Fear is the only weapon which a fundamentalists and fanatics use. The
weapon is used to introduce an ambiguous ritual which has a tempting assurance
that it will work like miracle that has a remedy for everything. If one looks
for logic it is missing. These illogical rituals obstruct the spirit in
following that religion. Such ritual filled fanatic acts create a cult. These
cults give an easy access to fake Godman to contaminate even more with display
of miracles. This pollutes the thought of a believer in particular and dilutes
the religious conviction in general.
In a few occasions tradition and custom are the words which come handy
to make it give a rational feel. Rationalising the irrational rituals in the
name of ancient traditions and customs is a pathetic way to defend the act.
Sanatana Dharma never believes in inducing fear. It is the Vedic way of living
where there is no place for fanaticism and exploitation by Godman who could
claim of magical powers.
This was a
little sermon I gave to one of my friend who had patience to listen to me. Many
are not comfortable with my blabbing. After a long silence he asked me, “Do you
have faith in Guru Raghavendra Swamy of Mantralaya, Andhra Pradesh.”
I said,
“Yes, I do revere him as a Guru.”
“In a book
illustrating his Jeevana Charitre (Life History) there is an incidence
mentioned that Siddi Masood Khan, the Nawab
of Adoni in order to test the credentials of
Guru Raghavendra Swamy invited him to the Durbar. He asked his men to place red meat in a silver plate and cover it with
silken cloth and offer it to the Guru. Guru sprinkled water from his Kamandala
(water pot) on the plates. When the silk cloth was removed the red meat in the
plate had turned into fresh fruits and sweet smelling flowers. What
do you think??? Does the miraculous act of Guru have any rational
touch???” asked my friend.
“Understandably the Nawab was skeptical about Guru and did not
accept any authority other than Allah, the Almighty which he believed in. I knew about this
incidence when I was young. At that tender age I had no knowledge of what it
was nor could I understand as it only portrayed Guru Raghavendra Swamy as an
enlightened saint. When I happened to read a book by Swamy Rama of Himalayas
titled “Living with the Himalayan Masters” there was the mention of
Transformation of Matters in that book. It was quite interesting, and then I
could analyse further on the incidence that happened at the Darbar of the
Nawab.
Suppose
somebody gives us a bucket of soil to eat can we eat it? Yes, we can but we
need to convert it to vegetation. We have to sow a seed and wait for months for
the soil to get transform into vegetation and one day the whole of the soil can
be converted to something which we can eat. This is Parinamavada, the Theory of Transformation.
Exactly
the same way Guru Raghavendra Swamy transformed the plate of meat to plate of
flowers and fruits. While in natural process transformation of matters is bound
to Kala (Time), Desha (Space) and Nimmita (Causation). Guru Raghavendra
Swamy, an enlightened being could do it without the binding of the three. When
his followers wanted to propagate the episode Guru Raghavendra Swamy said,
“Jnana, knowledge is greater than
any miracle. Without knowledge no miracle takes place. If one performs miracle
without knowledge it is mere black magic. Neither the performer nor the
observer is benefited from those acts.”
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