TATTVA DARSANA 37-1 &2 Jan-June 2020

TATTVA DARSANA 37-1&2 January-June 2020 (Cover)

 

TATTVA DARSANA QUARTERLY January-June 2020, Vol. 37, No. 1&2 Editor: Sadhu Prof. V. Rangarajan

SRI GURUJI GOLWALKAR

Compilation of Articles

by SADHU PROF. V. RANGARAJAN

 

Contents

Editorial

SRI GURUJI M.S.GOLWALKAR                                                 2

SRI GURUJI GOLWALKAR

—A Traveller On The Path To Eternity                                         3

TWO GREAT CENTENARIES IN 2006                                      19

HOMAGE TO A PATRIARCH                                                   23

SALUTATIONS TO SRI GURUJI GOLWALKAR

—The Preceptor Of The Nation                                                    31

SRI GURUJI GOLWALKAR

–The Lotus Of Patriotism That Blossomed In Spiritual Lake       34

NEWS AND NOTES                                                                      48

 

 

Bharatamata Gurukula Ashram, ‘Sri Bharati Mandir’, Srinivasanagar, Kithaganur Road,

Krishnarajapuram, Bangalore 560 036.

Phone: 91-80-25610935 Mobile: 94482 75935

E-mail: sadhu.rangarajan@gmail.com;

Website: sribharatamatamandir.org

 

 

 

 

Editorial

 

SRI GURUJI M.S. GOLWALKAR

 

Paramapoojaneeya Sri Guruji Madhavarao Sadashivarao Golwalkar, who succeeded Paramapoojaneeya Dr. Keshav Baliram Hedgewar, as the Sarsanghchalak of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, was endearingly addressed by millions of Swayamsevaks of the Sangh inside the country and abroad and others who knew him as a national leader, as “Guruji”, not in the sense of the term which is generally used to refer to a spiritual leader, head of a mutt or mission or a godman. Before taking over the reins of the great organization, RSS, he served as a Professor in Benaras Hindu University founded by Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya and he was called “Guruji” by the students of the great institution. Though he took initiation from Swami Akhandananda, the direct disciple of Maa Sharada Devi, the divine consort of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, he did not enter into the life of a religious preacher or spiritual preceptor, but dedicated his life at the altar of Mother Bharat as Her servant to create a national awakening among the Hindus and arouse the spirit of adoration and worship of Hindu Rashtra in the hearts of the children of this great Motherland to make Her the Loka Guru—the Preceptor of the World. He was a patriarch of the Sangh Parivar and every member of the Sangh, right from the shishu or bala swayamsevak to the senior most pracharak or karyakarta looked upon him as the patriarch or head of a mammoth joint family. He shared the happiness as well as sorrows of the individual swayamsevaks and was always accessible to every one of them.

 

The articles in this issue of TATTVA DARSANA were penned by this sadhu who, at the age of ten, came under the spell of the great patriarch and as a youth, inspired by Sri Guruji, dedicated his life for the cause of the Sangh, holding various responsibilities in the Sangh Parivar. This book is a compilation of the articles published in the journal during the last two decades and is dedicated to the sacred memory of Sri Guruji.

 

Vande Mataram!

 

SRI GURUJI GOLWALKAR

—A Traveller On The Path To Eternity

 

“My address is the railway compartment and my house is the whole society spread around me” – so said Sri Guruji Golwalkar, the second Sarsanghchalak of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Perhaps what he jovially remarked was literally true. The entire second half of his life time, for thirty three years, he was on a nonstop journey, travelling twice a year from Kanyakumari to Kashmir and from Guvahati to Mumbai, covering hundreds of villages, towns and cities in all the provinces of this vast country. About 75 times he travelled all over the length and breadth of the country after he took over from his mentor, Dr. Keshav Baliram Hedgewar, the mantle of the Sarsanghchalak of the Sangh, rekindling the embers of the Hindu national spirit which was almost at the lowest ebb because of a thousand years of foreign aggressions, slavery and alien rule. In the long journey of his ideal life, Sri Guruji followed verbatim what he preached: “There are some who sacrifice their lives in a flash of martyrdom. True, that is also glorious and inspiring. But to burn oneself every moment of life to light up countless other hearts is verily tapasya of the highest order.”

 

The Beginning of the Journey

 

The early life of Sri Guruji Golwalkar never gave any hint about his future plunge into the national life and taking over the stewardship of a mighty and powerful organization to raise the country once again to its pristine glory. Madhavrao Sadashiv Golwalkar was the fourth of the nine children of Sri Sadashivrao and Smt. Lakshmibai, born at Nagpur, on February 19, 1906. Of the nine children, ‘Madhu’, as Madhavrao was lovingly called, alone grew into adulthood and all the others had left the world in the infancy or childhood itself. After passing his Matriculation from Jubilee High School, Chanda, and Intermediate from Hislop College, Nagpur, Madhavrao joined the Benaras Hindu University for his higher studies and took his B.Sc. in 1924 and M.Sc. in Zoology, in 1926 and then came to Madras for his research work in the Aquarium. However, he had to give up his research work incomplete and go back to Benaras where he joined as a Professor in the Benaras Hindu University, a post which he held for three years from 1930 to 33. That was the period during which the national spirit in him and the pride and respect for the Hindu culture were aroused by his close association with Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya, the founder of the University, and his contact with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the branch of which had started functioning in the University campus. From 1931 onwards, Sri Guruji, as Madhavrao was affectionately and respectfully addressed by the students in the University, came in close contact with the RSS founded by Dr. Keshav Baliram Hedgewar at Nagpur on the Vijayadashami Day in 1925. The discipline, dedication and sterling character of the Swayamsevaks proved to be a powerful attraction to Sri Guruji and he was also inspired by the ideals of the Sangh. In 1932, he received an invitation from Dr. Hedgewar to attend the Vijayadashami Celebrations at Nagpur and that drew him closer to the founder of the Sangh. In 1933, Sri Guruji left Benaras and joined the Law College at Nagpur. The life at Nagpur drew him closer to the Sangh work in which he became very active. In 1934, he was made the Sarvadhikari of Sangh Shiksha Varg at Akola. In 1935, he successfully completed his LL.B. His parents wanted him to enter into family life, but Sri Guruji’s aspirations were something higher than the mundane material life. On the one side, his deep study of and erudition in the spiritual literature of the country had kindled in him the desire to dedicate his life for higher spiritual pursuits. He was deeply influenced by the life of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and inspired by the writings of Swami Vivekananda and was drawn closer to the Sri Ramakrishna Math in Nagpur. At the same time there was also the other powerful pull of the magnetic personality and selfless and dedicated life of Dr. Hedgewar. One day in October 1933, without telling anyone, he left Nagpur and reached the Sargachi Ashram in Murshidabad District, Bengal, in search of his guru, Swami Akhandananda, a gurubhai of Swami Vivekananda. Forgetting all about himself, his family and his brethren in the Sangh family, Sri Guruji plunged into the service of his master day and night and in spiritual Sadhana under his guidance. At last, he received initiation from the master on the auspicious occasion of Makara Sankranti on January 13, 1937. However, the Swami was well aware of the long journey that Sri Guruji had to undertake in the service of the nation and even indicated in a conversation with Sri Amithab Maharaj, a gurubhai of Sri Guruji, that the latter was destined to work with Dr. Hedgewar. The master lovingly asked Sri Guruji never to cut short his beautiful hair or shave off his beard. After the Mahasamadhi of his master, Sri Guruji returned to Nagpur. A storm was raging in his mind – whether to renounce the world for his own individual spiritual salvation or to dedicate his life at the altar of the Motherland and burn it like a candle shedding light around while effacing itself. Ultimately, as his master expected, Sri Guruji surrendered himself at the feet of Dr. Hedgewar in the service of the Hindu Nation. His parents knew well what the ambition was in the heart of their son and let him pursue it. Sri Guruji plunged heart and soul into Sangh work. In May-June 1938, he was the Sarvadhikari of the Sangh Shiksha Varg at Nagpur. After a congregation of the Karyakartas of the Sangh, held at Sindhi, where very important decisions with regard to spreading the work of Sangh in every nook and corner of the country was taken, and the Sanskrit Sangh prarthana was also adopted, Dr. Hedgewar sent Sri Guruji to Calcutta to start the Sangh work there. Sri Guruji stayed there for a month and successfully started the Sangh work there with his incessant efforts. After his return to Nagpur, on the occasion of Gurudakshina and Rakshabandhan celebrations in august 1939, Dr. Hedgewar announced Sri Guruji’s name as the Sarkaryavah.

 

The Ship on the Sail

 

Dr. Keshav Baliram Hedgewar attained Mahasamadhi on Friday, June 21, 1940. Before departing from this world, he had chosen his successor, Sri Guruji Golwalkar. Sri Guruji took over as Sarsanghchalak of  RSS on July 3, 1940, and from then onwards, for the next 33 years, it was an endless sail for the Sangh ship through turbulent waves, cyclonic storms and avalanches. Sri Guruji proved himself to be a very efficient captain. On the occasion of his taking charge as Sarsanghchalak, the utter humility and spirit of self-effacement found manifestation in his words when he compared himself to a cowherd boy who happened to sit on a mound beneath which the throne of Vikramaditya was lying hidden at Avanti and therefore, was able to administer justice very efficiently.  He said, who ever became Sarsanghchalak, the postion once held by Dr. Hedgewar, must necessarily become efficient like the founder. He also called upon the Swayamsevaks – “Shivo bhootvaa shivam yajet” – “Worship Shiva by becoming Shiva” and said, the greatest homage that they could pay to Dr. Hedgewar was to become like him and sacrifice their all at the altar of the Motherland, dissolving themselves like a sandal wood that spreads its fragrance even while getting effaced.

 

Sri Guruji’s non-stop tours all over the country were all well planned and well organized. On no account he ever allowed any of his tour programmes cancelled. Not only that, he maintained punctuality at any cost, all through the three decades of his incessant tours. In 1942, when the clouds of world war had spread all over, Sri Guruji was scheduled to travel in Bengal. There was a threat of Japanese attack and therefore the Sangh workers pleaded with Sri Guruji to cancel his tour of Bengal. However, Sri Guruji flatly refused and wanted them to go ahead with the arrangements. Threat to life, for him, was not a deterrent to his mission.

 

On August 16, 1946, Mohammad Ali Jinnah’s ‘direct action plan’ was announced and the announcement of partition of the country followed on June 3, 1947. In the pre-partition period, Sri Guruji was on a hectic tour of the Punjab and Sindh provinces, braving all sorts of threats and dangers to his life. He gave solace and inspiration to lakhs of Hindu brethren who were being displaced from those parts of the country by the violence and bloodshed unleashed by the Muslim community. Up to August 8, 1947, Sri Guruji toured the entire Sindh province. Not only communal frenzy, but even nature’s fury could not prevent Sri Guruji from going ahead with his tours. While he was on his way from Jalandhar to Ludhiana, he had to cross the Chahedu bridge which collapsed. There was a powerful current of the river below the bridge and the Sangh workers who had accompanied Sri Guruji were in a fix knowing not what to do. However, Sri Guruji coolly started walking over the hanging railway line unmindful of the grave danger. The workers could not but follow him and all of them reached the other side very safely. Sometimes Sri Guruji had to cover long distances by walk and sometimes he had to sit in the cabin of the engine driver or sit on the top of charcoal loaded in goods wagons to continue his onward journey and reach the destinations in time, but he faced all obstacles with a calm and unperturbed mind and kept up his programmes according to schedule.

 

Facing the Partition of the Country

 

Dr. Hedgewar, who was involved in the revolutionary movement for India’s freedom in his early days and was, later, a prominent leader of the Congress movement in Central Province, warned the nation and the leaders, right from the period of the Khilafat movement, about the grave dangers of the policy of appeasement of the so called minorities who were looking towards forces outside the country for inspiration. He was of the firm view that it was unnatural to treat one section of the people as minorities as against the majority who constituted the national mainstream as it would only lead to the isolation of the section from a virile national life and lead to the disintegration of the country. What he feared did happen when the country was partitioned on communal lines. Sri Guruji and other great national leaders like Sri Aurobindo and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose were all opposed tooth and nail to the partition of the country and even Mahatma Gandhi had vowed that the country could be divided only over his dead body, but the hurry in which the Congress leadership wanted to gain independence and come to power pushed the country into partition. After the unfortunate event occurred, all the efforts of Sri Gurui was turned towards rendering maximum help to the new national government in resettling the displaced Hindu population fleeing from the Pakisthani territory amidst bloodshed and violence. There was even a threat of aggression by the new Islamic Government that came into existence in Pakisthan.  It was at this juncture that Sri Guruji travelled all over the country giving a call to the Swayamsevaks to stand by the Congress government in the hour of distress. “Vayam panchaadhikam shatam” – “We are 105” –, he quoted the words of Dharmaputra who wanted the Pandavas to stand by the Kauravas when there was a threat from the Gandharvas. Sri Guruji met Mahatma Gandhi at a banghi colony in Delhi on September 12, 1947, and Mahatama Gandhi addressed the Swayamsevaks. ‘The Dawn’ from Karachi reported about this under the title “Mahatma Gandhi’s Guidance to Sangh Swayamsevaks”. The Swayamsevaks had arranged for the protection of the Mahatma. There was a bomb explosion in Karachi. Sri Khemchand Gopaldas and 20 Swayamsevaks were arrested by the Pakistan Government. Sri Guruji sprang into action and he persuaded the Home Ministry of India to get the Hindus released in exchange for a Pakistani prisoner in India, Quereshi, under the prisoners exchange treaty. The services that the Swayamsevaks rendered in rehabilitating the refugees from Pakistan won the appreciation of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel who had a soft corner for Sri Guruji in his heart.

