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The Pope and the Sanyasin : A study in contrast
By P. Parameswaran
Within a short span of less than a month, two great religious leaders of the world have left us. Pope John Paul II, head of the World Catholic Church passed away and H.H. Swami Ranganatha-nanda, president of the Sree Ramakrishna Mutt and Mission, entered mahasamadhi on April 25, 2005.
Hinduism is non-monolithic and has no sole supreme head comparable to the Pope. Had it been otherwise, Swami Ranga-nathananda by virtue of his saintliness and scholarship would have occupied the same position as Pope does for Christianity. Incidentally this points towards a crucially radical difference between the two world religions.
Christianity, over which the Catholic Church holds unparalleled sway, is as much a hierarchical, monolithic, power-yielding institution, almost similar to an autocratic state and it is the world?s largest religious organisation cutting across every country and continent. Though the Vatican is the smallest State in the world, the Pope wields authority over 110 churches of the world. The Pope is the head of a theocratic State with subjects loyal to him transnationally. The clout that the Pope wields to exercise his religious political authority has no parallel in contemporary history. No country in the world can afford to ignore the demise of a Pope or the election of his successor. This was once again brought to limelight, not only by the media coverage, but also by the ceremony of the late Pope?s cremation attended by topmost dignitaries from every country in the world, except China which is in a class by itself. China, with its huge population and bludgeoning economic and political power, alone had the courage to adopt a stand driving home a message loud and clear.
Probably no major journalist, politician or statesman has ever considered it worthwhile to compare or contrast the two events mentioned in the beginning. Leave alone the international media, even the national media was reluctant and shy, if not apologetic, in giving proper coverage to Swami Ranganathananda?s mahasamadhi and also projecting the great personality's priceless contribution which was only his legitimate due. Whereas Pope?s media coverage started long before his passing away and continues long after his successor was elected. The entire world?s attention was on the Vatican for weeks together. This is in sharp contrast to the media treatment of Swami Ranganathananda.
This is no wonder and there is no need to get either excited about the one or worried about the other. Hinduism is a peaceful religion, poorly or not at all organised, wielding no political clout, ruling no country or reigning over any transnational empire but true to its understanding of religion and spirituality. It does not rule over the minds of its followers or influences people outside its fold by power or diplomatic manoeuvres. Swami Vivekananda had said that the impact of Hinduism is like that of a flower blossoming at the touch of the morning dew and spreading its fragrance unseen and unheard, but bringing to blossom the fairest of flowers. This is in sharp contrast to the Roman Catholic Church backed by the Roman Empire whose military might enabled it to spread in the far off corners. In Hinduism, spirituality has a meaning and a value which is too subtle to be promoted by political and military powers, unlike Christianity which promoted its theological empire followed by worldwide colonisation.
The Catholic Church and Hinduism are unlike each other in certain vital respects. Hinduism has no tradition of officially bestowing sainthood on persons posthumously nor has it a mechanism by which martyrdom is made a covetable ideal because right from Jesus Christ, the belief is that the Church is built on the strength of the martyr?s blood. These things have happened in the natural course in Hinduism. There is no dearth of saints of various shades of holiness and martyrs of unimaginable courage and commitment in the long history of Hinduism. These are not the outcomes of any official policy; people discover, recognise and honour them wherever and whenever they are manifested. Before the heat and dust have settled down, there is already a clamour from many quarters to bestow sainthood on the late Pope, John Paul II.
Swami Ranganathananda was known as the spiritual ambassador of India all over the world. There is no country on which the Swamiji has not left an indelible imprint of our religion and philosophy.
The Vatican has inherited much of the tradition and also the regalia of Roman empire, whereas Hindu spiritual movements continue to deliver their message in a quiet, unostentatious way by personal touch and living models.
Swami Rangananthananda embodied the very spirit of Hinduism as exemplified by the great lives of Sree Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and Swami Vivekananda. During the large decades of his earthly sojourn, he spent every moment of his life in bringing out the Hindu spiritual values through word, deed and thought. Born in a small village in Kerala, not far away from Kalady, the birthplace of Adi Sankara, he was attracted by the Sree Ramakrishna movement at a comparatively young age.
Immediately after matriculation, he came in contact with the movement and left for the Bangalore centre of Sree Ramakrishna Mission. In due course, he was given initiation by Swami Sivananda, a direct desciple of Sree Ramakrishna Paramahamsa.
Through studious application of his sharp intellect and also by engaging in regular spiritual practices, he gradually evolved into an all round aspirant and his guru anointed him with the now familiar name, Swami Ranganathananda.
He made steady progress as a writer, as a speaker, and as an excellent communicator, simultaneously digging his feet into traditional scholarship in the Hindu scriptures like the Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, the various other texts and also the Puranas and Ithihasas.
It did not take long for the country to recognise the erudite scholar, the skilful communicator and the ideal sanyasin?all rolled into one in the personality of Swami Ranganathananda.
Apart from his academic contribution, he was a great builder of institutions. At the time of the Partition of the country, he was heading a great centre of the Mission at Karachi, which was the focal point of spiritual seekers.
He was also the founder of the internationally reputed Sree Ramakrishna Mutt in Delhi, where his discourses on the Bhagavad Gita and other scriptures were a perennial source of attraction and inspiration for the intellectual elite of Delhi.
