The Hindu : Effectiveness of spiritual force

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jan 02, 2003

Miscellaneous

Miscellaneous - Religion

Effectiveness of spiritual force

CHENNAI JAN. 2 . Of all powers, which are working to help humanity in reaching their goal, it is universally accepted that spiritual force is the most effective one for the simple reason that it removes the suffering in total and takes care of all their needs. If this power is resorted to in respect of all problems, solutions will be available in different walks of life. This can be seen from the lives of great saints of all religions. Freedom of every type, more so in intellectual thought, will be taken care of if spirituality is applied.

Saints are like turbines, which help in producing a lot of energy. On the surface we will see calm water, but the turbine will be working silently underneath. One among such spiritual giants was Swami Shivananda who successfully worked as the administrative head of the Sri Ramakrishna Mission and Math. "I will serve the poor. My object is to remove the sufferings of humanity", he said.

Certain qualities are inborn in some, running in their blood. He was spiritually inclined from his early days. There is one verse, which occurs twice in the Bhagavad Gita, dealing with duty (Swadharma). "It is better to die in the performance of one's own ordained duties, coming at a higher level of service than to live a life engaged in carrying out others' duties. Swadharma, though done imperfectly, is superior to alien duty though perfectly done", says the Lord. The saint, Swami Shivananda, served the have-nots with all interest, in keeping with his spirituality. His motto was to fetch relief to the poor. In his early years he went through hardship, having worked in several places, but still his mind was always engaged in God's thoughts.He faced grief silently for God's sake.

In his lecture, Swami Nishtatmananda mentioned about Swami Shivananda's early life when he worked in different places and then attracted by Swami Ramakrishna, he joined the Math. He took to wandering life and served in various centres in India and also in Sri Lanka. He came to Chennai a number of times, once to receive Swami Vivekananda on his return from his Chicago trip and again to establish the students' home. Obeying the monastery's rules, he went about seeking food from houses and then sharing it with other servants of the institution. A harmonised personality, his message was: "Always hold on to the names of God and indulge in meditation regularly." He became the president of the Order in 1922 and passed away in 1934.

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