On Sandhya Worship

[Guest guest]

I just wished to add an interesting anecdote from Swami Vivekananda

pertinent to the topic -

 

Excerpted from Collected Works, Vol.4: On Dr. Paul Deussen, p.275

 

A pandit asked Swami Vivekananda if there was any harm in giving up

sandhyavandanam or prayers performed in the morning, noon and evening,

which he had had to do for lack of time. " What! " cried out the swami,

almost with ferocity, " Those giants of old, the ancient rishis, who

never walked, but strode - the likes of whom, if you are to think [of]

for a moment, you would be shriveled into a moth - they, sir, had time

and you have none! "

 

When a Westernized Hindu spoke in a belittling manner of the

" meaningless teachings " of the Vedic seers, the swami fell upon him with

thunderbolt vehemence, crying out, " Man, a little learning has muddled

your brain! How dare you criticize your venerable forebears, how dare

you bastardize the blood of the rishis in your veins by speaking in such

a fashion! Have you tested the science of the rishis? Have you even so

much as read the Vedas? There is the challenge thrown by the rishis! If

you dare oppose them, take it up, put their teachings to the test, and

they shall not be found wanting! What is making this race contemptible

is just such intellectual bigotry and lop-sidedness as you

manifest! " (51)

 

Regards,

Harihara Krishnan