Saints Of India - Their Contribution To Hinduism-Part III

Swami Chinmayananda

oi-Staff

By Staff

Friday, May 15, 2009, 11:31

In the words of Huxley, a saint is one who is time conscious. A saint is one who knows that every moment of our human life is a moment of crisis with an all important decision to make, to choose between the way leading to death or light and life. Between personal will and the will of God and at the same time the Lord makes it clear in the Gita that we have to make a choice.

From the Upanishad times we have to make a choice. My dear youth who have gathered here. It is time you make the choice. From morning till evening we are making choices between coffee or tea, between western clothes or eastern clothes, between this movie or that movie, between this newspaper or that newspaper, between this person or that person, this hotel or that restaurant. But we have not asked a question. Are we choosing pleasant or good? Shreyas or Preyas. These two things we have not placed before us. We have never made that seminal decision. This choice is necessary.

That is what made Arjuna say.

Yas shreyasyath Nischitham Bruhitham mey
Sishiyas theyham shadimam the prapannam.

It is that shreyas. that quality in man to ask for good because good is unpleasant and pleasant is always happy. When you choose anything pleasant, you feel very happy. But the good that you choose you have to suffer for it. Where the definition of the Saint for the young man is concerned, my interpretation of relevance would be this. On the overseas highway most of you must have driven. And you know if you miss one single 'U turn. you have to go 300 miles to take the next one. My dear children,you have several 'U' turns for you in youth. It is never late to take a 'U' turn. For old people, it is too late.

Old people cannot take a 'U' turn. It is very very difficult. These great Saints are sign boards for you. Live sign boards for you. Not the dead sign boards which we see. Not the painted. Ones but the live vivified ones who stand and tell you. In our life we took a 'U' turn. In our life there came a change over us. From our life, learn not to blunder. Come back to God because that is where you belong.

Most people say: “Oh, you talk of the Puranas, you talk of the stories I know". It is so ' intellectual to talk about Jeevaathma and Paramaathma and as soon as the people leave the hall, they have forgotten both the Jeevaathma and the Paramaathma. The intellectual exercise remains an intellectual exercise, but after you have met a saint, you cannot be the same as before. You change and you change utterly because the impact has been on your heart and all great religions have said: 'God does not reside in the head but in the heart of man'. Because that is the spring of love and it is that spring of love which is brimming; full of love is a man of God.

About the author

Prema Pandurang

She is the founder President of Samskriti (Home of Culture) and Kshetropasna Charitable Trust and the Founder Trustee of Shree Chakra Foundation. Kshetropasna Trust was founded by Pujya Prof.Prema Pandurang and Dr.P.R.Krishnakumar with the noble purpose of establishing a unique organization to revive the values and ideals of our Indian culture in India & Abroad. This Trust encompasses several activities. She wields a powerful pen and has a God-given gift of magnificent eloquence. She has to her credit a number of articles in various popular journals. Her writing always stimulate thought and inner peace. She speaks on God with fervor and conviction.