 

Role in Accession of Kashmir to India

 

The alertness and vigilance of Sri Guruji in the matter of nation’s security and integrity manifested fully at the time of the accession of Kashmir to India. The Maharaja of Kashmir, Sri Hari Singh, was in two minds whether to accede to India or not, while the Pakistanis were all set to devour Kashmir. Home Mnister, Sardar Vallbhbhai Patel sought the timely services of Sri Guruji Golwalkar to persuade the Maharaja. The Pakistani Forces were about to move into Kashmir with a plan to hoist the Pakistani Flag at Srinagar on October 26, 1947, and there were reports that the Muslim soldiers in the Maharaja’s army were planning to join the Pakistanis. It was at this hour of crisis that Sardar Patel sent Sri Guruji as his emissary to the Maharaja. The hopes of Patel were not belied. Sri Guruji who flew into Srinagar on October 17, 1947, met the Maharaja and convinced him that it was a vain hope to keep Kashmir as an Independent State, as Pakistan would never allow its free existence. He made the King realize that the safety and security of Kashmir and the Kashmiris was only in the merger of the State into the Indian Union. On October 19, Sri Guruji returned to Delhi and apprised Sardar Patel about the mission successfully accomplished by him. On October 23, the deed of accession of Kashmir into Indian Union was signed by the Maharaja and on October 27, the Indian Forces started landing in Kashmir. The Swayamsevaks in Kashmir rose up to the occasion to extend all out help to the Indian Army. They cleared bushes and made the Srinagar airport fit for the Indian Army planes to land. There was tension all over Srinagar and the Maharaja himself had moved to safety in the Jammu area. However, hundreds of Swayamsevaks stood at the airport welcoming the Indian Army and extending all out help to them. The Maharaja was all praise for the services of the Swayamsevaks: “The Sangh Swayamsevaks gave us from time to time very important information. First we could not believe them, but later we realized that the information received from them alone was wholly reliable. Words are not adequate to praise the courage of the Swayamsevaks who brought us information about the movements of the Pakistani Army.” The Pakistani aggression on Kashmir border was complete by October 11. Twenty thousand Muslims in Jammu wanted to stand by Pakistan. However, the brave Swayamsevaks saved Jammu from falling into Pakistani hands. Like in Srinagar, they cleared the Jammu airport to enable the Indian Dakota fighter planes to land safely. Five hundred Swayamsevaks worked incessantly for seven days to clear the airport.

 

Gandhi Assassination and the Dark Period

 

On January 30, 1948, Sri Guruji was at Madras, addressing a group of intellectuals and prominent leaders of the city, at the residence of Sri Ramswami Iyer. Suddenly the news came that Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated at Birla Mandir, Delhi. Sri Guruji had a rude shock and he remarked that it was the “greatest misfortune for the country”. He at once cancelled all his further programmes and rushed back to Nagpur.

 

Right from the beginning of the RSS work, a considerable section in the Indian National Congress was envious of the growth of the Sangh as a nationalist force. The closeness of Sangh, particularly of Sri Guruji, to Sardar Patel, was creating panic in the minds of those who were close to Pandit Nehru. Even Nehru, in a talk at Amritsar, on January 29, 1948, had said, “We will root out the Sangh”. The assassination of Mahatma Gandhi came as a timely opportunity to carry out their evil designs. The Hindu Maha Sabha and the RSS who did not see eye to eye with the Congress, especially in the matter of its Muslim appeasement policy, were implicated in the Gandhi assassination and as a sequel the great national leaders, Veer Vinayak Damodar Savarkar and Sri Guruji Golwalkar, were incarcerated. The RSS was banned on February 4, 1948. However, the nefarious designs of the anti-Hindutva forces did not work out fully. The Home Minister, Sardar Patel, after a thorough enquiry, informed Pandit Nehru in the last week of February 1948, that the RSS had nothing to do with the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi. Though the charges against the RSS were dropped, the detention of Sri Guruji continued for six months till August 6, 1948, when he was released. Even after release, the Government imposed restrictions on his movement outside Nagpur. On October 13, 1948, the restrictions were also lifted. Sri Guruji immediately left for Delhi to meet the Home Minister, Sardar Patel, on October 17. He met him again on October 23 to get the ban on Sangh lifted. Sardar Patel, who was well aware of the sterling character, discipline and patriotism of the Sangh cadres wanted the Sangh to merge in the Congress Party. However, Sri Guruji flatly refused the proposal because the Sangh always wanted to remain outside party politics, strengthening the Hindu society and instilling patriotism and discipline in the Hindus. As the talks with the Government for lifting the ban failed, Sri Guruji was asked to leave Delhi immediately. However, Sri Guruji continued to stay there writing letters to Sardar Patel and Pandit Nehru. As he refused to leave Delhi, he was arrested again on November 18, 1948, and was brought to Nagpur. The irony was that he was arrested under the Bengal State Prisoners Act 1818, which the Congress itself had condemned as “Black Law” during the British regime!

 

As all the doors for getting justice from the government were closed, Sri Guruji decided to launch the mighty weapon of Satyagraha. On December 9, 1948, under the leadership of Sarkaryavah, Sri Bhayyaji Dhani, the RSS launched a nationwide Satyagraha. Sixty thousand Swayamsevaks all over the country were arrested in two months and were incarcerated in the various prisons. It shook the very conscience of the nation that the patriotic, dynamic, young men of the country were languishing in the jails; and many prominent personalities and national leaders in the country who were above petty party politics became concerned about the fate of these youth. A prominent leader of Madras, Sri T.R. Venkatrama Shastri intervened to negotiate between the Sangh and the government. The government insisted on RSS having a written constitution and Shastry, with the help of a senior RSS leader, Sri Eknath Ranade, and guidance of Sri Guruji, prepared a written constitution and submitted to the government. Ultimately their efforts succeeded and the ban on the Sangh was lifted on July 12, 1949. The very next day, Sri Guruji was released from the Betul Jail.

 

Rising Up of Phoenix

 

The Sangh, which passed through the fire ordeal, rose up once again like the legendary Phoenix. Not only that the Shakas started once again all over the country, the public wanted to have a glimpse of the great man who was heading this mammoth organization. When Sri Guruji set out once again on his nationwide tour, for five months it was a galore of grand receptions everywhere in which, apart from the Swayamsevaks, lakhs of men and women including prominent citizens gathered to give a rousing welcome to the saintly personality in the railway stations and in the public functions. On August 23, 1949, right in the capital of the nation, at Ramlila Grounds in Delhi, five lakhs of people gathered to give a grand reception to Sri Guruji. It was at that time the public could see the exemplary humility and spirit of self-effacement of Sri Guruji. He wanted the audience not to raise the slogans like “Long live Sri Guruji” and “Long live RSS”, for he said, individuals and institutions are not eternal, but the country is and therefore he wanted them to shout instead, “Bharat Mata ki Jai!” Soothing the anger of the Swayamsevaks against the Congress Government which perpetrated the injustice against Sangh, Sri Guruji asked them, “What will you do if your own teeth bite your tongue? Will you knock out your own teeth?” He pointed out that it was after all our own national government that did this and not an alien government.  Even this immense generosity and spirit of forgiveness on the part of Sri Guruji did not impress Nehru. However, other leaders like Rajarshi Purushottamdas Tandon and Sri Dwarika Prasad Mishra earnestly desired that Sangh  Swayamsevaks should join the Congress Party. Even a resolution was passed opening the doors of the Congress to the Sangh workers. Sangh never objected to the Swayamsevaks joining, in their individual capacity, any political party which stood for national interests, but the insistance of the Congress that they could not thereafter be in any voluntary organization other than the Congress Seva Dal closed the doors of Congress once for all to the Swayamsevaks.

 

In 1951, when the Bharatiya Jan Sangh was formed and the great national leader, Dr. Shyam Prasad Mukherji took over the leadership of the party, he sought the support of Sri Guruji. Sri Guruji made it very clear that the Sangh as an organization will always keep away from party politics, but at the same time he agreed to give from the Sangh cadres such gems of young, patriotic and dedicated workers like Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya to help in building up the political party into a truly nationalist force. From December 25, 1951, to January 18, 1952, when the national elections were taking place, Sri Guruji kept himself aloof from the din and bustle of political field and spent his time in spiritual Sadhana , staying at the famous Sinhagad of Chatrapati Shivaji, near Pune.

 

Rousing the Hindu Consciousness

 

Sri Guruji’s continuous travel throughout the length and breadth of the country had only one aim – to rouse the Hindu consciousness and revitalize the most ancient nation by rekindling in the hearts of the children of the Motherland the pride and respect for the age old cultural and spiritual values which formed the bedrock of Hindu nationalism. Addressing a massive Sadhu Sammelan at Kanpur in October 1952, Sri Guruji called upon the ochre-robed sadhus, sants and mahatmas of the land to carry the message of the Bhagava Dwaj, which has been the symbol of Hindu nationalism since times immemorial, to the common masses. He pointed out that it was because of their neglect that the Hindu society remained divided and weak.

 

Mahatma Gandhi wanted the ban on cow slaughter to be made the first and foremost task of Free India, but the Muslim appeasement policy of Nehru scotched the dream of Bapu and his followers like Acharya Vinoba Bhave. Sri Guruji wanted to create an awakening in the country about this fundamental issue of ban on cow slaughter. The RSS accordingly passed a resolution in September 1952 demanding total ban on cow slaughter throughout the country. A nationwide campaign to collect signatures of the people in support of this call was launched. Fifty four thousand workers of the Sangh moved about in eighty five thousand villages of the country and collected two crores of signatures from the public, including several Muslims and Christians, to be presented to the President of India. On December 7, 1952, the nation’s capital Delhi witnessed a massive procession of one and a half miles long, which ended in a big rally addressed by Sri Guruji and Dr. Shyam Prasad Mukherji.

 

On February 7, 1956, Sri Guruji turned 51 years. The Swayamsevaks all over the country wanted to celebrate his birthday, but Sri Guruji at first disagreed, for it was his firm view that adoration and worship of the individual should never be allowed in the Sangh, and that the ideal was greater than the individual, however great he may be. However, the Swayamsevaks and karyakartas convinced him that the celebrations were meant only to spread the cause of the Sangh among the people and assured that all the love offerings made to Sri Guruji on the occasion will be fully utilized for the Sangh work only. Accordingly a month long tour programme of Sri Guruji addressing birthday celebrations in various parts of the country was finalized. The programme started with a grand function, presided over by the renowned historian, Dr. Radha Kumud Mukherji, at Nagpur, on March 8, 1956, and ended with an equally grand function presided over by Dr. Sitaram, Former High Commissioner of India to Pakistan, at Delhi, on April 8, 1956. Everywhere, Sri Guruji stressed that only when intense devotion to the Motherland was aroused in the hearts of the Hindus, a virile national life of dedication, discipline and sacrifice for the cause of the country could be evolved to build a mighty and powerful nation, and called upon the Swayamsevaks to engage themselves in incessant work of the daily shakas to instill these values in the people.

 

The grand inauguration of the Smriti Mandir of Dr. Keshav Baliram Hedgewar at the Reshimbaag Grounds in Nagpur, took place on the auspicious occasion of the Varshapratipada, on 9^th April 1962, which also happened to be the birthday of the great Seer of Hindu Rashtra. His Holiness Jagadguru Shankaracharya of Kanchi Kamakothi Peetham, Sri Chandrashekarendra Saraswati Swamigal, had accepted the invitation to inaugurate the memorial, but when Sri Guruji came to know that the great saint, because of His vow to travel only by walk, would be put to severe physical strain by the long walk He would have to undertake to reach Nagpur, appealed to Him to send only His Akshata to be scattered on the memorial thereby invoking the saint’s blessings. Accordingly the saint sent the Akshatas and the memorial was consecrated with the Paramacharya’s blessings.

 

Help During the Chinese Aggression

 

In a press interview in Maharashtra on April 2, 1960, Sri Guruji had referred to a possible confrontation between India and China. In spite of his repeated warnings, the Nehru Government which had adopted the Panch Sheela policy, went on raising the vain slogan, “Hindi Chini Bhai Bhai”, unaware of the dragon that was creeping into the Indian border. It got awakened only when the battle guns of the enemy boomed on the border in 1962. The Chinese army was marching fast into the Arunachal Pradesh and there was grave threat for Assam. Under the able and efficient guidance of Sri Guruji, Swayamsevaks in the province plunged into action and stood by the Indian Army, helping them in protecting the life and property of the people. The patriotism and spirit of self-sacrifice exhibited by the Swayamsevaks prompted even Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, a staunch critic of the Sangh, to invite them to participate in the Republic Day Parade at Delhi in 1963. Thirty thousand Swayamsevaks in full uniform marched along with the contingents of Army, Navy, Air Force and para-military forces like the NCC. Perhaps the massive show of strength, discipline and excellent training by the RSS was too much for the Congress Government to digest and the invitation was never extended again.

 

Building Up Indo-Nepal Bonds

 

Whatever be the attitude of the Congress Government towards RSS and the patriotic Sangh cadres, Sri Guruji never failed in extending his services to the Government in protecting the unity and integrity of the nation. Especially after the Chinese aggression, Sri Guruji felt strongly the need to strengthen the relations of India with the neighbouring Hindu nation, Nepal. Incidentally, Sri Guruji had the opportunity to visit Kathmandu for the darshan of Lord Pashupatinath on the occasion of the Shivaratri on January 26, 1963. Sri Guruji made use of the visit to call on the Maharajadhiraj  Mahendra Vikram Shah, the King of Nepal. The then Prime Minister of Nepal, Dr.  Tulsi Giri, who was very close to the Sangh when he was a student in India, arranged the meting of Sri Guruji with the Nepal King. Sri Guruji wanted the king to come closer to the Sangh which was unifying the Hindus in India, and also help in setting up a World Hindu Council. The Himalayan Kingdom, being close to India culturally and spiritually since times immemorial, wanted to have strong bonds with Bharat and there was a positive response from the King to Sri Guruji’s approach. Sri Guruji also invited the Maharajadhiraj to visit Bharat to address a programme of the RSS and the latter agreed. After his return to India, Sri Guruji apprised Sri Lal Bahadur Shastri and the Prime Minister, Pandit Nehru, about his meting with the King of Nepal. Sri Shastriji even praised the role of Sri Guruji, later in 1965, in a conversation with Sri Atal Behari Vajpayee. The Maharadhiraj had agreed to address the Makarasankranti Celebrations of the RSS at Nagpur on January 14, 1965, but the anti-Hindu forces inside and outside the Congress and the Communists raised objections to the Maharajadhiraj of Nepal coming and openly participating in an RSS rally. Though the Maharajadhiraj was constrained to express his inability to participate in the function, he did send through a special emissary his inspiring message to be read out on the occasion.

