation of the Lords play. In
thee then, my mind, and slumber not. Take thy Prahldas list of nine ways of adoration,
sword, the name of Kl; thy shield is Trs krtanam (singing the names and glories of the
Lord) comes after ravaam (hearing the
names and glories of the Lord) and before
5. Vidagdhamadhava, 1.15, trans. Donna Marie
smaraam (thinking of and meditating on the
Wulff, A Sanskrit Portrait: Radha in the Plays
Lords glories). ravaam is more an external
of Rupa Goswami in The Divine Consort:
Radha and the Goddesses of India, ed. John 6. Bengali Religious Lyrics (Sakta), trans. Edward
Stratton Hawley and Donna Marie Wulff J. Thompson and Arthur Marshman Spenser
(Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1995), p. 30. (Calcutta: Association Press, 1923), p. 65.
84
discipline, though how much one hears de-

pends on ones concentration and devotion.
Smaraam, on the other hand, is purely ones
concentration and devotion. Smaraam liter-
ally means remembering. According to
Rmnuja, meditation is a constant remem-
brance (smti), uninterrupted like the flow of
oil. This remembrance (smti) takes the
form of a vision (darana-rpa) and it possesses
the character of immediate perception
(pratyakat). Remembrance is a form of direct
perception (sktkra-rpa).7
Thus krtanam comes between ravaam
and smaraam because one sings of what one
has heard, and in the process, one begins to in-
ternalize all the glories and attributes of the
Lord. The purpose of singing, then, is to create
a meditative mood. And we can understand
this because singing of the Lord is a very joyful
experience. At the same time, however, the
writers of the songs are often communicating
through their poetry what they themselves
have seen in meditation. Thus, as D.L.
Haberman says, Poetry is used both to ex-
Mrbi: Art by Shubhra Nag

press the meditative experience and evoke the
meditative experience.8
Sometimes poets simply describe the
physical attributes of the Lord, whom they
have seen in a vision. And it is their descrip-
tions which give us something to meditate on,
as in this poem about iva by Akka Mahdev:
I have seen Him in His divine form,
Him with the matted locks,
Him with the jewelled crown,
Him with the gleaming teeth,
Him with the smiling face,
Him who illumines the fourteen worlds
7. Rmnuja, r Bhya, 1.1. Quoted in David L.

Haberman, Acting as a Way of Salvation (New
York: Oxford University Press, 1988),
pp. 124-25.
O mother! Look to see if theres earth in my mouth! 8. Acting as a Way of Salvation, p. 130.
85
fallen for these youngsters accusations!

If there is even a little suspicion in your heart, I
shall go elsewhere.
Take this stick and blanket of yours, you have
made a lot of fuss!
Srds sings: Yaod then smiled and lifting him
10
up, embraced him.
But there are other songs in which the po-
ets are actual participants in the Lords play.
According to A.K. Ramanujan, Nammvr
was probably the first to write in this style: In
the vrs [ie, Nammvrs] poems, for the
first time in the history of Indian literature, the
Lord Viu with His consorts rdev and Bhdev Ka myth provides a full scenario for pres-
with the light of His eyes. ent action and poetry, the poet enacts it, relives
I have seen Him and the thirst of my eyes is it in many roles. A myth becomes a correlative
quenched. for present feeling; a cultural archetype is in-
I have seen the great Lord whom the men among voked by and for present experience. In many
men serve but as wives. of Nammvrs poems, he speaks as an actor
I have seen the supreme Guru Chenna in the Ka myth; he is the beloved who pines
Mallikrjuna sporting with the Primeval akti, for the Lord, sends birds as messengers to
And saved am I.
9 him, sees all nature pining for him; the poet is
Again, the poet, in his meditation, might also the girlfriend who consoles and counsels,
be a witness to the Lords play. While sharing and the mother who restrains her and despairs
with his audience what he has seen, he also in- over her daughters lovesick fantasies.11 In
vokes a mood within us. This can be illus- the following song, Nammvr, as a girl in
trated by the following song of Srds about love with the Lord, scolds her bird for not tak-
Ka, the butter thief:
Mother mine! I did not eat butter!
It so happened that early morning, behind the
singing group
I was sent to Madhuvan.
For twelve hours I roamed in the bamboo laden
paths and returned home in the evening.
I am a small boy! How could I reach the pot of
butter way above; all these youngsters are after
me and have smeared the butter on my face.
You, mother, are very simple-hearted, you have
9. Translated by T.N. Sreekantaiya, Akka

Mahadevi in Women Saints of East and West
(Hollywood: Vedanta Press, 1979), p. 40.
10. Sacred Songs of India, trans. V.K. Subramanian
(New Delhi: Abhinav Publications, 1996),
p. 235.
11. A.K. Ramanujan, Hymns for the Drowning
(Penguin Books), p. 154. Saint Sundarar: Art by Shubhra Nag
86
ing her message to him: Says Tuk, I know My masters weakness:

14
Is that you, little bird? He just loves to fondle His pet!
When I asked you to go To Sundarar, iva was his dear frienda
as my messenger to the great Lord friend he could tease. Here the saint humor-
and tell him of my pain, ously wonders how this strange Lord could
you dawdled, didnt go. have any devotees:
Ive lost my looks, From pits and caves and lonely shrines
my dark limbs are pale. He catches snakes and teaches them to dance!
Go look for someone else Had we known the strangeness of his ways
to put sweet things Would we have come to serve him?
12
in your beak, go now. On his shoulders a tiger skin;
Again, in this poem by Mrbi, she has around his waist the skin of a deer;
become a gop, grieving over Kas depar- wrapped all around him an elephant skin!
ture for Mathura: Had we known of this his strange attire
15
O my friend, my shyness Would we have come to serve him?
became my enemy. Another theme the poet-saints fre-
Why did I not go away with my prince r Gopl? quently turn to is Gods playfulness. Does
I stood wringing my hands when cruel Akrr God take anything seriously? Or is all this cre-
took him away in a chariot. ation and destruction just play? Does the Lord
Separated from Shym, care what happens to us? Kl and iva are of-
my body is now consumed by fire. ten portrayed as dancing, while universes are
Mr, the slave of Prince Giridhar, wonders, created and destroyed in their dance. But the
13
What is sustaining me? poet-saints also enjoy themselves as they poke
Sometimes the poet-saints express their fun at what seems to be Gods self-forgetful-
relationship to the Lord in very unusual terms. ness and absorption in His own games. In the
This is one of Tukrms dog songs: following song by Srds, even Vius rela-
Like a dog lying at Your door tionship with this worldwhich he is sup-
Hari! Hari! posed to protect through His incarnationsis
I bark Your name; I bark, I get up, tenuous. As a little baby, absorbed in playing
I sit down again. with His foot He has forgotten all about the
But never, O Gopl, would I leave Your feet; fact that He is supposed to be maintaining this
12. Tiruvaimoi 1.4.8. Quoted in Hymns for the

