I am sixty now.
I have been thinking of writing on The Gita for about five years now.
I have been reading,not studying The Bhagavad Gita for the past 30 years.
But recently I found out, due to certain instances in my Life, to my shock, that I have been deceiving myself that I have read The Gita and that I am prepared to face things in Life as mentioned by The Lord of Enlightenment.
It had not gone into my heart.
It had appealed to my reason alone.
I have never felt it with my heart.
However much one reads,studies these Great Sayings, so long as one grasps it with Reason, the ‘Sayings’ remain just ‘Sayings’
When one is hit by Realities of Life where one can turn to none for solutions nor can solve, The Gita comes to the rescue.
It tells you that things are what they are and it is your ability and ”vairaggaya’-determination, that can help you sail through.
I am not a Scholar.
I, who was more an Atheist/Agnostic by Reasoning(so I thought) ,have been exposed to the Vedas by the Acharya of Sringeri, Sri Abhinava Vidya Theertha at the age of 29,.
Though knowing that I was not fit enough to learn the Vedas, because of my Drinking habits then and being irregular in my performing ‘sandhya vandana ‘The Noble Soul told me that I had the urge to know, despite fact that I quarreled with him on a minor point in Sastra, considering myself to be learned because I had a degree in Philosophy and that he will teach me whenever he visited Bangalore.( My father’s elder cousin, who was a scholar in Vedas and me had an argument over an interpretation of a point in The Smriti and I suggested that we refer this to The Swamiji who was then camping at Bangalore.
When we went to meet him we were prevented from meeting him by those around him and were literally being pushed out.
The Swamiji was near by.
On hearing my raised voice he asked what the matter was.
I explained him the argument I have with my father’s Cousin,who was standing nearby.
The Acharya replied that he has no time( namakku purusath illa)
I retorted’ Hardly any people read the Vedas,that too at my age.
You are the head of The mutt established by The Great Shankaracharya.
You are supposed to live by Vedas and it is your Duty to clarify doubts on the Vedas.
Yet you say ‘you have no time’
I can only surmise that you do not know any thing about the Vedas to clarify my doubts.
Or you do not want to.
In either case you are unfit to occupy the Peetha of Sri Sankaracharya.’
I walked out.
After about two or three hours a man from the mutt came to my room in the same area(i do not know how they found out my room) and asked me to accompany him to meet The Acharya.
I accompanied him with my Father’s Cousin with the apprehension that The Acharya was going to curse me.
The Acharya made me sit down in His presence and made me repeat what I said.
He told me’ You are right. But at the same time you should also remember that I have to run this Mutt and by paying attention to people with money, though they are not pious, I raise funds to enable me to perform Vedic karmas for World Welfare and help people who are needy and it helps me to perform Upanayana and marriage of the poor.
But still what you said is true.
I should not have allowed people around me to send you out.I am sorry.
Now you tel me what you want and he solved the problem ‘Incidentally my interpretation of The Smriti was right .
Then he told me that he wants to introduce me to The Vedas and that I should come to him whenever he is in Bangalore.
I told him that I was not Religious in the real sense of the term and that I drink.
He told me not to Drink on the days I come to visit him and told me that I can leave and that I should come at 3 pm the next day.
I went to him , whenever I was in Bangalore( I was in a touring job, for about Six years.
Great men are just..what can one say…just Great!
-to be continued…..
Leave a Reply