We are living in an interesting time I must say. Just like most of you, I too am confined to my surroundings and boundaries of the house I live in. And funny enough, a people-loving, socially active individual has started to find peace in this state of being.
A couple of weeks after struggling in this isolation, I felt compelled to look inwards instead of looking for things and life outside of me. This process has woken up lots of thoughts, realizations, and emotions as I reflected more and deeper.
And there comes a point when you start questioning your own purpose, your existence and eventually your connection with the divine, if you are a spiritual person, that is. I consider myself to be one. No, I am not a yogi. I don't have an iota of what spirituality is and how one should connect with the divine, the higher calling. But I am sensitive and aware enough to sense it, feel it deep when that wake-up call knocks on my door.
And there comes a point when you start questioning your own purpose, your existence and eventually your connection with the divine, if you are a spiritual person, that is. I consider myself to be one. No, I am not a yogi. I don't have an iota of what spirituality is and how one should connect with the divine, the higher calling. But I am sensitive and aware enough to sense it, feel it deep when that wake-up call knocks on my door.
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| Lalitkumar Bhamare |
As a child, I grew up knowing about Shri Swami Samartha through whatever introduction of him, I got from my mother. And I am grateful to her for bringing me on his path. I did not know how to worship God in the right way. All I learned from observing people around me, was doing bhakti means to pray and ask for things in return. The material things usually. Dear God, give me first rank in school. Dear God, make me topper in this university exam. Dear God, give me the promotion, the car, the house, and whatnot. Only to realize until this point of self-reflection that I forgot asking for the most important thing all my life so far, swami himself.
I am wondering and having a hearty laugh at myself. Did I ever even bother to truly understand Swami, and the deep meaning of the word swami itself. As per Wikipedia -
"The meaning of the Sanskrit root of the word Swami is "[he who is] one with his self" (swa stands for "self"). The term is applied to religious gurus as well as yogis, with or without disciples. The term is also used in Advaita Vedanta."
I kept saying Swami all these years without realizing what it essentially asked of me, was to be one with him. In a true sense. If you or me become one with swami and build this relation of Advaita with him, why on this earth do we ever have to ask him for material things? Sure, we need those material things to live a life on earth but is that the purpose of life? Could that be the purpose of this connection with the divine? It would be rather ironic to keep wandering in pursuit of the "mithya" (https://wiki.yoga-vidya.de/Mithya) while staying close to Sadguru himself.
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| The Four Stages Of Awakening - by Peter Cutler |
This self-reflection and the quest for finding out more about Swami and the nature of Advaita, I stumbled upon this interesting paper published on Shri Swami Samarth in 1880 in the English language. Yes, you read it right.
An article was published in Jan 1880 issue of the Theosophist (https://www.theosociety.org/pasadena/theosoph/theos4a.htm#swami) titled THE SWAMI OF AKKALKOT. I read the article over and again, only to realize how much truth is in there. Along with sharing greatness and stories of Swami Samartha, the article focuses on a very important fact and that got me thinking real deep. Below are the excerpts from the article that hit me hard:
"Now, as was above remarked, people have begun to appreciate his greatness. They have erected a sort of a temple on the spot where he breathed his last, to commemorate his memory. But if they had held him fast in their hearts while he was alive, and if they had studied the Vidya with him, then they would have raised themselves above base passions and the pursuit of pleasures, and obtained that kingdom from which the gainer is never dethroned. To such as may ask how he could have assisted them in making themselves masters of self, let the author speak. "
The author expresses his disappointment with the disciples of Swami back then, who were blessed to have him around them, who were privileged to see him in person and could spend time with him. Most of these devotees and disciples (if not all), worshipped Swami to bless them with material things in life. But hardly any of them tried to understand and get Swami himself as a blessing. Swami Samartha was a great yogi, the incarnation of Lord Dattatraya, the Sadguru himself and if one could ask him to bless them with his knowledge of Vedas, bless them with true surrender and acceptance at his lotus feet, and if one could ask them to become one with himself, how I wish I could explain what a divine pleasure that blessing could be.
I consider myself fortunate that I got to be here on the path of Swami Samartha. What I missed so far on this path, is this true surrender (Dasya-bhakti) and the quest to build the connection of Advaita (non-duality) with Swami and be his disciple in true sense, by getting Swami himself as a blessing and not care about any other material blessing as such.
I know it is hard. I know it is easier said than done. But if I am to ask for one blessing from Swami Samartha on the day of his nirvana, I would ask him to give me himself as a blessing. And I urge you to do the same.
Shri Swami Samarth.
Lalitkumar Bhamare
Dattaprabodhinee Author
contact@dattaprabodhinee.com
[ Written for DattaPrabodhinee, India-https://web.dattaprabodhinee.com/ ]
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