Drowning, p. 52.
13. Usha Nilsson, Mira Bai (New Delhi: Sahitya
Akademy, 1997), p. 65. There is a play on
words here with cruel Akrr (ie, Akrra).
Krra means cruel; akrra means not cruel. He
is the cruel not-cruel one. In other words, by
taking Ka away from Vrindavan, Akrra is
a traitor to his name.
14. Says Tuka: Selected Poetry of Tukaram, trans.
Dhilp Chitre (New Delhi: Penguin Books,
1991), p. 88.
15. Vidya Deheja, Slaves of the Lord: The Path of
Tamil Saints (New Delhi: Munshiram
Manoharlal, 1988), p. 12. A saint in the making in prayer
87
universe:
Holding his foot in his hand, Gopl is sucking his
toe.
He lies alone in his cradle absorbed in his happy
play.
iva has started worrying and Brahm has
become thoughtful.
The banyan tree has reached the level of the water
of the sea.
Thinking that the clouds of Pralaya are gathering
in the sky, the Dikpatis are rounding up their
elephants.
Sages are fearful in their hearts, the earth is
shaking and the serpent ea is spreading his
hood in anxiety.
The folks of Vraja do not know what is
happening.
Srds says that he knows what will happen and
16
so is worried.
But with all their glorification of the r Ragantha: Viu, the Lord of the vrs,
Lords qualities, the poet-saints never forgot lying on diea
that God is also formless and beyond anything
we can describe or imagine. Nmdev reminds the maulv quietly praying.
us here that the whole universeincluding all Sometimes he has a form,
religionsis contained in Him: but sometimes none.
Come Keav, my ecstatic fakir. You roamed over cities and jungles.
Come in the guise of an Abdal, O Father. No one could fathom your secret.
The world is your crown Nmdevs heart is drawn to him.
17
the seven nether-regions your feet. Come sit near me, Lord Rma!
The earth is your leather apron. Where do we stop? The adorations of
Such is your guise, Gopl. these poet-saints seem to be as infinite as the
The green of the earth infinite Lord. And how can they stop praising
is your mace the whole world your bowl. Him? The Lord loves to hear His own praises
And you have fifty-six million sixteen thousand sung. That is why, to those who have nothing
drawstrings in your apparel. but God, He gives Himself and makes them
Thy body is the mosque, the heart sing of Him. For the poet-saints never feel that
the songs they sing are their own. So
16. The Poems of Surdas for Advanced Students Nammvr says:
of Hindi, Poem 22, trans. S.M. Pandey and My Lord
Norman H. Zide. Quoted in David R. Kinsley, who swept me away forever into joy that day,
The Sword and the Flute (Delhi: Motilal made me over into himself and sang in Tamil
Banarsidass, 1995), pp. 18-19. his own songs through me:
17. The Hindi Padavali of Namdev, pp. 199-200. The what shall I say to the first of things,
Abdal were a special group in the heirarchy of flame standing there,
18
saints among the Sufis. They are said to have what shall I say to stop?
had special powers: bringing down rain, en- 18. Tiruvaimoi, 7.9.1. Quoted in Hymns for the
suring victory, etc. Drowning, p. 85.
88
Interreligious Dialogue and Adoration
FR MAXIMILIAN MIZZI, OFM CONV
The Director General for Ecumenism and Interreligious Dialogue in Assisi, Italy, Fr
Maximilian Mizzi, OFM CONV, is a crusader, striving to spread the noble message of
interreligious dialogue the world over. He travels worldwide, giving discourses and
participating in international-level conferences. Heres a pleasing presentation from Fr
Mizzi on interreligious dialogue as adoration. Some photographs for this article were
supplied by the author himself.
Towards Interreligious Understanding gave me the grace of meeting with hundreds

Until not many years ago we Christians of religious spiritual leaders and with thou-
would never discuss anything pertaining to sands of people of other faiths. By meeting
spirituality with the followers of the other these people I have learned many things about
world religions. The reason was very clear. their religious beliefs. I have come to respect
We Christians thought that we had nothing in them, to appreciate them, and to love them as
common with religions that are not Christian. they are for what they are. Above all, I have
How can we talk with non-Christian people learned to appreciate their spirituality.
about God, about prayer, about spirituality, Religion and Spirituality
we would argue, if we have nothing like that After the World Day of Prayer for Peace
in common? which was held in Assisi by invitation of Pope
I remember that many years ago, soon af- John Paul II in 1986 a local paper referred to
ter I arrived in Assisi from my native Malta, I Buddhism as a religion without God. I felt
was living in Rivotorto, a small village just very uneasy about those words. I thought that
outside Assisi. It is a very holy place.
St Francis had lived in Rivotorto with
his first disciples for three years. That
was in the very beginning of the Fran-
ciscan Order. One afternoon when I
was in the small church I saw a Hindu
monk there and I wondered why he
was there. As if reading my mind he
came towards me and asked me to tell
him something about the mysticism
of St Francis as compared to the mys-
ticism of Hindu saints. Oh! I said,
there is nothing to be compared, and
left him like that. That happened 42
years ago. Now after all these years I
feel very sad about my behaviour to-
wards that Hindu brother.
By means of interreligious dia-
logue my approach to the other reli-
gions has changed radically. God The ultimate sacrifice of Christ: Art by Shubhra Nag
89
those words do Christians believe that God is one, he is eter-

