Letters to My Brother (1)

Dear Brother,

I think that you got me wrong. I do not critcise the temples or the priests. Nothing wrong with them. Its we, who got to change.

Usually, when I throw a stone at somebody, it normally falls on a Hindu who does not know anything about Hinduism but claims that he knows everything about Hinduism. But this time it fell on a Hindu who knows something. And you turned back to see from where the stone comes. Its from me.

There is something common in us. That is, we both intended to do something for our community. Otherwise, I would not have stumbled over your blog. But the difference is that I started some 40 years ago, while you just started. I am not saying anything abruptly. It is the result of observing something gone wrong with our society. I was born and brought up in an estate. I am not a graduate like you. Neither do I hold any post like being a committee member of world Hindu Youth Organisation. I was only a President of a large temple. I want to share with you my experience of observing Indian problems (especially Hindus) in Malaysia. I have traveled widely including Sabah and Sarawak. I have read several books including Bhagavad Gita, Thiruvasagam, Thevaram. I have read the life history of saints and sages like Mahatma Ghandi, Swami Vivekhaanandha, Rabindranath Tagore, Paramahamsa Yogananda including Sai Baba. After reading such books and having a glimps of Vedhas and Upanishads, I must tell you that we are a proud lot of Hindus.

It all started when I was in the upper secondary school in the 60’s. Every Friday, about 11.00 am Christian boys from that school used to go to Bible studies while the Muslim students would go to Quran studies. But we Hindus, about 40 of us, were left wondering at the corridors or play-grounds for the whole period. While the Christians and Muslims gained knowledge and discipline based on their respective religious text, we Hindus were not exposed to this spiritual knowledge and discipline. This was going on not only in my place but almost everywhere even till today. We are an ignorant lot.

After my secondary education, I got a job as a temporary teacher in Kulim during the early 70’s. I use to see fightings in temples in Kulim as I used to witness in my hometown, almost 200km away. There was hardly any festivals that went without fighting. Did you read in ‘Malaysia Nanban’ the fighting that erupted during the last ‘Chitra Pournami’ day? You can read in papers almost everyday the ongoing social problems faced by our community. We cannot deny this and sweep under the carpet. I can go on listing but that is not my purpose here for the moment. Please refer to MalaysiaSun.com dated Tues, 28th April, 2008.

When you want to do something for our community, you must first identify their weaknesses and formulate rectification. To do this, you must be sensitive enough to observe what’s happening. Compare with other communities in Malaysia. The Blacks in America came as slaves. Today, they emerge as an outstanding lots in every field, be it in music, sports, politics, fashion and education. In Malysia, look all the buildings and vehicles around. They are mostly owned by the Chinese. What is the secret behind this? It is their discipline. They are disciplined even in drinking, I mean liquior. They know when to drink and what to drink. But what is lacking in our Indian society today is spiritual discipline. Once we are disciplined spiritually, nothing can shake us. We will be strongly united. In future all our activities will be based on this discipline be it social, economy or political.



Now let me analyse one by one the points you have raised.

1. For the time being let us not discuss Sai Baba.

“ In truth, you cannot understand the nature of my reality either
today, or even after a thousand years of steady austerity or
ardent enquiry, even if all mankind joins in the effort…..”
- Baba.

THE HOLY MAN AND THE PSYCHIATRIST,
By Dr. Samuel Sansweiss

2. You admit that Sai centres are doing good service. Yes, their service is reaching out to the poor, the needy and normal people. Since it is a service oriented organisation, each devotee has to spend at least 4 hours a week. I have learnt alot from this service . They use to go to estates and villages bring food, clothes and other useful materials apart from conducting religious classes, medical camps and seminars and workshops on parenting and so on.

“Not soon, slowly. It will be hard for people to understand my
Message – it will only come about slowly.” - Baba.

I do not blame your opinion. I welcome your comments because I,
too, was of the same opinion some 14 years ago; thinking that it was
meant for rich and famous. I was mistaken like you until I read ‘The
Holy Man and The Psychiatrist’. You must dive deep into the ocean
before you get the pearl. No point playing on the shore in order to
get the pearl. There is so much to write.

3. I know what the temples are doing and I know what is temple
‘thondu’. Temple ‘thondu’ alone is not enough to alleviate the
sufferings of the people. There are many poor Indians in Malaysia. They go to temple to pray so that God will come to their rescue. God
will not come to their rescue; it is we who have to got to the ground to do service to them. Remember : ‘service to mankind is service to God’.
‘Maanava sevai Maathava sevai’ In temples, I involve in meaningful ‘thondu’ that brings benefit to the members as well as non-members.

