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Abstract of the
Paper presented by
Shri Swami Vishveshwarananda Saraswati,
President, Omkarananda Ashram, Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India,
 My
deepest Adorations to Prof. Dr. Jodh Singh and to Dr. Paramvir
Singh and all the leading Professors and Students of this
prestigious Punjabi University, Patiala, and other respected
Participants of this Seminar!
Adorations to Shri Guru Nanak in all of you!
Adorations to the One Truth in all of you!
From time immemorial Religion always was a
centre point in human life and will always remain so in the coming
future. Subsequently, there will be endless religious discussions,
meetings, etc. There will also be different opinions - what
naturally is not avoidable - and it is good so. But concerning one
thing most of the believers are clear - "Truth is One".
There are also other categories of people;
there are some who deny any existence of a higher Truth, and some
are not bothered at all, whether the Divine or Truth exists or
not. For some, Science and Technology etc. are only important and
real.
Now, this Seminar has taken up an interesting
subject concerning Religion - that's good.
But first of all, let us go to the basics -
what is "Religion"? For many people "Religion" is meaning "Faith"
or a "Belief System". Actually "Religion" comes from the Latin
word "religare", which means "to lead back", to "reconnect", to
"reunite", meaning hereby the reunion of the limited human Soul
and limited human Consciousness with the unlimited, unending
Truth, the Absolute, the Infinite Consciousness.
But how can we reach this Highest
Consciousness?
Throughout the past there were people, who
with great, hard work and self-discipline have attained this
Highest Consciousness - or in religious expressions - have become
one with the True Immortal Reality - and that too, while living in
this mortal body.
In religious terms they are called Saints or
Sages or Mystics. Such divine personalities are like
Light-Bearers, who show the human individuals, how to come out of
their misery. They guide mankind towards a better life, a happy
life or even a better saintly life.
Different great God-realized Personalities, or
Avataras, have appeared in different parts of the world and at
different times. Though all these great men always were preaching
One Truth, their followers have tried their level best to continue
the received knowledge in accordance with the then prevailing
situations, circumstances and developments. That may be the root
cause for the fact, that different forms of faiths and worship,
different religions, have developed and that is not bad, as long
as in our heart is tolerance, and good feelings and an attitude of
understanding are there.
Religion is teaching us, how we can improve
ourselves in order to become good and saintly and how to achieve
real happiness in life. But unfortunately man is caught up in
ignorance. Besides that, lower tendencies are keeping the
individuals far away from the Realization of the Truth. Jealousy,
hatred, passion and lust are totally opposite to the fineness of a
religious-conscious person.
Out of all this, we can truly conclude, that
religion is a wonderful way to make man's life better and better.
And the more a person lives a better, religious life, also his
physical condition will be better. And if we go deeper into the
teachings of those God-realized Saints and Sages, we can even
become one with them - we can realize them.
In spite of a technical evolution, in spite of
a much better comfort in life, still the happiness, which man is
searching, is eluding him.
What the Wise Man, the Saint or the Guru is
teaching? Materialistic things can never bring happiness. Such
things may stimulate your senses for a while, but soon it
disappears. Usually man is attached to something, which is highly
momentary - if it is here, fine, but when it is gone, sorrow,
problems and tragedies arise.
What says the Saint? "Don't be attached to
things which are perishable and hold on to that which is, was and
always will be - the Eternal, Supreme Reality". If you reach
that stage, you are truly liberated. And for realizing that, you
actually have come to this planet.
Many people feel, that Religion could be truly
the answer for a better life. The great God Men, who came here to
guide us and to take us out of the worldly misery, have taken upon
themselves unbearable pain. We owe to them that kind of life,
which brings us nearer to them. We have not only to read about
their teachings, but we have to live them, with all honesty, with
a high moral attitude and with deep love for the Truth.
In this connection I came across a
thought-provoking, realistic saying:
"Men will wrangle for
Religion; Write for it; Fight for it; Die for it; Anything but -
live for it."
(Courtesy, Times of India)
Coming now to the subject of this
International Seminar - "Emerging Trends in Religion" -
it is a clear fact that there are many trends. Among those I want
to mention a remarkable emerging trend in religion - the practice
of Yoga - which is presently gaining immense popularity all over
the world. The meaning of Yoga is "Union with God". We have many
forms of Yoga like Jnana Yoga, Hatha Yoga, Karma Yoga, Raja Yoga,
Bhakti Yoga, etc. The presently most commonly used and most
popular form of Yoga throughout the world is Hatha Yoga. But how
much Hatha Yoga is only used for better physical fitness or as a
Sadhana and Tapasya for the real Search of the Truth or for
Realizing the Truth, is left open…
No doubt, if we are physically fit, through
Hatha-Yoga, we can definitely live a stronger and better spiritual
life. But on the other hand, if we use our fitness-gains out of
the Yogic exercises and do mischievous actions, it will sooner or
later have a reverse effect.
Paramahamsa Shri Swami Omkarananda, my Guru,
my Master, has emphasized strongly - while at the same time giving
the free will to everybody - to practise the way of "Karma Yoga".
Karma Yoga means "selfless Divine service", a service free from
expectation of any reward. Karma Yoga has a double effect in the
spiritual world: On one hand, your selfless divine work will bring
enormous spiritual results, which will definitely affect your
inner being. On the other hand, this selfless work will keep your
mind focused on the work, and that will keep you away from
dangerous influences, which could be very harmful for your
spiritual progress. Everybody knows: "Empty mind is devil's
workshop". And I would like to add: "A Spiritually
occupied mind is opening the door for the Lord to enter". For
us, in Omkarananda Ashram, Karma Yoga is most important. If you
practise it sincerely, you will notice that selfless divine work,
or Karma Yoga, includes also other forms of Yoga, like Bhakti
Yoga, Raja Yoga, Jnana Yoga, etc.
Swami Omkarananda has opened and is running
over 50 Schools and other Educational Institutions and many
beautiful Temples in the holy area of Uttarakhand. His selfless
work and mission encourage us to follow His footsteps.
Here I would like to offer my Thanks to that
great God-Man, Paramahamsa Shri Swami Omkarananda, who came and
showed us the way of a real spiritual life. Millions of Adorations
to His Holy Feet.
(Published by Department of
Encyclopaedia of Sikhism, Punjabi University, Patiala)
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