Sri Guruji - a Living example of Spiritual NationalismVivekananda Kendra Patrika 1AUGUST06 - JANUARY 07 Vol.-35 No.-2, 70th IssueVI VEKANANDA KENDRA PATRI KAFounder-Editor : MANANEEYA EKNATHJI RANADEEditor : P.PARAMESWARANEDITORIAL OFFICE :Vivekananda Kendra Prakashan Trust,5, Si ngarachari Street, Tri pl i cane,Chennai - 600 005.Phone : ( 044) 28440042E-mail : vkpt@vkendra.org Web : www.vkendra.orgLife (20 Years) : Rs.2000/- + Rs.45/-*Annual : Rs.250/- + Rs.30/-*Single Copy : Rs.125/- + Rs.30/-*Postage Extra * For Out-station ChequesSUBSCRIPTION RATES :The Vivekananda Kendra Patrika is a half-yearly cultural magazine of VivekanandaKendra Prakashan Trust. It is an official organof Vivekananda Kendra, an all-India servicemission with service to humanity as its solemotto. This publication is based on the samenon-profit spirit, and proceeds from its salesare whol l y used towards the Kendra scharitable objectives. SRI GURUJI - A LIVING EXAMPLEOF SPIRITUAL NATIONALISMA DISTINCTIVE CULTURALMAGAZI NE OF I NDI A(A Half-Yearly Publication) Sri Guruji - a Living example of Spiritual NationalismVivekananda Kendra Patrika 2INVOCATION9=l(l|6 4(l TlPl+ B4l+ B4l+ 9l P+l6l+HltP-44ltP+l 67- |F69F6(l46+Prajahaati yadaa kaamaan sarvaanpaartha manogataanAatmanyevaatmanaa tushtah sthitaprajnastadocyate (2-55)O Parthaa, when a person gives up all the desires as they appear in the mind,and is happy in oneself, with oneself alone, that person is said to be one ofascertained knowledge.-G!4+|PP+l- BG9 |4tF9(-|46l44l- |F6lP|+646+Duhkhesvanudvignamanaah sukhesu vigatasprahahVitaraagabhayakrodhah sthitadhirmunirucyate (2-56)The one who is not, affected by adversities, who is without yerning forpleasures, and is free from longing, fear, and anger is said to be a wise personwhose knowledge remains.4- B4l+|H(F6t9l-4 HlH4P+l|+-(|6 + |!6 6F4 9l 9|6|76l+Yah sarvatraanabhisnehastattatpraapya subhaasubhamNaabhinandati na dvesti tasya prajna pratisthitaa (2-57)For the one who is unattached in all situations, who neither rejoices on gainingthe preasant nor hates the unpleasant, his knowledge is well established- Bhagavad Gita, Ch.2 Sri Guruji - a Living example of Spiritual NationalismVivekananda Kendra Patrika 3Next issue: February 07 July 07, Vol. 36, No. 1CHRISTIANITY : PROSELYTISM AND CONVERSION,with a focus on IndiaI II IIndia is at present at the receiving end of an intenseevangel i zi ng ef f ort by numerous Chri st i andenominations. Strategies are fine-tuned, targets arefixed, ground situations are minutely studied, interactionwith various social layers carefully planned, helpers areroped in, new discourses (such as that of human rightsor religious freedom) are learned and propagandized, andmassive funds are funneled in from abroad to sustain thenumerous soldiers of Jesus marching upon benightedHindus to save their souls. With minor differences, thesame scenario can be seen in other Asian countries andlarge parts of the developing world. This forthcomingPat ri ka wi l l di scuss t he i ssue of conversi on, i t sfundamentals and methodology. The standpoint adoptedis that of the targeted convert: the cultural implicationsof proselytism, the encroachment upon traditionalsocieties (especially tribal ones), the violence implicit inthe process of conversion, and the actual status of theconvert. Case studies will highlight some of the abusiveand disruptive methods used for conversion as well as itsdemographic impact, in India as in other parts of Asia,from Sri Lanka to Thailand and Korea. Sri Guruji - a Living example of Spiritual NationalismVivekananda Kendra Patrika 5CONTENTSSL.NO. TITLE AUTHOR PAGEMESSAGES1. Guruji Sw. Dayananda Saraswathi 82. Guruji-A Gem who outshone himself Sw. Tejomayananda 93. Guruji Bhairon Singh Shekhawat 104. Editorial Man P.Parameswaran 11 SECTION I - FACETS OF A LIFE DEDICATED TO NATION 5. Sri Guruji - A Vivekananda Reborn Virag SriKrishna Pachpore 166. A Lotus of patriotism that blossomed Prof. Sadhu Rangarajan 25in Spiritual Lake7. The importance of not asking for anything Amitabh Maharaj 368. From Yuva Sanyasi to Rashtra Rishi P.Parameswaran 389. Dawn of a new age Sudarsan 4110. Tathagat our Sri Guruji Ramesh Pathande 4911. Sri Guruji and his vision of oneness Sw. Satyamitranand Giri 5412. A real Sanyasi Sant Prabhudutt Brahmachari 5814. Sri Guruji - a spiritual power Ram Narayan Tripathi 6215. A Luminous beacon of spiritualism Jai Prakash Narayan 6616. A bodiless entity Sridhar Bhaskar Varnekar 7417. Sri Guruji - spirituality personified Vivek Ghalsasi 7618. A Unique pilgrimage Rangahari 9619. Some reminiscences of Sri Guruji Ashok Singhal 10020. That effulgence H.V.Seshadri 10421. Some personal reminiscences of Guruji Sw. Gautamananda 10922. Good Morning Dathopant Thengadi 11223. Inspiring Incidents from the life of Sri Guruji Dinanath Bathra 116 Sri Guruji - a Living example of Spiritual NationalismVivekananda Kendra Patrika 6SECTION II - SPIRITUAL NATIONALISM IN PRACTICE 24. Sri Guruji-A Saint who renounced hissainthood to rebuild a mighty India S.Gurumurthy 12525. Culture and National reconstructionof India Jagmohan 13126. Nations Dharma above politics Ram Madhav 13627. Sri Guruji Golwalkers historical andmomentus efforts for the abolitionof untouchability K. Suryanarayan Rao 14228. Sri Guruji, Sri Ramakrishna-Vivekanandathought movement, R.S.S. C.P.Bhishikar 16029. Sri Guruji on Hindu View of Life Ma.P.Parameswaran 167SECTION III - SRI GURUJI AND VIVEKANANDA KENDRA30. Sri Guruji and Eknathji Nivedita Raghunath Bhide 19031. Clarion call by Sri Guruji (appearedin Yuva Bharati March 1975) 20032. Stories for Recollection K.P.Shivkumar(appeared in Yuva Bharati June1975) 202 Sri Guruji - a Living example of Spiritual NationalismVivekananda Kendra Patrika 7"RASHTRAYA SWAHARASHTRAYA IDAM NAMAMA" Sri Guruji - a Living example of Spiritual NationalismVivekananda Kendra Patrika 8MessagesI discovered Guruji. The year was 1958. I was in Bangalore bringing out a fortnightlycalled Tyagiof Chinmaya Mission. The magazine was printed in a printing press calledYuganthara owned by one N.D. Shankar. He was a freedom fighter and later becameone with a great commitment to communist ideology. I used to have long discussions withhim on various issues. He was out and out anti-RSS. Every Sunday I used to conduct asatsang, which was attended by quite a few people. Among them, there was one Jaya Rao,who was a great supporter of RSS. He used to talk to me about the organization and eventook me to one of those special discussion meetings. One day he gave me an invitation toattend a special talk by Guruji Golwalker on a Sunday forenoon. I went to attend thismeeting and invited N.D. Shankar also. He was very critical of Guruji and insisted that Ishould not attend the meeting. In spite of his protests, I attended it at the Kannada SahityaParishad Hall, the venue of the talk.The meeting was well attended. Guruji spoke initially very slowly, choosing every word.I could feel the audience was with him after a few minutes. There was a ring of truth in hiswords. Any one in the audience could recognize the real person behind the words, whohad a depth, a commitment. Whatever he spoke, he meant his words. His words hadalready gathered speed and strength. I would be surprised if any one in the audiencecould disagree with him. He was more than convincing.I discovered a real person committed to the cause of Hindu Dharma andBharat.Afterwards, I had many occasions to meet him and offer my respects to him. Everytime I found my original discovery getting further confirmed.GURUJI PUJYA SWAMI DAYANANDA SARASWATISri Swami Dayananda Saraswati is a distinguished, traditional teacher of Vedanta.He has been teaching Vedanta in India for more than four decades, and around the world since1976. In his public talks abroad, Swamiji has spoken at many of the most prestigious Americanuniversities, and has addressed international conventions, UNESCO and the United Nations. Heis the founder of Arsha Vidya Gurukulam and All India Movement for Seva. Swami Dayanandaconvened the first World Congress for the Preservation of Religious Diversity in Delhi. Sri Guruji - a Living example of Spiritual NationalismVivekananda Kendra Patrika 9Ive not had the privilege of personally meeting Sri Guruji Golwalkar.But I know enough about him to admire him deeply and respect him. He was a stalwart,who ably succeeded Shri Hedgewar.Sri Gurujis strength was his spiritual energy. Having been blessed by SwamiAkhanandanandaji and being inspired by Shri Hedgewar, he plunged himself headlonginto the RSS and lifelong, led the organization upfront for the cause of Hindutva.However, his softer side offset his fierce patriotism. A humanitarian to the core, heunderstood his workers and bonded with them on a very humane level. This was clearlyevident, when he penned a letter, apologizing for the hurt caused to them, willy-nilly duringthe natural course of running an organization.Although he was a devoted advocate of Hinduism, he had the heart to readily acceptand approve of the marriage of one of the Sangh workers with a non-Hindu. On thatoccasion, he said, Love rules, above all!The likes of him are very few and very rare. He was like a priceless diamond, whichinspired many charcoal pieces to fare better in life!To such a leader, who drank deep of the well-springs of sacrifice and humility, I offermy heart-felt adoration.PUJYA SWAMI TEJOMAYANANDAJIGURUJI A GEM WHO OUTSHONE HIMSELF!Swami Tejomayananda, the Chairman and Spiritual head of Chinmaya Mission worldwide, is oneof the foremost disciples of Swami Chinmayananda. He is an outstanding teacher of Vedanta andan accomplished poet, author, and composer. Swamiji has the rare quality of bringing out the depthof Vedanta, with devotion, in simple style from scriptural texts like Bhagavad Gita, the Upanishads,Ramacharita Manas and Srimad Bhagavatam . Sri Guruji - a Living example of Spiritual NationalismVivekananda Kendra Patrika 10I am happy to know that the Vivekananda Rock Memorial & Vivekananda Kendra,Kanyakumari is bringing out a Commemorative Volume on Shri Guruji MS Golwalkar.Shri Guruji was a staunch nationalist and an impassioned patriot, who had contributedimmensely in varied spheres of nation building activities with great distinction. A scholarof eminence, he symbolized the Sanatani ideals. Guruji dedicated his entire life for theenduring welfare of the country and the people.With his vast erudition and fine eloquence, he touched the hearts and minds of millions ofpeople across the country and inspired them with patriotic fervour to serve the cause ofthe motherland. In his long career, he served the people with his deep knowledge, intellectualinsights and progressive ideas, which