Editorial

Enlightened Electorate

On 1 May 1897, the foundation day of the Ramakrishna Mission, Swami Vivekananda made an interesting observation on democracy. A number of devotees, and sannyasi brotherdisciples of Swamiji had gathered at the house of Balaram Basu, one of the close house-holder devotees of Sri Ramakrishna. They had assembled at the invitation of Swamiji to initiate the formation of an association that would spread the message of Sri Ramakrishna.

Democracy through a Dictator

Swamiji opened the meeting with these words: ‘The conviction has grown in my mind after all my travels in various lands that no great cause can succeed without an organisation. In a country like ours, however, it does not seem quite practicable to me to start an organisation at once with a democratic basis or work by general voting. People in the West are more educated in this respect, and less jealous of one another than ourselves. They have learnt to respect merit. …. When with the spread of education the masses in our country grow more sympathetic and liberal, when they learn to have their thoughts expanded beyond the limits of sect or party, then it will be possible to work on the democratic basis of organization. For this reason it is necessary to have a dictator for this Society. Everybody should obey him, and then in time we may work on the principle of general voting.’

A society of sannyasis and devotees, who were recipients of Sri Ramakrishna’s personal counsel and blessings, were deemed unprepared for democracy! And in our ongoing 2019 Indian general elections where 900 million voters are exercising their right to vote, God knows how many understand democracy and are prepared to fulfil their democratic duties.

Unchanging Politicians

Referring to his experience of elections in Europe, Swami Vivekananda writes in ‘The East and the West’ of the ‘class of people who, in the name of politics, rob others and fatten themselves by sucking the very life-blood of the masses…’ He warns, ‘If you ever saw, my friend that shocking sight behind the scene of acting of these politicians — that revelry of bribery, that robbery in broad daylight, that dance of the Devil in man, which are practiced on such occasions — you would be hopeless about man! … They that have money have kept the government of the land under their thumb,…’

Does it appear like he is writing about the politicians of our day? As on 16 April 2019 (when this issue goes to the Printer), the Election Commission of India has seized cash, liquor, drugs, gold, and other freebies worth 2,550.75 crores! And we have another month to go before the show ends! How shall we keep alive our hopes about man, about our democracy?

Whom to Elect?

Whom should we elect as our representatives or our ministers? In the Mahabharata when Yudhishthira wants to know what qualifications his legislators should have, Bhisma replies: ‘Those who have modesty, self-restraint, truth, sincerity and the courage to say what is right should be your legislators.’

And regarding the head of such ministers –the Prime Minister – his advice is: ‘That man who has made a name, who is self-controlled, never jealous of others, who is able, never does anything wicked nor strays away from the path of righteousness, free from lust, fear, greed or wrath, who is clever in transacting business, and whose speech is wise and weighty should be the foremost of your ministers.’

Educating the Electorate

The Election Commission, carrying the onerous responsibility of conducting fair elections in the largest democracy in the world, now has a flagship programme called Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) to educate the voters. A new aspect of this endeavour is that over 120 Community Radios stations are engaged in educating the voters.

Swami Vivekananda’s idea of educating and awakening the masses was more down to earth, and it combined secular and spiritual training. He wanted a band of perfectly selfless sannyasis to ‘go from door to door’ and ‘by means of facts and reasoning’ first awaken people to their ‘pitiable condition’, and then ‘instruct them in the ways and means for their welfare.’ They were at the same time to be given, in a very simple language, spirituality or ‘the higher truths of religion’ because without a spiritual foundation, all other accomplishments sooner or later degrade into self-centred actions.

Mahatma Gandhi too saw democracy as ‘the art and science of mobilising the entire physical, economic, and spiritual resources of all the various sections of the people in the service of the common good of all.’ But unfortunately, soon after independence our elected representatives chose in the name of ‘secularism’ to neglect and even actively erase our ancient spiritual resources, and thus created the mess we see around us today.

The Rajarishi Ideal

Our scriptures speak about the Rajarishi ideal. The term signifies a person who is at once both a raja or king, and a rishi or sage. In a democracy all the citizens are in a sense kings; and administrators, executives, and political leaders who influence the welfare of millions of people, are kings with more power. What we need today is for more and more people in our society, the electorate, to accept this ideal of rajarishi. We have to first cultivate the heroic manliness of a king and then grow into heroic saintliness of a sage.

Self-restraint

Such a combination requires the balanced development of the three Hs –head, heart, and hand. And one quality fundamental for such development is self-restraint. As Bhisma points out to Yudhishtira, self-restraint is also the most important among all the duties laid down by the rishis.

Self-restraint will strengthen our brain, clear the cobwebs in our mind, and empower us to seek our inner perfection and latent powers. The more we move towards this discovery of inner freedom, the more truthful and unselfish will be our actions in the world outside. Only when our electorate are educated in this line, will they be able to think ‘beyond the limits of sect or party’ and help establish an ideal democracy. May Bhagavan Buddha, Sri Shankaracharya, and Sri Ramanujacharya whose birthdays we celebrate this month, bless all our democratic endeavours.

Reminiscences of Sargachhi

SWAMI SUHITANANDA

38 19.9.60

Maharaj: A sannyasi’s life becomes wretched without pratyahara (restraining senses from their objects). How to practise this withdrawal? Try to remain immersed in your Chosen Deity’s divine form, life, and spiritual teachings. If you do not do this now, you will face serious problems in old age. You will then have to spend your time either reading newspapers or indulging in ashrama politics.

There are some who labour like coolies in the daytime and lie inert like a dead body at night. These will live in great misery in old age when they lose their capacity to work.

Question: This creation becomes lifeless at the end of a kalpa (cosmic cycle). It again comes into being at the beginning of the next cosmic cycle. Does this cycle have no preordained time frame? Is there no fixed timing or definite rule as to how long it will remain active and how long it will sleep?

