In
the next several minutes, by the time you complete reading this article; more
than 7,000 people will be born in the world. Over 3,000 people will die and
three species of life will become extinct from the face of the earth never to
be seen again. Before you read this item, more than a 1,000 passengers will
transit through the Melbourne airport, the city of Melbourne with its millions
of inhabitants will rotate around the axis of the earth and spin over 600 kms,
the earth will revolve 54,000 kms in space around the sun, the sun along with
the solar system will travel 400,000 kms in the Milky Way galaxy and the Milky
Way galaxy along with its countless stars and solar systems will shoot at the speed
of 600 km/sec and reach 1 million kms closer to the Hydra Constellation galaxy.
All this will happen within the next half hour.
In 3 to
4 billion years from now, the Andromeda galaxy will collide and merge with our
galaxy to form one large galaxy, in 4 to 5 billion years our sun, the source of
all life on earth, will expand and become so large that its surface will reach
the earth and no life will exist here, and in about 42 billion years in the
future some scientists say that the universe may collapse into itself in a Big
Crunch, an opposite of the Big Bang by which the cosmos was formed.
Who are
we, what are we doing here, where are we heading to? These questions have
challenged thinkers and philosophers in all ages. In this manifested universe,
which is in a constant state of motion and change, the only unchanging reality
is the fact that change is inevitable. It is change in time which makes a
person grow old and die and which prompted Prince Siddharth to seek the eternal
unchanging reality and become Buddha the enlightened one. It is change that
gives rise to variations and makes one thing different from the other and which
prompted the very young Anukulchandra Chakraborty or Sri Sri Thakur as he is
known to his followers, to ask his teacher “How can one and one ever be added
to make two? No two things in the universe are ever alike.” Of course, his
teacher did not understand the deep philosophical meaning behind this question
and he was punished with a sound thrashing for trying to be cheeky.
Sri Sri
Thakur Anukulchandra was born on 14 September 1888 in Pabna, Himaitpur, now in Bangladesh, in
a devout Brahmin family. The fact that he would be a special child was apparent
even before his birth when a traveling yogi prostrated before mother Monmohini
Devi telling her that she would soon give birth to a great soul. From his
childhood he was a thoughtful, perceptive and sensitive boy. When mother
Monmohini Devi initiated him in the practice of the holy name at an early age,
he told her “Mother, I have been practicing this name from the womb.” As he
grew older he remained constantly and completely absorbed in meditation and
spiritual practice day and night. During the course of his meditation he would
sometimes see the world around him melt away in a blaze of light and his body
temperature would rise to 110 degrees Farenheight. Later, while doing kirtan,
he started entering into a state of Samadhi during which all outward signs of
life including his heart beat and breathing would cease.
In
accordance with the wishes of his mother Sri Sri Thakur studied medicine and
started practicing Homeopathy. Very soon he acquired the reputation of being a
magic healer who could recognize a disease and prescribe a medicine just by
seeing a person’s face. Soon, however, his attention turned from treating
diseases to treating the internal maladies of mankind and the Satsang movement
was born.
Perhaps
he had a premonition about the future division of the country as one fine
morning in 1946 he called his followers together and asked them to make
arrangements to move to Deoghar, now in the state of Jharkhand, India, leaving
behind crores of rupees worth of assets and buildings in Pabna. The Satsang was
re-established in Deoghar where it stands to this day. After Sri Sri Thakur’s
demise in 1969, his elder son Rev. Amrendra Charaborty provided leadership to
the Satsang and currently the guiding light of the Satsang is Sri Sri Thakur’s
grandson Rev. Ashok Chakraborty. There are over 10 million members of the
Satsang in the world today and hundreds of affiliated centres all over India. The Government
of India released a stamp in his honour to commemorate the occasion of his 100th
birth anniversary in 1987. We his followers believe that Sri Sri Thakur is the
prophet of the age who came to fulfill the entire mankind.
What did
Sri Sri Thakur look like? He was tall and fair with a disarming boyish smile
and an attractive look. Those who have seen him say that he had astoundingly
bright eyes and a piercing, searching gaze that seemed to light up the room. He
was soft spoken, and had an extremely endearing and loving manner of addressing
and speaking to people. He was always dressed in spotless and immaculate white
clothes and his movements were easy, natural and graceful. He slept for a few
hours during night and for all the rest of the time was surrounded by hundreds
upon thousands of people. Even though he was always immersed in the midst of
people, anyone could approach him with their problems and concerns and would be
assured of getting his fullest and sincerest attention. Having seen him once,
it was impossible not be intrigued and attracted to his magnetic and charming
personality.
