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Blissful Thoughts...
Who is a Guru? Guru is the one who takes you to light from darkness. He dispels the spiritual ignorance in one. Kabir says, “Guru and God both appear before me. To whom should I prostrate? I bow before Guru who introduced God to me.” Only an enlightened soul can tell you the importance of a Guru. Ask Sri Jayendra Puri Swamiji and he’ll tell you the importance of a Guru. Not to forget, hundreds of followers see a Guru in him. His deep sparkling eyes speak the truth we all look for. Sri Jayendra Puri Swamiji is the Pithadipati of Kailash Ashram Mahasamasthana in Bengaluru. He is the immediate successor of His Holiness Sri Tiruchi Mahaswamigal. Sri Jayendrapuri Swamiji has a flair for languages; he can speak German and Italian with ease. A person with utmost modesty and simplicity, he’ll give you any guidance required. You will never hear a “no” from him except when it comes to publicity. Followers come to see him everyday to seek his blessings. One can see the satisfaction in the faces of the devotees after having met him. In a small room he’s seated with a smile on his face which never disappears. The room has pictures of Gurus of all faiths. The place is quiet and serene. It looks as if tranquility follows everywhere he goes. Words have an added value when he utters them. Here are excerpts from the interview dating 10, February, 2011.
1. With the robe you wear also comes a lot of responsibility. George Herbert in ‘The Collar’ says that the robe is a burden; but later on, he hears God’s calling which he obeys. Have you ever had that sort of conflict in your mind?
Ø I have had no conflict at all. It has been a continuous flow because of parental background. George Herbert who comes from European background must have had two types of culture, only then there can be room for conflict. The significance of the saffron colour of the robe is total renunciation. There is no question of conflict at all. The robe is a reminder of the renunciation of worldly pleasures.
2. Everyone wants to be a self-realized person. How do we mortals even get closer to that? We all know Moksha or salvation is the ultimate aim of life. But how can an ordinary man who supports a family get closer to God?
Ø One thing we all need to understand is there is nothing ordinary and there is nothing special when it comes to the relationship with God. By ordinary if you mean not being able to get your hands on the scriptures, then I would say studying the scriptures is not the condition to be close to God. Anyone, regardless of caste, creed and gender, can get close to God. Kabir says, “Pothi Padh padh jug mua pandit bhaya na koi, dhai akhar prem ka padhe so pandit hoi”. It is not necessary to read the scriptures; two and a half letters word – prem – is enough to be a scholar.
3. Talking of scriptures, throughout India history we have seen the female gender being discriminated. Why women are not allowed the access to the Holy Scriptures like the Vedas and the Upanishads?
Ø Women have never been denied access to the scriptures. The realized souls haven’t stopped women from doing anything. In fact, the Rig Veda mentions many women Rishis including Ghosha Rishi. The Vedas also has volumes about Maitreyi and Gargi. It is only people with half-knowledge who say that women cannot read the Vedas.
4. What is your message to the Youth?
Ø My only message would be Purity at Heart; Purity in terms of truthfulness.
5. Is our education system competitive enough? Does it teach us the values of Life?
Ø You are talking of two issues here. The education system is excellent when it comes to the syllabus. But it is not maintained properly. The execution part of it should be improved. And about the values…the system has values and teaches values. But in most cases it is not practiced.
6. India has got a rich culture. But still people fancy western culture. Why is it so?
Ø Western culture “seems” to give freedom; the freedom which is dangerous. The western society is free but their religion is rigid. Whereas in India, the Society is rigid but the religion is free. It is for us to decide what kind of freedom we would like. People tend to go for the apparent freedom which is seen in the western society.
7. Inter-religion marriages are widely accepted today. What is your opinion on that?
Ø Every marriage is unique. Religion is NOT a criterion in marriage. The happiness in marriage has got nothing to do with caste or religion. Social custom is a guideline. It is not happiness. Social customs have got little to do with happiness in marriages.
8. Our routine is both painstaking as well as meaningless after a point of time. All that I do is go to college, come back home, finish my assignments and go to sleep. What is the purpose of existence?
Ø It is important to analyze what is meaningful and what is meaningless. Life is not a general issue. The problem with youth today is that they generalize things very quickly. Life is not casual. Life is beautiful. The purpose of life is to find the beauty of life. The challenge is to cross the boredom by meeting people who are enthusiastic, active, happy and truthful. Each one of us is unique. Be open to knowledge. When a person offers you a book, open and read it. Ask why the book was given to you. But do not argue. Rudeness will take you nowhere.
9. With every generation certain values are erased or modified. What do you have to say about such changes?
Ø Values have not been erased. Respecting elders, speaking the truth, helping others – these are all values which have been maintained. Values haven’t diminished either. We have read flowery scriptures about the past and assume that the previous generation had more values than we do. They have had number of wars. Do wars speak of values? No, they don’t. Every generation has both good and evil. When there was Kamsa, there was also Krishna. When there was Ravana, there was also Rama. When there were the Kauravas, there were also the Pandavas. In the seed form values do exist. The growth of values depends on who waters it. Values are ‘dharma’. ‘Dharma’ does not change.
10. A word on the Charitable Trusts the Mahasamsthana has initiated?
Ø All our schools are for low and middle class families. We have 5 schools spread across South India. Sri Jnanakshi Vidyaniketan is an English Medium school which imparts education with nominal fees. Sri Rajeshwari Vidyashala is the only private school which is being run for 46 years as a Kannada medium school. The one at Coorg imparts education for the children of coffee estate workers for free. There are also schools at Hulkoti, Gadag and one in Kaveripatnam, Tamil Nadu. The Veda Pathashala in the premises of the Rajarajeshwari Temple has more than 35 students. The Samsthana spends Rs.2500 on a monthly basis for each student in the Gurukul. There are children of all castes here.
Sri Sri Sri Tiruchi Mahaswamigal has been a true messenger of the Divine. What are your fond memories of him and his teachings?
Ø He never spoke on phone. He wore a white robe. He never used leather sandals. He always wore rubber slippers. He never ironed his clothes. He made sure it looked as if it were ironed by drying it in an orderly manner. He wore no accessories, not even rudrakshi. He didn’t use a personal car. He didn’t use a locked suit case. Instead, he preferred a bamboo basket. He has never touched coffee or tea all his life. He has always been a mother to everyone. He was very affectionate and compassionate. He believed in the principle ‘Cleanliness is Godliness’. He wanted everything in order. He disliked laziness. He often said that the person who is lazy has no right to eat. Everyday at eight in the evening there was an announcement made in the Ashram saying – There is no place for lazy people in the Ashram. This encouraged everyone to work harder and stay active.
With the many inspiring words of Swamiji, I left the ashram with the same pleasure and contentment that I saw in the faces of others around. Life is no more an issue. Life is full of meaning, purpose and bliss!
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