Maharaj: We fall asleep when our vital energy for the day is exhausted. Again, we wake up after sleeping for some time. This creation too functions in a similar manner. The momentum of life energy I gave this body while assuming it, has sustained the body for eighty-two years; after this it will peter out by itself. Why this happens so cannot be explained. All this is maya.

Question: We should have more regard for the mad aunt than for Holy Mother. If not for her, could we have understood Mother?

Maharaj: Were they ordinary mortals?

Question: After Sri Ramakrishna left his mortal body, Mother too strongly desired to leave her body. But she did not feel that way when Sri Ramakrishna was still alive!

Maharaj: Where could she have gone then? Sri Ramakrishna, verily the personification of Para-Brahma, was present before her!

Question: Due to maya’s influence we see the nirguna (the attributeless) as saguna (one with attributes). Is this maya subject to our mental state?

Maharaj: The One who is without attributes, is with attributes too. He is both with form and without form. He is everything. Swamiji preached the Advaita philosophy in foreign lands; but on his return to India, before going to offer his respects to Holy Mother, he bathed in the Ganga and repeatedly sipped its water in fear that he might not be pure enough to visit her. And Swami Brahmananda couldn’t go near her; he would shiver in awe!

When Sri Ramakrishna (finding it difficult to swallow food because of throat cancer) said, ‘I shall eat later on in my subtle body through a million mouths,’ Baburam Maharaj (Swami Premananda) responded, ‘I do not care for your million mouths or your subtle body. What I want is that you should eat through this mouth and that I should see this gross body.’ All this Advaitavanishes in the face of such love. In the Vaishnava literature it is mentioned that the attributeless Brahman is the splendour of Sri Krishna’s body. In one of my songs I expressed Conversations with Swami Premeshananda (1884-1967) a disciple of Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi. (Continued from previous issue. . .)

a similar idea – tava hasi-rashi... (‘Thine infinite smile sheds its rays and illumines the heart with charming light’ – a verse from the famous song ‘Arupa sayare’).

Only twelve rishis, including Bharadwaja, could recognise Sri Ramachandra as an avatara; the rest sat contemplating the attributeless Brahman. We are in an advantageous position, for we know everything. If somebody says only Advaita is correct, we immediately agree and say that God with attributes is simply maya. Again, as soon as the topic of love is raised, the concept of Brahman is pushed far away and we say, ‘My Gadai.’ Look here, we do not perform spiritual practices, and therefore we argue and engage in polemics. If we really want to know God, then we will just settle into a spiritual practice; then He Himself will tell us what He is. If we really meditate, then we will know His true identity. It is for this reason that the Vaishnavas forbid argumentation. They say, ‘Sit down and tell your beads; you will realise everything on your own.’ 20.9.60

Maharaj: Listen. Have you heard this verse? It fairly reflects our attitude: – अन्तः शैवः बहिः शाक्तः सभायावैष्णव मतः। नानारूपधरा ः कौलाः विचरन्ति महीतले॥

‘Being a Shaivite inside, a Shakta outside, and a Vaishnavite in public interaction – this is how noble people move in this world (harmoniously balancing different attitudes and faiths).’

We will have the knowledge of Advaita within, manifest Jnanamishrita bhakti or the blend of devotion and knowledge without, and in practice maintain the attitude of Dvaita—we will be very humble, modest, and of impeccable conduct. We have heard and assimilated Advaita, but we don’t enter into polemics about it. We keep with us the dust of Sri Ramakrishna’s room, and partake mahaprasada (the sanctified food of Lord Jagannath) – we come across as staunch devotees; but within we have a perfect understanding of the Truth. We lead our lives entirely depending on Sri Ramakrishna.

Hold on to Sri Ramakrishna with both hands. You will be free only if you shun all activity, completely restrain your sense organs, and establish your mind in the Atman. Only those who have been practising austerity through many lives, can enjoy bliss right in this world, as Gopala’s Mother did (a devotee of Sri Ramakrishna who had the constant vision of the child Krishna). It’s true that this world is bad, but there is another world – the world of Consciousness– the world of the blissful sheath (corresponding to the five dimensions of human personality described in the Taittiriya Upanishad). Satan cannot wield his power in that world. 23.9.60

Maharaj: The sadhu who came here the other day, probably a parivrajaka, made a very interesting remark. When I asked, ‘How do you manage to procure your food?’ he answered, ‘Some days I manage it; and some days, God manages it.’ That is to say, on those days when food is available, it is God who manages it for him; and on those days when nothing is available, he manages it himself—by fasting!

Once I went to a friend’s house in Sylhet. A handsome boy happened to come there. I attended on him with utmost care. When he was leaving after lunch, he was given a betelroll. I noticed that he ate half of it and kept the rest in his pocket. When I asked about it, he said, ‘I will eat it on the way.’ He received initiation from Sharat Maharaj (Swami Saradananda). Later he wanted to become a sannyasi and stay at the Sylhet ashrama. But I didn’t agree at all. How can such a calculating person depend on God? Later on, he became a doctor and married. Had it been in any other place, he would have become a sannyasi and managed with expertise house-keeping in the ashrama. But I wanted him to progress along his natural path. (To be continued. . .)

Introduction

Upanishads are unique texts. Swami Vivekananda calls them ‘great mine of strength.’ 1 They are considered as the fountainhead of all systems of Indian philosophy. Unlike some philosophical texts, the Upanishads are not dry. They are teeming with inspiring characters and pristine personalities. Naciketas, Yama, Bhrigu, Varuna, Aaruni, Svetaketu, Janaka, Gaargi and Yajnavalkya are some of the names that flash in our mind when we think of the Upanishads.

Apart from these well-known characters, many other great souls appear in the Upanishads. Like fully ripe fruits hidden behind leaves, their greatness is hidden between the lines of the Upanishads. On a careful study of the Upanishads they emerge in all their splendour. This article attempts to draw attention to one such seeker/seer, about whose outstanding personality we get an inkling from the Prasnopanishad. His name is Sukesaa.