not do justice to nal, that he has no beginning nor end, that he is
that religion. the creator of man, that he sent his only Son, Je-
Since then I have sus Christ, who became man from a virgin
asked myself sev- mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary. They believe
eral times that Jesus Christ died for the salvation of hu-
whether it is pos- manity but he rose from the dead and as-
sible that there cended into heaven. Christians believe that
can be a religion God sent the Holy Spirit to give life and sanc-
without God. tity to those who accept God in their life and
Two years want to be faithful to God.
ago the Tibetan Christians believe that God is the creator
community in In- of man and woman, he is the creator of the ani-
dia organized a mal world and of all that is seen and unseen.
round table con- They believe that life continues after bodily
ference on Reli- death. For this reason they believe that those
gion and Spiritu- who were faithful to God on earth will con-
St Francis ality with the tinue to live in the fellowship of God in peace
participation of and all purity for all eternity.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama. I had the joy of God is the God of love; he is a loving God
being a member of the panel. When I went to and a loving father (and mother). As such he
the podium to share my reflections my first re- takes care of his children. Because he loves his
mark was: Is there any religion without spiri- children he sent Jesus Christ, his Son, to re-
tuality? Spirituality is for religion what the deem the world and save the world from eter-
soul is for the body. Take away spirituality nal damnation by offering himself as a living
from religion and religion will fall into pieces. sacrifice for us.
Religious leaders have been coming to- For this reason God deserves our praise,
gether to talk about many crucial problems our gratitude, and our thanksgiving. He is the
such as world peace, justice, mutual respect, God of justice and will punish the evil-doers.
the safeguard of creation and other very im- But he is not to be identified with cruelty or
portant issues. This has proved to be very im- punishment because he is the God of compas-
portant indeed. On other occasions religious sion, of mercy and of love.
spiritual leaders met to dialogue about spiri- St Francis
tual matters such as meditation. I think that of Assisi loved
its time that religious leaders came together to God with all his
talk more about spiritual and religious mat- heart and mind
ters such as God, adoration, prayer, life after and he loved
life, etc, which are of great importance and can every human
open new windows into the religious beliefs of being inde-
the world religions. pendently of
The attitude of every religion towards race or creed. In
God differs from one religion to another. I can the time when
only speak about the attitude and belief of the the Crusaders
Christian religion towards God. and Saracens
God in Christianity were killing
A Christian is a follower of Christ accord- each other in
ing to his teaching in the gospels. First of all, fierce battles, St Mary, Mother of Jesus
90
2002 Interreligious Dialogue and Adoration 83
Francis called the Muslims brothers. He had do it for the love of God, like, for example,
a very deep spiritual relationship with Jesus when they help someone in need that becomes
Christ whom he adored as the Son of God, the an act of prayer. When they are in need of help
redeemer. He prayed and meditated day and Christians resort to prayer. They believe that
night; he fasted for long periods of time and God is Almighty, that he can help them in their
did penance. For the love of God, in the imita- spiritual needs as well as in their physical and
tion of Jesus Christ, Francis gave up a very rich material needs. Prayer is a help in need, it
life and lived in absolute poverty. He humbled brings joy in sorrow, trust in despair, light in
himself and called himself the vilest of all hu- darkness, comfort in tribulation.
man beings who deserves no respect. For the Praise and thanksgiving are considered
love of God he took care of the sick and the lep- to be another aspect of prayer. Francis of
ers. Assisi used to call himself Gods troubadour.
Relationship With God He gave thanks and praise to God all the time
God, being the God of love, is to be more of his life. Two years before he died, when he
loved than feared. Christians believe that God, was gravely ill and blind, he composed the fa-
besides being their creator, is also their father mous Canticle of Brother Sun. Its a song of
(and mother) who cares for them, who pro- praise to God for the sun, the moon and the
tects them and who loves them. Because Jesus stars, for the wind, the fire and the water and,
Christ taught them to call God their father indeed, for all the creatures. In this song of joy
they have a very close relationship with God. and praise he calls all the creatures brothers
They pray to God in their needs, they praise and sisters. The earth he calls Sister and
him in their joy. Adoration of God is an essen- Mother Earth.
tial part of their reli- Some Christian
gious practices. Adora- mystics like St John of
tion is reserved to God the Cross, St Theresa of
alone. This is the su- Avila, St Francis of
preme honour they Assisi prayed all the
give only to God. Be- time. They lived in the
cause Christians be- world but they were
lieve in only one God not of the world. These
they can never worship mystics have come into
(adore) another deity. a very deep relation-
During the first centu- ship with God through
ries of the Christian era prayer, meditation and
many Christians suf- ascetic practices such
fered cruel death and as fasting, self-mortifi-
persecution rather than cation and penance.
worship the emperor Common Roots
as God or his deities. Of course, not
Prayer is a means Christians alone pray. I
to keep in contact with have always been very
God. There are many impressed when, on
ways to pray. Chris- many occasions, I saw
tians pray with their Hindus, Buddhists,
lips, but also with their Muslims, Jews, Sufis,
heart. When they do and others deeply
some good deed, they St Francis preaching to the birds wrapped in prayer and
91
meditation in private and in public. The same ent, there has existed among diverse peoples a
can be said of ascetics. Poverty and fasting are certain perception of that hidden power
common to all the world religions. Interreli- which hovers over the course of things, the
gious dialogue can be of great help by bring- events of human life; at times, indeed, recogni-
ing into the open these great spiritual trea- tion can be found of a supreme Divinity and of
sures common to all the world religions. a supreme Father, too (Nostra Aetate, n. 2).
The world religions have originated from No Lack of Respect for Other Faiths
the same source, God. They have their roots in Jesus once said: I am the way, the truth
the same, one God. Only God, through the and the life (St John, 14.6). The Christian belief
Holy Spirit, can inspire the wise and holy that Jesus is the only way to God has hurt, and
teachings and practices, which are found in all still hurts, the followers of other religions. The
the religions. All that is good and holy comes recent Vatican declaration Dominus Jesus (Je-
from God. From time to time, God in his infi- sus the Lord) caused a great turmoil and dis-
nite mercy, sends prophets to instruct the peo- satisfaction among the followers of the world
ple in the way of justice and holiness. Chris- religions in many parts of the world. It caused
tians believe that Jesus Christ was not simply a suffering and division. That was very sad in-
prophet but the Son of God and himself God. deed. Certainly this statement was not meant
The Catholic Church teaches that the to hurt anyone, much less to discredit the
seeds of the words of Jesus Christ, the rays of other religions. It was not meant either to min-
that truth which enlighten all people, are imize the holiness of any of these religions.
found in the religious traditions of human- That is to be taken for granted.
kind. In his Encyclical Letter Redemptoris First of all, this declaration that Jesus is
Missio (The Mission of the Redeemer), John the Lord reflects the Christian belief. Some
Paul II says (26): Through dialogue, the time after the issue of the declaration, Pope
Church seeks to uncover the seeds of the John Paul II explained that its purpose was to
Word, a ray of that truth which enlightens invite all Christians to renew their fidelity to
all men; these are found in individuals and in him (Christ) in the joy of faith and to bear
the religious traditions of mankind. unanimous witness that the Son, both today
In the and tomorrow, is the way, and the truth, and
Declara- the life (St John, 14.6; Pope John Paul II, Ange-
tion Nostra lus Message, 1 October 2001).
Aetate, on Every religion has its own belief, which
the rela- does not always reflect the belief of another re-
tionship of ligion. Sometimes that belief contradicts some
the Church of the beliefs of another religion. Christians be-
to lieve that God is one in three Persons: the Fa-
non-Chris- ther, the Son and the Holy Spirit. This is what
tian Reli- we call the Holy Trinity, which is not accepted
gions of by some of the other religions.
the Second One day Jesus was asked by his disciples
Vatican to teach them how to pray. Jesus taught them
Council, to pray in these words: Our Father, who art in
we read: heaven, hallowed be your name. Your king-
From an- dom come, your will be done on earth as it is in
cient times heaven. Give us today our daily bread and for-
down to give us our sins as we forgive those who sin
The cross which spoke to St Francis
to reform the Church the pres- against us. Lead us not into temptation but de-
92
2002 Interreligious Dialogue and Adoration 85
liver us from evil (St Matthew, 6.9-13). Here Je- for example,
sus Christ taught the Christians to pray to God as a God-less
as their father. According to some religions it religion, Islam
is offensive to God that people can address as aggressive,
him as father. Hinduism he
One day I was talking with a very holy might call
spiritual leader, a follower of another religion. pantheistic,
Among other things I said to him that God Christianity
loves us in a special way. He created us in his disdainful of
image: God created man in the image of him- the other reli-
self (Genesis, 1:27). He loves as a mother does gions.
her children, because we are his children. The Many
spiritual leader immediately answered: How people think
can a human person be Gods child if God has that the world
no wife, if he is not married? I tried to explain religions have
to him that Christians believe that through Je- nothing to
sus Christ they become Gods children. That share with
gave rise to a wonderful conversation. I am each other and
not sure whether he understood all that I said, that they dif-
nor that I understood all that he said to me. But fer so much
it was dialogue. It was not a conflict. We didnt from one an- Jesus Christ
argue. It was a dialogue, which we carried on other that they
in all respect, understanding and love. have absolutely nothing in common. It will be
The Role of Interreligious Dialogue through interreligious dialogue that people
Interreligious dialogue has a very impor- will have a better understanding of each
tant role to play with regard to religious mat- others beliefs and practices. It is through in-
ters and matters of faith. There is still a great terreligious dialogue that they will discover
deal of misunderstanding concerning the reli- the spiritual heritage of every religion.
gious beliefs and practices that pertain to the Being aware of the importance of interre-
different religions. There are still too many ligious dialogue the Catholic Church tells
prejudices and ignorance concerning the Christians not to be afraid to engage in dia-
world religions. For these reasons there is logue with people of other faiths. At the same
much need for the representatives of religions time, the Church insists that people who en-
to meet, to explore the spiritual heritage which gage in such a dialogue should do so with a
they have in common and to dialogue about great sense of responsibility, that they have a
those beliefs on which there is no common clear idea of what they do and say, that they be
consensus. honest and sincere about their own faith and
Interreligious dialogue is needed in the that they treat the other religions with respect.
first place to avoid conflicts, secondly to dissi- In order to avoid confusion all forms of
pate misunderstanding and prejudice, and syncretism, which leads to nothing, must be
thirdly to have a better knowledge of each avoided. In this way interreligious dialogue
others religion. will give people a clearer idea about the spiri-
If you talk to the man in the street about a tuality and religiosity of the other religions. It
religion which is not his own, you will notice will also help them discover those other be-
that he knows very little about it. What is even liefs and practices which they have as a com-
worse, he may tell you strange things about mon heritage.
that religion. He might describe Buddhism,
93
Medicine as Adoration
DR SAIBAL GUPTA
Heres a remarkable article on the philosophy of medicine from a renowned doctor. A
cardio-thoracic surgeon of international repute writes about the way medical practice could be
transformed into an adoration, lauding the ancient Indian system. Dr Saibal Gupta, from
Kolkata, has been working tirelessly for the betterment of the field of medicine. A noted writer
on many topics, Dr Gupta is the author of the popular Bengali book, mr omoy.
Dedicate yourself entirely to helping the sick, iron leg. yurveda itself originated around
even though this be at the cost of your own life. 1000 BC. There are vague evidences of the exis-
Never harm the sick, not even in thought. tence of a Vddha Suruta that predates the
Endeavour always to perfect your knowledge. present Suruta Sahit, but nothing of that
Treat no women except in the presence of their text has survived. Precepts of yurveda and
husbands. The physician should observe all the Suruta spread to the entire known civilized
rules of good dress and good conduct. As soon world like Greece, Mesopotamia, Egypt and
as he is with a patient, he should concern him- China. In any case, during the Achaemenid
self in word and thought with nothing but the Empire in Persia in the 6th century BC there
sufferers case. He must not speak outside the was a regular exchange of knowledge among
house of anything that takes place in the pa- the learned men from different parts of the
tients house. He must not speak to a patient of world. As late as the 11th century AD Suruta
his possible death if by so doing he hurts the pa- Sahit was translated into Persian and
tient or anyone else. In the sight of the gods you Arabic. The Hippocratic oath, in addition to
are to pledge yourself to this. May the gods help the principles of Suruta, mentions the ethics
you if you follow this rule. Otherwise, may the with regard to remuneration of a doctor. Ob-
gods be against you. viously, remuneration was not a problem with
This is the final exhortation of
Suruta to his students entering the
practice of medicine and surgery.
It predates the Hippocratic oath by
at least one hundred years, or
maybe more. By conservative esti-
mates Suruta was a contemporary
of the Buddha. But a single man
could not have done such huge re-
search, from cosmogony through
embryology, anatomy and physi-
ology to medicine and surgery in
one lifetime. The compilation at the
time of the Buddha was, therefore,
the result of several preceding cen-
turies of work. The g Veda con-
tains a description of amputation O Lord! Please make me all right
followed by replacement by an so that I may serve you and your creation
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2002 Medicine as Adoration 87
Suruta. Knowledge was not an individuals Dallaa and Cakrapi Dutta. There are de-
property in ancient India and service was par- scriptions of 700 medicines, 3,000 surgical in-
amount, not its price. This is derived directly struments and thousands of disease-processes
from the philosophy of yurveda and with their symptomatology and treat-
Surutas cosmogony with which his book mentboth medical and surgical. Suruta has
starts. It is well known that Indian religions, as said: Only the union of medicine and surgery
opposed to the Semitic religions, are based on constitutes a complete doctor. The doctor who
a rational worldview and identification of lacks knowledge of one of those branches is
mans position in the universe. like a bird with only one wing.
According to these philosophical con- The entire process of a surgical operation
cepts, all bodiesmaterial, living, conscious has been divided into three phases
or unconsciousare evolved out of prakti by prva-karma, pradhna-karma and pact-karma,
the subtle influence of purua, the Absolute, or which corresponds to preoperative, operative
the primal Self-conscious Principle. The living and postoperative care of our times. In
human body is but a manifestation of these prva-karma, apart from preparation of the pa-
factors, and every component of the human tient, the preparation of the operation theatre
organism, including his mind and sense facul- is described. It describes how the room has to
ties, is created out of the tattvas as evolved out be cleaned, and with what materials. It then
of prakti. Divinity attains its highest manifes- has to be fumigated with the smoke from cer-
tation in the human being. That divinity is tain medicinal herbs. The particular area of the
therefore intrinsic to everything and every hu- patients body has to be cleaned with certain
man being. This concept is behind the exhorta- antiseptic lotions. The patient has to be given a
tion of Suruta, that service to man is service to small amount of food before certain opera-
God. Above all, the aim of yurveda is the at- tions such as those on the head, neck and
tainment of the ultimate Truth or salvation by limbs, but kept fasting for operations on the
which the human mind realizes the identity of abdomen and intestines. The surgeon should
the individual soul with the universal Soul again examine the patient and his records im-
and can thus rise above unhappiness, pain mediately before operation and then clean
and mortal destruction. The basic concepts of himself and his hands and prepare himself
this philosophy are being corroborated by mentally. With this sort of discipline and ap-
modern science in many areas. But it is neces- plication miraculous advancements were
sary to examine what such a life philosophy achieved.
achieved, and, fortunately, records exist in Suruta has given detailed curricula for
medical science of its achievements. The the training of a surgeon, some of which are
achievements in many other areas, such as relevant even today. There are descriptions of
mathematics, science, technology, metallurgy, almost every type of operation on the body ex-
etc are either incomplete or absent because of cept on the chest. Plastic surgery was born for
our reticence to record achievements as ex- reconstruction of the nose and ear. Such metic-
pressions of pride. It is enough to consider ulous operations could not have been done
only the Suruta Sahit. The work consists of without some form of general anaesthesia.
120 chapters, compiled in five volumes, fol- The book Bhoja Prabandha by Paita Balla
lowed by a sixth volume, known as describes an operation on the King of Bhoja,
Uttaratantra, compiled by Ngrjuna in the where a tumour of the brain was removed by
3rd or 4th century BC. Subsequent additions trephining a hole in the skull. In the descrip-
have been made up to the 11th century AD by tion of the operation, a drug known as
various scholars like Jejjaa crya, samohin was used to make him insensible
Gaydsa, Bhskara, Mdhava, Brahmadeva, and, after the operation, another drug sajvini
95
was used to bring back his consciousness. The tion not only in principle but deep down in
knowledge of such drugs has been lost in an- ones consciousness and psyche is known as
tiquity. The meticulous aseptic and antiseptic the realization of God. Ancient Indian knowl-
principles of surgery, described by Suruta, edge developed under this philosophy. It is
were discovered in Europe only in late 19th surprising how easily man forgets that and as-
century by Lord Lister and the same princi- cribes it to mysticism and forgets that their
ples of fumigation were applied. This is con- greatest discoveries have been made in the
sidered a milestone in western surgery. Even service of humanity. Is the ideal of serving
the wearing of clean clothes by the surgeon God through service to humankind, and
was accepted in Europe only in the 19th cen- thereby realizing God, only a mystical Indian
tury. Before that the surgeons used to wear the theology, or is it a practical step for the devel-
same dirty gown throughout their lives as a opment of the entire humanity and really the
mark of their seniority and experience. No mother of all religions? Let us examine it from
doubt that the mortality after even the sim- the history of development of western medi-
plest operation was high. cine.
As a matter of fact, there was nothing Development of medicine in Europe
much to choose between Indian and European stagnated after Galen in the second century
surgery till the 19th century. But whereas they AD. With all his erudition, Galen brought mys-
were progressing, we were static from the 11th ticism into medicine that won the support of
century. The idea of serving God through the the Christian Church. The Middle Ages and
service of man achieved spectacular results the Dark Ages of Europe continued after that
over two millennia. Emperor Aoka in his when all quest for knowledge was snuffed
Girnar edict stated that he created hospitals out. The Renaissance in Europe in the 15th and
for both men and animals. A century later, 16th centuries brought changes in medicine as
King Dutta Gmani is said to have listed it did in other branches of science. What were
among his good deeds the founding of 18 hos- the influences that brought in the Renaissance
pitals for the poor. There was no casteism as in Europe has been the subject of much discus-
far as the practice of medicine was concerned. sion. But undoubtedly the humanistic ratio-
A person from any caste could be a student nalism of Greece and the Neoplatonic ideals in
once he convinced the teacher of his moral Greece, the Middle East and Alexandria were
standing and basic learning. the major influences. Its to be noted here that
In a commentary on Suruta Sahit in a Neoplatonic ideas are mostly Vedantic. There
recent book, it has been said: It is noteworthy are stark resemblences between Neoplato-
that Indian religion and mysticism would per- nism and Vedanta.
mit a system of secular medicine which en- Along with Galileo and Giordano Bruno
gaged in sound, rational practice even though there was also Andreas Vesalius in medicine.
not completely free of magical and religious The King of Spain saved him from the Inquisi-
association. It is tragic that the West has al- tion. His conviction was for saying that men
ways termed our religion and philosophy as had exactly the same number of ribs as women
mystical, not understanding their basic ratio- and not one less as claimed by the Book of Gene-
nality. The whole underlying philosophy of sis. Even now the Pope wants physicists like
medicine is neither mystical nor unpractical. Stephen Hawking to endorse the presence of
All activities for the betterment of mankind God, and labels other religions as inadequate.
are adoration of God and medicine is specially The progress after the 16th century continued
so since it brings direct benefit both to the slowly at first as the humanistic ideals took
healer and the healed, if done as service. This hold, culminating in fundamental progress in
is fundamental to all religions and its realiza- the 19th and early 20th centuries. In the pro-
96
2002 Medicine as Adoration 89
That is why drug companies to-

