India's Spiritual Heritage – still lively in day-to-day live of India by Glen P. Kezwer

[Guest guest]

India's Spiritual Heritage

*********************

by Glen P. Kezwer

 

Spirituality is an intrinsic part of Indian culture and life. Every Indian home

is adorned with a poojaa shrine containing a picture of Lord Krishna, Shri

Ganesh, Lord Shiv, the Goddess Lakshmi, Saraswati, or some other deity

surrounded by candles and incense and garlanded with a maalaa. It is here that

people stop for a praanaam to the devi or devtaa, or to ring a bell and sit with

eyes closed and hands folded for a few minutes every day. For the worshipper,

this aspect of Indian culture serves as a constant reminder that behind the

material forms which constitute our daily world, there is an unchanging

consciousness which permeates everything.

 

I myself am not of Indian origin. I was born and raised in Canada, but have

spent the greater part of the past twenty years living in India. During this

time India has become my home. I have travelled her highways and byways from

Kerala and Tamil Nadu to Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh. I have traversed this

vast land on her railways, buses, taxis and airplanes, as well as her elephants,

camels and bullock carts. I have walked the streets of her cities, towns and

villages, wandered her fields, climbed her mountains and roamed her forests. I

have visited her temples, colleges, universities, cultural institutions,

government offices and the homes of countless numbers of her citizens. I have

met her politicians, professors, military personnel, business people,

housewives, doctors, lawyers, wandering sadhus, coolies, temple poojaries,

farmers, pandits, journalists and police officers. I have eaten her food, and

been nourished by her wholesome dal, subji and roti. I have experienced the

heartfelt hospitality of her people, being welcomed and treated as the Godly

guest in the most humble of mud houses and the most magnificent of grand

mansions. I have sat in meditation in her majestic temples, lectured in her

institutions and universities, and waited in line in her banks, train stations,

government offices and petrol stations. I have felt the warmth of her sunshine,

been refreshed by her rain and breathed the air of this great and enchanting

nation year after year.

 

My experiences in India have been many and diverse. I have been awed by the

beauty of the dawning of a new year in a farmer's field south of Delhi. I have

been warmed by the first rays of the sun as I sat in a crowded motor rickshaw on

a cold winter's morning in Farrukhabad. I have sat on a rough bench in a

beautiful garden in Bhind and been dazzled by the heartfelt tales of a venerable

freedom-fighter. I watched the delighted look on the faces of Gandhian workers

as I spoke of meditation and highest awareness at the Mahatma's ashram in

Wardha. I have had similar experiences when speaking to the senior officers at

the Sarder Patel National Police Academy in Hyderabad, science students at the

Gargi College in Delhi, gathered intellectuals at the India International Centre

in Delhi. I have felt the power of living the eternal message of the Bhagavad

Gita on the battlefield in Kurukshetra. I have shared the devotion of the

worshippers of the goddess at the Lakshmi temple in Madurai.

 

And everywhere, in every experience I have known India's unique, essential

spirituality. It is built into the very fabric of this nation. Where else could

you find a city like Ayodhya which is home to 6,000 temples? In what other

country could you find holy communities like Rishikesh and Benares, dedicated to

the worship of the highest, where meat and alcohol are not to be found? Where

else could you watch the evening news on the national television network, and

find the words Satyam, Shivam, Sundaram - Truth, Bliss and Beauty - etched on

the screen behind the news reader? In what other country would the name of the

national radio network be Aakaashvaani - the Voice of the Heavens?

 

Where else would you find establishments with names such as "Krishna Dry

Cleaners", "Laxmi Eye Clinic" and "Ram Silk Store"? Where else would vehicles

stop on the highway at a temple to take the blessings of the goddess for a

successful journey? And what of Indian names? One commonly meets people with

names such as Avadh - indestructible, Pratap - the glory of God, Anand _

indivisible bliss, Preeti - divine love, Amar - immortal, Vaibhav - the grandeur

or majesty of the divine, Shanti - supreme peace, Kaanti - the glory of God, and

Mohini - the enchanting aspect of the absolute. And these are just some of the

countless Indian names which serve as reminders of the divinity residing within

each and every human being.

 

Indian currency notes bear the motto Satyamayv jayatay under the national seal.

The meaning of these words is "Truth alone prevails", a phrase which brings to

one's mind the unique truth which is the underlying reality behind all of

material existence. This truth is the essential spiritual message which is

India's great gift to the world, and it is this same truth which permeates every

aspect of Indian life. Two incidents illustrate what I mean.

 

I was once in the office of the Registrar of the High Court of Himachal Pradesh.

I sat there for over an hour and watched as he was constantly harangued by

countless lawyers and other applicants pressing him to present their cases to

the court as soon as possible. I noticed that throughout it all he maintained an

attitude of calmness and fairness to everyone, whereas most people in his

position would have become agitated or annoyed. During a break I asked him what

the secret was to his easy, unruffled attitude. He smiled, and then indicating a

picture of Lord Krishna which was on his desk said, "I know that he is doing

everything."

 

On another occasion I had been invited to give a talk at a temple in Bhind,

where my main message was that one's true nature is immortal and blissful. After

the talk was over I was surprised to find a long line-up of people approaching

to come greet me personally. I was deeply moved by this gesture as it clearly

showed that to these people it did not matter that I was not Indian; I had

spoken of the knowledge of their land and they wanted to respect that. As each

person approached I greeted them with the words "jeetay raho", "May you live a

long life." It was obvious in that moment that I was seeing my own self in them

and they were seeing their own self in me.

 

>From times immemorial India's message has been promulgated by her saints, sages,

gurus and rishis and transmitted by them to those who were desirous of knowing

the truth. The essence of this message is simple: Behind the eyes of every

living being on earth there shines a light. This light is one and the same in

all beings. This light is immortal, blissful, eternal and indestructible. This

is the light of consciousness which makes each and every one of us alive and

alert and gives us the power to breathe. It is written in Chapter II, verse 30

of the Srimad Bhagavad Gita that Dehii nityamavadhyoyam / Dehe Sarvasya Bhaarat:

The spirit which dwells within the body is eternal and indestructible. It dwells

in the bodies of all, and is therefore the selfsame spirit in every living human

being or creature. This spirit, which can also be called Aatmaa or Self, is the

true nature of all. It is indivisible, being one and one alone, and is the

unchanging reality behind the changing world which we experience every day

through our senses. To know or realize this Self is the quest of every spiritual

seeker throughout history, and the means to achieve this loftiest of goals can

be found in the spiritual heritage of India.

-----

 

(The writer is a physicist from Canada. He lives in Himachal Pradesh and is

author of the book Meditation, Oneness and Physics)

 

See the original article and beautiful photographs at:

http://www.deshvidesh.com/spiritual2.htm

 

 

_____________

Join Excite! - http://www.excite.com

The most personalized portal on the Web!