But why should we seek to know about such great personalities? The answer is given by the Yogasutras (1.37) when it states वीतरा गविषयं वा चि त्तम् – when we think of great personalities known for their Viveka and

Sukesaa: A Less Known Seeker of Truth from a Popular Upanishad

DR. M. JAYARAMAN

Vairagya, the mind sheds its restlessness and becomes steady.

There are many characters called Sukesaa who appear in the Ramayana (Uttara Kanda), in Puranas like Skanda Purana, Vamana Purana, Brahmanda Purana, and even in a Jaina text like Trisasti-salaka-purusa-caritra. But the focus here is on Sage Sukesaa of Prasnopanishad.

Prasnopanishad belongs to Atharvaveda. Prasna means question. In this Upanishad six seekers pose questions about spirituality and receive answers from Rishi Pippalada. Hence it is called Prasnopanishad. The very first line of the Upanishad begins with ‘सुकेशा च भारद्वाज…” (1.1), subtly indicating the prominence of Sukesaa. Why Sukesaa, the son of Bharadvaja, is accorded such a distinction becomes clear when we study his personality.

Qualities of the six seekers

The six seekers were endowed with exemplary qualities. Describing them, the Upanishad says: ते हैते ब्रह्मपरा ब्रह्मनि ष्ठाः परं ब्रह्मान्वे षमाणाः (1.1)

The author is the Director, Research Department, Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram, Chennai. jramanm@gmail.com

‘These were (ब्रह्मपरा) devoted to Brahman, (ब्रह्मनिष्ठ ) firmly rooted in their quest for Brahman (ब्रह्मान्वे षमाणा) and were in search of the supreme Brahman.’

In essence, they were seekers of the highest level, endowed with great devotion and determination. Another important quality of the six seekers comes out when they present themselves before Sage Pippalada. On seeing the six seekers the sage tells them: तान् ह स ऋषि रुवाच भूय एव तपसा ब्रह्मचर्येण श्रद्ध या संवत्सर ं संवत्स्य थ (1.2)

‘...live (with me) for a year with great levels of austerity (tapas) celibacy (brahmacarya) and with deep faith (Shraddha).’

When the teacher delays the answer by a year, demanding some necessary preparations, the six seekers accept it without a murmur and without being de-motivated in the least. It is understood from the commentaries that they follow the instructions of the teacher and come back with their questions. They display the true spirit of seeking. It is in such a team of mature seekers that we find Sukesaa.

The Crest jewel – Sukesaa

The crown jewel of this team is Sukesaa. The greatness of Sukesaa is seen in two specific instances in the Upanishad. Though the Upanishad begins by mentioning Sukesaa’s name first among the seekers, interestingly, he is the last to ask a question. Why then is his name mentioned first? The answer lies in the nature of question the six seekers ask. The other five seekers ask relatively less direct questions about the Atman— like the nature of the world, prana, senses, mind, and the Omkara. But, Sukesaa’s question, which comes last, is directly about the Purusa or Atman तत्वा पृच्छामि क्वासौ पुरुष इति (6.1)

‘I ask you, about him, where is the Purusa?’

Kalidasa, while describing the nature of King Dilipa, one of the ancestors of Sri Rama,

states ज्ञाने मौनम्, (Raghuvamsa 1.22) ‘He was silent even when possessing knowledge.’ This perfectly suits Sukesaa too. Evidently, Sukesaa is more knowledgeable than the others. But he patiently waits till the end before posing his question. When posing his question to Rishi Pippalada, Sukesaa gives a little bit of background too: भगवन्हिर ण्यनाभः कौसल्यो राजपुत्रो मामुपेत्यैत प्रश्नमपृच्छत । षोडशकलं भारद्वाज पुरुषं वेत्थ । तमहं कुमारमब्रुव ं नाहमि मं वेद । यद्यहमि ममवेदिषं कथं ते नावक्ष्यमित ि, समूलो वा एष परिशुष्यति योऽनृतमभिव दति तस्मान्नार्हाम्यनृतवक्तु म् । स तूष्णीं रथमारुह्य प्रव व्राज । (6.1)

‘Hiranyanabha, a prince from the Kosala kingdom, came to see me. He asked me whether I knew about the Purusa with sixteen aspects. I said I did not know. He could not believe that I might not know this. To him then I stated – Had I known the answer, I do not have any reluctance in sharing the answer with you. Further I said - the one who knows and feigns ignorance will dry from the root. And hence I do not indulge in falsehood. He silently got onto his chariot and left. The question that I was unable to answer is discomforting like a thorn in my heart. Oh Rishi Pippalada! I would like to know about that Purusha with sixteen aspects, where is he?’

This question reveals some great qualities of Sukesaa:

He is very knowledgeable: From the fact that highly placed people like Hiranyanabha seek the audience of Sukesaa, it is evident that h e i s a ve r y we l l - k n o w n t e a c h e r. Hiranyanabha’s disbelief about Sukesaa’s ignorance also reinforces his fame as a very knowledgeable person.

He has intellectual honesty: Riding on his fame as a reputed scholar, Sukesaa could have easily convinced the student with some answer or the other. Instead, he admits his ignorance in front of the student. He also relates that if a person – especially a teacher –

indulges in falsehood, he will dry from the root, or be destroyed.

The root referred to here can be taken as subject knowledge. It is by the strength of the root of knowledge that buds of thoughts blossom into flowers of insights and intuition. This root will dry up when the teacher indulges in two kinds of falsehood: 1) When the teacher speaks about a subject without real knowledge about it, and gets away with it by the strength of his past reputation, he is indulging in falsehood. It is a matter of common experience that when a teacher stops learning by way of studying and referencing, his knowledge gets limited, outdated and irrelevant. 2) Even while possessing knowledge about a subject, when the teacher hides it and thus denies a sincere student, he is false. It is well-known that a knowledge not shared dies out. Knowledge is one wealth that grows on sharing and dries out when merely accumulated. As a popular verse reminds us, अपूर्वः कोऽपि कोशोऽयं विद्यततव भारत ी । व्ययतो वृद्धिमायाति क्षयमायाति सञ्चयात् ॥ ‘Oh Goddess Sarasvati, presiding deity of knowledge! You have a strange reservoir. It grows on being spent and gets depleted on being accumulated!’