 

Helping Hand to Lal Bahadur during Indo-Pak War

 

As a true tapasvi, Sri Guruji faced bouquets and brickbats with the same equanimity of mind, but he never failed in his duty to the country and the Government on the occasions of national crises. In 1965, when the Indo-Pak War broke out, Sri Guruji was in Sangli in Maharashtra. The Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri had organized a meeting of all political leaders of the country to seek their cooperation. Though Sri Guruji did not represent any political party, Lal Bahadur wanted Sri Guruji to be present on the occasion and therefore sent a special message to him. Responding to the message, Sri Guruji rushed to Delhi immediately. Participating in the meeting, he gave clear  guidance to the Government to deal with the situation. He suggested that, in order to stop the aggression of the Pak forces into Jammu and Kashmir and in the Kutch region, the Indian forces should attack Lahore. Apart from giving suggestions, Guruji also extended as usual the all out support of the Sangh to the Government. Under the guidance of Sri Guruji, Swayamsevaks in the border areas engaged themselves in dynamic action to render all possible help to the Armed Forces and to raise the morale of the people in the border areas. The sacrifices of the Swayamsevaks touched the hearts of our brave jawans, but Sri Guruji never wanted any publicity about all that. Much later, in 1972, when a booklet about the role of RSS in the Indo-Pak War, brought out by some swayamsevaks, was placed in his hands, Sri Guruji strongly objected to it and asked: “Will it be proper for a son to publicise his services to his own mother? Whatever the Swayamsevaks did in the service of the Motherland was their natural duty. Then why should it be publicized?”

 

The Culmination of Incessant Efforts

 

The long journeys that Sri Guruji undertook throughout the country, meeting great acharyas, mahants, sadhus and sannyasins, and mingling with the Hindu masses everywhere, like the churning of ocean, did result in the emergence of the nectar — the setting up of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad in a meeting of great spiritual leaders belonging to the traditional Hindu orders as well as the Buddhist, Jain and Sikh sampradayas, held at the Sandeepani Ashram of Swami Chinmayananda, at Powai in Mumbai, on the auspicious Krishna Janmashthami day, August 29, 1964. Prominent Sikh leader, Master Tara Singh, and the renowned Maharashtra saint, Sant Tukadoji Maharaj, were also present on the occasion. The decision was taken to bring Hindus all over the world under one banner and a clear cut definition of the term Hindu was also given — “All those who respect and revere the eternal values that have sprung up in Bharatavarsha are Hindus”. On the occasion of the Poorna Amrita Kumbha at Prayag, on January 22, 23 and 24, 1966, there was a massive Hindu congregation on the banks of the Triveni Sangam under the auspices of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, where the organization was formally launched. All the great acharyas of the land had assembled there to address several lakhs of Hindu brethren from all over the country and abroad. All through the conference, Sri Guruji sat like a humble servant, serving the spiritual leaders and giving guidance to the volunteers and the speech that he delivered at the instance of the Dwaraka Peeth Shankaracharya, was the expression of his utter humility as well as the sense of fulfillment in his heart. Sri Guruji was of the firm view that unless and until the poor and downtrodden sections of the Hindus, especially the tribal population, were brought into the mainstream of Hindu national life, Hindu unity will only be a distant dream. In 1967, in the Jorhat Conference of VHP, Sri Guruji touched the hearts of thousands of our tribal brethren when he sat with them and dined. It was for the first time these poor tribal people had seen a Hindu mahatma sitting in their midst and taking food with them. Sri Guruji was instrumental in getting all the Dharmacharyas of the land unanimously pass a resolution in the VHP Conference at Udipi in 1969 openly declaring that untouchability had no sanction at all in Hindu scriptures and it was a blot on  Hinduism. “Na Hindur patito bahvet” – “No Hindu is ever low”—declared the spiritual masters. Sri Guruji called it the “Finest Hour” in his Sangh life.

 

The Last Journey

 

Incessant travel from one end of the land to the other, and tireless work day and night, for three long decades, did tell upon the frail physical frame of Sri Guruji. On April 7, 1970, in the Varshapratipada Celebrations at Nagpur, Sri Guruji could not speak due to ill-health. In August 1969 itself, a malignant growth on his chest was noticed and later it was confirmed that it was cancerous. The undaunted Sri Guruji only wanted to know from the doctors how much time he had yet to finish his work. He refused to cancel his tour programmes and go on rest, though his body did not cooperate. On September 4, 1970, the inauguration of the Vivekananda Rock Memorial at Kanyakumari by the then President, Sri V.V.Giri, took place. Though it was the fulfillment of a long cherished dream of Sri Guruji, he could not attend it because of failing health. However, he was able to address a massive gathering of 20,000 Swayamsevaks at the Ramlila Ground at Delhi on November 12, 1970. Sri Guruji was now preparing for his last journey. Already in September 1967, Sri Guruji had performed his ‘Shraddha’ for himself and his ancestors at Brahmakapal in Badri. Now, before departing from this world, he wanted to have darshan of mahatmas and visit pilgrim centers. On March 11, 1972, he visited Sri Aurobindo Ashram at Pondicherry and met the Mother. The meeting was unique for throughout the meeting, both of them sat face to face, in silent communion with each other. From October 29 to November 2, 1972, Sri Guruji was in a Congregation of all the important workers of the Sangh from all over the country, held at Thane. About 45,000 workers had attended the programme. On March 23, 1973, Sri Guruji addressed the Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha of RSS at Nagpur and with much difficulty, made a 40 minute speech. Sri Guruji wanted to carry on the Sangh work till his last breath. Throughout his Sangh life, he had attended the daily Sangh Prarthana at the Sanghasthan. The last Prarthana that he attended on the Saghsthan was at the Mohite Sanghsthan at Nagpur, on March 26, 1973. Though he could not walk to the Sanghsthan thereafter, he stood on the portico of the building where he was staying and attended the Prarthana.

 

The annual summer camps of the Sangh in April-May in different provinces started as usual, but Sri Guruji was unable to go anywhere. However, it was arranged that the Swayamsevaks from different provinces attending the third year training camp at Nagpur would meet Sri Guruji in batches provincewise. This continued up to May 23, 1973.

 

On April 2, 1973, Sri Guruji had written three letters and handed them over to the Kendra Karyalaya Pramukh, Sri Pandurangpanth Ksheersagar. On 5^th June 1973, the morning was bright. Sri Guruji did his prayers as usual. He turned to his personal assistant, Dr. Aba Datte, and told, “Aba, it seems the bell is ringing today. The call will come, but there is nothing to worry. However, the Sangh Shiksha Vargs are going on and our workers are on tours according to schedule. Our wish is that their programmes should not be obstructed at any cost.”

 

Usually Sri Guruji used to keep his Kamandalu on the left side and whenever he started on a journey, he shifted it to the right side of his seat. Before starting on his last journey also, Sri Guruji did the same. He took the Kamandalu and placed it on the right side. And at 9.05 in the night, he entered into Mahanirvana.

 

His Last Will and Testament

 

After his passing away the letters given by him to the Karyalaya Pramukh were opened and read out in the presence of thousands of Swayamsevaks and karyakartas who had gathered for his funeral. In one of them, Sri Guruji had announced that Sri Balasaheb Deoras, who was then Sarkaryavah, will succeed as the Sarsanghchalak. In the second he had made an appeal not to erect any memorial for him and also said, no rites and rituals need be performed for him as he had already performed his own Shraddha. The third one was the most touching message. He had made an appeal that if anyone had ever been hurt inadvertently by him at any time, he must be forgiven for the pain caused. The letter was all the more poignant, for  he had quoted a verse of Sant Tukaram  in which the Sant expresses his inability to go to Pandarpur and appeals to the mahatmas going there to convey his prayer to the Lord of Pandarpur not to forsake him.

 

To that great traveler on the path of eternity, it will be fitting to pay our homage in the very words in which he paid homage to his predecessor:

 

“Though stern and unsparing to himself, what an ocean of love he was to each and every one of us! Words fail to describe the depth of that pure and selfless love. The boundless affection of the mother’s heart, the sleepless care and diligence of the father and the inspiring guidance of the guru found their culmination in that single bosom. I for one feel it my proud privilege to worship him as my ideal. The worship of such a soul transcends the worship of the ideal itself. He is verily my chosen deity.”

Vande Mataram!  Bharat Mata ki Jai!

 

(Article published in TATTVA DARSANA, January 2003)

 

 

IDEAL SOCIETY AS GOD

 

We look upon the society as the living manifestation of Almighty. And we have attributed to the Almighty the capacity of feeding all the living creatures under his care. He is therefore called Vishwambhara. There is a pauranic story, which I heard form a keertankar. Once, it seems, it occurred to Narada to test Lord Vishnu Himself. He caught hold of a few ants, shut them up in a small box and kept it in his safe custody. Then he went out on his usual rounds singing the praise of Vishnu. After a while, he came to Lord Vishnu and casually enquired whether the Lord had had his food. Vishnu replied that he had done so after attending to the feeding of all the living creation. Narada then took out his box saying, “Well, these poor creatures seem to have escaped your Lord’s notice!” Vishnu appeared taken aback, apologised and requested Narada to open the box. And lo! When the box was opened, the ants came out each with a particle of sugar in its mouth!

 

Imaginary though the story may be, it beautifully depicts the state of an ideal society, which will take care of the needs of every living being under its shelter. In fact, the descriptions of our ancient society approximated to this state. No individual, however low and humble he may be, was left to suffer with hunger, thirst or want of shelter. The animals and birds near about also were cared for. Some had even taken a vow of feeding the ants before taking their food.

–Sri Guruji Golwalkar

 

TWO GREAT CENTENARIES IN 2006

 

The year 2006 is going to witness two great centenaries—one the birth centenary of a saintly personality who renounced renunciation for the emancipation of the Hindu society and the other, the centenary of the Mahasamadhi of a great patriot monk who cast away even his ochre robe to free himself from the bondage of tradition of a religious order.

 

The birth centenary of Pamapoojaneeya Sri Guruji Golwalkar, the second Sarsanghchalak of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, falls on February 19, 2006. Sri Guruji, who was the only surviving son of his Maharashtriyan parents, acquired a Master’s degree in Zoology and became a Professor in the Banares Hindu University, but his heart was yearning for renunciation and he offered himself at the feet of Swami Akhandananda of Sargachi Ashram, the Gurubhai of Swami Vivekananda and direct disciple of Mother Sarada Devi. However, the Swami intuitively perceived the great future of the disciple as a remarkable nation-builder and emancipator of the Hindu society. It was Doctor Keshav Baliram Hedgewar, the founder of the RSS, who posed the challenging question before Sri Guruji—whether he would take to renunciation and ochre robe for his own personal salvation or renounce even the idea of formal Sannyas for the sake of the service to the Motherland. Sri Guruji accepted the latter course of action and dedicated his whole life at the altar of the Motherland with the Mantra—Raashtraaya swaahaa, raashtraaya idam na mama—“This life is an offering for the Nation; it is no more mine.”

 

The centenary of the Mahasamadhi of Swami Rama Tirtha, one of the greatest saints that the modern renaissance in Bharat has produced, falls on October 17, 2006. He too was a Professor, a Professor of Mathematics in Lahore. He played host to Swami Vivekananda when the latter visited Punjab and that contact electrified him to plunge into a life of Vedantic realization. Giving up his profession and family, he stayed at Tehri Garwal in the Himalayan ranges practising severe austerities and later, following the footsteps of Swami Vivekananda, travelled abroad to Japan and America, proclaiming the glory and greatness of Bharatavarsha and its Vedantic heritage. He did not want a following nor did he set up a mission to spread his message. “Rama wants to make everyone a Rama”—this was his declaration. His life span was only 33 years, six years shorter than that of Swam Vivekananda. In his last days, he even cast off his ochre robe for he did not want to be bound by any religious tradition and also because he found that the robe was much misused by pseudo-sadhus and sannyasins.

 

Both Sri Guruji and Swami Rama Tirtha found the Supreme Deity of adoration and worship in the Motherland. They identified themselves totally with the Motherland and sacrificed their narrow self at the altar of the Divine Mother. Both of them wanted the Hindu society to rise above all differences and distinctions based on castes or Sampradayas and unite to place Bharatamata once again on the throne of Loka Guru. Today, there are swamis in millions inside the country and abroad, almost every one of them wedded to some Sampradaya, cult or mission. The prime interest of such Swamis, Swaminis and Gurus is to spread the message and mission of their own institutions. When there is a clash of interest of their own institutions with that of the whole nation or society, they coolly back out from sacrificing the interest of their institution for the larger interest of the society or nation. Very rarely we find leaders who are able to look beyond the interest of their own organizations.

 

Immediately after the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, those who were in power found a golden opportunity to suppress their strong ideological opponent, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, and they implicated the Sangh in the assassination case, banned it, and arrested the saintly leader, Sri Guruji. However, truth won ultimately, the cases were withdrawn, Sri Guruji was released and the ban on the Sangh was lifted. The Swayamsevaks were naturally angry against those in power, but Sri Guruji pacified them by asking, “What will you do if your own teeth bite your tongue? Will you pluck away the teeth?” After all, he pointed out, those in power who oppressed them were our own brethren, not foreigners. At another time, when there was external aggression on the motherland, Sri Guruji called upon the Swayamsevaks to stand by the Government and quoted the wise words of Dharmaputra to the Kauravas who had to confront an external enemy —”Vayam panchaadikam satam“—”We are hundred and five”.

