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Ram Chandran

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Source: The Hindu (http://www.the-hindu.com)

 

A unique saint

 

The 108th Jayanthi of Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswati falls

tomorrow. A. S. RAMAN pays homage to the Paramacharya.

 

HE WAS so humble and soft-spoken, so casual and relaxed, so

intense and evolved that titles such as His Holiness, Jagadguru

and Sankaracharya, seemed an embarrassment to him. Untouched by

the power, protocol and paraphernalia, the fragile figure derived

his authority more from his own spiritual and intellectual

strength and integrity which one could not only see but feel,

than from the office he held. His very distinguished and

discerning devotees across the world held him in awe because of

his transparent commitment to the essence of Hindu Dharma which

values man's spirit of enquiry and sense of right and wrong.

>From 1963 to 1994, among the mediamen, I had the good fortune to

be close to him. If he had nice things to say about others, he

was generous with words just to motivate them to do better. If,

on the contrary, he had unpleasant or unfavourable things to say,

he spoke through his eyes. In his public discourses and private

conversations, he used a language which even the illiterate could

understand, a language at once simple, direct, casual and

friendly, complete with parables and anecdotes laced with humour.

He interpreted the Sastras, the Vedic texts, the Puranas, the

Upanishads and other ancient texts in the lucid language of the

common man, without diluting their spirit or substance. He was

known to be a master of 17 languages, Indian as well as foreign.

 

Once a Soviet delegation visited him. Among them was an

Indologist. the Paramacharya asked him in Russian: ``Does not the

northernmost of your country - it's my guess - have more Sanskrit

content in the language? In ancient Indian geography Russia is

referred to as Rishi Varsha. Our rishis such as Yagnavalkya and

several others used to hold their Vedic conferences here. Some

Russian women, particularly those living in the extreme north,

are named Lopamudrova after Lopamudra, the wife of our sage

Agastya. The Jambudweepa mentioned in our sacred texts covers the

entire Europe and Asia. ''

 

The Russian scholar turning to his colleagues commented: ``I'm

not surprised that this Indian scholar saint is such a strong

cultural force in his country.'' On occasions when he observed

silence, he communicated through gestures. He was keen on keeping

in touch with his devotees who turned to him so desperately for

solace and guidance. Being a rationalist with a scientific

temperament, he felt sad and embarrassed whenever someone

attributed supernatural powers to him. He was such an exalted

soul that he treated everybody with the same courtesy and

compassion. Each devotee felt that His Holiness treated him like

one very special.

 

He was generous to a fault in his responses. To my critical

comment that spirituality was being big business with

transcontinental ramifications and that there were more godmen

than goodmen in the world, his reaction was: ``Nothing wrong.

Spirituality in any form is good and sooner or later it is bound

to have a positive effect on whoever practises it. People are

free to follow any guru they like provided he is the right one,

that is, one who sets an example, not by what he says ----, they

all say nice things ----, but by how he lives. What matters is,

not right speech, but right conduct. We Indians are great

talkers. We are fond of judging others, not ourselves...''

 

His Holiness' deep humanism made a strong impression even on

Arthur Koestler, who observes: ``... a smile transformed his face

into that of a child. I had never seen a comparable smile or

expression. It had an extraordinary charm and sweetness. Later,

on my way back, I wondered why in Western paintings of saints,

entranced, blessed or martyred, I had never encountered anything

like that enchanted smile. Since all mystics agree that their

experience cannot be put into words, perhaps their expression

also eludes representation through chisel and brush. However much

I admired a Last Supper or a scene from Calvary, I have never

felt that Jesus of Nazareth really looked like that. On the other

hand, certain sculptures of the Gupta period of the early Indian

Baroque do convey an idea of that peculiar smile.'' So he who

came to scoff remained to pray!

 

During my privileged association with him spanning three

memorable decades, I had several opportunities to discuss crucial

issues with him, secularism, the language controversy, the caste

system, science and spirituality, films and their social impact,

woman's status, etc. His views, coming from the head of a highly

influential religious establishment, were rational, progressive,

authoritative and lucidly expressed.

 

To illustrate: ``Religion'', according to him, ``can never cease

to be a force in our country. Superficially, we may be

materialistic and secular. But we are religious to the core. Even

politicians need religion for their secular purposes...The

communal riots that broke out as a result of Partition had much

greater significance than the religious persecution in medieval

Europe. In Europe one talks about individual martyrs. In India,

whenever the challenge to religion came, it was the common people

who defended their faith, not intellectuals or reformers. Kumbh

Melas can take place only in this country. Religion has mass

appeal in India. It is possible for all communities to live in

harmony without losing their identities, if political leaders and

religious activists don't stand in their way.''

 

His Holiness had, at his command, all the privileges and

paraphernalia one associated with the exalted position he

occupied in the Hindu hierarchy - a bejewelled crown, a throne,

camels, horses, elephants, etc. But he had no use for them. The

only crown he wore was the tulasi garland offered by the

devotees. The only mode of travel he knew was walking -

padayatra. The only throne he occupied was the human heart. The

only miracle he performed: He made his devotees feel the presence

of God.

 

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