Sukesaa is aware of these profound implications of a teacher indulging in falsehood and so states the truth to Hiranyanabha.

Thirst for knowledge

Sukesaa does not rest with that. He is uneasy with his lack of knowledge. The following expression that Sri Shankaracharya uses in his commentary in this context is worth noting: मम हृदि विज्ञेयत्वेन शल्यमिव स्थित म्, ‘This (question) about which I have to learn, has stayed in my heart like a thorn.’

The symptom of a true seeker is discomfort with ajnana, absence of knowledge, or alpajnana, incomplete knowledge. This symptom of greatness is found in Sukesaa. That is why it seems the Upanishad honours him by mentioning his name in the very opening mantra of the text. Indeed, it is a rare distinction to be honoured by the Vedas themselves.

Conclusion

Because of the blend of qualities like scholarship with patience, honesty, proactive seeking of knowledge even after achieving respectability and reputation in life, and unease with ignorance, Sukesaa can be proclaimed as the crown jewel among seekers and a rare gem hidden in the Upanishads.

A popular statement about the study of sastras states, ‘adhamaṃ daśa cintanam’, ‘Studying the sastra texts ten times is (still) inferior.’ If even reading ten times is considered inferior, then the amount of effort to be put in, to raise to the level of sastra-adhyayana, study of texts to madhyama, intermediate, and to uttama the higher states can be imagined. The more time we spend with the texts, newer and better are the insights that we can develop. It is such an insight that helped to identify the great personality of Sukesaa in Prasnopanishad. The Mundakopanishad says, आत्मा विवृणुततनुं स्वाम् (3.2.3), ‘Consciousness reveals itself (to the one who totally submits oneself to it). Similarly, it seems great personalities like Sukesaa are waiting for us to intensify our swadhyaya so that they can reveal themselves.

References: 1) Lectures From Colombo to Almora , Swami Vivekananda, p.153, Advaita Ashrama, Mayavati, 1944

Select Bibliography: 1) Sri Shankarabhagavatpada's Upanishad-bhashyam, Volume 1, Edited with notes by S.Subrahmanya Sastri, Mahesh Research Institute, Varanasi, 1979. 2) Raghuvamsha of Kalidasa with the commentary of Mallinatha, Edited by MR Kale, Bombay Vaibhav Press, Bombay, 1922.

Life in the Kingdom of Heaven in Indian and Western Thought

GOPAL STAVIG

(Continued from the previous issue. . .)

Origen of Alexandria (c. 185-254) concludes, ‘When we have progressed so far that we are no longer flesh and bodies, and... (are) not blinded by any cloud of disturbing passions, we shall see the rational and spiritual beings “face to face.”’ 18 ‘When it is said that God is ‘all in all,’ it means that he is also all things in each individual person. And He will be all things in each person in such a way that everything which the rational mind—when purified from all the dregs of its vices and utterly cleared from every cloud of wickedness—can feel or understand or think will be all God, and that mind will no longer be conscious of anything besides or other than God, but will think God and see God and hold God and God will be the mode and measure of its every movement; and in this way God will be all to it.’ 19

In the Neo-Platonic philosophical system of Plotinus, Nous (Divine Intellect) and Noeta (Intelligible World) form an identity, constituting a world of interpenetrating spiritual beings each containing the others, organically united in a state of contemplation. In the Intelligible World [Indian Brahmaloka], ‘Each part is not cut off from the whole; but the whole life of It and the whole intellect lives and thinks all together in one, and makes the part the whole and all bound in friendship with Itself, since one part is not separated from another.’ 20 There a thing ‘has everything in Itself and sees all things in every other, so that all are everywhere and each and every one is all and the glory is unbounded; for each of them is great.... each comes only from the whole and is part and whole at once: It has the appearance of a part, but a penetrating look sees the whole in It.’ For the Divine Intellect ‘thinking [Nous] and being [Noeta] are the same thing and knowledge of immaterial things is the same as Its object.’ 21 ‘That [Nous] which is conscious of Itself and thinks Itself comes second, for It is conscious of Itself in order that in this actuality of consciousness It may understand Itself.’ ‘In the Intelligible World seeing is not through another [medium], but through itself, because it is not [directed] outside.’ ‘Intellect is not simple but many; It manifests a composition, of course an intelligible one, and already sees many things…. Intellect and being are one and the same thing; for Intellect does not apprehend objects which pre-exist It, as sense does sense-objects, but Intellect Itself is Its objects.’ 22 Nous ‘has nothing lacking to Its existence. Since It is complete It has no need of anything for Its preservation and existence but is cause to other things…. It must be intellect, and wisdom in Its fullness. And it must therefore be defined and limited, and there must be nothing to which Its power does not extend, nor must Its power be quantitatively limited; otherwise It would be defective.... But real being must be being in every way; It must

therefore come having everything for existence from Itself: and It must be all things together, and all of them one.’ ‘It is something which abides in the same in Itself and does not change at all but is always in the present, because nothing of It has passed away, nor again is there anything to come into being, but that which It is.’ 23 Nous encompasses all things ‘as a genus does its species and a whole its parts.’ 24

For Neoplatonism there are two levels of Divinity, the Divine Intellect (Nous) that is completely separate from the creation, and a lower aspect (World-Soul) that interacts with the phenomenal world. If this idea were put into the Indian perspective, the higher aspect of Saguna Brahman would be Ishvara and the Divine world (Brahmaloka), and the lower aspect would create, maintain, and destroy the phenomenal world and include Mahat, the Universal Mind and Body.