 

Swami Rama Tirtha, though an apostle of peace and love, was uncompromising and fearless in his criticism of the British Imperialism that was exploiting our nation. He did not have much esteem for the Indian National Congress which was pursuing a path of petitioning to the British Government. He believed that sacrifice and suffering at the cruel hands of the oppressive rulers would unite the nation much more effectively, strongly and quickly than thousands of lectures, supporting thereby a hot agitation against the British rule in India. The British Government set the Indian detectives in its service to find out whether he was involved in any seditious activities. Swami Rama Tirtha, playing on the word Rama, told the Indian detectives jovially: “My countrymen! You have come to detect Rama. Rama opens his heart to you. The best thing in the world is to detect Rama.” He could see only his own countrymen even in the detectives. Love of his country and countrymen was enshrined in his heart.

 

Sri Bharatamata Mandir will have the proud privilege of honouring these two great sons of Mother Bharat by permanently enshrining them in our humble abode. The Bharatamata Gurukula Ashram intends to set up Sri Guruji Golwalkar Hindu Resource Centre at Bharatamata Mandir, Bangalore, to provide the best study and research materials and guidance on the eternal knowledge and wisdom of the Hindu race as well as on the concept of spiritual nationalism held aloft by our patriot saints like Swami Dayananda, Swami Vivekananda, Swami Rama Tirtha, Sri Aurobindo and Sri Guruji Golwalkar, facilities like seminar hall, computer accessibility, and Gurukula accommodation to ardent seekers from inside the country and abroad.

 

Swami Rama Tirtha Mahasamadhi Centenary will be celebrated in India and abroad on a grand scale. An international seminar on Science and Religion will be held at Bangalore in October 2006 to mark the occasion. It has been decided to constitute Swami Rama Tirtha Vichar Parishad with headquarters at Sri Bharatamata Mandir, Bangalore, to spread, with the help and cooperation of Swami Rama Tirtha Pratishthan of Lucknow and other sister organizations, the thoughts of Swami Rama Tirtha far and wide in the centenary year. Special programmes for youth and students will be organized by the Parishad.

 

The crying need of the hour is to create a cadre of dedicated men and women who would be wedded not to any sectarian ideology or institution or to any particular mission or Sampradaya, but will have one and only aim—to unite all the Hindus under the banner of Bharatamata. They will be worshippers of Bharatamata and servants of Her children and work for uniting the entire Hindu race so that the entire humanity will receive the guidance to the path of enlightenment and salvation by learning the lessons of life from the preceptors of this Holy Land. The idea behind the celebration of the centenaries is to attract various sections of the Hindu society in India and abroad to the ideal of Hindu unity and to turn them into messengers of Mother Bharat. We do hope and pray that all our patrons, admirers and associates will come forward to make these endeavours a grand successes. Vande Mataram!

 

(Editorial  Article, TATTVA DARSANA, July-December 2005)

 

 

FIRM BASIS OF HINDU WAY OF LIFE

 

There were countless attacks from various foreign groups such as Shakas, Hunas and Muslims. We stood like a rock and faced them keeping the frame of our society intact. Then came the European people like the Portuguese, French, Dutch and the British to annihilate us in a shrewd manner. Still we have continued to live as the same people. In addition to the galaxy of saints and emperors right from the beginning of history, modern Bharat has produced giants like Vivekananda, Ramatirtha and Mahatma Gandhi. Is this not sufficient test to prove that our Hindu life is founded on a firm basis?

—Sri Guruji Golwalkar

 

HOMAGE TO A PATRIARCH

 

February 24, 2006 is the beginning of the Centenary Year of Paramapoojaneeya Sri Madhavarao Sadashivarao Golwalkar, the Second Sarsanghchalak of Rashtreeya Swayamsevak Sangh.

 

“Sangh Parivar” in the ordinary political jargon, found in the media and heard on the political platforms, means a conglomeration of RSS, VHP, BJP, Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh, Swadeshi Jagaran Manch, Bajrang Dal and other such organizations which the so called “secularists” consider to be “communal”. The unscrupulous politicians and senseless media who always condemn the RSS and all the above mentioned organizations which are the offshoots of the former can never understand the true meaning of the word ‘Parivar’. To a Swayamsevak of the Rashtreeya Swayamsevak Sangh, the word Parivar kindles the feeling of fraternal bond towards fellow Swayamsevaks, whether they are involved in the activities of the Parivar organizations mentioned above or have nothing to do with any of them, and filial affection to the younger generations in the Sangh family. Unlike other political, social and cultural organizations, RSS, right from its inception, has been conceived only as a joint family of all Hindu brethren. The founder of the RSS, Paramapoojaneeya Dr. Keshav Baliram Hedgewar, discovered the truth that the only way in which lasting unity could be created among Hindus as a Nation with diverse languages, living in different provinces of the vast country and having multifarious religious faiths and cultural and traditional diversities, is to bring them all under the spell of an intimate brotherhood by inculcating the feeling of intense love and adoration of the Motherland as the Supreme Mother of all. The functioning of the RSS is not like other organizations, which meet periodically, pass resolutions, send petitions, make press statements and organize demonstrations and show of strength. The Swayamsevaks of the Sangh meet silently in small groups everyday in every locality of the town or village in every province of the country, and now even outside the country, play, sing and pray together every day to the deity of their adoration, the Motherland Sri Bharatamata, and build the bond of mutual love and affection and extend help and cooperation to each other as in a family. This bondage is not confined to the Sanghasthan only. It extends and expands outside the Sangh Shaka and the families of the Swayamsevaks come together like members of a bigger clan. The leaders of the RSS—the Pracharaks, Sanghchalaks, Karyavahaks, Mukhyashikshaks, etc., function like the elders in a family, sharing the joys and sorrows of the members and always extending help and care to the needy. Therefore, naturally, the Swayamsevaks look upon the seniors in the Sangh Parivar as elders of their own families.

 

The founder of the Sangh, Paramapoojaneeya Dr. Hedgewar, envisaged that this Parivar should expand to such an extent that the entire Hindu society is brought into the bond of brotherhood and ultimately the Sangh would merge in the society. In other words, every Hindu family would feel that it is a part and parcel of this big family. In his lifetime, he could see that Mother Bharat’s children from different provinces congregated as one family under the ochre flag. He lived only for fifteen years since the founding of the Sangh. However, under the Patriarch-ship of the second Sarsanghchalak, Paramapoojaneeya Sri Guruji Golwalkar, in his thirty three years of reign as the head of the family, the Sangh grew in leaps and bounds from Kanyakumari to Kashmir and from Dwaraka to Kamakhya, and even spread its wings to distant lands where Hindus are settled.

 

The patriarch of a family knows all his brothers, sisters, sons, daughters, nephews, nieces, grandsons and granddaughters personally and always keeps an intimate contact with each and every one of them. They in turn cultivate a deep love, affection and reverence towards him. True to this tradition, Sri Guruji was so close and accessible to each and every Swayamsevak in the country. He shared their happiness, lauded them in their moments of success and achievements, extended sympathy and help in their moments of agony and pain and gave them counseling, hope and solace in their struggles and sufferings. As a humble Swayamsevak right from the age of eight or nine, this writer had his own quota of soul-stirring experiences with this great and saintly godfather of the Sangh Parivar. A few specimens he would share with our readers here.

 

The first meeting with the great colossus occurred in the life of this writer when he was just a Shishu (child) Swayamsevak at Ernakulam, sometime after the first ban on RSS was lifted in 1949. Sri Guruji was on a whirlwind tour of the country and he came to Cochin State, now part of Kerala. There was a big gathering to see this great man. This little Swayamsevak who was also sitting in a row at the Sanghasthan wanted to have a closer glimpse of the saintly personality. He stealthily jumped to the front of the row, but the Sangh Pracharak in charge noticed it and caught him by the ear and pulled him back to his place. Two penetrating eyes from the podium noticed what was happening. After the programme was over, Sri Guruji summoned by his side this little boy with a clean shaven head, wide ears and a nose that had turned into red because of anger, patted on his back and after enquiring his name, jovially remarked, “You looked like ‘Gajamukh’ (Lord Ganesha) when you were angry.” He then gently advised that we came to the Sanghasthan to learn discipline and breaking the order was not good. “Now you can have a close look” he told the boy and hugged him. This first impression was the best.

 

Many years later, when this boy became a youthful and active Swayamsevak at Tiruchirapally in Tamilnadu where he had settled down, Sri Guruji came to the town and there was a baithak (gathering) of karyakarthas (workers). The local Pracharak introduced the young man to Sri Guruji, saying, “Rangarajan, from Srirangam”.  To the utter surprise and amazement of all including this writer, a question came from Sri Guruji: “He is the Gajamukh of Ernakulam, Isn’t it?” That was the prodigious memory of Sri Guruji. He could remember the names, places of origin and even parentage of thousands of Swayamsevaks throughout the length and breadth of the country. For him all Swayamsevaks were members of his large family and as head of the family, he had keen interest to know everything about them. Sri Guruji asked the Pracharak about the Shakas in the town. When the list was presented before him, he mentioned a particular place and asked whether there was a Shaka there. The Pracharak remarked that a Shaka was yet to be started there. Then Sri Guruji said that many years ago when he had visited the town there was a night Shaka in that particular place and he had attended that. Later it was checked up and found that there did exist a Shaka in that place and it was shifted to a neighbouring place after sometime.

 

In 1964, when the Vishwa Hindu Parishad came into existence because of the deep foresight of Sri Guruji and the inspiration and support received from Swami Chinmayananda who happened to be another mentor of this writer from his young days, he dedicated himself heart and soul to the mission and became a fulltime worker of the cause. However, he was involved in the activities of the Central Chinmaya Mission Trust also as a member of the Advisory Board. He attended one of the meetings of the board held in the famous Trippunithura Palace at Ernakulam, sometime before the VHP organized its first massive conference of the Parishad at Prayag on the occasion of Kumbh Mela in 1966. Someone in the meeting raised a question why the entire work of organizing the VHP conference was left to RSS when many other institutions including the Mission were involved in it. Swami Chinmayananda shot a straightforward and spontaneous reply: “Because, the Swayamsevaks are under the direct guidance of Sri Guruji. What ten of our Mission members could do in ten hours, a Swayamsevak of the Sangh could do it in one hour. The Swayamsevaks are well trained, disciplined, organized and they know the technique of organizing such a mammoth gathering. Why don’t you leave it to them? We have other roles to play.” Such was the confidence of the Swamiji in Sri Guruji’s command and leadership. This writer, who had earned the nick-name ‘Danda’ from the Swami for often being seen in Sangh Ganavesh and holding Danda in hand, felt a little proud by the reply of the Swamiji.

 

Sadhus and sants from every nook and corner of the country had gathered for the World Hindu Conference at Prayag. Thousands of Swayamsevaks were engaged day and night in arranging accommodation and other comforts for the visiting dignitaries and about three lakhs of participants in the massive conference. This writer, as a young worker, was running up and down, often aspiring to get into close proximity of the Sadhus and Sants. A meeting of the important leaders of the constituent organizations in the Parishad was taking place in the presence of Sri Guruji and Swami Chinmayananda. The General Secretary of the Parishad, Sri S.S. Apte, presented a copy of the draft resolutions before them and remarked that Sri Guruji had gone through all of them and made necessary corrections and therefore they could be presented in the conference as such. Suddenly a voice of dissent was heard and that was from Swami Chinmayananda who said, it was not enough that Sri Guruji approves of them, but every leader of the constituent organization must necessarily go through them before they are presented. Sri Guruji spontaneously supported the Swamiji saying that he whole-heartedly seconded the stand of the Swamiji, because that was the way to do the thing.

 

In the RSS, the principle of ‘Ekachaalukaanuvartitwa’—implicit obedience to the commands of the head—is practised because it is an organization moulded in the form a disciplined army. Once the head, in whom the rank and cadre place absolute faith, takes a decision, no one questions that. Even in the Sanghasthan, when the Mukhya shikshak, even if he be a small boy in his teens, says ‘Daksha’—Attention—all come to attention, and no one has the choice to ‘stand at ease’, even if he be a dignitary attending the Shaka. However, when it is the question of organizations in the Sangh Parivar that function in a democratic manner, Sri Guruji insisted that consensus and consent of all the constituents must be obtained while taking important decisions.

 

This writer was in charge of the Nagpur Bureau of Hindustan Samachar, a news agency started by members of the Parivar, and in those days, he used to stay in Dr. Hedgewar Bhavan, the Headquarters of RSS at Nagpur. He had the opportunity to come in close proximity of Sri Guruji, and other stalwarts of the Sangh Parivar, like Sri Balasaheb Deoras, Sri Baba Apte, Sri Deendayal Upadhyaya and Sri Eknathji Ranade. There were no restrictions at all to meet any of them at any time and we would walk into their rooms as if we were in our own house with our family members. Sometimes in the early mornings and sometimes in the late evenings, but almost everyday when Sri Guruji was in Karyalaya, this writer had the opportunity to go and sit by his side in the company of other inmates or visitors and apprise him about the day to day activities of the office of which this writer was in charge and about general news that were pouring in. One day, casually, he remarked to Sri Guruji that one of the news agencies competing with us were introducing certain things into their office and we also wanted to do the same. Sri Guruji did not make any direct comment about that, but addressing the people who were seated around us, he jovially remarked: “In the houses of rich people, they will have a TV or Refrigerator in every room. Though they may not need it, they want to have them because their neighbours have and it is a matter of prestige.” Then with a sarcastic smile he looked at this writer who got the hint and dropped the plan at once. That was the way in which Sri Guruji corrected his wards. He used to have a keen observation of people around him. This writer and another inmate used to go and sit in the room of Sri Baba Saheb Apte, who was the Pracharak Pramukh of the Sangh, in the early morning hours. Apteji will reel out to us episodes from Puranas and Itihasas and stories of great kings and emperors and events from the lives of great patriots and martyrs and it was a thrilling experience to listen to him. In the evening when we used to meet Sri Guruji, he would ask, “What story did you get from Baba Saheb this morning?”

