Indian Culture - Short Stories

Some people brought a young man to Maharshi Patanjali and said – “Despite the best efforts from our side, we are not able to teach this man the importance of yoga sadhana in human life. Kindly help us in this regard”. The Maharshi asked the young man to stay back in his Ashram for a few days.

Several days passed. The people who had brought that man to the Ashram came to meet him there. It was indeed a pleasant surprise for them to see him completely transformed. That man, who was addicted to intoxicating drugs and sensual pleasures a few days back, was now living a life of austerity and self control. He was engrossed in deep meditation beneath a huge tree when they reached the Ashram.

“How did this magical change occur?” – They couldn’t help asking Maharshi Patanjali. The latter humbly replied that there was nothing amazing in this. It was due to healing and soothing influence of the spiritually suffused vibrations of this Ashram, where every inmate is devoted sadhaka; this acts as an attitudinal therapy. Those people were well aware that the environment also plays an important role in the progress of sadhana but they could not follow what the Maharshi meant by attitudinal therapy. Maharshi further explained – “An eye-specialist cures the problems of eyesight but treatment of the mental-sight, the outlook towards the self and the world…, is the job of a rishi. Because of the deep insight awakened by long-term sadhana, a rishi can view the hidden tendencies and nature of a person and diagnose the ailments of his mental and emotional selves. Using their spiritual powers, rishis can heal such ailments and infirmities of the inner selves of a person. The treatment and righteous orientation of one’s mentality is achieved not merely by preaching and teaching but by the impact of the rishi-level sadhana”.

The publication of Sri Aurbindo’s renowned work “The Foundations of Indian Culture” had sparked a new wave of interest in the multiple aspects of Indian Culture. His disciples and other residents of his Ashram also used to have prolonged discussions on the elements of this great legacy of the Vedic Age.

Once a disciple raised query as to why the Indian Culture is also referred as the “Divine Culture” while the cultures of all the other nations are known after their names only. He put this question to Nalinda, who was the senior most sadhaka in the Ashram and was considered very close to the master. Nalinda could not find a satisfactory answer to the query and said that he would approach Sri Aurobindo himself for a reply. One day, while discussing some related topic, Nalinda put the same query before Sir Aurobindo. The latter replied – “The principal objective of the Indian Culture is the awakening and expression of Divinity in human life. The Vedic Rishis, the founders of the Indian Culture, had developed the grand structure of this culture around this very central search. Because of the incorporation of divine values and elements in its genesis and expansion, the Indian Culture is also synonymous with Divine Culture”.

The Bhagwad Gita quotes – ‘Nahi Jnanena Sadrasam Pavitramiha Vidyate’. Meaning, nothing is purer than knowledge in this world. True knowledge generates pure thoughts, which enable righteous development of character, awakening of good tendencies and sentiments and refinement of the inner inspired talks, deep thinking and contemplation over the thoughts and works of great sages, seers, and saints is the surest way of acquisition of this knowledge.

Dr. Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan, the former President of India, was a scholar of global repute. Once when he was visiting some of the developed western countries on an assignment of invited lecture series, a high ranking dignitary of a host institution wanted to have his views on the scientific and technological progress of that country.

With due regards and modesty, Dr. Radhakrishnan responded: “The scientific and technological development of your country is indeed remarkable. It has enabled man to fly in the skies like the birds and float in the seas like the fishes. However, due to lack of corresponding soul-growth, it has not been able to teach its people to live like cultured human beings on the earth….”

A rich man was extremely miser. He had instructed even the ladies of his house never to give alms to the beggars. One day a crippled beggar came to the house. The newly – wed daughter-in-law of the house was from a noble family. She told the beggar that the house had nothing to give him. The beggar asked, “Then what do you people eat?” Came the reply, “We eat the left overs and stale foods, and when even these will be consumed, we too will start begging like you.”

The master of the house upstairs was overhearing this dialogue. He was greatly annoyed. The daughter-in-law explained, “Whatever we have earned as a result of good deeds in our previous births, we are reaping and consuming only that. We in this life are adding nothing to that asset, devoid as we are completely of the qualities of charity and munificence. Naturally when the previously acquired wealth of ‘punya’ is exhausted, we too will be left destitute. The rich man highly appreciated the wisdom of the young damsel and thence onwards started devoting his time and money towards the general weal.

Swami Vivekanand was taking a stroll along the banks of the Ganga near Vellur Matha one evening. Sister Nivedita, Sharatchandra Chakravarti and a few others were also accompanying him. While discussing about the Divine (Indian) Culture. Swamiji said, “The Divine Culture represents a harmonious blend of sadhana (purity and strength of character) and samvedana (loving kindness and compassion). Lack of either would strike at the very roots of the structure and aim of our culture. Sadhana without samvedana leads to arrogance. And, samvedana sans sadhana proves to be nothing more than sentimental effervescence. A balanced cultivation of both generates what is essential for the expression of divinity in humanity.

Maharshi Kanad, the founder of the Vaishashik School of Indian Philosophy was a renowned thinker and teacher of his times. He got the name ‘Kanad’ because of the ascetic practice of eating only the kanas (grains) of food. He used to collect the small quantities of food grains left scattered in the fields after the farmers had reaped the ripe crop. This was the source of nourishment for him for the entire season. When the King of the land heard about this severe austerity of Maharshi’s life, he sent substantial gifts of wealth and food for the latter. Maharshi Kanad warmly welcomed the bearers of the gifts but politely refused to accept the royal gifts. He said – “I am very happy with my present mode of living. I do not need anything more. You may kindly distribute all these gifts among the needy”. The King vainly tried twice again to arrange for some material help for this great seer-sage. Finally he himself went to the Maharshi with abundant material wealth and provisions and requested him to accept at least a part of the bounty. Kanad then explained to him with due respect – “I am an Acharya, the sole motive of whose life is the acquiring and sharing of knowledge. I need abundance of sadhana (devout endeavor towards spiritual enlightenment) rather than abundance of fulfil my duties and achieve the goal of my life. So please do not bring any wealth or other materialistic bounties to me. Give it to those who really need it”.

The King returned, himself enriched with wisdom. He had now comprehended the true meaning of the word “Acharya” and understood that the glory of this title lies in sadhana and not in the accumulation of sadhanas.

(from Akhand Jyoti magazine, Jan-Feb 2007)