Atmano Mokshartam Jagathitaya Ca

By Dr.M.Lakshmi Kumari

“Shall India die? Then from the world all spirituality will be extinct; all moral perfection will be extinct; all sweet-souled sympathy for religion will be extinct; all ideality will be extinct; and in its place will reign the duality of lust and luxury as the male and female deities, with money as its priest, fraud, force and competition its ceremonies and the human soul its sacrifice. Such a thing can never be.”

2013 – This year must be made a landmark in our country’s socio-spiritual life as this year would mark the 150^th birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda, the great patriot monk who injected a new life into our glorious Motherland and inspired the freedom fighters to fight for our country’s freedom. There is no aspect of Indian life untouched by him and no patriotic Indian who has not been inspired by his life and teachings. The celebrations of the year should centre round Swamiji’s life and message which should once again be brought to the attention of  people at all levels, bringing into their lives a new spirit of patriotism and the ideals he emphasized as the ideals of our nation, namely, ‘renunciation and service’. The lives of Indian people are getting more and more lustre-less in spite of all the affected external glaze and glamour imported through western ideas. The world weariness which is spreading throughout our national life is dangerously carving away our nation’s socio-spiritual fabric. As a result, all the hidden evil in human heart is sprouting out in various forms and names. Swamiji’s meaningful words quoted above should once again reverberate throughout the length and breadth of our nation bringing a new vision to our youth, making their lives purposeful in the service of our motherland.

            Many a mahamantra has been uttered by Swamiji, each with its own deep implications carrying its own unique message for humans in general and Indians in particular. Yet the most outstanding among them, which he himself chose to adorn the emblem of RK mission, is ‘atmano mokshartham jagathitaya ca’, for individual unfoldment and universal well-being. This meaningful message, properly understood, holds great promise for revitalizing our national life in this critical phase of our nation’s history.

What could be the source of Swamiji’s inspiration to choose such a remarkable ideal?

Watching his Master Sri Ramakrishna, so effortlessly transforming the highest ideals of Vedanta into simple practical day to day philosophy, implanting the idea of Adwaita - Oneness – in the minds of those around him, Swami Vivekananda wanted the very same idea to become the ideal of the Mission in his Master’s name to inspire people to lead a life of renunciation and service leading to self unfoldment on one side and service of the people on the other. This is the mahamantra which Swamiji effectively used to convert the antranga (close) disciples of Sree Ramakrishna, who were getting too absorbed in self emancipation, neglecting the service of the Virat around them.

The authors of ‘The Life’ have recorded the situation thus:

“Of the Swamiji’s numerous triumphs one of the greatest was the conversion of his Gurubhais from individualistic to the universal idea of religious life in which public spirit and service to fellowmen occupies prominent place. Up to this time the ideal of the monks of the Math was, to strive for personal Mukti and realization of the Supreme Atman by severe penance and meditation, remaining as much as possible aloof from the world and it cares and sorrows, according to the prevailing Hindu idea, sanctified by tradition, and sanctioned by the sages and the seers from the Vedic period down to the present day. But with the appearance of the Swami among them a new order of things was inaugurated …..The age demanded, he said, that they should carry the new light unto others, that they themselves should show by their example how to serve the poor, the helpless, and the diseased, seeing God in them, and that they should inspire others to do the same. The mission of his life, he said, was to create a new order of Sannyasins in India who would dedicate their lives to help and save others.”

“The proposition, though grand and inspiring, was to them too revolutionary and staggering. How could they suddenly change at another’s bidding their precious religious ideal to which they had given their lives, for one which apparently went against their whole nature and training? With them the struggle was hard and long. But who could resist the Swami?”(The Life, pp 507 – 508)

In one of the most recent biographies of Swamiji *the author adds: “It was most ironical that ‘converting’ his own brother-monks to the Vedanta as a feeling of Oneness with all living beings, and hence to the realization that true renunciation was not a selfish seeking of one’s own salvation but involved a passionate concern with their suffering, should have been considered as one of Swami Vivekananda’s ‘greatest triumphs’. That he had to first remove from their minds the limited notions of the greatest concepts of Indian philosophy and their application to life was ironical no less.”

