What are you willing to do?
This wonderful idea is definitely welcome. However, as our very name " swadhyay" implies, the suggestions should be based on self studies for our own improvement. There are enough people in the world telling others what to do. There were enough people even in the time of Pujya Dadaji what he or swadhyay should do. There were enough people doubting Archirayan bhaktiferi in Tamil Nadu because of language barrier. If Didi had not her vision, we would not have met thousands so selflessly over last week or so.
We should be using these technical method only to soul search re. what each one of us should/would do to maintain and enhance the values of our work. If this becomes another venue for bashing of our work, there would not be any difference between true swadhyayis and pseudo swadhyayis who are hell bent upon destroying our work at any cost. Not only that, majority of swadhyayis will not be interested. At least you can count me out.
posted by Love Swadhyay at 9:20 PM
7 Comments:
The question is not whether the work is right or wrong. The question is whether an individual or group of individuals has abused the purity of the work that Dada set up.
I think we all agree that the accomplishments Swadhyay has achieved in the past 50 years are unparalleled. However, that DOES NOT mean we turn a blind eye to everything and don't ask any questions. If you're looking for people to do that, then you are looking to establish a dictatorship that is typically characterized by a void of individual thinking and expression of thought.
9:53 PM
Very True. I agree with you completely.
However think about this. If you are receiving inspiration from Dadaji's pravachans, your children are benefiting from BSK and Youth Camp, your family is getting social/emotional/professional warmths and help from fellow swadhyayis, without anyone asking a single penny from you, then you are not honest to yourself.
Are you willing to do more bhavferi/bhaktiferi for true self of swadhyay? Are you willing to get more involved with children/youth for more self less work? Are you willing to plant more trees for reverence to nature? Are you willing to go to more villgaes in Arogya sanyuj to help people in need on the basis of devotion? Are you willing to spend your own time and money for Pardesh Bhaktiferi for our culture?
If the answers to above questions are " NO", then I would love to know what are you going to do besides blogging?
11:50 PM
The real questions is this.
Are you receiving inspiration from Pujya Dada's pravachans?
Have your children benefited from BSK/Youth camp?
Have you received social/emotional/professional warmth from fellow swadhyayis in times of need - major or minor.
If the answer is yes, has anyone ever asked you a single penny in return?
If the answer is No then you are not hones with your self.
Let me ask you some more positive questions.
Are you willing to do more bhavferi/bhaktiferi for true self of swadhyay?
Are you willing to teach trikal sandhya selflessly to non swadhyayi children/youth in your area ?
Are you willing to plant more trees for reverence to nature?
Are you planning to go to more Arogya Sanyuj villages to help needy people on the basis of devotion?
Are you going to go to more pardesh bhaktiferi spending your own time and money becoming a cultural ambassador?
If the answer to these questions are NO then what are you going to do besides blogging?
12:06 AM
Dear Anonymous,
I think you are ABSOLUTELY out of line to assume that all people on this blog are "doing nothing" and just blogging.
As you have no idea who the people are, some may have even given most of their lives in ways that you cannot compare, it might be more Swadhyayee of you to give respect rather than a lecture.
If the answer to all of your questions is "yes", as it is for me, then what? Do you believe that I may not have critical questions?
1:17 AM
I can't believe what I'm reading?! If Dada never asked for a penny, who are you (or any of us, for that matter) to ask?
We are all receiving things from Swadhyay, however we are all giving back things to Swadhyay in terms of time, effort, family, and even money. I agree that the benefits we've received from Swadhyay far outweigh what we're giving back, but that is the beauty of our way of our philosophy!
I think there's a basic difference in understanding here. Some people are under the belief that by doing more bhaktiferi, visiting more Arogya Sanyuj villages, planting more trees, etc. constitutes to a greater level of devotion or gratitude for Swadhyay. That may be true at the organizational level. But true gratitude for Swadhyay is actually embarking on that process of self-development (of which all the activities mentioned above are a part of). However, self-development is more than just these activities - it's a frame of mind.
I can bet you that the people writing on this blog are probably doing more Swadhyay activities than you think. For one to assume that people who question dont' do anything amplifies the very reason Swadhyay needs to be reformed.