 

In the Karyalaya dining hall, all the inmates and sometimes guests will sit in lines for breakfast, lunch and supper at the appointed time every day. Sri Guruji would be seated in the center by the side of the wall and from there he would have a look of all those seated in the hall. He knew who sat where usually. One day, this writer was busy writing some news story and he did not reach the dining hall in time for the morning tea. Sri Guruji noticed his absence and sent someone to fetch him. He said, “Your delay has made us all wait for the tea.” The writer learnt not only the need for punctuality, but also understood the benign heart of a great leader. On another occasion, when a VIP from the political field called on Sri Guruji at the Karyalaya and was engaged in some important discussions with him, this writer was summoned. This writer thought that they might want him to release some press statement or news item through the news agency and rushed into Sri Guruji’s room with pen and paper. Sri Guruji smiled and asked him to keep aside the pen and paper. Introducing this writer to the VIP belonging to Bharatiya Jan Sangh, which formed part of the Parivar, he said, this writer was from Madras and he liked coffee very much, and as coffee was specially prepared for the VIP, he wanted this writer to share it. On another occasion, when inmates of the Karyalaya, along with Sri Guruji, were visiting the house of a Pundit in the neighbourhood for a religious function on Shravan Poornima—changing of yagnopaveeta or janoi— Sri Guruji asked this writer, “Are you ready?” This writer replied in the affirmative, but then Sri Guruji went back into his room and joined us after a few minutes. When the function was over, everyone who attended it was making some offering to the Pundit. This writer stood there a little embarrassed, for he had not carried any money with him. Sri Guruji called him by his side and whispered, “I knew that you were not ready. I have brought the money for you” and thrust a two rupee coin into this writer’s hand to make the offering.

 

Once an auspicious function was taking place in the Sangh. This writer found out that the time to start the function fell exactly in Rahu Kala. He approached Sri Guruji and told him about that. Sri Guruji laughed and remarked: “Rahu and Ketu will keep aside and make way for us when the Sangh is holding the function.”

 

Once a Swayamsevak met Sri Guruji and presented an invitation to him for his marriage. Sri Guruji went through the invitation and found that the name of the person inviting was that of the bridegroom himself. He asked him why the names of his parents were not on the top as hosts inviting the guests for their son’s marriage. The Swayamsevak replied that the invitation was intended for his friends whom he himself wanted to invite. But, Sri Guruji pointed out that it was not the Bharatiya tradition for the bridegroom to invite the guests directly when his parents or other elders were there in the family. The Karyakarta promptly took back the invitation and made amendment.

 

Sri Guruji always had intimate personal correspondence with Swayasevaks from all over the country and to every letter that he received, he used to reply directly in his own handwriting. Those were the days when computers and cell phones had not invaded the Karyalayas. Even the mechanical typewriters were not much in use. Right from the ordinary Sangh Karyakartas to the Sarsangchalak, all those engaged in building up the Sangh work used to maintain an intimate personal relationship with each and every Swayamsevak family. When this writer was entering into the Grihastha Ashrama, he informed Sri Guruji about his marriage, and Sri Guruji sent the following very inspiring letter with his heartfelt blessings:

 

“RASHTRIYA SWAYAMSEVAK SANGH, KENDRA—NAGPUR

Sarsanghchalak: M.S. Golwalkar           Sarkaryavah: M.D. Deoras

 

Letter No. 823  Ashada Shukla 11, 1890 , 6-7-68

 

My dear Shri V. Rangarajan,

 

Saprem Namaste.

 

Received your letter of 2-7-68 this morning. It is a very happy piece of news that you are entering the life of a Grihasthashrami. Due to my preoccupations I am unable to attend this auspicious ceremony in person. But my heart is with you all and I pray to the Merciful Almighty to grant you both long life, happy, full of health and prosperity, blessed with mutual love, esteem and cooperation and endowed with the best in life that you aspire for.

 

My respects to all.

 

Yours sincerely, (Sd/-) M.S. Golwalkar.”

 

With the blessings of Sri Guruji, this writer and his wife, Smt. Bharati, offered themselves in full-time service of Vivekananda Kendra, one of the Parivar organizations. When a son was born to them and was to be named after Vivekananda, Sri Guruji wrote the following touching letter:

 

“RASHTRIYA SWAYAMSEVAK SANGH, KENDRA—NAGPUR

Sarsanghchalak: M.S. Golwalkar           Sarkaryavah: M.D. Deoras

 

Letter No. 731  17-4-71 Chaitrakrishna 7,1893

 

My dear Shri V. Rangarajan,

 

Sasneha Vande.

 

Received your letter of 12.4.71 on 17-4-71. I am very happy to learn that you have got a son on 6-4-71. I am sure, the name giving ceremony has been enthusiastically performed and the child is now Chi. Vivekanandan. May the Great Swami whose name you have chosen for the boy always bless him and may he have a prosperous full span of life devoted to knowledge, to Dharma and to the people.

 

I am due to reach Madras on 1-5-71 by G.T. Express on my way to Trichur. May be I shall be able to see the child.

 

My Namaskars to all. Best wished to you, the boy and his mother Sow Bharati.

Yours sincerely, (Sd/-) M.S. Golwalkar.”

 

Thousands of Swayasevaks throughout the length and breadth of the country had the blessing and grace of this great Patriarch of the Sangh family and when they look back into the experiences with this Mahatma, their hearts do sway with pride and joy with the feeling that they have all been lucky to live in his time and under his love and care. The greatest homage that could be paid to this saintly leader on the occasion of his centenary is to see that the family that he built up with meticulous care and unstinted devotion and dedication is expanded to such an extent that it will embrace the whole Hindu Nation and the Hindu brethren all over the world. Jai Sri Guruji! Vande Mataram!

(Editorial Artcile, TATTVA DARSANA, January-March 2006)

SALUTATIONS TO

SRI GURUJI GOLWALKAR

—The Preceptor Of The Nation

 

The centenary year of Paramapoojaneeya Sri Guruji Golwalkar is coming to an end. Celebrations have been held all over the country and abroad to pay homage to this great son of Bharatavarsha. Virat Hindu Samajotsavs have been held in different parts of the country where millions have participated with a firm resolve to unite the Hindu society into one family. Spiritual, cultural and social leaders have all paid rich tributes to the great leader of the Hindu society in the modern period.

 

What has been the unique achievement of Sri Guruji? Though initiated into spiritual life by Swami Akhandananda, a direct disciple of Maa Sharada Devi, the divine consort of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, when the option came before him whether to seek his individual salvation through Sannyas or seek the salvation of the entire nation and Hindu society, so that Mother Bharat could once again emerge as the Preceptor of the World—loka guru—Sri Guruji decided to renounce renunciation itself for the sake of his Motherland. He was even offered the high position of the Shankaracharya of Dwarakapeeth, but he declined it because he wanted to be a humble Sannyasi dedicated to the cause of the Motherland. After he took over from Paramapoojaneeya Dr. Keshav Baliram Hedgewar, the Founder of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the responsibility of the Sarsanghchalak of the Sangh, his whole life was one of incessant travel throughout the length and breadth of the country, inspiring millions of youth to dedicate their lives as sacred flowers at the altar of the Motherland. Sri Guruji revived the ancient tradition where spiritual preceptors or Dharma Acharyas acted not only as the teachers of the highest values of life propounded by the Vedas, but also as active guides and associates to the rulers of the land as well as the subjects in preserving the glory and integrity of the nation.

 

In the most ancient period, great saints like Rishi Vishwamitra, Vasishtha, Agastya and Parasurama led the people of our nation in fights against wicked forces. In the historic period, an enlightened Brahman, Vishnugupta Chanakya, guided Chandragupta Vikramaditya to build a mighty Hindu empire. The great saint of Maharashtra, Samarth Ramdas, helped Chhatrapati Shivaji build the Hindu Pada Padshahi and annihilate the mlechha hordes. In the south, Sri Vidyaranya of Sringeri Shankara Peetha, enabled Harihara and Bukka to found the glorious Vijayanagar Empire to check the onslaught of the Muslim forces. In the modern period, saintly leaders like Rishi Bankim Chandra, Swami Vivekananda, Swami Rama Tirtha, Sister Nivedita, Mahayogi Sri Aurobindo, Brahmabandhav Upadhyaya and Sri Subramania Siva led our people in the fight against the aliens ruling over us. Everyone of them considered that spiritual life was not one confined to sitting in an ashram and doing sadhana and pooja, but upholding the glory and greatness of the nation and leading the people in their war against wicked forces in the society. Sri Guruji Golwalkar also came in their lineage and played a very important role in moulding a mighty force of disciplined and dedicated volunteer core of patriots—the Swayasevaks of the RSS—for the salvation of the nation.

 

What we see in our country and in the Hindu Diaspora today is proliferation of sannyasins and sadhus who waste their time and energy in meaningless discourses on religion and philosophies, squander all their energy in building up mutts and missions and amassing wealth for them through running of medical colleges and engineering colleges, ultimately contributing to the promotion of more and more sampradayas and sects in the already disintegrated Hindu society, and least concerned about the deterioration of the  values of life, the standard of character of people, and the threat posed to the freedom and integrity of the nation by alien political forces. At this juncture, what we need to day is an order of Sannyasins like Satyananda and Bhavananda depicted by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee in the historic novel, Ananda Math. We need patriotic saints and sadhus who will come out of their Ashrams, into the streets, to the slums and villages, and mix and mingle with the poor and downtrodden, giving them solace and inspiration and guiding them to fight for the safety and security of the nation and the people.  They will teach the people that various sampradayas and ways of worship are secondary to the feeling and pride that we are all Hindus first and foremost and children of the Mother Bharat whom we should adore and worship as the Mother of all our gods and goddesses and saints and sages. Moreover the social sins like untouchability, casteism, etc., which have been afflicting the society like dreaded cancer could be removed in no time if our Mahants, Peethadheeswars, Sadhus and Sannyasins visit the houses of the poor people regularly and accept Bhiksha from them.

 

Paramapoojaneeya Sri Guruji Golwalkar’s life will be a glowing example to this class of renunciates who will build up once again the glorious Akhand Bharatavarsha and make once again the Hindu Rashtra, the preceptor of the world. We offer our humble salutations to the great savant of Akhand Bharat and dedicate this issue of TATTVA DARSANA to commemorate his centenary! Vande Mataram!

 

(Editorial Article, TATTVA DARSANA, January-March 2007)

 

 

REALISING THE VISION IN PRACTICE

 

It is because the Sangh is firmly founded on this unreactionary, positive and abiding faith in our own national being, that it is calmly and steadily growing form strength to strength undisturbed by fleeting changes in the external conditions. It is this vision of an everlasting, powerful and glorious condition of an organised social life that constantly inspires a Swayamsevak to take to the work of Sangh as his life-mission devoid of all traces of selfishness. In fact the Swayamsevak experiences the thrill of joy and inspiration in the day-to-day work of the Sangh, where he sees the vision of his dreams realised in actuality, though on a miniature scale. He is spurred on to greater effort to fulfil the mission.

 

This is the unique feature of Sangh work, wherein the ‘means’ and the ‘end’ have coalesced. The ‘end’ i.e., the ideal of a reorganised society, is being gradually realised in practice by the ‘means’, the day-to-day process of bringing together and moulding persons for an organised life. This is in true conformity with the teachings of our philosophy in respect of devotees. To a devotee, devotion is both the end and the means – swayam phalaroopata. Similarly, the work of our organisation born out of intense devotion to our society is self-inspiring. It is this perfect concentration on its chosen path born out of a thorough grasp of the principles forming the grass-roots of an eternally powerful and self-sustaining national life that has made this organisation invincible and ever-expanding.

–SRI GURUJI GOLWALKAR

 

SRI GURUJI GOLWALKAR

–The Lotus Of Patriotism

That Blossomed In Spiritual Lake

 

Spiritual Urge in the Early Days

 

There is a saying that the quality of the plant is seen from the sprout itself. The quality of the sprout in turn depends on the mother plant that produces the seed. The mothers have often played a great role in the making of great men and women. The cultural and spiritual nourishment that they give to the children along with their breast milk plays an important role in the moulding of the children.

 

Paramapoojaneeya Sri Guruji Madhavrao Sadashiva Golwalkar, who was the second Sarsanghchalak of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, looking back into his childhood days, recalls the sweet experiences of the period and shares them with us:

 

“The early dawn will awaken me from sleep. At that time, my mother will be busy doing some household work with her hands, but at the same time, her mouth will be reciting some prayers invoking the divine name. The sweet and auspicious voice of mother will be reverberating in my ears. What a lasting and sacred impress, irremovable by time, might have been made on my infant mind by the sweet voice that fell on my ears in the early hours of the day full of peace and bliss?” It is crystal clear that the foundation for Sri Guruji’s future spiritual life was well laid by his mother.

 

Young Madhav, as a graduate student of Hislop College, Nagpur, used to frequent the house of Sri Mule, Head Master of City High School, to learn from him Hindu scriptures. Later on, when he continued his post-graduate studies in Benaras Hindu University, his contact with Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya, and the spiritual discussions and study of Vedantic literature created a deep impact on his life, which manifested clearly through his daily spiritual and religious practices like Poojas, Yoga, meditation, Pranayama, etc., and also through his total detachment from worldly affairs, a feeling of spiritual fraternity with all and a keen interest in sharing the happiness and sorrow of people around. Perhaps it was during that period that young Madhav started contemplating and meditating on the future course of his life. Though during the period of his life as a university student, he had to undergo great financial strain, he always kept a smiling face, which never displayed any pain or suffering.

