An Anecdote:

Swamiji was sitting in the Ashram at Chenkottukonam. A person came to the Ashram accompanied by one of his friends. Swamiji divinely realised that he was a Hindu in love with a Muslim girl. He turned out to be a teacher at the military school at Kazhakkootam (and had secretly fallen in love with the girl he was tutioning at her residence, which he did not reveal to Swamiji).

When he met Swamiji, He offered the man one of the plantain fruits as a remnant of the offering made to the temple deity. The teacher responded by saying that he had no belief in ‘such things’. Swamiji asked him as to what he had no belief in, to which the teacher replied – “the idol”. Swamiji mirthfully told him that it was only plantain fruit and not the idol He offered him. He also told the teacher that he was unknowingly the worshiper of both the idol and the spirit. The teacher desired proof of this statement.

Swamiji pointedly asked him if he will love the dead body of the muslim girl with whom he was in love after her death. The consternation of Swamiji knowing the secret of his love and the desperation of not being able to reply became expressive on his face. Swamiji told him that he should marry the dead body if he had loved the girl’s body and that if it is not possible, it meant he had really loved the life power in it and not the body. It is similarly impossible to marry the life-power without the physical body. Therefore he had loved the life-power through the physical body and what had attracted him to the life-power was the physical body. Both were his deities of worship. Without the physical body there will be no lover and without the life-power the physical body is not required by the lover. Swamiji told him that the life power based on the physical body had made him the lover.

Thus Swamiji reiterated that for understanding the power of life the physical form is essential. The pretty physical body is the idol and what has contributed to prettiness is the life-power. There is no lover or beloved without relation to the physical body and the life-power. The physical body and the life-power cannot be respected without them being mutually related. The secret of idol-worship is the effulgence of life-power in the idol. The brilliant life-power is the basis and neither life nor physical- body can be accepted by avoiding the other.

Thus Swamiji assured the teacher that he who was unable to love the inert physical body had worshipped the ‘spirit’ in it. He cannot be the lover or his object of love cannot be the beloved if one of the above is disproved.On account of their ignorance in ridiculing the idol, he and his lover were unable to understand the relationship between gross matter and life-power in nature.

In such a way did Swamiji explain the spiritual concept behind idol worship.

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Second Visit to USA : Hindu Unity and Punnyabhoomi

Two Malayalee communities who were very interested to listen to Swamiji about the cause of alienation of the Hindu society and the remedies to rejuvenate it sponsored Swamiji’s second visit to U.S.A (1997). In a leading discussion Swamiji presented to the Indians residing in the United States the importance of Punnyabhoomi: the International Sanathana Daily. Swamiji detailed on its significance in promoting the triangular system for the co-ordination and co-operation of different organisations within the Hindu Society. Only re-establishing the triangular integrity amongst religion, politics and economy could repair the shattered cultural decorum and the demoralisation of the Hindu society.  H.H. traveled the length and breadth of the U.S. attending many meetings of various organizations and temple societies.

His Holiness traveled through New York; Richmond in Virginia; Philadelphia; Boston, Columbus and Cleveland in Ohio; Chicago, Los Angels, Dallas, Houston and Florida. Swamiji’s tour was quite an eye-opener to the Hindus residing in the United States vis-à-vis the perilous state of affairs of the Hindu society in their motherland. Swamiji exposed the designs and machinations of the organised religions to capture India through distortion of information, media-onslaught, religious conversion and population explosion. The audience was horrified by the evidences Swamiji put forward on the sheer vulgarity of the distortion of Hindu scriptures and symbols used for religious conversion. Swamiji also highlighted the misinterpretation of our history wherein our culture and heritage were brought under the Biblical conception of the origin of the world at 4004 BC.

Swamiji came down like a thunderbolt on the condescending attitude of the nouveau riche and the elitist pseudo-secularists. He thundered: “You have no right to welcome me to the business culture of America. In fact, I am here to welcome you back to the luminous culture of Bharath. I have not come here to hear the tinkling sound of your dollar but to share the wisdom of our Sages with you all. A Sannyasin is not a beggar and as such should not be viewed in that manner.”

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First Visit To USA: Rejuvenation of faith and the World Hindu Conference

Swamiji’s first visit to USA was in 1983 to attend the World Hindu Conference organised by the Viswa Hindu Parishad at Madison  Square Garden, New York. Main theme of the Conference was the Renaissance of Hinduism. Swamiji spoke on the scientific approach to religion. H.H. pointed out that religion essentially is the science of life and the science of cosmos combined into one. Swamiji argued that the scientifically tempered and technologically oriented youth of the modern era could only be brought closer to their religion and culture by the scientific approach to religion. If we failed to answer the questions of the younger minds it would result in the tragedy of faithlessness. The symbols and suggestions used in Hindu religion have always explained the science of life and secrecy of nature. Never knowing this truth most of the parents and grown-up members of the society failed to impart an education that clarified their doubts. This is the most important point that Swamiji emphasised for the Renaissance of Hinduism. When the session was over, Rajamatha Vijayaraje Scindhia approached Swamiji for a detailed discussion.

Swamiji also spoke on the scientific and spiritual foundations of Vegetarianism. Describing LIFE as the nucleus of the universe with appropriate examples of the uniqueness of the eternal law, H.H. emphasized the duty of life-protection. H.H. also stressed on the uniqueness of the human body, and clearly delineated that the human digestive system only supported vegetables and fruits and not meat. The discussions that followed the presentation led to a series of seminars and interactions with the Vegans and such committed groups of people. Swamiji’s most memorable encounter had been with the first man on the moon, Neil Armstrong.

Swamiji also toured the United States extensively for four months spreading the message of Sanatana Dharma and rejuvenating the faith in the minds of the Hindus living in materialistic Western climes.

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