Thomas Aquinas (1225-74) formulated that, ‘Final and perfect happiness can consist in nothing else than the vision of the Divine Essence.’ 25 ‘Whatever is desirable in whatsoever beatitude, whether true or false, all pre-exists in a more eminent way in the Divine beatitude.’ 26 Transcending the realm of time, ‘The intellect which sees the Divine Substance contemplates all things at once and not in succession.’ 27 ‘In the felicity that comes from the Divine vision, every human desire is fulfilled … through the vision of the First Truth, all that the intellect naturally desires to know becomes known to it … since reason will be at its peak strength, having been enlightened by the Divine light, so that it cannot swerve away from what is right…. men are raised through this vision to the highest peak of honor, because they are in a sense united with God … the most perfect delight is found in this felicity; as much more perfect than the delight of the senses which even brute animals can enjoy, as the intellect is superior to sense power; and also as that good in which we shall take delight is greater than any sensible good, and more intimate, and more continually delightful; and also as that delight is free from all admixture of sorrow, or concern about trouble.… the blessed attain perfect sempiternity [being eternal in time] and are safe from all harm … intellectual substances obtain true felicity, in which their desires are completely brought to rest and in which is the full sufficiency of all the goods.’ 28 The beatific vision of the Divine Essence cannot be lost; there is nothing contrary to it to bring its end. ‘Now it is impossible for anyone seeing the Divine Essence to wish not to see It…. the vision of the Divine Essence fills the soul with all good things, since it unites it to the source of all goodness…. Nor again can it be withdrawn by any other agent. Because the mind that is united to God is raised above all other things, and consequently no other agent can sever the mind from that union.’ 29

When writing about the Catholic faith, Anthony Wilhelm designated that in God’s kingdom, ‘We will love and be loved with an unimaginable, ever-increasing love. We will be fully possessed, continually overwhelmed by God’s beauty and goodness, and yet we will go on thirsting for more—even as we are filled to perfect contentment we yet seek and find still more and more. God will be able to totally give Himself to us. No longer shall we have to intuit or reason to Him from His works, speculate about Him, or catch fleeting, unsatisfying ‘glimpses.’ We shall see Him as He is, His very self, “face to face.” Each of us will know God and be loved by Him in the most intimate way possible, in a way no one or nothing in creation is or ever will be. This will be incredible, unimaginable happiness… In this heaven-state there will be no sorrow, no pain, no hardship, no struggle or temptation of any kind. We will understand everything we have ever wanted to—the secrets of the universe, the mysteries of our faith. We will have everything we want. And we will be secure in this eternal happiness,

knowing that there is no possibility of ever losing it.’ 30

According to one study about 10% of those people who had a near death experience, reached the state of ‘Entering the Light.’ This realm corresponds to a lower heaven far beneath the beatific vision, yet more joyful than any earthly experience. One woman who had a cardiac arrest described her idyllic experience this way, ‘Then, suddenly. I saw my mother, who had died about nine years ago…. ‘Well, we’ve been waiting for you. We’ve been expecting you. Your father’s here and we’re going to help you.’ And all I felt was a tremendous kind of happiness, of pleasure, of comfort…. And I could hear beautiful music; I can’t tell you what kind, because I never heard anything like it before…. It sounds—I could describe it as a combination of vibrations, many vibrations. The whole thing was just very good, very happy, very warm, very peaceful, very comforted, very—I’ve never known that feeling in my whole life.’ Indians call this the Pitruloka, the realm or lower heaven of our ancestors. People living there enjoying the fruits of their good deeds will eventually be reborn on earth. Lower heaven is depicted by the Native American Indians as a happy hunting ground, the Arabians as a shady oasis containing trees, and by the Nordics as a warm and sunny place.

Three Higher Worlds

Indian scriptures state, ‘Make me immortal in that realm where movement is accordant to wish, in the third region, the third heaven of heavens’ (Rig Veda 9:113.9). ‘The lowest is the Watery heaven, Pilumati the middle most; the third and highest, that wherein the Fathers dwell, is called Pradyaus (Highest Heaven)’ (Atharva Veda 18:2.48; cf. 4.3; 9:5.1, 8).

Swami Vivekananda outlines three levels of higher worlds, the Lunar sphere, Electric sphere, and the Brahmaloka. ‘All these spheres or layers of the universe are only so many varying products of Akasha (Matter) and Prana (Energy). That is to say, the lowest or most condensed is the Solar sphere, consisting of the visible universe, in which Prana appears as physical force, and Akasha as sensible matter. The next is called the Lunar sphere (Lower heaven), which surrounds the Solar sphere. This is not the moon at all, but the habitation of the gods, that is to say, Prana appears in it as psychic forces, and Akasha as Tanmatras or fine particles. Beyond this is the Electric sphere, that is to say, a condition in which the Prana is almost inseparable from Akasha, and you can hardly tell whether Electricity is force or matter. Next is the Brahmaloka, where there is neither Prana nor Akasha, but both are merged in the mind-stuff, the primal energy. And here— there being neither Prana nor Akasha –the Jiva contemplates the whole universe as Samashti or the sum total of Mahat or mind. This appears as a Purusha, an abstract universal Soul, yet not the Absolute, for still there is multiplicity. From this the Jiva finds at last that Unity which is the end.’ 31 ‘The highest heaven, called the Brahmaloka, is where the Jiva lives eternally, no more to be born or to die. It enjoys through eternity.’ 32

The older Jewish apocalyptic knew of three heavens: of meteors, of stars and of God, as does ‘Those men took me thence, and led me up to the third heaven’ (Enoch 8:1). Some Jewish Christian texts such as the Testament of Levi (3:1-4) retained the three-heaven concept. In the New Testament the Apostle Paul wrote, ‘I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up in the third heaven ... I know that this man was caught up into Paradise’ (2 Cor. 12:2-3). 33

