Source – http://www.hvk.org/articles/0201/195.html

SPIRITUALITY, HOLIDAYS, SACRIFICE AS ENVISIONED BY A SWAMI

Author: V Ramaprasad
Publication: The Indian Express
Date: February 26, 2001

Jagadguru Swami Sathyananda Saraswathy of Trivandrum recently in Mumbai to bless devotees at the Rama Dasa Ashram at Badlapur. He had earlier visualised the construction of a magnum Hanuman prathishta at the same site.

Swamiji says that it is very difficult for a common man to practice spirituality. In his attempt to give this spirituality he conducts various religious functions wherein vedic mantras are chanted, both by trained devotees and the common man.

Swamiji is non-sectarian and allows people of all sects and religions to attend his functions. He refutes the charge that Hindus are fanatics. He stresses on the need for human values and humanity. He says that the classics in Indian religion are non-violent in nature, and this non-violence has to be explained by religious leaders.

He says that Hindu books are fragmented, and most people don’t even know that the primary book of Hindus are the Vedas. He explains that Hindu texts became fragmented from the time of Veda Vyasa, because Veda Vyasa gave the four Vedas to a disciple. Swamiji stresses that the Vedanta is one and the same for all. He also says that even Western Scientists accept their Hindu dictum.

He says consciousness is fundamental to understanding of religion. He criticises religious manipulators, and explains that even a small country like Wales has a rich family and cultural tradition. He says that India has become a holy land for Muslims. Elaborating on religious manipulation Swamiji points out from a book that he read, “Om Namah Shivaya” has been interpreted as “Let all die”. In another work he noticed that a Christian Crown has been given to the Deity Ayyappa.

Talking about religions he said for Muslims and Christians, religion is important but for Hindus community life and politics is more important. He says for Hindus, calenders do not revolve around holymen or avtaars but only God. He states that equality exists in India both in religion and politics.

Talking of Hindu religious holidays, he says that Thursday is the correct holiday for Hindus because it represents Guruwar, and Hindus have high respect for and worship Gurus. For hint there are five Gurus for every Hindu and they are the Mother, Father, Teacher, Elder Brother and Spouse. He criticises the writing of negative religious books, and gave examples of books written about Kalki avtaar of Vishnu and a book written in English about the Sorrow Of Rama. He says this is against Indian ethos.

Talking about animal sacrifice in places of worship, he emphatically states that it is wrong and what people sacrifice is their own ignorance and not innocent animals.

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Extracted and adapted from http://www.hinduismtoday.com/archives/1997/7/1997-7-13.shtml

Article on Siva temples of Kerala July 1997

…. When the temples were built by the rulers of various small princely kingdoms, adequate cultivable land was allocated for meeting expenses. But since the arrival of the British and the subsequent creation of secular India, 90% of the temples have lost their wealth, according to Jagatguru Sathyananda Saraswati. He is Madadhipathi (head) of the Sree Rama Dasa Madom, near Thirvananthapuram and also chairman of Hindu Ikyavedi (United Hindu Forum) which seeks to transfer control of the temples from the government to Hindus.

The temple’s lands were encroached upon by neighbors, and then legally transferred to the encroachers as part of 1960 government land reforms. Thus, explained Swami Sathyananda, many temples have no property except the acre of land upon which they sit. All these temples are now controlled and administered by Devaswom Boards, statutory bodies constituted by the government for this purpose–as is the case in all other Indian states. Only Hindu temples are so controlled; other religions manage their property and affairs without government oversight. Swami Sathyananda said the temple revenue collected by the boards goes to the government treasury and is utilized for purposes other than those of the Hindus–one main reason, he believes, behind the poor maintenance of most temples. Also trade unions formed among temple staff have resulted in a significant number of communists working in the temples and a consequent loss of sanctity, according to Swami.

The Hindu Aikyavedi has now created a “Kerala Devaswom Board” administrated by Hindus which seeks first to oversee all the private temples left in the state (about 300 small rural sanctuaries), and then to take over the rest–at least 2,000–from the government. But given the trend in India, where major temples such as Tirupati have just come under complete government management, such transfer is unlikely….Krishnam Embranthin, a temple head priest, says, “All of these temples were rich until 80 years ago, but now 80% cannot meet day-to-day expenses.”

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We stumbled upon news about Swami Krishnananda Saraswatiji’s fiery speech regarding painter MF Hussain’s outrageous portrayal of Hindu deities and criminal attempt at communalism, on HinduJagruti website. Click the link below to view:

http://www.hindujagruti.org/news/323.html

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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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Karkkidaka Vavu Pithrubali to be held in suburbs of Chicago on 1-Aug-2008

More information can be found at the link below:

http://www.srdm.org/events/USA/bali-2008.html

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