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to the forest for 14 years was neither fun, nor comfortable, nor easy for
Lord Rama. He was not driven violently there, with no choice. Rather, he
made the choice, himself, to undergo this exile in order to uphold a promise
his father had made to Queen Kaikaye, that he would grant her any boon
she wished. Lord Rama’s 14 years in the forest were a way of fulfilling
his father’s debt to the Queen.
If
he had not gone to the forest on that fateful day, he would have been coronated
as king of Ayodhya. If he had refused to go and instead had insisted that
his step-mother was unfair and cruel, he would still have been King Rama.
Yet, if he had done that, would we worship him as Lord? Would his life,
today, be revered as the epitome of dharma, as the perfect embodiment of
sacrifice and righteousness? Probably not.
Our
Debt to the Poorest of the Poor:
We
worship Lord Rama and revere Lord Rama for the life he lived.We
say he is the embodiment of the “perfect person.” We say he is God manifest
in a human form.On this special
occasion, and on every day, we must not only worship Lord Rama; we must
also emulate him.We must take the
message of his divine life as our lesson. He lived in hardship and exile
for 14 years, amongst tribal peoples, the poorest of the poor, in order
to fulfill the terms of his father’s debt.
We
also have a debt to pay. Our debt is to the poorest of the poor in India.Our
debt is to the same forgotten ones, impoverished ones amongst whom Lord
Rama lived.
Most
of you received your education in India before coming abroad to earn a
living and raise a family. That education probably cost approximately Rs.
20-30 per month, because it was “subsidized.” However, when we really ask
ourselves, “Who exactly subsidized this wonderful education I received,
which enabled me to get a degree and then come abroad to prosper and thrive?”
the answer is not as clear as we think. Most people assume the government
paid for these educations. However, we must remember that the government
is not a profit-making entity. The money that you did NOT pay must have
come from somewhere. That money you did not pay came from the poor…you
were given a virtually free education because they were given nothing.
There are a finite amount of funds in the government. That which you received,
they did not receive. The money to fund (or “subsidize”) your education
was not given to the poorest of the poor so that it could be given to you.
A
Degree and a Debt:
Therefore,
when you left Mother India to come abroad, you came with two things: a
degree and a debt. The degree has enabled you to succeed in this Western
land and to provide your children with a prosperous environment and all
the amenities of Western culture. However, what about the debt? The debt
is to those who really subsidized your education. The debt is to those
who did not receive anything so that you could receive a degree for Rs.
20-30 a month.
Now
that debt must be repaid. Maybe, in order to repay them we have to sacrifice.
Maybe we will have to do without a few new sarees or a weekend vacation
in order to give back to our brothers and sisters in need.Remember:
that is dharma. That sacrifice for the sake of righteousness is what Indian
culture is all about. That is the message of Lord Rama’s life. We must
not only worship Lord Rama on Diwali; we must also take a pledge to emulate
him. We must vow to fulfill our own responsibilities, to pay backour
own debts. When we too embody this adherence to dharma, then we will really
have something to celebrate.
Diwali:
A New Start. A New Beginning
Diwali
is a symbol of a fresh start, a new beginning. I always say that God doesn’t
open our old files. Whenever we go to Him, whenever we bow our heads humbly
and say, “God, I am yours,” He will accept us.We
must only offer ourselves completely at His holy feet.
On
Diwali, most people begin a new checkbook, as a symbol of a “fresh start,”
and they usually write the first check payable to God. This is a beautiful
symbol of devotion to Him. It symbolizes that everything we are, everything
we have, everything we earn is being laid at His holy feet. This is the
beauty of Indian culture. In our yagnas, the mantras end with “idam na
mama.” This means, “not for me, but for you, God.”
However,
once we’ve written that check to God, placed it in the mandir, said a few
mantras and taken prasad, do we actually live any differently? Do we really
offer our lives to God, or do we only give Him this one piece of paper
each year? The check to God is not an end in and of itself. Rather, it
is the means to an end. It is Indian culture’s way of teaching us to always
remember God, in everything we do, and to always remember that it is He
to whom we owe everything. Without His grace and His blessings, nothing
is possible.
This
year, let us vow to not only offer God a check (a piece of paper), say
a few mantras and then go on with our lives as they were before.But,
rather let us vow to live according to the realization that we owe everything
to Him and let us truly make an attempt to offer back to Him.
So,
this year, write the first check to God. Yes, this is beautiful. Put that
check in the mandir. But, then, write the second check to God’s children
who are suffering.“He who serves
the poorest of the poor is also serving Me,” our scriptures say.
Devotion
into Action:
The blank check to
God is a nice symbol. The bhaav (sentiment) is good.But
it is not enough. It must be followed by action.Let
that first check be a check of bhaav and devotion. But, let that second
check be a manifestation of your bhaav – let it put your devotion into
action. Let it bring light to the lives of God’s children in India who
are suffering in darkness.
Festival
of Light
Probably
the most commonly celebrated aspect of Diwali is light – it is the festival
of light. Homes, offices, shops and streets are lined with brightly burning
deepas. This is not only aesthetically beautiful.It
is also symbolically beautiful – we are warding off the darkness of ignorance,
of anger, of temptations, with the light of wisdom, of love and of freedom.
It
is always so beautiful to see the rows and rows of beautiful deepas, lighting
up our streets. It shows to the world that we are a culture of light, of
peace, of brightness.
However,
again, these lamps are meant as symbols, as a means to an end, rather than
as simply a beautiful end themselves. What is this real end? What is the
real darkness which must be dispelled? It is the darkness within us, the
darkness of ignorance, of selfishness, of duality.We
are living in a world of illusion which teaches that there is an “us” and
a “them”, an “I” and a “you.”
However,
Indian culture says otherwise. Indian culture says we are one. Indian culture
says that as our brothers and sisters suffer in darkness, so we too are
suffering, although we may not be aware of it. It is, therefore, our divine
duty to help dispel their darkness, to help alleviate their suffering.
How? Through the Ekal
Vidyalaya project, a rural, tribal education project in India, we are bringing
the light of education, the light of training, the light of hope, the light
of faith and the light of sanskaras to our 70 million tribal brothers and
sisters.
The
Ekal Vidyalaya project is a project which brings academic education, vocational
training, adult education, ecological programs and health care to tribal
villages throughout India.
However,
we can not do this alone. The time has come for you all to repay your debt
to the poorest of the poor, to give them the opportunity which you were
given.For only £365you
can sponsor a school for an entire year. This school will bring not only
academic education and not only training, but also the gifts of hope and
faith.
The
time has come to come forward on behalf of our brothers and sisters who
are suffering in darkness. So, this year, as we light rows upon rows of
blazing deepas and ornate candles for our own homes and loved ones, let
us also light a candle for the forgotten ones in India. Then, and only
then, will we know the real meaning of light and of Diwali.
May
God bless you all.
For more
information on how to support the Ekal Vidyalaya Project,
PLEASE
CLICK HERE
*(This
article by Pujya Swamiji will also be printed in next month's Garavi Gujarat
Magazine, in their special Diwali issue. Garavi Gujarat is one of the most
widely distributed magazines for Indians living abroad. It is filled with
news, with culture, with inspiration and with guidance. It is informative,
educational, devotional and divine. For subscription information contact
Garavi@gujarat.co.uk)
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