Transcript of Opening Speech by Rohit Viswanath at the 3rd Tattvāloka ‘Onward March to Rāma Rājya’ Distinguished Lecture on June 24, 2018

“I offer worship at the divine feet of His Holiness Jagadguru Śañkarācārya Śrī Bhāratī Tīrtha Mahāsvāmījī whose boundless grace makes today’s event possible.

“Śrī Gurubhyo Namaḥ

“Namaste

“It gives me great pleasure to welcome all of you to the third Tattvāloka ‘Onward March to Rāma Rājya’ distinguished lecture. To the venerable Dr. Sudha Seshayyan ji, I extend my warm greetings.

It is our honour, Ma’am, to get this opportunity to host you today.

“My dear ātma-svarūpa friends,

“As you all are aware, Tattvāloka is published on behalf of the glorious Śrī Śāradā Pīṭhaṁ of Śṛñgerī. The Pīṭhaṁ, established by Jagadguru Ādi Śañkarācārya, is the inheritor and custodian of all our knowledge traditions. The Ācāryāls of the Pīṭhaṁ represent the supreme knowledge, the truth of Advaita.

“Tattvāloka itself is but a vehicle for the dissemination of this truth. Freedom is the very nature of the Self. And in that sense Rāma Rājya is our birth-right!

“This lecture series, ‘Onward March to Rāma Rājya’, aims to create an orderly environment, an enlightened society, which inspires every citizen to quest for freedom, the highest goal of man.

“You must all be curious about what this milieu is that we are seeking.

“Fortunately for us, we do not have go through the pains of reinventing the wheel. Our ancestors, with the wisdom gained from their experiments with the Truth since the dawn of mankind, have laid down four paths to achieve the goal. They are:

“The path of Rational Enquiry,

“The path of Love,

“The path of Work and

“The path of Self-discipline.

“Together, these form the four cornerstones of the cultural renaissance we envision.

“Svarājya or freedom comes from the insight, achieved through rational enquiry, that the individual ego is an illusion and that it is the all-encompassing infinite force, which appears as the diverse forms and names in the universe. This understanding, at once, resolves all conflicts.

“It is sheer magic that faith, even without actual experience of this Truth revealed by our revered ancestors, too has the potential to establish harmony. The knowledge of where we stand in the world, that we are both, the little bubble and, at the same time, the mighty ocean, keeps us serene within. The conviction that it is the all-encompassing force that operates through us endows our work with thorough efficiency. This path of action is prescribed for those who are energetic but are not so inclined to taking the path of rigorous analysis.

“Just imagine a world where everyone is working selflessly for the betterment of all. The work itself, then, would become the catalyst for us to overcome our internal shortcomings and to eventually become established in our true self. Needless to say, this path is most suitable for our present age.

“Our tradition is replete with shining stars who achieved liberation in the environment of love. The bhakti saints of Maharashtra, whose poems I was exposed to while growing up, to my mind epitomise this path.

“Immortalised in the voice of the late Vidūṣī, Kishori Amonkar, is my favourite abhañg:

“जनी जाय पाणियासी । मागें धांवे हृषिकेशी ॥१॥

“पाय भिजों नेदी हात । माथां घागरी वहात ॥२॥

“पाणी रांजणांत भरी । सडासारवण करी ॥३॥

“धुणें धुऊनियां आणी । ह्मणे नामयाची जनी ॥४॥

“Loosely translated, it means, “When Janī goes to fetch water, there He is, her Ṛṣīkeṣī, running behind to help her. He does not let my hands or feet get wet, for He himself carries the pails on his head. He fills water in the pots inside the house and also sweeps the house clean. So, says Janī, it is He who does everything..”

“Here we see the highest insight gained through sheer devotion by Janābaī, the humble maidservant of Nāmdev. What a beautiful experience!

“The fourth cornerstone is the path of Rāja yoga. Taking the aṣṭāñga-yoga gifted to us by Mahaŗṣī Patañjalī as the base, this royal path enables one to master the mind, which is the cause of all conflicts and bondage. By drawing inward one’s externally diffused attention; it eventually pushes the seeker to the highest rung of the spiritual ladder of realisation.

“Each and every one of these four paths has the potential to make the little bubble swallow the infinite ocean!

“It is our saubhāgya that Dr. Seshayyan will be inaugurating Tattvāloka’s foray into Rāja Yoga today by formally announcing the launch of our yoga programme towards the end of her lecture.

“I now invite her to take her rightful place on the stage and also call upon Sri R Krishnamurti, Managing Editor, Tattvāloka, to honour her with a bouquet.

“Dr. Sudha Seshayyan, requires no introduction to you all. But for the record, I must mention that she is not only an accomplished practitioner of modern medicine and the Vice-principal and Director of the Madras Medical College but is also an authority on the wisdom of our great land.

“Her lecture today, ‘Organisational Dharma of Human Society: Lessons from Human Biology” promises to give us the blueprint for a cultural awakening that will lead us Rāma Rājya!

“The Life Insurance Corporation of India has been very kind to support this imperative cause of svarājya. I pray to Aṁbāl to grant them success in all their endeavours.

“॥ Victory to Śrī Rāma. Victory to the one who pervades as Ātmārāma॥“

***