8:45 AM
I agree with comment #5 that I have never been asked to give money in Swadhyay. Yet my family gladly participates and we come back with more. This is the point of Swadhyay to develop the individual and put money on the side and GOD in the center. If we are all constantly donating money then will the work run just fine?? No, we need kruti to back it up. Your questions are valid that am I doing more bhavferi as a result of this? The reason being the world needs posivite thoughts now more than ever. Blogging is a way of thinking/expression which is also recognized in Swadhyay as part of the definition of Way of Life.
jy
9:13 AM
i agree with many of you above that this work has tremedously powerful thoughts that can make difference in the lives of many including my self...
questions now is not that, question is the leardership of this work that dadaji gave to didiji, is she able to fulfill responsibility properly in its true meaning. why in last few years, we were not allowed or encouraged to ask questions, and accused of "not being a true krutishils".. we one is told to do blindly whatever higher power has said, that is the point, it becomes cult... like christinity, where pope had final word on everything, and everyone just does it. Even in Arjun himself ask lord krishna so many question before taking the gandiv in his hand, and krishna did not tell him to "Just fight, and you will understand it later."
why is it that our goal is just number rather than contend.? if we read "The system", we can see that purpose of bhavferi was to "just meet" divine brother and listen to him compassionately and share sorrows and joys. and share the thoughts of Gita. not to go and tell them to come to swaydhyay, that was by product.
Why are we told in elucution competetion to include name of didiji in our speech???
why do people have to do blindly street plays in US in hindi where the youth who are doing it do not understand meaning of it, and people who pass by do not even get clear message, and we are told we are not doing it for others, it is bhakti...
when, university students do the street play in hindi in university campus, and none understands it, and we are told it is form of bhakti, and u just do it, then, it is merely blind faith and it is not different than making 108 circles around temples, and saying that it is bhakti..sure still we had development, but whole point was to convey message and that was not fulfilled... dadaji never told us to do things that did not make sense.
How come most of the new swadhyay's did not know about dadaji's health in last few years of his life?? because this has been blamed to be reasoning by news paper for dadaji's decisions.
Why can't we openly also study the thoughts of other great sages like ramkrishna, vivekananda, Vinoba Bhave, shrimad rajchandra, tulsi das, raman mahrshi etc, like the youth study in vidyapith?
This work has so much power and i think those people who are critisizing this work and entire parivar are just foolish.
as much as we all have love, appreciation and respect for rev. dadaji, that does not mean we do not discuss and ask question about just one person or some motabhai. our kedras did not have a single discussion about the whole issue in the news paper, and it is like nothing happened, people come and go. and then, few people might have had single meetings.
our work's purity is being questioned... first when news came, one of the motbhai said, that it is not for sure done by swadhyayies and this is some kind of terrorist groups, and then 5 people were found, they did not say anything, and now they are not true swadhyayes, which is for sure true, true swadhyayi would never do this, but how about all those people who were beaten up? and are those people who did it not true swadhyayies either, and who filed false notification???
Dadiji's purity and suddh sankalp will never let this work destroy, but at the same time, in parivar, it is fine to have disagreements, that is the beauty if family, people can ask and openly discuss anything .. that is what dadaji did intially in his work, he made everyone his friend, he gave equal dignity to fisherman and philosopher. and in same family, you merely and blindly have to follow every single word, and just do it. it is not about how many bhaktiferi we do, it is about how well we do it. why do we have present exact same lectures that are sent from vidypit in shibir even if more than half of the people are sleeping, why can't we slightely modify the contents to make it relevent to age, geography, interest, and level of the group, what is wrong in using viveknanda's quote of thought in it, when rev. dadaji himself had so much respect for him that he came first to chigaco as vivekanda came.
one of the sikh krutishil asked in my trip to north india, at the same time, when dadaji had so much respect for guru granth saheb, which gives highest respect to "God's nam" we are not encouraged to take it while doing krutibhakti ?
i have know motabhai's and other significant people, who are so big about not allowing a single CD or casset of swadhyay bhavgeet being copied, but themselves copy all kid of CDs from movies, other religions songs, lectures, sankrit songs etc. then, say that our goal is not profit, while there is, so these are exceptions.. what is wrong if someone copy a bhavgit and sing it in a temple, they are just taking Yogeshver's thoughts, chintan.. if our goal is not money(which i believe truelly that it is not), what is wrong if non-swadhyay's use bhavgeet in their temple to sing.. why patent everything??? we are told that they might mis-interpret it, well that can be for anything, we all know that we all not perfect, misinterpret many things, even things that are said by rev. dadji's lectures, books, etc..
point it, beauty of this work, is dadaji ecouraged us to be rational devoties, not blind follower..
dadaji ecouraged us to appreciate even small contribution by anyone, and we seem to be going away from it.
dadaji's strongly agree with Ved vyas, "Rajam kalashya karnam", means,so, it does matter who our leader is? it does matter how deep his/her knowledge is, it does matter what they believe in it,?
it is not how many bhav-feri or other proyogas we do, it is well we understand and how well we do it, and whether that person when talking to outside person, make them feel the love that dadaji gave us, the compassion, the open mindednes that dadaji strived for.
with all love to rev. dadaji
Jay yogeshwar
10:05 PM
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