Gurucharanam Saranam
The Life Mission of Navajyoti Sri Karunakara Guru
By M. Chidambaran,
Dy. Director of Education- Retd., Haripad)
The Importance of
Spirituality for Success in Life
Man is a being made up of a material body and a spirit
called Soul. So, for success in this worldly life, happiness, peace and mukti (liberation
of soul), materialism and spirituality are two complimentary and supplementary
indivisible factors. Each and every day of ours passes by with complicated
problems, experiences and sufferings in life. The majority of us are devoid of
mental peace, experiencing turmoil and sorrow due to sufferings and failure in
life and actions contrary to our expectations and beyond our control and
sufferings from diseases, the reason of which is not known. Degradation of
ethical values in life has been devouring mankind in a more deadly fashion than
cancer. Neither Science nor Materialism can save mankind from this moral
degradation and great fall. Only spiritual leaders can save mankind. Many an Acharya
or Guru or Preceptor has taken birth so far to fulfill this mission. But instead
of getting any relief or redemption, disquiet, sorrow, sufferings from diseases
and degeneration of moral values have been increasing day by day. Why? What is
the reason? Navajyoti Sri Karunakara Guru, the founder of Santhigiri Ashram at
Pothencode, Thiruvananthapruam, Kerala reveals to mankind the reason for this.
The importance of
Kaliyuga
According to the Guru, we are living in the Kaliyuga, the
last epoch of the 28th Chaturyuga (age quartet) of the 7th
Manvantara, the period of the seventh Manu. (One
chaturyuga = the combination of 4 ages - krita, treta, dwapara and kali = 12000
divine years = 43, 80, 000 human years; 71 chaturyugas = 1 Manvantara and 14 Manvantaras
= 1 Kalpa) It is said by preceptors that Kali is the age of liberation of
even sudras, the people at the lowest rung of human society. All the mistakes
and evil effects of individuals in the previous ages can be corrected and
solution found in Kaliyuga through a few births and become eligible for ultimate
deliverance. But even in this Kaliyuga, we are following the way of worship
contrary to yuga dharma. If we continue in this Kali the way of worship of gods
and goddesses followed in Treta and Dwapara yugas, which cannot make us eligible
for mukti or redemption, how can we attain deliverance? Temporary gains may be
attained through the worship of evil forces and gods. Is it the way to attain
everlasting peace, happiness and deliverance? Don’t we fail to seek and find
out the real preceptor? The soul of the
people who worship evil forces such as maatan or mantra moorthi (some low
spirits worshipped by Hindus in South) will remain only under such evil forces
and those who worship devi devas (gods and goddesses) will go under them. If
you worship Brahman (the Supreme Radiance of God) alone your soul will reach
and remain under Brahman. Realize the truth that neither Trimurties (trinity
gods) nor devi devas are Brahman. Only Brahman or Almighty has the right and
power to give liberation. Then where will the worship of multiple gods take us
to? How many of us really know that only belief in one God and the way of
worship in that line is the only way to redeem mankind and enable it to attain
liberation
.
Guru makes us aware of the ignorance developed in mankind
about Kaliyuga, about the Dharmic code of Kaliyuga and how it can be
implemented and solutions for our problems found:
‘We are made to believe that Manu is the son of Brahma, one
of the trinity and the god of creation. This is not correct. It is said in Bhaagavata
too, the epic of Hindus that there are 14 Manus starting from Swayambhu Manu.
After making people believe so, Vedanta has been explicated by scholars and
commentators giving meaning to vowels, consonants and words. They have tried to
make others believe that only scholars can perceive all these ideas and convey
them to others. Thus they studied 18 epics, 4 Vedas and 6 sciences. When they
reached up to Vedanta, they became unaware of the sky about which the
calculation of various lights is related to'.
After speaking specifically about the numbers of bhoomikas
(astral planes) they speak of the details of bhoomikas and enter into Vedanta.
This can take one only up to the end of Veda and cut away the Light. What is
the benefit of it? Some people have a misconception that the consummate result
of worship will be achieved through the performance of ‘homa’ in the fire
generated by churning arani. If such a misconceived mind can be satisfied so,
any one can do any thing here. This is not better than trying to straighten a
ripe and hard snake guard. You can understand this if you will read this
keenly. Our drawbacks are: (1) the ignorance of not knowing Time. (2) The
ignorance inherent in the knowledge conveyed by the pundits. If we speak more
clearly our measuring stick so far was mantra, tantra and yantra. We are
ignorant about the time span in which ishta devata mantra (the chanting of
mantra of chosen deity) is effective. We are unable to ascertain the age up to
which our quantum of knowledge leading up to the worship of chosen deity
through mantras has prominence. (to be continued).