In fact Swamiji’s ideal caters to both aspects. Atmano mokshartham points to the central ideal of Hindu religion, where the goal of life is identified as total liberation through self realization. All the great teachers without exception have bequeathed this ideal to the posterity. Swamiji also endorses this as the Supreme Goal of Life and points to the necessity of every ‘potentially divine soul’ working it out in its own way through work, worship, psychic control or philosophy. But what has made it more glorious and relevant for all times to come is the idea of the phrase ‘Jagathitaya ca’, which is a direct outcome of Sri Ramakrishna’s assertion that “Manava seva is Madhava seva” and hence service to humanity must become an essential ingredient of all human efforts, especially those meant to please Gods. Needless to add, this also very much substantiates Sree Krishna’s observation that his devotees should visualize Him not only within themselves but also in everything around them.

The actions we do – thoughts, words and deeds should never lead to contraction or tension in human mind but must result in its expansion which is a pre-requisite for happiness, peace and sense of well-being. Ego, likes and dislikes, selfish motivations, excessive desire for fruits of actions, etc. pollute our actions and are the obstacles preventing expansion of mind. Individuals, filled with tension within and spreading tensions all around, what service can they render to the society?

On the contrary, when one transcends selfish motivations and his/her work borders on Nishkama karma, bereft of any personal interest, such deeds automatically lead to Lokasamgraha or Jagathita. It is the Nishkama karma which is being carried out at infinite levels by infinite beings that essentially provides the links which hold together the web of the great Cosmic Yajna of the Universe. From the smallest bacterium to the mightiest of galaxies yonder there in the space – all have their allotted work which is being carried out desirelessly. And the result is this magnificent Universe.

At the outset the ideal carries the message of one’s Self Realization as the prime goal of life leading to liberation from the clutches of worldly pursuits.  After liberating oneself what is he supposed to do – ‘muktascha anyan vimochayet’ – the liberated should help others to liberate themselves. That is the Jagathita he has to practise. As Ganga flows down from the very heights of Himalayas bringing fresh water and nourishments to the plains – so should the realized soul work for the welfare of the humanity making himself a good example of renunciation and service. This ideal is to be implanted in thoughts, words and deeds. One can mold oneself into such an ideal only if he has realized that the Self within him is the Self everywhere. If there be any error in his understanding he would turn into a conceited selfish being, self motivated, looking for opportunities for self projection. Today’s society is full of such people who, posing themselves as great - as politicians, teachers, social workers and so on - exploit the poor and the ignorant. Once the purpose of life gets linked to Self realization, then only all the other life activities – mental, intellectual or physical fall in line and get integrated with the Ultimate Truth. Again, once the central core of one’s awareness is the Ultimate Truth within, then all that he does would not only carry the lustre of Truth but they will automatically result in the welfare of the society. As a result a wonderful remolding of character occurs as all good qualities automatically find a place in such a being. Step by step he moves onward in his evolution – from human to the divine. A society where such a dharmic ideal becomes the norm of living there will nothing else be, but peace, contentment and happiness. Sree Krishna emphasizes this when he tells Arjuna “Swadharme nidhanam Sreya”.

Hidden in Swamiji’s ideal is another great lesson - one must start with oneself, enlightening oneself and then should he move on to ‘others’. Later Swamiji further emphasized it with his advice, “Be and make” with special reference to teachers. Unfortunately everyone thinks himself or herself perfect and neglecting the first injunction, waste their time in improving the society. Of course, some good would come to the society even with such good actions but the results will not be long lasting and without a proper living ideal to follow, conditions would soon deteriorate and situation worsen. The individuals do not get any enlightenment or inspiration which leads to decay in Dharma and the loosening of the subtle web of interdependence. Interdependence based on the Truth of Oneness is what makes the society strong and sustaining, contributing to the welfare of all its components.     

The Slogan offers yet another great possibility. It is a wonderful measuring rod for the individual to assess the true worth of his own actions. After a little sincere pondering following execution of a work, if one finds no tension but a sense of well-being and expansiveness within, it is surely an action in the right spirit of yajna. One must also see that every action leads to the well-being and peace of those around.  This double assessment at every step by everyone would help to keep the society on the path of Dharma, on the path of Spiritual Evolution. That is the best way in which we can give to Swamiji’s soul searching question “Shall India die?” the answer he himself emphatically gave ” Such a thing can never be.”

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*Ref: Chaturvedi Badrinath: Swami Vivekananda - The Living Vedanta, pp.191.Penguin Books 2006