instilled humane values of compassion, sensitivity,truthfulness and honesty in them to help eradicate misery and suffering in the society.I pay my respectful homage to this illustrious son of India. May the Commemorative Volumevividly reflect Gurujis multifaceted life and ideals and inspire the future generations torededicate themselves in the service of the nation. (BHAIRON SINGH SHEKHAWAT)New Delhi1st November, 2006BHAIRON SINGH SHEKHAWATHONORABLE VICE PRESIDENT OF INDIABhairon Singh Shekhawat is the Vice-President of India. He has served as the Chief Minister ofRajasthan state three times and is the ex-officio chairman of the Rajya Sabha. Sri Guruji - a Living example of Spiritual NationalismVivekananda Kendra Patrika 11Vivekananda Kendra offers this issue of the Kendra Patrika as a gratefultribute to the memory of Sri Guruji Golwalkar, whose birth centenarycelebrations have been just concluded. In a very real sense the setting upof the magnificent memorial of Swami Vivekananda, at Kanyakumari andall the activities of the Kendra that followed it are the result of Sri Gurujistimely support and commitment to the cause. But for the wholehearted co-operation of Sri Guruji, it would have been next to impossible for such aunique memorial to be erected. There was a moment of crisis, borderingon despair, regarding the possibility of the Rock Memorial materializing.Confronted with almost insurmountable opposition, the local organizerswho were spearheading the move for erecting the memorial sought helpand support from Sri Guruji. He not only lent the entire organizationssupport to the worthy cause, but equally importantly, deputed MananeeyaEknathji Ranade, the then Sarkaryavah of the Rashtriya SwayamsevakSangh for shouldering the responsibility of this historical task. The rest isall a matter of recorded history. No wonder the Kendra feels a natural urgeto join the Centenary celebrations of Sri Guruji.Sri Gurujis endorsement and subsequent involvement in this noble workwas spontaneous and most natural. Ideologically he was indebted to SwamiVivekananda for his deep patriotic inspiration and espousal of the causeof Spiritual nationalism, of which he was the greatest Champion in postindependent India. His entire life and mission were dedicated to this sublimeideal, which he had imbibed from Swamiji.Editorial Sri Guruji - a Living example of Spiritual NationalismVivekananda Kendra Patrika 12Apart from this, the spiritual master and living embodiment ofcompassion and service, Swami Akhandananda, from whom Sri Guruji hadthe rare privilege to get Mantra Deeksha was one of the Gurubhais of SwamiVivekananda. He was also personally intimate with him. Both had sharedthe unique concept of serve man serve god in equal measure fromBhagavan Sri Ramakrishna. Swamijis admiration for his Guru Bhai SwamiAkhandananda was truly thrilling. Swamiji gave full expression to hisfeelings in a letter dated 15 June 1897: - Accept a hundred thousandembraces and blessings from me. Do that kind of work and I shall carryyou on my shoulders. Bravo! It was such a great monk who had earnedthe highest appreciation from Swami Vivekananda that shri Guruji hadthe privilege to serve and also earn his blessing you will certainly gainBrahma JnanaThere was yet another reason as well. The country then was celebratingthe centenary year of Swami Vivekananda. The idea of setting up a memorialfor Swamiji on the rock was inspired by that occasion. The invaluablecontribution of Swamiji to the cause of Indias freedom struggle wasuniversally accepted. As Chakravarthi Rajagopalachari put it in his owninimitable style Swami Vivekananda saved Hinduism and saved India. Butfor him we would have lost our religion and would not have gained ourfreedom. We therefore owe everything to Swami Vivekananda. Theseminal ideas of spiritual nationalism, concept of Bharat as the universalMother, total self-sacrifice in Her service, positive ideas about Nationalreconstruction etc., were Swamijis gifts to Indias freedom movement. Itwas these same ideas, in their pure and unalloyed form that Dr. Hedgewar,and following him Sri Guruji, were struggling hard to put into practice inan organized manner, through the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. SoSwamijis centenary year had a very special significance to the Sangh andalso Sri Guruji. It was a God send occasion for re-vitalizing the ideologicalroots and conceptual framework of Hindu Nationalism. This perfectunderstanding and profound sense of obligation evoked an immediate andwholesome response from Sri Guruji to the cause of Vivekananda Rockmemorial at the time of crisis. Sri Guruji - a Living example of Spiritual NationalismVivekananda Kendra Patrika 13It was nothing but a divine dispensation that Mananeeya EkanathRanade, totally and blissfully unaware of the forth coming Call, waspreparing himself, as if guided by an invisible hand, for the historic task bythoroughly mastering and fully internalizing the life and message of SwamiVivekananda in Kolkatta. All these factors combined together, broughtabout a momentous situation where the difficulties and obstacles to theputting up of the memorial melted away like the mist before the rising Sun.The memorable words, which Sri Guruji wrote in the visitors book whenhe visited the Vivekananda Rock Memorial is a compressed yet eloquenttestimony of his comprehensive understanding and appreciation of theVivekananda Memorial.Sri Guruji wrote in the visitors book : -Certainly, the elevating life of the great soul who aroused the nationfrom its lethargic sleep and gave birth to an Awakened Bharat, whosefarsighted and vibrant thoughts gave inimitable power to the Nation toshatter the chains of dependency, whose brilliant words inspired HinduDharma to realize its Self, whose heroism of the miracles of the intellect ofthe sages of India hoisted the flag of victory of Hindu Dharma all over theworld - of this great nation-rejuvenator, Swami Vivekanandas rock wherehe got realization, and this Memorial which gives everyones soul a uniqueawakening message will for a long time illumine the world this is theauspicious thought dwelling within. (07.02.1972)Vivekananda Kendra is in fact trying whole-heartedly to fulfill the visionof Swami Vivekananda and Sri Guruji through all its strenuous and variedactivities. As Ekanathji has beautifully summarized on different occasionsVivekananda Kendra, is a man making - nation building mission, It is aSpiritually oriented service organization and a Thought movement. Theseare condensed, yet significant definitions of Swamijis dream that is beingcarried out by the Vivekananda Kendra inspired by Mananeeya Eknathjiwho was specially deputed by Sri Guruji for this as the Divine instrument. Sri Guruji - a Living example of Spiritual NationalismVivekananda Kendra Patrika 14Very many eminent personalities who had occasion to live and movewith Sri Guruji and who have gained deep insight into his personal life aswell as his organizational capabilities have contributed their inspiring andilluminating experiences of Sri Guruji and his work. This issue is a veryrare and valuable collection of such contributions, which will be of immensevalue to all readers, particularly to the dedicated Kendra workers, to feeland experience the living presence of a great soul from whom they willundoubtedly gain both inner illumination and practical wisdom andguidance. We are indeed fortunate that almost all whom we approachedfor write-ups on Sri Guruji have obliged us with their valuable contributions.The Kendra is deeply indebted to every one of them for their quick andtimely response.The year of Sri Gurujis centenary celebrations is just over. The wholecountry, literally from Kanyakumari to Kailas rose up as one man tocommemorate this historic occasion. The celebration was different fromthe usual, familiar routine expressions of momentary euphoria. It wasunique in the sense that it was devoted to deepening the roots,strengthening the body, consolidating the forces, clarifying the ideas andspreading the message of Sri Guruji and the organizations he inspired. Itis bound to manifest itself in the coming years in a manner Sri Guruji reallywanted, and worked for throughout his life - a strong, prosperous, powerful,self-respecting Bharat, firmly based on the unshakable foundation of a well-organized Hindu Society. In this historic and Herculean task, which cutsacross all organizational or institutional barriers, Vivekananda Kendra alsooffers to play its chosen part. This special issue of Vivekananda KendraPatrika is a humble token of that sincere desire and firm determination.P ParameswaranPresident Sri Guruji - a Living example of Spiritual NationalismVivekananda Kendra Patrika 15F FF FFA AA AACETS OF CETS OF CETS OF CETS OF CETS OF A LIFE A LIFE A LIFE A LIFE A LIFEDEDICA DEDICA DEDICA DEDICA DEDICATED TED TED TED TED T TT TTO O O O O THE N THE N THE N THE N THE NA AA AATION TION TION TION TIONSECTION - ONEThe history of Bharat is replete with the lives of many Rishis and saints who guidedand moulded the society. One shining example among the modern day saints is SriMadhav Sadashiv Golwalkarji, fondly and rightly called by the people of Bharat as SriGuruji.Sri Guruji is a fine example for the ideals Renunciation and Service- held in veryhigh echelons in our society. He was a favourite disciple of Swami Akhandanandaji,the brother disciple of Swami Vivekananda. Swami Akhandanandaji realized that morethan spiritual practice for individual spiritual salvation, working for creating a societybased on Dharma was the precondition for spiritual practice. If the spirituality is tosurvive for the progress of humanity then the Hindu society should be organized tofulfill its ordained mission in the world. Thus for Sri Guruji, organizing Hindu societybecame the spiritual work, spiritual Sadhana.Swami Vivekanandas only mantra to the Hindus was organization, organization,organization. Thus, at the instance and the guidance of Dr Hedgewarji, the founder ofRashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh Sri Guruji dedicated his life to build and expand thework of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh for organizing the Hindus. The thought of onesown salvation became too selfish an end when scores of Hindus were being troddenupon, as they were unorganized and unaware of the mission of Hindu nation. We cometo know through one of the articles that Sri Guruji for the sake of serving the societyrenounced the highest of positions in spiritual and religious realms namely, the peethamof Shankaracharya. Working for building the Hindu nation became his only missionand passion in life. The whole life was centered