4. Yes, the real purpose of chanting the mantras in Sanskrit is to derive
the joy of communicating and praising the Lord. Slowly, but surely
those who chant the mantras will be allevated to a higher level. There
are several familiar God forms which we can invoke daily during our prayers; eg. Vinayaga, Siva, Vishnu, Muruga, Saraswathi, Mahalakshmi, Durga and other Prarthanais. (I will send you later the
mantras and their meaning). If you make effort to teach the children
at an early age, they will surely benefit. They will feel proud to be a Hindu. Our youths and women folks in future will slowly get to know our God. This is my experience in the Sai Centres everywhere. Our Hindu children attending Bal Vikas in the centres, are chanting
these mantras in one voice. I use to wonder, why our Hindu children are not taught in the temples. I do not want to see our children in the temples deprived of this opportunity. When chanting this mantra (with knowing its meaning) together it promotes unity among the Hindus. Increase the knowledge on Hinduism. Only then we can organize other activities for the youths, women, students and others, thereby laying the foundation for progress of our community. Progress should proceed from the temple. Why can’t we teach the laymen and normal people these mantras. It is happening in Sai centres. When Chinese devotees can chant, surely our people can. But the problem is that, due to the absence of good system, it is very difficult to adopt and implement such programmes in temples.


5. Yes, about the youths, that was my comment after interviewing many
Youths and observing their behaviour, whether they are university students or working. Because they lack knowledge on Hinduism, you cannot expect spiritual discipline among these youths. So, join a Sai Centre and learn their knowledge, expertise, skill and methodology of serving society.


Will be writing more.

MESSAGE TO STUDENTS

True Education.

Years along in regular succession, whether mankind acquires culture or relapses into barbarism, whether it progresses through education or regresses, the period of time available for living that is allotted to each individual drips away - moment by moment. This process cannot be arrested or denied. Unmindful of this truth, the educational institutions charged with the duty of equipping the citizens of the country with the knowledge and the skill needed to make every facet of life strong and fruitful, are now falling fast into decadence. The educational system which has to play a pivotal role is raising the quality and standard of human life is severely handicapped. It has lost the honoured status it for centuries.

It doess not now receive the homage it deserves. Silently and subtly, the lure of money has penetrated the system so deep that support and respect are given only to such faculties and professions that can offer high monetary rewards. For, a man is honoured in society only when he earns an enormous amount of money. The spirit of sacrifice, loyalty to plain living, strict adherence to virtue, observance of justice, appreciation of integrity - these laudable traits are having to confront powerful opposing forces. Education is rendered a barren exercise and a danger to social security. Strikes and other more violent pressures are used to gain non-educational ends. Those who oppose such factions are subjected to insult and injury.

In order to gain the benefit that education can confer, it must be directed towards the cleansing of the Antah-Karana or the inner instruments of thought and feeling. It has to promote and protect the pleasure of spiritual learning.

Education does not consist of mere reading of books or writing them. Nor should education be valued and pursued as a means of securing jobs. Mastering the contents of books gives only secondary knowledge. The goal of education should be heroic excellence in action, not the accumulation of information. The educated man must resolve to earn his livelyhood through hard toil and sustained effort, through the sweat of his brow; he must have his ideal the fullest use of talents for increasing the prosperity and welfare of his country.

The learning process yields best results during the early years of life. What is taught then is easily assimilated. The qualities that are fostered during this tender age-period last until the very end. Childhood, boyhood and youth are, assredly, invaluable stages of one's life. When they are used to the best advantages, man can shine as a well-educated person and earn respect and fame in the society. Consider the amount of effort and sacrifice a person undergoes to procure even some trivial thing. He cannot get from the market an article he desires without parting with some money. "Give and take" is the rule of life. When one willingly renounces things of value in order to gain such paltry possessions, why should he lament when he has to renounce the low, limited pleasures that his senses can give, in order to gain the 'Awareness of the Atma' which confers immeasurable Bliss?

Students who are wise do not allow the senses to rule over them. They control their vagaries and achieve triumph in the battle against that group of deluders. They give up degrading habits and welcome good habits in their place. They renounce the illussion of the 'many' in order to accept the Reality, the 'One'.

REKINDLING EDUCATION

Introduction

Man, who is considered as the acme of perfection among all beings in God's creation, is today in the grip of fear of drifting from the course of life assigned by the Creator Himself. Every time, the creator sends him to the world as a piece of perfection, but he often fails miserably to maintain this same profitably. Along with his soul power he is also endowed with eternal values ingrained in his fir his guidance and balance. Here comes the purpose of education, i.e., to feed his power of discrimination. It is aptly said that "Education is the manifestation of the perfection already in man."

With inbuilt values, which are inseparable ingrediends in his making, man comes into this world for fulfilment that is to preserve and practise them so that he can contribute his mite to the betterment of society. Since he, God's precious creation, was found in peril, the alord Himself has come to point out his wrongs and guide him as to how he should share with fellow beings the precious gifts of love and the power of discrimination which He Himself has placed in man's bosom. It is to promote and strengthen this process that our present system of education must endeavour.