day invest huge amounts in re-
search not just for the benefit of
humanity but also to stay ahead
in the corporate race. They can
easily keep producing slightly
older drugs and distribute them
at negligible price for the poor of
the world, but will they ever do
it? That is why drugs that enslave
man are produced and distrib-
uted in such large amounts.
That is why the richest na-
tions consume the highest
amounts of narcotics. Alfred No-
bel donated his wealth for scien-
tific work beneficial to human-
kind because he felt guilty of in-
venting something that could de-
stroy the world. Today there is no
such repentance. Research on
weapons of mass destruction
goes on without compunction in
every country while people
starve. Research in medicine
brings in newer drugs and newer
methods that a majority of people
cannot avail of. The world is only
The doctors sacrifice: Edward Jenner inoculating his own son
progressing towards higher dis-
cess, many people have made great sacrifices, content. Where is the end? Sci-
and endangered their lives to make new dis- ence fiction is already propagating the idea of
coveries, sometimes ignoring the mockery a chosen few of the humanity in space leaving
and cruelty of society. Their only motive was the squalor behind on earth. How can we es-
benefit to humankind and a quest for knowl- tablish our divinity? Einstein had once writ-
edge. There are many names, like Ambrose ten: The cosmic religious feeling is the stron-
Pare, William Harvey, Edward Jenner, Ignaz gest and noblest motive for scientific re-
Semmelweiss, Louis Pasteur, Rudolph search. Experience through the ages has
Virchow, to name but a few. We are still con- shown that this is the only practical principle
tinuing in its momentum. We in India have for development of research and practice in
also come out of our dark ages in the current of medicinean adoration of God through ser-
this advancement with the rejuvenation of our vice to humanity.
ancient ideals. But it is time now to ponder, Medicine encompasses many things:
and men are thinking all over the world. philosophy, history of civilization, science,
Are we still progressing on the humanis- service, profession, business and politics.
tic urges of the 19th century or has a large por- Without a philosophy it can never deliver the
tion of the impetus been taken over by greed? healing touch that it is meant to give.
97
Management as Adoration
PRAKASH LOHIA
An expert in the field of management, who is also an earnest devotee seeking higher values,
shares his brilliant ideas on adoration with us. Prakash Lohia graduated in engineering from
IIT, New Delhi, and did management from IIM, Ahmedabad. He runs a huge high-pressure
decorative lamination firm. Lohia is endeavouring to transform work into worship,
considering his work as a God-given opportunity to serve Him. Here are Sri Lohias views
about management as adoration.
Management and Adoration ter of rmad Bhagavadgt, which deals with