round this one thought. It was one lifeone mission.His dedicated life has inspired many into the path of selfless service. The followingarticles narrate the circumstances, which moulded Sri Guruji into a wonderful, selfless,dedicated personality to become source of inspiration for many! Sri Guruji - a Living example of Spiritual NationalismVivekananda Kendra Patrika 16SHRI GURUJI: A VIVEKANANDA REBORNVery rare are the personalities whoinfluence each and every sphere of social andnational life in their own life span. ShriMadhav Sadashivrao Golwalkar alias ShriGuruji was one such great personality in thegalaxy of such persons, who not only turnedthe tide but also gave it a suitable and desireddirection.The only surviving darling son of hisparentsBhauji and Taihe was born inNagpur on February 19, 1906 i.e. on theauspicious day of Vijaya Ekadashi Yugabda5007. He was a brilliant student from his earlychildhood and showed signs of extra-ordinary talents. The traits of spiritualpropensity were visible from his adolescence.He did his M.Sc. in Zoology from BenarasHindu University (BHU) and did research inFisheries at Chennai for some time but couldnot complete it due to his fathers financialsituation. Later he took a teaching job atBHU and there he was fondly andrespectfully called as Guruji by hisstudents, the epithet that stuck to him lifelong. After spending some time in BHU hereturned to Nagpur; obtained a degree inLaw (LLB) and also worked for the RashtriyaSwayamsevak Sangh (RSS) founded by DrKeshav Baliram Hedgewar in 1925. But hisquest for spirituality took him to SargachhiVIRAG SHRIKRISHNA PACHPOREin West Bengal where Swami RamakrishnaParamahamsas direct disciple SwamiAkhandananda was serving the society. Hegot initiated into the order of sansyasins bySwami Akhandananda on the auspicious dayof Makar Sankranti i.e. on January 13, 1937.Incidentally this happened to be the birthday of Swami Vivekananda and Shri Gurujimentioned this as a Red Letter Day in my Sri Guruji - a Living example of Spiritual NationalismVivekananda Kendra Patrika 17life. (GurujiA Man and His Mission, ByDr K M Ghatate, Vishwa Samvad KendraNagpur, Yugabda 5107)Here, in Sargachhi, Guruji wasaccompanied by his colleague in the samepursuit, Swami Amurtanand alias AmitabhMaharaj. Looking at his devotion, dedicationand commitment Amitabh Maharajcommented: In Shri Gurujis personality, theRSS has been fortunate enough to getanother Narendra (later Swami Vivekananda)as its leader.Back in Nagpur his life was completelytransformed when he came into contact withthe electrifying and magnetic personality ofDr Hedgewar, the founder of RSS. Thistouch transformed Shri Guruji into acolossal personality dedicated to a lofty,noble ideal. In his own words, Though sternand unsparing to himself, what an ocean oflife he was to each and every one of us!Words fail to describe the depth of that pureand selfless love. The boundless affection ofthe mothers heart, the sleepless care anddiligence of the father and the inspiringguidance of the guru found their culminationin that single bosom. I for one feel it is myproud privilege to worship him as my ideal.The worship of such a soul transcends theworship of an individual and becomes theworship of the ideal itself. He is verily mychosen deity. (The Ideal Incarnate, M SGolwalkar, Bunch of Thoughts, (Ed)Rashtrotthan Sahitya, Bangalore, 1966)His coming in contact with RSS founderDr Hedgewar was like young, inquisitiveNarendra meeting Sri RamakrishnaParamhamsa to satisfy his spiritual thirst.And the result was also equally epoch-making! Shri Guruji resolved to lay his lifeat the feet of Doctorji. Never, was there wasany place in his thinking for things likepersonal pleasures and family attachments.Before the blaze of his passionate idealism,the shadows of the temptations of themundane world automatically disappeared.Before he left for the heavenly abode, DrHedgewar, in June 1940, appointed ShriGuruji as his successor. The post ofSarsanghchalak is not just decorative. It wasa challenge, which required untiring effortsto free Bharat and make this society strongand capable of achieving total all-rounddevelopment of the nation.Shri Guruji performed and accomplishedthis seemingly difficult task, as a leader of aSwami Akhandananda - guru of Sri Guruji Sri Guruji - a Living example of Spiritual NationalismVivekananda Kendra Patrika 18team of youth of extra-ordinary capabilitiesand dedication inspired by Dr Hedgewar, tillhe breathed his last on June 5, 1973 inNagpur. He toured each part of Bharat twicea year during his stint as Sarsanghchalak for33 years. He exhibited deep insight into thechallenges and issues confronting thesociety. Endowed with an astonishingmemory, Guruji with his extensivecorrespondence inspired hundreds ofworkers to dedicate and sacrifice their livesat the altar of the motherland, as alsoenthused thousands of others to serve thesociety.With his finger constantly on the nationspulse, with his unceasing concern for thegood of the country, Shri Guruji was the onlyleader qualified to guide the nation. Risingabove the attractions of position or poweror personal glory, his single-mindeddevotion was to the nation as a whole. Hisutterances therefore carried the ring ofharsh truth. He was fearless in his espousalof the nations cause and made noconcessions to any individual or party.When he took over as Chief of RSS, thetimes were turbulent. The nation longed forfreedom, and under the leadership of theMahatma, a new era of non-violence and non-cooperation began. At the same time therewas competition among the Congressleaders to appease the Muslims in order toseek their cooperation in the freedomstruggle. This one-sided appeasement policyled to the partition of the country intoPakistan and Hindustan. Before partition ofthe country, Gurujis warnings to thepolitical leaders and the people in generalechoed and re-echoed from one corner ofthe land to the other. The SanghSwayamsevaks, at times playing with theirlife, did an exemplary job of savingthousands of Hindus and bringing them backto Bharat safely during the tumultuous daysof partition.Even during the 1942 Quit Indiamovement many RSS workers took activepart in it. Noted Congress leaders includingNana Patil, Aruna Asaf Ali, JayaprakashNarayan, Sane Guruji and others were givenshelter by the RSS stalwarts like PanditSatwalekar, Bhausaheb Deshmukh and LalHansraj Gupta, Sanghchalak of Aundh, Puneand Delhi, respectively during those difficultdays. The Sangh workers also played a majorrole in rehabilitating thousands of refugeesfrom the then East Paksitan and WestPakistan. But Shri Guruji never made anycapital out of it. It was at some pressconference when a journalist passed somecaustic remarks, he retorted back saying that,had the media taken proper note of thesacrifices our workers had offered, each andevery persons heart in this country wouldhave echoed with the glory of RSS alone.His role in convincing the Maharaja ofKashmir for accession of his state withBharat was well-known. Shri Guruji metMaharaja Hari Singh with the help of RaiBahadur Dewan Badri Das, Sanghchalak ofPunjab and Barrister Narendrajit Singh andpositively convinced the Maharaja to sign theinstrument of accession, which he finally didon October 26, 1947. That was a goodexample of back door diplomacy. SardarPatel, the then Home Minister also played apivotal role in sending Shri Guruji asemissary to convince Maharaja Hari Singhin favour of accession to India. Sri Guruji - a Living example of Spiritual NationalismVivekananda Kendra Patrika 19However, when the Nehru governmenttook the Kashmir issue to the United Nations,Shri Guruji was the first to warn thegovernment of its futility. He publiclydeclared that it would never solve theproblem but on the contrary would bringgrave harm to our countrys interests. Thecountry is still suffering from the perils ofignoring that timely warning of this greatvisionary. Similarly, Shri Guruji, from thevery outset, had warned the country aboutthe real nature and ulterior motive of theNaga revolt. The nation ignored that also andtoday the Naga issue has not only becomecomplicated, but it also has become a sourceof inspiration to other militant and anti-Bharat movements in the sensitive north-eastern part of the country.Years before our government gave outthe news of Chinese aggression, it was ShriGuruji again who sounded a warning, wayback in the late fifties about the Yellowdanger. The Press, the People and thePolitical parties joined the Government toridicule him as a Warmonger, Madman,etc. When Prime Minister Nehru and theChinese Premier Chou-en-Lai toured thecountry with a slogan of Hindi-Chini Bhai-Bhai Guruji also briskly moved around thecountry from one corner to another layingbare the dragons teeth behind thisenchanting slogan. But at the same time, henever hesitated in extending full cooperationof RSS to the government and exhibited atruly nationalistic attitude in times ofnational emergencies like the 1962 war withChina, and the 1965 and 1971 wars withPakistan.The unfortunate episode of theGovernment imposing ban on the Sangh in1948 following the assassination of MahatmaGandhi provides one more shining exampleof Shri Gurujis comprehensive andconfident leadership. Knowing fully well thatthe ban was totally illogical, unjust andunwise, he still spoke to the governmentleaders with sweet reasonableness appealingto their senses of fair play and justice. In theface of the gravest provocation and havingat his back a following of millions ready toobey him at the wink of an eye, Shri Gurujistill maintained absolute restraint. He calmlysuffered that humiliation only to avoidinternecine schism in the nation in the wakeof the quitting of the British which wouldhave profited only the enemies. But thegovernment turned a deaf ear to his appealthinking that it was born out of weakness.Having no alternative left, he called uponthe Swayamsevaks to resume the normalshakha activities. It was a call for sufferingand sacrifice in the cause of establishingjustice and fair play in national life. Innumber and in discipline the movement farexcelled all previous ones in the cause ofindependence. Soon after, the governmentlifted the ban unconditionally. It was anunqualified triumph for his leadership.Millions of our countrymen throngedthroughout the length and breadth of theland to offer their homage to him. But evenin that moment of triumph Shri Gurujistruck the same note of national harmony After all, the Government is our own. Wedo not pull out our teeth, if, by chance thetongue is bitten!