It was Swami Ranganathananda who set up the international centre, the Sree Ramakrishna Institute of Culture at Golpara, Kolkata, which is rendering enormous service to the cause of our culture and philosophy by way of lectures, publications, research and linguistic studies.
In Hyderabad, the Swamiji built up a very prestigious centre of the Ramakrishna Mutt which continues to be a source for dissemination of the spiritual wealth of India.
Swami Ranganathananda was known as the spiritual ambassador of India all over the world. There is no country on which the Swamiji has not left an indelible imprint of our religion and philosophy, the culture and heritage of Bharat.
He had a wonderful style of delivering lectures, even on the complicated philosophical themes, with comfortable ease and fascinating fluency. He could engage the most sophisticated audience with the incessant flow of his simple eloquence which astounded even great scholars and intellectuals.
His tour all over the world brought him in contact with great scientists like Julian Huxley and writers like Romain Rolland.
His correspondence with Julian Huxley will be remembered for all times because of the comparative approach to science and spirituality which the Swamiji had effectively conveyed to the great scientist on the basis of Vedanta philosophy.
The Swamiji?s greatness and his unique contribution are in the field of the literary legacy which he has left for the posterity. He was a voluminous writer. The four-volume publication, Eternal Values for a Changing Society, The Message of the Upanishads, A Pilgrim Looks at the World, his three-volume commentary on the Bhagavad Gita and his insightful interpretation of the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad will be treasured for all time.
Swamiji had the rare quality of keeping cordial personal contact with a countless number of people. His memory was prodigious.
He had a soft corner for everyone who came in contact with him. Innumerable are the people who cherish him as their spiritual mentor.
The number of disciples initiated by him may run beyond count. They all feel gravely orphaned by his passing away. Though the body left at a ripe old age, all realise that his spiritual presence can never be obliterated.
He had contributed enormously to the cultural vitality of the present and the future of our motherland and also the world at large. What this generation, that is indebted to him, will offer him as gurudakshina is a matter for each one of us to deeply ponder.
The universal acceptance which the Swamiji received from the academics and the intellectual elite all over the world is a glowing tribute to his innate potentiality which he assiduously cultivated in spite of the fact that his formal education was limited to the level of matriculation. The various books that he authored and the innumerable lectures he delivered stand testimony to the high calibre of his intelligence. His interpretation of ancient scriptures in the background of the modern development brought him encomiums from great thinkers and scientists of the West as well as the East. His intellect was not shackled by blind orthodoxy. The freedom with which he explained ancient texts to meet modern requirements was refreshingly original. This free and liberal intellectual approach made Swamiji feel a little sad about the intellectual bankruptcy of modern Indian elite who always delight in borrowing Western ideas. This feeling was expressed by him on various occasions: ?Pre-independent India had a more number of free intellectuals than post-independent India which lack in bold and original thinking.? He always used to say that the nation can rise only in proportion to the quality of its intelligentsia.
Swamiji?s exposition of the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita was so popular that huge crowds used to gather wherever he delivered lectures on the Gita. But he was no traditionalist in his interpretations. On the other had he had no great appreciation for people for whom Bhagavad Gita was just an object of adoration. Once he wrote, ?Bhagavad Gita is not a text to be worshipped in the pooja-room but a manual to be followed in the battlefield of life. Bhagwan Krishna gave Gita to Arjuna not in the pooja-room but in the battle-field of Kurukshetra.?
Swamiji?s life was a glowing illustration of the glorious Sanatana Dharma, liberal towards every genuine religion. Swamiji?s attachment and loyalty to the Hindu Dharma was absolute and unforgiving. He might have sugar-coated the pills but never compromised on their essence. It can be stated without fear of contradiction that after Swami Vivekananda, it was Swami Ranganathananda who took the message of Hindu culture and spirituality across the world in a manner that earned appreciation, understanding and also a high level of respectability. Humanity will experience a void for a long time to come. A non-institutionalised religion with its boundless horizon will no doubt find enough spiritual resources to fill the void and march ahead, as it has done through the ages.
(The writer is Director, Bharatiya Vichara Kendram, Thiruvananthapuram.
Swamiji was a spiritual guide ?Sarsanghachalak
REVERED Swami Ranganathananda, the president of the Ramakrishna Mutt and Mission breathed his last yesterday, at the ripe age of 96. His life is an example of how a man of humble beginnings canbe perseverance, penance and the deep study of scriptures rise to such spiritual heights and inspire thousands of young men and women to live a life of dedication and unattached karma.
Swamiji always blessed the work of Hindu sanghatan, i.e. consolidation of the Hindu society, done by the RSS and appreciated its work among the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. He even assured us not to bother about any financial constraints in this regard and was ready to shoulder that burden himself.
A man of erudition, he had toured more than 50 countries and explained the relevance of the Bhagawad Gita in the modern context. No doubt his passing away is really a great loss, not only to the Ramkrishna Mission, but to the world at large and Hindu society in particular, specially at the present juncture, when the world is in dire need of spiritual guidance.
I, on behalf of all the Swayamsevaks, offer my deep respect and homage to the departed soul which will find its rightful place in the abode of the Almighty.
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