We are familiar with the famous exhorta- karma yoga for the attainment of spiritual
tion work is worship. Management is indeed ends, is strewn with principles to achieve this
an important type of work, and adoration is objective on the material plain as well.
very akin to worship, perhaps with some nu- The Pururtha-ideal
ances of love and passion. How these two The classical Indian principle of
could be combined to bring about a transfor- pururtha is a very effective conceptual
mation in the practitioners life is our subject. framework to deal with the complexities men-
The origin of the art and science of man- tioned above. The four ideals, which serve as
agement as well as human civilization can be the ends of human pursuit or pururthas are
traced to the same roots, namely, utilizing the known as dharma, artha, kma, and moka. Let
surplus to satisfy our needs beyond mere sub- us try to understand the individual terms.
sistence. The increasing complexity of civiliza- Kma or desire means that it is accepted that
tion has contributed to the ever-growing com- human beings, singly or collectively, have ma-
plexity of management functions. So man- terialistic desires, gross or refined, to fulfill.
agement is a word which covers a very wide Artha or resources are required to fulfill the
range of human activities. We can further add desires, and these need to be raised, acquired
that management involves apt handling of or generated. Dharma or system is defined as
men, material and environment. But let us con- that which protects: dhrat dharma iti hu,
fine ourselves here to the meaning associated system is that which sustains. Kma and the
with executive, administrative and supervi- mode of raising artha need to be governed by
sory direction of business/economic activity, the tenets of dharma. The framework provided
that too in the context of running an enter- by dharma or system sustains and encourages
prise. collective well-being, and protects the cre-
The aims of an enterprise are to satisfy ation. This concept of pururtha is derived
the needs and desires of the stakeholder. The from Vednta.
stakeholders include the shareholders, the hu- Up till this stage there is not much differ-
man resources engaged in the functioning of ence between the materialistic schools
the enterprise, the customers, and the society founded by and large on the principles of utili-
at large. This expectation of striving for the tarianism. Utilitarianism is the doctrine that
benefit of all makes the function extremely dif- the useful is good and that the determining
ficult, complex and challenging. But there are consideration of right conduct should be the
valuable suggestions in Indian scriptures to usefulness of its consequences. It is a theory
attain success in this field, and the third chap- which says that right action should be the larg-
98
2002 Management as Adoration 91
est possible balance of pleasure over pain; or unity with all. It is in India that the human in-
that an action is right if it brings the greatest tellect, having realized the limitations of mate-
happiness for the greatest number. rialistic explanations in the external world,
Failure of the Materialistic Approach dived deep into the inner Self, realized the
The materialistic intellect perceives the Truth, and declared boldly to the world:
human being more as an evolved animal as ex- vantu vive amtasya putr, May the chil-
plained by Darwin. Hence experiments on dren of Immortal Bliss hear!1 That immortal
rats and monkeys, and observation of their be- Truth was neither let alone at the stage of intu-
haviour under different conditions, form the itive mysticism, nor was it allowed to become
core of understanding of the human mind. To just an intellectual pursuit based on specula-
the materialists, consciousness which primar- tive arguments. It was developed into a com-
ily differentiates human beings from other an- plete science and this light has been continu-
imals is derivative of matter. ously kept burning in tune with the zeitgeist
This partial understanding of human na- (the general intellectual, moral, and cultural
ture evolved mechanisms of rewards/encour- climate of an era) by an unbroken chain of
agement and punishments/discouragement masters.
on physical, emotional and intellectual planes The Indian Ideal
at the individual level; checks and balances be- This realization became Indias own dis-
tween different institutions like the judiciary, tinctive life-force, which is spirituality, other-
political system, administrative machinery, wise called religion. Swami Nitya-swarup-
etc at social and national levels; and different ananda says in Indias Message to Herself and to
political philosophies at the global level to the World:
promote the overall progress and prosperity Religion is, in the true sense, the science of the
of the human society. In spite of sincere ef- knowledge of mans real nature. It is the percep-
forts, this partial understanding has left lacu- tion, the realization, and the manifestation of
nas in the schemes thus developed, which hin- mans real nature. Mans real nature is pure
der the achievement of the intended goals. consciousness, pure existence, and pure bliss. It
History offers numerous instances from is divinity itself. It is Universal. The soul of every
time immemorial of the efforts of great intel- being is thus the same universal spirit, self-ef-
lects and thinkers who have offered different fulgent, a sun covered over with clouds of igno-
models to manage human affairs to the best of rance. The difference between one and another
their understanding, but have fallen short of is due to the difference in density of these layers
fulfilling the expectations. Platos Republic, of clouds; the difference is in the stages of
Karl Marxs Capital: A Critical Analysis of Capi- growth and manifestation, in degree and not in
talist Production, etc are some of the examples kind. This eternal truth is the conscious or un-
to cite. Utilitarianism remains the raison dtre conscious basis of all religions, and is the expla-
of these models. nation of the whole history of human progress,
Utilitarianism suffers from some funda- either on the material, or on the intellectual, or
mental limitations. It encourages the principle on the spiritual planethe same universal
of ends justifying the means, and its basic spirit is manifesting itself through different
premises of doing good to others are not planes. Religion is thus the consciousness of the
strong enough. We will come to this later. It is eternal truth of the spiritual unity and solidarity
not very difficult for a sensitive mind to per- of humankind and of civilization.
ceive that the conscious or unconscious basis Coming back to the pururthas, moka,
of all human efforts towards the greatest hap- the fourth ideal, springs from this spiritual in-
piness of the greatest numbers is only philan-
thropic in nature. It comes from a sense of 1. vetvatara Upaniad, 2.5.
99
sight. Moka or liberation is the removal of the the well-being of all, for the happiness of all.
clouds of ignorance so that the spirit, like the The voluntary acceptance of stiff environmen-
self-effulgent sun, shines forth in its eternal tal and other safety norms, bringing in the
glory, totally identified with the universe. self-imposed discipline of transparency in the
Moka is the raison dtre of the pururtha annual reports, etc are some of the indicators
model. Dharma or System has to be moka-ori- of this growing consciousness. But at the same
ented. This model boldly admits that if the ex- time we find that utilitarianism on which this
istence of the world is accepted, denial of kma predominantly materialistic civilization leans
per se is impractical; rather unnatural. Only to pursue such a lofty ideal is not scientific
the quality of kma, and the acquisition of artha enough or rationally strong enough to prevent
to satisfy kma, should be governed by the ten- exploitation of the weak by the strong. The
ets of dharma, so that we do not drift away urge for unity, unconscious of its real ratio-
from our ultimate goal of moka. nale, tried to find expression through grossly
What happens if we restrict ourselves to materialistic philosophies like communism,
the first three idealsnamely, dharma, artha, but this crumbled down like a structure bereft
and kma, which we have equated with utili- of foundation. What could be a real philoso-
tarianism? In his preface to his English transla- phy that would work to bring about a dream
tion of akaras tmabodha, Swami change in the management situation? Which
Nikhilananda writes: idea would really be useful in making man-
The unity of existence is the foundation of all agement a true progressive system, aimed at
ethical codes. We learn from Non-dualistic everyones well-being?
Vednta that the true Self of man is the Self of all Destiny reposed on India the task of solv-
beings. Therefore, self-love finds its expression ing the riddle. And solve she did long ago, in
and fulfilment in love for all. Without con- the days of yore, boldly proclaiming that, if
sciousness of the unity of existence, ethics be- the ideal of bahujana hitya, bahujana sukhya is
comes a mere device for makeshift adjustments to be truly pursued, it has to be turned into
among conflicting interests; and when these in- tmano mokrtha jagadditya ca, for ones
terests are at any time seriously threatened, the own liberation and for the good of the world.
ethical codes break down. Without a spiritual Matters did not end at just declaring the goal.
2
sanction, justice is in the interest of the strong. She also developed a total system, founded on
In the present age, the world has been the concepts of caturrama (brahmacarya,
united on the material plane by Western tech- grhasthya, vnaprastha and sannysa), of
nology. We frequently use the phrase global pururtha, etc. Society consists of different
village. This reflects a growing awareness of types of people with minds at different stages
the interrelatedness, interdependence, and in- of development, and with different tempera-
teraction of nations, races, regions and civili- ments. The Indian system offered equal op-
zations. portunity to each type to follow the path that is
The Transforming Power of most conducive to its own nature to reach the
the Indian Ideal same goal, and that too without any conflict of
The management science in the Western interest between an individual, a set of people
world has reached a stage of consciousness (an enterprise) or society at large. Since the
where it is admitted that its principal objective system has evolved out of spiritual insight,
should be bahujana hitya bahujana sukhya, for material prosperity is a natural accomplish-
ment. Vivekananda has declared: This infi-
2. akara, tmabodha, trans. Swami nite power of the spirit, brought to bear upon
Nikhilananda (Madras: Ramakrishna Math, matter evolves material development, made
1967), p. xix. to act upon thought evolves intellectuality,
100
2002 Management as Adoration 93
and made to act upon itself makes of man a into one. The consummation of adoration is in
God. First, let us be Gods, and then help others the union with the adored one; hence every
to be Gods. Be and make. Let this be our path that leads to the Lord is a path of adora-
motto.3 Readers can also refer to Swamijis tion. In other words all the yogas are eventu-
observations on Indian history. On the other ally different paths of adoration. The Lord in
hand, we are warned of the corrosive and de- the Gt declares:
generative effect of a materialistic philosophy, Ye yath m prapadyante
if it is allowed to become the goal instead of ts-tathaiva bhajmy-aham;
remaining the means. Mama vartma-anuvartante
Swami Nitya-swarup-ananda says: manuy prtha sarvaa.
it is not the modes of religion alone, but According to the manner in which they ap-
equally all modes of work, all modes of strug- proach Me, I favour the devotees in that very
gle, all modes of creation, which are paths to hu- manner. O son of Pth (Arjuna), human beings
4
man fulfilment. There can be no division be- follow My path in every way.
tween sacred and secular, nor any difference Having accepted that the workshop, the
between service to man and worship of God. study, the studio, the farmyard, and the field
To labour is to pray. To conquer is to renounce. are as true and fit scenes for the meeting of
To have and to hold is as stern a trust as to quit God with man as the cell of the monk or the
and to avoid. Life is itself religion (Sister door of the temple, we may draw the inspira-
Nivedita). The workshop, the study, the studio, tion from the assuring words of the Lord from
the farmyard, and the field are as true and fit the verse quoted above and dare conclude that
scenes for the meeting of God with man as the management of an enterprise performed with
cell of the monk or the door of the temple. Art, the ideal and spirit of pururtha is as effective
science, and religion are but different forms, a means to adore Him as fighting a righteous
modes, and media of expressing a single truth. war.
The concepts secular or sacred merge
3. Swami Vivekananda, The Complete Works