(Sangh Darshan, PrakashanVibhag, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh,Karnatak, Bangalore, 1964) Sri Guruji - a Living example of Spiritual NationalismVivekananda Kendra Patrika 20Doctor Hedgewar was a Rishi, a visionary,who conceived the Mantra of Hinduconsolidation for resurgence of modernBharat. He diagnosed the ills that hadplagued our society and the nation. Whenall the leaders were busy in devising waysand means to achieve freedom, DoctorHedgewar was buried deep in thoughts toanalyzing as to how this mighty race ofHindus became slaves of the invaders. Howcould a handful of foreigners coming fromsix thousand miles become our masters? Thiswas the question that disturbed him fromhis very early age. He began to study andscrutinize keenly the various forms ofmovements going on at that time foremancipation of the country. He came to theconclusion that only anti-British struggleswould not prove a panacea for all the ills ofthe nation.Doctor Hedgewar believed that, Bharatas a nation had a long history and ourcountry commanded homage from others inall fields arts and science, architecture andliterature, education and religion, social andpolitical sciences, diplomacy and warfare.Pilgrims came from far and wide to haveglimpse of that glory. How then did such avirile and mighty nation lose all power andglory during the last one thousand years?Why were we defeated and disgraced by amere handful of barbaric Muslims and theBritish. We lost because we were hopelesslyweak in one vital aspect on which a nationssurvival or death depends, and that isnational consciousness and cohesion.With this deep thinking, Dr Hedgewarwith his fingers rightly on the pulse of thenation, prescribed the Mantra of HinduSangathan as the only medicine to rejuvenatethe nations health and recapture that gloryof the yore. He devised the Tantra also topractice this Mantra. That Tantra is the dailyShakha of the RSS, where people from allsections would gather for one hourforgetting all manner of superficialdistinctions of language, province, caste,community, party or sect, as children of acommon motherland and play in her sacreddust. The Shakha thus became a crucible,which awakened the noble impulses ofdedicated patriotic service, binding theHindus together with immortal filial bondsand imbues them with an inborn sense ofdiscipline.Unfortunately, Dr Hedgewar had a veryshort span of life. He could give only 15 yearsfor the Sangh. The responsibility to explainand expound the Mantra and sanctify theTantra fell upon the young shoulders of ShriGuruji in 1940 after Docotrjis demise. Andhe performed that responsibility with all hiscapability and intellect, dedication anddevotion, strength and confidence till hebreathed his last in 1973 June. The lastspeech of Shri Guruji at the concludingsession of the Akhil Bharatiya PratinidhiSabha in Nagpur bears testimony to thisstupendous task he performed.Thus, Guruji became a commentator whomade extensive comments in order to explainthe Mantra of Hindu consolidation asconceived by Dr Hedgewar for the posterity,as Adi Shankara wrote commentaries onvarious Vedic Mantras, as SaintGyaneshwara explained the knowledgeconcealed in the Bhagwad Gita to thecommon man in his language, through hisfamous Gyaneshwari. Gurujis peculiaritywas, he seldom wrote any book or thesis Sri Guruji - a Living example of Spiritual NationalismVivekananda Kendra Patrika 21explaining the Mantra of the Hinduconsolidation. He accomplished thisseemingly difficult task through his casualmeetings, informal talks, his letters and hisdiscourses and personal relationship with theSwayamsevaks.A reference has been made earlier aboutSwami Vivekananda and his guruRamakrishna Paramahamsa. When theBritish took over the reins of this greatcountry of Bharat, they started spreadingwrong messages in order to confuse theHindu society. They not only subjugated theHindus politically and culturally, butultimately converted them to their faith.Thus, with the advent of the Englishman,Bharat suffered political, economical,cultural and religious domination. TheBritish began training us systematically invarious ways. The first thing he taught wasthat this was a great continent and not acountry. He said we are not one people andone nation. The Aryans came from outside,pushed the Dravidans who were aboriginalsinto the forests and hills. That is, we weretold that we had no motherland, that mostof us had come from somewhere outside andtherefore we are equally strangers andforeigners to this country. We were also toldthat we had no dharma, no philosophy nomorals worth the name; that all our past lifewas just one of unrelieved darkness; that thecoming of the English here was divinedispensation, for we could learn sitting attheir feet the first lessons in culture, religionand orderly social and political life. (Bunchof Thoughts, Ed. Rashtrotthan Sahitya,Bangalore, 1966)Fortunately, there were attempts tothwart this illogical and unreasonablepropaganda by the British and to createawareness among the Hindu society abouttheir glorious past history, culture anddharma, etc. This era of renaissance andreconstruction of modern Bharat began withthe emergence and work of Raja Ram MohanRoy in the beginning of the 19th century andcontinued to the present day through theefforts of noble thinkers in many fields. Royor later Swami Dayananda, or even ShahuMaharaj, Mahatma Jyotiba Phule, DrBabasaheb Ambedkar, Justice MahadevGovind Ranade, etc. were focused onremoving all the social ills plaguing this greatnation and its children. But, unfortunately,all their efforts, however sincere and honestthey were, had a tinge of negation. Theybelieved that the root cause of these ills layin the Hindu dharma and therefore, theytargeted their guns in that direction. Royfounded the Brahmo Samaj, SwamiDayanand established the Arya Samaj,Mahatma Phule set up the Satya ShodhakSamaj, and Justice Ranade founded thePrarthana Samaj. All these movements didtheir best to check the advent of Christianityand stop the tide of conversion of Hindus toa great extent but failed to consolidate theentire Hindu samaj as they adopted anegationist approach to solve the problems.The efforts to remove the scourge ofuntouchability can be better seen andanalyzed from this angle.Sri Ramakrishna gave a clue to what hehad contemplated and spiritually directed hisdisciple Swami Vivekananda to expound. Hetold his disciples: While other religionswhich are also true will come and go, it isSanatana Dharma which will ultimately Sri Guruji - a Living example of Spiritual NationalismVivekananda Kendra Patrika 22prevail. (Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna). Takingcue from his master, Swami Vivekanandaprescribed this mission to rebuild Bharat tosave the world from intolerance and violencepromoted by exclusive faiths, by reinstating,reliving and protecting the SanatanaDharma, which was central to SriRamakrishnas experience. (Shri Guruji: Asaint who renounced his sainthood to rebuilda mighty India, by S Gurumurthy, Organiser,March 26, 2006)Shri Guruji, like Vivekananda, advocatedpositive Hindutva to eliminate all the illsconfronting the society remaining within theconfines of Sanatana Dharma. He believedthat as the older, dried branches fall off agrowing tree to give place to new ones,likewise, the Society would shed varnavyavastha , the existing social structure atone time and give place for a new necessaryone. This is a natural process of thedevelopment of the society. He saidperturbed social systems must be put toan end here and now and should be destroyedroot and branch. Going further, we shouldproceed to establish a pure and harmonioussociety on the basis of pure nationalism.(Guruji and Social Harmony, by Justice DrM Rama Jois, Sri Guruji JanmashatabdiSamiti, Karnatak, 2006)It is this positive approach that made ShriGuruji stand tallest amongst all thesestalwarts and advocates of social reforms forone simple reason that he adopted a positiveapproach to provide a better panacea for theills of the nation. Like Swami Vivekananda,he defined the dharma in its true sense. Hesaid, Our definition of dharma is twofold.The first is proper rehabilitation of mansmind; and the second is adjustment ofvarious individuals for a harmoniouscorporate existence, i.e. a good social orderto hold the people together. A combinationof these two definitions shows that theestablishment of dharma means the buildingof an organized social life wherein eachindividual has realized his oneness withothers in society and is imbued with a spiritof sacrifice to make others material lifericher and happier, and develops spiritualstrength which leads to realization of theUltimate Truth. (Dr. M Rama Jois, Gurujiand Social Harmony, Shri GurujiJanmashatabdi Samiti, Karnataka, 2006)Dharma is the most ill-defined andwrongly understood word in Bharat. That ismostly because of the English educationsystem which cut off the average Bharatiyafrom his roots, and partly because ofequating Dharma with Religion in meaning.Actually, dharma is the greatest and mostvaluable contribution to humanity by BharatVarsha, our beloved motherland. All ourpresent day problems are a direct result ofdisregarding Dharma under the influence ofa materialistic philosophy in the belief thatit alone can usher in the happiness andsecure the welfare of the people. We havebelieved since aeons that Dharma sustainsthe society, Dharma maintains the socialorder, Dharma ensures the well-being andprogress of humanity and Dharma is surelythat which fulfills these objectives. TheParashara Smriti also defines Dharma aswhich sustains and ensures progress andwelfare of all in this world and eternal Blissin the other world. Dharma is promulgatedin the form of commands.The exposition of the meaning of Dharmaby Shri Guruji to the effect that it means Sri Guruji - a Living example of Spiritual NationalismVivekananda Kendra Patrika 23rehabilitation of mans mind and adjustmentof various individuals for a harmoniousexistence for a good social order to holdpeople together, clearly shows that Dharmawas the basis for establishing a socialharmony and happiness which has been thevery purpose of Dharma. (Ibid)Shri Guruji clarified that Rashtradharmaand Upasanadharma cannot be intermingled.Each individual has the right to choose theUpasanadharma suitable to his spiritualneeds. But Rashtradharma, that is love forthe motherland and society as a whole,cannot be compromised for Upasanadharma.He firmly believed that our culture is the realand abiding cornerstone of national harmonyand integration, subscribing to commonnational ideals, irrespective of personalcreeds. And it is this concept as applied toour country, that we call Hindu Rashtra, theonly rational, practical and right concept.Shri Guruji believed that answers to socialproblems were available in this concept ofnation. This concept is fundamentallydifferent from that of the west where societyis a collective of individual interests and theirrelationship is of a social contract with it.But in Bharatiya concept the society isenvisaged and perceived as one livingorganism, the manifestation of the divine,the Virat Purush. It was this virat smaj purushthe individuals were asked to worship inancient times. Shri Guruji said it was ourduty to awaken this inner feeling of onenessin every human being. He said it was ourbounden duty to go and work among ourdeprived brethren and do our best to lift theirstandards of life. We should plan andimplement schemes that would provide themwith minimum needs of life. We should openschools, hostels and training centers forthem. We should mix with them, eat withthem, treat them with natural affection.