Gregory of Nyssa (c. 330-95) a Bishop from Asia Minor considered the First Heaven to be ‘on the frontier between the human and the incorporeal natures.’ By purification and illumination the soul ascends to the Second

Heaven and becomes a ‘son of light’ when the ‘image of God’ is restored. As his interpreter I. P. Sheldon-Williams explains it, ‘The only creature who is not confined to one side or other of the First Heaven which separates the sensible from the intelligible world is man. As animal he belongs to the one, as rational soul to the other. Therefore, he is a “borderline case” and a means of transition from the one to the other…. Man was first created in the Second Heaven and therefore as an intelligible and incorporeal being. But since he was made in the image and likeness of God, differing from his Prototype only as the created differs from the uncreated, he is not only intelligible but also one…. The restored image, as perfect man, has become one with Christ the Perfect Man, but not one with Christ as God, for God is absolutely transcendent.’ In the words of Gregory, ‘When the soul has become simple, unified and Godlike, she cleaves to this only true and desirable Beloved by the living energeia of Love.’ The soul ‘is transformed into that of which the apprehension and discovery are eternal processes.’ ‘The beauty (of the Beatific Vision) reveals itself with ever-increasing clarity, the Divine majesty exceeds more and more as the soul advances, and the perpetual discovery of new delights in the transcendent realm makes each seem the beginning of a fresh ascent.’ 34

In addition, the Vishnu Purana (II: 7) describes each of the seven heavenly spheres (lokas), and 2 Enoch 3-20 (c. 35-50 A.D.) an early Jewish and/or Christian apocalyptic book gives a detailed account of the nature of the seven heavens. For both of them there are three lower and four higher spiritual heavens. A hierarchy of seven heavens of increasing glory is listed in the Jewish Christian Testimony of the Twelve Patriarchs. It is possible that this idea was diffused among the ancient Indians, Iranians, and Babylonians; and then passed on to the Jewish and non-Jewish Christians like Irenaeus and Clement of Alexandria. 35 (Concluded)

References 18) On First Principles (hereafter FP). Origen. Trans. G.

W. Butterworth. Gloucester MA: Peter Smith, 1973,

II,11:7. 19) FP, III, 6:3. 20) Enneads, (hereafter Enneads). Plotinus.Trans. A.

H. Armstrong. 7 vols. Cambridge MA: Harvard

University Press, 1989, II, 6:1; III, 2:1,14. 21) Enneads, V, 8.4; 9.5. 22 Enneads, III, 9.9; V, 3.8; V, 4.2. 23) Enneads, III, 6.6; 7.3; G. Stavig, ‘Plotinus and Indian

Philosophy,’ Bulletin of the Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture (Aug. 2002), pp. 313-18; (Sept. 2002), pp. 360-64. 24) Enneads, V, 9.6. 25) Basic Writings of Saint Thomas Aquinas, Summa

Theologica (hereafter ST). St. Thomas Aquinas. Trans. Anton Pegis. 2 vols. New York: Random House, 1945,

I-II, 3:8. 26) ST, I, 26:4; Gopal Stavig, ‘A Western Saint’s (Thomas

Aquinas) Dialogue With Some Indian Theologians,’

Journal of Dharma 25 (2000), pp. 60-85. 27) Summa Contra Gentiles (hereafter CG). St. Thomas

Aquinas. Ed. Vernon Bourke. 5 vols. Notre Dame:

University of Notre Dame Press, 1975, III, 59-60. 28) CG, III, 63. 29) ST, I-II, 5:4. 30) Christ Among Us. Anthony Wilhelm. San Francisco:

Harper & Row, 1985, p. 420. 31) The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda (hereafter

CW). 5:102-03. 32) CW. 1:398. 33) The Theology of Jewish Christianity. Jean Danielou.

Trans. John Baker. London: Darton, Longman & Todd, 1964, pp. 173-74. 34) The Cambridge History of Later Greek and Early

Medieval Philosophy. Ed. A. H. Armstrong. Cambridge:

University Press, 1967, pp. 448-50, 453-56. 35) A Classical Dictionary of Hindu Mythology and

Religion. John Dowson. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1968, pp. 179-80; Danielou (1964), pp. 174-81.

Swami Vivekananda’s Visit to Shillong

ASIM CHAUDHURI

(Continued from the previous issue. . .)

Swamiji’s last public lecture and the man who captured it

The public lecture—the only one on record that Swamiji gave in Shillong—was delivered at the famous Quinton Memorial Hall on April 27, 1901. Rai Saheb Kailash Chandra Das, Swamiji’s host, was the secretary of the Quinton Memorial Hall Committee. A day or two after Swamiji’s arrival, the Rai Saheb and other prominent citizens expressed their wish to have Swamiji give a public discourse on religion. Swamiji said, ‘What’s the need for a public meeting? We are already having these Photo taken after a long illness in Shillong, 1901

nice parlor talks every day. Moreover, considering my physical condition, will your Civil Surgeon or the Chief Commissioner give permission to have such a public meeting involving me?’ The group said that they had already talked to Sir Henry about it, and that he was even willing to chair the meeting. They assured him that the meeting would only be scheduled depending on the prognosis of Swamiji’s health condition. 23

Swamiji’s only lecture at Shillong was not reported by any local Bengali or English newspapers (daily, weekly, or monthly), and it is doubtful if one in either language was extant at that time. It was not until 1935 that the Shillong Mail came into being. It was also Swamiji’s last public lecture, and that is why it is so important. But the May 1901 edition of a Khasi monthly magazine, U Khasi Mynta (The Khasi Today), reported on the lecture, which was delivered to a packed audience; some of the people had to stand outside for want of space. The report was probably written, or at least edited, by Hormurai Diengdoh, a prominent Khasi journalist who brought out, in 1895-96, the first Khasi monthly magazine that was secular in nature. It was translated by Swami Gokulananda and appeared in The Vedanta Kesari in 1998.