(Mayavati: Advaita Ashrama, 1989), Vol. 4,
p. 351. 4. rmad Bhagavadgt, 4.11.
Thoughts from Maimonides

God is one: He is not two or more than two, but One. He is not one as a species, since
this includes numerous individuals, nor one as a body, since this is divisible into parts
and sections; but a Unity which is unique in the world. When you are alone by yourself,
when you are awake on your couch, be careful to meditate in such precious moments on
nothing but the intellectual worship of God, viz, to approach Him and to minister before
Him in the true mannernot in hollow emotions. He who serves God from love occupies
himself with the Torah and the commandments and walks in the paths of wisdom, not for
the sake of any worldly advantage, nor from fear of calamity, nor for the purpose of ac-
quiring good fortune; but he practises truth because it is truth, and the good which is its
consequence follows in due course. This standard is exceedingly lofty and not every wise
man can attain it. For when a man loves the Lord with that love which is due to Him, he
will as a matter of course fulfil all the commandments from love.
Compiled by Rabbi Beryl D. Cohon. From Message of the East (July 1935)
101
Adoration of Life in the Twilight Years
DR INDRANI CHAKRAVARTY
Dr Indrani Chakravarty is the founder-president of Calcutta Metropolitan Institute of
Gerontology (CMIG), Kolkata. This organization aims at serving the helpless senior citizens
who have been ignored by their families, a testimonial to the parental generation. How serving
senior citizens could be an adoration is Dr Chakravartys theme.
Beautiful are the moments when the sun Grow old along with me!
starts its journey at dawn, with the sky shed- The best is yet to be,
ding a crimson glow. However, as the sun sets, The last of life for which the first was made,
the earth beholds glorious twilight moments Be the fire ashes,
with sadness. A child is born, and life begins; What survives is gold.
this nascent state is cared for universally. The The holy scriptures of different religions
child grows, becomes old, and there it ends. exhibit a marked ambivalence towards old
Life on earth is tiring and unbearable. Human age. In the Hebrew scriptures, sacred to Chris-
life in its last phase reaches a respectable tianity and Islam as well as to Judaism, grey
height, with the acquisition of wisdom, expe- hair is described as the beauty of the old, a
rience and tolerance. Old friends, old times, crown of glory. There are explicit injunctions
old manners, old books, old wineas Oliver to stand in respect before the grey head, and to
Goldsmith once listed themdeserve our honour the face of the old.
love more than the new, for their learning and The Vedas maintain a somewhat simplis-
wisdom. Brownings Rabbi ben Ezra pro- tic, naive but fond attitude towards life. The el-
claims: ders are gods, they declare. They wish that a
desire to live a long,
healthy life into ripe old
agejvema arada
atamis good. Growing
old is a part of the human
condition, not a problem to
be solved once for all. The
Buddhist texts provide an
important critique of this
lust for life, arguing that
ageing is evil and a source
of suffering. The Hindu
texts provide a balanced
and accommodating ac-
count of the ageing pro-
cess. The Hindu thinkers
struggle to state what a
genuinely positive mean-
Old age means experience: an aged teacher teaches his students.
ing ageing ought to have.
Art by Shubhra Nag In our classical society, a
102
2002 Adoration of Life in the Twilight Years 95
one generation to the next. With industrializa-

tion and the consequent disruption of large
undivided families, growth of vast metropoli-
tan areas, changed building styles, the posi-
tion of the aged is no longer the same. Ageing
is a subject of global concern now. Longevity
has been a spectacular 20th-century achieve-
ment. It is difficult to believe but true that the
average lifespan of an Indian was 33 years at
the time of our independence, and has now
gone up to 62.5 years; and there are today 70
million people over the age of 60 years, who
constitute 7% of the total population.
With the extended lifespan, years have
been added to life; but how can life be added
to the years? Eastern thinkers of the past give
us some clues to meet the very important
problem of the present. And thats where serv-
ing the aged comes.
Everyone is destined sooner or later to
get old. Although old age can be a time of ful-
Shravana Kumara, the ideal son. He served his aged filment, of perspective and of wisdom, it has
and blind parents with supreme devotion: been termed as a period of losses. The losses
Art by Shubhra Nag are chiefly psychological, social and economic
father is considered higher than the sky and a in nature. Poor health, economic dependence,
mother greater than the earth. and non-working status tend to create
In the traditional societies of the Ori- amongst the aged a feeling of meaningless-
entIndia, China, Japangrandparents were ness and powerlessness. Therefore the elderly
not unwanted. The obligation in the Indian need help. We must serve them in areas like
family system to look after the elderly, to hon- income, housing, health, security, and post-re-
our and respect them continues to be dis- tirement adjustment.
charged even today. Here advancing age had Article 41 of the Indian Constitution rec-
until recently been accompanied by increasing ognizes the needs of the elderly and enjoins
prestige. Young people would often gather upon the state the responsibility of making an
around wise old men for guidance and advice. effective provision for public assistance in
Even those among the aged who were not so case of unemployment, old age, sickness and
much sought after could, almost certainly, disablity, and in other cases of undeserved
have their needs met within the network of the want. But in a vast and populous country like
extended family and maintain their role and India, the government alone cannot have the
status as the heads of the family. The spiritual desired penetration in social welfare. A net-
commitment of the young made it obligatory work of NGOs, religious and cultural bodies,
for them not only to look after their parents educational institutions, etc are the need of the
but also to serve them as God. hour to meet the challenges of the greying in
Recently, however, the picture has our part of the globe. The fulfilment of life de-
started changing. Development of newer tech- pends on the allowing of the old to have both
nologies no longer demand that the skills of productive and creative leisure. The conclud-
the artisans should be transmitted down from ing phase of life may be made meaningful and
103
graceful if health is preserved at least to a bare engaged in action-oriented gerontology re-