(Shri Guruji inspired many social activities,by Dr N K Trikha, Organiser Vol LVII, NO 37,New Delhi March 26, 2006)Shri Guruji, during his tours to variousparts of the country, apart from meetingSwayamsevaks, took initiative to interactwith distinguished personalities andscholars. In this way, he strived forcoordination and unanimity among varioussocial and religious streams of Bharatiyasociety. The most significant end result ofthis effort was the establishment of VishwaHindu Parishad (VHP) in 1964. Saints andseers from different religious persuasions inthe Hindu society congregated on oneplatform and announced unanimously thatuntouchability had no sanction in HinduDharma. At the same time, they threw openthe doors for those brethren who, for somehistorical or other reasons, got convertedto non-Hindu sects, and now wanted toreturn to their ancestral fold. The fact thatthis historical reform began to bear fruit inthe next 5-6 years, bestows on Shri Gurujian eminent place amongst the distinguishedpersonalities and saints of his time.It is often alleged that Shri Guruji was astaunch supporter of Varna Vyavastha (castesystem) and wanted to promote the same inBharat. He was once asked by SwamiKarpatriji Maharaj to direct all theSwayamsevaks to follow this Chatruvarnastrictly in daily life. To this suggestion ShriGuruji with all humility replied in thenegative saying that the Swayamsevaks werenot his shishyas and moreover the VarnaVyavastha has become obsolete today andthere was only one varna remaining, that is Sri Guruji - a Living example of Spiritual NationalismVivekananda Kendra Patrika 24the Shudra varna. So this suggestion wasunfounded and not viable.At another meeting with socialist leaderfrom Pune, Narubhau Limaye, Shri Gurujistressed on involving the Dharmacharyas inthis task of achieving social equality. He toldLimaye that the common Hindu still reveresthese Dharmacharyas and would take theirword as final authority on issues likeuntouchability and social harmony andequality. Therefore, when at the Udupisession of VHP, all the dharmacharys ofvarious sects within the Hindu fold deliveredthe historical verdict against any kind ofdiscrimination and untouchability, ShriGuruji considered it the finest hour in hislife.With aversion to publicity andnotwithstanding paucity of resources, it hasbeen the glorious tradition of Bharatiyasaints and social reformers to leave a long-term and astonishing imprint on the society.Shri Guruji was an exceedingly bright starin that firmament. In one sense, he was arepresentative of that Bharat of the lastcentury, which was keen on socialtransformation, yet he preferred to protectits eternal, spiritual and cultural values.Recollection of his life and mission wouldbe like a humble oblation in the direction ofrealizing those lofty ideals for which hededicated his life.References:Ghatate, Dr K M : Guruji: A Man and His Mission,Vishwa Samvad Kendra, Nagpur, Yugabda 5107Dr. M Rama Jois: Guruji and Social Harmony,Shri Guruji Janmashatabdi Samiti, Karnataka,2006Sangh Darshan, Prakashan Vibhag, RashtriyaSwayamsevak Sangh, Karnatak, Bangalore, 1964Trikha, Dr N K : Shri Guruji inspired many socialactivities, Organiser Vol LVII, No 37, New Delhi,March 26, 2006Gurumurthy S: Shri Guruji: A saint whorenounced his sainthood to rebuild a mighty India,Organiser, Vol LVII, No 37, New Delhi, March 26,2006Golwalkar, M S: The Ideal Incarnate, Bunch ofThoughts, (Ed) Rashtrotthan Sahitya, Bangalore,1966Malkani, K R : The RSS Story, Impex India, NewDelhi, 1980.About the author:Virag Shrikrishna PachporePresently working as Chief Sub-Editor with TheHitavada, Central Indias Signature Newspaperas In-Charge of Madhya Pradesh Edition.Authored The Indian Church in 2001 and co-authroed Rashtriya Pariprekshya me BharatiyaMuslim in 2006. Sri Guruji - a Living example of Spiritual NationalismVivekananda Kendra Patrika 25There is a saying that the quality of theplant is seen from the sprout itself. Thequality of the sprout in turn depends on themother plant that produces the seed. Themothers have often played a great role inthe making of great men and women. Thecultural and spiritual nouishment that theygive to the children along with their breastmilk plays an important role in the mouldingof the children.Paramapoojaneeya Sri Guruji MadhavraoSadashiva Golwalkar, who was the secondSarsanghchalak of Rashtriya SwayamsevakSangh, looking back into his childhood days,recalls the sweet experiences of the periodand shares them with us:The early dawn will awaken me fromsleep. At that time, my mother will be busydoing some household work with her hands,but at the same time, her mouth will bereciting some prayers invoking the divinename. The sweet and auspicious voice ofmother will be reverberating in my ears.What a lasting and sacred impress,irremovable by time, might have been madeon my infant mind by the sweet voice thatfell on my ears in the early hours of the dayfull of peace and bliss? It is crystal clearthat the foundation for Sri Gurujis futureTHE LOTUS OF PATRIOTISM THAT BLOSSOMED INSPIRITUAL LAKEspiritual life was well laid by his mother.Young Madhav, as a graduate student ofHislop College, Nagpur, used to frequent thehouse of Sri Mule, Head scriptures. Lateron, when he continued his post-graduatestudies in Benaras Hindu University, hiscontact with Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya,the spiritual discussions and study ofVedantic literature created a deep impact onhis life, which manifested clearly through hisdaily spiritual and religious practices likePoojas, Yoga, meditation, Pranayama, etc.,and also through his total detachment fromworldly affairs, a feeling of spiritualfraternity with all and a keen interest inSADHU PROF V RANGARAJANA Keen Observer Sri Guruji - a Living example of Spiritual NationalismVivekananda Kendra Patrika 26sharing the happiness and sorrow of peoplearound. Perhaps it was during that periodthat young Madhav started contemplatingand meditating on the future course of hislife. Though during the period of his life asa university student, he had to undergo greatfinancial strain, he always kept a smilingface, which never displayed any pain orsuffering.Coming out of the portals of theuniversity after completion of his highereducation, Madhavs mind was searching foran answer to a big question for five or sixyears. He could not even think of gettingmarried and settling down in family life asordinary people do. But the question beforehim was whether to renounce all ties withthe world and retire into the loneliness ofthe Himalayas to pursue intense spiritualsadhana or to live in the society fightingagainst all odds and swimming against thecurrent to live a spiritual life. Afterpondering over it for a long time, he got thereply. In a letter dated February 28, 1929,addressed to his friend, Sri Telang, he says:I have taken to renunciation, but it is notcomplete now. Remaining in this very world,facing the challenges in life, and dischargingmy duties with meticulous care, I strive tolive the highest values of a perfect life ofrenunciation permeating every pore of mybody. I will not go to the Himalayas now.The Himalayas will come towards me. Thepeaceful and blissful surroundings of themountain will be firmly established withinme. I need not go anywhere to get it.In another letter, Madhav says that heknows well how much obstacles one willcome across when one goes on the path ofrenunciation. He says that he has no interestto get entangled in worldly life and he wantsto go ahead steadfast in a life of highestideals and dedication without ever swervingfrom the path. He further says that in thispath there has been a successful saint likeSuka Brahmam who could overcome thetemptations of a celestial nymph likeRambha, and there has also been aVishwamitra who fell a victim to the charmsof Menaka. However, to get scared of thepath and run away from it is cowardice. Heasserts that one should be prepared to facethe challenges that arise before enjoying theultimate bliss and there is no other path lessdangerous than this.A Turning Point in LifeAfter serving as a Professor in the BenarasHindu University, when Madhav returned toNagpur and completed his legal studies,there occurred a turning point in his life andthe one that caused it was Dr.Keshav BaliramHedgewar, the founder and firstSarsanghchalak of the RashtriyaSwayamsevak Sangh. However, it did notoccur so easily. Dr.Hedgewar, aftercompleting his medical education, dedicatedhimself to the revolutionary movement forthe freedom of Bharatavarsha. When herealized that, as long as the people were indeep slumber caused by the slavery underforeigners for centuries, the sporadic actsof self-sacrifice by the valiant youth inrevolutionary activities will go in vain, hejoined the Congress movement to create amass awakening. However, he came to therealization very soon that a people who donot have character, discipline, intensepatriotism and deep respect and regard forthe age old values of life cherished by anation cannot attain independence and even Sri Guruji - a Living example of Spiritual NationalismVivekananda Kendra Patrika 27if they stumble upon it, they would not beable to preserve it for long. In order tocontrol the wild waterfall called nationalismand canalize it into a river flowing powerfullyand peacefully between two banks, hefounded the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.Madhav, who had already come in contactwith the Sangh when he was Professor inBenaras Hindu University, became closer toDr.Hedgewar, popularly known as Doctorji.On the one side, Madhav who wasyearning to light the lamp of spiritualism inhis heart and on the other side, Dr.Hedgewarwho was striving to kindle the fire ofpatriotism in every heart and make it into agreat conflagrationthe meeting betweenthese two great souls turned out to be ahistoric one moulding the destiny