 

Coming out of the portals of the university after completion of his higher education, Madhav’s mind was searching for an answer to a big question for five or six years. He could not even think of getting married and settling down in family life as ordinary people do. But the question before him was whether to renounce all ties with the world and retire into the loneliness of the Himalayas to pursue intense spiritual sadhana or to live in the society fighting against all odds and swimming against the current to live a spiritual life. After pondering over it for a long time, he got the reply. In a letter dated February 28, 1929, addressed to his friend, Sri Telang, he says: “I have taken to renunciation, but it is not complete now.  Remaining in this very world, facing the challenges in life, and discharging my duties with meticulous care, I strive to live the highest values of a perfect life of renunciation permeating every pore of my body. I will not go to the Himalayas now. The Himalayas will come towards me. The peaceful and blissful surroundings of the mountain will be firmly established within me. I need not go anywhere to get it.”

 

In another letter, Madhav says that he knows well how much obstacles one will come across when one goes on the path of renunciation. He says that he has no interest to get entangled in worldly life and he wants to go ahead steadfast in a life of highest ideals and dedication without ever swerving from the path. He further says that in this path there has been a successful saint like Suka Brahmam who could overcome the temptations of a celestial nymph like Rambha, and there has also been a Vishwamitra who fell a victim to the charms of Menaka. However, to get scared of the path and run away from it is cowardice. He asserts that one should be prepared to face the challenges that arise before enjoying the ultimate bliss and there is no other path less dangerous than this.

 

A Turning Point in Life

 

After serving as a Professor in the Benaras Hindu University, when Madhav returned to Nagpur and completed his legal studies, there occurred a turning point in his life and the one that caused it was Dr. Keshav Baliram Hedgewar, the founder and first Sarsanghchalak of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. However, it did not occur so easily.  Dr. Hedgewar, after completing his medical education, dedicated himself to the revolutionary movement for the freedom of Bharatavarsha. When he realized that, as long as the people were in deep slumber caused by the slavery under foreigners for centuries, the sporadic acts of self-sacrifice by the valiant youth in revolutionary activities will go in vain, he joined the Congress movement to create a mass awakening. However, he came to the realization very soon that a people who do not have character, discipline, intense patriotism and deep respect and regard for the age old values of life cherished by a nation cannot attain independence and even if they stumble upon it, they would not be able to preserve it for long. In order to control the wild waterfall called nationalism and canalize it into a river flowing powerfully and peacefully between two banks, he founded the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. Madhav who had already come in contact with the Sangh when he was Professor in Benaras University, became closer to Dr. Hedgewar, popularly known as Doctorji.

 

On the one side, Madhav who was yearning to light the lamp of spiritualism in his heart and on the other side, Dr. Hedgewar who was striving to kindle the fire of patriotism in every heart and make it into a great conflagration—the meeting between these two great souls turned out to be a historic one moulding the destiny of the nation. However, it happened after a great turmoil in the heart of Madhav.

 

When Madhav returned to Nagpur from Benaras, his mother wanted him to get married so that the family lineage will continue. However, her only son Madhav made it clear to his mother, “Maa, please do not talk about the cessation of the family lineage. If the society will be benefited by the cessation of lineage of many families like ours, it is the need of the hour. I am not worried about the cessation of the lineage of our family.” His parents never raised the topic of his marriage again.

 

Though the contact with Dr. Hedgewar drew Sri Guruji to the Sangh work, in the beginning, Sri Guruji was not inclined to go heart and soul into it. His spiritual quest attracted him more to the Sri Ramakrishna Math in Nagpur. Sri Guruji had a close contact with Swami Bhaskarananda, President of the Math. Dr. Hedgewar, who was well aware of this contact, raised a question in the heart of Sri Guruji—which one is greater, whether the endeavour to attain individual self-realization through Sannyasa or striving for the emancipation of the Motherland which has been under bondage for ages. The turmoil in the mind of Sri Guruji led him to leave his home, without telling his parents, friends, Doctorji and other Swayamsevak brethren, in search of a preceptor. This happened in the autumn of the year 1935.

 

In the Sargachi Ashram

 

Swami Amoortananda, who was known as Amitabh Maharaj, and who belonged to the Ramakrishna Order and was staying in the Nagpur Ashram, encouraged Sri Guruji to get deeksha from Swami Akhandananda, President of the Sargachi Ashram in Murshidabad District. Akhandananda had received initiation from Holy Mother Sharada Devi. Sri Guruji did not reveal his plan of going to Sargachi to anyone excepting his three close friends. He wrote about his decision on a piece of paper and sent it to his mother through a friend, Deshpande.

 

Very few details have been obtained about the life that Sri Guruji spent in the Sargachi Ashram. In his later days, when he was fully involved in the Sangh work, Sri Guruji never related anything about his Ashram life. However, some interesting things have come to be known through Sri Amitabh Maharaj. Referring to Sri Guruji’s Ashram life, Sri Amitabh Maharaj says, “Because of that, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh got a Narendra (Swami Vivekananda)”. While engaged in intense spiritual sadhanas in the Ashram, Sri Guruji was also deeply involved in the service of his master, Swami Akhandananda. Unmindful of his food, sleep and other comforts, he engaged himself in serving his aged Guru. With enthusiasm, Sri Guruji performed all acts of service like serving food, giving bath, setting the master’s bed and pressing his feet. Looking at the beaming face of Sri Guruji and the beautiful beard that was growing, the master gave a loving advice to Sri Guruji that he should never discard the beard and Sri Guruji fulfilled it till the end of his life. Though engaged in service to his master, Sri Guruji never failed to acquire knowledge of Vedanta from the scholars visiting the Ashram and practising his sadhana with meticulous care. One day, Amitabh Maharaj told Swami Akhandananda that the parents of Sri Guruji were very aged and, therefore, he must be sent back to Nagpur soon, after giving him deeksha, in order to pursue his legal profession. Swami Akhandananda asked with deep foresight, “We can certainly give him deeksha, but who could say that he would pursue a legal profession?” Swami Akhandananda had a clear vision of what was going to be the future course of life of Sri Guruji. He also knew that Dr. Hedgewar was waiting for the arrival of Sri Guruji. It was decided to give deeksha to Sri Guruji and the ceremony went off well on January 13, 1937. Referring to this unforgettable day, Sri Guruji says: “It is the holiest day in my life to be noted in golden letters. Was it not the day on which I got the grace of the Guru as a result of the auspicious deeds that I had performed in millions of births? The experiences of the day are very holy. They cannot be explained in words. The touch of the Guru, his love and the grace that he showered overwhelmed me. I experienced a change within me. I realized that I was not the same one who existed a minute before!”

 

When Akhandananda’s health was deteriorating, Amitabh Maharaj spoke to him about Sri Guruji’s future and said that the latter had an intense aspiration to go to the Himalayas. In reply to it, Swami Akhandananda said: “I believe, he will join hands with Dr. Hedgewar in his work. He will render pure social service. Let him certainly visit the Himalayas, but it is to be seen that he does not go into seclusion.”

 

After the Mahasamadhi of Swami Akhandananda, Amitabh Maharaj took Sri Guruji to Calcutta and introduced Swami Abhedananda, a direct disciple of Sri Ramakrishna, Swami Vivekananda’s younger brother Sri Bhupendranath Dutta and others. When Sri Guruji was contemplating about his stay in Belur math, Amitabh Maharaj revealed to him his conversation with Akhandananda. He told Sri Guruji, “I will take you back to the same place from where I brought you” and took him back to Nagpur. Sri Guruji stayed in the Nagpur Ashram for a month during which period he translated the Chicago speeches of Swami Vivekananda into Marathi. He dedicated his work to his Guru. Later, Amitabh Maharaj called Sri Raikar, maternal uncle of Sri Guruji, and asked him to take Sri Guruji to Dr. Hedgewar. Doctorji got his future successor.

 

Spirituality wedded to Nationalism

 

Swami Vivekananda had set the path of salvation through service to suffering beings, even without deviating an inch from spiritual life, through Sri Ramakrishna Movement. Swami Akhandananda, who followed his footsteps, while on a pilgrimage to the Himalayas, stayed in Sargachi where he saw the suffering people and settled down there, setting up an Ashram and starting service activities. Following exactly the same path, Sri Madhavrao Sadashiva Golwalkar also took a pledge to serve the Motherland, standing firmly on the foundation of spirituality. He accepted the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh founded by Dr. Hedgewar as the right instrument to achieve the goal.

 

Dr. Hedgewar also never under estimated the spiritual strength that Sri Guruji had acquired through incessant service to his master at Sargachi Ashram and through the intense spiritual sadhanas. He wanted that the noble qualities of head and heart of Sri Guruji like his spiritual strength, his acute intelligence, his rigorous penance, etc., should wholly be available for the work of the Sangh. In his meetings with Sri Guruji, he stressed that a genius like Guruji who had deep spiritual experiences should not spend his capabilities for individual spiritual bliss, but use it for the welfare of the nation and society.

 

Sri Madgolkar, a renowned journalist, once asked Sri Guruji: “I know that you had moved away from the Sangh work for some time and gone to the Sri Ramakrishna Ashram out of spiritual quest. Then why did you return to the Sangh work, leaving the Ashram? Did you not see that the atmosphere of the Sangh is different from that of the Ashram?” To this unexpected question, Sri Guruji gave a reply: “Better than me, only Dr. Hedgewar could speak with authority whether there is any difference between the atmosphere of the Sangh and that of the Ashram, because he has lived in Calcutta when he was engaged in revolutionary activities. He had close contact with great revolutionaries. You might have read the work of Sister Nivedita titled “Aggressive Hinduism”. I believe, you know well how much involvement she had with the revolutionaries. Right from the beginning, my involvement in the national integration work has been as much as it is in spiritual pursuit. From my experiences during my stay in Benaras, Nagpur and Calcutta, I have realized that I could do the work better through the Sangh. Therefore I have dedicated myself to the Sangh work. I believe that this act of mine agrees with the ideals, message and mission of Swami Vivekananda. No other great man or philosophy could ever exert greater influence on me than him and his message. I have firm conviction that I could go ahead with his work remaining in the Sangh.”

 

Successor to Dr. Hedgewar

 

After the passing away of Paramapoojaneeya Dr. Hedgewar, when Sri Guruji took over the responsibility of the Sarsanghchalak of RSS, in his very first speech Sri Guruji made it clear that what he has undertaken is not a political life, but a spiritual life. Paying homage to Doctorji, he said, “I feel proud in adoring such a great man.  To worship with flowers and sandal paste is a cheap way. We must strive to become one with whom we worship. That is real worship. ‘Shivo bhootwaa shivam yajet‘—’Worship Shiva by becoming Shiva’—this is the greatness of our Dharma.” He pointed out that national life was also a spiritual life wedded to an ideal.

 

Sri Guruji set himself as a supreme example to the immense self-confidence of a person wedded to an ideal. In 1955, one day, Sri Vishwesha Teertha, Head of the Udipi Pejawar Mutt, asked a question to Sri Guruji: “Will Bharat become once again Akhand Bharat?” In reply to him, Sri Guruji quoted the Praatasmaran verse,

“Gange cha yamune chaiva godaavaree saraswatee

            narmade sindhu kaaveree jalesmin sannidhim kuru” ,

and said Hindus could never forget their Sindhu. When the Swamiji asked how would this Akhand Bharat come into existence, Sri Guruji said with immense self-confidence that the partition took place only because of the disunity and weakness of the Hindus and if these causes are removed, the country would once again become Akhand”

 

The Patriot-Saint who made Prison into Ashram

 

Sri Guruji’s life is an outstanding example to the fact that, to a patriot-saint who spiritualized nationalism, even the prison would become an Ashram. When the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh was deliberately and falsely implicated in the assassination of Gandhi to malign it, and Sri Guruji was imprisoned, unmindful of the scant facilities that were provided to him in the jail, he maintained perfect calmness and serenity. Keeping the premises where he was staying in the prison neat and clean and behaving courteously, with love and affection, with other inmates of the jail and prison officials, thereby capturing their heart, and by such other actions, Sri Guruji converted the jail into an Ashram itself. Instead of suffering pain in the jail life, he felt that, eighteen years after his life in Sargachi Ashram, he had once again obtained an opportunity, by the courtesy of the Government, to perform leisurely his Dhyaana, Dhaarana, Upaasana and Paaraayana of scriptures. After getting up at five o’clock in the morning and finishing his morning ablutions, he would sit in his room and read Bhagavad Gita, perform Sandhya Vandana and Dhyaana. Afterwards, till lunch hour, he would read Jnaaneswari, songs of Saint Tukaram, Vaalmeeki Raamaayan, Mahaabhaarat, Daasabodh, etc., and would even teach Yogasana to fellow inmates in the jail. He derived immense happiness in all these. Regarding the ban on the Sangh, he said, “This ordeal has come to us only because Sangh has become strong. Once the Sangh comes out of this, like gold purified in fire, it will attain very high position.”

 

After coming out of the jail, the call given by Sri Guruji to the Swayamsevaks to get ready for a nation-wide Satyagraha demanding the lifting of ban on the Sangh, reflected his high spiritual sentiments:

 

“Our work is very great, noble and divine. The greatest achievement of mankind is in its fulfillment. It is the realization of the Divine. Arise! We will restart the work that was banned for the last ten months.  We will compensate for the ten months lost. Truth is on our side. To bear injustice is equal to cooperate with it in the sinful act. We will remove the injustice. Seating in the heart the Paramatma who is the basis of justice and truth, with full faith and confidence, meditating on Bharatamata with full strength, extending love to Her children, rise up and act with vigour and enthusiasm, march ahead and stop not till we achieve success!

