SPIRITUAL SOLUTION TO MONASTIC PROBLEMS

SPIRITUAL SOLUTION TO MONASTIC PROBLEMS _Swami Bhajanananda

Sri Sarada Devi

Vidura, a son of Vyasa and uncle of both Pandavas and Kauravas was regarded as one of the wisest men of his time. He was deeply saddened by the terrible Mahabharata War, the ominous passing away of Sri Krishna, the destruction of the entire Yadava clan, the invasion of barbarians and other tragic events. Pondering deeply the inscrutable workings of fate, Vidura led a wandering life and reached the hermitage of Maitreya on the banks of the Ganga. Vidura told the sage: "People do work with a view to getting happiness. But they neither attain happiness nor succeed in ending their

Swami Vivekananda

sorrow through their actions. On the contrary, they undergo suffering again and again as a result of those acts. O worshipful sage, please tell us what is advisable under the circumstances."

What was Maitreya's response? Did he ask Vidura to meet influential people or consult management gurus or take the help of politicians? No. He did nothing of that sort. He simply began a long discourse on the glories of the Lord, and advised Vidura to worship and surrender himself to the Lord. In other words, the sage suggested only a spiritual solution to the problems of life.

The idea of 'spiritual solution' is not a new doctrine originated by the sage Maitreya. It is the universal teaching of all saints, sages, seers, and prophets in all countries at all times. Although religions of the world 

BANERSHAR SHIVA LINGA

differ among themselves in many ways, they all teach 'spiritual solutions' as the only real solution to the problems of life. Finding a worldly solution is an endless process. It takes so much of our time and energy. The very attempt to solve one problem creates other problems. And if at all any solution is found, it proves to be inadequate or temporary. This was what the ancient sage Narada told the king Praachinabarhis. The worldly solution, Narada said, "is like shifting a heavyweight from the head to the shoulders."2 Or it is like shifting the weight from one shoulder to the other (kāndh badlāno). By contrast, a spiritual solution is like removing the weight itself from the body once for all.

It is to help people find a 'spiritual solution' that monasticism and monasteries came into existence. If worldly life could provide the ultimate and everlasting solution to the problems of life where is the need for monastic life? Where is the need to

Swami Shivananda

renounce the love, comfort, and protection of family life and take up the restrictions and disciplines of monastic life? As an old Sanskrit proverb states: "If honey is available near at hand where is the need to search for it in the mountain?"3

But unfortunately, we very often forget the goal and purpose of our joining the monastic order. Our triennial Monks' Conference provides an occasion for us to do some introspection and rethinking on the aim and purpose of monastic life. In this context let us listen to the words of wisdom uttered by Revered Swami Shankaranandaji Maharaj, the 9th President of Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission. In his presidential address given at the Monks' Conference of 1961, Revered Maharaj stated: “There are no doubt problems before our organization today, as there had always been in the past and will be in the future. Such problems are inevitable in any dynamic organization, for problems

Sri Sarada Devi, Swami Vivekananda, Swami Shivananda

and life are inseparable. All that we need is introspection to find out the root causes and the will to remove such causes by revitalizing our spiritual life. My experience of a long association with the direct disciples of Sri Ramakrishna has convinced me that any problem however puzzling it may seem, will resolve itself in no time if a spiritual approach is made." It is this 'spiritual approach' that has been termed 'spiritual solution' here.