minimum workable condition. But physical search for improving the quality of life of our
health is not everything. The mind needs care senior citizens. Its mouthpiece, Ageing and So-
too. People live in their physical worlds, and ciety, acts as a platform for scholars and pro-
so cannot realize anything except the force of a fessionals all over the country to place their
physical symbol; and they cannot feel that views.
they are living except for the force of physical At the day-care centre of our institution,
actions. All yoga is a turning of the human able-bodied but aged poor receive vocational
mind and the human soul from the gross training like silk-screen printing, bookbind-
physical towards the inside, to venture in- ing, envelope and file making, and tailoring
wards. It may for women. The
not yet be di- aged but edu-
vine realiza- cated can obtain
tion, but theres free computer
a feeling of the training courses
divine impulse and thereby
and higher at- find part-time
traction re-employment
through it. opportunities.
Emotionally, Some of them
the first stage even help with
from which this the institutions
turning takes work.
place must be We pro-
that of simple vide healthcare
adoration of both to those
God. In religion who are with us
this adoration as well as to
wears the form those around,
of worship. The by arranging
same worship camps in slum
could be trans- areas of the
formed into the Kolkata me-
service of the tropolis.
living gods, as Serving the
Swami Life cycle: Art by Shubhra Nag aged is benefi-
Vivekananda cial in several
stressed repeatedly. And of all the living gods, ways. We can also learn from the old them-
senior citizens are the most helpless section of selves what is to be done with age. For the old,
any society, needing care and love. an open horizon continues to beckon, in the
So our worship of the parental popula- imagery of the last line of Alfred Tennysons
tion started in 1988 when our institution for Ulysses:
the aged was founded. With the primary aim Old age hath yet his honour and his toil.
of providing a cushion to the old from the Death closes all; but something ere the end,
roughness of ageing, Calcutta Metropolitan Some work of noble note, may yet be done.
Institute of Gerontology has been purposively
104
My Profession as Adoration 1
Working in a Bank
GOUTAM BANERJI
Sri Goutam Banerji is a bank official from Kolkata, who is striving for perfection. His
experiences as a seeker serving in a place of intense activity are published here.
Lets imagine the picture inside any of the severely. Such strict rules, they feel, should be
branches of nationalized banks of India any implemented as quickly as possible.
day at around 10:15 am or, better, during the But are we not used to such suggestions?
first seven working days of any month. What Since the very inception of the system that we
do we see? Long queues before each of the call administration, which has come down to
payment- and receipt-counters since 9:45 am. us from the times of Emperor Chandragupta
Everyone in the line wears a disenchanted Maurya and Chanakya, if not earlier, laws and
look. Quite a few among them are senior citi- rules are being framed, strict punishments are
zens, wanting to withdraw money from their being thought about for violations, and noth-
pension accounts. Many have other places to ing is happening. Even with all the strict rules
go and other duties to perform soon after their and severe punishments, problems exist.
bank business is over. Some are students who Whats the way out then? How is it possi-
have come to purchase bank drafts to be sent ble to make bank people work? Before think-
to educational institutions as fees. Everyone is ing of solutions, lets take a look at the basic is-
disturbed because the bank hasnt started sues the problem is concerned with. The three
functioning yet. Banks generally open at 10:30 angles of the banking triangle are: (a) the bank
am. Each ticking of the clock agitates the employees; (b) the clients or customers; and
minds of the customers more and more. Some (c) the service employees are expected to ren-
begin to criticize bank employees, some even der to clients. Theres something common be-
rush to the managers office and discuss the tween these three angles of the triangle. What
situation with him. is it? It is money! Its to earn money that em-
Whats going on at the other side of the ployees come daily, are supposed to work,
counters? Most of the seats are vacant. The and to satisfy their customers. Heres the clue
computer terminals on the tables are lying to solve the problem.
idle. Of the, say, 25 people who work in a bank Money has traditionally been accepted as
branch, only three or four have reported to a means of exchange. This concept of ex-
duty as yet. Even they are not in their seats. change aims at a sense of give and take. That
They are gossiping, and are paying the least means if something is given to somebody,
attention to the waiting people. something else is expected from him or her in
All of us who visit banks (and we have exchange. But this is a wrong concept. There
to!) for various reasons experience such things should be something higher. Money actually
in most of the branches. The bank staff, in gen- is the visible sign of a universal force. This
eral, do not work. To make them work is a force works on our practical life of the senses.
problem. What are we to do now? Theres a It is a force of mutuality, the root of which lies
ready answer from the executives who in love. The supreme Being desires us to reach
manage employees. They say that we must the realm of love which is the form through
frame new sets of rules and punish violaters which He manifests Himself on this earth,
105
starting from the sense of mutuality. And mirers on 23 July 1894 in Thousand Island
money could be a symbol of divine mutuality; Park: Do all as a sacrifice or offering to the
it is not merely a means of exchange. Lord. Be in the world, but not of it, like the lo-
We are in the habit of seeing things from tus leaf whose roots are in the mud but which
the standpoint of our personal egos. The di- remains always pure (The Complete Works,
vine force of mutuality, being handled by the Vol. 7, p. 63). Again, he told them on another
egoistic rationality, has become transformed occasion: Our best work is done, our greatest
into a sense of mere exchangegetting disso- influence is exerted, when we are without
ciated absolutely from love. Exchange has a thought of self. All great geniuses know this.
natural proneness to get associated with the Let us open ourselves to the one Actor, and let
sense of extent. That means, how much re- Him act, and do nothing ourselves (Complete
ceived would be compatible with how much Works, Vol. 7, p. 14).
given. The rational and the so-called practical What I mean is this: instead of endless
mind would act devising ways and means of rules and failures, its better to try a positive
increasing the quantum received, making it method of higher motivation. The whole con-
compatible with less amount of quantity cept then gets transformed. Instead of consid-
given. The bank people think that the money ering money as a means of exchange, it should
they get as salary at the end of every month is be accepted as a manifestation of a divine
matching with the nature and amount of work force, coming directly from God, which
they perform within the infrastructure they should be used to set ourselves on the tract
are provided with. But it is not. that leads towards the path of spirituality.
Love has the tremendous power of gen- Though this idea seems Utopian, I feel that
erating the sense of giving away everything with all the blows we are getting personally,
one possesses to the person one loves. This re- nationally and internationally, many good
nunciation is a tremendous force which re- employees will understand higher ideas now.
moves the lower ego. The sense of love, if dis- So, instead of considering our work as drudg-
sociated from the sense of ego, awakens mutu- ery, we shall work with devotion, and our
ality in the heart. This leads to the arousal of work itself will become an adoration of the Di-
the holistic idea of work they are performing. vine. I am trying this method and, having
Instead of mere performance of duties, their come under the influence of Ramakrishna-
work will become the expression of adoration. Vivekananda literature, I find my work most
Sri Ramakrishna has emphasized this satisfying and energizing. I dont find it to be
idea of performing work as an offering to the any trouble at all to be of as much service to
Divine. He gave the world a new concept of our clients as is in my capacity. We consider
vijnana, to see everythingfrom the mountain the workplace itself as a temple, and the work
to the blade of grassas God Himself. So all done there as the worship of the Lord because
work should be done with the idea of adora- we look upon the customers as expressions of
tion of the Divine. the Divine.
Swami Vivekananda told his western ad-
We may all manage to maintain our bodies more or less satisfactorily and for longer or
shorter intervals of time. Nevertheless, our bodies have to go; there is no permanence
about them. Blessed are they whose bodies get destroyed in the service of others.
Swami Vivekananda
106
My Profession as Adoration 2
Working as a Teacher
MANJU NANDI MAZUMDAR
Our readers are familiar with Smt Mazumdar, who has compiled questions and answers
of Srimat Swami Bhuteshanandaji Maharaj for us. Smt Manju Nandi Mazumdar teaches
Chemistry and some other subjects in a high school in Kolkata and, in company with some
others, also runs a private institution, teaching tens of poor children free of charge. She being a
devotee, her work becomes an adoration. Here are her experiences.
Professionally, I am a teacher. Education works sake or, worse, for the sake of salary, is
involves learning, and learning means the the bane of the modern educational system.
modification of behaviour. Our behaviour is a There must be proper interaction with con-
result of past experiences and actions, but it stant reciprocal feedbacks. As a teacher I keep
can be modified through learning, environ- this in mind always.
mental influences, and the performance of Teaching through programmed instruc-
good actions. The goal, however, is the attain- tion is very effective. This is a relatively new
ment of perfection, as the very oft-quoted technique of reading and writing. There are
statement of Swami Vivekananda says: Edu- two main divisions of programmed instruc-
cation is the manifestation of the perfection al- tion. The first, linear programming, arranges a
ready in man. topic into sequences and gives the student a
The great educationist, Rousseau, writes chance at each step to think and propose the
in mile: ou de lducation that education next step. Its so arranged that theres almost
should be natural and spontaneous because total success for the student, and this helps
what corrupts the individual is society. He boost his confidence. Branching program-
therefore suggested education in a natural en- ming is the second type, which involves a
vironment. Rabindranath Tagore also gave roundabout way to arrive at a conclusion. Pro-
importance to natural education. That nature grammed instruction is effective in bringing
helps learning is accepted everywhere these out the best in children. Edgar Dale first pro-
days. Children learn more about science from posed the cone to classify audiovisual aids ac-
nature than from classroom discussions. cording to their effectiveness. The traditional
The second vital factor in the educational teacher depended mainly on verbal exposi-
process is the teacher. Apart from nature, the tion and it is the least effective method. If
teacher plays a vital role in educating the child teaching is effective with the help of non-pro-
in a proper manner. Where natural education jected aids, its more effective with projected
is not feasible, the classroom is inevitable. The aids. But direct experience is the most effective
teachers behaviour in the classroom is impor- method of learning.
tant and helps create an atmosphere which I try to concentrate on how best the stu-
may be termed as classroom climate. Class- dent can think and bring the best out of him or
room teaching requires a proper interaction her. I believe in Swami Vivekanandas idea
between the students and the teacher. The that the teacher is only an instrument in bring-
teacher should be alive to the situation, loving ing out whats latent in the student. I also be-
in disposition, and genuinely interested in the lieve in Swamijis other suggestions regarding
development of his pupils. Working for the learning process. For instance, he said: We
107
must have life-building, man-making, charac- narrating stories about Swami Vivekananda,
ter-making assimilation of ideas. If you have Sri Ramakrishna, Holy Mother Sarada Devi,
assimilated five ideas and made them your life Sister Nivedita, great scientists, educators, etc.
and character, you have more education than The way their eyes glitter hearing those stories
any man who has got by heart a whole library is a joy to watch. I try to inject novel ideas into
(The Complete Works, Vol. 3, p. 302). So with the them and ask the students to expand these
completion of my syllabus, I try to concentrate ideas on their own. I get utmost satisfaction in
on other areas of development of my students bringing out their inner capabilities.
to the extent I can. With the attitude of the pop- One batch goes and another comes. I try
ular phrase, friend, philosopher and guide, to serve them as best as I can, thinking that
in my mind, I try to solve their problems and God has provided me with a rare opportunity
also encourage them in their extracurricular of guiding growing minds. I always consider
activities. The students of classes 11 and 12, my little service as a service to the Almighty.
whom I teach, are in their delicate adolescent In my own personal life I practise some spiri-
period. They are highly emotional. Basically, tual disciplines as instructed by my guru, and
they are in a no-mans land, because they are this helps keep my mind above the evil forces
neither children nor adults but are caught in of the world. I read Ramakrishna-
the jigsaw of overlapping forces and expecta- Vivekananda literature as well as other spiri-
tions. At one moment they behave like little tual books and this helps me immensely. Such
kids and immediately thereafter, they are re- books keep on reminding me day after day
bellious for not being treated as adults. So they that within each individual its God alone that
need careful handling. Keeping this in mind, I exists, and that in serving the human being, I
try to give due importance to their opinions. am serving God. I sincerely believe that in my
Infinite strength is hidden in everybody; I try profession, I have been given a great opportu-
to help them to motivate their strength and nity and scope to serve a small group of stu-
emotions in the right direction, help them to dents who are to become future citizens of the
make their minds stable, constructive, idealis- world. My profession has become a sadhana
tic, as well as practical. The last five or ten min- to me.
utes of most of my classes are set aside to
Rabias Love for God

