Late Pundit Mohinder Bhalla
Ji (Canada)
“Rishi Bodh Utsav” –
Is a unique occasion, an occasion of no comparison in the modern history. On
this day we celebrate the creative might and energy of a very lion among men, Maharshi
Swami Day Nanda Saraswati.
It was
Kathiawar- India that gave birth to this puissant renovator and new-creator.
And something of the very soul and temperament of that peculiar land entered
into his spirit, which tempered him to become a great force of genial creation.
He knew definitely and clearly the work he was sent to do. He chose his
material, determined his conditions and executed his conception with effectual
mastery of the born worker for he was an embodiment of spiritual practicality.
Dayananda
accepted the Veda as his rock of firm foundation; he took it for his guiding
view of life, his rule of inner existence and his inspiration for external
work. He regarded it as even more, the word of eternal Truth on which man’s
knowledge of God and his relations with the Divine Being and his fellows can be
rightly and securely founded. Of course, it was act of grandiose intellectual
courage to lay hold upon this scripture defaced by ignorant comment and
oblivion of its spirit, degraded by misunderstanding to the level of an ancient
document of barbarism, and to perceive in it its real worth as a scripture
which conceals in itself the deep and energetic spirit of our forefathers, a
scripture of divine knowledge, divine action and divine workshop. Dayanand was a
Rishi with a special talent for not returning to the source but bringing back
the nectar in its purest form.
Dayanand was a
patriot of high degree. His pursuits during the First Battle of Indian
Independence in 1857 are well known though not documented in the history books.
During his meeting with the Viceroy of India in 1873 the latter asked Swami Ji to
propagate the goodness of the British Raj. He further suggested to Swami Ji to
pray for the long life of the British Rule in India at the commencement of his
discourses. Dayananda’s reply was that he prayed to the Almighty day &
night to rid India of the foreign rule at the earliest. While submitting his
report to the Home Office in London the Viceroy recommended that it was
necessary to keep an eye on the activities of that revolutionary Sadhu.
The Maharshi had a dream to bring the entire human race under one faith, the
faith of brotherhood, the faith of love and harmony, the faith of noble ideals
- Krinvanto. He believed that all of us were children of God. He believed that
we were like rose flowers of different colors carrying the same enchanting
fragrance as enshrined in the Veda … “SARVE AMRTSYA PUTRAAH”. He strove to
convince the leaders of various faiths, who were attending the ‘DILLI DARBAAR’
in 1876 to accept the Veda the ultimate scripture of Divine knowledge, Divine
worship and Divine action. Unfortunately his sentiments- as honest and as
visionary as they were, were not accepted. And as a result, we have witnessed
the partition of our great nation and our great country.
Arya Samaj
was his greatest legacy. The ‘Ten Principles’ of Arya Samaj reflect his vision
of mankind. In fact, he lived these principles. The first three principles
resonate his conviction about the supremacy of the Vedas and the other seven
expound his forth sightedness towards peace and harmony. He was a great
believer in elevating man and his society. He introduced ‘HAVAN’ as a reminder
that it was the moral duty of every human being to leave a legacy in the form
of pure water, unpolluted air and unpolluted society. Havan is an excellent
source of eradicating man made contaminants from the atmosphere but only if
performed on daily basis. And today’s irony is that we who claim ourselves the
followers of this great renovator believe that it is sufficient to discharge
our obligation by going through this ritual on Sundays only.
The Maharshi
laid the foundation of Arya Samaj in the Month of Chaitra (March/April) in 1875
with the purpose of propagating his mission, which was two-fold. Firstly, to
educate the people to accept the supremacy of one godhead who is Creator, Ruler
and father of the Universe, and secondly, to free the mankind from the shackles
of ignorance and the ethos of superstition. Yes, ignorance and superstition go
together. It is a global issue. Let’s concentrate locally and introspect
ourselves honestly. Do we have any program, any project - even a will to carry
his mission in the direction he guided us to? He handed a torch to us together
with his written testament in the belief that we will fulfill his lofty
objective. No doubt, we have carried that torch from the land it was lighted to
various parts of the world. But is it enough? Have we discharged our moral duty
– our obligation to the man who even gave his life for the mankind? Do you
think that a weekly congregation – assembling on a Sunday – performing Havan in
the half-hearted manner- as a ritual is a befitting contribution towards the Maharshi’s
mission? Have we ever given a thought as to how we can dispel ignorance from
among the mankind? Ignorance as darkness can only be dispelled by lighting a
candle. We have inadvertently placed Swami Ji’s torch in a safe corner and have
conveniently forgotten about it. Let us move it to a place where it is needed
the most, move it to a place which is engulfed in darkness and move it to a
place where ignorance is breeding in the company of AVIDYA. And the best such
place may be the field of education.
The Rishi
has left a legacy for us. We have to prove ourselves worthy of his trust in us.
Listen to his soul still crying to us with our insufficient action. Let’s shake
the slumber and determine in the light of his inspiration to what direction we
are heading to.
Thankfully
quoted from http://www.vedicculturalcentre.com/