A large
number of people visited the Satsang to meet Sri Sri Thakur and among them were
some famous people like Subhash Chandra Bose, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Desh Bandhu
Chitranjan Das and Mahatma Gandhi. When Gandhi ji visited Pabna, he was at the
time troubled by the problem of the increasing divide between the Hindus and
Muslims in India.
He asked Sri Sri Thakur what the solution to the problem was and Sri Sri Thakur
replied that if every Hindu were a true Hindu and if every Muslim were a true
Muslim, the problem would take care of itself. But Gandhi ji said that it would
take a long time to achieve that. Sri Sri Thakur replied that however long it
may take; the shortest path was always the path of truth.
In
another incident, an American devotee was returning to America and
asked Sri Sri Thakur for two words that he could carry back with him. Sri Sri
Thakur said “Be concentric”. “Around whom” the American devotee asked. “Around
your Living Ideal” replied Sri Sri Thakur. “What if Henry Ford is my Ideal” the
devotee asked. Sri Sri Thakur looked at him and said “If Henry Ford is your
Ideal, you will become Henry Ford but never Jesus Christ.”
The
above two incidents in a way contain the essence of Sri Sri Thakur’s
philosophy. His philosophy was one of man making, of inspiring people to follow
the path of truth, whatever be their caste, creed or religion, so that each
individual became a ‘relief centre’ in himself or herself for society. The
best, quickest and easiest way of doing that according to Sri Sri Thakur was to
attach oneself to a Living Ideal, follow his example and materialize his
directions in life.
Patanjali, the great master of Yoga
Philosophy in ancient India
says
Tapah svadhyaya ishwara pranidhanani kriya yogah
Which
translates as - austere deeds, self elevation and devotion (to God) is Kriya
Yoga. Sri Sri Thakur’s formula for Kriya Yoga was something similar and he
called it Yajan, Yaajan, Ishtavriti or meditation and self elevation, service
to the environment and attachment to the Ideal. He believed strongly in “being
and becoming”, the fact that all life is a precious gift that needs to be preserved,
nurtured and exalted. He held that preserving and nurturing the environment was
also equally important to support individual development. Given below are some
of his unique and thought provoking messages in English starting with the
creation of the universe
“The booming commotion of existence
that rolls
in the bosom of the Beyond,
evolves into a
thrilling rhyme
and upheaves
into a shooting Becoming
of the Being
with echoes
that float
with an embodiment of Energy-
that is Logos,
the Word,-
the Beginning!”
He always emphasised the importance
of action and says:
“Verily I say
doing is the
mother of success.”
Defining the concept of Sat-Chid-Ananda he says:
“He is the existence of all that exists,
thereby He, the Sat;
He is the responsiveness
of all that responds,
so Chit – that He is;
He is the becoming
of each that becomes,
thus He, the Ananda as known,
He made Him Himself, -
materialised with the matter
of Sat-chit-ananda
– that of Him and His
which is and was.”
A master of language, look how beautifully he
defines what a mistake is:
“Never miss-to-take
what you ought to do
-and be seldom a prey
to mis-take.”
We have many definitions of money
and wealth but none like the following:
“Money is the symbol of thanks
that comes out of the hearts
of the needy and sufferers
in exchange of service that redeems;
so if there be any wealth
that enriches man,
it is service-
that brings in prosperity to both-
the servant and the served!”
Swamy Vivekanand said that
different religions are like different rivers leading to the same ocean. Sri
Sri Thakur says:
“Religions may be many
but the principle
and realisation thereof
are ever the same!”
He always emphasised the essential
unity of things and the importance of education in realising this unity. He
says:
“Where varieties
arrive with a meaning
at unity
it is university!”
Emphasizing the importance of the
environment he says:
“Environment is the only source
of life and nourishment;
so service is inevitable to
sustain oneself,-
therefore be serviceable
to make it healthy,
wealthy
and vigorous in life!”
Relating the concept of truth to
ones being and becoming he says:
“That which keeps are being
firm and compact
is true to us!”
Chirst said “hate the sin not the
sinner”. Sri Sri Thakur reinforces this message by stating emphatically:
“Laugh not
nor hate the faulty sinner,
but blow off
his filthiness
with compassion, sympathy
and service,
inducing in him an abode of grace;-
otherwise, it will contaminate you
with the error
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