Madhwa's Teachings-His Holiness Shri Satyatma Teertha Swamiji's Amritopadesha to the youth.

August 1, 2009

Madhwa’s Tachings.

01-08-09.

H H Shri Satyatma Teertha Swamiji’s Chaturmasya Amritopadesha to the youth.

Dear Reader,

The Maadhwa youth is indeed a blessed lot for prioritisation by H H Sri Satyatma Teertha Swamiji, thanks to the initiative taken by Vidwan Vidyasimhacharya and Pandit. Vishwaprajnyacharya. His Holiness has been giving amritopadesha through Shrimad Bhagawat from the Vidyapeetha, every day, between 8-00 pm and 8-45 pm during the on-going chaturmasya. On Sundays, however, the Swamiji addresses the youth. Given below is the brief report of the upadesha His Holiness gave last Sunday.

In the introductory lecture, Vidwan Vidyasimhacharya dwelt at length on the question of the ever-increasing influence of the West on the Indian psyche, especially of the youth, which has been carried away by what is generally perceived to be the great material success the West has achieved. The youth, quite naturally, has come to accept the Western approach to life as the be all and end all of life.

The projected material success is one side of the coin. The other side, the darker side of greed, scant respect for others, recourse to hard waters to stimulate ablities to remain at the top, broken relationships, loneliness, despondency and the consequent refuge in drugs, which are available in abundance, surfaces all too frequently. Majority of people live in insecurity and constant fear in the uncongenial atmosphere in that part of the world.

Expressing his concern on the issue, His Holiness said that breaking of the traditions of the great past of ours is the main cause of the situation.We have a long record of successful men of great integrity, selflessness and unblemished character who were looked upon as ideals. This tradition has come down to us from the ancient puranic era. There were such emperors, kings, knights, warriors, scholars, traders and householders, all successful; they occupied every sphere of human activity for ages. People followed them and led a purposeful life. Such men and women abound the puranas and the historical records.

His Holiness gave just two examples to support his viewpoint. Lord. Ram, he said, the rightful heir to the throne of Ayodhya relinquished the kingdom and went to the jungles just to honour the word his father King Dasharatha gave to his queen Kaikayee and that too with no bitterness in his heart for his stepmother. Bhishma, the crown prince of Kaurava dynasty gave up his claim to the throne and avowed celibacy until death to avoid the possibility of his offspring staking claim to the throne in the years to come, to allow his father to marry the woman he desired. It is hardly necessary to say that both of them were successful.

His Holiness lamented that men of such character are nowhere to be seen nowadays. Even now, there are selfless men and women, but they are in in microscopic minority. We have to seek them.

His Holiness, however, admitted that emulation of the West has brought about a qualitative change in the life of people in the country; but the change is superficial for it has cost the country a lot in terms of human values that are a primary condition for peace and progress of man and prosperity of the society. He said that last year there were thousands of divorce cases in the state of Karnataka alone and majority of them pertained to the Brahmin community, especially Maadhwa families. The situation has reached alarming proportions, he said.

Ego is the very cause of every human problem, which is universal. However, ego is observed to be more pronounced among the highly educated and the affluent class. Many educated couples have approached him with disputes, which were the products of not very significant causes but of ego clash. The ego makes one consider others as inferior. Yet, the so-called superior man is humble before a doctor. He does not question the doctor; he accepts all that he says and follows every advice of his to the minutest detail. The life would be easy and comfortable, if he subdues his ego and listens to at least some of the people.

His Holiness said that every thing is still not lost; there is enough scope for the reversal of the trend. To begin with, let us subdue our ego before our parents and become humble for they are the ones to whom we owe our very existence. The parents certainly do not expect their children to sacrifice their comforts of life in the manner Lord Ram and Bhishma did; they always wish their children to lead a comfortable life. This very first step alone will bring about 75% improvement in one’s life.The parents too should give up their ego, and be considerate towards the children; they should exercise restraint and correct the children if they go wrong and pardon them for their wrong doings, for to err is but human, to forgive is divine.

The Swamiji asked the youth to earn money but but by legal means; money coming from illegal sources is invarably accompanied by misery mostly in the form of fear. Such people often suffer from unknown fears. He said many people have sought his advice to overcome a fear they cannot describe. He did not ask the youth to choose the path of renunciation; he asked them to enjoy life but within the limits prescribed by dharma. He asked them to cultivate discipline and strictly follow the code of conduct to lead a meaningful life. And above all, he advised them to have faith in God and surrender to Him.

The pin-drop silence that pervaded the fully packed spacious hall, mostly by the youth, was finally broken by a long applause, when the Swmiji ended the address after almost an hour; it was an acknowledgement of the Swamiji’s address being ingrained in the minds of all.

Vidwan Vidyasimhacharya, who evedently could not resist the temptation of expressing his appreciation for the profound wisdom of the Swamiji, said that some times, God sends His messengers for the uplift of sujivas and His Holiness Shri. Satyatma Teertha Swamiji could be deemed to be one such emissary! His remarks were followed by a longer applause. What was noteworthy was the angelic response of the Swamiji and his characteristic humility. The yati probably could foresee the reaction to the address; he closed his eyes and went into deep meditation to avoid hearing others singing his praises

Madhwa’s Teachings feels that the Maadhwa Youth is a blessed lot to have been able to listen to the enlightening advice by His Holiness Shri. Satyatma Teertha Swamiji. His address will go a long way in helping them reach their goal. Therefore, it earnestly appeals to all the out-station readers to listen to the Swamiji’s amritopadesha every Sunday, between 8-00 pm and 8-45 pm on www.uttaradimath.org or www.svp.co.in.

With best regards,

Ramachandra Tammannacharya Gutti.

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