 

“This is a battle between Dharma and Adharma, justice and injustice, generosity and narrow-mindedness, and love and hatred. We will certainly win, because wherever there is Dharma, there the Lord also is, and wherever the Lord is, success is also certainly there.

 

“Therefore, raise the voice of victory of Bharat from the bottom of your hearts to the heights of the universal sky and arise! Fulfill the mission! Bhaaratmaata ki Jai!”

 

‘Show Mercy to the Enemy’

 

The eyes of the oppressive government were opened and the ban on the Sangh was lifted. A rousing reception was given to Sri Guruji wherever he went when he undertook a tour all over the country. The speeches that he delivered in the massive congregations reminded one of the songs of the great Tamil poet-patriot, Mahakavi Subramania Bharati—”Pakaivanukku arulwaai nannenje“—”Oh good heart, show mercy to the enemy”. Sri Guruji told the Swayamsevaks: “If our own teeth bite our tongue or one leg dashes against another, we do not knock out the teeth or cut of the leg. Those who perpetrated injustice against us are our own people. Therefore, we must forget the past and exhibit our quality of forgiveness.”

 

Explaining in clear-cut terms the spiritual goal of the Sangh, Sri Guruji said: “World peace is the ideal before us. That is our life work. We have to fulfill that task. Our real work is to teach the lessons for world peace on the basis of spiritual life and establish unity among the entire mankind. However, when will it be accomplished? It will be accomplished successfully only when we string together in one thread crores of people, who realize the values of life expounded by our culture and are imbued with noble qualities, and make them determined to achieve the highest goal.”

 

The feelings of Sri Guruji, who saw the Divine in the form of the society, are expressed in his article that he contributed to the journal, Purushartha: “The one that we have to realize as ours and embrace, the one that we have to make the object of our service activities, is our society. Let it garland us with flowers or put a garland of footwear around our neck, let it praise us or abuse us, let it do whatever it wants, but ultimately it is our own. It is to test us that it behaves as good or bad towards us. It is just a test. In reality, by heart, it is our own. It will come with us. Not only that, because of our unique firmness, it will change into our servant and follow us. Society is the form of God. God has assured that He is the servant of His devotees. All that we have to do is to make ourselves into true devotees.”

 

Politics and Spiritual Nationalism

 

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the Deputy Prime Minister of India, at the time of Partition, insisted that we should claim land from Pakistan to rehabilitate the Hindus who were driven out of Pakistan and who came as refugees to India. However, the Prime Minister, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru not only refused to accept the proposal, but even signed with the Pakistan Prime Minister Liakhat Ali Khan, a treaty which brought disgrace to Bharat. Opposing it, Dr. Shyam Prasad Mukherjee resigned from the Nehru Cabinet and with the support of Sangh Swayamsevaks, started a new political party called Bharatiya Jan Sangh, on October 12, 1951. Sri Guruji, who extended support by giving some gems of Swayamsevaks from the Sangh as full time workers to the party, however, took a firm decision that he himself and the Sangh as organization will not directly take part in the party politics. When heated election propagandas were taking place, Sri Guruji coolly retired to the famous Simhagad Fort of Chhatrapati Shivaji and engaged himself in his spiritual sadhanas. There he stayed in the house of Lokamanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak for 25 days from December 25, 1951, to January 18, 1952. He spent the time in reading Bhagavad Gita, the Upanishads and other scriptures and in conducting classes on Gita and holding discussions with those who stayed with him.

 

Sri Guruji, however, never accepted the stand that those who are engaged in spiritual life should not take interest in matters concerned with the welfare of the nation. In October 1952, a big Sadhu Sammelan took place in Kanpur. Sri Guruji was specially invited to the congregation. At that time, Sri Guruji made one thing very clear to all the spiritual and religious leaders of the country. There are innumerable sadhus, sannyasins and Mutt heads in our society. Among them many are interested only in their personal salvation through spiritual sadhanas like Dhyaana, Dhaarana and Pooja. Those who think about the society are very few. The thought about making this society safe and secure and making it march on the path of progress never arises in their minds. Sri Guruji therefore insisted that the sadhus and sannyasins should act combining the goal of spiritual salvation with social upliftment. He further said, “The Bhagava Dwaj (Ochre Flag) is the highest symbol of Hindu culture. It is the work of the sadhus and mahatmas to carry the message of Bhagava Dwaj to each and every home. They must undertake this task as a national vow. They must create an awakening in the society and through that make the people realize their self-respect and glory once again. Bhagava Dwaj is the symbol of the highest Sattvic quality. Before its Sattvic power, all wicked forces will lose their strength.” Sri Guruji also pointed out that the disinterestedness of sadhus and sannyasins in matters concerning social upliftment was because of the divisions in the society, the splits and the feelings of mutual hatred among people. He called upon the sadhus to undertake the work of setting right the dilapidated condition of the society as a Divine task

 

Protect the Monuments of National Honour

 

In a letter to Swatantrya Veer Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, Sri Guruji says: “It is because of the mind-set of our people, like indifference in the matter of the places of our worship and shameless tolerance of the onslaught on the worshipful cow, our temples and pilgrim centres by the aliens, that the people have allowed the vivisection of our Motherland Bharat. This is a grave sin to be condemned vehemently. And these sinful acts still continue. We are unable to see people with self-respect who declare that they will rest contented only after wiping out these blemishes. In stead, we see leaders who justify this grave sin of vivisection of the country. In our culture, Gomata and Bharatamata are inseparable. Therefore, how can those who encourage or tolerate cow slaughter be the true devotes of Bharatamata? It is never possible.”

 

In a public meeting at Mumbai, Sri Guruji declared: “Any self-respecting nation should take up as its first and foremost task the wiping out of the blemishes caused by slavery and even the traces of name and identity of the aggressors from this soil. From this standpoint, the reconstruction of the Somnath temple is a great event.” He further warned: “It seems today that the feeling in the hearts of the ordinary citizens that this is our motherland, and the attachment to the values of life are declining. We are forgetting the glorious history of our race. Like this, if we continue to forget the historic centres of our cultural heritage, there will not remain even one place of worship for us in the future. If it happens unfortunately, on what basis will we build the temple of our nation whose peak will touch the sky? How will we achieve rising glory that will touch the heaven?”

 

Sri Guruji had made it very clear that the feeling of patriotism cannot be divorced from spirituality. He told the Swayamsevaks, “Only when the sacred sentiments about our Bharatamata arise in our hearts, on that foundation, discipline, noble qualities and full-fledged life will arise. Only when the individuals equipped with all these noble virtues are created, all the plans for the upliftment of the nation will succeed. We can raise the power of our nation only through this spirit of dedication, sense of responsibility and disciplined life. Raising this power is the work of the Sangh.”

 

The Smriti Mandir of Paramapoojaneeya Dr. Hedgewar was inaugurated at Nagpur on April 9, 1962. On the next day, addressing thousands of Swayamsevaks who had gathered there from different parts of the nation, Sri Guruji made a touching speech: “This memorial is set here not with the intention of creating a temple and installing him on the pedestal like a religious leader. I have no interest in temple built with bricks and stones. We must look at this memorial only as a constant source of inspiration to us.”

 

 

A Volunteer in the Task of Integrating the Hindu Society

 

By the immense efforts of Sri Guruji, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad came into existence in the Sandeepani Ashram of Swami Chinmayananda at Mumbai on the auspicious Krishna Janmaashthami day of the year 1964. As a successful achievement in an effort to bring together all the great Hindu religious and spiritual leaders under one banner so as to integrate the whole society, a mammoth conference was held at Prayag on the occasion of Poorna Amrita Kumbha Mela on January 22, 23 and 24, 1966. When all the great Acharyas and spiritual leaders were seated on the dais, Paramapoojaneeya Sri Guruji was busy, like a humble volunteer, looking after the arrangements for the food and accommodation of lakhs of people who had come to participate in the conference. However, the Shankaracharya of Dwaraka Peeth insisted that Sri Guruji should come to the dais and address the gathering. Acceding to that request, Sri Guruji made a speech in all humility and said: “In fact, there is no need for me to come here and make a speech. However, two months ago, the revered Shankaracharya of Dwaraka Peeth wanted that I should also speak on this occasion. I apologized to him and submitted that my work will be to sweep and wipe the venue of the conference and keep it neat and clean. I can do the work very efficiently, because I am a Swayamsevak. However, how can I disregard the order of the Acharya? There is no other go but to abide by his orders.”

 

What simplicity! What humility! What the sadhus and sannyasins who had assembled in the conference at Prayag saw before their minds’ eye was the scenes of Lord Krishna removing the discarded leaves after the guests who had attended the Rajasuya Yaga of Dharmaputra had dined, and the Lord tending the horses of Arjuna in the Mahabaharata war.

 

It was the unique achievement of Sri Guruji that he made the leading sadhus, sannyasins and Jagadgurus of the country, who attended the Vishwa Hindu Parishad congregation at Udipi in the year 1969, pass a resolution unanimously declaring, “There is no place for the sin of untouchability in Hindu Dharma” and “Hindus are all brothers”. Sri Guruji proclaimed that it was a golden day in the history of Hinduism.

 

 

 

The Journey Towards Eternity

 

The first day of July in the year 1970 was the day on which Sri Guruji was admitted into the Tata Memorial Hospital in Mumbai for undergoing an operation for treatment of Cancer. Sri Guruji, who had the premonition that the journey of his life was coming to an end, was preoccupied with the thoughts about the work that he had yet to finish. He did not have even an iota of worry about his health condition or the fear of death. When he was taking leave of Dr. Praful Desai, the surgeon who performed the operation, Sri Guruji told him: “Man who is mortal should not unnecessarily be concerned about health. It is the law of nature that every life must one day or other come to an end. Therefore, the important thing is not how long a man lived, but how he lived. I have a work before me. I want to complete it. For that I appeal to the Lord that He should keep me in good health till the end of my life.”

 

Before undergoing the surgery, Sri Guruji made a journey to the abode of Badri Narayana and performed his own Shradda at Brahmakapala near the pilgrim centre. He also got an opportunity to listen to the discourse on Srimad Bhagavata from the mouth of the great saint of Jhusi Ashram, Sri Prabhu Datta Brahmachari.

 

He had the darshan of the Mother of Sri Aurobindo Ashram at Pondicherry on March 11, 1972. That meeting happened to be a spiritually significant one. The two spiritual luminaries sat facing each other. Not a single word came out of their mouths and they conversed in the language of silence. With folded hands both of them parted company.

 

Sri Guruji remarked jovially once: “The railway compartment is my address. The human society surrounding me on all the four sides is my home.” He was not only aware of the fact that his life was a long journey, but also made it known to others.

 

On the Jyeshtha Shukla Panchami day in the year 1975, Sri Guruji sat on his asana and performed Sandhyavandhan. He had suffocation. His personal assistant, Dr. Aba Datte, who was by his side, rushed to give him oxygen, but Sri Guruji raised his hands and said: “Aba, the bell is ringing today! Leave this!” Sri Guruji appeared to be completely peaceful. He got the nails in his hands and legs cut. Then he sat on the chair. Before that, he took the Kamandalu that he always used to carry with him and kept it on the right side. Usually, Sri Guruji used to keep the Kamandalu on the left side only. Only when he used to start a journey, he would keep it on the right side. Abaji realized that Sri Guruji was taking leave of all. The doctors also declared that Sri Guruji’s health was beyond their control. A message was sent to Mananeeya Sri Balasaheb Deoras who was the Sarkaryavah of the Sangh at that time. Exactly five minutes after nine o’clock in the night, Sri Guruji’s soul departed from his body.

 

After Sri Guruji attained immortality, three letters, which he had written and preserved in envelopes, were opened in the presence of all and read out. In the first letter he had expressed his wish that Sri Balasaheb Deoras should take over the responsibility of the Sarsanghchalak after him. In the second letter, he said that there was no need to raise any memorial for him. The third letter that he had written touched the hearts of everyone. A great man considered himself to be an insignificant human being, and with all humility expressed his feeling: “If I have ever caused pain to anybody’s heart knowingly or unknowingly, or if I have ever caused anguish in anybody’s mind, I beg, with folded hands, their forgiveness.” To make his feelings all the more clear he had quoted a Marathi verse of Sant Tukaram. The message of the verse is as follows: “Oh religious preceptors, please convey this last prayer of mine to the Lord that He should not forget me. What more I have to say? Everything is conveyed to Him. Tukaram places his head at the feet of the Lord and prays, ‘let the shadow of your grace fall on me ever’!”

 

Vande Mataram! Bharat Mata ki Jai!

 

(Article published in TATTVA DARSANA, January-April 2007)

 

 

NEWS & NOTES

Ragasagara  Annual Day

 

Rasasagara Academy of Fine Arts celebrated Annual Day Rasagnya 2019 at Natyapriya’s Nrutyakshetra Auditorium in Ramamoorthy Nagar, Bangaluru, on Saturday, 30^th November 2019. Sadhu Prof. V. Rangarajan, Founder Trustee of Sister Nivedita Academy, was the Chief Guest on the occasion. Addressing a big gathering of music and dance students and lovers and patrons of fine arts, Sadhuji said, in Bharatavarsha, since times immemorial, music and dance have been treated as sacred sadhana for spiriual realization and not as means of human entertainments. He quoted Kalidasa who proclaimed “Sangeetamapi saahityam Saraswatyaa sthanadwayam—Music and literature are the two breasts of Mother Saraswati” and they were not exploited for material gains. He pointed out that the great poet-composer, Saint Thyagaraja, declined all offers of patronage by kings and asked the question, “Niti sara sukhama, Raamuni Sannidhi seva sukhama?—Which one is blissful—enjoying wealth and riches or the service in the presence of Lord Rama?”. Bharata’s Natya Shaastra and Nandi Deva’s Abinaya Darpana have allways been dedicated means of spiritual realization.

