Hari
OM
Story-day is for cultural exploration, puraanas and
parables and finding out about leading lights in spiritual philosophy.
The
following is a 'cut and paste' from CM main site… Swni. Aradhananda interviews
Guru-ji, Sw. Tejomayananda and it is offered here as a 'living voice' for Vedanta and culture. It
demonstrates that the imposition of 'life' is there, even for those who have
risen to the highest spiritual level; and that for outreach, such people must
remain 'grounded'.
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| Brni. Vividisha receiving blessings during diksha ceremony to become Swamini Aradhananda |
September
23, 2013
GURUJI – GENTLE GIANT WITH A
GRAND VISION
Swami
Tejomayananda has churned out quality work and done enormous justice to the
role he is playing as Gurudev, Swami Chinmayananda-ji’s successor.
EXCERPTS
OF THE INTERVIEW
‘Spirituality’ is a loosely used
term these days. What is your definition of spirituality?
Spirituality
does not lie in doing something special. Its essence is in being one’s own true
divine self. In short spirituality is your feeling of oneness with all beings.
This
seems a little too difficult. How can a layman who is caught up in the rat race
of the outside world practise spirituality?
Don’t
you feel a feeling of oneness with your own body? Don’t you feel love and
concern for every limb or part of your body? Similarly a spiritual soul is
filled with love and concern for all beings.
Come
to think of it, every layman practices spirituality to a smaller or greater
level with or without awareness. Doesn’t a family member feel oneness with the
whole family? Similarly NGOs and many other social organizations express
spirituality through their work. If only one becomes conscious of one’s
spiritual nature, one will find it most practicable and fulfilling.
What is the single quality of a
genuinely spiritual soul?
Humility,
because he realizes that the real doer of all things is God and he is merely an
instrument.
As the head of the Mission, you have
to interact with people of diverse mind-sets and natures. How do you manage
this?
As I
told you, the vision of spirituality comes in very handy here. I accept each
person as he or she is and do not become judgmental at any point of my
interaction with him.
But what happens if something goes
wrong between the two of you?
In all
such situations one should try to talk it out and make up as soon as possible.
If a relationship goes beyond repair, then become better, not bitter.
Your dedication to your Guru, Swami
Chinmayananda is very moving. What is it about Gurudev that exactly influenced
you?
In my
childhood, I was pretty much influenced by saints like Swami Ramdas, Swami
Vivekananda, etc. I used to read about their relationship with their gurus and
was very fascinated about the rapport shared between a Guru and a shishya.
Subconsciously, my desire for a guru must have been very strong. This desire
became a reality when I decided to follow Gurudev.
What
moved me most about Gurudev was that he fathered me and taught me things big
and small with boundless love. Then next thing that moved me was his humane and
compassionate approach to people around him. An American once told Gurudev,
“Attitude shows altitude”, to which Gurudev promptly rejoined “No. Attitude
shows depth!” This depth in Gurudev was so spontaneous and evident in his
dealings with people or situations.
How did you conceive of Chinmaya
Vibhooti, that mammoth project on 100 acres of land in Kolwan, as a tribute to
your Guru?
I realized that a great master starts his work with a vision and an
organization run by him remains vibrant only if his vision is kept alive.
Otherwise it becomes stagnant and the followers get distracted. It was to keep
Gurudev’s vision aflame that Chinmaya Vibhooti was conceived. It is very
necessary for all of us devotees and disciples to be aware of his vision, which
is now reflected, in our Mission statement – “To provide to individuals from any background, the wisdom of
Vedanta and the practical means for spiritual growth and happiness, enabling
them to become positive contributors to society”.
One of
Pujya Gurudev’s great gifts was his ability to inspire children, youth and
adults equally- and to sustain their enthusiasm and inspiration to lend their
hearts and minds to the many tasks at hand. That enthusiasm and dedication to
his vision are, to this day, rippling through many mission centres around the
world. They also continue to come up with new projects and sustain those
already established.
What is your single solution for all
the social evils like corruption, violence, etc?
All
evils are only expressions of the ignorance of spiritual knowledge. Just as the
doctors begin with symptomatic treatment of diseases, but slowly work to
eradicate the very cause of diseases, we must eradicate spiritual ignorance to
treat all our social ills. It is the vision that makes all the difference. A
narrow vision is divisive, a broad vision is expansive but a spiritual vision
is all-inclusive.
Should politicians be made aware of
this vision, since they are channels of change?
Definitely.
For them spirituality should translate into rising above individual party
interests. They should identify with the entire nation. In short the message
for them is “Nation before self!”
What stirs your heart?
The
sublime heights I am transported to while reflecting or discoursing on the
Upanishads. While that is for my intellect, my heart rejoices in the grace of
my Lord Rama in each and every moment and event of my life. Then there is
classical Indian music for my devotional and emotional appeal.
Finally, why are you not for the
media at all?
I
often find that they misquote what is said and then you have to call another
press conference to qualify your stand. Also there is no end to the number of
newspapers or TV channels who would seek interviews with you, if you consent to
one of their requests. Then there are these photo shoots, which take up a lot
of your time. So I think it is better to keep on doing your best and let your
work do all the talking.
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| Pujya Guru-ji Swami Tejomayananda |