Part of the lecture by Swami Ranganathananda ....

[Guest guest]

Dear Devotees of Divine Mother in TBP,

 

Love and Love alone....

 

Here is another small article. Kindly enjoy.

 

Love and Love alone...

 

P. Gopi Krishna

 

==

Human Excellence

-A Lecture by Swami Ranganathananda

 

There was a Rose show in Hyderabad a few days ago. About 5000 people

participated. We have a Japanese Sadhu in our centre. Very nice

Sadhu we call him 'Satyalokananda'. 'Partha Maharaj'. Now, they see

things from their point of view, we see things from our point of

view. What does not jar in our minds jars on his mind. Englishmen,

Japanese, American, they are free people. So they see things quite

differently from what we see. For example, apart from this story I

am telling another story, which I mentioned in my lecture on Human

Values in management.

 

One Japanese came to Bombay. He went round, and he found everybody

wearing a wristwatch, including rickshaw-puller all have wristwatch.

He comes from Japan and he told his Indian friend, - " We in Japan

produce for export, because we have to strengthen our economy. We

don't consume all that we produce. We have to export. So all our

watches we export. In my house there is only one clock, all have to

go by that one clock. In India every body has a watch. Every body,

even the poorest have a watch " . That is the first part of the

remark. The second part is the most beautiful part, and he says, -

" they all have watches and nobody is punctual. It is only for show,

status, show " . We can't understand that at all. See how a free

people will remark! How they react to human situation! A wonderful

remark it is! For show a watch! It is for punctuality. I must go to

my office in time - that is the purpose of this watch. We never used

it for that. We are always late to office except there in the

emergency. Then every body was in time, because 'Danda' alone can

make us work. That shows we are slaves. If we are free people, we

don't want any pressure from any body, we know our value. We have

sense of dignity and worth - that spirit has to come in all

departments of life.

 

So coming to the rose show, it has a profound message to all of us

in India today. How to get out of this feudal outlook? And develop a

free democratic outlook! That is the lesson coming from that

incident. This Japanese friend, sadhu went to the rose show. He

found one gardener has created a beautiful arrangement of roses

there. But the prize was given to the master of the gardener. She

had done nothing, but she was a big officer's wife. So all the prize

goes to her. The man who did it, nobody respects. " In Japan it can

never happen Swamiji " , he told me - " the one who did it, will get

the prize. But in feudal India one who managed it above will get all

the honor. He gets only labor, nothing else. That is India! Where is

excellence here? Where is Human excellence here? I may sit on a

whole big throne, but there is no excellence in me. My foot is made

of clay! That is the type of human beings we are! Living in high

style, high possession! All the good work is done by somebody, I

take all the name for myself. Even in scientific research, the

juniors do good work; sometimes the seniors take all the result for

himself. That is our country! In that country the most important

subject today is human excellence. Both with respect to work and the

other respect to human relations.

 

That is a profound theory, a profound philosophy of action. The Gita

has given it, Swamiji has given it. And what we need today is, to

think in these ways. How to combine power with that spiritual

humanistic motivation? This is constant idea in the Chinese

philosophy. This word, - 'Rajarshayo vidhu' appears also in Chinese

thought, what you call in Tao's thought. Exact rendering you can get

there. Where they will say, to every one, not merely to kings or big

ministers etc., to every one - can you combine kingliness outside

saintliness within? - That combination must come. Be saintly within,

be kingly without. Without you are handling power, within you are

humanistic, you are spiritual. Therefore you combine these two. That

is what we need to create human excellence all round in our country.

 

I sent that book and he wrote me a nice letter, - " Thank you for

your book. I have read it, I have gained from it " , he wrote. Later

on he was our Ambassador High Commissioner in Canada. From there his

department wrote to me, - we want to translate into French your

article on - Essence of Indian Culture, for circulation to French

people in Canada. I gave my permission. That was my second

relationship with him some years later. So I gave this example only

to tell you, - how many of us when we are trying to create highly

developed nation, where millions of people who have been next-door

neighbors to brutes! That is Vivekananda's language! Millions of

people whom have kept as next-door neighbors to brutes! We want to

bring them up to the highest level of human development. That

philosophy is the philosophy of the Gita.

 

That is what Vivekananda gave us in his two great books. 'Lectures

from Colombo to Almora' and 'Letters of Vivekananda'. Jawaharlal

Nehru wanted all young people to study these books thoroughly, not

just reading, thoroughly - imbibe the spirit that is there! Out of

which will come a new race of men and women, expressing the highest

human excellence. That is goal before us. Let us march in that

direction. Let us put our children on that long road of human

excellence. That is the thought with which we can close this lecture

and leave the hall and continue to cherish these ideas, pass these

to others as well. As Swamiji said - 'Be and make' that shall be our

motto. Be men yourself and help others to be men. What a beautiful

message! Be and make. T his has been our way, a slavish attitude. A

free attitude will come - I shall strive to be a man. I shall help

you also to achieve the highest human excellence.

 

So keep this motto of Swamiji with you " BE & MAKE-that shall be our

motto. "

Gopi Krishna <gopi