 

Sree Bhagavad Gita Parayana Yagna 2019

 

Vishwa Hindu Parishad of Bengaluru Mahanagara organized for the 27^th consecutive year Srimad Bhagavatgeeta Parayana Yajna—four hours of “Geeta Satsang” comprising parayana of all the eighteen chapters of Geeta,–with eighteen aratis and eighteen bhajans at Dakshina Ayodhya Ground in Hennuru, Bengaluru, from 9-00 AM to 1-30 PM, on Sunday, 22^nd December 2019. The significance of the venue is that the famous Sri Kothandarama Temple, Sri Saibaba Mandir, Iskon’s Sri Narasimha Swamy Temple, Vasavi Temple and Gow Shala are situated in the premises. More than ten thousand people participated in the chanting of Srimad Bhagavad Geeta and Poojya Swamijis of various Maths and Missions adorened the stage with hundred children dressed as Krishna, Radha, Rama, Sita, Hanuman and Bharatamata. As usual, ISKON temple had arranged maha prasad for all the participants after the function.

 

HOMAGE PAID TO POOJYA SRI VISHWESHA TIRTHA

 OF UDIPI PEJAWAR MUTT

On the occasion of Sri Bharatamata Mandir 15^th Anniversary &

H.H. Yogi Ramsuratkumar’s 101^st Jayanti

 

Homage was paid to P:oojya Sri Vishwesha Tirtha Swamiji of Udipi Pejawar Mutt on the occasion of the 15^th Anniversary of Sri Bharatamata Mandir and 101^st Jayanti of Bhagavan Yogi Ramsuratkumar held at Sri Bharati Mandir at Krishnarajapuram, Bangalore, on Sunday, December 29, 2019.

 

Sri Bharatamata Mandir, consecrated by Sri Vishwesha Tirtha in the presence of Sri H.V. Seshadri, Saha Sarkaryavah of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh on December 8, 2004, was celebrating the 15^th anniversary with Special Homa, Abhisheka and Pooja in the morning and when the rituals were taking place, information reached about the Mahasamadhi of Sri Vishwesha Tirtha Maharaj. After the Mangala Arati, the congregation was addressed by Sadhu Prof. V. Rangarajan, Founder Trustee of the Mandir, who paid homage to the Swamiji. Sadhuji recalled his contacts with Swami Vishwesha Tirtha since the nineteen sixtees when he was a pracharak of RSS and karyakarta of Vishwa Hindu Parishad in Tamilnadu, and the opportunity he got to accompany Swami Vishwesha Tirtha to meet the Jagadguru Shankaracharya of Kanchi Kamakothi Peetham. Later after shifting to Bangalore from Chennai and setting up of the Bharatamata Gurukula Ashram, Sadhuji also got the opportunity to accompany the Swamiiji when he visited the Dalit colonies in Kolar District where Christian missionaries were indulging in conversion of the poor and downtrodden Hindus. It was heartening to see the Dalit people welcoming the Peethaadheeswar in their humble huts and offering padapooja to the saint. Sadhuji also joined the Swami in his march to Rajbhavan in Bangalore to submit a memorandum to the Karnataka Governor against Christian Evangelization activities.

 

When the Bharatamata Gurukula Ashram and Yogi Ramsuratkumar Indological Research Centre was set up with the blessings of Bhagavan Yogi Ramsuratkumar of Tiruvannamalai. at Krishnarajapuram, Bangalore, and Sri Bharatamata Mandir came up on the Gurukula premises, Sadhuji appealed to Pejawar Swamiji to consecrate the six feet idol of Sri Bharatamata made at Shivarapatnam, Sri Vishwesha Tirthaji readily agreed and consecrated the Sri Bharatamata Mandir exactly 15 years ago.

 

Sri Bharatabhavani manifested in the Sacred Flames on the occasion of the consecration by H.H. Vishwesa Teertha in the presence of Sri H.V. Seshadri .

 

Sadhuji recalled how his deeksha guru, Yogi Ramsuratkumar and Pejawar Swamiji, both all-renounced saints, were imbued with the spirit of intense patriotism and adoration of Sri Bharatamata, and wanted trhe children of Mother Bharat to adore and worship the Motherland as the Supreme Goddess.

 

The function was also addressed by Sri Rudresh of Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Smt.Shyla Girish of Rashtra Sevika Samity. After the function concluded with the singing of Vande Mataram, the mothers and sisters of Sri Bharatamata Satsang chanted Vishnu Sahasranamam. Mahaprasad was distributed to all participants.

 

Mananeeya Sri Bhaiyaji Joshi, Sarkaryavah of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, visited the Mandir and offered worship to Sri Bharatamata in the afternoon.

 

Sri Ramanananda Swamiji, Peethadeeswar of Sri Shivananda Ashram of Neelamangala and Sri Omkarananda Saraswati of Badrinath Dham also visited the Mandir.

 

Sri Ramakrishna Vivekananda Sadhana Kendra Silver Jubilee

 

The Silver Jubilee Celebrations of Sri Sadhana Math, a branch of Sri Ramakrishna Vivekananda Sadhana Kendra, Krishnarajapuram, Bangalore, was celebrated on a grand scale with congragatgion of saints representing various spiritual institutions, ‘Gnanajyoti’ Persomality Development of Students, dedication of ‘Souvenir-January-2020’ and 158^th Birth Anniversary of Swami Vivekananda at Sri Lakshminarayan Bhavan, Krishnarajapuram, Bangalore, from 9-00 AM to 7-00 PM, on Sunday, January 12, 2020. Students from various educational institutions also participated and presented cultural programmes. Swami Chandreshananda, Founder of the Sadhana Kendra welcomed all dignitaries.

Addressing the gathering, Sadhu Rangarajan, founder of Sri Bharatamata Mandir, reminded the congregation of the clarion call given by the patriot-monk, Swami Vivekananda, to adore and worship Sri Bharatamata above all Gods and Goddesses and to serve the poor and downtrodden with the ideal that service to humanity is worship of God.   He said, great patriots, revolutionaries and freedom-fighters including Sister Nivedita, Sri Aurobindo, Bhupendra Nath Dutta, Bairndra Ghosh and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose whose final blow to the British Empire in India by setting up Azad Hind Fauz and inspiring revolt among the soldiers of Indian Army, Navy and Air Force brought Independence to India, were all aroused by the inspiring message of Swami Vivekananda.

 

Ma Devaki in Sri Bharatamata Mandir

 

Ma Devaki, the “Eternal Slave” of Yogi Ramsuratkumar, accompanied by devotees of Bhagavan from Tiruvannamalai and Bangalore, visited Sri Bharatamata Mandir in Bharatamata Gurukula Ashram & Yogi Ramsuratkumar Indological Research Centre at Krishnarajapuram, Bangalore, on Saturday, January 18, 2020, She was received by Sadhu Rangarajan, Smt. Bharati and Smt. Nivedita, Trustees. She visited the research centre library and had darsan of Mahameru and the Meru Gopura atop the Mandir. The mothers of Sri Bharatamata Satsang Samiti, chanted Vishnu Sahasranamam, Ramanam and Yogi namam. Ma Devaki did the Arati of Sri Bharatamata.

 

Earlier in the day, there was a grand Satsang of devotees of Bhagavan Yogi Ramsuratkumar at Sri Sita Rama Hall. Kalkere, Bangalore, in which Sri Ma Devaki was accorded a rousing reception. She gave an inspiring narration of her experiences with Bhagavan.

 

Swami Vivekananda Oratorical Contest

 

Yogi Ramsuratkumar Youth Association, a wing of Sister Nivedita Academy, held for the thirty third consecutive year, Oratorical Contests on Swami Vivekananda, in connection with the National Youth Day, Swami Vivekananda Jayanti and Republic Day, for the award of Yogi Ramsuratkumar Rolling Shields and Prizes to school students. The competitions were held for students of schools in Bangalore city and suburb for the eleventh consecutive year, at Sri Guruji Golwalkar Hall, Sri Bharatamata Mandir, Srinivasanagar, Krishnarajapuram, Bangalore on Sunday, January 26, 2020. Fortyfive atudents participated in the senior, junior and sub-junior levels and ten judges selected the first three prize-winners in each group.

 

Dr. Giridhar Upadhyaya, Professor, Kempagowda Institute of Medical Science, Bangalore, presided over the prize distribution ceremony and gave an inspiring message on the nation-building ideals of Swami Vivekananda. Sadhu Prof. V. Rangarajan gave a benedictory address highlighting the messages of H.H. Yogi Ramsuratkumar and Swami Vivekananda on adoration and worship of Motherland. Sri Ramasubramanaian welcomed the guests and Sow. Anasuya proposed vote of thanks.

 

Students from Jayagopal Garodia Rashtrotthana Vidya Kendra, Ramamoorthy Nagar, won the Yogi Ramsuratkumar Rolling Shield for Seniors and Rashtrotthana Vidya Kendra, Banasankari, the rolling shields for Juniors and Subjuniors.

 

Shiva Pooja of VHP

 

Vlshwa Hindu Parishad of Bangalore organized a Saamoohik Shiva Pooja at Jaigopal Garodia Rashtrotthana Vidyalaya premises in Ramamoorthy nagar, Bangalore on Sunday, February 23, 2020, in which about a hundred Hindu families irrespective of caste distinctions congregated and performed abhisheka and pooja to Shivalinga.

 

Eacch family was provided with a panchaloha Shiva linga and pooja materials, lamps, etc., and siting in rows, they did the abhisheka and pooja when the chief priests of the congregation chanted Vedic hynns like Rudram, Chamakam, Purusha sookta, Sri sookta, Durga sookta, etc., and did abhisheka and pooja to the main Shivalinga. Hundreds of devotees witnessed the function. Sadhu Rangarajan of Sri Bharatamata Mandir, Swami Chandreshananda of Sri Ramakrishna Vivekananda Sadhana Kendra, Swamini Uma Bharati, Sri Keshav Hegde of VHP and Sri Basavaraj, MLA of K.R. Puram, were special guests. Sadhu Rangarajan, addressing the congregation, explained the symbolism of Shiva Linga worship and the scientific explanation of Purusha-Prakriti samyoga as presented in the Samkhya theory of evolution and Shiva-Shakti unity.

 

“Ghantavataram” Film Show in Sri Bharatamata Mandir

 

A short film, “Ghantavataram”, depicing the life of Sri Vedanta Deshika, disciple of Sri Ramanuja and exponent of Vishishthadvaita Vedanta, who is adored as the incarnation of the sacred bell of Lord Venkateswara, was shown in the auditorium of Sri Guruji Golwalkar Hindu Resource Centre of Sri Bharatamata Gurukula Ashtram on Sunday, February 23, 2020. A number of adevotees attended the programme and enjoyewd the free film show.

 

Free Multi-speciality Medical Camp

 

A free multi-specialty medical camp sponsored by TARGET, Helpage India and organized by Samanvaya, K.R.Puram bhag, and other socio-cultural organizations, was held in the Shishu Mandir Child Care Centre at Medahalli, Kithaganur Main Road, K.R. Puram, on Saturday, February 28, 2020. A team of doctors and medical specialists from East Point College of Medical Science, Kidwai Hospital, and Sharada Eye and Dental Hospital rendered yeoman service to about 400 people who attended the medical camp and underwent medical check up for various ailments. Sadhu Rangarajan inaugurated the camp by performing pooja to Sri Bharatamata.

 

Aattukaal Pongaala Mahotsavam 2020

 

Karnataka Nair Service Society, Doorvani Nagar Karayogam, celebrated Aattukaal Pongala Mahotsavam 2020 at KNSS Vidya Mandir High School premises on Monday, March 9, 2020. More than hundred mothers lit the ovens with bricks laid in a row and prepared Pongal Prasad for the Divine Mother. The preliminary poojas were performed by Dr. Hariharan Sharma and the Guests of Honour, Sadhu Prof. Rangarajan and Smt. Sudhila Devi set fire to the ovens. Addressing the gathering on the occasion, Sadhu Rangarajan spoke about the most ancient tradition of Mother Worship which commenced in Bharat during Vedic period and spread to distant lands like Greece, Crete and Babylonia where the Mother Goddess called as Umma or Ummi, a variation of the Vedic name Uma, and depicted as Mother flanked by lions kneeling at Her feet on the coins of King Huvishka with a Greek legend “Umma”, was worshipped.  He also ponted out that, according to E.A. Payne, author of “The Shakti and the Shaktas”, the name Virgin Mary of Christianity was a variation of the name of Mother Maari or Kannyaa Kumaari of the Hindus.

 

Matrix Abacus State Level Competition

Sadhu Prof. V. Ranarajan, Founder of Sri Bharatamata Mandir, and Swami Lokasangrahananda, Founder of Sivananda Vedanta Centre, Tongaat, South Africa, who was guest of Sri Bharatamata Mandir, participated in the Prize Distribution function for KR Puram winners of Matrix Abacus state level competitions, held at Euro Kids Pre-school, Devasandra and Matrix Abacus School in Srinivasanagar, Kithaganur, on Sunday, March 8, 2020. Addressing the students, teachers and parents on the occasion, Sadhu Rangarajan spoke about the Vedic origin of the science of Mathematics, the renowned mathematicians, Aryabhata, Bhaskararaya and Brahmagupta and the book, “Vedic Mathematics” by H.H. Swami Bharati Krishna Teertha, Sankaracharya of Puri. Smt. D.R. Sowjanya, Principal of Euro Kids Pre-school, was also a guest of honour. Sri C.G. Navin and Smt; Asha Navin, founders of Matrix Abacus School, welcomed the guests.

 

TATTVA DARSANA issues and articles and works of Sadhu Prof. V. Rangarajan could be freely accessed from our website, sribharatamtamandir.org       –EDITOR

 

Edited, printed and published by Sadhu Prof. V. Rangarajan, Founder Trustee, Sister Nivedita Academy, Sri Bharati Mandir, Srinivasanagar Krishnarajapuram, Bangalore 560 036.