of thenation. However, it happened after a greatturmoil in the heart of Madhav.When Madhav returned to Nagpur fromBenaras, his mother wanted him to getmarried so that the family lineage willcontinue. However, her only son Madhavmade it clear to his mother, Maa, please donot talk about the cessation of the familylineage. If the society will be benefited bythe cessation of lineage of many families likeours, it is the need of the hour. I a m notworried about the cessation of the lineageof our family. His parents never raised thetopic of his marriage again.Though the contact with Dr.Hedgewardrew Sri Guruji to the Sangh work, in thebeginning, Sri Guruji was not inclined to goheart and soul into it. His spiritual questattracted him more to the Sri RamakrishnaMath in Nagpur. Sri Guruji had a closecontact with Swami Bhaskarananda,President of the Math. Dr.Hedgewar, whowas well aware of this contact, raised aquestion in the heart of Sri Gurujiwhichone is greater, whether the endeavour toattain individual self-realization throughSannyasa or striving for the emancipationfor the poor and downtrodden in ourcountry? This led Sri Guruji to leave hishome, without telling his parents, friends,Doctorji and other Swayamsevak brethren,in search of a preceptor. This happened inthe autumn of the year 1935.In the Sargachi AshramSwami Amurtananda, who was known asAmitabh Maharaj, and who belonged to theRamakrishna Order and was staying in theNagpur Ashram, encouraged Sri Guruji toget deeksha from Swami Akhandananda,President of the Sargachi Ashram inMurshidabad District. Akhandananda hadreceived initiation from Holy MotherSharada Devi. Sri Guruji did not reveal hisplan of going to Sargachi to anyoneexcepting his three close friends. He wroteabout his decision on a piece of paper andsent it to his mother through a friend,His mentor Doctorji - Sri Keshav Baliram Hedgewar Sri Guruji - a Living example of Spiritual NationalismVivekananda Kendra Patrika 28Deshpande.Very few details have been obtained aboutthe life that Sri Guruji spent in the SargachiAshram. In his later days, when he was fullyinvolved in the Sangh work, Sri Guruji neverrelated anything about his Ashram life.However, some interesting things have cometo be known through Sri Amitabh Maharaj.Referring to Sri Gurujis Ashram life, SriAmitabh Maharaj says, Because of that,Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh got aNarendra (Swami Vivekananda). Whileengaged in intense spiritual sadhanas in theAshram, Sri Guruji was also deeply involvedin the service of his master, SwamiAkhandananda. Unmindful of his food, sleepand other comforts, he engaged himself inserving his aged Guru. With enthusiasm, SriGuruji performed all acts of service likeserving food, giving bath, setting themasters bed and pressing his feet. Lookingat the beaming face of Sri Guruji and thebeautiful beard that was growing, the mastergave loving advise to Sri Guruji, who neverfailed to acquire knowledge of Vedanta fromthe scholars visiting the Ashram andpracticing his sadhana with meticulous care.One day, Amitabh Maharaj told SwamiAkhandananda that the parents of Sri Gurujiwere very aged and, therefore, he must besent back to Nagpur soon, after giving himdeeksha, in order to pursue a legalprofession. Swami Akhandananda askedwith deep foresight, we can certainly givehim deeksha, but who could say that hewould pursue a legal profession? SwamiAkhandananda had a clear vision of what wasgoing to be future course of life of Sri Guruji.He also knew that Dr.Hedgewar was waitingfor the arrival of Sri Guruji. He says: It isthe holiest day in my life to be noted in goldenletters. Was it not the day on which I gotthe grace of the Guru as a result of theauspicious deeds that I had performed inmillions of births? The experiences of theday are very holy. They cannot be explainedin words. The touch of the Guru, his loveand the grace that he showered overwhelmedme. I experienced a change within me. Irealized that I was not the same one whoexisted a minute before!When Akhandanandas health wasdeteriorating, Amitabh Maharaj spoke tohim about Sri Gurujis future and said thatthe latter had an intense aspiration to go tothe Himalayas. In reply to it, SwamiAkhandananda said: I believe, he will joinhands with Dr.Hedgewar in his work. He willrender pure social service. Let him certainlyvisit the Himalayas, but it is to be seen thathe does not go into seclusion. After theMahasamadhi of Swami Akhandananda,Amitabh Maharaj took Sri Guruji to Calcuttaand introduced Swami Abhedananda, adirect disciple of Sri Ramakrishna, SwamiVivekanandas younger brother SriBhupendranath Dutta and others. When SriGuruji was contemplating about his stay inBelur math, Amitabh Maharaj revealed tohim his conversation with Akandananda. Hetold Sri Guruji, I will take you back to thesame place from where I brought you andtook him back to Nagpur. Sri Guruji stayedin the Nagpur Ashram for a month duringwhich period he translated the Chicagospeeches of Swami Vivekananda intoMarathi. He dedicated his work to his Guru.Later, Amitabh Maharaj called Sri Raikar,maternal uncle of Sri Guruji, and asked him Sri Guruji - a Living example of Spiritual NationalismVivekananda Kendra Patrika 29to take Sri Guruji to Dr.Hedgewar. Doctorjigot his future successor.Spirituality wedded to NationalismSwami Vivekananda had set the path tosalvation through service to suffering beings,even without deviating an inch from spirituallife, through Sri Ramakrishna Movement.Swami Akhandananda, who followed hisfootsteps, while on a pilgrimage to theHimalayas, stayed in Sargachi where he sawthe suffering people and settled down there,setting up an Ashram and starting serviceactivities. Following exactly the same path,Sri Madhavrao Sadashiva Golwalkar also tooka pledge to serve the Motherland, standingfirmly on the foundation of spirituality. Heaccepted the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sanghfounded by Dr.Hedgewar as the rightinstrument to achieve the goal.Dr.Hedgewar also never under estimatedthe spiritual strength that Sri Guruji hadacquired through incessant service to hismaster at Sargachi Ashram and through theintense spiritual sadhanas. He wanted thatthe noble qualities of head and heart of SriGuruji like his spiritual strength, his acuteintelligence, his rigorous penance, etc,should wholly be available for the work ofthe Sangh. In his meetings with Sri Guruji,he stressed that a genius like Guruji who haddeep spiritual experiences should not spendhis capabilities for individual spiritual bliss,but use it for the welfare of the nation andsociety.Sri Madgolkar, a renowned journalist,once asked Sri Guruji: I know that you hadmoved away from the Sangh work for sometime and gone to the Sri RamakrishnaAshram out of spiritual quest. Then why didyou return to the Sangh work, leaving theAshram? Did you not see that theatmosphere of the Sangh is different fromthat of the Ashram? To this unexpectedquestion, Sri Guruji gave a reply: Betterthan me, only Dr.Hedgewar could speak withauthority whether there is any differencebetween the atmosphere of the Sangh andthat of the Ashram, because he has lived inCalcutta when he was engaged inrevolutionary activities. He had close contactwith great revolutionaries. You might haveread the work of Sister Nivedita titledAggressive Hinduism. I believe, you knowwell how much involvement she had with therevolutionaries. Right from the beginning,my involvement in the national integrationwork has been as much as it is in spiritualpursuit. From my experiences during my stayin Benaras, Nagpur and Calcutta, I haverealized that I could do the work betterthrough the Sangh. Therefore I havededicated myself to the Sangh work. I believethat this act of mine agrees with the ideals,message and mission of Swami Vivekananda.No other great man or philosophy could everexert greater influence on me than him andhis message. I have firm conviction that Icould go ahead with his work remaining inthe Sangh.Successor to Dr.HedgewarAfter the passing away ofParamapoojaneeya Dr.Hedgewar, when SriGuruji took over the responsibility of theSarsanghchalak of RSS, in his very firstspeech Sri Guruji made it clear that what hehas undertaken is not a political life, but a Sri Guruji - a Living example of Spiritual NationalismVivekananda Kendra Patrika 30spiritual life. Paying homage to Doctorji, hesaid, I feel proud in adoring such a greatman. To worship with flowers and sandalpaste is a cheap way. We must strive tobecome one with whom we worship. That isreal worship. Shivo bhootwaa shivamyajetWorship Shiva by becoming Shivathis is the greatness of our Dharma. Hepointed out that national life was also aspiritual life wedded to an ideal.Sri Guruji set himself as a supremeexample to the immense self-confidence ofa person wedded to an ideal. In 1955, oneday, Sri Vishwesha Teertha, Head of theUdipi Pejawar Mutt, asked a question to SriGuruji: Will Bharat become once againAkhand Bharat? In reply to him, Sri Gurujiquoted the Praatasmaran verse,Gange cha yamune chaiva godaavaree saraswateenarmade sindhu kaaveree jalesminsannidhim kuruand said Hindus could never forget theirSindhu. When the Swamiji asked how wouldthis Akhand Bharat come into existence, SriGuruji said with immense self-confidencethat the partition took place only because ofthe disunity and weakness of the Hindus andif these causes are removed, the countrywould once again become Akhand.The Patriot-Saint who madeprison into AshramSri Guruji life is an outstanding exampleto the fact that, to a patriot-saint whospiritualized nationalism, even the prisonwould become an Ashram. When theRashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh wasdeliberately and falsely implicated in theassassination of Gandhi to malign it, and SriGuruji was imprisoned, unmindful of thescant facilities that were provided to him inthe jail, he maintained perfect calmness andserenity. Keeping the premises where he wasstaying in the prison neat and clean andbehaving courteously, with love andaffection, with other inmates of the jail andprison officials, thereby capturing theirheart, and by such other actions, Sri Gurujiconverted the jail into an Ashram itself.Instead of suffering pain in the jail life, hefelt that, eighteen years after his life inSargachi Ashram he had once again obtainedan opportunity, by the courtesy of theGovernment, to perform leisurely hisDhyana, Dharana, Upasana and Paraayana ofscriptures. After getting up at five oclockin the morning and finishing his morningablutions, he would sit in his room and readBhagavad Gita, perform Sandhya Vandanaand Dhyana. Afterwards, till lunch hour, hewould read Gyaneshwari, songs of SantTukaram, Valmiki