Rabia asked a young man why he had tied a bandage on his head. He replied that he
had a headache. Hows your health, generally? she asked. The young man replied that
he is always healthy, and it was only after a year that he had this headache. Rabia then
told him with tears in her eyes: When you were healthy, what emblem did you carry to
show to the world the goodness of God? Today, only because you have a little headache,
you are going about with a bandage to show to the inquisitive world that my Beloved
Lord is harsh to you. Pray remove that bandage. Let not people ask you the reason and
then accuse my Lord of unkindness.
108

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JANUARY 2002

Vol. 107 JANUARY 2002 No. 1

ahKk vrJtk rJ;;k vwhtKk

gtu =uJtu~lti gtu~mw

Repeated salutations to God who is in the fire, who is in the water,

The Ideal of Adoration

with those of the mi-

arma sapratha, O vast Mother

Agni is also called the first of the

15. See g Veda, 1.31.1 17. g Veda, 10.122.5.

darkness to Light, and from death to Im-

24. vetvatara Upaniad, 2.8. 25. Prana Upaniad, 6.8.

Cq;uMw Jeh=Tg W=wtbt gu Such wonderful devotees, who have

limit ourselves. We become universal. We re-

third type of akti or the Divine Mother are called ktas.

I am in all beings as their Self. Disregarding

5. Complete Works, Vol. 1, p. 13. 6. See Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu, Prva Vibhga.

devn yajeta, become a god yourself and

Swami Vivekananda, the saviour of Hinduism 7. Gospel, p. 494.

ship. Give me the philosophical, the

there is no selfishness there. Work done for the

When once love for God awakens in the

ships the Lord,

15. rmad Bhagavadgt, 9.26. 16. rmad Bhagavadgt, 9.29-30.

Humbly I adore thee, Verity unseen,

O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant,

Jesus Christ is risen today, Alleluia!

The Lord Loves the Hearts Adoration, not Mere Ceremonials

confessional formula, the liturgy Ptimokkha

consider ourselves as human beings who Whether done in solitude or in congregation,

Noble souls, having divine nature, adore Me with single-mindedness, knowing Me

not match with the principle that the ultimate

A symbolic representation of a Jaina holy place

of the current cycle of time, beginning with

Ziggurat at Ur. It reminded the nomadic Israelites of the Tower of Babel

We simply cannot begin to appreci-

fulnessstaying in the here and now,

He who is known as a Sikh of the true nine spiritual successors.

of the Divine Word;

form should be on the Sikh ev-

What Sort of a Devotee Does the World Need Now?

Zoroastrian worship consists either of baresman, a bundle of about 35 metallic wires

Yoga, based on the ancient Skhya phi-

The Ontological Postulates in Yoga Sutras piece of crystal, and

6. Swamijis explanation on Yoga Sutras, 1.2. 7. Yoga Sutras, 1.33.

a jum- tor, Phidias,

sate in the dead body of the

European jug (left) and Indian ghai (right)

Their ideal is utility, ours art. The West-

among the ruins hu-

velop are getting scarce (7:202).

those ideas in a dia, on the other hand, the religious attitude is

ltnk r;trb JifwUXu their wiser natures. But there is a craving in

inextricably bound up with

lead one to God.

trate more on verbal expressions than on the

a guarantee of a genuine human being. A per-

a song is a guiding light, telling us that we are

1. Alkondavilli Govindacharya, Divine Wisdom