Chinmaya Mission Raleigh was blessed with the auspicious visit by Global Head, Swami Swaroopananda ji from 21-23 Aug 2019. Swamiji was welcomed by warm hearts of the mission members and other
residents of the Raleigh Durham area. People flocked to Hindu Bhavan for three days to listen and revel in the secrets of how to remove obstacles and gain Happiness in their lives. Swamiji elaborated on the text “Sankat Mochan”, Hanuman Ashtakam, which is a compilation of 8 chaupais or quatrains and is beautifully composed by Goswami Tulasidas in praise of Lord Hanuman, the obstacle remover! Swamiji is an ardent devotee of Lord Hanuman and with His deep understanding and love for the Lord, took us
on a glorious journey towards the Lord who can guide us on a path towards long lasting peace and Happiness.
Day 1 of Jnana Yagna began by CM RDU members welcoming Swamiji to the venue. As Swamiji took his seat, an invocation prayer was sung by sevikas who in their melodious voices set the stage for a joyous and devotional ride. Swamiji then started off his talk by asking the audience if they were interested in being happy and if so, who would they reach out to for achieving it. He reminded us of the story where a beggar, having realized that even the King who lacks nothing, is spreading his hands at the Lord’s altar, turned around and decided to seek happiness from the ultimate source, the Lord Himself! If we have to ask, let us all ask the Lord for happiness, love and salvation and no one else. Lord Hanuman is the one who liberates us from the sorrows. The Lord removed the sorrow of all great souls, including Lord Rama himself. If a devotee with an open heart and arms reaches out to him with surrender, He will certainly come and save us from sorrow and difficulties. Swamiji shared why there were eight verses (Ashtakam) in this composition. In Shrimad Bhagavad Gita, Lord says that this Maya is seen as the eight fold creation, five elements, mind, intellect, ego and in this ever changing world, it is not fair to expect permanency. Yet, we attach ourselves to this ephemeral world and start expecting permanent happiness. The Lord then goes on to explain ways to overcome this eight-fold world. Maya is the bridge between the Permanent, Universal One and the multiplicity that is visible to us. How does one get out of Maya? By adding Narayana to our lives! Doing that, Maya will not affect us. Hanumanji eliminates our sorrow by bringing Lord Rama into our lives, thereby eliminating our sorrow. When we see divinity in this very world, all the so-called problems are not only solved, they become dissolved.
Swamiji introduced the text by providing a preview. The text talks about eight causes of our sorrow and how we can prevent them and also the remedy for these causes. Swamiji regaled the audience, young and old alike, with his ability to bring in humor and joining Advaita Vedanta and devotion into explaining how we can manage our lives better using scriptures as our guiding force. Swamiji reminded us that due to our own self-imposed ignorance, we are unable to realize our potential and keep seeking for solutions outside. When a seeker develops the characteristics that set him on the path, with the help of a Guru, he ultimately realizes that the solution indeed was within himself….it always was! Swamiji explained beautifully how the word “Kapi” indicates a man of realization. Hanumanji, such a realized being, and our Guru is the one who can give us the real knowledge to wipe out our ignorance.
Day 2 started off by Swamiji narrating the story of the enmity between Vali and Sugreeva. Swamiji sets the stage of the grand meeting of Hanumanji with His Lord in a beautiful, devotional tone that it transported the listeners into the forest where this meeting occurred. Hanumanji is sent by the wary Sugreeva to enquire about the identity of the strangers. Hanumanji, in a most gentle and respectful words and tone addresses the warriors and probes them to reveal about themselves and the reason for the strangers who, most certainly appear as princes, are wandering about aimlessly. Hanumanji asks them if they are Brahman Himself. The next story goes on about Hanumanji meeting Seetaji and assuring Her that the Lord is on His way. Similarly, when a seeker turns away from sense objects, and keeps the Lord in his mind, the Lord is not far away. Hanumanji thus brings the hope that when He is there, the Lord is right there too. Love in the form of devotion will help us lift our dependence on illusory world. Guru like Hanumanji evokes the Bhakti within us. Where there is devotion, the knowledge becomes firm. Vairagya is the strength of our knowledge. When the vairagya comes, dependence on external objects for happiness drops. All this starts with devotion. The great epic of Ramayana dramatizes this very message that Lord Krishna imparts on Arjuna in the Gita.
Swamiji went on to unravel the metaphors in this great poetic composition. He clarified how when doubts start creeping in our minds, we can take refuge in our scriptures. The eagle representing the concentrated mind and such a mind can rise higher in evolution by grasping the meaning of the Vedas. Guru who is well established in the scriptural knowledge is able to help us climb this ladder of evolution. Such a person blessed by the grace of Guru can attain success both in materialistic and spiritual realms. We have to strive to remove doubts in our life in order to achieve a concentrated mind to reach our final destination. Just like Jambavat reminded Hanumanji of His infinite power, our Gurus have always reminded us of our potential. Each one of us has the ability to realize this power, provided the Goal is absolutely clear. With purpose, comes potential.
Day 3 arrived with the auspiciousness of Shri Krishna Janmashtami. On the concluding day, Swamiji elaborated on the last cause of our sorrows, the first three being ignorance, destiny or results of our actions and limitations arising due to body identification. The main cause of our sorrow is desire. As Bhagwan points out in the Gita, desire is the main cause of our sorrow. Desire thwarted turns into anger which eventually leads to destruction. Desires can be reined in by the one who has mastered his senses with a pointed, focused mind that is devoted to the higher. As soon as we identify the cause of our distraction, we should divert our mind towards the goal. Ravana is fighting with the Lord because of ignorance and ego. A subtle spiritual aspect is discussed here. When the mind is calmed during meditation, inner negativeness tend to rise up. This can happen in every aspect of our lives. During these times, we are reminded to be patient and with devotion, surrender and seek help from Hanumanji. When negative thoughts arise (due to the tricks played by the ego), Swamiji urged us not to despair and simply offer ourselves at the feet of our Guru, the Lord. Meditation should therefore be performed with proper guidance. The Ashtakam concludes by declaring victory over our sorrows with the guidance and blessing of Hanumanji. The audience was enthralled with the innocent, pure stories in Ramayana and other mythologies. Swamiji’s voice is full of devotion and his love for Hanumanji was dripping from every story, every message, every verse he chanted.
Swamiji ended the Jnana Yagna with a beautiful poem by Kabirdasji,
Laali meri laal ki, jit dekhu tit laal
Laali dekhan mein gayi, mein bhi ho gayi laal
When a devotee realizes God, he sees illumination of God all over the world. He also merges into God’s love in such a way that all the differences between him and God disappears. He realizes (sees) only God and nothing else. When you see His glory, you lose your identity and become one with Him.
The yagna ended with aarti followed by Krishna jhoola, where all could come and swing baby Krishna and celebrate His birth!
Humble offering at the feet of my Guru.
Sadgurunath Maharaj Ki Jai!
-Bhargavi