Ramayan, Mahabharat,Dasabodh, etc., and would even teachYogasana to fellow inmates in the jail. Hederived immense happiness in all these.Regarding the ban on the Sangh, he said,This ordeal has come to us only becauseSangh has become strong. Once the Sanghcomes out of this, like gold purified in fire,it will attain very high position.After coming out of the jail, the call givenby Sri Guruji to the Swayamsevaks to getready for a nation-wide Satyagrahademanding the lifting of ban on the Sangh,reflected his high spiritual sentiments:Our work is very great, noble anddi vi ne. The greatest achi evement of Sri Guruji - a Living example of Spiritual NationalismVivekananda Kendra Patrika 31mankind is in its fulfillment. It is therealization of the Divine. Arise! We willrestart the work that was banned for thelast ten months. We will compensate forthe ten months lost. Truth is on our side.To bear injustice is equal to cooperatingwith it in the sinful act. We will removethe injustice. ... meditating on Bharatmatawith full strength, extending love to Herchildren, rise up and act with vigour andenthusiasm, march ahead and stop not tillwe achieve success!This is a battle between Dharma andAdharma, justice and injustice, generosityand narrow-mindedness, and love andhatred. We will certainly win, becausewherever there is Dharma, there the Lordis, and wherever the Lord is, success alsois certainly there.Therefore, raise the voice of victory ofBharat from the bottom of your hearts tothe heights of the universal sky and arise!Fulfill the mission! Bharatmata ki Jai!Show Mercy to the EnemyThe eyes of the oppressive governmentwere opened and the ban on the Sangh waslifted. A rousing reception was given to SriGuruji wherever he went when he undertooka tour all over the country. The speeches thathe delivered in the massive congregationsreminded one of the songs of the great Tamilpoet-patriot, Mahakavi SubramaniaB h a r a t i P a k a i v a n u k k uarulwaainannenjeOh good heart, showmercy to the enemy. Sri Guruji told theSwayamsevaks. If our own teeth bite ourtongue or one leg dashes against another,we do not knock out the teeth or cut of theleg. Those who perpetrated injustice againstus are our own people. Therefore, we mustforget the past and exhibit our quality offorgiveness.Explaining in clear-cut terms the spiritualgoal of the Sangh, Sri Guruji said: Worldpeace is the ideal before us. That is our lifework. We have to fulfill that task. Our realwork is to teach the lessons for world peaceon the basis of spiritual life and establishunity among the entire mankind. However,when will it be accomplished? It will beaccomplished successfully only when westring together in one thread crores ofpeople, who realize the values of lifeexpounded by our culture and are imbuedwith noble qualities, and make themdetermined to achieve the highest goal.The feelings of Sri Guruji, who saw theDivine in the form of the society, areexpressed in his article that he contributedto the journal, Purushartha: The one thatwe have to realize as ours and embrace, theone that we have to make the object of ourservice activities, is our society. Let itgarland us with flowers or put a garland offootwear around our neck, let it praise us orabuse us, let it do whatever it wants, butultimately it is our own. It is to test us that itbehaves as good or bad towards us. It is justa test. In reality, by heart, it is our own. Itwill come with us. Not only that, because ofour unique firmness, it will change into ourservant and follow us. Society is the form ofGod. God has assured that He is the servantof His devotees. All that we have to do is tomake ourselves into true devotees. Sri Guruji - a Living example of Spiritual NationalismVivekananda Kendra Patrika 32Politics and Spiritual NationalismSardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the DeputyPrime Minister of India, at the time ofPartition, insisted that we should claim landfrom Pakistan to rehabilitate the Hindus whowere driven out of Pakistan and who cameas refugees to India. However, the PrimeMinister, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru not onlyrefused to accept the proposal, but evensigned with the Pakistan Prime MinisterLiakhat Ali Khan, a treaty which broughtdisgrace to Bharat. Opposing it, Dr.ShyamaPrasad Mukherjee resigned from the NehruCabinet and with the support of Sangh, onOctober 12, 1951. Sri Guruji, who extendedsupport by giving some gems ofSwayamsevaks from the Sangh as full timeworkers to the party, however, took a firmdecision that he himself and the Sangh as anorganization will not directly take part inparty politics. When heated electionpropagandas were taking place, Sri Gurujicoolly retired to the famous Simhagad Fortof Chhatrapati Shivaji and engaged himselfin his spiritual sadhanas. There he stayed inthe house of Lokamanya Bal Gangadhar Tilakfor 25 days from December 25, 1951, toJanuary 18, 1952. He spent the time inreading Bhagavad Gita, the Upanishads andother scriptures and in conducting classeson Gita and holding discussions with thosewho stayed with him.Sri Guruji, however, never accepted thestand that those who are engaged in spirituallife should not take interest in mattersconcerned with the welfare of the nation. InOctober 1952, a big Sadhu Sammelan tookplace in Kanpur. Sri Guruji was speciallyinvited to the congregation. At that time,Sri Guruji made one thing very clear to allthe spiritual and religious leaders of thecountry. There are innumerable sadhus,sannyasins and Mutt heads in our society.Among them many are interested only intheir personal salvation through spiritualsadhanas like Dhyaana, Dhaarana and Pooja.Those who think about the society are veryfew. The thought about making this societysafe and secure and making it march on thepath of progress never arises in their minds.Sri Guruji therefore insisted that the sadhusand sannyasins should act by combining thegoal of spiritual salvation with socialupliftment. He further said, The BhagavaDwaj (Ochre Flag) is the highest symbol ofHindu culture. It is the work of the sadhusand mahatmas to carry the message ofBhagava Dwaj to each and every home. Theymust undertake this task as a national vow.They must create an awakening in the societyand through that make the people realizetheir self-respect and glory once again.Bhagava Dwaj is the symbol of the highestSatvic quality. Before its Satvic power, allwicked forces will lose their strength. SriGuruji also pointed out that thedisinterestedness of sadhus and sannyasinsin matters concerning social upliftment wasbecause of the divisions in the society, thesplits and the feelings of mutual hatredamong people. He called upon the sadhusto undertake the work of setting right thedilapidated condition of the society as Divinetask.Protect the Monuments ofNational HonourIn a letter to Swatantrya Veer VinayakDamodar Savarkar, Sri Guruji says, It is Sri Guruji - a Living example of Spiritual NationalismVivekananda Kendra Patrika 33because of the mind-set of our people, likeindifference in the matter of the places ofour worship and shameless tolerance of theonslaught on the worshipful cow, ourtemples and pilgrim centers by the aliens,that the people have allowed the vivisectionof our Motherland Bharat. This is a gravesin to be condemned vehemently. And thesesinful acts still continue. We are unable tosee people with self-respect who declare thatthey will rest contented only after wipingout these blemishes. In stead, we see leaderswho justify this grave sin of vivisection ofthe country. In our culture, Gomata andBharatmata are inseparable. Therefore, howcan those who encourage or tolerate cowslaughter be the true devotes of Bharatmata?It is never possible.In a public meeting at Mumbai, Sri Gurujideclared: Any self-respecting nation shouldtake up as its first and foremost task, thewiping out of the blemishes caused byslavery and even the traces of name andidentity of the aggressors from this soil.From this stand point, the reconstruction ofthe Somnath temple is a great event. Hefurther warned: It seems today that thefeeling in the hearts of the ordinary citizensthat this is our motherland, and theattachment to the values of life aredeclining. We are forgetting the glorioushistory of our race. Like this, if we continueto forgetting the glorious historic centersof our cultural heritage, there will notremain even one place of worship for us inthe future. If it happens unfortunately, onwhat basis will we build the temple of ournation whose peak will touch the sky? Howwill we achieve rising glory that will touchthe heaven?Sri Guruji had made it very clear that thefeeling of patriotism cannot be divorcedfrom spirituality. He told the Swayamsevaks,Only when the sacred sentiments about ourBharatamata arise in our hearts, on thatfoundation, discipline, noble qualities andfull-fledged life will arise. Only when theindividuals equipped with all these noblevirtues are created, all the plans for theupliftment of the nation will succeed. Wecan raise the power of our nation onlythrough this spirit of dedication, sense ofresponsibility and disciplined life. Raising thepower is the work of the Sangh.The Smriti Mandir of ParamapoojaneeyaDr.Hedgewar was inaugurated at Nagpur onApril 9, 1962. On the next day, addressingthousands of Swayamsevaks who hadgathered there from different parts of thenation, Sri Guruji made a touching speech:This memorial is set here not with theintention of creating a temple and installinghim on the pedestal like a religious leader. Ihave no interest in a temple built with bricksand stones. We must look at this memorialonly as a constant source of inspiration tous.Rashtra Rishi with Swatantra Veer Savarkarji Sri Guruji - a Living example of Spiritual NationalismVivekananda Kendra Patrika 34A Volunteer in the Task of Integrating the Hindu SocietyBy the immense efforts of Sri guruji, theVishwa Hindu Parishad came into existencein the Sandeepani Ashram of SwamiChinmayananda at Mumbai on the auspiciousKrishna Janmaashthami day of the year 1964.As a successful achievement in an effort tobring together all the great Hindu religiousand spiritual leaders under one banner so asto integrate the whole society, a mammothconference was held at Prayag on theoccasion of Poorna Amrita Kumbha Mela onJanuary 22, 23 and 24, 1966. When all thegreat Acharyas an spiritual leaders wereseated on the dais, Paramapoojaneeya SriGuruji was busy, like a humble volunteer,looking after the arrangements for the foodand accommodation of lakhs of people whohad come to participate in the conference.However, the Shankaracharya of DwarakaPeeth insisted that Sri Guruji should cometo the dais and address the gathering.Acceding to that request, Sri