Swami Gunottarananda
Through their distinctive cultural ethos, Indian men and women keep their ideal too high, too remote and lofty. The spiritual ideal of freedom too is kept so lofty. These ideals are like the lofty peaks of Himalayas—at least how they are seen in the Indian topography. They are too high, steep, stiff and very difficult to reach at. They don’t form a plateaus that offer easier access and adaptation to life’s condition. The conditions of life are better prepared on the plateaus rather than on the stiff peaks.
Yet, the metaphorical ‘snow’ from the high peaks must melt and flow into the civilization, enriching its art, literature, science, governance, and several other facets of civilization. That is where the ideals are crystallized. Complex social organizations, nations, states, markets, cities, and the people functioning through them all await their own shares of the freshness of freedom. As they continue to crystalize the ideal in their own hearts they continue to experience a greater sense of freedom.
In keeping with this line of development, it is believed that the avataras descend on earth. They set the standards of excellence against which individuals or groups of people measure their own actions, goals and achievements. They give necessary empowerment to the society. They give warmth to the ailing hearts, making them fit to aspire, and crystalize the ideal in such a way that all forms of life may prosper, build a strong character as a man, bring honour to himself as a man, and be free.
In three different forms, the three major avataras have fulfilled this purpose at three different times. Those avataras are Rama, Krishna, and Sri Ramakrishna. Those three different times form three different stages in an individual’s life too—as much as in national life. In the actualization of the ideal one has to pass through three different stages. The first being—making of character. A strong character on which the edifice of spirituality can stand tall. But before that, one has to form a strong character in the line of one’s duty in the complex arena of human life. Only when the character is built and fortified in a line of duty by a sense of renunciation, that a man can undertake spiritual pursuit and make his advance just by the force of spirit. By-the-spirit is the operative word here. It is achieved as the third stage.
For its proper functioning, a society needs able parents, spouses, children, friends, task-masters, warriors, kings, and servants. All of them form the members of society. In imitating the character of Rama and in learning from him we get all of them that are prefixed by the word able. He depicts the ideal son, husband, prince, brother, friend, king, statesman, and many more roles. He, the perfect man of the family and society, negotiating the good and evil forces of this world, facing the difficult challenges of everyday life, does all this with a smile on his face. His unique idealism has made him the hero of the Indian hearts. When the standards of excellence are set solely on the monastic values, the society doesn’t get back its able members and becomes weak. Monastic values are equivalent to the operative word used above—by the spirit. A monk fights and wins or falters in the battle of spirit fought by the force of spirit. That is a most sought after endeavour of life but can be conceived only when we have built up our character in imitating the Rama and other characters of Ramayana. In a certain period of our national history, one can notice, when the only way to excel in life was through monasticism, the then society had become weak. Well! Never mind, weakness and strength make for the ebb and flow of life. But to compare the notes from the past, out of the churning of society, the creams got all gathered in the monasteries.
The word ‘krishna’ means the one who attracts. It seems during the influence of Krishna, the crisscrossing currents of national life had for the first time entered the collective heart of the nation. Bhagavadgita, his creation, too is the text where all the refined values of the Vedas were clubbed together. Krishna attracted them all in his creation. It proves his character. Man’s tendency to work, to will, to know, to love, to probe into the mysteries of creation—all the crisscrossing currents of human personality had entered the heart, which is the core of the human identity. Leaving aside the thorns, leaves, stem, etc., a beautiful rose alone is taken. Krishna made a beautiful bouquet of the choicest flowers. Is not the heart also compared to a lotus, a flower, which blooms and opens up in devotion? Knowledge and love dawn in our heart. From a national perspective, the lifeblood coursing through our collective existence converges within its central hub, poised to dictate the future trajectory of our vital forces. Under the umbrella of Krishna and his character, in national life, it was the first occurrence of harmony between Yoga, Jnana, Bhakti, and Karma—harmony among the apparently confusing tendencies of a man. ‘Krishna’s was the first heart that was large enough to see the truth in all’ says Swami Vivekananda. He himself was the national heart. When the heart opened to address, the celestial song of Gita poured out of his beautiful lips. Lips that knew how to smile even in the battles of life. From a kid or a teen, in growing up into an adult, don’t we ourselves pass through such confusions, before we get a certain clarity in the mazes of life? Krishna’s ideas on renunciation and performance of work without desire cleared all such confusion and prepared the national life to course for further excellence. The battles of life, its pain and pleasure, its failures and achievements make for a strong character. That is how the impurities of the heart are ripped off a man and he prepares himself to be motivated by desirelessness, and to perform unselfish actions. That is when he knocks at the door of the Spirit by the strength of his own spirit.
When we are sure we have thus reached a high state of purity, also called sattva, we naturally transform into the heirs of Sri Ramakrishna in whom, as noted by Swami Vivekananda, ‘Krishna’s harmony was fully accomplished in this nineteenth century.’ In keeping with the making of national character taught by Rama, and followed by the general harmony achieved by Krishna, Sri Ramakrishna, took the entire battle of life on the frontiers of ‘I and mine.’ He did not have to fight physical battles, or strategic war, did not have to organize affairs of the states. One person cannot play all the roles of life. That will be a waste of human resources, and humanity will lose its direction. But the spiritual evolution of India was looking for a definite victory in its last battle for freedom. Sri Ramakrishna unfurled the banner of triumph and hoisted the flag of victory. None before him had shown such a tenacious and prolonged war fought on those frontiers of ego, that is, I and mine. He would not leave his post unless he achieved the victory of spirit by the force of spirit. His character embodies the culmination of Rama’s character-building, and Krishna’s harmony, essential for achieving spiritual excellence of freedom—the lofty goal of human life which cannot be achieved without achieving success in two preceding stages.
These three characters symbolize the continuity of the same national life-line. Take any one out of the equation, and the national life will become weak. Disrupt this continuity, and the process of becoming and making a man will get frustrated. A man develops on the lines of development his nation and national gods, national heroes and heroines had followed. Needless to say, in the matters of Spirit there are no geographical boundaries. All nations, every country can rally round the character of Sri Ramakrishna who was a pure spirit in and through the process and culmination of man’s destiny.