It is amazing that it took nearly one hundred years for the lecture, given in English, to be published in English, and that too from a

Khasi source! According to the Khasi magazine report, the subject of Swamiji’s speech was ‘The Faith of Orthodox Hinduism,’ although the speech had very little to do with either orthodoxy or Hinduism as such, except for some reference to the Vedas. An excerpt of the report from The Vedanta Kesari is quoted below:

He [Swami Vivekananda] began by saying that any religion without a sacred book cannot stand the test of time. As examples of his thesis he cited the religions of the Romans, the Greeks and others. Though their religions were based on knowledge and discipline, in the long run they could not survive, for they had no sacred books. But when people have sacred books of their religion, even though they might go astray like the Jews, their religion or faith can never die. It is the same with the Hindus, he said. Even they are very much misguided by those manmade multifarious teachings. But so long as their Gospel, the Vedas, remain, there is hope.

In his speech Swami Vivekananda laid stress on the fact that religious ceremonies without deeds are worth nothing. A man who does something, who performs something, although he might commit crimes, is better than a man who does nothing or performs nothing, for the slothful or undutiful are not different from a tree or a bull. He quoted and recited stanzas from the Vedas in Sanskrit and then translated them into English. He preached at length for the betterment of the fellow human beings. He divided the good deeds of human beings into three categories—first is to give alms, to help the physical body with food and clothing; the second is to give training or knowledge, like teaching in a school; and the third is to show the human soul the way to Godrealization. He stressed this last category as the most important. For this, he said men like the Brahmins must be respected, for they are the preachers of the soul.

He exhorted man to enlighten his fellow human beings and help them. Those who could afford to go to school should be provided with facilities to learn extensively, but those who could not, should at least learn the alphabet. He has done a good thing and he must be praised and blessed. He concluded by saying, ‘Our work in India now is to open the eyes of the people.’

From all his speeches and the stanzas that he quoted and recited from the Vedas, one can understand that he considers all human beings in the world as one. None is to be looked down as a low caste Hindu. He said that the Vedas exhort that we should preach to the people the truth. Probably, it is for this reason that he had travelled throughout the world and preached. 24

Swami Alokananda analyzed the speech and came up with some salient points that Swamiji had emphasized: religion is realization; to serve humanity is the highest religion; national progress depends on expansion of education; self-manifestation is the true indicator of one’s humanity; it is important to link spiritual lessons with vocational education and training. 25

Since the public meeting was organized u n d e r t h e l e a d e r s h i p o f t h e C h i e f Commissioner, and he was in the audience, it must have been attended by the local elites, both British and Indian. The report said, ‘…on the night of 27 th April 1901, he fell ill while he was delivering the speech, and has not fully recovered even now.’ Swamiji was already seriously ill then, and the strain of giving the lecture probably took its further toll.

It is uncertain exactly when Hormurai Diengdoh met Swamiji personally and had discussions with him on religious topics. It could have happened in the days before his lecture, or afterwards, probably the latter. Arpita Sen gave a concise account of one of those discussions as follows (using Shillonger Bangalee as her source): … Diengdoh met him and expressed his unhappiness about the way the Welsh missionaries were condemning the followers of

Khasi indigenous religion as animists and heathens. Swamiji laughingly retorted that the Absolute Soul was manifested in all creations of God and those who believed in this concept and worshipped mountains, trees and rivers were at the same time worshipping the Supreme Being. In that sense the Khasis were animists. If someone believed in God he could not ignore His creations or Nature. As for heathens, Swamiji was quick to point out that those who were prejudiced towards other religions and regarded only themselves as true believers, called the rest heathens. The word heathen, therefore, was indicative of intolerance and narrow–mindedness. 26

It is not clear exactly when and where Prof. Bhattacharya got this information, but the views expressed above would be very typical of Swamiji. Hormurai Diengdoh was a Presbyterian who reverted back to indigenous Khasi religion. 27 It is not certain whether he did that before or after meeting Swamiji. However, Swamiji’s speech and subsequent association with him transformed Mr. Diengdoh from a ‘narrow-minded’ Christian to a liberal nationalist. One wonders if Swamiji’s comments at the end was aimed at the Presbyterian missionaries. During one of his meetings with Swamiji, maybe the same or a different one, Mr. Diengdoh narrated the following incident to him:

In 1845, three Khasis approached Mr. Lewis [apparently a missionary] for baptism. When asked if the Saviour would receive such as they, the three men answered, ‘O, yes, He will; why shouldn’t He? Did He not come into the world to die for sinners such as we?’ In 1896 in Wales, John Roberts, the Welsh missionary, gave a lecture followed by thunderous applause when he mentioned that by asking Khasi children to repeat the line, ‘I am a sinner, you are a sinner and we are sinners,’ he was able to convince the Khasi children to embrace Christianity in order to be freed of sins. 28

That must have endeared Mr. Diengdoh to Swamiji, because both he and his Master Sri Ramakrishna disliked the doctrine of Original Sin, which is central to Christianity. They always accepted everyone as children of immortality, or children of bliss.

There is an anecdote told by a member of the audience, Birendra Kumar Majumdar, about an incident during Swamiji’s lecture at the Quinton Hall. The pressured paraffin lamp (Petromax) that illuminated the lecture hall momentarily went off, leaving the hall in total darkness. But according to Mr. Majumdar, even in that darkness Swamiji’s image became clearer and clearer and he, as well as others, saw the area where Swamiji was standing become fully illuminated. ‘It was not an [optical] illusion, but a perfectly clear act of seeing. All listeners felt blessed at the heavenly sight. Everyone was captivated by Swamiji’s erudition and sonorous voice,’ wrote Birendra Kumar Majumdar in his reminiscences of that occasion. 29

It is entirely possible that what Mr. Majumdar saw was ‘divine illumination,’ literally if not metaphorically. Self-effulgent light of divine glory could produce such illumination, and ‘he who has eyes to see’ will see it; although Swamiji, characteristically, would be the last person to invoke such a mystical interpretation in public. But one will always wonder if Sir Henry Cotton, or the other British officers who were also in the audience, had the same visual experience. That would have shocked them unless there is a simple explanation for what had happened. The newly built hall may have had a stage that was equipped with an alternate method of lighting to handle such an emergency; or the stage may have always been lit with a separate and independent light source, which became progressively visible and prominent when the Petromax malfunctioned and the eyes got used to the dark auditorium. The second explanation

is more plausible. The report in The Vedanta Kesari, or in the Khasi article for that matter, didn’t mention this incident.

