Spirituality and Service

12^th of January. It’s the birthday of Swami Vivekananda. It’s a very special day for me.

Swamiji has influenced my life in a very big way.

It happened might be a quarter century back. I don’t remember the exact year. I had some official work at Trivundrum. In between there was a Sunday. I went to Kanyakumari for a visit to the Vivekananda Rock.

Till that time I was a communist, never bothered about religion or GOD. Just for curiosity sake I went and sat at the meditation hall. I can’t describe the feeling but it changed my way of life. There I purchased a book – letters of Swami Vivekananda. The reading of the book gave a new insight of life.

It’s a fact you can get to know a person better not by his lectures or his lifestyle but by his letters. In letters the actual personality comes out. When I read about his struggles in life and how he reacted just like any other person, I was - what should I call, mesmerized. During that period I was going through some struggles in my personal life. The struggles of Vivekananda helped me realize that everyone has to go through struggles in their lives. I reasoned, when such a great person had to go through so many struggles, what is the big deal in my struggle.

That’s how I started my journey to spirituality.

I must say it is a very long journey and quite a tough journey. I doubt whether anybody will really understand. In his writings and subsequent writings of Sri Ramakrishna Deva and Sri Aurobindo, I had the toughest trouble with the word faith. Will you believe if I say that I just simply could not understand how to have faith? It took me more than two decades to generate this faith.

Since then I am on the path of spirituality, but could not progress much. I have nothing to do with the Sri Ramakrishna order founded by him. But till I consider him as my first Guru, who has shown me the first faltering steps.

Here I must recall one more incidence. It has nothing to do with Swamiji, but with Sri Ramakrishna order.

This is also a story of 1975. I, along with one of my friends was traveling through parts of West Bengal, Bihar and Orissa on bicycle. We reached a placed named Dumka. It was in Bihar, but now it may be in Jharkhand. It is small place. During that time a cyclone was blowing in that area. We reached Dumka in the evening and sought shelter at Ramakrishna Mission. We sought permission for stay for the night. We participated in the evening prayers (needless to say without any enthusiasm) and were given prasad at night.

Next morning, the weather was much worse. Our body and mind was not in mood for another grueling day’s cycling. But as we sought for one night’s permission, we had to leave. As we were getting ready one Swamiji came to us. If I am not mistaken, his name was Swami Sevananda. I think he was more than 70 years old. He rebuked us for getting ready. Instructed us to take rest, eat khichuri and sleep. (Hot Khichuri, made of rice and dal, is a real delicacy in rain soaked days). Then to our amazement he set forth for a remote village to attend one sick woman in that inclement weather.

That time I did not believed GOD, but my small child’s mind also could see the ‘Seva’ mentality of Swami Sevananda. I thought of going back once to that place to meet Swami Sevananda, but it never materialized. Next year, I left West Bengal and I don’t know how time flew by.

Today writing this blog I am remembering Swami Sevananda and his ‘Seva’.

During last few years I am involved in various charitable works. The guideline I always keep in mind of Swami Vivekananda’s teaching.