Guruji made aspeech in all humility and said: In fact, thereis no need for me to come here and make aspeech. However, two months ago, therevered Shankaracharya of Dwaraka Peethwanted that I should also speak on thisoccasion. I apologized to him and submittedthat my work will be to sweep and wipe thevenue of the conference and keep it neat andclean. I can do the work very efficiently,because I am a Swayamsevak. However, howcan I disregard the order of the Acharya?There is no other go but to abide by hisorder.What simplicity! What humility! What thesadhus and sannyasins who had assembledin the conference at Prayag saw before theirminds eye was the scenes of Lord Krishnaremoving the discarded leaves after theguests who had attended the Rajasuya Yogaof Dharmaputra had dined, and the Lordtending the horses of Arjuna in theMahabharata war.It was the unique achievement of SriGuruji that he made the leading sadhus,sannyasins and Jagadgurus of the country,who attended the Vishwa Hindu Parishadcongregation at Udipi in the year 1969, passa resolution unanimously declaring, Thereis no place for the sin of untouchability inHindu Dharma and Hindus are allbrothers. Sri Guruji proclaimed that it wasa golden day in the history of Hinduism.The Journey towards EternityThe first day of July in the year 1970 wasthe day on which Sri Guruji was admittedinto the Tata Memorial Hospital in Mumbaifor undergoing an operation for treatmentof Cancer. Sri Guruji, who had thepremonition that the journey of his life wascoming to an end, was preoccupied with thethoughts about the work that he had yet tofinish. He did not have even an iota of worryabout his health or the fear of death. Whenhe was taking leave of Dr.Praful Desai, thesurgeon who performed the operation, SriGuruji told him: Man, who is mortal shouldnot unnecessarily be concerned about health.It is the law of nature the every life mustone day or other come to an end. Therefore,the important thing is not how long a manlived, but how he lived. I have a work beforeme. I want to complete it. For that I appealto the Lord that, He should keep me in good Sri Guruji - a Living example of Spiritual NationalismVivekananda Kendra Patrika 35health till the end of my life.Before undergoing the surgery, SriGuruji made a journey to the abode of BadriNarayana and performed his own Shraddaat Brahmakapala near the pilgrim center. Healso got an opportunity to listen to thediscourse on Srimad Bhagavata from themouth of the great saint of Jhusi Ashram,Sri Prabhu Datta Brahmachari.He had a darshan of the Mother of SriAurobindo Ashram at Pondichery on March11, 1972. That meeting happened to be aspiritually significant one. The two spiritualluminaries sat facing each other. Not a singleword came out of their mouths and theyconversed in the language of silence. Withfolded hands both of them parted company.Sri Guruji remarked jovially once: Therailway compartment is my address. Thehuman society surrounding me on all the foursides is my home. He was not only awareof the fact that his life was a long journey,but also made it known to others.On the Jyeshtha Shukla Panchami day inthe year 1975, Sri Guruji sat on his asanaand performed Sandhyavandhan. He hadsuffocation. His personal assistant, Dr.AbaDatte, who was by his side, rushed to givehim oxygen, but Sri Guruji appeared to becompletely peaceful. He got the nails in hishands and legs cut. Then he sat on the chair.Before that, he took the Kamandalu on theright side, that he always used to keep onthe left side only. Only when he used to starta journey, he would keep it on the right side.Abaji realized that Sri Guruji was takingleave of all. The doctors also declared thatSri Gurujis health was beyond their control.A message was sent to Mananeeya SriBalasaheb Deoras who was the Sarkaryavahof the Sangh at that time. Exactly fiveminutes after nine oclock in the night, SriGurujis soul departed from his body.After Sri Guruji attained immortality,three letters, which he had written andpreserved in envelopes, were opened in thepresence of all and read out. In the first letterhe had expressed his wish that Sri BalasahebDeoras should take over the responsibilityas Sarsanghchalak after him. In the secondletter, he said that there was no need to raiseany memorial for him. The third letter thathe had written touched the hearts ofeveryone. A great man considered himselfto be an insignificant human being, and withall humility express his feeling: If I have evercaused pain to anybodys mind, I beg, withfolded hands, their forgiveness. To make hisfeelings all the more clear he had quoted aMarathi verse of Sant Tukaram. The messageof the verse is as follows: Oh religiouspreceptors, please convey this last prayersof mine to the Lord that He should not forgetme. What more have I to say? Everything isconveyed to Him. Tukaram places his headat the feet of the Lord and prays, let theshadow of your grace fall on me ever!Vande Mataram! Bharat Mata ki Jai!Sadhu Prof V Rangarajan is the FounderTrustee of Sister Nivedita Academy in Bangalore.He has held important positions of trust andresponsibilities in institutions like ChinmayaMission, Rashtriya Swyamsevak Sangh, VishvaHindu Parishad, Swami Vivekananda MedicalMission and Vivekananda Kendra. Sri Guruji - a Living example of Spiritual NationalismVivekananda Kendra Patrika 36THE IMPORTANCE OF NOT ASKING FOR ANYTHINGI heard this story from SwamiNiramayananda (1911-1984), a senior monkof the Ramakrishna Order. He was a discipleof Swami Akhandananda, one of those greatsaintly disciples of Sri Ramakrishna. SwamiNiramayanandas pre-monastic name wasBibhuti. At the time of the incident I amgoing to narrate, he was staying as a noviceat our Sargachhi ashrama in Bengal with hisguru.A junior professor named MadhavraoGolwalkar was teaching in Benares HinduUniversity in the early 1930s. After teachingat the university for three years, he resignedhis position and went to Nagpur. There hestudied law and became a lawyer. In Nagpur,he came in contact with SwamiBhaskareswarananda, head of the Nagpurbranch of the Ramakrishna Order. From himhe came to know that one of the disciples ofSri Ramakrishna, Swami Akhandananda, wasthen living at the Sargachhi ashrama inBengal. Around that time Golwalkardeveloped great spiritual yearning and keenlyfelt the need for a guru. So he went to theSargachhi ashrama to have spiritualinitiation (diksha) from the Swami. Afterinitiation Golwalkar continued to say on asa brahmachari for a while and served hisguru wholeheartedly. He followed his gurulike a shadow, making himself available toserve.Once, late at night, Bibhuti heard SwamiAkhandananda talking aloud to someone.Bibhuti wondered why the Swami wastalking so loudly at that hour. Curious, hecame to the door of the Swamis room andsaw an unexpected sight. The door was openand kerosene lantern was lighting up theroom. The Swami was seated on his bed, andGolwalkar was kneeling on the floor, facingthe swami with his hands folded in salutation.Apparently in response to Golwalkarsprayer, Swami Akhandananda was givinghim his blessings. Bibhuti heard the swamisay to Golwalkar: You will have theknowledge of Brahman! A few days later,with his gurus permission, Golwalkar leftthe Ashrama. Later in life, he becamerenowened in India as the leader of a well-known idealistic youth organization.Witnessing that incident, Bibhuti felt agreat sadness of heart, because SwamiAkhandananda had never blessed him theway he had blessed Golwalkar.As days passed, his sadness deepened.SHRI AMITABH MAHARAJ Sri Guruji - a Living example of Spiritual NationalismVivekananda Kendra Patrika 37Then one day Swami Akhandananda said toBibhuti, I have to go to the bathroom. Pleasebring a pot of water so that I can rinse myfeet after I have used the bathroom. Thebathroom was a separate building, away fromthe residential quarters of the ashrama.Bibhuti did as he was aked. He walkedbehind his guru with a pot of water. SwamiAkhandananda approached the bathroom,but didnt enter it. He turned around andsaid to Bibhuti, Bibhuti, those who dont askfor anything get much more. So saying theSwami returned to his room.Bibhuti understood that his guru hadcome to know the whole thing, even thoughhe hadnt expressed it to him. he alsounderstood that there was selfishness evenin asking for blessings in spiritual life. Thosewho are totally selflessand do not ask foranythingthey alone get the highest rewardsin spiritual life.Courtesy : Vedanta Kesari March 2006Amitabh Maharaj Later known as SwamiAmurtananda of Ramakri shna Order,Ramakrishna Mission Nagpur, he encouraged SriGuruj i to get Deeksha from SwamiAkhandananda.When words like dharma and spirituality are uttered, pat comes the remark: Why do you bringreligion into politics? This question stems from a misunderstanding our concept of dharma andconfusing it with the Western concept of religion. The Western countries suffered for centuriesbecause of their dogmatic concept of religion and the control of state by the church. Our conceptof dharma is a different from that as light is from darkness. Dharma or spirituality is not a dogmabut a view of life in its totality. It is not a separate sphere of national life just as political oreconomic spheres. Spirituality is, in our view, a comprehensive vision of life that should informand elevate and correlate all fields of society for the fulfillment of human life in all its facets. It isthe sap of our national tree, the life-breath of our national entity.Sri Gur Sri Gur Sri Gur Sri Gur Sri Gur uji - Ex uji - Ex uji - Ex uji - Ex uji - Excellence in Expr cellence in Expr cellence in Expr cellence in Expr cellence in Expression ession ession ession ession Sri Guruji - a Living example of Spiritual NationalismVivekananda Kendra Patrika 38I first met Shri Guruji in a winter campat Salem in 1946. I was a student doing myhonours in the University College,Thiurvananthapuram. We were all seated ina hall, to be addressed by Shri Guruji. Beingthe first occasion, I was all expectation, ifnot trepidation. As Shri Guruji entered thehall, my eager eyes took him in. He wasyoung, dynamic and had the appearance ofa Yuva Sannyasi dressed in white dhoti andkurta over which he wore a coat. He held astaff with a metal head in his hand. Brilliant,piercing eyes which directly enter into yourvery soul and dense, dark, flowing hair andbeard completed the serene majesty of hisunique personality.Each one of us got introduced to him byturn. To each one, he asked a few questions.From the answers, he could easily size upthe caliber and capacity of each one.Everyone got some suggestion and guidancethrough this informal question and answersession. At the end we were pleasantlysurprised that Shri