Ending the trip

Despite all efforts by Sir Henry Cotton and his assigned doctor Major Campbell, Swamiji’s health showed no sign of improvement. As far as we know, there are four photographs of Swamiji taken at Shillong. 30 Two of those seem to have been taken in a studio, in front of artificial backdrops; and the other two in natural settings. The latter two rather unflattering photographs reflect his extremely poor health at that time, thus denying us his usual photogenic look.

Shillong and its environs are replete with beautiful eye-catching and awe-inspiring spots, each more picture-perfect than the next. Swamiji’s interest in visiting scenic, historic, and cultural sites is also legendary. He was not the kind of person to stay in bed during the entire time he spent in Shillong, despite his ill health. He gave one lecture that we know of, but there is no available information about his doing any sightseeing or other activities while he was there. But it is conceivable that some prominent Khasi and Bengali residents of Shillong, including editor Diengdoh, visited him to engage him in conversations about religion and important social issues; we have seen some evidence of that already in Swamiji’s reference to ‘parlor talks’.

When did Swamiji leave Shillong then? We simply don’t know. It seems odd that Prof. Bhattacharya, who devoted three pages in his article giving a vivid description of Swamiji’s trip from Gauhati to Shillong, had nothing to say about when he left, or about his trip back to Gauhati; he just said, ‘He returned to Belur Math on May 12.’ 31

Since there is no credible information on that, we have no other recourse but to work progressively backwards from the date Swamiji reached Calcutta (Belur Math), which was May 12, and then settle on a date of departure that seems logical. It took one day by train from Goalundo to Calcutta, about three days to reach Goalundo from Gauhati by steamer,* with no stops en route, and two days to reach Gauhati from Shillong, this time downhill; which means he stayed at Shillong for two weeks and left on May 6. This date presupposes that he spent some time in Gauhati on his way back; there are indications that he met Padmanath there again. 32

The two sites: where Swamiji stayed and where he spoke

Unfortunately, we know of only two sites within Shillong where Swamiji’s footprints can be traced with any degree of certainty: where he lived and where he lectured. Sister Gargi (Marie Louise Burke) once wrote about Swamiji:

There is no detail of his [Swamiji’s] action too small to record, no whiff of his thought too inconsequential to ponder over, perhaps to write tomes about. If he spoke to some fortunate man or woman for five minutes, we want to know the biography of that person; if he entered a building, we want to know its architecture and its history. 33

We have met Sir Henry Cotton and Hormurai Diengdoh earlier; very little is known about the others Swamiji met in Shillong. Now we would like to know a little more about the house that Swamiji stayed in and the hall where he lectured. The house was originally constructed using hay for the roof (Photo 1),

Frederick William Sudmersen, then the newly appointed principal of Cotton College, travelled to Gauhati (Sukreshwar Ghat) from Goalundo Ghat by steamer in three days and arrived on May 27, 1901. (https://avinibeshsharma.wordpress. com/2018/03/28/vignettes-of-a-heritage-city-3- principal-sahib/ It may take a little less time going downstream from Gauhati to Goalundo.

Photo 1: Front of the house (circa 1901?)

which was later developed into an Assam-type cottage, replacing the thatched roof with corrugated tin (Photo 2). (The left and right sides of the house are shown respectively in Photos 3 and 4, in p.31) The front verandah was enclosed to transform it to a foyer or a parlor. 34

It is not known exactly when the renovation took place. If the house had been damaged during the June 1897 earthquake like many other buildings and houses in Shillong, it could have acquired the new look before Swamiji reached there. On the other hand, the backgrounds in the two photographs of Swamiji, which were presumably taken at the house because of his poor health, do not indicate that those were taken at the renovated house. The said photographs could have been taken on the left side of the old house, which probably had a verandah with wooden railing that was later covered with an asbestos roof and the house extended in width (see Photo 3 in p.31).

In 1943, the owner sold the house to two zamindar (land owner) brothers, Nagendranath

Photo 2: Front of the house (circa 1998) Photo 5: Front of the house showing the monument (circa 1998)

and Dhirendranath Chowdhury, from then Sunamganj sub-division in the district of Sylhet (now in Bangladesh). 35 Based on the name of their native village Gourarang in Sunamganj, the new owners named the house ‘Gourarang Lodge,’ and that was the name by which the local Laban residents identified the house. 36 (Nagendranath’s native house in Sunamganj, the ‘Gourarong Zamindar Bari’, where he lived until the liberation of Bangladesh in 1971, is now one of the top tourist spots in the area.) In 1963 or thereabouts, the Shillong Ramakrishna Mission constructed a stone memorial in front of the house that has the following inscription (see Photo 5):

ARISE AWAKE AND STOP NOT TILL THE GOAL IS REACHED

HERE LIVED SWAMI VIVEKANANDA

IN APRIL 1901

CENTENARY 1963-64

It seems that the descendants of the Chowdhurys lived in that house until around 1997, when the house was sold to a Khasi gentleman. The Ramakrishna Mission was not successful in its attempt to acquire the property. The new owner allowed some of the old residents to live in part of the house, with a plan to eventually demolish the house and build a new one in its place. 37 Photographs of the house that were taken by the author in 1998