(Discourses of His Holiness Sri Jagadguru
Sri Chandrasekharendra Sarasvati Sripadah
of Kanci Kamakoti Pitham)
Price:
Rs. 4.
In the wake of increasing
publications in the various languages of
Nothing
from the lips of the Master that has not invited the utmost reverence and
deepest consideration from all lovers of Hindu culture and
philosophy has found its way into this volume. In forty-three chapters,
starting with The Divine Call and culminating with What
to Pray for, the range of subjects dealt here with an eye to
relevant topicality, demands a great deal of the reader’s concentration and
useful employment of his time. The Vedic religion, to the Acharyaswami,
is the fulcrum on which the entire Hindu civilisation revolves. Anushtana or strict adherence to daily
religious conduct, as ordained by the Vedas, to him is the be-all and end-all
of existence. Advaita philosophy to him is the penacea
for all human ills that visit us with our rampant materialism and fissiparous
political pre-occupations. Bhakti or devotion to the Universal Mother to him,
as to the great Saint of Dakshineswar, Sri
Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, has been and is the mainstay
and source of true inspiration. In between these landmarks of his talks, there
are as many sidelights found on our present society and the fast-enveloping
changes we are undergoing, as there are passages of healthy collectives and
timely admonitions to heed to the wisdom of our own sages who had carefully and
with universal sympathy planned a system of conduct and a course of life that are
still practicable, despite inroads and attacks upon the ancient order.
Wise
words, words of superior intuition and words of life-giving knowledge have been
garnered up in this golden granary. Perhaps a few examples may convince even
the confirmed agnostic and nihilist of the abiding value of some of these
thoughts:
“We
must attach ourselves to Him, who has no attachments, to rid ourselves of all
attachments.”
“If
we practise little by little, we shall advance some
way at least in the direction of mental purity and if, at the end of our lives,
we are better men than when we began it, that will give us a
carried-over merit in our next life, stand us in good stead and make for
our salvation.”
“...it
will be clear that the appeal to conscience or the inner voice must be
made only when all other forms of guidance that we have enumerated, namely, Sruii, Smriti, the way of good
men, are not available.”
“It
is not necessary that we should try to bring about uniformity in religions.
Unity is what is important, not uniformity.”
“That
in spite of the numerous and trying vicissitudes the Vedic religion of unknown
origin survives today and has such a large following, is due to the fact that
in it were born great souls, unselfish, pure and godly, who had deep devotion
and earnest fervour, and who unswervingly adhered to
the ordinances of its practice.”
“The
fruit (cucumber) does not fall down, but gets detached from the stalk, or rather the stalk gets itself detached even without
the fruit knowing it. Similarly the liberated one does not give up the world;
the world gives him up.”
“A
heavy log of wood needs a number of hands to lift it or drag it. Immerse it in
water; even a child can pull it without effort. Even so should our troubles be
sunk in the waters of Jnana. They will then become light to us.”
“Impurity
of cloth or body would lead to diseases which would last only for one lifetime.
But impurity of heart would lead to diseases which would affect the soul for
several births.”
“Real
socialism lies in giving up luxuries, leading a frugal life, observing
simplicity in food and clothing and living like the common man.”
“Action
is the means to actionlessness. For one would have
then obtained That, after which there is nothing else
to be obtained and so there will be no need of any further action.”
“The
dramas that ought to be acted on the stage are those that are calculated to
elevate the mind rather than corrupt it, which leave the beholder at
peace with himself and with the world and which do not
agitate his mind and rouse his passions.”
“The
bitters of family life are steps leading to the sweetness of salvation.”
We
can give really more of such valuable selections; but space forbids it. We
merely echo the words of despair of Sri Jaya Chamaraja Wadiyar, the Maharaja
of Mysore, who has said in his Foreword to this volume: “In this magnificent
volume of precious gems–how can I pick out one here and one there?” Even
as he has done, let us acknowledge with folded hands the great merit we acquire
by perusing this volume and pondering over the precious contents for long.
We
cannot also conclude a review of this book without expressing our deepest sense
of gratitude to Sri P. Sarikaranarayana Aiyar,
Professor of Philosophy, The Vivekananda College, For
the utter devotion and care with which he has helped in the English rendering
of the inimitably racy Tamil of the Acharyaswami.