Initiationby Swamiji |
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CORRESPONDENCE INITIATION [An
extract from a correspondence that Appeared
in Dec 1994 issue of the 1st
Jan 1986 INITIATION is too sacred, if regarded so.
It is the last act needed in the evolution of a seeker
towards fulfillment – initiation into Brahmavidya, in our parampara. The
entry and effect depend upon the initiate, his immediate and
long-standing intentions. Normally, for people who have their secular pursuit and ties,
the spiritual course of progress will be watered down to suit them,
their safety; as they should not be dislodged from their moorings. Imagine how Krishna instructed
Arjuna. It was a war philosophy, action ethics, wisdom to inspire right
action. The same Krishna
advises Uddhava, almost at the end of his life. The scene is entirely different.
Uddhava overhears the plan of Krishna to depart from the world. Uddhava had his pangs of separation, which was yet to become a
fact, but was near at hand. Unlike Kurukshetra, the atmosphere was calm.
The two alone were there. As
a Sage would his disciple, who seeks refuge in solitude, Krishna imparts
the zenith of sublime instruction: “True, I shall depart soon.
You
will feel desolate. In
fact, the world, after my departure, is not worth living for you. So leave all your kith and kin.
Keeping me in your heart, looking at all alike, finding nourishment
and fulfillment in your devotion to me, go unconcernedly to
Badarikasrama and sit absorbed, till your body falls.” Uddhava agreed, but added, “Such loftiness and indifference, in spite
of my closeness and dependence on you all these years, are hard to
attain. So please instruct
me well to make these true and possible.” The entire Uddhava Geeta follows Uddhava’s request.
Two are the factors involved here: (1) the seeker’s tendencies,
maturity, age and devotional merits, (2) the additional ripeness and
indifference needed to facilitate renunciation and make it flourish
sweetly. If Krishna had spoken to Arjuna in the same way as he did to Uddhava, he
would have been wrong, inapplicable and hence impossible to pursue.
If to Uddhava, Krishna speaks as he did to Arjuna, that too would
be incoherent and inconsistent. Our
object is solely to help seekers and lead them well to growth and
ripeness. So the first question is how much is your requirement. Is
that quite in tune with your
nature, your involvements and the factors related to you? The period
that has passed since your initiation is long enough, during which a
definite measure of secular ripeness as well as spiritual growth and
maturity must have transpired. So the reassessment can be made now.
Assuming you were an Arjuna then, are you an Uddhava now? Or something still different? * * * QUOTE FROM POOJYA SWAMIJI The serenity attained
by Vedantic saadhana, does not anyway exclude external activities and
involvement. In fact, the attainment of this enlightened subjective
depth and fullness empowers one to pursue activities to a far greater
magnitude, nevertheless remaining anchored to the actionless Subject
within. What more? It has its unique sublimating influence on everything
around – be it a place, a person or an event.
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